Inviolable Bindings | Aemond & Aegon II Targaryen

Chapter 45

No more than a few words were spoken over the next hour. But eventually, Aemond's affections slowed down and he settled there beside her. Sensing a lull in the moment, Viserra gently pulled herself from his arms and slipped out of bed. She grabbed one of his linen shirts folded neatly over a chair and began looking around at the table again that was cluttered with various items.

Scanning over the papers, maps, and trinkets that lay scattered across it, she tried to piece it all together. Certain things caught her eyes more than others, such as empty vials and a few strands of what appeared to be human hair bound with a string.

Turning to Aemond, she chose not to address the oddities before hearing what had occurred over the last few weeks in Harrenhal. "Daemon was not here when you arrived," she spoke as more of a statement than a question. "He had obviously fled before you made it, but had his men?"

Aemond hesitated, his eye that was once lost in the aftermath of their intimacy now more focused as he gathered his thoughts. "It took us much longer than expected as the weather was not in our favor. Daeron joined us a few days before arriving here. But it was obvious from the moment we came upon Harrenhal that my uncle was not here," he explained. "But at first we thought it a victory."

"A victory?" Viserra asked, surprised at the answer that indicated he had once again underestimated his uncle.

"Yes," he confirmed. "We thought he fled as our armies closed in but did not realize there had been a betrayal in our plans and he had used the information to take King's Landing in my absence."

His arrogance with the initial presumption did not surprise her, only adding to her concerns. "And where is Daeron now?"

"He stayed two nights here in the castle before flying back to Old Town," he explained. "The day after he had left I received a raven with word that King's Landing was no longer ours. Since then, we have been trying to forge plans that ensure we take it back and eliminate those who do not bend the knee."

Viserra's brow furrowed with concern. "Is that what happened to the small village east of the castle?"

Aemond met her eyes, remaining silent while appearing somewhat surprised at this question. "It is imperative that anyone loyal to the Blacks be eliminated. We could not risk more information being leaked of our movement and plans," he explained firmly. "Two men from here had been seen visiting the town the day before to send a raven and I am highly suspect of their involvement in treasonous actions."

Letting out a long breath, Viserra realized he was indeed confessing to burning the village and its people to the ground. However, it sounded like he had made that decision without any real confirmation and solely based on a hunch.

"And I thought you to be dead," he continued, his voice quieter this time.

Viserra's brows knitted together again. "Do you mean to imply that you burned a village and its people to the ground because your judgment was clouded in that moment?"

Aemond did not confirm or deny it, but she knew that most likey this decision had been a rash one. "It was a necessary measure."

She thought about how barron it seemed there on the castle grounds, realizing that it may have been a result of more chaotic behavior. "And what of the rest of the people who were residing here in Harrenhal?" She asked, already knowing this answer before it came out of his mouth.

"The stakes are too high to allow any room for error," he responded, sitting on the edge of the bed. There was no doubt Aemond had acted cruelly and without much thought after learning both King's Landing had been taken and thinking she had been killed in the process.