Fire and Blood

Chapter 50: The Training Yard ― Aegon vs. Jaehaerys

Red Keep ― Courtyard...

In the Red Keep's training yard, each of the royal children had begun their next sparring lessons. As was traditional in all Westerosi houses, each young boy would be trained in the art of swordsmanship and self-defense. Once they were old enough, they would grow to become knights and, one day, inherit their fathers' lands and titles and bring honor or glory to their family name.

For the Targaryen children, however, it was mandatory regardless of birth.

Jaehaerys calmly meditated before practicing his swordsmanship skills on training dummies. Mind and spirit, calm, serene, tranquil... Since his apprenticeship under Ser Harrold, the young prince had demonstrated the results of his training. Yet, even then, beneath the surface, he endured much more grueling tasks – but was informed by his superiors not to let anyone else be aware of his training until the time was right. Quick, but not wasteful of his stamina, Jaehaerys attacked with one strike, two, three, thrust in center mass, spin around behind the target, strike against the trapezius, and finished it with a thrust in the lumbar vertebrae.

Both Aegons – the Elder and Younger – smacked their targets as if they were playthings. However, unlike his uncle, the younger Aegon preferred sparring with his twin brother Viserys, who occasionally learned to cooperate more effectively when the two were paired together. It made them just as dangerous and unpredictable given their nature. Jacaerys and Lucerys, also being quite young, each thrust into and stabbed their targets – though Jace, being older, was more resilient whereas Luke moved clumsily.

Daeron, being so young, swung wildly and hit his practice dummy aggressively to the point where they had almost fallen over – often to the point of shouting and yelling. Given his nature, the youngest Targaryen prince was tenacious as he was unyielding. However, that also left him more vulnerable to counterattacks and easy to anticipate given his footsteps and swordplay.

Aegon the Elder, much like Jaehaerys, struck his target high and low, directing his wooden sword across both sides of the head, one on the shoulder before twirling around and repeating the same technique. Being confident in himself, he often drove his practice weapon into the dummy to the point of nearly knocking it over as well. Once he stopped to catch his breath, the prince gazed at the castle's young serving girls with desire. Being thirteen, he still underwent various stages of puberty, his hormones driving him wild. However, the young maidens were quick to turn away in disgust and flee the scene. Aegon merely turned around to the next dummy and patted Lucerys as he passed by his young nephew.

Aemond and Jacaerys, as soon as they finished their targets, bumped into each other as the memory of the recent prank they did on him in the Dragonpit still lingered in the prince's mind. Gripping his wooden practice sword in hand, Aemond swung – hitting the dummy in the right flank, gave a thrust center mass, and once more on the left flank.

"Soften your knees. Feet light," Criston instructed. The Kingsguard knight functioned as a master-at-arms for the royal children for more than a decade – instructing them in the art of combat as if they were recruits. "Keep your feet light and your hands heavy."

King Viserys, sitting with his Hand Lord Lyonel and his son Prince Aeonar, watched as his younger sons and grandsons trained in the courtyard. "This is the stuff, Lyonel," he observed. "Lads that learn together, train together... knock each other down, pick each other up. They will certainly form a lifelong bond, wouldn't you agree?"

"That is the hope, Your Grace," Lyonel suggested skeptically.

"Huh. Doubt it," Aeonar disagreed.

"Oh? What makes you say that my son?" Viserys inquired.