LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 12: 12
[Drama warning? I never have written an interaction like this before and would love to hear some feedback at the end! I am writing another chapter after I post this so people don't feel like I blue-balled them with the 'drama' because everything will be fine!]
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112 AC
Kingslanding
Daeron Nymeros Martell
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While being presumably the youngest Syrax flies with the most 'grace' out of all four of the dragons. Her dips and dives all look practiced like a show horse rather than a dragon who does those maneuvers simply to get around town. Her scales reflect the light in a way that the three 'dull' colored dragons we have just can't. Gaelithox and his onyx scales swallow any light that hits it, Tyraxes and Shrykos are also in a similar situation.
Rhaenyra was hesitant to even approaching Gaelithox on the ground and now she has Syrax gliding over the top of one of his large outstretched wings. A full wing and a half of Syrax can be covered with just one of Gaelithox's fully stretched wings. It shows just how big my partner is as Syrax trills at him for a response only to get a lazy green eye in her direction.
Rhaenyras loose silver hair fly's behind her reflecting light itself like her mounts scales, she looks over the edge of Syrax at the wing beneath her. I can only imagine what she is thinking when looking at the true size difference between them gliding like this. I personally would be a bit spooked looking over the side of Gaelithox seeing something that much bigger than him.
Syrax has had enough of being ignored and dips her wing to distance herself and approach Shrykos who squawks seeing company approaching. Gaelithox rumbles as he turns his head back forward and away from the two rowdy dragons. The songs of the two smaller dragons fill the clouds as we fly well above Kingslanding.
""It's ok buddy, you are just misunderstood."" I pat one of the spikes along his spine as I counsel the big brute.
Kingslanding looks like a mess from the sky as I look at it from an eagle's view, well a dragon's view. Nothing like a capital that the 'King' of a continent should rule from, it looks thrown together as streets zig and zag around. There are spider web roads leading to the main streets that lead to the gates, little thought went into it. It is undoubtedly why the place's drainage is so bad, they have trouble making it drain.
You would think my grandparents with all their fame and how people preach about them they would have fixed up the place they live. I shake that thought off as I look toward the Red Keep and wonder how the King feels about his daughter up here in the sky with the three of us.
""Let land for now buddy, we don't want to be up here too long and worry her parents!"" Gaelithox lets out a roar before diving and I lean back on the saddle my head touching the back of it.
I spot the other three dragons soon making their own attempts at a dive, Syrax with the best form as she lets out a roar of her own. I can barely make out Rhaenyra on her back before my view changes with Gaelithox leveling out and circling the pit. I manage to spot the same group we left and am sure they are just happy to see us return with the same number we left with.
Cant be a nice feeling to watch your Princess fly off with three dragons who are known to have been wild. One of those three is also known to have cannibalistic tendencies as well, I would be rightfully worried in these Kingsguards position.
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112 AC
Kingslanding
Alicent Hightower
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Watching the 'Cannibal' land without having eaten Rhaenyra and Syrax puts my heart at ease. I spot the silver-haired Prince of Dorne leap from the dragon's back and gasp excepting him to break his legs. He lands on his feet and crouches but looks otherwise fine as he stands up and dusts himself off.
"How did he do that?" I hear someone ask but I didn't make out who as I am still recovering from what I saw.
He looks the very definition of a prince, but he must be much stronger than I gave him credit for if he can pull that off without injury. That distance should have broken a bone but he is quickly walking toward the snout of his dragon without any problem. His loose hair blows around as the dragon blows from its nose.
My father asked that I observe the Prince and learn what I can about him, so far I know he is strong and nice to look at. He speaks properly for the most part unless it's with his siblings who he jokes around with constantly. He also seems to be making friends with Rhaenyra quite quickly if what I am seeing is correct.
He was able to approach Syrax earlier and even now he is helping Rhaenyra get down off the dragon's back, just as he did with the horse. I am both concerned and happy for Rhaenyra, she seems to be happy with the attention.
I know she would not be acting this way if it was someone else jumping at the chance to help her or approach her in such a way. But with Daeron she seems to be letting down her guard we have both built up to ward off suitors. There are not many who dare to approach a Princess and the daughter of the Hand of the King but those who try are always annoying. Stuck up in their own little world where they are the perfect catch.
But none of them are the perfect catch.
I narrow my eyes slightly as I approach my best friend and this Prince of Dorne who might just be that 'Perfect catch' that all men think they are. The heir to Sunspear and Dorne, A giant dragon, and the looks to attract the eye.
By comparison, he puts most suitors to shame and it is not even close.
"Did you enjoy the flight, Princess?" I speak up causing both of them to look toward me as I approach them.
"I did, it was not as long as I would have liked but it's a new experience flying with so many other people at once." She flashes a genuine smile back toward Daeron as his siblings approach from behind.
"We can always go for longer flights at a later time, I don't want to cause any problems with the King. He might decide to cut our visit short if he thinks we are putting you in danger so it's best to take it slow." I nod in agreement, it seems he is also smart.
Another thing to remember about him that adds to the growing list of who 'Daeron' is.
Rhaenyra nods as well, though I don't doubt she will approach her dad after this to ask him to let her take a longer flight. He will agree and they will go up into the sky for hours on end as they grow closer and closer. Soon after that, they will likely get what they came here for and that makes me feel lonely.
Will Rhaenyra not spend as much time with me once she has someone else to spend time with?
There is also Prince Lewyn and Princess Myriah who are of an 'equal' standing with her and will likely spend time with her. More dragon flights and less time on the ground to accompany me like we used to.
