Rhaenyra was still unhappy, but at least they had a plan. She took Laenor's suggestion to heart and the goal was now to find a woman of relatively lower birth who would be content with Ser Harwin being away from Harrenhal for much of the time. They had to find the right person, one who would be grateful for her station being lifted, with the implicit threat that said marriage could be annulled if waves were created about Harwin's regular absence.
Laenor believed they had found a good match in Lyra Waters. She was pretty, had yet to receive her 20th name day and was an acknowledged bastard of House Bar Emmon. Brought up in Sharp Point, House Bar Emmon's seat of power, she knew her courtesies. A match between her and Harwin Strong would be beyond her wildest dreams, and while it was marrying beneath his station, it wasn't as bad as a merchant's daughter.
Rhaenyra was again impressed with her husband. He and Joffrey had befriended a few knights who held similar… interests as he did, and those unorthodox connections had been useful. She knew Ser Harwin would need his father's permission, but the man seemed quite eager for Harwin to wed and a promise of an early wedding could clinch the deal. A generous dowry would be provided as well, something that Laenor and Rhaenyra each provided through their incomes in Driftmark and Dragonstone.
Once the marriage occurred Harwin would lay with the bastard girl and hopefully get her with child quickly. He could then return to her side, where he was meant to be. Before he left, she intended to spend as much time as possible with him. Perhaps he would even put another baby within her before he went off.
"Have you seen her? Do you think she is prettier than me?"
"I recall her face in King's Landing, but none could be as beautiful as you," he replied and kissed her deeply while the two were alone in their bedchamber.
"Oh, is that so? My little sister thinks I should avoid eating as much, lest I begin having ailments like father. She was not unkind, but all the same, it did make me wonder. I have not the figure I had before Jace."
"You are a paragon of beauty – truth be told, I feared I would break you like a twig when we first lay together. I much prefer this you."
"A twig!" She lightly struck him on his broad shoulder. "First my sister comments on my weight, and now the man I cherish said I was a twig!"
His rumbling laughter and second set of kisses made her quickly forgive him. She never could stay mad at him. How she wished that when she had gone on her marriage tour, she had known what a man he was. She had not wanted to get married at all; fear of the birthing bed and ending up like her mother had held her back from ever seriously considered any of her suitors, not that most had much to offer. It turned out that she was heartier than her mother had been. The worst part of bearing children was not the birthing bed itself, but the long months of being so careful with her unborn child. Childbirth was not pleasant, but it was hardly the painful horror that other women proclaimed it to be.
"As long as you don't become enamored with your new bride…"
"I won't my princess, she is just a means we use to protect ourselves. The one we chose will not have my heart and only rarely my cock. But I suspect she will be pleased, regardless. Were it not for this marriage her hopes of marrying any nobility were low, despite being court-raised. This truly is the best solution and we will be together nearly as often as we are now."
Rhaenyra was glad for the reassurances. She was still infuriated by what Alicent had done. The bitch of Hightower had her worried still. What would she do next? She despised her onetime friend with a fury that shocked even herself. Rhaenyra would never wish ill for her father, but once he did pass, Gods willing that be many years from now, Alicent would be banished back to Oldtown and barred from King's Landing.
***
Viserys ate the food the servant a had brought between meals, but felt guilty for it. Elaena in consultation with Grand Maester Mellos had suggested that certain foods may be triggering his achy joints. Mellos said that there had been some writings of how a change in diet lead to a decrease in joint pain, but warned that it rarely was eliminated altogether. The list of foods he was to limit, or even eliminate, were ridiculous. Venison, pork, sweetbreads, turkey, and goose, and even most fish! A man could not subsist on greenery, beans, cherries, and chicken!
Yet, he did not want to disappoint his daughter. So, he agreed to limit those foods. Secretly he had the Red Keep cooks prepare some choice meats to be delivered whenever he knew she wasn't around. The King did regularly drink the meadowsweet tea that Elaena said could help. Despite her admonishment on not eating those types of food, his joint pains quickly faded, and he was able to go on his walks without any issue. He was tempted to tell her about how he had been eating all those foods that risked inflaming his condition so that she would know she was on the wrong track, but he didn't want to disappoint her. He would just continue to eat in between formal meals this way and not worry about it.
