280 AC.
Westeros Continent, Riverlands, Ravenswood.
The morning sun shone, and the snow melted.
Lord's Study.
A handsome boy, about 11 or 12 years old, with silver hair and purple eyes, dressed in a form-fitting thick black coat, held drawing material in one hand and a pen in the other.
He pondered, observed, and then put pen to paper.
The charcoal pencil lightly touched the paper, neither rushed nor slow, and a well-composed sketch appeared on the page.
The drawing depicted three oval-shaped eggs.
"dragon eggs!"
Putting down his tools, Daeron Targaryen looked out at the new shoots of the climbing ivy outside the window and couldn't help but sigh.
Eleven years had passed in a flash.
He had been reincarnated into the Westeros Continent, and everything was normal until he was four years old, when he awakened his past life's memories.
His father was Mad King Aerys II, the 17th and last king of the Targaryen Family.
His mother, Rhaella Targaryen, was the reigning queen.
Together, they had four sons and one daughter.
Daeron was the Second Son, the third among his siblings.
He had an elder brother and an elder sister, and two younger brothers.
His eldest brother, Rhaegar Targaryen, was a name familiar to anyone who knew about A Song of Ice and Fire.
The Silver Prince, the Dragon Prince, the Last Dragon... his elder sister, Shae Targaryen, was 13 this year.
His two younger brothers were Jaehaerys Targaryen and Viserys Targaryen, aged 6 and 4 respectively.
It was different.
Very different.
Daeron's previous life was as a postgraduate student in an agricultural university, where he usually helped his supervisor with farming and watering, occasionally watching dramas to pass the time.
He had watched the American TV series 'Game of Thrones'.
From the scattered mentions in the show, he knew that Mad King only had two sons and one daughter.
His other children either miscarried or died young.
The surviving children were only his eldest son Rhaegar, youngest son Viserys, and daughter Daenerys.
Now, Daenerys was still nowhere to be seen.
Daeron already had a large number of siblings.
And all these changes stemmed from the premature arrival of a Red Comet.
As early as 267 AC, before the birth of Shae, Daeron's elder sister who was two years his senior, Father Aerys and his mother Rhaella, who was nine months pregnant, were in Casterly Rock in the Westerlands.
Logically, with his wife so far along, she shouldn't have left King's Landing.
But Aerys, bewitched by lust, became infatuated with Lady Joanna, wife of Tywin Lannister, the Warden of the West. Unable to pursue her in King's Landing, he followed her to the Westerlands.
In the original story, Queen Rhaella miscarried.
This time, a Red Comet streaked across the sky, which Aerys, being in the Westerlands, took as an auspicious sign. He summoned maesters to ensure Rhaella's safe delivery, awaiting the child's birth.
Half a month later, both mother and daughter were safe.
Two years later, Daeron was born in The Red Keep, and aside from a high fever at age four, he grew up healthy thereafter.
At that time, Daeron happened to awaken his past life's memories and realized his illness was peculiar.
It was well-known that besides their silver hair, purple eyes, and inhuman beauty, members of the Targaryen Family possessed some lesser-known advantages.
First, a higher resistance to high temperatures.
Second, Targaryens never caught colds.
From then on, Daeron paid close attention to the people around him.
He usually pretended to be a child, eating and drinking as normal, and in his free time, he read and learned to write, studying both the Common Tongue and High Valyrian.
While expanding his knowledge, he made some terrifying discoveries.
After his birth, his mother Rhaella conceived twice more.
A boy named Aegon died shortly after birth, and an unnamed miscarried child was lost unexpectedly just before delivery.
Someone was deliberately targeting them!
That thought immediately sprang to Daeron's mind given the circumstances.
He had read books and understood his family's history.
Among them, a book titled 'the chronicle of the dance of the dragons' mentioned a crucial turning point in the Targaryen Family's decline from prosperity.
The fifth king on the iron throne in the book, known as "The Young King" Viserys I, had experiences similar to his Father Aerys.
Both had their first child born normally with their wives, but all subsequent children died prematurely for various reasons.
The difference was that Viserys I had a daughter, while Father Aerys had a son.
One suffered from the lack of a male heir, while the other had no worries about the heir issue.
There's a saying, there's nothing new under the sun.
The urgent need for a male heir led to Viserys I's queen eventually dying in childbirth, forcing him to name his daughter as heir, thus planting the seeds of conflict for the 'Dance of the Dragons' family civil war.
Later, he married a new queen.
The new queen bore him several children, including three boys.
Upon his death, his sons contended with the daughter he had previously named as heir for the iron throne, nearly wiping out all of the family's dragons.
"Our family has declined." Remembering this, Daeron sighed regretfully.
Over a hundred years had passed, and in the analyses and judgments of successive monarchs and maesters, Viserys I was deemed responsible for half of the 'Dance of the Dragons' civil war.
If not for his indecisiveness, wanting to have his cake and eat it too, the tragedy would not have brewed.
Of course, Daeron's Father Aerys was no better.
His children were being harmed, and he couldn't even control his own court.
Upon noticing the anomaly, Daeron couldn't ignore it.
