Prologue
This is not home. Eileen thinks, her mind not being able to gather what is going on. She must be dreaming.
There is no other explanation, she must be dreaming. Yeah, that must be it.
Eileen turns, her long blonde hair covering her face as she falls asleep, too drowsy to understand what is happening.
Everything will surely be clearer in the morning.
Well, it isn't.
Panic begins to grip Eileen now, looking around at the beach she is finding herself on. This feels way too real for a dream.
Where am I? she thinks, finally managing to sit up. The sand crumbling beneath her fingers grounds her, and the wind almost ripping her apart, shatters her hope into pieces.
Wherever she is, it is not home.
She gathers the courage to stand up, her sundress almost being ripped to shreds by the howling wind.
Eileen manages to gather her surroundings, understanding she is on some beach.
She is grateful for the sun that is warming her, keeping in mind that she has no cover apart from the dress on her body and the scrunchy that keeps her hair bound. The sandals on her feet are broken, so Eileen decides to continue on her bare feet.
It is better than staying here.
Apart from the howling wind and crashing waves, she is alone. There is no one here.
Where am I? is the question that keeps on swirling in her mind, but even than her mind is mostly blank, as if her brain is still refusing to believe she is not at home, in bed, sleeping.
Soon, a castle of some sort appears. Eileen lets out a breath, her feet by now full of blisters caused by walking on the wet sand, the crashing waves against her lower legs not helping either.
She leaves the beach, and starts walking towards, the castle, sand giving away to green and eventually to rock.
Eileen has just stopped in front of the doors when she hears a shout.
'You! Girl! What are you doing here? Commoners are not allowed to enter Hightide without reason!'
Eileen takes a step back, eyebrows crunching in confusion.
Hightide? Commoner?
A gasp leaves her, as she instinctively takes another step backwards.
Are those swords and shields? Are they armed?
What is going on?
'Hey! Come here!' Someone calls out, two guards running her way.
Something is not right. Hindsight is 20/20, and she probably should not have, but Eileen bolts.
Before she knows it, she is stumbling back the way she came, bloody footprints left in her wake.
Before long, Eileen is running on the beach, but she is losing her speed. The sand is wet and sucking her feet in, and before Eileen knows it, she falls flat on her face, head smacking hard on the wet sand.
The guards have gone from two to about six, and she cannot stop but wonder why they are chasing her.
What is going on?
The fourteen year old allows a sob to come out, the panic and anxiety slowly creeping up her throat, her logic and numbness starting to crumble.
'Leave me alone!' she screams at the guards, stepping backwards, her dress and hair full of wet sand, her legs bleeding from small cuts, making little rivers of blood cascading down her legs.
'Come here, girl. We wish you no harm. We only want to understand what you are doing here.' The leader speaks up, holding up his hands in peace.
'I don't know where I am.' Eileen says, still keeping a wary look on them, ready to bolt at any moment.
'Why don't you come with us and we can figure it out, yes?'
Eileen nods, taking a step closer, until an arrow gets embedded in the sand right before her. And than another. And another.
'Stand down!' The leader shouts at the archers. 'She is but a child. Stand down!'
But the arrows keep coming, closer and closer, until one whizzes right by her ear. Eileen bolts again, starting once more to run from where she came.
'Stand down!' The head-guard curses. 'Grab her! You know who roams there! She will be dead if she comes any closer!'
Eileen keeps on running, the wind howling around her, her legs long since gone numb from the exertion. But still she keeps on going.
The guards are gaining on her, calling out warning after warning, but Eileen does not trust them. She keeps on running.
And than, a shadow and sand exploding everywhere.
It takes mere seconds, but Eileen skids to a halt, falling on her knees on the ground, her hands taking most of the impact.
A sound unlike she has ever heard comes from the lizard-like thing, Eileen scrambling back, eyes wide. It sounds like, a roar?
'Run, girl, run! He'll eat you!'
But Eileen is frozen in shock, as the monstrosity comes closer.
What she sees is blue, so much blue, scales and fins and horns?
A cry of fear leaves Eileen's lips as the head of the monster comes closer, head inches before her.
It opens it's mouth, but the agony of being eaten never comes.
