Princess Maegelle Targaryen knew the importance of balance and unity, she learnt it from deceased her husband. Now that her mother is to the worms, she must return to Kingslanding and protect the claim that her father has bestowed upon her.
"You ne...
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Life is always filled with highs and lows, the most important thing was finding someone who'd hold your hand throughout the journey. Rhaenyra thought that she'd always walk this road alone, that is until she met Alicent. At first, she thought that it was nothing but adoration, but it slowly grew to love.
She takes a deep breath, trying to remember her sister's words. Her hands haven't stopped sweating since she first entered the garden. The moment that those words left her mouth, there was a chance that Alicent would stop being her friend. Her breath quivers, anticipating rejection.
She repeats her sister's advice in the back of her head. Maegelle's plan had to work. Everything she said always worked. Rhaenyra's eyes drifted towards the Weirwood Tree, Alicent was slumped gracefully on its roots, reading a small book that Rhaenyra loaned her. There was sadness behind Alicent's eyes.
'Will she think me a monster?' she asks herself.
There were endless possibilities, why must she chain herself to just one? Rhaenyra raises her arms, plastering a smile on her face, gently waving at her friend. "Good morrow, Rhae." Alicent smiles, her eyes radiating the brightness of a thousand stars. Rhaenyra takes a step back. How foolish must it be? She said 'good morrow' yet Rhaenyra heard, I love you.
"Good morrow, Ali." she replies in a hoarse voice, masking her nervousness.
She looks at the ground, avoiding her friend's gaze.
She was guilty of a love that she couldn't control. She felt guilty for loving a woman when she was supposed to be with a man. "I want to say something," Rhaenyra gulped. This wasn't the right time, but she needed to let these words escape her mouth. If Alicent did not feel the same way, then their relationship would never be the same. She'd lose her friend.
"What is it? Are you well?" Alicent asks, voice dripping with concern.
Rhaenyra forces herself to smile again, not wanting her friend to worry for just one second. She leans, and kneels to Alicent's level.
She kneels to her in the same way a man would pray to the Seven Gods. Alicent was her solemn prayer, the only thing she wanted. "Do you think that my family's customs are queer?" she whispered, not wanting to catch anyone's attention. The question was peculiar, but when directed towards Alicent, a religious, made perfect sense.
"What?" Alicent chuckles nervously.
"- you asked me to save you against Ser Otto's schemes. Why? You could've been Queen." Rhaenyra pointed out. "I don't want to be Queen. I don't want to betray you." Alicent responded harshly, as if Rhaenyra already ought to know. "Why?" Rhaenyra prods, eyes looking up from the ground and catching hers.
There was no way that Alicent would choose a simple friendship over power. Rhaenyra wanted to know if Alicent loved her enough. "I don't know," Alicent lied although she already knew the reason, deep in her subconscious.
The tension was too much. Unfamiliar.
"I know why," Rhaenyra blurts out, reaching for her friend's hands. Until their palms were entwined. Alicent's palms were always cold and bleeding. It was a good thing that Rhaenyra's were always warm. "Because I love you, and you love me." Rhaenyra lays out in simpler terms. Alicent frowns, "- I love you too, Rhae." she whispered.
There weren't any people around in the gardens.
"I love you the way a man loves a woman." Rhaenyra clears up, feeling Alicent's body tense. Clearly not the first time that they told each other Iloveyous. "Rhaenyra, these feelings inside my heart are strange, my pulse quickens when I am around you, but if we do become lovers, it won't be perfect. We won't be like a man and a woman." Alicent argued, it was the words of her father coming out of her mouth.
"I can't love a man, Ali – and neither can you. I sleep at night sometimes, and I imagine myself wrapped around the arms of some lord and it doesn't feel right. I never want to be his little wife. I never want to play second fiddle." Rhaenyra asserted.
"You think that we're the first people to feel this way? We're not the first, and we're not the last. Society will shun us, our families will suffer." Alicent argued again. Rhaenyra's eyes light up, an idea forming in her head. "I have a cousin." Rhaenyra starts, and Alicent chuckles.
"- he has relations with your brother, Gwayne. If I were to marry Gwayne, and you marry Laenor, we could live in Kingslanding together. Marrying a Velaryon would sate your father's lust for power, and so would my marriage to Gwayne." Rhaenyra smiled.
Alicent's eyes light up.
"Rhaenyra Targaryen, you are a genius." Alicent breathed.
—
Jaehaerys was attached to Daemon by the hip. The boy adored the Rogue Prince. He loved the stories about dragons and fighting. A mere second away from his favorite nuncle would have the child crying and kicking. Maegelle wasn't the only one enamored by Daemon.
Daemon sighs softly as he continued to wash the boy's hair. "You really shouldn't be doing this." Maegelle whispers leaning her body into the small tub. It was late at night - almost midnight, Daemon had just returned from a small hunt - he was about to sleep until he heard crying from Jaehaerys' chambers. Apparently, his mother and his handmaidens were attempting to give him a bath for the past few hours.
"The little wolf smells of mud and mold. He needs this." Daemon mumbles, feeling his eyes flutter gently. He desperately needed sleep. "Yes, but I'm sure that I can give him a bath myself." she breathes, looking at his swaying figure. His eyes close and she chuckles, "Daemon." she places a hand on his side - biting back another chuckle as he was startled awake. His eyes were tired, and his vision was groggy.
He continues rubbing the little boy's hair. "I'm almost done." he says instinctively, before pouring clean water on Jaehaerys head. Maegelle nods her head, reaching for the towel on the door handle. She looks at Daemon, and he lifts Jaehaerys'. Placing him in his mother's arms that were coated with a white fabric. "This won't happen the next time," she states firmly, feeling Jaehaerys' rest his head on her chest.
"He isn't the only one tired." Daemon yawns, helping the both of them return to the boy's room. But by that time, Jaehaerys was already sleeping. Maegelle sighs, dressing him in his night-clothes. She could never understand children - oftentimes, they were on a league of their own. As the years progress, her little boy only grew more and more mischievous.
She turns her head towards Daemon - hearing the soft creak of the floor. "You should stay here for the night." she offers kindly and he shakes his head. He liked the premise - but he didn't want to take advantage of her kindness. "I decline." he replies in the most preposterous way, she rolls her eyes. "Your room is in the opposite side of the castle. I wouldn't want you collapsing on the way there." she reasons and he shakes his head for the second time.
"I really should be going." he mumbles, hiding his small yawn.
"I insist." she says firmly, her voice almost reminding him of those that his mother had. "If you decline, I will never offer you anything again." she coaxed, feeling herself grow tired with every passing second. He raises his hands in mock surrender, a small charismatic smirk beginning to form in his mouth. "Where will I sleep?" he asked and she smiled.
'Of course, he'd budge.'
"Jae will sleep between us." she answers, lifting the sheets and laying beside her son. She pats the empty side of the bed, allowing him to slip in easily. Before she could say anything else, he was already snoring.
--
A/N: ok guys after editing this book, i realized that Alicent and Rhaenyra needed a happy ending.
