KING'S LANDING, 132 AC

The next day, Viserra had made up her mind to go to a so-called 'brothel'. She kept her planned visit a secret, only telling Maerie and Armond that she wished to go to King's Landing. Neither of them contradicted her.

The Princess had decided to wear a simple gown with a sleeveless coat, for she was scared to defile any other dress she had.

Even if Viserra was not as picky as others were, she still desired to keep her best clothes clean.

As usual, the breakfast had been enjoyed without any company but that of Ser Armond. Aegon had gone whoring again, unbeknownst to the Serene Princess. And in general, Viserra knew little of her husband's doings.
After breakfast, she was restless and instantly wished for her sworn shield to join her in her journey through King's Landing.

"How long do you plan to be outside the Red Keep?" Ser Armond asked as Viserra was putting on her coat.

"That depends on how successful I will be," she replied excitedly, almost mischievously, something the knight was not used to.

Viserra could be overly excited, but mischievous?

"Will you not tell me where you wish to go?"

He merely received a head shake in response. "It would be better for your own safety, Princess," Armond elaborated, yet again being met with refusal.

On their way outside, the two of them received a few strange looks. During the 2 moons Viserra had spent in King's Landing, she had only sometimes left the Red Keep, and even then she had only gone to see Silverwing. Sometimes she had taken her for a small ride to get her mind off of the troubles she faced at court daily. It was much more common for her to go to the gardens to be inspired by the different kinds of flowers that grew there.

The Serene Princess had been a little too confident, forgetting that she did not even know where to find a brothel in the streets of King's Landing. As she walked down the Street of Silk, Viserra received another pair of mistrusting looks, which made her unsure of her idea. Whenever she tried to ask a passerby, they ignored her, minding their own business.

The more rejections she received, the more her pace accelerated. Armond had trouble keeping up with her, especially since the streets were filled with people, peasants and merchants.

Even though Viserra stood out with her red cloak, Armond lost her among the masses and panicked. It was his duty to protect the Princess and now he could not even detect her.

Viserra remained calm. Despite her confidence having rubbed off slightly, she was still dedicated to finding a brothel. This would make Aegon happy. She was sure of it. After all, Aemond had told her that her husband enjoyed the pleasures of a brothel.

With each second passing, the streets lost their colour. Those around her weren't wearing the colourful necklaces, even if they had been simple ones with a wooden accessory. Instead, one was lucky if they were wearing any jewellery. Most of them had ripped clothes, spat on the ground every few steps and grunted something under their breath. It was a great contrast to what Viserra had seen when she had left the Red Keep.

But a good surprise was that the men looked far more friendly, more interested in her. Whereas the previous ones had simply passed her, these almost seemed to be excited to see the Serene Princess.

It was nice to see that at least someone was happy with Viserra's presence.
Her eyes lit up with regained strength, her lips forming a smile. She did not hesitate to approach one of the passing men.

"My greatest apologies, my Lord- I-"

Viserra stopped for a moment, furrowing her brows at her own words. An apology? Her lord? This was a peasant, not a Lord.

The man smirked at her hesitation as he stopped in his tracks. She was well dressed. What was she doing in Flea Bottom? And she seemed to be so lost, as if she didn't even realise where she was.

"Go on, my lady," the man's raspy voice cut the tension between the two, his smirk and 'kind' words easing her discomfort. Her nervous smile turned into a little chuckle.

"Good man, I was curious if you would be so kind as to show me the way to a brothel," Viserra explained, the innocent tone in her voice suggesting she had no idea what she was asking for. The Serene Princess had not even considered what a brothel was, having trusted Aemond's simple words it was a place for pleasure. But what kind of pleasure - that had been less important to Viserra.

A big laugh erupted from the man's mouth, leaving a rotting smell in the air that did not escape Viserra's nose until a certain point. Rubbing the bridge of her nose, she looked up at the man, who, in comparison to her, was rather thin. It was unsurprising, considering the circumstances the people in Flea Bottom were living in.

"A brothel? My lady... let me show you the way," he offered, his intentions anything but kind. Perhaps, if he entered the brothel alongside her, he might get a taste of her beauty. After all, no one cared about who devoured whom in the brothels of Flea Bottom.

"That would be most kind of you, good man," Viserra replied softly. How could she not have fallen for his deception? No matter how evil a man was, sweet words would not ever lose their sweetness.

