It was hard for Rickard to describe his thoughts as he stared at the crown prince, who unlike him appeared as calm as one could be.
He had already expected that the prince's visit would come with complications. Even though he reassured himself that he was still loyal to the crown, that his actions were for the good of his house and his kingdom, there were still moments of doubt, especially with how uncertain the future was.
Now, he felt that uncertainty more than ever. Just what was he supposed to make of this? Why was the crown prince doing this in the first place? Rickard had many questions, and he didn't know where to begin.
"You're not happy."
Rickard stopped himself from frowning as he looked at the young prince. "Forgive me. After being told so bluntly that part of my kingdom is being taken from me, I need more than a few moments to process."
It wasn't in him to be so….petty and sarcastic. But at that moment, the words just left his mouth without much thought.
Instead of taking offense, Rhaegal just smiled. "I can imagine that." The smile then disappeared. "Since I began my discussion being blunt, then I will continue to do so. No doubt you would prefer honesty over honeyed words."
Rickard would, yes.
"Despite what you might say, in all of these years Skagos has barely remained a part of the North. It has barely remained a part of the Iron Throne. I'm not interested in leaving parts of my kingdom unaccounted for. The same is true for the mountain clans, whom I noticed did not attend the feast today."
This time, Rickard couldn't stop the frown that formed on his face.
"My prince, as Warden of the North, I, along with my family, have kept the peace in this kingdom for as long as the Iron Throne has entrusted us with it. The Skagosi are no better than the Ironborn. They may worship the same gods as us, but they have little interest in being part of the greater world."
"And that is where you have failed." Rhaegal leaned back in his chair. "Point of the matter is, there is no reason to go back and forth on this. Like I've said, the Skagosi have already declared their loyalty to me and the crown. I'll be more than happy to give you the full story later, but right now it's irrelevant. My maester has a copy of the treaty that the three most powerful clans signed, affirming their ties to the Iron Throne."
What?
Rickard's eyes widened a little before he schooled his futures, but it was too late. The prince noticed, and he smiled again.
"I believe that's more than the Starks have managed to accomplish in thousands of years."
Rickard's jaw clenched, but he didn't say anything at the remark.
"Oh, forgive me." The prince was not sincere, and his tone said as much. "I just couldn't help myself after your insinuation that I was stealing some great prize from you." The young prince leaned in closer, his eyes narrowed. "Tell me, Lord Stark. If Skagos remains as part of your domain, what do you plan to do with it?"
The question was met with silence, because Rickard did not have an answer for it. If not for the prince's admission during the feast that he had gone to Skagos, Rickard wouldn't have even thought of the island.
The Skagosi never left their homeland. It was the same for the mountain clans living north of Winterfell, but Rickard, along with previous Lords of Winterfell, often went to meet with them. There was a mutual understanding. They were loyal to house Stark. Since the North became part of the Iron Throne, they had never met with a Targaryen, be it a king or prince or any other, but as sworn vassals to the Starks they fell in line with the laws of the realm. For the most part.
The Skagosi were not like that. The last time a Stark had set foot on their island he had been killed. It went without saying that they did not have the easiest of relationships.
"None of this changes the fact that Skagos still belongs to the North, my prince," Rickard finally said, his voice measured. "Trampling on the sovereignty of another house is dangerous."
"I call it a necessity when that land is being squandered," the prince retorted before leaning back once more, not caring for Rickard's statement or its implications.
Rickard did not know if the young prince was intentionally trying to provoke him or not.
"However, I also recognize that there is some truth in your words," the prince added, his face relaxing again. "Despite your inaction, your house has kept Skagos as part of the Iron Throne even after they dared to rebel. For that I am willing to reward you. I asked Lord Manderly what you might prefer in exchange for the island, and his answer helped me understand what I already know."
"Understand?" Rickard's eyes narrowed this time.
