One thing I've been thinking about while writing Daemon lately is that I don't actually think he's just falling in love with Alicent.
I think something much more dangerous is happening.
People often talk about Daemon's "mommy issues" as a joke, but I've always felt there's something deeper underneath them. I don't think what he's been craving his whole life is simply affection. He's been craving safety. Admiration without manipulation. Trust. A place that feels like home.
Everyone in his life has wanted something from him. But Alicent never tries to tame him.
She doesn't ask him to become a different man. She simply creates an environment where he wants to become one.
To me, that's a huge difference.
I also think that Daemon's love isn't only growing because of who Alicent is. It's growing because he likes the man he is when he's with her.
She makes him feel respected instead of merely tolerated. She trusts him with real decisions. she treats him like a partner. And because she is the reason he discovers that version of himself, he starts loving her even more.
That's why I don't think what he's feeling is just love anymore.
Not because he thinks Alicent is perfect, but because she's slowly becoming his emotional compass.
I think there's a subtle difference between "I love you" and "I love who I am when I'm with you."
The second one is far more powerful....and, if I'm being honest, far more terrifying.
Because if someone becomes the reason you like yourself... losing them doesn't just mean losing the person you love. It means risking losing the version of yourself that you finally learned to love, too.
