Innocence// AEMOND TARGARYEN ✔️

Chapter Nineteen

Aemond didn't know when it happened, but he was annoyed that it did happen.

Eirlys seemed to be spending more time with Daeron than himself and he did not like it one bit. Not to mention his little brother had made attempts to flirt with Eirlys on a few occasions, the very first being only a few days ago at the training yard.

Aemond needed an explanation as to what was going on between them, he couldn't bare to think of losing Eirlys to him.

"Daeron" he called out to him after they'd finished breaking their fast. Eirlys and Halaena had already left along with Alicent.

Viserys had grown rather ill as of late and used to dine within the comfort of his own chambers.

"Brother" the younger prince stood at the door as he awaited whatever his older brother had to ask.

"You and Eirlys seem to be spending quiet an amount of time together" Aemond briskly walked toward him "can't say that this sudden eagerness of yours to spend every waking hour with her hasn't taken me by surprise though"

"You had your chance with her and you ruined it" Daeron shrugged "you can't be cross with me if I'm treating her the way she ought to be treated"

"The fuck is that supposed to mean" Aemond menacingly glared at him.

"She doesn't deserve whatever she's going through" the boy stepped forward "she's been nothing but your solace when everyone else was busy making your life a misery. If you can't love her the way she's loved you then I wi-"

Aemond seized him by the collar of his tunic and shoved him against the door frame, clenching his jaw as he let his anger overpower his senses.

"Listen to me very carefully brother" Aemond hissed "it would do you well to remember that Eirlys is my betrothed-"

"And how do you treat your betrothed?" Daeron snapped, unfazed by his older brother's show of rage "do you know she's been crying herself to sleep each night?"

"What"

"I do not know the reason behind it nor is it my business to pry for an answer" Daeron shoved Aemond away "but since you so generously decided to remind me that she's your betrothed, it is time you start acting like it and take responsibility for your actions. If you cannot handle the weight of it, I would be happy to step into the role of wedding her"

"This is the first and the last time you speak to me like this" Aemond chuckled lowly out of mockery, resisting the urge to punch him square in the face "the next time you so much as mention your desire to take my Eirlys away from me, I will make sure to free your head from your shoulders"

"She doesn't belong to you" the younger prince remarked snidely.

"Get out" Aemond gave him a warning look "out, now!"

Daeron simply rolled his eyes as he left him in the dining hall.

"He's right you know" Aegon shouted from the other end of the room "you have to go and talk to her"

"Gods- the fuck are you doing" Aemond asked, startled by his presence "I didn't even notice you were in here"

"Too busy warding our little brother away from Eirlys?" Aegon smirked as he sipped some wine "I'm assuming she is upset about the whole incident at the whorehouse. Or your visit there to be specific"

"Why did you make me do it" Aemond sighed.

"Well simply so that you and Eirlys might-"

"She doesn't care about that! She never cared about any of it" Aemond snapped "it was stupid of me to give in to your instigative suggestions"

"I was simply making sure you would be able to keep your wife happy" Aegon shrugged, trying to deflect the blame "but I suppose you have a larger problem at hand compared to accusing me of being the reason behind this animosity between you and her"

"Please, you don't seriously think Daeron is going to pose a problem" Aemond threw a nasty look at his brother "the boy is just basking in the amount of attention she graces him with, something he isn't used to. She will never wed him"

"By the looks of it, she doesn't want to wed you either" Aegon mumbled under his breath as he drank his wine.

"I heard that" Aemond raised a brow.

"Congratulations" Aegon mocked.

Aemond did not wish to further ruin his mood by engaging in a conversation with his drunken brother who had decided to drown in his cups right after breakfast.

He didn't have any training scheduled for that day so he was pretty much left to himself for the entirety of the morning. He remembered how usually on days like this he would sit along with Eirlys to help with her High valerian.

He was dreading the thought that she'd perhaps begun the same ritual with Dareon.

Aemond had never considered himself to be jealous in nature, mostly because he'd never experienced it before. But now with everything going on he couldn't deny the fact that he was a man who could be easily lost to jealousy.

And he hated it.

How helpless he felt, how there was nothing he could do to suppress the emotion or how to avoid anything that triggered the jealousy.

If he felt all of this merely because Eirlys was spending time with his brother, who was now set on wedding her, he could only imagine how much of this pain Eirlys was carrying after he'd told her that he'd given up his virtue to someone other than her.

He recalled Daeron mentioning that Eirlys had spent nights crying herself to sleep.

Because of him.

He had brought so much pain and sadness to his sweet princess and it made his blood boil that he couldn't undo any of it. The one person who never failed to make him smile was the same person he had made cry almost every night.

Not only did he have to work on winning back Eirlys now, he also had to make sure Daeron stayed away.