Chapter Text
Rhaenyra's parents weren't thrilled at her decision to move away. It was less about her personal quest in life, and more about the lack of security. When she lived at home, in the family mansion, there was no safer place to be. They'd tried to convince her to take at least one bodyguard with her, but she refused. Daemon supporting her decision had helped, but ultimately, they all knew how difficult it was for anyone to recognize them without their signature hair-- and dying her hair black had been the first detail she shared with them, because she wanted to avoid whatever security measures they would try to force on her.
If she wasn't recognizable, security and paps and the like wouldn't be an issue. Fortunately, Daemon agreed, and when Father asked Aunt Rhaenys what she thought, she also said it was a good idea to let Rhaenyra 'stretch her legs'. It had been a discussion for a while, but Rhaenyra hadn't let it bother her because her parents couldn't stop her. She had her own bank account, and it had more than enough money to fund this idea of hers-- and even if she didn't have that, she knew she could ask Daemon for money and he'd give it to her in a second. Hells, all she'd have to do was look up at him and widen her eyes a little, and he'd give it to her without her having to say a word-- a trick she’d used before she came of age.
Still, at the end of the discussion-- which went on and off for two months-- her family had all agreed to support her. She packed up the things she wanted to take along with their help, and they gave her a going away dinner the night before she moved out.
She would miss them, but this was also set to be the most freedom she'd ever see, and she intended to enjoy it. She would keep in touch. It's not like she was going to stop communicating with them altogether, but she knew that it wouldn't be the same as living with everyone.
In the same breath that she missed them, she was looking forward to some time apart. So many people in Westeros didn't live with their entire family. The fact that she did was another thing that kept her separate from people her age. She knew there was a lot that separated her from people her age, but moving out for a year would at least give her a new perspective where she could. She had money, and she knew that a lot of people her age didn't. She didn't plan to hide it, though. There was a certain amount of dishonesty she was comfortable with. Hiding her identity was acceptable but lying about her being well off wasn't. She didn't plan to tell any of her roommates quite how much money she had, but there were plenty of trust fund babies out there; she could be one of them.
Move in was a little tricky. Naturally, her family had offered to help-- both to be nice and to make the experience more authentic for her (because regular families helped each other move instead of hiring people for it, right?)-- but she couldn't have all of them show up. She couldn't claim she wasn't a Targaryen if all the other Targaryen's were helping her move in. So she told them thank you but please don't, and then hired a moving service.
Rhaenyra knocked on the door to the house and waited anxiously. She'd only talked to her new roommates on the phone or over text. She hadn't seen them face to face yet, so when someone opened the door and said, "Can I help you?" she knew it wasn't that she had the wrong house, it was simply that they didn't know it was her.
"Um, yeah, I'm Rhae? Your new roommate."
The woman's face lit with understanding. "Right, Rhae! Great to finally meet you, I'm Alicent." She held out her hand, and after a brief pause-- thinking 'is she serious?'-- Rhaenyra took it.
"Nice to meet you too."
"Did you need help moving in?"
Rhaenyra blinked. For some reason, it hadn't occurred to her that her new roommates would offer to help. "That's really sweet, but I've hired movers. They should be here soon."
"Oh, great. Oh, where are my manners. Come on in!" Alicent said, stepping back and holding the door wide. "Joselyn is in her room doing homework, and Criston is at the gym, but he should be back soon. This is your room over here," she said, leading the way.
Rhaenyra closed the door behind her after she walked in, nearly forgetting to do so. She didn't think it was her fault that she forgot; at the Targaryen mansion, servants opened and closed the main door for her, so it was never something she'd had to think about. Rhaenyra hurried after Alicent, smiling in excitement as she showed her the room. It was half the size of her room at home, but she'd already known that before she agreed to move in here. Alicent had been nice enough to send her the dimensions of the room, so she'd been able to buy a new bed and dresser that would fit.
"So this is it," Alicent said. "There's a lock on the door, and a window over there. The closet in here is pretty wide, but not very deep, I hope that's okay."
"Of course." All she needed was for it to be tall enough to fit her dresses, and it was certainly big enough for that.
"There's two outlets in here, and another in the bathroom, which is over there."
Rhaenyra nodded. A bathroom connected to her bedroom. Huh. She didn't have that at home. She had to walk across the hall to use the bathroom, though it was still considered hers as she didn't have to share it. This was going to take some getting used to, but she was confident that she could do it.
"If you want, I can show you the kitchen."
