One man and one dragon—it's said that like master, like dragon.
Aegon had an arrogant and wild personality, and Sunfyre, his dragon, was equally proud and high-spirited.
Mocked mercilessly by his older brother, Aemond's face flushed with embarrassment and frustration. "That's not true! Stop talking nonsense!" he retorted angrily.
Despite his pale face betraying his fear, Aemond had his own pride and couldn't stand being humiliated.
Aegon, riding high on Sunfyre, looked down at Aemond with a smug grin. "Idiot, that dragon doesn't even care about you," he gloated.
Taming a dragon wasn't that simple; Aegon had spent years training Sunfyre.
Aemond climbed to his feet, glaring at his brother, and shouted, "You're lying! Tessarion's just shy, that's all. It will accept me!"
Even though Tessarion had almost hurt him, Aemond still held onto hope.
Aegon flipped his long, silvery-golden hair, oozing arrogance. "Give it up. Taming a dragon isn't something you can do overnight."
"No! I have true dragon blood in my veins! I will succeed!"
Refusing to back down, Aemond summoned his courage and approached Tessarion again. Stretching out his hand, he pleaded, "Tessarion, you'll accept me, won't you?"
"Hissss...!"
Chained and restless, Tessarion raised its head and roared, its slit-pupiled eyes filled with irritation.
"Don't act like this. I can be your rider."
Aemond took a step back, nervously watching Tessarion.
He dreamed of taming a dragon.
Both his older brother Rhaegar and older sister Rhaenyra had successfully bonded with dragons at his age. How could he fail?
"Stop wasting your time. That dragon's not meant for you. Just go home and hatch a dragon egg," Aegon taunted, stroking Sunfyre's shimmering, majestic scales with an air of superiority.
"Aegon, Aemond is your brother. Watch your words!"
Rhaegar, unable to bear Aegon's mockery of the dejected Aemond, finally intervened with a stern rebuke.
They were brothers, after all. Mocking him like that was going too far. Rhaegar wouldn't allow Aegon's arrogance to spiral out of control.
Aegon was momentarily stunned by Rhaegar's reprimand, but he quickly stiffened his neck and snapped back, "He's my brother! I can talk to him however I want! What's it to you?!"
Aegon had been taught by Alicent from a young age that elder brothers were supposed to discipline their younger siblings.
Of course, he conveniently forgot the second part of Alicent's teachings: elder brothers were also meant to protect their younger siblings.
"Aegon, do you even realize who you're talking to?"
Rhaegar narrowed his eyes at Aegon's defiant attitude as he stood up, cradling Helaena in his arms.
Seeing Rhaegar lose his temper sent a shiver down Aegon's spine.
"Hissss..."
Sunfyre, sensing his rider's unease, let out a low growl.
Aegon hesitated for a moment but then reached out to touch Sunfyre's back. The dragon's fiery-hot scales reignited his courage.
Memories of being oppressed by Rhaegar, overlooked by their father Viserys, and scolded by their mother Alicent flooded his mind.
Years of pent-up anger surged within him.
Clenching his teeth, Aegon decided to stand his ground for once.
"We're all born of the same father. Why should I fear you?!"
Gripping the saddle tightly, Aegon shouted defiantly, "So what if I'm talking to you? What can you do about it?"
"Impressive. You've surprised me today."
Hearing Aegon's answer, Rhaegar's lips curled into a cold smile. Holding Helaena, he strode toward Sunfyre.
"What are you doing? Stay back!"
As Rhaegar got closer, Aegon began to panic, shouting in resistance.
"Aegon, do you think being a dragonrider makes you superior to everyone else?"
Rhaegar stood before the towering golden dragon and looked up, meeting the eyes of his foolish younger brother seated on Sunfyre's back.
"Of course! I tamed Sunfyre! I'm the pride of our house!"
Aegon's bravado faltered as he yelled. Without realizing it, he slid slightly backward in the saddle.
"Hissss..."
Sunfyre, agitated by his rider's growing unease, let out a warning roar.
The mighty dragon dwarfed Rhaegar in size, looking down at the man who dared threaten its rider.
