A/N:... not a lot of feedback, I see. That's a crying shame. We really worked hard on this...T_T
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As promised here we are. Advent helped me write this. Had to hide some of the previews, didn't want to spoil things.
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"Long May She Reign."
~?
Rise of the Red Queen
Rhaenys snuck into the Dragonpit in the dead of night.
None of the guards witnessed her, nor did the Keepers on patrols see her as she snuck into the great building holding the last dragon's in the world.
It wasn't hard. Quite the contrary. Frightfully easy if anything. No one thought she would be here, and thus, there were none to stop her. Even as a girl of only ten and three years old, she knew her way in and out of this place without fail, so it shouldn't have been a surprise for a Princess such as herself to enter these hallowed tunnels while no one was about..
Down she went into the depths without fear, without hesitation, without any regret.
She had a broad idea of where most of the other dragons were located. This was different from Dragonstones were older legends dwelt. There was Caraxes as well as Dreamfyre, Seasmoke, Vermithor with Silverwing and of course, Balerion the Black Dread. That one...the princess knew well to avoid. She was brave, yes, but not suicidal. Old though he was, the Dread would snap her up in a single bite.
To blunder upon the wrong dragon in these tunnels may well mean her doom.
But she was not afraid. Besides, tonight she sought another.
Meleys.
The Red Queen they called her, for good bloody reason.
Her rider, the Princess Alyssa Targaryen, had recently passed in childbirth, leaving brave, noble Meleys to be chained down without a rider.
She would release her from her chains and then...well, she would either find glory or death, depending on her mercurial mood or...
.
..
...wait.
What was that noise?
Threading her way through the tunnels, quiet as a cat, she paused as her path branched out into an open chamber.
There. She could see the telltale shape that she knew so well, and secretly admired besides.
Sneaking towards the massive shape she sought, Rhaenys paused when she came across a rather...peculiar sight she couldn't quite comprehend.
You see, there was a boy there. He was pinned by a silently purring Meyles, whose soft trills spoke of just how happy she was to have him under her. Which was strange as she could not recognize the boy as either a guard, a Targaryen, nor even one of the Dragon Keepers-and those were a old order from the days of the Freeholds that moved to Essos around the time of the Doom.
He was handsome enough in a boyish way she supposed, bearing striking blue eyes and unique markings on his face that typically associated him with a tribal heritage. Shame about his outfit though; it had seen better days; now it was a tattered black and orange mess, that barely clung to his battered body. At a glance, she would say he was ten and five years of age mayhaps, but his gaze seemed older, wiser, calmer somehow, as though he'd seen all this world had to offer and patiently endured it all.
The boy turned to her as she opened the gate and chuckled nervously, "A little help here? She hasn't let me up for the last three hours."
Well, well. Color her impressed.
For one, he was alive when dragon's tended to stay away from people they perceived as either threats or ill intended.
Secondly, Meyles was actually purring, which she never did for anyone~ hell, even the Keepers had to be careful with her as she was just as likely to burn someone who came to close, except members of her family.
Third, he wasn't showing even an iota of fear! Did he he have balls of steel or something?!
Rhaenys blinked when she realized he was asking her to help him, but then remembered where he was and crossed her arms across her budding chest, "Before I do anything I must know, who are you? Where did you come from?! How did you get in here without the guards spotting you?" each question came one after the other, causing the blond boy to wince.
She was a princess, she had to have at least some decorum of responsibility if she were to inherit her grandfather's throne after all.
He gave her a dull look, "Well I could ask you the same...
She huffed and rolled her eyes, "A gentleman should give their name first."
He chuckled again, his eyes beaming brightly as his smile spread across his face, "Fair enough." he said eagerly, "In order, Naruto Uzumaki is the name, the earth opened up in the middle of a fight and dumped me just outside this place, and as for the last, nobody could find me because, in case you haven't noticed, I'm very much stuck under this dragon. Happy now?" He beamed at her and let a question of his own hang before her. "And you are...?"
