The young girl gave her command, trembling with fear.
Despite her terror, she had never been braver than at this moment.
"Hiss—Screech—"
Dreamfyre raised its head at the sound of her voice, letting out a piercing cry. It surged forward, its powerful hind legs propelling it as its wings flapped, stirring up a violent wind.
The dragon was massive, covering great distances in just a few strides.
The elderly dragonkeeper's face turned pale with shock. He hurriedly shouted toward the dragon pit's entrance, where the dragon guards stood:
"Open the gates!!"
He had witnessed Targaryens taming dragons before.
At a moment like this, he knew better than to obstruct the sacred bond between a dragon and its rider.
At the same time, he couldn't allow Dreamfyre to rampage inside the dragon pit—stone structures could collapse under such force.
**Boom—**
The dragon guards had already noticed Dreamfyre's agitation. Following the command, they quickly swung open the massive gates of the pit.
Dreamfyre beat its wings and charged forward, kicking off the ground with its powerful legs and soaring out of the prison that had held it captive for decades.
"Screeeech—"
A triumphant roar echoed through King's Landing. The massive, sapphire-scaled dragon ascended into the sky, once again soaring over the city.
"Fly, Dreamfyre!"
Helena kept her eyes tightly shut, still unaware of what was happening. She simply repeated her command.
Dreamfyre bared its fangs and unleashed a torrent of dragonfire—an explosion of orange and blue flames cutting through the sky.
"Fly, Dreamfyre!"
Helena could feel the intense heat of the flames, but she mistook it for the thrill of excitement. She kept shouting, her voice full of determination.
"Hiss—Screech—"
Dreamfyre let out another roar. Its slit pupils reflected Helena's image—this timid girl who had somehow found her courage.
In Helena, the dragon saw the shadow of its former rider, Rhaena.
If Dreamfyre could understand human emotions, this strange feeling might have been called **"bravery."**
Circling above King's Landing, Dreamfyre unleashed several more bursts of dragonfire, venting the frustration of its years in captivity.
Then, with a tilt of its head, the dragon turned northwest.
With a powerful flap of its wings, it shot past the city walls and disappeared into the clouds.
---
Dreamfyre's sudden flight sent shockwaves through King's Landing.
At that moment, Rhaegar was meeting with Ser Syrio, reviewing intercepted letters.
A dragon's roar shattered the silence. Startled, he looked out the window.
Through the stained-glass pane, he saw a massive blue dragon soaring above the city, spitting fire.
"Dreamfyre?!"
Rhaegar's eyes widened in shock. He hadn't expected the dragon to escape the pit.
Squinting, he noticed a small figure clinging to the dragon's back.
His vision was excellent—when Dreamfyre flew closer to the Red Keep, he could barely make out **Helena.**
"Damn it! That girl didn't even use a saddle!"
His heart tightened with worry. Forgetting about Ser Syrio, Rhaegar dashed out of the room.
Moments later, he pushed past the protesting guards and burst through the Red Keep's gates.
"Screeeech!!"
At that same moment, a deep, rumbling dragon roar echoed from the depths of the dragon pit.
A shadow—vast and black as night—shot out of the pit, spreading its wings as it soared through the still-open gates.
**Glutton** took to the sky, its emerald eyes scanning the ground below.
It quickly locked onto its target and dove toward the Red Keep's entrance.
**Boom—**
As the massive beast landed, it sent dust and debris flying in all directions.
"Glutton, catch up with Dreamfyre!"
Rhaegar pushed through the swirling dust and agilely climbed onto the dragon's back.
"Hiss—Screech—"
With a powerful beat of its wings, Glutton took off—just as swiftly as it had arrived.
---
Meanwhile…
Dreamfyre soared through the clouds, letting out joyous cries, as if celebrating its long-awaited return to the skies.
"Dreamfyre, you're flying too fast!"
