Part One - Finding Home and Friends
“Sayiddah fa Toren?” Daemion exclaimed as they all settled down in Rhaenyra’s private solar after the sea battle.
“Do you know of her, brother?” Vaelaena asked in confusion as she tried to fix Rhaenyra’s braids.
“Nakhuda Sayiddah fa Toren is one of the greatest privateers in Great Moraq, she abhor slavery and attacked the ships to steal but never intentionally harmed a person’s life if she could.” Daemion used the world map in the solar to point out the huge island located just outside of Qarth.
(Everyone was valiantly ignoring the loud bellowing outside the large balcony Rhaenyra likes to use to mount Syrax, where Vaegon was currently yelling at Grey Ghost to let him go.
“LET ME GO, YOU SILLY OVERGROWN LIZARD!” “NO, I WILL NOT GO FLYING WITH YOU NOW.” “STOP BITING MY ROBES!!)
“Uncle Corlys met her father, Nakhuda Emir, before during one of his great voyages.” Daemion said reverently. “It was said that because of Nakhuda Emir and his daughter Sayiddah that both the Strait of Qarth and the Jade Sea safe to be used for trade as they decimated the pirates around the island so terribly that they moved to Stepstones.”
“He also said that the Great Khalifa Maruun himself once sailed with her before he became the leader of Great Moraq.” He named the leader Rhaenyra had met and befriended during their voyage to Yi Ti (and whose daughters gave Rhaenyra and her ladies new beautiful fashion ideas to enjoy including the long draping Kaftan robes they were currently wearing). If you want my honest opinion Princess, I suggest you offer her an alliance or some overture of friendship. This could benefit Stepstones.”
But before Rhaenyra could answer (honestly she was too busy being impressed with a legendary figure in her island) they could hear knocking at her door.
Rhaella, entering the solar, paused just outside the doors that led to the balcony. “Do you need help my dear?” She asked blandly.
“I’m fine!” Vaegon hissed out before yelping loudly.
“Well, if you say so. Do come in when you’re ready.” She closed the doors as everyone giggled in mirth, Vaegon continuing to curse at his clingy dragon. “Now Rhaenyra, I have placed your new pirate friend in one of the guest rooms. Daemon has been hankering to get to her so I set Mysaria on him so she can have some peace.”
“Thank you grandaunt Rhaella.” Rhaenyra said warmly as she fixed her tea for her as the old woman sat down beside her. “What do you think of her?”
“A fascinating woman.” Rhaella looked vacantly out the window. “She reminds me of Elissa.”
Everyone looked awkwardly at each other, remembering quite well the dark history of Elissa Farman and House Targaryen.
“So, um! We were lucky Prince Daemon saw the ships! It would have been disastrous if they managed to attack the islands before the alarms were raised.” Layla said brightly.
“But why was Prince Daemon there in the first place?” Martyn frowned as he looked over the map of the islands. “I thought he was helping Commander Largent with recruit training.”
“That’s because he’s bored.” Rhaella said dryly, having snapped out of her memories. “We have been refusing him the commanding post of my niece’s guards, stopping him from fucking his way through the islands and deny him the right to teach Rhaenyra about the family history. Of course he would be flying around looking for trouble.”
Everyone winced and avoided each other’s eyes. They had been too busy for the past few weeks to help find Daemon a proper position for him to do in Stepstone.
“I didn’t mean to…” Rhaenyra said guiltily. “I can’t give him Commander Largent’s position and when I offered him the advisory position in my council, he pissed off everyone in a single meeting.” They winced again, remembering the disastrous meeting that happened a week back.
“He is used to action and violence, there is no wonder he is chaffing in boredom.” Rhaella snorted. “Give him purpose Rhaenyra, one that would consume his attention before he accidentally burns down the island and us with it. Do not be like your father or Otto Hightower.”
“But what can I offer him without offending him? How can I show my appreciation for him without insulting his pride?” Rhaenyra asked her grandaunt.
“By perhaps asking yourself first what Daemon loves the most.” Rhaella patted her grandniece gently in the head.
“Himself?” Layla joked before coughing as her sister dug her elbow into her side.
“His dragon!” Elinda piped up from her seat by the window, having ignored everyone as she had watched in fascination Vaegon’s struggles with Grey Ghost. “Ask him how to fly like him, Nyra!”
“T-That’s actually a great idea.” Aemon said reluctantly. “All due respect Your Highness, today was a fluke, you could have gotten hurt in battle and there would be more battles like this in the future and even if we want to keep you safe, as the Lady Paramount of Stepstones, it is your duty to lead us. Perhaps Prince Daemon can teach you how to be a true dragon warrior like your ancestors.”
