Surviving

Chapter 40: The Boy and Girl Who Danced

"Rhaenyra, wait!" Lady Alicent called out with her skirts tightly bunched in her fists and her feet rushing after the silver princess. "Rhaenyra!"

But Rhaenyra wouldn't listen as she stormed out to the Godswood, fingers fidgeting anxiously at her side. The princess had refused to turn around or even acknowledge her the whole way from the small council meeting.

And why would she? Why would the princess turn around to face the girl who betrayed her? To face the girl who blindsided her with a proposal to her father? Her own best friend.

Rhaenyra had anticipated Laena Velaryon as her father's choice of bride, and she could handle that. Laena would never be her mother by any means, but she understood the importance of her father having to remarry. It was only for duty, that is all. She'd gone to the small council meeting to show Lord Corlys her support of the union, but mostly to show her father the support he desperately needed.

So why did another lady's name leave her father's lips? Why did Rhaenyra know the truth before any words were spoken? Why did he look to her best friend before he finished his announcement?

But why did her best friend have more guilt in her eyes than surprise?

"Nyra, wa-!" Alicent pleaded and finally Rhaenyra turned around with glossy, bloodshot eyes.

"My father! My own father! How could you?! Have I not given enough already?!" Rhaenyra shouted, bringing Alicent's feet to a screeching halt as the blue fabric fell from her trembling fingers.

Alicent remained silent as tears ran down her face with her eyes lowering in shame. This wasn't what she wanted. She was just serving her father's orders, that was all. It was her duty, nothing more. She had hoped Lady Laena Velaryon would've been the king's choice, but the moment her name was announced, Alicent felt nothing but a cold, hollowness forming in her heart.

No matter how hard she prayed to be set aside and left alone, the gods would continue to ignore her once more. She was doomed to suffer a woman's fate in this realm after all.

There would be no flying around on dragonback.

There would be no wonders across the Narrow Sea.

There would be no cake.

"You were my sister!" Rhaenyra's voice cracked through her rage. The princess felt the knife plunged into her heart with Alicent twisting the blade. It wasn't fair, it wasn't fair. Rhaenyra had already accepted she wouldn't have a mother nor would she have her brother, but now she had to accept she didn't have a friend?

Alicent's watery eyes flickered up to Rhaenyra cautiously as her fingers picked at each other nervously at her side. "Rhaenyra, I still am! I swear it!"

"Liar! You're nothing but a liar!" Rhaenyra shrieked.

"I did not mean to hurt you, I swear! It was my father's orders!" Alicent tried to step forward, reaching for the princess, but Rhaenyra took a step back with her anger quickly washing away, but only to be replaced with the hurt of her best friend's betrayal.

"Your father?" Rhaenyra felt her chest tightening, slowly suffocating the breath from her as she looked at her childhood best friend. The princess saw the way Alicent's gaze dropped for a split second and suddenly everything started to come into light. "When? When did he send you, Alicent? When did your father send you to my father's bed?!"