In the afternoon, the ship successfully docked at the harbor of Dragonstone.
The acting lord responsible for governing Dragonstone had received the raven informing him of the royal family’s arrival long ago.
Not only had he prepared a feast in advance, but he had also compiled a detailed report on the current condition of the two dragons and presented it to King Viserys.
“Your Grace, please board the carriage.
Allow us to escort you, the Queen, and the princes and princesses back to Dragonstone.”
Viserys smiled approvingly and patted the acting lord on the shoulder.
“You have done well.”
He then led his family into the carriage, the atmosphere remarkably warm and harmonious.
As king, Viserys sat in the center.
On his left were his beloved eldest son and eldest daughter.
On his right sat Alicent, Helaena, and Aegon, who was so seasick that he did not even feel like speaking.
Daemon was the lonely one.
He sat neither on the left nor the right, but instead remained near the entrance, quietly watching the family.
Caraxes and Syrax had been released to fly freely as soon as their riders arrived on Dragonstone.
The two dragons were familiar with the island, and by evening they would automatically return to the Dragonmont to rest.
“Are Vermithor and Silverwing still behaving as they did before?”
Viserys lifted the curtain and questioned the acting lord riding alongside the carriage.
The acting lord respectfully answered, “Your Grace, no.
In fact, the behavior of both dragons has become rather strange.”
“Vermithor, who normally spends most of his time asleep, has frequently been leaving the Dragonmont during the day.
At night, Silverwing has begun doing the same.”
“The dragonkeepers on night watch say that at a certain hour in the dead of night, they can often hear the roar of another dragon.
We suspect that the wild dragon known as Cannibal may have entered the Dragonmont.”
Viserys had heard of the infamous dragon that was said to prey on hatchlings and dragon eggs.
According to the tales, Cannibal had hatched on Dragonstone around the same time as Vermithor.
He was far larger than Silverwing at the same age, and his strength and growth rate were said to rival Vermithor’s.
If there was one flaw, it was that no one had ever actually seen Cannibal up close.
No one knew his temperament.
No one knew his habits.
“Can you confirm that this wild dragon is actually Cannibal?”
Viserys’s brows furrowed.
“Your Grace, we are only making a reasonable deduction.
The only dragon capable of making both Vermithor and Silverwing this wary would be Cannibal.”
“As for evidence…
apart from the dragon roars and the unusual behavior of the two dragons, I believe those circumstances should be enough.”
The acting lord lowered his head, clearly uncomfortable with his own answer.
Viserys’s expression darkened slightly.
This concerned the honor of House Targaryen and the life of his eldest son.
Yet the acting lord responsible for the island had actually dared to give him an answer based on nothing more than a guess.
That was beyond mere negligence.
Daemon noticed that Viserys was unable to openly vent his anger and immediately turned around.
“If you don’t know, why haven’t you investigated?”
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Are you even more useless than a whore?!”
“Please forgive me, Prince Daemon.
We have been doing everything we can to investigate.”
“But the wild dragon known as Cannibal is simply too cunning.
No one has ever seen what he looks like, and no one has found any trace of him.”
The acting lord immediately dismounted and dropped to one knee before the king.
After Daemon’s harsh reprimand, Viserys’s mood improved considerably.
At least the acting lord had not tried to evade responsibility.
Besides, Viserys was a merciful and kind king.
Arbitrarily executing an innocent man would damage the reputation he had spent years cultivating.
“Because you have shown sincerity, your king forgives your offense.”
“But you must investigate that wild dragon as quickly as possible.
If the same mistake occurs again, I will have your head.”
“Thank you, Your Grace, for your mercy!”
“I swear to you, Your Grace, there will never be another mistake like this!”
The acting lord was overwhelmed with relief.
After traveling for some time, the carriage finally entered the castle.
The acting lord had calculated the timing perfectly.
Just as the royal family finished washing and changing, the prepared food was brought to the dining table.
After half a day’s journey, Viserys and the others were already ravenous.
They exchanged only a few brief words before immersing themselves in the delicious meal.
Once everyone had eaten their fill, Baelon prepared to leave first and return to his room to rest.
“Get some proper rest.
Once the acting lord has finished gathering the information, you can go to the Dragonmont and attempt to tame your dragon.”
Viserys had heard stories of Cannibal since he was young.
Among the common people, Cannibal was described as a savage, violent, and unpredictable dragon, almost as though he were the physical incarnation of some evil god upon the continent of Westeros.
Of course, the stories had undoubtedly been exaggerated through years of retelling.
But Cannibal truly was a second-generation dragon born around the same era as Vermithor and Silverwing.
More importantly, he had never had a rider.
He had never experienced domestication.
His danger level was absolutely no lower than Vhagar’s.
“I understand, Father.”
Baelon rose from the table and hugged his father and sister goodbye.
“Brother!
Me too!
Me too!”
“You haven’t hugged me!”
Helaena stretched out both arms and looked at Baelon with an adorable, pleading expression.
Alicent stared at Helaena in disbelief.
For some reason, an ominous feeling suddenly rose within her.
“Helaena, your brother is going back to rest.
Don’t bother him.”
Helaena stubbornly shook her head.
“Brother will hug me.
“Right, Brother?”
Looking at Helaena’s expectant eyes, Baelon helplessly walked back over and gently coaxed her.
“Yes, yes, yes.
Brother likes Helaena the most.”
Helaena happily rubbed her cheek against his.
Baelon then returned her to her seat.
As he did, his gaze inadvertently fell upon Aegon.
He saw the same faintly expectant expression in his younger brother’s eyes, although Aegon was desperately trying to maintain his dignity.
His expression practically screamed:
What about me?
What about me?
Am I next?
The smile vanished from Baelon’s face instantly.
Without hesitation, he ignored him.
“Oh my, you three really have become close, haven’t you?”
Rhaenyra rested her cheek against one hand and smiled at Baelon.
“No, no.
I was merely satisfying Helaena’s request as her older brother.”
The moment he finished speaking, Baelon suddenly felt that something was wrong.
It was merely a farewell hug between family members.
So why did it suddenly feel like one of those ridiculous stories where everyone was fighting for someone’s affection?
“Wow~”
“Baelon, what a wonderful older brother you are.”
Baelon immediately stopped talking.
He hurriedly invented an excuse and escaped from the dining hall.
Viserys remained seated at the head of the table, watching Baelon leave.
Then he looked at Rhaenyra and Helaena.
His expression was difficult to describe.
It was not exactly strange, but it was undeniably complicated.
It seemed as though the king was quietly considering the feasibility of some particular idea.
After Baelon left, the dinner eventually came to an end.
Just as Daemon was preparing to depart, Viserys deliberately called him back.
“Go to Baelon’s room.
With your extensive experience in dragonriding and dragon taming, explain to him what he should do when facing a dragon so that he can avoid being injured.”
Daemon smiled helplessly.
“My dear brother, I’m exhausted.
Can’t this wait until tomorrow?”
“If you tell Baelon one more day of experience, he’ll have one more piece of knowledge to rely upon.”
“This isn’t a discussion.”
Viserys’s expression became serious.
“It is an order.”
Daemon could only smile helplessly.
He had no choice but to obey and go find his beloved great-nephew in his chambers.