Winterfell 305 AC.
Dany.
Though she wasn't in the mood to eat she knew she had to and that meant going to the Great Hall, Dany not sure she wished to sit with them all just yet. While they'd been welcomed differently than before, Lord Manderly and some others seeming especially keen to make amends, she still hadn't been approached by Sansa Stark. That the girl hadn't met them upon their arrival could be waved away and explained by the sudden nature of it. That she had not made an attempt to come and greet her since then, was a definite snub.
Dany was also missing not having Missandei here, Ser Jorah, Qhono, and her Dothraki were her true supporters but Missandei was her truest friend. There were things she could share with her that she'd not with any other, even Aegon. Her hopes, fears, and doubts, though the latter two were quickly being replaced with the former, thanks to Aegon and how unequivocal he was with his support of her, these she shared with Missandei and no one else.
She also wished to speak to her friend about the things she was feeling, about her joy, and even the many things she and Aegon got up to she thought with a smile. To ask her opinion on how she should handle Sansa Stark, her original plans for the girl were now discarded. Dany had come seeking another friend, maybe with luck a sister and after hearing from Aegon and Tyrion about the things that Sansa had gone through, someone she could relate to. Instead, she'd faced hostility and a girl who made it clear she wasn't just unwelcome but the mere thoughts of her here filled her with disgust.
It was a feeling Dany knew well, she remembered it from when she was a child and she and Viserys begged for safety and were denied. She had seen it on the faces of the Thirteen in Qarth and in the eyes of the Masters in the Bay of Dragons. More recently she'd seen it in Cersei Lannister's expression, and she wondered had Sansa picked it up there. Though given how Aegon spoke of his cousin, she began to think the girl had gotten that particular expression from her mother.
"You're not dressed?" Aegon said, his voice sounding playful and she smiled as she looked at him enter the room.
"My king is wise indeed, seeing a half-naked woman and coming out with such a witty comment."
"My queen is lucky she's only half-naked or I'd have not spoken at all before I ravished her." Aegon said grabbing her and making her laugh.
Though she welcomed his kisses and enjoyed the look of desire in his eyes, her traitorous stomach decided now was a good time to let it's own desires be known. Dany looking at Aegon embarrassingly as the rumbles her stomach made sounded like one of Drogon's roars, something that Aegon picked up on and began to teaser her about.
"Is the dragon hungry?" he asked with a smirk.
"Aegon." she said back trying her best to seem annoyed, the smile on her face not helping her case.
"My queen desires sustenance, were we beyond the wall I'd be forced to go on a hunt, days I'd be gone before I returned." he said his own smile threatening to become a full one now.
"Thank the gods then the kitchens are so close." she said as he laughed.
"Aye, I'll go bring you something." he said kissing her cheek and moving from the bed.
"Aegon, should we, do we have to eat in the Great Hall?" she asked not wishing to do so.
"You are a queen, my love, your wish is all that matters. We can eat here alone if that's what you want."
"I'd like that." she said smiling as he kissed her again.
That he didn't send a servant to fetch the food both annoyed her a little and warmed her heart so very much, true he hadn't gone hunting but he was signaling his willingness to do so if she asked. The tray he brought back was full and she licked her lips when she saw it. She quickly found herself sitting by the fire as they ate on the floor, the warmth and coziness of it something she enjoyed immensely. That she was ravenous was a shock to her, Aegon even leaving halfway through his own meal to bring her some more and she found herself questioning why she was so hungry.
"Maybe it's the cold my love, the change in weather." Aegon said and she nodded though she wasn't sure.
"How was the godswood?" she asked.
"Not as pretty as I had hoped, though maybe that was the company, Lord Varys is a poor substitute for who'd I'd wished to be meeting there." Aegon said looking at her.
"And what did my Master of Whisperers wish with you?" she asked, Aegon looking at her and seeing it was curiosity and not doubt that had made her ask the question.
"Apparently flying on a dragon is not conducive to keeping a secret, he knows who I am." Aegon said and she looked at him nervously "He's on our side, your's completely."
"How can you know?" she asked her nerves clear now "He's betrayed those he served before."
"Because I threatened what would happen should he do so again." Aegon said.
"You did?" she said smiling thinking of her own thereat that she'd made to the man.
