What the King dreams, the Hand builds.
I am the blood of the dragon. Do not presume to teach me lessons.
Has my tale turned you speechless? Come, curse me or kiss me or call me a liar. Something.
The worst isn't done. The worst is just beginning, and there are no happy endings. (Samuel Tarly)
You mistake patience for forbearance.
I've always taken that as my guiding principle and the rest is just set dressing. You can have dragons in it, or aliens and starships, or a western about a gunslinger, or even literary fiction, and ultimately you're still writing about the human heart in conflict with itself.