ₐ 𝓂𝑜𝑜𝓃𝓁𝒾𝓉 ₚₑₐᵣₗ,

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐍𝐄𝐄𝐃 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐑𝐄𝐅𝐋𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍, 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐏𝐑𝐀𝐘𝐄𝐑, 𝐒𝐄𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐃 𝐌𝐔𝐂𝐇 𝐍𝐄𝐄𝐃𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐃𝐀𝐘. her entire morning had been devoted to it, hours spent on her knees with hands clasped at her front with eyes screwed shut as every thought, question, hope is poured out to gods she can only hope were listening to her. could they be ? alicent had been wavering in once steadfast faith as of late--faith she had built herself on, or more like who she wanted to be, & made a pillar of what made her better than some other people. more righteous. more valid in her decisions or actions. was she ? it was not something she could currently bring herself to say or reflect on aloud because ... deep down ... she knew what the answer might be & facing it felt like something impossible. so, she returns to her chambers at a long morning as long veil is pulled from her head to be sat down table upon entry. shoulders, like mind, only feel slightly lighter as she comes to sit at her vanity. fingers are ridding ears of earrings when she smells something familiar, eyes glancing down to find the gift sat neatly before her.

@ntrgyn ASKED, he small prayer book had been rebound in deep green velvet, its margins filled with naerys’ own handwritten notes. she places the vial of perfume on top of it, smiling. its a soft blend of lavender, cedar smoke, and old parchment, meant to emulate the scent of the library chambers her mother and sister once sat together in. then, with the faint rustle of silk, she turns and steps out of her mother’s chambers, hoping she will be able to find some comfort in her gifts. they may be at war, but there’s always time to honour your mother.

SHE IS DEEP IN HER SCRIPTURES when the door to her chamber opens, the words of THE SEVEN still soft upon her lips, and the slight curl of them brighter at the sight of her ❝ MOTHER ! ! ❞ she sets the text aside and gathers her skirts as she rises to meet her. ❝ i was given to understand you would be occupied today ? ? ❞ she has always had a hand in the ruling of things, after all — had stood at her father's shoulder through the long years of his reign, a habit she has yet to abandon even as AEGON SITS THE IRON THRONE. for a moment, there is a bitterness to her features at the thought — fleeting, and not quite hidden, her smile dimming slight in the wake of it, but then her eyes fall low, to the book she carries.

SHE WOULD LIKE IT, to be sure. her mother had always been a woman of deep faith, but SHE ALSO LOVES HER CHILDREN, and so, there is not a gift in the world she would spurn from their hands. still, her fingers find the hem of her sleeve, sheepish, for ❝ admittedly, i wanted to give you something more fine, but i could think of little else. ❞ WHAT WOULD ONE GIVE A WOMAN WHO WANTS FOR NOTHING, after all — a queen, besides, who had long since ceased to need the offerings of others? ❝ i just [ . . . ] i thought the commentary might make it a lighter read. ❞

Indeed, in his mind, he had triumphed in the contest; he possessed the stronger faction, superior fighters, and loyal knights, with his own father and brother standing by him for protection. He had defeated the knight, injuring him and leaving him a bloody mess on the ground. Yet, the man refused to surrender, continually rising to fight again. "Is that what they are calling it?" The knight who had subdued the prince had a rather amusing sound to it, he had to concede, but his stomach churned and his teeth clenched. How he despised being made a fool by someone insignificant. This was far from over, not here, not now; that man would face consequences for his actions, and he would ensure it. His younger brother wouldn't be able to shield him indefinitely. "Sit," he instructed her, gesturing with his hand to invite her to take a seat at the table with him as he reclined for a moment.

"So everyone knows, and everyone mocks me?”

’TIS A RATHER PECULIAR FORM OF VANITY, she has always thought, to cleave so fiercely to a fading legend during a time when wisdom would counsel silence — and so, ‘tis what she does, offering naught but a smile as she takes HER SEAT AT THE TABLE. ❝ i should think it stranger if they did not, as there has been but ONE OTHER TRIAL OF SEVEN IN THE HISTORY OF THE REALM. they will have forgotten about it in a few years time though, i am sure. ❞ ‘tis a poor comfort, and she knows it even as she offers it, but a man of his pride is rarely well - disposed toward honesty, and IT WOULD SERVE HER ILL TO PUSH HIM [ . . . ] past the point of reason, that is.

❝ THAT, TOO, IS WHY I AM HERE. ❞ she reaches for the flagon of wine, tipping it toward his cup. ❝ my father seems to consider you as gallant in knighthood as you are noble in birth ; A MAN OF SIMILAR DISPOSITION, if you will. ❞ her smile tightens, the words rather bitter on her tongue, and sets the flagon aside. ❝ HE HOPES TO SEE YOU RESTORED TO YOUR POSITION, which may well happen sooner should you help us take action against THE GOLDEN COMPANY. ❞ if the rumours hold true, they would need to be dealt with, for ❝ IT APPEARS THEY ARE LED BY A BLACKFYRE PRETENDER. ❞

❝ OH [ . . . ] ❞ shame burns her cheeks a bright red. ❝ no. no, of course not. i was only [ . . . ] ❞ she sighs, HER HEAD DIPPING SLIGHT with a hand pressed gentle to her chest. ❝ I APOLOGISE. i was under the impression you were hunting for sport rather than necessity. ❞ court had been rather quiet of late, and idle lords had taken to hunting the way they always did when there was NOTHING PRESSING LEFT TO SCHEME ABOUT. she lowers herself to a crouch before the prey, before the man, and swallows thickly. ❝ do forgive me. ❞

"Sister, I have news."

Aemon entered her chamber with bounce in his step, nodding to her ladies in a polite gesture. He wanted her to be the first to know; before their father, before their brother, before the court - she was his dearest friend in all the world. He felt like a maiden meeting her betrothed. Taking a white cloak was not so different, he imagined.

❝ BROTHER ! ! ❞ comes the bright, unguarded voice of a little girl who has not yet learned to temper her joy. she rises to greet him, her hair falling plain about her shoulders as she does. ❝ oh, of course — you needn’t even ask. ❞ she glances back at her ladies as they leave, smiling, and TAKES HIS HANDS IN HER OWN to lead him towards the cushioned settle. ❝ come, tell me everything ! ! ❞

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