Rhaegar rode the Silver Emperor, circling above Gods Eye Lake, with the other two dragons following closely behind.
The water of Gods Eye Lake was emerald green and warm, with black swans living in it, making Rhaegar feel clear-minded. Riding dragons across the sky or boating across the vast lake felt far superior to smelling the stench in that cesspit of King's Landing. It was a pity this beautiful place was not part of the Crownlands.
In terms of distance, Harrenhal was probably the closest, wealthiest great fortress to King's Landing, which led to its owners throughout history, such as House Strong, holding significant positions in King's Landing politics, sometimes even higher than the mediocre liege lords of House Tully.
As Rhaegar waved the black banner with the red dragon in his hand, the scorpion crossbows on various boats below Gods Eye Lake began to uniformly point towards the sky, and the crossbow mechanisms rumbled.
Above Harrenhal, there were even crowds of people, gazing from afar at these simulated training exercises: scorpion crossbows shooting at dragons. It was quite a spectacle. Lord Walder wouldn't miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so spectators gathered in throngs.
It wasn't easy for an ordinary castle to find boats and a large number of scorpion crossbows; scorpion crossbows were valuable, even expensive. But House Hoare of Harrenhal, with its vast wealth, could quickly arrange everything for Rhaegar.
The war in the Stepstones carried great danger. The insidious Lysene people were skilled in naval combat and hired many mercenaries. Rhaegar, with his three young dragons, still needed to familiarize himself with the battlefield style. The Lysene were not known for their bravery, preferring poison arrows, crossbows, and bolts.
In high-altitude combat, the greatest danger was to the Dragonrider, followed by the dragon. Dragons had tough hides, but if a Dragonrider fell, was burned by fire, or hit by an arrow, they would simply melt away.
King's Landing was full of talkers, and information leaked too quickly, but anti-crossbow training over Gods Eye Lake was much more secretive and less conspicuous.
The dark muzzles of the scorpion crossbows began to spew waves of vicious arrows, flying towards the dragons.
Rhaegar had studied the various causes of dragon deaths, which were diverse. Scorpion crossbows, low-altitude flight, being shot in the belly, neck, or wings — scorpion crossbows were definitely a key factor.
So many powerful dragons in Mylarys met their demise under giant scorpion crossbows; it was said they flew too low, and an arrow struck them directly in the right eye. A one-in-ten-thousand chance, but the persistent Dornishmen indeed found it. This might also be related to dragon-riding ability; without the Binding Curse and the magical horn, the Dragon King's ability to dance with dragons actually plummeted, becoming too crude and too wild.
Dragons were too large to completely avoid all dangers; the rhoynar people's Water Magic and the Dornishmen's scorpion crossbows had both defeated dragons. In war, dragons were essentially flying targets, but because adult dragons had thick hides and were specially trained, they were less often harmed by stray arrows. As long as they flew at low altitudes, they would definitely be targeted by scorpion crossbows and grappling hooks.
Ser Barristan, standing at the bow of a ship, knew that Targaryen dragons were born into combat training, enduring countless spears and arrow storms, but Prince Rhaegar's training was clearly more brutal. The mad blood of the Targaryen Family also flowed within Rhaegar. Ser Oswell Hoare also watched the sky with interest, observing the Dragon scion and his three dragons.
"Ser, you need not panic. Prince Rhaegar is the embodiment of luck and unparalleled in martial prowess. He has participated in several battles without ever being injured, killing three knights alone in Maidenpool. Just relax! Besides, all these arrows have had their arrowheads removed." Ser Corlys Velaryon reassured Barristan, then Corlys informed Barristan, "The Prince is flying quite low, and the fishermen of Gods Eye Lake have been mobilized. Their fishing nets are spread out, which can prevent any accidents if the Prince or a dragon falls into the lake."
"Good partners, it's up to you!" Rhaegar said. The Silver Emperor's wings had already spread to thirty feet, enough to inspire awe.
Rhaegar, riding the Silver Emperor, saw the incoming arrow rain. The scorpion crossbow bolts were noticeably longer than regular arrows, and none had arrowheads, instead being tipped with an equivalent weight of straw, pebbles, or feather-filled pouches. However, the scorpion crossbows still had considerable force, and hitting a dragon or person would cause pain.
The first volley of arrows was sparse, and their speed wasn't that fast, so Rhaegar and the Silver Emperor didn't have much difficulty dodging.
"Dragonflame!" Rhaegar commanded. The Silver Emperor swooped, circled, sometimes contracting its wings, sometimes soaring high, and then breathed silver flames, melting all the incoming arrows.
The Silver Emperor and Rhaegar were telepathically connected. The Silver Emperor was careful of crossbows when flying at low altitudes. Its evasion and crisis awareness were much higher than that of ordinary young dragons, and it could sense close-range dangers, while its mind would not be as irritable or anxious as typical young dragons.
