~ Chapter one ~

Aelora huffed as she slipped through a narrow hidden passage way in the red keep, when she was sure no one was around she hurried along towards her elder Sisters chambers. When she heard that Rhaenyra's labor's were in motion the first thing she did was sneak away from the cruel looking guard that her mother had positioned outside her chambers.

It was strangely quiet when she arrived, pushing open the door to find no sign of her sister, only servants cleaning up the place.

"Where is Rhaenyra?" She asked the woman closest to her.

The woman jumped at the question, bowing her head before speaking, "Princess, the queen asked that the baby be taken to her right away and Princess Rhaenyra insisted on taking him herself."

To that Aelora frowned spinning on her heal and shouting a thank you to the woman as she ran. The majority of the people that resided in the red keep were painfully aware of the young girls need to run around the place so they had gotten used to jumping out of her way.

She slowed her pace when she had gotten to the top of the staircase, still walking with speed across the corridors. A small grunt left her lips as she looked up and was met with irritating face of Ser Criston Cole, her mother's personal guard, that she herself despised.

"Out of my way Cole." The princesses violet eyes glared at the man who moved aside at her command.

"Yes Princess." He nodded biting his inner cheek.

With fury she burst into the room, not bothering to be announced. Both of her parents were in the room along with Rhaenyra and her husband Ser Laenor, all four of their heads swiveled. Alicent looked furious at her daughter, whilst the other three adults smiled to her.

"Aelora! Have you come to meet your nephew." Viserys chimed as he cradled the new born babe.

"Mother, you really could not have waited a few days. My sister shouldn't be galavanting around the place minutes after giving birth." She hissed.

"It's okay Lor, I'm perfectly capable." Rhaenyra gave a warm smile to the girl, a smile that Aelora could see right through.

Turning her back to her mother, Aelora stood on her tip toes at her father's side so that he didn't have to lean down too far. She raised a hand to move the blanket down a little so she could look at the beautiful little infant.

"Nephew, you said. He's a boy." She turned back towards her sister, with a gleaming smile. "Have you named him yet?" She asked, her eyes flickering towards Laenor.

"Just a moment ago, we decided on Joffrey." Laenor nodded.

"Now, father. Shouldn't Rhaenyra be resting?" She looked up at the man through her eyelashes, half pouting because she knew that always made him agree.

"Your daughter has exerted herself heroically, your Grace." Laenor added.

"Of course." Viserys smiled at the bundle in his arms once more before handing him over to his wife.

Rhaenyra stood from her seat as Alicent cooed at the baby, discreetly looking at his dark hair. Once Joffrey had been handed to Laenor, they left the room with Aelora following close behind.

When they got to the nursery they were greeted by Rhaenyra's two elder son's, Jacaerys and Lucerys along with the commander of the gold cloaks, Ser Harwin Strong who was watching the two boys play.

"Mother. Look." Jacaerys jumped to his feet and hurried to show off the dragon's egg.

Lucerys smiled sheepishly to Aelora before looking at his mother, "We chose an egg for the baby."

"Ahh, that looks like the perfect one." Rhaenyra glanced at the egg as Ser Harwin helped her sit down.

"It's beautiful." Aelora said as she peered her head far too close to the heated pot that the dragon egg resided in.

"I let Luke choose." The elder boy told his mother.

"Thank you, Jace." The younger smiled up at him.

Aelora sat herself in the chair next to Rhaenyra's, quietly whispering to her. "{Well done, sister.}"

"Not everyday an egg leaves the dragon pit, Princess. I thought it best to escort the lads." Harwin spoke, looking down at Rhaenyra.

"Laenor and I thank you, Commander."

The man smiled, taking his eyes off her for a second too look at the baby. "Another boy, I heard."

Aelora stood and straightened out her dress, walking over to a shelf of books and grabbing the one she thought looked the most interesting.

"Nephews, are you coming to the dragon pit?" Aelora asked the two boys who were younger than her.

"Father, first may I hold Joffrey?" Luke asked holding out his arms towards the baby.

"No, no. Go on, with Aelora and back to the dragon pit before they send out a search party." Laenor ushered his sons towards the girl and out the door.

✵ ✵ ✵

Aelora, Jace and Luke joined her elder brother Aegon and her twin brother Aemond in the dragon pit, Aegon groaning in annoyance when he set eyes on his sister.

