────────────

────────────

SIX;
『 THE CHASE 』

────────────

ㅤ THE FOOD SERVED AT LUNCH IS STEAMING WITH HEAT. Cedilla slices the meat with her knife, digging into it with her fork then biting it between her teeth. The wonderful taste lingers on her tongue. If there is one thing that makes her enjoy Dragonstone more than Sunspear, it would have to be the meals. She finishes off her plate within minutes then washes it down with a gulp of wine. Young Joffrey smacks his food across the table, eating mostly with his hands. Jacaerys finished soon after me, wiping his hands on the napkin in his lap.

      Queen Rhaenyra was in fact joyous to hear about the taking of Grey Ghost. She was surprised to learn that it came with some ease, the act of the taming. She expected it to take much longer. Though, Jacaerys was sure to tell her of my speech- which she enjoyed hearing about. My cheeks turned red the moment he brought it up. I did not think he had heard my speech attempt to conquer the friendliness of the dragon.

      Daemon has been locked away in his study chambers, said the Queen. Apparently he awaits word from Mysaria. The two young beings, the prince and the princess, do not know what goes on behind those chamber doors. Daemon waits rather impatiently for the word of Mysaria, or as some may call her, Lady Misery.

      She has been hired by Prince Daemon to murder Helaena and Aegon's eldest son, an infant, but a threat. The killing of this child will not only send a message to the Greens, but a message to the entirety of Westeros- The Blacks are not afraid to take a stand in order to prove. Mysaria had hired to men by the code names of Blood and Cheese.

      Blood is a strong, towering man with the likes to take someone head in a single swing. Cheese is a much smaller, more agile man, but he is known for his wit. The killing of the infant Prince Jaehaerys will become the motion that creates the collapse of the Greens, which will allows the Blacks a thin margin to be able to slowly destroy the Greens.

      "Princess Cerilla," Joffrey says with half a mouthful of food across the table. "What was it like taming Grey Ghost?" Most of his speech is slurred because of the fact that his mouth is filled with food, but the princess manages to make out what it is the young prince is saying.

"Wonderful," she says with a smile. "I hadn't expected it to go so well, but he adjusted to me quickly." She explains. Joffrey's brown eyes go wide as he stares in awe.

The three of them finish eating then go their separate ways. Joffrey is taken by one of the knights back to his chambers to go back to his studies. Jacaerys and Cerilla get up from the table after he leaves. As if the prince could read her mind, he turns to her and asks if she would like to join him out in the valleys for some dragon riding.

"I will watch you ride Vermax," she says. "On the other hand, I will be conquering Grey Ghost." She says with a witty grin. The two of them make their way out of the dining hall to the stair walk, the bridge of stairs that swoops from the doors to the walls of the keep all the way to the shores down by the cliffs.

They stop on the bridge and Jacaerys shuts his eyes, calling upon his trusted Vermax. Within two or so minutes, the dragon appears swooping down from the clouds, wings outstretched. The young dragon's feet land on each side of the wall. The prince mounts his dragon then extends his hand for the princess. She takes it and climbs up, wrapping her hands around the princes back.

Although they have been this position before, with Cerilla's arms wrapped around his body, the two of them both feel their breathing hitch and their stomachs churn. At her touch alone, goosebumps rise on Jacaerys' arms. At his hitched breaths, Cerilla's heart pounds in her chest. They have a contrasting effect on one another, one that would be impossible to understand unless you are one of them.

      They fly over the valleys, just beneath the low hanging clouds. Even though Jace has ventured on the back of Vermax many times, it still seems surreal. Grey Ghost is found near the opposite coast, standing near the cliffs leading down to the shore. Jacaerys lands Vermax a few yards away then helps Cerilla off. She turns to face him, squinting to block the late afternoon sun.

     "I will come back by the end of the hour and bring you back to the keep." Jacaerys says to the princess. She nods and turns her head over her shoulder, looking at the misty dragon.

      "Or perhaps I'll fly to the keep myself and meet you there." The princess says with a sly grin. Jacaerys shakes his head.

      "Impossible. You two aren't acquainted enough yet, not do you have a mount." The prince lifts an eyebrow at her. She rolls her eyes and shoots him another defiant look.

