Naenya had been young and foolish when she first claimed her dragon. The egg that had been given to her as a babe had never hatched, leaving the eldest daughter of the King as much of a Targaryen as her mother was. Young Naenya had always been rather attentive, noticing the way people treated her baby sister, the soon-to-be dragon rider, in comparison to her, the dragonless babe. It was when the girl was a mere five years old that she realised what was occurring around her, and at the age of six, she decided to do something about it.
Her mother had taken the two girls to Dragonstone, where her uncle Daemon resided, while their father visited the Velaryons on important business about the stepstones. Aemma, pregnant with another child that was never to be born, was too tired to keep up with the energetic girls and so asked Daemon to look after them as she rested. Daemon, a man who only respected the power of the dragon, placed all his attention on the toddler Rhaenyra and the small dragon she had with her and left Naenya to herself.
The young princess had wandered out of the castle and onto the moors of Dragonstone with a single guard's notice. After all, who would care about a Targaryen that didn't have a dragon? Her short, stubby legs had moved her toward the less travelled areas of Dragonstone. The areas that held the wild, untamable dragons. She had seen Grey Ghost first, giggling at its silver colouring. She had gotten close to it before the dragon noticed the young princess and promptly took flight to get as far from any human as possible.
The young princess had pouted, watching the dragon disappear among the clouds, much like the ghosts it was named after. Young Naenya was unwavering, though, continuing her search for more dragons to befriend.
After a while of walking, her bare feet becoming increasingly muddied after her decision to walk off the paths and search elsewhere, she came face-to-face with a new dragon.
Cannibal lay before her, fast asleep. The dragon was of magnificent size, but it was his colour that made the girl starry-eyed. He was black as coal, not a single mark of colour on him. Had Naenya walked the area at nighttime, she was sure she wouldn't have seen the large dragon. While Naenya had always been a girl who enjoyed bright and vibrant colours, she couldn't help but be amazed by the pure abyss of the dragon in front of her. She'd never seen such a dark colour before, never worn anything close to darkened versions of the vibrant colours she was so used to, yet this dragon wore them perfectly. As though nothing else would be able to suit him.
The girl, overcome with awe at the dragon, walked closer to the dragon. A single menacing green eye flew open as the girl placed her hand on one of the dragon's claws.
Cannibal was one of three wild dragons that found a home in Dragonstone. Had it not been for the Cannibal's preference for food, there may well have been many more dragons. Cannibal, having been around since Balerion the black dread himself, had never been claimed by a dragon rider. The world-eater had quickly devoured every Targaryen foolish enough to try.
Yet, here stood a girl of only six, completely unharmed. In the meantime, at least.
The devourer had watched the young girl with such intensity it could have burned through a lesser man. Naenya, however, simply stared back with a toothy smile. Perhaps it was her age that interested the dragon, no one of her age had ever come close to the dragon before. Perhaps it was mere shock that such a child would even try such a thing that saved Naenya in those beginning moments.
The young girl, completely unaware of the danger she had placed herself in, sat beside the dragon and let out a loud yawn, "Ēdrugon,"
As it turned to dawn the next morning, a group of guards accompanied by Aemma and the newly arrived Viserys Targaryen were out searching for the lost princess. Noticing the slumbering Cannibal, Aemma burst into tears, assuming the worst. Viserys, drawing his dragonglass dagger, shakily approached the mighty dragon. The dragon turned in its slumber, its wing moving to reveal the young princess curled beside it.
At that moment, Naenya had claimed her own dragon.
Still, Cannibal was as elusive as ever. Cannibal was unable to be coaxed into the dragon pit by the dragon keepers, and, despite choosing a rider for himself, he was still a wild dragon at heart. He would soar the sky, free as ever, and return to Dragonstone to find his food, only ever returning to Naenya when he knew she needed him. As Cannibal's dragon rider, the two held a close bond that allowed Cannibal to know when Naenya was calling for him. Naenya, the ever-understanding princess, hardly ever did so and instead allowed Cannibal the freedom he so loved - with many believing that if Naenya was not like this, Cannibal would likely have gotten bored and killed his own rider.
Naenyna hardly rode Cannibal, let alone let someone else join her for a ride. However, she needed her faithful companion to take her to her first stop on her journey. She was to begin her tour in the furthest region of Westeros. She would ride to the North and continue South until she returned home. And, since all the Lords and their trusted guards were leaving at the same time as her, she had offered Lord Stark a ride back to Winterfell with her. She had taken a very risky decision, considering Cannibal was still as interested as ever in eating humans and animals alike, but luckily Cannibal had listened to his rider and brought both the young woman and the older man to their desired location.
