Aegon immediately dismounted from Dreamfyre, his movements smooth and practiced, landing lightly on the ground. With a quiet thought, he calmed the great dragon behind him. Stay still, don't startle them, he told her mentally.
Dreamfyre let out a low rumble but remained where she was, curling her tail slightly and settling into a watchful crouch, her eyes tracking everyone around her.
He strode toward Rhaenys with a confident smile.
"Aegon," she called warmly, her voice tinged with both affection and amazement as she stepped forward and embraced him briefly, formally. Her arms lingered for a heartbeat longer, enough to show her pride.
"You're already as tall as me," she said with a teasing laugh, pulling back to look at him fully.
"Soon I'll surpass you," Aegon replied with a grin, brushing a few windswept strands of silver hair from his face. "I hope you don't mind the unexpected visit."
"No, of course not," Rhaenys said, her smile turning more genuine. "I'm glad you came." She held his hands for a moment longer before finally letting go.
Aegon turned then to Vaemond Velaryon, who had remained slightly behind, his eyes flicking between Aegon and the looming presence of Dreamfyre in the background.
The dragon's size and the heat radiating off her were clearly making the retainers uneasy, some of them instinctively shifted back, hands never straying far from their weapons even though they knew it would be pointless.
"Ser Vaemond," Aegon said politely, inclining his head.
Vaemond gave a short nod in return. "Prince Aegon," he replied, his voice betraying a trace of hesitation. "You… honor us with your presence."
His eyes lingered on Dreamfyre for a moment longer before flicking back to Aegon.
Rhaenys looked at Dreamfyre once more, her eyes filled with a mix of awe and nostalgia. "I still can't believe it," she said softly, shaking her head. "When the ravens arrived, I thought it must've been a mistake. But seeing you on her back…" she glanced at Aegon with a smile, "now I believe it."
"Come," she added, gesturing toward the castle entrance. "Let's talk inside."
Aegon nodded and followed her as she led the way past the bannermen and into the castle proper. The halls of Driftmark were decorated in the Velaryon style, cool stone and rich blues, coral and silver adorning the tapestries, and the ever-present scent of salt in the air. The sea was never far here.
As they walked, Aegon stole a glance at Rhaenys beside him. Her silver-white hair, braided and laced with small pearls, caught the light with every turn of her head.
Her profile was sharp yet soft, confident yet graceful, each movement speaking of strength and poise. The sunlight streaming through the arched windows kissed her fair skin, outlining her in a glow that made her seem almost ethereal.
She's more beautiful than I remember, Aegon thought, a flicker of something warmer than admiration stirring within him. The show never did her justice…
He pushed the thought down, clearing his throat slightly as they reached the throne hall.
The chamber was wide and airy, carved of Driftmark's pale stone and decorated with naval motifs. In the center sat the seat of House Velaryon, though it was currently unoccupied.
"Where is Lord Corlys?" Aegon asked, turning toward the others.
Vaemond, who had been quietly following behind them, stepped forward stiffly. His tone was clipped. "Lord Corlys is at sea. On another of his expeditions," he said, his gaze weighing the boy before him.
"He is not expected to return for some weeks." There was a pause, before Vaemond added more pointedly, "I wonder what brings Prince Aegon to Driftmark?" There was no overt challenge in his tone, but it was there - subtle, skeptical.
Vaemond Velaryon was a man of narrow vision, and to him, a dragon's landing was no casual visit. Aegon met his gaze calmly, his expression smooth. "I came to see my cousin," he said, voice even and polite. "And to see Driftmark, now that I can fly here myself."
Vaemond gave a curt nod, his lips pressed into a thin line. "Then I will leave you to it," he said stiffly. "I believe your cousin will show you around... I have further matters to attend to."
Without waiting for further pleasantries, he turned on his heel, his retainers falling in line behind him. The click of their boots echoed down the hall as they left, an intentional dismissal, just shy of disrespect.
Rhaenys watched them go, her expression unreadable, only the faintest smile gracing her lips. A mask well practiced.
She turned to Aegon. "Ignore him," she said, tone light as she waved over a maid. "Prepare a feast for Prince Aegon. Fresh fish, fruit, and wine, we'll be dining in the upper terrace."
The maid bowed quickly and scurried off.
"You must stay for a few days," Rhaenys said, turning back to him. Her tone was warm now, with a thread of genuine hope beneath it.
Aegon smiled, though a little apologetically. "I'd like that," he said, "but I only took permission from Grandmother to be out for a day. She misses you, you know. We all do. It's been some time since you last visited."
Something in her eyes softened at that.
"I miss you all too," she said gently. "Come. Let me show you your room."
The room was large, sea-facing, with a balcony that caught the light of the late afternoon sun. The windows were open, letting the salt breeze drift in. Aegon stood beside the carved bedpost, running his hand along the polished wood as Rhaenys lingered near the window.
The maid who had led them in waited outside the door now, giving them privacy.
Noticing they were alone, Aegon stepped closer, his expression turning serious. "Are you okay?" he asked quietly. "Is Vaemond bothering you?"
She blinked, surprised by his earnestness.
