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Chapter Text

Jaime

The day everyone had been waiting for had arrived.

Weeks in advance, the entire Red Keep had mobilised for the return of the Silver Prince. Letters were arriving from the Riverlands announcing the arrival of the guests, the prince's chambers were being prepared, and the festivities were being planned. Even the flowers had begun to bloom as if they had forgotten about the lingering cold, something Jaime was well aware of thanks to Alyssa Rivers, who ran through the corridors each day with a larger bouquet.

He tried to keep his attention on the young girl to take his mind off the fact that Cersei was coming.

For the first few months he had thought that the most painful part of staying in King's Landing would be being away from his twin. But as the days wore on, he found it hard to remember Cersei's green eyes, even if they were an exact reflection of his own. Now only one pair of green eyes appeared in Jaime Lannister's mind's eye: framed by long eyelashes, set upon on a freckle-covered nose, sometimes hidden by a curtain of dark curls. The eyes Jaime had been waiting to meet as he stalked after the queen.

And it was those same eyes that made Jaime's stomach ache at the thought of seeing Cersei. Perhaps seeing Cersei's beauty again would make him desire her again. But the thought of being in her arms right now was not as peaceful as it used to be. Desire had given its way to anger and betrayal.

However, these feelings vanished when he saw Alyssa Rivers appearing at the end of the corridor with  crowns of flowers in her hand.

The young girl was perhaps the most delighted at the return of Rhaegar Targaryen. She was running around, fluttering the skirts of her green dress while white flowers grinned between her braids. Jaime questioned whether this was the dress she wore the night he first saw her. Maybe it could have been touched up a bit. 

The bastard girl did not neglect to turn around in front of Jaime before entering the queen's room. The smile on her face remained intact even when she arrived in the courtyard of the keep with the welcoming committee. Standing side by side with Ser Barristan Selmy in charge of the queen and the little prince, Jaime could not take his gaze off Alyssa, who was smiling all around. Even when the wagon carrying the heir prince and his family entered the courtyard, Jaime was watching not Arthur Dayne coming on horseback, but the young girl who took Prince Viserys by the hand and led him to his brother. It was an interesting scene he witnessed. First Rhaegar Targaryen got off the wagon, then Elia Martell holding his hand. Although he believed that the brunette lady who descended with the little princess in her arms to applause was Larra Blackmont, he could not be sure. He wasn't good at remembering the names of nobles, he'd always left that to Cersei. 

Perhaps he was learning to live on without her.

Rhaegar Targaryen opened his arms to embrace his younger brother as Alyssa led the younger prince towards his silver-haired brother. Jaime watched as the heir to the throne's gaze shifted to Alyssa as he lifted Prince Viserys into the air (it might have been the first time the younger prince had been held in a long time, now that he was too heavy for Alyssa's weak arms). Seeing those mauve eyes locked on Alyssa's face and the prince's smile awakened a green beast inside Jaime. Jaime Lannister of course knew that Alyssa only saw the prince as an older brother, though he was in no position to comment on that. And why did it bother him, what kind of a claim did he have on Alyssa Rivers?

As Queen Rhaella descended the steps to embrace her bride by the hem of her dark green gown, he had to remind himself why he was here. He wore this armour for the Targaryen queen's protection and safety at all times, not to watch Alyssa Rivers.

As he scrutinised the reunions taking place in front of him, he realised how crowded they were. A crown of colourful flowers adorned the queen's silver hair, while Elia Martell's red cloak had fallen from her head in the embrace, revealing her dark hair, which had been left uncovered. The two girls standing behind the princess were all too familiar, he knew they were Tyrells, but he couldn't make out their names. A little further back from the wagon, Arthur Dayne was helping his sister down. Ashara Dayne, who looked the spitting image of her brother, came on horseback unlike the other ladies. 

(Jaime couldn't help thinking that the purple-eyed girl would get along well with Alyssa).

It was a real family reunion in the courtyard, people who had not seen each other for almost a year were hugging, laughing, smothering each other with kisses. Perhaps they could have gone on longer, but a hush fell over the courtyard as Ser Jonothor Darry appeared at the top of the stairs. "His Majesty the King calls his family to his presence!"

