Chapter Text
The betrothal of King Viserys and Alicent Hightower was a stab that went through Rhaenyra's heart. Hearing those words that spilled out of her father's mouth like venom and found their way into her heart, the way her father and so-called best friend refused to even look at her, as if they knew they were doing something wrong but simply didn't care about it, and were only avoiding her eyes in order to not have to see the fire and anger behind her eyes; or perhaps they didn't want to see the hurt in her eyes, the betrayal, the heartbreak, the rage, the storm bubbling inside her, as her father announced his marriage to Alicent—the same Alicent who had held Rhaenyra as she cried the death of her mother, who cursed the women who said her mother was replaceable simply because all she needed to do was birth sons, and now there she stood, next to her father as she pretended Aemma Arryn never stood right there, sitting on her mother's chair during dinner, as they both pretended they weren't doing something disgusting. Rhaenyra was lucky she requested for her mother's garments upon her death, as Alicent would probably wear her clothes just to pretend she was the one who stood by his side since day one. The betrayal only worsened the day Alicent and Viserys announced the news of their pregnancy; a future heir was slowly growing inside of Alicent, and this one was clearly different than Baelon and his brothers, who were never born, for the pregnancy never once turned to bleeding, passing the first moon, the second, the third, the fourth, the fifth, and the sixth; by the time the seventh moon painted the sky, people's worry shifted. They now saw that Alicent would complete the pregnancy, but now she would need to survive the birth. The midwives were always trailing behind Alicent in case the birth skipped a moon and came earlier than it should've, just like it had happened to the previous queen; a birthing room had been prepared already, and buckets would be filled with water in case the queen needed them during birth, and the buckets would be changed every other hour.
During those moons, Rhaenyra avoided Alicent like the shivers, cursing her once best friend in her head everytime she caught a glimpse of her pregnant belly, her brown curls now always adorned with jewelry or braids to show off her new found status as queen consort, almost taunting Rhaenyra everywhere she went, reminding her of her mother's death and the betrayal of the girl she thought was her best friend. Her heart ached everytime she saw her father smile alongside Alicent, holding her belly and feeling his future heir lively move inside of her; Rhaenyra wasn't a stranger to the whispers going around the court, reminding Rhaenyra that this baby could disinherit her if it was a boy, despite her father's multiple claims of Rhaenyra being the one to inherit the Iron throne once The Stranger comes for him. Despite those whispers, Rhaenyra could feel nothing but indifference towards Alicent's baby. She tried to find hatred for their spawn inside her heart but couldn't bring herself to blame it for the betrayal of her best friend; she couldn't bring herself to hate something that had never even done or said anything to her. Yet when she tried to feel love for the child who would bring happiness to her father, she also couldn't find anything; she couldn't love the fruit that came from the tree that stabbed her heart out, that invaded her land, and took everything from her. That's why she couldn't even bring herself to smile the day baby Aegon was born. The birth had been a hard one for Alicent, as she had only recently become a woman grown, her body took the pregnancy well, but the birth was a long one, lasting almost two days until the baby cried for oxygen at the seventh hour after sunset. The castle was quiet as the midwives and septas worked on cleaning the babe and watching over Alicent before a loud cry rumbled the Red Keep.
"You whore!" Otto Hightower screamed, waking Rhaenyra from her slumber as she jumped out of her bed.
Her naked feet slapped against the cold floor as she rushed to the birthing room, found in one of the tallest towers of the castle with windows that showed all of King's Landing. The room was full of septas and midwives, who tried to blend in with the walls in order to avoid the wrath of Otto Hightower. The man stood in front of Alicent and Voserys, who tried to shield his weeping wife and wailing son from the Hightower man. Rhaenyra wondered what infuriated the once-hand of the king so much that he would be considered a danger to his daughter and grandson. Trying to understand why Otto would call his own daughter a whore for birthing a son despite being a married woman, she walked up to where the queen lay, taking notice of the babe that had been nursing on her breast. A short and thin mat of dark brown, almost black, hair covered the head of the wailing babe. Rhaenyra's eyes widened in shock as she realized why Otto was accusing his own blood of adultery, for the baby looked nothing like Viserys, although that could be attributed to him just exiting the womb.
"Otto, calm down," Viserys spoke.
