An Eye For An Eye || Aemond Targaryen

VIII. A Debt To Be Paid

"Aemond, I-"

"I know you don't love me, Tatia," Aemond charges towards her making her want to back up but she stands her ground, "but I love you. I've been gentle with you. I've been more than fair. But you betray me-"

"You are very cruel to me, Aemond," Tatia cuts him off, "you say you love me and all that but I don't know if I even believe you. I mean look at us," she gestures between them, "we aren't the model husband and wife. This was forced upon me!"

"So you love Helaena?" Aemond asked with an icy glare.

Tatia spits out almost on accident, "yes, maybe I do!"

Aemond breaks out in anger as he grabs her curly brown hair yanking her towards him, "you are MY wife, MINE, and I am NOT sharing with anyone!" He then chuckles at her fear, "you say I don't mean what I've said but I can be much worse. And should be, especially after today."

| TRIGGER WARNING: Blood and Cheese. |

THAT NIGHT HELAENA ENTERS THE ROYAL APARTMENTS to put her three young children to bed when without warning Blood and Cheese burst in, daggers in hand!

Helaena's eyes widened as she pushes herself in front of her children, "what do you want?!"

"A debt is owed," Blood told her as he grabs her by the neck putting a blade to it, "a child for a child," he whispered in her ear.

Helaena's jaw falls, "no... Kill me, please, please, kill me!"

"Not happening, Your Grace," he threw her to the ground as they picked up the crying sons of Helaena's, "you have a choice which child gets ripped from you forever. A choice King Aegon did not grant Queen Rhaenyra."

Helaena cried and pleaded for them to take her life instead but it fell on deaf ears... They demanded she choose or they would take young Jaehaera's virtue.

She was forced and faced with a horrible decision; one that would break her and her children...

Helaena wept as she chose, "Maelor... I choose Maelor."

Maybe... She thought the boy was too young to understand or that the older boy was King Aegon's heir.

But then Cheese whispers into the youngest boy's ear, "you hear that, little boy? Your mama wants you dead!"

Then suddenly Blood struck off the older boy's head with a single blow!

Helaena screams as she catches her son's body in her arms!

Guards burst into the room whilst Helaena was clutching her dead son's body screaming mad with grief!

THE NEWS SPREAD LIKE WILDFIRE as Tatia woke up to an empty bed and chaos in the halls!

Tatia had to figure out what was going on.

More like she had to find Helaena and her children, to make sure they were safe, she got dressed and left her chambers.

As she made her way, she saw so much chaos in the Court, then she was grabbed by the back of the neck!

"Let me go!"

It was Sir Criston again!

"Your presence has been requested," he hisses pulling her right where she was going: Helaena's chambers!

Tatia was thrown to the ground, she saw the blood pooled on the floor, tears entered her eyes, "no- What happened?!"

She looked around to see Aegon, Alicent, and Aemond surrounding Helaena.

"Helaena-"

Suddenly Aegon pulls out his sword and points it at Tatia, "a child for a child!" He hisses to her.

"Whoa- Whoa-" Tatia backs up until she hits the wall, the sword at her chest!

Alicent stays silent.

Helaena was too broken to even speak.

But it was Aemond who stands up, "brother, let her go!"

"Seriously!?" Aegon asked with a hiss, "after what they've done?!"

"She's not them! She's been with us the whole time," Aemond simply says anger still laced in his voice.

Aegon growls before putting the sword away.

Tatia approaches Helaena, "Helaena?"

Helaena meets her eyes with red teary stained ones.

"What are they talking about?" Tatia asked.

"Your mother and step father," Alicent finally spoke up, "it was them. They sent assassins to murder a child for your life that they presumed Aemond took."

Tatia's eyes widened.

A child?

"No-"

"Tatia!"

A little voice cries out as Jaehaera runs out of her room crying and into Tatia's arms, she just sobbed into her dress, and Tatia's heart shattered... 

It was Jaehaerys. 

She knew it then and there.

Tatia picked Jaehaera up and hugged her tightly, "I'm so sorry, I'm so so sorry."

Helaena didn't speak as she put her head in her hands.

TATIA STAYED WITH THE TWO CHILDREN AND HELAENA whilst the others went to find an act of revenge in their own ways.

Tatia watched as Jaehaera fell asleep crying next to her mother who barely looked at either of her children. So Tatia had to take care of Maelor and help him sleep...

The poor babe cried and cried for as long as he could.

He was once a happy child.

But now...

She couldn't imagine.

Soon he did fall asleep.

Tatia sat next to Helaena, "Helaena?"

Helaena didn't speak.

"I'll be back in the morning, okay?" Tatia told her.

Helaena just closed her eyes.

Tatia kisses her cheek before standing up and leaving the room.

As she walked all she could think of was that this was her fault...

If only she hadn't suggested going to Storm's End, her mother and stepfather wouldn't have thought she was dead, they wouldn't have sent Blood and Cheese.

Do they now know she's alive?

Do they regret what they've brought?

She's never seen her mother like this. A bad person. A cruel person... So it's so hard for her to comprehend.

Soon she reaches their chambers.

As she walks in Aemond grabs her, "I should kill you myself!"

Tatia was shocked to hear this, "I... I'm sorry, I never would've done this, you know that I love Helaena and those children-"

Aemond shook his head tears falling from his eye, "Jaeherys is dead because I took you," he hissed, "he's dead!" 

"I know!" She cries back.

Aemond lets go of her as he backs up, "I have a plan to bring revenge for them..."

"W-What... What is it?" Tatia asked in fear.

Aemond looked at her sharply, "I'm going to kill everyone I can in the Riverlands. Directly on Harrenhal."

"What- No!"

"House Strong will be a memory," he told her trying to move past her.

But she grabs his arm, "Aemond please don't-"

"Let go of me!" Aemond pulls his arm away from her, "YOUR FAMILY BROUGHT THIS ON THEMSELVES."