The blonde opens her eyes, and sees a giant head right before her, seeming to take her in. Something akin to a purr comes out of it, as if aware she will run any moment now.
Is that a saddle? Or the remains of it?
Eileen sits up, eyes trained on the thing on the dragon's back. There must have been some sort of saddle but it seems long gone, only two handles and leather that goes around the dragon's neck to keep the saddle in place still visible.
Another arrow whizzes next to her, scraping her arm this time. Eileen lets out a whimper, an angry roar sounding next to her, causing her to cover her ears.
She gets up, but still the guards are coming to them, now arrows trained on the beast next to her.
The blue dragon, because it cannot be anything else, lets out another deafening roar, a ray of fire this time leaving it's mouth. It is a warning, not to come any closer.
A tail pushes her forward, Eileen hitting the side of the dragon. She can hear roars in the distance and the way the blue one is growling, sound increasing in volume, he wants to get out, now.
'You're too big!' she complains, sliding off his side. Her fingers start bleeding as well, opened up by the leather remains of the saddle.
The blue dragon pushes her one more time, lying flat on the ground, and this time she falls on his back, her hands grabbing the handles out of reflex.
'What are you doing?!' Eileen shouts, but she does not get any more time.
The dragon is hasty to leave, sitting up and starting running, throwing the guards away with his tail. One, two beats of wings and the dragon goes up, a scream leaving Eileen's lips as she holds on for dear life.
Before long, the arrows are no longer whizzing past them, but only the wind is keeping them company.
'Let me go!' Eileen screams, but the dragon refuses to listen, seemingly driven by instinct to get her up as high as he can. Because to him, nothing can hurt her here.
Until she sees a flash of red.
The dragon underneath her roars in warning at the red one.
And than, Eileen's world tilts. The dragon dives down at an unknown speed, the red dragon following them, screeching in warning.
'Please stop!' Eileen sobs, her fingers straining with the weight of holding on.
Eventually, a man's voice says something in a language she does not know. The dragon underneath her stops, hovering in the air, wings beating occasionally to keep his height.
'We do not want to harm her, Seasmoke. She is yours, you made that very clear.' Damon Targaryen says in Valyrian, Caraxes answering in a soothing purr to keep Seasmoke calm.
Seasmoke bares his teeth and growls, but remains where he is. 'Allow me to come closer and see how she is doing. Your rider is clearly scared and tired and hurt.'
Caraxes flies up, and stops next to Seasmoke, the dragon still growling in warning.
'Hello there.' Eileen looks to her left, a man with silver hair nodding in greeting. 'Why don't we get down and you let me look at those wounds?'
The blonde keeps silent, sizing up the man next to her.
'What is your name?'
Silence follows, but eventually she answers. 'Eileen.'
Damon nods, a small smile appearing on his lips. 'Let me help you, Eileen. Sitting in a dress full of blood and wet sand must not be very agreeable.'
Eileen weighs her options and eventually nods, her fingers loosening a bit. That is a mistake.
As Seasmoke beats his wings one more time, Eileen feels herself slipping, fingers letting lose.
The last thing she remembers is falling, the blue dragon grabbing her with a roar, and her world turning black.
She hears voices at first, but nothing more.
'Seasmoke was feral after Laenor's death! No one could get close to him! And you tell me, he shows up with this girl on his back?!'
Eileen eventually opens her eyes, a warm blanket draped over her, cushions surrounding her.
She is in a bed. A warm bed.
'She's awake.' Damon says, effectively shutting down the conversation.
The blonde girl looks at him, wary and clearly not at ease.
'Eileen is it?' The girl nods, moving a little bit as to widen the distance between them.
'Where are you from?' A female voice interrupts, one with also long silver hair.
'I'm not sure.' Eileen whispers; Damon giving Rhaenyra a warning look. 'I'm Damon and this is my wife Rhaenyra.'
The woman sighs, stopping at the bed.
'I really don't know where I am.' Eileen says again, swallowing the lump in her throat. Rhaenyra softens, giving her a small smile.
'Why don't we figure it out together. In the meantime, you can stay here.'
Eileen nods, not sure what else to say.
'Allright.' she answers softly, looking at the people in front of her. 'Allright.'
For better or for worse, she is here now, and she will make the best of it.
She has no other choice.