At six, Jacaerys was old enough to understand exactly what Aemond meant.
He was furious.
“Who are you calling a bastard?
My egg hatched.
I’m no bastard!”
Aemond snorted, running a hand through his silver hair.
“Really.
Do you even believe that yourself?”
Jacaerys’s face went scarlet.
Aemond didn’t let up.
“I’ll tell you what you are.
You’re a bastard, and your whore of a moth–”
“Ahem.”
A dry cough cut him off.
Aegon appeared at the other end of the corridor with Helaena and Daeron, whose silver hair stuck up like a bird’s nest.
“Congratulations, brother.
You didn’t disappoint me.
I’m proud of you, Aemond.”
Aegon smiled, walked straight through Jacaerys and the others, and pulled Aemond into a hard embrace.
The ignored boys burned with anger but didn’t dare speak.
They weren’t afraid of Aemond.
Or Helaena.
Or Daeron.
But they were genuinely afraid of Aegon.
No joke.
In the entire court, only Aegon would throw a sack over their heads.
Two years ago, Jacaerys had been jumped and beaten.
He’d gone to Viserys afterward.
Aegon got punished.
Then the retaliation came, worse than before.
After that, Lucerys and the others took their own beatings, all because Jacaerys had dragged them into it.
Jacaerys learned a hard lesson.
Aegon was ruthless, and he liked to hurt people through the ones closest to them.
That was why the black faction’s second generation, led by Jacaerys, felt near-instinctive fear at the sight of him.
Aemond’s face lit up.
“Brother, sister, Daeron–you came?”
“You’re our little brother.
We couldn’t stay away.” Helaena’s words were still few, but no longer as soft as when she was small.
Only Daeron stood there in his nightclothes, silver hair a wreck, eyes half-lidded and deeply unhappy.
“Are we fighting?
I’m tired.
Can we fight and then go back to sleep?”
“Fight?
What’s there to fight about?
Is fighting these Strong boys supposed to be fun?”
The genuine, bone-deep contempt in Aegon’s eyes cut straight into Jacaerys.
He screamed and charged at Aegon without thinking.
From the look of it, he meant to kill him.
But the age gap was what it was.
And Aegon had never slacked off.
Not for a single year.
He’d kept learning, kept growing.
One kick to the gut.
Jacaerys flew back the way he’d come, landing at Lucerys’s feet, clutching his stomach and howling.
Aegon’s mocking gaze shifted to Lucerys, who screamed in terror.
The Kingsguard on night duty arrived fast.
Aegon raised an eyebrow.
Tonight’s watch was the twin brothers, Erryk and Arryk.
“Both of you on duty?
That’s rare. The source of this chapter is novelping.com.
Drinks when you’re off?”
Arryk looked tempted.
Erryk’s face stayed flat.
He declined politely.
“Apologies, my prince.
Drinks will have to wait.
What happened here?”
“Nothing much.
I taught Jacaerys a lesson.
No idea who he takes after, but the boy can’t control himself.”
The words were pointed.
Erryk could only pretend not to catch the meaning.
He helped Jacaerys up and prepared to report to the king.
The queen and the princess were nearly at open war.
As Viserys’s Kingsguard, he wanted as little part in it as possible.
Viserys couldn’t even manage it himself.
With that thought, Erryk shot Arryk a sharp look, telling him to follow protocol.
Arryk wasn’t stupid.
He understood perfectly.
He ignored the look and went to Aegon’s side.
“My prince, are you hurt?” he asked with open concern.
Erryk’s face darkened.
He knew it.
He’d told his brother a hundred times not to pick a side too early.
But Arryk wouldn’t listen.
He was dead set on supporting Prince Aegon.
Erryk didn’t hesitate any longer.
He led Jacaerys and the others toward the great hall and sent word to Viserys.
Soon the hall at High Tide filled with people.
When Viserys learned Aemond had claimed Vhagar, he felt a secret surge of joy.
