[Please don't ghostread this book.]

When Aelyna was a child she enjoyed taking baths. It seemed to be the one place in the where she could find solace. As she grew older she realized why she enjoyed them as much. The scalding hot water that seeped into her skin, alerting every sense she had. 

The smell of scented rosewater and lavender in the water, the feel of hot air that drowned out her ears, the taste of wine on her tongue. When they lived in the Free Cities, Rhaena and Baela used to tease her for it. Saying that she was warming the dragon inside of her, all harmless fun but nothing that was not far from the truth.

Aelyna realized that she was a dreamer. Though her dreams were not quite as poetic and subtle as those of Viserys- hers felt like walking into a nightmare. She often would wake up, a chill that ran down her spine as she screamed and cried herself awake. She would wake up with chattering teeth, her fingertips freezing cold as though she had been left in a snow storm. The only solace was drowning those nightmares out of her head.

The warmth of the bath enveloped Aelyna's body, soothing her muscles as she relaxed against the side of the tub. Roslyn moved around her quietly, her hands massaging the soap into Aelyna's hair, the lather foaming gently.

Since the evening she spent with maids in the kitchen, there seemed to be less hesitation in how the approached the princess. Aelyna had grown quite the likeness amongst them. Despite what they made themselves to be, she was nothing their gossip tales had proclaimed her to be. She was not as cruel or self- centered as they were led to believe, on the contrary Aelyna often begged them to not tend to every need as much. 

"Your dragon will be glad to see you princess. One can tell he has grown impatient from not seeing you for this long." Roslyn said as her hands carefully brushed through Aelyna's damp hair. "He refused to let anyone near him this morning."

Aelyna smiled as she titled her head back, easing into the gentle touch of Roslyn's hands. The girls hands carefully tended to the silver locks "I've missed him too. I can not remember a time where I have gone so long without seeing him."

"What is like, princess?" Roslyn asked "To ride the King Jaehaerys' dragon?"

Aelyna closed her eyes as she could still remember the first time she flew on dragonback "There's not enough words to describe it. Once the bond has been made, it's though one is tethered to the other. I remember when I first travelled with him alongside my family." Aelyna replied 

"There were moments where I could feel his heart beating inside of mine. Every sunset when I rode in the coldest of night, I felt his fire shielding me from harm. From his snarls to his roars, as though Vermithor was speaking to me. There are moments where I think should one of us die, the other will as well."

"I can only imagine." 

Aelyna chuckled as she turned around in the bathtub. Her wet and prune hand taking hold of Roslyn's soft touch. Her fingers laced into the girls who has become a friend to her "Perhaps one day I will take you with me. Tell me have you ever travelled Roslyn?"

"No, your grace." Roslyn laughed "All I have ever known is life in the North."

"Well,  one day I'll take you on Dragonback. We'll fly across the Narrow Sea and eat only cakes." Aelyna teased as Roslyn's thumb traced against her hand

"I doubt, my lord Stark, would permit such a plan. My family has always been loyal to serving house Stark." Roslyn said amused as she let go of Aelyna's hand. Walking across the room to bring the princess her robe.

Aelyna sighed as she climbed out of the tub, her skin tickled from feeling the robe against her skin "What is the point of serving if one is not allowed to seek adventure. My good-mother Laena believed that there is a difference between not dying and living. You only need to be brave to seek it."

The wind bit at Aelyna's face as she clung to the saddle, the cold air swept through her hair, though it was nothing compared to the tension in her chest. She had ridden horses, but never like this- this close to any man.

Aelyna kept her tongue. She kept her eye to the passing grounds as she admired the beauty of the land. The vast, unbroken snowfields stretched out before her eyes, the cold air bit at her skin. Her eyes wide as though she was studying every last detail. 

Her hands, wrapped around his middle to steady herself, all too aware of the hard muscle beneath his furs. The rhythm of his breathing matched steadily to hers. Aelyna's grip tightened slightly, her fingers brushed against the leather of his tuning, though she quickly tried to pull her hands back. The closeness to Lord Stark seemed to make her throat suddenly dry. "How much farther are we from him? It's so much more colder here than I imagined."

Cregan glanced back at her "It's the North, princess. There's little warmth to be found, unless we make our own." His words steady and grounded, completely unaware of the self conscious princess.

Aelyna nodded, her heart fluttered for a moment. She wanted to be oblivious to the closeness between them. The subtle pressure of her body against his. She tried to focus on the snowflakes that whirled around them, the soft crunch of hooves against the frozen grounds, anything to break her train of thoughts from Cregan Stark.

Cregan felt his throat become dry whenever he caught the princess looking at him. Aelyna was a princess, used to the most refined Southern men falling to their knees for her. He would have to be respectful. Doubtful she would even so much as share a glance at him.

