Chapter Two: A Dragon Must Find Her Wings
Alyssa found herself daydreaming about the day she knew she loved her brother. When she was 13, she watched him attempt to redeem his tourney loss on Aemon the year prior, now at the tourney at Old Oak. She knew Baelon had enlisted as a mystery knight, the Silver Fool, a name that did not pose much a mystery to any man with half a brain she had thought. Of course, Baelor's martial skill were no match for the competition, especially Ser Denys, Lord Oakheart's heir. Finally, Baelon was unhorsed by Rickard Redwyne, who helped him up, unmasked him, then knighted him on the spot. Alyssa had always had a warrior's heart and seeing him joust that day she'd known hers was tied to Baelon.
But that tourney was many years ago, and her mother had arranged their betrothal many more years ago now. Alyssa had grown to nearly a woman grown, her nameday just one dawn away, which meant she would be wed on the fortnight, that she knew. But there was much and more she did not know. Like why ancestral Targaryen traditions that seemed so normal to her when she was younger seemed queerer once she started discussing matters of faith and culture with her handmaiden Eloise.
One of her earliest memories was that of a warm summer day when her slender index finger traced the dragons embroidered upon her bedsheets. Her father Jaehaerys's purple eyes observed her. Unprompted, an explanation followed of how the dragonlords of Valyria of Old discovered the secrets of dragonbinding, hatching dragon eggs, and immunity from flames and disease. These are the qualities that made the dragonriders of Old near enough invincible, but they could only be safeguarding the "blood of the dragon", which would more oft than not happen by kin marrying kin. Remember, Lyssie, you are the blood of the dragon, he would always say, before planting a goodnight kiss upon her forehead.
When she was young, her father's words had filled her with the strength of a thousand dragons, she had been invincible. Aemon, growing weary of his younger siblings constantly following suit wherever we went, had climbed the tallest tree in the Red Keep, challenging his siblings. Once Alyssa had caught up to the boys, Aemon looked at her challengingly and said in a challenging tone "Father told me that when a Targaryen falls from high enough, they will fly, I bet you would not dare try it Alyssa." Before Baelon could yell out "Don't!" Alyssa had already lept towards the ground. For the entirety of the 20-foot descend, the ground rushing toward her, Alyssa had not been scared. She had not even felt frightened when she saw the foot-wide tree branch hurdling toward her face.
She awoke to a concerned set of eyes, the colour of deep blue pools hovering over her. "Oh my sweet Alyssa, how many times must I tell you not to let boys tell you what to do?".
The Bawdy Princess had been lucky her fall merely broke her nose. She did not even care it healed crooked, for a straight nose would not aid in the taming of dragons.