#i’m thinking of that alicent expression on driftmark when rhaenyra walks in and she’s looking at daemon. or during any convo with viserys

[aeriondripflame]

yes yes aegon and alicent are identical but have you considered all the green children having the exact alicent face of disgust. the textbook hightower rbf if you will

[written-in-flowers]

Fly Away: Pt. 6

Pairing: Young!Aemond x Young!Velaryon!Reader | Side pairing: Rhaenyra x Alicent, Aegon x Helaena

Genre: Fluff, Angst

Au: friends to lovers, childhood love, incest (duh), slight homophobia expressed, repressed feelings, mutual pining, teenage runaways, mentions of bullying, arrange marriages

Word Count: 6k

Summary: Young love overcomes all in a family full of broken bonds and broken hearts. When Princess Y/N Velaryon and Prince Aemond Targaryen are discovered missing from their beds, their mothers must come together to find them. The search might do more for their families than a mere marriage pact can. 

A/N: want to clarify now that we stick with young!Aemond throughout the story. Ewan’s Aemond comes in at the very end. This is mainly done starting a bit before The Princess and the Queen and a little bit after the events at Driftmark. I do pull some scenes from the show, but it remains relatively loose throughout. Want to also point out that The Dance doesn’t happen in this universe, so...happy ending expected, because we need more of those.  

Taglist: @yitish​ @imjustboredso​ @discowizard88 @mddieeunson  @caramelcandescence @bookwhoresthings @astrumark @minteaspoon​

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****

Morning came with no sign of you. Rhaenyra took deep breaths as she dressed for riding. A myriad of gruesome, disturbing scenes crossed her mind. What if you’d been taken captive? What if some ship’s captain found you, and is now selling you across the sea? No. She could not think that way. She’d take Syrax to the skies and see if Syrax finds Starshine. 

Starshine came from a clutch of Syrax’s eggs many years ago; the Dragon Keepers thought the egg as blue as midnight would never hatch. That is, until you were born. Rhaenyra fondly remembered the day five-year-old Y/N came up to her with a blue and gold hatchling in her arms. You hadn’t cared if the dragon’s claws nipped your skin and gown. You’d cried tears of joy, completely fond of the dragon who’d bonded with you immediately, and vowed to love her forever. You’d spend every day going to the Dragonpit to feed, play and train your dragon. The Dragon Keepers told her that Starshine, as you’d named her, flew faster than her brothers and sisters. Rhaenyra worried about letting you ride her, but you insisted Starshine only went half her speed when carrying her rider. 

Other than that, the beast flew like the wind. 

Rhaenyra walked out of her bedroom, riding coat over her tunic and trousers, boots echoing on the floor. She nervously wrung her hands, thinking of where to look for you first. She’d come out into the main hall, and saw Laenor with the head of their guard by the Painted Table. An entire map of Westeros carved into the table, lit up by the line of candles underneath, acted as a strategy table. She saw him hunched over where Dragonstone is located, the two men talking quietly to each other. When he heard her footsteps, Laenor turned his head to see her. 

“Rhaenyra,” he called to her. 

“They haven’t found her,” she guessed, sliding on her leather gloves. 

A small pang hit her heart at the stitching on the cuffs. Slim dragons weaved in and out of one another in golden thread. You’d spent weeks getting the stitches just right. Oh, you sweet child. Where are you? 

“I’m afraid not,” he frowned. “I’m going to ride Seasmoke and look for her. The Dragon Keepers are searching the mountains.”

“Good. I’ll take Syrax.” 

“We want to come too!” 

Her sons appeared at the bottom of the stairs, both staring at her hopefully. “You boys need to stay here,” Laenor told them, “In case your sister returns.” 

“We want to look with you,” Jace told him. “She’s our sister.”

“Please let us come,” Luke pleaded with his mother. “What if something terrible has happened to her?” 

“Which is all the reason why you must remain here,” Rhaenyra told him comfortingly. “If anything has befallen your sister, the same might happen to you as well.” 

“The more people who are looking, the higher the chances of finding her are,” Jace insisted. “Mother, we can help. Vermax and Arrax are big enough to ride, and if we find her, one of us will come get you or Father.” 

“Let us help, Mother,” said Luke right after. “Y/N might be hurt,” he hugged her, “She needs us.”

