Chapter 32: Chapter 13: Beneath the Dragonmont (Part 2)

Three Days Later

Dragonstone

Nyel ran a hand over the rough stone sculpture, carved into the shape of a Dragon. The salty sea winds of the Gullet had faded its features but Nyel thought it had its own type of beauty.

Her mother smiled softly ‘’As children, your father and aunt and I had a game we would play, we would go through the castle and the towers and look for any sculpture or carving that resembled a dragon….I once counted over two hundred I believe….our father…your grandfather put a stop to it when he discovered your father climbing the outside of the Sea Dragon tower, looking for carvings.’’

Nyel laughed at that, she had enjoyed these stories of her mothers childhood, until now she only knew Dragonstone from reputation, but it was entirely different to see it in person.

After the funeral in Driftmark, instead of returning immediately to Kings Landing, her father had decided to take them to Dragonstone for a few days, her family's ancestral seat, thinking the children should see it.

The castle had been an impressive sight as their boat approached, dark and foreboding with the very castle itself seemingly taking flight with all the large stone dragon sculptures along its parapets and ramparts.

The castle was smaller than she had thought, however it was seemingly made larger by the massive Volcano called the Dragonmont that towered above the castle, which had been built into the very mountain itself.

Nyel and Visenya continued along the outdoor walkway, a warm wind coming in from the gullet.

Visenya pushed open a heavy oak door and gestured to Nyel to enter. Nyel followed and looked inside the chamber, which was filled with dark light from the four windows, stained black.

At the center of the chamber was a massive wooden table, some fifty feet long and in some places half as wide, the dark light in the chamber seemed to reflect off the heavily varnished and polished table, creating a sort of glow around it.

Nyels eyes widened at the impressive sight of it and she approached, running a hand down the smooth table until she reached Dragonstone.

‘’Your grandfather had it made for Aegon after he burned a Volantene fleet as a young man, your father was once quite influential in Essosi politics….but his true ambition always lay westwards….Your father and I and your aunt planned our invasion at this very table.’’ Visenya said, a hint of nostalgia creeping in at the end.

Aegon made visits to Dragonstone quite frequently to hold court and inspect the garrison, and Rhaenys often flew Meraxes to the gullet when she found the time, but Visenya was not a woman that liked to leave her children, and had not been back to the place of her childhood for several years.

‘’Why is there no Essos?’’ Nyel asked, she loved hearing tales of the East, particularly those from Norvos, where she had been born.

Visenya smiled ‘’Does it look like this chamber can fit a table that large….I shudder to think of the cost making one for Essos would cost….it would be near 100 feet wide…..though I suppose when you are lady of Dragonstone you can do as you please.’’

Nyel looked shocked ‘’Lady of Dragonstone.’’

Visenya nodded ‘’You were not meant to know of this now, and do not mention it to anyone in the court but your father means to make your brother Vaemond the Lord of Dragonstone when he comes of age to give him experience in ruling….and you shall rule alongside him.

Nyel was silent at that, in truth she did not know what to think about the prospect of marrying Vaemond. It was not so much the concept that was strange to her, she had known what would be expected of her to keep the bloodline pure, but she had a hard time thinking of Vaemond as anything but a brother, in truth the two were at an age where they seldom interacted and did their best to ignore each other.

Nyel nodded and looked outside the window, where her brother Vaemond was practicing his sword play under the watchful observation of the King and the knights of the Kingsguard.

‘’Is that why father has been spending so much time with him here?’’ Nyel asked. She had scarcely seen her father or brother the past few days. Almost immediately after landing her Lord father had ridden with Vaemond to the small nearby village of Derlyn and then to the adjacent keep of Windwrym, introducing Vaemond to the notable inhabitants.

Visenya nodded ‘’Your father wants to teach Vaemond the layout of the land he will one day rule.’’

‘’Does Vaemond know.’’  Nyel asked, the thought of her brother being a lord in a few years was an exciting prospect.

