Arryk withdrew from the council chamber with a stiff bow, boots tapping against the stone floor until the sound faded down the corridor. Only then did Aegon look toward Kraken.
The captain waited beneath the tall windows, half lit by the pale morning sun. Sea wind spilled through the casements and tugged at his cloak, carrying the brine of Blackwater Bay.
Aegon did not bother with ceremony.
"As soon as the news spreads," he said, "you will begin clearing the pirates from the waters around the Stepstones. You and Ser Entt will go together. Each of you will command ten warships. I will have Sunfyre fly with the fleet."
The words had barely left him when Kraken's brows pulled tight.
"Your Highness," he protested, stepping forward as if he might stop Aegon by sheer force of will. "The battlefield is perilous. You should remain here and oversee the greater strategy."
The concern in his voice was real. Kraken had the look of a man who had spent his life on uncertain waters and understood too well the ways they could swallow men whole.
He did not want Aegon anywhere near the Stepstones. A prince, a future king, the hope of the Greens... no sane man would.
If a dragonrider had to go, it should be Prince Aemond, he thought. Vhagar had survived more battles than any living creature. Aemond was the second son. If misfortune struck, the Greens would stagger, but not fall.
Aegon lifted a hand in dismissal.
"I never said I would go myself. Sunfyre will accompany the fleet alone. He is intelligent. Well... as intelligent as I am. You need not worry about him harming our own men."
Kraken stared, taken off guard. For a heartbeat he looked as though he had misheard. Then he found his voice.
"Your Highness... Dragons are wise beasts, but I have never heard of one discerning friend from foe without a rider. Forgive me. I mean no offense. If you are truly concerned, you may send Prince Aemond to guide us."
Aegon waved him off again.
"Fine. That is training he needs anyway. Go prepare, both of you."
Kraken bowed. Entt, who had barely spoken a word, followed suit.
Aegon had not asked the knight for his opinion once. Even when Aegon reassigned half of Entt's fleet to Kraken, Entt had offered nothing but obedience. He did not look upset. If anything, he seemed relieved.
Entt was no master of naval warfare. With Kraken there, the burden would fall to steadier shoulders. Later, Entt could hand over the remainder of his authority with some excuse about discipline, weather, provisions, anything at all. He would avoid blame entirely and still bask in whatever victory came of the campaign.
A perfect arrangement, in his eyes.
Once the two men left the hall, Aegon rolled his shoulders and strode through the castle. Dragonstone's corridors were dim and long, warmed by torches that flickered in the draft. Unsullied stone dragons lined the walls, their onyx eyes following him.
He headed toward the chambers where his siblings spent most of their hours.
He found Helaena first, seated by a window with embroidery spread across her lap. Threads of gold and blue glimmered between her fingers. Aemond stood nearby, arms crossed and jaw set as always, as if expecting conflict. Daeron perched on a chair, legs swinging restlessly, far too small for the intensity in his bright eyes.
Aegon entered without warning.
"The island's construction is proceeding well," he announced. "I plan to clear the pirates from the surrounding waters and declare my sovereignty to the world."
The words hung in the air.
Aemond reacted first. His single eye sharpened like a blade drawn from a sheath.
"We are attacking the pirates?" he asked, the excitement in his voice impossible to hide. "I will go. Let me go."
Aegon shot him a glare.
"Why are you shouting? Of course you will be there."
Aemond hardly seemed to hear the reprimand. He turned his head slowly toward Daeron, smugness curling at the edge of his lips.
Daeron had spent days bragging about defeating the pirate fleet. Aemond, competitive as ever, had been forbidden to act without Aegon's command. If not for that, he would have flown Vhagar against the pirates already and left nothing alive.
Helaena closed her embroidery, soft lips pressing together.
"What about Daeron and me?" she asked, looking up at Aegon.
She had been at his side the longest. She learned him better than anyone.
"You will both go," Aegon said. "Daeron will scout. You and Aemond will handle the fighting."
He reached out, fingers brushing a strand of Helaena's pale hair. She leaned slightly into the touch.
Daeron's reaction came instantly.
"What? I want to fight too. I have already proved myself. Why must I patrol again?"
Aemond snorted. He stepped forward, his smile thin and merciless. He looked down at Daeron like a hawk judging a sparrow.
"Haha. Because you are only six years old?"
He tapped Daeron lightly on the shoulder in mock sympathy.
"A child should act like a child. Leave the fighting to us."
Daeron flushed a deep red. Pride burned in his chest. He had flown Tessarion into battle and come back victorious. For days he had felt untouchable. Now Aegon placed him back on watch duty like an overexcited page.
And Aemond... Seven save him from Aemond's constant smirking and needling.
Aegon raised a hand before Daeron could bark back.
"Patrolling does not forbid you from entering battle. This is practice. But you will wait until Helaena and Aemond land and confirm the field is safe. Is that clear?"
Daeron pouted but nodded.
"I understand. You are only worried about the dragon bolts, right?" His voice climbed with frustration. "They are just special ballistae. How could they possibly strike a dragon midflight?"
The moment the words left him, Aegon reached out and smacked the back of his head.
Daeron yelped.
"What nonsense are you spouting?" Aegon scolded. "Of course I know what dragon bolts are."
He crouched slightly so he could look the boy directly in the eyes.
"A single bolt costs less than twenty gold dragons. The bolts themselves even less. But we have only four dragons. If something happens, no amount of gold can replace them."
Daeron blinked, surprised by how sharp Aegon's voice had grown. Aegon rarely allowed true fear to show, but the idea of losing a dragonrider carved something cold in his chest.
He looked toward the window, where distant clouds rolled over the sea like smoke.
One careless moment. One unlucky strike.
Vhagar and Dreamfyre were ancient beasts. Their scales were thick as castle walls. A bolt might wound them, but unless it hit their eye or slid into the neck joint, it would not kill.
Tessarion was not the same.
The Blue Queen was young. Even the thickest scales on her chest might fail against one well loosed dragon bolt. One hit could send her crashing to the ground.
Aegon imagined Daeron falling with her. He imagined pirates swarming a six year old boy tangled beneath the wing of his dying dragon.
His stomach twisted.
If Tessarion died, Daeron might one day claim another dragon. But if Daeron fell into the hands of pirates... no dragon egg could replace him.
Aegon exhaled slowly.
He had many unclaimed dragons. Dragonstone was full of them. Dreamfyre's eggs were rare, but the lineage was sound. The Greens did not lack dragons.
What they lacked were dragonriders.
He had even considered letting Hugh, that brute loyal only to him, attempt a taming. The image flickered in his mind. Hugh stood on a dragon's back, enormous arms gripping the reins, willing to rip a man in half if Aegon commanded it.
But that could never happen. Viserys would forbid it outright.
Who in Westeros did not know Hugh obeyed Aegon with blind devotion? Give him a dragon, and he would be a weapon no one could control but Aegon.
The king would not risk that. He guarded the Dragonpit as fiercely as a mother guards her brood. Aegon doubted Hugh would even be allowed near the outer cages.
In truth, Viserys feared many things, but nothing more than a dragon bonded to the wrong master.
Aegon turned back to his siblings.
"Prepare yourselves," he said quietly. "We set things in motion soon."
Aemond gave a crisp nod. Helaena rose with quiet grace, gathering her embroidery. Daeron straightened in an effort to look older, though his feet still barely reached the floor.
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A/N: Aegon's ambition has begun to stir.As his power grows, so do his foes, traitors, and enemies rising with blades already drawn.
Will he truly succeed… or be crushed before he can claim it all?
If you want to find out, read ahead on Patreon.19 advance chapters available, the first 2 are free.
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