Chapter 29: Holy Shit
Lilyanna rolled her eyes as both Gerardys and Orwlye fluttered around her, checking for signs that she was not as perfectly fine as she said that she was.
Her siblings had been herded out of her bedchamber by Alicent's order when she arrived with the maesters, for Lilyanna's privacy and to ready themselves for what Viserys was planning.
"There seems to be nothing amiss with the princess, Your Grace." Gerardys said as he turned to where the Queen was sitting, "I must admit that it's quite strange that the princess is exhibiting no other symptoms that come with being unconscious for so long besides feeling tired."
Lilyanna pursed her lips; it was not as if she could tell them that her body was more abnormal than what everyone thought, and so she kept quiet.
"With that said, she will need time for the stitches to heal, which she should not try to remove again."
"I wouldn't be trying to remove them if you people did them properly." Lilyanna muttered, rolling her eyes again, thinking about how the scar on her head was going to look once it was healed.
Well, at least Daemon hit me in a place where I can cover the scar with my hair. Lilyanna thought, resisting the urge to touch the upper left side of her forehead, right where her hairline was.
"Lilyanna." Alicent said tiredly, "Do not speak in such a manner to Maester Gerardys and Maester Orwlye."
"Yes, mother." Lilyanna said, crossing her arms.
"She will need some time to recover, at least a few days." Orwyle added.
A few days? I don't have a few days. Lilyanna's thoughts moved towards little Sava.
Alicent cupped the side of Lilyanna's face, staring into her daughter's bright purple eyes, happy to see them full of life again.
"So, does this mean that I should get ready for court?" Lilyanna asked as the two maesters left the room.
Alicent sighed, "It does. But if you are not feeling well, I will tell your father that this can be arranged for another day."
When news of Lilyanna waking up had spread across the keep, Viserys had immediately ordered that a session of court be held so that Daemon would be made to give Lilyanna his apology in front of all present, clearly wanting to put this whole mess behind them as quickly as possible.
Even though it's been less than two hours since I woke up, Viserys Targaryen, father of the year, ladies and gentlemen. I still look like shit, so this will make Daemon look like even more of a scumbag as I'm dragged before everyone like a messed-up circus act. Although I can't tell if this is intentional on Viserys' part to show the realm that he's not letting his brother walk all over him again, or just a coincidence.
"No, I feel fine, mother. We can do it today; might as well get it over with." Lilyanna said as she climbed out of bed, feeling her head spin due to how fast she got up.
"Careful." Alicent, holding onto Lilyanna's arm to keep her steady, only letting go when it was clear that Lilyanna would not fall over. "The second Daemon gives his apology; you are coming back here to rest. And don't tell me you are fine, Lilyanna, I know you are not."
Lilyanna could not fault Alicent for her behavior; her child did just wake up from an almost three-day coma after having their head cracked open by their deranged uncle, even if she found it stifling. So, Lilyanna said nothing, only sighing as she allowed her mother to fuss over her.
Dragonstone's Great Hall was filled with tension as courtiers and retainers stood watchful of the scene before them; no one dared speak above a whisper, and even those whispers died the moment the event was called to start.
Viserys sat on the throne with his crown heavy upon his head and a fury simmering beneath his expression. The rest of the royal family took up either side of the throne's steps, standing before everyone inside, and before the King's brother.
The faces of the Queen and her children were tight with contained rage as they glared at Daemon, except for Lilyanna, who, unlike the others, was seated on a cushioned chair in between her siblings with her bandaged head held high and with a blank expression on her face.
It was at her mother's insistence that Lilyanna would not be made to stand, and Lilyanna thought that Alicent wanted this not just for Lilyanna's comfort but to paint the image of Lilyanna being a helpless and frail little girl, to further highlight the depravity of Daemon's actions.
Next to them were Rhaenyra, Laenor, and their eldest children, followed by Laena, the twins, and Corlys and Rhaenys, making almost a straight line across the base of the throne, leaving little space between themselves, another deliberate choice Lilyanna knew that her father must have insisted upon along with the rest of this farce.
Lilyanna almost rolled her eyes as she watched Viserys order a herald to speak aloud about Daemon's crime, as if everyone present did not already know.
Can we get this over with already? Lilyanna thought, finding herself thoroughly bored by Viserys' need to draw this out.
Lilyanna watched as Daemon's jaw clenched due to the spectacle he was being made into, and could not deny the small bit of satisfaction she felt, but did not allow it to show on her face. Her eyes soon left Daemon and went towards the man's wife and children.
Baela and Rhaena fidgeted under the stares of those around them, reminding Lilyanna that the two younger girls had not had the exposure to courtly politics that the rest of them had. Especially as they were now a part of the topic of discussion due to their father's actions.
Laena's face was blank, but Lilyanna could tell from the woman's tense posture that she was angry, whether it was at Daemon himself, or because of the eyes that would occasionally flicker towards her and her daughters, Lilyanna did not know.
Laena's parents were the same, the two of them refusing to take their eyes off Daemon, while Laenor was openly glaring at his good brother.
When the herald was done, Viserys spoke, "You will speak now, brother."
Daemon made no effort to hide his disdain for the proceedings; his voice was cold as he spoke. "I challenged the Princess to a spar; she accepted. My last strike was heavier than intended, and she fell over."
Daemon took a pause; the court waited expectantly, anxious to see if Daemon would cause a scene. "I did not mean for her to be harmed, and I regret what happened."
Viserys's knuckles turned white due to how tightly he was gripping the pommel of Blackfyre. "Say it to her and properly, Daemon."
Daemon nearly rolled his eyes as he turned to Lilyanna, looking at her for the first time since she arrived in the throne room, holding her gaze as his words were slow and deliberate. "Princess Lilyanna… I apologize for striking you as I did. You should not have suffered for my temper."
Lilyanna said nothing; her face was unreadable, but her grip on the armrest of her chair tightened.
"Lilyanna." The princess turned her head to look up at Viserys when she heard him say her name. He was looking at her expectantly, and Lilyanna had to fight not to roll her own eyes.
You'd think I'd get a say on whether I forgive someone for almost killing me, but I guess not, not with Viserys the Peaceful around. Lilyanna thought as she turned around and looked back at Daemon.
"I accept your apology, uncle." Lilyanna said in a dry tone.
Daemon quickly looked back at Viserys, his jaw clenching again, "And I swear, before the King and all assembled, that I will never again raise a hand against any of your children. Not in jest, not in training, not in anger."
Viserys' voice rose again as he addressed his brother, "You will keep that oath, or I will do worse to you than a restriction of funds and dragons."
Daemon clenched his fists along with his jaw, biting his tongue to keep himself from exploding and speaking of how he truly felt about all this.
