Elyana thought her body might get dehydrated by all of the tears she shed on that fateful day that she learned she was carrying Aemond Targaryen's bastard. She screeched and cursed so loudly that anyone passing by the prince's chambers thought there was a woman being tortured inside. And there was, Aemond was mentally torturing her. Even Ser Arryk worried for her, and he did not even like her.

He admitted to intentionally swapping the tea so that she would become with child and then he simply laughed when she lost her mind on him, taunting her, teasing her. He was pleased, he wanted it. He wanted her to need him, to run to him. Elyana was disgusted and now she awaited for him to be back from telling the Queen of his doings.

Hours had passed and Aemond had not returned, she was sure the Queen would flip out on him. And she was fearful that they would send her to the Wall; or to Dorne. She knew that the Queen Alicent was highly religious and righteous, surely she would not let her son sire a bastard in these castle walls.

Elyana wanted to die, but first she wanted to kill Aemond. She thought of her mother and her stomach flipped on itself. She would be so highly disappointed, more so than the disappointment she felt when Elyana gave away her honor to Aemond. She thought of her father, a good knight, a righteous man. And she knew he must be rolling in his grave.

She sat on the floor because she refused to lay in the bed where Aemond had taken her all of those times. And she refused to sit in places his wretched body had sat in, so she sat on the ground, knees to her chest and tears decorating her face.

Erryk. His name circled her mind like a haunt. She shouldn't have given herself to Aemond. She should have married Erryk, and maybe now she would carry his legitimate child instead. Aemond had once told her that he was not fond of bastards, so she was confused as to why he had done this. And she convinced herself that he was just sick in the head. Maybe his brain had been affected when his eye was taken.

Who knows if he simply did that to remind her of what he stole, for eternity, and then just throw her out into the streets?

Door open and door shut, she did not look at him. She saw his black boots standing in front of her, and she swallowed, her gaze fixed on the ground as she felt him staring at her.

"Look at me." He ordered, but she didn't. She stared at the floor, and she would stay in that position until they dragged her out by her hair to throw her to the streets, possibly.

Shoulders were grabbed and lifted her body was to stand up to meet his cruel eye. Chin grabbed as he brought her face close to his. She had no choice but to look at him.

"Why do you keep crying? I've really done you a favor." Her mouth fell open at his words. He had to be jesting... he could not possibly be so delusional.

"You surely jest." She said as he released her chin and brought that hand to cup her cheek. He sighed and shook his head. "I am not one to jest, thought you would know that after everything we've been through." He told her, his eyes running over her features slowly.

"What is it going to be? Silent Sisters? The Wall? Dorne? The streets?" She asked him, and she felt herself growing more angry at him than she already was. If that was possible.

"You really think I would send my child and my wife to any of those places?" Everything stopped. Every single thing. Even the blood that pumped through her veins stopped.

She saw red and heard ringing in her ears as she stared at that sickening smirk that happened upon his face. No. No. No. No. She blinked one time, then two times, and then three times.

"No..." She shook her head, and he nodded. "We will be wed before this week ends, you will be my lady wife, and my child a prince or princess of the realm." With all of her strength she pushed Aemond backwards.

"No!" She cried, her fists curling into balls and trembling due to all of the rage she felt growing inside her body. Gods no.

Aemond stared back at her in pure shock. This was not the reaction he was expecting at all. A scowl overtook his face as he stared at the dramatics that Elyana was displaying. "What do you mean 'no'? This is the best possible outcome for you. Gratefulness is the least I expect in this moments." He spoke sternly as he watched Elyana cry her heart out.

"Gratefulness?! You want me to be grateful?! You fucking narcissistic cunt!" She cried, her hands lifting up to hug herself to find some comfort. She needed it.

"Yes I do! I am marrying you! You will be lifted up in the world, back to where you stood, even higher! You will be the mother of a Targaryen child. Is this not what you wanted all this time?! To return to grace!?" Aemond was angry now, each word hatefully spat. Could she not see he did this for love?

And who was she to deny him anyways?

"Not by marrying you! I do not want to marry you! I will not. I refuse!" She was screaming to save her life.

She loved Aemond, she did. But she hated the way he made her feel, the way he effortlessly hurt her, and the way that he just waltzed through life taking whatever he wanted. She hated how he was standing there acting as if he was doing her a favor by forcing a pregnancy on her just to claim her. She knew he didn't love her. She was sure that he just wanted to take control over her again. To submit her to his will.

