The Grey Wolf & The Golden Dragon | Aegon Targaryen II

The Great Escape

Alysanne

"Are you sure about this?" Aegon asked softly, stroking his thumb over Alysanne's lip in a way that made her limbs tingle. She fought the urge to envelop it with her lips, lest the distraction change their plans.

"About Winterfell? Yes. About Sunfyre, not so much..." she admitted, earning her an amused chuckle from the prince.

"He has behaved himself so far... Come on..." Holding her hand tightly, Aegon guided her to Sunfyre's side. "Lykiri..." he commanded, patting Sunfyre's side until the dragon finally opened his wing to them and lowered himself to the ground. The moment Alysanne stepped forward and touched his scales, Sunfyre let out a low, annoyed rumble. "Easy..." Aegon assured, rubbing his hands over the dragon's wing in a comforting manner. He continued to murmur to the golden beast as Alysanne climbed the wing and sat down in the saddle, unsure of what to do next.

Then Aegon was joining her, slipping behind her, and reaching for one of the many straps attached to the huge seat. Alysanne's heart was pounding, racing at a thousand miles a minute as the gravity of what they were doing sank in. She was going to ride a dragon...

Not only was riding with a Targaryen seen as a great honor to everyone in the realm, but it was also a terrifying prospect. In moments, she was going to be a hundred feet above the ground, where she could (with one wrong move) fall to her death.

"These are going to keep us secured to the saddle..." Aegon explained in her ear, wrapping the leather straps over her thighs. "Some dragonriders use them; some don't. Sometimes, whether I use them, or not, solely depends on my mood." The next set of straps came from the back; Aegon wrapping them around her hips.

"Relax..." he breathed, stroking gently over her temple. Before then, Alysanne hadn't realized just how badly she was shaking. "Iksā ñuha dāria, ñuha mirre.  Daorun kessa ōdrikagon ao lo iksan kesīr..."

"What does that mean?" she asked softly, releasing her hold on the saddle, and knitting her fingers between his as he gripped her waist. Aegon didn't answer, but she felt his lips curl into a smile against her cheek.

"Are you ready?" he asked her. She nodded, releasing a long nervous breath. "Hepnon, Sunfyre!" Climb, was the command she'd struggled to process before Sunfyre reacted. Immediately, the golden dragon let out a roar and began to crawl from the cave at a pace Alysanne had never expected. For such a large creature, Sunfyre's speed shocked her. It was bizarre, seeing the inside of the Dragonpit from such height. Alysanne's grip on Aegon's hand tightened.

As they came to the mouth of the pit, Aegon leaned forward and kissed her shoulder. "I love you..." he offered in a soft whisper.

"And I you," she breathed without hesitation, leaning back against his chest.

"You're not afraid, right?" She was absolutely afraid. Completely and utterly terrified. Still, Alysanne shook her head. "Good... Try not to scream..."

"What—"

"Sōvegon!" Alysanne didn't scream; she couldn't. The air was ripped from her lungs as Sunfyre stretched his wings and took flight, leaving the Dragonpit behind them in a breath of a second. Every flap of the dragon's wings pushed the ground further into the distance and Alysanne gripped Aegon's hand tightly, her eyes squeezed shut. "Are you alright?" Aegon asked over the sound of the wind. Alysanne nodded, despite her obvious terror, and he laughed. "Then open your eyes, my love." Her head shook of its own accord, earning another low chuckle as he pulled on the reins, steering Sunfyre northwest. "You're going to miss everything if you're too afraid to look..."

Hesitantly, Alysanne peeked her eyes open, taking in heaving, panicked breaths. "You're fucking adorable, you know that?" he asked, making her want to smack him. Her heart was about to give out from shock, and he was flirting with her. Still, once she opened her eyes, she couldn't look away, the thousands of buildings in the capital appearing no more than little boxes beneath them. They reminded her of the tiny dollhouse her father had once gifted her with when she was a child. Or was it Cregan who had given it to her? She could no longer recall...