Chapter Text
As the day rolled on, it came time for the royal children of House Targaryen to train their dragons under the guidance of the dragonkeepers. The lesson had been paused for the birth of Prince Joffrey Velaryon, so close family could visit the baby. Now they had all been bundled into the royal carriage to be brought back to the Dragonpit. It was a beautiful, grand place that was a marvel of engineering; but it was also dark, dreary and hazy from the stench of sulfur and smoke.
Aemond loved and hated the lessons in equal measure. Watching the majestic animals was a pastime he enjoyed, even if it was observing training instead of something exciting like a hunt or flight. Dragons called to him - they were his favorite subject. The power that made a Targaryen what they were.
Yet the boy held a deep hatred for the sessions. He had to stand in the background, watching, silent as a statue as the others participated. He was too old and high in stations to allow Aegon’ snide remarks to show he got to him. Aegon understood the nuances of his life, and seemed to take a great pleasure in humiliating his little brother about what he yearned for most. It made Aemond wish he was a wild animal so it would be excusable for attacking a prince.
The only boon about the tutoring was it would become useful later in life, when he claimed a dragon for himself.
The slight consolation was that Helaena was usually not at lessons in the Dragonpit. Adults and juveniles that were not related were prone to aggression, especially around food. Dreamfyre was simply too large and dangerous to allow around the smaller dragons. It was bad enough Aemond had to endure humiliation around the boys, but his sister? That would make it worse.
Aemond found the training today to be rather odd. His brother was not making rude comments, instead he occasionally glanced over and smirked. Their nephews sometimes looked back at Aemond, giggled, fighting to keep a smile off their face. What is going on? He tried to shake off the bad feeling by watching Vermax devour the goat with relish. The crunching, tearing and snapping set him on edge today.
“Aemond, we have a surprise for you,” his brother said with a smile, clapping him on the back. What cruelty will you do to me now? But there was no other way to get out of the trap: he had tried, time and again.
“What is it?”
“Something very special!” Lucerys crowed, running off into the descending stair-well of the pit.
“You’re the only one of us without a dragon,” Aegon stated as he pushed Aemond along.
“Indeed.” Why are you bringing this up? You know how I feel…
“And we felt badly about it,” he gestured at Jacaerys who nodded and smiled, “so we found one for you.”
“A dragon? How?” A part of him was desperate to believe it, overjoyed and relieved. The other part thought back to giggles and devouring of prey.
“The gods provide.”
Lucerys came back with a pig in tow, huffing unhappily as the heavy sow was forced up the stairs where she did not want to go. Crude wings were strapped to her, rough rope tied into a poor saddle. His heart leaped into his stomach as he watched her be pulled harshly.
“Behold, the Pink Dread!” The trio cheered, beginning to laugh heartily.
“Be sure to mount her carefully,” Aegon mocked with an air of serious concern into his ear. “First flight’s always rough.” Lucerys pet the pig as she stood, her large eyes black in the torchlight. Exaggerated pig snorts echoed in his ear as the other boys retreated, giggling and laughing.
Aemond looked at the pig, forced to be here and pretending to be what she was not. You’re just like me… A mummer dragon. Born to be mocked and discarded when no longer useful. You were not good enough for your owner; now you are reduced to a prop to shame me. He was so tempted to hate the animal, to blame it. But it was only a sow, who shuffled impatiently. He could see the burns from her branding.
But I am not a pig. I am a Targaryen, son of King Viserys and Queen Alicent Hightower. I am a dragon. He checked behind him, ensuring nobody was looking. The deep of the pit called to him. He left the sow alone as he delved deep into the tunnels.
He followed the path to Dreamfyre’ cave. She had laid eggs not long ago, and it was possible there may be more the dragonkeepers had missed. Even if all Aemond claimed was an egg, he would be satisfied. A tiny hatchling that knew only the boy.
He would not suffer to be condemned to ride pigs the rest of his life.
As he neared, he checked to see if she was there. Dreamfyre was awake, hovering protectively over her territory. Her senses were keener than a boy in near darkness, and the dragon was unhappy the intruder was back. She let out a roar and breathed fire over his head as her second and final warning.
Aemond scrambled backwards, tripping on the sand and fleeing for the exit. His heart was beating as fast as his legs were carrying him back up the steps, two at a time, to escape back to the safety of the light. He found that everyone was scattered about in a search pattern, Ser Cole stomping over to grab him by the arm. The blood rushing in his ears blocked most of the angry speech, berating him for running off and giving everyone a scare.
The boy stayed passive as he was corralled onto the horse Ser Cole owned and delivered to his mother, who was with Helaena. Helaena had one of her bugs, the long black one with many legs that was more docile than the other types. Ser Cole kept a tight grip on his arm, “Your Grace.”
“Aemond,” said mother with worry as she got up to look him over. Aemond kept his eyes on the floor. “What have you done?”
“He did it again,” Helaena said, “he upset Dreamfyre.” Her tone had deepened to the one she took when she was disgruntled.
“After how many times you have been warned! Must I have you confined to your chambers!?”
“They made me do it!” What other choice did he have? She could not see - she was a Hightower.
“As if you needed encouragement,” mother dismissed. “Your obsession with those beasts goes beyond understanding.” Why was she blaming him?
“They gave me a pig!”
“A what?”
“They said they found a dragon for me, but it was a pig.” Aemond the pig-rider, is what the history books would call him.
“You will have a dragon one day.” She was trying to be encouraging, but it all felt hollow. Helaena muttered something about the stars and the void. “I know it.”
“They all laughed,” their jeers still rang in his ears. At this rate, he may as well be the court fool rather than a prince. Mother drew him in to hold. She tried, she did, but she could not understand. Nobody did. Not even his father did, and he was the only other Targaryen in the Red Keep without a dragon. He had ridden the mightiest of them all.
