ᵈʳᵃᵍᵒⁿ ʰᵉᵃʳᵗ

˖⁺‧₊˚🪽.° ༘

[ garden chatter ]

𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐡, 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐢𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐳𝐞𝐝 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮.

Your hair flew behind you as you made your way through the gardens of King's Landing. The Supper was certainly an interesting experience, and you had thought about it the entirety of last night as you tried to sleep.

Jace had offered to walk with you and join you on your morning read, but you had declined, purely on the fact that you knew he was still studying High Valyrion in his room with his stepfather, Daemon. He was a merciless teacher, but he was extremely fluent in the language.

You turned around, meeting the eyes of your loyal guard and friend, Ser Jareth Clegane. He was a stoic man with a tall and muscular frame and had been your royal guard since you had turned five years old.

"I'll be fine on my own, Jareth," you murmured with a smile, opening your book to the current chapter you were on.

The man huffed, shaking his head. "Are you sure, my lady?"

"I am sure," you nodded, sparing him a smile as you walked away, listening for his heavy footfalls. You didn't hear him or his labored breathing, so you grinned to yourself; finally, you would be alone. As much as you loved the company of your favorite people, sometimes you craved pure and utter loneliness. Of course, with a book as your companion.

Taking a seat on one of the stone benches, you settled on the seat with a hum, taking a quick glance at the gardens. Today was bright, so the sunlight filtered in through the leaves of the trees and bushes all around you. King's Landing was a beautiful city, but this garden was by far your favorite place to go for it reminded you of home.

Finally, you allowed yourself to sink into the pages of your novel. You loved the world your mind could easily create when only reading a handful of words, imagining the towns and villages the characters travelled to, or the other-worldly animals described in the book.

"Hello, byka sōvian."

You jolted in your spot, quickly looking up to find Aemond standing by the vinework of gladiolus flowers, the blossoms being a vast contrast of pinks and yellows compared to his dark clothing.

"What do you want?" you questioned, lowering your book to your lap.

"Am I not allowed to wander my own gardens?" he asked with a tilt of his head, causing you to huff as you realized he was right. This was his home; therefore, he could roam wherever he wished to.

"If you won't leave, then I will," you muttered, gathering the skirt of your dress and standing up, not even bothering to look at the prince as you passed. Suddenly, you felt the hard book in your hands be ripped from your grip, causing you to spin around as you watched Aemond glance at the front cover.

"What's this? Old Valyrian children's stories?" he hummed out a chuckle, casting his eye over to you.

"Give it back," you demanded, seething in your spot. Aemond didn't respond, instead opening the cover of the book and flipping through the pages.

"Where... Where did you get this?" he murmered, looking over at you.

Your eyebrows furrowed in confusion, lips forming into a frown. "What do you mean?" When he didn't respond, instead glaring at you, silently saying that he was not going to repeat himself, you sighed, glancing away. "It was a gift from my father. He gave it to me on my second and tenth birthday."

"Hmm. Sentimental," Aemond nodded, before tossing the book your way. You scrambled to catch it, clutching it to your chest when you did.

It was silent for a moment, the only noise filling the void being of the continuous chittering of crickets, and the occasional sounds of shuffling and hushed voices from passersby. You bit at the inside of your cheek, pointer finger lining against the spine of the novel as to preoccupy yourself. For some reason, neither of you seemed to move and leave. Or wish for it.

"Did you..." you trailed off, making Aemond look up at you. "Did you own this book? Obviously, not this one specifically, but did you read... these children's stories?"

Aemond chuckled silently at your stammering for words, amused at the fact that he made you flustered. "Once or twice, when I was a babe. But my mother soon stopped, growing bored of them. As did I."

You nodded slowly, and you both were once again captured in an awkward silence. You shifted on your feet, before raising your gaze to the white-haired prince, only to find him already watching you. You felt heat rise through your neck and station at your cheeks, hoping to the gods that a hue of blushing pink was not visible.

"I should go-."

"I hope-."

You came to a stop when interrupting one another, and you couldn't help but let out a giggle, covering your mouth to try and hush the bubbling laughter but to no avail. Aemond gazed at you with a tilt of his head, watching as your shoulders shook, the smile on your face shining brighter than the very sun above you itself. You were radiant.

Finally, your laughter had quelled into a hum, looking back up at the prince with a soft tilt of your lips, letting out a sigh. "Please. Continue."

Aemond cleared his throat, tightening his grip on his hands behind his back as he spoke, "I hope... I hope you don't feel inclined to leave. The gardens are beautiful, and you shouldn't have to leave just on account of me."

Your eyes widened at his statement, causing you to take a small step forward. Aemond watched you do, giving you a once over as you pursed your lips. "I would not wish for the prince to miss out on such a beautiful day though. If-... If you would like to join me, I wouldn't be opposed."

Aemond felt his heart falter in his chest, letting out a shaky breath at the feeling. Never had he felt that stupid muscle do anything other than beat, for that was its job. But you... Well, you had been practically holding it in your hands the moment you stepped foot in King's Landing.

"I do not mind," he murmured, looking away from you and sitting down on the bench. Your mouth lifted with a slight grin as you watched his tense and rigid composure. He was sitting with a straight back, hands placed on his thighs as his feet stayed planted on the ground, perfectly aligned with his shoulders.

Aemond cleared his throat, glancing at you from the corner of his eye as you sat beside him, leaving a large bit of space between you both. However, he understood why you sat so far away from him. You were betrothed to his nephew, and it would cause quite a bubble of gossip if you were found shoulder-to-shoulder with the uncle of your husband-to-be in the most secretive spot in the garden.

Or maybe you just didn't want to sit next to him. He would never know.

You found yourself enjoying the silence that came with the company of Aemond Targaryen. He didn't speak, as he wished to not disturb your reading. He couldn't help but softly smirk at the sight of your intrigued face when reading; your forehead was creased, a thoughtful frown overcoming your features, deepening with each flick of a new page.

You liked how... comfortable it was with him. Yes, he looked quite out of place beside you, what with his stiff exterior and black leather clothes, compared to the light forestry and flora, and you in your pretty light blue gown.

Jacaerys always felt the need to talk to you when you were together, not liking the silence that dawned upon the room. He wished to entertain you in moments of what he would call 'boredom', whilst you would call it serene and calm.

Your eyes widened a fraction as you processed your thoughts. No. You couldn't be doing this. Comparing your betrothed to his uncle? You pinched your eyes shut, shaking your head slightly at your stupid little thoughts.

"Is the book not to your liking?" you heard Aemond question from beside you, causing you to snap your gaze from the pages towards the prince. He had seen your angered and disappointed face, thinking that something was happening in the novel that was not to your liking.

Oh, how he would burn it for you.

You stumbled upon your words, shaking your head as you replied, "Oh, no. No, no, it's fine. It's just, um... intrusive thoughts, you know?"

Aemond held a confused glint in his eye, but nodded nevertheless, not wishing to make you feel embarrassed. You sent him a smile, before returning to the imaginative world of your book.

You had no idea why you're smile was so prominent on your lips as you left the garden. You had just spent an entire hour with Aemond, and you didn't feel the need to rip out his beautiful white hair out once during that encounter.

You came to an abrupt stop in the corridor, a perplexed frown painting your features. Beautiful? No, it was... gorgeous- NO!

You scoffed to yourself, shaking your head as you made your way to your room, oblivious to the lingering gaze of the beautiful white-haired prince watching you from the dark corner of the hall, huffing out a chuckle before he walked away.