Daemon felt how it had become harder and harder for his queen to keep on living this lie. Of course they had managed over the years to deal with it somehow. They found ways to meet up secretly. The prince was somehow even able to raise their children from the back by training with them and teaching them high valyrian to control their dragons but all of it never changed that the eyes of his brother were always burning on their skin. While Daemon could deal with the fact of sharing her sometimes to keep their lie intact, Alicent was crumbling under her hard facade and there was nothing else he wanted more than finally releasing her from all this weight on her shoulders and protecting her from having her body used like other men wanted. His jealousy he could control, but he couldn’t bear to see her suffer. Since the beginning it was her who had to make so many sacrifices and having him every now and then was somehow the only thing she really owned and decided by herself. It wasn't enough though and therefore the prince had promised her to take care of it as he always did. “I'll find a way. I'll ask him to release you so I can take you as my wife.” It was a whisper he left in her ear during their last embrace and even if he noticed that Alicent wanted to believe him, she couldn't stop the scoff from her lips since she probably thought he was just trying to calm her like he always did. But Daemon wasn't a man of shallow promises. He was either all in or would let go of something when it wasn't worth his time, but his queen, the mother of his children was everything that truly mattered and he knew he had to at least try to make her as happy as he felt when he had her.
After asking for a hearing with the king, something that would be formal and official, Alicent and their kids joined them in the throne room where Rhaenyra and everyone from the kings council was already waiting. As Daemon had asked his brother for this Viserys just chuckled, saying “You do not need an audience to talk to your brother. What could be that important to bring it up in front of everyones noisy eyes and seek such an absolution for it?” but his brother convinced him to do it nevertheless even if he appreciated his support he knew would be tested on this day.
“What is it you came here to ask for, prince Daemon?” his brother asked, sitting on the throne with Alicent and their three kids standing close by on the stairs, watching him with constant fear glowing in her eyes. No matter how many times Daemon tried to convince her to trust him, he knew that sometimes love wasn't enough to trust someone that could act so reckless. Still he was calm himself and after a reassuring glare to his secret lover, his eyes wandered over to the princess before he kneeled down with a smirk. “I ask for the hand of princess Rhaenyra.”
A murmur went through the room and Daemon noticed the confusion and shock on Alicents face without even daring to look at her while Rhaenyras surprise turned into a pleased smile immediately. Viserys needed a moment until he suddenly scoffed, a reaction Daemon had hoped for secretly cause he knew what would follow. “You really think I would allow you to marry my daughter? The heir of the throne?” Daemon was aware that there was a secret fear in his brothers mind. That Daemon only ever wanted the throne no matter the cost and that's why his request would just play into that fear what got obvious in the way Viserys looked at him in full despise and anger. “My dear brother, we all mourn the loss of your beloved wife Rhea...” Words that only made Daemon silently scoff himself. “...and we all wish you happiness and a wife by your side, but I cannot give you my daughter. You must have known that and still you came here to ask?”
It was Rhaenyra who stepped forward, trying to adress her father while Daemons eyes were now focused on Alicent to assure her that everything went like he planned it. While his queen was still confused, he was glad that her grip around their daughter tightened to prevent any further reaction from their kids who probably didn't know what to think of this either. Viserys stopped his daughters words that tried to perceive him and looked back at his brother who now slowly raised to his feet again. “My answer is no, prince Daemon. But considering your bravery to step forward to ask for this, I will allow you something else. Someone else.” Now it was getting interesting and Daemon folded his hands in front of his hips to seem as innocent and surprised about his offer as he could. “Name someone else. And I will gladly accept any name you will come forward with.” Any. Exactly the word he had hoped for.
The smirk on Daemons face increased and now he knew that Alicent must've understood what he was really aiming for here: a compromise. When the king denies him something first, his kindness will make him offer something better. Something else. The prince created an impossible situation the king had to decline just to offer him something he couldn't say no to again. “I want Alicent.” The roaming that went through the room now was louder than before but then stopped as the king suddenly raised from his chair with fury written on his face he tried to suppress as good as he could, but Daemon knew anger when he saw it in his brother.
“How dare you?”
