Sneaking Out

Sneaking Out

Night fell.

Red Keep, the King's Bedchamber.

Creak!

The door was pushed open from within.

Aemon stepped out, a dragon-shaped stone carving in his hand.

Just moments ago, his uncle Viserys had sought him out, and the two had chatted for a while.

Aemon looked at the stone carving, his expression complicated. "This is going to be difficult."

After some pleasantries, Viserys had gotten straight to the point.

His father Daemon had proclaimed himself King of the Gullet, badly damaging the royal family's reputation.

And he was the sort who acted without restraint.

He had flown his dragon back to King's Landing and was currently enjoying himself on Silk Street.

He had not come to the Red Keep or seen his own brother.

"How am I supposed to ease things between them?"

Aemon sighed softly, feeling an enormous weight on his shoulders.

Faced with Sea Snake Corlys's challenge, Viserys had instinctively looked for help.

His father Daemon was the best candidate.

Previously, when Daemon had fallen into a difficult situation in the Stepstones, Viserys had decided to send troops to aid him and mend their brotherly bond.

Unexpectedly, Daemon had taken it as an insult.

He had beaten the messenger carrying the letter half to death, then killed Crabfeeder single-handedly.

He would not accept that brotherly affection.

"The two brothers are both equally unreliable."

Aemon shook his head and returned to his room.

He did need to persuade them, but he could not let himself be used as a weapon.

It was hard to say that this move by Sea Snake Corlys had not received his father Daemon's tacit approval.

After all, only when the royal family ran into trouble would anyone remember Daemon's worth.

Aemon returned to his room.

After washing up briefly, he lay down on the soft couch with the Sweetgrass Pillow.

Thinking over all kinds of troublesome matters, he gradually drifted off to sleep.

His consciousness grew hazy as he entered another world.

The sky was dark and overcast, while fierce winds howled and lashed at everything.

Aemon stood atop a mountain, surrounded by withered green vegetation. The heat was so oppressive it made his chest feel tight.

Pitter-patter...

Suddenly, a steady drizzle began falling from the sky.

Aemon looked around blankly. The raindrops falling on his face felt wonderfully cool.

Crack!

A bolt of lightning split the sky, illuminating the dim curtain of rain.

Aemon froze where he stood.

In that brief moment, the drizzle became a torrential downpour, striking the ground and kicking up mist.

Aemon shuddered, icy cold spreading through his entire body.

He needed to find somewhere to take shelter.

The thought had barely arisen when he instinctively walked into a smoking cave halfway up the mountain.

The ground was covered in broken stones, and faint sounds came from deep within the cave.

It sounded like chisels cutting through rock, yet also like a forge hammer striking an anvil.

"What is this place?"

Aemon's eyes were dazed as he walked deeper inside as if possessed.

Ten meters, twenty meters...

At the very depths, deep crimson firelight reflected off the stone walls.

It was a natural furnace.

Embedded deep within the mountain, it was covered in bronze-colored scale patterns, refining gleaming molten Bronze Water within.

Roar!!

In an instant, the stone walls shattered inch by inch, and the Bronze Water came pouring out in a flood.

Aemon stared in stunned disbelief before turning to flee.

Yet his legs felt as though they had been filled with lead, and he could not run fast no matter what.

When he looked back, he could only watch as the surging Bronze Water threw up waves.

Like a tiny boat on the ocean, he was instantly overturned by the towering wave and slammed to the ground.

At the final moment.

Aemon's desire to survive surged forth. Stubbornly, he stretched out a hand, trying to grasp a lifeline.

The Bronze Water formed a whirlpool, and its endless suction swallowed him whole.

Outside, the heavy rain continued.

Inside the room.

Aemon was still asleep, cold sweat beading on his forehead as he shook his head back and forth in distress.

The dream was affecting reality.

Knock, knock!

There came a sudden knock at the door.

"Who!?"

Hearing the sound, Aemon jolted awake and rolled to his feet.

That had been terrifying.

Damn dream. It had not given him even the slightest chance to fight back.

"It's me, Rhaenyra."

The door opened slightly, and a silver-haired head poked through. She answered softly.

"Rhaenyra?"

Aemon gulped in great breaths, gradually shaking off the suffocating feeling from the dream.

"Did you have a nightmare?"

