Chapter Text
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“My spies tell me that the Royal fleet has joined forces with the Velaryon fleet.” Daemon said, eyes trailing over the letter he was holding. “They have taken complete and total control of the Narrow Sea.”
Laena hummed. Visella blinked at Baela, who was sitting with her on the carpet of Daemon’s bedroom floor. She stuck out her tongue at the toddler. Baela giggled.
Visella bared her teeth and growled at Baela. The toddler blinked. She growled back. Visella burst out laughing.
“Stop corrupting my child,” Daemon ordered from his seat at the dining table. Visella stuck her tongue out at him too.
Laena giggled at them, her purple eyes bright and beautiful. “Oh, that’s adorable. Are you playing dragons?”
Visella huffed and narrowed her eyes at Baela, who blinked at her innocently. “I’m teaching her how to growl. So she can scare people away. Come on, Baela,” Visella bared her teeth and growled. For added measure, she shook her head ferociously.
Baela watched her intensely. She curled her lips and shook her head, a weird-sounding growl leaving the toddler sprawled out in the floor in front of her. Rhaena was playing with dolls near the table that Laena and Daemon were sitting by, totally ignoring them.
Visella burst out laughing and started clapping enthusiastically. “That’s it, yes Baela, good job!”
Baela erupted into giggles. Visella leaned forward to nose at her face, sniffing her slightly before stiffening, then leaning back with a flush. A weird noise was suddenly cut off halfway out of her chest, a trill of some sort.
She was… noticing things, about herself. Weird shit she did that she hadn’t even noticed before.
It started when Laena had asked her what she had said to Vhagar.
“What?” Visella had blinked stupidly, a cup of juice halfway to her mouth.
Laena had leaned forward on the sofa. It was the first morning at the Manse. “I’m just curious, Princess. When we all got to you, and I picked you up to take you to Vhagar so we could fly here, I was wondering what you said to her. What did she say back?”
Laena’s eyes were sparkling with curiosity. Daemon had frozen, his sword and the rag he was using to polish it forgotten in his hands, and his eyes turned to drill into her as they waited for an answer.
Visella had just scrunched up her nose. “I didn’t say anything. But I like Vhagar, she’s really nice. And she doesn’t have a stupid name,” She finished pointedly.
Daemon scowled. “Caraxes will eat you.”
“CaRaxEs wiLl EaT YoU,” Visella mocked.
Daemon looked incensed, then turned his eyes upward as if praying to gods for help. Visella fought a hot surge of hatred in her chest at the thought of praying. Laena tried to smother a laugh and failed. Daemon gave his wife a stink eye that looked too fond to be anywhere near believable.
“You made a sound,” Laena continued with her contagious smile. “It sounded like a dragon call, so I was just wondering what you had said.”
Visella frowned, trying to think. “Was it Caraxes? I didn’t make a sound.”
“You most certainly made a sound,” Daemon said, his eyes drilling into her from his stupid seat across the table. Ugh. He should just go away and leave her and Laena alone. Gods.
Visella glared at him, opened her mouth, and was immediately interrupted by Daemon’s angel of a wife.
“It’s okay, I was just wondering and figured I’d ask you,” Laena smoothed over. “Do you not remember?”
Visella paused. Thought for a second.
She blinked.
There had been a sound, she remembered suddenly, thinking back to the moment Laena was talking about. Vhagar had looked her in the eye, sniffed her soundly, and Visella had heard a sound then. She remembered Vhagar making her weird coughing sound next. But if Vhagar had made that sound, she definitely hadn’t made the other sound, and Caraxes had been too far away…
“I… might have made a noise.”
“You didn’t recall?” Daemon had asked incredulously.
“I was busy!” Visella had snapped, cheeks flushing. Oh gods. What else had she done? She really had just thought it had been Caraxes, or even Vhagar-
Daemon had laughed sharply. Visella had stared at Laena pointedly after taking a moment to fume at him. Gods, Laena seriously deserved way better. Visella had never met anyone as beautiful as her annoying Uncle’s wife, or nice, or perfect, or-
Laena ended up just shaking her head and smiling it away.
