#helaena is aware and sometimes teases him about it

[nxpthys]

Aemond: I don't have children. The reason why is fairly simple: when we were little, I tucked my sister into bed and she stared past me for a few seconds, then said "The Wall People don't like you." After that, kids and I went simpatico. Aegon: Maybe spend less time making excuses and more time becoming the kind of person the Wall People would approve of.

[aebi12]

“Sinful Desires” by Aebi12 

Aemond Targaryen x OC 

Chapter 1

It was the dragons that brought them together.

Or it would be more accurate to say, the lack of one.

The first time Alyssa's gaze had met her uncle Aemond's had been at the Dragon Pit.

The two of them had been left out, once again, as their brothers approached the dragons that had been theirs since birth, learning to command and bond with them while the two children whose eggs never hatched had to stay in the background, intended only to observe, never to participate.

Despite her short seven years, Alyssa had felt envy corrode her small body at the sight of Lucerys, her twin, smiling at his dragon. So, she had looked away, trying to hold back the tears of frustration she felt flooding her eyes, and she had placed her gaze on the lean figure of her uncle.

Alyssa had never thought much of her uncle. As a princess, most of her time was taken up by her classes taught by her septa. From time to time her aunt Helaena would join the lessons, but only for a short while and always under the watchful eye of Queen Alicent, who would offer some excuse to take her daughter away when the lessons were over and Alyssa tried to start a conversation with the other girl.

So, no, Alyssa didn't know much about Aemond Targaryen. He was, after all, a boy. Playmate and training partner of Jace and Luke, but not hers. And yet when he turned his head, probably sensing her scrutiny, and her sky-blue eyes met hers, Alyssa Velaryon found understanding in them.

The girl offered him a sad smile and he watched her for long seconds before the corners of his mouth twitched in the beginnings of a smile. For a brief instant Alyssa was under the impression that he would say something to her, but then the septa had interrupted the moment by taking her from the dragon pit and back to the castle because, after all, the pit was no place for a girl who did not have a dragon.

***

That afternoon her brothers enter the playroom laughing, visibly encouraged by something that has just happened. Alyssa doesn't find out until that night, when her mother, who has dinner with them despite giving birth to her brother Joffrey just a few hours ago, scolds the children for making fun of Aemond.

Alyssa's heart sinks when she hears about the Pink Dread prank. Children can be so cruel sometimes. Her twin brother seems to notice her mortification and questions her with his gaze, but Alyssa refuses to meet his eyes and focuses on her lamprey pies, though the hunger of a few moments ago now eludes her.

"Are you really mad about the prank we played on Aemond?" Luke questions her as they are about to enter their beds.

Despite their age the twins still share a room. They shared their mother's womb and a cradle since birth so they are used to each other's presence. Alyssa wouldn't admit it out loud, but being around Luke comforts her; after all he is her other half. And she knows that the feeling is mutual.

"Pranks have the peculiarity of being funny, Lucerys" she replies as she fixes the bed sheets

“It was really funny, actually, you should have seen his face…”

"Don’t you understand? It's like you're making fun of me too."

"Lyssa that makes no sense"

“Were you not teasing him because of his lack of a dragon? Well, that joke applies to me as well."

Alyssa doesn't give him a chance to reply as she gets into bed turning her back to him. The girl imagines her brother's expression, the doubt and embarrassment on his face and she knows that he is still standing near her bed, but eventually Luke sighs and goes into his.

***

Rumors reemerge with the birth of the new little prince Velaryon.

Alyssa is aware of the whispers of the Court, of the scrutiny of the ladies and lords who whisper in her presence, observing the children of Princess Rhaenyra who seem to have more in common with her sworn sword than with her lord husband.

The girl has questioned the veracity of Laenor Velaryon paternity since she was old enough to notice the differences because, where Queen Alicent's children share all the traditional Targaryen traits, the heirs of two houses of Valyrian blood have brown hair and green eyes so common and simple. Questions plague her mind, but she never dares to express them. Her love for her mother overcomes any doubt Alyssa may harbor, so she keeps quiet and walks through the long corridors of the red keep.

Her footsteps lead her to the castle's godswood. Hardly anyone this far south practices the religion of the old gods, so the place it's usually deserted. That is why Alyssa is surprised to see someone sitting under the weirwood.

Aemond looks up as he hears the rustle of her dress against the forest leaves.

