"Visenya, may I–" Aemond's words are cut off as Visenya's eyes snap open and stare intensely at him.

"Why did you lie to me?" Her words are barely above a whisper.

Visenya believed that Aemond had gone back on his word when she awoke this morning and did not lay with her while she slept. She has been convinced that he had left her defenceless and open to attack. She had been appaled that everything from the night before had meant nothing to him–that Aemond's kindness had been a facade.

"Lie to you? I never did," Aemond speaks, holding Visneya's face tightly.

Visenya scoffs and shakes his hands from her face–she had felt so foolish that she had believed Aemond genuinely cared for her and wanted to protect her. That man was not capable of that.

She storms away from him and back inside his chambers. Aemond turns to look at Visenya standing in front of the fire; he is in disbelief. His mind was whirling with rapid thoughts–he did not know why she was upset with him. Why had she accused him of lying? He did the complete opposite of a lie.

His words from last night were all true, and Aemond knew that for a truth. He had stayed with her all night and even held her tightly against his chest. Visenya stared deeply into the fire, scolding herself for ever trusting him.

Visenya turns sharply towards Aemond, who still is standing on the balcony. "You had told me you'd be there when I awoke," she points a finger at him, "but you were not."

The realisation finally clicks in Aemond's mind. He had promised her he'd be there when she awoke, but he was not; instead, he'd gone off to train. Aemond approaches Visenya carefully, seeing the tears now watering her eyes.

Visenya was confused–she was getting whiplash from her husband. One moment he was kind, and the next, he was a cunt. Visenya couldn't comprehend why Aemond was acting like this; he was so cold yet so warm, constantly changing in an instant.

Aemond took a step closer to Visenya, wary of scaring her off. He had been so stupid for not waiting for her to wake up. They had shared such an intimate and vulnerable moment last night, and he had ruined it by the morning. Aemond did not know how he could fix this.

"Visenya," Aemond speaks, breaking Visenya's heart, "I am sorry."

Aemond swallows tightly as the words leave his lips; he had never been so sincere with an apology as now. Aemond's words also catch Visenya off guard. She didn't expect him to apologise so sincerely, let alone at all.

"I should have stayed," Aemond continues, walking closer to Visenya.

Visenya backs up into the couch, cornered by Aemond's advances, but she isn't scared. No, instead, her heart is racing, and her cheeks are warming up; was it the fire nearby? Or the way Aemond's scent filled her nose and him towering above her, only a few steps away?

"You left me," Visenya whispers, squeezing the back of the couch tightly.

Aemond steps closer to his wife and places one hand on her white hair, and softly strokes it. Visenyas' beauty bewitches Aemond; the glow of the fire behind her and the smell of flowers drives him over the edge. Aemond can feel Visenya trembling beneath his touch, and it angers him, knowing that someone has turned her into such a fearful person–that breaks him.

"And that was stupid of me to do," Aemond said, cupping Visenyas' face with both hands, "but I promise I will never leave you again."

Visenya almost cries at his words. He won't leave her. She was so afraid that his words weren't genuine, that he didn't mean the words he was speaking. Visenya didn't have any allies in court, and she hadn't thought Aemond would be one. When he left her alone this morning–her heart broke in two.

The pair stand in silence, staring into each other's souls. Aemond could see the fear melting away from Visenya's eyes, and Visenya could see the genuine care within Aemond's eye. Visenya closes her eyes and leans forward, resting her forehead against Aemond's chest–her actions shocked him.

Aemond's eye widened as he felt Visenya lean her head against him, and he didn't expect to feel her hands wrap around his waist. He rested his chin on her head and carefully wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly in his arms as he did last night. Visenya was so tiny compared to him, and he felt even more of a desire to protect her.

Aemond felt Visenya's shoulders begin to shake, and he just held her tighter, letting her cry out her pain. He held her until the fire almost went out, and she had finished crying. When the pair pulled away from each other, Aemond held Visenya's face in his hands.

There was a silence between the two; both held their breath, waiting for the other to move. Aemond lightly brushed Visenya's hair behind her ears, and he knew he wanted to kiss her; he was trying so hard to resist because deep down, he knew this was not the right moment.

Visenya was examining Aemond's face, waiting for a sign that everything would be okay between them now. His eye looked back at her, and she held her breath.

"Shall we sleep now?" Aemond asked, taking both of Visenya's hands in his.

Visenya went to walk towards the door, but Aemond pulled her back. "Where are you going?" He asked.

"To my chambers, to sleep, as you said," She replied, looking at him confused.

Now Aemond was confused, "I am never letting you sleep alone again."

