ACT I — CHAPTER VI
Tᴏ Lɪᴠᴇ Aɢᴀɪɴ

────── ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──────

Historians have debated what happened on that mountaintop for centuries.

Some have argued that Myra went up into those mountains with the intention of claiming the Cannibal, that she had sought it out. Others have argued that she stumbled across the Cannibal on accident, caught it while it was sleeping, and took advantage of the opportunity.

None of them guessed that it was the Cannibal who had sought the young girl out.

Why the dragon didn't kill her immediately is unknown. After all, the Cannibal was a wild dragon. Many had tried to claim the dragon before, all either failing or coming to meet a gruesome end.

And yet, a girl who had not even seen ten name days was able to claim him.

No matter how much historians research and discuss this topic, none of them have been able to come up with a reasonable explanation as to why Myra was able to do the impossible. The only thing they have been able to do is come up with another question.

Did Myra choose the Cannibal, or did the Cannibal choose her?

The logistics of how this event occurred never mattered to Myra. The only thing that she ever thought was that she was glad she went to all of those lessons in the dragonpit.

While Myra knew that the dragon before her was wild and did not understand Valyrian, the commands she did know gave her something to work with.

"Lykirī," she muttered, so faintly she barely heard it herself, "Lykirī."

The Cannibal growled. Myra slowly raised her hand out in front of her, hoping that her actions would help the dragon understand what she was saying. Be calm.

It seemed to work. The Cannibal's menacing glare turned into a slightly less menacing one, which had to count for something.

"Lykirī," she muttered again, slowly rising to her feet, still keeping her hand out.

The dragon tilted its head. As he seemed to be somewhat calm, Myra weighed her options. There was no way she could go around the dragon, not without risking falling off the side of the mountain. She could go under him, as the Cannibal was big enough that she could fit under him, but there was no saying how he would react.

The only choice Myra had was to continue to make her way up the mountain and then make her way back down. She would have to walk backwards, but it was the safest option she had.

Myra took one step back. The Cannibal seemed to stiffen, its teeth baring.

"Lykirī," she said, louder than she had before, but still in a comforting tone. The dragon immediately relaxed.

Myra took another step back. The Cannibal reacted the same as it had before.

"Lykirī," she said. The dragon immediately relaxed.

Myra quickly realized that this was not a sustainable solution. How long until her unintelligible words no longer had an effect on the dragon? How long until he decided to attack?

She had very little time to think of a new way out of this before the Cannibal started advancing toward her. However, it wasn't a fast approach, it was slow. Eerily slow.

Myra's breath hitched. She couldn't run, as even taking one step enraged him. She was out of options.

Every bone in Myra's body froze as the Cannibal came closer to her. There was no escape. Her imminent death crept closer to her with each passing second, and yet she made no attempt to move. It was almost as if a subconscious part of herself accepted her fate. Her outstretched hand wasn't even shaking.

The Cannibal was so close that if she pushed her extended hand forward, she would be touching its snout. The dragon growled. Myra closed her eyes, preparing for the worst.

Instead of feeling insurmountable pain, Myra felt a nudge on her palm. She opened her eyes. The Cannibal had gently pressed its snout against her hand.

Myra didn't know what to do. Here she was, with a dragon quite literally in the palm of her hand. It was everything she had ever wanted, but she didn't know where to go from here.

The Cannibal wasn't like the other dragons, the ones that Myra had been expecting to claim one day. It was wild, never having been tied to a rider. It didn't know High Valyrian. They had no way to communicate.

But Myra did not have a choice. She either had to claim the Cannibal or die trying.

Slowly, she took a step closer to the dragon. He did not react, and Myra took this as a good sign. She took another step closer, and when the dragon made no motion again, Myra felt the bones in her body loosen. She almost felt calm.

She was so close to the dragon that she was almost flat up against his snout. Carefully, she raised her other hand and placed it next to the other one. The Cannibal huffed, but had no reaction other than that.

Then, Myra did something that would have sent her mother into a state of shock so great that she would be unable to function for days.

Myra pressed her forehead against the Cannibal.

He slightly leaned into her touch. Myra laughed.

