Ok but am I the only one who loved ALL the kids? (Minus Aegon, of course. He can die in a hole).
Like, from the moment they all came on screen, I adopted them in my mind. And I continued to love them all, even as they made mistakes. Even during the fight.
I don’t know why it’s so hard for people to admit that both Aemond and Luke were wrong, in particular. Because really, they were both wrong, it’s just that Luke’s fault had more serious consequences. And also, both of their faults came from a place of great fear for the safety of themselves and/or their closest family members.
Obviously, they all take some of the blame, but I think the ones most at fault for the fight (and by extension Luke’s death), are the adults. Because what it all boils down to in the end is that much like Alicent, and much like the Smallfolk, the kids are people who are innocents (or at least they were upon their initial introduction), who were thrust dead center in the middle of a war.
From the second they were born, each and every one of them was doomed to be turned into a sort of pawn for their parents (unintentionally for most of the parents, but still) and made to eventually fight against the ones that they were supposed to be able to grow up peacefully with.
And as for the “were they? Weren’t they?” Conversation in terms of if Jace and Luke were bullying Aemond or not?
Well, I wouldn’t call it bullying. But I would say, yes, that probably was going on for a while. But the thing is, when kids are young, they tease each other. Especially kids in their family who are close to their age. It doesn’t come from a place of malice, it’s just something that a lot of kids do before they’re old enough to fully develop comprehension skills of why this may be harmful.
Now this isn’t to say, that Aemond’s feelings were justified. No, my point is that his feelings were justified, but this also doesn’t make Jace and Luke some horrible, irredeemable bullies. They were just dumb kids, doing what kids do. Which would have turned out fine in the end if there wasn’t a rift growing between the kids because of their parents.
And by the way, this also isn’t to say that I agreed with Viserys’ choice of not talking to Jace, Luke, and Aegon about the prank.
I’m saying that the pranks don’t make Jace and Luke bad people, not that they’re good things to do.
As a parent, grandparent, and mature adult, however, it was Viserys’ responsibility to explain to his offspring why it was wrong.
And for the last time, AEMOND WASN’T TRYING TO KILL LUKE. He was trying to scare him, (similar to how he was trying to scare Jace with the rock in the fight where he lost his eye, it’s kind of like his tactic I think).
But he wound up scaring Luke’s dragon too, and Luke’s dragon hurt Aemond’s dragon and then Aemond’s dragon got pissed and ate Luke’s dragon, but since Luke was in the dragon it ate him too. THE DRAGON killed Luke, not Aemond.
So yes Luke’s death makes me cry but no it does not make me like Aemond any less.
Anyways, sorry for ranting. It’s just. THEY WERE/ARE ALL KIDS. They make mistakes, but none of with the exception of Aegon ever had any malicious intentions doing anything and I LOVE ALL OF THEM.
Aemond is afraid. Of course he is afraid, even though he is a prince who is about to claim what is rightfully his, but this is the situation, the time, the circumstances… It was not meant to be this way.
But what choice does he have? Aegon is mocking him, in the company of these… these… Velaryons. His father doesn't care, and hmother doesn't understand, for she is not of dragon blood, and doesn't feel this yearning for the sky, the loneliness in mind that should be filled by something incomparably greater and inhuman, someone like…
Her. Vhagar, the Dragon Queen, who has sung to him since they landed in Driftmark. She called to him, shining like a beacon in the night, and Aemond knew that he must, must answer her.
He has only one chance, today and now. He may feel like a thief sneaking into the dragon's lair at night, but once he and Vhagar are united, no one will dare offer him a pig again!
"It's him! Jace, it's him!" Aemond hears the girl scream and before he can react, he is hit in the back and knocked to the ground.
Aemond screams, taking a mouthful of sand, when Jacaerys's sharp knee presses into his back.
"What are you doing here?!" his nephew demands, grabbing Aemond by the hair, "What did you want to do with Vhagar?!"
"She's riderless!" Aemond yells back, spitting out sand, "Get off me, you twat!"
Aemond's head is shoved hard into the sand again, and he doesn't scream in pain only because he doesn't want to eat more sand.
"Vhagar is my mother’s dragon!" screams the same girl's voice as before. Now Aemond recognizes it - it's Baela, daughter of Laena and Daemon.
Aemond is floundering on the sand like a fish out of water. This is humiliating and disgusting, and once he gets out of here, he's going to beat the shit out of Jace!
"Vhagar is mine to claim!" the second girl's voice sounds much less confident, and Aemond can't even remember her name, but she's already pissing him off.
Throwing Jace off his back, he kicks him in the side, making him yelp in pain, and answers all four of them gathered here and getting in his way, "Then you should’ve claimed her sooner!"
"B-but… But I…" babbles Rhenya... Naera... Rhaella...? instantly losing her confidence.
"She will claim it, don't doubt it!" Baela answers confidently, pushing her twin in the back, "Go, Rhaena, this is your chance to get a dragon!"
"B-but… Ugh…" Rhaena (so that's her name!) mumbles, looking around as if someone here has an answer to everything.
"Go, go!" Aemond taunts, "Or are you really as cowardly as you look?"
"You…!" Jace yells from the ground, and Aemond kicks him again without looking, still angry about being forced to eat sand.
"Okay, I'll go!" Rhaena answers confidently, and walks forward, leaving her sister, Jace, Luke, and Aemond behind.
A few minutes later, the night is lit up by flames, and behind the roar cannot be heard a child’s scream.
* * *
Like every plot bunny I have, this one ends on a cliffhanger because I have no idea how to continue it. Rhaena is dead, fried to a crisp, and who's to blame? Aemond, of course, because he existed, wanted a dragon, and didn't stop her! Obviously he needs to be beheaded or something!
Except Vhagar already knows her little baby is right there, and will be furious if he's been taken away from her =3
Also, did everyone notice my oh so subtle reference to the typical TB stan argument where they constantly confuses which girl was dragonless at the time? I've lost count of how many times I've read "Vhagar should been claimed by Baela!" and screaming to the screen "you dumb bitch, those girls are DIFFERENT, they're not interchangeable, no matter what Condom says!"