For hours, the workers kept digging in the locations that Azaerys marked, and Rykker, as honourable as he was, eventually excused himself and dragged the whore with him to get the money's worth.
Arthur was a little embarrassed as they heard the wanton cries of the woman from behind the wall, and thankfully, Azaerys gestured for him to pick up a pickaxe and follow him.
They arrived inside the lair, or what remained of the lair which once housed a dragon, and stopped next to a coal-black wall with a large bump at the bottom.
Under Azaerys signal, Arthur started to break the rock out of the wall, and as it turned out, it was easier than expected. Only a few inches in, and the wall was hollow around the boulder that formed the bump, which allowed him to move it away by the end of the second hour.
There was a small cave behind it, and inside it was a familiar-looking stone.
The Knight glanced at his Prince before reaching in and picking out a Dragon Egg, red in colour, and covered in dust and mud.
Azaerys placed his hand on it as if to check something, and a smile formed on his lips.
"It's unharmed."
"It's alive?"
"Yes."
"How long has it been here for?"
"It's the last Egg that Dreamfyre laid, right before the Storming of the Drgaonpit during the Dance. She was smart enough to push it inside the cave and then slammed this rock into the wall to hide it."
"Dragons are that smart?" Arthur surprisedly asked.
"You will be surprised when you meet them."
The Knight wanted to remind him about what happened at the Summerhall but stayed quiet. Having been with Azaerys for years, he knew that his Prince was not stupid.
The Young Prince was not the same as Aegon the Fifth. He was unlike other Targaryens as well. He had the Valyrian Magic coursing through his veins.
Perhaps, his Prince had really seen the method to revive Dragons in one of his Dreams.
"Don't worry. They are sturdy enough. You can carry it in a sack. Just remember to not fall over it in your armour."
The Dayne laughed at his words and stored the Egg inside the sack he was carrying with him, creating a cushion for it with his clothes.
"We found something!"
A call came from outside, and both of them rushed towards the duo of workers, who had dug a nine-foot deep hole in the ground, right next to where a pillar once stood.
Rykker, who was back and looked very refreshed, immediately called over the other workers to help them dig more, and what they ended up finding were remains of dead, rubble, and a sword, whose blade was still sharp, deadly sharp.
The hilt needed to be worked on, but looking at the dark shiny blade under the moonlight, and after a closer inspection of its patterns, it was clear to them why it was still unharmed after being buried for who knows how long.
However, neither of the Knights said anything about it.
"We are done here. Let's move." Azaerys whispered from under his cloak and then threw two Gold Dragons to the workers. "Fill these holes up before you leave. If you leave the job unfinished, we will visit you to take these coins back." He warned, and the workers were way too happy right now to disobey his command.
"Don't worry, M'lord. We will fill them up." They said as they hastily started working on it.
Arthur, Rykker, the Whore, and the Prince climbed their horses and left the Drgaonpit to head out of the City. They chose the Gate that opened close to the bridge of the Blackwater rush.
The Guards did stop them, but Rykker showed them his face and tossed a few coins, and they were able to get out with salutes from gatekeepers.
Even during the war, the people were just the same as usual. Then again, only fools would charge at King's Landing from this side, and their group was not coming in but heading out.
"That was unexpectedly very easy." The black-haired Knight could not help but comment, and Azaerys smiled under his hood.
"I wonder why." He curiously said, and Arthur grinned at his playfulness.
By dawn, they had travelled into the Reach, and late in the morning, they finally decided to camp and get some rest.
The Knights were not tired, neither were their horses, but Azaerys had asked them to stop, and so they did. And this allowed the whore the much-needed rest. As soon as the camp was set, the woman dozed off to a deep sleep.
Rykker went out to hunt some rabbits and Arthur walked over to Azaerys, who was standing at a vantage point and looking towards the north.
"My Pri..." His words got stuck in his throat when he came to stand next to him and found tears streaming out of his eyes.
His body, under the cloak, was trembling, and his sobs cut deep into the Knight's heart.
Arthur knew what day it was, and he understood why his Prince was crying.
"Father's gone, Arthur."
The Knight held back his own tears, but his trembling body gave away his grief.
As much as Rhaegar was his Crown Prince, he was also his friend. His hand tightened around his Dawn as he wanted nothing more at this moment than to cut Robert into pieces, but all he could do now was wait.
"You are the Crown Prince now, Your Grace." As much as he hated doing this at his moment, he pulled out his sword and knelt to Azaerys, reciting his vows again, and this time, in his name.
