In the Eye of the Storm | Aemond Targaryen x reader | Chapter 1
Pairing: Aemond Targaryen x Niece!reader
Word count: 2,577
Summary: You’re visiting King’s Landing with your family to reaffirm your younger brother Lucerys’ birthright as the rightful heir to Driftmark. During your stay, you reconnect with Aemond Targaryen. You had once been friends, but that was long ago. And the man in front of you now, is not the shy kid you used to know. Can you reconcile despite your differences or will the rift between your families break you apart?
Warnings/tags: Incest (it’s the Targaryens), slow burn, fluff, angst, violence, death, smut
Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7
A/N: Most of the smut (also most violence and the death of a character) happens towards the end of the story. So if that’s what you’re after and you like the story, please stick around. The first chapter is more of an introduction. Reader and Aemond will interact more further down the line, I promise.
A/N: Reader is Rhaenyra’s daughter. I tried my best not to describe her body, besides the typical Targaryen silver hair and violet eyes. It’s not stated who her father is, so it could be Daemon, Laenor or Harwin, depending on your preference.
All works are my own. Please don’t copy, plagiarize, post on other websites or translate.
The ship was rocking softly beneath you as you looked upon the shores of your home. You were excited to see King’s Landing again. While you enjoyed the peace that came with Dragonstone, you still missed the bustle of the Red Keep. You missed the lively streets, that you had roamed countless times when you snuck out of the castle. You missed training with your brothers and uncles in the courtyard. You even missed the fights a little. That is, because you were never the victim of the constant bullying and insults. Thanks to your long, silver hair and violet eyes, nobody dared to question your legitimacy. You’d proven to be strong and valuable to the realm when you had claimed Vermithor as your dragon at a young age. And with your mother Rhaenyra not paying much attention to traditions, you’d been allowed to practise your sword fighting skills with your siblings all your life. After all, the heir to the Iron Throne should be able to protect herself and the realm.
As the ship docked, you were impatient to climb up the steps to the Red Keep. As you reached the gates, you felt a wave of pure bliss wash over you. This really was your home.
‘Jace! Luke! Come on, let’s explore the Keep!’, you shouted at them and they came running after you while Rhaenyra and Daemon made their way up to your grandfather, King Viserys’ chambers.
Together you walked around the castle, reminiscing about the times you had spent there as young children. Studying your family’s history, learning how to take care of and ride a dragon and sparring with your uncles.
As you headed into the courtyard, you could hear the sounds of swords clashing and felt the cool breeze blowing in your hair.
‘Smaller than I remember’, Luke announced and he and Jace ran off. You stayed back for a moment taking in the scenery from atop the stairs. Knights and guards training their skills, a smith was working on creating new weaponry for the King’s Guard. A few ladies came by, enjoying their afternoon walk.
And that’s when you saw him. His feet swiftly moved as he fought Ser Criston Cole. A crowd had started to form around them, watching their every move. He grew, you thought to yourself. No resemblance to that young, hurt boy from when you still lived here. The boy, so desperate to have his own dragon, to prove himself, to rule even. And you, the firstborn daughter with no interest in any of the power or responsibility that was placed upon you.
You had always gotten along surprisingly well. Both feeling like outsiders that didn’t want the roles that you had to play. But you hated how cruel he was to your younger brothers. You couldn’t help but notice how handsome he was. He elegantly dodged Ser Criston’s attempts to hit him, his hair flowing in the wind with every move. He looked powerful and menacing. And his eyepatch only added to the mystery that seemed to surround him.
You smiled softly as you watched him and walked down the stairs to join the crowd. Luke and Jace were making their way through the folk watching the fight. They seemed intrigued. You figured they probably hadn’t noticed yet who this was. And just when you had caught up to them, standing right behind your brothers, Aemond pointed his sword to Ser Criston’s neck and the crowd applauded. A smirk covered your face, watching him being victorious over the man who had trained you both when you were younger. It was impressive, really. The last time you had tried to fight Ser Criston, you ended up with your head in the dirt.
‘Nephews. Have you come to train?’, his words brought you back to reality.
‘No’, you stated, looking him right in the eye, ‘but I have.’
This was the first time he noticed you. You could feel your heart skip a beat as he glanced at you. His eye glistened with recognition and you could see the faintest smile cover his face. It was barely noticeable, but you knew that deep down, he was excited to see you.
