Innocence// AEMOND TARGARYEN ✔️

Chapter Forty-three

It had been a few hours since Eirlys had awoken from her sleep to find herself locked into her chambers.

She paced around the room, worrying about what was going on when the doors creaked open and to her delight, her husband walked in.

"What is happening?" she quickly walked toward him and hugged him, sighing with relief upon feeling him wrap his arms around her.

"I'm sorry" he kissed her forehead, unaware that it was ordered that his wife be locked like some prisoner "I did not expect for you to be locked away"

"Is everything alright?" she leaned away slightly to look at him. He seemed much more stoic and rigid than usual.

She could tell when she hugged him how tense he was, not easing into the embrace like how he normally would. Even the kiss to the head seemed chased.

"The king is dead" he stiffly told her, his voice was as emotionless as he looked.

"What.." Eirlys took a step back in disbelief, she hoped that she heard him wrong.

She was quiet close to her grandsire when she was little. Over the years, when the illness began to weaken him by the days, she used to see him less often. But she still loved him dearly.

"He died in his sleep last night" he sighed as he went to stand by the fire "with his last breath he told my mother of his final wish. He..."

He heaved a long sigh.

There would be no easy way to tell her this.

"Mother wants you to get dressed and join me by the carriages, we are to attend a coronation at the sept" he looked away from her "of Aegon"

Eirlys' gaze snapped toward him at the mention of this.

"Your brother plans to usurp the throne?" Eirlys marched toward him "Aemond this is treason!"

"The king himself said-"

"Were there any witnesses?"

"You think my mother would spin a lie?" He turned to look at her, brows furrowed "do you truly think Aegon would steal the throne when he has never had the desire to be king?"

"Then why go ahead with it anyway?" Eirlys was confused, if the boy wasn't going to take his duties seriously as king, why force him to rule?

It made no sense, taking away the throne from the rightful heir and giving it to someone who never wanted it to begin with.

"Because it's what the king wanted"

"Aemond this is madness, my mother is the rightful heir and you know it" Eirlys snapped, her voice going up an octave.

"Well yes, she was and we all supported her claim" Aemond raised his voice too "but now the king has chosen a different successor and we much provide the same support"

"You expect me to betray my mother and go against her?" The prince scoffed, still struck with disbelief that this was even happening "I will never swear obeisance"

Aemond heaved a sigh as his gaze lingered on her.

He knew it was hopeless. She would not swear her loyalty to him, not while she still believed that the king never named him heir. Perhaps in time she would see that this was a far better choice. The realm would indeed be more accepting of a man on the throne over a woman.

He clenched his jaw and nodded silently.

"Forgive me then" he muttered lowly before he turned and marched toward the door, flinging it open and quickly shutting it.

The princess tried to run toward him before he could close the door but she was late in getting there. She heard a clicking sound, letting her know that he had locked her inside.

"Aemond!" She yelled as she pounded at the door with her fist "open this door right now"

"Make sure the princess doesn't leave" he yelled at one of the guards as he walked away from the room "the door is to remain shut until I open it myself"

He took made his way quickly to the gates, where the carriages awaited them.

He had a slight hope that maybe she might've agreed to attend her brother-in-law's coronation, maybe even support his claim now that she knew the truth about her and her brothers' legitimacy which proved that her mother's claim was weaker in comparison to Aegon's.

But instead, she was still in support of her mother.

Aegon looked like he would much rather be cleaning dung off the horses' arse than to be in his best attire whilst being dragged away to be crowned king.

He noticed Aemond walking out and was expecting Eirlys to follow soon after as well but she wasn't present.

"Eirlys?" He asked Aemond hopefully to which the boy simply nodded, indicating that she was not going to bend the knee.

Aegon was rather upset about this.

Not her unwillingness to bend the knee, but the fact that she most likely hated him now.

He never wanted any of this. He was hoping for her to be present so that he might be able to tell her that himself. He didn't want her to resent him for something that was forced out of him.

He knew that there was very little he could say or do after he was crowned.

Meanwhile Eirlys was getting annoyed about the fact that she was locked up again.

She kept trying to push open the door, hoping that maybe by some miracle it might open.

It didn't.

She finally gave up after who knows how long before she went to fetch some parchment. She wanted to write to her mother about what happened, though she knew by the time the letter would reach her, it would be far too late.

This impulsive decision of the greens would only invite chaos and ruin in the form of a war.

The doors suddenly flung open and for a moment she was hopeful that it was Aemond who had maybe returned back to tell her he too did not support his mother's plan but instead it was Ser Erryk and princess Rhaenys.

So much for hope.

"Come quickly" she told as she rushed into the room, carrying a few old rags.

"What, where?" Eirlys stood up from her chair but she didn't not move.

"We're leaving" the older woman told her as she tossed her one of those old cloaks "we are going to retrieve our dragons and head for Dragonstone"

Eirlys peeked out the door to find the guard posted was on the floor, probably knocked out.

Eirlys was tempted, she'd never been to Dragonstone and at present with everything that was happening she knew her place was at her mother's side.

But then again, she couldn't leave her husband, especially now.

"Well hurry" Rhaenys prompted.

She knew that with Aegon now as King, there was no denying that war would soon follow, resulting in the loss of innocent lives.

The realm would be torn in half, with one side supporting her mother while the other side standing with the Greens.

Eirlys was married to one of the greens that put her in quite a difficult position. She was torn between who to pick in that moment.

Should she abandon her childhood friend, her paramour, her husband and the father of her child?

Or should she stay here amidst the people who plotted against her mother and stole her birthright, the iron throne?