𝓔𝓵𝓪𝓮𝓷𝓪 𝓣𝓪𝓻𝓰𝓪𝓻𝔂𝓮𝓷
The great hall was filled to the brim with people of the North all celebrating Aemond and Luke's return and my cheeks had gone numb from the smiling I'd done all evening.

Not only had Aemond made sweet love to me over and over again in the hot lavender-scented waters of the bathing tub but he'd kept a hand on me at all times, watching me with a tender expression when he thought I hadn't been paying attention.

Tonight he didn't have to urge me to eat. I was taking one of everything, filling and emptying my plate while I still had this wild appetite.

As I scan the crowd I notice Luke but not Jacaerys and for a moment I panic unable to find him until my gaze centers on the darkest furthest corner from the front table.

He and Sara talk intimately, but more importantly inappropriately. Even from afar, I can notice her hand in his held tightly and I grow furious for Baela, for my mother who'd been through enough.

Beneath the table, Aemond gives my thigh a small squeeze and I know he notices them too but he's not the only one.

At the other end of the table, Cregan watched my brother with anger flushing his face and his grip on his goblet made his knuckles white.

What in the seven hells was I missing?

Pushing myself out from the table Aemond locks his fingers with mine, not letting me out of his sight as we ventured through the waves of people.

Behind me, Aemond comes to a stop being interrupted by a drunken Lucerys but instead of waiting for them, I drop his hand closing the distance between Jacaerys and I, each step made with intent and fury in my eyes.

This had gone on long enough.

"Jacaerys, what do you think you're doing?!" I hiss, giving his arm a tug and he spins around to face me as Sara's face drained of all color at the sight of me furious.

"Elaena, don't start-"

"Have you forgotten your betrothal patiently waiting for your return in Driftmark?! Baela's worried sick about you, have you even wrote her since you've been gone?" I keep my voice low, taking a step closer to hiss my venomous words through my gritted teeth.

"Baela has her own tastes. Her and I both know not to inform the other of our...endeavors."

At the mention of Baela, Sara noticeably becomes uncomfortable, shifting on her feet behind my younger brother who holds out an arm as if to protect her from me of all people when he'd just referred to her as an "endeavor".

As if our conflict hadn't been enough, Jace had found the one friend I'd made here, and... or had she been my friend at all?

Cocking my head to the side an unsettling wave of paranoia washes over me.

"Have you already forgotten who you're betrothed was, sister? We're no worse than you spreading your legs about the castle for Aemond-"

"Jacaerys!" Sara hisses at her lover giving his arm a firm tug but he ignores her, his intent on me and he might as well have swung a sword across my chest leaving me bleeding out in front of everyone.

A firm grip takes hold of my hand and at first, I assume it's Aemond but I'm taken aback by the sight of Cregan, wide-eyed and furious.

With everything happening so fast I don't have time to react as he brings me behind him as if to shield me from my brother's venomous words.

"Have you lost your mind?! Here? In front of all these people?" He spits at Jacaerys but his rage isn't only placed with Jace but the timid girl who stood behind him.

Sara's glazed eyes hold tears threatening to fall and my heart goes out for her. She must've been terrified of what would happen to her next being only a handmaiden under the Starks.

What happens next should've been expected but when Aemond's voice cuts through the crowd my heart jumps to my throat.

"STARK!" My husband's warning comes just before his arm collides with Cregan's chest throwing him back and away from me, his lavender eye spiraling with rage.

Taking hold of Aemond's arm I call out to him, hoping to reach him through his jealous tirade.

"Aemond, please don't-" I beg as the crowd forms around us but he doesn't listen bringing me behind him as a possessive expression.

Cregan's usually warm eyes meet mine before he glances around at the crowd and his wolf has returned to darken his pupils.

"I'd watch your next step, Prince Aemond. You aren't in Kings Landing anymore, these men are loyal to me." Cregan takes a step closer to my husband who still stood a few inches taller than him but Aemond doesn't falter, leaning forward on his foot to appear even taller.

"Are you threatening a Prince? Was the bounty on my head not enough?" Aemond growls sending a chill up my spine and my fingers dig into his arm but I wouldn't stop him. He was right to be angry with him.

"Hardly a threat, only offering a word of thoughtful advice, my prince."

Cregan keeps his voice low making it almost impossible for anyone around to hear his taunting tone with Aemond but when the Warden of the North falters to glance at me over my husband's shoulder only serves to irritate Aemond further.

Shifting his body only slightly he blocks me from Cregan's view, his lip curling back with animalistic instincts that send heat pooling between my thighs.