"What do you suppose will happen when he sees you? Can I assume I will not be burned alive?" Cregan asked

"No." Aelyna laughed "Not unless I give him the word." She shrugged as they rode through the the snow covered fields "Don't tell me you are afraid of fire, lord Stark?" Aelyna teased 

"Any man who is to come face with a dragon would be." 

"And here I thought you were a man who could tame a fire." Aelyna blurted out, quickly biting the inner corner of her lip as she regretted her words the second she spoke them. 

"What made you think so, my princess?" Cregan questioned, quickly catching  her words. Now it was him that glanced at her. "It seems you've finally grown used to the North, princess. Your cheeks have changed a tone."

Aelyna felt her stomach drop. The confidence to boldly make such a statement momentarily stunned her. Usually it her innuendos that made men stumble over his words.

"Have I managed to silence the great Aelyna Targaryen?" Cregan chuckled "I should beg for your forgiveness, your grace. I would not want to burned by your fire."

Aelyna pursed her lips, she could feel the tint of blush on her cheeks as she cursed herself for not being able to control the hint of a smile on her face. Cregan Stark was now the one toying with her. Aelyna knew she was lying to herself if she would have to confess, that perhaps she enjoyed it. 

Not only enjoy, but wanted more of his company.

The Bronze Fury was larger than Cregan had last remembered him to be.  A fearsome beast who had his sight on the silver haired girl. Aelyna rushed off of the horse as she approached her dragon. The dragon's golden eyes gleamed at the sight of his rider. 

Aelyna found amusement in how still Cregan was. Too afraid to move at all, but his face remained stoic. As though he had grown around dragons himself.

Aelyna's bare hand grazed Vermithors snout, her head against his scales as she petted him. "Lykiri, Vermithor. He is our friend." Vermithor kept his eyes on Cregan as Aelyna soothed him. Calmly reciting to him to keep calm, reassuring him over and over that Cregan meant her no harm. 

"He's beautiful, isn't he?" Aelyna turned her head as her hand continued to pet the dragon.

"Beauty isn't necessary the word we would use." Cregan's statement earning a stern look from Aelyna, one that rivalled the dragons. "But y- yes. He is a sight to behold." Cregan quickly replied.

"Lord Stark, he won't harm you." Aelyna sighed extending her hand to Cregan "He is more tolerable of you if he understands you mean me no harm. Come and put your hand on him." Aelyna generously offered

"What?"

She laughed. "I thought you could tame fire my lord Stark." she said "Come let me show you."

Hesitant, Cregan slowly approached the dragon and its rider. With each step it seemed as though Vermithor grew taller, peering over him as though he was a speck of dust. Slow and careful steps, under Aelyna's breath he could her hear sing. 

It sounded like a song meant to put children to sleep. In a foreign language he had never heard. As Cregan slowly approached Aelyna he caught the look between the dragonrider and her dragon. There he saw it, the control Targaryens had over their beast. It was though Aelyna was taking control over Vermithor with her foreign song, and he too felt himself drawn to her soothing voice.

Aelyna sang in High Valyrian, when she heard Cregans footsteps stop she could feel him near her. She did not dare look back, keeping her eyes on Vermithor as she took hold of Cregans hand. 

Aelyna felt herself overwhelmed as she held his hand in hers. His hand much larger and coarse than her as she placed it above her dragons snout. Vermithors heavy breath almost forced Cregan to take his hand back, but she placed hers over his.

"Don't be afraid." Aelyna quietly instructed as she glanced to lord stood behind her. "Look into his eyes and see him as more than just a beast, my lord."

Cregan held his hand against the dragonscales, his eyes looking to the dragons. In Vermithors golden eyes he saw himself and Aelyna, so small and infinite. He remained quiet. Cregan realized not many Northerners, men, would ever have the opportunity to say they saw themselves in the eye of a dragon.

Cregan looked into the eyes of the Bronze Fury, he realized he was nothing more than a man in a world where dragons soared the skies. 

How strange was it to be anything at all, he wondered.

To Cregan's surprise Aelyna did not take off on her dragon. Instead she rode back with him to the castle. She had asked him to take her to the Godswood. In the back of his mind he kept wondering why she did not leave, but another part of his mind was thankful she did not.

Enclosed inside of its walls, Cregan and Aelyna stood infront of the Weirwood tree. "It's so much more beautiful here than my dreams could have ever make me believe." Aelyna said as her fingers twirled the red leaves in her hands. 

"How do you mean?" 

Aelyna shook her head "You'll think I'm mad if I say it out loud." She replied "You would not be the first to think my dreams are mad."

"I've seen myself in the eye of a dragon princess. I would be called mad to argue anything against you." Cregan quietly said. The two stood across from one another as Aelyna knelt down, her fingers playing in the snow.

