"This is a lot more intricate than I remember," Rune mumbled, her body slouched forward and her hand gripped onto the hilt of the wooden sword. Tiny beads of sweat decorated her forehead and the back of her neck.

Her breaths continued to sound ragged as she unravelled her slouched form and straightened her back. Each time she sparred with Aemond, she always lost. Aemond stood across from her, barring a smirk. Although she only knew him for a few months, he still proved to be a hard case to crack. She couldn't tell if he was amused or making fun of her. Of course, she couldn't fight in a dress. By Aemond's request, he demanded the servants would provide Rune with suitable clothing. Her white tunic fit her like a glove. White strings crisscrossed across the edges of the heart of the tunic and descended to the center of her chest. This wasn't the first time she wore pants. When she ventured beyond the wall with her brother, was a time she wore pants. But for some reason. . . Almost every other memory before that; was a blur to her.

"Again!" Ser Criston shouted from the sidelines. He knew as well as Aemond that; this was a bad idea. But it was the only bad idea they had. There were no 'good' ideas. Aemond requested; it would be him to teach Rune how to use a sword. Even though she was smaller than him, she still needed to know how to take on an enemy taller and more skilled than her.

Aemond leaned his weight into his left leg as he placed his right foot forward, expecting Rune to attack him first. She held her wooden sword with both hands and stalked closer to him. He watched her footing closely, predicting her next move.

From above the castle wall, Viserys, Alicent, and Ser Harrold watched Aemond and Rune spar. A small, humble smile curved at the corner of Viserys's lips.

"Have you ever seen Aemond so. . . dedicated? I feel this marriage will work for the two," Viserys chuckled. He watched Aemond parry Rune's attacks with swift motions. From the looks of Aemond, he didn't look frustrated or annoyed this time.

Alicent's long red curls elevated off her shoulders from the gentle breeze in the air. Her eyes flicked toward her husband. His words were enough to make her blood boil. In the last decade, she had been with him, Alicent almost lost her sanity.

"How can you be so fictitious? He belongs with a proper woman, rather than this. . ." Alicent halted her words before speaking. "You know what I mean."

"One who can care for him, one who can bed him properly, one who can rule by his side if Aegon falls.-" Alicent pleaded to him. At this point, she was close to losing her top. Viserys held up a hand to stop her from speaking.

"And what is your point? That she can't do any of those things?" He narrowed his eyes toward her. He already knew which term she was about to use earlier, Strong. Viserys made it clear on the night Aemond lost his left eye -- the term; 'Strong' would no longer be used under his roof. If anyone spoke that word, would have their tongue cut out.

"I mean, the white hair and everything. Rune is not Targaryen or Velaryon blood. It is difficult to believe she is a Baratheon." Alicent rolled her eyes and continued to; play with the cuff of her green dress. Viserys nodded, agreeing with Alicents words. It was hard to believe she was Baratheon.

"Blood of the dragon or blood of the stag, it doesn't matter. She has the blood of the north in her. The being that killed her was the threat that opposed the realm thousands of years ago. If she marries Aemond, he will assure her safety from the ones who will try to harm her. Don't you think it's a blessing from the gods? They bless us with her presence." Viserys felt a chilling cold enter the air. His eyes wandered to the sky. The overcast clouds weren't going anytime soon.

"You call this a blessing?!" Alicent motioned her arm towards Rune. "I call this a curse. From Aegon the Conquerer, a Targaryen must be seated on that throne to assure beings like her won't destroy the realm. She should have been Aegon's wife. . . What if Aemond can protect her, but who will protect Rune from herself?" She made her point with a huff.

"Aemond will be her husband, that is final. There will be no debate about re-marrying. Aegon already has a wife, Helaena. You wouldn't do that to our daughter, would you?" Viserys narrowed his eyes at his wife. Alicent sucked in a breath and exhaled slowly. His intense gaze was enough to burn holes through her soul. Alicent's heart burned in realization about her daughter. She couldn't do that to her.

"No. I wouldn't." Alicent's eyes cast downwards as she chose to keep her mouth shut for once.

Rune continued to push her weight forward and swing her wooden sword as hard as she could. Aemond gracefully pivoted his right foot and then; dodged her attacks. She admired his footwork, it reminded her of a dance.