Viserys did not seem to care about the plight of his second son. And Aemond knew.
x
Aemond disliked family dinners; they were awkward affairs where the adults snipped at each other, wove insults behind doublespeak and largely ignored the children except to use them as tools to further verbal sparring matches. The only ones he could speak to were the boys who mocked him, and Helaena was ignoring him. Her method of dealing with something when she was upset was to ignore it. She told him none of the facts she had learned today.
The boy felt a twinge of regret for chasing away one of the few people who did not dislike or push something on him. Yet she did not understand. She had a dragon; an old, she-dragon who had furthered their dynasty. All her little brother had was a pony, a horse and now a pig.
He ignored those closest to him and focused on finishing his dinner as fast as possible. As a prince, there was a certain amount of time he was expected to stay. As a child, he had some wiggle room to get out of it early. He periodically checked the freshly lit candles until they had melted by a fourth. Mother accepted his excuse to leave the table to continue reading a book about philosophy.
Aegon rolled his eyes as his little brother scurried away, and Aemond was glad Ser Cole taught him self-control. Getting into a fight at the dinner table was bad manners.
In the safety of his room, with nobody but a guard down the hall, Aemond collapsed on his bed. He should call the servants to help him get ready for bed. The boy did not want to see them. He did not want to see anybody. Making a concession, Aemond threw his boots across the room near the cold fireplace. He huddled under the covers, clinging tightly to his spare pillow. It was embarrassing - a prince his age did not need material comforts like a stuffed toy anymore.
The tears came anyway, as his shoulders shook and lip trembled in a concert of pain. We don’t want you here, Aegon said to him. You’re so annoying, nobody likes a braggart, he sneered after Aemond happily spoke of his progress in his studies. You might well be a bastard, since you have no dragon. Even the Velaryon bastards mother raged about had dragons. They were favored by his father. King Viserys loved his grandchildren.
There were so many times his father had been happy the Velaryon boys did well in schooling, heaping praise while only saying “that is good, son,” to Aemond. His eyes seemed to pass over him to focus on anyone else. Even mother did not pay much mind to Aemond except when he was in trouble. She got him in trouble by berating Aegon and comparing him to Aemond. Many times Aemond had stood there awkwardly as Aegon glared sullenly, forced to listen to their mother scolding her eldest for being a slacker.
A cruel prank always followed shortly after.
Aemond stubbornly wiped a tear away and bit his lip. A good prince did not shame his family by crying in his chambers because he did not get his way. He was too old, too high in station, to cry outside a funeral or wedding. It took him a few tries before he finally stopped.
He got up to warm the fire place and get ready for bed the right way. He still did not want to see any of the servants, even the nice old lady, Misses Masey. What would she think, seeing his puffy eyes and sullen demeanor? A prince had to look his best when in front of others, less he shamed himself. Aemond was old enough to know how to dress himself and get a fire going. He wasn’t an invalid!
He pushed his bed closer to the fire once it started to get the room warm. Not enough that if a stray spark got past the grate, it would set the linens on fire. Just enough to feel it more than usual. Aemond got back under the covers, closing his eyes. He pretended he was next to his dragon - a great warmth and steady breath of the giant who gave him the skies.
A giant who could take him far, far away if the family still did not accept him as one of their own. Aemond was not able to leave the Red Keep and its tensions. Not even to Rhaenys on Driftmark or Laena and Daemon on Pentos. Mother would never allow him to be fostered away from the keep after little Daeron had been sent to Oldtown.
As the fire crackled, he prayed to the Seven, to the Old Gods. To anyone who would listen.
Please… I want to be accepted. I hate it here. Nobody likes or wants me. I need someone. Even if it is not a dragon… I just want a friend. A real friend who is not trying to manipulate me as mother says they all will. Please, I need help.
X
THE UNKNOWN DRAGON
I woke up to salt, crashing waves and sand underneath me. Wait a minute… I DIDN'T FALL ASLEEP AT THE BEACH! I got up in a hurry. Well, to be more accurate I tried to get up in a hurry, but my limbs didn’t feel like cooperating. I definitely hadn’t been drinking or doing drugs last night. Did I fall asleep on them at a funny angle and they turned numb?
I looked down. Ah. My legs were now stubby and bent like an eagle. This… Explained nothing at all! I checked myself out, my neck was very long so this was an easier process than usual.
I am scaled, winged, pink and with how far away the ground is I’m very big. I’m a dragon now. This is… Okay honestly as much as I’d love to say this is fantastic it’s NOT. Where the hell am I? Why am I here? What about my previous life and dignity as a human being? My friends, family and pets? Was this some weird, terrible dream that was horribly realistic and I’ll wake up if I pinch myself?
Three pinch tests and one bitten tongue later confirms this is my new reality. FUCK.
On the bright side: I no longer pay taxes or have to conform to the pressures of society. Yay! On the horrible side: my entire life is gone. Everything I have ever known I can very likely kiss goodbye. All my loved ones are likely in a place I will never be able to reach. I have no idea how I got here or why. Particularly why I am a big, fat pink dragon. One speaking test later and it is confirmed I cannot talk. Greeeat. So much for asking someone for an explanation on where I am…
I know I’m somewhere uninhabited along a coastline that appears to have a four-season climate. It’s not tropical, nor shows signs of a Mediterranean biome. So… Somewhere more northern judging by the deciduous trees. Well, that’s one part down. Thank the government for public education. To be more accurate, thank the taxpayers who fund public education.
I try walking around for a bit and I don’t see any signs of human life. Am I alone on some barren planet? Doomed to go crazy from lack of social interaction? Was this my version of hell? Getting a cool body, but nobody to speak with or be heard by? What did I do to get into hell? Perhaps flying would let me travel much faster than lumbering about on all fours.
