The Dragon's Daughter (Aemond Targaryen)

Family Dinner Part 2

*Aemond POV*

Aemond was slightly annoyed when Helena went to walk Vyserra up to her rooms as he had wanted to do that for himself. He had hardly got any time with her at all. 

He supposed he should have waited to greet his sister and Uncle anyway. He popped his head out to see the dragons land while he could hear his mother, father and brother speaking about Vyserra.

"She is just a delight, and will make a perfect addition to my ladies. I wonder what Rhaenyra and Daemon's plans are for their children in King's Landing," wondered Alicent. 

"Knowing Rhaenyra she'll have a plan up her sleeve for all of them, no doubt," commented Viserys.

Aemond went further out of the door to watch the dragons and take in some of the air. He listed in his head who would be at the meal in the evening, he didn't like the idea of some of the small council's family being there. No doubt many of the gentleman would be trying to speak to Vyserra before he could even catch up with her.

Rhaenyra and Daemon were approaching and they greeted one another. Aemond admired them, they were an intimidating pair, both soldiers and great dragon riders and he was slightly envious. 

"Ah nephew! Or is it brother I forget... How formidable you look with your patch. Utterly menacing." Daemon commented, he was always saying things others wouldn't, but Aemond didn't care.

"Formidable indeed, Uncle, brother, I wonder how formidable you are now in the training yard, and if you can beat this cripple?" they both laughed, Daemon put his arm around Aemond and they walked into the castle doors together.

He greeted his nephews next and offered to walk them up to their rooms before retiring until the evening, they told Aemond all about their ride to King's Landing, and how Vyserra had taken off because they were annoying her and Aemond laughed. They were still annoying but less so, and he liked to hear anything about Vyserra. 

He went to his rooms to ponder over a book about old Valyria for some hours before dinner but he couldn't concentrate. He then took to his clothing room and decided he wanted to make a particular effort tonight because of the new guests. He picked a nice black suit and cloak and made his way down to the dinner hall early.

There were a few guests there already. Lord Lyman Beesbury was there with his son Lancel, who was one of Aemond's least favourite people. Pretentious and a try hard, since meeting him Aemond had been dreaming of fighting him in the practice yard as all he did was boast. He couldn't wait to shut him up. He looked away and went to his nephews who were at the other end of the hall. 

"Boys you're looking lost, come and meet the Grand Maester with me and get a drink?" Aemond said, having another look up and down the hall, no sign of Vyserra. "Where is the rest of your troop?"

"I don't know, we have been left to fend for ourselves, Vyserra and mother have taken an age to get ready, and we couldn't find father either."

Aemond did the formalities with the Princes and the Grand Maester and they went to get a drink of wine. They had started a conversation around the growth of their dragons and how they were getting on with them, a topic that Aemond always enjoyed. They then went on the subject of Vyserra and Silverwing and how they haven't seen such a fast dragon as Silverwing. The hall was filling up with more people.

"They make an impressive duo," Aemond agreed.

"Hey there she is! VYSERRA," shouted Luke. 

Aemond looked and found her within a split second, sitting with Helena and her ladies. He didn't understand how she got so far into the room without him seeing her. He was taken aback by how she looked. Her hair long hair was in curls and she had an amazing dress on. He didn't realise she could look better than earlier. She looked completely feminine, like she hadn't seen a days battle in her life. Aemond had never seen anyone look so perfect, he raised his eyebrows and quickly dropped them.

Vyserra made a rude gesture back to her brother and he snorted. It took Aemond out of his trance a little. The relationship between the brothers and sister was quite comical, the boys clearly went out of their way to annoy her a lot.

Vyserra had turned back around to speak to Helena and the ladies. Aemond could hardly keep away, but he couldn't just leave mid conversation so he waited as long as he could, realising he kept staring at Vyserra. 

When the boys were just about finished he excused himself and walked straight to Vyserra. "Sister, you are supposed to be introducing our extended family to the small council and their family you know," this was the best excuse he could think of for stealing Vyserra from Helena so quickly, as he knew Helena had no passion for speaking to any members outside of her small group of friends. 

"Princess Vyserra, there are some people who would like to meet you," Aemond extended his arm to her and she finally looked at him again. She took his hand and stood up.

"Thank you Uncle," she looked even better up close and he wished she'd stop calling him Uncle.

"You look stunning Vyserra, but if you get caught making those horrid gestures, what high lord will want to marry you?" he teased her.

"Oh I'm sure I'd find someone desperate enough to marry me even with my horrible attitude Uncle, anyhow, I may just marry a lowly knight."

He found this intriguing, "I suppose you would, have you had enough of the high-born life already, are you going to be a lady of a tiny castle in White Harbour or maybe one of the Three Sisters? I can't imagine someone like you there."

"Where can you imagine me? I am not even sure myself, but certainly not the Three Sisters, poor Silverwing would hate it, and where would you house Vhagar when you come to visit me? I doubt she'd fit on the largest of the islands!"

Aemond pondered over the 'when you come to visit me'. "Of course the dragons always come first, and how are you and Silverwing? I scarcely saw you after you tamed her."

"We have been very busy of course burning traitors and their castles, I think she will appreciate some time off. And how is Vhagar? I will need to visit her, I always loved her."

Aemond remembered Vyserra as a child treating the dragons like they were puppies, he sometimes worried that she would forget they weren't cuddly pets, but she had gotten this far OK so he assumed Silverwing was a patient animal.

"Of course, we can go to the dragon pit together and can take Vhagar out if Silverwing is having some time off?" Aemond asked, this was his best case scenario at this point, and he knew she wouldn't say no.

"Ah that sounds lovely, I am actually taking Robar down tomorrow morning to see his tiny little dragon Darksmoke, they are both too small to do any riding, but he loves trying to boss him about!" Vyserra said with a beautiful smile.

"Of course your son Robar, I would like to meet him, I understand he may even be my squire when he gets a bit older! I will take Visenya down to see her little dragon too, it would be nice for them to meet each other." Aemond said, thinking this could be a great excuse to spend more time with Vyserra, and also nice for the children as there weren't any of the same age with small dragons.

"That would be perfect, I was really hoping to meet Visenya, I am not sure you know, but your late wife Anna was one of my dearest friends as a child and I miss her dearly. I was so sorry to hear about her loss." Vyserra said, looking tearful.

"I didn't know Princess, I am sorry for your loss. that would be perfect actually. It would be so great for Visenya, admittedly I didn't know my late wife very well, just for a few days. There aren't many people here who has stories of her, and Visenya is at the age where she is asking about her mother." Aemond coughed, trying to hide the emotion from his voice. 

... will continue in part 3