Aemond focused on her attacks, trying to find a way around her. Aemond's shoulders twitched as he stepped around her. On queue, she leaned her weight too far forward almost tripping over her feet. Her breath hitched when Aemond sent her stumbling forward even more. The side of Rune's face collided with the dirt and softened mud. She squeezed her eyes shut as scenes of a memory passed through her eyes. A dragon, a white-haired child, blood, and a fight. She gasped for air when her eye site returned. Although she didn't realize she was holding her hand over her left eye.

Her lungs burned almost as if something was sucking the life out of her. She slowly pushed herself off the ground and sent a glare of daggers at Aemond, realizing he hit her in the butt with the wooden sword. A playful grin sent a jolt of electricity through her body.

Ser Criston held onto the hilt of his sword, while he made his way toward Rune. She cupped her hand over her cheek and slid the grit and mud off her cheek. Even though she continued to get knocked on her arse, she wasn't giving up. Not yet.

Criston leaned down and gently placed his hand on her elbow, clasping onto her, and helping her to her feet. Without a second thought, Criston lead Rune a short distance away from Aemond. Although Rune felt her bones crackle and ache under her skin, she wasn't giving in to the pain.

"If you're going to beat, Aemond, you'll need to catch him off guard," Criston whispered. He straightened his back and motioned towards Aemond - - who waited patiently for Rune to return. Aemond's eye(s) wandered through the dirt. He took note of the various shapes scattered amongst the dirt. One, in particular, caught his eye. The several footprints are shaped like a small lotus. It reminded him of Rune. It wasn't the colour of the dirt or how it was shaped that represented her.

"By what method? He is twice my size." At this point, Rune's desperate whisper was turning into raising her voice. Criston closed his eyes and stayed silent for a moment. A sudden sigh escaped his lips when he thought of a way.

"Use your surroundings. Aemond is persistent and patient. He can tolerate dodging and parrying for a long period. Don't let him figure you out. He'll ask you to attack him, and you're falling into his trap. It's just a matter of time before Aemond catches you, just like last time." Rune thought about his words for a moment. Whatever she does, Rune needed to throw him off guard. There was no doubt, that one of them would have bruises in the end. Although, if she was going to win, Rune would need more agility than him.

She inclined towards his words, then slowly made her way back to Aemond. His eyes followed her until she stood close to him. He was the hunt and she was the prey. Just one more match and this could be all over. Nothing in her mind was making her back down from this last spar. She knew what to watch now; his footing. The way he pivots his dominant foot from his balancing foot.

Rune took in a breath before getting into a fighting stance. She placed her left leg before her, and her right leg behind her. Deciding, she would change up her stance. Her left to balance, and her right for power. Normally, Criston taught it the other way around, but he decided not to say anything.

Aemond watched her close, trying to figure out her new footing. Instead of waiting for Rune to make the first move, he chose to strike first, bringing his wooden sword down on her. He wasn't giving her a chance, this time, to hit him. His swift attacks almost gave Rune a heart attack. She brought up her sword and blocked his attacks. In pursuit to win, she anchored her feet into the ground and stood her ground.

Aemond continued to push forward, trying to hit her in different spots. To his surprise, she wasn't doing that bad. Still, after a few months of training her, to this day, made her look like a jester with a sword. Her balance was getting better, but it was hard to believe she was good with a sword back then. Aemond knew she would probably do better with something more her size, such as daggers or tomahawks.

A light bulb lit up in Rune's mind. If she could get Aemond to move forward a bit more, Rune could get behind him. A small smirk curled at the corner of her lips when she thought about jumping on him and taking him down with her. It wasn't a bad idea. But she was sure Aemond wouldn't appreciate a backache and a possible dislocated shoulder.

Rune dashed to the right and weaved her body in the same direction. Aemond missed her shoulder by a few inches. Within a second, he shot out his left leg and hit one of her ankles, sending her flying into the dirt. After colliding into the dirt, she rolled onto her back - - only to capture a picture of; almost-getting-hit-in-the-head with a wooden sword.

Criston knitted his brows and stepped forward to stop the fight. An arm shot out in front of Criston, stopping him in his tracks. Criston's gaze scattered to see Ser Harrold. The bald man shook his head and sighed.

