Led By Fiery Passion (currently being revised)

Part 62

Aenyra could hear distant voices in the room, but her eyelids felt too heavy to lift just yet.

"How is she? Is the baby okay?" Aemond's worried voice broke through the haze. She felt a cold touch at her midsection as someone carefully adjusted her tunic beneath her leathers.

"Should we be worried, maester?" Rhaenyra's voice followed, laced with concern.

"No, Princess Aenyra will be fine," Maester Gerardys assured them, his tone professional yet gentle. "She's likely in shock from the news about Prince Lucerys and hasn't been eating properly. The baby is in a crucial growth stage, so it's essential that she rests and maintains a good nutritious diet. If not, this could happen again or she could end up losing the child."

Aemond let out a heavy sigh, feeling the bed dip slightly beside her as he rubbed her stomach gently. She heard Rhaenyra leave the room with the Maester, leaving the two of them alone. The words exchanged earlier were a blur, but the comforting sensation of his large hand tracing shapes along her waist allowed her to relax. Yet, as the memories of what had happened before she passed out flooded back, so did the tears.

"Aemond" she groaned softly, her eyes fluttering open slowly as uncontrollable tears streamed down her cheeks. Aemond rose and took one of her hands in his, pressing a tender kiss to the back of it.

"Aenyra, please, take it easy. If not for me, then for the baby." he whispered, concern etched on his face as he watched her struggle to sit up, only to fall back into silence. She turned her face towards him, unable to hide the tears that flowed freely.

Aenyra wasn't even sure what had transpired for him to be there at Dragonstone, but she felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude that he was by her side.

"Tell me what happened." she whispered, her voice trembling, barely more than a breath. For a long moment, they sat in silence. Aemond bowed his head, resting it gently against the back of her hand, as if drawing strength from the simple touch.

"Maybe we should wait until you're feeling a bit better." he offered softly, his tone almost coaxing.

"I wasn't asking, Aemond." she said firmly, brows knitting into a silent command that left no room for evasion.

He lifted his gaze, something unreadable threading through his normally unyielding expression, and it made her chest tighten. "I don't want to lie to you, Aenyra," he began, each word measured, heavy with regret. "The day after you left, there was a council meeting. I was ordered to go to Storm's End, with orders of bringing the Baratheons to Aegon's side. Originally, my mother intended me to marry one of Borros Baratheon's daughters to form an alliance. I had no choice but to tell her about us. So instead, I proposed an alternative—Daeron."

Aenyra remained motionless, absorbing every syllable. Her heart thumped painfully against her ribs.

"When Lucerys arrived, we were still negotiating when he was questioned about what Rhaenyra was offering. He told Borros he couldn't wed because he was already betrothed. Borros didn't take kindly to Lucerys being sent there empty-handed, and he dismissed him. But the thing was, ever since Lucerys arrived there... I had felt this overwhelming, unrelenting urge to reclaim what was taken from me."

Her chest tightened. Every word he spoke drove a pit of dread deeper into her stomach as she swallowed the thick lump in her throat.

"I followed him out of the tower," Aemond continued, his voice low but steady, "and we ended up in a heated argument about you and what happened at Driftmark." He paused, and Aenyra could almost feel the tension of that moment stretching between them. "Then Aegon appeared, taunting me, feeding doubts that made me forget my promise to you, just for a heartbeat. Lucerys fled, and I pursued him, blinded by anger. But when I saw Aegon chasing him on Sunfyre, I realized what I was doing was wrong. I climbed onto Vhagar and chased after them. I begged Lucerys to land, promised him I would not harm him..but before he could, Aegon emerged from the shadows of a
dark cloud, and—"