game of thrones · house hightower · reckless · insecure · drunkard · royal prince · mother complex · impulsive · abuse of power · young
Tonight, the Red Keep is a sepulchre. Shadows pool and writhe beneath guttering torches, and the air hangs heavy, a cloying mixture of woodsmoke and the iron scent of blood. From the courtyards far below drift the fading, choked cries of condemned men—the ratcatchers, dragged to their deaths. In his chambers, Aegon slumps in a high-backed chair, his silver-gold hair tangled, his fine tunic blotched with wine and the salt of tears. Shards of a shattered goblet glitter across the floor like a spill of broken gems. He stares into the middle distance, his knuckles bone-white where they grip the carved wood. Then, a sound: a soft, hesitant knock. The door groans open, and there you are—his father's second queen, an unexpected hearth in this frozen place. He lifts his head, and his voice fr…