Chapter Text
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ALICENT IV
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113 AC -
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Alicent seats in a chair on the bedroom of her children, slowly and gently brushing the soft hair of Helaena, who is sitting on her lap, looking at a ant that is walking trough her short legs.
"Lena, look to me." The Princess asks with a smile. Her daughter looks up to her with a innocent expression of someone that was thinking on another thing. Alicent laughs.
Helaena, now at age of 4, is a very pretty girl with a soft face and a sweet voice. She is using a red dress with details in white. Her long golden-silver hair is something that Alicent often tells the maids to keep as a braid, but today she is letting her daughter use her hair with only a lace, because today is a special day.
"Your cousin Rhaenyra will marry today, Lena. You need to look good for the lords in the wedding, so, no playing in the floor with bugs, do you understand that?" The brown haired mother asks. Helaena looks at her with a sad face.
"Why not?" The young girl asks in a low tone of voice that always succeeds in melting the heart of her mother. Alicent smiles to her.
"We can't let your beautiful dress ger dirty, my love. A dirty princess is a bad princess." The mother explains. Helaena makes a pout, but accepts her destiny.
While she continues brushing her hair, Alicent looks to another one of her children on the room.
A older boy seating on a chair, making a pout and crossing his arms while the maids brush his hair and fix his clothes.
Aegon, now 6, grew a lot in the last few years. Her happy first baby was long gone and now a child that kept looking either bored or angry is always around. His own valyrian hair is kept short and his clothes are also red, but on a darker tone, and with some golden details.
"Aegon, stop doing a pout. Nobody likes a prince that don't have manners." Alicent demands with a gentle tone. Aegon grunts with his childish voice.
"I don't care. I want to do get out. I want Kepa to take me to see Sunny..." The Prince proclaims, irritated. Alicent sighs.
"Your father is busy right now, Egg. You can see Sunny after the marriage. Why don't you go play with your brother there?" The princess asks while pointing to a direction with her head.
Seating on the floor, the youngest of her children plays with wooden blocks, trying to do something with them.
The little Aemond, now at age 3, is growing up to be the opposite of his older brother. Where Aegon is loud and demanding, Aemond is calm and silent. He clearly listens to what the others are saying and even managed to learn how to walk faster than he siblings. Yet, he took a longer time to learn to speak.
The boy had a frown on his baby face that anyone could see clearly the blood of her husband on her child.
At the time of his birth, she suggested the name Aemond almost as a joke, as it was basicaly the name Daemon with the D on the opposite side of the word. Yet, Daemon adored it.
"New and old at the same time. A name for a new legacy that also bears a resemblance to his father. I like it." The Rogue Prince said at the time.
Alicent shakes her head and laughs. Aemond hears that and looks at his mother with slightly curiosity. However, he soon ignores it and go back to playing with his blocks. Aegon pouts.
"He is boring!" The Prince says, shaking his legs on his seat, impatient. The maids laugh and Alicent sighs.
The door of the room is suddenly open and the Rogue Prince makes his entrance, wearing a more appealing version of his usual black clothing. The sigil of house Targaryen is clearly visible trough all of his chest and Dark Sister is on his hilt, as always. He smirks at Alicent and Helaena.
"Looks like both of my princess here are ready, right?" The Prince says with a educated tone. Helaena smiles a bit to her father.
"Kepa! Muna said that i can't play with bugs! Can i?" The Princess asks, making a cute face. Daemon snorts.
"I never liked bugs, Lena. They are not worthy for a princess such as you. You are better away of them." The Prince proclaims with boredom. Helaena sighs and make a sad pout. Daemon frowns.
"Let's make a deal. If you don't play with bugs today, i will give you a silver butterfly in your nameday that you can use on your dresses. Sounds good?" The prince asks, trying. Helaena smiles once again and nods.
"What about me, Kepa?!" Aegon asks from his chair. Daemon looks at his firstborn son.
"Be a good boy and i will let you take your dragon to the sky later on. Sounds good to you?" The Rogue Prince asks. Aegon's eyes shines with the idea. He smiles.
