Vaera had been flying on Meraxes for what seemed like an eternity. There was only one place she wanted to be, and that was away from King's Landing.
As she contemplated where to go, she realized that she should've stayed with Lucerys. It was the safest option.
But Vaera didn't think. She never thought. If she'd thought everything through maybe she wouldn't be in this situation. She knew she could never go back to King's Landing or Rhaenyra, for that matter.
She'd have to tell her that she caused Lucerys to lose his arm and nearly his life.
She flew until she reached the wall but was shocked when Meraxes wouldn't fly over it.
"Sōvēs! (Fly!)" Vaera yelled, but to no avail. Meraxes would not fly beyond the wall. Vaera pulled back on her reins, causing her to turn away from the wall and fly somewhere else.
She flew until she found an odd-looking castle. She didn't know why it was there, but her curiosity was peaked.
As she flew closer, she saw a tattered flag waving in the cold winter wind. The sigil was also one that Vaera didn't recognize, causing her to fly a little closer.
Meraxes eventually landed and the Princess jumped down from the creature, her feet hitting the snow below her with a dull thud.
She'd learned about the different houses in Westeros, but never about a house with a black star as its sigil.
As Vaera approached the castle, she suddenly froze when she saw a man standing at the gate. She hoped that the man hadn't spotted her, but it seemed that her luck had run out for the day.
The man quickly began making his way to the Princess but stopped dead in his tracks when he finally spotted Meraxes.
The dragon let out a low growl as she and her rider both stared at the man, his dark, warm clothes contrasting with his surroundings.
"Lykirī, Meraxes. Umbās. (Be calm, Meraxes. Wait.)" Vaera put her hand on Meraxes' neck as she whispered the words to her before removing her hand and walking forward.
The man stood still, staring at the dragon as Vaera approached him. When he noticed her, however, his gaze averted to the Princess.
The man smiled slightly as Vaera approached, making her feel uneasy. Eventually, she stopped, taking in the man's striking appearance.
His eyes seemed to be darker than hers and his hair was just as dark, if not darker.
If she didn't know any better, Vaera would've mistaken him for a Baratheon, but this man's features were much darker than the house she was familiar with.
"Princess," The man spoke, startling Vaera ever so slightly. Even though she didn't recognize the man or the house, he definitely recognized her.
"I apologize for intruding..." Vaera trailed off, not exactly sure what to say.
"Believe me, you would know if you were an intruder."
☆☆☆
Vaera sat in the hall of the castle as a woman put a bowl of soup in front of her. The steam coming from the soup was more apparent in the cold.
Vaera worried about Meraxes outside, but the dragon wasn't unfamiliar with the cold, and her scales were thick, giving her the protection that she needed.
The woman smiled as Vaera took the soup, but the girl had yet to eat it.
"You must excuse my brother," The woman spoke, causing Vaera to look up. "He can be a frightening man." Vaera slowly nodded as she stared down at the soup, worrying that these people had ill intentions.
"I apologize, but I do not recognize your house." The woman let out a chuckle, nodding slightly.
"Most Southerners don't. Most Northerners don't either. We're a very old house."
Vaera listened as the woman spoke, noticing that her eyes weren't too dissimilar from most Targaryen's eyes.
The woman had violet eyes but possessed the same dark hair as her brother.
"Is your house of Valyrian descent?" The woman shook her head as she sat down on a chair across from Vaera.
"No. But our mother was." Vaera nodded as the woman continued.
"Forgive me for not introducing myself. I'm Alana Estrela." Her last name confused Vaera slightly, as she had never really heard about House Estrela.
"And you're a Princess." Vaera nodded, even though she realized that it was obvious to everyone that she was a Targaryen.
Vaera whipped her head around when she heard footsteps echo in the hall. The same man she'd met outside stared her down.
"You can eat the soup. I assure you it isn't poisoned," The man spoke, causing Vaera to put down the bowl rather than eat.
The woman across from her, Alana, seemed disappointed that she didn't eat the soup as Vaera approached her brother.
"And how am I supposed to trust the word of a man I know nothing about?" Vaera said, causing the man to smile.
"A fair point, Princess." The man looked at his sister. "Alana, taste the soup, if you wouldn't mind." Alana nodded, putting a spoonful into her mouth.
This made Vaera realize that they weren't lying.
She walked back over to the bowl, using a different spoon to continue eating. As she ate, she realized how hungry she was.
"This is my brother, Alden." Vaera gave the man a small nod as she finished the bowl of soup.
Alden stepped closer to Vaera as she put the bowl down on the wooden table. "Forgive my bluntness, but why have you come North?" He asked, sitting down on one of the wooden chairs next to Vaera.
Vaera hesitated for a moment as she did not have an answer for him which involved keeping her secret.
"I've made a mistake." Vaera finally said, but the man did not seem satisfied with her answer.
"A mistake?" He asked. "Yes, a mistake. I can never return to King's Landing after what I've done. I'm believed to be dead by most of Westeros," Vaera let out a soft sigh, making Alden feel bad as he looked down.
"My apologies, Princess," He said. "I did not mean to upset you." Vaera shrugged. "You've not offended me, but I do have a favour to ask."
Alden looked up along with Alana, listening attentively to what the girl had to say.
"I ask that you offer me refuge." A smile grew on Alana's face as she looked at her brother, who simply nodded in his sister's direction.
"You are welcome to stay, Princess."
☆☆☆
A/N- I feel like this is trash but here's a little Christmas present to everyone lol...
I'll also add the cast for the new characters here. I'll probably do that if there are new characters in the future as well. I'll also see if I can put a picture with it but I doubt it'll show.
Ben Barnes as Alden Estrela
Anya Chalotra as Alana Estrela
Anyway, I found the translated version of the fanfics from the previous {deleted} A/N. Of course, I haven't copied everything exactly as it's only an idea and because I can only partially understand Spanish, but the original fanfic and account have been deleted.
I will @ the person who translated the fic here if anyone wants to read the translated version. That's all for now ~D