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When Alicent found out she was expecting her fourth child, she had one dream.

So that, for once, it would resemble her in beauty, and not the Targaryens.

Throughout her pregnancy, she prayed to the Seven, each and every one of them, for her wish to come true. So when the time came to give birth in 111 years after the Conquest, the only thought that ran through the young queen's mind was for the baby to look like her.

She tiredly rested her head on the pillows, exhausted by the several-hour and overnight labor, and the baby's cry echoed in the room. The midwives and maids present during the queen's delivery immediately took care of the newborn.

"It's a girl, Your Grace."

A dreamy smile appeared on Alicent's tired face. She finally had her long-awaited child. Her little version of herself. She closed her eyes with relief, already seeing in her imagination what she would look like in the future. Will she inherit her character, that twinkle in her eye? Or maybe her passion for the Seven? Will her hair sparkle in the sun as much as her own? She didn't know that yet.

She opened her eyes and looked towards the wandering servants, who were looking with enchantment every now and then at the squirming baby in the arms of one of the midwives, who was trying to wrap her in fabrics.

"What does she look like? Please tell me." Alicent asked, looking forward to it. The midwife smiled at the queen. "She is a true Valyrian beauty, Your Grace. The king will probably be pleased with the birth of another daughter."

Alicent blinked her eyes and took a deep breath. "Valyrian beauty?" she repeated, in disbelief. "Doesn't she look like me?"

The woman stared at the queen in surprise, and the newly born princess let out a loud whimper. "No, Your Grace. The princess looks more like a king than you, my lady." she answered at the queen's question. "Is that a problem?" Alicent shook her head. "No, it's not." she replied, tears welling up in her eyes. Her world shattered into thousands of little pieces in one second. Her only dream, her only request. It disappeared. It's gone. Tears streamed down her rosy cheeks, mixing with sweat.

The midwife smiled slightly, thinking that the queen was getting emotional from the news of the beauty of her next child. The newborn princess let out another loud squeal, dissatisfied with her position. The woman looked tenderly at the child's plump and red face, and then looked at the queen. "It seems that the little princess wants to go into her mother's arms." Alicent didn't answer, staring blankly ahead. Without a word, the midwife approached and gently placed the girl wrapped in cloth, moving away some distance. Seeing the lack of reaction from the queen, the woman spoke up. "Don't you want to take a look at her, my lady?" Without looking up at her, Alicent shook her head. "No" she replied, without emotion. The maids behind the midwife sighed loudly in disbelief. She closed her eyes tightly and another tear rolled down her face. "I don't want to overwork her." she explained calmly, and her argument sounded absurd, to say the least. "The king will probably be here soon anyway. There's no need to upset her."

The midwife exchanged a shocked look with the other women in the chamber. "But my lady, won't you even look at the little one?"

Alicent closed her eyes, trying to hold back another stream of tears. She swallowed the lump in her throat and turned her head towards the squirming bundle. The newborn princess kept making dissatisfied sounds, kicking her arms vigorously. She grabbed the scrap of fabric with a trembling hand, knowing that all she would see was her disappointment. A dream that will pass away when she see her child, disappearing forever. Is this a punishment given to her by the Seven for all the negative feelings and deeds she committed towards her former friend and stepdaughter? A punishment so that all her children would remind her at every step of her unconscious and innocent childhood in the company of her only companion?

A mother should love all her children, no matter who they are. But could she be blamed for fearing that the newborn princess would only be a disappointment in her eyes? Alicent loved all her children. They meant the world to her, and she was willing to do anything for them. Absolutely anything, even if it meant starting a war. So why was she afraid to look at her own child? At her little daughter?

"Because she is your disappointment," a quiet voice whispered. "She's not," the second one replied. Alicent pursed her lips into a thin line, digging her nails into the palm of her hand. "She's not what you thought," the first voice spoke. "Isn't that what you wanted? For her to look like you?" the voice asked again. "This is your daughter. Your blood," the second voice replied. "Does it even matter what she looks like? Isn't it more important what kind of person she will become? What she will be like in the future?"

"Yes, it doesn't matter." Alicent replied to both voices.

The women in the queen's quarters looked at her with surprise.

