Cᴇʀᴛ Lᴜᴋᴇ: Rᴜɴᴀᴡᴀʏs.

Welcome one and all

Welcome friends to my fourth post to #Bethronescertified as Cert Lucerys. This one is Luke and Jace. Days after the events on Driftmark and Laena's funeral. Back on Dragonstone. Daemon grieves the loss of his wife, his behavior leading to outbursts and everyone him. Including Rhaenyra and her children. Jace and Luke, fearing for their own safety, choose to run away in the middle of the night.

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It was the middle of the night at Dragonstone. Minutes earlier, everyone had been asleep and everything was quiet. Until the whole keep erupted in yelling, screaming and sounds of things being thrown. Jace and Lucerys were running away from their uncle Daemon after he hurled abuse at everyone. He had only been in decline since the ing of Laena. "Hurry, get to Vermax, he'll get us away from here” Jacaerys said to his brother as he led him to the dragonmont.

Luke stayed near his brother. Running behind him. He could hear that Daemon was in a blind rage of grief and anger. Holding Jace's hand tightly as they ran. “Why is he like this..” He said softly. Looking at Jace with confused and scared eyes. Jace squeezed his brother’s hand, offering a reassuring smile and keeping the speed of their run until they reached the dragonmont. “He lost his wife and child," Jace explained in a soft tone, "It makes people angry," he added, leading Lucerys inside the dragon mount. Lucerys would let go of his Brother's hand as they entered the Dragonmont. “What about Arrax? I can't leave him Jace-” He would say softly as he was concerned about his dragon's safety. Jace noticed the mention of Arrax and sighed, stopping. He knew how much his brother cared for his small dragon. “Arrax can't fit us both, if we ride separately he'll catch up," he spoke in a soft tone and gave Lucerys a look of reassurance. “I know you don't want to leave him, but it's for the best."

Luke would look at his Brother with sadness in his eyes. He didn’t want to leave his dragon and he wouldn’t let Jace leave him behind “I can’t leave him here..” The boy would say with sadness now entering his voice as he looked up at Jace. He was adamant on taking Arrax with them. Jacerys frowned, understanding his brother's love and concern for Arrax. “And I can't leave you here," he replied firmly, his tone filled with determination but also worry. “Daemon is in a rage, I can't leave you alone on Dragonstone with him like this. It's not safe for you, Luke.” To which his brother looked down at the ground for a moment. Luke would think. He couldn’t bring himself to leave Arrax here. He would shake his head slightly “I can’t leave him!” He would speak, tears forming in his eyes. He was scared. Worried that Daemon would move to take it out on their dragons if they ran.

Jace let out a frustrated sigh. He was caught in a difficult situation. His brother's bond with Arrax was deep, and Jace understood his resistance to leaving his beloved dragon behind. “Luce, please understand.." he pleaded, his voice filled with both concern and desperation. "Daemon is in a state we've never seen. Who knows what he might do. It's safer for us if we leave now." Jace assured him. Luke was clearly conflicted. He didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t bring himself to leave Arrax behind. “Please Jace..”

Jacerys could see the confliction in his brother's eyes. It was clear how much Arrax meant to him, and in that moment, Jace's determination wavered. He took a deep breath, considering his options, but eventually he relented with a sigh. “Fine," he said, his voice filled with resignation. “But we need to be quick." He muttered. Luke would smile softly as Jace finally gave in. Hugging his brother tightly. “Let’s go find him” He said. His tone sounded a little more happy but he was still scared. Jacerys returned the hug, feeling a mix of relief and worry. He knew they were taking a risk by bringing Arrax along, but he could not say no to his brother's earnest request. “Alright," he agreed, a hint of a smile on his face. "Let's go find Arrax, but we need to be careful, ok? We can't afford to be spotted by anyone, especially not Daemon."

