Innocence// AEMOND TARGARYEN ✔️

Chapter Ten

Aemond did not wish to break fast with his family the next morning, he didn't wish to leave his quarters to begin with. He did try to avoid joining them, but Eirlys was sent to fetch him.

"Won't you be joining us, Aemond?" She'd asked as she knocked at his door, her gentle voice calling out his name made it rather difficult for the prince to refuse.

He opened the doors and had the princess take his arm as he led her back to the hall to dine with the family, all the while making a minimal amount of conversation as he avoided eye contact.

"Are you still cross regarding last night?" She asked when she took not of his unusual hostility he was exhibiting toward her.

"Like I said, I'm not upset at you" he murmured back in response.

Upon their arrival, Aemond sat at his usual spot at the head of the table after he'd pulled a chair for Eirlys, who always sat at his right.

"Shall we pray?" Alicent asked as she sat beside her husband Viserys.

As his mother the queen, began to recite a prayer that more or less was the same thing she said every morning, asking for forgiveness, good health and a long life to everyone present. Everyone gathered at the table followed her example and closed their eyes, folding their hands together and interlacing their fingers.

Aemond momentarily opened his eye to slyly glance at the princess. There was a loose strand of hair that fell out of place, making him want to lean over slightly and fix it for her.

Against his better judgment, he reached out and tucked the silvery lock of blonde behind her ear, to which Eirlys' eyes quickly snapped open upon having felt Aemond's cold fingers graze against her cheek, but by the time she'd turned to look at him, he'd already torn his gaze away from her.

Breakfast was rather silent that morning, with Aegon dozing off at the table every five minutes.

"Didn't sleep well?" Aemond asked sarcastically to which Eirlys bit her lip, indicating her disappointment in the prince for quiet possibly instigating an argument.

"No, brother, I did not" Aegon managed a weak smile to hide the sneer in his voice as he switched glances between Aemond and Eirlys"someone didn't let me spend my night peacefully"

"Someone took off and abandoned me" Eirlys added in reference to Aegon running off by himself last night during their little chase with the city watch, not appreciating that he blamed her as well for ruining his night.

"while I was on my way back from the library" she added quickly, using 'library' as a replacement for 'whorehouse' "that I didn't even get to go in"

"I wasn't the one who kept you from going to the library" Aegon swiftly retorted "if I recall correctly, it was Aemond who didn't want you to go"

"It was unsafe and improper for a princess" Aemond snapped before composing himself

"I'm confused" Helaena spoke, looking toward Eirlys for a clearer explanation "unsafe? But you were visiting the library?"

"I meant" Aemond effortlessly managed to spin a lie without a moment of hesitation "to be allowed to go to the library at such a late hour by herself"

"But it's alright for a prince, conveniently" Eirlys muttered as she side eyed Aemond.

"Because I was trying to-"

"Not at the table, please" Viserys sighed as he interrupted their little argument, not wanting this to turn into a fight.

"Perhaps you three ought to save this conversation until after we're all done" Alicent told them, skeptically looking between the three of them.

It was once again silent for the rest of the morning at the table until they all rose and left the hall to carry on with their duties awaiting ahead.

Aemond held his hand out for Eirlys, like how he always did each morning, to help her up but unlike the other times, today he'd refused to look at her.

The princess sighed in annoyance as she stood up, not accepting his hand and walked out the doors, Aemond slowly following after her.

"Now you're upset at me" he simply stated as he continued to walk behind her.

"Of course I am!" Eirlys threw him a nasty look "first you don't allow me to go into the establishment that you yourself had been to only moments before I arrived, then you proceed to ignore me as if I'm the one who ruined our evening"

"That was a whore house Eirlys!" Aemond whisper-yelled as he pulled her to the side, not wanting anyone to hear their conversation "what did you expect would happen once you were inside?"

"Well I-"

"You'd be taken to bed and fucked" the prince bluntly told her, not wanting to beat around the bush "I would know, that's what happened the first time Aegon took me and I hated every second of it"

"So you'd been there before?" she looked up at him, taken by surprise at his sudden confession.

"Y-yes, I mean... well-" Aemond struggled to find the words, something that didn't happen often "the first time I went, nothing happened. I-I left quickly"

Don't look at me like that he thought to himself as he watched her stare at him with disappointment. The two had always told each other everything yet this was something the prince had kept from her this whole time.

"Save it" she cut him off, not wanting to hear whatever excuse he'd come up with "I don't wish to speak to you right now "once you're done ignoring me and after you've realised you're at fault, come and find me"

Aemond failed to see he how he was the one at fault when all he did was prevent Eirlys from going into that horrible place. Despite the girl only wanting to merely observe what went on inside, he knew better than anyone that Aegon would ensure she enjoyed the whole experience and he did not want her to go through the same thing he'd been through. Additionally, the only reason he couldn't look at her was because it only reminded him that it was her face he'd imagined to release himself and there was no chance he would confess such a thing to her.

Without saying anything further, he walked away to head to the training yard to relieve some of the pent up frustration.