𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 | 𝐚𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐲𝐞𝐧.

𝐈𝐗. 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐌𝐈𝐓

«Sometimes I enjoy imagining how surprised everyone would be, when I will finally show my true colours to them. Astonishment, betrayal, perhaps, admiration, even. I think about it often. Sometimes to amuse my ego—remind myself how much I went through to achieve all this—and in others I like to think about it as liberation. Though, I understand, even with shedding my skin, even by letting them know what kind of person I am, the layer of my true personality would always be hidden from others. Because...»

— From Drusilla Tyrell's diary.

•

'Are you okay, Alicent?'

Is she?

Alicent sighs, stopping fidgeting nervously. She doesn't need to turn around to know that it is Drusilla. Either because no one else cares about her enough to ask such questions beyond Aemond or simply because no one calls her by name anymore. She does both. What a charming, majestic girl she is.

'I will be,' she answers in the most honest way she can. 'Did you come to pray?'

Drusilla steps closer, stopping on her left side. She looks more tired than usual, and Alicent can't help but wonder how her talk with Aegon went after all. Most likely nothing happened—or she would say something to her, right? Or to Aemond?—yet Alicent worries. She can't say why she didn't warn her. She really can't.

It is like this most of the time with her. Sometimes, when she knows that she can help and change someone's life for the better - she doesn't. Instead, Alicent plays the worst possible cards she has. And if it blows up, she blames herself.

'Yes and no. I was worried about you.'

How sweet.

She shouldn't.

'May I ask you the question, Drusilla?'

Lady Tyrell nods.

Alicent clenches her teeth.

She wants to ask about yesterday. About everything, actually. About how and why Drusilla chose to stay silent about what she saw. Or how could she be okay with what is going on in this house. Or even how Aegon acted. And most likely how Drusilla is not disgusted by who she is after hearing what Larys Strong had done to her. But Alicent ends up blurting the question that actually never even bothered her enough to be asked.

'Do you really... Like Aemond?' She doesn't say love, because it is a rare thing - to marry someone you truly love in those days. 'Do you really think he is the man that can make you happy?'

Drusilla looks surprised by this question.

'I like your son very much, actually.' There is a slight pause between her words as she continues. 'Not only because he is handsome or smart. Though, he is.'

Alicent snickers.

Not many people consider Aemond to be handsome. Not with this horrendous scar of his, and eyepatch. To be quite frank, if Alicent wasn't his mother, he would never choose herself a fiancée with such a... Quirk. It must sound horrendously two-faced from her, but as someone who took care of him, someone who knows how much it hurts - not having an eye, dealing with pain - Alicent couldn't bring herself to watch it again. She has enough of taking care of mens' pain. Viserys is a little bit too much for her liking, after all.

'I like him, because he cares. He cares about his family. And he tries to care about me as well.'

'Yes, Aemond is a very caring boy... But it doesn't necessarily mean that he will make you happy, does it?'