The King's Feast 5: Rhaenyra I

"I don't want to marry." Said Rhaenyra sternly. "I will not marry. Regardless of what my father has to say about it. I'll fly off to Dorne or Volantis or Myr or wherever else if I have to marry!"

"Come on, Rhaenyra, you must marry. You're the princess!" replied Alicent.

Rhaenyra's father said that she was of age and would need to marry soon. Upon hearing that, Rhaenyra ran straight out of the Red Keep and rode straight to the Dragonpit. She flew on Syrax for hours until her body became sore from riding. After that she went to the godswood to brood next to the heart tree until Alicent found her.

"I don't want to become another woman locked in a tower and become nothing more than a baby maker, like a bloody aurochs that gets squeezed dry of its milk."

I shall not suffer the same fate as my mother.

"It's your duty, Rhaenyra! And it's not like it will be anytime soon, you have two years to find a suitor, your father isn't saying you must marry now! Most fathers wouldn't give you the luxury of that. Gods, most fathers wouldn't even let you choose!"

I'm a princess, a Targaryen, a dragon rider. I should be above these stupid duties!

"Oh, how lucky I am, I get to choose which tower I get to stay locked up in for the rest of my life!"

"You must at least meet the suitors and exchange basic courtesies at your father's wedding! You know that it would bring a great shame upon you and your father if you were to not attend his own wedding. People are already whispering about turmoil within House Targaryen following Prince Daemon's… escapades across the Narrow Sea."

I wish I could have gone with Daemon, gallivanting around the Free Cities as a sellsword. Why didn't my uncle take me with him?

"Meet the suitors!" Rhaenyra scoffed. "They don't want to marry me for me. They want to marry me so they can say they married a Targaryen princess!"

"Just speak to them once, even just basic courtesies. It's the least you can do. Or at least just attend the wedding. Your father has a had a difficult past year. With the Queen and Baelon's passing, having to marry so soon… please Rhaenyra. If not for yourself, then for him."

"The Queen was my mother and Baelon was my brother too! Why won't people offer their condolences to me as well?"

Probably because I do not have a cock.

"They would, Rhaenyra, if you didn't… if you didn't spend all day riding on Syrax or moping next to the heart tree every day. My father says you do not even do your duties as the King's royal cupbearer anymore!"

Duties, duties, we all must do out bloody duties.

"I'm… I'm sorry Rhaenyra, I know this hasn't been an easy time for you either." Alicent sighed, her voice much softer than before. "You still miss your mother. I still do too, sometimes… a lot of the times actually. Some days the pain dulls, some days the pain is more. But the pain always lingers still. I know it is tough."

"Then… how do you cope with it, Alicent? It mustn't be plain sailing, what do you do to… ail the pain?"

"I doubt the pain ever will go away, I feel. But… but, talking about it… not always talking to others, sometimes talking in the sept. I speak to the Mother for comfort, for the Crone to guide me, and for the Warrior to strengthen me in the trying times."

I would if that worked. The Gods never answered my prayers. Rhaenyra never was particularly close to the Gods. In truth, her, and the rest of Targaryens saw themselves as the gods that walked amongst the mortal men.

"Doing things also helped. Just… trivial things. I would attend court whenever His Grace held sessions. Putting my mind on other things helped me to… to move on in some ways. Not move on, but to help me come to terms, to accept it. I will still miss her, but I can't let it stop me from carrying out my duties."

Duties, it's always duties.

"I shall be truthful with you, Alicent, sister. The thought of marriage terrifies me. I do not want to end up like my mother did. Whenever I think of marrying, my mother's fate is what comes to mind."

"I fear that too, Rhaenyra. Are you even a true woman if you do not fear the childbed?" laughed Alicent. "But we must face it all the same, as a knight faces another army, or a sailor faces a storm. Even Princesses. Even you Targaryens are not above your duties. The Good Queen Alysanne did her duties, as did my own mother. You have the highest status a woman could ever ask for, I envy your position, as does every woman in the realm. You must marry, Rhaenyra, in however many years that will be, you must still marry all the same. It's may be a very a long time until then, you may change your mind still."

"That is not likely. I would rather give up my name as a Targaryen princess than marry."

