Chapter Text
As long as she could remember Y/N used to stare at the open sea
Wondering what was hiding across the narrow sea.
Was life there as dull as the one in her tiny fishing village? Were the people as bland as the never ending sound of the waves crashing on the rocks outside her home.
These were the questions Y/N would ask herself more often as she grew older and were finally starting to wish for a future. Life in her village was not bad, she had food, clothes, a roof over her head and a mother that adored her, that was not the problem.
What was causing Y/N this unrest was the very blood flowing through her veins, even if she was raised by her mother alone, Y/N’s mother never hid who her father was.
Before Y/N was born, the stepstones, which could be seen from their house if the seas were calm and skies were clear, were burning. The triarchy finally refused to play by the rules of the great houses of the known world and decided to seize the stones for themselves, inflicting their own toll, and for the unlucky ones, being nailed to wood posts and left as food for the crabs, as it was the sick custom of the self proclaimed Prince Drahar “The crab feeder”.
While the war ensued, your village became a port for the Velaryon ships and its sailors. Occasionally the dragon riders, Prince Daemon targaryen on Caraxes and Ser Laenor Velaryon on Seasmoke would land in your village to either have a warm meal offered by the small tavern, or to visit the few whores that thrived in times of war when men were away from their wives.
The reputation of the Rogue Prince reached even this forgotten settlement, but it grew even more when the Velaryon sailors would talk about how their prince was ruthless in his ways, all of them afraid to step out of line in fear of becoming Caraxes next meal.
Y/N’s mother on the other hand never cared for gossip of this sort, she always judged on how she was treated and what her eyes could see.
Y/N’s mother,Brighid was a healer by trade, which made her ever so important during those times, she was busy day and night trying to help as many men who would come ashore injured from the daily battles. One night in particular while she was getting ready to rest, she heard it, the distinct whistling of the Bloodwyrm growing louder and louder. She looked around until she saw the scarlet dragon weave through the night sky, flying towards her cottage until finally landing on the sands in front of the house.
She hurried towards the great beast as she knew, the prince had no other reason to be there other than an injury, and she was right, Daemon had been hit with arrow in his right shoulder, he stumbled off his dragon and as he was about to fall on the ground, Brighid caught him, almost falling herself from the weight, slowly she managed to carry him to her home all whilst Caraxes did not sit still whether it was growling when you stumbled or letting out sounds which one could describe as cries whenever Daemon groaned in pained.
Once in the house Brighid got to work firstly snapping the arrow as close to his cuirass as possible then swiftly removing it and cutting his tunic, she saw the full extent of the injury. Not only was the arrow poking out the back but it was covered in oil which had burned his shoulder, up his neck and halfway down his ribcage, it was a miracle the fire didn’t spread more.
While Brighid was examining the exit wound, Prince Daemon was fading in and out of conscience, whether is was the pain of the burns or the blood loss only the gods could know, either way it was a mercy seeing that he was out cold while Brighid was in the middle of sewing him up. After she was finished wrapping a clean cloth soaked in pot marigold tea around his burns, she sat down next to the bed and began her watch, if he made it through the night, the prince would recover.
Outside she could still hear Caraxes circling and whistling as if asking if Daemon was alright, all throughout the night.
It was the third day after Daemon landed outside her house, the prince luckily woke up and was over the worst part, yet Brighid did not allow him to get out of bed in fear of re-opening his wounds.
“Stop it, lay down, I did not save you just so you could die right now, the stepstones are not going anywhere” said Brighid as she walked back in with a basket full of herbs. despite only meeting him three days ago and barely exchanging any words, it was as if she knew him all her life
“You do know who I am, right?” Daemon looked at her with what can only be described as amusement and curiosity towards her boldness to command him,
“Yes I do, and that makes no difference, you can still die like the rest of us” she replied without even looking at him and hanging the herbs above the fireplace to dry.
Daemon only let out a small huff and laid back down, from his bed he could see Caraxes was sitting right outside the house, which meant this woman who either had no sense of self-preservation or she had incredible guts, while everyone else was afraid to come anywhere near Caraxes, she was walking so close past him as if he was a mear guard dog.
She intrigued him.
A week has now passed and Brighid gave Daemon the approval that he can go back to the stepstones under the condition of being careful.
“No fighting with that arm, and certainly no falling on it, or next time you come here I will not give you anything to dull the pain” she said loudly as daemon was getting ready to leave, he said nothing only looking at her for a few moments before ordering Caraxes to take flight.
The Fighting was over.
