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Six moons had passed since they had left for Dragonstone.
Six moons since she had last seen Helaena, Aemond, and Aegon. She missed Helaena,
But there had been good news as well. Joffrey's egg had begun its hatching days ago.
And now, a little dragon had crawled out.
"What will you name her?" The small he-dragon had golden scales. The egg had been brought forth from one of Syrax's clutches. "Vermy!" The six year old yelled, giggling. "You cannot name your dragon after Jace's, Joffy." He shook his head. "Why not? Jace named his after yours," Rhaelys ruffled her brother's hair. "Yes, which is why I must stop it with you! There cannot be three dragons named Vermy, Joffrey."
The little boy pouted at his sister. "What about Tyraxes?" Rhaelys said, thinking of the god of Old Valyria. "He was a god that the Valyrians of Old believed in. The tales say he was half god, half dragon." Rhaelys told her brother, who looked at her with a wide smile. "A god? How can a man be both a god and a dragon?" Rhaelys shrugged.
"I'm not saying the tale is true, Joffrey, it is just what I was told when I was your age." Joffrey's Valyrian lesses were soon starting, and her brother was very nervous about it. He speak the Common Tongue well enough, but Valyrian was not as easy. "Can you tell me what little sister is in Valyrian?" Joffrey asked, a smile on his face.
"Hāedar," She smiled at him, "means little sister, ñuha valonqar," Little brother, that meant. "So Daera is my hāedar?" Rhaelys nods at her brother. "Yes, she is." She adds, "and I am your rōva mandia,"
"When Ty is larger, can we ride together?" Joffrey had ridden on the back of Vermithor, but he had been speaking for weeks now about how he was a big boy, and he wanted to ride his own dragons. It would be years before Tyraxes would be large enough to carry Joffrey's bodyweight, but dragons grew quickly and Joffrey would simply have to be patient.
"Yes, we can. Tyraxes and Vermithor will be fast friends, I can tell." Joffrey looked at her confused. "Can dragons be friends?" Rhaelys nodded. "Dragons are just as smart as us, if not smarter. They are intelligent beings who have minds and hearts of their own," He smiled as he pet his young dragon "Ty is very smart, I can tell." He said proudly, as his hand grabbed his dragon.
The little hatchling was small enough that he could only be held in Joffrey's arms. "Arrax and Vermax will be glad that they have another playmate," Her dragon, Vermithor, was a lot older than those of her brothers and thus they did not 'play' together as younger dragons did. Vermax and Arrax had both come from Syrax, and thus could be considered brothers, like their riders.
"Will he be as beautiful as Dreamfyre is?" The mount of Helaena was amongst the most beautiful dragons, and that was certainly the standard to which other dragons were held. Aegon's Sunfyre was beautiful as well, called the golden by the court singers. But Rhaelys' dislike of Aegon made her think ill of his dragon as well.
"Mayhaps, but that is not what matters, Joffrey. What matters is that you and Tyraxes trust each other and you treat each other well." He smiles softly. "How can he treat me well? He's a dragon!" Rhaelys smiled at her baby brother as their mother came into the room. "Mama!" Joffrey yelled as he ran towards his mother and threw himself in her arms. She smiled as she held his cheek, giving him a light kiss on his forehead.
"Mother, hello," Rhaelys said, walking towards her mother and her brother. "I'm going to teach you today. No Maesters today. You'll learn what it means to be princess of Dragonstone," Rhaelys smiled excitedly. Ever since they had come to Dragonstone, Rhaelys had begged to be taught what it would actually be like, rather than just Valyrian lessons, lessons in politics, lessons in the Common Tongue.
Rhaelys wanted to know what it was like to actually care for one's people. She wanted to know the people she would rule one day. She wanted not only to be a just queen, but to be a kind one. With compassion and devotion for her subjects.
She wanted to be a queen as strong as Visenya, but as caring as Alysanne. But all because she did not have a cock, she would discredited by the men of the Realm. The lords she would one day serve. Rhaelys did not expect to be queen for many years, until she was at least her mother's age, if not older.
Rhaelys Velaryon is not a son but she is Rhaenyra's daughter. She is the heir's heir, and she will have her birthright.
"Are you alright? You're quite deep in your thoughts, I'd gather." Her mother smiles at her. "I was quite lost in them, I fear. But never the mind. What will my lessons be?" She asked her mother, who walked towards the door. "I could better show you."
They walked out to the beach, one of the things Rhaelys loved most about Dragonstone. There stood Vermithor and Syrax, the two beasts high and mighty. Vermithor was years older than Syrax and larger as well, and yet he always treated the she-dragon with the utmost respect. Mayhaps that had to do with the fact that his rider was Syrax's rider's daughter.
