Chapter 132: Viserys: The Seven Are Cruel Jokers

Above the Red Mountains, the clouds rolled like waves. A massive blue-horned dragon pierced through the layers of mist, flying desperately forward as though fleeing. And indeed, it was. Just after breaking through the sea of clouds, a black streak of lightning shot toward Stormcloud, accompanied by pale dragonfire. It was clear that the gaunt black dragon had held back; otherwise, the flame would have scorched Stormcloud.

Aegon sighed in relief and glanced at the sky. Today's combat training should be sufficient, he thought, silently praying that Rey wouldn't get too carried away and continue chasing him. As Stormcloud nervously scanned the skies, Shadowmare suddenly appeared from its side.

Aegon broke into a cold sweat — if this had been a true dragon battle, Shadowmare could have easily used the opportunity to bite Stormcloud's neck.

"Enough, let's head back," Rey called out, noting the young king's unease. "Dragon combat takes years of practice. You've only trained for a few days. It's normal." Aegon nodded, guiding Stormcloud back toward Dragonstone.

At that moment, both dragons and their riders noticed a massive emerald dragon taking off from the Dragonpit, heading toward the valleys near the Red Mountains.

"Vermax is punctual as ever, heading out at the same time every day," Aegon remarked. Shadowmare slowed, flying beside Stormcloud.

Rey released one hand from the reins and called out, "Vermax is clever. At this hour, Argo's Dothraki khalasar is grazing their herds in the valleys. He always lets a few sheep or horses stray as offerings to the dragon."

"Argo," Aegon murmured, recalling the shirtless, wild young man who was once Draezell's sworn blood brother and personal guard. After earning his reward, Argo had been granted vast tracts of land north of Summerfield, where he settled his khalasar. Unlike their nomadic counterparts in Essos, his people had established permanent settlements in the valleys and were now breeders of warhorses, akin to House Sandal in the south.

While Oberyn Sandal bred desert horses, Argo's task was to raise a superior breed — a mix of Stormlands chargers, Reach steeds, mountainous borderland breeds, and even striped Valyrian warhorses. These became the primary mounts of the Silver Blood army. After the naming-day festivities for Draezell and Valar, Draezell would officiate Argo's wedding to a silver-haired Valyrian woman — a fierce rider and one of the immigrants Draezell had brought to Dragon's Nest.

"Uncle Rey, after the naming-day feast, can we attend Argo's wedding?" Aegon asked.

Rey considered this. "The king's presence would be a great honor for Argo. But remember, while they are no longer truly Dothraki, they still follow many of their traditions. You must respect their customs."

"Of course. I'm curious about Dothraki wedding traditions," Aegon replied with a smile. As they spoke, the two dragons landed one after the other in the dragonpit, where Draezell and Hoffa awaited them. Following protocol, Aegon and Rey dismounted and, with the help of the Silver Guard, began cleaning their dragons.

Elsewhere, Rhaegor and Samantha had been taken to rest by Diana, as they were still too young. However, Viserys suddenly descended the imposing stone staircase, rushing into the Pit. "Uncle Draezell, have you seen Vermax?"

Draezell was surprised. Had the boy finally come to his senses? Ever since Rhaena's Morning had successfully hatched, Viserys had fallen into despair. For weeks, he had even taken to sleeping in the greenhouse, clutching his dragon egg.

But the egg remained dormant, and Viserys had lost hope that it would ever hatch. Now, it seemed he had realized another option: taming a dragon that was not his bonded companion.

"Vermax has flown out. He should return by dusk," Draezell replied after a glance at the sky. "Do you want to tame Vermax?"

Viserys nodded. "Yes. My egg hasn't hatched. I think I can try my brother's dragon."

"When Vermax returns, I'll help you," Draezell agreed. Perhaps this could work. When he and Valar tamed Varmithor and Silverwing, they had no experience, relying only on brute strength and magic. In hindsight, it had been a dangerous endeavor. But with a skilled dragonrider assisting, the process might be safer. If this method proved effective, future generations of the family could adopt it when faced with similar challenges.

Viserys bowed gratefully, while Aegon and Rey also emerged from their respective dragons' lairs, bare-chested and carrying dirty clothes. Draezell smiled and approached them. "Hurry up and put on some proper clothes, don't catch a cold."

Rey nodded and quickly changed into fresh silk clothes with Aegon. "Viserys?" Aegon glanced suspiciously at Viserys, whose face was filled with excitement. He remembered that Viserys didn't have this expression when he took off. But it didn't matter. After so much dragon-riding practice, Aegon just wanted to soak in a hot spring, eat something good, and get a good night's sleep. Viserys exchanged a look with Draezell and followed his brother, walking toward the lift platform with the Silver Guard, leaving Rey behind to watch Draezell and Hoffa.

