( ACT III; the dawn of the dragon. )
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chapter three: the right time is on the horizon.

DAENERYS ran a boar bristled brush through Raina's long, midnight hair, her fingers following behind it to stroke the other woman's silky locks. As they remained in silence with each other, the princess began to realize something. For the first time in quite a long while, Daenerys Targaryen felt at peace.

There was in fact still issues presenting themselves to Vaegon's rule, and part of Daenerys was thankful it was not she that made all of the ultimate decisions as he did, with always having to hear the council of others and weigh who's advice was more valuable and fitting for whatever situation he was evaluating.

She was content with assisting in the hard fought journey to return them home and instill their house in its rightful place in King's Landing, ruling the Seven Kingdoms as they once did. She was also able to pursue the justice she believed those that supported slavery deserved.

Beyond her role as a princess and her brother's advisor, they had dragons. She had both Vaegon and Raina, the two people she found herself quickly knowing that she couldn't live without.

She was content. She and Vaegon were far from the tyrannical oppression of Viserys, begging in the streets for their next meal and shelter. They were once again in the position they were born for as royalty. Vaegon was thriving as king, growing well versed in its ways for when they would arrive to Westeros.

"You're quiet," Raina murmured from where she sat in front of Dany on a stool. The Stark woman had come to visit her that morning with the offering of a Merenese breakfast and idle chatter, the tray in her grasp and a smile on her face when she'd arrived to Dany's apartment door.

They had already become thicker than thieves, doing nearly everything together especially when Vaegon was handling business with the other members of the council, something Daenerys would have never expected. So quickly had she grown to love Raina's presence after she been jealous and angry upon her arrival, in fear of her place at Vaegon's side being stolen right from under her.

So many things had changed since Raina's arrival that the princess could hardly believe it. They would rule as queen's alongside each other one day, as well as remain lover's to one another. A fact that Daenerys had never considered would be reality.

"Daydreaming. That is all," Dany halted her brushing and replied to her lover when Raina titled her head back against Dany's stomach with a smirk, looking up through her dark eye lashes.

"With as much that is going on in this city, I'm jealous," Raina sighed as she straightened her head once more. Dany continued to brush. "I've been trying to think of suggestions to mitigate the trouble going on with those damn rebels, but I keep falling short of a good answer. Vaegon's with Selmy and Greyworm right now discussing the course of action to be taken with the situation. At this rate, if they aren't taken care of, he'll never let us leave. I might lose my mind being stuck in this pyramid."

Dany chuckled in agreement. "We are close to leaving this city all together and the rebels will be but a distant memory. Soon, we will be back in Westeros. And hopefully never have to stave another rebellion."

"I can only dream on the day," Raina exclaimed with a sigh. "As much as I wish to see my brother again, I am not eager to see the war we will face once arriving. Cersei will prove to be a challenge."

"Tell me of her," Dany said, continuing to brush. She'd heard much of the Lannister woman, but not from anyone who had personal accounts. "Only if you are comfortable."

Raina's hesitation to speak on the dowager queen currently ruling from behind the guise of her son Tommen caused Daenerys to worry she had asked the wrong question. Nevertheless, Raina spoke on it.

"She was horrible. Is horrible. Part of me believes she took out much of her anger and malice on me because Joffrey had already done too much to Sansa already. I distinctly remember him ordering the king's guard to beat Sansa, but not her face. He wanted her 'pretty', he had said." She sighed, her bare shoulders sagging as her hands rested on the tresses of her dress on her thighs. "The princess Malkyn, Cersei's eldest daughter, was the only thing between my execution and a narrow escape from that hell of a place. Those walls would tell of unspeakable horrors if they could talk."

Daenerys had heard brief information about Raina's time as the Lannister princess' handmaiden. She hadn't realized the depth of her torture and pain, or how cruel this woman was. The only comparison she could make to Raina's abuse was her own at the hands of her dead brother. As Daenerys stewed on it, she was immediately filled with a quiet, cool rage at the suffering Raina faced but she remained quiet as she continued talking.

