Chapter 18: Perspective
Rhaenyra was in her nighties and I had no clothes that would fit her, so we had to go to her chambers.
"Follow me," I said.
Outside, Ser Steffon and Lorent stood at attention.
"My Prince?" Ser Steffon said.
"At ease, Sers. We're going for a stroll."
Ser Steffon almost malfunctioned. "Not without an escort, you aren't."
I rolled my eyes. "Fine. Just try not to cramp our style."
I instructed Rhaenyra to dress warmly and practically. She emerged from her chambers in a doublet, with a thick woollen cape draped over her shoulders.
"Is this fine?"
"Perfect," I said.
We then quietly skulked our way through Maegor's Holdfast. Well… as quietly as we could. The armor of our escort clattered with each step.
"Why are we where the Velaryons stay?" Rhaenyra wondered.
"Can't have all the fun to ourselves," I replied cheekily.
We then went into Laenor's room. He was sleeping soundly, the fire embers nearly extinguished. Rhaenyra and I jumped on his bed.
"Wake up, sleepyhead!"
"Huh? Wha? Rhaenar—" Laenor said.
I slapped my palm on his forehead. "Get dressed and meet us outside."
Then we went to Laena's room to do the same thing.
"Rhaenar! What's going on?" Laena said.
Laena was only seven then, and perhaps the cutest little girl in the realm. I pinched her cheek. "Wanna have some fun?"
Her face beamed with excitement. "What kind of fun?"
"The kind that will change your life!"
We embarked with our party assembled and adequately dressed for the chill of the twilight.
Ser Lorent started getting concerned once we left the Red Keep.
"Forgive me, Prince Rhaenar. I think it wise we return home."
"Don't be such a sourpuss, Ser Lorent. It was you who insisted on coming along," I said.
Ser Steffon chuckled. "He's got us there."
The naysayers had multiplied by the time we got to the Dragonpit.
"We should head back—"
"Mother doesn't like us with the dragons without her knowing—"
"I gotta pee—"
I shook my head. "Listen to yourselves! Lighten up and live a little, will you?"
Two keepers stood sentry at the underground entrance.
<"Prince Rhaenar, we weren't expecting you,"> one said in High Valyrian.
"Cool story," I quipped before leading my party past them without a care.
They started following us.
<"His Grace doesn't like unapproved flights,"> they tried to warn.
<"Well then, good thing he's not here, isn't it?">
One scurried off, no doubt to wake Zed to try and talk sense into me.
By now, Rhaenyra and Laenor had caught on to my plan and set about to fetch their dragons.
As for me, I had to walk to the deepest corner of the Dragonpit, my torch a lone flicker in the darkness. Thankfully, I had little Laena to accompany me.
"Rhaenar," she said meekly.
"Hm?"
"Will I ever be a dragon rider?"
I softened my voice and chuckled gently, hoping to ease my young cousin's worries.
"It's true that hatching and bonding with a dragon is a rare and special thing, but don't forget that you have the blood of the dragon running through your veins. You have the potential to be a great rider, Laena."
Suddenly, the sound of chains rattling in the darkness interrupted our conversation, causing Laena to freeze in fear.
I turned to face her and could see the worry etched on her face.
"Don't be afraid," I reassured her. "If anyone is going to get eaten, it's me."
Just then, Sundance emerged from the shadows, his golden scales reflecting the flickering torchlight. He let out a menacing growl, and I could feel his hot breath on my neck.
I traced my hand along the scales of his head, "Stop it. You're scaring her."
At that point, Sundance eased the terrifying glare, and he slowly blinked like a cat that loves you.
"That's better. Come, we're getting out of here."
Outside, Laena and Rhaenyra waited for us in the twilight.
Rhaenyra's dragon, Syrax, was next to Laenor's dragon, Seasmoke. The two were sniffing each other.
Sundance got excited at the sight of Syrax and Seasmoke. He crawled quickly to them like an overexcited puppy.
Laena and Rhaenyra laughed as they watched the display, and Sundance playfully nipped at Syrax's tail.
Seeing the three dragons together put things in perspective, and I pondered Brien's notes. A review of them might be prudent for our visualizing purposes.
Where we last mentioned Brien's dragon statistics, Sundance was 50ft long at age 6, a growth rate of ~7 feet per year.
By this estimation, Sundance's length at age 11 should theoretically be 77 feet.
However, as we surmised years prior, the growth rate of dragons does not follow a linear pattern.
Much to Brien's grim, a collection of factors such as diet, exercise, and time spent in captivity create the holistic formula that prevents us from providing a standardized growth rate.
