Jacob II (ASOS)

The Prince of the Narrow Sea was hiding beneath a grey cloak, which covered his whole appearance, in which no one can recognise him. He looked around with stern eyes, as he left Uplands. Saying goodbye to the kind, but thoughtful maester, who saved him from catching an infection or dying.

Jacob followed behind Ser Artys, as they were walking around the port villages, with many people bustling about. He heads the laughed of innocent children, who have been untouched by war, unlike those common folk in the Riverlands or King's Landing.

He wore the same clothing he wore on the day of the battle of Blackwater, but they were washed and cleaned by the servants of House Mullendore.

To disguise himself, the maester of House Mullendore had helped him put dye in his hair, it turned his hair from his natural midnight black colour into a darker shade of grey, as most older men would have in old age.

Jacob liked his new hair, but he knew his parents would be horrified of what he had done to his hair, but it was the only way he could get out of Oldtown without being spotted and killed.

"Artys, where is the ship Old man Leyton gave to me." Jacob asked, in a stern tone.

The blonde knight of House Rowan had a confused look on his face, but smiled. "Don't worry, Jake. I have it for you and I risked a lot to get it back for you."

Jacob grunted, as he didn't like to be reminded of how foolish he was when he was young, becoming friends with this arrogant knight, whom wanted what he couldn't give him at the time.

"How much did you truly risk for me? Or are you just setting me up to be killed?"

"Jake, I wouldn't do that to you. The Redwyne bitch would have done it, to please her lord father and their new Lannister allies. I can give less of a damn about those prideful lions, as long as you and your father live, they will never win truly."

"Your liege lord does, as long as his daughter is queen and a grandson is king."

"My father sometimes tires of following the Fat Flower, he is not the only lord of the Reach who thinks so."

"Why does he then, if he dislikes Mace Tyrell?"

"Bannermen are loyal to their liege house to a fault, like my family is to the Tyrells, not knowing they drag other loyal houses with them in this Lannister alliance."

Jacob's wrist was held onto by Artys, as he didn't want to lose him in the crowd full of people in this great city of the Reach. He liked seeing the high lighthouse tower, where the lords of the city lived in.

His eyes looked upwards, seeing the lighthouse peer over the city. His wrist was being dragged by the fool knight.

"Jake, don't lose yourself in the grandness of this city." Ser Artys warned.

"Sorry, it made me feel something from the past, when I was a child," Jacob replied. "My father never liked such grandness, but he would have appreciated a city like this."

"Let's go or else, Hightower men will find you and send you to the mercy of the boy king Joffrey."

"A bastard born of incest, disgusting. I hope the Seven punishes his mother and father for such crimes against the realm and my uncle's memory."

"Gods, Jake. You really are so pious in your faith, if you were not highborn, then you would have been High Septon."

Jacob and Artys were closing in on the port, as it was bustling with men trading and exporting goods from places like the Summer Isles and across the Narrow Sea, where he would have liked to visit, to explore new places and new cultures.

The prince kept himself under a low profile, as he held onto the cloak covering his face. The sapphire blue eyes of House Baratheon were not mistaken features, and someone highborn could recognise him and it will complicate his mission in getting home.

"Here." The blonde knight shouted, pointing in Jacob's left direction, with the prince holding onto his sword and the dagger Uncle Alester gifted him.

The young prince followed the knight, as he saw the beautiful, and awe aspiring creation of a ship in his sights. It's light wood brown colour with at least over 100 oars on board the boat, as it looked to be made of the finest wood in the Reach.

On the side of the ship, it had sprawled words. "Lady Cassana", as it was the words written on the ship and it made Jacob feel a bit of closure within him.

Jacob knew his late lady grandmother had been dead before he had ever been born, at the time his father and uncles were young children, having to trust each other and rule the Stormlands on their own, with the helpful Maester Cressen with them.

A tear fell from Jacob's eye, when he thought of the old maester who delivered him into the world, as he did his father and his Baratheon kin years before and after.

"Why did he do it, knowing it was poison. He drunk it, because the Red Woman knew what he planned and made him kill himself. She thought Cressen's death would make me turn away from the Seven, but it was her Red God that killed him, not the Faith of the Seven."

"Jake, what's wrong with you." Artys said sadly, seeing Jacob was slightly tearful.

"Nothing….it's none of your business anyways, you are supposed to get me home."

"I have ambitions of my own, exploring the Summer Isles. I heard it's the best and they worship a fertility goddess with sixteen teats."

"What would your father say?"

"I don't care, he never paid attention to me. Only my brothers and sister mattered to him because of whom they would marry for alliances. I am only a third son."

"You have other options, the Night's Watch, training to be a maester or the Kingsguard."

Ser Artys began to laugh, at the notion of anything keeping him in the Seven Kingdoms, as he seemed to be tired of the politics and scheming in the south.

