Burn me • Aemond Targaryen

Usual Crimes

Chapter Fifty-Seven~ Usual Crimes

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"Would you mend this for me?" Aemond pulled himself free from his white undershirt.

Rhaella held her hand out for it, examining the tear in the fabric. "How did you manage this?" She sighed, reaching for her threading box.

"It ripped during training." He replied. Sitting next to her by the fire.

"If you want your others mending then you'll need to bring them to me." She told him as she pulled the needle through the shirt.

"Mm." Was all he said, staring into the fire. "Where did you go earlier?" He questioned.

Rhaella thought for a moment before she cleared her throat. "Well I have something I must tell you." She mumbled.

"Go on." He said turning to her.

"Finan took me somewhere today, somewhere most dreadful." She sighed, masking her scheming voice with sadness.

Aemond watched as her hands moved to fix his shirt, and he felt himself grow in anger again that she may of been any sort of danger. "Where?"

"There is a place." She continued. "In flea Bottom, a place you would only ever find the most horrid of things." She was taking her time sewing the shirt. "The things I saw, Aemond I couldn't help myself."

His eyepatch had began to irritate him, he reached to pull it from his head, but paused when he heard what she had said. "What have you done Rhaella?" He questioned. His first thought went straight to mass murder. Then it went to arson.

Those were her usual crimes.

"There are eleven children in the nursery in the east wing." She blurted. "I wouldn't have them with our children until they were checked for any illnesses."

Aemond stared at her. His expression was blank, almost like he was still waiting for her words to sink into his mind so that maybe he might understand why she insisted on making life so difficult.

"We are not an orphanage Rhaella." Aemond told her. "They cannot stay here."

"Well they are." She said back to him, her mind already made up. "You should've seen how they were being treated, forced to fight each other for food, for survival."

Aemond shook his head. "You have already brought home one stray, you cannot bring home anymore."

"I think you have misheard me." She said. "I already have and I will not have them turfed out onto the streets so that those horrid people can take them again."

"You are no saint either, stop acting as though you are a messenger for the faith." Aemond snapped.

Rhaella scoffed. "Perhaps not, but I am a mother." She told him. "And my conscience will not allow me to let these children live in such conditions."

"What do you propose we do then?" Aemond sighed, leaning back into the chair once he had poured himself a cup of wine.

"I do not know, but for now there is no issue with them staying here." She replied.

Aemond shook his head. "Well when will the maesters check on them, we cannot have little peasants running about the castle giving everyone diseases."

Rhaella shook her head. "Three of them belong to Aegon." She snapped. "Your kin."

Aemond frowned. "What do you mean, how?"

"After five children Aemond I am quite sure you understand how that works." Rhaella replied, folding his shirt. "Aegons children, there, fighting like dogs in a pit for a piece of stale bread."

"Aegons doings were never a secret to us." Aemond sighed.

"You knew?" Rhaella questioned, standing from her seat. "About the pit?"

"I was meaning his bastards." Aemond said standing too. "The pits, I had heard of them but never really knew if they existed." His hands went to her hips pulling her close.

"I suppose I could set up a place, for children to stay." She said, resting her head on his chest. "I could fund it myself."

"There isn't enough gold in the world." Aemond replied, his hand playing with her hair.

"I could order the faith, have septas and septons look after them until they are fully prepared to rejoin society as respectable people." Rhaella said tracing patters on her husband's torso.

"I suppose it will be impossible to talk to you out of this?" Aemond smirked.

"You could try." Rhaella mumbled. "But it would be to no avail."

"Vaegon had Nuri blow her first flame this morning." Aemond half whispered, turning Rhaella so she faced the fireplace.

"He did?" Rhaella gasped. "And I missed it?"

Aemond smiled, hands drifting to rest on her small bump. "He did, the Dragonkeepers say he's the youngest after," His voice went quiet when he thought of Aerys.

"After his brother." Rhaella finished for him. "It's no surprise, Vaegon looked up to him, he wanted to do everything he did." She smiled, looking into the burning blaze in front of her.

"They've grown worried about Axus." Aemond told his wife after the topic shifted to their post son. "They say he will no longer eat, won't leave to fly for even an hour."

Although Aerys had only been alive for six years, he'd been a dragon lord his whole life. Axus had been bonded to Aerys from the moment he had hatched, he knew no other bond like that.

"It was to be expected." Rhaella muttered, hands resting atop of Aemonds. "They feel what we feel, our dragons."She said leaning her head back against his shoulder. "Every one of their actions is a mimic of our true emotions." The flames dances and flickered before her purple eyes. "I cannot imagine what it must feel like to feel so empty because your bonded is gone."

Aemond listened to her, she was an amazement. She was the most ethereal creature to grace the halls of the red keep, but her knowledge was stronger than any maester he knew. It was rare, for a woman during their time to be able to be both smart and beautiful. Yet Rhaella was, and he thanked the Gods every day for giving her to him.

"Do you think it will be a boy?" He questions rubbing her stomach. "Or will it be a girl?"

"It's a girl." Rhaella smiled softly. "I know it's a girl."

"And what will we call our girl?" Aemond questioned. They had always decided on the names of their children before they were even born. "Alyssa?"

"Gods no." Rhaella scoffed. "There's a reason none of the names you suggested were given to our children Aemond."

"If I recall, I suggested Elaena." Aemond replied, pulling her arm gently toward the bed. "Granted it was an accident, I had intended to say Elanier." He laughed lying back onto the pillows.

Rhaella scoffed before she rested her head on his chest, pressing closer to him when his arm wrapped around her. "Then I thank your cups of wine." She laughed. "Elanier? Gods help the child had I agreed."

"It isn't truly as awful as you make out." Aemond retorted, turning to face her.

Rhaella traced her thumb over his scar, her purple eyes staring at the ruby he had in place of his missing eye. "I like Vissera."

"Vissera?" Aemond replied, his skin felt hot under her touch.

"Vissera Targaryen."

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