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The clinking of dishes woke the young couple the next morning as a maid entered the room with a breakfast tray. "Please forgive me, my prince, my princess." Apologized the young girl.

Aemond was lying on his stomach and seemed to still be asleep or he was ignoring the girl. His wife, on the other hand, could not and felt it was rude.

Edith sat up and nodded to the girl with a slight smile, then she pointed to the table on which the maid could put the tablet. "Thank you." The girl immediately complied with the request, then bowed to the young woman and left the room again.

Curious, she turned her head in the direction of her sleeping husband and immediately realized that everything was not a dream, it had really happened yesterday.

Her bigger nightmare had come true yesterday.

Only after the door fell into the lock did she realize the girl's words, for she had called her princess. Her new title thanks to her marriage to Aemond.

It was the first time someone had called her that, and it didn't feel right. All her life she had been just Lady Edith Targaryen, now she was Princess Edith Targaryen, wife of Prince Aemond Targaryen.

Even Aemond disliked her new title and he showed it to her with an amused snort. "My princess." He mimicked the maid and turned on his back, already reaching for his eyepatch and pulling it on.

"Good morning to you too, my prince." Now it was she who mimicked him. Edith rolled her eyes and got up to bring the tablet to bed. Then she sat down next to him again and handed him a cup of tea. "How nice that you are amused by my new title, but be sure that you gave it to me."

"Don't remind me." He asked her, sitting up in bed so he could drink his tea.

"How could I." She replied with a grin.

It was a funny situation for both of them. They had always hated each other, were enemies and had always tried to annoy each other and now they were married and sharing a bed where they were now eating their breakfast.

"How long are we allowed to hide here? What would be appropriate?" she wanted to know from him as she put the empty tray back on the table after their quiet breakfast.

"You're not seriously going to hide here?" he asked again, eyeing her carefully as she sat back down in bed. "I'm leaving these premises no later than noon today, so we can both survive this."

Annoyed, Edith sighed and leaned against the bed. "Your company isn't much more pleasant either. I liked the silence better." She replied and started playing with her long brownish hair.

Surely Aemond would have had an equally cheeky reply ready, but he didn't get to utter it as the door opened again and the maid came back in. "May I?"

The silver-haired one just nodded and let the girl open the windows and clear the tray and the used goblets, after which she stood a bit awkwardly in front of the bed. "May I shake up the bed and re-cover it?" she asked shyly.

Edith immediately fell into a panic. If the girl made the bed now, she would see that the bride had not bled and the two had never had the moment of losing her virginity.

With red cheeks, she snuggled against Aemon's chest and pulled the covers up as high as she could. "I'm afraid now is not a good time... My husband and I... we would like to be alone." She lied to the poor girl.

The situation had been embarrassing enough before Edith had said that. The girl was all the more pleased when she nodded and left the room.

"What was that all about?" the silver-haired one wanted to know, looking down at the young woman on his chest. They had never been so close as they were now, and wrapped only in sleeping clothes. "I don't know. I panicked!" she defended herself, not moving as Aemond did, who seemed frozen by the surprising closeness.

For a short moment the two remained like that, without saying a word, until Edith moved again and went to the open round windows, which the maid had left open. She put on a robe and then dreamily leaned against the window frame and looked outside. The view from here was much nicer than the one from her old room.

"Where should I take my things?" she asked, arms crossed. Below were walking people, knights, guards and workers. They all had a job and a lot to do and no one dared to look up for a second and see the sad girl. Actually, no one questioned so what was going on here in the Red Keep.

"I'll sort it out as soon as I can. I guess to the room across the hall, because this one is free. You should leave your things in your old room until then." Aemond stood up as he talked and put on a pair of pants, since he had been wearing only his white blouse until now.

In the crowd, the new princess noticed a face she would recognize anywhere. The young man stood barely recognizable in a corner in the courtyard, a hood covering his beautiful silver hair, but Edith could see the violet eyes shining all the way up here.

"May I sleep there, too?" She played with the belt from her robe and longingly kept eye contact with Aegon. Only too gladly would she run down to him right now. She really needed to talk to him, and to Helaena as well.

"That would not reflect well on us. I'd prefer being alone, too, but I'm afraid we'll have to show ourselves together." Aemond sighed as he took off his shirt to change it. "At least this way we can discuss and clarify everything."

"And that is?" Edith broke her gaze from Aegon and turned her head to Aemond. "For example, also whether we may see others?" she provoked him.

"Among others, but that topic shouldn't keep us long." He didn't go into her game and instead put on a fresh new blouse, but didn't lace it up. Then he combed his long silver hair and tied it up, continuing to speak as he did so. "We won't see any others."