"The Kingsguard, you have to be joking. Not for the boy king, who cut off an honourable man's head and sent the North and Riverlands in rebellion."

"Are you truly leaving Westeros, Artys?"

"There is a lot out there, in the Far East, where the Free Cities are and the Summer Isles. I have always dreamed of exploring other places, without the constraints of being a knight and my father's son."

Jacob and Artys walked over to the ship, as there were a few crew members aboard, whom looked at the prince with a suspicious eye, maybe because they might have seen him before.

"My eyes, they are unmissable in the Seven Kingdoms, the only people with these eyes are me, my father, my sister and Uncle Robert's bastards."

A lean, but tall man approached Jacob, as he was nicely dressed, but his clothing was simple and not over extravagant. He was bald, with stern dark eyes. He had a sword by his side, as he might be a common born warrior.

"Are you Lord Jacob Baratheon?" The man whispered, as he knew the kind of situation they were in.

"Yes, and you are." Jacob asks, in the same tone of silence.

"Captain Sorrell. I was put in charge of maintaining your ship for you, along with my small crew."

"Who put in in charge of the ship?"

"The old Hightower lord, who had the ship built for you, as a nameday gift two years ago. My crew and I were paid to be in your service by the Rowan boy beside you."

Jacob looked a Artys with a stern eye, he knew there were things the knight didn't tell him, but he knew why he withheld such information.

"Artys, why didn't you tell me you paid these men to be in my service." Jacob grits between his teeth.

"I knew I had to get you home, but I used the gold my father gave me to help you. It's only because I cared too much about you."

"Ser Artys Rowan, you truly are a lovestruck, arrogant knight. You are going to get yourself killed for this."

"I'llbe away from it all, since I planned it all. It was easy to set up, but I did it all on my own thinking."

"You are as intelligent, as your father Artys, unless you allow your love for me to be a weakness to you."

The two young men boarded the Lady Cassana, as it was magnificent ship and it would be a shame for it to go to waste. Jacob's fingers were shaking, as he climbed aboard the ship that rightfully belonged to him.

Jacob saw the men in the crew prepare to depart from the shore, as he stood face to face with the knight he had been friends with when he was a child.

"Jake, it's hard to say goodbye again." Ser Artys said sadly, placing his fingers through Jacob's unexposed new hair colour.

"Keep your hand to yourself, fool." Jacob seethed, through his teeth. "Emotional idiot, you are no better than a newborn babe."

"I can't help that I still hold out my hand to you in close friendship."

"It's over, knight. I decided to lock my feelings away, to not allow anyone else inside them, unless it's the wife my father chooses for me to marry."

"I respect your choice in doing so, for the things you did for me when we were young. I repaired it by saving your life."

"You really want to go."

"I'm sick of the politics and horseshit going on. I want to live my life for myself, not fighting the wars of the Fat Puff of Highgarden."

Jacob felt the arms of Ser Artys wrapped around his body. Within he felt empty, as there was nothing to feel inside. He didn't want to open his heart to him, but he was able to keep it closed and to prove he wasn't weak, like the child he was before.

The prince watched, as the blonde knight let go of him and was making his way off the ship with his head down and a sad look on his face. Ser Artys Rowan was off the ship, standing by the deck and pulled up his own cloak to keep his face covered.

Jacob blinked once at the spot, as he looked at it again. The knight of the argent tree of Goldengrove was gone, as he had vanished.

The prince looked at his small crew, as they prepared the ship to leave the port with the winds being favourable for this journey home. Jacob walked on the deck of the ship, as he peered out of the port to see the fair haired knight out of his sight.

The Lady Cassana was sailing away from the port of Oldtown, with the prince walking across the deck of the light wood brown ship. As his small crew of men were working to get the large boat off the coast and sail all the way to Dragonstone.

Jacob felt the winds pushing onto the yellow sails, with his hood falling upon his shoulders. His hair had grown longer significantly, since he last saw his father. It had reached the middle of his back, with the colour of it being a darker shade of grey.

His eyes turned to his ship captain Sorrell, who looked to be common born, by his simple clothing. However, his origins were unknown, but the fact of him being paid to be looking after this ship by Lord Hightower's command.

"Captain, I would like to speak with you for a while." Jacob spoke out, in a lowered tone.

The captain of his ship came over the young prince, glaring directly into his eyes. "Your eyes are unique, my lord. Never seen eyes like yours in the south."

"My eye colour is common in the Stormlands, as you know captain."

"I am no fool; I know who you are Jacob Baratheon. The son of the iron justice Lord Stannis and the ugliest woman in the Seven Kingdoms."

"Watch your tongue, that is my mother you are speaking of."

"Apologises, my lord. Those of House Florent are never friends of mine, especially with their arrogance of proclaiming blood decent from the old House Gardener."