It had been two days since then, and they were expecting a letter from the King any day now. Any hour now, really. Visella had been absolutely insufferable about when they were leaving. She asked every single morning if a letter had come, and throughout the day she asked if they should check if a letter had come, and every night before bed she asked if they should check one last time if a letter had come.
A lot of letters from Pentos Lords and Daemon’s spies had come, but nothing from Westeros.
Visella had met the Prince of Pentos the same morning Laena had asked her about the freaky noises she didn’t know she was making. The man was around the same age as her annoying Uncle, so totally ancient beyond all measure (she was joking. Mostly), and had met with her at breakfast along with a handful of other Lords.
Laena had stood at her left, Daemon to her right. The toddlers were being taken care of in their nursery, which it seemed was as normal here as it was in Westeros.
Visella had been given a very pretty dress made out of the smoothest silk she had ever felt, dyed a deep purple that must have cost a fortune, with silver lace sleeves and bodice details. The hair near her face had been braided into tiny strands and tied back into the longer braid that fell down her back, along with the rest of her hair. They made a loop that tickled her ears.
“Queen Visenysa often wore her hair in braids,” Laena had told her as her fingers worked through Visella’s wild waves. “She often looped them, a bit like this.”
Visella was glad they had spent so much time on her appearance, because the Lords of Pentos were intimidating as fuck. They were fully dripped out in fine clothing, jewels, and chains of silver and gold. The hours spent on her appearance suddenly felt a whole lot less annoying.
Before anyone spoke or sat down, Visella bowed her head, sandwiched between Laena and Daemon, with the Pentos Lords standing before them in the manse courtyard.
“I’m very sorry,” Visella started, killing her nerves with the overwhelming determination that this was important. “I know that I must have scared a lot of people by flying over the city. I didn’t mean to scare anyone, I was just trying to find my family.”
“Oh- Visella,” Laena started, and pulled her up from her bow immediately. She blinked at the woman cluelessly. Laena looked flummoxed.
The Prince of Pentos, however, smiled. His dark eyes twinkled slightly. “That is very kind of you, Princess. Please rest assured, that no one in my city requires an apology from you, I would never dare to even think of it. As you said, you were looking for your family. I thank the gods that you are safe, Princess, and I am pleased to host you in my city for as long as it may be.”
Visella blinked. Laena still had her hand on her shoulder, and Daemon was silent beside her.
“Oh- um, thank you very much,” Visella said.
The Prince of Pentos smiled even brighter. Visella ignored the blatant, wide-eyed, pale lords behind the Prince, staring at her like… like she was an alien they had never seen before.
(I mean-)
Visella had quickly become useless in the conversation that followed. Daemon and Laena had swiftly picked up the conversation with Prince Reggio, was his name, and they spoke so fancy and courtly with each other half the time Visella had no idea what the fuck they were saying. It all boiled down to this, in the end: Prince Reggio was happy the dragon was Visella, and Prince Daemon and Laena were happy he was happy, and they were all happy to stay here until they were summoned home, and everyone was happy.
So.
That was good?
The Prince Reggio had come over for supper a lot, after that. He asked Visella questions, sometimes. Not the first night, but the second one.
“How do you… change?” The Prince had asked, the only lighting being the candles laid out on the supper table in the courtyard of the manse. His dark eyes had sparkled with curiosity, and something else. Something like the look that the Red Priests had looked at her with.
Visella had not liked that.
“Oh… I just do it, I suppose.” She waffled, glancing at Laena, who was seated right beside her, uncomfortably. “It’s kinda like sneezing, but like, I control it.”
There was a moment of silence after that. Everyone stared at her, even Daemon, who had been watching her a lot when he didn’t think she noticed. It was fucking annoying.
