Longing For Your Warmth

Chapter Twenty Three: Shadows Between Green and Black

The Blacks and Greens grow restless with one another. It's a stand off between who will attack next? Rhaenyra, despite having her throne has not yet won. She will never win the longer House Hightower rules.

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It felt weird being in Dragonstone without Rhaenyra and Visenya. Their presence was clearly greatly missed by the staff, the inhabitants and the guests. But it was no longer a place of sorrow. Because true to Blood of The Dragon, The Prince of Dragonstone had returned.

Seeing Jace alive had been reeling for Aemond. He'd never been close with his nephews, regrettably he'd allowed his mother's animosity to sway his interpretation of Rhaenyra and her children. But even he could admit that Jace's death was shocking. Aemond thinks that's the major factor that reminded him this was a war. And that war had taken Visenya's brothers from her.

Aemond had come to learn that since Jace survived, it was likely that Viserys had as well, though The Red Priests (Aemond wasn't sure who they were or why they were here) strongly advised against looking for him during the war. He was beginning to get used to seeing Jace around the castle again, and he was beginning to notice that something was off.

Obviously Jace had been ecstatic to be reunited with Helaena, and true to their fashion, the people of Dragonstone had nothing to say on the matter. It seemed their affection was either a poorly hidden secret or somewhat of an open secret. Aemond truly had been happy to see him as well, he could admit that Jace was too good a Prince to be forgotten in history as one of the war's casualties. But the longer he observed Jace, the more he noticed that he seemed different.

He was still Jace, a humble Prince who took great pride in his family and their history. But he seemed different as well. He held himself with an aura Aemond couldn't quite pinpoint, he was now mostly trailed after by Odessa and Edyrin, two Red Priestesses who'd accompanied him from Essos. The women were all the bit dangerous themselves, like their name, there was something about them that seemed less than human. He wasn't knowledgeable on their religion, but given the superiority they carried themselves with, it was safe to assume they were well revered. And Aemond knew better than to bait them when they were the ones clearly at an advantage.

Mother had returned with Mysaria as well, the latter of which seemed very friendly with the two women. Aemond didn't know much about Mysaria, and he'd never before desired to know much but he couldn't help but be curious. She too, like The Red Priestesses seemed to know much more than she said. One thing he knew for sure was that she was the kind of woman who worked in the shadows. Pulling the strings of her puppets until she achieved the outcome she desired.

Edyrin, the more confrontational of the two mysterious women, made her dislike for Aemond clear as day and he could have sworn that he'd heard her utter the term 'kinslayer' more than once. It was perplexing, and infuriating. He was no kinslayer, it was taboo in Westeros and downright disgraceful in House Targaryen. Still it ate away at him, thinking that the Ambush at the Gullet could have made him and his other siblings kinslayers. Jace and Viserys' blood could've easily fallen onto their backs, and all of Westeros would've known it.

But despite this, he remains loyal. Not to Jace or Rhaenyra, but to Visenya. The Princess has placed her trust on him, allowing her heart to fall into his hands. And really, what else can he do but accept it graciously?

Aemond enters the council room to see Jace standing at the centre of the table, where his mother stood mere days ago. Beside him are, of course, Odessa and Edyrin, as well as Mother and Mysaria and Helaena by his side. The staff of Dragonstone didn't even seem to bat an eye at seeing Helaena with Jace, it was once again a true testament to the kind of people Rhaenyra allowed around her.