Daemon just shrugged and looked at his kids whose eyes were focused on him. “You said I can have anyone else. I want Alicent. I want to be with her and my kids.” Alicent shielded Helaena in her arms in that moment, but Aegon II just gasped and looked back to his mother in confusion. They had never told them the truth to protect them from the consequences, but they both knew that their smart girl would probably knew it through her dreams while Aemond had always looked at Daemon like a father figure already, that's why his expression probably didn't even shift at all.
“Everyone leaves the room.” the king declared with coldness in his voice and waited for everyone heading to the door besides Rhaenyra and Alicent with their kids. “You too.”
Neither the princess nor the queen wanted to leave, but they had no chance to disobey the kings command and slowly moved down the stairs to head to the door as well. “It’ll be fine.” Daemon whispered as Alicent passed him close enough to hear his words and lightly touched his fingers with her tips under strict glares of the king whose stare probably wanted to kill the prince right here. Just as the door closed Viserys approached his brother who lowered his head in respect, but the firm “look at me” forced him to raise his eyes again in the moment as Viserys fist hit him right to his face and brought him to his knees since he simply wanted him to have that moment of control when he was so close to losing it forever. “Your kids? How can you even dare of disrespecting your king like that, Daemon?”
Daemon needed a moment to recollect his thoughts but instead of getting up again he just spit out the blood in his mouth and looked up at his brother with full determination. “It is the truth. Or do you really think you’d be able to produce heirs at this point?” Another angry kick hit him right into his stomach, but this time it wasn’t something he didn’t expect to happen and could just laugh about. Pain was always a known thing for the prince, it pleased him in a way even cause it reminded him of how alive he truly was.
“This is my wife you’re talking about. My children.”
“A wife you never loved? A wife you only chose for her youth, for her beauty and name when it should have been me taking her.” Daemon wasn’t completely wrong in saying that even if he knew that Viserys probably had no other choice back then. The king had to remarry, but why did it have to be her? The only woman he truly ever wanted?
“And you love her?” Viserys spatted and reached down to Daemons collar to pull him back on his feet to face him. “Say it. Tell it to my face.”
The prince had many devious expressions, but in this moment the former evil smirk shifted into something soft just like his eyes that started to sparkle from the tears of awe he felt for the queen. “I love her. She’s beautiful and fierce and much smarter than both of us will ever be. She has gone through so much always with her head held high and you know what’s the only moment for her where she can be weak and let it all go to be herself? When she lays in my arms at night after I fucked her. I bet you’ve never seen her look at you the way she looks at me at night because she loves me, brother. She loves me and I love her and there’s nothing you can do about it. I love her like you only ever loved Aemma.”
It was too painful for the king to listen and Daemon respected that he saw at least some form of emotional reaction now that it was about the woman he adored so much and who never got anything from him as honest as the love Viserys had for Aemma. But the prince also knew in the moment that his brother let go of him in despise, that he would never give in to his request. Not even now. Instead he walked passed him and stopped with his back turned on the prince, eyes closing from the heaviness the realization brought that these kids indeed were never his. “Marry Rhaenyra then. But do it where I can’t see it. And never come back here or to my wife.”
Daemon couldn’t believe this, that even in this moment he would rather have him marry his daughter than to give up a woman he didn’t even love out of duty. “Even now you belittle your only daughter because of spite? Do you think she’ll ever forgive you that you favor a woman you don’t love to her? Give Alicent free, brother. End this madness for her, can’t you see your wife is suffering?” It didn’t seem that Viserys cared or maybe he was just too weak to settle this in another way that could make him lose his pride, but without another word he left the throne room to speak to Rhaenyra who waited outside.
Daemon shook his head in disbelief, angry about himself and his failed plan that he only could come outside with a lowered head, heavy from shame. It didn’t matter anymore. If he really had to leave kings landing for good, he didn’t care about any other consequences anymore and he should at least have the right to say goodbye to the love of his life, didn’t he? While the king was distracted by the argument with his daughter, Daemon approached Alicent with a defeated smile but before he could say something it was Helaena who released herself from her mothers embrace to wrap her tiny arms around the prince. “I always knew.” she murmured and left him no other choice than holding her, his hand caressing her long white locks which made all of this even more bittersweet.
