I AM A DRAGON - HOTD AU

Chapter 30

Days riding passed slowly for Daemon. While he liked horses, long journeys atop of one was not preferable. The fact that his sister began to talk less and less the closer to her keep they got didn't help his mood. Viserys and ser Harwin seemed wary of Maenera now. Ser Harold, still a stoic presence, didn't let much show. The northmen they were with seemed like a merry bunch. It pissed Daemon off. His sister was lost in her head most of the time, with thoughts or visions. He kept a close eye every time she seemed to fall into a vision, to be sure she did not fall off her horse. The northmen were either oblivious or were successfully ignoring every time her eyes unfocused.

He wasn't sure he wanted to know what she saw. Two days into their riding she came beside him and told him that by the weeks end she will kill a man. He didn't know how to feel about that. By now he knew that his sister was a killer, but what he didn't know was either she killed someone with her own hands before. She killed her mother unintentionally and she all but ordered Mysaria's death, but to actually kill someone, with a dagger or sword?

"We are approaching the Keep." Said Maenera and all eyes were focused now.

When it came into view, he could say that the Keep was nothing impressive. The home was a little bigger than that of a landed knight. Some land around it that was supposed to be used for farming. It felt cold, dead. Nothing could be heard, no buzzing of maids, no stable boys ready to take their horses, no children running around. Nothing. Even if it seemed in good condition the Keep seemed abandoned. The resignation on Maenera's face broke his heart. To know that your home was left for ruins was one thing, but to see it with your own eyes was another.

His sister stopped in front of the doors and got down from her horse. They followed suit. A strong wind blew and the windows began rattling. His sister looked around with keen eyes and a furrow began appearing on her forehead. She seemed confused for a moment.

"We are not alone. Take out your swords." His sister commanded.

Him along with ser Harwin ser Harold and Viserys immediately took out their swords. The northmen were slow on the uptake but seeing the King with Blackfyre in his hands made them move swiftly. They were all looking around for signs of danger. His sister though was focused on the front doors. He did the same. He would be stupid not to, she was the one with weird feelings. The doors opened and all of them tensed.

"My Princess, you are home at last." The voice said.

The man, if he could be named that, coming from the keep was not human. Daemon was pretty sure that in front of him stood a creature. He was young yet old. Beautiful yet ugly. Masculine yet feminine. Not too tall but not too short. Chubby in the middle but the rest of his body was skinny. He had long black hair and golden eyes. Brown skin that had a pale hue to it. That was not a normal man, Daemon could bet all the gold in the treasury. He threw a quick look around him and it seemed that he wasn't the only one thinking that, judging by the look on everyone's faces. The creature came before Maenera and Daemon was two seconds away from cutting it down, when it bent the knee in front of her. It bowed its head while Maenera stood frozen looking at it.

Maenera's reaction was visceral. She froze at the sight of it. Not moving an inch, Daemon wasn't sure she was even breathing. This was a mixed signal. Were they supposed to attack it? But then his sister began laughing, and laughing and laughing some more till she bent down a little and took the creature's hands in hers and lifted him up from where it was on its knees. She was smiling brightly at the creature. Daemon was still confused. Was he supposed to stab it or not?

"Jon, you old geezer, you gave me a fright." She said and embraced the creature(Jon?).

"My apologies little Princess, heard the horses, thought that they will try to enter the Keep again. Then I saw your snowy hair, knew then that you came back home. "