────────────

────────────

NINE;
『 IMMORAL SPIRITS 』

────────────

ㅤ ANOTHER FULL DAY IS SPENT IN THE STUDY. It is myself, my mother and father, Aemond, and Lucerys all crammed into the room. Lucerys, the still young boy that he is, shifts in his seat next to me. I can tell he is getting frustrated. Dusk is beginning to break over the horizon. None of us had had lunch or breakfast. We are hungry and we are tired.

       Suddenly the doors to the study blow open. A knight enters the room and stiffs into a bow. "The Prince Jacaerys." The knight says. He steps to the side and my brother enters the room. His hair is much longer and there seems to be facial hair coming onto his face. He looks worn and exhausted. The days of his boyhood seem to be long gone. Mother is the first to flee to him. She hugs him tightly then makes a comment about the length of his hair.

       Lucerys and I follow close behind. We each pull him into a hug. He smells of horse manure and sweat. His eyes drift to Aemond, who sits firmly planted in his chair, but he does not say anything or ask any questions.

       "Jacaerys," Daemon says. "Your Knighthood is not yet over. What brings you here?" He asks. Every pair of eyes shift to my father who leans on the large desk in the center of the room.

       "I was informed of the tensions growing with the Greens and decided that I would break from my Knighthood and help my family. It seems as though you could use some help, no?" He questions my father. It seems as thought with being surrounded by only men for months, he's found his voice in the midst. He would never usually speak to my father in such a way.

My father steps toward him and slams a hand on his shoulder. "It's good to have you back home." His voice has slight fondness in it but his face shows no such expression. My father takes Jacaerys over to the table and begins explaining to him what he has begun mapping.

"You three may go and prepare for dinner. It will be held in the dining chambers." My mother says. She approaches the table with the map and enters the conversation between my brother and father. With a huff, Aemond gets up from his seat and the three of us drag our feet to the doors. Lucerys takes off to the left, completely opposite of the dining chambers.

"Would you like to go for a ride, perhaps?" I ask Aemond. His eyes widen briefly then they slant back to their tame state. I believe it took him a few moments to comprehend that I meant Dragon riding.

"Oh," he says, blinking heavily. "I would not like to skip dinner. It is important that we eat." His words are jumbled like I've never heard them before. It baffles me that it takes just a few words for his cheeks to grow rosy and his words to become hazed and confused.

"After dinner, that is." I reply. He nods quickly. I snicker and begin down the hall to the dining chambers. He follows behind me by just a few paces. He seems to be in deep constructed thoughts. There is much to talk about, but I do not wish to disturb him. I sneak a few glances over my shoulder and peek at him. His head is bent slightly and his eyes follow the ground. I've never seen him quite so embarrassed before.

We are the only two in the dining chambers aside from the servants placing the silverware on the table. We sit beside one another in silence as the women in red dresses scatter around doing their tasks. The last of them finally trickle out and then we are alone. The air in the room seems oddly heavy.

"I apologize for my previous words. I hadn't realized they may be taken so differently than I had intended." I keep my voice quiet despite the room being empty. The doors could open at any moment and I could not have anyone else hearing what I have to say.

"It was my own foolishness," he says, looking over at me. "My mind seems to have jumped to a place it shouldn't have." He has collected his words again. They are no jumbled. They have returned to their true form state.

"One's mind would not wander like that if it hasn't before." I raise an eyebrow. He takes in a gulp of air.

"Perhaps I have quite a vivid imagination." His eye narrows at me. A chill runs through my entire body. Suddenly it is incredibly hard to breath as I find myself wondering what possible scenarios he may have imagined me in.

Suddenly the doors swing open and my family enters. Rhaenyra and Daemon take their seats at opposite heads of the tables and the rest of my brothers file in on their respective sides of the table. Aegon and Viserys, my youngest brothers, I have not seen much of since I have been back. They've just started their studies therefore have been locked away behind closed doors with open books.

The meal begins after prayers are said. I begin sipping on the soup as conversation begins to fill the room. Jacaerys is talking about his Knighthood and what it was like. My eyes drift to Aemond. His eye finds mine the moment I look to him. I snap my head away before my eyes linger on him a moment longer. His foot moves under the table. The side of his boot taps my ankle. He should not be touching me like this, not during a family meal.

