Taking advantage of the noon sun, Daeron took Shaena and the others to the Dragonpit.
Inside the massive domed hollow building, strong light and shadows interlaced, forming mottled colors.
"Dragons are dangerous creatures, but they are also intelligent, knowing how to choose and refuse."
Daeron rubbed Caraxes's jaw with his hand, explaining dragon-related knowledge to his younger brothers.
Dragons had been extinct for over 150 years; the House Targaryen's only way to learn about dragons was through books.
But those books recorded by maesters were merely superficial.
Have you ever been a Dragonlord? Some things are written haphazardly, based on mere assumptions.
"Today you observe the dragons. Only when you have Dragon Eggs or young dragons in the future will you have a higher affinity."
Daeron spoke about the habits of dragons.
Jaehaerys and Viserys stared with wide eyes, looking like they hadn't seen much of the world.
Daeron was intentionally teaching them.
He found that the House Targaryen's education method had significant problems and loopholes.
After Aegon the Conqueror unified the Seven Kingdoms, to integrate with the native nobility of Westeros, he followed many Andal traditions.
To gain the support of the Faith, he even established a sept within the Stone Drum Tower.
The Andal education method, or traditional system, always followed the rule of primogeniture.
At first glance, it wasn't wrong.
The eldest son inheriting the family business helps stabilize the family.
But where there is yin, there is yang; where there is ice, there is fire; where there is good, there is bad. Everything must be looked at in contrast and from the opposite perspective.
Take the nobility of Westeros as an example.
Hoster Tully, as the eldest son, inherited the titles of Riverrun and Lord Paramount of Trident River; he is a majestic Duke.
He has everything.
In contrast, the more talented "Blackfish" Brynden Tully got nothing and could only wholeheartedly assist his elder brother, serving as a landed knight to maintain a decent life.
This reveals the dark side of primogeniture.
The eldest son takes all, and the Second Son can only revolve around the eldest; otherwise, even survival becomes a problem.
This education method is universal and correct for most nobles in Westeros.
After all, the eldest son inherits the family industry, and the Second Son has nothing, unable to compete at all. By serving the eldest, the Second Son can unite family strength.
But it doesn't work for the House Targaryen.
The Targaryens are the Dragonlord Family, and family members have the talent for dragon riding. Mounting a dragon's back makes one a top-tier combat power, capable of calling upon many followers.
Daeron is a typical beneficiary.
Because he has a dragon, people ignore primogeniture to support him and hold him in high esteem.
Some say Rhaegar was foolish and ruined his own reputation.
This view is inaccurate.
Rhaegar's reputation is still decent; eloping with someone was only a moral failing.
The rebellion was essentially triggered because the Dukes of the four regions had already conspired, and The Stark father and son were impulsive and reckless, falling into the hands of Aerys, who was not only impulsive and reckless but also insane, and were killed directly.
From the nobles' perspective, the rebellion of the four regions was forced by the King.
Therefore, the eldest son was not mediocre, and the Second Son was even more outstanding, which led to the House Targaryen's current situation.
Those who support the Second Son Daeron outnumber those who support the eldest son Rhaegar.
This shows that the House Targaryen is simply not suited for the Andal education method.
Note: "It's the education method, not primogeniture."
It's not wrong to stabilize the eldest son's inheritance rights, but one cannot excessively suppress other male heirs, treating them as property to be inherited by the eldest son through exploitation.
"Blackfish" Brynden didn't dare to commit kinslaying; he only dared to abandon his brother and leave.
The Targaryens, however, do not have such psychological burdens.
Maegor's usurpation, the Dance of the Dragons, and the Blackfire Rebellion all illustrate one point: never compare madness with a Targaryen.
Especially a Targaryen with a dragon is equivalent to a madman piloting a bomber; the destructive power is staggering.
In Daeron's view, the root cause of the Dance of the Dragons lay in the wrong education method, leading to a crisis of trust within the family.
Aegon II was a playboy who never thought about fighting his sister Rhaenyra for the throne, but later he let his golden dragon Sunfyre eat her.
Behind this was the push from House Hightower and the hatred of "a son for a son," but the essence was still the collapse of trust from the beginning.
Rhaenyra inheriting the Iron Throne was equivalent to inheriting several half-siblings.
Rhaenyra was also—a person hard to evaluate.
Against the backdrop of The Blacks and the Greens attacking each other for so many years, how could the royal members of the Green faction dare to let her inherit the Iron Throne, viewing themselves as property and submissively surrendering to Rhaenyra?
Wouldn't that be idiotic?
But if from the beginning, "The Young King" Viserys had clearly defined the status of the eldest daughter Rhaenyra as the heir, granted her corresponding power, assisted her in political affairs, and firmed the resolve of the Seven Kingdoms' nobles to support Rhaenyra...
Then, state that he would give each of his three sons—the eldest Aegon II, "One-Eye" Aemond, and Daeron the Daring—some property.
For example, a castle and a fief.
Then arrange for loyal royal ministers to assist (supervise) them in governing the fiefs, forming a family system where branches revolve around the main branch; the situation would be vastly different.
Aegon II and the others would have a place to stay and wouldn't have to rely on their elder sister Rhaenyra's favor, ensuring personal safety and autonomy in their fiefs.
With their psychological balance restored, the desire to usurp would naturally weaken, ignoring the goading of House Hightower.
For a few war maniacs like "One-Eye" Aemond, as long as the size of the fief is controlled and supervision is in place, he wouldn't be able to call upon an army.