“Like… sneezing?” Prince Reggio had repeated, mystified.
Visella nodded and shrank back subconsciously in her seat. “Uh, yeah. That’s what it feels like.”
More silence.
It really was kinda like sneezing. But instead of expelling irritants out of her nose, her entire body like- came out, flipped inside out, warped, and then she was a dragon. All in the span of a split second. Without actually sneezing- obviously, so it was like invisible muscles sneezing her body inside-out.
Prince Reggio opened his mouth again, probably to ask another question, but Laena had quickly moved the friendly little dinner discussion along. Visella had relaxed a bit as the eyes moved away from her.
The servants eyes, however, never left her.
From the most inexperienced scullion, to the most noble soldier in the manse, they all stared at Visella. Some looked at her with fear, others with awe, more than half with curiosity. Most were a mix of all three.
She was avoiding them all as a consequence. It was unbearably awkward to have everyone watching you, and if not blatantly staring, lingering around you at nearly all times. Hence, Visella attached herself like a greedy little leech to Laena, who was awesome and always knew when to send away a servant who had been staring for a bit too long, and pointedly asking a question to a guard who’s eyes were lingering on her hair.
Laena was awesome.
Except for when she had asked her that question about the noise she had made. That was less awesome. It wasn’t really her fault, of course, Visella was just embarrassed she had been doing weird shit without realizing it. It made her wonder… did her mom make noises like she did?
Visella couldn’t remember.
Her memory of the Before was still… broken.
Still, if she had to guess, she couldn’t imagine her mom had ever sniffed someone’s face. Holy fuck. Visella’s cheeks flushed and she narrowed her eyes at Baela, who just blinked back at her, and studiously ignored Laena and Daemon watching them from the little table in Daemon’s room. Maybe if she didn’t look at them, they wouldn’t notice what she had just done.
That wasn’t actually weird, right? I mean-
“That was so cute,” Laena nearly whispered with glee. Visella went bright fucking red.
“No it wasn’t!” She immediately denied, glaring at Laena, who was covering her very obviously smiling mouth. Daemon looked away from her to keep reading his letter. Another stupid fucking Braavos letter, not from her father.
It was taking forever.
She had nearly been in the Manse an entire week. Well- not really, this was technically her third morning in the manse. Still! Whenever Visella pressed for them to leave, Laena recalled that Dorne had outfitted an entire fleet with Scorpions in the Fourth Dornish War. Many of the ships from said fleet had come directly from Myr, actually, she had finished pointedly. Prince Aemon, her grandsire, had died from an arrow to his neck by a Myrish Pirate. His dragon, Caraxes, had been hunting nearby when the Prince died. Visella- a princess tucked away in Maegor’s Holdfast- had just been kidnapped across the narrow sea.
They were all being extremely paranoid, Visella concluded.
(Then again, no one ever could have imagined a common priest capable of stealing a princess of the Dragon from her room in broad daylight-)
“My apologies, Princess,” Laena tried to sooth, however terribly the attempt was considering she was very obviously trying not to laugh. Her pretty purple eyes twinkled.
Visella scoffed and turned back to glare at Baela. The toddler was sucking on her thumb now, watching them as if they were the most intriguing thing she had ever seen.
“You have to be ferocious,” Visella declared, pointing her finger right at Baela’s face. The girl went cross-eyed to look at it. “Or I’ll devour you, in one big bite!”
She grabbed Baela and tackled her to the floor to demonstrate, burying her face into her chubby stomach and making loud, obnoxious biting noises just to make the toddler burst into baby giggles and flail around. Rhaena turned to stare at them with an unamused scrunch to her eyebrows, her doll’s hair brushed with more attention than any toddler had ever brushed a doll’s hair before. Visella leaned forward and made to jump at Rhaena with a growl. The little Lady narrowed her eyes at her and turned back away with a huff. Visella burst out laughing. She went back to tickling Baela and pretending to eat her belly.