Due to Sundance and I sharing the same name day, we recently measured approximately 99 feet long.
Syrax was roughly the same length as Seasmoke, but due to her being a she dragon, her size was smaller.
(Brien note B/N: the gender of dragons was particularly perplexing, mainly due to the lack of visible genitalia. This made it challenging to determine their reproductive methods. Some dragons are known to lay eggs, while others do not. Additionally, observations have indicated that egg-laying dragons tend to be smaller than their non-egg-laying counterparts of similar age. Given the presence of sexual dimorphism in their bodies and the exclusivity of egg-laying to certain dragons, we deemed the term "She-dragon" to be appropriate.)
As such, although we did not have accurate measurements, by my eye, Seasmoke and Syrax had to be nearly a third less in size than Sundance.
I was just finished pondering that information when Zed came running out the Dragonpit, still dressed in his nighties.
<"Prince Rhaenar, his Grace would not appreciate an unsanctioned flight at this hour.">
Zed was accompanied by a group of dragonkeepers, who were scantily clad in their underwear and armed with lengthy cattle prods, which they used to herd the dragons.
Sundance growled and came to my six. Fire leaked from his lips, and his eyes glared with death.
Zed and the others took instinctive steps back. Even with me around, no one trusted Sundance.
I could almost smell their fear. The stench amused me.
<"Ōrbar!">
At my signal, Sundance took a deep breath, his belly swelling with air. Then, with a mighty exhale, he unleashed a billowing cloud of smoke at Zed and the dragonkeepers, a tsunami of grey and black.
The smoke filled the air, causing them to cough and choke. When it finally dissipated, Zed was the only one left standing, his skin stained black with soot.
The dragonkeepers lay writhing on the ground, some even blown back into the dragon pit by the force of Sundance's breath.
Rhaenyra was laughing so hard that she needed assistance to stand. Laena was giggling so much that it seemed she would wet herself. Laenor was in hysterics.
"How about his Grace 'sanction' that!" I stated, standing with my arms crossed in defiance.
I then turned to my companions and winked.
"Shall we?"
Laenor and Rhaenyra proceeded to mount their dragons, while Sundance lowered for me to do the same.
I felt a gentle pull on my sleeve.
It was little Laena, her eyes welled up with tears.
"But...but... I don't have a dragon," she said, her voice trembling.
I knelt down and wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes with a reassuring smile.
"Why do you think I brought two safety belts?"
The look of love on her face when I said that was indescribable. All I know is that my heart skipped a beat, so adorable I almost melted.
Then, taking her by the hand, I led Laena to the rope ladder which leads up to Sundance's saddle.
"You first. Careful now."
I witnessed Laena's growth right before my eyes as she approached Sundance with increasing confidence.
When she reached for the rope ladder, I could sense her excitement as her fingertips clenched around it.
I observed her hesitant ascent up the first few steps, followed by a swift transformation into a nimble climber, agile like a monkey.
I buckled my cousin to the saddle of Sundance, securing her. She sat in front of me, feeling safe with my protective arm wrapped around her tiny waist.
"You okay?" I asked in her ear, "It's alright if you're scared."
She shook her head stubbornly, and I couldn't help but feel sympathy for Lord Corlys. Laena was going to be a handful when she grew up.
"I'm fine!" she declared, and I saw approving smiles from Laenor and Rhaenyra atop their dragons.
"In that case," I said, "why don't you do the honors?"
Laena turned back to me, her eyes filled with excitement. "Really?"
"Of course."
She had a big, cheesy smile at that. Laena took a deep breath from her nose, belting with the fire in our family's blood.
<"Sōvēs!">
As Laena's voice echoed through the runway, Sundance remained still at first, but I knew he could sense my intentions.
Without any further delay, he began to run down the runway, picking up speed for his takeoff. I could almost feel the butterflies swirling in her stomach, the thrill of excitement coursing through Laena's veins as she felt the wind rush past her face.
Soon enough, Sundance's wings began to flap, and we lifted off the ground, leaving Zed behind in the dust.
Laena couldn't stop her voice, "Wooah!"
We soon found ourselves soaring above King's Landing, flanked by Seasmoke and Syrax. Laenor and Rhaenyra beat out victorious cheers and raised their fists triumphantly, praising Laena for her bravery.
As we soared over King's Landing in the soft twilight, the calm of the night embraced us.
There wasn't a single cloud in the sky, and the stars were so bright and clear that they seemed within our reach.
The moon was radiant, casting a gentle glow over the city below. The cool air brushed against our faces, and the gentle flapping of the dragons' wings was the only sound.
