𝓐𝓮𝓶𝓸𝓷𝓭 𝓣𝓪𝓻𝓰𝓪𝓻𝔂𝓮𝓷
We follow the treeline for a few miles before we come across a small farm with a lone candle in the front window.

To our luck, they have a couple of horses resting on the south side of the small shack and the both of us look at one another, our escape within our grasp.

"Hurry, keep quiet!"

Keeping low we circle the home to untie the horses but Luke stops, grabbing hold of my arm.

When I look at him in question he only nods to something behind me wordlessly and my whole body freezes when my tired eye falls on a little girl watching us from her window.

The moment she see's the sapphire on my face she jumps back away from the window and though I try to ignore it her reaction stings deep.

Holding a finger up to my lips I hope for the best but perhaps we'd been too lucky.

Instead of keeping quiet the little girl no older than twelve years old screams bloody murder catapulting herself away from the window to alarm whoever the hell she could, but I didn't plan to stick around and find out.

"Let's go!" I urge Luke on as I do, helping him up the horse but a voice calls out from behind us, "HEY! You know you could've just asked nicely for those horses!"

Unexpectedly the voice belongs to a woman with a sword in one hand and a torch in the other.

As I see the woman I presume she is the mother of the young girl and I hold up my hands in surrender. 

"Aemond, come on!"

Luke utters my name and the woman instantly turns her neck to stare straight at my sapphire in the dim light and her jaw drops open in shock.

Breathlessly she gasps, "It is you,"

"I told you!" A small voice cheerfully calls from the doorway and the little girls smiling face is a pleasant surprise.

"Gysella, back inside!"

Ignoring her mother she takes a few steps toward me, fearless and I have to admire her bravery.

"You're going to Winterfell to see the Princess aren't you?" As she looks up at me her hazel eyes twinkle when she talks about my wife and I imagine when I talk about her I look something of the same.

"I am. I have a promise to keep," Taking a look over my shoulder 'the promise' dismounts his horse and the woman's eyes widen in shock when she realizes she didn't have only one prince on her doorstep.

"You're Prince Lucerys, you're alive,"

Luke nods in greeting with a small smile and the girl blushes wildly, covering her mouth suddenly too shy to speak.

"It's true... you didn't kill the Queen's son."

In her simple words, we know where their loyalties lie when she calls my sister Queen and we breathe just a bit easier.

The young woman's voice is quiet, afraid to admit she along with the rest of the realm doubted me but I didn't blame her.

"No, he's only ever tried to save me, my lady," Luke adds and I get my first taste of vindication, and it's heavenly but I know it won't compare when I see Elaena's beautiful face.

The little girl's mother examines me for herself but I know her mind is already made up about me, only concerned for the safety of her daughter.

Uncomfortable with making her choose between us and her daughter I make the decision for her, "If you assist us in getting to Winterfell and allow us to take those horses we'll bring you both back ten-fold, my lady."

She wants to accept the offer and be rid of us but she glances at her daughter who still stared at Lucerys and me who were battered and bruised beyond reason.

With a sigh she shakes her head, "That won't be necessary just yet, Prince Aemond. It's late and my daughter will never forgive me if I let you both ride off into the night."

Stepping forward to decline Luke shoves me, "We'd be honored guests, Lady-?"

"While I appreciate the honor, I'm no lady, my prince. You may call me, Mara,"

"Thank you, Mara."

Lord Strong grins at me, ruffling Gysella's hair before following the giggling girl to the front of the house and her mother laughs at the frustrated face I make but I'm too exhausted to fight them.

The quaint home couldn't house more than two rooms but it was all this little family needed. Perhaps when we have a chance to get away from all this Elaena and I could raise our family in a small place like this for a few quiet years of peace.

Something simple, something ours.

Lucerys and I fit around the table and scarf down every bit of food they offer, our royal manners flying out the window as the two girls watched with quiet laughter.

They'd even tended to our injuries, Gysella thoughtfully applying something to relieve the burn around Luke's wrists.

As she finishes wrapping the bandages what she says next nearly makes me choke on my stew.

"Are the rumors true about the Princess being with child?"

At the little girl's blunt question, Lucerys throws his head back in laughter as her mother looked on in pure horror.

"Gysella!"

"Even you know about that do you?" I smirk, stretching my sore muscles and a light pink blush covers her adorable cheeks.

"Gysella knows just about everything there is to know about The Realms Princess of Song and her Sapphire Prince. Every night she wishes to hear of one of your adventures," Her mother adds, and I quirk an inquisitive eyebrow at the names they'd created for us.

