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Chapter Text

Alicent giggled with her friends as they sat by the edge of their favorite spring. It was the spring of one of their naiad friends, Mariya, and was a place where they were guaranteed solitude. As a consequence, it was the place where her friend group tended to gather most.

“And then he tripped and spilled the ink all over himself!” Rhaenyra exclaimed through her giggles. She was regaling them all with the details of her brother Daeron’s latest prank, this time against their brother, Aemond. Alicent, laying sprawled out on the ground, laughed with the rest of her friends, imagining the reaction of the famously stoic and unemotional Aemond to his younger brother’s newest antics.

“I left before he could hear my laughter, so I unfortunately didn’t see much of his reaction,” Rhaenyra sighed, “but I know Daeron and Aegon saw, so I’ll ask them later and I’ll tell you next time.” 

The group of friends giggled again and drifted into silence. Alicent closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of the warm sun on her face. It was such a nice day out, she thought. Perfect for a stroll among nature. She considered for a moment; her friends weren’t really doing anything at the moment, and while she did enjoy simply being in their company, her desire to walk among the trees and flowers was stronger than the desire to lay down.

Alicent stood up and stretched for a moment. “I’m going to go on a little walk,” she told her friends, starting to walk away. “I’ll be back soon.”

Her friends glanced at each other. “Do you want one of us to go with you?” Helaena asked her.

Alicent turned back to face them and shook her head. “I won't be gone long, no longer than an hour at the very most.” Her friends looked hesitant, and shared a glance with each other.

“Your mother wouldn’t be very happy with any of us if she knew you went off by yourself,” Rowan, a dryad, softly reminded her.

Alicent sighed. “I know she wouldn’t, but I won’t be gone for long. Mother is busy with the Council, and I’m not expected back at the Keep until the sun sets. The only person who could tell her is Aegon, and he wouldn’t do that. Besides, I’m a grown woman, I can protect myself for less than an hour.”

Most of them still looked rather doubtful.

“I’m on my father’s land, he wouldn’t let anything happen to me,” she pointed out. That seemed to convince some of them, but a couple of her friends still looked a bit hesitant-no doubt concerned about the consequences if Alicent’s mother were to find out.

“I won’t mention anything to Mother,” she promised. “And Aegon won’t either,” she looked at Rhaenyra and Helaena. “Right?” she asked them.

They both nodded, knowing that their brother wouldn’t get his sisters’ friend in trouble, partly because he and Alicent were also friends, and because he knew his sisters could get him in trouble in return.

The group seemed convinced after that, so Alicent waved to them and wandered off. She didn’t plan to go far-she did intend to return before her hour was over-and decided that she would just take a leisurely, peaceful walk, and admire the plants that grew all around her. In a couple of minutes, Alicent had exited the small grove where Mariya’s spring was located and decided to walk towards the nearby meadow. When she arrived there, she wandered around the meadow, looking to see if there were any especially beautiful ones. She noticed an iris near the edge of the meadow and walked over to it, curious as to why there was only one. 

She knelt down to inspect the flower, and was struck by the beauty of it. It was perhaps the most vibrantly colored flower she had ever seen, with a beautiful speckled pattern on the outward curling petals. Alicent hesitated for a moment before plucking the flower. Both she and her mother always said that it was better to admire than to take…but something about this iris had captivated her. Besides, she thought, it was just one flower. Part of the stem was still left, she could always encourage the flower to grow again. She brought the flower to her face, inhaling the sweet scent of it. She smiled and brought the flower back down. Alicent moved closer to the leftover stem of the iris, intending to encourage it to grow back, but before she could, she noticed a crocus just an arms length away. 

How had she not noticed that before?

She stood up and walked over to the purple flower, and, encouraged by the same captivation she had had for the iris, bent down, and plucked the crocus from its stem. Alicent put it in the same hand where she held the iris, and admired how beautiful they looked together. She then noticed a lone tree standing some distance away from her. She hesitated for a moment, before deciding to go see what kind of tree it was, and perhaps talk to the dryad whose tree it was. When Alicent reached the tree, she saw that it was a willow tree.

Odd. Willow trees aren’t suited to this environment.

Before Alicent could ponder the strange presence of this tree, she saw what was perhaps the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen: it was another meadow filled with flowers, however these flowers were vibrantly colored and seemed to fill the entire meadow with the colors of the rainbow. Alicent was enchanted; the flowers-irises and crocuses, violets and roses-seemed to call to her, beckoning her to come and admire them.

She wandered further into the field, admiring all the flowers and picking the ones that captured her attention the longest. It wasn’t long before she had a full bouquet of flowers, each one more bright and beautiful than the last. She knelt down among the flowers, inhaling their sweet scent that filled the air.

Something was wrong.

The thought rang through Alicent’s mind as she stood up, her hands still holding her bouquet of rare, vibrant, beautiful flowers. She looked down at them. Alicent had been so caught up in admiring the beauty of the flowers that she hadn’t stopped to think about the strangeness of it all.

Why were all these flowers together in one place?

They shouldn’t be, none of these flowers grew in the same climates and conditions as each other, and that wasn’t even considering the willow tree. Only an earth god could do something like this, nature spirits weren’t powerful enough to do that. Alicent definitely hadn’t, and her mother was up at the Keep, busy on the Council.

So who had?

There was a very short list of gods who could have (only one really her mind whispered).

Why would she?

Something was very, very wrong.

She needed to leave.

With that final thought, she started hurrying back the way she had come, through the bushes of many-colored roses and the purple sea of delicate violets. As she rushed through the field-why was it so big? Surely it hadn’t been this big before, she wouldn’t have ventured into it if it had been-she felt the ground begin to rumble. Alicent lost her balance, tripping over a vine that she swore hadn’t been there, shouldn’t be there. She got up quickly, knowing that she needed to leave, to get back to the safety of her friends and their spring. She had dropped her bouquet, the flowers spilling on the ground like water from a shattered jar, but she didn’t dare touch them.

Perhaps the Earth Mother was angry that Alicent had picked the flowers and was telling her to leave. Bringing the flowers would surely anger her even further.

Alicent tried to convince herself that that was the reason the ground was rumbling as she ran out of the meadow-or tried to. The meadow hadn’t been that large when she had stumbled upon it, but as Alicent ran, it seemed never ending. She knew she was moving, the pile of picked flowers on the ground kept getting smaller whenever she looked back, but the willow tree that she had seen when she had come in never seemed to get any bigger.

Did the Earth Mother intend to punish her?

The thought had her slow down, then stop. Running from the consequences wouldn’t help her. She slowly knelt down to the still rumbling ground.

“Earth Mother?” Alicent hesitantly called out. “I-I apologize deeply if I have offended you. I will make up for my offense against you in whatever way I can.” She winced as the last sentence left her mouth; promising to do anything to appease a god-especially one so ancient and temperamental as the Earth herself-was a foolish thing to do. She could only hope that Mother Alysanne would be merciful. Alicent received no answer, but the rumbling died down. She raised herself up on one knee, then fully stood up a couple of seconds later. Alicent took a moment to brush some loose dirt off her dress. Neither she nor her mother minded grass or dirt stains, but it was always better to clean what you could when you could. She lingered for a moment, wondering if the lack of a response meant she was forgiven or if Mother Alysanne was thinking up a suitable punishment. The faintly rumbling earth led Alicent to believe the latter.

Her mind was still screaming at her that something was wrong and that she needed to leave . She hesitantly took a couple of steps towards the willow tree she had passed by earlier. There was no reaction from the ground. Alicent took a couple more steps, and looked up at the sky to see how much time had passed since she had left her friends. The sun didn’t look like it had moved all that much.

Has it really been less than an hour? It certainly didn’t feel like it.

Alicent started walking at a normal pace again, keeping her eyes focused on the willow tree that was slowly-so very slowly-getting closer to her. She didn’t dare breathe a sigh of relief, not until she was back with her friends. Or, better yet, her mother.

The ground started to shake again, stronger than before. Alicent stumbled, but managed not to lose her balance again. The shaking was getting stronger, more violent. Alicent opened her mouth to apologize again to the Earth Mother, to beg forgiveness for her presumptiveness in leaving before receiving an answer, but she was interrupted by the ground splitting open not that far from her-too close, far, far too close. A black chariot, drawn by four black horses emerged from the ground, with a man wearing black armor inside of it, though he had no sword. The shaking lessened, but did not stop. The chariot rode straight towards her. Alicent tried to turn and leave, hoping that she would be fast and nimble enough to escape the chariot, but the quaking of the earth threw her off balance.

Alicent was barely able to recover, when she felt an armored hand grab her forearm and pull her towards the chariot. She made a sound somewhere between a gasp and a yelp, short and startled. As she was pulled towards the back of the chariot, both the hand on her arm and his other hand grabbed her waist and lifted her into the still moving chariot. Alicent was too stunned to react, to try and scream or fight back. He then grabbed the reins with one hand and moved his other hand back to holding her arm, then pulled her further towards the front and moved so that his body was blocking any easy attempt to run out the back. He let go of her arm and grabbed the reins of the horses with both of his hands. He turned the chariot around, guiding it back toward the gaping hole in the ground. 

Alicent, finally able to get her mind and mouth to work, started to yell. “MOTHER! FATHER!” she screamed, hoping that her parents would hear their daughter and come to her aid. She looked up at the sky. “AEGON!” she yelled, knowing that her best friend’s brother saw everything from his position high in the sky. Alicent didn’t know if he could help her-she hoped he could help her-but he would undoubtedly hear her. If he heard her, then he would see what was happening, then he could tell Mother, and Mother would save her.

The chariot approached the fissure in the ground, and Alicent looked desperately up at the sky, hoping that Aegon now had his attention focused on what was happening in the once peaceful meadow. “TELL MY MOTHER!” she screamed up at the sky, hoping that would be enough to save her. Her last glimpse of the sky as the chariot was engulfed by the darkness of the underground was of clouds covering the sun.

Chapter Text

It was dark, so very dark. Alicent didn’t know how fast the chariot was moving, but she knew that it was fast. Cold wind blew against her face, and all she could feel was the cool, wooden edge of the chariot where she held on so as to not lose her balance. She didn’t know how long the ride took; she wouldn’t have been surprised if it had been seconds, minutes, or hours. Eventually, the chariot approached massive, wrought iron gates, which opened seemingly by themselves when the chariot approached. Once they were inside the gates, the armored man pulled on the reins of the horses, and they slowed down from a gallop to a walk. Alicent saw the iron gates close, again seemingly by themselves. She turned slightly, now facing forwards, and saw a palace before her. It looked like the Keep, only it was made of black stone instead of white stone.

Was she…in the underworld?

That was the only logical reason she could think of for why there was a palace under the earth.  

Would that make the armored man…the Lord of the Underworld?

Why would he kidnap her?

The chariot rolled to a stop in front of the palace doors and the armored man stepped out of the chariot. He held out his hand to her, as if to help her out. She stared at his outstretched hand.

As if he hadn’t just kidnapped her!

She heard him sigh, then he grabbed her arm and tugged her forwards, trying to get her to step out. Alicent pulled her arm out of his grasp and stepped backwards so that her legs and mid back were pressed against the chariot. She glared at the man, clearly telling him that she wasn’t going anywhere.

The man sighed again. He then took off his helmet, and Alicent’s guess as to the identity of the armored man was confirmed. She had seen the Lord of the Underworld before, had even talked with him a couple of times. And, well, even if she hadn’t, his silver hair that gleamed in the darkness of the underground (the hair he shared with Rhaenyra and Helaena) would have told her exactly who this man was.

Daemon, the King of the Underworld, and the Lord of the Dead. King Viserys’ brother. Her best friend’s uncle.

“The palace is far more comfortable than the chariot, my lady,” he dryly commented, holding out his hand once again.

Alicent crossed her arms. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”

He put his hand down and stared at her. “Would you like an explanation?”

She raised an eyebrow.

Of course she would like an explanation as to why he kidnapped her, thank you very much

“Yes,” she said tersely, her teeth clenched.

“King Viserys has given your hand in marriage to me,” he calmly stated. Alicent’s eyes widened, her jaw dropped.

“He-he’s not my father,” she stammered, stunned at the revelation. “He can’t do that.” Her voice wavered, uncertain of what she was saying even as she was saying it.

Was he lying?

Deep down, she knew he wasn’t. It was unorthodox, but the King did technically have the power to arrange a marriage for her, since she was one of his subjects. She knew that the King had been pushing his brother to get married practically since they had come to rule the sky and the underworld respectively. She had been noticing the odd glances the King had been giving her for the past couple of weeks, somehow simultaneously anticipatory and guilty. It all made terrible sense.

Daemon saw her face change from stunned shock to realization, and held out his hand once again. “I assure you, my lady, you will find that inside it is far nicer than it is out here.” A gust of cold wind blew past and Alicent shivered. “And warmer as well.” 

“No,” she stated firmly, looking away from him.

He lingered for a moment longer, then turned and walked towards the palace doors.

“The doors are open whenever you wish to come inside,” he called back to her.

Never, she thought. I won’t go inside.

Rhaenyra, Helaena, Rowan, Mariya, and Ellyn were all swimming in Mariya’s spring, enjoying the feeling of the cool water on the warm, summer day. Rowan looked up at the sky for a moment and looked down again, before pausing and looking up again.

“Shouldn’t Alicent be back by now? It’s been a little over an hour.”

The group paused for a moment, all realizing how much time had passed since Alicent had left.

“She’s probably heading back now at this point,” Rowan said reassuringly, both to herself and to her friends. 

Rhaenyra swam to the edge of the spring and stepped out, “Do you think I should go check?”

“Let’s wait for a couple of minutes, in case she’s walking back right now,” Ellyn stated, though her words were a bit hesitant. Rhaenyra frowned, clearly not happy with the answer, but she sat down regardless.

A couple minutes passed by, with the girls continually glancing at the break in the trees where Alicent had left. They were all clearly growing more anxious, but were trying to not panic and think of the worst.

Finally, Rhaenyra stood, fed up with waiting. “I’ll go get her. She’s probably just lost track of time.”

“But it’s been over an hour. Alicent can lose track of time easily yes, but never to this extent,” Mariya worriedly pointed out. Rhaenyra hesitated.

“Well-yes, but…” She sighed and continued, “But the walk to the meadow is only a couple of minutes. She probably just got absorbed in whatever she was doing and assumed she’d be able to quickly rush back before the hour had passed.” Rhaenyra turned and started to walk away, but was interrupted by Helaena.

“Wait! I-I don’t have a good feeling about this. I think someone else should go with you.”

