Chapter Text
It happend during that cursed family dinner Viserys wanted so bad.
Halfway through the awkward silence, filled with nothing but chewing, clinging, gulping, and annoyed sighing, Viserys suddenly cleared his throat, and with a tight smile, announced to his family:
"Since you all refuse to get along, and impulsively seek to destroy the future of our house... I will propose a marriage to end this useless arguing once and for all."
Rhaenyra paused, eyes widening as she looked at her father like he was about to make things worse. Knowing him... he probably was. And knowing his marriage ideas...
And everyone knew it too.
Daemon frowned and glared at him, expecting the worse, while Alicent inhaled and shut her eyes as though praying. Nobody wants to be made to marry anyone... especially not with tensions this high.
"A traditional marriage of four. One of each secondary gender... in the tradition of old Valeria."
Everyone looked around the table, eyes angry, hateful, unsure, some even fearful. There's no shortage of Beta's, Alphas, and Omegas. But the fourth, and considered the rarest gender of all, Deltas..? There's only two of those...
Rhaenyra, and her oldest son, Jace.
She and her son shared a look of horror, unsure of which of them would be the victim of Viserys' gambling this time.
"Viserys." Daemon started tightly "Rhaenyra-"
"Is already named heir." Viserys cut him off "I want to ensure the next generation is acounted for." Oh...
Which means one, horrific thing... it will be Jace. And that would mean he'd marry Alicents children. 3 of them? 2 of them and one of his?!
Rhaenyra inhaled sharply and stood up "Father! I will not-"
"SILENCE!" Viserys scolded her "I've had enough of all of you acting like duty is beneath you!" That stung... and as happy as Alicent was to hear those words directed at the spoiled princess...
She shook her head next "You can't possibly expect any of my children to marry those-"
"Those what?" Jace shot her a glare, daring her to continue.
"You will mind your tone when you speak to my mother." Aegon pointed his fork at him, as if Jace was ever afraid of that so called "alpha". He's a drunken knothead at best...
"My sons-" Viserys started firmly "-Aemon and Aegon... will marry my grandsons, Jacaerys and Lucerys. And I will have no-"
"FATHER!"
"VISERYS!"
"THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS!"
"YOU CAN'T!"
"I SAID QUITE!" He silenced their loud objections "You WILL abide by it! I will have no more of your whining! It's time you all put your petty fighting behind you and stepped up!"
"This is RIDICULOUS Viserys!" Alicent exclaimed unhappily. As if it wasn't enough that they had to act as though Rhaenyra's sons are legitimate, they now have to marry their own to them?!
"You will have us plant true Targaryen seeds in the wombs of..." Aemond shut his mouth before that word left it, snarling and glaring at his uncle Daemon, who was giving him a smug look. 'I dare you' it said to him without words. But Aemond knew better than to challenged his uncle.
Jace inhaled and exhaled deeply, glaring straight at the one eyed man, while Luke reached to hold his mother's hand tightly in fear. What will an Alpha like Aegon do to him and his little brother...? And what kind of care can a Beta like Aemond even offer, if any? They'd be made baby making mares and them neglected.
"The wedding is within a week." Viserys said with finality as he stood up, not even giving a chance for anyone to argue.
Sadly, the only one with the guts to stand against him, Daemon, didn't seem too worried. His and Rhaenyra's throne is all but secured with a marriage like that... those children will have to bite their tongues and go through with it. All he has to do is ensure Rhaenyra doesn't ruin it for him, sway her to agree. And the line would continue through Jace's womb, should the Delta have kids.
Speak of her, just before Viserys reached the door, she turned to him abruptly and tried pleading their case "Father, please!" Her voice was now desperate, echoing what was going through her children's and her half siblings' minds.
For once, the greens didn't send her hateful looks or annoyed side glances. They instead watched Viserys in hopes that his love for her will this time save them from their fates.
The king turned and smiled softly at her "This is for you, Rhaenyra... you will see."
"FOR HER?!" Alicent slammed her hands on the table and stood up as well "What about your other children-"
"It's for them too!" Viserys huffed at her and finally left the room, ending their conversation before it even started.
Everyone went quite, looking around at eachother, inspite of their rivalry, all equally outraged by the decision.
Jace's shoulders dropped, and he looked down at little Luke, an Omega too young to even bear children. He has had his first heat as soon as he turned 14. Then again... he only turned 14 a month ago. Still, 14 is much too young in Jace's mind.
"I won't do it." Aegon shook his head "I refuse! Mother!" He looked at Alicent with wide eyes "I won't!" As if she can do anything about it.
"...." Alicent's own wide eyes glanced at Rhaenyra, sharing a single moment of understanding between them, before the princess stood up and fast walked towards the hightower queen, grabbing her hand, and pulling her along out of the room, no doubt after Viserys to try and change his mind.
Daemon scoffed and rolled his eyes "You want to play politics...? Deal with the consequences of 'duty'..." He mocked the green children, before leaving as well.
Helaena smiled softly, seemingly out of nowhere, and excitedly said "There will be beasts at the wedding!"
