A Dance Of Scales And Shadows | Aemond Targaryen x OC

Part 25 - The Little Games

At dawn, as the young dragonkeeper was exploring the tunnels of the Dragonpit, he found Aika sitting on the floor, her arms wrapped around her legs and, most importantly, she was naked. She smelled of ash and fire, dragon and rot. The boy quickly brought the princess some clothes to cover herself. Luckily, dragonkeepers kept spare clothes in the building, just in case princes and princesses needed a shirt and trousers to saddle their dragons.

Though his curiosity nearly got the best of him, he didn't dare ask what happened. But the princess eventually spoke.

"There is indeed a dragon beneath the surface, a vicious, huge dragon," Aika said.

"Really? But your grace, why were you...?" asked the boy, referring to her lack of clothes, but too shy to finish the question.

"My clothes caught fire," she explained. The boy looked at her, trying to recall if he had seen any burns on her. "I'm lucky I'm alright."

"I don't understand. I don't remember there being a big dragon here," the boy said, almost in a whisper.

"That's because it wasn't here before," she began. "I assume it got in some time ago and has resided in the caverns since."

"Your majesty!" a few more dragonkeepers ran toward them as they walked out from the corridor.

One of the approaching figures was the older dragonkeeper who had lied to her the other day.

"Good, it looks like everyone's here," she said with almost a chuckle. "Care to explain why there's a secret dragon living beneath?"

"I—" one of the dragonkeepers started, but she interrupted him.

"I saw many remains of dragons as I walked through the corridor," she pointed toward one of them. "You knew there was a dragon feasting on other dragons in the Dragonpit, and you didn't mention any of it in the reports?"

All of them froze, and their eyes shifted toward the oldest one in the group.

"A few days ago, your sister, in the pursuit of finding a rider for spare dragons, doomed more than a hundred people to their deaths," he said sternly.

"I am not my sister," Aika said, gritting her teeth.

"You Targaryens put innocent lives at stake for your little games for the throne," he spat. "Not the same, but not any better."

It angered Aika to her core. Her nails dug into her palms as she tried to remain calm. Heads ended up on peaks for words less insulting.

"No one shall go near the dragon or speak about it to anyone," she said loudly. "It's an order."

She exited the building without saying more. A chaotic chatter erupted after her.

Was he completely wrong? Rhaenyra's attempt to find riders resulted in the deaths of so many, and Aemond had burned an entire town just because he could. Why did all of this even start? What was the trigger? Was this all for survival, or were they playing a dangerous game of madness?

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Even before she reached the Red Keep, her guards had already found her and escorted her to her room. They had been searching for her all night, along with the other guards the prince had ordered.

Aika found Aemond in her room, sitting on the edge of the bed. His head was lowered, his gaze staring at nothing in particular.

She tapped on the doorframe as she entered and silently closed the door behind her.

He raised his head, confusion and despair in his eyes. She was dressed in the ugliest leather clothes, her hair a mess, and she could imagine she smelled terrible.

"I'm sorry, I was..." she began.

"I didn't ask," he said calmly, but in the coldest tone she had ever heard him use.

Aika noticed the dark circles under his eyes. He hadn't slept the whole night. That made Aika feel terrible.

"I asked you to be careful," he said, standing up to leave. "Besides everything and everyone else that goes against me, I expect you to listen and stay close."

Aika placed her hand on his shoulder, made him sit back down, and moved closer. Their faces were just an inch apart.

"Let's just run away," she said, and his eye widened.

"We can't," he replied. "What about our duty as..."

"You don't care about duty anymore," she said, her eyes sparkling, clearly hinting at what had happened to Aegon and how he had spoken to Heleana. "You don't even care for the throne."

That was true. He hadn't taken the title of King. He wasn't even sure what he was aiming for anymore. Did he want to defeat Daemon, or have absolute power?

"What were you looking for, wading through dragon dung?" he asked, his voice light, clearly trying to change the mood.

"I wasn't wading through dung!" she replied, hitting him with one of her pillows.

"Alright, alright," he said, standing up and hovering over her. "I'll tell the maids to prepare a bath for you."

Aika wanted to stomp her feet and continue their conversation, but her stomach growled.

"And I'll ask for breakfast to be brought to your chamber," he added before leaving her standing there.