george r.r. martin i'm in your walls

the game begins

One hundred and fourteen years after Aegon I Targaryen conquered Westeros and made himself ruler of the Seven Kingdoms alongside his sister-wives, the son of the heir of the Iron Throne was born. The heir, Rhaenyra of House Targaryen, was heralded as the Realm's Delight, and it seemed her son, Jacaerys Velaryon was no different.

There were many rumors regarding the circumstances of the young prince's birth. His hair was not the silver blonde for which Valyrians were known. Instead, it was common and dark, and exceedingly close to that of Ser Harwin Strong's. Still, King Viserys embraced the young prince and proclaimed him the future Prince of Dragonstone and the Seven Kingdoms for all at court to see (and it is said Queen Alicent looked like she swallowed a lemon at such a statement). Queen Alicent, the second wife of King Viserys, regarded her step-grandson cordially, if not overly ecstatic, as many noted.

It seemed the only defining Valyrian feature of Prince Jacaerys were his lilac eyes, which followed the Queen and her children incredibly.

Despite the obvious appearance of the young prince, Prince-Consort Ser Laenor Velaryon was quite taken with his son. He cared not who laid eyes on the affection he gifted to his son, and for that, the wagging tongues seemed quite stumped. Surely Ser Laenor was cuckolded? Sword swallower he may be, but what man would stand for his children to not be his own get? And yet, Ser Laenor, as it seemed, adored the boy. Furthermore, Lord Corlys Velaryon was seen in the presence of the young prince, and no man like the Sea Snake would allow his grandchild to be a bastard. So for the time being, the rumors at court were vanquished. They would again be resurrected, however, when Princess Rhaeynra gave birth to two more sons, each with Ser Harwin Strong's coloring.

However, Jeyne paid no mind to anything the court said. In the two years Jeyne had attended to the prince, she thanked the Seven for such a well-behaved babe. Prince Jacaerys rarely cried and only ever gave happy, childish smiles. He never shrieked, never behaved inappropriately, and drank from her teat in a princely manner. Jeyne was thankful for the coin the job provided, and the ease of it all. The king commanded her to nurse both Prince Jacaerys and Prince Daeron, which she did as her king commanded. Still, as hard as it was to not choose a favorite, Jeyne was guilty of choosing Prince Jacaerys.

Don't get her wrong, Prince Daeron is a fine babe, if a little fussy, as all babies so new to the world are. But compared to Prince Jacaerys, who is not as much of a chore to look after, Prince Daeron could not be Jeyne's favorite.

Try as she might, for other, older wet nurses gave her such advice to not grow attached to the babes they nurse, Jeyne found that she did not wish to part from the babe she nursed. Still, she gave a final goodbye to the young Prince, who she hoped would grow into a good, faithful ruler of the Seven Kingdoms like the Old King, Jaehaerys.

Prince Jacaerys and Prince Daeron were still kept in the same room, though at the moment the latter was in the company of the Queen. The dragon eggs sat in the cribs of the young princes, warm to the touch and ready to hatch. Prince Jacaerys sat in his crib, holding a toy dragon.

"This is where I leave, my prince," Jeyne whispered, though she doubted the prince would understand her words. Two-year-olds could understand some words, but the ones Jeyne wished to say could not be conveyed to a young babe. "You no longer need milk to sustain you, so her grace, Princess Rhaenyra does not need for me, and neither do you. I can only hope you will be a good, confident ruler like your ancestors."

Jeyne let a lone tear slip down her face and wiped it away. She turned away, ready to leave and become a regular maid in the Red Keep, when Prince Jacaerys made a noise. Jeyne turned, and was startled at the sight of Prince Jacaerys' face scrunched up. She stood there, unsure of what the prince was attempting to convey to her, but rushed forward when he started to wail. She picked the prince up, and rocked him back and forth, hushing him.