Helena had finally opened her eyes. Nervously, she looked down at the thick clouds below, tightening her grip on the dragon's horns.
She had woken up when the damp air of the clouds brushed against her face.
The moment she opened her eyes and realized she was flying…
Her heart filled with both **excitement and fear.**
On one hand, she wanted Dreamfyre to take her on a magnificent flight.
On the other, her hands and feet were starting to go numb, and she felt like she might lose her grip.
"Hiss—Screech—"
Dreamfyre, ever mischievous, gave its head a slight shake, making Helena bite down on her lip in terror.
The dragon had finally broken free from its prison—there was no way it would fly **gently.**
Was the dragonrider afraid?
Nonsense. She was **brave.** She just didn't know it yet.
With a glint of pride in its slit pupils, Dreamfyre accelerated, eager to show off its speed.
Its streamlined body worked in perfect harmony, proving that decades of captivity had not dulled its agility.
It danced through the clouds, executing daring aerial maneuvers.
Poor Helena, however, was struggling.
Dizzy from Dreamfyre's rapid movements, she felt a tightness growing in her stomach.
But the dragon showed no signs of slowing down—it only flew faster and faster.
Helena had no idea where Dreamfyre was headed.
Every now and then, she caught glimpses of the land below—a rushing river, its waters roaring as they surged downstream.
---
"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid… Brother said I can do this. I'll be fine."
Helena shook her head, her chubby cheeks pressing against the dragon's horn.
But deep inside, she was still scared.
She hoped someone would realize that Dreamfire had taken her away.
About ten minutes passed before a gust of wind roared from above.
Feeling drowsy from the flight, Helena lifted her head and saw a massive, pitch-black dragon soaring overhead. Its enormous body cast a shadow over Dreamfire.
"Helena!"
A familiar voice called her name—Rhaegar.
"B-Brother!"
Helena's heart leaped with joy when she spotted the tall figure near the black dragon's neck.
Rhaegar was crouched atop Devourer's neck, leaning forward as he looked down at her. He shouted, "Hold on tight to the dragon's horn! Dreamfire will land soon!"
Helena nodded rapidly, obediently replying, "Okay, Brother!"
The moment she saw Rhaegar, all her fear vanished.
She tightened her grip on the dragon's horn, her light purple eyes locking onto Rhaegar.
Above, seeing that Helena was unharmed, Rhaegar let out a heavy sigh of relief.
He had been terrified that she might lose her balance and fall off the dragon's back.
Dreamfire wasn't just any young or adolescent dragon.
She was a fully grown, temperamental beast with no regard for anything in her way.
Even Rhaegar himself had suffered because of that once.
"Hiss—Screech!"
Spotting Devourer, Dreamfire flinched and let out a sharp cry, accelerating her flight.
The enormous figure in the sky was nothing good.
The scent it carried was laced with blood—a lingering trace of having once devoured its own kind.
Devourer gazed down at the blue she-dragon, its slit pupils flashing with disdain.
It had given up dragon meat years ago.
It hadn't hunted a single dragon in any lair for a long time.
About ten minutes later, the two dragons descended toward a vast, expansive lake below.
The water was a deep jade green, and black swans glided across its surface, sending ripples through the stillness.
At the center of the lake stood an island, lush and covered in greenery.
"Hiss—Screech!"
Dreamfire let out an excited cry, circling above the lake.
Her roar echoed across the waters, sending the black swans into a panicked retreat, their wings flapping frantically as they fled.
Splash—
Dreamfire swooped low, her talons skimming the surface and churning up waves.
Helena glanced around in awe, curiously taking in this unfamiliar place.
After frolicking for a while, Dreamfire slowly descended onto the island at the lake's center.
As she landed, Devourer dived down from above, landing on the island as well.
Dreamfire paused at the water's edge, lowering her head to gulp down mouthfuls of the cool lake water.
Devourer stood behind her, watching intently.
