Bone Daughter

Prologue

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Vaenya hated castle. Its dreary abyss, cold walls and the harsh winds of Blackwater Bay that always entered at free will. She hated the ocean between her and her destroyed homeland. Hated that her father wouldn't let them return, not even when years have passed after the doom. But it was the absence of trees and flowers, anything that would spark life amidst the cold stone that she missed the most. That's why Vaenya seized every opportunity to explore the lands, even though they were mostly ashland too. But at least they were wide and open, wide enough for her to imagine all the places in the world she would escape to. Escape her brother. Even though he matured over the years, he kept his exchange with her to the bare minimum. He still wouldn't look her in the eyes, not even when he was seated right in front of her at the dinner table. And as long as Vaenya didn't see them for herself, she had to believe that the old malice towards her was still burning bright behind his eyes.

It was a fool's dream, to think she'd escape her title and live a life like a wildflower.

And she wasn't wild. She never had been. But it was that illusion that one day, she might find that fire inside her and damn all consequences that made her return to the black castle and the everlasting smell of sulphur every time.

Dragons, she feared since she was a child. Their thunderous roars and vengeful flames always haunted her, even in her dreams. The smell of burned flesh and rotted meat settled on her skin like a horrible perfume. To Vaenya, their family's beasts weren't gods. There was nothing god-like about them. Gods could be cruel, she knew that, but they also understood kindness. And there was not a glimpse of kindness when those beasts were unleashed onto their world. Only carnage. And never in her wildest dreams could she picture herself mounting one of them into the skies, even less so into battle. The only thing Vaenya truly admired about them was watching them fly. It wasn't the thrill or power that captivated her, it was their unparalleled freedom. The freedom she felt on those days out in the ashlands. The freedom to leave your life behind with a wing beat and take off into the skies without a compass, without a name.

Aeron never minded the dim, narrow darkness of the halls. He enjoyed exploring the castle grounds and all of Dragonstone's layers. The darkness never asked, didn't force him to pretend. Didn't force him to forget. Here, cloaked by the grim stone, he was just a man, not a prince. Just a man trying to understand why he was born with a broken heart.

Since he was a little kid, he'd often sneak down to the dragon caves. His father's hand, Fenor, always helped him sneak passed the guards. Unlike Vaenya, he'd felt an immediate bond towards the beasts. Aeron felt it in the way his blood curdled when his hands leaned against the iron doors inside the pit. When he felt the flames vibrating from inside the caves merging with the thumb of his own heartbeat. It was the only thing he'd ever experienced that roared louder than his sorrow. It made him feel hopeful that one day, this powerful heat might torch all his grief and sorrow to ashes for good. But there was no desire for destruction or bloodshed in his heart like everybody assumed. He was his mother's son after all. And the tale of her kindness wouldn't die with her absence. Because his mother would have never agreed with anything that what had been decided since they've left Valyria. It was Queen Vysealla who poisoned the council with her ideas to invade kings landing and claiming the iron throne. There was wraith and fury in each of her worlds, a hunger for destruction carved inside her smile, all carefully disguised by her heroic intentions. A chameleon with a silver tongue. Not once did she speak of the common folk or the losses such a war would bring. Not once did she send note across the Narrow sea to make sure the last spark of their homeland had truly died. She always was power hungry and didn't care how many lives it took to get what she wanted. She represented everything his mother wasn't. And that was enough for Aeron to challenge her one day. When he would be old enough to take over his father's reign, he'd handle things differently. In the name of his mother's legacy. In the name of what was right.