At that moment, on the sickbed, Aegon's brow twitched slightly.
He opened his eyes.
Those violet eyes were unfocused at first. Only after a long while did they settle on Aemond's face.
"Aemond…" His voice was as hoarse as sandpaper. "You came…"
Aemond said nothing.
Aegon tried to move, but the moment he did, he broke into coughing.
"Cough—cough—cough…"
He coughed up a mouthful of blood that ran down the corner of his lips.
The physician hurried forward to wipe it away.
Aegon waved a hand, signaling that it was unnecessary.
Panting, he looked at Aemond.
"Sunfyre?" he asked.
"Alive," Aemond replied.
Aegon's eyes brightened slightly.
"He… how is he?"
"Worse than you. His wings are shattered, his belly was nearly torn open, and he lost an eye."
Aegon froze.
"Lost an eye…"
"He's a one-eyed cripple now," Aemond said. "But he's alive."
Aegon fell silent for a while, then suddenly laughed.
"This is all my own doing," he sighed. "Brought it on myself."
"It's my fault…" Aegon lifted his eyes toward his younger brother.
"But yours too…"
Aemond looked at him.
"Who told you to come?"
Aegon shook his head.
"I wanted to."
"I'm the king. I couldn't hide behind everyone else…"
Aemond did not believe him.
"I know you," he said. "If no one pushed you into it, you wouldn't have come."
Aegon remained silent.
The tent grew so quiet that even breathing could be heard.
Aemond waited.
After a while, Aegon finally spoke.
"The Faith… and the maesters."
Aemond's eye narrowed.
"Septon Owen?"
"Yeah," Aegon said. "And Grand Maester Norren too."
"They said… they said I should lead the campaign myself. That I should prove myself. That the lords needed to see I wasn't useless…"
A bitter smile appeared on his face.
"They said if you were the one leading the war to victory, your prestige would only keep growing."
"And if I still didn't stand forward, eventually no one would even remember there was a king."
Aemond said nothing.
"They were right." Aegon gave a bitter laugh. "I really am useless. But I didn't want to be."
"I wanted… I wanted to be a good king too."
Aemond was silent for a moment.
"I'll avenge you," he said as he looked seriously at Aegon.
Aegon blinked.
"What?"
"The Faith. The Citadel," Aemond said. "If they dared use you, then they'll pay the price."
Aegon stared at his brother.
"Am I dying?"
Aemond shook his head.
"Not yet. But not far from it."
Aegon's face turned even paler.
"If you die," Aemond said, "I'll send the high-ranking bastards from the Faith and the Citadel down to keep you company."
Aegon was stunned.
He stared at Aemond, at that cold and emotionless face, and suddenly felt his eyes sting.
"You…" His voice trembled. "Are you… comforting me?"
Aemond remained expressionless and gave no answer.
But Aegon knew.
Yes.
This cold-blooded brother of his, this violent brother who never placed anyone in his eyes… had just comforted him.
"Rest and recover," Aemond said.
"Sunfyre fought desperately to save you. Don't waste that."
Aegon nodded.
But then he remembered something and urgently asked: "Can Sunfyre really survive?"
Aemond nodded.
"I fed him my blood."
Aegon froze.
"Your blood…"
"It can save him," Aemond said. "So he'll live."
Aegon's eyes reddened further.
Looking at Aemond, he suddenly reached out and grabbed his hand.
"Thank you…" he said. "Thank you for saving Sunfyre…"
Aemond said nothing.
But he did not pull his hand away from his foolish older brother.
Just then, a commotion rose outside the tent.
Aemond frowned and turned to walk out.
Outside the tent stood a crowd.
Gwayne stood at the very front.
Behind him were officers.
And behind them, a dense sea of soldiers.
At some point, they had already surrounded the tent.
"Prince," Commander Gwayne spoke.
Aemond looked at them calmly.
"What is it?"
Gwayne was silent for a second before dropping to one knee.
"With His Grace gravely wounded and unable to rule," he said, "we ask that the prince serve as regent."
The officers behind him also dropped to one knee one after another.
"Please allow the prince to serve as regent!"
