Chapter 4- I Don't Dance

Left, right, dodge the tower over there, barrel roll, dive to reduce altitude to scare the merchants at the market, climb to avoid hitting the roof, and soar through the skies. Arrax and I moved as one, thoughts and actions following in a strange symmetry. I barely thought of the next move we should undertake before Arrax carried it out with his impressive acrobatics and skill. He was amazing. Behind us, Rheanyra atop Syrax’s back struggled to follow our complicated maneuvers. Don’t get me wrong, Syrax could fly circles around Arrax in a straight line, but when we included acrobatics like these, Rheanyra struggled with instructing Syrax on what to do and so we gained the lead easily.

Viserys had come to watch us fly once and had proclaimed me the best flyer he’d ever seen. I had no idea what the criteria for that award was, but I wore it with pride. I’d spent a moon at the capital, and was adapting well to life at court. To be more completely accurate, I was adapting to life in my own little section of court. I had no dealings with the Lords of the realm, they saw me as either a bastard or an opportunity for their house to gain a dragonrider, and I saw them as stains on my boot.

I was joyful to note that Viserys was not keen to marry me off to tie me closer to the realm as the Castellan of Dragonstone had feared. He legitimately just wanted to spend time with his Nephew. He called me to take dinner with him unfailingly, every night. Whether he had dinner with the entire family or not. He showed up to watch my training at every opportunity. If it wasn’t so ridiculous, I’m sure someone would have started a rumour that I was Viserys’ bastard and not Daemon’s. I saw the reason for his interest very clearly though. A dragon’s senses were not easily fooled. When he spent time with me, he looked at me, and beyond me. My suspicions were correct when he accidentally slipped up and called me ‘Daemon’ at the end of one of our dinners. He saw me as the brother he’d exiled, and maybe viewed spending time with me as his own way of atoning for his actions.

Another thing life at at the capital had shown me was how different things were from canon. It was already xxx AC and Rheanyra was yet to be married to Leanor, Viserys hadn’t conquered the Stepstones, and the realm was fundamentally different from what it was in the canon world of Ice and Fire. My best guess was that my birth made Daemon delay his attempted conquest of the stepstones, and my life prevented him from taking the true risks he had in canon to end the war. Now, the war was in a neat stalemate. The triarchy had also been formed relatively sooner than in canon, perhaps sensing Daemon’s intention to actually hold on to the place. The only reason I knew about those plans was because I’d questioned him relentlessly about my future, and he’d told me that he sought the crown in the Stepstones for my own sake. He also divulged that he avoided damaging key infrastructure on the Island for the exact same reasons. It was admirable, and I hated being here in the capital when I thought of it.

My original plan had been to claim a dragon of my own and fly off to join Daemon in his war. He’d have denied me if I asked on Dragonstone, but something told me it would be more difficult to deny another dragon in his war in the stepstones. Enough about me and Daemon though, I’m sure your next question is about Rhaenyra. Why isn’t she married yet? I hear you ask. The answer is simple, she’d denied all her suitors, and Viserys sought to marry her to Ser Leanor Velaryon instead. The problem with that? Leanor was in the stepstones, atop his dragon, trying to assist with the conquest. They’d been betrothed, but no marriage was to happen till the war in the stepstones came to an end. The bright side of that was that I had time to prevent her from making a costly mistake like Mothering such obvious bastards as she had in canon. The dark side was that she was still involved with Criston Cole. The smiles they gave each other, thinking themselves discreet and coy made me want to throw up. I was surprised that Viserys hadn’t managed to realize what a whore his daughter was, but I guess He only saw what he wanted to see at the end of the day. It was ridiculous in its entirety, and I was loathed to get involved in the mess. I knew it was impossible to stay out of it though. I rode one of the most dangerous dragons in the entire realm. The Cannibal was a deadly beast even without the ritual, but now? With close to human levels of intelligence, he was a completely different level of monster. I could already tell that in War, he’d prove himself to be the greatest of the Targaryen dragons.

