The Northern Dragon

CH 1: NORTHERN DRAGON

Seventeen years ago, Robert Baratheon rebelled against the Crown, the Targaryens, the Dragons. All after Rhaegar Targaryen supposedly kidnapped his betrothed, Lyanna Stark.

The war was long and it brought the death of countless innocents, including children. All in the span of one single year.

It seemed like the great House Targaryen had been demolished to the ground after their three centuries' reign. However, they were not all gone.

Viserys and Daenerys Targaryen had escaped to the continent of Essos where they lived in the free cities in exile, always fearing the assassins of the new King.

But they weren't the greatest danger to Robert's rule. They never were.

The real threat was much closer than that. She was the only living child of Prince Rhaegar Targaryen and Princess Elia Martell.

The child of the dragon and the sun.

Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, the true heir to the Iron Throne.

The day they had invaded King's Landing, Eddard Stark was the first to arrive at the throne room where he saw Jaime Lannister murder King Aerys ӀӀ and found a crying three-year-old, white-haired, and purple-eyed princess.

After much begging, the Lord of Winterfell convinced his best friend to let him take Rhaenys as his Ward back to his home and nurture her in a way in which she would never go against Robert or turn like her grandfather. Something that he was unfortunately not able to do with the child's mother and brother as they were already dead.

Because of this, Rhaenys grew up in the North as one of the Starks. Treated as a lady and as one of their own although now she had nothing more than her name and blood.

In the beginning, the Northerners were not convinced of having a Targaryen between them, nor did many Southerners. However, the girl's kind and gentle heart, her intelligence, and how charming she could be pulled them in.

Rhaenys became a legend of sorts. She was seen as the most beautiful woman in all of Westeros, so much that songs were made about her. She was acknowledged as an extremely intelligent individual by those who met her. Not to mention skilled with a sword and arrow, something she was allowed to learn after some attempts to take her life.

She was clever, brave, and kind.

Something Eddard and his wife were very proud of.

Countless proposals came to her, asking for a betrothal, something she would always refuse. It had surprised many since marriage was the only chance she had of actually having something of her own. To get lands and titles.

But the princess had no intention of allowing anyone to dictate her life and that was exactly what a husband would do. That's why she would never allow for anyone to choose who she would marry.

Less so when her heart already belonged to someone.

The sun was already high in the sky as people bustled around Winterfell, their bodies tightly covered by their heavy clothes to keep themselves warm. Even at that hour of the day, the sun barely lightened the place or heated the ground, making summer barely notable in the north.

And while they did all their shores, the courtyard seemed to have turned into some kind of a circus entertainment as many stopped along the way to watch Brandon Stark try to throw an arrow at the target correctly. Failing miserably every single time.

Behind them stood his older brothers, Robb and Jon, and his father's ward, Rhaenys, the three of them snickering at how terrible the boy was still doing, while Rickon sat farther back.