"You… what did you say?" Baela was the first to react. She rushed to Saera and looked down at her from above.
"Tamed a dragon? Which dragon?"
"Silverwing," Saera said softly. "I tamed Silverwing."
She turned to look at the brother beside her. "Valos tamed Vermithor, the 'Bronze Fury.'"
"Miraxes tamed Grey Ghost."
Robb's breathing grew rapid.
Silverwing was a gentle silver she-dragon, her body length approaching seventy meters.
Moreover, the relationship between Silverwing and Vermithor was like that of husband and wife.
And Vermithor, the "Bronze Fury"—was a colossal beast with a body length exceeding one hundred and thirty meters, second only to Vhagar. He had once been the mount of the former king Jaehaerys I. His temperament was violent, and in recent years no one had dared approach him.
Grey Ghost, on the other hand, was a young dragon of about thirty meters in length, especially shy and solitary, often avoiding contact with humans and anything related to them.
If this were true…
"And Sheepstealer," Saera added.
"Impossible!" Rhaena blurted out. "Sheepstealer, like the Cannibal, is a wild dragon!"
"Even dragonkeepers have been bitten to death by them countless times!"
Saera bit her lip and turned to look at the black-haired girl, speaking gently. "Nettles, say it yourself."
The black-haired girl called Nettles trembled, her head lowering even further.
She remained silent for quite a while before finally speaking in a voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz.
"I'm only a dragonkeeper…"
"I was responsible for taking care of Sheepstealer."
"Every day I brought him sheep."
"At first he breathed fire at me, so I threw the sheep and ran away…"
"Later he stopped breathing fire, so I stood a little closer…"
"And after that, I could touch his scales."
She raised her head and said cautiously, "Two years ago, I tried riding him. He… he didn't throw me off."
"Two years ago?" Lucerys asked.
Nettles said carefully, "I know dragons belong to the Targaryens, and I am only a humble dragonkeeper."
"So I never rode him to fly. Only recently did Lord Jacaerys discover that something about me was unusual…"
Robb stared fixedly at the girl who had none of the traits of dragonkind, then looked toward Saera.
"How dare you?!"
"Those dragons are the property of Princess Rhaenyra! They belong to House Targaryen! Who allowed people like you to—"
"It was Lord Jacaerys who allowed it."
The silver-haired burly man kneeling on the ground raised his head and spoke.
Everyone looked at him.
"Before Lord Jacaerys left, he formed this guard unit of ours," the burly man continued.
"Not long ago he told us that the Blacks needed more dragonriders."
"He ordered us to try approaching those masterless dragons in batches."
He paused for a moment.
"A lot of people died."
"Burned to death, bitten to death, or falling to their deaths. But those who survived… succeeded."
The burly man glanced at Saera, Valos, and Miraxes. Of those three, he knew these three bastards must have some method for taming dragons.
Just a few days earlier, after Jacaerys had died, these two brothers had managed, in a single stroke, to tame Vermithor and Grey Ghost.
They must have some secret…
At this moment Robb's face flushed red.
The old knight suddenly drew his sword, the tip pointing at Saera.
"This is usurpation! This is theft!"
"I should execute you right now on the charge of stealing dragons!"
Saera, kneeling on the ground, closed her eyes, tears sliding down.
"If my lord wishes to execute us, we will not resist."
"We are loyal to Princess Rhaenyra, and we are also loyal to Lord Jacaerys."
"We swore an oath."
Valos and Miraxes also lowered their heads in submission.
But behind them, the other bastards began to stir.
The bastards shifted their knees uneasily, their eyes full of fear.
The silver-haired burly man raised one hand.
With a simple gesture, the disturbance immediately subsided.
Lucerys lay on the sickbed, watching all of this.
The sharp pain in his back came in waves, but clearer than the pain were the thoughts whirling madly in his mind.
Jacaerys… his brother had actually done such a mad thing in secret.
Making these bastards swear loyalty and forming a dragonrider guard?
What did he want?
A force of dragonriders completely loyal to himself?
But none of that mattered now.
What mattered were the dozen or so bastards before him, and the four dragons.