A silence filled the hall as Viserys paused, the King looking between his brother and youngest daughter, expecting one of them to do something reactionary, and when neither did, his gaze shifted to the rest of his family, looking to see the same. A feeling of satisfaction washed over him, and he smiled for the first time since the function began.
"This matter has ended. Let no more blood be spilled over pride; we will not burn each other from within." And with that, the King stood, walked down the steps of the throne, and swept out of the hall, not looking back at anyone.
"Well, that was fun, wasn't it?" Lilyanna asked with a tone full of fake sweetness.
Aegon snorted, "It was, especially the part where father made you accept Daemon's apology."
Lilyanna rolled her eyes, standing up from her chair, ignoring the stares such an action attracted from the crowd of onlookers around them. "Yes, well, father is the sort to end conflict before it can escalate, no matter the transgression. Now, if we're done with this showing of familial love, I have things to do; being unconscious for days has not been ideal."
"Lilyanna, you are going back to bed." Alicent, leaving no room for her daughter to argue with her, "Or did you forget what I said before?"
"It was worth a shot." Lilyanna shrugged, fully intending to make herself disappear the next day, so she might as well let Alicent have today to coddle her.
"What exactly have you been doing?" Aemond said, looking at his sister suspiciously.
Before Lilyanna could give her family a good enough lie, their attention was quickly taken when Laena, Baela, and Rhaena stepped in front of them. This brought even more attention to her than Lilyanna liked, feeling everyone's eyes on them.
Along with this, everyone had noticed that for one reason or another, Daemon had left the hall shortly after his brother did, not sparing anyone else a glance as he did so.
Laena frowned as she watched her husband leave, she was still angry with him and was refusing to speak to him, but hoped that he would at least try to broker peace, feeling that his quick exit was just making it more obvious to everyone that he was unrepentant.
"Princess Lilyanna." Laena said, staring at Lilyanna with a remorseful expression, "It is good to see that you have awoken and are recovering quickly. After what my husband did, I feel the need to apologize to you."
Lilyanna sighed, "Aunt Laena, while I appreciate your empathy and thoughtfulness, you do not need to apologize for me. You are not responsible for the actions of another and should not feel guilty over my injury. Besides, my uncle has already given me the most heartfelt of apologies; there is no need to drag this out further."
"But still, I-"
"How is Aethan?" Lilyanna asked, not wanting Laena to try and apologize to her again, "Is his skin still bothering him?"
Lilyanna was a firm believer that a person should own up to their wrongdoings and not have others make amends or excuses for them, and to do otherwise was the mark of an immature and narcissistic individual.
Laena blinked, "No, his skin has not been bothering him so far."
"I haven't had the opportunity to finish making the cream for him yet, for obvious reasons, so it's good to hear that Aethan hasn't been suffering during that time."
Laena could only stare at the young girl in front of her, confused by how nonchalant and dismissive Lilyanna was about being bludgeoned over the head. And she only looked away when she heard her daughters giggling next to her.
Baela and Rhaena were both thinking of the story the others had told them about the attempted attack on Lilyanna's life, how the girl had remained unbothered in the aftermath and was more offended by something that to everyone else would have been inconsequential.
But to see this behavior firsthand was as shocking as it was humorous to the two girls.
"I think this is the fastest you've left someone speechless with how strange you are." Aegon snickered.
"No, it isn't, you're forgetting the first time we met Lord Beesbury's wife." Daeron grinned, "When she learned that you trained in the yard with us, she looked like you told her the sky was yellow."
This caused her siblings to laugh, each one recalling the way Jelissa Beesbury had laughed, as if what she heard was a particularly funny joke, only for the smile to slowly fall off her face when she realized the rumors about Lilyanna were true.
"You all are having a lot of fun at the expense of someone who just woke up from an injury-induced coma." Lilyanna said dryly, her expression one of exasperation.
This only made her siblings and cousins laugh harder; even Jacaerys and Lucerys joined in from their parents' side, having heard of the exchange.
Well, I guess this is slightly better than having someone try to apologize to me for bullshit that isn't their fault.
The Next Day
Lilyanna sighed as she dismounted her horse and tied the reins to a nearby tree outside of Shadecross.
It had taken more effort than before to sneak out of the castle, Rickard was following her more closely than before, making it almost impossible for her to lose him. Lilyanna was not sure if this was something Rickard was doing of his own volition or if her mother had told him to do so, but she had quickly grown tired of it.
Eventually, Lilyanna returned to her room, telling her sworn protector that she would be spending the remainder of the day inside and that she was not to be disturbed. Used to this behavior from his charge, Rickard was none the wiser once Lilyanna closed her door and climbed out the window, using her bedding to scale down the wall.
Luckily for the princess, her room she had noticed was in an infrequently patrolled area of the castle grounds and relatively close to the ground, close enough for her bedding to reach the bottom and not require her to jump down.
Lilyanna knew that Sava was well into recovery and that she should be close to returning to normal health, but there was always the possibility of a relapse when it came to certain illnesses, and Lilyanna was nothing if not thorough.
As she was about to enter the town, Lilyanna felt the sensation of being watched; the hair on her neck stood on end as she placed her hand on her sword. She waited a few moments before hearing twigs being stepped on, followed by a flurry of footsteps.
She unsheathed her sword and held it up as she was soon surrounded by a group of about ten men, each one wielding knives and clubs, glaring menacingly at her.
"It seems that big ugly fool was right, the little bitch has finally shown her face again." Lilyanna turned her head and saw the same four dragonseeds she had seen trying to kill Ulf when she first met him.
"So, you have all been spending days, what? Gathering a pack of idiots to come get your asses kicked by me again?" Lilyanna asked, looking at the group with a bored expression on her face.
"You took my fucking hand, you fucking cunt!" One of the dragonseeds shouted, pointing his bandaged arm at Lilyanna.
"Not my fault you decided to run into my sword." Lilyanna shrugged.
Her eyes glanced away from the men and towards the now growing group of onlookers surrounding them, each trying to get a better look at what was happening, while also trying to remain far enough away as not to get caught in the potential crossfire.
She clenched her jaw at this, annoyed by how easy it was for these people to simply stand around, watching this whole affair as if it were entertainment and not bothering to interject in what to them would look like a little girl about to be assaulted.
"You really don't seem to understand the position you're in." Simon said, using one of his arms to hold back his one-handed friend, pulling Lilyanna's eyes back to him. "You got lucky when you faced four of us, but against ten? You're dying here, after we've had a piece of you first."
Lilyanna smirked, "So not only are you cowards, but rapists too? Wow, just when I thought you lot couldn't get more pathetic."
Her words had the desired effect of angering the men around her further, and Lilyanna's smirk grew wider, fully confident that she could beat the group.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing?!" Everyone's eyes fell on the two men who were running towards them, pushing through the onlookers to get to them.
