Luring the Dragon • Aemond Targaryen

A Kingdom in Mourning

'The ones she had lost and the ones she had found

And the ones who had loved her the most...'

Sometimes I live under the fatalistic impression that the Gods are cruel. I believe that our suffering is their sole entertainment. They either don't have mercy for us, or we don't deserve it. But I feel like they play with our lives as they desire. My life was never facile, but I did not address any complaints. The shadow of hate and vengeance that cursed my family always followed me. I was a part of a household full of sins. I accepted my fate long ago, even though I was born with a soft and fragile heart into this obscene and violent realm. And I handled this burden of sensibility on my own because nobody has to know the human weakness that runs through the royal blood that I have. But I am a shame for my family, as I will always be. My tears stained the white paper, left still empty on my desk.

I've been trying for hours to write a bloody letter, to disclose all my sorrows, and to abandon this goddamned living hell they call home. My sweet little brother, Lucerys, is gone forever. He did nothing wrong to deserve such a cruel end. He was barely a teenager, the one with kindness and love who wanted to show affection and turn this bitter kingdom into a better place. He was killed with no mercy, killed by his kind, alongside his trustful dragon. Even his dragon was a good one, loyal and gentle. We did not deserve Luke, so he has been taken from us. For good. Forever.

'Aelyza, child, we will avenge him, I promise.' I did not even perceive his presence in the room until he addressed me with the words. My father's voice was softer than usual, and I could see the striking dark circles under his light lilac eyes. My malicious father grieved for Luke, even though he wasn't his offspring. My father caressed my silver hair tenderly with the same hand he used to murder and commit war crimes for his benefit. It was not a fair judgment, but I found everybody around me responsible for this tragedy.

'I have no doubt you will manage to do so. However, this will not bring my brother back to us.' I replied, unable to contain my fury. Nonetheless, he tried to cheer me up, but it was redundant. My sorrow consumed me, so I rejected his pitiful, useless words. His efforts were absolutely in vain. Luke would hate the way my father prefers to solve things. Lucerys was a pacifist and hated violence. He once confessed to me the weight of the sword in his hands made him anxious. The poor young man despised the blood spilled, constantly afraid of death. And still, he ended up being murdered with brutality. How ironic! We don't even have a corpse to bury and to mourn. I refuse to acknowledge this version of reality. I refuse to breathe in a world where he is missing.

'Jorrāelagon, -my love- we will find out who did this, and I promise that I will bring their head to you, or better, you can pass whatever sentence you consider.' I knew that he was already seeking revenge. No matter how other people pictured my father as a filthy monster, his loyalty stands sealed with his family. I was aware that the dragon fire within his core was fierce. He will seek revenge, no matter what. His thirst for power and revenge no longer surprised me, but what was disturbing was the fact that I could resonate with it.

'Daemon, Aelyza, we have to go now.' my mother demanded in a solemn tone of voice. Her appearance was immaculate, as usual. Her demeanor was stern and powerful, born to be a ruler. The only noticeable sign to indicate she was mourning was her entire attire being dark black. My mother would rather butcher herself than show any sign of fragility. But I knew she was devastated by the morbid loss. And the fact that we were obligated to have the funeral set up in Kings Landing, was pissing me off. It felt like they wanted to see us unsteady, in misery. It feels like we are the primary entertainment, and this is the perfect circumstance when they can finally laugh in our faces.

'Why do we have to go there?' I snapped, managing to catch my mother's attention. She was never as considerate with me as she was with my dear brothers, but it never bothered me. I was already the privileged one. But at this moment, I wanted to riot. And I didn't care about the consequences.

'Luke detested that place with all his heart. People called him out a bastard every time they got the occasion. Your stupid brothers used to beat him up. He was humiliated by your lover boy who betrayed you and sided with the queen bitch. You never defended him, Jace, or Joffrey.' those things were constantly in my mind since childhood. I hated our life at the court from the bottom of my heart. My brothers were forced to endure daily humiliations back then. The high lords and ladies mocked and disgraced them. And the most inconvenient thing was that our mother, the princess heir, the delight of the realm, never stood up for her sons. 

'To defend them? There is nothing to defend, my dear, they are my sons, valyrian blood runs through their veins, and anyone who claims otherwise is a traitor and deserves-'

'Spare me with this crap. Aren't you tired of lying to us and mainly to yourself? You chose the silent treatment because your shitty practiced discourse is not genuine for anyone, mother. And now you comply and accept to hold the funeral over there.' The tears filled my eyes, and my voice started to tremble, but I wanted to shout the thoughts that burned my mind. His home was here, in Dragonstone. He deserved a proper funeral on his lands, where he belonged. I wanted to blame my mother for what happened. She sentenced Luke to death since she had an illicit affair with Ser Harwin Strong. Maybe Jace and Joffrey were damned too.

'You know that it was one of them who murdered him. Perhaps Aegon, just for the fun of it. Or likely it was Aemond since he never forgave Lucerys for slashing him across the face and taking out his right eye.'

'You want to throw the blame over anyone now, but stop making accusations with no ground, my beloved daughter. They would not kill a family member. I'm not defending my brothers, but I can declare that they are not kinslayers. Also, they would never risk jeopardizing the king's sympathy.'

'The king is useless-' I realized at that moment that I had crossed a thin line. My mother was patient with my reckless and inappropriate manner of speaking, but I said too much. She brought me back to my senses after her delicate, but firm hand slapped my face. Indeed, she was my mother, but she was also the heir, the future queen, the king's firstborn with true Targaryen blood. I should have spoken more wisely. My father was silent during the entire debate, not knowing which side to pick, but after my mother slapped me, I concluded that he sided with her. The king was also his brother.

'Perchance, you will regain your composure, and you would remind yourself of your place. You are not a child anymore, and I expect you to act like a proper princess, Aelyza. This discussion is over. Get yourself ready!' my mother left the room after she gave the command. My father also gave me a disappointed look, and he followed her. I wanted to scream and curse and ruin everything in my way. Nothing was fair, and I was unable to do anything about that. Nobody was on my side, and they all acted like their pride was more precious than my brother's life. But one thing was for sure, the outrage was better than heartache.

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Hello, guys, due to the fact that I am obsessed with House of the Dragon and especially with Aemond, I have decided to write a fanfiction about him. Please, be gentle with me, English is not my first language and I know I have to verify a few things here. However, I hope you will enjoy this book!