The dragon to be // House of dragons

5

"Raina," Raina furrowed her eyebrows at the sound of her aunt's voice. "Raina, dear one, you must wake up." Raina's tired mind was still foggy, and she didn't have the will to open her eyes just yet.

"RAINA!" Raina jerked up from her sleep, scanning her dark room for her aunt. It was then that she realized what had just happened.

"No," she whispered as she quickly got up, grabbing a cover to wrap around herself as she hurried out of the door and down the hall.

"Mama?" she said, approaching her with tears in her eyes. "What has happened?" she asked, gripping her hand tightly.

"Your aunt... she..." her mama's voice trailed off. Raina knew exactly what she was about to say, but she didn't want to believe it. Panic started to set in.

"Is she fine, right?" Raina asked, desperately searching her  face for reassurance. The expression she found told her otherwise. Oh, did she already know raina already knew "No... no," Raina choked out, closing her eyes in disbelief.

"I need to take care of some things," her mama said, her voice heavy with sadness. "Laena had told me days before that if something were to happen to her, she wished for you to be the first to try and calm her dragon." Raina nodded, kissing her cheek as she got up and walked away to find her papa.

"Papa?" she said, knocking on the door. A muffled "come in" was heard as she opened the door. Him stood there, looking out the window.

"My dear," he said, giving her a sad smile. Corlys loved this young girl to his wits' end, his only true grandchild from his son. He hugged Raina close to him as she wrapped her arms around him. "You should get some rest, little one. The next couple of days are going to be long and hard," he said, kissing her head gently.

She walked back to her room, climbed into bed, and cried

"The path has been chosen, little one," a whispered voice said, causing Raina to turn her head slightly. "It is time, it is time to fight. Strong mind, remember, strong mind."

"Strong mind," Raina whispered to herself, wiping away her tears. "The game is played with a strong mind. Anything is possible with a strong mind."

"Yes, little one," they whispered to her. "It is time to fully embrace the game. Recruit, little one, you need people."

"How?" she asked.

"We will tell you, little one. Until then, sit, listen, observe, and wait," they said. "Strong mind, little one. Have a strong mind. The game is played with a strong mind." Their whispers continued until she fell asleep.

Raina stood at the docks, eagerly awaiting the arrival of her family, along with her mama and papa. It didn't take long for them to arrive.

She watched as their ship docked, and her father stepped off. She didn't wait a moment and went straight to him.

"My girl," he said as he hugged her close, and she wrapped her arms around him tightly.

"I have missed you dearly, Father," she whispered to him.

"And I missed you," he said, pulling back and gently caressing her face. "You grow more beautiful by the day." He kissed her forehead, and she smiled before turning her attention to her brothers.

"Raina," they said, hugging her tightly, and she reciprocated. "We missed you," they said, and she pulled back.

"I missed you as well," she said, kissing their cheeks before finally going to her mother.

"Hello, Rhaenyra," Raina said with a tight smile.

"Hello, my dear," she murmured, planting a kiss on her cheek and holding onto her for a brief, unusual moment. Raina sensed an oddity in her behavior, took a step back, and clutched her father's hand.