"The lady is more than capable of fighting her own battles, Criston. The Prince seems to be playing along, rather than using his normal tactics," Ser Harrold commented, then retracted his arm. Both knights watched Aemond and Rune's quarrel unravel.

"Aemond does seem a bit distracted. Although, that doesn't give him all glory to unleash all of his strength on her," Criston turned his head toward Ser Harrold. It was unusual for Aemond to use a different tactic than normal.

"Don't dismiss your mind, you were the one who taught him to fight dirty. Aemond was born half the size of Aegon, now he's developed into a man, almost twice the size of Aegon," Ser Harrold halted his words then chose to continue.

"There's no doubt in my mind, that you taught her the same tactics, even though, Aemond is twice her size." Ser Harrold finished his point in his thick accent. Just recently, Ser Criston got stripped of his rank and he became a regular Kings guard. Now Ser Harrold took the rank of leading commander of Kingsguard.

"Aye. Let's hope she has the ability to turn the tables." Criston crossed his arms and Ser Harrold bid him a fair well. He ascended the stairs and went towards Viserys and Alicent. Helping the king was his main priority, besides protecting Viserys's kin. For the past few months, the King's health had worsened. 

Each second gave Viserys's infection time to eat him away. It was like death was knocking at his door. But Viserys chose to stand firm and slam the door in Death's face. Losing an eye, almost all of his hair, a finger, and the ability to stand, proved despondent to Viserys.

Criston turned his gaze back to Rune and Aemond. Rune pinwheeled (rolled) to the right, before grasping a fist full of dirt and hurling the dirt toward Aemond. A small growl escaped his lips as he brought up his left arm to shield his face. Rune's heart continued to flutter rapidly as the excitement was uncontrollable.

She ducked under his arm, just in the nick of time, before Aemond managed to almost catch her. By the time Aemond regained his sight and the dust cleared, Rune had the wooden blade to his neck. A small smile curved at the corner of her lips.

"Well done, princess," a smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. His teasing words were enough to make her feel funny. His smoky eyes hid his mischievous intentions. Aemond was a wildcard, there was no telling what hand he was going to play.

Rune withdrew her wooden sword away from his neck. Aemond's gaze leisurely followed her as she turned away from him. Before Rune could depart from Aemond, another idea sparked in his mind. Aemond threw out his right boot and aimed specifically at her feet. His breath hitched when she spun around to say something to him. Rune was going to thank him for his patience with dealing with her for the past few months, but a surprise attack hit her feet. She grasped onto the collar of his leather doublet and brought him down with her.

By the time they hit the ground, Aemond caught himself before he could crush her with his body. His legs became grounded on either side of her hips and his hands next to her shoulders. The ends of Aemond's long, white and silver hair continued to tickle Rune's face and neck.

"I would directly argue; I won that one." Rune smiles sweetly, a fire that refused to cease inside her chest. Something about Rune intrigued Aemond; the way she stared at him with her mesmerizing blue eyes, and the way she clung to his leather armour with one hand.

"You're good, for a woman." A sudden smirk etched on the corner of his lips. There was nothing better than having a small score for his intended action. He was surprised she managed to beat him, even though he chose half of the time to play around.

"I'm unsure if that's a compliment or not," Rune answered with a hint of uncertainty lacing in her voice. She wasn't sure if he was playing around or if he meant it.

"Why are you so easily insulted? It was merely a complement," Aemond raised a brow. If his mind wasn't playing around on him, he couldn't imagine being so close to Rune. Even though his face was so close to hers, he continued to stare at her lips, then her eyes.

"But let's leave it; when men conquer wars and women conquer men that cease havoc." She continued to stare up at the sharp features of the man above her. How his jaw looked as if; it could cut through glass. His high cheekbones and his sharp, perfectly shaped lips. Small scars nicked on each side of Aemond's face. A large scar poked just above his brown eyepatch. 

Rune often knew the scars ached. Almost as if it was unfinished business. Nothing could change the feeling of an anchor dragging him down into the depths of the wrong path.

Slowly, Aemond pushed himself off the ground and leaned down to help Rune up. Instead, he chose to hoist her up by the waist and pull her close. Not enough for their bodies to touch, a few inches in distance. A sudden scoff was heard in the background from Criston. He rolled his eyes and chuckled.

"And is that something you imply on the night of our wedding?" Aemond whispered, then cocked his brow, just enough to make him raise questions.