Your caring brothers. Despite what happened at Driftmark and whatever cruel words they might’ve said from anger, your brothers loved you. She ran a hand through Luke’s soft curls, so different from her own silver strands, and bent to look at him. His large brown eyes filled with tears, which he tried sniffing back. She knew Luke was closer to you than Jace. For a moment, she remembered the day he’d been born and how happy you’d been to have a second baby brother. 

She cupped his cheek gently, and said, “Your sister is fine. She is only missing, but you father and I will find her. I need you both to stay here in case she comes back on her own, alright?”

“But-” Jace began to say, but was cut off by Laenor. 

“-You both will stay here,” Laenor said. “If your sister returns, she may need you both to care for her.”

“Mother…” 

“We’ll find her,” she assured him. She stood and looked at her husband, “I’ll go on ahead. I’ll start on the northside.”

“I will take the south and work to the west. You can take the east.” 

They’d both made to leave before Jace caught her hand. Rhaenyra turned to see tears in his eyes as well. “Mother,” he croaked, “If you find Y/N, can you…can you tell her I didn’t mean what I said?”

“What do you mean?”

He looked down shamefully, “At Driftmark…I said that she hated us, and that she should leave us alone. I…I didn’t mean it. I said it because I…I was hurt that she’d defended Aemond after what he did. But…But, I know now that she only cares about everyone. Will you tell her I don’t hate her? That Luke and I want her to come back home? I promise to never tease her ever again, as long as she comes back.” 

Rhaenyra’s heart sank. She kissed the top of his head, and hugged him, “I will. Stay here, the both of you.” 

They nodded, and she began walking alongside Laenor. Their children out of earshot, Laenor spoke, “She ran away.”

“I know.”

“There is only one place I imagine she’d go,” he said. “Your father will never turn away one of his grandchildren.”

It pained her to think of it, while also leaving her in awe. Sometime before, Rhaenyra also envisioned running away with the person she loved the most. The thought of you doing the same would’ve touched her if it did not riddle her with anxiety. Walking down the castle ramparts, she recalled that night once again. She’d snuck out of her bed chambers through a secret passage, a rucksack full of provisions slung over her shoulder, and went around the keep the long way. Hope and adventure pumped adrenaline into her veins, visions of having Alicent freely brought a smile to her face. Had you been the same way? She imagined you in her place. Sneaking away in the dead of night onto your dragon, with nothing but a few supplies and a dream, on your way to be with your beloved. The bards will never stop singing about it. 

“My lord!” 

She’d reached the dragon keep when Maester Gerardys rushed up to her and Laenor outside the gates. She saw a small scroll of paper in his hand. The elderly man puffed and panted when he reached them. Her nerves wracked together seeing the paper and worried for the worst. 

“My Lord,” he addressed Laenor, handing him the scroll, “This just arrived from Driftmark from Lord Corlys.”

Laenor broke the wax seal and unrolled the paper. He read it carefully, his reading eyes making Rhaenyra nervous. She clutched his forearm, “What is it?”

“My father says one of his men saw a dragon in the skies last night during his patrol of High Tide,” he answered. “They said they’d seen it bolting through the sky before disappearing from sight.”

“That sounds like Starshine!”

“And they told him,” he read it again, “That the dragon appeared to be flying in the direction of King’s Landing.” He glanced back at her, “King’s Landing is not that far away on dragonback. She might be there now.”

“Then why has she not written?” Rhaenyra replied, discontentedly. “Then why has The Queen not written and told me?” 

Even with their tarnished relationship, Rhaenyra knew Alicent would’ve written to her if you’d shown up at her door. She shook her head, finding it hard to believe. “Where else could she have gone then?” Laenor asked pleadingly. “The only reason she’d run away is in King’s Landing. You know our girl, Rhaenyra, she’s a romantic. It’d be like her to want to fly away with Aemond. I will send word to King’s Landing and to my father to keep a look out for Starshine. If we’re lucky, she’s there.”

“Alicent would have told me Y/N was there. I don’t think she’s there. Y/N is too smart to go flying so close to Driftmark.” 

“We don’t have any other leads.”

“Um, Princess,” Maester Gerardys called her attention, “Perhaps Prince Aegon might have some insight?”

