king for a day ¹ ━━━━ jacaerys velaryon fanfic

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- ̥۪͙۪˚┊❛ CHAPTER EIGHTEEN ❜┊˚ ̥۪͙۪◌
VARIOUS STORMS AND SAINTS
❛ the monument of a memory
you tear it down in your head ❜

ALICENT HIGHTOWER.

"You're still thinking about her, aren't you?" Helaena asked her mother, her hands delicately weaving through the fabric.

"About who?"

"About Eudora," she answered so nonchalantly, but the two words brought a chill down Alicent's spine. "You've had almost all the guards either hunt Aegon or Eudora down—"

She tried to take Helaena by the hand before the girl scooted away. "I— It's not something for you to worry about."

"But it's something you are worried about," mumbled Helaena. She hated the fact that her daughter was right, that she was thinking about Eudora. How easily the girl escaped from her grasp, maybe she overlooked the fact that she may need more guards. "A rose is still soft and beautiful, even when it blooms with thorns."

Helaena's words always seemed to confuse Alicent, whether or not they do mean anything at all. Maybe it did have some kind of purpose, something Alicent wasn't able to decode. Everything seemed so surface level for her, the dying words of her husband, her daughter's rhymes, which caused the number of misunderstandings and missed opportunities in Alicent's life. She wanted to see herself in Eudora, no matter how much torment she threw at the girl for some reason she was able to bounce back with a roll of her eyes. But even though she thinks highly of herself, she could never compare to even the ounce of confidence the Stark could put forward.

And that scared her.

She watched Eudora grow, as hard it was to admit. But she knew somewhere along the way, she must've fed her the wrong food, allowed too much or too little, because why is it that her children would still listen to her in a heartbeat even in conflict but Eudora couldn't do the same? The queen wanted to blame it on the fact that they were not of the same blood. But if that were to be true, then why is the Stark so loyal to Rhaenys– who she swore to isolate Eudora from? Why couldn't Eudora come close to Aegon or Aemond, the same way she has connected with Jace and Luke?

It was as if the only person who had managed to pierce through the wall was Helaena, even then it wasn't enough to sway Eudora to Alicent's supposed right path. Deep down inside, Alicent wanted to foster and nurture the dark-haired girl as if she were her own. The queen hated herself for not becoming the mother she was tasked to be, but by the gods, she hoped that she was able to change it once more. When Eudora first stepped on to the Red Keep, Alicent's heart only leaped with joy at the thought of a second chance.

But because she was so used to how she raised her own child, the queen only destined herself for failure. So when Eudora started to go against her will, Alicent couldn't stop it. Just like her children, it's much easier to stand by and watch than to maintain. If she couldn't be direct with the girl, then Alicent thought she could maybe sway her to the right direction with just wits. Much to her dismay, she was wrong again.

It didn't matter now, Alicent had to confront another person before the day ended– the Queen Who Never Was.

—

JACAERYS.

That morning, he noticed Eudora was awfully quiet. Before she could speak, she would shut down as Daemon walked into the room. He couldn't help but feel guilty for the night before, yet he didn't know how to fix such a mess. As he walked down the corridor in Dragonstone, he was approached by his father. "We need to talk," he whispered, guiding Jace out of eyes' reach.

"I know what you're about to say—"

"And you know that it must be said," interrupted Daemon, a firm grip on Jace's shoulder. "But I certainly do not trust that girl. Not one bit." The Velaryon only furrowed his eyebrows. Trust, said Daemon. What did Daemon know about Eudora's loyalty? "I couldn't bear the thought of anything bad happening here, anything happening to this life we've all established for ourselves. Of anything bad happening to your mother, at most. You will have her back at King's Landing by tonight, or else—"

"Or else what?" Jace interrupted, holding his chin high. "Daemon, please. All I'm asking is to give her a chance. I know she wouldn't dare to do such a thing."

Daemon only sighed at the boy's words. "And if one night she leaves, just as she did with us? What then?" Jace took a step back, staring Daemon in the eye. The rogue prince only hummed at his reaction, only leaving the boy to think of what he should've said— what he could've said to defend the Stark. And yet no words left his mouth.

The next few hours became a sore point for Jace, having to recall the previous conversation with Daemon throughout the day whilst getting Eudora to feel comfortable in such a new setting. She would only mumble a few answers— a quick yes or no towards him. The girl did hold a few conversations with Baela and Rhaena, smiling ever so softly. But for most of the day, it felt as if the air grew thick around the pair. He wanted to make it up to her— for the accusations thrown at her. Jace was going to make sure he'd do it, for her.

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