Dragonking Family

280 AC.

Westeros, the Riverlands, Stone Hedge.

The first light of dawn touched the earth, melting the accumulated snow.

In the lord's study.

A handsome youth of about eleven or twelve, with silver hair and purple eyes, dressed in fitted black winter clothing, held a piece of parchment in one hand and a charcoal pencil in the other.

He pondered, observed, and set his pen to paper.

With light, measured strokes of the charcoal, a well-composed sketch sprang to life on the page.

Depicted on the paper were three oval-shaped eggs.

"Dragon eggs!"

Setting down his tools, Daeren Targaryen looked out the window at the new shoots of ivy, unable to suppress a sigh.

In a blink, eleven years had already passed.

He had been reborn into Westeros, his consciousness intact from the womb. Everything was normal until he turned four, the day he awakened his past-life memories.

His father was the "Mad King" Aerys II, the seventeenth and final king of House Targaryen.

His mother was Rhaella Targaryen, the queen at the time.

Together, the two had brought four sons and one daughter into the world.

Daeren was the second son, third in the order of his siblings.

He had one older brother and one older sister, with two younger brothers below him.

His eldest brother was Rhaegar Targaryen; anyone who knew of A Song of Ice and Fire had heard his name.

The Silver Prince, the Dragon Prince, the last true dragon...

His sister, Shayani Targaryen, was thirteen years old this year.

His two younger brothers were Jaeherys Targaryen and Viserys Targaryen, aged six and four respectively.

It was different.

Very, very different.

In his past life, Daeren had been a graduate student at an agricultural university, spending his days planting crops and watering fields with his advisor, occasionally watching television shows to pass the time.

He had watched the American drama Game of Thrones.

Based on the fragmented introductions in the show, the Mad King had only two sons and one daughter.

His other children either suffered miscarriages or died in infancy.

The only children to survive were his eldest son Rhaegar, his youngest son Viserys, and his daughter Daenerys.

As of now, Daenerys is not even a glimmer on the horizon.

Daeren already has a whole host of brothers and sisters.

And all of these changes stemmed from a Red Comet that arrived ahead of schedule.

Back in 267 AC, before the birth of his sister Shayani, who was two years older than Daeren, his father Aerys and his mother Rhaella, who was nine months pregnant, were staying at Casterly Rock in the Westerlands.

Logically, with his wife so far along in her pregnancy, they should not have left King's Landing.

However, Aerys was blinded by lust. He had set his sights on Lady Joanna, the wife of Tywin Lannister, Warden of the West. After failing to get his way in King's Landing, he even followed her to the Westerlands to pester her.

In the original work, Queen Rhaella suffered a miscarriage.

This time, a Red Comet streaked across the sky. Aerys, who was in the Westerlands, took this as an auspicious sign and summoned maesters to ensure Rhaella had a safe delivery, waiting quietly for the child to be born.

Half a month later, both mother and daughter were safe and sound.

Two years later, Daeren was born in the Red Keep. Aside from a high fever at the age of four, he grew up healthy thereafter.

At that time, Daeren had just awakened his past-life memories and realized that his illness had been suspicious.

As everyone knows, beyond their silver hair, purple eyes, and inhuman beauty, members of House Targaryen possess some lesser-known advantages.

First, a higher resistance to extreme heat.

Second, Targaryens never catch a cold.

From that moment on, Daeren paid close attention to the people around him.

He acted like a normal child, eating and drinking as he should, and spent his free time reading and learning to write, mastering both the Common Tongue and High Valyrian.

While enriching his knowledge, he made some discoveries that were chilling to think about.

After he was born, his mother Rhaella conceived two more times.

One was a boy named Aegon, who died shortly after birth; the other was an unnamed child who was miscarried unexpectedly just before the due date.

Someone was targeting them!

Given the circumstances at the time, this thought occurred to Daeren immediately.

He had read the books and understood the history of his family.

Among them, a book titled The Dance of the Dragons Chronicle mentioned a crucial turning point in the rise and fall of House Targaryen.

The fifth king of the Iron Throne, known as the "Young King" Viserys I, shared a similar experience with his father, Aerys.

Both had their first child normally with their wives, but all subsequent children died in infancy for various reasons.

The difference was that Viserys I had a daughter, while his father Aerys had a son.

One suffered from the lack of a male heir, while the other had no such concerns.

There is a saying: there is nothing new under the sun.

The desperate need for a male heir led to the death of Viserys I's Queen in childbirth, forcing him to name his daughter as his heir, which sowed the seeds for the family civil war known as the "Dance of the Dragons."

Later, he married a new Queen.

The new Queen bore him several children, including three boys.

Once he died, his sons fought his daughter—who had been named heir in advance—for the Iron Throne, nearly wiping out all the dragons of their house.

"Our family has declined." Thinking of this, Daeren sighed with regret.

Over a hundred years have passed, and in the analyses and judgments of successive kings and maesters, it is believed that Viserys I bears half the blame for the civil war of the "Dance of the Dragons."

Had he not been indecisive, wanting to have his cake and eat it too, the tragedy would never have brewed.

Of course, Daeren's father, Aerys, was no better.

With his children being harmed and unable to even control his own court.

After discovering the signs, Daeren could not turn a blind eye.

Around the time his third brother, Jaeherys, was born, he followed his mother Rhaella around under various pretexts, even after the successful delivery.

At night, every time the wet nurse in the Red Keep came to feed the baby, he would check on them.

