The great hall of Castle Driftmark remained silent the only sound whispering throughout the room being the fire burning in the fireplace. Everyone watched as the maester stitched Aemond's wounds, but the tension in the room grew thicker as they all awaited a word from the King.

There were some that called the King weak and frail, but now everyone feared him and his reaction.

"How could you allow such a thing to happen?" The King finally questioned his Kingsgaurd. "I will have answers."

Ser Harrold took a cautious step forward, it was clear that the man was either nervous or still in shock about what he had been to late to stop. "The princes were supposed to be abed, My King."

"Who had the watch?"

"Young prince was attacked by his own cousins, Your Grace." Ser Criston stated as he also stepped toward, and it was no surprise to Daena that he sided with Aemond. He always did favor him over her brothers.

"You swore oaths to protect and defend my blood!"

Ser Harrold unlike Ser Criston seemed truly ashamed, feeling as if he had failed his King. "I'm very sorry, Your Grace."

"The Kings guard has never had to defend princes from princes, Your Grace." Criston added feeling the need to defend himself. However, there was some truth to his words. The fight should have never occurred, Aemond should have never claimed Vhagar, they all should not all be gathered in the great hall after they had all been together for Laena Velaryon's ceremony.

"That is no answer!" The King yelled, his voice echoing through the room. Daena had never seen her grandsire so angry, even he frightened her now.

"It will heal, will it not, maester?" The Queen questioned nervously as she watched the maester work.

Maester Kelvyn sighed as he finished the stitches. "The flesh will heal. But the eye is lost, Your Grace."

Gasps we're heard throughout the room and Daena felt her blood run cold at the news. Jacaerys pulled her a Lucerys closer as they stood in silence. They were alone and the uncertainty of it all was frightening.

Queen Alicent immediately turned to her eldest son who had been previously yawning by the fireplace. "Where were you?"

"Me?" Aegon questioned seeming confused about everything that happened until his mother struck him across the face. It shocked Daena as her mother or father had never lifted a hand against them, even on days that they caused trouble. "Ow! What was that for?"

"That was nothing compared to the abuse your brother suffered while you were drowning in your cups, you fool." The Queen said through gritted teeth just as the doors to the great hall opened.

Daena felt relief wash over her at the sight of Corlys Velaryon and Rhaenys Targaryen entering the great hall. She knew that her grandparents would come to their defense. Though it felt as if there was no one that could save them from the Queen's wrath.

"What is the meaning of this?" Her grandsire demanded as he rushed to their side while their grandmother, Rhaenys tended to Baela and Rhaena.

It was not long before the doors of the great hall opened once again and their mother burst through the doors with a worried expression as she searched the room for them. Her uncle, Daemon, remained by the doorway as Rhaenyra joined them "Jace? Daena! Luke!"

"Show me. Show me." Rhaeynra ordered Lucerys who had decided to cover his nose in shame. It seemed that Aemond had broken it and Lucerys did not want his mother to see him as weak because of it. Though if there was on thing that the nights events proved was that Lucerys was not weak.

Her mother turned to her and she instantly saw the look in her eyes darken at the sight of the open wound at her only daughters chest. Daena had instead Aemond be treated first, his wound much more serious than her own. But that did not change the fact that she felt the throbbing pain coming from her own wound that till released fresh blood. "Who did this?"

"They attacked me!" Aemond declared as he turned to look at them with his remaining eye.

"He attacked Baela!" Jace shouted back.

Suddenly all the children began shouting accusations and telling their tales of what had happened. All the shouting made their words unintelligible to all the adults in the room.

"He was gonna kill Jace and Daena!" Lucerys stated as he pointed as Aemond who was now looking at him with a quiet fury.

"I didn't do anything!" Aemond yelled in return as he looked to his mother.

"Enough... It should be my son telling the tale!" The Queen declared.

"He called us..." Jace slowly whispered to their mother. "He called us bastards."

The King now looked to his son with a new wave of fury. "Aemond... I will have the truth of what happened. Now."

"What else is there to hear?" The Queen continued with an almost wild look in her eyes as he turned toward Daena and her brothers with a look of disgust. "Your son has been maimed. Her son is responsible."

Rhaenyra pulled Daena and Luke closer as their grandfather, Corlys, placed a protective hand on Jace shoulder. "It was a regrettable accident."

The Queen Alicent looked to the Princess Rhaenyra with a look that almost resembled hatred. It was a look that Daena knew well as the Queen always looked upon her mother with resentment. "Accident? The Prince Lucerys brought a blade to the ambush. He meant to kill my son."

It angered Daena how the Queen meant to twist what had happened to her son's favor. She did not see the bloodthirst in her son's eyes as he attacked her brothers and her cousins, though she was sure that even then she would side with Aemond.

