#this one is another not so nice Jace fic | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

softspiderling · 3 months

Text

picture of you in an invisible locket | j.v

summary:

“It is not my father who is against the match.”

“What?”

Jacaerys’ eyes widened in surprise at the implication, and you sighed quietly. You weren’t planning on telling him, knowing it would hurt his feelings greatly, but did you have any other choice?

“You say you have a deep affection for me, and then say that you’re against a match,” Jacaerys said, his brows knitted in confusion.

OR; loving jacaerys velayron means more than loving just him, something that you are painfully aware of

pairing: jacaerys velaryon x reader

warnings: none :)

word count: 2,5k

author's note: my first jacaerys fic! ngl it was super hard to jump from obx to hotd bc i wanted my writing to feel authentic to the fandom/show??? yeah obx and hotd could NOT be any more different tbf. i have a bunch of ideas for jace but if you want you can send me some requests! also tagging @zyafics and @sunderlust bc they've been encouraging me to write for jace ily guys. happy reading and pls leave some feedback/comments/nice words!!! <3

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

The light of the torches were flickering as you walked down the hallway, your shoes clicking against the marble stones that lined the ground. It was nearly midnight and a lady of your rank shouldn’t be awake at this hour, much less out of her chambers by herself, roaming the halls.

But you were hungry.

You hadn’t had much to eat during dinner, trying to avoid him as much as possible, which is getting increasingly more difficult. Usually, he wasn’t so persistent, opting to stay close to your father during dinner, exchanging information about their culture, or drinking with your brother. Tonight, however, it seemed like he was on quest to find you whenever you were standing idly by, asking for a dance. And of course, you couldn’t decline for no reason, as it would appear rude or even slight, so you busied yourself with other - much less distracting - dance partners. By the time he was approached by one of your guards, inquiring about his training, and you saw your chance to sit down and eat in peace, the table had been cleared for the last course. While you did love cake, your hunger couldn’t be stilled by a mere dessert and you spent the remainder of the night famished, longing for some hearty food.

As if on cue, your stomach grumbled of hunger again, and you picked up the skirt of your night dress, hastening along to the kitchen. When you finally reached the stair case that led down to the kitchens, you hurried down the steps, letting yourself into the kitchen, the heavy wooden door swinging shut behind you.

The kitchen was dimly lit, and you headed to the pantry, searching for bread and butter and if you were lucky, some smoked ham. You were so focused on your search, you didn’t even notice another presence lingering in the doorway of the pantry.

You heart nearly stopped when you finally did see him, your gasp echoing in the empty kitchen.

“Prince Jacaerys!”

The crown prince of the Seven Realms was standing in front of you, arms behind his back and brows raised. You forced your heartbeat so calm down, hand still clutching your chest.

“You gave me a fright,” you said. “What are you doing here?”

“I have been waiting for your arrival. You took quite some time, I was certain you would be here an hour past.”

Your eyes narrowed in slits, growing wary at his words. “And how did you know that I would come to the kitchens at this hour? I do not make it a habit to skulk around the keep at night.”

Jacaerys chuckled dryly, his beautiful dark curls bouncing as he shook his head, as if in disbelief.

“Given how you occupied the dance floor with various dance partners earlier, I did not see you sit down for supper once. You were certain to still your hunger somewhere.”

So he did notice.

You acted nonchalant, turning away from him eyes searching shelves in the pantry.

“Searching for this?”

Jacaerys brought a loaf of bread from behind his back, wrapped in a cloth. Your eyes gleamed, taking a step forward to reach for it, nearly bumping into him as he took a step forward as well, breaching into your personal space. Your heart stopped, feeling his hot breath fanning on your cheeks and the prince’s lips tugged into a grin.

“Ah ah,” he tutted, moving the bread out of your reach. “You do not expect me to give this away without a price now, do you my lady?”

You took a moment’s pause, considering his words with caution.

“… What sort of price do you speak of?”

“How about…” Jacaerys begun. “A kiss?”

With a small breath, you faltered, looking up at him through your lashes, your shoulders slumping.

“Jace.”

“Ah, now we are back to Jace?”

Snatching the small piece of ham and the butter that sat in a small marble bell from the shelves, you walk back into the kitchen, knowing Jacaerys would follow you. Making a stop at the counter, you spread your findings on it, waiting until Jacaerys stopped next you, loaf of bread still in his hand.

“You have been avoiding me.”

“I have not.”

“You danced with every single man at your brother’s name day celebration except for me,” Jacaerys pointed out. You shrugged with your shoulders, an act you would never do in front of other people, but this was Jace.

“I was merely being a good host.”

“Don’t insult me, my lady. I saw your grimace when Lord Ren twirled you over the dance floor while stepping all over your feet with his barbaric dance moves.”

Seven hells, he got you there. You never were able to keep your real feelings hidden when it came to Lord Ren. He was just too insufferable. Pursing your lips, you resisted the urge to roll your eyes. You were still a lady after all, you had some manners.

“Will you give me the bread when I admit you’re right?”

“I should not,” Jacaerys sniffed. “Because I know I am right, I do not need a confession. I just want to know your reasons.”

With a huff, you snatched the loaf of bread out of his hands, reaching for knife in the wooden block. You cut out several slices, maybe with more force than necessary.

“You know my reasons.”

Jacaery is quiet next to you and you dropped the knife on the counter, wrapping the rest of the loaf up again. You can still feel his gaze on you as you spread the butter on the bread slices, knowing he was waiting for you to elaborate, and after a few more moments, you broke, the knife clattering against the wooden surface.

“Jace, you know I… Have a deep affection for you.”

“As do I for you.”

The two of you both skirted around the big word, not quite bold enough to say it yet.

“I do not wish to give my father the expectation to marry me off to you.”

“I’m the crown prince, surely your father would not have any grievances against a match.”

“It is not my father who is against the match.”

“What?”

Jacaerys’ eyes widened in surprise at the implication, and you sighed quietly. You weren’t planning on telling him, knowing it would hurt his feelings greatly, but did you have any other choice?

“You say you have a deep affection for me, and then say that you’re against a match,” Jacaerys said, his brows knitted in confusion. “I don’t understand. Isn’t a match born out of affection and not duty what you have been wanting?”

“Jace, this is more complicated than me harboring any affections for you-” you started, but your words were cut shot by Jacaerys speaking your name.

“If it’s about leaving home, I promise King’s Landing is not as bad as it seems. And on dragonback, it is only a three day journey. When I first left, I got terribly homesick as well, but-“

“I do not wish to be Queen!” you exploded, falling into Jacaerys’ words and he took a step back at your outburst, surprise flickering over his face. You let out a long, deep, breath, hand clutching at your chest, calming yourself down.

The kitchen is eerily calm, neither of you spoke, the only sound is the fire crackling in the hearth. Your voice is quiet when you finally spoke again.

“I am the youngest child of my father, Jace. His only daughter. My oldest brother is betrothed and to be wed in less than a year’s time, the second oldest is courting his partner to be betrothed. I was not trained to rule, to have any responsibility or to represent my house. You are the crown prince, set to inherit the Iron Throne, to rule over seven kingdoms. Seven, Jace. How exactly do you expect me to fulfill the role of a Queen consort?”

Jacaerys’ mouth was parted, as if he wasn’t quite sure what to say. Which you understood. You have never shared your feelings about his position as heir before, how you resented it a little for it was the only reason you couldn’t let yourself be matched with him.

“I’m not fit to be Queen.”

“I… Didn’t know that you felt this way,” he said, his voice tight. “I can’t shirk my duties.”

“And I am not asking you to,” you assured him. “I just can’t… Be the wife you need.”

“What if-”

“Jacaerys, please.”

Your voice was pleading, knowing discussing this any further was no use. You weren’t fit for a Queen. Jacaerys’ face shut down, and he put his mask up, before nodding, ever the understanding prince, much to your luck. “Of course. Whatever you wish for, my love.”

His love.

“I will see you on the morrow.”

Reaching for your hand, he grasped it gently with his, placing a soft kiss on your knuckles, before stepping back, letting go of you. As he departed from the kitchen, you leaned against the counter, your breath shaky. You knew you hurt him, disappointed him, but this was so much bigger than the two of you.

You breathed out deeply, hoping the sorrow would leave, but it didn’t. Reaching for the bread, your appetite had gone, but leaving it would be wasting it, so you bit into your dinner. And as you ate, you couldn’t help but think that the bread tasted like ashes in your mouth.

The next few days, Jacaerys seemed to respect your wishes to keep his distance. You still saw him around the keep, occasionally walking with your father, mostly though you saw him accompanying your brother as they conversed quietly, but intently. You wondered what they were talking about. Whenever you saw him, you noticed that Jacaerys kept his gaze away from took, and you couldn’t help but feel saddened, even though this was what you asked him for in the first place.

You missed his company. Especially at night. Despite the fact that you had never crossed any lines, or did anything improper - spending the dark hours at the library talking, exchanging stories about your childhood, maybe coming very close to a kiss - you were still a maiden. Of course you spending time with him alone was unseemly, and your father would betroth you immediately would he find out. It might be better for you, that Jacaerys kept away.

It was the end of the week when you saw him again. You were sat in the dining hall, at another feast your father had called for. It was the night of the departure of the representatives of House Blackwood, though even if it weren’t, you didn’t doubt that there would still be a feast. Your father didn’t need an occasion celebrate.

Your demeanor was polite, bht curt, hoping that it would deter any lords from asking for a dance, but of course Lord Ren was keen on offering you his hand.

Giving him a polite smile, you let him lead you around the dance floor, already forming some sort of excuse in your head when someone stepped to you, offering you his hand.

It was Jacaerys.

“May I, Lord Ren?”

“Of course, my prince.”

Lord Ren bowed to Jacaerys and you bowed your head out of respect before Jacaery placed a hand on your waist, his other finding your hand. You couldn’t help but feel relief that Jacaerys had freed you from Lord Ren, but you tried to keep your composure.

“I thought we talked about this, Jacaerys,” you muttered out between gritted teeth, as to uphold the image of a happy lady, dancing with her guest.

“We have.”

Jacaerys replied easily, never missing a step as he spoke, despite keeping his eyes on you. Ever the perfect prince.

You turned away, not being able to hold his eyes on you, your stomach churning.

“I am sorry if I hurt your feelings, Jace,” you said quietly, not wanting anyone to overhear you talking to the crown prince in such a familiar way. “I wish things were different- That I was different.”

Jacaerys’ hand tightened on your waist, and he used that to pull you closer.

“I spoke to your father, and he gave his blessing for our betrothal.”

Your eyes widened at his words, as you hadn’t expected them, the shock evident on your face. You had told him about your fears of being Queen consort and he just disregarded them.

“What?”

“I know you’re afraid that you won’t be able to fulfill your duties as Queen, my Queen consort. My mother will teach you, I will be by your side. My mother is set to live a long life and by the time I will inherit the throne, you will be properly trained. And I swear on my life, you will make the best Queen consort the realm will ever see.”

Stunned, you blinked your eyes at him, as if this all was a dream. Never before had you experience someone being so stubborn to prove you of your own worth.

“It hurt me greatly when you told of your reluctance of our match, because I cannot fathom that you see yourself anything less than you are.��

As he spoke, Jacaerys kept his gaze ahead, but he finally he turned to look at you, his eyes softening.

“I will not force you. This is your choice. If you do not wish to marry me, you won’t have to. Just know that I believe in you and what you will be able to do as Queen consort.”

You were trying so hard to find the right words, your feet stopped working for a second and you stumbled, but Jacaerys was quick to tighten his grip around you, keeping you upright.

“I- don’t know what to say,” you admitted.

“Say yes?”

Jacaerys looked down at you, his eyes hopeful and you felt your resolve melt away, especially because it looked he had planned it down to the last detail.

“Yes, okay.”

Jacaerys smiled at you before turning to the side, giving a curt nod and that was all it took for your father thrust his jug into the air, the ale spilling over the rim.

“I am thrilled to announce that Prince Jacaerys Velaryon, heir to Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen of the Seven Realms, has asked my daughter for her hand in marriage… And she has accepted!”

The raucuos cheers that followed after nearly deafened your ears and you hid your face in Jacaerys’ chest - an act of affection you allowed yourself now that the two of you were betrothed.

“This couldn’t wait until we were in closed chambers?” you whispered, pink tinging your cheeks. Jacaerys shook his head, lifting your hand to brush his lips over your knuckles.

“There’s no backing out of it now, my love.”

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

author's note: thoughts?? :)

#jacaerys velaryon x reader #jacaerys velaryon #jacaerys targaryen #jacaerys x reader #jacaerys velaryon x you #prince jacaerys #jacaerys x you #jacaerys velaryon fanfiction #jacaerys velaryon fanfic #jacaerys velaryon fic #jacaerys velaryon imagine #hotd #house of the dragon

2K notes · View notes

iamyourdailydoseofbi · 3 months

Note

Sorry for english mistakes, it is not my first language. Can we have more of what ‘Familial Issues Anon’ was talking about? Requesting for more Brother Aegon but it is not tied to the previous fic? Like Aegon and Little Sister Reader growing up with one another and the ideas of the Anon that requested it? Sorry it is my first tine asking for a fic request!

THE HISTORY BOOK ON THE SHELF. ( HOTD x READER ) [ PREQUEL? ]

AUTHOR NOTE! Thanks for all the love. <3 pairing: Young! Aegon Targaryen x Little Sis! Reader prompt: Aegon finds himself enable to grasp the thought of losing you forever. word count: 1, 000+ words

You were a pest. No, you were a clingy pest. Like a leech. Aegon's personal leech. You just stuck to him. No matter how many times he tried to get rid of you, you came waddling back to him like a little duckling. You'd stare up at him, big puppy dog eyes and a giddy smile. So pure, so untouched. He wanted to ruin you. To ruin that good you had in you, in hopes it would make you stop clinging onto him. But, it never worked.

He could spout out the cruelest of insults to you, and you'd just stare at him. So innocent that the words did not click in his head. He could push you, and you'd just stand back up unflinching. Still seeing the best in him. He hated it. It was odd. Why could you not see the bad in him? The bad that everyone else saw in him? Why did you have to be so good? So sweet? So loving?

He hated it. Yet, he craved your presence. There was something nice about having you by his side. You weren't like Jace, trying to impress him. Or as much of a follower as Luke, wanting to fit in. You just adored him and everything he did. Like a stupid puppy. It was a battle within him.

"She's a pest." Yes, but she's your little sister.

"She sees too much good in me." Yes, but wasn't that better than hate?

"She was too young." Yes, only eleven and still too naive to understand just how horrid and rotten he was. But, she made him smile with her child-like wonder of the world.

"She loves you." Yes, she was the only one that did. Or at least, the only one that did love him for him. No matter how rotten he was.

"She's too clingy." Yes, but one day she will grow out of it and suddenly the loneliness will come creeping back in. She won’t be there trailing after him, or hug him, or smile at him.

"One day she will marry and leave you all alone." Yes, but for now you were his little sister. You were his little duckling. His little shadow. His little pest and he wanted to cling onto that a little longer.

Watching you trailing after Aemond like a puppy, he scowls deeply, hatred and jealousy bubbling inside of him. You were supposed to be his little shadow. Not Aemond's. Keeping his distance for now, he watches as you give Aemond a big hug and smile, nodding your little head enthusiastically at whatever he says. The scowl on his face grows more and more deep. What could Aemond say that made you so happy? Watching you hand Aemond a linen cloth, he grows even more angry. No, no, no, that was his thing. You were supposed to give him gifts! Not Aemond.

Not being able to hold back any longer, he stalks towards the two of you, a dark glare on his face pointed towards Aemond. There was no way in the Seven hells was he going to allow Aemond to steal you from him. You were his pest. You were his. Not Aemond. Aemond could have Helaena or Jace and Luke for all he cared. You were his. You were meant to cling onto him. Watching you ramble away to Aemond, he straightens out, puffing up his chest to look more bigger.

"Oh, Y/n.." He calls out, a hint of sing-song tone in his voice.

"Egg!" You cheerfully call out, your words lisping together.

"Aegon. We've been over this. It's Aegon, not Egg." He huffs, rolling his eyes.

“What are you doing here, Egg?” You ask, not catching his annoyance.

Watching you completely forget about Aemond, he swiftly picks you up, carrying you on his back in a piggy back ride. You were a little heavy and too big to be carried in such a manner, but he didn’t care. If it meant keeping you close to him, he would grit his teeth and do it. Hearing you giggle loudly, he walks away from Aemond, shooting a deadly glare over his shoulder. As if he was a dog pissing on the ground to mark his territory. He wanted to be clear to everyone, you were his.

“Does not matter.” He brushes off, “We are going to the kitchen’s, I heard they are making lemon cakes.”

“Lemon cakes?”

“Yes, I think we can steal a few of them.” He nods, “What do you say, hm? An adventure with your big brother?”

“I would like that.” You smile, making him perk up.

"Good, good, because I wan't going to put you down anyways."

Watching as you dissect the lemon cake, you push the bitter lemon frosting away with your fork, piling it up on the side of the plate. Smiling softly as you turn your plate so he could eat the frosting, his gaze softens ever so slightly, shoulder’s relaxing. You were too kind. Even when eating your food, you still wanted to share with him, knowing that the frosting was always his favorite part. Pushing his uneaten slice closer to you, he had no desire to eat the lemon cake anymore, just wanting to see you smile some more.

“Aegon?” You mumble, playing with your food with your fork.

“Yes?”

“I have a question.” You stare at the plate, “About marriage.”

“Marriage? What in the Seven’s name is making you think of marriage? You’re too young for that.”

“Grandsire said I will one day make a good wife and mother. That I must follow my studies closely.” You mumble, “Do you think that I will be a good wife and mother one day?”

Furrowing his brows in confusion, he didn’t know why you were asking such a question, you were a long way away before marriage would become a concern. You barely turned ten and one, weeks ago. You should be focused on other matter’s, like embroidery or whatever stupid Court gossip spread around.

Wrinkling his nose up the more he thinks of you getting married, the more he dislikes the thought. You were too young, and too important for him to let you succumb to such a boring fate. If he was King, you would never have to marry. You two would just fly on dragon back and have fun all day.

“I do. But, that’s like a billion years from now.” He rolls his eyes, exaggerating with his words.

“Do you think so? I know of many other girl’s who are already betrothed.” You mumble, playing with the frosting.

“Yes, well, those other girls aren’t you. You're a Princess, a Targaryen one. You’re important and different from them. They're dull.” He shakes his head, refusing to compare you to the other girl in Court.

“You think so?” You ask, eyes full of so much hope.

“I know so. We’re Targaryen’s! Everyone wants to be us because we are special and they are dull and common.” He smiles, “There’s a thousand of them, and only one of you. You’re special.”

Watching as a big goofy smile spreads on your face, he perks up at the sight, happy to cause such joy within you. Picking apart the lemon cake with his fork, he watches as your eyes lower down to your plate, shoulder’s slouching for a moment. The smile on your face falters for a moment, almost as if some thought popped in your head and ruined the moment. Furrowing his brows at how quick the joy is gone, he wanted to punch whoever or whatever had popped into your head.

“What is it?” He asks, slightly concerned by your shift in mood.

“But, Grandsire said⎯”

“You are barely reaching your ten and two name day. You are too young to be considered a wife or Mother.” He shakes his head dismissively, “Grandsire is a fool. Do not let such things upset you. I won’t let them marry you off. You’ll stay here in the Red Keep with me, for like, forever.”

Little did either of you know, that just on the other end of the Red Keep.Your marriage had already been arranged, and soon you’d be shipped off.

---

#house of the dragon #house of dragons #house of dragons x reader #house of the dragon x reader #hotd imagine #hotd imagines #aegon targaryen x reader #aegon ii targaryen #hotd x reader #aegon ii #aegon x reader #aegon the elder #king aegon #aegon the second #aegon ii targaryen x reader #hotd aegon

748 notes · View notes

ewanmitchellconnoisseur · 7 months

Text

"𝑨𝒈𝒐𝒏𝒚" (Aemond x Reader)

A/N: I want to first say. I STRUGGLE with writing dialogue in different periods. So if I make this into a fic it is going to take me so long because I will have to read other people's stories and rewatch the show so the dialogue can be somewhat realistic. Hopefully, I do well...If not. Don't tell me shit. I don't wanna hear it. // Divider by @firefly-graphics

Summary: You return with your family to King's Landing to defend Lucerys against your uncle Vaemond but he is not the uncle you worry about. Your mind is filled with the man you were once betrothed to what he will say when he sees you, and how he will act. You worry about how your Uncle Aemond will treat you after all this time.

Next Chapter →

Tw: Oral Sex (f receiving)

Word Count: 5.4k (an absolute fucking monstrosity written in a couple hours)

"Would say it's nice to be home but I scarcely recognize it." Daemon hums slightly before walking around looking at every bit of the wall in disgust. Rhaenyra turns to you and your brothers. "I trust you three will stay out of trouble while we go visit your grandsire?"

Your brothers nod their heads as you all take your turn to look over what was once your home. It feels...darker than it did when you lived here, almost abandoned. If it was not for the servants walking around you would think it was.

Rhaenyra and Daemon walk away leaving you and your brothers.

"Come on. I want to see if that hole is still in the wall in the training yard." Luke rolls his eyes at the stupid memory which makes you smile. You follow after them as they try to recall the way there.

You don't listen to their conversation as Jace points out the hole that still remains. You can barely pay attention to anything anyone is saying. Your brain has been in panic mode since the moment you were told you would be returning here.

Scared to face your previous betrothed. You feel someone's hands wrap around yours and snap you out of your thoughts.

"Are you alright?" Luke says softly and looks at you worriedly. You nod and ruffle his hair with a smile.

"Im fine. Just...feels weird being back." He doesn't let go of your hand. You notice as he looks around at all the people staring at him and Jace. It had always been like this, people often compared you to your brothers in how different you looked. How you carried Targaryen features while they resembled Harwin Strong.

Unknown to you or your brothers at the time Rhaenyra and Laenor did truly try to conceive at least one trueborn child. But in the end, it was all too uncomfortable for them. It was only on their second try did they attempt it in another way. Laenor at first stayed in the room alone getting himself just before his peak so that when Rhaenyra came in all he had to do was empty himself inside of her. That one time resulted in you. The only child related to Laenor in both blood and name.

Jace comes and pulls Luke away to watch a fight you couldn't care less about. You walked around the yard looking at the various weapons laid out. You knew that you could fight far better than most of the men here, having been trained by Daemon himself.

Bored by the dusty swords and daggers you turn to watch the fight from the other side. Your heart dropped into your ass as you see the man before you.

He was tall...you always thought he would be. His hair sadly no longer carried those curls that once coiled around your fingers as he read to you. An eyepatch sat over his eye breaking your heart as you recalled the night.

"Get off of him!" "Stop it, Jace!" "Don't hurt him!"

You clamped your eyes closed wanting to fight off the painful memory. You were weak then, unable to help. You couldn't protect him in any way that mattered.

The claps of everyone around you had you opening your eyes once more. You watched as Aemond bested Criston in a duel.

"Well done, my prince, You'll be winning tourneys in no time."

"I don't give a shit about tourneys. Nephews...have you come to train?" You see the look on Luke's face and you feel bad for him. He and Jace had spent most of their time trying to learn High Valyrian and barely picked up a sword unless forced to. Aemond had clearly spent all his time training since the accident.

"Open the gates!" Everyone turns to watch as the guards open the gates and men carrying the banners of Velaryon walk in. You walk over to your brothers and hold onto Luke's hands as Vaemond passes by staring Luke down. Vamond's expression only softens as he looks at you and he offers you a warm smile.

The same smile he had given you at Laena's funeral as he took the opportunity to call your brother's bastards in such a sad time. You hear Luke audibly gulp and you try to soothe him by running your fingers over his knuckles.

"Let's go inside." You place a hand on Jace's back to calm him down as you notice the look of anger on his face at the sight of Vaemond.

As you turn to enter the Red Keep your eyes automatically land on Aemond who now wears an expression you can't quite place. His eyes are only on you and for a moment it feels like there's only you two but Jace is quick to step in front of your view and to give Aemond a look you can't see. Whatever it is has him turning around in anger and returning to sparring with Criston.

You walk with Rhaenyra and Rhaena towards Rhaenys.

"Grandmother" Rhaena calls out and basically runs over to her. You follow behind her.

"Rhaena..." Rhaena stands before her as Rhaenys holds her hand. You step beside her and Rhaenys looks over to you. She steps forward and places a hand on your cheek. "You two have grown beautifully." She kisses both of your cheeks.

"Baela said you might be here." Your mother comes closer, each step wary. "She's done well as your ward. You've um... raised her admirably." Rhaenys doesn't look over and keeps her eyes trained on both you and Rhaena.

"You honour me, Princess." Rhaenys smiles softly at Rhaenyra.

"Might I speak to the Princess alone, girls?" Rhaena looks to your grandmother almost for permission. She nods and lets go of both of you.

"Princess." Rhaena begins to walk away. You give your grandmother another kiss on the cheek before leaving.

Rhaenyra smiles at you as you walk away to join Rhaena.

"What do you think they're talking about?" You both look back once more before heading inside.

"I have no idea." You look at your mother who steps closer to your grandmother. Rhaene takes your arm and you turn to her. "Come. Let us go find the boys."

That night it rained and the sound of thunder filled your old chambers. His face filled your memories. His voice echoed in your ears.

"Can I kiss you Aemond?" Your fingertips ran over the dip of his lips as you imagined what they would feel like on yours."You never have to ask Princess."

You touch your lips at the memory of your first kiss. The only kiss you ever got to share with him. How soft his kiss was, how gentle he was. Your lips yearned for another kiss. Your body begs for his warmth and your heart breaks. It breaks at the memory of when your betrothal was cancelled when you knew the future you both talked about would never happen.

"How many children will we have?" Your head lay in his lap as he read a book, his fingers twirling your hair as you pick the petals of a flower. "As many as you are willing to bear me, Princess." You blush brightly which only brings a smile to his face. But your brain always knows how to ruin the moment as a new thought plagues your mind."Would you be angry at me if I had a girl first?" Aemond closes his book and looks down at you. "I could never be angry at you."

You sat up in your bed to the sound of a knock at the door. Your hands roughly smooth over your head pushing your hair back as if it wipes away the memories and dreams.

How can one live like this? How can one continue on in life like this? He is in every breath you take, every time you close your eyes his face decorates the darkness that you simply wish would consume you. You are reminded of him in every waking moment of your life.

Another knock comes to your chamber doors and you know you have no choice but to start your day. You sweat at the thought of seeing him again.

Will he keep to his words? Will he not be angry with you for being gone for so long? For not sending any letters? You did not want to find out. In truth you just want to stay in your chambers all day and sleep, but for the sake of Luke you would attend the hearing.

"The crown will now hear the petitions." Otto sits on the throne as his voice echoes throughout the hall. "Ser Vaemond of House Velaryon."

Vaemond steps forward as everyone looks towards him. Everyone but Aemond. You can see him in the corner of your eye his gaze is focused on you. Never looking away, never taking a break.

You stand next to Daemon looking forward. Knowing that if you even willed your eyes to move it would land on him. And you couldn't bear to look at him.

