ELLIPSISM, aemond targaryen

[038] in which vhagar tries to get rid of aemma

"I DIDN'T FIND you in your room in the morning."

Aemma looked up from the plate in front of her and looked at Baela who was watching her curiously from her place next to Rhaenys.

"That's because I wasn't there," replied Aemma calmly and shook her head at Helaena, who with a napkin in her hand was going to wipe the smudge on Jaehaera's cheek, instead she did it herself, to which the little girl grinned at her.

Baela quirked an eyebrow at this. "You woke up before dawn?"

Aemma shot her a look. "I think a better question is why you decided to torture me by getting up early when you know I hate it?"

"For your information, I thought of a way we could get to the Dragonpit without being noticed, and I wanted to take you with me," Baela said coldly to which Aemma felt a hint of guilt. "But I couldn't because right then, for the first time in your entire life, you decided to wake up earlier. Why?"

Aemma shrugged her shoulders. "I just wanted to take a walk. Grandmother took me for a walk on the beach the other day and it cleared my head quite a bit. I couldn't sleep, so I decided to try it again."

Rhaenys' eyes softened a little at her words, clearly happy that she had managed to at least help Aemma a little through everything she was going through. "I'm glad to hear that."

Aemma was proud of herself that there was at least some truth to her statement, because she probably wouldn't be able to take the blame for lying to Rhaenys. The walks really helped clear her head and this morning was pretty fun if she ignored the unpleasant waking up and the cold weather.

Baela watched the smiles exchange between her grandmother and cousin/sister, but she still didn't trust her. "May I ask why your bed was wet then?"

All heads turned to Aemma, even Jaehaerys and Jaehaera.

Aemma scanned the faces of her family, finally giving her a forced smile. "Well, you know, I . . .  spilled water."

"Spilled water?" Baela narrowed her eyes at her.

Aemma nodded. "Yeah. I was thirsty at night, but since it was dark, I tripped and spilled it on the bed."

Baela hummed and she jabbed her fork into the potato on her plate, making Jaehaera and Jaehaerys wince. "I didn't know that one cup of water can soak in the whole bed."

"I was very thirsty," Aemma stated. "It wasn't even in the cup, more like the bigger ones. You know, those things where you make tea and pour it into a cup--"

"Kettles," Helaena offered.

Aemma's face brightened. "Yes, that's what I meant! Thank you, Helaena."

"Right. So you decided to make yourself some tea and accidentally spilled it on the bed," Baela repeated her words with suspicious look in her dark eyes.

Aemma tilted her head to the side and gave her the most innocent smile she could muster. "Correct. What were you thinking, Baela?"

Baela shrugged and looked down at her plate. "I do not know. Perhaps that you decided to take a bath in the morning and went back to bed. And apparently then decided to go for a walk, as you say."

Aemma's smile froze on her face and she finally forced out a small laugh. "Yes, that would be a reasonable explanation, wouldn't it . . ."

Baela said nothing to this and Aemma watched as her cousin cut the meat on her plate somewhat irritated. Never in her entire life had she been unable to read Baela like an open book, but now she felt that she was missing something. That behind the sharp anger in Baela's eyes was something more than the fact that she couldn't fly because of Aemma. But she didn't say anything out loud, so Aemma could only guess.