Aegon drew a sharp breath as he came out of the dragon's mind. The world around him swam for a moment; his temples throbbed in dull rhythm.
Even with his strength growing day by day, he could not yet linger long in that state. Entering a dragon's consciousness demanded far more from the mind than any mortal beast's, it was like plunging one's soul into living flame.
He steadied himself, then turned toward the waiting dragonkeepers.
"Sunfyre will not stay in the Dragonpit any longer," he said calmly. "Even if he returns, you are not to chain him again."
The lead Dragon Guard's face darkened, and he stepped forward to bar the prince's path. "Your Highness, that is against the King's order," he said stiffly. "The Crownlands are not Dragonstone, nor is King's Landing Dragonmont. If Sunfyre grows hungry, he may take to hunting commoners... even lords."
Aegon lifted a hand, beckoning Aemond closer. Then his violet eyes fixed coldly on the guard.
"Kneel," he said, voice flat. "I dislike speaking while looking up."
The air in the cavern thickened. Aegon knew well that dragons were dangerous when starved, but Sunfyre was no wild creature. He was Sunfyre's will. The boy's gaze hardened.
And beyond that truth, the insolence rankled. A dragonkeeper, no matter how seasoned, was a servant, and servants did not scold princes.
The guard's jaw tightened. He understood the message clearly. Still, he did not move.
Aegon's lips curved into a thin smile. "Perhaps," he said softly, "you would rather I speak to you from Sunfyre's back?"
At once, the great golden dragon shifted behind him. Sunfyre's scales shimmered in the torchlight like molten gold, wings unfurling halfway. His head lowered, eyes narrowing upon the guard with killing light.
The man's defiance melted into terror. He dropped to one knee.
Aegon regarded him coolly, then lifted Aemond in his arms and climbed onto Sunfyre's back.
"Do not forget," he said, voice echoing through the pit, "who commands the dragons, and who merely tends their chains. I shall speak to my father of this."
A moment later, Sunfyre hissed, the sound sharp and electric. Then, with a mighty beat of his wings, he rose vertically into the air, the rush of wind scattering ash and straw across the floor.
Within moments, the golden shape vanished into the clouds.
Only when the sky was empty did the kneeling guard dare to rise. His hands trembled as he wiped the sweat from his brow.
For an instant, he had been certain of his death. Sunfyre's eyes had held no mercy, only a predator's promise.
And to think, he had fed that very dragon with his own hands. Yet there had been no hint of recognition, no bond, nothing.
Across the chamber, another keeper gave a cold snort. "I warned you," he said. "We are keepers, not masters. Remember that, next time you speak to a dragon's rider."
The rebuke stung worse than the prince's. The older man stalked off, leaving the first to stew in shame. Lectured by a boy of seven, he thought bitterly. What a fool I've been.
Elsewhere, within the Red Keep, young Princess Helaena sat cross-legged on her bed, letting a pale moth crawl across her fingers. Her soft murmur filled the quiet room, half prayer, half dream.
Then, suddenly, she froze. Her pupils dilated.
"Beware the shadow above the clouds…" she whispered. Her voice trembled. Then louder- "Beware the shadow above the clouds!"
She sprang to her feet, skirts rustling, and ran from the room.
Moments later, a royal carriage burst forth from the gate of Maegor's Holdfast. The driver blinked in confusion as the princess climbed in, breathless."Quickly!" she cried. "To the Dragonpit, now!"
"Ah-ah, yes, Princess! Hold tight!"
The carriage wheels clattered against the cobblestones as the driver whipped the reins, racing toward the Hill of Rhaenys.
Inside the Dragonpit, chaos had erupted.
Dreamfyre, usually docile, had begun to thrash against her chains. Her shriek split the air, a high, furious sound that echoed off the vaulting stone.
"She feels something!" one of the older keepers shouted, diving for cover.
The younger guards, less wise, ran toward her instead. "Dreamfyre! Easy, girl! Be still!"
Their words meant nothing. The dragon's rage was not her own. Her mistress had called, in fear, in love, in something older than speech.
Dreamfyre's enormous body heaved once, twice, and the chains gave way with a ringing crack.
She stormed toward the exit, tail sweeping aside barrels and spears alike. The young keepers barely leapt clear before being crushed beneath her talons. Fire built in her throat, but she held it back. Her eyes were fixed on the gates above.
By the time Dreamfyre burst into the open air, the royal carriage had just arrived.
"Hissss!"
The she-dragon lowered her head. Helaena, trembling but determined, ran forward. She did not hesitate as she placed her small hand against the dragon's snout, and Dreamfyre stilled instantly.
The girl climbed onto the golden-silver scales. Her heart pounded, but the connection pulsed strong between them.
In the books, Helaena would not tame Dreamfyre until she was twelve. But Aegon's guidance, his teachings, and the dreams, had awakened her gift far earlier.
Now, at five years old, the Dreamer had already bound her soul to the dragon of dreams.
"Go," Helaena whispered. "Take me to them."
Dreamfyre crouched low, then leapt skyward, wings slicing through the clouds as she followed Sunfyre's distant trail.
Back in the pit, an older dragonkeeper wiped soot from his brow and shouted to his men, "You-! Go! Tell the King at once! Prince Aegon has taken Prince Aemond and flown to Dragonstone, and Princess Helaena has mounted Dreamfyre in pursuit!"
He slammed his fist against a column. "Seven save us," he muttered. "First Rhaenyra at seven years, now this! One flies off with his brother, the other chases on an ancient wyrm!"
He glared up at the empty sky.
"If the princess comes to any harm," he said grimly, "the King will hang us all before nightfall."
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