"Why do you even join us, all's you do is sit in the corner and read." He snapped, earning a laugh from the rest of the boy's.

"{Fool}" she spoke making Aegon's eyes narrow at her out of spite, he hated it when she used high Valyrian because he only ever bothered to learn the words he needed.

Satisfied, the girl rolled her eyes and walked to her designated corner, slumping herself to the floor. She began to read as the boy's messed about, only looking up when Jace's dragon, Vermax, was brought up. Her eyes studied the creature as it walked, his scales turning a lighter shade of green where the light hit.

Vermax turned his head towards the Princess, making eye contact with the girl and letting out a soft purr like growl. Aelora chuckled under her breath and resumed her reading and Vermax's attention focused on Jace.

It was a rather unusual gift that Aelora possessed, whilst not being a dragon rider herself, she seemed to be the only person that had the effect she did on the winged beasts. The dragons she had grown up with had always allowed her to do as she pleased. When the princess was just five years old she almost got her nursemaid killed when the little girl ran to hug Syrax, who had just landed in kings landing with Rhaenyra, the nursemaid tried to stop her and in return ended up covered in Syrax's saliva due to a warning roar.

Aelora furrowed her brows, looking over her book at the four boys when she heard her twins name and the word surprise in the same sentence. Luke ran off as Aegon teased Aemond due to his lack of a dragon and Jace went along with it, Aelora felt a weight in her chest so she set down her book and kept her eyes glued to them knowing that something was about to happen.

The princess reached down to her ankle and unsheathed the dagger that she had strapped to her calf at all times, out of fear for her twin. Lucerys ran up from one of the pit's with a large pig, fake wings strapped to its back. Aelora stood up slowly trying not to be angry at her elder brother and nephews.

"Behold..." Aegon shouted.

"The pink dread!" Jace and Luke joined in, the three of them laughing at Aemond.

Anger and the desire to lessen her twins embarrassment took over the girl as she marched over too them dagger in hand as they continued to tease.

"Aelora, what are you doing?" Luke questioned as he moved to stand behind Jace.

She took the dagger and stabbed it into the pigs throat, pulling the blade through the neck towards herself. Blood splattered out covering the boys and herself, she turned towards them and held her head high.

"Now it's the pink dead." She gave them all a look and they all backed away besides Aemond who was smiling at her.

"Do you have to ruin everything." Aegon half screeched as he wiped blood spatter from his face, though it only made it worse.

Once the three boys had walked away Aelora stepped out of the pooling pigs blood and took hold of Aemonds hand. He looked from the pig, to their hands, and then to her face, immediately the pair started giggling.

Aelora let go of his hand and stared to walk down in to the darkness of the pit, halfway down she turned back to her twin, "well, are you coming or not?"

Aemond nodded his head and ran down to catch up with her. The twins spent a lot of time down there, it was one of the main reasons that the two of them attended the training sessions that their brother and nephew's had with their dragons, an attempt to tame the twins curiosity. Aelora led the way, running her hands along the walls with a smile on her face because she enjoyed it down there.

Aemond on the other hand was using the wall to steady himself as he walked, his features flinching a little as the sound of dragons growling echoed around them. A gust of air blew past them making a few stray hairs fall from the white braids a top Aelora's head, she turned to her brother with excitement.

"Dreamfyre." She whispered so low Aemond almost didn't hear her.

Rounding the corner the princess looked up at the dragon that towered over her, barely visible due to the darkness. Dreamfyre lifted her head as she moved forward, she lowered her head then coming almost face to face with the girl. As Aemond came around the corner Dreamfyre let out a loud roar and Aelora ducked down against the wall quickly, once again Dreamfyre's head was high as she let out a breath of fire towards the boy. Aemond fell backwards to the floor, scrambling to get up and run back the way they came.

"{Be calm, Dreamfyre.}" Aelora's tone soft yet loud.

The dragon retreated backwards and Aelora sighed, running after Aemond to see if he was okay. Though when she got outside, one of the kings guard was waiting for her, Aemond already staring at his boots beside him covered in soot, dirt and dried blood.

✵ ✵ ✵

The twins were brought straight to their mother, something that happened a lot. Aelora dragged her feet as the guard held them both by an arm each, she grunted as the door was opened revealing Alicent and their elder sister Helaena.

"Your Grace."