“Why did you do that?” Alicent asked and knew that she probably was right, but still he could just shrug and murmured “I had to try. I promised you.” It was Aegon who was the only one still standing there with suspicions towards his real father, while Aemond just looked at him with respect and nodded. Even if he was the youngest and still too small to leave him behind, he often behaved like the most grown up and filled Daemons chest always with pride. Helaenas arms released from his waist and in the moment he approached Alicent to rest his hand on her cheek, Viserys head finally turned to sent them a last threatening look, but Daemon couldn’t care less anymore.
He was too busy with wiping away the tear that rolled down her cheek and leaned in to have their foreheads rested against each other. “Do not cry, my love. It’ll be worth it, time is on our side you have to believe in it.”
“Let me come with you.” Aemond suddenly said, his eyes firmly on his father who just shook his head.
“No, you have to stay with your mother. She needs you. All of you.”
“But Dragonstone might offer me a dragon. I might finally be able to…”
“I said no.” Daemon interrupted him with a commanding voice, his eyes now focusing on the small boy he kneeled down to now. “You can visit me. Visit me with your mother. For now I need you here. Help her to calm his mind. It is my fault that his blood is raging now, but it won’t be me who will be able to calm it. You will.”
The princess steps in their backs were the reason he got up again, a deep breath later allowing him to turn back to his queen so he could cup her face and lean in for a kiss to her cheek, her ear close enough to whisper in it. “Visit me. I’ll always wait for you.” Alicent nodded and what first just was meant as his goodbye, shifted now into an urge he couldn’t suppress and led him against her lips for a kiss of bittersweet devotion and a promise that even a marriage with the princess couldn’t break. “Find me.” he said to the family he had to leave behind before the king would behead him and even if Rhaenyra had witnessed the kiss with her former best friend it didn’t even seem to unsettle her. Maybe it shouldn’t have surprised him since her confidence was always her biggest strength.
“Let us leave, uncle. I have no interest in staying at a place where I’m constantly reminded that I’m worth less than anyone else to my father.” It was a reaction that was understandable and somehow Daemon felt regret for ruining her relationship to her father even more, but at least all truths were spoken now and hopefully everyone would know where they truly stood. Time would tell how it would solve itself, but for now Daemon couldn’t wait to mount his dragon and escape the mess he had created, even when the outcome wasn’t the one he hoped for and the woman by his side wasn’t the one he wanted to marry truly.
At least he tried. At least he made his promise come true that he would try and ask for her hand to prove her that she would always get anything from him no one else would ever offer her. That at least one person in her life would risk it all for her and that what they had was true. Not her father, not her husband. But him. There would never be anything he wouldn’t do for her, even if it caused a war or the final loss of the man he called his brother.
𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐄𝐘𝐄𝐒 𝐂𝐋𝐎𝐒𝐄𝐃, 𝐅𝐋𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐒 𝐂𝐀𝐍 𝐅𝐄𝐄𝐋 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐌𝐓𝐇 𝐎𝐅 the high sun overhead. sounds of nature feel her ears, hands rested atop her stomach while body remains sprawled out on a blanket in the gardens of the red keep much by herself, almost, in this small corner. ( finally, a reprieve from the near constant storms of her home. finally she can feel constant sunlight , the feeling of grass between her toes, or the sounds of the world. kings landing now her home with her marriage to the prince said && done a few weeks prior. it was a surprising perk of all of it— ) ; despite her relaxed state , despite closed eyes or the appearance of being dozed off , floris wasn’t unaware of her targaryen husbands presence beside her. he had found her, decided to stay for a while . . && still in the process of getting 𝚃𝙾 𝙺𝙽𝙾𝚆 one another they talked , even laughed a little. eyes peer open, squinting a little at the sun, at the feeling of a finger being dragged about her exposed shoulder. head turns a little as eyes peer upward at aemond: ❝ find any interesting patterns in my freckles ? ❞ asked with a raised brow. floris smiles, ❝ i have plenty of them. perhaps you’ll see something I’ve never seen before. ❞ own hands reach over to take the hand aemond used into her own. fingertips 𝓰𝓱𝓸𝓼𝓽 over his palm, ❝ you have very calloused hands. did you get them from fighting or riding vhagar ? ❞
The music at the part is a few decibels too loud, and Abby is pretty sure the side of her solo cup has a crack in it because the beer she's been holding seems to be leaking over her hand. With a sigh, she discards it in the trashcan someone had the forethought to put by the drinks and looks around for her date. Luke is flirting with a guy who she's pretty sure plays on the university football team because she recalls also flirting with him at some point.
