Chapter Text
Kristyne stared at Vhagar in horror. The mere size of her mouth alone enticed a fear she'd never felt around any other dragon. She was a behemoth, larger than Syrax and Caraxes combined.
Aemond walked up behind her, wrapping his arms around her front side. "Just breathe, Kris," He whispered, kissing her neck.
"Not here," She mumbled, warmth spreading through her.
"I have thought of kissing you outside the confines of my room for days. The idea of showing you off, making sure you remained mine. This is the dragonpit, my most sacred place of peace. It only seems fair I must mark you here."
"Just marking?" She smirked.
"I will not f*ck you, not yet. I must make up for dishonoring you, I will not bed you again until you are my wife."
"Aemond," She whined.
"I would like to believe I still have a shred of honor. Consider it an incentive to say yes."
She glared at him as he pulled away and approached his dragon, dragging her by her hand. He placed his hands on the scales next to the latter and her heart rate increased.
She was trembling when Aemond placed her hand against the scales.
She shook her head, clenching her eyes.
"Lucerys, wait!"
"Arrax, sōvēs!"
Falling, falling, falling.
"Kristyne, I am right here," Aemond pressed his lips to her forehead. "Vhagar is far more experienced than Arrax, she has saddled many for decades. I will not have her fly until I am certain you are secured."
She nodded. She tried to take deep breaths as they climbed and he had her sit behind him. He was careful with her, trying to make her as secure as possible.
"Nothing is going to make me feel better or worse, let us just get this over with."
He looked at her for confirmation before commanding Vhagar to take off. She kept her arms around Aemond tighter than should be allowed, refusing to open her eyes. If she was going to marry him, she was going to need to adjust. And if Aemond expected children, their children would ride dragons.
They were both correct about not patrolling dragons at night, just the guards at the gates. But as many times as Vhagar circled the castle to land, everyone was aware of their presence. Suddenly, the height no longer mattered. Her surroundings did not matter.
She was about to see Lucerys.
The height from Vhagar's saddle to the ground was much higher than the distance she fell from Arrax, but she wanted down. Sheneededdown.
"Kris, wait!" Aemond spoke as Vhagar landed and she was already removing the straps. Guards were lining the entrance and she could make out Rhaenyra's figure running to the gate with multiple people behind her.
She threw her hood off, raising her hands. "Stop! We are not here to attack!"
Rhaenyra pushed past everyone and her eyes widened in shock, Lucerys next to her, sword in hand, with the same expression.
Kris' hands fell to her side as a smile broke out on her face. The smell of Dragonstone was a welcome one, the salt in the air and the sound of the waves. It was home.
"Impossible," Rhaenyra gasped. Lucerys dropped his sword and ran with all the might he had. The siblings collided with enough force to knock them both over.
"No f*cking way," Lucerys gasped, already crying. She wrapped her arms around him, crying into his hair.
"You grew so much," She whispered. She kissed his temple as he cried into her hair. She held on to him as she noticed Rhaenyra still standing in shock. She whispered to Luke before pulling away, and slowly walking up to her.
"I saw you, Mother. It was not your fault. The fault is only mine for being a lousy dragonrider, apologies for not returning your riding leathers," Kris offered a teasing grin.
Rhaenyra cried out a laugh, pulling Kris into her arms, one of her hands tangling in her hair just to make sure she was real. She had to ensure this was not some twisted nightmare.
"We need to talk," Kristyne whispered.
She heard Lucery pick up his sword. "Why ishehere?" He hissed.
Kristyne pulled away from Rhaenyra and saw Aemond standing a few paces behind her, hands behind his back. She gave him a soft smile, one of pride. He had changed, and he chargedfor her.
"We are both here because she successfully stayed on my dragon," Aemond spoke.
Kris let out a sigh. There it was, he could not help himself. "Aemond, not helping."
"Apologies," He said softly.
"It seems we do have much to discuss," Rhaenyra nodded.
As they walked up the long wall of Dragonstone, Aemond stayed behind her. Rhaenyra was on one side, Luke on the other.
"Why is he watching and following you like a f*cking predator?" Luke whispered.
"When did you get such a mouth?" She grinned. "I should have known, I have seen much."
"How much?" Rhaenyra asked.
"Too much," Guilt suddenly floods her veins of telling Aemond about the Gullet. It was her fault the Greens won that battle with no casualties, sending Aemond and Daeron with their dragons to destroy most of the Velaryon fleet.
Rhaenyra watched her closely, but Lucerys was more overjoyed. He was grinning ear to ear, rambling her ear off.
