But I know the colours of my mother's moods well. If you are asking me of all her children — Helaena is here again, by the by — to speak on your behalf, she must not have been too happy with you.
[ he’s not telling alicent’s child that he kissed her in a feral state, would have fucked her raw and nasty too if not for his recent misadventures into taking what’s not his, into forcing things that shouldn’t be, and then let the most careless words pass his lips to push her away. no way. ]
i just didn’t stay with her when she was you know because it would’ve been worse if i did.
Edited (noticed my egregious typo don’t look at me) 2025-01-15 16:28 (UTC)
[ there is an abundance in the absence of detail, the equivocation an answer in and of itself. aemond would know this well; he does the same when he argues with his mother own.
mercy, then. or perhaps a single kindness. aemond shares no affection with embry, but he would like to be free of his gratitude to the man. ]
You refused her, then. Worse, you rejected her. Am I wrong in my assumption?
[ echoes of daemon turning him away when he'd asked in his grief. daniel himself, denying aemond to keep peace with alicent and choosing her as she deserved. how bitter the rejections had sat on his tongue, how shamed he felt for having bared his weakness and still undesirable in that vulnerable state. but now he calls to daemon and daniel both in his time of need, understanding their reasons with the clarity of hindsight. would his mother be so willing? near word for word, he echoes to embry the advice he'd given another on this very same matter not too long ago: ]
You cannot undo what you have done. It is done. Once you have lost favour or trust, you can only regain it with as great and as loud an effort as the offence that caused its ruin. Nothing else will equal, and you'll be a greater fool to think anything less than that will be accepted.
Mother will come to you or she will not. Better you should ask her yourself.
[ no, he's not wrong. he rejected alicent hightower in the worst possible way, because even if he'd managed to leash his depravity for a singular moment, he's still collared by his emotions. he still speaks first and thinks later. he still hurt her, which is why he'd begged ash to hurt him after he'd been stitched up and pumped full of painkillers — and ash as always obliged until he couldn't speak, couldn't think, and couldn't cry. ]
it was the right thing to do.
[ ask him if he will ever be taking the high road again. ]
maybe i didn't stick the landing, but that doesn't change the facts. alicent will understand.
You presume greatly of a woman you've known not even a year. I come from her body and even I would not be so certain.
Do not think I disrespect her in saying so; I'm disrespecting you. What keeps you from speaking to her yourself, if not your pride? Your confidence that you have the right of things? Do you not see how she might disagree?
You behave as I do when I mean to disregard her. Consider it, perhaps.
shut up. i presume greatly because i fucking know. greatly. it was the right thing to do. i know right from wrong. i choose frequently to do wrong, i just didn't choose it that night. i know that the way i said things was fucked up. theoretically, it wasn't fucked up enough to deserve putting my head through a window, but who's keeping track? i will perhaps consider everything you've said, or perhaps not. i'm not disregarding her, i'm disregarding you.
[ five minutes and one (1) petty outburst later — ]
you never owed me a thank you. but you can do me a favor. you can understand that your mom is allowed to want things, regardless of whether you approve of or understand them. not only that, but she's allowed to have them.
[ this definitely sounds like him, now. what a strange feeling, looking yourself in the mirror with the face of a much older man. ]
The problem with your favour: I do understand that. That's why I'm thanking you.
[ the first thing he'd asked his mother when he learned of her lovers had been to ask her if she's drinking the tansy. he's not that blind; he only lost one eye. it had been ser criston, in the days following viserys's death; now, it is embry, and daniel, and homelander. if his mother has other dalliances, aemond will not seek them out until they become a problem. ]
I gave my word to her, and I give it to you now: I won't interfere unless you hurt her. I have that right, much as you hate to think it of me or my brother. Not as her regent or king, but as her sons. If you can respect that, then we do not need to interact further.