I glare at him. He catches me eye but he does not stop. In fact, I feel his boot sliding up my leg, beneath the fabric of my dress. His boot scrapes my bare skin. I kick him away with my foot as quietly as I can. He pulls his foot back as though he's done nothing wrong to begin with.

       The rest of dinner is spent listening to multiple conversations and stories and fighting Aemond's kicking foot away. Finally, things wrap up and everyone is dismissed their separate ways. After dinner I catch Jacaerys in the hall outside of the dining chambers and we converse for a few minutes before he excuses himself, claiming exhaustion. I hug him once again and then he shuffles away with heavy feet and tired eyes.

       "Would you still like to go on a ride?" I ask, turning to face Aemond. His eyes flash again with surprise but then they lower once again to their natural state.

      "You are teasing me at this rate," he states. "I'm quite tired, Princess. I'm afraid I may collapse if I fly to the clouds tonight." I turn to face him completely, with my entire body, and narrows my eyes at him.

       "You're too tired to come to my chambers?" I tilt my head to the side. His jaw clenches. His lips firm. I turn and begin waltzing down the hall. Gently, he grabs my upper arm and I spin towards him.

       "Now that I think about it," he starts. "I am not that tired." His eyes glimmer as the candle on the wall illuminates the side of his face. I nod then begin walking towards my chambers. He walks behind me with long strides, as if I'm taking far too long to get there for his liking.

       I push open the doors to my chambers and wave him inside. He looks confused as I back out of the room and call a knight from the hallway. I tell him to guard my chambers and that any information I am to receive should be given with a knock on my doors. He nods in understanding and takes his post. I thank him and enter, closing the doors firmly behind myself. My heart races as I see Aemond. He stands in the center of the room. I cant look him in the eyes. I cannot believe I've invited him into my chambers. I cannot believe I'm mentally preparing myself for what is about to come.

       I take a few steps toward him but stop. I'm too nervous. My heart slams in my chest like a galloping steed. His eye scans me. He breaks the distance between us with just  a few strides. In a moment he's standing over me. He takes my chin in his hand and moves my head to look up at him. I take in a long breath of air as I watch his eye wander from my eyes to my lips. He leans down and plants his lips on mine. I savor the reality of the situation. My trembling hands make their way to his tunic. I tug at the fabric which lifts swiftly. I begin to pull it up. He breaks our kiss, only for a moment, when I pull the shirt from his body and toss it to the floor. We share a few more kisses before his hands travel to the sleeves of my dress.

       "Alerhya," his voice makes my stomach churn. "What we are doing is immoral." He says as if I don't already know. "Tell me to stop now and I will. I will stop and I will not return to these action until you tell me I might." He whispers. I look into his eye. I hear the sincerity in his voice. He's giving me the option, the option to say no and to forget like this ever happened. But I do not want to forget. I do not want to imagine. I want it to happen.

       I shake my head. He exhales and and pulls down the sleeves of my dress. Today I've worn a gown more flowy. It has just one button, on the back near the collar. He unbuttons without needing me to turn around. He uses his fingers and he feels his way. He unclips it with ease. The dress slips to my ankles. I step out of it. Both of his hands draw to my back, where he unlaces the strings of my corset without a single moment of hesitation or thought. He does it as though he's been waiting for this moment his entire life. As he unties it, before the piece has a change to drop it, he keeps it covering me.

        "Are you sure?" He asks.

        "I have never been so certain." I answer. I'm not sure how true that is. I have no idea whether I am truly ready or not. Though, I believe there isn't a way to truly know until it's happening.

      He pulls back his hands and the piece drops to the ground. His eye drifts from mine to my chest. I don't breathe. I feel a swarm of emotions blow through me. His hands, warm as ever, take the sides of me, just above my hips. His hands travel up, slowly, to my breasts. He rests there for a brief moment then his hands travel down to the fabric of my undergarments. He tugs at them gently. They fall quickly to the ground. Quicker than I was expecting. I hear his breath hitch. I don't stop looking at him. His eye travels back up to me. I see desire etched all across his face. He's kept himself under control for so long and I don't quite know how he's done it.

