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FOUR;
『 THE PURPLE GEM 』

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ㅤ     MY FEET CARRY ME AT A SPRINT ALL THE WAY TO THE DRAGON PIT. I don't slow, I don't trip. I don't stop until I reach the destination in which I had seeked out- the spot at the dragon pit that hangs over the cliff and looks out onto the ocean. My breath fills and releases as I stuff lungs with air. I turn and face the path. Aemond runs down. Eventually, when he reaches me, he places his hands on his knees and gasps for breath. I stand with my hands on my hips. That little run had been so exhilarating I had forgotten all about the cold air, at least for a moment.

He throws his head back and sucks in more air. A cloud of breath puffs in front of his face. Finally, he faces me. His eye glimmers in the mid day sun. He sheathes the blade back into his boot.

"You're quick as a mouse." He says between breaths. I bend down into a deep bow. The glimmer of play and fun still dwindles around us, although the spark is extinguished the moment I catch sight of Alicent and Aegon walking through the gardens. They haven't quite caught sight of us, but it will be only moment until they do.

They round the corner, and immediately their eyes land on us. We hadn't even a moment to slink away, unseen. The two approach us. Aegon somehow convinces Aemond to join him on the walk. Alicent stays behind, with me. I curse Aemond under my breath for leaving me with his fail of a mother, but I don't believe he sees her as I do- a vile and repulsive creature made do destroy.

She smiles, though I can see the falseness in it. "You and Aemond seem to be getting alone quite well." She claims. She's not wrong, unfortunately. I hate to admit that in fact she's quite right.

"Indeed," I say. "Don't mess up, Alerhya." Her voice sends a chill through me. "One wrong move, one mistake, and neither you nor your family will ever see Dragonstone again." Her voice is poisonous as a snakes fangs. She grins as she walks away. I clench and unclench my jaw a few times to refrain from walking up behind her and wrapping her into a headlock. I barely fight the urge.

Even as a Queen, she has no place to threaten me as she does now. She has me trapped and she knows it. But what she does not know is that I am a mouse, and a mouse can always wriggle away undetected if cornered. I watch with hasty eyes as she approaches the two white-haired brothers walking side by side. I can tell Aemond dislikes this walk, based off his body language- the way he drags his feet and never parts his lips to say something.

Since I'm already dressed in some type of armor, I decide to take advantage of the situation and go out for a ride. I climb up on one of the stone benches stationed just outside the dragon pit and place three fingers in my mouth. I blow hard and a clear, clean whistle escapes from my lips. I look to the sky, the coast.

Within moment I see a pair of jet black laced with blue flapping in my direction. Ghaelar emerges from the clouds, hurdling straight for me. I'll have to mount him running. We've practiced it before. It's difficult indeed. I watch him until I decide it's a good time to start running. Full speed, I take off. My boots slam against the stone ground of the dragon pit. I time myself based off how close I hear his wings.

Just before we reach the stairs leading out of the pit, I see his muzzle next to me. I grin and swerve left. With all my strength, I lift myself from the ground. I fly onto his back, barely managing to grab the handles of the mount. A rush of adrenaline runs through me. Half a second later and I would've missed the mount completely and flown across his back, landing on the stone.

I pull up before we hit the stairs. Ghaelar listens. He barrels toward the sky. I look down at the gardens as we ascend. The group of three has stopped to look at me. I grin wider and wave. There's nothing I love more than seeing people grow smaller as I take to the sky. After the others have continued the walk, Aemond continues to stare at me in the sky. I keep looking at him, as well, until I hit the clouds and my vision is taken over my puffy white clouds and the beaming sun.

I stroke the scales of Ghaelar's neck. I feel the heat radiating from his body like a furnace. He's probably been flying all day long, exploring these lands once again. It's been years since he's been here, and last time he was here, he'd be locked away in the dragon pit when he wasn't being ridden. Though, now that I've found my voice, I will not allow him to be locked away again.

We barrel left and fly over the Red Keep. It looks so small from up here, so minuscule. As a young girl, I would stare at the walls from the outside and take it all in. From there, so young, it looked so enormous and terrifying. From up here it doesn't look threatening at all.

We enjoy about an hour of riding before I decide that both of us are pretty exhausted. Though Ghaelar will never truly slow down, I can tell when he's tired. I manage to land us relatively smoothly in the dragon pit. The guards don't try anything this time. They let me remove his mount and put it away. They don't try to prod at him or give me a hard time, they just watch with judging eyes. Once I've finished, I give him the command and Ghaelar flies off with a happy roar. He'll find some place quiet to rest, away from the other dragons and the men.

