NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 23: 23
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186 AC
Kingslanding
Aerion Targaryen
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"Will you stop giggling like a fool?" My eyes widen hearing Danny, I didn't even know I was making a noise.
"Sure." I shake my head as I slip on some clean clothes after drying off, trying my best to not get distracted again.
I still can not believe the small-time sabotage managed to pry House Lothston out of Harrenhal, I mean it is close to Lann the Clever level manipulation. There are other factors like them being aware of my interest and not wanting to be between me and my goal. But it is still the largest castle in Westeros and they just moved out and into a smaller one near the Gods eye.
They are a pitifully small house anyway and would never survive with the weight of Harrenhal pushing down on them. It will take a dragon to lift the weight of the biggest economic burden in Westeros, at least for now. Give it twenty years and Harrenhal will not be recognizable and so far into the green everyone will be jealous.
"Aerion! What has you so excited?!" I cringe as Danny slaps my back and I realize I was being a fool again.
I need to get some sleep.
"Harrenhal my love, a flight of fantasy turned into reality and the beginning of my very own home improvement journey. I am thinking about every little thing I am going to do to my sweet Harrenhal, she will be beautiful." Danny sighs and grabs my chin before standing on her toes placing a kiss on my lips.
"Keep talking like that and I will get jealous." Her voice is sultry as she looks into my eyes with her hands sliding over my toned stomach.
"No need, Harrenhal is cool but my wife is better." She rolls her eyes and presses off my body with her hands.
"Sappier with every day, I dread when we are actually married." A 'tired' sigh finishes off her lament as she heads over to her mirror.
Perfect timing as her handmaidens arrives as she slides into the seat before her very expensive mirrors that are framed in gold and silver. Dragon scales were engraved into the surface of the gold and silver and gems for the eyes of the heads.
I turn to check my outfit for obvious malfunction and finding none I kiss Danny on the head before heading for the door. Things to do, people to pay and materials to have gathered, I also owe a flight to my half-sister.
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"I can't believe you turned down free gold, it's so unlike you." Gwenys ponders as she adjusts herself in the saddle before me.
"Well if I win everything always people will start to think something is going on, letting Brynden win the archery contest will be good. Plus I am not worried about anyone else winning, so long as it's a dragon winning we don't lose any 'reputation. A dragon will win all three events and people will be fired up to beat us in the future, thus leading to more tournaments for me to reap." These Lords take it personally when they can't kick us off our pedestal every now and then.
She nods as she shifts in the saddle, being one of only two dragon riders gets me a lot of requests for flights. Danny does not like to take people up with her, they pester her too much, and her frustration transfers to Drogon. Drogon then will growl and roar at people to get them to fuck off.
So Moonfyre and I are the 'go-to' when it comes to taking flights, I tend to only take family up. Only three times I have taken someone not related to me into the sky, all three times for a chest full of coins.
This time it's for the service of Gwenys being my ear inside of the 'girls' room' she is my own agent that feeds me information. With her help, I stay on top of trends and fads that the girls go through and the cost is only flying around. A perfectly balanced transaction, we both come out of it happy, and no gold swaps hands so no paper trail. If she double-crosses me I can feign ignorance and just say I agreed to take her on flights for fun.
"Where are we flying to?" She pats the 'pack' I brought with us, her hands slip down to the handles of the saddle as Moonfyre stands up.
"We will follow the bay around for a few hours until we get to Massey's hook and take a break to eat before flying back." Moonfyre needs to stretch her wings so four or five hours sounds like a good trip for all of us.
She nods to avoid biting her tongue talking as Moonfyre charges forward and pushes off the ground. With her wings spread wide she catches the wind like a sail and easily takes to the sky, Flea bottom cast under her shadow. Most people are used to it by now but you can still hear some shouts of surprise every time we take flight.
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186 AC
Blackwater Bay
Gwenys Rivers
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Moonfyre drags her tail across the water as she glides slowly above the bay, The Kingswood to our side. I sit up straight and stretch my neck as the ride is smoothed out at this point, Moonfyre was giving it her all a moment ago.
Dives and flips and even a spin or two got my heart thundering in my chest, I thank the gods for the straps on my legs.
Well if the straps were not there Aerion would keep me on the saddle, his arms around my sides holding the handles on the saddle. How he can be so used to these flights makes my head spin, I can't help but panic even if I know I will be fine. I seek out these flights for a reason, they are fun and a fitting reward for my services.
