The Princess's Plan Ch.8 (House of the Dragon) - Early Access (Patreon)

All characters in this story are over the age of 18.

Rhaenyra lay in her bed chambers, still seething with anger after her father's latest decree. She had ordered the guards to stay positioned outside her room, fearing that she would take out her rage on them with a sword accidentally.

Ever since their return from Kingswood, she refused to speak with him. Deep down, she knew that he cared about her safety, but it felt like she was being suffocated. The chances of her and Alicent being alone together were impossible. Upon reaching King’s Landing, there wasn’t a second that went by where Rhaenyra wasn’t being escorted by a small legion of guards. It was the worse for Alicent. Viserys was vigilant and protective of his wife. She couldn’t escape the watching eyes of those stationed within the castle walls. Alicent couldn’t vomit without someone by her side offering assistance. Everyone suggested that it was nerves that caused the Queen’s sickness. However, Rhaenyra and Alicent knew the truth. There was no denying it now. Alicent was pregnant with their second child. And there was a chance that Daemon was aware of this. Rhaenyra felt the walls closing in around her. Soon enough, the truth would come out.

Their fates had fallen into shadow.

As Rhaenyra sulked, there was a knock at her door. ‘’Go away!’’

‘’It’s me,’’ Alicent whispered.

Rhaenyra sat up abruptly. The tension in her body evaporated as she heard her lover’s voice. She quickly got out of bed and opened the door to let Alicent in. The Queen shielded her face under a hood and stepped inside. Rhaenyra glanced outward and saw Harwin standing guard. He gave the princess a slight nod before looking down the corridor, pretending that he didn’t see anything. Rhaenyra smiled and swiftly shut the door. As soon as they were alone, Rhaenyra and Alicent embraced in a warm hug. Rhaenyra buried her head in Alicent's shoulder, feeling momentarily safe.

‘’I’m not sure how long I can stay,’’ Alicent said softly. ‘’Harwin agreed to bring me here to see you. But, he doesn’t know about us. If we’re not careful, he might become suspicious.’’

Rhaenyra sighed in frustration. ‘’This isn’t fair. I can’t believe my father would do this.’’

‘’Rhaenyra, you can’t blame him…’’

‘’Are you agreeing with him?’’ Rhaenyra snapped.

‘’Of course not!’’ Alicent replied, refusing to take Rhaenyra’s feisty tone. ‘’But…I thought I was going to see you die.’’

Rhaenyra’s face softened. She saw the tears welling in Alicent’s eyes. Things had escalated so quickly after the attack that they never had time to properly care for each other. Rhaenyra swallowed the lump in her throat, trying not to sob, as she rested her forehead against Alicent’s. The two women stood together in contemplative silence for a short while. They could hardly relax given their circumstances. But, this was as close to tranquillity as they could get. Rhaenyra began to wrap her arm around Alicent, hoping to comfort her…until she felt something in one of the Queen’s pockets.

‘’What’s that?’’ she asked.

Alicent looked down and reached into the pocket before pulling out a folded piece of paper. She gazed at Rhaenyra in confusion. ‘’I don’t know. This isn’t mine.’’

She opened the paper to reveal a note written in High Valyrian glyphs along with a map.

"Where did this come from?" she asked, puzzled.

It didn’t take long for Rhaenyra to picture a face in the back of her mind who felt like an appropriate culprit. Daemon was close to Alicent back at Kingswood. It would have been too easy for him to slip this into Alicent’s pocket when no one was looking. The longer Rhaenyra stared at the map, the sooner she realized what it was. Her heart raced. She grabbed the note from Alicent’s hand and studied it carefully. Thanks to the High Valyrian text, she was able to pinpoint where the map wanted her to go. ‘’It’s a map of this room.’’

Alicent’s brow creased. ‘’What?’’

Following the guidelines, Rhaenyra hurried to the far end of the room, coming up to one of the many painted panels. Holding her breath, she pressed herself against the panel. It remained steady, but the princess felt it budge slightly. The map indicated that there was something behind the wall, and Rhaenyra was desperate to find out what and why they were being told to search for it. After a few more hard pushes, she was able to open it, revealing a hidden passageway. Beyond the shadows and cobwebs, Rhaenyra saw a spiral staircase descending into a seemingly bottomless pit. Despite everything, Rhaenyra felt a renewed sense of energy as she gazed down the passageway. It felt like the mythical adventures she would vividly imagine when she was a child. But, this was tangible. This was real.

