Flames of Ice | Cregan Stark

62. Shattered Boy

Aemyra's pov

I sat down at the table as I listened to Jace and Cregan lecture me for 15 minutes straight. Even Sara, Robb and Arra sat down and listened to the conversation.

"So you mean to tell me that you've been seeing Aemond in secret for a whole year?" Jace shouted.

I looked at him again, the betrayal in his eyes.

"You don't understand, Jace." I shook my head.

"Clearly I dont! So explain it to me." Jace shouted with his hands on the table, leaning forward.

"Before everything went down at Laena's funeral I saw a side to Aemond that nobody did."

"Oh please! He's been terrible since birth." Jace rolled his eyes.

"No! No he wasn't!" I shouted back. "He was good. He was kind! He was a sweet boy when we were younger! You never seen it that way because you, Lucerys and Aegon picked on him! He was a good kid who was mistreated. Whether you believe it or not we are part of the reason he's turned so angry. He will forever resent you boys for how you singled him out. You boys always toyed with the fact that he was dragon less. Look what its done? It drove him to claim the biggest dragon alive! He has so much built up anger he even burned his own brother at Rook's Rest! He is mad at the world and will do what it takes to make everyone feel the pain he felt as a child!"

"Oh and what? You saw the good in him and decided you were to marry him?" My own brother looked at me with disgust. Cregan wouldn't even look at me.

"I always felt guilty for what went down that night Aemond lost his eye. It tore our family into pieces. We spent six years apart from seeing our family. Before the drama ensued, it had been planned for Aemond and I to be betrothed. A year ago I ran into him on dragonback in the middle of the night. You don't know this but when i had a nightmare and couldn't sleep I would sneak out and go for a ride with Tessarion. Aemond did too and so for a year we seen each other at night in secret. I was lonely and he was lonely and we both just filled that void. It was never romantic... at first."

Jace and Cregan shook their head in disbelief.

"I don't expect you to understand, Jace. You were already betrothed and found someone you could love forever. You were lucky enough to be in a good arranged marriage!" I said to Jace as he just looked at me with pity before glancing over at Sara before looking back at me. "At the time I was 7 and 10 and I felt like something was wrong with me for not finding love. The only men who wanted to be my suitors were people who wanted their own kin on that throne! It was all a facade but Aemond made me feel loved! Like there wasn't anything wrong with me. But it was a lie. He wanted the same thing all men do. He just wanted to get in my pants and get himself on that throne. So judge me all you want but I am just a girl trying to find a man who loves me for me! I was a fool to think it could've been Aemond but my own dreams told me he would betray me so you don't need to tell me I'm a fool. I know that already. I just thought that if we married that our family would unite as one again. But when I told Aemond I didn't love him and I would not marry him as he wished... he grew angry."

"Angry how? Did he hurt you?" Jace grew with rage.

"No." I shook my head.

"I met with Aemond that night you left." I looked at Cregan. "We met up on this small isle that we discovered. We called it Kindle Isle. It is neutral grounds. When I arrived on dragonback he told me he wanted to marry. He gave me an option. I marry him and we become King and Queen together or we continue this war where many people will die."