"I think we should talk in private, sister." Cregan told Alyarra as the girl stared in shock at the bloody and crying servant. It almost seemed like she was beaten on. Cregan approached his sister, grabbing her arm ever so slightly as if to guide her someplace. Aemond followed the pair, his eyes staring intently at Alyarra. He was confused. What had happened?

The knights of Winterfell walked behind the three of them protectively.

Cregan led Aemond and Alyarra into his own chambers, instructing his knights to stay guard at his door. Cregan took a deep calming breath as he shut the door to his chambers after himself.

"What was that, Cregan? Why were your knights in my apartments? Why was that maid drenched in blood? Why was she crying?" Alyarra asked hastily and rather wildly as Cregan shook his head in disbelief.

"Where were you? When I came to your room... When I couldn't find you... I though I lost you. I thought you were taken." Cregan Stark would breathe out, making Alyrra frown in confusion.

"Why would she be taken?" Aemond asked coldly as Cregan sighed, bringing his hand to his nose and rubbing it's bridge in stress.

"Alyarra... your room was broken into. Yesterday somehow, someway during the day four men slipped into your chambers. They... they watched you sleep. And..." Cregan couldn't even finish the sentence. Aemond wrapped his hand around his sword's handle tightly, fury running through each vein of his body.

"And then what?" Aemond growled in anger.

"You exited your chambers during the night and I assume you never came back. The young servant came in this morning... intending to get your tub ready with herbs like you liked it before you left for King's Landing. The men... they were waiting. They assumed she was you." Alyarra would gasp at the revelation and Aemond would grab the nearest object within his reach. A chair was flung across the room in anger by the prince.

"W-W-What? I-I... Did they hurt her? Is she alright?" Alyarra asked in concern for the poor girl. Clearly it had not yet dawned on her that she was the target in a presumpted murder attempt.

"Just a few scratches here and there... but they... they assaulted her. Stained her. The guards could only grab one of them... he was on top of her when they found her... the other three fled." Cregan's voice was low and in clear defeat.

Aemond was simply raging at the simple thought of these supposed men trying to hurt his future wife. He was bewildered by the idea, and appalled that they had even gotten into her chambers in the first place.

"How the FUCK did they even get into her chambers?! Where were your good for nothing guards?! Why the fuck do you have this fucking huge fortified castle if you can't keep criminals out?!" Aemond asked bewildered as he stalked towards Cregan, spatting into his face. Alyarra was taken aback by him, and Cregan was too.

"They must have slipped in when we left to welcome you in the fields whenever you arrived on dragonback." Cregan responded sternly, not fazed by the prince that was up in his face.

"Slipped in?! Slipped fucking in?! She could have been raped! She could have died! Do you understand the severity of it in your daft fucking head?!" Aemond asked, his voice dangerous and not at all tamed.

"I suggest you mind the way you speak to me, Prince Aemond. This is my land, and she is my sister." Cregan said, a certain menacing tone dripping from his tongue. Alyarra wasn't even listening to them, her mind was just reeling entirely.

They had broken in to hurt her. Somebody wanted to hurt her.

"I am the fucking prince. This is my land as much as it is yours... and she is my future wife. The future mother of my children! I will not mind the way I speak to you because I almost lost her because of you." Aemond growled at Cregan, making the Stark man angry at the accusation.

"Because of me?! I welcome you into my home, and you try and blame me for this? None of us could have seen this coming!" Cregan spat back at Aemond. Both of them were sizing eachother up. It was a fight of who was more angry with the other. It was a catastrophe waiting to happen.

"You could have guarded her better. Imagine if she never left her room? Imagine it." Aemond said with a disgusted look on his face. Alyarra was staring at the floor with nothing to say. She could have been raped. She could have been killed. Maybe even kidnapped.

"I am not imagining it because it didn't happen. Alyarra is safe and that is all I care about." Cregan stated slowly as Aemond scoffed in disbelief.

"She is safe, and no thanks to you." Aemond said as Cregan glared at the prince. "We're leaving today." Aemond stated sternly, looking at Alyrra.

Her eyes widened as she shook her head. "No... I can't just leave Cregan alone, he-he needs me. His wife is dead, and there's the funeral, my nephew..." Alyarra was suppressing the feeling of fear she felt. It hadn't even set in on her that men had tried to attack her.

"I don't care Alyarra. We're leaving today. I'm not staying in a place where four men can just waltz into your chambers and try to rape you whilst you sleep." Aemond stated coldly as Alyarra looked at him with sadness.

"Nothing happened. I am fine." Alyarra muttered as Aemond shook his head in disbelief.

"How is nobody seeing the seriousness of this?! You are fine, but you could have died! Do you understand that?! Those men came into your room to take you! They didn't want the maid, they wanted you." Aemond was shouting at this point.