With only Vhagar, he couldn't cause much trouble.
Just like Maegor the Cruel before his usurpation, he would rather travel the Essos on Black Dread Balerion than start a rebellion.
It wasn't until his weak brother Aenys I died and the Seven Kingdoms were in rebellion everywhere, with the family in peril, that he usurped his nephew's throne, forcibly carving out the legitimacy of the Iron Throne's rule over the Seven Kingdoms.
"Study hard. Later, I will arrange for Maester Harvey to teach you arithmetic and economics so you can help our father in the future."
Daeron said calmly, deciding to educate his younger brothers well now to prevent them from going astray in the future.
Fundamentally, educating them well now is better than anything.
If they all ended up like Rhaegar, it would be hard for brothers not to drift apart.
Jaehaerys's eyes were clear as he asked softly, "Do we still have to assist father?"
"What are you thinking?"
Daeron's gaze was menacingly "kind," putting a stop to his "fatally filial" ideas.
Jaehaerys covered his mouth and shook his head quickly, indicating he wouldn't dare say it again.
On the other side, Shaena walked up to Tessarion, her well-proportioned figure hidden under a white skirt, bending over to push a sheep.
Feeding dragons was one of the ways Targaryens interacted with them.
"Screech!"
Tessarion breathed a blast of cobalt blue Dragonfire; the sheep gave a miserable "baa" and was roasted into a whole carbonized sheep.
The blue dragon feasted.
After two years of hatching, Caraxes grew the fastest, reaching a staggering length of 20 meters, comparable to an average young dragon.
Tessarion and Toothless were slightly slower; the blue dragon was 8 meters long, and the black dragon was 7.5 meters long.
Their size was roughly that of Arrax in the show.
"Eat up."
Shaena looked at the tall blue dragon, her purple eyes bright with admiration.
"Help! ————"
Jaehaerys and Viserys were chased around by Toothless, their faces contorted with fear, wishing they had four legs.
"Screech~~"
Toothless didn't even show his dragon teeth; his green vertical pupils were full of playfulness, purely teasing the little dragon hatchlings.
Daeron covered his face.
A Dragon Guard walked in, announcing someone was asking for an audience.
Looking outside, it was "Blackfish" Brynden, who had packed his bags.
"Prince, allow me to bid you farewell."
Brynden felt ashamed and could hardly lift his head.
Daeron had expected his departure and asked, "You've decided? You're going back to Riverrun?"
"Yes, Hoster was injured; he should have come to his senses by now."
Brynden's expression was exceptionally complex as he said deeply, "I will persuade him to surrender and plead guilty, to preserve a trace of the Tully family's bloodline."
The example of House Baratheon is right before us.
The Prince is merciful, sparing the lives of Stannis and Renly.
But House Baratheon lost the titles of Storms End and Lord Paramount of the Stormlands, destined to vanish from Westeros and become a disgrace.
He loves his family and house and doesn't want the Tully family to end up like that.
Brynden said solemnly, "If Hoster remains stubborn, I will commit suicide to apologize; I will never help a tyrant."
"There's no need for that."
Daeron was very frank and said, "It doesn't matter if Lord Hoster surrenders or not. Don't throw yourself away for him."
"If things cannot be done, even if you are forced to surrender to the rebels and turn around to lead men against me, I will not blame you."
Hearing this, Brynden was deeply shocked, feeling as if a huge stone was pressing on his chest.
"Go." Daeron affirmed, "Don't wait until you regret what you want to do."
Brynden took a deep breath and made a vow: "As long as I do not fall, the royal banner will fly over Riverrun again. I was born there, and I shall die there."
After saying that, he turned and walked down Rhaenys's Hill, riding toward the Riverlands.
"He's gone."
Daeron was broad-minded and didn't go back on his word.
A "Blackfish" who didn't value his family wouldn't be the "Blackfish."
From the day Brynden came to him, he knew this day would come.
He didn't expect Brynden to actually turn the Tully family; as long as he returned to Riverrun, he could play a divisive role among the rebels.
This isn't the War of the Usurper from the original work, where Robert was unstoppable and drove the Royalist Army back step by step.
The rebels' forces are concentrated in half of the Riverlands, the North, and the Vale, gathering at most 40,000 men.
The Iron Throne side, possessing the Crownlands, half of the Riverlands, the Westerlands, The Reach, and Dorne, already crushes the other side in terms of numbers.
Anyone with eyes can see the rebels are going to lose.
The reason they've held out until now is entirely because the three Targaryen men are not of one mind and haven't pulled together to finish off the rebels.
"The war cannot end now. As soon as the war ends, I'll have to pay my debts."
Daeron had his own considerations and didn't want to end it hastily.
As long as the war doesn't end, his title as Protector of the Realm remains valid.
Once the war ends...
Tywin covets the Riverlands territory, and Lady Olenna asks for the Stormlands territory. Should he give them?
Only by continuing the war will he have time to control the Stormlands and, in passing, wear down the strength of the Riverlands lords and the Crownlands and Westerlands nobility, paving the way for the Crownlands to swallow up the Riverlands and Stormlands in the future.
Otherwise, based solely on war victory, why would the nobles agree to expand the Crownlands with just empty words?
Only by using the war to continuously weaken the strength of the nobles can the absolute monarchical status of the Targaryens be guaranteed.
By then, they'll have to agree whether they want to or not.