"Alicent?" Rhaenyra waves a hand in front of my face and I realize I got lost in thought causing my face to heat up.
"S-Sorry I was just lost in thought, I wonder what it is like up there that you love it so much." Rhaenyra nods with a sad smile as she looks back at Syrax who the Dragon keepers are having a hard time escorting back into the pit.
"You have never been flying?" Prince Lewyn asks with some surprise in his voice.
"Syrax won't let anyone get close enough to climb on her back that is not me, we tried before and it did not work. Well, that used to be the case..." Daeron who is watching Syrax growl at the keeper's looks back at us as we all look at him.
"Huh?" I find myself smiling at his dumbfounded look as he looks back and forth between the rowdy dragon and us.
"They were just talking about how Alicent has never been flying because Syrax won't let anyone close other than Rhaenyra and now you." Princess Myriah joins in and Daeron raises a brow as he looks into my eyes.
"You want to go flying?" Humor laces his tone and a small smile at the corners of his lips perks up.
"I..." I am not sure what to say here, it was just an excuse when I got flustered and now it seems to be growing into something much more serious. "I would like to try it out at least once to see what it's like." He nods with his smile growing wider.
"If Syrax won't let you go up then Gaelithox will, I have taken up a few people and he seemed more than fine with it." I stiffen and look toward the massive black dragon with its green eyes looking in our direction as it lies on its side.
"I don't know if I-." I want to politely decline but Rhaenyra jumps in.
"It would not be appropriate for a maiden to accompany you into the sky with no one else there to accompany the two of you." I find my face once more heating up as Daeron chokes.
Both Prince Lewyn and Princess Myriah seem to find the situation humorous as they laugh. Daeron glares at them before looking helplessly toward me with his jaw clenched.
"I guess your opinion of me is pretty low to assume I would claim her upon my dragon's back the first chance I got." The laughing stops as he practically growls at the princess and I can tell now that he definitely has the dragon's blood.
A sword comes halfway out of its sheath as Harrold Westerling steps forward.
"Mind the way you speak to the Princess." The Kingsguard glares at Prince Daeron who looks back at him with a smile.
A chilling smile as his purple eyes almost seem to burn with a pinkish color.
Rhaenyra stands dumbfounded as the situation turns tense, I am well aware she said that to stop anything from happening. If I did go flying with Daeron people would talk and it could get very out of hand so she was trying to stop any problems on his and my behalf. She could have worded it better and not been so direct as it came off insulting but she meant well. But ever so slightly I also feel like she was preventing me from getting closer to Daeron as her own interest is more than obvious at this point. A hint of jealousy reared its head and now it's caused a problem she was not expecting.
"Thanks for the flight, Princess." After a tense silence, Prince Daeron speaks up and nods toward Princess Rhaenyra. "If you ever want to go for a flight you just need to ask, though I don't know if we will be staying much longer." He turns to me and offers before spinning on his heels and quickly making his way to Gaelithox with his siblings following hot on his heels.
Looking at Rhaenyra she watches them mount their dragons and take to the sky with a twisted expression. She smooth's out her features as she walks toward me and loops her arm with mine and pulls me away from the Dragon pit.
"I shouldn't have said that, or at least not in the way I said it." She groans as we head down the stairs and I nod in agreement.
"You could of not made it seem like we both would be tearing at each other's clothes the moment we got out of eyesight." I would be angry with her if it wasn't something we would say in each other's defense when bothersome suitors try to 'take a walk' together to stir up drama.
It is common for people to try to smear each other with rumors and even something that was good intentions can be distorted and twisted.
"Yea, I spoke before I thought and things happened before I could try to further explain." I nudge her in the rib with my elbow and she grunts.
"You got jealous he was offering me a flight before he offered to take you on his dragons back." She stops rubbing her side and looks at me with wide eyes before looking away, I can only sigh seeing her act that way. "The Dornish are known for their 'promiscuity' and you basically insulted him by saying he is after my body with his invitation to go flying." She looks at her feet as we walk down the steps.
"I know, I realized that already and I regret even opening my mouth and wish you just accepted before I could mess things up." She sighs and leans her head on my shoulder. "Do you think he will be mad still if I apologize and explain that I didn't mean to insult him? He is unfamiliar with the court politics and especially your father, that flight is a bad idea. You would be engaged to him before the two of you touched back onto the ground if your father heard of it." It's odd to see Rhaenyra acting this way and I also get annoyed knowing she is right.
She never cares for what people think and is very blunt, the entire cause for this situation if I might add. So it is unlike her to ever have to apologize let alone want to apologize for something she did. She is also thinking ahead about how my dad would practically 'steal' the man she is eyeing.
"Well it would be best to get ahead of it before it gets even more complicated, the Kingsguard did attempt to draw a blade on him. I think it was more than just 'protecting' you and it had to do with him openly challenging them. They seem to have a little resentment toward Prince Daeron and that played into him reacting as quickly as he did. So you will need to stop this from growing if you don't want them to actually leave before you can even truly get to know them." The Kingsguard in question remains silent as we approach the horses that have been waiting.
Rhaenyra sighs once more as she lets go of my arm and approaches her horse and swats away a hand attempting to help her climb up.
I take a last look at the three dragons flying off above the Blackwater and wonder when they will be back and if this little event will spiral out of control. Lesser things have grown into mountains and this is between a Princess of House Targaryen and a Prince of House Martell. I know my father would love to hear about it and use it to drive a wedge between the Martells and the crown. But I will just forget to inform him about it for as long as I can to help my friend.