The Silver Dragon | Aemond Targaryen x Royce!OC

Chapter 9: The Tunnel

"It's me."

In all her life, Arianwyn had never heard Aemond's voice like that. He did not shout nor raise his voice, but his words were powerful and sure. It was the voice of a prince.

For years, he had spoken so softly – hesitantly, as if afraid of how others would react to his words. It was not an unfounded fear, not with how Aegon, Jace, and Luke had treated him for so long. Nevertheless, something about hearing him like that set Arianwyn's heart pounding, just as it had when she watched him mount Vhagar less than an hour before.

The others in the tunnel were not as moved by this change in him, however.

Their cousins stood before them in the torch-lit tunnel, blocking their only route back into the castle. Baela took the lead, Rhaena only a step behind her, with Jace and Luke at her back. None of them bothered to conceal their anger.

Though Aemond was not intimidated, Arianwyn was. The two of them were outnumbered, and from the looks on her nephews' and sisters' faces, resolving this peacefully would not be easy.

"Vhagar is my mother's dragon," Baela growled, clenching fists.

Aemond was quick to reply. "Your mother's dead. And Vhagar has a new rider now."

The cold bluntness of his words took Arianwyn aback. Was this not the same boy who, earlier that very day, had tried to comfort a grieving Jace? She stepped forward to take his hand, draw him back, and put an end to this before it began.

At the same moment, Rhaena stepped forward.

Her cheeks were red, and Arianwyn could see her hands shaking with rage. It was easy to pity her; they had just laid their mother to rest this morning, and now another piece of her had gone. But her anger, however sympathetic, was misguided – Vhagar had chosen to accept Aemond, and they would remain bonded until one or both of them were dead.

"She was mine to claim!" Rhaena declared.

"Then you should have claimed her!" Aemond shouted back. He tilted his head to his nephews with a look of utter contempt.

"Maybe your cousins can find you a pig to ride," he sneered. "It would suit you."

And Arianwyn understood.

Aemond's rising anger was not in response to what now faced him, at least not entirely. This was a more dangerous rage that had been simmering beneath the surface for years, well hidden under his meek façade. Like the Fourteen Flames of Old Valyria in the days preceding the Doom, the fire within him was finally ready to burst.

Arianwyn did not have a chance to see how the boys reacted to the words, for before she could even turn her head, Rhaena surged forward. She crashed into Aemond, both hands splayed on his chest, trying to shove him to the ground. But she was much younger and much smaller than him. He grabbed her forearms and sent her careening into the sand on the tunnel floor with ease. Arianwyn leaned toward him, gripping his shoulder to pull him back.

"Aemond, no!"

Before he could react, Baela, too, stepped toward him. She swung her fist with all her might, hitting Aemond squarely on the chin, hard enough that he could not hold back a shout of pain. He reeled back, crashing into Arianwyn and taking them both to the ground.

Gods, Aemond was heavy. The wind was knocked out of Arianwyn by the impact from above and below, and having inhaled some of the sand kicked up by their fall, she began to cough as she struggled to regain her breath. Aemond quickly scrambled off her, dusting off her hair with one hand while the other cradled her cheek.

"Aria?" he asked, desperation in his voice, "Aria, are you okay?"

-

The fire inside Aemond grew into a towering inferno when Aria only coughed in response, weakly shaking her head.