So there is this fic where Lucerys takes out his eye and gives it to Aemond and he falls to his knees and Aemond is in complete awe, and he takes him personally to dragonstone and he gifts him a ruby at the end.
So now I have this HC-Turned-Drabble that what if that night in Driftmark Viserys had agreed to Alicent’s request and they had taken Luke’s eye. Then upon growing up, Lucerys took to put a ruby gemstone on his eye socket.
Unlike Aemond, as Lucerys gets older he stops wearing an eyepatch and wears his ruby eye proudly (only wearing his eyepatch when he flies on Arrax, because the wind can be a bit bothersome).
The first time Aemond sees him, it makes him pause completely. They’re there for Aegon’s wedding. They hadn’t seen the other since that fateful night. They’d both grown some ever since. Aemond tried his best not to stare too much, but it was nearly impossible—the precious gem in Lucerys’ eye glistened every time it caught light; during the ceremony, the feast, the dance.
Luke notices eventually, the intensity of Aemond’s look on him starting to weigh. He smiles at him bashfully at some point and Aemond’s heart stutters.
The next day, by the Godswood, Aemond is sitting in one of the huge roots reading some book, and Luke approaches him. They don’t speak at first. Things are still a little tense between them after all that’s happened. They never really got to talk it out. But after some small talk, Luke finally says “I’m sorry,”and after a pause, Aemond sighs but ultimately mutters “I’m sorry, too.” Lucerys’ debt was long paid, he’d paid Aemond’s same price but at least Aemond had gotten the biggest dragon alive in the realms, Luke had just been a little kid who was trying to defend his brother from Aemond’s own rage and years of being spoon-feed his mother’s poisonous beliefs. It had escalated too quickly, all of them just dumb kids with high titles and what they thought to be pet dragons at the time.
They are not big on apologies or words, so they don’t elaborate. In that, they can be very similar. But nonetheless, it holds meaning to the both of them. So after a while, Luke stands up and brushes the grass off himself, telling Aemond that they’re parting back to Dragonstone shortly and he just wanted to say goodbye.
Before he leaves, he turns and tells Aemond, “I think a gemstone would suit you well in your eye, uncle. You should try it some time.” To which Aemond says nothing—but his lips twitch and he nods at the boy farewell.
It is a few more years later, in the same spot in the Godswood where he finds his nephew reading a book this time. They’d return to King’s Landing per the dying King’s request, a family supper. He approaches him silently and upon hearing the crunch of the leaves Lucerys looks up. They look at each other for a few seconds before Luke gives him a crooked smile. “Uncle.”
Aemond nods at him, hands behind his back. “Nephew.”
They don’t say anything, just hold each other’s gaze some more before Aemond drops it and smiles at the ground, his hands reaching for his eyepatch. Removing it slowly, he reveals the precious gem that now replaces his missing eye. A sapphire. He hears as Luke’s breath catches when he approaches him further, now crutching and sitting next to him. Lucerys turns to look at him immediately, eye full of awe roaming his uncle’s imposing face. Then the boy smiles, so brightly, so beautifully. And just like all those years before, the stutter in Aemond’s heart returns.
“I was right,” Lucerys says, a dainty hand reaching up to his uncle’s sharp jaw, up to his cheekbone where his scar begins.. Stroking under the jewelled eye with such a faint, delicate touch. “Gevie.”