"My Queen. My Lord Hand." Vaemond then goes on to talk about the history and the days of Old Valyria. You can't hear him, you can't hear anything once more over the beating of your heart.

"Iksis bisa iā qogror iā elekor?" [Is this a class or a hearing?] Daemon whispers to you. He notices your rigid stance and how you're taking in shallow breaths. He places a hand on your elbow and you look over to him. He gives you a look of "Are you ok?" to which you nod.

He returns back to staring Vaemond down hoping he will eventually burn holes into the side of his head and will fall dead where he stands but not everyone is that lucky. It is only then that he notices a one-eye fucker staring in his direction. He shifts his gaze and notices Aemond staring at you. Aemond can feel someone looking at him and looking towards Daemon before pressing his lips in a thin line and giving Vaemond his attention.

"As it does in my sons and daughter, the offspring of Laenor Velaryon." You are snapped out of your thoughts at the sound of your mother's voice. You look over to her. "If you cared so much about your house's blood Ser Vaemond, you would not be so bold as to supplant its rightful hair." Vaemond holds a look of anger towards her. "No, you only speak for yourself. and for your own ambition."

"You will have a chance to make your own petition Princess Rhaenyra." You look towards Alicent. "Do Ser Vaemond the courtesy of allowing his to be heard." Next to her, you see the smirks of both Aegon and Aemond. You know they enjoy this, seeing Luke be openly called a bastard.

Why are your brothers blamed and dragged through the mud for what your mother has done? Are they not innocent in their own conceivement?

Vaemond gives Alicent a slight nod before turning towards your family.

"What do you know of Velaryon blood, Princess?" He speaks to your mother in a condescending tone. "I could cut my veins and show it to you, and you still wouldn't recognize it."

Your heart twinges for your mother. You feel conflicted all the time. On one hand, your brothers are indeed not blood-related to your father. But he had accepted them as his sons publicly no doubt. What could he have done for people to recognize them as his children? On the other hand, Vaemond proves a point in matters of blood. But is it not the last names people remember?

They both ride dragons, and they learn the tongue of the dragon. They are everything Targaryen but in matters of looks and blood. But that is more than enough for people to shun them. You want to side with them with your full heart, but how can you when you understand the opposition's points?

"King Viserys of House Targaryen, the First of His Name, King of the andals and the Rhoynar, and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm."

You look up in awe as you watch your grandsire slowly walk into the room. The only sound was the tapping of his cane against the floor. You had not seen him in so long, he looked so old and different. Hunched over and in pain.

You watch as he makes his way up to the throne and Daemon aids him. Otto moves over to stand next to Alicent and you can see the confusion and anger on his face. His plans are ruined and whatever chance he had at getting the Velaryons on their side is squandered.

"I must...admit...my confusion." Your grandsire breathes quickly as he tries to regain his strength. "I do not understand why petitions are being heard over a settled succession." You listen as he calls for your grandmother to speak.

You feel hot. This room feels hot. You pull repeatedly at the band on your wrist. A coping mechanism you developed when you felt so far away from everything. You snap the band against your wrist as you listen to your grandmother who only further pushes for Corly's wishes for Lucerys to be the next Lord of the Tides. You miss her announcing the marriage between your brothers and cousins.

You can't focus. He is still staring at you. You make the mistake of closing your eyes cause when you open them they are on him. You take in a sharp breath and stare back at him. Your heart feels as though someone is squeezing it, your chest heavy as if a dragon sits atop it. You want nothing more than to go over there but you keep your feet planted.

"That is no true Velaryon." You jump slightly looking towards your uncle as he angrily points at Luke. "and certainly no nephew of mine." Your mother tells your brothers to head to their chambers before attempting to silence Vaemond.

"You can not all be blind surely? To look upon both my grandniece and her sons and think they share the same father?" Everyone looks at you and for a moment you wish you could shrink into the walls, fade into the people behind you. "She even skips her daughter so that her son could inherit Driftmark when it belongs to my niece. She wishes to cover her tracks and erase my niece's future." You've never felt that way. You were never upset at your mother's decisions. Maybe you always assumed you'd end up with Aemond. "Gods be damned...I will not see it ended on the account of this-" Your eyes widen as you realize what he wishes to say.

You feel a heat radiate beside you and notice the body language of Daemon has changed. A hand rests on his sword as his head is cocked to the side.

"Say it." He whispers softly. Vaemond gives Daemon a smug look.

"Her sons...are BASTARDS! And she...is...a whore." Everyone gasps and you notice the heat beside you is missing. You watch as King Viserys unsheaths his dagger and calls for your uncle's tongue.

You then hear a thud and turn and see Vaemond's body hit the floor. His head was cut off at the mouth, his tongue still attached. Much happens in those moments but your eyes stay on Vaemond's body. It is only when your mother places a hand on your cheek you look away.

"Go with your grandmother. She might need comfort."

You stand next to Rhaenys, holding her hand as the silent sisters work on your uncle.

"Did you ever feel that way, little ocean?" You look over to her as her eyes are trained upon his seperated head. "As if your mother was trying to erase you?"

"No, grandmother. To be honest. I had always imagined myself living here, in the Red Keep." You looked around the room watching the sisters move slowly and carefully.

"Married to Aemond." Your quick to look back towards her she offers you a faint smile before turning to you. "Come back with me, to Driftmark. Your grandsire would love to see you and I have missed your presence." You nod, not caring to say that you should ask the permission of your mother and father.

The Grand Maester walks over and speaks. You stare at the body of your uncle once more. Is this justice? He called your mother a whore and your brother bastards...but was he wrong?

"The Stranger has visited me more times than I can count, Grand Maester." You feel her squeeze your hand. "I assure you, he cares little whether my eyes are open or closed." You watch as he leaves. "You should go, little ocean. Your grandsire wishes for you to eat with your family."

"Will you not dine with us?" You brush your fingers against her hand.

"I fear I have lost my appetite." She kisses your head. "We will take our leave on the morrow." You nod before leaving the room with a final look towards your uncle.

As you enter the dining hall your family is already there. The table already has its sides. On the right sit your mother and your family and on the left sit the Queen and hers. The separation hurts you and you wish you could do something about it. Mend it in whatever way possible. You would give your own life if it meant uniting your family.

Jacerys offers his seat so you can sit next to Baela and he moves to her other side. The switch puts you next to Aegon but you do not mind. He has never been one to bother you before, and only ever makes small jokes, which you would never admit to his face, can be funny.

"Mother?" Rhaenyra turns in her chair towards you.

"Yes, my heart?" She places a hand on your arm you smile at the name. Each one of you had one, Jace was often referred to as her love, Luke as her sweet boy, and you her heart.

"Grandmother has requested I return with her to Driftmark... I'd like to. To see grandsire, if that is all right with you." She smiles softly and brings your hand to her lips as she kisses it.

"Of course." You hear the doors open and see your grandsire being carried in. "We will talk more later. Go sit." You walk over to your chair and stand until he is placed in his spot.

As you walk over you look up and see his eyes on you once more. He stands at the head of the table watching you. You sit only when you notice everyone else does and clasp your hands together when Alicent calls for prayer. You've read about the Seven and know only as much as books taught you. You hear Alicent's prayer but you pray your own. You ask The Warrior and The Smith to give you strength, you beg for forgiveness from The Maiden for your thoughts and acknowledge The Stranger, for you both feel like outcasts in this world.

"This is an occasion for celebration, it seems. My grandsons Jace and Luke, will marry their cousins Baela and Rhaena." It is only then that you feel the weight of his gaze lift, as he looks at your brother on the other end of the table. Your grandsire calls for a toast to your brothers. He calls for another toast for Lucerys as the future Lord of the Tides.

"I also want to say. How beautifully my granddaughter has grown." You feel the eyes of everyone turn to you, and your mother smiles. Even Alicent gives you a genuine gentle smile. "Im sure by your next nameday we will have found a suitable match for your hand. Let us toast in hopes you will find someone deserving of you." Everyone raises their glass.

But it is only Aemond who does not. You watch as Aegon leans over you towards Baela.

"He does know how the act is done, I assume? At least in principle. Where to put your cock and all that?"

"Let it be cousin," Baela responds clearly annoyed. Jace responds but you don't hear it whatever he says has Aegon sitting back down fully in his seat.

You stare forward as King Viserys makes a speech. You return to snapping the band against your wrist as you again feel the heat of his stare. Words are shared between the Queen and your mother before Aegon gets up and sets himself in between Baela and Jace.

"I, um I regret the disappointment you are soon to suffer. But if you ever wish to know what it is to be well satisfied, all you have to do is ask-" Jace bangs his hands on the table before standing up which leads to Aemond standing up as well ready to protect his brother if need be.

Aegon sits down quickly next to you. More speeches go on, too many speeches. You wish everyone would just shut up so we can all be done with this dinner. Either that or let us remove our masks and speak the truth. You have grown tired of this tension and fake genuineness.

You remain next to Aegon as food is brought out and Jace takes Helaena to dance. You can see the look on his face. He looks over your family with a sort of longing. Everything he has ever wanted on display in front of him.

"Would you care to dance uncle?" He looks over to you with a surprised look on his face. He puts down his cup and is about to put out his hand when someone clears their throat. You look over to the noise and see Aemond staring at the two of you.

"Not if I wish to lose my head." He picks his cup back up and returns to watching everyone. You look over to Aemond who only stares at you with no emotion.

You watch as guards walk over to your grandsire and take him away. You make a plan in your head to go visit him tonight to speak to him.

The mood is only spoiled as a pig is placed in front of Aemond. You hear the light chuckles of Luke and curse him in your head. You flinch as Aemond's hand bangs the table and he stands up picking up his cup.

"Final tribute. To the health of my nephews: Jace...Luke...and Joffrey. Each of them handsome, wise..." And in that pause alone you feel that separation between families grow. "...strong. Come...let us drain our cups to these three strong boys."

"I dare you say that again." You tense as Jace speaks already being able to tell where this is going.

"Why? 'Twas only a compliment." Aemond lowers his cups and walks over to Jace. "Do you not think yourself strong?" Jace punches Aemond...or...attempts to. Aemond still stands unwavering and not a drop spilt from his cup.

Aegon grabs Luke who tries to walk over to help Jace and slams his head on the table. You stand up and walk over to Aegon and pull his hair, yanking his head back. He releases Luke and only smiles up at you. You put him in the same position he had your brother in, slamming his head against the table and holding him down until guards come and step in between you two.

You remain standing at the chairs as the sides are made once more. You stand somewhat in the middle. Jace attempts to run back over to Aemond but Daemon steps in front of him.

"Go to your quarters. All of you go now." Your siblings and cousins leave but you remain still standing in your spot. You watch as Aemond and Daemon stare at each other silently. Aemond then turns to you and so does everyone else, he looks at you and then hums to himself as he walks out of the room.

"Come little rogue." Daemon puts his arm out for you. You take his arm, your mother pats your cheek and you follow him out of the room.

You sit in your mother and Daemon's chambers caring for young Aegon and Viserys along with a couple of maids.

Your mother walks in and takes a seat next to Daemon.

"I will see the boys home. Then I will return on dragonback." She holds Daemon's hand.

"Just the boys?" He asks looking over at you.

"Grandmother has asked me to return with her and Baela to Driftmark." He nods.

"Head to bed rogue." You nod and stand up walking over to your parents. You kiss your mother's cheek and place a hand on her stomach before walking past Daemon and pulling on the small ponytail in his hair softly and leaving the room.

Daemon watches as you leave with a smirk on his face and waits until the door is closed to speak.

"Did you see the way he looked at her?" Rhaenyra is taken aback by Daemon's tone. He stands up and paces.

"Who, my love?" She rubs her belly as she watches her children play.

"Aemond." He scowls. "He's been looking at her since we arrived as if he wants to take her where she stands. Which is impressive since the fucker only has one eye." he sits back down.

"They were once betrothed Daemon. Before that, they were closer than any of the kids. They spent all their free time together." She smirks at her husbands's protectiveness. It didn't take long for him to see you as one of his own daughters.

"We should discuss her future marriage. Maybe it's time we start looking for a husband for her." Rhaenyra nods.

"We will speak to her about it when she returns from Driftmark. Vaemond was right about one thing...she is being erased...I had not realized I was doing that." Daemon took her hand and placed the other on her bump.

"That fucker didn't know what he was talking about. You are a great mother to her, and she has had no complaints about her inheritance." She knows he's right.

"Nonetheless. If there is one thing I can give her is a choice. She will decide who she marries. I would feel better knowing it's a man of her own choosing."

Your handmaids leave the room once you're finished being dressed for bed. You sit in front of your vanity staring at yourself.

When had you become someone you didn't recognize? When did you begin just walking the earth instead of living on it? When had you become so...lonely.

You walk over to the balcony and step outside. Pulling your robe tighter to your body against the cold air. You close your eyes and though you aren't sure who it is you are speaking to you beg them to help you. To bring you happiness and peace.

"Mandianna" You hear him from behind you. You turn around slowly and see him standing inside your room. You slowly walk in and close the balcony doors behind you, locking them.

"...Aemond..." You move to take another step to him but he raises a hand.

"For as long as I can remember you...Not a day has gone by when I haven't thought of you." You take a deep breath as he speaks. "And now that you're here...I'm in agony." He takes a step towards you. "The closer I get to you, the worse it gets. The thought of not being with you...I can't breathe." He stops in front of you a hand on your cheek. "I'm haunted by the kiss that you should never have given me. My heart is beating, hoping that that kiss will not become a scar." He lowers his head so he hovers just above your lips. "You are in my very soul, tormenting me...what can I do? I will do anything you ask."

You stare up into his eyes and feel drawn into them. You drown in them putting up no fight. Wanting to feel that darkness that has followed you all these years surround you.

"Kiss me." And he does and it is everything you've imagined. You give him full reign and kisses you with the same intensity that a drowning man comes up for air.

When he finally pulls away he admires your bruised lips and brushes the tears from your eyes.

"Aemond...I have grieved for what we could have been...so much time has passed. And our families have only grown farther apart." He kisses the side of your cheek.

"But what is grief if not love persevering?" He wraps his arms around your waist pulling you right against him as his eyes meet yours. "I have yet to meet another soul who is fluent in my language..but you? You are fluent in me." You place your hands on his chest. "Marry me. In the tradition of our ancestors. Let my blood become yours, and yours mine." You see the hope in his eyes.

"And what of our families?" They would never accept this." You try to pull away but he holds you tight against him.

"I refuse to sacrifice the one person who sees me for who I am for a family who barely sees me for the mask I wear." He leads you towards your bed and sits you down at the edge of it before sitting before you on his knees. "You are mine. You were always meant to be mine."

His hands trail up your legs as a smirk spreads over his face.

"Aemond. We can't." He pushes up your nightgown while kissing his way up your legs.

"I will not spoil you. I will only wish for a preview of what will be mine." He pushes your dress up all the way and pulls down your small clothes. He pulls your legs over his shoulder as he lowers himself in between your thighs.

He wastes no time drinking you up. His tongue tastes whatever he can, his nose brushing against your bud softly. His tongue stiffens inside of you as he finds that place his brother had told him about. It has you lying down covering your mouth.

"Ae-Aemond..." He moans against your cunt in pleasure at your moans of his name. "Please..." you're unsure of what it is you are begging for but whatever it is you know you need it.

He brings a finger to better rub your bud as he fucks you with his tongue. He can feel you clenching and watches as you're soon arching off of the bed holding on to his hair.

The feeling is unlike anything you've experienced. A large opposite from how dark you have been feeling. You feel lighter as if pent-up energy has been released.

He gives your bud one last kiss before walking away and returning with a wet cloth. He wipes his face first before gently cleaning you. When he's done you sit up and he sits next to you pulling you into his lap.

You feel how hard he is below you and move so your legs are wrapped around his torso. You grind down on him and he looks up at you holding on to your hips. The friction against your bud only builds back up that feeling in your stomach. You kiss Aemond as he continues to guide you so you're grinding down on him. He picks up speed his mouth agape.

Without saying anything you reach and pull the eye patch off of him. Aemond stops and looks away hiding his face. You place a hand on his cheek and turn him back to you.

"Gevie." You kiss his scar gently and admire the sapphire that replaces his eye. He returns to grinding you down on him lewd thoughts fuelling his actions. His breaths become louder and you even hear a gentle moan from him.

"Fuck~" you feel him stiffen beneath you. He presses his forehead against your chest pulling you flush against him.

"I will speak to my mother and even my father. If they say no. I will come for you and only then will I fuck you and mark my name into your wet cunt so that they will have no choice but to marry us."

He kisses you again. You taste yourself on his tongue.

"You say that as if the breaking of Princess' maidenheads has not been hidden before. They could easily give me to someone who would not care."

"To that...mandianna. I tell you that idiots are highly flammable...and we ride dragons..." He kisses your exposed chest.

"I say...let them burn."

A/N: This was for the girls who dream of marrying a prince and end up falling for the misunderstood villain.

I have thought of doing another part or turning this into a mini-series at least. But for now, this is just a one-shot.

Shoutout to the Star Wars Anakin monologue that fueled me to write this anyway.

Taglist: @thought--bubble @valeskafics @dixie-elocin

#ewan mitchell verse #ewan nation #ewanverse #ewan mitchell #ewan mitchell fanfic #aemond targaryen smut #aemond one eye #aemond targaryen #aemond x oc #aemond fanfiction #aemond x reader #hotd aemond #prince aemond targaryen #prince aemond #aemond targaryen x you #aemond targaryen x reader

1K notes · View notes

xxselenite · 14 days

Text

˖ ࣪⭑ All the things yet to come are the things that have passed | Jacaerys x reader

modern!Jacaerys Velaryon x gn!reader [no use of y/n] Word count: 9.8k Summary: Jace had been your rival at school for more than one year when your literature teacher paired you up for an assignment and you realised you might have misjudged him (featuring Helaena being an icon) Or Five times Jacaerys proved you wrong – and one time you did. Warning: a teeny tiny bit of angst, but it’s mostly fluff, the tiniest allusion to smut ever a/n: This is technically a prequel to Happens Great, Happens Sweet but it can be read as a standalone. I’m a sucker for academic rivals to lovers so I had to write this. This fic actually drove me crazy, I struggled so much writing it, it took me nearly a week, but I’m kinda satisfied with it. The title is from Wasteland, Baby! by Hozier (Hozier my beloved <3) Lastly, English isn’t my first language so I apologise in advance for any possible grammatical and/or lexical mistake. feedback is welcome and appreciated <3 (images are taken from pinterest)

“For this analysis,” the teacher started, “you will be in duos. Each group will have a different extract from a different book to work on, and you will then present your work in front of the class.”

You immediately turned towards Helaena who sat beside you with a wide smile on your face. You saw a glimmer of joy in her eyes, matching your excitement to have the occasion to work together, but the teacher interrupted you before you could ask her to pair up with you.

“My goal here is for you to see that analysis is incredibly personal, but also to teach you how to cooperate. For this reason, I have already established the pairs that will work together.”

Several sighs and moans echoed in the room and you reported your attention on your teacher again. Mrs River, your English teacher, had made it clear since the first day that this class would be different from the others. She encouraged dialogues and debates, creative writing and personal analysis in papers. She made brutal comments but graded nicely, and you could feel how much you had improved at her contact, but moments like this made you question your admiration towards her.

As she started naming students, you tried to find a pattern in the duos she had formed. It was obvious that she wanted to avoid putting friends together, and you thought that she would put a good student with one that struggled more, but it was not done consistently. You mentally erred in your mind the names that had already been said, groaning when she put Helaena with Cregan.

“We’ll work together another time,” your best friend whispered and squeezed your hand in a comforting manner.

After a little while, Mrs River’s piercing gaze fell on you as she called your name and you listened with apprehension.

“You will work with Jacaerys Velaryon on the opening chapter of the Bell Jar, from the first line to…”

Your jaw dropped as you stopped listening. You had to be cursed, or paying for the evil deeds you had committed in another life, or the Seven were angry at you, because this could not have gone worse. You would have rather worked with anyone but Jacaerys Velaryon, the guy with whom you were always neck to neck to be on top of the class, who was half of the reasons you worked so hard – just so you could display a smug smile whenever you beat him on an assignment. The guy you had a distaste for and…

“He hates me,” you told Helaena during lunch break, hiding your face in your hands. “This is going to be a nightmare. Don’t you want to exchange? I can work with Cregan and I’m sure you’ll get along with Jacaerys very well.”

Your friend tilted her head to the side, mindlessly chewing on a weird orange vegetable that was supposed to be a carrot.

“I think I was not paired with him because I’m his cousin.”

“You’re his what now?” You dropped your fork.

“His cousin,” she said in a monotonous voice. “Well, technically his aunt but our family is weird and we’re the same age so…”

“You’re Jacaerys’s cousin and you have not told me before? While I’ve been criticising him since last year?”

The girl shrugged, her white hair falling from her shoulder like a waterfall of liquid silver.

“Didn’t think it’d matter. You’re more than allowed to dislike my family, and he’s part of my extended family anyway.”

“Great,” you said ironically, pushing your plate away from you – you were convinced today’s food was made out of radioactive wastes. “So now I’m stuck working with a guy who I hate, who hates me, and I’m gonna feel bad every time I complain about him.”

“What makes you think he hates you anyway?” Helaena asked. “He didn’t seem that upset to be paired up with you in class.”

You hated to admit it, but your best friend had a point. Earlier in class after shooting her a look that meant “help me,” you had turned around to face your foe and now partner, only to realise he was already looking at you. If his face did not show any joy, he was not as pissed off as you were – surprised and apprehensive were better words to qualify his expression.

You started thinking at the last time he had clearly displayed hatred towards you, struggling to find any substantial proof that was not a highly interpreted interaction. Chewing on your lip, you felt increasingly ridiculous under your friend’s scrutinising glance until something came to your mind.

“Last year I was reading before the class started and I overheard him talk to his friends – or maybe they form some sort of royal court around him actually – and I distinctly remember hearing him call me a goodie-two-shoes. Maybe that’s not hatred, but that’s not a sign of love either.” You crossed your arms over your chest. “I’m not a goodie-two-shoes, it’s not my fault he never saw me having fun because I don’t go parties. And there’s nothing wrong with being a goodie-two-shoes anyway!”

“Alright,” Helaena interrupted you. “I think I get the picture. Listen, I’m really sorry you’re not with someone you wanted to work with and I’d go to Mrs River to ask if we can swap partners in a heartbeat, but we both know it’d be useless. She never does anything without a specific purpose in mind. Maybe she put you together because you’re the two best students in her class?”

“I can sense you want to add something.”

Helaena twirled a strand of hair around her finger.

“I think she’s perfectly aware of the rivalry going between you two and wants to instrumentalise it.”

“What do you mean?” You asked, as your best friend had piqued your curiosity.

“Either she thinks you two collaborating means you’re both gonna try to do better than the other and push each other to be the best, or she thinks that it will appease the tension so the atmosphere isn’t electric every time there is a debate in class.”

“It’s not electric-.”

Helaena interrupted you, saying your name with a sigh. “Please, you know I love you, but you have to face the truth. I thought you were going to throw hands last time.”

“It’s not my fault! He said that Eros and Psyche were the best Greek love story when it’s obviously Orpheus and Eurydice!”

Your best friend snorted. “I shouldn’t have gotten you started on that, now you’re gonna tell me about the entire myth again. Seriously, how did you both manage to talk about mythology when the initial subject was about King Lear?”

You let out a loud sigh. “And what if he just refuses to work with me, keeps his analysis to himself until the presentation, and makes me look stupid because my analysis is different?”

Helaena offered you a reassuring smile. “He won’t do that. You know why?” You shook your head. “Because he cares way too much about his grades to sabotage your work like that.” You kept quiet for a second to let this idea sink in. “Oh by the way, can I get your carrots if you don’t eat them?”

You sighed and handed your plate to your friend with one hand, grabbing your backpack with the other to find a snack. You struggled rummaging through your stuff, the pens wandering outside of the pencil case, the crumpled sheets of paper – you were organised for many things, but not this one… Once you finally reached a chocolate bar, you jerked it out with so much energy one of your pens got thrown onto the floor.

You were about to stand up and grab it quickly before some stupid student made fun of you, but your eyes fixed on the floor failed to notice someone approaching until you saw a hand grab your pen and hand it to you. Your eyes followed the silhouette until you recognised Jace’s brown curls and the smile on his face – though you were surprised to realise that this was not the huge smirk he’d have when his grade was better than yours, this one seemed almost sincere. This made you all the more suspicious.

“Thanks,” you said reluctantly as you grabbed your pen. You expected him to leave but he did not move, towering over you in a way that made your stomach twist.

“So, when are you free?” Your brain froze for a second and he felt the need to explain himself. “To study. Unless you want to let me do everything, you’d have the best grade for sure.”

There he was again, the arrogant Jacaerys you were used to seeing. You crossed your arms over your chest.

“No way, I can’t trust a guy to analyse Sylvia Plath.”

To your surprise, Jace let out a chuckle – that was the first time you heard him laugh and as much as you hated admitting it, it was the kind of sound you could not tire of.

“Fair enough,” he admitted. “Could we start working on it after sports class? In the library? It should be almost empty so we won’t be bothered.”

You nodded. “Sure, works for me.”

Jace smiled again. “See you later then,” he said in a joyous tone before returning to his friends. You watched him go for a second. You had not had an interaction this long with him in ages, if it had ever happened at all, and it had gone better than you expected. You observed the way he jokes with his friends, he now seemed a little less arrogant than you thought. Maybe he took your rivalry as a joke while you took it seriously (which was everything but reassuring, did that mean he thought you weren’t a threat?)

“Well,” Heleana’s voice snapped you out of your thoughts, “he doesn’t seem to hate you.”

You shrugged in a way you hoped was casual and your friend squinted her eyes.

“Do you know what’s curious?” She added, “I think you don’t hate him either.”

II.

One thing that had always annoyed you about Jace was how effortless he always was. He came to every test with unmatched confidence while you had been re-reading your notes compulsively for two hours. He won a match in sports class and still looked fresh as a breeze while you were sweating and panting. It was like you had to make ten times more effort to be at his level, and this made your blood boil.

This was one of your most common points whenever you started complaining about him to Helaena – which you did not do that often, despite having the impression he was always on your mind. That evening, however, as you were getting ready after sports class, you started rambling about your upcoming meeting in the library.

“And it’s so annoying! But you know what?” You asked after reapplying lip gloss. “At least I’ll see that he’s not a hard worker. It will make all of the times I beat him even more satisfying.”

Your best friend hummed distractedly.

“Do you genuinely believe that,” she asked after a little while, “or are you trying to convince yourself?”

You opened your mouth to say something witty but remained speechless in front of her. The girl kept going, unfazed by your reaction.

“Oh, I have to hurry, Aemond is waiting for me to go home. You should probably go at your rendez-vous as well.”

“It’s not a rendez-vous-”

“See you tomorrow !” She sang as she walked away, waving goodbye, her long hair floating behind her.

You grabbed your bag and contemplated the idea your friend had planted in your brain. Were you being unfair to Jace? Was being a good student his only crime, or was he willingly trying to drive you crazy with this tacit competition? You shook your head to stop your train of thoughts and started going towards the library – Jace was probably waiting for you, and you did not want to be late and offer him an opportunity to mock you forever.

