ALICENT II
107 AC
When she first received the confirmation of her pregnancy from Maester Runciter, she was frightened.
First, she feared how Daemon would take the notice.
Would he be happy about their child?
Would he be happy about going to war?
Would he be angry with all of that sudden movement?
In the end, that worry was for nothing, gladly.
Then, afterwards, she felt the fear of death.
Alicent was close to Queen Aemma and accompanied three of her pregnancies, with the last one leading to her sad death.
The painful screams, the sadness Aemma had after another child that did not live and how everything took a toll on the king himself.
As a young mortal being, Alicent fears death.
Especially one as horrible as dying in childbirth.
As her belly grew, her worries grew as well.
And when the babe started kicking, she felt like she was dying from the inside.
With Daemon at war on Stepstones, she moved from Dragonstone back to the Red Keep, to be supported by the court of the king and her father as well.
Her father helped her a lot during the pregnancy.
He would treat her more gently than he ever did.
The Hand of the King says that strong emotions can affect the baby.
And he doesn’t want something bad to happen to his grandchild, or rather, his plans.
Without the presence of her husband that she was used to, Alicent now had to be content with the company she had from other women.
The maids would talk to her almost all day, trying all the time to calm down her worries, make jokes, and, of course, gossip.
Most of the time, the gossip was useless and Alicent was not a fan of them.
But, there is one person that helped her a lot more than all of the others.
Princess Rhaenyra.
The young girl is now 10 and is more active and curious than ever.
She would ask her about all the different things about her pregnancy and Alicent felt like a child once again while talking to the princess.
She is like the little sister that she never had.
Now, she is on the final of her pregnancy.
The baby can be born at any time.
Her belly is heavy and hard to deal with and she feels stressed and tired too often.
Alicent is seated on a stuffed chair in her chambers, knitting some pieces of cloth to her child with two maids also doing the same in other chairs.
Knitting is a hobby she developed recently.
One that her mother also had.
She used to say that busy hands are easier to deal with than busy minds.
Oh, how much she misses her mother.
Someone knocks on the door and Alicent stops her work to look at the door.
“Enter!” The princess says.
The door opens and Princess Rhaenyra enters with a bright smile on her face.
“How are you feeling today?” The princess asks, looking at her large belly with curiosity.
Alicent smiles at her.
“The babe is calm today.
He barely kicked.
He might be taking a rest after all the trouble he gave to me yesterday.” The princess says, stroking her belly with tenderness.
Rhaenyra nods.
“I guess so.
Yesterday I thought that your belly was about to burst open out of how much pain I could see on your face.
My mother never looked like that…” Says the princess, entering in a sad tone of voice.
Alicent smiles a bit and strokes her face with one hand.
“Don’t be sad.
Your mother was a very resilient woman for sure.
Your cousin here is just a problem maker.
Like his father.” The auburn-haired princess says, laughing along with Rhaenyra.
“So, you plan to have more children after that one?” The young princess asks, curious.
Alicent thinks a bit.
“Probably.
But, I will deal with that one first before thinking about a second one.
Now, I want to go see my father.
Can you go there with me, princess?” Alicent asks in a gentle tone.
Rhaenyra smiles and nods.
The maids there stop their work and help Alicent get up from her chair with more caution.
The pregnant woman sighs and holds her large belly before smiling at Rhaenyra.
“So, let’s go.” The older princess says before going to the doors accompanied by the young princess Rhaenyra.
The two of them walk side by side through the hallways of the Red Keep, walking towards the chambers of Ser Otto Hightower.
“Do you have any notices from uncle Daemon?” Rhaenyra asks with a shine on her eyes whenever she talks about her uncle.
Alicent sighs.
“Not much.
The last time he wrote a letter to me was saying that the war was still too even to call it a soon-to-be victory.
The Triarchy is getting more and more support from the Free Cities and the Crabfeeder knows the region with the palm of his hand.
He knows where to hide and wait for a new time to strike.
Caraxes can’t do much for him without a clear target.
Ships burn and sink, but that is not enough to win a war.
Dorne is also making everything worse.
Fighting in three positions is hard for him.” Alicent explains.
