Chapter 3; The prince and the dragon
After two days of travel, the Targaryen ancestral island was visible on the horizon. Vaegon stared at the shadowy island, thinking of its potential, as he leaned with one hand on the railing and the other on his staff.
"As soon as possible I will close Dragon Well and move the dragons to this island…it is obvious that they need the volcanic climate" Vaegon thought. He had visited Dragon Pit and it had truly broken his heart to see the baby dragons chained up like cattle. Frankly the old king was not very sharp in certain ways.
"My prince, let us disembark," said Sir Harold, whom he had chosen as his personal guard.
"Thank you very much Sir Harold," he replied with a kind smile. But his stomach was growling because he had barely eaten a bite to avoid the seasickness of the boat.
Vaegon and his party disembarked at the docks, and climbed the slope to the fortress. The Valyrian outpost was truly impressive, the arts of using dragon fire and other forms of blood magic were truly invaluable, which is a shame that all of that had been lost with the damnation. The mere idea of everything he could do with those gifts really seemed both attractive and frustrating.
Anyway, in the dining room he had some hot bread with sheep's cheese for breakfast. He refused the wine as he claimed that he had become teetotal. The news of Vaegon's appointment had not yet spread, it had not even been made official, it would only be done as soon as he returned to the capital with a dragon as his father had told him before he left, for this reason he was still wearing as archmaester.
"Archmaester Vaegon, it is an honor to have you here," began the castellan, Sir Benot, a portly knight somewhat advanced in years who had had a good relationship with Baelon.
"Yes…I came because the king asked me to," Vaegon replied. And the rumor was true that the vast majority had forgotten about Vaegon's existence. No wonder very few saw him as a feasible successor.
Sir Benot's face twisted with concern.
"It was to be expected that the king would be concerned about the facts," he acknowledged. "For the last fortnight, strange things have been happening around Montedragón."
Vaegon was the only one who was not surprised, and remained unchanged.
"What things?" he asked seriously.
"I don't know why but Silver Wing, she has appeared very agitated. The Sheep Thief has been fleeing from one place to another, and even the Cannibal has been seen retreating with a bleeding face towards his lair… we are really uneasy."
"I understand…I myself will go to Dragonmountain to investigate," Vaegon replied.
"My prince…" said Sir Harold, fearful of what might happen to his next lord.
"Do not be afraid, Sir Harold, I will leave alone," he replied, to which the knight stood up from the table upset.
"I can't allow it, it's too dangerous!" he exclaimed, but Vaegon had already risen from the table.
"Baelon would not have hesitated," he replied. "If I don't fly from dusk to dawn, you can come for me."
Vaegon walked at a moderate pace with his staff. He carried in his bag a canteen of water, bread and sheep's cheese. The weather was good, despite how daunting it might be to walk across a bleak, rocky island with wild dragons. His legs were not strong but they worked, and he ran quite a distance. Although the island was not very big, he did not mean that it did not take time to walk from one side to the other, since it had its own villages. He even ran into a couple of farmers whom he heard about the problems they were having lately, as the attacks of the wild dragons had depleted his herd. Vaegon consoled them and promised them a pair of golden dragons as compensation if they showed up at the fortress the next day. To which they willingly agreed.
"Excuse me good people, but could you tell me where Montedragón is?
"It's a league to the west, sir," pointed out the gaunt and very bearded peasant, "but don't go there… it's haunted."
"Well, you'll have to unbewitch him," Vaegon responded, smiling softly at them and retreating, leaving them perplexed.
After two hours of travel in which he stumbled on more than one occasion, he sat down after being able to see the volcano. There he watched him while he drank his water and took the opportunity to eat his food. But then he noticed a strange geyser coming out of an isolated place in the middle of the horizon. Something very strange because the volcano was not active. After a quarter of an hour regaining his strength, he took his cane and walked slowly towards it.
It was not easy at all, the path was full of pebbles that began to get between his boots, making his feet bleed, but Vaegon could not stop when he was already so close, and with a martyrdom step by step, because his physical condition was a burden. In addition, he skirted the volcano, where as he approached an increasingly thunderous noise could be heard.
Soon he saw the smoke coming out in two large columns, and he saw a bestial dragon, bright orange, sleeping soundly. But it was not a common dragon by any means, it had four legs instead of two, its wings were not made of leather, but of scales, and its size was gigantic, exceeding seven hundred feet long and three hundred and fifty feet high. Without a doubt, such a great beast was practically twice the size of the Black Terror, and no one would dare question that it was the most powerful dragon in the known world.