"I told him that we reign together or you reign alone, there is no other choice." Aegon said and she gasped.
"Aegon?"
"He needs to know that at the end of this you'll be queen Dany, that I'm not an option for him unless it's by your side."
"And you, what if he feels the need to betray you?" she asked worriedly.
"Then my queen will keep her word will she not." he said as he handed her the glass of wine.
She looked at him and nodded as she sipped the wine, worried though she was that he may be putting himself at risk for her. That he cared for her so much only made her love him a little more but she had no desire to reign alone either, she had lived that way for far too long after all.
"I don't want to be queen without you." she said after a few moments.
"You won't be, together Dany, always." he said and she nodded kissing him deeply.
"Always."
When she felt her stomach settle it was a different hunger that soon took over, her hands soon traveling to Aegon's britches and up the inside of his firm muscular thigh. She felt him immediately, he was already hard for her and she smiled, glad to see his desire for her was just as strong as hers was for him. Hearing him groan as she stroked his length through the tight leather made her even more eager to see them removed. Though before she had a chance to reach the ties which held them she was scooped up in his arms and taken to their bed.
She could see in his eyes what he wanted but her own desire was threatening to overwhelm her and so when he laid her down she grabbed him and rolled on top of him, pushing him back down onto the bed when he went to rise.
"No my king, tonight I'm in charge." she said her voice almost hoarse so excited was she, more so when she saw that deep purple of his eyes "This off." she said pointing to the tunic and shirt he wore, smiling when he practically ripped them both from his body.
Slowly she took his boots off and then when he went to take his britches off himself she slapped his hand away, smiling all the while.
"Mine." she said and the purple flashed once more.
Inch by agonizing inch the britches came down and then his small clothes followed, she almost licked her lips as she looked at him lying there in all his naked glory. She could see now why Aegon would stop to take in the sight of her in her nakedness, why it excited him so much to see her laid out in front of him.
"Touch yourself." she said and when his hand went between his legs instantly she felt the moisture between her own.
Jealously she looked at his hand as it stroked his length up and down, rhythmically, sensually which surprised her as Aegon took his time, his movements slow allowing her to see it fully. When she looked at his eyes again she almost gasped, the grey was practically gone and the purple all that remains, and she found she could wait no longer.
"Stop." she said as she removed her own clothing and then as he placed his hands on either side of himself, she climbed onto the bed and moved up between his legs.
She bit him gently on the knee and hearing his gasp did so a little harder on the inside of his thigh, her eyes never leaving his as she moved closer to her goal. When she reached out her hand to take hold she delayed it just for the briefest moment, enjoying the almost sad moan that came from his mouth and the groan which came a moment later as her fingers wrapped around him. Just like he had, her hand moved slowly as she stared at every inch of his manhood before she moved forward.
"Dany." Aegon said his voice pleading as her tongue touched the tip ever so slightly.
It took everything in her not to just swallow him whole, his scent, how he tensed when she blew on his cock as she licked it once more, and the taste of him all begging her to do what both of them wished. Yet he had teased her at times too and turnabout was fair play, so she took her time until she heard him beg.
"Dany please."
That was enough for her and so she opened her mouth and took him inside, just the head at first but soon both Aegon's need and her want combining, and then she was taking more and more of him into her hot wet mouth. Yet soon even that wasn't enough for her and to a load groan and an almost despairing look from Aegon, she lifted her head and looked up at him, smiling as she climbed up on top of him and lowered herself down. The noise he made was one she welcomed, the feel of him as he slid inside her ever more so.
She reached out her hands and placed them on his chest and began to move up and down, the time for teasing was over and her own needs were just as great as his. Very soon she found a rhythm and her moans were as loud as his. When he grabbed her hips and began to move up to meet her she almost squealed, the noise of their bodies slapping together was loud enough to be heard around the entire keep she felt. When he sat up and began to kiss her breasts she slowed down, her hands going to his head and directing him where she wanted.
Though the movements were less hurried, it felt just as good to her, as if he was reaching deeper inside of her and when he looked into her eyes she felt the pressure build.
"Dany." he said again, looking up at her with such a look of want that it took her over the edge. Aegon soon following as she collapsed against him and then down onto the bed.