"It's doesn't matter? What about your dream? What about your begging for a baby that looks like you?" The first voice asked. "It's not important." she mumbled. "Maybe another time..." "It's not important? Another time? Will you repeat this every time you push out another silver-haired baby?" A voice hissed. "How romantic it is, being locked in a castle, squeezing out baby after baby, isn't it? Familiar, don't you think?" "Yes, you are right..."

"Do not listen to him," the second voice replied. "He's wrong. Just look at her, and you will see that he is wrong."

Alicent shook her head from side to side, trying to recover. Once again, she looked at the princess wrapped in blankets, unable to decide.

"Just take a look." The second voice replied.

Alicent tentatively grabbed the end of the fabric, tightening the grip of her hand on it. She took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself down. "Disappointment." Said the first voice.

"Disappointment. Disappointment. Disappointment." she repeated in her mind.

"Disillusionment." The first voice added.

"Disillusionment. Disillusionment. Disillusionment." she echoed.

"Look at her." The second voice replied.

"Don't look, you know what you'll see." The first voice countered.

"Disappointment, disillusionment." replied Alicent.

"Yes, yes." The voice got excited. "Only disappointment and disillusionment."

"Disappointment and disillusionment..." she repeated again. She squeezed her eyes shut, and a lone tear rolled down her cheek. She quickly wiped it away with her hand and looked at the bundle with determination. "Myself, for even thinking about it."

"What? No! This child is nothing but disappointment for you, a disillusionment! Your unfulfilled dream! Not you!" the first voice shouted, each word fading away until it was completely silent by the end.

"You're doing the right thing," the second voice replied. "Now look at her and see for yourself."

Alicent finally bravely brushed the cloth away from the child's face, glancing at her features. Her breath caught in her chest, and her heart skipped a beat. Time seemed to freeze as she stared at the girl's face. Her daughter. No, an angel. A real angel!

The little girl looked up attentively, staring at her with her large purple eyes. Upon seeing her mother's face, the newborn princess smiled widely, and Alicent's heart melted at the sight of her.

Was this her disappointment? Disillusionment? Her unfulfilled dream, her hopes dashed? No, it was a miracle.

All the time she carried her under her heart, she prayed to each of the Seven that they would give her a smaller version of herself. And they gave her something more precious: her own guardian angel, who came down to earth to bring her happiness and protect her from sadness and loneliness.

She lovingly took her daughter into her arms, and the little princess cooed softly, feeling the familiar warmth. The women looked tenderly at the heartwarming scene of the queen with her newborn daughter.

Suddenly, the door opened with a soft creak, admitting three figures into the room. All the women, except the queen and her daughter, bowed low upon seeing the silhouettes of the king and his firstborn daughter. Immediately behind them, the Maester entered the room, having just awakened, and stood in the corner with the others. Alicent looked up from her daughter's face and gazed at her husband. "Viserys," she greeted him. "We have another daughter." The king smiled and glanced at his firstborn daughter. "Did you hear, Rhaenyra? I have another daughter!" Rhaenyra forced a smile and briefly glanced at Alicent. "Yes, I heard. Congratulations, father."

Viserys smiled to himself and glanced at the bundle in his mother's arms. "May I?" Alicent nodded silently and reluctantly handed her daughter back to her father. The king gently took the girl in his arms and looked at her delicate face. "She looks just like you did when you were born," he said, turning towards Rhaenyra.

Alicent's expression hardened. She glanced towards her stepdaughter, who returned her dissatisfied look. The Queen pursed her lips into a straight line and stared at her hands. Viserys, either not noticing or choosing to ignore the silent conflict between the two women, turned to his wife. "What will her name be?"

Alicent thought. She hadn't previously considered a name for her child. All this time, the only thing on her mind was how her daughter would look. It couldn't just be any name. Her daughter was her little miracle, her precious treasure, her angel — a gift bestowed upon her by the Seven. A smile appeared on her face as a thought occurred to her.

Viserys looked at his wife urgently, awaiting her decision. "I want her name to be Maegelle," she replied, "after the sixth child of King Jaehaerys and Queen Alysanne, and the former Septa." The king smiled slightly and gazed at the peaceful face of the little princess, who had fallen asleep. "Maegelle," he repeated. "Maegelle Targaryen. A beautiful name."

"Yes, indeed," thought Alicent.

Her beautiful daughter.

Her real angel, her Maegelle.