Jace was indeed waiting when you entered the library. The late afternoon light bathed the room into a golden atmosphere which made it feel almost magical. You quickly scanned the room and noticed Jace sitting in a corner, typing something on his laptop with a small frown revealing his focus.

You took a deep breath and walked towards him, settling on the other side of the table.

“I hope you didn’t wait for too long,” you started, realising mid-way through the sentence that you actually meant it.

“No problems,” he shook his head. “I’ve just re-read the extract we have to work on, I have a few ideas here and there but I don’t want to make you feel like I forced my analysis upon you.”

“Oh,” you tilted your head to the side, “thank you for that. I’ve thought about the text during class this afternoon and there are a few elements I think we could use.”

“You didn’t have to read the text before?”

You shrugged, feeling a pinch of pride when you noticed the surprise in his eyes.

“I’m gonna read it now, but I have it in mind. ‘It was a queer, sultry summer,’ and all that jazz…”

“Impressive,” he nodded. “So, how do you want to organise the work?”

“I don’t know…” You said slowly, intimidated by the weight of his gaze. You thought it would be harsh, but the curiosity in his eyes was even heavier. If he was rude, you could be a bitch towards him – if he was nice, you had no choice but to match him. “We could both work on our own for a little while and then brainstorm? This way we can come up with different ideas and do the whole ‘cooperating’ part?”

Jace nodded and focused on his computer again while you grabbed your edition of the book – you had rushed home to grab it during your free hour this afternoon – and your pencil case. When you started highlighting your page, you noticed Jace’s widened eyes and chuckled.

“Are you okay?”

“You’re highlighting directly on your book?” He asked and you probed his tone for any trace of sarcasm but found none.

“If I’m studying a book, yes, but I try to be careful. Also, you will never catch me annotating my fancy books.”

“Ooooh, fancy books,” he smiled. “I’d ask you more about it, but we need to get working.”

“Maybe another time?” You asked and Jace nodded before diving into his analysis. Turns out, being nice to him did not require that much effort.

You both kept working for half an hour before you yawned and stretched, catching Jace’s attention.

“You’re done?” He asked and you nodded in response. You turned your book towards Jace who squinted to decipher your hand-writing. After a few seconds, he asked:

“Do you mind if I sit next to you? It’s gonna be more practical.”

“Sure, no problems,” you cleared your side of the table to make space for him.

As he moved next to you, his arm brushed against yours and you quickly removed it, cheeks on fire. The subtle smell of his Cologne lingered around, creating a comfortable and intimate space around you. You took a deep breath to calm yourself down and started comparing your annotations to Jace's.

You hated to admit it, but he had done a great job. His own perception of the extract complemented yours more than it contradicted it, and to your own surprise, you thoroughly enjoyed this exchange. At one point, Jacaerys leaned a little closer to read one of your notes, only to give up and ask you to read it for him.

“Which word?” You stuttered, a bit flustered by the sudden proximity. He was close, close enough for you to notice the freckles on his face – had they always been there? – and it took a second for you to react after he showed you the sentence. “Oh, it’s just that the verb ‘bump’ objectifies her in a way, which echoes her condition as a woman in the fifties, but this also renders an impression of passivity which would fit her dissociated state.”

The boy nodded and promptly added it to his Google doc. “That’s a good idea. Thank you for reading, I couldn’t decipher anything.”

“Do I write this badly?” You said with the sass you usually tried to have when interacting with him. You expected him to answer in the same tone, but he shook his head.

“It’s just that I have this bad tendency not to wear my glasses.”

“Wait, you’re supposed to have glasses?”

The boy looked away. “Proving my point.”

“I’m not gonna ask you why you don’t wear them, it’s none of my business, but don’t you use contact lenses? Do you spend your days behind partially blind?”

“I don’t really like the feeling of lenses,” he admitted. “Honestly, you get used to not seeing a thing.”

You nodded when a realisation hit you. Was this the reason why he always seemed to be glaring at you with squinted eyes? Had you been taking this as a sign of aggression for more than a year when it was just because he couldn’t see properly? You were too shy to ask, not to mention you would probably sound ridiculous and did not want to alter the temporary sympathy that had settled between the two of you, but this single revelation forced you to reconsider your past interactions with the boy.

You kept working a bit distractively, seeing Jacaerys with a fresh perspective and finally admitting to yourself that he was quite handsome. When you both ran out of ideas, your partner closed his laptop and you put your book and pencils back in your bag.

“I think we’re done for today,” he declared.

“Yes, I have lost all of my remaining brain cells,” you joked and took pride in Jace’s chuckle. “Tomorrow same time?”

Jace thought for a second and nodded. “Should be good for me.” You stood up to leave but his hand on your wrist held you back as he said “Wait.” This simple contact sent shivers down your spine. His hand was warm, surprisingly soft, not applying any pressure – not an order, just a suggestion.

You turned around to look at him, hoping you did not look too dazed.

“Maybe we should exchange our numbers,” he started. Your eyes must have widened without you realising because he immediately added, “So we’ll communicate more efficiently.”

“Yes,” you echoed, “communicate more efficiently. That’s what Mrs River wants us to do.”

You gave him your number and he dropped your hand to write it down, leaving your hand suddenly cold, colder than it should be on a mild October day. After this and some more casual small talk, you left the library, feeling the weight of his gaze on your back.

Later during that evening, when you were lying on your bed rehashing your afternoon, you got a call from Helaena.

“I wanted to know how it went,” she explained when you answered.

You started debriefing your time with Jacaerys, trying to be as honest as possible. Your best friend listened with great attention, humming sometimes on the other side of the line to let you know she was still there. When you finished your account, she remained quiet for a moment, until you softly called her name – perhaps she had fallen asleep?

Wrong. She was well awake and asked you out of the blue:

“Do you like him?”

“What?” You squeaked. “What do you, he’s been nice for one evening but we’ve spent a year as rivals!” You carefully avoid mentioning your growing suspicion that this rivalry was one-sided. “And I barely know him anyway.”

“There’s a thin line between love and hate,” she ominously answered and you groaned into your pillow. “Well, even if you never become best of friends,” she kept going, “at least he did his work.”

“It’s not like we had a ton of work to do,” you rolled your eyes. Right after finishing your sentence, you felt assailed by guilt. Why did you feel such a need to criticise him when he had been polite, if not friendly towards you?

“Sure,” Helaena sighed on the other line. “You’re funny when you’re like that.”

“Like what?”

“Nothing. Oh, Mom is calling me, see you tomorrow!” Your best friend hung up so fast you doubted her mother said anything.

You sat up, considering what you were about to do next when a notification caught your attention. You had received a text from an unknown number. You unlocked your phone to delete it without thinking, expecting another scam, but your brain realised at the very last second that this might be relevant.

[unknown number] Hey, it’s Jacaerys, I hope you got home safe. I’m sending you the link to my google doc, I wrote down all of our ideas and I’ve started organising it a bit. I also threw a few possible theses, feel free to add other ideas! See you tomorrow!

You clicked on the link and gasped when you saw the fantastic work he had done. It was all neat, easy to understand, and his possible lines of argument were more than relevant. You hastened to answer.

[You] Wow, this is amazing, thank you so much for this work, how long did it take you? I don’t want to give the impression I’m slacking off. It’s really really great! See you tomorrow!

[Jacaerys] Thank you, it didn’t take me that long and don’t worry, if there’s one person I wouldn’t think slacks off, it’d be you

[You] Thanks again Jacaerys!

[Jacaerys] Come on, you can call me Jace

III.

You arrived at the library slightly before the time you and Jace had agreed on. The rain was pouring against the windows forming a soothing melody and the dark sky created a sombre, tense atmosphere which delighted you. You thought you’d have the opportunity to pick a table near the windows, yet you heard someone call your name softly. Turning around, you saw Jace waving in a more secluded part of the room.

You rolled your eyes and walked towards him. You were early and yet he was already there, leading you to seriously think he only cared about school. Perhaps he was the ghost of a student condemned to haunt the hallways forever, sometimes finding a victim to bother with his excellent grades and beautiful smile. At least that’d explain his work ethic and general knowledge, much easier to acquire after spending years in school.

He removed his bag from the chair next to him to invite you to sit there and you tried to ignore your increasing heartbeat as you settled down.

“How are you?” He asked after greeting you.

“Just another day,” you answered. “And you?”

After a brief small talk, you went back to your analysis. Your goal today was to define your line of argument and your thesis, after which you could both pick which parts to write and explain in front of the class. As you expected, the kind of intellectual chemistry that you had discovered yesterday was still there to the point your conversation digressed several times.

Nevertheless, you managed to work efficiently until the screen of Jace’s phone lit up.

“Wait I have a call, I’ll be right back,” he whispered. You gave him a thumbs up to let him know it was fine and he left the room taking long strides. You used this break to stretch and then decided to update Jace’s not on his computer, in return for the unexpected work he had done the day before. Without thinking, you went to the bottom of the page and added a small note.

“I’m starting to think that people are right when they say great minds think alike ;)”

You had barely finished typing that Jace entered the room again, and you hastily moved back to the top of the page. You felt a little silly, behaving like a teenage girl; fiddling with your hair trying to look as innocent as possible. By good luck, Jace did not notice your suspicious attitude and just shot you an apologetic look.

“I’m really sorry but I have to go early,” he explained. “My step-sister was supposed to bring our little brother home from daycare but she doesn’t have a car and it’s raining too hard for her to walk him home, so I’m gonna pick him up.”

“It’s okay,” you reassured him. “I think we’re good to go anyway, and we can text if we have another idea. I’m gonna walk home as well.”

You started putting your stuff away but interrupted your action when you felt Jace’s stare. You raised your head, tilting it in a silent interrogation.

“You’re gonna walk under this torrential rain?”

You chuckled. “It’s fine Jace, I have my umbrella.”

The boy shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest in a way that made it hard not to look at his muscles beneath his shirt. “I can give you a ride.”

“It’s okay, really-”

“What if you catch pneumonia and miss the presentation?”

You looked at the boy, astounded, before sighing. Of course, he was motivated by school. How dare you believe – or rather hope – that he had your best interest in mind.

“Nothing I can say will change your mind…” You guessed.

“How clever. Just tell me where I can drop you.”

As you sat inside his car, you tried to swallow your bitterness. Even if his action was not selfless, you were still grateful he had made that offer. You had to walk for at least twenty minutes to get home, and your old umbrella would not have been a great help against the gusts of wind that flooded the pavement.

As you buckled up, you tried to initiate a conversation that was unrelated to your assignment, the silence too awkward for you to sit in.

“So…” you started, “I didn’t know you had siblings.”

Jace chuckled. “My family’s a little messy.”

“Really?” You turned your head to look at him and found yourself in awe of his side profile. He must have felt your gaze because he quickly glanced at you and you looked away, cheeks heating up, like a toddler caught red-handed.

“My mother had me and my two younger brothers, and then she married my step-father who already had two daughters, and together they had two more boys.”

“Wow,” was all you found to say at the moment. “That’s a lot. I guess it means the house is never quiet.”

“You can say that, yes.” He hesitated. “I love them all, really, they’re great, but sometimes it gets…”

“Overwhelming?”

“A bit.” He nodded. “And it comes with a lot of unexpected events, like this one.”

“It’s still sweet,” you commented, “that you did not hesitate a second.”

Jace chuckled. “I was not gonna let Rhaena get drenched or Aegon wait in daycare.”

“Some would have.”

Jace opened his mouth to say something, sighed, and closed his mouth, which amused you.

“What were you going to say?” You asked.

The boy shot you a surprised look.

“I really have to be careful, you’re observant.” Your eyes fell to your lap and you bit your lip. “But I was just gonna argue that my attitude should be the standard, though you complimenting me is such a rare event, I changed my mind.”

You snorted. “Now you’re gonna make me feel bad.” You left a pause. “If you’re so desperate for praise, then listen: I frankly admire how you seem to care about your family and still find the time to be on top of almost all of our classes. Almost.”

You saw a lopsided smile appear on his face and smirked.

“Almost, yes, I get it,” he answered. “I still have to beat you in history, but I promise my next essay will blow the teacher’s mind.” You both laughed. “You’re right though, I’m busy. I try to spend time with my siblings – partly to alleviate a bit my mom and step-father work, but I also want to hang out with my friends and everything.”

You groaned. “How do you juggle with all of this? You must have a secret. Can you freeze time of something?”

“Trust me I wish. And you, do you have any siblings?”

The conversation kept going and you felt increasingly relaxed. His car was comfortable, the sound of the rain was lulling you, and Jace turned out to be a conversationalist. He asked questions with a genuine interest and his own anecdotes were memorable. You felt like you knew him better after this fifteen minutes drive than after a year and a half in the same class. When you reached your house, you regretted living so close from your school. You did not want the discussion to end and would have done anything to stay a little longer.

You opened the door, the cool air outside slapping your face, harsh contrast with the warmth that had settled in the vehicle.

“Thanks again,” you smiled and Jace smiled in return, this simple thing brightening up the passenger compartment.

“No problems. It was nice chatting with you.”

“It was.” You kept looking into each other’s eyes for a few seconds before snapping out of your trance. “You should not keep your brother waiting for any longer.”

“You’re right.”

You closed the door and ran towards the porch of the house, carefully avoiding falling onto the slippery pavement. Once sheltered, you turned towards the road and waved at Jace who waved back before starting the car again. You watched the vehicle disappear in the fog that had fallen on the city.

You remained distracted for the whole evening, listening absentmindedly to your family during dinner, but it was only when your back hit your bed that you realised you were looking forward to your next work session with Jace.

IV.

You took a deep breath and read your notes yet another time.

“I’m starting to think my part is terrible.” You moaned. “I’m dragging your work down.”

Jacaerys, sat next to you in the library, whispered your name.

“You’re fine,” he told you. “Really, I’ve read your part, you’ve read mine, we both did a great job and we’re gonna earn a great grade.”

You sighed. “How do you know?”

“Because,” Jace closed his laptop, “I see you freak out in the hallway before every exam, and yet you always get good grades.”

You gave him a soft smile, touched by his attempt at comforting you, but this smile faltered when you realised what he had implied.

“Wait, how often are you observing me for you to say that?”

“You’re pacing back and forth, it’s hard not to notice you,” he answered quickly, on the defensive, and with a confidence that did not manage to hide the blush that was spreading across his face.

You held his gaze back for a second, feeling irresistibly drawn to him. He was close, close enough for you to admire the details of his face, his long lashes, his freckles, all of the small features you had failed to notice for so long. He was staring back, a glimmer in his eyes that you couldn’t quite decipher but that made your heart do a somersault, and for a second you thought that perhaps something could happen when someone dropped a book in the library and you jerked away from him.

“I,” you stuttered. “I need to use the bathroom. I don’t want to be bothered during our presentation.”

Jace squinted, frowned for a second, and nodded. “Sure, no problems.”

You almost ran outside of the room, feeling your cheeks growing hot. The stress was driving you crazy, making you act in a way that was not who you were supposed to be. Sure, Jace had been nice to you for a week. He was funny and seemed to be a good person. And he was incredibly handsome, of course. But since when were your standards so low that you had a crush on a guy just for those reasons?

You opened the door of the bathroom which was empty for once. You didn’t even need to use it, but you could use a little calm. There was something about the buzzing of the neon lights that was strangely soothing. You splashed some cold water on your face, feeling your heartbeat calm down, but the sudden opening of the door startled you.

“Oops, sorry,” the newcomer said, and you turned around when you recognised her voice.

“Helaena?”

“That’s me,” she approached to greet you. “What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be getting ready for your presentation?”

You nodded, feeling the lump in your throat swelling. Your best friend tilted her head to the side, her hair falling from her shoulder like beams of moonlight. Her periwinkle eyes scanned you and she grabbed your hands. “Oh, you’re freaking out, aren’t you?”

You nodded again, the softness in her voice making your eyes wet.

“Did it go that badly? Was Jace rude or anything?”

“No,” you immediately corrected her. “He did a great job and he turned out to be… nicer than I expected. I’m just,” you exhaled. “I’m just stressed. You know what it is.”

“And did you tell him?”

“Not directly. He definitely noticed I was stressed out, although I tried to remain as composed as possible in front of him.”

A brief smile appeared on Helaena’s face, like lightning in the middle of the night.

“Maybe that’s why you’re in such a state, you let everything build up and it just got overwhelming.”

You bit your lip. Your best friend definitely had a point, but you had forgotten to mention the brief moment of tension that had contributed to your overall panic.

“Yeah,” you eventually admitted. “I guess I tried to be… cool? In front of him, I mean. It’s a bit silly.”

“Hum,” Helaena gave you a suspicious look you did not appreciate. “Why so?”

You shrugged, leaning against the cold sink. “I guess because he’s nice I don’t want to look like a loser. Don’t look at me like that,” you stopped your friend before she could say a word. “Maybe our rivalry was one-sided, but that doesn’t mean we’re gonna be buddies and everything. I won’t be surprised if he stops talking to me the moment the assignment is done.”

“I don’t understand why he’d do that. From what you told me, you seemed to get along pretty well.”

“He’s popular,” you sighed, exasperated. “He gets along pretty well with everyone, doesn’t mean those connections are meaningful and lasting.”

Helaena crossed her arms over her chest. “Yet you wish yours could be?”

You hesitated a second. “Well, I think we could be friends, yes.”

The ghost of a smile appeared on your friend’s face. “I think so too.” She got closer to give you a side hug. “Are you feeling a little better?”

“I guess so? Talking to you usually has this effect.”

Helaena cooed. “You’re flattering me. Now get back there and show everyone how great of a student you are. And,” she called your name softly, “don’t pretend with him. You’re my coolest friend, if he doesn’t see it, it’s his loss. Although I do think he sees it.”

You pressed your lips into a thin smile. “Thank you Helaena.”

“You’re welcome,” she blew you a kiss and you left the bathroom feeling more at peace than you were when you entered. Being able to talk freely had taken a weight off your shoulders – though you felt a bit guilty for the moment you had avoided mentioning. You still needed to think about it once you had some peace and quiet, probably sleep on it and see if it was the product of your stress or a sign of something rooted more deeply.

When you sat next to Jace again, the first thing you noticed was the worry in his eyes.

“Are you okay?” He immediately asked and you nodded with all of your energy to reassure him.

“Don’t worry. There was just a line.”

He accepted your lie without asking any questions. You went to grab your notes but he stopped you mid-action.

“I think you’re good. I’ve heard you rehearse and you knew your subject. Reading it again is just gonna stress you out.”

You sighed. “You’re probably right. I think my brain cannot absorb any information right now.” You checked the time on your phone. “We still have twenty minutes before class begins, what do you want to do?”

“Well, right now I would mind a coffee. Can I pay you a drink?”

“The coffee machine has been repaired?”

“I have no idea,” Jace chuckled and stood up. “But I’m willing to find out. So,” he landed you a hand, “wanna come?”

You looked at his hand; the infinity of possibilities it represented, and tried to repress the butterflies in your stomach as you seized it.

˖ ࣪⭑

When Mrs River called your and Jace’s names, you walked towards the front of the class with the excitement of an inmate before their last meal. You made sure to take deep breaths to avoid getting into another panic attack, and Jace must have noticed this because he quickly squeezed your shaky hand with a smile. You swallowed your stress and smiled back before turning towards the class.

Your presentation went well. The hours spent working had created a familiarity with the book and made your analysis all the more convincing. You managed to stop reading your notes as the sentences you had carefully written flew into your mind. You echoed and referred to some of Jace’s arguments, showing the teacher that you had worked together and collaborated just as she had required. When she commented on your assignment at the end, she did not spare you but there was a slight smile on her face that was rare enough for you to take pride in it.

When she finally let you rejoin your seats, you did not waste a second and rushed towards your chair, dropping your notes on the table and sighing all of the pressure away. You glanced at Jace who gave you a thumbs up from the other side of the room and you mirrored him before shifting your focus to the pair that was about to speak.

After two or three more presentations, Helaena nudged you gently to catch your attention. You turned your head towards her and noticed she was pointing at your notes. You frowned, not understanding what she meant, and your gaze dropped to the Bristol card. There was a note at the very bottom; written with a pencil, small and neat compared to your highlighted and crossed-out notes.

Only two people could have written it; Helaena or Jace. Your best friend could have easily stolen your notes while you were busy listening to your classmates, while Jace had been alone with your notes for several minutes when you were in the bathroom. It made more sense for Helaena to write it, you two often communicated this way during class if you wanted to remain discrete, but her pencil case was closed.

Rather than keep on speculating this way, you grabbed your notes and read the text. You had to squint to decipher it; whoever had written had put as little pressure on their pencil as possible. Still, you managed to read word by word that one sentence that set your heart ablaze.

“still wanna study with me in the library sometimes?”

You had a crush on Jace. That was it, such a simple sentence that still had been torturing you for almost a whole month. The rainy and orange October days had made way for a dry, chilly and brown November that seemed to match your mood.

You had truly hoped that the wave of joy Jace had ignited in you, that the butterflies and the fluster were all temporary. Yet, you had been forced to admit to an unimpressed Helaena that your feelings were getting stronger and stronger each time you joined him in the library to study and chat, and that terrified you.

You did not properly talk outside of class, he’d sometimes send you a message about something you might find interesting, and you’d do the same, but your exchanges had not gotten any more intimate for better or for worse. You wished you could spend more time by his side, maybe recreate this one scene before the presentation which had not left your thoughts since; but you were scared that your lovesickness would show through your giggles, freak him out and permanently damage your blossoming friendship.

“It’s never going to be reciprocal,” you had moaned to Helaena during the sleepover when you finally talked about your crush.

The girl had immediately refuted this statement, reminding you that you were a smart, beautiful, nice and funny young woman, but none of these qualities seemed enough at the moment. Jace could have easily seduced any girl – or boy – in your class so why would he settle for you?

You were convinced he saw you as a friend with whom he still shared a sort of rivalry; rivalry which had become way more light-hearted than before; perhaps you had a special status, but it would never be that special. Everything you learned about the boy made you want him a little more – the complicated relationship he had with father figures, his love for pets and their names or the importance of his friendship with Cregan.

Cregan had become friends with Helaena over the assignment and you both discovered the advantages that came with your newly found “popularity”. People had stopped picking on your best friend and even started to admire her knowledge of insects, considering it a quirk and not a sign of madness, while you got invited to many social events, though you declined most of them (partly because Helaena was not going to parties, and you weren’t going without her).

This time, however, your best friend had convinced you to go to Cregan’s house party. She believed it was a great occasion to see Jace in an informal setting and perhaps get closer to him. You thought the idea was a little silly, but gave in to Helaena’s convincing arguments and the promise that she’d braid your hair with one of those complex hairstyles you admired so much.

When you were getting ready, you thought this party could actually be fun. You wanted to look pretty, neat and tidy, but not too neat and tidy so people would think you had spent hours getting ready – which was in fact the case. To look casual, but not too casual, when in fact even the strands of hair that escaped for your braid had been carefully styled to frame your face in the most flattering way possible. You had put on music, laughed with your friend, and considered this might be the funniest part of the evening.

You were now convinced it was the funniest part. In the middle of the house, surrounded by people you had never really talked to, you felt silly with your strands of hair and your lip gloss. The alcohol in your drink tasted bitter, but you didn’t know where you could get rid of it without being seen. You weren’t drunk enough to put your anxiety aside and go talk to people, but you weren’t sure you’d be sober enough to leave the party and drive home. You probably could have joined Cregan, who was a friendly acquaintance and could have helped you join conversations, but you were scared of being a burden to him.

Your best option now seemed to sober up until you could go home and find the comfort of your bed. You sought the cold hair of the night, even if it was harsh and slapping your cheeks, for it helped you come to your senses. Cregan’s parents had a luxurious garden but it was now filled with drunk classmates and was the last place you wanted to visit. However, you had noticed at your arrival that there were a few balconies. If you were correct, they were linked to the bedrooms and so you began wandering inside the house to find access outside.

The house did not seem so big during the day, but now that you were alone and using your phone as a flashlight to avoid raising suspicions, it seemed like a castle or worse, a labyrinth. After a few minutes of walking in the dark, hearing and feeling the bass of the amps through the walls, you finally found an empty bedroom with a glass door opening onto the balcony you were dreaming of.

You leaned against the fence, filling your lungs with the cold air of the night that got your blood pumping. Your breath came out with a small puff of steam. The music and voices seemed so far away, indistinguishable buzzing at the back of your mind. You took in the sight of the city by night, the lights of the buildings from afar with the occasional blue and red siren. It was lively, chaotic, and yet at this moment, formed an oasis of peace.

“Are you hiding?”

Jace’s voice coming from behind startled you. You turned around, pressing your hand against your panicked heart. Too lost in your daydream, you had not heard him coming.

“You almost gave me a heart-attack!”

Jace chuckled, taking a step closer. Bathed in moonlight, he seemed to be an ethereal being. His features appeared softer with the pale light, yet his eyes seemed as bright as ever. He was not taking his eyes off you, but it did not give you the feeling of being ogled.

“Sorry about that. At least I can say I set your heart racing.”

Perhaps the little alcohol in your blood was finally having an effect, but you felt bolder all of a sudden. In a normal setting, you probably would have looked away, cleared your throat and changed the subject, but this time you found the strength to maintain eye contact.

“You’d like that?”

The boy seemed taken aback for a second, then amusement shined in his eyes and a smile spread on his lips.

“Maybe,” he murmured and took a sip from his drink. “You didn’t answer my initial question though.”

“I’m not hiding, I’m just taking a break.”

“Sounds like hiding to me.” He leaned by your side. “Overwhelmed?”

You nodded. “I’m not really friends with anyone here so it’s a bit awkward.”

Jace nodded in return. “Yeah, I didn’t expect to see you here. In a good way, I mean.”

You couldn’t mask the smile on your face. “I’d hope so. Were you really that surprised?”

Jace tilted his head to the side. “Honestly yes.”

“Why so?”

“I never really pictured you in this environment. You always seemed too… I don’t know, serious? You don’t exactly remind me of party girls.”

This sentence was like a cold shower. The alcohol had reinforced your emotions that came in waves crashing against the cliffs and leaving the beach destroyed once the tide had receded.

“You never stopped thinking I’m a goodie-two-shoes, did you?” You whispered without even realising it.

“What?”

Perhaps it was the fog that invaded your brain, perhaps it was disillusionment, perhaps it was an insecurity Jace had triggered, but your mouth slurred words out without giving you any chance to control them.

“I remember you calling me a goodie-two-shoes to your friends and although it was hurtful, I thought it was your loss if you didn’t know me, but I honestly thought you had moved on from those preconceived ideas.”

“Wait, are you serious?” Jace frowned. “Is that why you’ve been giving me dirty looks since last year? Just for this?”

“What do you mean ‘just for this’?” Your voice took a desperate tone.

“It was just a joke, I didn’t even know you were listening to me. I wouldn’t have said it otherwise”

You crossed your arms over your chest. “You wouldn’t have said it, okay, that doesn’t mean you wouldn’t have thought it.”

“I said it like, one year ago, and you’ve remained hostile until our English assignment! For just one sentence?”