Her sister was always correct about her gut feelings. Rhaenyra’s anxiety skyrocketed, and judging by the now very worried looks on her friends' faces, theirs had too. 

Rowan stood up. “I’ll go with you.” 

Ellyn also stood up. “Maybe we should all go. More people are better, just-just in case, right?” Helaena and Mariya also stood up and nodded their agreement. As they walked the short-long, too long-walk to the meadow, Rhaenyra tried to not think about her sister’s statement.

What could have happened to Alicent? She was a goddess, no mortal could harm her.

…Right?

The friends quickly walked to the small meadow, hoping that they would find Alicent cheerfully growing different flowers, that she would be confused as to why they were all coming to get her, only to become apologetic when she realized how much time had gone by.

They didn’t.

The meadow was empty.

There was no sign of Alicent.

She had vanished.

Where was she?!

The friends stood silently in the clearing, wondering what to do next, when Rowan ran to the edge of the clearing, the rest of the girls following her, wondering what she had noticed. Rowan stopped, staring down at a couple of vibrantly colored flowers. The rest of the girls also stopped and stared at the flowers, bewildered at how bright the flowers were. Then, Mariya noticed something off in the distance.

“Look!” she exclaimed, pointing to the small silhouette of a tree, far off in the distance. “There’s never been a tree there before, right Rowan?”

“There hasn’t,” the dryad answered thoughtfully. She turned to the rest of the group. “Maybe we should check it out?”

“Would Alicent have gone that far?” Ellyn asked. “It looks rather far away, surely by the time she reached it, she would have to turn back.”

“Alicent would know there wasn’t a tree there before,” Rhaenyra pointed out. “She very well could have decided to investigate. Besides, she may not have walked there.” The girls murmured in agreement and started walking towards the lone tree, scanning the ground for any sign of their friend, or for more of the too-bright flowers. There weren’t any more along the path, but when they reached the tree they saw the explosion of color that was the new meadow. They stared at the clearing for a moment, bewildered by the strangeness of it all, before Rhaenyra turned to them.

“We should investigate the meadow. Helaena and Mariya, you go together, and Ellyn and Rowan, you go together. We should all cover different areas, try and find anything that might show that Alicent was here.”

“What about you?” Helaena shot back. “None of us should be alone right now.”

“I’m the most powerful of you all,” Rhaenyra pointed out. “If, even for a moment, I feel like something’s wrong, I’ll summon a cloud and come and get you.” At her sister’s frowning face, she sighed. “I’ll stay close to one of the groups at all times.” Neither her sister nor her friends looked all that happy, but they conceded and split up to search.

They didn’t know how long they combed the meadow for, searching for any sign, no matter how small, that their friend had been there. Eventually, Ellyn called out to the other girls, “I think we found something!”

Rhaenyra, Helaena, and Mariya rushed over to Ellyn and Rowan, who were standing next to a dropped bouquet of the colorful flowers that blanketed the meadow.

“Do you think-” Rowan cut herself off, looking close to tears. None of the girls answered her. They stood in the colorful meadow, the possible connection of the plucked flowers on the ground to their missing friend slowly sinking in.

Suddenly, Rhaenyra turned to face the rest of her friends. “Mariya, Rowan, go get Lord Otto. If Alicent is anywhere on his lands, he’ll know,” she ordered. “Helaena, Ellyn, you’ll come with me back to the Keep. We’re getting Lady Alerie.”

The girls looked shocked for a moment before nodding. Mariya and Rowan ran back the way they had come, heading for the center of the grove that held their spring and tree respectively, searching for the spirit of that grove, their friend’s father. Before Rhaenyra could summon a cloud to take her, her sister, and her friend up into the sky, Ellyn stopped her.

“Isn’t the Council in a meeting right now?” At Rhaenyra’s disbelieving look, she blushed and continued. “I’m not saying we shouldn’t go get Lady Alerie! Just…how would we get into the Council chamber? Isn’t it locked until they’re done?”

Rhaenyra pursed her lips. “We’ll figure it out.”

Alerie had felt something…odd for some time now. It had started with a feeling that something wasn’t quite right and had steadily grown all morning, until a little under an hour ago, when said feeling had exploded into her mind screaming at her that something was very very very wrong. As a consequence, she hadn’t been paying much attention to the meeting, though she didn’t seem to be alone in that. King Viserys was also rather distracted and seemed to be focusing on something other than the Council. Alerie couldn’t help but think that that had something to do with her feeling.

Then, one of the guards from outside the door stepped into the Council room. All the gods in the room turned to look at him; no one was supposed to enter the room when a meeting was in session unless there was an emergency.

The guard looked rather uncomfortable with all the gazes on him. He cleared his throat. “My sincerest apologies for interrupting this meeting, but Princess Rhaenyra and Princess Helaena are outside, demanding to speak with the Lady Alerie.”

All the eyes in the room turned to her. Alerie’s bad feeling grew even worse. Why were her daughter’s friends demanding to speak with her? Had something happened to Alicent? She shook her head slightly, trying to clear the thoughts about something happening to her daughter away, and stood up, looking towards the King. “If Your Majesty does not mind?” she asked him, not really caring about his answer, but she knew that she had to ask his permission to leave in the middle of a Council meeting.

He seemed to hesitate for a moment-why?-before nodding his assent. She quickly left the room, heading straight for Princess Rhaenyra, Princess Helaena, and Lady Ellyn, who were standing some ways down the hall from the Council chamber doors. 

“Why have you requested me?” she firmly asked them, not wishing to waste time, not when her mind was screaming at her that her daughter was in trouble.

They hesitated for a moment, looking at each other as if silently asking who was going to tell her? That made Alerie even more anxious. “Why,” she repeated herself, sharper this time. Rhaenyra swallowed. “We need your help,” she timidly responded.

Alerie’s eyes widened. “Why?” she asked again, more frantic this time.

The girls glanced at each other. “We-we don’t really know?” Helaena half shrugged, clearly unsure what to say. “It’ll be easier to explain if we just show you.”

Alerie did not like that answer, but nodded and followed her daughter’s friends down to the ground, into a meadow covered with brightly colored flowers.

What was this place? It was too far away from Alicent’s father’s grove to be a place she could have just stumbled upon.

She noticed her daughter’s other two friends, Lady Mariya and Lady Rowan, standing with her old lover, Otto. 

Why was her daughter’s father here? Why had Alicent’s friends gotten him as well?

She quickly walked over to the three of them, Rhaenyra, Helaena, and Ellyn following her. Mariya and Rowan curtisied when she approached, and Otto gave her a short bow.

“What happened?” she asked again, more panic than she would like leaking into her voice.

“The girls said they would explain what they knew when you arrived,” Otto responded to her, also sounding quite worried.

He’s always composed, why was he letting his panic show?

This time, Helaena was the one to step forward. “We were relaxing at Mariya’s spring, and Alicent decided to go on a short walk to the meadow outside of the grove. She said she wasn’t planning to be gone for long and would be fine by herself,” she quickly explained, wringing her hands as she did so. “We got worried when she didn’t come back after an hour, but assumed she had lost track of time and so waited a bit longer.” She then looked down, seemingly embarrassed. “We went searching for her after a couple of minutes had passed and went to the meadow. There, we saw some clusters of brightly colored flowers, like the ones here. We saw a tree in the distance and decided to go to it, thinking that maybe Alicent had gone to the tree, and we found this meadow and we searched it and found-” Her voice broke for a moment, before she cleared her throat and continued. “And found a dropped bouquet of picked flowers and-and no Alicent.” The last words were almost whispered, her head dropping.

Alerie was frozen. 

Her daughter was gone?!

Her daughter was gone.

Her daughter was gone.

“Where is this bouquet?” Otto quietly asked, also clearly shocked, but, unlike Alerie, able to talk.

“Over here,” Mariya whispered, leading them a couple of steps to the right and pointed at a pile of flowers on the ground. Alerie stared down at them for a moment before looking back up at her daughter’s friends.

“Is there-” her voice broke. “Is there anything she’s said about being unhappy or-or anything?” she desperately asked them. “Any reason she’d want to go somewhere? Any-” she stopped for a moment, not wanting to entertain the last possibility, but knowing that she needed to ask. “Is there anyone she’s had problems with? Anyone who could do something to her?” Her voice was soft, quiet, desperate. All the girls shook their heads.

“Is there anything that could be going on that would cause this?!?” she asked them, begged them. All her daughter’s friends looked at the ground, some of them crying. Finally, Rhaenyra looked up at her and softly answered her.

“We don’t know.”

Chapter Text

Alicent wasn’t sure how long she was outside for; in the faint light of the underworld, time seems to work differently. Eventually, people-no, ghosts-came out to the chariot, stopped in front of the palace doors. They approached the chariot and stared at Alicent, clearly unsure of what to do with her still inside of it. 

One of them came closer to the chariot. “My lady? Would you like one of us to escort you inside?” The ghost’s voice sounded almost distorted, with an eerie quality to it. Alicent shook her head; she wouldn’t be rude to someone who didn’t deserve it. The ghost hesitated a moment, clearly unsure of what he was about to say. “My apologies my lady, but we need to take care of the horses and chariot.”

Alicent stayed on the chariot a moment longer, before stepping off. She watched some of the ghosts approach the horses, leading them and the still-attached chariot off to a place she assumed was the stables. 

She had always thought ghosts couldn’t touch things. Perhaps because they were in the underworld?

A couple of the ghosts, all women, lingered behind. Alicent turned to look at them and they all curtsied to her. “Would you like anything, my lady?” one of the women asked, before wincing. “My apologies, I meant my queen.”

Alicent flinched at the title. “‘My lady’ is fine,” she said softly. The women looked at each other, unsure, before nodding. They awkwardly stood together in silence, all wondering what to say or do. A gust of cold wind blew, making Alicent shiver and hunch over, trying to keep herself warm.

“Are-are you sure you don’t wish to come inside my lady? Just to the front room?” another one of the women asked her. Alicent looked down at the ground for a moment, not wanting to, but also wanting to get out of the cold. She nodded. 

She silently followed the ghost women inside of the palace doors and stood in the massive front room. It was beautiful inside, again reminding her of the Keep, though only faintly this time. The outside of both palaces might look practically the same, but the insides only shared vague similarities. 

“Would you like to stay here or go to some other room? Perhaps your chambers?” the first ghost woman-she really ought to ask their names-asked her. Alicent vehemently shook her head, refusing to think of any room in this place as hers. Her room was up on the Keep, next to her mother’s, or in a little den in her father’s grove, surrounded by nature. Not here.

Alicent walked over to a small couch pushed up against the wall, close to where it opened up into a hallway and sat down. She looked at the ghost women. “You can go back to doing whatever you were before. I don’t need anyone to stay with me.”

They glanced at each other, before the first ghost, who seemed to be in charge of them, apologetically looked at her. “Forgive me my lady, but we are meant to be your attendants and make sure you do not get lost. We will leave you alone if you wish, but we cannot leave you completely.” Alicent was tempted to tell them to do just that, but she also didn’t really want to be alone. She sighed, her decision made.

“What are your names?” she asked them. They looked shocked for a moment, likely at her shift in attitude.

“My name is Doreah, my lady, and this is Serra,” gesturing to the other woman who had spoken to her, “and this is Lanna,” gesturing to the woman, girl really, she looked much younger than the other two, who had yet to speak.

Alicent inclined her head to them. “Pleased to meet you, Doreah, Serra, and Lanna.”

“AEGON!”

Aegon jolted when he heard Alicent’s voice screaming his name. 

What was wrong?

He looked down from the sun chariot, searching for his friend. He saw-he had to look twice at the scene on the ground, that couldn’t be happening, it couldn’t. Alicent was inside of a black chariot, which was heading straight for a massive fissure in the ground. 

No no no no no, what was happening?!

“TELL MY MOTHER!” Alicent screamed, looking up at the sky, at him, before the black chariot disappeared into the ground, which closed up behind them, the crack sealing as though it had never been there.

He needed to get Lady Alerie. But, before he could do anything, clouds started to gather around him, blocking his view of the ground. An image of his father, made of clouds, appeared before him. 

“Father? What are you-”

His father interrupted him. “Do not say anything about this to anyone, not Lady Alerie, not your sisters, not anyone. Swear to me.”

“What? No, I-I need to tell Lady Alerie. Alicent was kidnapped! What are you talking about?!”

The cloud figure of his father loomed over him. “You will not. I have approved of this, it is not a kidnapping.”

“Not a kidnapping?! Alicent clearly didn’t want to leave!” he practically screamed at his father. “You allowed this?!”

“I have granted Lady Alicent’s hand in marriage to my brother. She is taking her place as Queen of the Underworld,” his father said, infuriatingly calm.

Aegon was stunned. Alicent was being married to his uncle? A terrible thought struck him. “Has-has Lady Alerie allowed this? Or Lord Otto?” he quietly asked, dreading the answer.

His cloud-father shifted. “Well, no, but-”

“You gave her hand in marriage without her parents’ approval?! What were you-”

“Quiet!” his father snapped at him. “I will handle Lady Alerie and Lord Otto. You, on the other hand, will make no mention of this to anyone. Understand?” His father glowered down at him.

Aegon wanted to protest, wanted to snap back at his father and tell him that what he was asking of Aegon was wrong.  

At Aegon’s hesitation, his silent glare, his father sighed. “Daemon will be a good husband to her. You don’t need to worry about your sisters’ friend. She will be fine.”

“She’s my friend too,” he numbly pointed out, still reeling from his father’s revelations. “Alicent didn’t want to go Father, I can’t just say nothing!”

His father looked disappointed. “Then you leave me no choice.”

Before Aegon could ask what his father meant, the air shimmered around him, and he felt an odd sensation throughout his body. Wind rushed around him, whipping his hair and clothes, until it abruptly stopped. Aegon stumbled for a moment, before looking around and finding himself in…his room?

Confused, Aegon walked towards the door and grabbed the door handle. It didn’t move. He tried again. And again. And again. It still didn’t budge. He stared at the door, mouth open in disbelief.

“You will stay in here until you learn obedience to your father and king,” his father’s voice rang out. Aegon whirled around, ready to yell at his father for locking him in his room like some unruly child.

But he wasn’t there.

Did you hear? Lady Alicent’s missing!

Lady Alerie’s daughter? Missing?

Yes! Princess Rhaenyra and Princess Helaena interrupted the Council to get Lady Alerie.

How is she missing? She’s a goddess.

I don’t know…

What could have happened to her?

Poor girl, I hope her mother finds her soon.

I worry about what Lady Alerie might do.

