Chapter Text
Rhaenyra silently made her way to Keep’s sept, two of her mother’s- her handmaidens following close behind, along with her aunt. As the septas guided her towards the side chambers, she carefully observed her surroundings. The place was separated from the main chamber by a temporary partition, allowing only the hitched, trembling voice of its occupant to filter through. She took a careful survey of her surroundings. Her aunt, Amanda Arryn had done a good work at handling the matter, taking the utmost caution to ensure that no Hightower stooge would get the opportunity to sneak in. Her final destination lay beyond this chamber.
She nodded to the lord confessor, whose aids were diligently recording their conversation with the convict. As the man wrapped up the interrogation for the day, he gave her another nod and exited the sept silently, leaving her to make small talk with the septon even though she itched to get this over with, something she hid well though. Patience was the key, after all.
But she was near the end. The charade had gone on long enough, and it was time to wrap this up.
Finally, finally, when all the pleasantries were done, she made her way inside the chamber. It was rare for her to look at the older girl properly since the announcement of her betrothal with her father, too busy suppressing her urge to rip that hypocritical whore apart. But today, she had no such hesitation as she looked at her former “friend.”
Alicent was suspended from the chains. She twitched abortively, made impossible by her limbs held taut in different directions. Vicious bruises and rope burns crisscrossed her body, interrupted by angry welts here and there. Not an inch of her body was left unmarked. Her once vibrant hair was now matted, sticking to her face from the sweat.
It would not have come to this if she had confessed her crime, but alas, she was too stubborn and thus faced the torture for many months.
Rhaenyra couldn’t care less.
“Rhaenyra,” the older woman croaked out when she saw her. A septa standing behind the bound convict swung her cane, earning a scream. “It is Princess Rhaenyra to you,” she admonished the bound girl’s lapse of manner when Rhaenyra held up a hand, stopping her from going further.
“That’s alright,” she said soothingly. “It was my fault that she developed a lack of regard for her betters, I suppose I should bear the burden of it.”
The septa subsided, while Alicent looked at her, hope, desperation, and anger warring in her eyes. In the end, desperation won out, as she opened her mouth again.
“Princess,” she croaked again, looking pleadingly at her. So she could learn, Rhaenyra could imagine her aunt thinking it clearly, but she kept her mouth shut. At receiving no encouragement, the bound girl in front of them had to continue.
“I will do what you asked of me. I will finally confess. I will say anything you want me to. Can you stop them, please? They say that we all will be killed, me and my whole family! Please Rhaenyra, do something.”
She raised an eyebrow. “What I asked of you? I merely reminded you that all of this could end if you confess your crimes.”
She whined. “But they are lying! Those vile accusations being thrown at me, they are not true!”
“Even the accusations of infidelity?”
“Believe me, Rhaenyra, they forced me! I did not want to do such a thing!”
Even at this point, Alicent was always throwing the blame on others, and not herself.
“Are you suggesting,” she asked incredulously. “That you will confess your crimes not because you wanted to repent for the crime you committed and stop the interrogation but because I told you to? That you don’t even believe what you did was wrong?”
The bound woman sobbed. “Isn’t that what you said? That all of this will stop only if I confess?”
The Princess exchanged a bewildered glance with her aunt. Leave it to Alicent to twist words to suit her inner victim monologue, because she had been clear about what she meant when she made that statement.
Moons again, while she was having one of the rare luncheons with her “father”, a commotion had started outside the King’s chambers. They didn’t have to wonder long about the source of all the racket as Ser Harrold, the Lord commander of Kingsguards, and Lady Arryn, the chief lady of the castle and Rhaenyra’s mentor came inside, guards dragging two disheveled people behind them.
It was the King’s betrothed, Lady Alicent Hightower, and second son of Lord Lyonel Strong, then Master of Laws.
But it wasn’t just the people who were dragged in but their state.
Larys Strong’s breeches were open, and Lady Hightower's dress was ripped from the bottom, a suspicious fluid glistening on her bare feet and the hands of her companion.
At first, her father refused to believe that his betrothed could do such a thing, but then Ser Harrold came forward and informed him that he had promptly arrested the lady on the testimony of Ser Criston Cole, a former knight of Kingsguard. Even he was surprised to see Larys Strong sitting close to the King’s betrothed, breeches hung open. Both of them were caught red-handed.
As they were hauled away for interrogation after many, many surprising revelations, Alicent had turned towards her in a last-ditched effort to stop her impending doom.
“Help me, please,” she had begged, tears pouring from her eyes. Rhaenyra only pursed her lips.
“And in what way exactly,” her voice was soft, not betraying her thoughts. “Do you expect me to help you?”
Overcome by desperation, Alicent couldn’t help but sob. “Anything! I don’t care, help me! Stop this torture, or get me out of here, just make it stop.”
The urge to roll her eyes was hard to suppress. “How Alicent, how? What am I supposed to do here? With what authority am I supposed to get you out?”
“You are the Princess! The King’s daughter! He loves you very much. Surely if you put a word for me he will listen to you.”
Rhaenyra gasped. “How can you say that, Alicent? You are going there under the orders of Father, who is also our King. How can you expect me to go against him? My lord father, imagine that! How can I, as an obedient, pious daughter, beholden to my lord father, disobey him and earn the wrath of the seven?”
It was a testament to the fact that Alicent was either too desperate or too out of her senses that she didn’t understand the sarcasm in her words or listen the poorly concealed snort Aunt Amanda let out. Or recognize her own words Rhaenyra had thrown back at her.
