Honour was not the word some would have used to describe your friend and brother. Its old name had echoed throughout Dragonstone these past few months, but there had been a definite effort on the part of your nuncle to make it less so. His pride and warmth were both surprising but, at the very least, welcoming consequences.
You did not have the wish to fight as much as others would have wished you to.
Now you spent a lot more time here than anyone ever thought you would have. Tessarion hadn't been locked in chains, and plenty of the dragonkeepers had even fretted about its old nature, yet it was a calm friend when you approached. You had sat there now; plenty of other dragons had avoided you and your new comfort.
Tessarion had mimicked you in some fashion. It lazed on the floor with its tail curled up behind it and its head resting on its dangerous, sharp claws, as it had only breathed in and out softly; once more, it had steadied you slightly, even now.
You hadn't intended to ride it, but perhaps this is what it knew. What it recognised that you had needed, unlike everyone else.
It was not something you enjoyed, being parted from Rhaena or Aegon, but they had made it clear where you had stood. Where they had not even invited you when Orryn and Aegon had sparred or how Rhaena had busied herself with false laughter and her gaggle of ladies.
It was not so much humiliating as a reminder that you had kept to yourself amongst nobles, that is.
Your friends were the people, were Daeron, and how he had quickly become a trusted confidant, but even that was not something you would allow him. For all that you were content in being compassionate and generous, you would not give anyone free reign over your family's woes. Be it friend or friend turned foe, you could not show weakness.
You had locked gazes with Tessarion and knew that thought was a terrifyingly new thing, but you had smiled. A backbone, or perhaps an inner strength regardless of pettiness, is what you needed. It is something you lacked besides your brother's newest thoughts intermingling with your own.
"Don't. You make it sound so easy that hear it too; Dreamfyre is not a friend, it seems." In twine, both you and Tessarion had turned your gaze to where Dreamfyre's darkened shade of blue skin had turned itself away from you.
Its tail swished as if indecisive and wracked with thought; you were not a fool to approach it because it was when you felt the newest entry of another as your gaze had only locked back towards your dragon.
Tessarion had snorted; it came forth more like a growl, but the picture painted in your head was one you could have done without. Talking to the one who had caused this in the first place might have only caused you to hate this further.
"You tamed it; I hadn't known what to think, truly." Her voice was simple, but unlike all the times where she radiated confidence. Your sister was stuck in an impossible decision, but every day she made her stance clearer.
It was like a dagger into your heart; hah, perhaps a dagger would have felt nicer.
"When someone I trusted gives me a task, one that I've wished for a long time. It doesn't feel like something I should just let go. I've always felt like I should give it my full effort, and in that, I hope that people learn to trust me further for it." You tilted your head to the side, and you hadn't decided to stare at her now when you turned to where Dreamfyre was now.
It was different now as the dragon had only crawled forward, it is not to your surprise how Tessarion shifts on his feet. It swishes its tail in the air, a warning to the growing feeling in your stomach.
The stabbing pain in your gut as you had focused on your own emotions more, but it had become difficult, increasingly so.
Dreamfyre had copied its rider, and Tessarion had done the same, warning it away with but a swish.
"We trust you, Vis. We have always trusted you; the dragon is not the cause, but it is the news of what we learnt. Your dreams have always interested us all, you know that." Her voice shouldn't have calmed you but it had; you don't feel disgust, you feel welcomed, and you know how simple it is—how easy it is for her to do this—to just sort herself at your side and bring you comfort.
In truth, you couldn't have denied Rhaena for long. She understood you in ways that even Egg was never able to. Where he was simply too short or even less inclined to care, his heart yearned for the fields and the sword, whereas Rhaena had always been between you both. Where she had joined your hands together and interlocked fingers.
The siblings, Targaryen. Bonded by someone who had equally wanted a moment where she was able to be the best and greatest of siblings.
"Hm. Is that so? Then what is it? I do things for him, and suddenly it is like I am not apart of this family. Everyone was proud, except for you both." Your words are quieter, and you have yet to look at her, but it hasn't stopped both her and Dreamfyre; in the quickest of steps, they had idled at the side of both you and Tessarion.
Where both are quick to just stay there, neither place a hand or a tail on you both. It is a simple thing—a moment or a bond that should transcend touch.
"Maegor." The word shatters the calm as you scoffed, and of course it would be your uncle for her, but you hadn't yet turned. Instead you hum, and you knew it would be a point, something that would be mucked and dragged through the fields of what you had done for them.
For the betterment of this family.
"You aligned your course to his and now Aegon feels as if you have passed him over for someone that will bring the realm further harm than anything. For someone that would harm this family. Do you truly think this will be resolved simply? That Egg will alow it!?" Her annoyance and anger had bubbled but so had yours, because they did not trust you, they thought you had been stupid and easily swayed when in truth the choice could not be any more heartbreaking.
You rolled your eyes and folded your arms over one another.
"Yes, because Viserys does not think, is that it, sister? Viserys does not know what he does, so let us hold his hand and skip through the fields of blood like nothing in the world will stop us." You turned to her now, and your eyes glistened.
Disbelief towards her and Aegon had caused your anger to grow as Tessarion had only mimicked you again and Dreamfyre had shirked away, a flinch as Rhaena had mimicked her dragon this time.
Fear coursed through Rhaena's eyes, and you had held the teeniest string of anger back. You would not be the reason for her fear, not now, and hopefully not ever.
"Believe it or not, sister, I did it for Aegon. Why? Because there were one of two ways this was to go, I wholly believe and our uncle is a man who is better amongst them than out there in the world doing gods knows what. Here we can temper and keep his less than stellar impulses at bay. He begs for me to be better at the sword for the newest member of our family here." You allowed the ghost of a smile atop your lips as you finally felt a lot lighter as you focused on Tessarion.
You felt no more than the same, the love and understanding in response to you.
"If I allowed our uncle to leave, then it would not be any better than casting a bedamned war on Westeros. The faith will not rise so long as they believe Balerion and Maegor stay here. Grandaunt would sooner follow Maegor, and I did it to save you!" You see it now, a flush on her cheeks, a moment of surprise, and for the first time in a long time, Rhaena sees you.
Alive and in living fire almost, as if you have walked out and traversed the smoking sea itself. She saw you with such clarity that you would have thought her simple with the blank look in her gaze. "Why? What have I ever done to deserve that?" Now she casts doubt on herself as you lean forward and catch Tessarion's snout.
He snorts in response, but this time he hadn't even started to shake; he had kept you there.
You could say something or another, but you cannot let this be simple. It wasn't meant to be simple; she had directed you to this path.
Rhaena had given you direction, and all too soon, you felt like this was necessary, like you should have defined it sooner.
[] [???] She is your sister; you love her more than words in the world can describe. She does not deserve to be carted off and wed to temper overambitious families and their grasping nature.
[] [???] She is your sister, and you have loved her for a long while. She will never be carted off as long as you have a say in the matter; she belongs to you and Aegon.
[] [???] She is your sister, and you love her. She won't be carted off to others who have ill intentions. Let her know that unless she decides it, no one will ever be good enough for her.
A/N: I do believe Aegon in its entirety might be a whole part by itself. So this is going to be showing off the bond between the dragonriders and their dragons, as well how its symbiotic and responses vary given circumstance. It makes it very...like a soul-bond in a way. Enjoy the update, a lot more to come...