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Alicent should have known that Rhaenyra was up to some scheme when she saw the blonde grinning wildly to herself, sitting on her butt on the black driveway while she waited for Alicent to finish biking up the hill towards her house.
“It’s raining, Rheanyra, you could’ve waited inside!” Alicent huffed between rapid breaths as she rushed up the steep incline. She got off her bike and began to walk the rest of the way.
“Why would I do that?” her best friend smirked, scoffing. “I prefer this way, since I get to see you sooner.”
“You’re too ridiculous for your own good, Rhaenyra. You’ll catch a cold from loitering out here.”
“You think I’m ridiculous? I think the word you’re looking for is charming.”
Rhaenyra quickly jumped to her feet when Alicent was within arm’s reach, offering to help Alicent with her heavy overnight bag – which wasn’t unusual, since Rhaenyra liked to boast about her strength and show off whenever given the opportunity. Rhaenyra made a show of guiding Alicent under the awning with a gentle touch to her waist, before leaving the humble green bike in the security of the garage where the Targaryens kept an assortment of their ridiculous sports cars. Rhaenyra had offered to pick her up: of course, she always did, but Alicent didn’t want to make her best friend go out of her way.
Rhaenyra strode up before her to reach the front door and hold it open so Alicent would get to enter first, which made Alicent regret the playful insult.
“Fine. You’re not ridiculous.” Alicent sighed dramatically. “I’m actually very charmed by you, Rhaenyra.”
Rhaenyra’s face shone with a radiant, joyful smile. “You’re so sweet, Alicent. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you’d melt like sugar would when you’re out in the rain.”
Alicent blushed furiously at the compliment. “Stop – that’s so – not true!”
Rhaenyra walked into the foyer behind her and carried Alicent’s belongings up to her room, where the both of them got changed into their cosy, and most importantly dry pyjamas.
Rhaenyra shut them into the walk-in pantry of the kitchen. The house staff in the kitchen could hear them giggling and whispering to each other as they rifled through the goods they were raiding.
“That’s disgusting!” Alicent hissed, smacking her friend’s fingers away from the bottle of fireball liquor.
“It’s tradition to drink during celebrations in my family,” Rhaenyra pouted, the good little manipulator that she was. “You don’t have to drink any if you don’t want to, but I’d be happy to pour you a shot if you want to try it. My parents won’t mind and they surely won’t even notice that a little bit is missing.”
“I don’t want to get you in trouble. Or for them to call my parents.” Alicent shook her head. “Also, we’re not celebrating anything. Why would you want to drink?”
Rhaenyra pouted.
“What, Nyra?”
“It’s June .”
“June?” A moment of fear flickered through Alicent. She was certain it wasn’t Rhaenyra’s birthday. “What’s in June?”
Alicent suspiciously watched as Rhaenyra blinked, as if she were thinking discerningly for something else to say besides what she was actually thinking. “It’s.. almost the Feast Day of Our Father Above.”
“It’s not proper to worship the Father by taking a shot of alcohol!” Alicent gently pushed against Rhaenyra’s chest.
“Okay, Ali. I suppose you’re right.” Rhaenyra laughed. “Since you’re taller, can you reach the biscuits on the top shelf?”
Once they had an abundance of snacks to carry off like a dragon’s hoard, and Alicent sweetly asked one of their staff for a cup of hot cocoa (which of course made Rhaenyra copy her), they moved to set up camp in the living room. Despite the massive, oversized couch that gave them plenty of room for personal space, they always preferred to sit close together. Usually, Rhaenyra would rest her head in Alicent’s lap and let her pet and braid her hair. Sometimes they cuddled. Since they were both still chilled by the cold rainstorm they’d been out in, they opted to share their warmth. Rhaenyra’s arms enveloped Alicent, who shivered ever-so-slightly, and snuggled impossibly closer into her best friend’s body heat while the blonde picked the film they were going to watch.
Rhaenyra tried to make it not look awkward as she held the remote precariously, not moving an inch from where she’d settled with her hands on Alicent’s back. Alicent noticed her struggling to angle it at the TV, but didn’t say anything. She truly had nothing to complain about when she was as comfortable as she was.
Rhaenyra, the good liar that she is, suggested a movie Alicent had never heard of purely because it had the actor who played Zuko in Avatar the Last Airbender.