"It was my children who were attacked and forced to defend themselves." Her mother quickly defended, and all Daena wished for was for the fighting to end. She wanted to return to bed and pretend that nothing had happened, that it had all been some kind of nightmare. "Vile insults were levied against them."

"What insults?" The King questioned.

"The legitimacy of my sons' birth was put loudly to question."

"He called us bastards." Her older brother declared softly knowing the weight of his words being spoken out loud for all to hear.

"My sons are in line to inherit the Iron Throne, Your Grace. This is the highest of treasons." Their mother continued to to defend. "Prince Aemond must be sharply questioned so we might learn where he heard such slanders."

Every word spoken and every second that passed seemed to push the Queen Alicent further into her anger. "Over an insult? My son has lost an eye."

"Look at the wound your son has inflicted upon my daughter."

"At least she did not lose an eye."

"You tell me, boy. Where did you hear this lie?" The King questioned ending the argument between his wife and eldest daughter. All attention was now on Aemond who now seemed uncomfortable with the attention that he now held.

"The insult was training yard bluster. The lot of boys. It was nothing." The Queen quickly stated.

"Aemond... I asked you a question."

"Where is Ser Laenor, I wonder? The boys' father." The Queen questioned as she looked around the room dramatically knowing that Laenor Velaryon was not in the room. Though Daena also wondered where her father was during all of this, the last she had seen him he was at the ceremony. "Perhaps he might have something to say in the matter."

"I do not know, Your Grace. I... could not find sleep. I had gone out to walk." Rhaenyra explained, though as Daena looked at her mother she could see that her words were a lie.

"Entertaining his young squires, I would venture." The Queen replied viciously.

Again the King chose to ignore his Queen as he set his focus on his second son. "Aemond... look at me. Your king demands an answer. Who spoke these lies to you?"

Aemond looked to the wide eyed Queen who, looked back at her son with what almost resembled fear. The silence only lasted a moment before Aemond turned to his brother. "It was Aegon."

"Me?" Aegon questioned seeming genuinely confused by his younger brother's declaration.

"And you, boy? Where did you hear such calumnies?" The King said as he now turned to his eldest son. But Aegon's shocked silence only served to anger him further as the King raised his voice. LAegon! Tell me the truth of it!"

Aegon winced as he looked away from the King and to his nephews. "We know, Father. Everyone knows. Just look at them."

His words once again caused everyone to look to Jacaerys and Lucerys. No other words needed to be said as Prince Aegon's words were the truth. Anyone could see that her brothers were not true son's of Laenor Velaryon. And it angered her to see the apprehensive looks that were being directed towards her brothers. They did not deserve the disdain of others.

"This interminable infighting must cease!" The King demanded not wanting the legitimacy of his daughters children to be the focal point of the conversation any longer. "All of you! We are family! Now make your apologies and show good will to one another. Your father, your grand sire, your king demands it!"

"That is insufficient." The Queen declared as she looked at her King in disbelief. "Aemond has been damaged, permanently, My King. Good will cannot make him whole."

"I know, Alicent, but I cannot restore his eye." King Viserys replied clearly exhausted by the stress brought on from the nights events.

"No, because it's been taken."

"What would you have me do?"

"There is a debt to be paid. I shall have one of her son's eyes in return." Queen Alicent declared and suddenly the entire room went deadly silent at her words. Daena wanted to believe that it might have been a cruel joke on part of the Queen, but that was impossible

"My dear wife."

"He is your son, Viserys." She continued to desperately plead. "Your blood."

The king truly seemed shocked by his wife's insistence. As did everyone in the room who began to whisper among themselves. "Do not... allow your temper to guide your judgment."

"If the King will not seek justice, the Queen will." She declared as she looked to the other end of the room where the members of the Kingsgaurd were standing. "Ser Criston... bring me the eye of Lucerys Velaryon."

"Mother!" Lucerys cried out in fear as their mother stepped in front of them so that they would be out of the view of Ser Criston Cole.

Daena felt as Lucerys took her hand, and only now had she realized that she had frozen in shock. She could not believe that the Queen would desire such a thing. She had never known the Queen's kindness but she had never thought of her as cruel.

"He can choose which eye to keep, a privilege he did not grant my son."

"You will do no such thing." Ser Harrold ordered Ser Criston who had his hand placed on the blade attached to his hip. "Stay your hand."

"No, you are sworn to me!" Queen Alicent yelled, her voice echoing through the walls of Castle Driftmark.

