my lady, my alys

They made it a point to show him looking sad as a kid, they made it a point to show him being bullied and lamenting to his mother, they said multiple times in interviews that he was “bullied mercilessly, treated cruelly, made to feel powerless,” and THEN, they added more trauma on top of that.

They had him lose an eye unfairly instead of how it was in the book (Luke actually did save Jace from being cruelly beaten in the book. It was self-defense). But in the show it’s Aemond that gets jumped by four kids and fights them off. He gets his eye cut out after being disarmed by sand in his face.

Then the writers decided to give him daddy issues by having Viserys ignore his injury in favor of Rhaenyra. They had Viserys neglect all of his children with Alicent, leaving those kids with clear issues because of it. Aemond’s cold look up at Viserys when the old man demands answers as his king was no throwaway shot. That kid hated his father.

But the writers weren’t done yet. They then decided, “Hey! Aemond has childhood bullying, physical, and parental trauma? Let’s give him sexual trauma too! Hahahaha!”

It was his 13th birthday when Aegon took him to that brothel. Kids can’t consent. Once again, Aemond is a mirror of his mother in that he was pressured into inappropriate sexual relations in his early teens. He was 13. Alicent was 14-15. And people think his discomfort around that older woman at the brothel isn’t real. The writers just threw that in and they ultimately didn’t have to, but now it messed up Aemond further.

And the cherry on top? Because these writers apparently hadn’t had enough with their “uwu” fav? They made Luke’s death an unintentional consequence of Aemond’s angry outburst. It was a mistake, and now Aemond has to go through even more as he is branded a kinslayer, likely ruptures his relationship with his mother, loses his toddler nephew and his sister to madness. He’s going to snap under the weight of his guilt and agony. THAT is when you’ll all get your book Aemond, the maniacal cutthroat that burns the Riverlands to ash.

But even then, I doubt he’ll be completely unsympathetic. His relationship with Alys Rivers will likely be another way to add depth. Even crazy book Aemond was smitten with Alys, so something’s gotta give.

Again, this is the writers. Not us. We’re just talking about it and speculating. Show Aemond was shown to be kind and loving with his mother and sister. He was shown as being reserved and quiet as a kid, not cruel. They made his dragon claiming scene feel heroic.

He even seemed willing to be friendly with Jace at Laena’s funeral, and his famous “lost an eye, gained a dragon” line was softened by his, “Do not mourn me, Mother.” That changed the line from being a boast to being a consoling statement for his mom, who had sworn to him that he would have a dragon one day. The version of show Aemond is a beautiful and tormented character, destined to have a tragic downfall. People should be celebrating this, not getting mad at it.

Vhagar had come at last, and on her back rode the one-eyed Prince Aemond Targaryen, clad in nightblack armor chased with gold.

He had not come alone. Alys Rivers flew with him, her long hair streaming black behind her, her belly swollen with child. Prince Aemond circled twice about the towers of Harrenhal, then brought Vhagar down in the outer ward, with Caraxes a hundred yards away. The dragons glared balefully at each other, and Caraxes spread his wings and hissed, flames dancing across his teeth.

The prince helped his woman down from Vhagar’s back, then turned to face his uncle. “Nuncle, I hear you have been seeking us.”

“Only you,” Daemon replied. “Who told you where to find me?”

“My lady,” Aemond answered. “She saw you in a storm cloud, in a mountain pool at dusk, in the fire we lit to cook our suppers. She sees much and more, my Alys. You were a fool to come alone.”

“Were I not alone, you would not have come,” said Daemon.

“Yet you are, and here I am. You have lived too long, Nuncle.”

“On that much we agree,” Daemon replied. Then the old prince bade Caraxes bend his neck, and climbed stiffly onto his back, whilst the young prince kissed his woman and vaulted lightly onto Vhagar, taking care to fasten the four short chains between belt and saddle.

Mushroom wrote that Alys was an enchantress who bathed in maidens' blood to remain youthful.

Aemond told Daemon that it was Alys who told him where to find him, as she saw a vision in a fire.

Regis abruptly died after insulting Alys. Some claim she used magic to burst his skull.

Aemond Targaryen and Alys Rivers

War Trophy

Alys Rivers. Though the wet nurse was twice his age (thrice, if we put our trust in Mushroom), Prince Aemond had taken her into his bed as a prize of war soon after taking Harrenhal, seemingly preferring her to all the other women of the castle, including many pretty maids of his own years.