𝒜𝓁𝒾𝒸𝑒𝓃𝓉 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝑅𝒽𝒶𝑒𝓃𝓎𝓇𝒶~𝐿𝒾𝓀𝑒 𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓁 𝓅𝑒𝑜𝓅𝓁𝑒 𝒹𝑜

Fathers plan.

Alicent

For the next three years Rhaenyra and Alicent went about their normal duties. Alicent would take Rhaenyra out to the garden and read her a chapter or two, then they would then go to lunch together. They weren't required to dine together but they each enjoyed the other a considerable amount. After, Rhaenyra would go down to the dragon pit for an afternoon fly with Syrax and Alicent would go back to the garden and watch them. They would then meet and embroider as the sun set before Rhaenyra was called to dine with the king and queen and Alicent was sent to her chambers.

The girls had become good friends and neither one could imagine a day passing without the other.

"Your dinner, daughter."

Alicent looked up from her book to find her father carrying a plate of pork pie and vegetables."Thank you, father, why are you bringing my dinner? Is my servant ill?" Alicent asked taking the plate from him and setting it on her bed.

"No, Clara is fine, I asked her to let me bring it to you because I wish to speak with you about something."

Alicent stared at the ground. She knew this was not under a good circumstance. Did she do something wrong? Her father didn't often whip her directly, he'd rather have the servants complete the task.

"There is a Lannister boy, a few years your senior, who is journeying from Casterly Rock to present himself as a suitor for Rhaenyra. The Lannister's will be staying for three days and we will have a welcoming ball on the morrow. I have permitted that you should accompany Rhaenyra to the ball." He said. Alicent was grateful that she finally got to use all of the dancing skills she had learned in order to be Rhaenyra's escort but there was a much more pressing matter clouding her mind.

"Father, Rhaenyra has but ten and two years of age." She said staring at her father. He did not understand what she was trying to say. "Isn't that much too young for a suitor?"

"Commonly, yes, but I had been informed two weeks ago that Rhaenyra has-" he cleared his throat and looked away "come of age." Alicent was displeased with that answer.

"What does that mean, Father?" She asked intrigued.

"There is nothing you need to worry about, I just thoug- the king and I thought it fit that we should try to get an heir in the family as soon as possible."

"An heir? Isn't Queen Aemma pregnant at this very moment? Why shall Rhaenyra need to produce an heir if there is already one soon to come?"

"We all know the queen is incapable of another child." He said, so slight that Alicent could hardly hear it.

"What?" She asked, trying to confirm what she thought she had heard but did not want to be true.

"You did not hear that." He said firmly as he stood. Alicent nodded. He brought his hand up to her face and she flinched out of instinct, but he just placed it on her cheek and wiped a tear away that she was not aware she had shed.

***

The next morning Alicent followed the route to Rhaenyra's room that she had memorized fully and knocked on the door three times.

Rhaenyra bursted out of her chambers moments later and started complaining very loudly about how she was being considered for marriage at her age, making sure that everyone preparing for the ball could hear how the night would play out. Alicent debated telling Rhaenyra about her fathers true intentions, yet she didn't truly know what they meant and she thought it best to keep her place.

She began listening to Rhaenyra's plan for the ball later that day. Firstly she would refuse to look at the boy or even acknowledge him, secondly she would not dine nor dance with him the whole night and if after all of that they still wanted to marry them she would most definitely have to flee kings landing on dragon back and-

"-Bring you with me."

"You would bring me with you on dragon back? That will never happen!" Alicent retorted.

"Why not?! I do not have any idea how you resent it so much without even trying it once!" She argued taking her usual place beneath the weirwood in the garden.

"Because I just know that I'll hate it. You have to remember, I am not a Targaryen and the dragon will not enjoy my presence." Alicent said sitting right beside her.

"Syrax would love you. You just have to give her a chance! She might resent you at first but I know she'll grow to love you!" She argued still trying to persuade Alicent as she snuggled in close to her.

"Then I guess she's much like you in that sense." Alicent said making them both laugh.

She opened up her book and paused. "Rhaenyra, I heard something strange from a servant this morning." She paused a bit too long trying to find the words. "What does it mean when a girl has 'come of age'"

"Do you mean when they get their blood?" Rhaenyra asked.

"Yes." Truthfully Alicent had no idea what any of that was but if Rhaenyra believed it to be the same thing than it most certainly was.

"When a girl becomes a woman, she will bleed." Rhaenyra said.

"That's all?"

"Yes, now let's get to reading."

"But for how long? And where? And why?"

"Maybe a week from where you relieve yourself, and I don't know, I've only bled once. Have you just bled for the first time?" She said getting irritated.

Alicent shook her head. "No, I have never bled from there."

"Follow me then." Rhaenyra said as she stood and began skipping out of the garden.

"Where are we going?" Alicent asked as she followed the girl as her long silver hair disappeared with the darkness of the hallways of the Red Keep.