Burn me • Aemond Targaryen

The Truth

Chapter Seventy-Four~ The Truth

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Waking up in her presence was a comfort Aemond wished he could feel forever. The feeling of her bare skin against his was a feeling he had missed. Her head rested on his chest, and her hair fell behind her in white waves. Her arm fell across his stomach, and her leg hung over his. How perfect they must've looked, wrapped in each other, loving each other. Beautiful,

Yet the truth was ugly. Ugly and bare. Nothing was perfect, everything was burning before their eyes. Their family, their dynasty, their name. And they would come for him now, come for her. Come for their children and that would be it. He had not felt love as a child, his love for Rhaella was a love that grew from a small seed, his children were loved through his instinct. They were his life, he supposed now. It was all he needed anyway.

"What is the matter?" Rhaella muttered, not moving an inch.

Aemonds brow furrowed. "What do you mean?" His hand lifted to run through her hair, and she leant into his touch.

"You tap fidget with your fingers when you worry." She replied, moving her head so that she could look up at him.

Aemond looked down, noticing how the pads of his fingers tapped against his lower torso. He let out a small laugh. "I am fine." He replied, standing from the bed. "Where are the children."

Rhaella felt her heart beating in her chest, against her skin. Hear the tune of it in her ears. Her breathing increased, and her mouth went dry. "Aemond." She mumbled, sitting and pulling the sheets around her.

Aemond could hear it on her tongue. He was unsure what it was, but it definitely want good. "Rhaella, what is it?" He breathed, waiting in anticipation, eyes staring into her own. "Tell me are they dead?" He seemed to grow impatient, he reached for his shirt, pulling it over his head, and then he went for his sword.

"No." She replied. "Not dead." Then the tears went to fall, and she had to pull them back, sop them from streaming down her face to show the reflection of her grief. "But they aren't here."

His movements stopped, but his fingers continued to move. Fidgeting. Worried. "What?" His question felt heavy to her. "Where are they."

She didn't need to explain herself to him, their children needed protecting and he wasn't there. She needed to think fast, and if it meant they had to be taken from her so hat they could live, hen so be it. "If I tell you, then you will go to them and they will not be safe."

"Rhaella." His tone was warning, cold. Unlike the warmth and love he held when he spoke some short words to her minuets ago. "Where are my children?"

"They are safe." She replied quickly, arguing with him would only make him angry, and then in turn she would be angry too. "They will have a good life now, away from here."

"I haven't seen them in months, and you decided one day that you would send the away?" He snapped.

"They were in danger." She said, standing now. "The night I sent them away, they were set before a dragon, ready to burn, if it was not for Finan,

"Finan!" Aemond laughed. "You let a bloody boatman take our children away?" He was angry now, he could burn her.

"I gave them a chance at life!" She argued back. "They were my greatest treasure, and it was you that caused this, do not forget it!" The tears were pricking at her eyes, and now they did fall. "It was you."

Aemond scoffed. "We are passed this!" He replied. "Do not use that as an excuse to what you have done, You have threatened our brothers rule, you have taken everything from me."

Rhaella's face went blank, and her words were as cold as they could be. "Aegon will not see the end of the year, my children will see the end century, and their children after that."

"Our children!" Aemond seethed, stepping closer. "They are our children."

His intent was to threaten her, but she stepped closer, closer till their noses were almost touching as he stared down and she stared up. "They are my children, you were just the fucker who gave them to me, and then you were the cunt who had one stolen." She spat the venom like it was poison on her own tongue, and she wanted it to hurt him. Hells she hoped it killed him.

How dare he stand there and scold her for something she never wished for in the first place. It was his fault.

It was evident her words took a tole on him, his eyes faltered, and his expression weakened. "What of Aegon?" Was all he said, turning away from her.

"Gone, into hiding I mean." Rhaella breathed, turning from him and pulling on her dress.

"And Mother, If Rhaynera has taken the castle the what of mother?" He said, watching as she pulled her hair from her face.

"Locked away, driving herself mad I suppose." Rhaella said bluntly.

"Why?" Aemond said.

"Otto is dead, Helaena too, as is Maelor." She forced it from herself, the news of death.

And it came tumbling down on him like fallen stone, crushing his mind and thoughts. Helaena had been his friend, she was kind, too kind. Perhaps that was her downfall. Maelor had been quiet, but he was just a child, too young. Otto's death meant very little to him.

"And how is it you are alive?" He questioned. "How is it, Helaena who never hurt a soul is dead, and you who has a list of tormented ones on your back, how is you live?" He stepped toward her again, rested his hands above her head when her back hit the wall.

"I swore for her." Rhaella whispered, he was so close that his scent clouded her thoughts. "I swore for Rhaynera, they had me cut Otto's throat to prove I was loyal to her." She whispered.

"They?" Aemond muttered, and he watched as the memory of murder came to her mind. Then it became clear who they was. "Daemon?" He half laughed. "You did it for Daemon?"

Rhaella smiled up at him, it was a mocking smile, not an amused one, mocking. "You never fail to amaze me." She whispered. "You've always been a jealous cunt, but by the gods this is low even for you." She laughed. "I tell you our sister and nephew are dead, yet all you think about is whether Daemon has fucked me in our bed."

His hand was at her throat then. There was too many emotions in the room to single out one thought, too many burning flames to focus on on fire. And it felt good to make her shut up, to have her thinking what his next move would be. He knew she was uncertain on what he would do. That was the problem with being apart for so long. The two of them changed personalities as often as the wind changed directions, and Rhaella was not familiar with the way his mind worked now. So his hand around her throat, though not a new thing, was something she did not know how to handle now.

"Watch how you speak." He whispered, squeezing slightly. "You come to me now, after months of no word and you tell me you have sent away our children, then you tell me you murdered our Grandfather." He could feel her pulse. "How can I know you did not kill Helaena, to save your own neck."

She was hitting him then, his face, his chest. Kicking him, yelling out till his hand left her throat. "How dare you!" She cried, pushing him back. "I watched her die." She shouted, stalking toward him and pushing him again. "I watched her fall and I watched as those fucking spikes took her life before the ground even hit!" She laughed when he said nothing. "You left!" She spat. "You wanted to carry on playing King so you left, and gods help me if it wasn't for this baby growing inside of me I would be dead too, So then you would be alone, all fucking alone, because you deserve it."

"Rhaella," He went to say, but she shook her head.

"No!" She said back to him. "I said to you, almost a year ago that if you flew after Lucerys Velaryon, you would cost us everything, yet you did it anyway, all for you fucvking pride." She was face to face with him now. And he looked at her, how anger consumed her darkness.

"And I hope it fucking damns you."

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