-Chapter 37-
-The next day-
-24th day of the 10th moon, year 114 AC-
-POV MC-
"Wooooohoooooo!" I screamed, holding tightly onto Urrax's saddle as we performed all kinds of acrobatics in the air.
'This is practically high-flying at this point,' I thought to myself before mentally ordering Urrax to begin a descent into the courtyard of the Red Keep.
"Did you have fun?" asked my uncle Gunthor, looking really angry.
I rolled my eyes and said, "I've done worse, and you know that perfectly well."
"But you've had much calmer dragon rides before."
I shrugged without saying anything, a smile on my lips, and as he followed me, my uncle added:
"It seems your fiancée's request really upset you for you to blow off steam... in this way."
I smiled because it was something that, as a Targaryen, I could never share, and they could never understand the freedom and the rush of adrenaline I feel when taking 'risks' as Urrax and I perform acrobatics in the air.
I rolled my eyes, and before I could say anything, I bumped into my famous fiancée. Without looking at my uncle, who was one step behind me, I said, "Speak of the devil..."
He stifled a laugh and followed as I greeted my fiancée.
"Laena," I said in a neutral tone, hoping to avoid any awkward situations.
"Oh, today I get a 'Laena,'" she said, pretending to be surprised that I was speaking to her.
"I was angry," I said, hoping she would quickly overlook my previous behavior.
"And you're not anymore?" she asked, determined to twist the knife to get her revenge.
"No, I realized it was childish and immature to be mad at you because your parents decided something beyond your control," I said.
She looked at me suspiciously and asked, "Do you really mean that?"
'No.'
"Of course," I said, placing a hand on her cheek.
"So you'll obey my father?" she asked, giving me a sweet look, accentuating her gaze to gently force me to obey her father.
I struggled not to reveal my true thoughts through my expression and nodded while adding:
"I'll obey your father and not jeopardize our alliance, only AND only if Rhaenyra doesn't bring up topics that would force me to destroy her in public."
"You're talking about the Crown Princess?"
"I'm talking about a cousin who thinks she's the queen, which she's not."
"Not yet," Laena said, trying to correct me.
I smiled and added, "Your mother knows better than you or even me that legitimacy alone doesn't make a king, let alone a queen."
"She has two dragons," Laena said, defending Rhaenyra.
"We also have two, and not small dragons under a hundred feet long," I said, rolling my eyes.
Laena gave me a stern look and said, "You're talking about going to war with my brother."
Understanding her situation, I tried to soften my tone by saying:
"A war between dragons would be a terrible thing and is by no means my wish, but I won't stop fighting for my interests and those of my House."
"I was born Velaryon, I will always obey my parents," she said stubbornly.
"Then remain a Velaryon and marry one of your cousins," I said, irritated by her attitude as I walked past her.
I was really trying to make things work with Laena, but I wasn't going to let myself be domesticated and trained by her father through her.
'Maybe she thinks that because of my young age, I'll be more easily influenced, but she's completely mistaken.'
---
-POV Laena Velaryon-
I narrowed my eyes as I watched him walk past me, even more irritated as I noticed a slight mocking smile on his uncle's face, the Bronze Giant.
I was annoyed because, although my father's request required him to swallow his pride for a few days, it wasn't that humiliating.
'Once we're married, he can do what he wants. He could be smart instead of just thinking with his ego,' I thought.
"You won't get him this way," my mother said, surprising me.
"How can I make him understand that not listening to Father could truly create a rift between my husband and me?"
"He knows exactly what the risks are, and he doesn't care. He's a young prince, lord of an important house, and on top of that, he has a dragon that would scare more than one dragonrider."
"I bonded with Vhagar, but I still obey my father. I didn't start doing whatever I wanted," I said.
"You might not realize it yet, but you're not like all the young ladies of the realm. No young lady in this kingdom would have dared confront or even threaten her fiancé in this way, especially not if it were Aemon," said my mother, placing a hand on my cheek.
I rolled my eyes and said, "So, what should I do?"
"Let him. If he wants to ruin our alliance to gain control of the Vale, let him. It's no longer in our hands. You'll only annoy him by bringing it up again and again. Sometimes the best thing to do is simply nothing and patiently wait for the problem to resolve itself," my mother said with a slight smile.
I frowned and said, "I just don't want him to ruin our engagement over a simple matter of pride."
Mother laughed and said, "A man's pride is never simple. Sometimes, a man's pride is all he has left. Few are willing to give it up, even for all the gold in the world."
"That doesn't reassure me," I said.
"I'm not here to do that, just to tell you the truth and take you to get ready for the first day of the tournament," she said.