Rhaenys cleared her throat, "I see, yes, that would explain some of what I am seeing." she said calmly before standing up straight and lifting her chin to address him. "You have the honor of addressing the princess of the Seven Kingdoms and future heir to the Iron Throne, Rhaenys Targaryen." she answered him strongly.
Naruto nodded whimsically, "Good name." he responded.
She wasn't about to let him off with just that; she pointed a finger at the massive red dragon he was laying underneath, "And another thing. That's my dragon."
Melesy trilled once.
Naruto balked with wide eyes, "She is?" He sounded awestruck, such was his exclamation. "That's amazing!"
Rhaenys blushed, turning away slightly as she felt she needed to actually clarify, "Well, no but I came to claim her." she rectified.
The blond boy pushed against Meyles head and grunted in effort when the Red Queen made no move to rise, "Yea, well good luck with that one. You're more than welcome to her if it means letting me up." he gave up and flopped back to the ground as the might beast groaned and continued to snuggle him some more.
Try as she might, he young princess giggled despite herself. "Should I come back at a later time, perhaps when she has finished entertaining you?"
"Ack!" he grunted as Meyles plopped her head down on his stomach and chest, her tongue popping out to lick him across the face, "Bad dragon, no licking!" he strained to push her away.
"She seems to be quite attached to you, which is surprising." Rhaenys acknowledged.
"Oh yea, well, rather than stand there laughing, get this lizard off of me!" Naruto grunted, "She's starting to get heavy and my back is hurting from her constantly trying to plop down on my body."
"Do you have an itch you can't scratch?" Rhaenys tilted her head, mimicking her mother, or rather, how she'd once seen her act. "I could reach it for you, but what would you do for me?"
"I don't give a damn, tell bird-brain over her I ain't a pillow for her to lay her head down!" his voice piqued in desperation, "Please? I'd really rather not hurt her...
As if he could wound a dragon. An impish grin tugged at the corner of her mouth, "I could keep you here. You'd be my prisoner."
A blond brow rose, "Please don't." he stated desperately, clearly he didn't much fancy being a dragon's toy.
That settled it. She liked this one, "Do you have a calling?"
He blinked in confusion as he stopped trying to fight in getting her dragon off his chest, "A what now?"
Rhaenys rolled her eyes, "A profession."
"Oh!" he grinned excitedly, "Yea, I have a profession, but..." he looked at her cautiously, "What do I get for telling you?" he questioned.
"Do you want the dragon off of you or not?" she put both hand on her hips.
"Geez, you're worse than Pervy Sage or Granny Tsunade." he muttered.
Granny who...? She ignored the names and raised a brow, "Well, tell me, what is your profession?" she asked him.
"Ugh, fine, I'm a ninja ya'know!" he flung up his arms with an exasperated shout. "Now will you get this damned thing off me already!"
Rhaenys could have sworn to her dying days, if this Naruto's feet were able, he'd be kicking them like a man would do to get the little horny dogs of one's legs.
She gave a little giggle and relented, "Very well, but you must tell me more of these Ninja you speak of."
"Yea sure, whatever you want." he agreed. "M'legs are going numb here...
"Meyles, off!" Rhaenys commanded in her mother tongue.
With a sullen complaint, the massive drake rose up off the boy, moved a single past to the east, and promptly laid back down.
Rhaenys watched her move, admiring the majesty of her. A shame, it would have been a great time to claim her as her mount, oh well-she could always return later for her.
.
..
...she could, but she was young and impatient and did not wish to wait.
She held a hand out to Naruto as the massive she-dragon grunted and snorted at the boy backing away from her, only for her gaze to follow him as she skid across the stone basin of the floor like a dog seeking attention. Turning to the young girl, he took her hand and smirked as she hoisted him to his feet.
"Thanks, I thought I was gonna be pinned under her until tomorrow." he said happily.
"Yea, sure, but next time, try and stay away from the doors unless you wish to become a snack for the dragons." she said looking at him with crossed arms.
"Yea, sure, I'll keep it in mind." he nodded.
His stomach growled and pity stirred in her heart.
She was not so crass to ignore a clearly hungry peasant standing before her.
