Whoosh, whoosh!
Arrax in the high sky flapped his dragon wings vigorously, maintaining his fastest flight speed.
Only when Lucerys confirmed that he couldn't see Vhagar behind him did he let out a heavy sigh of relief.
He had been so nervous before that he didn't know how he had escaped from Vhagar's mouth.
But none of that was important; the most important thing for him now was to rush to the Stepstones as quickly as possible and find his older brother.
After flying forward for a while longer, Lucerys noticed that Arrax's speed began to slow down.
"Hmm? Arrax, what's wrong?"
Grroan~~
Arrax seemed to understand Lucerys's question, turning his head and letting out a whimper, while also raising his dragon tail.
During a dragon's flight, the tail is usually held low and pointing downwards.
So Lucerys hadn't noticed until now that a full third of Arrax's entire dragon tail had disappeared without a trace.
Although Meleys had saved them earlier, Lucerys's reverse maneuver had put Arrax directly under Vhagar's mouth.
Having a third of its tail bitten off was already the best possible outcome.
At this moment, the end of Arrax's raised broken tail was still bleeding profusely.
To be able to fly for so long in such a continuously bleeding state was enough to prove the Dragon's strong physique.
Damn it, I need to stop Arrax's bleeding as soon as possible!
Lucerys had at least been dragged by Jacaerys for half a year of training before, so he quickly made the correct judgment.
He controlled Arrax to quickly descend, flying below the clouds where the visibility was better.
Using the knowledge of the Seven Kingdoms map he had memorized, Lucerys determined that he had just crossed the Gullet and reached the area northeast of Massey's Hook.
Lucerys found a relatively flat open space and controlled Arrax to land.
Thump!
Perhaps it was because the tension had finally eased.
Arrax, who had been flying continuously before, couldn't stand steady as soon as he landed and then fell heavily to the ground.
Slap!
Lucerys jumped off the dragon saddle and anxiously ran to Arrax's broken tail.
Having fled in such a hurry, he certainly couldn't have brought any hemostatic medicine with him, and stopping a Dragon's bleeding would require more than just a little medicine.
That's right!
Lucerys, racking his brain for a solution, suddenly had a flash of inspiration, remembering the first aid method his older brother had taught him.
He used all his strength to hold Arrax's broken tail towards the direction of the dragon's head, making its entire dragon body into a 'C' shape.
"Arrax, concentrate, listen to my command..."
"Dracarys!"
Lucerys patted the listless Arrax's dragon head, commanding loudly in high valyrian.
Whoosh!
Sizzle!
Although a beat late, Arrax still obeyed, opening his dragon mouth and spitting out a thin, orange-red stream of Dracarys.
The weeds in the open space in front of him were instantly incinerated into ash, while the broken tail within the range of the Dracarys attack sizzled as it burned.
Roar~~
Thump!
Arrax, in pain, suddenly stood up but fell back to the ground because his legs were unsteady.
Brutal as it was, this move was effective.
Arrax's dragon tail was burned into an ugly charred scab, but it was no longer bleeding.
The most critical problem was solved; now it was time to replenish Arrax's nutrients.
A small castle he had seen when landing earlier came to mind, and Lucerys grit his teeth and ran in that direction.
Although Ser Lorent had repeatedly emphasized that he should keep his whereabouts hidden, he had no choice but to do so now.
Sharp Point, located at the northeastern tip of Massey's Hook, was the ancestral castle of House Bar Emmon.
House Bar Emmon had been vassals of Dragonstone since the Conquest.
Earl Bar Emmon naturally recognized Lucerys and, upon hearing that the esteemed Prince needed help, immediately offered his full assistance.
Sheep were brought to Arrax's mouth by House Bar Emmon soldiers, one after another.
They only stopped when its belly was round and full and it no longer opened its mouth.
Since Arrax was truly unable to fly, Lucerys could only decide to rest for a day at Sharp Point.
Earl Bar Emmon warmly hosted the distinguished Prince that day.
Even many of his daughters took turns knocking on Lucerys's door that night.
But Lucerys was a determined and positive young man, and he refused them all in the name of his betrothed, Rhaenyra.
Early the next morning, Lucerys, carrying some food supplies, remounted the barely recovered Arrax and flew back into the sky.
Not long after he left, a black Raven flew from Sharp Point to King's Landing.
Lucerys didn't go to any more castles after that, at most resting briefly in the wilderness.
On the third day after the fall of Dragonstone, he arrived at Lanak Island guided by the soldiers stationed on Bloodstone Island.
Clip-clop, clip-clop!
Inside Lannark Town's inner city, Jacaerys was walking quickly towards the outside, his face grim.
As soon as he exited the main gate, he saw Lucerys waiting in the open space, along with the tail-broken Arrax.
"Brother!"
Puff!
Lucerys had just called out to Jacaerys with a joyful expression, and the next second he was tightly embraced by him.
"Lucerys, you've worked hard.
What happened at Dragonstone?"
Hearing Jacaerys's question, Lucerys immediately remembered the main purpose of his trip.
"Brother, Mother and Father went to King's Landing four days ago to respond to the King's command for you.
As a result, in the early morning three days ago, Tyrann Lannister and Aemond attacked our Dragonstone with a large army.
Ser Lorent told me to come find you; he took Joffrey and the other two from Dragonclaw Village to Spice Town."
Jacaerys understood at once that Rhaenyra and Daemon must have run into trouble in King's Landing.
Otherwise, the other party wouldn't have openly attacked Dragonstone.
He glanced at the dispirited Arrax and asked, "Arrax was done in by Vhagar?"
"Yes, we were almost bitten to death by Vhagar when we escaped from Dragonstone.
I used the first aid method you taught me before to stop its bleeding.
If Arrax hadn't been injured and stayed at Sharp Point for a whole day, we should have arrived here yesterday."
"Sharp Point, huh..."
Seeing Jacaerys lost in thought, Lucerys, knowing what he was thinking, immediately said, "Brother, Earl Bar Emmon was very good to me.
He is Mother's vassal and definitely won't betray us."
Hearing this, Jacaerys reached out and patted his brother's head,
teaching him earnestly, "Lucerys, Aemond dared to attack Dragonstone precisely because he thinks we are kind-hearted and easy to bully.
If we want to deal with these villains, we must become fiercer and more cunning than them.
Looking at your expression, I know Earl Bar Emmon must have treated you very well.
But we must think from the worst possible angle.
If he has indeed betrayed you, then our whereabouts will be completely exposed to Aemond and his party.
They can calculate the time and set a trap on our way back to Dragonstone, waiting for us to walk right into it."
"Yes, Brother, I understand.
Except for family like you, no matter who is good to me, I will look at them from the worst possible angle."
"Not bad, truly my brother."
"Brother, since there will be traps on the way back, what should we do?"
"Since the Green Party led by Queen Alicent has already shown their hand, then we'll take them on!"
Jacaerys answered his brother first, then turned his head and called out, "Stone!"
"Here, Your Majesty, please give the order!"
"Load all the food supplies and war resources stored during this period onto ships.
Then gather all soldiers capable of fighting, and the entire army will set out with me on a northern campaign!"