It actually wasn’t that bad walking on all fours. My back legs were proportional to my forearms, unlike as a human, so significantly less painful since I didn’t have to support my weight on my knees. I was a chubby dragon. Well… More like I had very muscular limbs and a wide stomach that was probably for digesting plants. Was I a herbivore or omnivore? Surely a predator didn’t need to carry all these extra guts around. Especially one that needed to be light enough to fly.
I tentatively tested out flight, getting a running start and pushing with all four limbs to get airborne. It was honestly pretty terrifying in the beginning because I was afraid of crashing and breaking a bone. Also, did I mention my fear of heights? After a few landings where I was only high enough in the air to properly flap my wings, I decided to take the risk of flying higher. It was… Yeah it was amazing, it’s flying , of COURSE it’s awesome! I don’t know how else to describe it.
It was great until I had to land from a much higher altitude than before. Messing this up badly could result in broken forelimbs and even a snapped neck if I came down too hard. A fear of heights did NOT help. I managed to stick the landing, though I jarred my joints from not properly lessening the impact. Lesson learned… Walking around on sore wrists and ankles HURT.
I took a break while I tried to figure out what to do, shaking out the limbs to try and dull the pain. What do I do now? What the heck was I here for? Surely I wasn’t dragged from everything I knew just to joyride as a dragon. I closed my eyes. Could something in my soul tell me? The force that put me here? The gods or whoever was in charge of the universe(s)?
For a minute, there was nothing. Just the sound of the waves, my heavy breathing and my racing thoughts I tried to quiet. When I finally felt calm, there was a spark up ahead. The northern star pointing the way. Was this how pigeons felt when they instinctively knew the way home? Nothing looked particularly different. But now I knew I had to travel south, a fair distance away. Whatever that spark was, I HAD to get to it.
Well, spark probably wasn’t the right word. It was just some kind of… Object? Idea? Place? Spirit quest thingamajig? That I felt a great urge to be with. Right now. I ran down the beach and took off, using the warm air currents to carry me. Being a giant dragon with a lot of weight meant flight was a very energy costly activity. Soaring on air currents was not as tiring as having to flap hard all the time.
It was honestly quite pleasant to watch the land go by. It was not so pleasant to think about how I was going to get down to the ground later… Best to ignore it like I do all my other problems! That’ll totally work!!
After about thirty minutes, I finally started to see people. Villages with wheat, barley and corn, sheep that scattered when my shadow passed overhead. There were cute little longhouses in clusters. Wait a minute. Longhouses? Medieval houses? WHAT?
Was this some kind of remote historical area? Did I get isekai’d into a fantasy world? I don’t remember being hit by a truck! I think I wouldn’t easily forget something as traumatic as being squished by a multi-ton vehicle at high speeds. Being a dragon gave me eagle-eyes: those houses definitely looked like they belonged on renaissance fair grounds. The people were dots in brown, tans, pale yellows, greens and light blues. It didn’t look like they were wearing jeans or nice modern day t-shirts where any color or design you wanted was possible.
Were they just… Committed to the bit? Or was I truly in some medieval world?
Only one way to find out: keep heading to my destiny. Destiny… That was a funny concept. In the modern world, that was pretty much irrelevant now. But here? In a fantasy land with dragons? That was a serious thing to these people. Something I might have to take seriously too. Ugh… I hope my destiny is not something horrible where I suffer immensely.
As the land passed, I saw the villages get more populated and closer together. The farming efforts took over all the land, until it was a patchwork of crops, fields and gardens with roads snaking through. It was a beautiful place. But it was not my home.
Finally I got what I felt was very close to the spark, and saw a sprawling port city. It was beautiful, white stone and red roofs, the bay placid as it glittered. Many ships sailed it, and they were all what I would expect to see out of a 16th century painting. Alright, I admit defeat, I am in some sort of medieval or similar technological world. I got high into the sky so people would only think I was a hawk, instead of a dragon. It made the city merge a bit, but I could still see the major structures.
One was an enormous building on a hill with a dome roof, the other a big keep on a hill made of red brick. Wait a minute… Big Red Keep… Big building on a hill… Don’t fucking tell me I am in Westeros!!! The place wasn’t the worst to be reincarnated or transported into or whatever the hell happened, but it certainly wasn’t my first choice! I don’t agree with any of their values! I hate the horrible things they do to each other! I am not smart enough for court politics! Okay, well, as a dragon presumably I’m not going to be called to court.
Still… I checked the condition of the Dragonpit. Shiny, bright and glorious. And the Red Keep was complete. I didn’t know much about Game of Thrones or the books, but I knew just enough to figure out I was definitely before Dany’s time. The pit had been destroyed in some big civil war, and Maegor built the keep and killed a bunch of guys over it. So this has to be Targaryen rule in their heyday. Wait… Did this mean I have to be in a WAR?
Did this relate to the spark I felt? Was that my supposedly bonded rider I was destined to meet up with? Could I be sent to fight the Dornish? Would I have to pick a side in the Dance of the Dragons? I really, REALLY did not want to do that. I hate the idea of killing another human being. Sure, if they are pure evil and cannot be safely contained in prison, and they’re going to hurt another person if they escape, fine. But it should be a last resort. The brutal nature of warfare was just not for me.
How was I going to get to this rider? Could they feel me? Sense that I was close to them? If I descended, was I going to get shot at? I definitely didn’t have the aerial skills to do some sick tricks to avoid a scorpion bolt to the eye. It wasn’t likely they would attack me, but it was certainly possible. Should I land at the beach? At the pit? How the hell do I tell these people I don’t mean any harm? It’s not like I’ve got a giant white flag to wave around!