"The Red Keep is nothing like what it was said to be under your family's reign," Raina went on to change the subject of her suffering. "They threw all of the mighty dragon skulls in the dungeons. I only ever saw the Baratheon stag and the Lannister lion in those halls, which they put in any empty spot possible as if they needed to remind everyone who held the Iron Throne now. The death's I saw alone were far too common. I swear the entire keep must be haunted with the ghosts of those slain." She is quiet a moment, likely caught in thought.

"Vaegon will see the entire keep rid of their house sigils the moment we take it back," Dany chuckled lightly despite the thought of Raina's abuse hovering in the back of her mind, eating at her ability to maintain a cheerful demeanor. "We'll burn them to a cinder. And then return the dragon skulls to their rightful places."

"I wish I could do the same to Cersei," Raina muttered quietly, solemnly. "Burn her. I wouldn't hesitate to do it."

Dany stopped brushing, leaning forward to look at Raina's face. "Of anyone here, you deserve to end her. Vaegon would sooner feed her to Rhaellor and level all of Casterly Rock for the transgressions made against you than let any memory of their house remain, before even considering the treachery to his claim she is currently committing. But I think he will understand your right to decide the fate of that Lannister bitch."

"For what she did to me, to my family, I'll make her suffer," Raina declared cooly. "I'll take everything she holds dear and if that is gone, I'll take more before burning her."

Dany smirked to herself, reminded of why she held Raina dear to her heart. She was calm and easy minded, but when provoked she proved all the dragon's rage needed in a Targaryen queen.

"What of Haelyx and Drokar?" Dany asked, the burning of her passion to avenge Raina ponding in her heart. She wandered away from where she was brushing Raina's hair to set it down and acquire the pitcher of wine and glasses waiting a crossed the room. Pouring the red liquid into both of the glasses, she brought one to Raina before lifting hers to her lips and taking a sip.

"I visited a few days ago," Raina replied after downing some of her glass. "The handlers were still hovering over those texts like their lives depended on it. But they informed me it all is going well despite having to work their way around the dialect of Old Valyrian."

Dany perked as a thought entered her mind. "That is something I'd nearly forgotten," she exclaimed as she set her glass on the nearest flat surface. "As a dragon rider, and a future queen of the Targaryen king, it is best you know Valyrian. It is only right."

Raina cocked a brow as she pursed her lips. "I'm not sure how well I would do. Is there not only a handful of words I need to know in order to gain the service of Haelyx? Old Valyrian sounds complicated—,"

"If I can learn the Dothraki language in under a year, you can handle Valyrian in half of that. I will teach you everyday that Vaegon is busy handling the affairs of this godforsaken city. He would be very pleased to see you took the initiative." Dany smiled to further convince Raina of it. The Stark woman sighed as she set her glass down.

"Fine. When shall we start?"

Dany smiled. "Now."

THE Second Son's captured a member of the Harpy's Son, the rebel on his hands and knees before the dais of the throne Vaegon sat on in the pyramid's throne room. Flanked by two Unsullied, the captive refused to look to the king and instead kept his scowling face directed to the stone floor.

"What do you wish to do with him, Your Grace?" asked Loraq where he stood nearby. The nobleman was only present for courtly matters to prevent him from believing anything other than his impending 'marriage' to Daenerys. The planned devised by Vaegon's keen minded sister was a point of hope for the king and his inner circle, as to ease the tensions of the godforsaken city he ruled over. He prayed that they would soon find a solution, or better, set sail for Westeros. Vaegon wished for the latter, but not without his dragon that currently flew rampant throughout the lands of Dragon's Bay.

He couldn't leave Mereen in a state of unrest to claim his homeland, either.

"Executing him would send a message," Barristan said at the kings other side as his hand rested on the pommel of his sword. "But as to what kind, that is unknown."

