Later on in the afternoon, after lessons had ended with Septa Mallow, Alicent sits in the Godswood against the white trunk of the ancient weirwood tree which is in full spring bloom.
The sun filters through red leaves as large as hands. The tree's carved red face seems to stare down at Alicent, while the cool wind blew her aurburn hair gently.
Softly she brushed her hair behind her ears and smiled sweetly, remembering what she saw last night. Her crush was indescribable.
Alicent sat alone thinking of Geralt for a while, until her mind drifted to her mother's necklace, which she doesn't think she would recover, yet it was giving her anxiety.
"I need to go to the courtyard later, maybe it fell there while I ran yesterday." She sighs looking up to the weirwood tree for a while.
Rheanyra comes out from the doorway leading into the Godswood where she sees her best friend looking up lost in thoughts.
Rheanyra proceeds in with a bright smile on her face. "I knew I'd find you here reading." She concurs while approaching the aurburn haired under the tree.
Alicent jerks, "Rheanyra!" She whimpers, then smiles wholeheartedly.
"Are you alright? I walked in and it seemed like you were lost in thoughts,, is something the matter?" Rheanyra questioned as she sat down beside Alicent staring at her face.
Alicent pursed her lips. "It's nothing, I'm just thinking of Septa Mallow's forth coming test." She lied.
Rheanyra hisses. "I don't think I'm doing any of that." She says bluntly.
Alicent creased her brow surprised at her words. "You're joking right? This is Septa Mallow were talking about, our teacher. She won't be linient with you Rheanyra. The test is a form to know if we've been studying." Alicent reminds her.
Princess Rhaenyra didn't care, she just lies with her head in Alicent's laps unborthered.
"Then I think I'll fail, I haven't been studying these days." She confesses with a sigh.
Alicent deadpans. "Ofcourse you haven't, you've been flying around on Syrax since your brother returned."
Rheanyra's face crept in a smile. "More reason why I'm not doing any test, it's boring, I enjoy being with Geralt, than be in Septa Mallow's class." She sincerely says.
Alicent lips gently etched in a little smile, trying to hide the blush from her cheek after hearing Geralt's name.
Her mind drifted back to when she watched him last night training at the courtyard, the memory still lingered in her thoughts, the motion he swinged his sword, his stance and stamina, even when their eyes met and she ran away, very embrassing, Alicent just hoped he didn't recognize her.
"You won't even believe what that stupid blondy is up to." Rheanyra murmurs distastefully, snapping Alicent out of her thoughts.
"What?"
"Penelope Beesbury... that penniless whore." Rheanyra hissed.
"Rheanyra, you shouldn't call her that." Alicent warns her.
"Why not! did you notice how cheap she is?"
"For talking to your brother? There's no harm in it." Alicent shrugs as Rheanyra looks up to meet her gaze.
"Your brother is an adult Rheanyra you can't stop him from doing what he wants especially who he talks to...... Except if you're jealous." Alicent added cautiously, Rheanyra still held her gaze, slightly annoyed.
"I'm not jealous, I just don't trust Penelope, and not only is she throwing herself at Geralt, she's also shooting shots at Legolas." Rheanyra says with impunity.
"Your cousin as well? That's unladylike." Alicent furrowed her brows.
"Very low of her, chasing after two men at the same time, creep. Lord Beesbury must be proud of his fat granddaughter." Rheanyra says cheekily.
"Now you're body shaming her." Alicent says displeased.
Rheanyra denies "Ofcourse not. Penelope is not fat, she's... Thick."
"If you say so, maybe she's just being friends with your brother and cousin, they seem fine with her." Alicent assumes.
"I disagree, Penelope is a snake, she want to have a taste of both."
"Taste? taste of what?" Alicent looks down at Rheanyra's head confused.
Rheanyra looks up at her for a while. "What's in between their legs." She whispers.
Alicent exclaims. "Rheanyra!"
"What? It's true, have you heard Lily, Clara and Edwina talking dirty before? Those girls are corrupt to the core and they're just fourteen like me and you yet they seem to know all the gossips in the Red Keep."
Alicent feigns. "Oh, I didn't know that. Are they corrupt?"
Rheanyra scoffs. "Trust me when I tell you that one of my handmaids told me Edwina was gossiping with Clara and Lily about Princess Yennefer Martell. They were questioning her virtue."
Alicent blinks and feigns. "That's outrightly defamation of character."
"She even said she's sure my brother took her maidenhead and she'll gladly give him hers to Geralt if he ever requested it." Rheanyra says angrily.
Alicent feigns. "That's so improper of her, I hope she knows it's treason to talk about your brother like that."
"Not only improper, she's a whore, they're all whores just like their fat leader Penelope." Rheanyra spat.
Alicent sighs. "I thought you use like Penelope, I didn't know you hate her this much."
"So far as she's trying to get close to my brother, I hate her." Rheanyra admits. Alicent blinks confused.
"But you know your brother will marry one day." Alicent reminds her as Rheanyra caught her gaze again.
"If my brother were to marry, he should marry someone who's in the same status as him, not some peasant without dignity or pride." Rheanyra says in a condescending tone.
