Chapter Text
Chapter 1; Through the eyes of another.
A foggy haze of memories flashed through his mind. Words, sights, sounds were there but it was mostly colors and feelings. That horrible night of grief, anger, terror… then guilt. Dark, wallowing guilt. Threating to swallow him whole.
Luke; His nose bloody and broken, crying heavily. Guilty tears pouring down his eyes as well. Baela and Rhaena, shaking in anger or shock. Looking at the other girl they had now helped to maim, one wondering if they should still be angry, the other if they should start crying and apologizing.
Aemerys’ face still bleeding; her mother the queen still crying.
“Will it heal, Maester?” the queen's weak voice asked.
“The flesh will heal, your grace… but the eye is lost.” The strangled cry that came from the mother’s throat started to bring tears to the forefront. The whole room now silent with shock.
The door bursting open, his mother running in, flying to her children. Her ‘uncle’ trailing a bit behind her, choosing to stop, lean, cross his arms. Enjoying the chaos.
“MOTHER!! We’re sorry!”
“Father, we didn’t mean to!”
“SHE STARTED IT!”
“SHE STOLE VHAGAR!!”
“YOU FOUR ATTACKED ME!!”
“IT IS MY DAUGHTER WHO SHOULD BE TELLING THE TALE!”
“-Just when I thought the fight was over, Jace drew his knife. I fought him off again and made him drop it… but then Jace threw sand in my eyes, and Luke grabbed it up. While the sand was in my eyes, he struck me.”
“She called us bastards!”
More screaming, blaming, shouting…
“It is my sons who were attacked - and forced to defend themselves!”
“Who told you these lies? AEMERYS!”
“We know, father… Everyone knows. Just look at them.”
“-Your father, your grandsire, Your king commands it!”
“Your daughter has been maimed! YOUR daughter! LOOK AT HER! What happened to her now?! Who will marry her?! They have taken more than her eye; they have taken her whole future from her!!” Beala and Rheana started openly crying then. Luke buried his head in his speechless mother’s arms.
The absolute look of heartbreak on Aemerys’ face at her mother’s words sliced through his heart… That GUILT. That powerful, dark, endlessly growing guilt was threatening to eat Jace alive now.
“Then it will be Jace who marries Aemerys… I, King Viserys, hear by declare their betrothal right now. When both come of age, or 2 months after her flowering; they will wed.”
An explosion from all corners of the room at the announcement.
“DON’T… Please don’t force me to marry him! I may have lost an eye, but I gained a dragon. We can call it a fair exchange… I’ll ask for nothing more, I swear it, father. I’ll let the whole thing go; I’ll forgive all four; I’ll make mother forgive them- “
“I have already decided. I will not change it, my dear… I cannot restore your eye or ease your pain. But I can ensure your future and mend these broken bonds. I can ensure you a husband, who will make you queen one day. End this feud in our family before it becomes worse. Jace is a good boy; he will make right what he has done. Luce as well.”
“I DON’T WANT HIM FOR A HUSBAND!!”
“YOU HAVE NO OTHER OPTIONS! Not now, and maybe not even in the future…”
The heartbreak he saw in her eyes…
“Just except this decision, daughter... I’ve had enough squabbling tonight.”
All this time Jace's eyes were locked on Aemerys. On her bleeding, torn face. Her thin legs with knobble knees. Her unbraided, unkept hair. Her boys riding leathers, stolen from Aegon or Daeron, he was sure. Lanky, stick-like, boyish Aemerys. But mostly, the broken and hopeless look in her eye. Jace will never forget it.
“I’ll do it… I’ll marry her.”
“JACE!!” His mother shrieked, trying to stop him.
“No, Mother. It’s my fault… it was my knife. I never should have never drawn it. I’ll take responsibility.”
Jace woke with a slight jolt as his brother carefully shook his shoulder. He had sat beside him as the carriage rocked slightly, as his mother’s watchful eye checked in on her two oldest princes. Luke gave Jace a sad but sympathetic smile. “We’re almost there.”
So Jace tried to shake the sleep from his head as he remembered where he was.
That night on driftmark had long passed; He and Aemerys were over 16 now. The time had come for them to be wed. Aemerys had flowered a month and a half ago, so they would be wed in two weeks. One week to finish preparing, one week of festivities, then the day. Luke and he had flown to King’s landing on their dragons just this morning. He had been dreading this day before, but now that it was crawling and clawing its way towards him more definitively now…. Dread was no longer the word.
He couldn’t sleep without his dreams being taken over, waking him at all hours of the night. He couldn’t eat properly. He could only focus on sword training and dragon riding, which were his only joys. The pages of books were blank to his eyes, wine tasted like water, pacing had been his most active activity… like a caged lion. A caged dragon…
A caged dragon about to be shackled.
The worst part was that he had no one but himself to blame. Well, himself and Luke. But he had brought the knife, he had drawn it, he had tossed the sand… He couldn’t bring himself to blame luke, nor want his brother punished.
He’d been trying to come to terms with it, but every time he started to, his mother would assure him that she would try until the last moments to free him from the betrothal. That hope kept his anxiety alive and his mind running.
But also, he had made a promise…
To his Grandsire. To the realm. To his aunt, who he used to play games and laugh with, until he helped maim her. Even if his mother could get him out of this, she shouldn't. He had to do as he said he would. He had to be the one to make this right.
His mother, Daemon, Joff, Little Aegon and Baby Visarys arrived by ship from Dragonstone less than an hour ago. All their dragons had traveled with Lucerys and him, now settling into the dragon pit. The brothers had picked up the rest of their family in the carriage, with all their luggage, and were now headed to the red keep together.
