Chapter 520: Sisters of Darkness

Viserys rode away from the camp, disappearing into the curtain of rain. Naturally, someone else would take care of the army affairs in his absence.

The commander of the Golden Company, Mys Toyn, took over as acting general. Balerion did not follow Viserys. The dragon chose a relatively flat spot to lie down, waiting for the battle on the morrow.

The rain continued its relentless downpour. Viserys, after leaving the camp, didn't go far. He ventured to the upper reaches of the Wendwater, deep within the woods.

The sound of his horse's hooves trudged through the muddy terrain. Viserys' once pristine steed was now muddied, but the silver-haired knight didn't mind and continued deeper into the Kingswood.

"We're here."

He finally stopped at a particular spot. Holding the saddle, Viserys dismounted, his boots sinking into the soft mud.

"This must be the place."

Viserys scanned the surroundings with his pale purple eyes, confirming his location.

According to memories absorbed from the Three-Eyed Raven, his ancestral Valyrian steel sword, Dark Sister, was lost here.

Decades ago, Brynden Rivers was imprisoned by Aegon V and later exiled to the Wall. He had taken the ancestral Targaryen blade with him. Its whereabouts became a mystery after Brynden's disappearance.

However, memories from the Three-Eyed Raven indicated that after becoming the Green Seer, he had Dark Sister sent back to the south.

Why it wasn't sent to King's Landing but hidden in this secluded Kingswood was a mystery. Viserys had only absorbed part of the Three-Eyed Raven's memories, some fragmented and incomplete.

He only knew what had been done but not the reasons behind those actions.

The Kingswood, always reserved for royal hunts, was lush and dense. Dark Sister's hiding place was in a cave near the source of the Wendwater.

Following the memories, Viserys approached the cave and ventured inside.

Despite the torrential rain outside, the cave was mostly dry. He lit a torch, illuminating the cave's interior which looked like any typical cave.

Suddenly, a snake, hidden amidst the grass, lunged at him. Viserys effortlessly caught it, preventing its venomous attack. With a swift movement, he crushed its head and tossed it aside.

"Why did Brynden Rivers hide Dark Sister here?"

"Is there a connection between the Kingswood and the Old Gods?"

Viserys continued to delve deeper into the cave. Eventually, he discovered something unusual.

Beneath him, he stepped on a fossilized skull, and then noticed a small mound illuminated by his torchlight. Protruding from it was a gleaming longsword, its brightness undiminished by the decades.

"Dark Sister," Viserys recognized.

He approached, but was more intrigued by the 'mound' beneath the sword. It was made up of skulls, each the size of an egg, some so old they had turned to dust.

Suddenly, a fluttering sound came from behind. Crows, seemingly seeking refuge from the rain, flew in. But, they crazily lunged at Dark Sister, their heads sliced off by the blade.

Their headless bodies crashed against the cave walls before falling into a nearby pool, while the severed heads added to the existing mound.