Dusk.
Rhaegar stopped in the middle of a field.
Farther away lay a seemingly endless stretch of rocky hills, bare of vegetation.
"Prince, we should return to the castle."
Cole, acting as his guard, urged him to go back.
Rhaegar gazed at the mountains in the distance and murmured, "The island's active volcano is somewhere over there."
"Prince, the Princess will be angry if we don't return soon." Cole sighed helplessly.
"I know. We'll be back before dark." Rhaegar didn't seem to care.
After wandering around the town on the island, Rhaegar had learned quite a bit.
For instance, he had a rough idea where Vermithor and Silverwing had made their nests...
"Let's go, Ser Cole."
After one last glance at the silver-haired children chasing one another near the town entrance, Rhaegar turned and headed back.
Cole followed close behind and asked curiously, "Prince, are you short on playmates?"
"No, I just find their hair color strange."
As soon as he'd seen the children's hair, Rhaegar had wondered whether any of them might be his bastard brothers.
Heh. His father had been a vigorous young man, too.
That evening, the family finished dinner and went back to their rooms.
As usual, Rhaenyra dragged Rhaegar to her bedroom, where the siblings whispered together.
Rhaenyra spoke first. "Cole said you went to town?"
"I want to look for a Young Dragon and claim one as soon as possible." Rhaegar answered calmly.
"That would be best. Young Dragons are more suited to young Targaryens. Syrax and I have been together since she was little."
Rhaenyra understood a child's longing for a dragon.
After a moment, she said, "Alicent came to talk with me. We talked for a long time."
"What did you have to talk about?" Rhaegar asked, puzzled.
"I asked Alicent