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"in which"
if you guys are dry this chapter, im not posting the next chapter (jk or am i)
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MOMENTS AFTER Rhaenyra left the chambers, Alicent returned with Helaena resting her on her shoulder and her hand clutching her dress as she looked around with her innocent violet eyes.
Rhaenys noticed the young queen's return with her youngest daughter looking around with curious eyes. Her violet doe-eyes with her silver-gold hair, looking exactly like a Targaryen.
"Now, who is this little princess?" Rhaenys smiled, tickling Helaena's stomach as Alicent walked closer towards her. "She looks just a like Targaryen."
"It seems both of my children inherited the Targaryen looks." Alicent sighed. Her father would be proud of her for doing what he had expected of her. Even though her children looked like Targaryen, they had Hightower blood running through their veins.
Alicent came back to reality and away from her thoughts as she saw Helaena giggling at Rhaenys and held her finger, leaning towards the Targaryen princess. Rhaenys looked at Alicent for permission to hold the young child as she knew how a mother would feel with her child in other people's arms. Alicent smiled as she nodded at Rhaenys who then took Helaena into her arms.
Rhaenys grinned as she held Helaena and spoke, "It has been quite a long time since I have held a child." Rhaenys looked at Laena as she remembered her own children's childhood and them as young infants. "You never realise how fast they grow up."
Alicent laughed in agreement. "It was just yesterday that I was with child with Aegon in my stomach and now I am the mother of two young children." Although Alicent wished to say more, she chose to keep her mouth quiet. She couldn't tell Rhaenys how despite already having two children that Viserys wishes to have more only for him to neglect them.
Rhaenys really did pity Alicent. The girl got married by her fifteenth name day to man old enough to be her father and was give birth to Aegon before her sixteenth name-day. Now, she was close to her nineteenth name-day, and she already had two young children. And for that, she would forever be grateful for Alicent, and she prevent that fate from Laena's life.
"Helaena has been fed, however, Aegon is yet to have had his middle-of-the-day meal." Alicent sighed as feeding Aegon can be a bit of a challenge since he would rather do anything but be fed. He rather play with his toys, his sister or go in the garden. Anything and everything but eat his food.
Laena and Aegon walked back into the chambers and sat on the couch as Aegon leaned on Laena who had her arm wrapped around him to prevent him from falling. However, when Aegon noticed Helaena, his eyes lit up with excitement. He escaped from Laena's embrace and rush to Rhaenys and Helaena who sat opposite him.
"Muña, Lae!" Aegon exclaimed with excitement as he leaned against Rhaenys legs. Alicent laughed as she watched Aegon wiggle his way next to the space beside Rhaenys.
"I miss you!" Aegon squealed as he wrapped his arms around Helaena, being careful not to hurt her. Helaena let out a toothless grin as she leaned into Aegon's arms. "Play." Aegon demanded.
"No, egg, first you have to eat, then you can play after." Alicent instructed as she compromised with him.
"No, play now!" Aegon whined. He had no interest in eating, all he wanted to do was play with his baby sister.
"Aegon, come on." Alicent sighed at him. Alicent was given a plate filled with sweet pumpkin soup, a side of little meat, and a few apples.
"Aegon, don't you want be strong and protect Helaena?" Rhaenys questioned the boy next to her. Aegon immediately nodded his head. "For that, you have to eat and become strong."
With encouragement from Laena and Rhaenys, Aegon began to eat the food as Alicent fed him whilst he engaged with the two Velaryon's and Helaena. Alicent managed to feed him everything but the apples which was taking a bit longer.
Aegon didn't want to eat the apples, so he quickly dashed outside of the chambers. Alicent noticed and followed quickly behind him. The guards didn't notice Aegon's tiny body run past them as he ran down the long hallways and noticed guards outside one of the chambers, so he pushed on the doors. However, they were too heavy, so the guard held back from smiling and push the door open.
The room that Aegon had entered was the small council room which was occupied. Inside was Viserys who sat at the head of the table, with Daemon on his left and Corlys on his right.
"Your grace." The guard spoke, as he grabbed the three men's attention to the young boy who ran inside the room and slid under the table.
"Kepa!" Aegon smiled. Viserys subconsciously smiled at the child. It might've been the first times in moons that he had heard Aegon called him father.
"Aegon, what are you doing?" Viserys went to ask as he was confused along with the other two men. That was until he heard his wife's voice.
"Aegon, where are you? You have to finish your food." Alicent spoke out loud in the hallway.
"Seems like someone is hiding from their mother." Corlys laughed as he remembered the times Laenor would come running into his chambers where he would be working to hide from Rhaenys.
Aegon giggled showing his toothy grin as he shushed the men by pressing his finger to his lips, gesturing for them to keep their silence.
When Aegon ran out from the chambers, Alicent quickly excused herself from Laena and Rhaenys, trusting them with Helaena as she followed Aegon but lost him. In her hand were the apples that he was supposed to eat. As Alicent left the chambers, her guards followed behind her as she walked through the hallways while people looked at her strangely, unaware that the Queen was too busy looking for her naughty child.
Alicent made her way outside the council room as the King's guard told her that Aegon is inside. The guard announced her presence as she made her way inside.