Rhaegar quickly climbed down a rope ladder from the dragon's back and ran toward Dreamfire, calling out, "Helena, come down!"
As Dreamfire drank, Helena let go of the dragon's horn and wobbled as she stood up.
Hearing her brother's voice, she swallowed nervously and called back, "Should I jump down?"
"Uh…"
Rhaegar was momentarily stunned before chuckling wryly. "Just slide down from her back. I'll catch you."
This little girl and her wild ideas…
If you actually jumped from that height, I wouldn't dare catch you!
Obediently, Helena followed his instructions, climbing from Dreamfire's head down to her spine before sliding off her tail.
Rhaegar stood ready below, catching her in one swift motion.
The moment she landed in his arms, Helena clung to him like an octopus, her lips quivering before bursting into tears.
"Brother… Waaaahh!"
She had been holding it together while on the dragon's back.
But now that she was safely on the ground, the fear finally caught up to her.
Her stomach felt tight, like she was about to burst.
Smack—
Rhaegar gave her a light slap on the rear, scolding, "What are you crying for? Do you know how dangerous it was to ride a dragon alone?"
The way she had tamed Dreamfire was eerily similar to how he had first bonded with Devourer.
Get on and fly—if you fall, you die.
"B-But… I know I was wrong…"
Helena had no idea what she had done wrong, but she instinctively admitted fault.
She just wanted to tame a dragon and prove herself.
And she had succeeded.
Dreamfire, though a little unruly, had been tamed.
Seeing her pitiful expression, Rhaegar's anger faded.
He gently patted her back and reassured her, "Don't cry. You managed to ride a dragon—you're already a dragon rider now."
"Really?"
Helena's tear-filled eyes widened with surprise.
Rhaegar nodded. "Of course. Dreamfire has accepted you. From now on, she's yours."
"I'm amazing."
Helena sobbed briefly before forcing out those words.
Rhaegar was amused by her and chuckled. "That's right, you are amazing—a true Targaryen."
"Mm-hmm, I'm just as amazing as you."
Helena nodded firmly, her messy long hair swinging wildly across her face.
Holding her with one arm, Rhaegar used his other hand to brush the strands of hair away from her face. A strange sense of accomplishment filled his heart.
**My little sister is growing up.**
"Come down, I'll help you tie your hair up."
After setting Helena down, Rhaegar gathered her thick, flowing hair and used a thin string to tie it into a bun at the back of her head.
Helena closed her eyes in enjoyment and asked, "Brother, where are we?"
Rhaegar examined his handiwork and replied, "Lake God's Eye, on the Isle of Faces."
Helena blinked and pointed in a certain direction, puzzled. "Is that the Hand of the King's castle?"
Following her gaze, Rhaegar peered through the dense vegetation of the island and vaguely saw the dark ruins of a towering fortress.
He knew exactly what it was—the largest castle in Westeros.
**Harrenhal.**
Harrenhal was built by Harren the Black, who spent 40 years constructing it.
Countless enslaved captives perished during its construction, and legend has it that Harren the Black mixed human blood with mortar to strengthen the walls.
By the time Aegon's Conquest began, Harrenhal had just been completed.
Aegon the Conqueror led his forces to attack, but Harren the Black sealed the gates and hid inside with his family, believing that while dragons were powerful, they could not breach his invincible fortress.
Negotiations failed.
At dusk, Aegon rode Balerion the Black Dread high above Harrenhal and unleashed dragonfire so intense that it melted stone.
All five towers of Harrenhal were engulfed in flames, their tops liquefying into molten rock.
Harren the Black and his entire bloodline perished, burned alive within Harrenhal.
Over the next hundred years, the castle changed hands multiple times.
After Rhaenyra Targaryen, who had taken refuge there, passed away, Harrenhal was left uninhabited.
King Jaehaerys I later granted Harrenhal to House Strong.
The current Lord of Harrenhal is Lionel Strong.
**(End of Chapter)**