The weather changed quickly after they left Dorne. Dorne's warm sun burned into them, penetrating their clothes to reach the sensitive skin underneath. Beads of sweat decorated their foreheads and with the blinding light falling on them, the rays reflected off the watery beads that rolled down their faces.
The dunes were still burning red underneath them when the dark clouds over the horizon loomed closer. The white and black mixture of clouds rolled around, constantly moving with the wind, making it look like two separate entities fighting with each other. Now and again the flash of lightning illuminates the dark mass in front of them, making it look less monstrous.
"Hold on," Aemond says to Cregan, tightening his grip around his young companion. The wind starts to pick up, whipping across their faces. Even Vhagar groan due to the sudden change in the atmosphere. The cloud wall quickly approaches them and within seconds they fly head-first into it, feeling the first drops of rain.
The raindrops sting their faces as the wind pushes them in all directions, forcing them to fall quicker. Cregan looks down, trying to hide his face from the onslaught of water.
A flash of lightning lights the sky up around them.
Suddenly Aemond sees a different picture appear in front of his eyes.
Not the picture of the dark clouds or the lightning flashing all around them, but the face of Lyanna.
At first, he only sees glimpses of her, as if he can only see her if he blinks, losing sight of her as soon as his eye opens.
Another lightning bolt claps next to them, nearly hitting Vhagar's wing. She roars to inform her rider of her discomfort.
Another flash of Lyanna appears in his mind's eye. Aemond tries to focus on it, to hone in on it.
Aemond, he hears her voice, softly calling to him within the storm.
It's her. She is trying to communicate with him. This means she is still alive.
With a smile he closes his eye, ignoring the raging storm around them, even the danger of the lightning threatening to hit them is now forgotten.
Aemond, my love.
Once again he hears her voice, but with it, the picture of her starts to become more clear, more constant than the flashes he got.
She is standing in front of a bright light as if she is standing in front of a window and the sun is shining in from behind her. He can only make out the outline of her face. The light doesn't hurt his eye, instead, it feels warm and comforting. The light leaves a golden glow around her features, making her look surreal.
My love, she says, reaching her hand out towards him, knowing he won't be able to feel her touch.
If only he was able to do what Lyanna could do. He wants more than anything to feel her hands on him right now.
I need you, Aemond. I don't know how long I can hold on. My body is becoming too weak. Not even my mind is strong enough to keep myself alive.
Just hold on, he wants to tell her, but will she even be able to hear him?
I will try for as long as I am able, but you need to hurry.
She heard him. He can't let her down, not now.
Aemond forces Vhagar to shoot up into the sky, dodging lighting, and forcing her wings to work harder than they have ever worked before. Aemond can feel the beast straining against gravity.
A bolt of lightning strike inches form Aemond's face and Cregan yelp in surprise, throwing his hands over his head.
Still, Aemond pushes on, ignoring the stings of the raindrops on his face.
They burst through the clouds, an eerie silence falling over them as Vhagar spread out her wings to soar on the wind currents. Aemond closes his eye for a moment, enjoying the quiet even if it won't last forever. He sees the face of his wife, sees her laughing as she rides across the courtyard on horseback, and sees her cry at the sight of their twins. He can't lose her. One day he will, but not today.
"Vhagar," he hisses and opens his eye, feeling new strength mixed with anger rushing through him, "Fly!" he orders in High Valyrian, "Fly faster than you ever had."
Cregan couldn't grab onto the saddle quick enough when Vhagar suddenly shoots forward after their moment of total standstill.
Aemond grabs Cregan's sleeve to help steady him, pulling him back onto the saddle.
"I said hold on!" he exclaims.
Cregan tightens his grip, "I was!"
Even though Cregan has a steady grip on the saddle, Aemond also tightens his grip around him, squeezing his arms closer around Cregan as he holds onto Vhagar's reins. As he looks at the dark-headed figure in front of him, he realizes just how young the boy still is. He proved to be more than capable to handle his own in a conversation, even make big and important decisions. It is unknown if he understands what the consequences of his actions are. But he was forced to grow up quickly after he also had to suffer the loss of his brothers, and his parents had to go through a kidnapping, and now has to wonder if he is going to lose his sister as well.
