ELLIPSISM, aemond targaryen

[053] blinded by desire

"DID YOU HEAR what happened in the Great Hall today?"

"It is said that Ser Vaemond could not accept his defeat and publicly called Princess Rhaenyra's children bastards and her and her daughter whores!"

"People whisper that before King Viserys or Daemon Targaryen could get to him, Aemma Velaryon cut Ser Vaemond's head precisely in half!"

"I spoke with Grand Maester Orwyle. He said that he had never seen such a perfect cut in his entire life. According to him, it is impossible to cut a head so precisely without detailed measurement and preparation."

"I saw Aemma Velaryon as she left the Great Hall with her family. Blood can be seen on her face and hair, but not on the dress. Do you think that's why she decided to wear red for the petitions?"

"King Viserys returned on the Iron Throne after six years and walked into the Great Hall with Aemma Velaryon by his side. How is it possible? Do you think that the Princess possesses knowledge that the Citadel's maesters don't?"

"I heard that on the day Princess Aemma was born, a storm appeared out of nowhere, but several servants believe that the rain was trying to cover the red comet that appeared above Red Keep."

"My grandmother helped with Princess Rhaenyra's labors - she would have sworn that Princess Aemma had dark hair like her brothers which turned to Targaryen silver after about an hour before the King and the Queen came to see her."

"It's no surprise she turned out this way. You know what rumors surround the women of House Strong after all."

"Do you think the Princess knows any love potions that she used to bind Prince Aegon, Prince Aemond and Lord Benjen to her?"

"No, I'm pretty sure that Benjen Stark's affections for the Princess are sincere. They had been good friends since they were children after all."

"Indeed, it is a shame that Princess Aemma is leaving for Winterfell, but I have to admit that there is no better match than the Princess and Lord Stark."

"This morning he asked me and Mary to deliver a bouquet of roses to the Princess -- it's a real shame the Princess wasn't in her room!"

"I am sure that their wedding will be beautiful, like from a fairy tale!"

"Oh, and just imagine their children with the dark hair of Benjen Stark and the blue eyes of our Princess --"

Aemond Targaryen dashed past the maid who was whispering to her friend with such speed that the poor girl almost lost her balance, but Aemond paid no attention to her. He didn't bother to apologize or help her and continued walking briskly to his chambers, unsure of how long he would be able to control himself if he had to listen to that 'whispering' around the Red Keep for a while longer.

There wasn't a single person in the castle who didn't know about Aemma Velaryon, who within an hour became the subject of every conversation between the servants and also the royals. The gossip and secrets that the maids told each other sounded more ridiculous than the other, but after Princess Aemma murdered Vaemond and helped Viserys get back on his feet, no one knew what was possible or impossible anymore.

Listening to the concerns about Aemma's cold-bloodedness or cruelty was not a big problem for Aemond, he even found these conversations amusing and worth listening to. But what really got on his nerves were the constant reminders of the betrothal of Aemma Velaryon and Benjen Stark, which Aemond seemed unable to escape from.

The Lords in the Red Keep saw this as a good political move to gain an ally from the North. The maids, on the other hand, talked about betrothal as something as romantic as a fairy tale from a book, they talked about how breathtakingly the Princess would look in Stark colours and how beautiful her and Benjen Stark's children would be. In general, it was a happy news that made everyone happy in a certain way.