Daenerys Targaryen POV
11 Years Old.
She walked through the red painted corridors of the manse, followed by the heavy footsteps of the two Unsullied tasked with guarding her.
Although luxurious, the manse they resided in was relatively smaller than some of the other manses they had lived in over the years. So it didn't take her long before she arrived at the gardens outside.
Similar to everything else in this manse, the gardens were abundant with flags of a vibrant red hue, symbolising the Magister's unwavering devotion to the Red God.
Over the years, she had heard many things about the Red God, and not all of them were positive. However, since Viserys faced a humiliating rejection by the Captains of the Golden Company, he had started visiting the Red Temple daily.
Recalling that humiliating day still brought tears to her eyes. She remembered how Viserys had tried to win over the sellsword captains with lavish feasts, only to have them mock and ridicule him when he asked for their support in his claim for the Iron Throne.
If they didn't want to help them then that was alright. But why did they had to be so mean about it?
She was sure that something else broke inside Viserys that day. And his continuous visit to the Temple of the Red God was a consequence of that.
She sat down on one of the benches and stared at the stunning red sunset in the distance. The magister they were living with once told her that the sun was created by the Red God, which was why it burned red whenever it entered and exited the skies, to show its true allegiance.
She'd been lied often enough in her life by this point that she knew not to take people's words at face value. But she found the idea nice enough.
If their god was strong enough to create the sun, then would he listen to Viserys' wishes and help them take the Iron Throne?
Should she start going to the Red Temple as well? Maybe the Red God would be more amenable to their plight if she did. But Viserys hadn't asked her to accompany him in any of his visits so far. And she didn't want to ask him herself, lest she anger him and wake the dragon.
Her thoughts came to a halt as she heart the soft crunching sound of footsteps over the grass and watched from her peripheral vision as a… handsome young man walked over to her and sat on the other side of the bench.
He greeted her with a gentle smile, which appeared quite pleasant on his face. She regarded him skeptically, pondering about his identity.
Turning her gaze towards the Unsullied tasked with guarding her, she noticed them standing motionless, as they always did. If they allowed this person to approach her, did that indicate that they knew him? Who was he?
"Hello." The young (very handsome) man said as he took out two red coloured fruits from his satchel and offered one to her. "Do you want some fruits?"
She gave him a suspicious look as she remembered Ser Willaim Darry's words to not eat anything given to her by a stranger.
"Who are you?" She asked, trying to hide the wariness behind a facade of curiosity. "I've never seen you around in the manse before today."
The young man didn't seem upset that she didn't take the red coloured fruit and simply put in between them on the bench.
His strikingly crystal blue coloured eyes peered into her own as he leaned against the bench, looking utterly relaxed as he spoke up. "I am an adventurer. And you've never seen me before because this is the first time I have entered this manse."
"An adventurer?" She asked. She actually wanted to ask him about his name, and how he knew the magister, but her natural curiosity took her in another direction. "So have you been in any adventures?"
The young man offered her a smile before he began peeling his fruit, which resembled a lemon, yet she had never laid eyes on it before. He popped two pieces of the fruit into his mouth and savored the taste, closing his eyes in contentment. She attempted to avert her gaze from how attractive he appeared while eating.
Then he opened looked at her once again. He gulped down the fruit and smiled. "You could say that this entire life is an adventure for me. A peculiar and thrilling adventure where I must play the part of myself and deal with the cards life throws at me. Some days are good, others are bad, but all are exciting."
"How can an entire life be an adventure?" She asked, giving a skeptical look to the young man for his outlandish claims.
He smiled once again, though his smile held a note of amusement this time. "You know, you look very cute when you scrunch up your face like that."
She felt her cheeks turn red at the genuine complement. Or was it teasing?
She ignored the fluttering butterflies in her stomach and pouted at him. "I'm not cute. And stop teasing me, or I'll tell my brother."
"Oh, and what'll your brother do?" The young man asked as he popped another piece of the fruit, making another content noise… and she really wanted to try some of those slices for herself at this point.
