dancing with our hands tied | r. targaryen

xxviii.

125 A.C.
DRIFTMARK
•••

"ISSA OLVIE BANE," LUCERYS SPEAKS. CASSANA AND BAELA BOTH GIGGLE AT THE WORDS AND LUCERYS LOOKS OVER AT THEM WITH A FROWN.

"Ignore them," Alayne orders.

"What did I say?" Lucerys asks with a frown.

"It is very warm," Alayne tells him, "Which isn't a normal response to how are you, but it will do if you want to confuse those you are holding a conversation with." Lucerys smiles at her, and she returns the gesture, "Keep trying."

"I know Valyrian commands for Arrax, but only a few," Lucerys shares.

"Arrax is your dragon?" Alayne asks and Lucerys nods his head, a wide smile on his lips. Alayne smiles at the young boy's excitement. He seemed so sad in Driftmark probably due to missing his family.

"He's quite small," Lucerys says.

"But he will grow," Alayne tells him, "Just as you will. I remember when your mother rode Syrax for the first time. I tried to sneak into the Dragon Pit and claim a dragon myself."

"Did you?" Lucerys asks, growing excited.

"My mother stopped me before I could get myself killed," Alayne answers, "Your mother was supposed to take me on a flight on Syrax." Alayne looks over at Baela, "As was your father. Neither did. I'm quite bitter."

"You can fly with me and Arrax!" Lucerys exclaims, "Though it might be a while before he can seat us both."

"Moondancer is also too small for two as well but someday she'll be big enough," Baela says.

"Well, I'm holding the two of you to the promise that your parents broke," Alayne says as she points at both Lucerys and Baela.

"Mother, why don't you ask Lady Laena to fly you?" Cassana asks, "She rides Vhagar, the biggest dragon there is!"

"Because I do not trust Vhagar," Alayne says softly as she looks at the Valyrian book she and Lucerys had been looking over, "She is Visenya's dragon. I am more of a Rhaenys."

"Because you're the younger sister?" Baela asks.

"Yes," Alayne answers, though she was going to do something that Rhaenys failed to do.

She was going to conquer Dorne.

In the few weeks that she had been at Driftmark, Alayne had formulated a plan to fix everything that was currently wrong. First, she would have to go to Dorne and meet with Qoren Martell. She would discuss the war in the Dornish Marshes and bring about a peace agreement. To ensure peace she would discuss a potential engagement of her son to Qoren's daughter, Aliandra. A marriage signifying the unity between Houses Baratheon and Martell. The union of the Stormlands and Dorne.

That would solve one problem.

"The next problem was Lucerys inheriting Driftmark. Lord Corlys, like Laenor, treated his grandson as though he were his blood. There was some frost from Princess Rhaenys who dotted on her granddaughters, but Alayne could see her slowly starting to warm to him. The problem, however, was Vaemond Velaryon.

He wanted Driftmark and Alayne knew a greedy second son when she saw one. To placate him, Alayne knew that Lucerys would have to be betrothed to one of his cousins, Baela or Rhaena. Lucerys seemed to play better with Rhaena who also had a mild and kind demeanor like Luke. The marriage of Luke and Rhaena would ensure that Driftmark stayed with House Velaryon despite Luke's parentage.

That solved problem number two.

Then there was the issue of Jacaerys. He was a Targaryen who looked everything like a strong. In order to fix that, he'd have to marry another Targaryen or a Velaryon. The options were between Baela and Helaena. Either would make a great queen to Jace, but Alayne knew her sister and there was no way she'd agree to such a proposal.