Viserys gave her a smile as the men knowingly looked at her since Aegon was underneath the table. Alicent walked towards the men and stood between Viserys and Daemon.
"Your grace, it seems to me that Aegon is missing." Alicent jested. "Have you seen him?" Aegon who sat underneath the table let out a laugh as he covered his mouth causing all the people present to smile at the young one's antics.
"No, I have not seen him, my wife." Viserys replied amused.
"Have you, Prince Daemon?" Alicent questioned.
"No, I have not. Perhaps, he is in the gardens." Daemon mused as Aegon laughed once again.
"It seems to me that my little egg is hiding underneath the table." Alicent exclaimed as she kneeled on her knees and carefully pulled out from under and attacked him with tickles to his stomach. Aegon let out a scream before laughing out loud. The child's laugh sounding like music to them. It had been a while since there was this type of happiness in the Red Keep.
Rhaenys, Laena, and Helaena entered the chambers at the right moment to witness Aegon's laughter, and the pure delight on the men's faces.
"Perfect. Come join us, Rhaenys, Laena, wife." Viserys instructed them as he took Aegon from Alicent and into his arms causing Alicent to stiffen up. It wasn't that Viserys was a bad person, it's just that Viserys barely spent time with Aegon, so the young child barely recognises him as his father.
Rhaenys noticed her situation, so she passed Helaena back to her mother who happily leaned against her breast. Alicent smiled and sat beside Daemon whilst Rhaenys sat beside Corlys and Laena.
"It's good to have our family together once more." Viserys smiled as everyone was present but Laenor or Rhaenyra. However, Viserys couldn't be further from the truth. Because of his actions, he pushed away every single member on the table.
He pushed Rhaenys away by taking away her birth right which Rhaenys has gotten over, but he always treated her beneath him because of the sole fact that he was king and a male. He pushed Daemon away by never recognising his contributions as the sole reason that Viserys become king. Through his rallying and constant support which was always overlooked by Viserys in the favour of Otto. Viserys could've easily soothed things between the two by respecting them and giving them a good position on the council, but he listened to the words of Otto.
"Likewise, cousin." Rhaenys replied with her lips pursed together, not impressed by his ignorance of his own actions which were the cause of the cracks with the house of the dragon.
"I must admit, I have a few things that I must announce." Viserys spoke gathering the attention of everyone in the room. "If you accept, I would like for you, Corlys, to once again become the Master of Ships and I would like for you, Rhaenys, to join the small council meetings."
Rhaenys and Corlys both seemed shocked by the words of Viserys, as he was allowing both on the council, not just Corlys. Although they both were grateful, they knew that this was not his idea, he was simply not wise enough to think of this. However, the two accepted what was offered.
"I would also like to announce that Lord Strong was only my hand for a temporary period of time, now that Daemon is back, he shall be my hand." Viserys announced causing Daemon to look at Rhaenys with a smug look who rolled her eyes at her young cousin's antic. He may be a man, but his actions would suggest otherwise as he occasionally has the maturity of a five-year-old.
"Kepus!" Aegon clapped as he wiggled in Viserys arms, wanting to be in Daemon's arms. Viserys looked at Daemon expectantly who immediately grabbed Aegon and sat him on his lap. Viserys seemed lost in his mind as he looked at Aegon and Daemon and thought of his son, Baelon, for a moment.
Once Viserys came back to reality, they all began to talk amongst themselves as Helaena played with Alicent's necklace. She slid the plate of apples towards Aegon as she gave him a few pieces to eat. He quietly ate the apples as he leaned against Daemon's shoulder.
Daemon for a moment seemed to be lost. He looked down at Aegon and couldn't help but feel that even with Otto's blood running through the child's veins, he looked every bit of a dragon. Even Helaena, he knew from the moment he looked into her eyes. He was reminded of one of his mother's violet eye and his own. He could feel the walls of loathing and hate that he had built from all the past years break when he looked at them.
Alicent noticed drool on Aegon's face as she wiped his face with her fingers. Daemon looked at the Hightower queen. She was young, no doubt. Same age as Rhaenyra. Her eyes filled with warmth when with her children, otherwise they held alertness and distrust when looking at other.
Alicent looked up as she noticed eyes on herself. She found herself looking into violet-purple eyes of Daemon as she fiercely glared at him. He had her baby Aegon in his arms. Her Aegon, who did not like other people and only felt comfort with her. A part of Alicent believed it to be the male attention that Aegon received from Daemon which seemed to fill the hole of abandonment left by Viserys even though Aegon was young to understand that.
However, other than Viserys, Aegon had only been around Otto, who stared the kid like he was a chess piece that he could use and move whenever he wanted. No doubt that Otto believed Aegon was a pawn in his game and quest for his blood on the throne. However, Alicent wasn't going to let Aegon or any of her children to become anyone's pawns.
Daemon fought the smile that he was aching to come out as Alicent glared at him.
Maybe, Alicent had some fire in her, after all.
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LUVROBRIENO1 SPEAKS
i honestly don't know how i feel about this chapter. it was more of a filler chapter to add a bit to the storyline and characters. however, i plan to focus on alicent and daemon more next chapter as you guys have asked. so expect the unexpected.
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