Alyssa met Aemond in the gardens, dressed in well worn rags that she and Aegon had stolen together many years before.
Aemond had simply opted for the option of wearing a cloak over his normal clothes.
They'd both arrived exactly on time – though Alyssa had been busy checking that no one followed her and had run straight into him.
Despite the height difference, he still caught her and kept her from toppling them both over with ease.
Alyssa's eyes shot to him in shock, but her face softened when she saw that it was him.
“Should I be worried that you look so paranoid?” He asked.
She smiled. “I always look paranoid. You just never see it.”
No one could question her, she knew, because no one ever saw her regardless of how she looked. She was an outsider. And she'd spent years in the corner of rooms while everyone looked at her siblings, or separated from Alicent's children because of the feud between the greens and the blacks.
But Aemond narrowed his eyes at her, folding his arms. “No you don't.”
“How do you know?”
“You're not as good at lurking as you think you are.”
She huffed a small laugh, looping her arm through his.
When they were children, that's how she used to get him to walk. She'd walk beside him, arm in arm, until eventually he could do it on his own.
“You're right. Apparently, you are much better at it.” She said, skipping along and dragging him with her.
Aemond grumbled in annoyance, but he couldn't shake the annoying upward twitch of his lips.
By the time they'd made it into the city, it had to be the middle of the night. The moon was beginning to wane but the sky was so clear that every single star could be seen.
Alyssa let go of his arm, running forwards, and Aemond was startled back to reality.
The streets were busy, and she'd disappeared in a split second.
He was looking around, searching for her amongst the see of people, when she gave him a big wave.
“Come on! There's a show.”
With a sigh, he followed her again.
“Why would you want to watch one of their plays?” Aemond asked with a frown.
“Oh, cheer up. It's fun! You're too young to be so cynical.”
“I'm not– Gods, why are there so many people? They're everywhere.”
“Yes, well, that's what tends to happen in crowds.” She said, holding his hand.
“Fern!” A cheerful, unfamiliar, voice called out right before Alyssa was pulled into a tight embrace.
Aemond instinctively reached for the blade on his belt.
“Bryen!” Alyssa smiled brightly, hugging the large boy back. He was about a foot taller than both Alyssa and Aemond with a head of mousy brown hair and all too large muscles. But Aemond was still sure he could beat the man in a fight. “It's been so long.”
“Gods, it has been an age.” He said, pulling away from her. But as he did, his hand lingered on Alyssa's cheek and on his face he wore a look of fond affection. Then he turned his glance towards Aemond. “And who is this little warrior?”
The words made the Prince clench his jaw, moving again for his blade.
Little?
He'd show him little.
Alyssa held his arm still, sending him a warning look.
“Bryen, this is my brother... Erryk. He's going to be in the King's Guard someday, aren't you brother?”
With his jaw set, his eyes fixed on Bryen, and a hand on the hilt of his weapon, all Aemond could muster was an unhappy grunt of agreement.
She supposed it would do.
“Brother? Gods, he looks less like you than your husband does.” Bryen said. “But I suppose if our princes and princesses are anything to go by, it's good to keep it in the family.”
Alyssa laughed along but Aemond was distinctly not joining them.
“How is the husband?” Bryen asked.
“He's well... He, uhm, we don't speak much anymore. I think he prefers the company of other women.”
“Ah but he couldn't do better than our Farm, could he boy? We always said she looked just like a princess.”
She smiled sweetly, brushing off the comment. “Oh, stop. I could never be a princess.”
Aemond glared at the two of them. “Yes, princesses are supposed to be clever, aren't they sister?”
She elbowed him in the ribs.
He elbowed her right back.
“Ah, I see it now. You two really are siblings. Well, why don't you come join Cass and everyone else? We've got better spots to see the play than this.”
“We'd love to.” Alyssa beamed.
As Bryen led the way, Aemond grabbed a hold of his sister.
“Your husband?”
“It was just Aegon.”
“Yes, I figured that much out. Why couldn't he be your brother too?”
“Oh, Aemond, it was his fault. He told them all we were married and I just had to go along with it. It's nothing to fuss over. Come, I'll buy you something to drink.”
