Labyrinth // Rhaenyra Targaryen (1)

67. Dread

Gold rush/ Harwin Strong out now!

''Call Vermax to heel, Prince Jacaerys.''

"Serve." Jace called. "Heel."  Alicent made sure her children were always dressed in Green. Hightower greens while Rhaenyra and Taelon's children were in Targaryen Reds. But at times Taelon did notice Aemond in reds. It wasnt strange it was normal but Aegon, Daeron and Helaena were never in reds. It was like a sign, a silent little ode.

"Come on..." the dragon keeper encouraged. Emma came up behind him and put her hands on his shoulders.

"Be brave and be loud." Emma instructed moving him a step forward.

''Vermax!'' Jace called out ''Vermax!'' he called again louder this time. Vermax screeched.  'Vamos vamos.'

"Good work my prince."

"Wonderful." Emma agreed kissing his cheek. She hoped it would spark some jealousy from Thorin but he wasnt paying her any attention. Which only infuriated Emma more.

''Zaldrizo aoho syt aeksio sagon ao bevilza, darilaros nuhys...'' he began speaking in high valyrian trying to soothe the dragon as a sheep was brought in.

'Hold.' Jace declared.

"Holtz." Thorin corrected.

"Holtz." Jace repeated and Thorin nodded approvingly. Jace loved Emma but he looked up to Thorin.

''You must hold mastery over your dragon, my young Princes.''

''Hae Darilarot Aegot Vvsperzomy.''

''As Prince Aegon has with Sunfyre.'' The dragon keeper told him. "As Prince Thorin has done with Erebor and Princess Helaena with Dreamfyre."

"Dreamfyre is a pretty thing." Thorin remarked coming up behind Helaena. "Just like her mama." Helaena blushed as Thorin smiled back at her. Aegon rolled his eyes, his sister was a weirdo, he didnt know what Thorin saw in her.

"And princess Emma has made much progress with Silverwing." he added and Emma smiled proudly back at him.

''Zijosy aot tetiri ozlettosy, toli rybagon zirylo vindilza.''

''Once they're fully bound to you, they will refuse to take instruction from any other.'' Vermax screeched out moving against command to get to the sheep.

"Hey I got the pig for Aemond." Aegon whispered to Thorin.

"What?" Thorin countered.

"A pig I put wings on it, thought we could give it to him as a dragon." Aegon teased, a giddy smile on his lips.

'Can I say it?" Jace asked hopefully.

''Mm-hm.'' The dragon keeper agreed. The sheep baaed nervously as it was tied up. Jace stepped forward a giddy smile on his face.

''Dracarys, Vermax!'' Jace shouted and his dragon breathed flames onto the sheep happily before moving to its corpse and ripping it apart.

"You can't give him a pig." Thorin corrected.

"Yes I can, it will be funny." Aegon assured.

"No. You can't." Thorin corrected. "He is your brother and that is rude. All he wants is a dragon, you can't do that to him." Aegon scoffed pushing past him.

"I can and I will. I thought you were fun Thorin. What happened to you?" Aegon countered.

"Fun and hurting your brother... thats not fun and the Aegon I know is not a bully." Thorin declared confidently and Aegon stared back at him before groaning out.

"I hate when you do that." Aegon declared.

"What?"

"Tell me I'm better than I actually am and make me into a better person by tricking me into thinking I can be better." Aegon declared and Thorin blinked back at him.

"That didnt make any sense, but if it worked than I will accept it." Thorin agreed but the pig came running out colliding with Aemond.

''Behold...'' Aegon declared with an awkward smile as Thorin helped Aemond up. ''The Pink Dread!''

"Aegon!" Thorin hissed.

''Be sure to mount her carefully. First flight's always rough.'' Aegon mused as the pig continued snorting as he ran off.

"Aemond-" Thorin begged but he was running away. "Look what you did."

"I was going to abort missing but he just came running, what was I supposed to do?" Aegon countered.

+

''This one has 60 rings... and two pairs of legs on each. That's 240.'' Helaena remarked looking down at the creature crawling over her hands.

''Yes, it is." Alicent agreed

''It has eyes... though... I don't believe it can see.'' Helaena told her softly completely captivated by the creature.

''And why is that so, do you think?'' Alicent questioned her daughter, she tried to bond with her children but besides Aemond she saw pain. It wasnt her childrens fault, they had no say in it but it was the memories that haunted her, being a wife to Viserys didn't suit her. She wondered what her life would have looked like if she hadnt married Viserys. If she got to choose...

''It is beyond our understanding.''

''I suppose you're right. Some things just are.'' Alicent agreed. She didn't understand her daughter, she was a strange girl, but all of her children were a bit odd. The door opened catching her attention.

''Your Grace. Aemond.'' The kings guard announced as Aemond ran in, in tears.

''What happened?''

''He did it again.'' Aemond murmured

''After how many times you've been warned, must I have you confined to your chambers?!'' Alicent questioned hugging him to her.

''He made me do it!'' Aemond told her innocently.

''As if you needed encouragement. Your obsession with those beasts goes beyond understanding.'' Alicent was not a Targaryen she didn't understand dragons, she never would. But it was dragons that ruled. She could dress her children in green but that didn't stop them from being Targaryen and having dragon blood. Aemond, he had the blood of a warrior, brave and strong and perfect Taelon yet Aemond's weakness seemed to be dragons. He was easily fooled with what he wanted, thinking he could get it.

"He gave me a pig!" Aemond declared.

''A what?''

''The last ring has no legs at all." Helaena went on.

''It was a pig.'' Aemond told his mother. "He came running out and charged at me, they put wings on it... a pig..." He whimpered.

''You will have a dragon one day.''

''He'll have to close an eye.'' Helaena continued talking to herself and her little creepy crawly.

''I know it.'' Alicent assured Aemond looked up at her with a big pout on his face. "My sweet boy, why don't you talk to Taelon..."

+

''They made wings for it, apparently, and a tail.'' Alicent remarked.

''The lad shouldn't have been so credulous.'' Viserys told her nonchalantly.

''He's a child." Alicent reminded him

''He thought they'd happened upon some wild unnamed dragon and lured it to the Dragonpit?'' Viserys countered with a laugh.

''Your grandson is a menace.'' Alicent spat. ''Th-They're savages. And it's not surprising.'' Alicent muttered swirling her drink in her hand. Taelon was perfection but Rhaenyra was a bitter mean woman.

''Are you sure it wasn't our Aegon who put them up to it?''