BELOW ZERO: THE DRAGON'S MYSTERY VOL 4 (Cregan Stark x OC)

Chapter Twelve (Jace)

CHAPTER TWELVE

Jacerys

Dragonstone

Alana's been gone for over a month. Silverwing has been gone as well and Vermax can certainly feel it. Or maybe he only feels my pain and suffering. Which has been chronic since the moment we stood on that beach; Joffrey cried the entire time. Begging for "Lana" not to go. He loves her and I know he feels the bond that she is his true mother. I could see it in his eyes as she stood in front of us and the two shared a look that sent my heart away on that ship with her.

I have barely shared a single word with either of my parents since that day. They try to speak to me and I shake them off completely. Letting their words and insults roll of my back as I carry the weight of trying to be everything that Alana was to Joffrey. I will never take her place but Gods, I need to fucking try.

Joffrey has been lonely. He goes and stands by Alana's door and expects for her to be there. But Mother made it Baela's new room since apparently we are going to be living here now until Viserys dies and my mother moves to King's Landing. Then I will remain here until I wed Baela, which I will not do, and Luke will move to Driftmark.

Baela has been angry with everyone but me as well as I have been angry with everyone too. She stays outside and blasts arrows from a crossbow at targets. She also knows that if she's out there she doesn't have to listen to Joffrey crying at her door thinking Alana is in there hiding from him.

I walk outside to find Baela in her usual spot. Crossbow in hand while ships are docking and a lot of people are walking onto the dock. We don't normally have this much traffic onto Dragonstone, which has me slightly puzzled.

"What's going on down there?" I say to her as she pulls the trigger and an arrow goes flying into a piece of wood that she's propped up against a stone wall.

She lets the crossbow fall to her side and she looks over the ledge down at the dock. Bringing her attention back to me with the same blank look in her eyes that she's had since the night she found out Joffrey is my child.

"You didn't hear? Your mother wants to find riders for Vermithor and Seasmoke." Baela said calmly yet with a deadpan look in her eyes. "She sent Mysaria to find Targaryen bastards-"

"Are you fucking kidding me." My eyes widen. "Rhaena has no dragon, she could claim either of them. Why would my mother want more dragon riders? What does she fear?"

Baela says nothing.

"Baela."

"Jace."

"You know something." I say softly. "Why are there a whole lot of silver haired bastards walking into my home? Our home-"

"It is not ours, Jacerys. You know that as well as I do. This is not for you and I. There will never be a you and I... Even when we were in Driftmark I knew your heart did not belong to me. I never imagined that it would have belonged to Alana of all people but it did. It does... And because of that I owe you nothing. I owe you no information."

"Then do not tell me as my betrothed. Tell me as my family what you know." I hold the hilt of my sword as I see the mess of smallfolk that are walking through the main gates of the castle. Seeing my mother perched up on a balcony watching them flood in with Mysaria at her side.

Baela laughs and shoots another arrow. Directly through one she'd already shot into the wood, causing the arrow to split in half. She looks at me again and smirks. "Do you think any bit of loyalty I have in my body; I would lay it down for you? I will not place my loyalties into your grasp, Prince Jacerys. There is one person who I pity in all of this."