Three days later.
Morning dawned, another beautiful day.
Aemon and his three siblings returned safely to King's Landing, arriving at the Red Keep aboard the White Wheel, driven by Ser Steffon of the Kingsguard.
Maegor's Holdfast, the throne room.
"You're home at last," Viserys, decked in regalia and crown, greeted them with a hearty laugh. "We heard you were coming today, and we've been waiting since early morning."
"How are you? Are you in any danger?" Alicent followed, pulling the three children over to examine them one by one.
"You're truly worried," Aemon smiled, bumping his shoulder against Rhaenyra, who was watching the excitement.
Not many people were present; the empty hall contained only members of the royal family and the ministers. Viserys couldn't help but feel a mixture of nervousness and joy at the sight of the three women, practically lifting them in his arms. A father's anxiety for his children's journey was palpable.
"They'll be grown up by now," Rhaenyra chuckled softly.
She wasn't a petty, jealous woman; no one should try to provoke her.
"Hmm," Aemon turned his head and shrugged.
Rhaenyra actually had a good relationship with her siblings. During their time in Myr, she even sent a raven to look after Helena, a girl. Aemon obliged. No matter how much Helena protested, she had to go to battle and experience the blood and fire. It was proven that there were madmen and psychopaths among the Targaryens, but there were no cowards. This had also frightened the Sea Snake's brother, Wymond Velaryon, into running away in disgrace.
"Aemon, you did well this time."
After praising his children, Viserys strode forward and grasped his nephew's shoulders. It had been a minor brawl, but the children had finally seen the light of day. His nephew's efforts were invaluable.
"Hmm," Aemon nodded repeatedly.
"Are you hurt, Aemon?" Alicent checked on the youngest, Aemond, then turned and touched Aemon.
"Ahem," Aemon raised his hands, helplessly saying, "I'm fine. They're the ones fighting."
Alicent ignored him, rubbing her hands vigorously. Rhaenyra looked at him strangely, a questioning expression on her face.
"Ahem..." Viserys couldn't bear to watch any longer, and coughed softly to signal his wife to stop.
Alicent withdrew her hand and said with a wry smile, "Aemon's strong and doing fine."
"The children must be hungry after their journey," Viserys said, broad-mindedly, suggesting a feast to celebrate.
Naturally, no one objected, so they gladly accepted. Aemon and his companions rode back on their dragons, dusty and stinking of dragons. While the feast was being prepared, they went to wash and change clothes.
Viserys was overly enthusiastic, clinging to the children. He especially praised his eldest son, Aegon, for his record of military service, with praise that was rarely seen in a year.
"The credit goes to Sunfyre. I only helped a little."
Aegon's face was full of triumph, his nose almost reaching the ceiling, yet he still feigned humility in front of others.
In a sense, how could he not be telling the truth?
Viserys, oblivious, simply assumed his eldest son had truly grown up. "Yes, that's the manliness of a Targaryen man," he said with satisfaction, patting his eldest son's shoulder.
Aegon, in the midst of his boasting, stumbled at the slap. He was nearly brought back to his senses by his father's slap.
Viserys was also generous with his praise for his youngest daughter, Helena, and his second son, Aemond. He had already explained the truth to his nephew in a letter. Aemond stood firm against the elder Wymond Velaryon, upholding the dignity of the Targaryen family. Helena came to the rescue, achieving military success in her first attempt to wield the Dreamfyre.
Their performances were all remarkable.
Note: Aegon fought alone, his actions unknown to others. He reported that he had mastered the art of dragon-riding, achieving a difficult victory over a Greyjoy commanding dozens of warships. Aemon seriously suspected him of exaggerating.
"Remember, I'm not lying. The scorpion crossbows on dozens of warships were trained on me and Sunfyre, yet I easily reduced them to scrap metal."
Holding his younger brother Aemond in one arm, Aegon boasted to the ministers who accompanied him. His message was that confidence is strength.
"Excellent! Incredible!"
Only Tyran clapped his hands, unconcerned with the others' gazes. This nearly drove Aegon, lost in his own self-absorption, into a state of ecstasy.
His stay in King's Landing was short-lived.
After a week, Aemon proposed returning to the Vale. Early in the morning, everyone reported to the Dragonpit.
"Anyone who wants to ride a dragon with me, raise your hand!"
Aegon's voice rose, boasting, his attempt to find a partner.
"..."
A flock of crows flew overhead. Even the little kids ignored him and each found their own companion.