"I love you." he whispered when he got his breath back, her own still hurried and frantic.
"I love you too.".
She woke up early the next morning, wrapped in his arms and she had to almost fight them off her, so tightly and protectively did he hold her. After getting up and using the privy she felt her stomach rumble once more. Walking back into the room she was glad to see him awake, an almost worried look on his face until he noticed her.
"Morning my love, sleep well?" she asked playfully only to be grabbed by the hand and dragged to the bed, her laughter ringing out loudly around the room.
"I did until you got up." he said as he nuzzled her neck.
When her stomach rumbled once more Aegon let her go and he got up from the bed himself. She watched as he quickly dressed before walking to the door, looking back he smiled at her as he left and she lay back against the pillow. She didn't have long to wait as he was back in mere moments and the food he brought she once again devoured. With Missandei not here ye, she did her own hair far less elaborately than usual, though given how Aegon looked at her it seemed he liked it all the same.
"Are you ready for this?" he asked and she nodded.
"I am."
Taking her hand in his they walked from the room and with her two Dothraki guards joining them, they headed down the corridor and then out of the keep itself. The cold air hitting her woke her up completely and she was no sooner out of the keep than Tyrion and Jorah made their way over, Dany sending the former away for now and asking the latter how they'd been welcomed, pleased to find it had been much different than before. The door Aegon brought her to had guards wearing Stark colors guarding it, both men moving out of the way as soon as she and Aegon reached them. Walking inside it was clear to her both how cold and how foreboding this place was and soon they passed even more guards.
"The Kingslayer, where is he?" Aegon growled at one of the men who mumbled something in return.
When they reached the cell they'd been directed to, Aegon stopped and looked her in the eye before squeezing her hand and then opening the door. Dany following him inside and trying not to smile when he stood in front of her just in case the Kingslayer tried anything. Jaime Lannister looked far different than he had in King's Landing, he seemed far more tired and when he saw them there she noticed how concerned and worried he looked also.
"My queen wishes to speak to you, Ser Jaime." Aegon said simply.
The Road to Winterfell 305AC.
Ser Davos.
The boy was different and had been since they'd arrived in the North, though given what he'd found out about himself it was the least to be expected. Davos when he thought about it after he found out the truth himself, worried about how it may affect him. Other than Stannis he'd not met a man so bound by duty, by honor and so blind to the way the world didn't conform to either, than Jon Snow. He respected him greatly and yet he wished he'd see more of the grey in the world, that he understand more the blurred lines between black and white.
He worried too about his relationship with the Dragonqueen and how this news may affect not just how the queen thought of him, but just as importantly how Jon thought of her. Tormund had told him about Ygritte and how he had loved her but his sense of honor, duty, and loyalty to those crow bastards who stabbed him, Tormund's words not his, had forced him to forgo love for duty. That Jon carried around an air of sadness that was deeply ingrained in him was clear to him, and he worried that he'd do the same thing again. Pick duty over love, give up what he could have for what he thought was the right thing to do.
But the boy was different, no longer did honor or duty define him, no longer would he deny himself that which he deserved and Davos was happy for it. The world needed a just woman and an honorable man true, but not at the cost of them both, not if it kept them apart and forced them to suffer because of it. Something he was more than pleased that Jon seemed to understand even better than he did.
" You know Lady Stark hated my presence here, I was the bane of her existence, the stain on her husband's honor and since she couldn't hate him for it, she hated me."
" It wasn't your fault, Jon."
" Oh, I know that, it was my so-called honorable uncle's fault, not that it would have made a difference, bastard, trueborn, prince or peasant she'd not have cared. It took me a long time to realize that, realize that it wasn't what she thought I was that was her problem, it was that I was at all."
" Jon?"
" My presence threatened her children, be it in her own mind that I was a bastard who'd steal their inheritance or be it in her husband's eyes that he may look to me more than one of them. Out on the sparring ground should I beat my brother or in our lessons should I prove myself more clever. Even when Arya showed more favor to me than she did to the others. My presence threatened her children, all of them, one of them, none of them, it didn't matter to her which."
" We can't be responsible for how others see us, Jon, only how we see ourselves." Davos said and Jon chuckled.