Well, best of luck for Luke. He'd had to skip out on too many dates lately to help her, so she won't go and bother him. She rolls her shoulder, feeling some of the scar tissue along her back pull. It's not like she was going to get laid - there was no need to cover them up with make up, but if she didn't, then she couldn't wear the sparkling, sky blue backless dress she has on.
All she wanted was to feel pretty although the skyscraper heels are killing her ankles so those might have been a bad idea. She wanted to feel pretty, and seen, and there's a guy over by some terrible piece of modern art that's been watching her for the past ten minutes. He's tall, broad shouldered, and she thinks that if she lets him go down on her, he'd still be able to breathe because those shoulders would keep her thighs apart.
But it's not him, floats through her mind. Her candy pink lip gloss feels sticky on her mouth when she bites her lip and she sighs, feeling it slide along her chin with the motion. She can't even hear the click of her heels on the parquet as she leaves the sunken living room to go find a quieter part of the house and a bathroom to hide in for a bit.
The last time she'd been at a party, it hadn't been like this. She'd been giddy and laughing, only a little drunk with warm arms wrapped around her, mouth against her throat as she giggled that he was going to leave another hickey. He'd been delighted when she shoved her panties in his pocket and bitten his mouth with a mischievous little giggle.
But that was then and her heart was battered and bruised and the bleeding had slowed to a trickle and it was the most she could ask for. Luke had been insistent after everything that happened with the one who came after that she come out. She wasn't alone, and that asshole wasn't going to take her light away. She wasn't going to be a scared little girl hiding in her room feeling like she was too dumb to function.
Look how brave my sweet kitten is, he'd tell her, encourage her. Build her up when she was nervous about a job interview or an assignment with school. Then he broke her heart.
"Hey!"
It's the guy from the sunken living room. Abby immedietly straightens, wishing that the little purse slung around her had pepper spray in it but she hadn't thought about bringing it with her when Luke was here. He's smiling, and objectively, Abby's pretty sure this guy is harmless.
"Hey yourself," she forces a smile and a laugh. She'd gone upstairs, and the music is somewhat quieter up here and she's pretty sure there's a threesome happening in the closed room to her left if the sounds can be figured out. "Uh, can I help you?"
The guy blushes and reaches a beefy arm up to run his fingers through his hair. "Yeah, I uh, thought I recognized you. Are you on youtube or something like that?"
A flush burns up her neck. She knows what he's getting at. The OnlyFans she'd started three months ago was to help pay for medical bills and now it's giving her enough income that she's gone to part time at the coffee shop and in another month she's pretty sure she can quit. This was the first time she was recognized though.
"Next tour, you and me, kitten. I can't keep doing these weeks on end without you."
But Aegon had figured out how to get through the weeks without her and now here they were. Him out of the picture, and she dealing with her first in person fuck fan. Great. Of course.
"No, sorry," she continues to smile. "Um, sorry! I just really need to go to the bathroom-"
"Are you sure? Cause..." The guy's eyes linger on the hem of her skirt, the flash of pink ribbon garter that peeks out when she shifts.
"I'm very sure, yeah," she continues to lie through her teeth but the guy comes closer and she's wondering if the other door is the bathroom when she hears another set of footsteps and @dragynfire is coming down the hall.
[ 𝐒𝐎𝐅𝐓 ] ― receiver wraps a soft blanket around sender’s shoulders
🔥THE FUNERAL HAS BEEN MORE NOISY than he expected it to be, and the Prince had long withdraw his attention from the crowd. He had been staying away from his family - especially his brother - for as much as he could. From time to time he observed his twins keeping to themselves or soaking in the presence of their grandmother and grandsire. Daemon let them be, since there was little comfort he could give to them. Both had lost their mother, and he the woman he had loved for ten long years.
When everybody seemed to ignore him - of which he was thankful - he noticed his niece Helaena playing with one of her bugs. The Prince had learned that the Princess enjoyed them, and it sparked his curiosity. She was quiet, as he was told, and right now he favored that. So, making his way to her, he took one blanket from one of the servants and brought it to her, carefully wrapping it over her shoulders.
“Do you mind if I keep you company?” He asked in no more than a whisper as he didn’t want to be interrupted by others. Honestly he desired nothing more than to be in the company of someone who was not going to annoy him with fake pleasantries. Besides, he never truly had a moment to get to know Helaena.
