The Art of Chaos

Chapter 18

I won't be able to post until Wednesday.

Aemond talks to both Rhaenyras and Helaena feels hopeful. I hope you guys like it 🥰

5 days later.

Aemond had been questioning everything that had happened in his life for the past five days. His brain refused to turn off , just kept going on and on about everything that had happened to him since he could remember. He was more confused than ever and nothing made sense anymore. He had been so sure of things , he had known he was on the right side, that he was protecting his family. Now, all he had were doubts, and did not know what to do. Daemon had left him with more questions than answers and he needed to know many things.

He took a deep breath and knocked on the door, waiting until he was allowed to enter before opening it. Rhaenyra seemed surprised to see him and he could not blame her, he had not spoken much to the other version of his sister.

"Aemond," The woman's smile said she did not mind his presence. "Is something the matter?"

"I was wondering if we could talk for a moment." Rhaenyra nodded and gestured to the chair near hers. "I have some questions."

She gave him a questioning look. "Is this about the talk you had with my husband a few days ago?"

"I should have known he would tell you." The Daemon and Rhaenyra of this world seemed to talk about everything. "Yes, I have a few things to ask you."

She nodded and set her papers aside, giving him all her attention. "Go ahead."

He took a deep breath before speaking. "Daemon said that when he returned from the Stepstones, you were already taking care of Aegon, Aemond, and Helaena. Did you take care of them since they were born?"

"No," He had been expecting her to say yes , that would make it easier for him to see the differences between her and his sister. " To be honest , I did not have much to do with Aegon until he was five. When he was born I resented him , he was the son my father had always wanted, the one he killed my mother for. He was the boy who was going to replace me and I would be set aside . I am ashamed to admit I let my anger keep me away from them for too long."

That was very similar to the way his sister had acted, which brought another question. "What changed?"

"When Aegon was five I had a horrible dream. I saw death and destruction , I woke up in agony, feeling like flames were licking at my skin. For a time I did not know what it meant, but when I woke up I heard a noise outside of my chambers and went to investigate. I found Aegon standing in the hall , he was sad because he had a nightmare and went to his mother. Alicent yelled at him and sent him back to his chambers." Rhaenyra looked almost ashamed while telling him the story. "As I looked at him, I realized that he was just as alone as I was , just as vulnerable. He was my brother and I resented him for something that was not his doing."

It was the same thing as his sister. "Did you hate them?"

"No, I never hated them." There was no hesitation in her answer. "I was angry at my father and I transferred that anger to them. It took me a while to recognize what it was, but once I did I decided to do better. I took charge of their care, made sure they had everything they needed and I loved them like I had given birth to them myself."

In his world things had been very different. "How can you love them, knowing what they represent?"

"Because they are worthy of love. Aegon is sweet and loving, all he wanted was attention and for someone to love him unconditionally, not because he is the firstborn boy, but because of who he is. Then you have Helaena, who has always been the sweetest girl. Your Helaena was told from a very early age she was strange and simple, no one ever tried to understand what was happening. Helaena is none of those things, she is a dragon dreamer and sees the future." He had suspected that for the past few days, but it was a bit shocking to have someone confirm it. "My Helaena grew up differently, I realized what she was when she was very young and I did everything in my power to help her. I studied and read everything I could find on Dragon Dreamers, and so did Daemon. We made sure to soothe her when she saw something bad and reassure her that we would do everything in our power to change the outcome. Then there is Aemond," The look on her face softened even more. "My sweet boy, as a small child he was always happy and smiling, he made everything better. He was always very smart and enjoyed learning, so I hired the best tutors for him. He used to feel bad because he did not have a dragon, but Daemon and I explained to him that not having a dragon meant nothing, hewould claim one when he was ready and he did. I made sure my children did not grow up surrounded by hatred and doubts. I did the best I could to make sure they had a good life."