Game of Survival

Chapter 4

Alicent was awakened by giggles and the shaking of her bed. A smile bloomed on her lips before she even opened her eyes as her children called for her to awaken. The woman sat up in the bed and raised her arms to welcome them. They fell into her embrace, all four of them huddling close to her warm body. The nursemaid must have helped Helaena down from her cradle and brought her to the bed chamber. Alicent glanced out of the large windows that stood on the far side of her room. They faced the east and provided Alicent with a clear view of the horizon over Blackwater Bay. The sun had yet to rise completely, and Alicent could only see a hint of the golden rays as they appeared from over the water. The mist that hung over the Blackwater had only just begun to clear away, and soon, the lonely bay would be filled with the laughter of the smallfolk as they lounged by the shore. But now, in the early hours of the morning, it stood still and silent, undisturbed and peaceful.

 Her children had evidently been awake before dawn, and Alicent could not hide her surprise at this feat, for this was nothing short of a miracle. Aegon and Visenya were usually late to bed, late to rise, and absolute nightmares to awaken in the morning. The maids often had to use tactics of persuasion, usually involving sweets, to rouse the children from their sleep if the queen was not available. Rhaenys was much easier to awaken, but that did not mean that the girl enjoyed leaving her bed any more than her brother and sister did. Helaena was, surprisingly, the easiest to deal with. The little girl was often awake when Alicent or the maid arrived. She was content to babble away until someone came to feed and dress her.

“Good morrow, my little dragons. You are awake very early today. You usually do not rise until the sun has graced the sky.”

Visenya giggled at her mother, “Mama, you couldn’t have forgotten. Today is the day that Uncle Daemon teaches Aegon and me to use a sword in the training yard. He said that we have to come early because real soldiers begin training before the sun is up. We don’t want to be late!”

Alicent struggled to keep the smile on her face at Visenya’s reminder, though her lips begged to form a frown of displeasure. She had hoped that the children would forget the promised lesson, but the woman should have known that it was wishful thinking. Aegon had wanted to be a knight since he knew what a knight was, and Visenya had been fascinated with swords since the age of four, much to the worry of her mother. Alicent was still unsure about having her children begin training while they were still so young, but she knew that she could not protest the lessons. Viserys had arranged them himself, and she could not disobey the words of the king. Alicent was the queen, but the Hightower was well aware that it did not give her leave to override her husband’s decisions. Moreover, it would not do to upset Daemon by refusing to let the children learn from him. It would be an insult to the prince, and Alicent did not want to offend him. It was better and much safer to be in Daemon’s good graces than to be the subject of his ire. She had heard all too often of the fate of the people unfortunate enough to cross the prince when he was in a particularly foul mood. Most of them ended up bloody and limp, dragged away by other men when the prince had left. Her only consolation was that Rhaenys had decided not to partake in the lessons. Well, the sword lessons that is. Instead of steel, the girl had developed an interest in the bow and arrow and would be receiving instruction in archery later in the day. Alicent rose from her bed and took the hands of her children, leading them back to their rooms to prepare them for the day. For once, there was no struggle to get the little ones into their clothes, and even the ever-rebellious Visenya was alarmingly obedient when the maids helped her into her breeches and tunic. 

The castle was alive with the hum of laughter and conversation as the maids went about completing their duties and preparing the meals for the nobility. The servants parted and bowed as soon as they saw the Queen and her children, and Alicent made sure to respond to the majority of their greetings or smile when she could not. It was something her father had taught her in the early days of court.