Hotd Aemond - Tumblr Posts - Page 8
Honestly, I love Alicent but she strikes me as a mother to get offended when you point out to her that her sons are DEFINITELY not okay. She will hit you with that "How dare you say that to me?! To say that about my children! They are completely stable and normal!" Like, come on, Alicent... honey... your oldest son NEEDS severe psychiatric consulting immediately... and get don't even me started on that antisocial bitch sitting beside you-
I really want to know what Aemond and Aegon reaction would be when they find out that Alicent is fucking Criston in the side. Like, which one would become violent and which one would just laugh uproariously???
I have to give Aemond some props for not falling for Larys’s manipulation during the council meeting.
Lucerys Velaryon
It's not my best edit but I think it's acceptable.
someone please make an edit of adult lucerys with white hair and violet eyes! or much better a fanart of lucemond Aemond reddish brown hair as alicent and lucerys white hair
Please tell me if I have any errors. English is not my native language. The translator helped me a lot. And we all know how bad it is.
I've had this idea for a Lucemond fanfic Inspired by "scum villain self saving system" I couldn't help myself and wrote a little.
....
Lucerys is a boy who just graduated from marine biology (it's a career he hates but he studied it for his grandfather) he is the middle brother and his latest obsession is a dark medieval fantasy book where one of the villains has cannon fodder the same name as him and yes, he is a little more than offended.
The protagonist is great, he has a difficult story, surrounded by a family that doesn't appreciate him (except for his mother), then he has to prove himself and work hard to get what others give him just by being born. His career is excellent and his personal growth is the best... Luke may also be a bit in love with a fictional character.
but it's not his fault, Aemond targeryan is the perfect combination of wild cold and tender psychopath. judge him if you want, luke has a type (his brother Jace always says he has bad taste in men). Luke thinks he's just being overprotective.
now, the character that has the same name as Luke, is crap. it is simple. luke never thought he could hate a five year old but he does. Fictional Lucerys Velaryon is a spoiled child, a liar and with zero empathy.
the little savage took his eye off his beautiful man Aemond! (luke is not being subjective, no)
So when Luke is swimming with his brothers at his grandparents' summer house and he gets a leg cramp, suddenly he's not just on the surface anymore, he tries to yell for help but it's all water, water in his eyes. in his lungs and in his body.
open his eyes. he takes an intense breath and shakes his arms, he was drowning but he is not anymore, there is no more water, no salty breeze or the screams of his brothers. he's not even at home Lucerys is in a strange and very old style room, his body feels very small.
— My sweet boy, it is time to wake up.
And that is the voice of his mother, his mother who should be with his father right now on their fifth anniversary.
The woman in front of him is similar to his mother, a lot, but she's ridiculously more beautiful. her skin is like alabaster, her hair is like pale silken threads, and her eyes are a fanciful purple.
his mother doesn't have purple eyes.
no one has purple eyes.
the woman approaches and caresses his face and then lifts him up. luke feels like he's having a panic attack, he's had them before, many times. He's never been good at handling them.
It is when they go through a mirror that Luke can see himself in a mirror all childish features, sweet and round. Brown eyes, thick eyelashes, curls and red cheeks. not very different from him, so similar but not him.
Luke at this age was much more robust and did not have such delicate features. holy God. It looked like he was six years old. going to panic.
—lucerys my boy, what is it?
They are walking through long corridors, with infinitely high ceilings, all ancient stone, medieval courts and touches of royalty. Lucerys doesn't want what he thinks is happening to be real.
the threads are coming together and he feels that perhaps, the most logical thing is that he is having a hallucination.
there is a tapestry on one wall. It is a dragon, deep red like blood, it has three heads and its wings look like blades.
Luke accepts his fate he has just reincarnated as the villain of his favorite book.
the pathetic villain who marks the beginning of the hero's path.
the same one who dies in chapter four of the book in a horrible way
Lucerys begins to cry.
inspired by this twitter thread.
I just translated this from spanish so if there is any mistake please tell me.
lucerys psycho!
