The Prince and His Flower

N I N E T Y - T H R E E

Aemond was alone when he woke up. That fact shouldn't have surprised nor hurt him, but it did both. His head throbbed and his body felt awkwardly stiff, a small groan escaping as he adjusted himself into a sitting position. His missing eyepatch usually would have sent him into a panic, but he was in too much pain to care. He reached for the pitcher of water that sat on his bedside table but his hands proved to be stiffer than he thought, sending the pitcher tumbling to the ground and smashing against the floor.

 Alicent entered the room instantly, fearing someone had come to end the life of yet another Targaryen. She nearly burst into tears at the sight of her son slouched against his bedframe and nearly ran across the room, wrapping him tightly in her arms. 

"The Seven answered my prayers." She whispered before pulling away. She was fixated on his eye, the eye that he hadn't let her see ever since he began to don the eyepatch. 

Aemond could sense his mother's revulsion that seemed to overpower her relief and brought a hand to his face while he searched for his eyepatch with the other. 

"Where is Aemma?" He asked once he secured the leather to his face. "How is she?" He tried to hide his panic, but it radiated through his voice. The last thing he remembered was how close to death she looked, her face a bloody mess and her arm twisted in such an unnatural angle it made his arm hurt just to think about it. She's dead, he thought to himself. She's dead, she's dead, she's dead.

"Aemma is--" Alicent turned her head sharply to see who dared to intrude, her gaze softening once she saw Helaena's soft face in the doorway. "Helaena has been waiting to see you." 

Aemond looked at his sister, and for once she looked back. She didn't just look at him, she saw him, she acknowledged his presence and didn't bear a look of hate or grief. What felt like years of silence passed between them before Helaena slowly made her way into the room. She sat on the chair that had been pulled up next to his bed by an unknown visitor during his sleep and pursed her lips, obviously fighting some sort of internal battle. She took his hand silently and gave it a small squeeze.

"Perhaps I have descended into madness, but not knowing if I would ever see you again broke my heart nearly as much as losing my son did." She said, bringing his hand to her face. "I often found myself asking the same question over the past few days; how could I forgive you after everything that's happened?"

Aemond opened his mouth to speak, but Helaena shushed him.

"I don't want you to speak, for I fear that if you do I won't be able to control myself from bursting into tears." She brushed her hair out of her face with her free hand, and Aemond could see how ragged she looked. "You're my brother, Aemond. I already lost my son, I can't bear to lose you too. I will never forget what you did, I can never forgive you either. But I still love you as I once did before."

The lump in Aemond's throat made it nearly impossible to speak, and he was terrified that he would burst out in tears if he attempted, so he squeezed Helaena's hand as if it were his lifeline. 

"I love you." Helaena leaned forward and hugged him tightly, trying to keep herself composed until she returned to her chambers.

"I'm so sorry," Aemond choked out, his voice muffled.  "Helaena, I am so sorry." He pulled away from their embrace to look for his mother, but she had silently slipped out of the room, leaving them alone. "Aemma; where is she?" He asked, wiping at the tears that had leaked from his eye without his consent.

"Shipbreaker Bay," Helaena's face took on a pained expression. "She said she needed to be alone for a few hours, she left just this morning. I tried to go with her, but she adamantly refused. This note was left for you in case you woke up while she was gone."