The next day, Ser Barristan jumped in fright when he saw Rhaegar.
The Prince looked haggard and pale; though still devastatingly handsome, he seemed exhausted.
"Your Grace, are you alright?" Barristan asked.
"Thank you, Ser, I am fine." Rhaegar shook his head.
He hadn't indulged in wine or women; he had stumbled into blood and fire magic.
There wasn't a single woman in the camp, and even female animals were rare.
Rhaegar knew the reason: yesterday, the Fire Dragon Nest had devoured a part of his life spark, leaving him drained.
Fortunately, he had absorbed a large amount of residual sparks from House Belaerys; otherwise, the damage would have gone deep into his bones.
Life is like fire—burn too intensely too often, and it goes out.
Why did many famous warriors die young? Because they gave their all on the battlefield; combat is bloody and short, and their lives paid the price.
Rhaegar only felt tired; his core remained intact.
The "Fire Heart" hatchery booster was terrifying; when he had time, he would return to Dragonstone and let the nest survive on natural heat.
If he had to shoulder it alone, that thing would suck him dry.
He recalled the peak of Ancient Valyria: the Fourteen Flames forming a massive volcanic chain, nourishing thousands of dragons and a brilliant civilization. No wonder House Belaerys used that heat to build Fire Heart nests. Even among them, the Purple Nest was precious, reserved only for heirs.
Dragonstone was also volcanic, but it was just the poorest cousin of the Fourteen Flames; one peak might only support a few dozen beasts. Perhaps that was why the Valyrians used it only as an outpost.
(Collection: Rhaegar Targaryen's Dragonlord Ring, Ancient Valyrian Silver Dragon Egg, Ancient Valyrian Purple Dragon Egg, Ancient Valyrian Fire Heart Nest.)
Watching his hoard grow improved his mood. Keep collecting, keep forging fire, and hatch the eggs as soon as possible.
However, regarding the second Purple Egg, even though he had stained it with his blood, the Dragon Bond wouldn't activate.
The old rule: One Dragonlord, One Dragon. Most dragonriders were exhausted controlling just one. A super Dragonlord controlling four or five dragons was unimaginable.
Dragons were proud, intelligent, powerful, and sometimes vicious. Betrayal was not loyalty. A normal dragonrider would only have one mount; only after the knight died would the mount choose another.
House Targaryen's history was filled with dragons out of control. Forcing a berserk hatchling or a young dragon was extremely dangerous.
During the Dance of the Dragons, the war was cruel and bloody; Blacks and Greens drained the oceans, throwing all hatchlings, small dragons, or half-grown dragons into the meat grinder, and House Targaryen bled out because of it.
In Ancient Valyria, such waste was unthinkable; Dragonlords at their peak would rather send out three hundred adult dragons than slaughter the future.
Rhaegar believed House Targaryen never learned binding spells, let alone possessed magic horns. They relied on bloodline and brute force. Their status among Valyrian Dragonlords was too low to access core arts.
"House Hightower! They performed 'great service' for House Targaryen... they were one of the main culprits behind the dragons' extinction!" The Blacks had the Velaryons, the Greens had the Hightowers.
He thought of the pillar of the Greens: the ancient, gloomy High Tower, the instigator of this bloody storm, yet it remained unscathed in the later purges by the Blacks. He yearned to destroy that tower and see what they truly wanted.
Though pale, Rhaegar remained in control, continuing his inspection of the camp.
He drilled, ate, and built alongside the soldiers.
Spears, shields, axes, lances, swords, bows, carpentry... days passed in the clanging of steel.
Once these men met his standards, he would plan the next move.
He would visit the Vale lords first, then sail to Dragonstone to feed the nest, perhaps scouting the Narrow Sea along the way.
The Eagle Guard's structure remained simple: Rhaegar as Commander, Ser Barristan nominally Chief Instructor, Ser Brynden in charge of horsemanship, archery, and military justice, swordsman Sessa as fencing instructor and Rhaegar's private secretary, and Ser Joffrey Arryn in charge of logistics. The White Knight focused on protecting Rhaegar and rarely trained soldiers; most training fell to Brynden and Sessa.
The core members were few, but the Eagle Guard looked impressive.
Rhaegar felt he had assembled a dream team of top talent, enough to train the Gold Cloaks without shame.
Barristan and Brynden were legendary knights, and Master Sessa's martial arts were equally outstanding. Though Ser Joffrey Arryn's martial skills were lesser, he handled supplies and finances like a born merchant.
Ser Joffrey Arryn grew busier by the day, arranging compensation for the fallen, delivering money and letters handwritten by the Prince; later, Rhaegar personally visited the families of the dead.
After the Battle of the High Road, the Eagle Guard's fame spread far and wide. Many Vale nobles wanted to send their sons—even if they couldn't get an officer's post under the Prince, becoming an excellent knight would bring glory to the family. This gave Ser Joffrey a headache.
"Pick the most outstanding—tough, kind, battle-hardened. This isn't a sept lecture hall; I won't accept mediocrity. Birth doesn't matter; meeting the standard does." Rhaegar looked at Joffrey Arryn, who had been anxious for days; offending nobles was no joke. In the end, Lord Jon Arryn played the villain and rejected them on his behalf.