The Snow Princess - Aemond Targaryen

EPILOGUE

"I loved your father, gods, I loved him more than I loved myself. And I still love him." Alyarra muttered, sipping from the cup of tea that had been set in front of her. She had promised to tell Baelon everything, and she followed through on her promise.

The pair sat in Alyarra's chambers, a tea table set for them to talk over. "Did he love you?" Was the first question Baelon asked his mother, and what a charged one it was. Alyarra smiled lightly, her mind drifting to when she first met Aemond— to how he treated her, how he courted her. She smiled when she remembered her first pregnancy, how happy they were, how in love. How soft he was to her, how excited.

"I like to think he did love me. At least... most times... sometimes... I just..." Alyarra's could feel her heart thudding in her chest, her eyes drifting away from Baelon— from the image he was of Aemond. "I just know... you aren't supposed to hurt the people you love."

"Father hurt you?" Baelon then asked, his eyes soft on his mother. He had always thought she was the most beautiful woman, strong and brave— but now he was seeing her battered and broken as she recalled his father. It was unlike the woman he knew.

"Baelon when I say your father hurt me... I mean it in ways that you will never understand. He hurt me deeply, he committed crimes against the realm, against his own family— murderous crimes..." Alyarra trailed, "He gave me everything and then nothing at all and it was hell, it was terrible what he did to me... but it was war. War isn't fair..."

"What did he do to you, mother?" Baelon asked quietly, his hands reaching across the table to take his mother's in way to comfort her.

"What he did does not matter, what matters is that he is not someone that you should idolize. Your father killed many people, hurt thousands of others..." Alyarra told him, she knew that telling him the exact things that Aemond did would not do anything but break his heart.

"He was evil?" Baelon whispered, his eyes falling to his lap in sheer sadness. Alyarra gulped, "It was hard to decipher... sometimes... when he yelled at me I would think that he was a demon. His mere gaze would make me shudder, and I saw nothing but darkness. Other times... other times I just thought he was a victim of his circumstances. I can not tell you if he was evil or not... He had a hard life... that can turn the kindest of souls sour."

"The eye thing..." Baelon mumbled, looking up at his mother once more. Alyarra nodded, "He was as old as you are now when he lost part of himself. He lost his eye... and part of his soul... he was maimed for life."

"My age?" Baelon asked in shock. "Yes, sweet boy. His life was unbalanced, changed forever. He was abused, put through hell and back— and no one was ever punished for it. Imagine that... it can change a person forever... tis why I can not say that he was evil. Because if I were him... I can not know how I would act." Alyarra responded in a soft manner.

"And he... he got his revenge though... he..." Baelon was scared to say it, so Alyarra did, "he killed Lucerys Velaryon." she stated. Baelon gulped, taking a small breath as he looked at his mother, expecting for her to tell him more.

"What your father did ruined our lives, and ruined the realm. He started a war, there is no way to put it. He wanted to balance the scales, but he did not... he took it too far." Alyarra said, her eyes narrowing on Baelon. "Tis why you have to understand, you can not joke about kinslaying."

Baelon nodded his head slowly, biting his lip in a nervous manner. "I was just jesting, mother. I apologize." He said wholeheartedly. Alyarra smiled lightly and reached to cup Baelon's cheek. Her son was good, his heart meant well— she knew him, she birthed him.

"You are a good boy, and I know you love your cousin and your sister. And they love you back, every one here in Winterfell loves you, sweet boy." Alyarra smiled fondly, and Baelon nodded slowly in return.