× info [ cult au + neuvillette + lyney [ separate ] ]
× warnings [ none ]
× word count [ 0.8k ]
× neuvillette
The first time he sees you strolling the streets of Fontaine with a glint of wonder in your eyes, he thinks he must have finally lost it. He has to rub his eyes and check a few dozen times before he's certain that you are, in fact, real and not some figment of his imagination conjured by a lack of sleep and overdose on caffeine.
..Though now that he gets a better look, it's not quite the same. Like a smudged painting, he thinks. Still, the uncanny resemblance to the visage of the Divine One has him lingering around the area just to stare a little longer, a deep, devoted sense of affection bristling beneath his skin.
And then you turn sharply on your heel, staring directly back at him, and he feels a sudden wave of embarrassment and something akin to shame.
Archons, he'd just made a fool of himself, hadn't he?
He quickly turns away, clearing his throat and hiding his embarrassment behind his hand. Though it does not seem to deter you, the soft tap of your shoes growing closer until you were peering up at him with wide eyes.
"..Hello." He offers awkwardly, a little too stiff and a little too formal, but you don't seem to mind in the slightest. He knows that your appearance, your vague similarities to the Divine One are mere coincidence, but it does not stop his heart from skipping a beat when you smile up at him. "I– apologize for being so uncouth and staring, it's just.."
His voice trails off into a breathy exhale, his hand twitching on his cane as if he wanted to reach out and touch you..but he restrains himself in time. He could not make a bigger fool of himself – he would never hear the end of it from lady Furina.
"You remind me of someone."
He decides, readjusting his hands on his cane as he bows his head for a moment is a show of genuineness, though it must look awkward with how stiff his body feels.
Yet he cannot help but want to get closer anyway, to hear the silky lilt of your voice grace his pointed ears. This is as close as he will ever get to the Divine..he is a weak man, he finds, as he offers a hand to you.
"I understand if this is a bit..forward, but would you mind joining me for tea?"
× lyney
He is a master magician – his entire work is built on keen misdirection and sleight of hand, but even he stumbles for a minute thinking he'd seen an illusion in your warm smile and striking features. Almost an exact copy of the Divine One, yet not quite..
Still, it's enough to pique his interest – enough, too, to give him the confidence to slip into your conversation with ease, all smiles and the slip of a card between his fingers.
"Hello, stranger – I don't think I've seen you in Fontaine before," He laughs, his hand reaching around to rest gently on your opposite shoulder, his voice a ghost of a whisper in your ear. "Say, could I interest you in a bit of magic?"
He perks up at the way you seem to light up like fireworks at his offer, a spark almost like recognition in your eyes he brushes aside – he's quite well known, after all.
"Good! Now, if I may just borrow your attention for a minute.." He grins, stepping around you and turning sharply to face you, his hand outstretched with a deck of cards in his hands, face down. "Let's start simple, shall we? I shan't overwhelm my audience – pick a card."
He holds the cards out again, his features twisted in something like awe, though he hides it well.
His heart flutters at the briefest of glances of your hand against his as you pluck a card from his hand, and he quickly retracts it, reshuffling the deck with a broad grin and a wink.
"Do your best to remember it! If you could return it to the deck.." The card is placed back in it's place amongst the rest, and the magic begins!
"Now then, let's see..hm," He hums for a long moment, the silence filled by the constant shuffle of cards until he suddenly plucks one from the deck, flipping it around for you to see. "Is this your card?"
He frowns when you shake your head, almost pouting, before he lights up again and steps forward.
"Ah! How foolish of me, I missed it..it's riiight here, see." He winks, reaching behind your ear..and pulls free a card from seemingly thin air. He flips it around for you to see again, and when you tell him it is, in fact, your card, he flips it around again.
And before you can see it, he's holding a rainbow rose between his fingers, his hand outstretched as he bows.
His eyes glint with a sort of wonder as he looks at your features, his smile widening a fraction.
"Well, dear stranger? Did you enjoy the show?"
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Aemond Targaryen x Fem!Reader
Aemond and you had been friends since childhood, you being one of Halaena’s maidens.
He had always been sweet towards you, unlike Aegon who always tried to get your attention in the worst ways possible, pulling your hair and calling you names.
You had always been an adorable child, having everyone love you, by simply seeing your smile, you may not have been the prettiest, smartest or toughest, but you were the kindest.
It was this kindness that led you and Aemond to become inseparable.
After the fight where he lost his eye, you remained glued to his side. You would read him books with the aid of his mother to make his bedridden days pass faster. You would bring him sweets from dinner, the maesters never truly agreed, but would turn a blind eye when seeing the prince’s smile.
Time kept passing, but your friendship never changed. You grew into a proper lady, carrying yourself with grace, turning necks with you parading through the halls. And he grew into a fearsome warrior, strong enough to protect his family.
Everyone had noticed how the pair had changed, both of you included.
