Alicent Hightower raised a bastard - The Stranger's Child.
Except she didn't.
Naenyra looked nothing like the Targaryen beauty that her father expected. She was, as her mother always wished, a Hightower at heart, and how she looked only proved it...
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Nyra couldn't help but focus on the horizon, her eyes caught on the dark waters of the bay, lapping at each other in the moonlight. Large boats were docked, their sails ruffling in the wind, the masts bobbing with the motion of the water. It looked peaceful for once, quiet.
The whole of King's Landing was eagerly awaiting the wedding of the two Targaryen children - it would be the first wedding held in the capital since the fateful night between Rhaenyra and Laenor. She hoped that hers went smoother, that Aemond wouldn't beat Aegon in the middle of the feast, that she wouldn't want to escape with the first chance given to her.
This wedding was damaging them all, each in different ways. She sighed deeply, pressing her head back against the stone as her hands wrapped around her knees. The wedding solidified Aegon's claim - a traditional Targaryen wedding between brother and sister like Jaehaerys and Alyssa; a future of true born heirs, and a public display to make him look every bit a future king.
There was no doubt in Nyra's mind that every Lord and Lady of the Seven Kingdoms had been invited, that the Hightowers would begin to fashion bonds to back up their claim of Aegon being the true born heir. If war was to break out, she knew Houses would turn against each other - they needed the strongest and more commanding of people and land to squash any claim opposing their own.
The window to her left slid open, her head turning at the sound. Daeron's bright smile broke through the curtains, his pale hair flapping around his face as he began to climb from the frame. "Sister," he greeted. "What a surprise to see you."
"Brother." She muttered, turning back to face the horizon. There was a weight on her shoulders, one that hadn't eased even in her favourite brother's presence. "Stalking me, are we?"
"Can't help it if you were already in the place I wanted to be." She cracked a smile, listening as he clambered across the tiles before throwing himself down, their shoulders touching. "It's not too late you know, we've still got a couple of hours before sunrise and the dragons would have carried us beyond the Crownlands by that point."
Nyra swallowed. "You both know we can't do that." She whispered, wetting her lips. "The entire country will descend into chaos."
"Let it." Daeron said, reaching over and grasping her hand. "There is only one thing I care about more than anything in this world," he began. "And that is the other half of my soul." She lent forward, pressing their foreheads together, eyes closing. It was like they were children again, determined to know what each other was thinking without even saying a word. It never worked but they'd always do it when they wanted to know what the other person was thinking. "If you do this, your life will be at risk."
