Fire and Blood

Chapter 136: Battle Above the Gods Eye (Part 2)

The Riverlands ― South of the Gods Eye...

"*RRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOHH!*" Vaelor let out a loud roar, shaking the ground beneath him.

"*RRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHH!*" Vhagar responded with a fierce roar of his own, clearly showing her displeasure at the arrival of the Swiftrunner.

The two dragons sized each other up, their massive forms casting long shadows over the terrain, each standing protectively behind their riders, poised to strike at any moment. With a deep, resonant growl, Vaelor unfurled his black wings; the sound of his wings slicing through the air echoed like thunder, a warning to all who dared to oppose him. He emitted a threatening hiss, a sound reverberating through the valley and sending shivers down the spines of those who witnessed the standoff. Flames flickered and danced along his razor-sharp teeth, illuminating the area with a fiery glow. Vhagar, undeterred and a seasoned veteran of a hundred battles, responded with a low rumble that resonated deep within her chest, a sound that spoke of ancient strength. Her vast and powerful jade-green wings stretched wide, casting an imposing silhouette against the twilight. The two dragons stood as titans, each waiting for the slightest sign that the other would make a move. The ground beneath them trembled slightly as if the very earth recognized the weight of the moment, the inevitability of the confrontation that loomed on the horizon.

"*RRAAAAAAOOOOOHH!*"

"*RRAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!*"

Vaelor's tail was gracefully coiled and curved as it arched upwards. Then, with a powerful surge, it unfurled, the muscles rippling beneath the surface before swiftly crashing down onto the ground with a thunderous impact that sent tremors through the earth and rattled the nearby trees. Dust and debris erupted around it, and the sound echoed like a thunderclap, signaling the Swiftrunner's ferocity. The spines along his neck and back elevated, each slender membrane shimmering with a vivid crimson hue in an aggressive display. This striking display signaled his readiness for battle and warning to anyone who dared to stand against him. The vibrant color seemed to pulse with life, a visual manifestation of his will. Perceiving this as a challenge, Vhagar stood on her hind legs. Her tail arced gracefully before crashing down with equal ferocity, shaking the earth beneath them and sending a tremor rippling through the landscape. The ground quaked as if acknowledging her supremacy, and the trees swayed precariously, their roots straining against the soil as if they were being gently uprooted; leaves fluttered down like confetti, bending slightly as if bowing to her might. With a mighty flap of her wings, Vhagar unleashed a deafening roar that echoed across the Riverlands, a sound so loud it could shake the very foundations of Storm's End itself. Her roar reverberated through the air, clashing with Vaelor's own fierce cry in a tumultuous proclamation of her dominance. The two massive creatures locked their eyes, their gazes fierce and unyielding. Their roars continued to intertwine in a primal display of raw power and primal instinct to intimidate the other. Yet, neither showed any signs of backing down.

"*RRAAAAAAOOOOOHH!*"

"*RRAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!*"

As the two dragons continued to circle one other, their massive feet causing reverberations in the ground through their claws, Aemond's mind drifted back to the previous occasion he had encountered the Swiftrunner, a moment etched in his memory like a scar. It had been in King's Landing amidst the chaos of the coup attempt, a time when the city was rife with treachery and uncertainty. Back then, Vaelor had only measured a mere 248 feet in length, a formidable dragon in his own right, but still dwarfed by the might of Vhagar, who had been a towering presence even then. Now, Vaelor had grown to an impressive 310 feet, nearly matching Vhagar's size of 330 feet. When he first claimed Vhagar on the windswept shores of Driftmark as a ten-year-old boy in the dead of night, Aemond felt an overwhelming sense of power and invincibility. The oldest and largest dragon in the world, the last remaining dragon from the days of Aegon's Conquest of Westeros, was his, yet here was Vaelor, an unexpected rival that seemed to have materialized from seemingly out of nowhere to challenge that supremacy and toppling him from his lofty perch. The Swiftrunner's very existence threatened him. But how was this possible? How could this dragon have grown at such an extraordinary rate? It was utterly baffling and appeared to contradict all rational explanations. Aemond had always understood that dragons, like all creatures, had their own growth rate dictated by their ancestry, breed, age, environmental factors, diet, and overall duration in captivity. But Vaelor's accelerated growth defied any logic known to man.