“Kepus.” Daemon looked up from Caraxes’s saddle to see Rhaenyra by the pen.
Stepstones does not have the Dragon Pit like in King’s Landing and the small island Grey Ghost and Syrax has claimed as their weyr would not allow Caraxes to share it. Instead a cave was found not far from Dragon Keep, where the dragon was attended by two of its own dragon keepers (The rest that came with Rhaenyra had found a community of their own on Felstrong.)
“Rhaenyra. I was just going to fly with Caraxes. Would you like to race me, niece?” He smirked. He had wanted to pick a fight (or bed) the enigmatic female pirate Rhaenyra had invited into her islands but Grand Aunt Rhaella had kicked him (figuratively) out of the castle and told him to not come back until his blood lust was down.
“I was hoping we could talk instead.” The girl fidgeted as her uncle glowered at her. “If this is about me attacking those ships, I already got a lecture, from Mysaria and our Grandaunt, and expecting another one from Uncle Vaegon when he’s done dodging his dragon. I still would have done it all the same, they were a threat to this island and to you.”
“And I would thank you for that, kepus. I actually wanted to ask if you could teach me how to fly like you.” She looked earnestly at him. “I was ashamed earlier. I could barely help you and even then Aemon had to protect me.”
“I’m here.” Daemon frowned. “I can be your protector, you shouldn’t be fighting at all.”
“And yet I am the Lady Paramount of Stepstones, it is my duty that I should be able to defend my people.” Rhaenyra looked at him. “Uncle, teach me to be like you, be like Queen Visenya. Guide me in the art of dragon riding.”
“Ask Vaegon.” He looked away, unsure of why Rhaenyra had approached him of all people. “He is the one in charge of your education.”
“He is also a novice like me. Not you, you were the one who led the men liberating Stepstones from the pirates on Caraxes, you fought skirmishes in the disputed lands in the South West. I think out of all the people here on this island, you are the one most qualified to teach me how to protect what is mine.” She said with such passion.
Daemon smiled wryly at her. What a fool of Viserys throwing this treasure away for his half-breed brat. “You have grown Rhaenyra. Very well, niece. Let us start our first lesson.”
Rhaenyra groaned as she landed on her balcony. Daemon had run a drill to test her flying and endurance skill and safe to say she had failed abysmally. She had left her uncle writing furiously, making plans to torture.. Sorry, train her into being a better dragonrider.
It was till she took off the outer layers of her riding leathers that she finally noticed there was someone else in her chambers. She spun around, keeping her vest close to her chest to find the Nakhuda staring at her? She blinked in confusion.
“Can I help you, Nakhuda?” Rhaenyra asked, couldn’t help but wondered where her ladies were.
“You told your shipwrights to swap my main mast for ironwood and replaced my sails for better sailcloths.” The Nakhuda stared at her as she stood up from the chaise she was lounging on. “Oh, don’t worry.” She said, noticing the little princess’s worried looks. “I snuck in while your ladies were leaving. Something about a dragon stuck at a window ledge.”
Rhaenyra tilted her head in confusion then realizing that it must be another one of Grey Ghost’s ongoing antics with her granduncle and quickly dismissed it. If it’s important (and hilarious), one of her ladies would gossip to her later. “Yes, they told me ironwood is the best substitute for your ship and your sail clothes were looking raggedy, no offense.”
“None taken.” The privateer grinned. “I’m just surprised that you did it; ironwood is a rare commodity you imported from the North and you just freely gave it to me, that and the extensive repairs you made for my ship.”
Rhaenyra couldn’t help but grin back. “Have you been talking to my people?”
“Sailors and shipwrights tend to be quite chatty when you get a few pints in them. So why did you do it?”
“It's the least I could do for the people you saved. That, and I admired your work.” The princess, seeing no harm, finally let go of her vest and put on a shirt left lying on a table (pretty sure it was the one Morna was sewing for one of her brothers). “And I think I would like to have you as a friend.”
“A friend?” Sayiddah smiled as she peered with some of the jewelry on Rhaenyra’s desk, playing with Aemma’s pearl necklace. “That’s nice. Usually when people want to be my friend, they usually kidnap me to an undisclosed location before trying to bribe me to accept their friendship with gold and precious stones.” She said wryly.
Rhaenyra couldn’t help but laugh. “Don’t worry, all I want to offer is a safe haven for you and the people you saved and maybe listen to your stories when you come for a visit.”
Sayiddah put down the necklace and grabbed a comb before turning to Rhaenyra, helping her with her braids. “Well, you really are different from everyone else. Well, who am I to reject your friendship, Princess?”