Chapter 4 – The Watchful Princess
Rumors moved quickly through Dragonstone.
Servants whispered in kitchens. Guards spoke quietly during night watches. Even the maester had begun asking questions.
Something—or someone—was moving through the castle at night.
Footsteps on rooftops.
Shadows on the walls.
Figures seen climbing towers that no normal person should be able to reach.
Some believed the castle was haunted.
Others claimed the spirit of an ancient dragonlord had returned.
But one person believed none of those things.
Princess
Rhaenyra Targaryen
was far too intelligent to believe in ghosts.
Instead, she had a much more interesting theory.
Her strange young cousin.
Aeryn Targaryen.
A Suspicious Princess
Rhaenyra had first begun noticing something unusual months ago.
Aeryn was different from other children.
He spoke less.
Watched more.
When people talked, he listened with the focus of an adult.
Sometimes it felt as if he was studying them.
Analyzing them.
And then there were the rumors.
Servants claimed they heard footsteps on the castle roofs.
The guards had reported shadows moving across the towers.
The same towers where Rhaenyra had once seen Aeryn balancing along the walls like a cat.
The connection seemed obvious to her.
But she needed proof.
Which meant doing something slightly reckless.
Following him.
The Night Hunt
Dragonstone was quiet that night.
Most torches had burned low, leaving the corridors dim.
The wind howled through the stone arches like distant voices.
Rhaenyra carefully stepped through the castle halls, holding a small lantern.
She wore a simple cloak over her night clothes.
If anyone saw her wandering the castle at this hour, it would be difficult to explain.
But curiosity pushed her forward.
Earlier that evening she had noticed Aeryn acting strangely.
He had been quiet at dinner.
Distracted.
Watching the windows.
Watching the shadows.
Like someone waiting for nightfall.
Which meant he was probably sneaking out again.
Sure enough…
When she reached the hallway outside his chambers, the door was slightly open.
Rhaenyra smiled.
"Got you."
She quietly pushed the door open.
The room was empty.
The bed untouched.
The window open.
Cold wind drifted inside.
Rhaenyra stepped closer to the window and looked down.
Dragonstone's inner courtyard stretched far below.
But what caught her attention was something else.
A faint movement on the rooftops.
A shadow crossing between two towers.
Her eyes widened.
"Oh, you little menace…"
Without hesitation, she climbed out the window.
Across the Roofs
The wind nearly blew the lantern out.
Rhaenyra shielded the flame with her hand as she carefully stepped onto the roof.
She had climbed the towers before.
Dragon riders often did.
But following someone across rooftops at night?
That was new.
Ahead of her she saw the shadow again.
Moving quickly.
Jumping between buildings.
She hurried after it.
The lantern light danced across the black stone as she climbed higher along the castle walls.
Then suddenly—
She saw him clearly.
A small figure standing on top of a narrow tower wall.
Balancing effortlessly.
Aeryn.
Rhaenyra froze.
The drop beside him was enormous.
One wrong step and he would fall hundreds of feet to the rocks below.
But the boy didn't seem worried.
He moved calmly along the wall, arms slightly out for balance.
Then he stopped.
Slowly he raised his arm.
Something metallic flashed in the moonlight.
Rhaenyra frowned.
"What…?"
Then she heard a quiet sound.
Click.
A narrow blade slid from beneath his sleeve.
Her eyes widened.
"A knife?"
He practiced several movements.
Quick strikes.
Controlled motions.
Each movement precise.
Each step silent.
Rhaenyra felt a strange chill.
This wasn't childish play.
This looked like training.
The kind soldiers practiced.
Or assassins.
She stepped forward accidentally knocking a loose stone.
The sound echoed loudly.
Aeryn turned instantly.
His reflexes were terrifyingly fast.
In one smooth motion he leaped from the wall and landed on the rooftop below.
Directly in front of her.
Rhaenyra nearly dropped the lantern.
"You!"
The Secret Revealed
Aeryn stared at her calmly.
His silver hair moved slightly in the wind.
"You shouldn't be here," he said.
Rhaenyra crossed her arms.
"I should be saying that to you."
He shrugged.
"I come here often."
"I noticed."
Her eyes moved to his arm.
"The knife."
"It's not a knife."
"What is it then?"
"A tool."
She stepped closer.
"You were practicing with it."
"Yes."
"Why?"
Aeryn considered the question.
The honest answer would sound insane.
Because I used to be a pirate assassin in another life.
Instead he said,
"Because the world is dangerous."
Rhaenyra raised an eyebrow.
"You're seven."
"And?"
She stared at him for a moment.
"You're unbelievable."
Aeryn smiled slightly.
"Thank you."
"That wasn't a compliment."
The Ghost Prince
The wind grew stronger around them.
Below, waves crashed violently against the cliffs.
Rhaenyra suddenly started laughing.
"Oh gods…"
"What?"
"It's you."
"What is?"
"The ghost."
Aeryn blinked.
"What ghost?"
"The one haunting the castle!"
She pointed toward the rooftops.
"Servants say something runs across the towers every night."
She leaned closer, grinning.
"It's just you."
Aeryn rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
"Possibly."
Rhaenyra laughed harder.
"The Ghost Prince of Dragonstone."
He sighed.
"That name is going to spread, isn't it?"
"Oh definitely."
She looked back toward the towers he had crossed.
"How do you move like that?"
"Practice."
"You jumped between buildings!"
"Yes."
"You're insane."
"Maybe."
Rhaenyra studied him carefully.
There was something fascinating about him.
A prince who climbed towers like a thief.
A child who trained with blades in the night.
A boy who spoke like someone twice his age.
She smiled slowly.
"I like you."
Aeryn blinked.
"That was unexpected."
"You're interesting."
"Dangerous word."
"Too late."
She pointed toward the sky.
"You know what we should really do?"
"What?"
She grinned.
"Fly."
Aeryn looked confused.
"With a dragon."
His eyes widened slightly.
Below them, somewhere near the volcanic slopes of Dragonstone…
A dragon roared.
The sound echoed across the island.
Rhaenyra smiled proudly.
"One day I'll ride one."
Aeryn looked toward the distant mountain.
The roar vibrated through the night air.
"One day," he said quietly,
"So will I."
And when that day came…
The Ghost Prince of Dragonstone would become something far greater.
A dragon rider.
An assassin.
And perhaps the most dangerous Targaryen Westeros had ever seen.