Chapter 127: Relic of the Dark Sisters
"Quiet, Aemond."
Rhaegar turned back casually and said, "You can stay and watch, or you can leave."
Aemond's face was filled with fear, his chest heaving violently as he stared blankly at the Devourer committing violence.
One dragon devouring another—it was a scene too shocking to process.
"Hiss... Gah…"
The dragon's head fell into the massive jaws of the abyss. Sunflame's body writhed desperately, emitting faint, terrified screams.
A glint of mockery flashed in the Devourer's eyes.
It didn't crush Sunflame's neck immediately. Instead, it toyed with its prey, slowly opening and closing its jaws, swallowing bit by bit.
Aegon stared in disbelief at the scene, utterly frozen.
It wasn't until Sunflame's long neck disappeared into the dragon's maw that tears welled up in Aegon's eyes. Reality struck him hard, snapping him out of his daze.
Grabbing at Rhaegar's sleeve, Aegon cried out desperately, "Brother! I was wrong! I truly know I was wrong!"
"Please, I beg you, command the Devourer to spare Sunflame. Please, I'm begging you…"
By the end, Aegon was sobbing uncontrollably, his words choked and garbled.
Each Targaryen had a unique bond with their dragons.
Aegon had spent years taming Sunflame, building a deep emotional connection.
Rhaegar turned his head slightly, showing no intention of intervening.
*If only you had thought about this before…*
"Hiss… Gah…"
Trapped within the dragon's maw, Sunflame let out continuous cries, flapping its wings in a futile struggle.
Annoyed, the Devourer shook its head and lifted its wings. Using its clawed forelimbs, it grabbed Sunflame's body on both sides and slowly shoved it further into its mouth.
It resembled a toddler tilting its head back to pour snacks into its mouth.
"No, please!"
Witnessing this, Aegon nearly collapsed.
Falling to the ground, he wept bitterly, pleading, "Brother, please tell me what I did wrong…"
"I swear I'll change! Just spare Sunflame!"
Watching helplessly as his dragon was about to be devoured, Aegon fully realized his immaturity.
Still a youth, he couldn't bear this tragedy.
He wanted to admit his mistake. He wanted to beg for mercy. He hoped his pleas would earn his elder brother Rhaegar's compassion.
Looking down at the sobbing, despairing Aegon, Rhaegar's calm gaze rippled slightly with a faint trace of emotion.
He released Aegon's hair from his grip and pinched his chin, sighing softly.
"My foolish brother, you should count yourself lucky that we share the same bloodline."
At the same time, the Devourer continued stuffing Sunflame into its maw. In an instant, only Sunflame's hind legs and tail remained visible.
"Devourer."
Rhaegar lightly patted Aegon's head and called out gently.
"Hiss… Gah…"
The Devourer paused at the sound, tilting its head in confusion to look at its rider, though it didn't stop swallowing.
Rhaegar gave an apologetic smile, locking eyes with the beast. He said no more.
From a distance of several dozen meters, man and dragon locked gazes.
A green dragon sigil appeared in Rhaegar's eyes, mirrored in the vertical pupils of the Devourer, which reflected its rider's image.
In that silent exchange, man and dragon understood each other's thoughts.
After a moment, the Devourer folded its wings reluctantly, turning around and spitting out Sunflame from its jaws.
With a wet splat, Sunflame landed on the ground, its body coated in sticky dragon saliva, convulsing as though in shock.
"Hiss… Gah…"
The Devourer was visibly irritated that its snack had been taken away.
Its tail lashed out violently, swatting the incapacitated Sunflame far across the ground.
Though reluctant, it ultimately obeyed its rider's command.
Seeing that Sunflame had been spared, Aegon's sorrow turned into joy. Overwhelmed with emotion, he exclaimed, "Thank you, Brother!"
"Aegon, you asked me what you did wrong. As your elder brother, I will remind you this once."
Rhaegar gazed down at him, his voice calm but heavy with authority.
"Remember, no matter when or where, no matter what our positions may be, you must always show me the utmost respect."
"Otherwise…"
"I will! I swear I'll change!"
