Family

On Tidepool Island, in Queen Alicent's room.

The firelight flickered in the hearth, casting shadows across Lord Hand Otto Hightower's tense face.

"Aemond! Do you know what you've done?" Lord Hand Otto's voice was tight with anger.

His daughter and grandson's actions left him feeling utterly helpless. This could ruin his plan to secure the throne for his daughter's eldest son, Aegon.

Queen Alicent silently dabbed at Aemond's wounds with a handkerchief as her father scolded him.

"Does it still hurt?" the Queen asked tenderly.

"No, Mother. With you here, it doesn't hurt," Aemond said softly.

Aemond turned to Lord Hand Otto. "And, Grandfather, I've already told you: I wasn't the one who blinded Jacaerys."

"Who would believe that?" Lord Hand Otto said gravely. "Even if it happened as you say, and Lucerys drew the dagger first, everyone there is saying you did it."

Silence spread through the room.

Aemond felt helpless. It was like having a mouthful of bitter herbs and being unable to complain.

"I believe you. I saw everything that happened, Aemond..." A gentle, timid voice spoke up.

Everyone turned toward her: Helaena Targaryen.

Queen Alicent's daughter, and Aemond's older sister by a year.

She was naturally stunning, innocent and pure.

Her silver hair fell like a waterfall to her waist, her violet eyes seemed to hold the stars, and she had inherited her mother's beauty. She was tall and fair-skinned.

Aemond looked at Helaena. Was this the sister his former self had always secretly loved?

Helaena noticed Aemond looking at her.

His hot, yearning gaze made her cheeks burn, and she quietly lowered her head.

"Helaena, were you there too?" Lord Hand Otto asked, somewhat surprised.

Queen Alicent looked just as incredulous. How could her gentle, lamb-like daughter have gotten involved in something like this?

"I... saw it in a dream..." Helaena lowered her head, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Lucerys was the one who drew the dagger first..."

At that, Otto covered his forehead and took a deep breath, utterly speechless.

Lord Hand Otto turned to his daughter, Queen Alicent.

Alicent said nothing.

Aemond understood. Helaena had the gift of being a Dreamer, able to see truths hidden from ordinary people.

Then an untimely snicker broke the silence.

"Pfft."

Everyone looked at Aegon, who had made the sound.

"If you ask me, they're right. A little brother who tried to murder his own kin."

"Besides, Aemond's always been a loner. He doesn't fit in, does he?"

Aegon looked at Aemond when he finished, but Aemond couldn't be bothered to respond.

Lord Hand Otto stared silently at Aegon. Sometimes, he truly wondered what on earth was going through his eldest grandson's head.

Lord Hand Otto struggled to resist the urge to slap some sense into him.

Queen Alicent glared at her eldest son, furious that he was siding with outsiders.

Aemond didn't care about what Aegon had said.

He knew his elder brother had been mocking and taunting his former self alongside Jacaerys and the others since they were children, telling him he didn't deserve to ride a dragon and was only fit to ride a pig...

At the thought, his former self's humiliation welled up again.

His own brother had teamed up with his nephews to bully and torment him, his own younger brother.

And now, when his former self had come to Tidepool Island for Lady Laena's funeral, he had actually naively hoped to play with Lucerys and the others...

Aegon had played a part in turning Aemond into a ruthless kinslayer.

Aegon didn't notice the looks everyone was giving him. He merely glanced at Aemond and the downcast Helaena, then spread his hands. "What did I ever do to deserve a brother like this?"

"And a freak of a sister..."

"Thump." Before he could finish, Aemond punched him hard in the face.

"You can mock me all you want. I don't care."

"But I won't let you talk about Helaena like that..." Aemond pointed at him, a murderous glint in his eyes.

Aegon took the punch and, furious, wanted to hit back. But when he saw the murderous violet eyes, his whole body stiffened.

Perhaps the younger brother before him wasn't someone he could bully whenever he pleased anymore...

Remembering what had happened that day, Aegon's cowardly nature made him hesitate, afraid his younger brother might do something extreme.

Helaena, who had kept her head lowered, looked up at Aemond standing up for her. She covered her mouth with one hand, her eyes shimmering.

Aegon didn't dare retaliate. He complained, "Mother, Grandfather, did you see that? This brat..."

"Smack!" Before he could finish, Queen Alicent slapped him across the face.

"Mother! Why did you hit me too?!" Aegon covered his cheek, his voice breaking.

That night, he hadn't done a thing, yet he'd been caught in a beating from both his mother and younger brother.

