LonCon / Sons of the Dragon v2

[Lord Varys]

Ah, okay, thanks.

Then we would have to assume that Dreamfyre was indeed younger than Vermithor. Not sure how that could work, though, but perhaps Vermithor was Viserys' mount before Jaehaerys claimed him, and Dreamfyre hatched shortly after Vermithor...?

[Rhaenys_Targaryen]

I never meant to suggest that I meant that Rhaena hadn't bonded with Dreamfyre yet when Maegor took the throne. I find it highly unlikely that Rhaena would have been given any chance to bond with a dragon during Maegor's reign (a part of which she spend hiding from Maegor, a part of which she spend in KL as Maegors "technically" prisoner, part of which she might have spend somewhere else?).

She most likely had bonded with her dragon before Maegor took the throne. The dragon didn't need to be old for that. But perhaps Dreamfyre was only big enough to be ridden until Maegor's reign. That could explain why Dreamfyre might not have been with Rhaena and Aegon when they were at CR.

Also, if Dreamfyre might not have been big enough to ride yet, until the later part of Maegor's reign, Perhaps Maegor dared to marry Rhaena (and I assume bring her to KL as well), because he believed she wasn't a threat yet, because her dragon wasn't big enough yet.

If Rhaena, later in Maegor's reign, made use of her dragon, that might have been another "defeat" for Maegor. Perhaps to flee (in the scenario where she survives), perhaps to fight Maegor to give the rest of her family a chance.. If Dreamfyre might not have been big enough to use in such ways upon Maegor's crowning, he might not have thought it all the way through, and by the time the dragon had grown big enough to use, and Rhaena did indeed use Dreamfyre, Maegor hadn't realised how much the dragon had grown (enough other worries), and was caught off guard.

[The hairy bear]

There could be another way to explain it:

At 35 AC Aegon moves the court to Dragonstone to build the Red Keep. If until then the royal court had stayed in KL and around Westeros, perhaps Aenys' children didn't have the chance to bond with the hatchlings at Dragonstone before.

At 35 AC, Rhaena was 12 and Jaehaerys was 1. So Jaehaerys could have the chance to bond with a dragon older than Rhaena's.

[Lord Varys]

Another take could be that both Rhaena and Aegon had their own young dragons at Crakehall/in the West, but both of them were lost/killed before the Battle Beneath the Gods Eye.

Then Rhaena only bonded with Dreamfyre later on during Maegor's reign, perhaps Maegor did not prevent this because he felt he needed another dragonrider to try to cement his claim. This could also be a reason why he may have allowed Rhaena's daughters to claim dragons - if he did not kill them.