chapter two the lovers
episode one the heirs of the dragon

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THE WALK TO QUEEN AEMMA'S chambers isn't a long one but with rhaenyra and alicent constantly chatting about him rhaemon feels like it goes on forever. the two girls cling to his arms, he doesn't mind all that much though he wishes he was included in their conversations but he continues to walk alongside them quietly.

when they approach queen aemma's chambers rhaenyra steps foot in it first, rhaemon then mentions for alicent to follow her and he goes last. "ah! rhaenyra!" queen aemma called out to her daughter, a soft smile on her face. "you know i don't like you to go flying while i'm in this condition."

rhaenyra sends her mother a look. "you don't like me to go flying in any condition." she says standing still, looking as her mother sits up straighter. "your grace." alicent greets, a pretty smile on her face. "good morrow alicent." aemma greets her in return. "aunt." rhaemon smiles. "ah rhaemon. hello dear." his aunt smiles back at him, even in such an uncomfortable position queen aemma is nothing but grace.

"did you sleep?" rhaenyra asks as she steps closer to her mother. "i slept." aemma replies. "how long?" rhaenyra asks as she goes to sit by her mother. "i don't need mothering rhaenyra." rhaemon hears aemma speak as he stands next to alicent, letting the mother and daughter alone for a little. "well, here you are, surrounded by attendants, all focused on the babe. someone has to attend you." rhaenyra reasons, rhaemon agrees with her. his mothers whole pregnancy the maids of the darkhold had been focused on a healthy babe while his father tended to his wife.

"you." aemma starts, softly pushing her foot against rhaenyra's knee. "will lie in this bed soon enough. this discomfort is how we serve the realm." rhaemon sees rhaenyra shake her head, a small smirk stretches on his lips. "i'd rather serve as a knight and ride to battle and glory." his cousin says.

the queen laughs, alicent smiles at her. but rhaemon doesn't understand what's funny here, rhaenyra is the princess not to mention the first born child of the king she should be able to do whatever she wishes. "we have royal wombs, you and i." the queen pauses. "the childbed is our battlefield." rhaenyra looks away, displeased. "we must learn to face it with a stiff lip." the queen finishes.

"speaking of childbirth. rhaemon, how is my good sister?" aemma now focuses her attention to rhaemon, who gives alicent a soft squeeze to her shoulder before he moves closer. "my mother has given birth, hours before i arrived here my queen." rhaemon answers, a happy smile on his face as he thinks of his little sister, of how he will teach her how to ride dragon back, how he will protect her.

"and what is the babe?" aemma asks and before rhaemon can answer himself rhaenyra beats him to it. "it's a girl, rhaemon would not tell me her name until father knows." rhaemon frowns at the interruption but still he lets his cousin do anything she wants, she is his favourite after all. "i suppose i could tell you now, but promise you won't tell him before i can." the last part is specifically targeted to rhaenyra who gives him a cheeky smile. "promise."

"her name is visaera."

"a fitting name for a daughter of vhaera." aemma smiles, rhaemon nods his own smile taking up half his face. "now go and take a bath you two. you stink of dragon." the two cousins let out a chuckle, nodding at aemma. rhaenyra takes rhaemon's arm once again and alicent takes his other as well.

the three step out of queen aemma's chambers. rhaenyra steps away first to go to her father and carry his cups, she squeezes her friends arm in goodbye and nods to her cousin before she leaves, disappearing in the seemingly endless hallways. then it's only rhaemon and alicent walking alongside each other. rhaemon glances at alicent right as she glances at him, her cheeks turn pink and immediately looks ahead once again. rhaemon smiles at her, looking around the corridor to see if anyone else was there, when he is sure no one will see them he takes alicent's hand in his interlocking their fingers.

"what are you doing." alicent hisses, eyes darting around the corridor scared that someone might catch them. "worry not, no one will see us darling. you look really pretty today." rhaemon sends alicent a charming smile and she can't help but smile back at him. "i've missed you." he continues, bringing their interlocked hands up to his face so he can press a kiss onto the back of her hand. "i've missed you as well." alicent whispers, a flustered look on her face.

rhaemon once again looks around the corridor, they're all alone so he gently pushes alicent back into the wall. the fire of the torch next to them illuminating her pretty face. rhaemon releases his hold on her hand to place his hand on her cheek, she immediately leans into his touch. "how much have you missed me?" rhaemon asks, a teasing smile on his face as he traps alicent between his body and the wall.

"a lot. you know that." alicent places her hands onto rhaemon's chest, eyes immediately drawn to the necklace that he wears. "you still wear it." she mumbles as her fingers play with the charm, she had made and given it to him the last time he had visited. "of course i do, you made it for me." rhaemon shrugs, his thumb caressing her cheek as he looks down at her. alicent glances at him, their eyes meet. a moment goes by and before either knows it their lips are on each other. it's just a small kiss, an innocent peck, but it leaves the both of them breathless either way.

"i fear you should go meet the king, rhaemon." alicent speaks up, her voice small as she tries to look anywhere but him. rhaemon nods, his head spinning too much from the kiss to even think of something witty to say. "i fear you might be right." he starts, he takes a deep breath before placing a soft kiss onto alicent's forehead. "we shall meet again later." he takes a step back, giving alicent one last smile before he, like rhaenyra, disappears into the many turns of the hallways leaving alicent alone with her rapidly beating heart.

