House of The Dragon: The blind warrior

Holding Heleana in my arms felt surreal.

I had been dreaming of this day for the longest time. Sometimes, this moment was my only strength and drive to survive in Essos, and now that it is happening, it feels better than I could have ever imagined.

Her warmth, the smell she exuded, and the calming beat of her heart. It made me lose myself to her so much that I did not hear the doors of the chamber opening.

"Vealor?" I heard my mother's voice as I felt her presence come into the room, a Queensguard right on her heel.

"Heleana?" She also said, as Heleana turned towards my mother, both of them surprised to see each other.

"Rhaenyra," Heleana said lightly, not letting go of my hand. I was only observing how both of them would react. I knew my mother held resentment for Alicent and Otto, but I wasn't sure she truly hated her half-siblings. After all, they were siblings, even if circumstances had made them enemies.

There was a moment where I could hear both of their heartbeats slowly picking up pace, neither of them saying anything because of the fear they had of how the other would react, but I reassured Heleana by squeezing her hand lightly and nodding as she turned to look at my face.

She paused for a moment, looking at my face before she turned to my mother to say something, and my mother, who had been quiet until now, also spoke at the same time as her.

"I'm sorry."

"I apologize."

Both said at the same time, both pausing as they digested what the other had said, before Heleana, who held me, let go, turned, and my mother approached her slowly.

I stood to the side, feeling as they both approached each other, before embracing in a heartfelt manner.

"I'm truly sorry, Rhaenyra," Heleana said, while my mother, whose composure was slowly breaking, shook her head.

"It's not your fault. It was never your fault," she said, her voice breaking. I could hear both of them shaking with emotion. This was truly a heartfelt scene.

"Father?" My mother seemed to ask, and that made me freeze.

'Grandfather,' I thought in pain. He was the only person, other than Heleana and Father, who understood me well. He would sit with me, sometimes for hours on end, listening to all of my grievances or all of my doings. It really didn't matter what I had to say, he would always be there for me.

'Yet I wasn't there for him when he took his last breath,' I thought, slowly walking towards where my mask was on the ground and crouching to get it before putting it on to cover the wetness on my cheek.

"There wasn't even a pyre. They covered it so they could ready themselves for Aegon's coronation," I heard Heleana say as my mother made a choking sound.

'I could not listen to any more of this.'

I walked toward Mother and Heleana before putting my arm on Heleana's shoulder, who was embracing my mother.

"I have something to attend to, but we'll speak later," I said to her shortly, as she nodded, and Mother kept her head down, still hugging Heleana as I went off.

Anger bubbling in my blood for my grandfather's treatment.

----------------

"Open the door," I said to the man standing guard in front of Mysaria's room.

He didn't hesitate, sensing the anger from my visage as I walked in. Her back was facing me as she stared at the sea from where she stood at the balcony.

I tapped my walking stick on the ground hard to get her attention.

As she turned around, she did not see my face, but from the way she took a step back, she could tell my anger toward her. Yet I said nothing, waiting for her to explain herself.

"Two names, for the price of my freedom," she said, stuttering a little before she continued. "I had thought I was his prisoner when he offered me the deal... but now I know I was wrong." She said, lowering her head a little before I finally spoke.

"And does swearing fealty not mean a thing to you?" I asked, measured, trying to keep the anger from my voice as I took slow and measured steps toward her, before I stood right in front of her.

"Tell me, was your bending the knee only for show?" I whispered to her as I heard her audibly swallow a lump of saliva.

"N... no, I was serious," she said, before I grabbed her shoulder with a vice grip and slowly lowered my head to hers.

"The truth," I said pointedly, feeling her shake under pressure.

"I... will not lie. When Daemon offered me my freedom, I did not think, but I swear it, I did not mean to break my oath," she said, her voice breaking from the pain she was feeling, while I made sure to listen to her heart.

She did not know, but if it even wavered for a beat, I would cut her where she stood. I do not take betrayal lightly.

Though sadly, her heart stayed true, which meant she was telling the truth.

I kept my hand on her shoulder for a moment longer to make sure she engraved the pain in her mind, before lessening my grip and turning on my heel to walk out of the room.

Before I was fully out, I made sure to tell her the reason I had spared her.

"Today, I spared your life only because of your honesty. Remember that next time you try to cross me," I said, before going to Dragonmount.

I needed to cool off.

-----------------

Approaching the landing platform, I made sure to dismiss the dragon keepers.

I stopped at the edge of the platform before calling for my companion.