“Breaking news, words have consequences! When you say something super condescending and unfair, people are bitter, can’t believe it took you this long to learn that.”

Jacaerys sighed. He seemed more irritated than actually angry, and he closed his eyes to regain composure.

“Look, I’m sorry if what I said hurt you to the point you shoot daggers at me for a whole year afterwards. I didn’t think the term “goodie-two-shoes” was that hurtful, you make it sound like it’s a slur.”

“You really sound like a popular guy who has never been picked on in his life before you know?”

Your anger, or whatever it was, had decreased and now you were left with a hollow within your chest. You had really hoped for a minute, when he had flirted with you between the lines, that something might have been blossoming between the two; yet this single conversation felt like you were back to your relationship before the assignment, with your bitterness towards him. In a way, you just wanted him to truly apologise, forgive him and move on. Perhaps that was what had been stopping you from trying anything with him.

Jacaerys was looking at you and you were avoiding his gaze. Only the sounds of the city and the music were breaking the silence. Then out of the blue, you felt Jace’s hand on your shoulder, the warmth of his skin shielding you against the biting cold.

“I’m sorry if I brought back bad memories. Really. In my mind, it wasn’t that bad of a term,” he started explaining. “You were just so serious and nerdy, and I wanted to impress my friends. My goal was not to insult you whatsoever.”

You sighed. “We all are victims of peer pressure, aren’t we?” You marked a pause. “At least we cleared that out.”

“I don’t have any problem with people who are goodie-two-shoes, by the way. I like serious and nerdish girls.”

You jerked your head towards him only to see a smug smile on his face. As much as you wanted to remain a bit distant – just to teach him – you could help to find him irresistibly attractive and his smile was so contagious, you couldn’t help but smile in return.

“Really? Do you have any other criteria?” You matched his flirty tone and turned your entire body to face him. That evening had been a roller coaster but if it could settle on this atmosphere, then maybe it had all been worth it.

“Is it too on the nose if I say I like girls who braid their hair? Especially considering it’s not your usual hairstyle.”

You couldn’t help but fiddle with your hair. “Helaena did it. So I assume you like it?”

“I do. It’s fancy, and it prevents strands of hair from hiding your face. This happens way too often and it’s a shame.”

As he said this sentence, he fixed a strand of hair that had managed to escape the intricate pattern of your braid. His hand brushed against your cheek and you melted in the contact as a shiver ran down your spine, which Jace noticed.

“Do you want to go back inside? It’s freezing out there.” He must have seen your hesitation because he took a step closer and immediately added, “I’m not letting you go.”

Beneath the gentleness of his promise, you recognised the distinctive sparkle of desire in his eyes and it set you ablaze. You went to reach for his hand which he let you do without resistance. If anything, he even got a little closer, to the point where your noses were almost touching.

You’re not even sure who closed the distance between you two. One second, you were scanning his eyes for the smallest sign he was about to pull back and reject you. The next second, his lips were on yours, warm and bitter from the alcohol and his hands fell possessively on your waist. All of a sudden he was everywhere, overwhelming your senses, and you would have spent a lifetime against his lips.

A giggle escaped your lips when you broke the kiss – or perhaps he broke it? You weren’t too sure anymore, this kiss had been more intoxicating than the alcohol at the party. Jace brought you a little closer, smiling from ear to ear.

You got on tiptoes and whispered: “Do you really care about the party?”

Jace’s smile grew devilish as he led you inside.

+ 1.

Sneaking Jace into your house had been fun and exciting – you had both agreed that it was a much better idea than to sneak inside his house with all of his siblings. You had chuckled on the way and blessed the fact that your parent’s bedroom was on the opposite side as yours.

The things that had ensued were exactly what you had been expecting when Jace led you through the house to get to his car – after swearing he was sober enough to drive. Actually no, they had surpassed your expectations. He had been soft, and unrelenting, and had sent you over the edge.

However, one thing that was not a part of the plans you had made while observing Jace’s perfect side profile during the ride home was how much you would talk.

You have no idea how long you remained in his arms, your back against his chest, talking. You felt safe and comforted in his embrace, the darkness and the stillness of the bedroom making it ideal for late-night confessions. You had talked about everything, from school to your friends, your insecurities and your dreams and everything that crossed your mind. You had even brought back this debate over the best Greek romance, speaking about it in an appeased way until sunlight poked through the windows.

You both fell asleep when the sun began rising in the sky, still cuddling – it was like you were made for this, your bodies fitting perfectly like pieces of a puzzle. When you opened your eyes again, the room was filled with light. You freaked out for a second when you felt hands around your waist, but memories from last night assailed your mind and you calmed down, matching Jace’s serene heartbeat.

He woke up not long after, greeting you with an endearing awkwardness, and you did your best to make him feel comfortable. Fortunately, your parents had already left – it was common for them to work on the weekends, leaving you alone in the house – and you cooked breakfast together. This little moment of domesticity left you longing for more, more quick glances, more arms brushing against the other, more lopsided smiles.

Still, the tension, barely perceptible, had not entirely left as you enjoyed your meal. Conversations went smoothly, jumping from one subject to the other without a significant gap, yet none of them mentioned the elephant in the room – what had happened between you two and more importantly, what you were going to do next.

Things did look better in the morning, and it was clear now that was you felt towards Jace was more than simple attraction. You liked him, if not more, and the idea of being in an official relationship was tempting. Asking him, though, was out of the question. You could handle being a one-time thing with him, but you’d forever regret scaring him off with your desire for commitment. No matter how hard you tried to scan him and his body language, you could not read his feelings and were left wandering, a soft torture made out of knife-winged butterflies.

You told Jace he could take a shower and used this time to text Helaena and ask her for advice, rushing to your phone and typing as fast as possible, relying on your friend to decipher your typos. The sound of the water running stopped after a few minutes and you couldn’t help your thoughts from drifting to the boy, and how he must look like covered in water. With the darkness of the night, you had only caught a glimpse of his body yet you knew that it was a sight you could not tired of.

You chatted for a few more minutes, standing in front of each other several feet apart, like a glass window was separating you. You wanted to offer him to stay for the afternoon, maybe watch a film, but Jace had told you he was going to go before.

Reluctantly, you had accompanied him to your front door. You had lost all hope that he might want something more. If that was the case, he would have said something already, wouldn’t he? Yet there was a longing in his eyes as you looked at each other on the threshold, an intensity you could only assimilate to your own.

You were about to close the door when he said your name softly, like a prayer. You interrupted your motion, looking back at him.

“Yes?” You answered in the same tone.

“It’s just…” He hesitated. I doubt you’re interested but if you ever wanna go out with me as a date and not just a hang-out…”

“Jace,” you interrupted him. “Do you think I’m not interested in you? And there I thought I acted like a lovesick teenager whenever I was around you,” a nervous laugh escaped your throat. “I would be more than happy to go out with you.”

You saw tension disappear from Jace’s body in a subtle manner, the unclenching of his jaw, the small sigh that left his lips. “I’ve been meaning to ask you this for a while now, I can’t believe I lost that much time,” he confessed.

You took a step towards him to place your hand on his forearm. “It’s okay. I also believed you weren’t interested in me.”

“Great minds think alike, right?” He winked, quoting the sentence you had left on his Google doc, and the memory of this foolish action flustered you.

“Apparently so.”

“I’d like to take you on a date, soon. Call me old-fashioned, but I meant to do things well, not cutting corners. What happened yesterday was unexpected. Welcomed, but unexpected.”

You giggled. “Then I’m free tomorrow, gentleman.”

“I’ll pick you up at two?”

“Sounds great. See you tomorrow” You smiled at him and pressed a quick kiss on his lips before closing the door with a cheesy smile on your lips that matched Jace’s.

You wandered in the empty house for a few minutes on cloud nine until your phone buzzed in your pocket. You grabbed it absentmindedly and your smile widened when you read the message you had received.

[Jace] See you tomorrow princess

taglist: @housetargaryenloyalist @v3lary0ns @vee-mage @cregnstark @eldrith @benjinotes @divinesolas @astrxq

#hotd #house of the dragon #hotd x reader #hotd x you #house of the dragon x reader #house of the dragon x you #jacaerys velaryon #jacaerys x reader #jacaerys x you #jacaerys fluff #academic rivals to lovers

223 notes · View notes

g1rlw1th0n33ye3 · 3 days

Text

When the sun goes down.

Summary ~ Aegon Targaryen II x reader ( no use of y/n cause noo) Aegon finds out something unexpected during his most recent visit to the street of silk.

Warnings- Dubious consent, Drunk sex, its Smut so like yuh know 🧍🏽‍♀️

Also, this is my first fic ever so be nice, please!! I had a day off and a bottle of pink Whitney so here we are! I hope you enjoy also Aegon isn't complete scum of the earth in this story because no that face to pretty for that bad writing and he's not married either Helena and Jace are married and the twins are Jace's kids instead of Aegon's for plot reasons ok enjoy my baby dolls and lemme know if you want a part two!! 🫡

The hour was late as Aegon made his way through the tunnels of Megors holdfast intent on getting to the street of silk as fast as he could he needed something to destress after another unbearably dreadful family dinner they'd been happening more frequently since Helena had given birth to another baby boy this one with bright white hair unlike the two twin babes heads full of brown curls like there father she had given birth to two years earlier it seems his mother has finally accepted that the delusional idea of annulling the marriage was no longer possible now the two sides would favor being intertwined whether she liked or not though her new urge for family dinners to try and bring the family together prove her delusion is not fully gone. Aegon thinks to himself as he slides himself past the guards. Dressed in his usual common clothes disguised for sneaking about so as not to raise any suspicion to the roaming gold cloaks he kept his hood placed high on his head to hide his white tresses as he bobbed and weaved through the huddles of small folk through the streets of flea bottom till he reached his favorite brothel on the street of silk though he hadn't frequented it in awhile a new brothel full of women from Essos had been keeping him otherwise occupied but tonight he wished to be in the place he called closest to home as he entered hood down looking a disheveled mess the madam had immediately come up to him ready to shoo him off till he took off his hood white hair flowing freely that she stopped in her place and instead ushered over the cupbearer and grabbed a glass of wine from the girls tray and holding it out for Aegon

" my prince we haven't been graced with your presence in some time what a pleasure what can i do for you this fine night my prince" the madam spoke with almost an unnerving smile Aegon looked about the room taking it all in before speaking to the madam "I don't know about a fine night but just keep sending pretty girls to fill my cup for me and I'm sure soon it will be " he said before grabbing the wine and making his way to the pile of pillows and blankets strown around a little make shift stage with a dancer atop as he settled down and began chugging his wine beginning to feel the effects of his drink the whole room starting to feel like a warm mix of colors when he finally gazes upon the dancer he's settled Infront of taking in her beautiful face and body adorned in jewels she looked strangely familiar like a face he new but hadn’t seen in a long time the longer he watched you move the more he feel like he was falling into a dream the way you danced around swirling silk scarves in every direction pulling him in that mixed with his cup of wine the bar maids made sure to never let empty he was sure he was in a dream now, he was suddenly snapped out of his trance when he saw you dismount your makeshift stage and make your way for the stairs that led to the back rooms where the girls slept men weren’t allowed back there cause that’s where many of the other girls left the children to sleep while they worked if he didn’t get to you now you he would be out of luck for the rest of the night, he quickly got up and moved as fast as his drunk limbs would carry himself to get to you before you slipped through his grasp “ you there stop “ he said somehow out of breath from simply getting up to cross the room .

Stopping in your place as you adjust your robe you had finished your final dance of the night and were ready to rest your tired legs on your bed when you hear some drunk fool calling out behind you surly following you to ask for a night of your company though your surprised when you turn and are instead met with a drunken prince falling over himself to get to you. “ My prince i was just about to retire to my chambers but i’d be happy to find you another to serve you for the night” you say forcing a smile on your face “ you look familiar have we met before though i don’t think i would have forgot a night with someone as enticing as you” he whispers the honey laced words to you as he comes closer you try to back up to keep a respectable distance but he’s right on your tale “ y…yes my prince we did spend a night together some three years ago i was much different looking then so it’s understandable your memory fails you and well you were also quiet drunk m’prince “ you reveal hoping it will get him off your back men rarely want the same thing twice in a place like this a shame “ a shame i can’t recall though it just gives us more reason to make new ones “ he’s says leaning in to whisper in your ear his warm breath the smelled of honeyed wined fanning your face words catching in your throat at the way he pressed his nose to the side or your face to breathe in your smell “ I’m sorry to disappoint M’ prince but i’m just a dancer now my company is unfortunately not for sale and the madam would be upset with me for taking client from her actual girls but id be happy to help you find one of them “ you feel him pull away at your words a grunge pained on his face “ I didn’t ask for some other girl i asked to spend my time with you and i don’t see the madam here making sure her costumers are tended to so why don’t we just keep it between us and i give you all this gold i have here one this sack and this here “ he says handing you a fully stuffed bag of gold dragons and the golden ring that adorned his middle finger your jaw particularly drops at the sight of all the gold “ for you just for you not the madam what she knows won’t hurt her and will certainly help you “ he says with a mischievous glint to his eyes you look back down at the small fortune he’s handed you it nearly enough to get you out of this dreadful city

“we can do whatever you want “ he speaks one more time trying to convince you a hopefull drunk sloppy smile painted on his face even you can’t deny is charming “ I… alright”

You led him down the stairs by the hand to your small chambers at the very end of the long hall that held all of you and all the other girls' rooms you quickly pulled him in and turned to lock the door to avoid any prying eyes though it was unlikely anybody would be around at this hour non of the other girls usually made it back to there chambers before the sunrise when you turned from the door you found him sat at the edge of your bed taking off his heavy boots and placing them to the side before getting up and beginning his exploration of your room " did you spend all that coin just to gaze upon my perfumes and lotions " you finally speak trying to break the tension, he chuckles to himself before speaking " Mayhaps I did i mean I did say we could do whatever you wanted so you tell me what I paid for " he says looking at you with that tempting smirk of his " Whatever you'd like to m' prince" you say as you remove your robe to be only left in your dancing clothes if they could even be called that it was two simple strips of silk one covering your breasts and one covering your bottom all connected with a strip of jewels to make a sheer dress. You watch as he watches you as you remove your robe before stalking over to you trapping you between the door and himself. The moment Aegon pinned you between the door and himself, the air crackled with an electric tension. His violet eyes gleamed with mischief as they took in the sight of you, draped in the delicate silk of your attire, expertly designed to entice. “Call me Aegon,” he said softly, his voice low and enticing. “There's no need for formality here, pretty girl.” You tilted your head slightly, a playful smile gracing your lips. “Aegon,” you replied, letting his name roll off your tongue with a hint of teasing. It felt daring, refreshing, in a world filled with whispers and expectations. “What do you want?” he asked, leaning in just a fraction closer, his breath warm against your skin. You could feel the weight of his presence, drawing you in like a moth to a flame. A smirk danced across your face as you countered, “What do you want, Aegon?” It was a bold question, not typically asked of a prince, but you had learned to navigate these encounters with a blend of charm and confidence. He paused, a glimmer of surprise flashing in his eyes. “I want to know you—beyond what I see in this place. For tonight, I want to escape the constraints of my title and be just a man in your presence.” Your heart raced at his words, intrigued by this unexpected vulnerability. “Then let’s embrace that freedom together,” you suggested, eager for an evening untethered from convention. With a swift, graceful movement, you stepped closer, the silk of your dress brushing against him. “I must admit, I don’t often get to entertain a prince,” you said, your voice rich with playful mischief. Aegon chuckled, clearly delighted by your banter. “I’m not like the others, I assure you.”

As the tense atmosphere thickened between you, you could feel your pulse quickening. Every heartbeat echoed the electric pull between you—a magnetic attraction that begged to be explored. “Can I…?” he began, hesitation lacing his voice as he searched your eyes for permission.You nodded, breath catching in your throat. “Please,” you whispered, excitement pooling in your stomach. Aegon leaned in, capturing your lips with his in a soft but eager kiss. The taste of him sent shivers racing through your body, igniting a flame of desire that radiated from your core. You melted against him, feeling his warmth envelop you as he deepened the kiss.His hands found your waist, fingers sliding under the silk of your dress, caressing your skin with a slow, tantalizing touch. You gasped into his mouth, a mixture of surprise and longing coursing through you.

“Beautiful ,” he murmured against your lips, his breath hot as he pulled back just enough to search your eyes. With a surge of confidence, you leaned in, kissing him again, more fervently this time, deepening the connection that was rapidly spiraling into something primal. You could feel his heartbeat racing alongside yours, the tension thickening in the space around you. As he kissed you, his hands traveled further up your sides, gripping your waist with a firm but gentle hold. You arched into him, yearning for more, your body responding instinctively. Aegon used the momentum to press you back against the wall, the solid surface grounding you as he pressed his body closer, molding you against him. “Do you want this?” he whispered, his lips brushing against your ear, igniting a rush of desire. “Yes,” you breathed, feeling the heat flush your cheeks. “I want you.” His gaze ignited with hunger at your words, and he captured your lips again, kissing you deeply, as if he were trying to consume you whole. “Let’s move to the bed,” he suggested, voice gravelly as he pulled back, clearing the space to carry you. Without waiting for an answer, he swept you off your feet, lifting you into his arms effortlessly. You gasped, your heart racing as he carried you to your simple bed draped in soft, inviting silks to seem more lavish . He gently laid you down on the mattress, hovering above you, his violet eyes burning with fervor. The anticipation making your body ache for his touch as Aegon slipped lower, trailing kisses along your body. He kissed down your neck, over your collarbone, and down to the swell of your breasts, but he didn’t stop there. His eyes darkened with desire as he made his way down your torso, his lips leaving a trail of fire in their wake. “Let me taste you,” he murmured, glancing up at you for permission. The intense anticipation made your breath hitch, and all you could do was nod, overwhelmed by the way he looked at you, like a man starved.

He nestled between your legs, and as he kissed the soft skin of your inner thigh, your body tingled with excitement. The heat of his breath against your most sensitive areas made you squirm, the anticipation driving you wild. With teasing slowness, Aegon’s mouth found your core. The moment his tongue made contact lapping t your senstive bud, a gasp escaped your throat. His tongue moved with a masterful grace, licking and swirling, expertly coaxing pleasure from you. “Oh, Aegon,” you moaned, your fingers tangling in his short curls as he pressed closer, the sensations building rapidly within you. He drank you in, sounds of your pleasure encouraging him, urging him to explore further. “Just like that,” you gasped, hips instinctively rocking against him. The pleasure he gave you was overwhelming, a wave of ecstasy that swept through you, threatening to consume you. He moved with determination, using his tongue to tease and tantalize, exploring every sensitive spot with the precision of a skilled lover. Each flick sent jolts of pleasure sparking through your body, pushing you closer to the edge. You could feel your breathing becoming erratic, each gentle stroke igniting an inferno deep inside you. “I’m so close,” you gasped, unable to restrain the sounds bubbling from deep within. Aegon heightened his pace, his mouth working you to the brink, the pressure building so exquisitely that you could hardly believe it. The world faded away, leaving only the two of you, lost in an intimate dance of pleasure. With a final surge of intensity, you cried out, your body arching as waves of bliss crashed over you, holding you captive in a sweet surrender. The sensation consumed you, leaving you breathless and blissfully spent. He emerged from between your thighs, a smug smile gracing his lips as he wiped them with the back of his hand. “You taste even better than I imagined,” he teased, his eyes sparkling with satisfaction. Now, with your body humming from pleasure, you pulled him in for a hungry kiss, tasting yourself on his lips. The heat between you flared back to life as your bodies tangled, the urgency of your connection surging once more. With renewed desire, you whispered, “Now I need you inside me.” His eyes darkened with longing at your words. “I can make that happen,” he replied, his fingers hastily shedding his trousers, to release his aching cock. He hastily positioned himself at your entrance, rubbing his leaking cock head over your weeping slit before slowly, achingly, pushing his cock inside you, breaking through the last barriers that kept you apart. You gasped, a mixture of pleasure and fullness consuming you as he filled you so completely. With a deep, primal urgency, he began to thrust, the rhythm of your bodies a perfect match. Each movement sent shockwaves of pleasure radiating through you, driving you both toward the brink. “Just like that,” you urged, feeling the tension within you build with every thrust. “Tell me how good it feels,” he demanded, his voice low and gravelly as he continued to drive into you, at a frantic pace

“It feels … uh soo good, Aegon i’m so close ,” you moaned, feeling your body tighten around him, welcoming him deeper. “ Me to sweet girl, me too “ he panted into your neck as he continued to pound into you cunt your sweet little sounds spurring him on the heat between you both intensified, and with one final thrust, you both reached your peak, aegon not bothering to pull out as his cock spent itself inside you continuing his thrusts till he could no longer handle it falling flat on top of your sweaty form cock still sheathed inside your cunt you can hear his panting breathes beginning to even out and him began to drift away to slumber your about to protest and tell him he’s crushing you and he can’t sleep here when he scoops you up flipping you both over so your rested on top of him instead head placed right over his heart the soft beating lulling you away to. Just one moment like this wouldn’t be so bad you think to yourself just a minute and you’ll wake him up and tell him he has to go but for now you will enjoy the warmth of his body and the soothing rhythm of his heart beat lulling you to bed.

The soft hues of morning light filtered through the curtains, casting a warm glow across the lavish room. You slowly stirred awake, wrapped in the comfort of the sheets, a sense of bliss enveloping you as memories of the previous night flooded your mind. Aegon lay beside you, his face relaxed in peaceful slumber, the warmth of his body a comforting presence.

You couldn’t help but smile, feeling a mix of affection and excitement. Last night had been a whirlwind of passion and connection—something you hadn’t anticipated when you first saw him. Stretching slightly, you turned to him, admiring the way the morning light danced on his features. But as the reality sank in, urgency washed over you; you had to get Aegon out of here before anyone else in the brothel woke up. “Aegon!” you whispered urgently, gently shaking his shoulder. Before he could fully process your words, the door flung open with a loud bang, and an adorable little girl burst into the room. She had bright, tousled white hair and wide, lilac eyes that darted around, filled with a mix of anxiety and determination. “Mama!” she called, her voice filled with sweet yet panicked urgency. The sight of her jolted both you and Aegon wide awake. He shot upright, confusion etched on his face as he took in the scene before him. “Who is that?” Aegon asked, his voice laced with shock, turning from you to the little girl. You felt your heart race. “Anya, honey, what are you doing here?” you asked, trying to maintain a calm demeanor. “I woke up and couldn’t find you!” she said, her tone shifting as she caught sight of Aegon. “Who’s he, Mama?” Aegon’s brow furrowed as he took in Anya's features, realizing that she had the same bright white hair and lilac eyes as him . “Anya?” he murmured, a sense of recognition dawning on him as he thought out every possibility of who the girls father could be but Daemon hadn’t been to kings landing in Five years since jace’s wedding and this girl couldn’t be older then three, aemond was to preoccupied with his old bat to be fathering bastards and there was no way his father was visiting the street of silk in his declining health there was only one answer . “Is… is she mine?” You felt the weight of the unsaid truth crush you. “….Yes,” you confirmed, your voice barely above a whisper. “But this isn't the right time to discuss it. Aegon, you need to leave!” His expression shifted from shock to something deeper—fear mixed with a desperate need for understanding. “Leave? I can’t just leave without knowing the truth! Three years ago… that night—” he stumbled over his words, his hands clenching into fists, eyes wide with anxiety. “Is she really…? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Mama, why is he scared?” Anya asked innocently, her small hand gripping the edge of your dress, sensing the rising tension.

“Aegon,” you urged, feeling panic swell within you. “Please, I promise I’ll explain everything, but not here. She shouldn’t hear this right now.”

But Aegon wasn’t backing down. “I can’t just disappear, not when I might actually have a daughter. What if I never get to know her?”

Your mind raced, torn between the instinct to protect Anya and Aegon's desperate plea for answers. Anya looked up at Aegon, her bright eyes shining with curiosity. “You look like me!” she said, a huge grin spreading across her face. “You have my hair and eyes!”

Aegon knelt down, his expression softening as he glanced at her. “You’re right,” he said, the fear in his voice giving way to wonder. “You’re beautiful, just like your mama.”

A wave of emotions washed over you as you watched them together. The reality of this moment settled heavily in your chest. “Aegon, if you’re going to be in her life you have to do what best for her and right now isn’t the time to put this all on her give me a day or two to talk to her then you guys can meet properly” you say trying to give him something “ Alright he says two days I'll be back “ he says not looking away from your daughters face before trapping her in a hug you can see the tears in his eye as he grabs his cloak and shoes layed about the room so he can go not forgetting to leave you the sack of coin and all the rings on his hands before he leaves before you can protest he speaks “ For anything you and her need I'll be back i promise “ he goes to close the door and leave you before turning back around to speak once more “ Goodbye Anya it was a pleasure to meet “ you can here him holding back tears as he speaks only going when Anya waved him off with a toothy grin and a bye bye “ He was nice mama” Anya says when he’s finally gone you smile at her words coming down to her level to meet her bright lilac orbs “ Yes.. yes he was sweet girl now should we get something to break our fast “ you say reaching out for her little hand.

#hotd #house of the dragon #ageon targaryen #aegon ii targaryen #aegon targaryen x reader #aegon targaryen smut #hotd x reader #aegon the second #aegon ii #game of thrones #aegon targaryen ii x reader #aegon targaryen ii smut

139 notes · View notes

misguidedasgardian · 8 months

Text

Blurred Lines (5)

5. Run

MASTERLIST

Summary: You know what they say “He that fights and runs away, lives to fight another day”

Warnings: Cursing, cheating, adultery, talks about body shaming, therapy, misogynistic undertones (“man of the house” and whatnot), Harwin is not a good person on this… and Jace isn’t either, implied tampering with birth control, spy cameras, a bit creepiness, alcohol consumption, inappropriate relationship

Wordcount: 2,5 k

Notes: Sorry for the delay, I really wasn't int he right headspace to write this particular fic hehehe. THIS CHAPTER DOES NOT CONTAIN SMUT, ONLY ANGST sorry... also... the next one will be the last jejeje

Even in such a big house you felt constantly watched, you felt like you could finally breathe once you got into your car. Aerea in the backseat, you let her watch something on your ipad for the trip so she wouldn’t get fuzzy, and was currently watching her favorite show with baby dragons in it.

You looked back at the huge mansion, and Aemond was staring back at you from the window that you guessed was his room…

Strange fella that one, you thought, as you took a long breath and started the car

You needed to put some distance

You wanted to erase from your mind what you did, you fucked Jace, in his grandfather’s house! his mother and family were under the same roof!

This has gone too far

You needed to get away

Harwin was going to get that job

He was going to move away

And you were going to move also, put some distance between them… you had to, this was not alright

You had interacted with Rhaenyra as she was your equal, Jacaerys’ mother, she was your generation, not Jace, this was wrong

When you went back to the house, Harwin had come back, and you sighed loudly, not ready to deal with him. You grabbed Aerea and he came out of the house to help you with your bags.

