Chapter Text
Prisoners were supposed to stay in cells, not in a comfortable, airy room, with a large, soft bed, blankets to keep them warm at night, and pillows made of goose feathers.
Something is wrong.
Jace looks wistfully at the blue sky through the iron bars of his window. Him's sitting in his favorite seat next to the window, it was the only way for him to at least get some sunlight and feel the light late summer breeze.
Since the war ended, Jace had been confined to his room, with two guards day and night at his door.
Three times a day, a servant brought him his meal, but Jace could barely eat, he just snacked on something to keep himself from fainting from hunger, but him himself had no appetite, his throat felt like it had a permanent knot stuck in it, and his stomach felt like it couldn't hold anything. The omega had lost weight, but Jace didn't really care.
Nothing else mattered to him.
The damn war had taken everything from him. His mother, Daemon, his brothers. Aegon and Viserys would apparently have survived, but by now they could be dead. The boys were alphas, a threat to the usurper's kingdom, Jace highly doubted that Aegon would keep them alive for long. Him had no news about Rhaena and Baela and even Vermax suffered, trapped in the dragon pit, if the king hadn't found a way to get rid of him too.
Jace wraps his arms around himself. His eyes burn, but no tears flow, he wouldn't give the taste of his tears to the green ones. Much less for Aegon.
Why am I still alive?
It's the question that torments Jace day and night. He feared the answer, no matter how obvious it was. Jace was an omega. And after half of your family died, I knew the Valyrian womb, even though I was a bastard, was worth a lot.
Perhaps Aegon would marry him to one of his traitorous brothers. Or he would keep Jace like a whore, to show everyone his victory.
The idea made his stomach churn. Jace would rather die than let any of them touch him. They may have taken everything from you but your dignity. Whatever Aegon was planning for him, Jace was not going to be humiliated like this. The bars on the window prevented him from suffering the same fate as poor Helaena, but Jace would think of other methods.
Him wasn't afraid of death, not anymore. Him would be reunited with his family again.
Jace hears footsteps outside the door. The omega is tense for a few moments. He had been trapped there for a month now and not once had any of the greens visited him, much to his relief. But Jace knows that everything could change at any moment.
Hi. hoped it was just Elia, the young omega servant who waited on him.
But it wasn't.
Jace shudders as he sees one of the cloaked arms enter his room. The alpha's face impassive.
"The king requests your presence.- It was not a request, but an order."
It's obvious that Aegon wouldn't forget me so easily. Him was just planning the best way to torture me.
In other times, Jace would have refused and told Aegon to fuck off, but what would be the point? Him would be dragged before the king anyway. Jace rises from the velvet chair and silently follows the guard out of the room. The guards at his door remain where they are, with a white cloak at their heels, Jace would not need to be escorted.
I've fought other alphas before. I could take the sword from his sheath and kill him and then go to where the damn king is and slit his throat.
Or I can wear it around my neck. A quick, deep cut.
Then I would be free.
The thought was tempting, but Jace was weak from not eating and sleeping properly, the alpha wouldn't need much effort to take him down.
Jace sighs and accepts his fate.
At first him thought him would be taken to the throne room. But the path they were taking was different. It was the direction of the small council meeting room.
Would he cut off my head there?
The guard knocks on the heavy wooden door and another knight opens it. Sitting at the end and with his feet on the table, was the king. Aegon II Targaryen.
The alpha hadn't changed much since the last time Jace saw him. Only his platinum hair was slightly longer, other than that him was still the same idiot he always was and with the old aroma of red wine and spices. Aegon was greedily drinking a glass of wine, but when his lilac eyes look at Jace, him smiles and drops the glass on the table.
"Nephew" Him greets happily, as if him and Jace were old friends.
Jace remains silent. Aegon gets up and approaches the omega, inspecting him from top to bottom. Jace hates this, him wishes Aegon would stop looking at him.
"You look miserable nephew ". Him frowned. "And thinner too, aren't my servants feeding him properly?"
What matters?
"I don't feel hungry". That's all Jace can answer.
Aegon raises his eyebrows, amused.
"I don't feel hungry, your grace". Him corrects. "We will have to review your manners".
Jace continues with a stoic expression, hiding any trace of irritation or disgust from his face. Aegon looks a little disappointed at your lack of reaction.
"Very well, we have a lot to discuss. Come sit down". Aegon pulls out a chair for Jace to sit on.
For a moment, Jace considers refusing and standing, but in the end, him decides to settle back into the chair, his back straight and his shoulders tense.
"Would you like a glass of wine, Jace?". Aegon asks. "This is part of the best vintage of Dornish wine, delicious."
"No, thank you". Jace refuses in a low voice.
"I insist". Aegon pours Jace a cup anyway and sets it in front of him.
Jace looks at the dark red liquid. But hi. makes no move to drink.
"It's not poisoned, if that's what you're thinking". Aegon jokes.
