Chapter Text
“You need to become a real man for your wife” Aegon teased again.
They had been training for hours, Luke’s hair was glued to his forehead from how much he was sweating and his limbs felt heavy and when he finally sat. He tried to make his breath steady before he drank the cup of water in front of him. Sir Cole used to work all of them tirelessly when they were children, but during their short visit he was worse than ever.
“Just leave me be,” Jacaerys said, clearly annoyed.
“But you should. You should fuck your lady wife properly on your wedding night. Otherwise she will never respect you” their uncle continued, draining his cup, which, differently from his nephew’s and his brother's, had wine on it. Even though it was still morning.
Aegon had been repeating himself incessantly all week. Ever since Rhaenys announced their bethoval to Baela and Rhaena, their uncle was convinced he should take his oldest nephew to a pleasure house so he could become a real man before the bedding ceremony.
“For what Helaena said at her toast that day at dinner, one could question how much do you know about pleasing a woman” Jace argued.
Aegon just snorted “you have to be a woman in order to be pleased as a woman, that idiot cunt doesn’t know anything about anything. Mother married me to a perfect lunatic.”
“She is your wife and your sister. How could you say that?” Jace asked exasperated. “If you can’t be faithful, the least you could do is try not to dishonor her with your words.”
“You are too innocent, Jacaerys. Always was and always will be. Your mother saw to that when she raised you” he drank more as he rolled his eyes.
“I won’t dishonor my wife” Jace repeated, now getting irritated.
“She is not your wife yet,” Aegon said, lifting his index finger as he was making an excellent point. “And in any case, you learning where and how to put your thing inside a woman is completely in her best interest. If you have love for Baela, you should take your uncle’s advice.”
“Why are you only asking me ? Lucerys is to be wed soon as well.” Jace noted, as the traitorous brother he was.
“Leave me out of this” Luke protested. “You deal with it.”
But it was unnecessary since Aegon paid no attention to him and kept on nagging his brother “you will marry first, Jacaerys. And you are the future Targaryen King. We can’t have malicious words going around about the disappointment my lady niece will have when you finally lay on your royal sheets.”
Jacaerys started to massage his temples, he was clearly tired of that conversation. Aegon could be an annoying cunt when he wanted to. The eldest stood up from the table to pursue a new bottle, since he apparently didn't have enough.
“Besides, my dear nephew” he continued while pouring even more wine from the newly found bottle “despite what my dear sister probably told you about how pleasure houses are bad, I think you would like it very much. You might question the motives for my insistence, but I assure you it is not called a pleasure house for nothing. In addition, all men go one day. Daemon, my father, all the lords and the knights and the commoners. Even Aemond, as dull as he is, has already been to one.”
Their uncle had been silent during this entire dialogue. And this entire week long now Luke thought about it. Ever since the mess in which ended their family dinner, Luke hadn’t seen any of the usual mocking amused looks or acid remarks he came to associate with Aemond through the years. Instead, his uncle seemed to be as quiet as the boy he once had been as a child.
Upon hearing his brother, Aemond rolled his eyes. “Do leave me out of this,” he said.
“ Aemond has been to a whore house?” Jace asked stunned.
And Lucerys couldn’t help but to find it strange as well. Aemond never once in his life showed interest in anything that couldn’t fly or kill.
His uncle gazed at Jace as if he had nothing but disdain for him and his reaction.
Aegon just laughed “yes, even him , isn’t it shocking? Even the ever unaffected Aemond Targaryen had been to a whore house” another sip. And then Lucerys recognized the tiny smile that always played on his eldest uncle’s face when he was about to be a bigger cunt than usual. “But again, I don’t know if he went there for the ladies .”
And Luke was sure it had an implication there he was missing.
“That is enough,” Aemond said.
“But pleasure is for everyone” Aegon said in conclusion, raising his cup to his brother. And then he turned to Jace “we don’t judge anyone there. You can do what you want with whoever you want to do it with. No one needs to know ever. You can be anyone there.”
For the first time all week, Jace looked unsure, as if he was considering.
Aegon didn’t miss it, his smile got wider and he looked pleased with himself. “We will come to get you later, nephew” and then he looked at Luke “you will come as well. Both of you” he instructed.
“I won’t go,” Luke stated.
“I didn’t say I would go,” Jace objected, “I won’t.” He apparently decided he had enough and lifted himself from his seat to go to his chamber, and Luke followed right after.
“Be ready an hour after dinner, nephews, it will be a memorable evening” Aegon said as they left the room.