" Aye, but because of that, how she looked at me, how she felt about me, because of that I saw myself how she did, lesser, unwanted, unwelcome, unloved. The woman was a fool Davos, between her and my uncle they together caused my family to be torn apart, had they not then who knows where we'd be today. Family, Duty, Honor, those are the words of House Tully, the words Lady Stark claimed to live by."
" Aye." he said not knowing where Jon was going.
" I did my duty and they killed me for it. I want to the wall for honor, my uncle's and my own, and everything I believed or had been led to believe about the honor of that god's forsaken place was proved to be naught but a lie."
" Jon."
" Family, Davos, that's all that matters, fuck Duty, fuck Honor. A wise man once told me something, may things in fact." Jon said smiling
" What?"
" What is honor compared to a woman's love? What is duty against the feel of a newborn son in your arms… or the memory of a brother's smile? Wind and words. Wind and words. We are only human, and the gods have fashioned us for love. That is our great glory and our great tragedy."
No a just woman and an honorable man weren't what the world needed, a man and a woman who loved each other and would face death to be together. A man and woman who would stare it down and shout, Not Today, that's what the world needed. Davos was glad they'd finally found them as the thoughts of the world without them was not one he'd care to think about. As he looked at the dragon he'd been whittling he heard the high-pitched scream and jumped to his feet, running off in the same direction as the unsullied.
"Missandei, Missandei?" he heard Grey Worm shout as he ran after him.
They found her by the stream and thankfully she was unhurt, which was more than could be said for the Shadowcat that lay but a few feet away. Davos could see it had basically been torn apart and as he looked closer at the woman he saw the white fur of Ghost standing protectively beside her, the wolf's snout and fur covered in blood.
"What happened?" he heard Arya Stark say and Grey Worm glared at the girl.
He knew she'd made inroads with them, with Daenerys's people, as he'd seen her speak to them and to Missandei most of all. Arya asked questions about the queen which the woman was only too happy to answer. Yet she was still to some and especially at such a delicate moment, an outsider. She was part of the people who'd welcomed them so poorly, and her question was met with suspicion and anger, rather than be taken for the concern she actually asked it with.
"Missandei?" he asked stepping in.
"I came to make water, this thing came at me and then the wolf came from nowhere and saved me." Missandei said still shaken.
"Ghost saved you?" Arya asked and Missandei nodded.
Grey Worm helped Missandei back to their tents and Davos looked on as Ghost followed behind them, the wolf acting as an unofficial guard of sorts. He looked to Arya who was looking at the Shadowcat and at the white wolf as it walked away, a small smile on her face which she quickly removed when she saw him looking at her. They walked back together and though they didn't speak, Davos felt there was something the girl wished to ask him.
"Missandei is the queen's closest friend and confidante, she's like a sister to her and Jon knows how much she cares about her." he said and though the girl didn't answer he knew she'd heard him.
By the time they reached the outskirts of Wintertown Davos noticed how much more often the two girls spent in each other's company. Arya was even laughing more at some of the stories Missandei told of their time in Essos and scrunching up her nose when certain dishes were mentioned. Hearing her laugh as they spoke of honeyed locusts and horsemeat and how she was happy that being back home meant more of the food she grew up with was strange to him, though he welcomed it all the same. Whatever doubts she'd had about how the queen was thought of, seeming to have been laid to rest by just how closely the white wolf stayed by Missandei's side.
Winterfell 305 AC.
Jaime Lannister.
It was somewhere in the second week of being locked in a cell he thought, though days were hard to count when your mind was troubled. Seeing Tyrion had brought him some comfort and yet his brother's words that he'd speak to his queen about him did not. After how he was welcomed by Sansa Stark he doubted Daenerys Targaryen would welcome him any better. Less so when he told her just what exactly his sister had done.
Despite Tyrion's warnings not to, Jaime knew he must. Should he end up facing his death then he'd like to do so without lies on his lips, for once anyway. The guards mocked him and he found their words to have no effect, not until he was told that Daenerys and Jon Snow had returned and then he did actually begin to worry. It was a strange feeling expecting to die, as a swordsman and a man who'd led men into battle you'd think he was used to it. But Jaime had never thought he could if he was being honest, there wasn't a man alive other than Barristan Selmy as good with a blade as he, or at least there hadn't been he thought looking to his golden hand. So facing men in battle had never felt like there was even the chance he could die. Now though he knew there was every certainty that he would.