You felt guilty when he did all those nice things for you, he wanted you back, acting all kind, and sweet, and helpful, and you were fucking his son

“How was it?”, he asked with that ridiculous sweet smile

“It was nice, but if you were here, why didn’t you make the journey up there?”, you asked trying not to sound accusing

“I just got back”, he answered simply, as you both entered your home

“Oh”

You didn't want to engage with him, but Saera started talking non-stop to his papa about the fun things she had done over the weekend and how nice her “daddy” had been

Harwin also didn’t notice any red flags about his own daughter calling his son “daddy” and him “dada”, what was wrong with them? it still made you nervous that your daughter did so…

“I can put Aerea to sleep”, he offered, “you go and relax momma”. Momma, he called you that since Aerea was born

You barely nodded, you were exhausted

You took a long shower, you washed your hair and took your time, and to your amazement, when you got out, Harwin had actually managed to make Aerea go to sleep, so it was only the two of you

“I ordered Pizza, your favorite”, he said with again… that sickly sweet smile

“That is very considerate Harwin, thanks”

No, you couldn’t do this to yourself, you couldn’t gave him not even an inch of space, he was going to slip right back in, you couldn’t

You ate the pizza and drank some wine in a silence so awkward it almost took your appetite away

But once you had drank between the two the whole bottle of wine, there was the perfect excuse to go back to your room, and you did, under Harwin’s hopeful gaze

You didn't have the strength to do anything else, you just dropped to the bed got under the covers and went to sleep

The days and weeks that followed blurred together in a weird daze

Harwin got the job outside of the city, so he was commuting almost every day, sometimes sleeping in a motel somewhere in between, trying to settle into his new job. And you were not going to let him back in, so he was coming to terms to look for another house, and that you were officially separated

It was hard to you too, you did not want to stay in the house anymore, even though it was beautiful and you loved it

You started working again and Aerea would stay with a nanny, and Jace… well…

He was attending the University up North, and the summer was coming to an end

For your best of lucks, you haven't seen him, the last time in his grandfather’s house was some sort of breaking point, the straw that broke the camel's back, the last drop to fill the glass, whatever you called it

What he had said, the danger it brought you

Instead of turning you on, it had sort of broke you

You didn’t want this anymore

You were a person, a rational person and as such you couldn’t think with your instincts, you had to be rational, and the rational thing to do was to divorce Harwin, get a house of your own, and start rebuilding your life, hoping that the next times you see Jace, other people were going to be present

You could do this

Besides, he hasn't said anything to you the last days, a part of you felt sad, he was, after all, using you, for the thrill of the forbidden sex, the taboo or Gods know what, that saddened you, that he was able to do all of this, just for his horniness and nothing else

But the biggest part of you, was extremely relieved, extremely relieved that he was slowly drifting to the background

It had to keep being like this

It was the best for all of you, if he could let this go.

You just dropped Aerea in her daycare, and then you entered your work building quickly, with coffee for you, Sara and your boss in hand, your heels clicking on the marble floor. Gods it was a long drive from your apartment, you knew that from your godmother’s apartment it would be a few blocks away

You needed to move

“Sorry I’m late, the barista took forever”, you said apologetically to your boss’ assistant

“No matter, but there is someone waiting for you at your office”, she murmured with a shy smile

“I had no meeting today”, you said worried

“He said he was a friend that needed to speak to you”

You frowned, not knowing what to expect, but as soon as you opened your office door, you gasped, not being able to hide your surprise

“What are you doing here?”, you asked.

The man raised from his seat slowly, his movements elegant and almost calculated

“Is that how you greet everyone?”, he asked in his soothing voice, but mocking you nonetheless

You stopped at the door to your office looking at him, he had not done anything to you, but, his mere presence upsetted you, you didn’t even know why.

But you smiled nonetheless

“I’m sorry”, you apologized, “it's just… I wasn’t expecting you”, he only smirked

Aemond Targaryen in the flesh

“You do work in business don’t you not?”

“Do you need counseling on business administration?”, you asked weirdly

“Of sorts”, he said, taking a seat in front of your desk, “I came in for a consultation, of a potential business opportunity, for you, and of course, for me”, you took your seat behind your desk and smiled

“Sure, what is it about?”, you asked

“I send you something to your business mail”, he said calmly, you wanted to know how he got it, but you refrained for questions you were afraid of the answers

As you were logging in your office computer, he spoke calmly, his straight posture, his relaxed demeanor, made you relax, until of course, he got to the point

“Since the first time I saw you I knew that we could be… acquainted…”

“Oh really?”, you asked nervously, the server was taking forever in loading your mail”. Aemond since the very time you saw him… gave you the creeps, he had something weird about him

“The moment you entered the Manor”, of course he would refer to his castle of a home as “a manor”, “all doe eyed and shy”, he purred, he made you terribly uncomfortable, incredible so, you shifted in your seat trying to hide a smile

“Maybe you would be more comfortable with my senior partner”, you muttered

“And then when i saw you at night though…”, his words were in the back of your mind as you finally opened the mail he had sent you, and the files attached to it

“.... Whining and moaning as a wanton whore when your own stepson was fucking you”, you gasped, your eyes filled with tears as you saw, videos and photos of you and Jace, in your guest room at the manor last weekend

“How…?”, you were already crying, fat tears streaming down your face

“Now now, don’t cry”, he said, amused, “there is no reason to be scared…”

“What do you want?”, you asked, “why are you here?”

“I told you… I think an arrangement between the two would be beneficial…”, you looked at him, frowning

Was he going to blackmail you? what for?

Oh gods, this was it, your biggest mistake, greatest indiscretion, right there, for everyone, anyone to see.

What had you done?

You wiped your tears decisively, it was done, there is nothing you could do about it, and now, it was going to fall on its own weight

“Aemond… What sort of arrangement? What could I possibly do for you…?”, you asked, trying to get calm

“Well, now but getting to you a little better I think… that I want the same arrangement my nephew is getting”, you looked up at him wide eyed

“Excuse me?”

“Yes, why would you settle with him? it’s too messy”, he said dismissively, as he was talking about a lab partner, “and besides, I have a thing for milfs”

“Shut up”, you demanded, now angrily, “what is it that you want, Aemond? I barely know you, you barely know me”

“I told you…”

“I’m not some whore”, you said angrily

“Really? could have fool me”, he mocked you

“Get out!”, you demanded, “get out of here”

“Are you sure?”, he asked, he didn’t even move, “I’m so clumsy you see, a wrong move of a finger and i can send those pictures to anyone! like my sister… or my brother in law”, another tear fell down your cheek

“What do you want?”, you asked then, he only chuckled

“To discover why would my idiotic nephew would ruin his relationship with his father for a shag with you”, he said, “you must be… quite the thing”

“I’m not a whore”, you said firmly

“Let’s cut to the chase”, he said, already bored of your reluctancy, “be mine, instead of his, and I won’t show these pictures to my family”, he said simply, “not to my sister, and not to my ex-brother in law”

“Why?”, you asked him

“Why?”, he asked back

“You are handsome and rich, why come after me? you could have any woman you’d ever wanted”, you said then

“Like I said, you have a thing, and I want it… whatever it is”

“Even if you are making me?”, you said

“Specially if I’m making you”, he teased with a sick smile

You took a second, only a second, to think about it

Would you seriously be going to let yourself be blackmailed by him? You are feeling so guilty about everything, maybe this had to happen, maybe this is how you pay for what you did

“Get out”, you repeated

“Are you sure?”, he asked back

“Get the hell out of my office”, you said back, he barely nodded, standing up, he took from his suit’s jacket a card and left it atop your desk

“If you change your mind… you have 24 hours”, he had a flare for the dramatic

He left your office elegantly, like everything else he did, and once he disappeared and closed the door behind you, you were able to breathe, finally

You took a long shaky breath

This was it, the payment for your sins.

You deleted the email, wiped your tears, and moved on with your work day.

Accepting his “offer” was out of the question, and you were splitting with Harwin, so, the repercussions wouldn’t be so large, you hoped

Perhaps your job? you always knew you wanted to move out of this city

Harwin, you were going to hurt him irreparably, him and his relationship with his son, that is what you were scared of the most, but they were father and son, maybe they could work through it, mabe…

The Targaryen shadow was a long one, but you had a family of your own, and in the worse case scenario, you were going to change cities and jobs, maybe have full custody of Aerea, and move even to a different country

You could do this

You grabbed Aemond’s card and destroyed in the paper crusher

The day turned long and as weird as its sounds, as you didn’t get another text from Jace, make your resolve even stronger, you called in a express moving company, and when you got home with Aerea, the movers were already in your place

“I’ll mark everything I want you to take with a pink post-it, the rest leave it”, you demanded to the guys, and they nodded.

You took everything you paid for, everything you had bought, and the bed as well, and in the end of the day, you were settled in your godmother’s apartment downtown, as easy as that

You started receiving texts and calls from Harwin, who had come home to an partially empty house.

“I really thought we were on our way to rebuild our home”, he said on the phone, and a single tear fell down your cheek, oh if he knew, well, he was going to soon enough

“I’m sorry Harwin, but i think this time apart has done me more good than bad and… and I thought about it, and infidelity is not something… someone should ever forget”, you heard him sigh over the line

“I’m so sorry love”

“Me too”, you said that with way more sentiment that you should have

“I wish we can keep being cordial, for Aerea’s sake”

“That goes without saying”, you whispered

“I’ll pick her up next week”, he said lowly

“I know you had concerns about we both living here downtown…”

“That was a bullshit excuse”, he said, “for you not to leave the house, but… i trust you”

“Alright, goodbye Harwin…”

“goodbye my love”, and you hang up the phone

. . .

You don’t know what Aemond did with those photos, since nobody had said anything or tell you anything… and you didn’t know if to feel relief, or even more guilt, somehow you were waiting for your atonement, but it never came

Jace sent you some texts, telling you he had come back to college to deal with some important things, you guessed… classes, he was going to come back soon according to him, but it was of no consequence, because you didn’t answer, you even blocked his number.

Aerea was with Harwin, and you just got home back from work, a couple of weeks had gone by and you… were feeling terribly wrong, something was terribly wrong with you..

Bitter tears fell down your face when you grabbed the pregnancy test you had bought from your purse, your throat constricted on a choke

taaglist

@champomiel @urmomsgirlfriend1 @sweethoneyblossom1 @lukepattersin @ladylyanna91 @snowflake-latte @bruher @bellstwd @inesven @iamavailablesstuff @haydee5010 @happinessinthebeing @agqrtz @ajanauia @joliettes @lightdragonrayne @ivoryluvs @fairysluna @cumslutforaemond @possiblyafangirl

#misguidedblurred #jacaerys strong #jacaerys #jacaerys x reader #prince jacaerys #jacaerys targaryen #stepcest #hbo house of the dragon #house of the dragon modern au #harwin strong x reader #harwin strong

232 notes · View notes

emilykaldwen · 4 months

Text

The Maiden and the Drowning Boy | Aegon x OC | Chapter Seventeen

Rating: Explicit

Ships: Aegon II Targaryen x Abrogail Strong (Lyonel Strong's Daughter), Jacaerys Velaryon x Helaena Targaryen

Summary: As the kingdom teeters on the edge of chaos, Alicent Hightower swaps the pieces on the board: Aegon will marry Abrogail Strong, Larys’ younger sister and heir to Harrenhal. Caught in the web of intrigue and political machinations, the pair must figure out where their loyalties lie, and what they mean to one another.

Tropes: Childhood Sweethearts/Friends to Lovers, Generational Trauma and Cycles of Abuse, It's All About the Character Development, Unreliable Narrators, Multi-POV, Canon Divergent, Bisexual Aegon II Targaryen, Book/Show Mash Up, Fix-It Of Sorts, Stopping the Cycle of Abuse before it gets us all killed, Team Neutral, fairy tale vibes meets victorian medievalism meets grrm

No tag list. please follow @emkald-fic and turn on post notifications for updates or subscribe on AO3

Tumblr Masterpost

AO3 LINK

Author's Note: We've got Rhaenyra POV! We've got Aemond POV! We've got a surprise in the end! Thank you for all the support and patience. You're all getting this chapter early since I'm out of town for the weekend! Enjoy!

PLEASE PLEASE subscribe to the series page or my author page so you get updates when we start the next story! You're not going to want to miss it. (And follow @emkald-fic on tumblr if you read here!)

All my love to @vampire-exgirlfriend for her love and support and holding my hand through this chapter that just kept kicking my fucking ass. If you need more Aemond content, you must read, They Say I killed You (Haunt Me Then)! Now complete! (epilogue going up soon!)

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN - Parrying the Daggers Thrown At Us

Rhaenyra receives a letter. Aemond cannot find peace until he gets a taste of it.

Grandfather is still ill, much like we saw him last but he prefers his wheel chaired more oft than not…

Things have been tense, understandably so, but Queen Alicent has been cordial and has made sure we are comfortable and have what we need…

Aegon and Aemond keep their distance, perhaps so they can glare all the better…

I do not know how to make amends for what happened…

…and they say Aemond is taken by his pains at times, darkening his room as his head aches from his wound…

I should make amends, it is right…

What do you think I should do?...

Heleana has been the warmest…

…we danced together at the feast and she was quite happy to do so. It is nice spending time with her…

Aegon is happy around Lady Abrogail and she laughs freely with him. He is not like how he used to be as much with her…

I think Lord Lyonel and Ser Harwin would be pleased to see how well she is treated…

Many houses were represented at Aegon’s nameday…

Most seemed to wonder if Aegon would have been named heir and displace you but none came to pass…

…they will inherit Harrenhal. I can see the wisdom in it as Luke will have Driftmark one day, but I think of Joffrey and Aegitsos and my uncles who do not have lands and holds to occupy them…

I love you much, Muñus, I hope you are well and that I will see you soon…

Rhaenyra ran her fingers over her son’s careful script, her mouth twitching in fondness amidst her worry of her zēapos. His letter was long, too much for a raven’s wings and she started from the beginning once she had read it through once. Twice. Her ribs ached as if Jace had been carved out of her to go on this journey and she shook her head, trying to let the feeling flit away on the breeze. Her eldest had a temper, much as she did in her youth, much as his father had, in the ways that drew her in. Time stole away much, and her own bouts of temper had cooled with each broken toy, each yelling fight, each ‘he pulled my hair!’ and ‘He pushed me and won’t share!’

The sounds of swords clanged in the yard and her gaze flitted from her son’s letter - pages crinkled in her grasp - to the courtyard below where Daemon was testing the new recruits to the Dragonstone guard. His silver hair was twisted back from his face in braids as he preferred, something about war and mindset and always be prepared.

He called something towards Joff and Aegitsos as the knight before him panted, having been bested against her husband.

Baela had not written, that much she knew, though Jace had said that she had found a friend in Helaena after a tense standoff. Rhaenyra had found the mention of it surprising, for her little sister, in the times she’d been around her, had been a quiet thing, eyes large in her face, gaze flitting to everyone and no one.

Helaena has been the warmest…

Helaena was not yet married. The match with Aegon had never come to pass.

The invitation lay on the table before her next to the plate of lemon cake she liked for her morning meal on days such as this.

The wedding of Prince Aegon of House Targaryen and Lady Abrogail Strong of Harrenhal…

In five moons, the spectacle would be held in the Riverlands. In five moons, the realm would look upon her brother once more, peacocked and pulled out, as Daemon sneered, by Otto Hightower to show him off as a contender, to put pressure on her father to change his mind. Her father had nearly twenty years to change his mind and still, he had not. Not even in her absence, cowardly as it sometimes felt to retreat and lick her wounds, had her father’s support of the claim and her family seemed to waver. Try as the Hightowers might to scream and spread slanders that would call for bloodshed, her father still would not be swayed. It was the sense of satisfaction that she had felt when he came to her defense in that shadowed hall those years ago, the heated of curl in it that no matter what, there could be no question as to his choice.

He had chosen her.

Even as the feeling waned over time to give over to those moments where she doubted, all the times he had failed to reign his wife in with her abuses and vitriol, the words her son had sent her bolstered her.

I think Lord Lyonel and Ser Harwin would be pleased…

Harwin’s little sister, big blue eyes and red curls bound in braids, peeking curiously over the edge of Lucerys’ cradle next to Jace because ‘She asked if she could see the baby and give him this,’ Harwin had said, as the little girl presented her attempts at embroidering a little dragon on a pillow. Little Abrogail, half Harwin’s, half Alicent’s. She had tried to bring the girl to Dragonstone with them. Would she not be happier away from the court politics with her brother and the quiet? Lord Lyonel had given her a surprised, then hard look, and Rhaenyra had felt chastened in a way her own father had never been able to evoke within her.

“I will keep my daughter with me, and should I send her away, it will be back to her home, at Harrenhal, with her brother.”

Grief washed through her like the crashing of the waves on the rocky shore below and she felt her own jagged edges inside of her. Lyonel Strong had been the best of them, putting the realm first, always by her side at every council meeting she attended, encouraging her, even as his face grew graver with each brunette curled boy she bore.

Violet eyes swept across the parchment again. A servant in the camp had tried to attack the girl, Jace said. Crept into her tent, assuming she would have been alone. Inquiries were being made, but as far as anyone could see, the man had just been a baseborn servant - blending in like no other. Rhaenyra pursed her lips and looked down at the training yard once more, fingers drumming along the stone ledge of the terrace.

She wondered how wrapped around Lady Abrogail’s finger her half-brother might be… and how opportune this moment was.

Alicent’s eldest was marrying and taking a seat in the Riverlands. It was not the bold choice that Rhaenyra had thought would happen. Surely one of the many Lannister girls, or one of the Baratheons - a great house who would be invested in their own daughter becoming queen would have made more sense.

Harrenhal, for the wealth and lands that it had, did not command armies the way the Stormlands did. It did not have endless coffers the way Casterly Rock boasted of. It was a moody fortress on the edge of the God’s Eye, surrounded by lush farmland and woods that were dark and deep and felt that you were somewhere fanciful, somewhere that didn’t hold dragons nor thrones, nothing except for a warm hand wrapped around her own.

The clashing and screaming of steel in the yard below pulled Rhaenyra from her thoughts, and away from the path of her sorrows and regrets. Turning her back to the sight below, she reached for her own parchment and quill, pushing aside the letter from Lord Celtigar.

Lady Abrogail… Good tidings on news of your approaching nuptials…

Aemond pursed his lips, his gaze rising from the book before him, a study on the Conqueror’s approach to the first Dornish war,to squint across the barrel room near the top of the tower that held the library in the Holdfast. He drummed his fingers upon the scarred wooden table, a fingertip running along the crescent burn from the time Abby had accidentally knocked over a candle while they were reading about Harren the Black.

He exhaled slowly, the way the Braavosi manuals advised and looked back at his book.

It had been weeks since his brother’s festivities, and the chill of the end of the growing season had crept in. It was not cold by northern standards, but the air cooled, the rains rolled in for the next several months, and angry storms fell over them from the Narrow Sea, their winds piercing and frightening, as if they were dragons themselves in the winds that the Storm God rode, threatening to tear apart the Red Keep brick by brick.

Helaena’s nameday had passed with quiet fanfare, the lingering lords of the realm who had not left parading their sons in front of his maiden sister. As if any of them were worthy of a dragonrider, someone as clever and kind as Helaena.

It had been complicated over the past weeks since the talk in the garden, and Aemond still wasn’t entirely sure how he felt. What had been most surprising had been the strange sense of release when his sister let him go, leaving him to sit in the rain before Visenya’s statue, her words ringing in his ears.

‘I would burn Dorne for you… but I do not want to leave behind a world of ash and bone.’

How desperate Helaena had looked, angry and frightened and full of hope as she begged not to have a husband, but a brother back. ‘How else am I supposed to protect her?' he had wondered. How else could he offer his sister protection and security if it wasn’t to marry her, to tie her to him so that she would never have to fear, never have to doubt her acceptance and those who loved her?

Aegon had not wanted to marry her. She was weird, he’d sneered. How miserable Helaena would be, how miserable they both would have been. Aemond had done the right thing. He’d stepped up, he had gotten Mother and The Tower to break the betrothal. Even if they had not promised him and Helaena to one another, that was alright, it would simply be a matter of time.

He had Vhagar. There could be no further doubt that he was truly a Valyrian. There could be no more doubt as to his place in the world. All that was left was his sister.

Guilt gnawed deep in his stomach, shame twisting around his throat when the thought filtered through. Helaena was not a bauble he needed to collect to prove something. Collecting her was not protecting her. Collecting her was not about her, but for him, and it was this knowledge that he had thought about constantly.

His sister deserved more than being a broodmare, to be a pawn in the games. The forced distance the last few weeks had given him, after Helaena pushed him from the proverbial nest, had left him unsettled and snappish.

The loud thud of a book hitting the stone floor reverberated through the room. A heavy tome, judging from the heft of the sound, followed by a soft giggling, a deeper snickering sound chasing after it before they muffled and fell quiet.

He knew, with the utmost certainty, why it had fallen quiet.

Ever since the betrothal, the grip on his best friend had been slipping. Oh, him and Abrogail were an unlikely pair, but few appreciated books and history as his cousin did. While digging in the dirt and helping Helaena catalog her collection had been fulfilling, there was something joyous in being able to have someone who understood the quiet and sanctity of the library, and who loved books and reading and learning as he did. Lyonel Strong had always indulged his questions when was young - far more enthralling than Mellos and Orwyle were, and he had fostered that curiosity in his daughter.

‘All she’s going to care about is making babies with Aegon!’ Helaena had cried, frustrated and angry when they’d been alone after the fight in the brothel.

There was a soft cry, and Aemond scowled at his book before his chair scraped across the stone floor and he strode purposefully towards the source of the sound. The histories of the Riverlands were there - not just observational books, but the census, the trade information, things used by the small council’s not-quite-so-small army of clerks and counters and lawmakers. The section of the library that Abby had frequented since the announcement and that he had helped her with.

“Not here,” came the whispered whine, laced with laughter. Aemond rolled his eye as he turned the corner of the aisle. It was shadowed somewhat this far down, The strategically polished silver angled to bounce the light around so as not to pose a fire risk among the precious books, although the day was gray and cloudy and the light reflected was that of a lamp. Abby was pressed against the bookshelves, the blue and silver brocade of her skirts rucked up with her stockings on display, her legs at present, wrapped around his stupid brother’s waist. One arm was stretched out to grab onto the bookshelf behind her, and the fallen book that had been in its place was still on the ground. Aegon’s face was buried into her chest, or maybe her throat?

He was half-blind, after all, sometimes details could be mercifully missed. Or ignored.

“This,” Aemond said, his voice even and dripping with every ounce of annoyance and betrayal he felt, “is the library, not a brothel.”

Aemond’s fists clenched at the disrespect both of them displayed to a place they knew was important to him. At the announcement of his presence, Abby squeaked, Aegon’s arms tightening around her as she scrambled to lower herself without sending them both toppling. He held his arms folded behind his back, his hand scraping along his elbow as the pair of them got themselves in order and he shook his head when Aegon looked at him, dragging the back of his hand across his mouth. Abby had turned to straighten her gown.

“Are you really going to act like this?” Aegon said, for it was barely a question. “We weren’t in front of you and your book. You were the one seeking us out.”

“Because you both weren’t as quiet as you thought you were,” Aemond snapped. “It was distracting.”

A lazy smirk crossed across his brother’s flushed face and he wanted to punch him square in his stupid nose. Let him kiss his future wife with his face bashed in. “Well, my lady is distracting-.” There was a soft sound as Abby smacked Aegon’s shoulder, cutting him off with an exaggerated ow, the flinch was nowhere near the violent response that inhabited his brother when it was their mother doing the hitting. She peered around Aegon’s shoulder, her mouth just as swollen, her cheeks just as flushed and her features apologetic.

“We’re sorry, Aemond. Things just got out of hand. I shouldn’t have-”

“Don’t you apologize,” Aegon interrupted her this time, a fierce look on his face.

“No, actually,” Aemond cut in, taking a step forward, using the few inches he now had on his brother to straighten his shoulders. “She’s right. Thank you, Abby, for apologizing. Are you upset that she has to apologize for you, since your self-awareness is worse than a billy goat ramming his head into things?”

Aegon’s mouth gaped in offense, his flush deepening. There was a bruise along his neck that was going to be difficult to hide. The glib nature of his eldest brother was a trial at the best of times, but this? “You know this isn’t your place to run about as you please. Shall I just unlock my doors, let you roll around in my sheets and over my personal things while you’re at it?”

“It’s the fucking library, Aemond. It doesn’t belong to you-”

Abby let out a startled cry as Aemond’s fist shot out, but as much as he would love to punch his brother, he shoved him instead, feeling the crackling of frustration, the rumble of Vhagar in his chest. “Because it’s all yours, is that it? You mewling fucking kitten. This isn’t just my library, it’s hers too, but you don’t fucking care about anything that means something to anyone else if it gets in the way of what your limp cock wants.”

“Aemond, truly, we’re sorry - Aegon, no!” Abby’s voice was lost in Aegon’s growl as his brother came back with another shove, sending him back a few steps. Aemond laughed, a hint of a sound like the thin scrape of wind whistling through a crack. Yes, yes let the idiot push him around. Let him continue to pull his friend away from him, from him and Helaena both. His gaze darted briefly to the redhead, blue eyes wide as she pressed herself back against the shelves, before meeting his brother’s lighter gaze.

“You are a glib fucking fool, Aegon,” Aemond said lowly, his mouth curling as he readied for a fight, needing to expend the burn of flame inside of him. “I don’t care what the pair of you do, I’ll say nothing should Mother hear of it, but-” he stepped forward and shoved Aegon hard into the bookstack. The ancient wood creaked and groaned, but the stacks were bolted to the floor to prevent them from topping. A few books fell from the force of Aegon’s frame smacking into it. “Stay the hell out of my library.”

He did not look over his shoulder, even as Abby called his name, apology rife in her tone. He strode through the halls, calling for his horse to be saddled while he went to angrily pull on his riding leathers. The left side of his temple ached as it was wont to do when his face was full of tension. Helaena would make him tea, protect him in the quiet, but that was not meant to be today. The last he saw, his sister was in the gardens with Jacaerys.

How he ached to wring the stupid bastard’s neck.

How bright he seemed to make Helaena laugh.

How betrayed Aemond felt by it all.

Why hadn’t Helaena said anything? Why hadn’t she told him that she didn’t want to be married? Why had she just let him wander around like a puppy and now left the fool?

‘But hadn’t she told you?’ a little voice drifted through Aemond’s mind and he paused in the lacing of his leathers. Had she not told him by pursuing that fool Warren Fossoway, and the time that he had spied her kissing him - for he had seen Helaena push the squire behind the carved dragon pillar by the gardens.

‘But she would let me kiss her, she would kiss me, and she’d touch me and I her and-’ The flurry of thoughts ached as he pulled on his boots.

It would not hurt as much if it was anyone but Jacaerys.

The ride to the beach beneath the shadow of the Red Keep was a blur. The rock outcropping of Aegon’s High Hill was a craggy, sheer thing, but the beach below was one that Vhagar enjoyed sunning herself, a guard dog laying at the foot of the bed in a way. Her head lifted as Aemond approached, lowing in greeting and shaking sand from her scales. The tension in Aemond’s chest began to ease at the sight of her, and he approached, patting a gloved hand along her scarred neck, scratching along a vicious scar she must have received in Dorne. There were no words exchanged, not the way Aegon chattered with Sunfyre. Aemond’s bond with Vhagar was one of feeling, of such deep understanding that no words needed to spill from him. In no time, he scaled her great bulk and yelled out the command to fly, which his dragon responded with her own, what he assumed was excited, call in return.

