#&rhaena

"idaña(twin), muña(mother), zaldrīzes(dragon)," she repeated each word three times before moving on to the next. after each cycle passed on her attempts she couldn't help but grin. it had taken time, but it finally felt like it was getting easier for her. if not for herself, then for the fact she hoped to one day have a dragon. overall it provided another connection to the rest of her family. one of the few things they could actually all share as a unit. it made her feel less insecure over the fact she had no dragon. despite learning the word for dragon she just felt proud to know high valyrian and to have been able to teach herself.

truly rhaena wouldn't mind getting away from these rooms. they felt rather suffocating at times, but most people didn't truly understand her feelings. some tried to, but it often just came off wrong. at least that's how it always felt for her. but this was her dearest sister and rhaena nodded as she grabbed baela's hands, squeezing them. "i would like that, even if it isn't far away. just going away for even a little while is a great idea."

"your grace," she continued to avoid eye contact with her head down. the words still felt hard to say out loud and the fear only rose in her chest. "i knew i had to come back here and come forth to you right away. i know what i've done and i've accepted how my actions didn't help my family," she paused, stopping herself from choking up on her words. this had been a very difficult thing to do. to stand in front of her and admit that her actions had helped cause something terrible to happen. "i tried to put myself into exile with him, but i knew i couldn't stay hidden forever. i had to face up to this." rhaena lowered her body a little as she finished what she currently had to say. thoughts of sheepstealer flashed through her mind as she waited and it made this even harder for her. she felt certain there was a chance she'd be told to abandon him again. that is something she doesn't want and it scares her.

"when i was told about what happened to him, i felt sad. for him and his dragon caraxes," she managed to get out. her voice remained mostly quiet and her expression neutral. she had given herself a moment before when she'd received the news to grieve. now that the war had ended she's also sad he wouldn't be able to know she'd gotten an egg to hatch, at last. she wishes their relationship could've been different, but knows she can't change the past. "perhaps he cared more about the large scale of the family and fighting in general. but i do wonder if he felt good to have gone out the way he did." it made her think of the targaryen motto, fire and blood. in her mind it seemed like he had at least died by those words. in a sense.

time had gotten away from her though, but having stared out at the sea would do that to someone. however, that voice caught her off guard and out of her trance. "father," rhaena's voice was soft as she turned her head to see him nearby. once a few seconds passed by she turned her back to glance back at the water. "i needed to get out of those walls and be alone. the waters seemed peaceful enough to observe today." @profugii

a sense of relief had befallen her when the egg had hatched. then as she watched her dragon grow there was a sense of pride, of pure joy. morning was beautiful, of course. but truly there wasn't much else she had wanted in life now. as she sat perched on a large rock she found herself lost in her thoughts. a smile crept upon her lips as she pictured her dragon. true contentment.