Hugh and Ulf had heard the commotion from nearby; they were not the only ones who had stopped what they were doing to get a better look, and at first were unsurprised to see a fight about to break out, as this common occurrence among the island's inhabitants.
And they were surprised to recognize the red-haired girl who had seemingly disappeared without a trace, standing in the middle of the now growing crowd.
"Step aside, we'll deal with you fools after." Simon said, his gaze falling on Ulf.
"We're not going to do that. You want Lily, you have to go through us first." Ulf said, although his words were not as effective as he was partially hiding behind Hugh.
Hugh's glare made most of the men uneasy; he was easily the largest person there, towering over everyone with his hulking build and large hands. And most knew him as the hammer-wielding apprentice to the island's best blacksmith, only adding to the knowledge that Hugh was a man strong enough to warrant caution around.
The handless man, however, felt no such reservations, emboldened by their superior numbers, "You think, we're scared of you? We'll kill all three of you!"
Hugh cracked his knuckles. "Is that so?"
"Are we going to keep talking, or what? You idiots are wasting my time." Lilyanna drawled, still smirking at her attackers.
"Ugh!" The one-handed man screamed, rushing towards Lilyanna.
Lilyanna side-stepped him, grabbing him by his other arm, and, for good measure, cut off his last remaining hand, pushing him to the ground and ignoring him as he cried out in agony.
This spurred the other men to action, each one rushing towards Lilyanna. The princess had taken a defensive stance, but just as two of the group had gotten close enough, Hugh had jumped in front of her, grabbing the pair by their necks and slamming them into the dirt, knocking the air from their lungs.
Hugh then picked them up and threw them into the rest of the group, knocking four of them down.
Note to self, don't get into a fistfight with Hugh. Lilyanna thought, side-stepping another attacker, kicking him into the man standing in front of him.
She then sliced her next attacker across the chest, bringing her sword down and stabbing them in their left thigh. Before he could fall over, Lilyanna grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, using him as a human shield to block the person who was trying to stab her.
She threw the shield to the ground and punched the man who tried to stab her in the face, feeling his eyes breaking against her fist.
"You fucking bitch!" Lilyanna turned her head and saw a tall man with dark brown hair and purple eyes glaring at her. His eyes flickering between her and the now bleeding man at her feet, Lilyanna saw that the two of them shared the same features.
"Is he your brother?" Lilyanna asked, her tone dismissive as she stared at him blankly.
"I'll kill you!" He screamed, his knife drawn back as he ran at Lilyanna.
The princess was about to disarm him when she watched Ulf come out of nowhere to tackle him to the ground, raining punches upon his head.
"Thanks, Ulf." Lilyanna muttered as she turned to face Simon, the dragonseed was glaring at her venomously as he tightened
his grasp on his club.
"This is nothing for the Great Ulf!" Ulf said with a boisterous laugh, sitting on top of the other dragonseed, still punching him.
"You know, you can still leave. It's quite clear that you have lost this little fight." Lilyanna told the dragonseed, glancing in Hugh's direction, and seeing that the man had beaten down the rest of the attackers and was focusing on the sole remaining man.
Again, do not get into a fistfight with Hugh. Lilyanna thought, seeing Hugh knock out three of his opponent's teeth with a punch.
Simon's glare deepened, "You think this is funny? You think you can just come here and disrespect us like this?!"
Lilyanna looked around at the injured men around them before looking back at Simon, "Well, clearly I've been able to very easily."
Simon now held the club with both hands, his fists turning white, and his face turned red, along with a vein beginning to visibly throb on his forehead.
"I think you've made your point, niece." Lilyanna felt a pit of dread form in her stomach at the familiar voice coming from behind her.
I think this is worse than almost getting murdered by a band of inbred hillbillies. Lilyanna sheathed her sword, knowing she no longer had a need for it as she turned her head and saw Daemon standing there, leaning against a tree with a smirk on his face and a black cloak around his body.
Is that the infamous murder cloak? "How long have you been here?"
"Since those two came to your defense when these mongrels surrounded you." Daemon said, still smirking at her as he pointed to Hugh and Ulf.
Everyone had stopped what they were doing to look at Daemon and Lilyanna, wondering just who they were.
"So, you're following me?" Lilyanna scoffed.
"It was quite suspicious to see you sneaking through the yard and heading into town without a guard in sight or with anyone knowing where you were going. I doubt my brother and your mother would be happy to hear of such uncouth behavior from a princess."
A gasp rang through the crowd when Daemon called her a princess, and Lilyanna could see the fear that had replaced Simon's anger as he looked at her.
When she moved her gaze to Ulf and Hugh, Ulf looked just as shocked as the crowd, while Hugh had a look of dread, his face turning white.
Lilyanna rolled her eyes, "And I don't think they would be happy to hear you stalking me like a badly dressed stalker, Uncle Daemon."
A loud gasp rang out, followed by a flurry of whispers. Lilyanna could hear the words 'Prince Daemon' and 'Rogue Prince' among them.
"Y-y-you're th-th-the prince?" Simon found the courage to ask, stuttering over his words.
Daemon slowly lifted his head to look at Simon, causing the man to flinch, "And who gave you permission to speak to me, let alone look me in the eyes?"
Simon quickly dropped his gaze, shaking in his boots, and he was only saved from more of Daemon's ridicule as the sounds of approaching horses drowned out the tense stillness that had overtaken the area.
"You didn't." Lilyanna said, turning to glare at her uncle.
Daemon's smirk turned into an impish grin. "Did I forget to mention that I already alerted your parents to your disappearance before I followed you here?"
This fucking cunt!
"Consider this a correction of sorts to that little humiliation you and your mother made me go through yesterday."
"Made you go through?" Lilyanna asked incredulously, "You did that to yourself when you cracked my fucking head open!"
Daemon shrugged, "Not my fault, you were too distracted to focus on the opponents in front of you. I suppose you're only good for fighting sniveling peasants instead of real challengers."
I'm going to become a kinslayer this day, aren't I? Before Lilyanna could consider pulling out her sword and running her uncle through, a squad of knights appeared from out of the tree line, and to her dismay, Criston and Rickard were leading the charge.
Daemon huffed, still grinning as he watched the riders draw closer, "Your mother must be deathly worried if she personally sent her Marcher dog to retrieve you."
Lilyanna let out a snort, "Of course she did. When she realized you were barking at my heels, she must have been worried about a repeat performance from you."
"Princess!" Criston exclaimed, cutting off the retort Daemon was going to give her. Lilyanna watched the knight quickly dismount his horse and make his way to her.
"Have you been hurt, Princess?" Criston asked, placing a hand on Lilyanna's shoulder before glaring at Daemon from the corner of his eye. "Did anyone hurt you?"
Daemon scoffed loudly, but he was ignored by the two as Lilyanna spoke, "Daemon didn't do anything to me besides being annoying. I ran into some trouble, but it was easy enough to deal with, especially with the help I was given."
