By The Hand of the Gods [ OTTO HIGHTOWER ]

ｖ． ｇｏｄｓ ａｍｏｎｇｓｔ ａｌｌ

"Daella of House Targaryen, Lady Commander of the City Watch and the Mistress of Dragonstone." Grand Maester Mellos had announced her name, of the curiosity and shock of the title that now falls upon Daella from this day forward.

Rhaenyra was to be named heir as it was always meant to be. But another unprecedented change has been made because of her brother's decision for change in the realm. Daella, was given Dragonstone, for the sake of her children, for what little identity they still had left upon Daemon's exile away from King's Landing.

She stood in front of the Iron Throne, in front of her niece, Rhaenyra, before falling to her knees for her and Viserys to witness as did everyone behind her.

"I, Daella Targaryen, Lady Commander of the City Watch, and Mistress of Dragonstone, promise to be faithful to King Viserys and his named heir, the Princess Rhaenyra. I pledge fealty to them and shall defend them against all enemies in good faith and without deceit. I swear this by the old gods and the new. I swear it upon the God of Old Valyria."

Daella stood before returning back to her seat in between her twins. Daenyra held onto her shaking left hand, while her son, Daelon, rested his head on her shoulders. They mourned not only the loss of their cousin and Aunt, but they mourned the exile of their father and what little family they had hoped to have.

It was the truth, but a mendable truth as her eyes turned towards the Hand of the King that stood a few feet away, his attention resting towards her. Of the changes Viserys had made for her sake that had earned protest in the Small Council, but she knew all too well she needed to be selfish for. How Viserys spoke in the same breath of her decision to marry Otto further fueling the confusion and doubt in the mind of the Lord Hand.

There were no games this time, only a mother reassuring the fate of her children above her own selfish need for control.

Daella in the moments of peace stood in front of the Great Hall, a peace that does not happen as often and in the rare moment that it does, she savors as much as he could. But all peace must come to an end as the sound of footsteps echoes through the walls and Daella turned to the sight of an all too familiar woman–a child no less.

"Princess Daella," Alicent spoke, her voice shaky and soft.

It still makes her wonder what Viserys saw in her when he began to entertain the idea of choosing her as a possible bride. After she had accepted the engagement to Otto Hightower and preparations have been made, Daella made little to no effort in rushing the girl away from the chambers of her brother–an heir in the form of Rhaenyra was secured, her brother needs a companion, someone that could possibly fill the voice that Aemma and Baelon had once left.

She looked at the girl, her hands clasped together, with her expression one of worry mixed with faux determination. There was just something about the girl that didn't truly sit right with her. Used as a pawn by her own father, but yet she does so willingly, without autonomy for her own body or of her own decision. A curse of being a woman.

"Alicent," Daella's voice was clipped held restraint at the girl in front of her. She did not want to scare her and this information got to her brother.

"May I possibly speak with you in private?" She requested earning a snort out from Daella. Not yet Queen, but the audacity for such privilege already ingrained in her head, planted by her bastard of a father.

"I see no need for privacy." Her eyes lingered towards the few guards stationed around the Grand Halls. "Speak frankly as we will now become family when I wed your father as you will wed my own brother."

"That is the concern I have at the moment, Your Grace." Alicent began and Daella knew where it would certainly lead to.

"Wedding preparations are in progress as we speak, any grievances you have should have been made long ago." Daella pointed out as a matter of factly, her gaze turning icy as she looked down at the girl. "You do not hear much grievances from me, when you had allowed your father to clothe you in the dresses of your mother before going to my brother's chamber and to be frank with you, child, I do not care for the biggest regret you will make in your life. What is important for me is my children are protected, and to have your father act and claim them as his own while I tend to Dragonstone at peace without your measly politics."

"My father has just lost my mother..." She spoke, all the determination evaporating from her in this moment.

"And my brother has just lost his wife and son." Daella quipped right back. "We all have to make sacrifices we do not want. We all have to mourn in our own way, but we have duties that need to be dealt with above everything else. My duty is to my children, to my King, and to the people I will now rule as the Lord, and your role is to be an obedient girl that will help my brother move on from the pain of losing his most beloved family."

Women they both were, but all too different from each other. The freedom that Daella had has its own consequence just as much as Alicent's own choice of accepting her father's order did for her and what little innocence that still remained.

"If I wed your father, you will not expect anything more from me than being just your father's wife. You are not my daughter in the same vein that my children are not your siblings. They are Targaryen, through and through. I do not expect you to call me your mother, but I will not hesitate to correct any unjust actions you may make, may it be as your father's daughter, my brother's wife, or as the future Queen of the Realm."

Alicent gasped, taking a step back as Daella leaned closer to her, meeting her eyes with a cold and dangerous glint.

"Do you want to know why I chose to wed your father?" Daella grinned, no such joy in her face but a dangerous look was only reserved for herself and her exiled twin, a promise of what Dragons could do to the mortals. "To ensure your place as nothing more than my brother's wife, as your father will be nothing more than my brother's lap dog."

"They were right about you..."Alicent spoke, eyes fighting the tears from falling. "The title of the second Maegor the Cruel should not have been given to Daemon, it should have been given to you."

Daella pulled away, learning something about her future step-daughter. She had fight in her, but only in her most vulnerable state. A desperation that bleeds through her but will never win in any fight. A pathetic excuse.

"They worry about Daemon so much, little did they know that my brother is the only one capable of placing me into submission."

As the tears fell from the girl's cheek, the bigger smile grew onto Daella's own. Words that cut, meant to do more harm than good to her and to what little relationship Alicent still had with her own father.

"I'm going to fuck your father and give him a child that he actually loves. Instead of the tool he had made you become, and a toy your brother had become of no real use to him in the games of politics."

Gods help those that get in Daella's way.