Game of Thrones: The King of Bronze and Fire

"Bloodfruit!!"

Aemon's eyes widened as he shot up from the bed.

A fruit that accelerates physical growth upon consumption?

That means... dragons can eat it too!

"This is the first time such a rare treasure has appeared."

To be cautious, Aemon carefully examined the description of the Bloodfruit multiple times to confirm that it was indeed as he hoped.

Without hesitation, he reached out and tapped to redeem it.

Pop!

The glowing blue card shattered instantly, turning into a shimmering light that condensed into a round red fruit in his palm.

"So this is the Bloodfruit?"

Aemon turned it over in his hand, inspecting it from all angles. The surface was smooth, marked with delicate patterns, and it looked like a bright red apple.

He brought it to his nose and sniffed.

Instead of the fruity fragrance he expected, the fruit carried a faint metallic tang, like the scent of rusted copper.

"Rare treasures often conceal their value. I must be too mortal to fully perceive its wonder."

Aemon nodded solemnly to himself and stuffed the fruit into the cheek pouch of his golden-nosed mouse.

"Squeak, squeak!"

The little mouse's cheeks bulged as it blinked up at him with a look of utter disdain, as if to say, What kind of nasty thing did you just give me?!

"Hmm?"

Aemon chuckled, perplexed. The Bloodfruit was supposed to accelerate growth. He expected his magic-sensitive mouse to react positively.

"Wait a minute…"

Suddenly, a realization struck him.

"The mouse is already fully grown! Eating it won't have any effect!"

He slapped his palm against his forehead in frustration, then grinned widely.

"But dragons… dragons never stop growing!"

Excitement surged through him.

"This fruit was made for them!"

Aemon quickly hatched a plan: he would feed the Bloodfruit to his dragon, Vermithor, the mighty bronze beast with a temper as fiery as its flames.

He couldn't wait to see what effect it would have.

Dawn, the Next Day

The morning sun peeked over the horizon, casting soft golden light over the misty sea.

Aemon rode his white stag along the beach, gazing out at the small fishing boats bobbing on the calm waters.

Having learned about the troubles faced by the local fishermen, he was ready to leave the village and head back to Runestone.

Once there, he would call upon Vermithor and personally deal with the fish thief that had been plaguing the coast.

"Your Grace, I left two gold dragons with that fisherman's family," reported Ser Steve, one of Aemon's trusted knights, as he approached.

"Good work," Aemon replied, satisfied with the knight's dedication.

Just then—

"Screeech!"

A piercing cry echoed over the water, followed by a sudden ripple in the fog.

Aemon tightened his grip on the stag's reins and snapped his head toward the sound.

In the distance, a small fishing boat was heading back to shore, its net filled with wriggling silver fish.

But before the fishermen could celebrate their haul, a flash of pale gray swept down from the sky.

Swoosh!

A sleek dragon, no larger than a horse, snatched up one of the fish that had slipped from the net and darted away with astonishing speed.

"That thief again…"

Aemon clenched his jaw.

He recognized that dragon.

It was Grey Ghost, one of the wild dragons that roamed Dragonstone.

For weeks, the elusive beast had been stealing fish from both fishermen and Aemon himself, always vanishing before anyone could catch it.

"Summon the fishermen. Tell them to return to shore immediately, and make sure they don't disturb Grey Ghost."

Aemon issued his orders swiftly.

He had made up his mind: he would confront this little thief and drive it back to Dragonstone.

An Hour Later

The trap was set.

A large net full of wriggling fish was laid out on the beach, the fresh catch glinting in the sun.

The villagers had retreated indoors, keeping their doors and windows shut tight to avoid any sudden confrontation with the dragon.

Aemon crouched behind a rocky outcrop, his gaze locked on the shimmering sea.

It was a simple plan—

Lay out bait, wait for Grey Ghost to take the fish, and then move in to establish contact.

Aemon was confident he could communicate with the dragon and convince it to return to Dragonstone, far from the vulnerable fishing villages of the Eastern Coast.

Minutes passed.

The morning mist began to lift, revealing clear skies and a golden sun.

But Grey Ghost was nowhere to be seen.

"Is it really going to take the bait?" Aemon wondered, tapping his fingers impatiently on the rock.

Suddenly—

Flutter! Flutter!

From behind a different rock, barely a hundred meters away, the small dragon emerged.

Aemon's eyes widened in shock.

"Wait… how long has it been hiding there?!"

The dragon's pale gray scales shimmered in the sunlight, and its slender body moved gracefully as it approached the bait.

"Screech!"

Grey Ghost hopped toward the net, its blue eyes gleaming with anticipation. It sniffed at the fish, tail twitching nervously.

"Caught you now, thief," Aemon muttered under his breath.

The dragon glanced around warily but couldn't resist the feast before it. It pounced on the fish, gobbling them down eagerly.

Aemon took a deep breath.

Slowly, he stepped out from behind the rocks.

"Don't be afraid," he called out softly in High Valyrian.

"I mean no harm."

Grey Ghost froze mid-bite, its sharp blue eyes locking onto the approaching figure.

The dragon backed away cautiously, a large fish clutched in its jaws.

"Screech!"

It let out a warning cry, puffing itself up to appear more intimidating.

But the fish slipped from its mouth and hit the sand with a thud.

Embarrassed, the dragon quickly snatched it up again, swallowing it whole.

Aemon chuckled.

"You must be starving."

He picked up another fish from the net and held it out as an offering.

Grey Ghost hesitated.

Then, with cautious steps, it crept closer, sniffing the air.

Recognition flashed in its eyes.

It remembered him.

The silver-haired boy who had once shared his fish.

Grey Ghost relaxed slightly, settling down to eat.

"That's it… good boy."

Aemon took another step forward.

But just as he thought he had gained the dragon's trust—

Pounce!

Aemon leaped forward, grabbing the dragon by the neck.

"Got you, you sneaky little thief!"

"Screech! Screech!"

Grey Ghost thrashed wildly, wings flapping and claws raking at the sand.

The two of them wrestled on the beach, rolling through the sand as the dragon tried desperately to break free.

"Calm down! You're not getting away this time!"

Aemon held firm, using his superior strength and endurance to pin the dragon down.

Despite its frantic struggles, Grey Ghost was no match for him.

The dragon opened its jaws to spew flames—

But Aemon quickly clamped its mouth shut, forcing the fire back down its throat.

Poof!

A plume of smoke billowed from the dragon's nostrils.

Defeated, Grey Ghost slumped to the ground, exhausted.

"You're mine now," Aemon declared with a grin.

He had caught the infamous fish thief at last.