Visenya shook her head ‘’No…your father means to tell him on his 16th name day, and I would appreciate if you kept this between us Nyel.’’

Nyel nodded solemnly.

Visenya gestured for Nyel to follow ‘’Come….it's time you saw the garden.’’

They made their way through dark hallways and open air courtyards until at last, tucked away in an isolated courtyard, Visenya pushed open an Iron door and they entered a small open-air courtyard.

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The smell of pine hit Nyel immediately, as she wandered in. Dark trees grew on both sides of the courtyard, while wild roses, cranberry bushes, and neatly trimmed hedges filled the courtyard out. A small stone pathway led to a large obsidian sculpture in the shape of a dragon.

‘’Your aunt Rhaenys and I spent much time here….she used to write songs here, It is good to see the gardeners have looked after the place, it is not easy to maintain with the salt air.’’ Visenya said, looking around.

‘’I think i'll stay here a while mother.’’ Nyel said, suddenly tired, the air was warm and sweet smelling and the courtyard walls diverted most of the sea winds.

Visenya nodded, kissing her on the cheek before leaving to go attend to some business.

Nyel made her way to the Dragon Sculpture, placing her Dragon egg beside her before laying in the soft grass and before she knew it she was asleep.

She dreamt of Dragons, there were dozens of them, in every color imaginable, filling the skies of Dragonstone watching her, she could not understand how she knew, but in her dream she knew that they were long dead though somehow she found herself able to put names to every one.

Their wings created a howling wind which tore through the castle, in her dream Nyel was in the garden, looking up at them the wind beating against her face, picking up so much she was forced backwards, into the stone dragon.

She felt nothing at first, but then the stone dragon started to burn, turning bright red and orange, she reached out to touch it and felt a sudden flash of pain, she tried to pull her hand away but she could not, the dragon was burning her, hurting her.

Nyel awoke with a searing pain in her hand. When she opened her eyes to look at the source she saw that in her sleep she had grabbed her Dragon Egg, it had always been red, speckled with white but as she saw it now it was bright red, like a sword being forged by a smith.

Suddenly the egg began to slowly crack, from all sides, long black lines appearing on the previously smooth egg.

Nyel did not cry out and instead watched with fascination and excitement as the egg slowly destroyed itself.

Some time later, Visenya re-entered the garden, concerned that her daughter had not yet returned.

To her amazement she returned to not just Nyel, but also a small dragon, crimson red with horns white as bone with two long white stripes going down from the horns all the way to the tail.

The tiny dragon flapped through the garden, with Nyel close by, the dragon occasionally stopping its flight to rest upon her shoulders, her daughter scarcely noticed her.

Soon Aegon and Vaemond also appeared in the garden, a small crowd of stewards and guardsmen also forming.

Nyel turned to her family proudly as the tiny dragon perched upon her shoulder, giving a little roar.

‘’The first dragon to be born in the world in near seventy years.’’ her father said softly, his normally stern and lordly face broken out into a full grin, while Vaemond looked equally shocked.

‘’Mother what was the name of the bell in Norvos….the strong booming one.’’ The princess asked with a smile on her face.

‘’Narrah….’’ Visenya managed to say after a long period of silence, her eyes still transfixed on the little hatchling, born of an egg from her own dragon Vhagar.

‘’Just as that bell signals strength…so too will my dragon…I name it Narrah.’’ Nyel said happily.

The hatchling seemed to approve and let out another roar, this time a bit of smoke appeared, mixing with the heavy air from the volcano Dragonmont above them, seemingly standing watch over the event.

For the first time in seventy years, a new dragon had entered the world, though whether it would do good or evil, only the gods knew.

The Targaryen family's excitement would be lessened the next morning when Visenya received a raven from her connections to the south…there was a plot to kill the King of the Seven Kingdoms, and such a thing could only be repaid in blood.

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