Criston's gaze followed Lilyanna, and he finally took notice of the injured men strewn across the ground, each with some kind of weapon near them, and those that were still conscious, looking at the knights and royals with unadulterated fear. It did not take him long to figure out what must have happened, and Criston was furious, "Daring to lay your hands upon a princess of the realm is a treasonable offense. Men, arrest them, let no man flee, and take them back to the castle to be placed in the dungeon!"
The other knights followed Criston's command and began to use the rope that they had with them to tie up the dragonseeds.
"Not them, Ricky." Lilyanna called out as she saw Rickard approaching Hugh and Ulf, "They're with me."
Rickard glanced at the pair one final time before walking towards the dragonseed whose hands she had cut off.
"Come, Lilyanna, I must take you back to your lady mother." Criston said, trying to lead her to his horse.
Lilyanna twisted herself out of his grasp, however, taking a few steps back, "Look, I know that mother must be worried sick about me right now."
You think? Was written all over Criston's face after she said this, and Lilyanna could not find fault in him for this.
"But I think she would understand us taking a little while longer to return in this instance."
"And what instance would this be?" Criston asked with a huff, looking as if he was considering ignoring the girl outright and simply carrying her back to the castle.
Criston let out a sigh, pressing his fingertips against his forehead as he walked, regretting allowing his charge to convince him into this. "I am sure that the Queen would have allowed you to go to the town's blacksmith if you had asked. Sneaking out of the castle each day was unnecessary and dangerous."
Criston had told Rickard to return to the castle with their new prisoners and to tell the King and Queen about what had happened and what they were doing.
Rickard was reluctant at first, not wanting to leave Lilyanna again, especially after finding out that she had been sneaking out of the castle for days, while he was oblivious to it when she was supposed to be under his watch, but eventually folded to her whims.
"No, she would have sent a servant to do so and refused to let me go myself. Then I wouldn't have had much say in how my swords were made." Lilyanna said, knowing that there was no way that Alicent would have allowed her to come to Shadecross by herself, let alone allow her to speak directly with the smallfolk.
Lilyanna remembered the few times when her mother would take her and her siblings to walk about the streets of King's Landing, always accompanied by guards, and never allowing anyone to get close to them. It was the same when they would travel to the Dragonpit or the sept, straight there and back.
"You... you really are a princess?" Ulf asked, staring at Lilyanna wide-eyed as they walked to Hugh's home.
"I am." Lilyanna said plainly.
Ulf gulped, "I thought princesses were supposed to be..."
"Supposed to be what?" Lilyanna asked as she turned her head to look at him.
Not mouthy little shits who cut off men's hands like it's nothing. Ulf thought but did not say out loud due to how the Kingsguard was looking at him, as if Ulf was the dirt beneath his shoes.
"Do not speak so casually to the princess." Criston said tersely, glaring at Ulf.
"It's fine, Ser Criston, I don't mind." Lilyanna told the knight, "If I wanted to be treated like a princess, I would have introduced myself to them as such."
Ulf snorted, having quickly moved past his shock and his reservations, "Why wouldn't you want to be treated like a princess? Hell, I want to be treated like a princess."
"We can switch places if you want." Lilyanna said with a smirk.
Hugh did not know what he had been expecting his day to be like when he woke up that morning, but this certainly was not it. Hugh was leading the group of five towards his home, feeling as if a noose had been wrapped around his neck.
For as long as he had lived on Dragonstone, Hugh had resolved never to put himself in a position where he would be near the members of the royal family.
You would think that coming to Westeros at all would be counterintuitive to this desire, but almost everyone who lived on Dragonstone was dragonseed who were related to at least one or more Valyrians, not just the Targaryens. Most who lived on Dragonstone looked like him, so there was nothing about him that would stand out.
Blood ties that in some cases ran so far back that most would fail to consider those around them family, even if they were descended from the same ancestor, especially with the pervasive stigma that existed surrounding bastardy throughout the continent.
And most importantly, the royal family rarely visited the island, let alone mingled with the island's inhabitants, so it seemed to be the perfect place for Hugh to live his life, far from the expectations of his family.
Until now. Now my worst fear has come true. Hugh thought, glancing back at Lilyanna, who was still talking to Ulf while Criston looked at both him and Ulf with suspicion.
Hugh did not turn to face the other royal who was walking behind all of them, but he could feel Daemon's eyes on him with every step he took, hating that he was leading such an infamous man right to his wife and daughter.
I am doing this Sava. Lily-the princess, was the only person who was capable of helping her. Sava has been doing better now, but I need to be sure.
After what felt like an eternity, they finally reached Hugh's home, and Lilyanna was happy when she walked inside and no longer felt the stares of the town's residents following them.
Kat's eyes widened as her gaze fell upon the group, specifically Criston and Daemon. She quickly stood from where she was sitting, "Hugh, what is-"
Hugh placed his hands on Kat's forearms, "They're here for Sava."
"How's my favorite patient doing?" Lilyanna broke away from the others, walking towards Sava.
A large grin formed on Sava's face, and she ran towards Lilyanna, hugging her tightly, "Lily! Where did you go?"
Lilyanna chuckled, patting Sava's girl and causing the girl to preen, "I got myself into some trouble."
"Is that why your head is wrapped?" Sava asked, pointing to the bandages.
"It is, I needed a few days to rest because of it, that's why I couldn't see you for the last few days. But enough about me, you have been feeling better, right?"
As Lilyanna checked over Sava, Daemon's attention drifted away from his niece and onto the blacksmith, trailing over the man's features. "You look like someone I once knew."
Hugh fought the urge to flinch and slowly turned his head to meet Daemon's eye. The prince had spoken in a low tone, so only Hugh and Kat heard him while Criston and Ulf were still focused on Lilyanna and Sava.
"Do I, Your Grace?" Hugh asked.
"Like the spitting image of my grandfather, Jaehaerys." Daemon hummed, before giving Hugh a quick once-over, "Well, besides being so much... larger than him."
"A strange coincidence, Your Grace, I assure you." Hugh said.
Kat looked between her husband and the prince, her brow furrowed, but she remained silent, inching herself closer to Hugh, now looking at Daemon with trepidation.
"I suppose you would be a bit too young to come from the Old King, not unless he managed to carry his dying body to a brothel without anyone noticing." With that, Daemon seemingly lost interest, turning away from the married couple.
Hugh quietly let out a breath he did not know he had been holding in, but he still could not help the feeling that this would not be the end of it.
Hugh looked down when he felt his wife reach for his hand, gripping it tightly, and he could see the questions lingering in her gaze as she looked at him.
Hugh shook his head, wordlessly telling her that they would speak later, when they were alone.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Rhaena asked for the third time since they left the castle.