Seeing that he was soaked all over, Rhaenyra's eyes widened in surprise as she entered the room with concern.

This had never happened during their two nights sleeping on the streets.

Aemon fully regained his senses and wiped the fine sweat from his forehead, only then realizing that he was drenched through.

An eight-year-old's body was still that of a child. It was easy to sweat in one's sleep at night.

He often woke up sticky all over.

Patting his pale cheeks, Aemon asked suspiciously, "Why are you coming to my room so late at night?"

A nighttime raid?

He was only eight. That was enough to get her a suspended death sentence.

Rhaenyra was clearly stumped by the question. After hesitating, she said, "I came to find you because I need to do something."

It definitely was not anything good.

She wore a beige house dress, her fair hands hidden behind her back as her fingers kept fidgeting to conceal her nervousness.

Aemon paid attention to details. He saw it all and silently pulled his little blanket tighter around himself.

"It's not what you think."

Rhaenyra hurriedly corrected him, declaring, "I'm going to find Daemon. You're his son, so we'll go together."

"Not what I think what?"

Aemon spotted the loophole.

"Aemon!"

Rhaenyra flew into an embarrassed rage.

"Fine, we'll go find Daemon."

Aemon quickly got out of bed, unable to hide his curiosity. "But why find him? It's the middle of the night."

"Father misses Daemon very much. I hope they can reconcile."

Rhaenyra revealed the truth.

Of course, she had her own little thoughts as well.

Uncle Daemon had always treated her well when she was young. Wherever he went, he would bring her gifts from foreign lands.

They had not seen each other for years, and she missed the old days.

"Tsk, tsk."

Aemon gave her a strange look, not believing her at all.

This was probably a lovesick girl getting foolish ideas and looking to cause trouble.

Rhaenyra was very eager. She pulled two bundles from behind the door, handing him one as she said, "I asked around. Daemon is on Silk Street. We'll change into traveling clothes and sneak out."

Bang!

The door shut. She untied the straps behind her back, took off her dress, and began changing.

"Wait..."

Aemon's face instantly turned red, and he spun around.

She just stripped without a word. She really did not treat him like an outsider.

Fortunately, he had turned quickly enough not to glimpse any soft snowy whiteness or the curve of a pert half-exposed hip.

A few minutes later.

The two changed clothes amid soft rustling, then pushed open the door and headed out.

"Princess."

Cole was dressed as a farmer. He nodded respectfully in greeting.

Aemon looked him over and curled his lip.

There was nothing to say. They were all dressed about the same, so they could consider themselves comrades in adversity.

Cole secretly glanced at Prince Aemon. Seeing that he was not looking to cause trouble for him, the handsome knight breathed a sigh of relief.

He muttered inwardly that all royal family members were willful little troublemakers.

"Let's go."

Rhaenyra could hardly wait. She turned this way and that as she headed downstairs.

It was useless. They could not avoid the guards at all.

Cole still had to show his identity as the White Knight and pretend he was taking two stable boys with him, allowing them to slip out of the Red Keep openly.

Aemon was dumbfounded. "Doesn't that expose us?"

His opinion did not matter. The three climbed into a crude carriage and rode far away from the Red Keep.

Midnight, Silk Street.

The three parked their carriage and quietly blended into the crowd.

It had to be said that Silk Street truly deserved its reputation as the most prosperous street in King's Landing.

Especially at night, its liveliness exceeded all imagination.

The streets were packed with vendors large and small, acrobatic acts, circuses, and fireworks displays one after another, with men and women of every class mingling among them.

"Look, there's even a magic show."

Rhaenyra was thrilled. Grabbing Aemon, she shook him excitedly.

This was her first time sneaking out. Everything felt new to her, and she brimmed with captivating vitality.

"Shh, keep your voice down."

Aemon was speechless as he steadied his patched cap.

Both of them wore hats that concealed their conspicuous silver-gold hair. Otherwise, there would be serious trouble.

"Hey, I see that brothel."

Rhaenyra's eyes suddenly lit up, and she charged off like a runaway horse.

Aemon blanked out, wondering if he had misheard her.

He had only taken two steps after her when an absurd sound reached his ears.

He turned his head.

In a narrow alley, a naked man and woman were working up a sweat.

"Right out on the street?"

Aemon grimaced.

King's Landing's customs were truly far too open.

Bonus chapter.