[ A few parting commands fling over Vhagar's shoulder, but the great wyrm already knows what's expected of her. They and the saddle they sit on rumble and sway with the might of her wings beating down on the rocky earth. The keepers give her room as she ambles up onto her feet. A rumble in her chest sounds like an excitable drone of death as the she-dragon heaves herself forward, slow at first but gaining steady ground as she pushes ahead to take flight.
Aemond's body knows how to move under a rumbling mountain, shifting his balance along his knees to rock with her then let the rigorous motion knock him back and forth. He's not so negligent or egotistical to let his mother suffer through any of this. One hand is steady at the handle with the lead wrapped around his fist, the other is blindly reaching behind him to find one of her clinging arms. Invite her to bring it around himself to stabilize herself. He took her up here, it's his burden to keep her safe.
When she's secure, he lets her go to hold on as the great flap of wings parachute with air. A deep thwum of air brushes back against the trees as the firmness of the ground gives away from them as they finally kick off into the air. Steady again as they climb higher and higher, the prince's hand slips back down to hold her there to him, peering just slightly over his shoulder and the whip of his milky blonde hair, to see how she fares. ]
( Worried that she might come across as desperate or clingy, Alicent refrained from wrapping her arms around Aemond for comfort and support, but as his hand blindly searches for her and brings it around him, all those notions vanishes as she wraps her arms tightly around him and presses her chest flush against his back. Her body trembles with a mixture of fear and the vibrations thrumming through the great beast.
The jostling and increasing speed are nearly overwhelming, and they haven't left the ground yet. Alicent buries her face against his shoulder, unbothered by the silken strands of silver that brush against her face. The fingers of one hand grip at his leathers while the other splays flat against his lower chest and stomach, fingers slipping through the space between the buckles of his flight leathers.
Feeling the air rush past her and hearing the flapping worn but strong wings, Alicent squeezes her eyes shut as they break away from the ground and begin climbing into the sky. She feels like she might be sick, the rush of adrenaline coursing through her veins. While she wishes to hide against Aemond, she must show strength and bravery. She must overcome this lingering fear that has stuck with her since adolescence.
She lifts her head and opens her eyes with a slow, reluctant motion. Immediately, they widen, and fear begins to mar her features, but it slips away and is replaced with awe as Alicent leans to look around them. When he looks back at her, there is the beginning of a smile tugging at her lips, and when she turns her attention to him, it pulls into a full one.
She tightens her hold on him, nuzzling her face against his shoulder, and rests her chin upon it. )
Never in my most wild and detailed dreams could I have imagined this.
[ There's relief and a little bit of pride to hear the cheer in her voice. If she had clung to him, claws drawn and desperate as she begged to be let down, he would have abided her without question. There's something precious in her strength to push through. Aemond has never been one to underplay his mother's fortitude, a strength that those around her often let go unseen.
A smile warms the prince's lips, smug with his achievement. Vhagar's wings steady out, fanning out to glide high up in the air. ] Is there no better place?
[ It's a different perspective up here. The tallest towers of the Red Keep stand out among the rolling hills of the city, the people tucked within the crevasses of the streets looking no more than beetles nudging through cracks in the stone. Aemond adjusts his grip along the saddle, keeping the great wyrm gliding along the path of the city walls as he'd promised. The castle's centerpiece haunts their periphery as they make their lazy circle.
With her anxiousness no longer a concern, the prince's hand leaves her to rest at the head of the saddle. Vhagar gently banks as she ventures back towards the pit from which they'd emerged behind. As he'd promised, the flight would be simple. It's barely a taste of what the journey could be like flying down to the Reach. Five minutes of elation and wind is not sufficient projection for a journey that still takes days, but one he hopes is enough to spark a thirst in her for more.]
( A gentle laugh escapes from her at his words, muffled by the whipping air, and her lips pressed against his shoulder. )
I can think of a few, ( she truthfully admits, and while she laughed, her voice remains light with a hint of excitement — no mocking or dishonestly to be found. ) Yet I can see myself growing fond of the sky and the rumbling power beneath me.
