Chapter Text
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AEGON VI
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124 AC -
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Aegon heard several times that the journeg to the Gates of the Moon was a hard, but he never tought that it would be as hard as it is.
The strong wind of the Mountains of the Moon strike violently against the retinue on horseback.
Aegon holds his cloak firmly in a almost worthless effort to protect himself from the wind that presses him and the rest of the retinue against the mountains. The cold sends a shiver down his spine and he strggles a bit to breath properly.
His horse struggles as well with the rocky terrain, but manages to keep going further into the right path.
As the retinue advance through the mountains, the weather gets colder and air breathing gets harder.
All that problems can easily numb the mind of a man, specialy when a man is already struggling against his own toughts.
And the origin of that struggle stands on her own horse right in front of him, covered in a cloak.
Aegon feels a headache whenever he thinks about that night and all the things that he felt and still feels.
A ordinary conversation that was followed by what seemed to be just a childish game between siblings ended with a big mistake from him.
In a single slip, what should have been just a playful kiss on the cheek became a short kiss in the lips.
He felt a shiver down his spine. A feeling more intense than he ever received from such a simple kiss.
Her soft lips remained for a single second on his, but it felt like much more for him.
Aegon was nervous after that kiss, feeling like he failed once again on his intentions.
He apologized, but when the prince looked at Helaena's eyes, he saw something that changed things.
Helaena's purple eyes were firmly on his as her lips trembled.
A gaze of amusement that remembered him of the modest handmaids in the Red Keep.
Occasionaly, he would stole a kiss from some of the handmaids that he found attractive, enjoying their shock and their gazes at him.
Some were a embarassed mess, some were lusty and would flirt back at him or even go beyond that.
But, none of them had the same gaze that Helaena had.
It was something different that he couldn't understand. It was not a embarassed surprise or a gaze of lustful desire.
He saw something vaguely similar from Essie once, but it was still not the same thing.
That gaze cause him to move by sheer instinct.
And before he noticed, his lips were once again pressed against Helaena's.
The kisses that they shared never passed through their lips, but it make little difference for him.
For some reason, kissing Helaena was unic, and that only gives him frustration.
Until that point, he never saw Helaena as more than a sister that he started to enjoy spending some time with.
And then, as always, he commited a mistake that only brought misery to him after a short bliss.
When it ended, he escaped from that bedroom while ignoring Helaena's call.
In his own bedroom, Aegon locked the door and wasted over two hours walking around and trying to sleep, strugling to deal with his frustration.
He tried to convince himself that it was just one time thing. He did it several times with the servants in the Red Keep. Why Helaena would be any different?
It was much different. He knew that beforehand and the next day confirmed his assumptions.
Helaena avoided his gaze at all costs and barely talked to him anymore. He could still see her looking at him from time to time, but that was about it.
The bridge that he managed to build between himself and his sister was destroyed by his lust.
Of course that it was lust.
It is the only explanation.
Both the reason and bane of his existence.
The true nature of himself.
And after accepting that truth, Aegon feels more worthless and alone than ever.
A good for nothing that ruined something different than usual for the sake of the usual that he can't live without anymore.
And, in his anger his lust, he drowned himself in wine. His other curse.
Yet, the sweetes of wines never managed to compete against the bitter taste in his mouth whenever his eyes laid upon Helaena.
Even looking at her cloaked figure right now is enough to make him feel a lot of different things.
He feels regret for what he did.
He feels anger torwards himself for one more failure in his failed life.
He feels the sadness of being alone once more.
And, more than anything, he feels the desire to just walk into his own shadow and disappear from this world.
Forget how despicable he truly is behind the sarcastic mask that he wears.
Ignoring that feeling as always, Aegon takes a deep breath to firm himself in reality.
Realisticaly, he knows that not everything is lost. Not yet. He just needs the courage to face his own mistakes.
He needs to not be a cunt.
Aegon sighs and finally finds the courage that he wanted.
Guiding his horse to the front, Aegon approaches Helaena's horse.
Not looking at her, Aegon decides to start slow.
"From the way you talked about the mountains of the moon, I thought I'd be buried in snow by now." The prince proclaims with a smirk, bringing back his playful manners.
He frowned with the silence that followed, finally looking to the side.
Helaena was smiling and her tearful purple eyes were fixed on his.
Looking at her is enough to make him uncomfortable once again as a shiver crawls down his spine.
Helaena gets into a more serious posture, turning her head forward, but Aegon can still see a bit of her smile escaping from the corner of her lips.
"The summer will come soon, so it is natural that it would not be as cold as it could be. And i am grateful for that. I love snow and all, but it would make our travel to the Eyrie and Winterfell much harder." The princess proclaims, her voice filled with a almost childish excitement.
Aegon sighs a bit, feeling like a weight fell from his shoulders. He smirks as he looks forward as well.
"Winterfell in the summer is just Fell?" The prince asks in a jokeful way.
