"A wild boar attacked me, and I killed it."
Rhaenyra stroked Rhaegar's head, her tone carrying a hint of pride.
"Wow, the brave lady boar hunter."
Rhaegar blurted out the words without thinking.
Rhaenyra's face instantly darkened.
Just as Rhaegar was about to face his sister's wrath, a voice interrupted their moment.
"Princess, I heard you took down a wild boar on your own?"
The voice came from near the roasting pit.
The siblings turned at the same time and saw a burly man with curly brown hair and a thick beard.
Something about his features felt familiar to Rhaegar.
Yet, they had never met before.
Rhaenyra, however, recognized him and smiled politely. "It was just luck, Ser Harwin Strong."
Hearing the surname *Strong*, Rhaegar suddenly understood where the familiarity came from.
It was *that* Strong—Larys Strong, the man who made him uncomfortable.
Noticing his expression, Rhaenyra whispered, "He's the eldest son of the Hand, Lyonel Strong. A famous knight, known as the Bonebreaker."
"*Bonebreaker?* Does he crush his enemies' bones?"
Rhaegar half-joked.
Harwin, while skinning a pigeon, chuckled and replied, "That's right. In one battle, I smashed a poor fellow's skull with my war hammer. The survivors gave me the nickname *Bonebreaker*."
"Impressive. Seems like you really are a formidable warrior."
Rhaegar responded coolly, easily hearing the pride in the man's voice.
A knight with a title as fearsome as *Bonebreaker* certainly had reason to be proud.
After efficiently cleaning the pigeon, Harwin grabbed a cloth to wipe his hands and stepped forward with a grin.
"I'm quite good at roasting meat. I saw the prince enjoying his meal—perhaps the princess would do me the honor of trying some?"
Despite his towering physique, Harwin's demeanor was lighthearted and easygoing.
It was hard to imagine that this man had once crushed a skull on the battlefield.
Faced with the offer from the rather handsome knight, Rhaenyra gave an apologetic smile and declined. "No, thank you. My father is waiting for me, and no one says no to the King."
"No problem. I'll be staying in King's Landing for quite some time. If the princess ever wishes to try my cooking, you're always welcome."
Harwin was tactful—he expressed friendliness without being overly eager.
Rhaegar saw something in him.
*Respect.*
Rhaenyra, being older, saw it too.
A bit unused to it, she clasped her hands behind her back, her smile becoming more genuine. "I will, Ser."
Harwin smiled, gave a respectful bow, and withdrew.
This only increased Rhaenyra's impression of him.
Watching his sister seem unusually pleased, Rhaegar was baffled and pursed his lips.
"I'm going. Father is expecting me. You can wander around."
Rhaenyra still had to meet with Viserys and didn't have time to chat. She left in a hurry.
By now, many nobles were gathered at the camp, and all eyes turned to the princess, who was still stained with blood.
The once lively scene fell into sudden silence as everyone instinctively quieted.
Rhaenyra loathed such scrutiny.
With a cold expression, she walked forward, occasionally meeting someone's gaze.
Most of the time, her presence was enough to make them avert their eyes.
Those who felt guilty looked away, unwilling to meet her stare.
Rhaenyra smirked, despising their cowardice.
Watching his sister command attention, Rhaegar pressed his lips together.
For a moment, he thought he glimpsed loneliness in her.
---
### The Royal Hunt Concludes
As soon as the royal hunt ended, Viserys immediately boarded his carriage and returned to King's Landing with his family.
Due to Rhaenyra and Rhaegar's unsanctioned departure from the camp, their father decided on separate punishments.
The princess had reached the age for marriage but disliked the suitors her father had chosen.
Viserys went to great lengths, arranging a grand tour across the realm specifically for Rhaenyra.
Officially, this was to allow his heir to visit lords across the kingdom and strengthen ties with her vassals.
It was meant to showcase the power of House Targaryen.
And, to an extent, that was true.
Since becoming heir, Rhaenyra had only observed council meetings.
She had no real authority.
The boy was unfamiliar with the lords who had sworn fealty to her.
This time, Viserys sought to raise Rhaenyra's prominence and help the vassals better accept her as the heir.
To achieve this goal, tournaments and feasts were held across the various regions.
At the same time, this allowed Viserys to scout potential marriage matches for Rhaenyra.
In Viserys's view, if Rhaenyra didn't favor the suitors he selected, she could simply choose one herself.
"You have all the fine young men of the realm to pick from," he thought.
Surely, there must be someone who catches her eye.
This showed just how much the father valued his daughter's marriage.
Once the issue with his eldest daughter was addressed, dealing with his eldest son, Rhaegar, became simpler.
Using illness as an excuse, Viserys ordered Rhaegar to remain confined to the Red Keep, forbidding him from stepping beyond its gates.
To enforce this, several maesters were assigned to check on him regularly, ensuring his physical weakness was fully cured.
Having his personal freedom restricted, Rhaegar naturally rebelled.
After a heated argument, Viserys determined that Rhaegar was old enough to begin formal education.
He then appointed two elderly maesters to teach him reading and writing.
Rhaegar was overwhelmed.
Forced to wake up at 6 AM daily, endure eight hours of lessons, and face homework checks the following day, Rhaegar quickly grew resentful of the grueling routine.
Viserys showed no concern for the fact that Rhaegar was a child recovering from a serious illness.
Instead, he firmly believed in the principle of "if studying doesn't kill you, study harder."
Under this intensive, drill-like education, Rhaegar's once pale complexion improved slightly, but the dark circles under his eyes worsened day by day.
"Damn those maesters! Damn the Citadel of Oldtown! One day, I'll reclaim what I've lost!"
While practicing his handwriting under the strict guidance of the two elderly maesters, Rhaegar secretly made a vow.
When Rhaegar asked Viserys when his freedom would be restored, the answer he received was:
"When your sister returns to King's Landing, you may leave the Red Keep."
As a result, Rhaegar's longing for Rhaenyra became even more intense.
He missed his sister deeply!
"Please come back soon!"
...
Half a year passed in the blink of an eye.
Autumn deepened in King's Landing as the leaves turned yellow.
As a coastal city, King's Landing experienced minimal seasonal variation, but farmers in the surrounding lands grew busier with their harvests.
Meanwhile, Rhaegar, still confined to the Red Keep, received good news.
The sister he longed for day and night was finally returning.
Rhaenyra had decided to end her journey early. Boarding a ship from Storm's End, she was only a few days away from reaching King's Landing.
Regardless of what others thought, Rhaegar was overjoyed.
As soon as his lessons ended each day, he would climb to the tower's glass-paneled windows and gaze out at the sea, hoping to spot Rhaenyra's returning ship.
"This is wonderful. Sister is finally coming back! My suffering is about to end."
Reflecting on the past six months, Rhaegar felt a pang of sorrow for himself.
He did enjoy reading, but only as a way to pass the time when he was too weak to engage in other activities.
It was never meant to feel like imprisonment, forced into endless study behind closed doors.
"Your Highness, it's best not to say things like that. The King was quite angry when he heard about the Princess deciding to return on her own," a voice interrupted from within the tower.
Without looking, Rhaegar knew who it was.
Standing by another window, clad in silver armor and a white cloak, Ser Erryk stood tall and upright, resembling a spear.
"Ser, you know my daily life well enough. Don't you feel sorry for me?" Rhaegar asked bitterly.
Ser Erryk couldn't help but laugh.
"The King does want you to gain knowledge, Your Highness, but eight hours of lessons plus homework is a bit... excessive."
(End of Chapter)