Three days later.
Rhaegar set sail.
Taking Ser Arthur Dayne and Ser Oswell Whent with him, he boarded a large ship and slowly departed Dragonstone.
Daeron watched from the cliffs as the ship faded into the distance.
He had to admit, he admired Rhaegar's decisiveness.
The man didn't waste time.
"Prince, should we leave as well?"
Davos looked worried, fearing the people left on the island might cause trouble.
Now, Dragonstone was essentially run by the Dornish.
"Leave for what?"
Daeron said calmly, "This is my family's ancestral seat. It's not for outsiders to dictate what happens here."
It was interesting.
Thanks to the tip-off from Ashara, Daeron had pieced together Rhaegar's movements.
Using the Tourney at Harrenhal as a focal point.
Rhaegar's original plan was likely: sail to Essos, recover the ancestral sword Blackfyre to boost his influence, and launch a coup against their father, Aerys...
But finding Blackfyre had clearly failed.
So the plan changed: get funding from Prince Doran, have House Whent host the tourney, use the tourney to build alliances, and then launch the coup...
That was likely what Rhaegar was thinking, and a reasonable extrapolation of the events in the original timeline.
But now, Rhaegar had refused Prince Doran's funding. He was sailing to Braavos to take out a loan from the Iron Bank to personally fund House Whent's tourney...
It was worth noting that House Whent was wealthy—indeed, the richest noble house in the Riverlands after their liege lords, the Tullys.
But House Whent was "new money." They couldn't afford the exorbitant prize purse of the Tourney at Harrenhal on their own.
Someone had to be backing them.
That person had to be Rhaegar, or Prince Doran of Dorne.
But now Rhaegar had refused Doran's money, preferring to go into debt with the Iron Bank.
And look at who he took with him.
Aside from Ser Arthur Dayne, a Dornishman, the others were Rhaegar's closest friends and personal guards.
This attitude left plenty of room for interpretation.
Daeron glanced at the Stone Drum Tower and mused, "Is the Tourney at Harrenhal your first step against Father? Or is it your first step to break free from Dornish influence?"
He didn't have much goodwill toward the Dornish right now.
Forget the original story where, after the fall of House Targaryen, only the Dornish tried to support the exiled Viserys to reclaim the Iron Throne.
If they truly cared, Prince Doran would have sent money and men long ago.
What the Dornish really wanted was revenge—an eye for an eye!
The "Red Viper," Oberyn Martell, lost his cool and died in a trial by combat against the Mountain.
They lost the princess and the prince.
"It's fine to be dissatisfied with Father, but trying to replace him now? No way!"
Daeron faced two questions.
Now that he knew Rhaegar's plan, should he expose it? Should he stop it?
No need to expose it, and no need to stop it.
Exposing it now would just force Rhaegar to find another way, alerting the enemy and rendering his current intel useless.
Stopping it was out of the question.
Judging by the Tourney at Harrenhal in the original timeline, Rhaegar seemed to have lost his mind, turning an alliance-building event into a feud-generating disaster.
If Daeron was going to stop anything, it would be stopping Rhaegar from coveting someone else's fiancée.
Robert hadn't done anything to him. Robert's father, Lord Steffon Baratheon, had even died in Shipbreaker Bay while trying to find a bride for Rhaegar.
Turning around and stealing Robert's fiancée was low. No wonder Robert smashed Rhaegar's chest in with a warhammer at the Trident.
"Let's go. To the Dragonmont."
The ship was gone. Daeron turned and headed down the mountain.
He gave Davos a specific task.
Today was Summer 6. Summer 11 was five days away.
Summer 11 marked an important festival.
He had promised Shaena and the others that once he got settled on Dragonstone, he'd bring them over for a visit.
Davos was to pick them up so they could all attend the Luau on Summer 11.
Of course, the most important thing was to bring Barristan Selmy.
"Hatching a dragon egg requires protection."
