𝐁𝐎𝐑𝐍 𝐓𝐎 𝐃𝐈𝐄 | aemond targaryen

𝐢𝐢. family jewels

❝the fire finds a home

within me❞

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.

Visenya was a kind girl, some say she had inherited the generosity and good faith of her grandsire Viserys I. But as they were sat on the balcony, watching the young boys of their house practice their swordsmanship. Viserys was reminded of his grandmother, Queen Alysanne.

In the way she would sit with him for hours, just to please the ageing king as he found so much comfort in the intelligence and gentle kind-heartedness of his only grandchild. That had been part of the reason why he had betrothed her to his son, wanting to keep her close as the rest of his family distanced themselves.

"This is the stuff, Lyonel." Viserys said to his hand as his daughter observed the fighting with a passive expression. "Lads that learn together, train together. Knock each other down, pick each other up. They'll certainly form a lifelong bond, wouldn't you agree Visenya?"

"Of course, your grace." Visenya said with a soft smile before the expression turned playful. "It's certainly better than getting them to learn needlework as an activity, war would break out the moment the first needle was lost."

Viserys let out a booming laugh that surely must've heart the sickly king but he did not care, he adored his granddaughter and her wit.

"Quite right, my dear." Her grandsire said with a smile, their gazes returning to the training yard where Ser Criston and Ser Harwin were at odds with one another and were beginning to take it out on their children.

Her brother was taken by the breastplate quite roughly by the Dornish knight much to the laughter of Alicent's children.

"Eldest son against eldest son." Ser Criston proclaimed as the King and his granddaughter watched from their perch on the balcony, brows creasing in confusion. It seemed the comradely Viserys had hoped this would bring would bring anything but.

"Grandsire, this does not seem to be in the spirit of bonding." Visenya said carefully, her eyes not tearing away from the scene as the straw dummy was sent flying to hit Jacerys.

"It's just training, I'm sure of it." Viserys said, although his tone sounded anything but sure.

Jacerys was knocked to the ground, now the subject of Aegon's undeniable temper in swordplay as Ser Criston egged him on. Although Visenya hadn't felt as though she was truly part of their family for quite some time, she knew foul play when she saw it and would not stand by it.

And it seemed neither would Harwin Strong who pulled the boy off of her brother much to his displeasure, shouting indignantly at the Knight much to Viserys' displeasure.

'You forget yourself, Strong." Ser Criston said, knowing what he was doing. "That is the Prince."

"Is this what you teach?" Ser Harwin said, picking up the swords and walking towards the other knight. "Cruelty to the weaker opponent?"

Visenya rolled her eyes as Criston began to continue irritating the Head of the Kingsguard, berating him on the subject of Rhaenyra's sons birth. Until Harwin snapped.

The stronger knight leapt forward, slamming his fist into Ser Criston's face over and over until they both hit the ground. When Alicent's knight did not make any move to defend himself and that's when Visenya figured out his scheme.

Standing from her seat, seeing as her grandsire did nothing more than watch with open mouthed horror, she leant over the balcony to speak. No one stopped her.

"Enough." She cried, her voice stalling any movement from below her and all faces in the training yard looked up at the realms darling with wide eyed wonder. "You are knights of the Kingsguard who are entrusted to care for his grace's blood, not common rabble rousers who would take their issues with one another out upon their students. The court of the King Viserys I does not need violence within our own ranks."

The silence that echoed was one of shame. That they had needed to be scolded by a girl of ten.

"Well said, granddaughter." Viserys said, pride flooding through his old bones as Visenya took her seat beside him once more.

Visenya's eyes caught on the lord Hand's expression as he looked at his son, his eyes darkening as he thought. It seemed her mother would not be spending time with her lover for much longer.

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.

Visenya stood at the edge of one of the castle balconies for the second time in the past few days as she watched through the windows of her mother's quarters on the opposite side of the courtyard. A bitter taste crept into her mouth as Ser Harwin said his goodbyes to 'his children' after being ordered back to Harrenhall by his father after his display in the training yard the day before.

The girl did not truly care what happened to Harwin Strong but she was not that cruel to not feel pity for her brothers who would lose a father.

But what hurt her was how this was another point in her life where her mother blocked her out from what should be her family. She had never had a father figure, no one had ever stepped up to be a father to her.

Visenya watched as the Commander of the Kings Guard kissed Joffrey's head and disappeared from sight. Her mother hugged her sons, whispering words of encouragement in their ears that she would never hear from her.

"'Enya?" Aemond asked, waking down the corridor and catching sight of his betrothed stood at the balcony. She turned and met his worried gaze with a smile as she did with everyone. "What's wrong?"

"Oh nothing, Aemond." Visenya said, linking their arms together and walking along with him. "You worry far too much."

"About you?" Her betrothed said with a laugh as they walked away from Rhaenyra's quarters and towards the castle gardens. "Always."

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.

Rhaenyra watched from the ship as the royal family gathered to say farewell to the Velaryons who were relocating to the ancestral seat of Dragonstone after Ser Harwin left. However this relocation would not include Visenya.

Alicent had argued in the small council meetings that Visenya's place was with her betrothed and her betrothed's family and as Viserys adored his granddaughter, he did not want her so far away in his last few years in this world.

Visenya wasn't surprised when she heard Rhaenyra had not even fought for her daughter.

But because of Rhaenyra decision, she was subject to watching Visenya stand at her old friends side as the Queen held an arm around her daughter. Alicent met Rhaenyra's gaze with nothing but a nod.

The woman once known as the Realm's Delight felt a singe of regret as she laid eyes on her young daughter of only ten years of age. She had always wanted a daughter and it had truly started out as a beautiful relationship but then over the years a she sons were born and she found love and loss, her daughter was a heady reminder of the youth she had lost, the love she had lost.

Rhaenyra had made an empty promise as she said goodbye to her only daughter and winced a she remembered it, that she would write every day. She had said to herself that she would actually write she saw the look of abandonment on Visenya's face when she was told of their leaving, but now it seemed her daughter had picked her side.

Rhaenyra held her sons close to her as Leanor kissed Visenya's head and made his way onto the ship. The Velaryon's began to wave as the boat left the dock and the royal family watched on as they made their way to Dragonstone.

Rhaenyra could not change the past, all her and her daughter would ever share now is one last name.