"Do not shout at my sister." Cregan warned the prince, making the prince's head snap towards Cregan in anger.

"I can shout at whoever I want." Aemond stated coldly as Cregan simply stared at him. Tears began rolling down Alyarra's cheeks as she stared at the floor. The reality of it all hitting her like a ton of bricks.

Who were these men? What did they want with her?

"This little betrothment between the two of you is well over. You do not get to waltz into my castle and treat my sister like shit, not when I'm around." Cregan was stern in his tone. Aemond could only laugh dryly, and almost cruelly.

"Treat her like shit? For caring?" The words were cutting and intense.

"You are unstable and reckless. Alyarra will wed you over my dead body." It sounded final the way Cregan spoke. Alyarra looked at Aemond, who had a smug look on his face. She was scared of what he would say next.

"I would reconsider it. Surely she could not wed anyone else but me." Aemond was callous in the way he spoke. Alyarra's breathing quickened as she looked at Cregan.

"She could marry whoever she pleased! Every lord in the Seven Kingdoms is eager to form an alliance with the North." Cregan was smug in the way he spoke. Aemond smirked at Alyarra and then looked at Cregan.

"I am afraid Alyarra is not for anyone's taking but mine. She is mine." Aemond's tone was almost cruel, and Alyarra knew what he was going to say.

"Aemond..." Alyarra warned, her voice wavering as Cregan looked at Alyarra with a frown in his face and then at Aemond.

"What is the meaning of those words? The marriage has not been officialized. She is not yet yours." Cregan's voice dropped to a low tone, he knew what Aemond was insinuating but he wanted to hear it from the horse's mouth.

"Your sweet sister is mine. Body and soul. These sinful hands have roamed her body more than once. My tongue has tasted her in ways deemed depraved. This eye has watched her as she begs for me, as she ope-" Aemond couldn't even finish his sentence, Cregan had him pinned to the wall in a matter of seconds.

Aemond would smirk smugly as Cregan raised his blade to his neck. "Cregan no!" Alyarra shrieked as she grabbed her chest, her heart pounding in straight fear. She was scared her heart would go out.

"Don't you dare speak of my sister like she's some sort of whore." Cregan growled through gritted teeth. He would kill the prince if he even dared speak of her like that again.

"I never called her a whore. I am merely stating that she is mine, and that she will be my wife." Aemond responded coldly. Alyarra wanted the ground to open up and swallow her whole in this exact moment. Her biggest fear was disappointing Cregan, and now he must be as disappointed as could be.

"She can't marry you, not if I kill you first." Cregan spat, only making Aemond smirk. Cregan tightened his grip around his dagger, the blade only an inch away from the prince's flesh.

"Have a go at it then. Do kill me. We'll see how it goes for the Lord Stark if he murders a prince of the blood." Aemond was cocky, almost too cocky. Cregan let go of the prince roughly, as he was reminded who he held against the wall.

Aemond fixed his collar up as he took a stabilizing breath. "I only care for Alyarra's well being. I want her safe." Aemond said simply and sternly.

"You don't care about my sister. If you did, you wouldn't have taken her virtue. You wouldn't have ruined her." Cregan contested, his tone was a lot calmer than a moment before. It takes two to ruin a virtue.

"He didn't do it alone Cregan. I wanted it." Alyarra's voice was strong and confident. Her tears were still present, but even if she was fearful and terrified; She wasn't going to let Aemond take the fall for her. Both of them were at fault.

"You're just an impressionable girl. You know nothing." Cregan told his sister, his eyes full of disdain as he stared at her.

"I knew what I was doing. I wanted it. I wanted him. I knew I was ruining myself, and I would do it again a thousand times." Her voice was confident and strong. Cregan eyed his sister, he looked to be in a little bit of shock.

"Then if you love him so much, you'll wed on this very day. No sister of mine will have laid with a man out of wedlock. Understood?" Cregan was stern on his notion. Alyarra's eyes widened at the mention of love. And then she realized what Cregan was asking of her and Aemond.

"Today?" Alyarra asked in shock, her eyes darting over to Aemond. The man was smirking, clearly pleased with the outcome of this little chat.

"Yes today. After my late wife's burial. A small wedding, only to name you man and wife." Cregan responded coldly as Alyarra's heart beat loudly in her chest. She would be Aemond's wife.

"But I am sure Aemond's family would like to be a part of the ceremony. We can't just marry in such haste." Alyarra contested as Cregan shrugged. She could tell he was furious at her.

"That is something that Prince Aemond will have to explain to his own family when back in King's Landing. I will have no contesting this. It is an order. I will not have a whore for a sister." Alyarra was hurt by his words, but she understood.

Alyarra was to be Aemond's wife, on this very day.

-

Alyarra cried quietly all through Lady Arra's funeral. She held unto Aemond for dear life, and he held her like she was his most prized possession. Alyarra cried and cried.

