Chapter Text
"Certain things are meant to stay quiet." Arlan told Dunk this when he found the boy shaken in the woods barely covered by his half burned clothes.
Dunk carried this philosophy to adulthood after that mishap. He followed Arlan around with a carefulness about his peculiarities and kept his head down as an omega. The life he had made for himself as a squire to the old man was comfortable and Dunk had no desire to deviate from this routine on the road.
His comfort came to a screeching halt when Arlan sat Dunk down one day and told him of his future plans.
"I'm getting up there in age boy. I've been thinking on it and I want to be buried next to my nephew in Pennytree," Arlan smiled at Dunk.
"Are you abandoning me?" Dunk asked in a panic.
"You can follow me to Pennytree and stay by my side during my last few years. Or you could avoid wasting your life and set yourself on your own path," Arlan clapped Dunk on the back.
Dunk stared at the fire they set up for their camp. "I'm scared ser. An omega alone in the world?"
Arlan chuckled. "You may be an omega but I taught you how to wield a sword and how to fist fight. And I know you'll be safe. I wouldn't let you out alone if I thought you couldn't handle it. Besides if things get bad then you can burn your enemies," Arlan joked.
"That was one time and the baker's boy was trying to jump on me," Dunk grumbled. Dunk winced at the memory of the boy who tried to corner Dunk in the stables to try and best him in a fight. Dunk accidentally let out some of his flames and thankfully only singed the boy's eyebrows off. Arlan and him fled in the night to avoid the accusations of witchcraft.
"Make the decision by dawn. We'll be making the journey to Pennytree at first light," Arlan undid his bedroll.
Dunk stared at the embers left in the fire and wondered if he was meant for a simple village life or if he should finally spread his wings.
Morning light came and Dunk decided it was time to carve out his own path and figure out his place as an oddity in Westeros.
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The memories of his dam were vague at best. Dunk remembered a kind face with dirty blonde hair like his. The only part of her that Dunk remembered clearly were her eyes, colored in a mix of blue and purple. There were many nights where Dunk wondered if his beastly half came from his dam or sire.
The first incident occurred when Dunk was but a boy raiding dead bodies from the rebellion with Rafe. Rafe mentioned that smoke came out of Dunk when he slept deeply but Dunk reassured her that she was probably hallucinating from the brown they ate. Dunk was content with his simple life with his alpha friend. They struggled but Dunk was happy to stick by his friend. Then a gold cloak sliced Rafe's throat and smoked started to spew from his mouth and nose as he cried over her body. Grief had stricken Dunk so badly that he didn't question the smoke. The old man who had slain the gold cloak, that murdered his friend, seemed like a beacon of hope.
Dunk followed his savior for days and almost passed out when exhaustion filled his body and tears left his eyes. Arlan took pity on him and accepted his shadow that followed him faithfully for days.
In the beginning of his squirehood Dunk ignored the smoke he was beginning to produce and just swallowed it down if he felt the prickles at his throat. He didn't need to give Arlan any reason to abandon him and a squire that produced smoke was a risk. One day as he dried himself from his bath in the river he noticed the scarlet scales on the small of his back. In a panic Dunk clothed himself and ran into the forest to calm himself under the cover of gathering firewood.
The tingles came up through his throat and Dunk started to spew fire. The fire came out in an endless stream as Dunk screamed. Bushes and trees were rendered charred in seconds. Dunk curled in on himself in fear as the fire sputtered out and his clothes were half burned and barely hung onto him.
Arlan found him in the forest and muttered the words that Dunk always carried in the back of his mind. Dunk came clean about the smoke and the scales. Arlan listened with a raised brow and told the boy to never tell a soul of these "peculiarities". "The world will be cruel to you as an omega and we don't need extra cruelty due to those extra differences," Arlan told him that night. Dunk let out the biggest sigh of relief after that conversation but felt guilt for forcing Arlan to keep such a secret.
Through experimentation they figured out that if Dunk felt strong emotions then the fire would boil up his throat. The scales also appeared when his emotions were in flux. Dunk feared what would occur if he were to fly into a full blown rage. Arlan was more worried that his squire might pop out an egg.
The baker's boy incident had been the only close call that they had in the past. Dunk still felt an edge of anxiety being around people as they approached Pennytree with the horses.
Arlan was welcomed back with open arms by townsfolk and his sister hugged him and Dunk tightly as they arrived at the cottage Arlan was to share with her.
"I'll leave you in a sennight. I promise I'll come visit you and the horses," Dunk sat in front of the fireplace with Arlan.
"I could give you Thunder to keep you company," Arlan offered.
"His joints need rest after all these years of tourneys. And don't worry. I like walking," Dunk joked.
"Will you be venturing across the country or have you settled on an area to stick to?" the beta asked.
"I know you'll say I'm a fool but I wanted to go back to the crown lands. The river lands are beautiful but it's time for me to head back," Dunk sighed.
Arlan shook his head. "I can't control you lad. And if you're going to be near the dragon den then you'll need this," Arlan handed Dunk his sheathed sword.