“In a risky suicide mission, Prince Daemon managed to kill The Crab Feeder, the stepstones are free from the triarchy, and peace will once again lay over these shores” Said one of the sailors towards the villagers. When she heard this, all Brighid could think was that she could return to her quiet life and not treat wounded men day in and day out.
As glad as she was about that, a certain melancholy washed over her, on her way back to her cottage she was lost in thought about what exactly was tugging at her heartstrings,
She didn’t even notice the great red beast that was sleeping behind her small house, and when she opened the door there he was, almost walking into him, Daemon.
“Careful, wouldn’t want the healer getting injured now” Said Daemon with a half smirk looking down at her as if expecting her to run away
Brighid looked back at those violet eyes and then it snapped, he was the reason she was feeling this way. In the days she cared for his injuries he barely talked to her, but the way he looked at her spoke a thousand words.
Daemon tilted his head at her, she was staring at him
“Are you hurt again? or have you come to finally thank me for saving your life” she said after shaking her head and walking towards her kitchen.
“Maybe both” was all he said slowly walking towards him.
She watched him with the corner of her eye and when he was only a few steps behind her, she turned around and crossed her arms “ Is that so? well then, tell me what hurts”
This earned a chuckle from Daemon, closing the space between them towering over her, he took her hand and placed it over his chest “while I was flying over the stepstones, everytime I would look towards your house, I could feel a stabbing pain here “
“By the gods, that sounds serious” half mockery could be heard in her tone, teasing more than anything
“So what do you think it is? will I die?” playing along to her tone, Daemon leaned down
“I would need to have a closer look” was all she could say before their lips came together.
“ And the rest is for the wise men to ponder on “ Said Brighid while getting up from the rundown bench outside her house.
“Come on mom, that can’t be all, what happened next, I want to know more about father “ Y/N slammed her fists on her knees in protest
“Y/N, look around you, the sun is already setting, and I still haven’t made dinner, now come help me” Brighid waved her hand at Y/N to follow her inside
“You know, your eye color is all you got from me, the rest is all Targaryen, even your attitude, it reminds me of his much too often, you're hot-headed and can’t sit still for the life of you, He said you might be like this because of his Valyrian blood” She chuckled whilst cutting some vegetables.
“I know Daemon Targaryen is a prince and what not, but couldn’t he at least visit a few times? you say I look like a targaryen, yet I have never seen him or any other “ Y/N whined while pacing around the kitchen
Putting down the knife and turning towards Y/N “He used to visit very often until you were five years old, that is when he married Lady Laena of the Velaryon house, remember them? the same sailors who fought in the stepstones, the ones you so dearly stare at every day?” she said with a soft smile
All Y/N could do is look down at her feet and sigh ”I just wish I could meet him now mother, I mean I am his daughter too right?”
Brighid walked towards her and hugged her ”Hush now child, like I said many times, you will meet him, when the time is right”
“What makes you so sure?” Y/N looked up
Her mother didn’t reply, instead all she did was caress her cheek. If only she could tell her daughter that she has been exchanging letters with Daemon ever since, and the day her daughter is meant to leave the nest is approaching faster than she expects.
Four weeks later
Y/N was roaming around the fields behind her home looking for herbs her mother asked to pick up when all of a sudden she got a chill down her back, she stopped for a minute rubbing the back of her neck thinking it must have been just a cold wind, they were pretty common since she lived by the sea.
But she couldn’t shake this feeling, like something was about to happen, it felt like the foundation that held her quiet days was crumbling down, she couldn’t explain it.
Besides this, even her own mother was acting strange. She often caught her staring with a face that one would have when they are longing for someone, was it that Y/N started to look a lot like Daemon Targaryen and was forcing her mother to remember him? or was it something else, either way Y/N knew her mother was hiding something but she couldn’t place her finger on it.
Pushing those thoughts towards the back of her mind, Y/N continued with her task only heading back once she gathered a basket full of herbs, even if her mother asked for just a handful.
Y/N thought that these tasks were too mundane for her, she preferred swimming, exploring and picking fights with the other village youngsters, which more often than not ended in lectures by he mother of other older people in the village
On her way back Y/N couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off, as if the very air didn’t have the all to familiar scent of salt, now it smelt of embers, as if someone just started a fire nearby, but there was no smoke anywhere, the scent was faint but it made Y/N feel nostalgic for some reason, and the moment she reached the peak of the hill that overlooked the village she came to a halt, in front of her was a sight she only dreamed of.
A dragon, as red as the blood in her veins, It was Caraxes. Brighid has told Y/n of him, and if Caraxes was here it meant only one thing, the day arrived, she will get to meet her father at last.