She had barely cracked a smile in months, and yet here she was, laughing with the most dangerous dragon in the world.

Myra backed away from the Cannibal, and he turned his head so that she was staring into one of his green eyes. She bit her lip. She had somehow gained the dragon's trust, but now was the hard part. Myra had to prove herself.

She walked down to the dragon's wing, her fingertips lightly trailing his scales. The Cannibal leaned down, as if he were inviting her to climb onto his back. Myra picked at her fingernails, taking deep breaths in and out, trying to reassure herself that she could do this.

After a final calming breath, Myra grabbed onto one of the dragon's protruding scales, and then she grabbed onto another, and she hoisted herself up.

She climbed up the dragon, which was considerably harder than she thought it would be, until she reached the top. There was no saddle, which she knew of, but the sight was very daunting. There was no way to secure herself — she would have to hold on and pray that the dragon made no sudden movements.

As if she predicted it, the Cannibal began to rise to its feet. Myra quickly grabbed onto his scales, preparing herself for what was to come.

The Cannibal stood, then began to run forward, and before she knew it, they were flying through the air.

It felt unreal. The wind was flying through her hair, the air smelled of the sea, and she could see the ground she had just walked on growing smaller. Myra had wanted this her entire life, and it was everything she had ever dreamed of. If she wasn't so scared of falling off, she would have stretched out her arms and really embraced the wind.

Myra was meant to be in the sky. She felt more at home flying with the Cannibal than she had in months. It was so exhilarating that she almost forgot to worry about how she was going to get back down.

•⋅•⋅•

Myra and the Cannibal flew for hours. The Velaryon girl loved every second of it, but she couldn't help but feel sick when the dragon took her to a small, abandoned island. However, she felt much better when she could just see Dragonstone on the horizon line.

For two days, Myra and the Cannibal strengthened their bond. They would take flights together, flying for hours and hours around the island they had made a home on. Myra even found a way to train the dragon in Valyrian.

Whenever he did something, she would yell out the command in Valyrian. So, when he would begin to take flight, Myra would yell, "Sōvēs", or when he would begin to land, she would yell, "Tegot". It was a way of teaching that worked surprisingly well.

When the Cannibal went off to hunt food, leaving Myra on the island, she would wander around and pick berries for food, hoping that they weren't poisonous. At night, Myra would sleep under the Cannibal's wing, which he would prop up so that it served as a sort of tent.

As the sun began to rise on the third day, Myra knew that she couldn't stay on that island forever. She would have to come back to reality, which meant returning to Dragonstone, more specifically, returning to her mother. Going to Driftmark wasn't an option anymore, not with the Cannibal. She would have to secure her bond with him before attempting to move him from his home.

Once she had eaten the last of her supply of berries, Myra approached the Cannibal, placing a hand on his snout. He leaned into her touch, and Myra pressed her forehead against him.

"Gūrogon īlva lenton," she whispered. Take us home.

She mounted the dragon, yelling, "Sōvēs!" as he took off into the sky. Although she knew that the Cannibal couldn't understand her words, she hoped that a part of him could feel that she wanted to return to Dragonstone.

Luckily, he somehow did. Dragonstone came closer and closer into view until they were eventually right over it, circling the castle from above.

"Embrot!" Myra called, and the Cannibal obliged. He flew down, and when Myra spotted the entrance to the dragonpit, she yelled, "Paktot!"

The Cannibal swerved to the right, entering the dragonpit. The Dragonkeepers inside froze in shock as the wild dragon advanced towards them. When they reached the ledge she had seen her mother land on so many times before, she yelled, "Tegot!"

The dragon landed. The Dragonkeepers jumped back, but leaned in when they saw the young princess, who had been missing for two days, on the beast's back.

Myra carefully climbed off the Cannibal's back. He turned his head towards her, nudging her with his nose. Myra laughed, placing her hand on his snout.

"Jikagon," she told him. The Cannibal nudged her one more time before backing away and taking flight. Myra watched him go until his flying figure was out of sight.

She turned back to the Dragonkeepers, who were staring at her as if she were a ghost.

"I must speak with my mother," she announced, "Will one of you take me to her?"

One of the Dragonkeepers nodded, still too stunned to speak. Myra immediately walked up to her, and the two of them walked into the castle.

