With a farewell to Yara, Rhaegar mounted the dragon and left the Whispers.
According to legend, the last sighting of a marsh marigold in the heart of the swamp, nestled in the center of Crackclaw Point, the largest swamp on the peninsula.
The swamp was shrouded in a perpetual miasma and plagued year-round by poisonous insects, so it had remained untouched by human presence for many years.
Despite the swamp's reputation, Rhaegar was determined to use his dragon to find the marsh marigold.
As they neared the edge of the swamp, Rhaegar looked to the sky. The sun was still high; there was still time to find the flower and return to Dyre Den before nightfall.
"Roar..."
Hovering over the marsh, its vast expanse stretching endlessly below the edge of the sky, the Cannibal let out a low growl, expressing its reluctance to move forward.
Rhaegar tenderly stroked the dragon's scales and wondered aloud, "What is it, Cannibal?
The dragon shook its head and flapped its wings, signaling its discomfort.
"Do you think there might be something dangerous lurking in the swamp?" Rhaegar ventured a guess.
"Roar..."
The Cannibal's tail lifted and tapped Rhaegar lightly on the shoulder.
"Am I in danger here?" Rhaegar's voice trailed off as he was frozen by the dragon's warning.
In response, the dragon flew over the swamp and directed a stream of dragonfire at a patch of mud.
Boom!
The explosion erupted in mid-air, dragonfire igniting gases and sending up a noxious blast that churned the muck below.
Rhaegar watched the show with a frown.
"Is that... miasma?" He remembered the Maester's lectures on the subject.
The swamp air is pretty toxic, full of noxious gases, ready to burn if exposed to fire.
The dragon's flame had accidentally set off the dangerous miasma.
"Are you worried that I might breathe in the poisonous fumes?" Rhaegar thought for a moment, then placed a reassuring hand on the dragon's spine.
The Cannibal, who was more clever than he let on, knew what he was doing, his green eyes saying it all.
"Have you crossed this swamp before?" Rhaegar asked, trying to figure out what the dragon was up to.
"I'm looking for a particular hardy flower. Do you know where it is?" Rhaegar showed him the Crabb House crest, adorned with the distinctive marsh marigold.
The Cannibal paused for a moment, then took the emblem in its mouth and spread its wings to lead Rhaegar on a new path, moving quickly and purposefully.
In a matter of moments, Rhaegar and the Cannibal came to another corner of the swamp. This area was a mix of marsh and pine forest, with the marshes encroaching on the forest and creating a pretty unpleasant landscape.
Here, the miasma was much weaker than in the heart of the swamp, which gave them a bit of a break from the noxious fumes.
Cannibal glanced back at Rhaegar and let out a low growl, as if to convey a message.
Rhaegar understood the dragon's silent warning and reached for a handkerchief from his bracelet, moisten it with water, and cover his mouth and nose.
The dragon snorted in apparent discontent and motioned for Rhaegar to dismount. However, he seemed to be completely unaware of the gesture.
Cannibal lowered himself, prompting Rhaegar to reluctantly comply.
The dragon moved over the swamp, its huge body brushing against the occasional pine trees, snapping them like twigs as it moved.
Its head swivelled back and forth, scanning the landscape as if searching for something.
Rhaegar guessed that Cannibal must have encountered marsh marigolds before, probably during its time away from Crackclaw Point, when it had been nursing its wounds.
During that time, Rhaegar didn't know where the dragon was, but it seemed like Cannibal had looked for the Flower of Life before.
As the dragon kept looking, not bothered by the bad smell, Rhaegar stayed on its back, resting a bit as it went up into the air. He was waiting for Cannibal to find the marsh marigold.
With his mature instincts and keen senses, Cannibal would surely find the marsh marigold.
But in the silent gloom of the swamp, Rhaegar couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that he was being watched.
"Cannibal, I have a bad feeling about this. Stay alert," he ordered, his senses heightened since the ambush at Dragonstone.
Every rustle of leaves and sway of grass caught his attention.
The Cannibal roared in response, acknowledging the warning, and its wing shifted subtly to reflect its heightened vigilance.
As they flew on, a sudden movement caught Rhaegar's eye.
Without hesitation, he commanded, "Dracarys!"
At the same time, the Cannibal unleashed a stream of flame that engulfed the shadow tentacle that lunged at them like a snake.
With a sizzling sound, the tentacle disintegrated into viscous droplets upon contact with the dragonfire, falling harmlessly to the ground.
Rhaegar quickly identified the source and turned the Cannibal's fire on a decrepit pine tree, reducing it to charred remains in moments.
But the elusive shadow tentacles remained hidden, vanishing without a trace.
As Rhaegar and the Cannibal considered their next move, shadow tentacles suddenly appeared from all directions, encircling them like a tightening noose.
Cannibal reacted quickly by flapping his powerful wings and soaring upward, avoiding the attack.
From above, jets of green dragonfire cascaded down, engulfing the shadows below, reducing them to ashes in an instant.
Surveying the aftermath with a grave expression, Rhaegar remained vigilant, expecting more attacks from the Shadow Creatures.
But to his surprise, none came.
With a firm nod, Rhaegar refocused on their main goal.
"Cannibal, let's move on. Let's focus on finding the marsh marigold first."
Cannibal agreed and turned in a new direction, acknowledging the lack of immediate danger.
There were lots of swamps in Crackclaw Point, and each one could hide treasures beyond belief.
...
As the sun set, casting a warm glow over the landscape, Cannibal led Rhaegar through several small swamps until they reached one near a rushing stream.
A macabre scene unfolded before them: a carpet of white bones covered the swamp, the remains of wild beasts drawn to the water's edge by the poisonous miasma.
With a loud thud, Cannibal landed in the middle of the eerie scene, his huge weight crushing a few pine trees under his huge talons.
Amid the devastation, Rhaegar caught sight of smothing—a marsh marigold blooming on a patch of green stone.
"Cannibal, you've outdone yourself," Rhaegar murmured, awed by his dragon's keen senses.
Cannibal shot a disdainful look at him, as if to say, "That's easy, ignorant boy."
Ignoring this, Rhaegar descended from Cannibal's back and traversed the gnarled roots and sinking pine trunks to reach the precious flower.
Navigating over the sunken pine logs and through the muddy terrain, Rhaegar approached the patch of green stone where the marsh marigold thrived. With gentle hands, he cradled the flower's rhizome.
"Rare specimen detected, containing traces of magical essence. Initiating analysis..."
The system's prompt echoed in Rhaegar's mind, letting him know that it had successfully detected the flower's unique properties.
With bated breath, Rhaegar studied the flower, his excitement palpable. "Who knew such a humble place held an opportunity for exploration?"
He quickly accessed his system interface and examined the newfound discovery.
[Flower of Life]
Exploration progress: 0.5%
(Word count: 1,222)