Early 98 AC
As the months, or moons as people in this world said, went by Laenor gradually became more and more comfortable in his new life.
He could feel Seasmoke's presence constantly now, a warm pulse at the edge of his consciousness. The connection had strengthened steadily since their encounter at the cove. Sometimes when he closed his eyes, he could almost see through the dragon's eyes, glimpsing flashes of waves crashing against rocky outcroppings or schools of silver fish darting beneath the surface.
"Aegon! Defend yourself!" Laena shouted, her wooden sword whistling through the air.
Laenor sidestepped with practiced ease, muscle memory from another lifetime guiding his small body. He pivoted on his right foot, bringing his own wooden sword up to parry his elder sister's blow.
"You're too slow, Visenya," he taunted, his childish voice.
Laena's violet eyes narrowed. "Am not!" She lunged forward, swinging wildly.
Laenor ducked under her swing and tapped her lightly on the back with his sword. "Got you.
"That's not fair!" Laena protested, whirling around. "You're supposed to be the one who gets hit. You're smaller!"
Laenor shrugged, suppressing a smile. His body might be four name days old , but the memory of combat remained remained. Years of close-quarters combat training hadn't completely faded, even though he was severely limited by his young body.
"Maybe Visenya isn't as good with a sword as the songs say," he suggested innocently.
That provoked exactly the reaction he'd anticipated. Laena's face flushed with indignation, and she charged at him with renewed vigor. "Take that back!"
For several minutes, they danced across the stone courtyard, wooden swords clacking. Laenor deliberately missed openings, allowing Laena to score the occasional hit. There was no need to completely demoralize his sister, after all. Still, he couldn't help but occasionally display flashes of his true skill, twirling away from her attacks with fluid grace.
"Enough!" Laena finally declared, panting heavily. "You fight too strangely, Laenor. Not like the master-at-arms teaches."
"I just make it up," he lied, wiping sweat from his brow. "Come on, let's go somewhere else."
Laena's mood shifted instantly, her frustration forgotten. "Yes! I know just the place."
She grabbed his hand, pulling him through the winding corridors of High Tide, up spiraling staircases until they reached the highest tower. The wind was stronger here, whipping their silver hair around their faces as they looked out over Driftmark's rugged coastline.
"Look," Laena said, pointing toward the horizon where sea met sky. "One day, I'll have a dragon like Visenya's Vhagar. The biggest one in the world."
Laenor felt a familiar tug in his chest, the pull toward the ocean where he knew Seasmoke was hunting. "Maybe," he said noncommittally.
"I'll fly everywhere," Laena continued, her eyes bright with ambition. "Essos, Sothoryos, even beyond the Sunset Sea. And you'll come with me, valonqor. You'll be my sword carrier. We'll have adventures like Father does on his ships, but in the sky!"
"Look," he said instead, pointing to a ship entering the harbor below, its sails bearing the seahorse of House Velaryon. "Father's returning."
Laena's eyes lit up. "Race you to the docks!"
As they clattered down the stairs, Laenor felt the pull from the sea grow stronger. Seasmoke was near, perhaps drawn by the same excitement that quickened Laenor's steps.
They raced down the winding staircases of High Tide, their feet pounding against the stone steps. Laenor's smaller legs struggled to keep up with Laena's longer stride, but what he lacked in height, he made up for in determination. The connection with Seasmoke pulsed stronger as they neared the harbor, like a compass needle pulling him toward true north.
As they burst through the main gates and onto the docks, Laenor spotted his father's tall figure disembarking from the ship. Without hesitation, both children broke into a sprint.
"Father!" they shouted in unison, their voices carrying over the sounds of creaking wood and flapping sails.
Lord Corlys turned just in time to brace himself as two silver-haired projectiles launched themselves at him. His weathered face broke into a broad smile as he caught them both, one in each arm.
"My little monkeys!" he roared with laughter, spinning them around until their feet flew out behind them. The salty air whipped around them as they clung to his neck, giggling wildly. "Have you been climbing the towers again while I was away?"
Laenor felt the familiar strength in his father's arms, marveling at how small he still was compared to the Sea Snake. In his previous life, he'd never experienced this kind of unbridled paternal affection. The joy of it was almost overwhelming.
When Corlys finally set them down on the wooden planks of the dock, Laenor looked up at him with expectant violet eyes.
"You promised that we could go sailing today," he reminded his father, the words tumbling out before Laena could speak. "Before you left, you said when you returned, we would take the small cutter around the bay."
"Sailing?" Corlys repeated, stroking his beard thoughtfully. "Hmm..." His eyes twinkled with mischief as he pretended to consider the request. "I seem to recall something about that. But the tide is turning, and the wind is shifting..." He trailed off, clearly enjoying their mounting anticipation.
