𓇢𓆸 The Language of Affection .⋆༺
You arrive at Dragonstone knowing little of love and less of what awaits you. When Jacaerys Velaryon offers to teach you the meaning of affection, neither of you expects old memories and new feelings to intertwine. What begins as a lesson becomes something far more dangerous: a feeling neither can deny.
jacaerys velaryon x reader | 3.5k words
tags: jace x reader, fluff, angst, slow burn, innocent reader, targaryen reader (aunt/nephew relationship) but not super relevant here
author's note: written quickly and possibly sloppily. excuse my potential misuse of high valyrian... i am but just a fangirl :)
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Dragonstone was unlike any place you had ever known. The castle seemed to breathe.
Even in the late hours of the night, when the fires had begun to dim and the halls had fallen quiet, there remained a presence within the ancient stone walls. Beyond the windows, the wind carried the scent of salt and sea, mingling with the distant roar of waves crashing against the cliffs below.
Sleep would not come.
The fever that had taken hold upon your arrival left you restless beneath the heavy blankets. You had thought coming here would finally grant you some measure of peace.
Declaring your allegiance to the one true queen, your sister Rhaenyra, had been a dangerous choice. One that left no path of return. You had abandoned the only home you had ever known, believing your sister's welcome would finally lift the burden you had carried for so long.
Instead, you lay awake in an unfamiliar chamber, feeling only the weight of all you had left behind.
When you had first arrived, you had longed to explore every corner of the ancient fortress; the carved stone dragons, the old Valyrian halls, the chambers of your ancestors. But the servants had insisted you retire at once.
You had obeyed. For a time.
Now, with the certainty that the guards had retired and the castle had fallen into its deepest slumber, your curiosity finally won.
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Taking a small lantern into your hand, you stepped quietly into the corridor. The halls were breathtaking in the stillness of night.
Flickering candlelight danced across dark stone walls, illuminating carvings older than memory itself. You ran your fingers lightly along the edge of a carved archway, amazed by the history surrounding you.
You were so captivated by your surroundings that you almost missed the sound.
A cry echoed through the corridor. You froze.
At first, you thought it was nothing. Perhaps the wind carrying in a strange echo from outside. But then it came again...
A woman's voice. Distressed.
Fear immediately replaced curiosity. Without hesitation, you followed the sound, your heart beginning to race.
You had always been told that courage was a virtue expected of those born to noble blood. That one should not stand idle when another was in danger.
And so, without thinking of the consequences, you approached the chamber door. It was slightly ajar.
"My lady?" you whispered. There was no answer.
Your hand moved carefully against the door, pushing it open. And then you stopped. Completely still.
You could not understand what you were seeing: A man and woman. Together.
For a moment, your mind struggled to make sense of it. The woman's cries filled the chamber, broken and breathless, and the sight before you was unlike anything you had ever witnessed.
The man held her firmly beneath him, his movements urgent and unrestrained. Your heart began to race. No. Something was wrong.
The way she cried out. The way she twisted beneath him. The desperation in her voice... it could only mean one thing.
She was afraid. She was being hurt.
You stepped forward before you could think better of it. But when the woman cried out again, louder this time, you were halted.
Your cheeks burned, though you did not understand why.
Then the man cried out as well, their voices joining together in a way that only deepened your confusion.
You stumbled backward, nearly dropping your lantern. When suddenly—
You collided with a stiff frame behind you.
A gasp escaped your lips, but before it could echo through the corridor, a hand closed over your mouth.
The door before you shut swiftly. You turned sharply... finding yourself face to face with Prince Jacaerys.
But there was no warmth in his expression, nothing like the boy you remembered. Only suspicion.
"What are you doing here?" he spat at you.
"My prince—"
His eyes moved over you, taking in the lantern in your hand, the corridor behind you, the chamber you had just left.
A sharp breath left him.
"I should have known," he muttered. "The council warned us you could be—"
"I assure you, my prince—"
His gaze snapped back to yours.
"Do not assure me of anything." The words came sharper than he intended.
"You have been here less than a day, and already I find you wandering the castle alone in the dead of night, outside a chamber that was not yours to enter."
Your expression faltered. Only then did you understand. He did not see a lost princess. He saw the daughter of Alicent Hightower. A daughter of the enemy.
"I did not come here to cause harm," you said softly.
