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124 AC, Dragonstone
Rhaena Targaryen mentally commanded Solarys to land as they approached the island that was still a part of her, called home. Flying during the night was quite dangerous, mostly because it became so dark that getting lost was all but a certainty; alas, Rhaena needed to take that risk, for she was not strictly allowed to fly her dragon.
As a matter of fact, this was the first time that she had ever flown atop Solarys, something that her father had distinctly forbidden her and Baela from doing. Her dragon had certainly grown quickly in the last year, enough to be ridden. Baela's Moondancer had also grown quickly, but despite her rebelliousness, Rhaena's sister rarely disobeyed their father.
It was an exhilarating experience to soar so freely across the clouds, with nothing above her but the heavens, and nothing beneath her but the endless sea. It was far better than flying atop Caraxes with her father, with the feeling of control over her flight giving her a perspective that she had never seen before.
But perhaps Rhaena's father had a point when he specifically said not to fly during the night, given how disorienting everything was, with only the moon as a true source of light. Alas, the night was the only time when she would not be easily discovered, both because it was the only time that she was left relatively unsupervised, as well as the fact that no one would see a dragon take off in the sky. Thankfully, Solarys seemed to instinctively know how to navigate the skies even at night, and so, she was not particularly worried, trusting her companion.
Though she hadn't realised how much time had flown by as they found themselves so near Dragonstone. She had not been on the island for some time, with most of her time either being spent in the Capital or on Driftmark, though it was mostly the former rather than the latter, as her grandmother and father were preparing the realm for her brother, Aegon, for when he would inevitably be king.
Deciding to land, she commanded Solarys to land far away from the fortress, wishing that her arrival would not come to the attention of Princess Rhaenyra. She did explicitly tell Solarys this, and yet, her dragon landed just in front of the Potters' manse, where both Lord Harry and Lady Daphne seemed to be going on a walk around the island.
She smiled widely at the sight as she jumped down from her dragon, "Lord Harry, Lady Daphne…"
"Hello there, Rhaena. What a wonderful surprise! We did not expect you to come here, especially on your own," Lady Daphne answered with a warm tone, though it had a hint of reproach in the end.
Rhaena chuckled while trying not to sound too embarrassed, "It was meant to be a quick ride, but Solarys and I lost ourselves in the skies."
The golden-haired woman opened her mouth to say something, only for her gaze to meet her husband's, before rolling her eyes, acquiescing to whatever thing Lord Harry proposed during their silent conversation: "Why don't you join us, Rhaena? We were just on our way for a quick errand, you see and wouldn't mind some company."
Rhaena's eyes lit up in excitement. "Where are we going this time? Will it be in the North? We haven't been to Dorne yet, have we? I hear that there might be some Rhoynish temples from when Nymeria's thousand ships settled there."
While they were often not nearly as eventful as their trips to Skagos and Winterfell, the Potters had taken her and Baela to many places across Westeros, though not beyond the boundaries of the Seven Kingdoms, respecting her grandfather and grandmother's rules that they set all those moons ago. They had gone to Casterly Rock, explored the depths of the mountain and found secret tunnels dating back to the Age of Heroes that House Lannister didn't even know of.
They went to Storm's End, where Baela claimed to feel the thunder thrum in her veins then. They had discovered walls that held magic within them, one that would make the fortress almost indestructible, as well as hidden caves that depicted Durran Godsgrief defying a living storm itself. They had even found a nameless tomb, with a sword encased with lightning, which they theorised likely belonged to the first Storm King, himself.
They had even gone to Old Wyk and seen Nagga's hill in the Iron Islands, where she saw what was said to be forty-four white stone ribs of a giant Sea Dragon rising from the ground like large trees, impossibly tall. The Potters had confirmed that it likely belonged to a magical creature that would resemble what one might call a Sea Dragon.
Despite not leaving the shores of Westeros, Rhaena and Baela had found themselves enjoying the histories of the continent that their ancestor conquered, one that was richer than either of them expected. Rhaena loved it, knowing that the moment that she could, she would travel the world, trying to uncover more, to see what lay outside the Seven Kingdoms. Baela would have Driftmark, which Rhaena did not mind, while she would have an entire world to explore.
A part of it was because of the adventures that Helaena had enjoyed with the Potters. For as many trips Rhaena and Baela had joined the Potters on, the older princess had spent twice as much as they explored the many mysteries of Essos. Helaena did not speak of it much, but they had visited Yi Ti, Leng, and there was something that had been stirring in Stygai as well.