Laenor felt his heart sink momentarily before noticing the playful glint in his father's eye. He was being teased.
Corlys turned toward Rhaenys, who had followed them at a more dignified pace. She stood watching the proceedings, her lilac eyes sparkling with amusement, the sea breeze playing with strands of her dark hair.
"What do you say, my love?" Corlys asked her. "Should we indulge these sea monsters in an afternoon sail?"
Rhaenys tilted her head, studying her children's hopeful faces. "I suppose they have been remarkably well-behaved during your absence," she said, though Laenor caught the hint of a knowing smile. Their mother was well aware of their wooden sword battles and tower-climbing escapades.
"Please, Muna," Laena begged, clasping her hands together dramatically. "I've been practicing my knots just like Father showed me."
"And I've been studying the wind patterns," Laenor added quickly, drawing on knowledge from both lifetimes. "I can predict which way the gusts will come from the eastern headland."
Rhaenys laughed, a melodious sound that carried across the harbor. "Very well. But you'll need warmer clothes. The autumn sea is unforgiving."
"Yes!" Laena pumped her fist in triumph, already turning to race back to the castle.
Laenor lingered a moment longer, his eyes drawn to the water's edge where ripples were forming against the natural flow of the tide. He felt a strange pull towards the ocean.
"Something troubles you, son?" Corlys asked, noticing his distraction.
Laenor shook his head. "No, Kepa. Just... can Seasmoke follow alongside the boat?"
His father's eyebrows rose slightly. "You can feel him nearby?"
"Always," Laenor admitted. "He likes the water almost as much as I do."
Corlys exchanged a meaningful glance with Rhaenys before placing a hand on Laenor's shoulder. "The bond between you grows stronger every day. Yes, Seasmoke may follow, but remember our agreement, no singing, no summoning. He follows of his own will or not at all."
"I understand," Laenor said solemnly, though inside he felt a thrill of anticipation. An afternoon on the water with both his family and Seasmoke, it was more than he could have hoped for.
As they walked back toward the castle, Laenor felt the dual pull of sea and sky, the elements that defined House Velaryon. In this moment, despite the mysteries that still surrounded him, he felt perfectly at home.
x_____________________x
As he entered the main hall, he spotted a familiar figure sitting by the window, her slender fingers working methodically with needle and thread. The afternoon sunlight streaming through the leaded glass windows caught on her silver hair, making it shimmer like polished metal.
Aunt Gael.
Before Laenor could announce his presence, Laena burst into the room ahead of him, her footsteps echoing off the stone walls as she raced toward their aunt.
"Aunt Gael! Aunt Gael!" Laena called out breathlessly, skidding to a stop before the seated woman. "Father's returned, and he's taking us sailing today! Right now!"
Gael looked up from her embroidery, a gentle smile transforming her delicate features. The intricate pattern of dragons and seahorses she had been stitching lay momentarily forgotten in her lap.
"Is he now?" she asked, her voice soft but clear. "That sounds wonderful, little one."
Laenor approached more slowly, studying his aunt with curious eyes. He was extremely close to Aunt Gael, she often took the time to read to him and walk with him when Rhaenys or Corlys was busy, and he knew that she had a special fondness for him.
Though he'd grown accustomed to her presence at High Tide, he still found himself fascinated by the contrast between her shy demeanor and her striking Valyrian beauty. Unlike his mother, whose confidence and strength radiated from her like heat from a flame, Aunt Gael carried herself with a quiet grace that seemed almost fragile.
"Will you come with us, Aunt Gael?" Laenor asked, drawing closer. "Father's taking out the small cutter. We're to sail around the bay."
Gael's violet eyes, so similar to his own, widened slightly at the invitation. Her fingers twisted nervously in the fabric of her gown.
"Oh, I don't know if I should," she murmured, uncertainty clouding her features. "The sea and I have never been particularly friendly companions."
"Please?" Laena pleaded, grabbing Gael's hands. "Mother will be there too. And Father says the waters are calm today."
Laenor watched as his aunt's resistance visibly wavered. It was always this way, Gael might initially decline their invitations, but rarely could she maintain her refusal in the face of their enthusiasm. Though she was a princess of the blood, daughter to the King and Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, here at High Tide she seemed to find a freedom that eluded her at court.
"Very well," Gael finally conceded, carefully setting aside her needlework. "But I shall need to change into something more suitable for the wind."
Laena squealed with delight, throwing her arms around Gael's neck in a fierce embrace that nearly toppled them both from the chair. Laenor couldn't help but smile at his sister's exuberance.
