Aegon looked down from above at the dragons below. Compared to Tiamat, these dragons were only about two-thirds its size.
Still, their sheer numbers made Aegon tense involuntarily.
Under siege from so many dragons, Tiamat might be able to eke out a bitter victory—but as a dragon knight, Aegon would almost certainly perish in the chaos.
At the gates of the Targaryen main castle, several people dressed in dragon crowns and adorned in lavish attire were shouting at Aenar, spittle flying as they ranted incessantly.
Aenar remained expressionless, replying to them with a few indifferent words. Then he pointed up at Tiamat in the sky, spread his hands, and ignored the arrogant clamor of the so-called true dragons.
From such a height, the distance to the gate was far too great—Aegon couldn't hear a word of what they were saying.
After Dreamshade landed, Daenys, holding Aegon's bone dragon talisman, used its intimidating presence to successfully drive the self-proclaimed true dragons away from the castle gates.
Even so, the heads of their houses lingered outside, unwilling to leave.
Aegon felt a headache coming on. Being a dragon knight had its drawbacks—communicating with people was a hassle. He had to remain in the sky to serve as a deterrent, yet couldn't come down to figure out what was really going on.
After bickering for a while, the dozen or so dragon knights finally mounted their dragons, clearly dissatisfied, and flew off one by one.
Only then did Aegon slowly descend and head straight for Daenys, asking, "Why did they come to Targaryen?"
"The Valyrian steel craftsman we brought over from Burning Steel Peak has been discovered by the Dragonlord Council. They came to demand his return. Thankfully, you had that dragon talisman—otherwise, they might not have backed down," Daenys replied honestly.
"Good thing you made it back in time," Aenar added with a hint of lingering fear. "Otherwise, I think they would've forced me to go before the Dragonlord Council for a public trial."
"I see," Aegon nodded slightly.
Together, they entered the Targaryen main castle and walked along the corridor.
"I'd like to meet that craftsman later," Aegon said to Aenar. "I want to see if I can learn the forging techniques for Valyrian steel."
"No problem. But forging Valyrian steel isn't easy. It takes mastery of several unique Blood Sorceries, and you have to be highly skilled in both the forging process and the raw materials," Aenar replied.
"Worth a try. If I can't learn it, I won't force it," Aegon said with a smile and a nod.
They arrived in a spacious hall.
There, Daenys and Aegon met Gaemon's mother—the matriarch of House Targaryen—whose expression still held a lingering sorrow. Though she had gained a son-in-law, she had forever lost her own son to the Fourteen Flames, and he would never return. The grief in her heart was hard to dispel.
After a brief exchange of words, the matriarch quietly took her leave, still heavy with sadness.
This meeting was one of Aegon's most significant affairs within House Targaryen, symbolizing the family's recognition of the power he would hold in the future.
Aenar, much like he had on the ship, offered a few more words of encouragement before Aegon left the hall with Daenys.
Outside, Daenylis and Illya were waiting quietly.
The moment Aegon stepped outside, Illya rushed into his arms and clung tightly to him.
Daenylis wore a pink strapless dress with a cinched waist and frilly embellishments—elegant and lovely. When she saw Daenys emerge, she quickly gave a respectful bow.
When Aenar had returned home earlier, he had specifically instructed the butler Farlen to inform the two of them about Aegon's current relationship status—Daenys would be joining Aegon's household as the mistress.
With no powerful backing of their own, Daenylis and Illya could only accept this arrangement in silence.
Daenylis, however, took it all quite well. She understood that while she might no longer be the mistress, her standing within House Targaryen had not diminished. In fact, now that Aegon had become the designated heir, her position had only grown stronger.
"You're just in time. Let's take a walk in the garden," Aegon said warmly. "I'll tell you all about what happened at the Fourteen Flames."
As he spoke, he gently pulled Daenylis into his arms and gave her a soft kiss on the cheek.
The four of them strolled through the castle's winding paths, chatting and laughing along the way. The atmosphere was quite harmonious—unsurprising, as polygamy was customary in the Valyrian Freehold, and women were generally accepting of new sisters joining the family.
...
While Aegon was still at the Targaryen main castle, quietly deepening his bond with his wives, the dozen or so dragon knights who had left earlier had already reported back to the Dragonlord Council with news of Aegon's upcoming participation in the Champion Dragonbattle.
They also made special mention of the fact that Aegon held the dragon talisman [Pan's Gift], which would allow him to bypass the preliminaries and enter directly into the final battle.
