Dragonstone and the Hatching Dragon Egg

Words were like the wind.

Some particular words could travel even faster than the wind.

Under normal circumstances, news would take more than half a year, or even a lifetime, to travel from Valantis to Westeros. Unfortunately, the emergence of a new Dragonlord family was not something that could be viewed with normal logic.

Through Prince Reggio's relay in Pentos, the news reached the westernmost part of the continent at incredible speed. A high-flying raven crossed the Narrow Sea, delivering Prince Reggio's handwritten letter to the stone castle standing upon a smoking island.

Dragonstone.

"Keep your arm straight, like this." Prince Daemon held a wooden sword and lightly tapped the boy's elbow.

The boy immediately straightened his arm, and the wooden sword in his hand neatly pierced the target ahead.

The tall, handsome boy had thick brown hair, a flat nose, and brown eyes, yet none of that diminished his good looks. For a time, Prince Jacaerys Velaryon had been troubled by his lack of Valyrian silver hair and purple eyes, but now he could calmly accept his different appearance.

What troubled Jacaerys more now was how he ought to address the man training him, Prince Daemon Targaryen. The man was his stepfather, his great-uncle, and his future father-in-law.

Just then, the castle maester hurried out of Raven Tower and handed a letter to Daemon, who was preparing for the next stage of training.

Then Jacaerys saw his stepfather's expression change instantly. He had never seen his stepfather wear such a look before.

"Little Jace, keep training for now." Daemon reassured Jacaerys, tossed aside his wooden sword, and quickly pulled the maester into a corner.

"Can you be certain the news is true?" Daemon asked coldly.

The maester nodded. "It is Prince Reggio's own handwriting."

"This is troublesome." Prince Daemon paced with his hands behind his back for a moment. "Do not tell Rhaenyra yet. Wait until she wakes up. Send this letter to King's Landing at once and deliver it directly to the king."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Before long, a shriek rose from Dragonmont on Dragonstone.

The blood-red body of Bloodworm Caraxes, long and slender as a serpent, shot into the sky and sped toward Driftmark.

Rhaenyra slept soundly in the castle bedchamber. She was close to giving birth and desperately needed rest, so she did not notice her husband leaving the castle atop his giant dragon.

"Daemon, what are you doing here?" The old princess Rhaenys, black-haired and clad in light armor, sat astride her dragon on a hill beside High Tide. Her dragon was Meleys, the Red Queen, with red scales and bright bronze horns and spikes, as she watched Daemon slowly descend.

The old princess Rhaenys was the daughter of Jaehaerys I's eldest son, Aemon Targaryen, and Jocelyn Baratheon. After Aemon and Baelon, the Spring Prince, died in succession, Jaehaerys I, left without an heir, decided to convene a Great Council and let the lords determine who would become their next king. As the king's eldest granddaughter, Princess Rhaenys possessed not only a powerful dragon but also the full support of her husband, Corlys Velaryon, the Sea Snake. Yet she still lost, and the right of succession ultimately fell to Viserys I.

Thus, people also called Rhaenys the Uncrowned Queen.

"Something major has happened, Rhaenys." Daemon quickly climbed down Caraxes's rope ladder. The dragon glanced at the Red Queen, then lowered its head and stared at its rider.

Rhaenys also slid neatly from her saddle. "What could have happened to put you in such disarray?"

Daemon took a deep breath. "Members of another family have tamed Vomysor and Silverwing."

"What?"

Rhaenys staggered, staring at Daemon in disbelief. "Are you certain?"

"I am." Daemon calmed himself. "We saw Vomysor and Silverwing leave Dragonmont before. I rode after them for a while and found they were merely hunting whales in the Narrow Sea, so I did not continue following them. I never expected this."

"So you came to ask me to strike with you?" Rhaenys looked at Daemon. "Can you guarantee that the two of us can kill our grandparents' dragons?"

