#the final - i promise - i’ll be a stranger - princess - was an absolute gut punch

[yasminhananis]

okay i understand people wanting more affection between harwin/rhaenyra, more domesticity. but that’s the thing, they don’t have that. obviously moments are stolen but they’re certainly not sitting in rooms lounging on each other, not laying around in bed or not for long. rhaenyra seems to have her kids around her A LOT too, and given the circumstances rightfully chooses to not yet have them know of their true parentage. sure harwin is around more that average but they do not ‘know’ and haven’t quite been at the age to know until maybe now. so what you get is tense rooms with other people. and weighted eye contact.

with the kids, all you are offered is touches to the chin. words of encouragement. keep your head up. keep your weapons up. your guard up. small lessons doled out quietly, carefully, slowly. you are surrounded by the world they will soon be thrust into. your son, the future king. his mother, future queen, one of the most powerful people in the realm, and yet all of you are all powerless in this. you must tip-toe around, hide, elude, and for all of it, the effort, all the times you cannot claim your children in public, speak your mind. you are still hit with gazing eyes, accusations. and you can say nothing or only defend yourself with lies. you bring shame to your father. to his house. your house, that you will have to leave to one day. regardless. leave your children and the women you love to this snake pit.

so yes, no forehead kisses, but that’s not their life 98% of this time. i think it was nice to see things from the outside. how they act on the daily. and lbr in real life you often don’t get a kiss goodbye.