Dragonstone had been in an uproar when it had been discovered that Lilyanna had snuck out. Especially when it was learned that Daemon had followed her.
Aemond could not say he was surprised when Alicent confronted Helaena about Lilyanna's disappearance, only to tell her that Lilyanna had gone to Shadecross.
But with everyone focused on his sister and uncle, Aemond found himself with the perfect opportunity to scout out his target.
So, he had gone to Rhaena, taking with them one of the maps the dragonkeepers had made that recorded every dragon nest and lair on the island, and the pair left the castle, traveling to the back of the Dragonmount, towards its eastern side.
Now, as they walked, Rhaena questioned how she let her cousin talk her into this. This felt like something Baela would do as the reckless one between them, and she could only imagine the look on her twin's face when she found out.
Rhaena wanted to get Lilyanna a dragon, too, but the Cannibal was greatly feared for a reason. There was no way of knowing how such an abnormal beast would react to Lilyanna, but given the dragon's temperament around people and other dragons, it was still a dangerous pursuit.
She thought it was madness that they were currently walking towards a dragon that had no qualms about eating humans and other dragons alike, a monster so foul that it had not even been given a name, simply a title that denoted its horrifying nature.
Aemond sighed, holding the torch further out to illuminate their path, "Yes, this is the only moment we will have to do this. Ironically enough, my sister has given us the perfect opportunity."
Unlike most of the Dragonmount's tunnels, the one they were inside of had extensive spider webs, dust, scatterings of grass growing along the ground, and cracks forming along the wall, all indications of a lack of regular use.
Why would anyone want to go near the lair of the Cannibal? Rhaena thought as she swiped away another cobweb in front of her.
Aemond turned his head, seeing Rhaena frown, "We're not going to get too close to them. We just need to make sure that the Cannibal is here, so that we know where to bring Lilyanna."
Rhaena huffed, "And you think Lilyanna will want to come here? And even if she did, I don't think your mother is going to be letting Lilyanna out of her sight for a long time."
"Most likely not." Aemond agreed to both points, "But we are going to be on Dragonstone for a good while longer, we'll have plenty of time to trick my sister into coming down here and without my mother seeing."
"Trick?" Rhaena asked, watching as a smirk started to form on Aemond's face.
Rhaena sighed, and Aemond's smirk grew, knowing that for now, he had won the argument.
The rest of their walk was spent in silence, which only added to the eerie atmosphere.
Eventually, the two reached the end of the tunnel. Aemond turned and pressed a finger to his lips before he and Rhaena slowly and quietly made their way to the exit. They pressed themselves against one of the walls, sticking their heads out.
The cave was vast, and if Aemond could compare it from what he could see, about the same size as the cave he and Lilyanna found Vermithor and Silverwing nesting in. The only opening he could see was the large hole in the ceiling, one that was more than big enough for the island's largest dragons to fly in and out if comfortably, but the smell emanating from within reeked of rotting flesh, feces, and smoke.
Aemond heard Rhaena's breath hitch as she leaned over his shoulder to get a better look inside the cave, her eyes wide as she finally laid eyes on the infamous. The Cannibal was smaller than Vhagar and Vermithor, but this did not take away from the beast's massive size.
The Cannibal's scales were as black as night, absorbing the sunlight that came from the opening above like a void, lying there like a living shadow with wings. The membrane of its wingspan was also black, stretched taut over claw-like bones, jagged and serrated like a torn sailcloth. Its eyes glowed a venomous green, shining like twin beacons, visible even from as far away as Aemond and Rhaena were from the creature.
Its head was crowned with twisted horns that were scorched and broken, and the dragon's maw was filled with blackened and cracked teeth. Deep scars marred its flanks and chest, and the dragon's tail was long and muscular with multiple spikes aligning the appendage, ending with a jutting out bone that looked more like a crude axe.
And to the two children's horror, the Cannibal was in the midst of eating a hatchling. The younger dragon was long since dead, but the two recognized it as one of the hatchlings that the dragonkeepers had brought out to try and have Lilyanna claim as the Cannibal used its teeth to rip out the hatchling's innards.
Not only that, but the Cannibal was surrounded by the chewed-up and destroyed bones of other dragons, uncaring that it was resting on top of an uncountable number of corpses.
"We've seen the dragon, we know where it is, let's go now." Rhaena whispered urgently, grabbing Aemond's arm and trying to pull him back.
Aemond nodded his head, turning around to follow Rhaena, but the moment he took a step back, the dragon suddenly stopped eating its prey, its head sharply turning towards them, its green eyes glaring at them with malicious intent.
"Aemond." Rhaena breathed out, his grasp on his arm now deadly tight as the two of them locked eyes with the dragon.
The Cannibal let out a lowly growl, blood dripping from its teeth, as it pushed itself onto its legs and was now towering over them.
Aemond shuddered; he tried not to show fear, knowing that such a reaction would only entice the dragon. He stood fully in front of Rhaena and slowly lifted his free hand out, clearing his throat before he spoke. "Lykiri, Cannibal, lykiri."
Aemond watched the Cannibal's eyes narrow, and the dragon quickly opened its jaw wide, seeing the inside of its mouth beginning to glow a sickly and dangerous green.
"Run!" Aemond yelled, shoving Rhaena forward, and the two ran as quickly as they could.
Even from as far away as the dragon was perched, the two narrowly avoided the Cannibal's flames, feeling the heat licking at their heels as they ran.
They then heard an ear-shattering roar coming from the Cannibal's lair, powerful enough to shake the tunnel they were running through. Neither child would be surprised if the entirety of Dragonstone could feel the tremors.
Rhaena turned around, looking back fearfully at the lair's entrance as she moved, only to feel Aemond reach for her arm and pull her along.
"Don't stop, don't stop!" Aemond yelled.
Just as he said this, the Cannibal moved to the entrance, looking through it with a singular eye, still glaring at them before turning its head and placing its mouth over the tunnel entrance.
Luckily for Aemond and Rhaena, they had just reached the end of the tunnel and immediately threw themselves to the side, avoiding another of the Cannibal's blasts by the skin of their teeth.
Rhaena swiftly sat up, panting heavily and feeling as if her heart was trying to beat its way out of her chest. "T-that was... we-we al-almost..."
She could feel the soot starting to settle on her skin along with the crinkling of her dress and the heat wafting off it as she moved, a testament to how close they had come to being roasted alive.
Another roar came from the tunnel, but it was quieter and less powerful than the first, followed by the sound of the dragon jumping off the ground.
"They're leaving their lair." Aemond said, pushing himself to his feet.
Rhaena turned to him, "What?"
"We must get back to the castle. Now." Aemond said as he yelled out a hand to Rhaena, helping pull her to her feet.
Rhaena quickly followed Aemond, the two of them starting to run again, when they heard something landing a few tunnels away from them.
