The Hightowerβs Shadow.
3 nights had gone by, and whilst Lynesseβs stay was becoming permanent, Alicent felt her life becoming uneasy.
βI told you, we can notβ she whispers to Cole, who stood outside her chamber door.
βWe can not do what?β He whispered back, βI am just stood here. Nothing more.β
βYou know what I speak ofβ Alicent responded, βwith Lynesse around, and my husbandβs will to have her by his side-!β
βDo you truly care?β Cole asks, βLynesse is a young woman, it is your word, over hers. You are a Queen, a good one at that. She can not speak against you.β
βWhat makes you so sure?β Alicent asks.
βI will not allow her toβ Cole took Alicentβs hand in his, staring into the depths of her heart.
βWhat will you do? Kill her?β Alicent hand kept his hand held, almost wishing to place a kiss against it, his scent soft and calming.
βI am sworn to protect youβ His answer had implied the lengths Cole was willing to go to.
With a scoff, Alicent pulled her hand away, βshe is my sister, Cole. I will not have you touch her.β
βDo not touch herβ Alicent warns him.
βAfter everything she does, and how she treats you? You wish for her safety when she is costing yours?β Cole found himself baffled.
βShe is my sister. She is young, and lost. I will not have her killed because of mistakes she makes and certainly not by youβ Alicent responds, βif you touch her Cole, I shall kill you myself.β
As the morning had come, the council room was once again occupied, yet they had begun without the King.
βShould you not wait?β Lynesse asks her father, who seemed to be leading the council table, βfor his Grace?β
βThe King is unwellβ Otto responds, βthis discussion will continue without him.β
βAnd he has left you to lead the council, has he?β Lynesse asks.
βLynesseβ Alicent calls out to her, βit is fine. I have asked that our father leads todayβs council.β
βYour job is to pour the Lordβs cups of wine and nothing moreβ Otto spat out, βdo not interfere.β
βVery wellβ Lynesse nods, saying no more.
Which Alicent found confusing. She knew her sister well enough to know, she would not simply accept her fatherβs words.
And yet now, she had silently gone back to pouring cups of wine.
βSer Vaemond wishes to discuss the succession of House Velaryonβ Otto explains.
βLord Corlys had already named his successor. His grandson, Lucerys Velaryonβ Lord Tyland responded, looking around in confusion, βor perhaps I have missed something.β
βAs we know, Lord Corlys is unwell. He can not speak for himself, given his circumstances and so, his brother will speak on behalf of himβ Otto explains.
βPrincess Rhaenys is Lord Corlysβ wife, is she not, sister?β Lynesse asks.
βYes, she isβ Alicent held her father back from his anger, as she answered to her sister, βwhy do you ask?β
βThen it should be her that answers on Lord Corlysβ behalf. Not Ser Vaemond. He has no authority to discuss who Driftmark shall pass toβ Lynesse responds, before glancing at her father, βor perhaps it is a problem because she is a woman?β
βThis is not your discussion to makeβ Otto responded, βyou have no experiences in knowing how this works.β
βNo, of course notβ Lynesse chuckled, βbut if you go ahead with this then I must at least warn my sister, that the King will not approve of this. And neither would Lord Corlys.β
The table has become silent, glances shared around as they all knew she had spoken the truth.
Lynesse had filled up the last cup, looking up to Lord Tyland who seemed impressed by her knowledge, given his playful smile.
βEnjoyβ Lynesse whispered back, before turning away.
Alicentβs eyes follow as she watches her sister place the jug of wine to the table, and turns to the door.
βWhere are you off to?β Alicent asks.
βI have done what needs to be done. I have nothing else here. Besides, I had promised the Prince his time this afternoonβ Lynesse responds.
βFor what, exactly?β Alicent asks.
βI guess we shall find outβ Lynesse shrugged, turning to the door and making her way out.
Alicent turned her head to Cole, who silently turned away, and headed out, after her.
Lynesse knew that someone would be sent after her. After all, they all knew of her duties requested by the King himself, and now she was present in a council meeting held without him.
With perfect knowledge of it all, it made much sense to have her heading to the Kings chamber.
But Lynesse was no fool, to have herself found out.
Instead, she had headed to find her nephew, whilst Ser Cole was heading to the Kings chamber.
It was a while after, that Ser Cole had made his way to the grounds, in order for yet another lesson, amongst the younger men.
βSorry Iβm lateβ Cole announced.
βI had started us offβ Aemond responds, βit seems you were occupied elsewhere.β
βYour mother had me on dutyβ Cole responded, his eyes searching around, βwhere is your brother?β
βAegon is with my aunt. He asked for her time this afternoonβ Aemondβs sword pointed ahead.
As Coleβs eyes followed in this direction, it had led to Aegon and Lynesse sat beside one another, under the oak tree.
His eyes filled with spite towards the young woman, as she sat with a melodious smile, her laughter echoing beside the gusting wind.
