"Roar..."
Sunfyre let out a pained roar, its golden scales marred with bruises and bites. The Sheepstealer's relentless assault gave it no chance to fight back. With fangs locked around Sunfyre's neck, the Sheepstealer thrashed its head like a mad beast, dragging Sunfyre across the ground.
Pinned on its back, Sunfyre stretched its neck to avoid further bites, its sharp claws stabbing into the Sheepstealer's abdomen.
Rip!
Sunfyre's claws tore through a layer of chunky keratin, finally piercing the scales and hooking into the flesh beneath. For a moment, it seemed like the Sheepstealer had no flesh and blood, only rotten bones, until hot dragon blood oozed from the wound.
"Roar..."
The Sheepstealer shrieked in pain and immediately released its grip, pulling away with lightning speed.
Freed from the adult dragon's oppressive weight, Sunfyre quickly rose and unleashed a torrent of golden dragonfire.
"Roar..."
The Sheepstealer screamed again, its chest aflame, and it stumbled back. Sensing an opportunity, Sunfyre ignored its own injuries and lunged for the exposed neck.
But just as Sunfyre closed in, the Sheepstealer counterattacked fiercely. Its claws raked Sunfyre's body, and a burst of brown dragonfire erupted from its jaws.
Boom...
The mud-colored flames engulfed Sunfyre's head, causing it to recoil in agony. Despite this, Sunfyre's ferocity was undiminished. It fought to sink its teeth into the Sheepstealer's neck.
"Roar..."
The Sheepstealer shrieked, stabbing one claw into Sunfyre's chest and another into its neck, regaining the upper hand. The size and age disparity between the two dragons became starkly evident as the Sheepstealer's hideous, fierce visage bore down on Sunfyre.
With its vertical pupils locked onto Sunfyre's golden scales and pale pink wing membranes, the Sheepstealer bit down on one of Sunfyre's flailing wings, attempting to tear it apart.
"Roar..."
Sunfyre struggled, spewing golden dragonfire and gnashing its teeth into the Sheepstealer's bloodied abdomen. Though the Sheepstealer was massive, its body was unusually thin, its abdomen appearing slender.
Sunfyre's sharp jaws pierced the scales, biting into the scorching blood and flesh, aiming for the internal organs.
"Stop!!!"
Aemond yelled in desperation, "Sheepstealer, get out of the way!"
The fierce battle between the two dragons had stirred up the cliffside, with winds driving the onlookers back. Each sought refuge beside their own dragon.
Despite Aemond's dislike for the Sheepstealer's ugly form, he knew this rotten dragon was fighting for him.
Rhaegar held Aemond back, considering whether to send the Cannibal to separate the dragons. But dragons, with their hot blood and cold hearts, were difficult to separate once engaged in a real fight unless it was a matter of life and death.
"Roar..."
The Sheepstealer screamed in pain, its claws pushing away from Sunfyre as it tore violently at the other's wings in a last act of defiance.
Rip!
Sunfyre's pale pink wing membrane was slashed open with a two-meter-long gash, the edges ragged and filled with small, uneven holes. The bite marred the dragon's once magnificent appearance.
"No! My Sunfyre!" Aegon cried out in horror, as if he felt the pain himself.
Boom!
The Sheepstealer flapped its broad brown wings, launching into the air and spraying dragonfire to block Sunfyre's counterattack. Dragging its wounded body, it fled into the dark clouds, disappearing from sight.
Sunfyre, drenched in blood, was left behind with torn flesh on its neck, ribs, and right leg. Golden scales had been plowed out, and the large tear in its wing membrane made it difficult to fly. Despite its fury, Sunfyre struggled to stay aloft and eventually crashed back to the ground.
"Aemond, look what your dragon has done!" Aegon shouted, gripping Aemond's collar and forcing him to see Sunfyre's injuries.
"Let go of me, you fool!" Aemond retorted, his indignation fueling his struggle to break Aegon's grip.
Aegon, grimacing in pain, spat out, "Your dragon tore the wings of Sunfyre, the most majestic dragon of all!"
"Aegon, you started it," Aemond sneered, unmoved. "And for the last time, the Sheepstealer isn't my dragon. But I'd love to see it fight to the end and make you pay!"
Anyone could see the Sheepstealer had the upper hand in the fight, its size, strength, and combat skills clearly superior. Had the fight continued, Sunfyre would have faced a grim fate.
"Shut up, you two! You're blood brothers!" Alicent's anger reached its peak as she tried to separate her sons.
Otto stood by, silently pressing down on Aegon's clenched fist, his expression a warning. Losing Maester Mellos's support and possibly the heir's favor tonight, Aemond taming the Sheepstealer had been a rare piece of good news. Sibling rivalry at this critical moment was a dangerous joke.
As the brothers continued their heated argument, others stepped in. Helaena and Daeron squeezed between them, protecting Aemond and pulling Aegon away. Rhaegar was pushed to the side, bewildered by the sudden intensity of the brothers' anger.