Did it find a new way in? Rhaena thought, seeing now that the Cannibal had decided to leave its lair because it had been looking for another, much larger area for it to enter through and find them.
With every tunnel they took, they could hear the Cannibal suddenly arrive nearby, along with thundering growls and the flickers of green fire, causing them to run in the opposite direction each time.
It's herding us. Aemond thought, fear gripping his heart.
Every part of the Dragonmount was connected in some way, including the tunnels that led directly to the castle, making Aemond realize that the Cannibal was pushing them away from those tunnels.
Aemond was lost between shock and horror to see this form of intelligence from an unclaimed dragon, especially one as wild as the Cannibal. And even as he and Rhaena found themselves in the familiar cave that led to the Dragonmount's main entrance, he was not sure if he and Rhaena had gotten lucky or if this was intentional on the part of the Cannibal.
The entrance was decently close to the castle gates, but not close enough that the Cannibal could not find an exit to follow them out. And if they stayed underground, there would be no chance of them escaping the dragon, and that was just a risk they were going to have to take.
And as they reached the surface and ran through the entrance, Aemond could hear Rhaena cry out in joy as they caught sight of the castle in the distance.
"Aemond? Rhaena? What are you doing out here?" Aemond almost cried when he heard his sister calling out to him, turning his head, and seeing Lilyanna a couple of yards away, riding on a horse alongside Criston and Daemon.
"Lily-" Aemond paled when he once again heard the Cannibal's terrifying roar, followed by the dragon's massive form blacking out the sun from above them, shrouding them all in darkness.
"Holy shit." Lilyanna whispered, both in awe and in fear, as she looked up and finally saw the island's most infamous dragon.
"Fucking hell!" Lilyanna yelled, seeing that the Cannibal's attention was on her brother and cousin. She pushed her horse forward, racing against the dragon to reach Aemond and Rhaena first.
"Rhaena!" Daemon yelled as he and Criston followed Lilyanna.
The Cannibal roared again, starting to dive lower as it chased the running pair of children, ignoring the three humans on horseback.
Aemond turned his head back, seeing the dragon getting closer to him and Rhaena with each step they took, and with the pace they were going at, he knew that they would not reach the castle before the Cannibal fell upon them.
Lilyanna was catching up to Aemond and Rhaena, looking back between the Cannibal's fearsome form and the two children the dragon was trying to eat.
"Aemond! Rhaena! Take my hand!" Lilyanna shouted, holding out a hand as she pushed her horse harder, nearing the pair.
Rhaena, as the closest to her, was the first to reach for Lilyanna's hand, grabbing onto it and scrambling upwards as Lilyanna pulled her on. Once Rhaena was secure, Aemond slowed down long enough for Lilyanna to do the same to him.
"We're not going to make it!" Aemond yelled, looking back and seeing the Cannibal getting closer to them.
"I can see that!" Lilyanna yelled back.
Mother fucking hell! Why is this my life?! Lilyanna thought.
When Lilyanna turned her head to look back at the dragon chasing them, she locked eyes with the Cannibal and found herself unable to look away.
The Cannibal was in a similar state, no longer looking between Aemond and Rhaena, but now solely at Lilyanna.
What the hell? Is it? She wanted to deny the possibility, the idea of having a connection in any way to such a dragon, but she could not deny this strange new feeling that had begun to take root within her.
I can't believe I'm going to do this.
Lilyanna turned her body slighting, handing the horse's reins to Rhaena, still focused on the glowing green eyes staring back at her. "I'm going to do something really stupid, but don't stop. Keep heading towards the castle."
Rhaena's eyes widened, "What? What are you-"
Lilyanna swung one leg behind her and jumped off the horse, pushing herself away from it and keeping her knees bent as she landed.
"Lilyanna!" Aemond shouted as he watched his sister land.
"Keep going!" Lilyanna yelled, even as Rhaena had ignored her and stopped the horse.
The Cannibal landed in front of Lilyanna, shaking the ground and kicking up dirt as it did so, separating Daemon and Criston from the rest of them. Lilyanna used her arm to protect herself from the dust cloud the dragon created, finally looking away from it.
When the dust cleared, the Cannibal lowered its body to the ground, its head now raised just slightly above Lilyanna, looking down at her. Lilyanna froze as she met the Cannibal's gaze again, feeling a sense of heat crawling up her spine and filling her entire being.
The Cannibal's growl came out as a lower timber, and Lilyanna's breath hitched at the sound, the heat from earlier returning with a vengeance, as if she was being burned from the inside out.
What is this feeling? Lilyanna thought, clenching her fists as dark spots appeared in her vision and her head started to pound.
"Lilyanna!" The princess thought she heard her mother shouting her name, but it sounded distant and muddied, like she was being pulled underwater.
She was then hit with a feeling of surprise that soon melted into smug satisfaction, as if she had finally gotten something that she had been impatiently and endlessly waiting for.
Lilyanna shakily raised up her hand, trying to reach out and touch the Cannibal, but before she could touch them, the Cannibal, quicker than Lilyanna could keep track of, lowered its head.
Lilyanna could just barely register the sounds of screaming and gasping behind her as the Cannibal opened its jaws and bit down onto the top of the cloak Lilyanna was wearing, lifting Lilyanna off the ground.
Oh, fuck... Lilyanna felt her stomach drop as the Cannibal spread out its wings and pushed itself off the ground, taking Lilyanna along with it as it flew up into the sky.
When she looked down, Lilyanna could hardly make out the forms of the people below, the blurring of her vision and the burning sensation both having grown worse. But despite this, Lilyanna strangely felt safe as she soared through the sky.
Lilyanna soon closed her eyes, drifting off as the Cannibal carried her through the air, still trapped within the dragon's teeth.
"
Well, that happened." Daemon said plainly, still looking upwards at the last place the Cannibal and Lilyanna could be spotted before they disappeared, breaking everyone else out of their stupor.
Alicent would have fallen to her knees if Rhaenyra had not had her arms wrapped around her from behind, her breath coming out in short bursts as the shock of what just happened washed over her.
When she heard a dragon's roar and Aemond screaming, Alicent immediately rushed out of the castle, not caring how she looked at that moment or if anyone else was following her as she moved through the gates. And when she caught sight of Lilyanna standing in front of the Cannibal, Alicent tried to run to her daughter, but Rhaenyra held her back, refusing to let Alicent go, no matter how much she struggled.
Daemon then jumped off his horse, walking to where the others were standing, crowding around Aemond and Rhaena. He stood over his youngest daughter, who was in the process of being squeezed to death by Laena and Baela.
"Just what were you thinking?" Laena asked, hugging Rhaena even tighter.
"Yes, what were you thinking, Rhaena?" Daemon asked, his arms crossed as he stared down at her.
