Following closely behind Vhagar, Gaemon dove toward Dragonstone's surface at a speed no ordinary man could comprehend.
As the two dragons drew nearer to the island, several powerful roars erupted from below—some deep and rumbling, others sharp and piercing, each one carrying an unmistakable threat, as if the island's dragons were issuing a warning to the newcomers.
Bahamut took it in stride and did not immediately answer the challenge.
But Vhagar, flying in the lead, was not one to tolerate such provocation from her lesser kin. A deep, thunderous roar burst from her massive jaws in response.
Baelon, seated on her back, knew his dragon's temper well. He patted her neck several times, clearly trying to calm the ancient she-dragon.
Every dragon was a priceless treasure to House Targaryen. When the Targaryens first fled Valyria to Dragonstone, they brought only five dragons with them.
For reasons lost to time, those five soon died, leaving only Balerion the Black Dread.
Fortunately, over the following century, Vhagar and Meraxes were hatched on Dragonstone, helping the family emerge from its period of weakness.
Though the Conquest dragons helped unite Westeros (save Dorne), the number of dragons had never grown much.
Until King Jaehaerys and Queen Alysanne's marriage, when the family's dragons finally began to increase—though never by a great amount.
Still, there was good news: the roars rising from Dragonstone confirmed that the island's dragon population was growing. Some dragons had laid eggs outside the caves, which hatched into wild dragons now living freely on the island.
Those roars proved it.
But Vhagar's size made her unafraid of any dragon on the island except the long-dead Balerion. If she decided to attack, the consequences would pain House Targaryen deeply.
Fortunately, Vhagar had a rider. Though she answered the island dragons' challenge with a roar of her own, Baelon's calming pats gradually soothed her temper.
While Vhagar heard the roars as provocation, the dragons on the island saw her arrival as the real threat.
With Vhagar calmed, Baelon guided her past the castle and toward the mountain behind it.
Gaemon followed closely. Soon he spotted a peak behind the castle—not especially tall, but with a large cave opening halfway up, wide enough for a dragon to fly straight inside.
Vhagar dove into the cave like a horse returning to its stable. Seeing her path, Gaemon directed Bahamut to follow.
Once inside, Gaemon realized the cave was far larger than it appeared from outside. It felt as though the entire mountain had been hollowed out, leaving only a thin shell of rock.
Vhagar landed smoothly on the cave floor, the impact of her massive body sending her lumbering forward a few steps.
In the center of the cave stood a raised platform, suspended dozens of feet above the ground.
Under Baelon's guidance, Vhagar brought her saddle level with the platform. Baelon dismounted and stepped onto the stone ledge.
Seeing Baelon and Vhagar's smooth landing, Gaemon brought Bahamut down beside the platform and dismounted the same way.
Once both riders were on solid ground, Bahamut moved deeper into the cave and settled into an empty spot, curling up to rest.
Gaemon patted Bahamut's platinum-scaled flank one last time, sending a mental command for him to rest, then walked over to Baelon, who was waiting a short distance away.
Just as they met, a voice called out from the passage connected to the platform, accompanied by the flickering light of torches.
"Baelon! Gaemon! You two finally made it. I was starting to get impatient. If you'd taken any longer, I was ready to send a raven to Father telling him to hurry you along."
The voice was instantly familiar. Only their eldest brother, Prince Aemon, could sound so warm and teasing.
Though they recognized the voice, neither Baelon nor Gaemon moved to greet him immediately. Better to wait until they could see him clearly—after all, they were in a dragon cave.
Soon the torchlight grew brighter, and the figure emerged onto the platform. It was indeed Prince Aemon.
Behind him walked several armored guards and two Dragonkeepers—shaved heads, gray robes, long bamboo poles in hand.
From a distance, Gaemon and Baelon called out together.
"Big Brother!"
"Big Brother!"
Aemon strode forward and embraced each of them in turn. Only then did he speak again.
"How was the flight? Everything go smoothly?"
Baelon grinned, his usual cocky self. "How could it not? Your two little brothers flew here on dragons. Who in the sky could give us any trouble?"
Aemon clapped a hand to his forehead, chuckling. "Ah, my mistake. I've been on the island so long I forgot. The last few batches of smiths Father sent arrived by ship. I've gotten used to asking that question. It slipped my mind for a moment."
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