It was going to be a bit longer before the moving service arrived, so she said, "Please."
"We cleared off a shelf in the pantry and the fridge for you," Alicent said, leading her out of the room. "The freezer doesn't really have space to divide a section for each of us, so we try to remember what we've bought. Obviously it creates some big issues if you take someone else's stuff."
"Of course," Rhaenyra said. That, at least, was familiar. Nothing started a fight between her and Laena faster than eating the dessert she'd been saving. She could keep her stomach from taking other people's food, no problem.
"For cleaning, we normally rotate who's cleaning what in the common areas, but since there's four of us, you don't have to worry about cleaning very often. And you have an entire week to do it, so if you forget one day, it's not the end of the world."
Oh gods. Cleaning. She hadn't thought about that. She didn't know how to clean. She'd never had to. The extent of her cleaning experience was helping the servants clean dishes when she was a kid, and she'd done that because her mother had told her that it would be a good experience-- and she'd only done it for a few months. She hadn't even had to clean her dorm room when she left it, because the university offered for students to clean it themselves or pay to have their service do it, and naturally, she'd chosen to pay. There were YouTube tutorials for everything though, right? She could look that up before it was her turn, and she'd be fine.
"We share plates and pans and all that, so as long as you wash whatever you use, that won't be a problem," Alicent continued.
"Right," Rhaenyra said, because it sounded like Alicent expected some sort of response.
"As for rent, it's due on the second, and that comes from my account. So you can give me your part the last day of the month or the first. Check or cash is fine, it doesn't matter to me."
Rhaenyra nodded. She'd have to do cash, since all of her checks had her full name on them, and there was no way she could bluff or lie her way around that. "If I haven't given it to you by the first, remind me," she said, because she wasn't too used to doing things on a schedule without someone reminding her.
"Will do," Alicent said with a pretty smile. Everything about her was pretty. With the right dress, she'd fit right in at the high society parties that Rhaenyra always attended.
Rhaenyra's phone started to ring, and she answered it. "Hello?"
"Hello, Miss Targaryen. We're outside the house with your belongings, if you wouldn't mind opening the front door for us." The movers. She hadn't been able to hide her name from them, and she hadn't bothered to try. NDA's were nice, that way.
"I'll be right there," she said, then hung up. "That was the movers," she told Alicent.
"Great," she replied with another smile, and this time she followed Rhaenyra to the door instead of the other way around.
She opened the front door, and to his credit, the man didn't stare at her dark hair. "It's through there," she said, pointing. "First door on the left."
"Yes ma'am," he said with a deferential nod towards her.
She stepped back, and they started bringing things in. Her wardrobe had been able to stay the same, but she'd had to buy new furniture. All of the things in her room at home were fashioned to match the mansion and would look quite odd if she took them out. Besides, she was trying to fit in. A hardwood chair and a matching table wouldn't match with what she'd seen of the rest of the house. The couch that she'd glimpsed in the living room looked like it had been bought at a cheap furniture chain-- not that she was judging. Not everyone could afford one of a kind, handcrafted furniture.
Alicent watched the proceedings with wide eyes for a few minutes, then gave Rhaenyra her key to the house and excused herself to have lunch with her father. Rhaenyra finished overseeing the movers, tipped, signed, and sent them on their way.
Her other two roommates hadn't surfaced yet, so she went to unpack. The big furniture, that she wouldn't be able to move on her own, was already in place, but the rest of the room was filled with boxes that she needed to get sorted. She took another look at the closet and wondered if she'd brought too many dresses. She was used to having formal dinners and going out to restaurants where she needed to dress up, but she wouldn't have to worry about that here, would she? There was nothing stopping her from sending a few dresses back home while she stayed here, she supposed.
She snapped a quick picture on her phone and sent in to Daemon.
From Rhaenyra: Remind me why I thought this was a good idea, again?
She tucked her phone in her back pocket and got to work. The bathroom would be easiest to start with, if only because it would thin out some of the boxes in her room. She'd barely started unloading the first box when her phone vibrated with a new message.
From Daemon: Blow it off and come out for drinks with me ;)
Rhaenyra rolled her eyes with a smile on her face. She took a picture of herself in the bathroom mirror, sticking out her tongue and giving the camera the finger, and sent it as a reply.
From Daemon: That makes me want to take you out for drinks more, not less, you realize.
From Rhaenyra: Why don't you jerk off and maybe you'll calm down
From Daemon: Lol
From Daemon: Have fun unpacking ❤️