#adopted!reader

~ I think Joe would call that a win, don’t you? But who’s really at fault here🧐

Greendale never felt like home. Even after years. Even after the mortals stopped staring quite so much. Even after the witches whispered less when I passed. Even after living under the same roof as the Spellmans, who were, by all accounts, kind, powerful, and dangerously loyal to each other. I still waited for the moment they’d realize: I didn’t belong. 

I wasn’t born into their family; I was found. Dragged, really. Summoned by accident during one of Aunt Zelda’s rituals, though she’d never admit that part out loud. I was a child standing in a circle of salt. My eyes were glowing faintly, my power crackling too wild, too unstable, too… wrong. 

“Demonic.” Zelda had said immediately. 

“She’s terrified.” Hilda corrected just as quickly. 

And Sabrina? 

Sabrina looked at me like she already knew me, like she already decided. 

“She stays.” 

That was years ago… and still, I never unpacked completely. 

It wasn’t obvious; I’m good at hiding it. I smiled when Hilda baked. I helped Ambrose with spells. Went to the Academy when required. I even laughed sometimes. But it was always there. That quiet, suffocating thought. If I mess up… they’ll send me away. 

I had messed up before. Not small things, not harmless mistakes. Dangerous ones. Once, I lost control during a nightmare. Shadow creatures bled into the waking world, clawing at the walls, hissing in voices that weren’t mine. Zelda had contained it… Barely. I didn’t sleep for three nights after that. 

Another time, my power lashed out when I got angry. A classmate at the Academy ended up thrown across the room. Unconscious. I never meant to hurt anyone, but intent didn’t matter. Not when I am what I am. A demon’s child. Not fully demonic, not fully mortal, not even a witch. And demons? They didn’t get families. They got used, controlled, or abandoned. So I tried to stay careful. Quiet. Good. Sabrina noticed, of course she did. She always did. 

“You’re doing it again.” She said one night, leaning against my bedroom doorframe. I didn’t look up from the book in my lap. 

“Doing what?” 

“That thing where you pretend you’re fine.” She replied. 

I forced a small smile. “I am fine.” 

She didn’t move. 

Didn’t blink. 

Didn’t buy it.

“You flinch every time Zelda raises her voice.” She said gently. 

“Even when she’s not talking to you.” 

My fingers lightened on the pages. 

“That’s normal.” I muttered. “She’s intimidating.” 

“That’s not what I mean.” 

Silence stretched. Heavy and unavoidable. 

“You think we’re going to get rid of you.” Sabrina finally said. 

It wasn’t a question. 

My head snapped up. 

“I didn’t say that.” 

“You didn’t have to.” 

I hated that she could read me like that, like I wasn’t hiding anything at all. 

“I just-” I started, then stopped. Because what could I even say? That every kind thing they did felt temporary? That every mistake felt like it could be my last? That sometimes I pack a bad in my head, just in case? 

Sabrina stepped into the room slowly, like she was approaching something fragile. 

“You don’t trust us.” She said softly. 

My throat tightened. 

“I do.” 

“Not completely.” 

I looked away, because she was right. 

The breaking point happened next week. Because of course it did. Because things in Greendale never stayed quiet for long. The Academy called. Urgent and serious. 

“There’s been… an incident.” Blackwood said, voice tight. 

Zelda’s expression sharpened instantly. 

“We’ll be there.” 

I knew before they even said it. I felt it, that familiar, sickening pull in my chest. Magic gone wrong. 

Wild. 

Uncontrolled. 

Me. 

“I didn’t-” I started, panic rising. “I wasn’t even there-”

But no one had accused me… Not yet. Still, the fear was already there. 

At the Academy, students lined the halls, whispering, watching. A classroom had been destroyed. Blackened walls, broken desks, something unnatural lingering in the air. 

“It wasn’t her!” Sabrina said immediately. But no one had said it was. Until… 

“This kind of magic…” Nick muttered. “It feels-” 

“Demonic.” Prudence finished. 

