The War of Wings

King's Landing

    118 AC:
"As Princess Rhaenyra aged, she began to be considered less as The Realms Delight and more as the future dragon queen. However, the title and adoration of the Realms Delight went to her daughter, Aemma, despite princess Helaena being born first. Aemma was the third and only female child of Rhaenyra and Laenor Velaryon. Despite her adoration from the court, Aemma proved to be as independent and fiery as she was beautiful. Many recounted that Aemma had a fire of a Targaryen warrior that even her brothers didn't possess."

I asked my mother for the story of my birth before we went to bed. She typically would come read to us or tell us stories before we were sent to bed. While my brother instantly argued the idea, I insisted. I had been curious as my newest baby brother or sister was soon to be born. My brother, Jace after much convincing agreed with me, stating he would only listen because he hadn't heard the story before. Jace is 10, and being only three years older than me, he couldn't remember my birth.
My mother at our insistence agreed and we curled into the window of our apartment in the castle of King's Landing. She had to shift to fit Luke, Jace, and me around her swollen belly. Besides my older brother Luke, who was barely ten months my elder, I sat excitedly to hear the story.
    After my mother shifted her dress and got comfortable with us around her, I realized something. While my brothers may not have been aware, I was old enough to recognize her expression and her tone of voice. Her face had gone slack and her eyes clouded. Her light purple eyes which usually held such authority were almost dimmed to a pale periwinkle color. But despite her obvious discomfort, she pull us close and told us about that night.
   It had been cloudy all week, but no rain had come. My mother had an amused smile as she recounted how the clouds annoyed my step-grandmother. Alicent Hightower had been determined to have her children, Helaena and Aegon's formal announcement of engagement take place that week. Mother said her shrieks of annoyance had been heard across the castle throughout the week. Though the announcement was postponed because of the fear of rain.
Mother informed us that thunderstorms during an announcement or wedding were a bad omen for the Hightowers. Their house was very proud. They were proud of the flame atop their tower, as their motto was "we light that way." But because of this tradition, the flame must always stay lit, and rain threatens to put out the flame, hence the bad omen.
    Mother continued her story to remind us that, even during storms, the dragons would typically venture out of the pits. But throughout this week, the dragons had been restless and refused to leave the pit. They could have gone out and flown, but they chose to stay close to King's Landing. Mother said they probably feared the storm, I thought they knew something was coming.
    Mother whispered to us that when the storm broke it was a lightless night and not long after my mother began her labors with me. The thunder shook the stone of the castle, and the lightning scorched the stone of the tallest towers. There had seen to be no end to the storm or my mother's labor. Suddenly, when my mother said I was near, she heard the dragons. She said the dragon's roars could be heard from her chambers. That their calls could be heard over the thunder and across King's Landing.
    But as the hours labored, everyone began to fear for my mother and my life. Just as my mother was about to give in to the pain, an echoing sound inched closer to the castle. It had been Syrax. Syrax, who was not one to leave the dragon pits in bad weather, escaped the pits and surged skyward. She landed on the castle to be near my mother, her calls my mother said were fierce but comforting in her time of need. My mother joked that despite the comfort Syrax provided her, she unnerved everyone else. Syrax had never acted that way during birth. But her presence seemed to predict mine, and I was born soon after.
    My mother's husband Laenor was by her side, as was Sir Harwin Strong. Mother said they both recounted that my scream was as loud as Syrax's roar and only when I stopped crying did her roaring cease.
     As my mother went to continue, she smoothed Luke's curly hair as my older brother was already asleep at her side. The most peaceful of my brothers, he could never stay awake for long during a story. Jace who had been determined to hear all of the stories was listening intently with me, even as a yawn betrayed his exhaustion. My mother was going to continue before we heard movement and turned. My mother put a protective hand in front of us before we saw Laenor walk in. Laenor asked what we were doing up so late and Jace responded sleepily, his dark curly brown hair falling in his eyes.
As our father approached, he shook my brother's head comfortingly before he tried to send us off to bed. I had begged for the end of the story, and Laenor, never one to refuse my pleading looked to my mother. She informed him where we had paused as he sat next to us. He straightened his outfit before continuing the story from where my mother left off.
    He told me that as I calmed, the storm outside ceased and the night sky was finally seen. Eventually, as my mother and I relaxed, the palace guards got Syrax to leave the castle walls and the dragons were finally at peace. But a few hours after I was laid in my crib to sleep, my mother came to check on me.
My mother's current smile was one of amusement as she recounted that she and Sir Harwin were immensely surprised to have found the reason the dragons were so agitated. As they approached my crib, where I was soundly asleep, my dragon egg had hatched. The baby dragon, black as night, was curled around me like a snake. Her wings were like a swaddle to the both of us, and as we both slept, we comforted and warmed each other.
    My mother now seemingly finished with her recount petted my head. She brushed my bright blonde hair from my eyes. Her eyes were a soft lavender color, full of affection, as she referred to my dragon Ebrior. Ebrior and I had a special bond, one even my brothers envied. While Jace could command his dragon and Luke got along with him, Ebrior and I were closely connected. Barely ever was she not seen near me and I her. If I wasn't training by the dragon pits, we were eating lunch together in the courtyard or she was sunning herself with me by the god's wood trees.
My mother didn't say anything more to the story. For a moment I thought she was going to say something, but instead, she sent me and my brothers off to bed. She claimed we had training tomorrow with our uncles, but I knew she wanted to talk with my father. I followed a barely awake Luke and shuffled Jace up the stairs before I turned back. My mother was rubbing her belly softly as she spoke to Laenor quietly. I could see she was scolding him, something she does often. Her voice was almost silent and she reprimanded him about what he'd done. But as she tried to stand he helped her to her feet adoringly.
Despite my mother's strict rules and long grievances against my father, I knew they cared for each other. I couldn't help by smile at the soft gaze between them, which reminded me of a look between friends. But I didn't reminisce on that thought as I had followed my brothers instead toward the bed.