"Yes! I promise to be a good boy!" The Prince says, excited. Daemon grunts.
"Good boys are not loud. Be quiet." The Prince demands. Aegon shuts his mouth in one second and become quiet. Alicent frowns to her husband.
"Daemon! He is far too young to take a dragon for a ride on his own. You can't allow that." The Princess proclaims. Daemon sighs.
"Rhaenyra did at seven. Aegon is already seven. I don't want my son to be left behind." The Rogue Prince says, firm. Alicent sighs, knowing what fights she should evade.
She looks at him, and see that he is looking at each of his family members with a enigmatic look. That is suspicious to her.
"Any problem?" Alicent asks in a soft tone. Daemon blinks and it's like he is coming back to reality. He frowns and looks at her.
"I am just thinking about how things change fast. Nothing else." The prince proclaims, serious. Alicent sighs and relax on her chair, opening a short smile.
"They do. And it's both good and bad to see our children grow." The Princess says with honesty. Daemon frowns.
"Good and bad?"
"Yes. Good because we can see how they change and we can be near their formation as a person. Bad because we will miss how little and cute they are now." The princess says, stroking a cheek of Helaena, who smiles a bit to her. Daemon smirks.
"In that case, i just need to shove more of my children into you, so you will never be lacking a young child to take care." The prince jokes, laughing. Alicent snorts.
"I prefer to evade children for now. I tought i was gonna die when i gave birth to Aemond and that moment is still very fresh in my head. And also, i will not give birth to children forever." The princess proclaims, serious. Daemon snorts and then smirks.
"Until then, we will start having grandchildren anyway." The Rogue Prinxe points out. The princess sighs.
"Too far away for me now. I don't want to think of our children having children when they are that young yet. We don't even have a idea of marriage for them." The Princess says. Daemon raises a eye brown.
"No idea? There is the tradition of my house of wedding brother to sister. Either Aegon or Aemond should marry Helaena." The prince proclaims. Alicent frowns to him before letting out a sigh.
"I am not very fond of the idea of my own children wedding each other. But that is the costume of your House, i liking it or not." The Princess give in. Daemon smiles a bit.
"Good. We need to keep the bloodline close. My grandfather, as wise as he is, comitted a mistake by not wedding Rhaenys and Viserys. Now, the Velaryons also ride dragons. In less than two centuries after the Doom of Valyria, we are no more the only house of dragonriders. As such, Helaena will only marry outside if she has no other compatible option. And she already have two good options right here. I honestly prefer to marry her to Aegon, as he is from a older line than Aemond." The Prince explaind. Alicent frowns, thinking about what he said.
"I guess you are right about that, but what about Laena? She might still give birth to a son."
"5 years of marriage and nothing. Helaena is too much older to any future child of Laena and that son have zero chance of becoming the heir now. And i am getting tired of Velaryons everywhere, anyway." The Rogue Prince proclaims with frustration. Alicent would ask more about it, but they are not on a proper location for that.
Alicent get up from her seat after finish Helaena's hair.
"Well, we better move on. The first annoucement will happen soon in the Dragonpit." The Princess says, taking her daughter's hand. Aegon gets up from his seat and Aemond get the help of a maid to get up, walking to his mother. Alicent smiles and also grab his hand. Daemon snorts.
"The carriage is on the castleyard. We don't want to be late." The Prince mocks before leaving the room. Alicent guides her younger children trough the way while Aegon follows from behind, bored.
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After a short travel trough the city, with the citizens observing them and Aegon complaining of the lack of fun, they finally arrive on the entrance lf the Dragonpit.
As they get out of the carriage, Alicent smiles to all the decoration and people walking around because of the royal wedding.
"This brings memories. 8 years now, right, Daemon?" The princess asks, joyful. Daemon grunts.
"Stop with that already. I don't need you recording my past all the time." The Rogue Prince proclaims, dry. He then walks towards the people outside the main hall of the Dragonpit. Alicent sighs, looking at her children by her side with a short smile.