Aemond doesn't blame them, the same accomplishment realized with a glance in one of the store's mirrors.
His hair is too long, his eyes are somewhat puffy from sleep and he has dark circles under his eyes that are even more noticeable due to his pale skin that has not received sunlight for a long time. In addition to the fact that before everything, people already looked at him with suspicion. He was tall and likes to work out so he could be intimidating to some people and when you add to that his numerous tattoos, his dark clothes and his fucking eye patch... people were prejudiced.
His hands were sweating, he doesn't know how long it's been since he gently touched the boy in front of him on the shoulder but it sure has been a long time since the silence feels tense. He tries once more to order the words in his mind and makes an even greater effort to convey them.
"I need-...."
"Oh you're here, I've been looking for you, have you got your cookies yet?"
His shoulders tense and his hands tremble as someone else's intertwine with his own and soft lips press against his cheek.
"friends of yours?" Lucerys turns to the couple who are watching him curiously.
Aemond only limits himself to denying even when it is unnecessary.
Lucerys knew he didn't know them.
Lucerys knew everything about him.
"My pleasure, I'm Lucerys Velaryon" he said with one of those soft smiles that were always contagious and of course this was no exception.
The couple smiled as if by innate reflex and shook his hand saying their respective names but Aemond's mind was too far away to process them.
Moron.
Coward.
Witty.
They are being deceived.
The conversation continued for only a few more seconds but that did not prevent the smile on the faces of the two people from growing more and more delighted by the wonderful illusion that was presented to them.
Aemond could feel the bile rising in his throat.
Already in the car, he saw the man who sat in the passenger seat with his jaw clenched and his hands clenched with an iron force behind the wheel.
Lucerys was looking at him with a pout on his plush lips and his eyes brimming with tears.
"You wanted to leave me Qybor"
His hands tighten more on the wheel to the point where his knuckles turn white, he wants to take that little face in his hands, he wants to tear out those bright eyes and he wants to kiss those lips until the boy cries and screams and begs, he wants to hold him and smell his hair.
The boy moves closer until their noses meet in an Eskimo kiss and his whole body is tense. He sees the sadness in those eyes and Aemond might feel guilty if he wasn't completely sure it was false, a lie. The boy was a total chameleon.
"I wasn't going to do it" he says, but the only thing that goes through his head repeatedly like a mantra is 'yes yes, yes, leave, never see you, never touch you, nor breathe your intoxicating self that leaves me high'
They both know it's a lie as soon as it leaves their lips but neither says it. Aemond because it is convenient for Lucerys to trust him so as not to lose this newly won freedom and Lucerys because he does not want the man to know that he sees through him, that he watches him and knows everything about him.
Lucerys smiles, that smile that makes his cheeks look even softer and he wants to bite him and kiss all over his face. he hates it.
Their lips are pinking when Lucerys stops smiling and gives him a chaste kiss but Aemond follows when he tries to pull away. He doesn't do it on purpose and everything in him tells him to stop, to stop kissing the sweet mouth of this fucking son of a bitch but he can't pull away until Lucerys is gasping for air and his hands are clutching at his shirt and the only thing What is heard is the wet sound of their mouths and the small moans that come from Lucerys.
By the time they separate, the boy's mouth is red and swollen, traces of saliva trail down the corner of his mouth, and his gaze is blank. An emotion takes shape in Aemond's chest, and when he finally identifies it, he is horrified.
He is satisfied. As if having that effect on Luke was his job, his duty. That creepy thing on his chest grows and desperately screams "we are his, we belong to him, only him, by him, for him"
Aemond opens the car door as bile rises in his throat along with his breakfast and the retching continues even though there is nothing left in his stomach and his body is spasming and he is breaking out in a cold sweat. Aemond's breathing accelerates and when he feels he can't breathe anymore and that the air burns more than helping him, when he feels that he is suffocating a hand touches his shoulder and another cups his cheek and raises his face.
