𝓔𝓵𝓪𝓮𝓷𝓪 𝓣𝓪𝓻𝓰𝓪𝓻𝔂𝓮𝓷

Could that have been it?

The bleeding star that we've sung about since we were both children?

The orange fog of Valyria fades off into the distance behind us and though we're miles away I can still feel the beast's piercing red eyes watching us fly to freedom.

Simply clinging to my husband in disbelief, his body is stiff with tension, glancing over his shoulder every other moment to ensure our safety.

"We're safe, something stopped her from crossing the threshold," I tell him, thankful Vhagar had gotten some food and rest but regretful that it almost resulted in our death.

With a deep breath, Aemond hesitates to reply, reluctantly loosening his grip on the reigns.

"I'll be holding my breath until you're safely tucked into my side, sleeping peacefully in our bed at the Keep," He grumbles, his eye trained on the sky ahead of us and I'm too exhausted to argue, laying the side of my head against his back.

At first, he flinches at my touch, finally settling back against me, and taking my hand in his to give it a reassuring squeeze.

I couldn't fault him for being protective. Aemond had saved us from the clutches of death more times than I could count.

After a few long minutes of peaceful quiet, Aemond's raspy voice sounds above me, "You should get some rest, it's a long flight home."

"What if our bleeding star returns to finish the job? If someone killed our babies we'd never stop," I ask but he scoffs.

"You believe that was our bleeding star?"

Sitting up I narrow my eyes at him, offended by his tone.

 "Don't you?"

My husband thinks it over for a moment and suddenly we're children again, perched on the hills that windy night at Driftmark.

As children, Aemond had impressed me, always pushing me to be better and more, even now.

Affection settles in his eye and he feels it too, the triumph of our findings. 

"Hmph, I hadn't quite imagined being chased away by the beast. No such shackles were bounding her-"

"But wasn't there?! She didn't follow us, she let us go,"

Aemond and I both knew that though Vhagar was mighty, she would've been no match against the bleeding star, her neck easily fitting between those mile-long pointy teeth staring back at us.

Struck with silence I'm sure Aemond will continue with his disagreement but he takes a deep breath instead, looking over his shoulder to sneak a glance at me.

"Hmm, I suppose we'll know for certain when we get those books home and translated." He grins tiredly, tugging my arms tighter around his waist and if I'm not mistaken there's a hint of excitement in his deep voice.

"Mayhaps we should've grabbed a handful of trinkets for the children. They'll be disappointed all we've brought back are books," I giggle, my eyelids growing heavier by the moment.

Beneath me Aemond chuckles, its low rumble vibrating through his chest against my cheek, "Jaehaera will be more than content with books, our others however may have been happier with a rusted sword to swing at one another," 

The corner of my lips lifts in a smile at the thought of them all together again. They've grown up together, inseparable even and I prayed with time their bond would only grow stronger. They were the future of this Realm after all.

I can't be sure when it is I fall asleep but when I wake the sun has long fallen from its high point in the sky.

"Elaena,"

At the sound of my name, I don't stir, groaning in annoyance against Aemond's back.

"Wake up, love." He urges me once more, but it's his worried tone that rouses me from my slumber, my tired eyes shooting open to survey the skies around us.

"What is it?" I ask, petrified but Aemond reaches back to steady me, his attention solely on our path ahead of us.

The moment he wiggles his straight nose, the smell of dragon fire tickles my sinuses.

"Something's wrong," He frowns, his deep, crackly voice a testament to his fear.

But we couldn't be home this quickly, could we?

I'd only been sleeping for a few hours at most.

We barely break through the cloud bank before the smell of death and dragon fire becomes more prominent, my grip on Aemond's arm tightening impossibly.

Vhagar senses Aemond's urgency, diving toward the dragonmont but we quickly realize there's nowhere safe to land, the crowds of people flooding the dragon pits intending only harm.

My heart thumps so loud in my chest it's a wonder I can still hear the screams, but I imagined I'd listen to them in my nightmares for the rest of my life.

"It's the common folk... they're attacking the dragon pits," I realize, my mouth hanging open in awe, "How could they? Why? Seasmoke is trapped down there, Aemond!"

