Chapter 572: Daemon’s Ambition

The night was deepening at the Red Keep, within the sept. Rows of tallow candles burned, their light dispelling the darkness. Rhaegar sat before the circular altar, his palms warmed by the candlelight.

Boom! The sept doors opened, and Erryk announced, "Your Grace, the Prince and Princess have arrived."

Rhaegar remained silent, his eyes fixed on the skull of Balerion above the altar.

"Father," Baelon said, stepping forward with a puzzled expression. He was accompanied by a listless Daenerys.

"Balerion was the last living creature to have seen ancient Valyria before the Doom," Rhaegar said, turning to face his children.

Baelon and Daenerys were both taken aback by his words and looked at the huge, black skull.

Rhaegar leaned forward and took one of the children's hands in each of his, asking seriously, "Balerion is a legend. What do you see in it?"

"Power," Baelon answered, not very confidently.

Daenerys tilted her head and guessed, "Ancient?"

"No!" Rhaegar shook his head. "It's heritage. Balerion followed Aenar all the way to Dragonstone and then followed the conqueror to establish the Targaryen dynasty. He is ancient and noble, carrying the dragon's bloodline. Just like the children before you, you are the continuation of our bloodline."

Baelon seemed to understand, but said, "Balerion's experience can be traced back to before the Doom when our House was already powerful. There were many dragon families stronger than the Targaryens. We were not the only ones."

Rhaegar recalled Daenys' dream, in which the Fourteen Flames roared with dragons. The young Balerion was only one of them. It seemed he was still an outcast dragon without a master.

"Father?" Baelon and Daenerys were puzzled and didn't know why their father had summoned them. Before being brought here, they had been playing in their rooms when Ser Erryk suddenly came to their door.

Rhaegar came back to his senses and asked with a smile, "I heard that you made new friends today?"

He was, of course, asking Baelon, as Daenerys had not gone out at all. The boy's eyes lit up as he happily shared, "I met Nettles, the woman who helped me on Driftmark."

"Anyone else?" Rhaegar continued.

Baelon hesitated for a moment, thinking, "Lord Lyonel is very introverted, but fortunately, he has a good personality."

"In addition, there was a boat builder named Alyn. He was introduced by the Lord Sea Snake and assigned to serve as a squire to my brother Aemon. It is said that he accompanies Aemon in his gardening and teaches him stone and wood carving."

Rhaegar's eyes twinkled, but he did not pursue the matter. Instead, he said sternly, "Tomorrow morning, you two will take a boat to Myr with Anna. Ser Arryk will accompany you for protection."

"Myr? Why?" Baelon asked, confused.

Rhaegar's mood was complicated. With a sigh, he explained, "Your mother is returning to Lys with Aemon and Baela, and I've changed your travel plans."

Rhaenyra was determined to do this, and no one could stop her. But Baelon and Daenerys would not benefit from accompanying her. So, Rhaegar made a last-minute decision to send the three of them to Myr. The Triarchy had masters in Lys and Tyrosh; Myr should also have a decent ruler.

Drawing close to Daenerys, Rhaegar held his daughter and stroked her soft cheeks. "You must look after Anna and teach her well in Myr."

"Will Anna learn differently from us?" Daenerys asked, her purple eyes full of curiosity.

Rhaegar smiled. "You'll see when you get there. You can take Stormcloud with you."

The eldest son inherits the Iron Throne, and the eldest daughter inherits the Vale. On the condition that Aemon and Maekar each inherit one of the Free Cities, Myr will be left to his second daughter, Anna. Anna and Baelon are inseparable, and the Iron Throne will remain under their control in the future.

This will strengthen the power of the three siblings and free them from Rhaenyra's influence over her eldest son. Rhaenyra's prejudice is too great and can affect Baelon's judgment.

Baelon anxiously asks, "Must I separate from Aemon?"

"This is only temporary. Aemon also needs to get familiar with Lys," Rhaegar tried to persuade him.

Baelon was sullen. "He'll miss me."

The brothers had been inseparable since birth. Aemon had cried half the night after he was burned yesterday. Rhaegar rubbed his eldest son's head and said, "I'm sure he'll miss you too."

The bond between his eldest and the second son was indeed very strong. In contrast, Maekar had been alone in Volantis for a month, and his two brothers had not been worried.

Baelon asked reluctantly, "Why is Mother going back to Lys? We've only just arrived."

"Lady Laena is not feeling well. She needs to look after her," Rhaegar replied in an official tone.

"It's because of what happened yesterday, isn't it?" Baelon quickly deduced.

Rhaegar shrugged, unable to answer. "Mother is so stubborn!" Baelon pouted.

"I won't deny that," Rhaegar smiled wryly. "But you must never say that again."

Rhaenyra had always been headstrong, but she was not the only one to blame. A little time apart would do her good. After Aegon's wedding, he would consider a second expedition to the Smoking Sea in search of dragons and the Dragonhorn. He would feel much more at ease if Rhaenyra stayed in Lys.

Baelon obeyed his father but remained upset. Rhaegar had to persuade him, "Lady Laena's children are important. They will be your helpers in the future."

"I don't like it," Baelon turned his head away angrily.