Well… Okay, that’s not entirely true. There are some nice white sails on the boats. I would, however, feel very guilty about partly destroying a ship. Was it even possible I could hover in place to make sure I got the sail and did not damage anything else? Argh, this was so difficult! I mean… I could try and bum rush the Dragonpit, land at the clearing the dragons touched down at, then act very docile and friendly. I could put on the act of a lovable, harmless dragon! Yeaaa… This will be fine.
I tucked my wings into a dive, mimicking the falcons who ambushed their prey. The wind began to scream, resisting me as I descended. I knew I needed to leave enough room to bank upwards and safely land at the pit, so towards the main chunk of the bay I went down. When I felt I had only a few hundred feet to go before I killed myself by landing in the water, I snapped out my wings and tried to straighten up.
It was the equivalent of belly flopping on water from ten feet up! OW! Everything hurtled by in a blur of colors as I whizzed over the ships and wall, shrieking madly as I realized I was WAY over my head. PULL UP BODY! UP!! I flapped my wings hard and angled them upwards, barely managing to slow down in time to avoid crashing straight into the hillside of the Dragonpit into a cave. After a lot of mad flapping, I managed to land okay in the touch-down clearing outside the main entrance. I definitely had sprained my wrists and ankles, and my stomach hurt from where I hit the ground. If a dragon could bruise, I was going to get a nasty one for sure.
I hissed in pain and hunkered down. Yeah, I definitely needed to practice before I hurt myself even worse. I had barely managed to avoid slamming my head into the ground and flipping over onto my back from the force of landing so suddenly. At least I was here before everyone freaked out and sent a dragonrider to attack or corral me like an animal.
I looked around and there was nobody but some frightened people hiding in the entrance-way, ducking their heads around the corner to watch me. The gate started to creak as it began to slowly close. I couldn’t blame them for getting freaked out and trying to hide. I’d do the same if a giant, pink murder lizard that breathed fire when it got angry suddenly showed up at the front door! Though, how was I supposed to communicate with them if they shut the gate?
I either prevent the gate from being shut, scaring them even MORE, or I let it close and kiss goodbye a chance to possibly unite with my rider. Argh… I looked over my shoulder to the Red Keep. Yeah, no way I can land my fat self in the courtyard or squeeze inside to find my rider. Not gonna happen. I glanced back at the slowly closing gate. Welp. This is fine now. They were probably doing it for the safety of the dragons inside.
I settled down, partly onto my side to avoid putting pressure on my joints and stomach. Guess I was just going to have to wait it out. Could I try and call my rider over? I tried to send some sort of psychic distress signal. Nothing… Not a damn thing. It was like talking to a brick wall. Did I need to properly form a bond to have that happen? Dragons were said to feel what their riders felt emotionally and physically when it came to pain.
How long was I stuck waiting here? Please, don’t let it be hours. I was going to get bored out of my mind if that happened! I might be tempted to try and wander down the streets. Not that I was going to fit anywhere but the main road without squishing myself and knocking down some roof tiles… Sigh. The internet and its easy access to entertainment had ruined my attention span. I geared myself for the wait, flattening grass into different patterns to pass the time.
X
THE LONELY PRINCE
Aemond woke up the next day to the Red Keep in a flurry of activity. The second he was dressed in a hurry by the servants, guards escorted him down to the basement level deeper into the hill the keep was built on. They joined with other groups escorting courtiers, servants and visitors. He met up with the rest of the royal family, his father, mother and half-sister speaking with the small council in a group away from the rest. Aemond was herded to stand with the other royal children.
Everyone looked about the same way he did: glancing about, rubbing their eyes and shrugging at each other. The boy headed over to his sister, fiddling with one of her stuffed bugs. It was not appropriate for a princess her age to be carrying around a young childs toy, but she didn’t care. Aemond didn’t particularly mind either, since it made her more reasonable to be around. “Do you know what is going on?”
“A wild dragon landed at the Dragonpit not long ago,” she said, running a hand over the shiny material of the wings.
Aemond blinked, “is it one from Dragonstone?”
“No. It is the one from beyond the stars.”
Beyond the stars? Another cryptic riddle from Helaena, as her eyes took on a glassy, button-like appearance.
“What does it look like? Does anyone know?”
“It is as large as Caraxes and a bright pink,” Aemond glanced around him. Was this a sign?
“Has anyone claimed it? Did it come with a rider?”
“No,” was all she said, turning her attention to one of the string antenna now.
Was this a sign? Were my prayers answered?
Aemond tried hard to stamp down his hope and desperation, the urge to run off to track down the mysterious dragon. There were too many guards watching the room like a hawk for that to happen. He doubted that claiming to need to use a chamber pot would get him far away enough to try and find the tunnel that led to the Dragonpit. Instead, he changed tactics to get near the adults who were discussing what to do. Maybe he could convince them to let him go?
“- it is not safe to risk the Crown Princess! We do not even know if this dragon is dangerous!”
“All dragons are dangerous! Can’t you see-”
“Your Grace, it would be a boon to add this beast to your forces-”
“-that we should chase it away from a city full of prey? You-”
King Viserys was sitting with his head in his hands as everyone was arguing around him. Everyone had a different opinion on how to handle the wild dragon, aside from locking down the city to lessen casualties if it grew angry. There was no way Aemond would be heard over the furious chorus being sung, the two sides bickering if they should chase away or attempt to lure the dragon into the pit. The king finally had enough and slammed his foot onto the ground, standing up to bark at his subjects.
“We will send a message to the Dragonkeepers, to see if it can be safely corralled into a pit to stay in. If it is too wild, then all those capable of riding their dragons will go together to chase it off. It is more likely to flee if it is being attacked on all sides,” he motioned to a servant, who nodded and went off to deliver the King’ orders.