Rhaenyra's foster young daughters clung to her thighs, frightened by the dragon fight and the ensuing quarrel. She gently comforted them and glanced helplessly at Rhaegar. "What should we do?" she whispered.
Rhaegar hesitated, understanding the need for intervention. He saw his father's anxious expression, Viserys's chest heaving with barely contained fury. What should have been a joyous occasion had devolved into chaos.
Viserys, furious, initially wanted to scold and separate his sons as usual. But he stopped himself. Though he was their father, he realized he couldn't always mediate between two dragon masters.
With that in mind, Viserys scanned the room.
Daemon stood with his arms crossed, watching with a smug expression. Viserys felt a surge of disgust, knowing he couldn't rely on him.
Eventually, he locked eyes with his eldest son. Their gazes met in understanding.
"Rhaegar," Viserys said softly, just the name.
Rhaegar instantly understood. "Leave it to me, father," he responded solemnly.
This was the moment he'd been waiting for—his father's approval. Despite his efforts to guide his younger siblings, his success had been limited. His interactions with Aemond during the day had made him realize the importance of blood, identity, and affection.
As the eldest, he wasn't fully trusted by his half-siblings, a consequence of their different mothers and his father's previous inaction.
Now, his father was giving him the authority to discipline, to manage his siblings as needed.
"Aegon, calm yourself!" Rhaegar stepped forward and yanked Aegon out of the fray, causing him to stumble back.
"Rhaegar, why do you care?" Aegon protested.
Aemond, equally annoyed, jumped to his feet and glared at Aegon. Rhaegar stood firm, his face calm, and shot Aemond a cold stare that stopped him in his tracks.
Under his older brother's stern gaze, Aemond reluctantly stopped.
Rhaegar turned back to the defiant Aegon. "Is fighting fun?"
Aegon froze, unsure how to answer.
With a warning look, Rhaegar glanced at the seething Aemond and exhaled. "Have you come to your senses?"
Knowing that Aegon had instigated the conflict and Aemond had been the target, he didn't want to lecture too harshly.
Rhaegar stood between his brothers, his collar blowing loose in the evening breeze.
Aegon hesitated, working up the courage to speak.
"Aegon, just take care of your dragon," Rhaegar said lightly, frowning slightly.
Aegon immediately fell silent and walked angrily toward Sunfyre.
Seeing this, Aemond reluctantly muttered, "It was him..."
"Shhh!" Rhaegar raised his index finger, signaling for silence.
Aemond, his face turning red with frustration, was forced to comply.
Rhaegar sighed, rubbed his head, and said with a straight face, "Congratulations on gaining the recognition of an adult dragon. You have proven yourself."
Without waiting for Aemond to answer, he glanced over at Helaena and Daeron and added blandly, "It's time for the children to go to bed."
Daeron hid behind Aemond, his shy eyes showing his discomfort at his older brother's severity.
Helaena stood quietly beside Aemond, her small head bowed, her violet eyes looking around nervously. She remembered her brother stepping in to teach Aegon a lesson when she was younger.
Rhaegar didn't speculate on her thoughts, but said firmly, "Now go to bed and forget tonight's unpleasantness."
Helaena winced and tugged at Aemond. "Let's go," she muttered.
Daeron nodded in agreement.
"Fine," Aemond agreed reluctantly.
Alicent gathered her children and started to leave.
After a few steps, Aemond stopped suddenly. "Aegon, you still haven't apologized to me."
Aegon paused, dismissive.
"Aegon, we are brothers. Is it so hard to apologize?" Aemond said through gritted teeth.
Rhaegar watched with interest, curious to see Aemond's true feelings.
Aegon continued toward Sunfyre, ignoring him.
Aemond stared at his back, his fists clenching and unclenching. "Aegon, you owe me an apology, and I'll make you pay for it," he muttered.
With that, he broke away from Helaena and Daeron and walked back to the castle alone.
"Aemond..." Alicent murmured, standing still, lost in thought.
Otto patted her shoulder. "Leave him alone for a while. Bickering between brothers is normal."
Rhaegar's eyes twinkled as he silently watched Aemond's retreating figure. He sensed that Aemond was a precocious child with his own plans.
Rhaenyra walked over and took his hand. "Let's go. Tell me about tonight," she said softly.
Father and Aemond had been out taming dragons, and Rhaegar had killed Grand Maester Mellos. These were events big enough to stir the continent.
"I do have a lot to say," Rhaegar replied emotionally, looking up at a streak of red in the night sky. The red meteor seemed to stretch from one side of the sky to the other.
He glanced sideways at his father. The deaths of Mellos and Borros, and the marriage of the Targaryen and Baratheon Houses, all needed his father's presence to be decided.
Alicent took off her cloak and draped it over her husband's bare shoulders as they strolled along, leaning on each other. Rhaegar tilted his head slightly, sensing it wasn't the time to interrupt. Rhaenyra laughed and followed the group, arm in arm.
(Word count: 1,650)