The purpose of this trip to The Wall had largely been achieved. He had obtained dark sister, proven the existence and threat of the White Walkers to the Nights Watch, and even 'gained' a Ygritte, as well as the unexpected 'variable' that was Benjen Stark.
He planned to leave Ygritte at The Wall first, to care for Maester Aemon at Castle Black. With Aemon's presence, she would definitely be protected, and she herself was clever enough to handle the situation.
Viserys had discussed this arrangement with her on the way back to the castle, because he truly intended for Ygritte to become a bridge between the Nights Watch and the wildlings. Ygritte herself was willing to do this for the survival of the wildlings, so she was content to set aside her southern dream for now.
As for the Nights Watch, at least the original Targaryen supporters and Maester Aemon would support his plan, allowing the wildlings to cross The Wall and live in the Gift of the Nights Watch.
And Commander Mormont, after learning of Benjen's ordeal, also seemed inclined to agree.
Now the Nights Watch only needed the approval of House Stark of the North to begin implementing this plan, as they still relied on supplies sent from Winterfell to survive.
And House Stark was responsible for the safety of the entire North, so they had to consider the impact these wildlings might bring. After this incident, Benjen's mindset had changed; he planned to go to Winterfell personally to persuade his sister-in-law, Lady Catelyn.
He was very weak now, so he had been untied by the black brothers, though he couldn't move freely. With his firsthand testimony, House Stark might relent; otherwise, unless Viserys was determined to force them with military might.
But aside from a few families, the Northmen were mostly brutes and stubborn mules who only obeyed the commands of House Stark. For Viserys to kill them, he would have to kill over half of the North's population at the very least.
As for Viserys himself, he still had two places to go. Just the day before he returned to The Wall, a raven letter from Dorne had flown to The Wall.
It turned out that when Prince Oberyn went to Tyrosh for some 'pre-war entertainment,' he visited Clinton. During their casual conversation, they talked about Viserys, and from him, learned that Viserys had gone to The Wall, so they wanted to invite him to Dorne as well.
Viserys thought about it and agreed, but since he was going to Dorne, he might as well stop by the Vale on the way to help Royce family secure control of the Vale completely. He remembered from the last letter sent by Lord Royce to Valyria that they had already surrounded The Eyrie.
After the affairs at The Wall were mostly arranged, Viserys did not linger.
Before departing, he met with Maester Aemon alone.
"You will succeed, child. You will be the pride of the family." Aemon held his hand, reluctant to let go, not knowing if he would have another chance to see a member of the Targaryen family.
He entrusted Ygritte to Aemon, and Aemon gladly agreed, saying he needed someone to help him with daily tasks, as Clydas sometimes couldn't manage alone.
Viserys said to Ygritte, "You can learn a lot here. After I handle matters in the south, I will arrange for someone to take you south." Ygritte said nothing, only nodded.
Benjen Stark was escorted by several members of the Nights Watch, preparing to head to Winterfell. Before leaving, he looked at Viserys with a complex expression and finally said, "The Nights Watch will always remember your help."
Ghidorah was already waiting in the open space outside the castle. When Viserys mounted the dragon's back, many black brothers had gathered outside Castle Black, silently watching this scene. The arrival of the dragon and the confirmation of the White Walkers had completely disrupted the millennia-old rhythm of this ancient fortress.
Ghidorah let out a low roar, spread its wings, stirring up a flurry of snowflakes, and then soared straight into the Sky. This time, Viserys did not choose to fly hidden above the clouds. He wanted more people in Westeros to see the dragon, to turn the rumors about dragons into undeniable reality.
Two days later, Ghidorah had crossed the natural barrier at the outskirts of the Vale, the Mountains of the Moon. And The Eyrie sat atop its highest peak, the Giant's Lance.
From the air, the first line of defense of The Eyrie, the Bloody Gate, was indeed easy to defend and hard to attack. Aside from the pass in the middle, both sides were almost vertical cliffs.
Viserys recognized some of the allied banners stationed outside the Bloody Gate: the runestone of Royce family, the burning tower of House Grafton, the black raven of House Corbray, the six silver bells of House Belmore, the white seagull of House Shett, and some other smaller houses.
East of the Bloody Gate, along the treacherous mountain path, he also saw the other three defensive castles of The Eyrie: Stone, Snow, and Sky, each guarding the key routes to The Eyrie.
Royce family's allied forces choosing a strategy of siege without attack was wise, as a forced assault would come at a heavy cost, and The Eyrie had never been captured from the ground.
But Viserys didn't need to take the ground route at all.
He guided Ghidorah to climb higher, passing over the Bloody Gate and those three castles, heading straight for The Eyrie. Below, the stationed Vale soldiers stared dumbfounded at this mythical creature flying by, even forgetting to draw their bows.
Soon, an exquisite and beautiful white castle appeared before him, with vertical cliffs below and only a narrow, perilous path connecting it to the ground. This was The Eyrie, the 'Sky Castle' that House Arryn took pride in.
"We're going straight to the castle," Viserys patted the dragon's neck. "Courtesy before force."
Ghidorah responded with a loud roar, alerting the defenders below of her arrival, while spreading its wings and diving toward the castle.
The guards of The Eyrie were the first to notice the anomaly in the Sky. After a dragon's roar, a golden three-headed dragon emerged from the clouds, growing larger, its golden scales gleaming in the sunlight. The soldiers on the watchtower were first shocked, standing frozen for a few seconds before reacting and frantically ringing the alarm bell.
While shouting, "A dragon, there's a dragon in the Sky, with three heads!"
The bell echoed throughout the castle, plunging it into chaos, as the alarm bell of this castle had never been rung before.
Maidservants screamed and ran in all directions, while soldiers hurried to their posts, but more just stared dumbfounded as the legendary creature in the Sky drew closer.
The defenses of The Eyrie were also designed for ground attacks: towering walls, narrow entrances. But threats from the air? This had never been truly considered, not even over a hundred years ago when the Targaryens still had dragons.
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