"Alicent, walk with me." King Viserys smiled at her on his throne once she's arrived.
His wife smiled at him and nodded, "Very well. let's get moving, dear husband."
He walked his way down from the stairs and they headed their way off side by side to the exit of the throne hall.
Both found themselves at the garden, stepping their way in. "I never got to ask.." The king spoke, Alicent turned her head to look at him, "How was the day at the dragonpit with Rhaenyra?" He questioned.
Alicent's delightful remembrance turned into something dreadful, knowing that it was just all just a part of Rhaenyra's plan to manipulate her into thinking they're as okay as they could be. She remembers the genuine smile off of Rhaenyra when they were talking while Syrax in their presence. The jest she said before the princess had gone away. Til this day she wonders why the targaryen princess had walked away all of a sudden. Why she had attempted to leave them without a word. It buggers her mind that it's actually starting to get inconvenient.
She sighed, "It was well. I had the opportunity to soothe Syrax' scales, it was interesting. To much of my surprise, she and the dragon have a great bond, my king." She faked a smile as they continued to stroll
Viserys nodded with a grin, "They do. Their communication and interaction never fails to surprise me whenever I get the chance to witness it myself." He chuckled. He took a pause before asking once more, "Say, has she been handy for the past few days?"
Alicent thought for a moment, thinking whether to mention some of the silver head's ill-mannered behavior, but the queen thought that it might lead to one and another, causing a collateral damage to the both of them.
The queen decided to shake her head, "She's been surprisingly well behaved. She was in her best behavior, sweet husband." Lie.
The king raised his eyebrows in joy and amusement, "So she hasn't been any trouble for you, nor a discomfort?"
Alicent once again shook her head, "No. She and I had a great time despite my duties in the city." Another lie.
Alicent looked away hastily, afraid that if she and her husband would hold the eye contact- then her lies would be identified. The king paid no attention to it at all, seeming to buy her falsehood without any problem nor suspicion.
The king stopped on his track, gently placing a hand on Alicent's arm causing the queen to standstill. "What's wrong?" she asked in concern, but Viserys shook his head.
"Alicent.." he started. The long pause had made the queen nervous of his next words. Scared of having her and Rhaenyra's scandalous actions be heard from his mouth. "You have been nothing but a tranquil wife and understanding.. It cannot be denied that you are such a sight to the eyes as well." Alicent was growing suspicious of where his directions of words are going.
"The court admires you for your frame of mind, as do I. You are a beautiful woman, A queen.. One that deserves and would be perfect to produce of her another." He finished. Alicent's lips went agape as she realized what he meant. Her body loses its composure while she stares into his eyes with desolation painted in her orbs. She quickly fixes her self and closes her mouth before responding, "Your words have moved me deeply, my sweet husband. But to be crystal clear, you're asking for an heir, correct?"
Viserys didn't know how to respond to this so he started nodding sheepishly, "Yes."
Alicent's breath hitched at the confirmation. She slowly and gently looked away while holding both of her hands to her front stomach, rubbing by her thumb in anxiousness. It took her a while that the king had began to furrow his eyebrows towards the woman, about to ask if it's alright with her but Alicent had already spoken, "I suppose.." She paused, trying to find the right words, "I suppose for me there is nothing wrong with it but- Isn't princess Rhaenyra your heir?" She said.
Viserys' mouth parted slightly, his eyes averting to somewhere else while he thinks. The king sighed beside her, "I will talk to her soon once ready. The council and I had decided that 'what more is the purpose of the queen if she could not produce her man an heir?'"
Alicent's heart shrunk slightly in offense to be taking those belittling words to simply describe her role in the kingdom. An heir producer. Surely, Viserys didn't mean to imply it that way, but having the lack of emotional intelligence, he surely could have not said it in any better ways to lessen the queen's offended feeling.
Alicent inhaled deeply, "Rhaenyra would be very upset." She said. Not only as an excuse but knowing that the princess would really be. And seeing how the girl handles her negative emotions, Alicent could assume worse reactions from the princess once she finds out about it. The queen knew that she holds a dear feeling towards Rhaenyra- even though she's unsure of what it means. But the feelings of the princess concerns her just as well.
"I will handle her. I plan to try and make the soon born son an heir after Rhaenyra, that would be all. I don't intend to take the vow she and I made after being announced as heir of mine." The king explained before they both had decided to continue their stroll again.
Alicent exhaled, before nodding, still battling with her mind. "I pray it goes well once you'll finally tell her." The king nodded at her before smiling hesitantly.
He smiled with deep concern behind it, as he too admits to himself of how it'll be quite handful to open this to his daughter.
"I have missed you!" Dorcas gasped as she indulged the princess' embrace, standing all alone with Rhaenyra below the godswood tree.
"So do I," Rhaenyra hummed before rubbing Dorcas' back and pulling away and holding both of each other's hands. "How have you been, sweet dove?" Rhaenyra placed an adoring little smile on her face as she watches Dorcas react to her nickname. The blonde's smile widened at the sound of it.
"Not so good without the princess," she placed a playful smirk before giggling. "I have found myself being in Lady Gwenyth's presence lately, princess. She and Jafar." She informed. Rhaenyra raised her eyebrows, "Really?"
Dorcas nodded eagerly, "She's a fine young woman and she's very curious about most things– Jafar only asks about you though. He's been mumbling how he should've gone with you and the queen at the Oldtown. Whenever Lady Gwenyth would tease her why, he'd make an excuse of catching up with his sword training with Ser Fredrick because he skipped lessons– when in reality, he just wanted to be with the princess Rhaenyra Targaryen." Dorcas laughed lightly with Rhaenyra who scoffed with a giggle.
