Archive of Our Own ^beta

1. The Birthday

The first time it happens, Alicent knows she could have saved herself a lot of heartache if she’d just remembered to check the calendar. But in her defense, it’s her final year of law school, so she has a lot on her plate. And also, who wouldn’t have made the same assumption she did?

∞

Rhaenyra had been acting strangely lately. More secretive and furtive, taking calls at odd hours, and quickly closing her laptop whenever Alicent got too close. She would always come up with an excuse for her behavior, some of which were more convincing than others. By far, her worst one had been, “I was walking the neighbor’s dog.” None of their neighbors had dogs—it was what had attracted them to this location—and even if they did, Rhaenyra didn’t particularly like any of their neighbors.

Were it anyone else, she might be tempted to think it was an affair. A lot of the signs were there, though certainly not all of them. However, this was Rhaenyra. Her sweet, doting, protective Rhaenyra, who would never do something so vile to hurt her. Gods be good, this was the same woman who had spent a year twisting herself in knots trying not to make Alicent uncomfortable following the so-called “Grand Mistake.”

Rhaenyra would never cheat on her. And even if her affections had begun to wane, Alicent knew her well enough to know that she’d have the integrity to just break up with her rather than carry on an affair behind her back.

It was the thought that Rhaenyra’s affections had perhaps begun to wane that truly frightened her, but even that concern was easily brushed away whenever Rhaenyra would take her in her arms and shower her face with soft kisses, or when she would laugh at one of Alicent’s corny jokes, or when she would listen intently to Alicent explain the details of a case she was reading for administrative law, even though the majority of her words meant next to nothing to her girlfriend.

Laenor was the one who finally offered a possible explanation, when he jokingly said that Rhaenyra’s behavior either meant she was cheating or planning to propose.

And even though the words had been said in jest, they’d stuck with Alicent. Could that be it? Could Rhaenyra be planning a proposal? They’d discussed marriage, of course, but she’d always assumed they would wait until they were both done with their schooling. Not that she was opposed to the idea of marrying Rhaenyra now. Just the thought of it set her heart fluttering.

It would also make sense if she’d somehow missed whatever signs might have been cropping up to indicate Rhaenyra’s true intentions. Even after all these years, she still had a bit of a blind spot when it came to romantic milestones. When Rhaenyra had asked her to move in with her after graduating undergrad, Alicent hadn’t even noticed the first time. It had taken her girlfriend two more attempts before Alicent had realized what she wanted. Although, to be fair, Rhaenyra had asked her to move in with her in the most roundabout way possible.

When Alicent came home that evening after taking her last exam of the autumn semester, she was greeted by candlelight and rose petals.

Her breath caught in her throat as she stood frozen in the doorway, hand still clutching the knob. It looked as if Rhaenyra had dug out and lit every candle they owned, including the hideous gargoyle one Daemon had given them as a gag-gift a few years ago. There was probably a fire code violation happening right before her eyes, but she couldn’t bring herself to care. Red rose petals had been scattered across the floor, leading her towards the dining room. Soft music was playing in the background, and she immediately recognized it as one of her favored symphonies.

Oh. Laenor had been right.

Swallowing down her nerves and giddiness, she quickly toed off her shoes and set them on the rack by the door before sliding off her coat and hanging it up on its hook. “Rhaenyra?” she called. “I’m home.”

She followed the trail of rose petals into the dining room where Rhaenyra had laid out an elaborate dinner using their good plates and silverware, and her Grandma Alyssa’s silk tablecloth. Two tall, slender candles stood atop the silver candlesticks Aemma had given them as a housewarming gift almost three years ago, burning softly and emitting a faint vanilla scent that was pleasant but not overpowering.

Walking over to the table, she noted with some amusement that the chicken had been garnished in a way that she recognized as Laena’s particular style. Smart, calling her cousin for help. She adored her girlfriend, but had Rhaenyra tried to make this dinner on her own, Alicent had no doubt that she would have come back to a burnt out husk of a home rather than this lovely meal.

Rhaenyra chose that moment to emerge from the shadows, nearly giving Alicent a heart attack in the process. “Sorry,” she cried, hurrying over to her, “I thought you heard my footsteps.”

Hand still pressed against her chest, Alicent looked her girlfriend up and down, mouth going dry. Rhaenyra was wearing a tailored suit that somehow perfectly accentuated every curve and muscle on her body, and while her makeup was minimal, it emphasized her mesmerizing violet eyes. Her silver hair had been beautifully styled into a series of elaborate braids and twists that Laena must have helped her with as well, because while her girlfriend’s fingers were certainly dexterous and nimble, there were simply limits to what a person could do with their own hands and a mirror. “You look amazing,” she whispered, the words sounding garbled to her own ears.

Rhaenyra’s chest puffed slightly. “I wanted to look nice for the occasion.”

And what occasion is that? she almost asked, biting her tongue at the last moment. It was clear that Rhaenyra had gone to painstaking effort to make this night perfect, and she would not ruin it by rushing her. Looking down at her own clothes—nothing special and slightly mussed from a long day at the law school—she felt a flush creep up the back of her neck. “I feel rather underdressed,” she admitted.

Rhaenyra’s smile was somewhere between adoring and wolfish as she said, “You always look breathtaking, Ali, but since I know you rarely agree with me on that, I picked something out for you.” She pointed towards the hall that led to their bedroom. “It’s hanging up in the bathroom.”

Alicent kissed her cheek. “Thank you, My Love.”

“Don’t take too long,” Rhaenyra warned, emphasizing her words with a light smack to Alicent’s ass, “we wouldn’t want dinner getting cold.”