…I hadn’t thought about that. We’re all in trouble, aren’t we?

If Lady Alicent isn’t found? Absolutely.

Chapter Text

“How did you end up here?” Alicent asked Doreah, Serra, and Lanna. Alicent had asked them questions for a while at this point, curious about both the women themselves and, despite herself, about the workings of the Underworld

They explained to her that they had all been palace maids in their lives, though in different times and places from each other. When they had died, they had been judged to receive Asphodel. Recently, they and some other women had been taken to the palace and been told that since they had been loyal maids in their lives, they were being offered a place working in the Underworld Palace. All of the women who had been summoned had accepted the offer.

“You’ll probably meet them at some point, my lady,” Doreah told her.

“Do you know why you were chosen specifically as my attendants?” Alicent inquired, wondering if they had been personal maids in their lives.

The women glanced at each other. “We’re really not sure,” Serra told her, somewhat apologetically. “I think it might be something to do with our roles in our lives, but I don’t know.”

“What do you mean you don’t know? Do you not remember?” Alicent asked, before rushing to say, “I don’t mean to be insensitive, my apologies if that upset you.”

“You’re alright, my lady,” Doreah reassured her. “Since we were sent to Asphodel, we forgot about our lives. We only started to remember when we came here.”

“I remember the basics of my life,” Serra chimed in, “but nothing beyond that.”

“Same here,” Doreah said, then looked at Lanna, who had said almost nothing the entire conversation. “What about you, dear?”

“I remember a little bit,” she said softly. “I think the longer we stay here, the more we’ll remember.” 

Alicent looked at her, somewhat surprised. That was the most words Lanna had spoken in a row the entire time. Alicent hoped the longer they talked, the more comfortable the girl would get.

“That would make sense,” Serra mused, and Doreah nodded in agreement, then started to say something before being interrupted by someone clearing their throat.

The four women all looked over to see another ghost, a man this time, standing in the doorway.

He bowed his head. “My apologies for interrupting, my queen, but I have been told to ask if you would like to meet with the king. He said that wherever in the palace is fine.”

Alicent pursed her lips, debating what to say. On one hand, she was furious at the man who had kidnapped her and didn’t particularly want to see him or have a conversation with him. But, on the other hand, she did want more answers about why King Viserys had apparently allowed this. She could also maybe yell at him. She made her decision.

“Tell your king that if he wishes to meet with me, then he can come here,” Alicent stated firmly. The man looked unsure for a moment before bowing and turning back the way he had come. “And call me my lady,” she called after him, wanting to make clear that she was not going to act as the mistress of the palace.

Alicent turned back to Doreah, Serra, and Lanna, who were staring at her wide eyed.

“Do you mind leaving for the time being?” she said, more telling than asking. “I would like to talk to the king, just the two of us.”

“Of course, my lady,” Doreah quickly said, echoed by Serra and Lanna. The three of them walked down the same hallway the man had come from. It was rather unnerving, watching three mostly-regular looking people walk down a stone floor and not make any footsteps.

Alicent sat by herself for a couple of minutes, starting to wonder if Daemon was going to come to her, or if the man was eventually going to come back and tell her that if she wanted to talk to him, she was going to have to go to him. She was debating getting up and walking to the hallway, just to see what branched off from it, when she heard faint footsteps coming from the hall.

Daemon came to the end of the hallway, and stood in the doorway. They stared at each other, neither really wanting to break the silence.

Alicent took a deep breath. “You said King Viserys arranged a marriage. Between us.”

He nodded.

“Were either of my parents privy to this?” she quietly asked. It was a question that she had agonized over since Daemon had told her the news about her own marriage.

He looked almost hesitant to answer. “I do not know.”

Alicent stared at him for a moment, disbelief etched on her face. “You…you don’t know?!” she repeated incredulously. “How can you not know?!”

“My brother told me that he had handled everything. I assumed that meant he had talked to both your parents and you, but now I see that is not the case,” he told her. She was going to choose to interpret that as no, her parents did not know about this. She didn’t think she could handle the alternative.

“You didn’t reconsider that idea when I was screaming for help?” she sarcastically asked him.

“I did, actually,” matching her tone as he stepped out of the doorway and stood fully in the room.

Alicent rolled her eyes. She wanted to ask him why King Viserys had betrothed them. Either the king had thought the two of them would be a good match and had only bothered to talk to his brother…or Daemon had asked for her hand in marriage. She wasn't sure which one she’d prefer as the answer; both made her quite angry. She almost did ask him, before stopping. Alicent absolutely did want to know the answer at some point soon…but she wasn’t sure if she wanted it now.

“Take me back above ground,” she stated instead, looking at him directly.

“I can’t do that without talking to Viserys first,” he said, actually hesitant this time. At Alicent’s glare, he rushed to add, “Only because he’s the one who organized,” he paused, looking for the right word, "this. I need to talk to him about what exactly to do next.”

Alicent was still annoyed and irritated by that, even if she understood what he was saying. “When will you take me back up?”

“Most likely tomorrow afternoon.”

She sighed. “Fine.”

They fell into silence, but this time Daemon was the one to break it. “Do you want or need anything?” he asked, his voice quieter than before.

Alicent shook her head. The only thing she wanted at the moment was something to eat, but she certainly wasn’t going to eat Underworld food. She’d had that drilled into her since she was a child: Never take any sustenance from the Underworld, or you belong to it.

“Do you want your maids back here?”

She hesitated, then nodded. He lingered for a moment, before turning and walking back down the hallway, his footsteps fading.

It didn’t take very long for Doreah and Lanna to appear in the doorway.

“Where’s Serra?” Alicent inquired.

“She’s preparing some stuff for you, my lady. We need you to choose a room, so that we can get it ready for you,” Doreah told her.

“Oh,” Alicent breathed out, then stood up and walked towards the hallway. “Where are the rooms?”

“Follow me, my lady.” Doreah turned, Lanna following a couple of steps behind her. Alicent followed them as they took her through a couple of rooms, one of which looked to be a dining room, then down another hallway that had several doors on each side of it. 

“This is the hallway with all the rooms for the living,” Doreah cheerfully told her, sweeping her arms out like she was showing it off.

“Only this hallway?” Alicent wondered aloud.

Doreah and Lanna nodded. She supposed that made sense. It wasn’t like there were a lot of people who were alive here. She was surprised that there was an actual hallway with several rooms in it for living people.

“You said earlier you already had a room for me, right? Could you point to which door it is?”

“Of course,” Lanna said, before walking to the end of the hallway and pointing to the last door on the right.

“Which one is the king’s?” Alicent asked, already fairly certain of which door Lanna would point to. Sure enough, she pointed to the door across from the first one. Alicent was not going to sleep in that room, then.

She looked down the hallway at all of the doors, debating which one would be best for the-hopefully short-time she knew she would spend in it.

“I’d like that one please,” she told Doreah and Lanna, pointing to the second-closest door to the entrance of the hallway on the right. Far enough away from Daemon’s room, but also not too close to the entrance of the hallway.

“Of course, my lady,” Doreah said, walking back down the hall while Lanna opened the door to the first room she had pointed at. “I will tell Serra so she can bring some things here and Lanna will get the stuff that had been put in that room earlier and bring it to yours. You can go inside, if you wish.”

Alicent nodded and opened the door as Doreah walked off. She stepped inside the room and looked around. It was a nice room, with a large bed, a dressing table with a small mirror, some other nice pieces of furniture around the room, and a window, with a view of a small table and some chairs and some poplar trees outside.

Lanna came in with an armful of bedsheets and quilts. She walked over to the bed and started putting them on it. Alicent watched her, waiting until she had finished with the sheets, as she didn’t really know how to help Lanna with that, then helped her with putting the blankets on. Alicent didn’t want to just stand awkwardly off to the side, doing nothing.

Doreah and Serra came in just as they finished with the bed. Serra had a couple of dresses in her arms, all in darker colors and were seemingly of thicker material. Doreah had a vase with various flowers in it. They were duller than normal flowers, but the sight of something so familiar and comforting made her want to cry. Doreah placed the vase on one of the nightstands, and Serra placed the pile of dresses on the bed. She took the top dress off and put it on the bed directly before picking up the other dresses and walking over to a wardrobe, where she put the other dresses. When Alicent looked closer at the dress on the bed, she saw that it was a nightgown. 

“Would you like us to leave you?” Doreah asked.

“Yes, please,” Alicent whispered. “Thank you for your help.”

“It’s our pleasure, my lady,” Serra answered her. The three women curtsied and walked out the door, gently closing it.

Alicent sat down on the bed, the emotions of the day washing over her all at once. The fear, anger, confusion, and shock hit her unrelentingly. She sobbed, her thoughts overwhelming her until she could only think one thing: I want my mother.

Chapter Text

Alerie was terrified. Alicent was gone. Missing.

Where was her daughter?!

It had been an hour-how had it only been an hour-since her daughter’s friends had gotten her from the Council chamber. Her, Otto, and her daughter’s friends had combed the meadow, looking for any other sign that the girls might have missed.

Alerie stopped, staring at the ground. She wanted to cry, wanted to scream. Her daughter was missing.

What had happened?

Alerie couldn’t stop darker thoughts from creeping in. 

What if someone had taken her?

She tried to brush those thoughts away. Alicent was a goddess, the daughter of one of the gods of the Council. She was powerful, and would be able to fight off an attacker.

But what if she was caught unaware? Or the person was stronger, more powerful than her? What if they were another god?

Alerie needed to stop going down that road.

She heard soft footsteps coming towards her. “Alerie?” her old lover softly asked. She looked up at him.

“Have you found anything?” she asked, her voice hoarse and tone pleading.

Otto looked pained as he shook his head. They stood together in silence, both wondering what could have happened to their daughter.

Alerie broke the silence. “I have to find her,” she whispered, partly to herself and partly to Otto.

He looked more directly at her. “We will,” he softly stated, both of them knowing that it was more a reassurance to them both than a firm assertion.

They lapsed into silence again. Alerie hated how helpless she felt, she was the goddess of the harvest, she shouldn’t be standing in a random field, wondering where her daughter was!

But she was.

And she hated it .

An idea struck her. Surely she would find more information by looking in more places and talking to more people, would she not?

Alerie turned to Otto, her mind made up. “I’m going to search more places and talk to more nature spirits. There has to be someone who knows something."

He stared at her a moment before nodding. “Do you have a specific place in mind, or are you looking everywhere?”

“Everywhere.”

“Is there anything specific you want me to do? I’ll search any place I can, but I don’t know how far I’ll be able to go.”

“Just…search any place you can, as in depth you can. And tell me if you find or hear anything, no matter if it’s just a rumor.”

Otto nodded. Alerie had always appreciated how steadfast he was. She knew he would examine every little bit of land he could, not leaving any stone unturned. She felt a bit better knowing he was searching alongside her.

Alerie looked towards the girls who were still combing the field, some of them occasionally pausing to wipe away tears before continuing. Part of her was angry at them, even though the logical part of her knew it wasn’t their fault. She knew that her daughter was a grown woman, and that if she wanted to go off by herself, she could. That didn’t stop her from being mad that her friends had let her, that one of them hadn’t gone along with her.

Alerie took a deep breath and walked over to Princess Rhaenyra, who was nearest to Alerie.

“I will be leaving to search more places. Otto will be searching whatever places he can go to. I would like you to talk to your father and mother and see if they can help in the search,” she told the princess, who nodded.

“My friends and I will also keep looking,” she told Alerie quietly, but firmly. “If we find anything, either Helaena or I will come get you, or we’ll send Daeron.”

Alerie nodded, then silently walked over to the odd tree. She had checked earlier if there was a dryad in the tree, unfortunately, there wasn’t. The tree did give off a strange aura though; it was vaguely familiar and seemed to surround the entire meadow, but Alerie couldn’t place it. She placed a hand on the tree, hoping more exposure to the feeling would help her place it. She stood there for a minute, before sighing and removing her hand. Alerie felt like she should be able to place the feeling, but she couldn’t.

 She looked out at the landscape before her, overwhelmed by the thousands of possibilities of where to go. Alerie briefly closed her eyes, steeled herself, opened her eyes, chose a direction, and started walking.

one

She walked the entire day. She did not go in a straight line. Every hour or so she’d change her direction, not drastically, but enough to cover new ground she had not seen before. She spoke to every nature spirit, earth or sky, she came across.

No one knew anything.

two

By now, the entire land had heard about Alicent’s disappearance. Any nymph she came across had a pitiful look in their eye, which grew when they regretfully told her they hadn’t heard anything.

Alerie hated that look.

three

She had heard a rumor that a red-headed girl who could grow plants with a touch of her hand was in a mortal village, helping the people of the town. Alerie rushed over there, hoping that this kind-hearted girl was her own sweet, loving daughter.

She wasn’t; the town’s helper was a young nature spirit. She apologized profusely to Alerie, who waved away her apologies and left the town, more despondent than before.

four

Alerie was trying to remain as positive as she could; afterall, it had only been four days (oh Fates, it had only been four days? It had been four days) but it was hard, especially during the night. That was when her darkest thoughts crept in, when it was harder to stop them. That was when she cried, her tears shining in the light of the moon.

five

Alerie had not eaten or drank anything, nor bathed or changed clothes since she learned her daughter was gone. As a goddess, she had no need to.

Her appearance grew more bedraggled, and the looks she got became either more judging or more pitying.

She had not heard anything from Otto or her daughter’s friends.

She hated it.

six

Alerie’s mood was being reflected in what she grew. Her plants were more austere; stems harder, leaves sharper, petals less soft, colors duller. Any food she grew had a bitter aftertaste to any human who ate it, even when it was perfectly ripe.

She could not find it in herself to care.

seven

Alerie’s anger was taking over her grief.

Why had the Fates allowed this?

Why hadn’t she found anything?

Why wasn’t she getting help from the King and Queen?

Why why why why whywhywhywhywhy why

eight

Plants were starting to die if the Lady of the Harvest touched them for too long.

Alerie did not notice.

nine

Alerie was growing more and more desperate, more angry, more heartbroken. She still had heard nothing from her daughter's father or friends. Her grief felt heavy, too heavy, but Alerie could not afford spending any time to try and work through any of it.

She had to find her daughter. Alerie knew that she couldn’t die, but she felt as though she might. Her grief was drowning her, pulling her under, crashing against her in waves that just kept growing.

She had to find Alicent.

ten

She stood at a crossroads, wondering which path to take, which one would give her more help in finding her daughter.

Alerie heard footsteps behind her. “Lady Alerie?” a woman’s voice asked.

She did not turn around. “What do you want?” she snapped, not caring that she was being rude.

