A/ N: Musing around. If Bäahal existed prior to Jon's company rescue by Daenerys, I think she would have bonded with Viserion before his death. I wanted to write the moment these two would bond and add a little Varys to the mix too.
Xxxxxx
«Have you decided to follow my every move, Lord Varys? » -Bäahal's voice sounded distant due to the strong coastal winds that were blowing in her face.-
« I wouldn't think of that, your grace. » He said with a nod.
She was walking before him at a fast pace, aimlessly wandering on the beach of Dragonstone. The bald master spy tried to talk to the princess ever since Tyrion outed her to the queen. He had figured out her real identity long before they left Mereen but he decided to keep the information until he could make a better use of it, that was before Daenerys warned him not to lie to her again or she would burn his body to a crisp. He then decided that he would convince Bäahal to tell the truth to the queen, so he would reap the benefits of her confession. Tyrion thwarted his plans and since it happened, the man couldn't find a minute to talk to the princess. Everything was spiraling out of control, between the loss of the Dornish fleet and the loss of Yara and her men, the visit of Jon Snow, that King of the North who greatly influenced the queen, Varys was losing control.
He might have been shady, he still believed in the queen and still wanted to help her achieve her goal. He wanted Daenerys to sit on the throne and took it upon himself to help advise her. Bäahal's presence was in itself, an anomaly but he wanted to transform it into an asset. Daenerys had a family, she wasn't alone anymore and Bäahal could become a strength rather than a liability. Tyrion couldn't see it just now because he didn't get along with the princess, but Varys did. That was the reason that had him follow Bäahal on the beach with the intention to talk to her and know where her mind was. She was still closed off and he only knew it because he eavesdropped on a conversation Misssandei had with another handmaiden. In order to help the princess open up to the queen, he decided that the best way was to convince her to sit down and talk. She didn't seem to want to talk today but he still had to give it a try.
« It would be out of character. You have eyes everywhere, surely you would have eyes on me too. » She stopped walking when she reached the end of the beach and faced the caves Jon and his men were mining. « The real question is, what is it that you want? »
«An honest conversation with you, your grace. »
« Bäahal is enough. » She dryly said. She wasn't at ease with being called your grace or princess just yet and he could see how tense she became as soon as he said the words. She would have to get used to it very soon because now that she had been acknowledged as a Targaryen, the name and title that came with it couldn't be taken away.
« You know it isn't. You are the queen's sister and I shall address you as such. »
«An honest conversation you said? » -Bäahal cut him short, her purple eyes traveled from the stones to the sky where her sister's dragons were flying.- An honest conversation about what, Lord Varys? You already know my background. Surely you've heard the stories about me. » She furrowed her silver brows. « What else is there to talk about? Unless you want to talk about the queen. »
« I wanted to talk about you. We know you're loyal to the queen, and so I am. I am not sure you have talked about your feelings. After all, the explosive truth came to light a few weeks ago. »
He wasn't certain she would answer him, her body language suggested something different. Bäahal wasn't receptive to his words, but she wasn't hostile either, so a quiet nod let him know she was not rejecting him altogether. He waited patiently, his hands protected by his tunic as he watched the dragons in the sky dance and squeal. Or it sounded like they squealed but they were in fact, talking. Her eyes lit up at the sight of Viserion, the least intimidating one. Drogon was massive, bigger than his brothers and unpredictable like his mother. Rhaegal was quiet, balanced but Viserion...He was feisty, fierce and a force to reckon with. He wasn't as massive as Drogon in size, nor as lethal as Rhaegal could have been but he was right there, resilient, eager and curious. Her eyes locked on the dragon she observed in silence.
« It should have been my decision. Lord Tyrion took it away from me when he outed me to the queen. It should have been me. »
Her voice was deep, deeper than usual and her eyes glowed briefly. Her anger was under the surface, under her control which had her behave almost coldly and seemingly detached than usual. It was a tranquil fury, an anger that boiled under the surface and waited for the right moment to blow in the face of the unfortunate target. He knew it all too well and it made Varys swallow a lump.
« I know. He simply did his duty as the hand of the queen. You couldn't expect him to remain quiet and withdraw this information from the one he serves. »
« I wasn't asking him to do that. I was asking him to give me some space so I could come out on my own terms... » She sighed. « What's done is done, I can't afford to dwell on it. »
« And yet, you're angry. » He pointed out.
She didn't answer him, her purple eyes were focused on dragons landing on the beach, one after the other. They were huge and intimidating, even when they were at peace. Bäahal had always been fascinated by the stories her mother told her about her father's lineage. Dragon riders, conquerors and famous or disgraced kings and queens. The little girl didn't care about the people, for men and women were flawed by nature. Dragons, on the other hand, were majestic creatures that were far above mankind's trivial concepts of right and wrong. She daydreamed of dragons, imagined herself riding one of them and lay waste on her masters. Dragons would have set her free, they would have saved her mother and she would ride them to the sunset. Ironically, or maybe extraordinarily, it happened.
Daenerys came, like a goddess, and her dragons burned in flames the former masters. Her dreams became real, the dragons were real. Varys watched as she walked towards the dragons who were now laying down on the sand. He followed closely behind her until she stood in front of the three beasts. While he wouldn't dare move closer -Varys wasn't comfortable near the dragons- She seemed transfixed by the sight before her. Drogon shrieked and his nostrils flared as a warning but she didn't flinch. Instead, she remained stoic in front of them, unafraid but intimidated. Rhaegal's tail hit against the sand and his nostrils flared too but she swallowed a lump and remained straight in her boots.