“Aegon?” Rhaenyra asked, bemused, “Why would we ask him? He’s never shown an ounce of interest in his brother or his niece.” 

“I say this because Sunfyre appears to have arrived.”

The three of them looked up into the open sky to see a golden dragon circling overhead. Rhaenyra recognized the beaten gold scales and thin pink membrane of Sunfyre, her younger brother’s dragon. What was he doing here? A plethora of reasons came to mind as Sunfyre gradually made his descent into the main yard of the dragon keep. The Dragon Keepers all kept their spears trained upwards as the beast landed, roaring and snarling at them. On the saddle, she saw her brother. He wore his silver hair in a loose braid down his back, dressed in his green and gold finery. Rhaenyra saw a determination she’d never seen in Aegon before. Usually, when she did see him, he was drunk and unaware of his surroundings. The Aegon she saw here was a different person. But, as quickly as she noticed this, she spotted the person clinging onto him for her dear life. 

Alicent, in a dress of dark emerald, clung to her son as Sunfyre sat down in the yard. She’d never flown before, Rhaenyra knew. It always terrified her. Her long curls blown back from her face, she fixed them properly once the Dragon Keepers helped her down from the dragon saddle. The moment she finished fixing her skirts and steadying herself, her eyes met Rhaenyra from beyond the gate. Only a year passed since she’d seen Alicent, yet it felt like so much longer. At that moment, her heart ached. The young besotted girl inside her wished to reach out for Alicent, apologize for all her wrongdoings both real or imagined, and embrace her. A million words were exchanged between them, yet nothing came out into the open. 

“My Queen,” Laenor bowed as Alicent stormed over to them. Rhaenyra immediately knew something was wrong, and her suspicions were correct. 

“Where is-” Alicent began, but Rhaenyra spoke first.

“Y/N is missing as well,” she said. 

Alicent paused. “Missing?” she asked cautiously. 

“Yes, she went flying and never came home,” Rhaenyra told her, keeping herself together, “Laenor and I were about to search for her.”

“My father,” Laenor said, “Sent a raven. He said one of his men spotted Starshine in the skies early yesterday morning.”

“He said the same about Vhagar.” Aegon appeared beside his mother, handing Laenor the letter they’d received. “It came to us a few hours ago. We’d sent word to lords in Westeros to keep an eye out for Vhagar, and Lord Corlys responded. He said a sea captain coming back from King’s Landing told him they spotted Vhagar leaving King’s Landing and heading this way.”

Laenor read the letter and nodded in confirmation. “How long has Aemond been missing?” she asked Alicent. 

“Since yesterday morning,” she replied. “Nobody had seen him all day, and we searched the city to no avail.” 

Rhaenyra wanted to hug her. She wanted to bring Alicent into her arms, give her the reassurance and comfort they both desperately needed. “If he isn’t here,” Aegon said, “And Y/N isn’t here, then where could they be?” 

“They must be somewhere on the island,” Laenor said. “Did your sister come with you?”

“Yes, she’s on her way with Dreamfyre,” Aegon nodded. 

“Good. Rhaenyra, you’ll search the northside of the island. I will search the south; Aegon will search the east, and when Princess Helaena arrives, she can fly around the west. I think with all of us on our dragons, we may find them both.”

“They won’t be here,” Aegon disagreed. 

“Why not?”

“Aemond is not an idiot, and neither is Y/N. Staying on Dragonstone is too risky for two people who do not wish to be found.” 

“He’s right,” Rhaenyra said, wishing it weren’t so. “If they’re together, they wouldn’t be where we expect.”

“Then, they went to another city…” the realization came to Alicent, and Rhaenyra felt the same dread. “No, no, they could not have. They’d never…”

“Pentos,” Laenor said first. “Y/N always talked about going there ever since she met a Pentoshi sea captain in the village. She’s fascinated with the place.” 

“And Aemond would go wherever Y/N went.” 

She was not the only one. Pentos had once been Rhaenyra’s place of choice for them. Two star-crossed lovers flying away to the Free Cities to escape their quarreling families sounded like a fairytale. It might’ve touched her if her daughter were not one of the lovers. Laenor guided them all back inside. Alicent can rest from her journey while they await Princess Helaena. In the meantime, Laenor and Aegon can discuss and gather search parties. Walking back into the large hall, she stood off to the side while deep in thought. Idly, she listened in as Laenor, Aegon and Alicent suggested places in Essos the children might have gone. 