Lucerys closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then frowned in pain as it pulled at his wound.
A few seconds later, he opened his eyes again.
"Ser Robb, put your sword down first."
A puzzled Robb turned to look at him.
"Prince, these people are—"
"I know what they are," Lucerys interrupted him.
"Bastards, of impure blood."
"According to Targaryen law, their crimes should all be punished by death."
He paused, his gaze sweeping across every bastard kneeling on the ground.
"But now the Greens have killed my brother and may attack Dragonstone at any time."
"If we execute them according to the law, then Silverwing, Vermithor, Grey Ghost, and Sheepstealer—these four dragons will remain masterless on the island."
"When Aemond comes riding Vhagar, those dragons will fall into the hands of the Greens and become weapons against us."
Lucerys continued speaking.
"Rather than that, it would be better to let them fight for us."
Robb's hand trembled.
The old knight looked at Lucerys, then at the bastards kneeling on the ground. At last, he sheathed his sword.
"You," Lucerys looked at Saera, "which of you have tamed dragons?"
Saera quickly raised her head to answer.
"I—Silverwing."
"Valos—Vermithor."
"Miraxes—Grey Ghost."
"Nettles—Sheepstealer."
Lucerys's gaze fell on the black-haired girl.
"You… are called Nettles?"
The girl nodded, not daring to look at him.
"Who are your parents?"
"I… don't know." Nettles's voice grew even smaller.
"I was left outside a fishing village."
"My foster mother said I was placed in a basket filled with nettles…"
"So they called me Nettles."
"Later, when I was eight, I was chosen to become a dragonkeeper… to take care of Sheepstealer…"
Lucerys fell silent for several seconds.
A bastard girl who did not even know her own parents, with none of the Targaryen physical traits, had tamed a wild dragon that even members of House Targaryen could not control.
It seemed the world truly had gone mad.
He spoke again, looking at the people kneeling on the ground.
"You should understand, the Greens will not accept you."
"You should have heard about Aemond's attitude toward bastards."
Saera raised her head, her gaze firm.
"We never thought of seeking refuge with the Greens."
"Besides, he killed the father of my child."
"From the day Lord Jacaerys found us, we knew that only if the Blacks win could we have a chance to live, could we possibly… be acknowledged."
"Acknowledged?" Lucerys laughed, the smile twisted because of the bandages on his face.
"You want your child to be acknowledged as a Targaryen?"
Saera's hand tightened over her lower abdomen. "Lord Jacaerys promised."
"Jacaerys is already dead," Lucerys said the truth with cruelty.
"His head hangs on the walls of the Red Keep. His promise is now worth nothing."
Saera's face turned pale.
But Lucerys did not stop.
"But if you wish to prove your value, then fight for the Blacks and avenge my brother."
"Then I will personally plead with my mother."
"Though you will not be granted the Targaryen surname."
"And after your deaths, the dragons will also be reclaimed."
"But you will become a new branch of House Targaryen."
The room was so quiet that the crackling of the torches could be heard.
Saera looked at Lucerys. A few seconds later, she lowered her head deeply until her forehead touched the ground.
"We are willing to fight for the Blacks."
"The gods bear witness, we once swore an oath."
"Our swords, our dragons, and our lives all belong to Queen Rhaenyra."
"Queen…" Lucerys murmured the word.
Then Lucerys looked toward Robb.
"Ser, if four adult dragons lie in ambush at Dragonstone to attack Aemond… what are the chances of victory?"
Robb came back to his senses from his shock.
The old knight walked to the table and looked at the map, his expression calculating quickly.
"Vermithor's body length is one hundred and thirty meters. Although he is somewhat smaller than Vhagar, he is in his prime, and his combat power will not be inferior to Vhagar."
Robb analyzed in a low voice.
"Silverwing is seventy meters. Sheepstealer is about the same size as Silverwing. Grey Ghost is thirty meters."
"Four dragons against them…"
"And Aemond has Vhagar and Lothorne, while Aegon has Sunfyre. Three against four."
He raised his head, answering with hope in his eyes.