Elia

Elia Martell had never been in Aerys Targaryen's chambers. The tension was palpable as she walked the corridors of Maegor's Holdfast with her daughter in her arms. As they square entered the fortress, the queen's and Elia's ladies were led to the queen's chambers after Alyssa Rivers. 

(During that rush, as Alyssa walked away holding Viserys' hand, Elia wasn't sure if she had actually seen the look the young girl had given the youngest member of the Kingsguard.) 

Even though she told herself that it was normal for the king to want only his family in his chambers, she couldn't get little Viserys' gaze out of her mind. The silver-haired boy was tugging at Alyssa's green skirts, trying to pull the young girl away. It took the queen bending down, kissing her son on both cheeks, holding his hands and saying something to calm the little prince. Elia did not hear what was being said, her only focus was on the flower crowns on the heads of the queen and her son. Crowns that caught Elia's eyes with their many colours in the Red Keep’s courtyard.

When they arrived at the door with Ser Gerold Hightower waiting, everyone was silent, including little Rhaenys in Elia's arms, her golden eyes not knowing where to focus.

The scene they encountered when they entered explained everything. The ruler of the Seven Kingdoms sat in a chair in the centre of the room with Owen Merryweather standing beside him. The sound of him scratching his hands with his long, filthy fingernails was all they could hear, until Ser Gerold spoke.

“His Royal Highness Prince Rhaegar and his lady-wife Princess Elia have arrived Your Majesty, along with Her Majesty the Queen.”

The Kingsguard knight closed the door behind him after Jaime Lannister and Ser Jonothor left the room. Elia took a step forward as Rhaegar placed a hand on one shoulder. The king wasn't even looking at her, purple eyes wide and locked on a spot on the floor. "Father," Rhaegar said in a gentle tone, "let me introduce my daughter, Princess Rhaenys."

Aerys Targaryen's gaze remained fixed as a smile appeared on his lips, revealing his yellowed teeth. "A girl, that's the best you can do?" Elia didn't expect her husband to reply, the queen had sent a letter to Dragonstone to warn them of the king's condition before the married couple had set off. With a quick glance, she saw the queen's face fall. Even the flowers in her silver hair looked paler in the room, where a foul odour could be heard. 

But Elia was in no mood to allow her daughter to be disrespected in this way.

"Your Majesty, will you look at her? Your granddaughter?" she took a step closer to the king and fell to her knees. The king's deep purple eyes turned first to her and then to the baby in her arms. Almost two moons have past since the little princess was born, and no matter through what difficulties she had come into this world, she was now a healthy baby, her cheeks were beginning to plump up as to show she had been well fed. The hair covering her little head was thick, just like her mother's, and her golden eyes were like the morning sun. Every time Elia looked at her daughter, she thanked the gods for giving her little girl and her life. 

As the king reached out his hand and ran his finger over the princess's cheek, Elia could hardly keep from grimacing at the stench. Her daughter remained silent, as if she understood the nature of the situation, but her golden eyes were fixed on the king. Aerys Targaryen finally withdrew his hand, the smile gone from his face. “She does not look like my son. Or anyone from my family for that matter.”

“She is your family, father, your granddaughter.”

“She smells Dornish.”

(Rhaella Targaryen stepped forward at her husband's words. She had been forcing herself to remain calm since she had entered the room, remembering how Jaime Lannister had ended up in the dungeon the last time she had rebelled against Aerys. But this was too much.

Aerys might have been king of the Seven Kingdoms, but Rhaella was his queen.

"Look at her Aerys!" 

The words came out of her mouth as she helped Elia to her feet, scolding her husband. "Look how beautiful our granddaughter is, hm?" It was Rhaella's turn to bow to the king as her daughter-in-law stood again. She took his hand in hers and forced him to look at her. Those purple eyes she hated now looked like a pit with no end. There was no light, no consciousness. 

Rhaella knew how to use that to her advantage. 

"Her hair reminds me of our grandmother, don't you agree?"

Aerys' gaze remained on Rhaella, but his smile reappeared. "Grandmother Betha? Oh, she was a true beauty."

"Was she not? I believe our granddaughter will take after her." Rhaella forced a smile).

“For her sake I hope she will.” 

Elia crouched beside her husband, wanting to believe that she could express her gratitude to the queen with a smile. If she failed, she would express her gratitude at the first opportunity. As the queen continued to hold her husband's hand without a word, she locked eyes with her son, and then Rhaegar took Elia by the waist and led her to the door.