"P-perhaps. . ." Rune stuttered. Then a cloudy blush, powdered its way on her cheeks. There was no way out of this marriage, besides death or escape. Death was out of the question. Rune could break the boundaries if she chose to. Although, Rune was still learning what she is. Nothing could deny she was the first to walk amongst the living in her state. She chose to accept the marriage rather than denying it for the past few months. The world around her, and the man in front of her, didn't feel real. This odd feeling fluttered in her gut when she looked at Aemond, almost as if Aemond vexed her under his spell.

Rune then thought of a bold idea. She had no clue how he would react to something so innocent, but it was worth a try. In her mind, it was worth it.

Rune craned her neck upwards and stood on the ends of her toes. Without hesitation, Rune leaned in and pecked him on the cheek, whispering a small; thank you, in his ear. At the moment, Aemond didn't know how to feel about her. Something told him to give her a chance, while another part of him was telling him not to give in. The spot on the cheek was surprisingly a mixture between cold and warm.

A small contentful sigh escaped his lips from her bratty intentions towards him. 

He knew the deal with Criston. Aemond agreed to verse him, to catch up on some training when the day of the tournament comes. Aemond wasn't all that interested in tournaments. He called it a waste of time and energy. In his mind, a tournament only brings the best and worst out of the contenders. Even though all houses would compete, Aemond thought it would be too easy. Nothing better than beating them faster at their own game. Might as well get the contenders to line up, and hit them one by one with a club.

"This is a side I have never seen," Rune teased. For the past few months, Aemond and her would argue from sun up to sun down. Each day she would wake up with an argument. But after learning their marriage would be official, she thought might as well get along with him. Slowly each day went by and Aemond grew a little bit more fond of her. From both of their teachings with the Maesters to their little sparring sessions.

Aemond shook his head.

 "Not a side I wish to show," He trailed off while walking to a wooden table at the other end of the training grounds. He passed a few targets for bows and several training dummies. Several people of importance gathered; in the training grounds, due to the questioning of succession. Aemond wanted to be lord of the Seven Kingdoms and protector of the realm, but it was stolen in the line of succession. 

It wasn't like his lazy brother wasn't enough to deal with. After picking up a shield of his choice, the battle would start. Numerous people gathered in a circle to watch the prince and Criston face off.

By the time Rune spun around she smashed into two familiar people. For a moment, she thought she ran into a barrel or two. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw two, almost identical faces. Jace(aerys) and Luke(rys) both grew over the past 10 years. Luke didn't grow much in height, while his brother surpassed him in height. Luke's short, curly brown hair stayed the same just like Jace's short straight hair. Not many features changed between the two, besides; Jace's features became more mature than his brother's. Luke, on the other hand, had a somber expression on his face.

"Apologies, my head was in the clouds for a moment and I didn't see you two there," Rune bit her cheek and couldn't help but feel clumsy. For a moment she thought; it couldn't be them. . .

"No no no, it's okay. Luke and I weren't watching where we were going, it's not your fault," Jace reassured before having suspicions about who she was. 

"To my speculation, I could have sworn you were Aemond's sister. . .-" Jace trailed off before his brother interrupted him.

"I know that scar," Luke pointed toward Rune's face while mentioning it to his brother. Luke's head turned to Jace before looking back at her. Beyond her mind, slight memories started coming back. From the time she fell through the ice and turned into an extraordinary being. Most of her memories chose to stay, while others froze and shattered like a thousand pieces of glass. She couldn't pick up the pieces without everything being there. 

"Luke," Jace placed his hand on his brother's shoulder and took him aside for a moment. In Jace's mind, he couldn't believe Luke was making false claims.

"What are you thinking in that head of yours?" Jace scolded then made his hand into a fist and gently knocked on Luke's skull, causing Luke to slap Jace's hand away.

"We don't even know her, and you're already head deep in the water making claims like that," Jace told his brother, while Luke made a face of annoyance to his brother. It was almost as if Luke remembered something his older brother didn't.

"Do you remember the funeral at Driftmark, nine years ago?" Luke questioned as his brother nodded in response. 

"And when Aemond robbed the grave from Rhaena and Baela - - when claiming Vhagar?" Luke explained and looked back at Rune -- who was now watching Aemond and Criston spar. 