My esteem wasn’t based solely on my identity as The Cannibal’s rider though. The ritual had enhanced me into a truly dangerous warrior. When the benefits of the ritual had fully settled, I’d gone into the training yard and trounced all of the squires there. Now, even Knights were hesitant to face me in the yard. Don’t get me wrong, the Kingsguard Knights had no difficulty landing me on my arse. Harrold Westerling, the Lord Commander, and the Cargyll twins were the most notorious offenders. Harrold said he did it to prevent me from getting a big head, and the twins didn’t bother coming up with any excuse for their interest in me. They just said they loved a good fight, and the rest of the opponents in the castle were boring.

I heard the comparisons to my father. Some said I had the potential to be one of the greatest Kingsguard the realm would ever see. I paid them no mind though. The thought that I would willingly consign myself to a life as a glorified bodyguard was laughable. I had bigger dreams than that.

Much bigger dreams. Enough of that though, Syrax’s roar told me Rheanyra was catching up. Time to get moving again. I decided to make my way out to Blackwater, and Arrax and I covered the distance in a few wingbeats.

XXXXX

“The Dragonpit is one of the most notable pieces of infrastructure started in the reign of King Maegor I. Who can tell me why it was finished by King Jaehaerys, his successor, who had hated Maegor above all?” The Grand Maester asked with a smile and I returned him a small one. I quite liked Mellos. Not for the least reason being that he actually liked me and wasn’t just pretending to because I rode the largest dragon presently in Westeros. The fact that he genuinely enjoyed teaching us was a plus in my book. As an advisor to the King, I’m sure he had more important things to be doing with his time, but he didn’t seem to resent us for taking him away from his work.

Not that I’d have expected him to, though. He was teaching the King’s children and Nephew after all. Speaking of King’s children, I turned to the side to look at the other inhabitants of the study we’d claimed for our lessons. Aegon “The Trueborn”, as I’d heard some nobles call him to distinguish between us, was half asleep and Helaena was lost in some thought or the other. Like always, this was going to be turning into a personal session between the Grandmaester and I sooner or later.

“There are multiple reasons he might have done so. Maybe he just didn’t want to leave an unfinished edifice in the heart of the capital and figured that completing it would be less expensive than demolishing it and resettling the lands” I started, only to be interrupted by Mellos.

“No. The Dragonpit was not even half finished when Jaehaerys ascended the throne. It would have been much less expensive to demolish and resettle than complete the structure. Keep trying” He said encouragingly, removing the bite of his words with a sincere smile.

“Maybe he sought a place to gather the Targaryen dragons for stabling” I ventured next, only to be interrupted once again

“The Dragonpit need not be that large or secure if that was all there was to it. You are on the right track, though. Keep trying” His smile remained the same, but I found it a bit more annoying. He was fond of this. Leading me on and forcing me to think through answers to his questions. I both loved and hated how he wasn’t just teaching us history. He was making us look closely at the things that happened and the possible motivations for all the parties.

“To keep the dragons separate from the city, to protect them?” I was unsure.

“You have a dragon, my lord. Does it need any protection?”

“To protect the smallfolk then?”

“No. Lords barely consider smallfolk in their decision-making. King Jaehaerys, as wise as he was, was little different in that regard”

“It’s obviously a symbol of Targaryen power. A massive finger to all the lords of the realm. Like saying ‘look how many dragons we have, Aegon conquered you all with three. Imagine what I can do with a dozen.” Aegon said, finally choosing to end his daydreaming and pay attention to the lesson.

“You’re both getting parts of it, but not the whole picture. Not the way I want you to, at least. The Dragonpit is all about control. Of the realm, the city, the dragons and their riders.” Our confusion was tangible.

