𝑮𝒖𝒊𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕// Alicent Hightower

II

Loud shouts of orders thundered across the place as they loaded the luggage onto the ship. Sailors ran across the wooden planks of the dock, preparing everything for departure to King's Landing.

Daena watched everything from the window of her room. From up there, all these men looked like mere little figures. She let her gaze wander over to the ship. The great ship with the turquoise sails of the House of Velaryon towered far above all the other ordinary ships that were at the dock. Her little sister would certainly have a good time on this ship, but Daena would not be traveling to King's Landing that way.

The young Velaryon turned her eyes away from her window and left the room she called her own to go out into the air where she was already expected.
It was fresh and yet the light breeze in her hair was very pleasant.

Daena put on the black leather gloves, and she had exchanged one of her dresses for her dragon riding outfit. A fine tunic in a shallow blue-gray. Her shoulder pads had been fitted with silver iron plates meant to resemble dragon scales, and her long silver hair had been braided into a single braid so that it would not interfere with her flying.

"Mother."

Daena walked a little faster as soon as she recognized her mother's familiar face and waved slightly at her to get her attention. Rhaenys, who had been watching as the luggage was brought up on deck by rowboat, turned, letting her eyes wander once over her daughter.

"There you are."

Rhaenys' lips twisted into a slight smile as she approached her daughter and surveyed the dragon riding outfit.

"I see you are ready to leave. Before you go, though, I need to talk to you. There are rules you must follow, do you understand me?"

Daena knew her mother was only concerned for her safety. Wildfire was a rather boisterous dragon, he was fierce and had once roamed the lands for a long time without a dragon rider until Daena had claimed him. She already guessed what those rules were that she had to follow and she wasn't eager about it, yet she nodded slightly.

"What kind of rules are we talking about?"

Rhaenys looked at her seriously, she knew her daughter and knew all too well that she would prefer to avoid those rules. But as a mother, she simply could not allow this to happen. Sooner or later Daena's overconfidence would be her undoing.

"You will stay close to the ship. Do you understand me? There will be no solitary flights of any kind. You and Wildfire will stay in sight at all times until we reach King's Landing, and thereupon you will fly immediately to the Dragon Pit."

Actually, she shouldn't even mention this, rules like this should be a matter of course for Daena. She just sighed in annoyance, it was the same every time. She couldn't even remember when she hadn't heard those words.

"Yes mother. Then may I go to Wildfire now and get him ready to leave?"

Rhaenys put her arm around her daughter and pulled her close. She placed a gentle kiss on Daena's forehead before her violet eyes looked back down at her.

"Go already."

Daena smiled happily and moved away from her mother. She left the place behind and hurried as fast as her feet could carry her in the direction where her dragon would be waiting for her.

Already from far away she recognized him, Wildfire. He was still quite a young dragon, far from full grown, but big enough that he could carry someone on his back.
The bright green scales shone in the light of the sun, making them glow like sparkling emeralds, and the gray horns on his head were so large and heavy that he could easily impale a human with them.