« Fascinating aren't they? » -Varys tried to reach out to her. His words elicited a gasp from the princess who nodded quietly.-
« I was just a little girl when mother would tell me stories about my father's family. I would hear stories of conquest and revenge. Stories of powerful men and women who gave in to their lust for power and control. I never cared for the Kings or the queens. They were flawed, deeply flawed. They didn't care for people like me. They would own slaves like my masters did and if they didn't own them, they didn't see a problem with slavery. I hated the royals but I loved the dragons. » She lifted her head and stood tall when Viserion sniffed the air and moved towards her.
« I do not blame you. Where I come from, dragons were stories parents told their children to make them behave. They always had this mysterious aura for children like me, both saviors and executioners. They were to be feared. »
« I never feared dragons. » Bäahal replied, her tone changing from dry to warm and rich. « They were my friends. I never did believe I'd see one in my lifetime but here we are, with three dragons in front of us. »
Drogon's tail moved to give a path to Viserion as he crawled towards the tiny silver-haired princess. All three dragons were now staring at the small lady and the bald man. They could care less about Varys, so far, he hasn't been a direct threat to their mother so they tolerated him. The other woman, however, they smelled something different about her. Something familiar. She wasn't their mother, but the scent carried something they knew of. Viserion was the most curious about this newcomer. He would test her and determine if he wanted to respect her or if she wasn't worthy of standing near them. She didn't flinch, she didn't run away, which intrigued the beast. He put his head only inches away from Bäahal whose piercing purple eyes stared straight into the creature. Viserion sniffed the air and opened its maw, shrieking at her face to see what her reaction would be. She didn't flinch either, instead, her hand simply patted the creature's nostrils and she stroked the side of his jaw. Taken aback, Viserion pulled its head away from her grip, causing her to furrow her brows.
« I won't hurt you. »
She whispered gently, offering her hand for another gentle petting. Viserion shrieked again and stood on its legs. He spread his wings and started to flap them, creating powerful winds around him that blew onto the woman. Her silver hair whipped her face and Varys'. Her body struggled to stand still, so much so that he made her take a few steps back but she walked towards Viserion again. He shrieked louder, making her snarl at the piercing sound of its voice, but she outstretched her hand again. Her body was calm and her presence soothing. She was in complete control of the situation and it became clear to Varys that she was a rough and wild diamond that needed to be cut and polished. She was fierce and rough, but she was strong. He could see in the way the dragon moved its head and leaned into her touch that she had accomplished something rare. Did she have the dragon blood too? Was she a dragon rider, like Daenerys was? She stroked Viserion's jaw with her hand and quietly brought her other hand so she could stroke his face with both. He couldn't hear it, but Bäahal kept repeating good boy to the dragon while she petted him, making him relax under her touch and lean onto the sand like before.
« It seems that you are a natural. » Varys said, carefully walking closer to the princess who kept petting the huge beast. He noticed she was shivering, not of fear but of excitement.
« It seems so. I have always dreamed of touching a dragon, of riding them while we burned the old masters of Mereen. They were my friends, Lord Varys. They were my escape pod. When my sister came and set us free, it felt like one of my dreams. The mother of dragons granted me my wish... How could I not be loyal to her? » Her voice was softer than before, almost as if she was at peace now that Viserion had chosen her. « And now...now I was chosen by one of them. » Her eyes were sparkling with excitement and pride. She released Viserion's head and took a few steps back. « He chose me. »
« It seems so. » Varys said, his tone warmer than he intended it to be. « Princess, I believe we haven't talked since we landed at Dragonspit. »
« What is there for us to talk about, Lord Varys? » She asked, turning around so she could face the man. The winds were more violent, blowing so hard and in the opposite direction, making her hair fly the other way.
«You. We have to talk about you. Ever since we met it has always been about others. Other people wishes, other people dreams, other people feelings. You do feel, and even if you want to conceal those emotions, they exist. I know you're not comfortable discussing yourself but... »
« You're right. I do not want to do that. I am practical Lord Varys. I am... » -Afraid.-
It was the right word. Bäahal wasn't used to express her feelings, let alone allow anyone except maybe for Missandei, know how she truly felt about anything. If it wasn't the years of conditioning, it certainly was because she vowed to never be vulnerable again. Viserion made a sound, she couldn't describe it, but he was reacting to her emotions. He was agitated all of a sudden and quietly put his head near Bäahal's hand so she could feel protected. It was simple, but it worked. She glanced at him and softly smiled at the dragon before she looked at the bald man before her.
« I know you're concerned about me. you're concerned about all I could do or fail to do for the crown or my name. I can't tell you much, but I can admit that I am still not comfortable with the fact I do have some last name and I belong to House Targaryen now. reconciling my past with my name is difficult for me, but she's worth trying. She's willing to let me in and I would be a fool to deny us the right to find a family in each other. I will learn how to...I just need time. Allow me to have some. »
« You don't need my permission princess. »
Varys said, looking at her with relief and some sort of compassion. She made a huge step towards him, allowing him to know how troubled she felt and giving him a chance at doing something about it.
And he would be a fool not to take the opportunity.
-TBC-
