The Dragons and Their Sun (aemond/oc)

aurora II

Aurora woke the next day to an empty room. It wasn't unusual. Her family visited often, but she was alone more than she was in the company of others. Ser Finneas stood guard outside, and Mya had more than one job to do. The tower remained locked with her alone inside. Something was different though. A large book sat on her vanity stool. She looked at it in confusion for a moment before her eyes widened, and she fought her bedsheets to rush over to the book.

Her yellow eyes scanned the title and a grin broke across her face. The Royal Family and Their Fiery Protectors. It took her a minute to read the title as she was still a slow reader. It would take her a long time to finish this book. She was excited to start, though. Ignoring her hair and dressing, she grabbed the book and hopped back into her bed. She made herself comfortable before beginning to read.

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Hours later, she still hadn't looked up from her book. Aegon Targaryen, the book called him. She didn't know the name Targaryen. Targaryen's had dragons. She may have been young, but she made the connection. She was still confused as to why a Targaryen had killed her mother, though. According to the book, the war was over. There was no reason for one of them to take her mother from her. She flipped the next page, coming to a tree-like structure. A family tree. She eagerly scanned it, taking in each name. Below the Targaryen's names were other names as well. Dragons. There were so many dragons included in this tree.

She had learned earlier in her reading that dragons originated from a place called Valyria. It no longer existed, taking many dragons down with it. Balerion, The Black Dread, they called him, was the oldest dragon from Valyria. He survived the doom. She reread the passage multiple times, trying to see if she missed where the old beast came from. Surely, he had a mother. There was no mention of one. Balerion was ridden by Aegon I, the Conqueror of Westeros. He had a few other riders before he died. The current King, Viserys Targaryen, was his last rider. Vhagar was the second biggest dragon. The last recorded rider for her was Laena Velaryion.

The family tree ended with King Viserys' daughter, Rhaenyra. Rhaenyra, who rode Syrax, was married to Ser Laenor Velaryon, who rode Seasmoke. They had two sons together, Jacaerys and Lucerys. Ser Laenor had a sister, Laena. Laena, as she learned earlier, rode Vhagar. She was married to Daemon Targaryen, King Viserys' brother, and rider of Caraxes, and they had twin daughters, Baela and Rhaena. She followed the twins' line up to their grandparents, and she saw Rhaenys Targaryen, rider of Meleys. Rhaenys was married to Corlys Velaryon. Something caught her eye, though. Rhaenys' mother was a Baratheon.

She jerked away from the book like it burned her. She had to have read it wrong. She reread it. She blinked. Reread it again. Rubbed her eyes. Read it again. Rhaenys, a Targaryen, had a Baratheon mother. Aurora felt tears come to her eyes as she realized she did have a family out there. No matter how distant. She followed Rhaenys' line with her finger. Her mother was Jocelyn Baratheon. She knew that name. Her father mentioned it in passing. Jocelyn had a younger brother, Joseph. Joseph was Aurora's grandfather. Joseph's wife was Gael Targaryen. Her grandmother was a Targaryen.

She felt her head beginning to spin. Her father hated Targaryens, and she had the blood of one. Was that why he looked at her like he saw something else sometimes? Following the line further, she found the name Gael Targaryen. Gael had married her grandfather, Joseph. That made her father cousins with the King. Aurora pushed the book off her lap and tried to right her breathing. She had the blood of the people who kept the things that killed her mother as pets. She felt a tug at the back of her mind at that line of thought. Usually, she pushed them down. Today, she let it in.

Her eyes rolled back as an image came into her mind. It was less painful than normal; perhaps because she had let it in rather than force it out. She saw an empty sky. At least until a small dot appeared on the horizon. A dragon. The rider was a gorgeous woman with long white hair. She had to be a Targaryen. The dragon was a golden color. The woman seemed to call out to her before she was brought back to her room. She didn't recognize the woman; how could she? She's never seen anyone outside the three people she normally saw.