Aemond shot her a glare, then stromed out without another word, his brother Aegon soon following after him in a haste...
"I SAID I WILL HAVE NO MORE OF YOU-!" Viserys went into a harsh coughing fit, which prompted the grandmaesters to show the queen and princess out of his room, leaving the two women staring at the door in a heavy silence.
Alicent slowly looked at Rhaenyra, who's bottom lip was quivering, eyes welling with tears. She can almost invision the younger version of her, crying when Viserys said he chose her best friend to wed.
Alicent quickly looked away, heart heavy with a mix of anger, bitter spite, sadness, and yearning for a lost friend. She contemplated for a while, before deciding in a moment of vulnerability to reach sideways and grab her childhood friend's hand "They won't hurt eachother... we will make sure of it." They already know Viserys won't change his mind... it's time to make due with what they have.
"It's not happening." Rhaenyra said firmly and snatched her hand away, shooting Alicent a glare "Duty or not, I won't marry my children to yours." She shook her head and turned to leave.
"Once again, you flee from duty, Rhaenyra!" Alicent exclaimed with a desperation. A desperation to for once be understood by her friend. To be SEEN by her. Not as a scheming bitch, but as the VICTIM she too was! Victim to her own duty! To her own family! And person who actually respects tradition and law!
But the princess turned to her with a deep rooted disappointment "If duty wishes to cut the wings off its bearers, it was never worth the weight. You may be happy to live as a means to an end, Alicent but I am not! And I will not allow my children to be!" She finally stormed off, leaving behind what their conversation COULD have become... a gateway to new beginnings.
All Alicent could see was... a child. A spoiled child. So set in her own ways... so desperate to have control over her life. So desperate to not kneel to what she must do in order to ensure peace. But Alicent is convinced that she herself knows what's best. She KNOWS that sometimes, love and choice isn't always the best decision. She can show Rhaenyra the way... she KNOWS she can. Because she has to.
Alicent is a spinless, scared little lamb. That's all Rhaenyra saw.
Rhaenyra can't say she blamed her... look who raised her. Then again... how can she ever have respect for a woman with no control over her own life?! Duty?! That's all she cares about?! Where's the freedom of choice?! Where's self respect?! Where's a strong will to stand up for oneself and children?! Or is she simply a pawn for the people around her to command as they pleased?!
She won't have her little boys marry those demons! A drunken Alpha that molested half the damn castle, and a cruel, cold Beta that barely looks after his own family! This is a JOKE! She WILL stand for her children! She won't force them into something like this! EVER! Because she can't live to see it otherwise!
Upon reaching her room, she found her family already together, with Baela wiping Luce's tears, and Jace pacing around while biting his fingernails. Look what's become of them... over a single marriage!
When they saw her, they all straightened up with hope, while she rushed to hold her crying omega baby "I will change his mind." She said with finality "I won't let it happen... never... not to you." It was a promise. One that would, unbeknownst to her, would end up shattered.
"You WILL? you haven't yet?!" Jace exclaimed "We can't let Luce marry those monsters!" Rhaenyra didn't comment that Jace wasn't worried about himself. She knows he cares more about his little brother.
"Alicent wants it..." Rhaenyra scoffed "Gods know what she has planned this time..." she mumbled and pet Luce's hair.
"Whatever the case, we will make sure it never happens." Baela said firmly.
"In a week...?" Rhaena mumbled.
Yeah... in a week.
They all shared looks, deadset on stopping this ridiculous idea, before it comes true and truly ruins their lives.
"He wants us to put children in the wombs of bastards!" Aemond exclaimed, voice dripping with venom and rage.
"This could be a gift in disguise... Luke and Jace both have wombs, yes. But that only means we can ensure the succession of our bloodline through you fathering their children." Alicent tried to convince her sons, neither of which looked convinced.
Aegon straight up scoffed and chuckled at her "The line of succession? The one my father already decided would go through that whore and her illegitimate kids?!"
"Secondary genders never mattered as much as the first. Regardless of which of us bears the bastard bloods, the line will continue through Jacarys." Aemond growled.
"What does it matter?! They'd be your kids too by then!" Alicent tried to argue some sense into her son.
"And then we'd only have to kill our husbands to get ourselves on the damn throne! Making one look like an accident would be simple enough, but both?!" Aemons slammed his hand on the bed rest where he stood near it.
Alicent... didn't know how to even react. She stared at him with wide eyes mouth agape. Has she failed them this hard...? That their first thought would be to murder their own spouses?
"... Deltas are... a rarity... Aemond. One is seen every 10 years. We were lucky to witness two born, and you'd be luckier to marry one-"
"A bastard." Aemond said simply "An illegitimate, spoiled bastard! I don't care if he was Visenya herself born again! He's not a TARGARYAN!"
Aegon sighed heavily "The idea will never stick anyway..." he waved them off and stood up "If you need me, I'll be drunk." He smiled widely and left the room as if none of this was even real. Completely delusional...
"...I'll see you at the wedding then..." Aemond glared at her knowingly, disgusted that she genuinely wanted this sham of a marriage to happen at all.
Alicent sighed and looked out the window. What can she even do at this point...?