Dragon's Hope

Chapter 1

                                                     Rhaegon Targaryen (33 years old.)

When people looked at him all they saw was a man enjoying life, happy to drink and fuck women, giving feasts almost every night. But then no one was able to see inside him, if they had they would have seen the loneliness, the sadness, the anger, and the guilt. Rhaegon was sad that his wife had died so young and in such a horrible way. He was guilty because in a way he had contributed to her death and he was angry. Mostly he was angry at Jaehaera for not listening to his wishes and putting her life in danger for a dream that she had been told several times would cause her death. He had loved Jaehaera, maybe not with the intensity that his mother and father loved each other, or even Deirys and Aemond. Rhaegon and Jaehaera's love had been sweet, and soothing, like being wrapped in a warm blanket after being cold for a long while. Rhaegon had not been lying when he told his wife he did not need children, that just being with her was enough for him, that she was enough, but she refused to listen, and she died because of it.

Rhaegon took a swing of his wine, welcoming the burn as it traveled down his throat, remembering his uncle Aegon's hateful look the day Jaehaera had passed. The man had become unhinged, throwing himself at Rhaegon and blaming him for his daughter's death. Rhaegon had not done anything, just stood there and let the other man do what he needed to so he could feel better. It had been his father who had jumped in and gotten Aegon off of him. The next day his wife had been burnt following Targaryen's custom and an hour later Rhaegon was gone, getting on his dragon and leaving everything and everyone behind. He knew he had hurt a lot of people, starting with his twin. Baelon had written to him, letting him know that he and Alyssa were getting wed and he wanted Rhaegon to attend. But he had not been able to, he could not return. He had hurt his brother, he could feel it in his chest. Two years later, his brother had written to him, letting him know about his niece's birth. Baelon was now a father, to a girl named Rhaella. All Rhaegon could think was how his sisters had been able to give birth to healthy children and survive, while his wife was dead.

He hated himself for thinking those things, for blaming other people for his loss, which is why he had left. He had spent most of his time drinking, fighting, and fucking woman. He had not slept with as many women as he had when he was young, but he had hired several of them to be at his feasts. Like right now, there were several people walking around his garden, drinking and eating his food. Some of the men had women in their laps, almost fucking them in front of everyone. There were musicians to the side, the atmosphere was lively and pleasant. Rhaegon had created friendships with several of the free cities' lords and magistrates. They were more than happy to have a dragon rider among them, especially the son of a queen and king. Rhaegon was not stupid enough to think these people were truly his friends, they all wanted something from him, but he did not care, he enjoyed the perks being a prince and dragon rider brought him.

One of the women walked past him, running her fingers down his arm and giving him a come hither look. Rhaegon shook his head, taking a step back and moving away from the woman. Tonight all he wanted was to drink himself unconscious and forget the rest of the world. He moved closer to the center of the garden, standing on top of the table and letting out a sharp whistle, everyone went quiet, the musicians stopping and looking at him.

"My friends, I have to say I have enjoyed my time with you immensely. Myrish people know how to enjoy life and its pleasures." Everyone cheered and Rhaegon lifted his cup. "Most people need a reason to drink and celebrate, but I believe being alive in such a beautiful city is more than enough cause for celebration. So I say we continue this celebration until dawn, there is more than enough wine, food, and women."

The cheering got even louder as everyone lifted their cups, most of them spilling the wine all over themselves. The musicians started playing a more happy tone, making some of the people present start to dance. Dances in Myr were very different from the ones in Westeros. The free cities were not so reserved as his country of birth was, they saw life a bit differently. Here Rhaegon was free from his responsibilities, his duties, he was not just the son of a queen. Here he could do whatever he wanted and forget all about his pain, for a few hours at least. Rhaegon was about to step down from the table when there was a deafening roar and the entire courtyard went silent. Rhaegon frowned, he knew it was a dragon, but it did not sound like Meraxes. People were still looking around when a large purple and silver dragon landed in the middle of the courtyard. People screamed as the dragon roared threateningly at the people present, shooting flames at the sky. People panicked and started running, which just made the dragon even more upset. The large beast took a step forward, making the ground shake and people stopped running, frozen in fear.

The large dragon lowered his head and everyone gasped when a small woman climbed off the dragon's back. She ran a hand over the dragon's neck, making the large beast purr happily. She moved forward, removing her gloves without taking her eyes away from him. He could hear the people around him murmuring, as the most beautiful woman they had ever seen walked towards him. Her long silver-white hair was down, reaching her waist and moving side to side with every step she took, her purple eyes fierce and not looking away from him. She stopped in front of him and did not say anything, just stood there, staring at him with those eyes that saw more than he was comfortable with. He was holding his breath, and later he would blame the wine for not recognizing the woman in front of him.

" Kepus (uncle.)" Her voice was sultry and smoky, hitting him like a punch to the gut. "Issa jēda naejot māzigon lenton. (It is time to come home.)"

Rhaegon could not take his eyes away from her, thinking she looked familiar, a mix between Deirys and his mother, but he could not place her, again, he blamed the wine. His eyes snapped to the dragon until an image of a small girl with silver-white hair and delicate features popped into his head. He looked into the woman's eyes, realizing they were the same eyes as that small girl, and attempted to get his mind to reconcile the image of the small child to the woman standing in front of him. He jumped off the table but did not move too close to her.

"Rhaelys?"

"Yes, kepus." She stared at him with an amused look on her face. "Have you missed me?"

                                                      Rhaelys Targaryen (17 years old.)