I just wanted to make it clear I will not be portraying Aegon as a rapist. I am taking more of a book-accurate approach with him. While he did get handsy with the serving ladies and fathered many bastards, there were never any heavy allegations of rape. And the book Aegon also deeply cared for his brothers He only agreed to be king because Alicent told him his brothers would die if he didn't + Aegon wanted statues built of his brothers after their death. So just saying.

Also this is a lil bit of a shorter chapter, explanation at the bottom

"I should get back," Visenya mumbled. She and Rhaenys were sitting outside and her head was in her grandmother's lap as they enjoyed the afternoon on the beach with their dragons.

"All you need to do is send a raven and I will be at the wedding. You are also free to visit at any time."

Visenya tearfully bid her grandmother farewell and set off on Grey Ghost back to King's Landing. Hopefully, now that the relationship had been mended, her grandmother would become a support and she could count on her. Rhaenys would have been a far better queen and Visenya wondered if she was letting her down by not fighting for her birthright. But in doing such a thing, she would be putting Aemond within reach of the throne.

Grey Ghost landed on his beach and let out a grunt as he stretched out his neck and his wings before laying down. It was interesting to think that dragons were once normally as large as Vhagar and Balerion but now didn't get much larger than Meleys or Vermithor. The Dragon Pit was a factor of course.

Her mother's dragon was known as a spoiled one. Syrax wouldn't even hunt for herself and didn't go out to fly unless Rhaenyra was atop her. Dragons didn't belong in pits and they needed to be able to hunt for themselves or the stunted growth would continue.

"I wish you could bring forth clutches of eggs," She said as she got off of the resting dragon. "We could bring on a new age of dragons, ones that can grow to their potential. Healthy dragons that could even conquer Dorne once and for all."

Grey Ghost didn't give much of a response, he just closed his eyes and huffed. "Arse," She grinned and rubbed his snout. She had definitely flown him more than usual, he deserved to call it a night. But she also knew the flight was good for him.

She walked up the steps and entered the castle, readjusting her tunic. Her breasts had begun to swell with womanhood but not by much, just enough to make her tunic tight.

"Oh, there she is!" Alicent almost cried when Visenya entered the dining hall for a late supper where everyone was still seated.

"I am fine," Visenya shifted awkwardly at the door, her braid now messy from flying. "I told Aemond to tell you I was flying to Driftmark."

"We were worried you'd never come back," Aegon grinned, pouring a cup of wine. Helaena sat at the table with a new trinket in her hand.

"She will always come back. This is her home now. Five eyes of purple, two wings of grey, two of green, two of blue. The maiden speaks true, the king speaks of blood. Fewer spools of black, more of the green."

Visenya's frown twisted in confusion as whatever prophecy Helaena was speaking to her. She could make out some of the context clues but she didn't believe her. Not all of her prophecies were true.

"I just had to see my grandmother. She and I have always been closer than the rest of my family. I do apologize for the sudden departure without warning," Visenya said with a small nod.

"It is alright. You are not a prisoner here, Visenya." Alicent responded. "You and Aemond are officially courting now, I expect you two to be spending more time together. There are wedding plans to be made. Visenya, were you ever given dance lessons?"

Visenya's cheeks blushed as she shook her head. "No."

"Do you know anything?" Aemond finally piped in.

Visenya clenched her fists and glared at him. Her patience was wearing thin and she was on the verge of losing her composure. "Yes, Uncle, I know how to be annoying."

Aegon snickered and Helaena raised her arm with a smile. "I can teach her how to dance!"

"Perfect," Alicent said with a forced smile, clearly not amused with any of their schemes.

"I can teach her how to please for the bedding -" Before Aegon could fully finish, Aemond was stabbing the back of his hand with a fork.

He started to growl something at Aegon but Visenya couldn't make out the words. Aegon got an expression of pure terror on his face before looking at Visenya and his mother. "Sorry."

"I can't handle anymore of you," She sighed and waved her hand dismissively. "I am going to bed."

Visenya caught the eye of Ser Criston, someone she had been avoiding since her arrival. The deep gash on her eyebrow was enough to make her hate him for a lifetime.

"Princess," Criston remarked as he followed Alicent out of the room.

She shifted uncomfortably, looking down at her hands. Ser Criston was one of the only people she genuinely feared. He wasn't beyond pinning a little girl down and trying to take her eye. It didn't much worse.

"Sister, would you like to come to say goodnight to the twins with me?" Helaena asked.

Sister.

The name made her smile and she nodded. "I would love to, Helaena. I can't believe how much they have grown."

"I can't believe I have one-year-old twins," Helaena looped her arm with Visenya's as they walked down the hall.

"Well, I am honored to be their only Aunt at the moment. My mother doesn't count as their aunt because she has never met them."

"Between you and Aemond, they are lucky. Aemond visits them frequently. He was there when Morghul and Shrykos hatched. Sometimes in the evening, he will come to watch over them and read stories. He will be an amazing father himself."

