Aegon can barely look at her when their father walks her down the aisle of the sept. She freezes when he touches her shoulder to cloak her. Trading a dragon's hide for another. The thought almost makes her smile.
When he kisses her on the lips for the first time, she does not go rigid and finds herself surprised. She tries to kiss him like he kisses her but neither of them want to and it's clear the moment she feels the heat of his lips. A voice in her mind reminds her that there are better lips to kiss but she shakes her head and digs her nails into her palms until it subsides.
During the feast, Helaena draws herself back into her seat and watches the crowds. She is grateful for the noise to keep her mind quiet but does not enjoy the attention on her. She counts the candles in the chandeliers above them, the tiles on the floor, anything to keep her stomach from turning too much. She tries to pick at her food but can handle no more than a nibble here and there. Selfishly, she wishes she had a dog to eat her scraps under the table.
Her mother presents her with a sapphire hair clip before the other gifts are given. Her father, a blue quill and matching blue ink as he knows she loves to take notes when she finds a creature in the gardens she has never seen. She cannot keep the smile off her face as she fingers the soft feather and imagines the bird it came from. A stunning waterfowl, she decides, hopes.
Aemond gives her nothing but a cheeky smile and promises to show her his gift later.
.
When it comes time for the bedding ceremony, she is a frozen. A gentle silver fox ensnared and dying. Her body goes limp as lords grab at her wedding dress and tease her. Lords all at least thrice her age and stinking of strongwine. I will have three children, Aegon seven. His and mine are not the same.
She jumps when she hears Aemond's voice. No one dares challenge the gallant, fearsome Prince when he reaches for her. He takes her to her brother's chambers without a word, one hand on her lower back while the other rests on the hilt of his sword.
At the chamber door, she stands up tall and offers him a silent smile. She goes in before he can see the fear in her eyes.
Aegon arrives a minute later, swaying gently as he eyes her from the doorway. In that moment, she doesn't know what to feel. She knew the day would come when she would be made to spread her legs and bear him a son but the concept still feels foreign. Gently, she goes to sit at the edge of the bed and starts unlacing her bodice.
A voice in her mind reminds her that his children and hers are not the same. Even mentions that he has sired two of the seven already. She chokes on a breath that catches in her throat.
'No need,' he tells her through loose lips that droop more on the right side. He pulls himself free of his pants without taking them off. Approaches her like a predator stalks prey.
He takes no joy in his duty and she can feel it. He's only half-hard between her legs when he prods and tries to find her entrance. When finally he hits his mark and enters her, he is met with dryness. He slurs in her ear as he begins his thrusts, though none of it seems to be for either of their benefits. The strongwine makes his pace sluggish but she has been told to expect this much. Aemond, especially, would jest that she might find better companionship with a carrot though she did not laugh at the thought.
When she feels his pace pick up, as if he'd woken up from his drunkenness only to reach his peak, she realizes she is panicked. She tries to fight him off, to keep his cock away from her as he spurts. Even drunk as he is, when he reaches for her throat to keep her still, they both freeze. He meets her gaze, eyes wide, but cannot, mayhaps will not, control himself from finishing. From thrusting with frantic rhythm until he comes.
