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Chapter 15: Chapter 13: SearchChapter Text

"Our sister is either mad, or a genius."

"Rhaenyra is both. And that's what makes her so dangerous."

-Exchange between Prince Aemond and Prince Aegon, overheard in a tavern

104 AC, Skies above Blackwater Bay

"So why didn't you let me claim a dragon?" Laena protested as we flew towards my new castle. "I could have taken Caraxes."

"Trust me Laena, I've got a plan, but it requires a Targaryen who hasn't claimed a dragon. And we can't use a Dragonseed. I don't trust them enough yet. But, you, I trust." I reassured her.

"Fine, but it better be worth it!" She pouted. I grinned and turned around to pat her on her head.

"It'll be." I assured her, turning back to the front again. The two of us quietly flying over the sea before Laena couldn't stand the silence any more.

"So any idea how to find the vault?" She asked. I had filled her in on what Vaegon had told me, telling her about Maegor, Visenya and the vault, and she was excited to try find it.

"I've got a few, but most of them were already tried before. I'm shooting in the dark right now. It's a long shot, but it just might work." I confessed. It really was a long shot, but if my suspicions about the vault were correct, then it may be the only way we could locate it.

"Ooh! Care to fill a girl in?" Laena excitedly squealed.

"And ruin the surprise? No way!" I cheerfully denied, cackling evilly as Laena squawked in protest.

"Tease!" She complained.

"Love you too!" I called back.

The two of us giggled and playfully shoved each other.

"So you're really not going to tell me anything?" Laena persistently begged. "Not even a hint?"

"Tell you what, if you guess the plan correctly, I'll tell you." I allowed, seeing Dragonstone rapidly approaching us. Now where did the castellan say she was last spotted?

"Challenge accepted!" She cheered, hugging me tight. "Is it a through search of the castle? Combing every room until we find it?"

"Grandpapa already did that thrice in his reign. They found nothing. Even after every servant in the castle was conscripted into searching." I told her. "They even removed everything from the castle. Everything. Furniture, books, weapons, everything."

The Singaporean Army had a similar punishment, called 'Stand By Earth' when the soldiers lost something important like an army issue tablet. When Stand By Earth was declared, the entire barracks was called to continuously empty the building of all their possessions until the found the item that was lost. If it still wasn't found, they moved on to anything not nailed down, be it brooms, trash cans and stationary. And if they still couldn't find it, Stand By Earth was upgraded to 'Stand By Universe', where even furniture was hauled out. Beds, tables, chairs, lockers. Any and everything, until the item was found.

Alas, despite calling a Stand By Universe and combing every room in the castle with a fine comb, King Jaehaerys hadn't been able to find the vault.

"Then consulting the library. It's got to have some hint. Mayhaps Rhaenys' writings mention it. Or we could find a floor plan of the castle." Laena suggested.

"Grandpa Baelon and Uncle Vaegon already tried that one. Thing is, I don't think Rhaenys herself knew where the vault was. Aegon knew, of course. And so did Visenya, as his designated heir before Aenys was born. Rhaenys' writings make no mention of its location. Aenys knew as well, but he only told his oldest son Prince Aegon the location, and he didn't live long enough to pass on the knowledge." That was annoying. It had been my first idea for finding the damn place. Alas grandpa Baelon had already tried and failed that.

"Because he was killed by Maegor, whom knew where the vault was because Visenya told him." Laena noted, eyeing the castle in question as we flew over it.

"And both died without telling anyone else where it was as Maegor had no heirs." I finished, guiding Silverwing towards the Dragonmont.

"Then what about the rest? Aegon the Conqueror? Visenya? Maegor and Aenys? Even Prince Aegon? All our ancestors? Did none of them write down the location of it?" Laena tried, but she was grasping at straws now, though to be fair, so was I.

"Thing is, it was family tradition for the Lords and Kings of our family to store their thought and writings in the vault. Visenya wrote entire books on tactics and about the Conquest, and they are stored in Dragonstone's library, but none of them contain her personal thoughts or reveal the location of the vault. And Maegor and Prince Aegon have no writings to their name." A tradition that changed after Jaehaerys ascended to the throne. Since then, the private writings of our family were compiled in the Red Keep's library for our private family records.

"Then what about the floor plans?" Laena asked. That too, had been my second idea for finding the vault. There were only so many ways one could place a hidden room in a castle. Sadly that too, had been tried and failed by my grandfather and uncle.

"Uncle Vaegon tried this one, and there are some, but they only show the fortress as it stood before Aenar moved in, which was significantly smaller and very different." I ruefully said. "Undeterred, Uncle Vaegon did a through sweep for hidden rooms, but the walls of the castle are too thin for secret passages, and the floor is solid dragonstone, so hidden underground vaults seem unlikely. He even checked the rafters, but nope, all spaces are accounted for."

"Damn. Did we try to track down the movements of Aegon, Visenya or Maegor? Surely if they frequented a location, people would start to notice." Laena half pleadingly tried, clearly not believing her own words.

"Uncle Daemon actually had a similar idea involving bloodhounds and old clothes belonging to Maegor." I revealed. It was rather clever, in my opinion. "Sadly it went nowhere."

"But it has to be in the castle. This is something that existed since Aenar the Exile's time. It has to be there. Aenar never left the island and fortress once he arrived. Well, except for the occasional flight to Driftmark." Laena protested, throwing her hands up in frustration. I didn't answer immediately, for I had spotted what I wanted, guiding Silverwing into a descent.

According to the castellan of Dragonstone, and the bulk of the locals, she was supposedly living here now. Having moved out of King's Landing when my grandfather Baelon died. I could understand. She was born and raised on the island after all. Not to mention spending a good chunk of her lifespan here. And there really was no place like home.

"I actually think that the entire fortress is a decoy, and that the vault itself is actually hidden someplace else on Dragonstone island." I confessed, as we approached the cave in the side of the volcano. "Remember, these are dragonriders. King's Landing is two hours flight away. Driftmark, fifteen minutes. Even circling Dragonstone takes less than half an hour."

"Fuck." Laena swore. "Then the vault could be anywhere in Blackwater Bay. How will we find it?"

"Simple." I smirked. "How do you find out about a secret?"

"Either see it myself, or be told about it by someone else." Laena answered confusedly.

"Precisely. We're going to ask where it is." I confirmed, landing Silverwing in front of the massive cave and instructing her to breathe a gentle steam of silver fire into it.

"Wait, there's someone that knows where it is? Who?" Laena excitedly asked, right as I saw whom we were looking for. I said nothing, simply pointing forwards into the gloom, Laena leaning forwards excitedly, only to recoil in utter terror, screaming as green flames lit up the cave and deafening roar washed over us, Silverwing dodging the torrent of flame and roaring angrily back.

"Bingo!" I laughed triumphantly. She was here.

The ground seemed to shake as a massive figure emerged from the cave. Grey sunlight fell listlessly onto greenish-bronze scales the size of heater shields and dark teal wings the size of mainsails, as a pair of great green eyes the size of a horse balefully glared down upon us.

"Hello Vhagar." I cheerfully greeted as the titanic dragon stomped out of the cave, growling threateningly at us, green flames glowing in her mouth. Silverwing backing away cautiously, tension pooling in her legs as she prepared to beat a hasty retreat at a moments notice. "We have some questions we'd like to ask you."