In Rhaegar's small room, he looked at the map of Westeros, which he had already colored in many places.
Dragonstone and The Pale Mountains were places where dragon eggs might still be lost. A wooden sword lay on the map, acting as a paperweight.
Cesar looked at Rhaegar, truly a focused young dragon. However, he understood that if he had been born into a Dragonlord family, he would probably be just as obsessed with dragons.
"Prince, your vitality is truly extraordinary. Ordinary children would have been exhausted and asleep long ago after undergoing my Water Training," Cesar said. He was genuinely surprised by the child's energy, wondering if some people were born to be warriors.
Water Training is the sword training practiced by the Water Dancers of Braavos.
Braavos views the fighting in Westeros as the Dance of Steel, emphasizing bravery and brute strength, characterized by hacking and slashing, tough men and tough horses. The fighting in Braavos is the Dance of Water, emphasizing flexibility and agility, quick movements, and surprise attacks.
In fact, Rhaegar saw this as a comparison between hard and soft styles. The blade technique of the Lys Shadow was also a fierce and sharp style, while Cesar's Water Dance Swordsmanship was indeed as soft as water.
"Master Cesar, you exaggerate. The blood of the Dragon family is just like that of normal people; it doesn't burn with fire. It's impossible to be full of energy every single moment," Rhaegar replied.
After a period of training, Cesar's impression of Rhaegar grew increasingly positive. Cesar perceived a certain Fervor of Fire in Rhaegar, and Rhaegar, in turn, learned a bit of the Gentleness of Water. Perhaps he could create an unparalleled warrior who boldly fused water and fire, surpassing all predecessors. Rhaegar was going to combine the fighting techniques of Braavos and Westeros.
"Prince, forgive my frankness. It has been hundreds of years since the Magic Dragons vanished; the world knows they are gone forever, like a fleeting dream. You should dedicate your precious time to martial skills, not these illusory pursuits," Cesar said, looking at Rhaegar. He had heard of the ridiculous things the Dragon family did to try and wake dragons, such as the Ironwood Divine Dragon or swallowing wildfire. The most recent was Aegon V, who set himself ablaze. He truly did not want his student to follow such a path.
"Thank you, Master Cesar. The disappearance of the dragons is indeed a fact, and I harbor no illusions; I am simply interested in that history," Rhaegar said. Although Cesar the swordsman had a cold demeanor, after spending some time with him, Rhaegar knew he was kind-hearted.
Seeing Rhaegar's response, Cesar said no more and took his leave.
Night deepened gradually.
In the cool, clear night, Rhaegar felt as if every muscle in his body had been torn apart, aching intensely.
But Cesar said this wasn't even the most rigorous training; it was just their usual sparring. In Braavos, the method they used to train the most elite swordsmen involved catching a specific cat among a crowd of cats, or having the swordsman dance on a spiral slide.
Rhaegar was too exhausted. How much effort would the Dance of Water and Fire require?
Few warriors in Westeros attempted such a daring fusion.
Drowsy, Rhaegar began to dream again.
Rhaegar dreamt again of the Silver Dragon. The Silver Dragon hung motionless in mid-air, simply gazing at him intently. With its beautiful scales and graceful form, it was a combination of strength and beauty; anyone would praise the splendor of this Silver Dragon.
The Silver Dragon was an Auspicious Omen; those who saw it felt lucky.
The Silver Dragon did not breathe fire or smoke; it just stared straight at Rhaegar.
Rhaegar seemed to fall into a state of stagnation; time stopped, and life stopped.
Rhaegar wanted to speak loudly but couldn't utter a sound. He felt suppressed by something—a fear and loneliness where only his consciousness flowed but his body was immobilized.
The Silver Dragon began to turn into stone, inch by inch, bit by bit, the speed increasing until it became a perfect stone sculpture.
Rhaegar could bear it no longer. He broke through the stagnation and ran frantically toward the Silver Dragon.
Flames erupted from his body, starting from his heart and slowly spreading to his torso and face.
His silver hair was ignited by the fierce fire, and flames came from his mouth and nose.
That fire made his blood boil and his vitality surge. The fierce fire cleansed everything, making him stronger.
Rhaegar, burning with fire, rushed toward the Silver Dragon, and the Silver Dragon was also affected by the flames.
The Silver Dragon was freed from the curse of petrification, and it came back to life.
The Silver Dragon roared, its voice echoing across the land.
The Silver Dragon moved, signaling Rhaegar to mount its back.
Rhaegar rode the dragon into the sky, carried by the flowing air and wind. He and the Silver Dragon looked down upon everything in the world.
Perhaps, I am the only true dragon.
"Silver Dragon, where are you? And how should I awaken you?" Rhaegar woke up from his dream.
The elements of this dream were even stranger: his own fire had awakened the Silver Dragon.
His whole body burst into flames—a pure Spontaneous Combustion. There was no fire around; his body ignited the flames.
What did this fire prophesy? Rhaegar was puzzled. The Dragonlords claimed that true dragons were fireproof, which usually just meant they were slightly more resistant than ordinary people. True self-ignition was extremely rare. Furthermore, this fire wasn't external; it was his body spontaneously combusting.
Just then, the System Panel changed again.
The identity section of his System Panel now included Blood of Fire.
Identity: the last dragon, Sleeping Blood of Fire (Some flames originate from the outside, but others come from within. To become a true dragon, one must awaken the sleeping flame.)
"Perhaps this fire isn't literal fire, but my willpower, my vitality, my fighting spirit. During the Tide of Magic, ordinary Dragon family members could hatch dragons. But when magic wanes and disappears, can only those Dragonseeds whose lives burn the hottest and possess the greatest fighting spirit awaken a dragon?" Rhaegar mused. A Song of Ice and Fire: Ice is conspiracy, fire is passion. Ice is the Night King, and fire is perhaps rhllor. Fire flows within the bodies of the Dragon family, but for many, that flame is sealed away.
He thought of one person: Daenerys.
Though she belonged to the Dragon family, she was constantly wandering, like a piece of iron forged into steel through countless trials. Although she was a girl, she had endured much hardship until suffering molded her into a blazing fire.
Ordinary members of the Dragon family were merely raised deep within the palace walls, guided by women's hands. But Daenerys was truly a Doomed Royal Scion, having gone through all sorts of displacement and torment, family extinction, and the death of her husband and child.
This girl's tenacious will put men to shame.
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