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FIVE;
『 GREY GHOST 』

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ㅤ     "WHAT DID DAEMON MEAN? AN EYE FOR AN EYE, A SON FOR A SON?" The princess asks Jacaerys as they stand outside of her chambers. Dinner has been finished and everyone has made their way back to their chambers. Jacaerys decided that he would walk the princess to hers. He knows she could find it on her own, but every second more spent with her seems like a second gained in joy.

      "Lucerys, my brother had taken Aemond's eye. Alicent claimed an eye for an eye. She wanted to take Lucerys' in return. That did not happen. Aemond killed Lucerys. Now, my mother and father claim a son for a son. It's only fair. Though, I have no idea how it will be done, or which they plan to kill- Aemond or Aegon." Jacaerys replies with steady words. Another poor, unfortunate soul that will be sent to the slaughter.

      "I will see you at dawn?" Cerilla asks with a teetering smile. The prince's eyes dip to the floor. Suddenly his cheeks grow warm and rosy at her request to see him again.

     "We will mount Vermax at dawn." He agrees, dipping his head. The prince turns and walks down the hall. He looks back just before turning the corner. His eyes meet Cerilla's over his shoulder. She offers a smile before his figure disappears around the wall.

      The princess enters her chambers and immediately strips off her clothes into her nightwear. She takes the clips out of her hair and allows the curls to fall down her back. She crosses the room to the bathing chamber, where she dips her hands in a cool bucket of water and splashes it over her face. Exhaustion has taken over her entirely. She walks like a corpse living.

      Cerilla climbs into the bed covered in fur blankets and pulls the different cloths over her body. She shudders at the coolness of the room. She still has not quite grown used to the rather icy temperatures of Dragonstone. Back home, she would be sleeping with no blankets and only a thin sheet. Her eyes draw closed.

     The last thing she sees before falling into slumber is the fact of the prince.

-ˋˏ ༻☼༺ ˎˊ- 

       EVEN THROUGH THE SMALL WINDOW, CERILLA IS STILL AWOKEN BY THE VIBRANT LIGHT CASTING INTO THE ROOM. She stifles a yawn and drawls her arms over her head, stretching out the tense muscles in her biceps. Her muscles are sore from keeping her arms strapped around Jacaerys for so long. She stares through the window for a few moments, at the foggy morning. The clouds are low and the misty fog sprawls across the valley, hiding the sea beneath.

      The princess strips back the blankets and steps onto the stone floor. Immediately, she is greeted by an intense cold that shocks her body. She makes her way to the wardrobe and grabs a black dress threaded with leather. It appears to be the warmest thing. She would usually never wear black. In Sunspear, Cerilla was known to stick to oranges and yellow, or other bright color like turquoise and violet. Now, she is stuck wearing the color of death.

     She adjusts the arm sleeves that grip tightly at her skin. She is not used to wearing clothes so compressing. She walks to the vanity and quickly pulls her hair into a low bun, something simple to keep the hair away from her face as they fly. She peeks through the window once again to see that dawn is becoming day. She hasn't much time. The princess yanks on the black riding boots then exits the chamber.

      She walks quickly to the courtyard in which Jacaerys and Vermax will be. She makes her strides long and graceful. She passes a few knights in armor as well as servants in red tattered gowns. Eventually, she reaches the doors which are pushes open for her by two knights. Jacaerys comes into view immediately before her, talking to Queen Rhaenyra. Cerilla steps outside and the doors close behind her. She bows to the Queen.

      "Dragon riders are needed now more than ever," she says to Cerilla. "If you find a dragon in these valleys, be careful. They are wild and dangerous." Her words come with an urgent caution. Cerilla nods deeply at her request. She would not want to loose a limb to a dragon or be scorched alive.

     "I will set out for Grey Ghost first." Jacaerys says to the both of them. The princess remembers that this dragon is known to be timid and shy, and he is also the youngest of the wild ones.

