Chapter Text
Alicent told her off.
It was a couple months ago, and it was out of nowhere. They have always only needed each other, and they have always been attached at the hip, so how was Rhaenyra ever supposed to know Alicent suddenly “needed space”? It doesn’t even make sense because she still wants Rhaenyra around, but just not as much?
It’s wrong. That's all she knows.
They were eight years old when they decided that they never needed anyone but each other. A rule was made that everything about each other would only be for the other to know. Knees knocking under the slide at the playground while the other kids screamed and played around them. Back when Rhaenyra’s silver blonde hair was still long, and Alicent still had a few years left of being taller than her. The rule had been Alicent’s idea, whispered with as much seriousness as she could muster up… like a vow. Rheanyra had nodded, seriousness mirroring the auburn haired girl sitting across from her. From then on, everything important passed between them and them alone.
Years later, Rhaenyra still remembers the exact weight of that promise. She can remember the scrapes on her knees and the beating sun around them when she agreed to what became her holiest vow. It sat in her chest now as she watched Alicent cross the street, her coat pulled tight, her head down despite the clear sky. Rhaenyra could tell she was anxious from the way she walked… it was too fast, her shoulders were curled inward, and her keys were already threaded between her fingers, even though she was still a block from her building.
She always did that when she was scared. The blonde knew that.
Rhaenyra slowly leaned back into the shadow of the doorway, unseen, familiar with this angle. She’s stood here before. Not often enough to raise patterns, though... but often enough to know when Alicent’s routine shifted.
Alicent paused at the corner. She glanced over her shoulder once. Then again. Looking for something… searching for the eyes she can feel but can’t place.
Rhaenyra’s pulse kicked up watching Alicent’s fear laid bare, with something sharp. Satisfaction, maybe, or perhaps relief.
Good, she thought. You’re paying attention.
Alicent hurried on, and Rhaenyra followed at the distance she knows works. It's really quite simple now.
She finally stopped at a familiar alley as she watched Alicent disappear into her building. The door shut behind her with a finality that felt like rejection, even though Rheanyra knew better. Rhaenyra always knew better, but she can’t help the sting that comes with losing sight of Alicent. She hates to lose sight of Alicent.
After she heard the door shut, the blonde waited a full minute before stepping away, taking deep breaths, and counting each one the way she’d learned to do when she was younger and angrier and didn’t yet understand things the way she does now.
It hadn’t always been like this, though… she didn’t always have to be so far when she watched. Once, Rhaenyra had simply just watched as she walked beside Alicent. Walked her home, walked her to school, walked her away from all of the things that barked and snapped and laughed too loud. It had felt natural then because all she has ever wanted was to protect Alicent. She was protective in the way that was understood back then.
Rhaenyra sadly had to learn that vigilance could be mistaken. It’s always mistaken.
Alicent decided that she needed space and that she didn’t need Rhaenyra’s protection, but the thing is… she doesn’t truly know what she needs. She doesn’t understand how dangerous this world is without steady protection. This is all ok though, because Rhaenyra wants her to be independent to an extent. That's why she is perfectly ok with being protective from afar. It’s not as convenient, and it's definitely not her first choice, being away from Alicent instead of beside her, but she is happy to do this.
It keeps Alicent safe, and it keeps Alicent happy with her. Therefore, it's an ok setup.
As ok as it can be… Rhaenyra will admit she has been a little more obvious in the last week, but it's just a desire to remind Alicent that she needs Rhaenyra again. She just needs to see that independence can only go so far.
Tonight wasn't a night she wanted to spend in the apartment complex opposite Alicent's. It's a great spot to make sure Alicent is safe, but tonight is going to be different; she knows that already. She made sure of it.
By the time she reached her apartment, her phone was already buzzing. Bingo.
Alicent: Are you awake?
Rhaenyra didn’t answer right away. She set her keys down carefully. Took off her jacket. Let the anticipation stretch thin and tight like wire.
She knows better than to be too desperate. Alicent can wait… she always does. But that can only go so long before it starts to feel like torture for Rhaenyra, too, so she never waits for long.
Rhaenyra: Always for you.