But, thinking upon it more, Rhaenyra sensed they were wrong. You might’ve dreamed of going across The Narrow Sea, but the chances of being recognized are too high. Neither you nor Aemond could survive in the streets. You’re both nobles who’ve been sheltered your entire lives. A foreign city like Pentos might intimidate you. Besides, that did not sound romantic enough. She thought back to the stories she’d heard growing up. A lot of the romances spoke of the lovers absconding to a secluded place for the two of them. 

“Jaehaerys and Alysanne…” she said quietly to herself. 

“Rhaenyra?” 

“Jaehaerys and Alysanne,” she repeated, coming back over to them. “Y/N loves the story of the marriage between King Jaehaerys and Queen Alysanne. She always talked about how romantic she thought it was that they’d run away together to Dragonstone.”

“But, we’re on Dragonstone,” said Aegon. 

“They’d go to a remote place,” Alicent continued for her, nodding slightly. “They’d want to go somewhere that nobody else knows. They’d go to a place where it’d be only them and them alone.” More words hung in the air between them. “Should they have gone to Essos, there’s the possibility of being discovered but if they went elsewhere…Tell your maester to bring all of his maps.”

“All of them?” Laenor asked. “He has quite a few.”

“Bring them,” she affirmed. 

“Yes, Your Grace.”

When Laenor called for Maester Gerardys, Rhaenyra ordered the household maids to prepare rooms for The Queen and Prince Aegon. She still wished to go on Syrax. If not to search for her daughter, then to clear her mind. The room suddenly became suffocating, and she gasped for air. Her little dove, forever the hopeless romantic, vanished in the night and is somewhere in the world. 

Wherever you’d gone, she hoped you were safe. 

***

Breakfast consisted of two leftover sausages, meager portions of berries and nuts, water Aemond brought in his waterskins, and hard bread with honey. Not an ideal breakfast, but you hoped things would be better after today. Having finished working on the shack, you and Aemond decided you’d go into the forest together. You needed a water source, and Aemond said the lake wouldn’t be too far. 

“We can fill up the skins,” he said, handing you a waterskin while he kept two empty ones around his neck, “And this pail. You know, to have water for cooking.”

You might’ve mentioned bathing in the lake as well if it did not make you giggle. The island heat became more apparent in the daytime, causing your clothes to feel uncomfortable and hot on your body. A nice cool dip sounded refreshing, but then you remembered Aemond being there and possibly seeing you undressed. You started off behind him, carrying your waterskin and the pail while Aemond stayed a few steps ahead. You thought back to the previous night where Aemond cried. It amazed you that he thought a missing eye kept you from wanting to be with him. It sounded ridiculous to you, but you supposed to Aemond it’d make sense. At home, you imagined many people gave him distasteful stares or murmured behind his back when he walked past them. Aemond might pretend to be above it all, but you knew better. 

“Can you shoot with that?” you asked, nodding at the bow and sheath of arrows on his back. 

“I can,” he answered. “I thought I could do some hunting while we’re out.” He looked over his shoulder at you, “I wouldn’t go far. Don’t worry for me.” 

“I still wish that we stay together,” you told him. “We don’t know this island, Aemond. Your map is only an outline of the old one. What if you come across a dangerous place?”

“I won’t go far,” he reassured you. “I can handle myself, Y/N.”

“I know you can, but…” 

It stayed in the air. His eye. A predator or animal might take advantage of his blind side to attack him. He could run into another tree like last night and hurt himself gravely. You didn’t want him to think you doubted his skills, because he’s a good swordsman, but you worried. Trekking through the forest, you heard a low roar coming from somewhere above you right before the small stretch of forest became covered in darkness. You and Aemond looked up to see the battle-worn underside of Vhagar through the canopy. Right as she started circling a spot ahead, another shadow closely followed. You smiled softly to yourself. Reaching the opposite side to a clearing, a large lake stretched around in a circle before feeding into a stream heading southward. Knowing the lake is so close left you and Aemond at ease. You felt more reassured when Vhagar and Starshine settled down across, smashing and cracking trees with their tails and making the earth rumble and quake underneath your feet. The two dragons stayed side by side while taking large gulps of water. 

