Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
────⋆˖ ݁༉‧₊˚❀༉‧₊˚.݁˖⋆────
"My dear wife.", the King tries to reassure the Queen. "He is your son, Viserys. Your blood.", Alicent desperately wants to get him on her side. "Do not... allow your temper to guide your judgment.", Viserys sees the matter as settled. "If the King will not seek justice, the Queen will. Ser Criston... bring me the eye of Lucerys Velaryon.", the Queen commands her sworn protector. All eyes in the room are immediately drawn to the young Prince.
"Mother!", Lucerys calls out fearful and grips his mother's arm tighter. "He can choose which eye to keep, a privilege he did not grant my son.", Alicent announces her most generous offer. "You will do no such thing.", Rhaenyra's calm voice cuts right through the building tension. "Stay your hand.", Viserys commands Ser Criston. "No, you are sworn to me!", the Queen exclaims upset. "As your protector, my Queen.", Ser Crsiton shifts in his position uncomfortably.
"Alicent, this matter... is finished. Do you understand?", Viserys looks his heavily breathing wife in the eye. But no answer comes from her. Eventually, the King turns away from her. "And let it be known: anyone whose tongue dares to question the birth of Princess Rhaenyra's sons should have it removed.", Viserys threatens all remaining doubters. "Thank you, father.", Rhaenyra turns to her children again.
Vaella notices her mothers defeated expression. She can understand her. However, an eye for a horrible accident seems unright to her. She wants to breathe a sigh of relief, but something deep inside her tells her it's not over yet. The short silence is broken by the sound of Alicent drawing the King's dagger.
"Your Grace. Stay with the King!"
"Alicent!"
"Hold your approach!"
Vaella feels somebody pulling her on the side, away from the danger. Aemond pulled his younger sister on his side, on their side. Otto instructed them to not associate with Vaella anymore. 'We lost her, let her go.', he told them. But Aemond believes she has not yet chosen a side much less knowledge of any sides. And he is determend to not let her go that easily.
"Do not, Ser Criston!"
"Alicent!"
"Do not, Ser Criston!"
"Alicent!"
The Queen attacks the Princess with the sharp dagger. Rhaenyra is quick to react and turns around to see the raging curls approaching her. The Targaryen women holds her off in the last moment. Lucerys starts screaming again and his older brother takes him in his arms. Vaella can't look at it and buries her face in Aemond's robes. Her two mothers fighting against each other. Terrible.
"No!"
"Stay your hand, Cole!"
"You've gone too far!", Rhaenyra states threatend while holding Alicent's dagger off. "I? What have I done but what was expected of me? Forever upholding the kingdom, the family, the law. While you flout all to do as you please.", the Queen's trembling voice is laced with desperation. "Alicent, let her go!", Viserys shouts in fear for his child.
"Where is duty? Where is sacrifice? It's trampled under your pretty foot again.", the Queen continues her monologue. "Release the blade, Alicent.", now also Otto tries to stop his daughter. "And now you take my son's eye, and to even that you feel entitled.", Alicent continues furthermore, ignoring all the others and only focussing on the injustice she had to endure all these years.
"Exhausting, wasn't it? Hiding beneath the cloak of your own righteousness. But now they see you as you are.", the Princesse's word hit a nerve and Alicent stabs her with last remaining strength. Vaella winces at the sound and buries her face even deeper in Aemond's cloak. Aemond starts to stroke her over the head reassuringly while watching the events.
Alicent drops the blade as she realizes what she has done. Both of the women again on their sides, seperated. The drippling blood and the bounce of the dagger animates Vaella to move her face to the happenings again. But Aemond does not let her go yet, holding his little sister's arm tightly. Not willing to let her go to the others.
"Do not mourn me, Mother. It was a fair exchange. I may have lost an eye... but I gained a dragon.", Aemond says calm and reasonable. "This proceeding is at it end.", all start to move again at the King's announcement. Vaella also wants to go, look for Luke and Jace. But something, or rather somebody is holding onto her.
"Aemond.", the girl tiredly asks her brother to let her go. Aemond does not move an inch at her plea. Vaella starts to get irritaed by him and tries to pull her arm off his grip again. "Let me go.", she now mutters through gritted teeth. Aemond feels eyes on him. They are practically burning through his head. He turns his gaze around to meet his grandsire's narrowed eyes. Most unwillingly, Aemond lets go of her arm while still facing Otto.
Vaella rushes to the other side and Aemond takes his place at his mother's side. And there they were, the Greens and the Blacks. On that day, Vaella Targaryen unwittingly choose her side in the war. On that day, Alicent lost her daughter to Rhaenyra. On that day, The Dance of the Dragons became unstoppable.
────⋆˖ ݁༉‧₊˚❀༉‧₊˚.݁˖⋆────
Laenor is dead and they are back on Dragonstone. The children were told Rhaenyra and Daemon will marry soon. And by soon they meant very soon. The wedding is to happen this day. Vaella doesn't know the backgrounds of why the wedding is held so fast but what she knows is that it is too soon. Too soon after Laeonor's dead. Too soon after Rhaenyra jus became a widow. And too soon after Laena's dead.
It is a beautiful ceremony and although Vaella feels uncomfortable, she also feels joy. Whether it's because of the ceremony or Jacaery's hand holding hers during it isn't relevant. The thing important is that the two people performing the ceremony next are her and Jace. And she can hardly wait for the day to come.
