Chapter Text
“What was that, mother?”
Alicent stilled at the words. She warily looked at Aemond who inwardly looked calm but she knew her son, he was anything but. He was seething on the inside. She swallowed. Maybe she said too much.
“I meant nothing, Aemond,” she tried to ignore the twin glares of Daemon and Rhaenyra on her, hoping her son would let this go. “I just—”
One glance at Lucerys shushing their now crying son was enough to tell her she had deliberately stepped on a dragon’s tail and there was no way out for her. Gods, she wanted to leave.
“No, you just said my son is mute or stupid if we are being honest about your thoughts. He is dumb because he can’t say much words at two. Is that correct, mother?” He sneered and temperature in the room dropped as Aemond continued to smile derisively at the woman who was his mother.
“That Lucerys and I are foolish, we don’t know how to raise a child. That there is something wrong with us and our child? Am I right, mother?”
Rhaenyra and Daemon shared a glance, both opting to stay quiet and let Luke’s alpha handle his own mother. He was doing a good job for once, shutting Alicent up and the poisonous words that came out of her.
Not one person said anything, Jace and Cregan were looking at Luke who was trying to calm down his son, murmuring sweet nothings in his ear. They could see from where they were standing that he still had tears in his eyes.
Jace tightened his hold on their three children, one silver haired like Jace’s mother, Laenor and two brunettes like their parents, Rickon and Daella, who were standing in front of him and Cregan, looking at Luke worriedly. He glanced at Cregan who nodded at him, his expression grim.
Aegon and Helaena were looking from their mother to their brother, their younger brother who usually ignored their mother’s annoying rants. This time it seemed he didn’t wish to stop.
Rhaenyra’s youngest sons were looking hatefully at Alicent. Joffrey, Aegon and Viserys looked one minute away from escorting Alicent out of their mansion themselves.
“Last I checked, I was born very small.” Alicent’s eyes widened in shock. “Jaehaera, even at 9 speaks one or two words only, lost in her own thoughts,” Alicent flinched as Helaena and Aegon shut their eyes in resignation, Aemond will not let this go now.
“From what father told us, all Aegon did was laugh even when he was three, barely speaking anything and only throwing his toys around like an idiot and causing general ruckus. Jaehaerys only nods and does nothing else. Helaena was same, she barely spoke. Only Maelor seems to be normal among us.” He paused, not taking any satisfaction in seeing the hurt in his mother’s eyes.
She shouldn’t have insinuated there was something wrong with him and Luke. With Luke and his son, their precious, Aemon.
He won’t let her come near his newborn son now. Aenar won’t go through what Aemon is being put through by his mother. “From what we heard, you weren’t that great of a mother to any of us. We were raised by maids and nannies. Is that why we are so bitter? So strange? So stupid in your words?”
Alicent staggered, not believing what she was hearing.
Daemon grinned savagely, enjoying seeing the woman who was so horrible to Rhaenyra and their children for no reason being insulted by her own son.
Rhaenyra was looking at her step mother with a wistful smile on her face.
Alicent should not have said anything about her son and grandson. She knew her former friend will never change, she can’t, it’s who she was.
Since she won’t even make an effort to be better but was happy to become worse, then she should be ready to face the consequences of her revolting behavior too.
If Aemond hadn’t said anything, she would have and she wouldn’t have been this polite. She would have thrown Alicent out of her house. Even her father would not have been able to convince her to let her in this time. There was only so many times she could tolerate her insults and vileness.
Aegon and Helaena laced their fingers together, their eyes met and they both understood they won’t be able to do anything but this, give each other the support they wanted. They can’t help their mother and if they were being honest, they didn’t want to.
Their mother should have never insulted young Aemon, the child was absolutely fine. Not every child started speaking fluently at two, some spoke at 3 or 4. That didn’t mean there was something wrong with him or that he was mute. Or stupid. It wasn’t uncommon for toddlers to have speech delays.
Now, Aemond will take out his anger on all of them.
And there was nothing their mother could do to stop him. No one can stop him. The only one who can would be very pleased to encourage Aemond to spew more insults at their mother. Daemon did not give a flying fuck about Alicent Hightower.
“How dare you talk to me like that?” Alicent finally yelled, her eyes large and teary, “I am your mother, Aemond! You—you are insulting me? Me? How can you be so cruel to me?”
Aemond just looked at his mother for some time, when he spoke, his words sent a shiver of dread down Alicent’s spine.
“Its precisely because you are my mother you are not hurt. Cruel?” He sneered, “ I would not have been this kind to anyone else who insulted my omega and my son, mother.”
He clenched his hands into a fist, “I’d appreciate if you did not visit my and Luke’s flat. I don’t want you near my omega and my sons. You should stay with your intelligent, normal grandchildren and perfect son and daughter, Aegon and Helaena. Stay the hell away from me and my mate.”
Aemond turned around then, not waiting to see what his mother’s reaction would be. He went straight to Luke and Aemon, his eye softening as he leaned down and kissed Luke’s forehead and Aemon’s head, making the child laugh happily.
Lucerys met his gaze and Aemond nodded tiredly, gently stroking his son’s silver head and gathering Luke in his arms, leaning down to scent his mate, “come, Luke, both you and Aemon need to eat something, lets go to our room. Aenar should be waking up soon as well.”
No one uttered a single world as Aemond and Lucerys went in the direction of their bedroom with their son. Luke nodded at his parents and Jace and Cregan and his brothers, his eyes red rimmed and still shining with tears.
Rhaenyra’s heart clenched at the sight, familiar anger now over taking her. She whipped her head to glare at Alicent who for once didn’t seem to have any more horrid words to say. She looked as if she had been slapped.
“Now will you leave, Alicent? You’ve done and said enough to my son and grandson. Get out!”
“I can always take you to the door if you don’t know where it is,” Daemon said, a vicious grin on his face, enjoying seeing Alicent flinch, “sorry, sister-in-law, Viserys won’t be able to help you this time. You are no longer welcome in our house either.”