The flames atop the funeral pyre gradually began to weaken.
But the grief of the people did not lessen in the slightest.
By normal estimates, the pyre should have continued burning until at least the afternoon.
Even sitting down, Malaqo probably could not have endured the heat until then, much less remaining standing while being supported by servants.
"We should leave."
"Yes, my lord."
Seeing someone preparing to depart, Freygo also became tempted to leave.
Although he was younger than Malaqo, he too suffered from chronic illness and could not endure much longer.
"Quairo, let's go as well."
But Quairo seemed not to hear him.
He stared fixedly at the funeral pyre.
"Quairo?"
Freygo turned his head and suddenly noticed something strange.
The flames atop the pyre had suddenly grown far more violent.
Yet oddly enough, as the fire intensified, it should have risen higher. Instead, the flames were compressing inward toward the center.
It was as though something inside was absorbing the fire itself.
Because they stood closest, Rhaella, Daenerys, Rhaenys, and the rest of the royal family were the first to notice the abnormality.
The sudden eruption of flames caused the surrounding temperature to spike dramatically.
The royal guards hurriedly stepped forward to shield them.
Fortunately, members of House Targaryen possessed remarkable resistance to heat.
Aside from Elia and Lyanna, the others felt little discomfort.
Still, seeing the pyre suddenly explode with fire instinctively caused everyone to step back.
No one had expected so many strange phenomena to occur during a funeral.
First the pyre flared unnaturally.
Then came the bleeding star.
Rhaella stared fixedly at her son's funeral pyre.
The flames grew hotter and hotter, yet increasingly compressed together, forming something like a giant sphere of fire.
Within only a few heartbeats, the pyre collapsed inward.
The fireball shrank rapidly.
"Hiss— Hiss—"
Arthur heard the strange sound again.
Without hesitation, he drew his sword and positioned himself before the royal family protectively.
"Aemon, did you hear that?"
"I did."
"Rhaenys?"
"I heard it too."
It was not only the nearby royals.
Old Crab, Davos, the Kingsguard, and even the royal guards standing farther away all heard it clearly now.
"Hiss— Hiss—"
As the flames diminished, the mysterious sound became clearer and clearer.
More and more people heard the strange noises coming from inside the fire.
Then suddenly—
Boom!
A muffled explosion echoed through the air as a black shadow shot upward from the flames.
The shape was roughly the size of a swan and moved so quickly that nobody saw it clearly before it dove back into the fire.
"What was that?!"
Though old, Malaqo's eyesight remained sharp.
One of his servants immediately handed him a spyglass.
Freygo and Tormo had also seen the shadow. Their hearts began pounding violently.
"Hiss— Hiss—"
"Hiss— Hiss—"
This time two more shadows burst from the flames.
One white.
One green.
The creatures circled through the sky before plunging back into the fire once again.
At that moment, a single word appeared in everyone's minds simultaneously.
"Dragon! It's a dragon!"
Nobody knew who shouted first.
The grieving crowd instantly forgot their sorrow, completely captivated by the creatures that resembled the species extinct for more than a century.
Crash!
The charred remains of the sedan chair collapsed apart.
Then a blackened arm stretched outward from within the flames.
A wave of gasps erupted from the crowd.
This time, however, the gasps carried expectation.
Even Arianne, who had been restrained under guard, noticed something was wrong.
She immediately climbed onto the back of a servant to look over the crowd.
"Dragons?"
At this moment, she cared less about dragons than whether Viserys might still be alive.
Could someone survive fire?
The thought was absurd...Yet impossible to dismiss.
Arianne could not see the arm clearly.
But Rhaella stood closest.
She saw everything. Yet despite what she saw, she dared not move forward.
She feared it was only an illusion.
"Brother!"
Compared to everyone else, Daenerys's thoughts were far simpler.
Who else could possibly be inside those flames besides Viserys?
She immediately tried to rush forward, only for Ser William to grab her tightly and hold her back.
Crash!
A blackened human figure stepped out from the flames.
Every scrap of clothing had long since burned away.
Because his body was completely charred black, his silver hair stood out brilliantly—Even though it too was covered in soot and ash.
"Hiss— Hiss—"
The sound came again.
Three baby dragons poked their heads out from Viserys's shoulders and arms, hissing threateningly at the surrounding crowd.
For a moment, everyone stood frozen in shock.
"He's alive! My brother's alive!"
Daenerys struggled desperately to get closer.
Beside her, Rhaenys, Aemon, and Aegon all looked as though they had just awakened from a dream.
Arthur stared wide-eyed at the charred figure.
He recognized him instantly.
That was his king.
Lightning itself seemed to gather within Arthur's purple eyes.
"L-Long live Viserys!"
Davos was the first to react.
Tears streamed down his face as he dropped to his knees immediately.
"Long live Viserys!"
Gerold was equally stunned by the scene unfolding before him.
He knelt alongside the other Kingsguard.
"Long live Viserys!"
The royal guards whom Viserys had previously pardoned all fell to their knees as well.
The motion spread outward like waves across the crowd.
The commoners who had come to mourn their king knelt without the slightest hesitation.
Their king had not died.
Even Malaqo, who had stubbornly endured until now, could no longer remain standing.
Perhaps it was shock. Perhaps exhaustion.
But he too finally knelt.
"Viserys... my son..."
Seeing Viserys reborn from the flames, Rhaella's tears burst forth uncontrollably like a collapsed dam.
At that moment, the political instincts of the royal family returned instantly.
She understood this was the perfect opportunity for Viserys's authority to ascend even further.
Not only had he returned from the flames—He had restored dragons to House Targaryen.
"The land of smoke and salt! The savior was born amidst smoke and salt! Smoke—"
Melisandre stared toward the still-smoking pyre.
"Salt?" Her eyes searched rapidly before landing upon Rhaella. "The salt is the Queen Mother's tears!"
At last, even the Red Priestess willingly knelt.
"So this is the true land of smoke and salt!"
Though kneeling, fanatic ecstasy filled Melisandre's eyes. "Oh Lord of Light! I have found the true savior!"
Standing atop the funeral pyre, Viserys naturally noticed Melisandre.
It was difficult not to.
After all, she was the only person dressed entirely in red.
'Hmph. Lord of Light.'
Naturally, Viserys had no intention of causing trouble at a moment like this.
He had returned from death itself.
He had returned with dragons.
The Dragon King reborn.
Standing atop the pyre, Viserys shouted toward the countless people below.
"Your Dragon King... has returned!"
___________
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