Lady Snow // Aemond Targaryen Fanfic

Part Five - King in the North

Later in the afternoon, Cregan sat at the opposite side of the long wooden table engraved of northern sigils upon the top of it. Across from him say Sara on the other far side. Both sat in quiet taking pieces of duck and deer with their fingers, placing the immaculate tastes within their mouths, as Maester Kennet spoke quietly to Cregan who sat beside him.

The fire within the room crackled, the snow gently falling outside the windows, and the winter winds blowing sweetly through the small cracks within the fortresses stone. As a lady began pouring more wine within Sara's goblet, Sara began to slightly hear the conversation between her brother and Maester Kennet, as if they forgot she even sat in the same room with them. "Rhaenyra—" Cregan whispered, "When shall the men be sent her way?" Maester Kennet interrupted Cregan, whispering his command. Sara motioned her hand to her lady to take her leave from the room, shutting the door behind the three of them left within the sitting area.

"What do you two speak of?" Sara clasped her hands upon the table, leaning slightly forward towards the two men across from her. Both the men took their eyes off each other, facing towards Sara on the other end, who's faced looked of displeasure. Cregan stared into Sara's eyes, quiet for a second which felt of hours, "When we shall send our men to the Queen Rhaenyra's side to take back her rightful place upon the Iron throne—" shaking his head in irritant to the thought of Aegon, "—from that drunken, cunt of a king."

Sara's eyes squinted, baffled from the opposite to what her brother said a few hours ago within the Great Hall to all the lords of the North, as well as Aemond and Jace. "but you—" she tried to express her confusion, yet Cregan leaned his head, "Come my dear sister, you didn't truly believe I would help the Greens after all these years of honouring Rhaenyra as Visery's heir?" He chuckled towards her, yet began to lose his smile, seeing that she did believe his word. "Did you my lady?" Maester Kennet interrupted in. "No I..." she began, her eyes confused staring blankly onto the table she leaned against, finally rising her eyes to Cregan, "We have one of the Greens here. If he finds out—"

"He won't," Cregan stopped any thought of her worries from wandering.

"The longer we hold his grace here in Winterfell as well as his dragon, the better chance Rhaenrya and the Blacks have against the Greens," Maester Kennet spoke to Sara, for this plan had been obviously set in motion for months.

Sara shocked, baffled, betrayed, and deceived, throws down her linen cloth from eating onto the table, leaning into her seat in disbelief of her brothers lies. "He will find out eventually, you both know that!?" She shouted irritatedly.

"Maybe," Cregan answered calmly, "but by that time, his entire family will have been slain, and we will then hand him over to allow Queen Rhaenyra to do whatever she pleases."

Sara cannot believe what she is hearing, after telling her brother of her worries of the war brewing between the Blacks and the Greens, he is now placing her and the entire North into the thick of it.

"How do you manage to keep news of this war about his own family from him?" Sara asks both Cregan and Kennet irritably.

" Well my lady, for example, we will be burning any letters received for his Grace, Prince Aemond, and writing new ones by my own hand to assure him all is well with his family within the war, keeping him from leaving Winterfell," Kennet explains to Sara as if she was a child.

Sara shakes her head, pushing her self away from the table, making her way towards to door to leave the two, for she couldn't even understand how any this could be true, yet it made sense all the while.

"One last thing—" Cregan spoke calmly, as Sara held the door open, one foot out. "You will use yourself to our advantage. Seduce him with you eyes, your voice...your body," Cregan eyes zeroed in on his sisters curved seductable body, staring from the bottom up, "for men will be men, it shouldn't be too hard for you to do such things." Sara quickly turns her head, eyes red, cheeks fuming of blood, "Keep him preoccupied sweet sister, but whatever you do, he cannot leave the North," Cregan affirmed her as she held onto the door.

"And if I do not?" She holds her chin high.

"Then you will learn what happens when someone disobeys the King in the North," Cregan silver eyes searing into Sara's, the threat was entirely real.

"This is their war brother! At least allow both sides to have a fair chance!" She pleaded to Cregan, "My dear sister, fairness was gone the second Aegon was born between that Hightower bitch's thighs," his words slamming of fury and hatred.

Sara pulled back from his rage, her eyes slowly swelling of tears but hidden in her pain.

"You will do your duty sister, and we will do ours," Cregan ending the conversation entirely, nothing will change his mind.

Sara shook her head, holding her tears within, then slamming the door upon Cregan and Maester Kennet.

Sara stumbled out of the room, her face of fiery red in anger, making her way to her chambers just down the hall. But as she neared the corner, the silver haired prince took a turn, both walking towards each other in the narrow corridor. Both coming to pass on another, Sara's eyes ahead, "Your grace," in passing, yet a gentle arm laid in front of her in a matter of seconds, his hand planted against the stoned wall. His arm halting her within her anger, her mind slowing down slightly, "Mistress," a dense voice spoke hovering her, her eyes beginning to slowly wander from his black leathered arm all the way to his narrow pale face.

As her eyes made it to his face, her chin lifted to his, his eyes wandered on her radiant blue eyes and she on his. He could see her eyes glimmer from the tears that were once brewing within them, his eyes scanning her every feature upon her delicate face, "Are you alright?" He asked softly, his eyes tracking back to hers, her lips gently opening, "I'm alright," Sara stared upon his face, his one purple eye and his scar that grew from both sides of the other that had been covered.

Aemond held his arm strong against the wall, keeping her in his presence a little longer, studying her every move, every look, every facial feature, to understand if her words spoke the truth.

Aemond then gently released his arm from her path, clutching his arms behind his back, allowing her leave, yet she stood for just a few seconds longer than she should've, both glancing into each others eyes:

Then before they both knew it, Sara nodded slightly, before walking towards the corner of the corridor, with him holding his gaze upon her, tracking her long raven hair trailing behind her bare neckline, until she was no longer in his sight.

Although Aemond released his arm from her, it wasn't that he couldn't understand if she was truly alright or not, it was that he could see her sadness was too much for any man to stand in the way of her to have a moment of her own peace and quiet.