CELTIGAR - House of The Dragon

Queen Alicent

Bidding goodbye to Prince Daeron was no easy task, as Lady Rhea had grown fond of the boy and cared for his as if he had been her true younger brother. As they all watched his carriage disappear into the distance, Aegon turned to his brother, playfully wrapping his arm over his brother's shoulder, making him walk back into the Red Keep together.

Lady Rhea swallowed hard, trying to maintain a confident smile on her face while Princess Helaena slid her arm against hers joyfully, holding her son in her other free hand. The princess was dressed in bright green, and it suited her complexion nicely. Lady Rhea had tried her best not to acknowledge the Queen's gaze fixed on her. The King was also here, but was struggling to even stay up, his breaths growing more and more rugged as each second passed. All of them walked in silence, staying grouped together as a small group of people gathered around the gates to catch a glimpse of them. It wasn't very often that the small folk could see the whole of the Royal family together in such a private gathering. Lady Rhea couldn't hear what Prince Aegon and his brother were saying, but she was certain the latter was annoyed at his older brother, given the deadly look he had in his eye and how he was trying to wriggle his way out of his brother's grasp. Her and Helaena were chatting about the new dresses the prince was having made for them and her daughter as the three of them often liked to match clothing when participating in events organized by the Crown. The next event they would all attend was going to be yet another tourney, followed by an enormous banquet in the Reach, followed by a Tyrell and Gardener wedding, a splendid affair which was sure to be an enjoyable time for all of them. Little princess Jaehaera was not walking confidently yet, neither was her twin brother but the boy tried his hand at wobbling about for a bit, before signalling to the Queen he wanted to be held on the way back to the Keep. Their whole dynamic felt odd, now that Daeron was away, Lady Rhea made a mental note to write to him as often as she could, so he would not feel isolated from his family.

As the Targaryens reached the inside of the castle, all of them went their separate ways, the two princes still talking with each other while heading towards the training field outside. Aegon still had his arm wrapped around his brother and grinned at him. The younger one turned towards his lady Rhea and, almost indistinguishably gave her a nod and a smile which she returned.

"My child, would you come with me for a second," Lady Rhea heard the Queen's voice raise behind her, sending a shiver coursing through her body.

The Queen held out a hand towards the young woman and looked straight at her, her chin raised and green eyes locked in the girl's. Rhea gave her a quick nod and followed her to her quarters silently, a burning sensation in her stomach. She felt she might be sick if the Queen did not speak soon, the anticipation of a row much too strong for her taste. While the Queen had always been nice towards her, she could not say the same for how she had seen her treat the King's heir. The Queen had always had snide comments about Princess Rhaenyra and the supposed bastardness of her three eldest sons, Jace, Luke and Joffrey. While they did not have the traditional Targaryen hair, they had their grandmother's, Princess Rhaenys, as her own mother was a dark-haired Baratheon woman, Jocelyn. Queen Alicent believed the boys' true father to be the Princess's former sworn protector, Ser Harwin Strong, but she could not prove it and could not make the King see it, either, which angered her and made her resent her former friend even more. Still, to Lady Rhea, they were family. They were Targaryens, nevertheless, whether they looked like it or no, because they had come from the King's heir's womb and no doubt could be had on that account. Resentment was strong between the Queen and the Princess, and time and distance only made it worse.

Lady Rhea could already see her being cast away from the Red Keep and made to live on Dragonstone, if the Queen felt clement. Or she could also see herself being banned from ever returning to the Red Keep and forever shut away from everything, and everyone, she had always known and loved.