How could you know if an apple was rotten on the inside when you only looked at its peel? You would have to cut it open first. And the Serene Princess certainly did not possess a knife sharp enough to unravel the taint of the apple, so she would blindly bite into it.

No one could say whether it was fortunate or unfortunate that the man led Viserra to the exact same brothel that Aegon had sought out that day. The Prince had visited his favourite plump whore to be given what he was denied by his wife. Some said the whore was tired of him visiting her almost every day, but who was she to complain when it was her source of income?

One could be sure, though, that the Serene Princess would remember this day as one of the most humiliating and terrifying ones. Some might even say Daemon's mistreatment paled in comparison to what happened to her on this day, simply because the Rogue Prince had never touched her in that way.

But still, comparing one pain to another when they both hurt the same? It was as if you cut yourself with two different blades, for the result was the same - more fear.

Viserra was not stupid, but she was too naive to know that upon entering the brothel, she would be met with bare people that were touching one another, making odd sounds and movements that seemed so unnatural to the young girl. How could she think otherwise when her only sexual experience came from her wedding night? And not even that experience matched what played out before her eyes.

"This- this is the brothel?" The Serene Princess' voice cracked as she asked the man who had led her to the place and stood behind her.

With each moan, each scream, and each groan Viserra grew more and more uncomfortable. Watching these people felt like a sin that could never be washed from her conscience. Why were they doing that? This could not be a brothel, could it? Aemond has spoken of pleasure, but this was animalistic behaviour and disgusting.

On top of that, it reminded her of the pain she had felt during the wedding night. The way her belly had ached from the intrusion, how she had wanted it to stop but Aegon had told her they couldn't. They had been obliged to wait until Viserra bled on the white bedsheets, so the Maester could confirm the wedding had been consummated. Her whimpers and pleas had only been met with shushes and whispers of failed reassurance, nothing to ease the pain.

Seeing these people engage in such a way brought that pain back to Viserra. As her left hand brushed over her belly to make it hurt less, foreign fingers crept on top of hers. It was the hand of the man she had called good.

"Of course, my Lady. I would not deceive someone like you," he whispered into her left ear, his breath dangerously close to her neck while his right hand wandered down her waist.

They were only at the entrance and already the first man had got his hands on the girl. She gasped at the sudden touch but could not do much, for the grip of the man was tight and secure.

"We should take a room, don't you think? Or else we will have unnecessary eyes on us," the man continued whispering as if he was casting a spell on her. With each word he spoke, Viserra stiffened and became less aware of what was happening. A part of her wanted to scream, to fight him, but the pain in her belly made her feel weak.

Without waiting for any other sign of confirmation or denial, the man put his left hand under her knees and carried her in bridal style to the nearest room. Everyone was too busy giving or receiving pleasure to care about them.

Viserra herself did not understand what was happening around her. The screams were constantly making her think of her wedding night and its pain. She registered the movements, how the man was pulling her through the brothel, but she did not understand the purpose, let alone the words he was saying to her. Seeing his lips move while his eyes rested on her but not hearing anything sent a chill down her spine.

Nonetheless, her arms wrapped around him to feel safer and ensure she would not fall down.

This only boosted the peasant's confidence. Perhaps this truly would be consensual. But even if not, he was sure he would be satisfied that day. No one would have refused fucking a high-born looking woman in a brothel at Flea Bottom.

As he pulled the curtain aside, he found two other people there. A silver haired man and a plump, brown haired woman. But the desire had overtaken him and the peasant could not care less. They were in one corner, and he and his lady would go to the other. It was still better than fucking her in front of all the others. That the other couple didn't seem bothered either was even better for him. The man was too busy burying his head between the woman's legs.

When the man threw her carelessly on the cushions, Viserra yelped, but her sounds were drowned out by the moans of the other woman. The man bent down, trapping her underneath him.
With each leg at her side as well as his arms next to her head, his face neared hers.

Meanwhile, the whore screamed, falling silent afterwards.

Unable to move anywhere, Viserra's eyes filled with tears. She pleaded with the man, begging him to stop. Due to the lack of personal space, the Serene Princess struggled to breathe. Everything around her started spinning. Her vulnerability had met its peak.

It felt like when Daemon had broken her. When he had hit her face, before kicking her in the guts so that she finally collapsed on the ground. He had had to assert his dominance over her, since she had not recognised it. Almost passed out, she had been lying on the floor of her chambers and whimpering in pain, to which the Rogue Prince had only said, "it could be so much worse. Imagine losing your maidenhead to me. Although, perhaps that would be to your liking?"

