𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐈𝐀. | Aemond Targaryen

【𝟎𝟖】

〖Italic indicates Valyrian speech.〗

Levana was, in many ways, a cunning child.

After settling in Dragonstone, she made a point to befriend the dragonkeepers - they would know where Vermithor resided and she was not disappointed. In a span of two weeks, Levana was able to discover the whereabouts of the beast.

Her next step was to find out how she could possibly go there without being followed or discovered by the keepers, her brothers, Galatea, and her parents.

That was a long list of people that she needed to avoid but Levana was determined to make it work.

Levana managed to explore the castle enough as well to discover the fastest way to get to the stables. She knew a little bit of riding thanks to Sir Westerling who had taught her just before she left King's Landing - Levana would use that to her advantage when she would attempt to find Vermithor.

As soon as she was certain that her parents were asleep, Levana snuck out of her room and hurriedly but carefully made her way to the stables. She was careful to avoid any guards that were stationed near her chambers.

She was able to navigate through the halls and found the stables easy enough but to her surprise, Galatea was waiting there with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Princess, it seems that my instincts to come here were not wrong."

Levana shook her head, "I couldn't find sleep and I was just explor—"

"Do you really believe that when a horse is saddled and ready to leave in the middle of the night?" A voice from behind her said as Levana groaned in defeat.

Ser Laenor walked towards his daughter with a look of disappointment on his face.

"Father, I just—"

"I know what you were about to do, Levana," Laenor sighed, "do you know how dangerous that could've been?"

The princess nodded before walking to the saddled horse, "I just wanted to see if I could get a dragon..."

Laenor sighed, "not like this, Levana."

Levana looked at her father in defeat before sighing, "I apologize, father..."

The knight nodded and walked past Levana, "let's go get some tea to help you find sleep."

The princess paused as Galatea excused herself and went ahead. Laenor began to walk away from the stables, stopping slightly when he realized that Levana was not following after him.

His eyes widened at the realization that the doors to the stables were forced open and he could see the disappearing figure of a horse through the woods.

"Levana!"

Ser Laenor was cursing at himself as he proceeded to run towards another horse. Galatea looked panicked as she ran out of the stables.

"Tell my wife that our daughter has gone to the Dragonmont!"

With the order, Laenor rode out of the castle and into the forest. Galatea was left to wake the Queen and the boys to alert them of what happened.

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Levana wasn't even able to saddle her horse properly when she jumped on him. The princess was hanging on her horse tightly as the steed rushed through the forest in haste. Aimlessly rushing past trees as it did so.

"Just a little more," Levana told herself as she held the reins tightly so she wouldn't fall. The princess was hardly seated on the saddle in the first place, she was quite literally hanging on the horse as it made its way through the thick greenery.

The princess was certain that her father had followed her which would mean that she only had a small window of time to find Vermithor.

While the princess was very certain that there was a chance that she wouldn't be successful, at the very least, she knew that she tried.

She saw the Dragonmont at a closer distance — she wasn't about to give up when she was so close to finally getting what she wanted. She willed for the horse to go faster and by gods, that was the fastest she's ever been on a horse.

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"Levana did what?!"

Galatea looked down as Princess Rhaenyra summoned her handmaidens who came running into her chambers without a moment's notice.

"Help me dress," Rhaenyra ordered as she began to disrobe, "quickly!"

The handmaids quickly got to work to help the princess get dressed as Galatea took it upon herself to check on Levana's younger brothers who were awoken by the sudden commotion.

"Mother?" Jacaerys asked, rubbing his eyes as he walked into his mother's room with Galatea and Lucerys.

"You will stay with Galatea and the nurses," Rhaenyra stated, "your father and I have to retrieve Levana."

"What happened to Ana?" Lucerys asked as his mother shook her head and proceeded to kiss her sons' foreheads before making her way out of the room. She proceeded to one of the towers where she would call upon her dragon, Syrax, who came soon after.

"We have to find Levana," Rhaenyra stated as the dragon bellowed and flew off.

In her head, Rhaenyra was fearing for the worst — she had a rough estimate of the dragons that made home in Dragonstone and not all of them were accustomed to humans.

There was a clock to beat and Rhaenyra had to move fast.

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Levana successfully arrived at the Dragonmont, she let go of her horse's reins and took a torch before proceeding inside. She didn't know where to start looking but there was definitely something pulling her in a particular direction.

She couldn't explain it but there was just a pull that was telling her where to go.

The princess felt her heart thumping against her chest and the pulse in her ears as she heard growls from almost every direction. It made her ears ring as she continued deeper into the Dragonmont.

She stopped by a chamber's entrance and immediately, she walked inside — she was drawn to it.

Levana raised her torch higher and the sight that greeted her was scary just as it was terrific.

There he was, the Bronze Fury in his full glory — unleashing his flames to the cavern's ceiling.

Levana had one chance.

This was it. 

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[ Author's Note ]

We have reached about 1.3K views in a span of a week and I am truly thankful for everyone's support thus far. I love reading all your comments and I do apologize if I cannot reply to them all but rest assured that I have read them! It really means a lot to me that you guys love this small fanfiction of mine.

Thank you so much, everyone! Chapter 9 is going to be an exciting one for Levana!