Baelon's footsteps faltered.
He saw two people: King Daeron, standing alone, his face ashen, and Seryna, dressed in tight leather armor.
When King Daeron saw Baelon, his face brightened slightly, but when he saw Seryna, there was a tinge of sadness.
The Seven had taken my mother, wife, son, and brother, but I still have siblings and family. But what if my brother doesn't listen? Daeron looked at little Baelon, who was carrying a small bag, and rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"Baelon, where are you going?"
Seryna gave a soft bow. "Your Majesty."
Daeron nodded, forcing a smile. Samantha had had a very good relationship with Seryna during her lifetime. When Daeron was still a boy, Seryna often came to King's Landing to look after his sister's children, so he held great respect for his aunt.
Although he didn't know, no, Daeron's instincts were sharp. The moment he saw Seryna, he had an inkling of why she was here.
She was here for the dragons. She was here for Baelon. Daeron closed his eyes, trying to suppress the sadness that surged within him. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't contain it. Seryna read that emotion in her young nephew's eyes.
The loss of loved ones, especially when they were shattered because of one's dreams, but still having to hold up a massive kingdom—it was a sentiment she could deeply understand.
Seryna couldn't help but feel some sympathy for her nephews. Yet, that sadness also struck a chord with her, because the family Daeron lost was her own blood.
She found herself at a loss for words.
In the end, it was Baelon who spoke first.
"Brother," the boy paused, swallowing the lump in his throat before firmly addressing his elder brother. "Brother, I don't want to make things difficult for you."
Daeron felt as if he had been struck by something. He stared at Baelon in disbelief, even the heavy sadness in him lightened by the surprise of Baelon's words. Don't want to make things difficult for me? Who taught Baelon these things? He glanced at his aunt but quickly dismissed the thought. He trusted Seryna wouldn't feed the children these adult notions.
Despite his age, in Seryna's presence, he too was just a child.
"Baelon, who told you that? How could I be troubled?" Daeron felt as though he was losing something again and grew more anxious. Before Daeron could finish, Seryna stopped him with a look.
She shook her head, looking gently at Baelon. "Baelon, what do you want to do?"
"Leave." Baelon said, his eyes Rhaegoring on Candlelight in the courtyard, reluctant. "Aunt Seryna, brother, I know what riding mother's dragon would bring. I may be young, but I'm not blind."
He looked at Seryna with some grievance, nervously twisting his hands. "Aunt Seryna, if grandfather wishes for Candlelight to return to the family, I will immediately leave the Black Keep, leave Candlelight, or I will never set foot outside the Black Keep again."
"Baelon!"
"Baelon, what nonsense are you saying?" Both of them shouted almost simultaneously. Seryna even dropped to one knee in front of little Baelon, pulling him into a tender embrace. "How could grandfather be upset with you? He adores you, Baelon. Daenerys, Sebastian, Igon all miss you, and even Osserys and Daemon know you, their little brother."
"Viserys." Daeron gritted his teeth, uttering his uncle's name. His hand clenched into a fist before loosening, tightening and loosening again, his veins bulging, but eventually, it settled.
I am the king, the king of House Targaryen.
Daeron reminded himself over and over. Though he was the grandson of House Vaelarys, he was also the son of House Targaryen, the king of House Targaryen. Viserys's actions to limit House Vaelarys were ultimately for Targaryen's sake.
He had no reason to fault his uncle's actions. Furthermore, his cousins were close to him as well.
Except for that one who shattered Rhaenya's heart—Aegon.
"Brother, Aunt Seryna, I understand, truly." Baelon looked up with clear eyes, gazing seriously at his elders. "You don't need to comfort me, brother. A Targaryen boy who rides a Vaelarys dragon will inevitably cause a dragon conflict. I don't want to see the blood in our veins turn into blades against each other. So, brother, I voluntarily give up all my royal rights."
"Baelon, when did we ever say something like that?" Daeron said softly, but Seryna could still hear the barely-contained anger in his voice, an anger that had been compressed to its limits. Who was he angry at? Seryna could tell it wasn't directed at the Vaelaryss. After all, if Baelon ascended to the throne, Vaelarys would certainly face some difficulties, but they would find a way to reclaim the dragons and perhaps even change the name of the Iron Throne.
Rhaegor's plan was clear. If the Targaryens became too rigid, they would have Baelon relinquish his claim to the throne and return to the family through marriage. If the Targaryens were open to negotiations, the family wouldn't mind supporting Baelon's rise to power.
After all, the family had enough influence to resolve many issues once Baelon ascended to the throne.
"This is the king's command, the king's promise." Daeron closed his eyes, trying to suppress the fire burning in his chest. "And it is my promise as your older brother. Baelon, I—your older brother, King Daeron I of the Iron Throne, the bloodline of the Red Dragon and Silver Dragon—will never allow anyone to force you or harm you."
"Brother, some things aren't really up to you to decide or change," little Baelon said, as though he had already seen through the hidden plots and intrigues of the adults around him. From his mother, from his uncle, even from the few times he had met his grandfather and his mother's brother, he had seen much.
He kept it in his heart.
This memory transformed him. He was no longer just an innocent child who played in his mother's arms or prayed to distant gods when confused. He lay awake in the still of the night, pondering deeply.
Hmph, gods.
He had once given his loyalty and devotion to the Seven Gods, and at a young age, he could recite the entire Seven-Pointed Star Bible. He had even, at one point, grown to despise the early Targaryen kings because of his familiarity with the teachings of the church.
But the Seven Gods never gave him anything in return.
He had seen his family's helplessness in the face of death and witnessed the dragons, creatures that seemed like gods. And then there was his grandfather, who appeared to stand above the world, looking down like a deity.
So, when Candlelight was cremating his mother, Baelon had decisively thrown away the silver seven-pointed star he had worn for years, along with the thick, hand-copied Seven-Pointed Star Bible.
He had watched with his own eyes as the so-called sacred emblem, revered by the priests as eternal, turned to dust in the dragon's flames, the pages curling and charring before the fire consumed them entirely.
Since then, the boy who revered the Seven Gods was gone.
"Brother, I think the Citadel would suit me better."
"Baelon!" Daeron finally understood his brother's resolve. For a moment, his heart was filled with a whirlwind of emotions, not knowing what to say. He could only call his brother's name again.
"Baelon, don't act rashly, don't be impulsive," Seryna said gently. "Daeron still needs you. Baelon, you're still young, you don't need to bear so much."
The slender silver-haired beauty embraced the boy, her warmth—a comfort from the blood of dragons—enveloping him as he mourned the loss of his family. "Baelon, you're not the only one who's lost family. Your brother, your sisters, they still need our little grown-up to comfort them. Those things are not something you should bear now, child. Stay with us. We still have plenty of time to choose, to think."
She tenderly comforted both her nephews, and Daeron knelt beside his aunt, allowing the beautiful woman to embrace both him and his tearful brother.
"We still have enough time, Baelon. Don't let emotions control your decisions. Daeron, you not only carry the weight of the kingdom, but the children too. Samantha is gone, but the children are still here. They need their older brother. The kingdom needs its king."
Seryna had not forgotten her mission.
But for now, comforting the king was the priority.
"Cheer up. Find something you enjoy doing, Daeron. And you, Baelon, grow up quickly. Then Samantha will smile and say, 'Look, my little one has grown up so much.' Remember, Candlelight is also Samantha's dragon. She'll watch over you through the eyes of her old companion."
"She'll watch you grow."
Before she realized it, Seryna's eyes were red as well.