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Despite her elation, Alicent paced the chambers of her father anxiously.
She had every reason to be happy. Her gods had given her a second chance, granting her freedom by plucking her from that accursed tower where that whelp had imprisoned her in her last days and sent her here, back to her pure, innocent, and youthful days. Oh, how she longed for the open air, the sight of flowers in the hidden garden of the Red Keep, the smell of wet earth after rain, all the vibrant colors around her. She had come to hate green, but nature’s green was enough to remind her that she had been given a second chance.
To correct a grievous wrong done to her and hers.
She had spent her first few days in a haze, trying to come to terms with the change in her circumstances. She looked at each and every member of her family, drinking in their youthful features with an unquenchable thirst. All of her childhood companions, unravaged by the cruelties of time and the calamity that befell them. She had sworn to herself that she would never let them get hurt again. She had been given another opportunity, a sign from her gods that she was favored by them. If that was not the case, why was she the one who was sent back? Surely, it was a sign that her Aegon was indeed the rightful king.
But anxiousness still dogged her. She had done so many things, changed so much, and yet, nothing could move forward until this day was over. Until a decision was made.
She whirled around to face her father, who had entered her chambers, taking off his cloak. “Father? You are back early. Did the King come to a decision then?”
Her father shook his head. “No, he has not, not yet. The entire council has given him the same advice, with only a few pleading for leniency, but he ordered all of us out and to leave him alone to think.”
A sneer twisted her pretty features. “The King has always been partial to his daughter. But he would have no choice but to discard her now.”
She was right. Viserys would have no choice but to halt any plans that he had for declaring his daughter the heir. There was no possibility left of it.
But her father still doubted. “You say it yourself, the king had been too partial to his daughter, likely feeling regretful over the death of his wife. There is still a chance she may walk away unscathed.”
But she was confident in her plan. “Yes, she may, but she will walk away with nothing. No wealth, no alliances, and most of all, no crown.”
In that, Otto Hightower was also feeling assured. The whole kingdom will rebel at the idea of following a scandalous whore when her shameless deeds are known by everyone. And the King will have no choice but to marry soon for an heir.
They were right. If a man had been caught in a room full of whores, drunk to his gills and clothes disheveled, he would be branded as a mighty stud. But a woman? She will have nothing but the hope she walked away with only her life.
And that was the future facing Rhaenyra. A future faced with uncertainty and shame. Because Alicent had finally exacted her revenge.
She had ruined Rhaenyra beyond repair, left her reputation in tatters, with no hope for salvation.
Alicent had been very clever in her plan. Criston Cole had been sent on a useless errand by her father. She had made sure that Rhaenyra had ingested the drugs she had purchased secretly with the help of her brother and sprinkled it on her cakes. After that, all she had to do was to make sure the Princess was thrown in a room, locked for the entire night. An anonymous servant would then lure men they had paid off into that room, and later, Alicent would create a ruckus about her mistress’s disappearance. A search would lead to the discovery of that whore in a disgraced state. A task made easy considering her former friend turned ruiner only had her and a single sworn guard to care for her.
And she did just that. The former queen had created enough ruckus to gather the entire castle. She could have done it in the morning, but she wanted Rhaenyra only disgraced, not completely ruined, because while she cared naught for that trumped-up spoiled brat, she cared about herself. She refused to carry that sin on her shoulders. Leading so many guards, she went to the room to show everyone the spectacle. And her plan went without a hitch; the entire castle had become a witness to the Princess’ true nature.
“She is young, barely three and ten. Even Princess Saera was not subjected to the Walk of Atonement when caught red-handed. It is most likely that she would be sent to a sept to atone for her sins, if only to save the crown from embarrassment.”
Alicent was fine with that. “As long as she is locked away, with no chance of getting out. The sooner she is out of everyone’s eyes, the better.”
The Hand to the King sat down, massaging his neck, likely suffering from fatigue. The ever dutiful daughter, Alicent stepped forward, and started rubbing him. Their relationship had not suffered the bitter test of time yet, and she cherished these moments. She wished she had listened to her father before. He sighed with relief from her ministrations. “You suggested killing her before, but then you stopped. Why?”
She focused on her task. “Are you feeling regretful?”