"Quit making fun of Lord Jafar, Dorcas. That poor man." Both smiled in the end until for a long silence to surround them.
Dorcas sighed in relief while staring into the princess' purple eyes, "How are you and the queen?"
The question she dreads the most. How is she and the queen? How is she and Alicent? Why?
Why must they be so curious of how she and her mother are doing?
In reality, if she and Alicent hadn't done something so sinful– she wouldn't mind that question. However, she fails to blame her dear dove for asking. She had brought her this information and she's her friend after all.
Rhaenyra felt very bewildered on the subject of her feelings towards Alicent. She's her step-mother for the gods sake— such a sinful and unforgivable act should be punishable by death— and as so they are.
Rhaenyra didn't know how to reply for a second until she tried to fake her friend a smile, "Good.." She wanted to slap herself mentally for not being able to add anything else. Dorcas, being a friend of hers since 13 years, has mastered to know Rhaenyra's lies and truths of telling. It's not that hard for her especially this time that the princess had barely uttered a word. She was concernedly frowning, "Are you certain?"
The princess nodded to give her assurance but the blonde was clearly not having it. She gave Rhaenyra a shot of death glare, "Why must you lie to me, Rhaenyra?" She asked in a stiff tone. Rhaenyra knew that the blonde gets very serious especially when she uses her whole name in that way. Rhaenyra sighed as she maintained eye contact with Dorcas, "It's just.." She paused, having a hard time composing her words, "She's just perplexing." She shook her head and looked away.
"Perplexing? What do you mean?" Dorcas searched for her eyes.
Rhaenyra sighed once again in frustration. Not to Dorcas but to herself by reason of not knowing how to say it to her friend. And she shall not.
She shook her head once more and met the brown orbs, "She just is, alright? She confuses me– and don't even think about asking again, because I'll say it when I'm ready. Do you understand?" She raised her hand up in a warning tone with a warning glare to Dorcas who was about to say something in the middle of Rhaenyra's sentence.
Dorcas' mouth was left agape, and her eyebrows remained furrowed. She closed it before nodding, the struggle of trying to understand the princess didn't go unnoticed, but the silver head chose to ignore it. She heard Dorcas sighed so in return, the princess ran her palm on the side of Dorcas' head to soothe her.
"I promise you, dear sister. When the time is right." She smiled sadly with her friend.
"I thought I'd find you here." The two women heard a manly voice that caused them to look in its direction.
"Ser Alaric," Rhaenyra's sad smile turned into a much genuine one. She had let go of Dorcas' hand and faced him. The boy approached them with a smile.
"Hello, princess. How have you been?" He asked.
"Good. How's your leg, Ser?" She glanced at the man's leg that's covered by metal boots due to his armor.
He too looked down to his leg, he chuckled, "It healed, princess. As you can see, I'm stable now. Back as the second commander of the knighthood that Caspain had stolen from me." He mutttered the last words causing the Rhaenyra to chuckle.
"I'm glad it wasn't as bad."
"Oh, it was bad. It did hurt but I have a high pain tolerance." He winked at Rhaenyra who looked at him ridiculously before laughing.
"Since when have you been so full of it, Ser Alaric?" She teased that made the boy grin. Dorcas watched in awe, she smiled at the sight and interaction of the two like a proud mother.
"My king, yes it is indeed unforgivable to break a vow but- you have a queen now. When the queen Alicent has given you a son then it is declared as the new heir." Julius spoke on his seat while the rest of the council members listened.
Viserys sighed on his foot, debating for a moment and taking his time to take in all his possible situations in the future. "I trust this court as much as I trust the gods. I believe you all judge by what is right within your eyes. Of the six members that are in front of me in this room right now, raise those with prudent hands that are in favor of the queen birthing me a new heir for the iron throne." He spoke devastatingly.
The room was silenced. Slowly, a hand raised on its own until five more raised up. Corlys eyed the men who raised hands while he remained his hands on the table. All eyes fell upon him. Julius sent him a judging look before looking back to the king.
"Forgive me, your grace, but the majority wins all. The votes have spoken for itself." He spoke.
"It's already settled, Alicent. The council members had taken the votes as to why you will really have to birth the king a son." Otto mumbled to the queen who wears a weary frown.
She sighed and looked away before slowly rubbing her arm. Otto frowned at this, "What's the matter? Didn't we talk about this even before you have agreed to it? You have made up your mind longer before."
That's true. Alicent had already prepared herself for the thought of giving the king a son, it didn't bother her much at all, but Rhaenyra— Rhaenyra had made her feel this way, oh how she blames the princess—
Alicent knew that it's ridiculous to let the princess stop her for her purpose, but ever since she had drowned herself to the taste of the princess' lips, it seemed like she didn't wanna be touched nor kissed by anyone else anymore– not even her husband who haven't even touched her lips yet.
Alicent slowly stood up and swallowed a lump in her throat, "I guess I'm just.. still stimulating." She answered.
Otto sighed, "You will be fine. You will grant the king his children- better yet a son, and you will give them their best life. You, Alicent, would be the mother of his heir. The soon to be king, the man who would one day sit on the iron throne and would rule the seven kingdoms. You will be given the best credit." He walked in front of her and searched for her daughter's eyes.
Those words don't comfort her nor make her feel any better. Even if she's not contemplating birthing an heir and the thought of Rhaenyra, those words are not the words for her comfort. She only inhaled and exhaled to make it seem that she was picking herself up in front of her father. Convinced, Otto smiled at this before hugging her.
Until that day that she and her father had discussed it– she had been thinking if she had made the right decision to agree into marrying the king of the seven kingdoms and how she fucked it all up by her irrelevant feelings towards the princess of targaryen, her husband's daughter—