The Dragon's Daughter - 7
(Warnings: Fluff, fluff, fluff and fluff:3)
Dothraki will be in bold
High Valyrian will be in cursive
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Three days. Three days and no word from anyone about a silver haired child, no sight of her, no sounds that led them to her. Nothing. The entire city had been thoroughly searched and yet, nothing. Until the evening of the third day. Daario himself was out looking for the young girl, looking through each nook and hole and opening he could find, calling the child’s name, getting no response in return. He was about to turn around and double back when he heard some shuffling and a small kitten calling out, Daario nearing the narrow passageway. It was far too small for any man to crawl through and hide, but a young child could possibly barely push themselves inside, so he kneeled down, eyes narrowed as he looked through the narrow passage, his breath leaving him in utter relief when he saw her. The young girl was still caked in dry blood, her chest slowly rising up and down as she slept, squeezed into the small hiding spot, a kitten in her arms, white as snow with a single dark stripe down it’s back, it’s blue eyes locking onto him and it once again called to him, as though it knew he was looking for the young girl who had fallen asleep with the cat in her arms. Daario let out a breathy chuckle, three days of constant worry, and the young girl had been cuddling with a kitten while they had been running around, sick with worry. “Rhaella… Rhaella, it’s time to wake up, your mother is worried” Daario’s voice was soft yet the girl opened her tired eyes, looking at Daario, her gaze moving down to the kitten in her arms and Daario smirked softly “I’m sure you can keep it, come on, your mother is sick with worry” he muttered, reaching for her and she began to stand up, handing him the kitten through the small hole, Daario holding it with one hand while he helped her out with the other, giving the kitten back to the young princess before lifting her up.
Daario carried her all the way to the Pyramid, the kitten still in her arms as she gently carried it, one of her hands softly petting it’s soft fur. When Daenerys saw her child in Daario’s arms, she dropped everything and ran towards them, Daario putting the child down and Daenerys fell to her knees, wrapping her arms around her daughter, eyes closed as tears of relief formed in her eyes. “My night’s sky… my sweet, sweet night’s sky, where were you? We have been looking all over for you” Daenerys asked with desperation, parting from her daughter to look at the child’s face, only to finally see the kitten in her arms. “I found it in an alley…” the young princess admitted, Daenerys looking it over, the pure white fur, the single stripe down the cat’s back, the similarities were striking, making her chuckle briefly, a look of joy and relief still on her face. “It’s beautiful… Does it have a name?” she asked softly, cupping her daughter’s cheek in her hand, the young girl looking down at the kitten “I don’t know any names… I think it’s a girl” the girl muttered, Daenerys trying to hold back her tears as she stroked her daughter’s cheek. “Gray Worm said a Harpy attacked you… can I look?” the girl nodded at her mother’s question, turning around, the kitten still in her arms as Daenerys carefully looked at the torn line in the dress, fingers carefully peeling them away to look underneath, seeing that the child was truly unhurt, the scales covering the small spot along her spine, and Daenerys smiled in relief. Until she noticed it.
The scales had slowly begun to spread, spreading outwards from the line of the child’s spine, Daenerys swallowing thickly in worry. Daario noticed the queen’s worry, walking behind the girl to the queen’s side, a frown forming on his brows as he saw what the queen saw, he kneeled down, inspecting it with both intrigue and worry for the young girl, the child that he thought of as his own. His own little girl.
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Daenerys was almost pacing back and forth as she watched her daughter get examined, gently playing with her new kitten as the healer prodded and examined her back. He was an old man, balding with gray hair and beard. He had a much lighter tone than those of Essos, his eyes were a deep, warm amber, he was small in stature, lean and thin, so much so that Daenerys even worried he was starving, yet he seemed to be capable as he examined her beloved daughter, not fatigued or showing any signs close to hunger or starvation. “Is it Grayscale?” Daenerys asked with worry, the man shaking his head softly as he continued to examine the scales “no, despite the name, Grayscale doesn’t actually look like scales, they look more like stone. This is not Grayscale, Your Grace, she would not have lived this long, nor you, if she had Grayscale. You say she was born with these scales?”