He shook his head. “No, I am just curious as to why you changed your mind.”
She fell silent.
Once, one of her uncles, who was a trader, told her a story about a female witch from faraway lands, monsters who would eat kids. And now that she looks back at her life, she realized that Rhaenyra was just that. A dayn. For all her pretense about keeping peace, she had eaten her poor children one by one. Even when in the grave, she had not left Alicent and her offsprings alone, still reaching out with her accursed hands and consuming her family. Every wrong dealt to the Green Queen was by the hands of the Maegor with teats and her bastard blood. For if she had not existed, her Aegon would not have turned to wine and whores to numb the pain from his father’s indifference, her dutiful Aemon would not have become a monster, poor sweat Halaena would have been free without the fear to hide her simple nature from the realm, and her daring Daeron would not have died so painfully. And her grandchildren, the true innocents in this battle, would have been spared too, spared from this accursed war and lived a long life.
When she had woken up in her childhood bed, she had first longed for her home. A home away from this accursed castle, back at Oldtown, with its shimmering waters, glinting dome of the Citadel, and the high towers of Starry sept and her ancestral home. She had wanted to leave everything behind, to start a simple life.
But then, the fire of indignation burned in her. The Red Keep was her home! She had spent years here, shaping it to her preferences. She had spent a long time here, pouring her sweat, blood, and tears. She was familiar with every corner of this Keep; why should she leave it for a harlot!
A harlot who brought her nothing but ruin. Who made her life miserable from the beginning till the end, who made it hard for her to breathe in her own home. The cruel usurper of her son’s birthright who wrought nothing but destruction.
Why should she not wish for retribution? Revenge from that one person who destroyed her life? Why should she not have that?
“There was no easy way to kill her before she was declared heir without rousing any suspicions. And there were suspicions, as the King had not declared her his heir yet despite claiming to,” she stated quietly, listing out the reasons. “Any other method would have been too slow. But more than that, I wanted her ruined.”
Her statement rang in the chamber, the absolute truth laid bare. Her father remained quiet.
“You have not seen her from near, father.” Her hands twisted the hems of sleeves. “She has no regard for her betters or for laws. She only wants to take from others, without sacrificing anything. She is spoiled, entitled, and cruel. She is no innocent, and should not be treated as such. If we had killed her, she would have become a martyr in Viserys’ heart. He would have been consumed by her thoughts. I deserve better than that, my children deserve better than that. We should not tolerate any unworthy people taking away the love of husband and father. Now that Viserys is faced with his daughter’s misdeeds, he will punish her himself. He will be eager to forget her, and will erase any signs of her and her weak mother out of his life.”
Her father hummed, feeling relaxed from her message. “You have raised valid concerns. I am proud of how you dealt with these problems with a level head instead of being overcome by emotions.”
She smiled. “It’s all thanks to your teachings, father. I will make sure to focus only on important matters from here on.”
She felt happy. She had King’s ear, and her father’s too, for they both listened to her. The king was charmed by her, much more so than the last time, because she had spent every effort to achieve that. She wanted to be remembered by him this time, to be remembered as his one true love, and not that weak ghost of Aemma Arryn that hung over her like a cursed cloud. Her father was proud of her, ever since she promised to be an equal partner to him. She made his work easier, telling him who was going to be an ally and who should be removed from their way. He now listened and cherished her advice, much more than anyone else’s.
Her second chance was shaping up to be a beautiful future, and she waited eagerly for what was to come.
She had flung a goblet when she heard the news that the King had only banished his daughter to Dragonstone with Ser Harrold Westerling.
She had wanted more. Wished for more, and she was not alone. Many on the council were eager to punish the disgraced princess, but the King had refused to give any explanation. He had shut down the entire conversation and had forbidden everyone to discuss this matter.
She huffed out a pathetic laugh. She had the King’s ear, whispering to him how the Crown’s honor could be salvaged if the Princess was punished properly. He had listened to her thoughtfully, only to turn around and send his daughter away to safety. Truly, the Princess must have cast a spell on her father to leave him this week to her whims. Alicent had forgotten that lesson.
