Chapter 15 - It is merely.

(Alicent pov)

The room of maesters, smelled of herbs and smoke, my nose drawing back as I looked at the queen Aemma, her belly full, and her words strange.

"Rhaenyra, listen to me! Stay away from that man!" The Queen's words of panic and concern rang in my ears, my eyes watching the maesters confusion as they got to work.

Time seemed to drift like a myriad of then and now, the words of the queen lost in each moment. My eyes taking in the world around me, as the words of the queen told a warning that echoed in my ears.

She places her worries on me, hoping I would set Rhaenyra straight, but it is something only she can do, I can not stop her from living, that is not me or anyone's place to do so. Her words falling on me and Rhaenyra alike as I try to comfort my best friend.

My mind a mess as me and Rhaenyra left the Queen's chamber, moving up the keep, laughing but I truly couldn't hear anything until the door of the king, a knight sat with his face bruised as I hear yells from inside the chamber.

"Enough Keth, you come into my home, barged into my court, spoke words of treason and I turn a blind eye. What need do you have for doing this?!" I could hear the voice of King Viserys, his anger growing with each word as the hall grew silent.

The hall sat unnaturally still, as I watched the guards smirk, their faces full of different emotions as they looked at each other with smiles, only for the door to open slowly, it swinging out as a man stepped into the hall.

"It seems misfortunes flow, all be it with great reward, seeing beautiful flowers once again." Keth walked out, his armor a mess as it was before, but still he spoke words of fancy to us as he stepped into the hall.

"It would seem you angered my father with your twisted tongue, prince Maliketh.." Rhaenyra said, her steps clear as she walked up to Keth, poking his armor as he smiled.

"Something I have been known to do, on many occasions, Princess Rhaenyra. It looks like I haven't lost my touch." He said, looking at me as I bite my fingers, my nerves getting the best of me as I tried to find words to say.

"And here we have a flower still unchanged by the little time I've been away." Keth said as he looked at me, his hand reaching out as I brought up mine for him to hold.

"Ones desire, is a mirror outside their body, like a flower forced to bloom, but having no idea how to survive." His eyes looked towards my hand as I tried to pull away, but his grip was firm as he kissed my hand lightly.

My mind went through all kinds of matters, uneasy at this, but still grateful as he kissed my hand with great care, his words leaving no room for doubt as he walked past me. I wanted to speak out, I wanted him to know I was not moved by a few words, but I couldn't, knowing they had staggered my heart far greater than any others.

"Doubt does not mean mistruths, right, lady Hightower.." Keth said, his words calm, his eye winking at me as he walked down the hall, my hand leaving my mouth as I shook my head.

"It seems I should truly ask my father about marriage.." Rhaenyra said jokingly, as she looked back at me, her face smiling as she walked inside the kings chamber.

"Rhaenyra.." I spoke out, and even if I knew how I was acting, I still tried to deny it, he was not like most men, who shrank away because my father was the hand of the king. He merely said what he wanted, even if others didn't want to speak it.

'Doubt does not mean mistrust.. I don't know, the truth may be far more painful than a lie..' I thought as I watched the guards close the door, I was not privy to be in the kings court, my body turning as I walked down the hall.

Minutes seemed to move like hours, my steps clear as I walked the halls, the sun cast a light of beautiful orange, dancing off of the red walls around me. The shadows of each wall stretched out to eat the beautiful light as I looked at the floor, yet as I touched the key within my dress my heart calmed. First the vibrant garden, then the chaotic streets within a silent carriage, and eventually my travels brought me to a massive building of books, rows upon rows covering every inch.

"Do we have books on the dragons and their riders.." unknowingly to me, entering the room, I asked about something on my mind, trying to speak uncaringly to the Sept priest who was looking through books.

"It is different from what you usually read lady Hightower, have your interest changed?" the Sept priest said to me, his hand gesturing to follow as he spoke.

"I merely like history, but one cannot be biased, and pick what history is when it is all connected." I said as I followed, only getting a hum from the man as we walked, reaching an area with more old books that I have grown used to seeing.

The candles flicked as I ran my hand across many spines, my eyes searching, my body pulling what books that were about many things, but held one thing in common. After bringing them to a large table, 3 candles had burned, and yet still nothing was written about what I wanted to know, pages seemed to be missing and removed from history, that is what I thought, I read of the black dread, Vhagar, and Meraxes. I even read stories of the great blood worm Caraxes, but none told stories of the massive dragon whose breath still rang in my ears.

'Aegon targeryan, set to sea, hoping to bring the wild dragons under his control, thousands of ships, and he and his wives set out, only to be met with destruction. Ships burned in ever lasting fire, a fight that would leave the great dragon Meraxes injured. Aegon had brought many dragons under his control, all but two, the massive dragon of dragon stone, the one that ate the lesser, and the other a beast whose anger bested that of even Balerion. Beast who would not bend to his will, but Aegon continued his attempts until the loss of life was too great.' I skimmed through books until finding a book about the great age of dragon birth, how Aegon had tried to control the uncontrollable.

'A beast whose flames burnt men and dragons alike, one whose shadow even Balerion could not cover, a roar that could rip the sky apart, who bent other dragons to her will, like a queen who sat on high, that is who the mother of dragons was, a beast never to be conquered.' My lips parted, reading a quote of Aegon himself, he described horrors but it seemed he held great respect for the beast, having her likeness even painted within his tale.

'Fortassax.. right?' I thought, looking at the painting, and I could think of no other who fit the picture so perfectly, Her body was like Caraxes but her presents within the words of the book were different from the blood worm.

'Like a queen who sat on high..' I couldn't help but read if again, but no matter how I looked after, no other books were found that mentioned the mother of dragons, or how someone eventually conquered her, and no stories of prince keth, which I found strange.

'How can your name be no where? conquering what even Aegon could not?' My hand coming to my lips, my eyes looking at my hands, placing them back down as I did not like what I saw. 'I merely wish to ask about his history, yes that's all, it is nothing more then to understand more about Fortassax.' I thought, rubbing the key in my dress as I lied to myself about the reason I would see the man.

'It is merely about history..'