Misspoken Words & A Mindless Curse
Brinaera’s POV
It seemed as if everything had gone to shit since Daemon, Rhaenyra and her sons came to the Red Keep, like a dog scratching at old wounds. Memories of the past returned, like the tides to shore on Blackwater Bay, and though mine weren’t especially horrible, didn’t mean that the memories in general weren’t unpleasant. It was like constantly tiptoeing on shards of broken glass and minding your tongue on every word.
I tried my hardest to keep my mind occupied from the memory of Aegon trying to have his way with me, and for the most part, I was succeeding. Despite it being only a few days ago, at certain moments I could feel his lingering touch and it made my skin crawl. But when I went to bed that night and was asleep in my bedchambers, I felt as if…. I wasn’t alone through the night, but they left before I awoke. But I knew it wasn’t Aegon. No, it wasn’t, yet the presence still felt masculine.
Tonight was the night we were all supposed to have a feast together: Myself, Aemond, Aegon, Helaena, Viserys, Alicent, Otto, Daemon, Rhaenyra, Baela, Rhaena, Jacaerys and Lucerys. I knew it would be a tense feast, but much like anything else, I had to grit my teeth, smile and power through it.
After Ursa was finished getting me dressed for the feast, I was escorted by Ser Criston Cole to the dining room, seeing all the faces so familiar to me and smiling at them all.
“Rhaenyra, Daemon, lovely to see the both of you again, you look well. And Baela, Rhaena, Jace, Luke…. You have all grown.”
I could see the awkward smiles from Rhaenyra’s sons and Daemon’s daughters, the pleased smile from Rhaenyra and the natural grin from Daemon. Although tension in the Targaryen family is tumultuous at best, the common census was that I was well liked, for the most part.
“Lady Brinaera, you look beautiful tonight. It’s been some time since we’ve seen you.”
I turn my head to look at Jace and slightly raise my brow, a small and cordial smile on my face. He wasn’t wrong, the last time I had seen any of Rhaenyra or Daemon’s children was that night in Driftmark. That very night Aemond lost his eye by Jace and Luke’s hands.
“Prince Jacaerys…. It has been some time indeed. As I said previously, you have all grown since we last saw each other in Driftmark.”
I could see the faint hue of pink spread across Jace’s cheeks and even the tips of his ears at my words, and hearing faint chuckles at the table. But as I went to take my seat at the table next to Aemond, I could see something slightly off with him. He looked tense, and his jaw looked tight, like he was clenching his teeth.
As the feast continued, with a few tense things occurring, such as Aegon giving Jace the talk, Helaena’s speech to Baela and Jace dancing with Helaena, nothing could’ve prepared me for what was about to occur next. Aemond put his fist down on the table and rose from his seat, raising his goblet.
“Final tribute. To the health of my nephews: Jace… Luke… and Joffrey. Each of them handsome, wise… hm… strong.”
I could feel my jaw slightly clench at Aemond’s words, knowing exactly what he was insinuating and trying to get at. I could feel my eye twitch slightly as I heard Alicent call Aemond’s name, as if it were a warning, but of course they fell on deaf ears. But of course, Aemond spoke once again, and all I could do is white knuckle grip my goblet, gulping down wine as this all played out.
“Come… let us drain our cups to these three…Strong boys.”
“I dare you to say that again.”
Aemond then turned his attention to Jace and spoke, walking towards him.
“Why? ‘Twas only a compliment.Do you not think yourself Strong?”
But of course, even more chaos erupted, Jace throwing a weak punch to Aemond’s face, Aegon pinning Luke down to the table and Aemond shoving Jace down to the ground before laughing and walking back to his seat. Alicent then walked up to Aemond and asked the question I couldn’t, feeling myself become angry.
“Why would you say such a thing before these people?”
“I was merely expressing how proud I am of my family, Mother.
Mm, though it seems my nephews aren’t quite as proud of theirs.”
After all of this mess, we were all instructed to go to our quarters and as I was heading to where my bedchambers were, I heard swift yet graceful footsteps behind me. Aemond.