"He'll… he'll… he'll kick you out of the manse. Hmph!" She answered, crossing her arms to show how series she was about that claim.
The young man chuckled, seemingly undeterred by the threat. "Oh, then I must behave myself around you. I do not want to leave the company of such a beautiful girl so soon after all."
She felt her cheeks flush even more at his words and fought back the urge to hide her face.
'He's still a stranger' She told herself. 'Don't trust him.' But the butterflies in her stomach continued to flutter around, despite her internal warnings.
"What is that fruit?" She finally asked, trying to change the topic so that he won't tease her once again.
"It is a fruit called Blood Orange. I don't eat it so often myself but thought that you would appreciate it." He said as he split one of the pieces in half and popped one half of it in his mouth and offered her the other half. "Here." He said. "It is not poisoned. I promise."
She hesitated for a moment before she took the fruit and put it in her mouth.
Sugary goodness flooded mouth as she bit into the fruit, flooding her mouth with its tasty juice as she closed her mouth and tried to enjoy the fruit to its fullest extant.
As a princess, even in exile, she had the opportunity to savor many delectable fruits throughout her life. However, none of them could compare to the flavor of this particular fruit.
"This iz sho good." She murmured as she swallowed the blood orange, enjoying the aftertaste in her mouth before she looked at the young adventurer.
He had an excited smile on his face as he asked her. "Did you like it?"
She nodded her head hurriedly and the smile on his face broadened, making him look even more handsome.
"I'm glad to like it. After all, I planted the tree which bore that fruit myself. I would be rather disappointed if others don't like the fruit borne of my hard work."
"Really?" She asked, her eyes widened in surprise as she wondered why an adventurer would plant trees.
"I am quite proud of my trees and the fruits they produce," he remarked, as he split another piece of the blood orange and consumed one half while extending the other half to her.
She quickly stuffed it in her mouth and enjoyed the tasty fruit until she swallowed that piece as well.
"Where do you grow them?" She asked, wondering if she could get the magister to buy more of these fruits for her.
"I'm afraid I cannot tell your Princess." The young man said with a conspiratorial wink. "After all, an adventurer must have his secrets."
She pouted at his words before she remembered the Blood Orange he'd offered her and quickly took it for herself.
If he wasn't about to tell her where these blood oranges were grown, and she won't be able to buy more of them, then that made this fruit even more valuable.
The young man chuckled as she hid the blood orange within her dress. He had a nice chuckle. Though she didn't enjoy the way it made her stomach tingle. Her stomach was doing that a lot today. Was she sick?
"So tell me, Princess. Do you enjoy living in this place?" He asked, his face serious for the first time since their conversation started as he gazed into her eyes with intensity.
The fluttering in her stomach increased as she nodded. "I do." This place was not bad. The Magister was respectful toward both her and Viserys, if a bit eccentric due his fanaticism toward the Red God, and his subsequent love of the colour red. And they haven't needed to run from this place due to the fear of Usurper's assassins, so that was nice as well.
But… it was not home. Ser William Darry was dead. And this place was not the house with the Red door and the lemon tree. Not that she would ever mention that to Viserys. He becomes angry whenever she does that so she'd learned to remain silent on this topic.
"Really?" The young man asked, giving her a skeptical look and she quickly nodded her head again.
"Yes. I have everything I need here. Food, clothes, toys, dresses, servant-"
"But it is not home, is it?" The young man asked, breaking her out of her tirade and she bit her lip at the reminder of her home. And the difficult years that followed once they had to leave that home.
Viserys had repeatedly told her that Westeros was their home, but she had never even set eyes on that land before. How could she consider it her home?
"It is good enough." She told him silently and wilted under the sad look he gave her.
The young man stared at her for a moment before he asked. "Would you like to go home Princess?"
"Home?" She asked.
"Westeros. Would you like to go there?"
'Westeros is not my home. And even if it was, it has now been taken by the Usurper. If we go back there then he'll kill us, like how he killed Aegon and Rhaenys' She thought but instead asked. "How would you take me to Westeros?"
"I am an adventurer. I can do anything, princess." The young man said proudly and she gave him a deadpanned look to show him just how impressed she was by those boastful words.
