The Dove and The Lady | House of The Dragon

Chapter Four| Training Grounds

All the royal kids, minus Helaena, Naella and the baby Joffrey were in the training grounds practicing.

Aegon walking around the dummy, hitting it as he spinned, Luce hitting a dummy but his arms seemed to be very sloppy as he thrashed the sword about, Jace was just hanging about not using his sword at the moment, Aemond was poking a dummy with his sword seeming to be bored, his mood towards the three boys still wary from earlier.

Standing to the side was Ser Criston Cole who was watching over them all but he seemed to only be paying attention to two of the children, Aegon and Aemond.

Because Ser Criston didn't like Rhaenyra it immediately passed on to a hatred of her children as well, not thinking of remarking on their mistakes to help better them.

He didn't have any remarks for Viserra as she seemed to never make any mistakes, and when she did, she immediately fixed it as to not be told off for it again.

"Soften your knees. Feet light", Criston informed Aemond, who was swinging at a dummy. "Keep your feet light and your hands heavy."

Viserra who was stood watching to the side looked up as she heard her father laughing as he sat next to his hand.

"This is the stuff, Lyonel", Viserys patted his hand on the man's chest. "Lads that learn together, train together, knock each other down, pick each other up. They will certainly for a lifelong bond, wouldn't you agree?"

As Viserra heard her father speak these words, she hoped that they could actually be true, but she would be stupid to believe them hopes would ever be true.

The proof of that is what occurred only earlier this day in the dragon pit.

"That is the hope, Your Grace", Lyonel practically stole the words from Viserras brain.

"Ah Brother", Viserys then cheered as his brother Aenor showed up.

"Your Grace, Lord Hand", Aenor bowed slightly towards the two.

"None of that", Viserys waved his brother off for the formalities. "Do you remember training together when we were younger?"

"Of course, I remember that Daemon would spend all his days and nights on the training grounds and the only way to get him off is if one of us could beat him in a spar", Aenor laughed at the memories.

"Yes, he was fairly keen on training to be the best fighter in history", Viserys nodded to Aenors words.

"Don't stand too upright, my Prince. You'll get knocked down", Ser Criston gave another correction to Aemond. "Aegon?"

Bringing Aegon out of his day dreaming as he stared at the young handmaidens. "I've won my first bout, Ser Criston. My opponent sues for mercy."

"I sue for mercy at the sound of your voice", Viserra muttered, rolling her eyes.

"Well, you'll have a new opponent, then, My Lord of the Straw", Ser Criston then walked back a bit. "Let's see if you can touch me. You and your brother."

Ser Criston started to take his gloves off as both Aegon and Aemond stepped forward with their wooden swords.

They then started to attack Ser Criston, but the knight merely swatted their attempts away with just a quick move of his hand as his sword followed to block the blows.

"You're gonna have to do better than that", he said to both Princes.

Aemond went to try go for the weak area but Ser Criston slapped him away like getting rid of a fly and continued to do the same with Aegon as he also went to jab him in the stomach.