“What is it you want, Aemond? Surely you made enough of a spectacle at the dinner table, no?”
Aemond soon caught up to me and placed a hand upon my shoulder, turning me around to face him. I could see some slight surprise in his single blue eye as he looked down at me, the irritation evident in my voice and my expression.
“Surely you aren’t upset with me for my toast to the health of my dear nephews.”
“You know perfectly well what you were doing, Aemond, do not play coy in this moment. It is ill fitting and unbecoming on you.”
I go to enter my bedchambers and of course, Aemond follows behind me, closing the door with a single swift movement. I sigh and go to the balcony as the pale moonlight illuminated the waters of Blackwater Bay, a slight cool breeze blowing through. Aemond strides over to me, placing a hand next to mine on the ledge of the balcony.
“You wouldn’t be upset with me over something so miniscule, would you opal… ?”
Seven Hells, there it was, that nickname… the special and prized nickname for me he had, only he could call me that and no one else. I gripped the ledge of the balcony until my knuckles whitened, not even bothering to look Aemond in the eye.
“You belittle them for their blood, something that they cannot help.”
“They are bastards, Brinaera, nothing more.”
I snapped my head up to look at him as I glared at him, my eyes narrowed as they became glossed over with tears of anger.
“And have you been so quick to forget that I am a bastard as well, Aemond…. ? Does that earn me the jesting and ridicule of everyone, most of all you as well…. ?”
Aemond just stared at me, his jaw clenched and teeth gnashing together as he failed to come up with words and excuses to veil the rising guilt forming that he would never admit to.
“I…. I have not forgotten, opal. Not once, but you are different from Jace and Luke, you did not tease me as children, nor scar me for the rest of my life. No, you…. ”
He moved one of his hands up to push some of my hair out of my face, the tips of his slender fingers grazing my cheekbone. The way he stared at me was a gaze I had seen from him a million times over, yet never failed to make me feel something I couldn;t quite place.
“You are different. You are kind and benevolent, you are patient and skilled in ways they could not hope to be. You are my friend, dear opal. And most importantly, you aren’t a threat to the Iron Throne.”
Just as I thought Aemond was being somewhat vulnerable, there was the comment that was the focal point of his words. I wasn’t a threat to the Iron Throne. I grabbed a hold of his hand and removed it from my face, looking away from him and to the moonlit waters of Blackwater Bay, speaking in a flat tone of voice.
“I don’t wish to speak anymore tonight, Aemond, you should retire to your chambers as well. Goodnight…. sapphire.”
Aemond said nothing, and after a couple moments of silence, he left my side and exited my bedchambers, closing the door behind me. I just moved to look down at my feet, my hand grabbing the dragon pendant of my necklace that Aemond had made for me on my thirteenth name day, biting my bottom lip as it trembled, tears rolling down my face.
Third Person POV
Aemond begrudgingly made his way to his bedchambers and closed the door behind him, making his way to his bed and just sat there, pondering Brinaera’s words. They swirled and echoed throughout his mind like a cacophony of guilt, gnawing away at him like a predator feasting on its prey. He sat there as the pale moonlight slightly trickled into his bedchambers, the faint sound of the Blackwater Bay waves crashing on shore in the distance. He fiddled with his fingers, slightly fidgeting as his dear friend’s words continued to play in his head. After a moment, he looked to the small table beside his bed and stared at a shell. A single shell, one that to anyone else would’ve been meaningless to anyone else, but to Aemond… to Aemond, it meant the world.
Brinaera had run from the lake close to the forest outside the confinements of Driftmark, as fast as her ten year old feet could take her. It was dusk and way past curfew, but she managed to make it inside before anyone could spot her. She made it into her chambers and sighed, her hair and feet a mess, her dress covered in mud and satchel full of gems, stones and shells.
As she sat her satchel down and changed out of her dirty dress into a clean sleeping gown, her door opened and showed Aemond as he closed the door behind him. His left eye gone and sewn shut, a scar on his face, one to remain for the rest of his life.
“Where have you been? Have you any idea what time it is?”
