68
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196 AC
Harrenhal
Aemon Targaryen
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"This seems reckless." I mutter as we enter the Godswood with a dangerous plan in mind.
"Stop being a worrywart, Father rode his dragon a whole bunch of times by this point... we are just doing what he did." Visenya foolishly leads the advancement into the Godswood, her words not wrong but also lacking the caution needed to do what we plan to do.
"What happens when we get caught afterward?" I ask knowing full well we will get the tanning of a lifetime and won't be able to sit on our dragons for weeks just from the pain.
Visenya does not answer and only increases her speed as she runs ahead with her hair whipping around behind her. Rhaella meets eyes with me and shrugs before chasing after her leaving me alone for a moment before I chase after them.
Thankfully we were able to shake off our younger siblings like Jacaerys who would likely have fought someone to get to ride his mount. Jacaerys and Nightmare are just like the dragon's namesake and are a living nightmare when they play around during feeding time. I can still remember even to this day the sight of Nightmare climbing inside of a sheep's carcass and Jacaerys trying to pull him out. Blood and gore spilled from the animal leaving everyone else to throw up their lunch.
Speeding up to keep up with my Sisters I catch sight of Moonfyre resting not far away, one of her eyes lazily opens likely hearing us. The sight of her lifting her large head fills me with worry, as if she will summon my Father somehow. But as we approach she just keeps her eyes on us as we make our way toward our dragons.
"Thankfully Moonfyre ate those stags delivered by those hunters not long ago, she is likely too full to feel like fooling with us." Visenya cheers as she runs up to Meraxes and quickly climbs onto the saddle with suspicious ease, almost as if she has done it a whole bunch of times.
"We are only supposed to go flying when Mother or Father can go with us." I state as Visenya buckles herself on the saddle with the safety straps.
"Yea... that is why we are being sneaky." Visenya looks at me like I am an idiot but I push her graceful movements on the saddle out of mind... she likely has snuck out here a bunch of times to practice.
Her and her enviable ability to slip into her dragon's mind and sneak around easier than anyone else can. Brightfury seems to understand we are here for a flight as he climbs down from the massive pile of dirt that he has dug up to make a hill with a moat surrounding it. He has burned it all to melt it into one giant piece of ground compacted together. The rain has filled his moat with enough water that Father joked about getting some Lizard Lions to guard the dragon while he sleeps on top of his hill.
Though I personally think Brightfury would just eat them...
""Lower so I can climb on!"" I command and my lime-colored companion presses his chest against the dirt letting me grab onto a spine so I can climb to the saddle. ""Hold still!"" Like a hound too eager after getting a bone, he tries to rise up after I grab on, almost sending me onto my ass.
"Hurry up Aemon, Moonfyre is getting up!" Rhaella shouts and I turn toward the large silver She Dragon just in time to see her raise her head high and push off the ground kicking up a storm of dust as she flaps her wings.
Ignoring the stinging feeling in my eyes from the dust I slide into place on the saddle and quickly fumble with the safety straps. Each one measured to perfectly keep me on the saddle and not fall off like Joffrey Velaryon... though that had more to do with him riding a dragon he was not bonded to.
""Let's go!"" I command and Brightfury shakes with anticipation as he lowers his rear and raises his head and neck.
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196 AC
Harrenhal
Aerion Targaryen
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"You know... I should have seen it coming." I mutter as I watch the majority of my children argue and fuss at one another. "I think this is worse than the fact they snuck off." My kids that did not run off to fly their dragons are all now arguing over the fact they got left behind or their dragons are too small and without a saddle.
"I need a saddle Muna!" Viserys in all his four name-day glory throws a fit that he does not have a saddle for his mount.
"Senya does not love me!" Viserra my sweet three-year-old who has yet to hatch an egg could care less about a dragon, instead, she is made her older sister left without a single word.
Puffy red eyes with tears running down their cheeks or frustrated pouts adorn all the faces except the babe Alyssa who is looking around in confusion. The only one with an excuse to cry is left chewing on a few fingers as she watches her older siblings.
"The worst part is Moonfyre left with them so you can't even chase them down, I think she did it on purpose." Mya jokes beside me leaving me with a bitter taste in my mouth.
This is definitely about me not letting her eat the Elephants...
"I could go find them." Daenerys tries her best to slip off and leave me with the squalling children but I place a firm hand on her shoulder and shake my head.
"They will get hungry and come back... or the dragons will." Either way, they won't be able to find their favorite treats out in the wilds and the dragons are spoiled rotten on getting delivered food.
They will return to fill their stomachs and I will pounce on them, I already am imagining throwing them into a room with a mountain of reading material. It seems Visenya is immune to any stern words or a belt to the rear, she will pull her hair out though when she sees what I have in mind for her punishment. Mathematics and Reading lessons, it will be blissful to watch on as she grits her teeth in frustration.