She was in love with him, but she knew the cruel man that he was. She saw the truth.

He laughed dryly, crossing his arms over his chest. "You speak as if you are being given a choice. I am not proposing to you. I am telling you that you will be my wife." Aemond stated as if it was the most simplest thing in the world.

"You will have to kidnap me and hold me in a cell for me to marry you." Elyana snapped back, stepping away from Aemond as he inched closer.

"Done. If you will not cooperate, I will do what I must." He shrugged it off as if nothing and she just wanted to grab him by the hair and fling him off his own balcony.

"Why? Why? Why would you do this? Why would you do this to me? I did not ask for this. I do not want this!" Aemond would never speak out loud the ache those words put his heart through. How did Aemond explain to her that being away from her was the worst feeling he had felt since the night he lost his eye?

How did he explain that he loved her more than he was comfortable expressing, and that he had done this to be able to marry her?

"Elyana... be fucking grateful." He spat. "Do you understand all the groveling I had to do to get my mother and my grandsire to accept this? Do you think they would just let me marry a castle wench?" He snickered in a cruel manner.

"Fuck you, and fuck your groveling. I did not ask you to do that. I was fine, content, with never being near you again. But you... you are so hellbent on torturing me... just please... please let me go." She pleaded, her eyes showcasing emotion that he had never seen before. Did she really think he was trying to torture her?

"We will be wed and that is final." He said sternly, but she could see it. A hint of a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. He was enjoying her turmoil, her tears. She was sure he reveled in knowing she would be his to control for the rest of her life.

She sunk to her knees as this was too much for her to even wrap her head around. This could not be happening to her. Not to her. Why were the Gods so cruel?

"Aemond please..." She begged. If what their relationship was like before was an indication of what their marriage would be like, she was sure she would suffer a lot through it.

He watched her, his face as cold and distant as could be. He wanted to hold her, to kneel besides her and tell her how much he loved her. How sorry he was for what he did, for letting her go, for exposing her intimacy to Erryk. He wanted to tell her how his heart died the night that she left. How he had waited a month for her, and he would wait a thousand more if it assured him that she would love him.

"Darling..." His voice was an audible whisper and three words were tantalizing the back of his throat. They were itching to be said, to be spoken so loudly for everyone to hear. For her to hear.

"Look at me..." She cried.

"Look at this godforsaken mess you've made me..." He was on the verge of speaking them but they cowered back inside as he watched her cry.

Was the idea of marrying him so terrifying? Was he a monster? He thought she loved him.

A knot formed on his throat as he watched her. Little by little his heart was losing it's voice, it's faith.

"Stop this." He ordered dryly as he watched her cry on the floor, he walked to her and yanked her up by her arm.

And before any warning, she started hitting and punching his chest like a mad woman. "No!" A slap to the face then a punch to his chest, they didn't really hurt him. They barely even fazed him.

Until a slap came to the left side of his face, a slap so hard that he actually winced in pain when her hand came in contact with the side that was decorated by the eye patch. Shocks of pain ran through his eye socket, and he almost felt his sapphire shift within his skull.

Elyana yelped when Aemond grabbed her throat forcefully and dragged her to his bedchamber, slamming her down on the bed. He crawled on top of her and pinned her wrists to the sides so she would stop her thrashing.

He was angry, furious, seething. Elyana looked up at him with fear stricken eyes, which softened when her mind drifted to all of the times he had been on top of her before. How good it felt. She cursed her mind and tried shutting it off as she looked up at him.

"I..." Aemond trailed off, and for a moment Elyana swore she saw a glimmer of something good in his one eye. He swallowed and let her go, and just like that out the door he was.

Elyana screamed out in frustration and when she heard the door to his chambers slam shut, she stood up hastily. She was not going to let this man control her anymore, not after everything he had done to her.

She waited a few minutes then slowly went out the door of Aemond's chambers, only to be met with Arryk glaring at her fiercely. Elyana swallowed and tried walking past him but he blocked her way. "The Prince gave clear instructions. No one goes in or out without him." Arryk stated without even looking at her.

"Arryk please... I have to go. I can not stay here, please." Elyana begged and a scowl overtook his face.