My stomach dropped. Zelda turned to me slowly. Not angry, not accusing, but thinking. Evaluating. And that was worse. 

“I didn’t do this.” I said, voice shaking despite my best effort. 

“I believe you.” Sabrina said instantly. 

But Zelda didn’t answer right away. And that hesitation? That single second? It broke something. I didn’t wait. Didn’t wait for proof. Didn’t wait for them to decide my fate. I ran. 

I ran out of the Academy. Into the woods. My power sparking under my skin like it always did when my emotions got too big. Too loud. Too much. 

Of course they think it was you. My thoughts spiraled. 

Why wouldn’t they?

You’re not really one of them. 

You never were. 

My breathing turned sharp, uneven, and dangerous. The forest reacted. Branches creaked, shadows stretched, and something dark flickered at the edges of reality. 

“Stop…” I whispered to myself. “Stop-” 

But I couldn’t. 

Because this was what I did. 

I ruined things. 

“Y/N!” 

My head snapped up. Sabrina stood at the edge of the clearing. Breathing hard and eyes locked on me. 

“Stay back!” I warned, my voice trembling. “I’m not… this isn’t-” 

“I know.” She said, stepping closer anyway. 

“You don’t!” I snapped. “You don’t know what I am!” The power around me surged. Dark and unstable. 

“I do.” Sabrina said firmly. “And I’m not scared of you.” 

“You should be!” 

The ground cracked slightly beneath my feet. Energy pulsing outward. 

“Everyone should be!” I continued, voice breaking. “Because this is what happens, I lose control and people get hurt, and then they look at me like I’m the problem they need to fix or get rid of-” 

“We are not getting rid of you!” 

Her voice cut through everything. Sharp, clear, and unshakable. I froze. 

“Yes, you are.” I whispered. “Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow. But eventually…” My eyes burned. 

“You’ll realize I’m too dangerous. Too unstable. Too… wrong.” 

Sabrina stepped closer, slow and deliberate. 

“Do you really think that little of us?” She asked. 

“It’s not about you.” I said. “It’s about me.” 

“No.” She said, shaking her head. “It’s about trust.” 

I laughed weakly. “I trust you.” 

“Then trust this.” She said, voice soft but firm. “You are my sister.” 

The words hit harder than anything ever has before. 

“You don’t get to decide you’re disposable.” She continued. “Not to me, not to Aunt Hilda, not to Ambrose, not even to Aunt Zelda- no matter how scary she is.” 

A small, shaky laugh escaped me. 

“You think we don’t see how hard you try?” She added. “How careful you are? How much you care?” 

My chest tightened painfully. 

“You think one mistake, real or not, changes that?” Sabrina asked. 

“I’ve made more than one.” I whispered. 

“Then we deal with them.” She said simply. 

“Why?” I asked, voice cracking. “Why would you keep me when you don’t have to?” 

Sabrina didn’t hesitate. 

“Because we love you.” 

Silence. 

Heavy. 

Fragile. 

The magic around me flickered, weakening. 

“You don’t have to earn that.” Sabrina said quietly. “You already have it.” 

My vision blurred. 

“I don’t know how to believe that…” I admitted. 

“That’s okay.” She said gently. “You don’t have to believe it all at once.” 

She stepped closer, close enough now that I could feel her warmth. Her presence. Her certaintly. 

“Just don’t run.” She said. 

My breath hitched. For the first time I didn’t feel like I was about to be left behind. Slowly, I nodded. 

The truth came out later. It wasn’t me, never was. It was another student. Some spell that went wrong. Zelda apologized, in her own way. Stiff and formal, but sincere. Hilda hugged me tighter than usual. Ambrose ruffled my hair. And Sabrina? She stayed.

Ronan leaving the baseball team was, for the most part, a secret, at least for the time being. But he knew you liked to play, so he told you, and while you weren't friends with Ronan, you're glad you were the first he considered to take his spot.

That same day, in between classes, you practically ran to the coach's office and asked for an application.

