Fire and Blood (Book One)

Chapter Nine

"And what are they doing here?" Aegon asked no one in particular when he saw Valaena's children walking with the group of boys. "It seems that you are far too stupid to comprehend it, we're going to train our dragons with all of you." Aegon laughed at Alyssa's comment and tried to push her away but Baelon gave him a glare and Alyssa stood firm. "Doesn't your father teach you? Because I've seen how weak he is with a sword." "Well yours can't even hold a sword anymore." Alyssa retorted not caring if anyone will hear her of it she maybe disrespecting the King and her uncle. Alysanne tugged on Alyssa's sleeve and when Alyssa looked at her twin, Alysanne was quietly pleading for her to be quiet; Alyssa frowned looking not too happy at them being the centre of attention for the King and everyone else. "My father may not be the best but he's been there when I need him." Alyssa proudly said, though deep down the siblings knew it wasn't true. Petyr rarely spent time with them, he only shared conversations with them and stories of where he had been, occasionally showing them a few moves but nothing else. Sometimes it seemed that neither their mother was happy when he came home. They siblings continued to follow the group until they were below the Dragonpit.

"Alright children! One at a time now." The place was almost entirely dark, almost making it seem impossible to look, the dragons were being held by long thick chains. The Dragonkeepers instructed Rhaenyra's son, as well as Alicent's sons, Aegon (now a lazy, bratty teenager) and his younger brother Aemond Targaryen, the focus of their lesson this day was training, Alyssa's young dragon Glaeder, a juvenile the size of a small horse, to accept her verbal commands. Glancing over her shoulder, Alyssa saw Aegon was bored with the event because he had already gone through this for his own dragon Sunfyre, and for the dragons of the younger children. Alyssa looked ahead and successfully commanded the dragon to obey and halt, and then to breathe fire at a live sheep, they leave Glaeder to eat his roasted prey. Turning back to her family, Alyssa saw that Aemond was upset due to the fact that he was one of the three children who hadn't bonded with a dragon, while Jaehaerys and Alysanne weren't bullied because of it Aemond was bullied by Aegon, Jace and Luke. While all of Alyssa's siblings left, Alyssa stayed as the other three remaining boys insisted that they had a surprise for him: Aegon told him that they felt bad that he didn't have a mount, so they found a fresh dragon for him. Like Aemond, Alyssa was suspicious and then Luke returned from the lower level with a pig, the sow had brooms tied to her as makeshift wings, and the boys mockingly present Aemond with "The Pink Dread."

Suddenly Alyssa pursed her lips and raised her right hand back; she threw her hand forward as hard as she could, whipping it across his face. The crack of skin contacting skin echoed off the walls. Vibrations of pain started in her palm and spread all the way to her fingertips. Her palm was bright red, the same red mark that matched the one on his face. The four boys stared at Alyssa with their eyes wide as Aegon's hand slowly made it to his fire red and stinging cheek. Alyssa should've felt some kind of remorse, but she didn't. Not one organ in her body could produce guilt for her actions. A triumphant grin spread across her face and with a flick of her silver hair, Alyssa turned to face Aemond, with her focus only on him, the other boys left. Annoyed at what had just happened, Alyssa watched in horror as Aemond began to descend to the lower levels of the Dragonpit below the main area and into the caverns where the dragons nested. Scared for Aemond, Alyssa followed him and once she stood by his side, she took hold of his hand; she knew that he was hoping to find one of the unclaimed dragons, the duo pressed on into the dark, until they were startled by Dreamfyre, who was guarding a mound of eggs and thus angrily breathed fire in their direction. Stumbling backward onto the floor, they fled out of the Dragonpit with only a face full of ash.

Back in Alicent's private chambers, Valaena sat beside her half-sister Helaena Targaryen, who had been a baby at the time of her half-sisters wedding; she was now an eleven year old young lady and Valaena was brushing her hair. Helaena was somewhat introverted and intently focused on details about her insect collection. Suddenly a Kingsguard dragged in Aemond and Alyssa who were still holding hands, both of them covered in ash and soot, like Valaena, Helaena observed that they had done it again and Valaena scolded her half brother and her daughter for how dangerous it was to keep trying to claim an adult dragon of his own. Humiliated, Aemond explained to his half sister that the other boys gave him a pig dressed up as a dragon and they all laughed at him, at hearing this Alyssa tightened her hold on Aemond's hand and looked up at her mother. The Princess was concerned and sympathetic; she lovingly embraced her half brother and assured him that he would have a dragon some day but that caused Helaena to cryptically said that he'd have to close an eye.