CHAPTER FORTY ONE
❪ devils tongue ! ❫

There was a loud ringing in her ears as she stood in front of the door that blocked her view from the bedroom. It was slightly ajar with dark crimson stains on the edge of the door frame.

Aenemera's hands were twitching by her sides from anxiety — her ears finally popping from the amount of pressure she received from all the blood rushing to her head from stress.

There was crying coming from the opposite side of the door. She slowly reached for the knob before her fingers pushed the door fully open — revealing Lyra on the floor violently shaking. Her body had red marks over her face, hands, and her entire gown — which could only be assumed to be blood.

When the world finally came to a halt, Aenemera found the strength to move forward and dove towards Lyra; forcing her face up with her hands.

"What? What happened?!" The princess demanded but her lady in waiting couldn't stop herself from hysterically crying.

Aenemera's heart suddenly stopped beating as she shifted her gaze towards the cribs and realized there was not a single sound coming from either of her girls.

Gareth was the first to appear at their side, his facial expression distorted with fear and regret. He heaved heavily still trying to catch his breath while cautiously placing a protective hand on Lyra's shoulder to calm her.

"There's been — " he forced himself to pause and took a heavy inhale through his nose. "The king and queens son is dead — "

All the blood that once was suffocating Aenemera's brain slowly drained from her body as she got up from the floor and started walking towards the cribs. Her hands formed slowly into small fists and her sharp nails cut through the skin of her palms from the amount of pressure she was applying to her body.

"I tried to stop them!" Lyra, who managed to finally control her sobbing, sat up against the wall with Gareth's help. "I fought hard against them, I swear it Aenemera!"

Gareth was in the middle of checking over Lyra's figure to see how badly she was harmed. She hosted several cut marks along her arms and hands — the blood clearly being her own. She had no weapon but only her hands to try and keep them from harming the girls.

When Aenemera took the final step closer towards the cribs, she mentally prepared herself for the gruesome scene she was about to encounter. But it didn't stop the tears from swelling in her eyes and nearly blinding her vision.

Their white beddings had blood smears and the sheets were torn apart like a knife sawed through them.

Delaenya and Rhaenyre's were gone.

The princess fell to floor with a solid thud once her knees made contact with the ground. The single cry she let out was not for the pain in her body but for the sight of blood and her children gone.

The bloody sheets dropped to the floor beside her and all she could manage to do was clutch them close to her chest. Another piercing sob that was once bottled in her throat finally made its way out, followed by several more.

Listening to Aenemera cry was something Lyra had to witness several times. Her last one being for her brother — and this time being the hardest.

Lyra couldn't help but begin to cry again — falling into Gareth's arms as they welcomed her but his eyes never strayed from Aenemera.

All the princess could do was scream into the floor and clutch onto the blankets as if she was being burned alive. It was almost — if not even more painful when losing a child and now Aenemera was experiencing it firsthand.

Her cries managed to block out the loud footsteps coming from the kings guards and the city watch that have entire her bedchambers. Their metal armor creaking like eating utensils rubbing against the dinner plates — every noise being made was overwhelming and unbearable to the princess.

She wanted them all gone.

Aemond had finally appeared into the bedroom, fully clothed in his leathers and eye patch covering the bright blue gem. His sword swayed against his waist but when he stepped across the threshold of the bedroom and saw the scene before him — he grabbed the hilt of his sword on instinct.

The guard's stepped backwards and Gareth finally managed to get Lyra off the floor. He passed her off gently to a different guard, instructing them to take her to the Maester for help.

Aenemera's crying did not stop or even falter as Aemond rushed towards her.

He took quick notice of the cribs being emptied, the blood stained sheets, and his princess lying on the floor screaming in pain.

It was almost like he was receiving dejavu.

He was almost afraid to touch her in fear of what she might do to him. A mothers pain was undeniably the scariest.

