Sunspear

There it is… more of a ruin than I last remembered. That vision was fifteen years ago, this was to be expected.

"That is all you wanted to see, a tower?"

"It is no ordinary tower, Izanami. This was where my father brought Lyanna Stark after running away together… Robert Baratheon thought that he had abducted the girl, which was the spark that led to the Rebellion."

"Your father wasn't very thoughtful."

"He was an arrogant fool."

But he is still my father. I don't remember much of him… if only things had happened differently, then I would have known him better.

Aerion explored the Tower of Joy, just as he had before. It seemed to have been abandoned for all these years… Dorne probably had no use for a tower in the middle of nowhere. The tower did serve some purpose, reminding Aerion that he may still have an alive sibling. He had not forgotten… but there were more important matters at hand. After some time, Aerion moved on.

He flew with Izanami to Sunspear, the seat of the Martells, at a relaxed pace. They arrived in the evening. It was a beautiful city indeed. Surrounded by the glowing sea, its towers were tall and domineering as they looked down on the shadow city beneath. Their golden roofs glimmered as the sun's orange light shined upon them. The walls were rigid and seemed to be impenetrable. A few fires were lit but the city was slowly closing its eyes anyway.

Aerion flew down and greeted the guards.

"Seven hells… a man who can fly!"

"Silver hair, purple eyes… it is His Grace, the King! Open the bloody gate immediately!"

The gate began to slowly move upwards after one of the guards began to turn the mechanism. The more experienced of the guards, the one who ordered that the gate be opened, approached Aerion.

"Just a moment, Your Grace."

Eventually, it opened. The guard led him and Izanami into the inner keep. Aerion gained many glances, some longer than others, as he walked to where his company had settled. It was the main keep, yet there were no signs of Doran.

"Where is my uncle, Ser?"

"Ah… perhaps you do not know, but the Prince of Dorne, your uncle, resides in the Water Gardens. It has been so since Your Grace's Reconquest of Westeros came to a close."

"I shall visit him in the morrow, then."

Some good rest never hurt anyone.

Aerion followed the guard into the guest rooms where everyone else had called it a day. "Apparently, riding dragons and flying lions had taken their energy for the day." The guard made a jest.

"That is to be expected… those two are rather competitive. Where are they now?"

"Only the Seven know…"

"I see… they will return, eventually."

Now all I have to do is find a room for myself and lay down. I chose one of the remaining rooms and rested.

Aerion willed his eyes to close and, eventually, drifted into a long and uninterrupted slumber. First thing he did was go through Floor Seven and into the Arena. Floor Eight came to mind, he wondered if there was such a thing.

Maybe the Arena was made to prepare me for the next floor… I can expect opponents of the Divine Origin Realm if that's the case. A thrilling thought, I suppose.

"The Dragon has made his return!" The announcer paused, giving the crowd time to cheer. "He has defeated countless opponents. Some were intimidating, others were mystical. But one thing was certain; they were, most of all, dangerous!"

"Now, today is a special day. For there will only be one battle." An almost-evil smile surfaced on the announcer's face. "A bloody one it shall be… a bloody one, indeed! Compose yourselves for a grand spectacle, one that you may never see again!"

The Arena broke down into hundreds of segments, turning to ash shortly after. The spectators were flung high into the air, where they regained their footing. They looked from high above now and looked over what was happening to the land below. It was inherently a deserted land with very few signs of life. That was, until life sprang forth. Thousands of trees grew from the ground, colossal mountains were dropped from the sky and beasts formed from nothing almost as quickly as the Arena turned to ash. But that was not all… far from it, in fact.

This…

An earth-shaking march filled the land, silencing all other uproar. Slowly that march was matched with the thousands of dark figures lurking in the vivid green forest. Once they discovered their target, the march ended and a few moments of silence began. These moments were not long, as a thunderous war cry broke out. This was followed by a mighty volley of arrows.

Arrows? They can do better than that.

Aerion was not troubled by the arrows, until one pierced through his wind aura and stabbed his chest. Another followed, impaling him in the knee. That was when he decided to counter. A ferocious wind surged from his hand and into the sky, demanding that the arrows fall prematurely. Meanwhile, Aerion had taken out those two arrows and dropped them down to the plain grass.

"Is that all?" He confidently asked, ignoring his minor wounds.

Another volley was sent his way, this time Aerion was more prepared. The arrows were sent back into the forest, killing a few hundred of them. The general then realized shooting arrows at Aerion was not the best idea. Weapons were drawn and readied. Formations were formed and a new war cry was sounded, this time they charged. This was when the bloodshed truly began.

A huge wall of spearmen came first, followed by the rest. Those spearmen were also well protected as they held shields with the other hand. This wasn't the only problem… Aerion still could not fly.

