ugh I hope you all love this chapter as much as I do. I truly dedicate this chapter to phylliCheese  This was such a pivotal chapter when planning out this fanfic 

Visenya sat next to Rhaenyra while she got her arm stitched and Laenor walked in, eyes bloodshot from grief and being tired.

"Vis," He sighed in relief when he saw her, pulling her in for a hug. "I am so sorry I wasn't there."

"It's ok, I do not blame you, Father."

"I should have been there to defend you from such a cruel betrothal," Laenor said in disgust.

"It's my fault," Visenya spoke. "Luke lied, I didn't take his eye because he called them bastards. I didn't care. Of course, they are bastards, we all are."

Rhaenyra tilted her head. "Visenya, then why did you do it?"

"I should have claimed Vhagar. I was so mad. Grandmother Rhaenys no longer acts as if she likes me because her prized granddaughters are here, Baela and Rhaena are completely mean, I still have no dragon, and I was just so angry. Aemond has bullied me all my life and he was the closest person I could hurt."

Laenor and Rhaenyra were taken aback by her confession.

"So, as much as I hate it, I suppose the betrothal is my fault. Maybe Grandsire will change his mind by the time I bleed."

Laenor looked at Rhaenyra. "I told you that one day it would all boil up to be too much. You can still name her heir."

"And have Aemond be King Regent? Absolutely not!"

And there was her chance to fix things and she was still too consumed by her pride. Visenya looked down at her hands. "At this point, I would rather be married to Aemond than listen to this! Mother, I can't do this anymore! All I have wanted from you my whole life was love and to be heard! You have never taken what I want into consideration. Thanks to you and those Hightowers, I have never felt good enough."

Laenor glanced at Rhaenyra and then back at Visenya. "Let me talk to your mother. We sail back for Dragonstone in the morning, so go check on your brothers. If they are with Rhaena and Baela, I give you permission to do anything else. Just try not to take any more eyes."

She spent the afternoon in the gardens alone, wishing Helaena had stayed so she didn't have to be alone. After the incident, Alicent and Viserys set back for King's Landing, all of their children flying back to the Keep atop their dragons. It had been decided that unless she wanted to come back sooner, she didn't have to return to King's Landing until she bled and was ready for the wedding.

By the time the sun had set, her parents were preparing to leave for home in the morning but something seemed off. Rhaenyra was constantly whispering with Daemon and Laenor had a look of dread.

She walked around the Driftmark castle until she ran into Rhaenys who was also roaming.

"Visenya," Rhaenys nodded. "Can't sleep?"

"Never can," she mumbled.

"You must get that from me."

"I don't get anything from you. You have made that very clear." Visenya snapped.

Rhaenys sighed and nodded. "I apologize if I offended you. You must understand why I favor Baela and Rhaena. You're the smart one, Visenya."

"Trust me, I know that everyone favors someone else over me. Except for Laenor. He may not be my biological father but he is my real father. He favors me, he loves me, and he helps me. Is that not enough for you?"

Rhaenys nodded. "It is. But when I look at those girls, I see my daughter. That's a feeling I can't have with you. It is nothing against you, if anything, it's more against your mother."

"And lucky me to suffer the consequences of her actions," Visenya rolled her eyes.

"Princess! There's been an incident in the lounge!" A guard yelled. Visenya ran behind her as Rhaenys sprinted to the room in question.

" - I don't know, My Lord! He and Ser Qarl just started fighting so I ran to get you!"

When Visenya peaked around Rhaenys to look, her whole body crumbled and a scream was strangled from her body.

"NO!" She screamed and started to run but Rhaenys wrapped her arms around her torso and pulled her back, already crying and blinded by tears.

"You shouldn't see this, child." She whispered but looking at the burned body and wailing. Her grip on Visenya loosened as they fell onto the ground next to the body. Corlys was stunned into silence and this was how Rhaenys and Visenya could be united, their shared love for Laenor. But amidst it all, Visenya noticed something that made her realize this went deeper than just a fight.

Because her mother never came, even after being told the news.

And less than a week later, she was married to Daemon.

So Visenya knew. She knew Rhaenyra was to blame.

-

She thought she knew what being lonely felt like but losing Laenor made her feel stupid. She didn't know what lonely felt like until this. Day in and day out she wandered the halls, falling to her knees and screaming for him. At first, Rhaenyra would run to comfort her but after a month, she just had a guard watch her.

And after that, it became months of pain. Hours of crying, days without eating or bathing, months of staying in her room. Not like anyone ever tried to get her. Jace and Luke had already grown attached to Daemon.

And it wasn't until her twelfth nameday that she stepped outside of the castle. The sun hurt her eyes as they had grown used to the dark and cried daily. The lack of sun had caused her to grow even paler. 

She hadn't spoken a word to Daemon or Rhaena, and thankfully Baela was now Rhaenys' ward and on Driftmark. She couldn't look at Daemon. She had every right to believe he conspired with Rhaenyra to get Laenor out of the way.

For over an hour, she sat on the rocky shore, a hidden beach that was difficult to find. Her feet were in the sand as the water came and went, just like her tears. She gripped the ocean rock necklace he had fixed for her and started to cry again.

