ELLIPSISM, aemond targaryen

[045] who am i?

"HIS NAME WAS Thoren Rivers."

Aemma tore her eyes away from the bloody body of the dead guard she killed and looked in the direction the voice had come from. Looking at the two silver haired boys, the little girl's eyes lit up and she let go of Aemma's hand to run towards them. She threw herself around the neck of the tallest of them while the other slightly shorter boy stared at Aemma.

"He was the bastard son of Simon Strong, the castellan of Harrenhal," continued the boy louder as he looked like he didn't want to get too close to Aemma. "His father never cared about him so his mother took him here. In King's Landing he became a guard and often used it so that he could rape any woman, girl and child he wanted. Until the moment you killed him."

Aemma looked back at the man on the ground, looking at his typical Strong features, a nose similar to Aemma's and curly brown hair like Luke and Joffrey. But even then he had none of the Strong pride, intelligence, or kindness that the Strongs Aemma knew had, and even as she looked at him, a part of her refused to admit that he was her family. But she wasn't sure if it was because of what he wanted to do to her or what she did to him.

She realized Gared's words only after a moment when she stared at his dead body and automatically looked at the dagger she took from Rivers and with which she killed him. Then she noticed that the handle was decorated with blue, red and green gemstone, which were the colours of House Strong, representing the three forks of the Trident. Determined to believe that it was a coincidence, she went to look at his body, but after removing his helmet, her fears were only confirmed.

Kinslayer, kinslayer, kinslayer, repeated the voice in her head, an echo, an incantation, a taunt, a scream, Aemma thought it sounded like everything.

No man is so accursed as the kinslayer.

The kinslayer is accursed in the eyes of gods and men.

Aemma was starting to feel like her thoughts were changing to the voices she was hearing and she resisted the temptation to cover her ears. She just wrapped her arms around herself and clenched the dagger in her fist.

The boy came closer to her and hesitantly put his hand on her wrist. "It's not your fault. You did what you had to do."

Aemma nodded at his words and tried to remember them as she knew she would have to repeat them for a long time before she accepted them. She took a deep breath and looked away from Rivers, looking again at the three children who were watching her curiously.

Aemma stared at him for a moment. "Who are you?"

"I'm Gaemon," the boy said and then pointed to the boy and girl behind him. "And this is Aenar and Elaena. And we're all happy to finally meet you, cousin."

Oh God, Aemma thought and her lips parted slightly. "Which of my uncles is your father?"

Please don't be Aemond, please don't be Aemond, please don't be--

"Aegon Targaryen," Elaena said, her voice somewhat empty.

Gaemon nodded and looked at Aemma who seemed to be relieved. "At least that's what we've been told."

Aemma's initial relief was suddenly replaced by slight irritation as she remembered Helaena. "And who is your mother?"

"Well, that's a little more complicated," Gaemon retorted nervously and glanced at Elaena and Aenar. "My mother, Essie, worked at the House of Kisses where she met my father. She is raising me together with Sylvenna. As for Aenar and Elaena, it is--"

"My mother was a servant to the Queen," Elaena interrupted him. "After I was born, she tried to make me a member of the court. The King's Hand and the Queen didn't want to risk someone finding out about me and so they . . ."