Everything had changed after that night. There was a shift in the dynamic of your relationship with Aemond. Both of you had become more approachable and more tender in your interactions. There was, for the first time, patience. Both of your strong personalities required it, and with the revelation of Aemond's newfound trust towards you and your discovery of the origins of his scar, trust was in surprising abundance.

The morning afterwards, even the guards could sense the shift. You remembered how Aemond had left his tent and sat with you around the fire to break his fast. You also remembered the bewildered look you received from Elias as he loaded some chests onto one of the wagons. You had shrugged, unable to come up with a response. How could you, when this was so new to you?

It was only the beginning. That day of riding Aemond had joined you. The two of you rode side by side on your horses at the front of the group. However, any conversation took a lot of work. It was still so recent to that night that the two of you were unsure how to proceed. He was your friend now, it should have been easy to speak to him. His unpredictability and lack of familiarity undercut the previous apprehensiveness you felt towards him. Now your apprehensiveness was shadowed by the uncomfortable nature of your thrumming heart and twisted stomach when he glanced your way.

When your company had reached the inn you had previously stayed in, you had rushed off the horse to get away from Aemond. He could surely hear the thumping of your heart and see the red that spread across your face. Yet, he made to acknowledgment of it. You had spent the better part of an hour in the bathhouse trying to scrub the feeling of his gaze away in hopes that it could wash the budding feelings from you. It was with great relief that he did not come to the bathhouse like the previous stay, for you were not sure what you would have done. Perhaps perish in the waters to avoid any further embarrassment.

A year.

You just had to make it through the year and you would be gone. No need to worry about him and each can go their separate ways. You had struggled to come to terms with how you would survive the year when Aemond was hostile to you. Now, your chances seemed easier with that hostility over, but the crisis-eliciting level of adoration that bubbled within you had become more threatening each day.

Thankfully, that night at the inn, Aemond had not joined you and the guards for dinner. If he had, you were sure to crumble under his gaze. You greatly disliked how one glance from him was enough to make your legs feel weak. It was something that deeply angered you. No one had yet to make you feel this way, so why now? Especially with someone for whom is in no way remotely possible to connect in that way.

It is best that you finish your job and continue with your normal human life.

The next day of riding was spent similar to the first; you and Aemond side by side. Only this time, the conversation seemed to flow just a little easier. The events of the conversation you had with him had started to lessen more on the conscience, so comfortability slowly took its place. There was by no means a complete ease between one another. That would only come with time.

The last night of camp you had tossed and turned to get to sleep. Aemond had helped you down from the horse when the group decided to stop for the day. All you could think about was the heat of his hands as they gripped your sides. You did not know if your mind was playing tricks on you, but you could have sword his thumbs brushed up and down gently before releasing you. He had swiftly left to help unload things. One thing you noted about him was that he was an active king and did not wait around to be attended to. Yet another trait of his that had you admiring him more.

It was now, with the gates of the castle coming into view, that you had let out a sigh of relief. Here you could get wrapped up in your work and create some distance between you and Aemond to get your mind and your feelings sorted out. If you were not constantly around him, maybe those feelings would fade. It could only be temporary. You hoped it was only temporary.

Your party had entered the grounds by the stables. Your thighs ached from the bouncing of the horse and you were glad to be back. Surprisingly, Aegon waited by the entrance to the stables. Aemond had ridden in beside you and had dismounted his horse. Before he could go to help you off, Aegon had beaten him to it. He lifted you up and off before setting you on the ground.

His face was what threw you off. Aegon's mouth was twisted into a smile, but you could see concern and paranoia behind his eyes. He held one of your hands and his grip tightened.

"Welcome back," His voice was almost shaking, but disguised with a pleasant tone, "And to you as well, brother."

Aemond looked between the two of you with his eyes squinted, "Yes, a pleasure to be back." There was a degree of uncertainty there. You had no idea where such tension back from and were almost frightened by Aegon's off-putting nature. This was so unlike him.

"Welcome back, my king," A voice sounded from behind you and Aegon. Criston Cole had come from behind Aegon and you. His greeting to Aemond was not extended to you and he only sent a quick look your way.

"Have there been any problems since I've been away?" Aemond questioned.

"None that raised any alarms. Though they would not have happened if such a trip was never made," Criston side-eyed you from where he stood. He had understandably been frustrated at his king's absence in court, but you felt his complaints were immature. Aegon sidestepped to almost block you from Cole's view.

"Ah, well I am sure your capable hands managed to solve whatever it was," Aegon spoke. There was underlying aggression in his tone. The prince derived great pleasure from teasing Cole. You had looked back and forth between the two elves trying to calculate what was happening.

"My king, there are sensitive matters to address," Criston told him. Both of the elves walked away from Aegon and you. Criston would occasionally glance at you with disdain and you tried to ignore it, but it was such unabashed animosity that it threw you off. The distance between you and him did not feel like enough.