It was as if time had stopped, and we were suspended in a magical moment of peace and beauty.
The perspective of Dragons~
As we glided through the serene sky, Laena suddenly gasped in wonder.
The world below us slowly awakened, the sun just beginning to peek over the horizon.
The first rays of light illuminated the sky, casting a warm golden glow upon the mist of the morning.
It was a moment of pure serendipity as if the universe had orchestrated this perfect display just for us.
Suspended in ever after~
I turned to check on Rhaenyra, and to my relief, the breathtaking scene had lifted her spirits. It was a stark contrast to the sombreness of our name day celebrations, where father tried to betroth her against her will.
Then, to my surprise, the little voice next to me spoke up with a daring request.
"Can we go faster?" Laena asked.
"Father?" I said.
"Nooo. Faster!"
"Oh!" I felt embarrased at my Freudian slip, "Faster! Are you sure?"
"Faster, faster!"
Why was I even surprised?
"Hahaha! Careful what you wish for!"
It was at that moment I tugged on the reins, and Sundance reered upward, perfectly verticle to the sky.
Before we started free-falling backwards, the moment of weightlessness stole Laena's voice. All she could do was hold on for dear life.
"Waaaaaahmmmmhmhmhmhmh—!"
I quickly moved my hand to cover Laena's mouth. We didn't want her catching any bugs.
We jetted down to the surface, Sundance's golden scales making us look like a falling star. Then, just as it seemed we were about to head first dive into the Blackwater rush, Sundance reared up.
But Laena's adventure was far from over. Sundance began to fly in his signature style, each flap of his wings sending him careening left and right.
Every time he flapped, a mist of ocean water would be sent into the air, the spray gently brushing against our faces. Left and right. Right and left.
I leaned in close to Laena's ear, "Watch this!"
Sundance lowered his head and bit into the ocean.
We spun around and flew back towards Rhaenyra and Laenor, who were still soaring high above us, either too slow to keep up or too focused on watching our aerial display.
As we approached, we flipped upside down, our ponytails hanging downward.
Rhaenyra and Laenor looked up at us, shaking their heads at our antics, but little did they know what was coming next.
<"Īedar!"> I commanded, and Sundance opened his jaws, releasing a shower of ocean water that rained down on Rhaenyra and Laenor below.
Laena and I laughed gleefully. "Race you back, losers!"
We zoomed off without warning, ignoring the complaints from the soaked riders behind us. They followed closely, but Sundance's erratic flight path kept them at bay.
As we approached King's Landing, I directed Sundance to descend, and we flew dangerously close to the Red Keep.
<"Dracarys!">
I ensured it was as close to the wing where all our lord and lady guests were situated.
Encouraged by my bold move, Rhaenyra and Laenor followed suit.
Together, we glided over Kings Landing, our dragons' flames leaving behind three trails in the sky, reminiscent of the military planes during a Super Bowl show in my past life.
Laena and I had already dismounted by the time the others caught up.
"Well, well, well," I revelled in our victory, "About time you showed up."
Laena pretended to yawn, "Waiting made me sleepy."
Rhaenyra hated losing to me. She replied with her older sister brassiness in a way that attempted to not give me the satisfaction.
"Whatever."
She knew that I knew, and she knew that I knew that she knew it, you know? (A/N: Permit me this little bit of fun <3.)
We landed our dragons and the dragonkeepers hurried to usher our steeds underground.
As we dusted ourselves off and caught our breath, my father arrived with a retinue of guards and Corlys Velaryon and his wife, Princess Rhaenys, who had been denied the Iron Throne after the Great Council of 101 AC - the queen who never was.
I was certain my father was about to launch into a lecture on responsibility and maturity.
Ser Lorent and Steffon looked like they wanted to die as my father snorted their way.
Lord Corlys seemed to be either genuinely angry or mimicking his wife to avoid getting in trouble.
Despite their presence, I gave them only a brief glance before turning to Laena.
"So, how was your first flight?"
Laena answered by hugging me without warning, causing Lord Corlys and Princess Rhaenys to soften their stern expressions.
"Aww," I said, scratching her scalp through her hair, "aren't you cute?"
Then I looked at Rhaenyra and asked, "Feeling better now?"
For a moment, I thought she was going to rip my head off, but instead, she joined in on the group hug.
"Much better," Rhaenyra said, and for a moment, I thought she was about to kiss me below the ear.
Laenor stood awkwardly, clearing his throat until I beckoned him to join also.
"Bring it in, brother.
Bring it in."
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