"Are you saying no girl is good match for your brother? Talkess of marrying him?" Alicent asked frantically, eager to hear her best friend's answer.
Rheanyra "My brother has high expectations when it comes to women, I haven't seen anyone worthy of that position not even a maiden at my father's court." She hoarsely says picking up a dry leaf, gently tearing it apart.
Instantly Alicent felt a little pang in her heart, she just stays quiet in wonder, thinking how her best friend could arrive at such conclusions in regards Geralt.
If Rheanyra thinks no maiden at court is worthy of being Geralt's wife, does that mean she's referring to her as well? She thought.
Yet still, that will not stop Alicent from falling for Geralt Targaryen. Even if they lived apart in the Red Keep, it wouldn't stop her from admiring him nor crush on him.
Geralt is a Prince, even though he's not the heir, he's a perfect, strong, reserved and unique and even if she has to conseal her feeling, she will, so as not to lose Rheanyra.
Alicent clears her throat. "I think we should stop discussing about your brother and revise for the test." She says unease, trying to hide her disappoinment in her tone.
"Alright then." Rheanyra sighs resting her head in Alicent's laps comfortably, while Alicent reads a hard-bound, illuminated manuscript.
Rhaenyra plays with a small dagger of dragonglass.
"The story from our previous class. Did you read it?" Alicent questioned as Rheanyra stared up to the sky in-between the weirwood tree, not paying attention.
"Of course I read it." Rheanyra answered, even though political stories bored her.
Alicent stares at her dubiously. She knows Rheanyra so well and decides to tests her.
"When Princess Nymeria arrived in Dorne, who did she take to husband?"
"A man." Rheanyra replies, looking bored.
"What was his name?" Alicent furthely questioned.
"Lord Something."
"If you answer with 'Lord Something', Septa Marlow will be furious."
"She's funny when she's furious." Rheanyra tells her as they both smirk.
"You're not taking this thing serious Rheanyra." Alicent scolds her.
"Ofcourse I am, you're asking questions and I'm answering them." Rheanyra replies.
Alicent closes her book. The cuticles on her fingers are all picked and bitten, a nervous habit of hers whenever she was upset or driven to anxiety, especially now that she misplaced her mother's necklace.
Rheanyra just rested quietly.
"You are always like this when you're worried. " Alicent sighs remarkably.
"Like what?" Rheanyra stares up at her.
"Disagreeable" Alicent says as Rheanyra makes a face, slightly a bit annoyed.
"Now that your brother has returned home and the your mother would soon have another baby, you're worried your father is about to overshadow you with another sibling."
Rhaenyra dismisses the precept that she's bothered by this.
"I only worry for my mother. I hope for my father that he gets a son. For as long as I can recall, it's all he's ever wanted. And with the return of Geralt, he still obviously wants a son, an heir." Rheanyra tells her honestly.
"And do you want him to have another son?" Alicent asked.
Rheanyra sighs and stays quiet.
"But you have Geralt... I mean your brother, you have your brother, isn't that enough?" Alicent questioned frantically.
"I want to fly with you on dragonback, see the great wonders across the Narrow Sea, and eat only cake." Rheanyra tells her.
"I'm being serious Rheanyra."
"I never jest about cake, trust me it something I enjoy as my forte, eating cake." Rheanyra assures her.
"You aren't worried about your position?" Alicent questioned but Rheanyra feels reluctant.
"I like this position. It's quite comfortable." Rheanyra mused, adjusting properly to the ground, and smiles up at Alicent from her lap.
Alicent rolls her eyes and wrests herself out from beneath Rhaenyra, as her head dropped to the ground. The Hightower girl stands to her feel.
Rhaenyra sits up in the grass. "Where are you going?
"Home. The hour has grown late." Alicent replies stubbornly, she is frustrated with Rhaenyra; she's not being serious.
"Princess Nymeria led her Rhoynar across the Narrow Sea on ten thousand ships to flee their Valyrian pursuers." Rheanyra began, as she got up. Alicent stares at her bewildered and opens the hard-bound, illuminated manuscript, flipping through the pages till she got to the story.
"She took Lord Mors Martell of Dorne to husband and burned her own fleet off Sunspear to show her people that they were finished running." Rheanyra says before she tears a page from the book, horrifying Alicent.
The Illuminated Page depicts an illustration of Nymeria watching the Rhoynar fleet burn off the coast of Dorne.
"What are you doing!" Alicent questioned, mouth agape as Rheanyra handed the torn parchment to her.
"So you remember." The princess says brazenly.
"If-if Septa Marlow sees that book....." Alicent slightly panics.
Rheanyra scoffs. "Fuck the Septa!"
"Rhaenyra!" Alicent exclaims.
But the princess only laughs, before her best friend joins her. They both laugh as they exit the Godswood into the Red Keep, taking some short cuts then arriving at the ground floor.
The palace was trooped in back and forth with servants, maids, stewards, squires all moving hither and thither on errands while lords and ladys flanked the corners of the Red Keep talking.
Rheanyra and Alicent were chatting on, when her protector Ser Harrold comes to deliver a message from the Queen.
