Chapter Text
Helaena POV
"Are they decent?" Her younger brother's voice traveled across the corridor.
"For heaven's sake Aegon! What have you been telling him?" She looked intermittently cross at her elder sibling who couldn't stop his bumbling laughter.
"I'm sorry. I just warned him to stay put if he doesn't want to be scarred for life - again that is - but this time with an inescapable mental image."
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Cregan beseeching the Gods for patience.
For all the good that'll do. They allowed Aegon's conception so they have a particular sense of humor.
"They're haven't finished dressing up. Don't move an inch little brother." Aegon snickered under his breath, barely getting through his warning.
She pushed him lightly this time. It's getting out of hand.
"Don't listen to him Aemond. Come in if you'd like."
"Buzzkill." Aegon pouted and started sulking in the corner. Honestly. Does she deal with children all day long?
Aemond finally strolled in. He wasn't near imploding like earlier. But his movements didn't really translate into peace of mind and tranquility. Her news will do nothing but sour his foul mood.
"Cregan didn't take Daemon from his cell. It must've been someone else. Or, he managed to escape on his own." She sped thorough her admission in a single breath. In part to not delay his hunt more than necessary. And to never spend an additional moment thinking of that bleak statement.
Daemon on the loose.
Aemond clenched his sword arm in exasperation. "Of course. How could this disastrous day not get any worse?"
Then the strangest of things happen. Aegon patted him on the back in a supporting manner. And his hand wasn't slapped away for his efforts.
Right about now is when her eldest brother cracked a joke - mainly a bawdy one - to defuse the tension or deflect the seriousness. She'll file away that interaction for later. Too many things on her mind.
"Can you and the Clubfoot find him?" Cregan's own expression turned to stone. He was not giving in to his cold fury she knew.
"Perhaps. I would've preferred if our guards weren't so ineffectual or easily bribed to begin with. I ... "
Helaena started convlusing. Aemond stopped talking having noticed her state.
"Quick. Lie her down. She's having a vision."
Her wolf eased her to the ground. Her brothers were also worrying but hid it better. They've seen her in this phase dozens of times. Cregan's not as experienced. She heard his words become farther and farther away.
**
As the dragon princess closed her eyes, images began to form. Fleeting glimpses of the future dancing before her mind's eye like ethereal specters. The visions came to her in fragments, like pieces of a puzzle waiting to be assembled.
In the depths of her trance, Helaena saw herself standing in the heart of King's Landing, the ancient Dragon Pit towering above her. Its crumbling walls whispered stories of past glory and forgotten tragedies.
But something was amiss, for the draconian dwelling was not empty.
Two figures emerged from the shadows, familiar faces shrouded in darkness.
With each passing moment, the vision grew clearer, the riddles of the future unraveling before her.
They were a man and woman. Both with valyrian features. She recognized her uncle. And standing beside him was none other than Mysaria, who must've engineered his escape. She could almost swear the white worm looked in her direction . But that's impossible.
Not a single soul spoke a word, but she heard a voice in her mind, with a clear melodic tone.
'In the heart of the fallen guardian, where dragons once roared, a reunion awaits. The flames of the past shall guide him to his destiny.'
Helaena felt a chill crawl up her spine, her heart quickening with both fear and purpose. The fallen guardian - the Dragon Pit itself - held the key to Daemon's intentions.
The dream changed in a blink. The princess was now in the air. Soaring above everything and everyone. Then out of the heavens, the Blood Wyrm descended like an angel of death. Fire and destruction followed in his trail.
No interpretation was needed for that piece of prohecy. This is a warning to prevent untold calamity.
As the vision faded, Helaena opened her eyes, her breath coming in shallow gasps. Cregan tried to coax her back into a more controlled pattern of exhaling and inhaling.
"The Dragon Pit. That's where Daemon's heading. I think Mysaria broke him out."