Aegon turned to you and whispered, "Pretend I said something funny."

"What?" You queried. The skin between your brows crinkled.

"Cole is looking, pretend I said something funny." At his words, you began to laugh, but it was uncomfortable and shaky. Aegon joined you in laughter and then looped his arm in yours.

"Do not make any face of discomfort or alarm, but there could very well be threats from any guard here. Maintain a smile until we get to your room. Understand?" Aegon began to lead you out of the stable grounds and into the castle. The flickering torchlight cast shadows across the dark stone walls.

"What do you mean, Aegon?" You tried to get to his reasoning, but he just shook his head and motioned for you to be quiet. Each time a guard passed, Aegon would stare at them and pull you closer to him. He would pick up his pace and have you across the hall in record time. He continued to do this, down every stairwell, hall, and passage.

Your heart rate had begun to pick up at the secrecy and frantic nature of his intentions. When you reached the hall where your room was located, you were overcome with a sense of relief as if you had made it home. Aegon surged forward, flung the door open, and all but pushed you inside. He stuck his head out and looked both ways down the hallway to see if anyone was around. Upon being satisfied that there were no guards he shut the door and locked the deadbolt. The whole time you had watched him with confusion.

Aegon turned and let out a breath he had been holding in. His shoulders slouched and he looked relaxed. You raised a brow and held out your hands.

"Well?" You questioned.

He sighed and approached your reading table. From the fold of his doublet, he pulled out folded parchment, "I told you I would work on your father's disappearance. It is surprising how much work one could achieve while sober." He now held your undivided attention as you stood next to him. Your hands wanted to reach out and seize the parchment to see what could be revealed on those pages.

"It took me a while, but I began pouring through the scouting records. Seven hells, I never thought I would be thankful for the stick up Aemond's ass for having such extensive records written of every damn thing in this kingdom." Aegon placed the parchment on the table.

When you went to grab it, his hand gently stopped you, "I–" His voice trailed off and it only made you move faster. You grabbed the parchment and began to unfold. Once looking at the stained pages, you could not decipher the elvish language.

"Scouting record," Aegon began, "For Lake Rosemagne. I went back to the period you said your father disappeared. There was one group in the area... It was led by Criston Cole."

Your hands gripped the parchment more, almost tearing it apart. Aegon moved his hands to yours and removed the parchment from your hands to set it down on the table. He went back to holding your hands, his thumbs brushing the knuckles as he noticed you had begun to become overwhelmed.

"If Cole was in the area... Look, I'm sorry but your father..." Aegon tried to console you, but he was admittedly no expert in that field. You began to shake your head in denial.

"Aemond said a human had not been spotted in that area in a century. I questioned that legitimacy, but it was only out of anger." It was overwhelming to be at that lake, where your father may have once stood. You had snapped at Aemond then because you had lost control over your emotions. You realized that it had been wrong to accuse his guards of lying, but now as you were seeing it, there had been truth in those words of doubt you flung at him.

"I will not incriminate my brother. But Cole, on the other hand, well, I have never trusted him." Aegon informed you. You did not respond and pulled your hands back from him. Your feet had you moving across the room toward one of your chairs. You sat in the plush chair, its comfortability providing little comfort. Aegon spoke your name, once and then twice, but it fell on deaf ears.

There was no way Aemond could be part of this and had lied to you. You refused to believe it. You thought back to his vulnerability that night from around the campfire. The flames had reflected off the mythos of his swirling blue eye and within those depths, you could see both the past and future sprawling out like an endless field. He had yet to ever lie to you, there was no reason for him to do so.

However, doubt had always been your worst enemy. Cole was as untrustworthy as anyone could be. His rampant hostility towards you was not disguised. There could be a deeper meaning behind that hate besides your humanity.

And he was incredibly close to Aemond. Guilt by association was the wrong way to go about this, but this was your father.

"Tis not all I had found," Aegon told you. He shuffled to the chair you were on and placed a small book he had pulled from his pocket onto your lap. He crouched down to be at eye level with you.

"I may have snuck into Cole's room after finding that scouting record. This was buried under discarded armour." You looked down at the book. It was bound in black leather with no markings on the outside to reveal what it was. Your fingers grabbed the thick cover and pulled it to the side. Your movement was slow as mental exhaustion and your days of travel caught up to you. The parchment was old and weathered. It looked older than the human kingdom likely was.

On the pages sat weird inscriptions and symbols. The peculiar nature of the notetaking was all in an ancient language you had no knowledge of but looked eerily familiar to the scrawls of the current elvish language. It was likely some early form of it. You kept flipping through the pages as if that would help you make sense of it. You then gripped the edge and started flipping the pages at a faster rate than turning them. Drawings and ink scrawls flashed through your field of vision.