The woman’s voice was unfazed. “I believe that I can help you find your daughter, my lady.”

Alerie whirled around, desperate for any help she could get, and came face to face with the mystery woman, who was holding a torch in each hand. She recognized her, and felt a bit of a fool for not realizing who the person behind her was.

Of course she would be at a crossroads.

Alerie inclined her head. “Lady Alys.”

Chapter Text

Aegon was pacing in his room, trying to figure out a way he could get out. He had tried everything he could think of; he had shoved the door with all his strength, had kicked it, had shoved whatever furniture he could move against it, had even tried to set the damn thing on fire. None of it had worked. He was getting more and more panicked as time passed. He had to tell Lady Alerie and Lord Otto, he had to tell his sisters! He knew Rhaenyra and Helaena were with Alicent and their other friends, they had to be panicking as well. He also knew that he had to raise the sun in the morning; if he didn’t everything in both the human and godly worlds would be messed up.

“Aegon!”

He spun towards the door, starting at it as hurried footsteps and shouts of his name grew louder.

“Aegon!” It was his sisters.

“You have to be in here, Aegon! You aren’t in the sky, or with our brothers!” Helaena shouted.

“You have to know what happened! Where’s Alicent?!” Rhaenyra demanded. He assumed the bangs on his door that heard in addition to her voice were his older sister taking out her frustration.

Aegon ran towards the door. “She was kidnapped!” he yelled. “By Daemon! Father arranged a marriage between them!”

The shouts of his name and the banging on his door continued. He stared at the door. Had they not heard him? Realization dawned on him. Of course they wouldn’t, if Father could prevent him from physically leaving, he could also prevent any words from escaping.

He also banged on the door, hoping they could feel the vibrations, if not the noise. There was no reaction from them to indicate that they did.

Aegon buried his face in his hands as the shouting became more and more insistent, as his sister’s voices started breaking and sobs crept in as they begged him to answer, shouting threats about what they would do to him if he didn’t. He leaned his forehead on the door, and cried alongside his sisters.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” he mumbled, wishing they could hear him. “I’m so so so sorry.”

He alternated between whispering apologies and shouting the answer as to what happened to Alicent, knowing the whole time they couldn't hear him-and wasn’t that absolute torture-until his sisters stopped. Aegon heard their voices murmuring, almost like he was underwater, though he couldn’t make out what they were saying. What he did hear was their footsteps walking away from his room. He wondered if they were going to try and find him in another place or if they were going to see if anyone else knew anything. He slumped down on the floor, his back against his stupid bedroom door, and cried.

Daemon sat at his desk, mentally composing a letter to his brother. He knew he needed to be at least somewhat polite, even if what he really wanted to say was why, in the name of the Fates’, had you told me everything was sorted when it wasn’t?!

He grabbed a quill and started writing on the paper already in front of him:

Your Majesty,

It has come to my attention that Lady Alicent has no knowledge of the arranged marriage between her and I. Given this, I would also assume neither of her parents know. I know that Lady Alerie loves her daughter deeply, and cannot imagine her marrying her daughter off without her knowledge. I would also guess that she would not have a child with a man who would keep such a thing from either her or her daughter, and so would assume Lord Otto would not marry off his daughter without either of the ladies’ knowledge.

Therefore, I ask you why you had told me that everything was fine, and that I could take Lady Alicent to the Underworld when none of the other parties, especially the lady in question, knew about this.

I also ask that, as soon as you get this letter, you arrange a meeting between myself, you, Lady Alerie, Lord Otto, and Lady Alicent so that we can discuss this and figure out what to do next.

Your brother,

Daemon

He also wrote a letter to Lady Alerie and Lord Otto each, both saying basically the same thing: that their daughter was in the Underworld, that she was unharmed, that a marriage had been arranged between them, that he had thought they knew, and that he had written to the King to sort this out.

He gave the letters to a wind spirit that acted as a messenger between him and his brother most of the time. Daeron, as the messenger of all the gods, was busy pretty much all the time, and so only carried confidential messages between his father and uncle. Daemon hoped that Viserys would respond right away, although he was fairly certain it would take a bit of time, as his brother did tend to take more time when making bigger decisions.

He suddenly felt something almost…snap in his chest, like a connection he had had for so long that he didn’t realize he’d had it was now gone. He sat, stunned. Daemon had only felt that feeling once before, when he and Viserys had gotten into the biggest fight they had ever had. For a moment, he was too shocked to react, before the full meaning of what had happened sunk in.

Viserys had cut him off from above ground.

In the early hours of the night, after his tears had been exhausted and his throat was sore and voice hoarse from shouting, he sat in the middle of his room, thinking. His father couldn’t keep him in his room forever, Aegon was the only one who could raise the sun. The world needed the sun, without Aegon, the world would have no warmth, the only light being from his sister’s moon and the stars. His father was lucky the sun was able to set normally today without him; Aegon suspected that he had used a great deal of power to make the sun set, to guide the Sun Chariot into the stables. Aegon also knew that his father wouldn’t be able to do it again, maybe if he was lucky he could get it to rise, but he was confident that it wouldn’t be able to set tomorrow. It required too much power from anyone not the God of the Sun, the only reason his father had been able to was because he was King of the Gods.

Knowing this, Aegon drew a deep breath and steeled himself. “You can't keep me in here forever,” he said in a low voice, knowing his father could hear him. “You might have been able to draw the Sun Chariot into the stables tonight, but you won’t be able to do it again.” He smirked, continuing. “I bet it took a great deal of power, did it not? To make the Sun itself bend to your will? You were able to do it this time because the Sun Horses wanted to follow their regular schedule. They were more interested in keeping everything working than truly resisting you. But they will if you try again. And you cannot keep fire, keep light, from going where it wants and doing what it wants.”

Aegon was aware that what he was saying could harm him. He wasn’t just pointing out that only he could do his job, something his father was undoubtedly aware of, even if he didn’t want to admit it. He was also indirectly threatening his father, saying that sooner or later, Aegon would break out of his room, would tell people, his mother especially, what had happened, both to Alicent and himself.

Aegon received no answer, nothing to indicate that his father was listening to him. Aegon scowled, and started thinking of other things he could do to get out.

Alicent walked through the hallways, following Doreah as she guided her to where Daemon was. She was going to confront him about the lack of a response. She may not have been sure about what time it was, but she was fairly certain that enough time had passed since yesterday that there should have been a response by now. 

Doreah stopped in front of a door. “Here you are, my lady,” she said quietly. 

“Thank you,” Alicent said distractedly, thinking about what she wanted to say. Doreah curtsied and walked back the way they had come. After a moment, Alicent knocked on the door.

There was a moment’s pause before Daemon called out, “Come in.”

Alicent opened the door and walked inside. He watched her as she came inside, her face betraying her frustration and anger.

“Why haven’t you taken me back up yet? Surely enough time has passed for a letter to have reached the King and for him to have responded,” she demanded, arms crossed in front of her.

He leaned back in his chair a bit and met her gaze. “I have not yet received a response from my brother, nor from your parents.”

Alicent was taken aback for a moment, before her anger flared. “How have you not received a response? You sent the letter yesterday, didn’t you?” Her eyes narrowed. “Did you send a letter yesterday?” she asked in a low tone, mentally wondering if she should trust him.

“I did send a letter yesterday. Multiple. One to my brother, and one to each of your parents,” he said, apparently unbothered by her questioning him.

Alicent looked at him for a moment, wondering if she should believe him. She sighed, deciding to drop it for the moment, as she had another question she needed to ask.

“Why can you not just take me back above ground, and we can figure out the-the marriage issue later?” she asked, stuttering over the word marriage.

“Because right now, I cannot leave the Underworld.” His tone was frustrated, though Alicent wasn’t sure if it was at her or at the situation.

“What do you mean you ‘can’t leave the Underworld’? You’re the god of the Underworld!” she exclaimed, her frustration growing with every second that passed.

“Exactly,” he said, looking directly at her. “As the god of the Underworld, I can’t enter another god’s domain without permission. And it seems,” his tone became biting, “that my brother has decided that I am no longer welcome above ground.”

“He’s the god of the sky, not the ground,” Alicent said numbly, though she knew that was a stupid argument, even as she said it.

“Air is everywhere, my lady.”

Alicent rolled her eyes. “Then why can’t I just leave? I’m not the goddess of a part of the world.”

“You need to know the paths of the Underworld in order to safely traverse them. If you don’t, you will get lost and will probably never find your way back,” he told her, somewhat apologetically.

Alicent closed her eyes, breathing out harshly through her nose. She tried to calm herself down a little bit. It wasn't a smart idea to get herself lost in the Underworld, even if she was tempted to just walk out of the palace.

“My nephew should be coming by in a couple of days. He stops by once a week, and will be able to guide you out,” he quietly told her.

Alicent opened her eyes. “Are you sure Daeron will come by? Could the King ban him from coming here?” They both heard the unspoken could you ban him from coming here.

Daemon sighed. “I suppose he could. But it would be a bad idea if he did; Daeron carries messages that need to be more secret than messages carried by others. We both need him to travel between here and the Keep.”

At this point, Alicent wasn’t sure if she trusted that King Viserys wouldn’t ban Daeron from either coming to the Underworld, or from taking her back. She had listened to her mother’s muttered complaints after Council meetings enough times to know that once he made a decision, he stuck to it, even if it wasn’t a good decision. Alicent hoped Queen Aemma would be able to convince him to dissolve whatever marriage contract he had made. The Queen was pretty much the only one who could get him to reverse his decisions. 

“I want to know immediately when he comes here,” she told him, quietly but unflinchingly.

Daemon nodded. “Of course.”

Alicent turned and left. As she walked back to her room, she thought about everything she had just learned.

It was past midnight now, and Aegon was no closer to getting out of his stupid bedroom. He had tried everything he could think of, no matter how idiotic or unlikely to work. He had tried busting down the door again, had tried to shout down from his balcony to anyone he saw passing by (it never worked, they gave no indication they heard or even saw him), had tried jumping off his balcony, planning to turn into a bird, only for winds to catch him and place him back on. He had even, in a burst of frustration and anger, tried to burn his room. It hadn’t worked, some of his things had gotten singed, but the fire had quickly died out, his room had had the air in it sucked out, depriving the fire of its fuel. That had given Aegon a nasty headache that was still faintly pounding in his head even now, a couple hours after he had set the fire.

Aegon looked out at the moon, the light dimmer than usual, probably due to Helaena’s mood. He was worried, dawn was still a good few hours away, but it was quickly approaching. If he wasn't there to control the Sun Chariot, one of two things would happen: the sun wouldn’t rise in the morning, meaning there would be little light and little heat, or the sun wouldn’t set in the evening, making everything too hot. Both options would be disasters, and both options made Aegon very worried.

He had also tried to talk to his father more, pointing out all of the disastrous things that would happen if the sun didn’t rise or set. He got no reaction, no acknowledgement of the fact that his father was about to throw the entire world into chaos if he didn’t let Aegon do his damn job.

“What do I have to tell you to get you to let me go?!” Aegon screamed, so very close to his breaking point. “That people are going to die? That they will curse the gods? That the Keep itself is going to question you? That they will wonder if there is a connection between mine and Alicent’s disappearances? That they will wonder if you have anything to do with this?! If you caused it?!”

No response.

Aegon buried his head in his hands, hating himself for what he was about to say. He didn’t want to, but his worry for what would happen the next day had been eating at him, his mind conjuring horror after horror. He didn’t want to-Fates, he hated himself for even considering saying it-but…

Aegon sighed, the sound coming out more as a sob. “Fine! I promise to not tell Lady Alerie or Lord Otto what happened to Alicent!”

A breeze swirled around his room, and his father, his actual father, not just a cloud mimicry of him, appeared in his room.

“You must swear you will not tell anyone. Not the lady’s parents, not your siblings, not your mother, not anyone.”

Aegon glared at his father, the heat of his gaze diminished by the tears shining in his eyes. His father stared back, until Aegon dropped his head.

“I swear,” he whispered, hating himself for it.

“Swear on the Styx,” the King demanded.

Aegon took a shaky breath, simultaneously wanting to cry and to scream. His hands trembled, though he didn’t know if it was because of his anger or his despair.

“I swear on the Styx I will not tell anyone about the reason behind Lady Alicent’s disappearance,” he muttered, looking at the ground.

“Swear that you will not tell anyone why you were absent,” the King said, his tone still demanding, though a bit lighter after hearing Aegon give in.

Aegon’s fists clenched. “I swear I will not tell anyone why I was absent,” he said through clenched teeth.

King Viserys nodded, and disappeared in another breeze. After a minute, Aegon stood up and slowly walked over to his door handle and tried it. The door opened. He laid his forehead against the door and cried, mentally apologizing to Alicent, to her parents, to his sisters.

I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorryI’m sorryI’m sorryI’m sorry, I’m so so so so sorry

A couple of hours after her confrontation with Daemon, Alicent sat in her room, reading a book. She had managed to cool down a bit from her previous anger, though it still burned in her chest. Her maids had shown her a small library and told her that she could take any of the books she wanted. She wasn't sure how long she had spent in there, looking at the shelves and the books, but eventually had grabbed a couple of books that had interested her the most and brought them back to her room. Alicent heard a knock on the door, and looked up.

She hesitated for a moment before calling out, “Come in.” The door opened and she saw that it was Daemon. He stood in the doorway, and Alicent looked questioningly at him, wondering why he had come to her room.

“I would like to show you something I think you’ll like, if you wish,” he stated, his tone a bit uncertain.

“What is it?” she asked, wanting to know what it was before she went with him.

He smiled. “Look outside your window,” he said, gesturing towards it.

Alicent glanced briefly outside the window, and realized he was talking about the trees that she had seen earlier. She had been curious about them, but hadn’t yet asked about it. She looked back at him, then down at her book. She’d rather be outside, even if it was colder than inside. Alicent shut her book, mentally noting what page she had been on, and stood up.

“Alright,” she said, walking towards the door.

“Would you like to put on a coat or something? It is colder outside,” he said, glancing down at her dress. Alicent hadn’t changed into one of the dresses Serra had brought her, preferring to keep her regular dress.

Alicent shook her head. “I’ll be fine,” she said. She knew she probably would end up regretting that, she did remember how cold it had been earlier, but she also didn’t want to take anything from the Underworld. She also didn’t want to take off the only thing she had from above ground.

Daemon looked a bit skeptical, but said nothing. They walked in silence for a minute, before reaching another door. When he opened it, they were outside. 

