cruel gods [aemond targaryen]

XXII

Maellery felt most things comfortably, it was always lingering outside her body, like a ghost constantly taunting her but she never truly felt them.

Now she felt as though someone had stabbed her, gutted her from the inside. Stolen each organ as she clawed at the floor, feeling the blood that flowed out her mouth.

Aemond was gone, left in a march to provide her with some sort of comfort, his hopeful result? Daemons death. Aemond was gone, her only form of real protection had left. She dreamed of him often, finding herself burdened with the thoughts of him since he departed.

Aemond thought of Mae as he marched, sweet Mae who visited orphans and protected her maids, who apologised to him the night of their wedding as if she was not graced with grief. Ser Cole cleared his throat from beside him.

"What will you have us do?" he asked as Aemond looked up, feeling the horse trot and the angered thoughts of revenge replace ones of his wife.

"Kill every last man, i want nobody to come out of this. Leave Daemon to me. When he has been dealt with, i want his hands and his head brought back to Kings Landing. I shall allow Mae to deal with it how she chooses."

Cole said nothing for a moment, nodding and humming. After a few moments in silence, he asked his prince. "This is for her?"

"Who else would it be for? he has caused her the upmost grief, i will now allow my wife to subject herself to that." He snapped, not angered by his questions but the sight of Mae in his mind. He turned to his hand.

"A matter of duty? or personal?" he grumbled, already knowing the answer. They could see his face when she entered the hall, could see how he needed to be with her, touching her, holding her. They all did.

Aemond stayed silent, Cole knew his answer.

"I do not love her." he added, Cole did not know who he was trying to convince with this statement. "You all know what i have been through, it seems to me that Maellery has been the god's gift to me, i do not wish to anger them by causing this pain to one of their angels."

Cole said nothing as he continued. "She knows, she understands. She wants this, she has allowed me to commit my revenge and not a single peep of protest." He finished, he was almost certain Aemond was trying to convince himself now.

He had never been good with feelings, processing, understanding them. To him, this was basic marital duties. To Cole it was almost like trying to get them to move to a far off land to live by oranges. He shuddered at the thought.

"It is good that you do not love her my prince. It brings forward emotions. You do not need distractions" he huffed and Aemond nodded before looking toward the path.

In all his truth, there was a part of him that had become addicted to her. He had been forced to watch his brother grow up on drink, watched as he could not go a single second without it. That is how he felt. He could not believe in his victory until she had muttered her words, he could not understand the emotion of the gods until he held her skin in his arms.

He wanted nothing more than to slaughter the world for looking at her. He would return to her covered in his blood, she would relish in his glory and he would do nothing more than taste the sweet flavour of ecstasy that covered her face, her lips, her skin. He did not care about whatever punishment the gods would serve him, for if they claimed it was a sin, he would gladly commit them if it meant he could feel each crevice of her body, ingest each part of her soul.

He didn't tell Cole about that part. Instead, they marched forward.

Maellery, on a day of sunshine, ignored the war that threatened her life beyond the keep. Instead she stayed in her chambers, reading, exploring, bathing. Whatever she could think of to distract her mind. When the day went on, she decided to sort through her dresses.