KING'S LANDING, 132 AC

As planned, Aegon ignored Viserra after their wedding night. He had no intention of spending any time with her, even if he remembered how amusing their childhood was, at least for him. Behind her back, he used to call her Dragonless, mocking Viserra just as much as he had mocked his own brother, Aemond, while playing the "good uncle". Only Jace and Luke would never join him in making fun of his niece, obviously because they were her brothers.

The Prince had spent the days in his chambers, drinking wine until he made a mess for the servants. And if he was not in his chambers, he frequented a brothel or an inn. After all, Viserra had not satisfied him as he had desired, not that he had expected otherwise. So he needed to soothe his needs elsewhere.

Apart from Viserra's lack of skill, Aegon had also remembered the paleness of her skin and her behaviour. She had seemed frightened, almost begging him not to hurt her. It confused him to this day, how differently she had behaved in public in comparison to when they were by themselves.

During their wedding, she had, despite her whiny attitude, looked happy and excited to speak to her brothers and the rest of her family. If not for the wedding itself, Aegon assumed she would have been the first on the dance floor and the last to leave. She was a child.

Days, weeks, almost 2 moons passed and only when Aegon couldn't find one of his tunics, he had to face his wife again. The two of them might have crossed each other in the hallways, but the prince had avoided any sort of contact with his niece-wife to spare himself from her childishness.

He had searched all his chambers for his favourite tunic, the one he wore when he went out. Still, he failed to find it. Normally, Aegon would not have cared. That day, however, he was going to his favourite whore. He simply loved it when she undressed him from that specific one. Maybe it was its plain grey colour or perhaps the feeling as her fingers trailed over the fabric and slipped it off. No matter the reason of why Aegon preferred this tunic, he made some effort to get the item he wanted.

But it wasn't in his place. It turned out that his wife had taken it, as Ser Erryk explained to him. The knight had let her into his chambers due to their marital bond, not assuming anything bad. And indeed, the Serene Princess had done nothing ill at all. On the contrary, she sat peacefully on a chair in her own chambers and embroidered the garment with flowers.

Viserra had barely enjoyed the last weeks as much as her husband. With the absence of her family and her new family by law only looking at her with disdain, her husband not even caring to see her, she had grown bored and lonely. Her only company was her maid, Maerie, who would read books with her and try to cheer her up. But sometimes, one did not long for a friend, but for a family.

The wedding had gone more difficult for Viserra than expected. She had been scared of the bedding, and despite Aegon's assurance of its painlessness, it had indeed hurt. The girl had just tried to keep her mouth shut, fearing her husband's reaction if she proved his words to be wrong.

She had been cold during the night and the blankets had not sufficed, yet whenever she had tried to move closer to Aegon, who was very warm because of his wine consumption, he had only pushed her away in his sleep, muttering some nonsense. And when she had awoken, the bed had been empty.

One pleasant surprise was, though, that her family wrote to her. The last letter she had received from Jace contained the question whether Aegon was hitting her or not, for her twin knew of what had happened between Daemon and her. Jacaerys was worried about his sister, but 'fortunately', the princess could reply that he wasn't even touching her. They weren't even seeing each other. "Better too little attention than too much" had been the princess' words.

Viserra had tried to talk to Aegon, constantly asking for him, but most often he was outside the Red Keep or asleep in his chambers, not wanting to be disturbed. And yet, the Serene Princess wished to commit a kind act by embellishing her husband's tunic. Jacaerys had received one previously and he had been absolutely thankful for his sister's gift. So Aegon would react the same way, would he not? After all, if one was kind to the other, they would surely receive the kindness in return. Or not?

The doors to Viserra's chambers were opened with a loud shriek. She flinched and accidentally pinched her pinky. Only giving a silent wince, the Serene Princess looked up to see her husband, followed by Ser Armond.

She didn't even notice the evil look on Aegon's face. All that mattered was the fact he had visited her chambers, which caused Viserra to forget the small pain and only beam happily as she jumped up from her seat and almost ran into Aegon's arms out of pure joy.

But her happiness would be disrupted quickly. Instead of embracing his wife, Aegon pushed her away. In fact, he ignored her and stomped to the bed. Although the force wasn't strong enough to make her fall, Viserra was struck with a pang of guilt and embarrassment.

