A bouquet of wildflowers lay heavy in her right hand as the young woman went to dinner hours later.

Since she currently owned so few clothes, she had not bothered to change for dinner as the other women at court often did.

Sarcastically she had to smile, because soon the new clothes would not fit her anymore. Maybe she should announce the news about her pregnancy quickly, so that the seamstresses would make the new dresses a little bigger.

The last few days she had deliberately missed the Common Dinner and had dined in her chambers. Now, when she came into the dining room, she was very surprised. Edith had been very late and yet she was the only one in the room.

The servants had set the entire table and stood waiting with their trays against the wall, awaiting an order.

The young woman sighed. She would have liked to turn around and go to her chambers, but she felt sorry for the servants. They had probably been standing here for ages, waiting in vain for a member of the family.

"Please put the flowers in a vase and place them on the table." She asked a servant who was standing the closest to her. He took the wildflowers with a critical look, but complied with her request and fetched a vase of water.

One of the other men immediately ran to Edith's chair and adjusted it for her, whereupon she sat down and he pushed the chair back in. Immediately the others came and filled the princess's plate with food and also her goblet. The servant with the flowers also came back and placed the vase in the middle of the set table.

She smiled gratefully at each one and began to eat.

For a long time, only the clatter of her cutlery could be heard, or the sound of her putting down her goblet. With no one else moving or saying anything, it seemed indescribably loud.

Edith was almost finished with her plate when she heard a large door being pushed open, clearly surpassing the sound of the dishes. Naturally, all heads turned to the newcomer, who did not devote a glance to anyone in the room.

"Get out of here, all of you." He commanded in a cold tone.

His silver long hair swung perfectly as he walked across the room and sat down next to his wife. His mood was visibly bad and Edith didn't know whether to say or do anything.

After his command, the trays were placed on the table and the servants left the room with their eyes lowered.

Edith alone dared to keep her head up and look at Aemond beside her. "Hello husband." She greeted him with a forced smile.

"Don't call me that." now he too instructed her. He hated it when she greeted him like that. It sounded so unloving and sarcastic every time and he didn't like that at all, because he didn't want to admit a loveless marriage to himself.

"What should I call you then?" she asked him repeatedly, until now he had never said what he wanted to be called and he didn't think of answering her today either.

Amond's lips were drawn into a straight line as he also filled himself up with some food and began to dine.

"How was your day?" asked Edith instead. By now she had finished her plate and was reaching for dessert. There were danishes filled with strawberry jam and powdered sugar. Edith loved this dessert.

"I don't want to talk about it." He replied tersely, clutching his wine goblet tightly in his hand.

His wife could only roll her eyes when he wasn't looking. Tense, she leaned back in her chair and dabbed the powdered sugar from her lips with a napkin.

"How was your day?" he wanted to know, trying hard to suppress his bad mood and be friendly to her because he didn't want to scare her off again. Not if they were making slow progress, at least that's what he told himself.

"Insightful." She replied to him only. She was clearly not ready to tell him more and instead pointed to the bouquet of flowers. "I was in the garden enjoying the weather and plowing these beautiful flowers. Too bad only we can look at them tonight."

"Mmm." He commented only to her last sentence and filled his plate again. "Were you alone in the garden?" he then wanted to know, his voice again more strained than it had been a moment ago.

"No. I asked Ser Colin to accompany me." She said honestly, taking a second plum pocket herself. They were just far too delicious.

Edith had always liked dessert more than any other meal, and the fact that the food here in King's Landing was even better than that in Dragonstone or Winterfell didn't make it easy for her to resist. The sweet foods wouldn't do her or her body any good in the long run, but she didn't have to worry about that for now.

"Good." Said Aemond only.

Silence filled the room and it was almost more uncomfortable than when Edith had been alone with the servants, but she underestimated the situation. The situation became even more awkward when the doors opened again and the princes and princess entered.

Aegon turned pale at the sight of Edith and how close she was sitting next to his brother. He hated it so much that the two of them were married and starting to get along. He was selfish and just couldn't be happy for anyone else.

His wife's eyes lit up pleasingly at the sight, unlike his. "Oh my beloveds! Hello you two." She smiled warmly at the two as if nothing had ever happened. As if she hadn't been avoiding Edith for the last few days so as not to have to talk to her.

The three siblings sat down in their usual places at the table and filled up on food. No one questioned the fact that there were no servants present. If the mood were not so tense, this meal could have been much more relaxed.

"Where is Mother?" asked Daeron, addressing Aemond, looking past Edith in return.

"She wasn't here when I came." Aemond answered him curtly.

Daeron's eyebrows lifted and he looked questioningly at Edith beside him. So Aemond had come to dinner alone and Edith had also come alone? That was most unusual. Either they came together or Aemond came alone, without Edith.