Laena’s two girls were adorable, the both of them. They were two, almost three, just like Daeron. Visella didn’t see her littlest sibling much, he had been tended to by a crew of nursemaids and maesters for the first year of his life, and then kept in the nursery for the second year. They hadn’t even let her or Aegon play with him.
She missed Aegon.
Siblings were new to her, especially having a twin. She was the oldest, on top of that. In more ways than one, if her shitty memories counted for anything. Her and Aegon had been raised side by side, practically attached at the hip. They had shared nursemaids, even. Been raised by the same people at the same time.
He was her baby brother.
Hers.
“Did you check for a letter from-“
“It hasn’t come yet, Visella. Be patient,” Daemon cut her off.
Visella scoffed at him with a glare. He was so annoying. Baela sprawled out over her lap with her little fists reaching for her hair. Daemon stared at them. His violet eyes were blank and anything but emotionless at the same time.
Fucking creepy.
“Are you having a midlife crisis?” She asked him curiously.
Laena nearly spat out her tea.
“What?” Daemon said flatly.
Visella wrapped her arms around Baela’s chubby wrists, pinning them to her chest. The little girl giggled and fought to escape her hold.
“You’re acting even weirder than usual,” Visella pointed out.
Daemon narrowed his eyes at her. Then he glanced at Laena, who was eyeing him right back.
“I’m trying to figure out how… how you inherited the ability to change.”
Visella eyed him, a bit uncomfortable. “I just can. How can you ride Car Axes? You just can.”
Daemon scoffed. “Yes, that is in my blood. Targaryen’s have been Dragonriders for centuries. Your immunity to flame could be traced back to a forgotten gift from some pyromancer in Old Valyria, the empire was known for its sorcerers. However, I have never heard of any Valyrian being a dragon. If such history existed, I would have read it.”
Visella shrugged awkwardly and tickled Baela again.
“Well, maybe the history got blown up in the Doom,” She offered, her heart fluttering slightly. “All the dragons did, right? The Targaryen’s and their dragons only survived cuz they ran super far away.”
Daemon just stared at her. “Hmm.” He did not seem very convinced.
Visella eyed him, and opened her mouth to say something annoying and distracting, but then Laena interrupted.
“How about we go to the gardens?” She clasped her hands together with a smile. “We can pick some of the fresh berries there.”
Visella perked up, and soon enough they were in the gardens. Daemon was following along like a dog, his wife his owner, and Visella the bone that remained out of his slobbery reach. Ugh. He was so annoying.
She grabbed Baela and Rhaena’s hands in her own, and ran away from the two adults trailing after them. “Come on, let’s go!” The girls giggled and stumbled along with her.
The berry bushes were full of ripe fruits. Blueberries and blackberries were falling off the large bushes, more every day, and both Visella and the twins went at them like starving beasts. Visella practically stuck her head in the bush to get the juicy berries inside of it.
“Look!” She showed the girls the fattest raspberry she had ever seen, before popping it in her mouth. She scrunched up her nose slightly at the taste. “It’s mushy.”
“Mushyyy,” Baela copied her, drawing out the vowels. Rhaena giggled at her sister’s antics.
It was at that moment, as Daelon and Laena finally caught up to them, that a dragon flew right over the manse.
Visella looked up to fast her neck nearly cracked. The beast above them was a bright yellow, with pale buttery wings. Baela and Rhaena shrieked and ran to their parents immediately. Visella stared, captivated, at the large beast now circling them from above.
“Isn’t that-“ Laena started.
Daemon started laughing. “Rhaenyra,” He said with a grin.
Visella jolted, then turned to them. She opened her mouth to say something, but then-
A second dragon appeared above the manse. This one was slightly larger than Rhaenyra’s, with a bigger chest. Its scales glimmered silver-grey in the mid-day light. Both of the beasts circled the keep together.
Now it was Laena’s turned to beam. “Laenor! It’s my brother, Daemon!” She grabbed at her skirts and took off for the gates in a run. Visella glanced once at Daemon before taking off right after her.