“Do you think they’ve become friends?” you asked Aemond, continuing to watch as you walked to the shore. 

“It seems like it,” he answered. “Vhagar’s usually alone in the dragonpit. She’s too large to stay there long, so she flies around a lot. I’ve never seen her interact with another dragon before.”

“Starshine’s the opposite,” you said, taking off your boots and stockings before going towards the water’s edge with your waterskin. “She likes socializing with the other dragons in the tunnels. She’s very friendly.”

He chuckled softly, and you looked over at him in the water. “What?”

“I read this book that once said dragons are similar to their riders,” he said, dipping the waterskin beneath the surface to fill it. “It’s funny to see that it’s true.”

“How so?”

“You’re friendly and like talking to people too.”

“Well, if that’s true, then you’re perfect for Vhagar,” you nudged him with a grin. “Grumpy and quiet.”

“I’m not ‘grumpy’,” he laughed, nudging you back. 

“Oh, you certainly can be,” you nudged him in return, “When the mood strikes you.”

The two of you shared a glance, and you heard him give a soft hum and look away. You giggled, and nudged him once more to hear him make the sound again. He reminded you of a cat with how he purred in disagreement. When you finished filling your first waterskin, Aemond casually bumped himself into you. 

“Oh, I’m sorry, Y/N,” he chuckled, bumping you once more and making you laugh, “I didn’t mean to knock into you like that,” he did it once more, and you nearly lost your balance in the water. “I suppose it’s my grumpy mood.”

“Aemond!” you laughed, managing to keep your balance and lightly prodded him back. 

“Oop, forgive me, Princess,” he replied, smiling widely, knocking into you fully now. “Oh, forgive me again. Oop, forgive me once again, lovely Princess.”

Soon, you felt yourself falling into the water and instinctively reached for Aemond’s sleeve. In a loud splash, the two of you broke the still surface. A tangle of limbs thrashing in the shallow water, you both quickly stood from the sandy waters and took lungfuls of air. The water cooled your hot skin, and cleansed you of any dirt and sweat left under your clothes. However, now your clothes weighed you down and stuck to your body. Regardless, you locked eyes with Aemond and laughed in delight. You quickly splashed water in his direction, and he returned a splash in kind. Waterskins floating in the low waters, you escaped Aemond’s splatter by going into the deeper part. He followed right away, lunging forward and dunking you into the water. You wrestled against one another. You had experience with Jace, who liked tackling you whenever your parents left you alone, and Aemond lived with Aegon, who enjoyed teasing him. Coming up for air, panting heavily from being under so long, you gave each other a moment before you leapt onto him. Aemond managed to keep his head above water, merely holding you to him in the deep water. Your arms around his neck, his locks around your waist. 

You realized that, once again, you and Aemond were dangerously close. He’d lost his eyepatch in the water fight, so you saw his scarring up close. It didn’t bother you at all. You saw how they’d emptied out the rest of the socket, so only a hole remained. You weren’t bothered at all. If your mother or septa could see you now, they’d be appalled. Princesses don’t throw themselves into the arms of their betrothed. But, then you remembered you and Aemond were no longer betrothed. Should your families find you, they will separate you again and make sure you stay apart. This made you cling to Aemond. 

“What’s wrong?” he asked, noticing you clutching him. “Is it my…my eye?” 

“I don’t want them to find us,” you whispered, as if speaking it too loudly will make it come true. 

“Neither do I,” he said. A long minute passed before he said, “Tilt your head.”

You tilted your head to one side, your heart pounding, and he leaned into you. His lips tasted faintly of the berries from breakfast. Warm and soft, they laid flat on yours. When he pulled away, your cheeks and ears burned. You worried he might’ve not liked it or you’d done something wrong. You’d never seen your mother and father kiss on the lips, only on their cheeks. In paintings, you often saw young maidens and their true loves sharing deep kisses with their mouths open. 

“I’ve never kissed anyone before,” you admitted softly. 

“I have.”

“When?”

“Aegon took me to a brothel on my nameday,” he said, not looking at you. “He said it was time to ‘get it wet’.”

“Did you want to go?”

“I…I don’t really know now. I knew where we were going once we reached the street, but when we went inside, I…” you saw a tinge of pink cross his pale cheeks, “I only remember thinking about going back home.”