Barely visible, Edith shook her head when she saw Daeron's questioning look. Of course he wanted to know what was going on and especially he wanted to know more about the conversation between her and Aegon, but the family meal was definitely not the right time for that.

"What beautiful flowers you've plowed, Edda." Dreamily, Helaena looked at the various flowers and carefully touched the blossoms. The food on her plate suddenly became extremely uninteresting.

"How do you know they are from me?" wanted Edith to know curiously. Her napkin lay on her lap and her arms rested on the arms of her chair while she still leaned against the back of it. Since she was the first one here, she had already finished eating.

"Because no one else would touch this mess of weeds and put it on the table." Aegon muttered bitterly. At his lips hung his goblet filled with the delicious wine, as he often did.

Edith was really tired of seeing him with it all the time, because he obviously had a problem and was not himself because of it. But this was no longer her problem thanks to himself.

Venomously she looked at him across the table. "I was hoping it would be bigger and I wouldn't have to see your drunken face while we were eating." She replied angrily, now looking at him challengingly.

"Edith." Aemond urged his wife next to her. He was familiar with the problem from his brother and it bothered him just as much, but the poisonous words didn't fit out of her mouth and he didn't know if he liked it. But at least she wasn't driving at him like that just now, which is why he shouldn't care.

"I'm not going to apologize for something that's so obvious." She immediately justified herself confidently to her husband, even as she nervously played with the napkin on her lap.

The words had just bubbled out of her that she couldn't even think. Still, she didn't regret the words and wanted to say much worse to Aegon, but that would be too obvious here.

"It's okay, brother." Aegon laughed and moved the vase around a bit on the table until the flowers hid Edith's beautiful face. "Don't take offense, but I'm afraid you didn't get the prettiest bride of the season." It was meant as a joke, but at the same time he was hurting her feelings, but he didn't realize it.

In fact, he tried to tell himself the worst things about her and ignore her beauty. Edith was so innocent and angelic, so perfect and untouchable, and yet he had soiled and ruined her - this would not happen to him again.

Edith's eyes widened in shock and the others also looked in surprise at the eldest prince. Aegon rarely felt empathy and emotions were usually a foreign word to him, but this was going too far even for him.

"Your lucky you have our sister for a wife. Who knows what whore mother would have married you to otherwise." Aemond replied sourly to his brother's words. Edith was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen and Aegon, nor anyone else, had the right to speak badly of her. He would have made anyone else pay for it, but with Aegon he was still debating it.

"But I have the greatest luck with my Edith." Admitted Aemond with a softer tone, looking at his wife. He wanted to tell her so much, but he lacked the words to do so. Perhaps his actions would speak for themselves and she would finally fall in love with him as well.

Aemond had put his cutlery on his plate and instead put his hand to Edith's cheek for a brief moment to caress it. "Thank you, my dear." She said with a smile, intentionally using his nickname for her now for him. Then she leaned in for a moment and kissed his cheek gratefully.

It was to show him her loyalty and at the same time to annoy Aegon with it.

And it worked better than she thought. Aegon's goblet almost broke at his firm grip and his face ran red with anger.

"I really like the flowers." Helaena interfered in the conversation again, finally letting go of the flowers to continue eating. "I saw you in the garden at noon today with Ser Colin." She added, answering Edith's question this way.

"What a pity we didn't meet. I would have liked to talk with you again sometime." Said the young woman with the brownish hair more roughly than intended to the silver-haired princess.

Barely noticeable, Helaena winced, struck by the sudden change between the once close friends. "Yes, what a pity." She repeated Edith's words softly. Her own voice didn't sound as dreamy as usual either.

"I acquired a new knife today, Aemond. I'd like to show it to you later." Daeron deliberately changed the subject, even if his was boring. "It's not made of Valyrian steel, nor is it perfectly sharpened yet, but the handle is made of a unique wood with ornamentation." He narrated. Daeron had the art of making boring things sound interesting and indeed he now had the attention of those present, except for Helaena's understandably.

"I would like to see it very much." Aemond answered his little brother and forced himself to smile slightly. He was grateful for the change of subject, but he couldn't shake the tension and was still angry at Aegon's words. "Where did you acquire it?"

"In Flea Bottom, as a matter of fact. It was a good bargain." Daeron grinned proudly at his newest knife and couldn't wait to show it off, even if he would never use it.

"Flea Bottom? Only bad things come from there." Aemond said critically to Daeron, then looked provocatively over at Aegon. "Or Aegon? Surely you agree with me on that."

The prince's eyes looked up directly into Aemond's eyes. Firmly he had to press his lips together not to retort anything malicious. But Aegon wouldn't be Aegon if he didn't say something anyway. "Why? Did you find your wife there?" he replied sarcastically with a laugh.

Angrily, Aemond slammed his hands down on the wooden table and leaned on it as he got up from his chair. "Say another bad word about my wife..." he began angrily.