"Calm down!?" Otto exclaimed "You want me to calm down when my whore of a daughter birthed a bastard?!"
"Otto, this is not the time nor the place to say these things!" Viserys exclaimed.
"I don't care!" Otto seemed to be blinded by rage. "I will not stand here and let that-"
"Think very carefully before you speak again," Viserys warned. "Alicent bled for me in our wedding night; she was untouched, and her maidenhood was still there. She has laid with nobody but myself."
"That's what you may think!" Otto growled, "But if she's anything at all like her mother, she waited until her maidenhood was gone to explore every man in the court! My house name will not be tarnished by the vile acts my daughter has committed... I expect a public trial on the morrow, my daughter shall be exiled from my house and punished for her acts."
"Father," Alicent cried, her voice hoarse as she struggled to speak "I didn't do anything. I swear"
"Shut up!" Otto roared, "That is anything but a Targaryen! It has no purple eyes, no silver hair, and no blood of Valyria! Tell me! Who's the father?! Is it that Cole Knight?!"
"No!" Alicent sobbed. "No, I swear."
"Guards!" Viserys called, and the doors flew open "Escort Otto Hightower out of the castle!" Was all he said before he turned to face Alicent, slowly holding her as the woman wept into his shoulder.
Word left the birthing room faster than water left the grey clouds, with the guards whispering about the baby's black hair and brown eyes amongst themselves. The ears of those who worked in the castle picked it up like the nets of the Velaryon ships picked up fish. Word then seeped through the cracks in the walls and flooded King's Landing, and whispers of Alicent's supposed affair with Criston Cole disrupted the peace that usually accompanied the castle. Alicent had stayed in the birthing room as the septas worried her health might decline after the stress caused by Otto Hightower. Viserys had locked himself in the small council chamber as they tried to find a way to prove the legitimacy of Aegon. They had advised him against doing the trial the day after Alicent gave birth, instead choosing to do so three days after the event to allow Alicent to recover and to allow them to find a way to prove Aegon was his son. Throughout all those days, Rhaenyra couldn't help but feel bad for Alicent; after all, it wasn't her fault her Hightower blood was stronger than the blood of the Targaryens; even the maesters failed to comprehend such genetics, as Targaryen blood is magic, giving everyone who possessed it the eye-catching silver hair and purple eyes. One of the theories they gave was that the magic in some members of the Hoghtower family, even if those members also developed silver or golden hair after practicing necromancy and alchemy, their magic blood could make their genetics dominant, but that theory wasn't accepted by many of the other maesters, as the Targaryens tamed dragons with blood magic, which was definitely stronger than necromancy and such. But regardless of the reason, everybody knew Alicent had been faithful to King Viserys, and nobody else had ever taken her body and shown her the ways of pleasure. The day of the trial creeped up on them like a dragon creeping up on its prey; the word of the supposed affair had reached even places like Highgarden, as proved by the presence of Lady Redwyne and many other royals.
Alicent looked disheveled and broken; her eyes were swollen and red, with bags underneath them that showed she hadn't slept at all in those three days; and her hair, while braided, seemed to have lost the shine given to it by her oils, with strands of it freeing themselves from the braids and taking all the intricacy of the hair. Aegon latched on to her skin, his chubby hand on top of her heart, as if he could sense his mom's fear and was trying to calm her down. The trial was heartbreaking for Rhaenyra—seeing Alicent be accused of something as horrible as adultery only because her son was born with his mother's dark brown hair and eyes; hearing her plead innocent over and over again as people sneered and looked down on her—even the man who married her off. Viserys himself looked distraught; he knew his wife was innocent, but the stress didn't let him think of any way to prove her innocence, and even though he was king and he could easily say his word was final and that Alicent was innocent, he knew people would riot if Aegon ever got to the throne; Rhaenyra was still the sole heir, but if she ever did die and leave no heir, Aegon would have to step up as king. And people could and would riot over a supposed bastard ruling over the seven kingdoms. After hours of the trial, Alicent collapsed to the ground in tears, holding onto Aegon as close as she could as he wept.
"My king," Alicent cried "I promise. I never laid with anyone but you. Please, you have to believe me!"
"I do believe you, Alicent," Viserys calmly stated, wanting to soothe Alicent as she held their baby boy.