Y/N dropped the basket and started running downhill towards her house, for a split second she asked herself why wasn’t she scared of Caraxes, after all she never saw a dragon before, but then she remembered what her mother told her a few weeks ago.
Daemon used to visit very often when she was a babe, surely he came on his dragon, and surely she was introduced to him, that was the only logical explanation she came to as she was running.
Caraxes took notice of her running down the hill, whistling as if he was happy to see her, at this, both Daemon and Brighid came out in a rush.
Brighid was half expecting her daughter to be angry that she wasn’t informed of this, while the other half knew her daughter far too well, Y/N wouldn’t be angry, she would be overjoyed to finally meet her father.
Right along her came Daemon who if no one knew better would say that he was anxious because of the speed he had exited the house with, when he stopped next to Brighid, he saw Y/N. Her hair was longer and lighter than even Rhaenyra when she was young, she had a smile from ear to ear while she ran.
Finally reaching the bottom of the hill Y/N stopped dead in her tracks and only stared at her parents, the image she only saw in her dreams, her face was flushed and she was trying to catch her breath
“Father” Y/N managed to say, her mind going blank, she had all these scenarios of what she would say, but nothing came to her now. And neither did Daemon, he was silent only his eyes giving him away what he wanted to do at that very moment.
Daemon slightly shifted his foot towards Y/N and that was all the signal she needed.
Y/N leapt towards him and embraced him, closing her eyes and taking in everything, as if he would disappear from her sight, like a dream would in the morning.
She took a long breath and then it hit her, that scent, it was the scent of a dragon, it felt comfortable, inviting even. Y/N was so caught up in the moment that she didn’t even realize Daemon’s arms slowly came around her embracing her back, even though she wanted this, something told her that he is not used to this, or he didn’t expect her to react like that.
Daemon was stiff as a board, affection was never his strong suit, but that does not mean he doesn’t know of it. Y/N took him by surprise, he was expecting her to ignore him. After all, he was an absentee father for 8 years.
After a few good minutes that felt like mere seconds, Daemon spoke.
“Ñuha ānogar” [My blood]
Y/N looked up at him in confusion, tilting her head as if to ask what he said .
“You will learn” Daemon’s voice was soft and he game her a smile
Neither of them noticed that Brighid went inside and that the sun was already half covered by the sea. They gave each other a knowing look and headed inside.
Brighid had already boiled some tea, she knew this would be a long night, so she made sure to brew enough for all of them.
She guided the two to sit down and she poured them a cup each, Y/N’s mother sat across from them and sighed.
“I wish I could’ve told you earlier Y/N, I’m sorry” looking down at her cup seeing her own reflection in the tea “I hope you can forgive me”
“Forgive you? for what mother? even if you would’ve told me I would still react the same” Y/N said reaching out and placing her hand on top of hers
This earned a soft chuckle from Brighid, looking at Daemon who was analyzing their interaction “I suppose you are the better one to say it”
Y/N looked between the two in confusion, what was not being said?
Daemon took a deep breath pulling out a small rolled up parchment that had a wax seal on it, Y/N recognized the seal, it was the Targaryen emblem.
“This here is a decree from my brother, King Viserys Targaryen. After the war in the step stones was over my brother said I could have anything, for years and years I didn’t know what to ask, until my late wife Laena….” he paused and a wave of sadness was washing over his face at the mere mention of her “Passed away and her funeral was held, that is when I realized, while looking at the rest of my family, my brother with his wife and children, my niece with her husband and children, my own two daughters, I realized what I wanted and was missing” he looked over at Y/N scanning her face to see is she was putting the pieces together.
“You Y/N, I was missing you, so when my brother approached me to offer his condolences he said it again, he said if there is anything I can do, if it’s in my powers It will be so. That’s when I told him that I want my bastard daughter to be legitimized, for her to be a true Targaryen” with those last words, Y/N finally understood, he was there to take her away to live with him, if indeed the parchment that was in front of her said that she no longer is a bastard, she couldn’t remain here, she also understood now why her mother kept looking at her with that look, Brighid knew that she had been legitimized and it’s only a matter of time before she would have to leave.
Her parents were now both looking at her, waiting for a reaction, anything that would tell them how their daughter was feeling.
After a few moments, Y/N reached out for the parchment and broke the seal, slowly unraveling it as if not to destroy it, she read out loud.
“Viserys Targaryen, first of his name, King of the Andals, the Rhoynar and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and protector of the realm. Hereby declares that Y/N Salt, is the true born daughter of daughter of Prince Daemon Targaryen” trueborn daughter, that was what kept ringing in her head, she slowly looked up at Daemon looking for signs that this was not a farce, but all she could see was the honest truth.
