#rooks rest

[amoratearte]

Rhaenys lives AU

Following the high screeches of his dragon, Daemon is confronted by the ghosts of his uncle and wife at the Harrenhal heart tree. Before the prince can will himself to snap out of it, he hears pleas for him to save Rhaenys on the morrow.

[bossbambi]

Looking at all the leaks and changes that have been made, I'm actually pretty curious how Rook's Rest turned out and what motivated Aemond to betray Aegon.

I'm pretty sure it'll be related to the brothel scene from episode 3 but I honestly hope they're at least going to add some depth to it.

From Aemond's perspective, it does make sense that he's angry at Aegon. He's been his biggest bully, constantly making fun of him, abusing him. Aemond has spent almost all of his life quietly enduring whatever Aegon did to him, keeping his pain to himself because Viserys and Otto wouldn't care and Alicent relied on him being her only "normal" and properly functioning child. Instead of complaining, he used his pain to improve himself. He's a skilled fighter, smart and cunning and unlike his brother, he's actually fit and willing to become king.

And yet, Aegon becomes king and Aemond accepts it. He supports his brother's claim, goes and secures allies for him and they more or less get along for awhile. But then Aemond kills Luke, sets of the war and becomes partially responsible for the death of Jaehaerys. Honestly, I feel like there's a lot missing between Luke dying and the brothel scene because we actually don't know how Aegon and everyone else reacted to Luke or how Aemond feels about Jaehaerys. Since he went to the brothel in episode 1 (likely to find comfort), there is a chance he went there again for the same reason, maybe even because he heard what happened to Jaehaerys.

Either way, as fucked up as it might be, the brothel appears to be some kind of safe space for Aemond and suddenly there's his brother and makes fun of him, they're laughing at him again. He doesn't feel safe anymore and he's so angry. Maybe he doesn't actually plan to betray Aegon until Rook's Rest happens. Maybe an opportunity presents itself and Aemond realizes he can finally end it all, become king like he always deserved. He's still angry. So he goes for it.

This actually became far longer than I intended but Aemond is strangely fun to analyze.

To be honest, I don't even know if I'm actually on Aemond's side here (at least not fully) because Aegon also has his reasons to be angry and sadly he tends to drown his sorrows in alcohol and becomes mean. However I'm pretty sure the writers will stick to Aemond's perspective (considering Aegon's in "coma" anyway) and like I said above, I'm just hoping they're going to give us more than just "he was mean in the brothel and now I'm mad".

Anyway, thanks to everyone who read this far, I guess 💜

[ladystarksneedle]

Born to die

Summary: In the aftermath of Rook's Rest, Aegon thinks about his family as he's fighting for his life.

Spoilers for future seasons of House of the dragon.

He feels as if he’s falling.

Deeper and deeper into a never ending abyss with each moment he’s awake and somewhat in his senses, when his mind is not overtaken by the sedatives he’s being fed. It’s a weightless feeling, he experiences, mostly in the wee hours of the night or whatever he assumes is. He’s covered in salves, potions and bandages of all kinds, Maesters tending to him tirelessly. The smell of disinfectant pungent in his chambers, repulses him and his mind wanders to his father briefly, wondering how he spent the last few years of his life. He feels like him now, the irony should make him laugh but his throat is choked up and movement of any sort aggravates his burns. Perhaps their line was destined to fail, destined to suffer the same fate. Cripples the lot of them and while his brother may have suffered an affliction similar to what his father gained he has much more will than that rotten corpse could ever muster, for them atleast. He rules in his stead now, Prince reagent, the favorite son, finally with everything he’s ever wanted right in his lap yet he knows he won’t fail him. Their envy as much as it pulls them apart binds them to each other too, like a myriad of threads pushing and pulling, a web tinged with their blood never breaking, never thinning. He can hear weeping every now and then. The sound comforts him as much as it shouldn’t, reminds him there is still someone who cares. A halo of red, flashes of bloodied hands caressing his face,  prayers whispered under her breath, his injuries now have him believing in the Mother who visits him every night lulling him to sleep. Perhaps his mother’s gods have decided this as a fitting absolution for his sins. Most days however are spent screaming and crying till his throat is raw. He feels less of a king now more than he ever has. No one is allowed to see the state he’s in and he’s grateful for it. He can hear the Hand's taunts at the back of his mind,

“To show weakness is a fool’s error. Are you a fool boy? You sure as well act like one. It is a wonder the King cannot look beyond his daughter, with you for a son”

His grandsire proves his usefulness even in his absence from the chain of duty he’s been bound with most of his life. Yet he would be a fool to think he still doesn’t exert power through the shadows. We light the way. A Hightower always makes it through the darkness.

