DISCLAIMER: I don't own HP or ASOIAF
The Taming of Dragons
Lady Minerva Dragatto stood beside King Aragorn of Valyria as he chaired the daily court in the crystal palace.
There were times when she sat on his throne and presided over the court in his absence, especially when he rode to Dragon's Bastion to meet with his children and her Hadrian.
Minerva couldn't be happier than she was now. She had detested Dragonstone and Britainnos. Unlike her sister she had always wanted to return to Valyria, her father's home and become a dragon rider. Unfortunately she could never fulfil her dreams and was forced to live as the Lady of Dragonstone.
Not anymore, Minerva thought as the daily proceeding of the court ended and the ministers and nobles bowed out from the great hall.
As Aragorn stood up from his throne, Minerva made an effort to bow to him but he quickly chided her to not do so, saying that he felt embarrassed when she did so.
"It is important to show the King the respect that he deserves." Minerva replied as her great nephew asked her to walk with him to his solar.
"But you are the Lady of Dragonstone, the daughter of Draig Dragatto the Greatest Dragon Mage ever." Aragorn said, emphasising on her station and what it meant in Valyria, "Technically, you should be ruling." He further added.
Minerva heartily laughed as she shook her head in denial, "I don't think I'm quite meant for ruling Aragorn." She chuckled, "but I dare say Elene would make a good Queen. She has the wits, the wisdom and the will." Minerva added as she spoke of the young princess.
"And whimsical, My Lady" Aragorn added, "or should I say a little too impulsive." The King said coming to a sudden halt in the middle of the corridor.
Minerva stopped in her tracks as well and turned to face Aragorn, "She'd have made a Great Queen Aragorn."
"Yes, but she is not my heir." Aragorn said, beginning to walk again at a slower pace than usual.
"Daughters seldom are." Minerva replied in an unusually dry voice.
Aragorn didn't comment and hastily took his leave from Minerva who continued to walk down the corridor to her own solar.
She'd have walked only a few footsteps when another pair of feet fell in step beside her.
"You are not very subtle while showing your fondness for the Princess, my lady" the man cloaked in white said in his deep baritone.
Minerva whirled on the spot and turned around to face her White Knight, her fiery eyes boring into his calm grey ones.
"I'll not be spoken to like that Valiyal" Minerva said, her voice threatening and full of malice.
"It's Regel" the White Knight replied, in a slightly raised but calm voice.
"Don't forget your place." Minerva threatened, "You swore an oath…" she began with a finger raised towards him but before she could complete the sentence the knight cut in.
"Don't remind me of my oaths, my lady." Regel said, maintaining his composure.
"You swore an oath to Hadrian" Minerva said, "I don't see you protecting him." She mocked, knowing full well that Regel wasn't allowed to set foot on Dragon's Bastion.
"Nor can you, my lady" Regel said his voice lighter than a whisper, "And might I remind you that you are a Dragatto by birth." The White knight said before he turned his back to the Lady of Dragonstone, leaving her fuming and writhing in anger.
Sitting up on his bed and staring out of the window, that is how Prince Elrohir found his cousin Hadrian when he went to fetch him from the barracks for their evening meal.
"I don't understand why you make it a point to see the setting sun." Elrohir complained, not hiding the annoyance in his voice.
"I find it beautiful" Hadrian replied, unperturbed by what the Prince had said, "and especially when the sea turns a molten gold and the sky an ochre yellow." He further added his voice an epitome of calmness.
Elrohir waited for Hadrian and didn't speak until the sun had set completely. When it did, Hadrian got up from his bed and joined his brother at the door of the barracks from where they began to walk to the central hearth in complete silence.
"Do you wish to go home?" Elrohir asked, his curiosity hidden.
"I'm still giving thought to that question myself." Hadrian answered, knowing fully well which home Elrohir had asked him about. He hadn't meant the Crystal Palace in Tyria which had been Hadrian's home for as long as he remembered. No, Elrohir was referring to their great-great grandfather's seat in the western empire on the continent of Britainnos.
"What would you suggest me to do?" Hadrian asked his cousin as they neared the central hearth.
Elrohir sighed, "I'd suggest that you don't need to go anywhere. Your home's with us Hadrian." He said with a genuine smile on his face and walked ahead leaving Hadrian behind rooted on the spot.
It wasn't often when Regel got a chance to beat Minerva at her own game.
In the years that had passed Regel had been forced to remember lessons regarding court and politics that he had long forgotten and now as his childhood lessons helped him survive the Valyrian court and politics, he couldn't help thank his parents for those gruelling long hours that they spent teaching him and Sirius.
Regel's thought process stopped as he thought of his brother, it always did when he thought of him.
Sirius was King and Lord Protector of Britainnos.
There were times when Regel often thought about what would happen when he would return to Britainnos with Harry. Would his brother return the crown to its rightful Heir? And if not, would Regel have the courage to spill the blood of his own family? Would he then be able to keep his oath?
No, he would rather die than break his oath and he was certain that if the Prince laid claim to the throne Sirius would more than happily give it back to Hadrian.
He sighed as he thought of his Prince. Half a year had passed since he had last met the Prince.
As a youngling, the Valyrian term for a child the Prince when not in company of his cousins usually spent time with him, his Valiyal, the Valyrian term for Sworn Guardian.
The Queen of Dawn, Lady Arwen Dragatto had christened him with the term much to Minerva's disgust. While Minerva never denied the affection that Regel held for the Prince, she also never expressed any appreciation for him either.
Truth be told, Minerva wanted Regel gone for he was the last link that the Prince had to Britainnos and his parents.
