[ Aemond gives him a house. The garden is good, but the deer outside has teeth. Sometimes, people do more damage by loving something too much, instead of not loving it enough. Aemond is one of those people. ] —elenoir on ao3
#unreliable narrator #dubious consent #unreality #possessive behavior #dead dove: do not eat #forced feminization
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
END
Graphics made by myself for the fic linked above. Collection is currently incomplete, may be updated or revised.
written for today's lucemond prompt: who did this to you?
kinda like a lucemond retelling of the tale ‘Bael the Bard’.
⚠️mild implications of abo, mpreg & major character death.
“Old Nan, tell me another! The one with the prince that disappeared.”
“Haven’t you heard that a thousand times, little master? But I will tell it again if you so insist.” Old Nan was too old to remember how many namedays she had lived past. Some say she used to be the late queen Rhaenyra’s lady-in-waiting – but how did a queen’s companion end up a servant in Driftmark? Luke did not know and couldn’t care to know. He is a boy of seven after all, and Old Nan’s bed tales are all it takes to suffice his curious appetite.
A long, long time ago, there lived a dragon queen. All beauty and glamour, people in the Seven Kingdoms praised her as the Realm’s Delight. The queen had five sons, all inherited their mother’s unworldly beauty and grace. But it was her second son that stood the most beautiful among all his brothers, a delicate and exquisite creature. His name’s also Lucerys, just like you, young lord. Luke blinked. Lucerys is a very common Velaryon name, countless Driftmark lords were called that.
“He’s also an omega male, wasn’t he?”
“Yes, my lord remembered the tale well.” It is, indeed, a story that Luke had heard many, many times. “A very rare atavism, tracing back to the ancient Valyrian people, and the prince was of pure Valyrian blood.”
“I’m of Valyrian blood. Did he look like me?”
“No. I’m afraid not.” Old Nan gently caressed his silver hair, her answer firm and quick, as if she herself had met this prince from the legend. “Sadly, the prince did not possess the coloring, which has brought him endless pain and sorrow. But that’s another story.”
The queen loved Lucerys dearly, his brothers fought with knights, and to each other, to crown him the queen of love and beauty. Showered in love the prince flowered, and marriage proposals from the noble houses over the Seven Kingdoms and across the Narrow Sea continuously flushed to the queen for the prince’s hand. The Queen declined them all, including her stepmother, the Dowager Queen, who proposed for her sons. For in the queen’s eyes, no one was worthy to be her precious son’s consort, ‘gods or mortals, I would give the same answer.’ she was heard saying once, joking.
In the end, the queen still betrothed Prince Luke to one man. Or had to, before her refusals to the prince’s suitors transforming to a political menace. The lucky man was none other than the dragon queen’s own son and heir.
“Did they marry grandiosely?”
“Yes. And no. The wedding could not complete as Lucerys vanished out of thin air just when pigeons flew out from the wedding pie. I’ve never seen a pie that huge and so exquisitely made. Such a shame no one got a taste of it.” That’s Old Nan lost in her stories again, saying something like she was there when it happened.
Prince Luke disappeared, under the plain eyes of hundreds of thousands. The queen had gone into madness when she realized this was not some overstepping prank. Every day, orders and bounties were issued by the queen and sent all over the realm. There seemed to be no other priorities in the realm. His brothers and stepfather, the King Consort, believed he was abducted by their enemies. Furious, they mounted on dragon backs and vowed to burn down any castle, town or city that dares to snub the search, let alone harbor any suspects. For a whole year, dragons roamed over the skies of the realm, even above Dorne nearly triggering a war. Even the Night’s Watch sent out a dispatch beyond the wall to search for the prince’s whereabouts. But all efforts were in vain. Whispers started to spread that it was the gods that take Prince Luke away in punishment of the dragon queen’s pride and blasphemy. Words are like winds, planting seeds of rebellion across the realm.
“The rumors seriously undermined her, the Queen. Many were unhappy about her ascending the throne, deemed it a violation of the sacred laws that had passed since history. For the gods arranged men for ruling, and women for obeying.” That’s something new to the story, but Old Nan has added more details tonight. Maybe she’s so tired of repeating the same words again and again.
