Chapter 3: A Spring Journey

Valaena sat in the dingy dungeon, as close as she could get to the fire without having to fear it burning her clothes. She sighed looked at the egg longingly, she wanted it to hatch already but no, the knowledge for that had been lost long ago. She had hatched dragon eggs before, hell she had been a dragon before, but each place had different rules, and in this world, with the little amount of magic that it had...would it even be possible?

Valaena sighed again and pushed back her wide sleeves before caressing the egg. The fire didn't bother her. It was apparent that her magic, the shallow amount of it that was within her, went to protecting her from fire. But that was it, in many of her lives before, it would stop her falls, or warn her impending danger, or hell even allowing her to make, move and change things. Now, as far as she knew, this was all that was left in this life. It was another reason for her wanting to hatch the egg, in this world, the maesters and the books always said that it was when the dragons died that magic died, or vice versa. So what better way to know than to do so.

Valaena brought her knees to her chest and groaned, her head dropping onto her knees. Her stupid fucking ancestors, their stupid fucking wars and their insane beliefs that they are dragons.

'Fire cannot kill a dragon.' A voice whispered in her mind.

"Yeah fire can't kill a dragon. Too bad those fuckers didn't understand that they're not dragons." She replied to the voice. Her family was just full of the most ridiculous and eccentric people, and not even in the good way. Just crazy fucks that drank wildfire or jumped into fire, or her favorite one, the assholes who declared war against each with dragons, just because they didn't want a woman on the throne.

Stupid Fucks.

By Death, there wasn't enough times she could say that and be tired. Aegon the Conqueror must be bemoaning in the afterlife about the stupidity of his line. She raised her head and grabbed the little harp next to her. Her father had given it to her for her last birthday celebration, when she had shown an interest in it. It had been a few life times since she played the harp, especially the small ones. She crossed her legs again and brought the harp to her lap. She strummed the strings and closed her eyes as she let the music take over her body. She flinched as her finger plucked at the wrong string. What a pain it was having to learn to play an instrument all over again. Every rebirth meant having to train her muscles for everything from the beginning, from instruments to weapons to martial arts. The worst though was having to dumb herself down in order not to arouse too much suspicion. Prodigy was one thing, but in these times, there was a thin line between being a prodigy and consorting with the devil and gaining powers, especially at the age of three.

Though at least it was a small blessing here, that while frowned upon, it wasn't a great worry to the common people or the rich and powerful, after all how many centuries had passed since true sorcery ruled the world.

Valaena smiled softly at the egg before her, if everything went smoothly, the little pulses she felt would come into fruition. She already knew which soul she wanted born, she need it. It had been so long since they were together.

She closed her eyes and stopped playing, it was time to go already. "I'll be back," she said to the egg, "I'm going with Rhaegar and Aerys to Harrenhal for a tourney. It'll be a few months, so be careful, and make sure not to hatch until I come back." She laughed, "I have to go you know. Normally I wouldn't care but...He told me to, so I must."

Valaena got up off the floor and caressed the egg one last time, before walking out the the door and back into the secret passage way. She clenched her fist and quickly made her way out. She had heard mutterings about this upcoming tourney, about how it was actually her father who had orchestrated it in order to have all the great lords so that he could hold a great council to unseat Aerys from his throne. Noble endeavor, stupid and not nearly secret enough, after all her grandfather had gotten wind of it probably thanks to a certain Spider with a capital S, but noble, nonetheless. She couldn't blame him though, while loving and doting with her, her grandfather was still cruel to others, not and much as before but it was not that much of an improvement.

So here they were, getting ready to set off on a journey to Harrenal for the supposed name-day celebration of Lord Whent's maiden daughter. It would be her, her father, her grandfather, and her...uncle Viserys, along with most of the Kingsguard that were going. Her muña and haedar were going to stay behind with her grandmother. Her mother because she was too pregnant to journey anywhere and Rhaenys because she was still too young to go on a long journey. Of course she was too, but she said she wanted to go and Aerys said she would.

Valaena slowly pulled the door open and slightly poked her head out, making sure no one was there before she walked through. There was no need for word to get back to her father from nosey servants about her comings and goings. Especially the ones that were here from other houses, those were the ones to look out for, after all the information would make its way to their Lord or Lady first, before ever reaching her father's ears.

She walked to the throne room as quick as possible. That was where Aerys and Rhaegar had told her to meet them. She arrived later than she would have if it had been a normal day, just about every person was stopping to ask why she wasn't with her father and grandfather already. She walked through the threshold and looked around for her father and grandfather. There in the middle of the room, surrounded by many servants and knights were the two of them, Aerys getting more and more agitated at all the people fussed around him, her grandmother included.

