Breakfast the following morning was almost as tense as her execution.
Hosted in Alicent's chambers, the only ones who had yet to arrive were Otto and Aegon, and yet the room was silent, save for Helaena's humming. Harlys was trying her hardest to ignore the stare leveled on her from the former queen, and Aemond kept his gaze locked on the door to see who would arrive first.
Just as Harlys was considering the reasons Otto might be purposefully having them wait, the puppeteer himself strode into the room, the Grand Maester at his side, holding a teacup.
Her gaze shot to Aemond briefly; the look they shared confirmed that he knew exactly what was in the cup as well.
"Apologies for the delay," Otto began with a smug grin as the maester set the cup before Harlys. "But I personally asked the Grand Maester to brew this for you, Lady Harlys. To keep from any... undesirable side effects... growing during the first few months of ensuring there is no challenge to King Aegon's rule."
Moon tea. He had brought her moon tea to breakfast with the family—and she could not refuse him. She could not deny that she and Aemond had consummated the marriage, either. Their compliance in that aspect was part of the terms for their betrothal, a way to ensure that Aemond had control over her.
Humiliated, Harlys was trapped.
"You have no—" Aemond was practically spitting flames in the lethal calm of his, but Harlys set a hand on his arm to stay him. While he may have ceased his tongue, his glare was still leveled brutally at his grandsire. Alicent was watching the interaction intently, and even Helaena's humming ceased.
"Thank you, Lord Hand," Harlys forced the words out. She could not afford to become angry about this; there was no actual chance she was with child. But how could Otto disrespect her so greatly? Who was he to choose whether she took a contraceptive tea or not? "Always so considerate."
The hand that she had placed on Aemond's arm gripped his tunic sleeve tightly as the other reached for the teacup.
She drained it to the dregs, all the while holding Otto's pleased stare.
Always to be the fool in House Hightower's games, it seemed.
The moment the teacup was placed back on the table, empty, the doors to the chambers were thrown open and Aegon stumbled in, clearly having not dried out yet from the night before. Startled by the noise, Harlys removed her grip from Aemond's sleeve and clasped her hands in her lap.
"Ah, there you are, brother!" Aegon, in dangerously good spirits, called as he spotted Aemond. Unaware of the tense silence everyone had been left in after Otto's humiliation scheme, Aegon clapped his brother on the shoulder jovially. "How was the ride, dear Aemond?"
Harlys shot a pointed look to Alicent, but froze when she felt Aegon's attention turn to her.
"I do hope he was not too boring, Harlys." Aegon giggled, and despite herself, she turned to face the false king who was more wine than man. "I took him to the Streets of Silk when he was three and ten so he would be able to learn a thing or two. Was he adequately prepared, Lady?"
"Aegon," Alicent's voice cut through the room, interrupting the thoughts of murder Harlys had breifly entertained. The boy king giggled once more as he stumbled back to his seat, heeding his mother's orders. What else would he follow, should she command him?
"I was just welcoming Aemond's wife to the family," He grinned, eyes lidded as he picked up his goblet. Servants entered the room, carrying platters of food to be placed on the table, and yet it was not enough of a distraction for Aegon. "No doubt my brother did a piss-poor job of it last night. Harlys, send word if you need my assistance—"
YOU ARE READING
Haven't I Given Enough? (Always The Fool) - Aemond Targaryen
Fanfiction"Careful, Aemond. I might think you care about me." "Be certain that is not the case." His response was quick, and though it was the expected one, she could not help the sting of something unfamiliar that arced through her. "I only caution because I...