Luke would turn to Jace as he began to walk deeper into the dragonmont in search of his dragon. Nobody was around so Luke had to be careful. As he wandered through the Dragonmont. He could hear the sounds of other dragons all around him.. He felt a little on edge. Trying to stay quiet, He would soon find Arrax a little deeper in. Jacaerys followed closely behind his brother, keeping his steps light and his focus sharp. The sounds of the dragons around them added an extra layer of tension to their escape plan, their roars and hisses serving as a constant reminder of the risk they were taking. As they found Arrax, Jacerys couldn’t help but feel a pang of anxiety. The dragon was a wild card, and they needed him to cooperate for their plan to work. Luke would turn to Jace. To be sure he was behind him. He then turned back to Arrax. “dokimarvose Arrax, dohaerās, māzīs”

Jace watched as Luke approached Arrax and spoke to him in Valyrian. The words were commanding, yet gentle, and Arrax seemed to respond to them. The dragon lifted its head, its eyes fixated on Luke. Jace stayed close, his heart racing as they made their move. The risks were high, and he hoped Arrax would cooperate with their plan.

Arrax showed a lack of interest in Lucerys. So Luke spoke again. With a little more authority to his tone “dokimarvose Arrax, dohaerās, māzīs” He would repeat. This time getting his dragon's attention. “Rȳbās ynot” The boy would step back as the small dragon began to follow. Looking at Jace as he began to walk back the way they came with Arrax following. Jacerys let out a sigh of relief as Arrax obeyed Luke's commands and began to follow them. The sight of the small dragon walking alongside them was a welcome sight, but his anxiety would not diminish until they were safely away from the dragonmont. “Good, that's good," he murmured, keeping his voice low as they made their way back towards the exit. "Just keep him close and keep moving. We need to be quick and stealthy."

Luke would keep his eyes on his Brother as they walked “Where is Vermax?” He would ask as they walked.. Unlike Jace he wasn’t being quite as quiet. Though he would do as he was told. Soon following his Brother rather than walking alongside him. Jace turned a slightly disapproving glance towards his brother as he spoke a little too loudly, but he quickly stifled it. He knew Luke was nervous and excited, and so he decided not to chide him for his volume. “Vermax is waiting outside," he replied in a hushed tone, keeping his eyes and ears trained for any signs of danger as they walked. “We need to get out of here as quickly as possible. Keep moving."

Luke nodded gently as he turned back to make sure Arrax was following them. He then nodded as his fear had been replaced with excitement not that he had Arrax with them. He would hush his tone a little when he realised that Jace was being quiet. Correcting his mistake very quickly as he followed Jace out to Vermax.

As they exited the Dragonmont , they were once again met with the darkness of the night sky. The air was cool and crisp, the only sound being the soft crunch of their footsteps across the gravel. In the distance, they could see the outline of Vermax waiting for them. The dragon had sensed their approach and was ready to take flight. Jace walked quickly towards it. “Keep Arrax close," *he reminded Luke as they reached Vermax, his eyes constantly scanning the area for any signs of danger.

Luke’s eyes shifted towards the Keep for a moment as he could still hear the faint noises and voices of people shouting and yelling inside. It seemed people had noticed they had gone but not quite sure where yet. He turned to Jace for a moment as he then turned back to Arrax. “Māzīs” He said softly as Arrax continued to follow Luke. Who then followed Jace over to Vermax

As they approached Vermax, Jace wasted no time in mounting the dragon. He pulled himself up into the saddle and immediately began securing the straps that would ensure he stayed in place. Looking over at his brother and Arrax, he gestured frantically, signalling for Luke to hurry. “Come on, we need to go now!" he called out, his voice urgent but not loud enough to attract undue attention. Luke would follow his Brother’s lead as he was helped up onto Vermax. He looked at Arrax and smiled softly. As Vermax readied to fly. He would call out to Arrax “Sōvēs”

As soon as the command left Luke's lips, Arrax would spread his wings and take to the sky, following Vermax as they leapt into the air. The two dragons flapped their wings powerfully, carrying their riders off into the night.Jace held onto the reins tightly, his eyes scanning the ground below them as they flew away from Dragonstone. The cool wind blew through their hair, and the adrenaline continued to pump through their veins.

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