KING'S LANDING, 132 AC

It was known that Aegon never woke up on his own, for the prince went to bed so late he could sleep the entire day, only to be awoken by his friends who reminded him that they wanted to revisit the brothel in Flea Bottom. Or it would be his mother that yelled at him and disturbed his dreams so that the prince was forced to live in his nightmare again.

That day, however, neither Leon and Martyn nor the Queen Regent stood at his bedside and reminded him that there were other places than just his bed.

"Aegon, wake up," Viserra whispered into her husband's ear, gently stroking his bare shoulder. Due to the hot night, Aegon had tried to rid himself of his covers. Out of respect, the princess had not looked anywhere below his shoulder blades.

The only response she received was a mere grunt, which startled the girl. She had thought that the prince would wake up the moment she whispered his name, but Viserra's expectations and reality were, as usual, two entirely different things.

"It's your name day, Aegon," the Serene Princess added, hoping that her husband's interest would be piqued at those words, but he simply grunted again.

Viserra carefully grabbed Aegon's shoulder, shaking him a little. Perhaps he would wake up from that, if words were not enough.

At last, she received a different reaction than a grunt. This time, the prince tried slapping away the hand of the one disturbing his sleep.

"I have made presents for you. And– Helaena and Kermit are here," the princess tried one more time, but to no avail.

Leon, Martyn and Eddard stood in the doorframe, watching as their friend was not awoken by his wife. So it was another of those days, when Aegon could not get up on his own because of how he had spent his day before.

Of course it was impossible to get up when you had betrayed the angel whose voice was calling for you. Despite that one night a few weeks ago, Aegon had not done much to improve his and Viserra's relationship. Maybe he thought it would restore itself on its own, yet nothing of the sort had happened.

Viserra was with child – his child. Never had the prince felt so guilty for planting his seed in a woman. All the times he had done it with Aedna or any other whore, the prince had not felt anything but pleasure and satisfaction. With his own wife it was different.

It was not hate that brought Aegon to feel disgusted, it was the fact that she was so young. Aedna was older than him by 3 years and more experienced. Sharing a bed with her was like a gift since he was so tired afterwards he was not plagued by any thoughts.

Viserra was neither older nor more experienced than Aegon. He remembered how they had spent their childhood together. Sitting at the tree in the Godswood while she read something to him and he listened. How they once snuck into the kitchen because Viserra had been hungry, or how she had cried in his arms when Ser Harwin had died.

This innocence and purity was something Aegon considered himself unworthy of. He had long ago traded it for pleasure and sex. So when an angel like Viserra called out to him, he would rather push it away than face it and admit his sins.

"Come on, Aegon, just sit up," Martyn mumbled as he and Eddard grabbed him by the shoulders. Seeing how Viserra had struggled with waking him up, Aegon's friends had decided to take matters into their own hands while she went around the chambers to find something that resembled a nightgown.

"Fuck off," Aegon grumbled, still fighting for his sleep. But his friends would not let him have any rest now.

"Beware! The Prince Aegon wants to miss his own name day because he would rather sleep through the whole day!" Leon shouted, both because he wanted Aegon to stay awake and because he had already had a few cups of wine.

"You are going to wake the whole castle," Viserra mumbled, returning with a gown she had found somewhere discarded on the floor.

"You think everyone is still asleep, princess?" Martyn asked mockingly. His lips formed a smirk as he took the gown from her and put it on Aegon, who still had barely opened his eyes.

"Just– don't shout, or else someone is going to assume you are out of your mind," the princess replied, a little offended.

"As if anyone would think we were in our right mind," Aegon suddenly whispered, chuckling to himself.

"Why would they not?" Viserra asked back, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion. Despite the fact she had seen him in the brothel, the girl had remained oblivious to the sins her husband committed.

But there was no time to think about anything other than Aegon's name day. The Serene Princess had put a lot of effort into making that day special, she could not risk her efforts to go to waste.

"Well, we should go. Kermit and Helaena are probably already waiting." She changed the topic, looking at Leony Eddard and Martyn for help, who only chuckled at the princess' innocence.

Aegon blinked a few times, unsure whether he had just heard right. Helaena and Kermit? Why would they come on a random day to King's Landing? Or was it not a random day at all? The prince tried to remember his wife's previous words.

It's your name day, Aegon.