Aemond pulls me back, tighter against his chest but even he can't comfort me from the pain that's been inflicted.

Our city had turned against us, and they would take our dragons.

Without anywhere to land Aemond finds a small hill where Vhagar remains tucked away safely from any attackers.

"We have to help!"

"We'll save him, my song, but you must go to the Keep to keep safe-"

"I'm going! Seasmoke needs me!"

Aemond reaches out to grab me but I'm smaller and faster, ducking from beneath his arms to slide down the ropes sloppily.

"ELAENA, WAIT!" He shouts in a fury, fiddling with his straps to chase after me.

The cries of our dragons were utterly heartbreaking. Tears burned in my eyes, trailing down my cheeks like lava.

Pushing forward through the crowded street I hike up my skirts but it's no use. After a few footsteps, I'm jerked back, the hem of my dress caught on a splintered piece of wood from a broken cart.

I try to yank it loose but a pair of hands pulls me back, tearing the bottom half of the skirt clean off sending the hundreds of small black sapphire jewels scattering across the pavement.

Before I can grab any of them, the common folk are diving for them, dropping to all fours to grab whatever they can.

"It's the princess,"

"The princess,"

They shout, drawing more attention my way as they reach for me and my jewels

In a desperate effort to pull away from the stranger's grip, it only tightens around my waist uncomfortably, his fingers digging into my side. Reeling back my arm I elbow the dirtied man in the stomach but I'm exhausted from our journey, my blow only sending him back a step.

"GET OFF!" I plead, struggling to reach my dagger in the shuffle of people around us.

"Give me those jewels, girl! Could feed my daugh'er for a year with 'ose!"

He reaches for my black sapphire necklace and I jerk away, feeling under my skirts for my dagger when I recognize the man's face.

He was a frequent visitor when Baela and I visited in town, feeding any that we could but it seemed what we'd brought them wasn't enough.

Curling my fingers around the hilt of the dagger, I drive my head back against his nose, feeling its crack against my thick skull.

Using my mere second of distraction, I weave through the crowd away from my attacker, his voice calling out, taunting me.

"GRAB HER! GRAB THE PRINCESS ELA-"

When his sentence is cut short I spin around to face him but someone has come up from behind the poor old man, clamping their hand over his mouth.

My heart jumps to my throat, and all breath from my lungs is sucked from my chest as Aemond's furious violet gaze meets mine.

I back against the wall as I watch my husband drag his dagger effortlessly across the man's throat, his movement slowed and calculated.

Bringing my hand to my mouth I gasp into my palm, the man's blood rushing down his bearded throat while Aemond drops his body to the side, not giving it another look before shoving toward the crowd to get to me.

Frozen in my place I don't look away from him, clutching my necklace to my neck as he approaches to look me over from head to toe, "Are you okay? Did he touch you?" Aemond asks, but I can't tell if all of his rage is reserved for me.

"I knew him. Baela and I- we'd fed his family-"

"And look how quickly they've turned on us! What were you thinking taking off like that?!"

Aemond's right, of course, he's right. My station would not save me from the angry, desperate crowds.

I open my mouth to apologize but a familiar dragon cry drowns out the chaos of fire and screams.

Some people cover their ears from the shrill sound, but Aemond and I remain deadly still, the color draining from our faces.

Dreamfyre.

Aemond's grip on my hand tightens and in a blink of an eye, we're moving again, up the steps.

Several guards struggle with the mob, keeping who they can out but they're overwhelmed and outnumbered.

My mother must know,

Why hasn't she sent more help?

Aemond looks back over his shoulder to lock eyes, his eyebrows knit in with a concern, uncertainty blanketing his expression.

What could we do?

How could the two of us bring an end to this starving mob?

Tugging me closer, Aemond leans down to press his lips against my ear so I can hear him in all the noise, "Stay close to me! Don't leave my side, do you understand me, Elaena?"

Aemond's no-nonsense tone leaves no room for argument and I shiver in the King's Landing heat under the intensity of his stare.

When I don't verbally respond he pulls back to look me in the eye, his hand cupping the back of my neck, "Do you understand?"

