Chapter 21: The Hidden Danger of Dragons
The Red Keep was silent, its corridors lit by the faint shimmer of candlelight. Outside, the wind moaned through the battlements, whispering secrets of storm and steel. Within the royal study, the air was thick with parchment dust, aged wine, and quiet power.
Daemon Targaryen stood before the Iron King himself, the shadow of his dragon's wings ever present in his mind.
> "Sea Snake Corlys and Princess Rhaenys stalk the Dragonpit like hunters," Daemon began, voice low but edged with steel. "They study every dragon as though the beasts already bore their banners. Their intent is clear—they wish Dreamfyre for their daughter."
King Jaehaerys I Targaryen, silver hair shining under candlelight, listened in silence. Queen Alysanne sat beside him, her eyes soft but shrewd. Between them stood Prince Baelon, arms folded, every inch the loyal son.
Gael, gentle and attentive, poured a cup of blueberry wine for her grandparents. The old King took a slow sip.
> "Laena is but four, and Laenor three," said Jaehaerys. "It will be years yet before they can ride."
> "Years pass swiftly, Your Grace," Daemon replied. "Children grow into claimants faster than dragons molt. If we allow the Sea Snake to bind Dreamfyre to his line, his family will wield the skies as they already command the seas."
Queen Alysanne frowned faintly.
> "Rhaenys already rides Meleys, the Red Queen. It is natural that she should wish the same for her children. Why should that trouble you so?"
Daemon's violet eyes gleamed.
> "Because Corlys Velaryon is never content. He cloaks ambition in duty and hides conquest beneath courtesy. He pretends disinterest in Dreamfyre, yet his eyes linger on her as a man's might on gold. Dreamfyre lays eggs, Your Grace. The Sea Snake would breed dragons as he breeds ships."
Alysanne's tone softened, but her words were sharp.
> "He is an explorer who has seen the ends of the world. Can such a man live without ambition?"
Daemon bowed his head slightly.
> "Ambition in service of the realm is virtue. Ambition in defiance of the crown is treason waiting for time to ripen."
He moved closer to the table, shadows of candlelight cutting across his face.
> "House Velaryon commands more wealth than any house in Westeros. More ships than the Iron Fleet and Redwyne Fleet combined. He wins the favor of Oldtown, the Vale, even the North. His Valyrian Fleet sails to every port—Lannisport, White Harbor, Sunspear—and every voyage wins him another friend. Now he sends ships to the Vale, under his brother Vaemond's command. It is not pirates he means to conquer—it is loyalty."
The room fell silent. The candles hissed.
> "If he were to gain Dreamfyre," Daemon continued, "and her eggs... what would stop him from building his own Dragonpit on Driftmark?"
Alysanne exchanged a long look with her husband. Then, Jaehaerys exhaled.
> "In truth, dragon eggs are the greater danger. Gael will bond with Dreamfyre. Let that matter be settled."
> "I fear," Daemon said quietly, "that Rhaenys's Meleys has already laid eggs. Driftmark is not without secrets. Sea Snake entertains Red Priests from Asshai, shadowbinders from Qohor, even Cloud Singers from Yi Ti. Sorcerers follow him like gulls after a ship. If they are not plotting trade, then they are hatching dragons."
Alysanne shook her head.
> "Speculation, Daemon. You cannot accuse a lord of treachery with whispers and smoke."
> "Smoke," Daemon murmured, "often precedes fire."
Baelon chuckled dryly.
> "You see ghosts, brother. Rhaenys is Aemon's daughter, my niece, your kin. If her children seek dragons, that is their birthright. You cannot claim the skies for yourself."
Daemon looked at him evenly.
> "And yet too many dragons invite ruin. If each prince and princess claims one, how long before dragonfire turns upon dragonfire? We Targaryens are strongest united—but fire consumes its own."
His words hung heavy, and for a moment even the flames on the candles seemed to waver.
King Jaehaerys leaned forward, his gaze distant.
> "Once before, our family tore itself apart. When Aenys died, Maegor seized my father's throne. Dragons burned, and brothers died. Yet it ended only because one side lacked dragonfire. What happens when both sides possess it?"
> "Then the Dance begins," Daemon said. His tone was quiet, prophetic—almost mournful.
Baelon rose sharply.
> "You speak of a future centuries away. Leave prophecy to fools and maesters. Live in the present, son."
He left the chamber, the echo of his boots fading down the corridor.
In the silence that followed, Jaehaerys reached across the table and took Daemon's hand—a gesture both paternal and political.
> "Ser Daemon of Blackwater," he said, using the title recently granted, "you see danger where others see peace. That is a gift... and a curse. Perhaps both."
Queen Alysanne's voice softened.
> "We foresaw such dangers long ago. That is why Vaegon serves the Citadel and Saenella the Faith. If we cannot limit dragons, we must limit those who ride them."
She glanced toward Gael, who stood silent near the window, her face pale in the candlelight.
> "Had you not wed her, she too might have gone to the Faith. But perhaps fate willed otherwise."
Daemon inclined his head slightly.
> "Fate favors the bold, Your Grace. And boldness favors House Targaryen."
Jaehaerys smiled faintly.
> "Then let boldness serve us once more. Have Gael ride Dreamfyre, and do so swiftly. Let no other house think to claim her."
Daemon bowed deeply, though his thoughts were already racing beyond the walls of the Red Keep—toward the Dragonpit, the Sea Snake, and the gathering storm that even old kings could not foresee.
> Fire may bind a house together… or burn it from within.
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