"Will you do it again?" Hihkran yelled, holding Zalarys's legs as he lowered him into the water.
"Blrprrrpp!" Zalarys screamed into the water, choking as his lungs burned like hell, feeling as though sharp needles were piercing them.
Luckily, Hihkran pulled him out in time. Water flowed from the young Prince's lips and he was sickly pale.
"Will you do it again?"
"Noo... Haaa... Haaa..." He breathed heavily, inhaling air greedily while his eyes burned. It was not even clean water but seawater.
"But Master... You told me to do it. Why are you torturing me?" Zalarys groaned as he was dropped onto the cold floor. He was wearing nothing but his trousers and a white shirt, his shoulder-length platinum hair clinging to his skin.
"Well, it's fun." Hihkran said with a bright smile, glancing at Prince Daemon. "Don't you agree, my Prince?"
Daemon covered his mouth, his shoulders trembling as he avoided Zalarys's resentful gaze. "Pfthhh... Ahem, not at all. It is to teach him discipline."
Can't even lie properly, huh? I'm disappointed, brother. Zalarys thought bleakly, pursing his lips.
"Now, get ready." Daemon licked his dry lips, crossing his arms.
"I know, I know. I'm going to sleep in the shithole with the criminals again." Zalarys sighed, dragging himself up. From what he could tell, he had been sleeping in the dungeon with criminals for a few days already. Surprisingly, while they were piece-of-shit bastards, after witnessing how he was tortured, some of them had found it in themselves to sympathise with Zalarys.
"No, we're going out." Daemon hummed, a hint of pity flashing in his eyes, not for his brother, but because it had already ended. At first, he truly felt sorry for his brother, but then he recalled all the times Zalarys played pranks on him or irritated him, so he felt a sliver of relief, as twisted as it might seem.
However, the brothers' relationship was quite good, so they rarely held grudges. Zalarys, too, enjoyed it when Baelon spanked Daemon, or sometimes threw roaches into his soup.
"Huh? What do you mean... Wait, it's over?" Zalarys blinked in bewilderment, his sense of time rather poor in the darkness.
"Yeah. But I'm proud of you, little brother. You can endure four different torture methods now." Daemon grinned, ruffling his hair while Zalarys looked up with a spiteful look.
"Sure... Let's see how you endure it, then. It would be really shameful for an older brother to be surpassed by his younger one, right?" Zalarys smiled darkly, poking at Daemon's pride.
"Won't work on me. I already got used to it." Daemon shrugged, not playing along. In a way, Zalarys and Viserra were the same. Both were quite manipulative, but Zalarys did it involuntarily, mostly getting lost in his emotions and instinctively saying things that later came out as manipulation or provocation, while Viserra was more calculating.
Zalarys looked down, gritting his teeth. In the morning they beat me up...
He thought, feeling sore all over his body. There were numerous bruises across it and he felt like dying.
Then they threw me in a cell filled with venomous insects and snakes... There were many bite marks on his body as well. But that's not much of a torture. I'm immune to most poisons thanks to Murghagon. Like dragonfire is the hottest flame, a dragon's venom is in similar fashion the most potent poison. Because of that, most venoms can't even harm me. It's just that insects and snakes are annoying... and I had to eat them too.
Zalarys covered his face, cursing himself. Why did I even boast to my master that I was immune? Now he's testing everything on me! And Daemon isn't helping either. He knows I'm not a bitch and won't tell mother. Dammit!
After the venomous creatures, they would try to drown him for an hour, making him tremble from cold while his lungs grew exhausted and pained. Though he had to admit that he could now spend at least a minute and a half underwater without any trouble. So in a way, Hihkran was still training him.
The first goal was to make him enduring and durable. The second was to raise his poison resistance. The third was to keep him underwater for long stretches. As for the fourth, it was to adapt to varied conditions. Sometimes he slept in the cell, shivering from cold. Other times they forced him to sleep near fire, sweating from the heat. It felt like Hihkran was making his body as adaptable as possible, preparing him for any climate.
At least this godforsaken training disguised as punishment is finally over. Master called it punishment, but the results speak for themselves.
Zalarys clenched his fist, feeling newfound strength filling it, his muscles more robust and his body more tenacious.
"If you're ready, let's leave," Daemon said, holding a torch and leading them out of the dungeons. "By the way, Master Hihkran, my father and grandfather expressed their gratitude to you. Your methods might not be... quite traditional, but they are effective. Grandfather noted that knights wouldn't train Zalarys with the intensity you do, that they would still be gentle with him since he's the Prince. For that, I'm thankful too. You're nurturing the blood of the dragon with all your strength."
"There is no need to thank me, my Prince. While I am hired by the King, Zalarys is still my successor in a way. I will teach him everything I know and train him as I see fit, regardless of what even the King wants." Hihkran nodded, his tone calm and composed as he walked through the darkness with absolute confidence, as if he could see through the sinister, slithering shadows. "Your brother may not be the finest knight, archer, or dragonrider. But believe me when I say this: he will be the most versatile. And even if he is weaker, he will have enough experience, skill, and adaptability to dismantle any opponent and find a way to kill them. Perhaps it will not be honorable, but I am certain he will be the last one standing."
Daemon nodded hesitantly, not knowing how to answer that. He felt a little unsettled by Hihkran as well. The man was cold-blooded and indifferent, talking casually and not even caring that Daemon was a Prince. Besides, his teaching methods were brutal and savage, which worried Daemon a little.