Daeron didn't trust the Dornish. He needed to beef up his security.
"Yes, Prince."
Davos accepted the urgent mission and set off immediately.
---
Summer 9, Wednesday. Sunny. 9:00 AM.
Deep within the Dragonmont.
Daeron was covered in dirt and soot, carrying a hoe in one hand and a satchel slung across his body.
"Prince, are you alright?"
Barristan stepped forward to take the items.
A day ago, Davos had arrived safely on Dragonstone with Shaena and the others.
"Cough, cough... I'm fine."
Daeron coughed, choking on the dust. "Has Ser Gerold returned?"
Barristan nodded.
Barristan wasn't the only Kingsguard who had come; the Lord Commander, Gerold Hightower, the "White Bull," had come along too.
Whether it was Daeron's sincerity that moved Lord Leyton or Rhaegar's influence was unclear.
But after receiving the message, Lord Leyton had written back to his uncle, Ser Gerold, in King's Landing.
He agreed to return the dragon egg!
He had to return it.
When the Royal Family didn't pursue it, having a dragon egg in the Hightower was fine.
But once the Royal Family asked for it back, you'd better return it.
Unless House Hightower of Oldtown was confident they could recreate the glory days of the "Dance of the Dragons."
Daeron had also been very accommodating to Lord Leyton.
Lord Leyton had three conditions.
First, Daeron had to do his best to provide him with special crops for research.
If there were special metals, even better.
After all, special crops were hard to come by.
Even with all of House Hightower's wealth, if Daeron didn't sell, they couldn't buy.
Daeron agreed readily.
He had plenty of special crops. During his time on Dragonstone, he had gathered a huge pile of forageables.
Second, he demanded that after Rhaegar ascended the throne, a seat on the Small Council be reserved for House Hightower.
Note: after Rhaegar ascended.
Daeron agreed immediately.
If Rhaegar could ascend smoothly, Daeron would eat his hat.
The third condition wasn't stated yet.
However, Lord Leyton had extended an invitation, hoping Daeron would visit Oldtown personally.
Likely for a marriage alliance or something similar.
"Prince, let me carry that."
Barristan reached for the satchel.
Daeron dodged skillfully and changed the subject. "Ser, I found the remains of two mushrooms deep in the mountain. There were bite marks on the roots. I think I'm close to finding it."
Barristan looked serious. "Rest assured, Prince. If there truly is a monster, I will take its head."
He had been on Dragonstone for a day.
He had begun to realize just how dangerous Prince Daeron's undertaking was.
There was a fire-breathing monster hiding in the Dragonmont, suspected to be a wild dragon.
Prince Daeron had scoured most of the mountain. Only the most complex underground caverns remained. Success—and danger—were close at hand.
---
Night.
Daeron was alone in his room by the fire. He opened the lid of the incubator.
Sizzle!
Pungent white smoke billowed out. Resting on the red-hot charcoal were two dragon eggs—one red, one blue.
"You really are beautiful."
Daeron caressed the blue egg, unable to express how much he loved it.
The egg was primarily cobalt blue. The bottom was slightly blackened, while the tip faded from blue to light purple, finally ending in a touch of honey-gold.
A stunning gradient.
This egg came from the Hightower in Oldtown, personally handed to Daeron by Ser Gerold.
It was easy to foresee that it would hatch into a magnificent blue dragon.
Daeron murmured softly, "When you hatch, how about I call you Tessarion?"
As he spoke, he took out a Solar Essence and placed it between the two eggs.
The blue egg, suspected to be from the "Blue Queen" Tessarion, had been preserved for a shorter time and still had plenty of vitality.
Sensing the warm energy of the Solar Essence, it began to devour it greedily.
He had already given the blue egg one Solar Essence to stimulate its activity, but that didn't stop its gluttonous nature.
The red dragon egg, seemingly feeling the pressure, also began to absorb energy at a faster rate.