𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐜𝐚𝐛𝐫𝐞 | 𝐣𝐚𝐜𝐚𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐬 𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧.

𝐱𝐱𝐯. 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐭

It was Jacaerys who should be the one to wake up with a terrible headache, yet, Aelina appeared to suffer in the morning; her body feeling too stiff when Jacaerys attempted to wake her up with little pats on her back.

'Fucking hell,' she whispered groggy, raising her head unwillingly only to find out herself lying on Jacaerys's lap.

How did she even manage to fall asleep like this? Like a dog in the feet of her owner, really.

'Good morning,' Jacaerys whispered to her ear. She mumbled unenthusiastically, clearly pretending not to exist. 'Sorry for yesterday. I admit, I hardly remembered what I said, but, hopefully, it wasn't too embarrassing.'

Right. Yesterday.

It made Aelina finally sit properly, hair in disarray - gladly, Jacaerys looked no better than she did - eyepatch a little bit slipped down. She reached to pinch him on cheek, being rewarded with long hiss, making her, funnily enough, satisfied.

'...Well. You were embarrassing when you started to brag about me in front of our soldiers.'

'I... I did that?'

'Mhm.'

'...Mom wasn't here, was she?'

'No.'

'Oh, Gods, thank–'

'Uncle Daemon was, though,' she smirked viciously, the colours leaving Jacaerys's face instantly, both of them knowing well how much problem it will bring to him.

'In my defence, I would do the same in a sober state?'

...Wow, it couldn't be even more shameful.

'...Anyway, it is not what I want to discuss with you.'

Jacaerys raised browns in the silent question, making Aelina stumble across her own words, ridiculously enough feeling stupid over bringing such heavy topics in an early hours. But then again... Jacaerys himself held no plans in speaking aloud about his problems if not for alcohol. If she allows him to run away from this, then they will probably never return to this topic.

'Jacaerys,' she started, despite her internal dilemma, voice sounding calm and collected, 'you will be an amazing king, did you know that?'

Jacaerys blinked.

'Thank you, but–'

'The greatest, actually,' Aelina added surely. 'But, love, you are just a human. And it's okay to get tired. It's okay to feel exhaustion. You are a mere mortal being, all of us are. Why hide it, pretending to be okay?'

Jacaerys's face softened as he ran hands over his face, rubbing it harshly, understanding what they talked about slowly hitting him.

'You don't need to worry about me.'

'Don't tell me what to feel,' she huffed.

Aelina saw him smiling. A memory of their first shared kiss appearing in their heads instantly.

Almost a year passed from that day, she thought absentmindedly. War was going on for almost a year. God. Just a year that changed everything and nothing at the same time.

'I am so proud of you,' she continued. 'You are really doing it better than any of us could. But it doesn't mean that you should pretend to be okay.'

Jacaerys opened his mouth, and then closed it again, a heavy sigh escaping his lips. Instead, he moved closer, putting his chin on her shoulder, being hugged in return fondly.

'I don't know how not to do it. It comes naturally. Pretending. And it feels bad, because– Because I know that I shouldn't be the one to complain. Because I lived a full life until the war, because even now I have everything people wished to have. And...'