The Serene Princess was too good to understand why Aegon was so angry. She did not know of the prince's desires in other women, let alone his visits to the brothels. Even the concept of such an establishment was unknown to the child that thought the world consisted of nothing but love and happiness. But even that wasn't true. Deep inside Viserra knew herself how cruel the world was, courtesy to Daemon's behaviour towards her. Her happiness was all a illusion that shielded her from this world's horrors. Only few knew that her childlike behaviour was the sole thing that kept her from breaking into a thousand pieces.

Aegon quickly grabbed the tunic, looking at it in disbelief. His once most beautiful garment had been turned into the ugliest piece of fabric he had ever seen. It was covered by multiple flowers, some blue, some white, some red, some green. The whole variety of colours had been thrown on the robe in such a disgusting way.

"What have you done to my tunic?" the prince's voice broke the dead silence in the chambers that princess Rhaenyra had once called her own. On Viserra's behalf and Rhaenyra's permission, the Serene Princess had moved into her mother's quarters to feel at least some comfort of home, some familiarity that would ease her solitude.

The question caught Viserra with surprise. Had it not been obvious what she had done? She had sewn flowers on it to make it look more beautiful, more unique. Everyone could buy a simple grey tunic in the streets of King's Landing, but having a tunic with flowers on them? Viserra was probably the only one in all of Westeros to make such.

"I- I-," the princess could not speak properly, seeing her husband turn around to her, his eyes lit up with anger as he repeated his question, this time louder than before.

"What have you done to my tunic?! You've ruined it. Look at it!" Aegon shouted. Viserra flinched and stumbled backwards, nearly running into Armond who could only stand there and watch. This was none of his business. Perhaps he should even leave. But since no such order had been given, the knight remained in his place at the door.

The Prince took hasty steps towards his wife, holding up the tunic with disgust on his face. Due to the light, the flowers had turned more grey, less colourful than they had been while Viserra had sewn them.

"Look me in the eyes and tell me this is beautiful," he dared her, testing the young Princess that had started shivering from the sudden change of mood. Her mouth opened, but not a sound came from it.

Scoffing, Aegon took her silence as disagreement.

"You see, not even you can admit it is beautiful. Because it isn't," Aegon concluded, throwing the tunic on the ground.

Tears welled up in the eyes of the Serene Princess, for all her efforts had gone to waste. She had worked on the tunic for the whole day, wanting to gift it to Aegon on the morrow. His sudden appearance had surprised her positively, Viserra had thought he had come to spend time with her the way they had some years ago.

Though it seemed that the Serene Princess was stuck in her memories of the happy past and was not ready to let go of them. Perhaps she would never be.

Aegon witnessed the pathetic sight of his wife, however, he did not do any more than shaking his head in discontent. He wanted to leave as quickly as he had come. Without another word towards Viserra, the prince made his way to exit the chambers, grunting at Armond who stood steady in front of the door.

"Out of my way," he spat at the knight that noticed the prince's lack of respect towards him, yet didn't take it as an insult. After all, a prince ranked much higher than a simple knight. Still, he remembered how other princes, such as Prince Jacaerys and Prince Lucerys, had not looked down on him, yet respected his position as Viserra's sworn protector.

The Princes of King's Landing might have had a different mentality.

Quiet sobs interrupted Armond's thoughts as he watched Aegon leave and closed the door behind the Prince. Viserra had taken a seat on the bed again, looking outside the window where the sun had returned from its temporary absence. The knight sighed, taking a few steps towards the princess as he asked "Should I call Lady Maerie?"

Maerie was practically the only friend Viserra had left in King's Landing. Despite their friendship when they were younger, Aemond had not yet found the time, or had not wanted to speak to his former best friend, leaving only Maerie as the princess' confidant. And Armond knew that such moments required a close friend, something the knight himself did not consider himself to be with Viserra. As much sympathy as he held for the girl he had sworn to protect, it was a duty he fulfilled, not a bond based on amity.

"I don't- I don't understand..." the princess whispered in between her sobs, looking up at her protector, the shine in her bloodshot eyes long gone.

Armond sighed once again, his heart filling with distress at seeing Viserra in such a condition. Although he could not relate to the marital problems the young Princess was facing, he surely understood the problems of cruelty and unfairness in the world.

"You must not take this to heart, Princess. The Prince is known to have his tempers, I am sure he did not mean this," the knight explained calmly, wishing to soothe the Princess, even if his words were lies. Prince Aegon had very well meant it. Anyone would have understood that, but if Viserra didn't even understand the Prince's outburst in the first place, how could she know if he did or did not mean it?

"I only wished to make him happy like Jace..." she muttered, looking at the ground and wiping her tears, only for new ones to form in her eyes like a never-ending circle.

