Suburban Legends / Alicent Hightower / Criston Cole

5. Petal

Aemond 2, helaena 3, aegon 5

"Hey petal." Aegon said as he passed. Alicent didnt know when he started calling Aranyani petal but she adored it. Ara blushed whenever aegon called her petal touching her little nose.

Alicent smiled reaching out to ruffle aegons hair. He swatted her hand away.

"Bye petal." Aegon added. She whined reaching it for him

"She wants you aegon." Alicent called out. Aegon turned around. "Ara wants her big brother."

"Hi petal." He pressed a kiss to her forehead. She giggled tugging on his shirt

"Ah there she is. What a pretty little thing she is." Viserys remarked. Ara glanced to him before focusing on awgon again " Where is daeron?" Viserys questioned

Blood curdling screams came from the nursery and alicent tended. Ara put her little hands on her ear shaking her head.

Criston ran in seeing daeron and Jace beating each other and rolling around on the floor pulling hair and punching and pinching.

Criston pulled off daeron holding him up as the milk maid as criston demmed the extra set of tits used for royal feedings- pulled off jace.

"Not milk buddies." Alicent decided shifting ara in her arms as aegon walked off bored. "Daeron sweetie-" ara wiggled free and alicent hoped she would move to daeron and criston but she crawled to jace hugging the little monster.

Ara kissed his cheek and jace stopped crying while daero screamed red faced down at them. Alicent took him from criston and bounced him in her arms. Daeron pouted back at her hiding his little face in her neck.

"Ser criston grab ara." Alicent instructed heading out. Ara waved down at jace as criston lifted her she tapped her little fingers on his armor smiling at her reflection. He watched her green eyes sparkle as she stuck her tongue out at her reflection.

"My sweet girl... My silly girl." Criston whispered kissing her head.

" one little incident it just shows that my son has good tastes." Alicent offered.

" it shows your son is a bully." Rhaenyra corrected.

" we don't know who started it." Viserys reminded them. " plus the children- the babies don't know what they're doing. They were just having fun and then they weren't. It's not a big deal."

" my son has been scarred." Rhaenyra corrected.

"A scratch," alicent countered.

Aras eyes ping-pong between them as they spoke she didn't really care for her twin brother, but she did like Jace. She moved to him smiling as she toppled into him. Rhaenyra gasped. Ready to scream at ara but jace laughed out wrapping little arms around her. Rhaenyra relaxed as ara squealed with laughter. Daeron looked to alicent already crying.

" he is such a crybaby." Rhaenyra murmured kneeling beside jace and ara. " my good boy."

Jace smiled up at her before laughing into ara again.

Try as alicent might she could not get her daughter to stay away from jace. While viserys wantwd the boys to bond daeron hated jace with a passion and ara loved jace. They chased each other around constantly.

Criston didn't say anything. He knew better than to talk when she was venting. She came around eventually she always did but first she had to get out all the illogical thoughts from her mind and bitterness. Lots of bitterness towards rhaenyra.

Alicent let out a huff of a breath looking to criston.

" I'm the worst."

" give yourself grace." he countered, kissing her.

" I'm not wrong in my assessment that the boys hate each other."

" you are very much correct they certainly do." Criston agreed. "But is it so right to keep ara and jace apart? They adore each other."

"And im glad she has a friend but why not her own twin?"

" they don't seem to care about each other." he agreed.  He had thought the twins would have a certain special bond, but maybe they knew that besides being fraternal they had different fathers. 

Alicent sat on the bed and stared back at criston. He moved closer touching her cheek.

"Distract me." She requested.

"Your wish is my command, your grace." He agreed but ara whined out like she knew that they were getting closer and decided she needed to be the center of attention.

"I got her." Criston assured rushing to the bassinet

Alicent loved what a good father figure criston was to the kids. He was kind and had a gentle guiding hand. He ran to ara at the slightest sound.

Ara giggled when he picked her as if to say haha you got me im yours, focus on me.

Alicent watched them as criston bounced and rocked ara spinning her around. She giggled and yawned suckling at his neck and tapping at his armor.

"Shes hungry." Criston whispered moving to the bed.

"Shes always hungry." Alicent agreed fixing her dress. Criston like the proper knight he sometimes was looked away from alicents bare chest as if he hadnt seen it and ravished it plenty of times before. "Such a gentleman." Alicent added. Criston glanced her way a smirk covered her lips. "I like it when you're bad."