Chapter 4

After Androw left the hall, Rhaena was visibly furious. She never expected her usually submissive husband to speak to her this way. Septa Maryam attempted to calm her down, saying, "Lady Rhaena, please, calm down. Maybe he's just upset about what happened earlier. He's a good man."

But Rhaena, still seething with anger, replied, "I never thought my husband had the b*lls to talk to me this way.".

Androw made his way down to the village from the castle, heading towards the blacksmith's shop. Luckily, he had some savings hidden under his bed. He had decided to learn the craft of blacksmithing from an experienced person in the village. He had read about a skilled blacksmithing family named Hammer in Dragonstone.

As he approached the smithy, the rhythmic sound of hammering on metal filled the air. Stepping inside, he saw a weathered old man with a long beard, vigorously working on a piece of heated metal. The old man glanced at Androw after placing the metal into a water trough. He asked, "What can I do for you, sir?"

Androw explained, "Well, I wish to learn the art of metal smithing from you." The old man felt a touch disappointed, having stopped his work assuming a customer had arrived, only to find someone who seemed like a fat sheep. In the end, it appeared he had another aspiring apprentice on his hands.

The old man responded, "Sorry, I won't teach just anyone." But Androw quickly intervened, saying, "I can pay." The old man turned to him and inquired, "how much?" When Androw hesitated, the old man adjusted the price, "4 copper pennies." Androw thought it was too steep, but the old man wasn't budging. "Then you can leave, sir," he declared.

Androw tried once more, suggesting, "I can pay at most 2 copper pennies." The old man agreed to this, and from that day forward, the blacksmith's shop echoed with the sounds of Androw's learning, punctuated by the occasional curse and corrective smack from the old man.

After a month of this rigorous training, Androw began to transform into a young man with a sturdy, well-built frame. During this time, Rhaena did not approach or speak to him, even if they happened to cross paths. For Androw, this silence was a welcome reprieve. Though there were occasional moments of irregular hammering, he managed to shape swords with increasing proficiency.

With occasional visits from Aerea, who had grown closer to him, Androw found himself left in peace. People began to appreciate the man who had chosen to change. While they no longer openly mocked him, hushed whispers still circulated about his transformation.

One day, Aerea unexpectedly showed up at Androw's room, expressing her desire to visit the Dragon Pit. Androw, aware of his ability to tame dragons, chose to act as though he was afraid of dragons. He told her, "Aerea, I can't go there. Dragons might burn me if I lack the blood of a dragon."

Aerea was persistent, insisting that he accompany her. Androw believed it was still too early for him to attempt to tame a dragon, and he had already planned to do so with wild dragons from the Dragon Pit when the time was right. He had no intention of attempting to tame a Targaryen dragon, as that would be akin to stealing a dragon from the Targaryens. He also hoped it wouldn't be Cannibal.

While following Aerea and diverting the attention of the guards, he managed to enter the Dragon Pit without revealing their presence.