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“The fact remains you still need to produce a male heir, my King,” Larys told him. He leaned in close and spoke in an almost whisper despite them being alone in Aegon’s quarters. “You’ve been married for nearly a full season now and Lucerys shows no signs of being with child.”
That’s because they hadn’t attempted to sleep together since their disastrous wedding night, Aegon thought bitterly. Since his fall, his body had been in one of two modes. Chronic aching pain when he was sober, or blissfully numb after a dose of milk of the poppy. When it came time to consummate, Aegon had to endure the humiliation of Lucerys trying to work with his soft cock while his council watched on.
“You know of my situation,” Aegon said, because Larys had been there as well. “Don’t I have a bastard somewhere we can bring in?”
“A child raised in fighting pits is not suitable for the throne, my King,” Larys said, admonishing. “Even if we could find one that survived the experience in both body and mind.”
“What about Rhaenyra’s boy? The other Aegon presented as an Alpha recently. Write a letter to Pentos and send for him.”
“It is an option, but naming one of Rhaenyra’s heirs as your own would only weaken your claim, my King. I wouldn’t recommend it.”
Aegon sighed explosively. He was sure it was beyond time for his next dose. “Then what do you suggest?”
“A simple solution,” Larys said. “Lucerys needs to be seen pregnant, and you need an heir that is indisputably yours. Aemond shares the same lineage as you. If he were willing to give a simple…gift to the throne, it would solve the dilemma we find ourselves in.”
Aegon closed his eyes.
--
When Aemond had forsaken his own engagement in order to pledge himself as a Kingsguard, it was seen as an act of self-sacrifice. His own chance at family and happiness left behind for the crown. Aegon had known from the moment the council arranged for him and Lucerys to wed that he would not be able to send Aemond away to Dragonstone like he would have liked.
Lucerys had no one to give him away so Aemond had walked him down the aisle. Aegon had stood at the end on shaking legs, exhausted and in pain before the ceremony even began. He had watched the way Aemond only looked away from Lucerys once. It was at the very end of their march, right before the hand off. Aemond turned his head away from Lucerys and looked right at Aegon. It was the same look he’d given Aegon when he asked him what he remembered from his fall. It was a look that told him he was treading on rocky ground, and that he must go forward carefully. It was a look that still haunted Aegon nearly every night.
--
Lucerys accepted the news the same way he had accepted everything since his mother had been executed, with a cool indifference. Aegon had expected as much, but still delivered the news to him privately in case Lucerys needed a moment to process.
“You want your brother to fuck an heir into me,” Lucerys said when Aegon had said his piece. He sounded bored. He sat with perfect posture in the chair beside Aegon’s bed where he took most guests these days. His wardrobe had been mostly black since the wedding and today was no different. His skin was pale. The sun was scarce these days from the winter season. He looked like a beautiful ghost haunting Aegon’s room.
“He wouldn’t fuck you,” Aegon clarified. “He is merely going to insert himself enough so that when he finishes the seed goes to…to where it needs to.”
“I see.”
“Aemond has agreed to behave,” Aegon said. And had sworn to secrecy about the entire process. “But I’ll be there the entire time to make sure he stays true to his word.”
Lucerys said, his words biting with sarcasm, “That makes me feel reassured, my King. Thank you.”
--
Lucerys had been Aegon’s favorite, once. Jace and Aemond had both been too serious for Aegon, but Lucerys had understood Aegon’s sense of humor right away. He matched his mischief with more mischief and his laugh had echoed in Aegon’s ears long after they had stopped playing together.
Lucerys hadn’t had a reason to smile in a long time, let alone laugh.
--
It went like this; Aegon situated in a lounging chair facing his bed. The sheets had been changed and made fresh. It was dark out, as they had to wait until most of the castle went to sleep, and the room was warmly lit with candles. Aegon had his balcony door open, letting a cool breeze in.
Aemond arrived first, his cloak sweeping behind him. He ignored Aegon at first, casting his gaze around the room. He had the air of a predator looking for prey that hadn’t arrived yet. Only when Aemond had realized it was just the two of them there did the predator pin Aegon with his gaze.
Aegon cleared his throat and fought to maintain eye contact. Despite what he said, he had not forgotten that it was Aemond who broke his body so. “You don’t have to look so smug.”
“Don’t I?” Aemond drawled. “It is an honor to be able to serve my King.”
“You’ll be serving it with your hand,” Aegon reminded him. “I’ll not have you fuck him.”
“I was aware of your terms when I agreed to the request,” Aemond said. “Where is he?”
“Probably bracing himself to be in close quarters with you, I’d gather,” Aegon said. He might have been the one that put Lucerys’s mother to death, but Aemond had started it all the night he’d killed Arrax and captured Lucerys.
“He should know it won’t be worse than his wedding night at any rate,” Aemond said cooly.
