ELLIPSISM, aemond targaryen

[057] the last supper

SHORTLY AFTER THE first stars appeared in the night sky, the Targaryens and Velaryons found themselves in the same room for the first time in six years for reasons other than politics. The long wooden table placed in the middle of the room almost bent under the amount of food and wine that the maids brought to it.

Only seven people were sitting on the 13 chairs at the table, while the others were standing or walking around the room. Those who remained seated were obviously tense and it was more than certain that no one wanted to stay there longer than they had to.

Aemma was dressed that evening in a silver dress that Gwyn had chosen for its similarity to the colours of House Stark. The dress had long embroidered sleeves and an exposed back where her hair fell, into which Gwyn and Dyana somehow managed to insert some silver ornaments to hold the hair in place. Silver earrings hung from her ears and a necklace from Ben hung around her neck, and the only colourful accessory she wore was her mother's ruby ​​ring.

As soon as she entered the room, she looked for three people whom she thought were worth talking to. To her disappointment, however, she found that Daemon was with her mother, Baela was in the company of Jace, Luke and Rhaena, and Helaena was kneeling on her chair and leaning over the table as she talked to Otto Hightower.

Instead of wasting any more time searching for each member of her family, Aemma looked around the room until she found a table reserved only for desserts and without hesitation headed over to it. The smell of the desserts was milder compared to the other food in the room, but it was enough to smell the raspberry and she felt that her stomach did not turn as much as before.

Aemma quietly picked up one small plate and began placing the desserts on it. As soon as the plate was too full to put another one Aemma put the cake with orange cream in her mouth and felt her body relax at the taste. But after a moment she felt a familiar cold rush through her, despite the fact that the room was warm, and Aemma immediately knew the reason why it was so.

After completely chewing the cake, Aemma swallowed it, but she still felt the coldness on her back. She placed her hands on the table and gripped it as she inconspicuously looked over her shoulder to the left side of the table.

Aemond hadn't bothered to dress up much for supper and looked his usual self, yet Aemma thought there was something different about him, something that drew her to him more than ever. Maybe it was the lighting in the room, maybe it was because of how Aemond had stared at her from the moment she arrived, and maybe it was because of the simple fact that Aemma was always more attracted to him when she knew that she must not be attracted to him especially at that moment.

Aegon, who was standing across from him talking to him, stopped after a moment when he realized his brother wasn't listening and followed his gaze to Aemma who immediately looked back at the desserts. She stared at her plate for a moment, studying the decorations on the cakes before looking back at them to find them talking quietly about something again, neither of them looking at her anymore.

A stranger's hand grabbed her own and Aemma flinched slightly before turning in the opposite direction where she found Benjen Stark standing by her side.

When he felt her flinch he gave her a concerned look. "Are you alright, Aemma?"

"You just caught me by surprise, that's all," Aemma muttered under her breath as she picked another cake and put it in her mouth.

"I'm sorry," Ben told her and she dismissively shook her head as he softly smiled. "You look beautiful, Aemma. You look so beautiful that if people in the North saw you, they would start worshiping you as the goddess of winter."

Aemma let out a quiet snort at that. "Please don't exaggerate. I'm wearing it only because in this family everyone always wears the colour of the House they are loyal to. And since you are my future husband, my allegiance is to House Stark."