Rhaella Targaryen always knew that there was more behind her mother's death than what she was told. Alysanne was a healthy, strong woman, and yet she was gone in a couple of days because of a mysterious illness. Rhaella was only a child when the tra...
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STORM'S END
134 AC
VHAGAR HAD ALWAYS BEEN TERRIFYING, ever since Rhaella could remember. Even with her eyes closed, her head laying surrounded by her tail as she was resting during the day of Lady Laena's funeral, the day of the Accident, Vhagar was frightful. Maybe it was her great size, which had made her earn the epithet of Queen of All Dragons, or maybe the fact that Rhaella knew the dragon had survived hundreds of battles, slain thousands men, and her thirst for blood hadn't quite vanished yet ― the point was that at the mere age of ten, Rhaella would have never dreamed of getting closer to Vhagar like Aemond did. She often wondered if Aemond had felt for Vhagar the same kind of connection she had felt for Cannibal, an invisible string that drew them towards each other and made it impossible to be apart. She believed it was the only possible explanation behind the boy's action, but she also reckoned that Aemond was so stubborn and reckless that his behaviour might have been a result of his anger and the feeling of inadequacy for not having a dragon like his siblings. Like his nephews. Either way, Aemond had managed to tame the dragon, and now Vhagar was loyal to him.
Vhagar was larger than Cannibal, Rhaella had never questioned it once. But as she and her dragon flew closer, she noticed the difference between them wasn't as great as it first appeared ― which made Rhaella sigh in relief, but the truth was that her size wouldn't have stopped her, even if she had been much bigger than her dragon. Seeing Vhagar and Aemond flying in the skies above Storm's End had been a surprise, and not a great one. She had shivered, liquid terror running in her veins as she had finally realised the meaning behind Helaena's prophecy as Vhagar chased Arrax through the clouds.
The Great Queen will swallow the Merling King's Heir. Even without the help of Helaena, witnessing the scene would be enough for anyone to understand the aim of Aemond's chasing game. Lucerys had to pay his debt and, if he wasn't willing to give an eye, he would give his life. Vhagar's wings flapped vigorously despite the rain, while Arrax hobbled, struggling to keep both the calm and a straight direction. There was no doubt that the younger dragon was going to lose, sooner or later, either devoured by Vhagar or defeated by the tremendous storm. In another situation, in which the sky was not painted black, covered with clouds from which heavy drops of rain fell, Arrax could have escaped ― he was younger, faster, and could hide in places that Vhagar wouldn't be able to reach due to her size. But with the storm whipping his scales and the skin of his rider, the wind blowing harshly, he stood no chance, and Luke must have understood it as well. However, he had no intention to surrender, as Rhaella saw him shouting orders at Arrax, diving between soke cliffs in the hope of finding a shield from their chaser.
She wondered why Aemond was at Storm's End, but it wasn't a hard guess. Just like Rhaenyra had wanted to secure the alliances of the most important and powerful Houses of Westeros, Aegon ― well, Otto ― had done the same, sending Aemond. An offer had been made to Lord Borros and, judging by the situation that was taking place right in front of her eyes, the head of the Baratheon House had already picked his side. A side which wasn't Rhaenyra's.
