𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐈𝐅𝐓𝐘-𝐅𝐈𝐕𝐄 | Dragons and Dreams

{ Coren }

✧✦✧

𝕿he sound of crying woke Coren up. It was a chilling sound, bringing forth the thought that perhaps someone had entered the palace, that someone had got past the guards and into his daughter's room and that someone was harming her.

It was only a moment before Coren was out of bed, throwing the door to his chambers open and startling the Unsullied member who was just about about to bang on his door.

"Your Gra-"

"I know, the princess is up." Coren brushed past him, relief sinking over him. His daughter was alright, the guards were calm so he calmed too. The guard followed him the few steps back to his daughter's room, and Coren opened the door softly. Rhaenerys was crying, sitting on her bed. Tears were rolling down her face, white hair a mess all around her and cheeks red from screaming. "Rhaenerys."

At the sound of her father's voice, Rhaenerys' scream slowed and petered out, before she hiccupped a few times.

"Little dragon." Rhaenerys reached for him and Coren hummed softly, sitting down beside her and wrapping her into his arms. "What's the matter?"

She didn't say anything, continuing to cry as Coren ran a hand up and down her back. Rhaenerys' fingers were digging into his shoulder, her nails a little sharp and Coren hissed slightly. 

"Alright, little dragon, alright." Coren cooed, still hearing her sobbing. There was no response, and Coren picked her up easily. She may have weighed more than she did when she was a baby, but Coren would never falter at that weight. "You can stay with me."

"I want mummy. I want her now." Rhaenerys sobbed as Coren hummed, opening the door back up. The guards looked on, as Coren walked back to his room, carrying his sobbing daughter. He opened the door back up, closing it quickly behind him, as he rocked Rhaenerys, smoothing her matted hair. "I want mummy. Please, please."

"Rhae, sweetheart, I can not do that. Mummy's still far away." That made Rhaenerys cry more as Coren let her cling onto him, her cries heart-breaking. Coren hated seeing his daughter cry and hated knowing that there was nothing that he could do to change that or help out. He could not leave to go and find Daenerys, especially not when he was here, ruling in her name.

"But I-I want her now!" Rhaenerys cried, as Coren flopped back onto his bed, letting Rhaenerys cling onto him. She clung onto him, still crying as Coren tried his best to detangle her hair. "Please, daddy, please go and get her."

"I cannot."

"No!" Rhaenerys cried, before burying her head into her father's chest. "Not fair."

"I know." Rhaenerys let out another cry of frustration as Coren let his head fall back, shaking his head. He needed Daenerys back, not just to go back to happily supporting her in the wings, but also and mainly for the sake of their daughter. "I know."

"I want her now." Rhaenerys sobbed, as Coren took a deep breath. He hummed softly, untangling her hair and pulling it back.

"I cannot do that." Coren reminded her, before lifting his daughter up and tucking her under the cover. She still continued to sob, as Coren sat down beside her, stroking his hand through her hair. "Come on. You need to sleep, sweetheart."

"I want mummy to tuck me in."

"I know, but that is not possible, little dragon." Coren whispered, knowing that there was little he could to rationalise with his daughter that her mother was not here and Coren could not get her back immediately. 

"I-" Rhaenerys continued to sob. Coren kissed her head, sitting on the floor. This was going to be a long night.

✧✦✧

"Here he is! Late to a council meeting!" Coren turned his dark glare onto Tyrion, who was drinking once more. Grey Wind was watching him with a guarded expression, and Missandei looked between them before turning to Coren with a nod. There was another man there, tall and bald. "Long night?"

"My daughter is not best pleased that her mother is yet to be found. The heir wishes to know where her mother is, as do I." Coren glanced at the only seat open. It was Daenerys' seat, not his. It took him a moment, before he sank down into it. "Where are we?"

"The fleet. It's been burn."

"I noticed." Coren muttered. His eyebrows furrowed, trying to work out who this man was. 

"Lord Varys." The bald man leant forward, bowing half-heartedly as if sensing his confusion.

"We are searching for the men who burned the ships, but nobody saw anything." Grey Worm turned to Coren, who nodded his head slowly. "The patrols have been increased as you asked."

"Surely, there's some good news lurking somewhere." Tyrion managed an awkward laugh.

"Astapor and Yunkai have stopped asking us for aid." 

"Perhaps they can tell us their secret." 

"The Masters have retaken both cities. Outside of Mereen, the whole of Slaver's Bay has returned to the slavers." Coren tried not to groan and put his head into his hands. He was tired, having been up all night until Rhaenerys had exhausted herself with crying. 

"What about the dragons? We have two of them here beneath the pyramid and one outside the pyramid." Coren looked up at that as Missandei shook her head. 

"They are not eating. They have not touched any food since Queen Daenerys left." 