Helaena laughs loudly, covering her mouth with a hand. Aegon smirks at her reaction.
She has a good laugh.
The princess struggles a bit to breath properly as she stops laughing. And then, she smirks at Aegon.
"That was a terrible joke, Aegon Targaryen." She declares while imitating a disappointed mother. Aegon smirks with arrogance.
"If my joke was terrible, your sense of humor is also terrible." The prince provokes. Helaena smiles, a bit more relaxed.
"Sadly, i agree with you." The princess says in a honest way. Aegon nods, but says nothing else.
The wind calmed down a bit by now, and Aegon can now observe the beautiful horizon of the mountains of the moon.
And looking up, Aegon can see once again their scaled companions.
Few birds fly that high, and even fewer birds dare to share the sky with dragons.
Sunfyre roars from time to time, to show to everyone around that he is still there.
Following him from a distance, Dreamfyre is much less energetic about it, flying in silence, with constant and stable movements.
And then, as his eyes move around to carefully observe the surroundings, they soon lay on Helaena once again.
Now, she moved her hood away, freeing her hair.
Helaena keeps her eyes closed as she smiles a bit, seemly enjoying that wind that waves her hair torwards his side.
As discomfortable as he is in regards to Helaena right now, Aegon can say that he was wrong about her lack of beauty.
Looking away as the regretful memories of that night emerges from the deepest corners of his mind, Aegon sighs, looking at his hands.
And then, when her horse moves closer to his own horse, hid hands get around his reins, holding them tightly as he ignores her presence a bit.
"Egg..."
A whisper.
A mere whisper of the stupid nickname brings back the shivers that he felt that night.
The shivers that he hates.
Yet, Aegon can't avoid his head moving torwards her and his eyes staring at her own.
Her tearful eyes and melancholic smile is almost painful to see.
He hates them as well.
"I was so happy when we got closer back in Casterly Rock and all the conversations that we shared afterwards were a great pleasure to me. It was all that is asked for when our travels started. And then, that night in Riverrun happened and... i crossed a line with my game and our friendship suddenly vanished. I wanted to say something about it, but i couldn't find the right words, not when you were ignoring me, at least." The princess says, before taking a deep breath. "I just want to say that i am sorry. All i want is to go back to what we were before that night." The princess proclaims in her sad tone.
Aegon looks at her and then sighs before smiling a bit.
"I should be the one saying that. I am the one that did the mistake, not you." The prince proclaims in a honest tone. Helaena frowns to him, looking a bit reluctant for a moment before looking at him with her tearful eyes one more time.
"So... can we?" The princess asks in a low tone. Aegon snorts, shrugging.
"Why not?" The prince asks in a jokeful tone. Helaena smiles to him, holding onde of his hands with one of her own.
Her hand is soft and warm, and Aegon can only stares at it.
"Thank you." She says, before her horse moves a bit away, to give both of them a space, as Aegon supposes.
But, after all this words, Aegon can't ignore the bitter taste in his mouth.
Deep inside, Aegon knows that things would never be the same as they were.
Specialy when he can still feel the sensation of her hand on his.
And he hates it.
---
Aegon shouldn't have underestimated the mountains of the moon.
After a while, clouds covered the sun and in no time he was in a intense fight against the cold wind.
Arriving at the Eyrie was almost a divine blessing for them after that dreadful journey.
The guards guided the two Targaryens to the Crescent Chamber so they could warm themselves while their retinue departed to another part of the castle.
The Crescent Chamber has a nice fire that shares it's warmth with the entire room, slaying the cold.
Aegon seats in a comfortable chair near the fire, sighing in relief as he rests his tired back in it. He could easily sleep there for a while while they wait for Lady Jeyne.
But, his eyes betrayed him as he looked at the only other person in the room.
Helaena is seated on the floor, as close as possible to the fire, gazing at it with a childish smile on her faze as she hugs her own legs.
She stretches her hands closer to the fire, slowly moving it around as if she was touching something.
And then, she looks at him. Her pale skin and golden-silver hair are iluminated by the light of the fire and her eyes shine like a pair of amethysts.
She smiles to him in a playful way, and that makes Aegon return to reality.
"Why are you looking at me like that, Egg?" The princess asks, sounding both curious and provocative. Aegon snorts, and then smirks.
"There is nothing less tedious to look at, i guess." The prince proclaims, crossing his arms as he fixes his posture in his seat.
Helaena smiles as she gets up from the floor.
Gods, he hates whatever that smile does to him.
"I am pleased that you find me the most interesting thing in that chamber." The princess says in a soft tone. Aegon frowns, feeling a bit nervous as he smirks at her.
"Whatever makes you sleep better at night." The prince mocks, tense.
Helaena slowly moves towards him, but looks at her own fingers, poking their corners.
"Egg... i think that we still have thing to talk about that night." The princess says in a low tone, seemly hesitating with the topic as she looks at him.
Aegon frowns in surprise and his throat suddenly gets dry.