"Aemond!" Alicent hurried over to her son, before turning to the girl beside him. "Is this your fault?" She questioned her daughter.

"No I-" Aelora started to defend herself but was cut off.

"They did it again." Helaena spoke.

"After how many times the two of you have been warned, must I have you confined to your chambers!" She turned to Aelora, "not that it would do you any good, as I seem to remember that's where you were supposed to be when you came barging in on my inspection of Joffrey."

Aemond started rambling tear filled excuses to their mother, Aelora stepped out of her firing line and moved closer to Helaena.

"Your obsession with those beasts goes beyond understanding!"

"They gave me a pig!" Aemond cried out.

"A what?" Alicent looked confused.

"They said they found a dragon for me." He spoke.

Aelora heard Helaena say something to the insect that she was holding, choosing to ignore it as her brother carried on.

"But it was a pig."

"A now dead pig." Aelora added earning a scorned look from her mother.

"You killed it?" She asked her daughter wide eyed.

Aelora nodded, "I'm sick of them ridiculing us for not having dragons."

Alicent sighed, rubbing Aemonds arm and reaching over to hold Aelora's hand. "You will have Dragons one day, both of you."

"He'll have to close an eye. She'll have to learn to fly." Helaena muttered making Aelora's head turn towards her sister.

Aemond's voice lowered sadly, "they all laughed."

With that Alicent released Aelora's hand and pulled Aemond in for a hug, so Aelora let out a long breath and went to sit with her sister as she continued to pass the long creature from one hand to the other.

✵ ✵ ✵

Alicent didn't know how to contain her youngest daughters wild nature, more so she hated the fact that she could not control her the way she did her other children. It had gotten to the point where Alicent was running out of options, which is why when Tyland Lannister brought his daughter with him to court she recruited their help.

Lanna Lannister was the same age as Aelora and a mess of golden sun packed into a person, bubbly and bright, eager to please her father. She was a pawn in the Queens game, unaware of what she was actually being told to do.

Alicent had told her that she was to be the princesses companion, to be there for her whenever she needs her and gain her trust, most importantly to always tell the truth when the Queen asks questions. Lanna didn't understand that this wasn't a normal companionship. Tyland on the other hand knew exactly what the Queen was doing and let her use his daughter anyway in the hopes that she may favor him in the future.

✵ ✵ ✵

Aelora was stroking a raven that had landed on her windowsill, laying out seeds she watched as the bird pecked away. The loud noise of her mother being announced scared the raven off, Aelora turned to glare at her mother but raised an eyebrow at the smiling young girl beside her.

"Mother?"

"Aelora, this is Tyland Lannister's daughter, Lanna." The woman smiled falsely, "I thought you could keep her company whilst she's here."

Aelora saw through her mothers lies straight away, "{I do not need my mother to buy my friends for me}" she spat.

"How many times must you be told..." Alicent rubbed her palm across her head, "use the common tongue, girl."

Aelora rolled her eyes, repeating herself in the common tongue with twice the venom in her voice. Lanna blinked slowly looking between mother and daughter, her smile slowly dropping.

"I am not buying you friends, Aelora. I simply wish that Lanna enjoys her time here, for her not to feel alone." Alicent shook her head at her daughter before turning to Lanna and telling her something then leaving the room.

Aelora took another look at the girl and sighed returning to her windowsill. After a few moments she was joined by Lanna who looked over the side and gasped at the height.

"Gods were high up." She said leaning her back against the wall.

"I don't need a companion and I certainly don't need one that my mother arranged for me." Aelora spoke not looking at her.

"That's fine, I don't think I'd like to be friends with someone so crude and impolite."

Aelora looked at her then, sun shining down making her hair look like it was weaved with actual gold as it blew in the breeze.

"You know I'm pretty sure I could have you exiled for insulting a princess." She mirrored Lanna's sitting position.

Lanna shrugged, "not an insult, an observation, Princess." She faced the white haired girl, "I choose my own friends, they are not thrust upon me. Even by the Queen."

That made Aelora smile, "I was only crude and impolite, as you put it, towards my mother. I meant no offense."

"So can we pretend that she didn't walk me in here and we met of our own accord."

"I suppose so."

"It's good to meet you Princess, I'm Lanna Lannister." She held out her hand.

"Call me Aelora, pleased to meet you." She giggled shaking the outstretched hand.