She was proud of herself when she finished.
A simple linen cloth of black, and sewn on was the red three headed dragon of her house. Even though Septa Lemore warned her not to do anything relating to her family, Daenerys wanted to give her nephew a favour for when he came back.
The septa leaned slightly closer and looked at it. She didn't seem unimpressed. "I keep telling you," her voice was stern, but had a motherly gentleness to it. "You should be working."
"No one will know," the young girl replied with a shy laugh. The septa just looked at her for a brief moment before continuing to patch-up some clothes. Daenerys looked at the small piece of fabric proudly, before putting it away and continuing to work. They had been doing it for the last few days, in which Dany would take brief breaks to work on her embroidery, even with her septa's warnings. Whenever they stopped at any of the Free Cities, they would all be put to work.
Even though Magister Illyrio would send them supplies – whether it would be coin, clothes or anything else which may prove valuable – it was only after extended periods and they regularly had to work. Not that Dany minded, she liked using her hands and she enjoyed the times when she wasn't treated like a princess but instead a common girl; where Aegon was her older brother and Jon and Septa Lemore were her father and mother. It was only a masquerade, but it felt the closest and truest feeling of a proper family she had.
After Viserys died in his bed, it was Aegon who acted as her older brother. She missed Viserys, her big brother who told her stories of Westeros, the home she had never seen. He would tell her about the Seven Kingdoms and taking back their throne and saying how she would be queen and that everyone will bow down to her, celebrating their return. She missed her brother greatly.
After Viserys' passing, Aegon stepped up to take that position and did his best to fulfil it. She would usually sit beside her nephew as he read out the history of Westeros or tell her stories of its great heroes and villains. When she was younger, Daenerys had wanted to know how to use a sword, just like Queen Visenya. Whilst Jon and Lemore disagreed with her wish, Aegon accepted after much begging on her part. But when he had hit her hand and she cried, she didn't try again.
"Do you know when Griff is back, mother?" Daenerys asked all smiles as she pushed a needle through a blue linen dress to patch up a simple tear near the sleeve. It was Septa Lemore who had taught both her and Aegon to repair their own clothes. While Dany never knew her mother, Viserys told her how much she cared for her children and how beautiful she was. Her brother had been furious when they were kicked out the house in Braavos, and Viserys blamed her for their mother's death. That was the worst he had treated her, a few times he had yelled at or belittled her when he was angry, but that was a rare occurrence.
Her fake mother smiled. "They were to come when they finished fishing."
Three days had past she had last seen Aegon and Griff. Like her, they had dyed their hair blue and it very much helped to disguise them. The blue would hide their silver and even their eyes, with Daenerys Tyroshi accent serving well. Not that Jon minded as much about maintaining it when they went to places such as Lys, where even the smallfolk had Valyrian features.
Before Dany could reply, she felt a sharp pain go through her finger. With a quick cry, she leaned back in her chair. She looked at her finger where a small bead of blood rose up from the prick. "Perhaps you should have been paying attention," the Septa muttered without taking her eyes off her work. After a moment, she glanced up when Dany sucked the blood. "Let me have a look at it," Lemore ordered. She took Dany's hand and gave a quick look at the small dot which was the wound. "You'll live." Then she let go.
In the corner of her eye, Dany saw Lemore show a quick smirk and they continued stitching. It took most of the day before the tailor come over and inspecting their work, seemingly content with that they had done and in return for their service they were given a few Qohor marks which had a goat on one side. Daenerys was intrigued by the Qohor's obsession with goats, such as the Black Goat what they worshiped and was offered blood sacrifices, mostly from animals as well as slaves but if the situation demands it, the children of the highborn. It all had made her sad the first time she heard it and Daenerys was thankful she didn't reside there.
"What now, mother," Daenerys asked as they wondered through the town of Qohne. It was among the biggest town she had never seen, with Jon claiming it was larger than Gulltown and White harbour, which were amongst the biggest cities in Westeros. It even looked like a city, with cobbled streets, stone walls and multi-storied buildings. Outside was the great forest of Qohor, but she never went outside the walls of the various settlements they visited.