Once they entered the council room on Dragonstone and had privacy, Kristyne sat down and Aemond by in the seat next to her. Luke and Rhaenyra sat across from her. "Is Daemon here or at Harrenhal?"
"He is en route back here. I had asked him to return to discuss plans that now seem pointless. Losing you and Jacaerys began a path of darkness. Then Viserys went missing during the Battle of the Gullet, and Joffrey died shortly after," Tears began to fall down Rhaenyra's cheeks. "I am flawed, but losing four children puts a person in an awful position. I am ashamed of myself for even thinking of killing my sister's children."
"Precisely the reason I came here. Do not do it, Mother." She noticed Aemond tilt his head at her calling Rhaenyra that.
"I believe we need to start over, sweet girl. It has been seven moons of your ... disappearance. Where have you been and why are you here now with my brother?"
She looked at Aemond and he squeezed her knee with a nod. She began to explain everything from the fall to Alicent's abuse, to Aemond's rescue. She definitely left out their affair but she could tell by Rhaenyra's face that she knew. Lucerys was oblivious to that, but he was insanely distrusting of Aemond.
"And how can I know that you are not toying with us all for your mother?" Rhaenyra asked him.
"Because the very reason I disliked you is clearly shared traits. She is a hypocrite. But before I continue, I need you to swear upon the memory of your mother and our father that you did not order Jaehaerys to be killed."
Rhaenyra leaned back on the chair. "I will not make excuses that I was innocent, but I did not order it. I may as well have, I allowed it to happen. The guilt of that decision haunts me daily. I wanted to go for Daeron."
"I would typically be inclined to agree with that method of thinking, but I am learning there is a difference. Just because you did not stop the crime does not make you as guilty as the one who committed the crime. This war has taught us all much, that there is no absolute, not everything is black and white."
"So that does not explain why you are here. Do you intend to leave Kristyne, because I am not getting those intentions from you."
"No," Kris spoke up. What she was about to say needed to be heard from her. "We have come up with a plan. Not a perfect one but not the worst. It could use some -"
"Kris, stop stalling," Luke raised his brow.
"Well," She sighed, "I intend to marry Aemond and swear Harrenhal to Alicent so that we may secretly make way for your throne."
"Absolutely not!" Luke yelled, standing. "What did you do to her? Have you brainwashed her or f*cking hurt her? Are you making her?"
Aemond's jaw clenched. "Nothing of the sort."
"She would never in a century marry you! She would have to be f*cking drunk to agree to marry you. This is a lie, Mother."
"Lucerys," Rhaenyra spoke calmly. "Please step outside so I may speak to your sister plainly."
"No," Kristyne spoke. "He deserves to hear it from me."
"Are you sure? Because the path you have chosen may make sense to me, but he will not understand." Rhaenyra said.
"What path?" Luke asked.
"Luke, this was not decided on a whim. This plan was formed by me ... after Aemond asked me to marry him."
Luke stopped pacing, looking at her. "He asked you to marry him before you even planned this?"
She nodded. "Luke, half a year is a long time to be locked up with someone. You learn things about one another, you learn about the real person within. You fall in love."
Luke shook his head. "No, you have gone mad. I see a cut on your neck."
"If you truly must know, Lord Strong, Ser Cole did that to her right before I killed him."
"You killed Cole?" Rhaenyra asked.
He nodded. "He tried to kill her. His head is gone now."
"This is ridiculous, Mother, we can not trust him!"
Kris reached her hand out for him. "Luke -"
"No! You do not know what it has been like! I love you and Jace, I have been suffering more than you could possibly imagine while you have apparently been f*cking the enemy! I feel betrayed, and now you want to go back and be married to this monster that -"
"Stop!" Kristyne hissed, standing up. "Everything I did was for you! Do you know what my last thought was before I fell? All I could do was allow myself to fall because if he came for me, then your safety was guaranteed. You do not know what it was like, each passing day in those cells. I was whipped, waterboarded, and f*cking beat to a pulp because I was loyal toyou! Did you know that I got one slice of bread each day? One cup of water? Or that Cole broke my wrist and did not treat it and it never healed? But you know who saved me?"
Luke did not answer, his eyes wide with emotion.
"Aemond, that was who saved me! He forced me to eat and drink, he gave me an actual piece of furniture to sleep on, he made sure I was bathed and comfortable, and when the time came he and a dear friend broke my wrist and set it in place so that it would stop hurting. Because he was never a monster, Luke, he is a man capable of emotions. He is a man that I saw cry when his nephew was beheaded. He is a man who went and sat by his sister's side every day after she lost her son, making sure she was staying alive. He is a man that despite his older brother's mistreatment of him, followed him into battle to make sure he did not die."
