Innocence// AEMOND TARGARYEN ✔️

Chapter Four

The morning after was just as glum and tense.

The servants in the castle had all heard of the event that took place and each tried to sneak a glance at the wounded prince, treating him like some sort of spectacle up for display.

Aemond hated it, both the stares and how he looked now.

"It'll heal" Eirlys tried to sound enthusiastic as she reached for his hand to offer some solace "it may take a while but-"

The girl had decided to visit him, despite her brothers asking her to just leave him be. And as much as she loved her brothers, she loved her friend Aemond as well and wanted to see how he was doing after being badly injured the night before.

"I won't Eirlys" Aemond sighed "I've been maimed for life"

"Aemond-"

"I'm sure you don't wish to marry me now" he looked down at their hands, observing how cautiously she was holding on to his "I look hideous"

"No of course not" the princess responded, the thoughts never crossing her mind. She was filled more with concern over anything else when she first saw him. And even now, all she was worried about was how painful it must be for him to endure all of it.

"I wish you hadn't called them bastards" she softly muttered as she gently traced his knuckles with the tip of her finger "you promised you wouldn't say it"

"I promised I wouldn't say it around you" the boy clarified "they accused me of stealing a dragon. How do you even steal a dragon? You claim one, and if I wasn't meant to ride Vhagar, I'd be burned until I was dead"

"You didn't have to chose a dragon that belong to the girls' late mother" Eirlys tried to explain "and then proceed to be rude about it"

"Your brothers really have a knack for turning the story around in a way that makes me the villain" the boy scoffed in disappointment "and you just take their word for it"

"But-"

"I've just claimed myself a dragon" he went on "the largest one alive. Couldn't you be a bit happy for me?"

"But they're not the only ones at fault here" she spoke "if you'd been nicer-"

"If I'd just done this or just done that. it's always my fault isn't it?" he snapped, his voice starting to falter with each word as a wave of emotions washed over him "I've just lost an eye and been blinded permanently and yet you still find reason to vouch for them. When will you start to look at things from my perspective? How I'm the one they tormented for never having a dragon, something clearly out of my control. How I'm the one they bully for it, how I'm the one who has lost an eye"

Aemond looked away and covered his face with his hands as tears began to stream down his face, his shoulders shaking as a result of his crying.

"W-why won't you ever stand by me l-like that" he managed to ask in between his sobbing "you're supposed to be my f-friend, you know that I w-would defend you"

Eirlys felt her heart clench.

She'd never seen Aemond lose his composure and cry before. She nervously wrapped her arms around him, afraid that she might hurt him if she hugged him too hard.

"I'll always stick by you" she sadly told him as he leaned against her, melting into the hug while he continued to cry, unable to bottle his emotions any longer "you know that"

"Then for once, believe me. I was the one who was attacked first" he told her, his head leaning on her shoulder "I only acted on it after it, I swear this to you"

"Alright, I believe you" she gently squeezed his shoulder as a way of assurance.

She held him in a close embrace until he stopped crying, wiping away at his tear stained face before he cleared his throat.

"Do you want to know about how I claimed Vhagar?"  He sheepishly asked as he sat up straight, but still refusing to fully look at her to avoid the princess seeing his face.

"Tell me everything" she eagerly responded, leaning forward slightly in anticipation for Aemond to tell her about how he'd finally got himself a dragon.

The princess patiently listened, quiet invested in his story of how she was hostile at first but then let him climb into the saddle, following his command to take flight.

He gushed in excitement about how the rush of adrenaline filled him as he soared amidst the closed while the cool night's breeze blew against him. How he'd almost fallen out the saddle and how despite it being his first time flying a dragon, he managed to somewhat learn how to manoeuver the large beast by himself.

"Perhaps one day we could fly together" he suggested "when I'm fully trained with how to control her"

"Me? Fly Vhagar with you? I don't think Ember would like it very much" Eirlys informed, referring to her dragon "and I doubt Vhagar would either"

"Oh nonsense, if I like you, so shall she" he tried to assure her "besides, it'll be just one flight. What could go wrong?"

"A lot of things apparently"

"You'll be fine" Aemond waved her off "just trust me"

"Oh I trust you" the princess gave him a look "I don't trust Vhagar"

"She'll warm up to you" he simply stated "I know she will"

Aemond and Eirlys continued on their little debate about Vhagar. Eirlys smiled subconsciously as she looked at Aemond enthusiastically rant on and on about the dragon. She was happy that at long last, Aemond had no reason to feel exiled.