Valaena couldn't help but to roll her eyes, this family she was a part of was such a hassle. Sure they were amusing and she felt a love for them as she did in each of her lives, but there really was no love lost between her grandparents. Aerys was further away from the edge than before but even that was still too crazy, and Rhaella was too preoccupied with Viserys and Rhaenys and ignored pretty much all else. Her muna was frail and weak and her kepa was unnecessarily obsessed with an ancient prophecy like a fucking weirdo. If she had learned one thing in all her lives it was that the person obsessed with a prophecy tended to get themselves and the people around them killed. Oh if she were to get 'killed' because of him-

Valaena took in a deep breath and counted back from ten in High Valyrian, something her grandfather was adamant about teaching her. She let out a deep breath as she finished, there was a reason she was reborn in this world, she couldn't let nuisances such as those get in her way.

"Kepa! Aerys!" She called out, gaining the attention of the whole room. She put on a bright smile and walked to them, her smile also being flashed at the people surrounding her family as the parted for her. She stopped in front of the two and tilted her head to the side, "we go now?"

The two tall men smiled down at her and nodded, "of course, we were just waiting for you, my beautiful dragon." Aerys said, holding out his hand for her, "now let us go to the carriages, yes?"

Valaena beamed, nodding at him excitedly as she grabbed a hold of his hand with her right. She turned and held out her other hand for her great uncle Lewyn to take the harp. Once her hand was free she held it out for her father to take, "kepa?" Her father quickly took her hand and the three made their way to carriages with the knights right behind them. As they walked through the Keep, she couldn't help but once again marvel yet hate the size of it. She understood why it was so big, with all the secret and not so secret passages but, damn if it weren't trying on her legs. So what if they were longer than other children her age or even those of a couple years older, the walk was still too long and took too much time.

The moment she saw the carriages, she let out a breath of relief, the walk was finally over. Her legs relaxed as they walked up to the carriages. She couldn't help but stare at them. Sure she had seen carriages, ridden carriages, hell even made carriages, but there was always something different with each reality. The techniques used, the material, the finishes, all of it. It was beautiful, and always fascinated her, there was always something new that caught her eye about them. She felt her hand being squeezed and she looked to her father, "let us go."

"Come my Dragon," her grandfather said at the same time, as he too tugged on her hand, "let's go to my carriage."

She looked at her father and grandfather and shook her head, "I want to ride horse."

The two of them looked down at her for a moment before her father crouched down to her eye level, "come now my princess, you know you're too young for that." She shook her head again in defiance, there was no way she was going to pick between the two of them. Their relationship was already strained before she came along and her birth seemed to have made it worse, no, not seemed; it did.

The two of them were always at odds with one another when it came to her. If she was spending time with her father, Aerys would always interrupt with some excuse to take her away for him, not that her father was any better. They both seemed to believe the other was a bad influence of her...like she needed any help in that.

"No. I want to ride." She started looking at the both of them. It took only a few minutes for them to relent, "very well," her father said grabbing her hand, "let us head to my horse."

As he started to walk to his horse, she slipped her hand out from his grip and ran to Arthur, grabbing his big hand with her two small ones, she looked up at him and smiled, "I will ride with Arthur." She stated as if it was a fact already known. As if neither of the men would have something to say against it.

"No." Her father and grandfather said together, the possessive bastards. She pouted and turned to look at the two of them, "why? Arthur is not strong?"

Rhaegar and Aerys walked to them and her father crouched down, "he is sweetling, but-"

"Then why I can't go?"

"I don't trust anyone with your life, my dragon," Aerys said, "not even my kingsguard, not even your father." He glared at all the men as she stared at him, "I trust Arthur. He protect me, right?" She asked looking up at the one dubbed Sword of the Morning. He tensed before he looked into her eyes before dropping down onto one knee, "it would be my greatest honor Princess Valaena."

She giggled at him and patted his helmet covered head, "let's go now," she pulled for him to get up. He stood up swiftly and looked to her father and grandfather for permission, she followed his gaze and looked imploringly at the two of them, playing up the fact that they could never deny her something for too long, that was if they denied in the first place. Her big eyes gleamed with a layer of moisture, and then it all paid off.

"Very well," Aerys relented, "but after the first camp you ride with-"

"Kepa," she exclaimed, smiling widely at her father. It had been awhile since the two of them had been able to spend any time alone together. She missed talking to him, though it was mostly for the fact that he was a great storyteller and she seemed to make him smile more. She turned to Aerys, "after papa." That's what she called Aerys, since many of the people of the court seemed to be put off by her called Aerys by his name even though the man himself didn't mind. But what could one do, pleasing their subject is what a ruler did. She couldn't complain, it didn't cost her anything to say it, besides it helped that whenever she called him that, he let her do whatever she wanted.