"Don't look so suspicious, Lord Stark. While my predecessors were more than willing to let you be, you'll find that my methods are different. Don't think that I'm picking on you for any particular reason. I have a feeling that I will be having similar conversations with many lords in the coming years."
Rickard knew there were many ways that he could interpret the prince's words, and none spelled anything peaceful for the future. However, as he looked upon this young prince, with his magical abilities and his two dragons still perched on his shoulders, Rickard realized that this was the manifestation of his fears come true. Ever since the boy's grandfather first sent a raven proclaiming him as a pyromancer, Rickard knew that something like this was coming.
The Targaryens were trying to encroach in the affairs of the lords once more.
It was exactly as Jon Arryn feared.
"Hmm, sometimes I feel as if I'm horrible at hiding my thoughts, but sitting before you now I can say that you're worse at it than I."
The prince's words snapped Rickard from his thoughts.
"Do you think I mean to cripple your lands?" Rhaegal scoffed before Rickard had a chance to say anything. "Don't insult me. The North belongs to you as much as it belongs to my house now, and I will not see it squandered if I can help it."
"Squandered?" Rickard echoed, feeling insulted.
"Don't take it personally, Lord Stark. I'm not talking about you or your house specifically. I'll continue to be blunt because I know you'll appreciate it. The Seven Kingdoms have stagnated. The North and the Iron Islands remain isolated from the rest of the realm. The Riverlands and the Reach are full of bickering lords, more interested in petty schemes and political fragmentation. The Vale remains troubled by their mountain clans with much of their land left desecrated because of it. The Westerlands were plagued with a revolt recently that had their houses more interested in wasting money than using it wisely. The Stormlands are united but poorer than they should be. And Dorne? Dorne is still viewed as an outsider by many and thus they remain separate from the rest of the kingdoms in more ways than one. Tell me, Lord Stark. Does any of this sound like a prosperous realm to you?"
Rickard could only stare at the young prince, unsure of what to say. Some of his earlier irritation started to fade away as he realized that the prince was indeed not trying to insult him. He was just doing as he'd said: being honest. He saw a problem, not just in the North but in all of the kingdoms.
"The common people are happy to cheer just because they have food on the table, but I'm not content with this. There's more to be done, and I will make sure that it gets done."
It was a simple declaration. The boy's father had made several in the past already. One of which was to build a new wall in the North in order to add new lands to the kingdom. It never got done, of course. Just like the rest of the king's promises. They were hollow, not worth a damn.
Unlike those extravagant promises, however, Rickard found himself trusting the prince more. Why was that? Was it the conviction with which he spoke? Or was it because of the prince's abilities?
Rickard could not say. He just knew that any animosity he might have felt earlier was mostly gone now. Some part of him still felt irritated that the prince had decided to just grab Skagos without consulting him first, but Rickard knew that that was just his own Northern pride kicking in.
Thinking more calmly now, Rickard began to realize that this was actually an opportunity for him. The prince had opened up the door for negotiation. Despite showing no tact and just grabbing Skagos for his own, the prince was still willing to treat with him.
It was better than nothing, and Rickard was willing to work with it.
"What do you plan on giving to the North in exchange for Skagos, my prince?"
---
Rhaegal would not lie and say that he wasn't a little surprised to see Rickard Stark changing his tune so quickly and begin their "negotiations." In truth, everything that he was doing were things that he had already been planning on implementing, with or without Skagos. It was no huge loss for him, one way or another.
The Stark did not need to know that, though.
He expected more resistance from the man, partly fueled by Rhaegal's words. Not that he could help it. He was irritated right now, both because of the Stark's belief that he might try to cripple the North and because of the burning sensation in the back of his mind. It was like the dragon eggs had confirmed that he was here, and they were doing their best to let him know that he needed to come to them.
'Damn dragons.'
They never had any patience. Then again, his own patience was questionable, and he was part dragon. Or his soul was at least.
Anyway, back to the main topic.
Rhaegal held up two fingers. "Infrastructure and food. This is what I aim to compensate you with."