"I'd advise you go to her, she needs you now more than ever, the baby is close." Alicent tells the princess with a sincere glare.
Rheanyra sighs and bids her goodbye as the knight escorted her to the Queen's apartments.
After watching her best friend ascend the stairs, Alicent looks around with the manuscript on her chest, takes it as an opportunity to go the courtyard to search for her mother's necklace.
••••••••
Prince Geralt had soon arrive from Castellan boarders with Legolas and they found no trace of the striga, it seemed to have disappeared beside the crepts of Harenhall as it had been sighted weeks ago.
Neighbors around the perimeter stated it had butchered many people and that Lord Foltest wouldn't let anyone into his former castle because he deserted the house with his households and found refuge in another castle ten achers farthest from Lord Strong's Harenhall.
Devasted, Geralt searched the area and found out the striga only removed it prey's heart and lungs before dissecting the corpses, since it was no where no be found, he retired back to DragonPits with Legolas as they rode on their dragons, but Geralt knew he had to find a way to get to Lord Foltest to kill this creature, before this striga reaches King's Landing
However that would be later, both Targaryen young men were presently training at the court yard with other knights and men-at-arms in their stations.
Alicent comes into the busy courtyard, it was still midday at the third hour, some knights curtly bows in greeting as she passed, to which she reciprocated. She took to pace on her footsteps as she walked past the men training vigorously.
She could hear the shouts, grunts, splintering swords and clashes of blades and fiercely hits on shields at all cardinals.
Quietly and gentle, she avoids brushing shoulders with anyone until she approaches the grounds directly facing the upper balcony were she stood last night.
She begins to look hither and thither, searching the grounds for her mother's necklace frantically.
Meanwhile Geralt and Legolas were clashing swords at each, sweating as they trained in their stations while some knights watched.
It was merciless and brutal, both Targaryen men fought like they were gladiators. With Legolas keen eyesight, he vividly blocks Geralt's attacks.
The Prince also was enjoying the moments as he clashed swords with his cousin. Geralt is aware Legolas likes bows and arrows more than swords but he is quite surprised the Velaryon is skilled at both.
Panting heavily, Geralt shot Legolas a serious glare.
"If we continue to cross swords." Geralt warns in a cold tone.
Legolas chuckles deeply. "I don't think I want to stop." He smiles as he attacks Geralt as their swords hissed and clash. It seem to get dangerous but none of them was getting hurt.
To the point were they both cross blades, gazing at each other daringly, eyes of yellow-gold to orbs of blue, grunting as they held their grounds.
Legolas sharp eyes, swiftly sights the Hand's daughter at the extreme end.
"Alicent." He says, surprised to see her.
Geralt follows his gaze as he sighted the aurburn haired girl from the other night peering on the ground while he held his stance with Legolas.
"Now I think we should take a break." Legolas says as Geralt looks back at him mockingly.
"You don't look tired to me." Geralt peers at him as Legolas broke the fight.
"It doesn't have to be inscribed on my forehead for you to notice." Legolas breezily replies, panting as he went to drink some water at a stand were servants stood in service to Geralt.
Panting, wiping his forehead, Geralt turns to Alicent's direction and swinged his sword, wiping away the sweats on the blade.
He took his time to study her before striding on to meet her.
"Careful cousin." Legolas calls him.
Geralt halts and turns to his direction.
"The Hightowers don't play with their flowers." Panting, Legolas shot him a knowing look, hoping he understood the adage before drinking more water.
Geralt somewhat ignores him walking on as the wind brushed his silver white hair while he approaches the aurburn haired Lady.
Frustrated, Alicent was still busy searching for mother's necklace, she hoped it was here somewhere but nothing surfaced.
"Where could it have dropped if not here." She mutters to herself as she continues looking.
Geralt finally got to where she stood and stopped five inches away, he inclined his head left and right, analysing and scrutinizing the figure of Alicent Hightower.
He noticed her figure through her peach gown, her slender body, he could see the dainty jewelery dangling in her ears and wrists against her smooth fair skin, her long curly auburn hair fell gracefully behind her back and her smell.
Vanilla.
He could perceived it, exactly as it smelt from last night. He watched Alicent for a moment, seeing how she was peering on the ground like a thief.
He smirks and strikes up a conversation from behind.
"It appears you seem to have lost something my Lady." He began, staring at her back.
Alicent sighs.
"Yes....ser, I'm looking for an important emblem, I think I must have mistakenly dropped it." Alicent breezily replies, searching the grounds, while she gently put a hair behind her ears.
Geralt smirks even harder. "Mistakenly." He mutters underneath his breath.
"What kind of emblem?" He asked, feigning.
Alicent shook her head.
"My mother's necklace, very important piece, I think it rather fell here or somewhere if I recall." She counters.
Geralt paused and watched her for a while.
"Then I must believe there are laws for consequences staying out at the hour of the owl, should it not?..... Lady Alicent." Geralt says modestly, enunciating her name.
Alicent stood straight and paused, confused, she tries to comprehend the statement, furrowing her brows, slowly she turns to meet the striking look of Prince Geralt Targaryen.
****
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