Chapter Text
Y/n stands before the castle standing tall and proud, with its towering walls of grey stone reaching up to the sky like the fingers of a giant. It is perched on a rocky outcrop overlooking a vast expanse of rolling hills, with a glittering river winding its way through the valley far below.
The entrance to the castle is an imposing gatehouse, flanked by two massive towers that rise up into the clouds. The gate is made of thick iron, and adorned with intricate carvings of dragons and other mythical creatures. A drawbridge spans a deep moat, with a row of deadly spikes lining the edge.
Inside the castle walls, the courtyard is bustling with activity. Knights in shining armor practice their swordplay, while peasants go about their daily chores. A stable of horses stands ready for battle, their coats gleaming in the sunlight.
The castle exudes a sense of power and majesty, a fortress that has withstood the test of time and countless sieges. It is a place of intrigue and danger, where alliances are made and broken, and where the fate of kingdoms is decided. All of this shot a sense of excitement and dread in y/n, for she was leaving her small home in the city to work as a maid for the royal family. Y/n always felt there was nothing special about her. Her seemingly timid nature never seemed to allow her much popularity. However, her soft soul did allow her the attention of Nalia, another maid in the castle who had put in a good word for her.
y/n was reluctant to go. As needy as she was for excitement, y/n did not like drastic change, especially one that would remove her from her family. y/n’s heart pounds in her chest, a heavy thud that feels as though it might burst through her ribcage. Although she knows this isn't true, she feels as though the only two sounds in the long hallway was her heart and the slapping of shoes on the stone floor. y/n looks all around her, the knights on watch, the other workers, and the artwork splayed around the room. Nalia stop in front of a wooden door adorned with a sivilr knob, there are a couple of other doors just like it to the left and right.
Nalia turns her head over her should and gives a warm glance to y/n. With a smile she says
“This is where you’ll sleep”. Nalia turns the knob just slightly with her right hand, as if not to create too much noise. Her left hand held the gas lamb, warmly illuminating her face.
“Come.” she says with a nod.
y/n takes a slight breath as if she didn't want Nalia to notice her breathing. It was a dimly lit chamber located in the bowels of the castle. It was a cramped and drafty space, with rows of narrow cots lined up against the walls. The air is thick with the scent of sweat and unwashed bodies, and the flickering light of torches casts eerie shadows across the room. Servants tossed and turned, some rising their heads to take a peek at what had caused the door to creek open.
The cots themselves are little more than wooden frames covered with rough blankets and straw mattresses. Each servant has only a small chest at the foot of their bed to hold their meager belongings, and there is little room for anything else.
Although it was late in the night, a peasant’s work is never truly finished and the constant noise and movement make it difficult for some to sleep, others not so much.
There are no windows in the room, so the only source of light comes from the torches mounted on the walls. The flickering flames cast eerie shadows across the faces of the sleeping servants, giving them a ghostly appearance.
Nila lead y/n down the row of cots, stopping at a nested made bed near the edge of the room. A singular folded blanket laid at the edge, Nlia set the lamp on top of the chest and wiped her hands on her apron. Then whispered, “ lay your thing in there and go get washed up before bed.” She giggled just slightly, “you won’t have time for it in the morning.” With that Nila walked back to the front of the room to her own cot.
Put the lamp on the floor, y/n gently laid her only other set of morning clothes and a couple of other thighs she brought from her home with her into the chest. Keeping in her arms a wash rag, drying cloth, and nightgown. y/n felt weary about stepping back out inside the castle with Nila showing her where to go, but there is nearly nothing y/n hates more than seeming lost.
With her bathing items in one arm, y/n ventures to find the washrooms. the twisting passages and endless corridors all looked the same to her.
As she turned a corner, she suddenly found herself in a deserted hallway, with no sign of the washrooms anywhere in sight. She felt a sense of panic rising within her, but she knew she had to keep her wits about her and find her way back to the main areas of the castle. y/n kept trying to imagine her journey earlier that night with Nila, but it brought y/n no sense of direction.
She started to retrace her steps, but every passage seemed to lead to a dead end or a locked door. The silence was oppressive, broken only by the sound of her own footsteps echoing on the stone floors.
As she walked, she became increasingly aware of the eerie stillness of the castle. It was as if the very walls were watching her, waiting to ensnare her in their ancient embrace. She shuddered at the thought, but she knew she had to keep moving. y/n’s heart nearly jumped out og her chest when she was a gleaming light swaying in the distance. She shuffled lightly towards the light, hoping it was another maid she could ask for help. The closer she got, the more depressant she felt to escape the current feeling of hopelessness she felt alone in the imposing walkway.
A wave of shock shot y/n like lighting when her eyes fell upon white hair and a cold blue eye that could only belong to one person. She stopped in her tracks so abruptly that the gas lamp swung about this way and that, slipping out the slightest gap in her grip and shattering upon the feet of the prince.
y/n imminently fell to her knees, lips slightly parted, eyes wide. She scrabbled to pick up the pieces of glass surrounding the prince. Grabbing each shimmering shard indiscriminately. “I could be killed for this!” she whispered to her heart, hands begging to shake.
The prince slid his left leg to the side away from y/n, That’s when she noticed that a shard of glass had struck Aemond’s leg and left a thin cut through the cloth of his pants. y/n stood up like a soldier and grabbed the hand of the prince tightly. Aemond lifted his head up slightly in surprise at y/n’s openness to touch him, especially given her position but he quickly erased any sense of surprise off of his face.
“My lord, my deepest apologies” y/n stammered just slightly, trying her best to show her deepest regrets. With one hand full of glass and the other tightly grabbing Aemond’s hand, y/n turned back inside the hallway to continue her search of the washroom.
“I-i’ll clean you up, my lord” . Y/n felt her arm be aggressively thrown to the side, no longer holding the prince’s hand.
“Are you mad?” Aemond said sternly, the sudden sound of Aemond’s voice caused y/n to snap her head towards him, for the 1st time looking into his eye.
“ I should have you whipped for this, running around like you have no sense.” Aemond pierced his lips while looking down at y/n.
If y/n heart hadn't ripped a hole in her chest yet, it certainly has now that she’s heard the displeased voice of the prince.
Not wanting to risk being seen in the bowls of the castle, Aemond begins to turn away, lifting the hood of his cloak.
“But you’re hurt,” y/n says softly.
Aemond stops his retreat, suddenly feeling a slight burn at the bottom of his left leg. It almost caught him by surprise, how did he not notice the pain before? He was beginning to bleed ever so slightly through the cloth of his pants.
y/n began to reach out for his hand once more. “ I can clean you up, my lord”
Before her hand could reach his, Aemond hastened to steps fleeing the servant's area.