106

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115 AC

The Eyrie

Jessamyn Redfort

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"She will be fine, Daeron has taken many people for rides on his dragon." That is why I am worried, I would prefer if Jeyne rode with Princess Rhaenyra on her dragon.

I feel like I am overthinking this.

Jeyne is just going for a ride on a dragon and maybe burning down a clan of mountain men.

But it's not even the potential murder that I am worried about.

Instead, I feel a churning in my stomach when I see Prince Daeron laughing and helping Jeyne approach his giant dragon. The way he takes her hand and places it on the great beast's side and slowly guides her toward its head to look into its baleful green eyes. The way Jeyne is obviously scared but puts on a brave face while half hiding behind Prince Daeron pressing herself close to his side for comfort.

Am I being paranoid?

"So he says." I respond to Aemma not wanting to be rude by not speaking up, but my voice comes out a bit hoarse.

Turning to look at Aemma I catch the eyes of both of the twins who are being clutched with one arm each. Looking down I see the older two children and how they are holding onto the skirts of Aemma without letting their gazes leave the dragons in the yard. I turn back toward the yard pushing down the rising feeling of unease in my stomach as I watch Princess Rhaenyra approach her Husband and Jeyne.

Thankfully she is with them even if it's just for a moment, I know she will be flying on her own dragon nearby as well when Prince Daeron takes Jeyne into the skies. I at least don't have to worry about the Dornish Prince trying anything if his Wife is there as a witness. He would not dare upset his Wife just to let his hands and eyes wander to Jeyne for a moment.

Though... that might be wrong as well.

Jeyne did not go into details but she had a talk with Lady Rhea Royce and it involved Rhea potentially having a child. She did not tell me everything but she did tell me the child will be a Royce and inherit Runestone. This does not make sense to me as it is well known Prince Daemon her Husband wants nothing to do with her. He is also on the other side of the Narrow Sea if rumor is to be believed and is ruling from one of the Free Cities.

But I have a good idea of what truly is going on.

The unpleasant feeling threatens to overwhelm me thinking about this.

Does Jeyne also want that?

We talked about it before and she refused marrying a man and having a child with him even if I promised I would not mind. I told her it was her duty to have a child to inherit her seat and she seemingly did not care and said her cousins could fight over her seat once she died.

But... I can't shake this feeling something is going on when she keeps looking at Daeron.

I know her 'thinking' look and she is thinking deeply whenever she looks at the Prince.

Is it just about the Mountain clan, is it about killing some people she thinks have wronged her and evaded her punishment?

I know I should just ask her, but I feel like it would upset her if she learned where my thoughts have strayed.

Looking once more at the children to my side I sigh and shake my head.

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115 AC

The Eyrie

Daeron Nymeros Martell

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"He won't eat you, just be confident you are beside me and he won't react so long as you don't try and jab him in the eye or something." I snort in amusement as Jeyne looks at my dragon's curious green eye with a shaking hand held out.

"Are you certain?" Jeyne asks without looking at me, her blue eyes locked onto a large green one.

"I promise." I reach out and press my hand on the back of hers and push it forward to touch the warm scales. "If you can't touch him then you don't need to climb up the ladder and mount him." I shake my head noticing she is not listening to me and instead is moving her fingers over the onyx black scales.

She seemed eager this morning when we were breaking our fast at the table with everyone else. Almost too eager as she already had a map with her and was going over a rough 'flight plan' as if she were a seasoned flyer herself. I could tell Rhaenyra was amused the whole time as the Lady of the Vale pointed things out to me and described landmarks.

They both are nonchalant about this... which I can't help but feel a bit worried about.

I mean, we are planning on attacking a settled clan in the middle of the Vale.

This is not a normal occurrence, and I am expecting a strongly worded letter from the King and a drop in his opinion of me.

Rhaenyra said she will take the 'fall' for me on this one, she wants to talk about it with her Father herself. But she does not seem to realize as pretty much everything has gone her way in recent times that I will still be blamed for this. I am the man here and I could tell them both that this is not something we should do and they would stop immediately. At least that is how everyone else in Westeros will see it once they hear about it... which is both true and not.

I could tell them both that we are just going for a flight and that is all that will happen, that much is true. But it is also true that Rhaenyra really does want to make a good impression and have a strong relationship with Lady Jeyne. She approves of this plan and desires to see it happen with her own eyes, even if she knows it will be unlike anything she has seen before. 

I would also be lying if I said I did not want to do this, not for the sake of killing some people obviously as I am not that psychopathic.

