The Tower

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𝕬𝖘𝖕𝖍𝖔𝖉𝖊𝖑

CHAPTER 10, THE TOWER

𝖂hen Alaenna woke, she was left with nothing but a fogged memory. Ser Harwin had left. His cloak and armor were nowhere to be seen, just the chair beside her bed.

She was exhausted, mentally and physically drained, by what happened last night and her thoughts.

Her ladies wouldn't be in until later in the day. Alaenna was used to dressing herself, partly because her dresses never had any problematic designs, such as a corset. Most back lacing could be done by herself.

She'd been nervous when she received a knock at the door. Whether it was impending punishment or one of her new paramours was unclear to her.

"Come in," She addressed from her vanity.

It was Ser Lorent, one of the kingsguard.

"Princess, Princess Rhaenyra is requesting to see you."

Alaenna had no idea what her sister would say. Maybe she'd blame her, console her, or hopefully love her.

"Right." Alaenna stood from her seat and began her short walk to Rhaenyra's room. Once she had opened the door, she was greeted with a quick hug from her sister.

There was no anger or disgust as she watched Rhaenyra's eyes pour over her.

"Did anything happen?" Rhaenyra asked as she held Alaenna's cheeks, scouring every edge of exposed skin.

"No, I made it back fine. Ser Harwin escorted me. Do you think he'll tell?" Alaenna asked.

Rhaenyra let out a short sigh as she listened to her sister. It was clear Alaenna had been anxious about her part in their little escape.

"It'll all be fine. I don't think Ser Harwin to be the kind to tell."Rhaenyra's hands moved from Alaenna's face as she grasped her hands instead. "Alaenna, I don't want you to think anything wrong with what we did last night. I enjoyed myself as I hope you did."

Alaenna thought for a moment. Despite what had happened with Daemon, she wouldn't go as far as to lie and say she didn't enjoy the touches and kisses. She still couldn't reasonably rack how this would change them.

They'd never be allowed to express this form of their relationship openly. Especially not with Rhaenyra being the heir to the Iron Throne. Rhaenyra had taken some time to think over what had transpired since the night had passed, and Rhaenyra's approval was all she needed. She could figure out her thoughts later.

A knock resounded from the door. "I'm dressed, Annora. Come." Rhaenyra responded, assuming it had been one of her ladies to finish cleaning her up for the day.

"Princess," Ser Criston intruded. Alaenna couldn't help but notice the shy look Ser Criston had given her as he walked into the room.

Rhaenyra, on the other hand, looked unbelievably happy at his appearance. It was unlike Ser Criston to be so docile around either of them.

"Princess, I have a message from the Queen."

The two looked at each other. Alicent had never called them. Despite her rank, it had been like it was never her place to do so. She must've found out.

Rhaenyra wordlessly took Alaenna's hand, guiding her toward the door.

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They had gathered in the Godswood. A place reminiscent of their relationship with each other. It, in some way, was weirdly ironic that the Godswood happened to be Rhaenyra's favorite place."What happened last night?" Alicent had asked, sounding rather cross.

"What do you mean?" Alaenna would wait to see where Rhaenyra went with this. Despite the wrongdoings of last night, her sister was her priority over everything, whether the truth or Alaenna's own feelings.

"My father has made some worrying allegations about you. Were you with your uncle?"

"Oh, I..." Rhaenyra lightly chuckled, "I haven't seen him in years. He took me into the city for some fun."

They would be playing ignorant. Alicent wasn't the one, to tell the truth to. Especially not when she seemed so willing to judge them.

"Tell me the whole of it, Rhaenyra. I know Alaenna was with you as well."

"Your father accused us of something. That we drank wine? Left the castle after dark?"

"That you fucked Daemon in a pleasure house."

Rhaenyra placed a mock hurt on her face as she listened to a partial truth.

"This is a vile accusation." Alaenna couldn't stand to listen to judgment from Alicent of all people.

"Is it? You Targaryens do have queer customs. And Daemon certainly knows no limit."

"And what of you, Alaenna? What do you have to say for yourself,"

"You cannot believe such gossip. We may have indulged beyond our bounds, but I am truthful when I say nothing happened." Rhaenyra hadn't believed Alaenna to be a convincing liar. Though to some degree, it was just a bent truth.

"Alicent... Your Grace, sister, you must know I would, I would never."

"My father is no gossip."

"Well, certainly, he's been misled. He could not have witnessed such a thing."

"Why not?"

"Because it did not happen."

"He was told that you... "Alicent trailed off. Alaenna, in part, had grown in suspicion of the Hand. Why spy on the princesses at all? Should he not want to see their ruin?

