A Dance Of Scales And Shadows | Aemond Targaryen x OC

Part 4 - The Blue Room

"Choosing ... it has always hurt. And always will." GRRM

Well, the reactions were expected. For Aegon it was sort of hilarious, he was so ready to drop a sentence to tease Aika but number of angered ones made him shush. Otto and Alicent were fumming all over the place. All they did after leaving the throne room was expressing their disappointment over Aika's decision over and over.

"It's unacceptable, unthought of"

"I am trying to marry you to a noble lord and you accept to marry a mere bastard"

"Do you really think you are that important that decisions like this will save all of us" was last thing Otto said to her and at that moment she did feel powerless and unimportant.

She was lying on her back in her room which was her safest place for years when she lived in the Red Keep. She made sure all of her room was decorated in some shade of blue and a bit of white. It always felt calm and peaceful for her. Tears were filling her eyes and dropping down from the sides of her face, sinking into pillow. 

"Princess you have a visitor.." said one of the maids outside of her door.

"I said clearly I wish to see no one today"

"It's prince Jacaerys Velaryon," that made her sit up quicker than she imagined. 

"Oh.. One minute please.." she said and jumped to her mirror making sure she looks at least presentable. Her eyes were a bit puffy but otherwise she looked appealing. For a second she thought how pathetic she looked trying to please the prince.

Aika opened the door and saw the young prince patiently standing there. No one could deny he was charming.

"Sorry to bother, I thought I should come to see you" started Jace and looked more into the room rather than in her eyes. Seemingly cause he was shy.

"It's alright, come in" replied Aika and closed the door after him.

"Wow you have a gorgeous room" he said as he entered.

She offered him a seat at a table that was near the window. The light blue curtains made his red and black silhouette stand out. He was a bit taller and a year younger than Aika. She studied his features and thought to herself that he indeed looked so much alike Harwin Strong.

"I wanted to thank you for accepting my mothers proposal, I never could have imagined someone as perfect as you would ever agree to be betrothed to someone like me..." he said nervously, "I know I should have came for you for a proposal myself, I feel like that would have been more honorable and right."

"Rhaenyra said you are an honest guy," said Aika continuing to study his features but now also attentive to his expressions. "So should I be honest and straightforward with you?"

"Yeah sure.."

"Rhaenyra offered me something for which I agreed to this. My family always prepared me for a marriage for so many purposes, none of which I found appealing. I did all to avoid those." She stopped for a brief second then continued while looking out of the window, "I don't like you Jace Velaryon, and I might never do. I can promise to be loyal and do my duties but nothing more." When she ended she gazed into his eyes.

For a moment Jace thought of himself as being trapped in a blue dragon stomach like a pray. Then he saw the embroidery on the wall of tiny birds, and the net that surrounded the bed and then looked back at Aika, in her puffy eyes that he somehow missed to notice when he entered the room. 

"You cried because of me?" the question startled Aika. Now it seemed like both of them were like caged birds rather than one a beast and another one a pray.