"I've never been someone who believed too much in the gods." She started 

"When I was a child, I did. I prayed every at every dawn and every sunset for all sorts of reason. For my father, for my sister, for my mother but eventually I grew up to realize that the gods and its faith is there to comfort us in times of uncertainty but could not change the actions of what we do. Look no further than my bloodline." Aelyna continued

"When I was a child I had dreams, dreams that took me to a different city or region every fortnight but I remember one very specifically. It was shortly after my father had married Rhaenyra. I remember being a crow in my dream." 

Aelyna explained as she looked up to see the focus in Cregans eyes, as though she had become the object of his study 

"I was in between a swarm of ravens, somehow I saw myself flying North. The air was freezing cold, with winds so strong it felt as though it would cut through me. I landed in these Godswood, with the sun setting under the castle walls, the moon bloodshot red. It was cracked and out of it poured three dragons as the flew across Winterfell. I remember how disheartened I was when I woke up, because in my dream all I could think of was how beautiful the Godswood looked."

Aelyna stood up wiping the snow off her hand "You do not have to say anything. I realize how mad I sound." she scoffed

"Not at all, princess." Cregan murmured "In fact it reminded me of the stories my mother used to tell me as a boy."

Aelyna turned to face him, her eyes intrigued by him "How do you mean?"

"When I was a boy, my mother would tell my brother and I stories, mostly to keep us out of trouble." He chuckled 

"I remember this one tale she told me when I was sick. About a long night. A story of a night that lasted a generation. A coldness that swept through cities and kingdoms, as knights with skin as cold as ice riding through on dead horses." Cregan explained 

"My mother always said that stories were lessons to be learned and dreams were the tales of future. She would have loved to hear of your dreams princess. As I do." Cregan noted.

"You've never spoken of her." Aelyna replied "I would have loved to meet her.

Aelyna thought to of Cregans mother. A part of herself jealous that he had a mother who would tuck him in at night and tell him all sorts of tales. She did not want to, but she did feel envious of it. 

But then again she had always had an envy to a mother she did not have. And then she found her, in Braavos, and since finding her mother Aelyna regretted ever seeking her out. All the time she wasted longing for a woman that clearly had no intention of raising her. She was envious of Rhaenyra and Aemma, of Laena and the twins and now of Cregan and the sense of love she was in his eyes when he spoke of her.

"What will you do?" Cregan asked "Should you make a speedy recovery?"

Aelyna remained quiet. Unsure herself of what she would do next with her life "I don't know. I have no husband or children to commit myself to and I have no royal responsibilities that tie me down." she shrugged "I am one of few within my family that is free to do as she pleases."

"Many would be envious of you." Cregan said "Not many are fortunate to escape duty to pursue our own needs and wishes."

"I suppose, but it does leave me wondering what the rest of my life will be. Forever travelling the Seven Kingdoms until I reach whatever is West of Westeros?" Aelyna smiled

"Would you wish to be held down by a form of duty and all of it that came with it? A wife and mother?"

"I can not say. I've never given that aspect of my life much choice." Aelyna chimed 

"I know I am not the type of woman a man takes for love. One marries a Targaryen for the privilege that comes with it, the riches. Our dragons and Valyrian blood, to be added to the spike of the wheel that is the iron throne. And if not for the riches, most men who have wanted to take my company only wanted me as a story they drunkenly shared amongst another in brothels and taverns." 

Aelyna scrunched her nose as she felt Cregan staring right through her "I am aware I am not someone who would be taken out of love. That is why I've never given myself the hope to plan a future for anyone but myself I suppose."

Cregan thought Aelyna Targaryen to be mad. Not because of dreams, but because of how she saw herself. In the weeks she had been in Winterfell, he found himself more dumbfounded into how a woman as charismatic and witty like her did not have a husband. A woman like Aelyna Targaryen came across one's path once in a lifetime.

"We'll, you're wrong." Cregan corrected her

"Excuse me?" 

"Not only are you wrong, but you are also mad for thinking so of yourself princess." Cregan said. Cregan wondered if he was wrong for what he was about to do. Was it immoral and rude of, but fuck it, thought to himself. He stepped closer to Aelyna, unsure of what to do as he placed a firm hand on her shoulder. His eyes drawn to her violet and green eye. Everything about her felt so unworldly to him and only tested his strength to keep her at distance of him harder. There was no use in becoming too attached to her when there was so much more to life she still had to see. 

Aelyna gnawed at the inside of her cheek as she felt her eyes wander between Cregan's eyes and his lips "You are a woman worth praying to the gods for." 

☆ ࣪ ִ AUTHORS NOTE :l 𝆬 3

Vermithor when Aelyna brought Cregan to meet him:

https://youtu.be/L6Vf-ZlV-zE

I'm not sure whether to update the book from here or publish previous chapters and write from then on out :/