Surviving

Chapter 20: The Boy Who Stole The Girl's Breath

"Drunk?! Aemond?! You cannot be serious." Alicent scoffed as she paced around her chambers anxiously.

"There's also been whispers that your son and his wife have...consummated after all, Your Grace." Larys added as he dropped a sugarcube into his teacup.

"He didn't...?" Alicent's eyes widened with horror as she looked back at him.

"No, Your Grace." Larys answered. Alicent sighed with relief, but then started to piece together everything.

"And Princess Naerys?" She asked, which only made him smirk.

"She seems quite taken with your son, my queen. One would even argue she's slowly winning him to her side after all." He hummed as he stirred his tea. She started to rub at her temples in frustration, trying to find a way out of this. She should've never agreed to Aemond's request to marry her. She should've known it would've backfired on all of them.

"Leaving us with only Sunfyre and Dreamfyre..." She shook her head, walking over towards the window as she scowled. "I'm going to lose everything because of that girl. If she's persuaded Aemond to their side, we've all but lost."

"Fret not, my queen. I have made arrangements to rectify our situation." That creepy grin began to grow on his face. It was a grin the queen was all too familiar with in her many years of knowing Lord Larys.

"You don't mean to...no, you've already done plenty with the rest of her family. I'll not have you murder Rhaenyra's only daughter." She shook her head, feeling tears beginning to prick at her eyes. There was already enough blood on the queen's hands, she didn't need more.

"Then what do you suggest, Your Grace? I cannot think of another way to bring the prince back to his rightful side." He slurped his tea, hardly even looking up at her.

She straightened up when an idea struck her. One that would surely work again if done properly this time. "Send word to Oldtown. I think it's about time Prince Daeron made his return to court."

He bowed his head in agreement, though slightly unsure of how the younger prince would be of assistance to them.

But he would never doubt his queen.

Aemond woke to the curtains being yanked back and a loud, repetitive slamming noise that had him shoot underneath the blankets, but they were yanked from him just as quickly. He shot up once the noise ended, rubbing at his eye and looking around frantically until his eye landed on Naerys, sitting at the table in her nightgown and robe, casually reading the same book she read every night.

"Are you mad?!" He panted, wiping the sweat building above his brow.

"Good morning to you too, husband." She chuckled, never looking back at him as she ate her breakfast.

He rubbed at his face, trying to wake for the day, but his head felt like it was splitting in half. "You couldn't have just let me sleep?"

"Call us even now." She joked, flipping the page of her book before taking a sip of her tea. Serves him right for getting piss drunk last night.

He rolled out of bed with a grunt, feeling like he'd been hit with a million bricks. He stretched his arms above him, but could feel her eyes on his back, burning into his skin practically. His head turned back to her and she snapped hers back to her book, only making him smirk to himself.

He walked over to the table, sitting across from her as he leaned back in his chair, eyeing her curiously.

"I trust you slept well." She was fighting back her grin, trying so hard not to look up from her book. She was glad to get back at him finally.