An unexpected windfall

Sheepstealer saw that her threatening roar had done nothing at all. That damned yellow Great Dragon had actually dared to crawl into her cave.

She immediately flew into a rage and, without hesitation, spewed her scorching orange dragonfire in thick, billowing clouds.

Rhaenyra had been ready for this and had Syrax unleash her own orange-red dragonfire. The orange and orange-red flames collided in the narrow cave.

The explosive heat of the dragonfire sent the temperature inside the cave soaring. The rocks where the flames met were instantly scorched black.

Seeing this, Little Balerion and the other two young dragons used their smaller bodies to slip around Sheepstealer and surround her.

Then they unleashed their dragonfire at her together: one stream was black and red with ripples like fish scales, one was orange-yellow with green patterns, and one was brilliant white with a pale blue sheen.

Although Syrax was only two-thirds Sheepstealer's size, and Little Balerion and the others were only half her size, being outnumbered four to one quickly frightened Sheepstealer.

Always inclined to play it safe, Sheepstealer immediately fled through the opening in the cave's roof. Unfortunately, she ran straight into Dreamfyre, who had been circling outside.

Dreamfyre accelerated into a dive and tore through both of Sheepstealer's Dragon Wings with her claws, leaving the ugly dragon wobbling unsteadily in flight.

Then Dreamfyre wheeled back around and swept upward beneath Sheepstealer, raking her belly several times with vicious swipes and leaving it streaming with blood.

Syrax, Little Balerion, and the others arrived just then and seized the opportunity to join the attack on Sheepstealer.

In less than a quarter of an hour, they knocked Sheepstealer out of the sky. Severely wounded, she tried several times to take flight again, but failed each time.

At last, nearly unconscious from her injuries, Sheepstealer lost the strength to resist. Dreamfyre carried her to the dragon lair on Dragonmont, where she was locked up.

It was not that Danyla was cruel. She had simply poured far too much effort into New Dragonstone Island. Who could stand leaving a threat like Sheepstealer loose to raid and wreck her breeding grounds every now and then?!

She had only herself to blame for breaking the rules and failing to recognize whom she was dealing with!

If not for the fact that she had helped Danyla attack Cannibal last time, Danyla would certainly have taught her an even harsher lesson.

Myracis's ultimate form; disregard the foreclaws.

With Sheepstealer dealt with, Rhaenyra was beside herself with excitement after her first Great Dragon battle. She hurried back to Dragonstone Castle, eager to boast to her parents about her exploits.

The Dragonkeepers on Dragonmont were also delighted to have another Great Dragon in their care.

After all, in the values they had held for generations, serving Great Dragons was the greatest purpose in their lives.

Moreover, their families were only allowed to work as Dragonkeepers or in related occupations, generation after generation. They were not even permitted to learn the Common Tongue of Westeros.

As a result, most Dragonkeeper families lived in relative poverty.

Their excitement certainly had a practical side as well. With another Great Dragon to care for, the lair would need more workers, giving their children a chance to find employment there.

Danyla understood the situation perfectly! She immediately addressed the Dragonkeepers.

"Dragonmont has another Great Dragon to care for now, so we certainly won't have enough hands. Recruit some more of your children to come here."

"Let's start with twenty positions. You can decide among yourselves who to choose! I'll pay their wages separately, so there's no need to go to the trouble of applying to the commander of the Dragonkeepers in King's Landing. Have them collect their pay from Anne every month!"

"Yes, yes! Thank you, Princess! Thank you, Princess!"

Although these Dragonkeepers had served House Targaryen since its days in Valyria, they had their own family factions.

The Dragonkeepers who had accompanied the royal family to the Dragonpit in King's Landing were the ones who held power. They decided how new Dragonkeepers were selected and how work was assigned.

Naturally, dangerous work with low pay fell to the weaker families. Meanwhile, the powerful families and factions monopolized opportunities to appear before members of the royal family and accompany them while they trained their dragons.

That was simply how the world worked. Wherever there were people, there would inevitably be strife, factions, competition, and injustice!

In fact, over the past three years, Danyla had quietly given the Dragonkeepers on Dragonstone quite a few rewards.

Others might overlook the enormous importance of these Dragonkeepers, but Danyla, with her partial knowledge of the bigger picture, knew that even seemingly insignificant people could play a crucial role at a critical moment.

The miserable fate that later befell House Targaryen's Great Dragons was directly connected to the near-total slaughter of the Dragonkeepers during the riots in King's Landing.

Without the protection of the Dragonkeepers, the maesters could easily move against House Targaryen's surviving Great Dragons.

Danyla therefore wanted to use this opportunity to bring as many Dragonkeepers as possible into her service. She was certain they would prove useful in the future.

Adult form.

After settling matters with the Dragonkeepers, Danyla mounted Dreamfyre and returned to Sheepstealer's cave.

Danyla had noticed that the crafty Myracis had never come back out after entering Sheepstealer's cave.

That little creature never stirred without something to gain. Unless she had found something, she would never have stayed so quietly inside!

Since Sheepstealer's cave had an open roof, there was fairly ample light. Danyla had Dreamfyre stand guard at the entrance while she slowly walked deeper into the cave.

When Danyla reached the pile of black rubble where Sheepstealer usually rested, she found Myracis lying there asleep, just as she had expected!

Beneath her belly lay two exquisite dragon eggs.

"Myracis!"

With the scene before her, how could Danyla fail to understand what had happened?

That wasteful Myracis had actually devoured Sheepstealer's dragon eggs.

A Great Dragon laid at least five eggs in each clutch. Now only two remained, which meant Myracis had secretly eaten at least three.

At Danyla's furious shout, Myracis shot into the air.

As a Great Dragon who shared a mental bond with Danyla, she had sensed her arrival as soon as Danyla approached the cave.

But perhaps because she had swallowed the dragon eggs, she was terribly sleepy! Only when she sensed Danyla's anger did she fly up to escape trouble.

Danyla quickly bent down to examine the two surviving dragon eggs. One was emerald green with silver swirling patterns; the other was pure white, covered in star-shaped markings.

"Ah, this... this is just damnable!"

"To think Sheepstealer only went after the sheep pens because she was weak after laying her eggs."

Still, what was done was done, and dwelling on it would accomplish nothing. Danyla already considered finding these two dragon eggs an unexpected windfall.

After all, she had discovered them privately, so she certainly would not hand them over. She quickly gathered up the eggs, mounted Dreamfyre, and flew toward her own dragon lair.

Myracis followed nervously behind Dreamfyre.