In the end, she gave one last advice, not aware of how her words would be misconstrued.
“The only way you can stop your doom is if you confess. Maybe that way, some of your family could be spared, including you. Other than that, I see no way out of this.”
“Just once, please! I will forever remain in your debt.”
Rhaenyra shook her head. “Even if I helped you, where will you go? There is no place for you here anymore. You cannot expect me to hide you forever.”
“I will go back to Old Town to my family. They will take me in, they love me, you just have to get me to them, they will take care of everything after that.”
Alicent only continued to cry. “But you are the crown princess! Don’t you have the authority to do so?”
“Infidelity to the King is treason, Alicent. Infidelity twice over is a bigger treason. You cannot just wave it away as some mistake and ask for forgiveness.”
The brunette continued her crying. “Slander! It’s all lies! They are all lying, they hate me and they want to see me brought down, they are lobbing those heinous accusations at me!”
The Princess continued undeterred. “Once can be a mistake. But twice- no, three times? You seduced my father with underhanded tactics in the darkness of nights, you slept with Cole, and then you fornicated with Strong. One might think you are not a faithful follower of seven but a mistakenly arrogant flower of the high-end brothel at Silk Street who picks and chooses her clients with precision.”
Alicent sobbed loudly now. “You are wrong! I am faithful to seven! I am pious!”
Rhaenyra snorted. “Were you repeating that to yourself when you laid with Cole?”
Alicent looked wild, frantic in her desperation. “He forced himself on me! I was drunk, how could I even lay with him willingly?”
“Oh come off it,” the Princess scoffed. “You never drink that much to become inebriated, let alone senseless. And even if he forced himself on you, what about Larys Strong? Did he also force himself on you?”
“Yes! He also took advantage of me!”
She was thoroughly fed up by now. Lady Amanda Arryn, her aunt, who was standing silently behind her until now, took over. “Lady Alicent, stop trying to insult our intelligence. Ser Criston Cole had already given his detailed testimony. He has told us in painstaking detail that both of you laying with each other didn’t happen out of nowhere. Both of you took liberties with each other, liberties that none of you were allowed to take. Your lady-in-waiting, Talya, and personal chamber maids also confirmed how unnaturally close you both were long before the incident. moreover, it is common knowledge that Cole was inducted in the Order of Kingsguards at your request, and was exclusively your shield despite Princess' protests. And no one can forget how we came across you and Larys Strong when both of you were… fornicating.”
Alicent was angry enough to rattle the chains as she shrieked. “Why would I want to do anything with Clubfoot? Have you seen that cripple? Why will I debase myself with him out of everyone?”
Aunt Amanda remained composed. “I am surprised you are still being this stubborn. But it is of no concern, we can establish a timeline from all the information we have received from everyone else.
Ser Criston Cole confirmed that both of you had intimate relations some moons back. Your chambermaid claims that you missed your courses, which means that you were probably afraid of having a bastard in your belly. Ser Otto also claimed that any child you may have belonged to King Viserys, but the King refuted such claims, saying he never touched you out of the fear of ruining yours and his reputation after all the fuss about his second marriage. This implies that you have told your father about the possibility of you being with child, corroborated by the fact how desperate both of you were to move forward with your nuptials, but you never revealed to him exactly whose child you were carrying, I assume. Even if you had married the King this early and gave birth to that babe, the child’s appearance would cause a lot of suspicion, as well as his inability to claim a dragon in the future, which would throw a wrench in your plans of seating your son on the throne. Firstborn comes first, after all, right? Desperate, you will ask around discreetly about getting rid of it, because you do not want to alert anyone, especially your father.
Enter Larys Strong. The man, despite being young, has been making connections in the city that only a person with a keen eye would take notice of. He must have offered you a chance to get rid of the child before it became a problem, but nothing comes for free, correct? He must have demanded something from you to keep his silence. Now, it is entirely my speculation, but he must have asked for a lot of things, including having relations with him.
Did I miss something, Lady Hightower?”
None it was not a speculation, both Rhaenyra and Lady Arryn knew that. Larys Strong didn’t just come out of nowhere this early; Rhaenyra had, under the guise of replacing his old Lady in waiting, invited Lord Strong’s daughters as well as his oldest son in her household, giving them high positions. She had always wanted to reward Harwin for his absolute loyalty and repaid it by arranging high matches for his sisters, and maybe more in the future, but not all she did was for altruistic purposes. Larys Strong was a thorn she wanted to remove before he could become truly dangerous. She had not given him the attention he wanted, forcing him to sniff elsewhere. And it worked, the man was opportunistic enough to take advantage of a potentially powerful player’s weakness to establish his power.
His relations with Alicent were a revelation to Rhaenyra, much to her surprise and disgust. She could not understand how the girl who used to preach about duty honor faith and piousness was this disgusting and hypocritical. To prostitute herself not once but twice, first to her father and then to Clubfoot to achieve her goals…
She had failed to recognize the rotten façade of her old friend even after everything.
“There are many proofs and witnesses about your infidelity, Alicent. And it’s not just you cuckolding father, is it? Your betrayal goes way beyond that. The King has his limits, and treason is one of them. Even I cannot pardon treason, Lady Hightower.” Rhaenyra deadpanned. The older girl flinched at the reminder.
