(1 years later and Five year old Raymond's pov)
They range from a small to castle size Big.
Are armored like a crocodile across their entire body, being effectively immune to ballistae, arrows, melee weapons, and even most handheld guns though that's not existed here thankfully.
only the eyes are a weak point for a grown dragon, and the rider of course.
Can fly at 50 to 200 MPH depending on age- younger dragons are faster but im not sure.
Are highly maneuverable, being capable of movement almost like a swallow or bat (merely scaled up).
Can breath jets of burning napalm with a very long range.
Practically immune to heat.
Have a flight ceiling of about 10,000 feet.
Intelligent, not comparable to a clever dog, but much more higher.
Physically imposing, being built like a Tyrannosaurus rex with wings, with a bite force to match.
On the ground, they can run at 30 MPH.
Crash landings will hurt them, but they aren't likely to suffer lethal injury if they're still conscious to control their landing angle.
Physically strong enough to gouge and break stone with their claws and tail.
Their bones are like infused with iron, and are both strong as steel, and surprisingly flexible to absorb shocks.
Each dragon needs a pig to eat every week though depends on the size, and can go into torpor if needed to reduce food requirements to only a pig every month- although they can be bribed with more food, and are always eager to fatten themselves up. They're technically cold-blooded, but their innate "fire" keeps their insides running at a toasty 1,000 degrees Celsius without the need for extra food to sustain this temperature. Their thick, fireproof hide protects the rider from burning.
Dragons take about ten years to reach a mature size of a two storeybuilding, and can live for 80 to 300 years. Their eggs (laid in clutches of 3 to 15 in their lifetime) must be incubated in a roaring fire, and the hatchlings are born about the size of a large cat. A she-dragon can lay eggs every 5 year. After the age of 60 or 70, a dragon slows down( but few do not stop growing), but gains in bulk, armor thickness, and fire temperature to compensate. Younger dragons are faster and more agile, but can produce less fire due to their more slender builds.
Dragon vs. Dragon fights tend to be relatively drawn out, because they're tough enough to shrug off blows from their own kind. Most of the time, a rider has ample opportunity to disengage and flee if the battle isn't going his way. If a rider is killed, the dragon will typically fly into a berserk rage, but will eventually (if it lives) fly back to its roost.
Dragonriders use a saddle of dragon leather and steel buckles to stay mounted, wearing dragon leather armor to avoid serious burns while preserving their ability to turn around and keep an eye on the skies. Chains and straps secure them to the saddle.
The relationship between Dragons and dragon riders can be understood best through tracking the dragons that bore many riders, and try to find what was common between each other, either between them and dragons, and between changes that occurs to Dragons themselves
Of course, no discussion about Dragons can be initiated without mentioning Balerion the Black dread and Vhagar. The two dragons who lived so long. We know that Balerion was a mount for Aegon I, Maegor I, Aerea (Albeit briefly) and Viserys I
Balerion was known for being the strongest, biggest, oldest of all Dragons, Balerion's prime was with Aegon and Maegor. Both of them were kind of like their Balerion. Aegon was arguably the strongest of all Targaryen and was the only one to almost unify the continent, Maegor as well was fearsomely strong man + cruel, and was known to be a warrior; perhaps his strength was the only thing that let Balerion be his.
This again is reassured with Aerea, She was regarded first as a scared child who shies away from everyone, but then, and after dealing with dragons (specially Balerion) she was regarded as having a willful and stubborn temperament and a bold tongue. According to Lord Rogar Baratheon, she had a "fire" in her. Archmaester Gyldayn likewise described her as a "fiery young girl". A big change that.
Although she was a very brief rider, but it marks a big change in Balerion's conditions too, After returning from Valyria, Balerion had finally stopped growing. He had grown sluggish and heavy and was difficult to rouse. For whatever reason, it could be argued that after the Valyria trip, the dragon changed his personality dramatically.
Then and there comes the last rider, Viserys I, My stupid father...who had by all means the same manners of his only mount. he is "sluggish" too, the most sluggish of all Targaryens except Aegon the unworthy.....probably, The man is unable to grasp the growing unrest between his daughter and his wife, a king who hates boldness and conflicts yet his inaction will be causing the biggest civil war, and with his bad health that worsening his life. Sometimes I want to strangle the fool.
Why the fuck he is still keeping Raenyra his heir is beyond me. Aegon by westerosy rule of succession has every bit of legitimacy to be the next monarch. Did he forgot how he became the king in the first place by having a dic*k between his legs.