"Come on, breathe with me, okay? Slow breaths"
And when he is supported by that touch and his eye observe the face in front of him with irritating attention and he obediently follows the breaths of the opposite and calm floods his body is what he knows is screwed , who must find a way to escape, to escape this monster with soft cheeks and angelic appearance.
How fucked up do you have to be for the person who makes your heart race to the point that you excite is also the person who causes you deep fear, who gouged out your eye when you were only ten years old and is also the only one who calms you down when you suffer a panic attack and if this does not border on the unusual it is also its kidnapper.
Ok but Zombies Au
I mean... Aemond (in leathers and loads of weapons) meets Luke covered in blood, eyes glowing fighting with the same dagger with which he gouged out his eye against the zombies.
Aemond *heart eyes*: sexy...
A Little sketch
Luke and Aemond superhero au
Lucerys: I have to hand you over to the cops
Aemond: Well, only on one condition.
Lucerys: ...
Aemond: kiss me.
Lucerys: I think you are not understanding the situation
Aemond: Aren't we flirting?
THE SEVEN KIMDONS NEWS
an article
news. The cute stone dragon superhero 'Spiderman' (here the sweet boy Lucerys Velaryon) has been seen fraternizing with the notorious and dangerous criminal (formerly war hero) Aemond Targaryen, also known as "one-eyed" or "Deadpool".
Rumors are spreading fast and we wonder if this is the hero's way of finally putting this dangerous man behind bars or is our beloved baby hero being corrupted?
According to our reliable sources, they have been frequently seen in very indecent situations, and although other media have tried to paint them as "fights". Our sources have confirmed that both our beloved hero and the outlaw have a very intertwined past.
These are the words of our source: "Aemond was always obsessed, most would think that he is something of the murderous type but I think he is in love"
deserted island
I translated all this from Spanish so I apologize.
So if instead of vhagar shitting arrax he actually pushes it a bit and even though arrax tries to steady himself he fails, the dragon and Luke end up on a godforsaken island. Arrax is in very bad shape because of the fall and because of the bad time the old woman gave him, so he refuses to fly again no matter how much Luke begs him.
Aemond follows them because (this is Aemond please) he wants to rejoice (even though he doesn't want to admit it he is very worried about the state of his beloved nephew).
So between Luke's despair, Arrax's tantrum and Aemond's dialogue "My lord strong, bastard bla bla bla" they don't realize that vhagar starts to leave (and that's a big oversight. Have you seen the size of the old lady?) Aemond goes into a screaming frenzy that vhagar doesn't hear (he's had a lot of emotion for a day, thank you) and once again ignores his rider and leaves.
Luke, who was watching all this in shock, begins to laugh like a madman, because when his mother sent him as a messenger, I didn't expect all these things to happen to him. Aemond looks at him with one eye twitching with anger, looking him up and down.
His nephew full of sand, with scratches and disheveled curls, torn clothes and red cheeks. He looks broken and mad and for some reason that makes something roar from deep within Aemond, this is the beast that no one sees, his brash and savage nephew.
(I don't know something else happens to me, but the general idea is that these two will be practically alone on a certain island and they will develop something like a very strong codependency and that in turn fuels all the obsession and possession that they already felt before, in addition that a slightly injured arrax could stay because that can lead to interesting situations)
zombies
Luke sees Baela fall to the ground, a zombie on top of his body. He can hear Rhaena scream in panic but Luke's entire body is paralyzed. Jace is enraged and attacks the zombie with one of the drama club's wooden swords, the sword snaps in two and the Zombie, who now has his attention on Jace, jumps at him in a frenzy.
Jace is struggling on the ground and Rhaena runs to her sister's lifeless body. Luke can only hear cries of suffering, his body shaking like a leaf. It's only when he hears Jace scream in pain that something in Luke awakens. A rage, a destructive fire.
In a blink everything goes dark, when he opens his eyes, he is on the ground, his hands full of blood holding one of the halves of the wooden sword.
Rhaena looks at him in a way I've never looked at him before… She was afraid of him. Jace blinked several times, looking at him as if he were facing a stranger, apparently the zombie hadn't bitten him. Suddenly some footsteps were heard, the three became alert, their bodies tense.