“Yes, they barely ran along her spine, small at first, they grew bigger as she grew older, just like my dragons, but they were never this big, always just-... specks of scales clustered in one tiny circular spot on her back…” Daenerys admitted, the man nodding softly as he tilted his head, leaning closer to inspect the scales. “Well, they appear to be actual, real scales. They’re thick and hard… I’ve never seen your dragons up close, but I’m certain this is as close to real dragon scales as you can get, it’s quite the miracle. You gave birth to her yourself?”
“Yes… she-... she had a twin brother but he died, stillborn, blood magic was used to-... magic killed him just as I gave birth, before he was… before he drew his first breath…”
“I am sorry for your loss, Your Grace, but the magic would not have caused the scales, at least I am quite positive of it. Your daughter appears to be a healthy young lady, Your Grace. Aside her scales and eyes, there is nothing unusual about her. Is there anything else I should know?”
“Yes… when she cries, it sounds like a dragon screeching… as though it’s not only her screaming and crying, but a dragon as well, inside of her, screaming at the same time as her, and her eyes… they’re-... golden, they’re a dragon’s eyes, one of my dragons has the exact same eyes as her… her pupils are the same as his, slit, and her eyesight seems perfect…”
“Well that is highly unusual, as I’m sure you’ve already come to the conclusion of. But then again, the mere mention of dragons were thought as fairy tales, stories that would never repeat themselves and be lost forever, until your dragons hatched, and I had never even heard of a child born with dragon scales and eyes until now. I know some of the history of Targaryens, the dragon bond that runs through their veins… perhaps, in some way, when you carried her, a part of the dragon bond seeped into her? I wish I had a better explanation, Your Grace, forgive me-”
“No, it’s quite alright, as far as I know, she’s the first child in the entire world to be born with dragon scales and eyes, even for a Targaryen… she has a bond with my dragons as well, as though she can speak to them without words, especially Raemor who has the same eyes as her…”
“Not unlike yourself, Your Grace. She’s a healthy young girl, I can find no injuries or abnormalities, even her scales appear to be in perfect condition. I would not presume to ask for a chance to see your dragons’ scales for myself to compare them to that of your daughter’s, but they are strong, that is for sure… I have never seen anything like it, nor even presumed it was possible… the Maesters at the Citadel would flock to Essos if they knew of such a thing” the man pondered, Daenerys frowning at him, a part of her fearing he would send word and that soon the world would know. Assassins would surface, admirers would appear, priests and priestesses would walk from all over and followers would come to seek to tear the child from it’s mother. Just as Daenerys thought of saying something, the man looked up at her, almost amused, his eyes twinkling with a laugh bubbling in his chest that he held back. “Don’t worry, Your Grace, the Maesters of the Citadel will never hear another word from my lips again-”
“‘Again’?”
“Yes, I was once a Maester… I had just earned my chain a few years ago” the man admitted, Daenerys frowning, studying the man as he leaned away from Rhaella and gave her a gentle nod, silently telling her he was done and instantly she jumped off her chair and ran to her bed with the kitten in her hands, jumping up on it and petting the cat. “What happened?” Daenerys asked softly, gesturing to a chair by a table, the man bowing his head before sitting down, groaning lightly at his old bones. “They said I was unfit to wear it… they called me a traitor, a rebel, and they would have no such person representing the Maesters of any corner in Westeros, so I left Westeros, hoping to treat the people of Essos, I came to Meereen, saw the state some slaves were in… I told the Masters of my skill, made them think I just wanted to keep their ‘property’ intact so they could carry out their duties unhindered, I could not stand to see such misery in their eyes, yet all I could do was treat their wounds…” the man stated in an almost sad voice, Daenerys frowning even more, silently asking him to continue and he sighed, nodding. “When there came word of your dragons, Your Grace, all those years ago, I spoke out. I had met your brother, Rhaegar, only a few times, barely a handful, but I had never met a more beautiful soul. So when I heard of a young Targaryen girl, his sister, who had four real dragons, I spoke out, I merely stated my support for your house, I said that I hoped you would prosper, survive at the very least” the man stated softly, Daenerys now more confused than ever “you spoke your mind, and they cast you out for it?” Daenerys asked in shock, the old man nodding “yes, Your Grace, I had a different opinion and thus were unfit to be a Maester” he stated half jokingly, Daenerys giving him a sad smile before thinking things over, looking over to her daughter, finding her looking up at the two of them, giving the two of them a wave and the old man waved back with a soft grin, an idea striking Daenerys and she smirked.