A tactical retreat is at hand... hahaha.

Star God's Broken Shadow.

Aerion distanced himself from the army, a few moments was all he needed. Then, from his profound energy, a sphere of fire formed. With every moment, the sphere grew in strength until it reached a certain limit. That was when Aerion let it fly.

Star Scorching Demon Lotus!

BOOM.

The Phoenix flames penetrated the ranks with ease, incinerating all who came into contact with it's warmth. However, one man halted the flames. He swept it all away with one mighty swing. His eyes burned with a thirst for blood, Aerion's blood to be precise. He dismounted from his horse and started to walk towards him. The remaining members of his army followed, though keeping some distance.

He put the fire out with one swing... most impressive.

"The audacity... to kill so many of my men..."

"Did you not strike me first? You can only blame the outcome on yourself, fool!"

"AH, AND YOU CALL ME A FOOL... I WILL MURDER YOU!"

Aerion tactfully dodged the first swing and attempted to counter with a strike of his own, but the general was faster than he expected. In an instant, he had swung again... at least twice as fast than before! He drew first blood.

Aerion had opened Draconic Heart but it wasn't quite enough to escape his bloodthirsty spear. It was a cut to the side of his neck, a painful wound indeed. Aerion unleashed Stormcaller and his eyes turned red with rage as he activated his sharingan.

On the next swing, Aerion blocked the spear with ease.

A Thousands Cuts...

Wind swirled around the general and in response, he backed away. Aerion wasn't going to allow him to leave unscathed. The wind around Stormcaller began to surge as Aerion enhanced it with his own profound energy.

Mighty Wind Slash!

Star God's Broken Shadow.

After releasing the wind slash, Aerion left behind several after images with his blinding speed. The general handled the Mighty Wind Slash well, but something far more fatal was approaching from behind.

PURGATORY... DESTROYING SKY DECIMATING EARTH!

The mighty general was ripped to shreds by the devastating explosion. It was merciless, taking his life in mere moments. A gruesome sight to behold, indeed, but it was far from the worst Aerion had come to witness. He cleaned himself of the blood and turned to the army.

The death of their general did not sadden them... it sparked a raging fire within their hearts. They had no place for fear, only courage! Ah, but the courage did not get them far. Aerion had slain each of them, one by one, and in the end, he stood on a mountain of corpses. He did not feel remorse... after all, they struck first.

I wonder, if all those who have fallen to my sword were alive... real people. Or are they nothing more than some images, clones, of them?

Aerion did not leave unscathed, a few wounds had been scattered across his body. None were fatal... nothing that could not heal. Aerion lost count of how many he had dodged and countered. His skill in the Boundless Sword had most definitely been refined since he last fought Rotias.

In the end, he opened his eyes and woke. It was a bright morning, the sun seemed rather cheery. Aerion dragged himself out of bed and got dressed. Once he left the room and started to explore, a rather pleasing figure met his eyes. For a short moment, he was stunned but he regained composure.

"You look lost, Your Grace."

"Oh, I am lost indeed. May I have the pleasure of knowing your name, my lady, and perhaps your assistance as well?"

"Princess Arianne Martell... it would be a great honour to assist His Grace."

Ah, Viserys will be a lucky man! Those curves, that beautiful face of hers and perfect chest. Those eyes and olive skin, too... ah it's too much. A type of beauty I have not witnessed yet.

"Nephew, you are awake at last!"

Aerion glimpsed Viserys in the corner of his eyes and smiled. "Uncle, did you sleep well?"

"Well enough, but that dragon of yours was merciless." Viserys walked closer.

"He was always unruly... it is both an advantage and disadvantage, depending on the situation." Aerion turned to Arianne. "Can you show me where a King may get his wine?"

"Certainly, Your Grace."

"Lead the way. Perchance you need a glass as well, Uncle?"

"Of course, how could I reject such an offer?"

The trio walked to the dining table and Aerion tasted Dornish Wine, something he had done a few times previously. One could not simply describe the taste, not even one quite as experienced as Aerion. It was simply rich, for the lack of a better word. Arianne moved closer and closer to him. However, he wasn't very interested in his Uncle's future bride.

More and more people gathered as Aerion began finishing his food. Eventually, after satisfying his needs, he set off for the Water Gardens.

Meanwhile, in Sunspear, an ice-cold glare met Arianne. "I suggest you watch your hands, Princess."

Izanami turned and walked away after dishing out the unveiled threat. Viserys chuckled loudly. It was a lively dining hall and Viserys had a great time. Though it was not quite the same without Aerion's presence. He spoke with great confidence and wisdom, especially after a glass of wine. He was the one and the only person he could speak personally to. Daenerys was a far second in that regard.

~

So these are the so-called Water Gardens... they are a most marvellous sight indeed!