As the King he had many difficulties in his life. The stress of managing the whole of the Seven Kingdoms entitled him to some of the simple pleasures of life. Such as peppered boar and honey-glazed lamb. The Stepstones conflict was going poorly for House Velaryon. They had started hiring mercenaries from Essos to stem the tide. Corlys would soon arrive in King's Landing to speak with him directly on the manner, no doubt demanding assistance.
His brother had been sighted in Driftmark, Dragonstone, and now Essos. He would ask what Daemon had been doing there when the Sea Snake eventually arrived. As Viserys mulled on those matters, Alicent entered the room and spied the remains of the rack of lamb he had devoured.
"Husband, I thought you had agreed to limit those types of foods."
He waved her off. "Our Elaena is smart, but even Mellos didn't know which foods were to be avoided or not. I have been feeling much better. Indeed, the toe looks as right as all the others now, and I'm back to walking with Elaena each morning. She can be wrong from time to time, hard as it is to believe," he smiled.
"If you are sure," she said and eyed the leftovers on the serving tray. She licked her lips and then put her hands in her lap.
"I can have them bring up another for you," he offered.
"No, I should not eat so heavy in my condition."
Again, Viserys made a dismissive gesture. "You should eat what you desire, because it is not just your desires! I'd wager you have another boy inside of you and he wants meat like all men do!"
"No, it is fine. The Maester says I am doing well with the pregnancy. He stresses that I should avoid any excitement in the last two moons to avoid what happened with Daeron."
Viserys still held a bit of guilt over that, but in the end both wife and son had been fine. He vowed he would keep a better check on his temper.
"Viserys, Aegon has been asking again about claiming a dragon. He had become well-behaved and is doing well with his Maester-led lessons. Those dragons are fearful creatures to me, yet this is something he desperately wants. How dangerous is it really to try to claim a dragon?"
He leaned back and looked at his wife. Alicent had worried greatly over Elaena flying, and all had turned out well. It must be hard for Aegon to see his sister fly, his little nephews already having dragons, and yet himself unable to even try.
"There is always an element of danger with dragons. We believe we control them, but in truth, it is more that we are tolerated by them. The bond between dragon and Targaryen is not the same from person to person or dragon to dragon. There are ways it can be made safer, but that also limits the ability to form a bond. We have some dragons in the Dragonpit that he can attempt to bond with. The Dragonkeepers don't form a Targaryen bond with dragons, yet they are adept at cooperating with them."
He patted his stomach, "Just like me, we are jollier when well fed! Targaryen blood flows in my children's veins, dragons respect it. I doubt there is a serious risk of one of the dragons harming Aegon. There are only two available in the Dragonpit that are not already bonded. Dreamfyre is docile and used to people. One of her eggs hatched; they've called the hatchling Tessarion. Beyond those two, there are unclaimed dragons on Dragonstone. We could make a voyage there and Aegon could try with the wild dragons."
Alicent's face let Viserys know she was not fond of that plan.
"If you think it is safe… then let's let him try. He is very eager. Elaena has been teaching him the tongue of Old Valyria and he knows all the basic commands. Your son, he wants this badly."
"Very well, speak to the Dragonkeepers and make arrangements. Given your condition, I don't want you in the Dragonpit. Dragons can be fearsome creatures that you have already said unnerve you."
Alicent nodded. "I assumed you could take Aegon in."
"If I have time, sometimes the process isn't quick. The lad will be fine in the Dragonkeepers capable hands."
Alicent frowned, but said nothing more.
***
Aegon was happy, scared, and disappointed. Happy that he would be able to claim a dragon and fly with his big sister Elaena. Scared, well, because dragons were big and scary. Disappointed because his father wasn't going to see him claim Dreamfyre.
Aegon knew he wanted a big dragon. The bigger the dragon, the stronger it was, and as his mother always told him, he was destined to do big things. Luckily his big sister was there with him. She could see how he tamed a dragon. He couldn't wait to fly with her.
He wasn't always sure what to make of her. Less than two years separated them, but she always seemed so much older than him. Even when he was taller! Elaena could also be scary sometimes, he still remembered what happened with the maidservant. He had just been so angry, his mother always told him he was a prince and important, and yet some common servant could take away HIS toy? The toy that HIS father had given him. He had seen red and shoved her.
Only somehow… somehow his sister had moved. She hadn't even been close, and as the servant fell, suddenly Elaena was there in front of her and they fell down the stairs. Aegon had never, and never since that day, ever been so scared. Elaena was always there for him and always explained things to him, and he had caused her to fall with the stupid maid.