Some looked rather unhappy with this, but they nodded and stayed quiet. All he had to hope was that it went into the pit. Aemond felt hope flutter about in his chest. The second lessons resumed at the Dragonpit, he was finding the newcomer and claiming it.
x
THE NEW DRAGON
After what felt like an eternity, but was probably a few hours, the big gate started to open. I perked up, waiting for someone to come out. Instead, I saw an empty hallway, much to my disappointment. But there was a nice smell of roasted meat drifting towards me. Was this an attempted peace offering? Or were they going to lure me in to stab me? They probably weren’t going to hurt me, but hey, people do crazy things sometimes.
I tentatively stuck my neck through the entrance, keeping the rest of my body tensed in case I needed to leap back to safety. All I saw was a huge, empty, circular room with a massive stairway leading down into darkness. And a suspicious line of large slabs of cooked meat spaced twenty feet apart, leading away underground. Was this their attempt to catch me? Put me in my own stable?
Well… I was getting hungry. And if this was the only way to meet my rider, by proving I could be caught and would be nice and docile in my pen, that was that. It was humiliating to eat off the ground. I thought I was going to feel the gritty sand on the meat, but surprisingly I didn’t. I guess dragon tongues were not meant for the finer delicacies of life. Eventually I got down the stairwell, to a huge tunnel and into a cave just big enough to house me. It was dark, but I could still see very well, and I felt a draft letting fresh air inside.
Was this going to be my new home? It was god-awful in here. No decorations, no comforts or anything like that. The best “comfort” was a sandy patch that wasn’t as hard as the rest of the ground. I gave it a sniff. MISTAKE. Yeah, this sand was not for sleeping! I heard a grating noise and turned around. A large metal gate was coming down to close me in.
I didn’t see anyone, but they had to be close by for the gate to be lowered. Being stuck in this miserable place was going to drive me insane. Was this the only way to meet my rider? I didn’t have any better ideas that wouldn’t cause a panic. I studied the gate after it was down. I could escape if I wanted to. It wasn’t particularly thick, so if I wanted I could bust out of here by charging the gate. It had been meant for much smaller dragons - not big, muscular and fat ones like me that could get away with ramming into something.
I hunkered down into a hole in the ground the last dragon must have dug. It was a bit too small around the middle so I widened it until it was comfortable. It was actually not that bad. Not really a proper bed though… With a big sigh, I let my head on the ground. If there was nothing else to do, I may as well sleep and dream to pass the time. It wasn’t like I could request a book to read.
X
THE LONELY PRINCE
Aemond had waited eagerly all throughout his lessons, until the day came they were going back to the Dragonpit to resume their education on dragon training. The city had gone back to its relaxed state now that the wild beast had been locked in a cage, and proven it was docile. Though, the Red Keep was still on edge. Many wondered where it had come from, and why it was so odd looking if the dragonkeepers reports were true. Pink, fat, with front legs and a piggish face. Had it flown all the way from Old Valyria? Somewhere beyond that?
The boy did not know eyes were watching his every move.
Once Aegon had finished his turn, moving on to Jacaerys, Aemond felt it was safe to break away to claim he needed to excuse himself. The dragonkeepers nodded, and Aemond slipped away to the privy. Just as he closed the big wooden door, he waited a few seconds to hear if any footsteps followed. Nothing. He peeked outside the door, looking around. Everyone was distracted with Jacaerys commanding Vermax. It was the perfect time to run off.
Aemond edged along the wall, his dark green doublet blending in with the shadows. He kept a careful eye on the main group, ensuring nobody spotted him sneaking away. They had not the last two times - he just had to hope the third time did not prove to be a charm.
While they were distracted with ensuring Vermax was held back from its prey, Aemond took the loud screeches of protest as cover to muffle his footsteps. He quickly slunk down the stairs, using the shadows along the walls to his advantage. As long as nobody was below, he should go undiscovered. The main guards were outside the pit, after all, a dragon could protect itself.
The boy had memorized which pen belonged to whom and which sizes were appropriate for each dragon. He went to the largest, which was previously held open for Caraxes when he visited with uncle Daemon. Learning from last time, he peeked from around the corner into the cave.
Inside was a dragon, huge and asleep. It was hard to make out the detail of its color in the darkness, washing it gray with red highlights from the torchlight. It was curled up in a hole, making it that Aemond could only see the head and wings. Nubby horns and a pushed up nose, with tusks that poked out from the lower lip, were the most defining features of its face.
He took a risk, getting closer to the grate that separated the two. Emboldened from its continued slumber, he grabbed a hold of the thick iron as he looked through. If the boy felt like it, he could squeeze his way inside. It had meant to keep the dragon in - not young boys from getting to said dragon.
Just as he started to contemplate if it was a good idea or not, the eyes of the dragon snapped open to stare into his. His breath hitched. He was too close, easily in range of a blast of fire. It raised its head, crooning low and sweet to him. Were these flimsy bars enough to hold such a beast back, as it got up to approach? He scuttled backwards, heart beating fast and light-headed. Aemond took four steps back for every one of the dragon, until his back was to the wall and the beast was at the bars.
It sang a song to him, a delicate, imploring noise that reminded him of the whining of a dog for table scraps.
Why do you want me close? To eat me? Strangely, as it continued to whimper and whine, he felt more at ease. No, this dragon was not going to eat him. As the dragon continued to beg, the boy gained enough courage to leave the support of the wall and approach the bars. Its breath was hot, with large teeth as long as a short sword. But it did not threaten fire: it quieted when he put a hand on its strange nose.
The nose was much more fleshy than the rest of the face, softer and twitching as his hand brushed along the tiny scales. It started to rumble, a deep drone of noise washing against the shores of stone all around the pair. Up and down it went, the largest purrrr that an animal could make. Aemond’ tentative smile turned into a big grin as he felt a tentative connection form between the two. You’re mine; the gods answered my prayers!
