Rossart coughed twice, feigning impartiality. "Prince, what else do you have to say?"
No one paid him any attention.
Daeron ignored him completely and spoke to his father. "As Ser Barristan said, the young dragons cannot leave me, or they will die."
Aerys's eyes instantly flared with rage, and he nearly broke into a curse.
In the next instant.
Daeron changed his tone. "However, I am willing to present one young dragon to you, to help you become a King upon Dragonback."
"A King upon Dragonback..."
These words struck a chord deep within Aerys. Thinking only of riding a dragon, he immediately pressed, "Which one will you give me?"
"Man chooses the dragon, but the dragon also chooses its master."
Daeron stepped aside, gesturing for him to pick a young dragon of his choice.
Aerys stood up abruptly, his eyes fixed on the three young dragons, his gaze darting between them in indecision.
He wanted them all!
Daeron tilted his head and kicked the cage holding Toothless forward.
"Screee!"
Toothless, naturally hyperactive, climbed the cage bars and let out a loud screech.
"A black dragon!"
Aerys's heart stirred as he muttered, "Balerion the Black Dread... I want to be a Conqueror..."
To the Targaryen family, Balerion the Black Dread held extraordinary significance.
Owning a black dragon was as if one were riding the Black Dread itself.
"I want this black dragon."
Aerys let out a low growl.
Ser Gerold sighed helplessly and reached for the cage holding Toothless.
Barristan did not yield an inch, saying urgently, "Prince!?"
The King's mental state was abysmal; how could a young dragon be given to him?
In his mind, Daeron was the true Master of Dragons.
Daeron said calmly, "Ser, stand down."
Barristan wanted to argue further but was forced back by Daeron's gaze.
"Sorry, brother."
Ser Gerold picked up the cage, understanding his Kingsguard brother's thoughts.
Just as he turned to hand the young dragon to the King.
"Wait a moment!"
Daeron spoke up to stop him.
Ser Gerold stopped and turned back in confusion.
This time, not only Aerys but even the Grand Maesters and ministers cast surprised glances.
"Boy, what are you doing?"
Aerys's face contorted; he was nearly driven mad with impatience.
Daeron put on an air of concern and said sincerely, "Father, dragons are not pets or livestock to be raised casually."
Ever since the Dance of the Dragons, raising dragons had become a great difficulty.
The cruel Maegor built the Dragonpit in King's Landing, but the dragons kept there grew smaller and smaller, far from the rapid growth of the earliest dragons.
Meanwhile, dragons in the wild would hunt indiscriminately, harming the common folk.
Amidst this dilemma, the dragons went extinct.
"Father, you wouldn't want our dragons to end up like the last ones, unable to grow, would you?"
Daeron held all the cards.
Aerys's eyes widened.
For the sake of dragons, he would give up anything.
But if the dragons did not grow, how could he realize his dream of conquest?
Daeron reached out and snatched Toothless back from Ser Gerold's hands, speaking eloquently: "I have three suggestions to ensure the dragons grow large."
"Speak!" Aerys regained his composure, realizing his Second Son was about to negotiate terms.
Daeron did not hide his intentions, stating bluntly:
"First, the Dragonpit must be rebuilt, and construction must follow the blueprints I draw before I can feel at ease handing the dragon to you."
This meant that until then, the dragon would remain under his care.
Aerys struggled internally for a long time before gritting his teeth. "Granted!"
The boy couldn't run away anyway; the dragon would be his sooner or later.
"Second, I require the recruitment of Dragon Guards to serve as my personal troops, protecting the young dragons' safety around the clock to prevent any malicious harm."
"Third, for the merit of presenting a young dragon, the Royal Treasury must fully bear the expenses for the development of my Princes Territory."
Daeron stated his second and third conditions.
Hearing this, Aerys's expression softened slightly.
Compared to the first condition, these two were undoubtedly reasonable and much easier to accept.
If there were dragons, there naturally had to be a Dragonpit.
A Dragonpit must have Dragon Guards.
As for his Second Son's Princes Territory, it was originally a task he had imposed to make things difficult.
His intention had been to make Daeron back down or cooperate in attacking his eldest son Rhaegar to replace him as heir.
Since his Second Son valued the Princes Territory so much, let the Royal Treasury pay for its construction.
"No problem, I can satisfy all of these."
Aerys displayed a generous side, giving his guarantee: "During this period, your commands shall be as my royal decrees; everyone must obey."