Vhagar landed on the cliffs on the western side of Massey’s Hook, the bay below dotted with smaller fishing boats this far out from King’s Landing and away from the bustle of the capital. Rage and grief, anger and fear were a tempest in his gut and he rankled at the call of Moondancer as his cousin circled above them.

If Baela wanted this fight, then he would meet her, unflinching. Let her see what dragons were made of. They did not all reside on Dragonstone.

“Laodijes peldios!” Baela howled at him, her voice a sharp shout on the breeze, her face twisted and ugly with fury, fists at her side as she readied herself to hit him should he get within reach.

Aemond glared at her, the distance between them shrunk now to an arm length. Vhagar was a great shadow behind him and he could feel the sulfuric heat of her breath as she exhaled buffeting at his back. Moondancer was a little ways away, shrieking fearfully and Aemond could not tell if the dragon reflected her rider’s mood, or her fear of Vhagar.

“You’re a fucking fool. Daemon Targaryen is your father, your mother a Velaryon, and you still don’t realize that a dragon cannot be stolen.”

“You had no fucking right!” Baela snarled. “Vhagar was for Rhaena to claim-”

“If Vhagar had not wanted me, she would have eaten me and you damn well know it.” Aemond cut her off, watching her jaw click shut with a curl of satisfaction. “Vhagar chose me, not your sister. What? You want to kill me to give her another chance at claiming her? Is that what you’re here? To finish the job that you all started?”

“Why would my mother’s dragon choose you?” Balea cried, and this time, there was a choked quality to her rage. Aemond’s eye widened slightly and he leaned back from her, a curl of uncertainty that he despised. His words had been harsh, full of the anger that he had felt simmering these past years. Aemond shrugged it off. He had earned his harshness in this. He’d been the one attacked, the band of them setting upon him simply because he chose to claim his right as a Valyrian prince.

‘Why would my mother’s dragon choose you?’

Aemond ran his tongue over his teeth and leaned back on his foot, watching Baela gasp for air amidst her choking sobs, and turn from him to look out to the bay, towards Driftmark and High Tide.

He remembered his mother’s cries, her rage, her such careful and elegant control snapping as her voice cracked in the silence of the Hall of Nine.

“He’s your son, Viserys.”

“Why did Moondancer choose you?” Aemond asked. “Why did Moondancer choose you, and my egg never hatched?” Baela did not look at him but he could see the way her shoulders tensed. “Why didn’t you go find the guards? Why did you come, thinking a thief had stolen a dragon and Jacaerys brought his blade? Why did they give me a pig, pretending they had found me a dragon as they both had their own? Why did they do nothing but terrorize me with that fact for our childhoods?”

Aegon had done it too, gone in on the fun, drunk on being the eldest. It had lessened considerably in the wake of Rhaenyra leaving the capital, even if his brother sought other ways to tease him - he’d never again mentioned his lack of dragon.

Aegon had come to him in his sick bed, his curls shorn, red eyed and puffy faced, tears on his cheeks, had knelt at his bedside and vowed to him.

“We protect our own and I did not protect you. I do not care if you’ve claimed Vhagar, for I was not there for you when you needed me. It will never happen again. I will protect you. I will be by your side.”

Aemond had sometimes wondered how much of the words were his brother’s own, but he had known, with certainty, that the feelings were genuine. His brother was an idiot, and they butted heads, but his brother loved him in his own way, and for as angry as Aegon could make him, he loved him too. In his own way.

He might admit that on his deathbed, unlike Aegon, who would only need to be in the depths of his cups and into the sad and tearful mourning edge.

“What do you know, Baela?” Aemond said, his voice even, coldness creeping along the edges. “Of fighting and scraping for everything that is owed to you?” He forcefully bit his tongue, copper exploding in his mouth as he broke skin, to keep from pressing further at the loss of her birth right to Driftmark for Rhaenyra’s folly.

“A prince has to scrape for all that is owed to him.” It was rhetorical, biting, and Aemond snorted, taking a step forward, his own gaze looking out at the water.

“You may have been an idiot child, but don’t play me for a fool.” It was impossible not to see how little Viserys thought of his second family, and he had seen it plainly on Jacaerys’ face, the surprise in witnessing it. “I’m sure your father relishes every word you send to him. His little spy.”

Baela’s lip curled in a snarl and she stalked closer. Aemond stayed where he was, watching her with a narrowed eye as Vhagar let out a low growl behind him. She did not move, did not lift her head, but her nostrils flared and Aemond felt the heat of her breath swirl around him. Baela’s eyes widened, and she paused, the indigo of them shining with tears.

He turned his head slightly to look at Vhagar. “Ȳgha iksi,” he reassured her, feeling Vhagar’s displeasure seeping through him, her warning and the remembered rage from those years ago when she could not protect him or take away his pain. He reached for her snout, pressing his hand to the scar above her left nostril, rubbing against it. He turned his back to his cousin and brought his other hand up, feeling the anger hot as coals, hot as dragonfire in his chest. Vhagar was full of tension. He could feel it. Would she feel that way if it wasn’t him? If she was not so worried for him, would she recognize the girl behind him as the child that Laena Velaryon surely brought to her, as Aemond would have brought his own child? Had his grandfather, Baelon, brought his sons to this dragon before them?

The silence filled the air around them, the wind thick with tension. Aemond pressed his forehead to Vhagar, took strength from her, squeezed his eye shut and ignored the pain that lanced through his head and pulsed behind his scar.

The sob behind him was soft, and Moondancer’s cry was mournful.

“He’s your son, Viserys.”

“I did not mean to tarnish your mother’s memory,” Aemond finally spoke, his voice carrying as he looked, blind side towards Baela. “It was not done to hurt you, or to take something from you. It was… It was my only chance. And it’s something I don’t think you’ll ever be able to understand. I am… I am sorry about the loss of your mother. I did not have the opportunity to give you my condolences then, but I can give them to you now.”

The sound Baela made was strangled. Aemond turned to look at her. Baela was stiff beneath her red and black riding leathers, the metal rings in her hair tinkling as the wind tugged at her braids. He recalled the mourning child she had been sitting by her twin and Jace, the vicious yell she’d let out when she punched him in the nose that night, the howls and scream of pain. He felt Vhagar twitch and groan beneath his touch, another warning and he hushed her again, stroking her snout. He watched her gaze go towards Moondancer, who was crying fitfully, grounded still, her aquamarine wings more green against the lush grass of the clifftop.

“Do you want to pet her?”

Baela stared at him, the hostile lines to her face instantly slacking in surprise. “Skoro syt?” Her voice was small and wary, even as her eyes were wide with grief.

“My condolences,” Aemond repeated, and he found the words genuine. It was not Baela, nor her sister, or even his bastard nephews that rankled him. Oh, he wanted his revenge, He wanted what was due, but more of the blame lay with his eldest sister and their father. Of that, Aemond was secure in. He would gladly feed them both to Vhagar, to take an eye as payment for his mother.

His cousin shifted on her booted feet before whatever compelled her brought her forward. Aemond shifted, beckoning her to take her place by his side as he murmured words to Vhagar. Baela had taken her glove off, her slim, tanned hand reaching tentatively up before resting along the scar on Vhagar’s nostril.

They stood there for how long, Aemond was not sure, quietly beside one another as Baela grieved for the mother at the bottom of the Narrow Sea, and his own grief at what was taken from him.

“Do not mourn me, mother…”

‘But mourn the boy dead on Driftmark.’

It was not lightness or peace that settled over Aemond when he and his cousin parted later. He was not certain how much time had passed, only that after she had sobbed, they sat there in a strange, companionable silence eating hunks of bread and cheese and apple that Baela cut with a wicked blade. She did not give him thanks, she did not say anything, but Aemond took the offering of shared food as her own gesture of whatever truce was settled between them. The exchanged curt nods before parting, Baela northeast and away from the city to what Aemond assumed was High Tide and her grandmother and twin, while he circled back towards the city.

Aemond was not certain of the feeling he held except that it felt like he had scratched something out on a list, or deposited a burden that he was trying to carry with all his other, more cumbersome burdens. It was a closed door. That was enough for Aemond, and there was a part of him that wanted to march to his sisters and tell them that he had made nice, to have Abby’s warm smile proud with him, and Helaena’s little clap and promptly being the receiver of her latest mountain spider that Uncle Rodrik had brought her.

Instead, after entering the inner courtyard of the Red Keep and handing off his horse to one of the stablehands, he made his way to the gardens and to his own preferred solitude when the library - so recently desecrated - was not an option. No, Aemond needed air, he needed the statue of Visenya to look down upon him. There, where Helaena had snipped the strings and released him from the vow he had made, the goal that held him that was more about him than it truly was about her.

Where his sister had set him free, and he loved her all the more for it.

The problem, he found, upon striding down the paved path and through the dripping ivy, was that his garden was not, in fact, as empty as he hoped. Wylla Karstark was kneeled in front of a bush of hyacinths, carefully cutting the purple blooms and placing them in a basket beside her. She was clad in a dove gray dress, the black fabric of her kirtle beneath poking out through slashes along her shoulders and puffed at her elbows. Her fox features were pinched in concentration and Aemond watched her for a moment, silent as she had clearly not heard his approach.

Wylla Karstark was an unknown. She was pretty enough, with a long nose and sharp jaw, gray eyes that flashed when she was annoyed, which was the majority of the time. She had a rather frustrating talent of being able to look down at him even as she had to arch her neck, for she was as petite as Abby was. Their joint misfortune, just like Aegon’s. She was also well read, their conversation at the feast turning from a mutual annoyance to discussing the book of poetry that he had seen her reading, which itself had turned into a rather long and in depth conversation on the Valyrian poet, Praxilla, whose work had survived by the grace of her living the life of leisure in Lys when the Doom happened. Wylla and his elder brother unknowingly shared a fondness for drinking songs penned by the scribe, although Aemond was smart enough to know he shouldn’t bring that up.

Not until he needed to.

“It is polite to speak when coming upon someone, Your Grace,” Wylla’s northern burr was arch as she focused on her task. “I would curtsy, but you can see I’m already on my knees.”

Aemond’s cheeks flushed at the turn of her words, and he was not certain if she understood how they could be taken. He decided that she didn’t, for she did not turn to look at him, seemingly unbothered. All for the best, he supposed, for Aemond did not think he could meet her gaze should she be facing him.

“Why are you cutting my flowers?”

“Your flowers, Your Grace?” Wylla laughed, a sharp, lilting sort of sound and he wondered if that’s what she sounded like when she sang. Did she sing? He had not asked her. “These flowers belong to Queen Visenya, for it is her garden, is it not?”

“It is my garden,” he pushed back, frowning at the back of her head, the mass of thick, twisted black braids kept in place with a woven, pearl hair net with wicked looking, pearl tipped hair pins to keep the heaviness of it in place. He flexed his hands, wiping them on his riding leathers as he approached. There were other flowers in her basket, like wisteria and some of the roses from the main garden. He sat, bending his one leg to rest an arm on while the other reached in.

Up close, he could see the red flush to her pale cheeks. He did not recall them looking so red when he saw her the day before, outside of the bit of sun all the girls had gotten during the sun.

Her smack was quick, the sound of flesh stinging flesh loud and he immediately pulled back with a hiss and a glare. “How dare-”

“Those aren’t for you,” Wylla said forcefully, the gray eyes of her bright in her face as she finally looked at him. “They’re for Lady Abrogail.”

Aemond had killed a man for the fox-faced woman before him without hesitation, and the knowledge of it settled in him still, generally buried over the past few weeks because he had no idea what to do about it. They’d been attacked in the night, and Wylla Karstark had shoved a knife between the man’s ribs without hesitation. So tall, Wylla Karstark seemed, so loud, filling up the spaces she was in without holding herself back, that he had so often forgotten how small she was.

Until she was there, in front of him, those gray eyes like the storm ridden ocean.

Aemond held her gaze, reaching back into the basket to pluck one of the deep purple, nearly blue anemones that she had gathered, twirling it idly between his long fingers before reaching up to tuck it behind her ear. Wylla was still beside him, her red painted mouth parted slightly, so he could see the flash of her white teeth behind it. Her cheeks deepend in their red to match the paint on her lips and Aemon hummed.

Abby had been understandably shaken. Knowing her as long as he did, even with the smiles affixed to her face, he knew the signs as intimately as he understood Helaena’s or Aegon’s, or his own mother’s. Wylla Karstark was a mystery. She had been quiet, from what he had seen, but the wedding preparations had taken up much time with the girls, as well as her brother finally leaving the capital earlier that week.

He clenched his jaw, a muscle ticking, before he met her gaze. “Are you alright?”

Her inhale was loud. It trembled and she pressed her red lips together, her throat bobbing with a swallow and looked back at the flowers but did not move to cut anymore. Aemond did not push her, but only waited.

“Yes? No? Strangely yes,” she finally whispered. “I think that’s what bothers me more.”

“That bastard came in with intent to harm,” Aemond said. “If you didn’t kill him, someone else would have. You were incredibly brave.” None knew where he’d come from. The assailant had been clad in the same red garb as the rest of the servants. A baseborn man. Waters or Storm, Aemond couldn’t remember, much like he had no memory of the man’s face before he stared down at it, red and wheezing before he killed him.

“At least it wasn’t Aegon,” Wylla whispered, her eyes wide, drawing his attention back to her. “What would have that turned into - him sneaking in for them to slobber all over each other. Me thinking he was an attacker and-”

The snort of laughter that escaped Aemond at the idea of it all could not be held back. He bent his head, gasping for air as his shoulders shook and it was only a moment before Wylla’s own peel of laughter joined his. It had been some weeks since he’d laughed, in the wake of what happened at the hunt drying up what little humor he’d indulged in. There was an infectious quality to Wylla Karstark’s amusement that he found comforting. Aemond looked at her, her face flushed from her laughter, and he leaned in, kissing her.

The laughter abruptly stopped, her mouth soft against his, still from her clear surprise. She tasted like oranges. Abby must have indulged in the sweet and sour orange cakes they had at the feast. Wylla did not respond, but she didn’t move away either and Aemond took that as acceptance, and he lifted his hand to cup her cheek, thumb swiping softly against the apple of it. Kisses with Helaena had been different - always expected, always ready, with her initiating many of them. The one time he’d kissed Abby, when they were little and Jace had dared him to, did not count. The both of them had made faces, vowing to never do it again.

Kissing Wylla, though? He never wanted to stop, especially not when she reached up, the clippers making a soft thump along the grass to wrap around the end of the braid slung over his shoulder. She tugged it gently and Aemond broke away, blinking and gasping. “What?” he asked. “Should I have not done that?”

“Oh, you should have,” she reassured him, breathless and red faced. She licked her lips and looked at her fingers still wound around his braid, toying with the leather tie. “I was just reminded of something someone told me once.”

He cocked his head, mouth pursed. “What was it?”

The smile that cut across Wylla’s face was amused, the scar along the top of her lip giving a mischievous bend to her small, red mouth. “It was about how dragons purr when you pull their hair.”

Whatever thought started to coalesce about her late night conversation with his sisters was pushed right out when her lips found his.

I would love to hear your thoughts! Even if it's just a keyboard smash! Reblog to spread a story around so others may find it! I would love to hear your theories! What did you love? What are you looking forward to? Happy to have you here as always <3

[Next Chapter]

#hotd tag #house of the dragon #hotd fic #hotd oc #fyeahgotoc #aegon ii targaryen #aegon ii targaryen x oc #aegon x oc #aegon ii targaryen fic #aegon targaryen fanfiction #aemond targaryen #baela targaryen #rhaenyra targaryen #oc: abrogail strong #aegon x abby #abrogon #otp: do not go far from me #man tagging is so annoying #my fics

85 notes · View notes

its-vannah · 2 years

Text

Vigilante Sh*t | Jacaerys x Reader

A/N: Y'all, this is a bad b*tch fic. Prepare yourselves.

Warnings: Death of a major character, attempted murder, divorce, arranged marriage, marriage, mentions of consummating a marriage, pregnancy

Midnights Masterlist

For as long as you can remember, Lucerys Velaryon had been one of your closest friends. As children, the two of you were much too timid to meddle with politics. You preferred to stay out of the limelight.

That was until you had recieved the news of his death. When a messenger had told you what had happened, you felt your knees give out beneath you.

Don't get sad, get even

Steadying yourself against a nearby wall, you tried to calm your nerves. He wasn't meant to die. Not now, not this young. And you were ready for revenge—even if it meant taking it out on your own husband.

-------------------------------

When it has been announced that you were betrothed to Aemond Targaryen, your family had been thrilled. Finally, one of their children would marry into nobility.

But you were severely disappointed.

From what you had seen, Aemond was a menacing, cruel man who did anything he could to elevate his status. You had heard rumors that, if he could, he'd kill his own brother to become King.

Even Lucerys feared for your safety entering a marriage with him, reminding you that your friendship would be put on hold. But trying to convince your parents to end the betrothal was impossible. It was too late.

Still, Lucerys had persisted.

"Couldn't you be wed to Jace?" He suggested, "He's still nobility. Your parents would be happy, woukdnt they? Please, Y/N, just try."

You raised a brow, "You want me to marry your brother?"

Someone sweet and kind and fun

He shrugged, "I think it'd be quite a nice match, actually."

"It's too late, Luc, I already tried. They'll have my head if I go against their wishes."

With a frown, he admitted defeat, "I just don't want to lose you. You're the closest friend I have. You're like a sister, really."

Pulling him into a hug, you pressed a kiss to his temple, "That will never change, Luc. I promise."

Until you found out that he had died, and your husband had been the one who killed him.

You did some bad things, but I'm the worst of them

Nothing made your blood boil more. He would regret his decision one way or another.

-------------------------------

Your handmaiden pulled a velvet black dress over your head, lacing it in the back until it was perfectly draped over your body.

Lately I've been dressing for revenge

It was a bold move, on your part. To wear Targaryen black in a sea of Hightower green. But it was a move you were willing to take.

Draw the cat eye, sharp enough to kill a man

Tucking a dagger in your bodice, you were ready for revenge.

They say looks can kill and I might try

Making your way to the dining hall, you remained stoic even in your grief. You were going to get your way.

Entering the hall, you moved to sit beside Aemond. Normally, he didn't even bat an eye your way. But when he saw his mother's cold hard stare your direction, his shot you a warning glance.

Taking a seat, he grabbed you by the wrist, practically hissing at you.

"You're upsetting the Queen," He said in a low whisper, "Out of all the gowns you have, you chose one so bold?"

I don't dress for women

You played dumb, "Bold? This is one of my favorites. Didn't you know?"

"Remove it."

I don't dress for men

"Right here? I hardly think its appropriate," You replied, the corners of your mouth going up, "No, I think I'll leave it on."

Tightening his grip on your wrist, he grit his teeth, "Now."

And I don't dress for villains

"My life doesn't revolve around you, Aemond," You hissed, "I'll wear what I wish."

"Don't make me ask you again."

The lady simply had enough

"Don't make me say no, then." You said, eyes narrowing.

And crossing all of mine

Pulling you up from your chair by the wrist, the whole table turned to look at the two of you.

While he was doing lines

Aemond forced a smile on his face, "Excuse us, Lady Y/N has some matters she'd like to discuss."

It was so silent that you could only hear the clicking of Aemond's boots against the stone floor.

I'm on my vigilante shh again

Shoving you into your chambers, you fell back onto the floor, catching yourself with your hands. Reaching into your bodice, you pulled out your dagger, lunging towards him with the weapon held high.

He spun you back, kicking your ankle out, and pinned half of your body to the bed, the dagger now held firmly to your throat.

Through bated breaths, tears pricked your eyes, "You took the life of the one person who meant the world to me."

Sometimes I wonder which one will be your last lie

"It was an accident."

Grunting, you shook your head, careful to avoid the edge of the knife, "Doesn't change the fact that you didn't, and that he's dead."

He was silent, so you continued, "Let me free. Annul our marriage and I will go without a word."

"A word of what?"

She needed cold hard proof so I gave her some

You inhaled, "The bastard you fathered with my handmaiden. I'm sure your mother would be delighted to hear of it."

"How did you figure it out?"

Someone told his white collar crimes to the FBI

"It wasn't that hard," You said, "Isn't she pregnant again?"

He loosened his grip, "I let you go, and you go without a word?"

"Not a sound," You promised, "And you're secret—and image—will remain intact."

He groaned, pushing himself off of you, "You're a vile woman, you know that?"

"And you're a sick, twisted man."

The marriage was annulled the next morning, and Aemond explained that your marriage had never been consummated. To tell the truth, he had been too drunk to remember if that had been accurate.

Although he was initially denied the request by Allicent, he reminded his mother that, out of all the women in the seventh, he could find another with more power to her name to carry his children. He didn't want the Targaryen name to be soiled by his wife.

After his mother nodded to Aegon, it didn't take long for the marriage to be annulled. By that point, you were already on your way to Driftmark.

You had left with a small trunk of your belongings, opting to leave anything with a hint of your past life with Aemond behind. No green dresses or hair pins, no Hightower crests.

Knowing your family would refuse to allow you back into their home, you went to the only place that ever really felt like home.

Walking into the keep, you were suddenly overcome with grief. You were in the gardens, where you snd Lucerys had chased each other as children.

The memories, however sweet they once were, now felt painful. You tried to push them away, unable to come to terms with your grief.

Kneeling in front of a stone bench, you traced the spot where your initials had been engraved. He had always felt like a brother to you, and now he was gone.

You heard someone clear their throat behind you, and immediately jumped, the hood of your cloak slipping off your head and onto your shoulders.

Turning around, your eyes met Jace Velaryon's. Surprise settled into your body as he looked down on you.

And she looks so pretty

"Y/N?" He asked, convinced his eyes were playing tricks on him.

Jumping up from your spot beside the bench, you wrapped him in a tight embrace, arms thrown around his shoulders.

Your feet dangled off the ground as he returned the embrace, burying his head in your shoulder while supporting your weight.

"I'm sorry, Jace," Your voice was just above a whisper, "I know how much he meant to you."

He just held you tighter in response, setting you back down a moment later, filled with questions.

"How—Why—When—" Jace furrowed his brows, unsure of the reason of your arrival, "Is he here?"

You shook your head, "No, I traveled alone. It'll all make sense soon, I promise. But I need to speak with your mother."

He nodded, "I'll see if I can arrange something later in the day. She's busy at the moment. Please, come inside, it's far too cold to be out here."

-------------------------------

That evening, you spoke with Rhanerya, explaining the events that had brought you to Driftmark. Touched by the love you had for her son, she pulled you into a hug, commending your bravery and sacrifice.

She welcomed you to stay with open arms, and instructed her eldest son to help you get settled.

That's when something in you switched. During the next few months at Driftmark, you and Jace became closer and closer, eventually sharing a kiss in the gardens on the very bench he had found you.

It wasn't even a month later that the two of you were wed in a large ceremony, with the people of Driftmark in attendance.

For the first time since you had been shipped off to marry Aemond, and since Luc had died, you were genuinely happy.

After the wedding, Jace took you back to your shared chambers, kissing you softly, "We don't have to do anything you're not ready for. I'll be waiting when you're ready."

Now she gets the house, gets the kids, gets the pride

But nothing could keep you away from your husband. Pulling him down on the bed, you consummated your marriage that night. On that same night, unbeknownst to you, you conceived your first child.

The next time you saw your ex-husband, he was in chains in the middle of Driftmark, at the mercy of Queen Rhaenyra. And you were standing beside Jace, his hand on your swollen stomach as she decided his face.

You couldn't help but smile. Luc may not have been with you, but you couldn't have been happier alongside your husband, as the new princess, waiting for the arrival of your first child.

I don't start it, but I can tell you how it ends

Gazing up at Jace, he caught your eyes, pressing a soft kiss to your lips.

1K notes · View notes

wannaeatramyeon · 1 year

Note

Hi, sorry if your ask box isn't open, but ive been following you for quite some time and you're also the main blog in the lookism and Vasco tags :OO.

Which of the characters would you say gives out the best hugs/cuddles? I think hands down Vasco would be somewhere on top of that list (counting on the chance that he doesn't get overly flustered with hugs), and I think Jake would be high up on the list too. (Zoe's hugs would def be sunshine-inducing)

... I think Samuel's hugs would feel nice (I mean he literally has cushions strapped to his chest at this point), but he would be overwhelmingly awkward because I don't think he's ever been hugged in his life.

;}}

Hi anon,thanks for following me! And... uh. I am sorry for how much I clog up tags tbh. I have been prolific the last few months. I nearly went crazy initially trying to write this - world record for how many times you can fit the word 'hug' in 500 words. So... changed it up into a couple lists and focused on guys including HTF! Most of the girls hugs would be sunshine-inducing tbf!

Hugs from Lookism + HTF Guys hc

"Can I have a hug?"

"Sure!"

Daniel Park, Zack Lee, Vasco Tabasco, Jace Park Jake Kim, Jibeom Kwak, Ji Yeonwoo, Han Wangguk, Kim Munseong

"No but thanks for asking."

Sinu Han, Warren Chae, Jay Hong ("..."), DG (remembers his manners due to media training), Baek Seongjun (another one keeping fans happy)

"No."

Eli Jang, Samuel Seo, Vin Jin, Hudson Ahn

[Ignores you]

Gun Park, Johan Seong, James Lee, Eugene, Xiaolong

"And what do I get?"

Goo Kim (wants money), Ryuhei Kuroda (wants sex), Seo Haesu (wants food), Jihan Kwak (just wants his bro back)

Chat shit, get hit

Seong Taehoon

Fave type of hugs

Arms envelope you, pulling you close and they let out a deep exhale - breathing out the stress of the day.

Daniel Park, Zack Lee, Jake Kim, Jace Park, Warren Chae, Kwak Jibeom, Ji Yeonwoo

A hug usually has an ulterior motive, and will include a couple thrusts of the hips and suggestive waggle of the brows.

Goo Kim (but soft Goo hugs here), Vin Jin, Ryuhei Kuroda

Hugs you from behind, wrapping their arms around you, resting their head on your shoulder and a kiss on your cheek.

Eli Jang, Sinu Han, Kwak Jihan, Seong Taehoon (probably no cheek kiss though), Han Wangguk

Not a hugger, preferring to fall asleep with you in their arms and head on their chest. Wakes up spooning you and pressing a kiss to your shoulder.

Gun Park, Baek Seongjun, DG/James Lee, Kim Munseong

Rarely initiate hugs. Slightly awkward and stilted but as soon as you hold them, they melt in your embrace.

Vasco Tabasco (once he gets over his bashfulness), Johan Seong (whole ass fic here), Hudson Ahn, Jay Hong, Eugene, Xiaolong

Doesn't have a chance to initiate hugs, because you are always hugging them.

Samuel Seo - Oh look, a special category all on its own for Sammy and his massive tits. You will take any opportunity to rest your head on his chest. And it's obvious. Sammy knows what you're doing. Rolls his eyes fondly as you nuzzle into him.