"We have the advantage in numbers, and the quality of the dragons is not inferior."
"If the ambush is executed properly… we can win."
Lucerys nodded.
"Aemond will certainly come."
"He will surely seize Driftmark and Dragonstone."
"Only then can he control the strait between Dragonstone and Driftmark and guard the throat through which King's Landing reaches the sea."
"But there is one problem, Lord Lucerys," Robb said, frowning as he looked toward the four of them.
"They have only just tamed their dragons and have almost no experience."
"Fighting while riding a dragon and taming a dragon are two different things."
"Moreover, a dragon and its rider need time to become accustomed to one another before they can display their true combat strength."
Saera spoke at once. "We can learn! We—"
"There is no time to learn," Lucerys interrupted her.
"Aemond may come at any moment."
He looked at Robb.
"What if Vermithor is made to hold Vhagar off head-on for a while?"
"Then Silverwing, Sheepstealer, and Grey Ghost can gang up on Sunfyre and Lothorne… what then?"
Robb thought for a moment. "Sunfyre is a splendid golden dragon, young, but lacking in battle experience."
"Lothorne is too small. Its size means it cannot withstand too heavy a blow."
"If those two dragons can be dealt with quickly, and then all four dragons gang up on Vhagar…"
The old knight nodded firmly. "Then our victory would be certain."
A trace of ruthlessness flashed through Lucerys's eyes.
"Then that is what we will do."
He turned to look at the four dragon tamers. "You will stay behind."
"Set an ambush on Dragonstone. When the Greens' dragons come, kill them."
The four dragon tamers exchanged glances.
There was tension in Valos's and Miraxes's eyes, but even more than that, eager excitement.
Saera held her lower abdomen, her face still pale, but she gritted her teeth and nodded.
As for Nettles… she merely kept her head lowered, and no one knew what she was thinking.
"We will prove ourselves," Valos said in a deep voice.
Lucerys's gaze fell back on that silver-haired burly man. "What is your name?"
"Are you the commander of this guard unit?"
The burly man raised his head. "Others call me by the nickname 'Hammer.'"
"My name is Hugh."
"My father was Jaehaerys I…"
Jaehaerys I—the wise king who had ruled for more than fifty years—had indeed had quite a few romantic affairs in his early years. After all, back then the right of the first night had not yet been abolished…
Lucerys carefully sized up the burly man.
Silver hair, deep purple eyes, a tall build, and a resolute face—these were indeed the traits of a Targaryen.
Hugh continued speaking. "Lord Jacaerys said that not everyone with dragon blood can become a dragonrider."
"But he said my martial skill was fairly good and that I had other uses, so he made me the commander of the guard unit."
"Are you willing to fight for me?" Lucerys asked.
"To become my knight and escort us to Tyrosh?"
Hugh did not hesitate in the slightest. He said with excitement, "I am willing. I am willing to become your knight, and I will guard you until the end of my life."
Lucerys merely nodded.
"Good. Tonight you will take this guard unit and escort Rhaena, Baela, and me to Tyrosh."
He looked again toward the four of them. "As for you, as long as you win this battle—"
"Prove your loyalty and value to my mother."
"As long as you win, I guarantee that you will obtain noble status."
Saera's eyes lit up. "Will my child be acknowledged?"
"If you win the battle of Dragonstone for the Blacks and kill Aemond," Lucerys said word by word, "I will personally request my mother to let this child bear the Targaryen surname."
Saera nodded forcefully, tears surging out again. "That is enough… that is enough."
Lucerys finally looked toward Robb. "Ser, Dragonstone will be entrusted to you—and to them."
Robb took a deep breath and straightened his back.
"Rest assured, my lord. As long as I live, Dragonstone will not fall into the hands of the Greens."
"And if you die?"
"Then I will take as many of the Greens as I can with me to the Seven Hells."
Lucerys smiled. Beneath the bandages, that smile looked especially bleak.
"Then I wish you good luck, Ser."
"And I wish you good luck as well, Prince," Robb said with a deep bow. "Please tell Princess Rhaenyra—"
"I will forever remain loyal to her…"
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