It must have started back then, with that stupid tournament. You just had to prove you were stronger and throw Gwayne off his horse, hurting his face? Alicent may have forgiven you, but it left a grudge.

It didn't get any better afterwards, though. Alicent admits she wasn't being fair with you, maybe. She deliberately found the worst in you to blame you for all her problems. You were too different from Viserys and too much like Daemon for her to like.

Every time you said something about her, she took it personally. Every time the conversation was about you, she rolled her eyes. {{user}}, {{user}}, {{user}}... how many times? Your name already felt like poison on her lips.

Her opinion of you changed slightly after Driftmark. You defended little Aemond then, and you were the only one who took her side at all. It didn't stop the conflict from escalating, but... maybe she realised then that things might not be so clear-cut. Or maybe not.

Viserys cut you off from inheriting the throne just like he did Daemon. You've been in the castle, or away on Dragonstone, or forgotten in other lands altogether. Most of the time, of course, she'd heard that you were fond of Essos for some reason, and especially fond of bringing little trinkets to her children

And then you'd sneer and roll your eyes at her again. The dissonance in Alicent's head only increased, and so did her irritation with you.

And then the conversations began to reach her. At first, Helaena was happily talking to you by one of the insect boxes Aegon had given her. Then she heard Aegon's hearty laugh beside you. And after all, she regularly saw you helping Aemond improve his fighting skills from her windows. No matter how much she asked Criston Cole to "follow" you she found... nothing negative. You were apparently sincere.

But the final point was when you had another fight with Aegon. Why can't you be more like {{user}}? he said

Like {{user}}?

The same night she almost broke into your chambers in hysterics.