dancing with our hands tied | r. targaryen

xxvi.

120 A.C.
KING'S LANDING
•••

THE BIRTH OF LUCERYS VELARYON WAS AN EVENT THAT WAS BEING CELEBRATED THROUGHOUT THE KINGDOMS AS A TOURNAMENT WAS BEING HELD in the young prince's honor. Alayne was having a difficult time gathering her children who seemed to have taken to hiding in their apartment away from their mother and father.

"I've killed men, you know?" Brandon says as he peeks behind a curtain.

"I am failing to see how this relates to finding our children," Alayne says as she looks under the bed.

"It's to say that I am above being outsmarted by children," Brandon says as he walks by the wardrobe and hears soft giggles. He pauses and whistles, getting Alayne's attention. He nods toward the wardrobe and Alayne wants to kick herself for not thinking to look there first.

She offers Brandon a mischievous smile before turning on her serious voice, "Argella, Beric, Cassana, this is your last warning. If you do not come out right now I will ensure that there are no treats for the three of you and they will all go to Durran, do you want that?"

"No!"

It's Argella who exclaims the word as she shoves the wardrobe door open. She stumbles out of the wardrobe and into her father's arms. Argella giggles as Brandon picks her up and kisses her cheek.

"I do not like tourneys," Beric says with a frown, "They're too long."

"And people get hurt," Cassana says with a frown. Alayne sighs as she picks her youngest daughter up.

"I know sweet girl," Alayne says, "But we don't have to watch the fighting. We'll eat lemon cakes until your little tummy can't take anymore."

Alayne pokes her daughter's stomach and Cassana giggles as she buries her face in Alayne's neck.

"Will Aemond be there?" Argella questions.

"Oh! And Helaena!" Cassana asks.

Alayne chuckles softly at the question. The children were quite attached to their cousins. Argella and Aemond spent an abundant amount of time together due to them being closer in age. Cassana often followed her elder cousin, Helaena around, listening as she rambled on about insects. Beric spent his time elsewhere with a certain Velaryon boy he shared his lessons with.

There was an unspoken division at court, with those who favored Rhaenyra and those who favored Aegon who was now an eight-year-old boy and not particularly fond of his lessons. Alayne was unsure if he simply lacked discipline or if this was going to be a problem in the long run.

Alicent was insistent that her children keep their distance from Rhaenyra's children. Alayne did not. They were kids. If Beric liked Jacaerys, then he liked Jacaerys. Alayne would not stand in the way of that bond.

Though what did bother her was Jacaerys and Lucerys's parentage.

The boys looked nothing like Laenor and instead took on the appearance of Ser Harwin Strong. Much of the words whispered about the young boys' paternity was nothing but a whisper seeing as Laenor's own mother had once borne black hair. And if those boys were not Laenor's then it did not matter as he treated the boys as though they were his own.

"Yes, yes, everyone will be in attendance," Brandon says as he bends down to pick up Beric as well, "Now do you want Baratheons to be known as the house that is always late?"

"No," Beric answers, "We are fury!"

"Furry?" Cassana asks. Alayne and Brandon both laugh at their youngest daughter's question.