She briefly wondered if Rhaenyra would mind simply skipping to dessert, but then reminded herself that while tonight would no doubt end with them moving their celebrations into the bedroom and her falling into an exhausted but sated sleep, there was one rather important event that needed to happen first.

Hurrying into their bedroom, she crossed the room to enter their bathroom to see what her girlfriend had picked out for her. A quiet laugh escaped her lips when she saw what Rhaenyra had selected. I shouldn’t be surprised, given the occasion.

It was a long, dark green evening gown that fell almost to her ankles, but there was also a slit along the right side that reached midway up her thigh. Rhaenyra had often commented—somewhat breathlessly—that this particular dress hugged her body “in all the right ways.” “I see you in this dress, and then all I can think about is seeing you out of it,” Rhaenyra had once told her while in the process of sliding her hand up that oh-so convenient slit.

Smiling to herself, Alicent quickly slipped out of her clothes and into the gown. Before leaving the bathroom, she took a moment to touch up her makeup and brush out her hair. Even though she knew Rhaenyra wouldn’t care if she came out in full clown makeup and hair like a bird’s nest, it made her feel good, looking pretty for her girlfriend.

When Rhaenyra saw her, her eyes darkened about two shades. “Gorgeous,” she murmured.

Alicent smiled as she slipped past her girlfriend and pulled her chair out for her. “Weren’t you worried about dinner getting cold?”

“I’m suddenly feeling hungry for something else,” Rhaenyra muttered as she sat down.

Taking the seat across from her, Alicent couldn’t help but enjoy the way Rhaenyra’s eyes were devouring her. “Maybe you should have picked something else for me,” she joked. “I seem to be distracting you from this lovely meal you made.”

“Laena did most of it,” Rhaenyra admitted as she began slicing her chicken into smaller pieces. “I figured I shouldn’t risk burning down the kitchen.”

“And I thank you for that.” Alicent reached out to pick up the wine glass that Rhaenyra must have filled while she was changing. “So, how was your day?”

“Uneventful.” Rhaenyra shrugged. “Mostly just dealing with idiots who think I don’t know how to do my job just because Corlys owns the company.” She rolled her eyes. “Shows how well they know him. That man would cut off his own hand before stooping to nepotism.”

Alicent reached across the table to pat her girlfriend’s hand. “They’ll see soon enough that you got where you are solely on merit.”

“I don’t care what they think.” Rhaenyra stabbed her chicken. “I care that their underestimating me is interfering with getting our work done.” She waved a hand. “But enough about that. I don’t want to waste any more time dwelling on the opinions of sheep. How was your day?”

“Less aggravating than yours, it seems, but still exhausting in its own way since I spent eight hours writing a brief trying to analyze whether a fictional statute adhered to the requirements of the APA and applicable precedents.” Alicent sipped her wine. “So, is all of this,” she waved to indicate the flowers and candles and dinner, “why you’ve been acting so secretive these past few weeks?”

Rhaenyra ducked her head sheepishly. “You noticed?”

“I have eyes.”

“This is part of it,” Rhaenyra admitted, “but I have a few other surprises, too.”

“Oh?” Alicent did her best to keep the eagerness from her voice, reminding herself that it was for Rhaenyra to set the pace of the evening.

“Mm-hmm.” Rhaenyra shifted slightly in her seat. “We have a reservation at your favorite Lyseni restaurant for tomorrow night, and I got us tickets to that new movie you’ve been wanting to see about the Long Night. I was also hoping you’d agree to take a week-long trip to the Reach with me, so we can visit those historical sites you’re always talking about, like the Field of Fire Memorial. I’ve got everything lined up, but I wanted to get your approval before making things official. I figured you would have time now that the semester is over and you’re on break.” She looked at her hopefully. “So, what do you think?”

Alicent blinked at her in surprise. Rhaenyra had planned . . . a lot, to celebrate their engagement. Though she probably should have anticipated as much. Her girlfriend was a romantic softy at heart. “You’re spoiling me,” she finally managed, wondering if it would be inappropriate to just skip the proposal speech and say yes now.

“You deserve it. And, and I wanted everything to be perfect for—” Rhaenyra broke off, suddenly looking like a deer caught in headlights.

“Nyra? Are you all right?” Alicent was about to rise from her chair when Rhaenyra seemed to snap out of her momentary stupor.

“Your birthday,” she finished. “Twenty-five is a big year, after all.” She smiled brightly, reaching across the table to cover Alicent’s hand with hers. “Besides, this will be your last real chance to cut loose before you have to start studying for the bar and then become a working stiff like me.”

Her birthday? Alicent’s excitement suddenly withered as she remembered that, yes, today was in fact her birthday. Seven Hells, how did she keep forgetting that? She looked around the room at the candles and rose petals, thought about all the things Rhaenyra had planned. Rhaenyra had done all of this for her birthday?

It was sweet. Achingly sweet. And thoughtful and romantic and so very Rhaenyra. And on any other day, she’d be melting. But she’d thought . . .

No, she chided herself. No moping. Rhaenyra had gone to all this trouble to arrange what was inevitably going to be one of—if not the—best birthdays of her life. She had the best girlfriend in the world, gods damn it, and she was going to make sure Rhaenyra knew how much all of her efforts and thoughtfulness were appreciated.

And it’s not as if I’m worried about dying a spinster.

She and Rhaenyra would marry when the time was right.

Standing from the table, she quickly walked around it and grabbed Rhaenyra’s hand to begin dragging her towards their bedroom.

Rhaenyra laughed, quickening her pace so they were walking side by side. “What about dinner?”

“That’s why the gods invented microwaves.” Alicent pushed her into their bedroom and closed the door.