Alicent let out a small “oh” and she smiled as she walked further outside. There was a large grove of trees, poplar with their thin, white trunks and mixture of green and white leaves, and cypress, many of them clearly old, with thick trunks and beautiful green foliage. She also saw bunches of flowers on the ground. It took a moment for her to recognize the flower, having only seen it once before. It was asphodel, with tall stems and many white blooms. 

“It’s beautiful,” she breathed, happy to be in the presence of plants again. She turned to face Daemon and asked him, “How do they grow down here, without sunlight?”

He shrugged. “I think because they’re sacred to the Underworld, but I’m not completely sure. You can ask the gardeners, they might have a better answer for you.”

“Are the gardeners also ghosts?” Alicent asked. 

He nodded. “They usually come by here twice a day to check on the plants. They’ve already come by in the morning and will check again in the evening, but I can summon them if you want to talk to them now.”

“Are they doing anything else right now?”

“It depends on the day, sometimes they are, sometimes they aren’t. Your maids could go check if you want,” he said, stepping further outside, though not entering the tree line.

“They aren’t here right now, though,” she pointed out.

He smiled. “You can call them if you need them. Or I can, if you want.”

Alicent thought about it for a moment, then shook her head. “I’m good for now.” A thought struck her. “How do you tell what time it is down here? There’s no sun.”

He thought for a moment before answering, “I suppose it’s just something you pick up eventually. I just…know what time it is.”

Alicent hmmed, wondering if he knew because he was Lord of the Underworld or because he had grown accustomed to living underground. Perhaps it was both.

They stood in silence, both unsure if they should say anything.

Daemon was the one to break it. “I hope you like the garden, my lady. I need to go inside and do some things. You remember the way back, yes?”

Alicent nodded, and he turned and started walking back to the door. Before Alicent could overthink it, she blurted out, “Thank you. For showing me the garden.”

He turned back to look at her. “You don’t need to thank me, my lady.”

Alicent shrugged. “Maybe not. But still, thank you.”

He smiled at her. “You’re welcome.”

Alicent watched as he went back inside, then turned back to the trees, wandering through the little grove. Alicent had never imagined that she would be so happy to see green, but here she was. She’d enjoy spending time out here, passing time until she could go back home.

Aegon walked into the stables where the Sun Horses were kept. When they saw him, they all perked up and rushed forward, as close as they could get to them, which made him smile a bit.

“I know I left suddenly. I’m sorry, I’ll make it up to you,” he murmured, giving each of the four horses some pets.

“Aegon!” His sister’s voice rang out, her tone surprised, anxious, and angry.

Aegon stopped dead in his tracks, swallowing nervously before truing around to face his irate sister.

“Hi Helaena,” he said quietly. “I-”

She cut him off. “Where were you?!” she demanded, storming towards him. “Rhaenyra and I looked everywhere for you! We got Aemond and Daeron involved too! Mother is worried sick about you!” Helaena stopped for a moment, her face morphing into a worried expression as she looked him up and down, before her eyes landed on his face. Her face grew angry. “Do you know what happened to Alicent?” she hissed, staring straight into his eyes.

Aegon shook his head silently, willing himself to keep her gaze, even though all he wanted was to shrink away from it. He had never seen his younger sister so angry, and the threats she and Rhaenyra had made earlier rang in his head.

“How do you not know?!” she whisper-shouted, her face betraying her surprise.

Aegon swallowed, hating that he was about to lie to Helaena. “I don’t keep my gaze on you or your friends all the time,” he stated quietly, which was the only true thing in his fake explanation. “Father wanted to speak to me earlier, and the meeting lasted a while. I heard about Alicent’s disappearance not that long ago.”

Helaena looked at him, trying to gauge if what he said was true.

“I’ll help look for her any way I can,” he told her. “I’ll make it up to you,” he promised truthfully, staring back at Helaena.

She sighed, dropping her gaze, deciding to drop the issue for the moment. “Just…just look for anything out of the ordinary on the ground,” she muttered, defeated. “Anything you see, even if you think it’s nothing.”

“I will,” he whispered, staring at her as she walked out of the stables, hating himself for lying to her.

Aegon closed his eyes for a moment, before turning back to the horses and started preparing them to pull the Sun Chariot. He would keep his oath to his father, he had to, it was on the Styx, but he would also look for any way around it. He would try to point his sisters in the right direction, try to find any little bit of evidence left behind, so that Alicent’s parents could put the pieces together. He would help his friend in any way he could, even if his abilities were severely limited. He had to. He didn’t think he would ever forgive himself for swearing that damned oath, didn’t think his sisters or Alicent or Lady Alerie would either, but he could try and make it up as best he could.

Chapter Text

“What do you know?” Alerie demanded, walking a couple of steps closer to Lady Alys.

“I think your daughter was kidnapped,” Lady Alys said, unnervingly calm. “I heard screaming on the day she disappeared that I think was her.”

“What did she say?” Alerie said, trying and failing to keep the horror she felt from creeping into her voice.

Alys looked at her with sympathy (not pity, Alerie hated pity) in her eyes. “She screamed for you and her father. And Prince Aegon, and told him to tell you.”

“Tell me what?” Aleire pushed aside the pain that shot through her heart at the thought of her daughter calling out for help, for her help, and no one coming to save her.

“That’s all she said. I assume she meant whatever was happening at the moment.”

Alerie closed her eyes, processing what she had just learned, before one thing Alys said struck her.

Her eyes flew open. “She called for Aegon?” Alerie said. It was somehow both a rhetorical question and a plea for confirmation.

“Yes,” Alys confirmed.

Alerie stood in place, mouth agape. “What,” she whispered, almost not believing what she had been told. It wasn’t a surprise that Alicent had called out for Aegon; if Alerie was being honest with herself, she felt like a fool for not thinking of that sooner, and going to find Aegon. What was a surprise was that Aegon hadn’t told her. Why hadn’t he? Alicent and Aegon were friends, and even if they weren’t, Alicent and his sisters were.

So why hadn’t he come to find her?

“I need to find him,” she breathed out, her anger rising.

“Would you like assistance, my lady?” Alys asked, offering her the torch she held in her right hand.

Alerie paused for a moment. “Yes, thank you, Lady Alys,” she said, accepting the torch and holding it in her right hand.

“It is the least I can do, my lady,” the goddess said, walking beside Alerie as she started on the path that would lead her back to the Keep.

“It is more than anyone else has done,” Aleire muttered.

Aegon had just pulled in the Sun Chariot, and was talking to his sisters about what he had seen that day. For over a week now, he had been trying to drop subtle clues about what he knew, unsure of exactly what constituted “telling” someone about what had happened to Alicent. He didn’t know if that included writing, and so had avoided that method of communication, though he was growing increasingly tempted to use it, consequences be damned.

Not really, he was terrified of what punishment the Styx might bestow upon him.

He had just finished telling Rhaenyra and Helaena what he had “seen”, when he heard footsteps quickly approaching the stables. They were loud, determined.

“Prince Aegon!” Lady Alerie’s voice rang out as she marched towards him, Lady Alys following close behind her. The two goddesses stopped, only one stall away from him and his sisters. 

Lady Alerie stared at him, her gaze hard. “What happened to my daughter?” she demanded, her stare piercing into his soul.

Aegon was relieved that she had finally confronted him. He had been thinking through what he could say to her that might lead her to what had happened. He wasn’t completely confident that his responses would be good enough, but hopefully with Lady Alys’ help, Lady Alerie could figure something out.

Before Aegon could get any words out, Lady Alerie continued. “I know you know something. You see everything on the ground, and Lady Alys says that my daughter called out to you. She was kidnapped, wasn’t she?” Her voice was harsh, but got softer and quieter when she spoke her last sentence, the reality of what had happened seemingly sinking in.

“What?!” Rhaenyra and Helaena exclaimed, turning to stare at him.

Aegon’s eyes widened. He wasn’t sure what to say to that; he desperately wanted to confirm what Lady Alerie had said, Alicent’s shouts ringing in his ears, but he couldn’t. He didn’t know how to confirm it without actually saying yes or nodding, but he couldn’t bring himself to lie and say that he hadn’t seen anything.

Lady Alerie’s eyes narrowed. Aegon internally winced; he had stayed quiet for too long.

“You do know something,” she said, her voice dangerously quiet. She stepped closer to him. “What do you know?”

Aegon started back at her, before dropping his eyes to the floor, unable to hold her gaze. He stayed quiet as he tried to think of something to say, his mind suddenly and infuriatingly blank.

“Aegon,” Rhaenyra said, her voice hard, disbelief tingeing her words. “Do you know what happened? Was Alicent kidnapped?” Her voice broke on the last word. Helaena said nothing but Aegon could feel her staring at him, her eyes undoubtedly both hurt and angry.

The five of them stood in silence for a moment. Aegon stared at the floor, trying to think of something to say. His sisters and Lady Alerie stared at him, hurt, their anger growing. Lady Alys just…stood there.

Suddenly, she stepped forward, and placed one of her hands on his chest and the other on his forehead. 

“What are you-” Aegon exclaimed, stepping back a couple of steps.

Lady Alys brought her hands back down, looking at him with an instructable expression. “You have made an oath on the Styx.” She cocked her head. “Willingly or unwillingly? Or can you not say?”

Lady Alerie and his sisters stared at him, their expressions melting into those of confusion.

“What-” he heard Helaena mutter, before Aegon started laughing.

He didn’t know why. Maybe it was because someone had figured out that something had happened. Maybe it was because it was unbelievably relieving to have someone know that he had been carrying around such a massive secret for over a week now. Or maybe it was because a loophole that he felt incredibly stupid for not realizing existed earlier suddenly made itself known to him.

He was forbidden from telling people the reason why Alicent was gone. He was forbidden from telling people why he had briefly been missing. He wasn’t forbidden from telling people he was forbidden to tell them something.

“Unwillingly,” Aegon said, still laughing. He could see his sisters looking at him as though he had lost his mind.

“Is it about Lady Alicent?” Lady Alys asked him. Aegon thought for a second, before nodding. That, he could say.

Before anyone else could say something, Aegon quickly blurted out, “I’m sorry for pretending like I didn’t know anything. I didn’t want to swear the oath, but I had to for a reason I don’t think I can tell you. I can’t tell you what happened, and I’m really sorry that I can’t, but I’ll try and answer what I can.”

Lady Alerie took a couple steps towards him, her expression softer than before. “Did you see what happened to Alicent?” she asked, her voice a bit gentler.

“Only at the end, after she screamed for you, her father, and me,” he answered, guilt for not seeing the full extent of what had happened coursing through him.

“Was-was she kidnapped?” Lady Alerie asked, her voice trembling a little. Again, Aegon willed himself to not react to her words. She looked confused at his lack of a reaction, and looked over to Lady Alys.

“Can you not say?” Lady Alys asked. Aegon hesitated. If he said he couldn’t, then that was practically confirmation that Alicent was kidnapped, and he didn’t know if the Styx would count that as breaking his oath. He opted to pretend to ignore her words again. He knew that could very well be interpreted as telling them what had happened, and therefore breaking his oath, but he hoped that the combination of him not technically “telling” them and him neither confirming nor denying would save him from being cursed as an oathbreaker.

Luckily, Lady Alys seemed to interpret his non-answers as yeses. “Can you tell us who made you swear the oath?” she asked.

“My father,” he breathed out after a moment, looking back down at the floor for a moment.

“What?!” Rhaenyra had been shockingly quiet until that moment. Aegon was surprised that she hadn’t interjected before at any of his other revelations. “Father-father knows what happened to Alicent?” Aegon nodded.

“I think he’s trying to protect another one of our family members,” he said quietly. Aegon hoped that was vague enough that it didn’t count as him telling them what had happened.

They all looked confused for a moment, before Helaena gasped. “Are you saying someone in our family kidnapped her?” Aegon turned away from his sisters and the Ladies, not trusting himself to stay stoic. He walked over to one of the Sun Horses, and stroked his neck, trying to calm himself down.

No one said anything as they all thought through the possibilities of who Aegon was talking about. It was a pretty short list, he thought. It shouldn’t take them that long to figure it out.

Aegon’s words rang through Alerie’s head. A member of King Viserys’ family…

Alerie knew there was really only one person who Aegon could be talking about. The King’s family wasn’t that big, and there weren’t many people in it who Alerie hadn’t seen in the last couple of days. Princess Rhaenys lived in the sea with her husband and children; Alerie doubted they had anything to do with her daughter’s disappearance. Her kidnapping.

That left only one person. His brother. The Lord of the Underworld.

The thought of her daughter, her bright, cheerful daughter, the girl who was the child of a nature goddess and a nature spirit, down in that place made her shudder.

Alerie thought she had been angry before. When the reality of her daughter being gone had sunk in, when she had learned that Aegon knew more than he had let on, she had been furious.

But now?

Now pure rage filled her body. It was unlike anything she had felt before. Every part of her body felt like it was burning.

“That bastard,” she spat out, her voice no longer trembling from fear, but from fury.

Everyone else in the room turned to look at her, all clearly having come to the same conclusion that she had

One thought rang through her head:

Alerie was going to kill them.

Chapter Text

Alerie stormed through the halls of the Keep, heading for the Royal wing where she knew the King would be right now. Other gods, nymphs, and spirits moved out of her way when they saw her expression, which promised harm if they dared to interrupt her. Lady Alys, Rhaenyra, and Aegon followed her. Helaena had wanted to come with them, but she had had to raise the moon.

The guards did not stop her as she marched towards the entrance of the Royal wing. They looked at her expression and at the presence of a Prince and Princess, and let the four of them pass. She wasn’t so lucky at the entrance of the King’s chambers, however. As Alerie approached the doors, one of the guards stopped her.

“Pardon me, my lady, but we cannot let you in,” he said, somewhat hesitantly.

Alerie glared at him. “I demand to speak with the King,” she said icily. “There is a matter I must discuss with him immediately.” The guards looked at each other, unsure. “If I am not let in,” she continued, “I will break down this door.”

“I’ll tell His Majesty you need an audience,” the other guard said quietly. Before he entered the chambers, Rhaenrya also spoke.

“Also tell him his two eldest are out here with Lady Alerie, and that we also wish to speak to him. And my mother.”

The guard bowed his head and slipped inside the doors, closing them behind him. It was tense in the hallway outside; Alerie’s patience was clearly running thin, Aegon kept nervously glancing at her, then the door, then back at her, Rhaenyra had started pacing back and forth, and Lady Alys was muttering under her breath, which was making the guard agitated. 

After what seemed like an eternity, the other guard stepped back outside. “The King and Queen will receive the four of you,” he announced, holding the door open for them as they walked inside.