Rickard was intrigued, Rhaegal could tell. The Starks really were too honest with their feelings for their own good, but that just made dealing with them all the more easy.
"I saw your roads on my way here. Given the size of your kingdom, you have far too little, and they are nothing more than dirt patches on the ground. The Old King was wise to build a foundation for a road system to better connect the Seven Kingdoms together, but that should have been the first step, not its conclusion."
"What are you saying, Prince Rhaegal?"
"I plan on building a new road system, one that will rival the ancient highways of Valyria. Not just mere dirt roads but something more befitting of the Iron Throne. I will expand the existing Kingsroad to include more routes to better promote trade and communication within the kingdoms."
It wasn't just the Kingsroad that existed of course. There were the Goldroad, Roseroad, and so forth. The Kingsroad was the primary artery, and Rhaegal wished to expand on it.
"How do you plan on accomplishing this?" Rickard asked, his brow furrowed. "The cost alone…"
"I must keep some secrets, Lord Stark." Rhaegal had no intention of telling the man that he was working on recreating dragonstone. "As for the cost, you don't need to worry about it. The crown's interest in connecting the kingdoms closer together means that it will bear the brunt of the cost."
Of course, that was a nice way of saying that the Iron Throne wanted to exert more direct control over the lords and their lands.
Rickard went silent again, no doubt mulling this over. Then he asked, "What of the food?"
"You were once in control of a patch of land called the Gift, were you not?"
At the mention of it, Rickard's eyes widened. "You cannot mean to-"
"Yes. I will turn it over back to you to do as you see fit. Whether you rule it personally or have one of your bannermen take control is none of my concern. You know your own vassals better than I do. I'm sure you'll make the better decision."
Rhaegal had to throw him a bone somewhere. Besides, micro-managing everything would just slow him down. Certain things had to be entrusted to others, lest Rhaegal accomplished nothing.
"The Night's Watch controls the Gift now." Despite the obvious glee radiating from him, Rickard was still sensible enough to understand the difficulty of the situation. "I doubt they'd be willing to just give it up, my prince."
"It was only through the word of Queen Alysanne that the Night's Watch received the Gift in the first place. Similarly, it can be taken away by royal decree."
The Night's Watch was a former husk of itself. Rhaegal did not know the full details, but his great uncle had been kind enough to tell him some of it. Every year there were less and less recruits. These days it was more common to conscript common criminals from dungeons than to have enthusiastic recruits. In some ways, the Night's Watch had become a haven for outlaws. It was home to the worst kinds of people in the realm.
"I'm not sure how willing the Lord Commander will be to agree with you on that, my prince."
Rhaegal was not surprised to see the hesitation from Rickard. Unlike the other kingdoms, in the North the Night's Watch was still viewed with respect and admiration, a worthy cause to attach one's name to.
Rhaegal had no time for such vague notions.
"The Night's Watch can barely function as it is. They only have three castles to man out of the nineteen that stand along the Wall. As it is, the Gift is being squandered in their hands."
As was Skagos with the North, but Rhaegal did not bring that up again. He had made his point there already.
"But don't fret, Lord Stark. It's not as if I'm planning on ignoring the Night's Watch altogether," he admitted after seeing the hesitation in Rickard still hold.
His great uncle Aemon had asked for his father to give more attention to the Night's Watch on several occasions, but the requests had all been ignored. Like the members in the small council, Aerys saw no real benefit in giving direct aid to the Night's Watch. Rhaegal himself had been more concerned with his other projects and reviving the dragons, so he hadn't given the matter much thought either.
Now circumstances had changed.
Rickard's shoulders sagged as the man let out a weary sigh.
"You make everything sound so straightforward, my prince."
Ancalagon and his sibling chirped beside him while Rhaegal chuckled.
"I suppose that's one benefit of being the crown prince, Lord Stark. You start viewing things from a different perspective."
