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Rhae was his little light in the dark, but the pig-man stole her from him. And now, the Black Dread stole the light from the pig-man.
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Balerion IV
He was small again, and his belly rested on the soft silk cushion. The Name-Giver came giggling, to give him pets with her tiny paws with no claws.
Balerion was his name. And the Name-Giver’s was Rhae.
It was not just the name that was the same. The girl in front of him was the same Rhae, the old and the new. Balerion was certain, for he was an attentive observer, as the answer was in the details. She smelled like Rhae, of the sun and of dragons. She smiled like Rhae, with giggles like chimes and radiant laughter.
This was the same Rhae, but a bit shorter. The same Rhae who the pig-man hurt, the same Rhae who stilled in anguish, the same Rhae who smelled of blood and had her dress painted red.
Balerion didn’t know how. He thought he had lost his bond, twice now. But she was back to him. And he was happy.
And that was all that mattered.
....No, no it wasn’t, Balerion mused.
He was a sentinel, he reminded himself, a vigilant guardian – for now he had something to protect again. He knew, he felt it twice – the danger was coming for the little dragon-girl. Not now, but in six moons, when Balerion would be a young tom-cat. He needed to prepare. He would become stronger, so he could save her this time. He too, had claws, and it was time to get them sharper. Should anyone come to hurt his bond this time, he will make them bleed. Fur and blood.
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Six moons passed, and the kitten started to look more like a battle-scarred tomcat.
Balerion, that was his name. The Name-Giver always spoke it when looking his way. He had heard others use different names for him too, like “Beast” or “Feral,” but those words meant nothing to him, for he did not understand the ways of man-speak.
Balerion was a wild hunter.He chased after the ravens with long claws in the rookery, the big dogs in the yard, and even the pigs in the Keep’s pigsty. He trained himself to confront larger foes, learning how to make them hurt and bleed and flee from him. This, however, resulted in cuts, bruises, and broken bones, leaving him with sore paws. But with time, these wounds healed, and he grew stronger.
Balerion was a ferocious protector. He walked with his Rhae, bathed with his Rhae, ate with his Rhae. Whenever she slept, he would keep vigil by the door. He’d hiss away any humans that didn’t smell like Rhae’s family. If he saw any men-in-metal, he would bite and claw as hard as he could, for even if nine times it proved useless, he would find the gap in their armor the tenth time. And he would learn the men-in-metal’s weakness.
Scorned by the humans, Balerion no longer received scratches, treats, sweet meats, or toys from strangers. He was treated as a bad cat. If he ventured anywhere close to the kitchens, feeders with brooms chased him away, but Balerion didn't mind.
As long as his girl was safe, every day for Balerion was the best day ever. Every day was games, and hiding, and scratching and treats and laughter and sunshine. And every night was hunting, and training, and learning and preparing.
And one day, Rhae went to explore the gardens. They played hide-and-seek and find-the-treasure, then Rhae decided to walk to the Tower where the men-in-metal with white-cloaks were. He met the “Lord Lannister” cub again, but this time the young human knew to fear him, for he had already bit into his hand and savored the not-lion blood. So the golden-haired boy kept his distance, watching Balerion with piercing and scornful eyes while gently caressing the hand that bore the scar from their previous encounter. Balerion found this amusing, and fitting.
Night arrived, and Balerion was prepared. When the sun-brother's cries woke his Rhae, he was ready. As they went down the hallway, Balerion led the way. The door opened, and he came face to face with the mountain-man. Close up, the man was much larger than Balerion remembered, and once again, he detected the smell of blood from the mountain-man and fear—but this fear came not from the mountain-man, but from himself. In that moment, Balerion knew he was not yet ready to take on the mountain-man.
"Run!" her mother's desperate voice broke through the air, "Run, Rhae!"
As sun-mother yelled, Balerion bit into the hems of Rhae’s nightdress and whisked her away. She turned around to see her sun-brother just as the mountain-man struck him, but Balerion urged her onward, knowing they had no time for respite. They were already down the corridor when they heard sun-mother’s screams, leaving Rhae frantic and scared. But Balerion guided her still, for he knew the pig-man would soon come after them.
