"You two fools, do you want me to find you a tournament arena for a fight?!"
Aemon asked coldly in the main hall of Summerhall.
The Aegon brothers were held down by the guards, glaring at each other with hatred.
"Hmph!"
Aegon's temper flared up, and he snorted in dissatisfaction.
Aemond had a blank expression, showing no emotion at all.
Seeing this, Aemon really wanted to ask his uncle, look at your poor education.
What a brotherly love and respect for his younger brother.
The feud between the two brothers is not a day or two.
Before, Aemond had no dragons, and he never showed his outspoken personality, silently enduring Aegon's humiliation and teasing.
Now that he has dragons, they start a fight as soon as they meet.
Not to mention, in terms of martial arts alone, the 11-year-old Aemond actually defeated the 14-year-old Aegon.
"What's going on?"
Rhaenyra and the others also rushed over.
The older sister was still very respectful, pulling her two half-brothers to check them out.
Aemond was clearly more seriously injured. His clothes were tattered, covered in scrapes and bruises of all sizes; even his forehead, hidden by his tangled hair, was bruised.
"I'm fine."
Being pulled in for examination, Aemond felt awkward and raised his hand to rub his nose.
A streak of blood flowed out. It had almost dried up, clinging to his nostril. The streak slashed the side of his face, looking both tragic and comical.
Meanwhile, Aegon, like a powder keg, showed no visible injuries, save for a bit of dust on his clothes.
"Aegon, did you hit him?"
Rhaenyra asked angrily.
"He asked for it!"
Aegon exploded at the slightest provocation.
Aemon turned his head away, his disdain deep. " What the hell did you hit him? You threw him over your shoulder and nearly made him shit himself. "
He looked unharmed from the outside, but beneath his clothes, he was probably covered in bruises. No matter how badly Aemond looked, at least it was his own fault. Once you've truly tamed a wild dragon and sheep thief, even superficial injuries are no problem.
"Let them wash and rest. Brothers can't get along."
Laena stopped Rhaenyra from lecturing, easing the tension.
Aemond looked up at his cousin questioningly.
"Yes,"
Aegon nodded gently.
They were blood relatives, not judge and prisoner.
Besides, the brothers had been grudges for a long time, so a fight would be a good way to vent their anger.
Seeing this, Aemond shook off the guards and headed for the bedroom.
As he passed Helena and the children, he paused briefly, mustering his courage and saying, "I have a dragon."
With that, he straightened his back, a change from his previous cowardly demeanor.
This result, of course, displeased Aegon, who struggled and yelled.
He had been bullied. And both a human and a dragon had been bullied.
Ah!!!
He was the king's eldest son, the Lord of the Law, the Lord of the Dragon Sunfyre. When had he ever suffered such an injustice?
"Go back,"
Aemon squinted at him.
Aegon's face flushed crimson, ready to explode. He gathered his breath and roared, "Get out!"
He pushed past the guards and strode out.
Aemon: ...
Such a powerful aura, I almost thought he was about to turn over a new leaf.
Night.
Aemon lay on a recliner, his eldest son Jaehaerys massaging his legs, and on either side, Little Bei and Little Lei served him tea and fruit.
"I never thought Aemond could tame a wild, full-grown dragon,"
Rhaenyra sat across from him, a look of disbelief on her face.
In Westeros, dragons aren't strictly categorized.
Once they've passed the sub-mature stage, they're considered fully grown. A dragon that reaches the size of a sheep thief and is over fifty years old is considered an old dragon.
"There are so many unexpected things. Someone brought back a newborn dragon too,"
Laena stood by the wine cabinet, imitating her mother's way of mixing a glass of sake.
"Try it?"
The pale green liquor swayed, and the delicate glass was handed to Aemon.
Aemon didn't even open his eyes. His daughter, Rhaena, clattered over, holding the glass with a straw and placing it to her father's lips.
"Slurp!"