That night though he slept like a babe and when he woke the next morning he felt hungry and ready for the day ahead. He remembered something that Arthur had said to him once, among the many things the Sword of the Morning had told him this one had always stuck out.
" Fear accompanies the possibility of death. Calm shepherds its certainty."
So when the door opened and Jon Snow stepped inside, when Daenerys stepped inside looking every inch her mother, Jaime felt the calmness wash over him.
"My queen wishes to speak to you, Ser Jaime." Jon Snow said standing between him and Daenerys, ready to cut him down should he make a move towards her. The boy had nothing to fear from him though as Jaime was resigned to his fate.
"Your sister pledged to send her army North."
"She did." he replied.
"I don't see an army, do you, Jon?" Daenerys said.
"No my queen."
"I see one man with one hand, it appears your sister lied to me." Daenerys said.
"She lied to me as well. She never intended to send her army North, she has Euron Greyjoy's fleet and 20,000 fresh troops. The Golden Company of Essos bought and paid for. Even if we defeat the dead she'll have more than enough to destroy the survivors."
"We?" Daenerys asked.
"I promised to fight for the living, I intend to keep that promise." he said meaning every word.
He looked at the two of them, Jon Snow looking at the queen and yet he knew that his eyes were on him also and Daenerys whose expression he couldn't make out. Her breathing was calm and steady and whether it was anger, resentment, or judgment in her eyes he couldn't tell.
"You'll be removed from this cell and face trial in the Great Hall. Speak up for yourself Ser Jaime, but speak nothing more on the Golden Company or Euron Greyjoy." Daenerys said.
"Am I to be executed?"
"Why would I do that?" Daenerys said as she stepped from the room.
"Even a one-handed man can fight Ser Jaime and fight you will." Daenerys said moving away, Jon Snow staying back for a moment and looking at him.
"My queen is giving you a chance Ser Jaime. When next we speak you'll tell her of her mother and her brother, ask her about Ser Barristan, and let her tell you what the Bold thought of her." Jon Snow said stepping out of the room.
It was an hour later that he was taken to the Great Hall, looking to see that the queen, Jon Snow, and both the Starks sat near the high table. Tyrion looked at him worriedly and Brienne watched with concern in her eyes. He stood in front of the table, standing there for what felt like an age waiting for someone to speak. The northern lords looked to Jon Snow, to Sansa Stark, and finally to Daenerys.
"Ser Jaime, you were found guilty in a trial before our arrival, however after hearing from those present, I find you have no case to answer for those perceived crimes." Daenerys said and Jaime looked to see the angered look on Sansa Stark's face and the surprised one on Tyrion's.
"I thank you your grace." he said softly.
"I had expected an army Ser Jaime, as per our agreement in King's Landing, yet your sister has seen fit not to send one, I take it she's reneged on our agreement? Daenerys said and Jaime for a moment thought to answer how he had earlier only to see Jon Snow give him a nod and then a shake of his head.
"My sister never intended to live up to that agreement your grace."
"Indeed." Daenerys said looking to Tyrion "Yet you came anyway, why?"
"I intend to live up to mine." he said.
"You intend to fight for her grace?" Jon Snow said and again he nodded.
"I came to fight against the dead with her grace, aye." he said and saw the queen smirk.
"Very well, fight and fight well Ser Jaime, for we have need of every man to defeat the Night King, even a one-handed one." Daenerys said to laughs.
He was surprised to be handed his sword back and then he watched as Sansa Stark stormed from the room, as Jon Snow helped the queen to her feet and they walked to speak to the fat merman and to the little she-bear. Jon Snow speaking while Daenerys held his arm and joined in, both of them serious and then very much not, and when he saw it he almost couldn't believe it. He blinked and looked again only to find it wasn't there, that brief moment though was one he couldn't let go even when Tyrion and Brienne walked over to him. He was certain he'd seen a deep purple in Jon Snow's eyes and as Brienne and Tyrion spoke, Jaime found himself looking to see if that was all he saw.
Winterfell 305 AC.