“What was it like there?”

“Strange. All the women were naked, and people were…coupling…in full view of everyone. Men with women. Women with women and men with men. Everyone was drunk, and the place smelled awful. He brought me to this woman. She was older than me. She was very kind, and told me to relax.”

You’d never seen this woman, but a pang of jealousy hit you. An image of a faceless, scantily clad woman preying on your Aemond made your face harden. “What did she do?”

“Y/N…I don’t think it’s appropriate for a lady to hear about that-”

“-I want to know what she did so I can do it too.”

“Y/N-”

“-Why does she get to kiss you and not me?”

“We did more than kiss, Y/N.” 

You gasped, eyes widening. You weren’t surprised Aegon took his brother to a brothel, but Aemond’s participation surprised you. “She told me how to do it,” he continued, “So on my wedding night, I’d know how to…I’d rather not go into detail with you.” Something stiff touched you, and Aemond blushed a deep red. “I’m sorry,” he said, moving away from you, “I…I, um…”

“It’s okay,” you insisted, looking away shyly. “My mother said it does that.”

“It does.” 

You moved closer to him, and asked, “How did she kiss you?”

“Our tongues touched.” 

So, you did what you pictured the woman had done. Tilting your head again, you kissed Aemond with your lips closed. Slowly, you managed to open and deepen the kiss, your tongue tentatively touching his. You heard him gasp softly, breath dampening the top of your lips, and he pulled you to him again. The urge to kiss Aemond came on the heels of envisioning an older woman getting to kiss him first; she did what you’d never have the gall to do. Aemond’s hands stayed on your waist as you kissed. You wondered if you were doing it right until Aemond took control and kissed you heatedly. 

Breaking away to breathe, you each giggled out your nervousness. A deep rumble made you turn your heads. Starshine, her neck inches from the water’s surface, stared at the both of you. She gave another growl before Vhagar snapped her jaws and flapped her wings. Ripples went across the water as both dragons batted their wings and took flight. When they disappeared into the sky, you took that as a sign. 

“Maybe we should start heading back,” you said, moving away from Aemond. “We need to find food.”

“Good idea.” 

He did not follow you right away, and you knew why. You couldn’t help laughing to yourself as you collected the waterskins and the pail, and left the lake. You walked back to the shack remembering what your mother said about intercourse. She’d given you the speech when you began flowering. She said society considered you a woman now, and could bear children. She explained how it was done; it sounded painful, but she reassured you that it can be quite the opposite if “done correctly”. 

You arrived at the shack, and started shedding off your soaked clothes to place on a line hanging outside, and left your shoes at the door. You knew your small clothes would dry on their own, and barefoot, you walked inside and kindled the logs for a fire. You wring water out of your hair by the time Aemond appeared, wearing his small clothes and silver hair damp. Your jaw dropped when you realized he’d returned without his eyepatch. The hole appeared darker inside than it had in the light. It unnerved you, but you’d never show that to Aemond. 

“I lost it in the water,” he said, embarrassed. “I couldn’t find it when you left.”

“Do you have others?” 

You frowned when he shook his head. “I forgot to pack another one,” he said. “I spent so much time thinking about everything else, I forgot the most important thing.” 

Thinking quickly, you walked over to the bed and with a knife Aemond kept on the table, you cut a slim piece of cloth. You went back to him, holding the makeshift patch for him. “If you want to,” you told him with uncertainty, “I know wearing the patch makes you more comfortable. I don’t mind either way.”

Aemond took the slip of cloth and tied it the way he would a normal eye patch. Satisfied with how it sat on his face, you noticed tension fall from his shoulders. You saw the thing he held in his hand. 

"What is that?" You asked. It was furry with long ears. "Is that a rabbit?"

"I came across it during my walk back. I can skin it, and we'll cook it for dinner."

"That sounds nice."

He sat with you by the fire, grabbing his knife and making a cut through the rabbit. You turned away in disgust at the sight of him ripping the skin off the rabbit’s body. It was similar to removing a sock or a sleeve. The motion caused a light spray of blood to land on your thigh and knee. 

“Oh, ew, ew, ew,” you squealed, wiping the small droplets with your hand. “Ew, ew, ew.”