There was no need for them to remain in this room any longer.

Alyssa

“I wish to hold her.”

Alyssa stood at the end of the cradle and Rhaegar stood beside her. The young girl smiled at her brother, then turned to the sleeping princess. "And wake her? I never took you for a cruel man." 

The Silver Prince smiled at his sister's words and stepped lightly from where he stood and came up behind the young girl, wrapping his arms around her. "Then I shall hold you, little sister." He placed a kiss on Alyssa's dark curls braided with flowers and then one on her cheek. 

Alyssa had missed this, feeling safe in someone's arms.

Rhaegar placed his head on her shoulder as she brought one of his hands to her lips. “Now tell me, dear sister, how has life treated you, while I was away?”

The young girl let go of Rhaegar's hand and fixed her gaze on the little princess. It was a difficult question to answer. The time prince had spent in Dragonstone had been uneventful for her. But her heart had not found much peace during that time. The pain of those around her hurt her many times more, causing her to shed tears.

It breaks my heart to see you cry.

When a certain knight's words warmed her cheeks, she released herself from her brother’s arms and headed for the balcony overlooking the garden, Rhaegar following. “I assume not very well, from the way you run from me.” 

“You need not to worry about me brother.”

“Should I worry about someone else?” 

While the warm winds blew her curls, Alyssa stubbornly kept her gaze on the garden. The flowers that started to bloom again, the grass that looked greener, the red pillars... She would rather look everywhere except her brother's eyes. Because when she met those lilac eyes, she knew she could not hide the truth. Rhaegar must have realised this too, for he grasped Alyssa's chin and turned her towards him. Although his touch was so light, she could not withdraw her gaze. "Alyssa," he repeated himself. The sunset coloured the sky and reflected in Rhaegar's silver hair, bringing out the blonde tones.

“Your father… has only gotten worse since you left. He listens no one.”

Rhaegar bowed his head as if expecting this answer, and this time he watched the garden as Alyssa continued. “He often calls your mother to his chambers, in the middle of the night, and she always comes backs with more bruises. And when someone tries to interfere, he-“ 

It was painful to remember Jaime Lannister in that dungeon, how his golden hair shone in the candlelight, how he had to lean against that wall for hours.

(She had not forgotten the hours she had placed her head on the young knight's shoulder that night, but she did not yet know how to tell Rhaegar about it.)

Rhaegar's hands were balled into fists on the railing, and Alyssa grasped both of her brother's hands when she noticed the whitening knuckles. She knew she had upset him, and cursed herself for it, but Rhaegar was the only one who could do anything. Aerys' eldest son, his only heir, the only one he could listen to.

“And now he started summoning Viserys. He keeps him in his chambers for hours at end. Ser Barristan assures me he never lays a hand on him, but-“

Rhaegar turned to her with a sudden movement, and instead of flinching, Alyssa brought her face closer to his. She could no longer bear to speak aloud. “The first time he came back, he cried his eyes out in my arms. He does not say what happens when he is by his father’s side, not even to me. The more time he spends with him, the more he becomes distressed.”

“He loves Viserys, Aly, it is the only fucking thing we can trust.”

“He loved your mother once, and look at her now!” 

Alyssa hadn't meant to shout, not at Rhaegar. But she couldn't take it anymore, couldn't take everyone she loved suffering because of one man. 

Without saying anything, Rhaegar took Alyssa in his arms again and placed her head under his chin. He was offering Alyssa an opportunity to hide her tears, and the young girl was going to take it.

Until she heard the sound of crying.

Thinking that Rhaenys had woken up and started to cry, she slipped out of his brother's arms and entered the room, but the little princess was asleep in her crib with her arms spread wide. “Alyssa?”

Ignoring Rhaegar's call, she began to pace the room, still hearing the sound of his muffled crying. "Is something wrong?"

"Don't you hear it?" her gaze fell on the bed, or rather, under the bed. Alyssa bent down in front of the bed as her brother tried to figure out what she was doing, she didn't know what she expected to find, but something told her that this was where the crying was coming from. 

But under the bed was empty.

"What was that?"

"I thought I heard something- under your bed." Alyssa's heart began to grow restless again as Rhaegar helped her up and straightened her skirt.

She truly had thought someone was crying under Rhaegar’s bed.