Suburban Legends / Alicent Hightower / Criston Cole

11. Deadly Shadow

Ara sat in the garden as helaena showed her insects. Ara watched her intently.

"This one is a pillar." Helaena told her.

"Pillar." Ara repeated reaching out gently.

"Caterpillar." Alicent agreed.

"Ooh," ara poked gently at the crawling creature. She laughed out pulling her hand back. "Pillar!"

Ara loved her big sister. Helaena loved that she got a friend that liked creatures to. Family was supposed to love you more then anyone but helaena knew that it was her little sister that loved her. The rest of her family was debatable.

"Ah boom ah boom ah boom!" Ara declared with every other jump. She shrieked with laughter

The sheet was pulled taught and it made for a jumping mat of sorts. It was the best use of the kings guards time holding the edges to make it tight and make sure the princess and prince didn't jump right off. Daeron tired quickly but ara kept going.

"Ah boom ah boom ah boom". Ara looked to her mama with a shriek of laughter as she fell to her butt.

"You okay?" Alicent questioned moving forward

"I okay." She agreed pulling herself back up. "A boom! Ahh boom!"

"She is endless energy." Criston remarked moving beside Alicent. The way they stood could've been a simple as queen and her knight. but if one were to look closer, they would see so much more.

They would see their closeness, not just how they stood another, but they did closer than need be they would see the way healing towards her with every word she spoke so she didn't need to raise her voice

They would see the way the queen smiled differently around her swarm sword how her smile met her eyes, but no one was ever looking close enough to see such a thing. Because no one cared about the queen.

The queen wasn't scandalous . The queen wasn't newsworthy. The queen wasn't a Targaryen therefore, no one cared.

It was hard being just a simple lady to becoming the queen and yet she still felt just as powerless as the day her father made her visit the king. She felt as though she had no control then, and she had little control now, so the fact that she could stand here beside the man that she actually did love... they both pretend they were more than sworn sword and queen. as they watched their daughter jump jump jump

"Ah boom! Ah boom!" Ara declared as she jumped some more never growing tired it seemed. Alicent kept her eyes on her daughter, but her ears listen to every whispered word criston spoke.

He barely moved his lips as he talked, so no one would notice their conversation . The only giveaway from his sultry words were the blush on alicents face. Which of course she blamed the heat for.

"Ah boom ah boom ah boom". Ara looked to her mama making sure alicent was watching her. 

"I see you." alicent agreed. Ara laughed out tumbling down and pulling herself back up. 

"Ah boom ah boom ah boom". Ara laughed out with each jump. 

"Ah there is our little girl." Viserys remarked and Criston took two steps back. the problem with a secret romance was that it was slowly killing him.  "What are you doing Ms Aranyani?"

"AHHHH BOOM!" Ara shouted. 

"This is interesting." Viserys remarked looking to Alicent. "You thought this up?"

"Ser Criston and I had an idea, she is endless energy." 

"Ah well done." Viserys agreed moving forward. "Aranyani," she smiled back at him. "Oh look at you pretty girl. You jump?"

"Ya." Ara agreed. "AH BOOM!" she laughed out falling back onto her butt. "AHHH BOOM! I jump." 

Alicent glanced back at Criston taking his position two steps behind her, like a possessive deadly shadow.