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AFTER LEAVING ALICENT ALONE rhaemon wanders around the castle, he hasn't been here for many moons so walking through it alone has proven to be a pain. thankfully for him he spots lord lyonel strong, the master of laws. the small council must have finished their session.

rhaemon bows his head towards the lords and maester as he passes them although he is stopped with a firm hand to his chest by kingsguard, a new one he presumes. rhaemon gives the guard a look, a chance to get his hand off him really. the guard simply stands there. rhaemon sighs. "uncle." he calls out, viserys looking up from his meal. "rhaemon!" he calls out, a smile on his face to see his dear nephew. "let him through, why have you come dear boy?"

rhaemon pushes past the kingsguard, his shoulder hitting the guards armed one. "i have come with news uncle." rhaemon sits down on the hand's seat, placing the chair so he can actually look viserys in the eye. "well tell me then, i am all ears."

"my mother has given birth, to a girl, her name is visaera." rhaemon starts, pausing to see his uncle's reaction to the name as his little sister is partially named after him. "i thought it might please you to hear, to not have to worry about both your lady wife and your sister." he reasons, he knows it's just an excuse to come here but viserys does not need to know this.

"thank you for this great news rhaemon. tell me, will you be here for the tournament?" viserys continues peeling his egg but keeps his eyes on rhaemon. "if you wish me to, however my father wishes me home soon we will have a visitor."

"oh? who, might i ask?"

"erock greyjoy. he has asked for my sister's hand, so he will visit us, the place where he will live and die if they marry." viserys seems shocked, rhaemon doesn't blame him. he too was shocked to hear of erocks proposal as was his whole family.

"a greyjoy you say, how fascinating." viserys hums, taking a bite out of his egg. "we will not keep you for long then, you may go, get into trouble like normally with rhaenyra." rhaemon chuckles, standing up from his seat. "you know i'm too well behaved to get into trouble uncle."

"i could take your head for lying nephew."

rhaemon lets out a full belly laugh as he walks out of the room but he is stopped when he hears viserys speak once again. "rhaemon." viserys pauses. "it's nice seeing you." rhaemon gives his uncle a smile. "it's nice seeing you as well." with that rhaemon leaves the king alone in the room.

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AFTER LEAVING THE KING TO his meal rhaemon was quickly found again by his cousin, who pulled him to the godswood where alicent sat waiting on a blanket. the moment rhaemon and alicent's eyes meet he is transported back to the kiss, even with it lasting but a second it burns in his memory as if it lasted years. she gives him a smile, although it probably is for the cousins both, and pats the part of the blanket next to her.

rhaemon sits down and rhaenyra takes the chance let lay her head on alicent's leg and lay comfortably on the blanket. it isn't long before rhaemon, like his cousin, lays down on the grass only he doesn't place is head on alicent lap. even though he so desperately wants to. the low sound of the rustling of the leaves causes the lord's eyes to slowly close, mostly ignoring the two girl's conversation to rest his eye. after all he hasn't slept in at least a day with the stress of his mother giving birth and then immediately setting sights on kingslanding, even a dragon would feel fatigued.

rhaemon tunes out the two girl's voices as he slowly falls to sleep, it isn't until he hears alicent mutter his name that he is once again in the living realm. "what?" he questions as he starts to sit up once again, not having heard the entire thing. "nothing." alicent replies way too quickly for his liking, knowing alicent won't actually tell him rhaemon looks over at rhaenyra, arching a brow in question. "alicent and i were just talking about how her father offered you as heir again." at the mention of being heir rhaemon immediately starts groaning, falling back down on the grass. "there he goes." alicent mumbles, shutting her book and standing up not to late after.

"i've told your father and the king that i'd rather take the black than be heir a million times. i don't want to be king."

"that's what makes most good kings rhaemon." rhaenyra says, plucking at some grass and throwing it at her cousin. rhaemon frowns, throwing the grass back. "no that makes a lazy arse on a throne with a good hand." he retorts, standing up as well and placing his hands on alicent's arms. she looks conflicted and won't even look him in the eyes when he searches for them. "alicent." rhaemon says, voice soft and loving. the voice he uses when they're alone. she finally meets his eyes. "i just think you'd be a just king, a kind and loving one to the smallfolk, you'd lead us into victory if we were to be at war. i don't know why you're so opposed to it." alicent says, he knows she means it. ever since they were little she had trouble lying to him.

"i think you see only the best of me." rhaemon says, a small smile on his face and for just a second he forgets that rhaenyra is still with them as he leans close to her to press a kiss to alicent's forehead. he catches rhaenyra's eye however, whose looking at the two of them with a teasing smile so he settles for softly squeezing alicent's arm. "and for why, rhaenyra is his eldest child and it's possible that queen aemma will give birth to a son. i wouldn't want to take away their chance of being queen or king." he mentions over to rhaenyra who watches the two without speaking, she's way too entertained by this to rhaemon's liking.

"besides i don't have the targaryen name, i am a smyte. i'd have to marry into the targaryen name and no matter how much i love rhaenyra i would not marry her even if my life was at stake. not to mention that i am a northman. i don't think the people of kingslanding would like me to be king." with that the conversation ends, everyone relaxes once again and sits back in the grass. rhaenyra happily laying on alicent's lap with rhaemon wrapping an arm around alicent's waist. they stay there for a while just enjoying each other's company.

"would marrying me really be so awful cousin."

"hush rhaenyra, i'm sleeping."

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authors note.
the reason alicent is so adamant on rhaemon becoming heir is because otto said if he were the heir he'd let her be betrothed to him <3 obviously she didn't think that through <3 and if you ask if i had to put that little mcu humour part at the end yes i did i was legally obligated to