His niece seems surprised to find him there and her gaze scans his face in much the same way as the day before at the dragon pit. Aemond feels the blush start to stain his cheeks and doesn't know what to say. He doesn't even know if he should say something. Aemond remembers his mother's words, he keeps them always in his mind and tries to obey her as much as he can. He knows Alicent wouldn't like him to be around Alyssa, he knows she would look down on the girl and call her a bastard. His mother is rarely limited in her comments about his half-sister's children.

"I am sorry about what happened yesterday" Her words take him off guard and his look must show his confusion because she adds, “About the prank my brothers played on you. It was wrong of them, I am sorry."

For a brief moment Alyssa is able to see the pain painted on his face, but her uncle quickly looks away, and when he looks back at her the expression of cold neutrality is back on him.

"It was very foolish of me to believe that they had gotten me a dragon," Aemond admits, unsure why.

Alyssa sighs and walks over to sit next to him. Aemond's body instinctively turns towards her.

"Don't blame yourself, they should never have joked about it."

If anyone is going to understand his situation, Aemond thinks after discovering the sincerity in the face and words of her niece, it is Alyssa Velaryon. So, he keeps talking. “I was a fool anyway. I tried to claim my sister's dragon after they left."

"Dreamfire?"

“Helaena hardly ever rides him,” he lets out a frustrated snort, “That was stupid nevertheless.”

On a sudden impulse, Alyssa takes his hand in hers. There is a need within her to comfort Aemond, for where his expression betrays no emotion, his voice shows the pain and shame he feels. “You will have a dragon one day. I'm sure of it,” she tells him with conviction.

Aemond smiles. Those are the same words his mother had said to him the previous day, but for some reason he feels more inclined to trust Alyssa's certainty than Alicent.

"Will you take me with you next time?" Alyssa asks and continues, “Next time you try to claim a dragon, will you take me with you? I would also like to try it”

His blue eyes meet the green eyes of his niece. Although his mother and his court say that Alyssa's features are common, he doesn’t believe the same. At that moment, Aemond finds the leaf-green hue of her eyes of a beauty he has rarely seen. Something stirs inside him as he realizes that, but he doesn't know exactly what it is.

Alyssa waits expectantly for his answer so he nods.

"You promise?" she asks in a whisper

"I promise"

***

The next time Alyssa has lemon cakes with her.

"Where did you get this from?" Aemond asks as he pops one into his mouth.

“Jace got them from the kitchens for me. He knows this are my favorite”

Their meetings are sporadic.

They never plan to see each other in the godswood, but if Alyssa were asked, she would say that something inside of her knows exactly when Aemond will be there. As if a connection had sprung up between the two of them, a connection she has guarded carefully and only for her, without mentioning it even to Luke. And it seems Aemond does the same. There seems to be an unspoken understanding between the two of them to keep their conversations to themselves.

Alyssa finishes her last cake before reaching for the book on Aemond's knee. “History of the Storm Kings?”

"A prince of the realm must know its history," he replies in a solemn tone.

Alyssa smiles and flips through the book before handing it back. "Doesn't seem like the most interesting reading"

"It is not," he admits, "But it is part of my duty."

"Wouldn't it be more fun to really get to know these places rather than just reading about them?" asks Alyssa looking up at the red leaves of the weirwood, "If I had a dragon I would travel to all parts of Westeros on its back."

"Where would you go first?"

“The North,” she answered without hesitation, “To the wall. Queen Alysanne visited the wall once."

“Was it because of her that you were named?”

“Her mother. The first Velaryon to join a Targaryen."

Aemond knew the story, of course.

“The North must be awfully boring,” he replies, smirking as he watches the expression of outrage he gets from Alyssa at his comment, “I'd rather cross the Narrow Sea. Maybe fly over Valyria."

Alyssa snorts, but she brushes off her comment.

“I would like to learn more about the history of the realm”, she admits, “But my mother does not consider it necessary”

"Why not? A princess must be educated."

“I think she places her highest expectations on Jace and Luke. After all, Jace will be the heir to the throne after mother and Luke will be the lord of Driftmark. While I… I must know how to embroider and be a lady. There are no stories for me, just songs."

"I like the songs," Aemond replies, earning a smile from her part that makes his heart leap, "Sing for me, Alyssa."

And Alyssa sings.

***

The last time they meet under the weirwood there are tears in her eyes.