      The two mount the back of the green scaled dragon and take two the sky. Though it is her second time flying- consciously- the princess still feels her stomach rise to her throat when they begin their ascent into the sky. She grips Jacaerys's waist until they even out just below the clouds. They soar over the valleys of Dragonstone. Cerilla hadn't realiEd just how big the island is because it is always covered in a thick mist.

      They make two rounds circling the island. The two of them see no dragons aside from the ones already claimed by those residing at Dragonstone. Jacaerys turns his head suddenly over his shoulder to speak to Cerilla.

     "We will go inside the Dragonmont. I have a feeling we may find what we look for in there." He says to the princess. She nods. Jacaerys leads Vermax in the correct direction. The young dragon begins to show sings on reluctance as they near the volcano. It seems a though the dragon does not want to be anywhere near it.

      Jacaerys grips the mount as he diverts Vermax on the correct direction. The three of them fly through the grey smoke of the volcano. The structure is large, wide enough for a dragon with an enormous wingspan to fly through. Finally, the smoke dies down after they land inside the volcanic rock. Cerilla's lips part as she looks around, at the sharp dragonglass hanging all around. She has heard legends of it. It isn't valuable for much, but it sure is beautiful to see.

     Vermax's bones tense. Jacaerys can feel his terror. They must make this a quick trip. The price and the prince hop off the mount. Vermax stands in the middle of the vast, dark area, unmoving. Jacaerys and Cerilla exchange a look of fear.

      "Let us head eastward. We will need to be quick. If Vermax is tense, Cannibal must be somewhere around." He whispers. Cerilla remembers gravely the story of Cannibal, the enormous dragon that feasts on smaller dragons and dragon eggs. She shivers at the thought of returning to see a young Vermax chewed in half.

     There are torches burning dimly. Jacaerys takes one from the latch and holds it up, lighting their way. They step into the pitch-black terror of darkness with only a single torch to light the way. They step quietly and curiously. Jacaerys keeps his eyes focused and his jaw locked. Cerilla walks with tense, clenched fists and unblinking eyes.

     They walk for a few yards before they hear the gurgling of what sounds like a sleeping dragon. Jacaerys holds a finger to his lips, as if telling the princess to keep quiet. She nods. Jacaerys holds out the torch to reveal a sleeping dragon, curled up with it's muzzle tucked to its tail. The dragon is only slightly larger than Vermax, perhaps the size of Syrax, the golden dragon that has been seen whipping across the lands.

      The dragon is the color of the mist outside, a gentle grey with details of vibrant white. The dragon's nostrils flare, alerting him of the new scent. Suddenly, Grey Ghosts eyes fly open, revealing wild light blue eyes. He staggers to his feet and takes a step back, teeth barred.

     "It's alright." Jacaerys says quietly, taking a step towards the dragon. In a sort of dance, Grey Ghost takes another step back to avoid his closeness.

      Suddenly, a screech can be heard in a distant echo. Jacaerys' eyes widen as he looks at Cerilla. That was the sound of Vermax. He hands off the torch to Cerilla and takes off at a run, through the darkness, to find his dragon. His footsteps smash against the ground as he springs towards the direction of Vermax.

      Cerilla holds out the torch to her side, seeing only the outline of Grey Ghost. Her heart pounds in her chest. She worries for Vermax, but now also herself. Jace has left her alone, with a wild dragon that could devour her in a single snap of his fangs. She gulps down the bile rising in her throat and places the torch on the ground in front of her.

      "This is odd for me too," she admits to the dragon. The princess feels even more odd when she finds herself speaking to this beast. "I can see your fear, and you can sense mine." She says again. Her voice echoes multiple times before disappearing into the vastness.

     Grey Ghost's nostrils flare again as he inhales the human scent. His wings are arched behind his back, but they remain unthreatening. Cerilla clasps her hands in front of her body and rakes her eyes along the dragon's scales. She hopes the beast does not eat her whole out of fear.

      "If you stay here, don't you fear that the Cannibal may eat you whole?" She asks a question. She knows how foolish she must appear, speaking to a dragon that cannot understand her.

