˚⟡˖ ࣪By The Sea You Will Find Me˚⟡˖ || jacaerys.velaryon
summary: when word gets out about the brown haired boy that washed up your shores to the iron throne- three dragon riders fly to your seaside village to introduce themselves to your family; one of them in particular catches your eye- lucky for you, you had caught his as well.
word count: 3.4oo+
pairings: jacaerys velaryon x fisherman/smallfolk!reader
a/n: have i finished hotd? no! will i make more chapters? most likely :) are the characters a lil ooc? idk, like i said i didnt finish it
warnings: slight angst | fluff | lucerys lives au! | amnesiac luke au | disabled luke au | flirt jacaerys | incest adjacent (?) | reader is smallfolk and not related to them by blood | but lucerys and reader call each other brother and sister | platonic!lucerys x reader
credit to: @enchanthings for the dividers!
The air in your small sea side cottage was tense.
There was no laughter for today's dinner. No younger siblings running and cheering as you sang songs of salt and sea. There was no chatter about the day either: whether the fish were kind enough to provide you a suitable haul for the market, or if the shells that washed up on the shore would fetch for a good enough price once polished- just lips pressed into thin lines, heads down to avoid offending their betters.
The flames from the fire pit grew low too, as if it knew to snuff out any warmth left behind it's four wall.
It was strange- this whole situation was strange- you were all privy to that fact.
"We only have the fried fish My Queen..."
It took you quite awhile to finally find the courage to speak. You bet you looked like a fool, throat dry and hands far too shaky as you take another sip of your drink; as if enough ale could calm down your nerves and forget this day ever happened, but for your brother Lucerys you endured. Even when everything in you urged you to shrink back and hide away with your sisters upstairs.
"I am sure it is... different from what you are use too. I apologize for sullying your tastebuds."
You could hear screeching over the sounds of crashing waves from outside your window, along with the cries of the goat and sheep your neighbors had kindly offered in the stead of your own, just while your shoulders tense up; all to cement your reality further.
Three bloods of the dragon were sitting in front of you with eyes of amethysts and hair like white gold, while their fire breathing beasts were bathing beneath moonlight at the front of your lawn.
They had arrived unannounced- scaring half the island to death while waking up the other- when they landed their mounts to shore.
Only one of them didn't have the striking Valyrian features their kin were known for, a man right about your age, seated to the left of the Queen- his mother- but he remained princely all the same.
You could see the resemblance between him and the boy you had taken in as one of your own. Though he was much more handsome, with a stronger jaw and poutier lips, leaving your face hot whenever your eyes would meet.
Right now, he was looking right at you- dissecting you fully. And you tried to avoid his gaze as effectively as you could.
The Gods, whether the old ones or the new, could strike you down right now and you would thank them for it. Just so this awkwardness would end.
"It is quite alright." Queen Rhaenyra waved a hand in the air as if to dismiss your words. "We are grateful that you have invited us in."
Despite the kindness of her tone, no food touched her lips. The consort and the Prince did not touch their plates either.
It didn't escape your notice but you weren't about to point it out.
You blamed it on the nerves. You preferred your head to be attached to your neck after all.
Your brother Lucerys had a different thought all together.
"You should eat what my sister made for you... She worked hard to prepare it."
Underneath the table you wanted to kick his shin. He had a tongue on him. Always had beneath his sweetness, him using it was rare, yes, but he had it in him to do so. But when he wrapped his fingers around yours in comfort, to remind you that he was there, you couldn't bring yourself to follow through.
Sweet boy. Always looking out for you despite you being older, even in the face of dragons. Even in the face of his blood.
"Do not disrespect our mother by speaking to her with that tone." Jacaerys did not raise his voice, but the firmness in it was clear.
"Do not disrespect my sister by refusing our food."
The crown prince's brows furrowed and he sneered.
"She is not even your blood." he spat the words like fire. Hoping the truth would burn into his younger brother's skull and make him remember. "We are your blood."
Rhaenyra's hand struck the table and the bickering between the two princes stopped.
Since she arrived she had never laid her eyes on her second son's face- fearing she'd wake up and realize it was a dream like most nights after his supposed death- but she wasn't asleep anymore.
This time, she looked at him. This time, he didn't melt away.