"We thought you'd murdered our brother in cold blood!" Jacaerys comes to Cregan's defense and before Aemond has a chance to defend himself Luke steps forward.

"But he didn't Jacaerys! Those men almost killed us both on his orders!"

My heart warms at the sight of them standing together protecting one another as I thought I'd never see in my lifetime.

When I notice the crowd surrounding us I take a glance at Sara whose dark hazel eyes are glossed over with tears as she looks between Cregan and Jace, torn and I can't take it anymore.

I have to stop this.

I go to step in front of Aemond but his violet eye is locked on Cregan, darting to Sara as understanding dawns over his face and he opens his mouth to continue his assault but I grip his chin, turning down his face to mine.

"You've all made quite enough of a scene this evening. Your wife begs you to stop this," As I brush my fingers across his smooth pale skin I plead with him, his fury melting away when his eye locks with mine.

His frigid stature sinks against me, his arm snaking around my waist as if we were in a world of our own and the more time went on the more I wished we were.

Just the two of us and the family we've created.

Breaking the silence Cregan steps forward, "We finish this in private."

His demand is aimed at more than just Aemond and I but to Jacaerys and Sara as well, his anger having no bounds as his nostrils flared only coaxing a low chuckle from my husband's chest.

Cregan storms off through the side door with two of his closest men and Jacaerys reluctantly follows with Sara close behind him, avoiding my eyes at all costs.

She must've been terrified of what was to come, all because she'd caught the eye of a prince.

With thoughts racing Aemond leads me out keeping his arm snug around my waist as we enter the hall. The murmurs and music resume as if the near brawl hadn't occurred but Aemond's scowl and tense demeanor held the reminder.

Even though we were a few paces behind Sara and Jacaerys, the hatred was apparent almost tangible enough to hold in your hands.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Aemond leans down to whisper in my ear, his expression almost accusatory and at first I'm riddled with confusion about what he means.

"It must've s-slipped my mind. I'd thought he would've listened when I brought up Baela-"

"No," Shaking his head, Aemond comes to a halt in the middle of the hall, having brought Luke and me to a standstill with him.

Glancing forward in the direction of my brother my husband continues shocked, "Elaena... you have no clue do you?"

His face falls when he realizes my ignorance but the sinking feeling in my stomach persists.

"Your handmaiden wasn't assigned out of coincidence, my love." He frowns, reluctant to tell me what comes next.

"W-what do you mean?"

"Sara Snow... she's Cregan's bastard sister."

I want to deny this accusation but it all makes perfect sense. The way Cregan looked after her protectively was never out of jealousy but concern. He, like me, did not want this forbidden love to blossom. It could only mean danger for both of our families.

"You suspect she's been spying on her? For Cregan?" Luke asks but Aemond only cocks his head down to lock eyes with me to gauge my reaction but my mind is racing, running a fine comb through all of the conversations we might've had.

Was that why she'd been so lovely? 

Why had Sara gotten so close to me? 

Was our friendship genuine at all?

"Come. They won't get away with this, I promise." Aemond presses a kiss to my temple, taking my hand in his and we're moving again but I'm not all there relying on Aemond's arm for support as Luke followed closely behind.

When we enter Cregan's private libraries, I would typically look around in awe at the magnificent walls of books that line the perimeter of the room, however, my attention is solely on Sara, who feels my burning eyes but is too ashamed to look up at me.

Cregan however was rummaging through his desk drawers, throwing them open until he finally finds what he was looking for throwing the weathered piece of parchment on his desk where the lot of us could see for ourselves.

On the table was the original bounty that Cregan had placed and before I can take a closer look Aemond is scooping it off the table his eye trained on the words.

"Take alive, I made that much certain to my men. Whoever attacked you weren't sent by me-"

"They held this very bounty on their person, where do you suspect they got that, Stark?" Aemond cocks his head to the side, and what little patience my husband held quickly slips away as he tears the bit of parchment to bits.

Leaning both palms against the desk Cregan stretches the muscles in his back out of irritation. Taking notice Jacaerys cuts in, defending his newfound friend.

"Are you familiar with bounties, Uncle? Anyone would've been rewarded for bringing you in."

"Brother! They weren't bringing us in alive. Don't you understand you both almost cost us our lives?!" Unafraid to speak up Lucerys takes a step toward our brother and Jacaerys' looks on in surprise, his mouth open but words failing him.

With a few deafening moments of silence, Aemond clears his throat, "Go on, Stark. Tell them your intentions."

Cregan raises a puzzled eyebrow, standing straight up and widening his shoulders back as if to appear more intimidating, but nothing he did could compete with Aemond's arrogant grin.

