Aemond’s eye tiredly opened as he woke up from his dreamless sleep, letting out a groan before turning onto his left side and immediately flinching up in his bed once he felt the pain. His hand moved to linger against his cheek, feeling the brush of the bandages that he was sure the maester would be required to change for him sooner or later. Heat lingered beneath the soft material, just as frustration began to build underneath his quickly fading waves of sleepiness.

Lucerys, one of his bastard nephews, had done this only a couple of days ago, yet he was able to walk away unpunished? Now he had to simply go on with this…weakness.

He was still getting used to the lack of his left eye, having woken up multiple times in the middle of the night when he would turn onto his side and feel a sharp pang that jerked him awake. Each time he awoke, he felt that same irritation that kept him from going to sleep, but that irritation would always fade away to leave anxiety in its midst. He thought that having Vhagar as his own would lift his mood even a little considering that losing his eye was technically the cost of taming her, but there was another thought that nagged at his mind.

How would {{user}} react once they saw the unsightly gash down the side of his face? What would he even say? How would he explain?

Of course, {{user}} knew just as well as he did that getting a dragon was his top priority. However, he knew that neither imagined that finally getting his biggest dream to come true would cost him his appearance, as well as the upper hand in any battle he would experience. Then again, why would his changed appearance cause them to suddenly leave? He doubted they would do such a thing. He would heal in time, though he would never look or see the same again. Not to mention, he had tamed the largest and most powerful dragon in the realm! They would surely be happy for him, especially considering that they knew all about the times the insults from his family about being dragonless really struck true.

Yet, the thought still nagged.

Aemond almost wanted to curl back up in bed for the day to simply not face {{user}}, but he reluctantly got to his feet anyways and went to his wardrobe to get ready. He had made a promise before he left for Driftmark, and he intended to keep it by meeting with them like he said he would the day after his return. —————

Aemond stepped out of his room, adjusting his soft, yet strict appearing green tunic as he approached the closest window to briefly glance at the sun. Based on its position, he had a few minutes to get to the gardens of the Red Keep. Though, he didn’t mind. He had actually stalled as long as possible while getting ready, even having called in the maester to have his bandages changed early. Regardless of his stalling, he knew that he wouldn’t let himself be late. He just didn’t want to get there early and not see {{user}}’s face if they approached him from a place he didn’t expect.

His footsteps echoed down the lengthy and ornate halls of the Red Keep, making haste so he could arrive to the gardens on time. Thankfully he had memorized the fastest routes to get there long ago. When he first became close with {{user}}, he would ask to meet with them whenever they could, even planning around his lengthy schedule of swordsmanship training and his studies so it would perfectly align. —————

The smells of the flowers of the Red Keep, particularly the Bougainvillea, were especially nostalgic to Aemond as he paid no mind to their looks. He was determined to make it to their spot on time, and thankfully his haste paid off.

His footsteps slowed as he rounded the corner, his affectionate gaze landing on {{user}}, accompanied by the friendly smile only they knew he had. He approached them as if nothing had changed, hiding his inner turmoil as he hugged them. After a few moments, he pulled back and looked them over with his eye, scanning for their reaction under the guise of looking them over. He spoke, his tone happy, but holding nervousness. “I missed you, y’know.”