"Father, but I don't have magic."
Rhaegor was visibly frustrated. He had seen his father perform unfathomable magic with just a few drops of blood. Yet, no matter how closely he mimicked his father's actions—even secretly dripping his own blood into a burning brazier—nothing happened. To make matters worse, his sister had mocked him for it.
"I know."
Draezell wasn't surprised. His father's notes had mentioned the "silver blood" of House Vaelarys. During the days of the Freehold, one of the key factors that allowed House Vaelarys to master the creation of Valyrian steel was the blood magic talent inherent in their lineage. However, this talent wasn't something that could be cultivated like the skills of a pyromancer, nor did it appear predictably every few generations like the Targaryens' legendary dragon dreams. Instead, it appeared sporadically, sometimes skipping generations entirely. If it weren't for the fact that the early blood mages of House Vaelarys, like their peers, had used the blood of others to extend their own lives, the family might have been consumed by other great houses before they could rise to power.
It seemed Draezell was the exception.
But it didn't matter. Even if Rhaegor hadn't inherited the blood magic talent of the family, there were still magics within the family's legacy that he could use.
For example, the hidden magic circle in Dragonstone.
Or certain ritual magics that didn't require innate magical ability.
More importantly, deep beneath the family's estate was imprisoned a truly powerful witch—Melisandre. She was not only a skilled shadowbinder but also an accomplished pyromancer. Though the "Song of Fire" represented by her Red God, R'hllor, didn't directly reveal things to her, the massive ruby imbued with fire magic and the palpable fire magic within her proved that she, as the "Chosen of the Red God," was indeed formidable.
Draezell hoped she would come to understand what he wanted her to know on her own.
He could only hope she wasn't foolish enough to wait for him to explain, word by word, how to act in a way that truly aligned with the expectations of her god.
While father and son discussed the inheritance of magic, In the Dragonpit:
This once nearly empty structure, which had housed only a few dragons, was gradually regaining the liveliness it had during the reign of King Jaehaerys. Some of the older dragonkeepers, though retired, still lived near the Dragonpit, ready to assist if needed. In their memories, the Dragonpit's most glorious era had been home to dragons like Balerion the Black Dread, Vhagar, Vermithor, Silverwing, Red Queen Meleys, and Blood Wyrm Caraxes. Back then, the pit had echoed daily with thunderous snores and dragon roars.
But the Dance of the Dragons changed everything. The riots in King's Landing had shown Daemon that the Dragonpit wasn't safe. Yet, there was neither time nor funds to build a more suitable pit near the capital. So, Daemon had done his best to renovate the existing Dragonpit, striving to make it more comfortable.
Especially after Joffrey returned to Driftmark to serve as the Master of Tides, and Baela rode off on Moondancer, disappearing without a trace.
Now, the massive structure housed only four dragons: Caraxes, Syrax, Dreamfyre, and Morghul.
After Daemon's death, Caraxes had become a wild dragon, but it seemed to still remember its duty as the leader of the Dragonpit's dragons. It maintained order within the pit and generously shared its kills with Syrax, who was obsessed with laying and hatching eggs, and the still-young Morghul.
For some reason, Morghul, who had grown up in King's Landing, was unusually shy and timid—despite its cleverness during the riots, where it had used piles of bodies to build a defensive line and burned many rioters to death. But that had been a life-or-death situation; it had seen Shrykos killed by the mob. How could it not go mad?
Perhaps that outburst had drained its ferocity, for the young dragon had since preferred to hide in the shadows of its lair. Even when eating, it was cautious, sticking to a routine between its nest and the sandy center of the Dragonpit.
Moreover, its growth was slow. At over ten years old, it was even smaller than Aegarax, who had hatched only a few years ago, and smaller than the green dragon hatched from Meleys' egg. In fact, in terms of length, it was even shorter than a white dragon recently brought from Dragonstone, one of the survivors of the dragonmont.
This made Morghul even more reclusive.
Syrax remained obsessed with laying and hatching eggs. It produced new eggs almost every month, though few hatched. The reason was unclear, but the two hatchlings that did emerge were healthy—far healthier than those hatched in the dragonmont on Dragonstone.