This time was no exception, "fine," he agreed with narrowed eyes. She beamed a smile at him before turning back to Arthur, looked up at him with the most innocent look she could. She smiled down at her and gently led her to his horse, before lifting her up and placing her up front in the saddle, trying to place both her legs on to one side, but she wasn't having it.

"No," she would not do that. There was no way she was going to ride the whole trip sitting like some...princess, but no matter, she lifted her right leg and placed it on the other side so that she straddled the saddle.

"But my princess, ladies shouldn't-"

"No," was all she said before turning her head to look behind her and patting the empty space on the saddle. He looked at it for a moment before he shook his head fondly and climbing up onto his horse. He pulled her back until her back was resting against his armoured abdomen and grabbed the reins so that she was sitting in between his arms. He looked behind him and watched as everyone took their places on horses or carriages like the young prince Viserys. Once everyone was ready to set out, he lightly kicked the horse with his heel and they started off at a slow trot.

They passed the people who had lined up in the streets to watch them off , Valaena waving with both hands that the common folk, after all what was a ruler without the support of their people, by Death did she have a lot of work to do thanks to Aerys. But it was no big deal, she would do what needed to be done, and bring back the faith of the people to her family. She smiled as people pointed at her, smiled at her, waved at her. She heard yells of, 'what a pretty princess', and 'look at the color of her eyes, I've never seen a purple of that color', 'could she really put a stop to King Aerys' terror?', though that was more of a whisper her ears seemed to pick up.

This was the first time she was allowed to leave the Red Keep, so she, of course, drank in her surroundings. The greens of the grass and the trees, the smell of everything other than the rank of human feces, the bright blue of the sky, the sound of the birds, the winds, the hooves of the horses, the wheels of the carriages. It was beautiful, wonderful, all-consuming. It was then and there she decided she would never allow herself to be stuck in King's Landing, She would venture this wide and beautiful Land of Westeros, no matter what anyone would say.

They had been traveling for a few hours, her asking Arthur about everything near and far. So far he had taken all her questions in stride and answered them to the best of his knowledge. That was why she decided to ask him what she had wanted to all along. She looked around, making sure her father wasn't near them before she spoke.

"Arthur?" She said looking up at him, catching his eyes when he turned his head down to her.

"Yes Princess?"

"Can I trust you?" She felt him still against her back.

"My Princess?" He questioned, eyes and brows furrowed in question at her, of all the things she would ask…

She lowered her head and looked out to the long road ahead of them,"Can I trust you? Will you protect me when I can't? If I'm asleep and can't wake up, will you be by my side protecting me?"

"I-my Princess-I-how do you know these-what brought this-?"

She interrupted him, "Will you be my Morning Star?" All she needed was and an answer from him, she took one of his hands into her and squeezed it tightly, "will you be the one who protects me from any and every foe?"

"Yes."

Valaena looked back up at Arthur and smiled. She brought their clasped hands up to his lips, her hand at his lips and pressed it to them before bringing it back down and doing the same to his.

"My Princess?" He gasped, not understanding what she was doing, why she would kiss his hand.

"It's a promise Arthur. You cannot break it. Buildings can be rebuilt, fields can be resown, but a promise cannot be unbroken."

"Yes, it is as you say your grace. It will be an unbroken promise if I can help it."

She hummed in agreement, it was the best she was going to get from him. No matter how favored by Aerys she was, the Kingsguard's duty was to protect and obey the King first and then his heir.

They rode for the rest of the day without tension, she asked every question she could think of and he answered to the best of his ability. She had also asked her kepa question after question about the kingdom and the place they were going, about how to keep the people happy and safe. Whether or not it was better to keep the peace through force or to talk it out.

By the time the party had come to a stop, the skies had darkened and soon night would fall with all its terrors. She stayed seated on the horse with Arthur and the servants, squires, and knights around her set up tents, well most of them anyways, Jaime Lannister was standing around and watching the other servants. She didn't miss how the servant girls gazes stayed on him longer than appropriate, but she couldn't fault them for it, she too found his beautiful face, enhanced by the blonde hair and green eyes, quite entrancing.

After a few more moments of waiting, Arthur finally descended from his horse and brought her down after. He held her hand and they found their way to the tent that she would share with Rhaegar. Upon seeing them approach, her kepa smiled and bent down, his arms spread wide to embrace her. She slipped her hand out of Arthur's grasp and ran to him, wrapping her arms around his neck as he wrapped his around her waist. In almost every lifetime, the embraces and kisses she received from those who would be her parents filled her up with more joy than she knew what to do with. True, Rhaegar had been right beside her and Arthur for most of the day, but that meant nothing, she was a child and his first born at that, she was entitled to all the hugs and kisses she wanted.