Those false talks proved to be nothing but nonsense eventually, for the prince that disappeared had miraculously reappeared in his bed chamber three years later. He was in sleep when found, still in his wedding gown and cloak, quiet and divine like the day he disappeared. Only, there was a sapphire pinning the cloak, and a small slumbering baby aside. Turned out he was in the royal castle all along, hidden away in secret chambers behind the walls.
“Who did this to you?” The royal family was eager to bring fire and blood to the prince’s kidnapper and raper. But the prince refused to give a name, or even any trace, only insisting that the child was born out of love. Even his mother’s tears and begs failed to waver his determination of silence.
The news of Prince Luke’s return was immediately announced to the realm, but it was too late to change anything. Plots of betrayal became acts of war, and all was lost.
“Who stole Lucerys? Why is it never mentioned in the story?” Despite his peculiar fascination to the tale, he’s always annoyed the story went astray from the main character, and Old Nan would tell him that the tale has always meant to serve as a warning to those who are disrespectful to the gods.
“It was his uncle.” Old Nan said, apathetic, but Luke was excited, his whining about the tale’s rushing end finally paid off. “The one-eyed prince, people called him, ever a cruel and terrifying figure. Offended by his half-sister’s rejection, enraged by Prince Luke’s betrothal to the crowned prince, who also did not possess the Valyrian look, the one-eyed prince vowed to avenge his insults.”
“But how? Wasn’t he a guest at the wedding too, being a member of the royal family? And easily recognized and recalled by others should he ever attempted to approach his nephew? Why didn’t people suspect him? And……”
“It’s all very conspicuous reflecting from hinder sight. The sapphire. The mockery nature of the kidnap. And also, the political chain reaction of this incident of course……” Old Nan got lost in her muttering again.
“Forgive, little master. My memory eludes me. A mercy from age.” Memory?
“The trickery deployed by the one-eyed prince was never known, but there are powers in this world to make happen the unlikely, should one know how to wield them. And some did say that the sapphire – the one that pinned on Prince Luke’s wedding cloak, many believed it was the same gem that settled in the one-eyed prince’s empty socket – was magic, capable of twisting minds at its master’s will.”
“The baby…” Luke gasped, realizing something, “…he said it was love, but he’d been enchanted, hadn’t he?”
“Oh, that was love, actually.”
“How do you know? What kind of love could it be anyway? He imprisoned Prince Luke and kept him away from his family!”
“The unfortunate kind. But love, all the same.” There was sadness in Old Nan’s voice.
“What happened to them then? You said there was war. Did they survive?” Luke pursued the story.
“Like I said, all was lost. All. But that’s a tale for another night.” Then, ignoring Luke’s protest, Old Nan blew off the candlelight, the room immediately consumed by darkness save for a few slips of moonlight. Vaguely, Luke could tell Old Nan’s retreating contour. She’s weeping, quietly.
On Maiden’s Day, the twins dressed up Lucerys as the Maiden – a most annoying discovery for Aemond.
(It’s from Aemond’s POV, so unreliable narrator tagged.)
After that disastrous family dinner night, his sister’s abhorrent family moved back to King’s Landing on the king’s command. Now strong boys parade the halls of the Red Keep every day, victorious, showing off their privilege of the king’s favor. Shameless bastards, Aemond spits. Should Rhaenyra and her spawns continue to this level of entitlement and arrogance, Aemond is sure ‘King’s Landing’ will be renamed into ‘Queen’s Landing’ the moment Rhaenyra completes her coronation.
Just as if the gods are determined to make him suffer more, the strong boys’ cousins, the twin girls sired by Daemon – that in-law slayer – from his Velaryon marriage, also live in the castle now. They are soon to be married to the strong boys and become court ladies, so of course the king had extended his invitation. Helaena told him that before, though his word may not be verbatim to hers.
Anyway, Daemon’s girls seem more than excited to marry the strong boys, passing on whatever obnoxious tradition that inbreeding family enjoys, willingly complicit in that whore’s scheme of plain sight cheating against the gods and the realm. Seven hells. In a blink, this royal hall will be squeezed with plain-looking pups with bastard blood flowing in their veins. And people will have to address them as princes and princesses – what a circus! They will be the mockery of the lords and the smallfolk from Dorne to the Wall.