Three dots appeared. Disappeared. Reappeared.
Alicent: I think someone’s been following me.
Rhaenyra sits on the edge of the bed, elbow on her knee, chewing on her nail as she stares at the text. She closes her eyes and lets out a soft breath, not in guilt… but in control.
This is what she wants. She needs her to be just a bit unsettled because it will help her case. This isn’t wrong for her to do it smart. Alicent’s recent stint being by herself just doesn’t work as well as she wants it to, and Rhaenyra needs to show her.
She just needs her control back.
Rhaenrya: Are you safe right now?
Alicent: I’m inside. I locked the door.
Rhaenyra: Good. That was the right thing to do. I’m proud of you.
That had always worked. Praise soothed Alicent in a way nothing else did. Rhaenyra had learned that a long time ago. How the auburn haired girl would always soften when she was told she’d done the right thing, how desperate she was to be good, to be chosen.
Alicent: I hate this. I hate feeling like this. It’s making me feel crazy.
Rhaenyra pictured her curled on the couch, lights too low, phone clutched like a lifeline. The image fits too easily. It always did. She always loves to picture her like this, so vulnerable and in need of the only person who can provide her with the protection she so desperately needs.
She needs Rhaenyra when she is like this. The way it should always be.
Rhaenyra: You don’t have to be alone. I can come over.
A pause. Longer this time. Her jaw clenches in anticipation… maybe irritation.
She hates getting irritated with Alicent. She just needs Alicent to invite her over. She knows there is no one better to protect her, so why hesitate in inviting her over?
No. She is not thinking straight. It's ok. Her thoughts calmed her.
Alicent: What if it’s dangerous?
The irritation fades as quickly as it came as Rhaenyra smiles, small and private. She is just worried. That’s good. She cares.
Rhaenyra: That’s why I should be there.
Alicent: Okay.
There it was. The quiet surrender. The choosing. She needs her. She always needs her.
Rhaenyra stood, already reaching for her jacket again, heart thrumming with something close to triumph, but she can feel the uncertainty beating in line with it. She told herself the same thing she always did, though, that this was all necessary. Alicent needs her more than she knows, and she knows that the fear will simply reveal a truth that has always been there. Alicent will always need her.
And Alicent, sweet, frightened Alicent, is just too prideful to ever admit how much she wanted this too. How the world narrowed down to just one person, one specific person, made breathing easier. How the idea of danger was unbearable unless Rhaenyra was the one holding her through it.
When Rhaenyra steps back out into the night, she checks the street out of habit. Empty. Calm. Exactly as she left it. She prefers it this way because there are fewer people to spot her and fewer to worry about potentially watching what's hers.
Rhaenyra: I’m on my way. Don’t open the door for anyone but me.
Three dots appeared immediately this time.
Alicent: I won’t.
Rhaenyra didn’t run. She never did. Running looked too frantic, as if she were afraid of something, and that would only cause unnecessary stress. So instead, she simply walks with purpose.
She walked at a steady pace, boots striking pavement with the kind of certainty that came from knowing exactly where she was going and why. Alicent’s building isn’t far… she knows every route by heart. She’d timed it once, out of idle curiosity, and learned she could reach it in under eight minutes if she needed to. She almost never did. Only those late nights when she just needs to see her. Just needs to watch Alicent peacefully through her window.
The night air was sharp enough to sting her lungs. She welcomed it. It kept her clear. Kept her focused. She has one reason for being out tonight, and there is no reason to dawdle. Habit typically leads her to her usual shadows as if she is watching for Alicent in the streets, but not tonight. Tonight she is needed.
Her phone buzzed again before she’d made it halfway.
Alicent: Are you close?
Rhaenyra’s mouth twitched, something warm and dangerous curling low in her stomach. She pictured Alicent checking the locks again, peering through the peephole even though she knew exactly who she was waiting for. Knew exactly who would come. Not a clue in the world it's the same entity that has her like this in the first place.
Rhaenyra: A few minutes. Did you turn the lights on?
There's a pause before she responds. Short, but telling.
Alicent: Just the lamp.