"Hm, I doubt that's all." Rhaegal didn't comment when the man's eyes drifted to the dragons before focusing on him again. "I will not lie and say that this is not an attractive offer. For a long time, many houses in the North have wished to see the Gift returned to us. What little land we can farm now is nothing compared to what's in the Gift."
Rhaegal did not doubt that. Sometimes he wondered what Queen Alysanne's motivation had been to strip the Gift from the North and hand it over to the Night's Watch. It wasn't just that either. During her visit to the Wall, she also had the Nightfort close down and began the construction of other castles. In some ways, it was almost as if she was strengthening the Night's Watch.
'No doubt influenced by what she and her husband knew.'
Knowledge that later Targaryens would lose.
Rhaegal did not want to repeat that mistake.
"Very well." Rhaegal's attention shifted back to Rickard as the man stood up. "These terms are more than acceptable. However, I will accept only if the Night's Watch is convinced to hand over the Gift peacefully."
The man was going to make this difficult all the way to the end, wasn't he?
"As you say, Lord Stark." Standing up as well, Rhaegal showed no hesitation as he met the man's gaze with his own. Rhaegal was going to think of this as just another challenge for him. "I was planning on heading to the Wall after my time here, so this works for both of us."
Rickard nodded and the two shook hands.
Rhaegal would not say that there weren't any bad feelings left over Skagos, and he knew that many of the Northern lords would still raise complaints despite his willingness to negotiate. These men were stubborn that way. However, what bad blood that might have arisen from all of this was greatly reduced, and Rhaegal still got everything that he wanted.
Now there was only one other thing to handle.
"Lord Stark. Tell me. Do you have any dragon eggs in the castle?"
---
Lyanna knew that she would be in big trouble if anyone ever discovered what she was doing. Sneaking out of her room in the middle of the night to see if she could pet any of the princes' dragons would earn her more than a little scolding.
She just couldn't help it. Not after being able to see the dragons up close during the feast. She had wanted to ask the prince then and there if she could pet them, but her mother had stopped her on multiple occasions. How boring.
Lyanna knew that she just needed to sneak into the guest house and then into the prince's room and talk to him. Surely he would understand her fascination with his dragons, right?
Right!
However, Lyanna found her plan almost foiled as after leaving her room she saw her father and the prince leaving his solar together. They were accompanied by two knights in the shiny armor. They were talking, but their voices were too soft for her to make out anything. More importantly, the prince had two of the dragons with him.
This was her chance!
'But father is here.'
Lyanna pouted at that. Even unintentionally, her father still got in the way. This sucked.
However, another part of her was curious. She had left the feast early with Benjen, mainly because her brother was sleepy, but the prince and her father had still been seated and enjoying the festivities when she had last seen them. What were they doing here together? Was the prince going to show his magic to her father?
Lyanna's eyes shined with excitement at the thought and made to follow them.
The prince and her father left the Great Keep, with the the knights being dismissed by the prince once they were outside, and Lyanna instantly regretted not bringing a coat with her. Or at least a cloak. In all of her excitement, she had forgotten about the cold outside somehow, even though it was colder than normal.
How embarrassing.
Lyanna didn't let that deter her. She had the wolf's blood in her, her father said. And wolves didn't get cold!
Or something like that.
She didn't know where the two were heading, but she was surprised to see that the redheaded woman from the feast was waiting for them by the Guards Hall. The prince exchanged a few words with her, which she seemed to return, but once again Lyanna couldn't hear what they were saying.
Lyanna tried not to flinch when two of the prince's men came walking by her. Thankfully they were too drunk to notice her as they stumbled by. While the main feast had been going on inside the castle, the guardsmen and the prince's men had been busy partying outside as well.
Lyanna ignored them and kept her eyes on her father and the prince. Some more words were said before the three started walking again. This time they seemed to be heading toward the North Gate.
The only places in that direction were the broken tower and the First Keep. Why would her father be leading the crown prince and the redheaded woman there?