"Rhaegar." I call out to my Son who is annoyed at all the noise and sitting on his own with crossed arms over his chest. "I don't care what Visenya promises to get you, don't help her when she comes asking for help." My bookish boy looks at me in confusion but still dutifully nods his head with a small smile.
"They left me with all this ruckus, they can suffer whatever burden you place on them." He responds evenly with a vindicative smirk on his face.
Good, without him, Visenya will be left to her own devices... sometimes I worry she might be too manipulative but it's fine. I am not raising perfect little Lord and Ladies, I am raising badass Prince and Princesses who will kick ass. If one is getting taken advantage of by another I can just use it as a lesson to teach the 'victim' that they need to wise up or it will keep happening.
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"No!" Visenya whines as I snatch her off her dragon's back after helping to unstrap her.
"Yes." I smile brightly and make sure she sees me so she knows just how 'happy' I am to see her again. "It is time for you to do some 'Homework'." She grimaces and starts pinching at me but finds no fat to grab as I am built like a stone statue.
"Please don't." She complains and tries to give me upturned eyes but I ignore her begging as I set my big girl on my hip and walk back toward the castle as if she is a rowdy baby.
"Just take the punishment and keep putting on a good show for your siblings, they need to see there are consequences for doing what you did." I give her a serious look as she pouts and crosses her arms over her chest. "You don't want to encourage the younger ones to do what you did, Viserys is about ready to leap onto his dragon's back regardless of no saddle." Her nose crinkles as her eyes turn puffy either from her actually being sad or just helping me by looking sad to scare off the younger kids from doing as she did.
"What about Aemon and Rhaella?" She speaks up after silently letting me carry her back, the two mentioned kids of mine currently being dragged by the ear by their Mother.
"Danny has it under control." I speak with no-nonsense in my voice as I pick up the pace a little to avoid the echoing scolding the two oldest children of mine are getting.
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196 AC
Harrenhal
Prunella Celtigar
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"I don't think I am ready to go back." I speak my desire hoping my Foster Father will not send me back to my Family.
"Why?" He asks as he sits at his desk in his solar, an uncertain look on his face as he leans forward.
"My Mother wrote to me not long ago, my Father wants to engage me to a Lord from the Vale who is soon to inherit his Father's seat." My Father wants to sell me off for some gold, the Lord in return will be getting me as a Wife and access to the new Celtigar fleet.
"You are not ready to wed?" He asks with a sad look on his face, he has been more of a Father to me than my own Father and I know he is against arranged marriages.
His own children can marry who they want but they have rules, they will not be giving dragons or dragon eggs to anyone without the name Targaryen.
"I am not, my Mother supports me but I fear my Father has learned of how I feel about it and I have not gotten word from her since the last raven. I believe he is not letting her send any ravens and has sent his own asking for me to be ready to depart from Harrenhal." He leans back in his seat while lacing his fingers together on top of the desk.
"I might have a plan to extend your stay and kill any marriage." He suddenly sits forward while smiling much like Aemon does when he wins a training match. "We can offer your Father a better match... though that will present its own problems down the line." I shift in my seat while pushing down any hope threatening to rise up at the thought of getting free from a marriage to a man as old as my Father.
"A match with who?" He waves a hand as he sits back in his seat once more.
"Let me worry about that, you have time to sit back and relax while thinking about your future for a bit longer. If I offer to find a good match for you then your Father will accept that for at least a while... maybe a year or two if we are lucky. But if it comes to it then I can set you a match with one of my Sons and you can break it without any problem once you find someone you actually want to wed." I clench my hands on the armrests and feel my eyes sting as most of my worry washes away with his words.
"Thank you." He snorts hearing my thanks and picks back up the book he was reading when I walked in for this scheduled meeting.
"No thanks needed, you might not be my Daughter in blood but I have raised you and see you as one of my brood of many. Just take it easy and come to me if something else comes up, I can handle most things like this pretty easily. Your Father has a Son now and so you are free of the duty of holding your House on your back for the most part. If you were still the future heir then I might would have to agree with him that you need to wed at some point, but your Brother can handle that and you can do as you want in my eyes." I nod as I stand and curtsy with a smile on my face.
But even with his help I know I still need to figure out something, maybe I should try to marry one of his Sons for real. Then I could always go for dragon rides with my Husband and my Father would not be able to complain about who I married. I could remain in Harrenhal whenever I want if I was married to a Targaryen. My Foster Father would also become my Good Father and I would be more of a 'real' daughter to him as well.
Heading for the door I can't help but wonder if that is the right path and if it is then which one should I pursue.