Likha Meraki

As you read the new chapter of Subterfuge (39) today and got an idea of the relationship between Daemon and Cole and why Daemon does what he does, I want to talk a bit about what I myself think about them.

Daemon looks at Cole and sees something that used to belong to Rhaenyra. A man who once stood between them, who carried her favor, who represented a kind of respect and position Daemon always felt was stolen from him. And now that same man is on his knees, answering to “pup,” waiting for orders.

There’s a deep, quiet satisfaction in that for Daemon. Every time Cole submits, Daemon is reclaiming something. Not just a skilled knight — but obedience, deference, control. Things he has always believed were rightfully his and were taken from him by his brother, by the court, by Rhaenyra herself.

He can tell himself it’s practical. That he needs a reliable sword. That he’s shaping a useful man. But underneath all of that, there’s pleasure. The pleasure of ownership. Of taking something broken and making it his in a way that cannot be undone.

Cole, for his part, needs exactly what Daemon is offering: a complete surrender of judgment. Someone else to decide what is right and wrong so he doesn’t have to carry that weight anymore. It’s humiliating. It’s also the only thing holding him together.

And then there’s Alicent.

She sees exactly what Daemon is doing, and instead of interfering, she reinforces it. She teaches Cole how to properly respect Daemon’s authority. She elevates Daemon in front of him. Because in this story, Alicent doesn’t gain power by diminishing Daemon — she gains it by making him larger. And Cole becomes part of that structure.

As long as Daemon and Alicent remain in harmony, Cole can give himself completely. One is his mental compass. The other is his emotional one. The moment those two fall out of alignment, Cole is the first one who will break.

That’s the relationship I’m writing.

Not soft. Not pure. Not redeemable in any clean way.

Just ownership, need, and the quiet violence of being remade.

Why black?

Because joy was never invited for me.

If my prince must ride to war while they celebrate...

then I shall attend their celebration dressed like the war they created.

When I was building Alicent's character, I felt like she needed to be someone who was deeply sensitive to the truth. No matter how painful it is, the truth is always more acceptable to her than lies or being kept in the dark.

You can see that even in the bargain she makes with Daemon at the very beginning.

That doesn't necessarily mean she's always truthful herself... and that's the interesting part.

Alicent wants to know the truth because knowledge gives her control, not because she's inherently virtuous. That's why there are moments in the story where she withholds the truth, or even twists it to serve her purpose.

And what I find fascinating about that bargain with Daemon is that it's almost as if she knew, from the very beginning, that one day Rhaenyra would look at him and say,

"I can give you something Alicent never can."

She knew she could never allow Daemon to face the choice of me or the Iron Throne, because Daemon would never abandon his ambition.

So instead...

she placed herself in the path of that ambition.

Because, in her mind, that was the only way she could ever take revenge on a world that had treated her so unfairly.

And Daemon's ambition itself is an interesting journey.

At best, Rhaenyra can walk beside him on that road. She can stand with him through the hardships, ask him to clear the path, and complain when he can't.

But Alicent shows him that she can help design the road.

That they can clear it together.

That they can stand back-to-back when things go wrong, knowing when to defend and when to strike like a united team.

I think that's what gives their relationship its unique value.

It turns Alicent into someone Daemon simply can't afford to cast aside.

Not because I doubted he could change, but because I didn't want him to become a different person.

I wanted his understanding of power to evolve. At first, he believed power came from fear, force, and making people obey. Slowly, he begins to realize that influence, reputation, loyalty, and dependence can be far more powerful than intimidation ever was. He isn't becoming softer—he's becoming more dangerous.

Now, thirty chapters in, I finally feel like that payoff is there. Not just for me, but for the readers too. And seeing people notice that shift without losing the core of who Daemon is has honestly been one of the most satisfying parts of writing this story.

⬇️ Subterfuge - Chapter 30 ⬇️

They don't always agree. They argue. They mock each other. They occasionally bleed.

But when Daemon says ride, they're already saddling their horses.

From right to left: Ser Martyn Rivers, Ser Alester Graceford, Ser Marq Rowan.

One thing I always missed in House of the Dragon was seeing Daemon surrounded by men who were loyal to him, not just to his title.

I've never imagined him as a distant commander. He's the kind who leads from the front, eats with his men, steps into the fight himself, and isn't above exchanging a few sharp remarks with those under his command.

But there's still a line no one would dare cross.

I like to think Daemon respects people who stand their ground. If you're clever enough to answer back, he might even laugh. If you're afraid of him, he'll make sure you stay that way.

So the dynamic I wanted was never friendship—it was absolute respect with the freedom to joke.

That's why I wanted Daemon to have a few men who would follow him, not because they had to... but because they chose to.

What do you think? Is that how you imagine Daemon as a commander too?