His jaw remained tense. "Then tell me why you are here."
You opened your mouth, but the answer felt absurd even as you prepared to speak it.
"I heard a woman crying."
A pause. Jacaerys stared at you, before speaking in a mocking tone of disbelief. "You... heard a woman crying?"
"Yes."
"And so you entered a private chamber?"
Your brow furrowed. Gods, how badly this must appear.
"She sounded as though she was in distress. We must help her."
For a moment, there was only silence. The suspicion in Jace's face did not disappear, but something shifted. A flicker of confusion.
"You believed she was in danger?"
You nodded, almost offended that he would question it.
"Of course I did."
For a long moment, Jacaerys simply stared at you. The suspicion remained, but it had begun to waver. He had expected excuses. A clever explanation. A carefully crafted lie.
He had not expected concern.
"You truly do not know," he murmured. Your confusion deepened.
"Know what, my prince?"
His gaze flickered away. The confidence that had carried him through the evening faltered. He glanced down the corridor.
"Come," he demanded. His hand caught your arm in a careful grip, pulling you from the doorway.
"Where are we going?"
"Somewhere more private."
And with that, he turned, leading you away from the chamber and toward his own.
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As the door closed behind you, Jace released his hold on you for the first time since he had found you in the corridor.
He watched you carefully. His expression unreadable as he looked upon you. The suspicion that had been there before had faded, replaced by something closer to apprehension.
"Sit," he said quietly.
You obeyed, lowering yourself onto the edge of his bed. He remained standing for a moment, as though unsure how to begin.
"Princess." Your eyes lifted to his.
"Forgive me for asking, but..." He paused, clearly choosing his words carefully. "Has no one ever spoken to you of what occurs between a husband and wife?"
The question caught you off guard. You simply stared at him.
"I know what marriage is," you said quickly. "I know what is expected of it."
Jace nodded.
"I did not ask if you knew of marriage."
The silence that followed was enough. A new feeling settled over you, one of embarrassment and unease. You hated feeling as though there were things you should know, things everyone else understood but you had somehow been kept from.
You were reminded then of a time when you were all still children. When your brothers and nephews would share tales amongst themselves, giggling as they left you out of the joke.
Jacaerys was always the one to offer a quiet explanation, a way of letting you in. He had always been kind.
"My mother…" you began, your voice quieter. "She was never comfortable with matters of the heart. Feelings were not things we often spoke of."
He ran a hand through his unruly evening curls, as though trying to reconcile how such a thing could have been left unknown to you.
A flush crept over you, and with a small lump forming in your throat, you asked him, "What, exactly, occurs between a husband and wife?"
And when your eyes remained fixed on him, still waiting, still searching for an answer, Jacaerys seemed to realize he had little choice but to indulge your question. However improper such a conversation was to have with a maiden of your standing
"It is an act born of affection," he said carefully.
You frowned. "Affection?"
He nodded, "Yes."
You glanced away, trying to make sense of it.
"But... but the way he had her pinned down, my prince..." Your brow furrowed. "That cannot be— How does that show affection?"
For the first time that evening, Jace seemed uncertain.
He looked away briefly, searching for words that would not embarrass either of you.
"What you saw was..." he began slowly, "a rather passionate display of affection." Your eyes remained on him. "A physical one."
You listened intently, hanging onto every word. Jace paced the space before his bed in careful thought.
"There is an embrace of bodies," he explained. The words left his mouth, and only then did he become aware of the closeness of the moment.
Of the quiet of his chambers. Of you sitting upon the edge of his bed.
Of the thin fabric of your nightgown, the lantern light casting soft shadows across you. His gaze shifted away almost immediately.
And you, noticing the sudden change in his expression, became aware of it as well.
He cleared his throat and continued, "There is an embrace of bodies... but it is not only that."
You watched him closely.
"It is affection shown in ways that words cannot always express. A husband and wife may hold one another. They may kiss."
Your breath caught slightly. "Kiss?"
Jacaerys nodded, almost relieved to have found a simpler way to explain.
"Yes. A kiss can be an expression of love, of desire, of devotion."
Your cheeks warmed. "Oh."
The realization settled over you slowly. The sounds. The cries. The fear you had felt. The certainty that you had misunderstood. You lowered your gaze, mortification washing over you.
"I have never kissed anyone before." The words left you before you could stop them.
