An Eye For A Lie

10.The Dragon And The Crab

Nights and days drifted by, and the day of the feast had finally arrived.

Aelyria grimaced, her stomach turning at the thought of having to suffer through tedious small talk with all the unworthy lords and fake pleasantries that left her soul feeling drained.

She closed her eyes, and let the sounds of the waves wash over her frayed nerves.

The secluded beach she had discovered at the outskirts of the Red Keep was a hidden gem, large enough for Cannibal to land undisturbed, and very much deserted.

The relentless thirst she had for the skies was clawing at her. She needed to fly more than she needed to draw breath.

Aelyria had never been separated this long from Cannibal. She felt as if her heart was being ripped out from her chest, and torn into shreds.

With a reluctant sigh, she pushed away her thoughts to call for her dragon and fly far from this disgraceful place, and made for the tunnels. She couldn't linger any longer. Duty called, and with it, the responsibility that she could not escape.

She kept advancing, winding her way through the darkness of the secret passages. The tunnels were dusty and dirty, and she wrinkled her nose against its musty smell.

Aelyria had kept herself occupied with learning Maegor's hidden passageways, using them to get by rather than the corridors and exploring them while at it. She had to admit that the tunnels were crafted brilliantly, offering an exit in every direction of King's Landing and an entrance to every chamber in the Red Keep.

Mad and cruel Maegor may have been, but his paranoia had ensured that whoever knew of their existence could freely walk unnoticed and unbothered.

The narrow tunnels, hidden chambers, and forgotten alcoves offered her refuge from the ever-watchful eyes of the court, and more importantly, from Aemond's looming presence.

No longer would she risk stumbling into a sudden encounter.

No, no more.

She knew that the true danger didn't lie in the shadows of the Red Keep, but in the raging battle that her own treacherous heart incited.

It wasn't Aemond himself that frightened her the most, but the power he seemed to wield over her.

The way he could unravel her with a single glance and make her breath falter, the way he could light a million sparks in her with a mere brush of his touch, the way he could make her lose control so easily when he provoked her.

Everything about him made her burn, and left her with an unquenchable craving inside. Her body had never felt this desperate need before, as if something deep within her was begging to be sated.

It was appalling and egregious how Aemond was weaseling his path into her soul, into her dreams, into her...

Desires.

She rushed through the labyrinthine passage, resolved to purge her mind of any debilitating emotions that threatened to take her over. In each step she forced herself to banish any lingering thoughts of him.

Aemond would only lead her to ruin, and she refused to accept that destiny.

Because that is what Aemond Targaryen was —her ruin.

She stepped out from the clandestine tunnels into the room with Balerion's skull and she paused to take a quick breather. With hurried steps she reached for another opening behind the pillars, taking care not to be seen, and walked up the concealed stairs that led to her chambers.