“Stop being a baby,” Aemond laughed. “It is only blood.” 

“It’s still disgusting. Ugh, where did you learn to do that?”

“Ser Criston taught me.”

“Ser Criston seems to have taught you many things.”

Aemond paused to think, then nodded, “Yes, yes, he has. My father’s too old to do most things, so Ser Criston teaches me skills like hunting and fighting. He says every man should know how to live out in the woods in case he’s ever traveling alone,” he glanced at you, “Or with people he cares about.” 

You smiled, enjoying the warmth from the fire and Aemond’s company. 

***

They spent ages combing through all of Maester Gerardys’s maps. Alicent meticulously ran her finger over every corner. Aemond must be at one of these places. Duksendale, Sharp Point, Stokeworth…He could’ve gone to any of them. Her heart raced every time she thought about her Aemond and where he was. What if he became injured or ill? She couldn’t stand to think about it. The fact he’d run away the same time as Rhaenyra’s daughter brought on a lingering guilt that filled her stomach. She didn’t bother touching the spread of food the castle maids brought to her bed chamber. She had no interest in food when her son was missing. 

And it’d been her fault. Aemond loved you. The love appeared as bright as the sun and stars. Yet, in a moment of rage, she’d changed everything. She’d done the exact same thing her father had. 

‘You must stop these disgusting habits. It insults everything our family has stood by for centuries: The Seven, The Faith, the name Hightower. You will marry The King and be done with this unholy infatuation you’ve developed.’

‘But, Father, I love her!’

That’d been the first and last time her father raised a hand to her. Alicent felt the slap like it happened yesterday. Nervously, she kept her hand at her throat, rubbing the lump that threatened to grow there. He’d caught her with Rhaenyra in the godswood that day. She’d tried explaining it away with meager excuses; she feared what her father might do if he knew the truth. But, Otto Hightower knew what he’d seen and knew what his daughter was, and it disgusted him. 

Alicent convinced herself this situation differed. Your brothers maimed her son permanently. They’d attacked him, and when he defended himself, they came at him with a knife. Jaceryes went to that meeting with a knife. What other reason did he have if not to hurt her son? Then, when she begged her husband to invoke justice, something only he can do, he favored his daughter. He’d questioned Aemond exactly as she’d told him. It made her realize that her husband did not care for their children. He’d been overjoyed when she’d given him Aegon, yet never named him heir. He’d doted over Helaena, Aemond and young Daeron as babes, but he still chose Rhaenyra over them. Alicent blankly stared at the map on her table, yet did not truly look at it anymore. She’d remembered Viserys’s words when she told him of Aemond’s disappearance, and that she planned to fly to Dragonstone. 

‘I hope you find him safely.’

It angered her beyond belief. How could he have such little concern for Aemond? But, she did not fake surprise. She should’ve expected as much. Aemond could be injured further. He could be dead in a hole or his body floating in the ocean, and Viserys will only ask about Rhaenyra’s daughter's safety. 

She withheld the tears in her eyes. Her poor, sweet Aemond. Ever since he’d ridden Vhagar, he’d changed. No longer the timid, self-conscious boy, he showed much more ferocity and less emotion. She knew he blamed Lucerys Velaryon for his lost eye. She’d demanded the boy’s eye in return at that moment. But, thinking about it now, she realized her moment of madness. Her son wounded, her husband indifferent, and Rhaenyra declaring he be questioned rather than sympathized with, blinded her to reason. The realization that nobody would help her or her children brought her blood to a boil. Deep in her soul, she knew Viserys never loved her children as much as Rhaenyra; she knew his willful blindness to her treason stems from this love. The young girl inside her wished for the same blindness, but the noble woman in her could not look past it. 

Once again, her heart broke into more pieces. 

It concerned her when Aemond revealed he still wished to marry you. She couldn’t allow her son to wed the sister of his attackers. She’d told him the decision was in his best interest, but he’d only howled his rage. He refused to speak to her for days. Whenever she found him, he sat in solitude with a book or writing a poem or simply in thought as he gazed out at the ocean. The ships that went across the blue waves reminded him of you; exactly how lemon cakes reminded her of Rhaenyra, who liked to peel the candied lemons off each one to eat. He eventually came around, but she knew the resentment still lingered. It normally turned its face whenever she mentioned betrothals in front of him. 