Turns out applications had changed a bit from last year. Considering the fiasco that was the previous tryouts, he'd made it a bit harder to join. Instead of applications being a simple one-page, name-birthday-signature ordeal like it had been for years, it's become a ten page contract.

‘To weed out the fakers’ he said.

Now you were sitting in the schoolyard on the second to last step of the bleachers, half watching the team practice, half trying to fill out this seemingly never ending application.

“‘Have you ever broken a bone?’ no..” you muttered to yourself, checking off another box among dozens of other tiny boxes.

While the questions weren't particularly hard, there were hundreds of them. And you understood why but goddamnit this used to be so simple.

Leaning back against the beaches you watched as the eighth inning began, short words were exchanged between members as they switched spot, the catcher, a guy named Thomas, let out a playfully excruciating yell as he stood from his squating position for the first time nearly 20 minutes, his teammates laughed, and you let out a small chuckle along with them before returning your attention to the application.

‘Do you have siblings? If so, how many?’ was the next question on the packet.

Another filler question, as many had been, only maybe 20 of the questions retained to your health, or your ability to play.

A few minutes later and you were still answering questions, but kept a mental score of of who did what and how much longer until the ninth inning.

A few more minutes passed and you were nearly done, just a page and a half to go. You could get that done before practice was even over. You clicked your pen as you tried to think when was the last time you went to a doctor that wasn’t Carlisle.

Then, without warning, the application was pulled from your hands.

Looking up you saw the sudo captain of the Forks Baseball team, Apollo, who you only really knew two things about, both his parents were Greek mythology nuts, and despite baseball teams not technically having a captain, he was the captain. He dragged the team out of the mud by himself, and then proceeded to knock every game of the season out of the park.

And for a reason you couldn’t comprehend, he smiled down at you after quickly glancing over your application.

“You joining the team?” He asked, slightly out of breath (he ran across the field to talk to you).

“I’m going to try..” you responded quickly.

He chuckled, leaning up against the fence separating the two of you he said, “That’s good, we need someone like you-” he passed the application back, “You’ve been at basically every practice and game this team has ever had, won’t take you long to get the hang of things.”

“I play with my siblings all the time, playing on this team shouldn’t be too hard..”

At that, his smile widened.

“You’re confident, I like that. Can’t wait to have you on the team..”

He turned as the current right-fielder called him over.

“I expect you to see you at tryouts- on time, alright Cullen?”

“Alright..”

“Have you lost you’re goddamn mind!” Your self proclaimed ‘best-friend’, Jamison shouted.

You felt like your eardrum was going to burst if he kept yelling in your ear like that. You were driving him home and chatting when the topic of baseball came up, while he wasn’t too much of a fan, his older brother was on the baseball team. The moment you told him you were trying out he blew up.

“Maybe the rest of your siblings might stand a chance but come on Y/n, be realistic for a moment.”

“I am, I’ve been playing for years, I'm pretty sure I can make the team.”

He groaned, rubbing his hand down his face in frustration,

“Dude, the entire team is getting full ride scholarships, you can’t just come in and fuck that up!”

Stopping at a red light you turned to face him, “Who says I’m going to fuck it up?”

“Just..” he groaned again, “You’re not as good as them man.”

“You’ve never seen me play.”

“Still, just think about it playing with your siblings is different, they go easy on you because they don’t want to hurt your feelings, other teams won’t give a shit about you or your feelings!”

The light turned green and you moved your foot from the breaks to the gas, thinking just how wrong he was. This asshole had never seen you play, he didn’t even know anything about the sport and he was trying to tell you that you’d bring the team down.

“Whatever man,” You muttered.

You tried to ignore his words as best as you could, but such heavy doubt coming from one of your closest friends stung. Tapping your finger against the steering wheel, you breathed in deeply in an attempt to calm the anger that was slowly bubbling under your skin.

“Y/n, I love you man, but don’t do this, you’re good at…stuff, but not this. Just let somebody else try.”

You sighed, slamming your foot on the breaks, making Jamison jerk forward, nearly slamming his head on the dash board. You looked at your rear view mirror, no cars as far as you could see, you look forward, no cars. Then, as though the past three years of friendship meant nothing, you said,

“Get out.”