"Thank you for the kind offer, but I'm afraid a single adventurer wouldn't suffice to take us back home," she said with a wistful smile. "We'd need the backing of an entire army at the very least to make that happen." Or that's what Viserys had told her at least.
She could still remember how excited, how nervous he had been the day when they met the captains of the Golden Company.
She couldn't forget how completely expressionless he had become after they began insulting him. Even in the days that followed, he remained devoid of emotion until he started frequenting the Red Temple.
Their mocking laughter and jeers still echoed in her ears, and she did her best to push those memories deep down into the darkest recesses of her heart.
The young man nodded sympathetically at her words. "I can understand why. Robert Baratheon wouldn't just let you stroll into Westeros without doing his utmost to eliminate the both of you."
She wilted at his words and was surprised when the young man moved over to sit beside her.
He opened his arms in an inviting gesture. "I'm afraid that I can't offer you an army, princess. But I can offer you an a bit of comfort, if you want it."
She stared him for a moment. At his outstretched arms and his sympathetic smile.
She hesitated for a moment, recalling Ser William Darry's words to be wary of strangers. But, she has been talking with this man for a while, so they weren't strangers anymore… were they?
But then she realised how absurd that thought was. She couldn't claim to know this man. Not when she didn't even knew his name.
"What is your name?" She asked, wanting to know at least that much before she decided on whether she'll hug him or not.
"Are you asking for my name?" he inquired, his smile appearing somewhat forced in response to her question.
"Yes, your name." She reiterated, her eyes narrowing as she noticed his hesitation.
After a long moment of contemplation, the young man gave her a gentle smile. "When I was born, my mother named me Axel Pherry. However, I've acquired other more notable names and titles since then and no longer go by that name. But if you'd like, you may call me Axel."
"Axel." She said, tasting the word in her tongue. It seemed like a nice, simple name, but she felt suspicious about how it took him so long to reveal it.
She took a look at his still outstretched arms and shook her head, deciding that she couldn't trust him. Not yet at least.
Axel seemed saddened by her refusal but then shrugged and leaned back into the bench, staring into the beautiful sunset.
She turned to gaze at the sunset as well, and they sat in companionable silence for a long moment before she turned to glance at him.
"So, you said that you were an adventurer. Can you tell me about some of your adventures?" She asked.
Axel hummed thoughtfully at her request. "Which adventure would you like to hear about?" he asked. "Shall I tell you about the time I saved a Queen from a group of pirates and ended up seducing her at dinner? Or perhaps the time when I seduced a Pirate Princess after she was defeated and offered her a position in my fleet? Then there was the time I healed the depressed mother of another Pirate Princess and ended up seducing her. Or, if you prefer, I can tell you about my most recent escapade, in which I snuck into a Princess's chamber, had my way with her, and managed to escape before any guards could be summoned."
"You seem to have a lot of stories about seducing Princesses." She told him with a deadpan. "Should I be worried about my own virtue around you?"
Axel let out a scoff in response to her words. "You're quite adorable, Princess," he remarked, "but you're far too young to capture my interest. Besides, I have many other tales to tell. For example, there's the time when I won the love and devotion of a Red Priestess. Or the time when I danced with a warrior woman and captured her heart with my singing abilities. And let's not forget the time when I seduced a female scholar with my intelligence."
"The more you tell me about your adventures, the more I feel the need to stay away from you." She told him with some humour.
"That's because I haven't tried to seduce you yet." He told her, waggling his eyebrows suggestively and she blushed, her stomach fluttering once again.
"You are a bad influence on me, Axel." She told him, as she wondered how her brother will react to him, and his various adventures which she was sure were just made up stories.
No, her brother will probably not react very well to Axel's presence. Maybe she should tell him to leave before her brother returns and notices the two of them together.
But before she could say anything, Axel got up from the bench and smiled at her. "It was nice to meet you, princess, but it time for me to leave."
A part of her felt ill at his sudden declaration, and she wanted to ask him to sit with her for a while still. But she recalled her brother's words that she was a Targaryen, and Targaryens don't beg. So she simply nodded in response.
