Chapter 10: Dream

Fifth Moon, 87 AC

Viserra

At times Viserra wondered why it was she was allowed to enter the Dragonpit. Her parents had never expressly forbidden her a dragon, yet neither had they granted their permission either, so why was she allowed into the pit? The temptation was there, all she had to do was reach out her hands and grab it.

Unbidden, forgotten childhood memories came to mind recalling how Saera and she had asked for a dragon like their eldest siblings. They had never actually been told 'no'. They had been told the classic answer, used when putting off decisions. 'We'll see.'

It was only when she had grown older that Viserra had realized what they had meant. They had been waiting to see if they would have any brothers who they could wed when they grew up so that dragons remained in the family, so that only those with the name Targaryen would ride Valyria's war beasts. But both of Viserra's younger brothers had died in the cradle, she'd never even known them. With them died the chances of Viserra ever being seen worthy of a dragon in her parents' eyes.

The last time she had been in the Dragonpit had been years ago. She had been egging on a cadre of stupid boys to put their head in Balerion's mouth, promising her maidenhead to whoever dared to do so. The Dragonkeepers had dragged her back to her mother and she had gotten a lecture, a regular occurrence in those years. It was embarrassing to recall how immature she once was though the memory did make for a good laugh.

For long years after that incident, her mother had forbidden her from entering the pit without escort and feeling that her mother had ruined all the fun, Viserra had not gone, not even when her mother had slackened her restriction. By then Viserra had grown out of her childishness but had grown into something else instead. Resentment.

She had near everything that anyone could ask for yet it was empty and meaningless. The life of a princess was a gilded cage, dependent on the whim of their father. Viserra had seen for herself how easily those whims could change. Saera had been their father's favourite, among his daughters at least - none could displace Aemon and Baelon, and he had doted upon her, enabling her antics and thinking nothing of them.

And all it had taken was Saera giving her maidenhead to a man she might have been betrothed to anyway for all that affection to dissipate. The scandal had been all the gossip of the court, and some sly few murmured that Jaehaerys could not even control his own children, daring to whisper that the king was starting to show signs of weakness, weakness that ran in the blood.

It had only been a few small whispers, spoken by fools, but some whispers can ring as loud as dragon's roars in the ears of the wrong people. The comparison to the late King Aenys had filled her father with wroth. The very next day in court, he publicly rebuked Saera before all the courtiers and their whole family and ordered her to do three months of penance for her sin against the Maiden of the Seven, having disregarded her command for all virtuous women to remain chaste until their wedding night. She was to cast off all luxurious cloth and food and pray for guidance to virtue in the castle sept daily.

Conspicuously, her new betrothed, Ser Jonah Mooton, had not been given so heavy a penance nor had it pronounced publicly in court. He had simply been ordered to pay a weregild to her father, forfeit the dowry for Saera's hand, and spend a fortnight in the sept praying for forgiveness from the Maiden for deflowering a lady out of wedlock.

Saera however, spoilt Saera, had never been one to take punishments lightly. Before the whole assembled court, she had spoken back to their father, declaring she saw nothing wrong with what she had done beyond offending the overly prudish sensibilities of a septa and declaring that she would not do as she was commanded.

In that moment, Viserra remembered her father's wroth blazing, his purple eyes filled with fury. He had risen from the Iron Throne and stood as he pronounced Saera's doom. "It seems you are now breaking the command to honor your father as well. Your penance has been tripled, for now you must pray not only to the Maiden but to the Father also. This command you will heed or the Silent Sisters will await you at their chapterhouse."

Saera had been dragged away from the throne room by their mother's sworn shield, Jonquil Darke, and Ser Ryam Redwyne of the Kingsguard, favourite no more.

Viserra had never really liked Saera. They were only two years apart and similar in some ways, some might have thought they would be close, but Saera had never been likeable at all. Arrogant, spoilt, condescending, envious, and a bully. Yet in that moment before the Iron Throne, she could not help but feel sympathy for her estranged sister, remembering a time when the potential was still there for them to have a true sisterly bond. That chance was gone now, lost to the years and to the childish immaturity that had characterized both of them.