Bran.
It had been strange since they'd arrived, the things he'd seen happening all taking place in front of him rather than in his head. The line between what was real and what could happen blurring every single moment and Bran finding he couldn't quite keep up. He'd seen Viserion be resurrected and claimed as the Night King's Mount, the wall falling, and the army of the dead passing through it and Jon knocking at the door while on a ship.
He'd watched as they'd marched through the North heading to Winterfell and everything seemed to be happening how it should. Sansa was acting just as he'd seen her act, her desire for a throne outweighing everything else and Arya was desperately trying to cling onto who she was, so much so that she had chosen her sister over her brother even without thinking she had. When they arrived at the gates he was certain what came next and so he readied to play his own part, only to find he was wrong. Jon acted differently, his actions not the ones he'd seen and it confused him, as much as the words he spoke to him before he left the courtyard with Sansa.
" You speak to no one about me, no one." Jon said.
So he hadn't, his place was not to interfere after all but to watch and ensure events played out and so he sat back and did what he was supposed to do. A small change though can cause large ripples and his world quickly began to spin in directions he wasn't sure of. The Night King fell and he didn't, he lost, he won, Sansa, Arya and he died and then they didn't and Bran wasn't sure what he was seeing. He looked into Jon more following the thread and seeing where it took him. Did he know? No, he couldn't, Bran had seen what he did when he found out the truth and he was doing anything but that.
So it was something else that was causing the change and he needed to find out just exactly what it was, the future he'd seen must come true, it was the only way they all lived, the only way the pack survived. Sitting in the meeting with the Northern Lords he watched as it played out just as it once had. The little course correction that Sansa had done by calling the meeting was one that seemed to have worked. He sat there watching and yet drifting at the same time.
Again he looked forward and watched as the Night King fell to Arya's blade, as Sansa was named Queen in the North and he the King in the South. He saw Arya sailing off on a ship while Jon was sent to the wall and the world was right once more. So lost was he in the vision that he didn't even notice when things went awry in the hall and only when he saw Sansa fall, saw himself fall, did he realize that something different had happened. He opened his eyes to see Jon was now standing in front of the table and he knew that wasn't supposed to be how this went.
"I brought you two armies, two dragons, dragonglass, and a queen that none of you fucking deserve. Watch closely now as I take them all away." Jon said as he took Daenerys by the hand and walked from the room.
As he sat in front of the Weirwood he watched the armies march up the road, south and not north their direction. He searched further and saw Winterfell fall, the Night King's blade piercing Sansa's heart, Theon being cut down by wights, and himself sitting in front of a tree as the Night King walked towards him. He pushed past his own death and saw the battle at the Neck, the two dragons working as one to take Viserion down. All three of them crashing to the ground. Jon was cutting down white walker after white walker who tried to get to his queen before helping her up onto Drogon's back and telling her to lay fire down on the dead.
He looked on as Arya was swarmed by the dead, as Jon moved forward and Drogon and Rhaegal cut a path of fire from him to the Night King. Jon then rushing forward and dipping the sword in the flames bringing it back up with it alight and he felt it then, the fear in the Night King's cold heart as the blades crashed together. One icy white the color of the moon, the other a flame burning so bright it was hard to look at, though it's red light gave it an unearthly hue. Bran watched as the Song of Ice and Fire played out in front of him and what a song it was.
When the Night King fell so too did the army and he watched as Jon placed Arya's body on the pyre, as he set it alight and yet looking around there were fewer, far fewer pyres than he'd seen before. He watched as they marched to King's Landing, the unsullied almost intact, the Dothraki far stronger and the Lords of the North and the realm united behind them. The Crow's eye fell and the mad queen was beaten and Bran looked as Jon sat on the thrown, a crown on his head and a smile on his face when Daenerys sat on his lap, her swollen belly caressed by his cousin's hands.
'No, No, this is all wrong.' his voice screamed out inside his mind.
He looked North and saw the statues in the crypts, Sansa's, Arya's, and his own, Rickon's too was there beside Robb's and his father's. Once again he was taken from his thoughts though this time by his sister and he could see the pleading look on her face.
"I can offer you no help." He said.