So they ran, and Balerion hid the girl in the dark shadows, away from the eyes of the feeders with long brooms, placing her in a dark corner inside the old wardrobe where humans kept their change-furs. This time, Balerion didn’t hide with her, for he had learned that the pig-man was no mere feeder with a long broom, but a man-in-metal. He would find them no matter where they hid, so Balerion approached things differently.
Once Rhae was safely tucked away, he leaped onto one of the higher shelves where dragon-father kept dusty books. He was invisible, black cat-fur blending perfectly with the shadows. His muscles tensed like a coiled snake, and he waited patiently for the pig-man to arrive.
Tonight, Balerion had transformed into a man-hunter. He was the Black Dread.
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His feline instincts made him tense with anticipation. He didn’t have to wait long. The short and fat man entered in the room and began to search for Rhae. But Balerion would not give her.
When the pig-man stepped towards the wardrobe, he did not see Balerion’s piercing citrine eyes as he pounced from behind.
He had spent months hunting pigs in the pigsty to take down this fat man. So he knew – that while his claws were sharp, they were too small to pierce the pigs’ greasy belly. Balerion learned that to take down a pig as a cat, one had to be smart and cunning. He had to strike at their weakness, where there was no fat, nor thick skin. He had to strike at their eyes.
So Balerion struck the pig-man like he struck pig, and he took out an eye.
The man screamed and squealed, his hand clutching the bleeding eye that Balerion had injured. Seizing the opportunity, Balerion lunged for the man's other eye, but he had lost the high ground. It was too late, for the pig-man had already found him.
"YOU... YOU... YOU... CAT! I’LL SKIN YOU AND COOK YOUR FLESH AND FEED YOUR ASS TO THE DOGS!" the pig-man raged, his voice high-pitched like a pig's. One hand still gripped the bleeding eye where Balerion had struck, while the other hand clutched the hilt of a small, metal dagger. "I’LL KILL YOU!" He rushed at Balerion, brandishing the blade, but Balerion displayed incredible agility, dodging the attacks skillfully. Once, twice, thrice—Balerion evaded, while the pig-man pushed aside desks, tables, and chairs, creating chaos in the dragon-father’s chambers. The pig-man's fury showed no signs of relenting; he continued with his attacks, growing increasingly annoyed and enraged as he tried to corner Balerion. Finally, he managed to back Balerion into a corner, and he laughed manically. "Nowhere to run now!" he screamed, then took the blade to his mouth, licking its width from tip to hilt. "I will enjoy this."
The pig-man struck Balerion with speed and fury, hitting his side, causing the cat to scream in pain. But the pig-man didn't stop there; he cut Balerion's legs too. When Balerion could move no more, the man slashed across his eye. "An eye for an eye," the pig-man laughed. He continued speaking, taunting Balerion further before kicking the helpless cat back into a corner and spitting on him. "I won't give you a quick death, damned beast."
The black cat could feel the warmth of his life's essence seeping from his wounds, with his last breaths, Balerion could hear a little girl’s frightened yelp, followed by the pig-man’s chilling words “Lord Lannister sends his regards”.
Balerion blinked, and the pain had gone away. In its place, the soft voice of a child like chimes in the wind. ”What cat? Can’t you see this is a dragon! Look how big and mean he is! He is Balerion the Black, a Targaryen Dragon!”
A new life began, and Balerion wouldn't give up.
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Six moons passed, and the kitten started to look more like an even fiercer tomcat.
Balerion had done everything the same as in his last life, but better. Trained harder, fought more, hit smarter. He was rewarded with cuts and bruises and broken bones and sore paws, but he had gotten stronger. The swineherd was appaled by how hurt his pigs were, but Balerion didn’t care. He would be ready to take down pig-man this time.
They did everything like before, as Balerion went through familiar motions.
Once Rhae was safely tucked away, he leaped onto one of the higher shelves where dragon-father kept dusty books. He was invisible, black cat-fur blending perfectly with the shadows. His muscles tensed like a coiled snake, and he waited patiently for the pig-man to arrive.