"A Crown Prince without a Kingdom?" The Prince ruefully smiled.
"We will get it back, Your Grace."
"There are things you can never get back, Arthur. And I have lost another one today." Azaerys shook his head and wiped his tears. "I will lose another the day after tomorrow."
The Knight kept his head lowered, not saying anything.
"Stand." And finally, the command came and he returned to his feet.
An hour later, when Rykker returned, carrying three skinned rabbits, he found Arthur and Azaerys sitting under the shade of a tree in silence, and he frowned a little.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing. We are just dying of hunger." The Targaryen playfully said and smiled when the Knight laughed at his words.
"Worry not, My Prince. I roast the best rabbits in the world."
"We shall taste before passing any judgements."
"You will not be disappointed." He promised and started working on creating fire.
Arthur helped him out with the cooking, and even with the minimal spices, the meal turned out to be delicious.
"You have lots of remarkable qualities, Ser." The Whore commented as she ate her fill, and Rykker grinned at the praise.
"Not bad," Azaerys too commented, liking the roasted meat, and when he raised his head to drink water, the Whore caught sight of his hair and gasped.
"You are a Royal!" She pointed at him, and he laughed at the words.
"I am." He admitted. "But I hope you will not speak about it to anyone." He said to her, and when she glanced at the cold eyes of the two Knights, she gulped in fear and timidly nodded her head.
"Where are we going, My Prince?" Rykker asked when Jasmine, the Whore, entered the tent.
"Prince's Pass. To a place my Father called the Tower of Joy." He told him, and Arthur briefly froze at his words.
"What's there?" The black-haired man frowned.
"You will meet some friends there." He smiled, not telling him anything more.
Rykker nodded his head and then glanced at the Sword that was lying next to his.
"Is that Blackfyre?"
"Blackfyre is not in Westeros, and its blade is much darker than this one." Azaerys shook his head. "This is Lamentation, and once belonged to the Royce Family."
"The Sword that William Royce lost during the Dance." Arthur, who was much more knowledgeable about history, surprisedly looked at the blade.
"Yes. Those who took it ended up dying during the Storming of the Dragonpit, and they were buried under the rubble when the dome fell."
"Oh." Rykker nodded his head and did not raise any more questions that he had, and this impressed Azaerys, who liked the smarts of the dark-haired Knight.
The man knew what to ask and what not, which was a remarkable quality.
Once they set off on their journey again, they avoided any nearby towns, villages, and settlements, and took no stops even at night.
The second day was the same and they got away with just a few hours of sleep, but on the third, their bodies were at the limits.
Jaremy Rykker dozed off as soon as their Camp was set.
Arthur was forcing himself to stay awake to keep a watch, and Azaerys was forced to put him to sleep.
The Prince was not yet tired, nor was he in any need of sleep, but he closed his eyes as well when he sensed his Grandfather lose his life at the hands of Ser Jamie.
Another wave of sorrow washed over him, but this time, he shed no tears, and more than anything, he felt sorry for the Knight, who had to go through the pain of breaking his vows.
The blonde Knight did not realise that the one he had stabbed in the back was not just his King, but perhaps, it was for the best that he did not know the truth.
Towards the northeast of the King's Landing, a ship was on course to the Dragonstone, and its occupants were safe and unaware of the chaos their absence was soon going to throw the Capital into. Azaerys' eyes shot open when he sensed a presence close by, and he relaxed when he saw that it was only a coyote.
The canine met his eyes, and a few seconds later, it ran away in fear.
To it, the one staring back was not a prey, but a predator it could never survive against.
In some regards, the animals were truly smarter than people.
The Prince glanced at his companions and moved to sit behind a tree, away from their eyes.
He raised his right hand and willed for what he wanted to happen.
"Perzys" He whispered in Ancient Valyrian and soon heard the cackles of flame in his mind before it manifested into a ball, hovering above his hand. "Droag..."
Azaerys smiled as he watched the flame take from of dragon and fly around him. He played with it for a while, and when he cut the connection to it, the flame dragon burst out of existence.
Closing his eyes again, he absorbed the magical knowledge that he had learned from his Dreams, and it was not until late in the afternoon, when Arthur woke up, that he opened his eyes as well.
"Let's get going." He said and walked over from behind the tree, and his Knight seemed upset with him.
"Please, do not do it again, Your Grace."
"I will." He smiled at the man. "You need to be well rested if you want to protect me, Arthur. Now wake them up so that we can set off to our destination."
The Dayne felt upset and warm in his heart at the same time, but could only sigh and relent to his Prince's wishes.