"If you do that Rhaenyra, and your father will disinherit and disown you as the Old King did to his daughter," warned Alicent.

"It's not as if my father will keep me as heir once he has a precious son of his own with Laena Velaryon." Rhaenyra snorted.

"But you are still heir, Rhaenyra. And your father named you heir over your uncle. Something unprecedented. Your father still loves you, even if he does not show it. You may not want to marry, fine, but first, attend the wedding, at the least. Not for you, for your father."

Rhaenyra rolled her eyes. "I guess." She sighed. "I shall… go to the wedding, do my duties, exchange pleasantries and all of that with all of the suitors."

"Thank you, Rhaenyra." Alicent smiled. "I knew you would understand. And marriage?"

"I'll cross that bridge when I get to it," laughed Rhaenyra, "and mayhaps, in time, I may very well change my mind."

However unlikely that may be.

Alicent looked up at the setting sun.

"Gods, it's getting late, I am to have supper with Lady Caswell this evening. Perhaps you may care to join us? She would really appreciate to dine with the princess." Alicent asked, smiling.

"I… I think I shall… not today Alicent. Mayhaps another day. You enjoy your supper. I am… occupied this evening."

"Not a problem, Rhaenyra. You enjoy your evening" Alicent said, in a tone which made it she did not believe Rhaenyra's words.

Alicent walked off, her loose green gown dragging across the green grass as she left the godswood, leaving Rhaenyra standing by the gigantic white heart tree, while the scarlet and pink sunset blinded her.

Later that evening, she supped alone on a simple meal of roast capon with a side of mashed neeps and roasted beets, which she washed down with a glass of Myrish green wine.

"Ser Criston," Rhaenyra called out to the Kingsguard member, who was also her sworn shield, to join her in her room. She had chosen Ser Criston herself to join the Kingsguard, she had placed his snow white cloak upon him herself, as he swore his oaths in the royal sept before the King, Rhaenyra, the High Septon, and the sight of the Gods.

"Princess." Ser Criston said, entering the room.

"Please, Ser, take a seat. Have some of this capon, I couldn't finish it. It's too spicy for my liking. You're Dornish, this is the sort of food you eat, right?"

"Many thanks, Princess," the knight said, smiling. "But I do not wish to eat while on active duty."

"I suspect it's poisoned," she said sarcastically. "As my Sworn Shield, you are obliged to test all of my food to ensure it is safe for consumption. Your Princess demands it."

The knight sighed. "As you command, Princess." Ser Criston conceded, sitting on the chair opposite of Rhaenyra, and helping himself to a wing of the roasted capon.

"Have some wine, Ser Criston. It's Myrish."

"With all due respect, Your Grace, but I mustn't drink while on duty. It dulls my senses."

"Yes, yes, while on your duties. I understand. I wish to talk with you, Ser Criston."

"What concerns you, Princess?"

"I want… some advice. My lord father wishes for me to marry in some years' time, but him and I have... differing opinions on the matter."

"I am a stranger to marriage, as you are well aware, but I do know this, Princess. We must all do our duty. I do mine as a member of the Kingsguard, as you must do yours as a daughter of your father, and as Princess of the Realm."

Duties.

"I know that, Ser Criston. It's all anyone talks about these days. Duties. But sometimes I wish I didn't have all these duties to do. You had the freedom to do whatever you could in your youth, Ser Criston, didn't you?"

"I had some freedoms, that is true, Princess. But that is far from the truth. I could do some things I wanted, but within limits. I was common born, I'm no more than the son of a steward, and I could only dream of having the freedom you have, Rhaenyra."

"The freedom I have." Rhaenyra repeated.

"Yes, Princess. You have more power and freedom than you realise. You named me to the Kingsguard. You have the power to do that. All I have, I owe to you. No Cole has ever risen this high, but thanks to you, I have."

Rhaenyra paused for a moment to think.

"My father named me heir, at least until he has a son. But, say, on the chance that I was to become Queen, would the realm accept me as their ruler? I know I hold some power now, but would I be able to do everything I wanted to, when… if I were to become Queen?"

"I don't think the realm would have a choice, Princess. As Queen, who would be able to stop you? Who would have the power to?"

"I guess you are right, Ser Criston."

Who would be able to stop me?