Masos was shaking so hard he could barely stand.
Daeron looked down at the three royals and the cluster of guild merchants behind them. His voice was calm, but there was no warmth in it.
"Someone in Qohor has my dragon egg. I know you've heard about it. The Iron Throne doesn't want a war with Qohor, but that egg is coming home. You have two days."
He wasn't asking.
He was stating a fact. If they cooperated, things stayed peaceful. If they didn't, he would burn the problem away.
Masos swallowed hard and stepped forward, forcing a smile. "Your Grace… I am Masos of House Malarion. Please, come with us to the Palace of a Thousand Thrones. We'll begin searching immediately."
Jaehaerys moved closer to Daeron's side, clearly unhappy. Daeron gave him a small shake of the head.
"I'll go with them," he said quietly. "You stay here and watch the harbor. Don't let any ship leave without being searched."
Jaehaerys didn't like it, but he nodded.
Daeron turned back to Masos. "Lead the way."
Caraxes lifted off with a powerful beat of his wings, sending sand and colored cloth strips flying. The Qohorik people flinched and stumbled as the massive red dragon rose into the sky. A second later, the black dragon appeared beside it, circling high above the city like a second blade hanging over their heads.
Three dragons.
Masos felt his legs go weak all over again.
---
Inside the Palace of a Thousand Thrones, Daeron was given a bath and fresh clothes before meeting the rest of the royal family. He didn't mind. It gave the Qohorik time to panic properly among themselves.
He already knew how this would go.
Qohor couldn't fight him. They couldn't reach Westeros even if they wanted to. And they definitely couldn't stop three dragons from turning their city into ash. The only smart move they had was to hand over the egg and pray he left peacefully.
Daeron leaned back in the steaming jade bath, eyes half-closed.
Two days. That was all he was giving them.
If the egg wasn't in his hands by then, he would stop being polite.
---
Dragonstone.
Viserys sat alone in the hall of the Stone Drum, staring at nothing.
His brothers had left him behind. They were out there fighting, bleeding, risking everything for the family while he stayed here eating, drinking, and wasting time with a pretty but empty-headed girl.
He felt like shit.
Diana came bouncing down the stairs in a new dress, smiling brightly. "Prince! Come play with me?"
Viserys waved her off without looking. "Later. I'm thinking."
She pouted and backed away.
He barely noticed. His mind kept circling back to what Jaehaerys had said before leaving. About becoming a man. About carrying the family name.
Daeron and Jaehaerys were out there suffering. Maybe starving. Maybe sleeping on the ground. And here he was, safe and comfortable, doing nothing.
Something hot and ugly twisted in his chest.
"No," he muttered. "I'm not going to be the useless one."
He stood up so fast the chair scraped loudly across the floor. He yanked the heavy book Walls of Bronze and Iron from his shirt and slammed it against his own forehead as hard as he could.
There was a bright flash. Heat rushed through his body.
Viserys staggered, vision spinning, but he didn't stop. He grabbed his sword from the wall and ran straight for the door.
The two Dragon Guards outside jumped in surprise.
"Prince! Where are you going?!"
Viserys didn't slow down. He charged across the bridge, shouting into the wind.
"Tell my mother I'm not a coward anymore!"