The afternoon sun painted the Red Keep in molten gold when Aegon finally lost patience.

He had checked the training yard, the gardens, even the shaded corridors where his betrothed liked to escape the heat. Nothing. A flash of movement above caught his eye — Aemond’s silver hair unmistakable against the sky.

Aemond, Helaena, and the Velaryon boys stood shoulder to shoulder, all staring upward with unsettling focus.

“What’s got you all gawking like statues?” Aegon asked, stepping beside them.

Aemond didn’t look away. A slow, amused smile tugged at his mouth. “It seems your fiancée has a wild side, brother.”

Jace snorted. “That’s putting it lightly, Uncle. Wait till she freefalls.”

All heads snapped toward him.

“Freefalls?” Aegon repeated sharply. No dragonrider he knew would willingly trust gravity like that. His gaze shot skyward—

And there you were.

Vērizon cut across the heavens like a living shadow. The dragon was enormous already — not yet at Sunfyre’s full majesty, but close enough to steal the breath. His obsidian scales shimmered with crimson veins that pulsed faintly in the sunlight, like embers beneath glass. Each wingbeat rolled through the air with thunderous authority, wine-dark membranes stretching wide. His molten-gold eyes gleamed as he banked, intelligent and watchful.

On his back stood You.

Not seated — standing.

The harness straps hung loose at your sides. Wind tore at your clothes and hair, yet your posture was steady, balanced as if you stood on solid ground. Even from the balcony, Aegon felt his pulse spike.

“She’s unhooked,” Luke whispered, equal parts awe and disbelief.

Vērizon leveled out, gliding. You leaned forward, pressing a hand briefly to the dragon’s neck.

Your voice carried faintly on the wind, High Valyrian flowing like music. “Are you ready, Vērizon?”

The dragon answered with a low, resonant rumble that vibrated through the air. His crimson veins glowed brighter.

Aegon’s chest tightened.

You straightened. You stepped fully upright on the saddle, arms opening wide to the sky — fearless, exultant.

Then you fell.

For one suspended heartbeat, no one breathed.

Helaena’s hand flew to her mouth. Luke cursed. Jace lurched forward like he might somehow catch you from half the sky away. Even Aemond’s calm fractured, his jaw tightening.

Aegon’s stomach dropped with you.

You plummeted in a clean arc, hair streaming behind you, body perfectly aligned with the dive. No panic. No flailing. Just trust.

Vērizon folded his wings.

The dragon dropped like a stone.

Air screamed around you both — rider and beast racing gravity. At the last possible moment, Vērizon exploded open his wings and surged beneath her. His massive body rolled smoothly, claws tucked, neck rising—

You landed against his back as if you never left, one hand catching the saddle strap in a fluid motion. Vērizon roared, triumphant, the sound rattling the balcony rails. A burst of black-red flame split the air above him, heat shimmering even at a distance.

Silence followed.

Then Luke whooped. Jace laughed in disbelief. Helaena shook her head, smiling softly. Even Aemond exhaled a quiet, impressed breath.

Aegon didn’t speak.

His heart was hammering, but not from fear anymore. His gaze tracked you as you leaned low over Vērizon’s neck, laughing into the wind, utterly alive. The dragon mirrored your joy — powerful, controlled, devoted. They moved as one creature, bonded by something ancient and unbreakable.

And Aegon understood with startling clarity.

It wasn’t just admiration. Not pride. Not possessiveness.

It was love — fierce and undeniable — the kind that stole breath and set the world sharply into focus.

Above them, you guided Vērizon into a graceful turn, sunlight catching the crimson glow of his scales. You looked invincible.

Aegon felt a grin spread across his face despite himself.

“Gods,” he muttered under his breath, unable to look away.

And he’d never been more certain of anything in his life.