Chapter Text
“Why are we even going?” Aegon asked, accepting his coat from Criston but not putting it on.
“The holidays are about seeing family,” Criston answered, not even trying to sound like he was excited.
“Didn’t you tell Grandfather to go fuck himself the last time you saw him?”
“Language,” Alicent chided as she came down the hall behind Heleana. She adjusted when she saw Aegon’s face scrunch up in frustration and anger. If he decided to throw a fit it would derail a night that already had Alicent’s stomach in knots. “And I’ll let you try some of the spiked eggnog if you behave yourself.”
Aegon put his coat on without another word. Alicent shrugged at Criston’s raised eyebrow. Maybe bribing her 15 year old son with alcohol wasn’t perfect parenting but they had been talking about how to give Aegon opportunities to experiment in safe environments. Besides he needed to be on his best behavior for the first time they were seeing Otto in a year.
Criston had told him to go fuck himself at the last holiday party. A comment about how of course a Dornishmen had a girlfriend and a wife had escalated an already very uncomfortable night.
“Is Aemond already in the car?” Alicent asked.
“Yup,” Criston said before leading the way out the door. Aegon groaned as he realized he would be the one sitting farthest in the back. They piled into the van with only one snide comment from Aegon as he moved past Aemond who had claimed the front row seat that wasn’t Heleana’s.
“Remember everyone we’re making polite conversation. I don’t know who else is going to be there, but make sure you’re kind and that you either find other kids to talk to or stick with me or Criston. Heleana I don’t want to see you on your switch for at least half an hour.”
There was a grumbling of agreement and then the back seat fell silent, three sets of eyes looking out to see the selection of lit up yard decorations.
“So who’s designated driver tonight?” Christian asked quietly.
Alicent snorted. “You are not getting drunk near my father again.”
“Alright, and how honest are we being about the family situation?”
Alicent took a second to review the extensive arguments she’d had with herself over that topic. “Don’t bring it up but don’t lie about it either?”
“Alright. And the job situation?”
“My father can handle a bartender and social worker who run survivor support groups.” A moment later Alicent’s courage faltered a bit. “Maybe just don’t go into too much detail about the groups. But it’s not like there will be many people there we don’t know. It should just be a small family affair.”
Alicent was proven wrong when she had to park well before her father’s long driveway due to how many cars there were.
“This doesn’t look like a small family affair,” Aegon said, making the statement sound impressively snide.
Alicent gritted her teeth. “No. I guess he invited some people from work.” She swallowed down her expanding anxiety and glanced back at Heleana who she knew was feeling the exact same way. “You ok to go in, sweetling?” she asked, nearly hoping for an excuse not to attend.
“We can try,” Heleana said. She was the only one among them who seemed to only have positive interactions with Otto who doted on her and somehow had come to share her love for bugs.
“Alright, you let us know if that changes,” Criston said. “If we have to I can take some of us home while the rest get a cab.”
Alicent held in a comment about Criston just trying to escape and then got out of the car. They made their way up towards the house, walking past fancy cars that showed how expensive they were without any shame or hesitance. A fair few of them were running with chauffeurs scrolling on their phones while they waited to be summoned.
“He invited a bunch of people from work,” Alicent said. She stopped a few steps from the empty front porch and past it the lit up windows and chatter of conversation. “He wants to show off his grandkids.”
“That’s not the impression he gave when he invited us,” Criston said, already sounding angry.
“Well we wouldn’t have shown up if he had.” Alicent turned back to her children. It was cold enough out that they were a bit annoyed to wait with warmth just a few steps ahead of them. “Listen, forget what I said about making conversation or not going on your switch, find somewhere quiet and out of the way and don’t let grandfather drag you into any conversations you don’t want to have.”
“And if I do that I get booze?”
“Yes,” Alicent said with a sigh.
Aegon hopped up the front steps and walked in the door, forcing the rest of the family to follow quickly behind.
The house was toasty, a crackling fire and the mass of people heating it quite nicely. Otto hadn’t sprung for waiters to wander the house, so the food and drink was spread over three impressive tables in one room.
A set of coat racks had been brought in for the countless fancy black coats of the guests. Aemond and Helena's bright puffy coats looked quite out of place amongst them.
It was one of Otto's coworkers who first recognized Alicent. He came over and made boring conversation. Alicent introduced her husband and children, thankful that the man just looked back and forth between Criston and his children instead of making a comment.
They moved as a unit over to the food tables, loading up plates in a way that did not match the refined attitude of the night. Alicent got her first glass of the eggnog, grateful for the smell of brandy coming from the bowl. Aegon stepped closer to her. “Behave for half an hour first,” Alicent said, driving him off.