∞

Their vacation to the Reach is just as wonderful as Alicent expects. Along with all of the historical sites that have been accumulating on Alicent’s bucket list, they also visit her ancestral home of Oldtown and the Hightower from which her family got its name. They spend almost a full two days in the Citadel, and aside from one instance of groping behind some bookshelves, Rhaenyra behaves herself. And while her girlfriend points out on multiple occasions that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to play out “Stern Librarian Disciplines Noisy Visitor” in the greatest library on the continent, Alicent resists her suggestive smiles and teasing touches.

Barely.

By the time they return home, Alicent has almost forgotten about mistaking her birthday dinner for a proposal dinner.

Almost.

2. The Graduation

The second time it happens, Alicent feels even more justified in her mistake than the first time. Gods be good, there was a ring!

∞

Alicent yawned, struggling to stay awake and feeling immeasurably guilty for it. She was graduating law school today. An enormous achievement by any measure. Her friends and family had all come to watch her walk across that stage and get her diploma! And yet she could barely keep her eyes open as the keynote speaker droned on and on and on.

This is what happens when you believe Rhaenyra telling you, “Just one more for me, Ali.” One more always turned into three or five. She knew that. But she was weak. And her girlfriend was persuasive. And over the years, she’d become addicted to the things said girlfriend did to her. “You’re such a good girl for me, Ali. Just one more.”

Seven bleeding Hells! When had her mind descended to take up residence in the gutter? She didn’t used to be this way. She well-remembered the time in her life when she could barely even think of two people alone in a bedroom together without blushing. Rhaenyra has utterly corrupted me.

As if called by her thoughts, she felt her phone vibrating in her clutch. She glanced around at the people sitting nearest to her, noting—with no small amount of vindication—that three of them had their eyes closed and a fourth was quietly snoring. Sliding her phone from her purse, she checked the text notification and saw, unsurprisingly, that it was Rhaenyra.

Nyra ❤️ :

I think my father is falling asleep.

Alicent:

I was, too. Professor Rowan is a sweetheart, but he doesn’t know when to stop talking.

Nyra ❤️ :

Gasp! You, Alicent Hightower, were falling asleep? Didn’t you get a good night’s sleep? 😏

Alicent:

You’re insufferable.

Nyra ❤️ :

That’s not what you were saying last night.

Alicent:

I’m going now.

Nyra ❤️ :

I love you, Ali. So proud of you.👏

Alicent huffed. How was she supposed to just leave a text conversation in annoyance when Rhaenyra said things like that?

Alicent:

I love you, too, Nyra. 🥰 Forever and always.

Alicent stuffed her phone back into her purse in time to join the rest of the audience in clapping as Professor Rowan finished his speech and walked off the stage.

The rest of commencement went about as quickly as an event like that could. Alicent walked across the stage with her head high and a bright smile on her face, accepting her diploma from Professor Tully and shaking hands with Dean Aemon. As she did so, she very distinctly heard Rhaenyra shouting, “Whoo! Go, Alicent!”

Her girlfriend was such a dork.

Gods, she loved her so much.

Escaping from the crush of people leaving the auditorium proved to be the most difficult task of the day. She clutched her purse and diploma to her chest as she was shoved and jostled by the hundreds of people around her. Her heart was beating faster than it should, for while she wasn’t claustrophobic by any means, she’d never liked crowds.

Finally spotting a flash of silver hair, she pushed her way through until she was able to grab Rhaenyra’s arm. Her girlfriend’s eyes lit up at the sight of her, and had it not been for the wave of people that kept them moving along, Alicent had no doubt that Rhaenyra would have been kissing her soundly.

When they finally managed to extricate themselves from the crowd, Rhaenyra surprised her by leading her into a little alcove rather than to wherever their families were waiting for them. “Rhaenyra?”

“Before I lose you to your adoring public, I wanted to give you something. And ask you something.” Rhaenyra’s smile was almost shy as she reached into her pocket and withdrew what was unmistakably a ring box.

Alicent’s breath caught in her throat. Gods be good. This was it! She nearly crushed the tube holding her diploma, she was clutching it so tight.

“These last three years with you have been so amazing, Alicent, the best of my life, even if you did bite my head off on a monthly basis during your 1L year. You’ve worked so hard, and I couldn’t be prouder to call myself your girlfriend. And I know you’re going to be dying for the next ten weeks studying for the bar—I promise to behave and not distract you unless you ask me to—but you deserve to celebrate this huge accomplishment.” Rhaenyra held out the box and flipped up the lid.

Tears pricked the corners of Alicent’s eyes as she looked at the ring nestled in the bed of velvet. The band was gold, and engraved into the shield-shaped face was a red enamel dragon coiled around a green tower. “Oh, Rhaenyra,” she breathed, “it’s beautiful.”

Rhaenyra beamed. “May I?” When she received a wordless nod, she plucked the ring from its box and slid it onto the middle fingers of Alicent’s left hand.

Alicent’s stomach dropped.

Something of her disappointment must have shown on her face, because Rhaenyra was immediately taking her hands in hers. “Do you not actually like it? I’m sorry, we can—”

“No, My Love. It’s not that.” She smiled and pressed a quick kiss to her lips. She really did love the ring. She was just disappointed—and a little embarrassed—to have made the same mistake twice. Of course Rhaenyra had gotten her a graduation gift. She should have known that was all it was.

“Are you sure? Because if you don’t like it—”

“I’m sure.” And Alicent’s smile as she looked down at her new ring was genuine. It really was beautiful, and the craftsmanship was exquisite. “I love it, Nyra. Thank you.”