No matter what happens, Cregan will always have a family amongst the Targaryens. His mother is very fond of Cregan already, treating him better than she ever treated her children.
Vhagar soar over the lands, passing over rivers and mountains. The Vale can be seen as they fly over it. Seeing the Eyrie nestled between the jagged mountains, Lyanna only recently gained them as an ally to the North. Without Rhaenyra's knowing. They will be needed in what is to come. His sister is sitting smugly on her throne, thinking she eliminated a threat, but she only poked the hornet's nest with a stick.
A war is already on its way.
The rivers of the Riverlands shine bright under the sunlight. This is a place he still has to convince to join the North's side, they are too crawled up in Daemon's ass, and it will take some time to get them out of there. But he is sure that he will get through to them.
It is not long after that that they see the familiar landscape of the North flying past below them. They are so close.
Aemond, I can't hold on any longer.
Lyanna's voice is stronger than before. It must've taken all her strength to send her message to him.
"I am almost there, Lyanna," he says out loud, wishing he can get Vhagar to go even faster, but the old beast is just too heavy.
Winterfell came as a welcoming sight to them both. Aemond feels the vial of brown liquid burns against the skin just below his tunic.
Vhagar hasn't even landed yet when Aemond leaps off her back, landing on his feet with a thud, feeling the impact burn through him from his feet to his thighs. Not having time to think about that, he starts running, taking out the vial in the process.
People jump out of his way as he comes past. He doesn't even care if he bumps into anyone.
The big wooden doors of his home are already open, with no guards in sight.
Inside he is greeted by absolute silence. There is no mumble of words, no scuffle of feet across the floor, no noise of pots and pans coming from the kitchen. Everything is just quiet.
For the first time in his life, the silence terrifies him.
In a haze he runs to their bedroom, running shoulder first through the heavy piece of wood.
Every face inside turns towards him. The first face he sees is the tear-streaked face of his mother, her eyes red and puffy. She stands up quickly, opening her arms for him.
"No," he whispers and turns to the bed where a very still Lyanna is lying.
Aemond ignores his mother's attempt to embrace him en take his place at his wife's side. He picks up her head, frantically opening the vial.
"She blew out her last breath a few hours ago." the maester says and bows his head, "The North has suffered a great loss."
"A few hours ago?" Aemond asks as the cork comes out of the vial. He just heard her voice before he landed.
With his one hand under her head, he tilts her chin upward, seeing how pale she has gotten. Slowly he pours the contents into her mouth, making sure he doesn't waste a single drop.
The vial gets put down and he slowly relaxes her head, taking her hand in both of his.
"Wake up, Lyanna." he says, "I know you can hear me."
Alicent sobs and put a hand on Aemond's shoulder, "I am so sorry, Aemond."
Cregan joins them, immediately reading the room and bursting out in tears. He failed his sister. They tried so hard to be back in time.
Aemond press hard on Lyanna's hand, wishing he can pour some of his life essence into her. Gently he plants a kiss on her knuckles and rests his forehead against their intertwined fingers.
"Wake up,"
But it stays quiet. Aemond feels his body start to shake and feel emotions inside him start to boil.
She can't be dead. She can't...
He lets out a gut-wrenching scream, falling to his knees beside the bed.
"Lyanna!" he yells at her, "Wake up!"
He can only think of one thing still left to do.
Aemond picks her up, shocked at how cold her body feels against him.
"Aemond put her down. It's over." his mother says and steps in front of him.
"Get out of my way, Mother," he says and keeps on walking, Alicent jumped out of his way just in time.
He aims for the Godswood. The wolves wait for them at the entrance and they follow him to the weirwood tree. The face of the tree is gushing out red liquid like never before.
Aemond goes down on his knees next to the tree, putting Lyanna down gently.
He takes her face in his hands, planting a kiss on her mouth. This is not the end. He knows she is still here, she just needs help to get back. His hand trailed down to her hand, gently lifting it to his face, planting kisses all over it.
Then he puts her hand against the tree.