章節 5: An innocent little Lady
When Jaehaeron entered Jaehaerys' chambers with Rhaenyra and Alicent on each arm, the Old King could not help but let out a small chuckle that exasperated his great-grandson.
"Hello grandfather!" Rhaenyra greeted with a lot more enthusiasm than the King had expected.
His great-granddaughter had started calling him 'grandfather' since Baelon's death. It made him both younger and sad.
"Hello, Rhaenyra." He greeted back with a smile before looking at the only young lady he did not know. "And who might you be, young one?"
Alicent gently let go of Jon's arm, and bowed perfectly.
"My name is Alicent Hightower of Oldtown, your Grace. I'm honored to meet you."
To the children's mutual surprise, Jaehaerys did not answer, his eyes widened and his breath grew heavier. The six year old young lady felt her heart beat in her chest.
"Pardon me." The Old King murmured as he covered his face with his hand to hide his tears. "What did you say your name was, young one?"
"A-Alicent Hightower, Your Grace."
The pain… the tears, the memories of his disputes with his wife, everything came back to hit him without so much as a warning, had he been a lesser man, Jaehaerys Targaryen would have been killed by sorrow in the second.
"Pardon me."He repeated while he fought to swallow his tears back. "My young lady, your voice is identical to my daughter's, Saera. Hearing it again, after so many years, reopened old wounds."
Alicent looked appalled by this information and almost threw herself to the ground as she bowed to apologize.
"I'm so, sorry… I…"
"No!" Jaehaerys almost screamed as he felt his heart being teared out once again. "No don't apologize Saer… Young Lady. It is not your fault, and it is I who apologizes… Seven… Saera, I am so… sorry."
As the King was crying in his hand, Rhaenyra and immediately let go of Jon's arm to rescue her grandfather with a hug, just like her mother was doing every time she was crying. Jaehaeron smiled when he saw Jaehaerys' old arms lock around his cousin's back and went to join them to double her efforts. The sixty-nine year old ruler felt his sorrow and pain being supported by the tiny bodies of his great-grandchildren, he would have moved out of their embrace had he been six years younger and strong enough to endure. But he was not Jaehaerys the Wise anymore, he was Jaehaerys the Old King, the Father who had lost eleven children, a sister, two brothers, his parents, his best friend and the love of his life. He was exhausted and dying, his only joy and last reason to live one more day were his last children, the only children he could spend time with.
The moment lasted around half a dozen minutes, then the old man finally let go of the prince and the princess.
"Thank you little ones." He whispered as he rubbed his tears off his eyes. "I apologize for this."
"There is nothing to apologize for, grandfather." Jaehaeron comforted him. "What did you call us for?"
Jaehaerys smiled, he knew he had only called for Jon, and he also knew that his great-grandson had the same unfortunate tendency, as he himself had, to bury personal matters under a pile of work. No matter how many times Jaehaerys had warned him about the consequences of such actions, Jon was Jon.
"I just wanted to spend some time with you, my dears." He half-lied. "Tell me, what did you do today?"
The next moments were embarrassing for Alicent, for she had to stay in a room, next to the royal family, where her presence was clearly not required. She waited in silence, as the Prince and the Princess spent the next twenty minutes or so conversing with their great-grandfather. She was terrified of opening her mouth, for she feared her voice would hurt the King again, oh! What would her father say if he were to learn what she had done? She had ran away from her room and made the King cry! She will be punished, she knew that by now.
She was stunned when Rhaenyra openly talked about the way Septa Marlow had spoken of Prince Jaehaeron's mother, and even more so when she gave accurate details about the way same prince had hid them both behind Ser Harrold's cape. Jaehaerys chuckled and lovingly rubbed both of their heads, Alicent noticed that a sad look had appeared on his face the moment he rubbed Jon's dark curls, perhaps he regretted that Viserys' only heir did not have Valyrian's silver hair? Or perhaps he remembered the late Lyanna Stark? She was unable to tell.
She was very impressed by the amount of duties and studies the Prince had taken, then, she chastised herself for being surprised.
Of course he would be so brilliant, he was a prince! The Heir to the Iron Throne until a son was given to Queen Aemma! King Jaehaerys already considered him his heir given how attentive he was.
Alicent wondered if she was standing in front of the next great Royal Couple when she was looking at Jaehaeron and Rhaenyra.
They seemed very close, and judging by the way the Prince protected his cousin from her Septa - no matter how inappropriate that behavior was- they were thick as thieves.