Vaegon looked at him with a bit of dread. After a few seconds he gathered his courage and walked steadily towards the dragon. But he had very fine hearing and his eyes were already open, shining with a bluish glow. Apparently the dragon had been able to sniff him ever since he had set foot on Dragonstone. However, both of them stared at each other, Vaegon felt like he was going to faint from the shock, but the dragon who was lying down rose heavily causing a loud roar to sit up like a dog and lower his head as a sign of respect. And he even purred a little, which was strange for a dragon. Needless to say, he himself had a certain beauty in his face, which was serene but terrifying.
"My God," Vaegon exclaimed. His teeth were long and sharp like Ibbei harpoons; five aurochs could fit perfectly in his mouth. Then he noticed that there was something metallic on the dragon's tongue, which turned out to be a Valyrian steel sword. The dragon stuck out his tongue, and Vaegon caught it with great difficulty because it was slimy.
But it was really beautiful and sharp, with a gold-plated dragon bone hilt and inlaid sapphires.
"I will call you Draconys," Vaegon told him, to which the dragon nodded.
He really was ecstatic, he knew he must have a dragon but he had never expected something like this. He sincerely did not believe that that dragon had a rival in the least, but he needed a demonstration of power.
"Drakarys!" Vaegon shouted pointing towards the sky.
Draconys stood up and her body began to glow, and then a sphere of fiery energy formed in her mouth, which shot several thousand iel high. And the sphere exploded in a terrifying roar, creating a bleeding inferno, covering everything in flames for five leagues. Terror erupted throughout the island, all the dragons without exception began to roar with anger at the fear they felt. Chaos broke out in the fortress and Sir Harol set out on horseback, sword in hand, in search of the prince.
Vaegon for his part was surprised by such a demonstration, it was clear that this dragon was of the highest level. And he wondered if those kinds of dragons had existed in Valyria.
"You really are unique," he said, caressing his snout, since the dragon had lowered its head in search of cuddles. Then Vaegon looked at the sword and came up with an idea to strengthen his claim to the throne.
"Can you smell me?" Vaegon asked, to which the dragon nodded "Well, then you will follow me in the distance, and within two days you will appear in King's Landing, there you will enter with fury, but you shoot your flames into the sky. Then I will stop you, and you will be the new symbol of the seven kingdoms.
The dragon nodded as if he were overjoyed. Then he sniffed a human, Vaegon heard the horse's cry in the distance.
"Now go west and stay hidden, do you understand me?" Vaegon asked, to which the dragon nodded.
"Good dragon," Vaegon said, smiling at him.
Draconys took flight from her, looking more like a golden mountain than a dragon, before the incredulous sight of Sir Harold who had to fight so that her horse did not unsaddle him. But the dragon soon disappeared on the horizon like a flash, which confirmed that it was fast enough to exceed fifty leagues per hour,
Vaegon was left alone for a moment, still not completely believing what had just happened, but soon Sin Harold appeared, who got off his horse and advanced towards the prince, sword in hand.
"Gods, what was that being?" the knight asked.
"A dragon from Valyria," replied Vaegon, thinking about what to say, "has emerged from the ruins of the peninsula… and I believe it is wandering in search of its home… which means that the kingdom is in grave danger."
"It can't be," the knight said horrified.
"It is," said Vaegon with feigned gravity, "we must return to the capital immediately."
"My prince, you must claim a dragon," pleaded Sir Harold, "you are the only one who can."
Vaegon lowered his head, but he did not feign helplessness.
"Sir…I am not Aemon or Baelon…where they were strong I am fragile, they claimed dragons…I cannot walk without my staff…not even if you want I am sure that anyone can defeat that beast, if my mother's dragon He is afraid of him and even the Cannibal has stopped... but we have the duty to warn the kingdom."
The sir nodded, and with a few more words they climbed onto the horse. The ship set sail immediately, to the sailors' fear of the burning sky, which would take several minutes to disappear, but they did not know it and wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. The trip to King's Landing was tense, because the wait itself and the fear that the dragon had attacked the capital kept the royal guard from sleeping.
Fortunately, the city was intact and as bustling as ever, and when they disembarked at dusk, the knight made his way with the rest of the entourage towards the Red Fortress, the king had to be warned as soon as possible.
Vaegon walked at a hasty pace, but the knights themselves had to carry him up in a palanquin due to his fatigue, which he found a little humiliating, but finally they reached Maegor's keep, where the king was gathered with the hand.
"Why do I think you haven't managed to claim a dragon?" the king asked himself sitting at the table. Otto Hightower was looking at the situation expectantly.
"Father…the realm is in danger…a dragon from old Valyria is roaming the land," Vaegon said with difficulty. But the king twitched his gaze, wondering if his son had developed a somewhat late sense of humor.