King Viserys stood in the center of the room. His expression was closed off, but Alerie could tell he was nervous. He knew exactly why Alerie was there, and she could feel her fury rising with each step she took. Queen Aemma looked confused, and when she saw Alerie storming towards the royal couple, her expression changed to one of concern.

Alerie stopped before she got too close to the King, not trusting herself to not attack him. “You know where my daughter is,” she hissed. “Did you really think I would never find out? That I wouldn’t search for my child? That someday I would give up looking for her? I would never. And now I know where she is and I know that you had something to do with it. I don’t care whatever your agreement with your brother was, you will bring my daughter back. Immediately.”  

Queen Aemma looked horrified, glancing between Alerie and her husband. “You-you know what happened to Lady Alicent?” she repeated, her eyes darting between the two gods who were now staring (or glaring, in Alerie’s case) at each other.

The King looked at his wife. “My love,-” he began, before Aegon cut him off.

“Don’t play dumb, Father. You orchestrated it!”

The King opened his mouth, but the Queen cut him off before he could say anything. “Your brother,” she repeated quietly, eyes narrowing. “Your brother has something to do with Lady Alicent’s disappearance.”

“Aemma-” he tried again. Alerie was the one to interrupt him this time.

“Why?” she demanded. “Why did your brother kidnap her?” Deep down, Alerie knew why. There was only one explanation, but she needed to hear it, just in case she was wrong. 

She hoped she was wrong.

He looked at her. “Lady Alerie-” he began.

“Why.”

“I have given Lady Alicent’s hand in marriage to my brother,” the King said. His words caused a horrified silence to fall upon the chamber. All eyes turned towards Alerie, nervously waiting for her reaction.

Alerie was so incensed she couldn’t speak. Distantly, she heard him continue. “It is a good marriage for the Lady. She will be the queen of a realm! Daemon will be a good husband to her, you needn’t worry, my lady,” the King attempted to reassure her. She stared at him for a moment in disbelief.

“Needn’t worry?” she hissed, stepping closer. “Needn’t worry? My daughter had been kidnapped!” she shouted, her voice ringing through the room. Alerie felt her hands trembling, though she did not know if it was from anger or grief or both. She exhaled shakily, and turned around, storming towards the door.

When she reached the door, she stopped for a moment, turning around to face King Viserys again.

“I will not step foot on this mountain until my daughter is returned,” she declared, her voice cold and hard. “You have betrayed me, Your Majesty, so I see no reason to stay.”

Alerie turned and opened the door then, stepping out of the room. Without turning around, she made one more declaration. “Perhaps you should have thought of the consequences of angering the goddess of the harvest before you sold her child.”

Chapter Text

Alicent sat on a bench outside in the garden. She had spent most of her time outside in it, enjoying the peacefulness of nature, since Daemon had shown her the small grove of trees. She was trying to make the best of her (hopefully soon to end) time in the Underworld. She knew Daeron made trips there fairly often, and was hopeful that next time he came, he would bring her back with him. But there was one thing that kept nagging at her, a question she hadn’t really liked thinking about, but knew that it was perhaps the most important question concerning what was happening: why had King Viserys given her hand specifically to his brother?

The question had occurred to Alicent many times over the past..however many days it had been. Over a week, she was pretty sure. Daemon had been kind enough to her, both in the few conversations they’d had in the past and in the few interactions they’d had since he’d kidnapped her. He had seemed apologetic enough when she had told him that she, in fact, had no idea about what King Viserys had arranged. But if he had been the one to ask for her hand, without talking to her or her parents…

It would still be anger inducing if he had accepted her hand without talking to her about it. But one of those options was what happened, and while Alicent still wasn’t completely sure if she wanted to know the answer, she was now in a better headspace to learn it. She would ask him the next time she saw him.

…

It had been about a day, and Alicent still hadn’t worked up the nerve to ask. She had briefly spoken to Daemon earlier, but hadn’t asked him the question. She kept going back and forth as to whether she wanted to ask. 

She sighed, leaning her head back and stared at what passed for the sky in the Underworld. She’d ask next time.

…

The next time Alicent saw him was when they crossed paths in a hallway. Alicent had started to explore more of the Underworld Palace, not just sticking to her room, the library, and the garden. As they passed by each other, she made a split second decision.

“Why me?” she asked as turned around to face Daemon, who had also turned to face her.

“Sorry?” He looked confused, which she supposed was fair. She probably should have phrased that better.

“Why was it me who was- betrothed to you?” He was silent for a moment. Alicent’s eyes narrowed. “Why?”

“I didn’t ask for your hand.”

“But you agreed to it. Without my knowledge.”

“I didn’t know-“

“Yes, yes, whatever. But you still agreed to it.”

“I did.”

“Why?” she asked again, her tone becoming more demanding.

He sighed. “Because I liked the conversations we’d had before, and liked you. I thought that my brother wouldn’t have proposed such a thing if you hadn’t been aware, so I agreed.”

She was silent for a moment, staring at him as she considered his words. On one hand, it was a bit flattering that apparently someone liked her enough after talking to her a handful of times to agree to a marriage, but on the other hand…

She was angry.

Alicent sighed. “Okay,” she said tiredly, then turned back to head the way she had been going.

She was mad, yes, but she was also just tired. Tired of being angry, tired of being in her situation, tired of… everything.

She just walked away.

Alerie sat on a bench next to a fountain. She had arrived in the city of Eleusis not long ago. She had wandered around the earth since she had left the Keep hours ago. It was midday now. She didn’t know what to do next; she couldn’t storm into the Underworld, and the only people who could bring her daughter out of that place were either the one who had taken her or Prince Daeron, who could only do it with either his uncle or father’s permission. Alerie could do nothing; she was helpless to help Alicent.

She watched as a group of four girls approached the fountain. They were dressed finely, in clothes no regular peasant could afford. They talked amongst each other, giggling as they filled up the jugs they were carrying. Alerie tried to remember if the king of Eleusis had daughters or nieces or other female family members, for these girls had to be royal, or at least noble. The girl who looked to be the eldest noticed her staring.

She frowned, looking concerned. “Are you well, ma’am? You are rather far from the center of the city, or the homes of the people. Surely the heat of the day cannot be good for you. My sisters and I can escort you somewhere, if you wish.”

Alerie was suddenly reminded that she looked to be an old woman, her physical appearance reflecting how she felt. She inclined her head towards the girls, who were all now staring at her. “Thank you, my lady, for your concern, but I am well. I am not from this city, and was simply resting for a bit.”

That seemed to make the girls even more worried. “You mean to say you traveled to our city? Are you with anyone?” one of the other girls asked. Alerie shook her head. The girls looked at each other for a second, then the eldest girl stepped forwards.

“Would you like to come back with us, ma’am? We can offer you shade and some food, and assistance with whatever you need.”

Alerie thought for a moment. The concern the girls were showing for her was touching, and she couldn’t help but be reminded of her own daughter and her friends. With that thought in mind, she smiled at the girls in front of her. “If it is no trouble to you, my ladies, I would be grateful for your assistance. Might I inquire as to who you are?”

“Oh of course!” the eldest girl laughed. “My apologies, I hadn’t realized I hadn’t given you our names. I am Elyana,” she gestured to her sisters, pointing at each one in turn, “and this is Cerissa, Leyla, and Dorna. They’re my younger sisters. And you, ma’am?”

Alerie smiled at them. “Well met. I am Desmera.” She stood up then, watching with hidden amusement as Elyana quickly stepped over to her side, hands hovering as though ready to steady her. “Where are we headed?” she asked as they began to walk away from the fountain, her and Elyana walking next to each other, with her sisters trailing behind them.

Elyana looked confused for a moment before she laughed and shook her head. “I’m so sorry! I keep forgetting basic manners. My sisters and I are the princesses of this city, we’re headed back to the palace.” She glanced over at Alerie. “If that is still fine with you, of course.”

Alerie patted her arm as they walked. “Of course, princess. Thank you very much for your generosity.”

Elyana smiled. “Of course! My parents drilled into my sisters and I the importance of hospitality. After all, you never know who exactly you’re meeting.”

Alerie chuckled. “No, I suppose you don’t.”

Chapter Text

Alerie and the four princesses walked the path that the girls had originally taken. Elyana and Leyla drew her into conversation the whole walk. Dorna, the precious girl, cheerfully skipped ahead, occasionally looking back at her sisters. Cerissa stayed mostly quiet, but made occasional comments. She tried to limit what she told the girls about herself; she hadn’t thought of a story yet, and didn’t want to accidentally contradict herself later and draw suspicion. What Alerie did say was that she had just arrived and had recently gone through some difficulties. Leyla had looked curious at that, but a sharp glance from her older sister had nipped any questions she may have asked.

Alerie instead tried to learn about the four girls, their parents, and their city. The most important bit of information that she learned was that their mother, Queen Melessa, had just had another baby, a boy this time. As a result, Eleusis was in high spirits, glad to have an heir for House Gardener. She also learned that the queen was searching for another nurse for her son, her previous nurse who had taken care of her daughters having just retired, being in ill health. An idea popped into Alerie’s head.

She liked Eleusis and would not mind staying for longer than she had initially planned. It was as good a place as any to stop and rest. As much as she hated to admit it, Alerie really couldn’t do anything to get her daughter out of the Underworld. She didn’t have that power. Perhaps staying in one place would help her think of something she could do that would help her get her daughter back. It was also a good place to hide from any other gods; she had concealed herself well enough so that they couldn’t track her, but there was always the risk that someone would discover her. Hiding in a city that she had no connection to would surely help, getting a job working as a nurse even more so.

The thought of helping to take care of a child was an appealing one. Alicent, being a goddess, hadn’t been an infant in need of care for long, but Alerie had enjoyed doing so, had loved seeing her daughter grow up. She hadn’t ever had another child, but that was more so her being focused on other things than a disinterest in it.

Maybe, if the princesses’ mother was as kind (and naive) as her daughters, Alerie could eventually get herself placed as a nurse. If not, then either Alerie could leave or use a bit of her power to get herself the position. It was a good enough plan, at least for the moment.

…

Alerie followed the princesses through the palace of Eleusis. Not many of the guards or servants gave her a second glance, which made her wonder if the princesses often brought random cityfolk to the palace, or if they assumed she was another servant they hadn’t seen before.

Eventually, they reached the queen’s rooms. The girls happily strode towards their mother, Alerie following behind at a more sedate pace, mindful of her situation and ready to 

“Hello, my darlings,” the queen greeted her daughters, smiling as they came to hug her. Then she caught sight of Alerie standing a few paces behind, and her face shifted into a more composed expression.

“I do not believe I have seen you around before. What is your name?” the queen asked, frowning slightly.

Alerie bowed her head. “I am Desmera, Your Majesty.”

“We met her at the well,” Elyana jumped in. “It was quite hot out, so we offered her some food and drink and rest back here. My apologies for bringing someone here without your permission, Mother, but we couldn’t just ignore her.”

The queen smiled indulgently at her daughter, which made Alerie wonder even more if this was something she and her sisters had done before.

“I suppose I cannot fault you for being kind, though I will remind you that you cannot just bring anyone back to the palace, dear,” the queen gently reprimanded the girl.

“I know, Mother,” Elyana sheepishly replied, then joined her sisters where they were sitting.

“Well then,” the queen then turned towards Alerie, “I welcome you to the palace, ma’am.” She gestured to a small table off to the side where there was a pitcher and some fruit. “You may sit and take what you like.”

Alerie curtsied, reminding herself that she currently looked like an old woman and that she needed to act somewhat aged. “My thanks, Your Majesty, for your generosity, and my apologies for any inconvenience.”

The queen smiled as Alerie sat on a chair that was next to the table. “No apologies needed. May I ask why you were at the well at this time of day? Surely a family member or neighbor could do that for you.”

“I am not from Eleusis,” Alerie explained. “I was simply passing through, and happened to be there at the same time as the princesses came.”

Queen Melessa’s brow furrowed. It seemed she was as kind-hearted as her daughters, after all. “You traveled here by yourself?”

Alerie nodded. “I have found myself unable to stay in my home at the moment. A-a tragedy has struck my family, and the one responsible refuses to do anything to attempt to fix it.” The best lies were ones that had truth in them, after all. She might as well tell her story as it happened-barring a certain few things, of course.

The queen’s expression melted into one of sympathy. “My deepest apologies, ma’am. Are you traveling to another city, or are you unsure of where to go next?”

This was her chance.

“I have no destination in mind, just simply a goal I do not know how to achieve,” Alerie quietly replied, letting some of her grief and pain color her voice for a moment.

“Would you like to stay in Eleusis for a bit longer, then? I am sure a house or other dwelling could be found for you,” Queen Melessa said, her tone showing her genuine concern. Alerie couldn’t help but wonder if she was just simply this kind to everyone, or if some of her godly aura was showing. 

This was going far better than she had thought it would. She had already intended on staying in Eleusis, and receiving such a generous offer only endeared both the city and the royal family further to Alerie.

Perhaps Eleusis wouldn’t remain without a patron god for long, then.

“Your Majesty is very kind in your offer and to go through such trouble. Is there perhaps anything I could do to pay it back? I am old, but not infirm.”

“Oh, you needn’t do such a thing. It is no trouble to assist you in this matter,” Queen Melessa reassured her.

“Are you quite sure, Your Majesty? I truly do not mind. It would be good for me, I think,” Alerie said, hoping that it would be enough to convince her.

A little nudge, and then-

The queen drew a breath. “Well I-are you good with children?”

Alerie smiled. “I have taken care of many in my life. Mine own, and those of friends.” She was not lying; she had helped Queen Aemma with her own children many times. Alerie had had Alicent at about the same time as she had had Princess Rhaneyra, and the girls’ closeness was only encouraged by the countless times her and her siblings had been watched by Alerie when Aemma needed to attend to her duties.

“I find myself in need of a nurse for my newborn. If you wish, you could assist in his care.”

Alerie bowed in her head. “I would be most honored, Your Majesty.”

Alicent sat in the library, curled up in a chair, enjoying a book about . She heard the door creak open and she looked up. Her eyes widened when she saw the person in the doorway.

Daeron stood there, smiling at her. “Hi, Alicent,” she said cheerfully.

“Daeron!” she exclaimed, standing up and rushing towards her friend. He met her halfway in a hug. Daeron was the one to break the hug.

“It’s good to see you again,” he said softly.

Alicent laughed. “It’s good to see you again, too.”

“How are you?” he asked worriedly.

She shrugged. “Fine.” He looked unconvinced, but before he could say anything, Alicent continued, “Are you here to take me back up?”

