Chapter Text
Aegon
Aegon sat on the edge of his bed, in his linen shirt and breeches. His boots were scattered somewhere behind the room divider.
His dearest mother had screamed at him for the past hour after he went missing for a couple days after getting blackout drunk in the street of silk.
Aegon couldn't take it anymore. None stop berating from his mother and grandfather.
"Suck it up."
"Your pathetic Aegon."
"Oh grow up you fool."
They all thought he was stupid. He thought he was, compared to Aemond at least. But Aegon wasn't so stupid as to think that Otto Hightower didn't want the throne. And who would Otto make King? Aegon.
Aegon never wanted the crown. It was crystal clear to everyone. Yet his mother would never stop her incessant attempts. The minute Viserys died, Aegon knew what would happen. His father had been deteriorating more and more over the past year. It was only a matter of time.
Aegon couldn't let that happen. He wouldn't bear the weight of the damned crown, so he made his mind up.
He packed a decent amount of clothes into a bag, after his maid had left for the night. He took all the gold coins he could find- a decent amount.
He wrapped himself in a cape, tied his hair back and put a cap on. He just had to make it out of the wretched castle.
Maegor's tunnels.
Aemond
Otto had been pressuring Aemond for a while now. The old man had sort of given up on Aegon. Sure, Aegon would be King, but Otto had Aemond planned as the brains.
More and more lessons in history, high valyrian, sword fighting, military tactics. Sure, Aemond would usually go to his mother for comfort, but recently she had... changed.
No more was it hugs late at night till he fell asleep. All he got when he talked to her now was "Oh dear. Just get on with it will you. It'll be fine."
Alicent had got more pushy about his lessons, more... pious. If he wanted to find her, she would be in the sept most of the time. He knew things had hardly been easy for her, but the least she could do was be nice. He supposed it was his grandfather's fault.
Otto Hightower was family, but it was clear that perhaps Otto had his ambitions a bit too high and his claws a bit too deep in the court.
It would be ridiculous to escape, surely. Besides, Aemond wouldn't leave poor Helaena behind. Alas, it was becoming more and more enticing in the Prince's mind.
Aemond did hate the Velaryon boys for the loss of his eye, but he didn't want war. No, no one in the family needed anymore conflict. So Aemond made his mind up. He packed some things, changed out his doublet, and headed into the depths of Maegor's passages.
Helaena
Helaena sat on a rug by the fire, sketching a grasshopper she had found outside. She had long since dismissed her maids for the night. She needed peace after the mess that was the family dinner that night.
They wanted her to marry Aegon. Sure, she loved her brother, but not in that way. Besides, he would hardly make a good husband given his non-stop drinking.
She couldn't argue back. She hated arguing back. Hell, she flinched when anyone even raised their voice. How on earth way she going to escape this nightmare?
Helaena sits in silence, the fire blazing breaking through the chilling silence. Her stomach starts to ache from sheer nerves. Then an idea comes to her. What if she ran away?
No. That would be foolish. Though, maybe she could take her brothers with her?
After pondering on it for a bit longer, she makes up her mind and packs. She packs very, very lightly as she wants plenty of room for her many sketchbooks. She couldn't take her bugs with her, but she would at least take drawing of them. She changes into one of the maid's dresses and heads into the passage behind a painting near her balcony. Maegor's passages, was it?