Draezell had no idea what Viserys was thinking, nor did he need to know. In fact, when Draezell learned from the Faceless Man, Kungor Potter, about what Viserys had said to Aegon, he smiled with relief.
"Good. It seems the descendants of House Targaryen are quite clever." They understood the threat posed by the rise of House Vaelarys, the fragility of House Targaryen itself, and the current imbalance of power between the two sides.
Aegon was also wise, knowing when to let go. The boy was indeed honest. Upon realizing that neither Draezell nor Rhaegor posed a threat to his rule—or rather, had no interest in his Iron Throne—he decisively chose the safest path: to sit firmly on that Iron Throne and, with Draezell's guidance, learn the art of ruling until Draezell stepped down and returned to his fiefdom.
Recently, Aegon had received quite a few good news, but there was also bad news. After Maelor Sunfyre's companion green dragon hatched, over a dozen more dragon eggs had hatched in the Dragonmont of Dragonstone over the years. However, unlike the Dragonpit in Dragon's Nest or the one in King's Landing, the Dragonmont lacked a proper management system. As a result, tragedy struck.
Before the Dragonkeepers could locate all the hatchlings and bring them to the Dragonstone's rearing yard, the dozen or so young dragons had been reduced to just two due to fights over food and trespassing into the territories of sheep thieves or Seasmoke.
When Aegon heard the first piece of news, he was as happy as a sixteen-year-old boy. But when he learned the latter, his smile vanished instantly.
If it weren't for the fact that two surviving dragons had also hatched in the Dragonpit, Aegon and Viserys might have burst into tears on the spot.
"My lord," Yamor, standing behind the slightly dazed Draezell, reminded his liege, "The three newly hatched dragons need names. They are all strong."
Draezell let out a soft sigh and pushed open the door to the dragon greenhouse. Over the past few years, Draezell had adjusted the magical rituals affecting the entire Dragon's Nest and the Dragonpit, allowing the magic of the Red Mountains to more precisely nurture the dragon eggs.
As a result, only three eggs had hatched in recent years. The last dark green egg with silver patterns from the ruins of Valyria hatched a strong dragon at the end of 133 AC. A light blue egg with silver cloud patterns, laid by Ember, and a golden egg from Silverwing both hatched in 135 AC.
Draezell was in no hurry to send them to the Dragonpit. Instead, he planned to observe whether these three young dragons would exhibit the peculiar interactions seen between Aegarax and Zarafax. After all, interactions between young dragons were more valuable for research and could better reveal potential biological relationships among dragons.
Rey was particularly interested in this.
Unfortunately, after more than a year together, the three young dragons had not sparked the kind of connection seen between Aegarax and Zarafax. Instead, they often fought among themselves. Of course, under Rey's supervision, no blood was shed. The most ferocious of the three had even established a semblance of order in the small greenhouse, akin to that of the Dragonpit.
The alpha ate first, but it made sure the others didn't go hungry. After all, the Silver Guards always prepared enough food—who would dare not feed the dragons, especially after the little one learned to breathe fire? Starve them, and you'd get a face full of dragonflame.
Two Silver Guards had already died for this reason.
"Roar~"
As soon as Draezell pushed open the greenhouse door, he heard the roar of the unusually fierce little dragon. Draezell couldn't help but nod. It seemed that after the last incident, the little dragon had learned its lesson. It now knew not to provoke him recklessly, unlike last time when it lunged at him and took a direct hit from a blood magic spell. Draezell was relieved that the dragon wasn't foolish.
"Stay away... dangerous kin... bite."
If Draezell wasn't mistaken, that was the meaning behind the roar of the young dragon hanging upside down from the rafters.
"Quiet. Come down." A flash of crimson flickered in Draezell's deep purple eyes. The young dragon shook its head vigorously, let out a meaningless growl of defiance, but obediently climbed down from the rafters, allowing Draezell to get a clear look at it.
It was a dark green dragon, but from its jaw to its belly, it was a slightly dull silver-white. Its sharp, slightly upturned scales resembled both blades and leaves, and upon closer inspection, one could see vein-like patterns on the scales, much like the veins of a leaf. Its crocodile-like head was covered in dense, keratinous scales and strange markings. Without even looking, one could imagine the countless knife-sharp teeth hidden within its pointed snout.
The young dragon's horns were unusually large, resembling a pair of massive moose antlers or the branches of a weirwood tree. Its neck was lined with sharp spines, and when it spread its wings, Draezell could see the intricate, butterfly-like patterns on the membrane—patterns that were both beautiful and mesmerizing.
The dragon had a strong, elongated tail, and at the end of its tail was a pair of sharp, thick fins, or rather, a "tail hammer", shaped like the wings of a butterfly. Draezell could easily imagine how ferocious this dragon would become as it grew. Even now, just hatched and unable to breathe fire, it had already injured over a dozen heavily armored Silver Guards armed with spears.
"Sendros," Draezell said, looking at the wary young dragon with a satisfied smile. The more dragons House Vaelarys had, and the stronger they were, the happier he was. It was proof of the family's vitality and the enduring power of their magic. "Yamor, take note. This fierce little one shall be named Sendros, which in ancient Valyrian means 'Beast of the Forest.'"
"Understood, my lord," Yamor dutifully recorded the name in his notes.
The silver-haired prince glanced around the room. The other two young dragons had already been thoroughly subdued by Sendros. One was hiding in a tree hollow, part of the greenhouse's simulated natural environment, while the other was tucked away in a cave-like structure, cautiously peeking out.
Draezell pointed to the light blue dragon hiding in the tree hollow.
To be honest, based on appearance alone, one might assume this light blue dragon was the most ferocious of the three.
However, in reality, among this batch of three hatchlings, this dragon—with its eagle-like head, spiked horns, and fierce expression—was actually the most gentle.
This observation added another note to Rey's records:
*Never judge a dragon by its appearance.*