#rhaynera

Aemond remembered seeing the little scratch marks on her left thigh that hadn't been put there by him. If he moved the collar of her dress, he would see the mark on her neck and each mark he saw upon her skin made him think back to last night.

If he tried hard enough, Aemond could still hear those shrill screams and the way his name tore from his wife's lips like he had never heard before and never wanted to hear again. When he closed his eyes he could see her laid on the floor, face wet with tears and her body shaking from fear.

No one had the right to scare her like that or to even touch her precious skin and Aemond wanted justice. If he hadn't of been coming back to the room when he did, things could have been a lot worse and Aemond didn't want to think or speculate what would have happened if his nephew had had his way with (Y/n). He couldn't get away with that.

"He tried to hurt you. I didn't care that he bore the consequence of taking my eye but by the Gods I'll have him get comeuppance for what he did to you."

At the time, Aemond had felt such a burning rage in him that he had been the one to lose an eye and be permanently scarred and disfigured for life. It ignited a passion in him that his father could have ignored his injury and didn't even bother to find justice like his mother had begged and pleaded for. He had felt so proud of his mother when she tried to take justice for him with her own hand, damned of the consequence it would have for her.

He had quelled his burning rage with the knowledge that he had gained a dragon. Aemond had the hold on the most powerful dragon in the realm that his nephews and cousins didn't dare claim themselves. The dragon was payment for his eye and it was enough.

But this time it would be different.

Nothing Jace could say would dull the burning rage inside Aemond for him trying to attack (Y/n). Aemond would see justice for his wife or he would go and get it himself.

"He gets one chance at facing the consequences or I'll take my revenge myself and not even you will stop me, my love." His words were so heartfelt and endearing and (Y/n) knew she couldn't say anything to that, not just yet. She might be able to calm him down soon and stop him from doing anything rash but she wasn't going to win that argument right now, she would bide her time and see what happened in the meantime.

Aemond was being fair to Jace right now and (Y/n) was proud of him for that. She had managed to stop him from seeking Jace out in the dead of night by telling her husband she didn't want to be left alone and it was true, (Y/n) only felt safe when Aemond's arms were around her.

In the early hours of the morning Aemond had gone to his mother and told her he wanted a meeting with everyone in the great hall and this was him giving Jace a chance. If no one on the council would give Aemond the justice he was seeking then he would take to the shadows and claim it for himself later. He was being the bigger man and seeking justice the fair way when he didn't have to. It was for (Y/n)'s sake more than anyone elses, he wouldn't have her feeling guilty for anything and that meant Aemond had to go through the proper channel first.

"Thank you." (Y/n) murmured the words against Aemond's neck, drinking in his scent when he kissed her forehead again before he wrapped his arm securely around her waist and guided her into the hall.

As he'd asked, everyone began to filter into the room. His mother, grandfather Otto and siblings were stood to one side near the iron throne, his father, surprisingly, was sat on the throne although he wasn't going to be much use here. And Rhaneyra, Daemon, Jace and Luke were on the other side of the throne with the council members behind them.

(Y/n) felt herself beginning to shake when they walked into the room. She let Aemond guide her over to his family and his hand tightened on her hip to try and calm her down because he knew this wasn't going to be easy. His wife was a spirited but shy bird and this was going to put her in the middle of an argument.

A half smile pulled nervously at (Y/n)'s lips when Alicent reached out and looped an arm through her own, pulling (Y/n) to her side for comfort. Aemond was closer to his mother than anyone so he had told her this morning what had happened. He knew she would have his back and support him if no one else here would.

"Okay, now we're all here, can someone tell us why we have been gathered this early in the morning?" Otto wore a smile that was uneasy as he stood closer to the throne than anyone else. He didn't like not knowing what was going on.

Aemond squeezed (Y/n)'s hip one last time before he took a few steps away from her so he was stood in the middle of the room. He had to be the one to speak, he couldn't let his mother handle this one for him and he wasn't going to have (Y/n) speak and get interrogated. Everything directed to her would go through him first.

"I doubt Jace has told anyone what he's done, so I will." Aemond let his eye linger on his half sister and he soaked up her confusion like a good wine because he knew she was going to defend her brute of a son. "He tried to take advantage of my wife last night. I found him pinning her to the floor by her neck while she screamed and begged him to let her go. I know Jace doesn't understand that actions have consequences because anything he does goes unnoticed, but if my wife doesn't get justice for what he did, then I will for her."

