FIRE AND BLOOD [Aemond Targaryen]

15: Fights and trials

As Visenya had expected, when she told Aemond what happened between Rhaenyra and her and that she would support her and Lucerys on the Driftmark trial, he didn't take quite well. 

In fact, he didn't take it well at all.

"Your desire of loyalty has always been so naive." Aemond exclaimed with frustration. "You can't understand that being loyal to someone is not so tidy. Being loyal means being disloyal to everything and everyone else. I wonder which will get you killed faster, your stupid loyalty or your stubbornness."

"What is that suppose to mean?" His wife frowned. "Are you implying that I will be betraying you if I support her?" Visenya gasped in disbelief after a couple of second of cold silence from Aemond that gave her an answer. "I can't believe you. Luke is a Targaryen! Are you so lost in your revenge that you can't see how having him at Driftmark would mean that our house controls the sky, the sea and earth? I thought you to be an intelligent man."

"Your loyalty to your past is your most dangerous trait and the one that will cost us the most!" He snapped.

"Is that it? Or maybe the fact that you can't forget your past?" His blue eyes turned as dark as the night as he heard her words.

"You are not being fair."  He whispered. "You don't understand."

"Please, enlighten me."

"I lost my eye, Visenya!" Aemond shouted approaching her." Lucerys took it out! And Father basically told my mother to let it go. Rhaenyra has been playing her game: lie hard, do not back down and weaponise the word "treason", and it is not fucking fair. She has manipulated father and she has manipulated you but you can't see it." He looked at her with desperation covering his gaze. "I'm the one who lost an eye but you are the blind one."

"I know you think that." The Princess softened both her gaze and her tone as she caressed his face. "And I know there is truth in your words. But that is not why you are so upset about me standing up for her. I know you, Aemond, so tell me what is it."

He stared at her for a few seconds, getting a little lost on her eyes that begged him to open his heart to her.

"Your Father is my Father too. He made me too." He spoke and Visenya frowned in confusion as she nodded. "Why doesn't he love me like he loves you?"

"Oh." She murmured taken aback at his question."

"When you left after what happened at Driftmark, I was completely alone. Aegon was too busy getting drunk, Helaena has always been at her own world, Mother too focused on Aegon and Father... he hates us."

"No, he doesn't."

"He is not a good father, Visenya. He might be it to you or Rhaenyra, but not to me." He interrupted her abruptly. "I turned into an outcast and I felt so helpless. All because of him."

"Luke?" She asked and Aemond nodded. "I know that what he did to you should have been punished. Perhaps not in the way your mother wanted to, but a reprimand. I know it wasn't fair and I am terribly sorry that you felt like that. But Luke is a sweet boy." She tried to convince. "Come on, he used to cry when Aegon stepped on worms." The Prince looked away. "Why can't you just let it go? You have a good life now. You have me and you have Aemma, shouldn't that be enough?"