“What?”

“You heard me, get out of my car.”

He scoffed, sitting back in his seat, “Are you serious?”

After a second of silence he got out of the car.

And you got out right after him.

The familiar smell of human blood traveled through the Cullens’ home, followed by your scent, followed by Charlie’s.

Four loud knocks echoed through the quiet house, all were hesitant to move. But Carlisle, being the closest to the door, moved to open it.

Behind it he found a very irritated Charlie who was holding your arm behind your back. Blood ran from your nose all the way down to your chin, but other than that you seemed mostly unharmed.

Charlie gave a quick glance to you, then back to Carlisle.

“Found him fighting some kid in the middle of the road.” He said, sounding almost as disappointed as Carlisle felt.

You refused to met your fathers eyes. You have never disappointed him before, not in this way at least. You knew that fighting Jamison would lead to you getting in trouble with Carlisle eventually, you imagined every scenario as you rode home in the back of Charlie's car, but Carlisle crushing gaze of disappointment was harder to face than anything you could have imagined

You tuned out their conversation, but never missed the looks Carlisle would give you every so often, disappointment and worry clear on his face.

You didn’t move until you felt your fathers hand on your shoulder, pulling you into the house.

You heard something along the line of “don’t do it again” from Charlie and then the front door closing behind you.

Now you were facing the entire Cullen family, your family, as they swarmed you with questions. Questions you really didn’t want to answer, not now anyways. So, the moment you found an opening, you slid passed them and up the stairs. While any of them could have stopped you at any moment, they didn’t, instead watching as you climbed the stair and disappeared behind the wall, a second later they heard your door slam shut.

Laying on your bed, armed crossed over your chest, glaring at the ceiling above you, irritation coming off of you in waves as the fight replayed in you mind. You kicked his ass but he got a single good shot at you and it was with a rock, not even with his own fist the fucking coward. What kind of person throw stones?

You groaned in frustration, you should have put his ass to the goddamn hospital, maybe that would have given him some time to figure out how to not be a total dick!

You don't know how long you sat there stewing in your own frustration, but someone did eventually come to check on you. You heard the knocks, still you hesitated to get up. You didn't feel like talking, or explaining yourself. You did what you did and that was final.

But, then your father's soothing voice called for you and all the stubbornness you'd been harboring to avoid persecution slipped away.

Pushing yourself up and out of bed you walked to the door, and were met by Carlisle's no longer disappointed face, now replaced by worry.

He sighed before he spoke, grabbing your face and examining your still-bleeding nose.

A moment later you were both sat on your bed as he prodded your nose, tissue held to your nose as he asked you.

“Does this hurt?”

“No.”

He moved to another spot.

“What about this?”

“No.”

He sighed again.

“It's not broken, are you hurt anywhere else?”

“No.”

With that he sat back.

“So are you going to tell me why you fought Jamison, I thought he was your best friend?”

“He was,” Groaning, you said, “until today!”

Falling back onto the bed with a huff, letting your legs dangle off the edge.

“Do you remember what happened last year? With the tryout for the baseball team?”

“Yes, you said they were over before they even started, why?”

“One of the members of the baseball team dropped out, and he specifically asked me to try out and take his place.”

Carlisle smiled, but it faded quickly once he saw the hurt expression on your face.

“That's a good thing, isn't it?”

His words only frustrated you more. not with him, but with your so-called best friend, “It is! But when I told Jamison, he blew up on me- told me I'd only bring the team down. Then he told me to not even try because he thinks I'll fuck up their scholarship.”

“Sorry, I just-” you sighed, “it's just so stressful- I don't know if I even want to join the team anymore. I don't even know if I could! I went through all that trouble with applying and I don't know if they’d even let me on.”

Another sigh left Carlisle. Without saying a word he wrapped his arms around you, his cold embrace comforting beyond anything else. You huffed, irritation and betrayal still scorched through your vein but this lessened it.

A moment passes and you mutter, “thanks dad..”

