( ACT I; the calm before the storm. )
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chapter 2: rising tensions.

AT the rough grip of two members of the king's guard, Rhaela and Aemond are dragged to their mother's chambers after the incident in the bowels of the dragonpit. The both of them were dirty and disheveled from their frightening encounter with Dreamfyre, soot marring their skin and their hair frizzy. Rhaela's arm still ached where the metal plating of the knight's grip had dug into her soft, that of which she rubbed with discontempt as their mother turned her attention toward.

"By the Seven, what have you two been doing?" Alicent exclaimed, almost hissed, at her two children.

"He's done it again," Helaena remarked absentmindedly where she sat working away on small piece of needlework.

Their mother had always been quick to anger, to make sure they knew when they'd done wrong. She was more likely to acknowledge their short falls than anything. Especially since this wasn't the first time Aemond had wondered into the dragonpit unsupervised with Rhaela chasing after him.

"We found them fleeing from the deep of the dragonpit," the King's Guard told the queen dutifully.

"They gave him a sow with wings!" Rhaela exclaimed in defense of she and her brother. She slumped down onto one of the cushioned chairs in front of her mother, crossing her arms defensively.

Alicent looked to Aemond for an explanation, anger flaring in her brown eyes. He rubbed some soot away from his face before saying, "They said they were doing me a favor. Since I don't have a dragon."

"Who is they?" Alicent demanded to know, a bit of her own wounded ego seemingly lacing her words. She leaned forward toward her children as if ready to pounce. But not on them.

"Aegon, Lucerys, and Jaecerys," Rhaela told her mother, outing her brother and her nephews.

Waving off the guard, Alicent sighed. "Oh come here my boy," she murmured with a change of tone, one more soothing and gentle. Aemond listened, coming to sit beside his mother on the cushioned couch. She wrapped her arm around him, pulling him close.

"I will deal with your brother and nephews accordingly," she promised, flattening Aemond's frizzled hair with her hand as he leaned in her embrace. She looked to Rhaela. "I promise, the both of you will have dragons one day."

"He must close an eye," Helaena said cryptically, something she'd said before. "She must choose bronze over gold--,"

"The old and the bold," Rhaela muttered the rest of her sister's prophetic sentence. She'd heard it a million times since it had made its way into one of her strange dreams. Her elder sister often was saying things that were arguably strange.

"Promise me you two will not go into the dragonpit unsupervised again," their mother said, looking between them both. "I don't want to have you dragged to my chambers covered and soot and toeing the line with death by dragon fire."

"We won't," they both said in staggered unison.

Rhaela had only ever went down there because Aemond did. Some part of her knew that none of the dragons lurking there were meant for her. She felt it somewhere deep inside anytime she thought of the place. Whatever dragon she was meant to claim was not in King's Landing.

♜

HAVING always been told she held no place in the activities of men, Rhaela's defiant nature often outweighed the standards of society.

As much as her mother held disdain for her interest in swordplay, the princess didn't care. Any opportunity she found to join her brothers and nephews Rhaela was present. Acquiring boys clothing had been easy enough, with Aemond more than willing to share his own in order to allow Rhaela to move freely without the restrictions of a dress.

The weight of being a girl wielding a sword did not rest solely on Rhaela's shoulders. Her niece Aemera often joined the same training sessions, albeit with more support from her mother. Rhaela's sister had always seemed more open minded to the wants of her children, unlike the Alicent, leaving the youngest daughter of the queen earning the passive but aggressive quips from her mother anytime she return to the royal apartments sweaty and dirty after an occasion of sword practice.

Luckily on this day her father was present. Seated on a dais above the training yard, Viserys gave a warm and encouraging grin to his youngest daughter where she stood on the partially muddy ground, training sword grasped firmly in her hands.

She returned her father's support with an ecstatic grin, excited to begin her sparring lesson against Luc. Her nephew held an excited expression as well. They were a somewhat fair match, except it would have made more sense to place the two girls against each other.

Instead, a cross the yard, Ser Criston Cole had pitted Aegon against Aemera. The height difference was enough difference without the consideration of age, something Rhaela had noticed as soon as the knight had formed the pairings. It was quite unfair, in fact.

Nonetheless, Rhaela commenced into a simple and slow exchange of movements against her brown haired nephew as the other children carried on in their own pairings. With every look that the princess could spare, she shot her violet eyes toward her niece that seemed to be struggling against Aegon.

A few more well placed exchanges between Rhaela and Lucerys drew her attention back to the now, where they were sparring well. Excitement built in her chest as she thought of her father watching from above and how proud he must be to see her. His promises of her seeing her to knighthood one day spurred more effort out of her.

Yet, a sudden sound of a body meeting the squelching mud caused Luc and Rhaela to pause simultaneously, their training swords lowering to their sides.

