Chapter XIII

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December 107 AC

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December 107 AC

Dragons dancing.

Blue against gold. Green against red.

Fire, fire, cities burning.

A stag feasting on a dragon. A dragon mating with a wolf. A viper striking.

An endless winter.

Aurelia knew not what woke her that night. It was dark and quiet — perfect for sleeping and yet, she woke.

She blinked bleary eyes and raised herself up on the bed, noticing something in the shadows, movement. Something white and shimmering, no, someone, because the figure had long hair.

"Hello?" She asked groggily, immediately feeling inside her for her magic so she'd be able to defend herself if needed. Her guards were loyal — men chosen by her father for their loyalty House Martell or House Swann, but if someone had managed to enter her chambers in the night, that meant she'd need to rely on herself.

The shape moved closer. Aurelia threw back the sheets and slid to the edge of the bed. "Who is there?"

And then she came forward, and she lost her breath.

She had never seen a woman so beautiful as the one standing before her. She looked like Viserra Targaryen, with long and thick tresses of blonde hair and a shapely, hourglass figure seen through the nearly sheer white dress adorning her body. But a closer inspection, once the awe of her beauty had worn off, revealed her identity. A belt with a narcissus adornment, dangling earrings with pendants of a bee and a necklace with a swan.

There was only one goddess with the three as her symbols.

Aphrodite.

She sucked in a breath. "Why have you come, my lady?"

"To prepare you for the future, of course," the goddess' voice was cheerful, more akin to a teenaged girl's than a thousands-years old goddess. "The time for your wedding is fast approaching, after all."

"It is?"

Aphrodite nodded as she took a seat in her bed. "Oh, it'll be here in the blink of an eye. Around two years from now, if I recall correctly."

"Who will I marry?" She tried again. Perhaps the rules had changed, perhaps now she could know.

"I can't tell you that," Aphrodite shook her head. "But kudos to you for strengthening your magic."

"I'm on the right path?"

Aphrodite smiled. "Yes, you are. Now, come, take my hand, I wish to show you something."

Hesitantly, Aurelia took the offered hand and followed the goddess. They stepped into her balcony, but were greeted instead with a what Aurelia thought reminded her of a muggle scrapbook (if scrapbooks came to life and had pictures floating around, that is).

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