The Realm's Fright | HOTD S1 | Fem!OC x Aemond Targaryen Fanfiction

Chapter Twenty

Two weeks had passed since the wedding, and Alysanne found herself ensnared by a creeping disillusionment. There had been days when she thought she might take flight back to Dragonstone, to tear herself away from the royal court and the man she had been forced to wed. The thought of returning to her childhood home, away from the weight of courtly expectations, had seemed a sweet escape. Yet, as much as she tried to deny it, Alysanne had begun to grow accustomed to life here, within the walls of King's Landing, where the weight of power and politics loomed as omnipresent as the walls themselves.

Her days had settled into a familiar rhythm. She spent hours with her ladies-in-waiting, attending to the affairs of the court, arranging potential suitors for her companions—marriageable lords and knights who looked more to the prospect of gaining favor than to matters of the heart. One of her ladies, Lady Ellyn, had become particularly enamored with Lord Alan, the grandson of Lord Beesbury, the Master of Coin. He was a handsome man, with a bearing that spoke of old blood and high ambition, and his chivalry was evident in every gesture, even down to assisting Lady Ellyn down the most modest of staircases.

Alysanne couldn't help but note the care he took with her, each time his arm appeared to steady her delicate form. Lady Cassandra, ever the cynic, had whispered that it was but an act—his way of catching her eye. Alysanne found herself half-believing it, though she couldn't quite shake the sense that Lord Alan had more genuine affection for Lady Ellyn than he let on. Twice, she had caught him staring at her from across a crowded hall, his gaze lingering just a moment too long. Yet, in those glances, there was no judgment, no whisper of the rumors that clung to her like a second skin.

Bastard. The word echoed in her mind, though she had heard it whispered more frequently from the lips of courtiers than she ever had from her uncles. It stung in a way she hadn't anticipated. The rumors of her birth and her blood had never been quiet, even after she had taken the name Targaryen. But Lord Alan had not mentioned them when their gazes met. And for that, Alysanne was grateful, even if she was too proud to acknowledge it aloud.

Lord Alan's loyalty to House Targaryen was unquestioned, and he would be knighted soon, his future promising and bright. If Alysanne had not been married, she might have entertained the thought of him herself—he was a far more tolerable match than her own husband. She couldn't help but wonder, though, if her life would have been different had she been able to choose her path.

On a brighter note, her relationship with her mother-in-law, Queen Helaena, had begun to improve. The two shared private suppers in the quiet of the evening, their conversations drifting from courtly matters to the simpler joys of the garden. It was a connection Alysanne had not expected to find, and she was grateful for it. The Queen had even given her leave to continue her studies in High Valyrian, though no Maester was available to take her under their tutelage.

Still, the companionship of her ladies-in-waiting had been a small comfort. Despite their strained relationships with one another, Alysanne had found a sense of sisterhood in them, even to the point of joking about arranging marriages between their children—should the stars align in such a way. But with all the fleeting moments of companionship, she still felt the cold distance that lay between her and Aemond.

The thought of him was ever present, his presence hanging over her, both physical and emotional. If only he would cease to ignore her, to only appear when he wished to claim his conjugal rights. She could not help but feel a yearning, a desire for something more—a connection, perhaps, or even just the semblance of one. It was a thought she had been toying with in the quiet hours, when the rest of the court was asleep and her mind was allowed to wander.

She had stopped sending ravens to her brothers, those rare letters that had once been a lifeline to her. The silence had stretched on too long, and the weight of estrangement had settled like a cloak upon her shoulders. She had come to the painful conclusion that she was now, for all intents and purposes, estranged from her family. Now, she looked for someone else to rely on—someone who could understand her as she was, who might share in her burdens and fears.