Rhaegar had absorbed the blessing of the eagle god, the spark of the Fountain of Youth, and the runes he mastered would be shared with the young dragons, making their combat capabilities exceed those of ordinary young dragons.
The Silver Emperor crisscrossed the sky, dancing wildly, and all the scorpion crossbow bolts of the first round missed. Balerion and Balerion also performed exceptionally well, though not as effortlessly as the Silver Emperor, they too dodged the attacks.
According to Rhaegar's research, a dragon's defense, attack, and speed are generally not mutually exclusive. Based on the Targaryen Family's Black Dread Balerion, who lived for about two hundred years, dragons are too small for the first fifty years and too old for the last fifty. Only the hundred years in between are when a dragon's various attributes are well-coordinated.
Dragon scales generally protect dragons from fire, effectively shielding their vulnerable flesh and organs. The older a dragon, the thicker and harder its scales become, providing better protection, and the Dragonflame they breathe also becomes more intense and powerful. Young dragons can only ignite straw with their fire, while Balerion or Vhagar's Dragonflame at their peak could melt steel and rock. However, dragons living to the age of these two dragons, being old and large, could no longer match their opponents' speed.
Rhaegar was still riding young dragons, and he considered leveraging their agile and flexible advantages while noting their low defense and relatively thin scales.
Adult dragons could also rely on other weapons: claws as long as swords, dark as steel, and sharp as razors; teeth that could bite through a knight's plate armor; and whip-like tails, capable of smashing a carriage with one strike, breaking a warhorse's spine, and flinging a man fifty feet into the air. But physical attacks were only secondary; a dragon's greatest function was as an air force, relying on air raids and flame attacks.
Rhaegar swooped lower again, fanning the black banner with the red dragon towards the fleet. The second and third waves of arrows came more densely, like waves of rain, penetrating everywhere... those drops were menacing arrows, inspiring fear, gloom, and coldness.
The young dragons relied on their agility, flexibility, and alert instincts, dodging the arrows again and again.
Finally, in addition to the scorpion crossbows, Rhaegar ordered four hundred-yard Goldenheart Wood Longbows to fire simultaneously. It was truly an overwhelming rain of arrows, covering the sky.
The young dragons could dodge; they also had the blessing of the eagle god and could sense close-range dangers. But following their master's command to face it head-on, they were willing to dance with Rhaegar. In the massive volley of arrows, it was impossible to completely avoid danger.
An arrow rapidly shot towards the Silver Emperor's belly. A bronze glow began to appear on the Silver Emperor's runes, forming the shape of a shield—the'Shield' rune, which could help young dragons avoid fatal attacks in emergencies, especially to the abdomen and the young dragon's eyes.
"Dragonflame!" The Silver Emperor angrily glared at the arrow, and its scorching Dragonflame melted the threatening arrow. It hated the feeling of being ambushed.
Faster! Higher! This was Rhaegar's expectation for the Silver Emperor and the three young dragons. Even with the Shield rune, it was only for emergency survival, and Rhaegar did not yet have such comprehensive magical coverage.
The three dragons danced wildly in the air, spitting out purple, black, and silver fireballs, beautiful and powerful. Circling, biting, roaring, breathing fire — all were the instinctive dances of dragons.
The rumbling sound of the scorpion crossbows echoed repeatedly, and the sound of the machines starting gave Rhaegar a sense of destiny and vigilance.
Under the dense barrage of arrows, the young dragons also began to adapt to this saturation arrow strike, carefully dodging crossbow bolts, running if they could, hiding if they could, flying high if they could. If all else failed, they would protect critical areas with the Shield rune, exposing other parts for injury. As long as it wasn't the eyes or other vital spots, a dragon's recovery speed was quite rapid. Moreover, Rhaegar's dragons had always enjoyed the spark of the Fountain of Youth, making their recovery even faster.
The crossbowmen on the fleet were also exhausted. Transporting giant crossbows and longbows for extended periods was equally strenuous. They hadn't expected the Prince and his dragons to still be so lively.
Seeing that the people below were already worn out, Rhaegar decided to start again tomorrow.
"My dear friend, the exiled Triarch candidate of Lys still has many friends in Lys and Myr. The Myrish attitude is ambiguous, and the pirates of the Stepstones are cunning and cruel. I am deeply worried for you. Especially, beware of scorpion crossbows, crossbows, and Lysene poison." Rhaegar ignited Marajo's message; the war in the Stepstones would not be easy to resolve.
"My trump card is not only that my three dragons grow quickly, but also that they share the spark and runes with me. We are bound by blood and fire, and I also have a Heart Spell with the Silver Emperor. My three young dragons have fiercer, more venomous flames, faster movement speed, higher vigilance, and quicker recovery. With careful planning against their oversight, once the Lysene relax their guard and see them as ordinary young dragons, I will absolutely make them lose completely," Rhaegar thought.