Sure, what Hihkran was doing was making his brother stronger, that was as true as the Targaryens' sovereignty over the skies. However, Zalarys was still a child, and the environment he was growing in and the people he was surrounded with would definitely influence and change him. The more time Zalarys spent with Hihkran, the more savage and cold-blooded he felt, like those bloodthirsty people in the Basilisks, for example.
Daemon wasn't heartless. He was still worried for his brother, even if he was a little shit.
No... Father said it was his choice. That's what he wants. And sooner or later, he would need to face the ugly side of the world. It's better if he gets used to it from childhood. And it's not all bad. My blood is growing strong, that's something to celebrate instead of fear, he thought, calming and encouraging himself that everything was fine
"Zalarys."
"Yes, Master." The boy Prince looked up at his mentor curiously, wondering what he wanted.
"It is time you trained with a horse." Hihkran spoke, letting out a loud yawn.
"Again?"
"Yes. I don't want you getting sloppy." He shrugged and walked ahead, leaving Zalarys with tearful eyes.
But Master... What about my holiday... Fuck...
_______________________
"A month... I spent a damned month there?" Zalarys looked down, his face lost and hollow, losing his appetite while dining with his family.
"More or less, yeah." Daemon laughed, slapping his shoulder as he drank his wine.
"Motherfuck-"
"Zalarys... Please." Alysanne sighed, rubbing her eyes as she sank into her chair.
"You just slept in a cell. You can endure that much, right?" Alyssa narrowed her eyes at him while Zalarys glanced at Baelon, whose lips curled up in amusement.
I'm sorry, mother. It was more than just sleeping in a cell... He thought gloomily, pouring water into his cup and drinking.
Ah yes, fresh water of the Kingswood... It's been a while. I missed you. I know I betrayed you numerous times, cheating on you with juice, but you have to know, you were always the love of my life. He thought with a blissful smile, his eyes glowing with satisfaction.
"That's right. I'm sure a month in the dungeon doing nothing but sleeping and eating isn't that harsh of a punishment." Viserra giggled playfully, then leaned forward, resting her cheeks between her palms, her scarlet lips curling up with pleasure, content that he had suffered.
"Oh right, I'm sure two weeks in your chambers was unimaginable torture for you, aunt. Am I correct?" Zalarys sneered at her, slamming his fork into the table and piercing the wood with a dark look.
"Oh, don't be a crybaby. Or are you too much of a softie? Oh my~ if I had known, I would have begged father to spare you. My heart is filled with sorrow hearing this." Viserra placed her hand on her chest, her expression saddened and disheartened as she closed her eyes gracefully.
"That's it, I'm gouging out her eyes!" Zalarys crawled onto the table, trying to reach her and holding a fork with a sadistic smile, licking his lips with dark, murderous glee, while Daemon spat out his wine, choking on it, and instantly rushed to stop him, holding him back.
Viserra laughed, her voice pleasant and joyful, sticking out her tongue teasingly, taunting him further.
"Enough!" Jaehaerys shouted, already tired of their bickering. Even a month of separation had done nothing. Those two remained at each other's throats as always. "If you don't want to be punished once again, stop..."
Zalarys grimaced in displeasure, sliding back into his seat, his eyes wide and unblinking, making a cutting motion at his neck with his fork, while Viserra scoffed, crossing her arms under her chest and rolling her eyes haughtily.
"Calm down, little brother. Or you'll sleep with the rats again."
"Ah yes, rats, my beloved food. How did I forget about them..." Zalarys muttered under his breath. Rat's meat was better than centipede at least. And since he was immune to poisons, he didn't care about whatever viruses rats carried.
Daemon barely heard it, rubbing his ears to make sure he wasn't hearing things. No, everything was fine. He paused, pursing his lips and looked down, thinking hard. Should I try rat's meat? No, no. It's Zalarys talking nonsense again. I won't listen to whatever he says. Last time I did, I ate roaches.
He felt disgusted, grabbing some boar meat and eating it to forget the taste.
At once, the family began eating peacefully. Alyssa was speaking softly to her mother and Gael while Baelon was speaking with Viserys. Jaehaerys was lost in his thoughts entirely, much like Daemon.
"So, auntie... How is your dragon?" Zalarys asked with a faint, polite smile, his fingers crossed.
"Aeksion is doing well. She is growing very beautiful. Thank you for your concern, nephew." Viserra tossed a grape into her mouth, chewing as she stared at him with a lovely smile.
Right... She literally named her dragon gold. That's another level of narcissism. As if her dragon is the most valuable and beautiful... Oh, my fucking gods... Ah, right. I'm an atheist. He thought with a sigh, already fed up with her vain attitude.
"How is your ugly beast?" She murmured, resting her chin on her palm.
"Murghagon is doing fine. I am personally overseeing his growth..." Zalarys took a bite of roasted boar, chewed and then gulped down some water. "And since I am feeding him well, he is already quite large for his age."
"Right, take care of him. At this rate, instead of a dragon, you will have a pig." Viserra giggled, her voice charming.
"Noted..." Zalarys mumbled while chewing. "Bitch..."
"What was that?" She raised an eyebrow, leaning back in her chair.
"I said b-b..." His eye twitched from irritation, barely forcing the compliment out, struggling not to spit profanities at her. "... Brilliant."
"Lovely." Viserra popped another grape into her mouth, crossing her legs and leaning forward with a sweet smile.