Among all the most important plot factors within the “House of the Dragon” season one finale was a shocking reveal from Aemond Targaryen: his new synthetic sapphire eye. At first look, his new eye appears to evoke a few of the most well-known and terrifying “Game of Thrones” baddies — however is that intentional, or simply pure coincidence?
What Happened to Aemond’s Eye?
A fast refresher is so as about why Aemond has a synthetic eye within the first place. The dragon Vhagar was as soon as the dragon of Laena Velaryon, the second spouse of Prince Daemon Targaryen. After Laena’s dying, younger Aemond decides to assert Vhagar to show himself. Although it is harmful, he does efficiently bond with and journey Vhagar.
When he returns, nevertheless, he is confronted by Jacaerys and Lucerys Velaryon (Laena’s nephews) and Laena’s daughters, Rhaena and Baela. Rhaena is livid, telling Aemond she ought to have been the rightful rider of Vhagar, since she was her mom’s dragon, however Aemond tells her she’d be higher suited to assert a pig, then threatens to kill Baela once they struggle him. Jace and Luke get entangled, and this time, Aemond threatens to kill Luke and taunts him about being the illegitimate son of Harwin Strong (not a reliable son of Laenor Velaryon). In the following scuffle, Aemond hits Jace on the pinnacle with a rock, and Luke grabs Jace’s dropped knife to guard him, slashing at Aemond and chopping him throughout his face and eye.
After the mud settles, Aemond tells his mom, Alicent, to not fear about him: he is misplaced an eye fixed however gained a dragon, and he sees that as a trade-off he can reside with.
Is Aemond a White Walker?
As Aemond grows into an grownup, he wears an eyepatch over his lacking eye. When he confronts Luke on the citadel of Borros Baratheon, nevertheless, he pulls off the eyepatch to disclose that he now wears a sapphire as a synthetic eye. The uncanny, unnatural blue eye bears greater than just a little resemblance to the enduring eyes of the Night King and the White Walkers, however in fact, Aemond is just not a White Walker — only a man with a gemstone for a false eye.
The symbolism here’s what actually issues. The first time we see Aemond’s blue eye, it is virtually instantly adopted by a scene the place he vengefully chases after Luke (making an attempt to make “an eye fixed for an eye fixed” literal) and winds up dropping management of his dragon and killing Luke in the course of the pursuit. The selection needs to be intentional, connecting Aemond’s tipping level from standard-issue sneering bully to kinslayer with the primary look of the icy blue eye that evokes Westeros’s most chilling (actually), irredeemable, and murderous villains. Rather than being some secret sign that Aemond is a White Walker or on his approach to changing into one, it appears extra like an indication of his rising corruption and the darkish path he is on.