"They're your younger brother and sister! As the eldest, you should protect them. Instead, you're kicking them while they're down?" Queen Alicent scolded.

Then, in her fury, Alicent grabbed her eldest son Aegon by the collar.

"Where were you at the time?"

"Me?" Aegon was stunned.

Alicent slapped him again.

Aegon finally burst into tears. "Why did you hit me again?!"

"Where were you when your brother was surrounded by five people?" Alicent demanded.

"If you'd been there, you might have stopped this tragedy!"

She still spared her eldest son's dignity and didn't say anything about him being in a maid's bed.

Aegon didn't dare say another word, afraid his mother would slap him again.

Aemond watched coldly.

Aemond suddenly turned to look at his elder sister, Helaena.

Gratitude shone in Helaena's eyes as she looked at him.

But when she saw him looking back, she lowered her head again.

Lord Hand Otto broke the tense silence. "Aegon, I don't care what you think of your younger brother and sister."

"But remember, Aemond and Helaena are your closest kin."

"Whatever happens in the future, you must stand by their side."

Facing his grandfather's admonition, Aegon nodded vacantly.

Queen Alicent had calmed down as well and let go of his collar.

Just then, someone knocked softly on the door.

Otto furrowed his brow. "Come in."

The King's Attendant entered and said quietly, "My lord Hand, His Majesty has ordered everyone to gather in the hall."

Then the attendant leaned close and whispered a few words to Otto.

After listening, Otto's deeply furrowed brow relaxed a little.

Once the attendant had left, he said wearily, "That boy... isn't dead."

"Thank goodness..." Alicent breathed in relief.

Aemond said nothing, but he, too, felt relieved.

If Jacaerys had died, there would have been no way to undo what had happened.

Lord Hand Otto murmured bitterly, "But there will always be a price..."

"You all... had better prepare yourselves."

"Let's go." He pushed open the door.

Outside, Ser Criston Cole of the Kingsguard, a knight sworn to the Queen, lowered his head respectfully.

But his gaze flicked toward his student, Aemond, and a trace of barely perceptible approval crossed his eyes.

This prince had done what he wanted to do but hadn't dared: he had nearly killed that whore Rhaenyra's bastard.

Aemond noticed Cole's glance.

The man had once been Rhaenyra's Kingsguard, and he and Rhaenyra had shared a brief romance.

But love had turned to hate, twisting his mind long ago.

Aemond despised people like him, but had to admit that Cole was an indispensable champion of the Greens.

In another room.

Rhaenyra sat beside Jacaerys's bed, watching her son, whose left eye had been lost. The maester had just stitched up his wound, and tears streamed down her face.

Only Prince Daemon, Lord Corlys, and the children were in the room.

"Mother, it was all my fault..." Lucerys sobbed.

From her second son, Rhaenyra learned that Lucerys had drawn the dagger first, accidentally injuring his brother as a result.

She was burning with fury, but had nowhere to direct it...

What mother could bear something like this happening to her child?

"Mother... I don't want to be blind..." Jacaerys murmured in his sleep after drinking the milk of the poppy.

Rhaenyra could no longer hold back. Her tears flowed freely.

"Mother, beat me, execute me! I didn't want this to happen..." Lucerys wept bitterly.

The other children shed silent tears as well.

"This was Aemond's doing," Lord Corlys declared, setting the tone first.

Rhaenyra fell silent.

Even though she hated Alicent, her former friend who had climbed into her father's bed, the last of her conscience told her that Lucerys was responsible. Aemond bore some blame, but he wasn't the instigator.

Daemon saw her hesitation and said gravely, "The Greens must pay a price for this if we're to put it behind us."

Rhaenyra looked up at him, her eyes brimming with tears.

Daemon's heart tightened at the sight. He continued, "For instance, we could use this chance to strip the Greens of any claim to contest your right to the throne."

Corlys added the crucial point. "Rhaenyra, listen to us."

"We should use this incident to make the King reach a decision."

"Jae has already lost an eye. What we must do now is make sure he gets the throne."

"Don't forget, Vhagar has been tamed by Aemond. The Greens must pay a price for this..."

Hesitant, Rhaenyra finally nodded at those words.

This had nothing to do with her second son, Lucerys.

It had all started because Aemond had tamed Vhagar without permission, bringing about the situation they faced now.

Jae couldn't lose an eye for nothing. They might as well use this to secure his claim to the throne.

And Vhagar...

The oldest and largest dragon had now been tamed by Aemond.

Today, the Greens would have to compromise. They would have to pay for it.