“It’s alright son..” after a moment he continued, “never take advice from someone who doesn’t have your best interest in mind. As your father, I have nothing but your best interest in mind, so I'll tell you this-”

He pulled back for a second, looking down at you, a small smile on his face.

“Try out for the team, you've played with vampires, I'm sure a group of human boys will be more than impressed with your skills.”

With another sigh you held back a grin, your mood- and your heart- feeling tons lighter.

“Well if you insist, I guess I'll have to-”

And then your door was slammed open, the entire Cullen clan standing behind it, except for Emmett, who'd accidentally pushed the door open by pushing his body weight against it while your siblings were violently eavesdropping.

“…surprise?” Alice tried, holding up a metal bat as both a peace offering and mild defense.

“We were just uh-” Emmett started, but fell short.

“-going to help you practice…for your tryout.” Belle finished smoothly- well as smoothly as she could with a speech pattern as unconventional as hers.

With a wide grin Alice tossed the bat at you, you caught it seamlessly, having done it thousands of times over the years.

“Alright, let’s go.”

Tryouts were over. You were laid out on the dirt, which you were also covered in, the other attendees were in similar positions. Though some were closer to passing out from exhaustion than others. You, on the other hand, we’re just enjoying the sunshine and the breeze after a surprisingly tame tryout.

You closed your eyes, taking in your surroundings with your other sense, the most prominent of which was you potential competition gasping for air just a few feet away.

“You’re not even tired?” A familiar voice said.

Opening your eyes, you saw Apollo, nearly blocking out the sun.

“Not really.”

He let out a short laugh, looking over at the rest of the candidates with his hands on his hips.

“Well, shit- ain’t that something.”

He kneeled down next to you.

“So coach is the one who usually makes these calls with who gets picked after tryout, but you know what I’m pretty damn sure it’s gonna be you.”

“Really?”

After your safe return, Knockout basically put you on lockdown in his lab. He gave you everything you wanted in exchange for a promise that you'd never go near the dragon again.

"I was worried about you."

"I'm sorry, I didn't know he wouldn't let me go."

He watches your favorite movie with you while you buff his finish due to the nonexistent scratches he claims Predaking gave him.

Breakdown

He...tried. He would fight Predaking, but the second he dove for you, the dragon practically threw him off the ship. Knockout had to pull him off the ledge.

After several rounds of shouting at Predaking (he didn't even roar back), he started tossing vehicons at him. Of course, he aimed them away from you, so they mostly just thudded whole yards away from Predaking.

"I'm sorry, nothing I'm doing is working right!"

"It's okay, I think he just wants cuddles!"

"Sweetheart, nothing with those claws is going to be good at cuddling."

After KO and Screamer's plan worked, he basically collapsed from exhaustion next to you and Knockout in the lab. He wakes up around halfway through the movie, giving you a quick hug.

"It's nice to see everyone is actually here for once," Maryse took her seat, oddly family-orientated recently, at the head of the table beside Izzy and smiled at all of us. "We don't do this often enough." She was trying so hard to hold herself together for the past few weeks. Robert had been cheating on her and nobody knew. Maryse found out but hadn't told the others yet and I wasn't supposed to know but you hear things like arguments when you can't sleep at night. The whole family had noticed a difference in their dynamic but nobody commented, better to ignore these things and see if it all worked out in the end I guess.

We all dug in, always loving when Maryse came to see us and cooked her amazing meals. Izzy tried, bless her heart, but I'd rather eat mud than the food she conjured up and I know the others thought the exact same thing, it was fair to say she didn't have the same gift as Mom when it came to the kitchen. The conversation wasn't loud but it was a nice buzz in comparison to silence and I listened as Izzy and our mother spoke to each other. As soon as the table fell remotely quiet I was called on.

"Y/N, I noticed you've not been training as much as the others." Robert dabbed his lips with a napkin and I looked at him questioning look whilst swallowing my food. "You shouldn't be slacking off. Jace, Izzy and Alec are working so much harder than you."

