Fire and Blood

Chapter 7: The Conqueror's Dream

Red Keep ― Balerion's shrine...

Aeonar stared up at the skull of Balerion the Black Dread, visually studying its anatomical structure. When he was a child, Viserys would often bring him down within the bowels of the Red Keep to pay tribute to the largest dragon who ever lived - the last dragon who lived to see Old Valyria before the Doom. Teeth long as bastard swords, flames said to be capable of melting both steel and stone and turning sand into glass as well as forging the Iron Throne itself, and whose wingspan was so large it was said his shadow could engulf an entire town when he took flight... A skull that big, Aeonar calculated that Balerion must have measured at least 376 feet in length, 249 feet in height, and possessed a 443-foot wingspan.

No other dragon currently in House Targaryen's possession could ever come close to Balerion... not even Vhagar, and she is the oldest and largest living dragon today.

Aegon the Conqueror, Maegor the Cruel, even his father... all of them rode Balerion. However, the beast died one year before Aeonar was born. By the time Viserys claimed the Black Dread, the dragon was too big, too heavy, and too sluggish. But more importantly, Balerion was too old. He did not even have the strength to fly from King's Landing to Dragonstone and could only fly around the capital three times.

"208 years," Aeonar muttered under his breath. "The last living creature to see Old Valyria before the Doom. The likes of your kind will never be seen again. Not in this life." As the prince lit more candles to replace the ones that blew out, he heard vague footsteps. He did not even bother to turn around to see who was approaching him. His ears perked up, faintly detecting two people―one male and a female: one clad in armor, the other in formal regalia. You are not even trying to be a bit more subtle, Ser Harrold. Sister...

"Brother," Rhaenyra called out to him.

Aeonar, briefly having his back towards her, glanced over his shoulder. "Rhaenyra," he acknowledged. "Fascinating beast, Balerion. The largest dragon to ever roam the skies."

"Yes, he's very big."

"No other dragon can even come close to the Black Dread himself. Not even Vaelor or Syrax." However, even dragons have flaws as much as they do their greatness. "But what do you see when you look at them, sister?"

Rhaenyra raised an eyebrow. "What?" she asked, confused.

"I'm asking you a question."

"Aeonar, you've been behaving rather strangely. You have been avoiding us since our mother's funeral. The only time I ever do get to see you is when you go outside to take Vaelor hunting or somewhere down here in this... this shrine."

"What do you see when you look at them?" Aeonar repeatedly more firmly.

Rhaenyra briefly stood in surprise. This behavior was not like Aeonar at all. Normally, he would be more like the brother she had grown up knowing. Yes, both were still in mourning for their mother and Rhaenyra was bitter at having been born a woman in a patriarchal-dominated society - but even her intuition could tell something was off with Aeonar. Otherwise, why would he avoid their father like the plague? Not attending council sessions? His seat was the only one that was vacant. Even Alicent and Ser Otto noticed the sudden behavior change. But therein still laid the question. What did she see when looking at the Targaryen dragons, especially the late Balerion? "I suppose I see us," she answered.

"Tell me."

"Everyone says Targaryens are closer to gods than to men, but they say that because of our dragons. Without them, we're just like everyone else."

Aeonar nodded in approval. "Exactly," he said. "During the First Dornish War, Aegon and his sisters Rhaenys and Visenya marched to bring Dorne into the fold. All the other six kingdoms were brought to heel, so they were the only ones left. But all it took was a prolonged war and one lucky scorpion bolt into Meraxes' eye to bring her down with Rhaenys on her back that ultimately forced the conqueror to abandon his campaign." He turned to glance at Balerion's skull again. "Which goes to show that our dragons, although powerful, are not as indestructible as we were led to believe. They have their flaws, just like you and me. And if we don't heed the lessons of the past, then we'll be condemned to repeat them." Again, he redirected his attention to Rhaenyra. "Do you know why I'm telling you this?"