Love and Loyalty - Aemond Targaryen

Chapter 8

Aemond was training when he saw the silver-grey dragon, Seasmoke, fly overhead. A woman riding the young dragon.
Alyssa.
It had been two years and a lot had changed.
He had changed.
No longer was he a shy little boy terrified of talking to her.
“Where is my mother?” He asked Ser Criston.
“Dealing with complaints from some of the Lords of the realm with your grandfather, My Prince.”
Aemond nodded. “Come. The princess has arrived.”
He'd gone straight to his mother in the throne room, knowing that his father was likely too addled on milk of the poppy to talk to.
Alicent had thanked him but no one moved.
And he'd been stood there, beside his mother, when the doors to the throne room had opened.

No one had welcomed Alyssa when she arrived.
No one had been there.
She'd not expected any less. Who was she, after all, but the forgotten child?
But she was not there to be the forgotten girl. Not again.
So, instead of finding her room and waiting for Queen Alicent to find her, she went directly to the queen herself.
“Open the doors.” Alyssa demanded from outside the throne room.
“My lady, the Hand of the King is in the middle–”
“My name is Princess Alyssa Targaryen. If I ask you to open the doors, you will open them.”
The guards paled, all of them rushing to obey her command.
The doors opened.
All eyes fixed on her as the Princess entered.
Lords and ladies all stared at the intrusion.
Whichever old lord had been speaking silenced as she marched inside.
Her chin was up, her shoulders back, and she looked every an ounce a true Targaryen.
Whispers began to fill the room as she pushed past the arguing lords at the front and stood face to face with the Queen.
She'd not seen Alicent since that night in Driftmark, and yet she still looked just as beautiful. Just as strong.
It was a shame that she and Rhaenyra were enemies, in truth. Alyssa had always thought they would've been unstoppable allies.
Her dark eyes turned to the man stood beside Alicent. No guard or lord. No. More handsome than anyone Alyssa had ever seen. Tall, regal, imposing, with pale silver hair... And an eyepatch over one eye.
Aemond.
He'd changed so much that, if not for the missing eye, Alyssa never would've recognised him.
She quickly turned her attention back to Alicent as she felt her cheeks heat up at the sight of him.
“My Queen,” the princess inclined her head, “I believe we have business to attend to.”
“Princess Alyssa, we had not expected you for some time.” Otto Hightower spoke up from atop her father's throne. “There are matters still at court to be settled, I'm sure you understand.”
“Of course I understand.” She said with a sweet smile, before turning to the other lords. “Who was next?”
The men all lowered their heads, ushering her to take their position.
“Excellent. So, I believe I'm here to discuss betrothals.”
Otto stared over at his daughter, who quickly stared back at Alyssa.
This was not the girl they remembered.
Against her better judgement, the princess let her gaze lift to Aemond.
He was staring at her with that one pale eye of his. And he didn't have to say a single word for Alyssa to want to shrink back into her quiet former self.
But she stayed strong.
“There are a number of men, as I'm sure Princess Rhaenyra told you, who have put themselves forward. Your sister and I have narrowed down the matches for you, yourself, to choose between.”
A muscle in Aemond's jaw twitched.
“May I meet these men?”
“If you wish.” Queen Alicent said.
She gestured them forward and one by one the men all formed a line.
“Lord Thaddeus Rowan, Princess.” The first lord introduced. He was handsome, if a fair bit older – perhaps a similar age to her uncle, Prince Daemon. But he seemed amiable and friendly.
Robb Reed was the next, heir to House Reed. He was closer to Alyssa's age, only a couple years older, with brown hair and green eyes.
Aemond glared at him when he watched the man kiss Alyssa's hand and his glare grew more intense when he saw the slight blush on her cheeks.
He was good looking and well spoken, but surely it took more to win over the Princess than that.
“I look forward to any time we might spend together.” He said.
Aemond looked forward to the fool being knocked off his horse and flattened in some tourney.
“As do I.” Alyssa said, her voice a little higher than before.
Aemond rolled his eye.
Baratheons, Starks, Arryns, Brackens, Lannisters...
Some of them were handsome.
Some of them were not.
Alyssa let each of them greet her with a bow and a kiss to her knuckles.
Aemond watched all of it. Every fool and wretch who came to propose to his sister.
None of them deserved her.
Not a single one of them was good enough.
Every time a new man approached, he had to stop himself from physically throwing them away from her.
The way they looked at her, the way they kissed her hand... It made him furious and he didn't even know why.
She listened to each proposal and weighed the benefits for herself and for her sister's claim to the throne.
Most of the men who would serve as the most useful to Rhaenyra's cause were old and fat or little more than children, but Alyssa reminded herself that it wasn't all about who she found the most appealing. It wasn't–
The last man was about to introduce himself.
He had a turned up pig-nose and a round face. His hair was receding, but what was left of it was grey and white with age.
Everything about him made Alyssa want to recoil as he wheezed into a bow.
Her hand was shaking and she tried to hide the look of repulsion on her face when the old goat neared her knuckles for a slobbering kiss.
Alyssa closed her eyes, awaiting the inevitable, but it never came.
Instead, someone else softly took her hand.
Alyssa opened her eyes.
The old man had been rather rudely shoved into one of the other lords.
And before her, wearing a cocky smirk, was Aemond.
He looked down at her with a strange mix of anger and mischief in his one eye before lowering himself slowly, never losing eye contact, to kiss her hand.
Alicent and Otto both silently urged him not to say a word.
One quick glance at his mother had him realising how furious she was but he knew she'd come around eventually. Especially when he realised how well they could benefit from having Alyssa at their side.
The beloved princess who'd been a loyal sister to Rhaenyra her whole life being with them instead?
“Princess Alyssa,” He said, and she could feel her heartbeat speeding at the sound of his voice. “I would also like to put myself forward for your hand.”
She remembered, all that time ago, kissing him. The memory came back unbidden.
And the way he'd carried her back to his room, protecting her with such fierce strength.
And what it was like to wake in his bed.
Alyssa cleared her throat. “I have a lot to think about.”
Alicent silently thanked the Mother that the girl hadn't made any final decisions yet. She had to have a serious word with her son first.
“Indeed you do. Let us give the Princess some time to think. Ser Criston, would you escort Princess Alyssa to her rooms?”
“No need.” Aemond said, offering her his arm. “I'll take her.”
Alyssa blinked up at him, feeling a little lost for words, and took his arm.
It was strong, well muscled, just as she'd expected. And it only served to make her more flustered as he led her away past every lord and lady in the room into the silent corridor.