‘’Come on!’’ She beckoned Alicent to follow. ‘’If this map is correct, it leads us to the outer wall of the Red Keep!’’

‘’Are you mad?’’ Alicent gasped. ‘’I happen to have a map that has instructions to follow a concealed passage in your bed chamber. This is clearly a trap.’’

‘’I know,’’ Rhaenyra said. ‘’But, I’m past the point of caring.’’

Rhaenyra trudged forward into the darkness. Not wanting to be alone, and with her curiosity also being tempted by what was being offered, Alicent followed her. They held hands and marched down the winding staircase. Each rickety wooden step echoed loudly down the pit. They were careful not to break anything. Neither of them was brave enough to guess how ancient this passageway was. It appeared to be as old as the castle itself. Yet, no one knew about it. Well, no one besides Daemon it seems. But, what was his motive behind this? Was he really leading the two of them into a trap? Why now? Rhaenyra wished that she didn’t care about those questions. She wanted to keep her focus locked on Alicent. She offered the Queen an encouraging smile and pulled her along.

After descending the spiral staircase, they found themselves in the shrine of Balerion's skull. The sight of the dragon's massive skull was awe-inspiring, and Rhaenyra could not help but feel a sense of reverence for the mighty beast that her ancestors had tamed and ridden into battle. As they passed through the shrine, they came upon a small alcove hidden behind a tapestry. Inside the alcove, they found a sack. Rhaenyra and Alicent exchanged a glance before inspecting the contents of the bag.

‘’They look like…’’ Alicent lifted the dirty fabric from the bag. ‘’Clothes belonging to a common page-boy.’’

‘’That’s another thing the note mentioned,’’ Rhaenyra said. ‘’We need to change into these clothes to avoid being recognized.’’

Alicent exhaled. ‘’Are we sure that we want to do this?’’

‘’No.’’

It was a short and honest answer. But, they had already come this far. There was no point in stopping now. Rhaenyra and Alicent quickly changed into the clothes, with Rhaenyra pulling a large boy's hat over her silver-white hair. After getting changed, they continued down the passageway until they reached the outer wall of the Red Keep. A small door was hidden there, and Rhaenyra pushed it open. They placed their hand on the door and locked eyes. Alicent nodded. They were really doing this. Pushing it open together, they stepped out into the cool night air, and Rhaenyra felt a sense of freedom that she had not experienced in a long time. Rhaenyra had always felt trapped within the Red Keep, hemmed in by her father's rules and expectations. Now, she was about to venture out into the city, free to do as she pleased with Alicent.

No guards. No politics.

It almost felt too good to be true.

XXX

They walked through the streets, taking care to avoid any guards or patrolling soldiers. Rhaenyra's heart raced as she experienced the thrill of sneaking around like a common thief. Alicent held her hand, trying to keep her from getting too excited and bumping into someone.

‘’Watch it, boy!’’ A drunk man barked before stumbling away.

Rhaenyra nearly broke into laughter as she turned to Alicent. ‘’He called me boy.’’

‘’You do have the face of one,’’ Alicent teased.

‘’Oh, was that a jest from Your Highness?’’

‘’Ssh!’’ Alicent silenced her, covering Rhaenyra’s mouth with her hand. ‘’You’re going to get us caught.’’

‘’No one recognizes us!’’ Rhaenyra argued.

Alicent looked around. It seemed that her action to stop Rhaenyra from speaking had summoned more attention than anything else they had down. Bowing their heads, they continued to pass through the crowded streets. Slowly, Alicent realized that Rhaenyra was right; no one recognized them. The large boy's hat concealed her hair, and the simple page-boy's clothes made her blend in with the common people. She felt a sense of relief, knowing that for once, she could experience the city without the burden of her heritage. They were just like any of the other common folk on these streets. A genuine smile broke out across her face. Seeing this, Rhaenyra’s chest blossomed with warmth.

Their travel through the street brought them in contact with all manner of strange and wonderful people. Tightrope walkers were risking their lives walking atop the buildings above for the entertainment of the people below. Jugglers, fire-breathers, musicians, dancers and fortune-tellers. Every street corner brought them a new experience. They could enjoy the sights. For now, Rhaenyra was freed from the burdens of her inheritance. She didn’t have to hide how she felt about Alicent, as she held her hand and dragged her from one vendor to the other, excited to see what they had to offer. Unfortunately, neither of them could purchase any goods without coins. So, they settled with watching.