She was hypnotized by the scene as she could have been by a thrilling fairy tale, so much so that half an hour had passed without her noticing.
Jaehaerys was unfortunately too old and too tired to endure Rhaenyra's overwhelming energy, Jon had tried to have her calm down a bit but the Old King stoped him from doing so. He wanted to appreciate his great-granddaughter's presence as much as possible, no matter how tiring she was.
After a while though, it was obvious he was too exhausted to properly listen to the children, and his handmaiden rushed to ask him to lay back in his bed. Jaehaerys did so reluctantly, but he did kiss the forehead of both the prince and the princess before he complied.
"It appears that my strengths are betraying me yet once again." He sighed as the handmaiden was replacing his pillow behind his head. "I'm sorry children, I wished I could have more time to spend with you…"
"It's alright Grandfather!" Rhaenyra declared, oblivious to the true meaning of her King's words. "Next time I'll visit, I'll be flying on Syrax! You will see us through your window!"
A weak smile appeared on his wrinkled face. How he wished he had enough time to see this.
"I cannot wait, my dear." He murmured before laying his tired eyes on his great-grandson. "Jon? Spend some time with your cousin for the rest of the day, I'll rest easy knowing you two are together."
"I will grandfather." The Prince bowed before looking at Alicent. "But…"
"Leave the little Lady to me." He smiled to said lady's surprise. "I have something I wish to ask of her."
If Jon was surprised, he did not show it… nor did he have time to do so since Rhaenyra immediately dragged him away from the chamber, babbling about playing "Aegon and Rhaena", something that brought yet another sad look on the King's wrinkled face.
Jaehaerys asked his handmaiden for a moment between him and the six year old lady that had been nervously standing for almost forty minutes next to his bed. The young woman bowed and left them alone. Alicent felt her hands shaking.
"Tell me, my dear," he whispered, "you are my Hand's daughter, are you not?"
"I… I am… Your Grace…"
"And how did you come to meet my great-grandson, the Prince?"
"I… My father had left me in my chambers… but I was bored and wanted a book from the library. I asked Prince Jaehaeron for help without knowing who he was… Please, Your Grace! I beg you. Don't tell my father I went out without his permission! He is going to be so angry at me."
Jaehaerys raised a peaceful hand in order to calm his guest, Alicent felt herself growing more nervous by the minute.
"Please, do not beg… my dear. I'll let your Father know how delighted Jon and Rhaenyra were to meet you, and I'll tell Jon to give you a proper tour of the Red Keep by the morrow, I'm sure Otto will understand and will not be angry at you."
Alicent breathed out a sigh of relief and wiped away some tears that had started to shine in her eyes.
"Child, please come closer, my eyes are not as good as they used to."
She walked to the side of the bed, and suddenly felt the Old King's purple eyes fall on her face. A short moment passed before he heaved a long sigh.
She looked nothing like his daughter, yet, she sounded exactly the same. Truth be told, he did not even remember what Saera had looked like when she had been Alicent's age. Whenever he tried to remember, he only saw Rhaenyra. Could he have truly neglected his duties as a father to the point where he could not remember what his daughter had looked like? He remembered Aemon, Baelon, Daenerys and Alyssa… How could he not remember Saera?
He only remembered her voice, the voice of her childhood. And her pleas… Gods… Her pleas…
"Your Grace?"
"Do you enjoy reading, Lady Alicent?" He asked, hiding his feelings and shame as deep as he could.
"I-I do, Your Grace."
"Good… As I told you; my eyes are not as reliable as they used to. I cannot read very well, nor do I have the strength to do so. I need someone to read for me… would you do me this favor, my lady?"
Alicent could not believe her ears; the King, Jaehaerys the Wise, had asked her to read for him. Her Father and her mother would be so proud of her!
"I… Of course Your Grace! It would be an honor! What books would you like me to read?!"
Jaehaerys smiled at her enthusiasm and took a moment to think.
"Jon told me an interesting tale about a man named Bael the Bard. I wonder if there is a book about him in the library… If you don't find one, the any book about the North or what lies beyond the Wall would do. It is a subject that my great-grandson and I find fascinating."
Alicent was actually surprised by her King's wish, but she did not make any comment, she actually hoped Prince Jon would like to talk about such a subject with her.
"I will look for such books, Your Grace, I promise."
"Good." Jaehaerys whispered, satisfied, "Thank you my dear… Thank you."
