The Prince and His Flower

F I F T Y - O N E

Lucerys Velaryon haunted Aemond everywhere he went; the training yard, the Throne Room, he was not safe from the boy's ghost even in his chambers. Aemond could always see his face in a crowd, or a flash of his black curls in the corner of his eye. 

Aemond thought his heart had stopped when he finally found Aemma and Luke, their bodies side by side. Blood had poured out of Luke's nose and mouth, the Grand Maester said that his ribs must have punctured his lungs from the impact of the fall. It was all Aemond saw at night, every time he closed his eye; Aemma falling into the darkness, and Luke's cold face. 

"It is truly remarkable that he even made it to the shore. Princess Aemma is certainly lucky to be alive herself." Aemond recalled Grand Maester Orwyle saying. Aemma definitely did not consider herself lucky; she wailed and screamed and sobbed throughout all hours of the night, her heart crumbling in on itself without Luke there to support it. 

Aemond stood outside her chambers as often as he could, reminding himself that it was his fault every time she wailed and choked. He could see Luke, even now, hiding in the corner of his eye, but as he turned his head, the boy vanished. 

Aemond stood outside Aemma's chambers now, listening to her sob as she called out Luke's name over and over again. Each time she called out for her lost brother, a knife twisted in Aemond's chest. 

Aemma was the sun on a rainy day, a songbird singing its sweet melody after a long winter, she was the stars to Aemond's dark night sky. And he broke her, snuffed out the sun, killed the beautiful melody, and his sky was empty, lost without its stars. 

He had sat by her bedside for hours and hours when he first brought her to Kings Landing, watching, waiting. Aegon had removed him once he heard what happened and saw Luke's body, opting to sit by Aemma's side in his stead. 

Now he was alone, the only presence around him was a simple household guard, and Luke, who stood in the corner of Aemond's vision, staring at him with the same passive face as always. Aemond knew all he had to do was push on her door and cross the short distance between them. He wondered all the ways he could ask for forgiveness, for mercy, the benefit of the doubt. A part of Aemond hoped Aemma would kill him for revenge.

Aemond shut his eyes and took a shaky breath as he pushed open the door, half expecting Aemma to be waiting on the other side with a blade, but she wasn't; she was curled in on herself, sobbing as she mumbled something under her breath.

"Come back," Aemma repeated over and over again, hoping if she begged him enough times Luke would hear her pleas and come back to her. She did not hear the door open, nor the footsteps that slowly approached her, all she did was repeat those two words.

"Aemma," Aemond whispered as he took in the sight of her. Her body was still covered in deep blue and purple bruises, the whites of her eyes were still blood red, her lips cracked, and she was significantly thinner than she was before. 

Aemma froze, wondering if this was another dream or something that was truly happening. 

Aemond stared at her, his eye wide as she slowly turned her head to look at him. 

Aemma did not think her heart could break anymore, then her eyes landed on the person who took Luke away from her. 

"No!" Aemma sobbed, burying her face in her hands. "No, no, no!" Her body shook violently as the image of Aemond running toward her, dagger in hand, flashed in her mind. She remembered the way he laughed as she screamed and begged him to stop, the way she shut her eyes as she fell, praying for Luke. 

"Aemma, I'm so sorry." Aemond's voice broke as he tried to push away the memory of having to pull Luke's stiff, dead hand away from Aemma's. 

"You killed him!" Aemma screamed, grabbing the nearest object and whipping it in Aemond's direction, her eyes blinded by tears. Aemond ducked his head, narrowly missing the cup that was thrown. Aemma remembered the dagger Ser Erryk had given her, stuffed under her mattress. She reached for it now, wrapping her fingers around the engraved handle, and launched herself toward Aemond.

Aemond was caught off-guard, causing him to lose his balance as Aemma knocked into him. He landed on his back with Aemma on top of him, holding the blade to his throat. She was still sobbing as she looked into the eye of the man who murdered Luke. 

"I should kill you." She said, but her hands were shaking. She was terrified. 

"Do it," Aemond begged her, knowing he deserved to die for what he did. He wrapped his fingers around her wrist, pulling her hand closer to his neck. "It's okay."

Aemma watched as her tears dropped onto Aemond's face, his hand still urging her to end his life. Aemma wanted nothing more than to saw back and forth until his head was severed from his body, but images of Luke's sweet face flashed in her mind. She could only imagine what he would be saying now. 

Aemma was sobbing even harder now, and Aemond was crying too, his guilt washing over him like a rogue wave, threatening to swallow him whole. 

"It's okay." He whispered gently, pulling her hand once more. "It's okay."

Aemma sobbed as she threw the dagger aside, burying her face in her hands. She was weak, so weak she couldn't kill the person who took everything from her. He took everything. Everything.

Aemond stared at Aemma, wondering if the pain in his heart was anything close to what she was feeling. He doubted it as he watched her sob, a sound so pained and riddled with grief it hurt to hear.

"I'm sorry." He said, ignoring the tears that escaped his eye and dripped onto the floor. Aemma didn't respond, only getting up and returning to her bed, where her sobs seemed to get even worse.

"Tell me you didn't do it." Aemma didn't raise her head to look at him. "Please tell me this is not real." 

Aemond's silence was an answer in itself. He wanted nothing more than to hold Aemma in his arms, to lay his heart out and tell her that it was Vhagar who did it, not him. He only meant to scare them, to chase them back to Dragonstone. But he couldn't, because he knew she would not believe it. Nobody would.

Aemma heard the door shut, and she was alone again.