      "Watch your back up there, pretty boy," Cerilla says as she begins to walk off. "Wouldn't want to make any permanent facial damage." She says over her shoulder. Jace scoffs and pushes Vermax into gear. He just manages to fly above Cerilla, almost catching the top of her head with his claws. She clenches her jaw as he rides away, into the clouds, untouched.

      Cerilla approaches the dragon with caution. She keeps her hand extended so that he may catch her scent. He raises his head from where it had been resting. His muzzle is narrow and wide. His nostrils flare as she approaches, but return back to their normal position once her scent is caught and he realizes just who it is.

      The princess strokes his muzzle a few times, slowly pushing her hand upward. She scratches the scales between his eyes, which he seems to particularly enjoy. She moves her hand up a little further, stopping before she reaches the black spike jutting from his head. She steps to the left, dragging her hand along below his left eye.

      He keeps his eyes on her, watching her movements, calculating them. He's observing her just as much as she's observing him. She is learning about his character and he is learning about hers. The two of them are adjust to trust one another, slowly but surely. Just as she's about to reach his neck with her hand, she pulls away due to the spikes. She would rather not get pricked.

      She steps back, deciding not to drag her hand along his neck. It is a tender spot for dragons, Jacaerys had told her. That and their bellies are their most vulnerable places. She keeps his eyes on his as he blinks slowly, taking her in.

      "Miss me?" She asks in a calm voice. The dragon's eyes narrow at her voice.

"Guess not." She answers her own question. Grey Ghost's wings rise and fall as he inhales and exhales. Cerilla observes closely at even his minor movements. The princess looks up at the sound of wings. Her eyes widen as the enormous beast flies overhead.

A long body of black scales flies overhead with a tail the size of Grey Ghost. Both Cerilla and the dragon beside her look up into the clouds, following the dragon in the air. She knows what dragon this must be- The Cannibal. The only dragon larger than Cannibal on the island is Vermithor, whom of which has not left the caves in many moons. A shriek comes out of the dragon flying overhead. It's enough to make a princess and another dragon cower in fear.

"Gods be good." Cerilla whispers when the dragon circles around, heading back in their direction. Terror overcomes her body. The wind whips at her hair, clouding her line of sight momentarily. When she manages to pull the hair from her eyes, the dragon is gone, vanished. She then hears the sound behind her, the vast scream that sends a shiver down her spine. She turns, slowly, to see the black scaled, green eyed dragon not even a yard away, on the very edge of the cliffs, wings outstretched and fangs barred.

Grey Ghost turns his body, facing Cannibal. The misty dragon outstretches his wings, blocking Cerilla behind his wingspan. She ducks under the wing, making sure not to loose sight of the Cannibal. The black dragon shrieks again, filling the air with hostile noises. Grey Ghost barres his fangs, what little he has compared to the elder dragon, and lets out a call of his own.

As if called, a blur of green scales appears in the sky. Jacaerys swoops the dragon down and grabs Cerilla outstretched hand, pulling her into the air. She attempts to swing her leg over the body before they rise too far into the sky, but she can't. She can't reach. She looks up to Jace, who's eyes are filled with horror. She shakes her head. She won't make it. Her hand slips from his fingers. The last thing she sees as she falls is his face. She squeezes her eyes shut, preparing for the impact of the ground.

She falls for only a few seconds. Her body falls into something hard. She opens her eyes and realizes where she is. Grey Ghost caught her, just a few feet under Vermax. He must have taken to the sky just after she was pulled into the air.

She scrambles to where her legs straddle the portion of his body just below his neck. She grips the horns at the nape of his neck and keeps crouched low. Grey Ghost follows Vermax in the sky. She turns her head around to see The Cannibal, whom of which has also taken to the air. He flies just behind Grey Ghost, perhaps only a tail length away.

"Mother," she whispers as she turns her head back around. "If you are in the seven heavens, do not watch what I'm about to do." She says. Jacaerys and Vermax speed ahead of them. Since Jace has a mount, it is much easier to control his dragon. The prince has also been in the presence of Vermax since birth. Grey Ghost, on the other hand, may throw her off his back given what she's about to do.