Rhaena's gaze fell to the floor, "I... we-we wanted to go see the C-Cannibal."
"Why?" Daemon asked,
"We wanted to be sure of where it was so we could bring Lilyanna there to claim it." Aemond said before Rhaena could answer.
Daemon turned his head slightly to look at Aemond. Aegon, Daeron, and Helaena were standing behind Aemond, and Aegon placed his arm on Aemond's shoulder, now trying to pull him backwards, and as far away from Daemon as possible.
Daemon narrowed his gaze as he looked at Aemond, the boy meeting his gaze unflinchingly, but before Daemon could say anything else, Laenor stepped between them. "We should focus on the matter at hand, the giant dragon absconding with Lilyanna. We should summon the dragonkeepers."
Daemon scoffed, "And what do you think those fools will be able to do besides being the Cannibal's dinner?"
Alicent whimpered when Daemon mentioned the idea of the dragonkeepers being eaten, and she could not stop herself from imagining the Cannibal doing just that to her daughter.
"Alicent, Lilyanna is going to be fine." Rhaenyra said, trying to reassure her.
"Fine?" Alicent asked, yanking herself out of Rhaenyra's now limp grasp and turning to face her, glaring at Rhaenyra. "She'll be fine?! My daughter was taken by a murderous beast that is known for eating everything and everyone that crosses its path! And you think that she will be fine?!"
"Yes, I do." Rhaenyra said calmly, "The Cannibal... the Cannibal isn't known for carrying its prey away with it, not unless that prey is already dead. If it wanted to harm Lily, it would have, and before it took her, Lily did not look as if she was in danger; she was even reaching out to the Cannibal."
"Rhaenyra, are you suggesting that Lilyanna has bonded with the Cannibal?" Laena asked, making the disbelief in her voice evident.
Everyone knew that the Cannibal had no patience for humans and, unlike The Grey Ghost and Sheepstealer, would immediately move to eating or burning anything that came close. It was to the point where not even the dragonkeepers would avoid the dragon.
So, the thought of the Cannibal putting aside its disdain for humanity and taking Lilyanna as its rider was an insane one to them.
"It is what makes the most sense, or perhaps the Cannibal has fallen under Lilyanna's charm like every other dragon. Whichever is the truth, I don't believe the Cannibal will bring her to harm." Rhaenyra replied, "Still, we will need to find Lilyanna to be sure."
Aemond wanted to smile at the thought of Lilyanna calming the Cannibal, but knew better than to allow himself to be caught doing so, not wanting to make the inevitable punishment his parents gave him worse.
"My fucking head." Lilyanna groaned as she reached up and touched her forehead, her vision clearing as she realized that she had briefly lost consciousness.
As she sat up, Lilyanna saw that she was lying down on the beach, seeing the waves crashing on the shoreline a couple of feet away.
"How did I even..." Lilyanna stopped talking, her eyes widening as she looked behind her and finally noticed the massive dragon staring at her, lying on the beach with her. The Cannibal was deathly still as it continued to stare at her, tracking her every movement.
The Cannibal. Lilyanna thought, remembering everything that had happened before she lost consciousness.
"So... You are my dragon. We are bonded, aren't we? Because I have never had this happen to me with any other dragon." Lilyanna said to the Cannibal.
The Cannibal leaned forward and gently pressed its snout against Lilyanna's head, and Lilyanna could feel the dragon's emotion, almost overwhelmed by the pure glee she could feel from the creature.
"I'm starting to understand why everyone in my family is so obsessed with their dragons now." Lilyanna grinned, using her hand to scratch the underside of the Cannibal's jaw, feeling the dragon's pleasure with each scratch, making Lilyanna laugh as her own joy mixing with the dragon's.
Any other time, being so connected to another living creature in such a way would have Lilyanna fighting against it, running from the idea of this type of closeness. But she supposed that this must have been the magic of a dragon bond, making her feel so at peace with this.
It's like I finally found a piece of myself that I didn't know was missing. Wow, that sappy as hell. Is the bond doing this to me? Lilyanna thought, unable to muster much care against herself.
"I'm surprised that you would even want a rider." Lilyanna told the dragon.
The Cannibal growled, bumping its head against Lilyanna's head, demanding more scratches from her.
Lilyanna huffed, digging her fingers deeper into the dragon's scales, "You're like a grumpy cat, I suppose you think you're too good for any of the Valyrians who came your way. But you chose me, so I can't help but wonder why."
A sense of longing and anger hit Lilyanna like a wave, the Cannibal's growls grew louder, and Lilyanna frowned.
"Sorry, I kept you waiting for so long. Is that why you are so intolerant of other human beings? Thought they would try to force a bond with you?" Lilyanna whispered, hugging the dragon's snout as best she could.
The Cannibal allowed its anger to fade as it stood and curled its large body around Lilyanna, now resting its head next to Lilyanna's feet.
Lilyanna sat down, going back to scratching the dragon's jaw, "Well, if we're going to be partners, I can't keep calling to 'the Cannibal,' that's a title, not a name, big boy."
The Cannibal quickly raised their head and snapped its teeth at her and causing Lilyanna to jump back in shock, making its displeasure with her known.
Lilyanna leaned back as the Cannibal moved closer, "W-what, why are you so upset? Is it because I called you big boy?"
When she said this, the dragon snapped its teeth at her again, glaring menacingly at her as it hovered over her.
Lilyanna put her arms up in a placating manner, "R-right, right, I won't do that again, it was rude of me to just assume like that."
The Cannibal was still glaring at her but had stopped moving as if it was going to take a bite out of her, lying its head back on the sand.
"Fuck." Lilyanna breathed out, her heart racing in her chest as she met the dragon's eye again, "But you know, you dragons are genderless, so in a way what I said was not-"
The Cannibal's eyes narrowed, and a low growl started to escape its mouth, and Lilyanna fully believed the dragon would say to hell with their bond and eat her if she annoyed it enough.
"I'll shut up now." Lilyanna said, chuckling awkwardly to herself.
The Cannibal huffed, blowing air into Lilyanna's face as she relaxed, going back to lying at Lilyanna's feet. Lilyanna blew a strand of hair that her new dragon had displaced out of her face, crossing her arms as she started to think about what name to give the Cannibal.
"What to name you? What to name you? Oh, how about Darkwing?" Lilyanna asked.
Even without the ability to show emotion the way a human face could, Lilyanna could tell that the Cannibal was looking at her like they thought she was an idiot.
Yeah, I've seen far too many people in my life give me that look to not be able to identify it."I guess it is kind of bland, and far too close to Silverwing's name to not come off as a shameless imitation."
The Cannibal let out a deep snarl at the mention of Silverwing, allowing Lilyanna to feel her annoyance and anger for the other dragon.
Lilyanna scoffed, "Oh, don't tell me you hate Silverwing? Silverwing is cool."
