Born to Die

Chapter 34

"Where is your mother?" Daemon hissed to Aemeryn when she took her seat beside him. Jace and Baela weren't in the dining hall yet, and Rhaenyra was in the throne room with Harwin, but she couldn't tell her father that. He would lose his mind.

"I don't know. Did you check the nursery?" Aemeryn picked up her goblet of water and took a long drink. Aemond squeezed her thigh gently under the table in support. Daemon let out a sigh and gulped down his wine before signaling for a refill.

"She should be here. Not only is she Queen, it was her son that was wed."

"She will be."

As if on cue, Rhaenyra walked through the doors of the dining hall. Everyone stood in welcoming and respect for their Queen, and Aemeryn placed her hand on her belly absentmindedly. Rhaenyra smiled at her daughter as she took her seat.

"Are you still afraid?" Rhaenyra whispered into Aemeryn's ear. She glanced down at her growing belly and sighed.

"Not like I was, no. Mother, we need to talk about what happened."

Rhaenyra held her hand up to stop Aemeryn from talking. Aemeryn snapped her mouth closed and kept her gaze on the firm look her mother was giving her. "There is a time and place for that conversation, Em, and it's not now or here."

Aemeryn nodded and let her gaze flick to her father. He was staring at the door like he wanted to be anywhere but here. She couldn't remember him being like this at her own wedding, and he loathed the fact that Aemond was her husband. The door opened again, and Aemeryn turned to see if it was Jace and Baela. Various guests came walking in, and Harwin caught her eye. He wouldn't even look at the table as he took a seat beside Cregan. Aemeryn wasn't sure when her mother had sent out word, but the families of the lords and lady were in attendance for the wedding and the feast. The dining hall had been rearranged to look like the dining hall had looked during Aemeryn's wedding. The doors opened one final time, and Jace and Baela entered the hall. They seemed to look less nervous than they had before and during the ceremony, and Aemeryn smirked.

"Maybe we should have walked into our own wedding feast together," Aemond muttered into her ear after Jace and Baela sat down at the table in front of them. Aemeryn couldn't help but notice the way her brother's head was slightly turned toward Cregan.

"I'm sure that would have made it easier on everyone involved," Aemeryn said with a grin and a roll of her eyes. "At least they seem more content with each other than we did."

Aemond snorted and lifted his goblet before taking a sip. At least they were happy together now. If they weren't, Aemeryn was almost positive she would have killed him by now. She glanced over to her mother and noticed that her gaze wasn't on her food but across the room to where Harwin was sitting. Harwin was keeping his gaze firmly away from the table at all costs. Aemeryn knew she would get the story out of one of them at some point.

Aemond smiled down at Aemeryn as he spun her around the dancefloor. Her face had sported a grin since he walked her down to the middle of the floor after Jace and Baela danced, but her eyes would dart around the room every once in a while.

"What are you looking for, little dove?"

"Mother. Harwin. Hell, just one of them."

Aemond glanced around the room in an attempt to help since he had a few inches in height on Aemeryn, but he didn't see them anywhere. Dark curls caught his attention near the back of the room, and his gaze collided with Harwin's.

"I see Harwin. I don't see Rhaenyra anywhere."

"What about Kepa?"

Aemond twirled around the floor with his worried wife and looked around. He spotted Daemon's head as he danced with Rhaena.