Before long, enormous figures rose into the sky above Dragonwing Castle, one after another.
King Ghidorah led the way, his golden scales gleaming in the sunlight. Viserys sat securely between his necks, his black-and-red armor glinting coldly.
Rhaenys rode on Meleys's back. The crimson dragon now had a wingspan of fifteen meters and took flight effortlessly with the girl aboard.
She gripped the saddle's handholds tightly, her heart racing with excitement, but gradually calmed as she sensed Meleys's thoughts.
Viserys had ordered craftsmen to build this dragon saddle using the ancient Valyrian texts they had collected, allowing dragonriders to sit more securely. He did not need one himself, but he had to ensure the girls' safety.
The three slightly larger dragons, Balerion, Vhagar, and Meraxes, followed close behind. They seemed to sense the coming battle as well and roared with excitement.
Higher up among the clouds, Blackflame's immense figure flickered in and out of view. He had long been waiting in the sky, his dark-red slit pupils gazing coldly down at the pirate fleet on the sea.
Duke William's Imperial Navy fleet had already deployed in the designated waters, surrounding the pirate ships at a distance.
When the dragons appeared on the horizon, thunderous cheers erupted from the fleet.
The pirate fleet opposite them, however, instantly plunged into panic.
When the Silence had been surrounded by the Imperial Navy, the fleet at the harbor had only just begun to move. Several pirate leaders who witnessed it had argued fiercely over whether to fight or flee.
But their long-standing fear of Captain Euron kept them in place, waiting for a signal from Crow's Eye.
By now, they suspected something had happened to Euron, but they no longer had any choice.
They saw the legendary three-headed dragon, then more dragons wheeling through