At this moment, high above the battlefield, Aegon rode Sunfyre, looking down at the burning field below, his heart pounding like a war drum.
He saw the two dragons.
Meleys—crimson, larger than Sunfyre.
Caraxes—blood-black, larger than Sunfyre.
The first time Aegon had seen Caraxes was when he was still a child, when his uncle had ridden it to King's Landing.
Aegon let out a quiet sigh in his heart. He had never wanted to be king.
But his mother Alicent, his grandsire Otto, and his brother Aemond had pushed him forward step by step.
He had never intended to harm his own kin.
He even understood the kind of pain his father, Viserys, had carried.
But his mother Alicent had always said that Viserys was a weak man.
Perhaps… he was the same.
He thought of little Jaehaerys, little Lucerys…
A flicker of regret rose in him.
He should never have bullied and mocked Aemond with them. If he hadn't, perhaps things would not have turned out this way.
Back then, he had thought that dragon was beautiful—its blood-red scales like burning jewels.
Now he no longer thought it beautiful.
Now he saw it as a monster.
But what about my brother?
Aemond… where are you?
Aegon believed Aemond had to be hiding somewhere, waiting to deliver a fatal blow to the Black dragonriders.
"Go, Sunfyre!" he roared. "Show them what you've got!"
Sunfyre turned his head and looked back at him.
In those golden eyes, there was far too much to read.
Sunfyre knew he could not defeat those two dragons.
Not even one-on-one…
But if his rider, Aegon, commanded it, he would still fight with everything he had.
Even if it meant death.
Sunfyre dove.
In the sky, Rhaenys looked up at the golden dragon and froze for a moment.
"Aegon? What is he doing here?"
Daemon, riding Caraxes, swept around from the other side and hovered beside her.
"No idea," Daemon shouted. "But since he's here, don't let him leave."
Rhaenys glanced at him.
Daemon's violet eyes flickered with something complicated.
He thought of his brother, Viserys.
To personally kill his brother's son…
"He's your nephew," Rhaenys said.
"And so?" Daemon shot back. "Isn't he yours?"
Rhaenys fell silent for a moment.
She shook her head and called out loudly, "I can't do it. In the end… we're family…"
Daemon looked at her, shook his head, and sneered. "Then I'll bear it."
Daemon knew it well—this had already reached the point of no return. Blood had been spilled.
Someone on the Blacks' side had to become a kinslayer.
Kinslaying? That was nothing more than a rule imposed by false gods.
He was a Targaryen.
Their ancestors came from Valyria.
A true Targaryen.
He had never believed in those false gods.
Only in his dragon.
Unless one side utterly yielded—but he was Daemon Targaryen.
How could he ever yield to that boy?!
Rhaenyra might. But he never would.
Daemon would rather feed his own sons—little Aegon, little Viserys—to dragons…
Than let them live the rest of their lives in another man's shadow.
He burned with the urge to kill Aemond in battle. The boy was growing too fast—it frightened him.
Since when had House Targaryen produced such a monster?
Even if it ended in mutual destruction… so be it.
He paused, then warned, "Watch for Vhagar."
"That black dragon was in this airspace not long ago. It may be hiding."
Rhaenys nodded. "Don't get tangled up. Be careful of a surprise strike from Vhagar."
Daemon did not respond.
Vhagar was old, and far too large.
As long as their dragons avoided close combat, Vhagar would have no chance to close in.
The two dragons moved at the same time.
Meleys swept in from the left. Caraxes closed from the right.
They moved in perfect coordination, like a practiced pair.
Sunfyre twisted sharply in the air, barely evading Meleys's first blast of dragonfire.
Aegon's heart tightened. He couldn't understand why Aemond still hadn't appeared.
"Head south! Run, Sunfyre!" Aegon shouted despite himself.
Aegon had no shame about it—he had no intention of letting Sunfyre die here.
Beneath him, Sunfyre responded, accelerating visibly, streaking through the sky like molten gold as rider and dragon fled southward.
But Caraxes was faster. A second blast of dragonfire came, grazing Sunfyre's left wing, scorching several golden scales.
Sunfyre roared in pain.
Aegon clung to the saddle, his heart nearly bursting out of his throat.
Too fast.
Those two dragons were too fast.
He could barely react.
Damn it! Damn it!!
Aemond, where the hell are you?!
Aegon felt like crying. If he had known it would be like this, he never would have taken the field himself.
Damn those maesters! And that damn septon!
Those bastards!