Cerilla tightens her leg muscles and tilts her hand downward on the horns. Grey Ghost dips down immediately. The princess screams some jumbled words as she squints her eyes and clenches her teeth together. They barrel towards the valleys below. The princess pulls up on the horns and Grey Ghost evens out just before they hit the peak of the valley. She turns her head around. The Cannibal is far away now, almost out of sight, hidden by the mists.

"You see, we work so well together." Cerilla says, out of breath. They glide through the mist. She's on a dragon, her dragon, alone, without even a mount. Not only that, but Grey Ghost saved her. She must return the favor somehow.

Cerilla steers them to the bridge, where Grey Ghost lands sloppily, claws scratching at the walls. She dismounts, stepping carefully off. She walks to his face and stretches out her hand, lightly grazing the scales on his muzzle.

"Thank you," she says softly. "If The Cannibal tries to tease you again, I will take care of him myself." She says to the dragon. He blinks slowly, as if registering her words. She steps back and drops her hand to her side. Grey Ghost flaps his wings and takes off with a single shriek. Within moments he disappears into the clouds.

"I though I lost you." Jace says from behind the princess. She turns to face him. His eyes are still wide, as they were the last time she saw him, whenever she was falling from the sky. He takes a few steps towards her, searching her face.

"I'm afraid you won't get rid of me that easily." She replies with a smile, which does not last for long. The solid emotion of his face is enough for her to know that he's serious, that he was truly worried. Her heart skips a beat as she thinks about what he would have done if she did die back there, if Grey Ghost hadn't caught her.

"A knight alerted me whenever I landed, we are wanted at Daemon's study chambers, immediately." He changes the topic and etches his voice with concern. Cerilla nods and walks beside him, matching his pace.

"I apologize for nearly dying." She mumbles from beside him. He does not turn his head, but he does look at her with his eyes.

"You let go of my hand. You were ready to go down, to die." Jacaerys said with a hard tone. She did, in fact, loosen her grip from his hand, but she wasn't entirely sure why she did it. Something about his face being the last thing she would see before death sort of brought her a sense of peace. If she were to go, she would want him to be the last thing she saw.

Cerilla isn't ready to die, yet, but what better way to go than a dragon fight? What better last thing is there to see? It does not get better than falling dramatically as you look into the eyes of the person you are falling in love with.

"My hand slipped." She answers, keeping her eyes on the ground. They both know it's a lie. Neither of them say a thing about it.

They walk to the study chambers in silence, at quick paces. Their footsteps echo along the halls, alerting anyone nearby of their presence. Finally, they turn the corner to the chambers and the doors are pushed open by the knights stationed outside of the room. They step inside. Daemon and Rhaenyra sit across from one another, Daemon at the desk and Rhaenyra on a plush chair beside.

The princess and the prince stand in front of them. Their words die off when the two young ones enter the room. Prince Daemon looks between them, holding a parchment between his fingers. He unrolls it then begins reading.

"Upon your request, Prince Daemond, Blood and Cheese were sent to the capitol. They invaded Alicent's chambers, where the two young twins were to be brought, and gagged Alicent so she would not be able to scream as the child was murdered. Blood and Cheese gave Helaena a choice. Jaehaerhys or Jaehaera. She chose Jaehaera, they chose Jaehaerhys, seeing as he is the next heir. They gave her the option just to be cruel. Jaehaerhys has been slaughtered. The same night, I've learned Aegon was poisoned at dinner and Alicent was brought to a cell, since Blood put the killing dagger of Jaehaerhys in her hand just before the knights entered. They both disappeared, Blood and Cheese, but Blood has been captured by the kings guard. Alicent swears it was him who killed them, but it was her who held the weapon. Helaena also swore it was Blood, and on her words of truth, he is now being tortured for information. Cheese escaped and he has come back to me." Daemon pauses, then continues.

"In summary, the next heir is dead. Aegon has been poisoned and is unwell, but will recover, and the Queen is still imprisoned, for also threatening Aegon that same dinner, where he was miraculously poisoned. Make your push now, send your troops now, when the Greens are unfocused. At Your Disposal, Lady Misery." He folds the parchment back up and tosses it across the desk. The room is quiet for the next few moments as the words sink into everyone around.