"Why would they come, anyways?" he asked, just to make sure. Perhaps he was still dreaming and this was no more than a sick jest his mind was playing with him, that someone actually remembered the day he was born, that someone wanted to make a celebration out of it.

But then he would not feel guilty for what he had done to Viserra, for a dream was like wine, you got lost in it, it made you forget and it sent you to a different, careless world.

The Serene Princess frowned in confusion. Why, out of all questions, would he ask that? Was it not obvious why her good sister and good brother had chosen to spend some time in the capital of Westeros?

"Because they are your family, Aegon. And they care about your name day. As do I," she muttered, almost regretting her idea by now. Viserra had expected Aegon to be excited for his name day, for all the presents and all the people that would be there just for him, to celebrate him.

Yet Viserra did not know that Aegon's name days were nothing like that. Instead of being the brightest days, there were the worst, where the torture met its peak. Yes, the prince received attention, but it only took for the doors of the chambers to close, for the public to be shut out, that the Queen and the Hand would grant him their biggest gift.

An endless talk about why he was a disappointment.

Ironically, they never wished for his death verbally, although, judging by all the things they did mention, Aegon would not be surprised if they would want so this time. After the brothel incident, Aegon had not visited them as excessively as he had used to. Rather had he been watching his wife.

At first it had been mere curiosity to see if she truly lived up to the name of a whore that he had given her. After some time, however, when it was obvious that the worst Viserra could do was accidentally rip a page from one of the books she loved to read, the prince had convinced himself of her goodness. There were even days when he watched her in the Godswood as she embroidered a small tunic for the gods knew who, and Aegon imagined how they spent their time until the waters of Driftmark had drowned the bridge their families had tried to build once and for all.

It was in the past now, and all Aegon could do was drown in the memories or try to create new ones. However, creating new ones proved to be more difficult than expected.

"So they must have shown up with their boy or girl... I don't remember what it was," Aegon grumbled in response, his eyes fixed on the swollen belly of his wife, reminding him of another reason why he was too scared to speak to her alone.

"It was a boy, Aegon – Melwys" Viserra reminded him, almost concerned for his well being at that moment. Her husband seemed so lost compared to his usual cheerfulness and impulsiveness. It was almost as if she did not recognise him.

The prince nodded slowly. "Yes, yes, a boy," he muttered, mulling it over. "The future heir of Riverrun, I heard."

Heir. A word that had grown to be as poisonous as a snake's venom for Aegon. No matter in what context, it always brought him back to his own status. Some viewed him as nothing more than the prince, others viewed him as their future king. And based on that mindset, they treated him differently.

His friends were the kindest amongst those that considered him the future ruler of all of Westeros. Or perhaps they merely tried to flatter him? So that he would grant them more privileges?

Might it be something good or bad, he always had to doubt it, as if there was something else behind the spoken words. What if the sheep in front of him was nothing but a wolf pretending in order to get close to its prey?

Aegon had never considered himself the prey, for he had always been the one to attack others to avoid being attacked first. But even the smartest fox could be devoured by an eagle after it had eaten its own prey.

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Unusually, the day passed only slowly for the prince. It was also unusual that he did not spend the entirety of the day with his dragon – Sunfyre – his only friend. Viserra had planned the whole day to be a feast, despite it merely being Aegon's nine-and-tenth name day. Or perhaps his half sister was so spoiled she had passed the lavishness on to her bastard brood as well. Maybe she had celebrated their name days so greatly as well, especially that of her eldest twins, with Jacaerys being her favourite twin, obviously.

But that had not stopped Rhaenyra from loving Viserra too, at least to some humane extent, in comparison to Aegon's mother, Alicent, who only knew love for her daughter, her educated one-eyed son and mayhaps even her youngest boy that had been sent away. Yet the eldest, the apparently most fortunate son, could not receive an ounce of love, not even on his name day.

The queen's gift for the prince had probably been the absence of a negative remark or smack in the face. Aegon should thank the Mother for this merciful gift, although he knew Alicent would yell at him the next morning for whatever she decided at that time.

And that would be the scene that happened during the dinner of the royal family. The prince was seated in the middle, on one side his wife, on the other his mother. Opposite of him were Helaena and her husband, Kermit. On the sides sat his grandsire, Otto, and his younger brother, Aemond.