"Your father is a tough man, my loves. We need to move. Come." The princess says, taking them with her to the center of the event.
As she passes, several lords gava her and her children greetings and compliments that she eargely answer back in equal intensity.
The mother and her children arrives to the circle that Alicent was searching for.
The King and the Queen are talking to her father, the Hand of the King, the Sea Snake, Lady Rhaenys and even Ser Laenor. She approaches them with a bow.
"Greatings. Sorry for being latr. Took a while to get the little ones here looking good for the wedding." Alicent says, smiling to everyone. Viserys laughs.
"Don't worry. We have plenty of time. Rhaenyra is not even here yet. Oh! Let me see, how are my little nephews doing?" The King bends his body a bit to smile to Alicent's children. Aegon frowns a bit
"I am good." The Prince says with half interest. Viserys laughs a bit more.
"Strong willed as always. You remember me a bit of your father when he was at that age, Egg. I hope you can achieve even more than he did. What about the smaller one here? How are you, Aemond?" The Kings asks his youngest nephew. Aemond looks to him with a straight face, holding his mother's leg.
"Good." The Prince says with a simple tone. Viserys laughs loudly and even the others in the circle do the same for a bit.
"You are very direct, boy. I like that. Now, what about the little flower of the Targaryen garden? Have you seen anything interesting?" The King asks his niece with a soft tone. The princess opens a large smile.
"Yesterday i found a beetle that could throw ants far away!" The Princess says, happy about it. Viserys smiles.
"Good job, girl." The King says before getting up. He snaps his back while doing so and grunts a bit. Laena hels her husband to stand properly. He sighs.
"Time has not be gentle to me, that is for sure. You are very lucky, cousin. You might be some years older than me, but you look a decade younger." The King compliments Lady Rhaenys with a smile. The Queen Who Never was smirks.
"I guess so. You should do more exercise. Corlys is much older than you and he is in a way better shape." The oldest Targaryen alive proclaims. Viserys looks at her and the smiles.
"I don't think that will work, Rhaenys. I am always too tired to this type of things. I prefer to just enjoy the health i have. I am privileged to have such a supportive wife in Laena and being in good terms with House Velaryon, once and for all. To us!" The King proclaims while raising his cup to a toast, which everyone complies, except Alicent, who choose not to drink.
While the others take a good sip of their cups, she looks around and find a familiar face.
Ser Criston Cole is standing on a corner, fully armored, and with his arms on his back.
Alone.
Alicent is confused. In all this years, Ser Criston was always around Rhaenyra, as her personal guard.
Yet, the recently named Lord Commander of the Kingsguard is now looking at a blank spot on the floor, immersed in his toughts. His expression is complex, but he surely is not doing well there.
The confused princess looks to the King with curiosity.
"Your grace, why is Ser Criston not with Rhaenyra on the Red Keep?" Alicent asks. Viserys sighs as he ends his cup of wine. He then frowns and looks at her.
"One day last year, he told me about a... disappearance of Rhaenyra on that day, he was feeling guilty about that and wanted to not be her guard anymore. I tried to comfort the mind of the poor knight, but he was very resistant to it. I finally agreed and then he was just around me, like a common Kingsguard. It turned out better once Ser Harrold Westerling sadly died and Ser Criston took his position as Lord Commander. Yet, he has being the most silent in all the time her serves the royal family." The King explains with a frown. Alicent slowly nods.
"I think something happened with him and he just don't want to talk about it." Queen Laena says. Alicent frowns.
"That may be it..." She says before looking tow Laenor. "What about you, Ser Laenor? Congratulations in your marriage." The Princess proclaims with a soft smile. Laenor smiles back to her, a bit uncomfortable.
"Thank you, princess. I am happy to marry someone that i can understand, like Rhaenyra. But, i have to ask, will Prince Daemon participate from the jousts on the tourney? I would really like to see him and Ser Criston jousting once again." The young Velaryon asks in a very formal manner. Alicent frowns.