Her words did not soothe his mind.
That was exactly what he'd been afraid of. That Aegon had once set his sights on Alyssa.
He knew his brother.
He knew that he'd never be satisfied until he got what he wanted.
And that either meant he'd already gotten it... Or he wasn't yet done with their older sister.
“Fern!” A dark haired woman with pale blue eyes grinned. She was pretty despite her dirt smeared face and the gauntness of her cheeks.
“Cass!” Alyssa greeted, pulling the woman in for a hug.
“Oh, and who are you?” Cass asked, looking Aemond up and down.
“That's my brother, Erryk.”
“Brother? I didn't know you had a brother.”
“Well, as you can see...”
“Is he always so quiet?”
Alyssa frowned at Aemond. “He's just shy. Erryk say hello to my friends. You wouldn't want to have bad manners, would you? Mother would be furious.”
“I thought your mother was dead.” Cass said.
“She is. His isn't. It's a long story.”
Alyssa was weaving her way through the crowd of people and towards the stand where a man sold flagons of mead.
Aemond gave Cass a small nod, moving to follow his sister.
“It was nice meeting you.” He lied.
As he passed, the woman grasped his arm with a smirk and leaned down to whisper in his ear. “If you want to get away from your sister, you know where I'll be.”
He stared up at her, eyes wide as she ran a finger along his jaw.
The utter confusion that had clouded his judgement was replaced by relief when he felt Alyssa's hand on his arm again.
She narrowed her eyes at Cass.
“Here brother, a drink. But perhaps we should find another place to sit.”
He didn't argue. Just followed her as they walked away from the dark haired woman who continued to stare at him.
“We didn't have to leave, I didn't–”
“Oh, please, we're not leaving because Cass wants a piece of you. Don't worry. It's just it would be better for everyone if the man I got these drinks from didn't see us.”
“When you say you bought us drinks...”
“I stole them.”
“Alyssa!”
“Trust me, Aemond. In this life, you've got to take what you want, alright? It's better you learn that. Now drink up.”
With that, she downed the flagon of mead and tossed the empty cup to the floor.
Aemond stared at her as if she'd grown a second head, not at all sure who in the seven hells he was with at present, but followed suit. Draining his own cup dry.
Alyssa clapped, hopping up and down excitedly.
The actors on the stage were prancing around in silver wigs and exaggerated makeup. There was a man that Alyssa supposed was her father, a beautiful woman that she assumed was her mother... And a boy in a dress that she believed was supposed to be some awful version of Rhaenyra. Beside her, they'd placed a pretty girl with flowing red hair in a green dress. Their own version of Alicent Hightower.
“Finally, my wife does give an heir. A big strong boy with silver hair. He shall replace my wretched brother, and I pray he does not kill his mother.”
The fake Aemma Arryn fell down to the floor and everyone on stage began weeping.
Alyssa breathed in deeply, gaze fixed on the boy dressed as Rhaenyra as he wept over their mother.
“Oh no, oh no, it's another girl. A useless, delicate, little pearl. This is not what I ordered, not at all. For my next wife, I'll throw a ball.”
Aemond grabbed a hold of her hand, but Alyssa couldn't look back at him. She was transfixed on the scene.
“I will give you a son, my king. A boy that will make every heart sing.” Their version of Alicent said.
“And she did indeed, this girl of dreams. Not one, or two, but three indeed.”
“Aegon, Aemond, and little Daeron.” Alicent cooed. “And you think Rhaenyra is still the fair one?”
“She's my heir!” The King said.
“But it's not fair!” Alicent argued.
They were all arguing, all the actors on stage, when a girl dressed in white walked out.
Her eyes were dark, her hair pale, and it took Alyssa a moment to realise it was her.
Holding her hand was a younger girl dressed in yellow, that Alyssa assumed was Helaena.
Both of them scooted around the edges of the argument, and as they entered the crowd began to cheer.
Alyssa's actor parted from her sister with a kiss on the cheek, pulling Rhaenyra from the fighting.
Helaena did the same with her brothers.
Everyone was cheering so loudly that it was hard to hear what the actors were saying.
