- ̥۪͙۪˚┊❛ CHAPTER THIRTY TWO ❜┊˚ ̥۪͙۪◌
SAY DON'T GO
❛ halfway out the door, but it won't close
i'm holding out hope for you to say, 'don't go' ❜

౨ৎ disclaimer
unedited !! sorry if this chapters sucks BALLS! AGAIN!!

EUDORA AND JACAERYS.

The easy part was coming home, the hard part was being home. As Rhaenyra and Eudora entered the castle, they were greeted with Jace's voice commanding at the ready. "I see no other choice, we need to send a dragon."

"Where?" Rhaenyra asked her son, stopping in front of the table, the Stark right beside her. The council stood as quickly as their eyes met the queen. Jace took in a deep breath as he stood tall.

"To support the war that your vassals have been fighting in your absence, Your Grace."

Rhaenys began to speak. "Cole's host has grown since riding abroad, he raised the levies of both Rosby and Stokeworth and, with their combined strength, sacked Duskendale."

"Duskendale?" Ser Steffon asked, taken aback from the words he heard.

"The city has fallen," Corlys inquired. "Many Darklyn men declared for Aegon. Those who refused were put to the sword."

"My father?"

"He kept his oath, Cole took his head for it," Corlys told the knight grimly, which brought Ser Steffon into silence.

Jace didn't spare one more second before he spoke once more. "Where have you been, these last days? You two vanished without so much as a word."

"I apologize for my absence and the secrecy," Rhaenyra said, taking a step closer. "But such was necessary. We went to King's Landing, Eudora and I."

The prince's eyebrows knotted together. "To what possible end?"

"To meet Queen Alicent and sue for peace–"

"You saw Alicent?!" sneered Jace at Eudora's answer, his voice rising with a mix of disbelief and fury.

"We did," Rhaenyra confirmed, her tone steely. In truth, both knew that this conversation would take a turn for the worst. Jace was already upset as is, they were adding fuel to the fire.

"You could've been taken or slain–"

"You'd be abandoning the people," Eudora interjected, stepping forward to meet Jace's gaze. "Mobilizing, not mobilizing, the war is upon us but we're not the only ones whose lives are at stake. I'd rather we were able to come to a more reasonable approach than to waste a bloodbath for the crown. We did what was best for a chance of peace, it's worth the risk."

"Peace?!" Jace scoffed, anger flashing in his eyes. "You think that a chat with Alicent will change anything? They've taken Duskendale, turned the commonfolk against our side, they'll stop at nothing until they've crushed us." The council watched in silence, their eyes darting between the couple. "You went behind my back once more, and for what? To speak with the enemy?"

"Enough!" Rhaenyra called out, stopping the bickering. "This isn't helping. I inherited eighty years of peace from my father. Before I was to end it, I needed to know that there was no other path. And now I do. Only one choice remains to me, either I win my claim or I die."

The prince could only lock eyes with the ones that once gave him a sense of trust. He then averted his eyes away from Eudora, nodding at his mother. "We stand at the ready."

"Cole's victories have only emboldened him. He marches on Rook's Rest," Rhaenys explained, Corlys speaking right after.

"His host was just hours away when Lord Staunton's ravens took wing."

"Why Rook's Rest?" Rhaenyra questioned out of confusion. "After Duskendale? It is but a small coastal keep."

"Because Lord Staunton is a member of this council. And because his castle is small and vulnerable and there for the taking. Cole knows we have no army on the mainland."

"He is brazen–"

"He is daring us to act," Alfred interrupted Bartimos.

Jace then spoke. "We need to send a dragon." Eudora's eyes snapped towards him, thinking of what possibilities there could be of Jace suggesting such thought.

Rhaenyra could only look at him, nodding at his words. "There are those who have mistaken my caution for weakness. Let that be their undoing... I will go."

"My Queen–"

"You cannot," Jace said sternly.

