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

Chapter Fifteen (Alana)

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Alana

Winterfell, Wolf's Wood

"You mean to tell me you can ride a dragon and yet you cannot ride a horse?" Cregan says with a puzzled look on his face. His arms crossed and a sigh escaping his lips. "That does not make sense, you calmed Hazelnut down not too long ago when she wouldn't emerge from her stable."

Cregan's right, it's abnormal that I cannot ride a horse. I want to argue with him his ignorance, but I may be the one who grew up a tad bit ignorant to the lifestyles of those without dragons.

"I was seven when I bonded Silverwing. I did not have to ride a horse because I had a dragon and the only time I had interacted with horses was when I'd be in the royal carriage. Alicent would sometimes let me feed them a carrot or two." I explain softly and Cregan continues to stare at in complete and utter disbelief.

A scoff. "So not only did you spend your days serving in small council meetings and feasts on the order of King Viserys but you also claimed your best when you were seven and only ever fed a horse? What did you do all day when you weren't someone's cup girl."

"That doesn't matter." I quickly change the subject. "What matters now is there is a horse in front of me and I plan to master riding it on my own. How hard could it be?"

-

Hard.

It's really fucking hard to ride a horse. Mounting myself onto the saddle is nothing like mounting Silverwing. The horse doesn't lower itself to you and certainly doesn't stay put long enough for you to try to work yourself up to get onto it.

I'm a fucking dragon rider and yet I am struggling to loop my foot through the saddle and swing my leg over? I've panicked a few times and refused to allow help from Lord Cregan. He grunted and took a few steps back and I tried again. And again. And again.

"Why don't we just take a break for a moment? Sit down and collect ourselves. Hazelnut is clearly getting agitated as well."

I can tell by the look in poor Hazelnut's eyes that she's exhausted and sick of me starting to climb up on her and then dropping myself down with the fear of falling off or hurting her. What am I so fucking afraid of? The drop is nothing compared to if I were to fall of Silverwing- but see, Silverwing would never let me fall. She'd find a way to catch me before I'd ever hit the ground.

There's a wooden bench that Cregan sits down on as he opens up a flask of some sort of animal skin and drinks from it. Handing it in my direction and then taking it back quickly. "That's right. You don't like wine even though I watched you drink before."

"You never let me finish explaining to you when I drink wine if I recall, Lord Cregan, you had cut me off many of times that night." I've decided that I need to give him a small taste of his own medicine. But in the kindest and most playful way possible.

Cregan hummed and nodded at me. "Then explain, Princess. I'm interested."

"I mainly drink tea or juices. Ale disgusts me completely the smell of it alone makes me wish to vomit. But wine I only drink when I am extremely nervous or just trying to fit in with those around me. I do not care for the way it makes me feel and I'd gone so long without it anyways..."

"So long without?" He raised a brow.

I've spoken far too much already... I cannot let him know. I cannot ever let him know about Joffrey and Jacerys. Not until I am back in Dragonstone and far away from him.