Rhaenyra and Laenor were here!
They had come!
Forget a letter, this was way fucking better!
Visella caught up to Laena quickly, and they raced through the manse into the huge yard outside the gates. The two dragons circled the guarded, walled-off yard, spinning around in tandem in the air. Visella felt a huge grin pull her face nearly in two. She jumped up and down beside Laena, her hands fisted in her dress, as the dragons touched down a hundred feet away from them.
The second they did, Visella took right off to her sister’s dragon.
“Visella!” Laena shouted, reaching out to grab her, but she wasn’t quick enough.
“Rhaenyra!” Visella shouted, spotting figure dressed in all black on the back of the giant yellow beast.
Syrax was stunning. Seasmoke eyed her curiously as she darted past his snout, his own rider shouting something in alarm, but Visella had eyes only for her sister.
She skidded to a stop right in front of Syrax’ wing.
“Visella!” Rhaenys shouted, her eyes wider than she had ever seen them before. “You-“
“Rhaenyra!” Visella wailed, putting both of her hands on Syrax’ wings and practically flopping onto the beast. “You’re here! We can go home now, right?! You came to get me right?!”
Rhaenyra finally undid her last chain tied to her waist. Syrax had her neck curved around and was snuffling around Visella’s hair and skirt. She pushed a hand out to stop her from knocking her over.
“Syrax! Dohaeras!” Rhaenyra looked scared.
Visella squawked at the dragon nudged her snout against her back and finally knocked her straight over. Hot, smelly, dragon breath washed over her.
“Ugh!” Visella shoved the dragon away from her face. “Get off of me! Rhaenyra! Get- hey! No!”
A curious tongue poked out between Syrax’ giant maw, licking her dress and neck and covering her in nasty dragon slobber.
“Gah! Ew!” Visella shrieked. “Syrax! Stop it! Right now! Eugh!”
“Visella!” Rhaenyra nearly screamed, throwing herself beside her on the ground and shoving Syrax’ head away with all of her strength. Syrax moved with an offended chirp. Visella felt a noise vibrate her throat immediately after hearing it. Syrax’ blue eyes snapped to her’s curiously.
“Dohaeras!” Rhaenyra shouted, stepping between Visella, sprawled out in the ground, and her nosy dragon. “Kelīs!”
Syrax grumbled and nodded her head angrily. Visella got up on her elbows, her hair an absolute mess and dragon slobber all over her front, mixed with dirt and mud, and-
“Rhaenyra!” Visella cried gleefully, throwing herself on her older sister, her arms wrapping around her waist in a vice. “You’re here! You came for me! We can go home!!”
Rhaenyra was heaving for breath when she turned around and knelt to one knee in front of her. Syrax remained peering at Visella behind her bonded, sniffing the air mutinously. Rhaenyra’s eyes were wide, her face pale.
“You must never run at a dragon you do not know, Visella!” Rhaenyra shouted, her hands shaking where they were holding inter her. “Never! You could have been killed!”
Visella blinked. She wiped the dragon slobber off of her neck. Then she glanced up at Syrax, the dragon settling in behind Rhaenyra, getting comfy to keep staring at Visella.
“Oh-“ Visella started. “Uh, right. Sorry. I won’t do it again.”
Rhaenyra breathed out shakily. The next thing Visella knew, she was being scooped up and plopped on her sister’s hip, and carried off. Visella wrapped her arms around Rhaenyra’s neck happily and grinned at Syrax as they walked away from her. The dragon crawled right on after them, her sky-blue eyes locked on Visella.
“I’m so glad you came! We didn’t know you were coming! No one sent a letter, I was waiting for ages! And Daemon won’t let us leave until we heard from Father! But we haven’t heard anything!”