But more than sympathy, Viserra had been filled with fear watching the spectacle of Saera's disgrace. It had been proof before her very eyes of how a daughter so favored could be so disgraced so easily. What could happen to her? To her, Viserra, who had grown up in Saera's shadow? Always her mother would compare her to her sister and demand she not grow up to be like her, and unlike Saera, Viserra had not had her father's doting affection to get away with it all.

She had felt her family's eyes upon her since then, watching her carefully for any signs of foolishness, hoping desperately to keep her from being another Saera. Even from Baelon who had once adored her, Viserra could feel a slight cooling in their relationship, as he ceased to be so amused by her antics.

And so Viserra had grown up to survive. She had put aside her stupid pranks and foolish dares and become the perfect little princess her family so desperately wanted her to be. Yet nothing she had done had ever been enough for her to escape the shadow of Saera. And even if she did? Maegelle or Alyssa would forever be seen as more worthy than her.

In Driftmark she had seen her chance to get away from it all, to be someone away from the expectations of her family. A life with the same luxurious lifestyle if not more so than she currently enjoyed as a princess, and with all the freedom her family denied her with a man she could trust. In a scant few months, Corlys had shown her more understanding then the rest of her family had for eighteen years… and that included Baelon.

But even that was to be denied her. Far from the life she had dreamed off of on Driftmark, she was to be packed off to some lord to be his broodmare, her freedom even less then what it was now, while Corlys and Driftmark went to Rhaenys who got everything. And if she refused? Her father might make good on his threat to Saera, but for her instead. A life as a Silent Sister did not appeal to her any more than being someone's trophy princess wife did.

The Dragonpit stood before her atop the Hill of Rhaenys, a massive domed castle of steel and stone, burrowed into the hill with great vaults to contain the greatest and most majestic creatures in the world. The temptation was stronger than ever and Viserra was tired of resisting it. She would take her destiny into her own hands for once in her life.

"You're spending an awful time gawking at the pit, are you coming?" her niece Rhaenys asked.

Viserra nodded her head, spurring her horse forward alongside Rhaenys's as they rode to the horse stables near the Dragonpit. She did her best to crush the guilt she felt as they rode.

Rhaenys had tried befriending her for years now, heavens knew why, and after one of their gatherings with her ladies, Viserra had taken advantage of that burgeoning friendship and had asked if she could accompany her on her latest visit to the Dragonpit to see Meleys. Rhaenys had eagerly accepted, even offering to give her a ride, and Viserra had put on airs and demurely thanked her niece for her generous offer, hiding her true intentions.

Though she was technically allowed into the Pit still, Viserra had felt it wiser to come accompanying Rhaenys as it would give her more freedom of movement with Rhaenys there to vouch for her. The Dragonkeepers no doubt remembered the foolish mischief she had gotten up to on her last visit.

Once they dismounted their horses, a stablehand led them away by their reins. The great main gates of the pit stood before them. A bronze and iron barrier so wide thirty fully-armored knights could ride through it abreast. It was so enormous even Balerion the Black Dread had little difficulty emerging from the Pit on the occasions Alyssa took him out to ride.

But it was not the main gate that they would be entering through, no that was only for when dragons left or entered the pit. For mere men and women, tiny in comparison, there were a score of lesser entrances, oak-and-iron doors of a more normal size. It was through one such entrance that they entered the Dragonpit.

As Rhaenys led the way to her dragon, Viserra took in the pit around her, the eighty thousand seats nestled in tiers before the walls around the central courtyard in a circle for reasons she didn't really understand. The pit was for keeping their dragons, why by the Seven were there benches that could fit so many taking up valuable space, and for what purpose?

She shrugged off her useless thoughts, the oddities of Maegor's designs for the Dragonpit were none of her business and would only distract her from the task at hand. Seven knew the man had been insane enough, a spike-filled moat for the Red Keep had been but one of many eccentricities her father had gotten rid of upon ascending the throne.