The soldiers looked at one another, then one after another dropped to one knee.
"Please allow the prince to serve as regent!"
"Please allow the prince to serve as regent!"
"Please allow the prince to serve as regent!"
The voices grew louder and louder, more and more unified, until they merged into a single roar echoing across the camp.
Aemond stood there in silence.
Inside the tent, Aegon heard those voices.
Lying on the bed, listening to the thunderous cries of officers and soldiers outside, his expression turned complicated.
Regent.
They wanted Aemond as regent.
He truly was a useless man…
Aemond could do everything.
Everything except being the firstborn son…
What did he even have to compete with Aemond?
What right did he have to refuse him the regency?
Aegon closed his eyes helplessly, then slowly opened them again.
"Help me up," he told the physician.
The physician jumped in alarm.
"Your Grace, you must rest quietly."
"Just help me up first."
Left with no choice, the physician carefully helped him sit up against the headboard.
Aegon took a deep breath and shouted toward the outside of the tent:
"Aemond."
Aemond walked in.
He looked at Aegon leaning against the bed but said nothing.
Aegon looked back at him.
The two brothers locked eyes.
"The people outside," Aegon said, "want you to serve as regent."
"What do you think?"
Aemond was silent for a moment.
"What do you think?" Aemond asked in return.
Aegon let out a bitter laugh.
"What can I think?" he said. "I can barely even move now. How am I supposed to be king?"
Aemond remained silent.
Aegon continued.
"I know… I know you've always been better than me."
"It's always been that way."
"The things you can do, I can't. The things you know, I don't."
He paused.
"But I've never hated you, brother."
"I only hated myself."
Silence fell between them again.
"Hating yourself is useless," Aegon said at last. "I hated myself for being worthless. Hated myself because I wanted to be a good king, yet could never do anything right."
Aegon coughed twice and spat out more blood.
This time, Aemond personally walked over and handed him a silk cloth.
Aegon took it from his brother's hand and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
"Aemond," Aegon said as he looked at his younger brother.
"Hm?"
"If I die," Aegon said, "then you should become king."
Aemond froze for a moment.
"You're better than me. More capable than me."
Aemond fell silent for a while.
"You won't die," he finally said.
Aegon gave another bitter laugh.
"And how would you know that?"
"Because I don't want this idiot brother of mine to die either," Aemond said.
Aegon froze.
He looked at Aemond, at that face that always seemed cold and emotionless, and suddenly felt as though there was something hidden beneath it.
Concern?
Affection?
Or something else?
He did not know.
He only knew that after hearing those words, he felt much better inside.
"Aemond." He reached out a hand.
Aemond took it.
"My brother," Aegon said with a complicated look in his eyes as he patted the back of Aemond's hand. "You shall serve as regent…"
At that moment, Aegon's feelings were complicated. He had spent so long fearing that this younger brother would one day strike against him, yet now it seemed Aemond had never truly intended to kill him.
That eased his heart greatly.
As for whether his brother might someday seize the throne in the future… that was a matter for the future.
For now, what reassured him was that Aemond still cared about the bonds of blood between them.
Outside the tent, Gwayne and the officers remained kneeling on one knee with solemn expressions, waiting.
Then the flap of the king's tent opened.
Prince Aemond Targaryen stepped out.
Everyone looked at him.
"His Grace has spoken," Aemond said.
Every ear perked up instantly.
"From this day onward, I shall serve as regent."
A second of silence followed.
Then cheers erupted across the camp.
"The Prince Regent!"
"The Prince Regent!"
"The Prince Regent!"
Aemond stood there expressionless.
But deep inside, his emotions were complicated.
In the end, he had still reached this point.
Yet the price for it was his brother lying half-dead on a sickbed.
More than once, he had thought that if Aegon died, he could rightfully inherit the throne.
But in the end… he still could not bring himself to do it.
He had never truly regarded Rhaenyra Targaryen, Rhaenys Targaryen, or Daemon Targaryen as family.
But Helaena, Alicent, Aegon, Daeron…
And even that weak Viserys…
Those people were his true family.
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