Otto was nowhere in sight, so Alicent began guiding her children to the next room. Thankfully their loaded plates didn’t spill. Still more well dressed people were mingling in the new room, making polite conversation about the stock market and where they would be vacationing for the winter. Alicent and her family got several looks, both curious and dismissive, but only one person came up to them.
Alicent froze when she recognized him. “Alicent,” he said, extending a hand. “I haven’t seen you since…”
“About a month before the divorce,” Alicent supplied, shaking the hand of Anthony, one of Viserys’s top advisors. He would come around the mansion when things were particularly bad, always meeting with Alicent present so she could say encouraging things and manage Viserys’s temper.
“Yes, a terrible business that. You’ve been sorely missed.”
Alicent gave a polite smile as she stopped herself from saying how little she missed anyone.
“It can’t be much fun actually having to do some work for a change,” Anthony continued. “I don’t think your new husband can pay the bills in quite the same way.”
“Oh Viserys is still paying the bills. Has he never mentioned how much I got in the divorce?” Alicent’s smile turned cruel and Aegon giggled behind her. He was the only one with a clear memory of the divorce proceedings.
“It wouldn’t be polite to talk about that sort of thing. No one likes to hear about a kind man being taken advantage of by a friend, especially with him and Otto trying to mend fences right now.”
All humor disappeared from Alicent’s face. “Is he here?”
“Not yet. I’m sure Rhaenyra convinced him that they should show up fashionably late.” Anthony glanced down at his watch. “Which I suppose means they’ll be here any minute.” Anthony seemed to know that that was his only chance to win the conversation, so he walked off towards some coworker.
Alicent and Criston looked at each other, considering their options without having to say to the children that they were running away to avoid seeing their father and sister. With a nod towards the exit it was decided.
“Alright, I know we drove all the way here, but how does going out to dinner instead….”
“Heleana!” Otto said, interrupting Alicent. He walked swiftly to his granddaughter and upon seeing she wouldn’t give him a hug, gave her a praying mantis bow instead. Heleana returned the gesture, giggling about how silly Otto looked, holding his arms up like a praying mantis in his suit.
“I’m so glad you could make it, Alicent,” Otto said, all silliness gone.
“Is Viserys coming to this?” Alicent said.
“I can only hope so. Not all of us have the privilege of removing such an important person from our lives.”
“Do you really think showing off your grandkids will impress him of all people?”
“No,” Otto said, stating an obvious fact before deigning to explain the obvious. “You’re here to impress everyone else and I’m quite sure you and Viserys will both want to keep your distance from each other.”
Alicent didn’t respond immediately. She breathed out slowly and loudly. Criston loosened one of his clenched fists and took her hand. “You couldn’t have warned us about this?”
“Having you be a part of my life is too important to risk you being too scared to attend.”
“You,” Criston growled before stopping himself from saying more and looking at Alicent.
“Children, cover your ears.” Aemond and Heleana obeyed while Aegon waited gleefully to see if he would hear a new swear from his parents.
“Conniving sack of shit,” Criston finished.
“Hmm,” Otto said. If he was offended he didn’t show it. “I hope you enjoy the party.” He sounded genuinely hopeful, just a tiny bit like a kind father, enough to make Alicent feel bad if she just left.
They moved in the opposite direction of Otto, finding a less full hallway and seats on the stairs, just below the fancy rope showing guests were unwelcome on the second floor. “So father’s coming?” Heleana asked.
“It seems like it,” Alicent said.
“Will he want to talk to us?”
“I don’t know,” Alicent said.
Aegon scoffed, expressing the sentiment that Alicent wouldn’t.
“You don’t have to talk to him if you don’t want to,” Criston said. His knee was bouncing with nervous energy making grapes roll around his plate.
With that settled Heleana began to look over her plate of food, deciding on what to eat first. Aemond was already eating carefully and properly, the only one of his siblings who had gotten a napkin along with his food. He was watching his parents carefully. He had the fewest memories of Viserys, and no real fear of being near him, but he could see how little everyone else wanted to see him.
“I’ll just do one circuit of the room. Make a good impression and then we can leave,” Alicent said.
“On your own?” Criston looked from Alicent to their children, calculating the best groupings for the evening.
“I’ll be fine.” Alicent did not sound very convincing.
“Aegon, go with your mother. If you’re lucky someone will offer you an internship for the summer.”
“That sounds awful.” Aegon stood up even as he complained, and followed after Alicent when she began her circuit.
