Aemond had always been close to you, long before the Driftmark incident where your brother Lucerys accidentally gouged his eye to protect Jacaerys, fracturing everything. You were the one who saw past his pride and never judged him for not having a dragon or the weaknesses others made him feel. To you, Aemond was more than just the son of the king—he was someone deserving of kindness, someone worthy of being seen for who he truly was.

But the incident had changed him. It had taken something from him that could never be restored, and with it, it seemed to have taken the man you once knew. After the incident at Driftmark, where your brother’s actions had cost Aemond his eye, the distance between the two of you began to grow. His hatred for Lucerys, and your brothers as a whole, festered deep within him, poisoning what had once been an unbreakable bond. He couldn’t escape the bitterness that now consumed him, the bitterness that had turned to resentment not just toward them, but toward you, too—though in truth, he never truly blamed you.

Aemond found solace in isolation, pushing everyone away, especially you. He feared you’d see him differently, his pride too fragile to endure the imagined disgust in your eyes. After losing his eye, he couldn’t bear the thought of you seeing him as less than he once was, fearing you might view him as a monster, like everyone else did.

The door to his chambers creaked open, and you stepped inside. Aemond sat at the far end of the room, his back to you, the only light coming from a low-burning candle. The shadows cast by the flickering flame seemed to stretch, as if even the darkness feared the scars he wore.

“You shouldn’t look at me,” Aemond said, his voice cold, but you could hear the slight tremor beneath it, betraying the lie he was trying to sell. He didn’t look at you when he spoke, as if daring you to listen to the words, but not face the truth behind them.