Aemond was not known for his smiles, but if anyone paid enough attention they would see his gaze glow and lips pull into a soft grin the moment you appear. He wouldn’t let you ever see this side of him, only showing you his smirks and winks, enjoying seeing you huff everytime.
And you… everyone knew you were in love with the prince, if you had an angelic aura every passing second, whenever the dragon-rider stood by your side, you turned into an actual angel. Your attention centered solely on him, smiling with flushed cheeks whenever he looked your way.
No matter how hard you had tried to kill this hope, a little part of you kept dreaming about Aemond declaring his love for you. Maybe at night, running to your quarters, being unable to hold himself back any longer and crashing his lips onto yours. Or taking you away with Vhagar, somewhere private where he would scream his confession for only you to hear.
But this never happened, and you were beginning to realize you were growing older. Your parents kept pestering you about the new dance, where there would be many lords and heirs for you to meet.
You decided that if the prince did not ask you to accompany him to the banquet you would let go. Find a good enough man and settle down.
And so you did, Aemond didn’t utter a word about the dance, he saw it as just another night where he could drink and get rowdy with his friends.
What he did not expect was for you to enter the hall on another man’s arm. You were glowing brighter than usual, with your hair braided into an intricate bun, a golden necklace resting on your collar bones, and your jeweled hand grabbing the young man’s arm.
The Lannister wasn’t the best company, but he seemed fine, just fine… let’s be honest, he wasn’t Aemond. Throughout the whole night you kept stealing glances his way, hoping he would approach you and ask for a dance like he always did. But it seemed he was ignoring you, not once did your eyes cross.
The golden lord didn’t even notice how your eyes kept straying away, your leg bouncing agitatedly, your breath turning quicker and quicker… you couldn’t breath, this was too much, why did you have to do this? why couldn’t you just accept things as they were? as they are? You were spiraling, losing focus, until you felt a strong hand on your shoulder, expecting to see the lord you simply shut your eyes, hoping to disappear.
“My lady, did the young lion hurt you?” Aemond was standing right behind you, staring down at the boy who could barely explain himself. You knew he would cause a scene if you didn’t stop him soon.
“No, I only need to take some air, do not fret my prince.” And with that you left both men, rushing towards the nearest balcony, but no matter how fast you ran, heavy boots kept following you.
“Stop it! I can go on my own, I will not get lost”.
“I just want to make sure you are safe, you look faint”. You couldn’t help but laugh, now he looks at you.
“I have managed the whole dance without you looming over me, I do not need your pity.”
“Don’t speak to me like this, I am not your prince, I am your friend and this is not pity.” He finally caught up to you, spinning you around, the only barrier separating you were your hands on his chest. “What is going on? Why are you acting like this? I barely recognize you.”
He tried to maintain his eye on yours, but you kept avoiding his gaze. “I am not the one who is acting strangely, you ignored me the whole evening. What was I supposed to do? Wait in a corner for you to finally grace me with your presence?”
He let go of your arm frowning. “I did not want to disturb your time with that… boy. You seemed to be having such a grand evening with him, finally acting like every other lady, giggling and twirling your hair like a… girl.”
That was what finally set you off, how dare he mock you, your sole duty and goal in life was getting married, there was nothing more you could do. You stepped forward, fury in your eyes and finger pointed at him.
“Don’t you dare laugh at me, Aemond. Yes, I am a lady, and I am a girl. I need to find a husband, I am no longer a child, unlike you, I cannot live my days doing as I please. I will not allow myself to disgrace my family, nor will I ruin my future because I am too prideful to “giggle and twirl my hair” at men.”
With that, you turned around, you couldn’t believe his actions, he was your friend, your first love, he had to understand you.
“Wait!” He sprinted, blocking your way, his breath was heavy, you thought he would have been angry, but he almost looked gleeful.
He took your hands, bringing them to his chest, you could feel the rapid beating of his heart. And then he smiled, his whole face transforming, from the cold prince everyone feared, to the young boy you had spent your whole life with.
“Marry me.”
Your grip tightened on his gloved hands, you gasped but he was quicker than you.
“Think about it, we’ve known each other since we were babes, no one can treat you with more care than I. Your house is strong enough for my parents to accept, you would never have to worry about anything again.”
“Aemond, I don’t know if I can.” His smile faded but you continued, tears gathering in your eyes. “I had already accepted that I would have to marry someone who will never love me. Maybe I would befriend my husband, and that would be enough. But you… you mean too much to simply be that.” You let go of his hands, holding his face close to yours in one final moment of bravery. “I love you too much.”
Before you could burst into tears, his lips crashed onto yours, hands grabbing at whatever they could find. It was a desperate kiss, too many feelings erupting at the same time, fear of losing the other and relief at finally having each other.
You pulled away gasping for breath, your foreheads touching, looking into each other’s eyes, there was nothing but love, and you couldn’t help but laugh.
Jumping into his arms, he twirled you around, his own laugh resounding through the halls.
And he was right, there were no more worries in your life, only a future by his side.
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