"Come, I will have the maids inside the keep cook you a meal, I still wish to hear more about these ninja you spoke of before." she said pointedly.
Meleys made an irritated noise akin to a growl, demanding attention.
"Yes, yes," she dared to touch the dragon's snout. "We'll feed you, too. Its not fair for you to remain down here in the dark so soon after losing your rider. You must be losing your mind down here..."
Said growl tapered off into a low trill as she stroked her snout; almost as though the dragon understood her and was grateful for the apology. No, surely not. Such was impossible. Dragons, no matter how fantastical, were not human. Clever, yes, quick and cruel and capricious, prone to just as many emotions as a human, but they could never be human. No matter how much they might wish to.
No reason to treat them with disrespect, however.
Fixing the red dragon in her sights, she raised a hand and spoke slowly in High Valyrian. "Will you obey me, old girl?"
Meleys raised her head from and bridled, neck-spines arching.
Rhaenys dared to scoot closer, and laid her head upon the dragon's muzzle.
Meleys let her. She supposed that was a better start than most. The Red Queen could've eaten her outright...
Her heart hitched a little. Was this it, then? Had she been accepted?
Meleys laid her neck on the ground, allowing Rhaenys to glimpse the saddle atop her back. Her heart hitched and for a moment, just a moment, she found herself unable to speak. Did that boy have something to do with this? Was he the reason Meleys was so calm, why she had so readily accepted her? She hardly knew. But she wasn't about to look a gift-dragon in the mouth here, no siree!
How she ached to go flying with her right now...!
"Man, you sure don't beat around the bush do you?" Naruto questioned behind her. "She must like you."
"Indeed, skirting around information is a sure-fire way to end up dead." she responded, drawing back and resolving to take her first flight at another night. "Come, let us get you something to eat." whiling in a swirl of silk, she began to walk away.
Naruto followed behind her, heading towards the doors, only to pause when he caught sight of a massive dragon of ebony and red scales further back in the dragonpit.
"Holy...!" He balked, looked at the massive black dragon slumbering on the ground, awe in his eyes, "Well what's his story?"
"That would be Balerion." Rhaenys stated as she gazed at the massive black dragon.
"Balerion?" he said the name again, tasting it aloud. "That's a neat name."
"It should be, he is the eldest dragon in the entire world. " merely saying it filled her with pride, lending her an echo of Aegon the Conquero's glory. "The last creature to ever see Valyria before it was destroyed."
"Don't suppose he'd be willing to let me ride him?" he grinned at her.
"Pfft, he's likely to eat you rather than let you ride him." Rhaenys crossed her arms. "Its your funeral."
Naruto laid a marked hand upon the massive dragon's snout and squinted at it for a long, ponderous moment. Balerion huffed once, creaked a massive eye open, then returned to his slumber.
"How long has he been sick?" Naruto questioned.
Rhaenys scoffed. "Sick? Dragon's can't get sick, silly."
Rather than be rebuffed, the stranger seemed sadly amused by that.
"Everyone gets sick sooner or later. Its our body's way of telling us to take better care of ourselves."
"I still don't think he's sick."
"Really?" he said as he looked at her and watched her nod, "Well, I mean, if that were true, then he would have stirred when we came near him, right?"
Rhaenys snorted, "And how would you know that?" she demanded.
"I grew up around animals, 'an older animals usually perk up and act excitable or eager to be around people when they reach their elder years." he said all these things as though they were common knowledge, that which everyone should know. "Cats and dogs are prime examples of this when they are getting ready to die, so they begin playing and drawing attention to themselves when they're getting ready to leave their mastes, ya know? It's an animal's instinct to mark their master's with their scents as much as possible, to make them happier and such before they die so as to allow them to leave peacefully.
Craning his neck back, he looked to Balerion.
"He's got any an old illness, probably from a scar or something." he said softly.
Rhaenyra felt her eyes widen at the revelations. She needed to get this boy to Grandfather-NOW!
"Come, now, we head to the Red Keep." she said as she grabbed his hand and began to drag him to his feet, heedless of the protest Meleys made. "This way!