"Can we not do this now?" Maryse seemed to almost beg him as she glared in his direction. My sibling's eyes zeroed in on me and Izzy tapped my leg under the table gently before looking pointedly at my fork. I placed it down from my trembling hands and sipped my water to clear my throat, I hated confrontation.

"I got a bit behind on the books is all so I'm giving myself a break from physical working to get some studying in, that's all but it won't be for long." I smiled unsurely "Just until I catch up."

"And why is it that you manage to fall behind when everyone else can stay ahead?" He raised an eyebrow. "You should be working just as hard and not being lazy and sitting around letting your studies get the better of you." My eyes flickered to our mother for a moment who looked apologetic and irritated.

"I've just been struggling a bit is all but it won't take me long to catch up, I promise." I bowed my head and shifted the food around my plate wishing I could just disappear into the tension-thick air.

"It's not good enough. You've had 4 years to catch up and it's getting beyond a joke. You need to be as good as the other three, what kind of a Shadowhunter will you be if you let this happen?" I pushed my chair out slightly with cold, shaking hands and bit back my tears of anger.

"Dad, don't you think you should cut her some slack?" Alec started, obviously uncomfortable.

"Don't involve yourself, Alexander." Now Jace looked furious. Nobody spoke to Alec like that when Jace was around not even Robert.

"I'm sorry that I've hit a bit of a slump but I'm working on it," I spoke through gritted teeth. "I know I'm not as good as them and I'm trying so just give me some time and space and hopefully I can get up to the standards you want." My voice was cold and harsh but I didn't care anymore. How dare he. I didn't need reminding that I wasn't a Lightwood or that I hadn't been with them as long as Jace. "Thank you for dinner Mom, I'm going to head off to bed." I stood from the table, not looking at anyone as I turned around.

"You aren't going anywhere Y/N!" Robert's voice thundered through the room and I stopped dead. "When will you finally sort yourself out? We won't baby you anymore! I expect better of you and if you don't sort this out then you won't be a Lightwood anymore, not that you've ever been much of one anyway." My breath hitched, and that stung more than anything ever had. My chest rose and fell as though I had run miles as I clenched my fists.

"Enough! That's too far!" Izzy stood up, arms braced on the table as her chair fell backwards.

"No, what's enough is Y/N taking advantage of the home and life we gave her despite who her parents were. We didn't have to take her in and I'm beginning to wish we hadn't!" This time Maryse yelled at him but I couldn't make out a word as my blood rushed through my ears, anger drowning out everything else. I was slightly aware of Isabelle's hand on my arm but my body wouldn't respond. I turned to face him slowly with a wicked grin on my face as my eyes met his.

"Finally." My voice was scarily calm. "You finally admitted it. After 4 years of thinking about it, you finally gathered up the courage to say it huh? Heaven forbid your wife has a kinder heart and takes in a child who needs her. By the angel, what a crime!" By this point, I was shouting. "I'm sorry that I'm not good enough for you and that I'm very clearly a disappointment but hey, guess you won't have to deal with that anymore if I'm not a Lightwood. I have tried my damn best for the past 4 years, harder than I have ever tried to do anything. All to get you to notice, to impress you, to make you proud so that I don't get overlooked by you anymore but no! Still not good enough!" My voice wobbled and I hated that tears of anger now stained my face. "I know I'm not as good as them and I didn't mind that but I still tried for you. Not for Mom, not for my siblings or the institute but for you because you just looked straight through me like I wasn't there. You always have and I'm sick of it! I'm sick of trying to make you happy and I'm sick of keeping it all to myself, I know more than you think I do and my mind is definitely stronger than you realise." My teeth bared in pure rage as I glared holes into him. "I've had enough. I'm done! I'm done trying to make you happy so you have your way."

I spun on my heel and stormed out of the room, pushing past the other Shadowhunters who seemed to have heard the commotion and making my way to the door. I grabbed a spare stele from one of the weapons racks, sliding it into my pocket and beelining for the doors. I ignored Clary's yells of concern as she followed after me and the voices of my siblings and Mom asking me to stay.

