Only the three of them stood in the silent woods.
"Sandor, magic is real. I've gained its power, and now it's your turn."
Joffrey was blunt. He had made the choice he thought best for The Hound.
Since acquiring the Solid Rune represented by Blacklight two days ago, his Rune Energy had begun accumulating four times as fast as it had at first.
It still wasn't quite enough, but King's Landing was close. He needed to start preparing.
The Runes on the Glass Candle were probably all for support and would do little to help with the situation at hand. He decided to spend his Rune Energy on his trusted followers first.
Hannah spoke up beside them. "His Highness granted me the power of magic too. Look."
Hannah pressed her right hand against a nearby trunk and channeled Fire Magic Energy. Within moments, charred marks appeared on the thriving tree. Then tongues of flame reached toward the three of them.
The Hound's hair stood on end, and he stumbled back several steps.
Fire. The nightmare he could never escape.
Joffrey was determined to rid The Hound of that fatal weakness.
"Sandor, there's nothing to fear from fire! Magic will make the flames embrace you like armor and steel."
The Crown Prince gripped The Hound's shoulders. "Don't move. That's an order. Accept the power of fire. You'll come to like it."
At last, The Hound stood still.
Scorching energy enveloped him. The sensation was at once familiar and strange, uncanny and mysterious, as though even his soul trembled before it.
Then came another kind of energy. It had no distinct sensation, yet somehow felt warm and gentle.
Joffrey was pleased with his new creation.
The Hound wielding fire as a weapon. Now that would be something. Could the Recovery Rune heal his burn scars?
The Fire Rune Mirror Image and Recovery Rune Mirror Image had each cost three units of Rune Energy. He had also given Hannah a Fire Rune Mirror Image yesterday, leaving him with less than one unit.
The Hound slowly came to his senses.
His body grew hotter and hotter, as though he had been thrown into molten lava, yet he felt no pain.
Fire!
He remembered the brazier Gregor had shoved him into as a child. Bright red coals had seared his skin and flesh. Through the sizzling, he had smelled fire and roasting meat. Hell could hardly have been worse.
The Crown Prince patted his shoulder.
"Fire is no longer your enemy. Master this power as quickly as you can."
"When we return to King's Landing, you'll come north with me to Winterfell. Don't reveal that magic exists along the way."
Joffrey added pointedly, "Once we return to King's Landing from The North, you'll have a use for this power."
The Hound nodded in silence.
Too much had changed over the past few days. He was more comfortable with the way things had been: the Crown Prince gave orders, and he carried them out. Everything had been simple.
If you're going to be a dog, don't think too much. It won't do anyone any good.
Roar!
The low, commanding roar of a beast suddenly rang through the woods.
The Hound went on alert at once.
He fixed his eyes on the direction of the sound, sword gripped in both hands.
"Be careful, Your Highness."
Joffrey rested his right hand on Dragonflame at his waist, but he wasn't too worried.
What would a wild beast be doing here?
He found it strange.
The Goldroad connected the prosperous Westlands to King's Landing, the capital of the Seven Kingdoms. People traveled it every day. What wild animal would choose to live here?
He soon had his answer.
It was a beast, all right.
Hannah drew a sharp breath. The pink scars across the left side of The Hound's face pulled so tight they looked ready to tear.
Its head stood as high as a person, and its body was as long as two. Tawny from head to tail, it had a sleek, glossy coat and sharply defined muscles that seemed to radiate heat. Its golden eyes were as piercing as needles.
Joffrey saw a magnificent, imposing Mountain Giant Lion that would brook no challenge.
His expression grew grave.
A lion bigger than a polar bear, roaming the heart of the Seven Kingdoms without ever being spotted? How was that possible?
Perhaps it wasn't, but Joffrey knew mysterious powers existed in this world. Giant Lions had once lived among the mountains of the Westlands.
The Giant Lion looked at them and took a step forward.
All three of them flinched.
Joffrey hastily drew Dragonflame and reached for the Fire Rune and Solid Rune within him.