Luckily neither was seriously hurt, though his mother had been livid with him. Afterwards Elaena explained that just like he had acted irrationally when shoving the maidservant, so too had mother when she struck him. Big sister had made him come up with all the reasons why pushing her near the stairs had been bad. When he couldn't think of any more, Elaena gave him more. She explained how disappointed she was, but knew he would never do that again; for if he did, she wouldn't want to be around him that much.
Since then, he had done everything he could to be good. Big sister taught him a lot. She taught him how to read and speak the old dragon language. The biggest thing was how to control his anger. He still got angry, but now he knew how to deal with it.
The Dragonkeepers were very serious and kept telling him a lot of what not to do. He listened, because Elaena said listening to Subject Matter Experts was important. But they kept going on and on and on. He wanted to meet his dragon! Finally, they took him into the Dragonpit, Elaena a few steps behind.
They reached the area where Dreamfyre kept her lair. She was so big! So much bigger than Viktoriya or even Syrax! It was blue and beautiful, it gave a draconic hiss at seeing individuals approach, but did not look hostile.
"Prince Aegon, the way a dragon is bonded is different for each person. Being in close proximity tends to start the formation of a bond, if you are compatible. You can move closer, but slowly. If the dragon allows you to touch her, it is likely a bond will form."
Aegon took a breath and then walked forward. He didn't feel any different. The dragon exhaled, air, not fire.
"Hold there, my prince. Let her get used to your scent."
Aegon stood before the dragon who prowled closer, it was so big! It looked down at him, still a bit away, but the distance did not seem so far given her size.
"You are still out of her reach; do you feel anything?"
He did not. The bonding process was so vague, was he doing something wrong? He moved forward again.
"Hold my prince!"
Aegon did so. He was annoyed, if all he had to do was touch the dragon, then he would want to be done with it. Dreamfyre snorted and then backed away. She wasn't supposed to do that, what was this? He needed a dragon and he wanted the big one, not the small one!
"Hey! Get back here," Aegon demanded angrily.
"Aegon, don't get angry," Elaena gently admonished.
Aegon centered himself, and counted his inhalation and exhalation. He calmed down, but moved forward once more.
"My prince, that is unwise, you mustn't rush things."
Aegon did not want to fail. He wasn't going to fail. He was going to get a big dragon and he was going to fly with his big sister. All he had to do was touch the dragon and he could bond, or something like that. He looked at the pair of Dragonkeepers who were behind him, and then looked at Dreamfyre who had her back fully turned on him.
He made his decision and ran at the dragon. He would just need to touch her and…
"NO! Back away!" The Dragonkeepers shouted and chased after him.
Dreamfyre turned toward the shouts and widened her stance and let out a draconic roar. That froze the Dragonkeepers, but not Aegon who rushed forward still. Dreamfyre lifted its forearm, the same limb that had a wing attached to it, and crashed it into the ground, making the floor tremble and shake. Aegon kept his footing, but only by a hairsbreadth.
One of the Dragonkeepers fell, and the other shouted in Valyrian for Dreamfyre to back away. Dreamfyre looked at them and turned her head sideways. Aegon instead shouted for her to stay still and then walked forward.
"My Prince, no, she is agitated, you must get back now." There was panic in the man's voice.
"Aegon, withdraw now," Elaena commanded him.
He hesitated; he was used to doing what Elaena asked of him. But this was different. He needed this. If he could tame such a big dragon like Dreamfyre, his father would have to acknowledge him. He would make his mother proud and his big sister too.
Aegon shook his head and ran forward toward Dreamfyre. The dragon gave out a final warning and then inhaled, the Dragonkeepers shouting again, and terror suddenly filled Aegon as he realized the dragon was about to breathe fire upon him. And then Elaena's voice called out in clear Valyrian, as clear as a bell.
"No fire! Submit!"
Dreamfyre stilled. She looked past Aegon and at Elaena. The seconds stretched interminably long, as if time itself had frozen. Then, finally, the dragon slowly lowered her head until it touched the ground. One of the Dragonkeepers grabbed Aegon and physically picked him up and rushed him away.
Elaena said something else in Valyrian, but Aegon couldn't hear it. The Dragonkeepers were angry.
"Prince Aegon, we will be speaking with your father. You could have been killed."
Aegon trembled. He had messed up. He was never going to get a dragon. His father would never again look twice at him.