Rhaenyra smiled faintly before glancing back at her dragon moseying on behind them. Seasmoke was sniffing the air intensely a hundred feet away from them. Laenor had jumped off of his dragon and run over to Daemon and Laena, who were both holding one of their girls on their hips. All of them were watching Rhaenyra walk towards them. Dozens of servants, nobles, and soldiers were gaping at the scene from the windows of the manse.
Before they reached the group, Rhaenyra turned around and told Syrax off firmly in High Valyrian. Syrax lingered for a bit, staring and sniffing and twitching, before finally trudging off to Seasmoke like a dejected puppy.
“Can we leave now?” Visella blurted out, her fists scrunching up Rhaenyra’s fancy riding dress. “You guys came for me, right? That’s why you’re here? You got Daemon’s letter? Did father send you? To take me home?”
Rhaenyra smiled at her faintly. “Yes, sister, he did. We came to escort you back home. We can leave as soon as I speak with Daemon about our flight across the sea, yes? Does that sound okay?”
Visella felt like she couldn’t breathe. She was going home. This was it. She had done it. Rhaenyra was here, and her husband Laenor, they wouldn’t let anything happen to her. She was safe. They just had to go home now.
“How long does it take to get home?” Visella demanded. “To the Red Keep?”
Mentioning the castle made her bedroom come to mind. It made slit throats and open windows flash through her thoughts. Visella forced those images away and focused on how close she was to going home.
“With good wind and weather, it takes twelve hours to get to King’s Landing from Pentos,” Rhaenyra told her, coming to a stop in front of Daemon, Laena, and Laenor.
“How long did it take you two to make it here?” Daemon asked, looking windswept and a bit tense as he looked at Rhaenyra.
“About twelve hours,” Laenor answered, now carrying Rhaena on his hip. The little girl was gaping at Syrax, who had flopped over beside Seasmoke to pout.
“We can leave now!” Visella exclaimed. “Let’s go! I’m ready, Rhaenyra, I don’t need to pack anything! Are you ready?”
Rhaenyra smiled weakly before glancing at Daemon and then Laena, who was talking excitedly to Laenor about her girls.
“We’ve traveled a long ways already, sister-“
“Are you hungry?” Visella cut her off nervously. “Well- well you can eat before we leave! And rest and stuff. And then we can leave soon!”
Rhaenyra glanced once again at Daemon. Her sister did look tired, Visella noted dejectedly, before ignoring the observation completely. They hadn’t even sent a letter saying they were coming. She hadn’t heard anything! For days! And now they were still waiting around? Visella just-
She just wanted to-
“Leaving today would be best,” Daemon nodded once, bouncing Baela up on his hip and resting his free hand on Dark Sister’s hilt. “We would keep the element of surprise. We can travel to Dragonstone in eight hours, rest there for the night, and continue to King’s Landing the next day.”
Rhaenyra seemed to mull that over for a moment. She turned to look back at Syrax, who had sat up from her dramatic slump to croon at the sky. Visella could hear Caraxes singing back at her somewhere in the distance.
Finally, her sister nodded seriously. “That would work well, I believe. Syrax will need to be fed, as will Seasmoke, they have had a long ride. Laenor and I have as well. Let us rest for a moment, and then we might depart quickly.”
Visella practically vibrated with excitement and anxiety as they all made their way back into the Manse. Laena and Rhaenyra greeted each other warmly, kissing each-other’s cheeks as Laena introduced her girls to her cousin. Visella stayed latched on to Rhaenyra until she was put down inside the Manse.
Rhaenyra and Laenor were given privacy to freshen up before they were given fresh water and food. They all ate. The servants were running around like chickens with their heads cut off- trying to pack up everything that they would need to make the trip to Westeros.
They were leaving. Going home! Soon! In a matter of hours, Visella would be going home!
“Father has summoned you and Laena to court,” Rhaenyra held her goblet close to her chest as she grabbed another slice of warm bread. “He wishes for the both of you to escort us home. None would dare attack four dragons- no power in the world could stand against us.”