Viserys, of all people, is the first person I see when I enter through the castle gates. He's dressed in fine silks, which surprises me even more. Every few moments, it seems, he pulls out his cloth and coughs into it. Sickness isn't being friendly to him. He sees me and strides over.

"All these fine silks," I point out. "What's the occasion?" Not that I really care, but there's no getting past Viserys without having some sort of conversation. Whether you want to or not. He's the type to start talking and not stop either until he has a coughing fit or eventually runs out of things to say.

"I've spent the morning rewriting my testament." He replies with a teethy grin. I shudder at the deep yellow of his teeth and turn away before I puke. I simply nod and swallow down the bile rising in my throat.

"That's a very important document," I reply with a bit of surprise to my voice. "What's the occasion?" I question. He licks his lips and presses his cloth to his lips. He takes in a chocked breath, as if he's about to cough.

"Well, you see, due to my age-" he's cut off my a sudden series of sharp coughs sputtering from his throat. I pat his shoulder for support as he wheezes and scratches. Finally, after what seems like endless minutes, he folds the cloth up.

"Forgive me Alerhya, I must go to my chambers and see to my medicine." He says sincerely before waddling away inside. I stand there, blinking. I've never heard someone cough for so long or so disturbingly before. I feel disgusting now, having been so close to someone so sick.

As much as I love my grandfather, I do resent him for marrying Alicent. I understand he can't just leave her, though he does have options. She is a cruel and mad woman clouded by the storm of ambition. She's had it out for Rhaenyra for countless years. Once, they were close friends, now Alicent only sees myself and my family as a hell spawn. Sometimes, when I'm enraged with her, I find myself praying that a dragon crushes her.

Despite all the footsteps moving around in the courtyard, it's the steps of Aemond that I can recognize before I even see him. He turns the corner and sees me. Thankfully, he's alone, no longer accompanied by his terrible mother or hellish brother. He stands in front of me with this terribly wounded look on his face.

"I cannot believe you left me in those gardens all by my lonesome." He places a hand over his heart, as if he's truly wounded. He may not exactly appreciate the company of his brother, but I do know he doesn't hate his mother nearly as much as I do. He just wanted me there so I'd be miserable too.

"I decided that going for a ride sounded more exciting." My voice taunts him with joy. He rolls his eye and leans against the pillar towering just behind him. He does look quite exhausted, based on the light purple forming under his eye.

"That mount of yours was truly something spectacular." He comments with a slyness about his voice. I cant help but feel the ghost of a grin take over my lips. If anyone else had complimented me on it, I would have just said thank you and carried on. But, the way Aemond says it just makes his comment all the more fueling.

"I know," I say. "You couldn't stop staring." I tease. I couldn't stop staring at him, either, but he already knows that.

"How could I?" He tilts his head. My heart tumbles. "I mean," he shrugs. "You mounted Ghaelar so swiftly. It was a spectacle." He explains. I narrow my eyes at him.

     "Maybe I'll teach you if you're good." I joke. He tilts his head up, as if his head needs to be any further away from me. There are a few feet of space separating us, a few feet too many, I decide.

     "I'm always on my best behavior." He claims with a sarcastic tone. I wouldn't even need the tone in his voice to know that he isn't being truthful. I begin walking towards the doors that separate the courtyard from the inside castle walls. Immediately, I hear Aemond's footsteps behind me. He doesn't say a word to me until we step through the doors and begin down the hallway.

     "Where are you off too, Princess?" He questions, as if he wants to know. I wonder curiously why he's decided to drag on the conversation, but I decide not to question it.

     "To my chambers, to change out of this ridiculous men's armor." I reply. I feel his gaze study me, though I don't turn and face him. I keep walking as though I don't feel his eye beaming into me.

      "Which means you'll have to leave me all alone." I taunt. I extend my hand and push his chest. He stumbles and falls into the shadows of the hallway. We're just feet away from my chambers and he's not invited inside- certainly not. He watches me up until I shut the doors behind me.

      I shut my eyes as I step inside and savor the picture of him in the shadows, looks so hungry and so needy. I know he stands on the other side of these stone walls, staring at the door which I just entered through. He's wondering if he should knock and invite himself in, but he knows it's too much of a risk. He knows that if he does, he may get caught. It could ruin his reputation, and mine. He won't take that chance. Not yet, at least.

      My dress has been placed inside my chambers, laid out on my bed. Since the sun still shines, I decide to dress for the public eye rather than in my nightgown. I pull on a simple light blue dress. It's not too dressy but not too casual. I smooth the bumps of my braid down and dot some pigment onto my cheeks and lips. I stare at myself in the mirror for a brief moment.

