carved in stone ~ aemond targaryen

chapter six ~ we meet again

It had been ten long years since Jaenys had last seen her betrothed. Not too much had changed since then; she still had her brown curls, although they now went fully down her back, she had grown into a beautiful young woman, and her brothers had also grown into very respectable men... Jacaerys, at least. Lucerys was still young, yet more mature these days.

"Ugh, this is impossible!" Jacaerys hit the table, sighing.

"You don't need to learn it all now..." Jaenys laughed. She was trying to teach her brother how to speak High Valyrian, and he was getting frustrated.

"Your sister is right. It's not required to learn every word... that would be quite impossible." Rhaenyra walked in, patting her son's shoulder. 

"But, I must learn it! Every king is fluent." Jacaerys sighed.

 Jaenys shook her head. "Brother, it is alright, don't worry." She smiled at him.

"Children, we are heading to King's Landing. Apparently, my father is not doing great, and I wish to see him. And... there are some who question whether or not your brother is the legitimate heir to Driftmark. We leave tomorrow." Rhaenyra informed her eldest children. Lucerys was the heir of Driftmark, and Rhaenyra was informed that some of the lords questioned his legitimacy.

~~~~~~~~

The three oldest siblings walked down to the training grounds.

"It's much smaller than I remember." Lucerys frowned.

"It looks exactly the same..." Jacaerys looked at his brother.

Jaenys looked back at her brothers. "Let's go down there!" Jaenys lifted her cape and dress up a little, as she ran down the stairs. She saw Ser Criston sparring with someone. Her green eyes widened, realizing it was Aemond. He had grown into a beautiful man; a chiseled jawline, long platinum hair, black eyepatch, and well-defined cheekbones.

He won the fight. Ser Criston admitted defeat. "You'll be ready for tournies in no time, my prince."

"I don't give a shit about tournies," he faced his niece and nephews. "Nephews... my niece... have you come to train?"

Jaenys nodded, stepping forward and grabbing her axe. "Long time no see, Uncle." 

His eye raked her body, taking her in. His eye traced over every curve of her torso, the corset accentuating the beautiful shape of her torso. "You look lovely, Princess. You've grown into a gorgeous woman." She swung her axe, and it clashed with his sword with a loud clang.

"Not too bad yourself, My Prince." She swiftly dodged his attack, and landed a hit on his stomach. Jaenys ended up winning the bout, and she had her axe lightly pressed to her uncle's neck.

"Very well done, Jaenys. Will you walk with me?" Aemond backed up, putting his sword away. 

Jaenys nodded, returning her axe. "Very well." So, they walked.

"It's been quite a long time... I won't lie... I've missed seeing your beautiful face around..."Aemond stopped walking, and tucked a brunette curl behind her ear.

His hand stopped on her cheek, and he cupped it. She placed her bare hand on his. "I... I've missed you too, Aemond."

He smiled a little, which was rare for him. "Your hands... they're almost never bare. They're so soft, and tiny compared to mine." He held her slim hand in his, tracing his calloused thumb along the soft back of her hand.

She blushed. "Do not say such things... I am glad to see you, though. It really has been a while..."

He nodded in agreement. "Yes, you are correct. When my mother announced you would be coming, I was nervous that you would still be mad at me."

"Don't think I'm not still, I still have strong feelings..." she sighed. "I know I'm a bastard. But, it hurt when you called me that..."

He frowned, drawing closer to her. "I never meant to hurt you. I was so caught up in the moment, I didn't realize what I'd said. I would never, ever dream of hurting one as precious as you." He gazed down at her, eye flitting to her lips, like they did all those years ago.

He was quite a bit taller than her, and she really had to tilt her head to see him. He thought for a moment, before softly pressing his lips against hers. She was taken my surprise, at the feeling of Aemond's lips pushed against her own. She let her guard down, moving her right hand up to snake around his neck. He pulled her closer by her waist, deepening the kiss ever so slightly.

Eventually, when Aemond pulled away, the two were left breathless. "I've wanted to kiss you for so long, Jaenys."

Jaenys's heart leapt as her name fell from his lips. They pressed their foreheads together, standing in a hug.

"Me too..." Jaenys let out a content sigh, as she held onto her lover.