Inviolable Bindings | Aemond & Aegon II Targaryen

Chapter 34

"If you do not tell me what I wish to hear, I will fly back to find him myself." The words came from her mouth through gritted teeth.

"You will do no such thing," he finally spoke, breaking his silence.

Viserra's face fumed with anger but she could feel a slight ache beginning in her chest. She had done nothing to be met with such hostility. In fact she had done exactly as she had been told, even despite her desire to fly back to Aegon days before.

"You were supposed to watch over him, to ensure he did nothing foolish," she retorted, the hurt now causing her to lash out.

A guttural growl rose from Aemond and she sensed the barely contained strom within him. For a moment, she thought he might lose control, but he made no overt move to do so. She felt her heart pounding and her chest heaving up and down with the adrenaline coursing through her own body.

The silence between them persisted for another moment before finally, Aemond's demeanor showed the slightest give. Viserra, in turn, felt a small release of her own frustration, finding reassurance in his subtle change.

"Rhaenys came on dragonback, she descended upon us and quickly began to take out many of our men," he began. "The arrows and scorpions did nothing to bring them down."

"Scorpions?" She questioned, recognizing the word but not being able to place the reference.

"The large crossbows designed to fell a dragon. Dorne used them to kill the Queen Rhaenys' mount, Meraxes." Aemond explained and she suddenly remembered the horrific history once read in her studies.

The words hung heavy in the air as the vivid image came to her mind. Viserra's eyes reflected a mixture of horror and sorrow, realizing how devastating this war was going to be, not only for them, but for their dragons as well.

Still grappling with the reality of their situation, Viserra pressed him about his brother once more. "You and Aegon came down on Rhaenys together, but she injured Sunfyre in turn?"

Aemond's features darkened once more, the weight of the question bringing him both anger and shame. The lack of a response brought worry back to her mind and she felt the desperate frustration take over.

"Aemond, tell me what happened to Aegon," she pressed.

The room seemed to close in on them and Aemond looked down, finally choosing to answer. "Aegon confronted Rhaenys first, but he was not able to maintain the upper hand. As soon as I realized what he had done, Vhagar and I flew to them in aid." Aemond paused momentarily, drawing in a breath before continuing on. "She had Sunfyre in her jaws but we descended upon her quickly and took her down from the skies. We all fell to the ground."

Viserra listened to Aemond with wide eyes and unsteady breath. She felt more panicked each time he stopped speaking, the impatience apparent in her expression. "And what?" She demanded.

"Dragonfire surrounded us as we plummeted to the ground. Rhaenys and her dragon were broken and scorched in the fall. Aegon was unable to avoid the dragonfire and could not move himself from Sunfyre as they crashed."

Viserra's heart plummeted, the impact of the revelation rang in her ears and she could not hear anything else if he had continued speaking. The room seemed to blur and she suddenly felt as if her body could no longer support her. Turning from Aemond, she reached out, hoping the armchair would be able to steady her.

Instead of catching her weight on the piece of furniture, she felt a pair of arms embrace her middle. The touch, though supportive, ignited a spark of anger in her. Anger at herself, for not listening to Helaena's words and anger at Aemond, for being unable to protect Aegon and letting this all unfold.