Of course. Alicent had always hated overhead lighting. Said it made everything feel exposed, like there was nowhere to hide. Rhaenyra had teased her for it once, years ago, until she realized Alicent wasn’t joking. She truly preferred to be in that partial darkness. It’s preferable anyway, Alicent has always looked stunning in soft and warm light. She has no idea how stunning she looks in lamplight, even from her windows. The shadows it casts help too.
Rhaenyra: That’s fine. Stay where you are.
Alicent: I will.
That's my girl. She smirked to herself, sliding her phone into her jeans.
By the time Rhaenyra reached the building, her reflection in the glass door looked too much like a stranger, too sharp… too happy. She adjusted her jacket, smoothing it down, softening the edges that she knew Alicent would read even if she tried not to. Then she knocked. Not loudly. Not timidly. The same way she always did.
The lock clicked almost immediately, and she schooled her features as she taught herself into the concerned best friend who is not at all too happy about these turn of events.
Alicent stood there barefoot, wrapped in an oversized sweater Rhaenyra recognized instantly. An old one of hers. One she’d left behind years ago and never asked for back. It's better on Alicent, anyway. She makes everything look far better. Her hair was loose, falling into her face, her eyes bright with something that wasn’t quite fear anymore. Relief, maybe.
Rhaenyra stepped inside and closed the door behind her, turning the lock herself. The sound echoed too loudly in the small entryway. Alicent flinched slightly and then visibly relaxed, shoulders dropping as if something essential had been put back into place as she looked up at Rhaenyra with those deep brown eyes.
“You’re shaking,” Rhaenyra said gently, reaching out before she could stop herself.
Alicent leaned into the touch without hesitation, fingers curling into the sleeve of Rhaenyra’s jacket like it was instinct, like muscle memory. “I kept thinking I heard footsteps,” she murmured. “I knew it was stupid, but I couldn’t make it stop.”
“It’s not stupid,” Rhaenyra said. She guided Alicent toward the couch, hands steady, certain. “You’re afraid, Alicent. It’s only instinct.”
Alicent huffed a quiet, humorless laugh. “My instincts are awful.”
Rhaenyra didn’t correct her. Instead, she shifted closer, close enough that their knees brushed, close enough that Alicent’s warmth seeped through denim and cotton and into her bones. She can smell her from here, too, that intoxicating smell she knows by heart. It’s always such a challenge to remain level-headed here. She could feel Alicent watching her from the corner of her eye, cataloging every movement, every breath.
“You did the right thing,” Rhaenyra said again. Slower this time. Firmer. “You called me.”
Her. She called her. That’s what really matters here because Rhaenyra knows she’s not truly in danger in this situation. Was she right about being watched? Yes, but she only realized because Rhaenyra wanted her too. Alicent needed her to feel unease so she could know she would always be safe in Rhaenyra’s arms. It just makes sense.
Alicent swallowed. “I always do.”
The admission hung between them, fragile and sharp. Rhaenyra felt it lodge somewhere deep, settling in like a promise being renewed. Alicent knows. She knows how much she needs Rhaenyra… it is only a matter of time now.
She tipped Alicent’s chin up with one finger, just enough to meet her gaze. Alicent didn’t pull away. She never did. It feels like electricity running through her veins every time.
“You’re safe now,” Rhaenyra said softly. “I’m here.”
Alicent’s eyes fluttered closed at that, a small exhale leaving her like she’d been holding her breath the entire night. When she leaned forward, resting her forehead against Rhaenyra’s shoulder, it felt less like a choice and more like inevitability.
Them. Together. As one.
Rhaenyra wrapped an arm around her without thinking, holding her there, feeling the quiet, dangerous satisfaction bloom again in her chest.
Outside, the street remained empty. Calm. Not a single threat to be afraid of.
Inside, it’s just them. Controlled.
Alicent stayed curled against her for a long moment, breathing slowly, like she was syncing herself to Rhaenyra’s pulse. Rhaenyra let her. She kept her arm firm and warm, a steady presence, the way she’d learned, the way she practiced.
