The Legend of the Two Dragons

Chapter 2

Aelora made her way through the dark hallways of the castle after her brief meeting with the prince. She reached a small crossroad that separated her wing and her grandfather, the king. She was about to go through the path that leads her to her room but decided otherwise at the last moment. Pictures of her grandfather's ill figure clouded her mind and guided her movements. She silently traveled down the path to her grandfather's chambers to check on his wellbeing. As she got closer to the chamber, she could hear the faint voice of people arguing.

"Not to Jacaerys," she heard the queen say. In fear of getting caught and exposing her position, Aelora didn't dare look through the hole in the tapestry.

"He is going to be the next king, Alicent!" Viserys said heatedly.

"How can you be so bling to Rheanyra's indecent actions?" Alicent asked, shocked.

"What are you talking about?" Viserys said, genuinely confused by his wife's words.

"Have you not noticed that none of her children look like house Velaryon?" Alicent said expectedly. But Viserys only looked at her confused. "It's a wonder, really. How they still flaunt around in the Red Keep. I don't understand how Corlys and Rhaenys still claim the children as the future Heirs of Driftmark."

"What are you saying, Alicent?"

"That you are blinded by your love for your daughter that you can't see the mockery she has made of you!" the queen said furiously.

"My named Heir is my source of pride!" Viserys answered just as furiously. "She honors her house and her husband's house!"

"Her husband and the father of her children are two different people!"

"That is enough, Alicent!" Viserys roared, shutting the queen up instantly. "I will not hear of this matter again." The two stood silent for a while before the king spoke again. "You may go now, Alicent."

"As you wish, Your Grace," Alicent said in a defeated voice.

Aelora decided it was the right time to sneak a look at what was happening, when she did, she saw the queen bowing to the king before storming out of his chambers. Viserys rubbed his temple as he flopped down in one of the seats. He sat in silence for a while before a knock came at the door.

"Enter," he said tiredly.

One of the guards at the door entered. "Princess Rhaenyra is he to see you, Your Grace."

"Let her in," he told the guard who bowed and exited the room. In less than a second, Rhaenyra walked into her father's chambers. "What is it, Rhaenyra?"

"I wanted to talk to you about the fate of the family, more precisely, my Heir," the princess told her father, who's interest perked up instantly.

"I assume you have Jacaerys in mind, right?" Viserys said, his excitement seeping through his voice.

"Not exactly," she said, a slight hesitance in her voice. "I've chosen Aelora to be my Heir, as you chose me to be yours," she said, her confidence growing as she saw the sparkle in her father's eyes.

Viserys rose from his seat and moved towards his daughter. He took her in his arms, a beautiful smile gracing his features as he embraced his firstborn child. "She will make a fine successor, as will you," he told her honestly as they smiled to one another. After a moment, his smile faded, and his face turned serious. "She must travel north, to Winterfell."

"Your Grace-"

"She must face the cold if she will be the one that lights our path while facing the darkness," Viserys pressed, stressing the importance to his daughter.

"Father-"

"I know she is your daughter, but it has to be done. She needs to know winter before the endless night arrives," the king stressed, gripping his daughter's arms.

"One year," Rhaenyra said in slight defeat. "Give me one more year with my daughter before I send her off to the North."

"It's for her own good, Rhaenyra. For ours too."

Rhaenyra nodded hesitantly as her father flopped back down onto his seat. She shakily bowed and rushed out of the room. Aelora didn't wait to process what she had heard and rushed to follow her mother. She knew that only place she would go to in order to seek council was Ser Harwin. She soundlessly ran through the halls just in time to hear her mother knocking on his door and entering.

"Princess?" the Commander of the City Watch asked, taken aback by her presence that late in the night. "Is everything alright?" he asked as Rhaenyra started pacing back and forth in his room.

Ser Harwin knew something bad had happened. He knew that getting physically close to the princess at that moment would probably result in a serious injury, especially that he wasn't wearing his armor.

"He wants to send her off to the North," Rhaenyra said her voice shaking and her eyes tearing up. "I was able to buy myself a year with her, but he wants to send her away."

"Who?"

"The king."

"Why would he send his own granddaughter to the North? Is she going to be betrothed to one of the Stark boys?" the Commander asked, shocked at the revelation. Aelora was known to be the king's favorite grandchild, so he didn't understand the reasoning behind his decision.

"What? No!" she said furiously, but then paused and thought for a moment. "Not that I know of, at least."

"I'm sure he has your best interest at heart," Harwin said, stopping the woman from pacing. He held her in his arms gently as she calmed down from the state of panic, she was in. "There's still a year for you to change his mind," he whispered.

Aelora knew that it was her time to leave if she wanted to avoid watching her mother engage in activities a child should never see his parents doing. As she traveled down the halls, she contemplated going back to Aemond's room, as he was probably the only person she felt comfortable to be herself around.

She quickly went inside her chambers, shutting the door softly so that the guard outside her door wouldn't be alerted of her movements. She knew that the walls had eyes and ears, and that considering her parentage, her movements were being watched at all times.

As she changed out of her dress and into her nightgown and laid in bed, she heard the tapestry open, and her mother walked out. When she saw her daughter still awake, she knew that she had been listening to the various conversations that happened earlier that night.

When Rhaenyra got closer, Aelora was able to see her red swollen eyes and her blotched cheeks. She attempted to discreetly wipe her tears, but Aelora was able to see them despite her mother's attempts.

Rhaenyra sat down on the bed beside her daughter, and gently stroked her hair, smiling softly at the red that decorated her hair. "īlon issi āzma hen perzys, dōrī forget bona" Rhaenyra told her daughter softly "Ao issi issa prince. Se drēje prince naejot se āegenka dēmalion." (we are born of fire, never forget that; you are my heir. The rightful heir to the iron throne)

"Skoro syt gōntan ao iderēbagon issa, muñnykeā?" Aelora asked, her voice barely over a whisper. (why did you pick me, mother?)

Rhaenyra smiled at her daughter. "Ao emagon se prūmia hen nykeā zaldrīzes, se daorys kostagon gūrogon bona hen ao." Aeloa smiled at her mother's words, glad that the woman that had raised her was proud of the person she was becoming. "Ao jāhor mazverdagon nykeā rōvēgrie dāria mirri tubis." (you have the heart of a dragon, and no one can take that from you; you will make a great queen someday)

Rhaenyra kissed her daughter's head and helped her into bed. She walked back to the tapestry to go to her room, but not before looking sadly at the young girl that laid in her bed, knowing that once Viserys made up his mind, there was nothing that would change it.

That night, she lay in bed thinking of all the things that she wanted to do in King's Landing before she would be shipped off to the North where winter was the hardest.