The Fire That Burns Within US - Aemond Targaryen

Training

137 - The Red Keep

Aemond smiles as Laenor looks around the hallways of the Red Keep, Daenys sleeping in his other arm. Aemond and the twins had spent the morning with Helaena and her twins, the two siblings enjoying some tea while the children played with each other. The day had been good, and Aemond hopes he could convince Visenya to end her training early and spend the rest of the day with him and the twins in the gardens or maybe take them for a dragon ride.

As Aemond sees his mother walking down the hallway, Ser Cristion walking behind her like a lost puppy, he knows that the chance of a lovely day gets shot out of the sky. Aemond had been weary of allowing his mother around the twins, he knows that she would never hurt them, but he can't help but wonder what she would have done if Visenya hadn't been able to give birth to them. The idea of Visenya dying to save the twins still hunts his mind and how Alicent had thought herself entitled to make a choice.

Aemond tightens his hold on the twins, still gently to not hurt them but to the point where someone would need to use a lot of strength to get them out of his grip. Aemond keeps his eye on Ser Cristion, and he would not be able to fight the knight since both arms hold a twin.

"Aemond," Alicent greets her son, happy to see him and the twins without Visenya looming around. She truly does love her son and his children. Alicent walks closer to Aemond and looks at the twins, Daenys asleep and Laenor wide awake. "Let me hold one,"

"No," Aemond says as he takes a step back, holding back a smile as Laenor lets out a giggle at the quick movement. Alicent hands fall to her sides at his words.

"No?" Alicent asks, unsure if she has heard her son currently.

"No. I don't think you should," Aemond tells her; he can't trust her to take care of them. Part of him wants to trust his mother so badly, but he can't.

"Aemond, I am their grand-"

"Yet you almost killed their mother. Kept me from comforting my wife while she was in pain. I love you, mother, but I can not trust you to make the best decision for my family," Aemond cuts his mother off, Visenya's screams still echoing in his head.

"Aemond, I am your family," Alicent tries to reason with him, but Aemond just shakes his head. He loves his mother, she was the only one to stand up for him when he lost his eye, but he can't let her hold two of the most important people.

"Yes, but I mean the three people that mean the most to me," Aemond tells her, it pains him to hurt his mother, but it needs to be said. "I will not forget what you put Visenya through, and if you ever dare do that to her again, we will ride our dragons North, and you will never see us again. Visenya doesn't want drama within our family, and that is the only reason why I have been putting up with your presence,"

"It was my duty to-"

"You are not the King. How do you think he would respond if I were to tell him what you had done? To know that you have chosen to cut Visenya. You are lucky that she is okay because if she weren't, then I would have left with the twins after I killed the maester," Aemond tells her. He had played out what he would have done if Alicent had chosen to save the twins and kill Visenya. He would have killed the maester and then rode away with the twins, never to be seen again. Aemond starts to walk past his mother, making sure to keep the twins close. "Now I must find my wife; I have plans for our day,"

– –

Visenya takes a deep breath; the air is cold despite the sun shining into the training yard. After giving birth, Visenya had been very clear to Ben that she wanted to get back into shape. During the months she had been pregnant, she knew she shouldn't train, but now she spends the better half of her morning training with Ben and the other knights. The past few years, that is how she would spend her days, and now that the twins are out, she is determined to gain her skills back.