     Suddenly, she hears the flapping of wings echoing through the structure. She is paralyzed with a sudden fear of it being Cannibal, or perhaps Vermithor, two dragons large enough to eat her and Grey Ghost in a single mouthful. She picks up the torch and holds it out. She sees Vermax running and flapping his wings at the same time, gaining double the ground as he sputters towards her.

      Her eyes narrow as the fear dissipates from her body. She then sees the look on Jacaerys', the look of pure angst. She grips the handle of the torch as he comes closer into view.

      "The Cannibal is awake and certainly not happy about us being here," Jacaerys says as the two of them stop in front of Cerilla. "We must go, now. We can return whenever Cannibal leaves to hunt." His words are quick and steady. Cerilla blows out the torch then lays the handle on the ground.

      She climbs up onto Vermax, with the help of Jacaerys gripping her arm from above. She throws her leg over then Vermax takes off at a run. She turns her head back, where Grey Ghost had been. His figure has now been replaced by unseeable darkness. She hangs her head as Vermax shoots off the ground, flapping his wings. They ascend through the smoke to the sky surrounding Dragonstone.

      With her hands wrapped around Jacaerys' waist, she hopes that the Cannibal will be gone soon so that she may return to Grey Ghost. The more time they spend together, the more time he will grow to like her- so she hopes. If she has a dragon to mount and ride into battle, she will become an even greater asset to Queen Rhaenyra.

     Suddenly, the sounds of wings double. Slowly, Cerilla turns her head to look behind her. The fog is thick, but a dragon the color of mist flaps his wings through the smog. A slow smile spreads across her lips. She prods Jacaerys.

      "Grey Ghost is behind us." She whispers into his ear. Her voice sends a chill down his spine. He turns his head, for just a few seconds, to see that they are, in fact, being followed by the he-dragon.

     "I will land Vermax in his cave and Grey Ghost will follow," Jacaerys answers, turning his head back around. "This will give you a clear, unbroken chance to try and win his favor." The prince explains.

      Vermax dips below the mist towards the valleys. There is an opening to a cave between two valleys, where Cerilla presumes Vermax resides when he is not being ridden. His claws scrape at the stone ground as they land inside. The two of them dismount the dragon and the prince looks around the cave.

      "If Grey Ghost hasn't followed us inside, then he won't. You will have to embark outside and try there." Jacaerys suggests. Cerilla nods and departs from the cave. The grass beneath her boots is soggy and wet from the constant rainstorms at Dragonstone. Grey Ghost is just a few yards away, near a stream of water.

      She approaches the dragon with caution, this time making her footsteps louder than before so that the dragon may not be as frightened. Grey Ghost's eyes do not leave her figure as she drawls closer. His nostrils flare, but he does not step back nor do his wings arch over his back in an act of dominance. He simply stands.

      "You followed me out of Dragonmont," she says loudly enough for the creature to hear her. "Which means you trust me, to some extent." She decides that perhaps speaking to the misty dragon is the best form of expression. He does not seem to become threatened by her voice.

     "Or you are deathly afraid of the Cannibal. Maybe it is both," she decides. "Men have tried to mount you before and you have ran away. You are timid. Most men did not want to claim you because of your size. They thought you were too small. They wanted a giant dragon, big as a ship, to terrorize people. Those dragons that they seeked tore them to pieces. You have known rejection from every man that has come before you, but I am not a man." Her words cut across the belly of the valley.

     "I am a woman, a woman who knows what it means to be small and belittled by men," she takes a few steps closer. "We can learn from one another. I can teach you that timidness can be conquered. You can teach me what it means to be a dragon rider." She takes another set of steps forward. She is perhaps ten feet away from the muzzle of the dragon now. His head is about the size of Syrax's, but more wide instead of narrow.

     Grey Ghost juts his head forward just slightly. Cerilla closes her eyes and extends her hand, stricken by the cold. Grey Ghost has never killed anyone, as far as she or anyone else knows. Cerilla prays to the gods she will not be the first to be devoured by the dragon.