"Go back to the lodge and wait there," Lemore said with a warm smile, but frowned once she heard the ravings of a red priest. "Remember not to listen to the mad shouts of those heretics."
Daenerys nodded knowingly. She was told at a young age that the red priest's mouths were full of false and dangerous words. "I will never."
The lodge was a modest building made of timber and thatch. They had been staying there for around a few weeks, with Daenerys wishing to go somewhere different, like Lys or Braavos. She much preferred those to Qohor and its smaller surrounding settlements. Both sat at a round table in the far corner of the lodge which was crowded by a group of traders who were being entertained by a Qohor throat singer. After Septa Lemore ordered food, they both received a bowl full of thick stew. Daenerys didn't like the taste, making a face whenever the substance touched her tongue. They had nearly finished eating when the door opened and Dany just barely resisted leaping up from her seat when her nephew and Jon walked in. Instead of speaking, she just gave a short wave, with Aegon's frown disappearing.
"May I ask how the . . . fishing was, my child," Lemore asked as she turned to Young Griff.
Aegon rolled his eyes and sat down. "I didn't do fishing. They made me do work like a slave. Clean clothes, help repair the nets. All the boring stuff."
Griff shook his head. Dany could see the red roots of his hair that could use a fresh coat of dye. "It's a useful skill, lad. You need to learn how to do these things. It will help you out in the future." Young Griff rolled his eyes again and had a look of boredom and frustration. Older Griff just released an annoyed groan and turned to Daenerys. "How are you? Do anything interesting?"
Dany really wanted to give Aegon the cloth she sewn. She knew it would cheer him up, but neither Lemore nor Jon would like that she had made it with the Targaryen colours, so she decided to show it to him in private. The young girl smiled. "We were repairing clothes." Lemore had taught her to do when she was seven; when Viserys had claimed she was a princess, not a servant. Daenerys didn't mind.
Griff nodded and turned to Lemore. "May I speak with you in private?" Lemore paused before standing up. He gave Aegon a stern look, one which both Targaryen's knew meant and they left for the room.
Then they left, Dany couldn't resist to show Aegon what she had done. "I've made this for you," she said eagerly and presented it to him.
Aegon took it from her and inspected it in the careful way he did. "You made this for me?" She smiled and eagerly nodded. Aegon reassured her with a smile, but it quickly disappeared, with him screwing it up and hiding it. "You're aware we shouldn't show our colours," his voice were not unkind.
He smiled, he liked it. "I know . . . but I just had to." She liked to see him smile, just like how he liked to see her smile. "I wanted to give you something."
"I'm thankful for it, dearest sister." There was a slight pause before saying the last word. She knew he did see her as one, not an aunt. "It was a beautiful gift. One which I will always treasure."
Daenerys beamed at his response. "I'm pleased you like it," she said shyly. "How was it . . . your trip?"
"Fishing down the Rhoyne?" He released a groan and rested his chin in his palm. "As you could expect. Old boat, sailing up and down the river. I didn't do much, Griff wouldn't allow me to, saying I may fall in or get hurt in some way." He rolled his eyes as he did when he was frustrated. "By the mercy of the seven, he's overprotective."
"Lemore wouldn't like you saying that." She would make them read out all the Seven-Pointed Star as punishment until their throats were sore. As such, they both knew all the book by heart.
"She doesn't like me saying many things . . . neither does Griff." Aegon shot a glance where they had went. "We're to leave this place. Sail down the Rhoyne and go down to Volantis."
Dany couldn't resist a smile to leave this place and go somewhere different. They have been to almost every free city except Volantis. She had heard stories of the city, with the Black Walls and the Long Bridge. Whilst Jon Connington didn't seem to like it, Daenerys always wanted to see the city. She wanted to visit the Black Walls where the Old Blood of Valyria still resided, a city within a city and a very beautiful one, she heard.