Daemon hummed, and cut into his mutton with a thoughtful look. “Jaehaerys, Aemon, and Baelon won against the Dornish fleet with their dragons. Not even Myr’s scorpions could stand against them. I agree, the Princess will not be safer than that.”
“I want to fly.” Visella blurted out, ignoring the cheese on her plate and instead stuffing her face with the fancy fruits of Pentos. “I don’t wanna ride Vhagar again, I wanna fly myself. Besides, the girls have to ride with Vhagar, because they’re babies.”
Laena and her bonded would be the best place to put Baela and Rhaena, who were most definitely coming with them if both of their parents had been summoned to court. Vhagar was the most safe position to be, and both of the children would be placed in the safest place on the trip. Visella had no doubt they would be bundled up head-to-toe and locked away in a secure carrier box on Vhagar’s saddle, safe from winds and rain. At that very moment Laena was busy organizing their belongings and getting the dragons ready for the flight, so it was just Daemon, Rhaenyra, and Laenor at lunch.
“Do you want to fly with Rhaenyra?” Laenor smiled softly, his eyes gentle. “Or with me?”
Visella stuttered. She glanced at Daemon, who was watching her curiously. Rhaenyra was glancing between them sharply.
“She wishes to fly herself,” Daemon said calmly. “The same way she arrived here.”
Silence rung through the room, with only the clutter of cutlery and the murmuring, bustling servants in the halls beyond the walls. Rhaenyra and Laenor shared a glance. Visella looked at a Daemon again, and he was still watching her. She looked away quickly.
Visella didn’t want to- to ride on a dragon for twelve hours. Or eight, and then four.
She wanted-
Visella wanted to fly.
“Can I?” She tentatively asked, feeling awkward.
It was just- in the Before- Visella- or whoever she had been, back then, hadn’t flown much. no more than a dozen times, if that. It was just something she had gotten used to, not being able to change. Her mum had helped her, probably. She had to have gone through the same thing. They had nearly the exact same quirk.
Being immune to fire was what a lot of people thought her quirk was. She thought. Maybe. It was hard to remember.
A knife of pain and fear lanced through her chest.
“I want to fly, please.” She pleaded, staring straight at Daemon. “If I’m big and scary no one can take me again.”
Something flashed across Daemon’s face. Something like pained fury. Rhaenyra and Laenor’s eyes widened, and suddenly they were both staring at her.
“You can fly,” Daemon told her quietly, his eyes as masked as ever. She hated him. He was so hard to read. “So long as you stay close to the rest of us. We fly as a group, or you’ll be riding on Caraxes or Vhagar.”
Visella nodded quickly. Those were the two largest dragons, from what she saw. Syrax was as large as her mum had been, in the Before, when she shifted. At least- that’s what her fuzzy, broken memories would lead her to believe. Seasmoke looked slightly larger than the yellow she-dragon, Caraxes was twice as large as Syrax, and Vhagar was nearly twice the size of Caraxes.
Then there was Visella. A total freak.
She busied herself with stuffing more grapes in her mouth.
“We received an… intriguing letter from you, uncle.” Rhaenyra suddenly said, fingering her goblet of water. Her eyes stared into Daemon’s before flicking to Visella.
“Hm,” Daemon simply responded with. Ugh. He was so-
“Is it true?” Rhaenyra asked, her voice calm but her eyes betraying her. She clutched her goblet with a white-knuckled fist as she stared down their uncle.
“I did not lie,” Was all Daemon told her.
“So it is true,” Laenor breathed. “She can- she can turn into a dragon.”
All eyes turned to Visella. She had the sudden urge to crawl under the table and hide.
“I- yes. So I can fly, right?” Visella stuttered, glancing back to Daemon.
“I said yes.”
Visella nodded once and ignored the stares to stuff strawberries into her mouth.
“It- so-“ Laenor stuttered, staring at Visella before glancing at his sister, wide-eyed. Laena simply smiled at her brother.