“So I am-” she took a deep breath ” a true Targaryen now, and I will have to go back with you, right?I have to leave mother”
Daemon nodded and Brighid looked to the side breaking the silence between the two
“My sweet child, this is your destiny, I knew it from the very first day I held you, I knew you would leave me one day, whether it was as a Salt or a Targaryen, you were always bound to leave, you’re too restless for a quiet and simple life here, you would waste away if you were to stay” Brighid said with a smile as if to soothe her daughter that was starting to form tears in her eyes.
“Just because you will leave does not mean that you will never hear from her, me and your mother exchanged letters very often, duty bound me to other places, yet I still heard from your mother and to that extent I heard about you and how you grew ” Daemon chimed in further reassuring Y/N that this is not the end, but merely a new chapter in her life.
The rest of the night was spent talking about their past, Daemon explaining their situation on how he married Rhaenyra and about her new siblings, Jace, Luke, Rhaena, Baela and Joffrey, about where they would be living, and about dragons. Y/N talked about her adventures and what she likes to do, from this alone Daemon could tell that this was his daughter, she had that same fire burning behind her eyes, the same fire that wanted to strive for greatness, a fire he could not see in his other children whether it was his daughters or Rhaenyra’s sons, he could not find that spark within them.
This night, for the first time Y/N felt whole, she was still sad that she would have to leave her mother behind, but she was also glad she could spend this night as one family.
She reassured herself that she would come to visit again in the future, and sit with her mother on their bench and tell each other about their life since they’ve been apart.
Hours passed, and none of them realized that the sun was rising, until a knock came to the door, Daemon said it was one of the men that accompanied him, a man of the golden cloaks.
“Excuse me my prince, but the tide will come in a few hours and we cannot risk the ship getting stranded” said the man from outside, Y/N could see the annoyance on her father’s face as he tried to keep his composure for his daughter’s sake
Both her and her mother laughed to one another, Y/N knew from what stories she heard that her father had a short temper when it came to his men.
Unbeknownst to Y/N, Brighid already packed her belongings the day before when she sent her to gather herbs.”Y/N, I have something for you” she said as she reached on top of the dresser and grabbing a small box that was covered in so much dust Y/N could not tell what color it originally was.” This was my mother’s and her mother’s before her, and now it is yours” She slowly opened the box to reveal a necklace made out of what appeared to be white steel and adorned with jewels that had the same color as her eyes, it looks so clean as if it was just made.” This is our family heirloom, it’s origins are said to be from somewhere in asshai, the necklace resembling the ghost grass that grows in the shadow lands, and the jewels are the same as our eyes, the women in our family always had this eye color” she smiled while she took the necklace and placed it around her daughter’s neck.”One day when you will have a daughter of your own, you will pass it down to her” Brighid hugged Y/N and kissed her on her forehead
Daemon was leaning on the wall, arms crossed while watching them closely, smiling at the pair
“And you mister, if anything happens to my daughter, I do not care you have a dragon , you could have a thousand of them, I will get you” Brighid pointed her finger overly dramatic towards Daemon who only threw his arms up in the air in defeat with a smirk
“I wouldn’t want to mess with the famous healer of the stepstones, I am not that brave “ Y/N laughed at the exchange, holding her mother’s hands she smiled and hugged her one last time before she left towards her new life.
When they stepped outside, there were a few people waiting, Y/N looked towards herr father for answers
“Handmaids and squires” He gestures towards the house and they start to hurry like ants while Y/n, and her parents slowly walked towards the beach where a few row boats were tied, and Caraxes was waiting, but once he sensed Daemon approach, he got up, neither Y/N or her mom flinched, but the poor people that were carrying Y/N’s belongings got a spring in their step, this made Daemon laugh.
“Would you look at that my own daughter of 13 is braver than you lot” he proclaimed loudly towards the scared men and women who were only trying to finish as fast as possible
“Why is it that I am not scared of him, father? Is it because I am your daughter?” Y/N walked a bit faster catching up with her father.
“Not entirely, while It does help that you are ñuha ānogar, which means my blood in High Valyrian, when you were just a babe , I used to take you on rides whenever I would visit, just like my mother did with me, it used to give your mother quite a fright whenever Caraxes would take flight with you in my arms” Daemon said while tightening the straps on the saddle
“No matter how good he is at flying I have all the rights to worry, after all I am a mother” said Brighid with a chuckle, This great beast who once brought a dying man to her home, if only Caraxes would realize how much he influenced her life ever since that night.
