twin flames | daemon targaryen

thirty-four

As Gaelith landed on the sandy beaches of Dragonstone, Rhaella could not shake the sense of deja vu that had overcome her.

It had been over eight years since she had last been on the island, yet it was just as she remembered it. Dark clouds hung overhead, and smoke and sea salt clung to the air, filling Rhaella's nose with the smells of dragons and the sea. It was home.

"Welcome to Dragonstone, my little dragons," Rhaella murmured to Viserra and Elaena, her daughters sitting in front of her on the saddle. It felt only right to speak in the language of Old Valyria when on the island of their ancestors. Whispers carried on the wind, and a chill ran down Rhaella's spine, causing a smile to slip across her lips. Dragonstone truly was home to the Peaceful Princess.

The sound of metal hitting metal echoed from above, and Rhaella and her daughter looked up to see an entourage of guards trailing down the staircase built into the side of the volcano to reach the beach. Rhaella sighed when she did not see the familiar figure of her sister among them.

"Dragonstone is much better than Driftmark," Elaena said as she and Viserra began to unstrap themselves from Gaelith's saddle, drawing Rhaella's attention back to them. The Peaceful Princess huffed a laugh as Viserra shot her twin a look.

"Don't tell Rhaenys," Viserra advised, a serious expression crossing over her features as though upsetting Rhaenys was truly one of the gravest mistakes a person could make.

"Why would I tell Rhaenys?" Elaena asked with a wrinkled nose. "I am not stupid, Vis."

With that, Elaena shuffled off the saddle and slid down Gaelith's wing to the sand below with ease. Viserra turned in her seat to give her mother a look as if to say, 'See what I have to deal with?'

"Go on, join your sister," Rhaella said with a small smile, nodding down to where Elaena was on the beach, appearing like an ant compared to Gaelith's massive body. "Take some bags with you."

Viserra happily gathered a few of the bags they had brought with them for the stay before scaling down Gaelith to join her twin, her tongue poking out of the corner of her mouth as she concentrated on not falling down Gaelith's side.

Rhaella watched fondly as Viserra and Elaena began to bicker with each other, Viserra gesturing up to where Rhaella was sitting with the rest of their bags, no doubt berating her sister for not taking anything with her before she dismounted their mother's mount.

Gaelith let out a series of clicks, distracting Rhaella from her daughters. Rhaella cooed softly and reached forward to pat a hand against Gaelith's midnight-black scales. "Thank you, my dragon," Rhaella murmured.

The Peaceful Princess gathered the rest of the few bags she had brought with her before she, too, dismounted. Gaelith slid out her clawed arm for Rhaella to slide down rather than letting her climb down like the she-dragon had let Viserra and Elaena.

Once Rhaella had settled in the sand, Gaelith let out an echoing roar, causing the nearing guards to shrink in fright. Rhaella, Viserra, and Elaena stood tall, watching adoringly as the ancient she-dragon flew off to the Dragonmount.

"How does she know the way?" Elaena asked Rhaella curiously, her bright blue eyes glued to Gaelith's shrinking figure.

"Gaelith was born on Dragonstone," Rhaella told her. "She lived here for over a century before we bonded."

"I never knew she was so old," Viserra said thoughtfully. Rhaella nodded, reaching forward and running her fingers gently through her daughter's errant wild curls.