'Are you sure this is a good idea?' Rhaenyra asked, doing her best to try and hide her nervousness.

'For the fifth time, yes,' Diane said, but her tone was fond. She understood why Rhaenyra struggled but that had to be done. A few acts of kindness might ensure her position much better than the countless political schemes Diane and Daemon had up their sleeves. Was it precisely crucial to their success? Not really. Would it help them out in the long run? Most likely.

'But they don't know me...'

'They are still young enough to want to know you. That's an opportunity you shouldn't miss out on,' Diane insisted, pushing Rhaenyra in the right direction.

To give the proper credit, the idea first came from Daemon when he found out Diane went to visit Aegon and Helaena a few times after she found the little prince in the inner yard that night. So he figured if Diane already did that, she could take Rhaenyra with her so that the princess got a chance to get to know her siblings and - what was more important - her siblings got to know her.

'It's harder to convince a person to usurp the throne if they actually love their sister,' Daemon pointed out, and Rhaenyra knew he was right. They were playing a long game here, and she had to play her part.

Aegon noticed their arrival as soon as they entered the room and immediately ran to Diane with the happiest smile he was capable of. She laughed and picked him up with ease, letting Aegon bubble about what he did today and how much he missed her.

Rhaenyra was impressed by not only how fast Diane seemed to build a relationship with Aegon but also by the fact she was able to put her grudge aside. Rhaenyra didn't remember the horrors of the war and her death so it would be much easier for her. But Diane lived through it, suffered through it, and still found a place in her heart to care for a child who once grew up to kill her.

'I want you to meet someone,' Diane said, and Aegon immediately looked in the direction of Rhaenyra.

'Her?' he pointed and asked. Rhaenyra couldn't help but smile. Diane was right, the boy was precious. If the princess didn't think too hard about who his parents were, of course.

'Yes. That's your sister Rhaenyra.'

'Hi, Aegon,' the princess smiled a little bit awkwardly. She didn't have a lot of experience with kids and wasn't quite sure how she was supposed to behave herself.

Aegon frowned at her and then said, 'My sister small.'

Oh.

They didn't tell him about her. No one told him he had an older sister even though he was old enough to understand. The princess could bet that was somewhat intentional.

'Yes. But you have two sisters,' Diane said cheerfully. She seemed unfazed but Rhaenyra could see in her eyes that she came to the same conclusion. 'The little one is Helaena. She is over there,' Diane slightly turned to show Aegon a baby in the hands of a nursemaid. 'And the older one is Rhaenyra. She is right here. And she is very excited to be your new friend,' Diane turned them back so Aegon could face the princess again.

'Friend!' the boy exclaimed. 'I like making friends,' he declared, stretching his hands to Rhaenyra.

'I think he wants you to hold him,' Diane said with a small smile. 'Are you up for it?'

'Sure, okay,' Rhaenyra nodded, and Diane handed Aegon to her. The boy immediately wiggled, put his hands on Rhaenyra's cheeks, and said in an expert tone, 'You pretty.'

The princess let out a laugh. 'You too, Aegon.'

'Really?' the boy's eyes lightened up.

'Really.'

'Most Targaryens are quite attractive. I think it's a family thing,' Diane commented thoughtfully. She had seen portraits all around Red Keep and, of course, those weren't very accurate images, but there is only so much an artist could do if the person posing for a portrait is ugly. She was also aware that she always was objectively attractive, even when she was older and her body was marred with scars, let alone now. The same went for Daemon and Rhaenyra. Even Viserys... she could kind of see that. He obviously didn't care much for his looks because he was the King and everyone respected him anyway, but if he did... Diane could see a possibility of her even being genuinely attracted to him. Maybe. Probably.

Aegon started bubbling to Rhaenyra about something and after a few minutes, her initial awkwardness disappeared. Maybe Diane was right and getting to know her siblings wouldn't be as hard as Rhaenyra imagined.

