Sun and Fire ~ Aemond Targaryen

09. Bastards

The hug that the Queen gave to her son looked honest and warm, but he did not return the embrace and simply stood still with a heavy gaze into the void. Perhaps he wanted to cry inside but his enormous pride prevented him from doing so, even so he received his mother's gesture in a good way and Daemma observed Helaena who still held that millipede and did not stop looking at it as if it were a treasure impossible to ignore.

"Lady Daemma" The girl heard her Queen's voice and looked away from Princess Helaena to turn her full attention to Alicent.

"Yes, Your Grace?" Daemma felt a light touch from the Queen on her arm and noticed that she had noticed her injured elbow as blood was seeping through the fabric. The girl looked with some concern and modestly smiled "Oh, don't worry.... It's nothing of importance."

"I will give the order for a maester to check your injuries" The Queen stated in a soft voice, but the girl assured her that there was no need for, a maid was more than enough to heal a simple blow. Honestly all she hoped was that she could get out of there and take a nice bath to wash off the dirt and ashes and then heal her elbows, it had been a long morning.

However, the Queen still looked at her with somewhat disappointed eyes, although it was certain that this disappointment was due to the general situation of what had happened and not because of the girl in front of her. Without both of them averting their gazes, Alicent spoke again.

"Could you tell me, my dear, why did you enter the Dragonpit...did Aemond ask you to accompany him?"

"No... it was of my own free will... he told me not to follow him, but I still went after him."

"Why?"Alicent watched her somewhat curiously pursing her lip, her voice was still soft and after that question Daemma directed a very brief glance to the prince, who also looked at her sideways with a serious expression, a small sigh came out of her and she decided to be sincere.

"I... I was worried about the prince... just that".

A sincere smile settled on the queen's lips and almost immediately she reached over to the girl and stroked her cheek with her fingers.

"I understand...thank you, Daemma" The Hightower woman thanked.

The girl also responded with a smile of her own, the Queen was always kind to her, but on this occasion she could tell she wasn't being protocol, her gesture was natural and her eyes reflected sincerity. Aemond still kept his gaze down as if he didn't know how to react or what to say.

Both boys were sent to their respective dormitories to wash up and rest while Alicent also came out of his quarters with a clearly annoyed face to go to talk to the King about what had happened and also about "other" matters.

In the hallway Aemond glanced sideways again at his cousin before going to his room and after a moment's thought decided to swallow his nerves and pride to address a single word to her without looking at her.

"Thank you."

Daemma watched him with some surprise, but the boy did not stay to continue talking and walked down the corridor, the girl decided to go to her room with a slight smile wondering what was funnier? that Aemond showed his soft side or that she had just realized that he was not a hateful ungrateful as she had thought.

As he entered he noticed that Meria was nowhere to be seen, surely she must still be playing with Jace and Luke in the gardens and a maid he had brought from Highgarden took it upon herself to help her bathe and disinfected her scratches, she was young but very uncommunicative. She never asked anything she shouldn't have. Surely her mother had trained her personally.