Matching clouds of silent seething echoed all around. Even Ragnar released a dark aura that bled into their bond. Aemond took the reins of the conversation.
"We need to devide and conquer. Cregan, you should leave Ned with Talya. If I know Larys, he would've already started executing possible spies. So our chance to find Mysaria soon will become slim to none." Her brother then turned Aegon with a resolute conviction. "You and I will head to the Pit. With any luck, Daemon hasn't gotten in. If not, Vhagar and Sunfyre will tear his dragon apart."
Pardon.
"And what am I supposed to do while you risk your lives? Stand by the fire and knit a cloak." It didn't matter that was, in fact, what she was doing that morning. Circumstances have changed.
"That's not what I meant, Helaena. This is dangerous. Daemon isn't worth jeopardizing your safety."
"I appreciate your concern. But don't you think I would also like a chance at retribution? You boys don't have a monopoly on righteous anger." She had no desire to fight for glory or fame. This was personal. As much as she repressed the shadowy aspect of her dreams, they were a part of her. And Daemon can't spend the rest of eternity terrorizing her from the grave.
"Are you certain, my love?" Cregan appeared to be debating with himself what to do. He wanted her safe. But he valued her opinion. She loved him more for it.
"I am. Please believe in me."
Her wolf nodded with a sad smile of acknowledgment. Aemond next to her seemed to have sobered up as she uttered her last word. Before leaving in a hurry. Aegon narrowed his eyes. "Kiss the fair prince and let's be on our way. The dragon is cranky."
No tact whatsoever.
Cregan cupped her face and they embraced. It was the right amount of passion and affection. Ragnar also demanded a kiss. She didn't use tongue that time.
**
Helaena's heart pounded in her chest as she urged Greyspider forward, the wind whipping through her silver-golden hair.
Beside her, both her brothers rode with a fierce determination. They were on a vital mission, racing against time to reach the Dragon Pit before their uncle did.
The desolation she witnessed may not be of his own doing. Prophecy was fickle like that. Only to be understood, after it's happened. But her family can never be safe with him raoming free. His sins are legion. And would only multiply if the throne is added into the equation.
As they galloped through the bustling streets of King's Landing, Helaena took in the sights and sounds of the city she had called home for her entire life.
The cobblestone streets were teeming with people, their voices blending into a cacophony of noise. Merchants shouted their wares, children played in the alleys, and the aroma of freshly baked bread wafted through the air.
The towering Red Keep loomed in the distance, its crimson walls a stark contrast against the deep blue sky.
The princess' heart swelled with a mix of pride and trepidation as she glanced up at the seat of power that had sheltered her family for generations. But there was no time for sentimentality. Daemon's threat to the peace could not be ignored.
Aemond's grip tightened on the reins as he spurred Darkfyre forward. Helaena could sense the weight of responsibility on his shoulders. Aegon was the eldest son. But her younger brother carried a heavy burden for so long. And she inadvertently added more to his plate. The thought of failure weighed heavily on him.
Racing through the streets, Helaena caught glimpses of the common folk, their eyes filled with a mix of curiosity and fear. They recognized the Targaryen siblings, their Valyrian features marking them as the blood of dragons.
Yet, in their faces, Helaena saw no glimmer of fear. No concern that one of the dragons may unleash chaos to consume the city.
She envied and pitied their ignorance.
The Dragon Pit loomed in the distance. Its massive domed structure rising like a beacon of power and ancient glory.
Helaena's heart pumped faster as she thought of the majestic creatures housed within its stone walls.
Dreamfyre called for her. A more powerful and enchanting link began to form between them in the past few days. She began to see through her other half's eye.
Aemond's voice rang out, carrying a mix of urgency and apprehension. "Faster! We must reach the Pit before Daemon does."
Aegon nodded, his resolve firm. With every beat of their horses' hooves, her brothers got closer.
It was a worthy effort. But not enough.
Dreamfyre showed her the truth. Daemon was already saddling Caraxes.