[ the jury's still out if he's even on alicent's lists of wants, considering the first time they'd kissed it was because of a traitorous christmas plant, and the second time he wouldn't even say he was talking to alicent at all. no, it's not any of the ones aemond knows about, but princess rhaenyra he's thinking of now. if that ever comes to light, that's what he wants him to understand. ]
i don't respect that, but i can accept that you think you're within your rights to jump out from behind a corner and murder me anytime you feel like it. good talk, aemond. let's never do this again.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
that was the worst thank you i've ever heard, and i would've preferred if you said nothing.
tell your mom i don't have a concussion and i am accepting visitors.
no subject
[ —ah. ]
Oh, you've fallen out of favour. What have you done?
no subject
[ spoken to me. ]
well, i assume she’s been busy. you guys are basically the kardashians, just less entertaining.
no subject
But I know the colours of my mother's moods well. If you are asking me of all her children — Helaena is here again, by the by — to speak on your behalf, she must not have been too happy with you.
Tell me. I'll pass on your ask if you tell me.
no subject
[ he’s not telling alicent’s child that he kissed her in a feral state, would have fucked her raw and nasty too if not for his recent misadventures into taking what’s not his, into forcing things that shouldn’t be, and then let the most careless words pass his lips to push her away. no way. ]
i just didn’t stay with her when she was
you know
because it would’ve been worse if i did.
no subject
mercy, then. or perhaps a single kindness. aemond shares no affection with embry, but he would like to be free of his gratitude to the man. ]
You refused her, then. Worse, you rejected her. Am I wrong in my assumption?
[ echoes of daemon turning him away when he'd asked in his grief. daniel himself, denying aemond to keep peace with alicent and choosing her as she deserved. how bitter the rejections had sat on his tongue, how shamed he felt for having bared his weakness and still undesirable in that vulnerable state. but now he calls to daemon and daniel both in his time of need, understanding their reasons with the clarity of hindsight. would his mother be so willing? near word for word, he echoes to embry the advice he'd given another on this very same matter not too long ago: ]
You cannot undo what you have done. It is done. Once you have lost favour or trust, you can only regain it with as great and as loud an effort as the offence that caused its ruin. Nothing else will equal, and you'll be a greater fool to think anything less than that will be accepted.
Mother will come to you or she will not. Better you should ask her yourself.
no subject
it was the right thing to do.
[ ask him if he will ever be taking the high road again. ]
maybe i didn't stick the landing, but that doesn't change the facts. alicent will understand.
no subject
You presume greatly of a woman you've known not even a year. I come from her body and even I would not be so certain.
Do not think I disrespect her in saying so; I'm disrespecting you. What keeps you from speaking to her yourself, if not your pride? Your confidence that you have the right of things? Do you not see how she might disagree?
You behave as I do when I mean to disregard her. Consider it, perhaps.
no subject
[ five minutes and one (1) petty outburst later — ]
you never owed me a thank you. but you can do me a favor.
you can understand that your mom is allowed to want things, regardless of whether you approve of or understand them. not only that, but she's allowed to have them.
no subject
The problem with your favour: I do understand that. That's why I'm thanking you.
[ the first thing he'd asked his mother when he learned of her lovers had been to ask her if she's drinking the tansy. he's not that blind; he only lost one eye. it had been ser criston, in the days following viserys's death; now, it is embry, and daniel, and homelander. if his mother has other dalliances, aemond will not seek them out until they become a problem. ]
I gave my word to her, and I give it to you now: I won't interfere unless you hurt her. I have that right, much as you hate to think it of me or my brother. Not as her regent or king, but as her sons. If you can respect that, then we do not need to interact further.
no subject
i wasn't talking about me.
[ the jury's still out if he's even on alicent's lists of wants, considering the first time they'd kissed it was because of a traitorous christmas plant, and the second time he wouldn't even say he was talking to alicent at all. no, it's not any of the ones aemond knows about, but princess rhaenyra he's thinking of now. if that ever comes to light, that's what he wants him to understand. ]
i don't respect that, but i can accept that you think you're within your rights to jump out from behind a corner and murder me anytime you feel like it.
good talk, aemond. let's never do this again.
🎀
Don't make it easy for me, then.
Be well, Embry. Speak to my mother, when you're done with... whatever your issue is.