My Tears Ricochet // Alicent Hightower

78. Still The King

"Issa nēdenka riñitsos."  Davina declared when they landed. She was all smiles as Fury and Hellfire were in a great mood to. "My fierce little girl..." Davina repeated kissing Haven. "But if you want to go out and play with Hellfire and Fury, let me or your siblings know, they would love to come out and play." Davina reminded her. "I'm already ready for a flight." 

"Okay mama." Haven agreed skipping as they headed in. 

"Whats?" Davina stopped herself when she saw Alicents face. 

"It's Viserys." 

Viserys was really sick. They all knew it. He had been for ages but he had good days. He had bad days and he had worse days. He had been sick for years but this was different. The past moon had been painful for Viserys. Since Davina's clean up flee bottom initiative Viserys had been seen less and less. Davina loved her brother and she had gotten used to visiting him in his chambers popping in with new books, Haven and Valyria would draw him pictures. He was given teas for the pain and to help him sleep. 

It wasnt until Viserys lost an eye that Davina wondered why they were trying so hard to keep him alive when he was clearly suffering immensely. But she was selfish and didnt want to lose him. He was her brother after all. 

"He has been sick, you know that. He has been sick for years. Long before you were wed. Even before Viserys was wed." Beesbury reminded her gently. Davina nodded stiffly. 

''Let's go for a walk how about? While they work.'' Haenry suggested as Alicent came out of the room.

"Still working." Alicent remarked.

"He would like that you are checking on him." Davina remarked leaning into her. Alicent gave her a small smile. 

"Come on, lets take a walk. Clear your head." Alicent offered.  "We can come right back and they will be..." Alicents words faded.

"He's going to be okay mum." Draeya assured. 

"We were fighting for so damn long and... it makes me wonder... what... what could have happened... you know if we... never fell apart." Davina whispered. 

+

"Davina was alright." Laenor remarked. "She was fun."

"She seemed fun." Seamus agreed.

"How long were you married? I didnt think any of her husbands lasted more than a night... or evening." Laenor countered.

"It was just that evening. She apologized saying something along the lines of she was too desperately in love her brother to ever open her heart to anyone else. I think she was going to kill me, she seemed sad about it." Seamus remarked.

"She married Harwin Strong." Laenor remarked. "Had a few kids, lots of kids." Laenor corrected. "But he... died." Laenor added and Seamus nodded slowly. 

"That's too bad." Seamus remarked. 

"She helped me with the grief of losing my sister." Laenor added gently. "She was a good woman, a good mother, a great mother." 

"You have kids?" Seamus questioned. "Now that we are being open and honest." He added clinking his glass with Laenors.

"I was married to Rhaenyra for 10 years." Laenor remarked. "I had three bastards but I did love them but Rhaenyra made it clear that they were her children and not mine when she was mad at me. So I stayed away I went and fought in the wars because I thought that was what she wanted. I thought she wanted me gone and I liked being gone but I do love those boys."

"You ever think about going back?" Seamus questioned.

"No. Yes... not since I met you." Laenor countered and Seamus chuckled. "What about you?"

"I havent thought about Davina in years. I wonder if she would even remember me." Seamus countered. 

+

"Princess." She had been trying to clear her head, she was a nervous wreck. She couldnt lose Viserys. Maybe she should forgive Daemon and Rhaenyra before it was too late for all of them. 

"Princess?" 

She didnt know how many times her title was called before she turned to the maester. She nodded following him to Viserys chambers. 

''You can come in Princess.'' the maester said as he pulled open the door davina nodded slowly.

''Is he...''

''We took the eye but he is stable.''

''Why does this keep happening i thought when you took his arm-" davina whimpered as she licked at dry nervous lips. "-that you got it all that you... that he was going to be... okay."

''We thought so at the time but the kings ailments have progressed.''

"Clearly." Davina agreed.

''Is he going to be okay?'' Alicent whispered as Davina held to her hand. 

''We hope and pray to the old gods and the new that he gets stronger every day.'' He informed them.

''Thank you.'' Davina answered as she moved to viserys.

''He is highly sedated he might not wake for hours.''

''That's okay. I'll stay with him.'' Davina assured the maesters left and Davina sobbed.

"I dont want to lose him Ali." Davina remarked through tears. 

"Davina?'

"Its a wake up call. Our... everything... our timeline for the future has been sped up." Davina remarked grabbing Viserys hand. "The future is fast approaching, we are running out of time with him." 

"I know... you know tending to Viserys... it is quite similar to when I was a child and tended to your grandsire." Alicent remarked. 

"I always forget you were his little nurse." Davina remarked. 

"It was similar... I enjoyed your grandsires company, he was a sweet man. Much like Viserys in some ways." Alicent remarked. 

"Yes, Viserys was always the responsible one. The good son. Which was good because I was enough of a handful for my parents... but grandsire always thought that I would be leader, that I would rule, conquer... he said Baelon, that girl is going places. I think he said that when I was five and demanded the spiders be eliminated." Davina remarked. Alicent chuckled sitting beside her. "I took his seat the kings seat, stood up and I felt that power, I liked it." Davina admitted. "But my loud mouth can't take my brothers pain." 

"Dont put this burden on yourself." Alicent begged. "We just need to pray." 

"We need a council meeting." Davina corrected softly. "we need to know next steps, what to do... what... Viserys is going to survive. He needs to know there is life worth living for." Alicent grabbed her hand nodding.

"Thats a good idea. You are a great sister." Alicent added.

They stared around at Alicent as she sat in the kings seat. She didnt know how to say it. She looked to Davina, sat to her right.

"From now on the king is to be kept comfortable. Given whatever he wants or needs." Davina declared. "When he wakes we will see how his mind is but I don't suspect he will miraculously recover after losing an eye. But he is still the king and he will be treated as such."