[a/n: It ate me up inside how I just left it like that. This will be a quick chapter and the Hiatus will resume. More than likely will return in a week or so. I'm contemplating doing a massive timeskip and do one or two chapters quickly running down what had happened. ]
(Aerion's POV)
"Are you two fucking fools?!" King Viserys said as Daemon and I both sat across from each other in the main room, "Fools!!! Like Father, like Son!!!! Nothing but a pair of imbeciles that do nothing but give me stress!!!"
Apparently, after hearing of what Daemon did, His Grace sailed to Dragonstone with his Kingsguard and a hundred men, to see what had happened. By the time he had arrived, the Dragons had already burned the men Daemon had brought. After Daemon was stitched up, Viserys had his men escort us to the painted table and had our weapons confiscated.
To say he was enraged was an understatement. Even if he looked healthy, the veins in his forehead were popping so hard, that I was afraid he'd collapse all of a sudden.
I let out an exhale, "I apologize, Your Grace..." I said looking down, "You must understand, what he did was-"
"Silence." He told me as he gave me a serious scowl, "I haven't told you to speak yet."
I nodded and looked away, tapping my lap as I saw Otto standing on the side, giving Daemon a silent stare.
"And you, Brother...." Viserys said as he walked towards him, "You dare do this insanity? To claim my Daughter's seat while she was on vacation? And demand for her children? What compelled you to do this?"
Daemon was looking down, an apathetic look on his face, "It didn't work..." He said
"It didn't work..." Viserys scoffed, "It didn't work, he says. Are you fucking mad?!?! How many fucking times do I have to cover for you?! All of my fucking life, it has been this way!!! No more, Daemon, no more!!! For the sake of my nieces, I will give you a final warning, try something like this and you will be in permanent exile, do you hear me? Do you!?"
Daemon looked away, "Fine." He said
A slap on the wrist, huh?
Viserys turned around and walked towards me, "And you, boy...." He said, "What compelled you to nearly take your Father's head off, huh? A couple of inches more and you'll be branded a Kinslayer! You would've committed Patricide!!"
I looked at him, "It was a reflex, Your Grace." I said, "He tried to plunge his blade into me."
"Is that how it happened, huh?" He said as he looked around the room, "Will it not change with the two of you? How can this Family be at peace when the two of you are constantly at each other's throats?! Tell me!!!"
I leaned back and looked at Daemon, the wound on his face bright red and swollen, "I'm over it." I said truthfully, "I'm over him."
"What?" Viserys said
"That looks like it'll leave a nasty scar." I told Daemon who looked at me, "I told you, didn't I? That I would be satisfied. From here on out, I will no longer hold you accountable for all that has happened, only what you'll do in the future. We're even. Unless, of course, you have something else to tell me."
He looked away, "I don't."
"Hm." I said as I looked at the King, "That doesn't mean, we'll be friendly. He came here and with hostility, Your Grace. And you'll just let him off like that?"
"What do you want me to do?" He said, "You've already cut him."
"Me." I said, "But what about you? Rhaenyra is your Heir, this wasn't just an attack on her, it was an attack on you, The King. You think the Realm will be happy to hear that he got away with nothing but a slap on the wrist?"
Viserys sighed and looked back at Daemon, "An appropriate punishment is in order, I suppose." He said, "He'll spend half a year imprisoned, he won't be allowed to leave nor fly on his dragon. Constantly monitored. I'll keep him in the Red Keep, arrange a Tower to be emptied so he can spend his days there."
Daemon looked at him, "Hm." He said
"He's still a Prince, he's still my Brother." He said, "And you, Aerion, you would've suffered a much worse fate, should you have killed him. Kinslaying is a terrible crime, boy."
I sighed, "I suppose so....." I said
"This...." He gestured between us, "Must end. This pointless animosity should-"
"It wasn't pointless." I said seriously
"But it will end!!" He shouted, "By Order of Your King!!"
I nodded, "Fine." I said, "I did already say I'm over it."
"Good." He said as he proceeded to walk away, "Now, I'll leave you two alone, if I hear that you're fighting, the two of you will be imprisoned in the Dungeons of The Red Keep!!"
As he walked out of the room, Otto followed as did the Kingsguard, leaving us alone, sitting across from each other.
Daemon looked at me, "Hm...." He said
I sighed and looked way, "What was his name?" I asked
"Whose?" He said
I looked at him, "My Brother." I said, "If that's true."
He looked away, "It is true...." He said seriously, "I would not lie about that."
"That doesn't answer my question." I said, "What was his name?"
"He didn't have one." He told me, "I didn't give him one in time."
"That's a shame." I said
"It is." He said
"I have a question." I said, "Now that all of my animosity if out of the system, I'll ask as calmly as possible. And I promise I won't act in hostility if I don't like the answer."
"What is it?" He responded
"Did you mean to do it?" I asked him
He looked at me, a serious but somewhat melancholy look on his face, "No." He said truthfully, "I did not mean to hurt your Mother."
"Yet you did." I said
"I was drunk. And angry." He said, "I could not control my actions..."
"When men of your status get drunk and angry, others suffer." I said, "Some suffer for years, even those close to them."
"I'm a changed man." He said
"Are you?" I asked
"I regret it." He said looking down, "Every day since it happened, I regretted it."
I nodded, "Lady Laena must've changed you, after all." I said looking away, "Rhaenyra and I often discussed that possibility. But I think it's possible that she changed that rotten heart of yours to a somewhat tolerable one."
"Losing her was not something I wanted to deal with." He said softly, "I was going to do it, Aerion, I really was."
"What?" I asked as I looked at him
"I was going to meet you after our son was born. I was so sure you'd have a brother then...." He said as he looked down, "But....I lost both of them..."
"Hm..." I said, "As a Father, I cannot imagine the pain of losing a child."
"I'm sorry, Aerion." He said, "For....."
"What?" I asked
He looked at me, "Leaving you." he said, "I should've gone for you when Rhea died."
I looked away, "What's done is done...." I said, "I should not be too hung up on the past. The moment I saw that wound on your face, a weight was lifted off my shoulders. I mean it, I am satisfied."
"You'll live the rest of your days knowing it was Lady Rhea that got her payback."
[a/n: The two chapters are meant to connect; their titles saying "Lady Rhea's Scar" as a bit of poetic irony for Daemon Targaryen, who gave Rhea Royce a similar scar after beating her and cutting her with a piece of broken glass while forcing himself on her.
Aerion has not and will never forgive him for that. He simply does not care anymore about Daemon not being there, but he'll never truly let go of the fact of how he was conceived.
Edit: Read my Novel: Cursed As A Dragon God, if that one does well, we'll get right back into this fanfic ;)]