the ballad of elissa swann (a.t.) (UNDER EDIT)

three

"Oh," Elissa choked out, feeling the blood leave her face. Her stomach lurched and she clamped a hand over her mouth.

Her mind spun. She was in the room with a confessed murderer, a kinslayer. She felt tears and shock and horror prick at her eyes and she looked back at the Prince. He was looking through her, not at her, his expression grim.

She gagged, and looked frantically around for the wash basin before lurching towards it and emptying the contents of her stomach into it. Sweat beaded at her temples and she let out a choked sob, as a hand settled on her shoulder.

She froze. "Will you kill me now," she muttered, "now that I know?"

To her surprise, the prince's voice was soft. "No." he said.

"Why did you do it? He's just a boy." She whispered.

"I know." Aemond said, his tone distant. "I didn't want to, or even intend to - you must believe me."

"I don't know what to believe." She choked out, racked with another sob.

"Then believe nothing, if you must, but there is only a short time before the Princess' forces will arrive here in search of him. We must go."

"We?" she echoed, turning to look at him again.

"I can't well leave you here, knowing what you know." He said. "This isn't a request, it is a command. You must come with me."

Her stomach sunk through the floor. "My prince - what of my lady grandmother? I have to return to Stonehelm, I-" She stammered.

"If you remain here, you will be at Rhaenyra's mercy, and she will not be kind of she learns you know the truth." he said cooly.

Elissa dropped the basin onto its table and hugged herself. The prince firmed his grip on her shoulder. "Come with me, we will leave on Vhagar and you'll be safe in the red keep. Your lady grandmother will be none the wiser and safe for it."

Elissa didn't respond, but nodded.

Aemond stepped back and she heard him rummaging in something, then he was standing with a pile of clothes outstretched to her. "Here," he said. "Go change, you'll need to be prepared for the ride."

She looked from the clothes to him, and he pushed them into her cradled arms.

"Change. I'll look the other way."

"Your grace!" she squeaked, and he rolled his good eye.

"Truly, we are on the precipice of civil war and you worry about propriety? I said I would turn away, and look," he demonstrated, turning, "I am."

Red in the face, Elissa turned around as well and gingerly removed her clothes, and put on the too-big breeches and shirt, fastening the belt as tight as it would go to secure it. She slipped her boots back on and grabbed her cloak, clearing her throat that he could turn around. As he did, he looked skeptically at the cloak.

"No, that won't do." He said, and went to the chest of drawers to find something else.

"Are you truly nitpicking my dress?" She asked incredulously.

"No, my lady," he said, and then tossed another bundle of fabric at her. "Only, I think you'll find the air much colder when you're on dragonback."

She unfurled the fabric, revealing a large coat of leather and wool, not unlike his. She dropped her cloak on the floor with her other clothes, stuck her arms into the coat - only her finger tips poked through the sleeves, so she rolled them up to her wrists.

"What about you?" She asked.

The prince - lacking any amount of self consciousness - had his hands on the buttons of his wet doublet, undoing them down his chest.