Aemond kept his arms held behind his back with his nails digging into his palms so badly he knew they would be bleeding soon. It was going to be almost funny to see what kind of 'justice' his father and half sister were going to come up with. Jace was made of gold to them but of mud and spit in Aemond and his family's eyes. If he got let off without so much as a scratch, it would be made clear that Aemond wouldn't let him go so easily.

"Is this true, (Y/n)?"

"Of course it's true. How do you think he got such a pretty little mark on his face?"

Aemond tilted his head sharply to the side, narrowing his eye at his father who dared even think this was a lie, let alone suggest it. Overnight Jace's broken nose had become swollen and discoloured and the wound on his cheek made by Aemond had been stitched up and now made half of his face swollen.

"Oh, Jace." Rhaneyra looked like she wanted to slap him for this like Alicent usually did whenever Aegon did something so stupid that came wikth vile consequences. But all she did was grip his shoulder tightly and pull him closer to her like he was seven years old again. She couldn't keep protecting him forever, he had to face up to what he was doing with his life and he had to grow up soon.

"Well, husband. What do you suggest? The boy needs some sort of punishment for this." Alicent gave her ailing husband a very sharp look whilst she patted (Y/n)'s arm and held her tight. She would not let her husband be walked all over by Rhaneyra again like he did six years ago.

This was going to be different.

"He can make a formal apology to (Y/n), in front of the council."

If Rhaynera's suggestion wasn't comical enough, the room fell silent when an awful cackle left Aemond's lips and his head tilted back like he just heard the funniest joke in the world. His expression was a mix of burning rage and passion spawn from love when he took a sweeping look around the room.

"Dear sister, if I tried to force myself on you and then said sorry, would you forgive me so easily?"

Aemond took a daring step towards his sister and smiled brightly with excitement when Daemon moved to stand in front of his lady wife for protection as if Aemond would carry out his insinuation. He liked having control of the room like this, even his old useless father didn't know what to say or what he was supposed to do anymore. Aemond was the one with a hand full of aces and he was going to control what happened now.

"Well what do you suggest?" Rhaynera snapped back but it was clear she didn't really want the answer to her question.

"I'd take his hand as payment." Aemond muttered the words under his breath but it was clear a few people heard what he said.

"Aemond, please." Alicent moved towards Aemond but he shook his head with an almost broken look. His mother couldn't calm him down from this stage and she couldn't dare tell him to try and be reasonable because it wasn't going to wash.

His wife had been man-handled last night and if he did appear she could have been seriously hurt and scarred. If Jace could walk around doing that to every maiden he saw then no one here was going to be safe and if he got away with this then he would likely do it again. It wasn't enough to say sorry. It wasn't enough to admit last night that if he knew (Y/n) was married to Aemond he wouldn't have gone near her. It shouldn't matter who her husband was, she said no to him and he should have left her alone.

A sudden smile broke out on Aemond's face and he looked almost possessed when he turned on his heels and faced his father, eye to eye.

"Six years ago when I lost my eye, you declared anyone that called her children bastards would have their tongues cut out." He pressed a finger to his chin before he turned to face Jace and Rhaynera. "And my wife told me you had the nerve to call her a prostitute before you pinned her to the floor by her throat. I shall like your tongue as payment."

A chill ran down (Y/n)'s spine and she felt Alicent stiffen beside her but she couldn't hide the pride from slipping onto her face and nor could (Y/n). Aemond was in his element here and his power made (Y/n)'s heart flutter in her chest like a bird trying to be set free. Her husband was doing this for her, he was unsettling everyone, asserting his power and dominance and making sure that she would be safe and that what happened to her wouldn't go unpunished.

"You will not take his tongue-" Rhaynera pulled Jace closer to her but she could barely breathe, afraid her brother would actually try and go through with his threat.

"Then how about I castrate him?!"

Aemond's voice deepened an octave and he bellowed the words out until they almost burst his eardrums and clattered against the stone walls. He wanted justice and he wanted it now! He had lost his fucking eye, he had been singled out and picked on all his life and now his wife was being hurt. With the Gods as his witness he was going to have some sort of payment as collateral damage and he was going to have it now!

"He's already been hurt enough, you will not hurt him any further."

"No, no. My wife broke his nose when he didn't cease his assault on her and I made a small cut to his face to get him off her, that isn't being hurt enough. If I could lose an eye over being strong enough to claim a dragon, he can certainly lose an eye, a tongue, a hand or his bollocks for attacking what is most dear to me."

Jace had been hurt when he didn't stop trying to force himself on (Y/n), she had hurt him to get him off her. That was not payment for what he did, it was the proof of a struggle. He had his cheek cut when Aemond had been blind with fury after having to heave him off his wife. That too was not payment but part and price of the struggle.