He suddenly looked uncomfortable. Alicent got a bad feeling in her stomach. “I-I can’t. I’m sorry, Alicent, I want to, but I can’t.”

“Why not?” she asked softly after a moment.

“My father has decided to stand by his decision about you and my uncle. Mother has been unable to convince him otherwise,” Daeron told her, avoiding her eyes.

“What of my mother?”

He sucked in a breath and didn’t answer for a moment. Then, “She is…furious.”

Alicent resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “Well, of course.”

“No, she-she’s left the Keep. And…”

Alicent’s brow furrowed. “And what?”

“Plants at the Keep have started dying. And harvests are less fruitful than expected.”

That was worrying. “Plants are dying? Is she…purposefully killing them?”

Daeron shrugged. “I think it's more so that she’s not caring for them and just letting them die, at least for the mortal harvests. The plants at the Keep dying was definitely a message.”

“Oh no,” she breathed out. “The King is still standing by his decision? Even after that?”

“Apparently,” he said bitterly. They stood in silence, Alicent processing what she had just learned. It was very concerning that her mother was not taking care of crops and plants; it was something her mother had explicitly told her to never do. 

“Never let your personal feelings or an event affect how you tend to the earth. There is too much at stake to let that happen. There is a difference between punishing disrespect and negligence, and you must never cross that line.” 

Daeron sighed. “I have to go deliver some messages to my uncle. I wanted to see you first, but that's not the reason I came.”

“Of course,” Alicent hugged him again, then let go.

“I’ll come see you every time I come down here, probably about once a week,” he added.

Alicent smiled. “Would you mind taking a couple of messages for me?”

He grinned. “That’s my job,” he said cheerfully.

Alicent laughed. “Tell my friends that it’s not their fault what happened. And tell my mother that I’m alright and that I love her.”

“I’ll tell my sisters and your other friends that as soon as I get back, but I might not be able to tell you mother that.”

“Why not?” Alicent asked, concerned for her mother.

“When she left the Keep, she also hid herself from any other god,” Daeron explained. “I’m not sure where she is right now, but if I find her, I promise I’ll tell her.”

Alicent nodded. “Alright, then.”

He smiled at her. “See you soon, then?”

“See you soon.”

Chapter Text

Alerie gently rocked the little prince in her arms. He was a sweet babe and she enjoyed caring for him. It was very different from caring for Alicent or any of Aemma’s children. She also had been spending some time with the princesses, as they all loved to coo over their baby brother. All four of them were pleasant to be around, and they all reminded Alerie of Alicent in various ways. It hurt, of course, but it was also nice to remember when Alicent had been a girl.

It was frustrating for Alerie to act like an old woman and like a servant when she was neither of those things, but she managed. Perhaps the most difficult part of her whole disguise was her story. She couldn’t be too vague; that was suspicious. But she also had to be careful what she said, for she didn’t want to contradict herself in the future. Her story about something very bad happening to her and her family had warded off most people’s questions, but she wasn’t sure how long she could get away with it.

She hated all this uncertainty.

Alerie sighed and looked down at the boy’s peaceful, sleeping face. She really ought to think of some sort of reward for this family, and the city as a whole. She had toyed with several ideas, but none seemed quite right.

Lost in her thoughts, Alerie was a little startled when the nursery door opened and Queen Melessa walked in. She bowed her head briefly as the queen walked towards her. She silently opened her arms and Alerie gently passed the prince to his mother. The queen smiled down at her son, who briefly stirred, before falling back into his nap.

“He’s quite a sound sleeper,” she softly said. “Unlike some of his sisters.”

Alerie smiled. “Perhaps it is a sign of his future temperament.”

The queen laughed. “I hope so,” she mused. “Leyla and Dorna are active enough, I do not need another little terror running around.”

“I fear that is the temperament of all younger siblings.”

Queen Melessa sighed. “Then I hope you are correct in your prediction.”

“I have been before,” Alerie said, recalling how Alicent, Rhaenyra, Aegon, Helaena, Aemond, and Daeron had been as babies. She had only been incorrect in assuming what Helaena would be like, the fussy baby she had been turning into a calm, quiet girl.

“Have you had many children?” she asked curiously, before seemingly remembering what Alerie had told her earlier. Her eyes widened, but before she could say anything, Alerie answered.

“No, I have only one, but my friend has five, and I have often helped her with them when she has needed it.”

“A son or a daughter?” the queen asked.

Alerie smiled. ”A daughter. She was much the same as your son as a babe; quiet and liked to take naps.”

“Cerissa and Leyla were the same. What is your daughter’s name?”

She hesitated only for a second. “Allie.”

Alerie’s smile turned to a sad one as she thought of her daughter. Her sweet, bright daughter, now trapped in the cold, gloomy Underworld. Inwardly, she cursed the King and his brother for the millionth time.

Queen Melessa noticed her mood change. “My apologies if I have brought up…unpleasant memories,” she said quietly, watching Alerie carefully.

Alerie shook her head. “No, I just-miss her. I suppose seeing the princesses and prince has reminded me of old times.”

“My apologies,” the queen said softly, and Alerie could guess at what she thought had happened to Alicent.

“She is not dead, though she may as well be for all that I can see her,” she said bitterly.

The queen’s brow furrowed, and though Alerie knew that she probably shouldn’t be spilling this to her, she didn’t want to stop. It felt…nice, almost, to talk to someone unrelated to what had happened.

“She was taken,” she spat, “and I fear I do not know how to get her back.”

Queen Melessa seemed at a loss for words for a couple of seconds, her eyes filled with sympathy and sorrow. “I’m so sorry,” she said finally, her voice soft.

Alerie closed her eyes for a moment and swallowed. “Thank you, Your Majesty,” she replied. “And thank you for listening to me.”

“Of course,” she said, placing the prince in his cradle and walking closer to Alerie. “‘Tis nothing, really.”

“You would be surprised at how few people are willing to,” Alerie muttered.

The queen silently laid a comforting hand on her arm. Alerie let her.

…

Hours later, she sat in a chair in the nursery. It was night now, and she was taking a shift watching the prince. Since her conversation with Queen Melessa, Alerie had become even more determined to come up with the perfect reward for the royal family of Eleusis. She wanted to be generous, to do something completely new. She was already determined to become Eleusis’ patron god, but the members of House Gardener needed their own reward. Alerie looked down at the sleeping baby in his cradle, and suddenly, the perfect idea struck her.

It would cause some (well, a lot of) controversy in the Keep, but she was past caring at this point. It was the perfect reward for this family, the only idea that felt right.

Alerie picked up the prince, walked over to the gently roaring fire, and placed the babe into it.

Alicent stood in the library next to a large shelf of books, running her fingers along the spines and reading the titles. Her days had settled into something of a routine. She’d wake up, get dressed, and go out to the garden. Sometimes, she’d spend all day out there; other times, she’d go inside to either the library or her room. Spending time outside and reading weren’t the only things Alicent did, of course, but they were the main things she did.

As she stared at the books, debating which one she wanted to read next, the library door creaked open and she saw Daemon step into the library. He noticed her after a couple of seconds and bowed his head briefly.

“My lady.”

“Your Majesty.”

He grabbed a book off of a shelf, then turned back to her. He paused for a second, seemingly about to say something. He stopped himself and instead just nodded to her, turning back around and walking towards the door.

“Wait,” she blurted out. He stopped and turned around, looking at her questioningly. She drew in a breath. “If I’m going to be here for the foreseeable future, then I don’t want to only talk to three people the whole time.” She liked Doreah, Serra, and Lanna, and they were nice to talk to, but they were also her maids, and deferred to her more than she was used to. She and the gardeners could talk for hours about plants, but that was really the most conversation she had ever had with them, beyond basic pleasantries. And while she was still angry at Daemon, she had enjoyed the few conversations they had had before her kidnapping.

He looked surprised for a moment. “You wish to 

“Yes. If you wish to as well, that is,” she belatedly added the last bit.

“I would like to, yes.”

Alicent fidgeted with her hands, suddenly feeling a bit awkward. “I will be in the garden for the rest of the day, if you would like to join me when you are free.”

“I will do so then. Is in a couple of hours fine with you?” he asked, shifting on his feet a bit.

“It is.”

“Then I will see you then,” he said, shallowly bowing to her as he left.

Alicent drew in a breath after the door closed. Inviting him to the (her?) garden hadn’t necessarily been what she was intending when she opened her mouth, but…she wasn’t mad about it.

She exhaled, closing her eyes as she leaned against a bookcase. She’d just have to wait and see how their upcoming conversation went.

Chapter Text

Alerie hummed as she rocked Desmond gently. The boy was growing well, and her gift to the boy and his family was working better than she had thought it would. It had only been a few days, yet her nightly feedings of ambrosia to him and leaving him to sleep in the fireplace were already making a visible difference. He looked stronger and healthier than a normal infant of his age. Alerie could even see a faint aura starting to form around him, one that would one day be full and shimmering, that would mark him as a god. 

She was surprised at how fast the process was; she would have thought it would take longer to see the results she was getting now. Perhaps it was because she was putting so much effort into it, wanting dearly to reward the family who had treated her so kindly. 

She paused her rocking as the boy started to shift in her arms. Alerie couldn’t help but smile at that; it had been so long since she had cared for a baby, she hadn’t realized that she’d missed it much as she did. She gently shifted her hold on Desmond so that she was holding him in one arm, and summoned a small bottle full of a shimmery, golden liquid. Alerie brought the bottle to the boy’s mouth, and he drank it eagerly. After the bottle was empty, she set it on a small table, and moved the little prince so that she could burp him. She paced around the room as she patted his back gently, humming a song as she did so. After a couple of minutes, she walked over to the hearth and carefully placed the baby into it, taking care to not place him directly on the logs. Desmond cooed as the flames danced around him, occasionally brushing against him, but not burning him. Alerie sat in a chair next to the fireplace and watched as the boy’s faint aura, visible to only her eyes, grew just the tiniest bit brighter as the flames slowly burned away his mortality. 

She sighed and leaned her head back, closing her eyes. She was no closer to figuring out a way to get Alicent back. Alerie was unable to enter the Underworld, and therefore wouldn’t be able to confront Daemon until the winter solstice, if he even came up this year for the celebration. Viserys wasn’t going to listen to her. The best she could hope for was that Aemma would be able to convince him to free her daughter; though she didn’t have much hope for that. As much as she hated to admit it, she had no clue as to what she could do for her daughter.

Lost in her ruminations, Alerie didn’t hear the soft footsteps coming down the hallway, nor them stopping for a long moment at the door, nor them eventually walking away.

Melessa smiled tightly as she listened to the comments of her ladies as they looked over her son’s cradle.

“He’s so big!”

“He looks so healthy.”

“Truly a blessing for the kingdom to have such a strong, hearty prince.”

It wasn’t that they were saying anything bad or that she disagreed with them, it was-well…

It was that she did agree with them. Their complements, well-meaning though they were, reminded her that something was off. Melessa didn’t know what, and the harder she thought about it, the more confused she became. She had had four babies before her son, she knew how babies developed. And she knew that Desmond was developing faster than he should. He was young enough that he should really still be in the “helpless baby who can’t do anything” (or in her daughters’ words: boring) stage. For the most part he still was, but there were times where he did things that made her stop and think.

And that didn’t even begin to cover his appearance. He was growing rapidly, far more than any of his sisters had. He wasn’t just gaining weight, he looked older than he actually was. It was staring at her son that Melessa finally realized why the saying “glowing with health” existed.

There was something going on with her son, and Melessa was going to figure it out.

…

Melessa had come to a sudden realization. All of the weird things going on with her son had occurred after she had hired the new nurse, Desmera.

Whenever she thought about her too hard, Melessa’s head started hurting. In addition to that, there was just something off about her. She couldn’t exactly place what, there was just something. Truth be told, her hiring the old woman had been a decision she wasn’t entirely sure why she had made. It wasn’t like it was a habit of hers to hire random people to work in the palace, let alone to care for her child. But something about Desmera had made her instantly trust her. She still did trust Desmera, but she couldn’t deny that something was going on with her. Her backstory was vague, and the details (or lack thereof) about what happened to her daughter only made Melessa’s suspicions grow.

She watched from her chair as Desmera walked over to the cradle and picked Desmond up. She kept a serene smile on her face, hiding her inner turmoil. Part of her thought she was being ridiculous, Desmera had done nothing to arouse the suspicion currently swirling through the Queen’s mind. But on the other hand…even if there was truly nothing wrong, was it not better to check?

…

She stood outside of her son’s nursery door, debating what to do. She had resolved earlier to check, yes, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it for some reason.

She was being ridiculous, Melessa’s mind screamed at her. Her son was fine. She didn’t need to check on him.

But what if…

Melessa sighed. It wasn’t like it would be weird for her to check in on him briefly. He was her son, this was her house. She was the Queen. Before she could talk herself out of it, Melessa opened the door.

At first, there was nothing wrong. Everything was in order, Desmera was sitting by the fireplace, though Melessa could see her widened eyes as she saw her standing in the doorway. She was just about to say something to her and leave when she saw-

No

Her eyes had to be playing tricks on her. There was no way-

Oh gods!

A scream escaped her throat, and Melessa ran towards the fireplace and grabbed her son from the flames.

Alicent laughed at the joke Rhaenyra had just whispered in her ear through her own giggles. It was the Summer Solstice, and they were huddled in a corner of the ballroom of the Keep. They were both taking a break from the crowds, though Alicent suspected her friend was standing in a corner more for her benefit than her own exhaustion. 

“Are you ready to go back out?” Rhaenyra asked her after they had both calmed down.

“I think I’m going to go outside for a bit, and get some fresh air,” Alicent replied, 

“You mean get some peace and quiet?” Rhaenyra shot back, eyebrows raised and mouth quirked up in a smile.

Alicent grinned. “You know me.”

“Alright,” she laughed. “I’ll tell your mother if she asks.”

“Thanks,” Alicent said, hugging her briefly. She watched Rhaenyra walk back into the crowd and begin to mingle again. Alicent quietly walked along the edge of the ballroom and slipped through the door that led outside to the gardens. She walked along the garden paths until she reached a side path, then turned onto it and walked along it until she reached a bench nestled into some flower bushes. It was a place she came to often when she needed alone time. She sat down, inhaling the scent of flowers, her face turned towards the sky. The quiet really was quite nice.

