009 The Second Name Day (final)

Rhaenyra's eyes shone with excitement as she looked at the magnificent creature in front of her.

The White Stag, known as the king of Kingswood, is said to be a good omen if a royal can hunt it.

The White Stag had fur white as snow in the north. Its eyes were black as a moonless night, its size was as big as a horse, while its antlers were as long as its length.

The siblings and the knight watched with intent gazes while the White Stag returned the gaze, filled with curiosity.

SLING

In the silence of the forest, the drawing of a sword sliced through it as Criston Cole readied himself to hunt.

"No," both Aegon and Rhaenyra whispered softly.

Criston was a little surprised, but he sheathed his sword nonetheless.

The trio stared at the Stag, and the Stag stared at them, each watching the other until distant sounds echoed through the forest.

HUFF

The Stag snorted through its nose before turning around and running off into the forest.

The three stayed in silence as the hooves of the stag became nothing but a distant echo.

"We should go, princess," Criston reminded her again, softly.

Rhaenyra nodded her head, a little lost in her thoughts; unknowingly, a small smile crept onto her face as she replied, "Yes, Ser Criston."

They both turned around and rode back to the camp.

Aegon, all along the way, was silent; his eyes lost their usual shine as he stared back at the forest.

What was on his mind… no one knows.

....

Alicent was really worried; she paced back and forth in her tent. She could still vividly remember the scene, how Rhaenyra stormed off while holding her son.

She knew Rhaenyra wouldn't harm her brother, but what if they encountered a dangerous animal? What if someone sent assassins after them?

"Nothing will happen to Aegon, Alicent. You are worrying too much." Viserys tried to reassure his wife, even though he was a little worried but didn't let it show on his face.

"B-But, Your Grace—" Alicent was about to say something; her green eyes darted around in worry while she bit her nails into her skin.

She was worried about her son.

"There are no buts, Alicent. Ser Criston Cole went after them. They both will be fine." viserys said, cutting her off.

"And you should sit down. It's not good for the babe if you worry too much," he added.

Alicent bit her lip but complied, her gaze fixated on the entrance of the tent, Waverly waiting for the news of her son's arrival.

...

A few hours had passed, and Alicent was growing restless; she was thinking about searching for her son on her own when she heard a yell, "The prince and the princess have returned!"

Alicent's eyes widened as she immediately stood up from her seat. Viserys, too, stood up along with Otto and a few lords.

Alicent didn't wait for her husband to move and walked out of the tent, her heart beating like a war drum.

Outside the tent, she saw him atop a white horse riding along with his sister Rhaenyra.

"Aegon!" she called out as she walked toward them.

Aegon looked at his mother and was quite surprised when he saw her haggard look; he immediately called out, "Mama!"

Rhaenyra, too, looked at her former friend as she got off the horse while carrying Aegon in her arms; behind her was Ser Criston Cole, waiting for the queen to take the prince so that he could escort the princess to the king.

Alicent took Aegon from Rhaenyra and hugged him tightly; a single tear left her eye as she asked, "Are you okay?"

To which Aegon hummed as he nodded, he too hugged his mother tightly.

Rhaenyra stood before Alicent in silence; she knew she owed an apology to the Queen and didn't wish to escape from it.

A few minutes had passed by, and Alicent calmed down; by that point, Viserys and the rest of the lords had already grouped around them, which annoyed Aegon a little.

'I can smell it! These people are going to use this against her!' he exclaimed as he watched the expressions of the noble lords.

'I have to do something,' he mumbled to himself as he hugged and an idea struck him.

Pulling back from his hug, he looked at his mother with wide eyes sparkling with excitement and said, "Mama! Sister, me, white!"

"White?" Alicent asked, confused.

"Mhhm," Aegon hummed as he nodded his head and continued, "Yes, White! Sister, me, watch!"

By now, everyone in the crowd was confused about what their young prince was saying. So, they turned toward the two who could explain what happened.

"Rhaenyra, what is this about?" Viserys asked with a frown; he couldn't understand his son.

Rhaenyra pursed her lips; she didn't want to say that they saw a White Stag, which would give material for the lords to cite against her. But it was the King's orders; she had to say.

Criston, noticing Rhaenyra's hesitation, answered in her stead and said, "The princess and the prince have spotted the white stag, Your Grace."

GASPS

Gasps echoed in the air as the lords and ladies gasped in shock.

"Is it true? Did the prince really spot a white stag?" one of the lords asked in excitement.

Criston's mouth twitched at the lord's question; he clearly mentioned that both the princess and the prince had spotted the stag, not just the prince!

But he kept his grievances to himself and replied, "Yes, my lord. The princess and the prince spotted the White Stag at the same time."

Rhaenyra heard the lord's words and was angry at him, but didn't show it, as they would use this against her as well. 'Fucking bastards!'

But Aegon, understanding his sister's frustration, reaffirmed Criston's words, saying, "Yes, me, sister, watch White, same time!"

At his words, Alicent, Rhaenyra, and Viserys smiled whole. Some lords deftly ignored the prince's words, while some raised an eyebrow at this, 'If they both saw it at the same time, then to whom would the good omen go to?' Some of them wondered.

'Phew, I think I managed this quite well,' Aegon mumbled to himself as he sighed inwardly. 'I mean, I managed to become close to Rhaenyra and bridged the gap somewhat between Alicent and Rhaenyra.'

'Although it's not by a lot and Rhaenyra still keeps to herself, it's a start!' he mumbled to himself as a yawn escaped his lips; he was too tired from all the planning and horse riding.

His eyelids were feeling heavy as he continued, 'The next big thing would be Daemon trying to seduce Rhaenyra. Although he will return to King's Landing for a brief period in the near future, I don't have to worry too much and have to prepare for the day he returns in two years' time.'

YAWN

Aegon yawned once again, which caught the attention of Alicent, she smiled as she patted his back while saying, "You can sleep, Little Aegon."

He hummed in response, collapsed on his mother's shoulders, and fell asleep almost instantly.

Alicent smiled as she continued patting her son's back. "Sweet dreams, Little Aegon." She whispered.

...…..

Aegon opened his eyes only to see the black void filled with white smoke.

"Ah, fuck! Not Again!"

*ROOOAAARRR*