She turned to Rhaenyra with a sad frown. "I love you, I truly do, but this war began before we were born. Why? I have long waited to ask you this, but why must you bear his bastards?"
Rhaenyra looked down at her hands, messing with one of her rings. "I have thought on this much, and I have no good reason. I was selfish and blinded by love and discontentment. I was forced into an unhappy marriage and I did it with no thought of the consequence. When my father was blind to the truth, I had hoped the whole realm would be."
"I just want to end this war and get as far from the castle as possible," Kris mumbled and looked at Aemond. He reached for her hand, kissing her knuckles.
"I do not need it from either of you but since I have a shred of respect, I ask for either of your blessing. Because while this is all a plan, my intention of marrying her is of my own desire."
"You have mine," Rhaenyra spoke first. "What do you need from me for this plan?"
"Two things, both non-negotiable," Aemond responded. "First, I owe my brother, sister, and myself justice. If what you say is true, I want Mysaria's head."
Rhaenyra nodded. "And the second?"
"When you are Queen, Aegon the Younger must be your crowned heir. The realm will not accept a bastard, and Kris has told me he never had a desire to rule. Make your trueborn son be heir and Jaehaera be his intended unless Kristyne or I have a daughter."
Kris looked at him. "What?"
"I may hold no love in my heart for Daeron, but I care enough for Helaena and Aegon that I do not wish to see our line die with us. It was not our fault our mother manipulated us our whole lives. We are still Targaryen."
"Agreed," Rhaenyra responded. "Do you think Aegon will give it up without violence?"
"If he is offered a choice of peace, yes."
"He and Helaena may take peace in these halls if they wish. Live their days on Dragonstone with their children."
"I shall begin this on the morrow after our wedding."
"Would you like some rest before you depart? Daemon should be returning soon."
"Would it be a good idea for Deamon to see Aemond?" Kris asked.
"Daemon missed you as well, Kris."
"If we are to accurately give Harrenhal back to the Greens, it needs to be while Daemon is gone so we made it look believable and easy," Aemond added. "After I reveal everything to my family, I will take her to Harrenhal to speak to Lord Simon and order him to stand down. He will have to listen to her. In the meantime, I will begin putting whispers of peace in my brother's ears."
Kristyne watched as he spoke with ease, admiring his natural ability for politics.
"Then we should wait for Daemon. He shall need to know all this. In the meantime, Lady Mysaria sleeps in the hall of my council members. Kristyne may show you. Be quick."
Aemond and Krisyne walked in silence, but there was something different between them as if the other was afraid to speak. "Are you positive you wish to continue with this farce?"
Aemond stopped walking and looked at her. "What you did, the way you defended me, I will never stop loving you. No one has selflessly defended me the way you did. And to your brother no less, someone you hold dear. I do not feel worthy of your affections."
She stepped closer, placing a hand on his cheek. "I only wish I had done it many years earlier. You are worth defending, Aemond."
He leaned forward and kissed her gently. "I can hardly wait to marry you so that I may rip those clothes off and hold you close and love you so."
"We must kill Mysaria, first."
Upon entering the room, Kristyne placed a pillow over her head while Aemond sliced into her neck. Blood soaked into the bed as Kris opened a burlap bag for Aemond to place the head in.
"She has always been a suspicion to us, if I can claim that you killed her as loyalty to Aegon, he could believe that. Along those lines, at least."
"We can think about it," Kris said as Caraxes' roars were heard from inside the walls.
Daemon had seemed shocked to see her alive, but he was more preoccupied with Aemond. It was only Rhaenyra that kept him back.
"It is a decent plan, but I do not trust any child of that f*cking c*nt!"
Kristyne pinched the bridge of her nose. "What else do you want, save for the words of mine, a person you trust?"
"You have been in his captivity a long length of time, I have seen the strongest minds break in less time."
She glared at him. "This war is turning you into more a monster than him. Servants gossip, you know. They know everything. I have much about you. You have blamed anyone you can get your hands on. Princess Rhaenys, Ser Erryk, and even Lady Jeyne Arryn received your ire. It was not her fault Daeron was waiting for Jacaerys. Maybe you should look within at the person who insisted Rhaenyra not accept Otto's terms of peace."
Daemon clenched his fist as he approached her. "Watch how you speak to me, girl."
Kristyne frowned as Aemond stepped in front of her. This was not the Daemon she knew.
"Daemon, stand down. I have agreed to this plan. You are not to return to Harrenhal. The Greens shall station whichever dragons they wish."
Daemon eyed Aemond up and down before walking away.
"That could have gone worse," Rhaenyra admitted.