Eventually, Alicent shifted, pulling back just enough to look at her. “Do you really think I’m safe?” she asked quietly. “I mean….”
Rhaenyra met her gaze without hesitation. “I do. But I will stay vigilant ok. The door is locked, and I have everything under control.”
That seemed to satisfy her. Alicent nodded, trusting in a way that made something in Rhaenyra’s chest tighten, but not with guilt, never that, but rather with resolve. This was what Alicent needed. Certainty. Someone else to carry the weight of watching. She needs her for this.
“I feel stupid,” Alicent said, rubbing at her eyes. “I didn’t see anyone. I just… felt it.”
“You don’t have to see something for it to be real,” Rhaenyra replied as she brushed Alicent’s hair back gently, tucking it behind her ear. “You’ve always been sensitive to things other people miss. And look, I believe you.”
Alicent smiled faintly at that, a little embarrassed, a little pleased. She leaned back into the couch, angling herself closer again, like she was unconsciously correcting the distance. “I don’t know what I’d do without you,” she said. It came out easily. Too easily to mean nothing.
It can’t mean nothing.
Rhaenyra felt the words settle into place, aligning perfectly with what she already knew to be true. “You won’t have to find out.” She smiled softly, gazing into those brown eyes.
It’s the truth. Alicent Hightower will never know what it is like to be alone because she will always have Rhaenyra. She will always be there to watch, whether it’s in the spare apartment across the street or beside her on this couch.
She stood then, gently disentangling herself from the auburn haired girl. Alicent watched her with immediate concern, a flicker of unease crossing her face.
“Where are you going?”
“Just checking the apartment,” Rhaenyra said calmly with a sweet smile. “Humor me.”
Alicent hesitated, then nodded. “Okay. Yeah. That makes sense.”
Rhaenyra moved through the space with practiced ease, her eyes tracking corners, windows, the line of the fire escape. She checked the locks, not because she expected to find anything wrong, but because the show of it mattered. Because Alicent needs to see her take control of the fear and shape it into something manageable. She needs to see Rhaenyra taking care of her.
“All clear,” she said when she returned. “No one’s out there or in here.”
Alicent’s shoulders sagged in relief and slight shame. “I knew it was probably nothing.”
“It wasn’t nothing,” Rhaenyra corrected gently. “It was you being careful.”
That earned her a soft look. Alicent always responded to reassurance like that, as if being told her fear was justified made it shrink down to size, something she could live with as long as Rhaenyra was there to interpret it for her. Just more reasons why she needs Rhaenyra. No one else can see her so clearly. No one else can make her as happy.
They settled back onto the couch together. Alicent tucked her feet under Rhaenyra’s thigh without thinking, her toes cold even through the fabric. Rhaenyra shifted just enough to warm them.
“I don’t like nights anymore,” Alicent admitted. “Everything feels louder. Closer.”
Rhaenyra nodded, stroking slow, steady lines along Alicent’s arm. “Then you shouldn’t be alone at night.”
Alicent blinked. “I can’t ask you to—”
“You didn’t,” Rhaenyra said. “I offered. At least until you start to feel better.”
The distinction mattered. Rhaenyra needed her to see that she wanted to be there for her. She wants to stay here because she is the only one who makes Alicent feel safe. This is something that she has been working at for years. She has been building this protective persona for years, and now she is earning her place beside Alicent at all times. Something earned through years of constancy, of being the one who stayed.
Alicent was quiet for a moment, then said softly, “I like it when you’re here.”
Rhaenyra smiled, small and controlled. “I know”
She knew because Alicent always slept better when she was near. Because the fear sharpened the truth down to something clean and undeniable: Alicent needed her more than she knows. The world is unsafe for people like Alicent, and she needs to be protected. That she loves Rhaenyra more than she lets on. You can’t tell Alicent what she doesn’t want to hear, but Rhaenyra knew what to do. All she had to do was help remind Alicent of the dangers of the world. Of how much she desires the blonde by her side.
Not enough to hurt her. Never that. Just enough to remind her where safety lived. Only with Rhaenyra.
Alicent yawned, leaning heavily into Rhaenyra’s side now, exhaustion finally winning. “You’ll stay, right?”
