Terrible.
The dinner was terrible. The non-stop spats between the king's hand and Daemon continued with barely a pause. Sure it wasn't as heated as expected since thank the seven gods Daemon was not in his nasty mood tonight. He played it safe by only snorting remarks and then Julius would reply to it about how Daemon could barely handle a realm. Though it may not be as heated as it seems but it was almost getting there, good thing the old gods worked on its humble magic to suddenly shut the two men because their talk-backs are not unnoticed by everyone and that is obviously making them feel very uncomfortable, the silence from the two had let the chatters of the Hightowers to take over the table and the dinner.
"I would most certainly agree, I would invite you to my chambers but my home is nothing compared to the princess'. I do not live in a castle, my lady." Dorcas smiled at the woman beside her. Her smile only grew more as they continued to chat with the Hightower while Rhaenyra on the other hand decides to eat in silence and just listens to his father talk.
"I do not mind at all, Lady Dorcas." Gwenyth swayed her hand in a dismissed manner
"Maybe we can do needle work on princess Rhaenyra's free time. We should invite her in, she'll join us, will you, princess?" Dorcas swiftly turned to her side with an excited smile on her lips. Rhaenyra was caught off guard at Dorcas but she returned the smile at her friend. She only nodded.
Dorcas squealed and looked back to her newly friend Gwenyth, "She said yes, lady Gwenyth. The princess would be spending her free time with us."
Gwenyth was a bit hesitant and shy so she asked, "Is it alright with the princess?"
Dorcas nodded happily, "Of course! Don't worry now, princess Rhaenyra is kind." With this, Gwenyth broke into a comfortable smile and looked back beside her brother to stick out her tongue to tease him for getting to spend some time with the princess-who-was-promised. Jafar only glared at her and continued eating his food on his plate.
Back to the elders discussing a matter across the table in front of Rhaenyra, she continued to listen. "What about the tourney, your majesty?" Otto asked beside him.
The king tilted his head and squinted his eyes. He hummed, "I almost forgot. The tournament should be held in two days. I believe the participants are all ready?" He glanced at Julius.
The man nodded, "Yes, your majesty. All are settled. I have spoken to the other councils and they have said that the Lannisters and Bohemond will be joining us for the tournament." Viserys nodded in satisfaction.
"And the Hightowers, dear husband?" Alicent asked beside him. King Viserys glanced once again to his hand, "Julius?"
Knowing what the king meant, he nodded, "Yes, your grace. The Hightower representatives will be arriving tomorrow. As well as the representatives of the house Bohemond, Velaryon and Lannister." Alicent gave him a nod with a smile in gratitude.
"Good. Tyland along with his twin Jason Lannister will be here on the day of the tournament. Along with Corlys Velaryon and Ector." The king added.
"Of course, I, will represent the house Targaryen, surely." Daemon spoke too proudly before drinking from his goblet. Rhaenyra frowned at this and decided to speak causing all heads to turn to her since she rarely talks during dinner, "But Alaric will be representing us."
Daemon glanced at the princess. He swallowed his wine before placing down his cup, "Oh, who is he? your lover?" He smirked at Rhaenyra who only shot him with dagger glares. "Princess, there is a limit of five in each house for this tournament. Your father has decided to mix all the tourney kinds this time, I wonder what has gotten into his mind. The heir's tournament, the hand's tournament to which Ser Julius will participate and then the rest of it is from the knighthood. There, your sweet Alaric belongs." He pointed towards the black haired boy who's been guarding at the corner the whole time. He clenched his jaw at Daemon since he never really liked Rhaenyra's uncle. Rhaenyra scowled at her uncle for his arrogant tone.
"And you as a woman, since you cannot step onto that field, I will be representing you as the heir." He continued. "How is it that you never know this sort of basic information? Aren't you to be a queen?" Daemon continued to snort that earned a glare from Alicent as she listened along with the other.
"I have never been really paying attention to the rules. I only watch." She shifted onto her seat, "There's plenty of time to learn, uncle." She scoffed.
His uncle only looked at her with a smug expression on his face. He raised his eyebrows for a second before picking up his goblet and sipping on it again. The look from his face only made the princess furious as she knows he wanted to say something more but chose not to blurt it. Something provoking, she knows.
"I call on my son to join the tournament, your majesty if that pleases you?" Julius spoke, placing a hand on his son's back.
The king nodded, "You have my consent. Be sure for when your son is ready, the performers do like to play rough." The king chuckled along with Caspain and Julius. He told the king that his son is well prepared and is to be expected to not disappoint the house of Targaryen.
During the day before the tourney, princess Rhaenyra and her dear friend Dorcas along with the lady Gwenyth Hightower spent the morning doing needle work. The princess found herself having and spending a good time with the Hightower. Dorcas even questioned the girl how and what it's like at their place and the woman answered with descriptions of their city and what they all mostly do there. Gwenyth has quite made an impression on the purple eyed girl to which the Hightower really thrived to stir more.
As the girls are sewing, Rhaenyra couldn't help but think about her step-mother, and since a relative of the queen is with her, her curiosity grew more making her tempted to ask about Alicent. She paused from stitching and was hesitant to look at the Hightower who was too focused on her work.
"Gwenyth, may I ask?" She spoke. The sudden tone from the silver head made the woman to stop and look at her, "Yes, princess?"
Rhaenyra thought for a moment before answering, "The queen. What is the queen like?"
Dorcas glanced at her dear friend from a moment from her peripheral vision as she continues to sew.