"We'll wait for you by the east gate," he said, already backing toward the door. "Don't be too long, or Father might leave without us!"
By the time they emerged onto the eastern courtyard, dressed in thick woolen tunics and leather boots, their father and mother were already waiting. Corlys was deep in conversation with the captain of his guard, while Rhaenys adjusted the clasp of her cloak against the autumn breeze.
"Where's Aunt Gael?" Rhaenys asked as they approached.
"Coming," Laena answered. "She needed to change her clothes."
Corlys glanced up at the sky, gauging the position of the sun. "We should depart soon if we wish to make the most of the daylight."
As if summoned by his words, Gael appeared at the gate, having exchanged her simple gown for a more practical ensemble of riding breeches and a thick woolen tunic beneath a fur-lined cloak. Her silver hair had been braided and pinned close to her head to prevent it from tangling in the wind.
"I hope I haven't kept everyone waiting," she said, her cheeks flushed slightly from her hurried preparations.
"Not at all, aunt," Rhaenys replied warmly, linking her arm through Gael's. "I'm pleased you've decided to join us. It's been too long since you ventured onto the water."
Laenor noticed how Gael leaned slightly into his mother's strength as they began the walk down to the harbor. Though only a few years separated them in age, Rhaenys had always been the more confident of the two, a natural leader where Gael preferred to follow.
The small cutter was already prepared when they reached the docks, its white sails furled and waiting. Unlike the massive warships and trading vessels that typically filled Driftmark's harbor, this boat was designed for pleasure sailing, swift and maneuverable, perfect for an afternoon's excursion.
As Laenor's small boots touched the deck of the cutter, a strange sensation washed over him. The proximity to the sea, which had always called to him, now seemed to hum beneath his feet like a living thing. He steadied himself against the railing, momentarily overwhelmed by the feeling of connection to the water below.
"Are you alright, Laenor?" Aunt Gael asked, her hand gentle on his shoulder.
He nodded quickly, not trusting himself to speak. This was different from the usual comfort he felt near the ocean. This was power, raw and ancient, responding to his presence. The waves of Blackwater Bay seemed to whisper to him, offering their strength if only he would reach out and take it.
The sailors busied themselves preparing to cast off, their movements practiced and efficient. Laenor watched them, focusing on their routine to ground himself as the strange energy continued to pulse through his veins.
Once they were underway, the sensation only intensified. As the shoreline of Driftmark receded behind them, Laenor made his way carefully to the bow of the ship. The deck swayed beneath his feet, but he moved with surprising steadiness for a child his age, instinctively adjusting to the rhythm of the waves.
At the prow, he gripped the railing and closed his eyes, surrendering to the call that had been growing inside him since they'd first stepped onto the dock.
The world fell away, the voices of his family, the creak of the rigging, the snap of the sails, all faded into background noise as he focused on the sea beneath them. Deep within his chest, Nereid Kyrie stirred, no longer just a name but a presence, a power he had carefully explored since it had awakened within him, ancient and powerful.
He reached out with his senses, extending his awareness into the water around them. It was similar to when he tried to push his thoughts into Seasmoke's mind, to push the bond, beyond what naturally exchanged between them. The currents in the sea flowed like living ribbons, complex patterns that he somehow understood instinctively. He could feel every eddy, every swell, the vast depth below and the endless stretch ahead.
A part of him wanted to test this connection, to raise a wave or create a whirlpool, just to see if he could. The power was there, waiting, like a muscle eager to be flexed. But Laenor kept his mind disciplined, remembering his father's warnings about using his powers. Instead, he focused on the choppy waters directly around their vessel, willing them to calm.
The waves responded immediately, smoothing out as though stroked by an invisible hand. The cutter's movement became more stable, gliding over the suddenly gentle surface with increased speed.
"Laenor!"
His father's voice broke through his concentration. Laenor opened his eyes, momentarily disoriented as his awareness snapped back to the physical world around him.
Turning, he saw Corlys standing at the wheel, sleeves rolled up to reveal sun-bronzed forearms. Wind tousled his father's silver hair, and his eyes gleamed with a joy that Laenor had rarely seen in the confines of High Tide's stone walls.
This is where he belongs, Laenor understood with sudden clarity. Not behind a lord's desk or in council chambers, but here, with salt spray on his face and the horizon open before him.
"Come here, son," Corlys called, gesturing him over. "I want to show you something."
Laenor made his way carefully across the deck, noting with satisfaction that the waters remained calm even as his concentration had shifted. Whatever he had done, the effect lingered.
