The Dove and The Lady | House of The Dragon

Chapter Seventeen | Well played

Sitting in his chambers late at night, Otto was pouring melted wax onto a rolled parchment, pressing down the stamp to seal it with a Hightower embellishment.

Placing the wax holder back down on top of the lit candle as he brought the parchment up toward his mouth to blow on it.

The doors to his chambers opened making his glance up to see his daughter Alicent, The Queen....well Queen Mother now.

"We'll played", he grumbled, talking about how she got Aegon before him.

"None of this is a game", she told him, the only light in the room being the lit candle and the fire place.

"And yet you treat it as one", he seemed sour over his loss. "A charming contest, the prize, a pouch of silver."

He now stood up, his body language not presenting to be happy as he slowly walked to be in front of her, spitting out the words at her.

As he watched her he realized she wasn't going to answer his mocking tone so he spoke directly at her with a sigh.

"We have relied on one another these many years and now it is the good of the family we both desire", he now stood right in front of her, looking down at her as he always has.

"Whatever our differences our hearts remain as one", it was silent as he watched Alicent maul over his words.

"Our hearts were never one", she spoke up, looking directly into his eyes as she nodded to herself in confirmation of her thoughts. "I see that now."

"Rather, i've been a piece that you've moved about the board", she breathed out.

"If that is true, then i made you Queen of the Seven Kingdoms", Otto tried using his words to sway her opinion of him, seeing as she listened to his words he continued on.

"Would you have desired it otherwise?"

"How could I know?", she scoffed, almost laughing at his words. "I wanted whatever you impressed upon me to want."

She was finally starting to see things more clearly for herself now.

"And now the debt comes due. A debt you were happy enough to pay", Alicent says in disbelief at him.

"A sacrifice", he disagrees. "A sacrifice made for the stability of the realm."

He had turned away from Alicent and toward the fire, only turning to look at her as he spoke.

"No King has ever lived that's hasn't had to forfeit the lives of a few to protect the many", he tried to persuade her. "Though i understand your squeamishness."

That was the last straw to break Alicents calmness, like rubbing salt in a wound.

"Reluctance to murder is not a weakness!", she yelled at him.

It being so late at night that it echoed from their being no sound from anywhere else.

Otto just stared at her as she spoke, not saying anything as he knew she was not going to listen to him on this subject.

The subject of Rhaenyra.

"I have Aegon", she pointed at herself. "We'll proceed now as i see fit."

She breathed deeply and shakily as she went to walk out of the room before turning back to him.

"We will send terms to Rhaenyra on Dragonstone", she eyed her father to make sure he heard her, to know not to disobey her.

"True terms, such that she may except without shame-"

"If she lives, her allies will mass behind her banners, looking for her return", Otto cut her off.

"Then she must not return", Alicent reasoned with him slightly, still refusing to murder the whole of Team Black.

"My husband would have desired this mercy to be shown to his daughter!"

"Your husband?", he mocked. "Or you? His daughters childhood companion?"

The air was so thick after he spoke them words that you could slice it with a sword, they both knew the answer to that without having to say it.

"Criston Cole will be named Lord Commander of the Kingsguard", she told this to him with a tone and sense of he had no say in the matter.

And Alicent was making it pretty clear that Otto had no hand in this pie.

"My son will be anointed tomorrow at dawn. The whole of Kings Landing must witness his ascent. He will assume authority. There will be no more dithering."

Both father and daughter stared each other down.

"My son will take the crown of his namesake, the Conqueror, and carry Blackfyre, his sword. Let the people remember the ancient strength of House Targaryen."

Once Alicent finished her plan to him, Otto just stood looking at her.

"You look so much like your mother in certain lights", was all he could say.

This didn't seem to warm Alicents heart like he may have though it would.

As she just turned with a roll of her eyes and a scoff at his petty compliments before exiting the room.

Having a lot the prepare for tomorrow.