The unwanted princess - H.o.D.

Sōvës

"I am not entirely sure we are allowed to be here, princess." Ser Dalt said, as he stood by the entrance of the dragonpit, his posture rigid and his eyes wide.

"Do not tell me you are afraid, Ser Dalt." Valora said, a teasing tilt to her tone as she looked away from the head of her guard and back toward where the rest of the men sworn to protect her stood, a few meters back. They would lay their lives down for her, Valora knew. But walking into the dragon pit with her? No, thank you. "Baelyx is but a babe still. What is the worst that could happen?"

And really, Valora was saying nothing but the truth. Baelyx was barely a year old, the youngest of all of the dragons currently residing in the royal pit, but she was going to be a big girl - the dragonkeepers had assured her and everyone could tell. Barely a year old and she already had a body larger than the largest of the horses on the stables. She was a dangerous creature, of course, and she would not fault Ser Dalt for his worries, but Baelyx was gentle and incredibly playful. It was almost as of she could tell Valora was near because as soon as she took the first step down into the pit, one of her dragon's head chirped, soon to be followed by the other two.

"My princess..." Ser Dalt spoke once more. "Mayhaps we should return to the joult."

"Prince Aegon himself told me to stay away from him." Valora shrugged. "I am merely adhering to his wishes, is all. After all, young prince Aegon is not to be contradicted wouldn't you say? Especially on a day such as this one?"

"My princess." Ser Dalt relented, taking a step back when Valora took one forward into the pit, but she could tell there was a hint of amusement to his tone, so she laughed.

Ser Dalt was loyal to a fault, Valora knew, but part of her wanted to believe he was so less out of duty and more due to the fact that, maybe, he did enjoy her company. She did not dare ask, however, too scared she would be wrong and Ser Dalt would end up being another name she would add to the list of people who saw her as the unwanted princess. So, instead, she just climbed down the stairs that would lead to the place where the dragons were chained down to sleep.

"Princess Valora." Her name was called in that heavy accent she was already used to coming from the oldest of the castle's dragonkeeper. "I did not expect to see you here, today."

"I needed a moment away from..." She said, waving a hand around hoping to explain without words what she meant. "Can I see her? Baelyx?"

And as soon as the name slipped past the princess' lips, there was a chirp that echoed around the chamber and Valora snapped her head around at the sound. Beside her, the dragonkeeper sighed, but it wasn't as if he would try to stop the princess from seeing her dragon. Especially not when said dragon already knew her rider was around.

"Go." He said, grabbing a torch from the wall and following after Valora as she made her way through the chambers, already familiarized with it from the many times she had been down there to train with her dragon

Princess Valora was a natural. Even without having ever taken flight with Baelyx since the dragon was still a little small, after only a few moons of having finally managed to get her rotten egg to hatch, Valora already had, practically, full control over Baelyx and she had even already mounted the small dragon, testing the saddle that had been made for her. She was a sight to be seen in her dragon. Baelyx by herself was already something to behold, with her three heads, purple scales and emerald eyes. But when Valora managed to mount her, she looked less like the princess she was and more a warrior none of the keepers wished she would become someday. If she did, Baelyx and Valora would be terrifying together.

"May I ride her?" Valora asked, turning to look at the keeper as she stood in front of the middle head of her dragon, running a hand over her head as the other two slithered around her like vices.

"My princess..."

"Please." She insisted. "I'll keep her close to the ground."

The keeper sent her a look and when Valora simply nodded again, he sighed.

"Very well." He relented. "You might try again today, but once. If Baelyx does not fly, you'll leave her be."

"Yes."

"And if she does... Keep her hovering." He said. "Hovering, do you hear me, princess?"

And Valora nodded, but laughed all the same. She played with Baleyx's heads as the keepers stepped forward to saddle her back and unlock her chains. Helping Valora climb onto the saddle, the keepers helped her guide Baelyx out of the chambers and into the pit. As soon as she was out, Baelyx let out an excited chirp, her wings spreading out beside her as she skipped around the pit like a child - and perhaps she was, having been not but a hatchling a mere year before. Valora laughed as she held onto her reigns, but it wasn't until Valora reached out a hand toward one of her necks and rub over her scales that Baelyx calmed down.

"Demās." She whispered, and Baelyx was quick to obey sitting down on her legs so that her belly touched the ground. "Good."

"That's good, princess." The keeper called to her. "Now, if you wish to try to make her fly, you know what to say."

Valora sat up straighter and held onto the reins tighter. She pulled in a deep breath, throwing her braids of long silver hair over her shoulder as she opened up her chest. This was it, the moment the two of them had been waiting for. For moons after Baelyx hatched, Valora could not ride her due to her size and the keepers were certain she wouldn't be able to do it for many moons more, as it was with most dragons who took years to grow large enough to carry a child. But as it usually happened with Baelyx, her special girl, the dragon grew faster than expected and by her ninth moon she was already big enough to fit Valora's saddle on her back. After that, they had had to wait until the keepers deemed them both ready and, as it seemed, Aegon's nameday seemed to be the day.

And so, taking the riding stance she had been taught for so long, Valora sucked in another breath before letting the word slip out of her lips.

"Baelyx, sōvës." She said, and after trotting for a while, Baelyx lept from the ground and flapped her wings once, enough to put herself above the ground where she stayed, circling around the pit at Valora's command.

From the entrance of the pit, Aegon, who had been sent by his mother to fetch Valora after receiving an earful from her for making them look bad in front of so many people, watched as Valora flew on her dragon's back around the pit and he felt his face scrunching up as jealousy stirred in his stomach. He hadn't managed to get Sunfyre to fly with him before. Sunfyre was older, bigger, faster most likely, and Aegon had bonded with him around the same time that monstrosity of Valora's had hatched. So how come she had been the one to fly dragonback first? He hated it. He hated her. And he hated even more the fact that, someday, she would be his future wife.