Edith sighed. Of course he didn't want that, but she believed his statement referred more to her; she was not to see anyone else. She was his wife, his property, and no man wanted to share his wife with another man.

"They'll talk." Stated Edith quietly and again turned her gaze out the window to Aegon, but he had disappeared. Her eyes wandered over the square below, but she could not find him again.

"They will anyway." Aemond said, rolling her eyes, and joined Edith's at the large window to look out as well. "I'll think of something."

"You'll think of something, Aemond. While you will surely lock me up and I will suffer a lonely death as a virgin." The girl with brownish hair turned her body to the young man, leaning against the window frame. It was a really daring game she was leading right now. Aemond would only have to nudge her slightly and she would fall several feet to her death. She quickly swallowed the lump in her throat and took a few steps away from the window, after all, she didn't want to risk him getting any bad ideas.

"It sounds to me like you have someone in mind? I forbid you to meet with Aegon." Aemond was a clever man and far too often underestimated. Even a fool would have seen the cloak blowing around the corner as the groom stepped to the window. He may have lost an eye, which Edith had taken from him then, but he was not blind.

"Not everything is about Aegon." she defended herself immediately and put her hands on her hips. Indeed, for her, a lot of things revolved around Aegon, but in fact, she hadn't been thinking only of him. Her question was more general. "Nor is it all about you, dear husband. Each of us should live our own lives and love the one we want to love. It's not our fault that we were pushed into this useless marriage!" it escaped her lips carelessly.

Aemond slammed the window shut angrily, whereupon Edith winced in fright. "I forbid you!" he repeated his point in an angry voice, and in one movement pressed the girl firmly against the wall behind him, holding her wrists tightly clasped above her head.

Staring at him with her wide eyes, she swallowed nervously. In fact, she was getting really scared of him for the first time and felt how unapproachable he actually was.

"Let go of me right now!" Unsuccessfully, she struggled against his firm grip. There was no way she was going to put up with this. "Aemond!"

"You should be happy to have married me! You have been given a higher title, you are now someone with position in this society, and yet you treat me with a lack of respect! You scorn my word and mock me with yours!" All the anger just bubbled out of the young man. He really hated the connection.

Aemonds grip did not loosen and already quickly her back and wrists were hurting. "Please let me go." She asked him, not responding to his words. Maybe he was right, but he wasn't treating her much better. "You're hurting me."

"You have no idea what that actually feels like." He replied, obviously alluding to his lost eye. Edith could only slightly turn her left hand, the one with the large scar on her wrist, to draw attention to herself, but he didn't address it.

"Does it satisfy you to see me in pain?" she wanted to know from him. Her big eyes formed into slits as she looked at him angrily and began to fight him and his grip again. "Oh of course it must turn you on!"

"Mm." Aemond growled, pressing her body tighter against hers to push her more against the wall. The hard wall literally dug into her soft skin, which was only covered by her nightgown and long robe. "You better keep your mouth shut."

The two just stared into each other's eyes full of hatred as Edith lost patience and stopped without a fight. She felt that her attempts to free herself only made things worse.

Then a naive thought came to her, which was probably due to her still young age, but the longer she thought about it, only confused her more. But still, she leaned her head forward and pressed her lips firmly to his.

Of course he didn't return her kiss and jerked his head back, also loosening his grip and pressure against her body with his own. It was exactly the reaction she had wanted and which helped her to free herself from his grip.

Carefully she stroked her aching and reddened wrists, which she looked at carefully for a moment, only to look at her husband again.

"You really are crazy!" escaped Aemond with a shake of his head. He left her standing, put on his shoes and took his tunic only to storm out of the room. Edith could only breathe a sigh of relief when he finally left.

She was not proud of what she had done, but it had served its purpose.

The morning had started surprisingly well. They had eaten breakfast together like two normal people and for a moment had not yelled at each other. It should have been obvious to her that such a quiet moment would be a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence in this marriage.

Why did everything always have to end in a fight? And apparently now also in violence.

Her hands were still a bit numb as she slowly got ready for the day. She chose a simple dress, which she had received as a gift from the queen. Of course she took one of the red dresses instead of the green one to show her protest and displeasure also outwardly. She simply braided her hair down and tied it with a thin scarf at the bottom.

Doubtingly she looked at the unmade bed with the white pillows and the white blankets.

She didn't quite know what to do now. Aemond would surely not return too soon and she had to think of something.

With trembling hands she took a hair clip, which had been in her hair yesterday for her beautiful hairstyle for the wedding. Briefly she doubted, then she pricked her finger with the tip and carved herself a small cut. She then lifted her slightly bleeding finger over the mattress and let a few drops of her blood drip onto the white sheet. Then quickly she pressed a tissue on the small wound until it stopped bleeding.

