"Are you getting ready to go back?"
In the sauna Lynd had built, Nymeria poured a ladle of water onto the heated goose-egg stones. As a cloud of steam rose up, she sat back down beside Lynd and asked suddenly.
"Yeah," Lynd nodded.
"When will you be back?" Nymeria asked again.
"I'll probably be staying in Westeros for the next few years," Lynd replied firmly.
"Is it because of the White Walkers in the North?" Nymeria had sensed Lynd growing increasingly tense lately, and in all of Westeros, there seemed to be only one thing capable of making him that uneasy.
Lynd nodded. "If all goes as expected, I'll be heading to the Wall to face the White Walkers in a final battle. Regardless of how it turns out, I'll come back in a few years."
"I'm going with you," Nymeria said without hesitation.
"No. You staying here is more important than going with me to Westeros." Lynd shook his head, his expression serious. "If we lose, we'll have to retreat to Essos—and you'll be our fallback."
"You're not confident?" Nymeria stared at him and asked quietly.
Lynd didn't respond. He simply stood up and motioned for her to follow.
The two of them left the sauna, changed into light clothing, then mounted horses with a group of Rhoynar guards and rode toward the nearest Rhon hills.
Before long, the group reached the edge of an ancient forest nestled in the heart of the autumn woods. Lynd signaled for them to halt. Moments later, the warhorses beneath them suddenly grew restless, pacing nervously as if they had sensed a deadly predator nearby. Soon after, they collapsed to their knees in fear.
All the Rhoynar were shocked. These weren't ordinary horses—they were top-quality Dothraki warhorses, specially trained to resist panic. Even a wild beast attack wouldn't normally cause them to go weak at the knees like this.
But Nymeria felt something entirely different. Unlike the others, she sensed a powerful and mysterious being rapidly approaching. Its aura far surpassed even the Old Man of the River and closely resembled the presence of Mother Rhoyne she had felt during her awakening in the Rhoyne River.
As everyone dismounted and stared uncertainly into the forest, a strange dragon—about the size of a wyvern—burst through the treetops, gliding over their heads in a graceful arc before landing steadily in front of them.
"His name is Deltos. He's my dragon," Lynd said, introducing the stunned Nymeria.
Nymeria had seen the Cannibal, the Kraken, and the Old Man of the Sea. She even had a wyvern of her own. She had witnessed more mystical creatures than most people ever would in their lifetimes. But now, standing before her, Deltos felt more wondrous than any of them—as if he was wonder itself.
With a long, slender body, four legs and four wings, a marble-like hide, and a majestic, elegant head, he radiated a sense of regal splendor. Compared to the Cannibal, Deltos made the other dragon seem like a crude savage, while he looked every bit the noble king.
"It was that dragon egg..." Nymeria suddenly recalled and asked.
"Yes," Lynd nodded.
Nymeria frowned. "When did it hatch?"
"Before we came to Ny Sar," Lynd answered.
Nymeria shot him a sharp glare. "You kept it hidden well—six months, and not a word."
"Deltos is truly unique. No dragon like him has ever existed before. If I had brought him to Ny Sar, he would've drawn too much attention." Lynd shook his head. "And he couldn't fully control his dragon aura. Six months ago, it was dozens of times stronger than it is now. If he'd appeared in Ny Sar back then, I'm afraid..."
"You still should've told me!" Nymeria said, clearly upset.
At that moment, Deltos let out a low, resonant sound—like mountain winds rustling through trees, or the deep thrum of distant drums.
It was nothing more than an unspoken, inhuman sound, yet somehow, Nymeria understood the meaning it carried.
"You told him not to tell me, didn't you?" she asked in confirmation.
Deltos nodded, then let out that same distinctive sound again, expressing his response.
"Don't like me?"
Nymeria paused at the sound, giving Deltos a strange look.
"You really don't hold back."
Deltos lifted his head proudly, gazing down at Nymeria from above and letting out a cry that carried an unmistakable air of authority.
"Not just me—you don't like anyone else in this world besides Lynd?" Nymeria understood the meaning behind the sound and frowned. She turned to Lynd.
"Aren't you going to say something to him?"
"He's not like Glory or the Cannibal. He's my companion. There's no master-servant bond between us. It's like my relationship with Spark, the Child of the Forest—I won't restrict his thoughts or freedom, and he won't try to influence mine." Lynd smiled. "I like that kind of partnership."
Deltos lowered his head and affectionately nuzzled Lynd, who reached out to gently stroke his neck.
Watching this, Nymeria couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy. Then, in what seemed like a casual tone, she asked,
"Is it female?"
Lynd turned his head with an odd expression. After all these years together, he immediately understood why she'd asked. He chuckled.
"Ancient dragons don't have genders."
Deltos clearly caught the implication in Nymeria's words as well and shot her a look of undisguised contempt.
Nymeria felt a sudden wave of awkwardness and quickly looked away.
"In its current state, it's still a hatchling. You can't even ride it yet. How can it help you fight the White Walkers?"
Lynd didn't answer her directly. Instead, he said to Deltos,
"Let's see how much you've improved this month."
As the words left his mouth, Deltos spread his wings. In an instant, his slender form lifted into the sky.
Nymeria, ever observant, noticed right away that Deltos didn't take off like a typical wyvern—there was no running start, no wingbeats to generate lift. He simply opened his wings and shot straight up, effortlessly and without a sound. In the blink of an eye, he vanished into the clouds above.
