Jacaerys Velaryon knows his life will end one of two ways: on a throne or nameless in a traitor's grave. He knows his mother's will end the same way. A prince's duty is to protect his queen. Alder Tierney is an estranged daughter of the North, a smallfolk with a secret larger than a dragon. She has the blood of the forest in her, the touch of the Old Gods. And she longs for more than her life. All stories begin somewhere. This is the story of a prince who falls from his dragon, finds his mother a sworn shield, and somehow (possibly) stops a war. [originally published on ao3 but i wanted more people to give me compliments- I mean i wanted a new demographic]