Stupid Stupid Stupid
"I believe my brother has learned his lesson, and in the interests of yourselves not being penalized for nearly getting a child killed with your lax oversight, perhaps it is best if you just report that Aegon was unable to bond with Dreamfyre today."
The Dragonkeepers paused and looked at each other.
"Princess, the process of bonding does entail some risk, we could not be directly next to him when he attempted it. And…"
"I'm sure those explanations will appease the King and the Queen. Perhaps. I'm not personally convinced, but maybe my father and the Queen's firstborn son nearly dying won't raise that much alarm…"
Aegon watched as the two Dragonkeepers grew more uneasy.
The second one stared at Elaena, "I won't lie to the King."
"No one is asking you to, simply report that Aegon was unsuccessful, and he will try again later. You can add additional aspects that were true, such as that he was frightened, but that he then found his courage. This way no one gets angry, and no sharp questions on your methods need be asked. And of course, you will have the gratitude of a prince and princess of the blood of the dragon. What say you?"
They looked at each other, nodded, and then bowed. "I believe we have an agreement. Prince Aegon must never try to bond a dragon like that again, it is a recipe for disaster. And I doubt Dreamfyre will be willing to allow him to bond after this."
Aegon gawked at his sister. Full realization hit him. His sister had saved his life. Prevented his shame from being known. She also made sure his dream of riding a dragon was not lost. He felt tears start to well in his eyes and hastily wiped them away. His mother told him princes shouldn't cry.
As the Dragonkeepers returned to their duties he looked at Elaena and embraced her. "T-thank you."
"Brother, that was extremely foolhardy. Dragons have a choice about being bonded, you cannot force it. Take heart, there are other dragons such as Tessarion and many more on Dragonstone. You will have a dragon; you just must be patient."
***
Alicent had prayed that her babe would not come early like Dareon, yet as she entered the end of her pregnancy, she now prayed for the birth to come quickly. As the last month had dragged on, she had begun taking frequent naps despite the inability to obtain a comfortable position on her bed with her belly.
At least one set of prayers were answered, and she went into labor. Once again, Elaena was at her side. She felt invigorated as their hands clasped; the birthing bed would always be a battle, but with loved ones by your side it could be endured.
It was not an easy birth, but throughout it she kept her strength. The prediction Viserys had made turned out to be wrong. It was not a boy, but another girl. The child was frighteningly small, even smaller than Aemond when he had been born. The Grand Maester inspected her and said the child seemed a bit underdeveloped, but not something that would put its life in immediate danger.
"What did you and the King decide for a name?"
"Daenora."
The Maester nodded and left.
"This seemed to strain you, and you seem so much more tired, mother." Elaena commented.
"It is my fifth time bearing a child, it takes much out of a woman."
"I just worry over you. I believe you have done your duty to your husband and King. Bearing five children has added to the Targaryen dynasty. Between those five and Rhaenyra's own two children, I believe the future is well in hand. Perhaps it is time you come to an accord with father, and avoid additional children."
Alicent bit her lip, she wished this was her last, and yet holding baby Daenora now, she could not imagine not having her. It remained so odd to her how her feelings could change. She also knew that her father wanted her to have as many children as possible. Those children could one day ride dragons, and the more dragon riders they could muster, the better they could secure Aegon's rightful place.
"The Septons teach that children are a given from the Seven."
Elaena grimaced. Alicent's heart went out to her. She knew that Elaena would always have a concern when it came to bearing children. The scare with Daeron must have scarred her significantly, to say nothing of everyone's talk of how her mother died bearing Elaena. She doubted that quoting religious platitudes would ease Elaena's concerns.
"Come now Elaena, be happy, your little sister has just been born and I am well."
Elaena slowly nodded. "Yes, it is a wonderful thing that you both have made it through the process in one piece. I will endeavor not to cloud this auspicious day with my concerns; we can talk about those later."
Alicent smiled at her daughter and closed her eyes. The relief at the successful birth was wonderous and she just wanted to bask in the feeling of work completed. The future worries could be dealt with later.
At some point she must have nodded off, and Daenora taken from her. She woke up to see Viserys holding the babe.
"Well done my wife, she is beautiful."
"Thank you, Viserys. I am glad you are happy with her."
"Of course I am! It was an idle thought about the babe being a boy, you've already gifted me with three healthy sons, and daughters can be a delight too. Rhaenyra has made me a grandsire, and I've no need to sing Elaena's praises, for they are self-evident."
