Ch.13

Over this past year, I've noticed more Noble men enter the Targaryen house to speak with Lord Rahaelor. I do not know what they are discussing, but from what I've learned from these humans I have some suspicion. As the Nobles believe in blood purity, usually marrying within the same family, but will marry other Nobles from good houses to make alliances. It seems that one of the other Noble houses has been setting up a marriage between Aenela and one of their men.

I believe this because Aenela has been going to these meetings with her father, plus each time she seems more upset. Though it appears that the marriage will take place once she finishes learning from me. That would be the reason she has been not trying as hard to learn magic, so she can prolong this marriage as long as possible. At first, I thought it might take a long time to teach these humans, but the two girls are fast learners. So I told the Lord and Lady of the house that in another year, Aenela should be done learning what she can while Relaesys might be two years since she can learn more than her sister.

"Talrit, why does my sister always seem sadder and sadder when she leaves the room where the other men and Father are meeting?" Relaesys asks me one day after we finish our lesson and Aenela left to go to a new meeting with her father. The brothers and sisters of the house have begun calling me by my first name as I grew closer to them.

"I can not say I know for sure, but it seems your sister is having a marriage being drawn up. This marriage does not appear to be to your sister's liking if I had to guess," I say to the young girl who has started to view me as family. Which brings warmth to my heart, seeing the innocent girl view me as family.

"Mother and Father always said it is our duty to the family to marry, especially if it can better the family," Relaesys says to me as I just nod my head patting her head, not sure what to say.

"And you would be right little sister. Family comes first because, at the end of the day, family is the only one to have your back," Tahaelar says to his sister walking over to us from behind, having come back from his daily training. He doesn't need training, but does it anyway since he wants to become just as good as his older brother and me who long surpassed both brothers in the way of the sword.

"What about you brother? Has Father finished writing your marriage contract?" Relaesys says to her brother as he smiles down at her and we all begin to walk through the garden.

"Yes, Father has, though my betrothed and I will marry in a few months. So until then, you are stuck with me. Once we marry, she and I will move to one of the smaller holdings near the main house as the bannermen for Father and Balaevar when he takes over," Tahaelar says to his sister who nods her head listening to her brother's words.

"What about you Talrit, are you going to get married?" Relaesys asks me with a curious look and her brother also looks at me curious as well.

"Not anytime soon I believe. Maybe even never… though if I'm lucky I might meet the one I'm destined to marry," I say with a shrug as the little hope I have left to find a mate is dwindling with time.

"Oh, a bachelor for life! That must be fun, doing what you want and who… whenever you want," Tahaelar says to me with a laugh while giving me a sly look as Relaesys isn't following the last part of her brother's statement.

"True, not being with someone gives me much more freedom to do as I please… Though I still long for a true connection with someone," I nod my head to his statement but still feel alone at the same time.

"Well, if you go around the noble house showing your skill in the magic arts. I'm sure one of them will try to snatch you up with a daughter of theirs," Tahaelar says to me with a nod of his head, very sure of his own statement.

"Then why does Father not marry Aenela to Talrit?" Relaesys says to us hearing the conversation.

"And I'm sure Aenela would be very happy to marry Talrit, though she is promised to another. She was supposed to marry right after the war ended, but since she is learning magic the marriage is postponed until she finishes," Tahaelar says to his sister while giving me a curious look to see how I feel about it. Though I do not care as I have no romantic interest in Aenela, only viewing her as my student and maybe a little sister.

"If you could would you marry her?" Relaesys asks me still curious, though I can see someone has influenced her to ask this. While Tahaelar is listening with a very curious look on his face.

"Lady Aenela is a very pretty woman, though I do not view her in a romantic way at all. She is and always will be, my student and friend, just as you are too Relaesys," I say to her while trying to think of the nicest way to say I have no interest in a human.

Relaesys nods her head happy with my answer, while Tahaelar nods his head too thinking about something. The rest of our walk in the garden back toward the house was in comfortable silence. Once we arrive, we see Lord Rahaelor, Balaevar, and Aenela leave a room after saying goodbye to another two men. One who appears to be around Rahaelor's age and one who is a few years older than Aenela. Both appear just as every other Noble in Valyria, with stark white hair and purple eyes. As they leave the two men look over at us, with the older man giving me one final inspecting glance.

