Blood and Dragons

Sacrifice

Jace felt like he had been running for an entire week; every time he walked through a corridor or tried to escape from the Red Keep Valar would be waiting for him —he had lost count of the number of times he had nearly been caught. Helaena was no longer here to help him, so he was completely on his own as he tried to make it towards the dragon pit.

Jace sat down in one of the many rooms in Kings Landing with his head in his hands; it seemed that in this place he didn't need to sleep, but he still felt exhausted. His whole body was sweating and he couldn't help but jump at every shadow —Valar would strike as soon he started to get comfortable and recover.

"Hahahahahahahaha."

Jace found himself laughing as he considered the situation he found himself in. It was all his fault, he had brought them all here and caused so much pain and suffering all to feed his thirst for adventure, and now look where he was —about to lose his body to some horror from years past. "I'm sorry muna..." he whispered to himself as tears started to stream down his face. Jace might've been mature for a boy of ten name days but he was still a boy and the stress of the situation he found himself in was continually building up —until now when the dam broke and he couldn't bear to be here anymore.

The week of constant fear and horror, not being able to sleep or do anything else but run from a creature that would kill him as soon as it touched him. Valar also had a certain degree of control over this place; it was like Jace was in a constantly shifting maze that he couldn't escape.

He sat on the ground as he considered letting himself die; he was so tired, and deep down he needed to be punished for the people that he had killed. "I am sorry Helaena I am not strong enough to make it..." he whispered. His ears twitched as he started to hear loud thudding coming down the hallway; Valar had found him and it would only be a few minutes now before the pain would end —mayhaps the guilt would fade too.

Jace pushed himself up to his feet, despite this place not being real his body still felt sore and tired. But as he started stepping toward the door intent on letting Valar have him; he found himself hesitant to open it.

*You are in pain Jace, I can feel such pain coming from you*

*Come out Jace, your suffering need not last much longer*

Jace shuffled closer to the door, his mind filled with thoughts of resting and ending the pain he was in. But again he hesitated; his hand had stopped as it reached for the handle of the door. His thoughts were flooded with that of Daella and his Grandfather Corlys; he knew they were still out there on their own and would likely die soon if he didn't escape. While Daella could bond with Vermax she didn't have the will or the skill necessary to ride him so it is likely he would leave.

"I won't leave them behind... even if I have to suffer and die at your hands I'll do so after I've saved them!" Jace whispered resolutely.

He was tired, scared and overwhelmed in so many ways but he'd keep going —he'd ignore the the voices in his head telling him otherwise.

*COME OUT NOW!!!*

"You won't have me until my dying breath!" He shouted back through the door.

The door exploded inwards flinging Jace backwards across the room as Valar started to pour inside and take shape from the mass of worms that made up his body. Jace quickly stood up and went running out of the door to the balcony but quickly found it had disappeared —the door now had become a wall.

*It is over child, you are mine...*

Jace pressed himself flat against the wall as he tried to come up with a plan of escape, but with Valar blocking the only exit it truly looked like it was over. As he waited for the end an idea formed in his brain 'If Valar can change things in this place then why can't I? Helaena told me that this was my mind,' he thought to himself. However Jace had no idea where to start when it came to changing the environment; luckily for him his mind answered his call when he thought of only one thing —escape.
A moment before Valar was about to touch Jace the floor beneath Jace opened up and he was swallowed through the ground.