It took some time to accept that Helaena was closer to the Potters than Rhaena or her sister was. She had resented it at first, blamed it on her grandparents' rules, but aside from a brief few moons of absence between them being cursed by the witch of Harrenhal and Princess Rhaenyra's banishment to Dragonstone, the Potters actively went to see them and took them on small adventures across the continent.
And yet, Rhaena realised that she lacked the closeness that existed between Helaena and the Potters. It was maddening. She had seen them first, met them first, but they almost seemed more at ease with Helaena for some strange reason, likely a magical one. It was maddening, but she had learned to accept it over the years, especially since she found it very hard to be angry at Helaena Targaryen.
Rhaena was so lost in her thoughts that she barely heard Lord Harry's answer regarding where they were going: "No. This time we are going to a place that is a bit closer. Do you wish to come with us?"
The young princess couldn't help but nod quickly enough, feeling excitement thrumming in her veins. But first, she went to Solarys and mentally asked her dragon to rest for a while. She received an impertinent huff at the thought that such a mighty creature would need such a thing, which actually translated to the real world with a small huff of white flames that raced towards her.
Rhaena smiled as she casually redirected the flame back at the dragon, with Solarys doing much of the same. They continued back and forth a few times, until the dragon swallowed the ball of flame whole, and lay down on the sand with a contented groan.
The young Dragonrider rolled her eyes at the display, especially at the impression that she received from their bond that she had lost this little game of theirs, and turned towards the Potters, who were giving her an interested look. Lord Harry spoke up first, "You've gotten much better with your Fire Magic, Rhaena."
She smiled at that, following after them as they walked alongside the beach, "Your lessons helped a lot."
She might have stretched the truth slightly. When she had first used her magic, she had been very worried. Fire was naturally destructive, and her flames were very hard to control. Helaena had been surprisingly knowledgeable when teaching her how to control it, and some of the exercises that the Potters had given her were extremely useful during their brief lessons together. However, some time ago, magic had suddenly become easier, as if her flames had stopped trying to slip from her concentration. She had instinctively stopped worrying about her magic hurting people by accident or because of a lack of control.
After this, she found that she enjoyed playing with her magic alongside Solarys, who seemed fascinated by it all. The Potters' lessons helped, but it was her bond with her dragon that mostly helped her elevate her magic and use it as a dragon would. Strangely, that had been when her flames had turned white, mimicking those of her dragon. She was not sure why that happened; perhaps it was because of her bond. The Potters hadn't commented on it either, so she was not particularly worried. Still, she didn't think that there was much that she could learn now. After all, there was not much to know when it came to fire. It was hot, and it burned things.
That did not mean that she did not treasure her lessons, but it was mostly to spend some time with the Potters rather than learning her magic, and she was making a lot more progress than Helaena, who was being taught how to create illusions.
Whatever their conversation led to stopped when she found herself staring at a familiar sight, that of an entrance to a cavern near the Dragonmont. It was where the Potters took her for her first adventure, the day that she had learned that the world was far more mystical and stranger than anyone else knew.
This had been the day that Rhaena's life changed, and she found herself strangely grateful to the place it took place in. Still, she looked at the Potters, her eyes furrowing, "What are we doing here of all places?"
The sorcerer shrugged, "We just need to tie up a few loose ends."
That was all he said before they walked inside, and Rhaena conjured a small ball of white fire to light the way. They walked past the painted figures on the stone, the Children of the Forest and the First Men, fighting the Others, until they found themselves towards the smooth black wall where the giant Dragon Egg would lie on the other side.
And then the Potters stopped and turned towards her expectantly, to her confusion, "What is it?"
"Let us through," the sorcerer simply said.
If anything, that confusion intensified. Did they want her to break through Valyrian Stone? As far as she knew, it was meant to be indestructible, at least, whenever the Potters were not involved. Now that she thought of it, hadn't this wall been destroyed during their first trip? It was over a year prior, and she wasn't sure of the specifics, but she recalled seeing it crumble into nothingness.
She looked at the Potters and asked, "How?"
"Use your magic, Rhaena," Lady Daphne calmly answered.
Shrugging, Rhaena summoned a ball of white flame and slowly pushed it against the door, only for nothing to occur. She tried to push more of it, only for her eyes to widen when she felt something destabilise her flame. Thankfully, Lord Harry was there, and with a flick of her hand, stopped it from occurring.
