#faible

[faibleprompts]

Faible prompt of the day!

I used to be obsessed with Sherlock 2010, so this prompt is so nostalgic

[sachafaible]

Her Decision To Make

Another Rhaenyra x Alicent One Shot

Alicent entered the dimly lit chamber with measured steps, her emerald eyes narrowing at the sight before her. Rhaenyra Targaryen, bound and bruised, knelt on the cold stone floor, her defiant gaze lifting to meet Alicent’s. Just beside her, Ser Criston Cole, the seemingly unyielding knight, stood ready to strike the final blow. His sword glittered ominously in the torchlight. The tension in the room was palpable, each heartbeat echoing like war drums.

Alicent hesitated, memories of her girlhood flashing before her eyes. Days of carefree laughter and secret whispers in the gardens, Rhaenyra's once familiar touch and voice haunted her. She swallowed hard, forcing down the lump in her throat.

“Stop!” Alicent’s voice trembled yet held authority, halting Criston’s blade mid-air. “Leave us,” she commanded, already sensing the knight’s reluctance.

For a moment, Criston’s eyes wavered between loyalty and suspicion, but he ultimately sheathed his sword and turned to leave the room. Once they were alone, the silence seemed louder than any battlefield.

“Rhaenyra,” Alicent began, struggling to keep her voice steady. “Why did you come here?” Rhaenyra’s laugh was bitter and broken.

“What choice did I have? My sons—our blood—are here. Did you think I would stand idly by?” Alicent faltered, her gaze dropping to her hands that once clutched a prayer book, now stained with the sins of politics and war.

“You know I cannot simply let you leave,” she whispered, fear and regret mingling in her words.

“Then choose, Alicent,” Rhaenyra said, with a steely resolve that sent shivers down Alicent’s spine. “Will you let Cole kill me, or will you let me go? Decide, and live forever with the consequences.”

The Queen closed her eyes, wrestling with the tidal wave of emotions threatening to drown her. Could she betray her family for the sister of her heart? Time was running out, and with it, the threads of fate tightened around them both.

Alicent’s fingers trembled as she clasped them together, drawing deep, steady breaths to anchor herself. She moved closer to Rhaenyra, the space between them an ocean of lost time and unspoken words. The queen's eyes softened as memories rushed back like waves crashing upon the jagged cliffs of her heart.

"Do you remember when we used to sneak out of the Red Keep?" Alicent asked, her voice barely a whisper. Rhaenyra’s hardened expression faltered, a flicker of nostalgia lighting up her violet eyes.

“The nights we spent by the Dragonpit,” she said with a faint smile. “Playing at being dragonriders, dreaming of a world so different from this.” Alicent allowed herself a small, sad smile.

“You were always so fearless."

“And you kept me from being reckless,” Rhaenyra responded gently, her gaze shimmering with emotion. “We needed each other, back then.” The weight of their shared history pressed down on Alicent’s soul, each memory a precious gem tarnished by the rust of ambition and betrayal.

“It wasn’t supposed to be like this.” Her voice cracked, pain seeping through her carefully cultivated composure. “We were supposed to stand together.”

“Yet here we are, divided by more than just this iron chair,” Rhaenyra said, her tone a mix of sorrow and steely resolve. “I never wanted to hurt you, Alicent. But I will not apologize for fighting for my children.”

Alicent’s eyes glistened with unshed tears. She looked at Rhaenyra and saw not an enemy, but the girl she had once loved, the friend who had whispered secrets into her ear and made her ruffle her skirts in laughter.

“Why does it have to come to this?” Alicent murmured. “Why does power demand such sacrifice?” She felt the walls of the Red Keep closing in around her, the weight of her duty suffocating her spirit.

Rhaenyra, bound but unbroken, lifted her chin.

“It doesn’t have to, Alicent. We could change it. We could find another way.” Their eyes locked, and for a heartbeat, Alicent saw a glimmer of hope—fragile but beckoning.

But was it a mirage in the desert of their despair, or a genuine path forward? The queen wrestled with the implications of her decisions, clutching onto the vestiges of softer times. The silence grew heavier, the tension palpable as destiny hung in the balance.

"Rhaenyra, please," she implored, her voice infused with desperation. "Surrender. If you give yourself up willingly, perhaps we can find a way to negotiate, to protect your children and avoid further bloodshed."

Rhaenyra’s expression hardened immediately, her eyes narrowing to dangerous slits. The warmth of their reminiscences evaporated like mist in the sun, leaving behind only the cold, stark reality of their positions.

“Surrender?” Rhaenyra echoed, her voice rising with each syllable. “You ask me to surrender? After all that has been taken from me? My father’s throne, my dignity, my sons—our blood? And you, Alicent, you stand there and demand that I fall at their feet?” Alicent flinched at the venom in Rhaenyra’s tone, but she pressed on, her own resolve bolstered by her duty to her children and her realm.

