Dragon Blood

Chapter 3

Visenya heard the shuffling of feet and whispered voices. While she could not make out the words she knew the voices belonged to her brothers and her cousins. With the hour being late as it was she knew it only meant mischief and trouble.

As their voices got further and further away she pulled herself out of bed in an attempt to follow them, she couldn't have them get in trouble and her brothers attracted trouble like dragonflame.

She kept a safe distance from them, if it was just cousins bonding she did not want to get in the way of that. Everyone knew how tense the relationship was with her family and the children of Alicent, she did not want to see that repeat itself.

On her way through driftmark she found it odd how none of the Kingsgaurd were around, she could have sworn that Ser Criston Cole was given charge of the night watch, but she saw him on his way to the Queens chambers so she must have been mistaken.

Visenya took too long wondering about where all the guards were and how it seemed no one was around watching the children. How could five kids leave their chambers undetected with no alarm being raised. She almost lost her way, she did not know where to go until she heard screams and shots coming from the cavernous beach entrance.

Visenya knew she should have found a guard to follow her but instinct took over her and she just ran towards the danger her family may be in.

She was not prepared for the carnage before her when she caught up with everyone. Everyone was yelling Baela had her nose bloodied, Rhaena was trying to hold her back both girls covered in blood and dirt. Aemond and her brothers were in a worse state with more scapes and cuts and bruises all over them. Luke clearly had a broken nose.

It was clear to Visenya that it was the four of them against Aemond, while he may be older and stronger it was not a fair fight, if anything this was a hint of disappointment in her that her brothers were losing, what did it say about them.

Luke was scratching at Aemonds arms as Aemond held him off, reaching for anything he grabbed a rock. Pushing the young boy away he stood. "You'll die screaming just like your father. Bastards." Visenya heard the venom in his voice. While Luke was the one in his grip the words were for Jace.

"My fathers still alive." She heard the confusion, the pain and the fear in little Lukes voice, he truly believed in Leanor being his father, everyone knew that.

Visenya watched as Aemond dropped the rock, he wasn't here to murder them. "He doesn't know, does he? Lord Strong." He was cocky, taunting them. He could defeat them with words alone. But Jace knew the weight of those words, the damage they could do. He pulled out the dagger their mother always required he had on him at all times.

Both boys were just posturing towards each other. "Jace!" Visenya and Baela yelled out together, Baela in warning of Aemond and Visenya trying to get his attention, wanting to stop all of this madness.

Both boys were throwing punches at each other as Visenya ran over. She just didn't think about her actions, she just knew this needed to stop. War was already brewing between the two sides if anything happened here it would start it.

"Stop this!" Visenya yelled as she got in the middle of them at the wrong moment Aemond went to swing at Jace but he hit her in the forehead with the rock instead, she stumbled back as he swirled towards her. Regret clear in his face, Jace took this as his opportunity and kept hitting he didn't know it was an accident, Aemond willingly hit Baela and Rhaena why would it be any different with his sister.

Aemond had knocked Jace to the ground, standing above him with the rock in his hand a smirk on his face, it was as if time both slowed to a standstill and moved at an intense speed. Visenya was moving forward as Jace threw sand at Aemond's face, Luke let out a scream as he slashed wildly with the dagger, she tried to grab it from him but he caught her on the forearm slashing from elbow to wrist before once again slashing out at Aemond who fell to the ground.

"What have you done?" She didn't mean it to be harsh, it was shock and fear. Luke stepped away, dropping the dagger. He was a boy, she knew he never meant for this he acted on instinct, the youngest one here. All he saw was Visenya had been hit in the face with a rock Jace about to be harmed and did what any brother would.

He protected them.

Visenya heard Aemond's screams, his pain would be nothing close to hers. A scratch on the arm compared and a bump on the head compared to a cut covering half the face and an eye. She ripped at her nightgown. If she had learnt anything watching tourneys and courtyard training sessions pressure had to be applied to the wound.

Everything moved on in a daze for her as guards finally came rushing in separating the children and moving them into the hall. She heard shouts for maesters but no words settled in her brain.

"How could you allow such a thing to happen?" Viserys was furious. He was by Visenya's side as the maester stitched up her arm, looking back and forth between the two children that needed immediate attention. Visenya knew he should be over with his son, but it felt nice for her to have him by her side while her mother was still being fetched.

She didn't listen to the argument between him and the kingsguard, just focused on her pain and trying to catch a look at Aemond.

Aemond did not intend to hit Visenya just as he could assume Luke did not mean to cut her arm as she tried to get him to release the dagger. He regretted her being hit in the face by the rock he held. Why he did not know if he truly would have smashed the Strong boy face in, he did not mean for her to be involved. She wasn't there for the start of the fight nor was she encouraging it.

Aemond kept flinching as the maester closed the wound around his eye, he wasn't stupid he knew the eye was lost. All the other children were held away at separate parts of the hall as they awaited all of the adults. His mother rushed in, concern, fear and anger spilling over her face.

She fussed over him, it was nice to have all of her concern focused on him, even if it meant losing an eye. An eye for a dragon and a mothers love. It was worth it, even if he would never voice the last part out loud for anyone to hear.

Ever.

"It will heal, will it not?" his mother asked.

"The skin yes your grace, but the eye is lost." Before the words had even left his mouth his mother was already upon Aegon, slapping him harshly across the face. "Where were you?" "OW! What was that for?" Alicent slapped him again before grabbing his chin between her fingers. "That is nothing compared to the abuse your brother suffered while you were drowning yourself in your cups. You damn fool."

Aemond felt a small glimmer of satisfaction as she pushed him away.

"What is the meaning of this?" Lord Corlys demanded while Rhaenys rushed to the girls side, Aemond watched as she dotted upon them as Rhaenyra and Daemond entered from the other side of the hall and she ran to her sons. "Show me,show me." She inspected the boy's wounds before looking over to Visenya who was alone in the room with only the king beside her. "Who did this?" concern etched in her voice as she stood with lord Corlys and her sons.

"They attacked me!" "He attacked Baela!" "He stole-" voices fought against each other to be heard no one could be heard, the story was not being told. Visenya watched as Viserys moved into the centre of the room. "SILENCE!" Rhaenyra and Jace were whispering to each other.

"Aemond I will have the truth of what happened here." Viserys demanded. "Your son has lost an eye and her children are responsible for what happened." Alicent answered for him. "It was my sons who were attacked." Rhaenyra cut in. Visenya was not listening to another war between the mothers.

"Visenya?" all eyes of the room were on her. "It was..." She paused, catching the glare her mother sent her way. "It was an accident. She decided to speak her truth about what happened to her. He did not mean to hit me, I got in the way." "We are asking about how it started, if the insults and lies were thrown." The king bent her level. "I wasn't there for any of that." A lie. But a lie that was best for the situation, everyone knew what her brothers were, Aegon had said it.

"Take her to her chambers." The king ordered Ser Westerling. "She needs rest."

She lied. She lied for her own benefit, she could've saved him, in a small way she did his father knew he would not be mad at him for hitting her by an accident. He did not miss the look between mother and daughter. He knew both of them would die to pretend that the boys were something they are not.

He knew that even if she tried to stop this, it was not his side she was on.