"My dear elder brother, it seems you have troubles you can't resolve as well!"
In just an instant, Daeron understood the reason.
Rhaegar's influence was vast.
But his power base was actually quite shallow.
Those he could directly mobilize were roughly the Whents of the Riverlands, Clinton of The Stormlands, and some opportunistic minor lords of the Crownlands.
The foundation of his true rise to power was the support he gained from House Martell of Dorne after marrying Elia.
However, he succeeded because of the Martells, and he might fail because of them too.
Rhaegar's foundation was not firm, and the Martells were already showing signs of becoming too powerful to control.
"Everyone present is Dornish."
Daeron's gaze was deep as he understood Rhaegar's difficulty.
As his words fell, the room went silent.
Who had egged Oswell on?
Ser Arthur's eyes flickered as he glanced at the silent Prince Lewyn.
"Daeron, how could anyone..."
Elia was still in the dark.
But upon seeing Prince Lewyn's expression, a series of possibilities instantly surfaced, and her beautiful eyes gradually widened.
"Is Uncle Lewyn targeting Daeron?"
Other than him, no one else had the motive or the ability.
Daeron looked down at him: "Prince Lewyn, have I offended you?"
Prince Lewyn flatly denied it: "Prince, I don't understand what you are talking about."
Such things could never be brought out into the open.
"It doesn't matter if you don't understand; life is better lived in ignorance sometimes."
Daeron said: "But while Oswell is suffering for you this time, it won't be so simple next time."
Prince Lewyn said in a heavy voice: "Prince, are you threatening me?"
"No! I call this polite persuasion."
Daeron's smile vanished as he gave a direct order: "Ser Jon, disarm him. If he dares to resist, execute him on the spot!"
"You dare!?"
Ser Jon truly did dare.
He stepped forward, kicked Prince Lewyn down, seized the sword at his waist, and stripped off the white cloak that symbolized a white knight.
Prince Lewyn nearly fell, saved only by Ser Arthur reaching out to steady him.
Just like that, his face flushed with a mix of anger and shame, feeling greatly humiliated.
Daeron said calmly: "Do you see clearly now? This is what a threat looks like."
Everyone's expressions were quite a sight.
No one had expected Daeron to be so arrogant as to publicly humiliate Prince Lewyn.
Daeron wasn't afraid at all.
Having figured out his elder brother Rhaegar's situation, Prince Lewyn had to be classified as a potential threat or even an enemy.
So why should a Dornish man act so high and mighty in front of me!?
In the worst-case scenario...
As long as Rhaegar and Arthur didn't intervene, he was confident he and Ser Jon could fight their way out.
And Prince Doran of Dorne was skilled in political scheming; he would never abandon his plan to support Rhaegar just because of a young boy like him.
"Ashara, help me back to my room to rest."
Elia broke the silence and left without looking back.
Ser Arthur looked at Ser Jon with a hint of admiration in his eyes, then picked up the unconscious Oswell with one hand and left as well.
Everything should be done in moderation.
Daeron gave a look, signaling Ser Jon to quit while they were ahead.
Being provoked by Oswell was certainly annoying.
But taking the opportunity to give him a beating and fishing out a big fish like Prince Lewyn from underwater was a huge gain.
Moreover, he discovered that Rhaegar's political group was not a monolith.
It was roughly divided into two factions.
Those loyal to Rhaegar were called the "Crown Prince's Party."
From what he could see, Ser Arthur and Oswell both belonged to this faction.
Represented by Elia's status but actually controlled by Prince Lewyn, the other could be called the "Princess's Party."
The core figure was Prince Lewyn.
The behind-the-scenes members were almost certainly Prince Doran and many Dornish nobles.
"No wonder Father has such strong hostility toward Prince Lewyn, even refusing to allow him to be a personal bodyguard."
Daeron had learned something new... Dragonmont.
Having received Rhaegar's permission, Daeron successfully entered.
Clack, clack!
Daeron stepped on the gravel inside the natural cave, wary of the dark surroundings and feeling the scorching heat in the air.
"Prince, should we bring more people?"
Ser Jon asked cautiously.
"No need. If there's a real situation, more people would just be a burden."
Daeron shook his head and refused.