He was about to add something when someone knocked at his door.
"Your Grace." Ser Clement called from the door. "The Hand is here to see you."
Alicent immediately felt fear seize her heart, her heartbeat rose dangerously, so much so that she started to breath heavily.
Jaehaerys saw this, he called upon whatever strength he had left and rose from his pillow to put a comforting hand on the child's shoulder. He looked at her in the eyes to reassure her with his presence, and once he was certain she was relieved, he answered:
"Let him in."
Needless to say Otto Hightower spotted his daughter before he spotted his King's hand on her shoulder, Jaehaerys noticed how tense he looked as he bowed.
"Your Grace, I'm sorry to interrupt your rest, I have been looking for my daughter for quite some time now. I hope she behaved properly in your presence and did not bother you."
"There is no need to worry, Otto, your daughter's manners are excellent, and her company has been a pleasure. Jon and Rhaenyra are delighted to have met such a fine lady. I, myself, have found the little lady full of surprises. So much so that I have asked her to read for me to compensate for my declining sight. If you allow it, of course."
Otto remained emotionless as he bowed.
"Of course, your Grace. Now if you will excuse me, my wife is very worried about Alicent's sudden disappearance."
Said Alicent felt her cheeks burn with shame for she knew she had behaved poorly, but King Jaehaerys' smile was still very comforting.
"Make sure she does not go to bed too late tonight, after all, Jaehaeron promised to give her a tour of the Red Keep in the morning, and Rhaenyra looked very hasty to play with her new friend."
It was almost imperceptible, yet, the Old King saw his hand's mouth twitch into what could have passed for a grin, pride appeared into the man's eyes.
"I will, your Grace."
"Good." Jaehaerys looked at Alicent. "It was a pleasure to meet you, little one."
"Thank you, your Grace." She replied with a perfect bow and a bright smile. "I promise, I will find the perfect book."
"I know you will, my dear." Jaehaerys answered while holding back some tears.
Otto grabbed his daughter by the hand, thanked his King for his time and said his goodbyes before gently leading Alicent out of the room.
No words were exchanged between father and daughter as they walked to the Hand's personnel quarters, yet, the little lady knew that he was pleased since he was holding her hand gently.
When they entered the room she had left before meeting Jon, Otto knelt to her level as soon as the door was closed behind them.
"Why did you leave when I specifically told you not to?"
His voice was firm, but not angry.
"I-I just wanted a book to pass time." Alicent confessed with shame. "I asked Prince Jaehaeron for directions and we met Princess Rhaenyra on our way to the library, and…"
"Calm down, my dear, I am not angry at you. I should have left a guard behind to look after you and show you around. You do not need to worry, your disobedience is forgiven."
"I-It is?"
Alicent could not believe her ears.
"Exceptionally." Otto confirmed with a nod. "Since you have approached the Royal Family so well on your first day at Court, I believe this calls for a reward. Now tell me, what do you think of the Targaryens you have met today?"
The little Lady blushed as she remembered Jon's courtesy and helpfulness.
"Well… Prince Jaehaeron is… so charming, and so smart, and he is learning so many things. I'm sure he will be a great King."
"A great King needs a good Queen." Otto murmured. "And as things are now, it appears that Prince Viserys will more than likely marry his daughter to his nephew should his wife reveal herself unable to produce an heir."
Alicent could not say why, but that prospect did not sit well with her.
"Unless of course… Prince Jaehaeron were to choose another lady for his wife, a proper lady, kind, wise and learned."
As he spoke he stroked the locks of his daughter's hair, and looked at her in the eyes.
"But if this lady dares to dream of a perfect future, she must work very hard for it, do you understand?"
"I do… Father." She replied without knowing what she was saying.
"I hope you do, now, tell me about the Princess Rhaenyra. According to the handmaidens and septas, our princess does not behave as a Queen should."
Alicent answered her father's questions faithfully, even though she was unable to understand the true meaning of those questions. All she cared about was pleasing her father, in order for the latter to advise her on the best way to approach Prince Jaehaeron tomorrow. Perhaps he would go as far as to have a new dress made for her? Would the Prince like it? Oh! And she needed to go to the library as quickly as possible! King Jaehaerys was expecting her to read a book for him tomorrow! And he did say that Prince Jaehaeron loved tales about the North and the lands beyond the Wall! Perhaps she could find more books on the subject to share with the Prince, she was so sure he would love it, and he would smile at her again! He was so charming!
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