The Dragon and the Rose // Aemond Targaryen

Chapter 14

"Princess you must come to the Dragon Pit quickly!" a servant informed her at breakfast. Viserra looked around at her family trying to mask her confusion. 

"What is this about?" her father king Viserys asked curiously. 

"Forgive me, my king but princess Helaena's dragon produced a new clutch, four eggs. Perhaps princess Viserra would like to take her choice of them?" he asked. Viserra sucked in a breath. A dragon egg. For her. Her stomach roiled with excitement and she began tap her feet on the ground. 

"Father, please may I go?" she asked looking at her father with her brightest smile and doe eyes. The king could not refuse her, he chuckled before saying "Yes, good luck my daughter.". 

Viserra jumped with elation and hugged her father on the other side of the table, who patted her head sweetly. She began to leave but her grandfather's voice echoed through the room "Viserra do eat first.". She turned to him smiling "Perhaps later grandfather". 

With that and a few encouraging smiled from Helaena, Viserra ran out of the dining halls the servant following quickly at her heels. She practically sprinted out into the yard where a carriage and her guard stood waiting for her. 

"Have your heard the news!" she asked Tristane excitedly. The knight smiled softly "Yes, princess I did but please. Do not put all your hopes in this.". Viserra was briefly crestfallen but quickly quelled that feeling with a charming smile. 

Tristane opened the carriage door for her and Viserra settled in comfortably. She felt a giddy excitement but also a feeling of apprehension. What if the egg never hatched? Just like the last one. What if it broke in her hands? All these years Viserra had pretended not to be bothered by her lack of a dragon that now when she finally got the chance to have one she felt so anxious. 

As the carriage rumbled through the city Viserra picked at her fingernails thinking of what Aemond had said to her the night he'd lost his eye. 

You are pathetic, the worst Targaryen to ever live.  

I wish it had been you that died that night

Viserra had called herself many names too since then. She pitied herself for being so desperate for affection that she went out of her way to get it. All the studying, the politics, the dresses all of it was so that someone, anyone would see her. Viserra forced the thoughts out of her mind and went through the series of commands she'd always hear her siblings say to their dragons

Dohaeras, serve me

Lykiri, be calm

Soves  - fly

Dracarys - burn

Over and over she said them, mouthing the words and even saying them aloud till they came as naturally as breathing. It helped settle her nerves a little. Her pronunciation had gotten significantly better since she'd started practicing High Valyrian every day. Some days she would have Nadia and Yerene read for her and other days she would try writing in Valyrian too. 

The carriage rumbled through the city for a while before stopping. She heard the noises of the horses and the clinking of mail as Tristane opened the door and offered her his arm to step down. As she excited she looked towards the great gates of the Dragon Pit. Viserra wondered why they kept the dragons chained in a Pit like that? Dragons as large as Dreamfyre and Vhagar needed open space. She shuddered feeling sick at the thought of being imprisoned somewhere where ones purpose was to soar free. 

"This way princess" a dragon keeper said steeping out, he nodded towards the gate and Viserra quickly followed, Tristane at her heels at always. The keepers led her to one of the cells and Viserra winced seeing Dreamfyre and Sunfyre held in chains, unable to fly freely. 

"Are the chains necessary?" she asked him. The old maester shook his head "Yes of course that is how they are controlled Princess". Viserra nodded glumly as she took in the sight of Sunfyre's brilliant white and gold wings struggling to lift off the ground. 

"They are dragons maester, not pets" Viserra said trying to sound a little menacing. But the old maester laughed her off.

 Viserra was briefly offended but then her attention went to the eggs in their hot cradles. She approached slowly, the rest of the world fading away. She did not notice Aemond returning from his ride coming near to watch. 

Viserra knelt down gently, her entire body buzzing with a strange sense of rightness, she reached out towards the cradle in the center, holding an orange and cream colored dragon egg. The egg shimmered with a warm light. The bright colors reminded Viserra of how the sun rose, brilliant and bold in the morning sky. 

Faintly, Viserra could hear the maester warning her of the heat but Viserra could barely hear him as she placed a hand on the egg. The egg was warm and inviting like a friend. She could almost feel the life writhing inside. An inexpressible feeling of joy and completeness came over Viserra. For so long she felt alone and unworthy. But simply holding a dragon egg in her hands made her feel whole. Viserra could not take her eyes off of the egg as she brought it to her chest cradling it like a mother did for a babe. 

She closed her eyes as tears of joy glazed her cheeks. A smile of pure joy graced Viserra's face as she heard the slight crack of in the egg. She brought the egg away from her chest and placed a delicate hand on it, as if encouraging for it to hatch completely. 

Crack, crack, crack  

One after another more and more cracks enveloped the egg, Viserra thought that perhaps this was the most beautiful sound to her ears. She heard the maester trying to talk to her and then her brother Aemond commanding him to stop, before coming near her. 

But she did not stir. Did not look at them. She kept watching the egg, the top of the shell was gone completely and she could see the beautiful head of her dragon. Soon enough the rest of the shell peeled away. She heard someone gasp behind her but Viserra still did not turn around. Her eyes were transfixed on the bright orange and gold colored little dragon in front of her. 

Viserra gently stroked the side of it's head with her finger "There you are" she began her voice shaking from her tears "I've been waiting for you.". Her dragon nuzzled against her hands and make a sound soft. It then leapt from her hands and onto her shoulder. 

She looked up at her brother who was staring down at her with adoration and something else she could not name. The dragon wrapped it's small body around her shoulder, it's spiked tail resting on her collarbone. She looked into Aemond's eyes and smiled once more and for the first time since Driftmark her brother Aemond looked at her and smiled back. Not just a small smile. One of love and happiness and joy. A full smile. He knelt down next to her and kissed her forehead gently. 

"It needs a name" he whispered gently to her. Viserra looked down at her dragon at his danced across her right arm. Viserra knew it was a she-dragon. Just like her mother Dreamfyre. She looked like a little sun with the way her scales shone a bright orange with spike of gold. Without taking her eyes of her little dragon Viserra raised her voice "Dawn. Her name is Dawn". 

And finally after two and ten years Viserra Targaryen had a dragon. 

So how'd I do?