Finally mollified, Rhaenyra’s worried expression shifted into a mischievous grin. “I’m glad, because I was hoping you’d be willing to wear it tonight when we get home.”

Alicent arched an eyebrow, an inconvenient—under the circumstances—heat already beginning to pool in her lower belly. “Only the ring?”

“You know me so well.”

∞

Needless to say, Alicent gets even less sleep the night after her graduation than she did the night before.

3. The Hospital

The third time it happens, Alicent will forgive her girlfriend since she was high on pain medication.

∞

Alicent had always prided herself on being a careful driver. She always came to a complete stop at stop signs, she barely ever made calls while driving, never mind sending or reading texts, she always drove exactly the speed limit—much to everyone’s annoyance—and she had never once even tapped her horn.

Her horn blared now as she dodged around a van that had made the mistake of going the speed limit. The horns of other cars sounded in response as she sped down the highway like a madwoman. Under normal circumstances, she would be horrified at her atrocious behavior. But these were hardly normal circumstances.

“Alicent, there’s been an accident.”

She hadn’t even read the rest of the text before she was leaping up from her desk chair and frantically searching for her car keys. She ran out the door so fast she wasn’t even certain that she’d locked it. And it hadn’t been until she was starting her car with shaking hands that she’d realized she needed to read the rest of the text to figure out where to go.

“St. Alysanne’s Hospital.”

Strictly speaking, the drive was not a long one, but it felt like an eternity all the same.

Her tires squealed on the pavement as she skidded to a stop in the parking lot. She scrambled out of her car and only barely managed to lock it before racing into the hospital. The woman at reception—far too calmly for Alicent’s frazzled state—gave her step by step instructions for how to find Rhaenyra’s room within the sprawling labyrinth that was St. Alysanne’s.

When Alicent burst into the hospital room, her knees almost gave out from under her at the sight of Rhaenyra lying so still on a sterile bed with a thick bandage wrapped around her head and bruises covering most of the left side of her body.

Aemma was by her side in an instant, supporting her and helping into a nearby chair. “Breathe, Alicent. Just breathe.”

Was she not breathing? Was that why she felt so dizzy? Sucking in a lungful of air, the black spots that had been dancing in her vision began to recede. A hand was rubbing her back, warm and comforting, but it wasn’t the right hand. “What happened?” she choked out.

Aemma sighed. “She was being Rhaenyra.” While still rubbing Alicent’s back, she maneuvered herself so she was sitting down on the chair beside her. “Some sort of fight broke out at her work, and she jumped in to defend one of her co-workers. In the scuffle, someone pushed her down the stairs.”

Alicent’s jaw clenched. “I want a name.” She might not be licensed yet, but she knew how to write a damn good civil complaint.

“Corlys is still trying to parse all that out. There ended up being a lot of people involved, and with all the confusion, it’s hard to say how exactly everything happened.” Aemma’s own expression darkened. “But believe me, once we have the responsible party, there will be consequences.”

“Good.” Her eyes slid back to Rhaenyra, who looked smaller than she could ever remember seeing her. “Will she be all right?”

“Viserys is still running tests.”

He shouldn’t be doing that. Not for his daughter. Doctors weren’t allowed to treat their own family.

But she couldn’t quite bring herself to care about the grey area of medical ethics right now.

As if reading her mind, Aemma said, “Dr. Mellos tried to stop him, but Viserys threatened to fire him if he didn’t shut up.”

That almost brought a smile to her lips. For all that Rhaenyra’s father was a gentle and genial man, he was still a Targaryen. And Targaryens did not take kindly to being told they couldn’t care for their own. And if there was one doctor in this hospital who deserved a taste of Viserys’ rare but terrifying wrath, it was Mellos. She’d only met him a few times, but it had been enough to get a clear picture that the old man was a sexist who still completely bought into antiquated notions of women’s roles in society. Frankly, he probably should have been fired years ago.

They both turned at the sound of the door opening, and they immediately rose to their feet when Viserys entered.

Alicent hastily wiped away the tears she hadn’t even realized had begun to fall at some point. “How is she?”

“It’s not as bad as it looks,” he assured her, his own relief palpable both in his voice and on his face.

She felt Aemma begin to sway beside her, and now it was her turn to support the other woman and help her sit back down. “Don’t forget to breathe.”

Aemma let out a watery laugh. “Cheeky girl. Rhaenyra’s been a bad influence on you.”

Alicent couldn’t help but smile herself, her whole body feeling suddenly weightless with relief. Gods, when she’d seen that text . . . “I’m sure she’ll be thrilled to hear that when she wakes up.” She looked over at Viserys. “When will she wake up?”

“Within the hour, I should think.” Viserys gave her a warm smile full of relief as well as reassurance. “Her concussion is fairly mild, so she should be just fine with about two weeks of rest.”

“Would you like me to come over?” Aemma asked. “I know you’re busy with bar prep.”

Alicent shook her head. “There’s no need. Unless you want to, of course. But I can handle things.” She’d nursed Rhaenyra through back-to-back flu and phenomena during spring finals of 2L, and she’d still gotten the second highest scores in all but one of her classes.

Aemma nodded. “All right, but don’t hesitate to call. Especially after the one-week mark. I remember when Rhaenyra broke her arm the summer before your fourth grade year. She was insufferable by the end of her recovery.”

A laugh bubbled from Alicent’s throat as she remembered the way Rhaenyra had complained endlessly about how her cast itched and how she hated not being able to do anything with her left arm and how “Hugs aren’t the same when you only have one arm.” “I’ll call in the cavalry if I need to.”

“Good.”