Soon after the culprits were dragged in, Criston Cole was also presented, albeit with a bit more dignity. The King could do nothing but listen to the testimony of the disgraced Kingsguard as he laid out everything about his former mistress and her household in painstaking detail, leaving nothing behind. Alicent had screamed, pleased, begged the man to hold his tongue, but it was as if Cole was possessed, not looking at her for even a moment as he calmly recounted all the events.
And what he said was damning, not just for Alicent, but for the entire House Hightower.
Rhaenyra had not expected Cole to be this useful. She had thought of him as a hound dog, nose sniffing where his hatred and masters pointed towards. But the man had come prepared, and all she had to do was watch in delight as the disgraced knight explained in detail how Alicent Hightower had approached the King on the orders of her father. He went to great detail to explain how she would complain to him about being saddled with an old man of age close to her father and would have never bothered with him if he wasn’t the King. Being Queen and mother of the next king was the only thing that held her in this Keep, he had told her father who was purpling with rage at this point, ignoring Alicent’s screams about how the man was lying because he hated her.
But Criston Cole had come prepared, as he had feared that he would not be believed. He brought solid evidence, the letters between Hightower family.
Very few were of Lord Hobert Hightower and Ser Otto Hightower, the contents of which were mostly similar in that the former would pressure the latter to convince the King to hurry up with marriage to not lose their chance to advance the Hightower line on the Iron Throne. He had, on one notable occasion, berated his younger brother on his arrogance that he overestimated his ability to control the foolish puppet King. The letters pilfered from Alicent’s chambers held more or less similar contents, bits of advice on how to control her soon-to-be husband and win as many favors as she could, and to birth a Hightower son as soon as possible to bring the Kingdoms back to order. Her letters were different in the sense that they contained vitriol against Targaryens that ravens addressed to Ser Otto lacked, calling them godless abominations, heathens, and a blight on their Kingdom. All of the Targaryens were insulted at least twice. When arranged in order, it was clear Alicent had never taken her time to correct her relatives.
Ravens addressed to Ser Otto were not damning. They had been clear, and precise in their wish to hurry up the marriage. It also made sense that they would think that as soon as the King had a son, the child would become the heir instead. That was, after all, what the entire nobility thought. That Rhaenyra was chosen as a safeguard against Rogue Prince. She was the space holder for the true heir, taking all the daggers while the true king was destined to sit on the Throne after King Viserys remained safe. So he could be excused.
But Alicent? Her disdain was all too clear even in pretty words, whether it was addressed to her, or whether they were the drafts penned by her that were trashed for one reason or another.
And just like her infidelity to the King, those missives sealed her fate. In addition to infidelity, they were now officially traitors, her and her family and accomplices, awaiting interrogation.
It was so, so, so very easy to pilfer the letters before they could be burned or trashed. Ser Otto was paranoid, and his mistakes were rare, the only one being too confident in his arrogance that the King would listen to him and set her aside in the favor of his grandson. But Alicent? She was new to the game. She had not learned yet how harsh it could be, how to dispose of any discriminating evidence, and how easy it was to frame others. She never realized that among many of her distant cousins who had flocked to her side after her betrothal and wrote to her regularly, some of them with the most vitriol to spew were not related to her. Or even her friend.
At the reminder, the traitor wilted. “Is he still angry?” She whispered.
“You tell me.” Rhaenyra snorted. “He thinks that you loved him. He feels… jilted.”
Well, not really, he was not exactly angry. The more hatred the Hightowers spewed against her, the more ammunition Rhaenyra had against them, and the more the King would get angry. But as of right now, he was not angry, not enough. Right now, he acted as if he was a jilted lover, more worried about the deception of the feelings of his betrothed than the usurpation attempt of his appointed heir. He felt so betrayed that he had left the entire investigation up to his council and daughter. It pained him to see those he thought were his loved ones betray him this viciously and go through such horrors, he had claimed, washing his hands off the entire matter. He had removed himself from the matter to the point where it was almost forbidden to mention the investigation or his favored friend and betrothed.
But that was alright. She had learned her lesson long ago. She would never look at her sorry excuse of a father to strengthen her reign ever again. This unexpected freedom had allowed her to tear out a lot of foreign influence in her home. She had relished tearing apart everyone who was involved in her mother’s slow demise as well as Alicent Hightower’s seduction of the King.
Alicent protested the jilted accusation though. “But he never- he never claimed that he was marrying me for love, only for duty! How can he now act as if there was any love between us?”
Rhaenyra looked her in the eye. “And who is to be blamed for that, hmm? Who went to him again and again with sweet whispers of adoration, of admiration, and made him think that the spring of love was upon him?”
The convict stammered. “It was- father said told me to convince him to change his decision on our time of marriage. Two years is such a long time, why wait if the betrothal was already set in stone?”
Rhaenyra sneered at her. “Did it ever occur to you what perception the kingdom had when Father announced his second marriage only a few moons after his first wife’s death? Especially after the rumors about your visits to him ran rampant?”
Her eyes widened. “Wh- what? What are you talking about?”
Her aunt elaborated in a no-nonsense tone. “Nobility doesn’t take it kindly to be snubbed in such a manner, Lady Hightower. When King expressed his wish for a second marriage, preparations were taking place to invite the handful of selected noblewomen from all over the kingdom. Imagine their surprise when they suddenly receive a missive telling them to not bother because the King has already chosen his second wife. Imagine the humiliation they felt when they realized they had been taken out of the race by someone who was not even a lord’s daughter, not a valerian woman, only someone who took advantage of her closeness to the Royal family that she saw it fit to advance herself to the position of the Queen by underhanded tactics.”