Baena and Rhaena went to find their mother Laena, and the three of them rode on the largest and oldest dragon, Vhagar. Jaehaerys was a man of action, and climbed onto Syrax's dragon's back early. Aemon had his little brother Viserion, who was not even a month old, hanging on his chest, and his little brother Aegon the Younger, placed in front of the dragon saddle.
Aemond raised his middle finger at Aegon, turned his head and leaned in his sister Helena's arms, and the two of them rode Dreamfyre together.
"Hey, you are traitors!"
Aegon yelled, extremely dissatisfied. Isn't his Sunfyre beautiful?
"Keep your voice down, Aegon," Viserys chided, pushing his youngest son, Daeron, towards him. "Take your brother and get him safely to the Vale."
"Oh," Aegon turned his head away, not daring to disobey.
In just seven days, father and son had vividly demonstrated the vicissitudes of family affection. It was the saying "afar is fragrant, near is foul," and the saying "a father's love is inexpressible."
Watching his eldest son's foolish behavior, Viserys regretted his compliments from the past few days and wanted to slap himself.
Go to the Vale.
Get out of here, and become the one who vanished.
"Hmph!"
Aegon snorted, carrying Daeron to the back of the Sunfyre, muttering, "Hold on tight. Riding a dragon is a test of courage."
Daeron: ...
He's little, not stupid.
If he hadn't yet tamed Tesserion, far away on Dragonstone, he wouldn't have endured Aegon's incessant nagging. It was hard!
"Uncle, take care," Aemon said with concern, climbing out of the Dragonpit on Vermithor.
The other riders followed closely behind, and all five dragons soared high into the sky, heading north towards the Vale.
Before the lair's bronze gates, Viserys paused for a long moment, until the dragons vanished from the horizon.
"Your Majesty," the Kingsguard brothers, Erryk and Arryk Cargyll, arrived, escorting Otto and Grand Maester Mellos.
"Have the dragonlets arrived safely?" Viserys asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Maester Murkun of Riverdale has written back, saying all is well," Erryk said with a serious expression.
"That's good, let them have some fun in the Vale," Viserys smiled.
Having just participated in the suppression of the remnants of the Three Women's Kingdom, they now had to arrange marriages for their eldest son, youngest daughter, and second son. The pressure on them was immense. As a protective parent, Viserys decided to give his children a short vacation.
The dragons and eggs of children like Jaehaerys and young Aegon were sent to the Vale a few days in advance. Avoid leaving the young dragons away from their masters for too long, as they will become restless and hurt others.
"Your Majesty, what is the matter with you sending us here?" Grand Maester Mellos asked.
Viserys frowned slightly, somewhat disgusted by the minister's presumptuous decision. However, seeing Mellos's tired old face, his slow speech, and even his confused forgetfulness, he really couldn't bear to scold him. The Grand Maester was old and often showed symptoms of senility.
Viserys sighed softly, feeling sad for the physical condition of another old friend, and asked sympathetically: "Have you noticed anything from the recent interactions between the princes and princesses?"
Mellos lowered his head and carefully sorted out the words that he had once understood at once.
Otto's eyes were deep, and he remained silent for a while.
Seeing the two men remain silent, Viserys looked at the two Kingsguard. "You, on the other hand, are among those who have spent the most time with the princes and princesses."
"Well..." The Cargyll brothers exchanged glances, unsure where to begin.
They were the queen's guards, implicitly considered members of the Green Party by the court. Even if the brothers wouldn't admit it, it was undeniable that they spent more time with the princes and princesses than one might imagine.
"Well, my court always encourages its subjects to speak frankly," Viserys said, understandingly.
"Your Majesty, I think Prince Aegon..." Erryk hesitated, wanting to share some of his observations.
Arryk shouldered his brother aside and spoke first, "Prince Aegon is a playboy, but he's a law-abiding man and diligent in his swordsmanship."
Erryk's eyes widened at his brother. Arryk chose to ignore him. Compared to his brother's frankness, he preferred a more subtle approach.
"Oh, Seven! That's not what I'm asking." Viserys's head pounded. "I mean, do you see any signs of affection between them, understand?"
As a father, how could he not know what Aegon, his eldest son, was like? The key was their relationship, with their marriage imminent.
"Prince Aemond seems to be very attached to Princess Helena. They have a closer relationship than the others," Erryk answered first.
Arryk closed his eyes silently, worried about his brother's straightforwardness.
"What about you, Ser Arryk?" Viserys nodded slightly, hoping to hear the opinion of another Kingsguard member.
Arryk had no choice but to be frank.
"Prince Aegon's attentions lingered more on the maids of the Red Keep than on his brothers," Viserys frowned.