Only one tear had escaped her then.
"I apologize, sweet boy." Lucerys bristles at her words, the familiarity in her tone. It was odd hearing the endearment from her lips instead of his sisters. "It is only right we eat what is given. We did not mean to offend."
"I am not offended-" Rhaenyra doesn't wait for you to finish before taking a bite.
"This is ridiculous." Daemon grumbled, picking at it like he had never seen a fish before. Though you would imagine he had never been served a fish this small.
But Jacaerys, ever his mother's son, quickly followed her lead. The king consort was the last to do so.
You had handed them the three largest fish you and Luke had caught a day prior. Doused in every fresh herb you could find from your cupboards.
At least now, you and the rest of your kin would live until dawn.
"It taste like lemons." Jacaery's compliment was hollow, but you took it anyways.
"Thank you M'lord. It 'twas my mother's cooking." a light laugh escaped your lips.
Maybe you could imagine this as a simple dinner with extended family. Maybe then you wouldn't want the earth to open up and swallow you whole.
"You must teach us how then, so when we take my brother back, he will have something to remember you by."
He went straight for it, not giving anyone a moment of respite.
Rhaenyra wince. She was hoping for a more subtle approach. "Jacaerys-"
"No." Lucerys digs his palm into the table to lift himself up, rattling the plates and cups. His mother and brother raised from their seats trying to catch him, eyes drawn with worry- but Lucerys pulls away, choosing you for stability instead.
You sighed at his coldness. Handing him the large staff he used in place of his missing leg.
"You can't take me away from the only family I have ever known as if I am a mere pet that you can pick up as you please!"
"Of course not, that was not what your brother meant at all."
You never thought royalty could be so desperate. You never thought the Queen of the realm would break under the eye of the boy who- not a week before- had slipped into some cow dung, and when he caught you laughing, threw it at your face.
The Queen rambled on and you pitied her for it.
"We would never intend for you to cut ties with them- we could give them land, titles even-" a scoff bellowed out in the corner. "You could even marry her if y-you so wish. I would approve of it, if it means you would stay happy. If you would return home."
The suggestion only seemed to anger him. "I call her sister, and your solution to my fears is to have us wed? This home is of the faith of the seven, do not bear your sins as if they are our own."
Daemon grits his teeth. His sheathed blade, dark sister, peeked through the slits of his cloak. "You are of fire and ash, boy. You might have fucking forgotten that but your blood does not."
Lucerys had not backed down in the slightest, unflinching despite the intimidation. He had never been so brave, at least never in his memories.
"I am of the sea and the salt. A fisherman, not a dragon."
"Mind your tongue," Jacaerys raises his hands in frustration, as if he couldn't believe the words out of his mouth. He to agreed at the ridiculousness of it all. "Or else I'll strap you to Vermax myself and fly into the night."
"I would like to see you try-"
"Enough." you pull Lucerys back and for once the stubborn boy had listen and you praise the Sevens that he did so.
You could feel the stare of his blood brother on your back, a steady presence on your skin, and you wonder to yourself if staring was his favorite past time.
"Clearly, there are a lot of pent up feelings as of now... Maybe we should rest and talk about it once morning comes."
"I say we go with my plan. He will accept his fate soon enough." Jace quietly mouths to his mother.
Rhaenyra squeezes his shoulders gently before shaking her head. "I agree, we should rest." her response was diplomatic and because she was Queen- and their mother, and their wife- they followed.
Daemon had grumbled. Jacaerys had pursed his lips. But they did so anyways.
You, like the proper host you were, had given your guests the biggest room. While the rest of your siblings were cooped up in the smaller one.
"Truly, we are grateful you have allowed us to stay." The Queen's hands were gentle on your free arm, thumb strumming against the roughspun before she retreated into the room for the night.
"D-do you plan on giving me to them?" Lucerys had asked in a shaky breath. Your sister's eyes were blood shot, their arms around him tight in fear that he would leave.
You turn to fully face them, gentle hands ushering them into the other room.
"Father said that blood does not make family." His voice grew louder once you were inside. "He said that he was my father and you my sisters despite it-"
Your hand had found his way to his cheek and it had silenced him mid sentence. "We will discuss this in the morning, do not make your sisters afraid."