For a pair of seconds, he can only stare at her bright eyes before his mouth opens.
However, the doors of the chamber opens before anything can be said.
A household guard in light armor covered by a light blue cloak enters the room. He makes a short bow to the siblings.
"Prince, princess, Lady Arryn is waiting for you in the High Hall. She instructed me to guide you two." The knight proclaims.
Helaena frowns at him with apparent frustration and Aegon sighs in relief as he gets up, looking at the guard.
"Lead the way, ser." The prince declares in a uniterested tone. The guard nods and turn around, waiting for them outside of the chamber.
Evading his sister's eyes, Aegon follows the man. Helaena does the same shortly after, remaining in silence.
Aegon knows he can't hide from this conversation forever, but he can avoid her for now.
---
Aegon never was much interested in constructions, but he can't deny how impressive The Eyrie is.
All the hallways are mostly made in white stone, and the doors that lead to the inside of the High Hall are also works of art that shows both the sigil of House Arryn and the seven pointed star, along with other details carved in the wood.
When Aegon looks to the side before going through the doors, observing that Helaena is looking at nothing, seemly lost in her on head.
Her silence bothers him a lot.
She should be talking endlessly about the Andal heritage of House Arryn with a excited smile on her face.
Frowning to himself, Aegon decides to ignore it as the doors are opened by the guards and the two siblings enters the High Hall of the Eyrie.
As he expected, it is the most interesting place in the castle by far.
The white stone of the walls and pillars are filled with carved drawings representing all kind of things, but mostly related with the faith.
In the middle of the hall, Aegon can also see a round formation that leads to a door on the floor
The famous moon door.
A very curious form of execution, to say the least.
And, at the end of the High Hall, there is a pair of thrones carved in weirwoods. A bigger one and a smaller one.
Two women stand by the sides of the bigger throne.
The one standing on the right of the throne is a woman with long red hair and brown eyes. She is wearing a grey dress and has curvy figure.
Standing on the left is a more robust woman with dark brown hair in a tight single braid and dark eyes that observe each movement of the siblings.
By her hunting clothes and body style, Aegon can say that she is a more martial woman.
In her chest there is a sigil that he doesn't remember.
Looking briefly at Helaena, he notices that she looks a bit nervously to the woman before looking away.
How problematic.
And then, his eyes moves to the main person in the High Hall. The woman that seats on the bigger throne.
A pale woman with long and braided dark brown hair wearing a modest blue dress that easily embraces her slender figure. She looks at the siblings with her relaxed blue eyes, keeping a proud posture and a short smile.
Lady Jeyne Arryn stands up with grace.
"Welcome to the Eyrie, my princes. It is a pleasure to receive such a illustrious pair of guests in my domains." The Lady of the Vale proclaims with a smooth voice.
Aegon bows slightly to the Lady and he can see Helaena doing the same as well.
"The pleasure is ours, Lady Arryn. Especially after so many days of travel to get to this moment." The prince proclaims with a short ironic smile on his face. Lady Arryn sighs.
"The way through the mountains is always harsh. It is our biggest problem and our biggest weapon, depending on the situation. I hope this doesn't discourage you from making a second visit in the future." The Lady says in a compassionate tone. Aegon observes as Helaena takes a step forward.
"Certainly not, Lady Arryn. The Eyrie is a beautiful place that i would love to visit again one day. Maybe more simple terms, however." The princess explains with a shy smile. The older woman laughs.
"I understand. That is good to hear. You two are more than welcome in the Eyrie in dragonback. It is a sight that i would not oppose to see." The lady declares, receiving a smile and a nod from Helaena.
And then, the more robust woman on Jeyne's left side take a step further, frowning to the Lady.
"My apologies for interrupting, my Lady, but i think that it is about time for me to leave. I still have to visit the gates before making my way back to Runestone." The woman declares in a dry tone. Lady Arryn sighs.
"As busy as always, huh? Very well. But first, introduce yourself to our guests." The Lady proclaims, waving at the Targaryens with a hand.
The tall woman turns to them, her eyes observing them from the top of their heads to the tip of their toes.
And then, Aegon understands.
The sigil...
Runestone...
It makes sense now. As the woman opens her mouth, Aegon already knows what she is about to say.
"I am Rhea Royce. Lady of Runestone. I am honored to meet the two of you." The woman proclaims, bowing slightly to them.
The woman that was once married to Daemon Targaryen.
Aegon observes Helaen as she smiles nervously.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Royce." She says and Aegon nods in agreement.
Rhea Royce is still frowning at them for a few seconds before nodding and walking away from the High Hall.
The silence reigns for a short time after the doors are closed. Lady Arryn sighs.
"I am sorry for that, but i think that you are well aware of the past between her and your father." The Lady of the Vale declares. Aegon just nods, but Helaena is clearly concerned about something.
"She looks resentful." The princess says in a direct manner. Lady Arryn frowns, but slowly nods.