As they walked through the halls, something felt different. Even though it had only been a couple of days, Myra felt considerably older, and the corridors felt much smaller.

They turned a corner, causing Elinda Massey to drop the pitcher she was holding. Even though water spilled everywhere, Elinda made no move to clean it up, frozen at the sight of the girl.

"Pri— Princess, I —"

"I must speak with my mother. Do you know where she is?" Myra asked. Elinda nodded.

Myra thanked the Dragonkeeper for escorting her thus far. She nodded before walking away, returning to the dragonpit. Elinda took over escorting Myra down the hallway, leaving the water pitcher behind.

Elinda led her to Rhaenyra's chambers. The entire way, Myra picked at her nails, trying to calm her nerves. When they arrived, Elinda lightly knocked on the door.

"What is it?" Rhaenyra yelled, an irritation in her voice.

"I have — I have the —"

"Just come in, Elinda."

Elinda looked down at Myra, slightly smiling at her before opening the door.

Myra entered the room. Rhaenyra was sitting at the table, her head in her hands. Daemon was staring out the window. Myra bit the inside of her cheek.

"It's — it's the Princess."

Both Rhaenyra and Daemon's heads snapped towards where the young girl stood. Rhaenyra's eyes widened.

It was then that Myra realized what state she was in. Her dress was torn in multiple places, her curly hair matted, and she was covered in dirt, grime, and dried blood. The thought of her striking appearance almost made her laugh.

Elinda closed the door, leaving just Myra, Rhaenyra, and Daemon. She looked between the two of them, her hands shaking. She held them behind her back to try and hide it.

"I have claimed the Cannibal as my own," Myra started, deciding not to waste any time, "I have returned to Dragonstone so that I can strengthen our bond and train him. Once I have done so, I plan to move —"

Rhaenyra had risen to her feet, walked over to her daughter, and pulled her into a tight embrace, falling to her knees. For a few moments, Myra didn't know what to do, but as her mother's tears fell on her shoulders, Myra wrapped her arms around her as well. Even after everything, she had missed her mother.

Rhaenyra pulled away, cupping Myra's face in her hands, her thumb caressing the young girl's cheek.

"I thought the worst," Rhaenyra said, tears streaming down her face, "We've been searching the Dragonmont for days. I — I was flying over the water, looking for you. I thought the worst."

She smiled then, wiping her tears and gripping onto Myra's shoulders, "And look at you! You have claimed a dragon. The Cannibal, of all of them. I do wonder how you did it. I hope you'll tell me."

Myra bit her lip. She needed to be strong to get through this.

"Once I have strengthened my bond with the Cannibal, I intend to move to Driftmark," Myra continued, her voice shaking, "I do not wish to take him from his home, but I have no other option."

Rhaenyra sighed, squeezing her shoulders. She stood, walking away from Myra and running a hand over her face. She turned back to her daughter, clasping her hands in front of her.

"If you want to go to Driftmark, you may," Rhaenyra told her, "But first, you must listen to what I have to say. To everything I have to say. After that, if you still wish to go to Driftmark, then you may go. Do we have an agreement?"

Myra nodded, picking more at her nails. Rhaenyra leaned back against the table, gripping onto it.

"There is much I do not want to tell you, partly because I feel you are too young, and partly because I have done things I am ashamed of, and I did not want you to see me poorly. But I cannot keep it from you anymore," Rhaenyra began, "Based on our last conversation, I presume you know about your brothers?"

"I do," Myra answered, her gaze hardening, "I asked Father about it, nearly two years ago now. He warned me that if anyone knew, they could be killed. He told me of how much he loved them, despite the truth. I wonder if your new husband would have been so kind if he were in Father's place."

Daemon, who had been silently leaning against the wall, had no reaction, except for the slight tensing of his jaw.

"You must understand, Myra. I have great love for your father, as he has great love for me," Rhaenyra went on, "But we did not love each other as a husband and wife should. It is not his fault, nor is it mine. Some things just are, and we cannot ask for an explanation we will never get."

"You say you have great love for my father, and yet he is dead and you were remarried within a fortnight," Myra spat.

