The dragon pit stank of sulphur and burnt flesh as Alycia made her way down and into the main anti-chamber, where five small frames stood in a line, waiting as an adolescent dragon was led out from the pitch-black caves hidden beneath the main floor of the pit. She wore her riding leathers, even though her dragon Cannibal wouldn't be caught dead in this pit.
No, her sweet boy was currently roaming the Kingswood, where he'd created a nest years ago, free from chains, along with Jocelyn's hatchling, Ironroar, who the black beast surprisingly had taken a liking to and hadn't eaten. In fact, he seemed to dote on the red hatchling, protecting it and teaching it to fly over the King's Wood and hunt the deer that lived within.
Because of the freedom afforded the hatchling, despite being younger than Vermax, Aedan's dragon, Ironroar, far surpassed him in size and ability. But, much to the older boy's chagrin, it was only the Cannibal's seal of approval that afforded the red hatchling its freedom. Any of the small dragons would be gobbled up if left to the wilds within Cannibal's reach.
Although, the older dragons, such as Syrax, Seasmoke and Vermithor, were allowed much more freedom due to their size and ability to fight off any attacks waged by her black dragon. Even now, Syrax and Vermithor soared together, last seen headed towards Dragonstone to meet up with Silverwing, Vermithor's coil mate. Seasmoke tended to stay close to home, hunting for marine life in the cleaner water outside Blackwater Bay.
Instead of approaching the children, Alycia nodded to the nearest dragon keeper to silently tell them not to reveal her whereabouts. She watched on as Aedan struggled to control the rambunctious hatchling. It took several tries for the dragon to come to heel, causing the other children, except for a dour-looking Aemond, to giggle at their playmate's misfortune.
Aemond's - like many other Targaryen children - dragon egg hadn't hatched. But, unlike his royal cousins, the queen kept him on too tight of a leash to allow him to fly with another relative to Dragonstone to claim a dragon. Leaving the boy feeling left out and jealous of his dragon-welding childhood companions.
But that didn't mean the prince was without redeeming qualities. He was leagues ahead of even his older brother when it came to sword fighting and memorizing Targaryen history. He and Jocelyn could often be found in the library pouring over dragonlore and histories in preparation for when they would go to Dragonstone to claim their dragons next year, as promised by King Viserys, despite his wife's protests.
Thankfully, the adults had managed to hamper the worst of the teasing by the ringleader Aegon, who the younger boys were eager to follow and tease. However, Jocelyn would always defend her cousin, empathizing with his plight and bringing the younger boys to heel.
After another attempt where Aedan stood tall and spoke deep from his chest, the hatchling halted, standing to attention in front of his future rider. Only then did the dragon keepers give their permission for Aedan to give the command.
"Dracarys, Vermax!" The silver-haired boy called, grinning from ear to ear when the hatchling let out a solid stream of flame, roasting the goat in a couple of seconds. The dragon keeper nodded in approval and led his acolytes away to continue their duties elsewhere while Vermax devoured his meal.
Alycia frowned when she saw a giggling Baelor run off deeper into the pit but stayed hidden, curious about what the boys were up to. Her daughter and Aemond stood off to one side, a scowl on her golden girl's face as she listened to whatever yarn a smirking Aegon was spinning.
Alycia was too far to hear what was being said but soon got the picture when the sound of oinking filled the room, followed by the appearance of a pig with wings attached to it. Scowling, Alycia left her hiding place, marching towards the group where the boys were giggling while an angry Jocelyn screeched at Aegon.
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Bronze Beauty | Daemon Targaryen
RomanceThe board was set when Viserys Targaryen was named King of the Seven Kingdoms over Rhaenys Targaryen, and Ser Otto Hightower his Hand. War was inevitable. What if House Targaryen was given a boon in the form of Diana Royce, wife of Daemon Targaryen...