The Time Curse (Game of Thrones/House of the Dragon Fanfic)

Chapter 6: The One-eyed Prince

The next few days flew by in a haze. Aegon had remained at her side every minute of the day except for when she was called by the king. The king called on her so often that rumors had begun to spiral. In one, people believed she was the king's bastard daughter. In another, she was his mistress. Even after being assured of her status as a noblewoman, rumors continued to build. It was nothing Morgana was not already used to. 

While the young witch enjoyed every moment of her time with the King and Prince, years of isolation had made her social battery suboptimal. She occasionally found herself wandering to gain a moment alone. To avoid the constant sneers of court ladies, she wore a hooded cloak on her little adventures, covering most of her face and her identifiable black hair.

The beauty of the day had drawn her outside, she felt magic in the garden where she found a large tree. The locals referred to it as a godswood and she could see why. Old magic flowed through its branches, stretching up to the sky. 

She smiled, sinking her own magic into the bark. She felt nature's magic hum back in delight. She remembered doing this to the whomping willow back at Hogwarts. Though she wouldn't describe herself as homesick, Morgana found herself comparing almost everything to England as days passed. 

"What are you doing, my lady?" A voice was heard, startling the girl out of her reminiscence. 

Morgana saw yet another Targaryen examining her. He was tall and slender, his hair reminded her of her Uncle Lucius'. He wore an eyepatch that only added to his overall impressive aura. He held a sternness that looked out of place on his young face. 

She had assumed this was the elusive Prince Aemond, Aegon had told her so much about. A majority of the elder's ravings were unpleasant but she was able to distinguish a few non-biased facts about the one-eyed prince.

"Enjoying the day, my prince." 

Aemond stalled a bit at her voice alone. It was flighty and a bit dreamlike in its peaceful tone. He couldn't see her face under the hood, only a pair of ruby-red doll-like lips. When she finally did pull her hood down, Aemond felt his heart stop in his chest. 

He was certain she was the most beautiful woman in the seven kingdoms. 

"You must be Aemond. Your brother spoke of you. A majority of it was negative, though intended to be humorous I'm sure. I am Lady Morgana Slytherin." Morgana introduced.

Aemond was slightly startled by the blunt way the lady spoke. Most were very cordial and attempted to please the royal family, but the concept seemed foreign to the strange beauty. It was then the name clicked in his head. His own mother, Queen Alicent, had been raging about the 'whore' Aegon brought home. 

However, as he looked at her now, he for once understood Aegon's decision. 

Something deep within his called out to her, begging for her attention. Aemond would always put duty before pleasure, but he could understand why throwing away duty seemed appealing this once. 

"GANA!" Aemond heard the strangely sober voice of his elder brother call out through the garden. His one good eye found Aegon, walking towards them. It was strange to see the disappointment of a prince so steady on his feet. His hair looked washed, no sweat clung to his face, and he looked significantly less sickly, all in all, Aegon looked like a new man. 

The illusion was broken as he dramatically flopped onto the grown, resting his head on Morgana's thighs as she instinctually began combing her fingers through his hair. "Oh my poor darling, forced to endure the boredom of my brother's company. Don't worry love, I'm here now." He pouted, reaching up to run the back of his fingers across her high cheekbones.