Chapter 7: The Bronze Fury. 115 AC

[The Next Day]

Caraxes landed in front of the entrance of a giant ash cavern, where I hopped off of him. Daemon stayed on the back of Caraxes, with the dragon seemingly anxious around the cavern, no… not anxious… restless is more like it, as if he wants to fight.

"I should've known," said Daemon with a sigh. "That you will pick him over the rest."

"Bronze. The color of House Royce." I said straightforwardly.

Daemon hummed. "Very… poetic."

I just laughed at his comment. "I suppose it is."

"Though I guess I can find some similarities with you and your great-grandfather."

"And that is?"

"That both of you want peace." Daemon continued. "The Old king wants peace in his realm. While you want peace in yourself."

I smiled at his comment. "Then I suppose I chose the right one."

"We'll see." daemon said cryptically.

I then grabbed the Saddle that was hanging around Caraxes' neck, and started to bring it to the cavern.

But then, Daemon stopped me. "Maegor." he called.

I turned, but didn't say anything.

"Good luck," he said flatly. "Trust in yourself."

I nodded at his advice. "Thank you, father."

And so, I entered the cavern.

—

The cave was blisteringly hot. I could already feel the sweat dripping from my forehead as I delved deeper into the cave. In my concentration, I could hear the loud snoring of dragons, the abnormal heartbeat of them, and the distinct smell of them.

But then I noticed something, there were two heartbeats inside this cave.

I froze at the thought of having to face two dragons at once.

Shit, this smells like failure already…

What the hell, let's just keep going, the worst thing to happen is just that I'll die…

I kept dragging the saddles deeper into the cave as quietly as possible. It was silent as it can be, but in a disturbing way to me.

As I kept walking, the sound of breathing was getting louder and louder, the heat became more unbearable, and the smell of the dragon became stronger.

Then I saw it. Two dragons, sleeping side by side, just beside a pool of lava.

The dragon that I want, Vermithor, was near the lava. He had a beautiful jaw, with a shiny bronze scale all over his body. As far as history concerns, he's the third largest Targaryen dragon that has ever lived right now, even surpassing Meraxes, who died in Dorne.

The other one, Silverwing if I guess correctly, is sleeping further away from the lava. She had a beautiful silver scale; she's smaller than Vermithor, but mighty nonetheless.

Their snores created smoke, coming out of their snouts. It was honestly a terrifying sight. Those two could swallow me whole, and I can't even be counted as a whole meal to them.

I started to approach Vermithor, still dragging the saddle, and I slowly closed my distance towards his back.

But then, he woke up.

His neck rose from the ground, and once he saw me, he let out a huge roar that shook the entire foundation of this cavern. And from that roar, his 'mate', Silverwing, also woke up.

Oh fuck… I'm fucked…

Silverwing doesn't seem to care however, while she opens her eyes, she doesn't raise her neck, she just keeps lying on the ground, as if watching me and Vermithor interact.

Vermithor started to back down a little, he opened his mouth, and I could see fire starting to come out.

[Rybas! (Focus!)] I shouted. [Lykiri Vermithor! Lykiri! (Calm down Vermithor! Calm down!)]

While Vermithor seemed to get rid of the idea of burning me, he still hissed at me, bearing his fangs at me. He seems to realize that I am a Targaryen, but that doesn't change the fact that I am not his rider… yet.

[Umbas…(Wait…)] I spoke. [Rȳbagon Vermithor. (Listen Vermithor.)]

I slowly approached the dragon, but he seemed hesitant. [Brōzio ñuha iksis Maegor Targārien. Iksan aōha kipagīros ānogar. (I am Maegor Targaryen, I am your rider's descendant.)]

Vermithor kept growling at me, as if refusing to listen. [Iksan daor Jaehaerys, se kesan dōrī sagon. Yn nyke epagon hen ao, lo kostā sagon iā raqiros yno. (I am not Jaehaerys, and I will never be. But I ask of you to be my companion.)]

Vermithor grew less hostile as I spoke, but it's still not enough. [kesan daor epagon ao naejot dohaeragon, iksan mērī epagon ao naejot sagon iā raqiros. (I will not ask you to serve. I am asking you to accompany me in my life, so we can spend the rest of our time together.)]

Vermithor retracted his neck, as if choosing to not be hostile. [Ivestragī īlva sagon rȳ lyks hēnkirī. (Let us be at peace together.)]

The bronze dragon turned towards his 'mate', as if he was asking advice. Silverwing suddenly stood up from her sleep, making me flinch, but instead of attacking me, she roared at the cave itself, shaking the entire place.

Vermithor turned towards me once again, but this time, he lowered his body, as if asking me to put the saddle on him.

HOLY SHIT. I FUCKING DID IT.

I quickly put the saddle on his back, though, it took a long time to tie it, as he was fucking huge. Once I am done, I quickly climb to his back, sitting on the saddle.

Vermithor then roared towards the ceiling, again, shaking the entire cavern.

[Soves, Vermithor. (Fly, Vermithor.)] I said to him, and Vermithor sprinted out of the cavern, flapping his wing once again.

As the light entered my eyesight again, Vermithor jumped from the cliff, spreading his bronze wings majestically. The force of the wings was so strong that I am just holding on to my dear life to stay on the damn saddle.

Vermithor flew above Dragonstone, circling around it for a couple of times before heading towards the clouds. All this time, it was hard to stabilize, it's totally different when Daemon was riding with me. Now, I alone am the rider, and it's hard getting used to the wind force and the strength of the dragon itself.

Vermithor passed through the clouds, making some of my clothing wet, but then, we stabilized, Vermithor flew flatly on the sky, and it was this kind of ride that I liked the most.

I released my grip from the saddle as I enjoyed the cold wind passing through me, I spread my arms, as if I was pretending to have wings, and closed my eyes.

For the first time, it feels like I could feel Vermithor… he feels curious about me, yet at the same time, he felt like he has met me before, I could also feel that he felt what I felt right now, that I am enjoying the wind, the freedom of being in the sky, and he appreciates it.

Suddenly, I heard another sound of flapping wings from the side. It was Silverwing, flying alongside me and Vermithor. These two dragons are old, but they seemed to care about each other deeply. I remember about Vermithor's death in the books that Silverwing came to his corpse, that she nudged Vermithor's body three times to try to make Vermithor fly again to no avail. It's a sad story, one that I hope will not happen this time.

Vermithor is my companion, as much as I am his. We will live our lives freely, and if anybody disturbs it, then they will taste the fire of the Bronze Fury.

…

…

Wait, did I just get two dragons instead of one?