"Perhaps you will find another way of making the Prince happy, Princess," Armond tried to cheer her up and help her regain hope while moving back to pick up the tunic Aegon had discarded carelessly.

The absence of a response from Viserra alarmed Armond that he would indeed have to call Lady Maerie to comfort her. After all, Maerie knew the Princess a lot better than he did, so she would be the better consoler than him.

"I shall send Lady Maerie to your chambers, Princess," the knight announced, handing Viserra the tunic back. She held onto it tightly, brushing her fingers over the different flowers, starting to zone out. It was likely she hadn't even heard his comment.

Nonetheless, Armond left the to call Maerie who rushed into the chambers moments later.

"Princess, you needn't cry, please," the elder pleaded, running over to Viserra and embracing her tightly. The Princess' sobs only grew louder as she buried her head in her lady's shoulder. What had she done to deserve this? Were the flowers really as ugly as Aegon had said? Why had no one told her in advance?

Maerie felt helpless. It was painful to watch as the heart of an innocent soul was torn apart from something so small as a little argument. Armond had told her the most important aspects of the incident, but at the same time the lady knew how fragile the Serene Princess was.

Of course, Viserra was a kind soul who would not harbour any ill thoughts for another. Her smile was often contagious and if she dared to jest, everyone would enjoy her company. She was pleasant to be around. But the other side of the coin was a lonely little girl who simply longed for peace and safety. Something the Red Keep didn't provide her with because of the rumours of her bastardy as well as King Viserys' decline in health which had caused Queen Alicent to act as the Regent. And alongside the Hand Ser Otto Hightower, the circumstances for the Princess would only become more difficult. It seemed as though they sought to break her, to hurt her on purpose, to get rid of her at any cost.

On top of that, her husband had nothing left for her, whoring around every second day and the other day he would be lying in bed, passed out from all the wine he had consumed the previous day. Both Ser Armond and Lady Maerie tried to shield Viserra from the harsh truth since that would only have hurt her further than she already was.

Despite the healing of the bruises Daemon had inflicted on her, on the inside, they would never fully heal and leave an ugly scar - one that showed itself through the Princess' behaviour. The sensibility to any movements that caused her to flinch any time, her trembling, her silence. All that because of a nasty hand that had infected Viserra's heart.

"This is not the end, Princess. The prince has not cast you out forever. He will warm up to you," the Lady continued with her attempts of reassurance, which worked to some degree. Viserra grew silent, seemingly contemplating about something.

"T-two moons-" the princess' voice cracked, which caused her to pause. "I haven't properly spoken to him in two moons and now he has grown even colder towards me than during our wedding night."

Viserra looked up at Maerie as if she was pleading for her to fix the situation, as if Maerie could change it. Knowing that was not the case, the lady only smiled apologetically before nodding slightly.

"You might ask about his interests. Maybe he does not like flowers as you do," she gently took the tunic from Viserra's hands and started folding it. "But there might be other things he is fond of," the Lady explained kindly.

Her words were like a balm to the princess' soul and her breaths slowed. It was a good idea, indeed. If Viserra were to know what Aegon was interested in, she might just make the best gift for him. Maybe he preferred grapes over flowers, or diamonds. Even if the Princess had never sewn such patterns, she was willing to learn in order to please her husband. If she made him happy, he would make her happy in return, and that was all Viserra desired.

"I am scared of asking him," she quickly admitted, though. What if he leashed out his anger on her again? Only the gods knew what he would do.

"You don't have to ask him..You can ask someone who knows him very well. Prince Aemond, for example," Maerie suggested, stroking Viserra's arm gently as she lay down the tunic next to her.

"I don't know. Perhaps he hates me now," Viserra explained her concerns, not sure of the idea. Asking someone for advice was wise, but asking Aemond? The last time they had spoken had been quite some time ago and it had ended with him saying they couldn't be friends anymore.

"It is worth a try, don't you think, Princess?" Maerie looked at Viserra once more, trying to cheer her up by brightening her smile.

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In the end, it was worth a try. The Serene Princess made her way to Aemond's chambers when it was already dark outside and most were sleeping since she feared unnecessary looks. She was being watched enough already. Sometimes it felt she wasn't even on her own in her chambers but someone from the corners was observing her.

Aemond's sworn shield wanted to deny her at first, to which Viserra had already made her way to leave, when the door was opened from the inside.

