ELLIPSISM, aemond targaryen

[016] the rise of the one-eyed prince

JACE EYED AEMOND suspiciously as the boy dropped his black cloak from his shoulders. It seemed to him that there was something different about him. Maybe it was how unkempt his hair was or because his face was blown by the wind, but as he watched Aemond walk towards them he realized that something in his whole demeanor had changed.

He no longer hung his head to avoid their gaze, he held it proudly up and looked straight into their eyes. There was no longer a trace of modesty in his eyes, he looked at them with obvious superiority that he didn't even try to hide.

Simply put, Aemond Targaryen looked like a Targaryen for the first time in his life.

And Jace didn't like it one bit how confident Aemond suddenly looked, so he almost immediately took a step closer to Aemma and Luke to keep them safe.

"Jace, what are we doing?" Luke asked his brother quietly.

He didn't get his answer as everyone was looking at Aemond.

"It's him," Baela glared at Aemond.

"It's me," he retorted arrogantly.

Aemond felt satisfied when he saw their surprised expressions when they realized that he was the one who claimed Vhagar, and he looked at Aemma with some curiosity.

Along with his imaginations of terrified expressions from Jace, Luke, Aegon, and Benjen Stark, Aemond imagined Aemma's expression of surprise several times during the flight (because he didn't require fear from her.) Despite the fact that he didn't want to, he even imagined her sitting with him and wanting to know the details of how he managed to claim Vhagar, maybe even asking if he would take her fly on Vhagar.

But Aemma only raised an eyebrow. "Looks like you're not dead as I thought."

"You sound disappointed," Aemond pointed out.

Against her will, the left corner of her mouth lifted slightly. "Only a bit."

"Vhagar is my mother's dragon," Baela spat at Aemond and the boy tore his gaze away from Aemma to look at her with equal irritation.

"Your mother's dead. And Vhagar has a new rider now," he informed her, stopping a short distance in front of them and lifting his chin.

Rhaena's eyes narrowed and her fists clenched. "She was mine to claim."

Aemma looked tiredly at her cousin, wondering if she was even listening to her when she talked to her about dragons or if she was pushing irrelevant information out of her head like Daemon Targaryen does.

"Then you should've claimed her! Maybe your cousins can find you a pig to ride," Aemond scoffed and tilted his head. "It would suit you."

It seemed that losing a mother and a dragon in one week was not the best combination. And Aemond's arrogant attitude didn't help the situation much either. At that time, Aemma wasn't even surprised that Rhaena screamed and ran to Aemond without a second thought, ready to hit him. However, Aemond also gained more self-confidence thanks to his new dragon, and it was suddenly much more difficult to defeat him than before.

'He is insecure. That is his only problem. However, if he gained more self-confidence, he would be an excellent fighter.'

Looks like Ser Harwin was right, Aemma thought as Aemond effortlessly pushed Rhaena away before she could even touch him.

Rhaena fell to the ground, which angered Baela, who immediately ran to Aemond and punched him in his nose. Aemond's head was thrown back by the impact, but he quickly recovered and punched her back, causing Baela to fall.