It was relatively easy, she recognized several people and made easy introductions with others. She talked about Aegon primarily: how much he was growing, his good grades (a slight overstatement), the very beginnings of considering what college to attend, and his hunt for a summer job. She did not mention his skateboarding (his dress pants thankfully covered his skinned knee), his near weekly arguments about the smallest of things that after storming off to his room at night would be ended with grumbled apologies at the breakfast table, or the girl he had managed to take to a school dance before saying something stupid that ended the relationship.
There weren’t many questions about her, but she answered them casually, saying she was happily married (she only had to specify it was her second husband to one person), and that she’d recently gone to school for a degree in social work (it was just assumed that she was going back to college rather than her first time). She didn’t mention Susan or their three month relationship that had recently fizzled out or what she did for work other than the assumed ‘charity clubs.’
Their circuit ended in front of the snack table. “It’s been more than half an hour,” Aegon said as he grabbed a handful of candied popcorn. The grandfather clock in the corner of the room confirmed that it had been more than forty minutes.
“Alright.” Alicent refilled her own cup of eggnog, empty since the third guest she talked to. “I just want you to understand a few things about alcohol…” Aegon didn’t even have the chance to roll his eyes before the front door opened and Otto gave a too loud and too enthusiastic “welcome!”
Alicent recognized the wheezing laugh it got in response. She drained her glass. “It doesn’t make bad feelings go away, don’t ever try to use drinking to do that, it won’t work.” Alicent refilled her glass.
“You’re comin on a bit strong there,” a different voice said. Rhaenyra had clearly pregamed a bit based on the slight slur of her words. Alicent hated that she knew that five and a half years since the last time she’d seen Rhaenyra. “Don’t you know he recently had a rough divorce? You’ve got to take things slow, show him you can be trusted and then fuck him.”
Rhaenyra laughed at the line and then moved away before she had to deal with the resulting awkwardness. She came to a stop when her eyes locked on Alicent. Alicent drank down half her drink and then handed the glass to Aegon as she moved forward to meet Rhaenyra halfway. She didn’t want her near Aegon. Whether they liked each other or hated each other it was sure to lead to issues.
“Alicent, what a surprise,” Rhaenyra said.
“You’re at my father’s house,” Alicent pointed out. She hated how unfriendly she sounded, but she couldn’t come up with anything more friendly or remotely kind. Her back was up and a voice in the back of her head was screaming for a fight.
“I hope he didn’t think you’d help impress us for him.”
“He did not.”
“That’s good, because with the whole father-seducing, and divorcing and money taking, you aren’t exactly in our good books.”
“He and I are both aware of those events.” Alicent managed not to add any of Viserys’s or Rhaenyra’s slights.
“Well at least you provide some good eye candy.”
Alicent refused to show any reaction, neither embarrassment nor pride. She quite liked the dress she was wearing. It was a dark green color that she thought brought out her hair and it had a slit going up the side just past her knee. Rhaenyra had clearly dressed to offend Otto. Her dress was expensive, but Alicent would bet money that the design was lifted from a sexy elf costume. It was a bright green with red stripes, one along the edge of its low cut and more going down the short skirt.
When that comment didn’t get the reaction she wanted, Rhaenyra moved on to a more promising target. “You know I saw the wedding announcement a few years ago. You barely wasted a year before you claimed Criston huh.”
Alicent smirked. “There wasn’t a wedding announcement. You go scouring through city records, just to find out if I’m married?”
Rhaenyra’s silence answered the question. Alicent couldn’t really take further advantage though. There hadn’t been a wedding announcement because there hadn’t been a wedding, not beyond the bare minimum required witnesses to the signed paperwork.
“Is your husband here?” Rhaenyra asked.
“Enjoy the party, Rhaneyra.” Alicent walked back to Aegon who was sipping on eggnog and watching her. “How many glasses have you had?”
Aegon glanced down at his glass. “Three?”
“Oh dear.” Alicent took the glass back and guided him towards the rest of their family.
“It doesn’t taste as bad as you always say it does,” Aegon observed. “Does that mean I’m drunk now?”
“No,” Alicent said quickly, Aegon believing he was drunk was likely just as bad as him being drunk.
“So when will I be drunk?”
“Not for a while,” Alicent lied. They had reached the stairs, letting Criston overhear her words.
“How’d it go?”
“Viserys and Rhaenyra are here, and Aegon has enjoyed a healthy number of drinks.”
Criston stood up, drawing Aemond and Heleana to look up from their game. “Well let’s go then.”
“Rhaenyra’s between us and the front door.” Alicent began calculating other exits. They could make it to the backdoor easily enough, but Otto didn’t bother to snowblow a path out from the back door, and Alicent’s shoes were not suitable for walking through the four inches of snow on the ground.