"How can you believe her?!" Asked Lady Redwyne "Your supposed son has nothing of you, his eyes and hair are not those of a Targaryen! That hair belongs to Ser Criston Cole!"
"Enough!" Viserys' voice thundered, immediately stopping Lady Redwyne's exclamations.
Seeing Alicent cry as she pleaded for her innocence, seeing everyone around her look down on her as if she were nothing but a common whore, abandoned by her own father, the man who married her off to the king, Rhaenyra was reminded of all the times Alicent cried during storms in their girlhood, how she would hold onto Rhaenyra for comfort, how she would flinch every time thunder clapped. Her heart ached with the betrayal of Alicent, the girl who was Rhaenyra's first and only friend, the only person who ever understood her and saw her for who she was, the only person who treated her like a girl, with the sympathy only girls could feel towards each other. She treated her the same way girls treat girls rather than how men treat girls, she understood Rhaenyra, she stood by her side, watched her bare her heart out, and watched her fly on Syrax, experiencing the freedom that was weird for girls to feel. She couldn't bring herself to forgive Alicent, at least not yet, but she wouldn't stand by and allow people to accuse her of things she never committed. Standing up from her throne, she walked towards Alicent as she took in her appearance, how scared she was, how alone she felt, and how fragile she appeared. Once she stopped in front of her, Alicent looked up at her with red eyes as she held her baby in shaky hands.
"She's innocent!" Rhaenyra called, turning to face her father, "I know Alicent like I know the sky, she would never commit something as heinous as this. When she married you, she wasn't lying, her heart and body only belong to her husband, the king."
"And how may we show her innocence?" Viserys asked.
Rhaenyra stood silent for a few seconds as she tried to think of a way to prove her innocence. What difference was there between a Targaryen and a common person? Their ability to tame and bond with dragons. Normally they would simply wait until their teen years and bond with a dragon, but some occasions were the exception, like her and Syrax, Jahaerys Targaryen and Vermithor, and Alysanne Targaryen and Silverwing. It was then that Rhaenyra realized just how she could prove her friend's innocence.
"We do just like our ancestor Rhaena Targaryen did with her younger siblings Jaehaerys and Alysanne," She suggested, her hand falling down as she offered her support to Alicent, who silently took her hand, a feeling Rhaenyra yearned for like drunk men yearn for wine. Turning around, Rhaenyra crouched down, holding Alicent's other arm as she helped her stand up, allowing her to hold onto Rhaenyra for support as she carried Aegon. "Dreamfyre laid a clutch of four eggs, we will put one of them in Aegon's cradle, and once he bonds with it, we'll prove to everyone that he is a true Targaryen... And when the dragon hatches, we will deliver punishments to those who accused Alicent. " Her mind had stopped working, for now, it wasn't Rhaenyra who was speaking, it was Alicent's best friend and protector who was speaking, and she would burn the men who took Alicent's girlhood from her "These vile accusations cannot stand in this court if we wish to keep the peace in the realm. Those who first raised their voices and pointed fingers shall be exiled."
Viserys nodded as he sat on his throne.
"Ser Harwin Strong!" He called "Call the dragon keepers, tell them to take one of the eggs Dreamfyre laid and bring it to my chambers."
Harwin nodded, walking towards the exit of the throne room as the crowd parted ways for him to pass.
"Wait!" Rhaenyra called, and Harwin turned to face her, as did all eyes in the room. "As the child's parents, I feel you and Alicent must be the ones to choose the egg that will belong to your son... Bring us all three eggs, Alicent and the King will be the ones to choose."
Viserys nodded, happy to see his daughter reconciling with her friend. He didn't wish to ruin Rhaenyra and Alicent's friendship over their marriage; after all, he had to marry in order to produce more heirs. Even though he still wanted Rhaenyra to be the one true heir to the Iron Throne, Aegon would only claim the throne if Rhaenyra died and had no children. But the council and the people of King's Landing demanded for more heirs. Otto offered his daughter's hand in marriage after Aemma's passing, as she had spent six months accompanying him as someone to talk to during his time of grief; after all, his brother wasn't much of an option, stealing his dead nephew's egg and constantly committing heinous crimes; and Rhaenyra was also grieving the loss of her mother; talking to her would only worsen her emotional state, and his cousin Rhaenys was a sea away from him. Alicent was the only person to be there for him, the only one to stand by his side, and he even had to confess that he grew fond of her company as the moons went by. But she would never replace Aemma in his heart. Turning to look at Sir Harwin, he nodded his head upward, indicating the knight to do as Rhaenyra said.