"Viserra," the one-eyed Prince's voice cut sharply through the silence. The princess froze in surprise before she turned back around, her eyes scanning the prince in an instant. In a way, he looked intimidating, almost terrifying, but maybe that was just the poor lighting in the hallways, and his eyepatch, of course.

"You were looking for me?" Aemond questioned, raising his eyebrow. Viserra lifted her head a little as if she were to nod.

"Y-yes, I.. wanted to speak with you if you have the time, of course," she replied hastily, now nodding very quickly with her head, almost overreacting since she was nervous.

There was a tension in the air that could not be described properly. Both parties wanted to say something to the other, yet they stopped themselves out of unknown reasons. Perhaps it was deemed too uncultural or it had to be discussed in private.

"Hmm," Aemond scoffed. "Come in." He quickly gestured for the younger to enter. She looked at the knight for a quick second before following her good brother into his chambers.

Although Aemond had no idea why Viserra had decided to join him, he was excited she had sought him out at all. Throughout the last weeks, the prince had distanced himself as he had found himself to feel unexplainable things, things he hadn't even felt when they were friends.

The prince had not yet figured out that his specific feelings went beyond a certain fondness. But how could he know when he had never felt such?

Viserra stood by the door, not following Aemond any further since she did not wish to disturb his privacy. However, he quickly caught on and gestured to a chair at the fireplace with the simple word, "sit". Viserra quickly obliged, her feet carrying her quicker than her mind could think.

Soon after, Aemond sat opposite of her, handing her a goblet of wine. Hesitantly accepting, Viserra looked around her environment, pressed into the seat to appear smaller than she already was. And even if Viserra was not known to be the slimmest woman, she was small due to her height.

Aemond's chambers were more lit than the hallways, most of the light being provided by the fireplace. For a strange reason, they looked more comfortable than her own. The former chambers of Princess Rhaenyra were often too cold and too big for her, whereas the chambers of her good brother felt warm and cozy.

"Why are you here?" his cold voice interrupted her once more and she stirred up to face Aemond. For a moment, Viserra was confused, as if she hadn't heard his words, before quickly catching herself and nodding hastily again.

"I have a problem," she began, her eyes darting to the ground in shame. "I do not know what to do with Aegon."

The one-eyed Prince scoffed anew, the slightest smile gazing his small lips as he nodded, in comparison to Viserra, slowly. Of course it was about Aegon, her husband. How foolish of him to think it was about something else. But now she was there and the prince didn't feel like kicking her out either.

"Aegon. What about him?"

Noticing the disinterest in his voice, the thought of leaving him crossed Viserra's mind. Yet when her gaze settled upon him, his one eye stared directly into her soul, causing her to gulp and press herself into the seat once more.

"As his wife, I wish to make him happy and make him a gift, but I do not know what kind," she confessed with regret as she studied the cup of wine in her hand, contemplating whether she should take a sip of it or not.

"You want to know what he likes?" Aemond guessed rather easily. This conversation was so simple even a child would understand, even if it seemed to be a pretty big deal for Viserra.

"Yes," Viserra imitated Aemond's slow nod as she continued. "And you, as his brother, would know his interests, would you not?" Her voice died down at the last words for she was filled with doubt as to whether Aemond would accept her request or not. Maybe this had been a stupid idea, after all.

"Of course I do," the elder responded, almost filled with pride. His smile turned into a smirk.

"He likes sleeping, drinking wine, doing anything but study. But most of all," Aemond teased her with a pause. "Being pleasured."

To no surprise Viserra misunderstood his words. The Serene Princess would have never connected the events of the wedding night with a term like 'being pleasured'.

"What do you mean?" she asked, furrowing her brows in confusion.

"When two people lie with one another and do specific acts. A man and a woman who pleasure each other in a specific way," Aemond explained simply, but the girl opposite still didn't seem to comprehend.

"There are brothels in King's Landing. Those establishments focus on that kind of pleasure," he elaborated and finally, an idea sparked up in Viserra's head. Her eyes lit up and her body filled with a newly gained energy.

This was so easy! The Princess would go to a brothel right the next day and ask about this kind of pleasure. With the newfound knowledge the girl would return to the Red Keep and ask to see Aegon, before giving him that specific pleasure. Perhaps this was the chance to finally establish a good relationship between her and her husband.

Without any further ado, the Princess jumped up from her seat and handed Aemond the untouched cup of wine back. "Thank you, good brother. I am glad you helped me," Viserra spoke quickly.

Then she stormed out of his chambers, leaving the one-eyed Prince completely flabbergasted.