At that moment, in the sky, Aegon the Second rode upon Sunfyre's back, looking down at the burning battlefield below. His heart pounded like a drum.
He saw two dragons.
Meleys—crimson, larger than Sunfyre.
Caraxes—blood-red, larger than Sunfyre.
Aegon had first encountered Caraxes as a child, when his uncle still rode him in King's Landing.
Aegon the Second sighed inwardly. He had never wanted to be king. But he had been pushed by his mother Alicent, his maternal grandfather Otto, and his younger brother Aemond. He had never wanted to harm his kin. He understood his father Viserys's pain. But his mother Alicent always said that Father Viserys was a weak man.
Perhaps I am the same...
He thought of Jacaerys, of Lucerys...
He felt a trace of regret.
I should not have mocked Aemond with them. Perhaps things would be different, yes?
At the time, he had thought the dragon so beautiful—blood-red scales like burning gems. Now he did not think it beautiful. Now he felt it was a monster.
And my brother? Aemond, where are you?
Aegon believed that Aemond was hiding somewhere, waiting to strike a fatal blow at the Black dragonriders.
"Rise, Sunfyre!" he shouted. "Show them some color!"
Sunfyre gave him a deep look.
In those golden eyes, there was too much meaning. Sunfyre knew he could not defeat these two dragons. Even one-on-one... but if his master Aegon commanded him, he would do his utmost. Even if he died.
Sunfyre dove sharply.
---
In the sky, Rhaenys looked at the golden dragon and was momentarily stunned.
"Is that Aegon? Why has he come?"
Daemon rode Caraxes from the other side and hovered beside her.
"I do not know," Daemon shouted. "But since he is here, do not let him go!"
Rhaenys looked at him.
Daemon's violet eyes flickered with complex light. He thought of his brother Viserys. I am about to kill his children...
"He is your nephew," said Rhaenys.
"So what? Is he not your nephew as well?"
Rhaenys was silent a moment. She shook her head and said loudly, "I cannot. After all, we are kin..."
Daemon looked at her, shook his head, and said contemptuously, "Then let me bear this burden for you."
Daemon knew deep down that the time had come. Both sides were bleeding. The Blacks needed someone to be the kinslayer. Killing kin? That was the rule of these false gods. He was a Targaryen! His ancestors came from Valyria. A true Targaryen never believed in false gods—only in their own dragons.
Unless one side fully conceded defeat. But he was Daemon Targaryen! How could he concede defeat to that boy?! Rhaenyra might yield, but he never could. Daemon would rather feed his younger sons Aegon and Viserys to a dragon than let them live in the shadow for the rest of their lives.
He desperately wanted to kill Aemond in battle. That boy was growing too fast—it frightened him. Targaryen, when did you produce such a monster?
Even if in the end they died together...
He paused and reminded her, "Be wary of Vhagar. That black dragon was still in this airspace earlier. It may be hidden."
Rhaenys nodded. "Do not engage him. Be careful that Vhagar does not ambush us."
Daemon was hesitant.
Vhagar was old and too large. As long as their dragons did not engage, Vhagar would have no chance to approach.
The two dragons moved simultaneously.
Meleys circled left, Caraxes right.
They acted together in silent coordination, like a pair of partners.
---
Sunfyre twisted sharply in the air, managing to dodge the first blast of Meleys's dragonfire.
Aegon was somewhat confused. He did not understand why his brother Aemond had still not appeared.
"Flee south, Sunfyre!" Aegon could not help but shout.
Aegon the Second was not afraid of shame. He did not want Sunfyre to die here. Beneath him, hearing his master's cry, Sunfyre's body accelerated greatly. In the sky, like a flash of bright gold, the dragon and his rider began to flee south.
But the second blast of dragonfire—from the extremely fast Caraxes—had already arrived. It grazed Sunfyre's left wing, scorching several golden scales.
Sunfyre roared in pain.
Aegon clung to the dragon's saddle, his heart pounding so hard it nearly leaped from his throat. It was too fast. These two dragons were too fast. He could barely react.
Damn! Damn!! Aemond, where are you!!