She sat in between her father and grandfather as dinner was served, some fowl they had shot down along with some bread. Her mouth happily opening to both sides as the fed her, Viserys sat at Areys' side trying to her his fowl by himself because he was a...big boy. It was fine, that was how most boys acted at that age, no matter the time period.

After they had eaten, she was brought back to the tent and tucked into the covers, "Kepa you sleep too?"

He bent down and placed a kiss on her forehead, "In a little bit, my love, you just sleep, it's been a long day." She didn't bother to stifle her yawn and only nodded her head as her eyes closed. Her dreams were dark and cold, yet somehow warmth filled her filled her as she walked aimlessly. Faint voices whispered in her ear in the language she had fully yet to grasp. But one phrase she knew. One that had followed her since to beginning of it all.

"Come to me."

The next day she rode with her father, just a few horses behind the lead horse. The day was pretty much spent the same as the last, only she asked more questions about what rulers would do in situations and history. Yes, she had been a ruler in many lifetimes, but each time was different from the last. The things she could do in some lives couldn't be done in others. There was also the fact that it was maybe only a handful of lives where she had inherited the throne, and only in one of them was she a woman. The rest of the time she had led armies and taken over lands. The medieval period was not a time when women were welcomed to become a queen with marriage or a prince to wed them, never by themselves.

Thankfully, Rhaegar answered every question with a great deal of thought and patients. Though she could sense that he was wondering why she kept asking him these.

"Valaena?"

And there it was.

"Yes Kepa?"

"These questions. Why-why do you ask these? You're too young to have to think about any of this."

She smiled up at him, "I going to be queen. I must know this, it never too early."

The looks of pity and sounds of disbelief that were sent her way by those who had overheard didn't offend her. Her skin wasn't so thin as to be hurt by something as trifling as the opinions and thoughts of those that don't matter.

"Oh Valaena dear, you will be queen, with your brother, if the one inside your muna is a boy, will be your king."

"No." Valaena stated. That definitely would not happen.

"No?"

She shook her head, "no, I marry who I want. No brother. No Viserys."

Rhaegar sighed, he wouldn't put up a fight with her, what was the point of getting into an argument with your four-year-old daughter about things she didn't fully understand after all. "We shall leave this conversation for later Valaena." But he wouldn't let her out of this, the dragon needed three heads. His three children, if they had any hope of defeating the enemies from across the Wall.

"Hm." She said in agreement, they would leave it for later, but she would never change her mind.

And the day went on, she asked more questions, received more answers, took in the different flowers, the animals, the different shapes the clouds made, all of it with her father holding on tight to her.

The next day was spent riding with Aerys...and wasn't that a ride. It seemed like the more they rode, the more it seemed like the journey would never end. She didn't ask Aerys many questions, his mind was a little too far gone for her to be able to make much use of the things he would tell her, but some of them did prove to be quite useful. She had asked him if he had anything on his mind, and he whispered to her that he was planning on appointing Jaime Lannister to the Kingsgaurd to fill up the position left by Ser Grandison. It was to spite Tywin Lannister, she knew, but would the honor be worth all the trouble it would bring?

"The little Lannister girl at the castle seems to think it's a good idea."

She turned her head sharply to face him, "what Lannister girl?"

"Tywin's other spawn. The one he wanted your father to marry."

Her eyes narrowed, "Cersei Lannister?"

"Yes." He replied nodding his head.

Valaena faced forward again, her mind running with what he had just told her. The girl was trouble. She liked to cook up schemes all the time, and with Elia on constant bed rest, it was easy for her to bring the court ladies to her side.

Tsk.

Even after all this time, the obsessed girl still hadn't given up on her father. Valaena could bet her life to the thought Cersei Lannister prayed for Elia to die so she could become the next queen. The girl would probably come up with some plan to try and get her children on the throne.

Valaena scoffed, like that would ever happen while she lived.

But why would she try and convince Aerys to make Jaime...her eyes narrowed. The two were very close, much too close to be justified by being twins. She had seen them share these glances between them, going into rooms together and leaving much later...

Valaena wanted to slap herself at her stupidity, they were fucking.

The Lannister Twins were fucking.

And because they were fucking, Cersei Lannister wanted Jaime Lannister to always be close by, and if she became queen...who better to protect her and her twin brother, who also happened to be her lover. But where would that leave her father? What use was a knight of the Kingsguard that didn't put the life of the King and his heir first?

But on the other hand...a devilish smirk found its way onto her face, she could make use of this, after all, what guarantee was there that she would even be queen and Jaime was well on his way to becoming one of the greatest swordsmen that Westeros had ever seen.

So she would let it happen, a spring journey could always use a game.

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Drop a review and tell me what you thought!