Dreams, Dragons, and Deceit || Aemond & Aegon Targaryen

We Light the Way

When she choked on a sob, Daemon held her out at arms-length, staring into her eyes.

"You can do this, my love. I believe in you." Visaera knew that she could do it; but she no longer wanted to. "Your mother and I need you to be strong." Guilt gnawed on her insides but she nodded. The Rogue Prince kissed her affectionately on the forehead and then she stepped out of his arms.

Rhaenyra kissed her forehead in quite the same fashion, just before she mounted, wishing her luck. She had yet to look her mother in the eye since her brother's death. Visaera still loved her, but the loss of Luke made her realize that the Queen would give up anything to obtain her throne, including the lives of her children. After all, her son was dead and she still hadn't called an end to the war, instead, she had encouraged her two eldest children to fly to Old Town and dole out retribution.

Despite her fierce words only days before, Visaera knew there would be no coming back from this. Once they attacked the Hightower, House Targaryen would officially be at war, and Visaera would be an active participant, instead of a bystander.

It was nearly a ten-hour flight from Dragonstone to Oldtown. Visaera and Jace had promised their mother that they would stop and rest if inclement weather hit or when the sun went down, whichever happened first.

To push their dragons the entire way would be dangerous and foolish, but the thought of making camp or staying at an inn worried the princess. Highgarden had yet to choose a side, but Old Town would stand behind Otto and Alicent. If they were not careful, anyone could spot them and send a warning to Old Town. Carrion dropped his wing so she could mount him and she blinked away her tears as she secured her legs to her saddle.

Lifting off made Visaera's stomach flip and then they were ascending up over the island, and her heart felt lighter than it had in days. The air whipped around her, stinging her face and making her cold, but the princess laughed with delight. Nothing in the world made her feel quite as free as riding her own dragon.

"Pālegon, Carrion!" Without hesitation, the black dragon tucked his wings and spiraled through the air, making Visaera's heart jump into her throat and sending a thrill through her. As they straightened out, Jace merely shook his head at her, wearing an amazed grin.

Dragonstone disappeared behind them and the pair headed toward Duskendale, trying to cross toward The Reach while avoiding the skies of the capital. When Visaera flew on Syrax with her mother, it had always been for pleasure; pushing Carrion to his full speed was something else entirely. She found Jacaerys and Vermax falling behind and looped around, pulling the dragon back and letting him glide on the wind.

Visaera was not used to long flights on dragonback; by the time they reached Mander River, her legs were aching and her back was sore. While she longed to touch down and stretch her limbs, the princess knew they were still too close to King's Landing for comfort. Nearly an hour later, when Bitterbridge came into view, Visaera commanded Carrion to descend, touching down in a wide field of grass, and immediately releasing the straps on her legs. Sliding down his side, her legs nearly gave out when her feet hit the ground beneath her. It took her brother a few minutes to catch up and join them, easily dismounting from Vermax and stretching his hands over his head.

"Fucking hells, my back hurts," she complained the moment her brother joined her.

"You haven't flown enough for the saddle to be comfortable, yet," he replied, gesturing for her to turn around. Jace kneaded the muscles along her spine with his thumbs, easing the ache, and Visaera let out a sigh of relief. "It will get easier the more you ride."

"Jace... Do you think we're making a mistake?" she asked, chewing on her bottom lip. Rhaena had already given her an answer, but it was Jace who was about to destroy the Hightower with her.