The dragon to be // House of dragons

55

Raina walked down the hall with Wyrion and Aerion by her side, while Serion perched on her hip. "Grandfather!" Wyrion exclaimed, running up to Raina's grandfather, who picked him up. Aerion followed after his brother.

"Let me see," Raina's grandmother said, walking up to her and taking Serion from her.

"So, what do we have?" Raina asked as she walked to the table.

"We lost the battle," Rhaenyra said. Raina nodded. "You couldn't lead your men into the battle; we were overthrown."

"I could have, but I was told I couldn't," Raina said, looking at Daemon. "We could have won this," she added, looking back down.

"You are too far along to be riding into battle, Raina," Daemon said, his eyes snapping to her. "If you were to go into labor on the battlefield, then what?"

"People would surely remember it," Raina said simply. Daemon's lip pulled back with anger.

"You will not go into another battle until you've given birth to that child," Daemon said, eyeing her. It won't be long until she has it. Raina nodded. "Your grandmother will ride her dragon into-" Raina cut him off.

"Not by herself she's not," Raina said, looking at both Daemon and Rhaenyra with a sharp gaze. "Someone needs to aid them, yes, but if she goes, it's not going to be by herself," she said, grabbing her big belly and rubbing it lightly as she let out a breath before looking at Daemon.

"You heard me," she said, and then she started walking out of the room, still holding her belly. She didn't think she could get any bigger. She let out a huff as she sat down in a chair, leaning back and closed her eyes.

"Raina?" Raina heard her eyes fluttered as she slowly peeked open to see Daemon. "You are going to regret sleeping like that. Come to the bed," he said. Raina's eyes moved around the room; she had fallen asleep in the chair.

"I will be fine," Raina said as she stood up, holding her belly. "I thought you were leaving, Daemon. Why are you still here? Why did you not go?" she asked, looking at him.

"The children are in bed; your grandfather put them there," Daemon said, evading her question, which made Raina raise her eyebrow. "Rhaenyra and Jaca are here," but she cut him off.

"I assumed they were. It's late," she said, taking a step closer to him. "Daemon, now why are you still here?" Raina asked, not that she cared he stayed here, but if Rhaenyra, Jaca, and her grandfather were with her children, and they were all still here, then who went to battle?

"I said not to," he said, anger filling Raina as her captivating blue eyes burned a hole into him.

"Are you out of your mind!?" Raina hissed, taking a step toward him. There was a reason she said not to send her there. Agone was to be there, not that she was worried about him; he couldn't fight for anything but his dragon. It was a dragon after all

Raina strode away from Daemon and walked out the door and down the hall, her guards right beside her. As she turned into the great hall and flung open the doors, her eyes immediately found Rhaenyra's.

"Raina," she said and stood up. Jaca as well as he looked between them, and Raina went straight for her. Jaca quickly grabbed her and pulled her back. "You dare try to put your hands on your queen!" she said, but Raina let out a laugh.

"You are no queen of mine!" Raina hissed as she tried to push her brother away, but she stopped when a pain shot through her belly. Her body leaned forward, her hands shooting to where the pain was. Jaca let her go as he looked at her with big eyes.

"Raina!? Are you okay?" he said. She just pushed his hands away as her eyes moved to Rhaenyra.

"You...you hear me now, you wretch!" Raina spat as she stood back up straight. "I swear to every god known to this cruel world that if something happens to my mother, I WILL have your head!" she hissed as her eyes met her knights.

"Prepare my dragons," Raina said, then looked at the others. "I want my army, and I want it now. You know where to find them," she said. Both nodded and hurried out of the room as she followed.

As she walked, her steps halted, one hand going to the wall as the other grabbed her belly. Her eyes closed as she let out a breath.

"Raina," her eyes snapped back to see her grandfather who walked up to her. "You cannot fly like this. It is very clear you have started your labor," he said. Raina shook her head as she clenched her jaw.

"I will ride however I wish," she hissed as she pushed herself off the wall, huffing out a breath, and looked over at him. "If you are so worried, you may come," she said and walked away; he followed her.

"She is a skilled rider, Raina; she will be fine," he said. Raina only shook her head.

"She might be, but Agone will be there, so that is another dragon," Raina said, looking back at him. "She will be outnumbered and overpowered, Papa," she said softly. He looked down before nodding.

"Alright, Raina. You have not led me wrong before," he said as they walked down the hall. "But you listen to me, Raina. If you feel any more pain—" she cut him off.

"Yes, I know," she said as they made it to where the dragons were. "We must be quick; Daemon will come for us soon," she said, pulling herself up onto the dragons back. Her grandfather came with her as her knights got up on the others before they took off.

As the wings of the dragons flapped powerfully through the wind as they neared where the battle was, Raina's heart dropped at the sight of it. There looked to be nothing left—no dragons in the sky, nothing.

Raina guided her dragon to the side, making him land before she jumped off. "Raina, be careful!" her grandfather said, but Raina kept walking. It didn't even look like there had ever been life there.

Another pain shot through Raina's belly as her eyes moved around. "Raina!" she snapped around, her eyes immediately going to the white-haired woman who lay in front of her knight, motionless. Raina couldn't see her face, but she knew.

"NO!" Raina took off, only to be stopped when her grandfather grabbed her. She tried to push him away, but he didn't let go. "This is not supposed to happen!" she yelled, struggling to get away from him.

"I did everything! Everything I was told! I built a dynasty, I have the army! I did what they told me to do!" Raina hissed, her eyes wild as they snapped around. Her hands grabbed her belly. "It's all falling down! There is nothing more you can take from me!!" she hissed.

"The first loss was so close, as we have said, very close. It will make a strong mind speak irrationally. Your strong mind will feel weak, and in that vulnerable state, you will realize everything that is lost," they repeated, Raina's eyes snapping up. "You will feel pain, a pain that will bring you to your knees. Then, they will come in the dark of night, under the moonlight, deep within the woods, where no one truly knows how to help," they said. She remembered them telling her this.

"The ones who dance in the flames make the fire burn brighter, pushing the next flames to the surface," they hissed. Raina's eyes snapped to look at the fire around them, seeing figures dancing in the flames.

"The moonlight will alter the color you see before you, for it was the same as the night the first was born. Though the storm in her covered the light, keeping the darkness on top even days after," they said, referring to her. People could barely see the sun or moon for days after she was born. Raina's eyes then slowly moved up to see the moon high in the sky, its light shining down on her in an orange glow.

"Raina?" her grandfather said, both he and her knight looking very concerned and confused. "What are you talking about?" he asked.

"Scream, Raina, this one will be like no other," they said. Raina's eyes shot open wide, her body jerking forward as her knees buckled and a white-hot pain shot up from her belly through her whole body. She let out a searing scream that echoed into the night over lands and water.

"And now flames will come forth with the hot pain of fire," they whispered, with an echoing laugh.