Red // Otto Hightower (1)

25. The Best. The Worst

'Have you spoken to her?'

'No.'

'It is not in Rhaenyra's nature to be deceitful. I cannot say the same for your brother.' Alicent reminded him

'You believe he lied?'

'How often does he speak the pure truth? How does confessing to such things serve him? By reducing you.' Alicent offered and Viserys sighed.

'Whatever transpired, Rhaenyra is not innocent.' Viserys reminded her

'Only because Daemon tried to corrupt her.'

"Daemon did corrupt her." Aelsa remarked. " but if you think about it, she corrected herself because she went with him. She fell for his traps she wanted to. You see the way she stares at him. Everyone does it wasn't a stretch that you ran off with him I was ready to fuck him."

" and yet the king took out his anger on his brother and has done nothing towards his rage, that his daughter ensued." Otto corrected.

" it'll take longer for him to see that his daughter is the problem. We'll have to work on that." Aelsa remarked.

" what is this Plan B of yours?"

" gettingn Aegon on the throne."

'Daemon and Rhaenyra share the blood of the dragon. They are restless and chaotic.' Viserys told her

'She swore to me that she remains a maiden. And I believe her.' Alicent offered hopefully.

+

'That dagger once belonged to Aegon the Conqueror. It was Aenar's before that. And before that... well, it is difficult to know. Before Aegon's death, the last of the Valyrian pyromancers hid his song in the steel.' Viserys said holding out a blade over the fire, a message was revealed.

"From my blood... come the Prince That Was Promised... and his will be the Song of Ice and Fire." Rhaenyra read

'The responsibility I have handed to you, the burden of this knowledge... it is larger than the throne, the king. It is larger than you and your desires. Jaehaerys would've disinherited you.'

'For a lie?' Rhaenyra countered 'You've yet to ask me for the truth of what happened.'

'The truth does not matter, Rhaenyra. Only perception. You have exposed yourself. Now we must both suffer the consequences.' Viserys told her solomly.

" do you think they will be consequences?" Otto asked.

" no the king is a softy. He bends easily. It'll take time before he sees it. Besides agon is a child right now. We don't need him toname aegon the King right this very second. We just need him to see in the future that it's a better idea for the realms to have a stable young man then a moody unstable woman."

'Were I born a man, I could bed whomever I wanted. I could father a dozen bastards, and no one in your court would blink an eye.' Rhaenyra countered

'You are right... but you were born a woman.'

'So you'll strip me of my titles and name Aegon in my stead.' Rhaenyra offered stiffly.

" I still think he would look great in a crown" aelsa remarked kissing aegons head.

" do you know when you first became my competition my counterpart I honestly thought I was going to hate you. I expected to hate you. And now I don't know how I live this long without you." Otto admitted. Aelsa brought a hand to her heart.

"Oh, honey, you make my heart all fuzzy inside" aelsa declared. " Wait, you thought you would hate me?"

" I thought you were coming to steal my job." Otto agreed.