The Snow Princess - Aemond Targaryen

Thirty Eight

The moon fell and the sun rose upon King's Landing once more, and Alyarra Stark did not close an eye at all after the night in which Jaehaerys' head was torn off from his body.

She sat against the wooden frame of the bed, craddling Baelon to her chest, and she prayed. All night long she prayed for repentance and for the Gods, old and new, to protect her son from any harm and evil. She held on tightly to her son, afraid that any moment he would be torn off from her arms like Jaehaerys was from Helaena's.

Alyarra sobbed quietly as she looked down at her baby. She had been so close to losing him. She could not even begin to imagine the pain and grief that Helaena must have felt; and she felt guilty because she knew that those men came for Baelon. Yet she couldn't help but feel gratitude that her son was not the one taken. Was she a terrible person for that?

Baelon fussed in her arms, and she looked down at him, planting a soft kiss on his forehead in an attempt to calm him down. "You're okay..." She whispered, tears spilling from her eyes as she tried to quiet him down.

The door to the bedchamber opened and closed and in came Aemond, his frame stained with blood. Alyarra looked up at him as he came to the side of the bed, staring down at their son stoicly. "Did you..." She trailed off as she looked up at him expectantly.

"One of them was seized at the Gate of the Gods." He informed her. Aemond wanted to reach out and touch his son; to hold him, but he did not wish to stain the babe with the blood of that man.

"Is he..." She asked, her eyes falling to Aemond's hands that were painted red with blood. "No. Not yet. Criston is dealing with him now." Aemond answered.

"I've ordered for Baelon's cot to be brought in. He'll be sleeping with us from now on." Aemond told her as he shuffled about the bedchamber. He shed his clothes, as Alyarra looked out to the balcony.

"Where were you?" She asked, her gazed fixed on the rising sun as he stopped his moving. "You were gone for hours , Aemond." She pressed, and she could see his back muscles tense. She referred to the hours before Jaehaerys' murder.

"I was with Cole, training." He answered yet she knew he was lying. Alyarra placed Baelon down on the bed and tucked him in between the plush pillows. She stood up and moved behind Aemond, arms crossing over her chest.

He could see her through the mirror, staring at the back of his head angrily. "You were not there, and yet you dared shame me because I wanted to keep him safe. Do you see now what I meant?" She asked him, her tone clearly disdainful.

"What you did was sneaky and treacherous, Alyarra." Aemond spat, turning to meet her burning gaze with his own fiery one.

"What I did was to save Baelon's life! Jaehaerys is dead. Your nephew's head was taken from his body, do you understand that?! Because of what you did." Alyarra said angrily, looking up at Aemond with so much anger, more than he had ever seen in her eyes.

"They were going to take Baelon's head! Rape me! And yet you dare say what I did was treacherous?! What I did was logical... and you... you don't even care about what happened." She knew the accusation was a strong one, but she did not care.

Aemond's face contorted in pure rage, he turned away from her and slammed his left fist into the looking glass in front of him, causing it to come shattering down unto the ground.

Baelon's cries filled the bedchamber, and after she glared at Aemond, Alyarra rushed to their baby boy. "Sh... my sweet child." She cooed and Aemond could only watch her as she comforted the child he had failed to protect.