However, Dreamfyre's temperament had changed drastically. Like Morghul, it had become reclusive. While it accepted Caraxes' rule and the restrictions on harming humans or breathing fire indiscriminately, it didn't mean Dreamfyre was willing to fully obey Caraxes like Syrax or Morghul. Instead, it chose to avoid any situation where Caraxes was present. When in its own lair, even if Caraxes passed by, Dreamfyre would angrily breathe fire or let out a few roars to express its displeasure.
Since it was in its own lair, Caraxes could do nothing about Dreamfyre and simply let it be.
One by one, dragons descended the stairs from the upper levels of the Dragonpit.
They were the true "future" of House Targaryen.
Leading the way was the one-horned blue dragon, Stormcloud. Having spent over a decade in Dragon's Nest, it was now deeply uncomfortable returning to the Dragonpit in King's Landing.
It preferred the lair it had created with its own flames alongside its siblings, rather than the man-made caverns of the Dragonpit. Stormcloud snorted unhappily, letting out a series of low growls.
Translated, it meant: "The red snake... return... need... lair."
A sharp roar followed as a long, serpentine neck stretched down from the Dragonpit's dome. Caraxes' crimson eyes glanced at Stormcloud and the young dragons behind it.
Aegarax lay dejectedly to the side, not for any particular reason other than the fact that a milky-white dragon was coiled around it. This young dragon, named Parexys by Viserys, had a peculiar appearance. Its long snout resembled both a snake and the invasive "alligator gar" fish that plagued the rivers of the southern regions. Its emerald-green eyes were hidden beneath sharp, milky-white scales. What was even more unusual was the dragon's excessively long neck and tail. While Caraxes was already quite slender, Parexys was even more so, resembling a giant snake. Its hind claws were delicate, and when coiled around Aegarax, they seamlessly blended with its body.
It looked more like a giant winged snake.
Especially when it raised its head, the scales and skin on either side of its neck would tighten and stretch, forming a flat, cobra-like structure.
Even more snake-like.
Aegarax could never have imagined that, after just bidding farewell to its beloved Zarafax, it would arrive in King's Landing only to be immediately accosted by this young dragon before even finding its own lair in the Dragonpit.
And there was nothing it could do about it.
Aegarax' small head and thick neck made it impossible to attack the "opponent" coiled around it. As for its wings? When the other dragon was wrapped around it, its wings were far more agile.
Aegarax could only trudge into the Dragonpit, carrying this strange dragon on its back.
Even Caraxes was momentarily stunned when it saw Parexys, though it didn't last long. After all, it was normal for dragons to resemble one another. Perfectly normal.
The purple-and-gold Gaelithox had grown more imposing over the years—at least by Targaryen standards. When it came to majesty, House Vaelarys' Starsong and Hovendes were the true representatives.
Yet, Gaelithox now trembled, not daring to look up at Caraxes as the older dragon lowered its head, much to Caraxes' disappointment.
Another blue-and-black dragon hatched on Dragonstone, resembling Dreamfyre in appearance, also didn't dare to look up at Caraxes.
In contrast, the two dragons hatched in King's Landing, as well as the long-necked green dragon "Jade-Eyed" Jedaerion from Meleys' egg, showed little fear of Caraxes.
The two unnamed dragons, only given nicknames by the Dragonkeepers of King's Landing, looked curiously at the structure of the Dragonpit. Though they had been born here, this was their first proper entrance into the pit.
The brownish dragon nicknamed "Unicorn" had purple patterns across its body. Compared to the other young dragons, it was smaller, with a parrot-like head—though larger than Aegarax'—and a massive bony horn on its nose that extended backward to the end of its head, giving it a unique appearance. When it lay down, its tail rose high, the fish-like tip swaying slightly in the air as if searching for something.
The orange dragon nicknamed "Horned Tide" had many black spots across its body. Its small head was adorned with a pair of massive antler-like horns resembling those of Shrykos, as large as moose antlers or weirwood branches. These horns rose and fell like ocean waves, extending diagonally upward into a monstrous pair. The rest of its body was relatively normal, lacking spikes except for its tail.
After surveying the new dragons, Caraxes let out a low growl and slowly retracted its neck.
"enter the cave... don't provoke... the bad-tempered blue old one..."