the two-headed dragon (a. targaryen)

CHAPTER I

AT SIX YEARS OLD, Vaera Velaryon had a shadow, and that shadow was Aemond Targaryen.

When he was not engrossed in the histories or training with his brother and nephews, he was following his dear niece, ever the silent protector. He'd sworn himself to be such ever since he met her in the cradle, but he knew he would keep his word when her dragon's egg turned to stone, just as his did. His brother taunted him relentlessly for it, and Vaera by association. When he asked her about it, she seemed unfazed.

"Pay no mind to Aegon. I will ride a dragon, and so will you, Aemond," Vaera said beneath the Weirwood tree one afternoon, plucking at a spring flower. "In fact, you'll ride one of the greatest dragons in the realm!"

Aemond scoffed. "And how do you know?"

She shrugged. "I simply know it," she said, ever sure of herself. "Where shall we go when we claim our dragons, Kepus?" Uncle.

Aemond thought about it for a moment. "We will cross the Narrow Sea, to see the ruins of Old Valyria," he answered, nodding his head.

Vaera's face washed with a mixture of fear and awe. "But it's such a scary place! Remember the story of Princess Aerea?"

How could either of them forget the haunting tale of the missing princess, who returned from the Valyrian ruins as a wilted shadow of herself?

"I'd protect us from whatever dangers lie there," said Aemond with unabashed certainty.

Vaera smiled, resting her head full of curls against the soft grass of the Godswood. "I know you would," she mumbled, closing her eyes, feeling rays of sunlight dancing across her skin.

"Princess!" called Septa Gale from the edge of the gardens. "Your mother requests your presence in her chambers."

The little princess groaned, standing from her spot and wiping the dirt from her sapphire blue dress. "Coming, Septa!" She turned to Aemond, who stood with her. "You'll come to the library after supper? I'm dying to finish Kingdoms of the Sky." The Prince and Princess frequently snuck into the library at the hour of the eel, where he read countless books to her, furthering her knowledge of the histories and of their shared language. Aemond proudly suspected that Vaera would be fluent in High Valyrian by the time she turned eight.

"I will," said Aemond.

Vaera nodded, smiling, before turning on her heels and chasing after Septa Gale.

As she walked through the halls of the Red Keep, she tried to pay no mind to the whispers that followed her regarding her brothers' parentage. The young girl was slow to anger, but it hurt her deeply when the lords and ladies of court spoke of her brothers with such flippancy. In her eyes, Jacaerys was the sun, and her younger brother Lucerys was someone to protect fiercely. She could not protect him from the eyes of the Keep, and this upset her greatly.

She wiped away all evidence of her sadness before entering Rhaenyra's solar, quickly rushing to her mother's side as she lounged on the settee, heavy with child.

"Muña! Are you well? Have your labors started? Have you eaten? Are you sleeping well?
Who-" Mother.

"Slow down, byka jorrāelagon," said Rhaenyra, tenderly cupping her daughter's cheek. "The babe is quite well." Little love.

"I'm not asking about the babe," Vaera argued. She knew full well that the childbed was a dangerous place. Her grandmother did not survive, and the birth of Lucerys was traumatizing enough. Her mother's screams continued to haunt the poor girl.

"Vaera, I am fine," her mother assured steadfastly. She gave Vaera a knowing smile. "I sent for you because a raven arrived... from Pentos."

Vaera gasped, hands clasped together and eyes twinkling. "Lady Laena wrote to me?!"