As they walked toward the undervaults beneath the seats where the dragons dwelt, they passed by one dragon after another. Caraxes the Blood Wyrm, ferocious and aggressive as ever roared at her as they passed, though the dragon seemed almost like a purring cat as it allowed Rhaenys to pet him, recognizing his rider's blood in her. Vhagar was further down, and Balerion himself was at the opposite side of the ring, so massive he was clearly visible from this distance.

Each vault was massive, five times the size of the lairs on Dragonstone and each of them with walls on three sides and chains to keep the dragons from lashing out and starting fights with each other. Hatchlings wrestled with each other in the nursery while vaults with hot fireplaces kept the eggs secure and warm. Rhaenys's own Meleys was in the vault neighboring Caraxes, but Viserra took advantage of the distraction caused by the Dragonkeeper opening Meley's chains and left Rhaenys to her dragon, walking over to the dragon in the far corner.

She had intended to claim one of the younger dragons, less dangerous to approach, but something had pulled her here to this vault. Pale blue scales shimmered like aquamarine as Viserra hesitantly approached the dragon within. Her last rider had died fourteen years ago and since then the blue dragoness had not left the Pit even once. The mournful dragon emanated despair and loneliness, it dampened her beauty. The Dragonkeepers had said the dragon had taken all the loneliness and bitterness of her rider and carried her grief still.

As a child, Viserra had avoided the dragon, put off by the aura of sadness surrounding it. But now, she found herself drawn to it. It was a kindred spirit in many ways, and the sad story of her Aunt Rhaena's life had never seemed more relatable and depressing. Her lover had betrayed and abandoned her, husband, daughter, brother, father, and mother alike all dead, and her last remaining siblings estranged to her. Who had her aunt had in her final days but her beloved Dreamfyre?

Viserra ran her hand gently down the dragon's silver crests before panicking as she felt it stir from its sleep. Dreamfyre lifted her head and for the first time, Viserra saw the dragon's eyes open. They were a gorgeous shade of silvery azure, gleaming like a sapphire, with slits for pupils that reminded her of the cats Daella had once kept.

The dragon's eyes fixated on her and Viserra could sense her growing anger and annoyance that she had disturbed her rest and woken her from her grief. She should have run, should have backed away, why had she chosen to approach Dreamfyre over a hatchling? A hatchling wouldn't have eaten her!

But she steeled herself, she was Viserra of the House Targaryen, scion of dragonlords and conquerors. She would not be cowed. She would do what she had come here for. Viserra just had to think of Dreamfyre as a big cat, that's all. Cats didn't like being woken from their naps after all, but then cats weren't massive fire breathing beasts with an endless array of ways to send her to the seven heavens.

Viserra held her hand out and hesitantly approached Dreamfyre again, intending to place her hand on its snout and slowly move around to climb atop her. She could feel Dreamfyre's amused gaze as she approached and felt like the cursing the bloody beast. Her parents had never taught her anything on how to do this! How was she to know the proper way to claim a dragon?

"Princess! Please back away from the dragon!" Viserra turned around to see the panicked Dragonkeeper pleading with her as Dreamfyre began to bare its teeth and growl, though at who she couldn't tell.

Viserra felt her own panic growing, was she to fail after having come so far? Either the Dragonkeeper would drag her away to safety and she wouldn't ever be allowed back into the Pit or Dreamfyre would eat her. She wasn't sure which was worse.

So lost was she in her panicked thoughts that she failed to notice the dragon moving until it had touched its snout to her hand. Viserra flinched, looking up to see that the slit pupils had dilated into a rounder shape and filled with a welcoming gaze as the dragon accepted her.

It was… hard to explain how it felt. In a single instance she felt as if something had changed within her, some presence had come in the back of her mind, emotions and feelings she didn't quite understand, that weren't wholly hers filled her. Viserra felt full, but more than that she felt complete. Like she had been empty before and only now was she fulfilled.

Was this how all dragonriders felt? If that was so, Viserra could understand why it was her parents and siblings lavished so much love and attention on them.

The Dragonkeeper made to move forward and grab her hand to try and pull her away from her dragon, but he was stopped in his tracks by Dreamfyre's growl. It pleased Viserra greatly that she knew exactly who the growl was intended for this time.