‘Princess Y/N. I could never harm a beautiful lady, such as yourself’, he mused and walked closer to you. You noticed your brothers hurriedly moving out of the way, desperately trying to avoid their uncle. But you were intrigued by him and his actions. You felt his gloved hand taking yours and he bowed slightly before you, bringing your hand up to his lips and leaving a soft kiss on your knuckles.
‘Harm me? I doubt you could, even if you tried’, you laugh. You knew he was stronger than you, and much quicker. Back in Dragonstone, you used to sometimes practise with your brothers, or even with Daemon. But all of that was harmless fun and Aemond’s reputation as a skilled swordsman preceded him.
‘Ser Criston, pass me your sword’, you commanded.
‘My lady, it would be improper…’, he responded, a worried look on his face.
‘You heard the princess. Give her the sword’, Aemond demanded without taking his eye off you.
Reluctantly, the knight stepped closer, passing his sword to you and taking a step back into the crowd. A cocky smirk formed on Aemond’s face as he turned around and walked a few steps ahead of you.
‘You know, princess, you can still…’, was all he managed to say before you elaborately turned, swinging your sword and bringing it down towards his shoulder.
For a mere moment, you could see surprise in your uncle’s eye, but he was quick. His sword found its way to meet yours, the sound of clinking metal engulfing you both. Aemond ducked under your arms, forcing you to turn and dodge his repeated attacks until you managed to spin around and dive out of his way.
You started feeling confident. And that was your mistake. As you charged at him, Aemond effortlessly grabbed your right wrist with his left hand, twisting it in a way that forced you to drop your sword. He then pulled you into him, your back firmly pressed against his chest and his arm wrapped around your waist. He kept holding onto your wrist, making sure to keep you in place before he slowly raised his sword to your neck, a triumphant grin covering his face.
Gently, Aemond leaned down until his lips were right next to your ear.
‘I believe, I win’, he whispered, only for you to hear and goosebumps ran down your spine.
‘Let me go’, you mutter back, frustrated at your loss and at how your body betrayed your stubborn mind.
‘Mmh, I don’t believe so. But perhaps I could be convinced.’
And with that he sheathed his sword and his grip on your wrist loosened, slowly turning you around to face him. Your bodies were inches apart from each other and he kept staring down at you, his eye patch making him more menacing than you could’ve ever imagined.
This was a game, you realised. He was playing with you and he loved every second of it. But you were not having it. So using the best weapon any woman had, you lifted your hands up to his shoulders and leaned forward, placing a gentle kiss on his cheek, just below his scar.
You could feel his body tense up and a small gasp exited his lips. He had not expected that. He was caught so off guard, that you could take a step back from him without any resistance.
‘I believe that should be a fair price for my freedom. Don’t you think so, my prince?’, you innocently batted your eyes at him.
He hummed slightly before looking around and becoming aware of the fact that all eyes were on you both.
‘Don’t you have anything better to do? Go. Leave us’, he growled and the crowd immediately dispersed, not wanting to anger their prince any more. You turned and saw your brothers walking away with the rest of the noblemen, giving you a worried look. You smiled, briefly letting them know that you would be okay.
And then you were all alone in the, otherwise so lively, courtyard.
‘It is good to see you again, Y/N’, Aemond leisurely stated. His demeanour had changed, now that you were alone. There was a warmth in his eye that not many people ever got to see. You were transported back to your childhood right away.
He was a small kid back then. Shy and easily scared. Aegon and your brothers would often mock him for this. But you had shown him kindness that he never fully understood. You had scolded your brothers and wacked Aegon over the head when they pulled that nasty prank with the pig. You had sat by his side after he lost his eye, holding his hand all night.
But then your ways parted. For years to come, you did not see each other or even speak. Having him stand in front of you felt like you were finally whole again. You were home.
Without wasting another word, you closed the gap between you two and wrapped your arms around his waist. He hesitated for a second, not fully processing what was happening before melting into your embrace and resting his arms on the small of your back.
‘I have missed you, Aemond’, you whispered and felt him resting his head on yours, a content hum escaping his lips.
But it didn’t take long for life to slowly return to the courtyard. Aemond might be the prince, but the servants still had jobs to do and needed the courtyard on their way in and out of the Red Keep. As the first people came walking by, you felt him tense up in your arms. He finally let go of you, taking a step back but motioning for you to come and follow him.