“I’m not so weak that I can’t walk by her.”
“It would be alright if you couldn’t,” Alicent reminded him, they both often needed to be reminded that they didn’t have to be strong and useful to be worth anything.
Criston nodded his thanks. “Alright, we ready to go home?” he asked Aemond and Heleana. Heleana nodded happily, while Aemond looked disappointed that they were leaving before he built up the courage to go exploring.
“Let’s go then.” Alicent put a hand on Aegon’s arm to lead him along with her. He was clumsy and happy, not embarrassed by her touch like he’d started being recently.
Rhaenyra was snacking on snickerdoodles when they reentered the room. She smiled when she saw them, seemingly genuinely happy though her eyes kept their distance from Alicent. She sauntered towards them, cutting off their escape. “You brought the whole family!”
“Yes, but we really have to get home, you know how excited kids get for the holidays.”
“I remember it all too well.” Rhaenyra met Alicent’s eyes. She was thinking of their holiday pinky promises Alicent knew. They would see each other the night after the last day of school, one last day together before their families went on separate holidays. They would promise that they would put all their candy together and split it half and half between each other when they reunited. Rhaenyra never brought all of her half, never able to control herself through the whole week, but it hardly mattered with how much more she got each year, and Alicent was never perfectly disciplined either.
Alicent’s reminiscing gave an opening. “You have to let me say hi to them at least don’t you?” Rhaenyra asked.
“Who are you?” Aemond asked. His hand was gripping Criston’s sweater. He knew something was wrong, even if he didn’t understand what.
Rhaenyra crouched down, just below Aemond’s eye line. “I’m your sister, Rhaenyra.” She held out her hand to shake. “And you’re Aemond, I’ve known you since you were only a baby.”
Alicent scoffed. Being in the same house as him once a month for five years hardly counted as knowing someone.
“Half sister,” Aegon corrected, slightly slurring what Alicent stopped herself from saying.
“Half sister,” Rhaenyra agreed, looking Aegon over. “You’ve grown a lot, you must be only a few years from college.”
“We really must get going,” Criston said, but he only succeeded in drawing Rhaenyra’s attention.
“Looking forward to some time alone with Alicent this evening?” she asked. “So much holiday fun to have once the kids are in bed?”
“Ew!” Aegon said and made a fake retching noise. Alicent looked over to confirm that the sound was indeed fake and hide her smile at Aegon’s antics.
Criston tensed up further, hating his own weakness, but fighting the need to do something stupid to show some sort of strength.
“Or maybe not?” Rhaenyra’s grin was predatory at the assumed vulnerability. “Has she grown bored of you? And you don’t even have money to fall back on. How long before she leaves you too, do you think?”
“Mom?” Heleana said, cutting through the tension for a moment. “She’s doing the fake nice mean thing right?”
“Yes, yes she is dear.” Alicent didn’t bother hiding her smile. The hours she’d spent with Heleana after a disastrous, mocking birthday invite, where Alicent had tried to explain the social cues involved in the cruelty of teenage girls seemed very well spent.
Heleana rose to her full twelve year old height and looked Rhaenyra dead in the eye for eight powerful words. “We don’t want to spend time with you.”
The response that Alicent had suggested for 13 year olds seemed fairly effective on Rhaenyra.
“Nice job, ladybug,” Criston said as they began to make a run for it as casually as possible.
Rhaenyra turned to look after them. “You’re letting the ten year old fight your battles now? I’d expect that from Alicent but not you, Criston!”
Criston turned back, and for a moment Alicent feared what was about to happen. “We taught our daughter how to deal with bullies, and she just said the only thing that I have ever wanted to say to you.”
They got another four steps, before the door came into sight and all their hopes were dashed. Viserys and Otto were still by the door. They were chatting quite happily. Otto’s hands were up and moving slightly, a very strange occurrence with him. One of Viserys’s hands was similarly mobile while the other was leaning on a cane.
At first Alicent thought his happiness was good news, but after a moment her rusty skills at reading Viserys recalibrated and realized that he wasn’t just feeling happy, he was feeling generous, the most dangerous of his moods. He would make ill thought out gifts when he was feeling generous, and expect to be heaped with praise for them, if he wasn’t he would be complaining about ingratitude for weeks and making far harsher comments immediately.
He looked over and saw them approaching. His face flickered with recognition and then annoyance and then a smile. He stepped towards them. Alicent stopped and held her hand to the side, stopping Heleana and Aemond from moving past her. Aemond took her hand. He was starting to get genuinely scared. The feel of his hand made Alicent want to charge Viserys, shove him into the floor and lead her family out the door while he floundered on the ground.
