The Realms Rose | Aemond Targaryen / Daemon Targaryen

XXVI

Wicked Games - The Weeknd

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As Aurora laid in bed that night, restless and her mind a mess, her head replayed her and her husbands earlier conversation over and over again.

Despite their talk and his promise, she continued to worry, her mind conjuring up all the worst case scenarios in her head.

She couldn't help but question the sincerity of his words, was he really going to keep his promise? Or was it all a lie?

She sighed softly and tried to get comfortable in the bed, tugging the blankets around her shoulders for a small measure of comfort.

As the hours crawled by, sleep also continued to evade Aemond. He prowled around the room, his mind constantly drifting to the woman sleeping in the next chamber. He wished he could go to her, to lay beside her and hold her in his arms, but he knew she wasn't ready for that yet.

He rolled onto his stomach and sighed, his eyes falling closed and he desperately tried to think of something else. However his mind was fixed on the only thing that really occupied it.

Aurora.

His mind conjured up image after image of her, the sound of her voice, her laughs and her moans. A low groan left his lips as he buried his face back into the pillow, his body tight with tension.

Despite his frustration, he was determined to prove that he could be better. That his love for her was true. But the more he thought about it, the more he wanted her to know exactly how he felt.

He stood from the bed and walked silently to her door, pausing at the threshold with his hand on the knob. Contemplating whether or not this was a mistake.

His hand tightened into a fist and after a moment of hesitation, he knocked softly on the door.

She was half asleep when the knock came. She blinked her eyes until they focused and she stared at the door with confusion, her mind still hazy with sleep as she tried to understand what was happening.

She lifted the heavy blankets off of her and stood, grabbing her robe from where it was folded on a nearby chair and pulling it on as she walked to the door. Opening it carefully, she was shocked to find Aemond on the other side.

He stared down at her for a moment, his eye tracing over her features and taking in the sight of her in her sleep clothes. She was more beautiful than he had thought possible.

"Did I wake you?" He murmured softly, a strange vulnerability in his tone.

She studied him, her gaze flicking between each of his features in turn and her fingers grasping at the front of her robe tightly. He looked... tired, she realised. Almost more like a haunted man than a prince.

She shook her head slowly, blinking groggily up at him as she leaned against the doorframe.
"No. I was awake...thinking..." He could hear the sleep in her voice and her expression was slightly confused as she continued to stare up at him.

She tilted her head slightly to the side, her teeth worrying at her bottom lip for a moment. The atmosphere in the room was thick with tension and uncertainty.

"I couldn't sleep..." She murmured quietly, her voice hoarse but her eyes never wavering as she watched him.

He lifted his hand and reached for her cheek, his fingers lightly brushing against her skin and the back of his fingers gently tracing over her jaw. He couldn't help himself, he just needed to touch her.