Heartbreak is one thing, my ego's another

This is Daemon and Alicent’s wedding-travel outfits for King’s Landing and Laena Velaryon’s wedding, based on Chapter 21 descriptions.

One thing I've been thinking about while writing Daemon lately is that I don't actually think he's just falling in love with Alicent.

I think something much more dangerous is happening.

People often talk about Daemon's "mommy issues" as a joke, but I've always felt there's something deeper underneath them. I don't think what he's been craving his whole life is simply affection. He's been craving safety. Admiration without manipulation. Trust. A place that feels like home.

Everyone in his life has wanted something from him. But Alicent never tries to tame him.

She doesn't ask him to become a different man. She simply creates an environment where he wants to become one.

To me, that's a huge difference.

I also think that Daemon's love isn't only growing because of who Alicent is. It's growing because he likes the man he is when he's with her.

She makes him feel respected instead of merely tolerated. She trusts him with real decisions. she treats him like a partner. And because she is the reason he discovers that version of himself, he starts loving her even more.

That's why I don't think what he's feeling is just love anymore.

It's becoming adoration.

Not because he thinks Alicent is perfect, but because she's slowly becoming his emotional compass.

I think there's a subtle difference between "I love you" and "I love who I am when I'm with you."

The second one is far more powerful....and, if I'm being honest, far more terrifying.

Because if someone becomes the reason you like yourself... losing them doesn't just mean losing the person you love. It means risking losing the version of yourself that you finally learned to love, too.

🎶They shake their heads saying, "God help her"

When I tell them he's my man

But your good Lord doesn't need to lift a finger

I can fix him, no, really I can

And only I can🎶

This meme is basically Chapter 5 of my fic. 😭😂

Alicent never says it out loud.

Daemon is simply the one who pieces it together... and says it for her.😏😏

Viserys does not take it well.

A glimpse from the next chapter.

If you haven’t started yet, the link is below.

Nine chapters have gone ahead, and we've just reached the point where Daemon and Alicent are being built for something greater that awaits them...

We still have a long way to go...

Alicent Hightower — Dornish dress

Subterfuge | Ch. 7: Unbound Hours

A glimpse of the chapter:

Crimson silk against her skin.

Dornish red—looser, lighter, as though even fabric here refused restraint.

A faint rise of color at her throat, betraying more than she intended.

Daemon’s fingers caught a strand of her copper hair.

Not pulling. Not trapping. Just holding.

“You truly have no idea what you look like right now, do you?”

Alicent said nothing.

There was something worse than being seen.

It was being recognized.

“Divine…” his voice lowered. “As though the gods sent you down for my pleasure alone.”

One of the little things that shaped this story from the very beginning was the way I see Alicent.

This is entirely subjective, of course, but I have a habit of assigning characters to elements. It's a silly little psychology game I've been playing for years. Sometimes I use personality systems like MBTI, sometimes archetypes, birth signs, or other frameworks. None of it is scientific—I just find it useful when trying to understand how a character moves through the world.

Interestingly, canon Alicent has always felt like Earth to me.

Grounded. Dutiful. Enduring. Stable. Someone who absorbs pressure rather than redirects it.

But the Alicent in this story isn't Earth.

She's Air.

Not because she's carefree or whimsical, but because Air moves. It adapts. It slips through cracks. It travels where walls cannot. It changes the shape of a fire without ever becoming the fire itself.

That ended up influencing a surprising amount of how I wrote her.

Her decisions.

Her ambitions.

The way she approaches power.

Even the way she interacts with Daemon.

The funny thing is that I didn't sit down and consciously decide to write "Air Alicent." I only realized later that many of the choices I was making kept circling back to the same idea.

This song wasn't written for them, but somehow this part feels painfully Daemon × Alicent-coded in my story.

One small thing about my fancast for Alicent.

I know some people might wonder why I didn't use the actress who played young Alicent in the show and instead chose an aged-down version of Olivia Cooke for this story.

The simple answer is that when I picture my Alicent, this is the face I see.

For me, Alicent at this point in the story isn't just innocent or dutiful. There's a quiet wildness beneath the surface. Intelligence. Curiosity. A spark of defiance that she hasn't fully learned how to use yet. Someone who has spent her whole life obeying, but who is only beginning to realize she might not want to.

Olivia's face always carried that contradiction for me. Softness and calculation. Kindness and stubbornness. Vulnerability and strength.

When I look at her, I can believe she's frightened. I can also believe she might someday change the course of a kingdom.

That's the Alicent I wanted to write.

Daemon remained still, watching.

Waiting.

Until he saw her.

A cloak drawn too tightly. A posture too rigid. And then—when the wind shifted—copper hair slipping free.

Daemon moved before thought could intervene.

“Alicent.”

— Subterfuge, Chapter 4: Dive In Deep