“What is your name?”
“Ricardo, Your Grace…”
“Well, Ricardo. I happen to be in need of a Maester, and my daughter quite seems comfortable with you… it’s important I have someone she feels safe around, who I can trust, that can keep an eye on her scales… you have far more knowledge in the world of body and mind than me, would you accept the position? I cannot offer you a chain but I can promise you that when I retake the Seven Kingdoms, I will have the chain of every Maester who wronged you melted together to make a new chain of it that only you shall wear” Daenerys stated with a soft smile, Ricardo looked like he was on the verge of tears, eyes wide and mouth slightly open in shock, Daenerys’ smile growing bigger which made Ricardo snap out of his shocked state and nod, bowing his head and about to stand up to kneel when Daenerys stopped him. “You need not kneel, Grand Maester Ricardo, only serve” she stated softly, Ricardo nodding constantly and bowing his head “thank you, Your Grace, thank you! I had never dreamed of such a title after my banishment… thank you” he continued to bow as his voice wavered when he spoke, Daenerys smiling softly at him, warmth blooming in her chest at how sincere his thanks were and how happy he was to serve her, and her daughter.
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Ricardo watched with a smile as the young princess read from one of his books, he had worried it might have been too dull for the young child but she had seemed to have taken a great interest in his work, especially his tales of what he had achieved in Westeros before his banishment. “Did you know my uncle?” the young girl suddenly asked, looking up from the book, the kitten in her lap and the old man sighed before nodding. “I knew your uncle Rhaegar, not well, mind you, but I had the pleasure of meeting him a few times. He was a great man, I see him in your mother, her kindness, bravery…” Ricardo listed off, seeing the young girl smile “did you know she named one of my brothers after him? Rhaegal. She also named one of my other brothers after my other uncle… Did you know I had two?” the young girl asked innocently, the old man nodding with a soft smile “I had heard of another living son of Aerys Targaryen, though I did not have the pleasure of meeting him before they fled to Essos” Ricardo admitted openly, Rhaella smiling up at him before looking down at her kitten in her lap “what are some of the Targaryen names? Muña hasn’t told me any…” the young girl pouted and Ricardo chuckled lightly “well, there was your grandmother, Rhaella, the one you are named after. There was also your great-great-grandmother, Dyanna” Ricardo informed, smiling as the young girl’s golden dragon eyes lit up “Dyanna… I like Dyanna” she stated confidently, the old Maester chuckling lightly “the cat Dyanna, her name will be known across the Narrow Sea” Ricardo stated with amusement, watching the girl light up even more before nodding, yet he could see a sadness in her eyes when she thought he wasn’t looking, her smile fading as she looked down at her newly-named cat.
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“House Targaryen is gone. Not a single person who shares your blood is alive to support you.”
Tyrion was slowly beginning to regret those words, following the silver haired Targaryen with Unsullied, Second Sons and a few Dothraki men following him down the hall, the hall wasn’t dimly lit or cut off, so he guessed it wasn’t the dungeons he was going, which oddly enough made him more uneasy. He felt his heart beat nervously against his ribcage as the queen suddenly stopped in front of two large double doors, looking down at him with a cold expression, saying something in a harsh tongue, the Dothraki nodding and standing by the door, one on each side, and then something was said in a velvet voice, probably Valyrian, the Unsullied nodding and lining the walls in front of the doors. Daenerys looked back down at Tyrion, noting how he nervously gulped, Daenerys raising a single brow at him “you’re going to meet one of my dragons, she may be small but she can spew fire like the rest of them” she stated casually, Tyrion visibly tensing and as she opened the door, one of the Unsullied pushed him inside first, Daenerys entering and the doors were quickly shut, Daenerys taking a few steps away from it, calm as ever, while Tyrion leaned against the door, heart threatening to break his ribs with how hard it was beating, worry evident on his face, until he heard a child’s voice. He frowned, still anxious, even as he watched the queen kneel down with a large grin, hugging the very blonde haired child that had calmly approached her, wrapping her arms around the young girl who couldn’t be older than six. He let out nervous pants of air, still trying to calm himself down from the scare and the fear he had endured mere seconds ago.