She shook her head slightly when she saw the result. No one would ever believe it, but she couldn't lose hope.

The young wife then put the bedspread over the bloodstain so that it would not be seen immediately and took a deep breath.

Maybe Edith should have spent the day here and maybe she should have waited for Aemond, but she already felt trapped and she absolutely had to get out of here and so she pulled a coat over her red dress.

Two maids stood outside the door as Edith stepped out of the room. They seemed to have been waiting already to finally make the room. Surely Alicent had sent them and made them wait here.

She pulled the sleeves of her dress as long as she could as she walked down the halls so they wouldn't ride up and show her still reddened wrists.

An ugly thought arose in her mind as to whether this would now be her daily routine.

As soon as she was about to leave the Red Keep, two guards blocked her way. "Let me through." She demanded of the two men. "We're not allowed to." Retorted one of them.

Of course, the queen had made her threat real and now refused to let her pass. She truly had her fingers in everything.

The girl cleared her throat and stood extra straight. "Tell that to the queen. She knows I'm on my way to the crypt. I want to give the dead my respect as a princess." She lied. She had gotten really good at it and her lie was really good. "I'm sure you didn't want to upset her by holding me up. So... Which one of you will accompany me?"

The men looked at each other questioningly and they didn't seem to be very smart, because the smaller one finally nodded and escorted Edith outside with some distance.

The new princess had really learned something good from the queen.

They had to walk a short distance to the crypt, and the two of them crossed a small square with a few stalls. Women and men were trying to sell their wares to raise money for their families. In fact, there were many children among the sellers, people much younger than Edith.

"You are the new princess, aren't you?" asked a curious high voice, addressing the young woman from the side.

Edith turned her head to that voice and remembered her new title again. She would certainly never get used to it.

"That's me." She answered the little boy with a smile. He could only be a few years older than her own brother Cassian. "What's your name, little man?"

"Keith!" he smiled proudly, showing her his baby teeth. "Keith! Oh your grace I'm sorry. My son didn't mean to bother you." A round-bellied woman came to the booth where the three of them stood and bowed to Edith.

"You don't have to, please. You shouldn't bow in your condition." Edith said quickly, supporting the pregnant woman as she straightened up. "You really have a sweet son."

The male guard stood close to Edith and watched the conversation carefully, but when he realized that there was no danger from the pregnant woman and her son, he looked at the items for sale with interest. "How much for a bag?" he interjected into the conversation.

The woman took a bag of pastries and handed it to Princess Edith. "I can't ask for money from you. Think of it as a gift."

"That's really generous, but I can't accept it." She replied with a guilty smile, because unfortunately she didn't have any money with her. Edith felt really touched by the lady, but she could not accept the gift.

Before either of the women could say anything else, her companion placed seven coppers on the table. "Is that enough?" he asked the pregnant woman. The latter looked at the coins with wide eyes. "That's too much, ser. I can't-"

"Yes you can. Take the rest and buy your son something nice." He interrupted her with a smile.

"Thank you very much, ser. This is really a nice gift." Replied the little boy for his mother.

