hotmtlnovel Chapter 65: Nightmare
Chapter 65: Nightmare
Chapter 65: Nightmare
"You really did, you showed great courage!"
With tears streaming down her cheeks, Rhaenyra's heart swelled with a mixture of relief and gratitude as she spoke.
Rhaegar's smile widened as he heard her words. "Indeed, I have sworn to protect you."
But his fleeting joy was cut short.
Rhaenyra's laughter erupted, her cheeks flushing with amusement. "A true gentleman should dress appropriately before facing a lady."
A breeze whispered past, and Rhaegar looked down in embarrassment.
Exposed and naked, he hurried to cover himself, his cheeks burning with embarrassment. "Let's not dwell on the details."
"Get down, there's much to discuss." Rhaenyra wiped away her tears and stifled a laugh.
Rhaegar humbled himself and obediently dismounted from the dragon's back.
Approaching him, Rhaenyra wrapped her cloak around him, shielding him from the cold.
Struggling to hide his shame, Rhaegar gestured to Cannibal. "This is my dragon, Cannibal."
"Isn't that the name the fishermen gave it?" Rhaenyra, indifferent to dragon names, hugged her brother tightly.
Rhaegar grinned. "Cannibal likes the name, and so do I. It suits his dark nature, devouring all light."
"You're getting smarter, Rhaegar," Rhaenyra's eyes shimmered with a myriad of emotions as she planted a kiss on his cheek.
"Come on, Father nearly fainted when he heard you were captured by Cannibal."
Reluctant to let him go, Rhaenyra held on tightly.
With no clothes to cover himself, Rhaegar offered no resistance.
Turning back to Cannibal, he shouted, "Stay close, I will seek you out tomorrow!"
"Roar..."
Cannibal echoed the call, leaping down from the castle wall to perch on the surrounding cliffs.
Only when Cannibal's eyes closed did the castle guards cautiously emerge and gather around the siblings.
Rhaegar singled out one of the guards. "Prepare plenty of cattle for my dragon."
"Yes, Your Grace!" The guard's response was swift, filled with urgency.
Without delay, the guards obeyed their prince's command and ran to prepare offerings for the dragon.
...
As they entered the hall, Viserys was waiting at the door.
When Rhaegar saw Rhaenyra's embrace, his eyes bright with excitement, he nodded earnestly. "It's good to have you back and in one piece."
Rhaegar's grin faltered as he bowed his head. "Forgive me, Father, for not seeking your consent before secretly taming the dragon."
"It is forgiven. We were concerned for your safety, yet you accomplished what we thought impossible."
Without a word, he was pushed onto the large, plush bed.
Rhaegar's expression was tense, his voice trembling as he asked, "Sister, what are you doing?"
"What do you think?" came her curt reply.
As soon as he crossed the threshold, Rhaenyra's demeanor changed abruptly, fixing him with a puzzled, cross-eyed stare.
"I did not mean to deceive you, but I wanted a full-grown dragon," Rhaegar murmured, his tone tinged with concern.
"Given your previous statements, what are your intentions now?"
Rhaenyra had not forgotten his earlier comments and was genuinely concerned that he might lead a dragon to the Driftmark and cause havoc.
A reckless child.
He dared to mount a wild dragon and then rode it recklessly as it spat fire into the sky.
"Don't worry, I'll behave myself. I understand that dragons aren't just tools," Rhaegar promised seriously.
Rhaenyra pinched his cheeks, pulling them sharply as she spoke, "When have you ever kept your word? Your credibility with me is nonexistent."
"So what's the verdict? I've tamed Cannibal. You can't stop me from riding him, can you?" Rhaegar lay sprawled on the bed, resigned. His mouth formed a retort, but his mind was already planning tomorrow's dragon ride, far away from here.
He longed for a short escapade to explore the world beyond King's Landing, now that he had a dragon at his command.
"Hmph, no funny business, at least until you're safely back from the Driftmark. You need permission for that," Rhaenyra said.
"All right, I'll obey," Rhaegar feigned obedience like a mischievous child.
Rhaenyra pinched his chin and nipped his cheek, a warning in her actions. "You better not forget!"
Her brother was a wild one, unparalleled in his boldness. Left unchecked, she feared he might challenge the gods themselves.
As their conversation ended, the room fell into darkness. Rhaenyra and Rhaegar sat on opposite sides of the bed, their backs to each other, a heavy silence enveloping the room.
In a haze, Rhaegar drifted off to sleep.
In his dream, he flew atop Cannibal, traversing the continent and leaving a trail of legendary exploits in his wake.
Returning to Dragonstone after a triumphant journey, the ominous dragon roars echoed from the island and jolted Rhaegar awake.
In an instant, two adult dragons emerged from Dragonmont and attacked Cannibal from either side.
With a command, Rhaegar urged Cannibal into battle, narrowly avoiding the onslaught of the massive dragons.
At the edge of safety, nestled against the cliffs of Dragonstone, Rhaegar believed they had escaped.
But from the shadows, an unseen behemoth lunged forward, unleashing a torrent of scarlet dragon flames that sent Rhaegar tumbling from Cannibal's back.
The other two dragons rejoined the fray.
Cornered and badly wounded, Rhaegar could only watch helplessly as Cannibal was torn apart by the attack of the three dragons, his once majestic form reduced to mere fragments.
In the aftermath, only the lifeless head of Cannibal remained, its emerald eyes gazing back at him reluctantly.