Seeing the complicated looks on his brothers' faces, Gaemon knew exactly what they were thinking.
He could have kept it hidden, but he chose to tell them the truth anyway.
"Alright, alright! Stop looking at me like that," he said, his voice dripping with annoyance. "I'm not going to drain your dragons' blood. What exactly are you two so afraid of?"
Aemon and Baelon blinked, the tension in their expressions easing a little.
He was right. This was their little brother. The dragon he had just drained was a wild one with no rider. That was why it had lost so easily.
Besides, in the old days of Valyria, there had been dragonlords who practiced blood magic, and their dragons had only grown stronger and more numerous. What was there to fear?
Aemon recovered first and asked, "Why did you drain its blood and fire like that? It looks like it could die at any second."
Gaemon shrugged, completely unconcerned. "It ambushed me. This is its punishment. Don't worry, dragons have ridiculously strong life force. It won't die that easily."
Hearing that the Cannibal wasn't in any real danger, Aemon dropped the subject. If the beast wasn't dead, then it had simply gotten what it deserved for attacking Gaemon.
Baelon, who had been quiet until now, suddenly spoke up. "So what do we do with it now? We can't just leave a dragon like this lying out here to fend for itself. It's still a full-grown dragon, after all."
The three brothers fell silent, staring at the collapsed black behemoth.
After a moment, Gaemon offered, "Why don't we move it into the Dragonpit? If someone suitable comes along in the future, they could try to claim it."
"No way," Aemon immediately rejected the idea. "The Cannibal hunts hatchlings and steals eggs. That monster is not something we can just let loose inside the Dragonpit."
Gaemon waved a hand. "Relax. After what I just did to it, it won't have the guts to touch another young dragon. I already placed a magical warning in its mind. I'll add a few more control spells once it's inside. It won't dare cause trouble."
Aemon still looked hesitant, but he eventually nodded. "Fine… but you have to keep a very close eye on it. If anything goes wrong, it's on you."
Gaemon agreed without argument.
With the decision made, they got to work.
Vhagar would have to do the heavy lifting. Only the Bronze Fury was large enough to carry the Cannibal.
Under Baelon's guidance, Vhagar carefully gripped the black dragon in her massive claws and took off toward the Dragonpit. Aemon and Gaemon flew on either side, escorting them.
Inside the dark Dragonpit, Gaemon directed the Dragonkeepers as they fastened heavy iron chains around the Cannibal's limbs.
"Make them tight. Don't give it any room to break free."
Once the chains were secure, Gaemon stepped forward and planted another layer of magical commands deep in the black dragon's mind, forbidding it from harming any other dragons.
Only then did he turn and walk out of the Dragonpit.
Seeing Gaemon leaving, Aemon hurried after him. "That's it? You're not adding more chains? I still feel uneasy. Maybe we should leave it outside and just have the keepers bring it food until it recovers enough to hunt on its own."
Gaemon chuckled and shook his head. "It's fine. I already placed the spells. It won't cause any trouble in the Dragonpit. Trust me."
Aemon still looked worried, but he eventually stopped arguing. He did, however, quietly order the Dragonkeepers to keep extra watch on the Cannibal, just in case.
Gaemon simply smiled and let him make the arrangements. After all, protecting the Dragonpit was Aemon's responsibility as Prince of Dragonstone. It was only right for him to be cautious.
Once everything was settled, the three brothers walked out of the Dragonpit together.
On the way, Gaemon said, "I've finished everything I needed to do on the island. I'll be heading back to my own lands in a few days. It's been a while. I wonder how the construction is coming along."
Aemon's steps slowed for a moment. "Yeah… time really flies. You're leaving already."
Baelon, walking beside them, suddenly burst out, "Hey, hey, hey! Why are you two sounding so damn sentimental? It's not like we'll never see each other again. We're all dragonriders! If we miss each other, we just fly over. It takes half a day at most. Stop acting like this is some tragic farewell."
Aemon and Gaemon looked at each other, then both burst out laughing. Baelon was right.
In the days that followed, Gaemon visited the Dragonpit regularly to check on the Cannibal. Once he was certain the black dragon had been thoroughly cowed, he finally announced his departure to his brothers.
"Big Brother, Second Brother, I'm heading out now. Come visit Wendwater Domain whenever you're free. I'll show you around properly and let you experience what a real city feels like."
Already seated on Bahamut's back and ready to take off, Gaemon called down to Aemon and Baelon, who stood on the ground to see him off.
"Get out of here already, you brat!" Baelon shouted back with a grin.
With a final wave, Gaemon urged Bahamut into the sky. The platinum dragon let out a clear, ringing cry and soared toward the horizon, heading for home.
Aemon and Baelon stood side by side, watching their youngest brother disappear into the distance.
The island suddenly felt a little quieter.