The Dragon Vhagar

In the end, Aemon chose to wait for the hare by the tree stump.

He steadied the fish basket, sat on a small stool, and kept casting his line.

"Don't let me catch you, or you'll be sorry."

Aemon gritted his teeth in anger.

The Prince was gradually adapting to his new identity.

That afternoon, the weather was calm and bright.

The sailboat sped onward at full speed, passing through The Gullet and entering the Strait Sea.

Aemon had waited until he was nearly falling asleep, and his fish basket could no longer hold all his catch.

Whooo—

Just then, a shrill horn sounded.

The Sailors turned pale in alarm, dropping their work and rushing toward the bow.

Tension instantly blanketed the sailboat.

Aemon snapped awake and asked uncertainly, "What happened?"

He set down his fishing rod and went looking for his mother in the cabin.

On the Strait Sea.

A spindle-shaped sailing ship passed through The Gullet. Its sails bore the image of a copulating goddess, while its deck was crowded with Foreign Land men whose hair had been dyed every color imaginable.

The old Sailors all recognized it.

It was a slave ship from Lys, one of the nine Free Trade City-States. The colorfully haired Foreign Land men were mercenaries from Tyrosh, another Free Trade City-State.

Those two Free Cities had allied with Myr to form the infamous Three Daughters Alliance.

They were the Three Daughters Pirates who had ravaged the Stepstones.

"Mom, what's going on?"

Aemon jogged over, surrounded by Vale Knights.

Lady Rhea's expression was grave. "A slave ship crewed by Three Daughters scum. They may attack ships passing through here."

The moment she said "may," it became "would."

The slave ship had clearly spotted the Prince Aemon flying the Three-Headed Red Dragon banner. Like rats catching the scent of cheese, they lunged toward it.

Whooo—

The lookout aboard the enemy ship blew the horn, sounding the attack.

"Everyone, prepare yourselves! Don't let your guard down!"

Lady Rhea remained calm in the face of danger and ordered the Vale Knights to take out their bows.

The Vale Knights excelled at mounted archery. They could not ride horses aboard a ship, but fortunately, they still had ways to strike at enemies from afar.

Aemon forced down his nerves and returned to the cabin to retrieve his little wooden bow.

He stayed ready at all times.

Before long, the slave ship drew closer and closer.

The Three Daughters Pirates laughed wildly, their hideous faces visible even across the water.

"Draw!"

Lady Rhea shouted, the first to nock an arrow and pull back her bow.

Though a woman, she was no less capable than any man.

Aemon's little face tightened, and an inexplicable anxiety seized him.

If only there were a dragon.

Boom—

The thought had barely arisen when a rush of wind sounded overhead, making the broad sails snap and shudder.

In an instant, the sky darkened like night.

An oppressive presence swept over them, and the air faintly carried the sulfurous stench of blood.

Aemon looked up at the sky and froze.

Dark green! A dark green that swallowed every other color!

A savage, mountain-sized beast crossed Blackwater Bay, its body covered in thick dark green scales and its enormous pale-yellow wings spread wide.

At a glance, all he could see was its imposing chest, weathered by countless years.

Several breaths later, the colossal body flew over The Gullet, its long, thick tail swaying past.

"Prince, that is..."

Ser Steve, standing beside him, was dumbstruck and swallowed hard.

Aemon stared in longing and said quietly, "Vhagar!"

One of the three dragons that had founded the Targaryen dynasty.

After more than a century of change, it was the oldest and largest ancient dragon in the world today.

The enormous old dragon climbed into the clouds and circled a thousand meters overhead.

"Fall back!"

Lady Rhea's heart settled, and she ordered everyone to move away from the slave ship.

The next moment, Laena's voice rang out without warning.

"Dragonfire, Vhagar!"

Boom!!

Vhagar's vertical pupils were utterly cold as its massive body dove downward.

"Screech—"

Halfway through its descent, orange-yellow dragonfire billowing with black smoke poured from the dark green dragon's maw, striking the slave ship like a pillar of flame.

In an instant, the slave ship's mast snapped, and its entire deck split apart inch by inch.

The whole vessel was swallowed by a sea of fire, slowly consumed and burned away.

Vhagar spread its enormous, hole-riddled wings. Its horn-crowned head, crowned with sparse horns, lifted high as its body traced a crescent through the sky and slowly rose.

Bang!

Its long, thick tail whipped around and smashed into the slave ship a second time.

At once, planks exploded in every direction.

"So strong!"

Aemon squeezed through the crowd and leaned over the railing to watch.

A dragon's lifespan was roughly two hundred years.

Vhagar was now one hundred and sixty years old, undoubtedly an elderly dragon.

The wrinkled skin beneath its thick scales, the holes large and small in its wing membranes, and the ancient air in its amber vertical pupils all revealed as much.