"I'd like to see what you do then." Aegon pushed his plate away from him, still sitting relaxed in his chair. His gaze turned provocatively to his younger brother.

The other three present, on the other hand, looked tensely back and forth between the two brothers. None of them knew what to do now.

Edith cleared her throat and put a hand on her husband's arm, but he didn't seem to notice. "Aemond, my dear. Let's go to our chambers after all, it's very late." She chimed in carefully, trying to prevent an argument between the brothers.

At the sound of her voice, he turned his head toward her and looked into her uncertain eyes. He would have liked to throw her over his shoulder and walk away with her. Far away on the back of his old dragon. Somewhere where no one could find the two of them.

"You should listen to your lovely wife, brother." Aegon then advised him, grinning cheekily.

That made Aemond throw plan around and he stormed towards his brother. He pulled him roughly out of the chair by his top and then held the blade of his knife to his throat.

Everything happened so fast that no one could react until they understood the situation. Helaena quickly slid her chair away from Aegon and Aemond, while Edith and Daeron stood up.

Edith tried in vain to squeeze in between them, but she couldn't do it, because she wasn't as strong as the two young men.

"How dare you!" yelled Aemond sourly at his brother, holding him tightly in his grip.

Aegon's skin under the knife was already turning white and with a little more pressure the blade would cut his skin. Nevertheless, Aegon stood relaxed in front of Aemond. His own hands were loosely on his brother's arms, but he tried not to push him away.

"Aemond let him go. He's not worth it after all." Edith tried words now, as she was physically no match for the two of them. She very much wanted a knife or sword of her own to separate the two, as she really didn't want a bloodbath here in the dining hall.

"Brother, she is right and you know it." Daeron agreed with his sister-in-law. He stood beside the two with his hands raised, while Edith stood on the other side of the arguing ones.

No one said anything for a moment and the silence was far too loud.

Then Aemond grabbed Aegon firmly by the collar once more and then pushed him off him so roughly that Aegon stumbled and fell to the ground. There he remained laughing and running his hand over his unharmed neck.

Disgusted, Edith looked down at the prince on the floor, and if she hadn't had so much decency, she would surely have spit on him. Aegon was hardly recognizable, or perhaps he was finally showing his true colors to her counterpart.

Aemond was already turning away again, putting his knife back into his weapons belt. Then he went to his frightened sister and blew a kiss on her forehead before whispering something in her ear that Edith did not understand.

But the fear from Helaena's eyes did not disappear and so she clung tightly to her younger brother's hand. There was so much the princess didn't understand, and yet she knew more than everyone else in the room combined - Helaena was so innocent and pure.

"You really are disgusting, Aegon." Edith reproached him, while still standing in front of him.

The young man was still on the floor laughing, only his laughter died at her words and became a challenging grin. "I thought you liked that kind of thing." He said with a sideways glance at his brother Aemond.

Aegon was really taking every risk right now, even that of his own death at the hands of his little brother. He knew he couldn't have Edith now anyway, so why shouldn't she hate him right away? Any feeling was better than unrequited love or heartbreak.

Life without her made no sense to him, but he couldn't let things continue between them.

He was so focused on Edith and how her gaze was changing that he didn't even see Aemond coming. It was only when Aemond's knee pressed hard on his stomach that Aegon took his eyes off Edith and finally tried to fight back. Aemond was able to fend him off easily and so his hands were quickly around Aegon's neck while Aegon tried to push or kick him away with his legs.

Aemond was the one with more fighting experience and with the better defense strategy, which could be seen clearly right now. Maybe Aegon shouldn't have skipped his fighting lessons so often, but even then he wouldn't stand a chance against his clearly stronger brother.

Shocked, Edith watched what just happened and she could not put into words what just occurred, because somewhere the situation was her fault - again, she was to blame. She also could not believe what her own husband was capable of. He held Aegon away from him with a simplicity like no other, squeezing his throat in the process.

The two shouted at each other, insults fell and the sound of a fight echoed back from the walls.

Aegon had more than earned this here, especially since his death would prevent some things. At least he could never ascend the throne and Edith could try to prevent the war peacefully with the others.

For a moment she even wanted his death. She wanted to see how much he suffered, how his face turned blue and he choked on his guilt. But the anguished cry of Helaena brought Edith out of her trance and she moved toward them again.

Daeron was already trying in vain to separate his brothers from each other and at the same time not to let Helaena get closer to them.

Edith was the only one who stood free and was helplessly just doing nothing until she rashly took the last step and put her hands on her husband's shoulders. "Aemond, stop it!" she begged, trying to pull him away.

Aemond's hands were now no longer around Aegon's neck, but still they flailed and neither was out of mortal danger.