"You chose him, you chose this. Now deal with it." It wasn't Erryk talking to her, it was his twin, but seeing Erryk's face staring at her with that much disgust was sickening. And he was right.

"Please. Let me go. You will never see me again. I can not stay here. I can not. Please." She tugged at his plated arm, and he snatched it back. He looked down at her and for a moment she saw sympathy in his eyes. Eyes almost as soft as Erryk's.

"Do you think there is any corner of this earth where you can hide in without being found by him? I grew up with the prince. He will not rest until you are found." He warned her but she didn't falter. She had to try.

"Anything is better than marrying him, Arryk." She knew there was a small portion, maybe even half a portion of herself that wanted this. That wanted to be bound to Aemond for eternity. But she drowned her. She drowned her desire and lead with her logic.

"There has to be some sort of redeeming quality to you that made my brother fall in love with you..." He mused whilst he eyed her. Elyana looked at the ground whenever Erryk was mentioned.

"You can not be all that bad... though you broke his heart and stomped on it." She pressed her lips together. He didn't have to tell her what she already knew. "Just go."

She sighed in relief and made her way down the corridor before he stopped her once more. "Be careful who you will enlist to help you. You trust too many a wicked people." Arryk spoke and she frowned.

"What?" Elyana asked. She knew Aemond but apart from that... shit. "You know what I mean. You know how who came to tell him." He said and then looked away from her, regaining his stance as she walked away.

Darra. Elyana wanted to kill her, but she had no time. She rushed down to her quarters and grabbed her cloak, taking a deep breath before shutting that door one last time.

She was confused. How could she leave this castle? Where would she even go? Did she really want to leave Aemond behind? Did she really not want this? Could she live as his wife? Would he ever love her?

She did not care. She told him she did not want it, and she was going to keep her word.

She needed help, but she couldn't trust anyone.

Not Darra. She had gone to Aemond.

Dyana. She was too good to be able to plot an escape.

Her mother. She would force her to stay and take responsibility for her actions.

There was only one person who would possibly help her.

She rushed through the Red Keep, keeping her head down and lurking through the corners in case she was met with Aemond. She moved steady until she reached Prince Aegon's chambers, where Erryk was standing in his new post.

"Erryk." She breathed out and when he saw her looking so battered and broken, his heart broke in his chest.

"Elyana... What happened?" He couldn't help himself from caring. Even if he didn't want to.

"I am with his child." The words were like a dagger stabbed to his heart. He looked away from her and gulped, his hand was gripping his sword as hard as it had ever. "I need to go, Erryk. I need to leave." She whispered but he heard her crystal clear. "He wants to wed me." Every word was another blow.

"Good for you. Congratulations." He spoke slowly and bitterly and she shook her head. "I have to flee, Erryk. I can  not stay here. I can not wed him. I need help." The tears rushed back to her eyes and streamed down her face freely.

"Is it not what you wanted? Did you not say that you loved him?" Erryk questioned with a raised brow. "He does not love me. I do not want to wed him... I can not." She breathed out and he pressed his lips together.

"Why do you seek me, Elyana? Surely not just for catching up." He told her and she gathered up the courage to say. "I need your help fleeing the capital."

"You come here... asking for my help to run away from the man that you chose over me?" He asked dumbfounded at her audacity. And when he put it like that, it looked terrible.

She nodded slowly and looked away from him. "Erryk... please. I beg you to help me. I have to leave this place. I know I dug my own grave when I laid with him, but I am begging you to help me out of it."

"You are foolish if you believe you can run from him. He'll find you." Erryk said plainly, just like Arryk had.

"I have to try! Please! I regret what I did... I regret him all the time." Elyana confessed and she wasn't sure if she did. But she needed Erryk to help her.

"There are no ships sailing on this day, not until morrow. Unless..." Erryk looked away for a moment and sighed. He still loved her, and he wanted her to be okay.

"There is a cavalcade to the North that leaves this night... soon mayhaps. They are taking wool to Winterfell... I can see if... if they'll have you. I um..." He sighed and eyed her face.

"My cousin Bernard is a knight of the Great Keep. I'll send you on the cavalcade and write to him, see if Lord Cregan Stark will give you work." Elyana's heart was full of hope at his words. This was wonderful.

"But you must know, no place is far enough for you to escape Aemond Targaryen. I hope you know that."