“They love me.” Alyssa whispered more to herself than to anyone else.
But Aemond heard.
He saw the tears in her eyes and the smile on her face.
And while he was on stage being presented in a less than agreeable light, all he could think about was how happy Alyssa looked when she realised that even though her own people ignored her... These people didn't.
He led her away by her hand, pulling her from the crowd, and Alyssa didn't argue.
“Is this really what you used to do with Aegon? Go and watch plays and steal mead and talk to what I can only assume were less than reputable people?”
Alyssa laughed, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand when she thought he wasn't looking.
“We did other things.”
“Oh? Like what?”
With a devious smile and a glimmer in her eyes, she grabbed a hold of his shirt and pulled him in, pressing her lips to his.
Aemond was sure his brain stopped working for a moment at the feeling of her kissing him.
His first kiss.
And then it dawned on him what she was saying.
Quickly, he pulled away.
“You kissed Aegon?” He shouted.
Alyssa laughed, putting her hand over his mouth. “Shush. We had to pretend to be married, didn't we?”
“No!”
“Aemond–”
“You kissed Aegon! How– Why– I didn't think you were that stupid.”
“Wow, thank you very much.”
“He doesn't care about you, you know? He kisses lots of girls. And he– oh you didn't do that with him as well, did you?”
“Gods, no! Of course not, Aemond. And of course I know all of that. I was there when he was born, I know what he's like. It was only once. I just– don't tell your mother, alright?”
“Why not? Aegon deserves the punishment he'd get.”
“Yes, but this isn't about Aegon.” She said, a new look of terror in her eyes. “I'm sorry for kissing you.”
Aemond frowned.
“Don't be.” He said, grabbing her arm. “Just tell me you haven't kissed anyone else.”
“I haven't, I haven't. I promise.”
“Good. We're going home.”
Alyssa stumbled, falling against him, but Aemond was quick to catch her.
“Alyssa!”
“Aemond, I don't feel good.”
“We shouldn't have drank–”
“No, Aemond. Something is wrong.”
In the distance, he saw two men approaching.
The first thing he could think of doing was pulling her into one of the darkened alleyways and pushing her against the wall.
Alyssa gasped, resting her forehead on his shoulder as he pretended to kiss her neck, never actually touching her.
“She can't have gotten far the little thief. I put a little something in one of the drinks.”
“We'll teach her to be stealing from the wrong sorts.”
Both men laughed darkly.
Aemond moved to grab his blade, his whole body tensing with fury.
He wanted to kill them. Both of them. Slowly.
But Alyssa groaned in pain.
Even if he did kill them, that wouldn't stop some other vile wretch from finding her... And given the state she was in, she wouldn't be able to put up much of a fight.
So, instead, the prince pulled her arm over his shoulder, wrapping his own arm around her waist.
“Aemond–”
“I'm taking you home. Don't worry. We'll be there soon, I promise.”
“I'm sorry I ruined our trip.”
“It's not your fault. But we are definitely talking about this whole Aegon situation when you feel better.”
She groaned again. “Aemond–”
“Be quiet. If I'm fighting those men off, I can't protect you from anyone else. So just focus on making sure they don't hear you.”
To that, she agreed.
Aemond navigated her all the way back from the city to the Keep, though she'd blacked out many times between.
The only two people she ever called out for when she was in and out of consciousness were Rhaenyra... And him.
In the end, he decided he couldn't leave her alone while she was this unwell.
He didn't know what those men had given her, and he didn't want to wake up to find out that she had died in the night.
So, instead, he pulled her into his room that night, gently laying her down on the bed.
Alyssa mumbled, falling asleep before her head even hit the pillow, but even in her sleep she held onto him.
He didn't let go of her hand.
Not for the whole night as he watched her, making sure she wasn't sick and checking that her chest was still rising and falling.
He never did find any sleep that night.
YOU ARE READING
Love and Loyalty - Aemond Targaryen
FanfictionAs the second daughter of King Viserys Targaryen and his first wife Aemma Arryn, Alyssa's loyalty has always rested with her true sister, Rhaenyra. That is, of course, until she accidentally falls in love with her half brother, Aemond.