Rhaenyra nods, trying to think of something.
“Princess Rhaenys is with them.
Two dragons can probably turn the tides, right?” The princess asks.
Alicent laughs a bit.
“Oh, princess.
Like I said, dragons can’t solve all the wars that you fight.
It does not matter if it is one, two, or ten.
You need more than dragons to win a war.
You need a sharp mind capable of seeing the next move of your enemy.
At least, that is what I heard off.
But yes.
Rhaenys is participating now.
Not as much as Daemon, but she is doing her part.”
“You think that she will be there when the babe is born?” The princess with golden-silver hair asks.
Alicent sighs once again, now partially sad.
“To be honest?
I doubt it.
The babe is almost there and there is no sign of victory in the war or his return.” The princess explains in a sad tone of voice.
Rhaenyra slowly nods.
The two of them remain in silence until they arrive at the door to the work chamber of the Hand of the King.
“I think my father will send someone to find me soon.
I should go.
Be safe!” Rhaenyra says before leaving in a hurry, probably just to not get in the way of a parent-child conversation, as Alicent thinks.
She sighs and knocks on the door.
“Enter.” The calm voice of her father says from inside the room.
Alicent then opens the door and gets in.
Ser Otto Hightower relaxes on his chair when he sees his daughter.
“Alicent.
Feeling better today?” Her father asks in a soft tone.
She sits on a chair with some effort and tries to be in a comfortable position, keeping one hand on her belly.
“I guess.
The baby is not kicking that much today.
But I am still feeling tired the whole day.” She says with one more sigh while she lay her neck on the back of her seat.
Otto nods, looking back to his papers.
“Well, I imagine that it must be hard to walk around in this situation.
At least, you don’t look like you’re suffering that much pain than you did yesterday.” The Hand says, writing something on his paper before changing to another one.
Alicent looks at him with a distant gaze.
“Father.
I am still concerned about that pregnancy.
Concerned about me and my child.
I fear that I might die in childbirth, or my child, or both of us, like what happened to Princess Alyssa and Queen Aemma.” The princess says, troubled.
Otto sighs.
“Alicent, how many times have we discussed it since you discovered that you were pregnant?
You are not Princess Alyssa or Queen Aemma.
You are Princess Alicent Hightower.
You will pass through birth, and both you and your child will survive.
Like your mother did.
I would be more worried for Rhaenyra than I would be for you.
She has had a lot of deaths in childbirth in her family history.
You don’t have that problem.” Her father explained with a tired tone of voice.
Alicent sighs.
“I know…
but it always makes me feel a little bit better when you at least say something to calm me.
You don’t do that normally.” She confesses.
The Hand looks at her with a brief look of pity before he snorts and gets up from his desk.
“What about I take you to the kitchen to get dinner?
It is almost time for it.”
“The king will probably want us to have dinner with him and Rhaenyra, as always.”
“Then we will just take a small bite of something.
You could use some meat on your bones.
You look too thin for a pregnant woman.” Her father says, walking to her.
Alicent snorts.
“It would be easy for me to give up because of my hunger and my lack of strength, but I did not want to turn into a fat pig.
Did you know that it is common for women to gain lots of weight during a pregnancy?
I am not having it.
I eat what is necessary for me and my child and I also keep myself active, at least the most I can in the current state I am in.” She explains.
Otto nods and helps her get out of her chair with some effort.
The Hand holds the right hand of his daughter with his left hand and smiles a bit.
“So, let’s go.” He says while guiding her to the door, helping her to stand properly.
But, as soon as the door is open, Alicent loses her breath and shrinks in pain.
Otto holds her in his arms and looks at her, worried.
“Alicent!
What is going on?!” The Hand asks quickly.
Alicent is still not able to talk, only to grunt in pain.
As she was about to say something, Alicent feels a sharp pain in the lower part of her body, which is followed by her intimate parts getting wet all of a sudden.
She looks to her father with fear and urgency.
“It is time!
It is coming!
It is coming!
It is time!” She exclaims repeatedly, out of her mind.
Otto quickly looks around.
“Please!
Help!
Someone!” The Hand screams.