"The trial is over!" Viserys ordered "Queen Alicent has been found innocent until proven wrong, if Aegon bonds with the egg, he will be proven to be a real Targaryen, and Syrax will fly over King's Landing; if he doesn't, then no dragon will fly..."
Murmurs followed the crowd as they walked out of the throne room, as Rhaenyra guided Alicent to sit on the throne on the left side of the Iron Throne, requesting one of the maids for water as Alicent turned to her.
"Thank you, Nyra" She mumbled, possibly still too shocked to speak at a normal volume.
"Don't," Rhaenyra sighed. "I may still not accept your apology, but you do not deserve a punishment for something you didn't do."
"Still," Alicent hummed. "You didn't have to help me, yet you did... And for that I am thankful."
"Alicent is right, Rhaenyra." Her father spoke up. "You've shown great maturity today, you will make a fine queen when the time comes."
Rhaenyra nodded silently, allowing the maids to hand Alicent water as she sat down on her throne on the right side of the throne. That day, Alicent and Viserys chose an egg to be put in Aegon's cradle. The egg was a deep dark blue, like the midnight sea, with waves of red that resembled the foam waves dissolved into when they reached their maximum height; the egg was eternally warm, so warm that Alicent had developed blisters on her hand the night they put it in Aegon's cradle. Her hand barely grazed the surface of the egg, but that was enough to burn her hand. She worried about Aegon being burned by the egg, which would definitely leave everlasting scars on the entire half of his body, but as she stared down at her child, she witnessed the way he nuzzled into the surface of the egg, holding it as if he were holding a blanket. The egg spent an entire night cuddled by Aegon before it was put over a fire in order for it to not run cold. As the moons went by, the egg ran hotter and hotter, to the point where Alicent would need to open the window of their chambers to air out the suffocating heat inside the chambers that caused her to sweat as soon as she walked through the doors. Viserys seemed almost unaffected by the heat, as did Rhaenyra, so he would occasionally complain about the cold whenever Alicent opened the window. Her relationship with Rhaenyra was definitely improving, bit by bit, while Rhaenyra still didn't talk to her the way they used to, she had actually started talking to her without one of them making snide remarks, passive aggressive comments, or groaning whenever the other said something, Rhaenyra didn't walk the other way the second Alicent walked up to her, and Alicent didn't spend hours talking ill of Rhaenyra with Criston. That was also a relationship that was quickly shifting. Given her slowly healing relationship with Rhaenyra, she didn't spend as much time with Criston, as people had begun creating rumours that Aegon was in fact Criston Cole's son rather than Viserys, to the point where she couldn't be seen in the same area as Criston without accusations and stories being made. Stories of how she cuckolded the king and seduced the king and knight in order to gain control of the realm Every time she heard those stories, she prayed to the gods for the dragon to be hatched, as Aegon's first name day was slowly reaching King's Landing, and the egg still showed no signs of hatching.
"Dragon eggs take a long time to hatch." Rhaenyra had explained one of the many nights they bumped into each other in the castle: Alicent, during her walks of cold, had bumped into Rhaenyra going for the kitchens and had chosen to join her. "The fastest it can take hatch is a year or so, the slowest it could take hatch is three years. Some eggs don't hatch at all... But that won't be the case with Aegon"
"How are you so sure?" Asked Alicent, holding her hands tightly to avoid picking her fingers.
"Aegon didn't cry with the heat, he didn't burn and he always cries to hold the egg" The silver haired girl listed off "His bond has already been settled, the only thing we can do is wait until it hatches"
Alicent nodded as Rhaenyra picked up a piece of lemon cake and passed it to her.
"Come on, eat... Your mind goes to dark places when you're hungry," She pointed out.
