are we all to succumb to prince daemon’s fury then? the queen asks, and what would be so different, rhea wonders. whether it be the niece and the queen of the blacks, with her former lord husband as her voice; or it be this fresh green king, with the hand of the king who was envied so heavily by the court and who was once discarded, to play at politics behind his reign, what would be different ? aye, the queen now spoke of the fact that her own faction had not yet resulted to murdering — that much is true — but she suspects it would not be long until even such an accusation they are avoiding would come to fruition.
as she has said, such are the nature of dragons. they burn. they wreak havoc. they inspire fear.
the lady royce is not so stupid to think that, with the tension thick in the air, with only such minor effort for the dam to genuinely break and flood the whole realm with this promise of civil war, it would not end in its own version of bloodshed. how would it be, she wonders ? would the sky be reddened with blood from the fight in the sky ? or would it be so because it is reflecting the blood that has soaked itself across the plains of the land below ? whatever it is, whoever it would be that stands at the end of it, rhea shall ask again : what would be so different of the upcoming reign than the one before ?
there is no honour in this house.
there is only greed, only the absolution of power, or — as rhea takes in the way queen alicent might have as well bitten each of her argument out — the denial of such. that one... that one, the lady of runestone could admit, is new. there is an anger in alicent hightower which rhea feels is so similar to her own, it would have had her head spinning had she been standing. she is thankful she is not. were they in any circumstances besides this, rhea has half the heart to hunch forward, to grip a hand, to ask, quite fiercely, quite heart-achingly : how did they hurt you ? how did they ignore you ? did it burn the same ? or did they find places in you they strike again and again ? were they claw marks, or bite marks ? did you scream ? i did. so loud. no one heard it. and then i learned not to. was it the same with you ?
admittedly, there would be no comfort rhea could genuinely offer; simply companionship, perhaps. though she wonders if the red-headed queen would wish upon it. after all, their circumstances may align once — it is not anymore. the hightower daughter rose to become queen; rhea, in the meantime, has only been replaced. the-wife-barely-used; the-wife-tossed-aside. she does not mind this, of course. she is simply still quite miffed that, no matter how much she separates herself from this damn house, it always has its way of trudging right back to drag her in. when will they release her ? will death truly be the final act of mercy ?
well then, let death know it will not find her waiting idly. she is the blood of the first men, the lady chosen by the late good queen, the wife her husband could not kill. there is a reason she is not yet buried six feet under in her family's crypt. too stubborn to forever-sleep, coughed her cousin once, laughing.
❝ i will be a traitor either or, my queen — either i am branded so by the son you've crowned, or the queen in dragonstone. that is how disputes of the crown works, no ? ❞ in truth, the queen's offer is simply not strong enough, even if the points she has laid out is true, and rhea has little to deny. she is, however, simply not interested to change sides. let her stance stay with rhaenyra targaryen, heir to viserys targaryen. rhea has made her vows. and true to her words, she would not forsake it.
still, to admit so openly would be a death sentence. what shall they do with her if she rejects this offer ? no doubt there'd be a pretty cell for her to sit and ponder in. rhea could not let it be. there are still some loose ends in runestone she must care for. ❝ release me to runestone, and i shall consider your offer and take it to lady jeyne of arryn for further reconsideration. perhaps, if all goes well, the council of the whole vale would be willing to... listen to the green's side of the matter. would that be amendable, your grace ? ❞