Slowly burning away my sanity

Alicent who value propriety and faith, but who'd be willing to chat, manipulate, kill and maim for her children, faith and values be damned, those are her children.

Vs

Ormund who value family and blood, but who'd manipulate and turn Daeron against his family for the faith, to keep him more Hightower.

They could have been such amazing foils to each other, moreso because of being on the same side.

However, consider. Fake! Daeron as Daeron's whipping boy.

Ormund certainly has anger issues he can't control and while Daeron flinches away from it, Ormund doesn't strike him. Because even as his cousin, striking a prince you are fostering could have some bad implications.

So, what would he do, to assure Daeron, a Targaryen with a dragon hatching behaves?

He pick a boy his age from a merchant family and makes him his companion. The boy is permitted to study with him, to play with him when he is free. He gets treated to a much nicer life than he otherwise would.

Unless Daeron disobeys. Then he has to watch his friend take the whipping for him. You can strike him as much as you'd like, after all. He is nobody.

So Daeron tries to be good. He locks the Targaryen part of himself away the best he can even if it hurts. His dragon is shackled. He does well im his lessons and he listens to his cousin.

But even all that cannot save his companion in the end. Because who better to send as your replacement to the Queen that is meant to kill you than your oldest friend? You are the same age. He knows your ticks, your habits. Surely he can play the part.

Your cousin bleaches his hair and dyes yours. He dresses your companion in finery one last time, even as you beg him to spare him.

Daemon lies to protect Rhaena, Corlys leaves to give his sons a chance to rise up, Alicent will undoubtedly help conceal Helaena's pregnancy and try to run away with her.

What is a queen to a parent?

And even as she rages, even as she swears vengeance, I wonder if she will realize the truth of her own father doing the same for her for all those years.

Had Viserys not helped her conceal losing her virginity before marriage? Conceal her affair to Harwin strong? Kept his unrelenting wish to keep her as heir despite his court's dissatisfaction over it?