𝒜𝓁𝒾𝒸𝑒𝓃𝓉 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝑅𝒽𝒶𝑒𝓃𝓎𝓇𝒶~𝐿𝒾𝓀𝑒 𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓁 𝓅𝑒𝑜𝓅𝓁𝑒 𝒹𝑜

Going home.

Alicent

It had been 25 months since Alicent had stepped foot in the Red Keep. It was just as dark and miserable as she had remembered it being.

The years away with her uncle in Oldtown had made her accustomed to smiling faces and sunshine, which she had almost forgotten during her excruciatingly long childhood being held under the shadow of her father. But now she was a woman, at least that's what her father had written.

My dear Alicent,
I have missed you these few months. With your maturity I would like to have you join me back at the Red Keep, and if you see fit, resume your duty escorting the princess.
Father

It was a short letter for her father, which was odd, he generally enjoyed avoiding the subject and dragging on. Yet her uncle thought it fit she should leave as soon as possible. The evening after receiving the letter, a carriage was called and she was sent off on her way back home (If she could even call it that).

The ride was long, she lost track of time after an hour or two. Her mind thought it a great time to ponder about the letter her father sent.

She thought it was odd that he had written that he missed her in those few months, prominently because it had been well over a year since he had seen her. It could have been because he was caught up in his duty's as the hand. And why would her maturity be the main reason he wished for her to return. Surely he didn't wish to marry her off? She was but ten and five, quite young still. Yet one thing bewildered her most of all. He had offered her the choice to return to her duty's as Rhaenyra's escort. The very thing she had been sent away regarding.

The journey lasted many days. At the end Alicent was sore and yearning for a warm bed.

She was relieved yet anxious to be back. She missed her father, her chambers, her books, but most of all she missed Rhaenyra. She had been gone when Alicent awoke the morning of her last day. It had been two years one month and three days, she had counted each day.

Her father greeted her at the entrance to the keep and grinned as he lead her through the doors. She analyzed his every move but didn't notice anything unusual. He took her on a little detour about the castle before he lead her to her old chambers and opened the door for her.

"Thank you, father." She said looking up at him one last time before he closed the door. She turned and looked around. Everything was in the same place she had left it in, not a speck of dust in sight. She crossed the room and sat on her bed. It was one of her favorite places in the keep and she had missed it. She let her back fall to the mattress and rolled onto her stomach, sprawling out and stretching every muscle she could before relaxing them all and flopping back down letting her arm fall off of the side of the mattress.

Something fell off of the bed and landed on the floor with a small ding. She must've pushed it off of the mattress on accident. She looked down to see a speck of gold peeking out from beneath the bed. She reached down to grab it but accidentally poked her finger in the process. She winced and brought it up to her eye level. It was the small dragon pin Rhaenyra had given to her. She smiled and set it on her desk. Then she climbed under the covers and slowly drifted off to sleep.