No matter. She still had time. They could poison that harlot, as they had planned before. All they needed to do was to get a spy in. Maybe that traitorous castellan was still in that cursed castle and could be used. The King will never get the chance to call her back; Alicent would never allow that.
As the days passed, she turned her attention towards other pursuits on the advice of her father. She had continued her visits to the King to ensure that he would not turn his eye on another woman, or ignore her advice ever again. She didn’t want a repeat of this ever again. She eagerly awaited the day when he would ask for her hand in marriage.
And so she waited, and waited, and waited .
Waiting was in her fate, apparently, because the King never talked about remarriage, even at the reminders from the council. The date on which he had proposed their union last time had also passed without a whisper. She was not anxious, thinking that he was still grieving the misdeeds of his whore daughter.
Then the period for mourning was over. And six months after that. The capital was swarmed by the hopefuls, all of them eager to dig their greedy claws in the King. It didn’t help that she couldn’t visit the King frequently anymore, afraid of any eye on his chambers.
She had knowledge of the future. She had done many things by now, targeting and removing many of her enemies one by one. And yet, none of it was enough. She couldn’t make alliances or remove bigger targets simply from the fear of discovery. They had no base to build their alliances on, and no way to explain the surety of their victory without drawing suspicious eyes. All of that knowledge about the future was useless if she was not the Queen yet. Despite their heavy influence on the monarch, they were seeing all their plans turning into ashes. This made them desperate. And desperation always made one turn towards… unsavory solutions.
What if she had a child? The King was honorable; he would surely marry her to salvage her honor, no? In normal circumstances, she would have never accepted to lower herself to those limits, preferring to be married and give birth to the legitimate future king of the kingdom. Even now, this was one of the things she had never wanted to do, compromise her reputation, but she had no choice, she had come too far to turn her back.
But he had to sleep with her first. They just had to make sure he felt inebriated enough to lose his inhibitions. And during one of the feasts to welcome a random lord, the servants they had paid off plied the King with a lot of wine, and the rest was history.
She sneaked out before anyone could see her, leaving the sleeping king behind. All they now had to do was to wait to make their next move; meanwhile, her father was doing his best to dissuade the King from paying attention to any other candidates.
As soon as she got the confirmation from the Maester that she was pregnant, she breathed a sigh of relief. This was truly a nerve-racking time for her; she had forgotten all of her other problems in the meantime.
Confident, she informed her father, and later at night, the King about carrying his child, who burst out laughing upon hearing the news.
“With my child? You? Surely you jest, my lady, because I do not remember ever laying with you.”
She froze, her mind flitting back to that night. The King had taken her; there was no doubt in that. But he was inebriated, and she had snuck out before he had woken to avoid detection.
“I- your grace, you did- I mean, we did lay with each other! This is undoubtedly your child!”
He was still chuckling in mirth. “And when did we lay with each other?”
“The night of the feast, I visited you. But you had consumed a lot of wine that day, so that may be the reason you can’t remember. But you can ask the Kingsguards who were on duty that night! They will tell you the same thing.”
At her insistence, he summoned Ser Steffon and Ser Lorent.
“The lady tells the truth, your grace, but she remained in here for only a few moments. She exited the chambers soon, citing that as you were asleep, she had no reason to stay, and it would be hard to explain her presence to any wandering noble.”
At the recount of Ser Lorent Marbrand, Alicent stood there in shock. She belatedly remembered that this man had become the second Lord Commander of Rhaenyra’s “queensguards” as absurd as the idea was. And yet, she should have expected nothing good from these men; the harlot’s influence too deeply seeped in them.
“Well, that settles that, my lady,” Viserys heaved himself out of the chair, summoning his valet to prepare him for the bed. “I suggest you inform the father of this child about the good news, and your father too, for I may be the King, but this is a domestic matter, not something I should be getting involved in.”
She cried out. “But your grace-!”
The king sighed in exasperation. “What is the matter now?”
“This is your child! I have not been with anyone other than you, this cannot be anyone’s child but yours!”
The man put his hand on his chin, musing over the dilemma. “You say you coupled with me, and yet I do not remember it happening. You say the kingsguards can corroborate your tale, but they claim otherwise. What am I supposed to believe then?”
She shook her head furiously, tears trailing down her cheek. “They are lying, your grace!”