"I need you, Please. Come back. I swear ... I can be better. I'm sorry, okay? I never said it but I do regret taking Aemond's eye. I'm sorry if I ever made you feel like I didn't want you to be my father. I'm so sorry for every attitude, every tantrum, and any comments I may have made to offend you. I need you, Father. You're my only person, my only friend. Just fucking come back!" She screamed and grabbed a fistful of sand, throwing it in anger.

"You are supposed to walk me to my wedding! You are supposed to be there to hold my children when they are born, you are supposed to hold me when I cry and take me riding on Seasmoke. You are supposed to BE HERE!"

She got to her knees and started to punch the ground until the blood on her knuckles stained the sand. "FUCKING COME BACK!" She wailed.

A gust of wind knocked her to her side and the ground shook as a dragon landed on the beach. Visenya let out a scared gasp and crawled back into she ran into a wall of stone. The dense fog on the shore was preventing her from seeing who it was but she didn't even recognize the color. He blended in with the fog, light like Seasmoke but more grey than white.

The dragon stepped closer, sniffing at Visenya but he made no advance to attack. When he finally moved his head through the smoke, she started putting the pieces together: Grey, calm, and riderless.

"Grey Ghost," she whispered.

He tilted his head and laid it flat on the sand, almost as if he were bowing to her.

No fucking way.

She almost let out a cry as she gasped and she reached her hand out, touching the scales on his snout. From all the stories she'd heard, he was the calmest dragon. He never hurt anyone or got close and stuck with eating the sea life. He was shy and the color of the island fog so he was great at blending in.

And he chose her.

She wasn't even trying to claim a dragon. He actively sought her out.

She looked up at the sky as the rain started to fall, smiling with tears falling off her cheeks. "Thank you, Father."

Grey Ghost blinked at her and she felt a rush of melancholy. She was bound to him now and he to her. Their memories became one, two lonely dragons finally finding their other half. Grey Ghost had never had a mount and never mated with another dragon, and Visenya had just lost the only person in the world she counted on. The melancholy turned into intense pride and love, fully feeling the extension of her soul. They were one. 

So she did what she'd been waiting years to do and she climbed up his back. Grey Ghost wasn't the largest dragon per se but he was larger than Syrax and Seasmoke, yet smaller than Vermithor. 

His scales were smooth unlike most dragons she saw. He allowed her to climb up his wing and looked at his saddleless back, trying to figure out where to properly sit. She planted herself at the base of his neck and made a note to have a saddle made. If she wasn't careful, a spike would impale her cunt or ass.

Or maybe this was how they were supposed to be. Free. After all his years of freedom, he didn't need a saddle. If Visenya was to be worthy, she would ride him the way a free free-rider would. No saddle and no reigns. Truly bonded riders could communicate with their mounts. 

"Naejot, Grey Ghost. Soves!"

Finally saying the commands to a dragon of her own made her heart hurt with how happy it was. It almost felt unfair. How dare she be this happy when she was mourning? But she had to believe Laenor sent him for her, that even in death Laenor was looking out for her. Why else would a dragon seek her?

Visenya grabbed onto his horns as he started moving and stepped forward, spreading out his wings and lifting himself off the ground. Visenya let out a scream as he lifted. Despite her many ridings with Laenor, nothing could prepare her for being the one in front, the one in charge.

But she didn't feel like she was in charge. She felt like they were just in tune, a feeling so hard to describe. She wasn't commanding Grey Ghost to do anything, he just knew. Their minds and memories were one. Clear as the day she could see the first day he flew, the first fish he caught, and the first time he blended in with the fog and felt happy.

But she could also feel his sadness. He had tried to behind the other dragons but none of them were necessarily looking for friends. Silverwing and Vermithor were bonded, Cannibal hated all other dragons, and Sheepstealer preferred to hunt.

"No one likes to be around me either," She whispered as they sailed through the clouds. "My own brothers prefer others over me. We don't have to be alone anymore. I will always choose you now. My soul is bound to you."

The wind and cold feeling of the clouds gave her a calming effect, letting her fully relax into Grey Ghost as they flew. He did love to stay with the clouds and she wondered if he could see better in them than normal dragons. 

"They called me ghostly growing up," She said softly.

Everything suddenly made sense. She was never supposed to claim Vhagar, it was always supposed to be Grey Ghost. Ghostly, pale, lonely, reclusive, the one people always forget about ... how did she never see the signs? Vhagar was never hers. 

Visenya and Grey Ghost were two stars meant to burn together.

KK, I kinda have a couple of things to address. I have received feedback that I explain my actions at the end of my chapters when I don't have to. I do it bc I feel like if I don't, yall just hate me lmao. So let me say something: EVERYTHING I do is for a reason and will play a piece in the long run. Such as (I will go ahead and confirm this) Laenor is not actually dead and there is a reason things played off the way they did because they serve the bigger picture. Visenya being a bit unlikable serves the bigger picture. I wanted to make an unlikable character to challenge myself with character development. Visenya lashing out and cutting aemond without the brick thing serves a purpose. Everything serves a purpose so I rly think ima try to stop explaining myself so much. With that being said, I LOOOOOVE ur comments more than anything. They are literally what keep me writing. So def don't stop. Just maybe try and keep this in mind.