“Rhaenyra, I want to help you. I want to save you. If you continue to defy them, they will show no mercy. Think of your sons. Think of—”

“Do not speak of my sons!” Rhaenyra cut her off harshly, her voice a dagger slicing through the air. “You stand by while they are held captive, and you dare to speak of mercy? Of safety? You lost the right to advise me the moment you allied yourself with my enemies.” The queen’s eyes filled with tears, her heart breaking under the weight of Rhaenyra's wrath.

“I never wanted this, Rhaenyra. I fought to protect what I believed was right for the realm, for my children. But I never wanted it to come at such a cost.”

“Then you chose poorly, Alicent,” Rhaenyra snapped, her chains rattling as she shifted. “You turned your back on me, on us, for the sake of power and position. And now, you ask me to surrender my very soul? To beg for mercy from those who have wronged me?” Alicent's composure began to crack, her voice trembling with emotion.

“It doesn't have to end this way, Rhaenyra. We can still find a path to peace, a way to—”

“Enough!” Rhaenyra's shout echoed through the chamber, a death knell to Alicent’s pleas. “There can be no peace while my family is in chains, while the throne I was promised is usurped. You may have forgotten what we once were, Alicent, but I have not. And I will not yield.”

Alicent stepped back, her heartache visible in her eyes. The chasm between them seemed wider than ever, the bridge they once shared collapsing into the abyss of history and hurt.

Suddenly, the sound of armored footsteps echoing down the corridor served as a grim reminder of the gathering forces against Rhaenyra. Otto Hightower’s voice, barking orders, grew louder. Aegon and Ser Criston Cole were close behind, their determination evident in their every step. Alicent's heart pounded, her eyes looking feverently back and forth between her old friend and the shadows of the future.

“Go, Rhaenyra,” Alicent whispered urgently, her fingers fumbling with the chains that bound her former friend. “Run while you still can.” Rhaenyra’s eyes widened in shock, disbelief and gratitude warring within them.

“Alicent—why?”

“Just go!” Alicent insisted, her voice breaking. “Before they get here.”

The chains clattered to the floor just as Otto, Aegon, Ser Criston, and a retinue of knights rounded the corner. For a fleeting moment, it seemed Rhaenyra might escape, her path clear and her spirit unbroken. But fate, ever a cruel mistress, had other plans.

“Halt!” Otto bellowed, his eyes narrowing as he spotted the fleeing Rhaenyra. “Seize her! For the good of the realm!” The knights surged forward, their intent clear. Rhaenyra’s eyes flashed with a mix of defiance and fear as she turned to face her pursuers, realizing the futility of her brief freedom. Drawing upon what strength remained, she readied herself to fight, but the odds were insurmountable.

Aegon’s voice rang out, cold and commanding, “She cannot be allowed to escape. Her head is demanded by the crown!” Ser Criston unsheathed his sword, his expression unyielding and resolute.

“Prepare yourself, Rhaenyra,” he intoned, his gray eyes locked onto hers. “Your defiance ends here.” Alicent’s heart shattered, her mind a storm of conflicting emotions. She had loosened the chains, but now she could only watch, helpless, as the woman she once loved faced a dire end.

“No!” Alicent cried out, tears streaming down her cheeks as she moved to stand between the knights and Rhaenyra. “There must be another way! Please, for the sake of all we once were...”

But her pleas fell on deaf ears. Otto’s stern gaze held no mercy, Aegon’s resolve was unwavering, and Ser Criston’s duty was clear. The room filled with the sound of steel clashing with steel, Rhaenyra’s last stand against overwhelming forces. Rhaenyra, cornered and outnumbered, fought valiantly, her every move filled with desperation and unyielding will. The room became a battlefield, Alicent caught in the middle of a storm she had inadvertently unleashed.

Alicent's body moved before her mind could object, a primordial instinct driving her to shield Rhaenyra from the advancing knights. She threw herself in front of Rhaenyra, arms spread wide, her emerald eyes blazing with defiance.

“STOP!” Alicent’s voice cracked through the air like a thunderclap.

The room fell into stunned silence. Otto, Aegon, and Ser Criston halted mid-step, their eyes widening as they beheld the queen’s dramatic intervention. The tension was a thick, suffocating fog that seemed to freeze everyone in their tracks.

“Mother, what are you doing?” Aegon’s voice wavered, a rare streak of uncertainty threading through his usual arrogance.

“I won’t let you murder her.” Alicent’s voice was a mix of desperation and iron will. “Not like this.”

Otto’s eyes narrowed, the cold calculation in his gaze chilling.

