Innocence// AEMOND TARGARYEN ✔️

Chapter Thirty-nine

As she'd suspected, Aemond was late to welcome her family. What upset her even more that the queen mother too, had not made herself present.

Rhaenyra was overjoyed to see her daughter, her fatigue after the long journey vanished the moment she laid eyes on the young princess.

"My, what a lovely young woman you've grown into" Rhaenyra admired her beauty as she tenderly caressed her cheek "I do hope you haven't been waiting out here too long"

"Oh it's no bother, is that Aegon and Viserys?" Her smile widened as she excitedly looked at the little children before she she turned her attention to her brothers "they've grown taller"

"So it would seem" Luke smiled as he ran to hug his sister with Joffrey and Jace following close.

"You're wearing the ribbons we gave you" Joffrey excitedly pointed out.

"I am" Eirlys laughed.

She led them all inside, still chatting about with her brothers.

Rhaenyra and Daemon told her they wished to see the King and introduce him to their boys. Meanwhile Luke and Jace wanted to pay a visit to the training yard. Rhaena wished to find her grandmother Rhaenys. So Eirlys took Joffrey with her to meet Lyra. The others said they would meet her back at the nursery, where she hoped Aemond was.

Everyone parted ways and headed in different directions, making acquaintances and greeting people they were seeing after ages.

The first day back at court went rather calmly and Eirlys hoped that this same calm would sustain until the next day.

Unfortunately, that thought did not play out during the hearing.

With the King amiss, it was his hand, Otto, who was good to make the choice of who would inherit the Driftmark throne.

Rhaenyra along with Daemon and the boys stood toward the left side from where Otto sat at the throne while Alicent along with her children and Vaemond stood at the right.

Princess Rhaenys was standing exactly opposite the throne with Baela and Rhaena alongside her.

Eirlys, as mush as she wanted to stand with her brother Luke to provide him with comfort and assurance, knew that her place was at her Husband's side.

She gave her younger brother a warm smile when he looked her way, letting him know that no matter where she stood in the court room, her loyalties lied with him and their mother.

So far it seemed that the court was in favour of Vaemond and Eirlys was growing rather nervous about the whole situation. It just seemed so, one sided.

She knew that denying Luke of his throne at Driftmark only weakened her mother's claim to the iron throne.

Vaemond spoke to all gathered of how he was of the same blood as Corlys, loosely implying that Rhaenyra's son's weren't.

He went on about his argument until it was time for Rhaenyra to speak.

"If I am to grace this farce" she sighed, quiet obviously rather annoyed that this was even an issue when Luke was already named heir "I should like to start by reminding you all-"

The large doors of the court room were pushed open, the loud noise interrupting the princess as one of the guards announced the arrival of Viserys.

The arrival of the King brought two starkly different reactions from his kin.

On one side, a sense of relief washed over. Eirlys breathed out; content, knowing that all was not lost. She could see her mother's eyes widen with hope.