Her aunt’s voice was smooth, yet firm. Rhaenyra had learned that it was not always the case, it was only the constant tragedies that hardened Amanda Arryn. She regretted not reconnecting with her mother’s family before. It was the families behind the monarchs that won the heirs dynasties, and yet the Princess had never tried to strengthen hers.
But she had rectified that before it was too late, and now, she had one of the strongest allies to call her own.
“When- there was no such announcement!”
“Aye,” her aunt nodded. “There wasn’t because everyone thought it to be of extremely poor taste to hold such gatherings in the mourning period. Only tentative missives were being sent, nothing more.”
Probably the reason why Otto Hightower pestered her father to make his decision about the marriage sooner than last time, Rhaenyra thought to herself.
But it was news to Alicent, who looked at them in shock.
“That still does not explain why he would delay the marriage to almost three years.”
Rhaenyra scoffed. “Oh I don’t know, maybe because all the nobility thought he was marrying a whore and he would not suffer such stain on his pride, making it absolutely clear to everyone that he had not touched you or you had touched him. That he had not cheated on my mother. That you were of age, but Queen Aemma was so young when he consummated his marriage with her that he felt afraid of another barren wife? Or maybe even though you were taught to handle a household as a lady, you were nowhere prepared to take on the responsibilities of a queen? Or the blunders you made in insulting my mother, and in turn, the constant insults he dealt to Vale?”
“How had he insulted Vale? Marrying again is his right!”
Her aunt took over again. “Vale had, for two generations, pledged its flesh and blood to Targaryens in ways beyond the loyalty a lord owes to his king. Vale was one of the reasons King Viserys ascended to the Iron Throne. But what did we receive in return? Our fathers, sons, and brothers were butchered by the mountain clans, yet the Royal family only deigned to send a raven of condolences. Prince Daemon was supposed to be our protector in return for the promise that all his needs would be taken care of, and a chance in the line succession of Runestone, yet he was nowhere to defend us when Vale was ravaged. Our Queen was almost butchered by his own hands, not even allowed to return to attend the funeral of her family. Our warden, Lady Arryn, the King’s own niece by marriage, left to wolves, with few standing to defend her birthright, was not even a footnote in one of the feasts the King threw regularly. And then, just a few moons after Queen Aemma’s death, he had the audacity to announce his marriage, as if the mourning period was not over. And he did nothing when rumors went abound again, about Princess being the placeholder for your future son. You ask us how could he insult us, my question is, Lady Alicent, why should we not feel insulted?”
Alicent swallowed. “My sincere apologies for all the tragedies that befell on your homeland Lady Arryn, but I cannot be blamed for all of that. Surely you recognize this?”
The lady in question shrugged. “True. But I am not the one holding you imprisoned for treason, am I? Or Vale, for that matter.”
The bound woman turned her eyes toward the Princess, who also shrugged. “No matter how many times you ask, the answer will not change. I have no authority over this matter, only the King can stop all of this.”
“You are the heir! The appointed, chosen heir of King Viserys! You have the power to do something!”
She sighed in exasperation. “For the love of- Since when were you this thick-headed? The only pardon for treason can come from the King, and it is him you betrayed the most.”
“He loves you, why won’t he listen to you?”
Alicent looked at her in a beseeching manner, but the Princess wasn’t impressed.
“Why would I do such a thing?”
The brunette blinked. “What?”
Rhaenyra repeated her question. “Why would I do that? You are here to answer about your treason to the King, but what about your treason to me?”
It was clear that the Hightower girl was confused. “How have I betrayed you?”
Rhaenyra’s eyes blazed with anger that she had been suppressing for a long time. “How, you ask? When you slithered in my Father’s chambers like a whore when not even the ashes of my mother had cooled, were you serenading me? Or were you praying for my ascension when you gleefully looked at the power that came with being the Queen? Or were you building alliances for my future reign when you were assuring everyone that you would fulfill your duty and birth a silver-haired baby as soon as you were married?”
She shook her head, suppressing her sobs. “That is not- Rhaenyra, you know that is a lie! You know that I had been telling others that are the heir, many times, among noble women no less! You are the King’s chosen heir, to think otherwise is a treason!”
She lunged forward, grabbing Alicent’s chin, digging her nails into the soft flesh. “And for how long would you have allowed that? Seeing how you were so keen to replace me?”
“Never! I never did that-”
““I fear that he will never give me the station I deserve as his wife, the mother of his son,”” Rhaenyra mocked, a cruel delight entering her eyes. “Who are you pretending for, Alicent? Both of us know that your “support” would have only gone as long as you were childless. Once you had a son, you would not hesitate to whisper to the King to replace me. All it would have taken would be one single thing from me that you don’t like, and you would have betrayed me.”
“But- I didn’t! Don’t I keep reminding the noble women that you are the heir?” She gasped out. Rhaenyra let her go in disgust.
“Ah, yes, your paltry words of support. Right, as if we don’t live in a world where men come before women, as if inheritance laws were not so badly muddled that they weakened my position as if I had not painstakingly, in detail made it clear to you what awaited us if my father married again!” Her voice was not loud, yet it conveyed the anger she felt. “You knew perfectly well your father sought to replace me, anyone with eyes could see! And not just him, there were many who were waiting for one such opportunity. You had no guarantee that Father would not have disinherited me for your son, and you continue to claim that you are loyal to me as if you were not involved in this treasonous, diabolical plan to supplant me?”
