ELLIPSISM, aemond targaryen

[043] night streets of king's landing

WHAT I WOULD give for every morning to be like this, Helaena thought as she lifted the cup of tea to her lips and took a sip. The tea was still hot and burned her tongue, but despite this, Helaena tried to drink as much as possible, since already in the morning there were dark clouds over King's Landing, from which it looked like it should already be raining.

It was not her idea to have breakfast outside in such conditions, and certainly not to take the children with her. Still, when Aemma suggested that she and Aemond were going to train and asked if Helaena wanted to go too and have breakfast with them, Helaena couldn't resist her curiosity and turn down the chance to observe her brother and her best friend.

And so she sat in her thickest coat at the table they had brought out with Dyana, holding Jaehaera while Dyana attended to Jaehaerys and carefully watched the duel going on between Aemond and Aemma. It was a very long duel, which many would have stopped watching a long time ago, but Helaena did not focus so much on the fight itself (since she knew almost nothing about it) and rather paid attention more interesting things for her: the taunts, glances and fleeting touches that passed between them and that maybe sometimes they were not even aware of.

It seemed to her that things had changed between the two of them and at the same time they hadn't changed at all. Helaena knew nothing of love and had never experienced it with Aegon, but she noticed Aemma and she noticed Aemond. And she knew that even though both of them had always publicly shown only hatred for the other, Helaena saw things that they did not want to show: Aemma's lies that she sometimes told to protect him from something and Aemond's looks that he learned to hide from childhood but were still there.

So it could be said that the only thing that changed between Aemond and Aemma was the way they expressed their feelings. And Helaena was grateful that it had a positive result. The only thing missing was to say out loud the things they were afraid to say.

Aemond lunged at Aemma, who stopped his attack with her sword, then she attacked him several times, but Aemond dodged her attacks without any problems. Aemma took three steps back, her chest rising and falling with her rapid breathing, and used their distance to quickly flip her braid over her back.

Another attack was launched by Aemond again and Aemma did not parry them with her sword as usual but instead walked backwards, dodging his attacks. Waiting for the moment when he was tired enough, she finally parried his attack again and finished the twist of her wrist so that her sword ended up pointed at his throat.

"I won," Aemma declared, trying to prevent the smile that was starting to appear on her face. "Again."

"You were just lucky."

"I won three times in a row."

"You were very lucky today."

Aemma's eyes twinkled in amusement and she shook her head. "I think now is the right time for you to surrender, Aemond. Do that and maybe I won't require you to give up your desserts."

Aemond, still holding his sword in hand, muttered something under his breath while avoiding her gaze and Aemma lifted his chin with her sword to force him to look at her.

She smiled sweetly and raised an eyebrow. "What was that, princeling?"

He didn't answer her, so she brought the point of her sword even closer to his throat while still having a smile on her face. He didn't seem too impressed and after a moment Aemma sighed.

"Come on, Aemond. I'm tired and hungry and I don't have all day for you. And surely you too would like to do something more enjoyable."

"I don't know, I personally find this quite enjoyable," Aemond retorted with a small smirk and Aemma rolled her eyes. He then dropped his sword and raised his hands in surrender. "Alright, I yield. Happy?"