Urging Her Brother to Tame a Dragon

"Cousin, now that Grandfather has passed away, Vhagar has become a riderless Great Dragon."

"These past few days, she's been crying mournfully over the Narrow Sea every day. She must be mourning Uncle too!"

Danyla carefully watched Viserys's expression as she ventured,

"She's the largest Great Dragon House Targaryen has at present. I wonder who will tame her next."

"Cousin Laena wants to tame an adult Great Dragon now! I wonder whether she has a chance of taming Vhagar."

"If she does, House Velaryon's Great Dragons will be stronger than our House Targaryen's."

Danyla's seemingly casual words made Viserys pause, but he said nothing.

Danyla continued with a smile,

"Cousin, you're a Dragonriding who tamed Balerion the Black Dread. If anyone has the best chance of taming Vhagar, it must be you, Father!"

"Won't you give it a try?"

Viserys smiled and shook his head.

"Ever since Balerion died, I've had no intention of taming another Great Dragon!"

As he spoke, there was pride in his eyes, along with regret, and even a hint of carefree resolve: if it could not be Balerion, he would rather have none.

Danyla had not expected her father, Viserys, who was always labeled a pushover, to have such rich emotions.

And Danyla gained a glimpse of some of the reasons why Viserys no longer practiced Dragonriding.

First, having experienced the pinnacle. Once people experienced the very best, it became difficult to settle for anything second-rate.

This psychological phenomenon was common in every field. For example, someone who had tasted fine tea would struggle to enjoy ordinary tea, and someone who had drunk fine wine would find common wine hard to accept.

So after riding Balerion the Black Dread, did Viserys consider even Vhagar beneath him?

Second, the difference between high and low standing. Those in lofty positions often struggled to adjust downward, while those in lower positions readily adjusted upward.

This meant that people of high standing found it difficult to accept things beneath their standards, while those of lower standing could more easily accept things of varying quality.

Viserys probably still had no intention of competing for the throne at this point, did he?

Given his birth, he had been quite far removed from the throne, yet he had ridden the Black Dread.

So as his standing rose in the future, would he rather stop practicing Dragonriding altogether?

Third, opportunity cost and trade-offs. The economic principle of opportunity cost held that to gain one thing, one had to give up another.

Once people experienced the best, they realized just how inadequate their previous choices had been. This awareness of trade-offs made them unwilling to settle again.

It seemed that House Targaryen's pride had nothing to do with temperament; it was already branded into their very blood and bones.

Fourth, personal experience and psychological influence. A person's experiences could also affect this mindset.

For example, some people achieved their goals through effort and perseverance, and the resulting sense of achievement and satisfaction made them unwilling to return to their previous state.

This psychological change made it difficult for them to accept a second-best choice.

House Targaryen was called the family closest to the gods, and the Black Dread was the undisputed king of Great Dragons.

So had all that stacked Viserys's pride buffs to the limit?

Fifth, self-awareness and self-improvement. Some people reached new heights through understanding themselves and constantly improving.

This self-improvement also raised their expectations of themselves, making it difficult to accept choices below their current level.

In short, the psychological reasoning behind refusing to settle after experiencing the best primarily arose from a combination of factors: having experienced the pinnacle, differences in standing, opportunity costs and trade-offs, personal experiences and psychological influences, and self-awareness and self-improvement.

But even after understanding these reasons, Danyla still inwardly grumbled,

You really are an idiot! You'll deserve every setback you suffer in the future!

"Cousin? Now that Grandfather has passed away, shouldn't you inherit the throne according to tradition? Can you really do that without a Great Dragon?"

Danyla dropped a bombshell on the distracted Viserys.

It snapped Viserys back to his senses, and he stared at Danyla in disbelief.

"Danyla, has someone been saying something to you?"

Danyla shook her head.

"No! Isn't it obvious?"

"Aren't you the oldest male member of the Targaryen royal family now? Isn't it the tradition of the Seven Kingdoms for you to inherit the throne?"

"Isn't that right? And..."

Viserys hurriedly interrupted Danyla.

"Danyla, don't say things like that again! You're still young. There are things you don't understand!"

"If someone overheard you, who knows what trouble it might cause!"

"Oh! I understand!"

Danyla pursed her lips.

"Then are you still determined not to try taming Vhagar? I think it never hurts to be prepared!"

"What if-and I only mean what if-it really does turn out to be you?"

"House Targaryen has never had a king without a Great Dragon! You should think it over carefully."

"Maybe I don't understand succession! But I do know that if you want to get what you hope for, the safest thing is to keep power and the initiative in your own hands."

"I can choose not to take something, but I can't let someone force me to give it up!"

Viserys felt that his younger cousin was becoming harder and harder to understand. She was clearly still a child, yet her words and actions always surprised him.

He had been about to say something more when Aemma and Rhaenyra approached.

"What have you two, father and daughter, been talking about for so long?"

Viserys gently took Aemma's hand and said softly,

"Nothing much. It's been a long time since we last saw each other. We were just chatting!"

Rhaenyra teased Danyla,

"Aunt Danyla, I heard you won ten three-masted sailing ships from Borros in a wager?"

"What? Do you want to follow in Lord Sea Snake's footsteps and become a voyager too?"

"But we're Targaryens! If you want to go somewhere, why not just practice Dragonriding? Why put yourself through the trouble of sailing?"

Danyla asked in return, her expression innocent,

"Rhaenyra, can't I travel with both ships and a dragon? Why should I choose something that makes me uncomfortable?"

Without waiting for Rhaenyra's answer, Danyla turned to Viserys with concern.

"Sailing really is a hassle. You get terribly seasick, don't you, Cousin?"

"So you should pick another Great Dragon to tame! Then you could choose not to travel by ship!"

Danyla's words immediately made Viserys laugh.

"It seems my cousin really does want me to tame another Great Dragon!"

Danyla replied as though it were only natural,

"Of course! Is a Targaryen without a Great Dragon really a true Targaryen?"

"And I've discovered that bonding with a Great Dragon is good for your health too. Ever since I started riding Dreamfyre, I've felt much stronger!"

"Perhaps your wife should tame a Great Dragon too. That might help her give birth to a healthier nephew for me!"

Hearing Danyla say this, Viserys finally felt that he had been overthinking things. His younger cousin simply had a mind of her own and was a little more headstrong and practical; she had not developed any mad ideas.