And she was right, Alicent hadn't even spent three seconds in silence before her mind conjured up grotesque scenes where her baby boy was murdered for not having a dragon, his wails of pain as she was held down and forced to watch her baby burn before she was dragged to the same fate for adultery, even when she knew she wasn't an adulterer and her son was also Viserys'. Her mind even found a way to think of her father and his presence, or lack thereof, as he hadn't even visited her to see his grandson and daughter. The last memory she had of him was one filled with fear, as her father glared at her like she was nothing but a townie whore. She knew he wasn't a perfect man, but she never thought he would actually think so low of her that he would believe the accusations of adultery. Taking the piece of lemon cake from Rhaenyra's hand, Alicent ate it, the sour taste melting in her mouth as she looked at Rhaenyra. It was that night that Alicent got to know the true feeling of guilt, the night that reminded her of every time the two girls would sneak out during balls and steal food and candy from the kitchens, their skirts hiked up in order to avoid staining them with dirt as they sneaked out through the hidden passageway behind the kitchen that led outside. She missed the way she used to feel those nights, so free, so innocent, so happy, her girlhood once filled with dreams of a perfect family taken away from her by her own father; before Aemma's tragic passing, Alicent remembers her and Rhaenyra always talking about a future together, Rhaenyra always mentioning a secret crush who she wanted to have a family with, and Alicent imagined the two of them enjoying pregnancy together, raising their kids as best friends. She regretted everything she had done, and if she ever got the chance to change the past, she would change everything, tell Viserys not to try for another son, avoid Aemma's passing; avoid the grief and pain her friend and the king suffered. Avoid losing her best friend.
"I'm sorry" She mumbled, her eyes teary, as she used her sleeve to wipe away a stray tear.
Rhaenyra turned to look at Alicent, and just like always, she seemed to understand Alicent with ease, not needing her to clarify for her to know exactly what she meant. Leaning over the table, Rhaenyra's hand held onto Alicent's, and with a reassuring smile, she spoke up.
"It's okay... I'm sorry too."
A sudden crack of thunder startled the two friends, their eyes shooting towards the ceiling as they heard doors being opened. That sound was unlike any thunder they had ever heard, it was as if lightning had struck and broken a part of the red keep, but there was no following crashing sound. Turning to face the window, they found it to be completely clear, not one cloud filled the sky. Suddenly, a high pitched roar filled the castle as the two friends realized what had truly happened. Their wide eyes met for a second before the princess and queen rushed out of the kitchen, their nightgowns tailing behind them as they ran through the halls and up the stairs, maids and servants following them with their eyes as they stared in wonder and fear as the two women ran past them.
"It hatched!" Was the only explanation Rhaenyra gave them before she turned the corner, the sound of happy squeals and high pitched hisses working as indicators of how close they were.
"Send a raven to the dragonkeepers!" Alicent ordered as the guards ran up to them, "Aegon's dragon has hatched!"
"Tell them to come once morrow comes!" Rhaenyra added.
The sound of metal clanging was all they heard as the guards ran down the stairs to find the keepers, who slept in a sort of village closest to the Dragonpit. The village was mostly a series of cabins that housed the families of those who chose to work as dragonkeepers, they were all built right underneath Rhaenys' hill, decorating the mount with cottages and houses that held the men that helped the Targaryens tame their dragons. The Red Keep was built on top of Aegon's high hill, it would take quite some time for them to reach the Red Keep and the Dragonpit, the guards wouldn't waste their energy riding their horses to Rhaenys' hill back and forth to awaken the keepers, take them to the Red Keep, back to the Dragonpit, and back to the Red Keep to rest the remainder of the night, instead, they would send a raven to the Elder, who would prepare everything for the hatchling in order to transport him to the Dragonpit, house him with the other dragons, feed him, and tame him enough for Aegon to name him once his fifth nameday came. As for now, Aemond would have to bond with the newly hatched dragon. Pushing the heavy door open, Rhaenyra and Alicent were hit with a heavy cloud of vapor as the heat inside the egg had burst alongside the dragon, and the two girls gasped as they witnessed the hatchling guarding over Aegon's crib, Viserys chuckled as the fierce dragon flapped his wings at the group, and Rhaenyra could immediately see the way the scales seemed to shine with the hatchling shine her father had told her about. His dark blue scales glistened as the dragon's wing membranes showed crimson red with every clap of wings, red markings that looked like blood decorating the dark scaly canvas that was the dragon.
