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[holyposition]

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t.laughlin

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[holyposition]

That...

[ All sounds horribly complicated. It seems that Alicent has been forced to play more roles than any one person could ever manage successfully. Wife, mother, queen, friend, lover. Each with different priorities that are bound to contradict. He's faced these conflicts of identity himself, on a much smaller scale, and found it impossible to juggle it all. This was being simply in proximity to McCarthy's power, far from wielding it himself. Would he have been strong enough to always do the right thing, if he were just a little closer? ]

Sounds complicated. But you're the queen. Your husband and the father of your children newly passed. You had a duty to keep things running smoothly, while dealing with your grief at the same time. You did the best you could.

[unapparent]

I chose my children. [ the best she could do for them, not for Rhaenyra or the realm. a selfishness based in blood. a mother’s love. ]

I though my husband did the same — he spoke our firstborn Aegon’s name in his dying breaths and said he should be king, but… why he would waver in those final hours, I do not know.

[ he supported Rhaenyra’s claim in voice for years, if not in law. he never tried to change the rules of succession to favour women, despite espousing support for his daughter. a contradictory, ineffectual man. but kind. alicent knows that any man who takes her to wife for the second time will not be so generous with her. ]

It does not matter, in the end, who was right or wrong. We are at odds, regardless.

[ and only annihilation will win the day, her sons or Rhaenyra. ]

Thank you, Tim — for listening to our strange politics.

[holyposition]

As any mother would.

[ No, it doesn't seem as though there are right or wrong answers in this scenario. It's difficult for Tim to wrap his head around, for it's only fairly recently that the world has revealed itself to be more than black and white. There was God's word, which was good, and there was everything else. It was childish of him to think that things might always be so simple as that, or to think that they ever were. ]

You're welcome. Thank you for sharing them with me. I'm not sure I understand completely, but I know it's been hard for you. I'm glad you're mostly free of it here.

[ At least for now. ]