Drogon growled and grumbled and then roared, looking around. Someone was watching him, he felt it. Staring, even. His eyes searched and searched but did not find anything. Or anyone. No one was nearby who could bother him. The man with shield and spear some further up had twitched and nearly dropped his stick when he roared, but nothing else. The feeling calmed. For a bit, it was even gone and he relaxed, looking out at the waves again. Clear blue skies, everything was calm. And then it surged again.
Jolting himself into the air, he flew around. They had to be somewhere! He was being watched, he was sure of it! Only there was no one looking at him. Not even in his general direction. Except the man with the stick, maybe, but humans would not bother him so badly. It had to be a dragon. Somewhere… He roared in frustration. Landing on the highest point of the castle, he surveyed his surroundings. Still no one. Growling and grumbling, he looked up ahead along the big water. He would find whoever it was and make them stop.
---
Her anger had faded. Helaena stared at the endless horizon. Nothing but water. Dreamfyre was steadily flying north-east. Was she even sure she was flying in the right direction? She had never flown there all alone. She had only followed her father's ship on their last visit and barely remembered any of it. What if she got lost over the Narrow Sea? What if she starved and died? What if they got into a storm and died? What if…
She should turn back. She would get into trouble for running away. This way, her mother would not even know. She could just say she had taken Dreamfyre for a flight! Who would prove her otherwise? Running away… ridiculous. Just because her family did not listen. They never listened. It wasn't anything new! Her brothers would get into trouble as well because of her. She didn't want Aemond to get screamed at. He had just wanted to cheer her up. To make things worse, she was flying to Rhaenyra of all people. Her mother hated her big sister. Helaena had barely exchanged a word with her all her life. And now she was putting her trust in her? Maybe she was nuts after all. A damn airhead.
Dreamfyre started to turn while Helaena faltered.
The ice dragon popped back into her mind. Its blazing blue eyes. How the storm had called for it…
A shiver ran down her body and her doubts were gone. The dead would come. The dead would come, and no one listened. If there was the tiniest chance that Rhaenyra might listen, she had to take it. No matter the consequences, no matter everything. Screw her mother scolding her. Maybe she could ask Aegon for help. She scolded him all the time and he did not care.
---
Rhaenyra did not fully believe her ears when her guard reported they had spotted Dreamfyre.
"As escort to my father's ship?" She asked. Only reason why Helaena would fly for Dragonstone. Alicent wanting to remind her they had dragon riders too. Gods, that woman.
"We have not yet spotted a ship, princess."
She sighed weakly. Maybe she had just flown ahead. She would have done the same in her stead. Just circling a ship was boring.
---
Helaena did not spend a single thought on her surroundings while approaching. She did not see the black dragon. She may have overlooked Vhagar herself right now. Only what to say to Rhaenyra mattered. The hope she might listen. Please, please, please, to all the gods. Maybe even the old ones if it helped. Although she did not understand how praying to trees could help anyone. The panic, if she would not. If she did not listen, there was no one left.
Landing in the yard, she carefully climbed off Dreamfyre, who grumbled at her and nudged her encouraging. Helaena stroked her absentmindedly. Her big sister was already standing there, by the stairs, waiting for her. Of course, she was. Someone would have seen her.
Stepping away from Dreamfyre and towards her sister, her nerves fluttered like a dying bird. She would get into so much trouble because of this. What if she didn't listen to her? She would get scolded for nothing. By now, she was half-part convinced she would not listen. Because no one ever listened. Flying here had been a mistake.
"Everything okay?" Rhaenyra asked, looking worried.
No. Helaena started to cry. No! Nothing would ever be okay. Nothing…
"Can… Can we talk?" She asked, gathering all her courage.
Rhaenyra looked at her. She could see thoughts moving on her face. Like with her mother.
"Yes. Of course. Come." She gestured for her. "Have someone look after Dreamfyre," she ordered one of the guards, who nodded and went to fetch one of the dragonkeepers.
Walking through the corridors, with Rhaenyra matching her step, Helaena was one moment away from bawling her eyes out. From just turning on her heels and running away again. She should not be here. This was a mistake. A crazy, whimsical mistake. It felt like betraying her mother. Her brother. All of them. Rhaenyra would not listen. No one did. Ever. Why should she be any different?
They entered a small cozy room. A few chairs, a not burning fire. Dragon tapestries on the walls. Rhaenyra sat and offered-asked her to do the same. Helaena took a seat, all uneasy. This was so wrong.