"What about the red one?"

"Falkor does as Falkor always does." Coren shook his head, before leaning back in his chair. "He has his orders, protect the city and stay close to us. He protects my daughter."

"Yes, well, Queen Daenerys is the dragon queen." Tyrion looked over at him, sipping at his wine. "Can't very well let the dragons starve, that is obvious."

"If a dragon does not want to eat, how do you force him to eat?" Grey Worm's eyebrows furrowed.

"Dragons do not well in captivity."

"We are getting off topic." Coren brought them back onto track. 

"The dragons Aegon used to conquer Westeros ranged over hundreds of miles." Tyrion ignored him, continuing to speak to the small group of advisors. "Then Daenerys' ancestors started chaining them up in pens. A few generations later, the last dragons were no larger than cats. They must be unchained or they will waste away. Missandei, how many times were you in the company of these dragons?"

"Many times."

"And did they ever harm you?"

"Never."

"Dragons are intelligent. More intelligent than men according to some maesters." Tyrion nodded surely, as Coren shook his head. He knew where this conversation was going. "They have affection for their friends and fury for their enemies. I am their friend."

Coren had to laugh at that.

"You find that amusing, Your Grace?"

"Falkor, perhaps, that could be true. He has been handled since he was an egg by someone other than a Targaryen. The two in the vault? Rhaegal and Viserion?" Coren shook his head at the absurdity of it. "They are nicer than Drogon, but I would not trust them as far as I could throw them."

"They do not know we're friends yet."

"They will eat you." Coren shook his head at the thought. They tolerated him more due to his connection to Daenerys, and perhaps due to Rhaenerys, but Coren was still wary of them.

"I would wish to go with the dragon tamer." Tyrion goaded, looking over at the man as Coren huffed. "Let me meet the tamer one, then I will go and unchain the two in vault."

"If you wish to do it, then so be it." Coren had trained Viserion and Rhaegal, albeit for a small amount of time and in between dodging swipes from Drogon, and Falkor attempting to steal food and laze around. 

"You will join me?"

"We shall see how meeting Falkor goes before we advance onto meeting the two who are less friendly." 

✧✦✧

"Is it wise to bring your daughter?" Tyrion looked over at Coren, who was holding onto Rhaenerys' hand, letting her drag him along. 

"Falkor is as much her dragon as he is mine." Coren replied, before they emerged onto the plateau. Falkor was already there, chewing on a bone as he looked across the plateau. "Be good."

"You are telling the dragon that?"

"No, my daughter." Coren disagreed, watching as Rhaenerys rushed away from them and diving onto Falkor's nose. The large dragon began to chuff and chirrup as Coren and Tyrion approached slowly after her. 

"...go and find mummy."

"No flying." Coren stopped Rhaenerys' thought before it could run away with her. Falkor huffed, glaring at him before nudging Rhaenerys back towards Coren as he approached. "How are the scars?"

Falkor tilted his chin up, allowing Coren to look at the scars Drogon had left on him.

"Any sign of him?" There was a huff in response, before he opened his mouth for Coren to check him over. Tyrion was watching the dragon with awe, eyes wide and mouth slightly open.

"You hear stories. It is hard to believe that they are real." Coren hummed, dislodging a bone from behind one of Falkor's molar teeth. "He is huge."

"He is fat." Coren pulled his hand out before Falkor could snap his mouth shut in response. Rhaenerys giggled at that, patting Falkor's cheek. 

"You say he is the most docile?"

"Not docile. The most trained." Coren corrected. You could never domesticate a dragon. It was not in their nature. "Approach from the side if you wish to approach a dragon, let them see you and smell you and if they huff and back their heads up, run."

"Will they breathe fire?"

"No, bite or swing to hit you." Coren shook his head, before twisting as someone rushed onto the plateau. Falkor growled, as the man nervously approached, bowing his head.

"Your Grace."

"What's the matter?"

"News, letter from Ser Barristan." Coren froze.

"Rhaenerys, come." Coren held his hand out for his daughter. She pouted, before seeing her father's stern look and rushing over to him. "You can go the vaults or wait for me, those are your options. Falkor, circle the city."

The red dragon took to the skies, dust being whipped up and around them, as Coren nudged Rhaenerys ahead of him. A message from Ser Barristan was hopefully going to bring forth news on his wife. This other mess would be solved later and perhaps, Coren could bring Daenerys back for his daughter.

Hiya,

I'm really sorry for the lack of updates. Every Monday for the past few weeks, I've had an exam or an essay that's been due in, but I thought I needed to get this out for you guys and I hope it's alright. Rhae misses her mother, which is fair, Coren is just stressed and tired, and mildly delusional, and Falkor is doing as Falkor always does.

Let me know what you think,

Love Li xx