Viserys tilted his head. “Why would they lie? What grudge do they have with you for doing such a thing?”
Because Rhaenyra must have told them so, she wanted to shout, but even she was aware of how absurd her accusation could be. The Princess had no contact with anyone here ever since she was banished, and before her banishment, she had not made any allies to help her, nor did she have any reason to do so. And there was a much smaller chance that the Princess could learn about who was behind her predicament.
She swallowed her scream and lowered her head. “Your grace, I come to you with nothing but the truth. We coupled with each other, and this is your child. When he is born, his coloring will be proof enough.”
Looking bored, the King waved his hand dismissively. “All I have right now is your word, and there is time till the child is born to prove your honesty, and even that is not a guarantee. There are many silver-haired dragon seeds throughout the entire kingdom. In either case, what do you expect me to do? If it is tansy you wish for, I can provide it for you, although I had heard it leaves lasting effects on the womb. I doubt either you or your father will want that.”
She gaped at him. She had so many fantasies in her mind, genuinely believing that he would offer to marry her when he realized he had dishonored her. Despite all her complaints, this was one thing she had come to expect from Viserys: his honorable nature and how he conceded to her most of the time.
“I- I have been ruined, my King! What will happen to me in the future? With this disgrace, who will now marry me?”
Take the hint, take the hint , she thought furiously. But fate was not on her side today.
“That is a problem you should discuss with your father. You cannot expect me to provide you with a groom without your father’s input, do you?”
She blushed with shame. “My King, this is your child! Can you bear to let it be raised by a stranger? Can you bear to live with the fact that the mother of your only child was left in disgrace?”
She conveniently ignored the fact that he had another child. He didn’t correct her either, having forbidden everyone to even say his daughter’s name. He turned away from her, awaiting his valet to finish his night rituals, leaving her to flounder.
“You still have not provided me with any proof that this child is mine beyond your asinine claims. And a moment ago, you were worried about your reputation. Why will you then try to bring this baby into this world? Aren’t bastards cursed creatures, sent as punishment by the seven?”
“But killing the child is a sin!”
“And so are making unfounded accusations and deceiving another.” There was no more amusement left on his face. “Tell me, Lady Alicent, did I force myself on you that night? Be truthful, because the guards were outside that night, and they must have heard the ruckus created by such a thing.”
Her eyes widened. “No, your grace! I will never dare to accuse you of such a heinous thing!”
“Well then, you should stop trying to make wild claims then. You cannot expect me to just believe your words. I am the King, and before I think of myself or any other individual, I must think of the Kingdom first. A bastard cannot be allowed near the throne, more so a bastard that is likely not mine.”
She gathered her resolve that had shattered to peace after his declaration. Despite everything, she had been fond of Viserys, the husband who had never lifted his hand on her or stopped her from doing whatever she wanted. At least for this, she had always forgiven his faults. But today, even those notions were gone.
“Your grace,” she began quietly, her resolve giving her courage. “You are right; I have nothing but my words to support my truth, but seven are witness that I am telling you the truth. I only hope you will not come to regret your words after time proves me to be truthful.”
And with that, she exited the chambers, choking down the sobs that shook her frame.
Although she had boldly made the claim that they could wait for time, the reality was opposite.
As she had known, they were desperate. The desperation had increased now, with all the maneuvers they had pulled. She and her family had played their hand prematurely, making enemies left and right despite their utmost caution, one of them Larys Strong. They had also failed in getting any of their spies to infiltrate Dragonstone and carry out the assassination of her only obstacle. Beyond that, forget about receiving the offer of King’s hand for marriage; she was now saddled with a child whose father was refusing his seed. Her poor Aegon…
At her father’s insistence, she had gone back to plead her case with the King. This time, though, the King didn’t even bother sending his servants away. She had felt so ashamed, discussing this matter in front of his valet, yet Viserys refused to send them away even when she insisted, citing it was not her place to dictate what the King should or should not do. The servants had been looking at her strangely ever since she announced she was with child. She had hurried back, hoping to have her father catch those servants and pay them off, but it was too late. The word had spread through the Keep about her audacity to try ordering King’s servants, her desperate attempts to climb the social ladder, her boldness at doing such things.
