Aemon Targaryen

-Chapter 127-

-1st day of the 11th moon of the year 301 AC-

-POV Laena Targaryen-

"Say papa, Viserys," said Aemon, sitting on the ground, playing with Viserys.

"Mama," cried Viserys joyfully before clapping his hands and laughing loudly.

Aemon rolled his eyes and said, trying unsuccessfully to hide his frustration after yet another failure:

"Well done, my son, I understand you know how to say mama, but now say Pa-Pa."

Viserys lost interest in his father's antics and started playing with the wooden toys Aemon had made himself, but the latter took the toys away from him and said, "Stop playing with those and listen to me."

Viserys frowned and puffed out his little cheeks, his eyes never leaving the wooden toys, but he didn't cry.

'He never cries with Aemon because he knows it's useless,' I thought, finding it slightly insensitive how Aemon had stopped caring about his son's tears when he threw tantrums.

I had quickly noticed that our son was very intelligent, as he behaved differently with his father and me.

'On the other hand, with me, he doesn't hesitate to cry his heart out if necessary, over the smallest thing,' I thought, observing my son's adorable little face.

'He's so beautiful,' I thought, restraining myself from getting up to play with his little cheeks.

After discussing it with Aemon's mother, she confided that during Aemon's early moons, she also noticed strange behaviors, but they were just expressions of his precocious intelligence, which would become evident in a few years.

"Say papa."

'Even if I'm sure she's right about Viserys, I'm not so sure she was right about that one,' I thought, watching Aemon muster all his strength to coax his son into saying that little word.

"Papa," I said to help Aemon, who looked like he was on the verge of madness.

"Ppppp…" said Viserys, trying to follow my example, encouraged by Aemon, who kept nodding his head.

I raised an eyebrow, wondering if the moment had finally come for Aemon.

'It was about time, after two moons of effort,' I thought, happy for him but mostly for myself, as he would finally move on to something else.

"Mama," Viserys suddenly shouted, surprising me and making me laugh.

Aemon fell backward and let out a long sigh as he said:

"Ohhhh… fine, I give up."

Viserys, spotting that his toys had left his father's grasp, rushed to retrieve them and continued playing in his corner.

Aemon shook his head, watching his son's antics, then pounced on him to tickle him, causing Viserys to burst into laughter as he tried to crawl away from his father.

"They seem to be having fun," said a voice that took me by surprise.

I turned around and was about to get up, as I had recognized my mother-in-law's voice, but she placed a hand on mine and said:

"You shouldn't get up in your condition."

I lowered my head without saying anything when she mentioned my "condition," as it really wasn't the right time for another pregnancy.

'I wouldn't have wanted another son so badly if I hadn't learned about Jeyne's,' I thought, placing a hand on my belly, which was much larger than Jeyne's even though she had fallen pregnant before me.

'For her, it was a good thing since she had nothing else to do, but for me, it puts us in a position of weakness,' I thought, as I had responsibilities.

"At least all of this will soon be over," she said.

'I'm not so sure,' I thought, as I shared Aemon's daily life and knew how deeply his grudges ran.

'Especially the one he holds against Daemon. Even though he doesn't consider him his father, it must have hurt him to know he was willing to fight against him.'

"At least no one has found out about my condition," I said, feeling pleased that no one had learned I was pregnant again.

'If they had, they would undoubtedly have taken advantage of it, and I refuse to believe that Daemon or Aemon would have held back for something as trivial in their eyes as the blood ties that bind them,' I thought.

"In the event of a battle, Aemon would never have borne sending you to the front lines. He wouldn't be able to bear losing you," said Rhea, understanding the reason for my relief.

Her words warmed my heart and made me smile because she knew my husband as well as I did.

'She knows him even better than I do. She's his mother, after all, and they were… they are very close,' I thought, correcting myself, for since Aemon had turned his back, for reasons unknown to me, on Willem's existence, they had rekindled a bond that, according to Gunthor, was even stronger than before.

'Which doesn't help Jeyne, whom Rhea hates,' I thought, slightly pleased, as I didn't like her either.

'I knew full well she was only interested in Aemon's power. She doesn't love him,' I thought.

"Hmmm," I murmured.

"What are you talking about?" Aemon asked, coming toward us with Viserys on his shoulders.

'He already looks over a year old, even though he hasn't even celebrated his first name day,' I thought, observing my gigantic little boy.

"We were just talking about you and your recent obsession," I said, smiling.

"It's not an obsession," Aemon replied grumpily.

I smiled because, contrary to my fears, over the past few moons, I was finding more and more of what had drawn me to him.

"Call it what you want—the fact that you're obsessed with our son calling you Pa-Pa," I said before laughing with Rhea, who smiled softly, not wanting to mock her son.

