Before the union of Rhaenyra with Ser Laenor Velaryon, an event etched forever in memory took place when Daemon claimed Rhaenyra's innocence in the hidden corners of a brothel, planting a seed of life within the princess rightful to the Iron Throne...
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And fly around in circles waitin' as my heart drops And my back begins to tingle Finally, could this be it?
As Rhaella followed Jace through the dark corridors, she began feeling a bit uneasy about leaving the castle without notifying Aemond. After all, the last time she did such a thing prompted Aegon to almost take advantage of her while vulnerable. Though, she believed the guy intuition to be nothing more than butterflies fluttering around her stomach, not bees.
Jace led the young princess towards a cave not too far from the castle, a cave filled with marked dragons, ranging from mighty ginormous ones, to the more quaint little creatures. She looked around the cave, then back at Jace, who was already gazing at the girl rather strongly.
"Which is Vermax?" Rhaella asked, awkwardly.
He sighed, pointing at a dragon with blazing orange eyes, and a long, sturdy body. In comparison to the other dragons of the cave, Vermax was nothing short of strong. "This is Vermax. Don't stare into his eyes unless you want to be his midnight snack."
"Oh?" Rhaella stiffened, avoiding eye contact with the beast. "Well, he's quite adorable."
The young boy looked at Rhaella with an expression of amusement. "Adorable? You'd be the first to say that."
"I, uh, haven't a clue how to aboard Vermax," she admitted coyly.
Jace whipped around the saddle of the dragon, then tapped his hand on the seat. "It's fairly easy to board. Place your foot on the holster right here," he gestured towards the dangling strap of the saddle, "and remain seated."
Rhaella nodded with a smile that said read nothing more than confusion. "Alright," she mumbled. With one foot, she swung her leg into the strap, and held onto the harness above. Still, she could not prop herself onto the dragon.
Vermax huffed a flame, annoyed. The young prince chuckled at Vermax's ill-temper and snapped back towards Rhaella. This time, he placed two hands on Rhaella's waist and propped her onto the saddle, as if she weighed nothing."
"Goodness, you are a strong lad!" she chirped, oblivious to the double-sided meaning.
The dilemma of Jace debating on the ethics of putting Rhaella in danger suddenly became short-term. He side-eyed the girl, but said nothing, only thinking of the expression on the one-eyed man's face when he finds his betrothed in pieces scattered on the ground.
"Lead the way!" Rhaella exclaimed, a bright smile stretched across her face. An uncomfortable Jace readjusted himself onto Vermax, and sat in front of the princess. She reluctantly wrapped her arms around his waist and held tight. "I apologize, child. I do not wish to slip off mid-air."
He smirked at the comment. "I wouldn't worry too much. I doubt it's the fall that would be lethal."
The two rode for a short distance in the direction of Dragonmont. Upon reaching the island of Dragonstone, Jace directed Vermax towards a large mountain with dragon-like statues on each pillar leading inside. The midnight sky along with the intricate architecture brought immense joy to the young princess, as she breathed a soothing sigh onto the boy's shoulder.
Jace tensed at the motion as his breath caught in his throat. Without looking behind him to find the curious eyes of Rhaella, he could feel her beating heart against his chest, and how soft her pale blonde hair felt against his cheek.
"Perhaps this isn't a good idea." He croaked, tugging at the dragon to slow down.
Hearing the young boy's words, Rhaella perked up. "That is not for you to decide, I will see, ride, and claim a dragon—dead or alive."
His eyes widened at the last statement, dead or alive. If the girl died while trying to claim a dragon, would it be his fault? An accessory to her demise?
As horrible scenarios and unwarranted thoughts swarmed Jace's mind, the young princess caught wind of his sudden reluctance. "Rest assured, I shall walk from Dragonmont unscathed and without harm. It's okay, Jace."
Jace snapped his head towards Rhaella. "You know my name? Mother told me you were a distant relative of sorts, and we hadn't known each other. Let alone, to be acquainted..."
"Do not believe everything Rhaenyra says, I did once, and six years later, I found my the bane of my existence to be nothing more than a political scheme.
For a moment, the girl's words registered with the boy. There were countless accounts of his mother being deceptive towards he and Luke. The incomprehensible disrespect shot through one ear and out the other as none of that mattered from a stranger's tongue. He then ushered Vermax towards the entrance of Dragonmont, and spoke nothing to the girl following her cruel words of Rhaenyra.
As she leapt from the dragon, Vermax bellowed one last roar before he and his master rode back into the night, leaving the princess alone on an island of dragons.
For warmth, Rhaella stuck her hands in the pockets of Helaena's cloak, and to her surprise, she felt some kind of parchment paper in one of the pockets. She gasped, pulling it from the cloak and unraveled it, revealing in black ink, "With a heart of gold and wings of bronze, a new contender will soar the skies at dawn."
"Odd," the young girl thought, placing the small scrap of paper back into the coat pocket.
With a deep breath, Rhaella strode through the misshapen mountain doors, feeling slightly unnerved with each step. Following the doorless entrance, on waist-length pillars laid statues of dragon eggs carved with the strangest patterns of detail. She admired the carvings until the chilling sound of a growl rang from across the mountain built for gods.
The growl in the distance grew louder with each passing second, and the girl's heart pounded through her chest as the butterflies in her stomach now became ferocious bees. She weakly looked in the direction of the sound, and caught the intense gaze of a humongous dragon with eyes as wide as the moon, and fangs sharper than daggers. It was almost as mighty as Vhagar, though, not as giant.
"Ah, you must be the one who decapitated a stable man the other night." Rhaella remarked jokingly to ease her nerves. She recalled what Aemond said earlier in the day: a dragon can sense fear, sadness, and hate.
The giant dragon Rhaella believed to be Vermithor bellowed a spine-chilling roar sending the young princess's pale snow hair to push violently behind her head as if the gust of wind breathed fire onto her delicate skin, and fright in her heart.
"You are not going to kill me, are you? I believe you would have done so already if given the chance, and you were." Rhaella beamed, her eyes filled with tears of joy.
She looked down at the shackles and cuffs holding the dragon down to the surface. "Oh, you poor thing." Rhaella cooed.
"A dragon is not a slave. I can see the pain in your eyes, my love. I feel it, too. We are bound to a life we do not desire, but without wings, how shall I ever fly from my captors?" the princess purred in High Valyrian, never once breaking eye contact with the dragon.
The formerly intimidating dragon began leveling himself towards Rhaella. With a deep, long-awaited roar, he shrilled loud enough to send shockwaves throughout King's landing.
"Break from your chains and we shall ride with our dignity," she demanded, a smirk growing on the girl's face.
Vermithor bellowed one last roar before breaking from his chains. Without placing a saddle on the dragon, Rhaella gestured for the humongous dragon to lay down for her to hop on. The young princess grappled onto Vermithor's raised scales of his back, then adjusted herself to fit.
In a breathy, soft voice, Rhaella whispered loud enough for her newly claimed dragon to hear, "Sesīr kipi!"