Nodding my head fervently my husband bites at his lip, glancing up at the dragon pits before looking back to me, uncertainty pulling his mouth into a frown until he makes his decision, leading us up the stairs.

Above us Vhagar circles the sky, keeping herself safe from the mob but I worry for Seasmoke who is still stuck inside.

Tyraxes, Syrax, Dreamfyre, and Verraxes.

Not to mention the few unclaimed dragons who knew not much of a life outside of the pits, scared and chained in the darkness with only their teeth and fire to defend themselves.

My heart lurches in my chest as Vhagar cries out from above us and I can't say how but I know it's Seasmoke, my blood running cold in my veins.

"Aemond," I breathe, my hand tightening around his.

Somehow he hears and without slowing our pace he turns his neck to reassure me but his gaze catches something behind me, his face falling in defeat.

"Seven hells," He scoffs and I prepare myself for the worst, turning to meet the object of my husband's annoyance.

Just a few steps below us, weaving his way through the angry mob is none other than my little brother, Joffrey, presenting more as a heroic knight with a sword in hand, the spitting image of Jacaerys if he'd still been with us.

"Elaena!"

"What are you doing here!? Where is Mother? Our sons?"  I bombard him, yanking at his collar to pull him toward us.

I couldn't bear it if I lost another brother, Luke and Joffrey were all I had left of Jacaerys and they'd both make him immensely proud.

"She's at the keep! They're safe!" He holds his hands up in surrender and Aemond noticeably breathes easier when we hear of Aelyx and Jaehaeryn's whereabouts.

"We saw Vhagar land on the hill, I had to come help-"

"You should've stayed with Mother-!"

Our argument is halted in its tracks by another throat-screeching cry and it's one I'd known since I'd rode dragonback with my mother as a mere infant.

"It's Syrax, we must go, now!"

Taking both of their hands the screams only grow louder as we near the entrance and my gut twists in inexplicable grief, preparing myself for what we might see but it's in vain.

From every corner, and down every hall our subjects were being burned alive, some landing their blows but with short-lived victories as the rubble crushed them.

Torn between where we're needed most I refuse to separate from them, knowing too well there was strength in numbers.

These dragons had fought for us it was time we'd fought for them.

The path to my mother's dragon is littered with angry looters, some fighting the dragon keepers while others took their opportunity to attack the Queen's dragon, getting their jabs in at the ruler they couldn't yet touch.

Aemond and Joffrey swing their blades gallantly, defending us from anyone who may recognize us, eager to bring harm to the royal family, and yet I feel helpless, calling out to Syrax over the screams.

"Syrax! Syrax, īlon're kesīr!"
*Syrax, we're here!

Her name doesn't evoke much emotion but once the Valyrian passes my lips her jaw stiffens and she turns her neck to gaze down upon us.

After years of familiarity with dragons and their capabilities, nothing still could've prepared us for the eruption of flames that Syrax unleashes above our heads.

Aemond covers me from the flames and ducks away from the expected fallout as the three of us take cover behind some wreckage, "I'll undo the chains, but they need clear pathways to escape-"

Joffrey raises his sword behind me, blocking an assailant and striking them down. Once Aemond sees, he's reluctant to leave me, his frantic gaze watching those around us but I push him toward Syrax.

"Save our Queen's dragon! Go!" I insist but he doesn't leave me without one last command to Joffrey.

"Protect her," He shouts, pleading with my youngest brother who only has time for a curt nod over his shoulder before cutting through another rioter.

Taking a step back I stumble over a body, a gold cloak with a face I'd seen in our visits to town before. 

Holding my breath I kneel to take his sword and before I get a moment to mourn the young soldier, a woman lets out a battle cry, her hard footsteps pounding at the dirt meaning to attack Syrax.

Aemond is already hard at work, hoisting the shackles from Syrax's feet, but she's unsettled by the chaos, making it impossible for her to stand still.

She's left me with no other choice, so I run.

I run as fast as my legs can carry me, ducking down just far enough to slam into her with my shoulder taking her to the ground with me mere feet from Aemond, startling him as he breaks another one of Syrax's feet free.