"Do you feel it?" Corlys asked as Laenor reached his side, placing a large hand on his son's shoulder. "The way she responds to the wind and current? A good sailor learns to read the sea like others read books."
"Yes, Kepa," Laenor replied, knowing his father couldn't possibly understand how deeply he truly felt the sea's movements.
"Here," Corlys guided Laenor's small hands to the wheel. "Hold it steady now."
The polished wood felt warm beneath his palms.
"The sea is in our blood, Laenor," his father said, his voice low enough that only Laenor could hear him. "House Velaryon has always understood water in ways the dragon lords never could. Remember that."
Laenor nodded solemnly, wondering what his father would say if he knew just how true those words were becoming. The sea wasn't just in his blood, it was responding to him, bending to his will in ways that went far beyond the natural affinity of a Velaryon.
From the corner of his eye, he caught a silver flash in the sky. Seasmoke was keeping pace with them, his sleek form visible as a reflection from the waves. The dragon's presence added another layer to Laenor's awareness, creating a triangle of connection between himself, the sea, and his scaled companion.
"Look at that!" Laena's excited voice carried from the stern where she stood with their mother and aunt. "The water's so smooth!
Corlys's eyes shifted to Laenor, who kept his expression carefully neutral as he focused on maintaining their course. A silent understanding passed between them, a question in his father's eyes that Laenor wasn't ready to answer.
Instead, he smiled up at Corlys. "Can we go faster?"
After a moment's hesitation, his father's face relaxed into a grin. "Why not? Signal the men to unfurl the mainsail fully. Let's see what she can do in these conditions."
As the sailors scrambled to obey, Laenor felt a surge of excitement. With the sea cooperating as it was, they would fly across the water.
x___x
As the cutter sailed farther from Driftmark, with the wind filling its sails and the sun warming his face, the vast open ocean stretched before Laenor, endless possibilities in every direction.
His heart raced with a sudden, fierce longing. It pushed against the careful discipline he'd maintained since arriving in this world, the soldier's restraint that had kept his true nature hidden. It demanded release, wild and primal, breaking through the walls he'd built around himself.
He thought of those famous explorers from his past life: Sir Francis Drake circumnavigating the globe, Magellan's fleet proving the world was round, Marco Polo journeying to the distant East, Christopher Columbus sailing into the unknown. Men who had inscribed their names into history through sheer audacity and vision, pushing beyond what anyone thought possible.
Then his eyes found his father, standing tall at the helm, silver hair whipping in the wind. Corlys Velaryon, the legendary Sea Snake, whose nine great voyages had taken him farther than any Westerosi before him. To Yi Ti, Leng, and the Shadow Lands beyond Asshai. Places of mystery and wonder that most men only heard about in whispered tales.
These were legends. Men who had forever etched their names into the annals of history through courage and discovery.
The realization hit him with stunning clarity. This world, this magical, dangerous world, was his to explore. With Seasmoke's strength and his own emerging powers, what couldn't he accomplish? What couldn't he see?
The vastness of possibility made his chest ache with yearning. He wanted to see every corner of this world, to uncover its secrets, to map its wonders. He wanted to go beyond where even his father had ventured.
He wanted to truly live.
"Father." The word came out stronger than he'd intended.
Corlys turned to his son, eyebrows raised at the unusual tone. His expression shifted as he took in Laenor's face, the determination, the fierce joy that must have been evident there.
"I'll be the greatest explorer this world has ever known," Laenor declared, the words carrying across the deck with surprising conviction for one so young.
As if summoned by his declaration, Seasmoke, circling overhead, letting out a roar that seemed to shake the very air around them, agreement, challenge, promise.
Corlys studied his son for a long moment before a slow grin spread across his weathered face. The Sea Snake's eyes glinted with pride and something like recognition.
"Well, son," he said, clapping a hand on Laenor's shoulder, "you're going to have to surpass me, won't you?"
Laenor nodded, matching his father's grin. "I will."
Laena, who had been quiet during this exchange, suddenly pushed her way into the circle. "If Laenor gets to be an explorer, then I want to be one too!" she declared, hands on her hips. "We'll go together on Seasmoke and my dragon."
She began to cling to Corlys's waist and demand to be taken sailing everyday.
"Every day? You'd have me abandon all my lordly duties just to sail with my little sea dragon?" he teased, his eyes crinkling at the corners.
Laena nodded vigorously, her excitement bubbling over like sea foam on rocks. "Yes! Every single day! We could map the whole Blackwater Bay, and then go beyond the Gullet, and then maybe even to Essos!" Her words tumbled out faster than waves breaking on shore, each suggestion more ambitious than the last.
