Gnarled Roots | House of the Dragon

Journey to King's Landing

The sounds of mourning doves signal the start of the day. I didn't get a lot of sleep last night, I tossed and turned. I can't stop thinking about my loved ones from my timeline. It's likely the king has sent out the royal guard to search for his kidnapped sister.

One of my assigned maids shuffled into the room.

"My lady, the bath is ready, if you'll follow me this way."  I follow her to the adjoined bathing chamber and relish in the warm floral scented water. Today is going to be a long day.

An hour later, I'm dressed in a soft yellow dress. Lace lines the trim and the waistline drops into a flowy skirt. It's a gorgeous day gown, Rhaeynra really knows how to pick out a dress. My hair falls in waves down my back, small portions of it are braided behind my head, almost making a crown out of my hair.

I leave my rooms, taking in the sights of Dragonstone. I need to act as if I am unfamiliar with its layout so I wander around aimlessly. As a child my siblings and I played in these halls.

I near the training yard and decide to take a peek. The sound of metal clashing together grabs my attention. Tufts of matching brown hair dance around each other. Flashes of blue fabric twirl around. A small smile comes to my face. It looks like Rhaenyras oldest two sons are practicing their swordsmanship. From an outside perspective it's extremely noticeable that Jacaerys has the upper hand. But it also seems like he's not giving his 100% against his brother. He must be holding back.

Jace disarms Lucerys which causes the younger brother to groan loudly. Poor kid just wants to beat his brother at least once.

"You're getting better, Luke. But you need to focus on your footwork, maybe then you can best me." Jace explains in a teasing tone. Luke rolls his eyes and goes to pick up his sword.

Clapping my hands I come out from behind a pillar. "Very impressive, my princes. You were a sight to behold."

Jace angles his head to look at me and grins. "Why thank you dear cousin. If I had known we had an audience, I would have put on more of a show." He strides over to me and takes my hand in his. "How are you this morning?" He says as he kisses my knuckles. The action causes me to flush and turn my face away.

"I am well, cousin. Just enjoying the views of Dragonstone."

At this time, Lucerys makes a coughing sound and eyes his brother. "Hello, my lady. Might I ask for your name?"

Jace rolls his eyes at his brothers suddenly polite tone. I'm surprised Jace hasn't introduced us yet. Or at least mentioned the islands new visitor.

"My name is Jaena Maegyr, your highness.," I curtsy. The younger prince still looks slightly confused.

"Brother, I overheard you call Lady Jaena cousin. Is she of relation to us?"

Jace gives me a look that says 'can you believe this guy?'. "Yes, she is our distant cousin through grandsires aunts line. She hails from the Targaryens of Essos."

Luke's mouth opens slightly in surprise. His eyes scan my face and body. I must pass his inspection because he smiles at me. "It's a pleasure to meet you cousin!"

His sincere tone makes Jace roll his eyes again but I just chuckle softly. "It's a pleasure to meet you, little cousin."

A maid scurries over and whispers in Jacaerys' ear. He nods and dismisses her.

"The morning meal is ready. Shall we go break our fast?"

•

The meal went well, we were met by the prince's mother and step father. Meeting Daemon felt like meeting a god. He is one of the most famous members of our family and tales of him are told even 150 years later.  Surprisingly, he welcomed me with ease and told me to come to him if I need anything. He was  kind man, unlike how the history books portray him.

Rhaenyra had asked me to stay behind once we were finished eating so now I'm waiting to hear what she has to say.

"Lovely Jaena, your arrival comes at the perfect time. My father's name day fast approaches and my family is to travel to King's Landing to attend a tourney and ball. How would you feel about coming with us? I know it's last minute."

This trip is perfect. I had been debating about how I would get to King's Landing in order to infiltrate the other side.

Nodding, I respond to the princess, "That would be fantastic ! I can meet my cousin King Viserys and his other children. I've always wanted to visit my grandmothers childhood home." I internally roll my eyes at my act, I do want to go to the capital but for very different reasons.

Rhaenyra grins and holds my hands in here. "Perfect. We shall leave on the morrow."

•
 
The following morning I head to the front of the castle. While waiting I look around me to assess how long we might be staying by the luggage. Perhaps a week? Based of the number of crates being brought.

"Are you ready to go, cousin?" Jace calls out from behind me. I turn and see he's wearing his riding leathers. My heart races. I completely forgot dragons still existed in this time for a moment. He must be flying Vermax.

"Yes, I was just waiting to be brought down to the ship."

"The ship?" Jace tilts his head, "you can ride with me on dragon back." My legs feel weak beneath me. Riding on dragon back has always been a thing of my dreams. Never to be a reality. But now I'm presented with the opportunity of a lifetime.

"Are you quite sure? I don't want your dragon to be wary. Especially since I'm an unknown person." He waves me off at this statement and offers his arm. We make way to the dragon loading platform. A majestic green dragon makes its way into view. And my breath stops. He's gorgeous. It's obvious he is still young but once grown will be a magnificent mount.

Jace climbs onto Vermax and offers me his hand. "Careful, my lady" he says as I start to climb. I settle in behind Jace and awkwardly hold my hands in front of myself. I don't know where to put them. Groaning to myself I look around for hand grips. This doesn't last long, though, because Jace grabs my hands and wraps them around his abdomen.

I blush, thanking the fact he is faced the other direction. I take notice of the redness creeping up his neck and laugh.

We make our way to the cliff side and are off to King's Landing.