( Never would she think to fly alone ( not that Vhagar would allow her ), nor would she allow for either of his siblings to take her aback their dragons because this boldness and courage are for him and him alone. No one, not even her childhood friend before him, has convinced her to take to the sky. She knows that with him, she is safe, and she can let down some of the walls she has built around herself over the years. )
We should fly further next. Mayhaps the Kingswood?
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Aemond's body knows how to move under a rumbling mountain, shifting his balance along his knees to rock with her then let the rigorous motion knock him back and forth. He's not so negligent or egotistical to let his mother suffer through any of this. One hand is steady at the handle with the lead wrapped around his fist, the other is blindly reaching behind him to find one of her clinging arms. Invite her to bring it around himself to stabilize herself. He took her up here, it's his burden to keep her safe.
When she's secure, he lets her go to hold on as the great flap of wings parachute with air. A deep thwum of air brushes back against the trees as the firmness of the ground gives away from them as they finally kick off into the air. Steady again as they climb higher and higher, the prince's hand slips back down to hold her there to him, peering just slightly over his shoulder and the whip of his milky blonde hair, to see how she fares. ]
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( Worried that she might come across as desperate or clingy, Alicent refrained from wrapping her arms around Aemond for comfort and support, but as his hand blindly searches for her and brings it around him, all those notions vanishes as she wraps her arms tightly around him and presses her chest flush against his back. Her body trembles with a mixture of fear and the vibrations thrumming through the great beast.
The jostling and increasing speed are nearly overwhelming, and they haven't left the ground yet. Alicent buries her face against his shoulder, unbothered by the silken strands of silver that brush against her face. The fingers of one hand grip at his leathers while the other splays flat against his lower chest and stomach, fingers slipping through the space between the buckles of his flight leathers.
Feeling the air rush past her and hearing the flapping worn but strong wings, Alicent squeezes her eyes shut as they break away from the ground and begin climbing into the sky. She feels like she might be sick, the rush of adrenaline coursing through her veins. While she wishes to hide against Aemond, she must show strength and bravery. She must overcome this lingering fear that has stuck with her since adolescence.
She lifts her head and opens her eyes with a slow, reluctant motion. Immediately, they widen, and fear begins to mar her features, but it slips away and is replaced with awe as Alicent leans to look around them. When he looks back at her, there is the beginning of a smile tugging at her lips, and when she turns her attention to him, it pulls into a full one.
She tightens her hold on him, nuzzling her face against his shoulder, and rests her chin upon it. )
Never in my most wild and detailed dreams could I have imagined this.
no subject
A smile warms the prince's lips, smug with his achievement. Vhagar's wings steady out, fanning out to glide high up in the air. ] Is there no better place?
[ It's a different perspective up here. The tallest towers of the Red Keep stand out among the rolling hills of the city, the people tucked within the crevasses of the streets looking no more than beetles nudging through cracks in the stone. Aemond adjusts his grip along the saddle, keeping the great wyrm gliding along the path of the city walls as he'd promised. The castle's centerpiece haunts their periphery as they make their lazy circle.
With her anxiousness no longer a concern, the prince's hand leaves her to rest at the head of the saddle. Vhagar gently banks as she ventures back towards the pit from which they'd emerged behind. As he'd promised, the flight would be simple. It's barely a taste of what the journey could be like flying down to the Reach. Five minutes of elation and wind is not sufficient projection for a journey that still takes days, but one he hopes is enough to spark a thirst in her for more.]
no subject
( A gentle laugh escapes from her at his words, muffled by the whipping air, and her lips pressed against his shoulder. )
I can think of a few, ( she truthfully admits, and while she laughed, her voice remains light with a hint of excitement — no mocking or dishonestly to be found. ) Yet I can see myself growing fond of the sky and the rumbling power beneath me.
( Never would she think to fly alone ( not that Vhagar would allow her ), nor would she allow for either of his siblings to take her aback their dragons because this boldness and courage are for him and him alone. No one, not even her childhood friend before him, has convinced her to take to the sky. She knows that with him, she is safe, and she can let down some of the walls she has built around herself over the years. )
We should fly further next. Mayhaps the Kingswood?