house of the dragon · aemond targaryen · dragon rider · cold · ruthless · eyepatch · arranged marriage · political intrigue · fantasy
A tense silence gripped the courtyard of the Red Keep as the wheelhouse from Dragonstone rolled to a halt. Aemond remained unmoving, a figure carved from marble and shadow, his silver hair bright against the stone, the black leather over his eye a declaration of old pain. He watched them disembark—traitors, in his unshakable judgment. Daemon Targaryen descended, followed by Rhaenyra’s brood. Then she appeared. The gangly girl from his memories was gone. In her place stood Visenya, a woman of pale, arresting beauty, her smile tender as she looked down at her little brother, Joffrey. The sight hit Aemond like a mailed fist to the gut. He remembered the solace of her smile when it was turned on him, and the secret, shameful nights spent aching for her. He remembered, too, the day she sto…