I actually think that The Cannibal is more likely to win... Vaghar is immense and powerful, but she is also a grumpy old grandma who loves to sleep, so I think it will be more difficult to convince Vaghar to take the race seriously because the "Too Old for this Shit" also apply to Dragons...
Vaghar is old by way of being alive this long, 200 some odd years spitting fire on any fisherman ballsy enough to get too close to Dragonstone is a well lived span of time (Especially towards that middle bit with the conquest and all), I think the thing with Vaghar, and Balerion for that matter, is that keeping the dragons cooped up in the pit was detrimental to their health. I mean sure they're eating and sleeping alright but they need to fly and roam and eat the occasional sheep farmer, If we let Vaghar out to do their thing every so often I'd wager their bound to get a bit more chipper over the years. It's done wonders for Grey ghost after all.
High growth isn't necessarily a good thing. Larger creatures mean larger appetite. Big dragons need big meals to eat, either that means a lot of livestock or regularly hunting whales, and how often do you run into the latter while the former options is EXPENSIVE. This is the same thing with dinosaurs back in the day: When there is a big herbivore dinosaur, there is a also a big carnivore dinosaur existing at the same time.
As for Balerion, he died of old age and possibly lack of food supply. He died in 94 A.C. The injury he got from his trip in Old Valyria was back between 54-56 A.C. So it wasn't wounds that killed him, it's his own biology that did him in.
I like to think of dragons like big gold fish, they grow to fill the environment they live in, Grey Ghost was small while eating fish and running around Dragonstone, but when we took him off the island he got some growth spurts and is now pretty big for present dragons.
The problem with Old Dragons is not the high growth rate... The problem is that they never stop growing and since the square cube law is a harsh mistress that means that they eventually become simply too big and too heavy for their body to support them... Their joints and hearts start to fail then the dragon dies of heart failure...
I wouldn't think Cannibal is crazy enough to mate with Cannibal… does Cannibal even think about mating? Or is it just a praying mantis lunch during mating thing?
I mean, Vaghar can probably kill him wit a sweep of her tail so... Less crazy enough and more "Too big to care"
The first episode, excluding the Great Council scene, takes place in 112 A.C, Rhaenyra was 15 at the time, same for show-Alicent.
Nine years passed since Viserys became King. He was crowned on 103 A.C.
Yeah, well, none of our loved ones is gonna be fed to a Dragon if we have anything to say about it.
Oh Sevens Above and Below...not the loved ones...anything but the loved ones...
Well, this WAS pretty funny a couple of days ago... BUT if you have seen the leaked episode 10 it becomes significantly less funny when see what happens if Vaghar becomes mildly annoyed with someone or something.
It's still funny, but now grandmaw grabs a snack and wins the race by default.