"Intentions, my prince?"

Aemond curls back his lip in annoyance, "Hmm. It was only a coincidence that your sister was assigned as my wife's handmaiden?"

When the words are finally uttered aloud every face on the right side of the room drains of color and Aemond's suspicions are realized.

Cregan stiffens as he locks eyes with Sara and I can't believe I hadn't noticed the resemblance before. Aemond must've thought me stupid to have not seen what he had within a day of being here.

"I wanted someone I could trust in her service-"

"Someone who could report back to you, you mean?" He spits back but there's a slight noise from the corner of the room.

"Forgive me, my prince. But I was never meant to spy on the princess, only to look after her." At the soft sound of Sara's timid voice we make eye contact for the first time but this time she doesn't look away, she holds my gaze pleading with me with her eyes much like her brothers.

"Forgive me, Ms.Snow but there isn't much of a distinguishable difference is there?"

When Aemond speaks directly to Sara, Jacaerys takes hold of her hand and though I wish I could feel happy for them, I couldn't, not when he was promised to my sister. Baela was not some stranger he could forget about and move on from, they shared love but of what kind I wasn't quite sure anymore.

"I won't have my honor questioned any further, Prince Aemond. I've only sought to protect her during your... absence."

With Cregan's emphasis on the word, Aemond narrows his violet eye at the Warden of the North.

"I don't only question your honor, I question your motives. You tried to have us killed-" He growls taking a step forward but I lock my arm with his tugging him back when I recognize the familiar tone.

"What is it you want from him, Uncle?!"

Aemond chuckles to himself, glancing around the room in disbelief when I step in between them having had quite enough.

"An apology would be a good start Jacaerys. You never, not once thanked him for saving Lucerys! All Aemond's done for me, for this family? Will any of it ever be enough for you?!"

Cregan hangs his head, rightfully ashamed at the position he and Jace had taken but my brother is as stubborn as ever, "Elaena, we never would've put that bounty on his head unless-"

"She's right, Jace." 

When Cregan's booming voice settles the matter no one else in the room dared make a move beside Aemond of course who tilts his pointed chin in his direction, intrigued.

The Warden of the North twists his neck in an effort to crack his sore bones, but he fights his pride standing up straight to face not only Aemond but Lucerys as well.

"The bounty was a mistake. One made out of rashness and anger... Jacaerys and I can only be thankful that it wasn't a dire one." Cregan's words are genuine but as he says them his gaze darts to me oblivious to the fact that Aemond wasn't watching him with murder in his lavender eye.

In an attempt to ignore him my attention turns to Jace but I wasn't the only one watching my brother expectantly. 

"Jace," Cregan prompts, growing impatient with the matter. Jacaerys almost jumps two feet at his friend's harsh tone but he does as he's told reluctantly. 

"Of course we're thankful-"

"Are you?" I step forward and I can almost feel Aemond's proud grin as he reaches for me, wrapping a few fingers around my wrist but Jacaerys is still shocked at my outburst.

He goes to open his mouth but there's a reverent knock on the door.

"Not now," Cregan goes to wave them off but one of his men calls out from the other side of the door, "It's a raven from the Queen, my lord. For Princess Elaena and Prince Aemond,"

At the mention of my mother the air in the room shifts, and everyone including myself holds their breath. 

Without thinking I go for the door, hardly paying the man any mind before taking the small scroll he held up in between his fingers to inspect the seal.

"Seems you've been saved by your mother yet again, Jacaerys." Aemond chuckles under his breath, but his grin vanishes when I look back at him, my face pale.

This letter could hold so much and as the possibilities flood my mind it begins to be too much.

My feet stay planted in their spot despite the room of eyes now on me but a firm grip takes my elbow. 

"Perhaps we finish this riveting discussion in the morning, hm?" Aemond does well of ushering me out, helping me walk as though I'd forgotten how.

The walk to our chamber is a somber one, the air still tense with the frustrations that bubble just below the surface as I fiddle with the scroll.

Aemond keeps to himself, still very much angry from the tense exchange between Cregan and Jace but I couldn't blame him. From the very moment I'd come back to him my family had rolled him over the coals, fighting him at every turn when all he'd done wrong was fall in love with me.

As we approach the door he holds it open like the gentleman he is, closing it behind us with the twist of a lock to ensure our privacy.

When I place the sealed letter on the table I lose track of the world outside this room, leaning back into Aemond's warm embrace I can feel his fatigue and I realize he hadn't gotten the time to rest as he should have properly.

Turning I rest a palm on his chest, frowning as I peered into his tired eye. "You're exhausted, my Prince. Perhaps it can wait for the morning,"

With a half smile at my concern, he runs a hand through my hair pushing it out of my face to take a long tender look at me.