"I can't accept this," Dunk stammered.
"You can and you will. And I'll be knighting you now," Arlan chuckled.
"Omegas can't be knights though."
"Well dragons don't exist anymore and yet you're in front of me," Arlan shrugged. "You barely have a scent anyway so I see no harm."
Dunk kneeled in front of his father figure and took his oath. Arlan chuckled at how serious Dunk looked. A week later Dunk nailed a penny to the tree outside of Arlan and his sister's cottage as a promise of his return.
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Life outside of King's Landing suited Dunk. The large forests created a vast cover for him to see how far his dragon abilities expanded. In the year on his own he discovered that he could fully transform into a dragon. In the past he could conjure up wings and talons at most but a full transformation was freeing and exciting. Dunk also had a better hold on his fire breathing and his scales popping up on his human figure.
Once in a while he'd leave the cave he had made residence in to sell a deer or fox he hunted down for coin and food in a nearby village. The visits were often cut short by Dunk's sensitivity to people's scents.
"Did you hear?" The egg lady asked Dunk.
"Hear what?" Dunk took his two goose eggs.
"One of the princes has been searching all the areas around King's Landing for a dragon. He's finally making his rounds to our village in a few days," the egg lady shook her head.
"One of the sheep farmers said he saw fire in the skies one night," the baker's wife exclaimed.
"I heard the prince intends to marry the beast," the egg lady whispered. Dunk went pale at the sound of marriage. The rumor mill had gone too wild for Dunk's tastes.
Dunk shook his head and laughed nervously. "Everyone knows that the dragons are gone."
The egg lady nodded. "Right you are lad. Thought I'd warn you since you come by these parts often and didn't want you be caught off guard by the sudden influx of guards and royalty."
Dunk thanked her and started back to his cave. He'd have to limit his time in his other form if he wanted to avoid being enslaved in the dragon pit.
For some reason Dunk felt unnerved by a dragon prince being nearby to him.
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Aerion was an alpha with large aspirations that bordered on delusion. At age seven the prince announced to his family that he'd marry a dragon. Maekar had to sit his son down and explain to him that the beasts no longer flew in the skies and that Aerion was more likely to marry a noble omega instead. The biggest tantrum the Red Keep had ever seen occurred after that conversation.
Dyanna Dayne hugged her son close to her chest and comforted him. "My glowing star you'll find the right one for you and if they have scales or flowing locks our family will welcome them with open arms," Dyanna whispered to her son while she pinched his cheeks. Maekar grumbled at his wife indulging in their second son's whims.
As Aerion grew so did his delusions of hunting down a dragon to marry. "A dragon should marry another," he told his older brother Daeron. Daeron rolled his eyes and did as the rest of his family did when Aerion spouted nonsense. He nodded along and left Aerion be. The boy had grown into a young man with sharp edges and no one dared speak back to him on the ridiculous notion of hunting down a scaled beast for marriage.
"I believe my son has taken "riding a dragon" the wrong way," Maekar vented to an amused Baelor. Baelor assured his brother that such a delusion will pass eventually when they started presenting omegas in court to him and Daeron.
The elder prince's hopes were dashed when Aerion ran into Baelor's study with worrying news.
"Father! Uncle! There has been sightings in a nearby village in the Crown Lands!" Aerion shouted.
"A sighting of what? Bandits?" Maekar asked.
"No father, an actual dragon was spotted at nighttime flying," Aerion grinned.
Baelor and Maekar turned to each other with panic in their eyes.
Baelor turned back to his nephew. "Aerion how do we know it's a dragon? For all we know there's a very large bat that a sheep farmer mistook as a dragon," Baelor reasoned.
Aerion tapped his foot and was lost in thought for a few seconds at the response. He snapped his fingers. "They said they saw fire but you're right uncle we can't know anything for sure."
"Well if that's settled-" Maekar crossed his arms
"I shall go around the Crown Lands myself to seek out the beast," Aerion proclaimed.
Maekar almost fell out of his chair. "No you shall not! I forbid it as your father!" Maekar sputtered.
Baelor held up a hand to silence his brother. "Aerion in theory if we were to let you go on such an excursion how long would you be gone for?"
"Two to three moons at most. I would hopefully find my mate within a moon and a half if I had it my way," Aerion smirked.
Baelor smiled. "As your crown prince with more authority than your father, I grant you permission to search for your intended within the period of three moons."
Maekar's mouth hung open and Aerion's face lit up.
"Thank you uncle! I'll go make preparations immediately," Aerion nodded before turning to leave.
"Have you taken leave of your senses?! You're sending my boy out to hunt for something that no longer exists!" Maekar barked once Aerion was out of earshot.
"Exactly and when he fails at his quest perhaps he'll be more amenable to settling down with a nice omega like you and I did," Baelor flipped through his book.
Maekar opened and closed his mouth. "That's actually quite clever of you."
Baelor smirked. "Last time you complimented me like that we were fighting against a rebellion."
