With Daemon personally leading the way, Aegon rode Cannibal after Caraxes and landed at the nearest island outpost that Daemon and Corlys held in the Stepstones.
The island was clearly much larger than the bare reefs surrounding it, and a fortress built from black stone stood upon it. Its outer walls, however, still bore scars left by war.
Several House Velaryon "merchant ships" lay moored beside the crude docks, their sea-green flags embroidered with silver seahorses snapping in the sea breeze.
Corlys's nephew, Ser Marlon Velaryon, came out to greet them.
The young scion of a lesser Velaryon branch had his family's distinctive silver hair and a pair of blue eyes, a trait likewise traditional within the family, though relatively rare.
His face also bore some resemblance to Corlys and Weymon, though his cheekbones were higher and his chin sharper. His features carried something of that same "roughness" peculiar to seafaring warriors that marked both Corlys and Weymon.
He wore light leather armor and a longsword at his waist, with more than a dozen fully armed soldiers following behind him.
"Prince Daemon, Prince Aegon." Marlon bowed respectfully to uncle and nephew, his gaze lingering for a moment on Cannibal's enormous body as his throat bobbed.
Clearly, he had been stationed on this island for some time and had never seen the coal-black King of the Wild Dragons up close before. All he knew of Aegon came from the warnings in his uncle Weymon's letters.
Once again, Daemon leaped straight from Caraxes's back before the Dragon Ladder had been lowered more than halfway. He gave Marlon a light pat on the shoulder, his casual tone making it sound as though he were ordering an errand boy around. "Marlon, take some men and bring in the slaves and passengers behind us. My