"You wouldn't understand anyway," Aemon said, unwilling to debate his obsessions with us since it made no sense.

'But it's cute,' I thought, finding that part of him endearing.

'I just fear it's the calm before the storm,' I thought.

"I need to talk to you for a bit, Aemon," Rhea said.

"Very well," Aemon replied, waiting for his mother to speak, but I quickly understood that I was not meant to be part of this conversation.

'It must have something to do with the sudden closeness between them,' I thought, not believing the rumors about Willem's unexpected departure.

'Aemon has had multiple opportunities to banish him and never did,' I told myself inwardly as I stood up.

Rhea remained silent, but before she could speak, I picked up Viserys in my arms and said:

"Let's go play; your papa and granny need to talk."

Viserys wrapped his arms around my neck and, looking at his grandmother, said:

"Granny."

"That, you can say, huh," Aemon grumbled, glaring at his son, who immediately buried his head in my neck.

I smiled and said as I walked away: "Leave him alone."

---

-POV Aemon Targaryen- 

"Did you receive a letter?" I asked my mother.

She nodded, relieving me of a burden because I absolutely needed the plan we had devised together to succeed entirely in breaking Viserys's spirit.

"Did you destroy it?" I asked, as no one could learn about its contents.

'That could cost us the success of our project,' I thought, slightly anxious.

"Hm," she replied, instantly reassuring me.

"The exile was an excellent idea. No one will look for him or invest heavily in his capture," I said to my mother, for it had been her suggestion.

By acting as I did, I had exposed myself to the swords of our enemies—too many swords. Viserys had managed to surprise me by mastering Vermithor.

'I must admit, I didn't see that coming,' I thought.

'Just like Larys's second betrayal,' I reminded myself, having confirmed that Larys was indeed a traitor now working with the Greens while securing his own position through his brother and his…

'Rhaenyra isn't even his sister-in-law,' I thought, recalling that Alysanne Targaryen was a bastard.

'That's what really cornered me. If I had been properly informed of all Viserys's movements, I might have been able to anticipate the rest and adapt… No, even if I had known, it would have led to a similar situation.'

"It wasn't an idea," my mother interrupted, breaking the thoughts forming in my mind.

I frowned, confused, and then she added by way of explanation:

"I truly intended to ask him to leave."

"So, if we hadn't had that discussion that day, he would be far away and would have stayed away from our family forever?" I asked her, to which she nodded.

"Do you regret calling on him?" she asked, for it had been a wish I had long desired to fulfill.

I frowned for a moment before finally shaking my head.

"If he succeeds in completing the mission I gave him, he will have fully earned his place in…"

'Our family,' I finished silently, paying no attention anymore to gossip or the reputation I might have.

'Despite the "friendships" that have formed over time, those who won't turn their backs on me reside in this castle,' I thought.

'One of the many lessons to take away from all this mess,' I reflected, thinking of the many mistakes that had brought us to this point.

'Luckily, I had Aegon,' I thought.

"In…?" my mother said, failing to suppress an amused smile.

"Don't twist the knife, you know exactly what I meant," I said, knowing she had understood but was simply teasing me.

My mother burst into laughter—a genuine laugh that deeply moved me.

'A laugh I hadn't heard in far too long,' I thought as she slipped her arm into the crook of mine.

When her laughter subsided, she said:

"Be ready for his return because he has completed his mission."

"When is the attack planned?" I asked, slightly impatient to reach that moment.

"The attack is scheduled for the first day of the new year. The ships will depart a day in advance to infiltrate the waters and seize the strongholds that might pose problems on the other islands. Daemon hasn't held back, apparently," she said, frowning slightly, worried about me.

'Of course, since I'm the one who advised him to build a fort on each island with scorpions. But I'm also the one who introduced him to the Braavosi architects,' I thought, barely suppressing a small smile.

"That's perfect. I will ensure they face no opposition," I said, confident in my plan.

My mother turned to me, hesitated for a few seconds, then asked softly:

"Are you sure this is what you want?"

"You feel sorry for Daemon," I said teasingly, making her roll her eyes.

She laughed softly, a hint of mockery in her tone, and said:

"I feel nothing but indifference for your father. But as I've told you many times, Daemon is still your father, and you're not only taking his kingdom but everything else as well."

"What else, besides his arrogance?" I said, not really asking the question, as I knew what I was about to do and that he would never forgive me.

"His new fleet, his pride, his reputation, his deal with Volantis, and… his son," she listed.

'He should have thought of that before trying pathetically to impose his authority on me,' I thought.

"I did well to keep spies in his court all these years, Mother," I said, crossing my arms behind my back.

"Why?" she asked.

"They confirmed something I already knew about my… father."

"What is that?" she asked, curious.

"He has never needed anyone but himself to lose his sons."