Through Morning's Eye

Fourteen: Innocence Is For Children

After she said his name, they reached an impasse. Neither spoke, they just stared at one another. On one hand, she hated him for putting her here. On the other, she was thankful. Thankful that he chose to take her and let Lucerys leave in peace.

"Did you come here just to taunt me or do you have anything to say?" She finally asked.

"You just could not bend the knee for Aegon, could you? Avoid all this suffering and you chose arrogance."

"Spare me the false sympathy, Aemond. This suffering is because of you!"

"I did not know this would be the result," He hissed, "I planned on using you as a bargaining tool for your brother. I want justice for my eye. This was not what I imagined my mother doing."

"The gods may have taken only one eye but you truly are blind. Your mother does not want peace. If she wanted peace, she would have married Helaena to Jacaerys. Instead, she chose her own self-righteousness over peace. She is a bitter and insecure woman, she could not handle seeing Rhaenyra be happier than she was, to do things she never could. How are you still defending that woman?"

"She is the only one who ever defended me. I owe her an understanding no one else has ever given. Lucerys took my eye, and I was the one who was chastised. I did not deserve that over an insult." He said, turning his gaze away from her face.

"Your memory must have left with your eye because I remember you about to kill me when he took our eye." She replied, through gritted teeth.

Aemond rolled his eye and scoffed. "Always so dramatic. I was not going to kill you. Scare you is all I wanted to do."

"Choking and raising a rock to one's head and your idea of scaring?" She yelled.

"Yes, Kristyne, it was in the heat of the moment. I was attacked for claiming a dragon, forgive me if my rationality was skewed."

"How can I forgive you, Aemond? You brought me here, do you know what they do to me daily? I do not want your pity, I want your honesty. Did you truly believe I would not be harmed?"

Aemond held his hands behind his back, watching her with an intense glare. "You complain a lot for someone being allowed to live when they have betrayed the crown."

She let out a laugh, unable to believe the audacity this man had. "Allowed to live? Death would be a mercy compared to my life right now. I get bread every other day, I get waterboarded and kicked around every morning, and all I get is a blanket to sleep on, no pillow. And not to mention my own fucking uncle!"

Aemond's posture moved, his glare turning curious. "Your uncle? Did he cause the busted lip?"

"Yes," She laughed again, tears forming in her eyes. "If you must know, my own uncle came here to rub his cock on my feet! And when I kicked him away, he used the pommel of his cane on my face. So forgive me, Aemond, if I complain about this personal hell you have sentenced me to."

Aemond's posture straightened again and when it did, he nodded. It was not an obvious nod, it was barely noticeable as if he were nodding to himself.

But after, he turned and left. No reply, no looking back at her, no anything, he abandoned her once again.

She didn't argue, she watched him leave with a sad expression. It felt nice to have a conversation when she was not screaming in pain or begging for someone to stop. It was an actual conversation.

She laid back down, trying not to get too angry. How could he truly believe she would not be harmed, and why did he care? His willful blindness to Alicent was his largest flaw save for his thirst for violence.