Viserys spent the next twenty minutes giving Alicent detailed instructions about how to care for her injured girlfriend, along with recommendations for acceptable medicines to treat some of the common symptoms of concussions.

By the end of it, Alicent’s purse notepad was half-full of hastily written notes. “Thank you, Viserys.”

“Of course. And as Aemma said, don’t hesitate to call. Whether it’s because you can’t remember something about care or because my daughter is being a terror.” He winked as he said the last words.

Aemma stepped away from her daughter’s bedside, where she’d been standing throughout Viserys’ instructions, and put a hand on her husband’s arm. “Why don’t we get something to eat? I don’t know about Alicent, but I missed lunch.” She looked at her. “Would you like us to bring you something, Alicent?”

Before she could respond, her stomach growled loudly. And she was suddenly reminded that she’d forgotten to eat breakfast.

Aemma chuckled. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

Once Rhaenyra’s parents had left the room, Alicent dragged a chair over so she could sit beside her unconscious girlfriend. After checking for bruising, she gently slid her fingers between Rhaenyra’s to clasp her hand. “You’re such an idiot,” she sighed, her other hand coming up to stroke her girlfriend’s bruised face. “You didn’t have to get involved, you know. You could have done the smart thing and called security.” But her girlfriend had always run headfirst into trouble, especially if it was to help someone else.

She lifted Rhaenyra’s hand to her lips and softly kissed the back. “You’re lucky you’re okay, otherwise I would have killed you myself.”

“So mean,” Rhaenyra mumbled.

Alicent jumped to her feet, heart hammering. “Rhaenyra?”

Bleary, violet eyes peered up at her. “Hi, Ali,” she slurred.

Had Viserys not warned her that Rhaenyra would probably be slightly disoriented and perhaps incoherent from the morphine, she would have been alarmed by her garbled speech.

Instead, she leaned down to press a gentle kiss to her girlfriend’s lips. “My Love, you scared me half to death.”

“Sorry,” Rhaenyra mumbled. “Didn’t mean to. Wanted . . . to help.”

“I know.” Alicent gently squeezed her hand. “You were being you. Brave and foolish.”

Rhaenyra grinned dopily. “That’s me,” she sang. She blinked up at her, eyebrows suddenly drawing together. “Do I know you?” Before Alicent could answer, Rhaenyra continued, “You’re really . . . really pretty.” She yawned. “My girlfriend’s pretty, too. Prettier than you, no offense.”

Alicent stifled her laugh, unsure if she should be offended or flattered. “Is she now?”

Rhaenyra nodded firmly, then winced. “The prettiest. She makes my . . . my heart do . . .” She wiggled the fingers of her hand not being held by Alicent, as if that somehow conveyed her meaning. “All the time. And she’s so, so smart.”

“She sounds lovely.” Alicent paused. “You know, I have a girlfriend, too.”

Rhaenyra’s eyes widened comically. “You do?”

“Mm-hmm. She’s very beautiful, and sweet, and thoughtful, and kind. A little aggravating at times, but she always means well.”

“Does she make your heart do?” Rhaenyra wiggled her fingers again.

Alicent smiled softly. “Every time I look at her.”

“Are you gonna marry her?” Rhaenyra giggled. “I’m gonna marry my girlfriend.” She yawned, eyes dropping as her body began to go limp once more. “Hope she says yes,” she sighed. “When I ask . . . hope she says yes.” Her eyes slid closed, and she was asleep once more.

Legs shaking slightly, Alicent eased herself back down onto the chair, doing her best to ignore the fluttering in her stomach after hearing her girlfriend’s declared intention to marry her. She’s high out of her mind. I doubt she’ll even remember this conversation.

∞

While Alicent nurses Rhaenyra back to health, she manages to only chastise her girlfriend’s gallant stupidity a few more times over the course of the next two weeks. What she doesn’t do is mention Rhaenyra’s morphine-induced proposal. If her girlfriend wants to marry her, she needs to be as sober as a septa when she asks.

4. The Restaurant

The fourth time it happens, it’s not really Rhaenyra’s fault, but Alicent now knows for certain that the universe is screwing with her.

∞

Alicent smiled happily as the waiter placed her chocolate mousse down in front of her, thanking him as his arm retreated. She looked down at the chocolatey goodness, eyes roving over the perfectly styled, pyramidal mountain of whipped cream decorated with chocolate flakes.

“If I didn’t know how much you loved me, I might be jealous of the way you’re eyeing that mousse right now.”

Looking up from her dessert, she met Rhaenyra’s twinkling eyes. Her girlfriend had decided to take her out to dinner for their four-year anniversary, and it was not lost on her that this was the same restaurant they’d gone to for what Rhaenyra had thought was their first date. She might be half-tempted to wonder if this was when her girlfriend was going to finally propose to her, but she’d learned by now not to get her hopes up. It would happen when it happened, and she would be thrilled no matter what. But for now . . .

Picking up her spoon, she slowly dipped it into the mousse before bringing it to her lips, but rather than just placing the whole thing in her mouth, she slowly licked the dollop of mouse from her spoon, never breaking eye contact with her girlfriend the whole time. She hummed quietly as the sweetness.

Rhaenyra’s knuckles went white around the edge of the table. “You are so mean,” she practically hissed.

Alicent gave her an innocent smile. “What are you talking about, My Love?”

“Minx,” Rhaenyra simply grumbled.

“Are you still jealous of the mousse?” Sliding the dessert aside, Alicent leaned forward and crooked her finger to draw her girlfriend in so she could whisper without any of the other patrons overhearing. “There’s no need, Nyra. You’re still the sweetest thing I’ve ever tasted.” She sat back, enjoying the scarlet blush that infused Rhaenyra’s cheeks. It wasn’t often that she was able to garner such a reaction from her girlfriend, who was usually the one making her a blushing mess.

