The Grey Wolf & The Golden Dragon | Aegon Targaryen II

Sweet Escape

Alysanne

Despite waking up feeling exhausted, Alysanne dressed in riding leathers that morning and made her way down to the yard with Ser Dorran. Two days of celebrations had left her drained of her energy and she needed to get out of the keep and enjoy the fresh air. Well, the warm, dry air. Gods, she wished it would rain...

The sun immediately beat down on her; the sound of ringing steel meeting her ears as she exited the inner gate with her knight at her heels. Alysanne was surprised to see Price Aemond in the outer yard training with Ser Criston. For weeks, he had slept well into the day, wrapped in Elin's arms, and she assumed it would be the same that morning.

Pausing and leaning against one of the posts, Alysanne crossed her arms and watched the sparring match between the pair. Left foot, right foot, left again.

She watched Aemond the same way she used to watch Cregan, studying his moves and trying to conceive a way to beat him. Cregan was a different sort of monster altogether, taller than even Aemond and three times as wide. She often teased him, when they were younger, telling him he was more grizzly bear than direwolf. As she watched, Alysanne wondered if Cregan could beat Aemond in a sparring match, as big as he was, the prince was certainly quicker and more agile.

Ser Criston struck with his morning star and Alysanne started, the sharp spikes only just missing the prince's shoulder. Aemond crouched down in front of the knight, a smirk spreading across his face, as if things were just finally getting interesting. Alysanne couldn't keep her eyes off him as he worked his way through the dirt, dodging every one of Ser Criston's blows. In truth, she could see why Elin liked him.

Yes, he was handsome, that much was undeniable; all the Targaryen brothers were, but it was more than that. He was formidable, dedicated, devoted to his family, devoted to Elin... Alysanne couldn't miss the way he looked at her lady-in-waiting. Another swing found Cole nearly stumbling in the dirt as Aemond's foot collided with his ankle. Moments later, Cole missed another swing, taking too long to recover, and Aemond had the tip of his blade pressed to the knight's sternum. A round of applause followed Aemond's victory and Alysanne joined in as she crossed the yard, heading for the stables.

"Where are you off to, Lady Alysanne?" Aemond asked, breathing heavily as he returned his blade to the weapon rack and searched for a new one.

"Anywhere but here..." she answered honestly. "I need respite from the Red Keep." Aemond smirked at that. "I would have thought you were still abed..." she added in a low whisper, stepping closer. "Where is my lady-in-waiting?"

"If she is where I left her, still warming my pillows," Aemond replied, his smirk widening.

"Your mother hasn't heard anything—"

"Not that I know of." He replied bluntly, cutting her off. Raising her hands in surrender, she took a step back, widening in distance between them.

"I only wish to protect her."

"She doesn't need your protecting." Aemond snapped in response, his voice edged with a defensiveness he hadn't needed. Alysanne said nothing, recalling the night she promised to never let anyone else harm her friend. It didn't matter who Elin was fucking or how fond she was of them. Elin was hers to protect, until marriage saw them parted. She had promised...

"No? Are you going to protect her from your mother?" she countered sharply. Aemond's eye widened in surprise at her question and then darted around the yard, ensuring she hadn't been heard.

"Are you so sure that you could?" he fired in response, the corners of his mouth twitching as he cocked an eyebrow at her. "Have you ever sparred, Alysanne?