A Bond Between Dragons

prologue [00]

P R O L O G U E

─ ─ ★☆ ─ ─

In the legends of Targaryen history, the convergence of storms and the birth of children had long been the subject of lore and legend. The winds that howled across the narrow seas, the lightning that split the heavens asunder, and the thunder that rolled like the fury of an awakening dragon—these were the harbingers of destiny. Storms have heralded a new age for the dragonlords of Valyria's greatest and last house ever since Aegon the Conqueror first arrived on the beaches of Westeros atop Balerion's black wings.

To the common folk, a storm was naught but a perilous act of nature—a force that tore through villages, cast ships upon jagged rocks, and heralded misfortune. However, the storm was revered by the members of House Targaryen as a sign that spoke of Valyrian might and blood that was beyond human boundaries. 

The wind and sea were at their backs, as though the gods themselves had sent the first Targaryens to set foot in Westeros—not in peace, but in flame and storm. The blood of the dragon was tied to the sky and storm, and so, from the beginning, storms became woven into their myths.

In the great tapestry of Targaryen births, many children of note had been born amidst the tumult of the skies. It was told that at the birth of Rhaenys, Aegon's eldest daughter, a storm unmatched by any other raged across Dragonstone and the sky darkened. The maesters insisted it was only a coincidence, a mere accident of timing, but the smallfolk had a greater understanding. 

They whispered of how the storm had been a sign, a proclamation from the gods that Rhaenys was destined for greatness, her bloodline to be intertwined with the fate of the Seven Kingdoms.

In these tales, one finds echoes of the ancient Valyrian belief that storms were the breath of the gods, the exhalations of the very dragons who once ruled the skies over Valyria. The Targaryens, who shared the same blood as the dragons, were thought to be closely associated with these storms, and it was said that the souls of the great dragons watched, their flaming gaze fixed upon the world, as storms battered the ground. 

The births of individuals destined for dragonfire were spared the worst storms, the ones that might blow castles down and carry armies off cliffs.

The storm that marked Vaella Velaryon's birth was not an exception. Vaella's birth, however, had a deeper meaning. The maesters would record that night as the "Great Storm of Dragonstone," a storm so fierce it left half the fleet in Blackwater Bay scattered, with some ships never to be found again. With such fury, the winds had ripped across the area, uprooting whole trees and exposing their roots to the sky. 

The people living in Dragonstone thought the storm was a divine omen rather than just a typical hurricane. The gods themselves had painted their approval—or maybe their warning—onto the night sky, which was lit up by brilliant streaks of lightning. Because it was rumored that a child born in the middle of a storm like this would grow up to do great, terrible things.

──────────────

The storm had been brewing on the horizon for hours, a slow and ominous gathering that seemed to cast a shadow over the entire landscape. The once-clear sky was now choked with thick, roiling clouds, their dark, bruised hues swirling like a cauldron of tempestuous anger. 

Lightning flickered intermittently, illuminating the sky with jagged, electric veins that danced across the heavens, a foreboding prelude to the chaos to come. The wind began to howl, its mournful, relentless cry echoing through the trees and rattling the windows, as though nature itself were lamenting an impending calamity. As the storm drew closer, the first heavy drops of rain began to fall, splattering against the ground with a sharp, staccato rhythm. The rain quickly intensified, turning into a torrential downpour that drenched the earth and churned it into a muddy mire.