House of the Dragon: The Green King

Die to live

"Everyone has a sin. Prince Aegon has lust, Prince Aemond has wrath, and Queen Adella has greed. King Aemon is ruled by the most dangerous of all sins, the sin of  pride." Highsepton Barth

Aemon pov

Two reptilian hollow eyes stared back at me, shinning with a bright green hue and a promise of violence. The beast unhinged its mighty maws as the cave was illuminated in a bright green light.

"Keligon nyke udrāzma ao keligon" (stop, I command you stop) I screamed to no avail as he unleashed a torrent of blackish green flames, drowning me in his wrath. I felt the warmth of the flames lick over my flesh as my clothes turned to ash.

Adella pov

BANG

My chamber doors were blasted off their hinges as two Kingsgaurds earnestly rushed into my chambers, their armour clinging and clanging as they turned my chamber upside down attempting to locate me.

"She's not in her," one spoke, his voice filled with apathy.

"Try to sound a little more concerned, brother. The Queen will have our heads if we can't find her and, by extension, the prince," the other one replied, sounding overwhelmed and desperate. He'd clearly not slept for a while if his sluggish movements were anything to go by.

"All this because the prince wants to be a spoiled child; he decides now to act like a child, and why does she think Lady Adella would know where he is?" The fresher of the twins said in a judgmental tone as he started looking through my dresser.

"The Queen thinks she knows, and we do, as she says honestly. The kid gives me the creeps; he's never acted like a kid once; it's almost unnerving being around him." The sluggish one responded with mild revulsion.

"Maybe he really is blessed by the seven; it wouldn't make sense for him to act like a normal kid if he were either way. I don't think we will find her here; she's probably already left. We should go and check the rest of the castle for her," the fresher twin responded as he quickly ran out of the room, followed by his slower companion.

After I was sure they left, I crawled my way out from under my bed, and I dusted myself off. I couldn't help but sigh in relief as I'd escaped by the skin of my teeth.

Honestly, Aemon does the stupidest things, and I have to go along with them. Its exhausting. He had to do this, and I had to follow his lead in this otherwise my plans would all fall apart. That idiot couldn't just be a little patient and let me just hire a faceless man. Granted, who knows when Leanna would have died, but she would die like all souls who are unfortunate enough to be marked by them.

Aemon was a piece of work, though he did have flaws that I had been exploiting and using. He seems invincible before you peel away the layers; he's smart, sure, but he's also reckless, quick to act, obsessive, and very proud.

I had worked so hard to get what I wanted. I will marry him, I will become the Queen, and I will rule by his side, but having to adjust myself to temper his worst impulses is exhausting and often meaningless, seeing as sometimes he ignores me and does stupid things anyway. Men truly are infuriating.

Now if he doesn't come back and dies, I also join him in death, seeing as I will be put on the chopping block. Thanks to my involvement, maybe I could demand a trial by combat, but I can't think of anyone who could stand a chance against the crown's champions. Maybe that man from Lys I've heard about could take on Cole, who would obviously be the crown's champion, being the deadliest and most skilled of the king's guard.