#avou

Finally, some romance.

Inexperienced & hormonal teenagers are in a secluded cave. What did you think was going to happen?

(Also, I gave up with trying to find an actual reason for Alicent to be on Dragonstone. This fic is not without it's plot holes...this is just one I ignored altogether).

The original draft of the second portion of this chapter is actually what started this fic. I wrote Rhaenys seducing Aemma as a sort of writing exercise/plot bunny. Obviously bits and pieces of it changed once I developed an actual plot & the outline for the story, but this is what started it all.

Again, Aemma's POV is so fun to write. She is slowly finding out that she can be her own person and accidentally developing a crush on her cousin (Targs gonna Targ). So accidentally, she literally doesn't realize it until Rhaenys is trying to kiss her.

Rhaenys has been playing the game for so long and she isn't afraid. Perhaps it's hubris. Maybe it's just because Rhaenys is a badass. But either way, she has no regrets about what she is about to do. Viserys may have taken her crown...but she's taking his wife.

I really love this little exchange:

(Finally. I updated. Damn hockey boys.)

Reality is catching up with everyone.

Aemma is trying to find out who she wants to be now that Viserys is no longer her center. But she is still the queen and she knows she has a duty to the realm and to Rhaenyra.

This chapter originally did not feature her panic attack. Actually, until I was revising my original draft, this chapter was much shorter. There was no panic attack & no mental musings of Otto Hightower about the behind the scenes conspiracy. As I've said before, Aemma is taking on a life of her own and somehow, I felt like this fit her and was a part of her journey into accepting who she is (and others *rhaenys* accepting her as well).

Otto is very different from his book/show counterparts. This character has certainly changed from my first rough drafts, but I like a fun villain. And Otto just fits it too well. So I'm having fun with him, as OOC as he may be. (which this is a fanfic where everything is completely different from the book or show...so I don't think it counts).

And finally, Alicent is yet again suffering. My bad.

This chapter didn't actually exist two weeks ago. The content had been divided up amongst different chapters, but I realized that I had a timeline plot hole around Otto investigating why Alicent wasn't pregnant yet.

Rhaenyra is ready for more, but Alicent...well...it must be difficult being forced to copulate with your secret girlfriend's father. It's something I can't ignore in this story and I wanted to make sure it's not glossed over. So they had to talk about it...awkward.

In the meantime, Otto is scheming and Rhaenyra & the Velaryon kiddos are bonding.

I really love Rhaenyra & Laena’s relationship in the book (I definitely ship Rhaenyra/Daemon/Laena in a book context). And I really believe Rhaenyra & Laenor cared for each other and were the best of friends. We were robbed of a good Rhaenyra & Velaryon siblings relationship in the show. That’s why Laena & Leanor will show up quite a bit in a fic that centers around Rhaenrya/Alicent romantically.

Enter Daemon.

Obviously, I had to change Daemon in so many ways because he is not driven by a desire/romantic love for Rhaenyra. But family is everything to him and he certainly will not consider any children Viserys has by a Hightower family.

And Daemon's roguish ways has an advantage to Rhaenyra. Even though Daemon doesn't know her true reasons for wanting to prevent Alicent from getting pregnant, she knows she can trust him to help.

Her conversation with Daemon also helps Rhaenyra realize something...she is still in love with Alicent, no matter the circumstance. She will play the "knight in shining armor" to rescue her love, even if it is just forgiveness and some moon tea.

So our ladies are reunited.

This definitely a "set up more plot" sort of chapter.

Aemma had made up her mind to leave King's Landing. Which do you really blame her...knowing that your husband will be screwing some other woman (child, gross) in the hopes of impregnating her...all because you can no longer have his babies? Hard pass. But she's been so isolated her entire life that the only place she can go is the Vale.

I'm working off the assumption that Viserys, Aemma, and Rhaenyra never really lived on Dragonstone. I don't think that Baelon took up living there after his brother died and so I don't think after Viserys is named heir, that he would go either. To Aemma, I could see that Dragonstone would be very intimidating, lonely, and dreary after growing up in the Vale & the splendor of court.

But the Velaryons are right...the Vale is distant both in actual mileage and mindset. She would basically be forgotten out there. Now, the suggestion to go to Driftmark is made by Corlys...which is not a selfless suggestion. Corlys is still ambitious and what would be better than to have the Queen at your table when you are trying to get the crown to support a war (the conflict in the Stepstones was brewing for a long time). Also, that would place Rhaenyra there often as well...with Laenor. Don't think Corlys isn't already plotting.

However, not everything he does is completely selfish. There was no way he was going to let Laena be "the King's Whore". He didn't even bother running the idea by Rhaenys (or Laena herself) because he knew what they would say.

The second part of this chapter is a look at the binding ceremony (something I completely made up) between Alicent & Viserys. Poor girl. She grew up planning her wedding and dreaming of being a lady and more recently, of seeing Rhaenyra made Queen. But now, she'll never get her dream wedding and was possibly going to be the reason Rhaenyra never sees the throne.

"Poor Alicent" is going to be a theme for a large part of this story.

(That being said, I do not feel book!alicent was a victim any more than any other woman in Westeros & that show!alicent may have been a victim at the beginning, but by the time we get to the dance, she is just as complicit as the rest of them)

Of course, if Rhaenyra had it her way, she would be the one to marry Alicent, but, alas, homophobia. But I like the idea of Rhaenyra secretly "courting" Alicent and buying her nice things/things she would like. As spoiled as Rhaenyra is (and she is very spoiled), she suddenly wants to do those things for someone else. She is in love. My favorite little bit here is where Rhaenyra offers to have whoever hurt Alicent to be fed to Syrax.

But when Alicent tells her what Otto (and Viserys) have planned, Rhaenyra really can't bring herself to believe it. At this point, she still idolizes her father (who named her heir) and believes in the love her parents share. By this point, she has accepted & embraced the fact that she will be Queen. This revelation to her "perfect" world is going to have a huge impact on her. And right now, she is in denial.

The other part of this chapter is a further reveal into the involvement of the Hightowers & the Faith in the Maester conspiracy. I've read several different fics (and book fan theories) about a maester conspiracy to bring down House Targaryen and I'm putting my own spin on it. It's a fun little sandbox to play in and works well as a background plot for this fic.