𝐘𝐌𝐄𝐈𝐒𝐍𝐀 𝐍𝐀𝐁𝐄𝐑𝐑𝐈𝐄 would be lying if she said she wasn't slightly afraid of Prince Aemond. Of all the people in the red keep, he was the one she couldn't figure out. Prince Daemon and Aegon were the easiest to read, Princess Rhaenyra took her awhile, Queen Alicent even longer. She had been skeptical of Helaena, but eventually drew the conclusion that the princess was genuinely that kind. But Prince Aemond was the one who stumped her. The curiosity was killing her. He was a true mystery to her, and she was determined to figure him out.
Ymeisna did not bother to knock on the door to his chambers, something she knew she should not do, but she had hoped to find the Prince in there doing something to clue her in to what was going inside his head. She didn't have any bad intentions, no plans to blackmail him or try and hurt him, she just was dying from the curiosity of not knowing what he was like.
"Prince Aemond." She said, with a sweet smile as she curtsied. "I have brought you clean sheets." She said, not waiting for a response, beginning to place the sheets on the mattress. Once she was finished, she turned to him, bowing her head to him. "I know normally Kyiara attends to you in the evenings, but I'm afraid she's feeling a bit under the weather, so I will be the one here this evening, would you like me to draw you a bath? Or perhaps fetch you something to eat?" She asked.
Ymeisna was internally screaming at the formality of it all, She just wanted to drop the whole servant act, and just talk to him. Like a normal person, but they weren't normal. He was a Prince, She was a lady-in-waiting, and it was slightly scandalous that a lady in waiting should be attending to a Prince at all, but Ymeisna's curious and talkative nature was gnawing at her inside.
She folded her arms in front of her and smiled, awaiting his response, and hoping, that he doesn't suspect anything.
NFWMB, hozier / viserya velaryon and cregan stark from HOUSE OF THE DRAGON, written by ODÉTTE AND FLYNN / FAMOUS LAST WORDS (AN ODE TO EATERS), ethel cain / characters written by @dohaeyris AND @dragynfire / WUTHERING HEIGHTS, emily brontë.
" aegon ! " hurried steps are taken as the queen attempts to keep up with her child of only three, but not so fast as to appear as if she did not have the situation under control. there are giggles of mischief echoing throughout the halls of the red keep, followed by frustrated huffs that only amused the boy more. she had passed off helaena to one of her handmaidens before the chase ensued, giving her a better chance despite being in the early stages of being with child once more. it is when her first born stops in his tracks, alicent slows to a stand still, kneeling down to level with the prince. " come here, aegon. " hands are outstretched, a genuine but exasperated smile adorning her lips. though when he returned the gesture, she had known a mistake was made. " no, " alicent begins, drawing out the syllable as she hesitantly moves back up to stand on her feet. " don't aegon ! " and he is off again ! but this time, slamming the door to her chambers shut behind him.
it narrowly misses her face. an irritated groan sounds from the queen as she notes the clever child has purposefully locked her out, head pressed against the wooden frame as she debates what she could entice him with. he was much more stubborn than her daughter, with quite the temper if she did not get it right. " open the door, my sweet prince. " the demand is responded to with a muffled decline. she has to inhale deeply, if only to recollect herself. " we shall stop by the kitchens to pick up some cakes if you open the door. " silence . . . then the sound of rustling, followed by the hinges creaking open. thank the seven, she thinks. today would not have to be another battle. " i saw freshly made lemon cakes made especially for you. "
@dragynfire sent: “ you have no idea what i’m capable of. ”
He was right she had no idea what he was capable of, but she did know that he was still just a boy. Rhaenyra looked at her little brother with a tilt of her head trying to figure out what he was trying to accomplish with his words. Rather than playing games with Aemond she just opened her hands expecting him to continue. “And what exactly do you mean by that, Aemond? Are you trying to threaten me?” It didn’t matter if he was or not in truth because one thing she knew was to never show fear in the face of your enemies.
While Aemond wasn’t exactly a defined enemy yet she still wasn’t going to let him intimidate her. There was still hope in her that perhaps even though he had not grown up with her as he had his siblings and her own children, that maybe he wouldn’t hold hostility towards her. “You also have no idea what I am capable of.”