Lyanna didn't get it, but her curiosity was piqued.
As she made to follow, a voice cut her off.
"What are you doing out here?"
Lyanna froze. For a moment, she feared that it was her mother. But her mother didn't have a male voice.
Still, she slowly turned around, fearing the worst. There, in the middle of the courtyard, she was met with the prince's twin brother. His own dragon was draped around his shoulders, staring at her curiously. There was also another boy with him who shared in the same looks as the brothers. Lyanna realized that she had not paid much attention to him all day. Probably because he didn't have a dragon. That, and despite having silver hair and purple eyes, he wasn't as pretty as either of the princes either.
"I asked you: what are you doing?" the prince said, his eyebrow raised.
The boy next to him shook his head while he shivered as a cold wind blew through the dimly lit courtyard.
"You could stand to be more friendly, you know. She's Lord Stark's daughter."
"Oh." The prince blinked as he looked her over again. "Oh, yes. I remember now. You were at the feast but left early."
Lyanna grumbled. "Only because my brother was falling asleep. I still have plenty of energy!"
"Clearly." The prince's voice was dry with sarcasm, something which Lyanna did not appreciate. "Shouldn't you be in your chambers?"
She crossed her arms and huffed. "Shouldn't you?"
The prince seemed taken aback by her response while the other boy tried to hide his laughter.
"The first person you try to associate with while your brother is not around and you get rejected. And it's a little girl too." At least one of them was having fun.
Lyanna huffed again. "I'm not little! I'm already six!"
The not as pretty silver-haired boy rolled his eyes at her. "And that's little."
"I remember you trying to argue otherwise when you were her age, and you wanted to come down to the city with my brother and I," the prince interjected.
The boy spluttered. "T-That's different! And anyway, this isn't about me right now!"
Ha! Lyanna didn't know why the boy was embarrassed all of a sudden, but she wasn't going to complain. Not after he called her little.
"Anyway, back to the main question." The prince turned his attention back to her. "What are you doing out here, my lady?"
Now he was trying to be more respectful?
Lyanna took a second to come to a decision. The longer she spent hanging around here arguing the more likely it was that she was going to lose sight of her father and the others.
So she said, "Follow me."
Lyanna gestured for the two older boys to follow her.
They traded glances before shrugging and following after her, the small dragon chirping along the way.
In all of the excitement, Lyanna had forgotten about the dragon somehow. She wanted to take a moment to pet it, but she had already lost enough time talking to these two. Right now, she was more interested in figuring out what her father and the other prince were up to.
"If this ends up leading us to trouble, then I'm blaming you," the boy said while giving the prince a glance.
"How could this end causing trouble?" the prince wondered.
"I don't know. You brothers have a way of getting into weird situations."
"When has that ever happened?"
"Should I name every moment of this trip?"
"That's far different."
"Will you two be quiet?" Lyanna threw them a glare over her shoulder. "Do you want us to get caught?"
The fact that she was talking to one of the princes of the realm like she would with one of her brothers hadn't registered on her mind.
"Oh, so we're following someone?" The boy's eyes lit up in the darkness as he scanned the courtyard. "Who is it? Is someone causing you problems?"
Was there a way she could seal his mouth shut? Nah, too much work.
"I'm following my father." She left out the part about the prince's brother as she hastened her way past the Guards Hall and the lichyard. This was the oldest section of the castle. She imagined that maybe the prince wanted to see the lichyard, or perhaps the broken tower. Instead, she was able to catch a glimpse of her father leading the prince through an old and heavy ironwood door at the end of the smaller courtyard.
'The crypt?' Lyanna was confused.
That confusion faded into awkwardness when she noticed the redheaded woman staring right at her from her spot next to the crypt entrance.
Oh no. She'd been caught!
She barely registered the prince and his friend walking up behind her.
"For someone so small, you sure can walk fast!" the boy was saying but then froze when he realized that the redhead woman was staring at them.
