She Will Always Hate Me || Jacaerys Velaryon

Chapter Two

Edited 5/20/23

Breathe in...

Breathe out...

Breathe in... Breathe in...

"Are you alright, Lyra?" Her mother asked her.

"If I have to spend one more moment in this carriage, I might lose my mind." She told her mother.

Her mother laughed, "We will be there in the morning."

The carriage lurched and rumbled over uneven terrain, making her stomach flip. Lyra didn't want to spend another second on the bumpy road cramped into the small wagon. The road to King's Landing was long and tedious, filled with empty landscapes and grey skies. She much preferred the snow-dusted mountains of her home.

Every single inch of her body ached from the endless days of sitting. Her body had long ago grown numb sitting on the cushioned seats. At least once a day, the caravan would stop to rest and stretch their legs, but the time never felt long enough.

As the temperatures changed while they traveled, they replaced their thick furs with cooler free-flowing fabrics made of linens and cotton. In the past, her clothes had been like armor- protection from everything and everyone. They were fur-lined and heavy-impregnable. Without the extra weight of the fabric, she felt naked and vulnerable to attack.

Tomorrow she would be in Kings Landing. Tomorrow she would meet her future husband and marry him. There was so much that was unknown about her future. She could very well be walking into a lion's den, and she wouldn't even know it. She missed her armor. She missed her home.

She had heard stories of the political and deadly troubles of the royal court. It was always hard to know who to trust. In the past, families fought families for a seat on an ugly throne. More than anything, she didn't want to get caught up in a war for a throne. It was ironic that the one person who wanted nothing to do with the crown may one day become Queen.

Her life was spinning out of control quickly in front of her. If only she could grab onto the time that passed and force it to slow down.

"Are you nervous about meeting him?" Her mother asked.

She nodded, "Terrified if I'm honest...What if he hates me?"

"He won't hate you. Nobody could hate you, Lyra." Her mother said, smiling weakly at her. There was a small part of Lyra that didn't believe her mother. She feared more than anything that the man she was forced to marry would have to spend the rest of his life with someone he despised.

"Get some rest," Her mother said, "We won't be camping for the night to make time."

She nodded, and her head fell against the carriage walls; sleep did not come easily. Her dreams were filled with dragons burning her to ashes.

The carriage lurched forward, waking Lyra up from her sleep. It hadn't been a rest. It's hard to sleep in a creaking carriage that rumbles whenever it hits an upturned stone. She closed her eyes again, hoping to gain a few more seconds of sleep. With an elegant hand, she gently rubbed the sleep from her eyes. When she opened his eyes next, they were still stopped.

She massaged her aching shoulders and struggled to adjust her eyes to the moon-soaked midnight sky. In the distance, she heard voices speaking about something in hushed tones that could still be heard over the sounds of chirping crickets and sleeping animals. It was her brother's voice, only in a manner she had never heard before.

Why had they stopped? She wondered. Her mother told her that they wouldn't arrive until the marrow. What had changed?

"Lyra?" Her mother sleepily said from her rest, "Everything okay?"