As she turned back to her dragon, Viserra showered her with affection, scratching the underside of her jaw and running her hands gently over her scales. It was only a few moments ago that she had thought Dreamfyre was about to eat her but she knew now that Dreamfyre would never harm her.

She heard Rhaenys's voice then. "I think, that my aunt needs no saving from her dragon Ser. You should unchain Dreamfyre, they'll both be wanting their first flight soon enough."

She turned around and saw Rhaenys, an unreadable expression on her face. "I guess you won't be wanting that ride on Meleys now."

Viserra smiled sadly. "We can fly together?"

Rhaenys shook her head and Viserra could see the sadness and hurt in her eyes then, though she did her best to hide it. "They'll come after you. I don't fancy having them mad at me as well."

Rhaenys gestured with her head and Viserra turned around to see that the Dragonkeeper had been slowly inching off to report what had happened. "You best unchain Dreamfyre before she decides she no longer tolerates your existence Ser. It is unwise to not give dragons what they want. Release and saddle Dreamfyre, and then you may go as you please," Viserra ordered.

Another growl from Dreamfyre as she unfolded her wings and began crawling out was enough to convince the knight. He unlocked the chains and helped Viserra saddle her before he hurriedly took his leave.

Rhaenys returned to Meleys, but not before warning Viserra, "Be ready, they will not be pleased with you." Viserra did not need any more indication who 'they' was. She knew what she had been setting herself up for, but with Dreamfyre on her side, she felt unstoppable, and she'd never give up that bond for anything now that she had felt it.

She led Dreamfyre up to the surface, and the great bronze-iron doors that she had seen when she had arrived earlier opened up onto the hillside. The Dragonkeepers were no fools, once Dreamfyre had started growling at them, they had been quick to open the doors.

Moment of truth. Her heart was pounding. This was it. She climbed atop Dreamfyre and sat in the saddle and she urged Dreamfyre into the sky with a command of Sōvēs. The she-dragon beat her pale blue wings for the first time in over a decade and soon they were off.

Viserra had assumed Dreamfyre would be sluggish and a bit weak after not properly exercising or flying for over fourteen years. She was wrong. Within minutes they had climbed so high, the Dragonpit which had seemed so massive was now like a tiny speck. Even the Red Keep had shrunk, now appearing to her eyes the size of the toy castles Daemon and Gael amused themselves with. Viserra had no particularly great fear of heights but she grew nervous nonetheless as they climbed higher and higher.

Dreamfyre was gentle and patient. Despite her wariness of the height, Viserra had never felt safer. Her dragon would never let her fall. They soared into the sky together and Viserra felt herself falling in love with flying more and more.

The rush of wind as it blew past her face and lifted her hair up into the air was exhilarating. Clouds that had once seemed so far were now so close she could almost reach out and grab them with her hands. Feeling more confident, Viserra urged Dreamfyre forward into a dive and screamed, half in delight and half in panic as her dragon folded its wings and dropped like an eagle on its prey. Soon enough, Dreamfyre had leveled again, but even the sharp drop had not changed the view.

All the land was below her and Viserra realized now how small everything truly was. From the eyes of a dragon, everything seemed small and insignificant. The city of King's Landing and all its great landmarks and towers were nothing more than a tiny maze; the great Blackwater Rush itself but a small stream.

It was perhaps the best moment of her life. And of course her family had to ruin it, as they always did, she thought resentfully as she espied Caraxes and Vhagar flying up toward her. Resisting the urge to order Dreamfyre to fly faster, Viserra remained where she was, circling the spot as she waited for her brothers to reach her.

"Viserra." Like his daughter, Aemon sported an unreadable expression, but Viserra could see the disappointment in his eyes. Baelon however wore his heart on his sleeves and Viserra could see easily the mix of anger, love, confusion, and disappointment writ all over his face.

"My darling big brothers. Come to take me to our mother and father?" Viserra asked with a sweet voice.

Aemon frowned at her tone but steeled himself. "That is right. Do not try to flee. You cannot outrun both Baelon and I."