The Princess of Song and the Sapphire Prince.

It had quite the ring to it.

"Is that so?"

Gysella nods proudly but doesn't look away from what she's doing, tending to Lucerys carefully as she speaks, "You and the princess have gone against all odds to be together. Mother says love like that is rare, like her and Father,"

At the mention of her father Mara's face falls, "I think it's bedtime for you, that's enough excitement for one evening,"

Poor Gysella's beaming face falls in a matter of seconds as she backs away from her approaching mother.

"But mother! Maybe the Prince can tell me a story, could you Prince Aemond?"

I hadn't realized the details of our relationship had made perfect strangers so invested in our lives and looking down into the pleading eyes of this little girl I crumble.

"The Prince is tired, Gysella they have a long journey in the morning-"

"It's alright."

Luke and Mara look stunned that I accept, watching me with wide eyes as I got from my chair and crouched to be at eye level with Gysella.

"I'll admit, I'm a bit worried you've heard all these stories before,"

Gysella's hazel eyes brighten, and I hope one day my own daughter will look at me in the same way but I would have to get back to Elaena first.

Digging through our pack I find the favour Elaena had made for me at the tourney but it's tangled with something, a folded-up piece of parchment that falls to the floor.

As I scoop it up I notice Elaena's handwriting and my blood runs cold.

Had she put this in my pack before I left?

My fingers begin to tremble but I shove the letter in my pocket for safekeeping fighting the urge to open it now in front of everyone.

Holding up the black fabric Gysella settles into her mother's lap getting comfortable.

"Elaena gave this to me the day I fought Cregan Stark for her hand in marriage. She'd told me whether I won or lost she would become my wife. We would run away together, adventure to Old Valyria... maybe we should've." My soft voice trails off and I lose myself in the memory.

It felt like a lifetime ago and our problems had seemed insurmountable when really they were trivial compared to this space between us.

At least we'd been together.

"But you won, you beat him!" She smiles, reminding me and I chuckle to myself.

"I did. When my sister gave us her blessing we couldn't wait another day. That night we married in the dragon pits with only her parents, a maester, and our dragons."

"What did she look like?" Gysella asks, her tiny eyes growing heavy but Luke and Mara listened intently as if they were interested themselves.

"She was... she was perfect." Leaning back in my chair I chuckle, the memory as fresh as the day it happened and I wish I could relive it, over and over again. 

"Elaena was always beautiful but she looked astonishing that night. I'll never forget the way her black dress brought out her eyes and how her hair was braided to make it look as if the crown was no mere accessory but a part of her, what she's meant to be."

Realizing I'd gone on a bit of a rant my gaze finds Gysella but she's fast asleep in her mother's arms and my cheeks are flushed with the intimate details I'd just shared and I remember why I'd even brought it up in the first place.

"What happened to her father?" I ask, too curious for my own good.

Mara takes a deep breath, fidgeting under the uncomfortable question.

"A year back he was killed by a group of raiders. I begged for our lives and offered them everything but that wasn't enough... they wanted my husband too."

My heart breaks for her as I imagine how it must feel to lose someone you love, not just metaphorically but eternally. Would you forget their voice, their face after years of someone's absence?

"Did they ever find the ones who killed him?" Luke asks, almost angry.

Mara frowns, shaking her head, "We took what we had left and started over. We couldn't stay in that place where they'd butchered her father... the truth is without her," the young mother gazes down at her sleeping daughter, tears welling up in her eyes as she struggles to continue, "Without her, I would've begged they take me too."

She hugs Gysella against her chest but looks up from her daughter making eye contact with me, "Something you'll soon learn Prince Aemond is that your children will severely outweigh the love you might have for yourself, and even the Princess."

I don't know what to say to advice so critical coming from a stranger. It wasn't that I doubted what she said it was quite the opposite.

At first, I hadn't thought it possible that I could love something or someone more than I loved Elaena but it was safe to say when I finally held our child in our arms that I might feel different.

We knew all of this was for the family we'd have together one day soon but I was still too far.

Elaena had all but practically begged me not to go to Storms End but I'd gone anyway thinking I'd known best when in all reality I couldn't control everything as hard as I might've tried.

Lucerys must notice my shift, filling the silence so I don't have to, "Do you know where we can send a raven come morning, Mara? My sister needs to know the truth."

She looks between the both of us and nods, "Of course, there's a town West of here. Cregan Stark pledged the North to Queen Rhaenyra, any Lord would be honored to help,"

"I'm not so sure. Cregan's named me Kinslayer and any man who wants a bit of gold is after us at the moment."