“Seven Hells,” Rhaenyra mumbled as she leaned back in her chair. “What’s gotten into you tonight, Ali?”

Alicent shrugged. She honestly couldn’t say. Maybe it was the anniversary buzz making her feel daring. “Nothing yet.”

Rhaenyra choked on her own tongue.

Chuckling, Alicent returned her attention to her dessert. “You should finish eating your cake, My Love, so—” She didn’t get the rest of the words out before Rhaenyra was practically attacking her own dessert.

Sliding her spoon deeper into the mousse this time for a proper spoonful, she frowned when she felt it hit something buried within the chocolate. She poked at the thing again, certain now that she’d heard a faint clink. Pulling her spoon back, she began scraping away the layers of whipped cream and mousse to uncover whatever had been placed into the center of her dessert.

Her breath caught when she saw the glint of a faceted gemstone.

Calm down, Alicent. You’ve been wrong before. Multiple times, in fact. Don’t go jumping to conclusions now. She quickened her pace, swiftly uncovering what was unmistakably a sapphire ring embedded in the mousse.

The sapphire was an odd choice, but that hardly mattered.

Grinning like an idiot, Alicent fished the ring out of her mousse and held it up to Rhaenyra, who was watching her intently. “Yes.”

“Yes?” Rhaenyra’s eyebrows drew together, then shot up to her hairline when she finally seemed to register the ring. Her face fell slightly. “Oh, Alicent, that’s not—”

“Eh-hem.”

Smile already gone—disappeared the moment she’d recognized Rhaenyra’s genuine surprise—she slowly turned to see a sheepish man standing over her. Woodenly, she held out the ring. “I’m guessing this is yours?”

He nodded, clearly mortified. “The, uh, staff must have made a mistake.” He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “All mousse looks the same, right?”

“Right.” She turned away from him, fighting back tears, though whether they were of humiliation or simple sadness, she didn’t know.

The man shuffled away, uttering a few more apologies as he went.

“Alicent—”

“Yes!”

Alicent flinched at the sound of a woman’s elated voice, slumping down in her chair. She was an idiot. She should have known that Rhaenyra would never put a ring in her dessert. Her girlfriend had commented on many occasions that it was both a choking hazard and rather gross. “Who wants to wear a ring that was just covered in food? What? Is the other person supposed to just pop it in their mouth and lick it clean?”

And Rhaenyra would certainly never propose to her in public. Her girlfriend had always scoffed at people who made big shows of proposing in restaurants or at fairs or in malls or on sidewalks. “It’s manipulative,” she’d declared when Alicent had asked why she detested public proposals so much. “How is a person supposed to say ‘no’ without looking like an asshole in that situation? And if a person can’t say ‘no,’ then their ‘yes’ isn’t real.” When Alicent had pointed out that most people discussed marriage before proposing, so the “yes” was often assumed, Rhaenyra just shook her head. “Even so, a proposal should be private. Just the two of you. It shouldn’t be some spectacle for people to gawk at.”

Alicent knew all of that. And yet . . .

“Alicent.” Rhaenyra was standing beside her now, eyes filled with worry and apology. “I’m so sorry—”

Alicent held up a hand to stop her. “You have nothing to apologize for, My Love.” And it was true. Rhaenyra hadn’t done a single thing wrong. She was the one who kept waiting around and getting her hopes up. And for what? We’re both women, damn it. And even if we weren’t, this isn’t the Age of Heroes! There was no rule saying that Rhaenyra had to be the one to propose, that all she was allowed to do was sit and wait.

“I love you, Cousin, but sometimes you can be the smartest idiot I know.”

As was so often the case, Margaery was right.

Looking up at Rhaenyra—at her wide and worried and apologetic eyes—she was suddenly filled with a new sense of purpose. Getting up from her chair, she pressed a warm kiss to her lips, barely even caring about the other patrons present—most of whom were focused on the newly engaged couple anyway.

When she drew back, she was pleased to see that Rhaenyra’s eyes had darkened. “Let’s go home. We still have an anniversary to celebrate.”

Rhaenyra hesitated, searching her face. “You’re sure you’re all right? It’s okay if you’re not, Ali. I get it. That whole thing was . . .”

“It doesn’t matter.” And it didn’t. Not anymore. A plan was already beginning to take shape in her mind, and that thought alone made her giddy. And needy. She kissed her again, a bit more fervently this time.

When they broke apart for the second time, Rhaenyra’s cheeks were deliciously flushed, and she practically tackled the next waiter she saw, asking for the check.

∞

Alicent knows now that she was wrong before. The universe wasn’t screwing with her. It was just trying really hard to tell her something, and she’d been too dense to hear it.

It was hardly the first time.

+1. The Proposal

Alicent had been acting strangely for weeks now. Ever since their anniversary dinner when she’d found another woman’s ring in her mousse. Rhaenyra had tried talking to her about it on several occasions, but her girlfriend would only smile in that way that meant she was hiding something and assure her that everything was fine.

But how could everything be fine? When Rhaenyra had seen the way her face had crumpled when she’d realized the ring wasn’t for her? When she had seen the tears beginning to gather in her eyes before they’d been blinked away?

Sure, she and Alicent had gone home that night and spent the rest of the evening—and into the early morning—celebrating their anniversary . . . vigorously. And with the appearance of several different outfits. But not even hours of passionate sex and the satisfying sight of Alicent falling into an exhausted and sated slumber were enough to make Rhaenyra forget the devastated look on her girlfriend’s face.