Aegon's good brother was a blessing, for he had known the best gift – barrels of wine just for the prince. Even if the Riverrun wine was not as sweet and tasty as the Red Arbor, it was still a present he had received with happiness.

As he tasted the red liquid on his lips, the prince could not even notice the snickering and bickering happening around him, especially not the conversation Aemond was having with Kermit.

"I have been wondering, as I might have to marry a woman myself one day, what the duty of a husband is," Aemond explained to his good brother, relying on the honesty and gullibility of the redhead that he would not see through his facade. In all honesty, it was not that difficult to be received by the One-Eyed prince, as the biggest truthsayers of a man – his eyes – were not something he would have to care much about, as he had one less than everyone else. Therefore, his patch could hide more secrets than anyone could hope.

"Has Prince Aegon not spoken to you about the marital duties of a man? I feel more than welcome to enlighten you on this topic, as my sire says that I am a good husband to my dear wife," Kermit responded with a proud smile. The young father could not assume anything but kindness from Helaena's brother, as he made the mistake of thinking everyone was like his son's mother.

"Aegon? Well, I have seen how he treats his wife and I am not entirely certain if that is the right way one should behave towards another." Aemond furrowed his brow, almost as if he himself was unaware of how questionable Aegon's ways had been. Of course the younger brother knew of the elder's mistakes. Viserra had told him about how she wished to be treated and what she got in reality.

But Aemond Targaryen was Aemond Targaryen, and at his birth, the coin had landed on the side of madness. And no one could escape their nature, not even the most tamed beasts.

The young Tully tilted his head in confusion, not fully understanding what exactly the prince was implying. "What do you mean, my Prince?" he asked, his eyes wandering to Aegon, who was sipping on his cup of Riverrun wine. He looked rather displeased that it had lost its sweetness with the amount of goblets he had consumed. Only when Aemond replied, did Kermit look back at his conversation partner.

"I've heard rumours," the prince started. "Have you noticed that despite the warm weather, Princess Viserra is wearing long sleeves? And that she flinches whenever the prince extends his arm for the pitcher? Does the same thing happen with you and Helaena?"

This revelation confused the Tully even further. As his eyes sneakily wandered back to where Viserra and Aegon sat, the man watched them for a moment to see if the prince's words were truthful.

Aegon, about to tell his good brother that the wine he had hoped to drink was not to his taste anymore, noticed this and decided to stare back at him. As soon as that happened, Kermit's gaze wandered back to Aemond as he lowered his voice and muttered: "Are you suggesting that– that he is–," he did not want to utter the words too loudly, for he was worried for the outcome, "that he mistreats her?"

Unfortunately, Aegon had not stopped watching the Tully, waiting for the redhead to finish talking to his brother to complain about the lack of taste in the choice of his name day present. Aemond felt the pair of eyes that was watching him and his good brother, so without further ado, the prince ignored Kermit's question and simply turned around to face Aegon, his eye speaking more than other people's eyes dared to reveal.

Did you hear what he said? What is your reply?

The elder prince needed a moment to understand the situation entirely. Perhaps he was already in no state to think, as he was usually busy having a woman between his legs at this time, especially on his name day.

"What did you just say, Kermit?" he inquired, moving his goblet in his hand in the slight hope that the movement would bring back at least some taste of the red poison he wished to drown in.

All attention went to the prince, including that of his mother and grandsire, who were caught off guard and worried that Aegon would throw another tantrum. The whole day had passed more or less well, did he really have to ruin it at the end?

Helaena first looked at her older brother, then at her husband, confused about this sudden tension. For a moment it felt as though she was going to say something, before the princess simply looked down and played with one of her rings on her fingers – her wedding ring.

"A fish will do everything to remain in its safe waters."

The lasting silence did not please Aegon, so he slapped the table with his hand to gain Kermit's attention in case the other had forgotten that the prince had asked him a question.

As Aemond had predicted, Viserra flinched at her husband's movements, his eye wandering back to his good brother to see how the redhead would react. This was no more than just a funny little game to him, and he was the most excited watcher.

"What did you tell Aemond?" Aegon repeated his question, his eyes wide with rage. The only thing keeping him seated was the exhaustion of the excessive consumption of wine.

What was worse? Remaining silent on this matter or admit the sinful words Kermit had uttered? Although he had not said them deliberately and Aemond had been the one to start and provoke the topic, the one that uttered the forbidden would always be kept at fault.

