Desires Be Damned • Aemond Targaryen

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Dyaena

If the dark storm clouds in the skies above had any notion to rain down upon them, the water falling from the heavens would mean little, for she had already been showered with cold dread that left her teeth chattering.

Memories flashed in her mind of smears of blood on stone and pale fabric, of agonizing cries and grief, of a little body wrapped in cloth as she burned before life could expand her lungs. The fury and hatred she felt towards the Greens sparked anew as her mental clarity faltered. This was supposed to be an easy task, but now, as the reality settled that she would be facing the man she hoped to never see again, her hands shook as anger and fear fought to overpower one another within her.

"We are leaving, now," Luke demanded while grabbing a hold of her wrist. "Mother will understand."

"No." Dyaena had meant for her refusal to sound firm, but it came out small and light, a betrayal that told of her own great wish to flee.

Clenching her jaw as she stared into his round, brown eyes, widened with worry, she saw him for what he was. He had tried to appear beyond his years before Rhaenyra, but Aemond's unforeseen presence stripped away the façade and left behind the undeniable truth: Luke was still a boy of four-and-ten, and understandably afraid of being near the man he severely and forever maimed in a place where utmost protection was not a guarantee.

It occurred to her then that her escape could be reason enough for him to seek revenge against her as well.

They were to present a betrothal between her and Lord Borros's son, Tomas, and the man who could sully it all was treating with the Lord of Storm's End at this very moment. Just one utterance of her tarnished virtue from Aemond could put this entire mission into jeopardy.

Love can turn ugly once the bitter taste of betrayal coats the tongue. It can make the wisest man turn into a blind fool, Rhaenys's words echoed in her mind, and the weight of their truth was heavy. Though she doubted what had once burned bright between her and Aemond was love, whatever passion it had been could ignite anew with the spark of vengeance, a dangerous inferno that would leave neither unscathed. He wanted her to be his and only his, something he had made quite clear, and could make possible here by exposing their carnal pleasures to all noble ears present, for royal gossip could reach far and wide across the continent, and a princess that was a suspected bastard carrying on like a whore would doubtlessly spread like wildfire over a dry field, making advantageous marriage pacts damn near impossible.

But she was not a child that would allow herself to cower in fear. They had an essential task to carry out for their Queen, so even if she could barely stand from the quaking of her knees, they had to do what must be done, and pray that Aemond was elsewhere in the castle.

"No," she tried again, steadier this time. The wind continued to howl in her ears and nip at their tips. "Everything will be fine. We will deliver the message and then make haste." Luke looked ready to bolt any second as he dared another glance towards Vhagar. "Luke, look at me. No harm will befall us." When he did, she did her best to appear as earnest as possible before saying, "I promise."

It mattered little whether or not he truly believed her, for he nodded regardless and they began their approach towards the knights guarding the colossal doors. Dyaena wished to reach out and take his hand, but it would have made her little brother appear more juvenile when he wished to play the part of a man. Instead, hidden beneath her windswept red cloak, she felt for the dagger strapped onto her thigh for comfort while adjusting the string of her bow strewn across chest. She doubted they would confiscate such a weapon from her upon entry--the absence of her quiver at her hip made her bow appear much less threatening, for she had left it behind on Arrax's saddle. They had sworn to their mother that they would take no part in any fighting, only merely pass on a message, and she had brought it mainly for protection outside of the castle's grounds, but each step made the fletching of the one arrow she had stowed away in her boot brush against her calf, making her think that for once the gods showed her favor by putting the notion to do so in her head before they had departed from Dragonstone. The man who betrayed her heart and family was inside, and while she hoped for the best, she knew it was wise to be prepared for the worst.