C U R I O S I T Y | Aemond Targaryen

T H I R T Y - F O U R

Aemond's P.O.V.

"Are you out of your fucking mind? Damn it, Aemond!"

Helaena shouts at me without restraint as we stand on the coastline in the backyard, like the world is ending. Rubbing my eye with one hand, trying to control my irritation, I think of how I want to handle my raging sister and make her understand. Lifting my smoke to inhale death into my lungs, I glance around our surroundings and mumble seriously.

"I have everything under control-"

"Under control? Under control?"

Clenching my jaw and watching the small waves crash onto the shore, I blow out smoke and listen to my sister yell, with my temper rising in my chest. I decided last night, dancing with Cordelia in the backyard of that Halloween party, that I can make this work- Will make this work. I want Cordelia, wholeheartedly need her, and I will not wait for the merger to have her.

"Aemond, you are going to break her heart!" Helaena roars while taking a threatening step toward me. "Break things off with Alys Rivers, right now!"

Helaena doesn't bother telling me what she knows or what she figured out on her own, and she doesn't need to do so. I knew the second I got home, when she only said my name, that she understands what I'm doing with both Alys and Cordelia. My sister realized how I'm not breaking things off with Alys because the company merger, noticed how I still selfishly spent the day with Cordelia, and recognized that I have no intentions to pick one or the other.

Helaena did me a favor today, and I'm forever in her debt; she distracted our brothers all day so I could have time alone with Cordelia and make things right. She gave me the day to break things off with Alys Rivers, to talk with Cordelia about what's going on between us, and to figure out how I want to deal with my family after dropping the merger with Alys's family. Though instead of doing any of that like Helaena wanted, all I did today is fuck Cordelia's brains out and very much enjoy her all to myself.

However, while my sister believes I'm fucking everything up, I'm confident I have everything under control and can make this work out in the end. I have juggled multiple things at once before; I'm doing it constantly for our grandfather, and I can do the same with this. At the end of all this, when all is said and done, my family will have their damn merger and I will have Cordelia.

Feeling the fury oozing off my sister, I wet my bottom lip and hold back my temper. I'm not sure why, but something about Helaena's words and tone is setting me off. She acting like I want to stay with Alys for a stupid merger and screw over Cordelia for the hell of it, but if I had it my way, I would drop everything for that double dimple smile.

Though I'm not one of the lucky Targaryens who got out- Who got to walk away from Iron Throne Enterprise. Like Helaena did... Like Aegon is trying to do... Like we're all wanting Daeron to do before it's too late. 

"You think I don't want to end things with her?" I hum with my cigarette between my lips as I stare out at the horizon, thinking of the first laugh Cordelia gave to me and smiling faintly at the memory. "I'm counting the days until her parents sign over their company."

"Aemond. Listen to me. Cordelia is going to find out you're still with her." Helaena says in a panic tone while trying to get me to meet her gaze. Waving her hands around and gawking at me, she declares like she can see the future. "She's going to realize you never broke up with Alys, and she's going to be crushed. You have to end this before she finds out."

"It's only for a few more months." I sigh in defeat while taking my smoke from my lips and knocking off the ash with a flick of my thumb. Nodding my head like I worked out everything in my mind, I say in a thin tone while purposely not meeting my sister's eyes. "Alys's parents are going to sign the papers by the end of this year."