He was going to lose something and Aemond would be sure of it.

"Viserys, you didn't protect Aemond when he lost his eye and there was no comeuppence for that, no eye for an eye. Jace cannot get away with this again, disinherit him if you will-"

"Enough!" The King's voice was not nearly as powerful as what it used to be years ago but everyone stayed quiet nonetheless. "There shall be no limbs lost here. The boy will be bannished from Kings Landing for two years and when the Gods claim me, he shall have no inheritance."

He was still in line for the throne, he still had his eye and his bollocks in tact. Aemond wanted more than forcing him to stay at home under house arrest and making him stay dependant on his mother for longer than this. He wanted his tongue seared off by a hot knife, he wanted his balls castrated in front of the towns folk. Aemond wanted his hand chopped off so he couldn't force it up another woman's skirt.

"Father, please! There's no proof he did this-"

"Proof? You dare call my wife a liar and ignore that your son is a brute? How about I slice that pretty little neck of yours and then you can ask him whether he's responsible or not."

In the space of two seconds, Aemond seemed to fly across the room to stand in front of Rhaynera. He grabbed her by her hair to tilt her head back and held the side of his blade against her neck harsh enough to make it harder to breathe but not enough to draw blood. No one seemed to see him move until he was in front of her and no one dared move in case he hurt her.

No one got away with calling (Y/n) a liar.

"Release her!"

"Aemond that's enough now!"

For once, Alicent stayed put where she was. Aemond had done the right thing to ask for justice instead of seeking it out for himself and she wasn't going to stop him from demanding it when he deserved it. She held her head high whilst Aegon wore a smile next to her.

Aemond almost dug the blade into her skin, almost. But when he felt familiar hands on his shoulders and a head pressing into his back between his shoulder blades, his frame loosened. He could feel (Y/n) whispering into his back, asking him to stop, telling him that it was okay and he had done enough for her now. He swore he heard her say she was proud of him and that little phrase made his blade drop to his side and he backed up into her embrace.

Saying nothing, Aemond turned on his heels, wrapped his arms around (Y/n) and walked her out of the room, leaving everyone stunned into silence.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Aemond, where have you been?"

A smile spread across (Y/n)'s lips when the chamber door opened and she rushed off the sofa to meet her husband at the door just as he walked in. He had his cloack buttoned up around his neck and the hood pulled over his head which in a way was rather sexy.

He barely had chance to pull the hood down before his wife was in his arms and a smile was instantly on his lips. Aemond pressed his lips against (Y/n)'s temple, breathing in her scent while he held her by her hips and pulled her against him. He had been out longer than he had planned and he felt bad, he knew (Y/n) wouldn't leave the room alone anymore without him or his mother there by her side.

"Hello sweetheart."

He discarded the cloak from his shoulders before his fingers danced down (Y/n)'s hips and moved to the back of her thighs to pick her up, earning a squeak of surprise from her and she smiled against his lips. Her hands cupped his face and pulled him closer while he walked into the room and set her down on her back on the bed.

"Are you hurt?" The question took Aemond by surprise and he pulled up for a moment, mentally checked over himself, wondering why (Y/n) would ask such a question. But his mind cleared up when (Y/n)'s delicate finger brushed over his pointed chin and she rubbed a bit of blood away. "What's happened?"

"Nothing, my love-"

"Aemond, tell me what's happened?" (Y/n) could barely get the words out and as soon as she said them she nearly forgot them when he kissed her so hard and deep that her mind started to spin. She fell on her back on the bed again with Aemond's weight resting over her and his lips hungrily devouring her neck making her stomach twist in delightful knots.

A murmur of delight left (Y/n)'s lips when she felt his lips travel further down her skin and his hands expertly undid the lace at the front of her dress which let the fabric loosen and drop around her sides.

The faint sound of a scream barely made it into the room and (Y/n) opened her eyes at the noise to come face to face with such a look of love she had never seen before. She cupped his cheeks once again, smoothing her thumbs over his prominent cheekbones before he kissed her, his teeth nipping at her lower lip. "What did you do?" Her words were so sensual and full of lust that it made Aemond groan and jerk his hips into her.

"Let's just say that Jace won't be able to have this kind of fun anymore."

A bolt of fear mixed with dumbfounded surprise swirled in (Y/n)'s stomach before Aemond's kisses left her mind blank and subdued to his love.

There was no way Aemond would let Jace get away with what he had done, deep down (Y/n) knew that and she knew at some point he would do something. But right now, she couldn't care less what her husband had done because whatever he did showed how madly in love with her he was and how all he wanted to do was protect her.