"Yes, listen to your wife, brother." Spat Aegon to his brother and although he could hardly breathe through the punches and kicks he dared to speak and make things worse. Aegon was just being stupid.

"Aegon, shut up!" now Edith shouted at the other prince. It was really enough for her.

The two men moved like a tangle on the floor and Edith finally had to let go of Aemond. For a moment Aegon had the upper hand, then Aemond again, and so it dragged on until the first traces of blood could be seen.

"You're ruining mother's carpet! Stop it already, that's enough!" Daeron shouted impatiently at his brothers. He too was helpless, as he could do nothing. Helaena lay crying in his arms. For her it was especially bad, because she hated any kind of violence. "Edith!"

If the situation were not so serious, Edith would surely have laughed at Daeron's statement.

Doubting, she looked at her cousin and then back at the men on the floor. Without thinking further, she tried to walk between them again. It was a scurry and she didn't even know how to go about disentangling the two. She blindly grabbed the two and simply pulled what she could grab.

But before she could do anything, Edith was hit. Several times and so hard that she also fell to the ground, as Aegons had done moments ago. Edith cried out as she hit the ground. She didn't know who had hit her or what body part it was, but her whole body hurt where she had been hit.

"Edith!" cried Daeron, startled, breaking away from his sister to run to his cousin.

The young woman was lying on her stomach and had to gasp for air for the time being, as it briefly escaped as a result of her fall.

"Are you okay?" he asked flustered, gently putting a hand on her shoulder.

She couldn't answer, even if she didn't want to. Everything was spinning around her and warm blood was running from her nose. As quickly as she could, she held a hand in front of her nose and tried to sit up, moaning in pain and needing Daeron's help.

Daeron quickly pulled a cloth from his pocket and pressed it on Edith's nose to stop the bleeding.

Helaena also woke up from her stupor and rushed to her friend, next to whom she sat down in panic. Then she grabbed her skirt and pulled at the fabric until it tore, after that she gave the fabric to Daeron. He immediately replaced the fabric of the dress with his own cloth, which was already soaked and long gone from white.

The two quarreling had separated from each other at Edith scream and now sat shocked on the bloody carpet. Both had lacerations, other injuries and would have bruises on their skin by tomorrow at the latest. But no injury on their bodies was as bad as Edith's sight.

She leaned hunched against Daeron, who had one arm around her and one hand holding the cloth on her nose. Helaena was already tearing at her dress again for new fabric.

The two princes blamed the other at first, until they realized that they themselves could have hit the princess. No one could say who it was, and so both were involved in the misfortune. Without their quarrel, it would not have happened at all.

"I don't feel well..." murmured Edith weakly in Daeron's direction. Everything was still spinning and she felt so nauseous that she thought she was about to vomit. Her body ached from the hard fall, but she was most worried about the pain in one particular part of her body.

Edith had fallen directly on her stomach.

While it was still barely visible and more of a small bulge, a fall was still not without danger. Especially not at the beginning of a pregnancy.

Anxiously she clutched her belly and closed her eyes as her body tensed more and more.

Aemond's eyes followed her hands and his gaze stiffened as her hands remained on her belly. He didn't know about their happiness together yet, but still he feared the worst right now.

He quickly picked himself up off the floor, ignoring his own pain as he carefully gathered his wife into his arms and then left the room with quick steps. "Call for all the maesters in King's Landing and tell them that I will hang anyone if anything happens to my wife!" he instructed his siblings. Even if Edith would not like it, but she now desperately needed a maester - as many as possible to save her and the unborn child.

She didn't have to say anything. No one had to say anything.

The fear was great and the quarrel almost forgotten.

Daeron was the first one on his feet after Aemond with Edith. He ran out of the dining hall and ordered every guard, servant and maid to fetch every maester into the Red Keep who crossed his path.

In fact, Helaena did the same and even sent for her mother for female assistance for Edith, without further elaborating on what happened.

Aegon alone remained in the dining room.

Half of the chairs were on the floor. The table was barely set, as some plates and dishes lay on the floor. So was the prince.

Just the bouquet of wild flowers stood perfectly on the table and looked untouchable.

Aegon had failed. Again. He had probably hit and kicked Edith. Had caused pain in her - psychologically and physically.

Aegon was the real villain of this story and with that realization he let himself fall back onto the carpet with tears in his eyes. The once bright carpet was soaked with his own blood and that of Aemond and Edith.

He turned his head and his gaze fell on the bloody cloth and scraps of fabric from Helaena's dress. It was unmistakably Edith's blood and he prayed that it was only blood from her nose.

If Edith is really with a child and she would lose it because of him, he would never forgive himself. And with this thought, his eyes blurred with tears and he curled up on the floor as she lay convulsing just a moment ago.

***

what a roller coaster of emotions...

the drama begins and so does
Edith's Revenge Era....
stay tuned!:)

see you in the next chapter ♡♡