"Abraxas rȳbās," I said, standing at the edge of the platform, knowing from the bond we shared that he understood my will to approach.

It didn't take long for Abraxas to come out of the shadow and incline his head. I held him in my arms and placed my head on his.

"Ao eman syrī" (I missed you), I said to him, feeling him convey the same emotion through our bond. Both of us stayed in that position, hearing our hearts beat in identical fashion.

"Do you want to fly?" I asked him, looking into his blood-red eyes.

His nostrils flared before he snorted smoke at me, which was hot to the skin.

I chuckled at his attitude; he was still wrathful about Seasmoak. "You know she was my father's companion; you cannot fault me for greeting her," I said, caressing the dragon's head, before he made a guttural sound.

"Alright, I'll make it up to you. Now, let's go," I said, as he slowly changed positions and brought his wing down on the platform for me to get on his back.

As I got on the saddle, my vision connected with Abraxas's as I grabbed the reins that were attached to his neck.

"Rytsas, Abraxas. Vezof! Lēj īlvon" (Alright, Abraxas. Let's fly), I said, with Abraxas slowly walking toward the opening in the cave. Then he picked up pace and dove down from the volcano, fluttering his wings.

I reveled in the feeling this gave me, as I watched the world from the eyes of my dragon.

Ever since I had reconnected my bond with Abraxas in the ruins of Old Valyria after escaping from slavery, I had been able to see the world through his eyes when I rode on him.

Abraxas, diving, opened his wings as I pulled on the reins and commanded him to climb to the skies with a thought.

Whether it was because of our deep connection or because Abraxas was special, was unknown to me. But one thing was for sure—the bond I had with him was unique, for it was not one of master and servant, but an equal one, a companionship.

"Vestrās, Abraxas!" (Roar, Abraxas!) I commanded, as we flew over the camp where my men were situated. And like the mighty dragon he was, Abraxas let out a piercing roar.

I heard the cheering from the beach after Abraxas had stopped roaring, making me chuckle.

"They get excited when they see you," I said, as I caressed my companion's back, feeling all the anger and weight leave my body as I flew in the sky, watching all the colors I could not see with my own colorless eyes.

-----------------

By the beach, amongst the many soldiers of the Sons of Dragons, stood a man, watching as Vealor's dragon flew above them in a grand spectacle.

The man watched as the frighteningly big dragon moved with impossible agility before letting out a terrifying roar that sounded like the cry of a dying animal, mixed with the guttural, primal rage a dragon possesses in a harmonious symphony.

'By the gods,' he thought, unable to say the words because of his severed tongue. He did not wait around to cheer like the other men did, before walking off into the distance, making sure to listen to the men he passed and what they had to say about the rider and his dragon.

"It seems the lord is letting out some steam," one man he passed said as he slowed down to listen in.

"Yes, it's been constant war councils and planning ever since he arrived. I'm sure Lord Vealor needs his time off as well. Gods know he is exhausted," the other man said, before being nudged by his companion on the side.

"What are you doing? Didn't you hear what the general said? Do not call the lord by his name so carelessly," he said, looking around and locking eyes with him.

The man quickly went on his way to continue his task. After a while of walking, he came upon an opening in the rock Dragonstone was built upon and slowly reached in to get a cage that held a raven inside.

He took out a parchment and a quill before writing something on it, attaching it to the raven, and letting it fly toward where the man's master was… King's Landing.

But one thing the man didn't anticipate was the eagle that was watching his every move from the sky, before flying away as it saw the raven heading toward King's Landing.

The eagle flew in the direction of the docks, where someone raised an arm to it, and it landed smoothly.

"Tell me, what have you seen, Arrow?" Ezio asked his eagle companion as he gave it a snack.

----------------------

Larrys Strong, who was sitting in his chambers, read the missive he received from one of his spies in shock.

"Oh, this changes things," he said aloud as the knight who brought him the missive stood in front of him, waiting to be commanded.

"Ser, call a council meeting. Say that it's urgent news from the Master of Whispers," Larrys Strong said as the knight left to carry out his task.

Larrys, who looked at the message written on the parchment, read the name on it once again.

"Vealor," he said out loud, a shiver running through him.

Larrys Strong prides himself on being a master of spies. He could tell you at least one secret every person in the Red Keep—no, every person important in the realm—had. Yet he did not anticipate or know that Vealor Velaryon had lived.

This could mean a couple of things, but one thing was for sure.

Vealor Velaryon had made it so himself—he had lived under the radar for all these years, cultivating a mighty army.

For what?

Larrys was not sure, but it did not matter because the army was on Westerosi soil currently and ready to be deployed against them, along with an additional dragon.

