dancing with our hands tied | r. targaryen

iii.

110 A.C.
KING'S LANDING
•••

RHAENYRA HAD A PLAN, ONE THAT SHE THOUGHT THROUGH CAREFULLY. After her conversation with Alayne, she'd felt for the younger Hightower sister as she spoke of her loneliness. Selfishly, Rhaenyra had wanted to be the one to remedy Alayne's ailment, but she knew it wasn't her place. So she had another plan, one that would benefit her in the long run and that was to mend the relationship between the Hightower sisters.

If Alicent was able to set aside her misplaced anger then maybe Rhaenyra would not have to sneak around for a moment with Alayne.

"I think you should talk to Alayne," Rhaenyra proposes as they sit together beneath the oak tree in the Godswood.

"What would I talk to her about?" Alicent wonders as she looks over at Rhaenyra.

"Quite literally anything," Rhaenyra responds, "She's lonely and could use her older sister."

Alicent takes in the words before she narrows her eyes at Rhaenyra, "And how would you know that she's lonely?"

That was a wonderful question. Rhaenyra couldn't tell Alicent that she stumbled upon her sister crying in this very spot, she'd made a promise to Alayne, one that she very much intended to keep.

"Well isn't it obvious?" Rhaenyra asks as she looks at the leaves, "We rarely see her and when we do she's attached to my mother's hip."

"Are you saying that we should take pity on her?" Alicent asks, "Because I assure you, Alayne needs no one's pity."

"What I'm saying," Rhaenyra pauses as she tries to search for the right words, "What I'm trying to say is that Alayne is your sister, and I don't have one but if I did I wouldn't want us to spend the rest of our lives mad at each other. I mean Alayne doesn't even know what the two of you are fighting about."

"And that's the problem, she's never made an effort to understand," Alicent says as she looks at Rhaenyra.

"You haven't exactly been open to a dialogue," Rhaenyra mutters.

Alicent rolls her eyes as she gently shoves Rhaenyra, an action that she would never commit if there were others around, "Whose side are you on?"

"Yours always," Rhaenyra says with a smile as she leans near Alicent, "Even when you are horrible to me."

Alicent shakes her head with a smile on her lips, which slips away as she looks at the ground. She would be lying if she said she didn't miss her sister. Dinner the other night had been nice, but the moment had been fleeting for when she saw her sister the next day she spoke to her only to tell her that their father wanted to see her at once.

"It would be a lie if I said that I didn't miss her," Alicent says as she looks up at the sky, "Alayne, she has this way about her that makes you feel better when you're in her presence. When our mother was sick she would always sneak into my bed and I just – I felt like things were going to be okay. Things haven't felt like that in a while."

Rhaenyra stares at Alicent surprised. She'd never shared that with her. Truthfully she rarely spoke about the time when her mother was sick. It wasn't fast like most sicknesses are. It was slow, it took its time killing her something that Alicent and Alayne weren't prepared for. Though it was foolish to think that someone could prepare to be without their mother. Rhaenyra wasn't sure she'd ever be prepared for that day no matter how old she got.

"You should tell her that," Rhaenyra says softly, "There's no need to punish Alayne and yourself for something that neither of you has any control over anymore. Your mother is gone, but the two of you are still here. You're both right here."