"Then we show them, we spread the word that Prince Lucerys is alive and well."

Luke and I exchange a look as we're both struck with a plan.

"Winterfell is only an hour away at most on dragon back. We spread the word, but we pray for our whereabouts to reach Elaena before it reaches my brother,"

Lucerys sits up in his chair, arms crossed across his chest, and nods, accepting yet another of my ridiculous plans.

If all went well, this time tomorrow evening I'd be sharing a bed with my wife and once I had her in my arms I was never letting go.

Mara is gracious enough to give us what blankets they have and Lucerys and I settle into our respectable corners of the cottage on the floor in front of the fireplace. 

When I hear his breathing slow, I bring the folded parchment into the fading light of the flames.

Simply reading my name written in her sweet delicate handwriting was enough to make my heart beat from my sore rib cage.

Brushing my fingertips across her raised signature I haven't felt this close to her in almost two weeks.

Unable to help myself any longer I flip it open my tired eye savoring each word.

-

𝒜𝑒𝓂𝑜𝓃𝒹, 𝑀𝓎 𝒫𝓇𝒾𝓃𝒸𝑒, 𝑀𝓎 𝐻𝓊𝓈𝒷𝒶𝓃𝒹,

You'd laugh at me if I said I already missed you as I'm writing these words and you're just down the hall, but already it's the anticipation of your absence that burdens my heart so.

I want to believe so badly that all will be fine but how can it when nothing good comes of us being apart?

I've told myself to dream, dream wildly and without bounds hoping it'll close the distance between us, and if I'm blessed, when I close my eyes it won't be my brother's death that I see but you coming home to me and our son.

For what is a song without its tempo, without its beat to keep it in time and in tune?

Avy jorrāelan,

-𝐸𝓁𝒶𝑒𝓃𝒶

-

I read her precious words over and over again until I have her letter memorized by heart.

I leave the tear stains to dry on my cheeks, a reminder of the emotion this woman stirred inside of me and I'm grateful it hadn't calloused over in our time apart.

Lucerys turns over to get comfortable and when he glances at me I bring my hood up over my head in an effort to keep my privacy but I know it's no use when he insistently stares thinking I don't notice him.

"What, Strong?"

Frowning he sighs, turning back to face the wall frustrated that after this time together I was still so brash, keeping him at arm's length.

After a few conflicting moments I take a deep breath, my words a struggle in my broken voice, "We can't wait another day, she can't wait another day."

He takes a deep breath, this time comforting me instead of the other way around, "She's strong, Uncle. She has to know you're coming for her."

"Then maybe it's I who's weak without her, nephew."

For a while, Lucerys remains to himself and I begin to wonder if he's fallen asleep when he says, "I'd say... that just because you're stronger together doesn't mean you're weak apart."

***

I don't know when or how long I fade into something of a sleep when a smokey smell tickles my nose, bringing me from the little solace I'd found. 

I don't register where the smell is coming from until I open my groggy eye and realize the fire had gone out some time ago but the smoke seeps in, the flames spreading across the ceiling.

My body jerks from its relaxed state to check on Lucerys who was still sound asleep but a bang startles me up from the floor to follow the desperate knocking from the bedroom.

Gysella.

"LUKE! GET UP!" With one glance at the growing flames, Lucerys throws his blanket off of him and I yank him up pushing him towards the door. 

"Get yourself out now," Without time to explain I turn nearly missing a falling shelf but I assure myself of Luke's exit before running to the girls. 

When I hear their cries for help on the other side I throw all of my weight into the door but it's blocked from the inside, jamming the door from opening. 

Growling in frustration I try again in vain but the home grows hotter by the second and if I don't think fast more innocent blood will be on my hands.

Recalling the window I'd first seen Gysella in earlier I make a run for the front door but what I find outside is even more troubling. 

The cottage hadn't just miraculously caught fire, it was Daeron and Tessarion that rained fire down on not only the house but all animals and crops this poor family had owned.

"He found us," Luke stares into the early morning sky with horror but my resilient brother would have to wait. 

"The girls, Luke, we need to break the window, NOW," 

Lucerys follows me around the back and in a matter of seconds the entire roof is engulfed with flames.

Gysella bangs on the windows with tears in her eyes, struggling to breathe but I can't do anything with her so close to the window. 

"Back up, Gysella! Back up!" I yell, but that only attracts my brother's attention from the chaos he rained across the field. Tessarion turns her head to us and my heart plummets.

"Luke, run," I tell him as I'm wrapping the black fabric of Elaena's favour around my knuckles but he fights me.