The lemon-flavored sake sank down the side of the glass at a visible speed, the sound full of enjoyment.
His Highness's little cotton-padded jacket is all about filial piety!
"Now that Aemond has a dragon, there's no need to worry anymore,"
Helena said, sitting on the woolen rug, fiddling with the spools of thread.
The green thread grew increasingly tangled, mingling with the black, and no matter how hard she tried to untangle it, she couldn't get it straight.
This made Helena frown, and her small hands fumbled with the scissors.
Rhaenyra and Laena both saw the little girl's troubles, but they couldn't intervene.
"I'll write a letter to tell my father the good news,"
Rhaenyra said after a moment's thought.
The air was quiet, and no one spoke.
The issue at hand wasn't the good news, but rather a variety of other problems.
For example, the marriages of the Green children.
Helena was quiet, but it was clear that she wasn't considering marrying anyone.
Even Aegon and Aemond.
Following Aemond's success in dragon taming, the relationship between the two brothers seems to have deteriorated, with bloodshed imminent.
These are just the challenges facing the Green Party.
Furthermore, there's Grand Maester Meros's illness, the Imperial Council's selection of Grand Maesters, the Sea Serpents' campaign against the remnants of the Three Women, and the question of who is behind the remnants of the Three Women...
These are all challenges the royal family faces.
It might sound irrelevant, or even unimportant.
But the root of all these problems ultimately points to one core issue: the royal family's growing power has incited fear and apprehension from the outside world, who are desperately trying to weaken it.
This wasn't the first time.
The centenarian King Jaehaerys and Queen Alysanne had borne so many children, bringing the Dragon family to its peak, only to find themselves repeatedly slain by their elders.
The fourth generation of the Dragon family was nearly wiped out.
Ultimately, when the centenarian king died, he was accompanied only by a few grandchildren and Alisun, an outsider.
To say there were no problems would be foolish.
And this time, the current royal family is even more powerful than the previous one.
Viserys is in his prime, with a cousin, Rhaenys, and a brother, Daemon.
Each of them married and had ten children.
In order of age, they are: Laenor, Rhaenyra, Aemon, Aegon, Helena, Aemond, Daeron, Aegon the Younger, and Viserion.
Aemon, married to Laenor and Rhaenyra, fathered Jaehaerys and the twins, Baena and Rhaena.
The fifth, sixth, and seventh generations of the Dragon family coexist, totaling 16 men, women, and children.
Thirteen of them possessed dragons, nine of whom could ride them into battle.
This strength, even in the days of Old Valyria, when forty dragonlord families coexisted, would have been a formidable force.
Today, it's even more unstoppable.
But then again, while the family is powerful now, it's not significantly stronger than it was during the reign of the Elder King.
All dragon family members, especially those who can control dragons, become a thorn in the side of outsiders.
Aemon closed his eyes in thought, thinking of the Dance with the Dragons.
The Dance with the Dragons marked a crucial turning point in the Dragon family's decline, a historical necessity.
Looking back at the first generation, Queen Visenya and Queen Rhaenys shared a husband, leading to numerous minor conflicts.
The second generation was even more direct, with the ruthless Maegor usurping the throne.
Within the three generations, great-grandfather Jaehaerys was supported to the throne. During his early years in office, he suppressed his sister, Rhaena, the Queen Mother, causing the three of them to relinquish their inheritance.
The fourth generation was the most united. Great-uncle Aemon and grandfather Baelon were close and respectful brothers. Vaegon, the Dragonless, had no ambitions and retreated to the Citadel, refusing to participate in government.
The final outcome is well known.
With the exception of Vaegon, who fled the Citadel, and Cyneera Targaryen, who stole away and fell into depravity overseas, all the siblings lived on before their parents.
Even today, uncle Viserys, Aunt Rhaenys, and Daemon still have a tangled web of disputes.
Daemon and the Sea Snakes, in particular, were two of the biggest drivers of the "Dance of the Dragons."