The prince himself just sighed as he massaged his forehead.
"I told you this was a bad idea!" the boy cried out while Lyanna still had enough sense to huff.
She wouldn't have been caught if she was by herself!
---
If it weren't for his impatience, Rhaegal would have found some amusement in seeing Rickard Stark berate his daughter for being out and about so late at night.
Their trio, now composed of six people, stood by the entrance to the crypt after Melisandre called out to them from outside, telling them that they had visitors expecting them.
Imagine his surprise to find his brother and Monford with Rickard's only daughter.
"I take it that spying is a new habit of yours?" Rhaegal said while Ancalagon chirped from his shoulder.
Aegorax returned the chirp with one of his own while Rhaegar had the decency to look embarrassed.
"We did not know that it was you who she was following, just her father."
As if that made it any better.
"What are you two doing out here anyway? Shouldn't you be in your rooms?"
"When we saw that the Kingsguard had returned without you, we got curious and went out looking for you," Monford said while rubbing the back of his head. "But then we got distracted…"
Oh yes. Quite embarrassing.
"I apologize for all of this, my prince," Rickard said while his daughter stood next to him, her arms crossed as she huffed. "I thought I had taught my daughter better than to spy like this."
"Hmm, indeed." Rhaegal glanced at the girl. "What say you, girl?"
"It's not 'girl.'" Rhaegal's eyebrow rose a bit when he found himself on the receiving end of her glare. "I'm Lyanna Stark."
"Lyanna!" Her father scowled. "Watch your tongue, daughter. Have you not listened to a single thing that I have said?"
The girl just huffed again.
'Quite the wild one, this one,' he thought. Not even Oberyn had been so rude during their first meeting.
"Hmm." Rhaegal heard Melisandre hum, almost to herself, as she stared hard at the young Stark girl. "How peculiar."
If it were not for the dragon eggs still calling to him, then Rhaegal would have asked her what she found so interesting in one girl, but his impatience was getting the better of him.
"Enough." He didn't have to raise his voice. All heads turned to look at him. "Lord Stark, I care not whether she comes or leaves, but we must get a move on."
"Brother." Rhaegar walked up to him. "What is going on? What are you doing here?"
Rhaegal turned toward the narrow and winding spiral steps that connected all the levels of the crypt together. It was dark down those steps, but thankfully he had no need of a torch.
"It appears as though we might have stumbled onto another piece of our legacy, brother."
Rhaegar didn't understand. "What do you mean?"
"Come. I did not think to bring you, but now that you are here I want you to see it with me."
He didn't bother to ask for Rickard's permission. Technically only Starks and those they permitted were allowed to enter the crypts, but the burning sensation was stronger now than ever before.
At first, Rickard had denied the existence of dragon eggs in Winterfell. It was only after Rhaegal pressed him that the man said that the only possible place where they could be was inside the crypts somehow. Why? Supposedly the crypt was connected to a deep cavern that was bigger than all of Winterfell. Given the castle's immense size, Rhaegal was naturally curious. If a dragon found the entrance to the cavern from the outside and roosted within, it was possible that some eggs had been laid.
There was no real proof of this, but it was the best lead Rhaegal had. After stepping inside the top level of the crypt, Rhaegal realized that the Stark's hunch had been correct. The burning sensation became stronger, as if informing him that he was close.
Without a thought, Rhaegal formed a bright fireball in the palm of his hands as he and Rickard led the others deeper into the crypt. He heard Lyanna gasp when she saw the flames, with her father glancing at them with some amount of wonder as well.
Both Ancalagon and his sibling leaned in closer to the flames, almost as if they were entranced by them. Even Aegorax perked up when he saw the flames from his spot, his eyes focused solely on them.
Now that Rhaegal thought about it, this might be the first time that he was using his magic in their presence. And they seemed to like it.
Rhaegal let that drift from his thoughts for now as he focused entirely on where the dragon eggs were leading him. As it turned out, it was really deep into the crypt.