"I believe the word 'outfly' would better, but I digress. Worry not Aemon, I wouldn't dream of it," Viserra said slyly as she rubbed the scales on her dragon's head.

Aemon was not amused. "Come now sister, before our father's wrath grows greater."

"Terrifying isn't it? The wrath of a man who never once had to fight an enemy he couldn't cow with his dragon. I shudder in fear. Perhaps I should go, let us see how he deals with someone who can actually give him a fair fight for once," Viserra mocked. She would never have dared say such things aloud even an hour earlier but now? Now she felt heady with power, on top of Dreamfyre she felt like she could do anything.

It was probably good then, that Aemon was not their father, he raised his hands in peace. "We're not here to fight you Viserra. We're here to bring you home. You did something very dangerous and irresponsible. Have you forgotten what happened to our cousin Aerea?"

The reminder of what had happened to Aerea made her wince. She was even more appreciative of Dreamfyre now and she swore to herself that she would never take her dragon for granted.

Not willing to expend the breath for a snide reply to Aemon, Viserra turned to Baelon. "Nothing to say Baelon? No lectures or admonishments?"

Baelon's eyes widened for a moment before he answered with a simple question. "Why?"

Why? It made her feel like laughing. Everything that she had felt, that she'd been through, and they couldn't even begin to comprehend why? But like she had just so many times, she hid it all and answered back. "You'll find out soon enough I guess."

With her gentle prodding, Dreamfyre descended and the city that had been so small returned to its true size, but Viserra's view of it had forever been changed. She had seen for herself just how insignificant King's Landing really was.

Landing in the courtyard of the Red Keep, Viserra saw her brothers' dragons being chained and ordered Dreamfyre to return to the skies as soon as she dismounted. Seeing Dreamfyre take off, Baelon ran up to her panicked. "Viserra! We're not supposed to leave our dragons unchained when we're in the city!"

"Spare me Baelon. I will not leave my Dreamfyre in chains so long as the thought might enter our father's head to leave her in them and take her from me," she bit back.

Baelon backed off thankfully, and her brothers escorted her to the throne room. The oak-and-bronze doors of the throne room were dwarfed by the great gates she had beheld at the Dragonpit, yet they were far more imposing and ominous then those had been. She knew what awaited her behind those doors. Her parents.

She almost wished she was back quivering in fear before Dreamfyre again. Her brothers pushed open the great white doors, and they marched alongside her as they came before it. At the end of the hall it stood, dominating the room in a way only a dragon could match. A twisted jagged monstrosity of steel melted and beaten from the defeated foes of her great-grandfather, Aegon the Conqueror. The Iron Throne.

The steps leading up to the seat were forged into the throne itself and Viserra followed them up, locking eyes with the man that sat upon it. Her father, Jaehaerys of the House Targaryen. The First of his Name, King of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men. Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm.

Even knowing he was mad at her, Viserra could not help but admire the way her father held himself on the throne. His eyes blazed with cold fury and disappointment, his back straight and leaned forward slightly to avoid the jagged blades. His very presence emanated power and confidence. Every inch a king.

A king should never sit easy. Viserra recalled the famous words of her ancestor as he had forged his infamous throne and designed it so that none who sat the throne could relax and lean back. 'Well', she thought to herself with mirth, 'I guess I'm another reason now'.

Though the Iron Throne and her father seated upon it had dominated the room and Viserra's attention, she now noticed that her mother and brother Vaegon were present as well to the right of her father. Her sisters, Maegelle and Alyssa, stood to the left of the Iron Throne.

Her attention was soon dragged back to the throne by her father's words. "What do I do with you Viserra?"

"Nothing?" she asked cheekily. She doubted she'd get away with this with no punishment, but she'd be damned if she didn't at least try.

"Nothing? You snuck into the Dragonpit and stole a dragon and you expect me to do nothing?" her father demanded, fuming.