Around the time his third brother Jaehaerys was born, he stayed by his mother Rhaella's side for various reasons, even after she had given birth smoothly.
At night, every time the wet nurse in The Red Keep fed the baby, he would check.
He only stopped after his brother safely passed his first naming day.
His determination seemed to make others hesitant to act, and when his mother Rhaella was pregnant with and gave birth to his youngest brother Viserys, there were no disturbances, and the family gained another bloodline.
With four sons and one daughter, Father Aerys's desire for progeny was satisfied.
He kept mistresses and no longer paid attention to his wife.
The changes were not limited to these.
The premature appearance of the Red Comet brought earth-shattering changes to the Westeros Continent and even the world.
The depleted magic tide surged again.
The most direct phenomenon was that The Citadel's glass candles rekindled, emitting a faint glow.
Wizards and pyromancers rejoiced, claiming to feel magic.
Daeron had personally witnessed a pyromancer named Rossart, whom his father had recruited, conjure a ball of fire in his palm.
He conjured fire with his bare hands, without any special wildfire or protection.
Daeron accepted these things calmly.
After all, magic clearly existed in the original story.
In another decade or so, the Targaryens would even hatch three more dragons.
But for some reason, the magic tide brought by this Red Comet was even more intense.
A peculiar substance named "Life Force" emerged on the continent, present in crops, wild plants, and livestock products.
"Life Force" was not magic.
Nor was it the heavenly treasures from novels in Daeron's impression, which, when consumed, could increase cultivation and make one transcendent.
Essentially, those crops, wild plants, and the like containing "Life Force" were still the original things.
Eating them wouldn't make one stronger.
Only some already highly skilled and powerful knights could, by eating, sense their own Life Force and activate it.
Knights who mastered their own Life Force could better display their strength in battle.
Speed, strength, and stamina all reached the peak of their potential.
His eldest brother Rhaegar had mastered Life Force and was at the pinnacle of the continent's warriors.
Even ordinary people could experience some effects from consuming it.
Various Grand Maesters speculated that with long-term consumption, it could improve physique and extend lifespan.
Therefore, crops and wild plants containing Life Force became sought-after luxuries across the continent.
Many nobles were willing to pay high prices for them.
Knock, knock, knock!
A knock on the door interrupted Daeron's thoughts.
"Prince, someone from King's Landing is pressing us again." Outside the door was a young knight in silver armor and a white cloak, with a stern face.
Daeron paused, crumpled the drawing, and asked, "Ser Jon, who is it this time?"
The study was an important area, usually undisturbed. The person outside was a Kingsguard arranged by his Father Aerys to protect him.
"It's Lord Owen, and White Bull has also come," Ser Jon said gravely.
Daeron understood, pushed the door open, and waved his hand, saying, "It's time to go back. We can't make Uncle Tytos uncomfortable."
Owen Merryweather, the Count of Longtable in the Reach.
"White Bull" Gerold Hightower, the current Lord Commander of the Kingsguard.
One was a king's lackey, the other a king's Kingsguard captain, both among the closest of his kin.
Despite being mentally prepared, Daeron was still a little surprised.
It seemed his father's resolve to have him return was quite firm.
This was Ravenswood, the fief of House Blackwood.
Earlier this year, his eldest brother Rhaegar married Princess Elia Martell of Dorne and moved to Dragonstone after the wedding.
Father Aerys was furious, publicly declaring Rhaegar a white-eyed wolf who didn't deserve to be his son.
He even threatened to revoke his heir status.
The discord between father and son became an open scandal.
In contrast, Daeron showed early wisdom, cared for his sister and brothers, and was close to and respected his father (to keep Aerys from going too mad, a necessary stroking of his fur).
Aerys deeply loved this Second Son, often keeping young Daeron by his side.
Thus, Daeron was naturally considered the most likely candidate to replace Rhaegar as heir to the iron throne.
This was a good thing!
However, his elder brother Rhaegar was already fully grown and not at all afraid of losing his heir status.
Father Aerys was even more outrageous; his mind was somewhat mad.
Caught between two madmen, Daeron chose to avoid the conflict.
He found an excuse and came to the Riverlands, becoming a squire to Count Tytos Blackwood.
Squirehood was a necessary path for knights.
Daeron had intended to hide here.
But in less than two months, Father Aerys, far away in King's Landing, had sent people to urge him back several times.
The intervals between their visits grew shorter each time.
Clearly, he couldn't put it off any longer.
Ravenswood Hall.
As Daeron entered, he saw a Kingsguard wearing a horned helmet, silver armor, and a white cloak.
That person was "White Bull" Gerold Hightower.
Gerold was over forty, with an ordinary appearance, but his physique was exceptionally tall and robust. His battle-hardened demeanor commanded respect without needing anger, standing like a tall wall.
At this moment, Count Tytos was entertaining the envoy.
"Prince, you've finally shown yourself."
Standing with "White Bull" was Count Owen, whose eyes lit up at the sight of the silver hair at the hall entrance, and he even broke into a jog.
Count Owen was about to speak.
"My lord, I know your purpose."
Daeron raised a hand, not giving him a chance.