"I need to know what to do brother, about Jon, about the Targaryen." Sansa said her voice that mix of anger and bitterness he had come to hear more often when she spoke.
" Kneel." he said.
" I'll not kneel to her, to him, not to them." she said angrily.
"Kneel or be brought to your knees, those are the only choices you have."
When she left he saw looked again and saw it once more, Sansa crowned Queen in the North, him crowned in the South and Arya sailing off on a ship, and Jon riding out beyond the wall. He saw the small smile on Jon's face and he felt relief that it had once again righted itself, the world proceeding how it was meant to and so he relaxed. The queen's return, Jon's return, even the trial in the Great Hall all seemed part of the whole, and as he closed his eyes once more he prepared to see the future that he had planned so carefully.
"When the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies, but the pack survives" he said softly.
Winterfell 305 AC.
Jorah.
His cousin was a remarkable girl he'd found, small in stature, young in years, and yet as fierce as any bear their island had ever produced. Be it his father or his aunt, or any of her sisters, Lyanna had taken the best of them and Bear island was in good hands with her at the helm. That it had been her who'd come to speak to them on behalf of the Northern Lords filled him with pride and seeing how his queen spoke to her and she back even more so.
At first, things had been awkward between them, his actions he knew shamed his family and though they were before Lyanna's time, they were not forgotten and certainly not forgiven. His queen though would accept no slight said about him and she had set Lyanna and the other northerners right very quickly. Telling them that he'd saved her life more than once and together they'd freed thousands of slaves, that were it not for his loyalty and protection then she'd not have been in a position to come to the North to aide their king. That she left out his betrayal he welcomed and knew now that she'd truly forgiven him for it.
They were presently walking around Winterfell, Jon Snow off seeing to the stores and the keep itself, Varys off doing whatever spiders do. Tyrion he felt had done something to incur her displeasure and so the dwarf was speaking to his brother and as they walked he could tell there was something on the queen's mind. He waited until she told him, feeling that she would if it concerned him and was soon enough proved right.
"Ser Jorah, what's a northern wedding like?" she asked as they stopped near the gates.
"Simple like the North, your grace. We stand before the old gods and pledge our love and our future to our intended and ask then we kneel and ask them to bless the union." he said.
"That's it?" she said smiling.
"Aye, as I said simple."
"And this is at night?" she asked.
"Usually, your grace."
"I had thought it would be more complex, Tyrion showed me books once on the seven, the ceremony seemed very long and drawn out." she said and he chuckled.
"Which is perhaps why we still follow the Old Gods in the North." he said making her laugh too.
"I would beg a favor of you Ser Jorah, though I understand if you cannot." she asked nervously.
"Anything your grace."
"Would you give me away?"
There was a time that even the suggestion of what she was asking would break his heart, and he'd be lying if he said he didn't feel a twinge now too. Jorah knew he loved her, probably had since he first saw her, and certainly had after spending time with her. He'd however been forced to look on as she ended up with men not worthy of her. Drogo who despite her own feelings for the man was a brute who had hurt her, Daario a cocky sellsword who was not worthy of her time let alone her heart.
Jon Snow though was different, much as he hated to admit that to himself. True he'd been jealous seeing how she looked at him and had thought him also to be unworthy. Even after it was clear that something had occurred between them he still wasn't sure he deserved her heart. He respected the man and what he did for the North and had seen how true he was to his people and to his men. Yet he had wondered if he was as true to Daenerys as she deserved a man to be. No longer did he feel that way, he'd seen it with his own eyes after all. The man had turned his back on his lands, his people, and his family for his queen, if that wasn't love then what was.
"Aye, your grace, I'd be honored to." he said hearing her happy laugh as she hugged him.
When he let her go he heard saw her smile and move from him and he thought that perhaps Jon Snow had come into view, though turning he saw it wasn't the man himself, rather it was his wolf that his queen was so happy to see. Jorah looking on as the queen rubbed the Direwolf as if it was a pup and not a great mythical beast. When Grey Worm, Ser Davos, Arya Stark, and Missandei soon followed, he was happy to see them, his queen even more so as she moved quickly to her friend.
"Ser Jorah, will you see the unsullied are settled." the queen said as she and Missandie walked away, both of them chatting excitedly to each other.
