POV: Aemon Targaryen
After telling my mother and giving her the necessary assurance, I immediately summoned Hobb, Rolly, and Todric. They're the ones coming with me to do the rough work. As soon as I told them about the treasure hunt, they got excited and rushed off to pack. So did I. I also helped Rhaenyra with hers—but she didn't have much to bring except some clothes and, of course, an alarming amount of sweets.
The next day we were ready to leave. Four dragons lined up in the yard. Surprisingly, these were all the active dragons under House Targaryen right now. After making sure we had everything necessary, we took to the sky. Hobb was riding with me on Zalrazar, Rolly was with Gael, and Todric was stuck with Daemon. Poor guy looked absolutely terrified. Not even pretending to be brave. Like a salted fish strapped to a war machine.
The flight was fun. Daemon flew at the front. Behind him were me and Rhaenyra, and Gael flew at the rear. I made sure Rhaenyra didn't do anything reckless. We picked up altitude and kept formation more or less. But let's just say Syrax and Rhaenyra have a hard time understanding each other. One wants to fly, the other wants to vibe.
And then the dreaded happened after about an hour. Rhaenyra couldn't sit still anymore and Syrax looked kind of tired too. So we had to land. Luckily, we were almost there. After resting for half an hour, we mounted again and took to the skies. But as we reached the general location on the map, the weather started getting worse.
It started raining. The wind got stronger. It was getting difficult to stay in the air. Then a loud thunderclap roared across the sky. It spooked Rhaenyra, and she yanked Syrax's reins too hard. The dragon suddenly veered left—right toward Zalrazar. Even without a command, Zalrazar took a dip downward. Good boy. Finally, that training is paying off.
I saw Syrax fly over me, with Rhaenyra screaming. We all broke formation and followed her.
"Rhaenyra! Control her! Don't panic! You're hurting Syrax!" I yelled.
Luckily, that brought her back to her senses. She stopped pulling the reins and just closed her eyes, bowing her head against the heavy rain.
Gael brought Dreamfrey above Syrax to shield them from the downpour.
"We should land. The hills to the east look good. Follow me," said Daemon.
We all followed him and landed beside Caraxes. After getting off our dragons, we helped Rhaenyra down. She looked pretty spooked. Luckily, we found a cave-like area—shallow, but big enough to fit all of us. Looks like this is where we'd spend the night.
The den had the distinct smell of wet cave and old moss. Not ideal, but I've slept in worse holes. Besides, I always have my dragon ready — I'll be just fine.
We got to work. First, we set up a tent-like structure using big cloth and sticks we found nearby.
Setting up fire was child's play. I brought dry wood with me. Rhaenyra asked Syrax to light the wood and then tossed in some leaves for effect. See—literally child's play.
Daemon and Todric scouted the nearby area. I checked the cave, just in case something nasty was hiding inside. The dragons were sleeping just outside, so no predator would dare approach. But predators aren't the only problem in the wild. I burned herbs to fend off mosquitoes. Then we took turns changing into clean dry clothes. Rhaenyra had already done it, and we were worried she might catch a cold.
I had brought meat, spices, cheese, chopped veggies, dough, and a bottle of sauce.
Tonight's dinner? Pizza.
"What are you making, Aemon?" asked Gael.
"Yeah, is it burger?" Rhaenyra asked. "I really liked the burger."
Heh. There are no Germans or Italians in this world, so who's gonna judge me?
"No, Rhaenyra. This is something even better. I call it... P-I-Z-Z-A."
"Peja?? Hehe, you always come up with the funniest names," giggled Rhaenyra.
"This better be good, 'cause I'm quite hungry," said Daemon.
It took me one hour to make seven pizzas—two small, five large. The air was electric with the smell of cheese and spices. Rhaenyra was practically drooling. Even Caraxes sniffed the air like he wanted some.
Hobb helped serve everyone their pizza. Then we all took our first bite.
The crust was crisp outside and soft inside. The cheese melted into the sauce perfectly. The chopped veggies and meat blended into the sauce, giving each bite a burst of flavor. Rhaenyra gave a loud, happy sigh. Gael smiled and nodded without saying anything. Daemon actually grunted in approval. I think that's his version of praise. Todric looked like he'd been kissed by the Seven. Rolly asked for seconds before he even finished his first.
The pizza was a hit.
We had a fun time, joking and laughing. Daemon shared a story about how Caraxes once tried to bite a peasant because it looked at him funny. I told them about Zalrazar's first flight. Gael teased me about my lying skills. Rhaenyra tried to eat sweets after finishing her pizza. Typical.
As the night grew darker, the firelight flickered across the cave walls.
"Let's look for the treasure early in the morning," Daemon said. "Sleeping early is good for all of us."
We agreed and rolled into our sleeping spots.
"Thank you for bringing me with you, Aemon," said Rhaenyra, lying beside Gael. "And for making Peja. I never had so much fun."
"That's what brothers do. Go to sleep. We'll have more fun tomorrow."
And like that, we all drifted to sleep with the sound of the bonfire crackling and the soft rain outside whispering in our ears.