He doesn’t feel like one. Never has if he’s being honest. Neither does he feel like his namesake, adorned in his regalia the day he was sent to his doom and the day he set out to avenge his son. A son he never bothered to know. A son he failed like his father before him. Perhaps he's more Targaryen than he thought.

But most of all through the burning, cracking and singing flesh that weeps more than what drenches his face, he misses him and he yearns for her. His mount equally broken, abandoned in that wretched place, guarded by his own reagent, proud and mighty. He misses his shrill roars at midnight, the flapping of his wings and the feeling of safety and comfort of his presence.

In the same breath he wishes for her. They tell him in hushed voices that she hasn’t improved. That she’s still the same shell of a woman, wife, mother, queen. The whispers following her have increased along with the voices in her head. She hasn’t visited him once since his return to their cage. He finally feels like he’s failed her. Revenge sought for their son wasn’t enough to bring her back to him, wasn’t enough to warrant a visit to her dying husband, her king. Yet he can’t find it in him to blame her and for what, the same duty and burden thrust upon the both of them, which she had single handedly carried all these years. He wants to let her go, for her own peace, though he knows both of them shall never find it now. All that is left is Fire and Blood. He’s fire made flesh as he burns and burns and burns, his body alight and his mind clinging to rage, baying for blood. Their house words have never rung truer.

[sirius-lives]

is rooks rest next episode? are we ending the season on the battle of the gullet? more importantly where's cragan stark???

[egophiliac]

messing around with techniques! I...like the foxman and the catboy a lot okay

also, a couple of quickies that honestly don't deserve any more effort than I've already given them:

[lizethdraws]

Imagine Ben messing with a laser pointer and Rook tries to catch the red dot.

rook is never beating the cat allegations

[timethehobo]

When Rook drags him out for every dang quest available.

[ride-thedragon]

Team Black first Promotion gifset. (We are so back)

[lemonhemlock]

i have to say, i enjoy the concept of brotherly-betrayal aegond as much as anyone, but i am just so unimpressed with this execution... the main point of contention for me is the absolute lack of tension.

there is no fallout between the greens over luke's murder. the only consequence for aemond is that alicent is just a little pissed at him? she is not shown to even scold him, she's just.... mildly upset? aegon gives even less of a shit, the whole act to him is a non-event. and yet there is the expectation that the viewer should understand that this is such an annoyance to aemond, who feels slighted over this great injustice his own mother is doing to him, poor misunderstood emoboy. man, give me a break.

similarly, and i want to point out that aemond is absolutely not to blame for blood & cheese, but, after jaehaerys' murder, there are no emotional recriminations of aemond's behaviour whatsoever. not even a side-ways comment that "this never would have happened had you not provoked rhaenyra in this way". aemond is not even shown to grieve in any way; he is very removed from this narrative and only briefly ponders it to the brothel madam in a very self-centered way. he acts as if his siblings' favourite dog just died and he's kind of above the theatricality of it all. when aegon then interrupts the scene, it was a perfect opportunity to at least have him allude to the fact that this must have been aemond's hiding place when his son's head was being chopped off, yet he... doesn't?

so, while, yes, there is this thread of aegon having bullied aemond throughout his childhood, it is also tempered by having aegon be sort of considerate as well towards his brother? welcoming him to his council, praising him, not even being exceptionally mean, just mildly boorish in the brothel scene. whereas, on the other side, aemond is so passive in his tepid disgruntlement that it truly sets the stage for the most boring and unfulfilling rivalry on television.

there's no bite to this, no reason to get invested. how will they even be able to break the monotony with only one episode left?

[kitrawho]

⚔️ Rook's Rest ⚔️

[twsted-seas]

Rook.

From one archer to another.

Put your fucking finger down.

[robo-milky]

I know someone else has already done this with Vil or Neige (?) but Rook in this dress from Tsum Tsum’s Atelier Princess !!

[mhsdatgo]

Vhagar and another dragon soaring the skies, both visible outside the windows in Aegon's poster and the ones in the Rhaenys and Corlys one respectively.

Could the second one be Caraxes? Or Meleys? A reference to the Battle Above the God's Eye or the Battle at Rook's Rest, where Rhaenys will eventually meet her fate?

[the-heartlines]

tgc’s comment 😭😭😭

[insertsomthinawesome]

WHUMPTOBER 2022 - DAY 23 - At the End of Their Rope

Rare moment where Leona has not slept enough.

-NO ROMANCE INCLUDED-  

[crystallizsch]

SAVANACLAW ROOK HUNT HELLO????

WHAT’S HE DOING HERE

WHY DOES HE LOOK LIKE THAT

LIKE WHY IS HE SOOOO

UHHHHHH

VIL WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM????

HOWD HE GO FROM THAT TO DORA THE EXPLORER