She wasn't sure what she was crying for. Was it for Lady Arra? Was she just terrified of what would have happened if she had never left her chambers? Was she crying because she disappointed her brother? It was all of it, everywhere, all at once.

Alyarra would glance at her brother every few minutes, she wanted to hold him. She wanted to comfort Cregan, but she had disappointed him. She had risked her and her House's reputation for a man. She was sure that Cregan wanted his sister far away from him.

After the funeral was over, Aemond and Alyarra would make their way back to Aemond's chamber as Alyarra's chamber was still dirty from the events that had gone down. The pair was silent for what seemed like hours. Alyarra changed into a white dress as Aemond watched her intensely, his one eye staring her up and down like she were some sort of feast.

"Your face tells me you are not excited for our marriage." Aemond stated coldly as he stood up, approaching Alyarra to help her tie the back of her dress. His fingers felt cold and smooth against her skin. His touch made her lustful. She had to stop this.

"You ruined my relationship with my brother." It was all she said. Aemond rolled his eyes slightly at the comment.

"I only spoke the truth; That you were mine." Aemond responded simply as he moved her hair to the side, planting a soft kiss to her neck.

"You only did it to make sure he would support our betrothal, to make sure he wouldn't break it off. It was a sick power move to hold me in your grasp. A power move you've been threatening to use, and it is sick." Alyarra said, her voice was angry but she was rather calm.

"So what? You are the one prize I would always cheat to win." Aemond said simply. Alyarra turned to look at him, her body overflowing with anger at the man looking down at her.

"I am not a prize. I am a woman! And a good lady I was before you. I-I want a good marriage. A marriage of love, not a marriage of lust and sex." Alyarra told him. Aemond stepped away from her slightly, taking a deep breath.

A marriage of love. The words lingered on his brain for a few seconds. Love. Aemond knew the feelings he had for Alyarra were of love, he knew that well. But had Aemond Targaryen ever been taught how to love? Hardly. Love was a concept unfamiliar to the man, a concept he never thought he would find in his life.

"What makes you think I don't love you?" The words shocked Alyarra to her core, but she composed herself rather quickly. She did not believe him, not one bit.

"You don't love me." Alyarra breathed out as Aemond stepped towards her. His eye burned with something, not lust. Something else.

"I do." Was all Aemond would muster up to say. The idea was bewildering to Alyarra. Absolutely insane.

"No! You don't love me! I am sure you love having me at your mercy. You may love fucking me. Maybe you love that you got me and that Aegon didn't. But you don't love me." Alyarra exclaimed as she stepped away from Aemond.

"I do love all of those things. But I love you also." Aemond was being truthful. The words were intense and foreign on his tongue, but he meant them.

He had loved Alyarra Stark since the day she so carelessly asked him about his eye. Since the day she showed him what true compassion and caring was. He loved her since she asked him to teach her about history and philosophy. Since the day he stole that kiss from her in the gardens, and since the day he gave her that necklace with his initial. He loved her because she was everything he wasn't.

"Maybe I have not shown you my love the correct way. But I have never seen the correct way. I know there is no excuse..." It was the first time Alyarra had ever seen a glimmer of vulnerability in the prince's ever so cold face. Was he being sincere?

"Do you think you could ever love me?" Aemond asked softly as he took a step foward towards the girl. Alyarra's mind was reeling with all sorts of thoughts and feelings.

Aemond Targaryen was everything she wasn't. He was cold, callous, and calculating. If anyone would have guessed, he was the one that had grown up in complete isolation in the North and not her. Alyarra hated him. She hated the way he made her feel like she wasn't worthy of him. She hated that he ruined her. She hated when he was possessive, hated when he was jealous. But... she loved the way he protected her. She loved the way he showed his vulnerability with her when she first got to King's Landing. She loved the way he made her feel whenever he was close. And most importantly; She loved him.

Alyarra never thought that romantic love could look like this. She thought it would somehow be golden, or the color of the sun. She thought love would be easy and calm.

But loving him? Loving him was red. It burned. I guess she should have seen it coming. After all; Targaryens were made of fire, and Starks were made of ice. And Aemond Targaryen engulfed Alyarra Stark's heart in his flames like a forest fire: Rapidly and destructive.

"I do love you."

-

I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. It is a longer chapter, and the next chapters will be much more fast paced. To me; it was vital to show the Cregan and Aemond fight.

What do you think the men wanted with her? How did they get in? What did they have planned for her? Are they working for someone? Is Alyarra safe? Who would want to hurt her?

There's so many questions!

Thank you as always for the support and do not forget to comment and to give me your thoughts on the plot and recommendations and what you would like to see!

Also my tiktok is @purplewriter_xx . Check it out if you wish for SPOILERS.