They talked me into taking the field myself!
If I make it back alive, I'll have their tongues torn out!"
Another blast of dragonfire came—this one from Meleys, straight at them.
Sunfyre hauled upward with all his strength, the flames skimming past his belly. Even so, the searing heat made Aegon's face sting, though he had already pulled clear.
"Aemond! Aemond! Where are you?!" Aegon shouted up into the sky in panic.
Sunfyre twisted back and spat a stream of fire, but Meleys had already evaded it.
Caraxes lunged in from the flank, its massive claws slashing toward Sunfyre's belly.
Sunfyre tried to evade with all his might—
—but failed.
Blood burst forth.
Golden scales were torn apart, and blood poured from the wound, cascading downward like a waterfall.
On the ground, the soldiers fleeing suddenly felt heat above their heads.
Scalding dragon's blood rained down.
"Ahhh!"
Those struck by it screamed.
The blood burned like acid, searing flesh. Some clutched their faces and rolled on the ground, some tore at their clothes in desperation, some were burned alive by that acid-like blood.
In the sky, Sunfyre let out a wail.
Aegon's eyes turned red.
"Sunfyre!"
The golden dragon twisted his head to look at him.
In those golden eyes, there was pain—there was fear.
Sunfyre knew he could not escape.
If he kept fleeing like this, his rider would die as well.
There was only one choice left—a desperate, all-or-nothing strike.
He wheeled sharply and hurled himself straight at Caraxes.
The two dragons collided and became entangled in the sky.
On the Red Queen's back, Rhaenys frowned, unsure how to intervene, afraid she might strike Daemon by mistake.
Sunfyre was smaller than Caraxes, and weaker as well.
But Sunfyre had gone mad.
Truly mad.
He tore and clawed without restraint, using every means he had to attack Caraxes.
Seeing that Sunfyre still dared to turn and fight, Daemon grew irritated and cursed, "Has it gone mad?"
Beneath him, the "Blood Wyrm," Caraxes, clearly reveled in the thrill of the dragonfight, letting out an excited hiss.
Facing Caraxes's vicious claw, Sunfyre did not evade.
He bit down on it instead.
"ROOOAR!!!"
Sunfyre let out a scream of agony.
Caraxes's claw gouged out Sunfyre's left eye!
"No!!!" Aegon cried out in anguish as he watched Sunfyre be maimed.
But a chunk of Caraxes's scales was torn away, blood gushing forth. It roared in fury and raked its claws across Sunfyre's belly again.
More blood.
Even more blood.
Sunfyre screamed, but he did not let go.
His teeth clamped onto Caraxes's left wing, tearing at it with all his strength, as if trying to rip the wing off entirely.
Caraxes trembled with pain, raking claw after claw into Sunfyre's belly.
Each strike tore away flesh. Each strike sent blood spraying.
The two dragons rolled wildly in the air, biting, clawing, tearing—blood raining down like a storm.
Caraxes's claws struck Sunfyre's abdomen again, this time ripping open a deep wound down to the bone.
Sunfyre's innards nearly spilled out—yet he still did not let go.
His teeth sank deeper and deeper into Caraxes's wing.
Driven mad with pain, Caraxes used its other claw to batter Sunfyre's head again and again.
Once, twice, three times!
Sunfyre's head was smashed into a bloody ruin—yet still he did not let go.
"Sunfyre!"
Aegon lay pressed against his dragon's back, clutching his neck tightly, tears streaming down uncontrollably.
He could feel Sunfyre's body trembling.
He could feel his strength fading.
And still—Sunfyre would not let go.
Sunfyre turned his head and glanced at Aegon.
That single look—Aegon would never forget it for the rest of his life.
This was his dragon…
Born extraordinary…
Just like him…
He remembered their first meeting, when Sunfyre had shown off his flames to him.
He remembered flying over King's Landing together, Sunfyre tumbling through the clouds in pride.
He remembered above Dragonstone, when Sunfyre, gravely wounded, had hurled himself at Grey Ghost with desperate resolve.
And now—gravely wounded, on the brink of death, he was still fighting to protect his rider.
"Sunfyre…"
Aegon pressed his face against the dragon's warm scales.
Sunfyre let out a low rumble—that sound he made when he was happy.
Then he released Caraxes's wing.
Not because he wanted to—but because he no longer had the strength to hold on.
His body began to fall.
---
I will post some extra Chapters in Patreon, you can check it out. >> patreon.com/TitoVillar
---