"No my love, it can't. If your father sent a raven this late it must be of importance." His low gravelly voice brings goosebumps across my entire body but what makes my knees weak is the soft kiss he places just below my ear.

I hum in contentment, my mind drifting with each breath he took against my neck.

"Open it, Elaena. Read it to me,"

His command has my hands shaking in anticipation of what comes next. Continuing his trail down my skin I turn to lean over the table struggling to open the scroll while Aemond starts on the ties of my dress unprompted.

"My daughter, I hope this reaches you and Prince Aemond well. The moment your mother heard the news of Lucerys she was insistent she come right away, but I assured her he's in capable hands if all of what you've written is true."

At my father's unlikely kind words, Aemond's graceful motion comes to a sudden halt.

"Hmph. Go on," He murmurs, untangling the many twists and braids in my hair but his touch remains gentle despite his curt tone.

Scanning over the next few lines I realize the letter is an apology and my body stiffens in Aemond's hold.

An apology.

Though Aemond and I had deserved this apology the unsettling feeling in my gut persists.

"What is it, my love?" He asks softly, pressing a kiss to the curve of my neck but I hold up the small scroll for him to take a look for himself.

Reluctantly he takes his hands from my waist to take the scroll, his eyebrow quirking up as his violet eye scanned over its contents.

"And you're sure this is his hand?" He asks but I can only chuckle.

"It is."

Our eyes lock for a lingering moment before he turns his attention back to the scroll.

"I speak for both your mother and me when I say how relieved we are that our assumptions were only that, assumptions. Though I know these thin words on parchment will not suffice for the allegations made I write them to you my daughter, nonetheless."

At some point Aemond's elegant tongue morphs to that of my father. As he reads the letter aloud I find myself pacing along the foot of the bed and the worthless words drag on.

Instead of taking a seat on the bed, I wrap my arms around my legs, praying the contrast of the cold floor will calm me.

With Aemond's back still towards me, he doesn't notice my shift at first but when my haggard breath passes my lips he turns abruptly in shock when he sees me on the floor.

"Elaena," He whispers, crouching to be next to me without a second thought.

Effortlessly my strong prince lifts me if only to bring me into his lap so I'm no longer alone on the cold hard floor.

Even as tears streaked down my face I felt like a fool. An apology had been everything I'd wanted for Aemond and me but now that I'd gotten it in some aspect it did nothing to dull the betrayal.

"This is silly of me." I scoff.

"No. You've fought your own battles this past week or so and you've fought them alone, my song."

Somehow somewhere a dam bursts within me and the sobs I thought I'd been rid of are back to strangle me once more.

What if Aemond hadn't been home at all?

Was this only a dream too?

It had to be after all that happened. It was too much between Jace's 'endeavors' and the argument that came after.

Involuntarily my grip on the arms around me tightens but it does nothing to quell the pain.

"It's not real- it's not real-" I mutter to myself rocking back and forth.

"What's not real, Elaena?" My handsome knight panics reaching for my face but I pull away shaking my head, "This, you, you're not here- t-that letter-"

"My love, you said it yourself it's in his hand-" his trembling voice trails off as his attention shifts but I keep my eyes clamped shut reaching into the darkness for reality.

"Elaena listen to me, listen to my voice." He whispers, his lips a breath from my neck before he presses a soft tender kiss on the pale skin, taking my hand in his to place my fingers expertly on his pulse.

"Do you feel that? Do you feel my cold heart beating for you?" He asks and after a long moment, I nodded, mesmerized by the quick thumping just beneath the skin on his neck.

With my touch, the beat quickens but steadies itself as he takes a deep breath almost out of relief, "That's it. Focus on that rhythm Elaena, paghagon syt nyke."
*Breathe for me.

It wasn't often that Aemond Targaryen sounded fearful of anything, but his voice was quivering with concern as he clung to me with all the strength he possessed in his body.

After all, the demons in my head could not be slain with his sword.

Somehow, my breathing slows and the dream never fades because it's in fact reality. 

"Aemond," I breathe, reaching for him as if I've been broken from my spell, and his sharp features ease at the sound of his name passing my lips in relief. 

"I've got you," He assures me, running his long fingers through my knotted hair.

I'm not sure how long passes but for what feels like hours the both of us don't move an inch, tangled in one another so tight not even the gods could tear us apart.

"nyke've jiōraton ao ñuha jorrāelagon," he whispers before I drift off into the most peaceful sleep I'd had in days, months, possibly years.
*I've got you, my love.

***