“You are jeopardizing the realm’s stability, Alicent. Think of your children, our legacy.”

Alicent’s tears sparkled in the dim light as she shook her head emphatically.

“What legacy is built on the blood of friends? On betrayal and senseless violence?”

Rhaenyra, still catching her breath from the brief skirmish, stared at Alicent with a mixture of shock and gratitude.

Her voice was unsteady as she spoke, “Alicent...”

Ser Criston took a step forward, his sword still drawn.

“Your grace, you must understand. She is a threat to the realm, to your son’s rightful claim.”

“I understand more than you think, Criston,” Alicent replied sharply. “And I say, stand down!”

Otto’s jaw clenched, clearly wrestling with the competing demands of loyalty, duty, and the queen’s unexpected resistance.

“Alicent, this is madness. She cannot be allowed to live.”

“Then you must strike me down first,” Alicent declared, her voice resolute. “For I will not move.” The room quivered with uncertainty, the gathered knights exchanging hesitant glances, unsure of how to proceed.

Aegon’s face darkened with an emotional storm, caught between the commands of his mother and the expectations of his council.

“Alicent, please,” Otto pleaded, though his voice held a thinly veiled threat. “Do not force our hand.” Rhaenyra’s eyes remained locked on Alicent’s, a silent exchange passing between them. It was as if the years of bitterness and division had evaporated, leaving only the raw, unfiltered core of their bond.

“Go now,” Alicent whispered to Rhaenyra, her voice tender yet urgent. “Find your sons.” Rhaenyra hesitated, her eyes scanning the room full of armed enemies. But Alicent’s unwavering stance and desperate command fueled her courage. She nodded, stepping back cautiously.

But as Rhaenyra moved, Aegon’s fury erupted, “No! I will not let her escape!” The room once again bristled with danger, Alicent’s defiance standing as the last barrier between Rhaenyra and a certain doom.

Aegon’s face twisted with fury, his grip tightening on the hilt of his sword. He surged forward, intent on finishing what had been started.

“Enough! I’ll end this myself!” Rhaenyra’s eyes widened with alarm as Aegon raised his blade, the room frozen in a perilous moment suspended in time.

But before the steel could meet its mark, Alicent moved with a speed fueled by desperation and love.

“No!” Alicent screamed, throwing herself between her son and Rhaenyra. The sharp, unforgiving edge of Aegon’s sword struck her side, cutting deep. Alicent gasped as pain seared through her, her body absorbing the force meant for Rhaenyra.

“MOTHER!” Aegon's voice cracked with horror and disbelief as he stumbled back, dropping his sword. His eyes were wild, his hands trembling at what he had just done. The room erupted in chaos, knights and attendants rushing forward, shouting in alarm. Rhaenyra caught Alicent as she staggered, her strength now the only thing keeping the queen from collapsing.

“Alicent, hold on,” she urged, her voice laced with panic. “You must hold on.” Alicent’s vision blurred, but she clung to her consciousness, gritting her teeth against the agony. Blood trickled from her wound, staining her gown and pooling on the cold stone floor.

“Rhaenyra,” she managed, her voice a fragile whisper. “Run. Take your sons and run.” Otto's expression was a tumult of rage and desperation as he shouted orders to the knights.

“Arrest her!” he bellowed, pointing at Rhaenyra. “And tend to the queen! Quickly!” Rhaenyra set Alicent down gently, her eyes hardening with resolve once more. She knew that staying would mean not just her capture but possibly the loss of everything she held dear.

“I will not forget this, Alicent,” she whispered, pressing her forehead briefly to Alicent's. “I will repay this debt.” She stood and faced the circle of knights who closed in, ready to fight her way through if necessary.

But fate took another twist. Fenys, one of the younger knights, hesitated—a flicker of doubt in his eyes.

“There has been enough bloodshed today,” he murmured, stepping aside and creating an opening. The other knights wavered, uncertain whether to obey Otto’s commands or follow Fenys's reluctant example. Rhaenyra seized the moment of hesitation, bolting through the crack in the circle.

“After her!” Otto raged, but Criston's voice cut through.

“Have we not lost enough today?” Ser Criston’s calm but stern voice halted everyone, his sharp gaze assessing the bedraggled assemblage. “Do we want to add the blood of our queen to the list of our sins?”

As Rhaenyra disappeared into the shadows of the Red Keep, Alicent’s fading consciousness clung to the fragile hope that some new path might yet be forged from the wreckage of their decisions.

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[kaosuiinku]

"tbh Deutschland got up and chose violence."

-@fateblood about the whole Tatort Saarbrücken thing.

[larueourien]

photo : @artderennes 

[kino51]

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[sabinerondissime]