Aemond pulls Visenya back towards him and directs her towards the closet. "All your nightgowns are here, you can change and spend the night with me," Aemond says.

Visenya looks at the closet and then back at Aemond; he prompts her forward and opens the doors to the cabinet. Inside are all of Visenya's nightgowns, most blue, and she takes one out. Aemond looks at the thin nightgown in her hands, and he doesn't know what to think, his mind drifting back to her body.

"Do you mind?" Visenya asks, lifting her eyebrow.

Aemond quickly turns around, his face heating up. Visenya giggles to herself and turns Aemond back around to face her. He looks down at her, confused. "My corset, please," she asks him, turning her back to Aemond.

Aemond is caught off guard by Visenya's actions but doesn't hesitate to help her unlace it. His fingers are delicate, and Visenya blushes as she feels Aemond's fingers work their way down her back, almost touching her behind. The corset falls to the ground, and Visenya turns around, her face flushed when Aemond stares at her with a dark eye.

"Did you want me turn around?" Aemond asks, eye glued on Visenya's lips that are slightly parted.

Visenya's eyes also cast to Aemond's lips as his tongue slowly brushed against them. The tension in the air was thick as the warm breeze blew in from outside, and Visenya shivered at the lack of warmth and Aemond's stare. Aemond had noticed this and instinctively placed his hands on Visenya's waist, and Visenya's hands had found the clasps on Aemond's shirt.

Aemond looks down at Visenya's fingers, which are fiddling with the clasps on the vest that he wore. He gave a hum in approval, and slowly Visenya began undoing each buckle, taking her time to remove the vest. Visenya pushes the vest from Aemond's shoulders and lets it fall to the ground, revealing his long sleeved shirt underneath.

Aemond places his fingers on the top button of Visenya's dress and looks at her for approval. He didn't want to overstep any boundaries and upset her, Aemond had seen her bare body before, but he knew he couldn't fuck up his chance to see it again.

"It's okay," Visenya whispers, staring deeply into Aemond's eye.

Aemond breathes heavily as he begins undoing the buttons on her dress. His fingers lightly brushed against her undergarments and sent shivers down Visenya's body, and she was feeling things she didn't know she could feel. Her body was on fire and tingling all over.

Aemond finishes unbuttoning the last one of her dress and looks at Visenya for approval to push the dress from her body. Visenya takes a deep breath, afraid of letting Aemond see her body again. The bruises and cuts were beginning to heal, and Visenya knew she was safe with Aemond.

She nods, and slowly the dress is pulled delicately from her body–Visenya pushes the bad memories to the back of her mind. It's now Visenya's turn to remove another item of clothing from Aemond; this has become a game. Visenya takes the heam at the bottom of Aemonds' shirt and pulls it from his body, her cold fingers brushing his hot skin.

Aemond now stands before Visenya without his shirt on, and she is just in her undergarments–they both take the sight of each other in. Aemond's body is perfectly sculpted but not overly; the shadows on his chest make everything more defined. Visneya's body is plump but curves in every place. They both love what they see.

Visenya shivers at the breeze coming in. "You should put your nightgown on and get into bed," Aemond tells her, brushing the straps of her undergarments from her shoulders.

"You should too," Visenya said, tracing a line from Aemond's shoulder to his naval.

Aemond hums, waiting for Visenya's approval before pulling her undergarments from her body. She sighs at his touch as Aemond pulls the fabric down from her body, getting on his knees as he does. Aemond grabs the nightgown from Visenya's hands and makes her step into it, pulling it up her body and lightly stroking her skin.

They stare at each other and breathe deeply–they think the same thing but are too afraid to act on it. "Go get yourself warm, I'll be there in a second," Aemond said, brushing his fingertips lightly across Visenya's cheek.

Visenya hums and walks over to Aemond's bed; she pulls back the blanket and gets comfortable under them. Aemond turns away from Visenya and removes his shoes and pants; she watches him undress and admires him with a smile.

Aemond puts on his night pants and turns back to look at Visenya; he chuckles when she realises she's watching. He walks over to her and gets into bed, "admiring the view?"

Visenya hums and shuffles closer to him. Aemond lies on his back and wraps one arm around her, not letting the smile leave his lips. Visenya places a hand on Aemond's chest and gets even closer than either thought possible. "You are going to be here when I awake, promise?" She asks.

Aemond places a delicate kiss on Visenya's forehead, "I promise.

And when morning came, Aemond kept his promise, and they had both moved into a new phase of their relationship that wouldn't last long. 

–––––

I think this is my most favourite chapter I've written so far, not a lot of dialogue but a lot said.