THERE WAS DARKNESS AS Visenya's consciousness slowly came back to normal.
She had been carried on the arms of a member of the Kingsguard and ultimately set on a chair while members of Viserys court and the King himself carried the judgement.

Two maesters had been at Aemond's and Visenya's side as they cleaned up their grave wounds.
"how could you have allowed such a thing to happen?" the deteriorating King asked sternly to his guard, "I will have answers!"
"the princes and the princess were supposed to be abed my King." the Lord Commander answered in fear.

Visenya stirred at the feeling of the water in her face, her skin felt sticky with the blood that spilled from the side of her head and her nose.
"the princess is awake, my King." the Maester said quietly and Alicent was quick to come to her daughter's side.
Jacaerys looked over at Visenya too, his expression scared as he saw her body drappled over her chair.

"who had the Night's Watch?!" questioned Viserys without much thought to the Maester's information, he needed to know what transpired and why no guards were able to stop the transgressions suffered that night.

"the young prince and princess were attacked by their own cousins, Your Grace." Ser Criston Cole said, spinning the story he didn't even know.
"you swore oaths to protect and defend my blood!" Viserys screamed.

"I'm very sorry, Your Grace." Harrold Westerling bowed his head, truthfully apologetic.
"The Kingsguard has never had to defend princes from princes, Your—" Cole was cut off by the King who said something inaudible to Visenya.

"It will heal, will it not, Maester?" Alicent glanced at the two maesters who had been ensured in taking good care of the siblings wounds.
everyone's head turned to know of the Maester's answers as to Aemond's condition.

"The flesh will heal, but the eye is lost, Your Grace." The Maester entrusted with Aemond said as he stitched away the better part of Aemond's face.

"as for the princess?" asked Alicent and the Maester that cleaned and stitched Visenya's wounds replied regretfully, "the princess' cut was deep, and I fear she has suffered some head trauma for it, but the rock has not bruised the skull. Though the Princess behavior may change and it will leave a scar, Your Grace." Visenya winced at the volume of his words, her pupils dilated from her head injury.
but internally? the princess could not feel anything short of rage and a troubling headache.

"please take your hands off me." Visenya pleaded as The Maester stitched away the cut, ignoring her babbling. "please!" she shouted, grasping his wrist and wincing at the sound of her own voice. The Maester nodded respectfully and stepped away.

"where were you?" Alicent asked as she moved to her firstborn. "me?" Aegon asked, still in his drunken stupor that was answered with a harsh slap delivered to the side of his face.
"what was that for?!" he asked indignantly, as if not grasping the villainous situation that laid upon him.

"that is nothing compared to the abuse your siblings suffered while you were drowning in your cups, you fool!" Alicent said as she attempted to shake some sense into Aegon.

"what is the meaning of this?!" the shout made the witnesses gasp, the Lord of the Tides, The Sea Snake, Corlys Velaryon had entered. Following behind the Queen who never was, Rhaenys Targaryen.
Visenya once again winced and covered her eyes at the loud sounds that echoed throughout her head.
"Baela! Rhaena! what happened?" the grandmother asked as she ran to Laena's daughters.

Following entered Rhaenyra and Daemon Targaryen, suspiciously too on time as the two had spent hours together following the funeral. "Jace? Luke!" she exclaimed as she ran to her bastard sons.
"who did this?!" her eyes fell on her previous friend's kids, her half-siblings.

"they attacked me!" Aemond exclaimed.
"he attacked Baela!" Rhaena argued.
"Baela attacked me!" Visenya groaned loudly as she allowed the Maester to carefully bridge away the cut on her face.

and like that, accusations were thrown in the air like droplets of rain. nothing audible but the shouts of less than ten year old children. "enough." Viserys said as he made way into the middle of the room.
"Enough." he pleaded once more.
"it should be my children telling the tale!" argued Alicent with the children.

"Silence!" King Viserys demanded it, and the room fell silent upon his orders. Visenya stared daggers at Baela, who laid without a scratch on her face. she knew this scar would diminish her appearance, for all Visenya knew was taught was to be a pretty face who worshipped The Seven. her balads were composed of her beauty but who would find her the so flawless Emerald now?

"he called us bastards..." Jacaerys whispered to Rhaenyra who stood up, not permitting the so called truthful slanders.
"Visenya, I will have the truth of what happened, and nothing but the truth." Viserys said as he touched his daughter's cheeks softly, remnants of blood running through his thumb.

Visenya nodded with furrowed brows, the attention was on her as she tried to remember what exactly transpired that night, and how she could spin it to her and Aemond's advantage.
"what else is to hear your son had been maimed and her sons are responsible for it." Alicent said, holding Aemond's shoulder protectively.

"it was a regrettable accident." Rhaenyra's eyes never leaving Alicent as she attempted to keep the conversation civil.
"accident? that prince Lucerys brought a blade to the ambush he meant to kill my son!" Alicent argued.

"it was...Jacaerys' blade." Visenya struggled, as she moved in her seat. not valuable information, but it stained the older prince's name.

"it was my sons who were attacked and forced to defend themselves! Vile insults were leveled against them." Rhaenyra said loudly, bringing attention to the room.

"what insults?" asked Viserys, but everyone in that room knew what it referred to. it was obvious, yet the King was so blind in his denial that Visenya wondered how much Milk of the Poppy had influenced his vision amd good judgment.

"the legitimacy of my sons birth was put loudly to question." Rhaenyra closed her eyes, discussing this in front of too many people.

"what?" Viserys asked as anger grew on him, Visenya seemed to not have any concerns out of this matter—she was bored. was this how Aegon felt? this apathy and loneliness that he felt the need to drown away his conscience in cups and whores?

"he called us bastards." Jacaerys said silently, looking over to Visenya and Aemond.
because you are. Visenya wished to say so without being reprimanded but decided to bite her tongue.

"my sons are in line to inherit the Iron Throne, Your Grace. This is the highest of treasons. Prince Aemond and Princess Visenya must be sharply questioned so he might learn where he heard such slanders." It was a jab at Alicent, because The Queen was a woman of many vile thoughts about her childhood friend.
"I never called anyone a bastard!" Visenya scowled but for the first time her words were ignored.

"over an insult?" Alicent's brow furrowed as her auburn curls moved as she shook her head to scoff.
"my son has lost an eye! my daughter has suffered a head injury!" she pointed at the only royals sat.

"tell me, boy, where did you hear this lie?" Viserys leaned down, speaking sternly to his son.
"the insult was training yard bluster. the lot of boys. it was nothing—" Alicent said as her nails dug in her skin, trying to diminish the situation.

"Aemond...I asked you a question." Viserys's hand was harsh against Aemond's body, he could not have anyone question the legitimacy of Rhaenyra's sons, his grandchildren.

"where is Ser Laenor, I wonder? The Boy's father? Perhaps he might have something to say in the matter." Alicent said and Visenys could feel her panic arising, it was her who had said those slanders so freely around her children—and as they grew old, the implications stayed in their minds as their hatred grew.

"Yes, where is Ser Laenor?" Viserys looked at his heir who became queasy at the question.
"I do not know, Your Grace, I...could not find sleep, I had gone out to walk." Rhaenyra responded as she looked down the floor, perhaps if she was not so busy laying with Daemon she'd go to her sons quarters to say goodnight and realize they did not lay there.

Perhaps if Alicent had done the same, they would not be there.

Perhaps if the Kingsguard had been more attentive they'd soon realize a handful of children had been missing from their beds.

In every way possible, many factors as to what could've stopped the maiming of Prince Aemond Targaryen and the head injury Princess Visenya Targaryen would plague the mind of many, but mostly their own mothers.