"We come from pure strength Daenerys." Her brother told her as he flipped through the old tome. "Viserra Velaryon. As untamable as the sea itself. Her brother Aemar. A greenseer and a mighty warrior. Aemond Targaryen. Rider of Vhagar, the largest dr...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Aemond stuck to Maela's side for the rest of the day. The two strolled the campsite together, ate and drank in the tent together, his mother had even been happy to see her in the sectioned off area for the royal family. The Queen had lit up upon seeing the girl and her son. Especially after her father had just delivered the news to her about betrothing Aemond.
"This should have come to my attention before you sold my child." She bit back in a hushed tone. "Just the other day I promised Aemond I had no intention to give away his hand in marriage. Do you mean to make a liar of me?"
But her father only rolled his eyes, "It was foolish of you to promise something you only have partial control over. Besides, Aemond understands the way of the world. This surely will not come as any surprise to him. I did you a favor."
"A favor?" she asked breathlessly, "No, you seek only to advance yourself and your lineage. The only time you stray from that goal is when you selfishly make moves you know will anger Daemon Targaryen."
"Have you ever once gotten off your high horse and noticed that by advancing my own lineage I have brought you and your children to higher stations?"
"I never desired to be Queen. If anything the role has taught me that our place is the most precarious in all the realm. It is to my husband, myself, my children, that people look to when they ask how can they gain power? We all have targets on our backs."
"And I have just washed them away. With House Velaryon bound to us in blood by Aemond and Maela's future children no one will dare to even sneeze in your direction."
She scoffed and turned away as she paced. She toyed with her rings to save her nails the bloody damage as her mind whirled. At the very least her father chose the one girl Aemond actually cared for. There would be genuine affection between them, a marriage she had dreamed of for herself once.
"And you wish me to turn a blind eye to the fact that marrying Daemon's daughter to your grandson will be like spitting in his face?" she said once she turned around and faced him again, "You know Daemon will retaliate. Perhaps find her a match himself and wed her in secret as he and Rhaenyra did? What then?"
"Daemon will do no such thing. He abandoned the girl on Driftmark. He murdered her beloved Uncle Laenor. Besides those facts she has no dragon, what could Daemon want with her?"
"She is his daughter. His firstborn." You never love anything in the world like you do your first child. She herself knew that well, for all Aegon's faults she would do what she had to do to keep him safe.
"She is a pawn, to him as much as anyone else. And now she is ours."
Alicent had been at a loss for words as she stormed off and through the tent. In just a few seconds her mind conjured every reaction Aemond might have when she told him. Almost every reaction.