"Keep yourself in check, Baelon," Rhaegar frowned, not wanting to see a foolish boy acting on impulse. Baelon had no choice but to close his mouth in frustration.

"Come on, I'll teach you some skills," Rhaegar said solemnly, taking one child in each hand. "People say that dragons are the last magic of ancient Valyria, but that's not accurate."

Baelon and Daenerys looked at him curiously.

Rhaegar's mind stirred, and bronze dragon scales appeared on his body, forming a full suit of armor.

"Wow!" Baelon exclaimed, his spirits lifting as his jaw nearly dropped.

"Bronze, one of the runes I have mastered," Rhaegar explained, introducing the basics of runes. "You are still young, and it's time to learn real magic, instead of just moving the magic in your blood with binding spells."

"Can we learn to do this?" Baelon asked, his eyes lighting up as he set aside his unhappiness to touch the bronze dragon scales with fascination. He clenched his fist and knocked on them, producing a loud sound. They felt incredibly strong.

Rhaegar laughed proudly. "Of course, you are my children."

Without further ado, he took his children's wrists and taught them how to mobilize the fire magic in their blood. Baelon and Daenerys studied diligently, memorizing the flow of magic. Though they couldn't yet condense a single piece of bronze, they had taken the first step.

"Father, this feels amazing," Baelon said, clenching his fists and gathering all his strength.

"You are still too young," Rhaegar reminded him, rubbing his head. "Don't use it recklessly, just remember it."

"Yes!" Baelon promised.

Daenerys, standing nearby, blushed as she tried to summon the fire magic in her blood. After a while, she let out a long sigh of relief.

Rhaegar, amused, took a dragon horn dagger from his breast pocket and held it out to the siblings. "Look, I borrowed it from your grandfather."

"A dragon horn dagger!" Baelon exclaimed, taking the dagger and examining it as if it were a treasure.

At the beginning of the House, there were four Valyrian steel items: the swords "Blackfyre" and "Dark Sister," the Conqueror's Crown, and the Dragonhorn Dagger of Aenar the Exile.

Rhaegar touched the rippling steel blade of the dagger in front of the two children, and a flame quickly spread.

Zilla! The temperature rose sharply, and Baelon let go of the dagger with a "sizzle."

"Be careful," Daenerys said, her face tightening as she took her brother's hand and blew on the burn.

"He's fine," Rhaegar said, his tone calm. He picked up the dagger and placed it in front of the siblings. "Look closely. What's on it?"

Baelon glanced at his sister and then at the dagger, which was burning red and emitting white smoke. The surface seemed hollow, with several lines of tiny characters appearing.

Baelon carefully observed and translated each word: "The Song of Ice and Fire..."

...

Slaver's Bay. Meereen, the ruins of the square.

"Roar..." A golden dragon lay on the ground, its body covered in blackened burns, moaning weakly. In the moonlight, a figure with silver hair stood.

"My Prince, the fleet is ready." Grey Worm approached, his head bowed, speaking stiffly. It was clear he was reluctant.

"Prepare sufficient supplies. The Good Masters of Yunkai will pay for them." Daemon did not turn his head, his gaze fixed on the moonlit sky.

"Yes!" Grey Worm took a deep breath and silently withdrew. If he could have fought, he would not have wanted to serve. Thinking of this, he glanced at the outer edge of the square.

"Roar..." The Blood Wyrm lay on the ground, its snake-like neck stretched out, its ferocious dragon's mouth chewing on a goat. Every member of the Targaryen family was like an immovable god to ordinary people.

"Alas!" Daemon placed his hands on his stomach, a hint of melancholy on his stern face. He had been pushed aside by his relatives for an impulse.

"My ancestors all had their own supreme honor." Daemon sighed to the sky, stroked the fine lines at the corners of his eyes, and his eyes grew even gloomier. He had been banished from King's Landing, stripped of the honor that belonged to the Targaryens. This situation was not new to him, but this time, he had no idea how to return to his family. His family had always been the most important thing in his heart.

Daemon took a deep breath and rubbed his face vigorously with both hands, as if trying to make himself more sober. A letter from Volantis had arrived, informing him that Laena was pregnant again. Daemon was more surprised than happy to hear the news. He had already decided that Baela would be his heir and had set aside the White Worm for that purpose. Now Laena was pregnant, possibly with a boy. How fickle life is.

Daemon glanced at the badly injured Sunfyre and thought of the unborn child. 'My promise still stands. I will catch you a wild dragon,' he whispered. According to the original plan, after conquering Volantis and Slaver's Bay, he would explore the Smoking Sea with Rhaegar and the Sea Snake.

Now that their relationship has broken down, his plan collapsed. But Daemon does not want to give up and plans to try it alone. 

The Smoking Sea has many buried treasures. His nephew Rhaegar once found a secret treasure in it and brought out a hatching egg. The wild dragon Morghul also emerged from the Smoking Sea. Daemon believes that the treasures may be available to everyone, including the young dragons in the Smoking Sea. In this way, he hopes to regain his lost honor.

"Follow me to inspect the fleet, Caraxes!" Daemon's eyes flashed, and he turned to face the scarlet dragon. 

"Roar..." Caraxes' pupils narrowed as it swallowed the burnt goat in a few bites. It then flapped its large wings and soared into the sky.

(Word count: 1.915)