Blood Upon The Snow ||| Cregan Stark

thirty-two

The grief settled over Jacaera's rage when she returned to Dragonstone. It was devastating. She'd never felt something of that magnitude before.

She tried to keep herself composed. Tried to climb off of her dragon and return to the castle. But the moment her legs touched the ground, it felt like it hit her all at once.

Jacaera brought a hand to her chest. She felt like she was in physical pain. It was so overwhelming that she made it maybe ten steps before she dropped.

It felt hopeless. Everything did. Jacaera didn't know she had the capacity to feel that much hurt. Her brother. Her strong, sweet, protective brother. Gone. Dead.

That's when the tears came. As she was hit by the suffocating force of her grief, Jacaera sobbed, fisting the dirt beneath her fingers and rocking back and forth on her knees.

Why?

One word she repeated relentlessly. Why him? Why Jace? What cruel plan had the gods divined to kill him? To take both Viserys and Jace from her.

Nettled and Addam knew. Together, after they'd landed their own dragons, they found her where she'd given up. They'd both felt grief over the prince's death but knew it was nothing compared to what she was feeling.

Jacaera never liked to cry in front of people. But she couldn't get herself to care. There was nothing that would help her devastation.

Still, Nettles and Addam were kind enough to get Jacaera off of the ground. They got her up and took her back to the castle. Maybe she could find comfort from her mother, from those inside.

She hardly registered she was walking. Going inside.

It was clear to them Rhaenyra had been told by Ulf and Hugh. She wasn't anywhere to be found, the castle was scarce and there were distraught faces everywhere. No one could even look at Jacaera.

Everyone loved Jace. Knew he would be a good king, he was a good son. And he was dead.

The first person Addam and Nettles managed to find was Lord Corlys. He knew there was a high chance Jacaera would arrive in a state like that. He'd already spent time comforting Baela, the woman Jace was supposed to marry.

He nodded to the two dragonseeds, assuring them he would care for Jacaera. They handed Jacaera over, watching as Corlys pulled her close, before hesitantly leaving.

Jacaera felt him pull her in, knew it was her grandfather, and sobbed into his shoulder. "I tried," she croaked, taking a stuttering breath in. "It hurts so much."

Corlys sighed and held the back of her head. So young, so much pain. "I know, dear girl. It pains me. I have seen this pain in my own son. The loss of a sibling, let alone a twin, is a wound like no other."

That's right. Laenor had lost Laena. Jacaera remembered hoping she'd never have to deal with that.

And there she was.

Thousands died. Yet no death was felt so deeply as that of Jacaerys Velaryon.

For a while, Corlys only held Jacaera. Let her cry into him when her own mother was trying not to lose her mind. Rhaenyra had been destroyed by the news from her dragonseeds.