“As long as you need,” Rhaenyra smiled sweetly. No hesitation.
Alicent hummed contentedly, eyes already drifting closed. Within minutes, her breathing evened out, trust complete and unguarded.
Rhaenyra stayed awake.
She listened to the building settle, to the distant sounds of the street outside. She watched the door. Watched the windows. Watched over Alicent the way she always had, the way she always would. This was how it was supposed to be.
Getting older pushed the pair apart more than Rhaenyra appreciated, with Alicent’s newer friends, dates, and her all-consuming job at her firm. But that didn’t mean she didn’t love Rhaenyra more than anything else. She just has to remember that she loves and needs Rhaenyra more than just a couple of times a week. More than as just a friend, too.
Fear didn’t drive them apart, just as she knew it wouldn’t, it brought them closer. Fear stripped away the hesitation, the pride, the unnecessary distance that had crept in over the years, and the space Alicent so foolishly thinks she needs. Rhaenyra understands that better than Alicent. She sees things that Alicent doesn’t.
Rhaenyra just knows that some things had to be guided, protected, loved, and cultivated.
Morning crept in slowly, pale and tentative through the thin gap in the curtains. Rhaenyra had been awake long before it arrived, listening to the rhythm of Alicent’s breathing shift as sleep loosened its hold.
Mornings with Alicent are some of her most cherished moments because it's a moment where Alicent’s vulnerability is laid bare, and Rhaenyra can truly feel her place beside her as the one who keeps her safe.
Alicent stirred eventually, blinking blearily, disoriented for half a second before she registered where she was and who was sitting beside her.
“Oh,” she murmured, voice soft with relief, and her body relaxing visibly. “You’re still here.”
Rhaenyra smiled, smoothing a hand over Alicent’s hair. “I said I would be.”
Alicent nodded, like that settled something important in her mind. She pushed herself upright, pulling the blanket tighter around her shoulders. “I actually slept,” she said, sounding faintly surprised. “I didn’t wake up once.”
“See?” Rhaenyra said gently. “Your body just needed to feel safe.”
The word landed exactly where she meant it to. Alicent relaxed further, shoulders slumping, some invisible tension finally easing now that daylight made everything feel less threatening.
They sat like that for a few quiet minutes, the apartment still and muted. Eventually, Alicent frowned slightly, worry creeping back in around the edges.
“I was thinking,” she said. “About last night. About the feeling.”
Rhaenyra tilted her head. “What about it?”
Alicent hesitated. “Maybe I should tell someone. Just in case. Like—” She cut herself off, clearly weighing the thought. “Maybe it’s not normal to feel like that.”
Rhaenyra didn’t interrupt. She never rushed these moments. She let Alicent talk herself right up to the edge. It was easier to pull her backwards from there. To just give a slight unease to steer things to where she needs them to go.
“People tend to panic when they hear things like that,” Rhaenyra said calmly, after a beat. “They don’t know you the way I do.”
Alicent looked at her, uncertain. “I don’t want anyone to think I’m… imagining things.”
“That’s exactly what they’ll do,” Rhaenyra replied softly with a sorry frown. Not sharply. Not dismissively. Just factual. “Or worse, they’ll just make it bigger than it is. Turn it into something more frightening when it doesn’t have to be or involving more people than you can handle.”
Alicent’s brow furrowed, and she glanced down at her hands. “I don’t want that.”
“I know,” Rhaenyra said. She reached out, brushing her thumb along Alicent’s knuckles where they tightened on the blanket. “You already felt bad enough last night. You don’t need someone else telling you you’re wrong for being scared or making you feel more scared than before.”
That struck home. Alicent’s fingers relaxed slightly as she looked back at Rhaenyra like she is her lifeline. Her most trusted confidant.
“You trusted me with it,” Rhaenyra continued, voice low and steady. “You told me because you knew I wouldn’t judge you. Because I’d understand.”
Alicent swallowed and nodded as if she is holding onto everything Rhaenyra says. “I do trust you.”
Rhaenyra smiled, warm and reassuring. “And I’m here. Nothing bad happened. You’re okay.”