“The dragonpit provides a stable for dragons, meaning that they’re always in one, fixed location. A warning to the lords of the realm that the King and his riders were only a short ride away from their gathered weapons of mass destruction. This stable also cements Targaryen control of the city. Few would assault a city with close to a dozen dragons, and none would survive. For the dragons, it is most apparent. They are chained and locked up, only released at the pleasure of their riders. Helps prevent dragons from raging through the countryside when struck by the mood. Of course, this only works for the younger ones. I doubt any chains exist capable of stopping the Cannibal, Vhagar or Vermithor. Finally, what I suspect was the main motivation behind the pit, is the control it grants the King over the riders. The Cannibal is the most dangerous dragon in all of Westeros, but if you sought to use it against the city, you’d have a very hard time getting into the dragonpit. As long as their dragons remain within the pit, the King maintains absolute control of all the riders”

At the end of his speech, he was looking at us with such excitement and pride, that I was sure he approved of the pit’s construction.

“There’s also the element of the pit weaning the Targaryens off of Dragonstone. Now that Dragons hatch in King’s Landing, the family is less dependent on their ancestral home.” He added that last bit as an aside and I nodded along with his arguments. I agreed with most things he said. I doubted that bit about control though. If anyone thought the dragonpit would separate Arrax and I if he thought I was in danger, they’d have a very rude awakening. My dragon had grown bigger and stronger in the few months I’d been here. Daily exercise in the form of flights (with or without the Princess Rheanyra and her Syrax), and a very rich and healthy diet meant that the dragon’s growth had increased exponentially. He’d been older than Vermithor, and still smaller, but that was quickly changing. The looks in the eyes of the dragon keepers whenever I visited the pit told me that they were also noticing. Some of them looked afraid, and others looked intrigued. Sometimes, I wondered what the consensus about me was among the serving staff, but without complete knowledge of the secret passages, it was all but impossible to find out what each and every one of them though, apart from the few stupid enough to speak within my hearing. In their defense though, my hearing was superhuman.

Mellos dismissed us from there, and I prepared to head off to the library for some of my own studies. There wasn’t much else to do in the city after all. “Aegon” I was startled from my thoughts and plans as Helaena called out my name. I smiled at the girl. “Walk in the gardens with me?” She asked shyly, looking ready to bolt at any given moment.

I smiled at the cute child and answered in the affirmative. We’d taken multiple walks through the keep’s gardens, having fun with the various bugs we found and even taking a few back to her room to add to her little menagerie. This was the first time she was ever approaching me first, though. I guess progress was being made.

“What do you think about dragons?” Helaena asked as we started our first circuit around the castle’s gardens. Hmm. Dragons?

“I think they are a symbol of the power of your house for a reason. Strong, fast, and deadly. When I ride Arrax, I feel invincible. It’s like nothing can touch me.” I said after giving it a second of thought.

“Our,” She said while giving me a significant look.

“Our” I confirmed. We’d had this argument multiple times before.

“Good. We are Targaryens. Only Targaryens ride dragons, after all” She said with a smug smile on her face.

“Leanor and Leana Velaryon would disagree with you on that” I said smartly. That actually got a laugh out of her.

“You know what I mean. How is Arrax?” She asked again, changing the subject. It was a feature of our walks. I suspected the princess had some form of attention disorder, since she could never stay on a single topic for more than a few seconds. The lessons with the Maester must have been the worst kind of torture for her.

“He does well. He still dislikes the pit, of course. But he doesn’t oppose the regular meals, and as long as I take him flying at least once a day, he doesn’t get too ornery. Dragons process time differently from us, the older ones, especially. I’m sure to him, it must feel like we never spend significant periods apart, but to me, even being here without him is hard. A dragon bond is a deep, beautiful thing, princess” I stopped my tirade there.

“I see. I must get one of my own then. Will you accompany me?” At that, I tripped over my feet. Her laughter and that of the knight behind us turned my cheeks a burning red as I pulled myself up from my position on the floor.

I scowled at her amused face. She’d waited till I was about to take a step to say those words. “It’s not funny” I grumbled, already beginning to see the comedy in what had happened. Helaena was funny like that. Only a few people got to see this side of her, and it gladdened me that I was one of the few who did.