It was a hard choice, considering the amount of eyes that stared at the future Lord of Riverrun and how these eyes studied him. But no matter how derogatorily the Hand and his daughter stared at him, Aegon's eyes were, by far, the most frightening.

"My Prince, I– I must have been t–too careless to–," the redhead finally decided to admit to his words, hoping that his honesty would bring him less trouble than remaining silent. However, the Prince did not care whether Kermit confessed or not, for he already knew what disgrace he had put upon him.

Despite its worth, Aegon sacrificed the wine from his cup and threw the goblet right at Kermit. The native of the Riverlands was lucky that the prince was drunk, else he would not have missed him. The glass shattered on the wall behind him, resulting in a wince from both the Princess Helaena and Viserra.

"You said that I mistreat my wife!" Aegon yelled, jumping up from his seat as he made his way to the one opposite of him.

Both Alicent and Otto Hightower tried to talk sense into the boy, but once the dragon was awoken, only another dragon could calm him.

But said dragon had no interest in stepping in soon. Aemond secretly enjoyed the chaos he had created, a small smile forming on his thin lips as his eye followed his brother who grabbed Kermit by the collar, a gesture Aegon himself had become familiar with, one that he despised, especially when it was accompanied by his grandsire calling him a stupid fool.

And yet, consciously or unconsciously, the poisoned would always poison another and pass over his suffering.

"Do I look like a man that would use his own wife?! Where is your proof that I have laid my hands on her? Hm?" Aegon stared down at his good brother, his grip as tight as that of a drunken man could be.

Before Kermit could utter a single word in defence, he was thrown to the ground by his opponent. The Prince laughed at the thud, thinking that they were even now, after the redhead had made these vile accusations in his direction.

The Tully was kind, no doubt. He had treated Helaena with nothing but respect, giving her time to get to know him properly before they would try to conceive a child, despite his father's complaints. Never had he forced her into something, for it was not right to make others do something against their will when there was another way.

Kermit was not as kind as to let it end like this. The fall had been painful, but he pulled himself together, for his wife's and his own sake, since he knew how she would react to this.

It took him a lot of strength not to hit the prince in the face. Only the gods knew what punishment, and certainly there would be a punishment for hitting a prince, he would receive. Instead, after getting up, which Aegon did not notice, as he was facing the table while his laughs were probably heard all across the castle, Kermit only grabbed him by the shoulders to turn him around so they could at least converse.

"I was not suggesting it, I was merely taking it into consideration, since your wife has not uttered a word at this table, nor has she eaten properly," he explained, trying to ease the situation.

Otto nodded slightly for himself, noting the knight's observations. Perhaps now, his grandson would stop making a fool of himself and sit down on his chair as he was bid. The Queen had made her way to Helaena, reaching for her daughter's hand in case things would escalate. The one-eyed prince was watching the scene in amusement while Viserra grew more and more scared, her fingers tugging at one another as if they were trying to make the tingle under her skin stop.

For a moment, Aegon remained still, his mind clearly needing a moment to comprehend the other's words, before he drew another wrong conclusion.

"So you have been watching my wife?" the prince asked with an unfitting sound of calmness.

And then he did something he had not done in a long time – attempt using the skills Ser Criston had taught him. In all honesty, the young man could not remember when he had last attended these lessons, as he had had more important matters like sleeping and drinking, but he could not forget the time when he had been there, listening to the man that was more like a father to him than anyone else.

Perhaps if Aegon told him the next day that he had finally put his last knowledge from the lessons to use, the Kingsguard would be proud of him. That was all he needed to gain some strength to hit the Tully in his face.

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Maester Orwyle could consider himself lucky that Aemond Targaryen had stopped the fight just in time, or Aegon would have become his brother's equal. Stitching an eye was not just painful for the victim, it was also a hard work for the Maester to remain calm during the whines and protests of the patient.

However, Aegon's right eye was only swollen as a dark blue circle formed around it. Kermit could get away with some minor bruises on his arms and face, but the prince, due to his condition, had suffered more injuries. He would constantly wipe his burst lip, thinking there was some blood trickling down his skin when the crust had dried long ago.

While Helaena was there to comfort her husband after the fight, Aegon sat on his own, curled up in a corner like when he used to be younger. It was more like he was hiding from everyone surrounding him, for he did not wish to be confronted by his mother, or worse, his grandsire. They would tell him the story of his neverending stupidity, which was the last thing he wanted to hear.