"Technically, I didn't steal anything. I was never barred from the Dragonpit, nor was I ever explicitly forbidden a dragon either," she answered slyly. "Regardless, it was Dreamfyre who chose me, I simply accepted her bond. Would any of you give up your dragon for anything?" she asked, reaching out desperately to her siblings and parents' own attachment to their dragons.

If any of them felt even a fraction of what her bond with Dreamfyre was with their own dragons, surely they could understand? A glimmer of hope appeared when she saw Aemon, Baelon, and even Alyssa becoming thoughtful. But her mother and father were too angry to even consider her words, and Vaegon, who had no dragon, couldn't understand at all.

"You broke the spirit of our father's commands, if not his actual wording. He may never have denied you a dragon, but he never allowed you one either, and as the King and your head of house, that is his prerogative," he sneered. "You abused the privileges granted to you and engineered a scenario in which you could take a dragon and maintain some form of plausible deniability; a far more cunning plan then I would have thought you capable of sister, but not cunning enough. The Dragonkeeper reported it all to us. We see through your facade."

Flying above the Red Keep, Dreamfyre roared as if sensing the affront to her rider. Viserra glared at her least favourite brother. "Vaegon, you cannot even tell the difference between compliment and insult. I question your ability to see through any facade whatsoever. Do not speak of what you do not understand, Dragonless."

"Enough," their mother said firmly. "These childish retorts are beneath you Viserra. Vaegon is right. Regardless of the nature of how you and Dreamfyre bonded, you took a dragon without permission. It was incredibly short-sighted. The last foolish girl who did that died a horrible death."

"I am no Aerea and Dreamfyre is no Balerion. How different is how I claimed Dreamfyre from how Aemon claimed Caraxes? How Baelon and Alyssa claimed Vhagar and Balerion themselves? Two dragons mightier and more powerful than Dreamfyre? And all of them were younger then I was now.

"No, tell me Mother, what is the real reason you take such offense? More than just your anger that I 'endangered' myself or did something without your permission, there is something else there."

Her father spoke again then, having calmed himself somewhat. But his voice still rung with a quiet anger. "Because you will be marrying out of the house. Your children will not bear our name, nor will your descendants hold any true familial loyalty to our house. Dragons in the hands of another house, would be disastrous and destabilizing for the realm."

"The truth at last. I didn't expect you to be so forthcoming Father. In other words, I had no brother to marry. Is that it? Is my worthiness of having a dragon solely dependent on that? Is yours Mother? How about you Alyssa?" she turned to her mother and Alyssa and questioned, finding frowns on their faces.

"It's not a question of worthiness. You are not entitled to a dragon simply for having the name Targaryen. Political considerations have to be taken into account more than your worthiness or supposed lack of it," her father answered.

 "What political considerations? I do not recall myself being betrothed to anyone outside the family."

"Did you expect to live as a spinster your whole life Viserra? Something tells me that you do not particularly have an interest in becoming a septa like your sister Maegelle.

"I promised your hand to Lord Velaryon not an hour ago. He did ask that you be consulted before the betrothal finalized, but we both believed you would have no qualms with the match with your acquaintanceship with him."

The words rung in her ears. The betrothal had been for her after all? She had assumed too much it seemed. But she would not regret her decision. It was no mere betrothal that had seen her claim Dreamfyre, it had simply been the straw that broke the camel's back. A lifetime of neglect and resentment, left in the shadow of her siblings, made to feel like she was not worthy. Atop Dreamfyre she felt safe, she felt important, like she was the equal of any of her siblings and she knew that she could no longer be ignored any longer.

Her self-reflection was interrupted by her father's words. "Now your actions have put everything in jeopardy. You have been selfish Viserra, you've thought only of yourself and nothing of your duty to the family."

Duty?

"Duty? Where was duty when you disobeyed your regent and absconded with mother? Where was all this care for the house and its future when you married your sister a scant few years after the entire realm rebelled against your own father for your elder brother doing the same? Was that not selfish of you father?

"Where was this worry for dragons leaving the family when Aunt Rhaena put dragon eggs in your cradles; the cradles of a thirdborn son and second daughter? Where was this praise for duty when I did all I could to be the perfect princess for so many years yet had all my efforts ignored? Was I not doing my duty then? Speak not of the bitter fruit that is duty to me Father. You did naught to sweeten it."

