Chapter 123: Sunfyre and Aegon

"Brother..."

Hearing Rhaegar's advice, Helaena stood up gently, her head lowered.

"Don't be nervous, no one will blame you."

Rhaegar held Helaena's face, lifting her head to look at him. "Why did you come to the Dragonpit?"

Seeing his little sister was rare, so he cherished these moments.

Feeling the warmth from his hands, Helaena turned away and mumbled, "Mother told me to come here. She said that all the Targaryen children have to tame a dragon."

Rhaegar smiled, understanding the situation. Glancing at his brothers in the distance, he saw through Alicent's intentions.

Aegon had tamed Sunfyre, giving Alicent a significant boost in status. Helaena, at nine, and Aemond, at seven, were old enough to tame dragons. Unfortunately, the dragon eggs in their cradles had never hatched. If they wanted to tame a dragon, they had to try at the Dragonpit.

Amused, Rhaegar held Helaena's small hand. "Come on, a dragon egg hatched in the Dragonpit at the beginning of the year. It's a very beautiful young dragon."

Despite Alicent's rivalry and ambition, Rhaegar wasn't one to let personal issues cloud his judgment. Helping his half-siblings tame dragons was wise; dragons were the Targaryens' treasure. A dragon without a master was ineffective.

Helaena shared his dreamer's gift and was a pure Targaryen. Helping her tame a dragon was no problem.

"Brother, can I touch Sunfyre?"

"No, Sunfyre is a raging dragon. It will bite your arm off."

"..."

As they approached the golden dragon, Rhaegar overheard his two brothers.

"Aegon, do you want to ride the dragon and let off steam?"

As he approached, Rhaegar's eyes were filled with amusement.

Rhaegar!"

Seeing Rhaegar, Aegon was startled and looked uncomfortable. He hated this half-brother more than anything.

"Big brother."

Aemond, a bit at a loss for words, greeted nervously. He was only seven, with frizzy silver-gold hair and a pale green tunic, resembling his father, Viserys.

"Well, you're getting a little taller."

Rhaegar let go of Helaena's hand and patted Aemond's head, keeping his smile.

Alicent had three sons and a daughter. Except for Aegon, whom he disliked and often lectured, Rhaegar was a caring older brother to the others.

His eyes fell on Aegon. Rhaegar tilted his head and asked, "Aegon, what did you just call me?"

"Nothing. I didn't call you anything."

Aegon's face stiffened and he unconsciously took half a step back.

Rhaegar shook his head, stepped forward and squeezed Aegon's shoulder, a playful look in his eyes. "No, call me again."

"Gulp."

Looking directly into his elder brother's eyes, Aegon's heart pounded, and he swallowed hard.

His knees felt weak. Over the years, he had developed a fear of his eldest brother. Were it not for his younger brother and sister, he would have wanted to turn and run.

"What are you nervous about, brother?"

Sensing Aegon's emotions, Aemond tugged at the corner of his cloak, his eyes full of curiosity.

To Aemond, Aegon was a brave Dragon rider, a hero who feared nothing.

Looking down at his younger brother, Aegon gritted his teeth.

Why did you have to speak up now?

Taking a deep breath, Aegon, still intent on maintaining his composure, muttered, "Brother."

"That's right."

Rhaegar patted Aegon's shoulder, a smile playing on his lips.

Foolish brother, my name isn't something you can call so casually.

"Tell me, what are you doing with Sunfyre? Trying to ride a dragon for a run?"

The atmosphere eased, and Rhaegar glanced towards the golden dragon in the distance.

Sunfyre was no ordinary dragon. It had hatched from the same clutch of eggs as Syrax. With its golden scales and light pink wing membrane, it was a majestic, handsome dragon.

Sometimes, even Rhaegar envied Aegon for riding such a beautiful creature.

Aegon, still a bit wooden-faced, replied absentmindedly, "I brought the two of them to the Dragonpit to meet the dragons and to watch the dragon combat training you've implemented."

"Meeting the dragons is fine, but no to the combat training."

Rhaegar's tone was firm. "The Dragonkeepers have just been recruited. They're not familiar with the dragons yet, so the battle training will have to wait."

"It's just drawing a bow and shooting arrows at a dragon. What's so difficult about it?"

Aegon muttered, clearly reluctant.

The so-called dragon combat training referred to the traditional Targaryen technique. Soldiers would chain one of the dragon's legs and shoot arrows at it to train the dragon's dodging ability. This technique had been discontinued after Aegon the Conqueror's death.

To Rhaegar, the dragons were the family's strength. While there might not be many opportunities to ride a dragon into battle, every family member should be prepared.

That's one reason he revived the technique.

Rhaegar ignored Aegon's dissatisfaction. The boy was never very smart, and Rhaegar didn't care.

Rhaegar ordered the nearby Dragonkeeper, "Go fetch Tessarion."

Tessarion was the name Rhaenyra had given to the young dragon that had recently hatched. The Dragonkeeper nodded and hurried off.

Upon hearing there were other dragons, Aemond's eyes lit up, staring eagerly at Rhaegar with wide eyes. Rhaegar hesitated, recognizing the eagerness in Aemond's gaze.

There was only one young dragon, not enough for both Helaena and Aemond. After a moment of thought, Rhaegar asked another Dragonkeeper, "Is Dreamfyre sleeping?"

"No, that dragon just finished feeding," the young Dragonkeeper replied in High Valyrian, a language he wasn't fluent in.

Rhaegar nodded. "Bring Dreamfyre as well. It's been in the crypt long enough."

"As you wish, Prince," the Dragonkeeper responded. He called for helpers and went off to retrieve Dreamfyre.

After giving the orders, Rhaegar placed a hand on each of his siblings' heads, ruffling their hair gently. "There will be two dragons. It's up to you to tame them."

"Thank you, big brother," Aemond said, his face flushed with excitement. "I will succeed."

He didn't care about the animosity between Aegon and Rhaegar. All he wanted was a dragon of his own.

Helaena, however, was much quieter. She kept her head bowed and her toes traced circles on the stone floor, looking a bit bewildered. She rarely left her room and knew little about dragons.

When her mother told her to come, she came and since Rhaegar told her to tame a dragon, she would try.

Aegon watched the scene unfold. He despised Rhaegar for currying favor with their younger siblings. How could Aemond, with his eagerness, and Helaena, with her quiet demeanor, succeed in taming dragons?

He had spent years trying to tame Sunfyre.

"I'm not going to play house with you," Aegon muttered. He rolled his eyes and walked towards Sunfyre, standing a short distance away.

(Word count: 1,106)