Maybe Ser Criston would tell him he was proud of him on the morrow. He might not have won the fight, but he had fought for his own honour. He had defended himself against the vile accusations of the redhead.

Aemond had long gone to bed, feeling satisfied with his mischief and going to rest for the night, so he could attend his daily training on time. Only Kermit sat at the table with Helaena, while Alicent and Otto discussed something on the other side of the room.

Of course, Viserra was nowhere to be seen. It was not surprising she did not care about her husband, otherwise she would not have done the things she had. She never talked to him, nor did she seek his company.

No, that was not right. Aegon had avoided her. It was merely a foggy memory, but the prince could swear he recalled his sworn protector telling him the princess wished to see him, every single day. Until one day, it stopped.

Because he had pushed her away, called her a whore that was not strong enough to bear a child. He had done this to himself.

He had caused his own misery and he did not even deserve to be near his wife.

In truth, Viserra had been speaking to Maester Orwyle near the doors of the dining hall, blocked from Aegon's sight by the pillars that decorated the room, asking for his council not only regarding her own pregnancy, but also regarding that of Aegon's black eye. Despite her fear, the Serene Princess could not help but care about those surrounding her, for there was some hope left inside her mind, that one day they would return the kindness if she tried enough.

"Would the ointment that I used not work? The one that I used when I fell down the stairs," she suggested. Orwyle knew about the bruises and he even suspected the cause, but Viserra insisted that her bruises had come from accidents involving stairs and the Maester would not question the princess.

"It could, Princess. I will see how much there is left of it," the Grandmaester said, visibly thinking about the existence of the ointment in the store of the castle, as most of it was being used for the King Viserys at that time.

"I still have some of it left in my chambers and I am not in need of it at the moment," Viserra added, her fingers finding one another again to keep herself calm.

"If you have no need for it at the moment. I shall see that there will be enough to treat both the King and the Prince in the next few days," Orwyle replied, nodding in agreement.

"I could even treat him myself, so that you would not be bothered. You said it yourself, the king needs a lot of attention and treatment. I pray for him every night." There it was again. No matter what it was, Viserra would always offer herself to help in order to lessen the burden.

Or perhaps she simply wanted to find an excuse to spend time with her husband. Her husband who, despite his flaws, had once been her friend. And the Serene Princess clung to that past like no other, hoping to restore broken bonds.

That hope was not even wrong in place, as it had worked with Aemond. He was her friend again and she could trust him with anything. If she was feeling unwell, she could always rely on him.

Although she had not told him about the true reason for her use of the arnica ointment either. No one knew, except for Jace. He had even offered her to send another jar of it if she was in need of one in order not to alarm anyone who should not know about it.

"If you wish, Princess. But I will look after the prince once the king has fallen asleep for the night." With these words, the Grandmaester excused himself out of the dining hall, leaving Viserra to turn her gaze towards the corner her husband was curled up in.

Perhaps it was pity, perhaps it was empathy, but seeing him there, all alone without any support almost brought her to tears. Her right hand wandered to her belly that swelled with each passing day, reminding her of her duty as a woman.

When she had sent word to her mother, Rhaenyra first suspected her brother claimed Viserra against her will, when the truth was that neither had wanted it.

Who, by his right mind, would want to put a babe inside a mere girl? Not even Aegon could harbour such thoughts, despite his interest in women.

"Maester Orwyle said your eye needs to be anointed," Viserra muttered as she reached the corner her husband hid in.

"And where is he, then?" Aegon spoke slowly, almost as if he were to flip out again, while he raised his head to look at the one who had disturbed his thoughts.

"He must attend to the king. But he said I could do it," Viserra replied softly, offering her husband a small smile to ease his rising anger.

"You," the prince mumbled, trying to remember why exactly she was qualified enough to treat his black eye.

The wedding night.

"I thought you might not want to spend the rest of your name day sitting in the corner," Viserra continued, her right hand continuing to rest on her belly as the thumb rubbed the fabric to ease some tension.

Aegon huffed bitterly, his eyes wandering to Kermit who was leaving the dining hall with Helaena, bidding a good night to the queen and the Hand. It made him angry to think that his mother had nothing better left than to wish the man that had given him this black eye a good night.

