Up in Flames || House Of The Dragon || - English Translation

CHAPTER 1 - Before (Maerya)

Princess Maerya Targaryen, the fourth daughter of Alicent Hightower and Viserys I Targaryen, was born in 110 AC at King's Landing. Like her siblings before her, Maerya inherited her father's typical traits of Old Valyria, yet her strong resemblance to her mother did not go unnoticed: her hair was silver but naturally wavy, her large lilac eyes shared shared Alicent's long dark lashes and round shape, her nose was straight but not aquiline like Viserys' and her overall features appeared sweet and soft to the eye.
Despite the angelic appearance of the newborn, it was immediately clear to everyone that the little girl had inherited not only the looks of the Targaryens but also their inner flame.
Maerya was never a quiet child, not even in the cradle, which kept her nannies and educators very busy. In an attempt to tame her daughter's natural impetus, Queen Alicent tried every possible means to curb the child's energy, however every attempt was not only futile but at times counterproductive. So it was that Viserys, amused, decided that Maerya should be educated alongside her older brothers in the use of the sword and the bow.
As it is likely to imagine, Alicent initially strongly opposed her husband's decision, however it immediately became clear that the long hours spent dueling and horseback riding made Maerya more docile and calm and the queen soon put her reservations aside, provided that the girl also attended parallel lessons in history and religion with the septas of King's Landing.
The princess's enthusiasm for training was not shared by her older brothers nor by their instructor: it was not uncommon for Ser Criston Cole to neglect Maerya, then force her to spar directly with Aegon when the little girl, annoyed, started to act on her own. However, despite the brothers' bullying and Cole's sabotage attempts, Maerya immediately showed great talent with the sword and especially with the bow, a discipline in which neither her brothers nor Criston Cole could compete.
At the age of nine, Maerya's curiosity about dragons began to grow: like her siblings before her, she had not been given a dragon egg and was expected to claim one of the dragons already present in the Dragonpit. This, of course, only after her brother Aemond had found one for himself.
Many afternoons were spent by Maerya, her brothers and her nephews Jace and Luke at the Dragonpit, mostly as spectators: it was fascinating for the princess to watch the Guardians interact with the dragons, to see how Sunfyre responded docilely to Aegon's commands and how Dreamfyre's scales shimmered in the sun when her sister Helaena rode her. Vermax and Arrax, her nephews' dragons, were still too small to be ridden, but the bond forming with their future riders was already evident.
At the time, Maerya was too young to think about riding one of Dragonpit's adult dragons, but she certainly would have loved to touch one. Helaena had allowed her to pet Dreamfyre once, and running her hand over its iridescent scales gave her an indescribable feeling: she never wanted to stop.
Dragons are not slaves, nor are they pets. Maerya knew this very well and didn't expect to find one for herself anytime soon, not after seeing her brother Aemond's struggles.
Aemond was only two years older than Maerya, no one pressured him to claim a dragon, yet the boy felt a strong frustration whenever one of the young dragons presented to him refused to be tamed.
In the princess' eye, Aemond was older and more stubborn and the girl could not help but think that if he could not tame a dragon, then there would be no hope for her either.

It was a windy afternoon in King's Landing, a perfect one for flying on dragonback around the Red Keep and over Blackwater Bay. Aegon and Helaena had been out for some time while their younger siblings, Aemond and Maerya, had remained on the ground, sitting in the stands of the Dragonpit arena in the company of some guards and the Guardians.
The wind blew against the transparent dome above their heads and a strong breeze came through the wide gates, making the little girl huddle in her clothes as she played with a small fabric ball, bouncing it continuously on the ground.
It was impossible not to notice a certain electricity in the air and from the dragons' shelters came a constant creaking of chains and the scraping sound of claws on the stone floor.
Maerya glanced first at the Guardians and then at her brother Aemond, sitting not far from her while reading a book: his face was contorted in an annoyed expression and he seemed to be stuck on the same page, unable to concentrate. It didn't take long, in fact, before the boy blurted out: "Stop making noise with that damn ball!"
Maerya was about to retort when a mighty roar echoed throughout the arena, making her jump. Her brother also froze, which caused some hilarity among the Dragon Guardians.
"What was that?" Aemond asked, without taking his eyes off the dungeon's entrance. At that very moment, the roar repeated again making Maerya's heart tremble.
"Bosy Rhaegor issa (*1)." Said one of the Guardians, smiling at the princes "He is particularly restless today, Prince."
"Rhaegor." Aemond repeated, with a new light in his eyes "Valerion Targaryen's dragon."
"His rider died young ." Continued the Guardian "Too young, Rhaegor was never claimed. He's a wild dragon in chains, unapproachable even for us."
"Is that why I have never been introduced to him?" Maerya could hear a hint of anger in Aemond's voice.
"Your father thinks you're too young to face him, Prince."
"I see." And at this point, Aemond resumed reading his book with a slight smile on his lips.
He has something on his mind. Maerya thought, then looked back towards the entrance of the dungeons. Her heart pounded wildly as she recalled the power of that roar, yet she couldn't look away.
Perhaps this is what Aemond feels .
That was the first time Maerya thought of sneaking into the Dragonpit's dungeons and it didn't take long for her ideas to turn into actions.