House of the Dragon: The Bright Flame.

The Visit

Essos, Lys.

Watching the children running at the sea side, Valeria felt calm and at peace, the sight gave her this stuffy feeling, she felt warm just watching them.

"Their growing so fast, aren't they?" Aaron suddenly spoke, destroying the silence.

Valeria eyes soften at his words, and she glances at how Aerea and Aelia are now so big. They were once just so little and clingy, refusing to even part a meter from her, and now......

"Time flies so fast....its indeed man's greatest enemy." Valeria muttered.

Aerea was holding a sword sparring with Agnarr, while Aelia was busy with the small crabs and shells, and Valerion was busy with his book under the shade of a tree, Atlas was overlooking the spar, while Eliana.....Eliana?..

Valeria looked around, trying to find the sign of her eldest or her other missing children, but they were nowhere in sight.

Valeria slowly glances at Aaron, who's trying to leave without being noticed but fails nonetheless.

"Where the hell are those four?!!!" Valeria questioned loudly, Eliana, Erys, Aurora, and Baelon were nowhere in sight.

"Maybe around the castle, Erys probably went to the library, and Aurora went along with him, and Baelon, well, his probably with Eli, you know......their..... well....yeah...out in the kitchen!!" Aaron hastily said without thinking.

He cautiously glanced at Valeria, who became silent, and gulped at the smile that slowly crept in her face.

"Erys...library....hmmm," Valeria muttered with a sarcastic smile lacing her face.

"It's not that I'm underestimating my son, but we both know, Erys is allergic to anything that has to do with the word 'library' or even go near 'books', and Aurora and library, they do not fit, and oh Eli, well Eli loves kitchen, but during this hour of the day, she loves 'flying'." Valeria said.

Aaron tried to look anywhere but in Valeria's eyes. He promised the children he would cover for them! He is tough! Even Valeria can not make him waver and go back in his words.

"Aaron Stark." Valeria said his name in utter coldness.

And Aaron wished the kids well. Their Dad's is a wimp, after all.

"They.... they went racing... I mean fly racing....." Aaron stammer.

"Aren't you asking where Althea went?" Aaron asked curiously, not that he mind but, Aaron knew aside from Eli, Althea was one of the children Valeria focuse on, it's not that noticeable with Althea, but as a parents Aaron feel how much Valeria cared for Althea.

Aaron knew Valeria as a parent, he can't say she's terrible, because she raised and loved Eliana and the others, but he couldn't also say she's impartial, because that would be the biggest lie of them all.

Aaron knew Valeria tried to love the children equally. She was not a person born of the word love, but she's trying. She tried to train with Erys, play chess with Atlas, read and taught Valerion about history she even track the movement of one of the wild dragons because she felt it was a fit with Valerion, and indeed it is, after the wedding they directly went to Dragonstone and tried to find grey ghost, it took them weeks, and Valeria left Valerion in an island and Valerion return riding a dragon, its the first time Aaron saw such happy smile in his son's face. and she went out in her way to the north to find a direwolf for the Agnarr and Althea even though she said it was coincidence, Aaron does not believe it, and she read bedtime story to the twins, Valeria is evolving as a parent, at first she was awkward but she's learning from her mistakes and tried to do good.