The Great Hope for a Dynasty

I

Driftmark, 120 A.C

At only seven summers of age, Princess Aella Targaryen did not know much.

She knew the story of her family, House Targaryen, and how her ancestors had escaped the Doom of Valyria and conquered the Seven Kingdoms. She knew how to read and talk in the common tongue and in High Valyrian, and she knew how to embroider little dragons and seahorses and hightowers on blankets and handkerchiefs. She knew her mother, the Queen, and her oldest sister Rhaenyra did not get along well for as long as she could remember. And she knew that flying was one of the greatest things in the world.

Dragonriding was her birthright, Aella was told. Targaryens had the blood of Old Valyria and had been riding dragons for centuries. But much like her siblings, the dragon egg that was placed on the little princess' crib when she was a babe had never hatched.

That did not stop Aella from flying, though.

No dragon had come out of the egg that was given to her and she had yet to claim one. Still, Princess Helaena often took her little sister to the skies on the back of Dreamfyre, a beautiful dragon that Aella had learned from her lessons that once was the mount of Queen Rhaena Targaryen. And while Aegon had Sunfyre, and Daeron had Tessarion, their brother Aemond was without a dragon as well.

Prince Aemond, however, lacked patience and became obsessed with the idea of having a dragon and more than once he escaped to the Dragonpit with the purpose of claiming one for himself. Everytime he was brought back to the Red Keep covered in ashes and dirt, her mother seemed to age a few more years. Princess Aella, much more tempered than her brother, had resigned herself to wait.

When news of the death of Lady Laena Velaryon reached the capital a sennight ago and arrangements were made to travel to Driftmark for the funeral, the King had declared that perhaps the court could visit Dragonstone afterwards so Aella and Aemond could have their choice of a dragon egg or one of the hatchlings that lived in the Dragonmount. It was good enough for her, but Aemond seemed to be even angrier at the suggestion.

So the court was ready to depart. Both Aegon and Helaena would fly to Driftmark on dragonback, and Aemond and Daeron would travel by ship like the King and the Queen and the rest of the court. It took some persuasion until Queen Alicent had allowed her daughters to fly together to the funeral, but eventually, and with a little encouragement from the King, she finally agreed.

Aella had closed her eyes now, enjoying the wind breaking through her silver hair. She heard Helaena commanding Dreamfyre to descend as High Tide was coming closer to their view. Sunfyre was right behind them and both dragons landed almost at the same time on the beaches of Driftmark. Tessarion had come as well, although she was too little to be ridden by Daeron yet. Driftmark wasn't far from King's Landing, so the ship carrying the rest of the family and the court soon arrived at the coast and docked.

Helaena carefully helped the little girl to get out of Dreamfyre's saddle and come down safely on the sand.

"It's huge!" Aella cheerfully said to her sister, holding her hand as they made their way to the wheelhouse that would take their family to the castle.

"Yes, it is." Helaena said. Then, she mumbled something about closing an eye. Aella knew better than to ask her sister about her riddles, so she kept absorbing all the details from High Tide, the towers shining in silver under the sun.

A dragon screeched in the distance. Aella looked around and saw a glimpse of gold and yellow in the sky above them and smiled when she realized what it meant. At her side, her brother Aegon scoffed. Her mother pressed her lips into a thin line, which Aella knew meant that she was displeased.