Blood Upon The Snow ||| Cregan Stark

twenty-seven

Jacaera woke the next morning alone. It wasn't uncommon, though. Most couples were dressed in different chambers in the morning. It seemed Lord Cregan had done Jacaera the liberty of leaving her to sleep.

She was bound to be quite exhausted.

It took her a while to actually pull herself from the comfort of the bed. Jacaera gave herself a wash and then began to change into the clothes they'd brought for her into her new wardrobe.

A maid brought Jacaera breakfast, a nice hearty meal, before helping her dress the rest of the way. If she noticed the marks, she didn't say anything. She simply helped Jacaera pull her dress and skirts on and do her hair.

After, Jacaera left her rooms to see if she could find her husband. She didn't imagine there was much work for him; there never was the morning after weddings.

When Jacaera had shown herself for the first time since the feast, there were many looks. A tale had been spun about what transpired in the bedchamber. The marks peeking out from beneath her collar did little to dissuade them.

Jacaera shared something with her great-grandmother Alyssa Targaryen. She was unabashed. It wasn't wrong to enjoy herself. So her head was held high as she walked the halls in search of Lord Cregan.

In fact, Alyssa Targaryen was heard after her own wedding night stating that she mounted him and took him for a ride. Because, of course, she loved to ride.

Maybe Jacaera would have to remind her husband how she rode a dragon. But that was conversation for the bedchamber. She just wanted to see him.

When she did see him, she couldn't speak to him. He was training with Jace in the Yard.

Baela was standing off to the side watching with her arms crossed when she saw Jacaera. Immediately she ushered the girl over, a giddy smile on her face.

At first, she didn't say anything. She
continually glanced at Jacaera, waiting for her to begin. But Jacaera wasn't going to offer anything up that easily. She tried to keep her eyes on her husband and her brother.

It was obvious Jace was hungover. He was trying his best not to show it but in his attempts to drown himself in wine and block out the bedding of his sister, he may have overdone it.

Extremely amusing.

Finally, Baela caved and grabbed onto Jacaera's arm. "So...?"

Jacaera laughed. "It was good."

"Good?" Baela's tone was unbelieving as she stared sideways at Jacaera. "You should have heard the things they said. Just good?"

It was very much better than good but Jacaera wasn't going to lay it all out for her. Baela didn't need graphic details.

Jacaera gave her the short version. And Baela was most definitely her father's daughter; she held no judgment. Only interest. Especially when she heard he took Jacaera twice in one night.

As they watched their boys swing their swords, Jacaera told Baela enough for her to know that she would be well-satisfied. Lord Cregan's bed was a very nice place to stay.

"I'm trying to convince him to marry me when we arrive back. He is insistent on refusing," Baela sighed as they watched Cregan push Jace to the ground and then offer his hand to help him up.