Corlys chuckled, the sound rumbling deep in his chest as he held her close. "Perhaps not every day," he murmured against her hair, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial tone. "But often enough that you'll be the finest sailor in the Seven Kingdoms before your tenth nameday. Would that satisfy my little captain?"
Rhaenys watched them from where she stood by the railing, violet eyes soft with affection. A smile played at the corners of her mouth as she observed her husband indulging their daughter's grand ambitions. The wind tugged playfully at her dark hair, sending strands dancing around her face as she shook her head in amused resignation.
Watching on, Laenor smiled at his sister's enthusiasm, though privately he wondered if his ambitions might take him places where Laena couldn't follow. The connection he felt with Seasmoke, with the sea itself, seemed uniquely his, a destiny separate from his family's.
As if sensing his thoughts, Seasmoke dove low over the cutter, close enough that Laenor could feel the wind from his wings. The dragon's amber eyes locked with his for a brief, electric moment before he soared upward again.
Together, Laenor thought fiercely through their bond. Wherever this path leads, we'll walk it together.
Laenor felt a gentle hand on his shoulder and turned to find Aunt Gael standing beside him. Without warning, she bent down and lifted him into her arms, settling him against her chest. The soft warmth of her breasts cushioned him as she held him close, her familiar scent of lavender and sea salt enveloping him.
Soft, he thought, feeling strangely comforted by the intimate embrace. In his previous life, such physical affection had been rare, almost non-existent. Here, it was freely given, a casual gesture of love that still sometimes caught him off guard.
"I believe in you, Laenor," Gael whispered, her breath warm against his ear. Her words carried a weight beyond their simple meaning
"Whatever path you choose to walk, know that I will always stand beside you."
The sincerity in her voice made his chest tighten with unexpected emotion. He looked up into her violet eyes, so like his own, and saw nothing but unwavering faith.
"Thank you, Aunt Gael," he grinned, allowing himself to fully embrace this moment of childlike vulnerability. For all his adult memories and knowledge, there was something profoundly healing about being held this way, about being believed in so completely.
As the sun dipped beneath the water, the first stars began to emerge one by one, piercing the darkening canvas of twilight. Laenor gazed upward, still nestled in his aunt's embrace, transfixed by their brilliance. They were more vivid than in his last life, the sky was clearer, not dulled by the light pollution of a modern world.
He searched for familiar patterns, Orion, the Big Dipper, Cassiopeia, but found none. Instead, unfamiliar arrangements greeted him.
Gael pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead before standing up. "Now then," she said, smoothing down his rumpled tunic, "I believe your father mentioned something about teaching you both how to read the stars for navigation. Shall we join them?"
Laenor nodded eagerly and took her offered hand. As they crossed the deck to where Corlys was pointing out constellations to an enraptured Laena, he felt Seasmoke's presence brush against his mind, a gentle reminder of the bond they shared.
"Look there," Corlys was saying, one arm still holding Laena while the other pointed toward a bright star on the eastern horizon. "The Dragon's Eye always points north. Even when all else fails, when storms have stolen your maps that star will guide you home."
Laenor listened intently, storing away this knowledge alongside the countless other lessons he'd absorbed since arriving in this world. Navigation by stars was something he'd never mastered in his previous life, relying instead on modern technology. Here, such skills where essential to navigate the oceans.
As night began to fall in earnest, the family gathered at the center of the deck. Sailors moved efficiently around them, preparing the cutter for the return journey to Driftmark. The lanterns were lit one by one, casting golden pools of light across the wooden planks.
The wind picked up as they approached the harbor, filling the sails and sending them skimming across the water. Laenor closed his eyes, feeling the spray on his face and the pull of the sea in his blood.
High Tide's silhouette appeared on the horizon, its towers reaching toward the star-strewn sky,
"Did you enjoy your adventure today?" Rhaenys asked, drawing her children close as the evening air grew cooler.
"It was perfect," Laenor replied honestly, leaning against her side. And it had been; a perfect blend of family, freedom, and the promise of future explorations.
x__________________X
Hope you enjoyed the chapter!
Small time skip ahead, and some important developments are set to happen. It's pretty tricky navigating the world of ASOIAF, because there is so much to explore.
Laenor is born in a sweet spot time period where he'll have the most flexibility to manouver and play around with canon. The Dance is also still years off.
Also if you want to see artwork of Rhaenys Targaryen, Corlys Velaryon, Gael Targaryen and Laenor Velaryon, you can head over to my P. a. t. r. e. o. n to check them out.
If you're enjoying the story and want to read TWO advance chapters ahead of their public release then please head over to my Patreon!!
p a t r e o n . c o m / D a r k e B o n e s