BOUND BY DUTY | daella targaryen | hotd fanfiction

XII. the rider of The Bronze Fury

1st day of the 1st moon, 118AC

The first day of the new year 118AC, may have been a new beginning for many, but no one could say it was also the day of their nameday. Noone except for Daella Targaryen, the Little Dragon to whom this momentous day rightfully belonged every year.
From what she remembered from the first days of the years before her mother's death, this day was celebrated a lot in The Red Keep, along with her nameday. Her mother made sure it was the best day of the year, with celebrations that included a big dinner, an after-party in the royal gardens with many friends from all over the realm and with various jesters, exotic animals and magicians performing their magic.
The first day of the new year after her death was one of the worst days of Daella's life, filled with only sadness and grief.
It was no different in the following years, only when Queen Alicent was expecting Prince Aemond, she held a celebration similar to that of the late Queen Aemma, but it was more of a celebration of Aegon, who had been hatched a dragon a few days before.
Today was no different.
Very early in the morning when the entire fortress was still turning from right to left in warm beds, Daella was already heading to the Dragonpit after slipping out of her chambers through the secret door that Daemon had come to her through months ago.
It seemed like an eternity to her.
In fact, it will be three months in the next few days.
The King's Landing had already woken up, the bakers and blacksmiths had already done half the day.
She was alone, her only protection was a black cloak concealing her identity and a silver dagger behind a leather belt.
If only she could celebrate her name day all day long, with nothing and no one but herself and the smell of fresh bread. She wished for nothing else.
After an hour of walking through the long streets, she climbed the stairs to 'The building of The Gods' , as the common people called the Dragonpit.
Dragons were their Gods, seen flying overhead almost every day.
The dragonkeepers fed all the dragons that were bred here, from Vermithor to the little ones like Sunfyre.
"Prepare Vermithor for a flight." she said to one of the elder masters standing near Vermithor's nest.

-

"Rytsas, altes taoba." 'Hello old boy'
Daella greeted him. He looked tired, several months of darkness in the Dragonpit did not do him any good.
"Nyke kesīr sir. Nyke kesīr, ñuhī sȳz zaldrīzes." 'I'm here now. I'm here, my good dragon.' she finally was, after abandoning him for almost four moons. Daella stroked the hard bronze scales at his thick neck while Vermithor was shaking his folded wings happily. There were tears in her eyes and they and they were falling before she could fight them back.
Vermithor brushed his snout against her small shoulder, reassuring her that he was not angry with her. She was here now, he knew how hard it was to come earlier.
She felt in her heart that he understood her.
Daella gave him a smile, quickly wiped the tears from her pink cheeks and mouted up to the saddle, which was full of dust.
'Time does not heal like others say. Time makes dust, a memory of forgotten things.' she thought.
King's Landing certainly looked different from above, with buildings small as rocks, roads narrower than veins in her body.
It was the first time in almost twenty years that the citizens of the capital could see the dragon of their former King, her grandfather's dragon, the dragon of the longest reigning ruler on the Throne flying above their heads.
The knowledge that she was the current rider of the late King's dragon flattered her whenever she realized it.
The fresh air blowing over her silver hair was more than necessary to make her forget what was happening below them, in The Keep, in her misery life.
Vermithor's deep roar, reminiscent of the sound of a wild bear combined with the voice of a whale, undoubtedly woke the entire city.
"Pōnta issi majaqsa ao, Vermithor." 'They are admiring you.' she said to him as they spun high in the air between Visenya's and Aegon's hill.
He was a formidable beast, bringing fear and power with his appearance, with wings that covered half the street they flew through and fire that was like molten bronze.
"Dracarys!" the Princess shouted flawlessly. The hot bronze fire appeared in front of them, Daella directed them down, pulling them to the ground with full force. Just above the orange roofs of the forges, Daella pulled them up high into the air again, where Vermithor's fire awaited them like old friends.
They went right into the fire again and again, making a show for the small folk for another hour and a half until Vermithor looked like he needed a rest. It was still his first flight after so many moons and Daella respected that.
The day in the Dragonpit was already in full swing, the more experienced dragonkeepers were waiting for the return of their Princess and The Bronze Fury, while the younger ones brought fresh sheep for Syrax and the young dragons who could not yet hunt for themselves.
"Lykirī, Vermithor." she whispered while going down the ladder that was connected to her leather saddle.
"Dahaerās!"
Not far from them was a royal carriage waiting for her to return to the castle by the order of her father, as she guessed by the presence of her personal guards.
Daella looked away from her dragon as she noticed that her husband was coming into the Dragonpit's outer grounds with Spring and a frightened look on his pretty face, observing his wife's dragon.
Vermithor turned to the young knight, but unlike her rider, he gave a warning not to approach with a loud roar.
Gwayne's horse immediately spooked, kicking its feet in front of itself.
The knight immediately dismounted while the other two guards helped him to silence Spring.
"Take Vermithor away." she commanded to the men dressed in traditional Valyrian robes.
"Horses hate dragons." Daella said to him when she walked to him.
"I thought your father forbade you to ride."
"A little rebellion never hurt anyone." she reminded him of the words she uttered a moon ago in the gardens.
"I'd better hurry back to the castle. According to my sister, he looked furious when he saw you from the windows of The Small Council."
Daella raised an eyebrow while removing her black leather gloves.
"He sent you for me?"
"I came on my own. Your guards are clearly faster."
"Well, at least you finally saw Vermithor." The Princess replied.
Gwayne kept his eyes on her for a long time but said nothing.
Her riding dress made of red leather more than proved her, this woman surprised him more every day with all the things that made her the ways she was.
She intensifed everything she touched, said and did.
The woman his Lord father forced him to love for the good of their House.
"In a few years it will be impossible for him to enter the Dragonpit. Poor beauty is used to Dragonmont and it's big space." she added, looking back to where her dragon had been standing a moment ago.
"Surely his size cannot be missed. And his flames too, if you ask me." he chuckled.
"The dragonkeepers consider him as one of the friendlier dragons that my family own, so i guess it's just his appearance."
"If this one is friendly then I can't even imagine what kind of beasts are under us, dear." he said after he offered his hand for her to enter the carriage.
"The wildest dragons are not beyond these walls, or below us in their nests. The Cannibal, the most dangerous of them all, dwells on Dragonmount in Dragonstone, Vhagar and Caraxes are in Driftmark waiting for their riders to marry."
"They are already married." he announced the news that came not long after her sneak out in the morning.