The snarling grew louder as the Cannibal bared its teeth at Lilyanna, and the princess wondered what had happened between the two dragons to elicit this kind of reaction from the Cannibal.
Lilyanna rolled her eyes, "Well, you should put whatever feud you have with her behind you because Silverwing is now my brother, Aemond's, dragon, so you are going to be spending time together in the Dragonpit when we return to King's Landing. And I'm sure that Vermithor will also take time to join his mate in the city."
The Cannibal turned away from Lilyanna, as if turning its nose up at her, as it continued to snarl.
I'm going to have a tough time leaving this drama queen in the Dragonpit, aren't I? Lilyanna thought, already imagining that the Cannibal would not take to being around so many other dragons.
In that way, it made sense why the Cannibal's lair was so far removed from the others, even when compared to the other two large wild dragons.
"How about I name you after some of the most famous dragons that I ever knew that don't live on the island? What do you think of the name Smaug?" Lilyanna asked the dragon, "Wait, there's also Ancalagon after Ancalagon the Black. It's perfect for you, you're both enormous, terrible black dragons that everyone fears."
The Cannibal gave Lilyanna no visible reaction, which told Lilyanna that she did not care for the two names.
"Fine, no Middle Earth. What about Tiamat?" The Cannibal gave her the same reaction.
"Spyro? Maur? Kazul? Norberta? No, wait, Shenron! That's stupid. How about Ramoth? Or Errol? Draco? Blue-Eyes White Dragon?"
The last one led to the Cannibal lifting its head high enough to bump Lilyanna, pushing Lilyanna to the ground. This made Lilyanna question if the Cannibal could not only feel her emotions but also see her thoughts, and the idea of the Cannibal seeing the image of Seto Kaiba's famous Yu-Gi-Oh monster in her head was hilarious to her.
Lilyanna smiled impishly, "Blue-Eyes White Dragon the Cannibal sounds pretty good to me, I don't know why you're so upset with the suggestion."
The Cannibal huffed before using their teeth to grab Lilyanna by one of her boots, lifting her off the ground and shaking her back and forth. Despite now being upside down, Lilyanna laughed, finding the dragon's annoyance amusing.
The fun ended when the dragon suddenly dropped her, raising its head and moving to cover Lilyanna with their massive body, growling deeply.
Lilyanna quickly sat up, "What is wrong?"
From behind the Cannibal's wing, Lilyanna could see the outline of two dragons flying towards them.
Syrax and Caraxes.
Lilyanna figured that someone would come for her once the Cannibal absconded with her, and she wondered how long she and the Cannibal had been on the beach for Rhaenyra and Daemon to have enough time to find them.
Lilyanna looked back at the Cannibal, watching as the dragon's growling grew louder, "Calm, calm down. It's just my sister and uncle, I'm sure they have come to find me after you, you know, kidnapped me."
The dragon ignored Lilyanna, keeping its attention on the two dragons. Lilyanna pressed her hand against the Cannibal's chest, and the Cannibal stopped growling, but their body was still tense.
The two watched as Syrax and Caraxes landed a good distance away, and Lilyanna thought it was best that the dragons stay as far away from the Cannibal as possible. Even from where she was standing, Lilyanna could see just how small her sister and uncle's dragons were in comparison to her own, how much more vicious her dragon was to theirs.
Lilyanna watched as Rhaenyra and Daemon dismounted from their dragons, but the Cannibal barely allowed them to walk more than a couple of steps towards them before belting out a terrible roar.
I'm going to go deaf before the year ends if she keeps doing this. Lilyanna thought with a grimace on her face.
"Lilyanna!" Rhaenyra called out, both she and Daemon, having stopped once the Cannibal made it clear that it would not tolerate them coming closer. "Are you alright?"
"I'm alright, the Cannibal is just a bit… territorial." Lilyanna responded.
"So, you did bond with it." Daemon said, looking at both Lilyanna and the Cannibal with a sharp gleam in his eye.
The Cannibal snarled as it looked at Daemon, and Lilyanna was sure that her dragon knew her distaste for the man and was reacting accordingly.
"It is alright, my uncle is a cunt, but he isn't going to attack me, at least not again." Lilyanna whispered, rubbing her hand against the dragon's scales.
"Is the Cannibal going to be letting you go anytime soon?" Rhaenyra asked, and Lilyanna could hear the tiredness in her voice; it was a tone that her older sister had specially for her.
Lilyanna looked up at her dragon, "Are you going to let me leave with them?"
The Cannibal looked down, narrowing her eyes and Lilyanna and baring her teeth, leaning down to block Lilyanna from Rhaenyra and Daemon's sights.
"Oh, don't be like that, it's not like I'm never going to see you again. My family is just worried about me, like I said, you did kidnap me, they were most likely worried that you were going to eat me or drop me into the sea." Lilyanna chuckled after feeling the Cannibal's offense at her words.
Eventually, and with heavy reluctance, the Cannibal moved back and was no longer towering over Lilyanna protectively.
"Thank you." Lilyanna smiled, "I would ride you back to the castle, but I've had one saddleless ride on a dragon to last me a lifetime. And I'll make sure to figure out what your name will be."
The Cannibal huffed, and Lilyanna could have sworn that the dragon was trying to smile at her as it showed off its massive teeth, and as Lilyanna could feel amusement coming from their bond.
Lilyanna smiled at the Cannibal one last time before turning around and making her way towards her sister and uncle.
"Lily, one of these days I think your strangeness is going to give someone a heart attack." Rhaenyra told her, pulling Lilyanna close to her body and hugging her.
"How is it strange to claim a dragon when everyone in our family already has?" Lilyanna playfully asked.
Rhaenyra rolled her eyes, "I'm sure your mother will love that to hear that."
"Mother can't blame me for this; if Aemond and Rhaena hadn't gone looking for her, I would have never been face-to-face with the Cannibal."
"Her?" Daemon asked, looking at Lilyanna, confused.
"Yes, her. The Cannibal is female; she told me herself." Lilyanna answered.
"She told you that, like how Syrax told you to take one of her eggs and give it to Rhaena?" Rhaenyra asked apprehensively.
Lilyanna thought about it for a moment, "Kind of?"
Rhaenyra let out a loud sigh, "Lilyanna, just get on the back of Syrax. Your dragon won't have an issue with this, yes?"
"She won't, we talked about this already."
"Of course you did." Rhaenyra muttered.
Lilyanna ignored the way that her uncle was once again staring at her as she followed Rhaenyra to Syrax. She had no idea what Daemon was thinking, and she honestly did not want to know, having no interest in the twisted madness Daemon Targaryen called thoughts.
And as they flew back to the castle, Lilyanna smiled as she turned her head, seeing the Cannibal following the group, the two not taking their eyes off each other.