She panted harshly. Her father would not have disinherited her, but Alicent didn’t know that. No one knew that King Viserys would remain stubborn in this matter where he was so malleable when it came to others. So Lady Hightower knew full well what could have happened to Rhaenyra after she had a son. And yet she had gone along with the scheme, putting no resistance whatsoever.
She had no wish to hear the next words coming out of her former “friend”, but she did nonetheless. “Princess, it may be a foreign concept to you, but this is the way. The Kingdom would prefer a male heir over you no matter what you do. Yes, you said the inheritance laws were not clear, but you know that such a heavy burden on the shoulder of a young maid is cruelty. All I did was try to help you by shifting that burden, leaving you with the freedom to live your life. Isn’t that what you wanted? Boundless freedom? To fly over the sea and eat cake?”
Rhaenyra scoffed. “Ah yes, your intentions were so pure in getting me disinherited even when you and yours would have been the only ones to benefit from such a scheme.”
“You are mistaking my intentions-”
“I am mistaking nothing,” she hissed. “Who the hell are you, Alicent Hightower? Did I ever ask your help to remove this burden from me? Did I ever give such indication- no, even a single thing I may have said to make you think you ought to help in such a pathetic manner?”
Alicent lowered her eyes. “I was your friend too. Don’t you think I would know what you wished secretly? Do you not think I will try to fulfill my responsibilities as one of your dearest companions?”
The Princess barked out a harsh laugh. “Your responsibilities? Right,” She started to pace the cramped space in agitation. “Do you remember the day when father held the investiture ceremony? When he gathered all the lords to take the oath and bow to me? You were there. You did the same too. Did it ever occur to you why you had to do such a thing? You are not a ruling lady, so why were you among the few women to do so?
I am sure you never thought about it, right? You just excused it as the dearest companions of the members of the Royal family. But no, you were made to swear oaths of loyalty to me because you were my lady in waiting. That was your position when you bowed to me that day. You made the promise to accept me as your future queen, to aid me in my future reign, to be my support and shield, more so than anyone else. But no, that was not what you did, did you? You chose to betray me in the worst way possible, insulted my mother’s memory, and actively involved yourself in the schemes to supplant me. You may not have led these treasonous plots against me, but you were the figurehead until you had a son. And yet you do not want to accept that you knew what you were doing, that you consciously chose to betray me.”
She stopped when her aunt touched her, squeezing her shoulder. She took a long breath to calm herself, ignoring the sobbing of the girl hanging behind her.
“I did not want to do it,” she whispered, denying it to the end. “I never wanted this, Rhaenyra, please. You know this”
“If you did not want it,” the Princess titled her head curiously. “Then why did you not come to me? Why did you not ask for help?”
“You are too naïve to think you could have helped me, Rhaenyra,” Alicent’s voice was soft, merely a whisper. “You think yourself to be too invincible. But you are young. You do not know yet what it could have cost me to disobey my father. You could not have helped me.”
“Excuses,” Rhaenyra shot back. “All you have are excuses. Tell me, what could your father have done if you had refused him? I have never seen him lift his hand on you, nor punish you so harshly that the mere idea of disobeying him would leave you trembling with fright. How could he have forced you if the word had gotten out about what he was asking you to do that you think he could have still forced you to go to my Father with the harsh condemnation of public on him and you? If people had heard he was asking you to seduce the King, do you think he could have continued with such a shameless task? No, he wouldn’t because it will ruin his reputation, and all the hard work he had done for years to get to where he is right now. Everyone would have looked at him with suspicion, even the King, and he would be forced to watch his every word and act if only to salvage his reputation.
Did I not offer you a match back then? You knew very well that I had taken on the task of learning more about how to run this castle in preparation to learn about my future duties. You knew I had the power to do something. I could have found you a match among high-ranking nobility if only you had asked! Do you not remember it? How many times have I asked you? But every time you denied it, claiming your father was looking for your prospects. You could have asked for help but you purposefully didn’t.”
“You are too privileged,” Alicent wasn’t ready to back down either. “You grew up in the lap of luxury, spoiled rotten by everyone. How would you know of the troubles people who lack your privilege face?”
“Why do you keep talking as if you are the daughter of a shoemaker on the beggar street, begging for the scraps of food and not the daughter of Hand to the King? House Hightower is not as powerful as it used to be centuries ago, but they still retain most of their wealth, easily competing with the Lannisters. You grew up in the same castle as the Princess and enjoyed many of those privileges you are taunting her about. Unless I am mistaken and your family had fallen in such dire straits that they cannot afford to take care of you?”
The girl only shook her head stubbornly. “You won’t understand. None of you do. I only did this because my father asked me to. It is my duty to obey him.”
She wanted to curse the chit when her aunt stopped her again. “You only think of your duty to your Lord father, but never to your future ruler, or to your faith. Religion is a way of life, Lady Alicent, not a transaction or a tool to be used when convenient. And you use it frequently, almost always when it suits you. This is an insult to the seven, using their name to gain benefit for yourself. Contrary to what you claim, you are not pious, you are selfish and delusional. The love you are supposed to have for God is selfless, it is pure, and yet you taint it with selfish desires and ambitions, yours and your family’s.”
This was the second time Alicent repeated herself. “You are lying! I have been nothing but dutiful to seven, to my faith, and to my betters!”
“Your betters only consist of your greedy, grasping father who got more than what he deserved, no one else.”