     Scales are met with her palm. She opens one eye, cautiously. Grey Ghost has broken the inches between them with his muzzle. Her palm rests clarke between his nostrils, which no longer flare.

     He has never known a rider in his entire life. Anyone who has tried to mount him have failed. Men have tried to bribe him with meat, mount him after prodding at him with weapons, or even with fire. All have failed. Grey Ghost is quick and witty, even for his young age. He can wriggle out of any situation. Cerilla did not bribe him, or try and torture him, instead she came to him simple with words and empty hands. Grey Ghost has never known a mount or reins, or being shouted commands, but he does know that Vermax's life has not been difficult. Vermax has been given any food that he cannot hunt, and a cave all to himself.

     Slowly, she stretches out her fingers and runs her palm up his nose bridge, until reaching the scales in between his eyes. He blinks slowly, with no sort of vile intent. Cerilla smiles and turns her head over her shoulder to see Jacaerys standing about a yard away. The wind blows his head back from his face, revealing his prominent features.

     "I knew you could do it." His words dip across the valley.

      "How do I know we are bonded?" She asks, tilting her head to the side.

      "There is a test that dragon riders who were not bonded with their dragons from a young age do," he explains. "Come with me." Cerilla shares one final glance with Grey Ghost, then drops her hand from his muzzle. She makes her way back to the cave, where Jacaerys waits, already mounted on Vermax.

      She does not ask wear they are going, but she shoots him a suspicious look as she mounts Vermax. Jacaerys leads Vermax out of the cave they they take to the sky. Grey Ghost watches idly from the ground below. Cerilla's heart sinks as she watches his head follow them as they fly away. It is like a motherly pain, she decides. As she watches him disappear into the distance, her stomach twists into knots.

     They land on the opposite side of the island, near the coast, on a narrow area of flat land. There are cliffs nearby that drop down to the shore where the waves crash against the sand. Jacaerys dismount from his dragon and Cerilla follows.

      "You will say, majigho, the High Valyrian word for come. Shout it, loud enough for the gods in the sky to hear. If Grey Ghost comes you are surely bonded. If not, it make take more convincing for you to earn his trust." The prince explains. Cerilla clenches her jaw then walks away a few paces, in the direction that they had flown from.

     She cups her hands around her moth. "Majigho!" She shouts. She rolls the j just like Jacaerys had. The words are foreign on her lips, the language of the gods, but she shouts the word like she has known to say it for a lifetime.

     One minute goes by. Then two. Her hands drop from her mouth as she squints into the sky. The wings blend in with the thick fog, but she sees the distinct outline of the dragon. He opens his mouth and lets out a thin shriek before planting his claws into the earth just a yard in front of the princess. A smoke breaks across her face and she walks toward her dragon; Grey Ghost.

     Her hand runs across the scales of his muzzle. She called and he came. The first sign of their bond was the sinking of her stomach when they flew away, but now she knows for certainty that they are one soul, like Jacaerys and Vermax, like Rhaenyra and Syrax, like Daemon and Caraxes. The nasty feeling in her stomach disappeared the moment she saw the outline of his wings stretching in the sky.

      She has never felt more accomplished and more relieved in her life. Though, she knows now the training that must follow. Grey Ghost will have to adjust to a mount, to listening to commands, to coming whenever called. She has already promised herself she will take whatever time she can to train Grey Ghost- a silent vow to herself.

      "How does it feel?" Jacaerys says from behind her. She had been so focused on Grey Ghost that she jumps at the suddenness of his voice.

      "Incomprehensible." She answers with a single smooth word. He takes his place beside her, eyes hovering over the dragon. He silently admits the beauty of the he-dragon. Those blue eyes could cut dragonglass.

      "My mother will be ecstatic," Jacaerys says. "Now we just need to find riders for Vermithor, Sheepstealer, Silverwing, and Seasmoke." He announces. So many dragons, such little time.

      The dance of dragons looms just over the horizon now.

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