Innocence// AEMOND TARGARYEN ✔️

Chapter Fifty-two

!! Spoiler alert: contains book reference !!

Rhaenyra was relieved that Luke's loss of memory was only temporary.

'A result of the trauma he'd faced' one of the maesters told her. Though he could could not say when the boy's memory might return.

Whilst the queen and the king consort were relieved that the prince was safe and well, Eirlys was scared a about what was to take place at king's landing.

Daemon informed Eirlys of his plan. He told her that some of the goldcloaks who served under him while he was in the city watch were still loyal to him. There was a butcher who once was a sergeant in the city watch back at King's landing but he was expelled and lost his gold cloak after he'd beat a whore to death. Then there was another, who was a rat catcher and knew the tunnels of the Red keep better than any man.

They were called Blood and Cheese, respectively in that order.

These men would infiltrate the castle and bring him the head of one of Aegon's sons.

Daemon did not seem to take much interest in the matter, he'd only sent one of his men to inform the mercenaries that they shouldn't go ahead with the plan.

Eirlys did not wish to wait and left Dragonstone with Ember, without the knowledge of the queen.

With Luke now alive, perhaps war might not take place, maybe now Aegon and Rhaenyra might reach some sort of understanding, maybe he would abdicate the throne. He did not like being king anyway, right?

She hoped, hoped for the sake of peace, she was not too late.

As she did each night, the now Queen Helaena, took her children to her mother's chambers, to have them bid her goodnight before they each headed off to bed.

Alicent placed a gentle kiss to each of their foreheads as she waved at them before they could leave.

A loud clanging sound was heard outside their door and Helaena pushed her children behind her protectively as the doors swung open.

In barged two men, their clothes stained with blood and a crazed look adorning their faces. They immediately barred the door and restrained the dowager queen, tying her down before one of them pushed Helaena away from her children and put her in a dreadful situation.

"We've been told to bring back the head of a prince" Cheese pointed at the children with his sword "the girl lives but the boys... you may pick which one you wish to keep"

Helaena was horrified, how could a mother make such a choice?

"Take me instead" she kept her voice steady "I will gladly give up my life for theirs"

"Tis not of what's asked of us" Cheese snapped "it has to be a son, go on name which boy we might slay"

"We are here to take one life only. No more, no less but.." Blood urged her to make a choice and fast "if you do not chose my lady, we will have to kill all of you"

Helaena began to sob.

She turned toward each of her children before she looked away and with a heavy heart, picked Mealor, the youngest instead of her oldest who was Argon's heir. The boy was still little and would barely even be able to process any pain.

"Ya hear that boy?" Blood laughed at the youngest child, yanking him forward by the collar "your mother doesn't think your life is worth saving"

Cheese joined him in laughing at the poor boy.

And then with a swift move, he proceeded to cut off the head of Jeahaerys, the oldest.

Blood spewed everywhere and Helaena and her daughter screamed. Alicent struggled to break free of her restraints but to no avail.

Both men did not manage to leave the castle as they hoped, they were both captured and imprisoned for questioning.

Meanwhile Helaena was left to drown in her sorrow and guilt. She could not bare to look at her youngest in the eye.

She had chosen him to die and now all she was to him was the woman who's decision had announced that his life wasn't worth saving.

Aegon was furious when he heard about the death of his son.

He wasn't a good husband but he had made every effort to be a better father to them than his own father had been.

He used to read to them before bed, after they'd visited his mother.

Sometimes used to spend the afternoons with them, playing games and drawing pictures.

Is this the price he paid for supposedly stealing the crown? If this is what came with being king, he did not want it.

He demanded that the men be tortured until they'd extracted from them the information on who had ordered them to do this.

After hours and hours of agonising torture, they finally admitted it was Daemon.

Unbeknownst of the chaos broken out at the Red Keep, Eirlys flew in with her dragon and had him land at the front yard.

The guards at the entrance were surprised to see Eirlys return with Ember after she had fled few nights before.

She rushed inside, hoping that she had made it before the assassination had taken place.

When she was met with the glum atmosphere, with guards running about the place she knew something was wrong. It was Otto who got to her first and escorted her to the king's study.

"Aegon you need to-" she began as soon as she entered, trying to warn him do what was to happen but immediately stopped when she saw him crying.

"My first born son is dead" he chocked out "at the hands of your step-father"

Eirlys' breath hitched.

She was late.

"Did you help him plan this?" His tone turned accusatory "did you escape to tell him of the positioning of the guards or perhaps the map of the passages?"

"Aegon, I returned to warn you about them" she told him "why would I come back if I had ordered this?"

Aegon sank back into his chair, feeling so defeated.

"I am told the prince Lucerys lives" he did not look up to meet her gaze "it was brought to my notice that you visited a village at storms end where you'd found him"

"That is correct"

"So my son died for nothing" Aegon snapped.

"I tried Aegon" Eirlys too found herself crying, Jeahaerys did not deserve to die "I tried to call it off, I tried to-"

"Escort the princess to hers and her husband's chambers" he spoke to Otto, his tone harsh "she is to be confined in that room. Have guards posted in that corridor to ensure she doesn't leave unless she is in the company of her husband"

"Aegon-"

"Forgive me Eirlys" he finally turned to meet her gaze "but I'm afraid I can't let you leave, war has begun and I intend to win"