Holding Laena's hand, Rhaenyra deftly rounded half the long table and headed straight for the empty seat beside Alicent.
She sat down with an easy, fluid motion, as though that place had been reserved for her-
And in fact, it had.
Ever since Rhaenyra and Aegon had formally become betrothed four years earlier, at every royal feast in the Red Keep, large or small, she had led Aegon by the hand to sit beside Alicent-her former best friend, present stepmother, and future mother-in-law-instead of beside her father, Viserys.
At first, it had merely been Aegon's idea-"Sister, you sit beside Mother, and I'll sit beside you. That way, Father will be happy, and Mother will be happy too"-
Later, it had become Rhaenyra's habit, an unspoken understanding of sorts.
After all, compared with sitting beside her sweet-smelling, soft best friend, stepmother, and future mother-in-law, whose attitude had now improved-
Who would choose to sit beside an old father covered in scars and smelling of ointment, whose conversation was nothing but dull lectures?
Still, Viserys, the "old father" who knew nothing of this, was certainly happy to see it.
The two greatest headaches in his life now were his younger brother, Daemon, and the relationship between his wife, Alicent, and his eldest daughter, Rhaenyra.
As for Daemon, he could not control the man anyway, and no longer wanted to try.
But at least he had watched this stepmother and stepdaughter go from bitter enemies to reconciliation. Beginning with that unexpected embrace beside the stream in the Godswood four years earlier, they had glued the broken porcelain bowl back together, piece by piece.
The cracks remained, but at least it could hold water.
Whenever he saw Rhaenyra sitting beside Alicent, their heads close together as they spoke softly, Viserys felt that perhaps not