A figure approached, Luke's body immediately relaxed as he realized who the person was. Which when you thought about it was kind of stupid, You didn't relax in front of someone who hated you for gouging out their eye.
'Wow, what do we have here?" Aemond stared at Luke. "Did you do it all by yourself, Taoba?"
Luke's head nodded unconsciously
"that's nice, my strong boy, next time do it in front of me, I'd like to see you."
"Aemond is quite an introverted, sad kid who has gone through many hardships. So obviously, when he gets the dragon, his mood changes, and he feels like he can do anything he wants. And that’s where that villain comes into play."
— Leo Ashton.
i’m bad, he’s worse, we’re already dead
Spoilers for house of the dragons episode 10
Hotd episode 10 was leaked and most of us saw what happened to poor Luke. I find it really annoying how people are defending Aemond and this is coming from a person who likes Aemond (I’m team black tho don’t get it twisted) Stop defending this man. He chased after Luke on VHAGAR. Vhagar is in the first generation of Westeros dragons. The biggest Dragon in the show. I’m pretty sure Agon the conqueror used her in his conquest, so she’s a war veteran. Aemond chased Luke, what the fuck did he think was gonna happen? That he could mess with Luke a bit then fly off after? NO! I’m pretty sure dragons can feel their riders intent and Aemond doesn’t like Luke (for obvious reasons). Vhagar felt Aemond hated Luke and killed him.
Do I think it was an accident? OBVIOUSLY! I don’t think Aemond wanted to kill Luke just like how I don’t think he really wants this war. But his actions are a direct responsibility for the war starting. He shouldn’t have used Vhagar like she is some toy, Vhagar is a dragon! It’s like giving a child a gun and being surprised when someone gets killed. And I understand people are saying “he lost control of his dragon!” Okay? So did Luke, his dragon attacked back trying to protect him because his dragon was scared for Luke and his life! It doesn’t make what Aemond did right. Now because of his actions we are going to have to sit and watch the blood and cheese arc.
Alicent Hightower thinks to be loved is to be used, and there's no clearer example of that than how her children turn out. I don't think it's necessarily her fault, she doesn't know any better, she's never experienced normal parental love from her most prominent parental figure. Otto Hightower pratically sells his daughter out to a man old enough to be her father, and when Alicent married Viserys, Otto's love and pride comes only when that price is paid. She is used again by both Viserys and Otto in the birth of Aegon, and once again because she is useful, because she has given something away, she is momentarily granted affection she does not usually recieve. To Alicent, people have only loved her once they have used her, and I think this trauma cycle really echoes in all her children.
I saw someone suggest that Season 2 Aemond's "mummy issues" did not fit the image of Season 1 Aemond, who is objectively a mummy's boy. I get maybe where this view comes from, but I do disagree. I think, in a very unspoken manner, we see that Aemond's (and Aegon, but this post is already getting long) relationship with his mother is similar to Alicents relationship with her father. I don't think she does it intentionally at all, and she's obviously not selling Aemond out, but there's a lingering feeling of almost love bombing in their relationship. Alicent loves Aemond when he's of use to her, because that's the only way she knows how to love anyone. She loves him when he's hurt, when he gains a dragon, when he goes to find Aegon, when he's comforting her. But she cannot face him when he has disappointed her. I don't think it's her intention to come off that way, in private with Otto she defends him, almost understands his actions though she does not agree with them, but she doesn't know how to show she still loves him, because he's not of use to her at the moment.
And Aemond? Well, his issues develope from all of this. He has always been loved, because he has always been of use, especially emotionally, to his mother. He doesn't know how to deal with this absence of affection. To an extent, Alicent is prehaps the person who knows him best, especially in his anger at Lucerys, and without her, he seeks both love and understanding from a woman that looks and is aged close enough to her that he can delude himself.
