rise of Daenerys Targaryen

chapter 2

Mother! Mother, look at me! I'm a dragonrider!"

Daenerys looked over to where Rhaenys was, finding her daughter climbing onto Visenyon's back. Dany dropped the chains she had just released Rhaelle from on to the ground and raced over to Rhaenys, but she was too late. Visenyon had already thrown Rhaenys off his back and onto the ground. Her daughter landed with a loud thud as Visenyon roared with displeasure.

"Hush, my child," Daenerys soothed the dragon, stroking his neck in an attempt to quiet him. If her father found out that she could no longer control Visenyon, that would only give the paranoid king an excuse to have him killed. Dany felt terrible for prioritising a dragon over her daughter, but she would not let her dragon be slaughtered.

Visenyon eventually calmed and leaned into his mother's touch. Dany smiled as the black dragon became soothed. Unchained and restless, Dany decided that it was time for them to take off.

"Sōvēs," she whispered to her three dragons, though they heard her nonetheless. The three took flight, soaring into the sky as Daenerys and her daughter stared on.

Someday, Dany thought with wonder, someday, I will be riding upon Visenyon's back as he takes flight. That made Daenerys smile. Her largest dragon was the one she favoured the most. He had been lain beside Visenya's heart in the funeral pyre and then named after her dead child. But her affection for him was more than just that. As a young dragon, he had clung to her more than the others. Whenever she left him alone for more than a few minutes he had wailed for her until she came back. Three years later and Visenyon was not so attached to his mother, but the affection still remained.

Jaehaerion, the green and bronze, had long chosen Rhaegar to be his dragonrider, while Rhaelle, the cream and gold, had yet to choose hers. Dany expected her to choose Viserys to be her dragonrider, as had many, but upon their first meeting when young Viserys had climbed upon her back, Rhaelle had thrown him off. When Rhaenys tried to climb on Rhaelle's back once, however, Rhaelle had flown a few feet in the air with Rhaenys on her back. It seemed her daughter was destined to be a dragonrider.

Suddenly remembering that her daughter lay upset on the ground, Dany shook her head and tore her eyes away from her dragons, sitting down with Rhaenys on the ground. She smiled at her daughter and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"Oh, Rhaenys, you must know by now that a dragon does not like to be mounted by those who are not his dragonrider," Dany told her daughter, "of which a dragon only has one."

"I forgot, Mother, please do not be mad," Rhaenys pleaded, tears shining in her eyes.

"I am not mad with you, my love. I just want you to understand."

"Does that mean that Rhaelle will not let you mount her?" Rhaenys asked, head tilted to the side curiously.

"No. Neither will Jaehaerion. Your father is the only one he will let mount him, as I am the only one Visenyon will allow," Daenerys explained.

"And Rhaelle?"

"Rhaelle has not chosen yet." Dany smiled at her young daughter. "It could be you, for all I know."

Rhaenys chirped up and beamed at Daenerys. "I would like that very much! But how do you know if a dragon wants you to be its dragonrider?"