GOT King of Dragon

With negotiations concluded, the tension between the two sides eased significantly. 

Rhaegar sat eating the food provided by the wildlings, drinking their clear water, and watching them dance around the bonfire. 

Hawk and the sibling duo, Sapphire and Tormund, shared the same fire with him, chatting casually about their stories. 

While picking the scraps off a rabbit bone, Hawk asked, "You seem young—are you the king's youngest son?" 

"I'm the king's eldest son," Rhaegar replied with a chuckle. 

"If I recall correctly, it's tradition among nobles for the eldest son to inherit the throne. Does that mean you'll be the next king?" Hawk asked, surprised. 

"No. In fact, the heir is my sister," Rhaegar replied calmly. 

"Why? Does she have something under her skirt that you don't?" 

A rough-looking wildling who had been eavesdropping jeered, causing the nearby wildlings to burst into laughter. 

Rhaegar cast a sidelong glance at the man, then turned his gaze back to Hawk, remaining silent. 

Hawk's face darkened slightly. Grabbing the rough wildling by the leg, he said in a low voice, "Sander, back off!" 

"Yes, yes, Sander will back off..." 

Sander mumbled as he swayed away, clearly unconcerned. 

But when a white hawk with black spots landed on a branch overhead, he flinched, shivering before reluctantly disappearing into the crowd. 

Watching Sander fade into the distance, Hawk turned back, his voice calm yet unreadable. "The tribe has been uneasy lately. Many of the warriors are restless." 

"He's got a foul mouth. I wonder if it smells worse than dragon dung at the valley's entrance?" Rhaegar smirked. 

"I'll deal with him and warn the others," Hawk replied, his movements momentarily stiffening. There was irritation in his voice—not at Rhaegar's remark, but at his tribesman's behavior, which had embarrassed him in front of their guest. 

As the night deepened, Rhaegar, now full, returned to the cave where he had awoken to rest. Hawk provided some soft animal pelts and arranged for Sapphire and Tormund to stay close by. 

After laying out the pelts himself, Rhaegar called the siblings over, handing them an extra blanket. 

"Thank you," Tormund murmured, his voice quiet. 

"Can I ask you something? What exactly happened to your tribe?" Rhaegar inquired, using the opportunity to gather information. 

Tormund, holding the pelt tightly, looked at Sapphire in confusion. 

She nodded and turned away, continuing to prepare her straw mat. 

"Our tribe's homeland was attacked by monsters. Several people died. Uncle Hawk had no choice but to lead us into exile," Tormund explained. 

"Monsters? Crocodiles or pythons from the swamps?" Rhaegar's curiosity was piqued. 

"Neither. They're creatures hiding in shadows, slithering like snakes and piercing through our bodies," Tormund said, fear evident in his face. 

The memory of those creatures left a deep scar on his mind. 

"I've never heard of such shadow monsters before. Is this true?" Rhaegar looked at Sapphire, skeptical. 

Sapphire, who was about Rhaegar's sister Rhaenyra's age, had a more trustworthy air. Her expression turned grim. "It's true. Even the elders of the tribe had never seen or heard of such monsters. It's as if they appeared out of nowhere." 

"Wow, it seems we've walked straight into trouble." 

Rhaegar frowned, unsure whether shadow monsters actually existed on the Crabclaw Peninsula. The tribe's safety was far less assured than it seemed. 

After a brief exchange, silence fell over the cave. The three lay on their respective bedding, still able to hear the wildlings' revelry echoing outside. 

After a while, Sapphire broke the silence. "Why is your sister the heir?" 

"No particular reason. We're both our father's children. It doesn't matter who inherits the throne," Rhaegar replied nonchalantly. 

"You're fooling yourself. The nobles would rather have a man leading them," Sapphire retorted skeptically. 

"That may be true, but my father chose her. We're family, and I just want to support her." 

"Hmph. She'll marry, have a husband, and bear children. They'll become her true family," Sapphire scoffed. "And you, her younger brother with a better claim, will only be seen as an obstacle." 

"Whose illegitimate daughter are you? You sound well-versed in Targaryen family matters," Rhaegar teased. 

"That's none of your business. Just some idiot who couldn't keep his pants on," Sapphire snapped, clearly disliking the subject. 

"Well, then you don't need to meddle in my family's affairs either, my lady!" Rhaegar quipped, fighting fire with fire. 

"Heh, he called you a lady," Tormund chuckled from his corner. 

"And you, young master?" Sapphire shot up and kicked him, silencing his laughter immediately. 

With nothing more to say, silence returned to the cave. 

--- 

At midnight, the humid air grew thick with mist as dark clouds gathered overhead, obscuring the crescent moon. 

Without moonlight, the night deepened. 

In the valley, the wildlings, tired from their revelry, slept in scattered groups. 

The bonfires dwindled, leaving only faint, crackling embers. 

In the dim environment, an eerie, pitch-black creature twisted and slithered out from the shadows beneath the trees. 

The pitch-black creature merged seamlessly with the shadows, slithering like a serpent as it crawled toward a soundly sleeping wildman. 

Slowly. 

It slipped into the wildman's nostrils, ears, and mouth... 

The pitch-black creature seemed capable of splitting itself apart, invading the wildman's body through every possible opening. 

A soft, rod-like object was shoved down his throat. The wildman let out two muffled grunts, discomfort pulling him out of his dreams. 

The moment he opened his eyes— 

He saw a mass of twisted, pitch-black flesh perched on his chest, sprouting vine-like tentacles. 

The wildman's eyes widened in terror as fear consumed him, and he tried to scream. 

"Ugh…" 

Before he could cry out, two tentacles pierced through his nostrils, puncturing his brain and churning his brain matter into mush. 

Another life was effortlessly claimed by the creature. 

The pitch-black monster writhed, withdrew its tentacles, and began searching for its next prey. 

--- 

Inside a cave, Rhaegar slept soundly. 

"Ahhh!" 

Suddenly, a shrill scream echoed through the valley, waking everyone with a jolt. 

Rhaegar groggily opened his eyes, looking around in confusion. 

The siblings, Bao and Lan, were also awake. 

They grabbed the weapons beside them and rushed toward the cave entrance, warning Rhaegar, "It's dangerous outside. Stay here." 

Rhaegar blinked in confusion for a moment before scrambling to his feet and following them. 

He had heard plenty of horror stories before. 

When danger strikes, the one left behind is always the most vulnerable. 

That much, at least, he understood. 

Outside the cave, the wildmen were in chaos. 

Some were adding wood to the bonfire, others lighting torches. 

The darkness outside grew a bit brighter. 

Rhaegar stuck close behind Bao and Lan, peeking over their shoulders to see what was going on. 

The scene was utter pandemonium, with the wildmen howling and shouting incoherently, offering no useful information. 

After waiting for a while— 

The commotion finally began to subside. 

It was Sun, returning with a group of wildman warriors from a patrol. 

They carried several corpses. 

All of them were strong male wildmen. 

Three had blood streaming from all seven orifices, with no visible wounds on their bodies. 

One had an arrow lodged in his chest, piercing his heart. Blood trickled from the corners of his mouth. 

In front of the entire tribe— 

Sun tossed the three identical corpses into the bonfire, burning their remains. 

As for the fourth body, he removed the arrow and studied it with a grim expression. 

"We're being targeted by another tribe!" 

Sun clenched the arrow tightly, growling in anger. 

*(End of Chapter)*