Daemon smiled, standing in the doorway and looking at his girls interacting with the kids. He had thought about joining them but then decided against it. They were probably better people than he was because he had a very hard time separating this child from the monster he grew up to be. In another timeline, Aegon was the reason both Rhaenyra and Diane lost their lives, and Daemon couldn't just let it go. So he kept his distance. Maybe with time, he would be able to warm up to these kids but not today. And not like them being on good terms with him mattered much. The plan was to make Aegon and Helaena love Rhaenyra so it would be harder to persuade them to betray her in the future, and Rhaenyra seemed to be doing a pretty good job. His participation in this particular part of their plan didn't seem quite that crucial.

Daemon wasn't sure how long he stood in the doorway, but suddenly he was not alone there.

'Brother,' he nodded in a form of acknowledgment, and Viserys nodded back. What was his brother doing here in the middle of the day? Daemon didn't think him to be a very involved father. He certainly hadn't been when Rhaenyra was a child. She literally found out who Uncle Daemon was before who her father was! That wasn't something Daemon understood and it was probably one of the reasons why he tried to be there for Diane as frequently as he could since she had been born. He didn't want to be a stranger to his own child, for Gods' sake!

'I overheard the maids talking about Rhaenyra visiting her siblings. Wanted to see for myself,' Viserys explained, even though Daemon didn't ask.

At that moment Rhaenyra, imitating a dragon's roar, used a toy to smash a tower made of bricks that buried a few human figurines under the wreckage. Aegon laughed and started clapping.

Apparently, all Targaryen children are bloodthirsty, Daemon though absently. When Diane was a kid, she didn't deem a bedtime story to be good enough unless someone's head was cut off. He used to have a field day coming up with all these stories for her.

'They look like they are having fun,' Daemon said with a small smile.

'Helaena doesn't cry,' Viserys noted with surprise in his voice. 'She always cries.'

Daemon turned his head and saw Diane rocking Helaena in her arms, cooing at her. The little princess seemed to like that, stretching out her small hands to touch Diane's face or grasp at her necklace or her hair. Daemon decided they made an adorable sight before turning to his brother again and noticing that Viserys was looking at them with perhaps too much intensity than was appropriate. Wait... he wasn't really looking at them, he was looking specifically at Diane.

Oh.

Oh no.

Oh fuck.

Seriously? Seriously?

'The kids seem to like her even more than they like their mother,' Viserys said absently when Aegon ran up to Diane to show her something with a happy smile on his face.

Daemon felt like he wasn't supposed to hear that so he just looked at his brother. Pointedly. He didn't know what his face was doing, but he hoped nothing too atrocious. Because he definitely could see the irony, and he wouldn't be hypocritical by calling Viserys out on it, but Daemon felt like it was unfair. Viserys had decided to turn a blind eye to his responsibilities as the King and marry a Hightower whore because he had just felt like it and now was very shamelessly eyeing his daughter, and somehow Daemon ended up being a bad guy because he wanted to marry the love of his life. Very fucking hypocritical, if you ask him.

Rhaenyra glanced at the doorway, gave Daemon a small smile, then looked her father up and down who was too engrossed with ogling Diane to notice and went back to playing with Aegon but Daemon knew she figured it out just like he did. Rhaenyra was smart and could be really observant if she wanted to be. Daemon wondered what she thought about it.

***

They ended up spending a good few hours with the kids, and Rhaenyra didn't even notice it. She was so engrossed with Aegon, that she didn't even notice when Daemon and her father left. It felt good to know that spending time with a child could be this enjoyable. Of course, Rhaenyra understood that she probably caught Aegon on a so-called "good day" and there was more to motherhood than what she did, but it still eased her nerves about having children a little. Because, even though she wanted to have a family with Daemon, the whole ordeal was new and kind of scary to her.

On the other hand, Diane seemed to be as comfortable with children as one might get without actually having any of their own.

'I do love babies,' she said to Rhaenyra when the nursemaid took Aegon to put him for a nap. Helaena had been already sleeping peacefully in Diane's arms for a while now and no one dared to disturb them because the little princess was an extremely fussy child and one should use an opportunity to get as much peace as possible. 'They are just so... innocent. So many bad things are happening in this world and they are none the wiser.'

'You have a talent,' Rhaenyra smiled, looking at sleeping Helaena. 'She sometimes cries so loud I can hear her in my rooms, and yet in your arms, she is a sweet little princess.'