Viserra had been unable to move or speak, as if she had been frozen. All she could have done was sob and hope for some sort of relief, for protection. But with only Daemon in the chambers, it was entirely impossible to receive such.

It was the same in this situation. Viserra had no one who could help her. Ser Armond was not there and the girl had been left on her own. She doubted that goldcloaks would be close, for who would visit such a horrid place?

Why had this happened? Had Aemond lied to her? Had he deceived her? Or maybe he had wanted her to go there so he might save her and play a hero? But Viserra had not seen him anywhere. Perhaps he would sneak out of a corner?

"Please... please..." she whimpered, the tears falling from her cheeks freely. However, the man did not make any attempt to stop his cruel work. Instead, he only leaned further down as his clothed hip met hers. While Viserra craved intimacy, it was not this sort of dark and twisted intimacy that made her feel sick to the stomach.

Mayhaps she should have thanked or cursed the man for bringing her to that room, for it was no other than Aegon and his whore who had been busy in their encounter. Now that his whore had found relief, the Prince had time to make himself familiar with the other couple. Normally he would not have minded any company. Who knew, perhaps it would be more exciting when there were more than 2 people. But upon hearing that voice and plea, his ears pricked up.

That voice was too familiar to forget.

He jumped up and quickly made his way over to the peasant and his wife. Before the peasant could do anything else than lift her gown, Aegon pushed him aside to look at the woman underneath.

At first, he believed it to be some jest, that his mind was playing games with him. But when he heard the whisper of his name, the Prince was more than sure that this was Viserra.

Finding his wife in the brothel seemed like the most unlikely thing to happen. Out of all people, the stupid little girl Viserra would go to such an establishment? Was she not as innocent as she had pretended to be? Of course, now it all made sense to him.

She was pretending to be boring and stupid so he would pay no attention to her, leaving her free to go to any place she wanted to. Then Viserra could seek out any brothel and be pleased by any man she wished. What a whore she was.

Aegon spat to the side before grabbing her harshly by the arm, forcing her to rise. Viserra whimpered yet once again, but Aegon was having none of it.

"Stop whining, whore," he snarled at her, almost throwing her out of the room with his force. Aegon grabbed his tunic, which, due to Viserra's talent for ruining things, was not his favourite, and quickly put it on before taking a hold of his wife's arm again.

The whore and the peasant were completely ignored by him. All Aegon cared about now was his wife behaving like a whore, lying with other men in brothels. A certain feeling of pride arose within him, as he had uncovered Viserra's alleged secret.

The Prince dragged his wife roughly through the whole brothel, not listening to any of her following whimpers. They were all lies to him because she had betrayed their marriage in such a dishonest way.

However, that he had been with multiple other women despite the marital act was not considered betrayal or unfaithfulness. At least not by Aegon, let alone Viserra who had not even understood how sinful a brothel was.

As they walked through Flea Bottom, Aegon growled some things for himself, but it was more than likely they were insults he threw at Viserra. The Serene Princess could only continue walking with him since he would not even let her speak.

When a rotten apple considered itself good, it would consider a good apple rotten. And as Aegon thought he was in the right, he did not even consider that Viserra could be as well.

Armond had informed the Kingsguard as well as the City Watch when he had lost track of the girl he had sworn to protect. Hoping to find her himself, the knight asked some of the smallfolk if they had seen anyone from the royal family. But all they spoke of was the prince with the short silver hair who visited one brothel after another.

Viserra was unknown to them.

Fearing that he might get lost in the tumult himself, the knight returned to the Red Keep. It was a gift from the gods that he found Viserra there, surrounded by guards and members of the small council.

"She did not even try to hide it! She was right next to me," Prince Aegon barked angrily, throwing around his hands, unconsciously hoping he would hit Viserra right in the face.

The Queen Regent was staring at Viserra, whose shoulders were lowered, her arms wrapped around herself like a helpless lamb that could not find its mother. She was sobbing uncontrollably, wincing at her husband's accusations.

"I did not- I did not- I merely-"

"You went to the brothel to pleasure yourself off a peasant!" Aegon shouted, this time directly at her. The Serene Princess moved her head away in fear.

It was then that the princess noticed her guard in the corridor, her eyes taking on a more living shade. Ser Otto noticed this behaviour and looked into the same direction, followed by everyone else.