THE CLAIMED DRAGON
I felt elated at finally meeting my rider, a sweet looking kid who was oddly familiar. I felt his faint giddiness, as his petting turned into a hug. Unfortunately, he was very tiny, so all he could reach was my chin. That was okay though - it wasn’t his fault I was so darn big. The downside of being a small kaiju is that it makes it difficult to show affection without accidentally crushing someone. Not that it was possible with the bars in the way. Would he be able to convince the dragonkeepers to let me out? It was pretty miserable in here.
As our connection continued to strengthen, underneath the happiness I felt a bone-deep ache of some noxious emotion. What was wrong? Was he upset over something? Had I messed up somehow? I wasn’t really that great with kids - I mean, I try to be. But it’s easy to make a mistake when you’ve got a small human being you know nothing about talking to you.
The boy pulled back as footsteps rushed down the hallway he had come from, a big group fast approaching. He seemed to get nervous as he stepped away from the bars. I frowned, wondering what was going on. Why did he look so anxious?
A group of what must be dragonkeepers and guards appeared, hurriedly checking over the kid and pulling him back from me. I let out a whine. Come on! I just met the kid, the spark my destiny was tied in! The whole reason I was here! I hadn’t even had five minutes to bond! The downsides to being a dragon were really annoying…
The eldest dragonkeeper started chewing him out, a younger lady translating. Ah, they were mad at Prince Aemond for approaching me unsupervised as it was highly dangerous. Yeah, couldn’t fault them for that. A big, grumpy murder lizard should not be left around a little kid it didn’t know or trust. Wait a minute. Prince Aemond? Why is that so familiar… Oh. Shit. Okay, I remember now. He’s the guy who half the fandom either loves or hates, killed Lucerys on accident, and also has mommy issues. I think. I’m not an expert, okay? I don’t have the wiki in my head!
All I knew for sure as I watched this kid get scolded was that he was disappointed, and staring sullenly at the ground. I think he had neglect issues from being compared to his older brother time and time again. I must be in the era before the Dance of the Dragons. FUCK. I don’t want to die in a war! And I definitely don’t know how to wave a magic wand to prevent the Dance! People are complicated, and the more I did, the less I knew what the future would hold. All I knew for sure about the cvil war was it happened because of a succession crisis and a loooot of built-up anger.
The kid started to struggle as he was pulled away, and I could feel him start to get angry as he shouted that he had done nothing wrong; he was a prince, a Targaryen, he had a right to try and claim me. He had a right to try and claim any of the free dragons, that had been denied to him by his father. The knight didn’t understand, and Aemond was not going to his mother dragged.
Personally, I agreed. I let out a warning hiss, which got the attention of all the humans. Leave my kid alone! The knight dropped his arm after I glared at him. Yeah buddy, that’s fucking right. You think I couldn’t bust through these bars to roast the shit out of you? That’s what I thought. The knight, who I think is the mysteriously un-aging Ser Cole, sternly commanded for Aemond to follow. He had disobeyed the direct orders of the dragonkeepers, and had run off a third time. This behavior was inexcusable.
I watched them all leave, sitting down with a huff. Poor kid glanced back at me, and I knew he wanted to stay. But hey, he had broken the rules. It wouldn’t be good to teach the kid he could break the rules willy-nilly, especially really dangerous ones. If I had been a true wild magic and not a person magically placed here, Aemond could have gotten badly hurt if not outright killed if he messed up. Hopefully, I would see him again very soon. It was quite lonely in this cave…
x
THE PRINCE
Aemond was at first viciously scolded by his mother, asking him why she put him through such stress. She laid out all the ways he could have been hurt, how his life was easy to lose when a wild dragon was involved. She eventually calmed down, after his apology, to congratulate him. A brief hug was what he got, then a feast for his honor would be arranged. He was banned from riding his dragon until a month after the saddle was complete for punishment of disobeying the orders of the dragonkeepers. Mother ignored his protests: you reap what you sow.
Finally, after a day confined to his chambers, Aemond was allowed back out to regular lessons and free time. It was another day in the training yard, which was an equally awkward place as the dinner table. Ser Cole seemed to have a dislike to the Velaryon boys that he didn’t quite get. Was it because they took part in bullying Aemond? Aegon did the same, and the knight did not seem to have a problem with him. It was an adult matter that would be explained to him later.
Aemond took half-hearted swipes at the training dummy. All he could think about was his dragon, waiting for him in that lonely cave. A dragon he had not even named yet. Even father watching and Ser Cole giving him advice could not motivate him to perform better.
Aegon and him ended up sparing against Ser Cole. The man was battle-hardened, much older than they, and was easily able to read their moves. Sparing against Ser Cole was like fighting a storm. It did not matter where you slashed - it always avoided a strike, hitting back twice as hard. As Aegon tumbled past him, Ser Cole smiled, “you’ll have to do better than that.”
He and his brother took a second to recoup their energy while the knight meandered over to where the Velaryon boys were being spoken to by Ser Harwin. Are they going to get into another fight? For some odd reasons, the two men seemed to despise each other.
“It seems the younger boys could do better with a bit of your attention, Ser Criston.”
“You question my method of instruction, ser?” Aemond shared a look with his brother, here they go again.
“I merely suggest that method be applied to all your pupils.” Aegon shoved Lucerys away when he got too close in attempt to get away from the two knights, the young boy looking at him in silent inquiry.
“Very well,” Ser Cole acquiesced, and Aemond knew that there was trouble brewing.
A fair match isn’t something anyone should expect, Ser Cole declared after setting up a match between Aegon and Jacaerys. Aemond watched passively as his brother defeated Jacaerys. Did this mean he was going to have to fight Lucerys? The little boy was not going to be a fair fight. What was he even supposed to learn from it?