Jace went still.
And suddenly, the truth of the night became painfully clear. You had misunderstood everything. Heat rushed to your face.
"Oh, gods," you whispered. You covered your face, unable to meet his eyes. "I am a fool."
"Princess—"
"No, I must go. This is—" You rose quickly, turning toward the door.
But before you could reach it, his hand gently caught your arm. You shivered beneath his touch, every sensation suddenly heightened.
"My princess," he said softly. "I am truly sorry if I have overstepped."
You turned back toward him and at once, the space between you felt far smaller than it had moments before.
His hand remained around your arm, careful and uncertain, as though he would release you the moment you asked. Neither of you moved.
The fire crackled quietly behind him. Your breath caught. His did too.
You had never been this close to him before. Never close enough to notice the warmth in his eyes, the way his expression softened when he looked at you. Your heart beat impossibly fast.
Jacaerys seemed to notice the change in you before you did. His hand lifted slowly, brushing a loose strand of damp hair away from your face.
"Princess," he whispered. The word was almost a plea.
"Are you well?"
You tried to answer, "I feel…" But the words disappeared. Your gaze had fallen. To his lips. And when your eyes met his again, you knew he understood. Because he felt it too.
Silence settled between you. Then, quietly you asked: "Have you ever kissed someone?"
For once, Prince Jacaerys Velaryon seemed to have no answer. Only a moment of surprise. Then he nodded.
Your eyes searched his.
And at the same time, the words left you both.
"Can you show me?" "Do you want me to show you?"
The silence that followed was immediate. Both of you instinctively stepped back, creating distance between you. Physical and emotional.
The weight of what had just been said settled between you, and suddenly the room felt far too quiet. The only sound was the clearing of Jacaerys' throat as he looked away for a moment, as though trying to gather the composure he had so easily lost.
"I..." He stopped.
You lowered your gaze. "I did not mean to—"
"No," he said softly, though whether he was reassuring you or himself, you could not tell.
Another silence passed. Then, perhaps needing something, anything, to break the tension, you asked, "Did I wake you this evening?"
His eyes found yours in the dim candlelight.
"No," he said quietly. "I had not been sleeping."
You studied him for a moment. "Then what kept you awake?"
Long eyelashes lowered as he shifted his gaze away. For a brief moment, you thought he might not answer.
"I heard you had arrived."
Your brow furrowed. "And that kept you from your rest?"
A faint smile touched his lips, almost embarrassed.
"No." A pause. "Seeing you did."
Your lips parted for air. "Me?"
Jace made his way to the window, taking in the salt speckled air as he spoke, "I had not seen you in years."
"Years?" you repeated softly. You, too, thinking back to the days of yore.
He nodded.
"Not since we were children. Before..." His expression shifted. "Before everything changed."
The words hung between you.
"The court was not as it is now," he continued. "There were no whispers. No sides to choose."
He spoke plainly, without bitterness or resentment. And his voice softened. "We were simply children."
You watched him carefully as he turned back to you, sauntering closer.
"And you wanted to see me?"
"I did."
The answer came so easily that it surprised you.
"I could hardly believe it when I heard you had come to Dragonstone."
"Why?"
Your chest heaved with the moment. His eyes searched yours, as if intoxicated by them. His words kept flowing before his mind could make haste.
"Because I thought I might never see you again."
The words lingered between you.
"We left so urgently," he continued. "There was no farewell. No chance to say goodbye." His gaze softened.
"I remember you wandering the halls. Always curious. Always sneaking around in search for something new."
A small smile touched his lips.
"I thought perhaps I might find you wandering here tonight."
You looked down, almost embarrassed.
"I never thought anyone noticed."
"I did." The answer came without hesitation. His eyes held yours.
"I always saw you."
Your chest tightened, and for a moment you did not know what to say.
Jacaerys seemed to understand. He did not rush to fill the silence. He only watched you, his expression softer than it had ever been.
"You were always..." He paused, almost as though he were unsure if he should say the words aloud.
Your eyes lifted to his.
"Always what?"
A trace of fondness crossed his features.
"Gevie" (beautiful) the word, spoken in your shared ancestral tongue, left him quietly. As if a confession.
"Even then," he added.
Your breath caught. "Jace..."
It was then that you realized the space between you had disappeared. His face was level with yours, his nose only inches from your own, breath mingling.