I think something a lot of people overlook with Aemond is that he's, in the grand scheme of things, still very young. I thinks he's supposed to be 19 in the show, and though that of course is no excuse for his attack on Lucerys, it does shed light, and rationalise, his emotional instability. Here's a young adult who, in his eyes, has never been good enough to experience parental love from his father, and has seemingly ruined his relationship with the one person who might truly understand him. I think there's a big point to be made in Aemond's scarring to. He has been permanently disfigured by Lucerys, he's missing a main feature in his face, and has highly visible scarring. That's a big thing for anyone to deal with, but especially a young adult who's family, for all intensive purposes, are prehaps the most attractive in the seven kingdoms. There's a big insecurity there, seen in the fact that his face is always covered in all but once scene, and I think its fair to assume Aemond might feel that no one may ever love him romantically, or atleast choose him, when he is both a second son, and the scarred member of his family.
In my opinion, Aemond seeking out comfort makes perfect sense. He wants love and understanding, and is never quite sure if he'll get it again, due to his mother's distance, thus he pays for it.
i think aemond is the last of his siblings to find out that his mother's love is conditional (because, as you said, otto's love for her was conditional) and that he was always going to have serious "mommy issues" that we are now being shown plainly how deeply he is affected by this revelation
No, I 1000% agree. I think he probably sees with Aegon that his mother doesn't always have the most love for her first born due to his actions, but there's an arrogance to Aemond because he's never screwed up before. He really doesn't know what to do when he stops receiving the attention he's used to. I don't think he wants to necessarily apologise to gain it back either, because that's admitting he's not as superior to Aegon as he thinks he is, and it also suggests his mother has a reason to be disappointed. He wants her love back, and like you said it's hitting him really hard to be without it. We really are just watching him have a breakdown, while clammering to keep the nonchalant, untouchable image he wants the world to see, up.
Noble Only in Blood
A/n house of the dragon rewatch era <3
Summary: There are very few things you wouldn't do in order to save your brother.
Warnings: me writing for a character for the first time, targaryen incest (reader is rhaenyra's daughter), reader is described as not looking like her brothers and having valyrian features, forced marriage, slight miscommunication trope (i know,, bare with me😭)
----
In times of crisis, it is instinctual to hold onto what is dear. If one has reason to believe that a thief has crossed their path, it is logical for them to reach into their purses and pockets, to make sure that what they care for most is still safe. That same impulse is what guides your hand forward, your fingers curling around Lucerys's shoulder.
After a breath, you realize that Luke has allowed himself to shuffle back, a subtle acceptance of your attempt to comfort him. That startles you more than the sudden appearance of a familiar face. Luke's distaste for what he considers 'sisterly coddling' has grown steadily over these last few years, the threat of war only amplifying his desire to shed the last few layers of protection you're able to offer him.
"It's alright." The response borders on hollow, your voice ringing flat in your own ears. You press your lips together. So Aemond beat your family to Lord Borros. That's...That means very little in the grand scheme of things. You and your brother came here to present an offer, not to begin a war. "You are here as a messenger, not a warrior."
He nods once, eyes still trained on your uncle. Even though Luke's in front of you, his stiffness is reminiscent of a time in which a conflict with Aemond meant running to you, meant attempting to hide behind you until you could either tell him off or call for your mother.
Aemond takes a measured step forward. "Really? Is that what you're calling your attempts to steal my brother's throne?"
There's a muted sharpness in Aemond's voice that feels distinct to anything you've seen from him before. This is not a burst of fury fueled by petulant indignation, this is a flash of a rage sustained by an all engulfing flame.
Your fingers press into Luke's shoulder. The sooner he's returned to the sky, the better. "I was only offering an explanation."
"The ever honest princess." Another step. "I have had enough of your brand of honesty."
Your lips briefly part before pressing together again. There is no worthy response, not with the way Aemond's watching you, expression too unforgiving to be about today. Something small and familiar attempts to dislodge itself from your throat, an echo of the apology that failed to salvage any friendship between the two of you years ago.
There's a beat of nothingness that serves as a form of recognition. Aemond straightens. "While I am accustomed to your self righteousness and defense of Lord Strong, even you cannot think you'll get to walk away after what you both attempted."