At least for tonight, the reminder you still saw him as kin was enough to quiet his doubts and let himself rest.
It was not the most comfortable of sleeping arrangements.
Their snoring, the tight fit atop the bedding, the way their tiny feet and Lucery's stump would dig into your sides, had left you sweaty and restless. Forcing you to slip away from thin sheets and tiptoeing down creaky stairs just to get a fresh breath of air.
"Oh Sevens-" You quickly bit your lip and spun at your heels, trying to stay quiet as you shut the front door, heaving against it.
It was not fresh air that had greeted you, but a large body of scales.
The dinner had been such a mess you had almost forgotten that there were other, more dangerous, beings that neared you.
"Fuck..." You closed your eyes, hand against your chest to steady your breathing. You had never been so close to a dragon before.
"Is that where he gets it from?" A sudden voice asked followed by the sounds of heavy boots hitting wood.
You lifted your eyes to find Jacaerys. Sleep had missed him as well.
"My brother's sudden rudeness... did it come from you?"
You point at yourself, confused. "What are you talking about M'lord?"
He sighs, now at the bottom of the steps. "Forget it... I know better than to blame you."
Jacaerys was closer now, large hands running through his brown locks.
They curled like the waves. You noted the freckles on his skin. The way he was prettier up close.
"We're you about to go outside?" His voice no longer held roughness, with less bite than the one at dinner.
"No," You lied through your teeth. "Just wanted to see if the dragons were asleep which they- um- are. Goods, yes?"
With your hands at your back and your posture stiff, you tried to exude ease- as if dragons were not tales of legend but mere talking points in common conversation.
You wonder if he could hear the way your heart was beating rapidly against your chest. If he had, he was not subtle in his amusement.
"Asleep? Why? If you had caught them in their wake, would you have sung to them until they find their rest?"
"I could have..." You turned your head to look away. Damn him.
"Its alright if they have frightened you." A half-smile was on his lips, more than what you were use too from him. "It is only natural to be frightened."
"I am not afraid-" But when he had reached for the metal loop and your hand had sprung out to take his wrist, it was clear to him that you were.
The rustling from outside had startled you too.
"Hmm?" His smugness rolled out in waves. In this light he looked more boy than man.
"I thought you unafraid?"
You should strike him, wipe his face clean of that grin. He looked similar enough to Luke Lucerys that you think you could get away with it if you claim your sight had been hindered by the dark.
Instead- you remembered yourself. Dropping the offending hand to smoothened out your skirt in a nervous tick. You could feel his breath against the curve of your ear and you shivered, and his dimples deepened.
"If it is fresh air you seek, I should escort you outside." the distance between you grew as he took a step back, palm extending outwards to you. "Take it as an apology for my actions from earlier. The dragons will not harm you in my presence."
A sigh escapes you and you begrudgingly agree, his palm warm against your own.
For a moment, beneath the stars, you forget you are fisher folk and that the man beside you was a dragon prince. Imagining yourself as a girl simply breathing in the ocean breeze rather than what you actually are- a girl trying to find solace from her plights.
The shawl you had brought- which your mother had made long before you were even born and the one your father took inspiration from so Lucerys would have a matched with his girls the week after he had arrived- was tight around your shoulders as you watched the sea from a distance.
"Thank you..." Jacaerys whispers, finally speaking. "For taking care of him..."
Like he had promised the dragons paid no attention to you, even when a few of them had stirred themselves awake, keeping themselves busy by flicking their tails and leaving claw marks into the dirt.
"It was nothing really." you shifted your feet awkwardly at his thanks.
A lull. Then he speaks again.
"You could have turned him away... I'm sure most people would have, especially in his current condition."
"Well, he was sleeping on my father's boat when we had found him so he wasn't easy to ignore. Besides, my father loved to take in strays and I am certain the boy would have found a way to hobble after us if we had left without him."
You smiled at the memory, at the young boy with a damp mop of curls, shivering and sniveling inside your lowly fishing both. He had no memory of who he was. How his leg had gone missing- the only truth he knew of was that his name was Luke and that he was alone.
Pirates, you suggested once. Dragons, your father suggested back.