Alicent closed her eyes as Helaena was ignored again. She was too tired to curb her tongue.
"And Helaena too? You know she is your daughter as well."
Viserys looked taken aback. "Ah, well, I have not had the opportunity to interact with her, but she is an adorable child. I am grateful for her, of course."
Are you?
Alicent let the matter drop. She may be too tired to guard what she let slip her lips, but she was also too tired to argue and fight. She just wished to rest, and so she did so.
***
Rhaenyra was happy that Ser Harwin had put a child in her once more before going off to Harrenhal and getting married. She knew he would have to be gone a few months, but having a part of him remain, growing inside of her made it more bearable. Unfortunately, Alicent and her brood were coming to Dragonstone. Her half-brother, Aegon, had not found success in claiming Dreamfyre or Tessarion. Him not having a dragon was a good thing, but she could not refuse her father.
Viserys had decided it would be well to have the family gather. He intended a prolonged visit that included Alicent and all her children. The thought of having to deal with her frustrated Rhaenyra greatly, but at least Elaena was coming for a long visit as well. She missed her sister's regular presence. Elaena visited quite often, but only for short stays, no longer than one night. Rhaenyra was unused to not seeing her sister daily, and knew she herself was to blame for her infrequent trips to King's Landing.
Rhaenyra was proud of her sister; Elaena was working hard with the Master of Coin on the new Bank of the Dragon. Rhaenyra had always easily learned her sums, but she'd found the subjects of math and finance tedious. Counting coppers seemed more fitting for Maesters and advisors, not for queens. That did not diminish her sister's accomplishments; for a bank was no little thing. Elaena could talk about it endlessly and on subjects like 'risk-management,' 'basis points,' and 'collateral.' It was very clear to Rhaenyra that Elaena was thoroughly hands-on and dealing with the minutiae of its establishment.
They were preparing for the royals' arrival when news came. Laenor shook his head incredulously as he shared the news.
"This feels like a jest, but 'tis true. My sister and your uncle have secretly married and have flown to Pentos."
"What?" Rhaenyra was blindsided by that revelation. She knew her Uncle Daemon's wife had recently passed, but Laena was betrothed to a Braavosi. Laena visited Dragonstone often and Rhaenyra loved the three-way races they had between Seasmoke, Syrax, and Vhagar. She had a wild, adventurous spirit about her, but not that wild!
"But she's already betrothed, your sister never seemed fond of him, but…"
"Daemon killed him in a duel, then returned to Driftmark and they flew off together, only leaving this message to me and another to my parents that they had wed. Your father will be incensed, as will mine. There was no betrothal contract, no permission granted, this is… I have no idea, this seems unprecedented."
Her father would be upset, but there was little he could do. If they had flown to Essos, they were quite outside of his grasp. With Vhagar and Caraxes working together they were fairly unstoppable. She would miss Laena and their flights together, but perhaps she could visit them at some point after the birth.
"Laenor, this is quite a shock, but I can only believe Laena sees something in my uncle and my uncle something in her. She'll likely be happier with him than some Braavosi. Her children will have the potential to ride on dragons, and if father refuses to give them eggs, I will make sure they have dragons of their own when I am Queen."
"You are right, ah, well, I'm sure the feast with your father will have some interesting conversations. Everything seems to be ready for their arrival."
Her father looked well when he arrived. He embraced her and clapped Laenor on the back and congratulated him on having another child on the way. He held Luke and interacted with Jace, who he called the future King, something that Rhaenyra delighted in hearing, particularly when Alicent's sour face would show its frustration.
The welcoming feast had been prepared and the high table of Dragonstone seated the royal family. A family that was growing ever larger. Aegon, Helaena, and Aemond were now old enough that they could sit a table and not misbehave. Luke, Jace, Daeron, and of course little Daenora were too young and were being cared for by servants of their respective mothers.
Rhaenyra sat on her father's right hand and next to her was Laenor, then Elaena. Alicent was on her father's left. Viserys was cordial to all, at least at first. But soon some pointed questions were asked.
"Laenor, what is your sister thinking? I know she did not have her parents' approval to wed Daemon."
Her husband paused before answering with a smile, "Your Grace, I have as much control over Laena as you do your brother."
Viserys gave him a dry chuckle and raised his wine cup. "A bold response, but not the one I was hoping for. The realm is not served by their marriage. The Braavosi will be furious, and we had counted on Laena's marriage to avoid tensions with the Iron Bank."