As he read the description of the dragon, he couldn't help but swallow a lump of saliva.

A formidable one.

Not dwelling on the information any longer and with a council meeting to attend, Larrys got up with the help of his cane and went straight to the council chambers.

When he entered the room, he surprisingly found everyone already there, which made his arrival all the more anticipated.

"What took you so long, Lord Strong?" the King asked, his paranoia evident, while all of the other lords looked at him in scrutiny and mistrust.

"I apologize, Your Grace. The news I bring is not a tasteful one. I had to take my time to digest it before bringing it to your esteemed ears," he said, making sure to butter the King up before taking his seat, realizing there was an additional soul in the room.

The Queen, Rheala, was sitting next to the Queen Mother.

"Well, Larrys, what is it you bring?" Otto Hightower asked, as the small council room opened and someone no one expected entered the room.

"Aemon, what are you doing here?" the Queen Regent asked as he took a seat at the opposite side of the table.

"Aemond is my brother. He should have a seat at my council, Mother. That will be the end of this discussion. Now, Larrys," the King said, shutting the Queen down.

'He's angry at her. Maybe I can use this,' Larrys thought, as he slowly took out the parchment with the news and summarized the information.

"A dragon was spotted flying over Dragonstone by one of my spies there," he said, looking around the table and not getting any reaction from the people present.

"A dragon flying over Dragonstone isn't something new, Larrys. Now tell us why you called in this council," Otto Hightower said, sounding impatient for some reason.

"I was getting to that, Lord Hand. Your statement is true—a dragon flying over Dragonstone isn't new, but the dragon and its rider are a whole different story," Larrys said, building anticipation for what he was about to say.

"The dragon my spy described was a black dragon, almost as large as Vhagar, with an unmistakable deformity," Larrys said, now getting the attention of some, mostly Aemond for some reason.

"He said, instead of two hind legs, the dragon had four, and the wings were sprouting from its back instead of being its arms," Larrys explained further, still causing some confusion at the table.

"What does this mean?" Tyland Lannister asked, looking between the members of the small council. The King, who had been deep in thought since the dragon was mentioned, looked lost in his own mind, while Aemond displayed something many found unsettling.

He was smiling.

"It's not the dragon that means something, but its rider, my lords and queens," Larrys said before saying the name that was on his tongue.

"Vealor Velaryon." And silence followed, as Larrys observed the varying reactions of the people. The royal family members were confused—the Queen and Queen Regent were the ones most perplexed—while the King and Aemond looked shocked and excited.

"That's impossible! Vealor died while flying his young dragon to King's Landing. He was swept by a storm," Otto Hightower said, trying to be the only voice of reason.

"Yes, but I corresponded with some of my other spies, and I found out there was word of a warrior with Targaryen features and two mutilated eyes fighting in the dragon pits many years ago. I didn't think much of it till now," Larrys said, telling the truth. He had truly heard of a story like that and now understood it to be a young Vealor.

"But that's not what worries me," he said, gaining the attention of the people once again.

"We had been trying to get the Sons of Dragons on our side by any means necessary, right?" he asked, mostly to Otto Hightower, who nodded, before making an amused face and saying, "Well, that's just it—it's impossible when the true leader of the Sons of Dragons is Vealor himself. They did not come to aid Rhaenyra because of her paying them; they came to get their master on the throne."

Larrys finished what he was trying to get across.

And from the looks on all their faces, they understood that they had been played by another unknown quantity on the board.

Though none of them understood how much of an unknown quantity Vealor Velaryon truly was.

An eagle perched on the window, with white eyes, flew away just in time to avoid being spotted by Aemond, returning to his master to deliver the news.

-------------------------

Hey everyone, Author here!

I'll be honest—this fanfiction has been one of the most challenging projects I've ever taken on as a beginner writer. From maintaining consistency, to crafting the writing style, and especially working with what I believe are Feudal English speech patterns, it's pushed me in ways I never imagined. But you know what? I'm absolutely loving the journey.

Lately, I've started to think that writing might actually be my true calling. Yes, yes, I know—I'm still miles away from the mastery of the legendary George R.R. Martin (the man is a genius), but that's the level I aspire to reach. Your comments and feedback are what keep me motivated and help me grow, so please don't hold back! Share your thoughts, and most importantly, enjoy the story.

For those of you who want to support me and see more of my work, feel free to check out my Patreon:

PATREON: patreon.com/Magicauthorarchive

As always, stay tuned for more updates, and I'll catch you all on the flip side!