"Daemon Targaryen is not someone that she likes to remember. Time passes, but some memories are just like a old scar. It might not hurt, but it is always there. That is how she explained it to me, at least. " The Lady of the Vale explains. Helaena slowly nods and Aegon smirks.
"I hope that she is not vengeful, then." The prince declares. Lady Jeyne laughs.
"Thankfully, my prince, Rhea Royce is many things, but vengeful is not one of them." The Lady proclaims, confident on her words. Aegon nods, satsified with it.
"Rhea has a great heart and a good head on her shoulders. She won't hate you if you don't deserve it, my prince. You can be sure of that." The redhead woman says, walking forward with a provocative smile on her face. Aegon rises a eyebrow.
"And who are you, lady?" The prince asks, curious for the answer. Lady Jeyne smiles.
"This is my dearest friend and companion, Jessamyn Redfort." The Lady of the Vale explains, waving a hand torwards the woman, who smirks at the two siblings.
"I apologize for my interruption, my prince. I just had to say it." The woman declares, making a short bow. Aegon nods with a short frown while Helaena smiles.
"Don't apologize, Lady Redfort. Words of admiration needs to be cherished." The princess proclaims in a soft tone. The redhead woman smiles to her.
"I will keep that in mind, my princess. Thank you." The woman declares in a modest tone.
And then, Lady Jeyne takes a step further.
"Why don't we eat something together in the Lower Hall? You two must be starving by now." The Lady offers with a soft smile.
"Yes. Please."
The words came out of Aegon's mouth faster than a arrow, causing the women in the room to laugh.
"Good. Now, follow me." The Lady of the Vale declares, walking to the exit alongside her friend.
The siblings follow them from a short distance. Helaena gets closer to Aegon.
"Don't you think that they are a bit too... close?" The princess asks in a whisper, hesitating as she points to the older women.
Aegon frowns as he observes the Lady of the Vale and her companion walking side-by-side, whispering and smiling to eachother.
The prince snorts, frowning at his sister.
"Nothing unusual. What do you mean with that?" The prince asks, confused. Helaena looks away, frowning in her own confusion.
"Maybe it is just in my imagination, then..." The princess whispers. Aegon smirks.
"Maybe your head is filled with more perversions than you expected." The prince provokes with a malicious tone.
Helaena looks at him with wide eyes, her pale face getting red from embarassment.
She tries to say something, but just grunts and get some distance, keeping her eyes as away as possible from him.
Aegon sighs, but smiles a bit. He is enjoying something that he lost that night.
And the relief ended with that tought.
---
Aegon didn't expect much from the Vale in regards to food, but he was impressed by what was presented to them in the Lower Hall.
A table filled with good wine, tasty meat and fresh fruits right in front of a pair of large windows that shows the horizon of the Vale.
After days of travelling through harsh soil with scarce food, the food of the Eyrie is like a divine gift of mercy.
Lady Jeyne laughs a bit as she observes the two siblings eating like two hungry animals.
"The pure bliss in the face of the hungry as they eat always amuse me, no matter how much i saw that throughout the years." The Lady declares, resting a elbow on the table and her chin in the palm of her hand.
As Aegon takes a large sip of wine that he desired for a long time, he hears his the voice of his smiling sister.
"It's been a long time since we've had something this good." The princess proclaims before grabbing a apple. Lady Arryn smiles.
"The gods blessed us with very fruitful crops in the spring. I have high hopes for the summer." The Lady of the Vale proclaims with a large smile, taking a cup of wine for herself.
Aegon sighs in relief, controlling himself to not drink much more. He can't get drunk right now. Jessamyn smirks to him.
"You seem to be very fond of wine, my prince." The redhead woman says with a slightly provocative tone. Aegon snorts.
"Fond? Wine is my best and only friend, Redfort." The prince says in a mocking tone. Jessamyn laughs.
However, Helaena looks at him with a concerned gaze that he can't understand the origin.
He frowns to his sister for a second, making her look away from him, laying her eyes back on Lady Arryn.
"Lady Arryn, have you ever being afraid of heights? As beautiful as it is, the Eyrie can look pretty scary for a lot of people." The princess asks. Aegon snorts, but observes. Lady Arryn laughs.
"As a dragonrider, have you ever being afraid of heights while flying?" The Lady asks back with a smirk on her face. Helaena frowns.
"I don't think so..."
"Why?"
Aegon observes as Helaena keeps thinking, resting her back on the chair.
"It is natural to me. I grew up flying in Dreamfyre by myself and in Caraxes with my father. Fearing heights just makes no sense to me while i am in a dragon." The princess proclaims. Lady Arryn smiles.
"Exactly. You grew up connected to flying. I grew up connected to heights in a more personal way. I don't fear the moon door or the sky cells because they were always a part of my life." The Lady of the Vale explains. Helaena nods, smiling a bit as she seemly continues to think about it.
However, Aegon has another subject in mind after hearing that conversation.