“So what if my father wanted something for his own benefit?” Alicent shouted at them furiously. “He had been running this kingdom for the reign of two kings! He has put his blood, sweat, and tears in this dynasty! He sacrificed so much to uphold your family’s reign, so what if he wanted this one thing for himself in the end? Has he not proved himself to be wise enough to understand the dangers of you becoming Queen? So what if he took steps to rectify the ruin of the kingdom? You have no right to criticize him after everything he had done for you!”
“Finally,” Rhaenyra smiled in satisfaction. “Finally, you show your true self. You never wished me to be the queen, did you? You hated it. You eagerly wasted for the day you became the queen consort and had a son of your own to supplant me.”
The bound woman scowled at her. “Is it wrong of to me to want more from my life? So what if I thought my child, my son should be the King? I am to marry your father who is past his prime, should I not be rewarded for that? What is wrong with me wanting what I rightfully deserve?”
Rhaenyra sneered. “You deserve nothing but this. Brought low on your knees due to your own mistakes, forced to face the consequences of your actions. Did you really think you could marry my father while having an affair with someone else? String my father along and reap all the benefits while betraying him at the same time!”
“So what if I did?” Alicent sneered back. “So what? You said it yourself to me long before, we should pursue our happiness because men will never care about us, that your father never loved anyone but himself. So why am I wrong in pursuing my happiness instead of looking at him for it? If you had done it instead, you would have never been punished the way I am!”
And that was always what it boiled down to, wasn’t it? Alicent always compared herself to Rhaenyra. It was as if she was incapable of living a life outside of her father’s orders and her lack of privileges compared to the Princess. She just couldn’t help it.
“Aye, I would have never been in the same position for the same crime,” Rhaenyra confirmed, remembering all too vividly her previous life. It was indeed unfair, but then Rhaenyra remembered how the same women in her old life whispered threats to her, telling her in vivid details how the Princess will be sent to Silent Sisters just like her whore aunt to repent and her bastard child to wall or accompany her to the motherhouse, only stopping after King Viserys had taken a look at her Jacaerys and seated him in his lap, telling him that he will sit there one day. Her sympathy at such unfairness would evaporate whenever she remembered that time. “I would have been protected, if not because the King cares for me then for the sole fact that my ruined reputation ruins his, and subsequently the Crown’s. But unlike you, I do not wrap myself in a hypocritical cloak of righteousness. If I had done so, I would have never done so to harm my spouse or to betray his trust. I would not lay with a man and then throw the heinous accusation of him forcing himself on me and making myself the blameless one! And I certainly wouldn’t have made myself the incarnation of mother, like you keep doing you hypocritical whore.”
“Like you didn’t have the chance to spoil yourself by now!” Alicent all but screamed at her. “You have the blood of Saera the whore, as if you wouldn’t have done the same, more so now that all those lordlings and knights surround you like bees to honey, begging you for a chance to marry them!”
“Saera Targaryen was a whore, yes, but she was also punished by the same family you like to badmouth. And even then, that has nothing to do with anyone here,” Aunt Amanda admonished the Hightower girl, barely restraining her anger. “The one being questioned for their actions is not her or the Princess, it is you, Lady Hightower. Do not forget that.”
“But why? Why should I be punished? Your Princess told me herself that the King never loved anyone but himself.” She shrieked. “Even his beloved Aemma was not more important than his pride. Why should I be forced to bear his affections and not find some happiness in this bleak life for myself?”
“Keep my mother’s name out of your disgusting mouth!” Rhaenyra screamed back. “My mother was loyal to him till the end even when he didn’t deserve it. She stood by his side, never betraying his trust, and certainly didn’t pin all the problems in her life on his head even when she could. You are not even equal to the dust on her shoe. And forced to bear the King’s affection? Do you think you are oh-so unique? With one word only there would be lines of noblewomen lining up this city begging to marry him. He forced nothing on you; you made the choice on your own because Daddy dearest wanted a king for a grandson and a queenly daughter!”
“Then what else should I have done, oh mighty Princess! Should I not seek better prospects for myself!”
“Not when it comes at the cost of others!”
Both of them panted harshly, neither willing to back down. Aunt Amanda, who had kept quiet through their screaming bout, redirected the conversation back to the topic. “You say that you were only trying to seek happiness for yourself. Criston Cole says that he offered to run away with you. Why did you not take it? You could have been much happier with him than being here. The King himself would not have done much to force you back. Why stay then? Why keep increasing your infractions until he has no choice but to punish you?”
An ugly frown marred Alicent’s face. “What happiness? How could he take care of me? What will he feed me? Surely not the oranges he is so fond of. Why beggar myself for a fool and trample my family’s honor?”
Rhaenyra couldn’t help it.
She laughed.
She laughed until tears were streaming down her face.
“If only he had seen you,” she gasped out, ignoring the way the other two looked at her. “Truly, you and Criston Cole deserve each other. One of the best decisions of my life was to make him your shield instead of mine.”
Alicent stilled as if in shock. A moment passed. And then, as if possessed, she screamed, rattling the chains with her struggle.
“You! You did this to me! You sent him to ruin me. You told him to force himself on me to ruin me. You just couldn’t see me succeed, could you, you bitch! You did everything to lead me here!”