Despite Aemond’s staunch reprehension towards his nephews, his mother the Queen, however, is very committed to her words of reconciliation with her childhood friend. She announces to host a grand feast to celebrate the Maiden’s Day, and Baela and Rhaena will have the honor to lead noble ladies of the court into the royal sept to observe the ritual: light candles, put on that stupid parchment garlands, and whatever dumb things girls do on that day. Helaena used to be that person. Before she was married off to his scum brother. Turns out the Maiden doesn’t always protect every maiden. Aemond recalls, bitterly.
On the morning of that holy day, Aemond found Daemon’s girls are behaving very suspiciously, sneaking, tiptoeing, up to no good for sure. Aemond had his crosses with the girls back in the days, they grow to be exactly like their devious cousin Lucerys, spoiled, ungrateful, irresponsible, irreverent… (Don’t get him started on listing Lucerys’ faults and sins. Just don’t.) Baela Targaryen especially – that little bitch is wild. Gods forbid what she’s plotting, Aemond is convinced that she shall ruin the ritual and embarrass the whole royal family. So, as dutiful a son as he is, Aemond decides to secretly follow them and intervene when he spots the necessity.
Gods be good. They are only on their way to escort a maiden - she has flowers braided into her curly dark hair and wears a cascading dress with a neckline that accents her intact nape and shoulders, innocent but maturing as well. She was dressed up in the same way as the statue of the Maiden in the royal sept, Aemond noticed. Weird, for someone other than the leading lady (ladies, in this year’s case) of the ritual to dress so grandly. Aemond cannot recognize who that girl is from behind, but he has little curiosity and effort to ponder how little girls concur their festival looks. Disinterested, he walks away to join his own party – men and mothers are not allowed in the sept on Maiden’s Day. He just needs to show up at the Queen’s banquet and compliantly play the puppet in his mother’s show of love and union to endure another day of suffering from his sister’s depraved families. Seven gods. At least the abominable Lucerys is somehow not there to make his task more challenging.
Gods forbid him from ever allowing himself to rejoice so early. When the ladies finished the ritual and joined them in the feast hall, Aemond finally sees who the twins were with this morning. She – that person is no lady. Seven hells. That’s Lucerys f**king Velaryon (Strong, he means, too disgusted to correctly address his nephew, even in his own mind). Every suspicious sign he sniffed earlier all makes sense now. Daemon’s audacious girls had dressed that bastard as the Maiden to sneak him into the sept. Such degradation! And Lucerys – little Luke Strong really knows no shame, just like his whore mother – he first allowed himself in woman’s clothes, then committed outrageous blasphemy violating rules honored by the whole realm for thousands of years, and after all these, that slut is even cheeky enough to show himself in that ‘costume’ to the Queen’s feast, and the great lords and ladies are all watching and whispering… Seven hells.
His brother Aegon, who is a total loser, is edging him with his elbow, “Look - that wench looks like our little Luke.” That wench IS Luke Strong, you drunken idiot. At least his other kin are not blind as Aegon to not recognize Lucerys (Funny, guess who among them all has only one functioning eye?). “Gods be good!” he hears his mother whispering prayers by his ear. Rhaenyra has put on a stone face – even she cannot laugh this atrocity off. Daemon – that man is the most degraded of them all – loudly chuckles when he sees Luke. Jace is scolding Baela – he at least possesses some decency – while his little brothers are playing with the delicate laces on Luke’s skirt.
Maybe Aemond’s scornful scrutiny has lingered too long on Lucerys, the boy, as if sensed something, traced his sight back to him – that’s when Aemond keenly noticed that Luke has multiple piercings on his ears. For this farce? Aemond decides he has seen enough degradation for the day (though it’s only around noon). He excuses himself to his mother and left.
The next day, when Aemond practices his routine prayer in the sept, he intentionally avoids the statue of the Maiden. Most repulsively, it reminds him of Lucerys in that cursed dress, even in this holy hall of the Seven, he finds himself failing to shun that image out of his mind.
Actually, Aemond dares not to lay his eye on the statue of the Maiden ever since.
“我从此不敢看观音”
(this is actually inspired by a famous quote from the Chinese love tragedy story Butterfly Lovers/Liang Zhu)
My rapunzel luke aka luke of the high tower headcanon, inspired by the amazing qq. san @qelossas on tw.
Local people address him as Luke of the high tower, but Luke insists that he is born and grows up near the warm Black Water Bay, not in this stone tower deserted in the vast barren land. In Luke’s distant memory, he lived in an ancient castle with his big, loving family. He would train and play with his brother by the beach.
