Chapter Text
House Targaryen had always had queer customs, Alicent Hightower had been taught this by her own father since she had ears to hear it. Her mother would remain quiet, it had not been her place to question the Valyrian Gods, the Seven knew what they were doing. King Jaehaerys had wed his own sister, against the Seven's wishes, as King Aenys first of his name had wed his eldest son and his eldest daughter as well. It had come in tradition from the time before they arrived in Westeros.
But when Alicent had wed King Viserys, and given him three children already, she never thought in her wildest dream, she would have to force the same traditions of House Targaryen on her own children. Alicent had been the Queen, and she had done her duty well, even when her father had been dismissed as Hand of the King, she had given birth to a second son not six moons later. And soon after the Princess gave birth to her own son.
However, the Queen's son, Prince Aemond, had looked much like his father, the purple eyes and silver hair of House Targaryen were blinding in all the Queen's children, but the Princess gave birth to a son, who looked like neither parent. Dark brown curled hair, and dark brown eyes to match as people wondered softly where the boy had gotten it from.
Some say the Queen had made sure she was with child again, to show the blood of House Targaryen in her children afer Prince Aemond's egg did not hatch in the cradle while the Princess' son did. Prince Jacaerys Velaryon would bond with the green ill-tempered beast that hatched in his cradle, and the Queen had not stood for it. Within a year the Queen announced she had been with child again, at the same time as the Princess. This caused another rivallry between the Queen and Princess, especially when the Princess announced ser Harwin Strong her new sworn protector.
Alicent gave birth first, and she gave birth to twins. An another son who was named Daeron, and a second daughter, who had been named Drakarya for the Valyrian word Dracarys. Daeron and Drakarya, the Green Twins as Princess Rhaenyra would call them, had each received an egg in the cralde as demanded by the Queen. "My children are dragons, why should they not have eggs in their cradle" she had demanded before the Dragonkeepers hurried to place eggs from Dreamfyre in their cradle. Dreamfyre had recently been claimed by their elder sister Helaena, only a toddler herself, as two blue eggs had been given to them.
A week after the Princess would welcome Prince Lucerys Velaryon, and had quickly announced to the Realm how Lord Corlys would name Lucerys the Heir of Driftmark as Laenor's duty would be as Prince Consort. Prince Lucerys received a silver-white egg with soft pink details and had been praised by many.
All the eggs given had hatched, and the Crown would wait for them all to name their own dragons. Prince Daeron, when he was five had named his Tessarion and she would earn the name the Blue Queen, while Prince Lucerys had named his Arrax.
Princess Drakarya had been most unsure of the name for her dragon, as she flew often and at a young age of five as her dragon grew large and fast. She enjoyed flying with her eldest brother the most, as Prince Aemond remained the only child of Queen Alicent without a dragon, as they circled each other in the skies. "True Targaryens" the King had called them when the Queen complained of the unlady like behaviour of her youngest daughter. Drakarya and Aegon had only done what many had done before them. Like Baelon and Alyssa, and Jaehaerys and Alysanne, but Alicent would not stand for it and often scolded her daughter who would roll her eyes as she promise to never to it again—which lasted for a day or so.
Aegon had been the most difficult child of the King and Queen as he often teased his dragonless brother, and pestered his nephews with delight in his eyes. He knew his mother—and by extent his Grandsire—had invisioned him on the Iron Throne, but he would show everyone why he had not been suited for it. Aegon at the age of 12 had taken favour in the wines of the Red Keep's cellar, which caused Drakarya to look at him disapprovingly. As drunk Aegon had no filter to his words and would often scold his nephews and belitte the servants.
"They are only doing their job, and they work harder they you ever would" Drakarya had said as she had watched Aegon drop his plate on the floor when he did not get the food he requested. "Then they do not do it well, sister" Aegon had only replied. Aegon's resentment had come mostly from the treatment of his mother. She had treated him as less than, and he had seen the way Princess Rhaenyra would praise her sons for the littlest things. No one had loved Aegon in such way, and it made him burn with anger often.
Drakarya had loved Aegon, but he had been too rageful to see. Each time his mother scolded him, he would take his golden dragon Sunfyre and circle Westeros until the cold air of the skies had calmed his fiery blood. Each of the children of the King had been blessed—and cursed—with the blood of Old Valyria, and all in different ways.
Rhaenyra had worn her hair in braids like the warrior Queen Visenya, and was well spoken, she had received the best qualities of both her parents, but when her anger was lit it would be slow to die out.
Aegon had been often quick to anger, even as a juvenile, and slow to forgive and it had often taken his sister Drakarya to make him realise.
Helaena had been a dreamer like Daenys and the Conqueror before her, the softness of a dragon appeared in the Princess from a young age. Dragon dreams only came in few in House Targaryen.
Aemond had been bold, even as a child, being the only child of the King without a dragon had made him so, but he had been equally hot-tempered like his brother and willful, and as wild as a dragon. But Aemond had mostly been unforgiving.
Daeron had been gentle, her gentle son, Alicent would often say, but like his siblings, Daeron had been as wild and burned with the same rage as the others. Daeron was clever, and quick witted, just as he was ill-tempered.
Drakarya, although the youngest of them all, had been wild, and her silver hair had never not been a mess as she bonded closely to dragons, even those not claimed by her.
Drakarya had hated not being able to come with a name for her dragon, as she had once more placed herself on the ground as she watched the blue and purple beast before her settle down, the head inching closer to her lap as she called one name to another. Her dragon was placed next to Sunfyre, as the two dragons seemed to cause chaos whenever they had been apart. "Perhaps I should call you Sunfyre as well" Drakarya had joked once before Aegon joined her. "Don't you dare" he said in a joking matter before joining his own dragon.