While Nymeria was still wondering how he had flown like that, the white clouds overhead suddenly turned into black storm clouds.
Bolts of lightning flashed through the sky in all directions.
Then, from the heart of the storm, Deltos burst forth, his entire body wrapped in crackling lightning.
He dove, lightning trailing behind him like blades falling from the heavens. They struck the forest below like divine swords, shattering trees on impact. Many trees exploded from the strikes, while others ignited instantly, turning the woods into an inferno.
The lightning dragon flew low over the burning forest.
He opened his jaws wide, and a blast of dragonflame—white and mist-like—poured forth, coating the flames below. In an instant, the fire was snuffed out, and the entire forest was frozen solid, transformed into an icy sculpture.
A deafening roar followed, shaking the heavens.
All the thunderclouds in the sky discharged their lightning at once, striking Deltos's body.
His form faded into a shape of pure lightning—a dragon made entirely of storm and energy. Then, just as quickly, it reformed into solid flesh. The lightning vanished, and Deltos, now back to his original form, descended slowly from the sky, landing in the exact spot he had taken off from, as if he'd never left.
"God of Calamity! God of Calamity!"
A Rhoynar guard couldn't help but shout in awe, dropping to his knees and bowing his head.
One by one, the other Rhoynar guards followed suit, kneeling before Deltos.
Though the Rhoynar worshiped Mother Rhoyne, they held deep reverence for the God of Calamity as well. What Deltos had just displayed bore a striking resemblance to the ancient legends of the God of Calamity.
Combined with his aura as an ancient dragon, it struck fear deep into their hearts, driving them to their knees in worship.
But Lynd was clearly displeased.
To him, such behavior was unacceptable for a personal guard. Even when faced with a god, a bodyguard must swallow his fear and fulfill his duty—not fall to his knees and pray.
So he frowned and said to the still-stunned Nymeria,
"Your guards don't seem up to much. I should send over a group of Redemption Sisters instead."
"No need. I'm fine as I am," Nymeria shook her head, politely refusing Lynd's offer. Then, her curiosity getting the better of her, she asked, "Was that magic it just used?"
Before Lynd could respond, Deltos shot Nymeria a look—an unmistakable eye-roll, as if to say, What else would it be if not magic?
There was no sound, but Deltos's expression was so clear that words weren't necessary.
A dragon rolling its eyes at her—that alone made Nymeria feel a strange urge to laugh. Still, she looked to Lynd, waiting for his explanation.
"It's not a dragon," Lynd said seriously. "It's an ancient dragon. There's a big difference. Dragons can only breathe fire. Ancient dragons can use magic. Their Dragonfire changes depending on the magic they channel."
He turned to Deltos and asked,
"You just used two of your powers. What about the other two? Still can't control them?"
Deltos nodded and, through his mental link with Lynd, explained that he wouldn't be able to access the power in his second pair of wings until he'd grown larger and fully mastered the forces granted by the first pair.
Those two remaining powers, he said, were far too strong. He could use them—but not without losing control. If that happened, the entire forest might be destroyed, and even Lynd wouldn't be able to stop the devastation.
Lynd didn't press further. After spending half a year with Deltos, he'd come to realize just how intelligent the ancient dragon was—how he had his own training methods, his own rhythm. There was no need to interfere.
Turning to Nymeria, Lynd said,
"You don't need to worry anymore. With Deltos and my own strength, unless we run into an actual god, not even an army of White Walkers could stop me."
Nymeria nodded in agreement, finally setting aside the last of her worries for his safety.
Lynd continued,
"After I leave, make sure to keep stockpiling food and planting crops. If I'm right, the Long Winter will arrive in a few years—and it'll be a long one. Essos will likely be covered in snow as well. You need to prepare early."
"I understand," Nymeria replied with a nod.
Lynd turned to Deltos and gave a direct order.
"I'm heading back to Westeros. You're coming with me."
Deltos didn't object, but after a moment, let out a low roar as if something had just occurred to him.
"You want to go to the Valyrian Freehold before heading back?" Nymeria instantly caught the meaning behind the sound and asked in disbelief,
"That place is like the seventh circle of hell—volcanoes erupting nonstop, a constant haze of ash and smoke. People say the volcanoes there lead straight to the underworld, and demons climb out from the depths. Countless people have gone in, and none ever came out alive. Only Aerea Targaryen, who rode Balerion, managed to leave—and even then, there was barely a difference between her being alive and dead. She still died in agony. And now you want to go to that cursed place..."
Lynd cut her off gently, reassuring her,
"I'm not like those others. And Deltos isn't a dragon like Balerion. Honestly, even if he hadn't brought it up, I was already planning to stop there on my way back to Westeros."
Nymeria ignored his explanation and turned her gaze on Deltos.
"Why do you want to go to the Valyrian Freehold?"
But Deltos clearly had no intention of answering. He tilted his head dramatically and refused to even look at her.
Seeing this, Nymeria felt both amused and annoyed. She also knew that once Lynd had made up his mind, nothing would change it. So she didn't ask again. Instead, she chose to trust in Lynd and Deltos's strength.
Lynd didn't take Deltos to Ny Sar. Instead, he told him to wait by Dagger Lake.
After returning to Ny Sar, Lynd spent one last precious day with his children. The next morning, he donned the armor and greatsword of the Banished Knight and left Ny Sar.
He made his way to Dagger Lake, where Deltos was waiting. Together, they flew toward the Valyrian Freehold.