The Quest for Home

Chapter 4

The next morning, Daenerys woke up from a sound outside. She walked to the window and saw soldiers loading the ships. She changed into her war outfit and walked outside. It was softly snowing. Sansa was keeping an eye on everything.

"Your grace, we'll be able to leave for Dragonstone tonight," she said when she saw Daenerys. Daenerys nodded and stared at the preparations. She was going home. But was it still her home? She turned around and walked to her dragons. She sat down on a stone and Viserion walked over to her. He looked at his mother with sorrow and put his head on her lap. His head was big and heavy, but it gave Daenerys a bit of comfort.

"We're going home," Daenerys said. The dragon shifted a bit and looked like his young self to his mother. She laughed at the dragon.

"Silly boy. You're too big for me to pick you up," she said. The dragon pushed his nose against her belly.

"Did Balerion tell you?" Daenerys asked. Viserion looked up at his mother with guilt and nodded. Daenerys pushed a kiss on his head and kept stroking the head of her first-born son.

"You are and will always be my first born."

That evening, the dinner was early. Afterwards, they walked to the fleet. Daenerys saw that all the ships had the Targaryen sails. The biggest ship also had the dragonhead at the front. She stared at the fleet with disbelief.

"Where did you get those?" she asked Sansa.

"We made them. The biggest ship is one of the Stark's. You can't enter your kingdom on a Stark ship," she answered. Geralt was standing on it and helped Daenerys onto the ship. Daenerys was wearing a black dress. On the shoulders it was decorated with metal, creating dragon details. Daenerys loved this dress. Not only because it was in her family colour, but also because it looked like one of the dresses Thranduil loved.

"Are you ready to go to Dragonstone?" Geralt asked.

"As ready as I can be," Daenerys said and smiled at him. He was still holding Daenerys' hand and she pulled it out, walking away from him. Geralt looked at her and wondered why she did that. Daenerys was on the forecastle deck and Sansa took place next to her.

"Is something wrong, your grace?" she asked.

"No. I'm just a bit nervous to return," Daenerys said.

"Don't be. You'll come like an angel," Sansa said. The ships started to move and Daenerys saw the dragons taking flight. 'Dragons return to Westeros, it always happens,' she thought. Daenerys spent the whole journey on the forecastle deck, staring into the distance. "Soon, I'll be on the throne I conquered first, at the place of my birth," she whispered. "One day, I will take you there Thranduil. You deserve to see the place where I was born." She walked into her cabin to change into a dark dress. It looked like it was a dark colour grey, but it was dark red with red details. On the shoulders it was decorated with dragon-like details. In Mirkwood Daenerys tried to wear as little dragon details as possible, but here she was the Dragon Queen and almost all of her dresses had dragon details.

This was the same dress she wore the first time she arrived in Dragonstone. Memories came back to her. How she met Jon Snow, how Ser Jorah came back to her, how Geralt promised her to keep her safe, and most importantly, how she realised her goal was close. That day in the past, everything seemed to be perfect. This time again, everything seemed fine. On the horizon, the sun was setting and Daenerys thought about the cliff again. What would Thranduil be doing now?

The answer was far away. Thranduil picked up his old life again. Since the day the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms left, almost everyone in the castle saw the changes within their king. He fell back into his ice-like behaviour. Only Istuives and Legolas knew it was because Thranduils love left again. Legolas and Tauriel practiced the techniques Daenerys taught them but missed her encouraging words.

"Let's go hunting tonight," Tauriel said. Legolas knew his father hated night-hunting.

"Sure," he answered. They waited for midnight and went into the forest. It was fun to jump through the trees without having to think about anybody else. When they were sitting in one of the highest trees to rest, Legolas saw a red light. When he looked into the direction the light came from, he saw the light slowly dying away. Legolas looked at Tauriel and nodded at her. They jumped through the trees to the place the light came from. When they arrived, they saw smoke coming up. Legolas prepared his bow and arrow and was ready to shoot when the smoke fell away. In the middle of a circle of six trees stood an altar with on it something that made the light. Legolas and Tauriel jumped onto the ground and slowly walked towards the circle of trees, blades ready to attack. When Legolas wanted to pass the trees, he hit something. He put his hand out and felt a barrier.

"Tauriel, come here and try to pass the tree," he said. Tauriel walked confidently to the trees, but also hit the barrier. Legolas tried to hide his little laugh.

"What is this?" Tauriel asked.

"I don't know, but that thing made it," Legolas said and pointed at the altar. The light had died away enough to see dragon details all over the altar and the thing that radiated soft light. Legolas gasped when he saw what the thing really was.

"My Lord? What's wrong?" Tauriel asked. Legolas had to swallow a few times before he could say anything.

"It's a dragon egg."