Aemond feels the fire rise within him at the sight of a visibly saddened Alyssa Velaryon. But he doesn't know what to do. He has no idea how to comfort her. Aemond has never needed to comfort Helaena, much less Aegon. Therefore, he feels lost in the pain of his niece.

It is she who once again takes the lead, approaching her uncle and hugging him. The physical contact takes him by surprise, but he doesn't pull her away. He lets her sob until she breaks the hug and meets his questioning gaze.

"Sir Harwin will return to Harrenhall," she explains.

Aemond understands immediately. If Sir Harwin is as attentive to Alyssa as he certainly is to Jacaerys and Lucerys during training, then it is to expect that his niece is going to miss him. Even so, other words come out of his mouth.

“You shouldn't be affected by his parting. He is but a guard."

"Sir Harwin is more than that" she replies in almost a whisper

Aemond looks at her face, still wet with tears, her skin paler than ever and her eyes full of pain., “You still have Laenor Velaryon”

"Father does not usually spend time with us," admits the girl, adding something she had heard Rhaenyra say some time ago, "Generally he prefers the company of his friends to those of her children."

Aemond understands the situation well as he shares the pain of having an absent father. The king is elusive to him and his brothers, never a sign of affection towards them, much less words of encouragement. Aemond would excuse his behavior if he addressed all of his children equally, but he knows that he is different with Rhaenyra.

Thinking of his half-sister always awakes in him a bittersweet feeling. Despite belonging to the same house, the boy has never seen her other than as a distant woman who steals his father's attention and affection. A father for whom nothing Aemond does seems to be enough. The fire burns inside of him once again, opening wounds that the boy attempts to close daily.

Perhaps it is good that Alyssa suffers from the loss of her father, so, albeit indirectly, divine justice would be exercised and his half-sister would also suffer. The treacherous thought delights him, but he only has to look at his niece to feel annoyed with himself for even considering the idea.

Alyssa is not Rhaenyra. She could never be, Aemond thinks.

***

The sea breeze blows through the walls of Driftmark's castle. The corridors are eerily quiet, the guards seem to have disappeared once again, so Alyssa walks unhindered to her uncle's room.

The girl knows it's probably a bad idea, but she can't let it go. Her heart is tormented, her mind divided. Alyssa is not stupid, she knows that that night her family was irreparably broken into two sides. And he was at the center of it all. And she, although her mother and her brothers don't know it, she was too.

She doesn't knock on the door and he isn't asleep when she walks in. She doesn't think he's been waiting for her though she has that impression as she sees Aemond sitting near the fire, the flames bathing his face in golden light. A face that now looks swollen, reddish and marked by a brutal wound.

Aemond watches her and memories of the night come to her mind. Her cousins waking them up because someone had claimed Vhagar, the confrontation, the horrible words Aemond had said, Luke and the knife…

“You shouldn't be here,” he says and his voice sounds harsh.

Resentment. She manages to recognize it in his voice.

"Why are you here?" he continues.

And Alyssa realizes that she has no answer for him. She wants to apologize, she wants to tell Aemond that she's sorry for what Luke did to him, that he didn't deserve that wound, she wants to tell him that his words hurt her soul because, although everyone calls her a bastard behind her back, he never had. But she doesn't say any of that. She instead says, "You broke your promise"

Aemond stands up and walks over to her. Being so close to each other, Alyssa realizes that the wound is even worse than she had imagined, and although she tries to avoid it, the girl can't stop looking at it, which causes him to blush and tilt his face.

Only when he faces her again his embarrassment has been replaced by fury.

"I do not know what you are talking about"

“You said you would take me with you if you tried to claim a dragon. You didn't," she explains.

Aemond snorts, “Are you also going to accuse me of stealing Vhagar?” he takes her tightly by the arm

She shakes her head

“A dragon belongs to whoever claims it. There was only one on this island, did you really expect to take you with me? You would have just been a liability."

"Why are you being so cruel?" asks Alyssa feeling the pressure on her arm increase and trying to get out of his grasp.

"Why were you with them?" he claims

“Aemond…”

"You were there too, hitting me, you helped them do this to me" he points to his eye

He releases her so hard that she falls to the ground. For a brief moment, Alyssa thinks he's going to help her, but her uncle just turns his back on her.

The girl stands up and bites her lip to keep from letting out a sob. Her arms and her elbows ache, but it’s nothing compare to the pain she’s feeling inside of her. And when Alyssa is heading to Dragonstone with her mother the next afternoon, she is aware that she left behind a piece of her heart.