would've could've should've | the dance of the dragons

the red lion

"I can't believe they didn't let us to the council meeting. Even Helaena was there!", Daeron spoke with annoyance while watching the upcoming nobles from the window in Aegon's chambers.

"Because our sister is the queen and it is her children that have the utmost priority.", Aemond said while he was sitting on a chair, leaning his back as much as he could, closing his eyes and playing with his hands.

"Yes and after them, they will be talking about us. Don't you want to have a say in your possible future wife?"

"Mother wishes her to be Moira Reyne so it will be Moira Reyne."

"Mother wishes this, mother wishes that.", Daeron rolled his eyes. "What about what you wish brother? Why do you let mother decide everything?"

"I don't let her decide everything. On the contrary, I am trying to decide everything on her behalf so she wouldn't worry about me too. It's a kindness that unfortunately none of her other children does."

"Daeron rolled his eyes again. I am three and twenty, I think I had passed the age that she would need to worry about me. I've had to return from Oldtown because she wanted, I am trying to be useful because she wanted, I take care of the kids to relieve her responsibilities. You are not the only one who thinks about her well-being."

"You think you are so smart, aren't you?", a ghost of a smile appeared on Aemond's lips.

"What's that supposed to mean?", Daeron nervously fixed his collar.

"It means little brother, that we all can see the struggle you are in."

"I am in no strugg-"

"Just because Aegon does it more obviously doesn't mean we don't see you."

"Going to brothels doesn't mean I have a problem."

"No, of course. But drinking yourself to the point that you forgot even your own name means you have a very serious problem. And thinking that neither of us actually realizes it or sees it means your problems are too deep within."

"You are overreacting. Just because our lifestyles aren't similar, doesn't give you a right to judge me."

"You think I don't know you enough to judge?"

"How could you?", Daeron asked while turning back to the window. "I've been in Oldtown my whole life. I am a stranger to you all."

Aemond opened his eye. "Are you a stranger to us or are we a stranger to you? I think you must get the answer to this question first. Because when you finally return we didn't feel anything but happiness to have our baby brother back because he'd been taken from us too young and it had been too long since we last saw him. And we were and still are very excited to meet with him, to know him -even Aegon. Because you are a Targaryen, you are -what they used to say? Ah, you are a 'green' and you always will be."

"We don't have time for unnecessary emotions Aemond."

"It is not unnecessary emotions. I am aware that you don't feel like you are fitting in, it's too painfully obvious."

"Then why you didn't say anything before?"

"Because we all tried to give you time to adjust yourself. The King's Landing you left and the King's Landing you had found were very different and mother of course blames herself."

"It doesn't seem like that to me.", Daeron mumbled and Aemond took a deep breath. "She seems very content with her life and her new husband and her new children. Replacements of us and father."

"She is happy and this must be our focus. They are not replacements if the prior ones just made her unhappy."

"You just said the same thing yourself. She was so unhappy with her father and us, she forced herself to love us but she never could. And now she is married to a man she loves and cares about, a man that loves and cares about her, and she has three beautiful children to swoon over. She doesn't need to worry about us all anymore."