"Syrax will fill the sky once morrow comes." Viserys smiled, the kind of smile Rhaenyra always showed whenever she was proven to be right in situations she knew she was right.
Syrax's yellow form painted the sky of King's Landing once the sky became blue and lost all track of pink, while Alicent and Viserys rode on a carriage, Aegon on Alicent's lap, as the dragonkeepers held the young hatchling in his arms. People on the street bowed down to Aegon, all of them praying to the Seven that the queen and king don't execute every single person who ever claimed the queen was unfaithful. Luckily, the only punishment delivered was that of Sir Otto Hightower, who was exiled to Old Town and was forbidden from ever coming back to King's Landing. Rhaenyra stood next to Alicent as she silently cried, the carriage that held her father fading in the distance, as Otto Hightower left King's Landing, never to be seen again. It was only a few moons after his departure that Criston Cole requested to speak with the king in private, requesting to be sent to the north to serve in the Wall, as his presence still sparked rumours of infidelity, with people accusing Alicent of using blood magic to bond her bastard son with his dragon. His departure was a hard hit for many of the inhabitants of the castle and the Kingsguard, for Criston Cole was a loyal knight who trained many knights in his short lived life as a king's guard, Alicent had found a friend of sorts in Criston, and his departure left her by herself, as her relationship with Rhaenyra was still in the process of healing, and the girls would many times find themselves consumed in an awkward silence that was hard to fill given the fact that Rhaenyra was constantly reminded of Alicent's relationship with her father. It was during those silent moments that the girls would talk about different things that came to mind, mostly about their dragons, as Dreamfyre's eggs were being kept in the top of Dragonmont to ensure they still maintained their heat but hadn't hatched yet, in case Alicent had another child that looked like her.
Which was the case for her second child and first daughter, whom she chose to name Helaena. When Alicent fell pregnant only a year after Aegon's dragon hatched, she began praying. She would always sneak to the sept on Visenya's hill and would pray to the Seven for her second child to be born with silver hair and purple eyes. She prayed and prayed to the point where her stretched-out knees left marks in her dresses. Even though she didn't care about her children's appearance, she didn't want them to grow up hearing their names being tarnished as people accused them of being a fruit of sin. When Helaena was born, she proved to be the opposite of her brother, as her birth was rather quick and quiet, she never cried unless she was hungry, and she would always stare at people, as if she knew their deepest secrets and darkest feelings. She was also an exact copy of Alicent in terms of appearance, with the same shape of eyes, nose, eyebrows, and everything else. Aegon, however, looked like his grandfather, Baelon, only with brown hair and eyes, which was only visible when they held Aegon up next to one of the portraits of Baelon Targaryen. Helaena, despite people now understanding that Alicent wasn't actually cuckolding the king and all her children were his, still got a cradle-egg, as Viserys felt it would be unfair for Aegon to be the only one of his siblings to have a cradle-egg; her egg was probably the prettiest egg of the clutch, with the egg being a soft pearlescent baby blue with swirls of baby pink. Helaena would hug the egg every time she could, finding great comfort in the heat radiating from it, unlike Alicent, who had prepared a room for herself, as she knew she wouldn't be able to bear the heat, unlike her son, daughter, and husband. Helaena's dragon hatched only a few days after her first nameday, and by the time the baby blue dragon hatched, Alicent was already pregnant with her third child, and Rhaenyra had become engaged with Laenor Velaryon, as her father believed her to be a woman grown and that her betrothal to him would unite both Valyrian households.
The baby blue dragon was the prettiest dragon to hatch in King's Landing, her baby blue scales worked as a beautiful canvas for the baby pink markings and her crest, with her wing membranes having baby blue and pink swirls. The hatchling was still too young to have a set personality like Caraxes, Syrax, or Meleys, but was already shown to be quite shy, only trusting her rider and a handful of dragonkeepers. If a ball was to take place, Helaena would cry until they brought her her dragon, who would curl protectively around her like a belt of sorts and hold her for the entire ball. Her older brother, the little midnight blue dragon that belonged to Aegon, had developed quite a playful personality, often hiding from the dragon keepers and sneaking more pieces of sheep when they weren't looking, imitating Aegon's personality. For the little boy would constantly sneak around the castle to find himself in the kitchens or witnessing the knights sparring, he would sometimes sneak sips of wine from his father's cup in, Viserys always laughs at the way the little boy tries to hide his disgust for the wine by trying to hide his pouty lips and slowly wrinkling nose. And Rhaenyra, who once felt indifference towards her brother, couldn't help but slowly feel a sibling like bond with them, helping Aegon sneak into the kitchen, holding Helaena whenever she cried, and when Alicent and her father weren't around, she even took them flying on top of Syrax to get them used to the air.