"Perhaps the princess' sworn protector can give us more insight," the Hand spoke, his tone calm as usual with that hint of suspicion. It was indeed suspicious as to how Viserra had been on her own in the brothel and Armond had apparently lost her.

"You!" Aegon shouted yet again, his anger directed not only at Viserra, but also at her sworn sword. Taking the few steps that were necessary to close the gap between the knight and the prince, Aegon continued his insults that came so effortlessly out of his mouth.

"You conspired with her," he indicted, pointing at his wife although it was clear who was meant by 'her'.

"You let her go to the brothel. You left her on her own so she could whore around in Flea Bottom!" Aegon continued his accusations, blaming this incident on anyone but himself.

Yet, if one thought deeper into this, it could very well be Aegon's fault this had happened. Viserra had gone to the brothel because she had been told that Aegon sought pleasure in these establishments. So one could blame the fact that the Prince was interested in brothels that had made the princess go there.

However, one could also blame the one-eyed prince that had shared this information with the princess. Aemond had been the one to inform Viserra about Aegon's interest. If not for Aemond, Viserra would have never had the idea to go there in the first place.

Or should Viserra herself be blamed? Her inexperience, her naivety to go to a foreign place on her own without any guard because she had thought that Ser Armond would find her easily? Should she not have asked first what a brothel was? No, instead she had gone there without consulting anyone, not even telling her sworn sword of her plans.

Whoever's fault it was, it was unnecessary to point fingers because it would change nothing. If the crown made a fuss about this incident, Princess Rhaenyra would hear word of it and instantly call her daughter back to Dragonstone. This was something Ser Otto did not want to happen. Even at this moment, the Hand only saw that his plan of using Viserra as a pawn on his board was very likely to play out well for his future plans. If the Greens gained the princess' trust, she might tell them things she was not supposed to tell. And that was only possible if she remained in King's Landing.

Two moons had passed since the wedding without any good result. Aegon had avoided his wife like she was some ill plague while Queen Alicent had yet seemed too intimidating for Viserra to speak with her. It was likely this was because of the Queen's aversion to bastards. And even if no one dared to take the words into their mouth, Viserra was nowhere near looking like a legitimate princess of the House Targaryen.

"Perhaps we should go to the princess' chambers. Unless we want superfluous eyes and ears following us," Alicent suggested while her disgusted eyes were fixed on her good daughter.

The tingling under Viserra's skin would not subside, it felt as though there were thousands of bugs and ants crawling around her body, trying to find something to tug on to make her fall apart here and then.

Although her arms were wrapped around herself to keep herself warm, there was no positive effect this brought and the feeling of discomfort only increased.

She was muttering some nonsense to herself, only single syllables were audible to those around. Ser Armond was instantly alarmed and dismissed himself from the prince with a nod before making his way to Viserra.
"Where are you going?" Aegon asked not a single moment after, the hatred clearly detectable in his voice. "Have I dismissed you?"

The Prince walked after him so that he stood directly opposite. Only Viserra separated the two, however this position seemed to be even more uncomfortable than the numerous ants under her skin.

"Protecting the one I have sworn to protect," the knight simply responded, taking his place behind Viserra who first set her eyes on him, then Aegon, as she awaited her husband's answer.

Aegon grimaced at the words that were only confusing because he was already drunk, whether it was from women or the wine he consumed. That was why he repeated himself. "You should've protected her from going to the brothel but instead you were absent."

It was rather amusing to Ser Armond, for it felt as though the boy was blaming everything on him. But as far as he had understood, Aegon had been there himself, if he had seen her with his own eyes.

"As her husband, you could have very well taken on that role yourself, since you were there, my prince," the knight swiftly ridiculed Viserra's husband, without directly insulting him.

But Aegon was Aegon and any word that suggested doubt towards his actions made him either sensitive or aggressive.

"Did you just insult me?" he asked, trying to sound intimidating when everyone knew that due to his condition and his lack of skill in sword fighting, the prince had no chance against Ser Armond.

Aegon wanted to push Viserra out of the way when Alicent intervened, losing her patience.

"We will continue this conversation in Princess Viserra's chambers. Unless you want to make an idiot out of yourself in front of everyone else," she announced, the sweetness in her voice poisonous.

Prince Aemond had been watching them for quite some time from the stairs, his demeanour remaining neutral, although beneath his mask he was laughing at the stupidity of both husband and wife. What a good match they made, after all.