It angered Minerva whenever Hadrian spoke of Britainnos and every time he inquired about it. Minerva was content in her new life as the Lady of Accem and Dragonstone, the latter of which she didn't hold. She didn't want to return to Britainnos and didn't want Hadrian to go back either for reasons known only to her.
Over the years she had convinced him of his station as a Prince of the Valyrian Royal family and in Regel's opinion overwhelmed the boy with the burden to become the most powerful dragon rider there ever had been. While it was true that she had his best interests in heart, Regel wasn't sure how many of those interests were her own.
A growl escaped past his lips as the thought of Minerva and her scheming began to fill his mind.
"There's a dragon inside of you as well." came a tinkling voice from behind him.
Sighing, Regel closed his eyes for a brief moment and turned to face the woman to whom the voice belonged.
He bowed his head as a mark of respect to the King's sister, Lady Narya of Dragon's Keep.
Narya tsked, clearly annoyed at Regel and she walked towards him with her robes swirling around her.
"You are the Valiyal of the Prince of Dragonstone." Narya exclaimed, "You should not bow to me."
A smile made its way to Regel's lips as the two began to walk together, "And you should not express annoyance so easily My Lady. It is unbecoming of someone of your station."
"That's why my father didn't choose me as his Heir." Narya said in a bitter voice but Regel knew she held no contempt for her brother, the King.
"Women seldom do, My Lady" Regel added, somewhat hesitantly knowing full well how easy it was to offend the Dragon Sorceress. He seemed to be in luck though, "That's sad now isn't it." She replied, noncommittal on her thoughts regarding the matter.
"I know that the Lady of Accem wishes for the Princess to ascend to the throne." Regel said, his voice a whisper now.
"Careful Valiyal" Narya said teasingly, "You wouldn't want someone to rat you out the Lady of Accem.", she added with a smile playing across her lips.
Regel gave a throaty laugh, "I choose my company wisely, My Lady"
"And I mine" Narya said, sneaking a glance towards the white knight as they walked to the glass gardens.
A conch horn in the middle of the night woke the riders from their sleep.
When it was blown for a second time, the riders hastened to wear their leathers and armour.
Before the horn could be blown for the fifth time, one could hear several footfalls making their way to the central keep of Dragon's Bastion.
Among a hundred or so soldiers stood a dozen odd dragon mages donning armour made of Valyrian steel.
In front of the gathering stood the Elder Council of Dragon's Bastion and the Valyrian freehold.
In the far corner stood, Lady Haveira, the only woman on the Elder's council and the most powerful water mage the Valyrians had yet to see.
On the other side stood Arch mages Palleion and Kovin, they served as battle masters in Dragon's Bastion and war tacticians in the event of war or war like situations in the King's council.
At the head of the council stood, Lord Gawain Dragatto, the only dragon rider among the four gathered members of the Elder Council.
Many among the ranks of the dragon riders felt that a mockery had been made out of the Elder Council for it only seated one dragon mage. There were those who felt that the other five seats on the Elder Council should also be filled with dragon riders or mages.
Hadrian thought differently.
To him the Elder Council seemed well balanced in terms of power as Lord Gawain Dragatto alone could be considered equivalent in all aspects to all the five councillors put together.
The fifth councillor was surprisingly missing from the meeting, Lady Anarya Dragatto, Guardian of Valyria and the King's Valiyala.
"You know why you have been summoned?" Lord Gawain asked of the gathered knights and riders, each of whom fell silent when the High Councillor opened his mouth speak.
Lord Gawain's eyes scoured those who were assembled but soon they came to rest upon a young girl standing amongst warriors much older than her.
It seemed that the girl realised that she was meant to answer a question which was never asked but then again she gave the right answer, "To protect Valyria, My Lord with fire and blood." She said and as she spoke the last three words, her forest green eyes enflamed with determination.
A smile found its way to Gawain's mouth.
"Yes child. We'll protect Valyria with fire and blood." He said his voice turning grave.
Addressing the gathered warriors he then said, "Fleets of Ghiscari ships from the new cities and the ruined islands have been seen sailing towards Valyria. There are over a hundred warships and so many galleys and cogs that a number could not be determined." His eyes darkened as he completed the sentence.
Hadrian could feel the chill in the air accompanied by the silence, the silence of death and gloom.
The Ghiscari were the Valyrians' mortal enemies. The two had been fighting each other for centuries to gain control over the Eastern Continent. For centuries the Valyrians had proved their might and authority on the strength of their dragons and the magic associated with them but in the last century and especially during the last few decades, few dragons had been born and of those few only a handful survived to adulthood and bonding with a rider.
Dragon's bastion was home to twenty three dragon riders, eight apprentice riders and eleven fledglings.
The latter was useless for anything except spurting fire and defence of a castle while the dragon riders and their apprentices could cause havoc and rain death over invading armies but then again even dragons were not completely immune to weapons. While they could survive several mortal injuries, they could be killed and it was easier to kill them if there rider was injured or killed before them.
This was the technique most Ghiscari commanders had adopted over the decades and had succeeded as well only to be thrown back.
Valyrians had time and again snatched victory from destructions maw. So far they had been lucky but as Hadrian studied Lord Gawain's face, uncertainty began to set in and with it anxiety.
"You will all ride with the wind before the break of day and rain fire on the enemies." He said as he turned his back to the gathered knights and riders and walked away with the Council falling in step behind him.
Hadrian backed away as well and fell into the shadows.
He needed to know more about this and he knew just what to do to gather more information.
A/N: Review. It'd be great to have feedback from you guys.