When the birth of Alicent's third child came, nobody was surprised to find the all too familiar mat of brown hair and the wide brown eyes, even Alicent had grown used to them, and she had found herself uncaring of their hair and eyes, as she at least had the luck of having healthy children, and now that Criston Cole was all the way up north, nobody could accuse her of adultery, so her children were recognized by the handful of still doubting lords and ladies as pure of blood. Rhaenyra had helped Aegon and Helaena pick an egg, the two kids settling for the purple egg with drops of magenta, putting it on Aemond's cradle for the night before Rhaenyra took him flying on Syrax, as was the tradition of House Targaryen; Aemond was also the first nephew Daemon got to meet, as he had been invited back in order to witness Rhaenyra's wedding to Laenor Velaryon only twelve moons after his birth. Sir Laenor Velaryon was the heir to the throne of Driftmark, and his marriage to Rhaenyra would either leave him as king consort or leave her as queen consort depending on who became ruler of what. If Rhaenyra became the queen, Laenor would become king consort, and the throne of Driftmark would go to Laena Velaryon. Rhaenyra had found a friendship in both Laenor and Laena, spending time with them thanks to their status and bonding enough to become close friends, to the point where Laenor confessed his lack of interest in women, which was a known fact, as pretty much everyone knew he lacked any interest in women, instead preferring to surround himself with handsome young men of his own age, especially Ser Joffrey Lonmouth, who always received Laenor's favor during the tourneys.
"I will not marry him, father," Rhaenyra had objected, as she knew who really owned Laenor's heart.
"Rhaenyra, I didn't ask you" Viserys argued "This marriage is simply to join House Targaryen and House Velaryon, you won't have to see him all that much, only enough times to have heirs of your own." He pointed out, knowing Laenor's inclination towards men.
"I don't want to and I won't!" Rhaenyra fought back.
"Rhaenyra" Viserys sighed "If you don't marry Laenor and produce heirs, you will be desinherited from the Iron throne, just like Rhaenys... All I need you to do, is wed him, and have a son to secure your place as rightful heir to the Iron throne."
And through gritted teeth, Rhaenyra accepted. During the tourney held before their wedding, Joffrey faced off against ser Harwin Strong, who gained the favor of Rhaenyra, who shared a mischievous grin with her soon-to-be husband as the two knights faced off against each other, making sure to aim at non mortal places in case they accidentally wounded one another, as the two knights knew each other's place in the soon-to-be couple's hearts. The tourney had been a fun event, with Ser Harwin Strong coming out victorious as Joffrey grinned through the loss. Though some claim to have seen Laenor wink at the knight, those accusations were never proven. The night of the wedding, queen Alicent and princess Laena Velaryon said they would be the ones to make sure the marriage was consummated, as some members of the court were doubtful of Laenor's interest in Rhaenyra. But unbeknownst to everyone, the pregnant queen helped ser Harwin Strong sneak into Rhaenyra's chambers, while Laena helped Laenor sneak out of her room and enter one of the multiple rooms used by guests, where ser Joffrey Lonmouth waited for him. It was there that Laena confided in Alicent how she caught Daemon Targaryen eyeing her with great interest. After that, the relationship between Alicent and Rhaenyra seemed to have fully healed, with Alicent always hanging out with Rhaenyra and the Velaryon siblings; however, the stay of the siblings was short lived, as the two of them still had to live in Driftmark until they claimed the throne. It was the night before Rhaenyra's wedding that Alicent and Viserys became intertwined again, conceiving their fourth son, Daeron, as her signs started showing two moons before Rhaenyra began showing. It was during this pregnancy that Viserys called for Alicent and Rhaenyra to meet him in the council room, which stood empty, as Viserys had said this was a family discussion.