Many small folk had been made victim to the dance and by then, word had gotten out that its reach had spread to your shores. Your father thought that Luke must have been one of them- whether his boat had got caught by a hungry beast, the wind carrying the scent of the fish nets up into the air and to its senses- or hit by a stray breath of flame.
Unlikely but not wholly impossible.
Back then you had laugh. Dragons were of the air, what dangers did they pose in the sea?
Now, you are certain that he was the one bellied over in laughter.
"What are you smiling for?" Jacaerys asked. You whipped your face at his voice.
"Nothing." You insist. "It's just... if my father were here, I am certain he would find this situation most amusing."
"He was a happy man, your father?"
You nod. "The happiest."
At the corner of your eye, you could see that Jacaerys looked pleased at that fact.
"I am glad... that in the five years he has been gone- he had found his way into a happy home. Trust us, when we say that we will reward you for your efforts."
"We did not take him in for a reward." His eyes were wide, caught off guard by your quickness. You raised your hands up defensively.
"Truthfully, I never thought he was a Lord. Much less a Prince." you continued on, crinkling your nose in a playful jest.
You had given that boy to many clouts in the ear- chores you doubt he was ever expected to do in his time in King's Landing- and had laughed with him and acted without propriety to his true born station.
"Of course not-" his words stumble for a bit before it regained its footing. "I did not mean to imply that you did so, nor did I mean to imply that you held ulterior motives in your heart."
He was trying to be polite. You couldn't help but laugh at that too.
Stretching your arms out, you could feel your body lax before unceremoniously making a bed out of the grass- tired from staying on your feet for far to long.
Supposed you could go back inside and lay in a proper bed with the rest of your siblings- but this day had been stressful and you believed you deserved a moment of calm.
"He got sea sick the first time we took him out fishing." Another laugh escaped your lips, scratchy in its timber and leaving a bitter sweet taste on your tongue. You could feel a tear dip down to your temple before disappearing into your hair. You caught the next one before it could drop.
So many thoughts had filled your head: about your family, about the Targaryens... the little paradise you had made by the shore- but there was nothing you could make sense of.
The Prince tilts his chin down to meet your eyes, gaze focused even as he takes up the empty space of grass beside you. You bet you looked like a fool.
"He hurled all over the nets and we had to cancel the trip short- said he couldn't handle the waves rocking him. To think... that boy may leave us to be the Lord of Driftmark."
Jace had never forgotten the way his brother was at sea. The irony was not lost on both on you.
He rest his head on the grass, hair weaving into its blades in soft motions. He turned his head so he could still look at you as he spoke. "He was the same when he was a boy."
"I can imagine the same green face in fancier robes." you sniffled.
"Oh I'm sure you can." he raised a hand to the sky waving it around as he told tales of youth, of stories between him and a Luke you hadn't meant yet, making a show of it.
"I have always been better at the sword than my brother." he commented after telling you a story of them sparring by the shore. He moved to a more comfortable position, grace measured as his muscles flexed beneath the velvet- catching your eye.
He smirks, satisfied, before continuing. "I hope we could continue to spar once he warms up to me."
"He will M'lord. He is a friendly boy."
It was colder now, the wind had picked up and the sounds of the waves crashing against the rocks had grown louder.
"Are you not cold, My Prince?" The shawl slips off your shoulders so you could offer it.
He rubbed his hands together for some warmth, cupping it around his lips so he could blow in some hot air. "What kind of a prince I would be if I took a young Lady's shawl?"
"A warm one." you retort, throwing half of it over his frame, while the other half remained on yours. A few seconds later the tremble in his lip stop. The wool was not much but it did its job blocking the wind well enough.
"Is it your habit to save Velaryons?" he says breathlessly.
"I hardly call sharing a shawl saving, My Prince."
"I could die from a simple cold." his tone was matter-of-fact. "You very well could be saving me."
A snort rumbled from your throat. Jacaerys didn't seem to be put off by the sound. "We should head back shortly. Morning will arrive sooner in our sleep."
He nestles deeper into the shawl but nods.
"Yes, we probably should."
a/n: yayyy i hope you like it! im thinking of making the next chapter about them exploring the little town luke had grown up in for the past five years rather than cutting it straight to kings landing. what do you guys think about that plan? anyways hearts and reposts will be greatly appreciated!