"This place is big." Monford was staring at all the statues in wonder. They were the statues of past kings and later Lords of Winterfell. Accompanying the statues of the Starks were the statues of direwolves curled at their feet. Iron longswords were placed across the laps of all the statues.
"So this is where the Starks place their dead." Rhaegar seemed fascinated by the statues as well.
Melisandre said nothing, just following in silence, her eyes fixed forward.
Rhaegal appreciated her self-control.
"We should be careful," Rickard said at one point. Rhaegal wasn't sure how many levels they had climbed down by now. "The lowest levels are partially collapsed. We don't want to have this place coming down on us."
Rhaegal kept that in mind.
There were many layers to the crypt and by this point the statues were no longer recognizable. The iron longswords had also rusted away to nothing. They were so deep down that Rhaegal doubted that even Rickard had been down to these levels. There was no light now save for the one that Rhaegal had created.
Rhaegal felt himself compelled to stop at a certain point. The floor here was decayed and the farthest portion was collapsed, so there was no reaching it. However, what was interesting was that it hadn't collapsed by natural means but by very large and thick roots.
Rickard's eyes recognized the roots immediately. "The weirwood tree."
Rhaegal recalled the layout of Winterfell, and sure enough the godswood where the weirwood tree stood was right next to the crypt entrance. Only now, with how deep they had gone down, the weirwood tree was probably right on top of them.
Rhaegar's face was full of interest as he gazed at the roots. "I had no idea the roots could get so big."
Rickard slowly nodded. "Neither did I."
Monford and Lyanna were unable to say anything.
Melisandre looked displeased by the sight of the roots. "Foul."
A simple word, but it explained her feelings well enough.
Rhaegal didn't bother to correct her as he carefully stepped onto the floor while the dragons looked around. It was very wet here, surprisingly. Besides the hot springs, was there a different water system running underneath Winterfell? Although it felt strangely warm in here. Rhaegal then realized that the heat was coming from the water.
So it was the hot springs then.
The burning sensation was leading him forward, and Rhaegal's eyes narrowed as he realized that they were calling him toward the roots of the weirwood tree. It was not the first time that he felt uneasy whenever he was near one of these trees, but being this deep underground while gazing into the roots only multiplied his uneasiness.
He still pressed forward, and his stubbornness was seemingly rewarded when he saw something shining in the darkness within the roots. It was almost as if the roots were acting as shields, protecting what was within them.
And what he found were two dragon eggs, one pure bronze and the other pure silver.
---
It was said that King Jaehaerys I and his sister-wife Queen Alysanne once visited Winterfell together.
It was also said that Jacaerys Velaryon, firstborn to Rhaenyra Targaryen, also visited Winterfell.
Both instances saw dragons coming to the North along with their riders. Only one of those dragons was said to be a she-dragon, capable of laying eggs. There existed no evidence that the dragon Vermax was a she-dragon like Silverwing. Only one testimony coming from that era said that Vermax had laid eggs, and that testimony was riddled with many holes. Mushroom was known for his flanderization, and it was easy to dismiss many of his testimonies.
For Vermax and Silverwing were both large dragons by the time they visited Winterfell alongside their riders. How could they have possibly gotten inside the tunnels of the crypt? Even if there was a different tunnel system that connected to the crypt, given the state of the lower levels, it would be impossible for the two to intercept somewhere. Unless Rhaegal had missed something, which was very possible.
On the other hand, the placement of the eggs suggested human intervention, and it was for that reason that Rhaegal was willing to believe that, in this instance, the fool was telling the truth. For if Silverwing had laid the eggs, the queen would have ensured that they returned to King's Landing or Dragonstone.
This also meant that tales of Jacaerys Velaryon's love for Sara Snow were more than likely true. Her existence was another mystery, but the fact of the matter was that someone had gone out of their way to place two dragon eggs deep within the crypt at Winterfell. If Jacaerys did wed Sara, then everything would fall into place.