The four talked for a moment until they said goodbye to each other again and continued their way. The two shared the small pastries in the bag along the way, which tasted really delicious.

~~~

She didn't really want to go to the crypt, but so quickly she couldn't think of any other place and now the girl was standing in front of the heavy gates.

Together with the guard close behind her, she went down the stone stairs after the man had lit a torch. Although torches hung everywhere to give light, he wanted to play it safe and see everything attentively.

The stone statues of the deceased were truly beautiful and so terrifying at the same time. To imagine that these were living persons was a difficult conception. The stone men and women had fought and negotiated, had lived and loved, and many of them had not lived very long. It was an oppressive feeling and yet Edith tried to show respect to each one of them by taking the time to read their panels and stand with them and linger for a moment.

At the end of the beautiful and sad crypt, a door was barely noticeable. Only a lonely knob betrayed that it had to be a door, otherwise one could not have even guessed it. A good hiding place.

"Where does it go there?" asked Edith playfully naive, looking at the guard with wide eyes. He was still relatively young and it wouldn't be long before he too fell for her and ate out of her hand.

"I'm afraid I don't know." he replied with a red head. He was visibly uncomfortable. "Let's find out!" she smirked, turning the doorknob. It was not easy for her to open the heavy stone door, but with his help she managed.

Despite his help, the boy didn't seem enthusiastic about her plan and tried to stop her, but she was already going through the dark tunnel. He had no other choice and followed her with the fire. "I don't think I have a good idea, my lad- my princess."

"What is your name?" she asked instead. The guard opened his mouth, but didn't get to say anything, because someone else also opened his mouth somewhere here and shouted loudly.

Startled, they both flinched and he stood protectively in front of the princess until the scream died away.

"C-Colin." Escaped it him then nevertheless when they had calmed down again. "Hello Colin. That's a nice name." Edith said in shock, her eyes wide.

The girl did not move again until it was quiet for a while and her curiosity conquered her brief fear. With quick steps she went on and it became colder and colder. "Where are we?" she wanted to know from Colin. The latter didn't look nearly as confident as she did, but he always stayed by her side. "This must be a way into the dungeon. I never knew there was a secret entrance." He admitted.

This information, of course, increased Edith's purpose and she took his arm to move on quickly. But by the time they passed the first cells, she felt different, even though they were empty. But eventually they were no longer empty and the two of them could see the people behind the bars by the light of the torch.

The people, mostly men, were wearing clothes far too thin for the temperatures here. They also looked far too thin, as if they hadn't eaten in a long time. Immediately the girl felt sorry for them, but she couldn't forget that these were bad men who had done bad things. Otherwise they would not be here.

Guiltily she clutched the almost empty bag in her hand and pulled the sleeves of her cloak longer. She would have shared with anyone, but not with murderers and rapists.

"We should go now, Princess." Colin advised her again, placing his hand on her arm.

"Just a little longer, Ser Colin." She asked him. By now they were far inside the dungeon. They were both lucky they hadn't been caught down here yet.

"Aruna?"

Startled, the two turned to the faint voice. A single man was sitting in one of the cells. The cells to his left and right were empty.

Edith certainly wouldn't have even noticed him if he hadn't spoken, so huddled was he in the corner.

But she was much more surprised by the way he had addressed her.

"How do you know my mother's name?" the princess wanted to know and walked closer to the cell. Colin stayed close to her, although bars separated the girl and the criminal.

"Your mother?" The man coughed painfully before sliding closer to the bars to get a better look at the girl. "You look just like her."

She looked down at him pityingly and knelt on the floor so the two could speak at eye level. "My name is Edith. How do you know my mother?" repeated Edith much more gently than the first time.

Now that he was closer, she could see his narrow face. It was dirty and his thick beard hid much of what had probably once been a handsome face. His curly hair was long and fell knotted over his shoulders.

"I met her when she came to King's Landing back in the day. She was a close friend of Princess Rhaenyra." He explained to her. His voice sounded uncertain and trembled. He must not have spoken for a long time.

Still cautious, she looked at him and eyed him. She had absolutely no idea who he could be.

"Princess. We should-"

"Princess?" The captive man interrupted Ser Colin and now it was he who eyed the girl. She really did look like her mother, but her Targaryen genes were very visible as well.

"Sort of... I had to marry the Queen's son." She explained to him honestly. The nightmare of yesterday would haunt her for the rest of her life, and if it didn't, Aemond would. "Now tell me. Who are you?"

The man cleared his throat and sat up straight and proud, however due to his condition it looked very pained and not proud. "My name is Ser Harwin of the House of Strong. Once I was the commander of the city watch and ally of the heiress." He introduced himself.

Edith's mouth opened in shock. She had heard many stories about him from Jace and Luke, but she had always imagined him quite differently.

"The Bone Breaker... Harwin Breakbones." Escaped her in astonishment. "Sorry." She lowered her head as she quickly realized how inappropriate that response was. "I just thought..."

"That I was dead? Yeah, sometimes it feels that way." He replied brokenly.

"Jace told me you died in a fire... How did you survive?" she asked him curiously.

His eyes were full of love and he smiled slightly at the mention of his firstborn's name. "Jace... How are my boys?" he wanted to know from her, clutching the bars. "Are they alive? How is Rhaenyra?"

Colin took a few steps away from the two to give them some privacy as their conversation became rather more private.

"They are all alive and well, Ser Harwin." She reported to him. She addressed him as Ser on purpose to show him her respect. He was a knight, a man of honor who did not belong down here. "They are in Dragonstone with my parents. Lady Aruna and Prince Daemon."

At the mention of her father, the man raised an eyebrow, but chose not to add anything, as it did not surprise him. Aruna had been very fond of the prince back then, he had seen that. It had only been a matter of time before the two would come together.

However, Ser Harwin had no idea how long it had taken the two of them.

"I don't know who, but someone pulled me out of that fire. What happened next I don't remember... I didn't wake up again until I got here." Harwin ran his hand over his dirty face and brushed some curls from his face. "How long ago was that?" he asked cautiously as if he didn't want to hear the answer.

***

Sorry for the late update, but I had a little surgery from which I had to recover and then I had birthday...
There is a lot going on right now.

But I hope you enjoyed this chapter?:)

What do you think about Edith's discovery of Harwin?

Have a wonderful day/night♡♡