Aegon had always been of the believe that Sunfyre had been the only one to care for him, especially when his mother would scold him. But he had been wrong. Helaena cared for her siblings, she was only not good in expressing them as she liked to be kept to herself. She enjoyed her nephews in a way but her loyalty would always be to her own little fraction, to the Greens as they had been her true family. Besides, Jacaerys and Lucerys never paid much attention to Helaena anyways, nor did they to Drakarya who had been joining them lately for dragon lessons as she had been the same age as Lucerys.
"Princess, have you thought of a name yet?" the Dragonkeeper asked as they had joined for another lesson. Drakarya's cheeks flushed as she shook her head no. "No" she said sheepishly. The Dragonkeeper sighed too, at her age most had already named their dragon, Lucerys had named his Arrax, after a Valyrian God, and when Rhaenyra had been young she had named hers Syrax, just as Jacaerys named his Vermax.
Aegon had too named his own dragon, Sunfyre, for the golden flames and the golden scales of his dragon. Aemond had been the only one of them without a dragon, and he had tried to claim any dragon available and even those who were not. "The bond will be stronger if you name your dragon, Princess" the Dragonkeeper said as she nodded again as Aegon rolled his eyes. "The bond will be the same, Sunfyre does not know my name either, does he? But our bond remains undefeated" Aegon smirked as he defended Drakarya.
She appreciated the defense. It had been the last time she would join her brothers and nephews as she did not like spending too much time with the Dragonkeepers, her bond seemed stronger whenever she was without them, and her dragon listened to every command, even without her speaking the words aloud. She had often taken her dragon from the Dragonpit to enjoy some silence in a clearing, and she would continue to do so. Even when they had to be present on Driftmark for the funeral of their cousin and aunt by marriage, Lady Laena. Aegon and flown with Helaena and Drakarya to Driftmark as Aemond was forced to sail along with his mother as Drakarya looked for her twin.
They were told, with the dismissal of Lord Lyonel Strong, that ser Otto Hightower—their grandsire—would return as Hand of the King and he'd meet them on Driftmark as he made the journey from Oldtown. Drakarya looked around freguently as she did not see the blue dragon of her twin, nor did she see his familiar silver hair as she felt saddened. Aegon had taken her hand and lead her towards the others as she joined her family for the funeral. Members of house Velaryon were dressed in black, as a sign of mourning as her family worn black and dark green. Drakarya stood with Aegon who seemed to be in a mood himself, which was not something she had been informed of yet.
Drakarya followed the words of Vaemond Velaryon, of the true blood of House Velaryon as everyone eyed her nephews. Their dark hair had been in contrast of their parents silver hair, and the silver hair of everyone else in their Valyrian family. "It's obvious" Aegon had said as Drakarya had been confused at her young age why it had mattered. "They are bastards, everyone knows so" Aegon had explained sipping from his cup of sweet honey wine as he rolled his eyes at his nephews.
Prince Daemon had distrubed her thoughts as he laughed during the funeral, as Drakarya tore her eyes away before she watched the stone coffin hit the sea waves, letting the lady disappear into the sea, as every Velaryon did. When the funeral was over, she looked to her mother, who had waited for her father as she send her along with the King. Drakarya watched her Grandsire say something to her mother, as they looked to Aegon and Helaena, before Drakarya followed Lord Commander Westerling and the King to the balcony where everyone would gather and remember the late Lady as Drakarya looked to her nephews, who had joined their cousins. Drakarya stood with the King before she saw her siblings join them as Aegon looked further annoyed than he had already been. Drakaray excused herself before joining Aemond and Helaena as Aegon had grabbed another cup of wine.
Otto Hightower looked at the remainign children of his daughter, his grandchildren as he had told Alicent to betrothed Helaena and Aegon, neither of them wishing for it, as Drakarya joined Aemond. Aemond and Drakarya had been the seconds, the second son and the second daughter of the Queen, although Drakarya had been the third daughter of the King as she had not much to inherit. "Why is Aegon so upset?" Drakarya asked as she looked to her brother, Aemond as Aemond looked to his younger sister.
"The Hand has betrothed Helaena and Aegon, she is to be his Queen one day" Aemond said as he repeated the Hand's words. Drakarya looked to Helaena who had sat on the ground near the tent as she played with a spider which crawled over her hand. "You and Prince Aemond shall be betrothed before long as well, Princess" Otto said as he joined the two as Drakarya watched Aegon grab cup after cup. "To whom?" she asked as she looked to Otto as he looked to the Princess. "Some Lord or a Lord's son, you shall rule his household as he and his bannermen pledge alliance to your brother" Otto said as he placed his hands behind his back. "Will Daeron have to marry as well?" she asked as she looked to Otto, she had missed her twin, and she had often hoped they would send her to Oldtown as well.
"Perhaps, but Prince Daeron is doing his duty as a knight of the Realm, he does not have to wed" Otto said as Drakarya nodded before she walked over to Aegon, he twirled the wine in his cup as Drakarya walked over and took his cup. "That's enough, brother" she said as she looked to Aegon, throwing out the wine as she gave the cup back to a servant. "Have you not heard, sweet sister?" Aegon said as he looked to her as she gave him a look of sympathy. "I have, I am sorry" She said before she took his hand and walked away from the others.
Drakarya took Aegon to find their dragons, as the sun had started to set and the moon shone over Driftmark. Sunfyre still gleamed in the moon as he stood next to Drakarya's dragon. "They look like the Sun and the Moon" Aegon said as he saw the dark purple and blue dragon which was bonded to Drakarya. Drakarya looked to Aegon then to her dragon as she stood before her. "Moonfyre" she said as the large beast roared in delight.
