It was another dark, moonless night.
King Jaehaerys had only reached the middle of exercising his first-night privilege. The dragonseed had not yet even been sown before the act was abruptly interrupted.
A soldier from the castle had rushed to the window to report that a dragon egg had hatched.
Jaehaerys left his ornate armor behind for the soldiers to gather, pulled up his trousers, threw on a shirt, and hurried back to the castle.
When he entered the dragon egg chamber, he immediately saw the hatchling, and Rhaegar standing beside Rhaena.
He did not react rashly.
First he ordered the Dragonkeepers and the children to leave, leaving only two Kingsguard at his side.
The three Targaryen siblings would settle this matter themselves.
Earlier, Rhaena had instructed the Dragonkeepers to pin the hatchling down with wooden poles and shackle one of its legs with a thin iron chain tied to the table.
Frightened by the fierce shouting between the siblings, the tiny dragon had crawled under a cabinet.
Unlike dragons hatched in cradles, it did not immediately seek out Rhaegar, nor did it wait calmly for humans to feed it.
Instead, like a wild dragon, it began sniffing around instinctively in search of food.
In the wild, adult dragons usually left meat near their nests shortly before their eggs hatched.
After hiding for a while, the hatchling realized that the arguing humans posed no immediate threat.
Then hunger took over.
It crawled out from beneath the cabinet.
The little dragon lifted its head and sniffed toward Rhaena, Jaehaerys, and Alysanne.
Then it turned its nose toward the two Kingsguard standing by the door.
It inhaled deeply.
Suddenly-
the tiny creature lunged toward them.
The iron chain on its left leg snapped tight, pulling it short. It could only stretch its neck forward, drooling eagerly at the two living meals before it.
The Kingsguard found the sight hilarious.
The dragon was smaller than a hen, repeatedly opening its mouth and crawling toward them but unable to reach.
Completely unaware that they had just been classified as food, the two armored men even made faces at the hatchling, trying to scare it.
Meanwhile, the three Targaryen siblings assumed the creature would be as gentle as the dragons they themselves had raised in childhood.
They continued arguing.
The Kingsguard, knowing little about dragon behavior, paid no real attention either.
None of the five adults realized that this brass-bodied dragon with blue wings possessed a wild and dangerous nature.
The shouting downstairs was loud enough that the four waiting upstairs could catch fragments of it.
Rhaegar and the others sat in a reception room above, waiting for the verdict.
They heard words drift upward:
"the shameless Lannister family…"
"the three stolen dragon eggs…"
"that liar from House Farman…"
"war…"
"the Warrior's Sons…"
"the Year of the Three Brides…"
"sibling marriage…"
Both Jaehaerys and Rhaena were shouting at the top of their lungs.
Aemon and Baelon sat on a leather sofa.
The expressions in their eyes when they looked at Rhaegar were complicated—happiness, envy, and even a trace of jealousy.
Neither of them fully understood why the hatching of a dragon egg could provoke such a fierce argument among the elders.
Rhaegar stood beside a table, unable to sit.
His hands trembled slightly against the wood.
Not from fear.
From the effort of suppressing restless anxiety.
His nerves were stretched tight, ready to snap.
Alyssa, who earlier had wanted to cut off Rhaegar's "sausage," now seemed delighted.
She waved a wooden sword and shouted:
"Dracarys!"
Then she puffed air at a candle, pretending to breathe dragonfire.
The three boys remained silent.
Only Alyssa played happily.
The flickering candlelight made the atmosphere feel even heavier.
Weapons were left at the weapon racks in the great hall, Rhaegar thought.
If the old white-haired king sends soldiers in here…
Unarmed, even with a long health bar, I'll eventually be worn down.
Rhaegar began calculating how he might resist.
He walked over to Alyssa and lifted a metal candlestick, weighing it carefully.
Its base rested on the floor, with a tall metal rod rising upward to support ten candle branches.
Remove the base… take off the candles…
As long as I'm not facing Blackfyre or Dark Sister, I might hold them off for a while.
Alyssa skipped away to bother Baelon on the sofa.
Rhaegar glanced at the others.
While Aemon and Baelon were distracted, he quietly detached the metal base of a candlestick whose flame had gone out.
He slipped it into his sleeve.
Then he examined the room's layout.
The wooden door was wide, three large men could rush through side by side.
He glanced toward a cabinet against the wall.
If I jump onto the cabinet and fight from above…
When Jaehaerys enters, I could leap down and seize him as a hostage.
Then force my way out of the castle.
A moment later he rejected the idea.
Jaehaerys might look scholarly, but his martial skill was no joke.
When he had secretly married Alysanne and fled to Dragonstone, he had trained relentlessly with the Kingsguard and the island's finest warriors.
The training had been so brutal that the old knights of Dragonstone once declared:
If Jaehaerys ever fought Maegor the Cruel, they would bet on Jaehaerys to win.
Maegor's reputation was dark, but no one denied his strength.
He had survived the deadly Trial of Seven alone.
Rhaegar knew perfectly well he was nowhere near Maegor's level.
Trying to seize Jaehaerys might end with himself captured instead.
So he moved to the window and leaned out, pretending to look at the moon hidden behind clouds.
Fourth floor…
Stone paving along the castle wall…
Jumping from here will probably cost half my health.
Then climb the wall stairs and jump down from the eastern side…
That's the fastest route to where the dragons rest.
Dragonstone offered little besides rock and grass.
Food existed only in the castle and the fishing village, where locals raised goats.
The dragon-claw brand on Rhaegar's shoulder allowed him to approach dragons.
But even carnivores friendly to humans became dangerous when guarding their food.
Stealing from a dragon's meal would mean certain death.
If he didn't want to starve, he would have to escape Dragonstone entirely.
Rhaegar began planning his route.
He had only seen Vhagar, Caraxes, and Meleys flying in the sky.
He had never approached them closely.
The brand might prevent them from attacking, but riding them would require time to build trust.
Even with Dreamfyre, it had taken a long time before she stopped throwing him from her back.
And if he rode Dreamfyre again…
his secret would be exposed.
Then he would face not only the Seven Kingdoms' wanted orders, but also Jaehaerys riding Vermithor, royal assassins, and perhaps even Faceless Men.
Endless hunters.
Better to keep the green hills and live another day.
As long as he survived, the world was vast.
Somewhere out there he could build a life.
Rhaegar had made his decision.
If the door opened and soldiers entered with weapons...
he would jump out the window immediately.
Aemon, who had been silent on the sofa, seemed to have figured things out as well.
His hands were clenched tightly.
His legs trembled.
The waiting felt endless.
Finally Aemon stood and walked over to Rhaegar.
"Don't worry," he said quietly.
"I'll support you, Rhaegar."
He paused.
"My cousin-nephew."
"Thank you," Rhaegar replied sincerely.
It seemed Aemon had learned something during his years as Prince of Dragonstone.
Then-
creeeak…
The door slowly opened.
Only Rhaena entered.
Aemon and Baelon stood up immediately.
Rhaegar turned to face her.
They waited for the verdict.
Rhaena stopped just inside the doorway, making no move to approach Rhaegar.
Her expression was completely blank.
When she spoke, her first sentence stunned all four of them.
"I do not support granting Rhaegar ownership of the hatchling."
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