'I was once told that I have a peaceful aura. Which is kind of ironic if you think about what I used to do for a living.'

'Do you want to... go back to what you were doing one day?' Rhaenyra asked, carefully wording her question. She was genuinely curious but she was also mindful in case they would be overheard.

'Not really. I can if I have to. I'm certainly good at it but- I feel like there might be more to my life than that,' Diane looked at the princess. 'People of my... profession, they live in the shadows. We are someone you see in the corner of your eye but who disappears once you turn your head. And it's lonely. Well, unless you fall in love with someone who does the same, but it happens too rarely to really be an option.'

'Why?'

'Trust issues mostly. Sometimes a weird sense of competition. Plus you can't really settle down or have children because the next contract can take you on another continent for months on end... I've lived like that for a while, but I guess it's time to figure out what else I'm good at,' Diane smiled.

'You good at a lot of things, Diane,' Rhaenyra smiled too. 'I'm happy you are here.'

Diane reached out and squeezed her hand in a way of saying "thank you", and they sat in silence for a while.

'Are you aware that my father seems to find you... interesting?' Rhaenyra then asked, making Diane snort.

'Yeah. I thought maybe I misread signals but I did not,' she clicked her tongue, adjusting the baby in her arms.

'Are you going to... do anything about it?' Rhaenyra enquired carefully. She knew Diane was probably playing the "game" even more than she or Daemon did if the whole spectacle with Cole's death was any indication. And Rhaenyra could definitely see why indulging Viserys could be beneficial not only for Diane but for their side in general.

'I don't know. It depends. Heavily on your opinion on it,' Diane glanced at her. It was obvious what she was asking. 'I won't go behind your back. Never. Our trusted circle is ridiculously small. Only three of us, really, and we can't afford secrets. Unless we are completely truthful with each other, a small misunderstanding can make it all fall apart. And I'm not living through this again.'

Rhaenyra took a few seconds to think about everything Diane just said. She was right. Of course, she was, she had probably been there already. Had already seen the wreckage their life turned into. Rhaenyra had all the intentions to not let it happen again.

'I- I find that I do not mind it, actually,' she said then, slightly surprised with herself. When she found out Alicent was marrying her father, she felt betrayed, but now she felt completely fine with the possibility of Diane becoming her father's mistress (or whatever). Maybe, it had something to do with the fact that Diane asked her opinion on the matter? Let her know beforehand? Actually took Rhaenyra's feelings into account? 'If it is something you want to do, of course,' she added.

'It might not be as much about wanting as about strategic choice. No offense, but he is not that attractive. I'm not gonna do anything just because he wants that, only if it gives me something I won't be able to get any other way. My life taught me not to sell my body cheap.'

'That sounds... a little bit cynical.'

'Maybe. But that's a curse of being a woman, I guess. Most men don't see you as an equal. They are more concerned whether or not you are fuckable than whether or not you are smart,' Diane shrugged. 'If you play your cards right, it will give you an advantage. If not, they will take advantage of you.'

'Have you ever...' Rhaenyra started but faltered. She had no idea if there even was a way to politely ask that.

'Sold my body?' Diane finished for her. The princess nodded. 'I guess. Not in a way whores do in brothels, but I used it to get what I wanted sometimes. It's not a precisely transparent transaction, but if you know how to fake it, it might open a lot of doors. I don't mean for you, of course,' she added, giving Rhaenyra a small smile. 'If you are noble or royal, it's different.'

'My father was ready to sell me off to the man who had the biggest castle before Daemon and I got engaged,' Rhaenyra noted. 'Feels pretty similar to me.'

'Well, the stakes are higher. The fact that I had sex with someone never got me castles or prevented wars. Jewelry sometimes,' Diane said, making Rhaenyra laugh.

'You know you are a noble now, right?' the princess asked. 'You are a Lady. With the right marriage contract, you might actually get a castle.'

'As long as I can have Dragonstone, I don't really need anything else. But that's... food for thought, I guess.'

***

Alicent never thought she would one day find herself comfortable in the company of Larys Strong. But at the moment he seemed to be the only person in all Seven Kingdoms who took her seriously. He also made a point of showing that he respected her as Queen and valued her opinions.