He begins to kiss me again, his hands cupping the sides of my body, near my ribs. My hands travel to his chest. I drag my hands gently from his collarbone to the waistband of his pants, where my fingers snake beneath the fabric. I feel his body shake. I pull the trousers down to the floor and rake my eyes over his body. I've never marveled more at something. I'm both intrigued and terrified of what is to come next. But, I enjoy the sight of him standing before me while I can.

       Our lips meet again. This time, we both kiss with this sort of hunger about what we're doing. I pull my hands around to his back and hold him close. His hands are planted on my hips. He leads us slowly in the direction of my bed. Once we arrive there, he lies me on the center of the bed then holds himself over me. He plants kisses on my shoulders and collarbone. The warmth of his lips make my skin ignite.

       "If you feel any pain," he whisper between kisses. "Tell me at once. Do you understand?" He asks, looking down at me. I nod. I take a deep breath. My mind was wondered about for so long what this moment may be like. I cannot believe it had finally come- immoral and all.

       My hands wrap around his back and my nails dig into his skin as he presses between my legs. My head curls back and I feel my eyes close. He slides his body back and forth in this rhythmic motion. It hurts in the beginning, but in time it does not. Soon, I find it to be rather satisfying. He grabs my hands and holds them over my head. He presses my wrists into the bed with one of his hands. His other hand is to the side of me. He uses it to keep himself steady over me.

       This tingling sensation creeps from my stomach down to between my legs. I find myself sucking in air to keep from crying out with pleasure. I squeeze my eyes shut. The sensation does not stop. It only grows more and more with each motion Aemond makes. I suddenly jerk my head up. I cant contain myself for a moment longer. I mutter something, I'm not sure what, as a way to release what I'm feeling. I throw my head back onto the bed and press my lips together to keep myself from crying out.

       "Let it out, Alerhya." He demands. I part my lips and a gargle of moans escape. "Good." He breathes into my ear. I dig my nails tighter into him. The sensation finally begins to fade but I can already feel another beginning to rise in its place. Suddenly a groan escapes from his lips. He slows and slows until he is practically panting. His head hangs down toward me. The breathing coming from his mouth is heavy and uneven.

       "Don't..." I mutter. "Don't stop." I manage to say. His eye travels to mine and he searches my face. A smirk spreads across his face. I smile on return. His grip on my wrists tighter. I clench my jaw as he begins again. I feel the sensation beginning to build again. It feels incredible but in a way that no one would be able to accurately describe to someone who hasn't felt it themselves.

       He gets faster and faster by the second until a series of sounds come from my throat. My legs tremble and begin to forcefully close as the feeling becomes explosive. The hand that had been holding him up grabs one of my thighs and pushes it back into place. He keeps going at the same speed. My body seems to erupt. I throw my head up and dig my nails even deeper into his back. I don't want it to stop. I never thought being immoral would feel this good.

      I finally throw my head back to the bed and take in a deep breath of air. He releases both of his hands, the one on my wrists and the one on my thighs. I feel him come out of me. It releases a tension I hadn't even realized was there. We both take a breath and then another. My eyes don't leave his and his don't leave mine. He pushes some of my hair back from my face.

       "That was much better than what my imagination had in store, I must admit." His lips lift into a smirk. I release the rather deadly grip I had on his back and drop my hands to my side.

       "I hope I didn't draw blood." I joke. He shrugs as I push a strand of his white hair behind his shoulder.

      "Now those would be some scars I'd like to see every day." I see the desire lift back into his eyes. He plants more kisses on my neck and shoulders. My body warms up by the second.

       Suddenly a knock echoes around the room. Aemond pulls back in alert. His eye scans me. I nod in the direction of the bathing chambers. As he departs I grab my nightgown from my wardrobe and throw it on. I kick his clothes aside, out of sight, then fix my hair and face the door.

       "Enter." I say. The knight that had been posted outside of my doors enters, accompanied by Ser Harwin. I can tell immediately thqt the news is anything but good. Ser Harwin dismisses the other knight back to his post then approaches me. I hope he cannot smell the sexual tension streaming from me.

       "You must see your mother at once," his tone is eager. Ser Harwin does not usually have an eager tone about his voice, not even whenever something rather serious is happening.

        "What's this about?" I ask, scanning him.

        "Viserys." He says. "Viserys Targaryen has died." I blink. My body goes cold.

        Viserys Targaryen has died, I repeat to myself.

────────────