Execution would indeed send a message, but Vaegon wasn't interested in slaughtering all those that posed issues against him. He'd be no better than his mad father or even Viserys, something he feared anytime he made an important and irreversible decision. For a rebel, he could offer a fair trial. He would offer a fair trial, if only for his own good conscious despite the thorn in his side the rebel group had turned into.

"I don't want to risk more issues arising out of an execution," Vaegon muttered, his hand running along his short, silver beard.

"We have to do something," Loraq sighed in frustration where he stood, arms crossed. "Letting him free will only give the rebels intel on you and the pyramid."

"He hasn't seen or heard anything of worth that might jeopardize us," Selmy muttered with an eye roll. "A bag remained on his head the entire way from the streets. He saw no entrance to the pyramid."

As Loraq and Selmy devolved into a minor yelling match about the captive on his knees, Vaegon's mind swirled.

Would killing the rebel save him more pain in the long run? Or would it cause the unrest among the people of the city to catch a bigger flame? He really didn't know. He'd killed plenty of men with his own hands, well over two dozen felled at the end of his spear during the sack of Yunkai. But these were tedious times with rebels that were unlike anything the king might have anticipated. Anyone could be ready to slip on the bronze mask and run a blade along an unsuspecting victims neck.

Focusing back on the battle between Loraq and Selmy, Vaegon spoke up.

"Silence!" He ordered just loud enough to silence the two, the sound of his voice carrying down the cavernous halls of the pyramid. "Just— have him locked away for now," he muttered while pinching the bridge of his nose and swatting his hand. He looked to Selmy. "I will speak to you in a moment. Everyone else, leave us."

The Unsullied soon carried the bagged rebel out of the throne room, Loraq and the remaining guards leaving the king and the knight alone. Selmy wandered closer to where Vaegon sat, his head cocked as he looked down.

"I'm trying my best to not become my father," Vaegon muttered, hands clasping together as he hunched forward to rest his elbows on his knees. With the others gone, he felt like he could finally breathe.

"I've seen you cut through men as if they were stalks of wheat," Selmy somewhat mused, referring to the kings typical ability to separate the necessity for death and his morals. "What changed?"

Vaegon's violet eyes stared at nothing in particular as he said, "I suppose with every difficult decision dealing with someone's life that I'm forced to make, the more I grow numb. And that scares me. This isn't battle."

Selmy frowned slightly. "Your Grace, I knew your father. I was there when he burned Lady Raina's own uncle and grandfather in wildfire. You are not him. Not even in the slightest." The king looked up to the knight and gave a nod of acknowledgment to his words. Barristan continued with, "Choosing whether an individual lives or dies is the unfortunate weight that a king carries. War is the test where you will learn that solutions are often more important than than preserving life."

War, to some degree, would happen regardless of whether Vaegon wished to avoid it once they arrived to the shores of Westeros. The growth of their dragons would be the deciding factor in how it would be dealt with, and how many would die.

"I often worry if I am any better than what Viserys might have been," the Targaryen man murmured.

"The questioning of your own choices and general remorse tells enough of what sort of king you are," Barristan replied. "I am ready to see how Westeros will flourish under your reign."

Vaegon smirked a little, his heart warmed at the knights kind words. "I am as well."

"You have two women that are level-headed and smart," Selmy pointed out.

Vaegon couldn't help but think of Dany's outrage the night he'd killed Daario, when they still lived in tents on the road. Her behavior had been forgiven, but it had not left his mind. It still caused him to remain cautious.

"A dynamic that the lords of my country will proclaim blasphemy. Not to mention the faith as well."

Selmy nodded, letting loose a sigh from his nose as he frowned grimly.

"That is very true. It is likely they will never sanction a union between the three of you. They view marriage between a man and a woman, not a man and two women in the sense that you have begun to practice."

Vaegon had thought of the complications that would arise many times. He'd thought of the difficulties it would impose and the ways he might handle them.

"They'll try to force me to put away one of my wives, as they tried with my ancestors," he muttered, recalling the histories he'd read. "Or they'll threaten war. With plenty of backing from the lords that choose to side with them."