"No, I'm not leaving you alone," 

Doing as I say Mara brings Gysella back against her chest away from the window but they're both coughing uncontrollably the life draining from them by the second. 

Driving my fist through the glass it's not enough, and Tessarion grew closer, "GO!" I yell, pleading with him to save himself but he ignores me, looking around for something on the ground. 

Taking another swing, the broken glass catches my arm where I'd been cut just last night and I cry out in pain. The warmth of my blood trickles down my arm as Tessarion descended upon us but I shove my fist through the window once more, the opening still not safe enough to get through.

"LUKE!" 

"Tessarion, DRACARYS!" 

Shielding myself from the inevitable death by flame it never comes and instead, there's a roar of triumph that rings through the air and instantly I know we're saved.

Vhagar, alive and well blows her own blast of flame in the direction of my brother, veering him away from us and it almost swallows him whole bringing a proud smirk to my face.

"Watch out!"

Glancing over my shoulder I jump out of the way just in time for Lucerys to throw a stone the size of his head through the glass and finally, we can bring them through. 

Gysella is brought forward by her mother but just as I'm reaching for her through the glass Tessarion sends another attack through the house destroying it before our very eyes and the roof collapses on the both of them. 

"No, NO!" I cry out but Luke pulls me away from the wreckage just as the building caves in on itself and I almost drop to my knees as I watch, helpless when it was us that had brought this death upon them. 

But it was my brother who had killed first without question, knowing we were inside making us the intended target. 

Vhagar feels my rage, coming to land right before me and I don't waste another moment going to greet her. 

"Vhagar, ñuha sȳz raqiros, ñuha pazavor raqiros,"
*Vhagar, my good friend, my loyal friend,

As I rest my palm on her scaly skin, the bond between us is strengthened by all the emotions that swirled within me, but first I would feed the blind rage that boiled over.

Mounting her, Lucerys calls out from below in an effort to be a voice of reason, "Uncle, we can run, we can go home!"

I point to the pile of ash that was just minutes ago a home, my voice scratching my throat as I roared, "HE KILLED THEM. They saved us and he murdered them in their own home!"

I tuck Elaena's favour back into my coat pocket without breaking eye contact, and when he realizes there's no use his dark eyebrows fall, "There will be no running, Lucerys. Not anymore,"

My nephew takes a backward step, his expression saddened but both of us would mourn as we may and I would assure that Daeron wouldn't follow us back to the ones we loved most.

"Sīmonagon, Vhagar,"
*Rise, Vhagar

With a running start Vhagar grunts at her jump, but zeros in on the beast responsible for her wounds, and our rage is one.

Daeron does what's expected, circling around the clouded clearing to try to locate Lucerys on the ground but Storms End was a mistake I wouldn't make twice. 

"Now whose running, brother?! Face me!" 

Successfully luring him away from the ground Tessarion does what she does best attempting to use her speed to avoid Vhagar's jaws but she won't be able to escape the bite of her flames. 

"Dracarys, Vhagar!" 

Vhagar creates a barrier of flames that almost reach the sky and if Tessarion was to fly through it, she would have to risk her own rider or go above where Vhagar and I waited for them both.

Bringing me closer to the flames Vhagar hovers there, asserting her dominance with a ground-quaking roar, and my nostrils flare as the voices of my anger urge me on, to become what they already swore me to be. 

"You've killed enough innocents, little brother! I have half a mind to take you to the Queen and have her decide your fate!" I call out to him, and before me, my brother crumbles under his failings, his face falling as he comes to terms with the power I have, the decision right at my fingertips but I look down at Lucerys who watched from below.

Lucerys wouldn't blame me, hell Elaena likely wouldn't once she saw the scar that stretched across her little brother's face but when I saw my own sibling's fear the murderous rage fades away in an instant and maybe it's weakness that causes me to hesitate. 

The moment Daeron notices my distraction Tessarion pushes herself up off the ground to veer over our heads and with Vhagar's size she doesn't have enough time to move, only jerking open her jaw to try and catch them as they fly higher overhead.

Taking a tighter grip on the reigns I pull her back to stop her from chasing them, "Ōregon, Vhagar!"
*Hold, Vhagar

As I watch my brother's silhouette fade into the morning skyline Lucerys' words echo through my mind, 'just because you're stronger together doesn't mean you're weak apart'. 

But Elaena and I wouldn't be apart for much longer, I was coming for her, for my wife and we would have our revenge.

***

Thank you for your patience with my story telling!

Our Long Awaited Reunion Comes Next Chapter <3