FIRE AND BLOOD [Aemond Targaryen]

4: goodbye

Aemond and Visenya carefully approached Vhagar, who was sleeping on the beach, next to Rhaelor. They both approached the princess' dragon.

"What are you waiting for?" Visenya asked the younger as she caressed her dragon's head. "Don't be afraid, Aemond. Rhaelor and I are right here. I told you I'd be here, but I can't do it for you."

"What am I supposed to do?" Aemond asked her.

"If she's the right dragon, you will know." The princess gave him an encouraging smile.

Aemond tried to jump in top of Vaghar, but the dragon refused at first, willing to burn the boy. Rhaelor and Visenya raised on alert, ready to protect Aemond if necessary.

"Joharys, Vaghar!" Aemond screamed. And Vaghar listened.

Aemond had officially claimed the oldest dragon alive and succeed.

"What now?" He looked at her as she climbed to her sit above Rhaelor.

"Now we fly." She simply answered with a smile, raising above the clouds with her dragon, being followed right after by Vaghar and her new rider, Aemond Targaryen.

...

"That was amazing." Aemond said with a bright smile as they both entered the castle.

"I told you I'd be there when you first mounted a dragon. Never imagined I'd be Vaghar, though. He's been mounted by true warriors only."

"Visenya Targaryen, by no means."

"That's right". The princess nodded, but slowly stopped her pace as she spotted her uncle's daughters, Baela and Rhaena.

"It's them." Baela said.

"It's us." Aemond answered with a sassy tone.

"Vaghar is my mother's dragon." The other twin said.

"Your mother's dead." Visenya didn't like the way Aemond was speaking to them, but stood slient. "And Vaghar has a new rider now."

"She was mine to claim." Rhaena replied angry.

"Dragons don't belong to people, Rhaena. You should have known that a dragon like Vaghar wouldn't wait long for a rider." Visenya stood up with a serious look.

"Maybe your cousins can find you a pig to ride. It would suit you."

That was all it took to start a physical fight, at least it was enough for Daemon's daughters, who threw themselves at Aemond. Visenya didn't know when it happened, but when she realised she was watching as Aemond raised a rock on his hand willing to break Luke's face with it.

"You will die screaming in flames just as your father did, bastards."

"Aemond." The princess warned, shocked of the darkness behind Aemond's look.

"My father's still alive." Luke screamed.

"He doesn't know, does he, Lord Strong?" He looked at Jace, completely ignoring Visenya.

"Aemond, that's enough!" Visenya exclaimed. But it was too late for his brother. 

In that exact moment, Aemond Targaryen became Aemond One Eye. 

And their history changed forever.

...

Visenya stood next  to Aegon as her father spoke, demanding answers for what just happened. She listened as the master told Alicent that Aemond had lost his eye for good. 

She had always known that sooner or later something like this would happen. Specially with her brothers calling their nephews bastards all the time. But she would have never imagined Aemond to act like that. As if he was ruthless. As if he didn't care. 

She didn't know where to stand in all of this, but she didn't fully blame Lucerys. He was just a kid.

She frowned as Alicent slapped Aegon on the face, feeling sorry for her brother, who really wasn't to blame at all since he was probably still drunk. Suddenly, in the middle of all chaos, Corlys Velaryon entered with his wife and so did Rhaenyra and Daemon, making the chaos even bigger.

"Silence!" The King screamed and everyone listened. "Visenya, my daughter, I know you will tell me the truth of what happen."

"Me?" The girl was taken aback as all eyes stopped on her.

Would she defend Aemond or her future husband?

"Well... Aemond and I went to the beach and Vaghar was there. It was my idea, not his. The truth is that he's Vaghar's new rider and that seemed to bother Baela and Rhaena. Rhaena believed that just because Vaghar was her mother's dragon, it would be hers. But she was wrong. And they fought. Next thing I remember, Luke did that to Aemond."

"With no reason?" The King asked and Visenya looked at Aemond. She knew that if she said he had called them bastards, he'd feel betrayed.

"He called us bastards." Jace said for her.

Rhaenyra and Alicent kept fighting for a while until the King interrupted again, asking Aemond who spoke those lies to him. 

And he blamed Aegon.

Visenya's eyes connected Aemond's and stood there for what felt like an eternity, as the Queen still demanded for justice.

She couldn't believe Aemond was blaming Aegon for all of that. She felt sorry for the oldest Hightower. He had so much pressure on him and had to be exhausted, and he was merely her age.

"Ser Criston, bring me Lucerys Veralyon's eye." She heard over the crowd, snapping out of her trance and taking away her eyes from Aemond.

Next thing she noticed, Alicent was cutting her sister's arm with her father's dagger.

"Do not mourn me, mother." Aemond interrupted. "It was a fair exchange. I may have lost and eye, but I gained a dragon."

Visenya looked around her and noticed the room divided in two sides. Black and Green.

And she found herself standing in the middle.

...

"Are you really still going to marry him after what's happened?" Aemond asked her as she packed her things.

"Yes, I have already committed to it." Visenya answered, trying to not sound emotional at all.

"You can't do this, Visenya." He said with exasperation.

"I can." She turned to face him. "And even if I can't, I have to. It is what's expected of me."

"Since when have you done what was expected of you?"

"Since now."

"Look at me!" He hit the table with his hand, flustering her "Look at my face, Visenya. They did this to me. You can't just leave me to go marry him in a few years. It is not fair."

"I'm sorry, Aemond. Rhaenyra needs me to do this. I can't just turn my back on her." She tried to explain.

"But you can turn it on me?" He asked with hurt on his voice.

"I thought we were clear on this, brother. I have to perform my duty. As a sister, as a daughter and as a princess. I really wish it could be different."

Aemond gave her a final look before leaving her chambers.

Visenya Targaryen had just broke his heart. 

But she also broke hers.