“Y/N come here please” Daemon reached out his hand and when Y/N grabbed it , he placed it on Caraxes “Now you have a choice, you can fly with me to King’s Landing, or you can sail on that ship” he turned his head towards the sea and Y/N followed, her eyes falling on the black sails that proudly showed the Targaryen sigil.
As much as Y/N wanted to fly and actually remember it, she thought that it would not be a good idea to meet the rest of the family right as they land on a dragon, going by ship would make her look more humble, even if she knew that they will not judge her regardless of how she would arrive, the Queen on the other hand, might think Y/N as arrogant if she were to arrive on dragonback.
“ I appreciate the offer father, but I would prefer the ship, I’m sure I will have many chances to fly with you “ Y/N said with a smile and went in to hug her mother one last time before departing, both of them smiling at eachother
“Not if you fly on your own” Daemon said softly as if only to himself, and luckily for him, the pair didn’t hear him.
With one last kiss from her mother, Y/N got in the rowboat and sat down, the shore and the house she grew up in started to get smaller and smaller, her mother stood there watching her and she departed. Daemon stayed behind until Y/N reached the ship. When she did, he took flight, gliding along the Targaryen sails towards her new home.
Three months had passed
It didn’t take long for Y/N to get accustomed to her new life, albeit, she did freeze when she first saw Kings Landing, she didn’t expect it to be this big, so many noises she never heard. The smells, although unpleasant, were somewhat alluring, as if something drew her to the chaos that made up this city, and at the peak of it there it was, the Red Keep, the place she would call home for the rest of her life.
The size of everything was more easy to take in than all the pampering she started to face as soon as she arrived, handmaids left and right following her, Septas teaching her to curtsy and how to act properly as a young lady, maesters speaking for hours in high Valyrian almost every day as courtesy of her father, he did say she will learn.
This is when Y/N started to truly shine as Daemon’s daughter, she would learn how to avoid the constant pestering of adults, to sneak off to the dragonpit where her younger brothers Jace and Luke and her new uncles Aegon and Aemond would usually spend most of their days, bonding with their dragons.
It was only Y/N and Rhaena that did not have a dragon, while Y/N was not expecting to have a dragon seeing that she did not have an egg placed in her cradle and since she did not grew up around them she did not feel their absence as hard as Rhaena did, or Aemond before he claimed Vhagar, as to what her father said, on the night after Laena’s funeral, Aemond sneaked out and claimed her, losing an eye in the process because of the fight with Y/N’s little brothers, while she felt some sympathy for Jace and Luke on how they reacted to being called bastards, their positions were more important that hers, Jace would be king after her adopted mother Rhaenyra, and Luke would be lord of Driftmark one day, they could not afford these slanders going around.
While Y/N wouldn’t be queen or lady of the second wealthiest house in the seven kingdoms, her position was unstable, that is why even if Rhaenyra attempted to treat her like she would her own sons, Y/N couldn’t help but be given more freedom. That's how she discovered the secret passages of the Red Keep, and would often sneak out just like now to the same place.
To spy on the boys of the family, she has been doing it for weeks now, and not once was she caught by the dragon keepers, or anyone else.
Today something unexpected happened, instead of finding all the boys like she usually would, it was only Aegon and Sunfyre, he was getting ready for another flight.
Prince Aegon was flying Sunfyre almost everyday now, but it was rare for him to do it alone, he would usually mock Jace and Luke since their dragons were not big enough to be flown.
So Y/N hid in the upper section of the pit and looked down at the pair, it truly was as they said, Sunfyre was the most beautiful dragon in the known world, the way his golden scales would shine in the light that crept through the open doors of the pit, it made them look like the calm waves she used to watch early in the morning, shifting hues with every movement.
Y/N was so mesmerized by Sunfyre, she slowly rose up to see better without, and when she did, the prince took notice of the white hair that was now visible in the corners of his eyes, slowly he turned his head enough for him to see who it was, but not enough to give himself away.
When he recognized her, a proud smirk appeared on his face and when he mounted Sunfyre he took extra care to do it gracefully, after all, he had an audience now.
Y/N wanted to call out and tell him to wait, she wanted to get closer, she didn’t talk about it or let it show in front of others but she had the same obsession with dragons as Aemond did before.
She overheard Aemond say that there are still some unclaimed dragons housed in the pit if one is brave enough to get past Dreamfyre. Y/N would sometimes ask her father about dragons and one thing that stuck with her was “Dragons are not pets, they can be very dangerous to strangers, especially she-dragons who just laid clutches” and this was Dreamfyre, Jace and Luke told Y/N last week that Dreamfyre laid another clutch and that the dragon keepers have not gone under the pit because of her, she would attempt to kill anyone who dared to get close.
