Confronting Aemond: Part 1-The former queen regent.
//It takes place after Aegon was burned to a crisp by his own brother. Ceryse was informed of Aemond's actions, especially the sacking of a whole village after his forced retreat from Dragonstone.
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Alicent grabbed Ceryse's arm and pulled her aside. The lady of Driftmark opened her eyes wide as she realized that the former queen regent had isolated her from the rest of the court. Alicent had always put some distance between the young woman and her. She disapproved of her father taking her hand, thinking that he was way too old for Ceryse and reliving her own trauma of being married to King Viserys. She disapproved of Ceryse's budding relationship with Aemond, thinking that it would be ill-advised to put the grandsire against the grandchild. Alicent felt some empathy for the Lady of Driftmark, but it was a limited one.
She could relate to the fact that Ceryse was betrothed to an older man. She could relate to the fact that to be protected from the wrath of the Blacks, she agreed to give up on her freedom. She could relate to the feeling of powerlessness that overwhelmed that young woman but it couldn't be more than that. Her sympathy for Ceryse couldn't take over the love and feeling of duty for her family. The Lady of Driftmark stroked her arm and pinched her lips together. Alicent looked at her, a worried expression plastered on her face and she pursed her lips together. It bothered her to see that Aemond seemed to respond better to the young woman than to his own mother. He was hostile to her approach, dismissive of her concerns and to top it off, she felt threatened by her own son.
"Do you think that you still have my son's ear, Ceryse? Do you think that you would be able to reach out to him?" -She asked. Ceryse pinched her lips together and tucked some hair behind her ear-
"I can certainly try. A lot has happened since we last had a conversation...Since he became King Regent. I don't know if he would entertain a conversation with me but I have to talk to him. I have to try."
"Ceryse.... I don't know much about your relationship with my son, but I do know that the Aemond he's become has little to do with the man you used to know. He is ruthless and I encourage you to thread carefully when you speak to him."
"I appreciate your concern, your grace." -Ceryse replied softly. Truth be told, she had no idea of how Aemond would react to seeing her. The situation was different from before. There was a suspicion of a deliberate attack on his brother Aegon and an attempt at the king's life. He recklessly attacked a village after Rhaenyra succeeded in recruiting new dragon riders among the bastards of the realm. Aemond seemed too far gone for a fair conversation with the lady of Driftmark, but she still wanted to talk to him. She needed to confront him with his contradictions- "But I think I know how to handle King Regent Aemond. I will be able to talk to him and I will make sure to know what motivates him because I suspect there is more than the duty to House Targaryen."
"Are you suggesting my son attempted on the king's life?" -Ceryse shook her head- "Then what are you saying? Speak truly, Ceryse!"
"There is resentment, this is true. I believe that you know about it already, your grace. There is resentment towards the king and frustration about the wrong-doings in his past. I do not understand some of his actions but I need to know what's in his heart. I need to know."
Alicent took a couple steps back and started to pick on her fingers. She pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head as she didn't agree with the young woman's plan. What would be different? Aemond refused to talk to his own mother, why would he talk to this woman? She nibbled on her bottom lip and stared at Ceryse from head to toe.
"I do not believe that my son would be willing to listen to anyone but himself. I commend you for trying, Ceryse, but I have a feeling that it will be fruitless. He removed me from the council!"
"Your grace, with all due respect, when was the last time you actually sat with your son and had a deep conversation?" -Alicent's eyes grew wide and she nearly jerked her arm toward the young woman She wanted to slap her face but refrained from doing so- "I figured that much. I know the man he is and like you so boldly said earlier on, I do have his ear."- Ceryse put her hand before her- "I need to see him, your grace, and I suspect you want me to be your messenger, so perhaps we should cut the chase and go straight to what you want me to tell him."
Alicent blushed and picked on her skin some more. She was flabbergasted because Ceryse was able to see right through her. Alicent was desperate for a way to reach out to her son. She needed to be able to talk to Aemond and have his attention rather than his contempt. It seemed to be an impossible task since he kicked her out of the council. He was angry and no matter what the former queen regent did, he seemed to wish to have nothing to do with her. She didn't know where this anger came from but suspected that it had to do with him wishing to be king and thinking he was better suited as a ruler than his brother Aegon. Perhaps it came from the day his nephews jumped him and took his eye and her failure as a mother to seek retribution for his loss.
Perhaps, it came from the lack of attention she gave him while he was growing up. Alicent was not maternal. She was not close to her children, preferring to give them to their wet nurses as soon as they were born. She was way too young to be a mother, way too inexperienced to eventually make the best decisions back then. A child was a duty and a mental burden to the young woman who saw their father's face whenever she set eyes on them. Deep down, she knew that Aemond resented her for being an absentee and cold mother. He resented her for giving most of her attention to her firstborn, barely noticing the other children she had except maybe for her only girl Helaena. It didn't occur to the fiery brunette that she might be at fault for her son's behavior. After all, why would she be? It was duty. It was the way things were, how you raised children.
"What makes you think that I have a message to tell my own son? I have not been banned from his sight, as far as I'm concerned." -She scuffed and picked on her fingers harder, drawing blood to her fingers. Ceryse noticed and gently put her hands on Alicent's, soothing the former queen regent.- "However... I would like for you to tell him that I still have his best interest at heart."
"I think he knows it already." -Ceryse's voice echoed through the walls and she removed her hands from Alicent's. She tucked some silver hair from behind her ear and nibbled on her bottom lip.- "I will give him your message because he might just need to hear it again." She fidgeted with her dress and looked right back at the queen. "I know you do not trust me, somehow I can still feel it in the way you look at me. I am not trying to replace you, your grace, but the King Regent and I care about each other. I care about him and this is why I must talk to him."
"Thread carefully...Aemond has been restless since he retreated from Dragonstone, so you should choose your words, Ceryse." -She decided to ignore the lady of Drfitmark's claim that she didn't like her or felt threatened. She sighed and brought her hand to Ceryse's cheek.- "I have to visit the king. I do not know if you're safe in the castle now that my Father is gone, but he gave you his word that nothing would happen to you, so I shall make sure to keep his word. If you ever need protection, come to me, at any moment."
And with that said, Alicent walked away from the young woman who put her hand over her chest. Her breathing was labored and she could feel her cheeks burn from the stress induced by the conversation with the former queen. For a moment, her resolve faltered as she wasn't sure that seeing Aemond when he was a little unhinged and pressed was a good decision on her part. She wasn't sure that he would truly listen to her but she had to try, didn't she? She had to try and reach out to him and see what was going on with him. She prayed to the seven gods to give her some strength and brought her thumb to her lips. Would they answer her prayers or would they reject them? She tip-toed towards the door and knocked on the door.
Knock... knock... knock...
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