"Elaena!?"

The woman reels back her fist but I pin her down in the dirt, knocking her dirtied knife out of her hand, "Leave our dragons ALONE!" I cry, holding my sword to her throat.

"THESE BEASTS 'AVE FULLER BELLIES THAN YOUR OWN PEOPLE!"

"IT'S NOT THEIR FAULT!"

The woman thrashes about, leaning her skin up against the blade, and once she notices the blood she panics, only making it worse.

"YOU LOT AR' NOTHING WITHOUT YOUR DRAGONS! YOU'RE A CURSE!"

My family a curse?

After all we'd done and offered them?

It still wasn't enough?

I'm mere seconds away from taking her life when an arm wraps around my waist, yanking me back until I stumble backward, falling hard on my rear end.

Blowing the hair out of my eyes I'm reeling in shock to find Aemond standing above the woman watching in horror as she spits in his face.

The roar that comes from Syrax's belly could've very well been my husband as he drives his sword into the woman's chest, his handsome face scrunched up in disgust.

Climbing to my feet I just dodge Syrax's long golden tail, the beast turning to find the nearest escape route now that she's freed but someone is aback her, taking hold of the reigns.

My gaze falls on the dark-haired boy and I can hardly muster words, my tongue welling up in my dry mouth.

Joffrey planned on riding our mother's dragon to safety.

I can hear him from afar, pleading with the dragon to do his bidding but she's much too scared to listen, confused by the unknown rider on her back, "Dohaeragon nyke, Syrax!"
*Serve me, Syrax

"Brother! She won't listen to you!" I try to warn him but she's already moving, forcing her way through the rioters and trampling some in her path.

Holding on with all his might Joffrey steers her out, his fear evident from here but they're free.

They're free.

"Elaena!" Aemond breaks me from my trance of unease as he approaches, wiping his sword clean of the woman's crimson blood.

"I had it under control-!" I shout at him, unsure whether to be more hurt or confused that he'd tossed me aside.

Aemond's broad chest heaves with his deep breaths, the death, and fire around us muffled noise, "YOU are a Princess of the people! I won't soil your hands with blood, not when mine already soak in it enough for the both of us."

His burning stare pierces through the smoke in the air, his heavy footsteps closing in and he towers over me, his fingers quickly tracing over a scratch across my face that I hadn't even noticed.

"We need to get out of here, this place could go at any moment."

Taking my hand, he tugs me toward the exit but I pull away, "Seasmoke is still trapped! I won't leave him!" I take several steps backward but Aemond shakes his head, his frown deepening.

"There's no time!"

As I glance around at our once towering dome the dragon fire had destroyed much of its towering pillars and ceiling, leaving it an echo of Old Valyria.

My first thought is to agree and flee with him but my heavy heart weighs me down, the grief of all I'd lost piling in on itself, "You don't know that! I have to try!"

Aemond's face falls when he realizes I've left him no choice.

Sheathing Dark sister, he follows me into the clouds of smoke, his fingertips at my back to assure me of his presence moving forward.

With my sense of direction somewhat intact, I close my eyes, the burning from the smoke becoming unbearable.

Moving solely off of instinct I'm only thrown off when a sudden banging surrounds us, the sand beneath our very feet giving way.

Despite my determination to be fearless, I grab hold of Aemond's arm, the rumbling around us only growing more violent.

Seasmoke's roar jolts me from my skin and before I realize it, I'm moving, running toward his cries down the many halls. 

Aemond however struggles to keep up with me, staying a handful of feet behind me when a loud crack sounds from above us and the ceiling gives way.  

A strangled scream works its way up my throat and I'm stumbling forward, the momentum from Aemond's push knocking me to my knees.

Dirt is knocked up around us, surrounding me in a cloud of smoke.

"Aemond?" I manage through coughs, waving what I can away from my face but I panic when I don't find him at my side right away.

Was he hurt? 

Or worse was he crushed beneath it?

He couldn't have been...

Struggling to get to my feet with a heavy ankle the clouds of dirt subside but I'm none the wiser, alone behind this wall of stone and rubble.

