We Bleed Silver(GOT/ASOIAF Fanfic)

Dong, dong, dong, dong.

The sound of the Great Bell of the Cathedral echoed through the city. This cathedral, with its seven towering spires, was one of the four iconic structures of Summerfield. In terms of luxury, it ranked second only to the Vaelarys Purple Palace, and in height, it came second only to the Great Town Hall built atop the high hill. As the bell of the Cathedral rang, the bells of the Great Town Hall began to resound in magnificent layers.

Septon Corlan set down the bell hammer and carefully crawled out from the narrow bell tower, gazing at the clergy members he had summoned. Each of the clergy wore simple brown robes, with a long wooden staff in hand and a seven-pointed star badge hanging from their chests. In addition, dozens of Septas in white robes held the Seven Stars Bible in their arms, silently praying.

"Septon, we are ready," a handsome young Septon named Hugo stepped forward to report when he saw Septon Corlan emerging from the bell tower.

"Good. Hugo, you are my successor," Septon Corlan said, looking at Hugo's smooth bald head and silver-gray hair. This young man, brought back by Draezell, was of Valyrian descent from Volantis. He had originally been a follower of the Lord of Light but had become a fanatic of Corlan's teachings, even changing his name to an Andal one. "The prince has high hopes for us. We must ensure we satisfy him," Septon Corlan reiterated.

Hugo nodded eagerly. To prevent the plague from spreading in Summerfield, especially to prevent a situation like that of the Dragonpox victims entering the frontier lands, Diana Tarly had immediately worked out a plan with Draezell after his return to Dragon Nest. Lord Royce Caron had sealed the roads, and the port also imposed a blockade and thorough inspections. Summerfield had rarely closed its gates, and Evens led apprentices to check door to door for signs of illness. Corlan had organized the clergy to provide scripture readings for the common people and opened the cathedral, distributing free medicine. Draezell generously provided sufficient funds to the cathedral.

"Septon, some brown-robed brothers have arrived from the North," Hugo suddenly remembered something before leaving and whispered to Septon Corlan. "They've been telling people that the Queen is the offspring of incest, that the dragons are demons from hell, and that the prince and the princes are heretics and unclean devils from the East." The more Hugo spoke, the angrier he became. If not for the fact that the clergy could not use force without the joint approval of Septon Corlan and Dragon Nest, he would have shown those people what true dragonborn citizens were.

"Heresy!" Septon Corlan's face reddened with rage upon hearing this. "They are heretics! Hugo, you and the others go ahead. I'll visit the Great Town Hall. I won't allow such heretical speech in my diocese."

Before Hugo could respond, Septon Corlan was already faster than the young man, leaving the others stunned. But once they learned the content of the speech, they too became furious.

"Hugo, brother, let's tell the others," a Septa stepped forward. "We cannot allow these heretical words that slander the prince and the princes."

Hugo thought for a moment. He instructed several clergy to search for those who spoke such nonsense, while the others were to complete their tasks and be ready to mobilize the faithful to cleanse the heretics.

As the personnel from the cathedral were mobilized, the bells of the Great Town Hall and the cathedral continued to toll. The bell sounds rang out from every street. In front of a beautiful stone house on Steel Street, an ironworker named Tom quickly pulled his wife and daughter, who had just returned from the district chapel, inside.

"What's happening?" Tom's wife looked at her husband in confusion. She had just returned with their daughter after praying. The continuous bell sounds had indeed startled her, but she didn't know what was going on.

Tom quickly put on his outer coat and said seriously, "Stay inside with the child. According to the Maester, we need to boil all water before drinking it, and make sure no rats get inside the house."

His wife couldn't help but ask, "But the firewood money...?"

"The town hall issued subsidies," Tom replied. "Don't worry about the money." His wife glanced fearfully at their child and nodded obediently. Only then did Tom feel reassured and head out the door, hurrying toward the Great Town Hall.

As the bells gradually ceased, the Silverblood Army, clad in silver armor and purple cloaks, along with the City Guard in chainmail and silver cloaks, began to mobilize. Without exception, they wore the Dornish veils and gloves, assisting the residents of the city in further epidemic control efforts.

---

While Summerfield and the port city were intensifying their preventive measures, on Dragonstone Island...

King Aegon, the bald-headed monarch, had finally received the long-awaited prize.

The bald king lay beneath the stone, nervously watching the magnificent silver-gray dragon devour a fat sheep. His manpower was insufficient, otherwise, he would not have wanted to be lurking in this desolate place; he would have simply taken Dragonstone. Unfortunately, with only Marston Water by his side, and without a dragon, he had no leverage to convince the acting lord and soldiers of Dragonstone to submit.