She knew what she could do to make Alicent happy. It was what she should have done over a year ago, on Alicent’s twenty-fifth birthday. It was what she’d planned to do, but then had chickened out at the last minute. It was stupid. Incredibly stupid. She knew that Alicent loved her, and they’d discussed marriage plenty of times over the years. But in that moment, with Alicent’s warm eyes on her and a small, almost expectant smile curving her lips, she’d frozen. And before her brain had even had time to catch up with her mouth, she’d been blurting out, “Your birthday,” like an idiot.

And then it had been too late to backtrack.

It had been more than a whole damn year, and she still hadn’t worked her nerve back up. Seven Hells, what was wrong with her? And it wasn’t as if there hadn’t been other opportunities. The day Alicent had graduated law school. The day after she’d finished taking the bar. The day she’d passed the bar. The day she’d been officially inducted as a lawyer.

Any one of those days would have been the perfect time to pull her girlfriend aside, get down on one knee, and properly propose to her. Her Grandma Daella’s wedding ring had been squirreled away in one of the pockets of her oldest pair of jeans for over a year. Three months ago, her mother had begun texting her once a week to ask whether she’d finally proposed. It was becoming rather embarrassing.

Well. No more.

Next weekend. She was going to propose next weekend if it killed her.

Smiling to herself, she slowed her car to make the turn into the parking lot. Unsurprisingly, the lot was completely deserted. After all, who would be at an elementary school on the weekend? Well, aside from her, of course. But she was only here because Alicent had sent her a mysterious text instructing her to meet her here.

Stepping out of the car, she took a moment to look over the old stone school building. It hadn’t changed much over the years. A few of the windows looked new, and the front doors had been repainted red at some point, though clearly not very recently, since this “new” paint was beginning to fade as well. An absent smile curled her lips as she remembered her first day here, how excited she’d been to start first grade. Other children had been clinging to their parents as they were dropped off, but all she’d felt was excitement for what had seemed like a new adventure.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket, drawing her from her memories. She smiled when she was greeted by Alicent’s beaming face on the caller ID. Swiping her finger across the screen to answer the call, she brought her phone to her ear. “Hey. I’m here. Where are you?”

“Playground. By the swings. Don’t dawdle.”

The words weren’t clipped by any means, but the sentences were oddly short for Alicent. “Okay. I’ll be there in a second.” She paused. “Ali, is everything all right?”

“Everything will be perfect once you come to the swings.” And now there was a teasing lilt in Alicent’s voice, which loosened the knot of concern that had been forming in Rhaenyra’s stomach. “See you soon, My Love.”

Alicent hung up, and Rhaenyra quickly slid her phone back into her pocket. After checking that she’d locked her car, she made her way to the playground behind the school as quickly as she could.

The playground looked smaller than it had when she was a child, but that was hardly surprising. As a first grader, the playground had seemed as big as a castle. Now, as an adult, it looked almost comically small.

As promised, she found Alicent by the swings. Her girlfriend was leaning against one of the support poles, staring at the swings with an almost pensive expression.

“Alicent,” she called.

Turning at the sound of her voice, a warm smile appeared on her girlfriend’s face when she saw her. “Rhaenyra.”

Rhaenyra kissed her cheek in greeting. As she drew back, her eyes darted down to Alicent’s hands, noting the way her girlfriend was fiddling with her fingers. She wasn’t picking at them though. It had been almost two years since she’d done that. “Everything all right, Ali? You seem nervous.”

“I am.” Alicent laughed a little. “I shouldn’t be, but I am.” She sat down on the swing closest to her. “Join me?”

Concerned now, Rhaenyra immediately sat down on the neighboring swing. “What’s wrong, Alicent?”

“Nothing.”

There was no lie in her voice that Rhaenyra could detect, and she knew well, after all these years, what Alicent sounded like when she lied. So she’s nervous, but there’s nothing wrong. All right. She could work with that. She’d become an expert at soothing Alicent’s nerves over the years.

“This is where we first met,” Alicent said suddenly. “Do you remember?”

And Rhaenyra couldn’t help the goofy smile that came over her face at the memory. “I remember.” It had been their first day of school together. Though they’d been in the same class, they hadn’t initially noticed each other. She hadn’t been paying attention when the teacher had gone around the room asking the students to introduce themselves, and Alicent had been more focused on reading the poster listing out the classroom rules than on the endless litany of names.

Recess had brought them together.

Recess and the desire to swing.

“Jason Lannister was teasing me,” Alicent remembered, “I don’t even remember why. And suddenly, there you were, shoving him down onto the ground even though he was twice your size.”

He’d been tugging on Alicent’s pigtails, as she recalled, making fun of her for bringing a book out to recess. “He was back on his feet pretty fast.” She smiled wryly. “I’m pretty sure he was about to hit me.” She reached over to take Alicent’s hand. “But then you, smaller than both of us, stepped in and threatened to tell if he tried anything.” She laughed. “Then you confused the hells out of him by quoting random lines from different Braavosi plays at him until he went away.”

Alicent joined her laughter. “It was all I could think of to do.”

“It was effective.” Jason had avoided her like she was possessed for the rest of the year. Plenty of other kids had continued to give Alicent grief for being “a weird little nerd,” but not Jason.

“You came to my rescue that day. Even though we hadn’t even spoken to each other yet, you still just rushed in to help.” Alicent had twisted the swing to the side so she was facing her now, and Rhaenyra quickly did the same. “You’ve always been like that. Brave and protective to a fault.” She clicked her tongue. “It’s what got you concussed last summer.” The words had no bite to them, or even any exasperation, just warmth and fondness. “It’s one of the things I’ve always loved about you.”