"I'm not, traitors have their heads cut off and not poisoned". Jace uses a lot of irony in the word 'traitor'.
The only traitor present was the selfish alpha in front of him. A drunk who plays at being king.
"If I wanted you dead, you would have been, a long time ago. Aegon says. " I have other plans for you"
Jace felt a shiver of fear. Him could only imagine what was going through his uncle's perverted head, and none of them were good.
Without realizing it, Jace's strawberry scent becomes a sour complement. Aegon grimaces.
"You reek of fear. I don't like it, your natural smell is much better". Aegon approaches the chair where Jace is sitting.
The omega stiffens when he feels one of Aegon's fingers twirl his hair.
Do not touch me.
"When you introduced yourself, Omega, I asked your mother for your hand in marriage, you know".
Jace's eyes widen. Him did not know this information. Would it be true? His mother never told him. Him doesn't like the way this conversation is going.
"She didn't allow it". Aegon says grumpily ".His little son Omega was too good for me. And then my mother pushed me towards that weirdo of my sister"
"You shouldn't talk about Helaena that way". Jace says irritated, unable to contain himself with the disrespectful way in which Aegon referred to his deceased wife. " She was kind and sweet, she certainly didn't deserve the fate she had."
Aegon seems unfazed.
"Well, it doesn't matter anymore. She is dead, just like her mother. No one can stop me from doing what I want, not even my mother, I am the king, my word is the law."
Him will order me to be his lover. Jace thinks desperately.
No.
I will not do it.
I prefer death.
"Now I can finally marry you, my omega. There is no one else between us".
For a moment Jace's brain stops working. He blinks, looking at Aegon's smiling face.
"Marriage?". Jace repeats, his voice weak. The alpha's smile widens.
"Of course". Aegon says as if it were something obvious . "I need a new queen and heirs, Jaehaera is a girl and omega, after the war no one would accept another woman competing for the throne. And who else would be my consort than my omega nephew. Even though you have the Strong's inferior genes, your blood is still Valyrian".
At first, Jace doesn't show any reaction. Him waits for Aegon to let out one of his mocking laughs and announce that it's all just a bad joke, just to torture him.
Aegon doesn't, in fact he's looking at Jace expectantly, waiting for an answer.
Anger.
Pure anger, boiling like dragon fire ignites in the omega. For the first time in a long time, Jace feels alive, away from the lethargy that has taken over him.
Him wouldn't be Aegon's omega. Never. He wouldn't betray his mother like that, opening his legs to that damned usurper.
"No". Jace says angrily, watching with satisfaction as Aegon's smile fades.
"What?"
"I'd rather die than let you touch me."
Aegon's expression darkens, his scent turns hostile and makes Jace's nose burn. His instincts stir with fear at being around an angry alpha.
"You have no choice nephew". The alpha speaks coldly. "I'm not giving you an option to refuse. You will be my omega, even if I have to drag you to the damned sept and force you to say your vows at swordpoint."
Jace takes the wine glass from the table and throws the entire contents in the alpha's face.
-I'm not afraid of you, you damned murderer of relatives.
Aegon growls, eyes blazing with anger. In a movement faster than Jace anticipates, Aegon pushes his face against the cold wood of the table top, squeezing his hair in a painful way.
"There you are! The hot-headed Jace I remember. Finally got his fire back, nephew"
"Fuck you". Jace growls.
Aegon presses further into his face as him twists one of his arms behind his back.
"I must remind you, nephew, that your younger brothers are my hostages in Oldtown. One command from me and I'll put their heads on a stake, right in front of your room or..."Aegon smiles. "I can order Aemond to go to Driftmark with Vhagar and burn your grandfather and his traitorous sisters, reduce that place to dust . And in the end, I still get rid of that pathetic dragon of his. Is this what you want Jace? Kill your last living relatives?"
Jace lets out an angry scream.
"I hate you!"
"You hate me now, later when you have my mark you will love me, you will have no choice."
Jace felt tears form in his eyes. Him wouldn't cry, not in front of Aegon...
"Aegon!" . The door to the room opens and Jace can hear the horrified voice of Queen Alicent. " What are you doing? You said you wouldn't hurt him."
Aegon lets go of Jace and the omega takes a deep breath, feeling one side of his face throbbing in pain. Alicent glares at Aegon with irritation.
"You can't treat an omega that way, that's not what I taught you."
Aegon rolls his eyes.
"We were just talking, weren't we my love?". Aegon asks.
Alicent looks at Jace with pity and he immediately looks away. Him wanted no mercy from that woman.
"Guards". Aegon calls loudly. " Escort my fiancé back to his room. Tomorrow we will have a banquet to make the engagement official, I want you to look stunning."
Jace gives him one last disgusted look before being escorted back to his room.
Only after the door closes and Jace is alone does him allow a tear to escape.
Him wouldn't accept that. He wasn't going to be Aegon's plaything.i
Jace needed to get away from there.