Fortunately, Danyla had brought a fire striker with her that day. Otherwise, moving around Dreamfyre's dim cave would have been rather inconvenient.
After entering Dreamfyre's cave, Danyla found a volcanic fissure not far from where Dreamfyre rested, with subterranean flames still venting from it now and then.
She piled a large heap of rubies nearby and buried the two Dragon Eggs in it. Stroking the newly laid eggs, both brimming with life, Danyla felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction.
With the scorching energy constantly rising from the volcanic fissure and the magic contained in the rubies, Danyla believed the two Dragon Eggs should be fairly easy to hatch.
After settling the two Dragon Eggs, Danyla solemnly stroked Dreamfyre and looked toward Myracis, who was hiding some distance away, as she warned them,
"Dreamfyre, Myracis! You must never do anything to harm Dragon Eggs again. Do you understand?"
"If you find any more Dragon Eggs, tell me immediately. I'll roast more fat, juicy livestock for you in return!"
With that, Danyla shot Myracis a fierce glare.
Both Great Dragons, now able to communicate with Danyla through their minds, gave low rumbles of acknowledgment.
Knowing she had done something wrong, Myracis took the opportunity to approach Danyla and ingratiatingly rub her head against Danyla's thigh.
Since it had already happened, what could Danyla do? She could only give Myracis a few token taps on the head and repeatedly warn her never to swallow Dragon Eggs again.
After they left Dreamfyre's cave, Myracis returned to her own little cave to continue sleeping. It seemed that devouring Dragon Eggs did offer Great Dragons some benefits.
Dreamfyre carried Danyla back to Dragonstone Castle, then returned to her nest on her own. With her guarding and tending them, the two Dragon Eggs should be safe.
The three little ones made another appearance.
"Well? Father, Mother, weren't we impressive? Danyla and I captured Sheepstealer just like that and locked him up in Dragonmont!"
As soon as Rhaenyra returned to Dragonstone, she went to her parents' room and vividly recounted how she and Danyla had defeated Sheepstealer.
"It's just a shame House Targaryen doesn't have a suitable dragonrider right now!"
Looking at his daughter Rhaenyra's smug expression, Viserys felt rather helpless, but still praised her,
"You two have indeed accomplished quite a feat!"
"But don't go picking fights with Great Dragons again! It was only some livestock. Losing them is hardly a serious matter."
"Fights between Great Dragons are far too unpredictable, especially for a Dragon Warrior. One careless mistake could cost you your life."
Beside him, Aemma also spoke with a rather helpless air,
"What worries me is how much more trouble this will stir up once those visiting young noblemen hear about it!"
"These past few days, I've struggled even to find somewhere quiet to enjoy the scenery!"
"And every day, I have to listen to the maids discussing all sorts of amusing incidents involving them."
"Ah! All that noise is giving me a headache."
At that, Viserys shook his head with a smile and said,
"These young noblemen are in the prime of their youth. Of course they have nowhere to put all that energy."
Rhaenyra excitedly suggested from beside them,
"Father, Mother, it's rare for so many young noblemen from the Seven Kingdoms to gather together. Why don't we hold a Tournament?"
Viserys and Aemma both thought Rhaenyra's suggestion was a good one.
After all, everyone knew why these young noblemen had come to Dragonstone, and a Tournament would indeed be a good way for Viserys and his family to learn more about them.
Thus, they began discussing it in earnest.
Danyla returned to Dragonstone Castle soon afterward and went to her parents' room to pay her respects, joining the discussion as well.
When most of the arrangements had been discussed, Viserys stroked his beard and pondered for a moment before saying slowly,
"There's only one problem left. Holding a Tournament requires a great deal of manpower and resources. I'm afraid the people we have on Dragonstone won't be enough!"
Once he finished, the entire family turned their eyes toward Danyla.
Naturally, unlike Danyla, who had her own lands, Viserys and the rest of the family still lived on allowances from the royal household!
Having successfully claimed Vhagar, her father Viserys would receive an increased allowance that year, but it had yet to arrive!
Rhaenyra did have some savings, though not much. Keeping a Great Dragon was no small expense, after all. Especially for a Great Dragon like Syrax, who was at the peak of her growth, the annual cost alone exceeded two hundred thousand Gold Dragons.
Rhaenyra's own annual expenses also came to fifty or sixty thousand Gold Dragons, so her savings probably did not even total a hundred thousand Gold Dragons.
Holding a respectable Tournament would cost at least two or three hundred thousand Gold Dragons to begin with.
Seeing her family's eager gazes, Danyla immediately understood what they wanted.
But money-loving Danyla was not about to let herself be taken for a fool.
She said slyly,
"I can arrange the funding and manpower, but I want eighty percent of the revenue from this Tournament."
Puzzled, Rhaenyra asked,
"Can a Tournament actually bring in revenue?"
Viserys and Aemma were equally baffled. As far as they knew, a Tournament was an outright money pit.
It was merely a way for the royal family or the Great Lords to flaunt their power and status.
Danyla patiently explained,
"Wherever there are people, there are ways to make money."
"First, we can divide the spectator seats into different tiers, turning all the spots with good views into luxury seats. Then we can charge different prices for each tier."
"Those young noblemen will certainly be willing to pay handsomely for luxury seats to watch the matches, just to show off their status in front of everyone."
Viserys immediately understood,
"Wouldn't that be the same method used by the fighting pits in the Free Cities?"
"I'm afraid the nobles of the Seven Kingdoms would criticize us for that! I don't think it's appropriate."
Danyla replied firmly,
"As long as we aren't harming anyone else's interests, they have no grounds to object! If anyone dares make a fuss over this, I'll let them taste the heat of Dragonfire!"
"Cousin, no... Father, every tradition and custom had someone who started it. If House Targaryen, which commands Great Dragons, can't innovate or make changes over something so trivial, that would truly be pathetic!"
Never particularly resolute, Viserys stopped objecting when he saw how firmly Danyla insisted.
Danyla continued,
"Second, we can secretly have people take bets. In fact, this is hardly uncommon among the Great Lords of the Seven Kingdoms. Everyone simply understands it without saying so!"
Viserys had no objection to that. Just as Danyla had said, it was indeed something everyone tacitly accepted.
What puzzled Viserys, however, was how Danyla, who almost never left Dragonstone, could be so familiar with the nobles' little behind-the-scenes tricks.
Looking at Rhaenyra's puzzled face beside him, he could plainly see that his eldest daughter, who spent all year mingling with the Great Lords, had never noticed any of it. Even his wife Aemma was the same!
Grey Ghost
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