Here she was, cursing Aemond in her mind, and he was actually doing decent things. She was beginning to believe Aemond deserved better than her. He deserved a trueborn noble lady, he deserved a wife that wasn't such a bitch, and someone that wanted to give him a plethora of children.

And someone that hadn't taken his eye.

-

After that that, Aemond actively avoided her. When she would walk the halls and see him, he turned in the opposite direction. He stopped the Valryian and self-defense lessons and avoided all eye contact with her at shared meals.

Visenya started to wonder what she did this time to receive the newfound resentment but she didn't have much time to think about it. Wedding plans were going full force and it got down to only a fortnight before the celebration before she heard that her mother had received the invitation and would be coming.

"Have you heard from your own family?" Visenya asked Brella as she clipped her nails.

"Yes, my family is doing fine. They seem to struggle a bit with my father's income but they seem to be happy and are pleased with my station here, happy that I was given to someone nice. There are some ladies that would be a nightmare to deal with."

"I hear Lady Johanna Lannister is a piece of work. But I have never heard of a nice Lannister. Cunning bitches if you ask me," Visenya grinned.

"Princess, what an unladylike tongue," Brella laughed.

A knock came on her door and for a second, Visenya feared it was her mother's arrival. She did not want to spend the next two weeks with her mother. A few days before the wedding would be okay but not weeks.

Brella set the clippers down and rushed to the door. She cracked it open and Aemond pushed himself into the room. "Get in your riding leathers, we train today. We have weeks to catch up on."

"No," Visenya shook her head.

"Fucking hells, Visenya, I don't want to deal with your fucking attitude. Just get changed and do as you are fucking told."

Visenya's eyes widened at his sudden outburst and nodded. "Fine. I will meet you on the shore."

"Hm," He huffed and left her room, closing the door behind him.

"What the fuck is his problem?" She groaned and got up. There was nothing she hated more than training, especially with Aemond being the one training her.

"My mother once told me the more a man acts as if he hates you, the more he actually likes you. At this rate, the prince is irrevocably in love with you," Brella giggled and grabbed Visenya her riding leathers.

"Oh, now I know you are full of the finest shit," Visenya laughed and got changed. Brella spent at least half an hour giving her an elegant braid comprised of smaller braids. The style had truly now been fashioned her own in the castle. None of the women in her family wore intensive braids like such and she had Brella to thank for helping her find her niche.

Visenya descended onto the beach and saw Aemond waving his sword around, hitting it into the air. He looked pissed and frustrated and this was the worst time she could be around him.

"You want me to be around you when you are in a murderous mood? I would be the first person you would want to kill," Visenya frowned.

"Surprisingly, you are not." He set the sword down and sat at the table they used for Valyrian lessons.

"What's with the foul mood?"

"Well, Visenya, believe it or not, you aren't the only person being forced into a marriage," He said with an eye roll.

"Then why don't you go to your father and complain?"

"Where do you think I was this morning, Niece? He looked at me and thought I was Daemon. At least your parents are lucid enough to recognize you."

"I wish they didn't!" She yelled. "I don't want any of this, you arse! I am tired of having this fight with you. I am tired of fighting in general and I don't want a marriage of just constant fighting."

Visenya heard Grey Ghost flying above the beach before landing behind her as he felt her distress. She reached out to place a hand on his snout and he relaxed next to her.

"Then let me let you in on a secret. Reports have reached our dragon keepers from the ones on Dragonstone. Syrax is nesting. Since your mother has not made a public announcement, she will likely use this wedding to do so. If you don't want a marriage of fights, then we have to find a way to be civil. There is my olive branch. Be prepared."

Visenya placed her hand over her heart. This was more than her mother having another babe. This was another babe with Daemon. This was another babe with the man she loved, the man that was also her own father. But she would never be good enough for him and yet they get to have more children and he gets to love them.

Daemon wasn't overly affectionate but he acted well with Aegon the Younger. It was far from fair that she was their bastard but then they get to go on and have more children and they didn't have to live through any ridicule. Those boys would be treated like highborn boys. She was a highborn girl and yet she was never taken seriously.

"You look angry, Visenya," Aemond said, a smirk forming on his face.

Angry was not enough to describe the pure hatred she felt for Daemon. Anger was meant for surface enemies and annoying people. Daemon was entirely the reason she breathed air of contempt. Her ire ran deep in her blood. Her wrath was only just getting tapped into and when she finds it one day, he will regret everything. Because Visenya was finally beginning to understand her house words. She was no Velaryon, not truly. And when she marries Aemond, she will be able to claim the last name and words.

Visenya Targaryen. Fire and Blood.

So yes, this chapter is a bit shorter and the pacing skips around a bit. We are very close to the wedding and I am working on that.

But today I had to put my dog down and I don't have it in me to write extensively. He was a 16-year-old dachshund and he had been in my life for 14 years. He was everything to me.

For those of you that followed along with Bloody Bravado, you also know I lost my grandma in February and I was very close with her. So this year has been fucking me in the ass without lube.

I am also stressing bc I move cross country a week from tomorrow. So updates will be wonky.