“Sure. I liked that show. I think he’s a good actor.” Alicent voiced her approval at the choice. She could feel Rhaenyra’s chest vibrating against her with suppressed laughter as she pressed play on But I’m A Cheerleader .
Rhaenyra had giggled when the main character, Megan, shared traits with Alicent – poking and prodding Alicent’s side about the abundance of women’s photos in her locker – “she’s just like you, Ali.”
“You have pictures of me in your locker.” Alicent rolled her eyes. “I don’t see why keeping reminders of the people you love is a bad thing.”
“Maybe I love you?”
Alicent forced herself to giggle, so she wouldn’t have to respond, or think too hard about what she’d said. She groaned at the awkward kissing scenes between the character who was supposedly her counterpart, according to Rhaenyra, and the plain featured boyfriend. “Rhaenyra, is this a romance movie?”
Rhaenyra snorted in an unladylike manner. “You have no idea.”
“I don’t want to watch a romance movie tonight,” Alicent groaned.
“Come on, Ali. You don’t know what you’d be missing. Please, let’s keep watching?”
“Fine. If this is the kind of thing you like so much.”
Rhaenyra had lost it and absolutely howled with laughter when Ru Paul had appeared on screen in a ‘straight is great’ t-shirt, preaching against a homosexual lifestyle.
Alicent had decided this wasn’t a movie she wanted to talk through, strangely. Rhaenyra didn’t force her to say anything, and kept her comments to herself.
Quickly, Alicent began to realise this movie was wildly out of her comfort zone. She felt uncomfortable watching it. It wasn’t because Rhaenyra had teased her about being similar to the character who was confronting the fact that she was a lesbian. Alicent wasn’t feeling that way because her best friend put on a very, very gay movie. She wasn’t upset with Rhaenyra at all. Alicent was upset, well, because…
She really is like the lesbian in the film.
Alicent goes to church, she gets good grades, and on the surface level she was everything she was supposed to be. But still, on a level she couldn’t control, she felt she isn't who she’s supposed to be to make everyone else happy. She can't control how she feels. Alicent knows she’s never liked a boy, and she never will.
Alicent Hightower is a lesbian.
Graham, the wealthy, rebellious bad girl that Megan began to fall in love with in the movie made Alicent’s belly churn as she realised how much it reminded her of herself and Rhaenyra.
Alicent knew she liked Rhaenyra in a way that wasn’t just friendly. Alicent wasn't oblivious, either, to the way her best friend looked and spoke to her sometimes, so completely besotted. Alicent knew Rhaenyra was like her, and that Rhaenyra liked her.
The movie made her incredibly uncomfortable. Alicent felt that way because she was deeply, deeply uncomfortable with herself and was struggling tremendously with imagining what the rest of her life could even look like if she allowed herself to be in love with a woman.
But watching that movie challenged her worldview entirely, and changed her for the better. She found herself laughing through the silliest moments, safe and secure with her head tucked under Rhaenyra’s chin, kept warm in her strong arms.
A woman loving another woman seemed to be possible.
Alicent watched devotedly, as if she were witnessing salvation with her own eyes, as Megan declared her love in front of everyone, then took Graham’s hand as they ran away together as the music swelled beautifully, and kissed each other passionately in the back of the pickup.
Alicent had never seen it before. Now that she had, she could start to believe in it for herself.
They could even have a happy ending.
Alicent held on to Rhaenyra as the credits rolled.
Rhaenyra’s eyes were full of wonder as Alicent’s warm brown eyes looked up at her, full of so much depth and vulnerability that made the blonde get entirely lost. A curious hand gently tucked a wisp of silvery hair behind her ear, giving Rhaenyra butterflies. She stayed completely still, as if Alicent were a deer that might startle easily and run if Rhaenyra breathed wrong.
Alicent shifted in her arms, but didn’t pull away. In fact, she only got closer. Their foreheads rested against each other, Alicent’s hand was lovingly cupping Rhaenyra’s cheek. She could feel Alicent’s soft breaths against her parted lips.
Alicent’s eyes fluttered closed and she hurriedly leaned in, as if she’d spent an entire lifetime waiting, and kissed her.
Rhaenyra’s heart glowed brightly in her chest as she kissed her back: soft, soft, soft.