He was never destabilized. He always believed he had control over everything. Over who he was, over what he did, and over the people around him. But there was always one thing that frustrated him not being able to control... Love. He was not able to control his father's love for him, his mother's love for him, and his siblings' love - and least of all, his own love. To be honest, to him, love was equivalent to pain and blood - like everything. Everything he touches becomes sick with sadness, turns to ashes, and all he ever wanted was for nothing to be as fleeting as love is.

He came drenched into his chambers during the night, his face twisted in an almost unreadable expression; you couldn't tell if it was pain, relief, or sadness. All you saw were the water droplets forming a puddle on the floor - and how his rain-soaked body was trembling. He seemed to you... Vulnerable, completely vulnerable. And you noticed this, you knew this, because the eye patch was no longer there, all that reflected light in those dark chambers; was the blue sapphire in his eye socket.

Your fingers danced on his upper garments, removing each one from his slender body, revealing his pale, cold skin; covered in deep shivers. The silence was incomprehensible, even though he was naked, and even though it was your hands drying his body, what worried Aemond the most seemed to be miles away. He sighed at last, though you couldn't tell if it was indeed a sigh; or a stifled sob.

"I don't want to talk about it. Don't ask me about it." His voice was still stern, despite everything. He was still ordering you something, despite everything. Aemond had never wavered before; under any circumstances, something told you it would be no different now - and yet, the atmosphere led you to think that something very painful had happened to him.