The Dove and The Lady | House of The Dragon

Chapter Three| Beyond our Understandings

The Queen Alicent had been sitting with her daughter Helaena who was talking to her about one of the new little insects she had found that day.

"It has eyes, though I don't believe it can see", Helaena informed as she studied the tiny little thing crawling on her hands.

"And why is that so, do you think?", Alicent asked her daughter, wanting to be able to bond with her over something that her daughter enjoyed.

"It is beyond our understanding", Helaena responded, fascinated by the creature.

"I suppose you're right. Some things just are", Alicent rubbed her arm.

The door then opened to the room, followed by the sound of three pairs of footsteps.

"Your Grace", Criston Cole announced as he stepped in holding both children by the shoulders.

"Aemond. Naella", Alicent stood up in a hurry as she noticed the soot on both kids faces and the guilty expressions. "What have you done?"

"He did it again", Helaena told her mother, not even looking towards the two, still fascinated at the thing crawling in her hand.

"How many times have you been warned? Must I have you confined to your chambers? And bringing Naella into this", Alicent spoke sternly, only worried for her boy.

"They made me do it!", Aemond spoke, as Naella was too scared to speak, still stunned from the experience.

"Your obsession with those beasts goes beyond understanding", Alicent tried to get her son to understand her worry.

"They gave him a pig!", The first thing Naella has said since Ser Criston Cole had found them, looking up towards Alicent.

"A what?", Alicent was stunned, as she truly looked into her sons eyes to see nothing but heartbreak.

"A pig", Aemond breathed out. "They said they found a dragon for me."

"The last ring has no legs at all", Helaena muttered to herself still studying the creature in her palm.

"But it was a pig", Aemond seemed truly disappointed in himself, as how could he have been so stupid to have fallen for such on obvious joke.

Alicents mind was running as she looked at her boy, not knowing what to say or how to comfort him, as she had never had a dragon and grew up knowing she wouldn't, but it was expected for Aemond to have one as a Targaryen.

Placing her hands on his shoulders she looked into his eyes and spoke firmly. "You WILL have a dragon one day."

"He'll have to close an eye", Helaena kept up her riddles, this sentence making Naella glance towards her cousin.

"I know it", Alicent finished.

"They all laughed", Aemond admitted to his mother, feeling truly vulnerable.

At this Alicent brought her son into a hug, hoping that she could at least take some of the pain away from him.

It was at this moment when the door slammed open as a figure ran in, seeming to be in quite a rush.

"Naella", Aenor yelled in worry, stopping in front of her and grabbing onto her shoulders and checking her over for any injuries.

"I'm alright father", she spoke gently to reassure him. "Aemond protected me."

Aenor glanced towards his nephew and nodded and smiled towards Alicent before pulling his daughter into a hug.

"That was very dangerous what you've just done, I hope you know that, you could've been seriously injured. You had me scared", he made sure to look into her eyes as he said this.

Nodding at his words to show him that she understood Naella wrapped her arms around her father.

"I never meant to scare you father, I just wanted to cheer up Aemond like he did to me", Naella told him softly.

"Your never to go down there again, understood", he asked looking into her eyes.

"Promise", Naella smiled and Aenor smiled back, hugging her and picking Naella up into his arms

"We'll need to get you freshened up. Get all that dust off your face and get you into a new dress", he laughed, beginning to walk I do the room, before turning back. "Thank you, Aemond for keeping her safe."

"I would never let her be in danger, uncle", Aemond spoke seriously to the man he respected greatly.

Aenor smiled and shook his head at Aemond before bowing slightly and nodding towards Alicent in acknowledgement who gave a nod and smile back.

He then turned and walked off with his daughter in his arms, going to look for a handmaiden.

"Father?", Naella spoke with a wondered tone.

"Yes my little dove?"

"Why are Aegon, Jace and Luce so cruel towards Aemond? He hasn't done anything wrong to not have a dragon! Has he?"

The innocence in her question made Aenor think of how he could possibly tell his child the truth without making her think bad of her cousin and nephews.

"I couldn't think as to why they think to judge Aemond for something he has no control over, it is a cruel thing to do, which is why I'm glad you did not have any part in it", her father told her truthfully.

"I would never want to do that to anyone, especially not Aemond he is always nice to me, I don't even think I want to do it to Aegon", Naella truthfully spoke her mind, as she did not want any of her family to be hurt by something she had done or said.

"That is nice to hear, little dragon. You have a kind heart and a gentle soul. Something that not everyone in the world harbors. That is why there is people like Aegon, Jace and Luce who do not feel they have done any harm by playing these cruel jokes on Aemond."

He then placed Naella down as she snapped back out of her thoughts to see they were in her chambers and a handmaiden is running her a bath with oils.

"I will see you later sweet girl as I must go watch your cousins and nephews on the training grounds", Aenor kneeled down and kissed her cheek before standing up and walking out to the training grounds to meet his brother Viserys.