dancing with our hands tied | r. targaryen

xliv.

132 A.C.
KING'S LANDING
•••

THE TOURNAMENT BEGAN AT HIGH NOON AND CASSANA SAT IN THE ROYAL FAMILY BOX BESIDE HELAENA WHO SEEMED bothered by the crowds' cheering. Cassana had noticed and looked over at Queen Alicent, but she paid her daughter no mind and instead paid attention to the grandeur of the event she'd planned.

The jousting began and Cassana looked on with disinterest. She cared little for the jousting and wanted to get on to the archery part of the tournament. She'd won her first match in the capitol on King Viserys's forty-fifth nameday six years prior. She'd win again. She knew it.

"Our next challenger is Prince Aemond Targaryen!"

Cassana was surprised by the announcement and rose to her feet as she went to the front of the box. There she saw Aemond putting on his helmet. The tournament was supposed to be for her suitors only with all of them vying to be the one to name her the Queen of Love and Beauty.

Aemond was already promised to her sister.

"Torn between two hearts," Helaena mutters as Cassana returns to her seat. She hears her cousin's words and glances over at her.

"What was that?" Cassana asks.

"Torn between two hearts," Helaena states.

"Who?" Cassana asks her cousin. Before Cassana can get an answer, Aemond unseats the man he was riding against. Cassana rises to her feet and once again goes to the front of the box as Aemond takes off his helmet unveiling his long blond hair and his eye patch. The cheers are loud for him despite the fact that he only had one eye. She supposes that is what makes the feat even better.

Aemond rides over to the box and holds his jousting stick up. He locks eyes with Cassana, and she expects that he'll ask for her favor, but he doesn't. Instead, he looks over at Helaena, "Sister? With your favor, I believe I can win this tournament. Would you honor me?"

Helaena smiles at the request as she grabs her favor and slides it onto her brother's jousting stick, "Good luck!"

"Thank you," Aemond says as he glances at Cassana before riding away. She smiles and rolls her eyes as she takes her seat beside Helaena.

Jacaerys wins his match and rides up to the box, "Lady Cassana, may I have your favor?"

Cassana smiles as she gives Jacaerys her favor and the Prince smiles up at her.

"Good luck, my Prince," Cassana responds.

The tournament goes on and eventually Jacaerys is knocked off his horse by a knight from the Eyrie. Aemond continues to win match after match, a feat surprising to Cassana. She didn't believe that Aemond was a bad jouster, but she figured he was doing it out of boredom. He had nothing to gain from winning.

The final match-up ended up being Aemond and the knight that had unhorsed Jacaerys. Cassana sat on the edge of her seat and watched as the two men rode past each other, neither of them making a hit. On the second pass-through, Aemond is knocked from his horse. He stands quickly, throwing off his helmet and drawing his sword.

"Prince Aemond has decided to continue the fight!"

The knight draws a sword of his own and the two men begin to spar, though it appears they're swinging to kill. Aemond ducks and dodges the attacks, and the knight catches Aemond on the cheek, drawing blood. Aemond doesn't react as he continues fighting. He ends up getting the knight on his back and stabs his sword into the ground.

"Yield," Aemond orders.

"I yield!"

Aemond draws his sword from the ground and sheaths it. Aemond is given a crown of roses, and he rides over to the royal box, "For you, Lady Cassana."