Quickly, a member of the kingsguard appears at a fast pace.
Alicent is too focused on her pain and worries to see who it is.
“What is it, Lord Hand?!”
“Ser Criston!
Help me take my daughter to her chambers!
She is about to deliver her child!” The Hand proclaims.
The Kingsguard quickly nods.
Ser Criston helps her father to carry her further in the hallways and Otto keeps calling for more help.
Soon, Maester Runciter appears and goes with them to her chambers.
And her world after that was just pain and fear.
Alicent knew from an early age that delivering a child was something painful and could take long periods of time.
But she was still not ready for it.
She passed what felt like the whole night screaming in agony while trying to follow the instructions of Maester Runciter to push the baby, and failing at her attempts.
After a long time, Alicent is covered by sweat, she is almost blind from crying too much, her voice is almost gone, and she is almost passing out of pure exhaustion.
Some handmaids are around her to hold her hand, clean her face and give her emotional support.
It is not near enough.
“Please, princess, I know you are almost without strength, but the baby is almost out.
We need one more push.
Give it all you got!” Maester Runciter pleads.
Alicent, panting, takes a deep breath.
“AAAHHH!” She screams as she tries to give the biggest push she can, but she stops midway and keeps panting hard, searching for air.
“Almost there!
One more!” The maester pleads once again.
Alicent cries a bit more between her panting.
The maids hold her hands and clean her face.
“You can do it, princess!
Just one more and everything will be over!
Push!” One handmaid says in a motivating tone.
Alicent takes a deep breath, grinds her teeth, and closes her hands tightly in the sheets.
“AAAAAHHHHH!” She screams while giving out the most she ever gave.
And suddenly, she was freed by the loud cry of a baby.
Alicent fell to her bed with a cry of relief.
“It is a boy!
A robust prince, indeed!” The maester happily proclaims.
Alicent smiles between her panting and the congratulations of the maids.
A son.
Her son.
Daemon’s son.
A prince of House Targaryen.
“Give me…
give me him…” She asks, weakened.
The Maester quickly takes the crying baby to a quick cleaning after cutting the cord.
Maester Runciter then places the baby on a blanket and gently delivers him to his mother.
He then walks out of the room.
Alicent embraces her son with a happy smile and the baby quickly calms down, almost in a sleepy state.
She almost cries while looking at him.
Even at such a young age, she can see the few silver-blonde hair on his head.
The sign of the blood of valyria.
Alicent gently strokes his delicate face.
“Look at you, little one…
so cute…
you look like your father, you know that?” She asks, but the baby only moves around a little in her arms, making all kinds of sounds with his mouth.
Alicent laughs and gives him some kisses and a gentle hug.
The door opens again and Maester Runciter walks back in with her father and the king.
The last two approach the bed, looking at the baby with fascination.
Alicent smiles at them with some difficulty and looks to her father.
“Father, here, your grandson.” She says, offering the baby to him.
Ser Otto smiles back at her and takes the babe in his hands gently, looking at him as a whole.
“He looks very healthy, my child.
You don’t need to fear for him.
Look, Your Grace, he has the valyrian look of your family.” Says the Hand, looking at the king in the end, offering the babe.
Viserys smiles and nods, accepting the babe in his arms.
“What a beautiful Targaryen prince, indeed.
You should be proud, Alicent.
You did a great job.
I am grateful to be able to hold my nephew right now.” Says the king with honesty, looking back at her with an emotional gaze.
Alicent smiles back.
“I tried my best…
your grace.” She says in a low tone of voice.
Viserys laughs a bit.
“You surely did.
Well, did you and Daemon decide a name for him before he departed for the war?” The king asks, curious.
Alicent dives into her thoughts.
She was never thinking about names for a son.
Only for a daughter.
Because there was only one male name that was mentioned in almost all conversations she had with Daemon about the house of the dragon.
“Aegon.
Aegon Targaryen.” The princess proclaims, elevating her voice, to be heard clearly.
King Viserys smiles at it.
“A good name.
A fitting name for a son of Daemon.
You know…
I met a Aegon Targaryen once.
My baby brother…
he lived less than a year, but I loved him until the end.