"What about your family, Lady Jeyne? I heard that you locked your cousin in a sky cell for being treasonous." The prince asks, remembering some things about Jeyne Arryn.
Her smile disappears as she frowns, getting into a more serious posture.
"I never married, so i don't have children. As such, my first cousin, Ser Arnold Arryn, would be my heir. Yet, he conspired twice against me and tried to take my place by force. After the first time, i banished him from the Eyrie. After the second, i locked him in a sky cell." The Lady of the Vale explains. Aegon slowly nods. Looking to the side, he sees that Helaena has a frown on her face.
"Why did he do it? He was your heir already." The princess asks, confused. Lady Arryn let out a bitter laugh.
"I made the same question. It made no sense to me at the time. I tought that it was the impatience and ambition of a man, but then, i understood that he was just mad. A man that can't even rule himself properly, let alone the Vale. He has no place as my heir, and that is why i name my fourth cousin, Ser Joffrey Arryn, as my heir on his place. He is loyal to me and much more fitting." The Lady proclaims in a severe tone. Helaena nods slowly only to ask another question.
"Have you ever considered marring? A child of your own would solve your problems in regards to inheritance." The princess proposes. Lady Arryn sighs and then frowns.
"I have no interest. All the suitors that i had were only interested in my titles. They wanted power. And they would get power if i married. That's why i decided to remain unmarried." The Lady of the Vale proclaims. Aegon frowns to her.
"Is that all about power?" The prince asks. Lady Jeyne sighs, but opens a short smile right after.
"No. It is about stability and freedom. Stability to rule properly and freedom to act on my own. That is what matters to me." The Lady of the Vale proclaims, determined with her words. Helaena still looks bothered by something.
"Don't you feel lonely without a family to care for? I honestly can't imagine myself being happy if i were in your place." The princess declares, being honest. The bitter smile of Jeyne Arryn returns as she looks at her cup with a distant gaze.
"What my family has become saddens me, but i don't feel any remorse. They made their choices and i made mine. And i don't feel lonely at all. I was blessed by the gods with trustful allies and dear friends. Especially Jessamyn here. I would trust her with my life. " The Lady says, smiling to her friend. Jessamyn smiles back.
"Your words flatter me, my lady. I am happy to be by your side." The redhead woman declares with confidence.
"I see..." Helaena says with a distant tone. Aegon can see in her eyes that she still think that the two women are suspicious. He smirks to himself as he takes a small sip of wine.
The prince doesn't really care about what the Lady of the Vale does in private, but he finds the expressions of his sister in regards to it quite entertaining.
As the conversations became more trivial, time passed like a breath. Soon, the sun was setting beyond the windows, feeling the room with it's redish light.
The food was taken away, as everyone in the table was satisfied and ready to walk to their bedrooms in search of a rest.
However, Aegon still has a question to make to the host.
"Lady Arryn, why didn't you take more drastic measures against your cousin after all that he did? Isn't he irredeemable?" The prince asks, looking in the eyes of the woman.
Jeyne Arryn frowns to him, but this time, her gaze is clearly less friendly.
"Family is family, regardless of what they do. I lost too many relatives already and i vowed to myself that i would not lose anyone else. Mad or not. Traitor or not." The Lady of the Vale declares, firm on her convictions. Aegon frowns to her, fixing his posture on the chair.
"That choice might be your fall one day, Lady Arryn. Is it worth putting your life at risk for a lunatic traitor?" The prince asks with a dry tone, skeptic. Lady Arryn doesn't hesitate to answer, however.
"Kinslayers are cursed with a destint worse than death. No excuses. That is a believe that even the Ironborn agree on. Keep that in mind, my prince." The Lady of the Vale proclaims, her blue eyes almost piercing through Aegon's soul.
The prince feels his throat getting dry as he frowns at her.
He understands what she really means with those words.
"I will. Now, if you excuse me, i am tired. I could use a good night of sleep." The prince declares, standing. The others do the same, with Helaena giving him another concerned look. Lady Arryn nods.
"The guards will lead you to your bedroom." She says in a dry tone, making a gesture to a pair of knights in light blue cloaks, who approaches Aegon. However, Helaena approaches him as well.
"I will go with you." She says firmly, but Aegon can see what she wants by her gaze and the nervous movement of her hands.
They need to talk.
Sighing, Aegon nods. Helaena smiles and looks at the Lady of the Vale one last time.
"Rest well, Lady Arryn." The princess declares with a gentle tone. Jeyne opens a short smile to him.
"May the gods enlighten your path, my princes." The Lady of the Vale declares in a distant way.
Aegon frowns at her choice of words, but just turn around and leave the room with the guards and Helaena, keeping the silence.
---
When they arrive at the doors of the bedrooms, the guards leave and they are left alone in the hallway. Helaena turns to Aegon with a frown.
"Why did you act like that?" She asks. Aegon snorts.
"She was talking about father. Making a disguised accusation of his intentions." The prince proclaims. Helaena looks at him with surprise.
