Before the union of Rhaenyra with Ser Laenor Velaryon, an event etched forever in memory took place when Daemon claimed Rhaenyra's innocence in the hidden corners of a brothel, planting a seed of life within the princess rightful to the Iron Throne...
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In life, in love, this time I can't afford to lose For one, for all, I'll do what I have to do You can't understand, it's all apart of the plan Lover, Hunter, Friend and Enemy, you will always be every one of these
"Why are we here, Aemond?" she asked as her heart beat faster with each passing moment, to which the man said nothing, only turning back to face Rhaella and placing his index finger over his mouth. The young princess nodded in response.
She noticed his grip tighten as the hallways became narrow as they made their way towards a small, narrowed wooden door leading to the servant's back doors of the castle.
In the narrow space between walls no more than a few feet apart, the cluttered nature of feeling trapped caught the young princess by the tongue. While she followed Aemond, she felt the air escape her lungs as if the walls closed in on them.
"I don't like this, Aemond," she quivered, squeezing the man's hand tight.
Since Rhaella left the little room of her tower and then her small cottage where she lived for several years, she became a bit frightened of tight spaces, the servant shortcuts being one. Although she wasn't fond of admitting her faults, it was different with Aemond. She viewed the man as less than a looming figure and something of a knight.
Suddenly, the man stopped in the narrow hall and bent his knees. "Alright, princess. Climb onto my back and keep your head down. Think of it like you are riding a horse in a field of flowers," Aemond purred with a growing smirk.
Her hands trembled as she leaped onto Aemond's back. He gently scooped her dangling legs and wrapped them around his thin waist. "Hold on, love."
Rhaella's eyes widened at the name, causing her heart to beat faster. "Pardon?" she croaked.
"That was a slip of the tongue as I meant lady," he sighed, speed walking through the halls. "Act as if this is another day in the garden, and I am your majestic blond beauty of a horse!" the prince chuckled.
The young maiden groaned, tugging on Aemond's long platinum hair. "A thousand apologies, my prince. That was a slip of my hand."
"I will exact my revenge once we flee this place! Mark my words, niece." Aemond seethed in High Valyrian.
Clicking her tongue, Rhaella tugged harder on the man's long strand of hair. "Run faster!"
"I don't suppose you'd like me to neigh at this point, do you?" he grumbled.
Rhaella shook her head and giggled, then placed her chin between the crevice of his neck and shoulder. She could have sworn the man moaned for a moment but realized it to be a cough from the breeze in the tight halls.
"I think we are almost there," he sighed. Aemond's legs began to tremble from carrying the princess. Despite her being thin, he felt every ounce of her weight compressed on his back. "God, woman! What do you eat, anyway?" the prince inquired with a tone of venom.
"Mind your manners! It is not what I eat. It is what you lack. Maybe if you trained with Sir Cole more often, then we would not have this problem." Rhaella snapped.
Rather than continue to bicker with his future wife, Aemond looked for a wooden door with glass carved into the wood. Thankfully, there was only one like it throughout the many back doors, and it was directly across from the two.
"Ah, there it is!" he gloated, running towards the door.
Still holding the girl on his back, he ushered her to leap off before anyone took notice of their actions. "Thank you," Rhaella whispered into Aemond's ear.
As Rhaella acquainted herself with the Great Hall and those in it, she scanned the room for her mother. The slightly older woman was already seated on the opposite side of the table, sitting oddly close to Daemon—a man she recognized to be the King's brother. Yet, while she tried to avoid the sight of her mother and the much older man, something felt out of place.
"Darling, perhaps we should sit down ourselves, hmm?" Aemond commented as he pursed his lips and gazed longingly at the golden leaves of Rhaella's crown, then at her delicate features.
Nodding in response, the young princess wandered around the table designed for twenty and chose a seat next to a young boy with light eyes and dark black hair. The lad stood out like a sore thumb in a room with Targaryen, and he knew it.
At the end of the table, only a seat away from Rhaella, was Aemond, whose face contorted to a look of annoyance upon one of the chefs bringing a roasted pig in front of the man and his future wife.
"Poor pig," Rhaella frowned, shaking her head.
Next to her, the young lad with raven hair began giggling. She stared at the child perplexed as he laughed, not at the pig, but looking dead-center at Aemond.
"Why is that amusing, sir?" she quirked an eyebrow at the boy.
Suddenly, Aemond, without emotion, rose from his chair and slammed his fist on the table. With his cup in one hand and a menacing smirk, he proposed a toast. "Final tribute," he raised his cup. "To the health of my nephews," he looked at the boy seated next to Rhaella, another one standing awkwardly with Helaena, and the youngest child in the room, "Jace, Luke, and Joffrey."
The young princess smiled at Aemond as her heart warmed at the kind gesture. His eye met hers for a brief moment, and she could almost see a glimpse of mischief, not kindness. "Each of them handsome, wise, strong boys."
"Aemond," the Queen scolded the man, who remained unfazed.
He smirked and only continued. "Let us drain our cups to these three strong boys."
"I dare you to say that again," a boy Rhaella believed to be Jace threatened.
Aemond waltzed over to Jace, his cup still in hand. "Why? It was only a compliment. Do you not think yourself strong?"
Without another word from either boy, Jace punched the man across the face. Yet, like before, he remained unfazed. Next to Rhaella, the younger brother of Jace, who she knew to be Luke, got slammed by Aegon, ultimately preventing him from confronting Aemond.
Aemond, the tallest of the young prince's pushed Jace without even an ounce of effort onto the ground. He smiled proudly and placed his cup back on the table.
The young princess frowned, looking at her betrothed with great sadness. She had almost forgotten the man's cruelty for the last few days. While she was unsure of the context behind the uproar between the boys, it became clear that Aemond spoke of the brothers in a negative manner.
As Aemond's eye flickered across the room to glimpse at the reactions of those within the Great Hall, he stopped on the most important person, the only one that truly mattered, Rhaella. His lips parted as if he were going to say something, but the young princess rose from her chair and stormed out of the room.
Without a second thought, he ran after his betrothed. "Rhaella, don't you dare walk away from me."
She completely ignored the man and continued to walk in the direction of her chambers. Behind the girl, a bellowing voice echoed throughout the castle. "I said don't walk away from me, damnit!"
The loud yelling of an already intimidating man sent chills up the girl's spine as the hairs on her neck raised. She turned around to face Aemond, shaking her head. "I thought I was changing you, Aemond. I foolishly believed that I could bring love and kindness into your cold heart, but I doubt such preposterous changes!"
"You know nothing of the situation, niece. I was defending myself, and they took offense!" he screamed.