If there really was a wild young dragon in Dragonmont, the fewer people who knew, the better.
Otherwise, with his father's temperament, he would surely try to seize it.
Quietly, they continued to explore the interior of Dragonmont.
Daeron gained a clear understanding of this active volcano that had birthed dragons.
The temperature was high, and the smell was pungent.
The internal caves were intricately connected, and scratches left by dragons could be seen on many rock walls, representing past glory.
Daeron also saw many traces related to dragon eggs.
In a smoking cave, he saw lumps of dried and petrified incubation material.
To be blunt, it was dried dragon dung.
When a mother dragon lays eggs, she secretes a constant-temperature fluid, mixing it with dragon dung to wrap the eggs, ensuring the high temperature needed for hatching.
Many of the incubation lumps Daeron saw along the way had oval depressions left behind after being cracked open.
This proved that these lumps had once contained dragon eggs.
As time passed.
Daeron walked deeper and deeper, entering the underground caverns of Dragonmont.
The temperature climbed to a peak.
Ser Jon was drenched in sweat; though he wanted to keep following, he could only stay outside to stand guard.
Daeron entered the underground cavern alone.
One turn, two turns... under the light of the torch, the underground cavern was filled with the stench of sulfur, but there were no signs of wild dragons or monsters, only volcanic rock everywhere.
"Eh, what's this?"
Daeron discovered a pile of special stones shimmering with a reddish-purple light, somewhat like ore in a mine.
He reached out to touch them; they held a hidden heat.
Daeron thought to himself: "Are these reddish-purple crystals also a change brought about by the arrival of the Red Comet?"
After thinking for a bit, he took out his dragon egg.
As soon as the red dragon egg appeared, it seemed very pleased with the environment of Dragonmont, its shell scales becoming bright and lustrous.
And as the dragon egg drew near the reddish-purple crystals, its temperature rose even further, and it felt an inexplicable sense of longing.
"Can they help you hatch?"
Daeron pulled out the neptune greatsword and tried to mine the reddish-purple crystals.
But clearly, the crystals were exceptionally hard, and the weapon could not split them at all.
"I can't exactly go back for a copper pickaxe, can I?"
Daeron didn't want to head back yet and had no intention of returning empty-handed.
Noting the location of the reddish-purple crystals, he went to explore other areas.
He still suspected that Dragonmont held undiscovered dragon eggs.
After all, Dragonmont was so massive.
If a dragon had laid eggs in a hidden spot, it would have been hard for the Dragon Guards to find, and they would naturally have been left behind.
As he walked, the dragon egg in his arms radiated heat.
Daeron had a premonition.
This dragon egg was already capable of hatching; it just lacked some necessary conditions, which was why it remained stuck inside the shell.
Like the blood sacrifice of Daenerys in the original story.
For dragons that had been extinct for over a hundred and fifty years to return to the world, some price always had to be paid.
"I will help you complete it."
Daeron's expression was firm... evening came.
Daeron returned to his room covered in dust, preparing to get some water to wash up.
Knock, knock, knock!
There was a knock at the door, and when he opened it, he found Ashara in a blue-purple gown.
"Is something the matter?" Daeron saw no one else around, only her.
Ashara curtsied slightly and said: "The Princess asked me to apologize to you. Today was an accident, and she hopes you won't harbor prejudice against the entire Dorne."
"I have never had a prejudice against Dornishmen."
Daeron's prejudice had already become a habitual perception.
Besides, with such official-sounding words, how much was true and how much was false?
Ashara sighed softly: "The Princess is very sorry; she said she failed your kindness and is too ashamed to see you."
She was referring to the meeting gift being wasted on a 'dog'.
These words held some truth.
Daeron leaned against the doorframe, crossing his arms with a cold smile.
Ashara weighed her options and said in a low voice: "I can give you a piece of information privately."
"Prince Rhaegar failed in his search for the valyrian steel sword 'Blackfyre'. He refused Prince Doran's financial aid and is preparing to go to Braavos to take out a loan from the Iron Bank."
give my full efforts to you all make happy but you guys did not support me even in small ways. im very exhausted.🫠more chapter available in p@tréøñ(Atoki_29)