The Long Winter | Jaime Lannister X Stark OC | GOT/ASOIAF

Crow's Eye

The Crow's Eye was late. If he stayed away much longer it would be too late.

"That cursed pirate should know better than to make us wait," Aegon grumbled. "We are king and queen, and he has tried our patience enough as it is," Queen Regent, nephew - if you truly are of my blood at all.

"You forget that he's a king too," Dany said, though truth be told she was weary of Euron Greyjoy's antics too. They were due to receive the envoys from the Iron Throne any day now, and having left a week ago to some mystery location, promising to be back in time to greet them alongside Aegon and Dany, the man had not returned.

"The petty king of a sorry set of barren islands, which produce rapers, reavers and thieves but not much else," Aegon scoffed. Again, true, but Greyjoy was more than that and they both knew it.

"He has Viserion," She replied, the words bitter in her mouth. "He can do whatever he pleases,"

Dany had felt a multitude of emotions upon landing on Dragonstone for the first time, her house's ancestral seat, and before that the westernmost outpost of the Valyrian Freehold. She felt triumph, relief, satisfaction, sadness for the family she never knew, grief for all they had lost, and determination, to bring House Targaryen back to its rightful place as rulers of the Seven Kingdoms. 

That had all been quickly overshadowed, however.

Whilst she rode Drogon above the fleet, both Rhaegal and Viserion had flown on ahead, likely attracted by the volcano that still existed on the island. To her surprise, whilst his brother made for the highest peak of the island, Viserion had landed on the cliffs beside what looked like from dragonback the tiny figure of a man. Instead of flaming this man or eating him whole, the dragon had lain down like a tame dog and allowed him to lay a hand on his snout.

She had rarely known horror such as that in her entire life. Nor such rage. Fury burned through her veins and gripped her stomach tight, as Dany watched one of her dragons be mounted as tamely as a plow-horse by this stranger.

Even Aegon could not ride any of them, he who claimed to be (and believed himself) the son of Rhaegar. He had tried, once, but Rhaegal had spat a torrent of blistering flame at the spot he had been in moments before Lord Connington snatched him out of the way; everyone was wary of her children, after what happened to the Dornish Prince. 

Dany would be lying if she said she was sorry that her supposed nephew had not claimed one of her dragons, even though he was clearly resentful of the fact. For whilst it would no doubt be helpful in battle having more than one that could be controlled, the main thing keeping her in power was her ability to ride Drogon. 

Although her army was much larger than Aegon's too, seeing as there had been no word from Dorne as yet. He merely had the Golden Company, ten thousand strong, as well as the other sellsword bands they had picked up from outside the walls of Meereen, though they were fickle and would go to the highest bidder. She had eight thousand Unsullied, her freedmen and the twenty thousand Dothraki who followed her after her display of power in the Dothraki Sea, after her dramatic exit from Daznak's pit on Drogon's back. 

The Greyjoys were harder to place, as they technically fought for both of them. Though since Victarion had sailed across the world with the Iron Fleet to find her, she supposed they were hers if push came to shove. The Ironmen loved displays of power, besides, and what was more powerful than a dragon?

But Aegon's claim was better than her own, and that was dangerous. She refused to be relegated to a meek and obedient queen who acted as an arm-decoration whilst her husband played ruler; Drogon kept her from being so.

So that was why when Dany had seen Viserion spread his wings and roar before taking flight, a stranger clinging to his back, she panicked.

She had urged Drogon forward to meet the swiftly rising white dragon; though her mount was considerably more obedient now than when he had taken her flying off across the Dothraki Sea and refused to listen to her at all, she could still only ask rather than tell him to do things, and he would not do anything he didn't choose himself. In this, however, their minds were united and there was no question of where they were going.