That so-called Pact of Ice and Fire may have been true as well then.
Honestly, thinking about the whole thing was headache inducing for Rhaegal. It did not help that finding the eggs did nothing to relieve him of the fire burning within him. He knew why of course. The dragons wanted to be born.
'They're restless.'
It was funny. He couldn't sense any magic, but when it came to dragons he probably had a deeper understanding than anyone else in the world.
There were shocked looks from Rickard and his daughter of course. The man could not believe that there were two dragon eggs just resting within the crypt of his castle.
Rhaegar and Monford were also flabbergasted, unable to wrap their heads around the fact that someone had left dragon eggs so far North. Skagos was one thing. That was a dragon acting on her own. This was a Targaryen bastard leaving behind the source of his house's power.
The only ones who were pleased, from the way they were chirping, were Ancalagon and his siblings. They almost seemed to be dancing as they circled the eggs that were now placed inside the abandoned First Keep. It was a drum tower, and it had gargoyles as decorations of all things. The only other place Rhaegal had seen gargoyles was at Dragonstone. How peculiar that the oldest surviving building in Winterfell also had them.
Rhaegal's thoughts did not linger on them for too long. He had Melisandre prepare the same ritual as before. A part of him wanted to wait until he was back on Dragonstone before hatching more dragon eggs, but he knew that his discomfort would not end until he finally did so.
At least he now knew what to expect.
Lyanna was practically bouncing in place as she watched Melisandre go about her work.
"Amazing," she tried to whisper, but everyone heard her.
Rickard tried to remain aloof, but this entire situation was outside his comfort zone. His mind was no doubt still reeling from the discovery of the dragon eggs.
Monford had not been able to witness this ceremony when they were on Skagos. It seemed as if fate had given his childhood friend another chance to see it with his own eyes this time.
Only Rhaegar remained stoic, but his eyes betrayed his concern.
Rhaegal knew why. The last time he'd done this, he'd been forced to rest for twelve hours.
And there were other factors to consider.
"Do you truly wish to do this now, my prince?" Melisandre asked as he knelt in front of the eggs.
Ancalagon and his siblings were still circling the dragon eggs, their interest apparent. Thankfully they were outside the symbols that Melisandre had drawn, so there was no chance of the fire reaching them. Dragons they might be, but they were still hatchlings.
"This place. It's tainted with their magic," she said as she leaned in closer to him, speaking softly. It was almost like they were conspiring against the world. "Even now, I can sense it. This will weaken you, and we are very close to their source. Do you want to risk falling into their hands?"
As they say, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Besides, that second female voice said that it had still been difficult for her, and she had used some particular tricks in order to reach him.
Maybe his other stalkers wouldn't be able to do it?
And even if they did, Rhaegal was confident in his inner protection to safeguard him against any of their tricks. For even when he was weakened, the female voice had struggled to have a short conversation with him.
Rhaegal had little reason to hesitate.
"I'm ready."
---
The fires burned as hot as they did the last time. They blinded Rhaegal from the outside world, and he feared that he would all of his clothes again. But while the flames still burned the world around him started to change.
He was no longer standing inside Winterfell. Melisandre and the others had vanished. The dragon eggs and the dragons themselves also vanished. Now, he was standing in front of a weirwood tree in the middle of a snowy field. It had deep red eyes and a twisted wooden mouth.
This was new. And also very disgusting.
'These things always look like corpses.'
It was almost as if someone had robbed the trees of their spirits, leaving them in agony. How anyone could worship them was beyond him.
"You understand more than you realize, young Targaryen."
Rhaegal was not surprised to hear a voice speaking to him. What did surprise him was that the voice was coming from a crow with three eyes. The crow stood on one of the branches of the weirwood tree. The three eyes gazed directly at him, and for a second Rhaegal froze.
Those eyes. They contained so much in them.
"I think it's about time you and I had a conversation, Rhaegal Targaryen."