Alicent exhaled slowly, like she’d been holding her breath again without realizing it. “I guess… I don’t really want to explain it to anyone else anyway.” She says softly, backing herself out of the idea she came up with.
Rhaenyra’s chest eased at that. Things are settling into their proper places. She doesn’t need other people to be involved because that would just make everything harder here. Alicent only needs her, and she only needs peace to continue her watching.
“Some things don’t need outside opinions,” she said lightly. “They just get distorted when too many people touch them.”
Alicent nodded. “It felt better just… telling you.”
“That’s because we’ve always handled things together,” Rhaenyra said, brushing Alicent’s hair back again, affectionate and familiar. “Remember? Not everyone needs access to what’s ours.”
Rhaenyra watched as Alicent’s expression softened with recognition.
“Our secrets,” Alicent murmured.
Rhaenyra smiled. “Exactly.”
Alicent looked down at her hands, then back up. “I won’t say anything. There's no need to do that. Too complicated”
“Right,” Rhaenyra nodded, certain. She stood then, reaching for her jacket, careful not to rush the moment. “And if it happens again, you come to me. First.”
Alicent didn’t hesitate this time. “I always come to you first. Where… where are you going?” She frowned with unease.
Rhaenyra leaned down, pressing a brief, gentle kiss to the top of her head. It felt right. Anchoring. “I have to get to work,” she said softly. “But I’ll check in later.”
Alicent watched her go, expression sad but calm now, reassured, the weight of the fear of last night already beginning to recede into something private and contained.
Rhaenyra smiled at her from the door, taking in the success of the night and the beauty of Alicent. “Lock the door until you go to work.”
At that, she shuts the door soundly and smiles to herself. Everything is going smoothly.
Rhaenyra likes work, she really does, but it's inconvenient.
It’s too loud, too bright. Fluorescent lights humming faintly overhead, glass walls reflecting movement from every angle, exposing. The hum of computers, the soft cadence of conversations behind glass, the scrape of chairs against the floor, the footsteps rushing around the floor outside her office. All of it driving her insane.
Her screen blurred in front of her, lines of text swimming together no matter how many times she reread them. She knew the words. She’d written half of them herself. Still, her focus slipped as her eyes kept flicking to the clock in the corner of her screen, tracking time not by meetings or deadlines, but by Alicent’s schedule.
She’s long been at the firm by now.
Rhaenyra knew the exact building down to its floor plan at this point. The four stories of brick and narrow windows, a reception desk that smelled faintly of lemon cleaner, conference rooms named after dead judges that each wafted strong scents of mothballs. Alicent had once complained about the chairs in the conference rooms, about how they made her back ache during long meetings. Rhaenyra had filed that away, like she did everything else, the woman says.
She pictured Alicent at her desk, hair pulled back neatly, sleeves rolled just enough to keep them out of the way. She’s always so put together at work, it’s crazy the contrast between work Alicent and home Alicent. She's so focused and composed at every moment.
Looking like someone who couldn’t possibly be rattled by the kind of fear she confessed only in private. That selfishly belongs only to Rhaenyra.
But despite the warmth of knowing that parts of Alicent belong only to her or the comfort of her life outside work, it still bothers Rhaneyra. Alicent always looks so capable at work. Confident. People there trust her judgment implicitly. They all rely on her. They didn’t see the way she curled inward at night, the way her voice thinned when she was scared. They didn’t know how much reassurance it took to keep her steady.
Because of that, they approach her. People, Rhaenyra will never really know. Conversations she can never hear. It’s not fair.
Rhaenyra’s fingers hovered over her keyboard, unmoving. How can she ever be expected to do her work when she can’t know what Alicent is doing? She imagined the firm’s hallways, the way people could be leaning too close when discussing cases, the casual intimacy of the shared stress of their cases. Someone might bring Alicent coffee. Someone might walk her to the elevator. Someone might think they were entitled to her attention just because they shared a workload.
Rhaenyra’s jaw tightens at each thought that floods her mind.