About her whorish nature.
Her mind flitted back to the days when it was the Princess who was dragged through mud in both her lives. The sheer vitriol that was being spewed against her made her think for a moment if Rhaenyra had felt as helpless as her. But then she shook herself. What she did was her duty, her right . That upstart princess had preferred pleasure over honor, sin over duty. Alicent was not like her, and will never be like her.
But it was hard to stand straight in the face of all the rumors. And the King never helped. Never. He had forbidden her father to mention her pregnancy in front of him and threatened him that he would take away his pin if he continued talking about his daughter to the King. Otto Hightower had no choice but to retreat.
It was when the gossip mill reached its climax that she broke down. People were starting to question her former closeness with the now disgraced princess. Whispers of her affecting the Realm’s delight with her own hideous nature were thrown around. And she couldn’t take it anymore.
She hid away. Despite the admonishments from her father, she secluded herself in her rooms, afraid to show her face. She just couldn’t. Coupled with the pregnancy, she felt low all the time. And it was in these circumstances that she finally gave birth.
The pain of childbirth took her mind off the horrible situation they had found themselves in. She smiled at her father from the bed, who was proudly showing off her Aegon to the King. She had promised the man that she was carrying his child, and now they had the proof.
The King looked at the baby thoughtfully. “He has dark blue eyes.”
Alicent froze. Her father jerked as if to take the bay out of King’s reach. The man continued.
“None of you has blue eyes. Neither did your mother, if my memory serves correctly. And my family doesn’t have blue eyes either.”
Her hands trembled in her lap. “Your grace-”
“Shame,” the King mused mockingly. “The way you were strutting around had convinced many that you were carrying my child indeed. And you even named him Aegon! You really are daring, Lady Alicent…”
Viserys pivoted and left the room, not paying any heed to their protests. She and her father, on the other hand, panicked.
“Father,” she moaned out in despair, trying to get out of bed. Her father quickly handed off Aegon to the wet nurse and hurried towards her. “I don’t know what has gotten into him!”
Tears were dripping down her cheeks. “We have done everything! Then why…?!”
He supported her. “Stay here, I will try to plead with him.”
And like that, she was left alone with her thoughts. Unconsciously, she started tearing at her nail beds, anxiousness overcoming her. She was given a second chance, and she had used it wisely. She had removed so many of her enemies one by one, and had wholeheartedly thrown herself into her duty. Then why was this happening to her?!
Her father soon came back, a deep frown twisting his features.
“He said that at one point, he considered you a candidate for his second wife. But with how things are right now, it doesn’t seem feasible.”
She looked at him, a spark of hope churning inside her. “You mean…?”
He stroked his beard. “This means that he must still feel something for you despite the circumstances. He has said that he will not pursue the matter of us accrediting your… bastard as his seed.”
She flinched, and yet the thoughts raced in her head. She was aware of what he was hinting at: to sacrifice her Aegon, all for the good of the realm. “So if we plead with him, the situation can be salvaged?”
Otto Hightower grimaced. “Maybe. I will not get our hopes up, but we have no other choice.”
She flung off the covers and stood up, trying her best to ignore the pain shooting through her lower body. “Then we should not wait. I shall go right now to make my case with him.”
Her father stood at her side, hesitation warring in him. On one hand, it was not good for her to get up just mere days after giving birth, and yet her visible weakness can help endear her to the King. Taking long breaths, she made her way to the King’s chambers with the help of a maid, her gait slow but steady. Her walk, unknowingly to her, was reminiscent of someone else in a future not to come.
All her effort was for naught, as she was stopped at the door.
“The King has instructed us not to allow anyone in his chambers.”
She pleaded. “But I have something urgent to tell him! Please inform him that it is I, Lady Alicent!”
The guards were unmoved. “His orders included you, too, Lady Alicent. Even if you were to kneel here all night, he wouldn’t allow you in.”
Alicent squared her shoulders and dropped down. “Then that is exactly what I will do, good ser. But I will not leave without having an audience with him.”
The man stared at her expressionlessly. “If that is what you wish, Lady Alicent.”
And so she knelt there. An hour passed, then two. On and on it went, and she weathered the scornful gazes of servants passing by. The humiliation sharpened her pain from childbirth. But she was determined. Today, she would not move until the King heard her out.