“Children!” Viserys approached, cane clacking on the hardwood floors. “It’s such a wonderful surprise to see you!”
No one responded to him. Otto trailed cautiously behind, but he wouldn’t risk losing any of Viserys’s favor.
“We really must get going,” Alicent attempted when Viserys was almost upon them.
“Nonsense,” Viserys said with a wave of his hand. “It’s the season of love and warmth, our children ought to have some of that for their father shouldn’t they?”
Aegon lurched forward before anyone could respond. His finger jabbed into Viserys’s chest. “You’re not my dad!” he nearly shouted. The spiked eggnog had clearly taken proper effect.
He paused when he realized what he’d said, but then smiled at the relief of saying it. He had no hope of stopping himself from continuing. “You never even, you never took me to a baseball game!”
Alicent and Criston shared a frown, confirming that neither of them had ever taken Aegon to a baseball game.
“Or… or drove me to school, mom didn’t even drive and she still went in the car with me! Or buy me birthday presents! You would just give Cristy 200 hundred dollars because he knew what I’d actually want!”
“Aegon,” Criston said softly, he felt slightly guilty about having taken credit for the stuffed dragon Aegon couldn’t bring himself to get rid of. The use of Cristy surprised him too, Aegon hadn’t called him that since he was seven when he caught on to Viserys frowning whenever he used it.
Aegon was on a roll though and had no intention of stopping. “Why did you even have me? You never wanted any of us, but you were too selfish to even just give us up without a fight! Why do you give a shit! You never gave a shit. Do you just hate the idea of us being happy without you? Does it just drive you crazy that I have a better dad than you could ever be?”
Aegon paused for breath.
“Did you let your teenage son get wasted, Alicent?” Rhaenyra said, nearly giggling as she moved towards her father.
Alicent saw red. She was turning before she could even think about it, her hand extending with the full force of her hips.
Her slap found its target, ringing out with a loud noise that drew even more spectators from the other room. “Don’t you dare insult my son.”
Aegon shrieked at the sudden sound, his jerky movement bumping into Viserys and sending him stumbling back towards Otto who caught him as gently as possible.
Rhaenyra laughed off the slap, touching her bright red cheek and then lunging forward to shove Alicent. Alicent fell onto her butt, still in shock that she’d hit Rhaenyra. She hadn’t thought that was possible.
Aemond charged towards Rhaenyra. That was probably the only thing that stopped Criston from doing the same. He lunged forward to catch Aemond, holding him back and leaving the room in actionless shocked silence.
“I think it’s time you leave,” Otto said, setting Viserys back upright.
“Which of us?” Alicent and Rhaenyra snapped at the same time.
“Whoever can get to the door first,” Otto replied.
Alicent stood up carefully, sore from her fall and pissed that her father wouldn’t take her side. She forced a smile for Aemond and then made for the door.
Aegon was panting and desperate to keep the fight going, but he let himself be guided out the door. Criston brought up the rear, slamming the door shut as he left.
“Are you alright?” Heleana was the one to ask the question first. The switch had been stuffed in her pocket so her hands could shake and clench as she tried to calm herself.
“I’m fine,” Alicent said, her smile only slightly forced. “More embarrassed than anything.” That wasn’t entirely true. Her butt hurt quite a bit, and she was more proud than embarrassed. The last time she’d come to blows with Rhaenyra she’d been too scared to even slap her and after only a kick to the shins and a shove, Alicent had surrendered her rights to… something. She couldn’t even remember what, it hadn’t mattered even then, and far less now. What she did remember was the way that Rhaenyra carefully held an ice pack to her shin for hours afterwards.
They piled into the van silently. Alicent started the car and then pulled off into the winter night.
“I’m sorry I had us go to that party,” Alicent said. “We won’t be trying this again next year.”
“I had fun,” Aegon said from the back before starting to hum something.
“That’s good,” Criston said, worried about how that answer might change in the morning. “I’m glad you’re ok.”
“See? You’re a good dad,” Aegon said, the word thrown about carelessly in a way it never was by Aegon. At most it would be tempered with ‘basically my’ when Aegon was complaining about Criston being controlling.
“You said I wouldn’t have to deal with bullies once I’m grown up,” Heleana said. Her hands were still clenching and waving slightly by her sides.
“I was maybe too optimistic with that,” Alicent admitted.
“But it’s easier as a grown up. You get to leave when you don’t want to deal with someone,” Criston added.
“Right,” Alicent agreed. We haven’t had to see Rhaenyra for nearly six years, and I doubt we’ll see her again for at least another six.”