I need to remind him of a few things before he finishes planning the wedding, the Melee will happen before the wedding so I have time. I look down at the Blackwater and see the murky reflection of Moonfyre's silver scales. Her scales make her visible for a long way off and any fishermen we pass are waving and shouting.
"How much longer are we going to travel?" I lean back on Aerion's chest so he can hear me better over the wind.
"Let's see if we can find a good spot from up high." My legs clench on Moonfyre as his voice cuts through the wind and tickles my ear.
"Ok." I nod and sit forward once again, both hands seeking the handles for safety.
""To the clouds, Moonfyre!"" Moonfyre rumbles and I feel it in my thighs as she swings her wings and starts climbing toward the sky and away from the Blackwater.
Aerion holds the handles above my hands as Moonfyre angles up, I feel him slide back to the backrest on the saddle. I keep my thighs locked on Moonfyre in an attempt to not slide back but each beat of her wings weakens my grip. I eventually cant hold and a feeling of weightlessness overtakes me as I fall back.
Aerion is surprised by my sudden impact against him and tightens his grip on the handles and lowers his elbows to above my hips. Weightlessness leaves me and I can take a breath once more, I shiver as my stomach feels like it rolls around. Aerion's arms manage to help me feel 'grounded' even as we pierce through the fog like clouds.
"You ok?" He asks as Moonfyre levels out.
"I lost my grip and felt like I was going to fall off." He chuckles and wiggles his legs making the strap rub against my own.
"If the strap failed I still got you as well." His arms tighten a bit before letting me go and his hands fall to his sides as we glide above the clouds. ""I need to see Moonfyre, go a bit lower!"" His Valyrian tickles my ears with his accent as I put a hand to my chest to catch my breath.
"I love these flights but sometimes it really sets in just how high we are, I feel my heart start beating like crazy when I look down." As Moonfyre lowers herself with a dipped wing we come out the bottom of a cloud and can see the land.
It looks more like a map from up here than the very land we walk on every day, I couldn't imagine what it would be like to really fall. My heart would beat out of my chest killing me before I ever touched the ground.
"I am still working on something special so we can jump off Moonfyre from up here and fly down on our own." I look away from the distant ground and turn over my shoulder.
With a wide grin on his lips, as he observes the land below us, I almost feel like I misheard him.
"You are making something so you can jump off?" He looks back up meeting my eyes with his amethyst eyes and gives a short nod.
"Yea, the material is a pain in the as but I have a made glider with the help of some skilled smiths on the Street of steel. It works how Moonfyre glides with her wings out flat like this, You will be holding onto a metal bar that is hollow and have a harness. The harness will go up to the cage that the 'wings' are attached to. If the prototype works I will eventually work my way to wing suits so I can go free flying with Moonfyre and Drogon, I need to show them who the real dragon is." I feel faint as I imagine purposefully jumping from Moonfyre.
My hands go slack and a bout of dizziness hits me, I almost feel like I am falling now. Aerion seems to pick up on my state as he wraps an arm around my waist and puts his other free hand on the handle. He leans me back into him as he pulls out the 'seatbelt' that we never use.
"You won't have to ever jump if you don't want to, just relax and calm down your heart is beating like crazy. Here drink some of this and just close your eyes as Moonfyre takes it slow lowering us back to the ground." He opens the pack in the front of the saddle and hands me a water skin and I take it with shaky hands.
I don't fear being up here I just don't like the idea of falling from up here, is it because I am not a 'real' Targaryen? My bastard title cursing me to not be a true dragon and making me feel scared of something I crave to enjoy?
I don't know but even though I feel like I am going to pass out suddenly I don't feel in danger, Aerion won't let me fall. No matter how much my body feels like the wind is carrying me off the saddle I know he won't let it. He feels like he is so certain he is fine up here, is that why his and Daenerys eggs hatched?
The cold water chills my body and some runs down my chin as I take a few gulps, the sickly feeling starts to fade. I put the stopper back and make sure it's secure before putting it back into the pack and closing it back up. Looking over my shoulder I see Aerion still giving me a concerned look and I feel bad.
"I am sorry, it just happened suddenly." He shakes his head as I take the handles back into my own hands and hold myself up.
"Don't be, you did nothing wrong." His arm doesn't leave my waist as he seems hesitant to let me go, probably worried I will slump over. "Even if your scared you still want to come up here and face that fear and that's more than most people can say." I nod back and focus on looking at Moonfyres scales instead of the ground that is still far off.
I will just have to ask for more flights to get over my fear of falling.