"Really? I tought that she was just defending herself..." The princess declares, toughtful.
Suddenly, Aegon smirks as he looks to the ceiling.
"It is so obvious. I feel like a idiot." The prince says to himself. Helaena frowns to him.
"What do you mean?" She asks, confused. Aegon looks at her.
"Do you remember who has a Arryn mother?" The prince asks in a ironic tone.
Helaena frowns as she thinks, and then, her eyes get wide.
"Oh."
Aegon snorts.
"Yes. It seems that the Lady of the Vale has a side already and i doubt that we can achieve anything here in regards to alliances." The prince proclaims, frowning as he struggles a bit to think properly due to the wine running in his veins. Helaena sighs.
"So... what now?" She asks, clearly out of ideas. Aegon grunts.
"We leave after a few days. It is not wise to stay here when the hospitality is a mere fabrication." The prince proclaims in a dry tone. Helaena looks hesitant.
"But she looked honest before. I don't think that she is plotting anything against us here." The princess declares, doubtful. Aegon snorts.
"Don't feed your hope, Helaena. It might betray you in the end. Now, we should rest." The prince declares with a dry tone.
Aegon moves to his door and grabs the handle. However, Helaena suddenly pulls his free arm.
"Hold on, Egg. We need to talk. Please." She says with a sad tone. Aegon turns around and his eyes meet hers once more.
Her eyes. So similar to the ones that he sees on mirrors, but so different at the same time.
She is still holding his arm. Her warm touch is enough to bring back memories of that night once more.
Aegon pulls his arm from her grasp, frowning.
"We have nothing to say. That night was a mistake and it will never happen again. I swear." The prince declares with a convicted tone, despite the hesitation on his mind.
The disappointed expression in his sister's delicate face brings back the confusion that he hates.
Why things can't be more simple?
"Are you sure of that words?" She asks in with a low voice.
Aegon feels a bitter taste in his mouth as the words come out of his mouth.
"I am." The prince says with conviction. A conviction that is nothing but a lie to cover the mess that his head is right now.
Helaena sighs, looking down before turning around.
"I see. I will walk around for a bit. Good night, Aegon." The princess says with a distant tone before walking away in a slow pace.
As Aegon looks at her back, Aegon is filled by turmoils. He thinks that he did the right thing, and at the same time he thinks that he just comitted another mistake.
As Helaena gets more and more distant from him in that hall, he only gets more unsure of his choices.
He grunts as he feels a headache emerging.
Entering his dark bedroom and falling on his bed, he almost prays for his sleep to take him away from his problems.
---
The darkness and the silence in his bedroom never brought the peace and the sleep that he hoped for. The only thing that emerged was the storm of toughts and feelings that torment him.
Giving up, Aegon leaves his bedroom with a grunt, walking into the hallways of the Eyrie.
He walks to the east without any destiny in mind.
If he can't sleep when he wants, he will just walk around until his body is too tired to refuse the embrace of his bed.
He crosses the outside bridges that connects the towers, reliefed that it was already late and the guards already left their posts.
While crossing the bridges, he has to resist the intense and cold wind of the mountains that almost make him falls.
A sighs of relief escapes his mouth whenever he arrives at a tower. A relief that lasts until he has to cross another bridge not long after.
And then, he arrives at the last tower to the east, remembering that Helaena talked about it to him once.
The Maiden's Tower. The tower is supposed to have a balcony with the greatest view of the Giant's Lance.
Slowly walking through the Tower, Aegon finds what can only be that balcony.
But, it is not empty.
Helaena and Lady Jeyne Arryn are standing in the balcony, talking as the weak moonlight covers both of them. They are not aware of his presence.
Aegon quickly hides behind a pillar and thinks about his options.
He can hear the conversation or respect them and leave.
He silently smirks to himself.
The latter was not a option for him. After all, Helaena heard his conversation with Borros in Storm's End. It is only natural for him to return the favor.
He focus on hearing the conversation from now on.
"Did you like it?" Lady Arryn with a curious voice.
Aegon frowns. The lack of context make things harder for him to understand.
He hears a shy laugh from Helaena.
"Well... Lord Tyrell was sweet and charming. I could spend the whole night listening to him." The princess says in a almost dreamy tone.
Aegon frowns.
Geryn Tyrell. Of course. The lordling that fixed his eyes on his sister and behaved like a knight from the romantic songs that noble girls love.
If he was honest or not, it didn't matter to Aegon. The Lord of Highgarden was clearly trying his best to court Helaena, and it seems that he succeeded on his objective to some degree.
If brings a bitter taste to his mouth. The taste of failure that he is already used to.
At the time, he tought that it was just because the Tyrell was plotting under his nose. He was offended by his audacity.
"Then, why did you refuse his proposal?" The Lady of the Vale asks. Aegon frowns, surprised.
Proposal?
The cunt went that far?
Helaena stays in silence for sometime before she sighs.