She was only allowed in the morning.
She wanted to curse the King’s heartlessness. Here she was, body shivering from pain, while this heartless man sat inside, calmly feasting and sleeping.
“Say what you wanted to say, my lady, I don’t have much time to entertain you.”
All thoughts of bashing him in the head flew out of her mind, and she hurried forward, curtsying deeply. “Your grace, I have come to plead my case again. Aegon is your child, I swear on the seven! I have not lied to you!”
The King stared at her in an unimpressed manner. “The color of his eyes says otherwise, and so does your… track record. I am still unsure of how many people you have laid with to birth that dragon seed.”
She shook her head desperately. “I wouldn’t do that! I would never bed another man!”
He leaned forward, a mocking lilt in his tone. “Why, though? You claimed to lay with me, but your child looks nothing like me, with his pale hair and blue eyes. How can it be that you claim otherwise?”
Alicent was really eloquent. Always had been, otherwise she would not have survived in the court in her previous life. Which was the sole reason why she didn’t cower back. “My King, I have always been loyal to you! I will never betray you like this!”
Viserys looked at her in a puzzled manner. “Strange. You are not my wife, nor are you my betrothed. Why should you give this kind of loyalty to me?”
She gaped at him in astonishment as he snapped his fingers. “Oh, right, I did say to your father that at one point, I considered you a good prospect for my second marriage. But Lady Alicent, no one was aware of my thoughts at the time. So, how come you wanted to give this sort of loyalty to me, to avoid any other man in my name? Shouldn’t you have been searching for your marriage prospect at this point? You were not even busy anymore, the reason for your sole duty long gone, a duty at which you failed spectacularly, may I add.”
Alicent trembled in fear. “What do you want to say, your grace?”
The man leant back, his hands tightly gripping the armrest. “What happened back then was shocking. My only daughter, disgraced like that… you were supposed to take care of her, were you not? And yet, such an incident happened to her, and you even drew attention to it by creating such a ruckus! Something towards which she had never shown an inclination to. All she wanted was to fly on her dragon and feast on the treats, so how come she did such a heinous thing?
I had lost myself in grief. I lost my beloved wife just moons ago, and now my daughter was disgraced, leaving me no choice but to send her away from me. And then, you came so close to me, soothing my fears.
I thought to wait, to mourn properly, but then you came one day and told me that you are carrying my child despite me not remembering the conception. And now the child doesn’t even resemble me properly!
So here I am, thinking about the circumstances I have found myself in. My daughter, who couldn’t be bothered to look at a man, too obsessed with her dragon and cakes, and you, her only lady, who came to me with false claims that you are carrying my child. Who to believe, and who should be declared the liar… Tell me, my lady, what am I to do?”
The girl, for she was still a girl, felt the fear of being caught for the first time after she had done the deed. “Are you saying that I did that with her, your grace?”
“No,” he flicked his sleeve, and picked up his goblet with a flourish. “I have no evidence of such a thing. How can I make such an accusation?”
She licked her lips, racking her brains for some sort of rebuttal. “Your grace, I am loyal to you. Anything that I had done, I did it out of a sense of love and loyalty to you. I would never do such a thing with the Princess! If you are angry that I drew attention to her crimes, then I apologize, but you deserve better! It pains me to see you surrounded by such relatives. You deserve better than them.”
“And who is better for me, hum?” He mocked, his eyes glinting with a strange emotion. “You, Lady Alicent?”
She lowered her head, the lie burning her tongue. “I am besotted with you, your grace. My fondness for you doesn’t allow me to let you live with such treacherous people around you. It pains me to see you like this.”
“You threw my daughter into a quagmire, and now you are pleading with me. If she had done such a thing, you could have hidden it and left it to me to discipline her, but no. You think yourself cleverer than all of us. Or maybe, you think of yourself as the Crown?”
He tilted his head and stood up to make his way to the table laden with breakfast. “You are besotted with me? Your actions say otherwise.”
She also stood up and grabbed his sleeves beseechingly. “I am ready to do anything to prove my sincerity to you, your grace! Anything!”