"How is he?" Draezell patiently helped his younger brother tie his clothes.

"Your Majesty has great potential," Rey said, adjusting his collar. "His dragon-riding skills have improved a lot."

Draezell nodded. "What about you?"

Rey shrugged. "Mine's good enough. Brother, there shouldn't be any wars in the near future, right?"

"There won't be any wars on the scale of the Dance of the Dragons," Draezell said. "But there are still some unstable areas. The Red Kraken has taken over Tyrosh, and his Iron Fleet is raiding Myr and Lys. I'm sure these two city-states will come to Westeros for mediation."

Draezell whistled, and Vermithor lazily stuck its head out of the Pit, allowing Draezell to rest against its head and stroke its scales, listening to the sounds inside.

"The Red Kraken is not full yet," Rey said as he put on his outerwear. "He won't retreat easily. Brother, I'm worried the Red Kraken will take the Stepstone. The Ironborn are more bloodthirsty, immoral, and unpredictable than those pirates. If we let them take the Stepstones, not only the Narrow Sea route but the entire Summer Sea route will be affected. And we still have assets in Lys; we can't let he disrupt our wealth."

"Vermithor says it feels the surge of flames," Draezell suddenly changed the subject. "It seems the magic spring in the Red Mountains is starting to stir. We may be about to see new dragons."

"Brother, we're discussing serious matters," Rey quickly interrupted Draezell's wandering thoughts. Draezell smiled and didn't argue with Rey's interruption but explained, "Dalton's affairs are not our turn to worry about. The naval strength of Lys and Myr is stronger than that of Tyrosh. They also have enough land territory to support the war. At least they can still hold on. Moreover, Dalton's iron Borns dare not confront the silver fleet head-on. We just need to wait and see. When the time is right, it will be time for us to take action."

"Timing, timing," Rey chuckled, shaking his head. "I understand now, brother. Let's take care of our own matters first."

Draezell lightly tapped Rey's head. "Finally, you're catching on. Right now, neither the Stepstones, nor Lys, Myr, or Dalton are our concern. When they really come knocking and give us a good reason, that's when we can solve the problem without hesitation."

The two brothers discussed the state of the kingdom for a while. Overall, the post-war kingdom was still very stable, especially with winter approaching. Many nobles were focused on surviving what could be a long winter and had no energy left for stirring up trouble. Only a few areas seemed unstable. First, the Vale — Lady Jeyne had fallen seriously ill last year, and this had caused those who coveted her position as heir to start stirring.

Then, Dorne, specifically the Prince of the Torrentine. House Dayne was facing internal problems. The nominal Prince of the Torrentine, Albain Dayne, was lacking in ability, military power, and political acumen compared to the woman who was effectively ruling High Hermitage, Obara Dayne. If it weren't for the fact that the knightess was completely devoted to dawn and swordsmanship, Obara would likely have already become the Lady of Highgarden instead of the young Quentyn Dayne. The power struggle had caused a rift between the siblings.

Beneath the surface, there was turmoil, and House Martell hadn't been idle. Lord Doran Martell had led his forces to wipe out the last of the Ironwoods, completely submerging them in Dorne's desert. However, he didn't immediately disband the army, instead staying stationed along the Brimstone River, keeping a close watch on the Prince of the Torrentine.

After the two brothers had finished discussing, Hoffa slowly spoke. "Your Highness, a while ago, Regent Daemon sent a message about selecting new Kingsguard members. What have you decided?"

Draezell, of course, hadn't forgotten about this matter. "When is Captain Of The kingsguard, Steffon Darklyn, arriving? I'm ready. We just need him to finalize the selection process."

"Captain Steffon's ship has already reached Tarth Island. He'll change ships there and head to the Brandyport," Hoffa replied. "It'll take at least five more days."

Draezell thought for a moment. "That's enough time. Hoffa, go tell Sebastian to notify all the candidates to prepare for the gathering."

"Yes, Your Highness."

At that moment, the Chief Steward, Yamor, hurried down the stairs with a strange expression on his face, leaning in to whisper something in Draezell's ear. Draezell's eyes immediately widened.

"What happened, brother?" Rey asked, puzzled by Draezell's sudden change in demeanor.

"The dragon egg has hatched," Draezell explained, quickly asking, "Which two eggs?"

The Chief Steward answered, "One is the dragon egg that Prince Viserys brought, and the other is the blue dragon egg that came from the ruins."

Draezell took a deep breath. "Take us to see it."

The greenhouse in the Dragons Lair Tower.

Viserys stared blankly at the crack forming in his dragon egg, feeling on the verge of tears, not knowing what to do with his hands.

He had just decided to train his brother's dragon, and now his own egg was hatching.

What on earth was happening?