Her father's fists balled in anger. She saw her mother frowning, her eyes flitting between Viserra and her father, as if trying to decide whether or not to speak up. Just as it seemed she would, Aemon spoke first, asking a question perhaps none of them had expected.

"Father, tell me honestly. Based on what you have been saying, I must ask; is this why you have been so insistent that Rhaenys has to marry Viserys or Daemon? If I was to die tomorrow, who would you name as your heir?"

There was silence in the room. Aemon slowly shuffled close to Viserra and she breathed a silent sigh of relief that at least one of her siblings appeared to have taken her side, even though it was not the one she expected. She would have thought Baelon would support her but he stood further off, between them and the dais where Vaegon, Mother, and Alyssa now stood. Neutral or simply torn and unable to choose between them?

Vaegon continued to sneer at her, but Viserra could not tell what Alyssa was thinking. Her mother remained troubled still, Aemon's question had made her think, Viserra could see that, and she could also see that she was not satisfied with her husband's answer, or lack thereof.

Jaehaerys Targaryen remained seated on his Iron Throne. His heir had asked him a question, but silent he remained still, his face impassive in stone but his eyes belied an emotion Viserra had not expected to see. Was that… guilt? Carefully hidden and not as strong as it should have been in Viserra's opinion, but guilt there still was at the silent admission that he would betray the memory of his eldest son and deny his daughter her inheritance should the worst indeed come to pass and Aemon die before he did.

"You cannot even answer, but you need not, I see it in your eyes. You would name Baelon over my daughter, the heir by all the customs of Westeros, a defiance of primogeniture, for the same reason you denied Viserra a dragon? Because she is a woman who would not marry a man with the name Targaryen?" Aemon demanded.

'He champions Rhaenys not me,' Viserra realized. Aemon had taken the matter so seriously only due to his love and overprotectiveness for his daughter, not her. Had he a son, would he defend her so strongly?

It saddened her a little that her only defender did not do so for her sake truly. But Viserra had never been close to Aemon, she would be grateful still for his aid, regardless of his intentions. She needed all the help she could get.

"I cannot say I condone what Viserra has done, but this bickering is pointless. We still have not gotten to the heart of the matter, why Viserra decided to claim Dreamfyre, and what should be done about it," Alyssa said then.

"She deserves a right to explain and defend herself does she not?" Maegelle asked, stepping down from the dais to serve as the arbitrator and the peacekeeper. "It will only be when we have the full story and argument from both sides can we see if a resolution can be found.

"Our parents have made their argument Viserra, what is your defense? Do not speak slyly of technicalities in the commands our father gave, they are now worthless. I do not think any of us truly believes you chanced to tame Dreamfyre, not when you entered the Pit today for the first time in years. What is your reason for seeking a dragon?"

All eyes turned to her now and Viserra swallowed her nervousness.

"When I was a child. I asked if I could one day have a dragon of my own. Mother and Father gave me no clear answer. As the years passed it became clear to me what it was they were waiting for, to see if I would have younger brothers to marry, so that our children might bear the name Targaryen and keep dragons in the family. Our father just admitted to it himself. Still, I grew to accept it, if resent it. It was a logical if unfair argument, and I kept my silence and entertained no further ideas of claiming my own dragon."

"And your point?" her mother asked, patronizingly.

Viserra glared at her, "You're making it for me. How many years have you talked down to me so dismissively and carelessly? I like to believe you do not intentionally do so, but you do it nonetheless. I am your daughter, not some subordinate for you to command and dismiss callously.

"How long has it been that you treated me like this? That all of you treated me like this to varying extents?" Viserra said, looking around the room at the faces of her family. "You remember only the vain and stupid girl I was, not the woman I've become. But more than that, you see Saera's shadow in me, see the superficial similarities and fear that I will prove the same. And so you lecture me, you criticize me, ignore my opinions and will because how could Vain Viserra not be like Saera? We must do everything we can to stop her from following her errant disgrace of a sister's footsteps.