Jacaerys roared and charged back, surprising Aegon until his brother knocked a training dummy over to block his nephew. The two knights scolded their respective pupils. Whatever Ser Cole said made his brother mad, as he attacked with fury. Aemond watched with trepidation as Aegon was encouraged to continue attacking after Jacaerys had fallen down. Usually, being knocked to the ground was a yield condition. What was going on?
Finally, Ser Harwin dragged Aegon away, which made him yell. His brother always got angry when someone did not treat him as befit his station. Aemond agreed it was a bit cruel what had been done to Jace. He did not like him, since he followed Aegon along; but it seemed rather unnecessary to continue harassing him with non death-blow strikes.
“Your interest in the princelings’ training is quite unusual, Commander.” Oh no, there was that strange doublespeak the court practiced, he still didn’t fully comprehend. “Most men would only have that kind of devotion toward a cousin… Or a brother… Or a son.” Was he implying what Aemond thought he was?
Aemond leapt back with the others as the two knights got into a brawl. Ser Harwin was beating on Ser Cole, despite the man not fighting back. As he watched blood fly, two Kingsguard rushed in and pulled the men apart. The Commander was dragged away, as a maester was called to attend Ser Cole. Training was cancelled as the boys forfeited their armor and weapons to move onto the next lesson. A tense silence hung over the group.
He found out the next day Ser Harwin was dismissed as Commander, and the day after that he was sent away back to Harrenhal. Jacaerys was less enthusiastic about his lessons. Aegon told him in the hallway it was because his real father was sent away. Aemond had heard the rumors, the whispers and the doublespeak. The Velaryon boys were bastards. He knew it was something bad after all the rants of their vileness, treachery and treasonous ways from Mother.
He almost agreed. Almost. When Aegon was not around, the two boys were actually quite pleasant company to have. Not the monsters Mother made them out to be.
Not long after that, Rhaenyra and her family went away to live on Dragonstone. She wished to practice ruling and managing a keep. What better way to do so than on their ancestral home? Mother raged about it, pacing back and forth in her chambers, with Ser Cole sent to placate her. Family dinners got much more quiet, the tension slowly ebbing away. Lessons passed quickly now that their tutors only had three students to help instead of five.
Aemond had not realized how involved, how tangled his life was, with the Velaryons until they were gone. Even Rhaenyra and Laenor, who he barely saw, were notably absent. Many courtiers had left now that who they sought the favor of left for Dragonstone. He wasn’t sure how to feel about it. The chorus of mocking laughs was much quieter. The few times they were able to laugh together and play were entirely missing. His friends, bullies and kindred gone.
His dragon, whom he had named Rosefyre for his red-pink fire, became a substitute for play and friendship. Mother allowed nobody else to get close to her second son besides their kin: Aegon and Helaena. Aegon wanted nothing to do with him, and Helaena preferred studying her bugs to games. Even playing cards, a game she liked most, did not always interest her.
Though Aemond was forbidden from riding, so long as it did not impede his studies, he was allowed to visit Rosefyre as often as he liked. Which was very often. His poor dragon missed him, all the time. Mother did not understand the pairs need to be with each other. She had only stopped her complaints once his father told her it was simply his dragonriding nature. Though, even he was perplexed by his son requesting all manner of items be brought to entertain the beast.
Rosefyre got bored quickly. Living in a bland, dark cave did not excite the dragon. The boy would also go mad if he was forced to stay in his room all day with no books, or even toys, to pass the time. He had a broken carriage wheel brought, some big sticks, old rope that was no good anymore and a number of things nobody would miss to Rosefyre’ cave. The dragon had been very happy with this, letting out all kinds of squeaks and clicks, which made Aemond happy.
He went to visit Rosefyre after watching Rhaenyra and her family leave for Dragonstone. They were not even going to stay for his congratulatory feast for claiming Rosefyre. He did not like to admit it, a prince should not be so weak, but it stung. The boy wanted his entire family to be there. Was his dragon really so strange, their dislike of the outcast so strong, that they could not stay another two days?
Once the prince arrived at the pit, he headed straight to his dragon. It had sensed his unhappiness, and was waiting right by the entrance for him. It crooned, letting out that thunder-purr the boy was getting familiar with as each day passed. Aemond obliged a scratch to the chin between the larger scales. Thump-thump-thump of a back leg let him know he got the right spot. It was loud enough to muffle his giggles at the sight.
When his arm grew tired, he stopped to sit on a bench that had been brought down for the prince. Rosefyre repositioned to look at him, neck curled like a swan at rest as its head was laid on its paws. Aemond still had no idea what gender his dragon was. It wasn’t like there was an easy answer, such as certain colors or bigger horns, the only way to tell if a dragon was female was if it laid an egg. So far there had been no eggs.
Confusion and inquiry came from his dragon, and a big forked tongue flicked out towards his heart. Aemond looked down at his doublet and didn’t see anything odd. He was dressed a bit fancier than usual. “This? Mother made me wear it to see Princess Rhaenyra off,” he gestured to his outfit as a whole. Rosefyre gave a little nod, but then more questioning as its brow scrunched. His dragon was oddly expressive.
“About mother or Rhaenyra?” The dragon had not met either. It ended up giving a shrug. Aemond found talking with someone who could not speak was very difficult.
“Mother was herself…” Which was to say her eyes were huge, she picked at her fingers, and she looked ready to either cry or snap. As usual, she spoke her doublespeak of thinly veiled insults and insinuations about how it was not proper for a Crown Princess to leave her rightful place at the Small Council.
“Rhaenyra was happy but also… Stern?” She seemed pleased to leave, the way she carried herself was not as tense or cold. But there had been side-eying to many of the courtiers. When her children had said goodbye, she made sure they did not get distracted. We are on a schedule, she had reminded her sons.
Rosefyre sent more inquiry, and Aemond got the faint impression of his mother in his mind. Her image was shaky, blurry, with only a green dress and dark hair to her features.
