Chapter 130: Star Song Spreads Its Wings
Longze'er watched as Star Song slowly crawled out of her nest, while quietly refining the future dragon-riding strategy of House Varezes in his mind.
The Varezes Family's greatest advantage lay in the dragon-hatching ritual designed by Longze'er himself. Through the ritual, a close bond could be established between a newborn child and a dragon from the moment the egg hatched.
However, that did not prevent active dragon eggs from drawing upon the magical energies stored within the Red Mountains and hatching independently.
Those cases were relatively easy to handle. During their hatchling stage, such dragons would be raised inside the greenhouse of Dragon's Lair. Once they grew larger, they would be transferred into the Dragonmount itself.
Vermithor, Silverwing, and Shadow Nightmare would then teach the younger dragons how to integrate into the hierarchy of Dragon's Lair.
The real challenge was dragon-riding.
Who would claim them?
And how would they claim them?
A proper system needed to be established.
Let's test it first.
Longze'er looked upward and spoke in High Valyrian.
"Vermithor, come."
Vermithor answered with a deep roar and slowly extended his massive head forward.
The gigantic bronze head cast a vast shadow across the platform of Dragon's Lair.
Star Song slowly crawled toward Lingor.
"Star Song, stop."
Remembering his father's instructions, Lingor shouted loudly.
Star Song paused for a moment, then obediently stopped and stared at Lingor with wide eyes.
"Continue, Lingor," Aegon said.
"Approach the dragon and fit the saddle yourself."
Lingor glanced at the young king before nodding.
He accepted the dragon saddle handed to him by Grand Maester Ammor.
The saddle was enormous.
Lingor could not possibly lift it alone.
The elderly Grand Maester, whose silver beard now reached nearly to his chest, helped him carry it as they slowly approached Star Song.
"Star Song, be good. Don't move!"
Seeing the dragon eyeing the saddle warily, Lingor immediately shouted.
Star Song heard his companion's command.
Although instinctively resistant to the strange object, he obediently lowered himself and allowed Lingor and Grand Maester Ammor to place the saddle upon his back.
Once it was secured, Lingor tugged firmly on the hanging straps several times to ensure everything was properly fastened.
Only then did he comfort Star Song before climbing into the saddle.
"Alright. Secure the safety straps."
Longze'er's expression remained stern.
Lingor was still too young, and this was his first flight. Every safety precaution had to be observed.
"I understand, Father."
Lingor replied fluently in High Valyrian.
He carefully inspected all his equipment.
First he secured the saddle straps around himself.
Then he connected the harness hook on his riding gear to the locking mechanism attached to the saddle.
After completing everything, Lingor carefully grasped the silver-steel handles mounted on Star Song's saddle.
The saddle Longze'er had commissioned for his eldest son was exceptionally luxurious.
Not only had the finest materials been used, but even the handles were carved into dragon heads, making them both beautiful and practical.
"What is Big Brother saying? I can't understand a single word, Aegon."
Samantha tugged curiously at Aegon's sleeve, completely bewildered.
While watching Lingor secure his safety equipment and reassure Star Song, Aegon patiently explained.
"Lingor is speaking High Valyrian."
"Before our bond with our dragons becomes as strong as Uncle Longze'er's, we need to use High Valyrian commands to guide them."
"For example, when Lingor said, 'Star Song, be good. Don't move,' that was High Valyrian."
"Oh."
Samantha instantly understood.
Which also meant she would have to learn the language someday.
Her little face immediately drooped.
"Alright. Prepare for takeoff."
Longze'er nodded after confirming every step had been completed correctly.
"Ray will accompany you."
Lingor swallowed nervously.
"Star Song... take off."
It took considerable courage to finally give the command.
Star Song glanced back toward his companion before releasing a melodic dragon roar.
Then his wings spread.
With a powerful leap, he burst from Dragon's Lair amid Lingor's startled shouting.
The young dragon swooped downward briefly before climbing into the sky, spreading his wings toward the heavens.
"Big Brother, I'm going."
After receiving Longze'er's nod, Ray lowered his posture.
Shadow Nightmare roared.
Moments later, the black dragon followed the same route out of Dragon's Lair.
Watching the scene, Viserys could not help but sigh softly.
Seeing that nobody was paying attention to him, the boy pursed his lips and quietly headed toward the stone stairs leading away from Dragon's Lair.
"Prince, where are you going?"
Hofa's golden eyes immediately spotted Viserys attempting to leave.
"Brother Hofa, I'm going to the greenhouse to see my dragon egg."
Viserys answered honestly.
He knew no excuse would be more convincing than the truth.
Hofa nodded immediately and signaled several Silver Guards to escort the prince.
Viserys gratefully nodded and departed alongside them.
"Ahhhhhhh!"
Lingor clutched the handles tightly and pressed himself low against the saddle while shouting into the rushing wind.
Star Song looked back curiously at the companion riding upon his back and answered with another songlike dragon cry.
