Betrothed to the Prince of Valyria

Forest and the skies

Days passed since arriving in the capital. I've felt more alone than ever. Everything here is so different from what I'm used to-the castle, the city, the people. It's all new, and I don't know anyone. The chambers they've given me are beautiful, everything is settled in the manner just like my old chambers, but they don't feel like home. No matter how many times I try to settle in, I can't shake the cold, empty feeling that comes with being in a place that isn't mine.

I've been missing the sea more than I expected. I miss the endless horizon and the way the sea always made me feel at peace. Even while flying on Lyaxes I can't help but yearn for the soothing waves and the salty air that used to surround me. The sea was a big part of my life, and without it, I feel like something important is missing.

The weather only makes it worse. This city is so much colder than my home. The chill seeps into my bones, and sometimes it even snows. I'm not used to that. At home, the winters are milder, the skies clearer. Here, the gray clouds hang low, and the wind bites. Most of my time, I stay in my chambers, bundled up in furs, staring out the windows at the snow-covered city below, trying to make sense of this place. The servants come and go, polite and quiet, but there's a distance between us. They're here to serve, not to talk, and that only makes me feel more alone.

Diana, my maid, is the only one I can really talk to. She tries to make me feel more comfortable, and I'm grateful for that. She's kind, but even with her, I still feel out of place. She doesn't say it, but I know she can tell how much I'm struggling.

When it gets too much, I go to the dragonkeep to be with Lyaxes. She's the only thing that feels familiar, the only thing that hasn't changed. I spend hours with her, brushing her scales, talking to her. Lyaxes is a beautiful creature, strong and steady, and being with her is the only time I feel at peace.

Sometimes I take her out for a flight, soaring above the city. From up there, the capital looks so small, like a toy city. It makes me feel free, like I'm back home, even if it's just for a little while. But every time I land, the reality hits me again. I'm not home, and I don't know when this place will ever feel like it.

I think about Taeron sometimes, wondering what he's doing, what he thinks about all of this. We've barely spoken since I arrived. His family has been kind, especially his mother, but they're still strangers to me. I know they're trying to make me feel welcome, but it's hard when I feel like such an outsider.

The dragonpit has become my escape. It's the one place where I can just be myself, where I don't have to worry about the betrothal or what's expected of me. I talk to my dragon, and she listens, in her own way. She's the only one who understands how much I miss home, how lost I feel here.

I know I can't stay in the dragonpit forever. Eventually, I'll have to face everything that's waiting for me-the court, the betrothal, the life I'm supposed to live here. But for now, I'll stay a little longer, with the only friend I have in this place, and try to hold on to the freedom I once knew.