The Fire That Burns Within US - Aemond Targaryen

The Reds

138 - Harrenhal

"She isn't happy with you," Ben whispers to Aemond as they watch Visenya and Rob talk with a few lords around the table.

"I know," Aemond tells the knight; part of him is happy to see the knight and that someone isn't giving him the cold shoulder. All the lords present had not given him a warm welcome, and he swears by the old gods and the new that he has heard them call him a name under their breath as he walks by them.

"You killed her brother," Ben points out as he fiddles with the dragon buckle on his belt, a gift not from Visenya but from Aemond. Aemond looks towards the taller man with a pointed look. He doesn't need to be reminded of his actions.

"You don't need to tell me that," Aemond tells Ben, noticing the knight's new haircut. The whole time Aemond has known Ben, he has only seen him with shoulder-length hair, but now the sides are cut to his scalp and the rest are cut relatively short.

"Just thought that you should think of ways to make her happy," Ben tells Aemond with a warm smile. He doesn't want Visenya to worry about her relationship with Aemond when she should focus on war.

"Do you have any ideas?" Aemond asks. Hopefully, he is smart enough to know that Ben knows Visenya better in some ways than he does.

"None that will get you out of this," Ben answers with a small laugh. He doesn't think that all the gold in the realm would make Visenya forgive Aemond, but he does believe it would be funny to watch the prince gravel and beg for her forgiveness.

"I must ask what happened to the men that tried to-"

"One was dead when we got there, and Visenya tortured the other and then killed him by making him drink Wildfire in front of Daemon," Ben cuts him all, and he can't help but let the smile creep on his face. He thought that the man had gotten far too quick, but he knew that it would have been painful for him, and that is all that matters in the end: he suffered.

"Really?" Aemond asks in slightly disbelief.

"You have only seen Visenya being held back in her ways; even in the North, she was relatively held back. Just wait for war. You'll be seeing a whole other side of your wife. The fun side," Ben answers Aemond, patting the prince's shoulder.

Aemond had heard some stories from Ben when the man had been drunk about the time in the Iron Islands and how Visenya wasn't someone to be trifled with, but he doesn't think that his wife would want to hurt people just for the sake of hurting them. But then again, during the time in the north, he had seen Visenya that he had never seen before, and maybe there was more to her that he doesn't know about.

"Fun?" Aemond asks, and Ben nods.

Ben doesn't expect the prince to understand, but war could be fun, a time where anything could go and people could be their true selves. That side of Visenya was fun for him, and he can't wait to fight alongside her again.

"Fun for me. Fun for those who ache for war," Ben answers Aemond and the knight tenses as an arm wraps around his shoulder.

"Should I be worried that war is fun for you?" Samwell asks his brother, who gives him a toothy smile.

The Blackwood Lord had spent most of his time like the rest of the lords here, hanging onto every word that Visenya said. Samwell was happy that his brother was safe and had a high position of power in this circle.

"Most definitely. Aemond, this is my brother, Lord Samwell Blackwood," Ben tells Samwell before inducing Aemond to him. Aemond being the polite man he is, puts his hand out for the lord's sake, offering a kind smile.