"Daemon took the first steps here and then disappeared in the middle of the people. I don't think that i know where he is exactly. But, answering to your question, no. Since Daemon took a arrow in his left leg on the last defensive battle in the Stepstones a few weeks ago, as you know, he is still not able enough to compete." The princess explains. Laenor nods, a bit disappointed. Corlys take a step further.
"How have he been since the injury? I heard that he barely manager to stay in the bed for 3 days. He is a restless man." The Sea Snake asks, joking a bit. Alicent thinks.
"He is clearly more impatient and bored. He wants to go back at action soon. You know how he is." The princess says. Corlys laughs.
"Yes, i do. As such, i know where i will probably find him. So, i will talk with him." Says the Sea Snake before starting to leave the cycle. Alicent looks at him.
"Please, can you say to him that he should stay by the side of his wife and children, Lord Corlys?" The princess asks in a soft tone. The Sea Snake nods and leaves. Laenor also turns around to follow his father after giving a bow of respect to the others.
Suddenly, the King frowns and almost falls out of balance. Laena holds him with gentle grab.
"I think i need to sit now. I am standing and drinking for a while now. We need to take a seat on a table, Laena. Let the two mothers talk to each other." The King jokes with a short smile before Laena helps him to find a table to seat. Alicent and Rhaenys watch that scene and the latter sighs.
"It bothers me how much he don't care about his own life. He is literally rotting himself to a early bed." The older lady says with a frown. Alicent frowns back to her.
"Honestly, lady Rhaenys, i did not expect for to care that much for the King because of your... position." The Princess points out. Rhaenys snorts.
"Besides everything that happened decades ago, Viserys is still my cousin and he never did anything wrong to me or my family. Something that someone like your husband would you do on his position." Rhaenys points out back. Alicent frowns more deeply.
"Are you saying that Daemon would take actions against the Velaryons if he was the king?" The princess asks, surprised. Rhaenys smirks.
"Daemon and i are cousins, but we are very apart from each other. When rumors spread about the Velaryon feet moving after my grandfather died, he was more than eager to call the arms, even without a true confirmation. Daemon don't bet on the good will of others. He acts fast so he always take the first step. Your husband is a very dangerous man, princess. Remember that." Rhaenys says before leaving her behind, disappearing among the people.
Alicent is immerse on her toughts, until Aegon pulls her right hand. She lools at him.
"Muna! I want to eat something!" The little prince demands. Alicent smiles a bit and looks to the three maids that came with her to help take care of the children.
"Give them some food, please. I need to talk to someone." The princess says. The maids nods and two of them take the hands of Aegon and Helaena.
The last maid try to take Aemond's hand, but the boy refuse to let go of his mother's leg. Alicent smiles to him with kindness.
"Sweety, muna will be back soon. I promise. This gentle lady will take you to get something to eat." The princess says with a soft tone. Aemond looks at her, unsure. He then finally let go of her leg and accepts the hand of the maid.
With a short bow to the maids, Alicent walks towards the person that she really wants to talk right now.
She goes for the place where he was, but he is not there. She can only find another member of the Kingsguard around.
"Do you know where the Lord Commander is, ser?" The princess asks. The white knight thinks a bit.
"I think that he walked to a isolated and small garden in the corner of the Dragonpit. He probably wanted to take an air and get away for a moment of all tha noise."
"Can you take me to that garden?"
"Yes, princess."
The knight takes her to a corner of the Dragonpit, where she can see a really small path of grass leading to another corner betweem two of the pillars of the Dragonpit.
The guard let her alone as she walks trough that narrow path.
She finally manages to get to the end.
The so called garden is just a bunch of grass aroumd that probably get cuts half of the times that other parts of the location does. The grass almost tickles her leg.
On the opposite side of where she came, Ser Criston is seating with his back against the wall, covered by the shadow of the construction. He looks at her with confusion, but don't get up.
"Princess Alicent? What are you doing here?" The white knight asks, bothered. Alicent frowns to him as she gets more near.
"Why am i doing here? What are you doing here?" The princess asks back. Ser Criston frowns and then sighs.