“Don’t stress about it too much, Jace… as I’ve already said, if worse comes to worse, you can always have one-eye lay face-down in the bed.” Daemon jested. The joke was in VERY poor taste, and did nothing to calm Jace, but Daemon seemed to get the reaction he had wanted out of the others. The girls gasped and shrieked; His mother slapped his shoulder with a loud “DAEMON!” Lucerys himself couldn’t help the smirk and giggle that escaped him, even though he knew it was wrong to laugh about this. His little brother could never help himself at times like this.
Jace just groaned and covered his eyes with his hands. He knew that this was how Daemon coped with things, but Jace’s mind would start spinning again whenever he heard things like that about his betrothed.
‘One-eye.’ ‘Scar-faced’ ‘Maimed princess.’
‘Just take her from behind.’ ‘Always sit toward the GOOD side of her face, my prince…’ ‘It won’t be so bad. Just have her turn the left side of her face away.’ ‘Veils were made for such women, you know…’
He hated it. He hated the way others talked cruelly about her. The way many men (And women) in the realm would remark on her looks. Hated what he had done to her... He wanted to scream, rage and punch every wagging tongue in the realm.
The carriage turned into the last gate of the castle, and everyone started to shift themselves. They had arrived at the red keep. It was time to get ready to exit, greet the King, Queen, and to see… Aemerys, his betrothed.
A few moments later the carriage stopped. His mother waited patiently as one of the footmen came and opened the door. His stepfather exited first, so he could help his mother disembark. Offering his arm to her to help ease her way out. Then him, Baela, Rhaena, Luke, then the little ones with their nannies and nurses.
Everyone was already outside waiting to greet them. Well, almost everyone. The King and Queen were first in the line, followed next by the Hand. After them Aegon, a pregnant Heleana, and Daeron…
The Queen’s face looked the same as it had when she watched Daemon and his mother flir- Talking at lady Leana’s Funeral. Dearon looked ready to jump onto someone’s back and pummel them if given the word.
But Aegon… Jace couldn’t place all the emotions he was getting when he looked into the face of his oldest uncle, who's eyes were locked on him. But NONE of what was showing on his face was good. His face seemed to be switching through them rapidly, in an ever-changing loop. Disgust, hate, rage, and what was that last one? He didn’t know. But it was just as dark as the others, he was sure.
Only the King and Helaena seemed pleased to see them.
Helaena, in her dreamy own world, smiling with her hand over the soft swell of her belly. The aging and Ill King Viserys smiling like the cat who had caught the canary. He was truly over-pleased with himself.
“Rhaemyra!” He called happily. His mother and stepfather went in closer to greet him. Jace stayed close but a few steps behind. He was looking down the greeting line, looking for someone he knew should be here. Aemerys…
His eyes searched up and down the crowd now, hunting for a glimpse of his betrothed. He knew if he didn’t see her the first time, there was no chance she’d just suddenly appear the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th time. But still, he looked…
His attention must have been focused on only that, as it was only his grandsire’s laugh that jolted him back to reality.
“Looking for someone in particular, my boy?” King Visarys jested, an amused light in his old eyes. Jace’s heart ached as he saw what state his Grandsire was in. Still, he managed to smile.
“My Apologizes, your grace…I was just looking for…”
“Oh, I know who you were looking for my dear boy. I’m not so old as to not understand that much.”
Before Jace or His mother could speak again, the King turned his head to the stone staircase behind them.
“Ser. Cole, if you would please? Our Groom wishes to meet his Bride!”
And with that, from under the stone archway that led down the main stairs, emerged the white cloak Ser Criston Cole… And on his arm. Aemerys.
Jace’s eyes went wide, his mouth went dry, and bones seemed to lock themselves into one solid piece as he looked upon her for the first time in years.
Where were the knob knees? The hair with dead-ends and the boyish clothes? The skin and bones, stick-like figure little girl? Even the red, angry scar he was expecting… No, he couldn’t bring himself to think about that.
The gi- Woman that walked down the stairs was not the young Aemerys that Jacaerys had known before.
This Aemerys had pin-straight pure-white hair pulled into beautiful Valarian braids. Walking down the stairs with perfect posture, head held high. Confident in every step and movement she made. No red or angry marks. A healed scar only showing a hint of itself from the opposite sides of a fabric eye patch that matched her dress.
An eye patch that did nothing to take away from the beauty of her face, but in fact, made her look more... Dramatic? Impressive? Dangerous? She had a defined heart-shape pointed chin, attractive cheekbones other maids would have died to have to replace her baby-fat cheeks from before and soft, pale, powdery skin glowing with good health.
Her figure had also Definity changed. She seemed 2 inches taller than Jace even, and from what he saw had filled and bubbled in places women do when they reach that age. The White satin wrap dress that was pinned to her shoulders with two Targaryen dragon pins and collected at the waist by a jeweled belt (also with the Targaryen dragons on it) showed off that figure while still covering everything AND giving her the illusion of wings hanging off her shoulders and down her back.
She looked the perfect picture of beauty and grace. A true Valarian bride. A Future Targaryen queen…
But when her one light purple eye turned to him (the only thing that seemed to be unchanged from when they were children) he saw her jaw lock… One moment of burning hate and rage, quickly wiped to a look of freezingly cold indifference…
His heart dropped as quickly as it started to rise in his chest.
It was her. This was his Aemerys.. She was beautiful… They were to be married.
And she hated him.