Ser Criston remained silent for a moment but his hesitation was clear. He was entirely devoted to the Queen and Daena wondered if it were not for the fact that doing as she ordered went against his duties, that he would do as the Queen demanded of him. "As your protector, my Queen."

"Alicent, this matter... is finished. Do you understand?" The King told his wife, though from the Queen's expression it was clear that this issue would never be forgotten. How could it when she would be reminded of it every time she looked upon her sons face? "And let it be known, anyone whose tongue dares to question the birth of Princess Rhaenyra's sons should have it removed."

"Thank you, Father." Her mother said as she pulled her children closer, intending to get them out of the room as soon as possible. As the turned to exit the great hall the King yelled out the Queens name.

It all happened so quickly as her mother turned around and stopped the Queen who held a blade that was aimed down at Lucerys. It was the King's dagger, famously made out of Valyrian steel.

Members of the Kingsgaurd surrounded the princess and the Queen. Many of them shielding Deana and her brothers along with the King to ensure that they were not harmed in the exchange.

Daena froze from shock as she watched in terror, she heard her brother scream though it sounded distant in her ears. She felt as her grandparents pulled her back behind them along with their brothers in case the Queen were to gain the upper hand and seek the justice she so desired.

Fear seized her as she watched her mother struggle against the Queen as they both held onto the dagger.

"No!" Her mother yelled as she held on tightly to the Queen's wrist. "You've gone too far."

"I? What have I done but what was expected of me?" The Queen questioned, her eyes overcome with wild fury. "Forever upholding the kingdom, the family, the law. While you flout all to do as you please."

"Alicent, let her go!" The King commanded but his wife did not obey.

"Where is duty? Where is sacrifice? It's trampled under your pretty foot again."

"Release the blade, Alicent." Otto Hightower ordered his daughter, who refused to release her tight hold on the blade.

Yet again she ignored her husband as she and Rhaenyra struggled for dominance over the blade. "And now you take my son's eye, and to even that, you feel entitled."

"Exhausting, wasn't it? Hiding beneath the cloak of your own righteousness." Her mother told the Queen lowering her voice as she meant them to be heard by her ears only. But there were some who were close enough to hear the words meant to wound the Queen. "But now they see you as you are."

Rhaenyra's words cut the Queen deeply as she yelled out and suddenly pulled back in the dagger. Everyone in the room gasped as the princess stepped away from the Queen who instantly dropped the blade in her hand. Everything happened so quickly that it took Daena a moment to realize that her mother had been hurt in the exchange.

Daena looked at the blood running down her mother's arm and then to the wide eyed Queen who looked shocked by her action. I it was then that a seed of hatred was planted within the young princess' heart. It angered her that someone she loved was hurt, and although she did not enjoy feeling resentment in her heart there was nothing to be done about it.

The damage had been done.

"Do not mourn me, Mother. It was a fair exchange." Aemond stated firmly as he stood. "I may have lost an eye... but I gained a dragon."

Aemond's words were enough to calm his mother's wrath, and slowly everyone began to leave the great hall. Everyone was exhausted, and there was nothing else to be done.

"I told you I would claim a dragon." Aemond stated in High Valyrian as he came to a stop before her. The Queen had retired to her chamber, undoubtedly humiliated by her behavior

Daena wondered why he would approach her after everything that had occurred. After what he had done to her and what her brother had done to him. But of course he wanted to continue to make it known that not only had he claimed a dragon, but he had claimed the largest in the world.

"I believe I liked you better without one." Daena replied in return, and although she recognized the truth in her words she also was aware that she meant to wound him further. She did not tend to be cruel, it was not in her nature. But what he had done, what he had called her brothers she could not so easily forgive. And she found that she could not pity him even when he had just lost an eye.

It seemed as though Aemond was about to reply to her harsh words, but suddenly she felt as Daemon placed a protective hand on her shoulder.

"You better head to bed One-Eyed Prince." Daemon said firmly but there was not mistaking his mocking tone. Tonight was not the night to mock the young prince but Prince Daemon did not fear the consequences of another fight breaking out. In fact Daena was sure he would have loved the chaos of it all. "Come princess, it's time for the maester to get a look at you."

Jacareys and Lucerys had been escorted to bed. And all that remained in the great hall were her mother, Daemon and the maester. They all remained silent as the maester stitched Daena's flesh back together, and she could not help but squeeze her mother's hand tightly throughout the entire process.

"It will scar my princess." Maester Kelvyn informed them, and Daena only looked up to see her mother's eyes that had now begun to fill with tears. She saw her mother's frustration and for a moment she now understood the frustration of the Queen.

Daena did not mind having a scar however, she knew that it would forever be a reminder of such a terrible night. Aemond had marked her forever, and she could not shake the feeling that this night would change them all forever.