She pulled her phone out from under the desk. She stares at the device as her thumb hovers over Alicent’s name before she stops herself. Too soon. She’s supposed to be focused on work and letting Alicent focus. Consistency mattered. Alicent is supposed to come to her next, especially with the way last night played out. She will soon need Rhaenyra, and then she will come.
“Hey.”
Laena’s voice cut through the noise of her mind gently, familiar enough that Rhaenyra didn’t startle. She looked up to find her cousin leaning against her office doorframe, coffee in hand, expression open but knowing.
“So I've walked by a couple times, and you’ve just been staring at that screen for ten minutes,” Laena said with an amused smile. “Either you’re having a breakthrough on the Tyrell account, or you’re somewhere else entirely.”
Rhaenyra exhaled through her nose, chewing at her lip for a second before responding. “Somewhere else,” she sighs as her eyes shift to the clock again. Alicent would probably be in a meeting by now. Civil litigation. Long. Boring. Too much time for people to talk. Too much time for people to look at her.
Laena smiled faintly, unsurprised. She’d always been like this with her cousin and her friend, observant without being intrusive, content to let things reveal themselves in pieces. “Would the somewhere else be Alicent?”
Rhaenyra looks back at her cousin, squinting slightly, thinking of her next words. “I guess she has been on my mind some.” She says like Alicent could ever be an afterthought to her.
Laena snorts slightly. “Right. Some.”
Rhaenyra huffs slightly, looking back at her computer as Laena starts to wander around her office, lingering in front of a photo. It's an old one of Rhaenyra, Alicent, Laena, and Laenor. They are all sitting on the front steps of the Targaryen country home. Alicent is in a sundress, leaning against Rhaenyra, who is wearing a plain white shirt and jeans and is looking at her with nothing short of love. Laena is in a blouse and jean shorts, laughing at something with Laenor, who is wearing basically the same thing as Rhaenyra. The two of them were just 18 there.
“Do you need something, or are you just here to bother me?” Rhaenyra glares.
“I’m just here to bother you mostly, but also here to let you know that Mysaria is back.” Laena smirks to herself as she still pretends to be focused on the things lining Rhaenyra’s office shelves.
Mysaria. A blessing and a curse in different regards for Rhaenyra. The older woman is smart and can find out basically any piece of gossip that you want to hear, which makes her quite fun to be around, but she is a massive flirt, and if you ask Alicent, she basically lives to spite her. Though in times like this she could be an asset… Alicent’s jealousy mixed with her fear could be the cocktail that Rhaenyra has been waiting for.
“Fascinating. Why are you here to tell me that?” Rhaenyra pretends to be uninterested, making her cousin’s smirk deepen as she turns to face her.
“Oh, come off it, Rhaenrya. You and I both know how clingy Alicent gets after she gets a whiff of Mysaria being around. Haven’t you been moping for months now about whatever this “space” Alicent thinks the two of you need?”
“I am not comfortable using my coworker as a pawn in a stupid game. Alicent will come to realize this whole thing is stupid soon anyway.” Rhaenyra rolls her eyes and moves back to face the computer.
Laena hums slightly and moves to sit on the side of her desk, making her scowl deeply as she still stares at the screen, making a point not to look at her meddling cousin.
“If you don’t care about getting Alicent back by your side, you could have just said so.” Laena sighs, trying to school her face into staying serious as Rhaenyra immediately whips her head up to look at her.
“That’s… I’m not doing that.” Rhaenyra immediately spits out, sounding borderline desperate.
Laena raises an eyebrow and smiles slightly. “But you aren’t willing to do anything to get her attention back?”
The cogs in Rhaenyra’s brain begin to turn faster than they are supposed to as she thinks of all of the ways get Alicent’s full attention back that she must be missing. Her poor cousin thinks she is simply just pushing Rhaenyra to make the woman jealous, but what everyone misses is the deep unrest in Rhaenyra when it comes to Alicent.
Suddenly watching her from an apartment bought in all cast across from her complex isn’t enough. Suddenly, following her home isn’t enough. Suddenly striking fear into her heart and being the one to protect her at the same time isn’t enough. She’s been missing everything else that she could be doing. There can be more.