“Wrong,” Rhaenyra’s lip curled with such viciousness that her aunt was taken aback. “I only knew that Ser Criston Cole was a man who gave his affections and loyalty oh so very blindly, nothing more. Did I lay traps for you? Yes, but none of it would have worked if you hadn’t walked right into them yourself. Nothing I could have done would have harmed you if you had the right intentions if you maintained your loyalty to me and resisted all temptations. I did not ask you to sleep with Cole or Strong, or spew your hatred against me and proudly declare to your family that your son was going to be the King. You did all of that, on your own, without any provocation. Your actions led you here, not mine.”
“Liar! You whore! You will ruin this Kingdom just like Father said-”
Rhaenyra turned a deaf ear as she exited the chambers while her aunt went behind to silently summon a septa who came in just in time as Alicent went berserk. She lifted her cane, striking her behind, interrupting her screams of accusations with screams of pain.
It was too late that she had understood that she had never been able to play the game. She was a child and remained a child despite growing in age. She had done so many foolish things, all because she believed that everything would fall into her lap because of who she was.
She was violently reminded of the reality.
So this time, she played. She played behind everyone. She hated everyone, and so, she wanted all of them brought low.
And here was one of them, one of her enemies, brought to her knees in front of her. This time, she would not have the courage to lift her head in front of Rhaenyra from misplaced pride.
And there was no mercy left in her heart for anyone. So what if they were innocent right now? All of them still held enmity against her in their hearts. She just gave them what them what they deserved, albeit much earlier.
“Princess, is there nothing that would not change your mind on refusing Walk of Atonement for the convict?”
The septa in charge of Alicent’s confinement addressed her. She was vehement in her denial. “No. No matter what her punishment is decided at the end, such a disgraceful thing will never be allowed.”
“But that is the only way for her to atone for her sins-”
“She is here, is she not? To make her atone for her sins is your duty. Do that. No need to expose her to the hungry eyes of the entire city. I will not tolerate such a thing.”
The septa pursed her lips. “She is still defiant to the end. Even at this hour, she is screaming accusations and blaming you and the King for her situation.”
Rhaenyra was used to this. Alicent blaming all her troubles on everyone else. Never pointing toward the right culprit. Or never admitting her own part in it.
“The Council has given you the leave to get a confession out of her through any means. You were only held back by my restrictions, so here: do whatever you can, but do not leave a scar on her. Do not allow a man to touch her, and ensure that her… chastity is still maintained. I will personally have my men geld any person who went near her with such intentions. Avoid breaking anything and leaving permanent marks on her, and you will be allowed to do almost anything to get her to talk.”
The septa was not very happy even with such freedom, but she acquiesced nonetheless. “As you wish, Princess.”
They exited the sept, the screams behind them ringing loudly in the small place. Both of them ignored it.
“Does she realize that it is House Hightower’s septas and confessors who go the hardest on her?”
Rhaenyra shrugged. “I don’t think so. She does love her family oh so much.” She sneered. Lady Arryn’s lips quirked up in amusement.
Lord Hightower's arrest must have left her feeling very cornered.” She mused. “She blames her good brother and his daughter for all the troubles they are facing currently, and would very much like to exact revenge on the one she thinks responsible. After all, if it wasn’t for young Hightower maid’s constant missteps and infidelity, they would have been enjoying one of the highest positions in the Kingdom right now.”
Rhaenyra couldn’t help but shake her head in amusement. The Hightowers were such a hypocritical bunch. Her father had refused to believe that his Hand was innocent after the man claimed that Alicent was carrying his child, thinking that his cheating betrothed’s father was trying to cover up her mistakes. With his refusal to partake in any part of the investigation, Rhaenyra was allowed free reign, which she took advantage of, pushing the usurpation charges on them, as well as the investigation about her mother’s untimely death. After Otto Hightower’s arrest, his brother was summoned and also put under arrest under the charge of treason. Both brothers started to play the blame game with each other, pushing all accusations to the other party to avoid the impending punishment. Lady Hightower had panicked after a carefully worded raven from the crown, or more accurately from Rhaenyra, and had tried to lead a small rebellion, calling the treason charges a lie, but was dealt with swiftly. The end result was that House Hightower was in shambles with all of its high-ranking men arrested, leaving Lady Hightower to scramble around to avoid her children being thrown out on the streets. She had given a lot in fines and taxes to save her neck and of her children. But she was adamant about one thing.
Alicent Hightower must end up in her care.
Rhaenyra had no objection to that.
Truly, it was better to have her enemies snipe at each other rather than take them head-on.
“I heard her aunt made special arrangements to welcome back her niece.” Aunt Amanda continued. “Word on the streets is that preparations are happening for her in the new motherhouse for Silent sisters that it will make what happened to Saera Targaryen an enjoyable experience.”
Rhaenyra turned her head away. “She is not of our concern anymore after she is released from here.” She had more pressing concerns. “Any word on what I asked you?”
Lady Arryn shook her head grimly. “Not much,” she confessed in a low voice. “The only thing we have is Mellos dereliction of his responsibilities when he was supposed to care for the Queen. Lord Hobert likely knows nothing, but Otto Hightower is proving himself to be stubborn. We have no concrete proof that they had a hand in killing your mother.”
She frowned. “Concerning indeed,” she murmured. Her aunt looked at her for a moment.
“Are you sure Hightowers had a hand in the death of Aemma?”
Yes. No. Maybe.
Her mother’s death in both lives could be blamed on multiple factors: constant miscarriages, consummation of marriage at an extremely young age against the expert’s advice, getting with a child without much break, and in her last life, her brutal murder.