Aemera was on the ground, Aegon's sword tip thrust into her face. The look of rage on her nieces face ignited her own anger, knowing how often she herself had been caught in her brother's cruel display of power.

Ser Criston paced around them, his hands clasped behind his back. Ser Harwin Strong, who had also been instructing them on their practice, rushed over to pull the princess to her feet.

"The training yard is no place for you," the knight stated cruelly to the Velaryon girl, looking down at the pinned Aemera with disdain as she was pulled to her feet by Ser Harwin, who checked to make sure she was alright.

Rhaela found herself looking to her father where he sat, so feeble looking and tired, not saying a word as he watched. She flared with more anger as she moved to make her way over the yard to where her niece and Ser Harwin stood.

"That was an unfair match," Ser Harwin growled at Ser Criston. "The princess's should have been sparring together."

Ser Criston, seemingly uninterested in acknowledging the truth in his words, motions for Aegon and Jace to begin a match against each other. As they come together, Rhaela goes to meet her niece.

"Are you alright?" she asked quietly, noting the mud that now crusted her clothing.

Aemera appeared as angry as Rhaela felt, her fist tightening around the grip on her training sword. "I'm fine," she muttered in anger over what had just occurred, and the two stood together to witness the match between Jace and Aegon that was beginning to unfold.

Already, Rhaela could tell that it was still an unfair match. Aegon was still far older than Jace, taller too, with years on his senior to have practiced in comparison to Jace's novice expertise. The exchanges between the two were mostly defensive maneuvers by Jace against Aegon's harsh swings and Rhaela found herself wincing with each swing. Ser Criston was made advantages remarks toward Aegon on where to strike, making it more difficult for Jace to hold his own.

Her gaze shifted toward Aemond, who stood nearby and held a smug expression as he watched, sword tip sunken into the mud like a cane. Rhaela wanted to wander over and scold him for being unfair when the obvious nature of the practice session had shifted into something violent and tense, but the abrupt end of Jace and Aegon's match quickly drew her attention back to the action.

Jace now on his back in the mud, bracing against the cruel and unjust swatting by Aegon caused everyone to leap into action, except Cole. Rhaela rushed over, screaming at her brother to stop, but the sudden movement at her side caused her to step back as Aemera plowed Aegon through the side and down onto the mud.

"You--" Aegon began to roar, forcing himself to his feet to assault Aemera where she stood in defense of her brother, but Rhaela was there between them.

Aegon and Rhaela glared each other down as Ser Harwin was one again pulling one of Rhaenyra's children to their feet after an unfair match. She remained stead fast as she looked at her taller brother, his disheveled appearance mixed with his rage typically more than enough to unsettle her. Yet, the cruel comments from Ser Criston, the unfair pairings and the blatant attacks were visible enough for even a blind man to see.

Rhaela was enraged.

"Assault them in such a way again and you should find my blade in your face," she growled lowly at her brother. His heavy breath billowed in her face, his violet eyes wild with rage.

"Little Rhaela is all tough now I see--" Aegon began to utter, his arm raising as if to strike his own sister, but the hand of Aemond, surprisingly, drew her away.

"You're teaching cruelty against a disadvantaged opponent," Ser Harwin spat at Cole, no longer holding his tongue it seems.

"I am here to serve the princes in their training," he replied simply. Rhaela noted his lack of the word princess's instantly.

"You are teaching them dishonorably," Ser Harwin seemed to say as a closing remark as he turned to once again check on Jace, who was wiping tears from his reddened cheeks.

"You take a particular interest in the Princess Rhaenyra's children," Cole goaded almost casually, earning the burning gaze of Ser Harwin once again. A slight smirk laced his lips. "Almost in the way a father would for his sons and daughter."

Enraged at the insinuation, Ser Harwin swings an armored glove directly into Ser Criston's face. Rhaela jumps at the sudden attack, eyes wide as she watches one knight beat mercilessly into the other.

Finally, after so much has already occured, her father finally speaks up.

Aemera tugs on Rhaela's elbow, drawing them away as the spectacle carries on for almost a moment too long.

"Stop this at once!" Viserys bellowed into the training yard, a voice that did not quite match his feeble body. Soon, King's Guards were moving to pull away Ser Harwin, the man of the City Watch still enraged. Cole did not go to move, instead spitting blood and letting loose a taunting laugh.

Rhaela moved from Aemera's side to put away her training sword on the rack as Ser Harwin is led out of the area, her heart fluttering. It was obviously time for training to be over. Aemond was soon as her side, the same smug expression on his face.

"Why are you so sour?" He asked in almost a taunting way. Similar to the behavior that Cole was displaying only moments ago.

