the thing about dragons

chapter four (I)

in which Lyra and Ancalagon go on a trip.

part I

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warnings: bad life decisions, Otto doing Otto things, implied underage, runaways

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The good thing about Driftmark being next door is that Daemon walks in with the invitation letter in the morning and they actually get there by lunch, and impose on the Velaryons while they're at it. And Corlys did invite Daemon in, so it's not like they'll turn them away.

Though they didn't expect them quite this soon.

And they certainly did not expect Ancalagon to be with them, who, sadly rather predictably, tried to eat Seasmoke and then got into a screaming (roaring??) match with Meleys who took offense at that. And while Meleys was only about a third his size, he did seem somewhat cowed by it, though not enough to back off. Only Vhagar rousing up and grumpily huffing at them made them stop, because even though Ancalagon did almost match her in size, he sure wasn't keen on fighting a fight he wouldn't win. Though seeing him backpedal the way he did was funny.

Rhaenys and Laena were very unimpressed by the display, and in all honesty, so was Lyra. Ancalagon got a severe dressing down for picking fights, and especially picking on smaller dragons, after which he went to sulk on the end of the island opposite to where other dragons currently nested.

Lyra didn't even feel bad about that. If he wanted to chew some trees, she'd just be exasperated like with Rascal chewing her shoes, but the sooner she stomped out any inclination of his to attack other dragons, the better.

Thankfully, the only fight he picked after that was after Seasmoke purposefully goaded him into one. The younger dragon was smug about it only until Meleys got wind of that. Seasmoke was a very young dragon—maybe twenty, if that—with an even younger rider. He was bound to be a brat.

Caraxes at least seemed to enjoy the shitshow so there's that.

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"I don't know what impresses me more, the fact that you claimed a beast this old at such a young age and survived, or the fact that he actually listens to you," is one of the first things Rhaenys tells her. Lyra shrugs.

"I'm glad for both. I was only bedridden for one whole day!"

Rhaenys looks at Daemon critically who shrugs with a 'what can you do' face. The older woman sighs and shakes her head, slaps Daemon's shoulder in disapproval.

"Don't act like you wouldn't do the same," Daemon tells his cousin smugly, and she gives him a nasty look but doesn't even attempt to say she wouldn't.

Lyra just giggles at it.

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Lyra has not interacted much with the Velaryons before.

Sure, they had a small conversation before Aemma's death was announced, but after that it was just a flurry of movement and shock and sadness on their part, and bitterness and rage on Lyra's, and then she was on Dragonstone and they were back at Driftmark, and that was that. She doesn't even remember what they talked about at all. As far as she's concerned, they've met, introduced each other, and left.

She remembers Laena being super nice but that's all she's got.

Now, however, as Daemon went off to talk with Corlys about one thing or another—most likely to end with Corlys conning Daemon to fight in the Stepstones and making it sound like it was Daemon's idea all along, that man's really good at that—she's left sitting awkwardly in one of the drawing room with Laena and Laenor on the other side of the table. All adults are gone, and their only directive is 'play nice'.