Alicent slowly stood from the swing, holding up a hand to keep Rhaenyra from standing as well. “When we met that day, I had no idea how much I was going to come to love you. First as a best friend, and then finally as a girlfriend.” She laughed self-deprecatingly. “It took me a long time to figure out that second one.”

Rhaenyra smiled slightly.

“But when I did . . . It was like seeing the sun for the first time. Everything just . . . clicked into place.” Alicent reached down and took Rhaenyra’s hands in hers, squeezing softly. “From that very first day, you’ve made me feel safe. And loved. And cherished. You’ve seen me at my worst and haven’t looked away. And,” she bit her lip, “and I like to think that I’ve managed to do the same for you, too.”

“You have.” Rhaenyra’s throat felt tight, and her stomach was doing somersaults. “You always have, Ali.”

Alicent’s smile was slightly watery as she slowly sank down to one knee.

Rhaenyra’s brain short-circuited. Was Alicent . . ? Here? Now? Seven Hells, she was.

Reaching into her coat pocket, Alicent took out a small ring box. “Rhaenyra, I love you. So much that sometimes it hurts. You make me laugh, even when I shouldn’t. You lift me up when I’m feeling down. You’re always there when I need you and even when I don’t. And you’ve never once made me feel small or ashamed or stupid. You’ve always been my home, Nyra. Long before I even understood what that really meant.” She opened the little box to reveal the ring inside. “Rhaenyra Targaryen, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

A breathless, strangled, squealing sound erupted from Rhaenyra’s throat, a sound that human vocal cords probably shouldn’t even be able to make.

She launched herself off of the swing, tackling her girlfriend to the ground and covering her face in kisses. She couldn’t speak. She could barely think. All that existed was Alicent.

Arms wrapped around her neck, hugging her tight, and musical laughter reached her ears. “Is that a yes?” Alicent asked breathlessly.

Rhaenyra kissed her lips. Hard. When air became an issue, she drew back just enough to say, “Yes,” before leaning down to kiss her again and again.

By the time they broke apart, Rhaenyra was panting and flushed, and her heart was racing so fast it felt as if it might beat out of her chest. Her face was almost numb from smiling, and her lips tingled pleasantly. Her hair had been pulled loose from its braid at some point, and strands were flying about in the spring breeze.

Alicent was hardly in any better shape, her auburn hair mussed and tangled, lips red and kiss-swollen. Lurid bruises courtesy of Rhaenyra’s mouth were already beginning to form on her neck and jaw, and her pupils were so dilated her eyes looked almost black.

Her girlf—her fiancée—had never looked more beautiful.

Somehow, through all of that, Alicent had managed to hold onto the ring. “May I?”

Grinning like mad, Rhaenyra offered her left hand, practically vibrating as Alicent slid the ring onto her finger. Once the cool metal had settled, she brought her hand closer to her face so she could actually see the ring that her fiancée had chosen for her.

It was a rather simple piece. Old fashioned yet elegant. A braided band of silver set with a small diamond surrounded by tiny pearls. There was something oddly familiar about it, too. It almost reminded her of . . .

Her hand fell to her side as she stared at her fiancée with wide eyes. “Alicent,” she finally managed, “this is your mother’s ring.”

Alicent smiled lovingly at her. “I know.”

“But I thought . . .” Rhaenyra’s brow furrowed as she looked from the ring on her hand to Alicent and back again. “I thought you left this at your father’s house when . . . when you left.” Even after all these years, she still couldn’t bring herself to voice aloud what Otto Hightower had tried to do to Alicent. It just hurt and enraged her too much.

While she preferred not to even think about that time, she searched her memories now, trying to remember if or when Alicent might have gotten her mother’s ring back. She certainly hadn’t taken it with her when she fled the house, and while Margaery had later driven back over to pick up Alicent’s things for her, she was almost certain that Alicent’s mother’s ring hadn’t been among them. Which meant . . .

Rhaenyra frowned down at her hand. “Did you . . ? You didn’t go back there, did you?” Her concern was swiftly shifting to alarm at the thought of Alicent being anywhere near her father. “Alicent, you shouldn’t have gone back there just for—”

“I didn’t,” Alicent assured her, reaching out to cradle her face and using her thumbs to smooth the lines that must have been forming on her brow. “I told you, I’m never setting foot in that place again.”

Relaxing into her touch, Rhaenyra sighed with relief. “Good. That’s good.” Her eyes flicked down to her hand again. “So then how did you get this? I can’t imagine Otto was willing to overnight it to you.” All Seven Hells would have to freeze over first, and even then, the old bastard would still probably never part with his late wife’s ring. Never mind that Mrs. Hightower had explicitly left it to Alicent in her will.

Alicent snorted, clearly sharing her thoughts. “Your uncle helped.” She paused. “He didn’t tell me exactly what he did, and I didn’t ask.”

Rhaenyra barked a laugh. “You sicced my uncle on your father?” Oh, just the thought of it was so delightful. She’d have to ask him for details later. And thank him for helping Alicent.

“I asked him to help me get my mother’s ring back,” Alicent corrected. “There was no ‘siccing’ involved.”

Given that she hadn’t seen an obituary for Otto Hightower, she supposed her fiancée must be right. Still, there was a story there. Leaning forward, she pressed a gentle kiss to Alicent’s lips. “Whatever the case,” she murmured, “I know how much your mother’s ring means to you. So thank you, for trusting me with it.”

Alicent answered her kiss with one of her own. “I trust you with every part of me, Nyra. Including my mother’s memory.”

Rhaenyra’s heart swelled, and she swore to spend every day of the rest of her life proving herself worthy of that trust.