βI can not believe my mother is making me marry herβ Aegon scoffed, βi mean.. she is my sister!β
βI do not agree with it either Aegonβ Lynesse sighed, βbut i can not help you. I do not have a say in this. But what i do have a say in, is how you treat her.β
βShe is an idiotβ Aegon took his cup to his lips.
But his beverage was regarded, as Lynesse had snatched it out his hand.
βThe first rule is to have yourself soberβ Lynesse responds, βthe second rule, is to be kind to her. Helena is not stupid. She is.. different. But that does not mean you call her names.β
βShe is hardly my type i mean-?β Aegon ended his sentence with a flinch, after Lynesse had gave him a light slap against his arm.
βWhat was my second rule?β Lynesse asks him.
βTo be niceβ Aegon rolled his eyes with a sigh.
βGood. Now-?β Before Lynesse could move on to speak about Aegonβs drinking problems, other problems seemed to occur, as Ser Cole had approached them.
βMind your hands when you sit beside the Prince, young ladyβ Cole spoke out, after witnessing her light slap against Aegonβs arm.
βIβm sorry?β Lynesse stood up, facing him as she questioned his motive.
βSer Cole, everything is fine here. She is my auntβ Aegon responded, as he tried his best to wiggle his way in between them.
βYou are a Prince, she has no right to touch you that wayβ Ser Cole responds.
βAnd you are a guard? Questioning me?β Lynesse asks.
βI am sworn to protect these boys, as i am the Queen. It is my duty-!β
βYour duty, Ser Criston Cole, is to sit back and teach the young men how to use their swords. It is not your duty to interfere with a conversation between me and my nephewβ Lynesse took a step closer.
She held her head high, her eyes displaying her anger.
The two glare at one another, Cole falling silent as Aegon did not instruct him to take any action for what Lynesse had done.
Whilst Aegon knew his Auntβs behaviour, he knew very well, that she would not be put down without a fight.
βHow about we all just stay calm?β Aegon pushed Lynesse away from Ser Cole.
βDo not question my Aunt again, Ser Cole. I appreciate you wishing to look out for me. However, she is my aunt. And i have no problem with what she has doneβ Aegon then turns his head to Cole as he explains himself.
Lynesse had managed to get herself together, before turning back to Aegon with a calming smile, βyou should join your brother.β
βWe can have this conversation another time. Perhaps somewhere a little bit more privateβ Lynesse responds.
Aegon nods understandably, as Lynesseβs shoulder had pushed past Ser Coleβs herself storming back inside.
βYour graceβ the Kingsguard whispered, βMiss Hightower is here, to see you.β
βSend her inβ Viserys responded.
It was a couple of minutes wait, until Lynesse was allowed in, her eyes terrified at the sight of Viserys, his health clearly worsening by the day.
βYour graceβ Lynesse gave a courtesy, before joining him, as she sits beside his bed.
βI hope you have some good news, for me?β Viserys asks, with his croaked voice.
βIn fact, i doβ Lynesse responded, a light smirk on her face.
As she made her way out, Lynesse turned to find Alicent walking in her direction.
And whilst she remained calm, it seemed Alicent had been losing her mind. Completely.
βWhat are you doing here?β Alicent asks.
βDo you not remember? I was asked to search for possible reasons rumours are spreading towards the Velaryon brothersβ Lynesse responds.
βLynesse, what did you do?β Alicent whispered out of fear.
βPerhaps you should go in and find out for yourselfβ Lynesse shrugged.
βSo that is it? Due to petty rivalry, you have me and our father hanged? Is that what you truly wish?β Alicent asks.
βAnd why would it come to that?β Lynesse asks.
βYou know exactly whyβ Alicent responded.
βIβm not quite sure i doβ Lynesse responds, βenlighten me.β
βLynesse you have heard everything. You know it was me, who had approved of those rumoursβ Alicent looked at her pleadingly.
βI did not. But it nice to see you so self aware!β Lynesse responded with sarcasm, and a sarcastic smile just after.
βWhat do you mean?β Alicent gulped, as her face became pale.
βAs i had said, go in and find out for yourselfβ Lynesse responds, βnow if you will excuse me, his Grace has been generous enough to offer me a reward.β
She held a raven in her hand with a smirk, before turning away from her sister.
Rushing out, Lynesse searches the crown before finding what she was looking for.
A carriage, that was still yet to go ahead.
Without warning, she had helped herself to open the carriage doors, finding Lord Tyland sat, turning to look at her confused.
βMiss Hightower?β Lord Tyland questions her.
βIt seems i have found my rewardβ she gives him a playful smile, before handing over the raven in his hand.
Lord Tyland unraveled the raven in his hand, reading through, before looking up to Lynesse, who had closed the door behind her.
Moments after, Lynesse had left the carriage, her hair in a slight mess, yet she managed to have herself look presentable, before turning around to face Lord Tyland, who was sat, baffled, in red cheeks, with his buttons undone, and his hair out of place.