"Seasmoke," King Aegon silently repeated the name of the magnificent dragon in his mind. Though it was the long-awaited prize, he still felt somewhat uneasy. After all, this wild dragon had belonged to Rhaenyra's former husband, Laenor Velaryon. Taming the dragon of his dead enemy's former spouse was something Aegon found difficult to accept, but when he imagined riding a dragon, especially Laenor's, and flying before Rhaenyra, he couldn't help but feel a rush of excitement. He could already picture her face when she saw him.

Slowly, Aegon crawled out from between the rocks and cautiously approached Seasmoke.

The dragon sensed someone approaching and stopped chewing the lamb, turning its head to look at Aegon.

"Seasmoke, calm down," Aegon said in High Valyrian, his accent evident. Seasmoke sniffed the air, gave Aegon a brief glance, and returned to eating the lamb.

Aegon moved closer to the dragon, step by step, until he was beside Seasmoke. He reached out to grab the straps of the dragon's saddle.

Seasmoke immediately turned its head and let out a furious roar at Aegon.

"Seasmoke, calm down, I command you to calm down!" Aegon growled, still in High Valyrian, his voice breaking. One hand reached for Seasmoke's head, while the other grabbed the saddle straps.

Enraged by Aegon's actions, the dragon flapped its wings and swung its body, sending Aegon flying through the air.

"How is this possible?" Aegon gritted his teeth, his body aching as he watched Seasmoke take off. "I am a pure Targaryen, how could Seasmoke not accept me?"

The silver-gray dragon angrily released a stream of fire at the direction Aegon had been flung, and just as the flames subsided, it prepared to unleash another burst.

But then, a hoarse dragon roar echoed from the east, and

Caraxes, shrieking, emerged from the clouds and flew toward Seasmoke.

Seasmoke, not to be outdone, roared back and flapped its wings, flying toward Dragonmount. Caraxes circled around Seasmoke's departure, before folding his wings and slowly landing in front of the scorched area.

"Cough." Aegon coughed painfully. Even as the dragonfire burned him, he couldn't comprehend why Seasmoke had rejected him. Though Targaryens had a long history of failed dragon taming and family members perishing by dragon's jaws, Aegon never thought he would be one of them.

Seasmoke's flame had scorched Aegon's legs, nearly turning them to charred stumps, and the rest of his body was covered in burns. Sir Marston Water leapt from his hiding place and stood between Aegon and Caraxes. Lord Larys Strong, sighing, limped into view.

"You've won." Aegon, upon seeing his uncle appear, understood that he had failed.

"Aegon." Looking at his nephew's burned and twisted form, Daemon couldn't help but sigh for his late brother. "Do you regret it?"

"Cough... ahh..." Aegon shifted his body, realizing he couldn't move without sharp pain, and he gave up struggling. Tears flowed freely down his cheeks. "I regret it, regret it so much."

"Aemond and Vaghar are dead," Daemon said. "Draezell, riding Vermithor, killed them one-on-one. For a crown, you lost your brothers."

"Uncle." Aegon gritted his teeth, enduring the pain. "What about Helaena and the children?"

Daemon shook his head. "I haven't received intelligence from Oldtown, but the army has probably taken it by now. However, Draezell and Valar aren't cruel men. Helaena and the children should have survived."

"That's good, that's good." Aegon finally broke down in tears. "Uncle, give me peace. The pain... it's too much."

Daemon looked to the Kingsguard and the Master of Whisperers. Lord Larys Strong sighed. "Prince, I will die with my king, but you must hurry back to King's Landing. If all goes as planned, our arrangements should already be in motion." Larys smiled and stood by Aegon's side.

The Kingsguard blocked Daemon's path. Daemon frowned, knowing that Larys' words weren't promising. Something had gone wrong in King's Landing.

"Go well, my nephew." Daemon gathered his thoughts as Caraxes unleashed a long stream of dragonfire, instantly engulfing the three men.

Aegon Targaryen, the Sixth King of the Targaryen dynasty, known as "The Defiant" and "The Usurper," died four months after his coronation, consumed by his uncle's dragonfire. His brief reign, shared with Queen Rhaenyra, was known as the "Year of Two Kings."

Though later Targaryen monarchs would not recognize him as a true king, historians would always list him in the royal record, acknowledging his place in the war for the crown.

Daemon watched as his nephew's body collapsed into ashes in the flames. He immediately ordered Caraxes to take flight; he needed to return to King's Landing. Larys' warning had to have merit. Only when they reached the waters near King's Landing did Daemon finally understand the problem.

From the sky, he could clearly see the firelight rising from King's Landing.

Something had gone terribly wrong in the capital.