"Told? Who made these claims to your father?" Rhaenyra could only scoff. Her longtime childhood friend had accused her of something so damning over a secondhand account.

"I am the princess. To... To question my virtue is an act of treason. "

"I do not know specifically..."

"What, your father did not tell you?"

"He reported it to the king. I overheard."

"Alicent, you call us to accuse two people you've known since childhood. My sister followed our uncle in confidence. For your father to lie and say Rhaenyra is capable of such things shows a great deal."

"I only want to help you," Alicent seemed out of her depths. She hadn't expected them to be adamant about proving her father wrong.

Rhaenyra let out a reluctant sigh before explaining her side of the story.

"He took me to a show. I... I was only a spectator. I didn't do anything. And then Daemon sank into his cups and abandoned me for some whore. I should've known better."

"So you did not?" It almost seemed like Alicent was trying to find them guilty.

"Must I truly refute that? Daemon never touched me. Okay, I swear this to you upon the memory of my mother."

Alaenna had given her sister a sideways glance. It was one thing to lie, another to sully their great-mother's name.

"It was foolish of you to place yourself in a position where your virtue could even come into question. The king has strived to find you a good match. And so have I. If that lord were to think that you had been... sullied... it would ruin everything."

Alicent still had her high and mighty air. In all ways, one Alicent felt more and more like a hypocrite to the world; she said she didn't belong.

"I know... Your Grace. I regret it." Rhaenyra grabbed Alicent's hands, bowing her head in a dutiful, borderline pitiful manner.

Rhaenyra took quick action to excuse herself from Alicent's presence in a pseudo sadness, leaving Alaenna with Alicent.

"You've always been such a harsh judge of her Alicent. Have you never wished for some freedom beyond what are duty commands of us?" Alaenna genuinely questioned, looking up at Alicent.

Alicent seemed to have no words for her, only a scrutinizing look towards her stepdaughter.

"You know I thought to myself, 'I shouldn't disappoint her,' and about what she needs from me as a sister when I left with her. You've been her sister as well for as long as she's known you, but it feels you've never even considered her such."

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While Alicent interrogated the Targaryen girls, Daemon was also on the chopping block.

He had been found at the hands of the Kingsguard, who hadn't cared to stand him up as they dragged him through the keep into the throne room.

Viserys practically stomped into the room. Fury pouring of off him as he looked at Daemon, who hadn't even bothered to pick himself off the floor.

"My daughters."

Daemon groaned, still reeling from the hangover he'd procured.

"Won't you even deny it?" Viserys delivered a swift kick toward his brother's side leaving Daemon greatly winded.

"I need to understand the charge before I can attempt to discredit it."

"You defiled them," Daemon groaned in annoyance at his brother's words.

"Still, you say nothing."

"Oh, what does it matter, brother? When we were Alaenna's age, we fucked our way through most of the brothels on the Street of Silk."

"We were young men. They're just girls." Viserys began shouting in Daemon's face. "Your nieces!"

"They're women-grown. Better their first experience be with me than some whore."

"You fucking... You have ruined them! What lord will wed them now? In this condition?" Viserys picked his brother up by his shirt, practically waiting for Daemon to give him a reason to beat him further.

"Who gives a fuck what some lord thinks? You are the dragon. Your word is truth and law."

Realistically Daemon hadn't been wrong. No one had been sober enough to have cared to see them. Otto Hightower would never risk releasing such information should he want to remain the hand.

"I have spent a lifetime defending you. But your heart is even blacker than I thought. I should disinherit them as I already did you and be done with it."

"Wed them to me. When I offered up my crown, you said I could have anything. I want Rhaenyra and Alaenna. I'll take them as they are and wed them in the tradition of our house."

Viserys had begun laughing in disbelief. His brother had to be mad to sully both his daughters. "You are already wed."

"That didn't stop Aegon the Conqueror from taking a second wife."

"You are no conqueror. You are a plague... sent to destroy me. A greed feasting on all I have. It was never enough for you."

"Give me them to take to wife, and we will return the House of the Dragon to its proper glory. Like Aegon, Rhaenys and Visenya."

"Of course. It's not my daughters you lust for. It's my throne." Viserys had unsheathed his knife, holding it dangerously close to Daemon's throat.

"Go back to the Vale, Daemon, to your lawful wife. Strive to restore whatever scrap of honor remains in you. Or don't. It matters not to me. As long as you are gone from my sight for good." Viserys sheathed his knife dropping Daemon back down onto the cold floor before walking out of the room.

Daemon was left on the floor, staring at the ceiling. "As you wish, brother."