"That is, if you give me any attention at all. I can't remember the last time I spent any proper amount of time with any of you that didn't involve me in trouble of some kind. Every time we're together, I feel at edge, fearful of making a mistake that displeases any of you. It's choking me.

Her voice cracked then as she found it harder to control her emotions. "I'm… I'm not Saera. I never was, I never will be. Stop seeing her image in me."

"No more. I couldn't accept it anymore. I couldn't stand it any longer. To live like that until the moment I was packed off as broodmare to some lord I've never met who would expect me to continue acting the same, to flawlessly maintain the mask of the perfect princess. The idea was terrifying to me. So I made the choice, to protect myself and take at least a part of my future into my own hands and I do not, cannot regret it. Dreamfyre understands me in a way none of you ever tried to, with her I feel safe. I feel at ease, like I can be myself."

Viserra looked at the floor, her pride was demanding her to pull her face up, to look her family in the eyes, but as much as she tried she found herself frozen. She had bared herself before them like she never had before and she was terrified of how they would react.

Hearing footsteps she raised her eyes slightly to see Alyssa was in front of her. She flinched and closed her eyes as Alyssa raised her hand as if to slap her, only to feel her arms wrapped around her in a gentle embrace.

There were no words said between them in that moment, but they were not needed. Viserra realized then that Alyssa must have felt something similar the past few years, for Viserra's words to have affected her so. A lone tear dripped from Alyssa's mismatched eyes but she wiped it away before Viserra could say anything and she walked to stand beside Baelon, below the dais she had previously stood upon.

Her mother looked up to her father on the Iron Throne, and before her eyes he seemed to age years as he sank at the realization that he had lost the upper hand in the argument. His children, his dragonriding children, were all either neutral or defending Viserra.

"Roads were easier then daughters," he muttered. "Viserra, I am not a cruel man. Saera called me cruel, but what I did to her was not cruelty, only a lesson to a spoilt girl.

"Dreamfyre is yours now. It is finished and done. I cannot take her away from you as much as the rational part of me demands I do so. It would be cruel to take a dragon from its rider. But you are not getting off this with nothing. Justification you may claim to have, but my command you still broke, my permission you did not gain. And for this your punishment will be thus.

"You will pray in the sept for forgiveness for disobeying your parents, in the morning before you break your fast, and in the night before you sleep, for a period of three months. Maegelle will be responsible for supervising you.

"You wanted Dreamfyre so much? Her care is now yours, and yours alone. You will shovel her droppings, you will groom her, and you will treat her with all the respect and care that she deserves, and there will be consequences if she is not adequately cared for. The Dragonkeepers will give aid only when it is impossible for you to perform the task by yourself.

"Alyssa will see to your training as a dragonrider, and I will instruct her to be as thorough as possible. You will ride Dreamfyre on your own only once she is satisfied in your ability to not fall off your dragon."

Viserra glanced at Alyssa who was smirking at her devilishly. They might have come to a new understanding but that didn't mean Alyssa, jealous and spiteful, wouldn't relish the opportunity to 'train' her.

"And what of my betrothal?" she asked curiously, wondering what her father would do about that. After all, it could very well lead to House Velaryon permanently gaining dragons.

"Your betrothal to Lord Velaryon will proceed," Jaehaerys said. Viserra was quite amused to hear the strain in his voice as he spoke. "Assuming that is, you consent?"

Viserra was confused momentarily before remembering Corlys had asked for her consent before the betrothal was finalized. That was sweet of him. Yet another point to his favour.

"Yes, I do Father. May I be dismissed now?" She had enough respect still for her father, and enough memory of her courtesies to know leaving the presence of the king without leave was not wise.

She made to depart from the throne room, leaving her siblings behind to likely have another conversation with her parents. She had barely taken a few steps when she heard her father calling out to her and turned back.

"Viserra. Don't make me regret this."

She had no answer for her father. She simply nodded in acknowledgement before turning to leave, for real this time. Thoughts of her family she pushed away, in favour of thoughts of Driftmark, and Dreamfyre.