"I will not lose dragons to war whilst I hide here in my castle," the queen reasoned.

The prince leaned onto the table. "Our allies raise their banners for you, Mother. If you die, all is lost... Send me."

"Jace–"

"I will burn Cole's lines and withdraw before King's Landing could even raise the alarm," he then interrupted Eudora. The prince watched as Eudora clenched her fists together at his words.

"You lack the experience," Rhaenyra told Jace. Before he could even speak, Eudora began to talk.

"You must send Rhaenys and I. Meleys is your largest dragon and no stranger to battle. And I believe I am equiped with enough knowledge to cover the grounds. I've trained with Cole himself as he trained Aemond... We will fight Cole." Rhaenys smiled at the girl, who then followed Rhaenys out of the room. Jace only remained silent, a heavy sigh came out of him as he clutched onto his sword.

˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚

When all was calm and everyone left, Jace managed to find Eudora walking in the hallway– cladded in armor. He made his way over to her, just in time to hold her by the arm. "You're being reckless. Your desire to throw yourself into danger has gone far enough."

"The lengths I've gone have yet to be extreme, I refuse to hide behind these walls–"

"Hide?! You think I want you to hide?!" His voice lowered. "I need you safe, Eudora. I've explained it to you time and time again."

"And I've told you time and time again that I will fight, I have to fight alongside your mother," the girl tried to reason, and yet his grip on her arm stayed strong.

He shook his head at her words, anger replaced with much more desparate yearning. "I want you beside me, not facing death." Their eyes locked, each moment felt like a thread tightening. "We can't continue like this, Eudora. You're a fighter above all things, but you're the one I chose to marry as well. I need you here, not on a battlefield."

At that moment, something shiften between them. The walls they had built began to slowly crumble. "I just..." Eudora started, but the words failed her.

"Just kiss me," he urged, stepping even closer, his breath warm against her lips. There was desperation in his voice, and before she could respond, Jace closed the distance, capturing her mouth with his.

It was urgent, and yet the Stark melted against him, wrapping her arms around his neck as she depend the kiss, losing herself in the taste of him, the way the prince held her like she was the most precious thing in the world. To her it was intoxicating, and overwhelming; yet it was a sweet surrender to the feelings they both had suppressed.

Jace held onto her tightly, as if afraid that letting go would mean losing her forever. Her fingers tangled in his hair, drawing the prince even closer. The world around them faded almost instantly; for that moment of time it was only the two of them. His hands cradled her face, tilting her head slightly, pouring every unspoken emotion into one singular point of time. But as they pulled away, breathless, foreheads against one another, Eudora only shook her head. "I need to go."

But the prince wasn't eager to let go of her, not now. "You don't have to," he pleaded, continuing to hold her face. "Eudora, you don't–"

"Before I was your wife, I was a Stark. And I still am, we have certain duties and oaths to uphold. I've made my choice." The girl removed his hand from her, beginning to walk away.

"And if you die? What then?" Jace questioned. "What of our future?"

The girl bit down on her inner cheek, hesitant to continue with her steps. But it was no time to think and ponder, they both had a price to pay for being born into this madness.

˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚

EUDORA AND RHAENYS.

"While I take Meleys, you stay at the ready," Rhaenys instructed as Eudora walked her to the Dragonpit. "We only have a few men to battle with us, so our stakes are high. But if we manage to fend off Cole–"

"Then we'll be alright just for another day."

Rhaenys then nodded. "Do not approach unless the situation looks dire. You will not attack unless they strike your company down first. You're the last line of defense. I promised Baela and... Jacaerys that we'd both make it out alive."

Eudora could only let out a huff of air. "Seems reasonable." The princess smiled, caressing the girl's cheek.

"You are so much like your mother, after all this I hope we both come to the North to meet an old friend... Stay safe, Eudora."

"You as well, Rhaenys," she said, pondering for a moment before wrapping her arms around the older woman. "We'll come back together."

(( 🏹 ))