Aegon and Daenerys rode their dragons above the clouds, the Summer Sea stretching beneath them in an endless expanse of deep blue, its waters shimmering.
The sea breeze rushed into Aegon's face, carrying the tang of salt and sending his silver hair streaming behind him.
This time, Daenerys had chosen to ride Meraxes rather than Balerion.
The other two young dragons screeched from time to time, chasing each other through gaps in the clouds. Playful Balerion even breathed dragonfire now and then, only to fly straight through it.
Since leaving Volantis, they had seemed especially lively, as though they sensed they were about to return to familiar ground. Even their flight had taken on a touch of joyful excitement.
Watching them, Aegon felt a smile tug unconsciously at his lips.
In the distance, a shape emerged on the horizon.
It was an island, a green hill rising from the sea, with white buildings cascading down its slopes in tier upon tier all the way to the shoreline.
Ships of every size lay moored in the harbor, their masts a forest, their flags fluttering in the wind.
At the city's center, a marble palace gleamed softly in the sunlight-the Prince's Residence, Aegon's home in Lys.
Lys.
His first holding.
King Ghidorah began descending first, spreading vast dragon wings in midair as a shadow swept slowly across the sea.
Off the coast of Lys.
A sizable fleet cut through the waves, sailing west.
These ships belonged to the Narrow Sea Domain's Three-City Garrison, tasked with patrolling the waters around Lys, Myr, and Tyrosh to keep the shipping lanes safe.
Their sails billowed full, their formation orderly, and the Black Banner with a Red Dragon flew from their masts.
On the deck of one ship, a young officer in an adjutant's armor