Arryk let go of his bag and continued, "And what attracted Prince Aegon more than anything else were the prostitutes of Silk Street and Flea Bottom."
"He went there often, and..."
"And what?" Viserys's face changed slightly.
"It's well known," Arryk said, struggling to find the words. Finally, he gritted his teeth and said, "Prince Aegon isn't much of a picky eater."
As soon as he said that, it was as if a huge weight had been lifted from his body, his body lightening. God only knew the mental toll it had taken on him, following Aegon around the brothels all day, watching him sleep with women of all skin colors, shapes, looks... even ages.
"Tell me, Aegon is just too young. He'll change." Viserys couldn't believe his ears, hoping the others would offer him some reassurance.
Arryk simply bowed his head, refusing to speak a word.
Prince Aegon, who could swallow that kind of filth, was as utterly heartbreaking as a dog's inability to stop eating shit.
Erryk was perplexed, but he chose to say less and avoid making the least mistake. He was lucky. Even though Cole had usurped his responsibility to protect the queen, he still stayed with the princes and princesses besides Aegon. He knew very little about Aegon's absurdities.
Seeing this, Viserys' heart sank, and he felt terrible.
Just looking for women.
Even if he wasn't a picky eater, he wouldn't be so bad, right?
Arryk: "It's truly that bad."
The worst of them was good enough to be Prince Aegon's grandmother. And the reason wasn't a unique hobby, but simply because he'd overspent that month and had to find a cheap old prostitute to vent his frustrations. His only solace was that Prince Aegon always had two strengths: he never overspent, and he never stole precious items from the Red Keep and resold them.
He was out of money.
He gritted his teeth and persevered.
Loyalty!!
Arryk was already weeping, heartbroken for the honest Prince Aegon.
Viserys: ...
Why are there tears suddenly in his eyes? Is the wind a little noisy today?
Of course, he'd heard what the two guards were saying. Aegon and Helena weren't a good match, but Aemond was the one who had the will.
"Then..." Viserys hesitated.
"Your Majesty, I don't think the marriages of princes and princesses should be too focused on individual opinions," the usually taciturn Otto suddenly interrupted.
"What do you mean?" Viserys raised an eyebrow.
Otto said gravely, "Aegon and Helena are close in age, so they'll be able to bring off more children to the royal family sooner."
"Besides, a man's philandering isn't a scandal; having children will naturally keep him clean."
"Do you think Aegon can change?" Viserys asked with a curious angle.
"..." Otto shut up. He didn't want to jeopardize his king's trustworthiness by making such a fuss about his grandson.
"Ah, I'll think about it," Viserys sighed in disappointment, shaking his head as he walked back.
He remembered Alicent's attitude. He'd advised him to arrange marriages for his two sons sooner rather than force Helena to marry one of them. He'd assumed Alicent's upbringing as an Andal had made him unacceptable to the ancient Targaryen traditions. But that didn't seem to be the case.
"But if we don't follow tradition, who can Helena marry?" Viserys agonized.
As a princess and a noble dragon rider, there were very few young men on this continent who could match Helena. He really didn't want to go through the painstaking process of choosing a husband for his eldest daughter, Rhaenyra, all over again.
It would kill him. Really!
Grandfather Jaehaerys didn't live to see his 70th birthday, largely because of his children's torment.
"A bunch of debt collectors," Viserys said, his hair falling out in worry.
The Riverdale.
"Ah..."
The valley's fertile black soil teemed with crops, and the people's standard of living soared. Riverdale, pristine white as jade, contrasted beautifully with the Lonely Mountain and the Long Lake to either side, a beauty that seemed almost unreal. Most importantly, there was no courtly gossip. Living here, one could not help but open up.
"Haha, you're ignorant," Aegon scoffed, boasting. "If you'd been to Highgarden, the Tyrells, you'd know what a true fairytale castle is."
"As far as I know, you haven't been to Highgarden either," Aemond retorted.
"What do you know!" Aegon's face flushed furiously, and he raged. "I have dragons, and I've been there when you didn't know."
"Aegon, I'd be an idiot to trust you again," Aemond shook his head, relentlessly rebuking.
The brothers' trust was once again broken. But the mention of dragons cheered Aemond up, and he regained hope. Within the Lonely Mountain lay the Dragon's Valley, a place known as the lair of mighty dragons. He was determined to give it a try.
"Hiss!"
Suddenly, a strange dragon roared from the sky. Aemond, who was extremely sensitive to dragons, immediately looked up. In the azure sky, a huge dragon, brown in color, and with a strange appearance, flew overhead and slowly flew towards the Lonely Mountain in the west.
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