She wanted to stop Aegon and ask him to take her with him, she wanted to fly, she didn’t get a chance to ask her father yet, and she kept seeing him, Aemond and Helaena flying, and it left an ugly taste.
But she kept her mouth shut and only watched as prince Aegon leaned forward and said the words, Sōvegon sunfyre [Fly Sunfyre].
And at the same moment Y/N mouthed the same words as him, a prayer one might call it
She watched as the golden beast stretched his wings and took off, disappearing out the pit and being free above the city, Y/N took a deep breath and turned her gaze towards the ramp that led to where the other dragons were kept.
After she made sure no one was around she went down to where Aegon stood and stared at the ramp, she could hear her mother’s words.
“You are too restless for a quiet life”
Y/N held her breath and walked forward, down into the darkness, the smallest hints of light helping her navigate the halls until she smelled a familiar scent, the same one that her father had. but that couldn’t be true, her father was not in Kings Landing at the moment and as she learned after she reached her new home, not all dragons have the same scent.
She followed the scent until she reached a split, she was trying to figure out which way to go when she heard a shuffling in the dark, she unintentionally reached dreamfyre, who was laying on top of her clutch, and she took notice of Y/N and started to gather fire in the throat, she stopped and only looked at Y/N the same way she would look at Halaena.
Y/N froze in place and looked back at Dreamfyre
“ēdrugon Dreamfyre, ivestragī issa rēbagon [Sleep Dreamfyre, let me pass]” Her voice stuttering to speak what little Valyrian she knew, this made dreamfyre groan
“Kostilus dreamfyre[Please Dreamfyre]” she pleaded once more with the new mother, finally earning what one would call a disinterested huff and the loud thud of Dreamfyre settling down once more.
Y/N let out a sigh of relief and continued forward, picking up on the scent she was following, now getting stronger, she reached an open area that had multiple torches along the wall, making the place more visible that the rest of the halls.
And in the dim light she saw it. A dragon with scales as white as fresh snow that turned blood red halfway down the legs, wings and tail, and its eyes almost as if they were glowing in the dark, with a shade of green as the jewels in the necklace Y/N got from her mother.
Y/N felt drawn in, she never saw it before in the pit, nor has anyone talked about it, she would’ve surely heard of a beauty like this. One small step towards it alerted the dragon to her presence, and it immediately stood up and looked at her, slowly creeping towards her.
She took a few steps backward until she hit the wall. Y/N was not feeling scared at that moment, she felt uneasy, just like a sailor would feel if the open seas were too calm
The dragon was now a few feet in front of her, it made the same movements a cat would to something new. Then in her mind Y/N realized, she would never get an opportunity like this again, surely Rhaenyra would lock her in her chambers for the rest of her life if she found out where she is. So in a soft voice, almost a whisper she says
“Dohaeris…….Dohaeris” all while looking at it while reflecting the same curiosity as the beast. The dragon tilted it’s head a few times and Y/N tried to approach it, it got startled and stretched its wings
“Lykiri kostilus, lykiri[calm down please,calm down]” she said while backing a bit, this time choosing to stretch her arm out allowing the dragon to come to her if it wanted,it huffed and slowly stepped forward until it nudged her hand. Y/N took this as a signal and moved closer once again, now the dragon did not back away, but instead it turn its head and watched her as she touched it along its neck, with a closer look, the head and neck looked similar to Caraxes, but the body and wings were like something between Syrax and Arrax, truly unique.
Y/N now had both hands on the dragon and was petting it, it was big enough to take a rider, if there were clear skies and no wind. the dragon was beautiful in this dimmed light, but she wanted to see it in full light as well
She looked at the chain around its neck and took it off the wall and started to slowly guide the dragon towards the exit, and just as if it could read her mind, it followed her without a fuss.
Once in the same corridor as Dreamfyre Y/N looked at her once more, this time dreamfyre looked at both of them as if saying “Be careful” she heard rumors that Dreamfyre was responsible for almost all the young dragons, maybe the reason why Dreamfyre didn’t turn her into as was because she knew one of her hatchlings was deeper inside the pit and that Y/N was drawn to it. Either way Y/N was glad that Dreamfyre chose sleep.
Y/N lead the dragon out in the open pit and into the sunlight, and it was as she thought, the white of the scales was even more pale, it seemed ethereal, with a slight silver shimmer to it, like millions of diamonds shining in the sun, and the red, more bright than the Bloodwyrm or the Red Queen, and Eyes of green that would put Syrax to shame, if Y/N had to rate it, it would be a close tie with Sunfyre, almost and beautiful as Sunfyre.