"There was a girl with black hair when Baela, Rhaena, Aemond, you, and I fought. When I pulled out that knife due to a frightening claim. She got in the way and I cut her," Luke explained. He felt bad that he never got to apologize to her, ever since Rune's father sent her on a ship back to Storm's end, since then no one had seen or heard from her.

"I remember, but how do you know it's her? She looks nothing like her. I know she grew in age, but how do you explain the white hair and . . . those icy blue eyes? No being in Westeros or Essos has those eyes." Jace saw valuable points in Luke's explanation, but it was hard to believe someone like her existed.

Luke took in a breath before exhaling.

"Just. . . believe me on this one, okay?" Luke pleaded before his brother agreed. Both brothers made their way back to the crowd of people. They stood next to Rune before continuing to watch Aemond and Criston fight.

"I didn't catch both of your names," Rune turned to Jace and Luke. The more each of them stared into her eyes, they were lost for words.

"I'm Jace and this is my younger brother, Luke," Jace introduced both of them to her. A small smile curved on the corner of her lips and Luke couldn't help but stare at the dirt below his boots. 

"My name is Rune, Rune Baratheon," Luke looked up in surprise when he heard her name. Jace could sense the feeling daunting at the back of his mind -- that Luke was right.

"I remember you when we were kids, but I didn't get the-." A sudden voice interrupted their conversation before Luke could apologize for the scar on her jaw.

Several claps echoed in the background from the many people that stood around the two fighters. Aemond extended his arm and pointed the tip of his sword at Criston. He exhaled before congratulating the prince.

"Well done, my Prince. You'll be winning tourneys in no time." Criston complimented. Aemond turned his gaze toward his bride and his two nephews. A sudden storm of anger filled his gut when he saw them talking to Rune, especially Luke. The one who took out his eye.

Aemond withdraws his arm - - taking the tip of the blade away from Criston's neck.

"Nephews. . . have you come to train? Or have you come to purloin my bride?" Aemond questioned. He continued to stare at both brothers with his remaining eye. His smoky eye(s) stared Luke dead in the eyes. 

Behind them voices echoed in the background, signalling the guards by the front gate to; open the gates. Through the gates entered several knights wearing silver armour and bearing a flag that symbolized the Sea Snake's house; Velaryon. In the middle of the small crowd of soldiers; a dark-skinned man with short dreadlocks followed the protected circle that formed around him.

Rune felt terrible for Aemond's attitude toward both of his nephews. His vile attitude and treatment towards them were enough to make her furious at Aemond. There was a history of hate between the three, and she wished the storm would blow over. It made Rune question whether she wanted to be with Aemond for the rest of her time here. Of course, there was work that needed to be done on Aemond, but she was sure she is capable of the task of making him yield to his actions.

A substandard but excited feeling dwelled in her gut. She was supposed to be marrying Aemond in a few days. Of course, this was to strengthen both of their houses, but she had a bad feeling about what was yet to come.

Hello, my magical readers! Thank you so much for spending your Sunday night/afternoon/day reading my book! I hope you are enjoying the story so far. If you disliked it, that's okay too! This chapter took me a bit longer to update due to the fighting scenes. Although this chapter is 4300+ words, I thought I would stop here to work on the next chapter.

I would just like to make a small notice. Please do not steal my graphics for this book, which include all aesthetics, and edits that I did for each picture, my book cover or my banners. As a graphic designer, I do not appreciate anyone taking my hard work and editing it. Just recently I've had my edits to my aesthetics and Rune (the one I edited in my aesthetic and in my art book on Quotev) stolen by several people. This is just a small warning, although I can't do much since I do not know how to submit a Copywrite report to Wattpad. If I did tell those writers that those are my edits, it would probably be a big argument, so I don't think there is anything I can do about it, which I do have proof of.

I would just like to thank all of the readers who have been reading, voting, and commenting on my story! I am so surprised to see this book at 9.1k and 308 votes! You all are wonderful in my eyes. I would have not made it to such a huge milestone without you all. 

Also, this is the first time this book has been entered in a contest and won first place in Fantasy!!

I hope this book can reach higher heights and get to another great milestone ^^

Question for my book: What do you think Rune is afraid of about the future yet to come? 

This can be any answer, feel free to answer my question.

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