You strolled through the halls of the castle for a while, keeping distance between you as anything else would be considered improper. You noticed that Aemond was awfully quiet, his demeanour was cold, his jaw clenched. So you tried to break the silence between you.
‘You’ve grown rather skilled with the sword, my prince’, you looked up at him, trying to keep formalities in place, in case someone crossed your path.
‘Rather skilled’, he mocks you, sounding amused. ‘I could have killed you mere minutes ago’, Aemond declared, not bothering to look at you.
You sighed, ‘Aemond, you don’t have to act like this around me, you know?’
A flash of something dark appeared in his eye and he turned to you, his voice low. ‘Act like this?’, he spat, anger taking over as he pushed you into the wall. His arm across your chest and the weight of his body pressed against yours, keeping you firmly in place.
‘This is who I am’, he growled, ‘This is who I became after that bastard brother of yours took out my eye. After years of threats and insults. After you had left me. Nobody dares to cross me these days. They’re too afraid of Aemond One-Eye.’
His breathing was heavy and his eye filled with fury as he stared down at you. But you noticed something else. Deep down under all this anger, there was pain. You could see it in the way he looked at you. He was hurting and you wanted nothing more than to reach out and hold him. But he was stronger than you.
‘I am not scared of you’, you said patiently, hoping he would understand the full meaning behind your words.
A frustrated groan escaped his lips and he pushed himself off you, walking a few steps back. He was pacing through the corridor, annoyed with whatever was going on inside him, as you both heard footsteps approaching you.
‘My prince. Princess’, the knight bowed, ‘you’re both expected in the throne room. Petitions are already being heard.’
The man looked out of breath and Aemond let out a tired sigh.
‘Thank you, my lord. We’re on our way’, he told the guard and you both began moving right away.
While you hurried towards the throne room, you glanced at Aemond whenever you could. He was frustrated, but tried not to show it. His face was still frozen and he avoided even acknowledging your presence next to him at all. All closeness that you once shared had vanished as you both rushed down the long corridors.
Then finally, you had reached the great hall. Two guards pushed the doors open and you both stepped inside, side by side. It seemed that all hell had broken loose as soon as you entered the scene.
You could just about see Daemon pull out his sword and step up behind Vaemond who was shouting about your brothers being bastards. And then within the blink of an eye, he fell to the ground.
You let out a small shriek, as you watched Daemon behead him and immediately felt Aemond’s hand behind your back, pulling you into his chest and away from the scene. You were grateful for him protecting you from the sight, but started blushing at the sudden closeness to him. His fingers were buried in your hair and he kept you steadily in place. You noticed the faint scent of sandalwood and hints of patchouli engulfing you and couldn’t help but let out a content hum. Clearly, you weren’t very good at hiding it. He chuckled lightly when he noticed what you were doing. It was a rough sound, almost as if he hadn’t used it in years. And it had caught the attention of your families. All eyes were on you now.
Then with a swift move, he let you go and moved towards his mother and siblings.
‘I apologise for being late, mother. I escorted Princess Y/N on a walk through the castle’, he announced while moving towards Alicent with confident strides.
You could feel both your mother and the queen stare at you as you straightened your dress and slowly walked up to the throne. You stopped just behind Vaemond’s lifeless body and awkwardly curtsied before King Viserys, doing your best to ignore the gruesome sight in front of you.
After paying your respect to the king, you joined your family, standing behind your brothers, who were still both a little shorter than you. You could feel your mother’s eyes burning into your skin, but you decided it was best to ignore her for now and avoid any further attention.
Once everyone had settled down again, you continued to listen to the king reaffirming Lucerys as the rightful heir to Driftmark and watched him declare that the family shall dine together tonight.
Both your brothers tensed up at the news that they would have to spend their evening alongside the people who had insulted them their entire lives. You, on the other hand, felt a wave of excitement at the prospect of spending the whole evening with Aemond and glanced in his direction. His demeanour was still frozen when he followed his mother leaving the room, but you caught him throwing a brief glance at you as they walked past.
Not all hope was lost then, you thought to yourself. You were convinced that somewhere behind this arrogant shell, the kind boy you grew up with was still there.
Go to Chapter 2.