The other was Lord Justice Otto.
Together, these three pushed the Dragon family into the abyss.
Otherwise, with the wealth left by her great-grandfather and uncle, Rhaenyra, no matter how foolish, could have failed to destroy it all.
Aegon was a complete jerk, never harboring any thoughts of rebellion.
At best, Aemond was a warmonger, unable to stir up much trouble.
However, thanks to Aemon's intervention, Daemon and the Sea Serpents have ceased their hostilities and are now moving closer to becoming a peaceful force.
They have given up their fight for the Iron Throne.
The last Otto, without the support of Alicent and the Green children, now lives a cautious existence.
"We must be on guard against the Dance of the Dragons, and we must also be extremely cautious of other treacherous schemes."
A flash of inspiration struck Aemon, and he considered doing something to break the "stabilization" of the situation.
The sixth generation of the Dragon family are almost all dragon riders, with the exception of five-year-old Daeron, destined to grow up with the seventh generation.
Within ten years, the family will not make much progress.
This is "stabilization."
Stabilization can also be described as stability.
Stability is a good thing; it allows one to become familiar with the royal family and identify its weaknesses.
Weaknesses make it harder to defend against insidious tactics.
"The North has not been peaceful lately,"
Aemon said, opening his eyes.
The previous Lord of the North, Lord Rickon Stark, who had sworn fealty to Rhaenyra, passed away earlier this year.
His eldest son, Cregan Stark, only eleven years old, inherited the fiefdom and Winterfell.
However, due to his young age, his uncle, Benard Stark, became regent, overseeing all matters in the North.
The dilemma of a young ruler and a kingdom is an inevitable one.
Historically, Cregan Stark came of age in 126 AC, but his uncle, Benard Stark, had not yet returned power.
Soon after, Cregan rallied his bannermen to overthrow his uncle's oppression, exiling him and his sons to the Wall.
"No, the North is too cold,"
Aemon pondered for a moment, abandoning the idea of intervening in the North.
The cold North was no place for dragons.
Let Cregan grow.
He would be a rare general, shielding the Targaryens from the frost and protecting the gates of the North.
"The Baratheon-Velaryon marriage, the Lannisters in the westerlies enjoying advantageous terrain..."
Aemon calculated everything, finding none of them suitable for action.
The Riverlands were a war-torn region, fiercely loyal to the crown.
The Reach is home to numerous warlords and Oldtown Hightower, so a rash intervention would be unwise.
Conquering Dorne is politically correct, but the cost and benefits are disproportionate and completely unnecessary.
Aemon considered expanding to Essos.
However, the Stepstones and the Three Daughter's were newly stabilized, making further conflict unlikely.
The best strategy was to strengthen central control over Westeros, centered around the Crownlands and the Vale.
In the Middle Ages, such an approach would have been considered suicidal.
But they were Targaryens, and at the height of their family's power, they possessed the strength for a "second conquest."
If there were any real weaknesses, there were only two:
First, they couldn't overcome their uncle.
Second, they had no legitimate reason to fight.
"Alas, even wanting to fight is difficult,"
Aemon shook his head.
This feeling of constraint—having a sword in hand and land at their doorstep, yet unable to conquer—was truly unbearable.
"Aemon, why do I feel like you're thinking something terrible?"
Rhaenyra leaned in, her purple eyes filled with questioning.
Because they were so close, the silver-golden hair was tumbling down the tip of Aemon's nose.
"I didn't do that. You're talking nonsense. Be careful, I'll sue you for libel."
Aemon denied it three times in a row.
"They're gone, and you haven't come to your senses yet, and you say you didn't mean anything bad."
Rhaenyra snorted.
Aemon looked around. They were the only two left in the room.
Even the three little slaves... the older ones had run away.
"Elbow, come with me into the house."
Rhaenyra blushed and grabbed Aemon's collar.
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