At that, Luke straightens, shoulders lifting in a way that encourages you to release him. "Leave my sister out of this." He steps forward, planting himself firmly between you and Aemond.
"Luke."
He doesn't look back at you, but your tone does seem to remind him of the importance of deescalation. "I am not going to fight you."
"No. That would be no challenge." Your fingers curl into your palm with such tension you can already feel your nails imprinting your skin. Aemond raises an arm, hand moving to pull off the patch that covers his lost eye. "I want you to pluck out your eye as payment for mine."
Luke shuffles back, head snapping in your direction. His eyes only find yours for a brief moment before he's straightening to face Aemond again, but it's enough for you to see the dread tinging his put together demeanor. His lips parted, his brows furrowed. That same little boy that always trusted you to know how to stop a game from going too far.
You squeeze Luke's arm, a silent promise, a guarantee that you'll--that you'll what? That you'll return him to Arrax unscathed? That you'll find a way to save him? This isn't the same as the faults that were dismissed as an unfortunate yet dismissible consequence of childhood roughhousing.
Blood has been divided, the rightful succession questioned. The children of rightful heirs have faced worse than what Aemond is attempting. Political divide changes things. Standing on the brink of war, you have no defense. There is no predetermined safe territory for you to rush Luke to, and yet...
"You are not taking my brother's eye." The authority bleeding into your voice provides a lifeline. You have nothing to stand on, not here, and yet the firmness of your statement manages to pulse through you.
Aemond presses his lips together, a sharp smile that's too cruel to be reduced to something as simple as sarcastic briefly taking over his expression. "Sister. Brother." He lets out a breath, radiating an assurance that turns your stomach. Aemond turns his head, his full attention falling onto you. "Surely you've seen your own reflection."
The jab should fall flat. As the only one of your mother's children to be born with features that reflect a more traditionally valyrian appearance, snide comments implying that your brothers aren't truly your brothers are far from new. Even if they're right, it wouldn't matter. Your brothers came from your mother, same as you, and even that isn't the only reason you care for them. They're your family. However, Aemond's smugness makes the comment hard to bear. He's indulging in the power he has over the two of you.
"Call him what you'd like," you say, "You're not going to touch him."
Aemond tilts his chin downwards to make it easier to watch Luke. "Do you always need your sister to defend you?"
Luke lifts his chin slightly, shifting his body forward. "There is nothing to defend. We're leaving."
The excuse to end this interaction offers you a wary sense of relief. You're not convinced that Aemond will be willing to let the two of you pass so easily, but Luke's presented an excuse to allow everyone to walk away before tensions can rise further.
Luke steps away from you, making a point to walks towards the left. Once he's a few paces away from you, you start to walk away as well. You keep your eyes trained on the back of Luke's head, as if that will keep the window from closing.
"I am owed a debt."
You turn on your heels. Luke's farther away from Aemond now, a fact you're grateful for, but now you're practically directly in front of him. The proximity throws you more than it should. The last time you were next to Aemond, the two of you were still friends. He's--you're not sure you've ever noted how tall he's gotten.
You press your lips together, dismissing the feeling. If anything, his height is just another reminder that no part of the boy that used to read with you in the library remains in him. "It will not be paid with my brother's blood."
The silence between the three of you is heavy. A part of you thinks the safest course of action might be grabbing Luke and making a run for it. An escape attempt that hasty comes with its own risks. Aemond is more determined than you've ever seen him. And you can't even truly blame him for his anger, for his hatred.
Aemond has to bear the consequences of a moment's mistake for the rest of his life. Luke took his eye, and when you defended him, you stole his trust. But allowing him to hurt Luke is the kind of cruel justice that resolves nothing.
"Aemond, I'm sorry," the genuineness of the statement knots your stomach, "About what happened." You pause, not completely sure where you're going with this. "You didn't deserve it, but that doesn't change the fact that you're taking advantage of a situation. This isn't justice it is...abuse."
He's quiet, and for a long moment you start to think that you've tugged at the wrong thread and now everything's going to unravel.
