Loving Arms (4)
Summary: The children of Viserys I from his wife Alicent Hightower had always been lacking in affection from their parents. They simply didn't realize how much until their widowed aunt was brought into their lives. (AU where Alicent has an older sister and her kids get the love that they deserve, takes place some time after the Driftmark event)
Part IV: Changes must be made
|| Loving Arms Masterlist ||
A/N: There were so many ways that I wanted this chapter to go, but I think this was as good as I was going to get it. Please leave a comment and let me know what y'all thought. 😊
BTW: I have tagged everyone that asked, but some weren't working for some reason
For quite some time, Aegon was used to being harshly woken in the morning and dragged to different lessons or things that he absolutely despised attending because it was the expectation. Curtains would be pulled open quickly, further bothering his morning as light would seep into his eyes and making his head pound with pulsing pain from drinking quite a bit the night before.
His mother, grandfather, or perhaps the septa would harshly pull him from his bed, tell him off for his previous behavior and that he was shaming not just himself, but his family by his actions. It was all things that he had heard and experienced more times than he could count.
A routine that he had lived for so many years that he had lost track at what point did it begin.
So it was certainly a complete shock to wake up slowly one morning, the soft feeling of someone playing with his hair was what had stirred his sleep addled mind. His room was still fairly dark, the curtains had not been drawn and there were no servants or other attendants milling about his room. His bleary eyes slowly focused in to see that his lovely muña was the only one in the room.
"Did you sleep well, sweet boy?" she asked softly while combing her fingers through his hair. "I figured that we might try a different way of going about your morning since I heard that you imbibed quite a bit."
She sat on the edge of his bed and had such a tender look of affection as she stared at him that it overwhelmed Aegon to see it. Instead of answering, he hid his face in her skirts and gripped the fabric of her dress between his hands. Kneading the material in his hands and whimpering softly.
There was no reproach from his sweet muña and she shushed him softly, petting his tangled locks.
"Oh Aegon," she whispered. "I am sure that your head hurts, but we must start the day. There is quite a bit that must be done."
He snuggled into her lap and peeked an eye to look at her, "Must I?"
She laughed gently, "Yes, you must."
She turned to the side table by his bed and carefully picked up the teapot that was placed there by the servants to pour some tea into his teacup. "Here, sit up a little."
Begrudgingly Aegon sat up against the headboard of his bed and pushed back his hair away from his face, rubbing at his eyes in exhaustion.
"I made sure to add a bit of honey to your tea this time," she smiled. "I thought a bit of sweetness would be a nice way to start the day before we break fast."
"Thank you," he whispered. He took his light purple teacup with gentle care and blew softly on the steaming liquid, humming in delight when he managed a small sip. "It tastes better, thank you muña."
"You are welcome," she said as she picked up her own teacup and drank her tea silently beside him.
It was quiet.
Aegon wasn't used to soft mornings like this one.
To hear the distant clatter of life outside the walls of the Keep.
The gentle birdsong as they also greeted a new day.
The quiet hums of his muña, whose smile hadn't left despite the fact that he wasn't even ready for his lessons.
Even with his hesitance to become too comfortable, Aegon hoped that he could more mornings like this one.
"Muña?" he called out softly. "It is not that I don't appreciate this change of pace, but what stirred all of this?"
"I heard amongst the grapevine that your mornings were quite the chaotic events" she said gently. "That it was quite the spectacle to be present when the eldest prince was put in his place or so I had heard."
His face burned in shame and he looked at the dregs left at the bottom of his cup. Because even though he appeared aloof and uncaring to others, it was humiliating to go through it.
He just didn't know how to change what he was doing, when every day felt like a burden.
When his limbs felt like lead, his head would hurt from all the letters that would swim on the page, and as if his heart would pound out of his chest as nothing that his tutors said made any sense to him.
"It seemed to me," she said quietly and carefully lifted his chin to look her in the eye. "It seemed that everyone around you had failed to help you. Or was I mistaken?"
Tears pooled in his lavender eyes and shook his head, swallowing the lump that was stuck in his throat.
"I know there will be quite a bit of backlash, but I have relieved all of your current tutors from service and have sent word to a few that we will see if they fare any better" she said. "Would that be alright with you? Trying things a little differently?"
He quickly but carefully set his teacup beside him, practically leaping into her lap and wrapped his arms around her tightly. His sobs wracked his body and made it difficult to speak.
"H - how? H - how is it that y - you can s - see ME?!" he cried. "H - how? When my own m -mother cannot?"
She only held him tighter and rubbed his back softly, "Because I know what it is like to go through life never being seen by those we cry out to the most."