"I wanted a quiet place to think alone and get my head back on track." He says. Alicent looks at him with curiosity.
"I can see that, but what is bothering you?" The princess asks. Ser Criston looks at her, conflicted. He then sighs.
"If i told you, princess, i would be executed for that." The white knight proclaims with a bitter tone. Alicent frowns.
"That is even more of a reason to tell me. You need to face the consequences for your actions. Be a knight of honor and tell me what you did." The princess demands. Ser Criston smirks, but he nods.
The white knight moves to be in his knees, bow his head to her, and lay his sword in front of him, still on the hilt. He then looks up to her.
"The day Princess Rhaenyra went missing and came back early on the night, i got to talk to her. We talked for a bit and then... she kissed me." The white knight confesses with a serious tone.
Of all things that Alicent expected to hear, that was not one of them.
Her eyes goes wide as she looks to the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard. It takes all of her will to control her voice.
"She did what?" The princess asks, trying to understand. Ser Criston sighs.
"She kissed me. I should have denied her advance... but i gave in. In that moment i gave in to my own appreciation towards her and kissed her back. And then... she motivated me to go further." The white knight struggles to say. Alicent opens her mouth in shock.
"You... you..."
"I took Princess Rhaenyra's maidenhood." The white knight confesses with a shameful expression. Alicent moves her hands to her mouth and take a step back. The shock then turns into anger.
"Why did you do that? You broke your vows! You slept with a royal princess! The king will take your head if he finds out!" The princess proclaims, trying to control her angry voice. Ser Criston takes some air and then sighs.
"I know, my princess. If the king demands my head for that, i will accept it. But, before my death, i want to make my own confession about the truth of that day. One that the king will surely not believe. Princess Alicent, can you listen to honest confession of a dishonorable knight before he is sentenced to death?" The man asks, bowing in submission. His tone is one of pure melancholy.
Alicent looks to him with a huge surprise. She is unsure if she should hear him or not. His version will surely be full of his own vision on things, but, she can't deny one thing.
She is very curious.
"Go on." The princess says in a serious tone, frowning to him. Ser Criston Cole sighs in relieve before looking at her, taking some air, and starting telling his version of things.
"Princess Rhaenyra came from her disappearance... different. She was aroused. Whatever happened before she met me, it let a mark on her." The knight starts. Alicent frowns, thinking about it.
"I will remember that, but you are still not defending your position on things, Ser." The Princess proclaims. Criston nods.
"Of course. I have to be honest, i had feelings towards the Princess for some time. I don't know how they emerged, but they just did. Yet, i controlled myself. I knew that i had to keep my vows and stay true to my honor. And i did that, until that day." The white knight proclaims, sighing once again. Alicent frowns, but says nothing as he continues.
"When the princess kissed me, my mind was running fast. What should i do? I could have pushed her away, but i would be hurting the one that i did a vow to protect. Dishonorable. If i rejected her with words, i could hurt her feelings. Dishonorable. If i slept with her, i would please her, but throw my honor in the dirt. Dishonorable. I could comfort myself by saying that i choose her offer myself, but that is simply not true. I choosed love over my honor. And now, i have nothing. I am only a shadow of the man i once was." The Lord Commander confesses, bitter. Alicent looks at him with a enigmatic and serious expression. After seversal seconds thinking, she sighs.
"You said you have nothing now. You also have been distant from the Princess. It looks like the forbidden love tale of you two ended in a sour taste. Why was that?" The princess asks, being demanding. Ser Criston is not afraid of answering.
"Yes. After that night i spend with her, i gave her moon tea and then i tried to... i tried to convince her to run away with me, run away of all the pressure." The knight explains, looking shameful. Alicent frowns to him with a shocked expression.
"You honestly tought that she would accept it? That she would abdicate of her claims to be with you? Look, i appreciate romantic men, but that is an absurd proposal." The princess points out. Ser Criston Cole snorts.
"I know that now. I was just desperate to leave the old life that i ruined and start again with the woman i tought i loved. But, when i asked it to her, she not only rejected me, but she also wanted me to persist on our wrong doings." The knight proclaims, angry. Alicent frowns and opens her mouth in shock.