Your hands ceased their movements upon seeing one page. While you could not make out the words, the drawings struck familiarity. The mortua terra flower, the same one you had snuck into the dark woods for, was sketched onto the page. Beside it was a myriad of ingredients, none of which were dark magic but basic components of many types of brews, poultices, and other oddities. In the bottom right corner was the wobbly black outline with a blue filling that looked like the shoreline of Lake Rosemagne.

This information was all too much.

What could your father's disappearance have to do with Cole? Or more accurately, what does Cole have to do with it? There was a burning sensation behind your eyes and you felt the sting of saltwater. Why does Cole have a tome on dark magic? There was, perhaps, a possibility that Aemond could have aided him. Many of the ingredients listed in the pages you had discovered are locked up; of which only royals have access. Daeron had to fetch many of the experimental ingredients himself because no one else among the healers could.

If Cole was using dark magic, he would need an accomplice. There was no other way.

If that were true, the needed accomplice would have to be Aemond. How else would he have gotten access to those stores?

A hand waved in front of your vision. You had not even acknowledged how your vision had gotten blurry in your moment of thinking. Aegon was crouched down, a crinkle prominent between his eyebrows as his face was morphed with worry.

"Come back down to the ground here. Shit, did I break you?" Aegon shook your shoulders gently and his voice dropped to a near incomprehensible whisper, "Gods, Aemond will kill me."

A heartbeat passed. Then two, then three. On and on until you could ground yourself. Your hands dug into the arms of the chair. The haze of the room began to go away and your breathing calmed. It was like your heart had dropped to your stomach and the world was collapsing around you. But, like water against a shore, these feelings gradually pulled away.

"Tell no one." Your voice was scratchy. You had to escape the chair as it felt confining. You stood and marched to the desk where the parchment was with the book in your hand. You picked both of them up and then headed to your bed. The items were then stuffed into your pillowcase. It was not the best spot to keep them, but you could not think of any other place to store them at the moment.

"That goes without saying," Aegon responded but he still looked at you with worry, "Are you alright?"

You crossed your arms, but one hand reached up to hold the top of your chest and feel it rise and fall at every inhale and exhale, "Honestly? I have no idea. With Cole I would not be surprised of any misdeeds, but Aemond..." You sucked in a breath.

Aegon shifted from leaning on one foot to the other, "As I said, I will not incriminate my brother, but there are things you do not know about him." You huffed out what could be close to a disappointed sigh and laugh before returning to a serious manner.

"He told me," You confessed, but Aegon looked confused by your words, "He told me how he got the scar."

There was a moment of silence between you two. His gaze took you in, dragging up and down your form as if he was looking for a tell that you were lying. Something was unsettling in his manner as if Aemond's own story left him exposed as well. You could not help but wonder how that incident, his brother's maiming and the subsequent war, affected him. That type of stress and trauma left lasting damage on the mind.

"He is in deeper than I thought," Aegon spoke just above a whisper. He made his own revelation in the moment. Aegon ran his right hand down his face, making sure to cover his mouth for a moment as you stood. His words were vague and left you wanting answers, but your head had begun to pound. It was a dull ache that started in the back and began to spread.

"In deeper?" Your arms unfolded from being crossed. Aegon was staring at you with reluctance and some kind of sympathy. You hated it; loathed not knowing what he was talking about. Every time you pulled the curtain from concealing one mystery, a myriad of others were discovered behind.

"You need not worry about another thing." He reassured, "We shall sit on this new information before we take any more steps." He was making sense, but the overwhelming nature of such a short conversation was rendering you immobile. It was like a heavy lead had been cast upon you, weighing your body down.

"Will you not answer my question?" You approached him and poked your pointer finger into his chest.

"It is not my secret to tell." Aegon held up his hands in mock surrender. You huffed but relented. Perhaps, one day, you could coax an answer out of him and find out what he meant when he said his brother was 'in too deep.'

The weight of it all on you caught his attention and Aegon moved forward to wrap his arms around you. His body posture was awkward, but welcoming. You could easily tell his experience in the act of physical reassurance was not exactly honed. His weird pat on the top of your head all but confirmed that suspicion. You returned the hug and wrapped your arms around his midsection.

"I'm sorry to have stressed you out like this," Aegon apologized.

You shook your head, "Without your investigation, I would be nowhere near closer to finding answers." The two of you pulled away from one another. Aegon was still awkwardly fidgeting in his spot, reeling from being close to someone.

"Well, I'll let you get settled in," Aegon all but skipped to the door to get away from affection he was not used to giving and receiving. However, just as he had opened the door and exited the room, he stuck his head back in again to smile at you, "Oh, and welcome home."

He left just after. You stood in your room and looked around. Everything was where you left it all. You sat back down in your chair and faced the large window of your room and stared out at the garden. The darkness from the elder trees was a welcome sight. While you enjoyed being out in the field and feeling the sun, there was something comforting about the dark depths littered with flashing fireflies and lightly swaying lanterns.

Indeed, it was home.