Love and War - Aemond/Aegon Targaryen

Chapter 16

Alicent had let Visenya stay with Jaehaera that night.
It was stormy and the two girls found each other far more soothing than anyone else.
Arlenna wondered if they knew that they were more than cousins. That they were sisters, in fact.
They certainly behaved like sisters.
But then again, she and Helaena had been just as close once.
Jaehaera reminded Arlenna a lot of her mother.
She was sweet and quiet, and often lived in a world far beyond their own.
Visenya, on the other hand, was all too much like her mother.
She could chat for hours about nonsense to Jaehaera as the younger girl listened. She was bossy and headstrong and wild as a flock of birds.
But Arlenna wasn't that person anymore.
Was she?
Regardless, she was on her way to collect her daughter when the noises began.
At first, it was nothing more than a high whistling noise. Arlenna ignored it and continued on her way to Alicent's chamber.
But it kept getting louder.
Louder and louder and louder until it was deafening.
And then she was running.
Running to find her daughter as the halls filled with shrieks and shouting.
A roaring filled the air and it sent a chill down her spine.
Not Sunfyre.
Not Dreamfyre.
Not Vhagar or Tessarion.
No.
There was only one whistling dragon, and that was Caraxes. And Arlenna would lay money on Syrax being right beside him.
She was sprinting. Sprinting as fast as her legs could carry her down each corridor until she finally reached Alicent's door.
“Alicent!” She yelled, knocking violently.
The former queen opened it and pulled her inside quickly.
“What is-” Arlenna began.
“They're here. They're going to take King's Landing.”
“What do we do?”
“You have to leave. All of you. The children and Aegon. She will kill him if she finds him.”
“What of Helaena?”
“Helaena cannot cope out there. Rhaenyra won't hurt her, she was always fond of Helaena. I will stay with her.”
“You can't stay. She'll kill you.”
“She won't.”
“Alicent-”
“I've sent for Lord Larys to make the arrangements. I will keep Visenya safe with me, I promise, but I need you to protect Aegon until Larys is ready to help him escape. Can you do that?”
“I can't leave my daughter.”
The dowager Queen grasped her hands. Her eyes pleading. Visenya and Jaehaera were still sound asleep somehow while Maelor was screaming his little lungs off.
“I will not let anything happen to my granddaughter, Arlenna. But I need you to do the same for my son.”
Arlenna glanced at Visenya. At her perfect platinum curls and her rosy cheeks.
She was the spitting image of Aegon when he was a child.
She gulped back her fear and doubt, knowing that she was being irrational.
Of course Visenya was safe with Alicent.
Far safer than if she were running about the halls with Arlenna.
But leaving her... With an army trying to storm their gates... An army who wanted to kill both of Visenya's fathers.
She took a deep breath and sighed. “Alright. I'll go to Aegon.”
Alicent gave a relieved look, gently kissing Arlenna's cheek. “Be careful.”
“You too.”
And then Arlenna was running again.
Not running for her life.
But running for his.
Left and right she was dodging men and women as all of the guards rushed to protect the Keep.
But there was so many. And there was no way she could make it to Aegon through all those people.
So, instead, she used her knowledge of the keep to her own advantage and slipped inside one of the old passageways that connected each room.
She and Aemond always used them when they were children, to sneak into each other's rooms in the middle of the night or to go and visit the dragonpit after dark and without adult supervision.
Often, they had bumped into Aegon on his way back from one of his... Activities.
She kept running. Running through each narrow corridor until finally she found a familiar door.
Aegon's door.
It creaked open as she crept inside.
The King was still out cold.
She wondered how much milk of the poppy he had taken.
The Maesters had talked about starting to lower his doses steadily so that he did not use it as a crutch, so that he didn't have to take it for the rest of his life like his father, but Aegon had refused.
Instead, he'd demanded more.
It was starting to worry her how much he relied upon it.
He wasn't himself when they'd given it to him. His usually sharp mind was clouded and delirious, incapable of proper thought.
It was worse than any wine or spirit.
“Aegon.” She hissed, rushing over to him.
No answer.
Not even a groan of acknowledgement.
“Aegon, wake up.”
Nothing.
She sighed, climbing onto his bed to shake him awake.
No response.
“Do not make me do this Aegon. Wake up.”