She was so enthralled by the new discovery that she didn’t notice that prince Aegon had already returned and was at the entrance watching her.
He landed moments before she emerged from the ramp, Aegon watched her intensely as if she was new species, she looked like a Targaryen, had the name, but her eyes gave her away as a bastard, but neither he nor Aemond felt the desire to taunt her as they did with her brothers. whether it was because of her looks falling more towards theirs, or that she didn’t react to being called a bastard, so it was not worth trying to taunt someone who won’t react to him.
Yet there was something about her.
She intrigued him
After a few minutes of just standing there and watching her, he broke the silence.
“Hello sweet niece, where did you find that one” His voice broke the trance she was in, turning on her heels towards him, trying but failing desperately to hide her winged discovery with her small frame.
“Aegon” She said with a yelp, looking around for something that would help her explain, but there was nothing but the empty space between them.
“How did you manage to get past Dreamfyre? not even the dragon keepers can get close without her spitting fire at them” His monotone voice paired well with the slow strides he took to close the distance between them, Sunfyre following behind him while the one you found only wrapped it tail around your legs as if to shield her one might say, but Y/N felt as if it was a gesture to comfort someone that had stage fright. It was not that she was scared of Aegon, other than the occasional taunts around the halls of the Red Keep, Aegon would leave you to your own devices.
What made her anxious is that she realized how late it has gotten by the orange rays outside it was time for dinner and you were on the other side of the keep, with a new dragon, alone and with the dress that Rhaenyra gave you as a welcome home gift being as dirty as the flea bottom streets
“I heard a sound and I followed it, Dreamfyre was sleeping when I went down there, so that was my luck” she said in a rushed voice while looking back down the ramp, no knowing what to do in this situation, she might be smart , but she is still a girl of thirteen, same age as Aegon, but he was a man , and as she was so often reminded by the septas.
“A young lady should never act like a savage animal Y/N” Was the line she waited to hear whenever she saw them each day at her sewing lessons.
Even if Y/N knew what to do in most situations, this was way over her head and Aegon noticed how her eyes started to show the panic, and if her eyes were not giving away, surely the new dragon did, it kept looking at her then Aegon, then her and again and again it went.
From where he stood Aegon got the feeling that the dragon she found was saying words that Y/N couldn’t in the moment.
Help
“How about we get your new friend back down there and head back, my mother might not have my head for being late to dinner, but I cannot say the same for my older sister” Aegon extended his hand towards the chain Y/N was holding, and looked at her with his head slightly tilted
Y/N looked behind her then handed the chain to Aegon ”Thank you and can we please keep him a secret? I think I managed to bond with them, but I do not want Rhaenyra or my father to find out just yet” Y/N said pleadingly while following Aegon back down to guide both dragons to the inner pit for the night.
“Anything for a sweet thing like you” he replied leaning into her to emphasize the word sweet, even if they were the same age, Aegon was more versed in the way of courting, as a nice way of putting it. But Y/N was no fool, she knew those ways as well, she grew up in a small fishing village, with not many children around so she often spent her time at the tavern, just listening to the locals or traveling sailors talk to the few whores that even your forsaken corner of the world had, from time to time asking them what something a man said meant.
“Thank you dear uncle” Y/N replied with a smile and bumping her shoulder to his, taking Aegon by surprise, he was used to the servant girls being scared or disgusted by his ways, this was a breath of fresh air, someone who was not looking at him like he was a puppet or a disgrace.
When they reached the entrance to the caves, Aegon turned to Y/N.
“And what is their name? Do you have one?” he asked
Y/N furrowed her brows and look at the dragon who as if they knew was waiting patiently to hear it
“Beira” Y/N replied softly ”Her name is Beira”
“Well well , another she-dragon, this is fitting” Aegon smirked, motioning toward the exit.
“Let’s get back before I get myself gelded for spending time with you past sundown” Taking a few steps ahead he held out his hand to help Y/N up the slope, it was dark enough to trip, and he couldn’t have his favorite niece get injured.
With one last look behind him, he has Beira staring at him
And just as he did, he couldn’t shake the feeling that this encounter has set in motion something bigger than him or Y/N. Although he didn’t know what it was.
Later that evening
Everyone was gathered around the dining table, both Y/N’s side and Aegon’s,or the balck and greens as some called them, from time to time the King would request for everyone to dine together and hold some resemblance of a big happy family but between the daggers that the Queen and Rhaenyra threw at each other with their gazes, the snickering of your younger step brothers, and the way Y/N’s father glared at Otto as if the he killed his whole family, everyone else but the king noticed this.