Prince Jaehaerhys is dead, his twin sister lives, but they will never let a woman take the throne, this much we know. Aegon is unwell, and Alicent is in chains for presumably doing it. If they are to take action, it must be now.

Queen Rhaenyra stands up. "We will send the Riverland soldiers, the Stark soldiers, and are own to storm the capital using the fleet provided by Lord Corlys and Princess Rhaenys. If our forces prevail, we will ride in on the dragons and take it from there." Her voice fills the silent room. Jacaerys and Cerilla share a look of concern. They do not yet have dragon riders suited for the dragons, and the princess has just, moments before, learned how to ride a dragon- if you can even call that learning. Nonetheless, the princess nods in agreement of the proposition.

      "And you also have the Dornish army. We may not have many men to spare, but I suppose anything will help." Cerilla says. The Queen nods her had and looks through the small window.

      "The fleet will sail around then, to these places, and get the men. I will send word to every place and let them know what is to come. The fleet will round its way, with all the soldiers, in perhaps two weeks, perhaps less perhaps more." She explains. Prince Daemon looks up at her from his chair with a notable grimace. He appears to be tense at the situation.

     "May the gods help us all." The princess mutters. After exchanging a few more words, the prince and the princess exit the room at the permission of the Queen. They walk down the hall in silence back to Cerilla's chambers, allowing the weight of the situation to anchor on their shoulders. It will be a long and intense progress, likely stormed with sleepless of nearly sleepless nights.

      Once they reach her chambers, the princess pushes open the door to enter, but a gentle hand on her arm stops her motion completely. She turns to face him. His eyes stare into hers, shadowed by the candle burning just behind him in the hallway.

      "I thought today that I had lost you," He whispers gently enough for chills to crawl down her spine. "In that moment, where you were falling, with your eyes staring straight into mine, I was petrified. In that moment, I realized that I cannot imagine my life without you in it." Again, a faint whisper.

     Her eyes widen at his words. "I was content with you being the last thing I ever saw," her voice is warm and soft. "And I still am." She takes one more look at him before turning and entering her chambers. His arm falls from her arm and drops to his side. She walks into the room, expecting to hear him close the door behind her, but the sound does not come.

      "Wait." His voice falls into the room. She stops in her tracks and looks over her shoulder. He stands just inside the doorway, hovering like a shadow in the night. Her lips part open as he takes another step forward, coming even closer.

     "What is it, my prince?" She asks, tilting her head. His jaw clenches at her voice. Her words. My prince, she had said. Her prince. Jacaerys takes a deep inhale of air. He does know what prompted him not to close the door, to tell her to wait, he hadn't thought that far ahead.

     His eyes snap to the bookshelf on the opposite wall. "Will you let me read you a book, an old one, about the first dragons in Westeros?" He asks in a moments notice. The princess smiles and nods, stepping aside, allowing him access to the bookshelf.

     Jace picks out a book from the top shelf, an old and dusty one with a black cover. They walk to the seating area and sit beside one another. He flips through the pages until he lands on one with a scribbled picture of a large dragon with black scales and the same jet black. He runs a hand over the drawing.

     "Balerion the Black Dread," he murmurs. "Perhaps the greatest dragon to live." His voice is so close. The princess keeps her gaze on his lips as he speaks. His eyes stay on the picture, unmoving.

      "Say something in High Valyrian." She asks of him. Suddenly he looks up, with a hint of surprise. That wasn't what he had expected her to reply with.

      "Nyke pāsagon avy jorrāelan." His words are pointed and prominent, as the High Valyrian language is. Cerilla pushes her eyebrows together in wondering of what he had said.

      "Tell me what it means." She requests.

       "You'll have to make me." His eyes do not leave her. Her eyes do not leave his. Cerilla's heart pounds against her chest. Jacaerys' body tenses at his own words. Have I gone too far? He wonders.

      Cerilla pulls the dagger from her belt. Usually, she would not have one, since she usually is dressed in dresses, but given the fact that she is wearing riding gear, the perfect design for a belt armored with some sort of weapon. She holds it up to his throat. He drops the book to the floor. He pushes his head back, into the cushions. She hovers inches away from him with the dagger pressed every so gently to the skin on his neck.

      "You don't have to tell me twice." She grins from above him.