𝚆𝙸𝙲𝙺𝙴𝙳 𝙶𝙰𝙼𝙴𝚂 | 𝙰𝚎𝚖𝚘𝚗𝚍 𝚃𝚊𝚛𝚐𝚊𝚛𝚢𝚎𝚗

𝚎𝚕𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗

IT FELT LIKE old times, Valaena thought to herself as Meera led her through the market square of Flea Bottoms. Traders called out to all who passed, desperate to make some money to feed their starving mouths. Valaena made sure to hold her aunt's hand tight, not wanting to lose her in the rowdy crowd. Things could turn deadly in a moments notice, Valaena remembered all to well as she thought back to all the riots breaking out as a child.

They stopped in front of an all too familiar building, one that Valaena had only seen from the outside as her eyes looked up at her nervous aunt. The debt collectors were anything but kind to their customers, cruel to the greatest degree to anyone that broke their rules. But it was how Meera kept the brothel going, able to house and feed the other women there, and so she had no choice. 

Valaena gave her Meera a reassuring squeeze, who glanced down at her and gave a false smile in return.

"Wait here," Meera told her, pulling her hand from Valaena's as she approached the door. "And don't do anything stupid."

She left Valaena with those final words as she slipped into the house, leaving Valaena outside alone. Turning away from the collector's place, Valaena simply watched the passerbys rush past without a second glance. Valaena knew better to cause trouble during such a time, and so kept herself busy by refamiliarizing herself with Flea Bottom as it was now.

"I knew I saw you lurking around."

Valaena froze at the sound of his voice, the arrogance of it making her stomach twist at being caught. 

"Cousin, how lovely to see you," Valaena forced a sweet smile on her face, turning to face Aemond standing only a few feet away. His hair was covered by the dark cloak covering his head, but the eyepatch instantly gave him away.

"Funny, mother said you were deathly ill with shaking sickness," Aemond hummed as he glanced over his cousin before him. "You don't look on the verge of death to me."

Valaena cursed to all the gods above at being caught. Her father would be furious if the Hightowers found out they were lying to them, causing an even further divide between the two families.

"I wouldn't say I was deathly ill," Valaena was grasping for straws, that much she knew, but she tried to stall as her brain racked for a plan. "It was more of a mild fever, and I'm plenty fine now."

"Mother will be happy to hear that," Aemond held a smirk on his face, one that made Valaena uneasy as he began to turn away, in the direction of the castle and his home. "Perhaps we should go tell her tog-"

"No!" Valaena gave herself away as she lurched forward, gripping Aemond's arm to stop him from taking another step. She wanted to slap the smug look off his face, but she was at his mercy and both of them knew it.

Aemond shook her off his arm in disgust, Valaena needing no further persuasion she pulled away just as quickly. She eyed him warily, wondering what game Aemond would play at. 

"I'm curious, cousin," Aemond prompted, his voice a grating sound ringing in Valaena's ears. "What business a lady such as yourself was doing in a brothel so late at night."

"Perhaps I should be asking you the same question, my prince," Valaena shot back.

Wrong words, Valaena realized as Aemond shoved her, pain shooting up her back as she hit the stone wall behind her. She had felt worse, so she ignored it as Aemond closed in. She was trapped between him and the wall, with no escape as Aemond was nearly twice as big and much stronger than Valaena would ever be.

The way her cousin looked down at her was unnerving, angering Valaena as he stared down at her with a grin. He knew he had the power in the situation, he always would. It wasn't until looking into his eye, the only good one he had left, and realized what he truly wanted.

Aemond wanted fear. No, perhaps he needed it.

Valaena refused to give it to him.

"You don't scare me, Aemond," it was the first time Valaena had addressed him by name, and Valaena could tell it had caught him slightly off guard.

There were several shouts and screams, distracting Aemond long enough for her to duck away before making her escape. His fingers grazed her arm, but Valaena was quick as she slipped from his fingers.

Bodies swarmed around Valaena, helping her escape from Aemond but making her realize something had gone terribly wrong in Flea Bottom. Another riot, Valaena assumed as she felt her stomach churn. She needed to leave immediately unless she wanted to be a dead body among the many masses she was sure to die that day.

Valaena gasped, as a blood splattered across the bottom of her dress, the man next to her falling over into the crowd. His murderer, only a few feet from Valaena, laughed as she resisted the urge to vomit. She pushed, fighting through the crowd and the many other people fighting to escape. 

An arm grabbed Valaena, pulling her to the side and pulling her into a tight embrace. Valaena relaxed when she found her aunt staring down at her with a panicked face. Hands reached up, grabbing Valaena's face as Meera checked over for any injuries.

"It's not my blood," Valaena whispered, allowing Meera to slightly relax. It was gone in a second as a woman knocked into Valaena, sending her into Meera's arms. Gripping her hand tightly, Meera began dragging them through the suffocating crowd. Screams echoed in Valaena's ears as she tried to focus on her aunt in front of her. 

The crowd came to a stop, confusing Valaena until they started pushing the other direction. They were trapped, Valaena realized as the crowd pushed every which way. Rioters on one side and gold cloaks on the other she assumed. It didn't matter, both sides were equally as deadly. Meera had realized the same thing, her grip on Valaena tightening as she looked for an exit.

Yanking Valaena to the side, the two made their way to the edge of the alleyway. They stopped in front of a small opening in the wall, only large enough for a child. 

"Meera, no," Valaena shook her head, tears streaming down her face as she knew what it meant.

"You must, and you will," Meera wasn't about to argue with Valaena as she shoved her towards the hole. 

Valaena knew fighting was useless, but used all of her strength as she threw her arms around her aunt. A final goodbye, she knew deep in her heart as Meera wrapped her arms tightly around the girl. It didn't last long enough as Meera pulled away first, taking one last look at the girl she raised as a child.

"Now go."

Valaena nodded, reluctantly stepping back from Meera as she felt her heart breaking into dozens of pieces. Then all she could see was blood. It splattered across her face like paint on a canvas, a deadly art that Valaena would never be able to erase from her mind as Meera feel over at her feet.

Valaena was screaming, or perhaps she was sobbing, she couldn't tell as the world spun around her. Arms caught her, stopping her from fully collapsing on the ground as her legs refused to stand.

Everything was a blur, Valaena could barely concentrate as she fought against whoever held her, but she was too weak. They seemed to be her savior as they dragged her through the small hold in the wall, not that Valaena cared much about her own life at the moment, the blood burning against her skin.

"No, no, no," Valaena's hoarse voice repeated as she yanked her body away from her savior, staring down at her hands covered in her aunt's blood. 

An arm reached out, trying to pull her along to escape, but Valaena barely felt it. Everything spun, nothing was clear anymore as she felt the ground fall beneath her.

And then there was nothing.