Born to Die

Chapter 32

Aegon smiled as Aemeryn's face came into view. Even set in her rage, she was still beautiful. The flames from the torch Aemond carried danced wickedly in the violet's of Aemeryn's eyes as she dug her dagger into his neck.

"Em!" Aemond whispered harshly as his eye darted between his wife and brother. Aegon hadn't glanced down and noticed Aemeryn's pregnant belly, and Aemeryn was close enough that she was about to touch him with it. Maelor stirred in Aemond's arms at the sudden noise from his uncle's mouth, and he began to bounce him absentmindedly.

"Give me one reason, Uncle. Just one reason not to slice your slimy little neck." Aemeryn was seething. The root of all of her family's problems was right here at the end of her blade, yet she felt herself hesitating. Daemon would have killed him by now; hell, her mother would have probably killed him by now.

"I'm holding my daughter." Aegon's words cut through Aemeryn's thoughts, and she blinked down at the bundle in his arms. Jaehaera was still soundly asleep against Aegon's shoulder, and Aemeryn stepped back immediately. "I didn't think that would actually stop you."

"Don't push it," Aemeryn grumbled as she looked over to a still horrified Aemond. "Why is he here?"

"Well, I couldn't carry both of them and the torch. He also went ahead into the tunnel entrance when I was trying to get Helaena to flee as well."

"You saw Helaena? How is she?" Aemeryn asked, concerned. She knew that Aemond had become increasingly concerned over his sister since he received the first letter from Aegon, and she hoped Helaena was okay when he saw her.

"She's okay. She refused to come and told me some weird cryptic thing again." Aemond walked over to Aemeryn and stood beside her. He hoped that being close to her would defer her from attacking Aegon again.

The three of them were silent for a moment. Aegon was simply content with holding his daughter while he could. Aemond was waiting for Aemeryn to lose her shit again. Aemeryn was still simmering with silent rage. How could he stand in front of her after he killed her brother? How could he act like he had done nothing wrong?

"Why?" One word. One syllable broke the uncomfortable silence that had descended. Aemond and Aegon both looked at Aemeryn with differing expressions. Aegon looked at her with an uncomfortable surprise that she had asked. Aemond looked like he had swallowed something bitter.

"He was going to hurt my brother," Aegon whispered.

"Luke wouldn't hurt a fly!"

Aegon and Aemond looked at each other ludicrously. Aemond's eye had grown comically large, and Aegon's face was about to split in two from his grin. Was she serious? She looked upon her brother's handy work daily when she looked at her husband.

"You do realize that he's the reason Aemond lost part of his face, right? I was told you were there when it happened."

Aemeryn scowled and huffed out a breath. She had regretted the words as soon as they had left her mouth. The Luke she knew wouldn't hurt anything or anyone. The Luke they knew had maimed Aemond without a regret in the world.

"How was he going to hurt Aemond?"

Aegon sighed and ran his free hand through his hair. "I'm sure you know that Aemond was tormenting him once Luke arrived at Storm's End." Aemeryn nodded and frowned. "We don't know what he was planning to do, but he commanded Arrax to return here."

"I already know that, Aegon," Aemeryn snapped.

"Fine. We knew that if Daemon and Rhaenyra saw Arrax return without Luke that they would assume he was hurt or dead when he wasn't. I had Aemond chase the dragon down. But Luke.....Luke kept saying he was going to tell you what we had done. Not his mother. Not Daemon. You. Even after Aemond left, he kept repeating that you needed to know what we had done. I panicked trying to protect my brother and killed yours in the process."