✶|𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘋𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘺|✶ 𝘈𝘦𝘨𝘰𝘯 𝘐𝘐𝘐 𝘛𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘺𝘦𝘯

✶𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳 47✶

――✴✯✴――

Red Smell

――✴✯✴――

✯Aegon's pov✯

Year 134 A.C

Westeros

The Dragon Pitt, King's Landing

The Dragonpit was cold and damp, two things Aegon despised almost as much as being forced to set foot there at all. 

The chill crept into his bones, prickling his skin with every breath, as though even the air carried some hidden threat. 

Their footsteps echoed hollowly across the vast, empty structure, and Aegon felt as if he were punishing himself simply by walking deeper inside. He should have stayed with Viserys, carried on with their routine. 

Instead, his brother and his queen had insisted on coming here, fretting over creatures he considered utterly expendable.

"Your Grace! I'm relieved to see you."

A man in the leathers of a Dragonkeeper approached, eyes alight with something between hope and desperation. He was middle-aged, his beard streaked with gray, proof he had served here long before the war.

"What has happened?" Serena asked quickly, her voice urgent.

The words Aegon had meant to speak died in his throat. The queen had stolen them without hesitation, and at once the entire company turned to stare at her... 

As though she had committed some grave crime by speaking before the king. Then their gazes flicked back to Aegon, bracing for his wrath.

But he only softened his expression slightly, first looking at his wife, then at the keeper. The man cleared his throat, encouraged.

"By my years of experience, Your Graces... I fear one of the dragons, Dreamfyre, is... unwell. Partially..."

Aegon narrowed his eyes. 

"Partially? What does that even mean? I thought this was meant to be urgent." His voice carried irritation, the effort of setting foot in this cavernous, stinking cage had already tried his patience, and now it seemed to be over nothing more than a sickly beast.

"The she-dragon hasn't eaten in days. We've tried offering her mutton, beef, even goat, but she refuses everything. It's as though she's chosen not to eat at all... As though she were..." The keeper swallowed hard.

He hesitated, glancing back at the great cell behind him. Serena and Viserys leaned forward with anxious eyes, devouring every word, while Aegon stood unmoved, cold.

"...waiting to die."

Aegon almost laughed. Cruel, perhaps, but the thought of a dragon simply deciding to starve itself seemed absurd, even pathetic.

"And why would you say that?" Serena pressed before he could speak again, her concern piercing through the keeper's hesitation.

The man looked to her instead, as if retreating from the king's disdain.