Tonight, Balerion had transformed into a man-hunter. He was the Black Dread.
The short and fat man entered in the room and began to search for Rhae. But Balerion would not give her.
When the pig-man stepped towards the wardrobe, he did not see Balerion’s piercing citrine eyes as he pounced from behind.
Balerion struck the pig-man like he struck pig, and he took out his right eye. Then, he spun mid-air and used his back leg to scratch the man’s other eye, rendering it useless.
He managed to take out both of his eyes this time.
The man screamed and squealed, clutching both palms over his bleeding eyes, as if reaching for something that slipped through his grasp. "MY EYES! OH, I CAN’T SEE! I CAN’T SEE!"
He cried out, but Balerion felt no pity. Rhae was his little light in the dark, but the pig-man stole her from him. And now, the Black Dread stole the light from the pig-man.
"CLEGANE! THEY ARE ESCAPING, CLEGANE! GET YOUR ASS HERE, I CAN’T SEE!"
In the midst of the man's pain and confusion, Balerion seized the opportunity to continue his assault. But aside from his face, the pig-man was covered in metal, rendering Balerion’s scratches ineffective.
Balerion hadn't anticipated this. He had hoped the man would run away, much like the pigs did, but he didn't. The man was scared, crying, and clutching his face, yet he didn't flee.
Instead, his squeals had brought on the mountain-man into the doorstep. He was large like a horse and mighty with bulging muscles, Balerion already knew that. But seeing him with his hands bloodied and breeches down, he had somehow become even more ferocious, even more malicious.
Like someone stole his toy while he was playing.
The mountain moved, and Balerion felt the floor tremble under his paws. His muscles tensed, and feline blood froze. An instinct deep inside him told him to flee, for he was in the presence of a true predator.
The giant bridged the distance in his huge strides. First, he looked down at his comrade, who was turned towards a wall and didn’t meet the mountain-man due to his blindness.
“CLEGANE? IS THAT YOU THERE?” he asked the walls “OH SEVEN HELLS, IT HURTS. THEY GOT MY EYES. I CAN’T - ”
The tall man cut him off, striking his armored neck with his hand that was bigger than plates. Shiny metal armor bent under his sheer might. Then pig-man’s spine cracked, and he crumbled to the ground like a broken twig.
Hearing the horrible sound, Rhae yelped in the wardrobe, and cried.
"You little cunt," the mountain-man growled. In just three strides, he traversed the room and stood in front of the wardrobe.
Balerion couldn’t move. He could just watch in horror as the man opened the wooden wardrobe doors with such strength that they flew off the hinges and hit the walls. Rhae's high-pitched scream filled the air. Once tucked in the shadows, her little hands across her knees, she was now exposed to the evil man's gaze.
He didn’t give chase.
He didn’t speak cruel words.
He didn’t hesitate.
He seized Rhae by the head and flung her across the room like a discarded doll. Where she landed, blood pooled around her motionless form.
Balerion was consumed by anger, a fierce rage. He had fought so hard, tried so desperately to protect her. He wouldn't accept this outcome. Summoning every ounce of strength, he faced this demon, this embodiment of evil in human form. Roaring like a dragon, he lunged with all his might...
But the mountain-man didn't even spare him a glance. With a casual wave of his arm, thick as a tree trunk, he sent the black cat crashing into the wall like a tiny insect.
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”What cat? Can’t you see this is a dragon! Look how big and mean he is! He is Balerion the Black, a Targaryen Dragon!”
And just like that, a new life began for Balerion.
If he were human, he would have laughed at himself. Laughed at the folly of trying to hunt the evil men-in-metal and find revenge! He thought he was a true hunter, a true predator – but in the end, he was just a cat.
A cat could fight a pig. Not a mountain.
In front of the force of nature that was the giant man, Balerion knew there was just one answer.
He had to get Rhae, and flee.
It was time to go back to the sewer-streets and rat-meats. This time, with his girl in tow.