But instead, because I think this would be a good experience for Rhaenyra to have under her belt even if I am the one who will be doing the burning. She is a Princess and understands the responsibility of being the future Queen, knowing lives will be hanging upon her word. But she has such an odd few of death from what I have seen when someone dies before her like at the Tourney grounds or when we came upon a hanging.

I think she has a bit of bystander syndrome if it could even be called that.

Lots of the 'Nobels' I have observed in this world when they watch someone else die seem to have an odd way of looking at it. They lack a certain depth of empathy even if I know them to be empathetic to the common folk and their plights. It's as if they only actually see the 'bigger picture' and in a way that is probably for the best in most scenarios. But seeing only the bigger picture is bad in my opinion, sure it's probably for the best to do things with the 'greater good' in mind.

I don't know, maybe I am just overthinking it.

I just think deep down that any Targaryen ruler should have witnessed the actual power of the dragons if they plan to rule over and command the other Dragon riders. If they are to sit on the Conqueror's throne they should see how that throne was created with Fire and Blood.

"-I think it will be fine." I snap from my thoughts noticing Rhaenyra talking with Jeyne.

"Ready to climb up?" I clear my throat and ask which earns me a nod from Jeyne who eyes the rope ladder with a bit more eagerness than before.

"I am ready." Jeyne shows through her actions she means her words as she heads past me and grabs onto the rope ladder without any tremor in her hands like before.

"The little birdie is going to go for a flight." I joke as Rhaenyra loops her arms around me and embraces me from the side.

"Don't let her fall off, put all of the straps on her, and don't try to show off." I roll my eyes and loop my left arm around her pulling her flush with my side.

"I have never dropped anyone before." Not that I have not wanted to push some people off the back of Gaelithox when we were high up enough that no one would even be able to find a body.

They would just turn into a red smear on the ground.

"I didn't say you did, just hold onto her and don't let her fall off." Rhaenyra meets my eyes before looking back at Jeyne who is halfway up my dragon's side and I notice she is looking at a specific spot.

Jeyne's ample backside in her leather pants that highlights the plush rear wonderfully.

"Dorne ruined you." I shake my head but don't take my eyes off the 'target' either which earns a chuckle from my Wife who bumps me with her hip.

"If we manage to slip into this ones bed then we might be lucky enough to catch a redhead as well." Rhaenyra's words are like the devil on my shoulder and I have no angel to balance things out. "I am interested in how they do things on their own and I would like to find out, maybe we can have them put on a show while we have our own fun?" I hum not giving a response as I let go of my Wife and slip from her grasp to quickly head up the ladder.

Gaelithox knows I approve of Jeyne climbing onto his back and riding with us but I can see in his eye that he does not like her climbing up alone and being up there without me also being up there.

"We will see." I mutter loud enough to be heard by my Wife who heads toward her own dragon that is excitedly trilling seeing Rhaenyra approach.

Seeing her climb onto the back of her own dragon as I climb up onto mine I can't help but marvel for a moment at the beauty of my Wife. The way she looks as she mounts her dragon's saddle really does something for me, even more so than the thought of nailing the Lady of the Vale who is waiting for me to finish climbing up.

With Syrax having much more freedom in recent years Rhaenyra has also claimed she is growing much faster and it only adds to her 'Dragon Queen' aesthetic as her mount grows larger and more 'fierce' looking.

But anyone who knows Syrax knows she is a teddy bear if you are favored by her.

I wonder if that will change after today?

This should be Syrax's first time seeing a large group of people burning alive in dragon flames. I did not think about that until now and I wonder if it will trip something in her mind and make the sweetheart a bit more ferocious. Not that I am holding out hopes for that, she even lets the younger baby dragons bully her which is a bit pathetic if I am honest.

Balerion the little shit even scarred Syrax's tail when trying to get the larger dragon to play.

"Comfortable?" I ask as I make my way up onto the saddle and find Lady Jeyne sitting at the front of it holding onto the 'handles'.

"I did not think you had padded the saddle... it feels nice but it... seems odd." I chuckle and move way way to sit behind her and I immediately start strapping her in.

"Trust me on this,-" I pull tight a strap over her left thigh pinning the leg down against the saddle earning an odd noise from the blonde who jolts a bit. "-no one wants to ride a dragon without a little cushioning." I strap down her other leg and then put my feet into the 'Stirrups'.

I look down between us as I bring a strap out from behind me that will wrap around the both of us like a seat belt. I nod subtly as I glance over to my Wife who is watching me strap us both in with an unmistakable smile on her face even from this distance.

Jeyne certainly has enough 'cushion' of her own for a little 'dragon riding'.

Curse my Wife for putting these thoughts in my head.

Now I will be extra conscious of the fact that Jeyne is a total knockout in her own right this entire flight.