If Alicent was honest with herself, being Queen was lonely. Viserys was happy to see her only when he called her into his rooms at night, she was never precisely close with her father to begin with, her kids always cried and irritated her, and her relationship with Rhaenyra was forever ruined by her marriage. Alicent had harbored hope that maybe Rhaenyra would come to terms with her new position and they would eventually reconcile but ever since the blasted Prince Daemon had come back and brought his blasted bastard daughter with him, the chances were slim. Rhaenyra and Diane seemed to be inseparable these days, and Alicent wasn't ready to admit even to herself just how much it bothered her.

Larys wasn't a fan of Daemon or his daughter either. He carefully worded it, of course, but his opinion on the matter seemed to Alicent as clear as day. That was the reason why she felt comfortable enough to bring up the fact that she thought Daemon wasn't the right fit for Rhaenyra during one of their dinners together.

'She is an heir to the throne, she needs a husband who would support her,' Alicent insisted, trying to make herself believe she was saying this only because she was concerned for her old friend. 'And Prince Daemon- he is not fit to rule, even as a King Consort. And I don't believe he will treat Rhaenyra right as a wife! He will just take advantage of her.'

'The prince and the princess seem to be... quite enamored with each other,' Larys said carefully. Everyone saw how they looked at each other every time they were in the same room. And, granted, Larys might not know a lot about love and relationships, but even he could see that Prince Daemon didn't look like someone who was about to marry Princess Rhaenyra just for her crown. But he wouldn't try to disagree with the Queen, of course. He didn't earn as much of her trust to freely do that just yet.

'That's clearly an act! On Daemon's part, at least. Rhaenyra can actually love him, but that's beside the point. He is no good for her! Do not think I don't know people call him Lord Flea Bottom behind his back. How can the person associated with such filth be fit to become King Consort? But my husband decided to turn a blind eye to it like he always does!'

'I understand your frustrations, Your Majesty. But, unfortunately, since the King announced their engagement, there is nothing short of a big adultery scandal that can break it.'

'You mean if he... cheated on her?' Alicent asked, sounding equally surprised and intrigued.

'More like if he was caught in an undeniably compromising position with someone who was not the princess,' Larys nodded. 'For the man the rule about fidelity during an engagement period is not set in stone but it's presumed for matches as important as this.'

Alicent nodded, and Larys knew she wouldn't be brave enough to ask him directly, so he continued, 'I have a few connections in the Flea Bottom. I will ask them to keep an eye out but I wouldn't hold too much hope, Your Majesty. As far as my knowledge goes, Prince Daemon hasn't been seen there since the engagement became official.'

'That can't be true,' Alicent shook her head. 'He was known to be constantly unfaithful to his late wife. People like him don't change.'

'I did not imply that he changed. I simply stated that he might... get his needs met in less known and more discreet places.'

Truth be told, Alicent didn't really like the options: either Daemon was truly faithful to Rhaenyra (which she didn't believe to be possible), or he learned how to better cover his tracks and that meant they might not be able to catch him red-handed.

'He might have taken himself a mistress inside the Red Keep,' Larys wondered out loud. 'So as his trips to the city will no longer threaten to compromise his future marriage.'

Alicent felt like she just had an epiphany. 'Of course, that must be it!' she exclaimed. 'We have to find her.'

'It might not be easy, Your Majesty. After all, there are dozens of servants, maids, and even noble women around at all times of the day.'

'I understand. But it's the question of the utmost importance. We have to do what we can to save Rhaenyra from his schemes!'

Larys nodded, 'I will see what I can do.'

They sat in silence for a while. Then Alicent took a sip of her wine and said, 'I was told a while ago that Prince Daemon visits his daughter's rooms quite frequently.'

Larys blinked, trying to figure out whether the Queen was insinuating what he thought she might be insinuating. 'Surely not...' he started.

'Who knows? Targaryens have queer customs. It would explain why he brought her here in the first place,' Alicent mused. She didn't fully believe her theory herself, but wouldn't it be just wonderful? She could get rid of Daemon and Diane with one scandal, and if the two of them weren't here to poison Rhaenyra with their schemes, the princess might just see reason and they would become friends again. Alicent quite hoped she was right.