Inviolable Bindings | Aemond & Aegon II Targaryen

Chapter 34

Moving through the castle with slow and deliberate steps, Viserra hoped to avoid coming across any lingering guests from the dinner that had been interrupted moments before. Her mind was consumed with worry and she knew that empty conversation would be absolutely impossible at this point. After some time, she finally reached the long stairway leading to the Holdfast and realized she could hear someone just up ahead.

As she made her way there, she spotted Alicent under the archway with her head buried in her hands. She looked to the guards who did not seem to pay the woman any attention and wondered if she had lashed out at them in her despair.

Part of Viserra wished to avoid her but she knew there was no way to pass the woman without making her presence noticed. Approaching her cautiously, she waited for Alicent to acknowledge her first. When she finally raised her tear stained face, she saw both frustration and pain in her eyes.

"Aemond will not share what happened with Aegon, if you are attempting to obtain that information from him," she spoke, giving away that she had most likely had tried this herself. "He is in a bad way."

Viserra did not offer any words of comfort, simply holding her gaze as she conjured up the right words to say.

"I would not be so foolish to try," she lied, already formulating a way to confront Aemond once she had the chance.

The air felt heavy from the events of the night, the unspoken thoughts between them remained unsaid, a place where no one dared to go. Viserra's gaze followed Alicent as she decided she had endured quite enough in that moment, walking from her without uttering another word. As her figure disappeared into the darkness, the quiet night seemed to urge Viserra to continue on and she took a steadying breath before making her way back to Aemond's rooms.

The doors creaked open as she pushed on the handles, a sudden wave of uncertainty sweeping over her. She felt herself shiver as soon as she realized no one occupied the room at the moment. He could not have left again, surely she would have seen him leave if he had headed back towards the front gates.

The unanswered questions nagged at her consciousness as she decided to search for him on her own. First, she would change out of her dress and into something more practical, don her weapons and head out before he found himself in more trouble.

Viserra reached her own unguarded doors in record time, entering within and shutting them quickly behind her. As she stepped inside, she realized that her chambers had not yet been prepared for the evening and the embers only dimly lit the walls of her room.

It wasn't until she had entered a few paces when she realized the room was not as empty as it first seemed. Aemond sat on the settee, barely a silhouette in the dimness. The sight startled her and her hand had grabbed instinctually at the dagger on her hip. The flickering shadows seemed to play tricks on her own perception and in his stillness, he could have been mistaken for a statue. Viserra gathered her composure and approached the prince. The soft glow in the room highlighted his sharp features and his eye that watched her.

"Aemond," she spoke, her voice quiet yet sure.

Aemond did not move or answer.

"What has happened?" She asked, her voice louder and not laced with frustration.

Still, she received nothing from him. Undeterred even by his unsettling presence, she took another determined step towards him.

"Aemond," she repeated, the demand clear in her tone.

In the blink of an eye, he was on his feet and just mere inches from her. His energy sent a shiver down her spine but she stood her ground and met his eye with her own unwavering stare. The room felt charged with tension and her concern was quickly replaced by anger.