Before Rhaegar could finish, Aegon interrupted with a desperate declaration.
"That's not enough."
Rhaegar shook his head and said, "You are my brother. It is my duty to teach and protect you."
"In return, you must not only learn respect but also understand your place."
"What I give you is yours."
"What I don't give, you cannot keep."
As he spoke, Rhaegar pointed at the crumpled form of Sunflame and said softly, "Brother, the chance for forgiveness comes only once. Do you understand?"
"Y-Yes…"
The overwhelming pressure engulfed Aegon, leaving him temporarily speechless. Forcing a smile more pitiful than crying, he nodded repeatedly like a bobbing puppet.
*Seven Gods above…*
The painful lesson from today was one he would never dare to forget for the rest of his life.
"Good, it seems you've learned your lesson," Rhaegar said with a smile.
He called over a few Dragon Guards and instructed them, "Ensure my younger siblings are safely escorted back to the Red Keep."
With the chaotic dispute over, he still needed to calm the enraged glutton.
Taking food from a dragon's mouth was bound to stir no small amount of resentment.
"I'll help you up, Prince," one of the guards hurried forward to assist Aegon and the fallen Aemond.
Helaena hid behind a cluster of bonfires.
She had watched the entire farce unfold, her heart brimming with indescribable emotions.
Helaena's rosy lips parted slightly as her wide eyes fixed on Rhaegar's retreating figure. She was utterly captivated.
"Do dragons... give people courage?"
She didn't know why her eldest brother seemed so commanding, but the image of him giving an order to the dragon remained etched in her mind, vivid and unforgettable.
"Princess, please come with me," a Dragon Guard said, approaching her.
Helaena covered her small mouth, glancing around nervously.
Finally, her gaze landed on the entrance to a cavern.
And there she saw it—Dreamfyre, a massive dragon with pale blue scales, retreating into the cavern.
Although Dreamfyre wasn't as fearsome as the glutton, it was larger than Sunfyre and Tessarion.
Helaena's innocent mind began to work.
She believed she could tame Dreamfyre and gain the same courage as her eldest brother.
Rhaegar glanced at the little girl.
Seeing her dazed expression, he assumed she was frightened and instructed the Dragon Guards to handle her with care.
---
Dusk fell.
Above King's Landing, a massive black dragon circled slowly, its claws clutching several cows and sheep.
Seated in the saddle, Rhaegar closed his eyes, tilting his head back as he let his thoughts drift.
He had just returned from Dragonstone. The glutton had been allowed to indulge itself for half the day, snatching some livestock.
Over time, the bond between Rhaegar and the glutton grew deeper.
Much of this was thanks to his good uncle, Daemon.
Pulling up the system panel, he reviewed his past exploration records.
**[Dark Sister]**
- Exploration Progress: 100%
- "Exploration complete. Please collect the lost relic."
- "Relic successfully retrieved. Initiating detection..."
- "Detection complete. Classified as an epic relic: *Knight's Glory*."
A small line of text appeared below:
"Please select a Guardian Knight."
Without hesitation, Rhaegar chose the glutton, binding himself and the dragon as one.
"Congratulations. *Knight's Glory* has been activated. You have gained..."
**[Knight's Oath]**
- Level: Epic (Purple)
- Effect: Unified Will
- Description: "Bound by an oath, life and death are shared."
Whew...
The evening breeze brushed against his face as Rhaegar slowly opened his eyes, drawing the *Dark Sister* from his waist.
This ancestral sword had brought him an invaluable relic.
With the glutton as his Guardian Knight, man and dragon no longer needed words to communicate. A single thought was enough to convey anything seamlessly.
Moreover, Rhaegar gained a unique benefit from his bond with the glutton—one that would bring him endless advantage.
---
The primary cause of the *Dance of the Dragons* stemmed from Rhaenyra's claim as a female heir.
As the eldest son, Rhaegar naturally had a stronger claim to legitimacy.
Because of this, most of his enemies operated from the shadows, unlike the Rhaenyra in the original story, who was openly ostracized and forced to retreat to Dragonstone in humiliation.
---
*(Chapter End)*