𝐃𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐨𝐧'𝐬 𝐎𝐚𝐭𝐡

Crowned Slaves

Manta's fingers tightened on Thereya's chin, examining her closely. His tone, cold and calculating, cut through the air. "You don't quite have the Targaryen look with those eyes. The prince's violet eyes are a trademark, you know. Selling you as one might be a challenge."

His gaze lingered with a predatory gleam. "Your little bat here is likely headed for some high nobility, same as the Prince, but as for you..." He paused, a sinister grin forming. "I'm not sure yet. Maybe a curious merchant or a pit in Slaver's Bay. Your fate, my dear, is up for grabs to the highest bidder." Thereya stared at him as he said so.

She thought about what he said. It would be much easier for her to run away or escape such a slavery. But for Aegon, it was not. And what of Drakus? Her dragon?

There is no love such as one sealed
with fire.

Thereya's eyes narrowed, a spark of determination in her gaze. "I won't go anywhere without Aegon. I can not go back to King's Landing without him," she declared, her voice unwavering.

Manta chuckled, his grip on her chin loosening. "Sweetheart, you don't get to choose. Once the deals are struck, you'll be wherever the coin takes you."

She shook her head defiantly. "No coin will separate us. If you're selling him, you're selling me with him. Wherever he goes, I go."

Manta's amusement faded, replaced by a cold stare. "You might regret being so attached, girl. Loyalty doesn't always serve well in these lands."

But Thereya held firm, her resolve cutting through the air. "I'd rather face uncertainty with him than find comfort alone. We go together, or we do not go at all."

"But if I offered to let him. Do you think he wouldn't accept it? Do you think he would say he won't go without you?" Manta scoffed.

And with that, Thereya went silent. He was right.

Manta Ray's voice sliced through the ship's hustle, telling his crew to get things ready for Essos. "Chain the dragon girl!" he shouted before leaning in closer to her face saying mockingly. "We don't want her to fly away." and the sailors scrambled to follow his orders.

He guided Thereya out onto the deck, where the ship creaked and swayed beneath our feet, one of the sailors dragged Aegon out of the cell harshly.
As we stepped into the open air, a brisk sea breeze brushed against my face.

"Do not let them sell you. If we split, you will never find me again..." Thereya said to Aegon in a hurry, with urgency in her voice while the other men put chains around her arms, legs, and neck.

"I will find you," Aegon said before the chains were locked in place, he hissed through his gritted teeth as the heavy chains already started bruising his arms.

Aegon was being chained as well, poor Drakus was being tossed around by the other sailors, screeching and calling for Thereya's help. But she couldn't do anything.

There was no rage compared to the rage of a mother whose child was ripped from her arms.

The boat groaned to a stop, the timeworn wood creaking as it gently bumped against the shore of Essos. The crew bustled with activity, their faces set in determined expressions, readying the vessel for its brief respite. The gangplank descended with a solid thud, a makeshift bridge connecting the ship to the unknown lands.

A man emerged from the shadows, whip in hand, his stern demeanor leaving little room for any hope. His eyes bore into Thereya and Aegon, his silent command clear. The whip cracked in the air, not just a tool, but a symbolic reminder of who they belong now.

Heavy chains made loud noises as Thereya and Aegon walked. Suddenly Aegon stopped walking and looked in the distance.

"Thereya..." He said under his breath while his gaze was somewhere else in the distance.