"Those two old geezers were basically trying to murder a young prince."
Whenever Rhaegar thought about it, his head throbbed. He wanted nothing more than to smash the shriveled heads of those two old Maesters.
He wondered if they had anything inside besides knowledge—or just a pile of shit.
Illyric only smiled and said nothing. He had no interest in commenting on the king's plans for educating the prince.
The two of them had barely spoken since the royal hunt six months ago.
That changed a few days ago, when Viserys learned that Rhaenyra had finished her travels.
He assigned Illyric to Rhaegar, ordering him to protect the king's eldest son and carry out any tasks he was given.
Rhaegar had no idea what his father was thinking.
But why turn down a reliable White Knight at his side?
After all they had been through together, the two of them got along quite well.
Even Illyric, a knight of stern disposition, occasionally traded harmless jokes with Rhaegar.
"I'm tired, Ser."
After sitting for a while, Rhaegar lost patience and returned to his room with Illyric following behind.
The Kingsguard were only responsible for protecting the king and those he designated.
Unless there was a particular need, they did not enter the prince's room. Standing guard outside was enough.
As soon as Rhaegar returned to his little nest, he went straight to the fireplace.
A container shaped like a stove sat beside it.
When he lifted the lid, a wave of heat rolled over him.
Rhaegar faced the heat without flinching.
He leaned over and peered inside. A jet-black dragon egg, covered in diamond-shaped scales, rested within.
It was his dragon egg.
He touched its scorching surface. Disappointment flickered in Rhaegar's eyes as he sighed. "Still nothing. When will you finally hatch?"
Perhaps he was just unlucky.
Rhaegar's dragon egg had shown no sign of hatching. It had sat in its container like a rock for six years.
He ran his hand over the egg as he usually did, talking to it under his breath.
Rhaegar thought it might help the egg hatch.
When he grew thirsty, Rhaegar put the lid back on, ending that day's conversation with his dragon egg.
He poured himself a cup of hot water and muttered to himself, "At least that fool Aegon's egg hasn't hatched either. Otherwise, I'd never hear the end of it."
The thought that his foolish little brother's dragon egg hadn't hatched either lifted Rhaegar's spirits.
It was bad enough that his own egg had failed to hatch.
If his brother's egg hatched, it would only make him feel worse.
The sun rose and set, and the days passed one by one.
At last, Rhaenyra returned to King's Landing.
Viserys was too proud to show his face, so Queen Alicent led the lords and officials out of the city to welcome her.
The two women acted like close friends who hadn't seen each other in years. Arm in arm, they chatted and laughed beneath the eyes of their subjects.
Such a harmonious scene naturally drew cheers from the crowd.
Rhaegar's confinement was automatically lifted, and he joined the welcoming party.
Walking behind the two women and watching them talk amiably, Rhaegar couldn't explain why, but he felt uneasy.
He tugged at Illyric's white cloak and whispered, "Do women always get along like this?"
Illyric glanced around to make sure nobody was watching them, then lowered his voice. "Most of the time. The Queen and the Princess are the most powerful women around, so it's even more frightening with them."
"Because of power? But my sister is already the heir."
Rhaegar voiced his confusion.
Illyric shook his head. "Speaking carelessly about members of the royal family is a grave taboo. All I can say is, you should be careful."
"Could I get hurt too? I'm not planning to get involved in the succession," Rhaegar asked.
"I don't know. But as the old saying goes, it's best to be on your guard." Illyric spoke meaningfully.
Rhaegar smiled. "Then I'll have to rely on you to protect me with all your might, Ser."
"It's my duty."
With so many people around, the two said no more and accompanied the two leading ladies through the rest of the welcome.
It wasn't until evening that everyone entered the gates of the Red Keep.
Though Viserys was angry that Rhaenyra had decided to return without permission, he didn't embarrass his daughter.
Instead, he held a grand feast to welcome her home.
Rhaegar disliked noisy crowds. He ate a few pastries and dishes, then left with the gifts Rhaenyra had prepared for him.
Rhaenyra's return was a great boon to Rhaegar.
Not only could he go outside the Red Keep, but his daily lessons were drastically cut back.
He no longer had to study for eight hours. He only had three hours of lessons in the morning, with the rest of the day free.
Even his homework was canceled.
Rhaegar was so delighted he could have shouted for joy.
When Rhaenyra came to visit him, he gave her two enthusiastic kisses.
This went on for a while.
Then the Red Keep grew lively again.
It was the fifth anniversary of King Viserys and Queen Alicent's marriage.
To thank Alicent for five years of companionship, Viserys made a grand gesture and decided to hold a major tournament.
He planned to invite every noble and knight in the kingdom.
He also set aside a generous prize for the champion.
The promise of glory stirred the hot-blooded young men into signing up, eager to give Viserys the thrilling clash of blood and steel he wanted.
Whether Alicent enjoyed it or not, Viserys loved tournaments.
He had a good grandfather to thank for it. Jaehaerys, the previous king, had built up a substantial fortune in the royal treasury.
Viserys could afford to hold feasts and tournaments.
The servants in the Red Keep were used to such events by now. Under Alicent's direction, they organized the tournament beautifully.
Before long, the fifth anniversary of the king and queen's marriage arrived.
The tournament was as grand as expected, and every inn in King's Landing was packed with visitors.
Rumor had it that business at some of the brothels had also increased considerably.
The prostitutes could barely keep their legs closed as they entertained their customers, and quite a few noble lords were even willing to fight through the bloody battles, all for a chance to work up a sweat.
Alicent prepared a lavish feast that day.
The guests watched the brutal tournament alongside Viserys. When they grew tired of it, they could head to the nearby feast hall to eat and drink to their hearts' content.
Rhaegar and Rhaenyra sat below Viserys's seat of honor, watching the tournament below.
The event in the arena was a joust.
Two knights in armor charged at each other on horseback, their hands gripping sharp lances.
As they passed, the black-armored knight raised his lance and struck his opponent squarely in the shoulder.
Bang—
The force of the impact sent the other knight flying. His body arced through the air before crashing into the muddy field.
As he hit the ground, the knight beneath the armor screamed. One leg was pinned under his backside at a grotesque angle.
While he rolled and howled, Rhaegar noticed that he was waving only one arm.
The other arm, the one that had been struck, hung limp at his side.
"His shoulder blade is probably shattered. If he doesn't get treatment quickly, he'll be left with a permanent disability," Illyric explained quietly from behind him.
Rhaegar had never witnessed anything like this. He couldn't bear to watch. "Even if he gets treatment in time, he'll still be disabled. His leg is ruined."
"That's the nature of a tournament. What matters is deciding the winner."
Illyric tried to help Rhaegar accept the cruelty of reality.
"It's hard to understand. A group of fine young men, all trained in arms, choose to take part in a tournament. How many of them will make it home in one piece?"
Rhaegar was in a foul mood. He couldn't understand the point of this kind of tournament.
Illyric patiently explained, "The kingdom is at peace. Young men are full of restless energy, with nowhere to let it out. And plenty hope to catch the king's attention."
Rhaegar couldn't hatch his dragon egg for the time being, so he would choose the path of a dragonrider.
Take a guess—which dragon has the author chosen for him?
The story was signed yesterday, so here's an extra chapter.
Before you continue