#this chapter is actually where I officially cemented the idea of Jace calling Helaena his flower which I use in all of my other fics!!!!

[feyhunter78]

Moonflowers (6/16)

Description: Jacaerys reflects on his love for Helaena

Jacaerys had been in love with Helaena for as long as he could remember, his first memory of her was when she was ten, and he was nine. She was dressed in a poofy pink gown, and her sliver blonde hair was piled atop her head with threads of silk woven throughout, he thought she looked like a beautifully made pastry. High praise in the mind of a nine-year-old boy. He mentioned this to Aegon who at ten and three told him that was “the most foolish thing he’d ever heard.”

So Jacaerys instead approached her and told her she looked beautiful. Her pale cheeks had flushed to match the color of her gown, and he thought it made her look even prettier.

He'd been glad to be absent from her wedding, he had been friends with Aegon when they were children, but the boy had grown cold and cruel. Jacaerys didn’t want to see the lovely, sweet girl he’d grown to adore married off to her drunk of a brother, so he didn’t protest when his mother announced they wouldn’t be attending.

He did do some drinking of his own that night, a small part of his mind telling him it was something he’d have in common with the man who got to marry his beautiful Helaena. In his dreams it was him, she was dressed in white, him in their house colors, and they danced, smiling, and laughing with each other until he woke up with the knowledge that he would never be in Aegon’s place. If only Queen Alicent hadn’t rejected his mother’s proposal, if only she’d put away her pride and realized Aegon would do nothing but hurt Helaena. Aegon was a drunkard and a lecher, while Helaena was a kind and innocent flower, trampled underneath his foot.

When his mother told them they were returning to King’s Landing he was overjoyed, he smiled the entire flight and kept smiling even when Aegon and Aemond treated him as no more than a beetle under their boot. That didn’t bother him, Helaena loved beetles, he’d brought her as many as he could find on Dragonstone, treasuring the smile she gave him when he gifted them to her.

Jacaerys found her in the dragonpit after the tourney, his heart sank when he saw she’d disappeared from the stands, but Alyra had tipped him off to Helaena’s favorite hiding spots long ago. It took all he had not to beg her to leave with him, to run far away and leave their family’s petty squabbles behind, but she had children, and he would never ask her to abandon them. Instead, he gave her the bracelet he’d been working on for moons and offered himself to her if she ever desired him. He’d rested his head against Vermax and prayed to the gods he hadn’t made a complete and utter fool of himself.

According to Alyra, Helaena was unhappy in her marriage, something anyone could see, but she pushed further.

“Jace, if someone would rid this world of Aegon, she could be free, I know she would be happier if he was no longer plaguing her.” She said, laying on one of the chaise lounges in his mother’s chambers.

He laughed, “I believe the babe is making you murderous, Alyra.” But that same part of his mind from long ago held tight to her words.

Almost as tight as he wanted to hold Helaena as he carried her to her chambers. She was warm in his arms, and he wished he could carry her forever if that’s what it took to keep her near him. He’d sent Alyra away and treasured the short conversation he had with his wilting flower, even more he treasured the kiss he was able to place on her delicate hand before he left her chambers.

It was good for him that Helaena and Alyra were so close. It allowed him to learn things about Helaena and when they put their heads together, he and Alyra were excellent at scheming up ways to get him closer to Helaena. Alyra being pregnant ended up giving them ample opportunity for Jacaerys to look better than Aegon. Jacaerys sent over his mother’s favorite soup giving Alyra a chance to praise his kindness, and right before Aemond brought out Lord Ryn’s severed head, Alyra warned him, giving him enough time to be the first to Helaena’s side.

It was heaven holding her in his arms like that, the way she buried her face in his tunic had his heart beating so hard, he was sure she could feel it. She smelled of roses, and he wished he could bottle her scent. His mind wandered, and he could imagine waking up with her in his arms, smelling the scent of roses each morning. He couldn’t stop himself from voicing his thoughts out loud, his desire for her to be by his side, where she rightfully belonged.

Jacaerys was barely listening to Aegon and Alyra’s speeches, he knew both of them tended to speak without thinking, and that Aegon knew the easiest way to provoke Alyra was to insult Aemond and vice versa. He did listen when Helaena stood. She looked so radiant in her soft colored gown, her hair falling in waves, her voice was dreamy and lilting, but her words were not what he wished to hear. He frowned, unsure of why she wished to defend her coward of a husband.

Alyra pulled Helaena into a dance, and he watched them for a while, he assumed Alyra had the same questions he did, and he let them dance and talk knowing he could pry bits of information from Alyra later on.

 Then he saw Alyra’s face fall, and he stood making his way towards the pair, cutting in on their dance. Helaena was a wonderful dancer, everything she did she was wonderful at. When she thanked him so sweetly, he nearly lost his step, but instead offered his protection. She again brought up Aegon, and he offered himself once more, wanting to beg her to take him up on his offer. To let him love and protect her.

He could see the longing in her eyes, feel the way she leaned into his touch, and he took it a step further, falling back on Alyra’s words. He would kill Aegon for her, he would kill her entire family if that’s what she desired, they could call him a kinslayer, but if Helaena was happy, he would take on any title. When she spun away from him, he met Alyra’s eyes and nodded. She bit her lip to hide a devious smile, then Helaena was back in his arms, asking when he would kill her husband. His heart soared; he’d feared he was dreaming up her affection, but here she was asking him to kill her husband so that they could be together.

Alyra caught him on his way to the nursery, her eyes wide. “She asked you to kill him?”

“She asked when it would be done.” He responded back in Denouan. He hadn’t lied to Helaena, learning Alyra’s mother tongue had given him quite the advantage.

“Jace, you should confirm that it was not a question born of lingering fear from Aemond’s gift, you do not want to drive her away in your attempts to win her.” Alyra cautioned; her voice soft as she glanced around making sure no one would intrude on their conversation.

“I will give you her answer on the morrow.” He reassured her, tweaking a strand of her hair. “All will be well, sister, return to your husband.” He slipped back into the common tongue and Alyra nodded, bowing her head, and quickly returning to her own chambers.

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