Twin Flames: Whispers in the Red Keep
Chapter I – The Queen in Green
POV: Alicent Hightower
King's Landing had grown warmer since their arrival.
Not in temperature.
In tension.
Alicent watched them from across the feast hall — the ancient twins who stood beside Rhaenyra as though they had always belonged there.
Daenerys wore silver like a second skin. Aenarion stood half a step behind her, watchful, unreadable.
They did not seek attention.
It found them regardless.
"My queen," murmured her father, Otto Hightower, from her side. "Power unclaimed is the most dangerous kind."
Alicent's fingers tightened around her goblet.
"They are not claimants," she said softly.
"No," Otto agreed. "They are symbols."
Across the hall, Rhaenyra Targaryen laughed at something Aenarion said.
The sound grated more than Alicent expected.
Dragons she understood.
Prophecy she tolerated.
But unity around Rhaenyra?
That threatened everything.
Chapter II – The Hand's Inquiry
POV: Otto Hightower
Otto trusted records more than rumors.
He ordered the Red Keep's oldest archives opened — scrolls predating the Conquest, sealed correspondence from Dragonstone, fragmented Valyrian texts.
And then something far more curious arrived.
A merchant vessel from Pentos carried paintings recovered from a ruined estate in Essos — once belonging to a noble family descended from slaves who had fled the Doom generations ago.
The merchant claimed the portraits depicted "the Fire Gods who walked the ash."
Otto examined them privately.
The faces were unmistakable.
Silver hair.
Violet eyes.
A man and woman wreathed in painted flame — standing amid the destruction of Valyria.
One inscription in broken High Valyrian read:
They broke our chains in the hour of fire.
The First Flame and the Last Light.
Otto's expression darkened.
"These are not myths," he murmured.
Alicent stood beside him, pale.
"They helped slaves escape?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
Otto rolled the parchment closed.
"That," he said quietly, "is what concerns me."
Chapter III – The Queen Who Never Was Watches
POV: Rhaenys Targaryen
Rhaenys listened as Corlys described the Essosi findings.
Former slaves in Lys and Volantis still passed down stories of "The Twin Flames" who shielded fleeing ships during the Doom.
Corlys Velaryon had dismissed them once as folklore.
Now he did not.
"They were not conquerors," Rhaenys said thoughtfully. "They were protectors."
"Or manipulators," Corlys countered.
Rhaenys shook her head.
"No. I have watched them."
She remembered the way Daenerys had looked at the smallfolk children in the courtyard — not as subjects.
As equals.
"They are dangerous," Corlys warned.
"All dragons are," she replied calmly.
But that night, alone in her chambers, Rhaenys considered something unsettling.
If the Twins had once defied the Freehold to save slaves—
What might they defy now?
Chapter IV – Fire in the Godswood
POV: Alicent Hightower
The royal hunt began beneath banners and forced celebration.
Viserys I Targaryen rode at the center, determined to project strength.
The lords drank heavily.
The whispers flowed faster than wine.
Alicent found Daenerys standing at the edge of the encampment, watching the woods.
"You unsettle the court," Alicent said plainly.
Daenerys did not look offended.
"We exist," she replied.
"That is enough."
Alicent hesitated, then spoke more quietly.
"Did you truly save slaves from Valyria?"
Daenerys turned then.
Her violet eyes were not defensive.
"They were human," she answered simply.
Something tightened in Alicent's chest.
"That answer," Alicent said softly, "will not comfort certain lords."
"Then they should examine why."
Across the clearing, Aenarion spoke calmly with Rhaenyra and Daemon.
Too calm.
Too composed.
Too steady.
Otto watched them all like a hawk.
And in the distance, a stag screamed.
Chapter V – Blood on the Hunt
POV: Aenarion
The white hart appeared at dusk.
Rare.
Sacred.
The symbol of kingship.
The hunters pursued it eagerly — too eagerly.
Viserys struggled with the ceremonial spear when the creature was cornered.
Doubt flickered across the king's face.
I felt Daenerys' tension beside me.
This moment matters, she whispered in our shared mind.
Yes.
If Viserys failed publicly, the realm would whisper weakness.
If he succeeded, it would be hollow.
The stag broke free suddenly — charging not the king—
But toward a group of squires.
Time slowed.
I lifted my hand.
Telekinesis wrapped around the beast mid-leap, unseen by mortal eyes.
Daenerys' flame flickered beneath the leaves, diverting its path subtly.
The stag stumbled.
Viserys struck true.
The court erupted in cheers.
No one saw the invisible hand that guided fate.
No one except—
Otto.
His sharp eyes narrowed ever so slightly.
Later, in the privacy of his tent, he spoke quietly to Alicent.
"They influence outcomes."
Alicent's voice was barely above a whisper.
"Are they protecting the crown… or choosing who wears it?"
Otto did not answer.
Across the camp, under the dying glow of sunset, the Twins stood together.
United.
Calm.
Unbothered by suspicion.
But the court had begun to divide.
Not just into Green and Black.
But into those who believed the Twins were salvation—
And those who feared they were something far more dangerous.