The Maid - Aemond Targaryen

Fifty Five - Harrenhal

"I saw Arryk Cargyll return." Lyanna Rotchamsey told her daughter, which caused Elyana to dart her eyes to where her mother sat and gulp. "He is back in the Keep?" Elyana asked warily.

Lyanna stopped embroidering the headpiece she had been working on and nodded her head.

"I saw him this morning, he was battered and bruised beyond repair. But he held a sack in his hands as the Kingsguard rushed him to the maester," the woman answered, her eyes strained on her daughter.

Elyana shifted her weight on her seat in an uncomfortable manner and bit the insides of her cheeks, her heart racing at the thought of Erryk's Cargyll twin being back at the Keep.

He had been tasked with showing his loyalty to the Greens, tasked with killing his own brother— the man behind Elyana's despair. Had he perhaps succeeded?

It was as if Lyanna could read her mind, "I do wish he did good on his promise to bring forth the head of that... of that sad excuse of a man."

Elyana felt a pang in her chest at the mention of her former lover. If she could even call him that. Nobody brought him up after what had happened to her, and she was grateful for it. Erryk Cargyll haunted her nightmares, he was the thing she had tried to block from her memories. But he was always present— always there— reminding her what she almost had and what she lost.

She remembered it all too well. She remembered his smile, his hair, the way he was always so attentive to her, how he was always worried for her, how he was willing to marry her when she had nothing. Elyana wished she could say that all of the memories she kept of Erryk were bad ones, but they were not. He once had been good, once. His goodness turned right around when she did not do what he wished for her to do.

He never loved her, she was sure. If he did, then he would not have allowed for harm to come her way, regardless of her indiscretions. She did him wrong, he did not deserve to be toyed with. But what she did was no comparison to the retaliation that rained upon her. A part of her knew that what had happened was because of her actions, the other part knew that it was because of Aemond's.

They both murdered Alyana. "Elyana? Hello?" Her mother waved her hand in front of her face and then chuckled, "where did your mind go?"

Elyana set the pillow she was working on aside and stood up from her seat, exiting her chambers in a haste. Her mother called after her but Elyana did not stop walking, she was determined.

Conrad chased after Elyana along with six other guards that had been stationed to be her shadows, by Aemond's orders obviously. "Lady Elyana, the Prince Regent was adamant you do not leave your chambers today." Conrad reminded Elyana, which made her throw a glare in his direction. "Shut up," was her reply.

She hurried down the corridors until she reached the council chamber, "let me in." Ser Willis Fell and Ser Rickard Thorne were the Kingsguard guarding the council chamber. The men looked at each other, almost as if speaking with their gazes. Rickard nodded and opened the door for her.

Elyana hurried into the meeting, her breath catching in her throat when her eyes landed on the severed head that laid on the council table. She remained unmoving, her eyes set on the head of the man that ruined her life, on the man that once claimed to love her yet took everything from her.

He was dead, well dead.

She was in such shock that she did not notice Aemond standing from his seat and hurrying to her until he took her and guided her out of the council chambers.

"He is dead," she breathed out as Aemond pulled her into a protective embrace. She was crying, for reasons unbeknownst to herself. Aemond remained silent, letting her handle her emotions without judging her. He hated Erryk Cargyll more than anything in the world, and he was glad Arryk had stayed true to his word.