Shortly after, Griff and Septa Lemore returned and repeated what Aegon had already said, with the reason being what it was that they spent too long in Qohne and that the usurpers knives may find them. They left after a quick meal and headed back to the pole boat they regularly travelled in. It wasn't the best made boat, with decay on its unpainted hull and a single mast with a hastily stitched up sail. But it suited their needs well enough and had enough room for them. Daenerys shared a room with Septa Lemore, whilst Aegon shared a room with Jon Connington and halfmaester Haldon had his own quarters. Then they got on the boat, Jon ordered the owners – who were busy filling the boat with stock which they would use to trade with the places where they stopped – to sail them south.
Daenerys was watching the town get smaller in the distance before they made a turn through one of the tributaries and Qohne soon became hidden from sight by the heavy foliage which grew on either side of the muddy river. While she did like exploring, Dany did regularly find the journeys themselves a bore for the most part. They had little to do besides learn the skills they would need for the future: history, math, the faith, courtly etiquette; or in the case of Aegon, learning to fight.
As she looked out at the overhanging trees with the long leaves dangling in the water, Dany thought of Viserys. The last she saw of him was when he was sick, laying in his soaked bed while they were at Myr. She remembered it well. His head was resting on a pile of pillows, with sweat beading on his forehead and his fair hair was soaked. Viserys voice had been hoarse and during the end he could barely get words out. The healers claimed it was stomach illness and after many attempts, they ended his pain with Sweetsleep. Daenerys had wept all through the night, the brother who had cared for her when they were kicked out of house with the red door and found by Illyrio's agents in the streets. When they were found, Viserys ordered she go behind him and he picked up a wooden stick like it was a sword, trying to ward them away. They had laughed at his attempts before others surrounded them. Both Targaryen's had kicked and screamed, believing they belonged to the usurpers. Viserys broke out of the hold and tried to run to her, but got engulfed by their thick arms. Both Targaryen's were dragged through the darkened streets and thrown onto a ship, locked inside a dark room. Her brother had pounded and kicked at the door, yelling all the time, saying how they had awoken the dragon; all the while she was curled up in the corner. Only when Viserys stopped, kicking the door a final time, did he go and comfort her, letting Daenerys put her head on his lap and cry until her eyes were swollen and she could cry no more. It was the next morning that the door had opened and the captain – a hairy beast of a man of Pentoshi birth who looked as formidable as any man she seen. Viserys lunged at him like an angry dog, screaming at the top of his lungs. Her brother was restrained by other sailors and pressed to the floor. Then the captain explained what was going on. Both of them did calm down once they realized they didn't belong to the usurpers, but not by much.
Those memories of being taken and scared in the ship still came to her in her dreams. Many times Dany had woken up in the dead of night and seeked her brother out. He would usually move to the side and let her lay with him, occasionally embracing her and telling her stories of dragons, Dragonstone, the Red Keep and both of them taking back the Seven Kingdoms.
Even though she didn't fully understand what he was saying, she listened to his honeyed words with eager ears and imagined, all whilst he would always act it like it was only a few small steps away. Now Daenerys didn't know how many steps there were. Illyrio promised to support them, as did a few other powerful merchant princes, but Griff claimed it would be many years away. What if the support fades away? The exiled princess didn't want to think about it. She didn't want to think what would happen if they failed. Daenerys feared of having something happen to anyone who travelled with her . . . if anything happened to Aegon. She had lost one family member in front of her, she couldn't think to lose another.
Daenerys shook the idea from her head. We are the blood of the dragon, was something Viserys had constantly said. We will go back and regain our homeland and we will kill the usurper and those who stood beside him. Baratheon, Tully, Stark and Arryn. But also Lannister, who betrayed us. She couldn't forget them, she wouldn't forget them. With fire and blood, the Targaryen's will get vengeance.