"I did not have your father killed," Rhaenyra said, clasping her hands together, "You said you would listen. I need you to keep your promise."

Myra didn't answer, but her cold gaze didn't falter.

"I did not have your father killed," Rhaenyra repeated, "The day after Laena's funeral, your father and I had a discussion about the future. As you know, I am the heir to the Iron Throne, but not everyone believes I should be. Whether it be because I am a woman or because of the things I have done that I am not all proud of. Either way, my claim to the throne was weak because I was weak."

Rhaenyra sighed, as if she didn't know what to say next.

"The Iron Throne is not just my future, Myra. It is yours as well. I will be Queen after my father, and you will be Queen after me," she said, looking sincerely at her daughter, "Your father knew this. He also knew that he was not strong enough to help me secure our future, but he knew who was strong enough."

Rhaenyra turned back to Daemon, who continued to stand stoically from his spot on the wall. She looked back to Myra.

"In order to secure our futures, I need Daemon by my side. Your father understood this. So, he, Daemon, and I came up with a plan," Rhaenyra said, now avoiding her daughter's eyes, "Your father is alive, Myra. We faked his death so that Daemon and I could marry."

Myra froze. She couldn't even breathe.

"I did not have him murdered. I would never do that to you. Doing this was painful enough," Rhaenyra sighed, her voice shaking, "We did not want to do this to you, my darling, but it is what's best for you, for all of us, as painful as it has been."

Tears formed behind Myra's eyes, "Father's alive?"

Rhaenyra nodded.

"Where is he?"

"Somewhere across the Narrow Sea. It was safer for us to not know exactly where he was going," she answered, "I was planning on telling you, when you were older. He wrote you a letter to read for when I did."

Myra breathed in sharply, "He wrote me a letter?"

"He did. I can give it to you," Rhaenyra said, "I know this is hard to hear, but I need to know you understand."

Surprisingly, she did understand, but she was angry. Angry at them for planning this. Angry at Daemon for being there. Angry at Rhaenyra for hiding it. Angry at Laenor for leaving her.

"You didn't love Father as you should, but you did love Ser Harwin?" Myra asked, "You only married him out of duty. You only had me out of duty. It wasn't like that for my brothers. They weren't a duty — they were your children."

"No, my darling, no!" Rhaenyra said immediately, walking over to Myra, kneeling down in front if her once again, "Yes, I did marry your father out of duty, but that does not mean there was no love. Your father is an honorable man with a good heart. It's a rare thing."

Rhaenyra rubbed Myra's arms, "Yes, I loved Ser Harwin. I was lonely, I was lonely and angry, and I thought he could fix that. But he couldn't."

Myra bit her lip to keep herself from crying. Rhaenyra blinked her tears away.

"I did not think I was meant to be a mother. I didn't think a family would save me, but you did. You saved me, Myra. You fixed me," Rhaenyra said, placing a hand on her daughter's cheek, "I did not think that I was worth saving, but you did so anyway. Everything I did, every mistake I made, led to you. Simple words cannot describe how much you mean to me, my sweet, darling girl."

Myra could no longer hold back her tears.

"If I had to go through it all again, I would. I would go through all the pain and make the same mistakes, because without them, there would be no you," Rhaenyra smiled through her tears, "When you were born, I made a promise to you, to protect you from the cruelness in this world, and when you were harmed to hold you through the long days and long nights until you were ready to stand on your own again. And yet, here we are, where I have done the most cruel act to you. To see you in such a state these past few months has pained me."

Rhaenyra looked down, shaking her head, "I do not wish for your forgiveness, Myra. I only wish for you to let me hold you. To let me help you."

Myra threw her arms around her mother, sobbing into the crook of her neck. Rhaenyra held her close, running her hands up and down her back.

"I love you, more than anything in this world, my darling," Rhaenyra said, pulling back just far enough to be able to see Myra and cup her face, "But I do not want to cause you any more harm. If you still wish to go to Driftmark, I will not stop you."

The young girl didn't know what to say. Rhaenyra wiped the tears off her daughter's face.

"Myra," Rhaenyra started, "Will you stay?"

Before Myra could even think of an answer, the door burst open. She turned around — it was Jace and Luke.

