BELOW ZERO: THE DRAGON'S MYSTERY VOL 4 (Cregan Stark x OC)

Chapter Fourteen (Cregan)

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Cregan

Winterfell

How dare that insipid little brat speak to me in the manner that she does.. Who does she think she is? She hates me? She thinks she has it worse than I do with her being here? She's being carted out on the next ship out of white harbor which is in two weeks. I'm sending her back and I do not care if Rhaenyra comes here with her dragon and burns me to ash. I have never been so disgusted by a human in my entire life.

Alana is inconsiderate for anyone else's feelings and only thinks of herself. I tried to do something nice for the girl and she couldn't even accept that. Or even just pretend to be happy here. But no... She's insufferable.

After last night's fiasco I had to walk away from her before I fully snapped. I've been angry ever since. Sitting in the great hall this morning have a hot tea and some breakfast when my attention is brought back to her.

She plops down in the chair across from me with her own breakfast and eats like nothing is wrong. Although not once does she pick her head up to look at me. I look around at all the empty places for her to sit when it hits me. Our routine... I've made her eat every meal with me for weeks now. She's sitting here out of habit.

"You don't have to dine with me any longer. The betrothal is over."

She looks up at me and her eyes are completely bloodshot. "My apologies." She gets up with her plate to move to a different table when I sigh. "Yes, my Lord?"

"Sit." I point to the chair. "Don't bother moving."

She obeys immediately and I furrow my brows at her. "Why do you do everything I tell you to do?"

Alana quickly replies. "This is your castle."

"You're a princess though."

"That does not matter when I am in your home, my Lord. I must obey your rules and your customs." When she left the library last night I caught that she had been reading the northern traditions and customs. I was too angry to realize it was a somewhat kind gesture. "If you'd like me to stop-"

"I just would like silence.." Feeling myself growing short even though I shouldn't. I look at her again and I realize she isn't wearing a gown. She's wearing riding pants and a tunic and a leather vest with different straps across it. "What's with the outfit?"

"Did you want answers or did you want silence?"

Fair enough. "Answers first. Silence after."

"The butcher told me that there a mountain not too far from here, a small one, but there's wild goats there for Silverwing to eat. She hasn't been active and has been sleeping a lot. I think the cold bothers her. She needs to feast and stretch her wings."

I nod. How could I have stupidly forgotten about the beast. "I thought maybe you meant to go riding on a horse.. I forgot about the uh.."

"Dragon." She finishes my thought for me.

"Yes. That."

"I... I've never ridden a horse before." She says softly and swallows hard. "I only mean to fly Silverwing for a little while and then I will return. But only until my ship leaves in a few weeks... I swear you'll never see or hear from me again."

My chest tightens and a foreign feeling comes over me. A little bit of pity for the girl when suddenly I just blurt out, "I can teach you to ride a horse if you'd like."

"It is not about what I'd like, my Lord. You say you'd like silence so I will be gone for a little while today and when I return I will go to the library as I usually do."

"What is the point?" I reach for my tea. "I saw what you read."

She says nothing. She just bites into a piece of toast with jam on it and keeps her head down. I pick up a piece of bacon and bite into it and she looks at me and her lips start to curl into a grin when she looks back down.

"What is it?" I scoff.

"You just ate a moth." She tells me. "It landed on your plate-"

My eyes nearly pop from my skull and I can feel my stomach turning like the waves in the sea. Crashing against the shore and ready to spew from my body. I grab my tea and chug it and then snap at Vyla to bring me water or wine. Whatever I can wash down the thought of eating a damn moth.

"Do not laugh at me." I growl at Alana Velaryon who sits there with her stupidly perfect braid and long lashes and pink lips that have fully curled into a smile and that is when I realize that this? This is the first time she has ever smiled in my presence and especially smiled at me.

She's smiling at me... Even if it is due to my own turmoil. She is smiling... Because of me. That surely counts for something.

"My apologies."

She covers her mouth with her fingers and then reaches for her cup of tea. Vyla brings me a pitcher of wine and a cup. I grab the pitcher before she can even fill the cup of the wine and I chug straight from the pitcher. Alana laughs s hard that her tea comes flying out of her nose and mouth.

Seeing this makes me laugh and for the first time ever Alana Velaryon and I are laughing with each other. Perhaps at each other but nonetheless we are laughing instead of insisting on how much we hate one another.

I lean back in my seat and now begin to inspect every piece of food before eating it. Alana does the same and jokingly points to my fork full of potato. "Oh- what's that?"

Pausing and examining further she cracks up. "I'm only joking, my Lord."

"I do not like your jokes." I can't wipe the stupid grin from my face. "How long will you be away with your beast?"

"Call her a beast again and I will certainly prove to you that she is capable of beast like behavior." She threatens with a cocky grin.

I scoff and shake my head. "I think I fear you more than I fear your dragon."

A long pause from the princess of Dragonstone. "That may be the smartest thing you have ever said, Lord Cregan."

Vyla comes up with a letter and hands it to me. "Dragonstone?" I question and Vyla nods. I tear it open to see that Rhaenyra has decided to send her son Jacerys to check in on Alana and see if there is anything he can do to sway my mind. To keep Alana here and to wed me but...

Alana's doe eyes blink at me and I shred the letter in front of her. Handing the remnants to Vyla to have them burned in the fireplace. I watch carefully as those doe eyes fill with anger and hatred again.

"Calm yourself." I wave my hand at her. "Your brother means to come here to try to make things work between you and I so.. I guess we shall see."

"Luke?" She asks softly.

I shake my head. "Jacerys."

She swallows hard and her cheeks flush. "I... I get to see... I get to see Jace?"

I furrow my brows and slowly nod my head. "Yes, I suppose you do." Such a strange girl she is. I reach for my wine and she still sits there smiling. "You must miss your family.." She nods and doesn't say much else.

The first moment I met her I spoke of her family. She had completely shut down and has been horrid to be around ever since. Steffon said when he brought up her family it was like an arrow to the heart to her.

Maybe Jace coming will be good for her. Maybe I'll be able to see who she truly is when she isn't suffering through a culture shock and maybe I will see who Alana Velaryon truly is.