Chapter 5 – The Hidden Blade
The Ghost Prince.
The name spread through Dragonstone faster than Aeryn expected.
Servants whispered it in the kitchens. Guards joked about it during night watch. Even some of the dragonkeepers had begun telling stories about the strange shadow that ran across the towers.
Most believed it was some kind of spirit.
Aeryn knew better.
Of course, he was also the reason those rumors existed.
And now someone else knew the truth.
Princess
Rhaenyra Targaryen.
An Unexpected Accomplice
"You should really stop doing that."
Aeryn didn't even look up.
"If you're going to sneak up on someone, cousin," he said calmly, "you should walk quieter."
Rhaenyra rolled her eyes.
"You heard me from the other side of the courtyard."
"Your boots are loud."
She crossed her arms.
"You're impossible."
They were sitting on one of Dragonstone's high balconies overlooking the sea. The wind blew strongly across the island, carrying the smell of salt and smoke from the volcanic mountain nearby.
Aeryn sat on the stone floor with several small metal pieces laid out in front of him.
Rhaenyra leaned closer.
"What are you building now?"
"Improving something."
She watched as he carefully adjusted a small hinge connected to a narrow steel blade.
Realization slowly spread across her face.
"The arm knife."
"Hidden blade," he corrected.
"You named it?"
"Of course."
Rhaenyra shook her head in disbelief.
"You're seven."
"And?"
"Normal children play with wooden swords."
Aeryn shrugged.
"I prefer better tools."
Perfecting the Mechanism
The original version of his hidden blade had been crude.
Functional—but unreliable.
The mechanism sometimes stuck.
The blade didn't always retract properly.
That was dangerous.
An assassin's weapon had to work perfectly every time.
So Aeryn spent weeks improving it.
He had secretly collected better materials from the castle smithy.
Stronger metal.
Better leather straps.
Small springs.
The design slowly improved.
Now the blade rested securely along the inside of his forearm, hidden beneath his sleeve.
A small motion of his wrist activated it.
Click.
The blade slid forward smoothly.
Rhaenyra flinched slightly.
"That's still unsettling."
"It's just a tool."
"For what exactly?"
Aeryn paused.
The honest answer was complicated.
Edward Kenway had used hidden blades for assassination.
Silent kills.
Quick strikes.
But Aeryn wasn't planning to become a killer.
Not yet.
Still…
The world of Westeros was dangerous.
Princes died in accidents.
Poisoned wine.
Knife in the dark.
Better to be prepared.
"For protection," he said simply.
Rhaenyra watched him silently.
"You talk like an old knight."
Aeryn smirked.
"Maybe I am."
Combat Practice
Later that night they moved to the castle rooftops again.
The moon lit the towers of Dragonstone in pale silver.
Wind rushed across the stone as Aeryn practiced movements with the hidden blade.
Step.
Turn.
Strike.
The blade moved quickly through the air.
Precise.
Controlled.
Years of muscle memory guided every motion.
Even inside a smaller body.
Rhaenyra leaned against a stone gargoyle watching him.
"You move strangely."
"You've said that before."
"Like someone trained you."
Aeryn continued practicing.
"Maybe someone did."
"Who?"
He stopped moving.
For a moment he considered the truth again.
An assassin brotherhood from another life.
But explaining reincarnation never sounded convincing.
So he said something simpler.
"Experience."
Rhaenyra snorted.
"You're a terrible liar."
"Possibly."
He resumed practicing.
This time incorporating movement across the rooftop.
Running.
Jumping.
Landing silently.
The hidden blade flashed several times in the moonlight.
Then suddenly—
"Interesting."
The voice froze them both.
Aeryn turned instantly.
Rhaenyra's eyes widened.
Standing at the edge of the rooftop was a tall man with silver hair and a confident smirk.
His cloak moved in the wind like dark wings.
This was
Daemon Targaryen.
The Rogue Prince
Daemon stepped forward slowly.
"Well now," he said. "What do we have here?"
Rhaenyra immediately looked nervous.
"Uncle…"
Daemon's eyes remained fixed on Aeryn.
"I've been hearing stories."
Aeryn stayed calm.
"What kind of stories?"
"The Ghost Prince of Dragonstone."
He looked around at the rooftops.
"Servants claim a shadow runs across the towers every night."
Then he looked back at Aeryn.
"I was curious."
Aeryn said nothing.
Daemon smiled slightly.
"And it turns out the ghost is a child."
Rhaenyra tried to sound casual.
"He was just playing."
Daemon raised an eyebrow.
"Playing?"
His gaze dropped to Aeryn's arm.
"The weapon says otherwise."
The hidden blade was still extended.
Aeryn slowly retracted it.
Click.
Daemon's smile widened.
"That's not a toy."
"No."
"Where did you learn to build something like that?"
Aeryn met his gaze.
"Observation."
Daemon laughed.
"You're either the most interesting child in Westeros…"
He leaned slightly closer.
"…or the most dangerous."
Rhaenyra looked nervous again.
"It's harmless training."
Daemon ignored her.
His violet eyes studied Aeryn carefully.
"Show me."
"What?"
"The blade."
Aeryn hesitated.
But refusing would look suspicious.
So he extended the blade again.
Click.
The steel flashed in the moonlight.
Daemon looked impressed.
"Clever design."
He walked around Aeryn slowly.
"And your movement…"
Aeryn felt the man analyzing every detail.
Like a predator studying prey.
Daemon finally stopped.
"You move like a killer."
Rhaenyra gasped slightly.
Daemon smiled again.
"But you're also a prince."
He crossed his arms.
"That combination could become very interesting."
Aeryn stayed silent.
Daemon leaned slightly closer.
"Tell me something, boy."
"What?"
"Do you enjoy danger?"
Aeryn thought about his past life.
Pirates.
Battles.
Storms at sea.
Assassinations.
Then he smiled slightly.
"Yes."
Daemon laughed loudly.
"Oh, I like you."
He turned and walked toward the stairs leading down from the roof.
But before leaving, he looked back.
"Be careful, Ghost Prince."
His eyes gleamed slightly.
"In this family… dangerous boys tend to grow into very dangerous men."
Then he disappeared down the stairs.
Rhaenyra let out a long breath.
"That was terrifying."
Aeryn stared at the doorway where Daemon had vanished.
"Yes," he said quietly.
"But also useful."
"What do you mean?"
Aeryn smiled slightly.
"If he's interested…"
He looked toward the distant Dragonmont where dragons roared in the night.
"…then things are about to get much more interesting."