Maekar scoffed. "Don't make me rescind my words." There was a feeling of anxiety that lingered in the back of Maekar's mind. The death of his late wife left his family in shambles and he did nothing but worry after each of his six children. Aerion was a special case of chaos and constantly put his father on edge on what antics or cruelty he had been concocting. His delusions on what he wanted in a mate grew fantastical after Dyanna died. Maekar hoped that this would finally put an end to his son's fantasies.
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The prince arrived in the nearby village flanked by two guards. Dunk watched their procession from afar in the trees. The prince cut an imposing figure with a strong jawline and features that would were so beautiful that the gods would be envious of him. The sight of the white haired man put the omega on edge for some reason. It felt like his skin was too small for his body and Dunk felt restless. Dunk chalked it up to a potential heat creeping on him since the last time he had one was when he presented as a teenager.
Dunk was thankful that he had no need to go into the village since the unsettled feeling he felt about the visiting royalty lingered. The feeling of relief in his cave was short lived when he discovered he needed soap and some herbs for his meat. The thought of eating unseasoned meat made Dunk wince and he pulled on his cloak and took his sword out of it's corner.
I probably won't see the damned prince. This will be an in and out visit to the village, Dunk thought as he walked.
The village bustled with more people than usual and the scents made Dunk's head swim. "In and out," Dunk whispered as he marched to the merchant stalls.
With a bundle of herbs bought, Dunk perused the soaps that the merchant had on display.
"I'll take that one," Dunk pointed at the lavender soap.
The merchant nodded and accepted the offered coin. "You got a bounty on your head or something?" The merchant asked as he put the soap into a small pouch.
Dunk shook his head. "Absolutely not! I stay in my home, there's no way I'd be wanted for something!"
The merchant nodded to the side. "Well those white cloaks are eyeing you, so best you get going," the man handed Dunk his soap.
Dunk glanced at the kingsguard that observed him from afar and felt a chill go up his spine. Dunk tucked the goods into his belt and started back home. When he arrived at the outskirts of the thick woods he felt a presence following him. Dunk quickened his pace in hopes that he would lose the person among the trees.
"Halt! I command you to halt as your prince!" A voice behind Dunk called out.
The beast in the back of his head screeched for him to obey. Dunk wanted nothing more than to run. His body obeyed the prince's command and he stood stock still. An overwhelming scent of smoke and burnt sugar filled Dunk's nose. The scent was sweet but it was all alpha much to his chagrin.
Dunk slowly turned around. "How may I be of assistance milord?" Dunk gritted out with a forced smile.
The prince frowned and sniffed the air. Dunk felt a bit self conscious since his faint scent was of ash and fresh rainfall, unremarkable scents for such a large omega. Arlan told him to be thankful for such a subtle scent since some alphas got cuntstruck over flashy overpowering scents from omegas.
"A village girl told me you're familiar with these woods," the prince said with a bored tone.
"Aye I am. Nothing special about being able to navigate through some trees though," Dunk shrugged.
The prince raised a haughty eyebrow. "Then you'd probably have any information on the dragon sightings around these woods."
Dunk paled a bit and tried to steel his scent to not sour. "Milord dragons no longer exist. If I were to see such a beast it would be the talk of the area," Dunk replied nervously.
The prince approached Dunk and narrowed his eyes. "Lying to a prince of the realm is a crime you know? Now be plain and tell me what you know."
Dunk felt his eyes water by the intoxicating scent of the alpha. His draconic instinct wanted him to kneel in front of this man and Dunk was horrified by his internal reaction. If his inner beast recognized this man as his desired alpha he needed to fly away to the north and repress these urges.
"If such a beast was around. I doubt it would be openly flying in the daylight," Dunk replied quietly.
Aerion studied Dunk for a few seconds before he nodded in agreement. "You make a fair point. Where can I find you tonight so we can start the search?"
Dunk took a step back. "Milord I never agreed to guide you through the forest," Dunk argued.
The prince took a step toward Dunk. "Good thing I'm commanding you and not asking for your agreement on this matter."
"Milord please-"
"I will meet you in front of the inn at sundown. Get some rest. We'll have a long night ahead of us," Aerion called out dismissively as he turned to walk away.
Dunk sighed and trekked back to his cave to nap so he could tolerate the prince later. His inner dragon purred at the thought of seeing the alpha again.
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Aerion laid down in the inn and stared at the ceiling while the strange omega haunted his thoughts. The giant of a man looked unremarkable at a distance when the village girl pointed him out. Aerion thought him to be a plain beta with no scent. The chase through the woods lead Aerion to the most scrumptious scent of ash mixed with petrichor from fresh rainfall.
The omega looked nervous by his presence and Aerion's fangs nearly popped out by the pheromones of this man. His hindbrain wanted him to claim him immediately but Aerion had a quest to see through. His lack of control by this man's scent peaked Aerion's interest. The man's skittish expression made Aerion want to see how far he could tease him. In reality he could scout out the area by himself with his guards but something in him screamed for him to keep the omega close.
Aerion shook his head and closed his eyes. He couldn't be distracted by one nice smelling omega. He was destined to be mated to a true dragon that had the same fire that ran through his veins.