In his feigned blindness, with hopes of preserving the peace, King Viserys held on that they could mend the broken bonds in some way
Despite the dinner going about just like any other,there was only one thing different. Aegon, he was quiet, and managed to hold his hands on the table for the most part, this was very peculiar for him, he would usually constantly taunt Y/N’s side, or try to get the company of the servant girls, not tonight.
He kept staring down at his plate, lost in thought. Y/N tried to see what expressions he was making so she lowered her head to which Aegon noticed, looked at her and she gave him a puzzled look that silently said.
“Is everything ok?” The only response Aegon gave was downing whatever he had left in his cup. Y/N often wondered why Aegon was drinking so much even at a young age. Only the gods knew what pushed him to that, and whatever it was it was the same reason as to the sudden change of attitude. at least that’s how Y/N tried to rationalize the situation.
Never would she guess that the sole reason for his disposition tonight was the way she replied to his compliment in the dragonpit.
After the dinner concluded with everyone keeping their heads on their shoulders, each family member headed to their respective apartments, Y/N wanted to ask Aegon what was wrong but before she she could say a single word, her father stepped in front of her and took a deep breath, loud enough for her to hear and realize that he knew what happened today.
Of course she couldn’t trick her father, no matter how much perfume she doused herself with before dinner. He could still smell the dragon smell on her, so he excused himself from Rhaenyra and the rest of the family and started guidingY/N along towards what she assumed to be the godswood, and she was correct.
Once Y/N was alone with her father he spoke up
“Do you remember what I told you about dragons?” He asked, sounding a bit defeated, he knew better than to trust that his own flesh and blood would behave.
“That dragons are not pets and they can be dangerous with strangers” Y/N said while not lifting her head
Daemon took her chin and lifted her face so that she was looking at him
“The idea that we can control dragons is an illusion Y/N, they allow us to ride them, some have special bonds like I do with Caraxes, but most bonds are like walking on the edge of a blade, you never know when you will fall and cut yourself” Daemon squeezed her chin to emphasize the seriousness of the topic
“ You reek of dragon, so not only did you go to the dragonpit, but you started to bond with one, which one there are few named ones and few unnamed”
Of course her father knew about all the dragons in the pit.
“ The white and red one” said Y/N looking and sounding completely defeated. but just as she said that, Demon froze, like he couldn’t believe what he just heard.
“Y/N, you are not toying with me, are you?” she looked back up at him in confusion
“I am not father, white and red, green eyes, barely big enough to take a rider” she reaffirmed
“Y/N, that dragon is the same age as you are, it was from a clutch of eggs laid when I was a boy, the dragon keepers gave up on incubating that egg since there was no new child to share a cradle with it, but it hatched around the same time as you were born, and ever since then it has been violent towards any person that got too close to it, there was a reason as to why we kept it chained deep in the dragon pit”
Y/N was speechless she couldn’t believe what he father was saying
“Since the egg was nowhere near you when you were a babe I just assumed it was a coincidence, but now here you are, telling me that you have bonded with a dragon that up until now, was as wild as the cannibal on dragonstone”
Daemon took a few steps away and rubbed the side of his face while he paced around the garden
“Father I am asking you now, are you toying with me? you cannot expect me to believe that a dragon as wild and ferocious like Cannibal is the same as the one I encountered, the one I found was timid, and curious, it never growled at me or attempted to harm me” Y/N walked towards her father grabbing his arm.
“Are you sure we are talking about the same dragon?” she said, waiting for the man that looked lost in thoughts to answer
“Only one way to find out, tomorrow we are going to the dragonpit and you will show me this so called timid dragon I will tell you if it’s the same” Her father looked at her with what could be called deep concern if you believed Daemon Targaryen was capable of showing such an emotion
“Very well, tomorrow it is” Y/N replied and with that she and her father finally headed toward their chambers, but unbeknownst to them, their exchange was not private.
Aegon saw Daemon pull Y/N towards the gardens, and a mix of his curiosity to find out more about his niece and the several cups of wine he drank at dinner, he found the courage to tail them, and was standing behind one of the pillars while they had their little exchange.
This only made Aegon more curious about her and what made her tick. If what Daemon said was true, then his sweet niece is a special person.
Vējes[Fated]
Jemagon[Guide ]
Mīsagon[Protect]
Three words, for a split second ringed in Aegon’s head while he looked down the dark hallway that his niece vanished in, the words were spoken either too fast or he had too much wine at dinner.
All that Aegon knew is that tomorrow, he had to be the one hiding in the galleries.