“I know Aemond, but I was just by the lake and I-”
Aemond walked up to the young Baratheon girl, his hands gripping her arms as he stared her straight in the eyes. He didn’t look exactly happy with his friend’s response.
“You were outside, at dusk, by yourself? Do you have any idea what could’ve happened to you? Gods, you’re so irresponsible sometimes….. ”
Brinaera started to sniffle slightly, as she didn’t like when her friend was upset with her. She reached into her satchel and pulled out a shell that had an opalescent nacre inside of it, one that glistened iridescently in the light.
“I…. I found this shell by the lake covered in mud. It was nice and I thought it was pretty and so I got it for you…. I cleaned it off and I want you to have it.”
Aemond tried to remain stoic and wanted to continue to scold his friend for being so careless, but he couldn’t bring himself to stay upset with her. He sighed and rolled his eye, grabbing the opal shell and holding it in his hand, his thumb running over the different textures of the shell. He let out a huff and wrapped his other arm around Brinaera’s neck, his hand on the back of her head and gingerly ruffling her hair.
“Thank you, raqiros… I appreciate your gift. Just don’t be stupid enough to go alone after curfew to get it.”
Brinaera just smiled happily yet sheepishly, nodding her head as a small laugh escaped her lips.
“I promise, ñuhys raqiros, I won’t. But now I think it’s best we retire for the night. I will see you in the morning…. sapphire.”
Aemond smiled small, but the first smile he had given since losing his eye. He went to the door of Brinaera’s chambers to leave before muttering a goodnight.
“I will see you in the morning…. opal.”
Aemond looked at the opalescent shell on the bedside table in fondness, a small ghost of a smile on his lips. Of course the both of them had been friends since Brinaera became a ward to his family at the age of three, but it was the moment she gave him that shell…. He knew that she would always be by his side no matter what. But in that moment during the feast as he gave his final tribute, his snub against his nephews was also a snub against the most important person to him.
He continued to fidget with his fingers as the thought plagued his mind like a sickness, cursing himself for being so prideful. Not because he cared that he insulted his nephews, but because he insulted her, and that was always the last thing he wanted to do. He decided that perhaps… Perhaps it was time to get some rest.
Throughout the night, he tossed and turned restlessly, unable to sleep adequately and muttering nonsense in his broken sleep. Many a nightmare plagued and haunted his mind, unable to escape or run away from them.
Aemond was a boy once again, that ten year old boy in Driftmark as he ran through a dimly lit cavern, with nothing but a flame lit torch. He kept running and running for what seemed like forever until his legs gave out. He kept begging and crying for help, for anyone… until he heard laughter, faint laughter that grew louder and closer. The flames gave enough light to see the laughing figures: Jacaerys, Lucerys, Baela, Rhaena and…. Brinaera… ?
“W-wait, Brinaera, ñuhys raqiros, please… opal, don’t do this.”
Brinaera could only continue to laugh, but it wasn’t that melodic, sweet sounding laugh that Aemond knew well, no… it was an evil, disgusting cackle.
“By the Seven, don’t you get it Aemond? This is your fault. All bastards are the same, right…. ? Ruthless, evil little brutes. Here, let me show you, sapphire…. ”
Everyone continued to laugh maniacally as Baela and Rhaena pinned Aemond’s arms down to the ground while Jace and Luke pinned his legs down. Brinaera then got close to Aemond’s face with a dagger and grinned, muttering to him.
“Ao lumie an, ñuhys raqiros…. ”
As the dagger came down on his eye, Aemond jolted awake in his bed, beads of sweat rolling down his face as he panted, his heart racing faster than a dragonrider in the sky. How could he dream of something so horrible? And why was Brinaera the one taking out his eye? She would never bring harm to him. Not once has she ever done something like that and she never, ever will.
Aemond turned his head to look at the opalescent shell on the bedside table and thought of every memory he had created with Brinaera thus far, feeling himself start to calm down. He laid back down in his bed and grabbed the shell, holding it in his hand and had it close to his chest, and as he started to fall back to sleep, he muttered one last thing.
“Goodnight…. jorrāeliarza…. ”