"May I kiss you?"
His lips fell into a gentle pout as he searched your face. He looked for uncertainty, for hesitation. He found none.
Slowly, carefully, he leaned toward you.
His hand wrapped carefully around your arm, as though even still he feared overstepping. When you did not pull away—when you leaned closer instead—the hesitation between you began to fade.
The first brush of his lips against yours was so gentle you almost wondered if you had imagined it.
It was nothing like what you had expected. There was no urgency, no force. Only warmth. A quiet tenderness that made your heart stutter.
Your eyes fluttered closed, your lips slowly learning the rhythm of his. As his hand slithered down to the small of your back, the kiss deepened.
No longer uncertain, but still tender. Still careful.
His tongue prodded for entrance, and as your mouths danced like dragons in the night, suddenly, you understood. This was what he had meant.
Not the act itself. Not the thing you had mistakenly witnessed behind that door. This. The trust.
The closeness. The quiet affection shared between two people who wished to be near one another.
When he finally pulled away, it was only by mere inches. His eyes opened slowly, as though he were reluctant to leave the moment entirely. For a heartbeat, neither of you spoke.
You only looked at one another, both seemingly unsure of what had just changed.
Then, softly, almost as if the words had escaped him before he could stop them, Jacaerys whispered:
"I've always wanted to do that."
And with those words, something within you gave way.
For so long, you had carried the weight of everything that had been expected of you. The person you were meant to become. The choices you were meant to make. The things you were meant to endure.
But here, with him, you felt none of it.
Only him.
Before you could think better of it, you leaned forward and broke the distance once more.
This kiss was different.
Your mouth crashed into his with feverish hunger. A quiet surprise crossed his features before it melted into something ardent, something that quickened your pulse. The rough movements were all teeth and tongue; ravenous and aching.
A soft whimper fell against your lips as Jace's hands explored. Settling at your waist, he steadied you as though he feared you might disappear if he did not hold on.
Your hands found his hair, fingers weaving through the dark strands as you pulled him closer. The weight of him against you, his warmth seeping through the thin fabric between you, left your thoughts scattered.
In a swift motion, he guided your bodies, still entwined, backward toward the edge of his bed. Your hands moved to his shoulders for support.
With care, he lowered you to sit, his hands remaining at your waist as he kept you close. His frame now towered over you, the kiss never truly breaking between you.
His hips gently pushed you back into the mattress, standing now between your thighs for better purchase. With a chaste kiss, his teeth caught your parted lower lip in a playful, teasing tug. A gasp escaped you.
Hearing your soft moans, Jace tongue traced gently over your lower lip, almost apologetically, as though soothing the place where his teeth had caught you.
The feeling that washed over you was unlike anything you had known before. A strange heat, a fluttering uncertainty that left you almost breathless. You found yourself squeezing your thighs together beneath the weight of his hips, trying to contain a feeling you did not yet understand.
Your hands moved to the ties of his tunic, remembering the couple you had seen earlier... their closeness, their lack of hesitation. You thought perhaps this was what was expected.
But Jacaerys gently stilled your hands.
"No, my lady," he murmured against your lips.
Your eyes lifted to his, dark and seeking, a quiet question lingering within them.
"We need not rush this," he whispered.
"Let this be enough for tonight."
His words settled over you, and you found yourself understanding what he had tried to explain earlier. Affection was not simply what two people did, but the care they showed one another.
And with the moment, the realm outside his chambers seemed to fall away. The fire. The stone walls. The years of distance between your families.
What remained in its stead was simply the warmth of him, the sound of your own ragged breath, and the strange certainty that you were exactly where you were meant to be.
Though the kiss had been broken, Jacaerys lingered close, his gaze soft as though reluctant to let the moment end. Then, as if the most natural thing in the world, he pressed a gentle kiss to your forehead.
He rested his own forehead against yours afterward and neither of you dared to move. As though even the slightest breath might disturb what had just passed between you.
His breath left him in a quiet tremble. His thumb brushed gently over your lower lip, lingering there as if he, too, was trying to understand the moment. You could still feel the faint sensation of his lips, a reminder of a first kiss you never could have imagined.
A quiet laugh escaped you then, your cheeks warming as the events of the night replayed in your mind.
"I think," you said softly, looking away with a small smile, "I shall like exploring this castle after all."
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