Inviolable Bindings | Aemond & Aegon II Targaryen

Chapter 48

Viserra's eagerness to leave was quashed with Alys telling her things had yet to fall into place. She could not give her a timeframe in which she would leave, only that she must be ready when the time was right. Because of this, the restlessness continued to pull at her, her impatience building with the hours spent sitting idly there in the damp castle.

With each coming day, she also feared that Aemond's neutrality would falter and he would try to convince her against leaving again. He had not voiced further disagreement on the matter since the evening she had first addressed it, but he also did not give her the satisfaction of his approval either. Though each time it was brought up, his jaw would tighten and his posture straighten, telling her everything he would not say out loud.

A soft knocking at the tower door brought Viserra's eyes to open quickly. The perception of time was slightly warped and she was not sure if it was late into the night or only a few minutes since she had fallen asleep. Looking at some of the candles that still burned on the wall, she knew it must not have been long since at least one of them had retired to the bed.

It took her a moment, but she realized Aemond was sitting at the table instead of lying next to her. It brought the confusion back for a moment, not knowing what he was sitting there for but she watched as he answered the knock after waiting a long moment.

"What is it?" He asked with irritation, his voice cutting through the silence.

The door creaked open to reveal Alys standing there, her presence bringing an uneasy aura even though she did not walk any further into the room. Addressing Viserra solely as if he was not present, she did not give Aemond even the slightest look as she spoke.

"Now is the time if it is still your desire to proceed to King's Landing," she announced in her usual manner.

Viserra continued to pull at the furs around her as she rose from the bed "Do you mean right at this moment?" She questioned.

Alys nodded. "Yes, now."

Feeling a flood of adrenaline push the sleepiness out of her body, she looked over to Aemond. His hair was untied, framing his face and hanging over his shoulders. The tired look he wore gave away that he had not found much sleep before this. For a moment, neither of them spoke, but she could feel that they were on very different wavelengths.

"I will ready myself immediately," she affirmed, watching as Alys turned to leave without another word.

Aemond remained silent as she gathered the clothing prepared for when the time came to go. She could feel his eye on her as she dressed, and when she fastened the Valyrian steel blade to her hip, it felt as if his gaze was burning a hole right through her.

"I must do this," she spoke quietly, reassuring not only him, but herself as well.

Aemond stood silent yet his frustration with the whole situation was undeniable. Furrowing her brows, Viserra felt as if she were losing patience for his continued disapproval knowing very well that if their roles had been reversed, he would not hear her pleas to stay either.

"It will only be a few days," she continued on, attempting to give him some sort of reassurance. "Once I am on dragonback, I cannot imagine it taking me more than a few hours to return here."

He waited for what seemed like eternity before finally standing, not taking his eye off of her as she began braiding her hair back. Without another word, he took her face in his hands, the hair slipping from her fingers and unraveling back down over her shoulders.

Viserra did not resist the kiss, savoring his lips as they pressed against hers. She knew that it might be the only communication she was going to receive from him right in that moment. When she pulled away, she momentarily thought she had seen fear somewhere within his expression, carefully studying his features as she finished tying her hair back.