"What's the matter, my king?" Alicent asked.
"I needed to talk to you regarding Rhaenyra's child and their dragon," Viserys explained.
"I thought we would do it as usual." Rhaenyra frowned, "My child will be born and will claim a dragon once ten namedays have passed."
"That is the problem." Viserys sighed "We usually did that, but after the vile accusation against my wife and us bringing back cradle-eggs, I've been wondering if we'll do the same with your children."
"Why should you do it?" Alicent asked "We only did it to prove my innocence."
"But I fear it may cause some trouble between my children and grandchildren if they see Rhaenyra's kids claim full grown dragons."
"But if her children have to also wait for their dragons to grow, they might resent their uncles and aunt" Alicent pointed out "In the end, our cradle-eggs were done simply because our children took up after my Hightower blood"
"Then why don't we do the same in case it happens to me as well" Rhaenyra chimed in "If mine and Laenor's kids pick up after my Arryn blood or Laenor's Baratheon blood, we'll go with cradle-eggs, if they pick up after our Valyrian blood, then they'll claim a grown dragon"
"What if the kids ask questions?" Asked Viserys.
"Then we'll explain why we chose to go this route" Alicent explained "Why our children have young dragons and why Rhaenyra's children have grown."
Once the meeting was over, the two friends walked through the halls of the Red Keep.
"What if my children come out looking like Harwin?" Asked Rhaenyra, who had taken to speak in High Valyrian whenever she wanted to speak and not be heard by servants "We could explain black hair given Rhaenys' appearance, but how do you hide the brown hair and eyes?"
"Arryn blood" Alicent's Valyrian wasn't perfect, but it was good enough "No matter what people say or do, you'll still produce heirs and you'll still secure your right as heir to the Iron throne" She added with a smile.
Rhaenyra nodded, looking down at her feet before turning back to Alicent.
"And what if they come out like me?" She asked, her face frowning with doubt "Will you be mad?"
"Why would I be mad?" Asked Alicent "We can't control the blood that rushes through our veins, we can't control the color of our hair and eyes. If your kids look like you then I'll be glad... They won't have to hear the things mine have heard" Alicent sighed "And you won't hear the things I heard. We may have only suffered that for two years, but those two years were the worst of my life."
The egg chosen for Alicent's fourth son was the last remaining egg of the clutch laid by Dreamfyre that gave Aegon, Helaena and Aemond their dragons, the egg was a deep cobalt blue shade, with patches of bright beaten copper that faded away or shined brighter depending on how they were turned. The day Rhaenyra's water broke, Laenor and Laena flied on Vhagar and Seasmoke, while Corlys held onto Rhaenys as she flied Meleys, as the family wanted to be present for the birth of the first child of the Velaryon Targaryen alliance, the room was filled with septas and midwives, Harwin Strong held Rhaenyra's left hand, while Laenor held her right, while Alicent and Laena helped the septas and midwives. The birth of the babe was a long and hard one, as it always was with firstborns, dragonkeepers had heard loud roars coming from the Dragonpit, and when they went to investigate, they found Syrax in a completely manic state, trashing and groaning as she felt the pain her rider was in, a total of ten dragonkeepers had to hold her back from flying to the Red Keep, and they had to fight her for an entire day before the cries of the Velaryon babe filled the walls of the Red Keep. Rhaenyra couldn't really see her son as the pain and tears clouded her eyes and her judgement, but she could hear Harwin whispering descriptions of him in her ears.
"Adorable... White hair.... Strong lungs"
"White hair" Was the only phrase she could register, as relief washed over her. She felt Laenor let go of her hand softly. Turning to look at him, she found him cradling his hand.
"What's wrong?" She asked.
"I think you broke my hand" Was the only answer he gave, before calling for a maester, who confirmed that Rhaenyra did indeed break his hand.
Corlys and Rhaenys doted over their grandson, with Corlys picking the name Jacaerys for the baby boy.
"Oh Rhaenyra" Sighed Alicent "He's beautiful"
"The perfect name for the future heir to the Iron throne" Viserys smiled.
"Or the throne of Driftmark" Corlys added.
"We both know the Stranger is closer to me and is scared of you" Viserys joked "I think we know who'll be taken by him first"