In the Dragonlord Council, not a single person questioned Aegon's right to bypass the selection rounds and directly enter the Champion Dragonbattle. After all, they had seen Tiamat with their own eyes—its massive form, nearly two hundred meters long, was undeniably that of a true Dragonlord.
The rules of the Champion Dragonbattle were clear: only a Dragonlord could claim the title of champion.
As such, not every tournament featured a King-tier Dragon. In years without a Dragonlord-level contender, the ordinary dragons could only compete for second place, while the reigning champion Dragonlord would retain their title uncontested.
Now that Aegon had entered the competition, it was certain—this year's Dragonbattle would witness a fierce clash between Dragonlords.
Such a heart-pounding showdown hadn't occurred on Valyrian soil in decades.
For many years, the title of champion Dragonlord had been held by the golden-scaled Dragonlord of House Belaerys.
Like House Targaryen, House Belaerys was one of Valyria's famed Forty Dragonlord Houses and, similarly, was not part of the Dragonlord Council.
Nevertheless, the Belaerys family held immense weight in the long history of the Valyrian Freehold, leaving behind a profound legacy.
Back in Valyrian Year 4000, the Dragonlord Council had not yet been formed. At that time, nearly a hundred Dragonlord Houses surrounded the Fourteen Flames, and among them, the most powerful was House Belaerys.
Dragons were fewer in number then, and each Dragonlord House typically had only one or two dragons. But the dragons of that era were massive, and House Belaerys had both the greatest number and the strongest among them.
Ambitious and bold, the Belaerys family once rallied nearly half the Dragonlord Houses, attempting to transform the Valyrian Peninsula into an empire under their rule. But in the end, they were defeated by a coalition of Dragonlord Houses led by fourteen powerful councilors.
From that moment on, House Belaerys began a steady decline. Still, their bloodline remained extraordinarily pure—so much so that nearly every generation produced someone capable of taming a King-tier Dragon.
Even over two thousand years ago, the family produced a prodigious Dragonlord who managed to tame three dragons simultaneously. Unfortunately, as the family's overall strength continued to wane, they could no longer stand against the Dragonlord Council. That gifted Dragonlord died with bitter regret.
...
Back in the present, the news of the coming Dragonlord battle quickly spread, carried by the dozen or so dragon knights who had left the Targaryen main castle the day before.
The moment the news broke, it was like a spark falling onto dry tinder—instantly igniting the fervor of everyone in Valyria City. The entire city erupted in excitement.
A newly ascended Dragonlord, fresh from taming a dragon in the Fourteen Flames, was about to challenge the old champion from House Belaerys, who had held the title for decades.
This dramatic clash between old and new Dragonlords would finally take center stage in this year's Dragonbattle!
The news spread like wildfire, surging out from Valyria across the entire Freehold.
People everywhere were swept up in the discussion: who was stronger—Tiamat, the Mother of Dragons, or Idas, the Golden-Scaled Dragonlord? Major betting houses seized the opportunity, opening new odds on the upcoming match, drawing in a flood of eager wagers.
Time passed, and within a month...
Even across the Summer Sea, word had reached the continent of Essos. Nobles who caught wind of the coming duel could hardly contain their excitement. Many secured ship passages to the Valyrian Peninsula in advance, eager for the chance to witness the awe-inspiring might of Valyrian Dragonlords firsthand.
The dragon arena outside Valyria City was no longer capable of accommodating the sheer scale of a Dragonlord battle.
To properly honor this historic showdown, the Dragonlord Council made an unprecedented decision: they opened the Valyrian Grasslands—considered the sacred birthplace of the Valyrian people—to the public for the very first time. The Champion Dragonbattle would take place there, on grounds consecrated for this momentous event.
A blood offering to the ancestors of the Dragonlords.
...
In the blink of an eye, six months passed.
Within House Targaryen, Aegon had successfully been named the official heir. Not only that, but both of his wives, Daenys and Daenylis, were now carrying his children.
Aegon was overwhelmed with joy at the thought of becoming a father.
But he also had to face the most formidable opponent of his life—Idas, the Golden-Scaled Dragonlord, champion for decades.
Idas was a King-tier Dragon in his prime, over two hundred meters long, with more than a century of dragonbattle experience. The dragon knight who rode him was the most gifted descendant of a legendary Dragonlord family—an opponent not to be taken lightly.