“Mother?” 

She hadn’t heard Aegon approach. The boy who stood before her, no longer in his long riding coat, looked different somehow. It’d been him who suggested they ride to Dragonstone, hoping to find Aemond. Even if he did tease his brother, Alicent knew Aegon loved him. He’d spent his whole morning forcing himself to stay searching for Aemond on the ground and in the skies. His suggestion of Aemond running away surprised both her and her father. Her father said he saw potential in Aegon when not lingering away in wine; she simply saw a boy who wanted to prove himself. 

“Aegon,” she walked to him, “Has Helaena arrived?”

“Yes, with Ser Cole,” he told her. He glanced at the maps on her table. “Have you…found anything?”

“Nothing yet,” she said. “Most of these maps are new."

"Then, we should search the older ones," Aegon approached the table, scanning the first map. "These cannot be his only maps." He turned to her, "Do you think they'd withhold them from us?"

"No," she answered truthfully. "Y/N is missing as well. I know Rhaenyra would do anything to have her daughter back."

Aegon nodded. Alicent noticed a change in her son. She’d not once seen him take up a cup of wine since last night. She watched him examine the first map like she’d done, looking for any sign of a difference from the others. Alicent imagined him with his father’s golden crown, his father’s dagger and sword on his belt instead of his own, looking and acting like the king he should be. For years, she’d begged Viserys to name Aegon as his heir. It would bring so much stability to the realm if Aegon were king. If Aegon were king, then her children would be spared from the sword. She knew if Rhaenyra wished to rid herself of any challenge to the throne, she’d have to murder Alicent’s children. She’d have to kill them. Alicent wished she could say the love they shared may cause Rhaenyra to spare her children, but that love vanished. It’d been replaced by years of resentment and bitterness. 

“We’ll find him, Mother,” he reassured her for the millionth time, aware she’s watching him. “I swear it.” 

‘I will find him, Mother,’ is what he truly wishes to say. 

She put her hand on his back, sliding it across before embracing him. Aegon stiffened at first, but soon returned the hug. She’d be the first to say she was not always gentle or patient with Aegon. Being fifteen with no mother to guide her, Alicent maneuvered motherhood alone. She tries her best, she says to herself. Would Aegon be different if she’d tried harder or was he meant to be this way? 

“Where is your sister?” she asked. 

“In the main hall. She agrees with Ser Laenor about searching Dragonstone from above.” 

“And you do not?”

“No, I do not.” He glanced back at her collection of maps. “Aemond wouldn’t come to Dragonstone. It is too obvious. He’ll be afraid you and Rhaenyra will split them apart; he’d take her where we cannot find him.” He flipped through the other maps by the corners, “No. I don’t believe we’ll find his hideout on any of these.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Because these all look the same. There is no difference between them. Maester Gerardys must have others, or books with old maps on them.” 

“Do you believe Rhaenyra would hide them from us?”

“She felt entitled enough to take my brother’s eye,” he said, a slight edge to his tone. “Rhaenyra is the heir. As you have told me time and time again, Mother, Rhaenyra will not hesitate to put my brother, sister, and I to the sword to eliminate challenges to her claim. I would not be surprised if she has withheld information from us to keep us from finding Aemond.”

“Rhaenyra’s daughter is missing as well,” she reminded him. 

“And? She might know where Y/N is right now and will not tell us. She can have one of her guards put Aemond down and call it an accident.”

“Rhaenyra would never-”

“-She called his eye being removed an accident. I don’t see why she wouldn’t say the same if we found him…” she saw him gulp, and hold himself steady. “Whatever love you and her once shared died the day her bastards-”

“-Aegon!-

“-Took my younger brother’s eye.” 

Perhaps he was not as disinterested as she’d believed. Alicent caressed his cheek, and hugged him once more. His body relaxed in her embrace, his arms going around her in return. When she released him, she said, “We must believe Rhaenyra will do what she can to aid us. Remember, Ser Laenor is also searching, and he is a good, noble man. Finding both Aemond and Y/N is what is most important right now. Come,” she took his hand, “Let us go meet your sister and Ser Criston.”

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A/N: Gosh, are they EVER going to find the babies? Let’s hope Aegon isn’t about to do anything stupid. As always, thanks for reading and I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter <3