A Few Days Later

Lilyanna's jaw clenched tightly as she walked through the halls of the Red Keep. After leaving her lesson with Orwyle, she had gone to her bedroom to change her clothes for her daily training with her brothers and nephews. But continuing to hear Ser Rickard Thorne's footsteps along with the clanging of his armor throughout her day, angered the princess tremendously.

Rickard had been the one chosen to watch over her at all times. Him being the one to first discover Lilyanna and the catspaw in her bedroom had been seen as admirable by Viserys.

Over the past few days, Lilyanna could not even breath without someone watching her, following her, she hated how everyone was walking on eggshell around her. And once word had spread about the attempt on her life, the stares of everyone in the Keep only grew worse.

Once Lilyanna and Rickard had reached the front yard, Lilyanna saw that the boys were already there. This was their return to training after being given a break due to Criston being needed along with the other Kingsguards for the investigation of Lilyanna's attacker. The entirety of which was being headed by the Hand at Viserys' order, Lyonel was to continue looking for any clues until a perpetrator or perpetrators could be found.

"Brothers, nephews. Ser Criston has not arrived yet?" Lilyanna said as she moved to stand in line with them.

Aemond was the one to answer her, "No, father needed to speak to mother about something, so Ser Criston told us to head to the yard without him while he escorted her."

Aegon then gave her a smirk, "So, you don't need to worry about Criston punishing you for being late again."

Lilyanna rolled her eyes, "Aegon, you are late far more than I ever am. Besides, my daily schedule is so full that I'm going to be late to things sometimes."

"Mother isn't late to things, she's always on time. Even to boring meetings." Daeron said, thinking about how Alicent was constantly impressing upon them that it was wrong to be tardy.

Well, mother does care far more about proprietary, etiquette, and duty more than I ever will. Lilyanna thought.

Criston walked into the yard at that moment, ending the conversation as the children faced forward, straightening their posture as they stood single file.

Rickard had nodded his head to Criston and reentered the Keep. Now that his fellow brother in arms was there to watch over the royal children, his presence was no longer required, but the older man would return once the lesson was over to help Criston escort them.

Criston stood in front of his charges, "Put your swords down, you will not be needing them for right now."

The six children looked at each other, wondering just what Criston had in store for them, but followed the man's order, placing their training swords down on a nearby rack.

Criston walked in front of the group looking at each one of them as he passed, "As you all know, Princess Lilyanna was attacked a few days ago."

The boys looked towards Lilyanna, but she did not meet any of their gazes, focusing on the man in front of them.

"It was a failing on the part of the knights of this castle, on the part of myself and my fellow Kingsguard that this was allowed to happen." Criston said. Anger filled the Dornishman as he thought about the entire situation, how the assassin was able to hide within plain sight for an entire moon, how no one noticed or cared that the man had been watching and inquiring about Lilyanna during that time.

His rage continued to fester as he remembered that night, the blood that covered most of Lilyanna's body, the despondent look in her eyes, how she refused to remove her gaze from the assassin's body until she was pulled out of the room.

"It has shown how complacent we have become, and we are rectifying this. But in case we fail again, I must ensure that you are all prepared to face any threats to your lives."

Jacaerys spoke up, "But aren't you already doing this? Lily took care of the attacker; she used what was taught to her and won."

Criston paused, turning his head, and staring at Jacaerys with a heated glare, he then turned on his heel and walked towards the boy, standing directly in front of him. "Is that what you think? This is not some game, Prince Jacaerys, this is life and death. Princess Lilyanna is skilled, undoubtedly so, but she won as you said because her enemy was not, he was a greedy peasant who had never been in a training yard. And I doubt you would have been able to do as she had done," Criston then looked towards the others, his gaze remaining on Lucerys the longest, "I doubt most of you would have."

Jacaerys turned his gaze to the ground, his fists clenched at his sides, biting his lip to keep himself from speaking out of turn and drawing more of the man's ire unto himself.

This was always what it was like for the two Velaryon princes when it came to being taught by Criston Cole. The Kingsguard was always harder on them and less attentive than he was to their uncles and aunt, acting as if they were a problem that he was forced to endure.

I don't know why Ser Criston does not like me and Luke, but I wish he'd get over it! Jacaerys thought to himself.

Criston continued his speech, "As you all are now, your abilities are lacking. And if we want to improve them, we must first start with your strength and stamina."

Aegon cleared his throat, "And how are we going to do that?"

Criston gave them a large smile that made them even more nervous and skeptical, he then moved to a table that was placed against one of the outer walls, "With these."

The royals followed him to the table, vambraces, breastplates, greaves, swords, and shields lined its surface.

Aegon's brow furrowed, "How is any of this going to help us improve? We use these all the time."

"No, we haven't." Lilyanna said, drawing everyone's attention.

"What do you mean?" Aegon asked.

Lilyanna lifted a vambrace, knowing that her suspicion was right when she felt how heavy it was, "All of the pieces here a weighted, they are far heavier than anything we have used. I would say they are a couple of pounds each." She then looked up at Criston, "You want us to wear these, don't you?"

Criston's smile grew larger, thoroughly amused by the disbelief and dread on their faces at the idea of having to do their training in such heavy armor.

"You're not serious, are you?" Aegon asked, dreading this day more than any of them.

Criston was serious, "Well, what are you all waiting for? Take some pieces and put them on."

One by one, they each took a piece of armor to put on themselves. Lilyanna, Jacaerys, and Aemond each took a breastplate, Daeron and Lucerys each took two vambraces, and Aegon took two greaves.

Criston nodded his head as he looked each of them over, his smile turned in a smirk, "Now, who's ready for a run?"

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I hate this! Lucerys thought, breathing heavily through his mouth as he struggled to keep running.

Criston had forced his charges to continuously jog around the perimeter of the yard, a task that was made even more difficult due to the heavy pieces of armor that they were all wearing.

Lucerys was not sure how much time had passed since they started, all he knew was that he wanted nothing more than for it to end. As the youngest and smallest, Lucerys had been trailing the others, having been overtaken by his brother, uncles, and aunt so much that he stopped counting whenever one of them would pass him by.

Lucerys used his hands to wipe away the sweat that had gathered on his forehead, feeling the stinging sensation when the sweat would begin to drip down into his eyes.

The young prince wheezed, throwing his head back and letting out a groan, he squinted his eyes as he looked at the burning light of the sun above him. Due to his distraction, he stepped on the back of his heel with his other foot as he was trudging forward, causing him to trip over himself, falling face first into the muddy ground.

"Ahh!" Lucerys cried, the force of hitting the ground along with the ache and fatigue he already had from running mingled together causing pain to flare across his body.

"Lucerys!" Jacaerys yelled when he saw his brother trip and fall, immediately running to his side. "Are you alright?"

The older boy kneeled next to the younger, trying to pull him off the ground. Jacaerys was able to roll his brother onto his back, his eyes widening as he took in the dirty and blood mess that covered Lucerys' face. The others had stopped running as soon as they heard Lucerys scream, moving towards the brothers after Jacaerys ran to his brother, surrounding them in a half circle.

Criston stood behind the group, his arms folded behind his back as he stared at the sniveling boy coldly, "Is there a reason Lucerys is holding up the lesson? Other than crying his eyes out."

Lilyanna glared at the Kingsguard before moving to kneel next to Jacaerys, "Luke, Luke, I need you to move your hands from your face."

Lucerys hiccuped but complied, placing his arms down at his sides as he looked up at his aunt. "It...it hurts, Lily."

Lilyanna frowned, "I know, Luke."

The princess used her hand to wipe away some of the dirt on Lucerys' face, ignoring his whimpering, "It looks like a split lip, the blood is just making it look worse than it is. Do you feel pain anywhere else?"

"My chest and-and my arms." Lucerys said softly, his breathing slowly returning to normal as he relaxed.

I wish I had my materials with me. Lilyanna thought as she looked Lucerys over again.

All her supplies were in her bedroom as she did not believe that she would need to bring them with her to the yard, only doing so when she went into the city or was watching Orwyle with a patient.

"Alright, let's take off the vambraces, that should alleviate some of the pain." Lilyanna turned her head to Criston, "He needs to go inside. He cannot continue for today."

Criston looked from the princess to the youngest prince, his expression not showing a hint of sympathy. "I thought you said it was just a split lip? That is not enough to be considered a true injury; he will be fine."

I doubt that excuse will satisfy Rhaenyra and Laenor. Lilyanna thought, knowing that Criston's newest form of exercise along with Lucerys' injury, would anger the boy's parents enough, but if they learned that Criston had refused the prince medical attention and forced him to continue, this would only infuriate them even more and she doubts that Alicent would be able to successfully vouch for Criston again.

"He looks too tired to keep going, Ser Criston. And he will need to clean his lip." Aemond said, thinking the same thing as his sister. If Lucerys was forced to continue training, then Rhaenyra would do everything in her power to ensure that Criston was punished for it.

Criston shook his head, "If he cannot continue then fine, Lucerys may sit on the bench whilst we carry on. But he is not to leave until I conclude our session; he may not be participating but there is still much to be learned from observing."

Jacaerys was about to argue with the Kingsguard himself, when Lucerys sat up, drawing the group's attention.

"I'm... I'm fine, I can sit and watch." Lucerys said, his lips still bleeding, refusing to look at his brother.

Criston nodded his head, "Good, then-"

"No." Lilyanna said, cutting the Kingsguard off.

Criston looked at the girl surprised, "No? Princess, what are-"

"Our session today is bound to be longer than usual and Lucerys needs to be treated now, it would be foolish to deny this." Lilyanna then pushed herself to her feet, gently pulling Lucerys up with her. Lilyanna then removed the vambraces from Lucerys' arms before taking off the breastplate she was wearing, placing them on the ground.

"I will return after I make sure Luke is looked after." Lilyanna said as she took Lucerys' hand within her own, leading them towards the castle doors.

"You cannot leave like this, Princess Lilyanna; I have not dismissed either of you." Criston called out; his anger visible on his features.

Lilyanna turned her head back to look at Criston as she walked, "I will take whatever punishment you feel comfortable giving me when I return, Ser."

Lucerys stared at the side of his aunt's face wide eyed as they walked into the Red Keep, "Wow, Lily. I don't think I've ever seen anyone talk to Ser Criston like that."

To him, Criston Cole had always been an imposing and confident force for as long as he had known the man. Lucerys could feel the lack of respect and care Criston had for him, his brother, and his parents despite being a man sworn to protect the King and his family.

But this was the opposite whenever Criston was in the presence of the Queen and her children, where he went beyond the role of silent and ever-present protector, being closer and more open with them than anyone else in King's Landing.

Like Ser Harwin... Lucerys thought, thinking about the close relationship he and his family had with the Lord Commander of the City Watch.

"Don't be too impressed; Ser Criston is definitely going to make me pay for being smart with him later." Lilyanna blew a raspberry, muttering her next words, "Even though he was being a cunt."

Lucerys tilted his head, hearing what she said, "What's a cunt?"

Lilyanna's eyes grew wide, her head quickly turning towards her nephew, "It is nothing! And do not tell your mother I said that in front of you."

Lucerys began to smile mischievously at the tinge of fear that passed through his aunt's eyes, "But I really want to know. And if you won't tell me then mother is the best person to ask."

Lilyanna threw her head back and groaned, "Luke!"

Lucerys giggled, his smile growing as he saw the annoyed expression on Lilyanna's face.

"Whatever, let us get you to the Grand Maester." Lilyanna said as she started to walk in the direction of Orwyle's chambers.

"No!" Lucerys exclaimed, tugging Lilyanna's arm, stopping them both.

"Why?" Lilyanna asked, confused by the reaction.

"Mother doesn't like maesters, I mean, she likes Maester Gerardys when we visit Dragonstone, but she doesn't like any other." Lucerys replied.

"But she has never stopped any of you from being looked upon by Mellos when he was alive. Granted she had healers in the room to check over his treatment whenever she did." Lilyanna argued.

She remembered the stir that was made when during and after Jacaerys' birth, how Rhaenyra brought in midwives and healers to tend to them, demanding that the Grand Maester not be permitted anywhere nearby. From that day on, Rhaenyra entrusted the welfare of herself, her children, and her husband to these women.

Mellos had brought this to Viserys, insulted that the Princess of Dragonstone did not trust him and his medical expertise, and asked the King to banish the midwives and healers from the city, but the King refused, claiming that Rhaenyra was well within her bounds to decide who would be capable of treating herself and her family.

Lucerys looked down at the ground, "She did, but not since Elaera's funeral."

Lilyanna froze as she stared at Lucerys, her nephew refused to meet her eye. Elaera had been a sore subject for the royal family and for Lilyanna and Alicent especially.

Lucerys tried to apologize, "Lily, I'm so-"

"Let's go to my room."

Lucerys looked up at his aunt, "What?"

Lilyanna remained expressionless as she met his gaze, "You don't want to go to Orwyle, so come to my room I have them supplies for your injuries in there."

The two remained quiet as they made their way towards the Holdfast, neither wanting to speak and make the tense atmosphere that had befallen them worse.

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"Rhae. Rhaenyra, slow down." Laenor called out as he tried to catch up to his wife without breaking out into a run.

"I don't think she is going to stop until she sees the prince, my lord." Harwin said as he matched pace with Laenor.

A few minutes earlier, the trio had been informed by one of Rhaenyra's ladies in waiting that she had seen Lilyanna enter the Keep dragging a bloody and mud stained Lucerys with her in the direction of Maegor's Holdfast.

When Laenor asked what had happened, the woman replied that she did not know for certain, but she had overheard servants speaking about how Criston had changed his usual lesson for the children, which may have been the cause.

Rhaenyra immediately stood from the chair she was sitting in and without saying a word, left the room in the direction of her sister's bedchamber.

Laenor let out a disparaging chuckle, "I believe you may be right." Laenor had thought that he had become overprotective of their children since becoming a parent, but he knew this trait of his paled in comparison to Rhaenyra's.

He felt relieved when he saw the door to Lilyanna's bedchamber a few feet from them, but his eyes grew wide when Rhaenyra did not bother to knock, simply opening the door and going inside.

"You guys got here faster than I thought you would." Lilyanna said as she turned her head, seeing the three adults entering the room. She knew the moment that they had entered the Keep and people would talk about Lucerys' appearance, and that word would eventually reach the boy's parents.

"Mother, father, Ser Harwin." Lucerys greeted them with a wave, the boy was sitting on Lilyanna's bed as the girl kneeled in front of him. Lucerys had some type of ointment on his lips, and he was currently shirtless with a reddish colored cream on his arms and chest.

Rhaenyra quickly made her way to the bed; Lilyanna barely had time to get out of the way as Rhaenyra took her place in front of Lucerys.

Rhaenyra cupped Lucerys face with her hands, "Oh, my sweet boy. What happened to you?"

Lucerys did not waste time telling his parents and sworn protector what had happened in the courtyard, from having to wear weighted vambraces and running around the yard, tripping, and falling into the dirt, to Criston refusing to allow him to receive treatment, wanting him to remain until he personally dismissed his students.

Laenor glowered, "Where does that man get off treating one of my sons in such a manner?"

"But Lily told him off and brought me here even though Ser Criston told her that we could not leave; it was great! And she even looked over me, just like she does for grandfather!" Lucerys exclaimed as he finished recounting the events of what led to this point.

Rhaenyra turned to her sister, "You treated Luke?"

"He told me that you do not want him going to any maesters besides Gerardys, I did not know where the healers you have in your employment stay, so I figured that why should I waste time looking for them for something that I could easily take care of myself." Lilyanna explained, it was a half-truth; in reality, the thought of bringing Lucerys to her sister's paid healers did not cross her mind even once.

Rhaenyra smiled gratefully, "You are quite capable. Thank you, Lily."

Lilyanna looked away from her sister, a light blush dusted her cheeks, "It was nothing."

It was an action that reminded Rhaenyra so much of Alicent that it warmed her heart, but as she thought of the Queen her smile fell as her thoughts drifted to the Queen's protector.

While she knew that Criston hated her, Rhaenyra found it deplorable and childish that he would transfer that same hatred to Jacaerys and Lucerys simply because they were her sons.

Just when she was about to respond, the door of Lilyanna's bedroom swung open, her eldest son along with her brothers were standing in the doorway. Just like Lucerys, the boys were also sweaty and covered in caked mud.

"Lily!" Aegon whined as he made his way into the room, dramatically falling face first into the middle of Lilyanna's bed, spreading mud onto it as he moved around. "Everything hurts!"

Lilyanna stared at her brother with annoyance, "If you were going to climb onto my bed could you not have at least changed your clothes?"

Aegon lifted his head and pointed at Lucerys, "Luke is on your bed and he's dirty too."

"Luke is sitting on a towel. So right now, you are the one destroying my sheets." Lilyanna said, and when Aegon looked at their nephew he noticed the towel that the younger boy was sitting on.

"Oops." Aegon said sheepishly.

Lilyanna turned to the others, "I'm guessing Ser Criston dismissed you all?"

"He did, but he had us spar with each other before he let us leave." Daeron answered, walking to his sister's bed and sitting next to Aegon. He noticed the blank stare that his sister was giving him, "What? Your bed is already dirty because of Aegon."

Lilyanna rolled her eyes, "Do any of you have any injuries or is it just muscle pain?"

"Muscle pain." The four said in unison.

"Alright, give me a moment." Lilyanna said, walking towards her desk and pulling out the extra jars of the cream she used on Lucerys.

"It seems that we'll need to speak to the King about his Kingsguard's conduct." Laenor said, looking between the boys and his wife.

"We do, this is intolerable." Rhaenyra said sharply as she rose to her feet.

Lilyanna looked away from Daeron's arm as she looked at her sister and good brother, "Wait, I admit that Ser Criston had taken things a bit far today, but his actions were born from a misguided instinct to protect."

"What do you mean?" Rhaenyra asked.

"Ser Criston wants us to progress faster... so that what happened to me a few nights ago will not have a different outcome should it happen again." Lilyanna explained.

Rhaenyra's expression hardened, "Even if that is the case, he should not push you, any of you beyond your means because of his and the Kingsguards' failure to protect our family. You are a child, Lilyanna, you should not have to worry about having to defend yourself in a place where you should be safe."

To the elder princess, it just revealed more of Criston's flaws that he was using Lilyanna's attack to push her sons and siblings to improve. It also angered her because Rhaenyra knew that Criston only trained her sons out of duty, not because he genuinely wanted them to be great warriors, so in her eyes, Criston was also using this as an opportunity to imply that Jacaerys and Lucerys were lesser than their aunt and uncles.

Lilyanna sighed, going back to treating her nephew and brothers, knowing that Rhaenyra had already made her decision.

She had noticed the awkward but neutral middle ground that Alicent and Rhaenyra had found themselves in over the last few moons, a much-preferred place to be in then the blatant cold war they were in before.

And Lilyanna feared a returned to that status quo would happen if Rhaenyra and Laenor were to confront Viserys and demand punishment for Criston, even if she did know that Criston had been harder on them then he should have been, especially with Jacaerys and Lucerys.

"Mother," Lucerys said, giving Lilyanna an impish grin before looking back at his parents, "What's a cunt? I heard Lily call Ser Criston one, but she won't tell me what it is."

You fucking brat! Lilyanna thought as she saw Rhaenyra quickly turn to face her.

Rhaenyra reached forward and grabbed her sister by the ear, pulling on it, "Lilyanna, why are you using such language, especially in front of your nephews? They are impressionable, you should know better, now my sweet boy is dirtying his mouth with such speech."

Lilyanna winced in pain, but gave Rhaenyra a grin, "I don't know why you are blaming me, sister. You act as if you are above it, but I remember how you cursed out your midwives when you gave birth to Jace and Luke. If anything, you should be taking responsibly for my foul mouth. Maybe I should tell mother where I learned it from? I wonder how she would react?"

Laenor let out a snort as he watched his wife grab both of Lilyanna's ears in response, squeezing both harder.

"Why have I been given such a brat with smart mouth for a sister? This is why Helaena is my favorite." Rhaenyra said as she gave Lilyanna a fake smile.

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

"Now I am really going to tell mother-ow! Rhaenyra, let go, that hurts!" Lilyanna exclaimed as the pain coming from her ears worsened as Rhaenyra's grip on them tightened.

The others laughed, watching the scene with amusement, but none more than Lucerys. It was not his intention to get his aunt in trouble, but he knew that Rhaenyra would not take it very seriously, and he enjoyed watching the mask of Crown Princess Rhaenyra often wore slip, allowing Lucerys to see the fun, loving, and caring mother, sister, and wife that the rest of the world rarely, if ever, got to witness.

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Hours Later

Criston Cole was standing in a shadowed corner that he was hiding within as he continued to watch the scene in front of him. As he was going to his bedroom in the Kingsguard holding, he had been ordered to Viserys' bedchamber, and waiting for him there was the King, the Queen he had sworn to protect, the Crown Princess and her consort.

Viserys had suspended training for his grandsons and younger children for the next few days to give them time to recuperate and had ordered the Kingsguard to apologize to his daughter and good son for Lucerys' injury, and the next day Criston would have to apologize to Lucerys himself as well.

Rhaenyra demanded that this was not a suitable punishment for being so negligent that he put her son's life in danger, she claimed that he should no longer be the master-in-arms for her sons, brothers, and sister, even going as far as to nominate Harwin Strong as his replacement.

Alicent, his pious and kind Lady, had argued for leniency, stating that an apology along with having his lessons monitored by another knight, and having to disclose what his lessons for that day would be, whether permanently or for a yet to be determined amount of time, would be more than enough of a punishment.

Viserys had sided with his wife, much to the barely hid frustration of his eldest daughter, but Criston knew that he too did not win as he was forced to lower his head and apologize to Rhaenyra and Laenor, promising to never be so carless around their sons.

Alicent was not pleased with her sworn protector and quickly made that known after leaving Viserys' chambers and going into her own.

"What were you thinking, Ser Criston?" Alicent asked as the two were now alone, "You cannot be openly antagonistic to Rhaenyra's son."

"That was not my intention, my Queen. The boy simply could not keep up with the others and sought to be coddled when he failed." Criston argued.

Alicent's eyes narrowed, "That is not what it looked like to everyone else. Why did you even force the children into such an inane exercise?"

"I trying to help them improve faster, after what happened with the assassin I-"

Alicent openly glaring at the man, "While I admit that your training had prepared my daughter, she should not have had to dirty her hands with the blood of another. And she would not have had to, if the knights and guards of this castle were doing their jobs properly."

Criston looked away, "I know, Your Grace. It is a regret and shame that shall haunt me until the end of my days."

Criston had felt the weight of that night on his shoulders, an anger that had overcome him when he saw the emptiness in Lilyanna's eyes after she killed her attacker. He was supposed to be a sword, a shield for his Queen and her children, and yet he failed to notice the presence of a force there to cause them harm.

Alicent's body shook, a silent fear overcoming her, "This cannot happen again, Criston. I... I do not know what I would do if something happened to Lilyanna, to any of my children.

"I will not let this happen again; I promise."

After he was dismissed by Alicent, Criston wandered around for a while lost in his thought, when he planned to return to his bedchamber, he was drawn to the sound of heavy thuds and strikes, along with obnoxious laughter.

He found himself in an open hallway that overlooked the front yard, in front of him was Lilyanna, once again dressed in her training armor, her wooden swords in hand as she practiced her strikes against the straw men that she had brought out.

Criston knew that occasionally Lilyanna would go out and practice on her own, her perfectionist nature demanded that she right every flaw that found itself at her feet, but he also saw it as a way that the princess cleared her mind when troubling thoughts found her.

"You should have seen the looks on Lady Alena Algood and Ser Gerold Templeton faces when they were caught fucking in the garden! It was glorious, Templeton had dropped Lady Alena right on her bum when he noticed that they were no longer alone, revealing his small and shriveled cock to all!" Mushroom squealed, laughing as he recounted what he and a few nobles had seen earlier that day.

Criston glared at the dwarf that was sitting on top of a barrel a few feet from Lilyanna as he heard the vulgar gossip that he was telling her. He did not understand why his princess was so enamored with the court fool, going as far as to claim the dwarf as her friend.

To him, Mushroom was nothing more than a pathetic and hideous lack-wit whose presence around his charge was actively damaging the good reputation that she had managed to build with being taken as the student of two Grand Maesters and with her heading the creation of the royal bank.

"Wait, Gerold Templeton? I've seen Lady Alena, she is one of the comelier women of court, why would she be interested in an old, blading, and out of shape knight like Templeton when there are so many younger and more handsome men around?" Lilyanna questioned as she continued her exercise.

Mushroom shrugged, his smile becoming more impish, "I hear that Templeton bears a resemblance to the Lady's late father. Women do that, you know; fuck men who look and act like their fathers when said fathers don't like or pay attention to them."

Lilyanna's face scrunched upwards in disgust, "Eww."

Mushroom chuckled, "Are you saying you do not want a man like the King? Your father has quite the appearance, one that keeps eyes always on him, princess."

Lilyanna's disgust became even more visible at the thought of Viserys Targaryen in a context of desirability, temporarily standing still as she turned towards Mushroom. "If I ever fuck a man that looks like my father, I will throw myself into the jaws of one of my siblings' dragons with the upmost expedience. Death would be the only option if my sanity had deteriorated to such a point."

Criston frowned and clenched his hands as he heard Mushroom laugh, not liking how the dwarf had gotten Lilyanna to insult the King.

I know that King Viserys was never the most handsome and striking of men, and that his health deteriorating has only added to his… less than desirable appearance, but that is no reason to insult him so. Criston thought.

Tired of listening to Mushroom manipulating Lilyanna into insulting her father, Criston stepped out of the shadows, walking towards the pair.

Mushroom noticed the man approaching, smiling at the Kingsguard, "Your gallant and strong knight has arrived, princess."

"My who?" Lilyanna asked before turning around, "Oh, Ser Criston."

"Princess Lilyanna." Criston greeted the girl.

Mushroom pouted and crossed his arms aggressively, "Where is Mushroom's greeting, Ser? With my exalted position in court, I deserve one as well."

Lilyanna covered her mouth with the back of her hand, hiding her laughter as she watched Criston glare venomously at the dwarf, not hiding the distain he held for Mushroom.

"I suppose I must be a princess for me to be treated kindly by you, Cole. Or maybe I need to be a pretty Valyrian princess who hangs off your every word?" Mushroom added, unfazed by Criston's scowl.

Lilyanna's eyes widened slightly, she knew that in Fire & Blood, Mushroom was the one who claimed that Daemon had taught Rhaenyra how pleasure a man, a lesson that she used in seducing Criston, but she had yet to hear such a rumor circulating the Red Keep.

But Mushroom is implying that he knows which can't be true because Criston leaving Rhaenyra's service and going into my mother's follows the canon of the show, not the books. Unless he was somehow listening when Alicent confronted Criston. Lilyanna thought, wondering if Mushroom truly knew or was just making up another one of his salacious tales, a tale that was somewhat true.

Criston growled, his face turning red with anger as he placed his hand on the handle of his sword. "What did you just say, you gutter rat?"

He knew an implication when he heard one, and the fact that Mushroom was implying to know Criston's greatest shame infuriated him, even more so because Lilyanna was there and would no doubt question what Mushroom was saying.

Lilyanna cleared her throat, stepping in front of Mushroom, "I do not believe Mushroom meant anything with what he said. He is always making up stories and saying random nonsense, Ser Criston."

Criston physically relaxed, but was still glaring at the dwarf, waiting for him to say anything that contradicted Lilyanna's words.

Lilyanna turned to the shorter man, "I thank you for helping me pass the time, you are excused now, Mushroom."

Mushroom looked between the princess and the knight, "Is that right?"

"The princess has asked you to leave, imp." Criston spat, the grip on his sword tightening.

Mushroom laughed, jumping off the barrel he was sitting on, "Of course, good night, Lilyanna, Ser Cole."

Once the dwarf was gone, Criston turned to Lilyanna, "You cannot allow the court fool to act so casually with you, Princess Lilyanna."

"Mushroom means no disrespect; it does not bother me how he acts." Lilyanna said.

"I say this because others could see this and begin to treat you disrespectfully. Those who reside in this city often need to be reminded of their place." Criston argued, knowing how quickly those in King's Landing would belittle others when given the opportunity.

"I will keep this in mind, but I know when others are simply being friendly or when they are being malicious."

"You are far too kind, Your Grace." Criston replied, viewing the girl's actions as both naïve and too lenient.

Lilyanna scoffed, a smile appearing on her lips, "Truthfully, I am not."

A moment passed and neither spoke, the sound of Lilyanna's wooden swords hitting the straw man were the only thing that could be heard.

"Is something bothering you, princess?" Criston eventually asked.

Lilyanna gave him a knowing smile, "No, I'm fine, I figured I should make up for the lesson I left early. Would you be willing to take what I've done tonight and lighten the punishment you will give me to tomorrow?"

Criston let a little laugh at what Lilyanna was trying to do, but it ended as quickly as it began as he remembered what the King had ordered. "There will be no lesson tomorrow or for the next few days."

Lilyanna stopped swinging her swords as she looked at Criston, "Why not?"

"Princess Rhaenyra and Ser Laenor spoke to the King about my conduct earlier today. The King decided to give you all time to recuperate as he believed me to be too harsh." Criston explained reluctantly.

Lilyanna was not surprised as Rhaenyra told her that was what she was going to do. She wanted to know if that was all Viserys gave Criston in terms of punishment, but knew better than to ask the knight, seeing the anger and humiliation on his face.

I will find out tomorrow. Nothing in the Red Keep stays secret for long, if Viserys punished Criston then everyone would know about it soon enough.

"I apologize for undermining your authority today, Ser Criston, but you did go too far today, Luke is a small child, so are Jace, Daeron, and Aemond, they shouldn't have been doing everything you told them to do." Lilyanna said plainly.

Criston met her gaze, "You are underestimating your younger brothers, they have shown to handle plenty of what is thrown at them."

"And what about Luke? He just started his martial training; he is not ready to be pushed that far."

"Prince Lucerys will not remain a child forever, neither will Prince Jacaerys. Underestimating them will lead to you and your brothers being caught unprepared by them in the future."

"No, they will not." Lilyanna said, understanding what Criston was implying, the treason that he was hiding within his words, "But Jacaerys and Lucerys are not my enemies, nor are they enemies of my brothers."

It was clear to Lilyanna that her words were falling on deaf ears as Criston did not respond, looking away from her and towards the castle gates. Lilyanna sighed, deciding to move their conversation in a different direction as she knew that convincing the Kingsguard would be a towering task, and not one she could accomplish with mere words. "I also have to thank you."

Criston turned back to the princess, his confusion evident, "Thank me for what?"

Lilyanna looked down at the ground, her grip on her swords tightening, "Since that assassin tried to kill me, everyone has been moving cautiously around, treating me like I am made of glass, it's insulting. You have been the only person not to do so, so I must thank you."

"That is not something you need to thank me for, my princess." Criston remarked.

He then looked up at the cloudless night sky, "I remember the first time I had to take a life, it was during my time fighting in the Dornish Marches. Some Dornishmen had raided a town near Blackhaven looking for glory and riches, and as the squire of a knight, I was deemed skilled enough to go. I was excited to go, it was the first time that I would fight in a real battle, and as the son of steward and coming from such a minor house and low status, I was eager to prove myself."

"How old were you?" Lilyanna asked surprised, and fascinated that Criston was telling her about his life before becoming a Kingsguard.

"I was five and ten." Criston replied.

Lilyanna wanted to be shocked that Criston had killed his first man so young, but she was not, she knew that in the world she now lived in children were expected and forced to grow up faster than they should.

And for Criston who was a squire, his first kill, if they were an important person or he had defended someone from attack, would have earned him a knighthood.

Criston continued to recount his story, "I do not know who the man was at time, even now, I still do not know his identity, but back then, on the battlefield he had cut a bloody path through our men, running straight towards Lord Beric Dondarrion's youngest son, Calrin. Ser Calrin did not see the man swiftly approaching him, but I did. My body moved without hesitation, and the next thing I knew, my sword was embedded in the man's back. He was dead before his body even hit the ground, and I was knighted by Ser Calrin immediately after the battle ended."

"I..." Lilyanna trailed off not knowing what to say in response, to anyone else it would have been taken as a feat of Criston's skill and bravery, but she could hear the coldness in his voice, could see the see the contempt in his eyes as he spoke.

Criston sighed, "Lord Dondarrion, Ser Calrin, my father; everyone praised me for what I had done, called me brave and heroic for killing the man who tried to kill the son of my liege. I wanted to bask in what was at the time my greatest accomplishment, but all I could think about was that man's face. I did not even know his name, but all I could think of was what kind of person he was, if he had friends and family. He had come to raid the Southernmost part of the Stormlands for some reason, but he had been killed so easily by a naïve little green boy, it was these thought that made me realize there was no honor in killing for glory, prestige, or to satiate your bloodlust."

"Then when is killing honorable?" Lilyanna asked.

Criston looked back at Lilyanna, "Knights swear to defend those who cannot; the innocent, the weak, women, but defending oneself is just as honorable."

Lilyanna turned towards the Keep, "Does taking a life become easier to deal with?"

Criston paused for a moment; he could not deny that once he accepted the chivalric codes of knighthood that killing others became as easy to do as breathing for him. "It does."

And he could understand the guilt that Lilyanna most likely felt and was trying to keep hidden to remain strong and not appear weak. "Princess Lilyanna, you should not let the death of someone as cowardly and pathetic as a man who tried to kill you for coin, weigh on your conscious. Not as I once did with the man who invaded my homeland and tried to kill the son of my liege."

Lilyanna appreciated what Criston was saying, but she did not feel guilt or emptiness like he did when he first took a life. She had been horrified by how easily she had killed the assassin, but she did not feel remorse for his death, before she even knew it, she was able to rationalize that only one of them was leaving her bedroom alive that night and that she had done what was necessary to ensure that it was her.

Would I have been able to do this if I were still Rosalind McDainels instead of Lilyanna Targaryen? Or have I always been capable of this deep down?

"Thank you, Ser Criston, I will take your words to heart." Lilyanna said, trying to ignore her lingering doubts.

Criston smiled, "That is all I ask. Now, allow me to escort you to your bedchamber, it is quite late."

The princess did not argue, holding her training swords in left hand as she and Criston entered the Keep, the pair walking side by side in silence.

----------------------------------------

Lilyanna sighed as she walked into her bedroom and closed the door behind her, throwing her training swords onto her bed as she began to take off her boots. Lilyanna removed her first boot before she froze, seeing a piece of paper sticking out from underneath her pillow.

What is that? Lilyanna thought as she pulled the parchment out from where it had been placed. She knew that someone had to have put it there, wanting her to find it. She unfolded the parchment, revealing the words that were written on it.

The eldest Lion of Casterly has done a full sweep of his servants and guards, having most of them replaced.

This has been going on for the last few moons, but a few days ago he had a man, Andaran, who had been a steward in his house for over thirty years, hanged in Lannisport.

A Steward who had two moons prior made a trip to Silverhill for business under his liege's name, business that he refused to disclose and kept hidden from all.

He is now planning to make a large donation to the royal bank, a showing of goodwill he called it.

The note had no signature, but Lilyanna knew the only person who could have written it and gotten it into her bedroom without being caught was Talya.

Lilyanna ripped up the parchment and throw the pieces into her fireplace, knowing that she could not leave any trace of it that could be found later. Mysaria must have given this information to Talya. Getting rid of most of his servants and guards, having a steward killed, and donating a hefty sum of gold, all occurring after my bank was created and when that assassin tried to kill me all point to-

A head sliver hair leaned over Lilyanna's shoulder and into her line of vision, "So, the Lannisters are trying to undermine you, this more than confirms it."

Lilyanna jumped in surprise, tripping over her feet and falling face first onto her bed. When she rolled onto her back, she saw that Rhaenys had been the one standing over her whilst Aegon and Visenya stood behind her.

"I hate you three." Lilyanna said, staring at the Conquerors with an annoyed expression as they once again appeared out of nowhere and scared her.

Her statement was ignored as Visenya turned to Aegon, "We should have deposed of Loren and his disgusting cats after the Field of Fire like we did with the Gardeners."

"Most of the Gardeners died during the battle, if we killed Loren and the rest of his ilk after the battle and when he bent the knee, it would have made us unpopular with the people." Aegon argued.

Visenya scoffed, "We were already unpopular with the people; we bloody conquered them! Or do you not know what happened to Aenys after you dropped dead, and he ascended?"

Aegon's expression hardened, staring darkly at his sister as he clenched his jaw, "I remember, and I remember your role in Maegor's ascension, but that is not what we came here for."

Did the Gods tell them everything when they allowed the three of them to intervene in the timeline, or did they tell each other what happened after each of their deaths? I still don't know definitively if there's an afterlife or not. Lilyanna thought as she looked up at the Visenya and Aegon; the two still glaring at each other.

"Enough, you two." Rhaenys said, her expression becoming pinched as she gave her older siblings' a look. "We have more important things to discuss."

"What are you going to do about the Master of Ships' brother?" Rhaenys asked as she turned back to Lilyanna.

Lilyanna sighed, "There isn't much I can do; there is no proof that Jason Lannister tried to have me killed. I mean, we all know that it was him, but like Lyman said any proof that could have been given died when I killed that assassin and with the hanging of Jason's steward. It would be my word against his."

It burned her blood to think about, but Lilyanna knew that she would get no justice against the Warden of the West for his attempt on her life, it would be her word against his, with no witnesses to confess to the crime.

Lilyanna quickly sat up as she began to think over what she had read in Talya's note. I won't be able to prove Jason tried to kill me, especially as he seems to have kept any details of his plan between himself, his steward, and the man he hired to kill me. But I don't need to have him arrested, executed, or deposed, I can hit that bastard where it truly hurts; his fucking wallet!

Lilyanna pushed herself to her feet and ran to her desk, pulling out a piece of parchment paper, ink, and a quill, beginning to write. The older Targaryens followed the younger, looking over her shoulder to see what she was doing.

"Who is this note for?" Aegon asked.

"It's for Mysaria." Lilyanna said as she continued to write, "I can't leave the Keep just yet; I must wait for more time to pass so that tension from my assault dies down, and I can leave without someone noticing that I have gone missing."

It had been far harder to disappear over the last few days with all the newfound attention on her, she had not been left alone for exceedingly long before someone would come to check on her. Alicent had even asked Rickard to check in on her during the night, while she was asleep to ensure that she was not in danger, so Lilyanna would have to give the note to Talya so that the handmaiden could get it to the spy master.

"And you are writing to her about the servants and knights that Jason had released? You believe that they may know something about what the Lannisters are hiding?" Aegon asked, reading what Lilyanna was writing.

Lilyanna looked back with a smirk, "I do. We know that Jason is a cunt, so I'm positive that the people who worked for him think the same. I doubt he gave those poor men and women much of anything when he fired and banished them from his home, so a few of them may not feel the desire to protect him, especially with the right incentive."

The princess then stood, walking towards the part of her bedroom wall where the secret door was hidden behind. She would need to go to Helaena's room to retrieve some of the coin that she had left hidden there, taking it to place along with the note in her hands inside Talya's room.

"I still cannot believe that you allowed Maegor to have these tunnels built in our Keep." Aegon said as he and his sisters followed Lilyanna into said tunnels.

Visenya rolled her eyes, "Allowed him? I was already dead by that point, so no I did not allow our son to do anything."

"You must admit that having tunnels only known to the royal family, is beneficial, especially during times of war or if the monarch is unpopular." Rhaenys said as she looked around.

"The tunnels are not entirely secret, there are a few nobles, knights, and servants who know about them, but not enough to ruin the appeal of them." Lilyanna said, whispering as unlike the other three, her voice would be heard beyond the floors and walls if she spoke any louder.

The group only had to walk a few feet before Lilyanna pushed the door in front of them open and entering Helaena's room.

Her sister had been lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, sitting up when she heard her bedroom's tunnel door open. "Lily? What are you doing?"

"I need to get some of the gold I left in my stash." Lilyanna replied, moving to the hidden compartment that they had dug out.

Helaena climbed out bed, going to stand beside her now kneeling twin, "Why do you need it?"

"Bribery." Lilyanna admitted, she then looked at Helaena, remembering a thought she had about the three ghosts that were now bound to her. "Hey, Hels. Do you see anyone behind me?"

Helaena looked confused, "Lily, there's no one here but us."

"And you don't see any silhouettes? Shadows? Blurry spots? Sudden movement?" Lilyanna asked.

Helaena shook her head, "No."

Well, I guess that proves that only I can see them. At least I won't have to worry if the three of them decide to pop up when I'm in public. Lilyanna thought.

"Wait, are they here? The Three Conquerors?" Helaena asked, Lilyanna had told her about her soul being bound to theirs and how they could appear to her now outside of her dreams. The silver haired princess stood straighter, beginning to fix her hair as she looked around them.

Lilyanna let out a snort, a sardonic grin appearing on her lips as she realized what Helaena was doing. "Don't tell me you're trying to make yourself presentable for them? Look at you; all shy and giddy at the thought of meeting them."

Helaena glared at her sister, slapping her shoulder, "I hate you."

Rhaenys chuckled at the sight, "Your sister is adorable, Lilyanna."

"She is." Lilyanna agreed, she then saw the confusion on his sister's face, "Queen Rhaenys thinks you are positively adorable."

A light blush formed on Helaena's cheeks, "Thank you."

"Do I need to be a beautiful, tall, blonde war criminal to get that kind of respect from you, Hely? I've never seen you act so star struck and timid before." Lilyanna japed.

"It would not hurt, but atlas, I've known you far too long to ever respect you." Helaena replied instantly.

Lilyanna playfully rolled her eyes, "I truly feel loved by you."

Helaena smiled at her sister, "Be safe when you leave. I don't know how we'd explain this to our parents if you were caught."

The redhead pushed herself to her feet and began walking towards the tunnel door, "Of course. What do you take me for?"

"The world's dumbest smart person." Helaena had to stop herself from laughing as Lilyanna turned around, staring blankly at her.

"Just for that, I'm not telling you anything else that Aegon, Visenya, and Rhaenys say." Lilyanna said with a huff, leaving Helaena's room.

Rhaenys smiled playfully as they moved through the tunnels, "You and your sister have a funny relationship."

Lilyanna gave the woman a deadpanned expression, "I think you three are the last people who should be commenting on anyone's relationship with their sibling."

"My sisters and I have a perfectly normal relationship." Aegon stated.

"Are you actually serious?" Lilyanna said looking at the man, her shock evident as she saw that Aegon believed what he said.

"Yes, I am, we have never had issue with each other."

The princess turned her head to look at Aegon's sisters and was not surprised to see both Visenya and Rhaenys give the other a shared look of disbelief, proving to her that Aegon was either lying or was oblivious to what was obvious to everyone else.

Do I even want to know the truth between them? I don't think they would tell me even if I asked.

----------------------------------------

Three Weeks Later

Rhaenyra rubbed her forehead with thumb, trying to ease the headache that was beginning to emerge. During today's court petitions, they received a group of smallfolk that claimed to be former servants of Jason Lannister.

All seemed normal until they accused Jason Lannister of stealing from the Crown. Viserys then called off the hearing, bringing the group to meet with him and the small council privately in an emergency meeting.

Tyland claimed the group were liars, that they were disgruntled peasants who sought to besmirch his brother's name. But soon the Master of Ships began to stutter, struggling with what to say in the face of the King's rage when the leader of the angry group stepped forward, placing a stack of documents on the table, showing the amount of taxes that House Lannister had not been paying.

Not only had the Lannisters not been paying the entirety their taxes, but they had also been over taxing the merchants, sailors, and traders in Lannisport. Many of these documents dated back well over a decade, beginning from the time that Jason became Lord of Casterly Rock.

"Is this why you were so adamantly against the royal bank? Why you were trying to put down my daughter?" Viserys asked eerily calmly.

"No, of course not, Your Grace. I was not aware of what my brother was doing with his authority over the Westerlands. It has been sometime since I have seen my brother last." Tyland exclaimed, trying to remove himself from his twin's crimes.

Tyland knew about many of the things Jason did, he used to fear that Jason's obvious actions would be caught, but as time passed and no such retribution came, Tyland was able to relax.

"Do you truly expect us to believe that?" Rhaenyra asked, not believing the words coming from the Master of Ships.

"It is the truth, my princess." Tyland said before looking at the smallfolk who started this all, "You can ask them, look over their evidence. You will find nothing for I have done nothing."

While a mountain of evidence was brought against Jason, this was not the same for his twin, who had nothing, not even a speck of dirt on him.

The council was divided on what to do on House Lannister. No one could agree on what should be done, while Tyland smartly stayed silent, knowing his own opinion would not be wanted and not craving to bring more attention onto himself.

Eventually, Viserys called for a recess, wanting to make a decision on his own. Tyland quickly left the room, not knowing if he would be called back and fearing what Viserys would decide.

Rhaenyra wanted to speak to her father, but she saw the look on his face, and so reluctantly stood up.

"Did the meeting go well, Your Grace?" Harwin asked as soon as she walked out of the chamber.

Rhaenyra gave her protector a rueful smile, "I would not use the word well to describe today. We will be returning to eventually; my father has called for a recess."

"The King must have a serious problem to solve then." Harwin said.

"He.." Rhaenyra trailed off, her attention now focused on the Queen, watching as the other woman exited the small council chamber.

Alicent stopped walking for a moment when she saw Rhaenyra in front of her, "Princess."

As the Queen tried to walk past them, Rhaenyra called out to her, "I heard that the children are in the yard. I was going to see them as we wait for the recess to end… I… would you like to join me?"

Alicent's eyes widened, surprised by the other woman asking to spend time with her outside of their duties, using their children as an excuse. Alicent could not stop hearing Rhaenyra's confession to her all those moons ago every time she saw her long silver hair, every time she looked into her bright purple eyes, every time she saw that wide, slightly crooked smile of hers.

"I would like that." Alicent said, the words leaving her lips before she had time to regret them, she could feel the weight of Criston's gaze on her, knowing that the knight was surprised and disappointed by her decision. But she did not have time to think much if it as she watched Rhaenyra smile.

The two women walked in silent, heading towards the training yard where their children currently were. Harwin and Criston gave the other pointed glares as they followed their lady lieges. Their hatred and rivalry with each other growing when word had spread that Rhaenyra had wanted Harwin to replace Criston as the royal children's master-in-arms.

Eventually, the group reached the balcony overlooking the front yard of the Red Keep. As Rhaenyra and Alicent leaned over the balcony, they saw that the boys and Lilyanna were playing a game while Helaena sat on a bench near one of the Keep's walls, reading a book.

"What are they doing?" Alicent asked as she watched Aegon running while kicking a ball ahead of him. Daeron had tried to steal the ball from Aegon, but the older boy kicked the ball to the side, sending it to Jacaerys.

Rhaenyra smiled as she watched them, "It's a game that Lilyanna came up with. Jace told me that she calls it 'football'."

"And they can only use their feet?" Alicent asked.

"Apparently, only the ones defending the goal can their hands, but you can use other body parts besides your arms to move the ball." Rhaenyra explained.

The children were using four rocks each as goal posts, having Aemond and Lucerys and standing in between them on opposite sides of the yard.

Alicent was not surprised, knowing that Lilyanna was full of ideas and thoughts that she would try and make real.

As they talked, Lilyanna stole the ball from Jacaerys, running down the yard as she outpaced Aegon and Jacaerys. Once she was close enough, she kicked the ball with all her strength, sending it flying towards the goal.

Lucerys, who was guarding his team's goal noticed his mother, the Queen, and their protectors standing on the balcony above them. "Mother! Mother, look, I'm the goalie!"

Due to his distraction, Lucerys was not able to stop the ball from flying past him.

"Luke!" Aegon yelled in frustration, growing angrier when he heard Lilyanna's laughter.

"Sorry." Lucerys said sheepishly.

Helaena looked up from her book for a moment, "The score is now six to three."

"It looks like you guys are going to lose again." Lilyanna smirked.

Jacaerys crossed his arms, "The games not done yet, we still have time to make a comeback!"

Alicent shook her head with a smile, "Quite the competitive game."

Lucerys threw the ball towards Aegon, and the older boy allowed the ball to bounce off his chest, kicking and running once the ball hit the ground.

Just as Lilyanna and Daeron moved to converge on him, Aegon kicked the ball towards the goal. He smiled when it looked as if he was going to make the goal, only for his smile to fall when Aemond jumped to the side, catching the ball in his hands before falling to the ground.

Aemond pushed himself to his feet, blowing a wayward strand of hair out of his face as he smiled at his older brother. "That was very sad."

Rhaenyra let out a snort as Aegon's face turned red with exertion and rage. "Let us just hope that they don't come to blows over it."

"Let us; Targaryens are not known for being graceful in the face of a loss."

"That felt very pointed for some reason, but that can't be true, I am humble in the face of defeat."

Alicent did not respond, but the way she looked at Rhaenyra was more than enough of a response.

The two fell into silence, Rhaenyra wanted to ask after the other woman, but did not think she could. They had both been busy, and to Rhaenyra's relief and discontent, Alicent did not mention anything about the night in her bedroom after Mellos' death. A part of her wanted to just ask what Alicent felt about it all, but feared the possible rejection.

"What do you think about the Lannister situation?" Rhaenyra asked instead.

Alicent looked at the princess from the corner of her eye, "It makes it more understandable why the Lannisters were so against my daughter's bank, as it now makes it harder to hide their theft. Regardless of what they say, the Lannisters must be punished otherwise it will give the other houses the idea that they can do whatever they please."

"That is true, this is a serious offense against the Crown and its authority. But I fear my father may show leniency."

"The King will not be harsh yes, but I do not believe that he will let them off lightly."

Rhaenyra turned away, facing the yard again, "I hope you are right. We already appear foolish for not noticing earlier, we have been robbed by our bannermen for over a decade. And the Lannisters are most likely not the only ones who have been doing so."

Has our family become so oblivious to what is going on outside of these city walls? Is my father seen as so weak and unthreatening that the lords believe they can do as they wish? The princess thought.

"Our attention should be maintained on the Lannisters for now, do not let the thoughts of if or maybe overwhelm you."

A smirk made its way to the princess' lips, "Is this your way of telling me to not be so impulsive?"

Alicent smirked back, unaware of how this made Rhaenyra's heart race. "I have learned to not bother with trying to fix the impossible."

"So hurtful." Rhaenyra said playfully.

Alicent chuckled, "I'm sure your ego will survive."

The two women were unaware of the expressions on the faces of their sworn protectors. Harwin looked between them suspiciously before a look of realization appeared, causing him to smile. Criston, however, was not pleased that his Queen was getting along with Rhaenyra, his lips twisting into a frown, thinking about just what kind of game the princess was trying to play with Alicent.

A few moments later, one of the King's attendants appeared. "Your Grace, Your Highness. His Grace the King has summoned you back to the small council chamber."

"It seems the King has made a decision." Alicent said politely, but was inwardly upset by the interruption.

"Then let us not keep him waiting." Rhaenyra said, equally upset.

The two walked back to the small council chamber, thinking more about the woman walking next to them than what Viserys had decided to do about the Lannisters.