The moment they met, the Mad King revealed his true intentions.
Daeron didn't answer. Instead, he quickly scanned the people below the Iron Throne.
The Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, a commander without an army present.
On the left, the place of honor, stood Tywin Lannister, the Hand of the King, his gaze profound. Beside him were his brothers, Kevan and Tygett.
On the right stood the largest group: three ministers of the Small Council and the Royal Steward.
Additionally, there was a pyromancer in grey-green robes, looking seedy and sly.
"Rossart the Wisdom."
Daeron recognized him instantly.
Rossart was a member of the Alchemists' Guild. In the original timeline, he refined wildfire for Aerys, helping him rig the entirety of King's Landing with the substance, intending to burn the city to the ground.
Lord Rickard Stark and his son Brandon "The Wild Wolf" Stark, as well as Lord Chelsted mentioned earlier, were all burned alive by wildfire at Aerys's command, executed by this man.
He was a sycophant through and through.
The key was, this guy actually knew magic.
He had gained Aerys's favor by demonstrating the ability to manipulate ordinary fire.
"Pycelle is dead, and now we have someone even more disgusting."
Daeron cursed his luck inwardly.
"Boy, have you gone mute?"
Aerys was impatient. He gripped the armrests of the Iron Throne so hard that his hands bled, but he seemed completely unaware of the pain.
Daeron had his own pace. He suggested, "Father, why not take a look at the hatchlings first?"
He emphasized the plural "hatchlings."
Aerys's breathing quickened, and he shouted repeatedly, "Yes! Bring the hatchlings out, quickly!"
With a nod from the Prince, Davos set down the three cages and unveiled them one by one.
Skree-ga!
Skree... ga...
The three hatchlings were revealed. They bounced around energetically, slamming against the cages, trying to reach Daeron.
They recognized their father.
!!!
In an instant, the breathing in the hall stopped. Everyone's eyes were glued to the three living hatchlings.
"There really are dragons!"
Even Tywin was moved, subconsciously taking a step forward.
These were dragons!
Extinct for over a hundred and fifty years, dragons had reappeared in the world.
Who wouldn't want one?
Even if it was Tyrion, the dwarf born malformed.
"Dragons! Real dragons!"
Aerys's eyes were bloodshot, panting like an ox as he muttered, "I am the King... I am the dragon..."
Once everyone had their fill of looking...
Daeron blocked their view and said, "I hatched them, and I named them."
"What are their names?"
Aerys asked urgently.
Daeron introduced them seriously.
First was the black hatchling.
Among the three, it had the foulest temper and was the wildest.
Suspected to be the offspring of the wild dragon "The Cannibal."
Daeron named it "Toothless."
First, because the little guy's teeth were special—retractable. At first, he thought it was a toothless baby dragon.
Second, because "Toothless" was pitch black like charcoal and had green vertical pupils, looking too much like a certain fish-loving dragon from a movie in his past life.
The other two hatchlings were named after dragons from the Dance of the Dragons era.
The red one was named "Caraxes," in memory of the "Blood Wyrm."
The blue one was named "Tessarion," in memory of the "Blue Queen."
Caraxes had a long, snake-like body and broad, powerful wings. Its hind legs were small and webbed, and even the tip of its tail was shaped like a flat crescent moon.
It seemed born for smooth, agile flight.
Tessarion had cobalt-blue scales, with a copper-colored underbelly. Its temperament was gentle and obedient, and it had the most proportionate build of the three.
Toothless was rather robust, clearly built for ambush and brawling.
It would be an excellent hunter in the future.
After hearing the introductions, Aerys could no longer restrain himself. He urged repeatedly, "Boy, bring them to me. I'll name you Prince of Dragonstone."
Screw the eldest son, Rhaegar.
The moment he saw the dragons, his wife, children, and kingdom were all thrown to the back of his mind.
He only wanted the dragons!
Daeron's expression remained unchanged. "That is exactly why I came."
Showing the dragons was precisely to expand his influence.
Shaking Rhaegar's position as heir was a great achievement in itself.
Aerys ignored the first and last parts of the sentence; he only heard that his second son was offering the dragons to him. He laughed maniacally. "White Bull, bring the dragons to your King, quickly!"
Ser Gerold looked conflicted but stepped forward due to his duty.
He never expected that Prince Daeron would hatch dragons immediately after getting the egg back.
If his nephew, Leyton Hightower, found out, he might die of anger.
"Wait!"
Barristan strode forward, blocking Ser Gerold's path.
Aerys's face changed drastically. "Barristan, what are you doing?"
Barristan was fearless. He looked straight at the King and spoke earnestly, "Your Grace, Prince Daeron hatched these hatchlings. They view the Prince as their father."
"If you separate the hatchlings from their father, they will die."
He knew his mission clearly.
That was to protect the hatchlings from being taken from the Prince at all costs.
Aerys paused, seemingly touching upon a blind spot in his knowledge. He wasn't sure if that was true.
"I believe Ser Barristan is correct."
Tywin suddenly spoke up.
Everyone was surprised.
Tywin resumed his usual majestic expression and said righteously, "Daeron hatched the dragons; they rightfully belong to him. To strip him of his ownership arbitrarily would likely anger the Seven."
This was a lie!
Since his wife Joanna died in childbirth, he no longer believed in the false Seven.
He said this solely because he didn't want Aerys to get the dragons.
A madman with a dragon—what a disaster that would be.
Besides, did Aerys deserve a dragon?
Tywin was dismissive.
This actually scared Aerys.
inwardly, he desperately wanted to possess the three hatchlings.
But dragons had been extinct for too long. With new dragons suddenly appearing, his remaining shred of reason made him afraid to be careless.
If one died, he would rather trade his eldest son Rhaegar's life for it.
"That's not right!"
Just as he was caught in a dilemma, Rossart the Wisdom jumped out, fawning, "Your Grace, the Prince hatched the dragons, yes. But it is an iron law of your House that one rider bonds with one dragon. How can the Prince possess three dragons alone?"
Aerys's eyes lit up; he was clearly persuaded.
Tywin shouted sternly, "Silence! Since when do you have a place to speak here?"
"You silence yourself, Tywin!"
Aerys gave him no face at all.
Tywin's expression changed. Anger at the humiliation surged, and he almost rushed the Iron Throne to punch the King.
"Lord Hand, let me speak."
Daeron spoke up.
From the beginning, he had been observing Rossart's demeanor.
The Red Comet arrived early, bringing magic to the world.
But the original story stated clearly that dragons were the source of magic; whoever controlled them was favored by magic.
When Daenerys was in Qarth, she was attacked by warlocks for this very reason.
Rossart was a pyromancer; he should have similar covetous thoughts.
Sure enough, upon seeing the three hatchlings, greed was written all over Rossart's face, his eyes gleaming with cunning light.
"If you want my dragons, I'm afraid you've miscalculated."
Daeron remained calm, mentally marking a death cross on the man.