She sat alone for a few minutes, then she heard soft footsteps. Alicent turned her head to see someone walking along the same path. She recognized the man after a few seconds. The Lord of the Underworld. She was a bit shocked that he was wandering through a garden. Though she supposed it could be for the same reason as her: to get some alone time. It probably would be quite shocking to go from having very little company to being in the presence of practically every god and goddess there was. Alicent sat still as he walked closer; he seemingly hadn’t noticed that she was there yet. As she debated what she should do, he noticed her presence. He looked surprised, and they just stared at each other for a moment. 

“Apologies, my lady. I hadn’t realized you were here,” Daemon said.

Alicent suddenly remembered her manners. She hastily stood up and curtsied. “It’s alright, my lord. I can leave if you wish to be alone.”

“No need. You were here first, Lady..”

“Alicent.”

“Are you Lady Alerie’s daughter?” he asked after a pause.

“Yes,” she replied.

“May I ask you why you’re out here right now?” he inquired.

Alicent shrugged. “It was just a bit much inside. May I ask why you’re out here?”

“The same, I suppose. I just needed a break.”

Alicent smiled a bit. “I must admit, this isn’t a place I would have expected you to be in,” she said, somewhat impulsively. She panicked for a moment, worried she had just offended him.

A smile tugged at his mouth. “I get that a lot. I do like nature, even if I live in the Underworld.”

Alicent felt her cheeks redden a little in embarrassment. “Right. Sorry.”

Daemon’s grin widened. “It’s fine, Lady Alicent. Though now, I must admit that I’m surprised you’re talking with me. You don’t exactly seem the kind of person to be talking to a random person, let alone me.”

She shrugged. “It’s not like you’ve done something that would make me not be open to a conversation.”

He raised an eyebrow. “I would’ve thought that the daughter of the goddess of the harvest wouldn’t want to speak to the god of the dead.”

“Life can’t exist without death. It’s foolish to pretend it doesn’t exist.”

“I would not have expected to hear such an opinion from you up here.”

“Why? It’s true, is it not?”

“That it is. I suppose it just seemed surprising.”

“I would’ve thought you’d understand, given that you’ve admitted to liking being in gardens,” she retorted, eyebrow raised and mouth curled up in a smile.

He laughed. “Point taken. Though I suppose I could say the same to you.”

“Point taken,” she echoed, chuckling a little.

Silence descended between them, though it wasn’t an awkward one. She was a bit surprised that she was enjoying their conversation; she would’ve thought that she’d be annoyed if anyone approached her while she was trying to get a breather.

Daemon opened his mouth, about to say something, but then they heard footsteps and faint voices. They turned their heads to see King Viserys and Queen Aemma walking arm in arm. Alicent felt a flash of irritation, but pushed it aside. She curtsied to the King and Queen as they stepped a bit closer, and saw Daemon bow shallowly out of the corner of her eye.

“Brother, Lady Alicent,” KIng Viserys greeted them cheerfully. “I had not expected to find the two of you together.”

Alicent stayed quiet, unsure of what to say. Daemon shrugged. “We simply ran into each other.”

The King nodded, his eyes flickering between them. “My apologies for interrupting you two, but I would like to steal my brother for a bit. Rhaenys and Corlys were asking after you.”

“Well, I suppose I can’t disappoint our dear cousin,” Daemon said dryly, before turning back to Alicent. “Good day, my lady. It was nice talking to you.”

Alicent smiled. “Good day, my lord. I enjoyed our conversation as well.”

The three of them walked away deeper into the gardens. Alicent knew that the adults of the Royal Family liked to gather in the middle of the gardens every Solstice to catch up with each other. Rhaenyra had complained to her many times about the fact that she often wasn’t invited.

Alicent sighed and sat back down on the bench. She’d give herself five more minutes, then go and find Rhaenyra and her other friends.

…

“Enjoyed your conversation with Lady Alicent, now did you?”

“Shut up.”

Alicent flopped onto her bed face-first. Her and Daemon’s conversation in the grove had gone well, if extremely stilted and awkward. She couldn’t help but be reminded of the previous times they had interacted. They’d exchanged pleasantries a handful of times, but had never really talked until the Summer Solstice party months ago. She rolled over as a thought struck her. Was that when KIng Viserys got the idea to wed them?

It had to be. She groaned. Yes, she had enjoyed that conversation and maybe she had thought about it several times afterwards, but Fates, why had he thought it was a good idea? 

Alicent groaned again, louder this time. It didn’t really matter at this point. Right now, she just had to wait for him to change his mind. In the meantime, she’d try and not make her time in the Underworld miserable and hope that her mother didn’t do anything too catastrophic.

Chapter Text

Alerie shot up from her chair as Queen Melessa ran towards the fireplace. 

No no no!

The Queen snatched Desmond from the hearth, ignoring the flames that licked her hands. She clutched the now-wailing boy to her chest and she hurriedly stood up and backed away from Alerie, fear in her eyes.

“What are you doing?!” she cried.

Alerie ignored her. “How dare you?” she seethed.

“How dare I?! How dare you!” the Queen spat.

“Look at the boy. Tell me, is he burned?” she said coldly.

“What-” Melessa exclaimed. “Of course-” she started saying as she looked down, then stopped as she saw that Desmond was unharmed, and that not even his blanket was signed. “How…”

Alerie’s disguise melted away. Her face changed from that of an old woman to one of a woman in the prime of her life. Her hair brightened from dull grey to shining auburn, crowned with a wreath of golden wheat. Her clothes transformed from simple servant's garb to fine robes, finer than the Queen’s own clothing, which were a deep, earthy green color with golden trim.

Horrified realization dawned on Melessa’s face. “The Lady of the Harvest,” she whispered, falling to her knees.

“Indeed,” she responded disdainfully.

“My sincerest apologies, my lady, I did not mean to offend you.” The words tumbled out the Queen’s mouth, clearly panicked. “Please-please do not punish my family or my kingdom for my foolish actions, I beg of you. It was all me, my lady. I’m so sorry-”

“Quiet,” she ordered. Melessa’s mouth closed immediately, her eyes wide and fearful. “I will not punish you further, nor your family or kingdom, solely because I understand a mother’s fear.” The Queen nearly collapsed with relief.

“Your punishment instead comes from your own actions. I would have made your son into a god through the flames from which you grabbed him. Now, your son will be mortal; he will be strong and healthy, more so than you or your husband or daughters, yes, but still mortal,” Alerie declared.

Melessa bowed as best she could while still kneeling. “Thank you for your mercy, my lady,” she whispered.

“Go to your husband the King and tell him what has occurred here. Tell him that I will be staying in my temple in this city for the foreseeable future, and tell him to store food for the city, and to not share that food with any other kings who may come begging. That is my mercy to the city who helped me when no one else would. Do not be intimidated by any strangers who may come here and tell you to do anything. They will be gods, trying to convince me to go back to the heavens and forget the great wrong that has been done to me. Do not fear their retribution; they will not dare anger me further. You have acted foolishly, but you and your family have treated me well, and I will repay that,” Alerie told Melessa, her voice no longer ice, but still cold and unyielding.

“Yes, my lady,” she quietly promised. Melessa looked up cautiously, then slowly stood up, bowed again to Alerie, then left the room, trying to hush her still-sobbing son.

Alerie stood still, waiting for her footsteps to fade before she collapsed into her chair.

Oh Fates, why?

She had tried to reward House Gardener, had tried to ensure that no one would walk in on her process of transforming Desmond. But Queen Melessa had walked in on her child in the fireplace and snatched him out of it, ruining the ritual. 

She was angry. She was tired. She was so very tired. She wanted her daughter back.

Alerie vanished from the palace nursery and arrived in her temple in the city. It was modest, certainly nowhere near her grandest temple. It was enough for her now, though. It would be her home for now.

Alerie was done with restraint. She had killed the plants of the Keep, but that apparently hadn’t done anything. She hadn’t been taking care of the plants on the earth, but also apparently hadn’t done anything. She had threatened that King Viserys would regret what he had done, and she was going to follow through on that.

Let’s see how the gods like it when there are no sacrifices being given to them.

Elyas stood at the edge of his field, overseeing his crops. His harvest this year hadn’t been going as well as past years. The weather had been colder and his crops weren't growing very well. He had decided to harvest his fields a little earlier this year, worried that if he waited longer, then his crops would end up dying. A lot of the other farmers in his area were doing the same. 

They had all shared their worries with each other about their harvests and the weather. Elyas was concerned about whether everyone would be able to gather enough food until the next harvest. It wasn’t just that there was less food, it was that some of it had rotted in the field. It wasn’t just that it was cold, it was that it was unseasonably cold.

What had they done to offend the gods?

Daeron hesitantly approached Lady Alerie’s temple. On one hand, she was not going to be happy that he was not bringing news that Alicent was coming back up, but on the other hand, he hoped the message from her would cheer her up.

But then again, the other message he was bringing would definitely make her angry again.

He stopped at the door of the temple and took a deep breath. “I come bearing messages, Lady Alerie,” he called out. For one long moment, the only sound was the whistling of the wind. Then, the door creaked open. Daeron slowly walked inside the temple and found Lady Alerie standing before the statue of her in the middle of the temple, her back facing him. His footsteps echoed as he walked closer.

Finally, he stopped, giving her a wide berth. There was a chill in the air, and something about Lady Alerie’s demeanor gave him pause. Daeron wasn’t sure how close he wanted to get to her, even though he had known her all his life and she had always been warm and friendly to him.

“Speak your messages,” she coldly ordered him, back still towards him.

He swallowed. “Lady Alicent says that she is alright and that she loves you.”

The chill in the air suddenly disappeared, and Lady Alerie whirled around to face him. “You have spoken to my daughter?”

“I have.”

“She looked well?”

“She did.”

“Did you see him?” she spat.

“I did.”

“With her?” she hissed, and the air started becoming cold again.

“No!” he hurried to say. “I saw them separately. Lady Alicent was in the library and…he… was in the throne room.”

She said nothing further to that, but looked pensive.

“You are allowed to enter the Underworld,” she stated. Daeron nodded, even though he knew it wasn’t a question.

“How often do you go down there?” she asked.

“Once a week,” he stated.

She thought for a moment. “I have a message for my daughter, Prince Daeron. Tell her I am glad to hear from her and that she is well, and that I love and miss her, and am doing everything I can to rescue her.”

He bowed. “I shall convey it to her as soon as I can, my lady.”

“You said you had messages. What else have you come to tell me?” Lady Alerie inquired.

Daeron’s nerves suddenly made themselves known again. He shifted on his feet before answering. “I have a message from King Viserys,” he muttered.

The air became cold again. Lady Alerie hummed.

“He apologizes for the distress he has caused you,” Daeron started, analyzing Lady Alerie’s face, which remained cold and unmoving, so unlike the woman he had always known. “He says that you have always been a valued member of the Council, and that did not intend to cause you worry.” Her eyebrow arched, but she still said nothing. He hesitated, really not wanting to say the next thing. “He says that he would like to welcome you back to the Keep whenever you wish to come back…however, he will not be undoing the marriage, as he believes it is a good match for both the Lady Alicent and his brother.” His voice had lowered to a whisper by the last few words, and he shuffled backwards a couple of steps, his wariness and fear growing by the second.

The air was now freezing; Daeron could see both his and Lady Alerie’s breaths as they exhaled. Lady Alerie’s face seemed to be carved from stone. For a minute, the only sound was their breathing.

“Tell King Viserys,” she finally said, her voice low and cold and dangerous, “that I will not be returning to the Keep anytime soon, and that no amount of apologies from him will change my mind. The only thing he can do is return my daughter to me, and that until then, the world will suffer.”

Daeron bowed silently, his voice sealed in his throat. Lady Alerie turned back around, and he quickly left the freezing temple. 

Outside wasn’t much better. In fact, it was worse.

Frost was slowly creeping along the ground, its origin clearly the temple that he had just left. The air outside was glacial, and he could see the people who were outside starting to hurry inside, shivering and huddling together. A flurry was starting to fall.

Fates save us, was the only thing he could think as he headed back to the Keep. Fates save us all.

Chapter Text

Alicent leaned back in her chair, smiling. She had been in the Underworld for almost three months now, and she was beginning to grow accustomed to it. She and Daemon had begun to spend more time together, mostly in the library or in the garden. She wasn’t sure if she’d call them friends exactly, there was still the tension from the kidnapping between them, but they did get along fairly well.

Right now, they were sitting in the garden, under a large, sprawling poplar tree. They were currently chatting about mundane topics, just asking random questions to each other.

“What do you like to do? As a hobby?” he asked.

“I like to read, pretty much everything. I also like to garden. And anything else with plants, really,” she replied.

“I should have expected that, shouldn’t I?”

Alicent laughed a little. “Probably, yes.”

“Do you have a favorite plant?”

“My favorite flower is a crocus. I don’t have much of a reason for it, I just like it the most.” “Do you just like to garden, or do you use the plants to make other things?”

“Both. I use herbs to make medicinal things, plants to make threads and dyes, and things like that,” she explained.

“Do you keep them?”

“I usually give them to other gods for them to use, but occasionally keep them. Mostly the thread and dyes to use for my own crafts.”

“What crafts?”

“Embroidery, mostly. Weaving, every so often.”

He nodded, and the conversation lulled for a moment. “What do you like to do?” she asked

“Read, as well. Take walks along the rivers of the Underworld and talk to the interesting ghosts.”

That peaked her interest. “Aren’t the rivers of the Underworld rather…dour?”

He shrugged. “Some of them, I suppose. The Acheron and Cocytus themselves aren’t very pleasant to spend time around, but the nymphs of the rivers are surprisingly good conversationalists.”

“I wouldn’t have thought that. Especially the Lethe.”

“Well, you have to get a bit used to their personalities first, and have to be patient with Lethe, but they’re all quite nice.”

“What do you count as an interesting ghost?” 

“Rulers, heroes, famous scholars, those sorts of people. Though, really, anyone who makes it to Elysium counts.”

“Can you talk to those who go to the Fields of Asphodel? Don’t they forget who they are?” Doreah, Serra, and Lanna had started to remember more, but still not much.

“You can. The longer they spend there, the more they forget, which does eventually include personal details. But most people can still remember their names and such. Some can remember more if they strongly hold on to those memories.” That was something she’d have to think more about later. It made her wonder how long ago her maids had lived.

“What about the other gods who dwell down here? I know there are a few others.”

“Oh, I talk to them too. I didn’t count them because I talk to them far more often than the rivers or ghosts.” She laughed a bit at that. Alicent hadn’t included spending time with her friends in her list, even though that was something she very much enjoyed doing, so she guessed that had been a bit of a silly question.

They were quiet for a bit after that. Alicent didn’t feel the need to fill the silence. It was rather nice.