Born to Die

Chapter 44

"Missing? What do you mean missing?" Aemeryn demanded as she stormed over to Aegon.

"I um well," Aegon stammered out as Aemeryn stopped in front of him. She was still crying, but Aegon didn't think she even realized it by the scowl on her face. "After you left to deal with Rhaena, Aemond stormed out of the throne room. Helaena saw Vhagar fly off a few minutes later, but she couldn't see if Aemond was on her back."

Aemeryn sighed and ran her hand through her loose curls. "I need to find him." She tried to walk around Aegon, but he was blocking her movement. Aemeryn frowned and moved to the other side of Aegon, but he blocked that too. "Aegon, what the fuck?"

"You need to stay here, Em. You need to rest." Aegon was almost pleading as he looked at his niece.

"No, I don't. I need to find my grieving husband before he does something idiotic."

"Em, don't make me do it," Aegon begged as he put his hands on her cheeks to force her to look at him.

"Do what?" Aemeryn forced out between her squished cheeks. Aegon took a deep breath to answer when footfalls sounded behind them. They both fell silent, and Aegon looked over his shoulder to see who was coming.

Helaena walked through the doorway and frowned as she looked at Aegon. She was still dressed in her pale blue dress from before, but her hair had been pulled back completely into a braided bun. Aemeryn noticed the black leather riding gloves in her aunt's grip.

"He means that the Queen has forbidden you from going anywhere else until morning. I'm taking Dreamfyre to look for Aemond."

"In a dress?" Aegon asked with an arched brow as he let Aemeryn's face go. Helaena could see the relief on his features at not being the one to break the news to Aemeryn that her mother doesn't want her going anywhere.

Aemeryn waited a beat before she ran around Helaena and down the hallway. Aegon and Helaena both immediately turned and ran after her. Aegon was somehow a tad quicker and ran around Aemeryn to stop her from getting any farther than she already had.

"How could she?" Aemeryn cried as she struggled in Aegon's hold. "He's my husband, dammit! She can't forbid me from looking for him!"

"Em, shut up for a minute! She's just looking out for you." Aegon tightened his grip around her as best as he could. She was still in her armor while everyone else had changed out of it except for Aemond. "You haven't stopped moving since you left Dragonstone this morning."

"I need to find him," Aemeryn repeated as she stopped struggling as hard.

"He's not Aemond right now," Aegon whispered as he looked down into Aemeryn's face. She frowned and looked for an explanation. "Our mother died in front of him, Em. He was always the closest to her out of all of us. She was going to kill him trying to kill you. He's not handling any of that well."

"She wouldn't have killed him, Aegon."

Aegon shared a look with Helaena before looking back down at Aemeryn. Even now, even after Alicent had attempted to harm her twice, she was still seeing the good in her. "Em, there was a bolt in that crossbow. All she had to do was pull the trigger."

"So? She didn't have time to pull it!"

"Aemeryn," Helaena said softly as she ran her hand down her hair. "Did you not notice the bolt in Criston's body once you turned around? Mother did pull the trigger; Aegon simply hit her hand so that the angle moved."

Aemeryn was silent for a beat before she looked back at Aegon. "You told Aemond?"

"Aemond saw the bolt," Aegon whispered as he let Aemeryn go. Gods, on top of losing his mother, he now knew that she was going to kill his wife as well?