397 notes · View notes

aphroditesmoon · 1 year

Text

sea, swallow me (part III)

jacaerys velaryon x fem!velaryon!reader

part 4

summary: when jacaerys finally meets the hidden bastard of corlys velaryon, he loses interests in his betrothed Baela and intends to make her aunt his, but are you really what your family has made you up to be?

warnings: this fic is inspired by the movie 'song of the sea', CANON DIVERGENCE, slowburn, aged up jace (18 yrs old), reader has selective mutism (she CAN talk), reader is 5 years older than jace, selkie! reader, reader's race is NOT specified(adopted!reader), cursing, nsfw content in future chapters,typical ASOIAF sexism, typical asoiaf targcest.

a/n:

taglist: @marytargaryen , @cdragons , @libdarkheart , @bellstwd , @dianxiaxiexie

@cumslutforaemond , @mariaelizabeth21-blog1

♧♣︎♧

“Will you not say goodbye to your father?” Corlys had not even an ounce of guilt in his eyes. You shook your head as a no, receiving his predictable sigh.

“Come here.” He pleads. You give in and walk into his arms. He held you like he’s about to lose you for good. I’m coming back, you wanted to tell him. But your pride won the best of you. “No matter what happens, or how much you’ve grown to hate or tire of me, you will always-’’ he leaned closer to your temple as he whispers, “-be my daughter.” I could never hate you. When you pulled away slightly, you notice how hies eyes stray from you towards the large ship, specifically towards Daemon and Rhaenyra.

He gives you one last look, a certain graveness in his face that is now devoid of his usual small smile. “Come back to me safely.” You nod in a promise, untangling your hand from his as you turn the awaiting Rhaena, smiling as brightly as the sun.

She gives you a thumbs up as you reach her. “Finally, you will have the best time in Dragonstone, I’ll make sure of it.” She crosses her arm with yours, climbing up the ship. You spare one last glance towards your father, now face to face with Rhaenyra, probably giving her some sort of ‘don’t get her killed speech’. “Grandsire acts like we’ll drown you the first chance we get once we reach home, it’s offending, truly.” You grinned at the younger girl, letting her rest her head on your shoulder for a minute before she jolts up again. She never was the one able to sit still.

“Baela, we have ourselves another woman on the ship!” Rhaena yells out to her sister who’s just arrived from behind the deck. “Auntie?” She asks sweetly, like she’s known you for ages. “I thought grandsire said no?” You winked at Baela who’s now by your left side.

“I made father ask again.” Rhaena grinned cheekily, earning a laugh from her sister. “And it worked? I thought father’s only good at pissing him off even more, that’s what Rhaenys said at least.” She only receives a shrug from the other girl, and so she dropped it.

“Well anyways, this is great, you know sometimes we’d get glimpses of fishes swimming, I’ve seen a dolpin once actually! We were 12, I think, Rhaena thought it was a mermaid.” A mute airy laugh escapes you at the information while Rhaena shoves Baela and tells her to shut up. “It’s always nice to sail around- unless you get seasick like Lucerys that is. Though I will have to warn you of a particular annoyance that’ll occur almost every minute once we’re off. It sounds a lot like this; ‘Oi! Get away from the edge, you could’ve fell you know? Oi! Stop breathing too hard at the water!’ “ Her accurate imitation of Jacaerys cracks a smile out of you as Rhaena decides to join in with her own imitations.

“ Oi! Mother said I’m in charge, that means no littering in the ship!” Baela turn her head to her side as she laughs hardly, hands clutching her chest. “ ‘How dare you disobey me, You’ll hear from mother!’ ” The three of you giggled to yourself, Rhaena already kneeling on the floor covering her face while you and Baela tried not to fall off the ship.

“Oi!” A familiar voice shouts suddenly, the sisters and you raise your heads to meet a confused Jacaerys standing before you.

You share a look with them and start to laugh again in his face. “Can you three at least stop leaning at the edge, we’re about to go.” His words are outrightly ignored as Baela points a finger at his face. “See, I told you.” She says to you, earning an incoherent lip movement from you. I know. You almost said. He’s about as identical as an annoying baby seal. You would know. Always yapping around.

“See what?” He asks desperately. The older girl just shook her head as she calmed down. “Nothing, see nothing.” She attempts to assure him, only deepening his frown. “I feel like you’re all ganging up againts me, which is insulting considering I’ve done nothing but-“

“- But be the most boring person in the whole world.” Rhaena completes his words, earning a glare. “I’m responsible, not boring.” The sisters groaned loudly at that and move to push him away towards another direction. “Hey! What’d I do?” You hear him ask as he’s being shoved away. “Go be a prissy prat somewhere else.” Baela responds. Your eyes wonder towards Daemon and Rhaenyra, further on your opposite, talking again in the same serious and boring old people manner. After fighting your own consciousness, you turn around to the sight of your home, and you let yourself risk crying in public as you search for your father at where he stood.

He was already walking away. I’m sorry. You should’ve said, even though you weren’t. I’ll miss you.

---

It was a long journey, or maybe it wasn’t, maybe you just hadn’t been in sea for a long time.

You notice how Rhaenyra stares at you from time to time as you spend most of your time looking out the sea and below it. It was not malicious, or scrutiny. It was the kind of look that made her seem like she was searching for something on you. And she wasn’t exactly shy about it either, only smiling whenever you looked back. Is it weird that you’re here? You finally ask yourself. You weren’t family, not really. But you felt like it with Rhaena and Baela. You felt them as your sisters, just like Laena was to you.

Another person whom you’ve noticed couldn’t keep his eyes from you was Jace.

In fact, you were sure the only thing stopping him from walking over and attempting a conversation was the girl by your side. Baela had went to sleep by a chair. You turn your head to the corner where Lucerys is huddled by, trying not to pass out after throwing up all afternoon. Giving a nudge at Rhaena, you cocked your head towards her betrothed. “Oh, at least he’s now throwing up anymore.” She says happily. You raise a brow. “Will you be fine alone?” She asks concerningly. You smile and mouthed to her ‘I’m not alone’, while beckoning to the ship crew and her family. She shares your smile and squeezes your hand before walking over to the boy, pulling him up slightly to help him.

How many seconds would he take? You ask yourself. 5,4,3,2- “Hello.” He’s leaning againts the ship on your left, stealing glances between you and the sea. “Hello.” You whisper, too low for him to hear, but he smiles and you wondered if he did hear it anyway.

“Are you having a good time?” He asks. You nod once, turning from the sea to his face. “Great.” He responds awkwardly. “That’s great…” You turn again towards the waters. After a moment’s silence, he speaks again; “Are you purposely not talking to me, because you don’t like me?” The bluntness in his tone almost makes you laugh. “Do not think yourself too greatly, Jacaerys. I do nothing for anyone else but myself.” You speak gently, a gift for his ears only. His grin, became only yours to see too. "My apologies then." His skin was reflecting the shine of the setting sun. Though you're not sure if it has anything to do with your fast beating heart every time his brown orbs shined from the light.

Neither of you had mentioned the other night. You wondered if he too stayed awake all night with the memory of how the other looked under the moon's glow. You flinched hard when your eyes caught sight of a moving creature under the deep blues. You hastened to look more closely, standing on your tiptoes now.

“What? What was it?” Jace asks worriedly, his hands immediately gripping your wrist in case you fall. The waves are empty as you remain watchful, until finally, It swims back up. Jacaerys himself leans closer to look when he hears you gasping loudly.

Your hands were quick to reach out from the far distance. As if you’re saying; Look! It came for me!

“It’s a seal- gods.” Jacaerys laughs in awe at the sight, watching as the sea creature swims closer before diving back into the deep waters. You grinned wildly at him, the joys you had felt was unspeakable. Did you see that? You wanted to ask him. Of course he did. He was there. He couldn’t understand why you were so happy to see it though. You haven’t been able to leave the confinements of your room in years, the sight of a seal had been enough to excite you. Of course it did.

The prince did not understand why you seemed to be so alive above the seas, but he needed you to look at him the way you just did for the rest of his life.

Your beauty is alien, not that you’re too different from other women, but the unearthly way you carry yourself with had sparked a hunger within him that he never realized was there to begin with. An emptiness he had been content with ignoring before, but now he’s sure there could be no other way to put it off but to satiate it. "Have you seen a seal before?" He inquires, in which you responded within eager nod. "Adorable aren't they? It's quite rare to catch sight of them this easy." You raised your brows and shrugged.

Could he live the rest of his life with that emptiness, or would he risk another glance on your way and move forward with the sealed fate that would come with it? He meets your gaze, and he realizes then, there was no choices left. His heart and mind have already decided since he first saw you. "You must've lured it here, with your voice." He teases, making you scoff and turn your head away. He would honestly believe that the animal had followed you blindly for your small laughs and whisper talks. For he had too.

♧♣︎♧

The first thing you noticed once the ship reached the dock, was how isolated the Dragonstone castle actually is. You’ve read of the island of the Blackwaters and yet it’s sight still sent shivers down your spine. Somehow the singularity of the castle only made it seem bigger.

“It looks like a scale.” You muttered to yourself. “A dragon scale, most accurately.” The prince quipped at your side. You hadn’t notice that he was still next to you. He spares a grin for you despite his obvious tiredness. making you smile yourself. The two of you follow after the elders and the rest of the tired children down the ship. A mental note to hide your obvious awe of the building was made once you notice the glances sent to you by the others. “Beautiful, Isn’t it?” Daemon asks, twisting his neck to give you a glance as he kept walking. You nod in agreement. It is beautiful. “I hope you’ll make yourself comfortable here, dear.” Rhaenyra adds with a polite smile, that you easily returned with your own. You part from Jacaerys’ side hesitantly, pretending not to see him watching you take your leave and move towardsRhaena as she helps you to an empty chamber near hers.

“I know it seems quite lonely here, but there’s quite a lot we can still do.” She exclaims positively. “You told me that you liked to read before?” You nodded. “Well, our library is huge, larger than grandsire’s I’d say actually. Father likes to read as well, he’s much more studious than he looks like.” She explains with a grin. You raised a brow as if to ask, what’s more?

“Welll…” She dragged, tilting her head up as she tries to think of something. “Ah! Chess, it’s a board game we often play in the library, I could teach you later” She says surely. “The boys like to practice their sword fighting outside in the morning, It’s quite fun to pick a side and turn it into a fight.” You frowned in distaste. Humans had weird humor and taste in enjoyment. You lift your head to see around the stunning place. Were the walls made of real Valyrian stones? At least that was what you’ve heard.

The room you were given was bigger than expected. The walls were covered in pale colored florals and the bed seems untouched. You liked it. Though you wouldn’t admit, that the lengthy space was making you feel small, and though it’s too late now, you were starting to miss the comforting and secure feeling of your smaller room back in Driftmark. You notice the windows and leave your clothes to be fixed upon by servants called by Rhaena. Thing but long curtains were all that covered the empty square inside the walls by your bedside. Pulling aside the curtains, a fleeting sense of joy filled you when you saw how you’ve gotten a direct view of the sea. The water here seemed vastly different to the ones at home. They seemed more blue, and it circled around the castle too. If you hadn’t already gotten used to loneliness, the way this castle was caged would’ve scared you. “Are you alright?” Rhaena asks after the servants have left, fluffing out your pillow. You walk over to her with a smile as an answer. Her eyes were already red from tiredness, and the way she hunched told you that she needed a good sleep to go with after a bath. “If you need anything, you can call for the guards and servants. I’m also very near, so you can come to me too.” She briefed quickly.

The two of you exchanged cheek kisses before she leaves to her chambers, and you to your newfound freedom. You make haste to your warm bath that was prepared earlier. The warm water soothed the straining ache in your fingers when you dipped them in. The way you had gripped the edge of the ship, it wasn’t surprising to you that they hurt. You climb inside the tub after ridding yourself of your dirty clothes, letting it envelope your body. As your back finally hit the end of the tub and your feet on the opposite, you start to wonder when exactly had water began feeling so foreign to you. You were the ocean’s child, but has the distance you’ve been keeping from it, made you less of the sea? You remembered the night you went for a swim, risking your own identity when Jace had found you. Would you ever get the chance to be who you really are after this?

It seemed not, unless you’re willing to take the risk of losing everything.

You rinsed yourself off after 15 minutes of soaking in the water. Dressed up for bed, you didn’t feel like sleeping yet, so, you put on your frilly socks before opening your doors. The distant guarding men neither looked nor said anything to you as you kept walking as if you knew the way. You saw the staircase you assumed would lead to Rhaenyra and Daemon’s room. If he’s so keen of the library, then it must be placed close to him.

So you climbed up the large and lavish steps until you reached the top. Large sets of doors with a guard by it was by your right, most proabably their chambers. You turn to your left instead.It was a short distance when you reached a room without doors before them. Easily recognised by the fully shelved books in the space, you congratulate yourself before entering the library. Rhaena was right about one thing, it was bigger than the one back home. The smell of old books and melting candlelight fills your nostrils, putting you both at ease and in excitement. You look through every rack in one glance, recognizing some of the titles and picking up some that you haven’t. It was one of the first glorious finds in your freedom and it was delightful. You inspect a beautiful but oddly covered book entitled ‘Frogkisser’. It seemed to be a children’s book, though you wondered how true does the tale of princesses kissing frog to turn them into princes are.

Considering these same human have also thought selkies as a myth too.

Rising up from your crouching position after pushing the book back into it’s place, you let out a loud yelp your steps on something stiff. An answering ‘ouch’ told all that you needed to know. “Will you stop stalking me!” You whisper-yelled against your own refusal. His eyes widen and a scoff leaves him offendedly. “I’m not!” He’s standing awkwardly before you, hair mussed up and eyes droopy. Like a little fluffy dog. You gave him a pointed look and sighed. “Why are you here then?” He goes quiet. “Look, it’s late. Perhaps we can do a postmortem tomorrow? I’ll leave to my chambers.” You decided. “I’ll walk you.” He confidently says before catching up to you side.

You won’t tell it to his face, but you were almost glad that he was awake, and that he came to look for you. Being alone was what you made yourself get use to, for the sake of survival. That didn’t mean you had liked it. You don’t ask him why he was looking for you, and he doesn’t ask you why you can’t sleep. “Are you always this clingy?” You inquire. He shares a tired smile with you before answering; “Only with those I’ve come to admire.” A laugh strings out of your throat. Jacaerys beams. “Do you use that with every girl you meet?”

The distance to your room felt shorter than it did minutes ago as the both of you reach the doors. His hand brushes over yours. A short flicker you wished you didn’t feel, because now that’ll be all you think of until you fall asleep. “No. just you.” He responds softly. You feel yourself avoiding his attached gaze. At first it was anticipation, and intensity that burned by your chest. But one look at him, you’re reminded of his betrothal towards Baela, and your anticipation was replaced with shame. And what is he doing to himself too? Saying things and doing things he ought not to. “Be careful, squid hands. You should not place them where they don’t belong and your tongue where they are forbidden to speak of.” He is unfazed by your words, gaze dizzy as it remains on you. “I like you with your hair down.” He says suddenly. ‘Excuse me?”

“They look like a mess of waves, even in their neatest form. You are beautiful.” He had left you speechless. You were confused and mute, staring at him like he’s the craziest man on earth. “Perhaps you need to sleep.” You decided. “Yes, I do. I wish to take you on a tour of this castle tomorrow, so you better get some rest yourself.” He makes sure to cut you off before you could speak by turning around and walking away immediately.

#jacaerys velaryon x reader #house of the dragon #jacaerys velaryon #hotd x reader #jace velaryon x reader #house of the dragon x reader #game of thrones #jace targaryen x reader #jacaerys targaryen #hotd

150 notes · View notes

presidenthades · 5 months

Note

You are super nice with all the question and I have another one, how is Rhaenyras relations with each of her girls ?

As a writer, I think it’s pretty awesome when readers engage with my work at a level where they want to ask all these thoughtful questions 🥰. The vast majority of Asks have been great, and I like being prompted to think about some aspects of my writing that I might not have pondered too deeply on my own.

We see in Nelly’s chapter of Smallfolk Tales that Rhaenyra consistently feels abandoned/the people she loves are taken away from her. When Jace is born, Rhaenyra feels this is a chance for her to have somebody who loves her the most and won’t abandon her…and then Aegon comes along and ruins everything 🥲. Combined with the fact that Jace is her heir, Rhaenyra is a bit possessive of her. Jace is obedient and filial, so she goes along with what Rhaenyra wants most of the time, but she’s her own person with her own desires and principles. So on the rare occasion when mother and daughter clash (like eloping with Aegon, or Elenar’s birth), they really clash.

By the time Luce is born, Rhaenyra has started to accept that she can’t keep her children to herself 100% of the time. And she has to split her attention between her kids, whereas Jace had a period where all of Rhaenyra’s attention was on her. I draw a lot of comparisons between Luce and young Rhaenyra/Laena, and I think Rhaenyra recognizes it too. She sees her younger self in Luce before the world came crashing down around her, and Rhaenyra vacillates between wanting to spoil Luce and wanting to save her from painfully learning the same lessons Rhaenyra experienced. And because Rhaenyra and Luce both have strong personalities, they tend to argue on a more consistent basis than Rhaenyra and Jace.

I’ve indicated in some of the fics that Joff was very sickly during her first year of life. That, combined with Joff being the baby for six years, has led to Rhaenyra indulging her. Joff isn’t the heir to anything, so she gets a lot of leeway with her interests and how she structures her day. Rhaenyra is aware that Joff is kinda weird, but she categorizes it as a harmless weird, like Helaena. And Joff is intellectually and emotionally advanced for her age, so Rhaenyra is proud of having a potential prodigy as a daughter.

Ultimately, Rhaenyra loves all her daughters. I wouldn’t say she has any blatant favorites, but she does have different relationships with each of them.

#my writing #ask me anything

24 notes · View notes

alexanderlightweight · 1 year

Note

Hello! For Writing Wednesday could we please have some more Spoils of War or Created for Death? I’m obsessed with both of these to an insane degree:

What I love about SoW: tentative!Alec whom Magnus has to work at gaining trust from? I love it. There’s a line in one part about Magnus having to fix how the Clave broke Alec before Magnus can gentle him and I just—gorgeous, perfect, headcannon accepted. Veiled consorts? Hooooooly that’s so cool omg I swear I heard a symphony in my head when I realized where you were going. The mask? Alec’s hesitance and obedience, thinking everything is out to hurt him but doing it anyway because what choice does he have, is so beautiful, and Magnus mourning a little that he didn’t have more time to make the experience better for Alec but not willing to risk the delay and risk Alec growing even more distant is just 😍—lmao I could write an essay about how much I love this universe.

CoD: I fucking love eldritch angel nephilim and this is giving EVERYTHING. Nephilim who are cobbled together projects of the angels, their biology so skewed by angelic power that even the nephilim don’t know what their children will look like/heal like/die like. Mostly the difference being subtle, but sometimes Not. Raised to hate and fear their full potential, anything that is Too Angelic, and Alec a living hearsay/blasphemy even when his blood was only 30/70 because if it. AND THEN. It’s not losing Jace that tips Alec over, it’s Magnus dying—demon-born prince/king of edom enemy of the Clave. So gorgeous, holllyyyy. I can’t even think too much about Magnus collaring 6-winged Alec, about Alec kneeling for him, about the terrible kindness and protection in Izzy disowning her brother, about the gentleness of Magnus hiding Alec away and covering his eyes and hushing him because even the ANGELS wouldn’t know what to do in this situation, with this new body, and then Team Immortal coming in and IMMORTALITY and wow

Anyway yeah sorry for spitting up my lovestruck brain in your asks but I had to make sure that you knew you’ve struck me deeply with your writing and that’s why I’m begging on your doorsteps for literally any content in either one of these verses 💜

i'm very glad both stories are being enjoyed so much and please don't apologize i love stuff like this! it's a huge compliment but also it's just really nice to see that other people are as into and obsessed with my verses as i am. because sometimes i wait for my sleep meds to kick in and i just plot where i'm going and end up passing out in the middle of a mental scene being written lol

so i wrote a thing for spoils of war and thank you! i'm glad it was enjoyed because i have this big headcanon about how consorts are really magically important to warlocks and magical kings if dominion magic is in the fic and a big thing about that is protecting the consorts identity. via masks but also cloaking the consort in so much magic that you can't even tell anything abut them besides what the warlock allows you to know. and there is a lot of history thats hinted at

for created for death

izzy was fucked up about that, okay. but she had to relinquish alec as a brother because otherwise the clave still had ties to him. since they don't need them anymore, the clave sort of doesn't let true nephilim have any rights. so alec had to be disowned as a nephilim and then magnus was basically like 'okay but my magic is on him so hes mine since i calmed him down' and izzy was like 'he totally counts as a weapon. yours now. because thats the safest thing for alec atm

so alec is actually 70/30 and most nephilm are 30/70 in a angelic/mundane equation. which is why he was being kept watch over by the clave but uh, the fear of magnus dying kinda made him lose it

i hope you enjoy this!

<3 lumine

spoils of war

—

Alec doesn’t know what’s going on.

Magnus didn’t bother explaining what the ritual was or what it did beyond that it was yet another bonding ceremony. But even their political wedding that signified the end of a war didn’t feel this elaborate.

Alec knows it doesn’t really matter, that he’ll be taking part in the ritual whether he knows what it does or not. In fact, it's almost better not to know than to know what he might need to do.

Alec can’t say no to whatever is going to happen and he knows that, so he takes comfort in the fact that he can still see. The mask has magic in and through it and Alec tries not to consider where it’s from and why he can feel nephil magic still fading from it.

Instead, he concentrates on Magnus and his magic and puts out the thoughts and details of his surroundings, like being watched by over a thousand warlocks and their companions, all hidden with their faces hidden behind a variety of masks.

It’s daunting to be here, to be taking part in something that feels so old and sacred when Alec was supposed to be no more than chattel. Fodder for a war built on the blood of innocents that Alec’s own people started. It feels wrong to be here so defenseless and yet know that Magnus’ magic will protect him better than any weapon.

—

Carefully, Magnus uses magic to take off Alexander’s ceremonial collar and he instead replaces it with a loop of pure magic that will slowly take on more and more power until the image of it will always become whatever Magnus wishes it to be.

For now, however, it is a tight loop of deep purple magic that pulses with Magnus’ magic and power in time to Alexander's every breath.

It’s a show of power to summon a single adamas arrow — one that Alexander gave to Magnus by his own hand — and hold it without harm. Alexander sucks in a startled breath — perhaps at the sight of one of his own arrows or that Magnus can hold it with ease — and Magnus can feel him quiver under Magnus’ palm.

“My protection is absolute. When you bleed it will be because I wish it, for no other is allowed to spill your blood.” Magnus uses the arrowhead to nick Alexander’s upper lip — just as he cut the lower with the stele — and then he leans forward to lick it off and suckle the cut until he earns a whine of pain.

“The flames of Edom will devour all before allowing anyone to touch you without my permission.” Magnus promises and his fingers dance with flames that brush harmlessly over Alexander’s neck — the shard of Magnus’ soul claiming Alexander in an undeniable way that will protect him from harm in Edom.

Alexander seems torn between leaning forward and stepping away and Magnus knows his boy better now than he did when they were wed. Alexander needs no leash as Magnus first thought, just a steady hand and Magnus’ voice.

The bonds between them are the only tether Magnus will ever need with Alexander.

“Sweetheart—” Magnus teases, his voice caressing Alexander with magic and he can see how his boy shudders at the sound and feel of it. He steps forward unconsciously, he's been instinctively drawn to Magnus from the very beginning and Magnus croons and reaches out. His palm blooms with hellfire before settling on Alexander’s hip and Magnus pulls him closer still.

“Should any look at you without being graced by my benevolence, their sight shall be consumed by my magic. A payment for stealing a glimpse of what is only mine to see.”

Magnus’ vows are instinctive and there is a primal surge of delight as he takes the ritual a step further, cursing any being who would dare look at Alexander’s uncovered face without his blessing.

It’s an old tradition.

Older still than the ritual Magnus is using and it’s something that has been out of style for over three centuries. Magnus still remembers the stories of how the legend of Medusa started. A warlock desperate to protect her gorgeous consort cursed her love with a vicious, loving protection.

Magnus knows now that Alexander expects to be a spectacle.

A disgraced nephilim in the eyes of his own people, traded away for a peace bought with his soul and virginity. Alexander expected to be paraded around as a mockery, a whipping boy for the clave to offer to the warlocks and it’s clear that’s what the clave told him he was.

But Alexander is not something to be gawked at.

He is not someone who Magnus will allow others to see, not to admire and certainly not to laugh over. Alexander is his consort and if that means that Magnus veils him in magic and curses all those who dare look upon him, then so be it.

#lumine writes #writing wednesday #writing wednesdays #spoils of war #malec #magnus bane #alec lightwood #shadowhunters

82 notes · View notes

icarusignite · 2 years

Note

Makes me wonder how Daenys reacted during that dinner scene.

haha yea, I had a fic planned for that too, but every time I try to write something cute for this man I remember he is a little menace so it ends up being angsty. Why is he like this 😭💀 Anyways, here we are, the dinner scene ✨

Word Count: 2185

The Proposal (part 2)

parts: 1 / 2 / 3

Just before they entered the dining area, Daenys tugged Aemond's arm and pulled him to a stop. He raised an eyebrow at her in question.

"My brothers, Jace and Luke. They will be surprised when grandsire makes his announcement. This is quite unexpected to us all... so if they say something, just please pay it no mind. Please keep the peace, at least for tonight. I do not wish to see anyone fight."

Aemond smiled at her. He supposed he could be cordial, at least for tonight. He could do it to her, even if just the sight of her brothers enraged him sometimes. Bringing back memories of his childhood, of them teasing him for not having a dragon, and of all the pranks they played on him along with his older brother Aegon. He could do it for her. He would do it for her. She deserved to have a nice evening to mark the day of their betrothal.

"Alright, I promise to restrain myself. I shall be the very picture of civility and decorum," he grinned, patting her hand that was around his arm.

"Restraint? Perhaps you can be nice. Talk to them. I don't think you've ever had a genuine conversation with them."

"Restraint is the best thing you're getting from me, my love. And even that I do only for you."

"Oh well. I suppose that I should be grateful. It's just that I wish you all would get along better. Especially now that we are to be married," Daenys swatted at his arm, frowning at him.

Aemond pressed his thumb to the crease between her eyebrows and drew small circles until her brow relaxed and he had coaxed a smile from her.

"For you, I shall do my best."

__________

Entering the room, Daenys made her way toward her brothers who were having a lively conversation with Baela and Rhaena at one end of the table.

"Well well, I believe congratulations are in order. You all are betrothed. Oh, how delightful. And Baela and Rhaena, you'll be in charge of reigning these boys in now. I pass on my responsibility to you," Daenys winked at the girls playfully.

Rhaena blushed and ducked her head while Baela grinned at Jace. Daenys's heart swelled with joy. All the people she loved were coming together and it made her immensely happy. When the arrival of King Viserys was announced, everyone rushed to take their places. Daenys was about to make her way to sit with Aemond when both Jace and Luke grabbed her hands.

"Where are you going Daenys? Aren't you going to sit with us?" they inquired.

From across the table, Aemond looked at her, and then at the chair beside him, his intent clear. Daenys shrugged and mouthed an apology to him, taking her seat between her brothers. She could feel Aemond's burning glare from across the room and so she gave him her most earnest smile to placate him.