βI should hope to see you at the next council meetingβ Lynesse calls out.
Lord Tyland could only nod, before turning his head, Lynesse closing the door behind him.
Turning around, she began to smile to herself, the adrenaline feeling within her, satisfied.
Looking up, she found both her father, as sister, stood staring directly at her.
But she knew they could not tell her otherwise, and with a wipe against her bottom lip, Lynesse had left her sister with a wink.
βPerhaps it was a bad idea to bring her hereβ Otto whispered.
βWe can not send her backβ Alicent responds, βViserys will only find it more suspicious.β
βWhat will we do with her?β Cole asks, βshe is clearly out of control.β
βJust leave it to meβ Alicent responds, βLynesse is young. And she is not to blame.β
Otto turns his head to find Alicent giving him a side eye.
βSo it is my fault?β Otto asks.
βYou have no exactly been easy with her, father. It is no wonder she is looking to ruffle your feathers. But it only depends on how you respond. Lynesse will get bored, eventually. But if you continue to torment her, she will only get worseβ Alicent warns her father as she turns to walk away from the two men who stood awkwardly in silent.
The day had come to its evening, as everyone was sat for dinner.
As the family were enjoying each otherβs company, it had fallen silent by Viserysβ entrance, as he was escorted to his seat.
βAre you sure you are well to be sitting here?β Alicent asks, her eyes in worry as she pulls herself closer to him.
βI am.. fineβ Viseryβs nods slowly.
Lynesse, who was made to stand not far from Ser Cole, turns to face him, after hearing his low sigh.
His eyes pointing in Alicentβs direction, and it seemed he was unhappy.
βYouβre not jealous are you?β Lynesse whispered, her head leaning to his side.
βJealous of what?β Cole spat out in response, yet both their voices low.
βMy sister can not sit beside you so openly as she does with his Grace, can she?β Lynesse raised her eyebrows in suspicion.
βI do not know what youβre implyingβ Coleβs eyes shift away from Alicent.
βDo not be so shy about it nowβ Lynesse responds, βyou follow Alicent around everywhere. It seems she has you held by a leash, and yet, she can only respond the way you wish at night. That must kill you.β
βShe is my Queen. There is nothing else to itβ Cole responds.
βYou can lie as much as you wish. Your eyes tell me something else entirelyβ Lynesse responds, βa man who has gone against his vows for a woman who can not speak to him so publicly. Must be a shame.β
Before Cole could respond, Viserys had turned in their direction, having Lynesse straighten her posture.
βLynesse? What are you doing, standing there?β He asks, βtake a seat. Eat.β
βOh that is not necessary your graceβ Lynesse politely rejected, βmy father asked that i eat before hand, so that i can be of assistance to you all.β
βThat is nonsenseβ Viserys responded, looking to his children, βyou are their aunt. You should be sat beside them.β
βThere is a seat beside meβ Aemond offers up the empty seat beside him.
βHe is rightβ Alicent responds, βcome, sister.β
Lynesse accepted with a smile, taking a seat beside Aemond.
Her eyes darted opposite, to her father, who sat with a grimace look on his face.
It had only made her enjoy it even more.
βSo, Helenaβ Lynesse had decided to engage in conversation with her nephews and nieces, βhave you been reading the book i had given you?β
βYes. It has been quite helpfulβ Helena nods, βbut I canβt seem to focus, due to the noise.β
βWhat noise?β Aegon asks.
βThe rats, within our wallsβ Helena responds bluntly.
Aegon turns his head, as he gives Lynesse a stare stating βI-told-you-so.β
Lynesseβs eyes had widened as she glared back at Aegon, reminding him to be polite to his sister.
βWhat book is it?β Alicent asks.
βShe is studying on the Westerosi history of Princess Nymeria, so I had given her the book of Nymeria and her Thousand Shipsβ Lynesse responds, βI thought it may be of use to her.β
βThat is.. thoughtful, of youβ Alicent responds.
βOf courseβ Lynesse responds.
βI would like to thank you again, for completing your duties wellβ Viserys responds, as he looks around at the table, βit seems these rumours were circling amongst the training yard, the lot of boys.β
Cole turned to Lynesse with question, after he had thought of her to have spoken the truth, knowing exactly the way Otto had spoken on Rhaenyraβs children.
But it seemed she did not wish to out her father.
However, in Lynesseβs defence, she did not wish to see her nephewβs in trouble, due to their motherβs open mouth in front of them.
βIf there is anything else to look out for, I will be happy in reporting it back to you, Your Graceβ Lynesse nods.
Viserys gives her a weak smile, not realising the shift of pleasantry beside him, as Otto and Alicent were both sat, on edge and in discomfort, after fearing for their lives.
Through it all, Lynesse could only smile, realising that perhaps, she would enjoy her time here after all.