"The Florents are not the only house in the Reach to have direct decent to the old Gardener Kings, there are the Oakhearts and the Rowans, who have blood ties to the old house as well."

"Do you know why your parents married, young lord?" The captain said gruffly.

"I do, my uncle wanted my father to marry a highborn lady of the Reach, whom came from a family with blood ties to the old Gardener kings, whom had better ties than the Tyrells did. My uncle basically threatened to take Highgarden away from them, if they rebelled against him again, and give it to the Florents."

"Hmm…..the whims of kings can scare anyone, even the toughest of battle hardened warriors."

"Are you highborn, since you refer to me as my lord and not milord, like most commoners do?" Jacob asked.

"I am only a relative of House Grimm of the Shield Islands, with nothing to my name or wasn't born to inherit anything. I wanted to send most of my life in ports or on ships, as I like the way the sea calls out to me."

"You actually like being in service to someone else other than your own family."

"Nah….they never cared about me, as I was just an unwelcomed relative. For most of my life, I have always wanted to serve a greater purpose, to do something great in my life."

"So you think serving me would be your calling, my mysterious captain."

"You are already a wanted man, son of a great rebel and if those rumours are to be true, then you should sit on that blasted iron chair after your father."

"Do you believe in the rumours?"

"It doesn't matter what I believe, it doesn't matter to the lions or their allies, even if someone showed a great amount of evidence."

"It doesn't matter anyways, if they do, then they will be killed."

"The game of thrones has killed more people than actual wars, my lord. People, who think they can play the game, end up being trapped or getting their heads chopped off to end their time in the game."

"How do you know so much, as a cousin of your house?"

"Education is the key, my lord. Cunning, intelligence and calculated smarts are great weapons in a man or woman's arsenal, which is not poison or a blade. It's what gets lords great alliances and power, and gives women authority in a world that dismisses them."

"How long will the journey take, if it takes long. We should have game of cyvasse for a while."

"It will take a considerable amount of time."

"Will you stay with me, even when I go home?"

"I have pledged to serve you until you are gone. I can swing a sword better than the average knight and sail better than most lords, who are comfortable with horseback."

"It's nice to have loyal men, when in such times of war and strife."

"I have heard disturbing things about your lord father, about him taking up with the Lord of Light."

"No….it's my mother who does, he doesn't believe in any of the gods, it's a sore subject for him."

"I spent most of my life in the Reach, knowing the high lords and ladies, the common folk and the people who make it the most fertile region of the Seven Kingdoms, but I heard disturbing things about your Florent relatives."

"What things, captain."

"How they lost the lordship of Brightwater Keep, for siding with your father. They gave away the Florent lands and titles to Ser Garlan Tyrell."

Jacob rolled his eyes, when he thought of the second son of Mace Tyrell, the man was boisterous and loud, compared to quiet and kind Willas.

He remembered all the times Garlan would tease him for being too pious in his faith and refraining from premarital activities, but the man invited him to his wedding to Lady Leonette Fossoway. He was only invited because Willas insisted.

Jacob never liked weddings anyways, but he knew he had to represent his Uncle Robert in this special occasion and to make good with House Tyrell.

Those events were years ago, when Jacob was a boy and now he had grown into a man, a cold hardened man of seven and ten years of age.

Jacob hadn't realised his last nameday just passed by, when he was unconscious from being kidnapped by Artys and a few knights in his service.

"I heard dark tidings, my lord. About the salt smelling pirate Greyjoy, and how his last son took a few Ironborn men and stormed the castle of Winterfell and put the garrison to the torch, it's truly terrible, the monsters war creates." Captain Sorrell said sadly.

"Are the children safe?" Jacob wondered, not wanting to think the worst of what happened to Bran and Rickon Stark, the boys that were left at home, when their brother and mother marched on the south.

"They were murdered, by the Greyjoy traitor himself. It's truly awful of how innocent children are the most tragic victims of war."

Jacob felt a stoniness inside, he may have a lot of anger towards Robb for not bending the knee to his father, but he never felt any ill will towards the rest of the Stark children.

He even sent a few of his own men to find Arya and smuggle her into Newkeep, a castle in the mountains of the Vale, as it belonged to House Hersey, a family ruled by iron willed women whom embodied the spirit of the Vale.

Jacob never forgot how he attacked few of the Mountain Clans men, when he went to rescue a lady of House Hersey from the savage men, who hide behind the mountains, ready to raid and kidnap innocent people. He rescued the younger sister of Lady Alycent, a friend he made at the behest of Jon Arryn, whom wanted the king's nephew to have a friend his own age.

The young prince felt trepidation within; he felt a mixture of excitement and dread. Returning home after being in the south for too long. He sensed the breeze from the winds coursing through his new greyish hair.

"Father, Mother, Shireen. I'm coming back home and ready to assume my place, as the rightful Prince of the Seven Kingdoms." Jacob chanted in his thoughts.