"And what do you suggest? Wandering around the gardens and commenting on every flower you see? Or going to the library to read some stupid book about how to behave at a dinner table?" the prince asked back, raising his brows, quickly regretting it as his right eye still stung, including the area around it.

"Well," his wife started getting nervous again, the smile fading from her face, "I thought we could merely spend the night together."

"Out of the question," he quickly waved off, hating the idea of even being close to Viserra. She was with child. His child. And even looking at the belly made him feel sick.

"Is it because you wish to do the act?" the girl mistakenly assumed, leaning against the closest pillar for support.

Aegon glared at her. It was always about the act. Ever since that brothel incident she could not think of anything else. It almost seemed as if she considered his desire for women his only personality trait, as if he was just a disgusting obsessed man.

"I would do the act, although I am not sure if it is a good idea to do so during my–"

"I do not fucking wish to do the act," the prince interrupted her, somehow managing to get up on his own, slapping Viserra's hand away when she tried to help him up.

"Make the pain go away and that's it," he requested, walking to the door without even waiting for any reaction from Viserra, for he knew she would run after him like a dog ran after its master.

What a disgusting comparison, he thought. She was nowhere near a dog, no, she was an angel. An angel that ran after the one it had sworn itself to.

"Aegon," Alicent called out, but no reaction came from her son. The Serene Princess stopped at where the queen and Otto stood, muttering some words of apology before following her husband.

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"And how come you have this ointment simply lying around in your chambers?" Aegon asked, wincing every now and then that his wife applied it to his dark blue skin.

"In case I fall down the stairs," Viserra lied, like she did with everyone when someone asked her about anything related to him.

It took the prince not two gazes to see through the lie. Everyone did, as the princess was a bad liar. Only everyone was too intimidated to inquire any further. Except for Aegon, of course, who chuckled in response.

"You are clumsy but you are not so foolish to fall down any steps that your arms are so blue one could think the painters spilled their paint on them," he responded, the image of her body during their bedding clear in front of his eyes.

"You are exaggerating," she simply mumbled, noticing the burst lip.

"I am not. You were covered in bruises when we were wed," he stubbornly stuck to point of view.

Viserra froze. He remembered. But the brunette decided not to speak any further about this topic. Perhaps he would forget, then.

Her cold fingers gently tilted his head so she could see whether there were any other injuries on his face apart from the big circle around his eye and the lip.

Questions of guilt were irrelevant, but the girl could not help but wonder who would be at fault for this. Aegon, who had been the first to throw hands at the other, or Kermit, who had started the argument with a false statement?

Little did the Serene Princess know that it had been Aemond that started all this. But how could she suspect her alleged friend to do any of it when she thought his words of comfort were sincere?

"Who was it?" Aegon broke the silence, his eyes shooting up at his wife.

Although it was visible the question had caught Viserra off-guard, the girl simply continued inspecting his face, until a hand wrapped itself around her wrist, stopping her.

"Who was it?" the prince repeated, his voice gentler this time. In all honesty, he had no idea where it came from, but mayhaps it was the fact that he could relate to her that made him warm up in the slightest.

His mother liked to leave marks on him as well, for whatever particular reason. And every single time, it felt as though she enjoyed hurting him. But that was too much of a stretch. Alicent was his mother, after all, she would never want to hurt him on purpose.

"I do not understand," the princess lied again, trying to free herself from Aegon's grip, yet it was tighter than she thought.

"No, Viserra. You understand exactly what I mean. Who harmed you? Tell me," he pleaded with her, the name coming from his lips like an old song from the past that one thought was long forgotten, although in reality it was buried so deep inside his heart that no arrow could remove it.

Viserra was taken away by her husband's words, not knowing what to say. Why was he suddenly so interested in her well being? Why was he suddenly showing some sort of kindness? That kindness he had treated her with when they were children?

"I can't," she whispered, her lips trembling as she pulled her hands away from Aegon, but he quickly reached out for her, taking them in his.

"Why not?"

"He– he will do worse things," Viserra blurted out in fear, her breath quickening. The Grandmaester had told her not to become too emotional for the babe, but with this question asked, the Serene Princess could not help but worry about the consequences Daemon had spoken of.

It was a blessing he had not found out about her brother, Jace. Perhaps he viewed him as nothing more than a mere boy that could not do any harm towards him, whose word would not matter.

Then Aegon's word would mean even less.

And if she admitted to her greatest secret, she would be less scared, less worried about her babe.

