136
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298 AC
Narrow Sea
Lyanna Stark
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This same dream once again, seeing the world through Winter's eyes as the other pups sleep peacefully. I have grown tired of this happening, I at least know thrashing around and calling out won't do any good and I only need to wait for it to end.
A fluffy tail smacks me in 'my' nose and I shake my head and find myself biting onto it before I can even stop myself. The tail jerks out of my mouth and an angry mouth is launched toward my nose and it startles me 'awake'.
I sit up in my bed and look over at the dire wolves and see them snipping and pawing at each other. Winter refusing to be pinned wrestles her attacker to the ground and looks over at me with a whine escaping her.
"Sorry little pup, I do not know why it keeps happening either." I reach my hands off the edge of the bed and Winter quickly approaches and I pull her up onto the bed.
I will cuddle my little pup for a while and hope she forgives me for getting her 'attacked'.
I kiss the top of Winter's head and she swats at her nose with her paw and makes a pitiful whine. I sigh as I look over her head and at the other two who are already back to sleep after the scuffle. Can't say Dire wolves are bad on ships after this, they sleep better than anyone else on these waves.
My eyes get heavy as I get comfortable once more and I hope I don't 'wander' off once more. I rather not dream at all if I am going to keep feeling so trapped whenever it happens. I have a very vague idea of what is happening, stories of the Warg kings were popular from Old Nan.
I have never done it before so it has to do with Winter being a Dire Wolf which screams like a 'sign' to me as it is my house's sigil but I selectively ignore it. The last time I got caught up in signs and prophecies I got heartbroken so I would rather put it out of my mind.
Winter nudges my chin with her wet nose and I even feel her tongue lap at me as she whines once more. I should have called her crybaby with how much she whines but I also feel like she is trying to cheer me up so I will let her off easy. No reason to poke fun at the little pup when she is just trying to cheer up her 'momma'.
Gods I hope we make it to Sunspear soon, I need to get a real bath and not saltwater and I would kill to take a dip in the water gardens. I will get news on my daughter from Prince Doran and then I will rest a bit before heading off to join her. After everything in the North and the disappointment of my brother joining Robert as his hand, I want to be with my baby girl.
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298 AC
Dorne - Sunspear
Rhaella Targaryen
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"Keep rubbing and you will make it raw." I sigh as my daughter ignores me and runs her finger over her exposed stomach.
A small bump from her baby growing bigger every day, her hands never straying far making me feel exasperated. Does she think that the baby is going to run off if she does not keep her hand nearby?
I turn to the door hearing a knock and soon hear the familiar voice of one of the maids who has taken care of me since my arrival here.
"Come in!" I speak a little loud just to make sure she can hear me and the door swings open, I immediately spot a box with a letter and smile. "I wonder what they sent to me this time, I hope it is not something smelly again." I can't stop myself from muttering as she hands them over to me and with a quick bow makes her way out of the room closing the door behind her.
I set the box to the side and crack open the letter which surprisingly was not already opened and resealed. The Targaryen stamp brings pride to my chest as I trace a finger over it, I gifted my boy a signet ring and it makes me happy to see him use it.
'Hello mother, I sent you a gift you should have already received before Marwyn left but in his haste, he forgot. It is a glass candle from Old Valyria and can be used for many different things, sharp little thing though so be careful. I have sent it to you so I can get to hear from you, that's right it will let us talk.' I stop reading and look at the little box and pull the string off that was keeping it shut.
Lifting the lid I see a black glass-looking candle that is nestled in some straw to keep it from getting damaged. I pull it out being careful of the edges as they do look pretty sharp and I don't want to get cut.
"I wish he would leave this magic stuff alone, flaming swords and dragons is enough and now he is getting into candles..." I feel the letter get pulled from my hand and look over to see Shaena holding it up to read it.
I raise a brow at her but she doesn't even look and instead finishes off what she is reading before she looks at the candle with narrowed eyes.
"Let me try." I grab the letter and start reading it once more.
'The candle lets you see places and things but takes a bit of practice with 'magic' that you are lacking at the moment. We have practiced many times the connecting magic between two candles and it is pretty simple and once it is connected it will stay connected so long as it has 'fuel'. I will provide fuel for the connection since I have a lot of experience using these things in my spying. We admittedly have not used them far distances but the hope is it works the same as it does from across a small island. To use it you must first...' A light catches my attention and I look up to see a white flame burning on top of the candle.