"I came to discuss a response with you, Rhaenys." Daemon stepped closer, and the Red Queen immediately lowered her enormous head warily, blasting him with a snort of hot breath.

Caraxes immediately stretched out its neck and snorted at the Red Queen.

"If Grandfather were still king—no, if both your father and mine were still alive," Rhaenys said, "then if outsiders hatched dragons, he would immediately ride Vomysor and kill that person and the hatchlings. But things are different now."

Daemon picked up where Rhaenys left off. "Back then, the Targaryen family had Vomysor, Silverwing, Vhagar, Caraxes, and Meleys as dragons capable of fighting. But what do we have now?"

"Only you and me." Princess Rhaenys sighed. "Rhaenyra is pregnant. She cannot ride a dragon into battle at all. Her sons' dragons are far too young; I cannot even guarantee they can cross the Narrow Sea. As for Vhagar, hmph." The old princess snorted, but continued, "Its rider has only just climbed out of his sickbed. I am worried he might fall straight off the dragon's back."

The old princess suddenly caught Daemon's expression. "You know who tamed the dragons?"

Daemon nodded. "Of course." He took out a silver badge engraved with a dragon and laurel leaves. "Princess Senira's son—oh, her legitimate son. Lonzell Valaerys and his twin brother, Valar Valaerys."

"Aunt Senira got married?"

Daemon nodded. "She would not let me tell any of you at the time. Uh, Laena knew as well." Daemon lowered his head awkwardly.

Rhaenys froze for a moment, then resumed her earlier composure. "So, do you have a plan?"

"This cannot be kept hidden." Daemon rested his chin on his hand. "I had the maester notify the king directly. Let my indecisive brother make the final decision."

Rhaenys rolled her eyes at Daemon. "Watch your mouth."

"All right, all right." Daemon raised both hands. "You win."

"The Valaerys family is also a Dragonlord family. I assume you know that," Daemon said.

Rhaenys nodded. She had read the family's books and learned of the forty Dragonlord families of old.

"Now that the Targaryen family monopolizes dragon eggs, even those Dragonlord bloodlines behind the Black Wall could not possibly gain access to dragon eggs or riderless dragons," Daemon continued. "So it cannot have been simple for those brothers to tame dragons."

"The ruins of Valyria?" Rhaenys immediately understood. "Impossible."

"Anything is possible," Daemon said. "No matter what decision the king makes in the end, it will be the two of us who deal with them."

Rhaenys agreed. To deal with Dragonriders, only Dragonriders would do.

"We cannot confirm what they have acquired." Daemon raised a hand. "We cannot risk losing dragons capable of fighting. So we must treat this matter cautiously."

"You want to win them over?" Rhaenys decided to enlighten her cousin. "Do you believe a brand-new Dragonlord family would willingly submit to another Dragonlord family?"

Daemon suddenly smiled.

Aboard the Silent Lord.

The boys stared wide-eyed at the shattered dragon egg before Rey.

And at a kitten-sized, entirely black hatchling screeching and squawking.

"Can someone explain what happened?"

Lonzell stared at his youngest brother in shock.

Vomysor and Silverwing, circling overhead, also lowered their heads to look at the hatchling.

Without any warning, the hatchling suddenly leaped up and hid inside Rey's clothes.

Rey blushed as he explained incoherently.

"I do not know what happened either. On the way back, this black dragon egg started glowing, and then this happened, then that happened, then it cracked with a snap, and then it was like this."

Rey fumbled to pull the hatchling out from inside his clothes. Then the slimy little dragon licked his burning face with a mouthful of hot saliva.

"Congratulations, Rey." Lonzell covered his face. "You have your own dragon too."

"Give it a name, little brother." Valar eagerly leaned closer, trying to get a better look at the hatchling.

Then he was magnificently greeted with a puff of smoke.

"A name..."

I spent all day in meetings. I moved part of Chapter 23 into this chapter. Tomorrow's two updates will have more words. The perspective is shifting to Westeros.