A massive leap in Targaryen blood power.
But what pleased him more was that Aegon, despite the direct clash with Jacaerys, hadn’t gone too far.
Jacaerys had suffered nothing worse than a few bruises.
Viserys truly feared bloodshed between his own flesh and blood.
In recent years, Aegon had grown more and more impressive.
The voices supporting him in the realm had grown louder.
Viserys worried Aegon might develop ambitions he shouldn’t.
But Aegon had always shown restraint.
Beyond the occasional push from Alicent, he’d never once overstepped.
“Aegon, Jacaerys is my son.
How could you be so brutal?”
Rhaenyra opened with an accusation.
“And one more thing.
I feel I must remind you.
Questioning royal blood is treason.”
Viserys dismissed it entirely.
This was a conflict between Aegon and Jacaerys, not Alicent and Rhaenyra.
Aegon must have been confused by some rumor.
“Enough, Rhaenyra.
It’s a squabble between children.
Why must you–”
Viserys meant to soothe things over, have Aegon apologize, and let the matter drop.
That was how he’d always handled it.
But this time, Aegon cut him off.
“Was I brutal?
Jacaerys couldn’t control himself and threw the first punch.
No idea who he takes after.
Can’t even control himself.” You are reading on novelping.com, the official source.
As he spoke, Aegon ran his fingers idly through Helaena’s smooth silver hair.
“Such beautiful silver hair.
Truly a gift the gods gave to us Targaryens.”
His face turned earnest.
He looked at Aemond.
“Did you receive this gift?”
Aemond couldn’t keep the smile off his face.
“I certainly received the gods’ gift.
The blood of the dragon runs in my veins.”
Then Aemond turned to Daeron and ruffled his messy nest of hair.
“Looks like our little Daeron received the gift as well.”
The moment the words landed, Aegon, Helaena, Aemond, and Daeron all looked at Jacaerys, Lucerys, and Joffrey at the same time.
The atmosphere in the hall shifted into something delicate.
Aegon had said nothing at all.
And he’d said everything.
Even Alicent nearly lost control of her expression.
She felt a laugh rising inside her.
Until this very moment, Viserys had still believed Aegon was an obedient boy with no hunger for power.
“Silver hair is indeed a gift from the gods.
But I imagine the gods can be careless sometimes.”
Daemon’s violet eyes locked onto Aegon.
He’d only just come together with Rhaenyra.
He had to defend his woman.
Seeing her losing ground, he’d rushed to step in, ready to crush this brat with his own weight.
Viserys saw the situation spiraling and moved to shut down the farce with his full authority.
But before he could speak, Aegon got there first.
“Is that so?”
Aegon showed no fear.
He rose to his feet and met Daemon’s stare.
“I don’t think it’s carelessness.
Maybe they didn’t want to give it.
Or weren’t prepared.
Of course, anyone who rides a dragon has the blood of the dragonlords.
So perhaps the gods really were careless.
I suspect it’s because the gods finally got together with their old flame.
That would explain all the recent carelessness.
Don’t you think so, uncle?”
Daemon’s face flickered.
Even Rhaenyra’s expression twitched for a split second.
“Enough!” Viserys roared.
“We are family!”
“Family should stand together, not tear each other apart.
This farce ends now.
I don’t want to hear another word of baseless rumor.”
“Father is right.
We’re one big, loving family.
See you tomorrow, sister.
See you tomorrow, uncle.”
Aegon smiled and turned to leave.
As he turned, Alicent, Helaena, Aemond, and the others fell in behind him without a word.
Viserys watched Aegon’s back and suddenly realized he might be losing control of the situation.
And Viserys wasn’t the only one.
Corlys stared after Aegon with a deeply troubled look.
He’d always believed that scheming old Otto was the true core of the greens.
Then Otto was dismissed as Hand.
After that, he’d assumed Alicent would take Otto’s place as the greens’ new center.
But now, it seemed the truth was nothing like what he’d imagined.