Aegon saw the conflict on her face, the slightest hint of a bitter smile came to his face. She had not changed the smallest bit, she was still the old Viserra who was scared the cook would leash out at her for stealing some raisins. The old Viserra that felt guilty for mispronouncing a word during her High Valyrian lessons. The old Viserra that thought comforting was more important than being comforted.

"Oh, sweetling..." he whispered, leaning forward to pull her into a gentle embrace, careful not to harm the babe for whom even Aegon, the most careless person, felt responsibility, even if it was not the usual kind. He had put her in this situation, he could not blame her for it now.

It had always been Aegon who had cried in Viserra's arms, but that night, it would be her who sought shelter in the embrace of the other. And even if the prince was not used to the reversed roles, he understood that it was right to try offering her at least some kind of help, after all the times she had helped him.

"You know, my mother still does it to me. I do not remember a day when she did not hit me," he muttered, stroking her head as she wept in his arms.

"I'm sorry," was all that came from Viserra's lips, her typical response for everything. The dinner was late – she was sorry. It was raining outside – she was sorry.

"Now do not be sorry for things you cannot change," Aegon quickly contradicted her, pulling slightly away so he could look at her face properly.

Stained with tears. Why was it always that bad things happened to good people? That an angel like her had to be tainted by whatever evil that had befallen her?

"I just– I merely wish for things to be well, for everyone to love one another, but Daemon– he– he is obsessed with the idea of being my father. I do not understand it... I told him that he was an honourable man, that he was a good husband to my mother, but that he would never be my father. It angered him, I do not know why, and he said things of authority and submission and then it just– every time he was mad he would come to my chambers and–"

Daemon. He should have known.

"Do not worry, Viserra, he is not here anymore, is he? He cannot do anything to you," Aegon tried to reassure her, but since he had never really been on either the giving or receiving end in the last few years, it was hard for him to do so properly.

"He said he would take me against my will," she whispered, staring at the ground, then her swollen belly in fear. Nightmares plagued her as the nights passed. Of Daemon storming into her room, with her screaming for help only to be met by deaf ears.

How could one be so cruel to a mere girl? How could one mistreat an angel to such an extent it was scared to speak up?

And yet, all this time, Aegon had dared to think she was simply weird because she behaved off. Well, how could one act normally after going through such things? He himself was a good example that people changed after being mistreated.

"I will not let that happen," Aegon spoke before he could think, rubbing her shoulders comfortingly to ease her suffering.

This would be the first night since the wedding night that husband and wife would spend in one bed, side by side. Aegon played with Viserra's hair while his other hand rested on her belly. The princess stared at the ceiling for some time, wondering whether her confession had been right or wrong. But oddly enough, it felt as though a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

Perhaps the angel had regained its wings.

"When we were wed, I thought you had changed. I remember how we used to sneak into the kitchen to steal something to eat when we were starving," the girl admitted with a melancholic smile, stuck in the past that, mayhaps, was not too far from the present.

"No, Viserra. I thought you had changed," Aegon replied with a small chuckle.

Viserra turned her gaze towards her husband, grinning in amusement, something she had not done in a very long time.

"Then perhaps we are not so different, after all," she mumbled, shifting a little closer to lean her head against Aegon's chest in order to hear his heartbeat, a comforting sound to some.

"Because if you have not changed, then you must still be longing for the same thing as I am," Viserra added, closing her eyes.

"Love and peace, I see," Aegon remarked, hesitantly stroking her belly where his child was growing. Yes, he felt guilty for it, but if Viserra was there, next to him, cuddling close like no whore ever could, then mayhaps he did not need to feel bad. For if she did not want this child, she would have rid herself of it and cursed him once and for all. But neither of it had happened.

Perhaps this was the best gift for his name day Aegon would ever receive. That finally someone was not disgusted by his existence, that he was taken for who he was. And that by a sweet soul like Viserra, someone too good, too kind for him.

He would ruin her, just like he ruined everything else. Despite his affection, he knew how angry he got. Calling her a whore, telling her she was not strong enough to bear a child, no, he did not deserve her.

And yet here she was, falling asleep in his arms, and mayhaps for the first time in moons, resting safely without any nightmares.

"But we are different, Viserra. You are kind and forgiving, I am no more than a drunk fool," Aegon whispered as he placed a ghostly kiss on her hair.