He could only cry.
And she held him in her arms for quite some time, letting him cry even when his nose ran and stained her dress. It took a long time until his breaths merely shuddered as the last of his tears dried and he let himself be held.
Slowly he sat up and wiped at his nose, "I think that I would like a bath now."
"I will have someone come up and draw the water for you," she said wiping his stray tears away. "I have someone that I need to speak with soon, go and look for your siblings. Spend some time together, I have made the arrangements so that you are not interrupted."
With that she leisurely stood up and brushed her skirts from any wrinkles. He sat back on his bed and watched her.
"Where will you be going, muña? May we come along?"
"No Aegon, it is probably best that you and your siblings not come with me today. I do not think it would be appropriate for you all to witness me stir up more trouble than is necessary."
"Trouble?" he tilted his head confused.
"Heaps of trouble and hopefully I will not need any help getting out of it" she laughed. "But knowing my big mouth, there will be times that I cross the line."
"I don't know if I like where this will go" he said. "Please take care, muña."
"I will do my best, Aegon" she said. "But do not worry and I will be back as soon as I am able."
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"My lady, I must tell you once again that the King does not wish to have any visitors at this time," the guard said with his gaze forward.
"And I will tell YOU again Ser, that if you do not tell the King that I wish to speak to him about an urgent matter, that you are stripped of your post and tongue" she smiled.
The guard trembled in his place but remained firm in keeping his gaze forward.
"My lady, please -"
"What seems to be going on here?"
Their gazes darted to King Viserys standing by his partially opened door, he looked between them expectantly.
"Good brother, how lovely to see you" she said with a saccharine smile. "I was telling this kind ser that I needed a word with you, but it seems that you were preocuppied."
"Nonsense, I have time to speak with my good sister. Come in (Y/N), don't dawdle by the door."
Walking by the guard, she curtsied sarcastically and followed Viserys into the room, only to stand by the door itself as her gaze looked over the massively detailed city that he was constructing.
"This is.... quite the project that you have here, Viserys."
"I have been making it for a long time, I would hope that it looks impressive for all the effort that I put into it" he chuckled, while working on another portion of the city. "But tell me, what brought you here that needed you to threaten that poor young man?"
"I will be blunt Viserys, were you in a drunken stupor when you agreed that Aegon and Halaena should be married? This kingdom follows the faith of the Seven and despite the brutish ways of your ancestors, they should not be married."
His expression hardened and he stopped what he was doing.
"Your Father and Alicent made quite a few points and I saw no harm in them," he said. "If you have any qualms bring it up to either of them."
"But you are King," she stated. "A decision like this cannot be made without your say, so yes there is a few things that you could do to make sure that this marriage doesn't happen."
"We must all do things that are our duty even if we are not fond of them, I am sure that with time they will find it agreeable" he waved it off.
"And you are the speaker of such things?" she scoffed. "Here you hide away from your own children and wife, it is hypocritical to say that they will one day find it agreeable when you can't stand to be in their presence."
"That isn't true!"
"Then explain it to me Viserys! You say that we must all do things that we are not fond of and because of duty, but those children are suffering because of it!" she yelled. "You wanted an heir! Now you have plenty and cannot even spare them a moment of your time or care!"
"My children want for nothing! They are princes and princess of this realm, they have never gone hungry and more things than they could ever want!" he argued. "In time they will learn to grin and bear it, because there are others that would love to be in their place!"
"With parents like theirs, it is punishment enough!"
"Silence! You have said enough!"
"No Viserys, I haven't!" she rushed forward and stood toe to toe with the man. "If I must forfeit my life here, I will do all in my power to ensure that those children have someone fight on their behalf!"
Viserys was practically shaking in anger, but her eyes had a look in them that made the man turn away. "See yourself out, (Y/N)."
"No."
He looked at her in disbelief, "No?"
"No" she echoed. "Until you concede, I will not."
"I am King, I could have you thrown in a cell for this insolence!"
"All I see is a weak man, there is no King here."
It was unnerving how she stared at him, Viserys was used to grown men trembling at his word and groveling for forgiveness at his feet. People pleading that he would find mercy in his heart for them and not following through with his threats.
Yet his good sister refused to back down
His legs shook as he sat down and tried to keep his gaze on her.
"What would you have me do? I have already agreed."
"Allow me to find good matches for the children and that I may have say in what must be done for them" she said simply.
"That is asking for too much, (Y/N)."
"Oh it is merely the start, Viserys."
"What else is there?" he asked.
"We will have many more things to discuss," she smiled. "I hope you are comfortable because changes must be made."