Aegon flushed and clenched his fist, feeling an ache there as Aemond began removing his armor. He’d removed his sword, cloak, and boots before the doors swung upon and Lucerys walked in the room.
He was dressed in black as usual, a long billowing tunic and tight leggings underneath. He’d switched his normal boots for slippers meaning he’d gotten ready for bed before coming here. Aegon wondered if he meant to stay the night after Aemond left them. They hadn’t shared a room before.
Lucerys’s gaze briefly caught on Aemond as he was removing his gauntlets before it bounced away, as if skittish, back to Aegon. “My King,” he greeted softly.
“Lucerys,” Aegon began.
“Did you take the draught?” Aemond cut in.
Lucerys turned away from Aegon and looked to Aemond. “I did,” he said. The cool tone of his voice lifted slightly, making his words sharp.
Aemond nodded. “Very well. Get undressed and on the bed.”
“No,” Aegon said. Both of them turned to face him once more. Lucerys’s gaze was bored, and Aemond’s…Aegon swallowed around a dry throat. “I’ll not have my mate bare before another. Pants only. Leave the tunic on.”
“Yes, my King.” Lucerys spoke for both of them. His tunic was long enough to cover himself to mid-thigh as he stepped out of his pants and slippers. Aegon caught teasing glimpses of skin as he crawled up on the bed and the tunic shifted around his thigh. Once he was on the bed, he sat on his knees and asked, without looking at either of them, “How should I lay?”
Aegon paused and hated himself when he looked to Aemond to reply. Aemond walked up to the edge of the bed. He said, “Presenting has always been a sure method to ensure the seed takes.”
It was also not at all as clinical as Aegon would like this to be, but he had to agree Aemond had a point. The less times they had to do this, the better. Lucerys must have had no objections because he turned and pressed his chest into the mattress, keeping his hips up.
Aemond and Aegon both took the same shuddering breath. Aegon couldn’t see Lucerys the way Aemond could from his chair, but he remembered the glimpses of Lucerys he’d seen on their wedding night, and could only imagine it was just as lovely.
When Aemond crawled on the bed, he let his hand wander, sliding it up Lucerys’s thigh and sneaking it under his tunic to rest on his hip. Lucerys had jumped, likely surprised by the sudden touch. Aegon watched him for any sign of discomfort, but Lucerys only shifted slightly before relaxing into a deeper arch.
Aegon thought Aemond froze there and was about to ask what was taking him to slow when Lucerys sucked in a sharp breath suddenly, his brows drawing together. Aegon frowned, Aemond hadn’t taking himself out yet and one of his hands was still clutching Lucerys’s hips, but the other.
“I didn’t say you could touch him.” Aegon said sharply. Aemond’s hand, the one that had snuck between Lucerys’s legs without permission did not pause. “ Aemond !”
“He isn’t wet,” Aemond said, in a tone that should have been reserved for a young child. “I’m assuming you don’t have any oil either.” The unspoken, since you have no need for it, was loud.
Irritated, Aegon said, “What’s it matter? He doesn’t need to be wet for it to take.”
Lucerys made a low sound and Aegon looked back to him in time to see a hurt expression cross his face before he buried his head in one of Aegon’s pillows. Aegon fell silent and saw a smirk cross Aemond’s face, where only he could see. He caught Aegon’s look and raised a brow, as if to say, your move.
Aegon had only played Cyvasse with Aemond a handful of times when they were growing up, each time Aemond had wiped the board with him in only a few moves and destroyed Aegon’s confidence in strategy games. This felt all too similar to that.
“Whatever,” he gruffed. “Just get on with it.”
It wasn’t like Lucerys would hate him more than he already did. The knowledge that Lucerys hated Aemond just as much, if not more, was a small comfort.
He averted his eyes from Aemond as he pulled himself out of his pants and shuffled up to Lucerys. There, Aemond paused, watching where Lucerys still had his face hidden. He leaned forward over Lucerys and put his mouth near Lucerys’s ear. There he began whispering things Aegon had no chance of hearing from his chair. He could see Aemond’s hand moving over Lucerys’s hip, petting it as if to soothe.
After nearly a minute of this, Lucerys turned his face away from the pillow so Aegon could see it again, even if he kept his eyes lowered, not looking over at Aegon. Aemond grinned, an expression of triumph on his face as he rose back up and lined himself up.
Aegon regretted making them wear clothes then, because he suddenly very much wanted to see Lucerys be breached, even if it was his own brother doing it. Lucerys’s tunic provided the perfect blanket for it though, and Aegon could only tell Aemond was actually inside by the low noise that both of them made.
Lucerys’s eyes had gone wide, his mouth forming a silent oh . Aemond’s hand on his hip was punishing, veins in his wrist showing as he shuffled into a better position, his hips twitching. Aegon waited likely too long to speak up, shocked somehow by Aemond’s daring, “That’s enough,” he ordered. “Use your hand. You don’t need to move other than that.”