"I was not expecting him to be so direct so soon. I was shocked and touched, but my heart was not ready and my head a concern in mind. It was doomed to fail." The princess declares in a sad tone.
"What concern?" Lady Arryn asks, confused.
Helaena laughs a bit.
"Aegon was drinking quite a lot. I was worried that i would find him drowning in his own vomit." The princess mocks.
Lady Arryn holds a laugh while Aegon frowns, feeling embarassed.
The problem of hearing a conversation is ending up hearing what you don't want to hear.
"And?"
"He was almost there, that is for sure."
Lady Arryn laughs freely now and Helaena laighs with her.
As the laughs fade away, the silence returns and soon Aegon hears the voice of Lady Arryn once more.
"It seems that you grew closer to your brother recently."
"I did. And for a few days, i was very happy. And then... something happened." Helaena declares in a melancholic tone.
Aegon feels his body getting stiff. He feels like he became one with the stone pillar. A immovable object.
"And what was that?" The Lady of the Vale asks in a curious and soft tone of voice.
Aegon can hear the long breath that Helaena takes.
"I played a foolish game with him. I was... kissing his face to annoy him. And then, i kissed him in the lips by mistake." The princess declares in a shy voice.
After a few seconds of tense silence, Lady Arryn ends it.
"Let me guess, he kissed you back?" The Lady of the Vale asks in a provocative tone.
Silence.
Lady Arryn laughs.
"I will take that as a yes. Did you like it?" The Lady of the Vale asks, keeping the provocation in her face.
For Aegon, the silence that followed lasted a eternity.
And then, two words came from Helaena's mouth as a whisper that almost disappeared with the wind.
"...i did."
Two words that he didn't expect.
Two words that shouldn't have such a effect on him.
His heart echoes in his ears as he tries to recompose himself and realign all the opposite toughts that fight like beasts in his head.
"So, what is the problem, then? The basic reason don't apply to you two, as far as i know." The Lady of the Vale says with a short laugh at the end.
Aegon frowns to himself as he breaths.
The incestuous traditions of his family.
He rarely tought about it before because there is not a single case in his House anymore.
He never even considered it in his mind.
He never considered Helaena as a potential bride.
As he thinks, Helaena seemly takes courage to end the real silence.
"He pulled it back and left the room before we could talk about it. I respected his space for days, expecting him to calm down and talk to me. But, when he did, it was to apologize." The princess declares in a sad tone.
Aegon feels a bitter taste in his mouth with her words.
It was all his fault, it seems.
Of course it is.
It always was.
The silence remained once more until the voice of reason emerged.
"Listen to me, Helaena. Don't lie to yourself. It always does more harm than good. You are in a much better position than you think. Accept the truth."
"But..."
"What you do with the truth doesn't matter right now. Just stop denying it. Take a deep breath and tell me how you really feel. Free yourself from that chains." The Lady of the Vale proclaims in a determined tone.
Aegon closes his eyes.
Her words took a toll on him.
And the prince can only imagine that Helaena is feeling something very similar.
Aegon takes a deep breath as he tries to find his own answers.
However, Helaena is the one to do it first.
"I was sad because he rejected what we did that night. He rejected the kisses that brought a intense joy to myself. He rejected my heart." The princess declares in a emotional and sad tone before she starts sobbing.
Aegon holds himself against the pillar, feeling like he might fall at any moment.
He feels like the worst person in the world.
A poor excuse for a man that can't do anything well in his life.
A failure as a knight.
A failure as a son.
A failure as a brother.
A failure as a friend.
When he feels like life has no meaning and no purpose, Aegon can feel and almost hear Sunfyre roaring at him through their connection.
A friend that reminds him that he is not alone.
But, right now, even Sunfyre's desperare roars in his head means nothing under the pressure of such a failure.
He failed with the only person that ever tried to be his friend.
And, deep down, he realises that he was betraying himself.
Because...
Because...
His mind slowly clears and his eyes get wide. The roars of Sunfyre vanishes from his head.
Aegon looks to the ceiling and wipes the feel tears that rolled from his eyes.
And, for the first time in several days, his toughts starts to make sense.
"Feels better now?" The smooth voice of Lady Arryn asks.
Helaena sniffs.
"Yes..." The princess says in a low tone.
"Good. I am glad. Now you can take your decisions more wisely. Enjoy it, princess. Not everyone have as many options as you do. It is getting late. We should return to our bedrooms." The Lady of the Vale declares in a soft tone. Helaena sniffs again, but not as hard.
"I just want some minutes here to calm down a bit. Thank you for everything, Lady Arryn." The princess says. The older woman laughs.
"Oh, princess... you can call me Lady Jeyne. It was a pleasuere. Good night and rest well." the Lady of the Vale says in a smooth tone.
"Helaena, you can call me Helaena, Lady Jeyne." The princess declares with a similar tone.
"Good night then, Helaena." The Lady of the Vale declares as she starts walking away from Aegon's current position.