‘’I could always just take it,’’ Rhaenyra whispered to Alicent, staring at a red apple that was calling to her.

‘’No!’’ Alicent scolded and pushed her away before she did something reckless.

As they laughed, someone stumbled out of the crowd and nearly fell onto Rhaenyra. The princess saved herself and looked down upon the boy who nearly tripped her. He groaned and stared up at her, frozen with fear. The boy looked to be younger than Rhaenyra. Rhaenyra narrowed her eyes at him. ‘’Are you alright?’’

The boy seemed to be paralyzed with shock as he stared at Rhaenyra for what felt like an endless amount of time. ‘’You see me?’’

The strange answer sent a chill down Rhaenyra’s spine. The boy was staring at her face for too long. Did he recognize her? She didn’t want to stay and find out. She grabbed Alicent by the wrist and dragged her through a dark alley. The voice of the boy calling out to her disappeared amidst the sound of the crowd. They hurried as fast as they could. Rhaenyra looked over her shoulder to make sure that they weren’t being followed. The further they went, the more Alicent recognized their surroundings. They were on the Street of Silk which led towards the Dragonpit.

‘’Rhaenyra, you can stop!’’

Eventually, they came to a screeching halt. Rhaenyra panted heavily. Despite leaving the boy behind, it still felt like her skin was crawling under his intense stare. She summed it up as fear of being caught. This was her first taste of freedom in a long while. She didn’t want to give it up. She didn’t want this night with Alicent to end.

‘’I’m sorry,’’ she sighed. ‘’He seemed to know who I was. So much for these disguises.’’

Alicent pursed her lips. ‘’Let’s just try not to do anything that will draw attention to ourselves. We must mingle with a crowd to blend in.’’

Rhaenyra nodded. As she opened her mouth to speak, they became distracted by noises coming from inside the building behind them. With their interest piqued, Rhaenyra and Alicent went inside. It was a good excuse to hide away. They slowly marched down a small flight of stairs and noted how the people within the interior wore little clothing. Some were not ashamed to strut around completely nude. Rhaenyra and Alicent looked around with a mix of fear and interest. Beyond them was a performance being carried out by naked dancers. The princess was captivated by what she saw. Alicent was likewise intrigued, but more cautious out of the two of them; always looking over her shoulder to make sure that they weren’t being followed or spied on.

As they ventured down into the lower level, they passed by more onlookers who were more explicit with their actions. People were not afraid to share their passion openly. Rhaenyra couldn’t believe what she was seeing. She was a sheltered princess, transfixed in awe at the displays going on around her. Pairs and groups were enjoying themselves; men cavorting with women, women cavorting with other women, men with other men, and women with two or more people satisfying themselves at the same time. All seemed to be enjoying themselves.

Alicent gulped and tightened her hold on Rhaenyra’s hand. ‘’We’ve stumbled into a brothel.’’

Rhaenyra was still watching the orgy. It was happening to everyone around her. Her deepest desires within were being ignited. ‘’They don’t have to hide.’’

‘’What?’’ Alicent asked softly.

Rhaenyra turned to her and locked eyes. ‘’Look around! Love and passion are so open. This is what we should be. I don’t want us to remain hidden. I want you, Alicent! I always have!’’

‘’You do have me…’’

‘’No, I don’t,’’ Rhaenyra replied sadly. ‘’We’re bound by duty. Separated by a political marriage. I can’t take it anymore. I wish for us to have ourselves without restraint. Do you want that too?’’

Alicent cupped Rhaenyra’s cheek. ‘’More than anything.’’

Beside them, a group of women were becoming sensual with each other. Rhaenyra and Alicent noticed and could see that the women were inviting them over. The temptation to join was great. However, as Rhaenyra and Alicent held hands, they knew that this moment was about them. Alicent’s pupils dilated as she pulled her closer. ‘’Take me!’’

Rhaenyra moaned. ‘’What about…’’

‘’I believe we already know that I’m with child,’’ Alicent interjected. ‘’And you’re right…I can’t stand this feeling of not having you as my lover. So, take me! Here and now! We’re in a den of whores, so fuck me like a whore!’’