The old knight chuckled, earning Vaegon's gaze. "The people of this world have not seen dragons in quite sometime. They have no knowledge of how to defend against them. I am not advocating the annihilation of the faith, but you have dragons. You may have to use them."

With Rhaellor missing, Vaegon didn't know if he'd ever see his mount again. But Selmy was right.

"Yes. We may have to answer their resistance with such force. Should my dragon return to me." He sighed heavily. "Difficult decisions every turn I make."

"I have faith you will make the right decision with the prisoner," Selmy murmured. "Use your rule here to build yourself in the way that will serve Westeros best. Mereen will be your trial."

The Son's of the Harpy were proving to put a very large road block between establishing a strong government within Mereen and finally sailing to Westeros. His moral compass and all of the impending complications to boot.

"I will make a decision, I assure you." Rising to his feet, Vaegon walked off in the direction of the royal apartments, leaving Selmy where he stood.

RESTLESSNESS consumed Vaegon's efforts to find sleep that night, forcing him from his bed and to the balcony of the common chambers to seek reprieve from his fruitless efforts to sleep. Having left Daenerys sleeping peacefully in his bed, the king was left with only his thoughts for company.

Below, the city of Mereen glowed with torchlight and braziers, the shadows of the restless barely visible on the streets. From different places smoke drifted toward the clear sky where the full moon loomed brightly.

His elbows resting on the stone balcony's ledge with his hands hanging over the sheer drop from the edge, the king let loose a heavy sigh. Too much plagued his mind. The duties of a king were seemingly creeping up on him, making him anxious and wondering if he were a good king at all. If he were making the right decisions.

All he wanted was his dragon in that moment.

Violet eyes drifting over the city, Vaegon wondered if the view would be similar from the Red Keep. He could vaguely recall the view from his mother's chambers, where they'd sometimes sit during the warm summer nights to watch the slumbering King's Landing. She'd murmur stories of their ancestors, of the dragons that used to be housed in the crumbling dragon's pit visible atop the Hill of Rhaenys.

More often than not, she would have to leave his company at the request of his father to escorted away by King's Guards. Promising she'd return soon. She never did the same night, often brandishing horrible bruises on her pale skin the next day.

Movement off in the distance drew his attention away from the grim reminiscing of his days of childhood. Squinting his eyes, his heart fluttered.

Moonlight gleamed off of opalescent scales, pale pink wing membranes catching the air as they flapped.

Rhaellor grew closer, his horns and frills now becoming visible. He'd grown since the last time Vaegon had seen him. His wingspan larger, his horns more grown. His mount was heading toward the pyramid.

Vaegon twisted around to follow Rhaellor where he swooped up and perched on the top of the pyramid above. The dragon's head twisted to the side, ruby eye gazing down to the king. His wings remained spread for balance.

"Rhaellor," Vaegon murmured. Everything in him wanted to reach a hand out, to caress the muzzle of his mount.

The dragon gazed down at him a moment longer, a look akin to disinterest in his crimson eye. The juvenile huffed, breath blowing in Vaegon's face where he stood. No chirps of endearment, but no teeth bared in a threat.

"Come back to me," the king pleaded to the opalescent beast. "Please."

As if shaking his head in retort, Rhaellor spread his wings out further and took off. Vaegon ducked in response, wind battering his back before rising up again to catch a glimpse of the dragon as he once again disappeared.

He had returned. Perhaps only for a moment, but he'd deigned to return at all. When the world lay open for him to forever explore.

Vaegon felt hope return to his heart. Some part of him knew his mount would be back. Now was just not the time.

Note: I apologize for the lack of updates, I've honestly been so stumped with writing this. The Mereen portion of the storyline is not necessarily my favorite to write for so it had been difficult. Also, Raina's story is something have been struggling to work on as well so if a lot of her stuff doesn't make sense it will eventually be written. But I am very grateful for the support this fic has received! I do not plan to discontinue it, and already have a sequel in the works :)