“It was. You know that. My words were no jape, though. I’ve thought it true, and I must claim a dragon of my own today.” I looked at her like she’d grown wings and wanted to fly. So strange were the words she spoke. Who the fuck just randomly decides to claim a dragon? Helaena Targaryen, of course. Shy as the maiden herself, but mischievous and uncaring for good sense and logic.

“Today?” I echoed and she nodded. I turned to the knight behind us and he tried his best to act like he wasn’t paying attention to a word we said. Arryk Cargyll was just like that, loyal to a fault, and extremely skilled at minding his own business. Most of the time, he was content to act like he cared little for his surroundings if there wasn’t a fight to be heard. I knew he heard every word we spoke, but I also knew he was not going to tell anyone of anything he heard.

“Yes. It must be today” I nodded along with her like she was making sense.

“And have you sought permission?” The look she gave me inspired no confidence in the legality of what we were about to undertake. Yes, I’d already decided to help her. A dragon could do a load of good for someone’s confidence, and if there was anyone in need of such a boost, it was Helaena. Besides, I knew Helaena. She was shy, but once she made a decision, she would stick by it. She’d decided to claim a dragon, and I had no doubts that if I didn’t help, she’d find another way to get her way. She’d claimed Dreamfyre very young in canon. So young that it was noteworthy in the books so this might just be canon running its course. Apart from all that Dreamfyre was one of the most docile of the dragons. There was very little chance of anything going wrong on that front. For the legality, things were a bit more unclear. There wasn’t really a clear rule that prevented anyone with the right blood from going to the pit and claiming a dragon of their own. However, there was precedent. Anyone who claimed a dragon from the pit did it with the King’s permission, or not at all. It was a bit of an unspoken rule, and we would be breaking it. I wasn’t scared though. Viserys loved family more than anything, and he was unlikely to punish his daughter for claiming what was essentially her birthright.

“And what dragon do you have in mind?” I asked with a sigh and shake of my head. I knew the answer she’d give, but was content to allow her to tell me in her own words.

“Dreamfyre, of course. She’s the only one in the pit large enough to fly after all. Aegon can have his Sunfyre on the ground, and I will soar the skies with Dreamfyre.” The wistful look in her eyes reminded me of exactly who she was. Helaena Targaryen wasn’t completely alright in the head. She was predisposed to the madness that was common in her family. She’d gone insane in canon, and even now, I could see small signs of instability in her choices and actions. It saddened me, especially with how much I’d grown to care for her, but I contented myself with the knowledge that things weren’t going to end up for her how they had in canon. There’d be no dance of dragons, for one. Rhaenyra was yet to even marry Leanor, not to talk of giving birth to Jacarys and Lucerys, so canon was well and truly fucked already.

“Let’s go then. You’ve convinced me.” I turned away from her to one of the servants in the garden I could spot trying to position himself to eavesdrop on our conversation. “Mykew” I barked out at the boy. He bolted upright and ran towards me, shaking a bit. I guess being called by name by the person you’d insulted a few days ago was quite frightening.

I gave him a long significant look, trying to ensure he knew I knew from the look in my eyes. I couldn’t say for sure that I succeeded, but I could smell the barest hints of ammonia from his body. Did he just wet himself, or was he just smelly like most smallfolk? “Have the Princess’ servants prepare a bath and change of clothes. She wants to visit the dragonpit” He nodded and scurried off. Arryk didn’t bother hiding his laughter this time.

“Must you always frighten the servants so?” Helaena asked with a feigned look of disappointment.

“We both know you found that funny, Hel. Besides, he was the one who dared to joke that I was as much smallfolk as he was” I said the last bit with a scowl on my face. Helaena’s shocked look had me laughing this time. She must be surprised that the servants dared to insult a dragonrider like that. She’d be even more shocked if she found out the insults were being subtly encouraged by spies I suspected as belonging to Otto Hightower. Servants who dared speak ill of the royal family usually quickly found themselves tossed on the streets, but those who spoke ill of me ended up getting the best assignments and those who defended me, often ended up assigned to emptying the chamber pots. That was as far as I was able to look into the matter before I gave up to pursue more entertaining ventures. After all, what did the opinions of servants matter to a dragon? Fuck. Another stag for the jar. I hate you, Daemon.

