Inviolable Bindings | Aemond & Aegon II Targaryen

Chapter 11

"I am quite alright, Elia," she smiled at the girl's unknowingness and looked back at Cassella, "A salve would be lovely. Thank you."

Elia continued on as instructed and did so in silence.

In the quiet moments of the bath, Viserra couldn't help but let her mind replay the interaction she had with Aemond the night before. It was almost surreal. In fact, the last few weeks seemed almost like a fever dream.

The morning chill made the water cool quickly and it seemed to irritate Viserra more than usual. However, it felt as if her chambermaid was trying to rush her on readying and she begrudgingly accepted that her bath would be cut short. Pulling herself out of her thoughts and the tub, she stood and reached for the bath blanket.

Cassella returned with a small jar just as Viserra was drying herself off. She helped her in applying balm on the tender spots on her neck and chest without another word. While she did not feel ashamed or embarrassed of the marks, she did not want to flaunt them either.

"I shall wear my training leathers today," she announced, holding the blanket around herself and walking towards the wardrobe. It was a safe option as most of her dresses were lower cut in the front. The girls fetched the requested clothing without question and scurried back to her side. She had been dressed and equipped with her blades in no time, making sure that the marks on her body hid under her clothes.

While walking to the dining hall, Viserra noted that the hallways were busier than usual. There were more servants bustling about and there was a certain lightness around the castle. It did not take her long to reach the dining hall and it appeared that she was the last to arrive.

After his coronation, Aegon had moved his seat next to his mother in the middle of the table. When Helaena attended meals, she would sit to his left. While observing today's seating arrangement, she saw Aemond had sat at the far end just as she had seen him on the first night of her arrival. He had cleaned up nicely since the night before, his hair straight and neatly pinned under his eye patch, and his face hiding any evidence of emotion. He watched her come through the doors and instinctively she gravitated to the seat next to him, not saying a word while sitting down.

"Nice of you to join us this morning, cousin," Aegon greeted, his mood suspiciously chipper for it being so early in the morning.

Viserra nodded and smiled, carefully looking around at the other faces at the table. She noticed that Alicent looked her usual tired self but it also seemed like her mind was not present at the moment. Next, her eyes trailed to Otto, who appeared tense but was still smiling at anyone who made eye contact with him. Bringing her eyes back to Aegon, she realized he was studying her own behavior, keeping his eyes on her as the servants began bringing the food out to the table.

"We will be holding a small council meeting this morning and I have requested your presence, Viserra." Aegon mused while bringing his newly filled wine cup to his lips, "We will eventually need you for your sword and dragon, but the most pressing matter is planning a grand feast in honor of my brother." He seemed to be boasting at this point, holding his cup in the air towards Aemond who remained neutral in his expression. "To Prince Aemond's victory in winning the support of Storm's End, securing a betrothal to the Baratheon girl, and ridding us all of my sister's bastard son!"

Viserra turned to look at Aemond who did not make any effort to meet her eyes. She was surprised to hear of the betrothal, somehow that piece of information did not make it out of him the night before. Turning back to Aegon and waiting for her own cup to be filled, she lifted it up in response to the toast.

It was interesting that Aegon did not seem to share the same feelings that his mother and grandsire did over the death of their nephew. Was he blind to see that Aemond's actions had most likely eliminated any chance of peace between the rivaling sides of the family?