Yet this ancient dragon, a creature comparable to a weapon of war, possessed unmatched battlefield experience.

"Dragonfire, Vhagar!"

The command came again from the sky as smoking dragonfire descended from above.

Rumble!

The slave ship broke apart down the middle. Its stern rose high into the air before slowly sinking beneath the sea.

Aemon's blood surged as he gazed from afar at the silver-haired figure on the dragon's back.

He could not see her clearly.

Laena seemed to have changed into a black-and-red Dragon Riding Suit. Her wavy hair was pinned behind her head, and her whole being had taken on a sharp, fierce air.

It was the complete opposite of her gentle appearance.

A third blast of dragonfire descended, enveloping the Three Daughters Pirates who had jumped into the sea and boiling the seawater into steam.

The terrifying old dragon turned and flew back toward Driftmark.

Standing on tiptoe, Aemon seemed to see Laena bend down and wave at him.

It had come quickly and departed even faster.

Vhagar beat its wings, sending gusts of howling wind through the air as it scattered the clouds at the horizon and flew away.

Aemon was not the only one shaken. Everyone present was deeply stunned.

Compared to the golden dragon they had encountered on the way here, the pressure brought by this dark green old dragon was practically apocalyptic.

"So this is the difference between dragons."

Aemon muttered, secretly clenching his fists.

Sure enough, taming the dragons left behind by the kings of old was the proper path.

"Stop standing around! Deal with the Three Daughters scum in the sea!"

Seizing the opportunity, Lady Rhea fixed her gaze on the surviving pirates struggling in the water.

Aemon patted his cheeks and, once he had composed himself, walked over as well.

The Vale Knights drew their bows and nocked their arrows, ready at any moment.

"Mom."

Aemon put away his little wooden bow, knowing they had already won.

Lady Rhea glanced down at him, grabbed him by the back of his collar, and pulled him to the front. She said evenly, "When we return, you will officially become the heir to Runestone. Start learning how to command troops."

"Me?"

Aemon had not expected that.

"Yes."

Lady Rhea pointed at the Three Daughters Pirates and said sternly, "You will give the order. Kill every last one of them."

Her son could not be a coward.

It was time for him to see some blood.

Ser Steve looked worried and hesitated. "My lady, the Prince is still young."

Lady Rhea's gaze was indifferent as she replied coldly, "The men of House Royce should know how to wield a blade by the age of eight."

Then she stared at her silent son.

Aemon hung his head, as if a giant hand had clenched around his heart.

Giving the order was easy, but personally commanding people to be killed inevitably left him flustered and afraid.

Lady Rhea said nothing, waiting for her son's answer.

A moment later.

Aemon raised his head, his eyes more serious than ever before. He raised a hand and shouted, "Vale Knights!"

Thump! Thump! Thump!

The Vale Knights stamped their feet in perfect unison, their faces solemn.

Aemon lowered his little hand and said coldly, "Fire. Leave none alive!"

The moment his words fell, dozens of arrows arced through the air like rain.

The Three Daughters Pirates were struck by arrows, screaming as they sank into the depths. Their blood stained the sea red.

"Not bad."

Seeing this, Lady Rhea's cold expression faded, and the corner of her lips lifted slightly.

But it was not over yet.

Aemon suddenly took off his little wooden bow, pulled a handful of arrows from her quiver, and strode toward the side of the ship.

The smile usually on his face vanished. As he walked, he drew his bow, nocked an arrow, and fired at the living targets in the sea.

Whoosh!

His hand trembled slightly on the first shot, and the arrow splashed into the sea beside a Three Daughters Pirate.

Aemon took out a second arrow and drew the little wooden bow to its fullest.

Pfft!

With a scream, the arrow struck a pirate in the eye socket from above and sent him down into the depths.

Aemon's face remained calm. With every step he took, he fired another arrow.

By the time he had taken five steps to the ship's edge, four successive arrows had struck pirates in vital spots—their eyes, throats, and more.

His accuracy was astonishing.

He took five steps and killed four Three Daughters Pirates.

Aemon stopped. When he tried to draw his bow again, he found that he had run out of arrows.

"Prince."

Ser Steve hurried after him, afraid something might happen.

Aemon tossed aside the little wooden bow, clapped his hands, and let out a breath. "This bow doesn't have enough power anymore. It doesn't feel right in my hands."

But to the Vale Knights, the scene looked entirely different.

Fifty burly men held their breath, drawn in by the Prince's calm and unhurried bearing.

Even his fair, handsome face now displayed a cool, regal Kingly Demeanor.

The dragon-taming storyline will probably begin in around fifty chapters.

Don't rush, don't panic.

Remember to keep reading, Friends~