Helaena and I continued our walk through the garden, talking about anything and everything that we could remember from our respective lives. The only other time we spent together was in our shared lessons, and when she came to watch me in the yard. That’s how she’d ended up getting Arryk as a sworn shield after all. Viserys had noticed her, and asked her to pick a knight to be her guard, and she just happened to pick the one that had finished knocking me on my arse. She had a warped sense of humour.

Eventually, the servant came to call Helaena since her things were prepared, and I left her to change into clothing more suitable for dragon riding.

XXXXXX

I held on to her hand as I helped her down from the carriage. Like I expected, no one in the castle had batted an eye at Helaena joining me for my daily trip to the dragonpit. Since Rhaenyra had already gone on her daily flight earlier in the day, we would have the pit to ourselves. Helaena had been right about one thing at least, this was by far the best day for her to claim a dragon. Rhaenyra wasn’t the biggest fan of her half siblings, and even though much of the negativity was yet to develop, she’d probably look at me coming here with one of said siblings as a betrayal of sorts. She was paranoid, and always seeking slights. Especially since she knew of the words spoken behind her back. Three and twenty years old and yet to be married. Court was not kind to her.

“How will we be doing this?” Helaena whispered in my ears and moved closer to me as we approached the door the dragonriders used.

“Just follow my lead” I whispered back to the shy girl.

“Aegon. Here for a ride or a visit?” The dragonkeeper in front of the doors asked as I approached.

“Just a visit for now.” I said with a calm smile. He nodded and then gave a significant look at the girl trying her best to hide behind my back without acting like she was hiding behind me, and her silent (for now) shadow.

“The princess Helaena will be joining me today” He just shrugged and stepped aside. I walked in with a confident swagger. Since I’d claimed we weren’t heading for a ride, none of the dragon keepers in the pit had been alerted of our presence to come prepare everything for a flight. I came on enough visits like this one that it wasn’t odd. Whenever I was tired from my training, I’d come to the pit and just relax and talk with Arrax. He was smart enough to understand me, and lonely enough to enjoy the company with little fuss.

We walked in and started moving to the caves the dragons called home. The pit was as large as the red keep, but most of the impressive structures were underground. It was where the truly large dragons called home. Arrax stayed in one of the deeper ones, that had once been home to Vermithor, the Bronze Fury. We wouldn’t be going that deep though. Dreamfyre was a bit older than Vermithor, but her slender nature made it so the she-dragon was just that crucial bit smaller.

“Remember, walk in with your head high but be respectful. Dragons don’t respect weakness, but they also care little for arrogance. Tell her what you desire in Valyrian. Compliment her. She is used to humans so there is very little risk, and I will be right behind you. Always here with you” I added the last bit in a whisper as she crashed into me with a hug. She nodded into my chest and I returned the hug, while pulling her in deeper.

After a bit, she nodded again and extricated herself from my grip. She was ready to move on. I spared a look at the empty space behind us. The Kingsguard had the good sense to remain outside the caves. Helaena walked in, and I followed her at a distance. The dragon paid me no mind, staring at Helaena as she whispered in high Valyrian. The girl spoke with a fluency that none of her siblings could match. Her Valyrian didn’t compare to mine though, it was my first language in this life after all. She spoke of her desire to soar the skies, her need for safety and security, and lastly her want for a friend. It was the last bit that truly drew the dragon’s attention, though. The she-dragon moved towards her, and I watched Helaena stretch out a hand like I told her to. She didn’t avert her eyes though. She kept eye contact with the dragon as they made contact, the dragon rubbing her nose against the young girl’s palm.

She turned to me in shock, the happiness on her face was enough to bring a tear to my eye.

A/N; How does this chapter look?