"What do you want to talk about?" Rhaenyra asked gently.
Helaena just stared at her. This was insane. This was the insanity of insane. This… she… Oh, the gods. She started crying again. What had she thought?!
"Helaena?" Her big sister asked, reaching out for her. Helaena twitched away. The beast beneath the boards. It was all her fault, all –
Not yet. Maybe never. Her dreams had changed.
"The dragons are turning to ice!" She blurted out. Rhaenyra stared at her without saying a word. But it wasn't the look.
"What? What are you –"
'What' was more than she had ever gotten from her family. They hadn't even asked. Helaena jumped at it.
"They are turning to ice, Rhaenyra. Falling from the sky and…" She shook her head and closed her eyes. She did not want to think of it. Those blue eyes. How they had stared at her.
"I… I dreamt of it and…" She started bawling. Rhaenyra reached out for her again. This time, she did not shy away. Her big sister did not ask again. Did not give her the look, which everyone but her father seemed to have mastered back at home. She just hugged her loosely and held her while she cried.
"You have dragon dreams?" Rhaenyra asked at last after her tears calmed.
Helaena nodded, feeling uneasy. Only because she listened wouldn't mean she listened. She may explain away the ice dragon any second now. Tell her dragons could not turn to ice. They were fire.
"Tell me about your dream, please. Calm, this time. If you can."
Helaena stared at her. Oh, be careful. Don't get your hopes up too high.
"There was this dragon. He got chased by snow. And then he turned to ice and… and…" she fell quiet again. "His fire went out." She was quiet for even longer. Rhaenyra just looked at her, not pressuring, not presuming she was finished, just waiting. "And ice moved in." Under her calm gaze, she started crying again. "I watched it! I saw how… how he…" She shook her head and cried.
"Do you know when it happens? In the far future, maybe?"
"I… no… it felt soon." Maybe it had been the replacement for Aemond closing his eye. She shivered at the thought. She'd rather have Vhagar than an ice dragon.
Rhaenyra nodded and got up. Helaena stared at her. She would just walk out, would she? Think she was crazy, how Aegon put it. She whispered something to someone outside. Probably a guard. Oh, this could not be good. But Rhaenyra came back to her. Sat down in the other chair.
"Do you have other dreams?"
Helaena stared at her for a second, not sure if she had heard right. Had she just asked her… and then it burst out of her. How it had started. All the weird cryptic nonsense she had seen.
---
Dreamfyre went through all the ups and downs right by Helaena's side. The anger when she felt Helaena break to pieces. She roared and flexed her body, nearly ready to crash through the wall to protect her baby. But then she calmed. Dreamfyre rumbled. If only she knew what was going on! She wanted to be there by her little one. If need be intimidate someone with growls. Or kill them. Whatever was necessary. Helaena would not approve of either, which meant she probably would not do it. But sometimes she may.
When Helaena relaxed, so did Dreamfyre.
---
Helaena had just ended with all her early dreams, the silly ones, childhood pranks, mostly, the ones when she did not mind her gift when someone knocked on the door. She stopped and turned towards the sound, still expecting the worst. Some part of her was waiting for Rhaenyra to get up and tell her she was crazy. Maybe it was now. The door opened, the guard stepped aside, and a young Valyrian woman stood there. Helaena had never seen her, which was strange.
"Daenerys. Come sit."
The woman looked between the two and followed Rhaenyra's command. Helaena still stared at her.
"What does it mean if a dragon turns to ice?" Rhaenyra asked, looking at the woman.
The woman frowned. "What? Why do you ask?"
Rhaenyra looked back at her. "Could you tell her your dream?"
She felt a bit silly telling this unkown woman, but she did. As long as they kept talking about her dreams, no one told her she was crazy.
Daenerys just stared at her after she was done. Helaena's heart dropped. Did Rhaenyra want to show how crazy she sounded by using another person? Really? Maybe all her mother said about her was true after all.
"The dragon. Was it green?" The woman asked.
Helaena stared at her. How… "Yes. How would you know?"
"I have the same dream. They are hunting him." Tears started to roll down her cheeks. "They are killing him. He will have two dragons. Not that it matters, I guess. They are all dead anyway."
Helaena stared, her head still stuck on 'I have the same dream'. Another dreamer.
"Helaena said it would happen soon."
"Soon? That's –" Something shifted on her face. The woman jumped up and ran out of the room, ignoring Rhaenyra calling after her. Helaena still stared. They had the same dream. Maybe… maybe she knew of the dead too. Maybe she could help tell the others!