S A V A G E S | Aemond Targaryen

O N E

Aemond Targaryen's P.O.V.

"Come, brother." I smirk while circling around him. "Act as if you want to be here."

"Brother, please." My older brother, Aegon Targaryen, snorts while sending me a bored look. "You and I both know I am only here for your amusement."

Tilting my head at him, I try not to show how much I'm enjoying this. Aegon has never once shown love for the skills with a blade, or rather, he knew he could never possess the skills. Even though we are both not older than ten-years-old, I've been quick to learn a few tricks with a sword while my older brother still struggling to learn how to dance.

"Ah, but you see..."

I comment on his accusation, but halt the words on the tip of my tongue when I notice a blue mockingbird. We're outside the castle at the dueling grounds where a small baby blue bird sits on the weapon's table. The little mockingbird is staring right at us as if it's listening in on us.

Frowning for a second, I realize this might be the same baby mockingbird from the other day. Only a few days ago, I noticed a blue baby bird watching us from a tree in the garden. Tilting my head and slowly wandering towards the bird, I finish my statement to my brother without looking away from the baby blue mockingbird.

"You see, you need to learn at some point if you are to become king one day."

"Don't remind me, brother."

Aegon groans from hearing the words you and king in the same sentence. Coming up to the weapon's table slowly to not to scare the bird, I rest my wooden sword on the table as quiet as I can be. The baby mockingbird turns its body to watch my actions while tilting its head to the side.

I offer a curl of my lips to the bird before tilting my head as it just did. The action makes the bird take a step closer to me. Then, as if it's a human, the bird snaps its head to glance at my brother before looking at me again and taking another step forward.

I know little about birds, though I know they only eye at something they can steal to eat. However, there is no food around us for the baby bird to take. Not only that, but I know it's unusual for a baby animal to be so far from their mother when as small as this baby mockingbird.

"Come here, little bird."

I murmur while stretching my hand out for it to come closer. The bird then turns to tilt its head to the other side before taking a small step toward my hand. However, in the next second, the little bird lifts its wings and flies to me.

It lands on my wrist as if it's not afraid of humans and I dare say it even listened to me. The baby bird then messes with its wings using its beak. For a moment, I picture a woman or girl messing with her hair as if about to greet someone they haven't met before.

My smile widens as a thought passes through my mind. Not thinking twice about it, I stroke the blue mockingbird's wings and smooth out her feathers. Without taking my eyes off the little bird on my wrist, I ask my brother in an innocent tone.

"Alright, brother... I won't remind you of your duties that will eventually come. Though bless me and remind me of the tale of the savage beasts."

"That ridiculous bedtime story?"

Aegon snorts, making both me and the little bird to snap our heads in his direction. His back is to us while he fidgets with his wooden sword, not noticing he's grabbed our gaze by his sarcastic question. Shrugging his shoulder as if he doesn't know why I asked him to tell it, Aegon tells it in boredom.

"Apparently, the Gods blessed a little orphan boy with a gift. The gift gave him a last name, a duty to nature and a power to conquer all living things."