Aemond steps forward. You force yourself to stay in place. Luke's a few steps away from Aemond, and if things change that might--that might mean something. "How virtuous." His focus weighs on you enough to force the air out of your lungs. "Then tell me, my princess, how do you suggest the debt be paid?" Aemond takes another step towards you. He's so close now that you have to tilt your chin upwards to hold his gaze. "I wonder how noble you'd be if you yourself were on the line."
The meaning of his words take their time to sink in. Something hard lodges itself in your throat. You swallow in an attempt to dislodge the feeling. "My-My eye?"
"No, little good would come from it." He studies your features with such an openness you have to resist the urge to shrink in on yourself. All you have is your ability to stand firm. "You're worth more unscared." Aemond lets out a breath. "Maybe a wedding is what this family needs."
"What?"
If Aemond thinks anything of your shock, he gives no indication of it. "Marrying Rhaenyra's daughter will only strengthen my family's claim to the throne." The accuracy of the statement turns your stomach.
Noble women are regularly married off as solutions for these kinds of conflicts. It's a way of unifying dividing lines. You do not desire war, nor do you think a hypothetical marriage between you and Aemond would truly fix anything. However, the thought of being used as a political pawn to aid your mother's usurper, makes you want to crawl out of your skin.
Aemond also detests you. Marriage is more often than not about duty. Your mother has never kept that from you. The only thing she's ever assured you of is that when the time came for you to be wed, your match would be compatible. A happy marriage does not begin with love, it begins with respect and an understanding of your duty.
Anything Aemond's trying to force you into wouldn't be that. This is about vengeance, about hurting you and your family even if he has to bind himself to you to do so.
The two of you are trapped. You have no allies, no significant weapons unless you count the two dragons that stand no chance against Vhagar, and you are standing in front of someone demanding to hurt your brother. If this is the only way to guarantee your brother's safe passage back to your mother...
"If I--if I agree...you'll forgive my brother of any debt owed?" The question makes something in your chest ache. "You'll let him go?"
There's a beat in which Aemond's eyebrows seem to draw together, but he returns to neutrality so quickly you're not sure if you've imagined it or not. "You have my word."
"No," Luke's voice is right in your ear. It's his turn to grab your arm. "You can't have her."
"Luke..." His fingers wrap around your forearm, his hold on you growing more desperate. "Luke--listen to me."
He shakes his head. "No." Luke straightens his shoulders, something determined flashing behind his eyes. "No, I can't let you do this."
You turn, placing your free hand over his arm. "I will not risk your safety." He begins to protest again, but you stop him, "Go home and explain the situation to Mother." Luke places a hand over yours, a final attempt at convincing you to try anything else.
"Yes," Aemond echoes, "Go and tell your mother that the girl you consider a sister has to pay for your debts."
Luke turns his head. Despite no longer being able to see his expression, you can feel his anger. "Luke." His stillness is not enough to distract from the fight behind his eyes. "Do you trust me?" It takes him a moment to look away from Aemond, but once he does he nods. "Then I need you to go."
He doesn't exactly relax, but he does let out a breath. You pull your hands away from his before enveloping him in a hug. "It's going to be alright." It takes him a moment to think to place his arms against your back. Luke squeezes you in a way he hasn't in years, holding onto you like you're his entire world. "I will see you again."
You carefully shift back. Luke follows your lead, letting his arms fall to his side. "Yes," he says, eyes briefly shifting back to Aemond, "I will."
"Okay." The word feels fragile. "Go back, be safe."
Luke's eyes are glossy as he nods. If things were normal, he'd playfully scoff at your warnings. "I will see you again."
You nod, and Luke finally turns. He walks away, towards Arrax, towards safety. Whatever was keeping you steady seems to leave with him.
You're allowed a brief moment of silence, of grief, before Aemond speaks. "We'll ride back before the storm begins." In your panic, you had not noticed the clouds overtaking the sky. You think of Luke, riding back alone in the rain. Aemond sighs. "Your sacrifice has not been in vain, it will be some time before the skies make a turn for the worse."
