Love Story // Viserys Targaryen // Alicent Hightower / POLY

47. Chocolate

Sit Still Look Pretty / Tywin Lannister out now!

'Daemon, he would venture off, abroad, winning tournaments...'

'No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.' Daemon said immediately a smile on his face

'I will not revisit this debate. You were always mother's favorite.' Viserys told him.

'No, it's no great mystery.'

'You were.' Viserys assured 'Our mother, she had no regard for custom or tradition, rules. And I, sadly, was no great warrior.'

'Congratulations on your victory.' Rhaenyra said walking up to her family. Viserys glared back at Rhaenyra.

'Thank you, Princess.' Daemon said kindly. "I think mother would have liked Avalon best." Daemon countered.

"That's true." Viserys agreed kissing her cheek softly. Daemon pulled Avalon to him and held Avalon hostage in his arms as Rhaenyra looked bitterly between the group. Alicent wondered if she had married Daemon if she could have been in love with him or if no man would satisfy.

'Perhaps Prince Daemon would care for a tour of the gallery? The new tapestries gifted to us by Norvos and Qohor.' Alicent offered

'Oh, oh. Would you like to see the tapestries?' Viserys questioned and the siblings burst out laughing. 'He has no interest in such things.'

"I know he has no interest in the finer things." Avalon teased. "It was a sweet offer." She assured reaching out a hand for Alicent. 

"I'm interested in you." Daemon whispered and Avalon swatted him away. But a smile tugged at her lips.

"Trouble." Avalon hissed and he smirked smugly.

'I'd like to see them.' Rhaenyra said, for she had been gone on her royal tour of looking for a suitor for many moons.

'Oh, well, then you should not deprive yourself.' Viserys told her bitterly. He wasn't happy about her early return with no husband to be.

'I shall enjoy them alone.' Rhaenyra said heading off.

'More wine. As I said, you were the favorite.' Viserys went on happily. Daemon grabbed onto Avalon's hand but she pulled away from him.

'No, you were. You were. I insist.' Daemon mused watching avalon head off.

'To have every young knight and lord in the Seven Kingdoms fawning over you... What misery. It is rare for girls in this realm to get a choice between two suitors, no less two score of them.' Alicent reminded Rhaenyra. Avalon did a walk about trying to keep her distance from the two would have been friends.

'Those men and boys don't fawn over me. They only want my name and my Valyrian blood for their offspring.' Rhaenyra corrected

"Avalon looks well." Daemon remarked.

"She is." Viserys agreed. "She almost left us for the north but luckily Aegon put up too much of a fuss and Avalon couldnt bear to leave her." 

"Stark?" Daemon demanded. "Avalon is not getting married." Daemon corrected.

"Oh? She wants a family, children, Aegon loves her." Viserys corrected. "I am not rushing her but she..." he shrugged. 

"She is not getting married to anyone but me." Daemon corrected.

"You are already married" Viserys corrected. "And Avalon is too good for you." 

'How romantic it must be to get imprisoned in a castle and made to squeeze out heirs.' Rhaenyra heard it as she said and looked over at Alicent. 'Sorry.' She murmured 'How angry is he?' Rhaenyra asked and Alicent glanced back at Viserys.

'The king went through great effort to arrange your tour. He is... frustrated.... but I missed you." Alicent offered, Rhaenyra reached over grabbing her hand.

'I've missed you, too.'

+

Daemon stood basking in the sun when Rhaenyra found him.

"You seemed so content on Dragonstone.' She remarked. 'Why did you come back?' he opened his eyes and looked down at her. 'There is surely more to your return than simply taunting my father.' She remarked. Daemon smiled down at her. 'So... what do you want?' Rhaenyra questioned.

'Only the comforts of home.' Daemon assured as he moved to a buffet line and started picking at the food. Avalon was disappointed in the lack of carrot cake. She thought it should be a royal decree that there must always be carrot cake. She settled for chocolate.

'I had not thought you particularly comfortable in this home. Though I do suppose you seem changed by your adventures. More mature, perhaps.' Rhaenyra offered as Avalon sat down daemon smirked over at her.

'You've matured yourself these last four years, Princess.' Daemon told her 'You'll get used to the attention.'

'The attention I can endure. It's the rest I could do without. My father seems content to sell me off to whichever lord has the biggest castle.'

'There are worse things to be sold for.' Daemon remarked sitting down next to Avalon swiping some frosting from her and smearing it across her cheek. "marriage is only a political arrangement.' He informed her calmly as Avalon's jaw dropped. "Once you are wed you can do as you like.'

'For men marriage might be a political arrangement.' She corrected trying to hide her smile as Avalon stuck her tongue out. 'but for women it is like a death sentence.'

"Not always." Avalon corrected. "Not for me, one day when I marry it will be for love." Daemon smiled kissing along her frosting covered face.

"Are we... okay with this?" Alicent whispered nodding to Daemon and Avalon. 

"Avalon loves Daemon but its not... not what... she doesnt want him." Viserys assured. 

"SHe doesnt?" Alicent countered. "She wants to get married and have a child of her own... Viserys we are going to lose her." Alicent whispered urgently. 

"Lets not think about that now." Viserys suggested. 

'Would that it were. I would have been rid of my bronze bitch ages ago.' Daemon told her. He handed over his glass, Rhaenyra looked down at it.

"Your wife has been fortunate,' Rhaenyra remarked taking a drink and Daemon chuckled 'you have not put a child in her.'

'Oh...' Daemon mused. 'I doubt a child would grow in such a hostile environment.' He mused.

"Daemon! I met lady Rhae, she is pretty and skilled, you are mean." Avalon told him. 

"She is a sheep." Daemon corrected. "But isn't everyone compared to my beautiful sister?" Daemon mused kissing the frosting off her cheek. Jealousy filled Rhaenyra at how Daemon looked at Avalon. How she wanted him to look at her. 

'My mother was made to produce heirs until it killed her.' Rhaenyra reminded him. "I wont subject myself to the same.'

'What happened to your mother was a tragedy.' Daemon confirmed. 'But this is a tragic world. You cannot live your life in hear or you will forsake the best parts of it.' Daemon told her confidently.

"I have no desire to live in fear. Only solitude.' Rhaenyra corrected.

'Such a lonely prospect.' Daemon told her as Avalon flipped her plate up and it collided with Daemon's face. She burst out laughing as she jumped up. Daemon's face was a sea of chocolate. "Avalon!" he shouted wiping at his face, smearing chocolate down his handsome face. Avalon opened her mouth but a laugh came out as she ran back to the party. "AVALON!" Daemon declared chasing after her.

"NO!" Avalon shouted through a fit of giggles as Daemon picked her up from behind she felt his chocolate covered face making a mess of her hair and neck.

"Daemon." Viserys declared but saw Avalon's smile and heard her laugh and he couldn't help but smile as well.

"What?" Daemon questioned standing upright keeping Avalon against him as he licked at his chocolatey lips.