He had accumulated a considerable amount of magic energy over the past few days. But looking at the Giant Lion, he had no idea whether he could land a blow on such an agile beast.
He suddenly realized how vulnerable he was.
His magical power was still in its infancy, and he had yet to become a warrior. He was no more likely to survive than anyone else.
I've gotten far too carried away.
The ease of his magical research over the past few days had made him forget how cruel this world could be. He doubted he would forget this lesson.
"Sandor, try to control that power. Fire will help us survive."
"Hannah, set the trees around us alight."
"I'll keep an eye on it."
Would fire frighten a beast like this?
Joffrey kept his gaze locked on the Giant Lion and channeled Fire Magic Energy into Dragonflame. The blade gradually turned red.
The Giant Lion came no closer.
In a confrontation like this, holding a defensive position left fewer openings and gave them more time to react.
They settled into a standoff.
Hannah seized the chance to channel Fire Magic Energy with all her strength.
The flames around them grew steadily stronger. The air grew hotter, and even light and shadow began to waver.
The Giant Lion shook its head, its thick mane rippling.
In those golden eyes, Joffrey thought he saw comfort, even pleasure.
Flames sprang up along The Hound's sword.
Faced with such danger, he had finally cast aside his fear of fire.
The Hound stepped forward to shield the Crown Prince.
"Your Highness, by the name of House Clegane, I'll fight to the death."
He remembered the story his grandfather had told him time and again.
His grandfather had been a kennelmaster at Casterly Rock. One autumn, he had been lucky enough to save Duke Tytos Lannister from a lion, losing a leg and three hounds in the process.
House Clegane, with three hounds on its sigil, had been born that day.
The Hound grinned.
This lion must be bigger than the one back then. And this time, there are no hounds.
No, wait. I'm The Hound.
He raised his Flame Sword, judging the angle and direction of his charge.
The Crown Prince held out a hand to stop him.
"No. Wait. Time is on our side."
Westeros's unusual climate had given rise to unusual vegetation.
Summers lasted for years, and winters were just as long. The trees had long since learned to follow cycles of years rather than seasons.
Summer had lasted nine years across the Seven Kingdoms, leaving the forest floor carpeted with dry leaves.
Once the fire spread, no one could stop it.
With Fire Runes, they could use Fire Magic Energy to ward off the flames. That gave them a clear advantage.
A snake of fire crept through the fallen leaves toward the Giant Lion.
Let's see you stay still now.
Joffrey waited expectantly.
But when the flames reached the Giant Lion's paws, he saw a familiar red glow envelop its body.
How is that possible?!
He saw the light of Fire Magic Energy and felt the unmistakable presence of magic energy.
A magical creature?
His curiosity and longing began to overcome his fear of death.
Not only did the lion have a Fire Rune, it could also conceal its magical presence. Only when it used magic energy had he noticed anything unusual.
Did it know what Runes were and what they did?
Could it wield Rune Energy?
Would it seek out the power of new Runes on its own? No, it probably couldn't see Patterns, so that wouldn't be possible.
A thought suddenly struck Joffrey: Maybe this Giant Lion sensed the fire magic here and came from its hidden territory to investigate. Was it looking for one of its own kind?
Raging flames swallowed everything in sight.
The hot, thin air, thick with drifting ash, was hostile to every living thing alike.
The Mountain Giant Lion shook itself, turned, and trotted away at an easy pace.
Once the Giant Lion had vanished from sight, the three of them fled in the opposite direction, away from the deadly blaze.
They stopped several hundred meters away.
The Lannister soldiers arrived at last, with Jaime Lannister, the Kingslayer, leading the scouts.
"Joffrey, what happened? How did the fire start?"
Joffrey glanced at his uncle in name, then turned to stare in the direction the Giant Lion had gone.
"A remarkable accident."
Since our paths crossed, perhaps you're destined to be my mount.
He was curious.
How many Direwolves could a fire-breathing Mountain Giant Lion take on?
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