Gwenyth beamed a smile at the princess and then continued to get back on her work, "Oh, well, the queen is nice. She has been kind to my family, we haven't spent too much time since she lived with her husband during those times, princess. But the queen is very caring, ambitious, and kind." She paused, "But of course, the queen isn't as perfect as any man that stepped foot on this world, right, princess?" Rhaenyra gave her a small smile and nodded. "The queen could be very.. territorial or possessive of her own possession. Might include a person. She used to be one with her late husband." The girl shrugged while having her eyes focused on her work. Rhaenyra squinted her eyes at this.
Territorial?
The princess then couldn't help but wonder if she would ever come across the queen's darker side. Her mind suddenly thought about a future possibility of her step-mother and her fighting over the throne. She hasn't thought of any possible cause but just in case. The princess only forced a smile and nodded before continuing her own needle work wherein it's a thread of an almost finished Targaryen logo image.
After spending time with her dear friend Dorcas and the younger Hightower, Rhaenyra decided not to be bothered for the mean time by spending her time alone since she hasn't been getting any call that the queen is needing her presence nor assistance. The princess wandered around and found herself heading to the library, passing the council meeting room.
Once the princess had entered, she suspected that no one was inside since there wasn't much spending their time in the library other than the maestros, septa, and her, and due to the fact of how too much quiet it is. Rhaenyra wandered around the library to find a specific section. She has been finding herself reading the history of house Targaryen lately that she knew so much about now.
Alas, Rhaenyra arrived at the section she would only visit and so her eyes scanned each spine of the book, trying to look for the familiar one she used to read but her eyebrows were furrowed.
Where is it? Have I misplaced it? The princess thought. Slowly she backs away to take a better glimpse of the whole shelve. She glanced up, taking the chance of thinking that she might see the book she was looking for. And yes- she did.
Her eyebrows were raised in surprise, I can't remember putting it there. I can't even remember if I can reach that up high to place the book-
Rhaenyra sighed. If she had something else to do as an idea she would've left. But she didn't, so she's going to have to work for that book she misplaced. The princess shook her head and used her one hand to hold her dress up while the other was to reach up high for the book.
It was only just a few inches away from the princess' fingers so then Rhaenyra tried to hop. Embarrassed when she landed on her feet. She paused for a moment before hopping again as she tried to grab the book and again, she landed on her tip toes as the sound of the thud when her feet make contact with the surface embarrasses her. "For the love of gods-" She muttered between her sigh. When the silver head girl was once again about to hop, she felt a body making contact on her back. The person's front had to touch Rhaenyra's back body for a second. She felt the presence hover at her causing her to gasp and turn around in fear. The shock made her widened her eyes, making her purple orbs more shown. Her heart slowed down from the rapid hammering when she saw who it was, it slowed down but yet it thumped abnormally. Still way too fast for her liking.
The person's hand that was hovering on top of the princess landed with the book she was reaching for while their eyes landed on the princess. "A-Alice- your grace." She quickly corrected herself as she and the queen locked eyes together.
"Princess Rhaenyra." The queen only replied. Rhaenyra's breathing was heavy, so it was shown how her chest rises up and falls drastically. There was a moment of silence while the princess tried to make an attempt to calm her poor heart down at the sudden shock. "What are you... doing here?" She panted, avoiding eye contact considering how close they are. Too close.
"I came here to read. Clearly, because I grabbed a book myself." Alicent spoke so formally, but Rhaenyra didn't know if the queen was nervous or just really acting like how she is or maybe pretending that she's alright because if she is- then the princess would've admitted that she's doing a pretty decent job at it. Rhaenyra's eyes landed on the book that her step-mother was holding.
"That's my book." The princess said, not tearing her eyes away from it.
"You read?" Alicent rose an eyebrow. Rhaenyra ignored this question and averted her eyes towards the queen, "That was the one I was grabbing."
Alicent backed away and sighed, "I got it first."
Rhaenyra's face backed in offense with her eyebrows furrowed, "I was reaching for it."
"But I got it first." The queen replied in a monotone. Rhaenyra found this behavior undeniably ridiculous so she shook her head, "That's the only book I read here."
Alicent inhaled deeply, "I have been reading it for a week now."
"And I have been reading that for months. I would like to have it back. Your grace." She caught up with the title in curtsy for respect in a second but in a hard tone, after she realized who she was talking to.
"You have been reading for months while I have just only begun. You do not mind sharing the knowledge with me, don't you, Rhaenyra?" The queen tilted her head to the side, eyeing her step-daughter softly with a frown. Rhaenyra was left astounded, her lips parted in disbelief. She gave her queen a moment of stare before shaking her head and attempting to walk past her, but before she knows, the queen had grasped her wrist, preventing her from walking away.
Alicent immediately loosened her grip from the princess when the silver head took a look at it with the frown that never left, "We..we can share." The queen nervously spoke, making Rhaenyra to meet her eyes. The princess did not know what was going on inside the queen's mind, but one thing for sure- is that the queen has some sorting out to do inside her head.
"Share?"
The Hightower discarded her hand from the princess, as if the teen had a disease to infect her. She awkwardly held her arms together just at the front of her stomach. She avoided eye contact, "Yes, we may if it pleases you." A long pause. "I would like to spend some time with my daughter and get to know her better as much as possible since I would be living here now, shall I not?" Alicent's nerves only grew more anxious by the way that she felt the princess was looking at her. She knew in the mind of the princess- the girl thought that she was being absurd. But as the queen, she must not let her ego and confidence down just because her step-daughter is making her worriedly anxious.