𝙺𝙰𝙻𝙾𝙽 ° aemond targaryen

Act One, Scene Five

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"𝙾𝚗𝚎 𝙳𝚊𝚢"
𝟷𝟸𝟺 𝙰𝙲 - 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚁𝚎𝚍 𝙺𝚎𝚎𝚙
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THE TREK BACK UP TO the Red Keep was one of silence and tension. The two young Targaryens knew where they were being led. Or, more so, where Aemond was being led; the girl was just following along, not wanting to leave her cousin's side.

     The guards escorting them stopped at a large wooden door, tapping his knuckles against it before pushing it open and stepping into the room beyond. The queen turned upon their entry, sighing as the two young children were led through.

"Your Grace," The Kingsguard nodded to the woman before turning and exiting the room, closing the door behind him to give the family privacy.

"Aemond," Alicent called, taking a few steps towards her son before her eyes cast over to the girl beside him. "Vaella, my sweet, go sit down."

Giving the boy's hand one last squeeze, the girl did as she was told, making her way over to where Helaena was sitting. She climbed into her usual armchair and sat down, not opening her book as she usually would. Instead, she kept her eyes cast on the mother-son duo as they spoke.

"Aemond, what have you done?"

Though, it wasn't the young boy who spoke, but the only true-born daughter of the queen. "He did it again."

The brown haired woman sighed frustratedly, knowing the girl's words were true, judging by the ash and dirt that covered her son's body. "After how many times you've been warned, must I have you confined to your chambers?!"

"They made me do it." The boy argued, his brows furrowed together as he looked up at his mother.

"As if you need encouragement. Your obsession with those beasts goes beyond my understanding." Alicent sighed again, turning her back to her third-born as she shook her head.

"They gave me a pig!"

This caught the queen's attention, causing her to turn back to the boy, her anger slowly fading away. "A what?"

Aemond looked down at the ground, finding he'd rather inspect his dirty shoes than meet his mother's eyes. "They said they found a dragon for me," He said softly, trying to keep his composure. "But it was a pig."

The woman was shocked at what she heard. Of course she had heard of the other boys teasing her dragon-less son, but this was a whole other ordeal. A level that hadn't yet been reached.

"It's true."

Her head turned to look at the girl who sat comfortably in the armchair, who was looking back at her motherly figure with sad eyes. The lilac orbs glanced briefly at Aemond before returning back to the queen.

"They made it wings and everything." Vaella said softly. "Called it 'The Pink Dread'."

The woman couldn't help but putting her arm around her son, pulling the boy into a tight hug as she smoothed out his white hair. He clung to her, bunching her dress up in his fists.

"You will have a dragon one day," Alicent said softly to him. "I know it."

"He'll have to close an eye and risk her smile."

Helaena's words weren't heard by her mother or younger brother, but the girl sitting near her heard them clear as day. Her head turned quickly away from the pair and locked on her cousin. Though, she didn't even seem like she knew she had spoken, her own purple eyes still focusing on the insect that crawled across her hand.

𖤍

After getting cleaned up from all the soot that covered him, Aemond found himself sitting in his usual, nightly spot on his cousin's couch. It was routine for the two of them to spend the last bit of the day reading in her chambers before they each went to bed.

Vaella was sprawled across the length of the sofa, her head resting against the arm and her feet placed in the older boy's lap as he, himself, leaned against the tall back of the couch. Each had their own stories open in their hands, neither talking as to disturb the peace.

"Do you think she's right?"

The girl of twelve slowly lowered her book just enough to peek at the boy across from her. His eyes stayed on his book, however, not wanting to meet hers. She hummed softly, pulling her book back up as she spoke. "Who?"

"My mother," He clarified, glancing over at the girl despite her face being covered by the large book. "Do you think she's right about me getting a dragon one day?"

She let out a soft sigh, marking her page before closing the book and setting it on the table. Lifting herself up, she sat with just a mere foot, give or take, away from the boy. Her hand reached over, taking one of his and squeezing it tightly in hers.

"Ae, look at me," The girl said softly, not speaking again until his purple eyes met hers. "You will have the largest, strongest dragon the world has ever seen."

At her words, Aemond lifted one of his brows, the corner of his lips tilting up slightly in an amused smile. Silence filled the room as she mulled over her words.

"The second largest dragon in the world," She corrected, causing the pair to laugh lightly before returning to silence for a moment. "But you will have one. I know you will. One day."

A smile graced his face once again, his hand squeezing the girl's lightly as he looked at her. "Thank you, Vae."

"Of course," She said before huffing, falling back against the couch as she grabbed her book. One of her feet lifted up, pushing the boy's face lightly. "Now be quiet so I can finish my book."

Aemond's laughter filled for room for a moment before he complied to the princess' wishes, his eyes casting down to the words in his own story with a smile still tilting his lips up.

𖤍

𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑦'𝑟𝑒 𝑎𝑑𝑜𝑟𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑛𝑜 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑙 𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑤𝑖𝑠𝑒