Aegon wanted to cry but had no tears. If he had known, he would never have personally led the expedition. That damned maester! And that damned bishop! Those dog-shit bastards! Persuading me to go on a personal expedition! If I get back alive, I'll tear out their tongues!
Another blast of dragonfire—this time Meleys's flame, attacking head-on.
Sunfyre desperately climbed; the dragonfire grazed his belly, and the heat scalded Aegon the Second as he dodged, his cheeks burning with pain.
"Aemond! Aemond! Where are you?!" Aegon screamed in panic at the sky.
Sunfyre turned and loosed his own flame, but Meleys had already dodged.
Caraxes lunged from the side, his enormous claws ripping into Sunfyre's belly.
Sunfyre struggled to evade, but could not.
Blood sprayed.
Golden scales were torn; blood gushed from the wound and streamed down like a waterfall.
On the ground, fleeing soldiers suddenly felt a burning heat above their heads.
Hot dragon blood rained down.
"Ah!"
On the ground, people drenched in dragon blood screamed. Dragon blood burned the skin like sulfuric acid. Some rolled on the ground clutching their faces, some desperately tore off their clothes, and some were simply burned alive by the acidic blood.
In the sky, Sunfyre cried out.
Aegon's eyes reddened.
"Sunfyre!"
The golden dragon turned his head and looked at him.
In those golden eyes were pain and fear.
Sunfyre knew he could not escape. If he fled like this, he feared his master would die too. At this moment, there was only the resolve to fight to the death.
He abruptly turned and crashed into Caraxes.
The two dragons tumbled in the air, locked in combat.
As for the Red Queen, Rhaenys frowned, unsure how to intervene, afraid of accidentally wounding Daemon.
Sunfyre was a circle smaller than Caraxes, and his strength was not equal. But Sunfyre was mad. Truly mad. He bit and clawed regardless, using every method to attack Caraxes.
Daemon saw that Sunfyre still dared to turn and fight, and grew somewhat irritated. "Mad?!" he cursed.
Beneath him, the Blood Wyrm Caraxes clearly enjoyed the pleasure of this dragon battle, letting out a delighted roar.
Sunfyre met the Blood Wyrm's furious claws head-on. He did not dodge—he bit.
"Rrrr!!"
Sunfyre let out a pained dragon's howl!
Sunfyre's left eye was gouged out by the Blood Wyrm's claws!
"No!!" Aegon the Second watched in agony as his wounded Sunfyre lost his eye.
But Caraxes's scales were torn off, blood gushing out. He let out an enraged roar and drove his claws into Sunfyre's belly.
More blood. More blood.
Sunfyre screamed, but he did not let go. His teeth sank into Caraxes's left wing, tearing desperately as if to bite it off.
Caraxes trembled with pain, clawing at Sunfyre's belly with his talons. Each claw carried away a chunk of flesh. Each claw splashed a pool of blood.
The two dragons rolled, biting and clawing wildly in the air, blood spraying like rain.
Caraxes's claws seized Sunfyre's belly again—this time, the wound scraped deep to the bone. Sunfyre's entrails nearly spilled out, but he still did not let go. His teeth were embedded in Caraxes's wing, biting deeper and deeper.
Caraxes went mad with pain and desperately struck Sunfyre's head with his other claw.
Once. Twice. Thrice!
Sunfyre's head was beaten bloody, but he simply would not let go.
"Sunfyre!"
Aegon lay on the dragon's back, embracing Sunfyre's neck, tears streaming uncontrollably.
He felt Sunfyre's body trembling. He felt Sunfyre's strength fading.
But Sunfyre simply would not let go.
Sunfyre turned his head to look at Aegon.
That look—Aegon would never forget it for the rest of his life.
This was his dragon companion... Born extraordinary... The time they first met, and he showed off breathing fire. The time they flew together over King's Landing, tumbling through the clouds. Over Dragonstone—the sky—grievously wounded, and his determination as he desperately dove into Grey Ghost... And now, grievously wounded and dying, still desperately trying to protect his master.
"Sunfyre..."
Aegon pressed his face against her warm scales.
Sunfyre let out a low rumble—the sound he made when he was happy.
Then he released Caraxes's wing.
Not because he did not want to bite.
Because he truly could not bite anymore.
His body began to fall.