Grandfather would want to hear this news-no, he must hear of this!
"What's the Red Keep?" the boy asked suddenly, startling her."
"It's the central location for all political power in Westeros, it's the seat of power for King's Landing." she told him urgently. "Sure you know of this...?"
Naruto shook his head in confusion, "Red keep? Kings landing?" he questioned before they exited the massive dome causing him to blink, "I'm a long way from home aren't I?"
Rhaenys tilted her head.
She had no way of knowing; naturally. Of how the future had just changed.
With this innocent encounter, the Queen Who Never Was...would one day become the Red Queen. Much like the very dragon she'd come to claim.
And today? She'd just met the man she'd marry, though neither of them knew it at the time.
Looking back, she would laugh at the irony.
(.0.0.0.)
Jaehaerys knew what it was to speak softly and carry a big stick.
The Old King they called him these days, Jaehaerys the Conciliator, the fourth Targaryen king and the longest-reigning king in the Seven Kingdoms' history. He who rode the bronze dragon Vermithor; the man who became king at the age ten and four. Since the death of Maegor in his tenure as King, he had faced many foes, many trials and many tribulations.
He had conquered them all.
But there was non so vexing as his granddaughter!
Many mourned the death of Princess Alyssa, but not she; he had an inkling he knew where his granddaughter had been last night, and it was nowhere good. There would be much chaos to come he knew; to say nothing of the complains his sons would surely field once they realized where the realm's last living princess was lurking.
As though summoned by that very thought, the doors to his chamber swept open as one.
The faint chimes of bell-like laughter that followed would be his one and only warning.
He nearly groaned anyway. Speak of the little terror and she shall appear!
"Grandfather, grandfather!" Princess Rhaenys chirruped happily, drawing a boy with golden hair and blue eyes into the room by the arm. "We must speak! Look who I found in the Dragonpit!"
Her "guest" dimpled and offered a weak wave with a selfsame smile besides. "Hello, there...?"
Jaeharys arched a pale brow. "And who are you...?"
A/N: The proud lord saaaaaaiiiid! *ahem* sorry, couldn't help myself.
Worry not, we haven't forgotten Corlys. He too has a part to play in the story, though we won't say what exactly whom just yet. Wouldn't do to spoil things.
Hope this little tidbit of a teaser made you smile! Would you like weekly updates?
As ever, reviews are the fuel that sustain me. Without them I cannot write a single word. Simple as that. Working nearly all hours of the day keep me absurdly busy, as such, I can't bring myself to write something folks don't like.
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So...in the Immortal Words of Atlas...Review...Would You Kindly?
Hope you enjoyed this, and may your day be filled with lots of luck!
Warm regards,
~Nz.
SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS!
PLOT DETAILS AHOY!
YE BE WARNED!
Read at your own risk!
As ever, these are from the far flung future...or are they~?!
Previews are mostly the same, wouldn't want to spoil things now.
(Previews!)
"You can use magic?" Rhaenys asked with wide eyes.
"I mean, yea, you never asked." Naruto responded.
"What else can you do?" she questioned excitedly.
"I mean, I can do all kinds of things. I hadn't perfected a lot of things, but I learned as much as I could before I found myself here." he said honestly.
"What, you want a piece of me!?" Naruto called out as Caraxes hissed at him, his maw filling with flame.
The hissing got fiercer, and with a roar, both struck one another, but only one succeeded. Caraxes' head shot back and up as Naruto snapped his fist into the crimson dragon's lower jaw.
"What, you think I'm afraid of you, a lizard with wings, I ain't scared of nothing!" the blond growled.
"So... let me see if I got this straight...you want me, to use a hammer?"
"Yea, I mean you told me that you can use lightning, air, and water right, I'd figured you like it." Rhaenys pointed out.
"Be that as it may, that is a terrible joke, but I'll see what it can do."
"Mjolnir, it was named Mjolnir." Rhaenys smiled at him.
"'Mjolnir, I like it." he said smiling, "You know what, it suits it."