Laenor spread his hands helplessly, "I wish I could say more Your Grace, but my sister did not seek my counsel prior to her decision."
"How is our new bank doing, father?" Rhaenyra asked to change the subject. She would not see Laenor hectored by her father over something he had no control over.
"It is going well; Lord Beesbury is most pleased with the progress. I don't know all the particulars, but Elaena likely knows more."
"The bank has begun operating on three fronts. The first is lending money to those who have existing loans at a higher interest rate with another lender. Before doing so we reviewed their financial situation and ensured repayment was feasible and likely. Primarily the lenders were the Iron Bank, Rogare Bank, and the Lannisters. The reduction in payment due to a lower interest rate has been a boon to those houses and this has also increased their gratitude toward the Iron Throne," Elaena explained.
"The second front has been new loans to major houses. Primarily House Velaryon has been given extremely low rates for some long-term debt."
Rhaenyra saw Laenor do a double take. "Princess, I'm surprised my father would do so. My house is extremely wealthy; what is the purpose?"
"They are wealthy, but much of their wealth is invested in their sizeable fleet. They had need for a large sum of gold immediately; the gold is to pay for mercenaries to help in the fighting in the Stepstones." Elaena paused and then continued with the third front. "And finally, we have begun making small loans to independent entrepreneurs who submit their business plans for our review. Currently, I personally review these, but I am instructing others on how to manage risk and ensure we don't bleed money in foolish ventures."
Rhaenyra saw Alicent look at her sworn shield, Ser Criston. "Ser Criston, have you something to say?" Alicent asked.
"Forgive me, my Queen, it is not my place."
Viserys waved his hand, which still held a piece of bread in it, "Go on, speak your mind, this isn't court, just a beloved family freely discussing topics of interest."
"My father was the steward of Blackhaven, and before I became a knight, he had hoped I would follow in his footsteps. The crown is lending out terrific sums of money, is being so spendthrift not a danger?"
"Ser Criston makes a fair point," Elaena began, "however the Crown has benefited from significantly higher revenues of late. Gold left sitting in the vaults does not do the realm any good. Putting more wealth in the hands of our people for industrious use will provide more long-term wealth generation, both because we earn interest from our prudent lending, and because we will help create a thriving, what I like to call 'middle-class' of merchants. We are not emptying the vaults, and are ensuring we use no more than half of the existing treasury. We will also be looking to do reverse loans at a lower rate, where the wealthy houses and mercantile powers provide us gold to fund lending operations."
"Thank you for appeasing my concerns, princess," Cole politely replied.
"I think it is wonderful what my daughter is doing," Alicent spoke up, "and since my husband is so dedicated to peace, it seems unlikely that we would have a need for a sudden influx of coin."
The King took his wife by the hand and Rhaenyra struggled to keep her face impassive.
"Alicent, I understand Aegon failed to claim a dragon, and that this is the reason for the visit to Dragonstone. Given his track record, are you sure it is wise for him to attempt to do so with the dragons that nest here? They aren't as docile as the ones in the Dragonpit, and I would not want to see ineptitude lead to tragedy."
"There were only two dragons, and the dragon gets a choice, maybe they didn't want to bond with anyone!" Aegon forcefully answered the perceived slight on his abilities.
Rhaenyra smiled, "I only worry for your safety, most Targaryens do very well with bonding. My two sons bonded with theirs in the cradle without issue, Laenor claimed Seasmoke immediately, father bonded with the Black Dread… just be aware not everyone is cut from the same cloth in terms of ability to be a dragonrider."
Aegon was red faced and began to inhale slowly and exhale. Alicent was glaring at her. Viserys though was frowning.
"The boy is young still, but your concern is noted. Have there been any new hatchlings? I know there are a few dragons that should be safe to approach as well."
"One of the dragons laid a clutch, but we only found remains. There is a dragon that is called the Cannibal who seems to seek out clutches. We've tired to find them before he does, but we aren't sure which dragon is the one responsible for the egg laying," Rhaenyra replied.
"What dragons are readily available?"
"Silverwing, Sunfyre, and Vermithor," Rhaenyra answered. "Grey Ghost and Sheepstealer also reside, but are quite elusive."
The King looked to Aegon, "Well my boy, you've got at least three more chances."
"Yes father, I will do you proud," Aegon responded.