"AEMOND?" I cry out for him, this time with tears burning in my eyes, and my voice burning in my throat.

"ELAENA? I'm here, are you hurt?!"

My husband's voice is muffled, still out of reach but it brings me comfort. 

He's okay.

"I'm fine, it's just- you were right we should've gone back!" I cry, praying to the gods our children won't be made orphans this night because of my stubbornness.

Aemond's fists pound at the wall of rubble separating us, but there's no use, the boulders much too large for him to break through.

How was I ever meant to be Queen?

When every last of my decisions come with such a finality?

"Elaena, we don't have time, do you hear me? You have to get to Seasmoke now, and get out!"

Already shaking my head I place my palms against the stone, the twist in my stomach only bringing more tears cascading down my face.

"I c-can't leave you,"

"YOU MUST! I beg you, my song. GO!" His deep voice booms through the barrier between us and I must force myself away, wiping the burning tears from my cheeks like a warrior off to battle.

"Aemond, I love-"

"I'll find you, I promise." He reassures me one last time and it takes all my strength to keep running, ignoring the immediate swelling of my ankle. 

I'm lucky to find the deeper halls empty, the smallfolk unfamiliar with its inner workings but once tall pillars now crumbled, giving way beneath the old structure.

Breaking through the entryway of Seasmoke's cavern I'm thankful for our dragon keepers but they'd fled before breaking my loyal dragon free, leaving him alone to fend for himself.

When I come into the light Seasmoke lifts his head from the ground, grateful to see me in one piece but as I move closer I'm mere yards from my loyal dragon as the ceiling crashes down from above us, the sky falling just as it had in Old Valyria.

I'd foreseen this,

And I still couldn't stop it.

The fall of our dynasty, the fall of most of our dragons still trapped or otherwise.

Seasmoke sees me coming, but both of us know our fates and a lone tear settles in the corner of his eye, watching me still.

The silver dragon rears back his head, blowing a final burst of flame into the sky to shelter us from the wreckage but it's too much, the pieces of stone much too large and heavy.

Digging my fingernails into a boulder I heave myself over it, jumping from rock to rock but I can't dodge quickly enough, my foot getting stuck between the gaps.

With all my might I pull on my leg, my heart thumping like war drums in my ears as I watch my death cascade down around us but Aemond's voice calls out for me through the caves.

"AEMOND! AEMOND, PLEASE!" I cry pathetically, my voice breaking in my plea when I know in my heart of hearts it's too late, my children will lose their mother this night, my husband his wife.

This is my fate.

My dragon must feel my defeat, Seasmoke's call to Vhagar much like mine to Aemond, a heartbroken farewell that had always been written in the stars, just as our beginning was.

What's left of the dragon pits rumbles, and the hanging pieces above me crack from the rest of the ceiling, the crescent moon of the night already peeking through the evening clouds, taunting me of the days I won't see.

"ELAENA!"

I pull on my leg once more, but the rock digs into my flesh and the pain of the wound is nothing compared to the yearning I held for my family.

Aelyx.

Jaehaeryn.

Visaera.

Jaehaera.

I'd lived a full life. I'd fallen in love and married the man of my choosing. We'd had beautiful children, raising them to one day be great leaders.

And my siblings.

I couldn't have been prouder.

Though Baela and I hadn't mended the broken bonds within the city as we had hoped, I prayed my sisters wouldn't blame themselves as I would.

Seasmoke continues to try to reach me, his somber cries drowning out everything else, but I can not take my eyes off the stone fragments descending from the sky as I calculate where they could land.

Through the rain of stone Seasmoke's eye meets mine, tugging at his chains with all his might.

"Nyke've qringaomatan ao, iksan vaoreznuni ñuha raqiros,"
*I've failed you, I'm sorry my friend.

I'd failed all of them.

My eyes snap shut as panic takes hold of me; the loss of everything my bloodline had worked so hard to build meaning to crush me beneath it all. 

The sharp edges of the rubble dig into my leg until a final blow from above brings ultimate darkness, the emptiness of death like the cold unfamiliar arms of a stranger.

***