On dragonback, every journey is far shorter than it would've been otherwise. It was one of Naenya's favourite parts of having a dragon. Travelling by carriage for months did not do her good.
Naenya could feel Lord Rickon's hands tighten around her waist as they soared past the villages closest to Winterfell.
Their landing was rough, the mighty devourer letting out a roar as it lowered itself to the ground to let Naenya and Lord Rickon off his back. Naenya jumped first, offering her hand to Lord Rickon to help him down.
"Are you feeling alright, Lord Rickon?" Naenya asked as Cannibal shook his body free of the humans and took off into the sky.
"Flying may not be for me," Lord Rickon groaned, pausing to hold his stomach as he waited for a wave of nausea to leave him.
Naenya nodded, taking the time to look around the courtyard. The entire area was clothed in a soft layer of snow, though none of the inhabitants seemed to notice. Turning in a circle, she tried to take in the entirety of the formidable castle around her. It was nothing like Kings Landing. It was stripped bare of all the fanciful detailing that the Red Keep used to lure people in. Instead, Winterfell stood plain and strong, only there to allow in those that seek it.
"We are humbled that you would come all the way to the North to see us," Lord Stark's wife, Gilliane Glover, lowered her head, "I hope we can make you feel adequately at home,"
Gilliane Glover was only slightly younger than Lord Rickon, but her face made her look that much more youthful. It held creases that indicated she had lived a life of laughter and merriment, and the twinkle in her eyes gave the impression Gilliane was a Lady who was happy to share that life with others.
Lord Stark had found his way beside his wife, following her movements along with the maester, the master-of-arms among others that formed the lineup of people to greet her. Casting her gaze over the group, she noticed the lack of children.
"Thank you, Lady Stark. I am most excited to see Winterfell and learn what its inhabitants have to teach me," Naenya smiled, glancing around, "Would I be able to ask for a tour of your lovely home?"
Naenya had found her way to the Godswood after the feast, where she was able to converse with many of the other houses of the North, wishing to use the time to think through her plans. Her handmaids and guards were to meet her at her next stop, the Vale, so she relied on Winterfell's resources for the time being. The choice to fly via dragonback had been one she made to prevent the time that she spent away from home from extending significantly longer due to travel, but it also prevented her from having her loyal companions with her to converse with in the beginning. She couldn't fit everyone she wanted on her dragon. Cannibal likely would've thrown them all into the ocean if she had tried that.
Naenya sighed, sitting on a flattened rock as she stared at the tree that wept before her. She knew she should have been grateful that she was only alone for her time in the North. It would be her easiest trip by far. There had never been a Stark alive that would dare to break an oath. As soon as Rickon Stark bent the knee, she had successfully gained the loyalty of the North. It was the only kingdom she was sure of when it came to undying loyalty.
Still, it was the first time she had ever been without her family, and it truly scared her.
"I have to say, the weirwood tree in the Red Keep left much to be desired," Lord Rickon spoke from the shadows, walking towards her, "I much prefer ours,"
"It is awfully mighty," Naenya gave a polite smile, shifting slightly to allow Rickon a seat.
"You did well in the feast. Your father ought to be proud," Rickon said, never one to let things go over his head, "But you needn't worry when it comes to the North. We will back our Targaryen Queen until our death. We made a promise to you, a promise we will keep,"
Naenya nodded, an actual smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. Perhaps she did have someone to confide in.
"Thank you, your words mean a great deal to me. Truly," Naenya said, turning to see Rickon more clearly, "But it's only going to get harder from here. Do you have any advice you could give me? As an old man who's seen lots in his life?"
Rickon let out a fatherly laugh, slapping Naenya on the back. The blow caused her to jolt slightly, but she did her best to maintain her posture.
"The first thing I'd say is don't trust someone's words just cause they're an old man who's seen a lot. Old men like me get stuck in our ways sometimes. New blood is always needed," Rickon grinned, staring into the face of the weirwood tree, "But I'm sure an old man like me might have some useful tips,"
Author typing...
I have been so busy with moving into my new apartment my god it's been so stressful. It's calming down now but it's still so fast and hectic. My parents are also moving so I'm helping them too but damn, a full house clean-out is insane.
But yes, I feel like Daemon would only fully love and respect another Targaryen if they were a dragon rider. I feel like we see that when Rhaena was younger and he gave more of his attention to Baela.
And also, I feel like being Cannibals rider would be very different from being any other dragons rider. You gotta wake up every day and show Cannibal you are worth not eating cause you mess up once or try and force him to do something he can't be fucked doing and suddenly you've been eaten.