The prince sighs in relief as the conversation ends, but he quickly gets stressed again as he needs to decide what to do now.
However, when he moves his eyes to the side, he sees a pair of blue eyes looking directly at him.
His heart stops for a second as he stands still in front of Jeyne Arryn.
The Lady of the Vale has a smile on her face as she movee a finger to her mouth.
A gesture of silence.
Aegon obeys by pure instinct, too scared after suddenly being caught.
The woman looks towards the balcony as another sign and then slowly moves her lips to form a silent phrase.
"Good luck."
Aegon feels the weight on his shoulders, but slowly nods.
That might have been the last push that he needed.
Lady Arryn smiles to him once more as she waves a hand before leaving the hallway in a calm pace.
Aegon takes a deep breath and slowly moves away from the pillar to face the balcony.
There, he sees Helaena Targaryen, looking at the moon that lays it's light upon her.
When he looks at her, so close, yet so distant from him, he gets confidence.
Walking torwards her without limitations, his steps echoes through the tower. As such, Helaena turn around in surprise.
When her eyes meet his, the confidence becomes certainty.
Nothing else matters to him now.
"W-what are you doing here?" The princess asks, nervous with the situation.
Aegon sighs as he takes a step further torwards her.
"I couldn't sleep and i ended up walking here. I heard everything." The prince says in a silent tone.
Helaena's face gets pale, her eyes get wide in shock and her lips tremble.
She is clearly scared.
Looking down, Helaena holds her hands together, almost bowing to him.
"I-i am sorry, Egg. I can't choose how my stupid heart feels. But, in the end, i just want to see you happy, even if i have to bury my own happiness to do so. That is what sisters do, right?" The princess asks, looking up at the end.
Tears roll down her already redish eyes. She hides her face with her hands as she turns around torwards the horizon.
Aegon frowns and walks forward, standing right behind her.
"I heard what you had to say. Now, you need to listen to me." The prince proclaims in a serious tone.
Helaena moves her arms down to hug herself, but don't turn around.
"Please, Hel..." The prince asks once again, but in a softer tone.
The princess slowly moves around, looking at Aegon. Her hands shake as she slowly wipes her tears by using the fabric of her dress.
Aegon takes a long breath and free himself from his turmoils.
He says what he needed to say all this time and thar it took to long to understand.
"For a long time, i saw myself as a failure. As someone that was worthy of nothing. I distanced myself from everyone, believing that anyone would only care about me if i could do something for them. I tought i was a average tool, at best." The prince says before stopping in his track.
Helaena sniffs, looking at him with complete attention now as she calms down.
Aegon looks at her eyes with a intense gaze, almost drowning himself in them.
"And then, that travel started and you appeared in my life. Someone that was always there, but that i never tried to understand before. A being of selfless kindness. A heart too big for her own good." The prince says in a honest tone. His voice is filled with emotion.
Helaena remains in silence as she looks at him, too focused in his words to cry anymore.
Aegon sighs.
"And then, that night happened, and i felt a lot of things that i couldn't understand. I felt like i betrayed a friend by crossing a line. I wanted to go back, but that was impossible." The Prince declares with a dry tone.
Helaena holds her hands firmly together as she looks at him with a fearful expression.
Aegon gets closer to her
"Since that day, you wouldn't leave my head. I tought that it was guilty, but i was wrong. I can see it now." The Prince declares, his voice getting lower as he continues to get closer to her.
They are very close now, almost touching.
However, Aegon doesn't care. He can't take his eyes from Helaena's eyes.
He doesn't want to.
"The truth is that i was missing that night. I was missing your smile. I was missing your voice. I was missing the heat of your body against mine. I was missing your delicate touch on my skin. I was missing the sweet taste of your lips." The prince declares in the most natural tone of his life.
He observes as Helaena's face gets redish with his words. Her breath getting slightly more intense.
And then, he cross the line with no remorse this time.
When their lips touch and that night comes back in his head, it is not a sour memory anymore.
Aegon moves his arms around Helaena's waist as he presses her lips with his. She moves her arms around his neck, grunting a bit.
They end the kiss to breath. Their foreheads touch. Helaena's face is red as she smiles, her eyes filled with emotional tears that didn't fell yet.
"Gods..." She says and laughs, clearly out of words. Aegon smirks.
"Don't be hasty, Hel. You have the whole night to say whatever you want. If you can speak, of course." The prince mocks before kissing her again.
This one is a bit shorter as Helaena pulls her head back and laughs.
"Speaking would be a waste of precious time." The princess says, holding his face gently as she looks to him with affection.
Feeling a warm sensation on his chest, Aegon smiles.
"Indeed." He says before kissing her once again.
The kisses never go beyond their lips. Aegon has no intention to do so. He wants to enjoy every single moment of it as it is.
As pure as it is.
The pair stay in the balcony through the night, sharing hugs, kisses, affectionate words and laughs.
After all, who needs sleep?
---