It worked!
Daeron felt confident and bowed in thanks.
No one understood his Father Aerys better than he did.
A self-righteous, selfish, indecisive, and incompetent man who centered everything on himself and his stubborn ideals, eventually driving himself mad.
By grasping his deepest fears, one could easily manipulate him.
It was exactly as he expected.
Until the so-called Dragonpit was built, all three dragons would stay by his side.
He was using the other's greed for the young dragons to keep him hooked while strengthening himself.
By the time the Dragonpit was finished, he would have three young dragons as combat power and two armed forces—the Dragon Guards and the Gold Cloaks.
At that point, Daeron would no longer need to pretend.
The excellent 'Xuanwu Gate' succession method would place him on the iron throne.
Of course,
If the other party had dared to force him today, Daeron would not have sat idly by.
Someone wanted to test his edge.
Rossart couldn't contain his greed and spoke up: "Your Majesty, who knows how long it will take to build the Dragonpit? It would be better to keep a young dragon by your side for now."
Lest the King worry about the young dragon dying prematurely.
He added: "I am willing to serve you and care for the young dragon."
Silence!
The air suddenly froze.
Daeron pointed a finger and barked coldly: "Guards, take this yapping scoundrel down and cut out his tongue."
Though he was not Regent, he could already exercise the King's authority.
Ser Gerold hesitated slightly, looking to the King for confirmation.
Unfortunately, he had misread the situation.
The next moment.
The hall doors burst open, and a squad of fully armed Gold Cloaks rushed in.
"By the Prince's command, take him away!"
Led by Lord Manley, they let out a roar and seized Rossart on the spot.
As for the King and the Grand Maesters?
If necessary, he was willing to accompany the Prince in a coup.
The Seven Kingdoms had suffered under Mad King for too long.
"Your Majesty, save me!"
Rossart panicked and tried to call for help.
To this, the Gold Cloaks responded with practiced skill.
One blow to the mouth to stop the begging.
A second blow to the legs to prevent escape.
"Mmmph! Mmmph!"
Rossart lost control of his bowels on the spot and was dragged away like a dead dog.
"One, two..."
Daeron counted silently in his head.
At the count of twelve, a blood-curdling scream echoed from outside the hall.
Aerys's eyelids twitched as he suddenly sensed a whiff of danger.
The ministers, even more so, felt their hair stand on end.
Everyone simultaneously realized one thing.
Daeron had come prepared.
"Gentlemen, I shall take my leave then."
Daeron showed no emotion as he calmly exited with the three cages.
The path was clear... Noon, 12:30 PM.
Leaving the Throne Room, Daeron returned to the Dragon Language Farm at top speed.
"Screee!"
"Scree... scree..."
The three young dragons were released, fluttering onto the farm soil, joyfully breathing the air of freedom.
Daeron smiled. "If you're happy, I'm happy."
Being able to bring all three young dragons back to the farm in one piece meant he had won this storm decisively.
It was only hard on Toothless, who would have to go and humor Father Aerys from time to time.
Even a performance had to be thorough.
"Screee!"
Coraxes flapped its wings and was the first to take flight, landing gracefully on Daeron's shoulder.
It wasn't the brief gliding of flapping wings, but true flight.
Daeron was surprised. "You can fly?"
"Screee!"
Coraxes made a chirping sound, its long tail hooking around its father's neck, affectionately rubbing its snout against him.
Its egg was the first Daeron had discovered, and it had received the most nurturing along the way.
Now, it seemed to be the most attached to people.
Daeron showed his appreciation on the spot, taking out a Tilapia fish larger than the young dragon.
"Screee!"
Coraxes's screech suddenly became sharp and piercing.
The moment Daeron held the Tilapia, the dragon pressed its back down to exert force, its snake-like neck arching as its maw opened wide to spit a blast of crimson Dragonfire.
Boom—
The massive impact knocked the Tilapia out of Daeron's hand, and it was enveloped and incinerated by the Dragonfire in mid-air, quickly charring and smoking.
A second later, the roasted fish plopped onto the ground.
Tessaerion and Toothless caught the scent and flapped their wings to rush over.
"Screee!"
A fierce glint appeared in Coraxes's vertical pupils as it pounced onto the roasted fish swiftly and fiercely, screeching to drive its two brothers away.
The two young dragons hurriedly retreated.
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