Bittersweet • Aemond Targaryen

VII • The Fight

Almost as quickly as he was knocked down, Aemond shot back up, crying out in fury as he threw his fist at Baela. She fell to the ground, eyes wide in shock as she held her face. Aemond seethed down to her.

"Come at me again and I'll feed you to my dragon!" He hissed, and she cowered away. Elaena looked on in horror, the lantern shaking in her grasp.

Jace grunted in anger, lunging at Aemond with swift fists. The silver prince took a few of the boy's unrelenting blows, stumbling back before finding his footing and dodging the next. Jace continued at him, but Aemond reeled back and kicked into his chest.

Elaena winced harshly as he was knocked to the ground. Her eyes met Baela's, and she saw that her cousin was expecting her to move.

She just couldn't. She quite literally didn't know what to do.

To make matters worse, little Lucerys screamed out and jumped on Aemond next. Incidentally, he leapt right into the silver prince's hands, grasping at his doublet before Aemond landed a harsh blow to his face.

"No!" Elaena found her voice as Luke was knocked down. Tears flooded her eyes as the little boy groaned in pain, and she met Aemond's gaze in shock.

For a moment, she could see hesitation in his eye, as though his violent urges seized and he truly saw her.

But then Jace leapt from the ground, fueled by protectiveness of his brother, and shoved into Aemond's chest. His strength knocked the silver prince to the ground, and Elaena's cousins sprung up at the opportunity. She felt her blood run cold.

Together, they beat against Aemond, kicking and shoving him further into the ground as she and Luke watched on. Blood erupted from all of their faces, and she could barely make out Aemond in the uproar.

"Stop it!" She yelled, her voice falling on deaf ears as they continued their assault. She could see Aemond writhing on the ground, trying to block their blows, "Stop it!"

Baela heard her then, turning for a moment to look at her in ridicule. The moment was all Aemond needed.

He used the space to knock Baela back, then he kicked his feet into Jace, sending him flying a few paces. Rhaena tried at him, but Aemond tossed her aside, sending her into Baela.

At the sight of his success, Luke leapt from the ground, mouth dripping with blood and teeth bared in rage far too powerful for a boy his age. Elaena felt her tears slip past her eyes, her legs still frozen in place.

Aemond caught the boy by his throat, reaching behind himself to grab a rock wedged in the basement sand.

Rhaena pulled Baela up from the ground, the girls staring at the silver prince in terror. Jace turned on his side to face the scene as Aemond stood with the rock in his grasp, raising it to Luke.

"Aemond!" Elaena screeched, and Aemond's hand stiffened slightly around the rock. He did not lower it as he seethed at Lucerys. This was not the boy she engaged with. He was on a high, and she was too scared, too overwhelmed to stop him.

She didn't want to hurt him.

"You will die screaming in flames just as your father did!" He hissed, his lips pulled back over his teeth. Aemond eyed the struggling boy in his chokehold before his gaze flickered to Jace's rising form, "Bastards."

Elaena felt her heart sink from his disgusted delivery of the word. She had encountered it a few times in her life, and it was always directed hypothetically towards her mother.

To hear Aemond bellow it so hatefully... She did not know what to think.

"My father's still alive!" Lucerys cried out, panting for air as Aemond held him. His little voice ripped Elaena from her thoughts, and she watched Aemond smirk snidely at Jace.