"Myra!" Jace cried, running over to his sister, Luke hot on his heels. They engulfed their sister in a hug, almost knocking her over.

Rhaenyra pulled away, standing up and holding her hands over her stomach as she watched her three eldest children, together once again.

"I missed you!" Luke said, burying his face into her stomach.

"I missed you, too," Myra whispered, holding her brothers close.

She looked up at her mother. Myra didn't forgive her — she didn't think she ever could. But Myra loved her, and she believed her. Despite her anger, she believed that her parents had her best interest in mind, and that Rhaenyra would hold her and help her.

Rhaenyra would help her learn to live again.

And so, in spite of her anger, Myra smiled at her mother, and she answered her.

"I'll stay."

•⋅•⋅•

That night, Myra found herself thinking of Aemond. Had they still been talking, he would have been the first person she told about her claiming the Cannibal. Now, he was just a distant memory.

Myra sat on her bed, holding the letter Rhaenyra had given her in her hands. She was scared to open it, scared to read her father's words, because it would be his final words to her. She didn't want him to leave her.

But Myra knew that she couldn't put it off forever. His final words would never change, there would never be any more. No matter how long she waited, his final words would be the same, whether she put off reading the note to tomorrow or years from now.

She carefully broke the seal of the letter and opened it.

My darling Myra,

I imagine you are filled with confusion right now. I do hope your mother explained it to you well enough.

I imagine that you are angry, as well. I wouldn't expect anything less. Know that the decision to leave you did not come easily. While it was made in haste, I thought it over extensively. As hard as it is to hear, I am doing this for you and your brothers. You deserve the best life, and I fear that I am not the one to give it to you.

From the moment you were born, you were the joy in my life. You are my world. Everything I have ever done, I have done for you.

I wish I could see you grow up, and I wish I could see the wonderful Queen I know you will become. Leaving you is the hardest thing I will ever do, but it will be the best thing for you. I would not leave if I did not believe that.

I am sorry to leave after promising to help you learn to live again. It is not fair of me to do that to you. But know that you are not alone, and you never will be. You will always have your mother and your brothers. You will always have me, loving you from afar.

I do hope that one day we can meet again, as unlikely as it seems. Even if we do not, know that I will think of you every day, and I will always hold you in my heart.

I love you, Myra, more than anything in this world. Everything I do, I do for you.

With the love of the whole sea,
Father

Myra held the letter to her chest as she cried.

She was still angry, so, so angry, but she would not be forever. One day, she would fly across the Narrow Sea and find her father. But, for now, she would hold his letter close to her.

Everything had changed so quickly in a matter of months. She lost two people who she loved desperately, but Myra had to believe it was for the better. If not, she wouldn't survive.

A roar came from outside. Myra stood and walked over to her window. Despite the night being dark, she could see the Cannibal, circling the midnight sky, just above the mountaintop.

Myra smiled. She had gone through losses and pain, but she had gained something as well.

Laenor was right — she was not alone. She had Rhaenyra, she had her brothers, she had her new sisters, and she even had Daemon, although she still wasn't sure if she liked him or not.

Things would get easier. One day, all the pain she feels now will only feel like a prick on her finger. With the help of her family, Myra would learn to live again.

────── ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──────

WRITTEN: july 2024
EDITED: july 2024
WORDS: 4,284

AUTHOR'S NOTE! so i wrote the first part of this chapter before the episode 6 came out and when i saw seasmoke claim addam it felt like i predicted it it was crazy. it's canon now that that velaryons are claimed by dragons not the other way around.

i hope everything in this chapter made sense lol. one thing that might not have was myra teaching the cannibal valyrian, so basically if he would start to fly she would just say fly in valyrian so that he would understand what she wanted him to do.

myra does not forgive rhaenyra for faking her father's death, that would be crazy if she did, but she does understand her actions in a way. hope that came across clearly lol.

this is the last chapter for act one! i hope you all have enjoyed this story so far. thank you so much for all of the love you have shown!! it's blown my mind really how much traction this has gained in a month and a half.

i hope you all enjoyed this chapter! if you did please feel free to vote and comment your opinions :) have a wonderful day!!