Still nothing.
She huffed, said a silent apology, and then jabbed him in one of his bandages.
The King's eyes shot open and he gave out an agonized groan that made her wince.
When his eyes finally focused on from the pain, they focused on her.
She couldn't read the expression on his face but it was one she did not enjoy being on the recieving end of.
“I'm sorry.” She said. There was another rumble from above them and Aegon's brows furrowed. “Rhaenyra and Daemon are attacking.”
“What?”
“On dragonback. They have soldiers too. We have to get you out.”
“Out?”
“She'll kill you.”
He blinked at her, still seeming disoriented. It took him a long moment, with the dragons roaring across King's Landing, for the situation to settle on him.
Then he stared at her in horror. “They'll kill you if they find you here with me.”
“They won't. Your mother is getting Lord Larys. We'll take the children and we'll be safe.”
“Arlenna, I can't leave. I can't even stand.”
“We are getting you out. Even if I have to carry you myself. I'm not going to let her kill me.”
“You should. If I die, Aemond can be King. You go to him. Find him in Harrenhal-”
“Aegon!”
“-You will be safe there and he'll kill our bitch sister and her husband.”
“Aegon!” She yelled. This time, it silenced him. “I am not going to leave you. And you will kill them yourself. I promise.”
The building shook, and screams began filling the Keep.
He took her hand. “Go. If they find you here, they won't hesitate to kill you. You're not Helaena or my mother. You're the wife of the man who killed their son. Protect yourself. I'll be fine.”
“Aegon.” She said. There were tears in her eyes. She gently touched his unburnt cheek, running her thumb along the smooth skin. He closed his eyes at the feeling. “I am not leaving you.”
He stopped arguing. It was like she'd put him under a spell and all the rest of the world went silent.
Just them.
Just that moment.
There was a knock on the door and the spell was broken.
“Who is it?” She asked cautiously, moving between Aegon and the door.
“Lord Larys Strong, my lady.”
She rushed over and opened the door immediately, then locked it behind him as soon as he was inside.
“Your Grace,” He bowed his head to Aegon. The King didn't seem at all amused or interested in the formal pleasantry. “Prince Maelor, Princess Jaehaerys, and Lady Visenya, are all ready to leave now. I have charged Ser Rickard Thorne with the task of taking them to Oldtown with your brother, Daeron, and Lord Ormund Hightower.”
Arlenna nodded gratefully. Ormund had never met her daughter but she knew that Visenya would be in good hands with him. As would Aegon.
“How are we to smuggle the King out of the city?”
“It would be too much of a risk for him to go with the children. But there are fishing boats on Blackwater bay that-”
“You want me to dress as one of the Smallfolk.” Aegon surmised.
Larys nodded.
The King, seemingly undisturbed, looked at Arlenna and grinned. “Like the good old days.”
“Can you do it alone? Shouldn't we-”
“The King will have a guard with him, my Lady, do not fear.”
“And Arlenna.” Aegon interjected. “I will have Arlenna with me.”
Arlenna and Larys exchanged a look.
This whole plan rested on being discreet. The more people that went with Aegon, the more danger he was in.
She wasn't leaving King's Landing.
Arlenna moved her hand to her belly.
The child hadn't even had chance to grow yet.
Perhaps Rhaenyra would spare her if she knew that she was with child.
Or perhaps she'd want to get rid of any of Aemond's children that she could.
She nodded and sighed, pushing it out of her mind.
She had survived worse. That's what she kept telling herself.
She would survive this.
Arlenna helped Aegon dress, careful not to touch any of his extensive injuries as she did.
He was still so delirious that he hadn't noticed that Arlenna was still in her normal clothes.
She pulled Larys to one side. Her heart was thrumming in her chest. “Have the children left already?”
He nodded.
There was a pain in her chest that kept growing with every second.
Her daughter was gone. In the care of a man she didn't know. Hiding from dragonfire and soldiers.
“Alright. We can't wait any longer.” She said.
With a deep breath, she walked back over to Aegon.
“I will buy you as much time as I can.” She said. He looked at her in confusion and she just smiled, pushing away the tears in her eyes.
“Arlenna, no-”
“Get the King to safety.” She commanded, as if she herself held any power, and then she ran out the door just in time for Rhaenyra's invasion of the Keep.