Why do you keep looking over there?" Jace glanced at her, a knowing look in his eyes.

Daenys flicked his forehead in mock annoyance.

"Mind your own business, Jace. Don't you have a betrothed to focus on tonight? Go bother her," Daenys looked pointedly at Baela who smiled at her in return.

There was a sound of a throat being cleared before King Viserys slowly stood to make his speech. He congratulated Jace and Luke on their betrothals. When he toasted Lucerys and his future as Lord of the Tides, Lucerys looked down, his mouth turned down slightly. Daenys could tell that he was anxious, but before she could comfort him, Rhaena reached out and squeezed his hand.

"You'll be great," she said softly, and Daenys smiled at her gratefully. Her brother was in good hands, with someone who loved him.

"There is another betrothal to be announced as well," the king smiled.

Daenys swallowed nervously as everyone looked around the room in curiosity.

"I am pleased to announce the betrothal of Daenys and Aemond, who are to be married in 2 weeks. It saddens me to see the faces most dear to me grow so distant from each other but it is my sincere desire that this will be the first step in uniting us all."

Both her brothers looked at her in surprise and Daenys shrugged in apology for not telling them sooner. She caught Aemond's eye and he smiled at her, so she found himself grinning back at him. Perhaps all her worries about him being forced into this for the sake of alliances were proving to be untrue. He certainly seemed happy enough with it, almost enthusiastic even, as Viserys had put it earlier.

"You're marrying him? Are they forcing you Daenys? Because if they are, you know we will fight for your right to choose. You should not have to be sold like cattle to him for the sake of alliances," Jace blurted, Luke nodding vigorously alongside him.

"No. No, don't be silly. As if they can make me do something I wouldn't want to do. Don't you know your sister better? Has anyone ever been able to force her into something?" Daenys reassured.

"So...so you're choosing to marry him? But why. Why him?"

"Well grandsire asked, and I didn't see any reason to refuse. It will be good for the family."

The rest of the evening progressed smoothly, with Rhaenyra and Alicent making their own toasts to each other and for a while, a glimpse of their past friendship could be seen in the way they looked at each other. All was going well until a platter of roast pig was brought out. Daenys heard Lucerys laugh quietly and her eyes immediately darted to Aemond. She nudged Luke, a frown on her face but before she could say a word, Aemond had already slammed his hand on the table and lifted his cup in a toast. Daenys looked at him with pleading eyes. She just knew he was going to say something that would cause chaos because he had that look in his eye.

Aemond looked at his betrothal's frantic eyes as she silently begged him to be civil like he had promised her. Perhaps he should exercise control. Even his mother was looking at him wearily as the room collectively held its breath, waiting for him to utter his words. He had every intention of giving a respectful toast, at least until he saw Lucerys giggle softly again and smirk. Aemond's restraint snapped, civility be damned.

"To the health of my nephews, Jace, Luke, and Joffrey. Each of them, handsome, wise, and strong."

"Aemond..." Alicent warned.

"Let us drain our cups to these three strong boys," and with Aemond's words, the room erupted in chaos.

Jace stalked toward Aemond to punch him and Luke stood to help before Aegon slammed him face-first into the table. Daenys saw red. She stood too, and swung her fist at Aegon, hearing a crack upon contact. Aegon howled in pain, blood spilling down his face.

"You will not touch my brother," she snarled.

She pulled Luke up gently, checking for injuries before rushing towards Jace who had been thrown to the ground by Aemond. As he moved towards her brother once again, Daenys knelt between them and held up her hand.

"I swear to the gods, if you even come near him, I will make you regret it."

When Daemon finally intervened and sent everyone to their chambers, Daenys shot one last dark look at Aemond before storming out. She vowed to herself to speak to her grandsire the very next day. She would not marry him. The alliance could go to hell for all she cared.

Back in their chambers, Daenys carefully tended to the bruise on Luke's cheek and the cut on Jace's forehead.

"Are you really going to marry him Daenys? He seems volatile. What if he hurts you?" Luke asked with worry-filled eyes.

Daenys scoffed, "I'd like to see him try and hurt me. I would take the very hand he used. But he hurt you two, and that is what matters most to me. I will speak to grandsire tomorrow."

She kissed Luke's forehead and hugged them both tight. She felt guilty that she had not been able to compel Aemond to keep his promise and her beloved brothers had been hurt because of it. She would not bring further danger upon them and if her marriage to him did so, she would refuse it.

__________

Later that night, Daenys found herself in the castle's library. It had been her refuge as a child and she had spent many an hour lost in the books. She found herself once again needing their comfort as she flipped absentmindedly through the pages. She was finally distracted by the sound of footsteps.

"I knew I'd find you here," it was the last person she wanted to see.

"Go away Aemond. I do not wish to see you."

"Daenys...I...I'm sorry."

Daenys ignored him. She refused to look up and entertain his presence.

"Daenys would you at least look my way. I said I'm sorry."

She finally stood in a rush of anger.

"You know what, stop apologizing. Not when you don't mean it. Was it really that hard, what I asked? Was it really that hard for you to be civil? Not only did you feel the need to make that awful joke, but then you also physically hurt my brother. What is wrong with you?" she fumed.

"I acted impulsively I know, but I wouldn't have hit your brother if he had not come at me . He's the one who punched me. And besides, you hit my brother too. I'm pretty sure you cracked his nose but you don't see me berating you for it."

"Jace only hit you because you insulted our family. Our mother! And as for your brother, he hurt Luke. I would have done him much worse had I not had other things to worry about."

"You're being irrational. It was a mere jest. A comedic toast to celebrate the joining of our families. I am proud of my family, so I only thought your brothers would be proud of theirs."

"I heard you say that to Queen Alicent. You may think you can fool her with your pathetic excuses but do not even try it with me."

"Can you just stop!" Aemond's voice grew louder in frustration.

"You don't realize the implication of what you said, do you? Have you forgotten that I am their sister? Whatever blood they come from, so do I. If you find them so repulsive due to their parentage, then you must find me repulsive too. Not to mention how disrespectful that comment was toward my mother. Do you know what you were even insinuating?" Daenys raged.

Aemond stepped towards her to put his hands on her shoulders in an attempt to calm her down but she shrugged him off.

"No don't you dare try to placate me now. You made me a promise. You said you would behave but you clearly couldn't keep your word. And how am I supposed to know that you don't think of me as inferior because of my blood? Why would you even want to marry someone like me then? If my brothers are strong boys, then that makes me a very strong girl."

"What no! I don't think of you as inferior. I could never think that about you," Aemond protested.

Daenys felt the prick of tears behind her eyes and it only made her angrier. She could not cry. Not here in front of him. Not when she was trying to prove a point. But still, her heart broke a little at his carelessness, at the lack of control over his words. How foolish of her to ever think they could ever work out.

"You know I had actually thought you wanted to marry me. That you might even care for me. But I guess I was wrong. Your passive-aggressive behaviour towards me and my family certainly suggests so. If you are agreeing to this betrothal to please grandsire, worry not. I will speak to him about breaking it off. You will not have to appear the disobedient son, but I refuse to live this farce with you. Living as if we care for each other when you clearly don't," Daenys's voice was thick with unshed tears.

Aemond's hand reached for her face and thumbed away the tears that streamed down. Daenys hadn't even realized that she was crying, but she swatted his hand away and wiped her own tears aggressively with the back of her hand. Aemond's eyes grew soft with guilt when he looked at her tearful form. It seemed that he couldn't do anything right around her.

"No. No, don't do that. Please don't do that. I am not doing this just for grandsire," he pleaded.

Daenys shook her head.

"We are returning to Dragonstone in a few days. It seems clear that we are not welcome here," signalling the end of the conversation.

Aemond watched her walk away, panic beginning to bubble up his throat. He could not lose her like this, due to his careless words. He would find some way to make it up to her.

_____________

Taglist

@m1tzifa1ry @blulemonades @bietchz @bugheadskid @applepyesworld @mrswhitethornbelikov

@mysingularitybts

#aemond x oc #aemond x reader #aemond targaryen #house of the dragon #rhaenyra targaryen #daemon targaryen #lucerys targaryen #jacaerys velaryon #alicent hightower #otto hightower #aegon i #aegon ii targaryen #viserys i #house of the dragon aemond #house targaryen #hotd fanfic #hotd #daenys targaryen

217 notes · View notes

happilyhertale · 2 years

Text

Long Lost Love - Aemond Targaryen x female!reader, Part 11

Summary: You are the daughter of Daemon and Rhaenyra. When the invitation to Aegon and Helaena's wedding came, your entire family rushes from Dragonstone to King's Landing to take part in the festivities. You haven't seen your family in King's Landing for 6 years so you are very excited...

Pairing: Aemond Targaryen x fem!reader

Warnings: At the beginning none – eventually smut (uncle/niece)

Author’s note: Hello you! (:

This is my first fic so please be nice (: I thought I'd just try a little self-considered story. I hope u like it.

The events are not entirely similar from the series.

English is my second language, please forgive me if I made any mistakes (:

Word count: 4k

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7a, Part 7b, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

At some point you must have fallen asleep.

When you open your eyes, you see the sun shining into your chambers. A wave of sadness seizes you as you think of yesterday morning. When you lay in his arms and the sun also shone into his chambers.

You bury your face in your pillow.

If that wasn't enough, your head also hurts like hell. The pain goes all the way to the tips of your hair.

You don't want to move at all. With every movement you feel your head throbbing. But your head only hurts almost as much as your heart. You don't feel much like having breakfast with your family. Instead, you remain lying down. Wild dreams plague you as you manage to fall back asleep.

When you wake up again, you have had enough of seeing Aemond in your dreams, you get up. Slowly you go into your adjoining bathroom, a warm bath would be just the thing.

You lie in the tub, your eyes are closed and you enjoy the peace and quiet. Only when the water starts to get cold do you get out of the tub.

You get dressed and decide to visit the training yard. When you arrive, you look out cautiously and discover that your father is training with Jace. Relieved, you sit down on one of the adjacent benches.

Lost in thought, you watch the two of them as Daemon yells at your brother again and again and Jace gets angrier and angrier. It's a great distraction. You have to smile a little.

As the two finish their training, your father wants to engage you in conversation, but you don't feel like it. And that worries Daemon. When you feel bad, at least you always want to talk to him, but this way he doesn't really know what to do now.

You smile at him and go back to your chambers, after all, there is another ball today and you have to get ready.

That evening you are sitting at the main table again. Your father and Jace sit next to you. The evening drags on, but at least you are surrounded by your family. And so Aemond doesn't dare approach you either. You watch the crowd and notice that Jace stands up and makes his way into the crowd. He smiles at you and squeezes your shoulder. You smile back at him.

Out of the corner of your eye you see Lady Alys making her way to Aemond. Although you don't want to, you cautiously look over. She tries to engage him in conversation and practically pushes her breasts in his face. You feel like throwing up. And again you bury your face in your goblet of wine.

Eventually you can't take it any more and you get up from the table. You are walking through the crowd when you suddenly see Lady Alys in the middle of the crowd. She is standing in your way. You walk past her and accidentally bump into her shoulder. She almost goes down. You apologise half-heartedly and earn a nasty look in response. But you go on unhindered.

You reach your brothers who are standing on the other side of the hall, "What was that about?" Jace asks you, half laughing. Grinning, you look at him, "I don't know what you mean".

Your gaze is suddenly held in the distance. Rob is standing there. And he is really beautiful to look at, surrounded by the other lords from the north. Suddenly you feel a tingle in your chest. You smile at him as his eyes meet yours. He tilts his head slightly in your direction. Jace unexpectedly whispers in your ear, "Could it be that someone is very impressed with the Lord from the North?"

You turn around indignantly and punch him in the arm, Jace just laughs and holds the spot where you hit him.

Suddenly a soft but deep voice reaches your ear "But Princess Y/N, I think it borders on treason to hit the heir to the throne."

You turn around and have to grin, "Lord... um Rob"

He smiles, "Princess Y/N." And again he gently kisses the back of your hand, you can't stop your grin.

"But I can assure you, that would not be treason. No one would miss Jace. Especially when our mother has more children to inherit the throne."

Jace nudges you slightly to the side.

You start drinking together and you really enjoy talking to Rob. He is very educated and funny. He often makes you laugh with his easy-going manner. And, you don't like to admit it, but you really enjoy looking at him.

He looks at you excitedly, "I could really show you the North. I'm sure you would love it. The beautiful landscapes. You have to see those landscapes when they are covered in snow! And the good food, you must try it. The people, you'll love the friendly nature of the people. And of course...", you interrupt him, "...the cold."

He chuckles, "I would go through every chambers and halls and light a fire everywhere for you". You have to grin, "Do you think it's enough for a dragon to have a fire burning everywhere?"

He looks deep into your eyes, "Well, I know other things that could keep you warm."

Your lips are slightly parted, you have to stop yourself from breathing in loudly. You have to laugh a little, Rob smiles too, "Well, I don't know if it's appropriate for a princess to keep warm like that."

You avert your gaze from Rob for a moment and in the distance, you see Aemond watching you. You turn away from him and continue to turn in Rob's direction. Rob has noticed your gaze and looks at you and smiles sympathetically, "I'm sorry about that."

You look at him questioningly. "Well, you and Prince... Aemond?", you nod slightly, "... You spent a lot of time together... and now this other Lady is around him all the time."

You look down at the floor. Suddenly you notice how he gently strokes your arm. Your gaze wanders to him. He smiles gently at you. You smile back. "Besides, I saw that poor Lady almost go down."

Your eyes go wide, "That was an accident, she was suddenly in my path…"

He laughs and you have to laugh too.

Aemond is standing at the other end of the hall. He's watching you. It drives him crazy. The Stark Lord is always at your side. And just like when you first met, he notices that you can't hide your adoration for him. The looks you give him and the smile that never leaves your lips.

He can literally see you already in his world, far up north.

It hurts in his chest. It's hard for him to breathe. It is equally hard for him to bear that it is Lord Stark who makes you laugh. That he's the one who hears you chuckling.

Rarely has he felt the desire to decapitate someone. But he has the feeling that there is nothing he can do. It doesn't help much that Alys is constantly by his side. He tries to be polite and send her away, but she is very persistent. Like his Y/N. Except your stubborn nature is more appealing in myriad ways.

When he saw you almost take her to the ground, he almost had to laugh if the whole situation wasn't so hopeless. What he would give to be by your side now. To hear your laughter as you speak and to be able to touch you very lightly.

After taking a big gulp of wine, Rob turns to you, "Why didn't I see you dancing at all those balls?"

You look at him with a shrug, "Perhaps it's because I haven't attended the last few balls?"

He nods, "Important princess stuff to do?"

You have to laugh a little, "Please just call me Y/N." He laughs.

"But yes, something like that... But I've never seen you dance either? Judging by your stature, I must assume that you are only talented in swordplay? Or don't they teach you to dance in the North?", you try to suppress a grin, which Rob doesn't really manage. "Judging by my body? Are we judging each other's bodies already?", he lets his eyes wander over your body, you hit him.

He holds the spot on his arm, "Aaah, first you hit the heir to the throne and now the Lord of the North."

You laugh.

After a while he says, "But actually it's more like I haven't found a Lady yet who thrills me so much that I want to dance with her.“

You are almost outraged when he suddenly holds out his hand to you. He smiles at you. You have to smile too, you are almost nervous.

As he escorts you to the dance floor, he whispers in your ear, "Are your palms a little sweaty?" You blush a little as he winks at you. "But only because I fear your dancing skills," he chuckles as he pulls you close to him. You look up at him, he smiles gently down at you.

Rob's dancing skills surprise you, his hand is firmly on your waist, the other holding your hand as he levitates you across the ball floor seemingly without effort. You have to chuckle as you lean towards his ear, "I have to admit, I didn't take you for a dancer. I'm almost impressed. I would have expected you to step on my feet at least once." He has to laugh, "Well don't praise my dancing style too soon, the evening is still young and I can dance for a long time." You bite your lower lip as he looks into your purple eyes with his soft brown ones.

During the whole dance Rob doesn't take his eyes off you. He holds you tightly against his body. His chest touches you and you feel the warmth radiating from his body. Your faces are only a few inches apart. The closeness suddenly makes you inhale heavily. Rob lets his thumb caress your hip gently, he smiles. You can't think straight, you're completely taken in by those warm brown eyes. The temptation is strong to just lean into his touch.

Aemond sees you from a distance and a battle rages inside him. Another man holds you in his arms. Leads you across the dance floor. His jaw clenches and his hand clutches the goblet so tightly it should break. The Stark Lord has his hands in a place on your body where they don't belong. No hands, except his, belong there.

You can hardly detach yourself from his warm eyes. But suddenly Rob stops leading you across the dance floor and his head snaps to the side, where a hand grabs his arm and literally yanks him away from you.

"The dance is over" Aemond is standing next to you, looking absolutely murderous. Rob yanks his arm out of Aemond's grip, "No, it isn't."

Rob and Aemond look at each other. Both hateful. Both would be ready, and not much is missing, to start a war here and now.

And you stand right in between.

"You should remove your hands from her body immediately if you want to be able to use them in the future."

"Aemond..." you hiss. Aemond pays no attention to you.

Rob grins slightly, "But the princess seemed to like where my hands were. And if the princess is so precious to you, then you should treat her as such" His hand remains firmly on your waist. You look at Aemond. His face shows no emotion except pure hatred. You could swear you hear Vhagar roaring in the distance. "Your desperate attempts are sad to win her over when others dare to approach her ..." Rob continues in a whisper so that only Aemond hears him, "...Besides, it never goes down well with a princess if you're still having fun with other ladies."

You notice how the tension between the two of them increases.

Just as you notice that more and more people are staring at you. You look around and see your father looking intently over at you, his face showing that he is weighing who to behead first in case something happens to you.

As your gaze drifts to the side, you also see your grandfather, King Viserys, and Alicent. Both are also looking irritated in your direction. They look almost worried.

A few Lords and Ladies around you, have stopped dancing and are also staring at you. You see Jace standing in the crowd. He looks worried and is about to come to you.

Aemond decisively grabs Rob's arm, "I advise you to take a step away from Princess Y/N. Now. Lord." He emphasises the last word firmly.

"Both of you stop now!" now you speak up. They both look at you and it almost seems as if they have forgotten you are present.

Just as you apologise to Rob, Aemond pulls you along. Almost a little rough.

As you stand off to the side outside the hall, he blurts out, "You're dancing with another Lord? What are you doing?"

You give him an indignant look, "Are you out of your mind?! I can very well dance with whom I please."

He sighs, "Y/N what is wrong??"

You just shake your head, "I have no desire to talk to you, Aemond. Perhaps you should continue to pass your time with Lady Alys. At least she seems very interested in doing that."

He looks at you. Just as he's about to say something, you blurt out, "Did you hump her? …Did you like it?" Aemond looks at you speechless. Your lip trembles, but you pull yourself together. "Do you have any idea how much that hurts? When I saw you there. Embracing in a hallway? Her pressed up against you. The way you kissed... And now she's always near you, always touching you..."

Suddenly you look up, startled, "Were you just using me? Did you just want to be satisfied…?"

Tears come to your eyes. Aemond takes a step towards you, but you back away. "Still you don't want to sleep with me...? I'm not good enough for that... But you want to sleep with her?"

He doesn't answer. For you it is answer enough.

"Actually, I should be glad that you didn't sleep with me."

You shake your head, "You still want to make me your Queen, my ass!", your voice trembles.

Aemond just looks at you and that makes you angry, "Aemond answer me!", you literally scream.

Almost in a whisper he says, "Yes... Of course I want you as my Queen."

You snort and fold your arms, "I will never accept a husband who keeps mistresses. You are disgusting, Aemond."

You feel yourself on the verge of tears again. You turn around and walk briskly away.

Aemond watches you hurry down the corridor. He is close to tears. He can hardly breathe. He has to get out of here.

You go into the garden, you need fresh air.

Being alone in your chambers is something you can't bear right now.

The garden is quiet. You take a few deep breaths in and out. You notice how the heaviness in your chest slowly eases a little. As does the urge to simply cry. You cross your arms in front of your chest and look down at the ground.

Suddenly you hear voices behind you. You don't turn around, but you hear that it must be Jace and Rob. Both are visibly drunk.

When Rob goes into the garden with Jace, they are determined to pee against the wall. They both laugh a lot. But when he goes into the garden, he sees your light hair in a corner. You are standing there with your arms wrapped around your torso. He turns to Jace, "Maybe we shouldn't piss here after all."

Jace looks at him laughing, "Why not?"

"What if Ladies came over? They wouldn't stand the sight of your little dick."

Jace punches him, "The Ladies would be quite shocked at the enormous size!". Both laugh, Rob pulls him along, "Come on, let's go back to the hall."

You're glad they're gone again. That picture of your brother pissing on the wall... You don't need that.

After a while you hear footsteps, you turn in the direction of the footsteps. You see Rob. He smiles slightly. You smile too. He stays close to your side.

"It didn't seem so tempting to pee in the garden with my brother, did it?"

"Well… we just wanted to have a bit of fun?" he raises his eyebrows. You have to chuckle. He looks at you from the side, "Are you okay?" he whispers.

You nod slightly.

"I'm sorry if I got you into trouble with our dance." You look at him and snort, "No, don't worry about it. You didn't break anything that wasn't already broken."

He takes your hand, "Okay... because… I really liked being that close to you. I don't want to apologise for that."

Your breath catches, he lightly strokes your hand.

"Are your hands sweaty again?" he grins at you.

You laugh lightly and again your gaze goes towards the ground.

He turns slightly towards you, his other hand grabbing lightly under your chin. You look into his brown eyes. You hold your breath.

He leans down and you feel his lips on yours. The kiss is passionate and you have to lean against him a little, your hands lie on his firm chest. You taste the wine as he lets his tongue dance gently in your mouth. You almost enjoy it, but something is missing.

He is not Aemond.

You push him away slightly. Tears well up in your eyes, "I'm sorry, Rob."

He brushes away the tear running down your face, "Hey, don't cry. It's okay."

You smile, "Can you walk me to my chambers?"

He nods.

You don't speak as you walk to your chambers. When you arrive at your chambers, you face each other.

He smiles at you, "Goodnight princess."

You have to smile slightly, "Good night Lord Rob."

He kisses your hand gently, you chuckle.

Aemond is standing at the end of the corridor. He wanted to see you. He wanted to talk to you. Set a few things right that had come across wrong. He couldn't bear to wait any longer.

But as he rounded the corner, he saw Rob standing outside your chambers. Kissing your hand.

He clenches his fists. Again he feels that wrath inside him. But he only sighs. He turns away. And he leaves.

The next morning you are sitting at the breakfast table, pushing your food back and forth on your plate.

After a while you give up, kiss your father lightly on the cheek and leave the hall. You have to go for a walk, sort out your thoughts. When Rob kissed you yesterday, it put everything in a new light.

Yes, you found Rob attractive when you first saw him. But the fact that he kissed you now... You didn't think he felt that way about you..

You're standing in the garden looking at the rose bushes when you hear your father behind you, "You know, I'm a little offended. I've noticed all along that something was bothering you and I wanted to wait until you spoke to me. But nothing came. And now look at me, the rogue prince, running after a young woman to find out what's rocked her little world so badly" You have to grin slightly.

When he looks at you, "Are you with child?"

You punch his arm, "No Dad!"

He exhales exaggeratedly, "Good, because then I would really get in trouble with your mother."

You smile again.

Daemon looks at you from the side, "Do you want to tell me what's bothering you? Judging from that little fracas yesterday, is it about two particular men?"

You sigh, "Almost... It's about Aemond."

He nods, "How unexpected."

You look annoyed, "No stupid comments" He raises his hands apologetically.

"We've had ... a lovely time together... I can't deny that I like him... " You exhale "... but I saw him with that Lady Alys. I know they must have been very intimate once. At least, I suspect they were once intimate..."

Daemon puts his arm around you as he notices you have tears in your eyes.

"Well, I was walking past the little hall two days ago and I saw them kissing." You wipe away a tear, "That hurts. Because I like him... I really like him and I'm so hurt that he would do something like that to me," your voice threatens to fail.

Daemon hugs you, "You know, young men are stupid." He gently kisses your hair as he continues to hold you tightly. "I did many stupid things until I finally ended up with your mother. And after what you told me... It was just a kiss?"

You nod, "at least I hope so."

Daemon chuckles, "I don't think there was anything else. At least not in the last few days. From my experience, I can tell pretty well when a man has feelings for a woman and he has feelings for you. Maybe he had feelings for Alys once, and seeing her again now can confuse him for a moment. But a kiss like that can't destroy true love, can it?" He smiles at you and wipes away another tear.

You bury your face deep in his chest.

"And now I guess I'll have to emasculate him. He makes my little dragon cry"

You look at him, startled, "No Dad! Please don't..."

He looks at you in wonder, "So you still care about him?"

You can only smile slightly. Daemon hugs you tightly.

After a while you look up at him and dare to ask, "Dad? Do you know... do you know this Lady Alys?"

He looks at you with narrowed eyebrows, "Lady? As far as I know, she's the bastard of Harrenhal."

"A bastard?"

"Yes, from the old Lord of Harrenhal. She's not a Lady." You are silent. He strokes your cheek, "No woman could ever hold a candle to you. Especially not a woman who is not even a Lady and who makes a pass at your Prince."

You smile.

Your father sighs, "The Stark Lord doesn't seem like a bad match either. House Stark as an ally would be quite good."

You give him an annoyed look.

In the evening you sit in the hall again. It is the last ball before the big hunt. Somehow it seems tempting for you to be out in the forest with weapons. Accidents could happen there at any time. You have to smile briefly at the thought of bringing Alys down with a sword.

You still think of what your father told you in the garden. You would love to believe your father that everything is only half as bad. But you have a bad feeling.

You are so lost in your thoughts that you don't notice Rob watching you. He keeps looking over at you. He is unsure whether he should ask you to dance again.

Aemond notices the situation. He is sitting at the end of the table, he has a perfect view of you and can also see the Stark Lord well. It makes him more angry than ever that the Stark Lord keeps looking at you.

Only yesterday he saw him outside your chambers. Saw him kissing your gentle hand again. He can't bear it, he clenches his fist. When he notices the Stark Lord rising from his seat and not once taking his eyes off you, he has had enough.

He stands up and moves away from the table.

You look at your plate and start counting your peas. Suddenly you hear a request.

"Princess Y/N, may I have the next dance?"

You look up.

And you look him straight in the face.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

Tag list

@leahjean @afro-hispwriter @jeyramarie @powellssaturn @notabotiswear @hoshi-miharu-blog @random-human02 @m00n5t0n3 @sporadicshepherdzinebear @drewsgfduh @stargaryenx @dark-night-sky-99 @notabotiswear @ccosmic-illusion @darylandbethfanforever9 @grungegrrrl @spn-obession @carlottalhn @elle4404 @girl-with-an-orange-cat @genshinimpactislife @imjustboredso @tragicbucky @dollfaceyourfear @magnificantmermaid @mllemarianne @stargaryenx @mikariell95 @khaothick @aemonds-wifey

337 notes · View notes