Though it could be explained by him loving his first wife. But then again why did he married my mother if not for love? She brought him no alliance, my grandfather is a second son and no inheritance too his name and already in his service. And the marriage caused the rift between how valeriyon and Targaryen. which is a great disaster because they are the most powerful and currently richest family in westeros.
Most importantly they control more dragons than us.
…
"So the records are clear in that the house Targaryen as part of its transformation in the wake of the doom opted to abandon their three-part naming system in favor of the more common two-part naming system used by the Westerosi." Mello's lectures were a bit dry at times but I happily scribbled along as he went on. Well attempted to anyway. I hated quills so very much. "And so Aenar #@##@ Targaryen became just Aenar Targaryen." what? ....ah never mind.
Perhaps he had chosen this subject due to it being my Nameday tomorrow but I took it as a gift in any case. It seemed that the Valyrians were more roman-like than the sources had initially pointed at, a fact that my dreams seemed to reaffirm.
I always enjoyed these lessons in the old Maester's chamber although for all his enthusiasm Aegon often lost interest fairly quickly. Even now he eyed the window in a manner that screamed 'just maybe I could survive the fall'.
"Is there any indication of why Aenar opted to do this?" I quarried.
"Ah, now that has been a matter of debate amongst the citadel for a few years," Mellos smiled. "A common hypothesis is that the Targaryens much like the lesser branches across Free Cities sought to strengthen the legitimacy of their claim to the clan with their rival families having been extinguished by the fall."
"My own thought on the matter however," Mellos continued. "Is that the conquest of Westeros was a long held goal of House Targaryen and that this was merely one of many steps towards the realization of this goal."
That made sense to a degree although if he did it on purpose it seemed in line with GRRMs unreliable-narrator fetish to have the Targaryen's attempt to bury any trace of their being a lesser family within the greater Targaryen clan after the Doom.
Fuck Aegon the conqueror and his dreams, it made more chaos then necessary.
"So we are to believe ourselves descended from a mere cadet house? Such a theory sounds difficult to believe Grand Maester," Aegon opined. Oh the fool brother of mine is listening.
"We had two Valyrian Steel swords did we not? Why would a 'lesser' house have such treasures?"
"Ah, well there we do have an answer in Barth's uncompleted work on the Forty Great Houses," Mellos stopped to clear his throat before continuing. "By compiling the records of the citadel and the libraries of Dragonstone he concluded that Valyrian Steel was rewarded for mighty deeds and acts of great service to the Freehold. While severely weakened by the time of their self-exile from the Lands of the Long Summer, the BLANK family seems to have been one with weighty history. Much like many houses within Westeros today."
He frowned after a moment and focused on Aegon, "Your grace, I do believe that we have covered this material before."
, "Apologies Grand Maester, I fear that such things escape me on occasion." hmp good lie brother.
"You are going to be king someday Aegon," I was never one to miss an opportunity. "You should know this."
Though Aegon didn't understand my treasonous words and Grand Maester gulped and clarified it.
"Queen, prince Raemond. The term is queen, And no unless something unfortunate happens to her grace the princess prince Aegon is not going sit on the throne" Mellos corrected with a sigh.
Thank you Mellos. I tilted my head in confusion, "But the one on the throne is a king, isn't it?"
"Not necessarily prince Raemond, Your father king Viserys made it exception that his firstborn daughter will inherit the throne. " Mellos said with another sigh.
"But isn't it strange? isn't it against the law and Westerosy tradition of inheritance to put aside a male heir for an female? The council of 101AC made it clear. " The old seems he is thinking that argument with me going out of hand.
"Listen my prince The kings voice is law as well. Every king makes their own sets of laws so we the subjects must except whatever it is."
"Regardless Grand Maester," Aegon said while straightening his back and trying to look regal. "I apologize for my distraction, I shall endeavor to be more attentive."
With that our lesson With grand maester ended and we both escorted to see mother.
It made me sort of sad that this was probably not going to last.
And i feel bad for my brother as well, He is so much like Viserys no ambition no care for the world, Its seems my mother Alicent also being very harsh on him cause his been left behind me from every front. But couldn't catch up to me and never will.
But he has dragon, the beautiful Sunfyre and often gets the chance to visit the dragonpit.
And all me currently have are terrible dragons dreams....pah life sucks. it would havebeen easier if my dragon egg hatched so that i don't have to make a Aemond stunt
Why my dragon egg did not hatched?
As we arrived at our destination and welcomed by mother, and got kissed in the chicks.
Helaena is playing with a bug toy , Probably given by the clubfoot, She can walk and Aemond is growing as healthy cute baby.
"Look he's soo small " Aegon said beside me.
"Careful brother one day he might grow bigger than us ."