"She wanted to keep doing that? That is not acceptable to her position as named heir and a noble woman! Huh... go on." Alicent demands, frustrated. Cole nods.
"I snapped after that. I told her about how she did not care about honor and was too spoiled to understand her wrong decisions there. And then i leaved. I could not take it anymore. I felt betrayed by myself and the princess. I could not serve a woman that i now found disgraceful. I felt like a piece of shit without a place in the world. I am not derseving of that white cloak or a new chance in life. Once the wedding is over, i will tell the truth to the king as well." The Lord Commander says, bitter. Alicent looks to him in shock one more time.
"Are you mad? The king will never accept your words are truth. He will protect his daughter and behead you for saying that supposed blasphemy." The princess proclaims. Criston nods with a strong will.
"I don't care if he believes in me or not. At the very least, i will get the chance of confessing my sins and being true to myself once again. Once that is done, i can die with some relieve and whatever fragment of my honor i may find." The white knight proclaims with a downcast, but resigned expression. Alicent frowns and walks towards him.
She slaps him in the face.
Ser Criston looks at her with surprise.
"How can you prefer death over the chance of redemption?! Ser, what i see in front of me is a man of principles and full of skill as a knight. From what you said, Rhaenyra also did a mistake. What about you just turn that page and try to be true to your honor from now on? It would be a waste of a man, otherwise." The Princess encourages him after letting her anger out.
Ser Criston looks at her with shock and then with a bit of admiration. He smirks.
"I suppose you are right, princess. I can at least try to make up for my mistakes. Thank you." The white knight says, bowing one last time before getting up. Alicent smiles a bit to him.
"You can talk to me whenever you want, Ser Criston. I would like to have a honest person to talk in that city of crows waiting to feast on corpses. I can even ask the king to make you a protector to me and my children. I am sure that he will agree. What you think?" The princess asks, smiling. Ser Criston smiles back.
"I would be pleased to serve your family, my princess. I promise to be the most loyal sworn sword you can possibly imagine." The knight proclaims with a determined tone. Alicent nods.
"Good. Do you have anything else to tell me, Ser?" The princess asks, curious. Ser Criston frowns.
"After our discussion, Princess Rhaenyra have selected Ser Harwin Strong, heir of Harrenhal and Commander of the City Guard, as her sworn sword. I can clearly see the intentions behind their eyes when both of them look at each other. I would dare to say that he is the one at fault of the arousal of the princess on that day. Looks like the Princess has found a man dishonorable enough to do what she wanted me to do." The Lord Commander proclaims, disgusted. Alicent frowns, thinking.
"She is... sleeping with a man constantly? It is worse than i imagined. But... i can't do anything about it directly. The king will not listen to me. I will need to talk directly to her." The princess says. Ser Criston snorts.
"I doubt that this will work out, my princess. She looked very firm to me when the topic is satisfying her whims." The Lord Commander mocks. Alicent frowns to him.
"Be more open minded, Ser. I want to believe that Rhaenyra can still see her mistakes and learn with them. There is still time to change things. She only needs some guidance. After all, she is only 16." The princess arguments. Ser Criston shrugs, not convinced.
"You want to talk to her before the wedding or after it?" The knight asks. Alicent thinks.
"After. I don't want to risk ruining the mood of the bride just before her wedding. I will talk to her after the tourney. Now, we need to go back to the feast. They will start to notice our absence soon." The princess proclaims. Ser Criston nods.
"As you wish, princess." The knight proclaims and the two of them walk out of that small hidden garden between walls.
As they walk back to meet all the nobles at the feast, Alicent can only think about how much Rhaenyra can make things difficult.
She is that stubborn? She only thinks about herself and not about consequences?
Alicent hopes that she can solve things with the niece of her husband, for the good of House Targaryen, and for the good of the Seven Kingdoms.
As she sighs, she can only crave the act of holding her children a little bit more. Her only comfort in such troubled times.
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