Tourney To Love | Aemond Targaryen and Eowyn Velaryon

Love and loss

Eowyn changed into one of her white dresses, the armour heavy on her body as she covered herself with bits of fur and rags to retain the warmth. Her gifted sword from Daemon and Rhaenyra all those years ago strapped to her back, the dagger protectively strapped to her thigh as always and she stared at her reflection. She barely recognised the woman who looked back at her. Life had been cruel, especially cruel to her and her family over these years. When she was finished feeling sorry for herself, she took a deep breath and left the room, knowing Jace and Cregan would be waiting for her. Ben had insisted on coming but she refused, but she did give him permission to be one of the first people able to sail in the water once all the ships were destroyed.

The two brown haired males, different in every single way stood by the gates. Cregan was taller, broader and looked every bit the warrior, but Jace had the heart of a warrior. He stood tall and proud, and she smiled softly at him. "Come, we don't have much time."

The dragons were slightly annoyed to be bothered as they slept, especially because Juniper hadn't had much peace these last few days going through her riders' emotions and tiredness from the flight. Juniper growled at Cregan, and he stopped in his tracks. Eowyn chuckled softly, leaning close to whisper to her dragon. "You can't eat him today. Maybe another time." Jace laughed at her joke as he climbed into the saddle on Vermax, but Cregan was a little less amused. He remained still until Eowyn had to physically push him closer to Juniper so he could climb onto her back too. "She wouldn't eat you. Just burn you."

"Oh, because that's much better. Thank you, princess!" He rolled his eyes and finally climbed onto the saddle; she helped him with the straps like she did with Ben a few days prior before she climbed onto Juniper too. Her movement was so graceful he envied her. Both dragons were in the skies without needing to be commanded and as much as Cregan wanted to deny it, he hated it. Dragons were a force not to be meddled with and now here he was, riding on ones back to hundreds of enemy ships. How he wished he had stayed in bed today.

When the ships came into view the sun beamed down onto them and the water, she remembered this was where the south gave into the north and its harsh climate. She pulled at the reigns as a sign to tell Juniper to fly for the sun, her scales would reflect the light and make their attack impossible to see or stop. When they were above the ships, she called out loudly. "Dracarys!" The pale blue dragon fire turned a ferocious red when it hit the ships, some of them exploding on impact and others slowly burning as the screams of the sailors echoed in the air. Jace was doing the same with Vermax, but he made a mistake. A life altering mistake. He allowed Vermax to fly too low, he was quickly overpowered by canons – arrows, spears, crossbolts. Anything that could pierce a dragon's scales and the screeching filled the air. Eowyn looked over just as she saw Jace fall from his dragon, he had managed to float on a barrel in the open sea and she quickly ushered Juniper to take out the rest of the ships but by the time the last one had been struck with dragon fire she couldn't see her brother through the smoke. "Jace!" There was no response, and she was quick to unclasp herself from her saddle.

"What are you doing? I can't control this thing!" Cregan attempted to stop her as she moved onto her knees, and she threw off her heavy armour into the water knowing it would just make her sink to the bottom of the murky waters. But she kept her sword and dagger firmly attached to herself.

"Then I guess you're coming for a swim too, Lord Stark." She glared and then dived from Junipers back into the water. Cregan groaned loudly, pulling at the clasps on his own saddle before he jumped in after her. Juniper surrounded the waters, making sure no enemies had survived before the she dragon cried seeing her last friend sink beneath the waves. The cry caught Eowyn's attention when she re-emerged from the water, and she looked up at her bonded soul and didn't say a word as the dragon flew away. Back to Kings Landing to watch over her children until she could return to them, safely.

When Cregan emerged they both swam to where they last saw Jace and once again, Eowyn's heart broke – the last bit that remained breaking as she saw her younger brothers dead body hanging over the barrel. Arrows in every part of his body. "Gods. Jace." She moved to his side, as if to hope he had somehow survived but when she felt how limp he was she allowed him to fall back into the waters. Letting the seas take the Velaryon boy.

"Eowyn.." Cregan tried to speak but she didn't want to listen, she had mourned enough people in a lifetime than anyone could realise. She swam to the last remnants of a ship that had somehow managed to stay afloat but it was more like a raft now, she tiredly climbed onto the wood and laid across it. Thankfully the sun warmed her skin, he pulled himself onto the raft too and collapsed beside her. "Death doesn't get any easier."

She turned to glare at him, men were truly clueless and didn't know when to shut up. But she wouldn't rise to it, she was exhausted. Someone would come for them; it was just luck of the draw if it would be men from the north or more men from the triarchy. Her heavy eyes closed and somehow, they both managed to fall asleep.

Rescue came a few hours later, she had never been so thankful to see Ben than in that moment. She threw her arms around him and managed to hide her cries as she whispered into his ear. "Jace is gone. So is Vermax." He held her while the men pulled Lord Stark to safety. All Ben truly cared about was here, safe in his arms.
--------
Juniper arrived back at Kings Landing and Aegon excitedly ran out to meet the dragon and her rider, but his smile dropped when he saw she was without a rider. He approached her without any issues as he gently touched her scales, as if inspecting for any damage or injuries but the she dragon was perfectly fine. He ordered the dragon keepers to reward her with a pig knowing if she had flown all the way home, she was tired. He ordered the small council to meet, this time his mother was a part of it.

"Her dragon returned alone. She is dead, Aegon." Alicent tried to get through to him, speak some sense into him but he refused to listen.

"No! You all saw how Dreamfyre reacted to Helena's death. She cried every day until she let me claim her. Juniper doesn't cry for her rider. Eowyn is alive and I'm going to find her." He spoke confidently and moved to his feet but of course everyone objected.

"You cannot abandon your kingdom for the sake of one woman. You're the King. If she is indeed alive like you say, then surely, she will return by herself?" The fact that the Lannister spoke and Aegon didn't want to punch him in the face was a shock to everyone. He spoke sense and Aegon knew he couldn't abandon the kingdom. Even for Eowyn. She would kill him herself if he left her children here.

                                                                                                   --------

They had remained on the ship for a day, figuring out their next move as Eowyn only spoke with Ben. It wasn't until Cregan approached her with a bowl of food that she finally acknowledged his presence again. "We shall remain on ship for another day, we will sail to house Mormont and explain this mess to him. He can ensure the North is protected if there is to be another attack. And then Princess, we sail for Kings Landing."

She was chewing a piece of the meat when he announced about Kings Landing and she quickly swallowed the food, nearly choking in the process. "You still wish to help me? Even without Jace's guidance?"

"You just wish for a future with your children, I will do whatever I can to help you achieve those dreams." They shared a warm smile now, perhaps the first true smile she had managed since her short reunion with her younger brother. He left her to eat the rest of her food. Wanting to change into fresh clothes that didn't smell like dirty sea water.