Only after his brother safely passed his first Name Day did he finally stop.

His determination seemed to make others wary; when his mother Rhaella was pregnant and giving birth to his youngest brother, Viserys, there was not a single disturbance, and the family gained another bloodline.

With four sons and one daughter, his father Aerys's desire for progeny was satisfied.

He took to keeping mistresses and no longer paid attention to his wife.

The changes did not stop there.

The early appearance of the Red Comet brought earth-shattering changes to the continent of Westeros and the world beyond.

The exhausted tides of magic began to surge once more.

The most intuitive phenomenon was that the Glass Candles in the Citadel had been relit, emitting a hazy, flickering light.

Wizards and Pyromancers rejoiced, claiming they could feel the return of magic.

Daeren had once seen it with his own eyes: a Pyromancer named Rosart, recruited by his father, could ignite a ball of flame in the palm of his hand.

Without any special lamp oil or protective gear, he had conjured fire with his bare hands.

Daeren accepted these things calmly.

After all, the existence of magic was explicitly established in the original work.

In a dozen years or so, the Targaryens would even hatch three dragons once again.

But for some reason, the magical tide brought by this Red Comet was far more violent.

A peculiar substance named "Vitality" had emerged across the continent, found within crops, wild plants, and livestock products.

Vitality was not magic.

Nor was it like the heavenly treasures in the novels Daeren remembered, which could increase one's cultivation or make one transcend the mortal coil upon consumption.

In essence, those crops and wild plants containing Vitality remained the same as they had always been.

Eating them would not make one powerful.

Only those knights who were already highly skilled and formidable could, through consumption, sense their own Vitality and activate it.

Knights who mastered their own Vitality could better unleash their strength in combat.

Their speed, power, and stamina would all reach the peak of their personal potential.

His eldest brother, Rhaegar, had mastered Vitality and stood at the very pinnacle of the continent's warriors.

For ordinary people, consuming it still had certain effects.

Grand Maesters speculated that long-term consumption could improve one's constitution and prolong one's life.

Consequently, those crops and wild plants containing Vitality had become highly sought-after luxuries across the continent.

Many nobles were willing to pay a high price to acquire them.

Knock, knock, knock!

A series of knocks at the door interrupted Daeren's thoughts.

"Prince, someone has come from King's Landing to urge you again." Outside the door stood a young knight clad in silver armor and a white robe, his face stern and upright.

Daeren was startled. He lifted the painting, crumpled it into a ball, and glanced to the side. "Ser Jon, who has come this time?"

The study was a restricted area; no one was permitted to disturb him. The visitors were members of the Kingsguard, sent by his father, Aerys, to protect him.

"It is Lord Owen, and the White Bull has come as well," Ser Jon said in a low, heavy voice.

Daeren understood. He pushed the door open and stepped out, waving his hand. "It is time to return. We cannot make Uncle Tytos uncomfortable."

Owen Merryweather, the Lord of Longtable in the Reach.

Ser Gerold Hightower, the "White Bull," the current Lord Commander of the Kingsguard.

One was a lackey of the King, the other the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard; both were among the closest of his father's inner circle.

Despite being mentally prepared, Daeren was still somewhat surprised.

It seemed his father's resolve to have him return was quite firm.

This was Stone Hedge, the seat of the Bracken family.

At the beginning of the year, his eldest brother Rhaegar had married Princess Elia Martell of Dorne, and after the wedding, they had moved to Dragonstone to reside.

His father, Aerys, had flown into a rage, publicly declaring Rhaegar an ungrateful wretch who was unworthy of being his son.

He even threatened to strip him of his status as heir.

The discord in their father-son relationship had become an open scandal.

In contrast, Daeren had displayed early maturity; he looked after his sisters and younger brothers, and remained close and respectful toward his father (a necessary bit of stroking to keep Aerys from becoming too mad).

Aerys was very fond of this second son, often keeping the young Daeren by his side.

Consequently, Daeren was naturally considered the most likely candidate to replace Rhaegar as the heir to the Iron Throne.

This was a good thing!

However, his eldest brother Rhaegar had already grown his wings; he was not at all afraid of having his heir status revoked.

His father, Aerys, was even more outrageous—his mind had become somewhat unhinged.

Caught between two madmen, Daeren chose to avoid the situation.

He had found an excuse to come to the Riverlands, serving as a retainer to Lord Tytos Bracken.

Serving as a retainer was a necessary path to knighthood.

Daeren had hoped to use this to lay low.

But in less than two months, his father, Aerys, far away in King's Landing, had already sent people to urge his return several times.

The intervals between them were growing shorter and shorter.

Clearly, it could no longer be delayed.

Raventree Hall.

As soon as Daeren entered, he saw a Kingsguard wearing a bull-horned helm, clad in silver armor and a white robe.

The man was the White Bull, Ser Gerold Hightower.

Ser Gerold was over forty, with an ordinary face, but his build was exceptionally tall and burly. The aura of a veteran who had been through countless battles was imposing without him even needing to show anger; just standing there, he was like a high wall.

At this moment, Lord Tytos was hosting the envoy.

"Prince, you have finally shown yourself."

Standing beside the White Bull was Lord Owen. His eyes lit up when he saw the silver hair at the entrance of the hall, and he even broke into a trot as he walked over.

Lord Owen was just about to speak.

"My lord, I know the purpose of your visit."

Daeren raised a hand, not giving him the chance.