"He just acts a little… officious when Corlys isn't here," she said, brushing it off. "He enjoys hearing his own voice more than anyone else does."
Aegon nodded in relief.
He and Rhaenys spent the next hour speaking of recent events, sharing stories and laughter. Aegon recounted Daemon and Viserys's clumsy attempts at claiming dragons, which drew a bright laugh from her lips.
The feast had been pleasant, filled with Driftmark's coastal delicacies, rich with flavors of the sea. Vaemond never reappeared after their initial exchange, but Aegon made no mention of it, choosing not to embarrass her by dwelling on the man's disrespect.
Later, as they stood once more under the stars, Aegon turned to her with a smile. "Would you show me some of your moves on Meleys? I'd love to learn from you."
Rhaenys's eyes lit up at the request. "Gladly," she said with genuine warmth. "Let's see if the young dragonlord can keep up."
That evening, the skies over Driftmark shimmered with the sight of two dragons in flight, one a brilliant sapphire blue, the other a radiant red. Dreamfyre and Meleys soared side by side, their massive wings slicing through the golden hues of sunset.
From the castle and shores below, heads tilted upward in awe at the rare sight of two dragonriders dancing in the sky.
Astride their mounts, Aegon and Rhaenys smiled at each other across the sky. It was more than just a shared joy, it was mutual understanding. They mirrored each other's aerial moves with precision and grace: steep dives, tight spirals, wide gliding turns.
Each maneuver was a display of control, power, and trust between dragon and rider. They weren't showing off, they were sharing a language few in the world could speak.
As the sun dipped lower toward the sea, the sky bleeding orange and purple, Dreamfyre tilted her wings and banked toward a lone, sea-facing hill on the western edge of the island. Aegon scanned the area. Empty, secluded. Good.
Land here, he thought, and Dreamfyre responded with a low growl of acknowledgement as she descended.
She landed softly upon the grass-strewn hill, claws pressing into stone and earth. Moments later, Meleys followed with a thunderous beat of her wings, her shadow sweeping across the hill like a red banner.
Rhaenys slid down from the saddle, placing a steadying hand on Meleys' neck before walking toward Aegon, her wind-tossed braids gleaming in the dying light.
Aegon stood near the edge of the cliff, looking out over the sea. The air was crisp with salt, the waves crashing below. He smiled faintly, not turning as she approached.
"It's a beautiful view here," he said.
"It is," Rhaenys replied softly, stepping beside him.
There was a quiet moment between them, filled only by the sound of dragons shifting behind and the wind brushing past.
"Actually," Aegon said, turning to face her, "I was wondering if you could help with something."
From beneath his cloak, he drew a sheathed dagger, plain in appearance, with a dark grip and no ornamentation. He handed it to her with both hands.
Rhaenys took it, her brow lifting in curiosity. On his subtle nod, she drew the blade from its sheath.
The moment the metal caught the last rays of sunlight, its surface shimmered, not with polish, but with that unmistakable smoky, dark patterns on the blade.
Her eyes widened slightly. "This is…"
"Valyrian steel," Aegon said quietly, completing her sentence.
"How much do you think it's worth?" he asked, his tone light, but his eyes watching her closely.
Rhaenys, still inspecting the blade, looked up with a flicker of surprise. "Quite a fortune," she said, turning it slightly to admire the smoky, rippling patterns. "Valyrian steel is rare. A dagger like this could fetch ten thousand gold dragons, maybe even twelve hundred more, if sold to the right buyer."
Aegon nodded thoughtfully. The sea breeze stirred his silver-blond hair as he said, voice low, "Let's say I may or may not have come across… a few more blades like that. Valyrian steel. I want to sell them, but discreetly, no one can know they came from me."
She blinked, brows rising. "Aegon…"
"The source is safe," he said quickly, cutting off any concern. "No bloodshed, no stolen relics. I can promise you that."
Rhaenys regarded him for a long moment, the dagger still in her hands. She wasn't easily convinced, nor was she the type to act recklessly. But Aegon wasn't a child in her eyes anymore.
Rhaenys said nothing. Her eyes searched his face, not just for honesty, but for intent. He stood tall, meeting her gaze without flinching. She was struck again by how quickly he was growing, in presence, in sharpness, in ambition.
Finally, she gave a small smile. "You're full of surprises, cousin."
"We split the returns. Half for you, half for me," he said. His gaze didn't waver, and his voice was calm, but there was something bolder in it now. A quiet confidence.
He could see how the light played off the pearls in her hair. Rhaenys was always beautiful to him, more than the TV show in his past life had ever captured.
Still, over the past few hours, he'd seen glimpses of something else in her eyes. Loneliness. Isolation. Even now, with Corlys away, surrounded by men like Vaemond who never truly respected her authority. Aegon understood more than he let on.
She was still looking at him when he spoke again, this time with a faint, almost playful smile. "So what do you think?"
Rhaenys exhaled slowly, weighing his words, and the man he was becoming. The dagger, the proposition, the closeness of his gaze. It wasn't just a business offer.
Her lips curved, just a little, "I'll think about it."
Then she handed the dagger back, gracefully.
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