Through Morning's Eye

Fifteen: Is This Heaven or Hell?

Doyle stepped on her arms to keep her down, allowing Tram the opportunity to whip her back again.

"I wish the queen would let us see those tits of yours, a young girl like you must have a nice set I reckon."

Doyle laughed. "Guess we shall settle with making her scream."

Tram laughed in agreement, lifting part of her tunic. "This will hurt."

The fire-hot iron pressed against the flesh of her back as they had her pinned to her stomach, and she screamed. "STOP!"

"Stop!"

"Stop!"

"Kristyne!" Aemond hissed. Her eyes flew open as she struggled to breathe. Sweat coated her forehead as chills spread over her arms. This was her third morning waking up like this, marking her third morning in Aemond's room.

"If you keep screaming in your sleep, you will be discovered," Aemond scowled.

"Not exactly in my control," She sat up with a sigh, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "And not particularly unwarranted, all things considered. I went through hell in those cells thanks to the kindness of your mother's heart."

"Hm," He said, grabbing the food tray and holding it out to her. "Eat."

"No thank you, not in the mood."

"I have been patient, but you have not been in the mood for three days. Eat."

"I shall eat when I damn well please. Pardon me for having nerves that make it impossible to eat."

"I grabbed you from that hell to spare your pathetic life and I will not watch you waste the chance just to starve to death."

"Yes, because this is so much better!" She shouted, standing up. The same routine for the third day in a row. Waking up from a screaming nightmare, refusing to eat, and yelling at one another. What an invigorating life she lived.

Aemond had his dagger in hand within a second, placing it to her throat. "Sit. And. Eat."

She glared back at him, challenging him without words. "If I was at my peak strength, this would be a fair fight."

"Precisely, you are weak, and refusing to eat does not help matters. So stop being a stubborn cunt and fucking eat."

Her anger flared at the insult. Her father taught her better than to allow a man to call her such demeaning names. "Maybe I would not be such a cunt had you not kidnapped me. The only thing I find acceptable about the situation is my confinement made Lucerys' survival possible."

Aemond looked taken aback. "You thought I was going to kill him?"

"You raced to your dragon just as we did, Aemond."

"To scare him! I wanted to taunt him, maybe he would have wet himself in fear to my amusement."

"Oh, you bastard!" She groaned.

"No, you must be thinking of your brother."

She raised her hand to smack him but he grabbed her wrist and she screamed in pain. The same wrist Cole broke weeks ago that never healed properly.

"I barely touched you!"

"Fuck!" She cried and cradled it.

"Seven hells, what the fuck is your deal?"

"Cole broke it the day I woke up from when you brought me! It was never treated and henceforth, it never healed correctly. You are quite the ass, Aemond. I will eat if you leave me alone."