In this life, Rhaenyra’s intervention saved her from being gutted like a fish, but it didn’t save her from getting sick after the birth and slipping away in her sleep.
Her only consolation was that her mother had died painlessly this time.
“I am not sure,” she admitted. “But the healers did claim that she should have recovered from birthing fever as it was not serious. Even they admitted their doubts when Mother’s health deteriorated at such speed. The only obvious conclusion is that someone must have tempered with something despite all our precautions. After all, a lot was to be gained from her death, and Hightowers are one of the biggest contenders to gain something from her death.”
It didn’t matter though, because in the last life, Hightowers were indeed involved. King Viserys did not made the decision to gut his beloved wife like a fish without consulting his Hand first. Even if they had no involvement in Mother’s death in this life, they still had to pay for the last one. Rhaenyra was not going to let them go this easily.
“It doesn’t matter,” her voice was hushed. “Both of us know that we need something bigger to pin on them. I do not want my father to use any excuse to grant leniency to them. Contact Lady Hightower.” She took a long breath. “Tell her we are ready to negotiate. She can still have a Lord Hightower for a son if she complies with us. Demand information from her, and if it doesn’t exist, tell her to make it up.”
Aunt Amanda nodded, perfectly capable of understanding what was at stake here. “Understood, your Grace. However,” she hesitated. “Your father, King Viserys, how do you plan to deal with him? I don’t know how you dealt with him before, dragging his engagement for years instead of months, but this situation is a bit different. He is still unwilling to listen to reason and open his eyes to his friend’s treachery, only allowing this investigation to happen in the first place due to his hurt pride because of being cuckolded and the Council’s demands. Unless he gives the sentence, all of this will be for naught.”
Luck had nothing to do with it. Her aunt was right, her father had only bowed to pressure that came from Small Council and the mere idea that someone dared to cuckold him. He had truly thought that he was beginning to love the chit he had chosen for his second wife. Truly, men never love anyone except their pride. It was hard to control him. And yet control him Rhaenyra did.
The realization came too late to her that the biggest obstacle for her was her father, not the Hightowers. When her mother was alive, Rhaenyra used a mixture of persuasion plus threats about leaving and taking her mother with her if the King didn’t give up his wife’s care to her. He had thought she was being stubborn and childish and considered it endearing, and gave into her demands against his Hands advice, thinking that she would knuckle under the responsibilities and give up.
The opposite had happened. Rhaenyra had not only proved herself capable of taking care of her mother but also lessened the burden of all the work Viserys as King was piled with, leaving him to prance around, feasting and celebrating to his heart’s content. He had opted not to tell his Hand about it though, afraid he would be hounded by him to work again, leaving Rhaenyra with no supervision whatsoever. This had played a role in her being named heir this time, the King was more confident that she could bear the burden of the Crown, and thus was more willing to listen to her. Anything to run away from his responsibilities.
After his wife died and Alicent Hightower dug her pretty sweet claws in him on orders of her father, Rhaenyra had to change her tactics. Her favorite was dressing up as her mother and haunting him around the clock. Or the best one yet, pouring a slow-acting poison that addled his brain in his wine whenever they dined. She had pulled every tactic on him, being hot and cold with him, depriving him of her presence, wearing a blood-soaked linen shift like her mother did, and slipping into his rooms in the dead of night, making him question his sanity by saying one thing and then completely denying such a thing even occurred. He had not admitted it to anyone else, but he was going insane, and she enjoyed every moment of it, watching her mother’s would-be murderer descend into pits of hell.
So what of it wasn’t enough to damn Otto Hightower in his eyes? He doubted his every word at this point, afraid of his shadow. He refused to take any part in the investigation because he thought himself to be incapable, but it wasn’t enough.
“The sentence will come from him,” Rhaenyra stated firmly. “Whether it breaks him or not, I do not care but he will be the one to sentence his beloved friends. Anything less is unacceptable.”
The older woman sighed. “Then we best hope that Alicent Hightower confesses sooner.”
She only smiled in return. “Do not worry. The septas will not go easy on her anymore. She will break sooner or later.”
She was right, as only a week later, they received the message that the traitor had confessed.
Rhaenyra made sure to have her father present during the confession, making him listen to every single curse Alicent let out against him and Targaryens. The very next day, Lady Hightower gave her prepared testimony, wrapping the matter entirely.
All that was left to do for her was to watch in satisfaction as her father struggled to give out the sentence. Criston Cole was gelded by his own brothers and sent to the Wall along with Larys Strong.
She watched as Alicent was led to the whipping pole, the girl still cursing her and the King out in public, her swearing halted by the harsh whipping soon after. She was silenced by the end of it as they left her to hang there for the day, forced to watch her beloved father and family put to the sword in front of her eyes. At night, they removed her, throwing her in a wheelhouse, and sent her packing to Old Town for her beloved aunt’s care. Last she heard of her, the King’s former betrothed was not just a target for her Lady Hightower’s anger, but also a source for the other Silent Sisters to vent their anger on due to her Hightower name, as many were condemned members from all levels of their society, having equal hatred for their Hightower masters due to their “care.”
But this was of no concern to her as King Viserys collapsed the next day in the court, and never got up again, forever cementing his name as the cuckolded king who couldn’t take such betrayal and control his own soon-to-be wife. Rhaenyra, left as a regent, turned a blind eye as insulting songs sprung about her father everywhere, too busy preparing for her marriage and future reign.
Life was good to her and her children this time around.