"What a bad lie," his father scolded him.
"It is not a lie, I have seen it myself… it is a colossal being" assured the royal knight "The same black terror would seem like a dwarf in comparison"
The king believed his guard more than his own son's, so he shook hands and his bitter face hardened. His hand seemed uncomfortable.
"How could that beast have emerged?" asked the hand.
"Septon Barth told me that some time ago when Aerea died, he found some white worms," said Vaegon, who had taken the time to make up a story. The city, like many others on the peninsula, there are still beasts that live there. I think that dragon is one of them, and has an aversion to fireworms...it probably escaped from the peninsula and wandered around Essos for years until it arrived at Dragonstone, perhaps attracted by the presence of other dragons, "But even the Cannibal fears him," said Vaegon to emphasize how dangerous he was. "I also believe that he is trying to seek his own dominion."
The king thought about the situation for a moment in silence.
"Write to Daemon and Rhaenys…and let Viserys come and claim Vhagar," said the king. "Four dragons will be enough to face that beast." Then he stood up and looked at his son in surprise. "And what are you doing here?"
"Father…" Vaegon said.
"Go," the king ordered, "Go back to your books and your chains… I no longer have any sons left… my sons are… they were dragon riders."
Vaegon looked at the rotten man harshly, but in the end he bowed and walked out of the room at a walking pace, while the entourage gave him a look of pity. He then walked through the halls of the fortress to collect his things.
However, it was already nightfall and even when the crows had barely been sent, the peace of the night was interrupted by a terrifying roar that chilled the blood of the bravest, to the point that the Dreamfire Dragon Pit screamed in fear. People took to the streets scared and saw the glowing figure of Draconys, it was like a sinister star in the middle of the darkness that did not bode well.
From the walls of the red keep, Jaehaerys saw that monster and understood why Vaegon had not been able to claim a dragon. In the gardens Vermithor was roaring, and he went to his dragon to go into battle. But then Draconys released the explosive sphere from him causing chaos in the city at the same time.
In the streets, tens of thousands of commoners crowded in all directions to get out of what was going to be a carnage.
The truth is that Draconys landed at the gates of Dragonwell, destroying everything in his path. Given its size and power, tearing down the architectural complex was like playing with clay, much to the horror of the dragons inside who were desperately trying to remove their chains.
In the distance Vhagar, who was a dragon warrior, came to battle Draconys with all his fury. He fiercely pounced on it, but the difference in power between the two was too abysmal to even harm him in the slightest, since the dragon's skin was as hard as Valyrian steel itself. On the other hand, having two extra legs was too much of an advantage for Draconys, who grabbed the dragon by the tail and threw her into the air two hundred meters away.
Draconys smelled his lord near him, and smiled as he located him inside the red fortress on the other hill. Then he smiled and released a flame more than a thousand feet high, and a thickness of a hundred feet around, and the flames from him took on a life of their own falling on the walls or the sept, but not on populated areas. At a slow and sinister pace he advanced through the streets of the city, destroying them with his footsteps, he slowly climbed Aegon's Hill, while the king prepared for battle.
"Let Viserys and Aenma leave the city as soon as possible," said the king to his hand, which was eager to leave with her family as far away as possible.
"Your Majesty you must escape voice too," said the old commander Sir Ryman Redwyne.
"I agree with the lord commander," said Otto Hightower. "You have no successor, if you die here the kingdom will bleed to death in a civil war."
"Okay," the king accepted, "he appointed my son Vaegon as prince of Dragonstone... it's a failure, but at least he tried."
Then Sir Harold burst into the room.
"Majesty!" He said scared. "Prince Vaegon is marching to confront the dragon!"
"As?" The old king shouted, taking his sword from him. "You fool," he cursed him as he left the room to go in search of his son.
Already on Vermithor's back he saw how that monster was approaching in the midst of the pandemonium that was the capital. And he saw his son, it was difficult for him, but he saw that little ant walking with his cane towards certain death. For her part, Vhagar had regained her senses and was preparing to attack Draconys again, but he again grabbed her by the neck and this time she crashed against the walls of the red fortress, while the city guard gathered at a halting pace, harangued. by the royal guard, and the old king in the sky on the back of the bronze fury.
They all watched as Vaegon stood in front of that monster. Then everyone saw how they held each other's gaze in agonizing moments and how Vaegon shouted "Dohaeras!" and the dragon sat down as if he were a dog and lowered his head before the prince in reverence. The surprise was maximum and the king himself could not believe what his son had done, who was pulling a dazzling sword out of that dragon's mouth.
Then Vermithor descended to the ground, and ran towards it. He even had a son.