She gave him a frustrated look. "What do you expect from me?"
"Why is your fire's colour white, Rhaena?"
Rhaena frowned at the question, glancing at the small flame dancing above her palm, "Because of Solarys, I think. It changed when I used our bond to control my flames."
"Dragon fire," Lady Daphne explained, "It is different from usual flames. It has different rules, and your blood allows you to see it. More than that, Solarys was hatched with a fragment of the sun itself, and his flames reflect that, and so do yours. And if you are able to manifest something this complex, to change your flames into that of a dragon, that of a sun, then there is no reason to change them into anything."
In the meantime, Lord Harry grabbed the ball of white flames from her hands and allowed it to shift colours, but there was more to it than that. Each flame felt fundamentally different to her, one of heat, one of wellness, one of cold, and so much more…
She gaped at him at what he felt, and he spoke up, "No, look at the flames used to create this wall, and command it to let us pass."
With a renewed purpose, Rhaena pushed her hand towards the wall of Black Stone and tried to look for the flame that Lord Harry said resided there. It was hard, like looking for a ship on a foggy night, but eventually she found it, the flame that lay within. It was strange, oddly resilient and coarse, and she pushed herself as much as possible, trying to command it to shift, to change, to let them pass, yet they remained strangely stubborn. She only found some success when she created a small flame that was similar to theirs and used it to corral them to convince them to follow her command.
And this time, the Valyrian Stone obeyed, though it was not a smooth process by any means. But eventually, the wall morphed slightly to allow something of a doorway that they could slip through. Rhaena felt completely and utterly drained at the act, and yet, she was smiling widely, feeling proud at her accomplishment.
The Potters both gave her approving smiles, even as she heaved. Lord Harry walked up to her to make sure that she wouldn't collapse and held her hand. "You did well. Shifting your fire like this is quite draining, but it is a great accomplishment for one so young. However, I suppose now that you can do it on your own, some help wouldn't be amiss."
Before she could question his words, she felt her hand heat up, specifically, the bracelet that Lord Harry had gifted her when they first met. Instinctively, she coursed her magic through it and stiffened when she felt dozens of different flames interweaving inside it.
She picked one and froze as she saw a spark of a green flame that somehow did not radiate heat. She fed it her magic and took control of it, letting a small green fireball hover atop her hand. She looked up to give the sorcerer a shocked look, "Remember, this is a training tool, not a crutch, and these are nothing more than basic flames, each one with different properties. You have proven to us that you can control your fire, and this is a path forward, only if you wish to pursue it. There are many others out there that are not within this bracelet, and it will be up to you to understand them, to be able to use them."
Rhaena felt her breath hitch for a moment before she jumped towards Lord Harry and enveloped him in a hug, all the while muttering, "Thank you so much."
After a while, she felt quite embarrassed at her action, and she awkwardly walked back and moved towards the newfound entrance, ignoring the smirk on the Potters' faces.
Instead, she focused on the creatures of fire and shadows that spilt out the moment that they could, which she quickly snuffed away by taking control over their flames, doing her best to ignore the amused couple who strolled along after her.
In the end, compared to her enlightenment regarding her magic, the rest of the trip was remarkably uneventful. The giant Dragon Egg remained at the heart of the Dragonmont, as it had before, sitting atop a nest of Weirwood Trees. For a moment, Rhaena tried to perceive the flames that existed within it, but she instinctively refrained from doing so, knowing that it was beyond her, somehow.
All that Lord Harry ended up doing was walk up to the Weirwoods and hum a tune, while creating some strange ball of magic with endless symbols written on it, and plunging it into the tree itself. For a moment, she swore that she saw the trees almost move, and the faces carved into them glow and nod, before they returned to normal.
It was only when they were back at the beach that Rhaena found herself asking, "What did you do back there?"
"Ah, nothing much. I just thought that it would have been a shame for the island to be destroyed when the dragon inevitably hatched, though that probably won't be for a very long time. The Old Gods shall spread my little trick across their roots, ensuring that my little fix will occur, if any of them ever hatch, though a volcanic eruption will still be likely."
Rhaena nodded in understanding. Even if it was in the far future, she didn't like the idea of Dragonstone being destroyed. She looked up to both Potters, and she spoke up loudly, "You knew that I would be here tonight."
"We did," Lady Daphne answered.
