wicked games | aemond targaryen

𝚏𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚝𝚎𝚎𝚗

"WHY WOULD YOU do that?" Jacaerys' voice carried across the garden, surprising Valaena as she glanced up from the book in her lap. Her eyes snapped around their surroundings finding no one other than Ser Donnel standing guard at the edge of the garden to overhear their conversation.

"Do what?" Valaena played coy as she returned to her book, flipping the page despite no longer reading any of the words.

"You know what I speak of," Jacaerys stopped at her feet, his shadow overcasting onto Valaena as she released a silent sigh before closing the book shut. "You put yourself in danger last night."

"No more danger than the rest of you had," Valaena commented as she pushed herself onto her feet to face Jacaerys. "You could have been seriously injured, or worse."

"But why?" Jacaerys asked, his face filled with confusion as he stared at her.

"We are cousins, are we not?" Valaena asked with a raised eyebrow.

"So is Aemond," Jacaerys retorted. "What makes us any different?"

Valaena released a tired sigh as she glanced around the garden once more before pulling Jacaerys closer under the tree.

"Because the others are not like us," Valaena whispered, her eyes darting around the garden as if anyone might overhear them at any moment. "They do not care for family like we do, only of power and status."

Jacaerys frowned at her words.

"But we're all family," Jacaerys told her. "Isn't that supposed to mean something?"

"Why do you think Aemond called you bastards last night?" Valaena questioned, watching as Jacaerys tensed up under her gaze.

"I don't know what you mea-"

"Save it," Valaena cut him off. "I've known for as long as I've been a Targaryen. And I made a promise to your mother that I would protect you and your brother from harm. That's exactly what I did last night."

There was a moment of pause as Jacaerys stared into Valaena's eyes, the flecks of purple sparkling under the sun to show that she truly was one of them.

"I should have acted last night," Jacaerys admitted as his shoulders sagged. "It should have been me protecting Luke-"

"Better I take the blame than you," Valaena interrupted, stopping Jacaerys from going down the path he was on. "I am of no consequence. You are next in line to the throne after your mother, Jace."

"But Luke is my responsibility," Jacaerys argued. "I should have-"

"Done nothing," Valaena was firm, her tone leaving no room for argument. "You did exactly what you needed to do — absolutely nothing."

"But I wanted to do something, how can I not?" Jacaerys argued, his voice raising as Valaena stared at him with understanding eyes.

"Sometimes nothing is the hardest thing to do," Valaena told Jacaerys. "But it's what needs to be done."

"Have you experienced it then?" Jacaerys asked her. "Doing nothing."

Valaena did not answer right away, thinking back on her life since Daemon found her in Flea Bottom with nothing to her name and no family.

"I am not like you or your brother," Valaena finally said. "I am someone who must do everything so you may do nothing."

"That's not fair," Jacaerys argued.

"No, it's not," Valaena said with a humorless smile. "But doing something always comes with a price, and I understand that price. When the time comes for you to finally act, you too must make sure it's worth the price."