Aemon Targaryen

-Chapter 102-

-POV Viserys Targaryen-

I smiled at Aemon's flattery, then whispered in his ear:

"Now is when the real trouble begins for you."

Aemon burst out laughing, and I said, "Since you've arrived so early, we should break our fast together."

"You haven't eaten yet, have you?" I asked my nephew, who shook his head before saying, "I left in the dead of night to arrive early this morning, so I'm starving."

"Perfect, the servants will bring the meal to my chambers," I said, extending an arm to lead the way.

I turned just in time to see Urrax taking off with a powerful flap of his wings, raising a small cloud of dust, with no regard for us.

'He's grown even more,' I thought as I observed the dragon, now measuring over 280 feet in length.

"He's big, isn't he?" Aemon asked, noticing I was still watching his dragon.

I smiled and continued walking with him, saying, "He's a truly magnificent dragon. How did you get him to grow so quickly?"

"Would you like to know?" Aemon replied, a slightly insolent, almost mocking smile on his lips.

'A rather refreshing smile, considering I now live a life built on lies and facades,' I thought.

I smiled and said, "Of course I'd like to know, unless it's a secret you'd keep even from your king."

Aemon smiled, caught by my retort, then replied more seriously, "Honestly, I think Urrax is special, because, as far as I know, I haven't done anything different from you, either in his diet or his training, except…"

Aemon stopped mid-explanation, and I frowned, asking, "Except what?"

"Dragonpit" he said, his tone darkening.

'He has always hated that place and refused to let Urrax be kept there,' I recalled.

"You think it has a negative impact on the dragons' growth?" I asked, eager to hear his observations and hypotheses on Urrax.

"Not necessarily the environment, but more the fact that they're confined," he replied, adding, "Dragons are not slaves."

'It's a possibility,' I thought, as it was something that often came up in the books brought by our ancestors from Valyria, stored in the royal library.

Remembering young Aemon, I said, "I remember that, even as a child, you hated being separated from your dragon."

Aemon smiled softly, but also a bit sadly, probably recalling memories of Grandmother, the Good Queen: "Hmm, the Old King didn't agree with me, but thankfully he didn't make all the decisions."

"You still hold quite a grudge against him," I said, sensing the hint of resentment in his tone.

He nodded, not hiding his deep resentment toward my predecessor:

"I never forgave him for what he did to Grandmother."

"It's funny that you call her that, because in reality, she's your great-grandmother," I said, knowing Aemon's habit of simply calling his great-grandmother "Grandmother."

Aemon smiled and said lightly, "I know, but she was too close to me to consider her anything else. If Daemon had been my mother, then I'd probably consider myself your uncle, my uncle."

I noted the hint of sarcasm toward his father, as the rift between them seemed to widen with time.

'Especially since he had a son named Maegor and declared him his heir, completely sidelining Aemon and Daemon's other bastard,' I thought, recognizing the slight bitterness he felt toward his absent father.

I laughed heartily at my nephew's joke, then returned to the subject of my grandfather:

"Grandfather was a truly great king; I don't hesitate to say that he was a much better king than I am. Given your current position and the perspective of years, haven't you found it in yourself to forgive him?"

Aemon frowned, then said, "I don't believe in absolving someone's sins just because they're dead. He killed his wife, feared what his family would do with dragons, and, in my eyes, failed as a father, grandfather, and even great-grandfather. I'm sure it haunted him until his last breath, and he fully deserved it."

'Having seen him in his final moments, I rather agree; Grandfather died filled with regrets,' I thought, recalling those last moments.

'However, as for whether he deserved such a bitter and sorrowful death, my view differs completely from my nephew's,' I thought.

I shook my head and said, "I don't fully agree with you. The position of king is far from easy; everyone expects something from me, and many end up disappointed."

Aemon hesitated a moment before responding:

"To me, Jaehaerys the Conciliator is the king who built and destroyed the golden age of House Targaryen. If you make the right choices, my uncle, you still have the chance to surpass the Conciliator and even be remembered as the greatest king of all time."

'I wouldn't go so far as to say he destroyed our House's golden age, as we've fared rather well; peace still reigns on the surface, despite the occasional small conflicts,' I thought.

I smiled, then lowered my voice as we entered one of the dining rooms connected to my chambers:

"I'm not entirely sure of that; here, nothing is improving."

"We'll have plenty of time to talk before I return to the Vale," Aemon said, sensing the scrutinizing gazes of Alicent and Rhaenyra.

'Not to mention Otto's,' I thought, giving a clearly insincere smile to my "lifelong friend."