If her suspicions were correct, that meant one thing: they had wished to show her something, and she had an inkling as to what it was. "Did you wish to show me new ways for me to use my Fire Magic?"
Lord Harry gave her a soft smile, "In a way… It felt like the right time to show you a few things that would be useful later on."
That answer formed a pit in her stomach, and she hesitated before asking, feeling afraid of the answer that would follow, "Are you leaving?"
The golden-haired woman put her hand on Rhaena's shoulder softly and said, "Perhaps not now, but we will need to leave eventually."
There was a short pause for a moment, and something in Rhaena snapped at the silence. "You can't just leave," she said quickly, the words tumbling out of her before she could stop them. "There's too much left. There are ruins we haven't seen, and we haven't even gone across the Narrow Sea yet. We haven't even begun to see everything. You can't just… stop. Not now."
Lord Harry watched her quietly for a moment, his expression softening, before he stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Oh, we will not stop now. But there will come a day when you shall not have us by your side anymore, and then, it will be up to you to see it all. It will be up to you to travel, to uncover the mysteries of this world, to find what even we have missed. But that is not now, and we promise that we will not leave until you are ready to stand on your own two feet, ready to face the world. And I have a feeling that you will be a force to be reckoned with."
Despite the sadness that she felt, Rhaena couldn't help but smile slightly at the image in her head, as an ambition cemented itself inside her in a way that just felt right to her. Yes, she could see it now. She would be the greatest explorer in the history of the known world, she swore.
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Of Notable Targaryens in the History of the Seven Kingdoms
By Archmaester Baelor of King's Landing
One cannot speak of the most important members of House Targaryen without mentioning Rhaena Targaryen, the Explorer. Of course, most prefer to call her the Mistress of the Flames, given her prodigal use of Fire Magic, which to this day has not been surpassed in control and might, as well as riding Solarys the Bright, who grew to be even larger than Balerion the Black Dread, and whose white flames were feared across the Known World. To this day, her teachings remain a closely guarded secret of the royal family, and given what little snippets I have read of it, I can guarantee that no Targaryen, or any magic user, to this day, has ever come close to the might that she once wielded, her infamous bracelet becoming a treasure of the royal family, one that was likely more valuable than Blackfyre, the sword of kings, itself, for reasons that I cannot write down, for they remain a secret of House Targaryen.
However, magic aside, I prefer to see her as what she truly was, an explorer. Rhaena Targaryen became famed for her departure from the shores of Westeros and travel across Essos atop her dragon, Solarys. There was much uproar at the time, but she strangely held the approval of Helaena Targaryen, who convinced the king not to hunt her down atop dragons. Strangely, her father and grandparents were not particularly concerned, which is logical given that she had burned a Triarchy's fleet when it tried to ambush her, hoping to gain leverage over the Iron Throne and regain their foothold over the Stepstones. Rhaena Targaryen was said not to have even needed to command her dragon, as she drowned the sea with her white flames, leaving nought but ash to remain.
Aside from that, the princess is known for her discovery of many ruins of the Kingdom of Sarnor, and even her exploration of the Lands of Shadows after the ruins of Asshai. Tales claim that she dined alongside the emperor of Yi Ti and had even flown past the Grey Waste, finding the legendary City of the Winged Men, where all else had failed, having returned to the Capital with treasures that exceeded even those of the Sea Snake's voyages.
There is no doubt in anyone's mind that Rhaena the Explorer spread the name and might of the House of the Dragon to shores far beyond the Narrow Sea, in ways that even Aegon the Conqueror could not have imagined. To this day, tales of her triumphs and the countless lands she charted are told in song, an inspiration to those who would look beyond the horizon and dare to follow in her wake, leaving behind a legacy that would likely be remembered for centuries to come.
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AN: I'm not sure about it, to be honest. I wanted to show a bit of Rhaena's progress. I feel like I neglected her character a bit with the craziness going on, and I wanted to capture a bit of the mentorship the Potters had with her, right now, which I felt would be a good wrap-up for her character, with her growing to be an explorer and continuing her adventures across the world. Also, if you want to see some other loose ends being tied up or any particular chapters, please let me know in the comments. As usual, please let me know what you think and if you have any suggestions.
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If you want to support me, check out my patréon at https://www.patréon.com/athassprkr
I tend to upload drafts of early chapters on there to get people's opinions on them, so you can read up to 20 chapters ahead as a bonus.
Thank you guys for your support in these hard times.