TO LOVE A KING || Maegor II Targaryen [SLOW UPDATES]

059▪️ ROSES AMONGST DRAGONS

The Lady of Driftmark, Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, wife of Lord Corlys, the Seasnake stood at a distance, her gaze quietly fixed on Rhaenyra across the courtyard. She didn't turn as Alicent Hightower approached, but her eyes flicked briefly to the auburn-haired girl before looking away.

"You're the second daughter of the Hand?" she asked, voice even.

"I am..." Alicent exhaled softly, her eyes drifting toward her father, her sisters, and the princess.

"I thought so. You girls from the Reach are quite the trio," Rhaenys remarked dryly. "Charlotte is her father's daughter. All ambition. Ambitious to the bone."

Alicent managed a faint smile. "She takes after him very well."

"Of course," Rhaenys replied with a short breath. "And Naomi... she's the clever one, isn't she? I heard she stole Ser Orys right out from under Charlotte's nose. Now it's clear where Charlotte's attention lies. Everyone wants power, even when it tastes bitter."

Alicent sighed. "Sounds like you're well-acquainted with court life."

"I am. But you... you don't seem as tangled in it." Rhaenys tilted her head. "Alicent Hightower, the painter. I saw your work in the royal gallery. By the gods, it's extraordinary."

A small smile tugged at Alicent's lips. "Thank you."

Rhaenys let out a breath. "It must be hard, trying to find your place here. The courtiers stare like you're a foreigner. Meanwhile, your sisters are already names on everyone's lips."

Alicent glanced away, her face composed but distant.

"You don't have to pretend you're invisible," Rhaenys said gently. "It's obvious your father favors the other two. It must ache, being the overlooked one while Charlotte and Naomi bask in his light."

Alicent said nothing, but her fingers crept toward her cuticles, picking nervously. These past two months had been isolating. She had few friends, barely a purpose. King's Landing felt less like a new beginning and more like an exile.

Her father was always buried in matters of state. Charlotte no longer spoke to her. Naomi was always with her betrothed. Meals were silent, and nights were lonelier still.

What hurt most was Charlotte's regular visits to the King's chambers, three nights and three days, every week.

Alicent sighed, her breath shallow in the cold air of the corridor. Princess Rhaenys was right, as much as she hated to admit it. King's Landing had changed all three of them herself, Naiomi, and Charlotte.

They had arrived as girls, full of wide-eyed wonder, unsure of their place. But the court had stripped away the softness like skin from fruit, leaving only sharpness and survival beneath.

None of them were innocent anymore.

Who would have thought that Charlotte, once so meek, would be vying for a king's heart? That Naomi, the youngest heiress, would burn with envy and wield her power like a sword? And Alicent herself quiet, observant, had started to feel something darker coil beneath her ribs. Something fierce. Something desperate.