Well hi there! Apologies for not being super active, was in the zone. Anywho, here's the winner for the previous poll:
She won by a landslide, both on Tumblr, and AO3. So enjoy this preview, and enjoy the chapter because its already up!
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She felt it: his hand resting against her belly, his fingers splayed as though cupping some hidden treasure. Something in her chest tightened, a memory itching at the edges of thought. That meant something. Something important. She just couldn’t remember what.
Her gaze drifted to her own hands. Bandages wrapped them near to the elbows, yellowed patches seeping through the linen. A bitter tang of herbs and salve stung her nose, and she swallowed hard.
“Where… where am I?” she croaked, trying to rise.
“No, no, no. Don’t get up,” Aemond urged, leaning close to coax her down. “You’re abed. You got hurt. Maester Orwyle prescribed you rest.”
“Orwyle?” she blinked against the brutal light. That wasn’t right. Gerardys was Dragonstone's Maester, not Orwylle. Orwylle was in… he was in... “What… why—”
“Shh. It’s nothing grave. You just have minor burns. You’ll heal.” His voice was quick but coaxing, that unusual softness still on his face.
Burns. The word rang strangely, as though weighted. She knew what that meant. She knew it mattered. But her head throbbed too fiercely to piece it together.
“I don’t… understand. Oh, why is it so bright in here. Everything… everything is so fuzzy… I can’t remember… I can’t…”
“You needn’t,” he murmured. “Just rest. You’re safe.”
“No… I…” She swallowed, panic pressing at her chest. “I must go. I have to find someone. Bring them back—”
“Lucera,” His grip on her was firm but not harsh.
But she could see them now. Images swimming through the haze—Arrax’s white wings cutting over open water. Ships with unfamiliar sails, colored in all shades of the rainbow. A red weirwood growing amid a frosted garden.
“I swear it by bronze and iron. I swear it by Ice and Fire,” a voice croaked and the unease wrapped around her throat.
“I have to go,” she mumbled, struggling upright, to swing her legs over the edge of the bed. “I have to—”
She staggered, her foot catching on the hem of her shift. It fit poorly, the laces pulling tight across her chest. It felt wrong. Everything was wrong. She wasn’t supposed to be here, she wasn’t supposed to be hurt. She had to find someone, bring them ashore. But she couldn’t remember, she couldn’t.
The moment she rose, the floor pitched beneath her. The edges of her vision blurred, her limbs going spongy. She hadn’t realized she’d crashed forward till strong arms caught her, steadying her upright.
“No, no, you can’t get up,” Aemond urged, pressing her to him. His scent enveloped her, steel and leather and smoke. “Grand Maester Orwyle forbade it. Your mind is still scrambled.”
Her head pounded, her neck stabbing when she tried to turn.
“Oh, my head hurts. Everything is so bright…”
“I know,” he said softly, guiding her back. “You were jostled in your saddle. It’s not severe, but you mustn’t strain yourself. You have to rest. Let the potions do their work.”
She pressed her face into his neck, trembling. Jostled? That made no sense. She'd always been a skilled flyer, and knew how to maneuver Arrax to touch down gracefully.
Somehow, she lacked he strength to argue. Aemond’s warmth wrapped around her like balm, strong and sturdy.
“Am I dreaming?” she whispered, burrowing deeper into his leathers. “Are you real? I don’t know, I can’t remember…”
What time was it? What year, what day? This chamber was familiar to her, she knew, but she could not, for the life of her, recall how she knew it.
“Yes,” he rasped, pressing his lips to her temple. “I came for you, remember? Like we promised.”
Her breath hitched. A strange calm spread through her chest, bidding drowsiness to assail her eyes.
“I missed you,” she murmured through a smile.
“I know.” His embrace tightened, his hand smoothing over her hair. “And I missed you too. So much.”
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NOTE: there we are kids, brand new nonsense! Enjoy it, and lmk your thoughts!
P.S: Sorry I haven't answered all the asks, but I'll get to them dw!
Feel free to check out the chapter here:
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