Aemond's ability to read you digs at the back of your mind. It'd bother you more if his reassurance was less needed. You're not sure you can trust your voice, so you nod blankly.
He begins to walk forward. You cannot will yourself to move until Aemond's already ahead of you.
The sight of your dragon quells the loneliness hollowing your chest. Your family is far from you, but Starfyre is still by your side.
Not only are you glad for Starfyre's comfort, you're also thankful for the control of being able to ride on your own. A small part of you is also relieved for the excuse to avoid Vhagar.
You've loved dragons for as long as you can remember, and you've been wary of the larger ones for just as long. It's not exactly a fear, you've just always felt the need to admire them from afar. Even as a child, before Aemond had been able to claim Vhagar, you only wanted to observe her from a safe distance.
No one's comments have ever been able to make you wish that Starfyre was different. Her smaller frame makes you feel more in control when you fly, the two of you melding into one as you approach the skies. She's swift, too, her size allowing her soar through the sky like an arrow that never misses its target.
"I'm sure you'll find a way to keep up on that...runt of yours."
How dare he? He knows what Starfyre is capable of more than most. As a child, her speed fascinated him. A knee-jerk reaction is forced past your lips, "The last thing about this arrangement that should concern you is wether or not Starfyre can keep up."
Aemond pauses, turning to face you. Instead of attempting to insult Starfyre again, he asks, "And what should concern me?"
His words are tinged with a cruel sharpness, a silent warning to watch yourself, to not make threats you cannot follow through on. "You should be concerned that you are full of such spite, that you are willingly entering a union with someone that you have detested since--"
Aemond takes a step forward. You shift towards Starfyre, placing a hand against her side. "Since the day I lost my eye?" Another step. "Since the moment you lied to my father to protect Lucerys after what he did?"
The reality of what happened that day hits you in the chest with enough force to knock the air out of your lungs. Your vision begins to blur. "He's my brother, Aemond."
"And I was your friend." The words come out hard and fast, his voice nearly breaking on the final syllable.
The honesty cracks something in your chest. Helaena, who you loved, often left you in favor of a world that you couldn't always follow her to. The other boys, who had once let you run around with them, outgrew you. But Aemond--Aemond was always yours.
Aemond scoffs. "You cannot pretend that what you did was enough to make me loathe you. I wrote to you." The letter, one detailing his new reality and desire to speak with you, has been a secret of yours for years. You've kept it tucked between the pages of your favorite book, only taking it out to reread in the middle of the night, with the rest of your family fast asleep. "And you never wrote back."
You blink in an attempt to clear your vision. "I did." The confession burns as it crawls up your throat. "But I couldn't bring myself to send you a raven."
"Because this--" Aemond moves forward in long strides. He's directly in front of you before you can think to move. He turns his head, making it impossible for you to not see his scar in its entirety. "I repulse you."
Is that what he thinks? You remain unflinching, allowing yourself to take in his scar and the appearance of his sapphire eye openly. "No." There has to be some way to put it into words. "I-I couldn't bring myself to speak to you. After the way we left things--After what I had done--I was repulsed by myself." You cut yourself off with a shaky breath. "Accepting your friendship after what I had done felt--cruel."
Aemond straightens. For a brief moment, there is only you, him, and the wound that lies between you. Then his expression's fiery edge morphs into something made of stone. "Ever the martyr."
The insult lacks any significant bite. You let your thumb brush against Starfyre's side, relishing in the comfort of her presence. "Better a martyr than someone so desperate for gratification, they are willing to hurt themselves in the process of earning it."
Ranting at him feels hollow, a motion you're going through for the sake of doing something. Aemond seems to sense some lack of fight in your phrasing, or maybe he's growing tired of this. "We should go," Aemond turns away from you, "The weather's changing."
Even though he's no longer watching you, you nod before returning your attention to Starfyre.
----
a/n this was really fun to write, but it was getting long so i decided to break it up, if you're interested in a part 2/would like to be tagged pls lmk :)
also!! if u have any hotd thoughts in general pls feel free to send me them <3
