Dragon's Heir

Chapter 19

"Yes! Because I am your mother!" The fact that she was yelling was nothing new, he was used to her getting upset any time someone did not do as she asked. "And you let that stupid girl send me to the black cells for a whole night, you did nothing to help me."

"It is difficult to help someone who refuses to help themselves." Aemond shook his head. "What did you want me to do? You were asked to leave the small council chambers several times. You were told what would happen if you stayed, you knew you had no place there."

"Of course, I have a place there." His mother waved her hand like she could just ignore reality and things would become as she wanted. "There is always a place for the queen."

"But you are not the queen!" This time it was him who yelled, his mother's eyes widened as she took a step away from him. "Forget the past, it is not here any longer. You are not the queen and my father is not the king. You do not rule anything any longer."

"But things could change." She gave him a gentle smile as Aemond narrowed his eyes. "I could become queen once more and you the heir. Once Rhaenyra dies you could rule."

"Have you forgotten about Visenya? She is Rhaenyra's heir."

"That can be solved." His mother cupped his face. "She could have an accident, or perish in one of those fights she seems to enjoy so much. Training so many new guards can be dangerous."

Aemond's blood froze, and his body became a rock as he stared at his mother. The woman who had ignored and abused him all his life. The person he had wanted to please and never could. She had taken everything from him as he was growing up, his confidence, his self-assurance, his beliefs, and everything else that was not hers to take. And now, she wanted to take Visenya, the only good thing he had. The person who looked at him like he hung the moon, who looked at him with gentleness and love, and Alicent wanted to take her away too. Because according to his mother, everything Aemond wanted was hers to take.

"I believe there has been a misunderstanding." Aemond's hand wrapped around his mother's wrist, his hands tightening around it until he saw her flinch and attempt to pull away from him, not that he let her. "If you touch Visenya, if even a hair on her head is harmed because of you, I will kill you. Then I will kill Otto, before going to your wonderful sept and taking it down brick by brick, after that I will go to Oldtown and bathe in your family's blood. I will make you regret the day you were born."

"How can you say those awful things?" Aemond let go of her hand, watching as she rubbed her sore wrist. "I am your family and she is just...."

"She is the only thing that matters." Aemond made sure his mother understood he was serious. "The pain I will bring down upon you if you touch Visenya will make what happened in the Doom a child's play."

"Aemond..." She flinched when he took a step forward.

"No, get out."

She did not hesitate, turning and running to the door and out of his chambers as fast as she was able. Aemond had given up many things to please his mother, but Visenya was not something he would ever compromise on.

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3 weeks later

"He keeps letting his guard down." Visenya gestured towards one of the ten men she and Daemon were watching. "He is leaving both sides open, it would be easy to kill him in just one swing."

"Yes, he has improved on some things, but clearly fighting is not one of them. If he has not learned by now one of the most basic moves is doubtful he ever will." Daemon looked critically at the man, it was easy to do from the balcony. They had trained the recruits themselves for a few hours, before moving to the balcony where they could see all the new recruits and how they were doing in their different training lessons. "Should we dismiss him?"