The Dragons and Their Sun (aemond/oc)

rhaenyra III

She let Aemond stay as long as he needed to write his letter. Ignoring the rising rage in her chest every time he flinched from her was a difficult task, but one she put her entire being into completing. Aemond was a boy of ten and one, he shouldn't be flinching when she grabbed his hand. She supposed that was partly her fault. She ignored his existence ever since he was born, and now she was trying to be sisterly. She could understand his hesitance, though it still made her feel awful. She had a lot of work to do to make sure they became proper siblings. His thanking her was a good step, she thought to herself.

Aegon was cooling down. She lost track of just how many rags she had used to cool the sick boy down, but it eventually started working. She could do nothing but watch as his breaths came out in short puffs, quiet whines mixed sporadically in between. Waiting was torture. Every so often she glanced at her other brother sitting at her table. Whenever she looked at him, his face was scrunched up in concentration as he stared down at the parchment. She related to that feeling more than she'd admit. Whenever she had to write anything, her words seemed to disappear from her mind.

Finally, Aemond put his quill down and stood. He nodded once when she looked at him, and she pushed down a smile at how serious he was acting about this. Sorrow quickly followed her fondness. He was clearly in need of someone. Rhaenyra decided she would be that someone if he would let her. If not, he had someone else to talk to even if it was just through letters.

"Finished?" Rhaenyra asked the smaller boy.

He nodded with a furrowed brow. He opened his mouth and closed it multiple times like he had something to say but he just wouldn't.

She took pity on her, "What's wrong?"

Finally, he said, "You won't read it?"

Oh, she needed to fix her relationship with her siblings quickly. There was so much distrust between them. She shook her head, "Of course, I won't. It's not my business."

He picked at the bandage on his hand. Thankfully, it wasn't deep; it would most likely heal in a day or two. She wasn't looking forward to seeing Alicent's reaction to it, though. Whatever truce was momentarily formed earlier would surely be regretted by both parties if Alicent decided Rhaenyra was to blame for it.

"Now, I don't want you to believe I'm sending you away, but I don't want your mother to wake and find you gone," Rhaenyra told her brother.

He snorted under his breath, "My mother would sleep through the Keep falling into itself."

Rhaenyra let out a startled laugh at the joke. Not only did he make a joke, but it was at his mother's expense. Alicent was a heavy sleeper, Rhaenyra remembered.

"You're right about that, brother, but her guard is not. How did you even get past Ser Criston, anyhow?"

In the low light of her chambers, she saw a bright blush rush into his pale cheeks. She couldn't stop her smile, but she made sure to keep it small. He had a thing with thinking everything to be teasing. She would be having a stern talk with her own children after she nursed her father's child back to health. She would not allow her children to be bullies.

"He let me go," he shrugged.

"Did he?" Rhaenyra asked, her smile growing.

Aemond looked like he was about to stomp his foot, "Yes! He did!"

Rhaenyra chuckled, "Alright! I believe you."

He scowled at her before coming to stand beside her seat at the bedside, "Will he be okay?"

Rhaenyra sighed. It was clear her youngest sibling had many different conflicting emotions. "I think so. Jace woke only a few hours after his shaking ceased."