Its fearsome jaws opened wide, and the sulfurous stench of its breath blew Rhaegar's hair into disarray.
Rhaegar, unfazed, covered Helaena's ears and glared coldly at Sunfyre. In a commanding tone, he barked in High Valyrian, "Be still!"
Though his voice was overpowered by the dragon's roar, his presence and aura only grew stronger.
Sunfyre, provoked, lowered its head closer to Rhaegar, its scorching breath washing over him.
Rhaegar didn't flinch. His piercing violet eyes locked with Sunfyre's slitted pupils.
In a flash of lightning, a green dragon pattern appeared deep within Rhaegar's pupils, caught keenly by Sunflame's sharp gaze.
A strong sense of danger surged through Sunflame. Its pupils contracted slightly as it quickly snapped its jaws shut and retreated a short distance.
It sensed that something was off.
Ignoring the golden dragon, Rhaegar pointed a finger at Aegon and said coldly, "Get down here, Aegon!"
"Brother, you're so hot~"
Helena, nestled in his arms, squirmed slightly and looked up with her flushed little face.
Unbeknownst to anyone, Rhaegar's pale skin had rapidly turned red, his body temperature rising uncontrollably, as though he had become a humanoid flame.
Held tightly in his embrace, Helena felt as though she were inside a steamer; even her small head began to emit heat.
Without Sunflame's intimidation, Aegon shuddered and broke into a sweat.
No matter how hard he racked his brain, he couldn't understand it.
Rhaegar wasn't afraid of dragons; the dragons were afraid of him.
Suppressing the urge to tumble off the dragon's back, Aegon glanced around, his gaze landing on the restless Tessarion.
His eyes lit up, and he exclaimed urgently, "That dragon frightened Aemond! Why are you taking it out on me? Deal with it instead."
"I told you to get down here, Aegon!"
Rhaegar's eyes were locked on the mischievous brat, his voice growing colder by the second.
Today, he had to teach him a proper lesson about respect and hierarchy.
Startled by Rhaegar's roar, Aegon turned to the dazed Aemond and shouted, "Aemond, didn't you want to tame a dragon? Let me help you subdue it!"
As he spoke, he gave Sunflame an order: "Pin down that young dragon!"
"Rrrrgh..."
Forced to suppress its temper earlier, Sunflame now locked its ferocious gaze on Tessarion, its vertical pupils gleaming with cruelty.
It didn't understand what "pin down" meant.
Would rendering it immobile suffice?
Sunflame began crawling forward, golden dragon flames spewing from its mouth, striking the unsuspecting Tessarion.
"Rrrrgh..."
Still a young dragon, Tessarion couldn't withstand the dragonfire and was sent flying, its body scorched black.
"No! Tessarion, are you okay?!"
Aemond's face turned pale as he rushed to his beloved young dragon, his heart aching.
"You idiot! It's forbidden to attack in the dragonpit!"
Rhaegar hadn't expected Aegon to vent his anger on Tessarion.
"Rrrrgh..."
Sunflame's burst of dragonfire triggered a chain reaction.
The injured Tessarion let out an enraged screech. Dreamfyre, which had been idly watching, was also startled and began flapping its wings and growling repeatedly.
For a moment, chaos among the dragons seemed imminent.
"Find somewhere to hide."
Rhaegar gently set Helena down, grabbed a powerful bow from a dragon guard, nocked an arrow, and aimed it at Aegon.
With a cold expression, he said, "Don't make me say it a third time, Aegon!"
"Wait! I'm coming down, I'm coming down right now!"
Faced with an arrow aimed at him, Aegon's hair stood on end. He hurriedly unfastened the chains around his waist and climbed down from the dragon's back.
He realized he was in deep trouble.
"Rrrrgh..."
Sunflame growled irritably, its body twisting and turning as it cast hostile glances at both Dreamfyre and Tessarion.
It sensed a threat from the two fellow dragons.
The volatile instincts hidden deep in its bloodline drove its unease.
As soon as Aegon landed, Sunflame immediately lunged toward Dreamfyre, which was surrounded by dragonkeepers.
In the end, the rebellious teenager couldn't escape a beating from his older brother.
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*(End of Chapter)*