      All I see is the mixture of my mother and father. My mothers nose, my fathers eyes. I hate that my favorite part of myself, my eyes, is the part of myself which resembles my father the most. I stride back over to the doors and open them, just to allow some air to flow inside. Though, I'm not greeted by an empty hall. Aemond still lingers in the shadows, leaning against a pillar.

"Why are you still here?" My voice is emotionless. He slowly leans away from the pillar and slowly walks toward me, taking his sweet time. Once he gets to the doors I step back and allow him entry. He pulls the door closed behind him. I watch with my arms crossed over my chest.

"Don't close the door-" my sentence is cut off by his violent glare. It shocks me.

"What?" He whispers. "Afraid someone might get the wrong idea?" He asks. "Let them." His voice could lift me off my feet. I try not to think about his closeness, how his body nearly presses against mine and how he has to look down to see me and how his eye cuts into me.

His lips slowly and shakily press towards mine. I can't allow his lips to touch mine. It would make me no longer innocent. I fear it too much. I fear my mother and everyone else will be able to see that I've been disgraceful. I press my finger to his lips just before they have the chance to touch my own. I shake my head.

      "I can't." I whisper. My voice is scarcely soft. I can see the desire fade from his eyes. I'm afraid I'll never see it again. Have I made a mistake? Should I have allowed him to kiss me? A river of thoughts pour through my mind.

      "I know." He says. He rests his forehead on mine. I crane my neck to reach him. He cranes his neck to reach me. He rests his hands on my shoulder, I rest my hand on his cheek.

      We've never been so close before. I've never felt his warmth like this before. I've never felt so many emotions at once. His touch on me, the closeness of his lips. My mind fogs like a winter morning. I haven't seen him in years, yet now I return to find myself trapped in his presence. My heart pounds in my chest. I'm afraid it may escape through me. His hands clench the fabric of my dress like he holds on for dear life. He wants to feel me so badly, to taste me. He cannot. It would be shameful. His touch has never felt so soft and so peaceful. He strokes my shoulder with his thumb, back and forth, like a rhythm.

      I never want the moment to end. I never want to stop feeling how I feel in this moment. My fingers slowly trail from his cheek to the patch over his eye. The leather is smooth against my fingers. He shuts his eye as I trace the circle with my finger.

     "How," I whisper. "What happened?" I ask. It's a question I've wanted to know since I arrived here, but between everything happening I haven't had a chance to. His grip on my shoulders tighten. I can tell I've hit a patch of roughness with my words.

      "One evening," he begins. "Aegon and I were training. Many years ago. We had been arguing for many days prior over the throne, or perhaps something else. It was a childish argument." He explains. "He slashed me in the eye, simply. The whole thing came out. I thought I was dead for sure. Though, I survived. For some reason." He days. His voice is scarce and scarred. I can feel the pain and the hurt in his voice. I wish I could trade places with him. I wish he wouldn't feel this pain and carry it with him as he does.

      His eye opens. Gently, I prod my finger under the patch. I push my eyebrows together, asking for permission. He nods, slightly. I pull the patch up. There's a long scar that has now aged stretching from his eyebrow to his cheekbone. Where his eye had been is now replaced with a bright purple gemstone. I stare at the object in the place of his eye. I wonder why he chose that stone, that color, but I decide that I've asked enough questions for the evening. I place the patch back over his eye. A shudder runs through him.

       "You are so brave, Aemond." I whisper. He blinks slowly. I wish he knew how I saw him. I wish he knew how brave and how special I believe him to be.

       "You're too kind." He replied with a softness to his voice. Silence overtakes us, though it is soon replaced by the sound of a knock that scatters my thoughts. Panic rises.

       "Hide!" I say in a raised whisper. He takes off to the bathing chambers. I wait until he's out of sight to open the door, though before I can press my hand to grab the handle, it opens.

       Alicent steps inside. More panic rises inside me. If she sees Aemond in here, questions will be raised. Actions will be made. Perhaps she may think we're being intimate and call off the wedding and capture my family and I as a result. She does not close the door behind here, therefore I can only hope that she plans to stay only for a short period of time.

       "Dinner will be held in the courtyard tonight," she says. "Change into something nicer." She huffs then walks back through the door, not bothering to close it behind her. I scurry to the bathing chambers. Aemond is pressed up against the wall as if he's trying to blend into it. He sees me, then the fact that I'm alone, and bursts out laughing.

       I too fall into a bellyache of laughter.

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