**
The vast expanse of the sky atop the Blackwater became a theater of growls, sparks and fury.
Helaena was astride her dragon Dreamfyre, the Sapphire Maiden. She joined forces with Aemond on Vhagar, the Queen of Dragons, and Aegon, mounted on Sunfyre, the Magnificent.
All to confront Daemon Targaryen and his fearsome Caraxes, the Blood Wyrm. After arriving at the Pit. The Rogue Prince first flew around the city menacingly. He didn't even pause when she and her siblings all climbed on their dragons to meet him. Almost as if he expected them to. Craved the chance to prove his superiority.
That will turn out to be his downfall.
The air crackles with electrifying tension, as if the very elements hold their breath in anticipation of the impending clash.
Helaena's heart pounds within her chest, a wild symphony of fear and determination. Her fingers clench the reins of Dreamfyre, bolstering her connection to the mighty drake that carries her through the heavens.
She can feel the power pulsating beneath her. The warm currents of dragonfire coursing through their bond. Her violet eyes, flickering with a mix of trepidation and unyielding resolve, meet the mocking gaze of Daemon astride his serpentine mount.
The wind blowing and the distance between them prevents any possible conversations. But she can make an educated guess on what he's trying to yell in her direction.
Taunting. Goading. Mocking. His thought pattern doesn't diverge too much from those.
Their dragons collide in a macabre ballet of scale and claw. The thunderous sound of their wings fills the air, like the roar of a thousand storms.
Helaena guides Dreamfyre with an elegance born from countless hours of training and fledgling warging. Her every movement an intricate dance in tandem with her dragon. The whirling wind whips through her silvery-golden hair, streaming behind her like a comet's tail.
Caraxes, a screeching beast of crimson scales and unrelenting spirit, breathes forth torrents of fire. Scorching the heavens or evaporating the ocean, with its searing heat.
Helaena deftly maneuvers Dreamfyre. Her blue familiar may be the second oldest dragon alive. But unlike Vhagar, it remained fast and nimble. Twisting and turning with the grace of a swallow.
Through their tether, she can feel the intense heat licking at her skin. The crackle of embers brushing against her cheeks. But her determination refuses to wane.
Daemon seemed to have gotten angrier and more desperate at her obstinacy and refusal to stay there and die.
She guessed he thought her the weakest target. That's why he tried to separate her from her brothers. Kill her quick and easy. And finish off her siblings who are too overcome with grief and rage.
Too bad for him.
As if summoned by her mere thoughts, Aemond and Aegon finally reach them.
Their dragons, the tempestuous green Vhagar and ethereal golden-scaled Sunfyre joining the assault, adding their own ferocity to the tumultuous battle.
The sky becomes a maelstrom of fire and fury. A kaleidoscope of colors as dragonfire clashes and merges. Daemon had more years under his belt as a dragon-rider than all of them put together.
But in the end, he was only a man.
Surrounded on all sides with no way to run or hide. It was only a matter of time before he broke.
And then, as if fate itself has woven the perfect tapestry of opportunity, the moment arrives. Helaena seizes it with an unwavering focus. Shedding her skin to take that of another.
Dreamfyre dove with deadly accuracy. The world slows down, time stretching like a taut bowstring.
In that suspended moment, Helaena gazes into Daemon's eyes, witnessing the realization dawning upon him.
She thrusts her claws forward, gleaming like valyrian steel, finding its mark in Caraxes' heaving chest.
Sunfyre doesn't dally and releases massive golden flames on the wounded dragon.
The mighty creature lets out a deafening roar. A symphony of pain and fury. Bu before plummeting to the cold sea, Vhagar surges forward, taking a chunk of his head without restraint.
Bit of an overkill.
Not really.
The victory, though momentarily surreal, fills Helaena's being. Aemond and Aegon soar towards her, their dragons circling in a triumphant celebration.
A family united.