-Chapter 2-
-23rd day of the 7th moon of the year 98 AC-
As had become my habit for the past 6 moons, I... was bored.
But of course, I was bored. What else could I possibly do at my age? I had to be careful not to speak while also making sure not to appear foolish, and for that, I had to cry, smile, and weep - nothing more, nothing less.
To break my boredom, I imagined lots of little games that I could play to pass the time, like counting sheep, for example. But that became deathly boring, so I stopped counting sheep and started counting crocodiles, and eventually, I also counted dragons. But there inevitably comes a time when one starts to get tired of counting animals, so I moved on to doing sums.
Yep, good old mental arithmetic, that worked the best. But like everything, it also becomes boring once you've repeated it enough times. So, to kill my boredom, I cried. I cried until someone decided to come take care of me and take me out for a walk.
I had absolutely nothing in common with all those reincarnated kids who are adorable and slightly autistic; no, I was a damn difficult child.
My mother had gone God knows where...no, now I should say where only the Seven know, and she had left me here. This had hardly ever happened before, and I didn't want to be cared for by nurses. Who knows if they would poison me or sell me to a slaver, or even...
My train of thought was interrupted once I saw my great-grandmother enter my room. I clapped very loudly to show her my enthusiasm, and then I raised my arms; it was the signal between us. She smiled gently and then placed her hands under my armpits, bringing me close to her chest while whispering in Valyrian:
"You scare all your nurses, you little rascal."
I smiled but remained silent and hid in her neck. She stroked my back and then said, "Let's go for a walk; it's been a long time since you've seen Urrax."
As soon as I heard the name Urrax, I immediately popped my head out from her neck and clapped. She smiled at me and then said, "You recognized the name Urrax; you really are a very intelligent little dragon."
---
-POV Jaehaerys-
Knock...Knock...Knock
"Your Majesty, the queen has left the castle," said Ser Ryam.
"Where to?" I asked, confused.
"The Dragonpit, Your Grace," he said.
"Was she accompanied?" I asked, already suspecting the reason she would go there, especially since Silverwing was not there.
"Yes, Your Majesty, she took your great-grandson Aemon with her," said my new Hand.
"Thank you for informing me, Ser Ryam."
He bowed before exiting, and once he closed the door, I let a small smile cross my face. With the many deaths we had faced, the birth of Rhaenyra and Aemon had been a comfort to our entire family.
Especially the birth of Aemon.
He looked so much like our Aemon that it was really disturbing, but as he grew, I saw many differences, especially in their behavior. It allowed me to quickly move on and resume my role as king, which was not the case for Alysanne. She took care of him more than his own mother and probably loved him just as much, if not more.
'I hope he outlives us; otherwise, it could well finish her,' I thought.
We had had many children, and we had lost too many: Aegon, Daenerys, Valerion, and Gaemon.
This taught me that a child's health was extremely fragile.
---
-POV Rhea Royce-
"Father, I'm delighted to see you," I said, giving my father a fake smile.
"No, you're not. I can see it on your face," said the Protector of the Vale, Yorbert Royce.
I said nothing, and he continued, "Rhea, do you realize what I've done for you? I married you to a prince. We're not a Great House, but I managed to do it. Your son will be a dragon rider, the first Lord of Runestone to become one."
"Spare me these meaningless words and tell me why you've come, father?"
My father frowned and then said, "You need to have a second one."
I was shocked for a few moments before bursting into laughter, paying no heed to decorum or my attire.
I laughed long and hard before finally regaining my composure to say, in a tone filled with resentment and betrayal, "You came here to ask me to have a spare?"
He said nothing, and I became increasingly angry:
"You really made all this way to make me consider the death of my baby instead of coming to celebrate his birth."
"Rhea, don't pretend like you don't understand. There has to be at least one who is a Royce."
"Don't forget why I agreed to make you my heir. If you don't have a second, I will erase you from my succession and name your cousin Gerold in your place," he said, hardening his facial expression.
I felt my stomach knot up several times inside me. I wanted to curse at him and even slap him, but in the end, the only thing I could say was, "I will do what needs to be done."
He nodded and then said, "The next time you come to visit me in my chambers, I want you to be accompanied by your son. He is a Royce above all, and he must understand that from his youngest age."
"Yes, father," I said, gritting my teeth against each other.
"You may go," he said.
I did not hesitate and immediately left once he dismissed me. I wiped away the tears that threatened to spill from my eyes and took a deep breath before heading to my chambers.
Seeing Aemon's room empty, I called out to the guards posted in front of his room and asked, "Where is my son?"
"The queen took Prince Aemon to see his dragon," said one of the guards.
I let out a sigh of relief and then just waited for them to return. The only thing that allowed me to bear this place was holding my son in my arms, and right now, I needed it more than ever.
---
-POV MC-
We got out of the carriage once we arrived in front of the Dragonpit. I had never seen anything so beautiful; well, no, it wasn't really beautiful, it was more majestic than anything else.
"This is your first time seeing the Dragonpit, isn't it, my little dragon?" said my great-grandmother with a mischievous little smile.
I smiled, and then she said, "Let's go, your dragon is waiting for you. You have been separated for several moons now, my dear."
I clapped to show my excitement, and then we entered the immense abode of dragons at King's Landing.
Once inside the Dragonpit, a dozen soldiers in armor arrived and knelt before us.
"Your Highness."
"Bring Urrax."
The chief of the Dragon Keepers nodded and then gestured to his subordinates to fetch my dragon.
A few moments later, the keepers returned with my dragon, and I was really surprised because he had grown so much that I wouldn't have recognized him if it weren't for the special connection we had with each other since I accepted Urrax as my familiar.
Urrax was truly magnificent; his black scales were as dark as obsidian, demonstrating the fierce side of dragons, while the silver reflections on the spine and wings highlighted the elegance of my dragon.