I shiver seeing a magic flame and it reminds me of Summerhall and all the screams as my family burned around me. Rhaegar decided it was time he was born as well and I had to fight to not birth him in the flames. A terrible time and place that eventually gave back by hatching the dragons but I don't think it was worth what we lost at the time. Maybe others would disagree, even the ones who burned might disagree but I miss them.
I grip my arms and the letter falls as I shake away bad memories of the things my husband did with flames. The screams and begging only to push him to go even further, a true madness beyond any before it.
"Is it working? It is only flickering and I don't see anyone." She leans in to look at it closer and I reach to pull her back as my heart aches to see her so close to it.
I freeze as the flame grows and Shaena jumps back frightened but I did not stop because it grew but because 'someone' appeared in the flame.
"I told you it could only be mom, all this time and no one else has connected to our candle so either they can't or are not. Hey mom!" I see what looks like my son sitting across a table 'inside' of the fire and he is smiling wide while waving excitedly.
"Hey, baby." I wave awkwardly back at the candle and wonder if I have also gone mad.
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298 AC
Summer Isles - Ebonhead
Eragon Targaryen
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"The candle is burning..." I mutter in a daze as the light from the flame woke me up. "Wait the candle is burning!" I kick off the sheets and roll over a few bodies as I hurry to see what my magical glass stick is doing.
I hold my hand up to it and feel it trying to 'connect' just like when we practiced before and I can't stop a smile as I know who it is without even connecting.
"Hey wake up and get dressed quick! Momma is trying to use her candle and we need to get presentable so she doesn't think we are wasting around having sex. I need to connect it fast so she does not give up, stop grumbling and throw on something to cover up!" Lost of complaining from the bed as dresses are thrown on, Danny is the first over looking as excited as me.
"How are you so sure it is her?" I purse my lips and look at the white flame and wonder if it could be a stranger on the other side.
I shake off the thought since no one has tried in all this time and I was apparently shown on quite a few candles presumably around the world. Marwyn said multiple at the citadel lit up but it could have just been a freak accident that made that happen, maybe not as many people as I am thinking actually saw anything. If every candle lit up around the world surely someone knowing how to use one would have tried to connect to others... maybe not though, why would you let others know you have one.
I close my eyes and focus and feel the connection form as my hand hovers over the flame and the flame grows bigger as my hand pulls back.
I smile wide and grab the candle and walk over to the table to sit down and place it Infront of me. I see mom and Shaena and I can't help but feel warm inside, it has been too long since I have seen them and I was really starting to miss them.
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"So I missed six weddings." Crossed arms and furrowed brows as her eyes tighten in annoyance, momma is angry.
"We will redo them when we next see each other, It was mainly for the people of Summer Isles and getting things 'official'. If we did not then people would be requesting their hands constantly and offering gifts expecting things in return. Like this, the only way they can try for it is to challenge me and I will smash anyone who gets any ideas, and rob them blind for my troubles." Her anger eases up and she nods thoughtfully.
"How long will it be before you can leave to come here do you think?" I frown as it will likely be a year or more to get things steady here and that is pushing it.
"Quite awhile if I had to guess, you sure you can't just leave Viserys there on his own? He is a man and can handle himself." I trail off toward the end as I imagine Viserys being beheaded a few days after my mom leaves for doing something stupid.
"That will not end well, but maybe we can all come down there for a short while before having to head back. Elia and I are planning to come down soon when Lyanna gets back and we will be bringing some other various people. I will be staying down there until I give birth at the least, travelling will be hard soon with the baby growing faster." Shaena stands up and faces sideways as she shows off the 'baby bump' for the sixth time.
Proud momma.
Danny asked discreetly to not tell them about her pregnancy as it is still pretty early and she is worried. She doesn't want to let everyone get their hopes up just yet and even though it feels wrong to withhold I agreed. When her bump shows she can show it off as well and they will be just as happy then as they would be now.
"Well with this new way of communicating, we can coordinate something easier, I am glad it works so well. The connection is no harder to keep up than if the candle was across the room and we have like ten people here to support it so it can stay up awhile." Mom has looked a bit 'off' with the whole thing so I am trying to calm her down but I know she doesn't like the whole fire magic thing.
I see her smile softly and nod as she picked up on what I was trying to do.
"I am fine Eragon, we will talk about it some more later on and discuss our options. Tell me more about your plans going forward with your conquest." I am only now reminded we have the Golden head prince arriving today.