"Where will you go next? Will I ever see you again?" She asked instead.
"I'm going to Old Valyria, Princess. To search it ruins for lost treasures and riches." Axel told her with a grin, and she wasn't sure if he was telling her the truth or not. "And as for whether we would ever meet again or not… as long as something does't happen to you, I promise that we will meet again."
"Old Valyria." She said, recalling the various stories she'd heard about that place. "They say that no one who goes to that place ever returns." She frowned at him. "Are you serious about going there, or are you lying?"
Smiling at her, Axel delved into his satchel and produced a large, round stone. As she gazed at it more closely, her eyes widened with recognition and she realised the true nature of the stone.
"Here, hold it." Axel said and she took the Dragon egg into her hands, her heart soaring at how warm the egg felt enough though it looked like a stone.
"A dragon egg. You have a dragon egg." She whispered in awe and Axel smiled at her.
"Yeah. I found it in a volcanic mountain in one of my many adventures." Axel told her. "That egg is mine, but if I find any more dragon eggs in my adventure in Valyria, then I promise that I'll save one for you."
She gulped at his words and gazed at him with trembling lips. "Are you serious?"
Axel smiled and nodded. "Of course princess. But only if you promise me something in return."
"And what do you want me to promise?" She asked.
Axel leaned in and whispered, "Keep my presence here a secret. Don't tell anyone - not the magister, not the servants, and especially not your brother. If you keep this between us, I'll make you a promise. If I happen to find a dragon egg in Old Valyria, it's yours." He then extended his arm and asked with a grin, "Do we have a deal, Princess?"
She stared at his outstretched arm, wondering whether she should tell her brother about him or not. Knowing how her brother will react to this information (probably by yelling at her), made the decision for her and she gave him a firm nod as she shook his hand.
"Yes."
Axel smiled and took the Dragon egg from her. She was loathe to be separated from the egg and immediately missed its warmth. But the dragon egg belonged to him, and she can't very well ask to give up something so precious.
"Very well then Princess. It is time for me to leave. Be safe and I'll see you later." Axel said as he put the dragon egg back into his satchel and started walking away.
"Wait." She said and he did, turning around to look at her and she jumped at him with a hug.
Axel seemed surprised by her action and stayed still for a moment before he wrapped his arms around her as well.
"Be safe. I've heard that Valyria is a dangerous place. Don't die there." She told him and Axel smiled down at her.
"I won't princess."
She nodded before she thought of something and gestured for him to come down. When he lowered his head in response, she placed a soft kiss on his cheeks.
"That's for good luck." She told him, trying her best not to blush. Axel blinked in surprise fore a moment before he chuckled.
"I will princess." He said and then surprised her by placing a soft kiss on her brow. "You be safe as well. Till next time."
Then he walked over to her two Unsullied guards and tapped them on their neck before he walked behind a large hedge bush.
Realising that he was headed in the wrong direction, she quickly ran after him to correct his course. However, upon reaching the other side of the hedge bush, she found the area completely empty, with no sign of anyone in sight.
She frowned and looked around, wondering where Axel could've gone. Was he hiding somewhere?
Despite searching for several minutes, she couldn't locate him and concluded that he must have left through another exit point.
She returned back to the bench that they both had sat upon and stared into the horizon where the sun had completely dipped out, leaving darkness and a slight red hue in its absence.
She went back to the bench where they had both sat earlier and gazed out at the horizon. The sun had disappeared completely, leaving darkness and a faint red glow in its wake.
She found it hard to believe that she had encountered someone who was even more attractive than her brother, and to top it off, he was carrying a dragon egg. She might have doubted whether the encounter even took place or not, had she not possessed the Blood Orange as evidence.
She remembered the promise she'd made to him and quickly hid the tasty fruit inside her clothes.
She didn't want others to see it and question her about how she got it.
She stared into the distance, and wished the Axel will be safe in his adventure to Old Valyria.
And that he'll eventually return back to meet with her once again. Even if he didn't find any dragon egg for her.