"Father who is Aenela marrying?" Relaesys asks once the other nobles leave and Aenela looks annoyed.

"That was Lord Tahaelor of House Vaelareon with his son and heir Lord Daevar," Rahaelor says making his daughter wide-eyed hearing him.

After living among humans for the past year I learned pretty much everything I could about their history and customs. The House Vaelareon is the most influential and oldest House in all of Valyria. Somehow Lord Rahaelor was able to match his family with one of theirs, as apparently House Vaelareon usually only marries within itself. Only a handful of times in the past have they married outside the house. Especially surprising they would marry a Targaryen, which I learned was the youngest and least influential House in Valyria.

"Cool! Aenela is going to marry into the best house! With the biggest dragons on the island!" Relaesys says as she has a keen interest in dragons, and wants to become a rider one day herself. Though Aenela hears her sister gives an annoyed look but doesn't voice her opinion.

Later that day when I was in the Library still reading the books as I've only made it almost halfway through all the books. My time learning the sword gave me less time to read, so now that I finished that training I dedicate my free time to reading again. My peaceful reading was interrupted when Aenela walked into the room while sitting across from me with a loud sigh coming from her. Looking up at her with a raised eyebrow I waited for her to speak as I placed the book down.

"Are you here to just watch me read, or are you going to say what is on your mind?" I ask her since she is staring at me with a complicated look on her face.

"I'm sure you are aware of my marriage to Lord Daevar," Aenela says while I stare at her with an expression that says 'really', though I nod my head.

"Yes, I'm aware," I say with a sigh pouring her a glass of wine, as I pour more for myself. I have a feeling I know where this conversation is heading.

"I…I do not want to marry him… I…," Aenela says to me trying to find her words while looking around us to make sure there was no one nearby.

"I do not love him, nor do I want to marry someone who will never let me… be me," Aenela says to me, while I let out a small sigh not sure what to say.

"What should I do?" Aenela says to me after some silence that takes over from me mulling over what to say.

"I can not help you there. I'm not human and I may have learned how you all… live life, but that does not mean I truly understand the reasons why you all are the way you are… My only real suggestion is to become more powerful and leave everything behind. Though I know you love your family and you would never do that, so unless you are willing to leave and never return. You must see this marriage through, plus I hear most Nobles do not marry for love, but still find it in the marriage they are forced to have," I say trying to placate the girl who gives me a defeated look. She goes quiet for a few minutes thinking to herself, looking into her glass of wine like it holds the answers.

"...Would you marry me?" Aenela says almost too quietly for me to hear while looking up at me after trying to see my facial expression.

Though I was suspecting this question, I've now come to learn human emotions better and with it, the obvious lust coming from many women as they look at me. Aenela was like many of the other women, plus I feel she may hold more feelings for me as she knows me longer and views me as a protector. Though I hold no romantic interest in her, so I think of words to carefully say no to her.

"No, though not for the reason you may think," I say to her and her face falls into sadness hearing my decisive answer.

"Then why?" Aenela asks me while looking back down at her glass of wine.

"As you know I'm a dragon. Not only would having offspring be impossible with you since you hold no blood of a dragon. But I will outlive you hundreds of times over. Plus we dragons look for one mate and once we find them we form a bond with them. This bond can never be broken, even in death, though normally when one dies the other follows soon after in heartbreak," I say to her and she just listens slightly to me, before nodding her head at me.

"I understand… though thanks for being a good friend and teaching me," Aenela says to me looking back up at me with a very sad look before leaving me.

I watch her leave and just shake my head at her crushed emotions. Though humans can bounce back even after heartbreak, sure it may take some time but she is young. After she leaves I go back to reading the history book I found about the metal they use to make the swords that I sensed magic from. This metal appears to be a special ore that is extremely rare, usually only found in the volcano near the city. Then I saw a drawing of the raw metal and I recognized it as a very common metal found in my volcano. My interest spiked and now after I finish teaching the girls magic, I will find one of these special smiths to teach me more about it.

'Then once I know everything I can learn about this metal, I can have the kobolds mine it and maybe teach them how to make weapons and armor from it,' I think to myself as I memorize everything in this book like every other book I read from this library so far.