Aemond suddenly pulled out his sword from the sheath. His one good eye widen with fearing as he pointed the weapon towards the guards and anyone else that appeared into the bedroom without a warning.

When Aenemera finally managed to look up, she forcefully shoved Aemond backwards by pushing at his waist. Her dark red eyes turned to the guards and screamed, "get out!"

One by one they slowly began to back away and exit the bedroom but they didn't move fast enough for Aenemera.

She forced herself onto her feet and started charging towards the first one that was in her way. "Get out! Get out!" Her palms smashed against his metal chest with a loud crack — the force causing him to stumble back. "Get the fuck out!"

More guards exited the room but Aenemera didn't stop screaming at them to move. Her small hands would smack them and shove them backwards — forcing them towards the hall as she spat in the face with a strong fiery in her eyes.

Aemond never moved to stop her and Gareth stepped out into the hallway as well — leaving the couple completely alone once Aenemera slammed the door in their face.

Her forehead knocked against the wood when she slumped against the door. Another painful cry fell from her lips and her body instantaneously became weak with her knees about to give out.

Aemond realized her weakened state and rushed towards her after putting his sword away but before he could reach her, Aenemera spun around and shoved him backwards.

The action caught him well off guard that he stumbled backwards and used the nearest chair to catch himself but she wasn't done. She wasn't even close to done with what she wanted to do to everyone but Aemond was the closest thing she could release her fire on.

"I hate you!" She managed to scream at the top of her lungs. Tears spilling down her paled skin as she continued to slam her hands into his chest. "I hate you! I hate you!"

Her palms became weakened from the constant assault she put on others and the current situation caused the scroll to fall from her sleeve and drop to the floor. It was the last thing she could recall to care about at the moment because her sole focus was Aemond and everything she's been carrying the past few weeks — months — was seeping out of her body.

She managed to get Aemond backed into a corner until she pulled out her small knife and hovered it towards his face. "You did this! You brought this on us!" Hot tears streamed down her cheeks and neck like the summer waterfalls in the forest.

Aemond was quick to grab her wrist and force her knife away from his body. "Aenemera!"

The action alone wasn't new as she had done this several times when they were children but the sudden urge to spill his blood had him feeling a different kind of range.

With his free hand he grabbed her elbow and slammed her back against the nearest wall. It wasn't forceful enough to harm her but the shock and realization spreading across her face caused her to drop the knife.

It clanged loudly against the floor and echoed between their ears. Aemond quickly stumbled backwards and placed his hand against his chest to control his breathing.

Aenemera forced her fingers through her silver locks and pushed it away from her face. Several small hairs clung to the skin from all the sweat she's managed to produce and her eyes were ablaze as they settled onto the empty cribs again.

They remained silent for several heartbeats. The only thing anyone could hear was their shaken breathing and pounding hearts beating in sync.

The princess slowly fixed her gaze on Aemond. There was so much anger and sorrow flooding her system that she couldn't stop herself from speaking so cruelly to him.

"It's all your fault."

Aemond snapped his head in her direction. "What did you just say?"

Her hands shook by her sides and she remained close to the wall as he looked at her with repugnance. "You had my brother killed — and now my children have been taken." She swallowed the thickened lump down her throat and tears welled up in her eyes once more. "This wouldn't have happened if you didn't get my brother killed! My daughters would still be there!"

Aemond took several daring steps towards the princess but she didn't flinch or retreat from his frightening demeanor. She knew deep down those are the words she's been wanting to scream out into the universe for a very long time.

He slowly raised his finger to point in her direction but slowly curled it into a fist. "They're my daughters too."

Aenemera tilted her chin upwards in a snarky gesture. She was ready to burn down the entirety of Kings Landing with everyone in it. There was no doubt that she was about to create a war path and that was not a single soul that could stop her.

"Get out," she seethed through clenched teeth.

Aemond ran his tongue along the inner side of his cheek. He didn't say another word as he took a step backwards with his eye glued on Aenemera before leaving the bedroom and her completely alone.