Reina is sitting in a quiet corner of the garden, deep in thought. She is trying to understand what just happened. She is trying to comprehend the events that occurred - her mother's death, Larys' attack, Alicent's plans. It is all a lot to absorb, but she is doing her best to make sense of it all.
The sound of footsteps on the path surprises Reina and alerts her. She looks up and sees Aegon walking towards her.
He stops in front of Reina, staring at the quiet girl before he speaks. He seems like he has something he needs to say. He looks at Reina with sadness in his eyes, as if he is truly sorry about what she has been through.
"Are you okay?" Aegon asks her. His voice is soft and gentle.
Reina nods, lying. She is far from okay. Her mother's death had destroyed her completely, the thought that she had lost the only person who loved her shattered her. Made her feel numb and believe life is not worth living anymore. Not when you don't have someone by your side. Someone to love you and to love.
Aegon looks at Reina for a few seconds, observing her; her body language and facial expression give him the impression that she isn't truly okay. He knows she is lying, that she isn't feeling fine. He can tell she is hurting but she is trying to hide it.
"Have you heard about your mother's plan?" Reina asks him, breaking the silence that fell upon them.
Aegon seems somewhat surprised by Reina's question, but he nods his head to affirm.
"She wants me to marry you. To make you my wife" he says.
"Do you want it?" fear engufles Reina along with concern. She doesn't want to pressure him into something he doesn't want. At least one of them deserves to choose their significant other.
Aegon stops for a few seconds before answering. What does he want? What does he truly feel about Reina? He's not entirely sure, but he knows that there is no point in making her wait for an answer. She needs to know where she stands.
"Yes," he says, his tone is more confident now. "I'll do it. I'll marry you."
"Do not lie. You don't have to to do it. You deserve to marry whoever you want to." she reassures him.
She can see that Aegon doesn't really wants to marry her. She only hopes that he hasn't been forced into this.
Because if he was, then she would be worse then Larys, worse than her father.
"I'm not lying," he says, sounding almost angry that she doesn't believe him. He doesn't like being seen as a liar, as a dishonest man. He wants Reina to believe that he is genuine.
"I want to do this," he says softly, looking directly into her eyes.
She nods, pretending to believe his words.
Maybe they are true...maybe someone wants her, maybe someone cared enough to save her from that cursed marriage.
Maybe it was him or maybe it was his mother.
He can sense her doubt and hesitance. He doesn't like it, so he walks over to her. He puts his hands on her face, to look her in the eyes, to truly see her. He is serious.
"I mean it," Aegon says firmly.
A voice interrupts them.
Larys. At the sound of his voice Reina tenses up and pushes Aegon far from her.
She fears that he had seen the way the Prince was holding her face and now close they were.
If she would say that she isn't afraid of him, she would be totally lying.
The way he beat her on her mother's funeral day made her fear him. Made her hate him...more than she did before.
Made her want him dead...made her want to kill him. Slowly.
Aegon's facial expression darkens as he hears Larys' voice, reminding him of his violent tendencies. The fact that Larys can come as close to Reina as he did right now worries him, because he knows how much she loathes the man.
He pushes away to avoid getting in a violent confrontation with him - not that he is afraid of Larys, but he knows a fight between them is pointless.
"Leave us alone. We are talking," Aegon says to Larys. He doesn't take his eyes off Reina.
Larys stares at them and he looks furious. He is not happy to see them so close together and he finds it quite amusing that Aegon would tell him to leave.
"With my wife?" Larys asks, smirking.
"She is not your wife yet." Aegon replies, with slight irritation.
"She will be. In a few days and if I see her with another man I'll cut her hands off." he smiles wickedly at the pair.
"You best not lay a finger on her. You heard me?" Aegon gets in front of Reina, standing between the two of them.
"Haven't you heard? You aren't my betrothed anymore. I'm bound to marry Prince Aegon now." Reina says, standing up for herself.
The expression on Larys' face changes to one of shock, and then disbelief. He cannot seem to wrap his head around the idea that Reina chose to marry Aegon. His jaw is slightly dropped and his mouth is slightly open as he stares at the pair. He seems absolutely incredulous at the fact that she chose Aegon.
Aegon is watching Larys closely, seeing his every move, waiting to see how he's going to react. His eyes are hard, but he's not moving.
Suddenly, he turns around and leaves the gardens.
Meanwhile, Alicent and the King proposed their offer to Lord Tyrell, which gladly accepted.
He was happy. But not for his daughter or for how her life would become now.
But for the bigger price the Queen gave him and because someday his blood could rule the Seven Kingdoms.
--
Alicent left Marton's chambers along with the King.
Her plan has succeed. Reina's betrothal to Larys has been annulled and a new one has been made.
Her eldest son will become a husband in less than a week.
The King retired to his rooms, leaving Alicent alone in the council room.
Her father, Otto Hightower, enters the room silently.
"How did the meeting go?" he asks and Alicent flinches. His presence scaring her.
"Father...," she sighs holding a hand over her chest. "You scared me."
"Forgive me, that was not my intention. Well...did he accept?"
"He did. After I doubled the price Larys offered him. It seems his daughter's faith didn't matter to him. All he wanted was gold." she says, looking down.
"His actions can be justified. Well...I'm glad then. Reina will be pregnant in less than a month, I believe. And in less than a year, your son will have a heir. Which will strengthen his claim to the throne." Otto says, proudly.
Alicent looks at him disappointed. He is no different than Marton.
"She will not be forced into having children." Alicent demands.
"Why? What are we waiting for? The King can still name Aegon heir and we won't waste any more time." Otto replies, confused by his daughter's behaviour.
"I will not let you destroy her life too." she says, glaring at her father.
"What other life did I destroy?" he asks, getting more furious.
"Mine." she says.
"What did you say?" he asks in disbelief. How could his own daughter accuse him of destroying her life? All he wanted was for her to be happy.
"You knew what will happen if I visited the King after his wife died. You knew he will remarry...and you didn't care about what I wanted or not."
"You are talking nonsense." he tries to defend his actions.
"I am speaking the truth, father." she says firmly, looking straight into his eyes.
She isn't afraid of her father anymore. She was, when she was just a girl. But now...she realised what a person he truly is.
Now she sees him as he is.
"Alicent. I demand you to stop accusing me of such things." he says.
"Who are you to give orders to the Queen?" she bites back.
Otto looks at her...disappointed. He leaves the room, slamming the door after him.
Alicent stands there looking at the door. She finally stood up for herself.
And for now on, she won't let him control her again. And she won't let him control her daughter's and daughter's in law lives.
A/N : queen Alicent putting Otto in his place. I hate that man. I hope you liked this chapter. follow me on tiktok : tooluvv