He was even more shocked to see that the child was not only blonde, but had the same silver hair, her golden, unique eyes shining brightly like fanned flames as she parted from the queen, even the child’s pupils were slit instead of normal and round. Daenerys, still kneeling down, turned to look at Tyrion, an almost amused smirk on her lips as she watched him. “This is Rhaella Targaryen, daughter of the great Khal Drogo, my daughter and the White Dragon of the Khalasaar and the Great Grass Sea” Daenerys introduced, Tyrion’s jaw nearly dropping at the revelation, even though the hair and eyes should have made it obvious enough that this wasn’t just any child. “There was never any mention of-”
“Good. One thing is assassins sent to kill me, another is a girl of merely five” Daenerys stated coldly before turning to her daughter, stroking back a few locks of that signature Targaryen hair, grinning at her daughter with the utmost love and adoration pouring out from her every pore. “Rhaella, my night’s sky, this is Tyrion Lannister” Daenerys introduced, the girl tilting her head at him, looking him up and down with intrigue “why is he so short?” she asked boldly, Daenerys trying to hide her amused smile as Tyrion let out a brief, breathy chuckle “I’m a dwarf, princess Rhaella, dwarves are short” he noted, the girl glancing at her mother before looking back at the man, hesitantly taking a few steps closer, hands clasped behind her back as she almost seemed to inspect him “were you born this way?”
“Yes.”
“Was that offensive to ask?...”
“No, your highness, you are curious. You have a curious mind, that is good” Tyrion stated honestly, the girl seemingly lighting up at this, a small smile forming on her face “thank you…” she looked at her mother with a frown, Daenerys smiling at her daughter “‘lord Tyrion’, always ‘lord’ or ‘lady’ first if they’re noblemen or women” Daenerys guided, the young girl looking back at Tyrion “thank you, lord Tyrion, did Jorah bring you here?” the princess asked innocently, Tyrion glancing at a tense Daenerys before looking back at the child “yes, but tell me, w-” he could barely get the sentence out until something brushed against his leg, looking down to see a white cat, a dark line running down it’s spine, it’s blue eyes gazing up at him until it moved away towards Rhaella, the young girl picking it up with a soft smile “this is Dyanna” she introduced, Tyrion smiling softly at the cat and the innocent child “like your great-great-grandmother” he noted softly, Rhaella nodding and looking at Daenerys who was smiling with pride and joy. It wasn’t long before Ricardo joined, slowly walking over and down the small steps to where Daenerys were. “Your Grace…” he trailed off when he spotted the stranger, eyes narrowing at him and before Daenerys or Rhaella could say anything he glared lightly at Tyrion “Lord Tyrion Lannister, I presume?” he asked, Tyrion nodding with narrowed eyes “yes, how did-”
“I was a Maester at the citadel before my banishment.”
“Your banishment?”
“Yes, Lord Tyrion, my banishment. I spoke of my support for our queen Daenerys and thus I was cast out” Ricardo spoke freely, Tyrion frowning at the old man who turned to Daenerys as she stood up “she has an extraordinary mind, Your Grace, if the Citadel accepted girls and were we in Westeros, I’d suggest you sent her to the Citadel to learn the ways of a Maester, she has much potential” Ricardo praised, Daenerys smiling down at the young girl with pride. “Thank you, Grand Maester Ricardo, if you would, I’m sure Rhaella would like to spend more time with you, learning your ways, sharing your knowledge… to an appropriate extend, of course” Daenerys stated, Ricardo nodding and bowing his head “it would be my utmost pleasure” he stated before bowing his head at her and the princess before leaving the chambers, Rhaella letting Dyanna down before walking off with the cat in tow.
