ELLIPSISM, aemond targaryen

[052] aemma velaryon's first triumph

THE NEXT MORNING at breakfast there was a tense atmosphere. Everyone sat at the table with gloomy expressions and said nothing, the only sound was the clinking of cutlery. The only words that were exchanged was when Rhaenyra Targaryen asked where Aemma was, to which only Joffrey announced that his sister visited him at night in his chamber.

"And what did she want to tell you?" Daemon asked him with raised eyebrow.

Joffrey shrugged. "She told me to close my eyes when she tells me."

Finding out that one family member had disappeared shortly before they were all supposed to appear in the Great Hall and defend Luke's claim didn't make anyone happy, so they continued to eat in silence again.

At the same time but in a different location, Team Green met in Princess Helaena's chambers, but most of them were in good spirits. Whether their mother and grandsire wanted to talk to them about petitions or anything else, Helaena didn't care. She could hear their voices in the background, but focused on Maelor, who was in her arms, smiling at his small face and bright eyes.

Next to Aegon sat Aemond, staring thoughtfully out of the window at the sunny day outside. It was a shame that he would have to spend such a nice day in the dark, cold Great Hall listening to all the crap that Vaemond, Rhaenyra and Rhaenys would say. He would much rather spend the day training or flying with Vhagar, then again this idea was pointless as he would have to be alone anyway.

Aemond spent most of his life alone. Not that he always did it on purpose, no, there was a time when he tried to be part of his brother, niece and nephew's group, but Aegon, Jace and Luke never accepted him because he didn't have a dragon and at that time he was not getting the attention he wanted from Aemma either. And that's why it became almost natural for him to keep silent and stay away from others, not because he wanted to but because they made him to be that way.

Then at some point in his life, after a long, long disappearance, Aemma came back. She came back, and despite the fact that Aemond only spoke to her because Otto told him to, even during their first conversation by the Iron Throne, there seemed to be something different about the atmosphere.

With Aemma, Aemond felt much more confident than usual and even enjoyed their conversation. And Aemma, she seemed to be as stubborn as usual but there were moments when Aemond said or did something and her act dropped for a split second. Aemond liked those reactions and after finding out that he can get a positive reaction from her and not just a negative one, he started meeting and talking to her more and more, each time looking for new ways to make her smile, laugh or reveal something that made him understand her better.

It took him a long time to realize that he had lost control over the situation. That it was no longer him who had an influence on her, but her influence on him increased to such an extent that he could not break free from it. His actions were no longer thought out and planned but spontaneous, as he felt them. All the words, all the touches, all the feelings. It was no longer his task from Otto Hightower.

It was just Aemond Targaryen trying to get Aemma Velaryon to like him.

When he realized this, he realized how screwed up he was. The task of tracking Aemma was a difficult task itself, and what was he supposed to do when he became attached to her? There was no way it would turn out well. In a way, he always knew that when Aemma found out the truth, she would hate him.

And he was right. She found out the truth and left him. But somehow it seemed to him that she never left. That she was still with him, hiding in the shadows of the castle and in the dark corners of his mind. That she whispered things in his ear that he wanted and didn't want to hear from her and that she always reminded him when he managed not to think about her for a while. That he couldn't sleep at night because he was deciding whether to go to see her or not and whenever he closed his eyes he saw her again.