"You see nothing wrong with what just happened"? She challenged him. "His insinuation? His declaration that Aemera doesn't belong here?" Aemond rolled her eyes, but she continued after shoving him slightly in annoyance. "If he is insinuating she does not belong here, then what might he think of me?"

That point of her argument did seem to strike a chord with Aemond. That she doesn't belong. But he shook his head, waving in dismissal. "Just ignore it, Rhae."

He left her side, leaving her alone at the sword rack to fume on all she'd just witnessed.

♜

A few weeks pass since the instance of the training yard, Rhaela choosing to still practice at the instruction of Ser Criston despite the growing disdain she felt for the knight. She even

Even as she ran through the private royal gardens of the Red Keep, chasing after Luc and Aemera, she still felt a twinge of anger anytime she spotted Cole standing his post guarding her. He wasn't there for her nephew or niece. No, he was there by the instruction of her mother. To be there anytime she wasn't with her or her father. More often than not, she played with them if her mother was otherwise preoccupied.

Rounding a rose bush, Rhaela reeled to a stop when she spotted her mother standing with Ser Criston where he'd been standing post near the entrance to the garden exit. Begrudgingly, she made her way over to greet her mother.

"Let us have a discussion," Alicent said to Rhaela by way of greeting. No pleasantries for seeing her daughter for the first time that time.

The young princess' heart fluttered, knowing that it could mean anything good. Had Cold ratted her out for playing with her niece and nephew? They'd disappeared further in the gardens. Hopefully they didn't double back to face the scrutiny of Rhaela's mother for their mere existence.

Following her mother to take a seat on a stone bench below the shade of a tree, Rhaela wondered what the conversation would be. She rarely held casual conversation with her mother.

"I've already spoken to your brothers about this," Alicent began. "We must discuss the relationship between you and your sister's children."

Rhaela cocked a brow in confusion. "What of it? We only play. We don't find ourselves in trouble."

"I know, that is not what I mean," Alicent sighed. "Holding a relationship with them could be dangerous for you. As you know that Jace is to inherent the iron throne upon the death of your father."

A reality she didn't like acknowledging. Not that she believed Jace would not one day be a good king, but that her father would die. He was old, frail even, and she loved him dearly.

"This fact makes your position dangerous. You should understand that this makes them, and your sister, mortal enemies."

Rhaela was wildly confused. How could her sister, Rhaenyra, such a kind and doting older sister to her, be her mortal enemy? Or Aemera, Jace, or Luc? Joffrey?

"I don't understand," Rhaela replied.

Alicent laughed in annoyance. "Your existence alone is a threat. What do you not understand? Rhaenyra will cut off anyone who might challenge her succession and the succession of Jace."

"I would never challenge Rhaenyra or Jace--" Rhaela began to say, but her mother grasp her forearm tightly, shocking her.

"You are the challenge, Rhaela," Alicent uttered harshly. As if she were scared for her own life. "Your very life is the challenge. She will not accept the risk of letting you possibly ruin what she has coming."

Rhaela remained stunned, glued to her seat. Alicent looked off in the direction she likely knew that Aemera and Luc had disappeared. She sneered, moving to get to her feet.

"The least you could do is appear to be remain loyal to your own," she muttered, stepping off with her green dress billowing behind her.

Rhaela watched with the beginnings of confused tears in her violet eyes, her heart thrumming. She didn't understand why there had to be sides between her mother and Rhaenyra, why she couldn't just play with her niece and nephews and enjoy the company of her elder sister and have everything be alright.

They were family. Why must there be such discord?

Hours later, she found herself in the company of Aemond in front of a fire in her own chambers. She remained quiet as he flitted through a book, lounged on some pillows before they would be due to go to bed for the night.

She remained quiet

"You've hardly said a thing," he remarked, closing the book to fully focus on her.

She shrugged, eyes focused on the flames dancing in front of her.

"Come on now, don't do that," he coaxed. Ever since they'd been old enough to be there for each other, albeit children, Aemond would listen and care for her. It was a connection unlike anything he held with Helaena, Aegon, or even little Daeron. Perhaps it was their proximity in age, Rhaela and Aemond got along the best.

"I don't understand the rift of rivalry in our family that mother speaks of," she tells her brother. "Why can't we all just get along? And be happy? It doesn't seem all that hard."

Aemond frowned. "Mother and our sister have never gotten along. Not since they were children, I think. But mother worries too often, about everything. I think you should do what makes you happy."

Rhaela looked to him. "Even if that means being around our nephews and neiece?"

Aemond laughed. "Even if I think they are less than us myself, I will always support you. Even if that means you want to play with them everyday."

Rhaela smiled. Peace filled her heart. She could do without her mothers approval. Aemond's mattered to her.

"Maybe you will be a good husband one day," she remarks. "Despite us still being children, I think you'll grow into a good prince."

Aemond rolled his eyes, offering her a small smile. "And you, a princess."