“What about Mother?” The dragon huffed in frustration. “Sorry…” When affection was sent his way, he knew all was well. Sometimes Aemond misinterpreted the questions Rosefyre asked.
“Did you want to know more about Mother?” Aemond had told Rosefyre a few stories about funny moments of his day, or what he had learned. The dragonkeepers had told him that his dragon needed to learn to recognize his voice. Rosefyre nodded.
“Oh. Well, she is very nice to Helaena and I. She writes to Daeron very often. She is not that nice to Aegon, but that is because he is a drunkard and lay-about. She -” he cut himself off as he checked nobody was around the corner. His guard was far away enough that if he got to the back of the cave they would not hear a thing.
Once Aemond repositioned himself to make sure this would not find its way back to his mother, he resumed his story. “She seems to waver between liking and disliking Rhaenyra. Sometimes she stands up for her, but other times she dismisses her. It’s really random… All she says is Rhaenyra betrayed her trust whenever I ask why she doesn’t like her. That when I am older she will tell me more.” That had been going on for the last three years. It was a response to a lot of his questions.
Rosefyre sensed his frustration and nuzzled the top of his head with its chin. Aemond squeaked as his hair got messed up, “stop that!” He pushed the dragon away with some difficulty, trying not to laugh himself as it let out a chuffing-chuckle. It sent him sympathy. At least someone seemed to understand.
The dragon sent him a blurry image of what it thought the royal family looked like. An older man, the woman in green, Aemond, two brothers and a sister. More questioning and a mix of emotions: frustration, happiness, sadness and calm. It took Aemond a minute to decipher what Rosefyre wanted to know.
“It’s… I know I am very privileged to be a prince, Mother reminds me every day during prayer. Sometimes I wish I was baseborn,” the boy confessed into the scaly snout. “The Red Keep fills me with unease at times. Like when an argument is about to start. I wanted to run away before you came.”
His dragon frowned, and curled up protectively around its rider. Aemond leaned against Rosefyre’ cheek, soaking up the warmth and affection. For the first time in his life, he had someone he could tell everything. Someone who would not betray him, use his weakness in a prank. A friend that truly loved him. It was not a human friend, but that didn’t matter to the boy.
The gods had answered his prayers.
x
THE PINK DRAGON
After a cuddle with Aemond, I watched him leave as it was getting closer to his supper time. He apologized, and promised to come back tomorrow. I went back to my nest to get ready for my own sleep. It had some old linens in it now to make it more comfortable.
Damn… What in the world could I do to help this poor kid besides be there for him? It wasn’t like I could just waltz my way into court and tell the royal family if they didn’t get their shit together they were going to fall apart. Well, I mean, in theory it was possible. But humans didn’t speak dragon.
Should tell Aemond? It felt weird and wrong to put so much pressure on a kid. Hey, if you don’t do XYZ your whole family is gonna die!! And if you make ONE mistake, it might kill a loved one! That was just too fucked up to tell him.
Perhaps if the family liked each other, they’d be more inclined to not want to kill each other in a war. I remember the whole point of season one of HOTD was to build up why everyone was ready to kinslay and commit war crimes. If the children were friends, would that help?
Ugh… Even if that happened, the adults could very well disregard the wishes of their children. Getting rid of a few schemers might help. Not that I was going to be able to discretely kill someone with how big I was, or shame them into leaving the court. Wasn’t Otto Hightower a problem? Well, the whole family caused issues. Rhaenyra pissing off a bunch of different people didn’t help. Viserys was a big enabler from what I remembered. To be fair, if he didn’t enable, a rebellion might happen because his heir had a bastard to a family that already disliked like the Targaryens.
Was it already too late to try and fix this mess? I hated to give up hope so fast, but I knew if I wanted to be realistic I had to admit some bridges were too burnt to be fixed by the time Viserys died. Aemond wasn’t going to lose an eye, so that was a big help. Maybe with Laena’ death, he could reach out to the other kids? Surely he’d be allowed to write letters to his own family?
They had just left for Dragonstone, maybe with distance it would help the kids mellow out from past grievances. Sometimes children were just cruel. That was the nature of not knowing how your actions would affect people. Maybe encouraging Aemond to write to them was the way to go. Though, it wasn’t that easy to communicate that idea to him. I had tried writing on the ground, but I just didn’t have enough fine motor control in my claws for that to work. All I had to go on was our tentative bond.
Hopefully, with time and training, we would be able to go further than emotions and tentative images. It would be amazing if we could one day telepathically talk. It was something I was going to have to work on until I found an alternative way to get my ideas out into the world.
My plans were going to need to be clever, or at least, clever enough nobody suspected a weird dragon was the mastermind behind it all. I didn’t want to put Aemond at risk. He was just a kid - the burden of mending a family shouldn’t be his to bear. Of staving off political plots that aimed to cause division within the royal family for personal gain. Chaos is a ladder. The adults needed to get their shit together. If they didn’t, they were going to tear the realm apart.
How was I supposed to tell him that? I decided for now to focus on developing our bond and being a nice retreat for Aemond. Besides, I wasn’t going to be able to do anything until I could really talk to him. Hopefully nothing bad happened before that. Aemond losing his eye or another similar incident would be the quiet start of the Dance of the Dragons.
Honestly, the poor kid needed a friend and a safe place to get away from the Red Keep. It sounded like a terrible place for a young boy of eight to live. Eveen the pressure put on him from being a prince was a lot, let alone his messy family. Just what in the world was his mother and grandfather telling him about his nephews? Did the kid have any friends? What about his brother? Did Aegon just get away with bullying his little brother?
I thought back to my own messed up family. Being neglected SUCKED. Especially if your parents or relatives hated each other for reasons you didn’t know, and they refused to tell you. It was an excellent way to fuck a kid up forever.
I would just need to do my best, and pray it was enough.