Aemond sighed. “You’re the one that wanted us to keep our clothes on. They’ll get in the way if I do it that way.”
“You’re such a liar,” Aegon said. “I won’t-”
“Aegon,” Lucerys said loud enough to shut him up. “Just let him do what he needs to and we can be done with it.”
Aegon stared at his mate, feeling a childish since of betrayal from him. Aegon was protecting Lucerys’s pride as well as his own. Couldn’t he see that? Lucerys was watching him with an unreadable expression on his face. Despite the breeze there were a light scene of sweat across his face. Aegon watched as a bead formed and dripped down the side of his neck.
“Fine,” he said.
Aemond had merely been waiting for his go ahead. He thrust into Lucerys in a way that immediately showed how much he’d been holding back before. Lucerys wailed into the sheets, and Aemond laughed at him.
“What’s the matter, taoba? Not used to this?”
Aegon wasn’t sure what the point of the question was, Aemond certainly didn’t slow his pace down to allow him to respond. It didn’t look like Lucerys had heard the question. His eyes were comically wide and he was making little punched out sounds.
Aegon had watched other people fuck before, but it wasn’t anything like this. Lucerys had made no such sounds on their wedding night, not even when the combination of Aegon’s soft cock and Lucerys’s guiding fingers had managed to tear his maidenhood.
“You…you shouldn’t refer to him with such familiarity,” Aegon said weakly.
“Very well,” Aemond said. He wasn’t even out of breath. “Is my cock filling you better than you’ve ever had before, my queen?”
“Aemond,” Lucerys’s own cry drowned out Aegon’s own curse of Aemond’s name. He slapped his hand over his mouth after, biting down on his knuckles to do a poor job of muffling the sounds he made.
Aemond hooked both hands on Lucerys’s hips and began hitching Lucerys back to meet each of his thrusts. Wet noises filled the room, sharp little omega cries, and low satisfied alpha grunts all the while Aegon sat stiff and silent in his chair.
“Have you ever taken a knot, Luke?”
“Don’t,” Aegon snapped.
Lucerys sobbed and pulled his fist away from his mouth to say, “Please, please, please.”
“I know you’ve been craving one, you poor thing.” Aemond leaned forward, chest to back with Lucerys. “All those heats you’ve spent alone and unsatisfied. All the times I listened to you cry out for me without being able to answer.”
What?
It was as if they were the only two in the room. Lucerys’s eyes were filled with tears, but Aegon knew better from scent alone that it wasn’t from upset, more like he was filled with pleasure. He twisted his head to look up at Aemond. “Gave me your cloak,” he said sweetly.
For a second Aemond’s expression became vulnerable. “I wasn’t sure you remembered,” he said. “Did it help?”
“Not enough. Not like…” Lucerys trailed off and rocked back against Aemond on his own this time.
“I know. I know exactly what you need. I’ll-”
“Enough,” Aegon roared. “Get off him. Get out.”
Lucerys actually jumped in Aemond’s arms and stared at Aegon in horror like he had forgotten Aegon was in the room. Aemond’s expression was as still as stone.
“Knotting is almost a sure way to-”
“Shut up! Shut up,” Aegon snapped. He tried to push himself up and fell back right away as pain coursed through him. He wheezed and slumped back in his chair. “You think I’m an idiot? You think I cannot see what’s happening here? Leave, Aemond.”
“No.”
Aegon snarled at him. “I’ll call the guards-”
“ I am your guard ,” Aemond said, raising his voice for the first time that night. “And it is my seed who will give you your heir if you’d be quiet long enough to allow it. You’re lucky I didn’t make you beg me to knot your own mate and breed him. You’re lucky if I don’t make you thank me.”
He seemed to have more to say but was stopped when Lucerys placed his hand over Aemond’s. They shared a silent look before Lucerys turned to Aegon.
“It’s alright. I don’t mind it.”
“I can see that.”
Lucerys winced, but his expression cleared soon enough. “It’ll be the best outcome for everyone. You’ll have as many heirs as you wish and we’ll…”
And they’ll get to be together, Aegon realized. He wondered how long they had been planning this. What clever methods they had used to sow the seeds within his council to make it seem like it wasn’t their idea. This had never been about Lucerys and Aegon. Aegon had always been the third, the one in the way.
He realized with the way that Aemond was looking at him with that monstrous look in his eye, if he refused them now there would be another plot, another method somewhere along the line. He realized too, that Aegon was lucky they hadn’t decided to simply depose of him altogether. Perhaps that was Lucerys’s doing.
Lucerys who was looking at him so sweetly now, reminding Aegon of when he used to plead Aegon for his helping of lemon cakes when they were kids. Aegon had always refused him, back then.
Now he knew defeat and betrayal enough to give up. “Alright,” he said.
He watched long enough to see the beginnings of Lucerys’s happy smile before he closed his eyes and spent the next hour trying to drown out the noises.