audacity || aemond targaryen

chapter 10: dragons

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"YOU LOOK LIKE YOU HAD A LOVELY NIGHT.", aegon mocked, grinning into his cup as maelina approached the family's breakfast table. the redhead only grimaced at him and let herself fall onto her chair ungraciously. she knew what he was referring to, having checked her appearance in the mirror before leaving. not only was her lip busted, there was also some bruising around her neck, from aemond chocking her. for this very reason she couldn't help a proud grin appearing on her face when the latter entered the dining room as well, a slight limp in his step and a bruise adorning his left cheek. now aegon just looked confused, while helaena seemed blissfully unaware of her surroundings.

aemond had been right about the blood, as they had been awoken not even an hour before by the queen and a maester entering the bedroom and practically throwing them out of bed to check the sheets for virgin blood. maelina thought it was disgusting, aemond lookwd quite proud of himself. alicent had seemed pleased as well, though perhaps a bit confused at their appearances. after they'd left, maelina had returned to her own chambers and gotten changed, denying the offer to move her belongings into her husbands rooms.

they were eating quietly, the queen already gone for a meeting, when aegon suddenly spoke up: "what did you two do last night? you look as though you got into fistfight instead of consummating your marriage." maelina snorted a laughter and looked at aemond, the corners of his mouth twitching in amusement.

"yes, well, things got pretty heated.", she simply answered, guiding her cup towars her lips and raising her eyebrows at her husband.

"indeed, it was rather intense.", aemond joined in and aegon was now visibly struggling to decide between looking disgusted or proud of his brother. in the end he decided on an awkwardly patting aemond on the back before strolling out of the room, probably to find some more alcohol to drown himself in and forget this uncomfortable conversation. it was then, that a servant entered the room, and bowed in front of the three people left at the table. it was the same servant who, just a few days before had brought her the news of her father's injury and maelina still felt bad for storming out of the room before he could finish talking.

"my lady, i have been sent to inform you that your father, as well as the princess rhaenyra and prince daemon are making the final preparations for their departures." maelina quickly stood and thanked the servant before leaving behind her husband and her friend to walk towards the main entrance of the red keep. she had not yet had time to visit her father today, and was quite surprised and also slightly disappointed that he would be leaving so soon. she encountered him and the targaryen royals on the steps to the carriage that was waiting in the yard, and rushed to his side, to help daemon support her father in entering the carriage. lupin had already jumped in and was sitting on the bench, waiting patiently for ser gabryael to come and pet him. when it actually came ti saying goodbye, maelina had no words, none that could properly express her feelings, so she simply hugged her father and kissed him on the cheek, before leaving his side to say goodbye to arlaen and merther as well, who were about ready to mount their horses.

"i wish you could stay longer.", she said, trying her best not to get emotional, as she felt it would be overdramatic to cry when she would soon be seeing them again, on her visit to lothraet with aemond. both her brothers hugged her tightly.

"we will see each other again soon, mae, but should there be anything you require before that, send a raven, and merther and i will waste no time to get to your side." they smiled reassuringly and she was quick to nod her head and direct her gaze towards the ground in order to hide the tears welling in her eyes.

then she watched them leave, passing through the gates of the red keep one after another, and she would've surely broke down in tears right there and then, had rhaenyra not suddenly appeared by her side, putting a comforting arm around the girl's hip and pulling her into a hug. looking past the princess and her husband, who also had a hand laid on her shoulder, she spotted the rest of the targaryen family on the steps. the velaryons around pricness rhaenys, lord corlys, baela and rhaena had left early in the morning, before maelina was awoken, so all that remained were the green children and queen alicent, her father next to her.