“I will have questions for you, Visella,” Rhaenyra started quietly. “I believe our father will as well. Once we are back at court, would you do your best to answer them?”
Visella didn’t looked up to see the expression on everyone’s faces. She kept her eyes glued to the unnecessarily-fancy gold platter full of colorful fruit and nodded once.
“How much longer before we leave?” Visella demanded, her hands full of grapes.
“Not much longer now,” Laenor leaned on the table towards her. “Have you been well here, Visella? We have been searching for you most desperately.”
She felt a stab of emotion in her throat at that. If they had been searching as desperately as they said, why didn’t they find her? Viserys was supposed to be one of the most powerful people in the known world. Her own father. Why-?
“I’ve been well,” She answered stiffly. “Laena is very kind. I love her.”
Daemon narrowed his eyes at her. He leaned forward to glower down at her, his chin on his hand, and Visella ignored him to shove more grapes in her mouth.
“And I, Princess? What am I, dragon dung?”
Visella blinked at him. She stuffed another grape in her mouth. Rhaenyra and Laenor stared at them.
“Yes,” Visella finally decreed, nodding with an entire mouth so full of food her cheeks puffed out.
Rhaenyra laughed.
Laenor snickered, delighted, as Daemon made the most affronted sound she had ever heard a grown man make. Hey, he’s the one who said it, not her. Her sister looked at her with smiling, relieved, and laughing eyes.
“I am very happy to see you again, Visella,” Her sister told her.
Visella felt her throat tighten. She thought of burning little girls, collars, dark eyes pleading with her not to go. She thought of white doors and begging for her mum, she thought of her wing gone, she thought of nothing but pain. She thought of dying and death and a god staring down at her.
“I’m very glad to see you too,” Visella whispered.
It took them another hour and a half before they had finally gathered outside of the Manse, their dragons waiting to be mounted. Daemon had written a very long and fancy letter to Prince Reggio thanking him for his hospitality or whatever, Visella wasn’t very sure. Laena had told her that they were leaving very abruptly and so Daemon had to settle courtly things with the letter to not be rude.
Laena had put her two girls in the fluffiest fur cloaks Visella had ever seen toddlers were. They looked like puffballs of snowy white fur. It was spring, and slightly warm, so the twins were whining about the heat, but Visella had a feeling it would be colder in the sky. She was also correct about her theory in the girls would be riding. Along with several sacks of their most important belongings, a comfortable box a bit like a palanquin was chained to the back of Vhagar’s saddle. The girls would ride in a nest of pillows and blankets under the cover of a gold-painted roof, with tiny breathing holes that weren’t big enough to let any wind in.
“I’m worried they might catch a chill,” Laena admitted, worrying at her lip.
Daemon kissed both of the girls on their curly heads. “They’ll be fine. My mother took me flying when I was mere days old.”
Laena rolled her eyes with a scoff. “Yes, yes. This is a much longer trip than a spin around King’s Landing, Daemon.”
Her uncle took Laena’s face in his own hands. They stared into each other’s eyes. “It will be perfectly fine, Laena. Vhagar is slow and smooth, and the box will keep them safe and warm, even if we encounter a storm. They are strong girls, the both of them.”
Laena’s gaze softened and she nodded once. Visella turned to see Rhaenyra staring at the whole interaction. Laenor was speaking softly to Seasmoke in the distance.
Rhaenyra saw Visella watching her and turned away, clearing her throat.
“Are you ready, Visella?” Daemon asked her.
She nodded. Her heart was pumping in her throat. She was so ready. More than ready.
She wanted to go home. Now.
Daemon nodded. Laena was climbing up Vhagar’s giant back with both of her girls. Daemon turned to climb onto Caraxes and chain himself into his saddle. Rhaenyra and Laenor did the same.
Visella walked further away from the gates of the Pentos Manse. The dragons trilled and shrieked around her. Visella looked all around, made sure no one would be in the death zone, and then-
Shifted.
—