"Don't you dare walk away Y/N! If you walk out that door then you're done, You won't be welcome here anymore!" I stopped, my hands resting on the wooden doors. "I mean it! You leave and I don't want to see your face again!" I looked back at my Mom who was sobbing as Jace held her. I had never seen her so vulnerable, especially not in front of the whole institute.

(Y/N) Targaryen. The Crown's Jewel. Adopted by Rhaenyra Targaryen and raised by Alicent Hightower. Blood of none, but beloved by all.

Oh, how you wished your mothers loved each other as they loved you. You always saw the sadness in their eyes whenever they meet, a longing between two souls that were more familiar than the men they married.

It is why they currently sit across from you. The silence is suffocating. The queenly women wait for an answer as to why their child called for a meeting with them in private.

You take a deep breath. “I want you both, for once, to say what is on your mind and make amends for this drawn-out feud. Forgive me, but I cannot help but feel partially responsible if I fail to do something about this.”

It might be naive to think they would apologize for a conflict that has persisted for years, and it probably was. You witness the pent-up frustration in their hearts pour out as they face each other. Their voices raise like whoever was louder was less guilty.

You can still tell they want an end to it as much as you do. However, years of repressed feelings, miscommunication, and external pressures keep them from doing so. It felt like a tug of war ever since you were a child. You were just a small, shivering babe in a rotten box when Rhaenyra took you in. Despite how much the family, and especially the court, protested against the decision, she saw something in you that forged an unbreakable bond—a mother's love for her child. Prophecies be damned if someone were to dare take you from her.

Alicent took longer to accept you, but you did not have to do anything. No matter the day, she would always find herself looking for you. You were always so excited to see her and let her braid your hair. Perhaps it's the curiosity to know what it's like to have a loving relationship with your child, as hypocritical as it sounds from someone who already has children of her own. But you were so easy to love. She fell harder than you could ever comprehend with that precious mind of yours.

It was how she and Rhaenyra came to an agreement. You get to spend time with both under a given schedule. Half of the time is spent with Rhaenyra and your adopted brothers, and the other is with Alicent, Viserys, and their kids. Regardless of how busy they are, they would always find time to spend it with you. It was surprisingly a happy childhood, one that most likely kept the peace between the two families.

You were brought back to reality by the scraping of chairs. Pride overcomes prudence as your Targaryen mother rises from her seat and makes her way toward the door. The brunette queen has her back facing them with fingers picking at skin; a distraction from the ache in her heart.

Alicent says with a stern yet audibly hurt tone, "(Y/N), this will be the last time you force such a discussion between me and Rhaenyra. If you are so displeased, choose a side," the queen bites her lip as she hides a deep frown, "because we cannot be there for you together."

"What?" The hurt in your voice makes Rhaenyra stop in her tracks, her instincts yelling at her to comfort her child.

"I can't... You know I can't do that." Your throat tightens.

"My dear-"

“To choose one of you is to lose half of myself.” You feel the tears welling behind your eyes, but keep your chin up. "You're both my mothers. If there were truly any malice or hate between you, I would have noticed. You two always try to act distant, but the next minute, you look into each other's eyes, hold hands, and just generally gross me out with your badly hidden flirting." If the atmosphere wasn't so tense, you could have laughed at yourself. You sigh and continue, "If I'm not so bad, then neither is the person that raised me. You know it better than I do, don't you?”

Your gaze shifts between the two women, who now have their eyes on the floor, and then eventually to each other.

"If you'll have me," Rhaenyra breaks the silence, "we could talk it over a cup of tea."

Alicent and Rhaenyra exchange a look, and at that moment, they are children again. A time without worry and responsibilities that made them set aside their happiness. A time when their minds were preoccupied with nothing but the young girl that always stood by their side. In those teary-eyed windows, they see a glimpse of their best friend, their biggest confidant, and their first love. No matter how long ago that wound was sewn shut, there is always an opening that would let them back into their lives if they just had the chance.

With a wistful smile, Alicent nods. "I'd love to."