“Anything, huh.” He jerked her away. “Fine then. I am merciful. I will not pursue both matters and punish you. Your father has been a great help to me after all.” All amusement was wiped away from his face. “Don’t mistake my mercy with leniency, Lady Alicent. For your father’s sake, I will not punish you, but I am the King and I must protect my crown. Today, in front of the entire court, you will confess to everyone that the bastard you have given birth to was not mine. I will never allow a bastard this close to the Iron Throne. And don’t think I forgot what you named him. It is an insult to my ancestors and kin to allow a bastard of all people to carry the name Aegon. He is a Hightower bastard, give him a suitable name.”
“But my King! He is your child! This will ruin my reputation, no one will marry me!”
“I thought you said you were besotted with me?” He mocked her. “Then why do you need to find another husband, hmm?”
While the prospect was humiliating, she couldn’t help but feel hope. “Does that mean you will marry me?”
“Heavens no,” he scoffed in derision. “After everything you did, marry you? Impossible. But the truth is that I don’t want to marry anyone. With both my beloved wife and daughter gone, I am not ready to give any other woman their position. And I have to admit, this freedom is addictive. No insult to my family, but as I said, no one should have their position, and I can spend my time on other pursuits.”
“But what about your heir? Prince Daemon is not suitable-”
“It is not up to you to discuss the suitability of my heirs, nor your problem.” The King interrupted her harshly. “Still, it isn’t him. We still have a long life ahead of us. Who knows, I will be blessed by grandchildren or maybe even capable nieces and nephews. The heir can always be chosen later on among the available candidates. It will depend on who proves themselves the most capable.”
“So then..”
“Just because I am not marrying doesn’t mean I don’t need companionship. However, the person will be chosen carefully. I will not repeat the same mistake with you, nor will I take anyone in with powerful connections in my court.”
She understood what he was saying in all the flowery terms. He needed a mistress . Such a humiliating prospect, because that person will not be allowed to have their relatives in the court. And yet, this person will be close to the King and will have his ear. Additionally, King Viserys had never indulged in vices like whores or mistresses in her previous life, so if she occupied this position, she may be able to salvage the situation. She just had to hold on and make sure that her children would look the best candidates this time around so that the King would have no choice but to choose them.
“Your grace, please allow me to make up for my mistake. I assure you, I am loyal to you, and I can prove it!”
He raised an eyebrow. “And what about your bastard?”
She gritted her teeth. “He is your child, but if you do not want him to be claimed as yours, then I won’t insist. But please, allow me to accompany you. You will not find anyone more loyal than me!”
“He is not, and I will never claim him as mine. Think carefully the next time you talk about him. As for your preposition… even if your father has to give up his position?”
She closed her eyes. Her father would be dismissed, but he was dismissed in a previous life, too, and yet he came back more powerful. “He will understand.”
The King straightened out his robes. “Very well then. It depends on your performance, Lady Alicent. Who knows, maybe you will be able to get back in my good graces. But you will declare your child as your bastard, and if I heard even a whisper of him being mine, or if you crossed any other line…”
She bowed in reference. “I will not give you any reason to complain.”
“Keep in mind, I will not tolerate another failure from you. While I have no evidence of your involvement in Rhaneyra’s fate, making it up is not as hard. Your next mistake will have you roaming the entire kingdom for Wall of Atonement, with no respite in sight, and your bastard will be sent to the wall, after ensuring he cannot continue his blood of course.”
She closed her eyes in pain.
And with that, her fate was sealed.
Even when she had to plead for forgiveness in the open court in front of everyone that she was overcome with fear and emotions and claimed her bastard to be the King’s, she thought of her old days. Yes, the setbacks were great. People sneered at her, some even spat openly, laughing at her ‘audacity’ to claim her bastard as king’s, she didn’t step back even when people all but believed that it wasn’t the Princess but her who had intended to go to the room full of me to have an orgy that night, she remained steadfast. Even when her relatives were kicked out of the court and the capital one by one, she strengthened her resolve. She will regain her lost crown, and everything that was hers.
She had come too far away in this game and had sacrificed too much. It was useless to turn away now. What was one more humiliation if her children could have the crown on their heads?
Too bad her wishes would never come true, and she would lead her own beloved family to its destined downfall.