This Aegon right here will not have the same fate, I am sure of it.
He is too robust for that.
I will write a letter to Daemon, telling him about the birth of his son.
Once he is back from the war, he can choose a dragon egg to the cradle of the boy.” The king proclaims with a happy tone of voice, as usual for such situations.
Alicent laughs a bit.
“It would be great, your grace, but, can you send my own letter with yours?
I have some things to say to my husband.” The princess requests.
Viserys nods his head with vigor.
“Of course.
You have all the right to say something to your husband.
Today is a day of celebration!
It is late at night now, but tomorrow we will have a feast for the birth of my new nephew!
Now, I must go.
I am too tired right now.” The king says, passing the baby back to Alicent and then walking away from the room.
Ser Otto takes a deep breath.
“You should rest.
Rhaenyra is sleeping now but she will probably get here during the morning to see you and the baby.
The maids will take care of the mess.”
“I am too tired to complain.” Says the princess, taking a short laugh from her father.
Ser Otto leans to his daughter and his grandson and gives her a hug before kissing her forehead.
“Good night, dear.”
“Good night, father.”
Otto then leaves the room.
Alicent sighs and holds her son gently while laying on her bed more comfortably.
The maids trade her bloody sheets and then they walk away.
Leaving her with her son and the light of the candles.
She smiles at the baby on her side.
“I am happy to receive you in this world, Aegon.
Your father will be too, I am sure.” The princess says, giving the baby a gentle kiss on the cheek.
Aegon moves in his sleep and she chuckles.
Alicent then closed her eyes and let her mind give up to tiredness.
After a night not too well slept, Alicent wakes up and is received by a maid that brings her food and a wet nurse to feed Aegon.
With both fed and in new and comfortable clothes, Alicent is now sitting on a chair in her chambers, looking at the window while holding her son in her arms, thinking about everything that happened.
Her biggest fear was prevented, but her last fear is still there.
What if Daemon dies in the war?
What if Caraxes lose another rider because of an arrow?
Only the gods know.
And that reminds her that she needs to pray to the gods for allowing both her and her son to live.
She is very grateful for it, after all.
And then, she hears a knock on the door.
Alicent look at it.
“Enter.”
The door opens and princess Rhaenyra walks inside with a fast pace.
She looks to Alicent and then her eyes are fixed on the baby.
“It is true!
The baby is born!
A boy, right?” The princess asks, very curious, while walking towards her.
Alicent laughs.
“Yes.
His name is Aegon.
Want to hold him?”
“Yes!”
“Here, be careful.” Alicent says before gently giving Aegon to Rhaenyra.
The princess looks at the baby in amusement.
“Hey Aegon!
I am your cousin!” She says to the baby.
Aegon wakes up from his sleep and starts crying.
Rhaenyra looks embarrassed and Alicent takes him back before giving her an apology smile.
“He is just a big fan of sleeping.
Nothing personal.
So, have you got food yet?” The princess asks.
Rhaenyra loses her embarrassment.
“No.”
“There will be a feast later.
Why don’t you go to the kitchen and see if you can get something special made for you?” The princess consort asks.
Rhaenyra smiles.
“Good idea!
I want something sweet.
I will come back here later!” She says before walking out of the chambers.
Alicent relaxes on her chair before looking at her baby, who is now looking at her, moving his little hands to try to hold her hair.
She laughs.
“You are too cute to exist, you know that?
You will have a tough future for sure.
Being a son of the Rogue Prince is a tough position.
I don’t envy you.” The princess laughs.
Aegon looks at him with a confused expression.
Now, she can see his bright and innocent purple eyes looking at her.
“The hair and the eyes.
A true Targaryen.
Worthy of the name of the Conqueror.
You will be a powerful dragonrider one day, for sure.
To be feared or loved.
Or both.
You decide your fate, my son.
I just hope that you don’t regret it later.” She says with a soft tone.
Aegon then smiles at her while extending his hand.
And with that smile, her heart melts.
And she finally understands how it feels to be a mother.
She would give her life for that little thing she met yesterday without a second thought.
She can only hope that Daemon will feel the same way.