Star Song flew both swiftly and steadily.
Gradually, Lingor's fear began to fade.
He cautiously glanced downward through the clouds beneath them.
For a brief moment his head spun.
Then the sensation passed.
Gathering his courage, Lingor slowly adjusted his grip and guided the dragon's direction.
Star Song obediently responded, shifting his position according to Lingor's wishes.
Seeing this, Lingor finally cast aside the last remnants of fear.
He slowly loosened his grip on the handles.
Just as he prepared to spread his arms and shout triumphantly into the wind, he suddenly remembered his father's lessons and immediately grabbed the handles again.
"You were about to let go."
Ray's voice rose from below.
"If you had done that, Big Brother would kill you."
Lingor looked down nervously.
A black dragon nearly half again Star Song's size was flying beneath them.
"Understood, Uncle."
Lingor immediately answered in High Valyrian.
"One more circuit, then we're returning."
Shadow Nightmare roared and surged ahead of Star Song.
With a powerful beat of his wings, he climbed upward until flying beside the younger dragon.
Ray still had many duties waiting for him.
After helping Lingor complete his first dragon flight, he still needed to train Aegon and Stormcloud.
After all, Silverwing and Vermithor were far too large.
Silverwing was manageable.
Vermithor was another matter entirely.
If Vermithor trained Stormcloud, the young dragon might become so frightened he would lose control completely.
There were also agility exercises involved.
If Vermithor participated, Stormcloud could easily end up as an accidental snack.
Lingor nodded from the saddle.
"Star Song, let's return."
Star Song slightly folded his wings to reduce speed.
Then he banked gracefully and began guiding Lingor back toward Dragon's Lair.
Meanwhile, on the plains outside Summerhall, the Volantene visitors watched the dragons crossing the sky.
Each wore a different expression.
For a time, nobody spoke.
Finally, Hogg Belarys gritted his teeth.
"We continue waiting for that dark-green dragon."
"Hogg, if you ask me, we should have gone to Dragonstone first," Ben Onobal said with visible disappointment.
"The dragons there are all large specimens, and security is minimal."
"At the very least, we might have stolen a few dragon eggs."
"Can it really be called theft if a Dragonlord family reclaims its rightful property?"
Hogg glared at him.
Rataz Syraxes immediately joined in.
"During the days of the Freehold, it was considered an honor whenever our families requisitioned dragon eggs from House Targaryen."
Hogg glared at him even harder.
This fool's mouth always moved faster than his brain.
"Shut up. By R'hllor, how descendants of such noble bloodlines produced someone like you remains a mystery."
"Wait. If Vermax cannot be claimed, we leave immediately."
As they spoke, the one-horned blue dragon Stormcloud emerged from Dragon's Lair alongside Shadow Nightmare.
Without hesitation, Shadow Nightmare unleashed a torrent of dragonfire.
Stormcloud folded his wings and narrowly evaded the blast.
The two dragons chased each other through the sky.
Sometimes Shadow Nightmare cornered Stormcloud.
Sometimes Stormcloud escaped.
Yet sooner or later, Shadow Nightmare always caught him again.
"Stormcloud, dodge!"
Aegon shouted.
Stormcloud immediately rolled sideways and avoided another blast of pale dragonfire.
Without hesitation, Aegon pulled hard on the saddle controls, signaling Stormcloud to gain altitude.
The young dragon understood instantly.
He dodged again and barely escaped Shadow Nightmare's pouncing claws.
"Aegon, you exposed Stormcloud's belly!"
Ray shouted as Shadow Nightmare swept around Stormcloud in a wide circle.
"If this had been an actual dragon battle, Shadow Nightmare could have torn open Stormcloud's stomach with his claws."
Cold sweat immediately broke across Aegon's forehead.
He knew Ray was correct.
In that maneuver he had completely exposed Stormcloud's vulnerable underside.
Shadow Nightmare had possessed every opportunity to strike.
While Stormcloud and Shadow Nightmare continued training overhead, Lingor carefully unfastened his safety harness after landing.
He jumped lightly from Star Song's back.
Then he wrapped his arms around the dragon's head and hugged him affectionately for a long time before reluctantly allowing Star Song to return to his nest.
"How was your first flight?"
Longze'er approached from behind with a smile.
"I don't know how to describe it, Father."
Lingor's eyes shone brightly.
"I've never felt so free."
"It feels like my blood is burning."
Longze'er gently ruffled his son's hair.
"Lingor, we are children of the sky, of blood, and of fire."
"Congratulations."
"You have finally touched the true essence of dragons."
Lingor nodded vigorously.
What he failed to notice was that Viserys had already slipped away some time earlier, lips tightly pressed together.
The boy silently made a vow.
No matter what, he would hatch a dragon himself.
And if that proved impossible...
Then he could simply claim his elder brother's dragon.
At that moment, as Viserys entered the greenhouse, realization suddenly struck him.
How could I have forgotten Vermax?
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