Until one day, a monstrous green dragon, large as a nimbus cloud, kidnapped him away and kept him in this tower with no entrance and exit, but only a window to the outside world. Nearby villagers and travelers dare not come close, fearing the wrath of the fire-breathing dragon. Except one man.
Aemond, his one-eyed silver knight, always dressed in full black, is the only one who succeeds in reaching the tower, even the old evil dragon would not harm his silver knight. He would bring Luke flowers rarely seen in this desolate land to wear in his dark braided hair, like the fair maidens Luke remembers in his vague past memory. He promised to free Luke when the chance is right. He swore to return Luke to his family so he could ask Luke’s parents for his hand. Properly, like an honored knight would do.
On Luke’s 16th name day, Aemond fulfilled his promise. The dragon must have found out about their escape instantly. As it looms close, Luke urges Aemond to abandon him and flee - he thinks the dragon is coming for him, its captive, so as long as it gets Luke, Aemond would be safe. Aemond refuses, just then the dragon lands in front of them, its angry howl sending the earth shaking. Luke cried when Aemond walks towards the dragon.
The beast, surprisingly, shows obedience to his silver knight, even lowering its mountain of a head for Aemond to stroke its jaw. His silver knight turned around, now facing Luke, all warmth and tenderness disappearing, replaced by a smirk of cruel satisfaction so foreign to Luke.
“Vhagar would not hurt me. Because she’s my dragon.”Aemond enjoys how the revelation takes effect on Luke. Disbelief. Betrayal. Horror. And then, endless painful, unspoken inquiries.
“Why, Aemond? Why me, of all people?”Luke finally asks.
“Don’t you remember, nephew?”He replies, coldly, “I went to collect my debt, and you’re my payment, Luke of the high tower.”
"Now get on the dragon back, we'll fly east and ask for blessings from your family." impatiently, Aemond orders.
end.
(idk but luke somehow doesn't have a clear memory of his past. vhagar kidnapping trauma did that.
(aemond hides luke in western marches in the Reach, and runs dragon deliveries for luke (flowers, obvsly).
Blacks & Greens, lives separately on Dragonstone and King's Landing, haven't talked for years, and never see each other eye to eye.
But they all buy from the same dragon buckle maker (except aegon ii).
Would really love to see lucemond having a “Normal People” style honest conversation before/during sex:
Aemond: (asks Luke to do some kinky things during sex)
Luke: …No?
Aemond: wdym No? You owe me for my eye.
Luke: Didn’t you say let the past stay in the past when I apologized? I thought you forgave me…
Aemond: Does this eye look like it’s growing back? No? Good. Then your payment is not done yet. (enforces whatever kinky shit upon Luke)
Luke: uncle aemond, did you say that just to make me feel better? To sleep with me?
Aemond: Will you stop me fucking you if I say no to your decade-late useless shit apology? Is that what you are calculating right now little Luke? Blocklisting me while I’m literally in you, deep? Well you can try and see where that goes, cuz I swear…
Luke: No. I don’t want this to stop…even if you still hates me for what I did.
Aemond: (stops thrusting, caught unexpectedly)
Luke: to be honest, I don’t even want you to accept my apology. I am sorry but…I don’t regret doing it, you know, for Jace. Reconciliation just feels…not right.
Aemond: I don’t want you to apologize. be sorry and all if you must, but know this: I need no apology. I only need to fuck you, my debtor. (continues thrusting)
Aemond: and think very carefully before speaking out another man’s name while I’m still in you, slut. Cuz you are not going to have any other dick, not until you are abandoned by me eventually, you pathetic.
Luke: wow okay…(wonders who’s the real pathetic one here) can we at least do this consensually?
Aemond: you are mine and mine alone, what part of that do you not understand? I’ll fuck you the way I want and whenever I want.
Luke: (not protesting because possessive aemond is kinda hot. But he’s also not that creative in terms of sex. Luke’s just worried aemond will be jaded soon and get over with him if he went along and play ‘pillow princess’)
Luke: (rolls his eyes) fine.
Aemond: (grabs Luke’s face) fantasizing someone else? Don’t you ever dare turn your sight away from me.
Luke: ???Now you are being really ridiculous.
(No they definitely can’t have normal people style conversation. They are far from normal.)
turnnoffyourmind
jbbartram-illu
tangentwithtanner
gummygunk
origamiaround
stormborns