"Jorah the Andal, this one is glad to see you once more." Grey Worm said and Jorah smiled.
"You too, Grey Worm."
"Ser Jorah, have you seen Jon?" Arya asked and Jorah told her where he thought the man was, watching as Davos nodded before following after the girl.
They were still standing there a while later when he heard men march outside and then saw Jon Snow walk his way, the man moving determinedly and alone as he walked towards them both. Jorah could see the man looked excited and when he looked to the gate he saw why, the Mountain Clans had arrived. Jon walking over to greet what looked to him to be the Wull and the Norrey, both men grasping him by the arm and seeming to be as happy to see him as he was them.
Winterfell 305 AC.
Aegon.
How she kept her cool when speaking to the Kingslayer he didn't know. Had he not already decided to use the man to find out more about his father and grandmother then he wouldn't have been able to. Hearing from others about betrayal was one thing, hearing it from the brother of the woman who had committed that betrayal quite another. Yet Dany had listened and then dealt with him without losing her temper once.
Yet compared to how she had dealt with him in the trial itself it was nothing, in private she was impressive, in public she was majestic. She had left the room in no doubt that Sansa's sentence was petty and ill-advised, that despite her own feelings, even though she'd not brought her father up once, she was the bigger person. The situation they faced far more important than any personal revenge. As they left the hall, he almost pushed her into the nearest room, Dany looking at him shocked until he kissed her deeply.
" I want to take you now," he said kissing her neck.
" Was it not up to me to dress myself after, I'd welcome it." she said and he basically growled his disappointment "You really are a wolf at times aren't you."
" I'm a dragon, my queen, just like you." he said smiling back at her when she kissed him and looked into his eyes.
" You are, my love."
Later when Jorah came she said she wished to explore the keep, the walls, and the grounds and though he wished nothing more than to join her he knew he could not. Instead, he had his own work to do and first things first was to deal with a traitor. He walked to the Maesters rooms and found the man inside, Wolkan was nervous and certainly no upgrade on Luwin. Though he and the former Maester didn't spend a lot of time together, he'd have welcomed the man's counsel now, though perhaps it was for the best as maybe he'd be too loyal to House Stark for what Aegon needed.
"I wish you to send this to Deepwood Motte, Maester." he said handing him the piece of parchment, Wolkan looking it over.
"My lord, Lord Glover is already on his way here."
"He is?" he asked surprised.
"Aye, Quee….Lady Sansa sent a raven after her coronation, we received one in reply from Lord Glover saying they were en route."
"Did she now, that's good to know Maester, when did the raven come?"
"A little over a week ago, my lord."
"Very good, the note Maester and no one is to be told of this, am I understood?"
"You are my lord." Wolkan said handing him back the note.
Burning it on the nearby candle, Aegon left the room and did his own tour of the keep, smiling at the thoughts that Dany's would surely be more fun. He checked the stores to find that Sansa had actually done a decent job. Though she was far too worried about what came next and didn't understand that they needed to actually beat the army of the dead first, if they were to have a future. Dany told him that they'd bring in supplies from Esssos, Meereen and the Bay of Dragons would help them keep the North fed should they win.
So what they had would need to do until then and he felt it would, depending on how long it took them to defeat the Night King. He checked the armory and was glad to see the Dragonglass had been forged well, knives, arrowheads, and as he was looking at them he heard the voice behind him. Turning he readied for the inevitable bump he was about to take.
"My little crow." Tormund said grabbing him and lifting him from his feet.
"Put me down, you crazy fucker." he said the man's smile not leaving his face.
"I've missed you Snow, but my people, where are they? "Tormund asked.
"We had to threaten to leave here Tormund, your people marched with us and should be arriving back when the queen's men do."
"The ones with no cocks?" Tormund asked.
"Aye, good men Tormund, fierce."
"The queen really gathered all these men, the horsemen too?"
"She did." he said smiling and seeing Tormund seem as impressed as he had been when he first saw just how many men she had under her command.
"I need to check the yards. Go drink with the horsemen, you'll like them and their mare's milk?"
"Mares milk?" Tormund asked raising his eyebrows.
"Like your sour goat's milk only stronger." Aegon said and saw the eager look on Tormund's face as he left him alone.
He continued on his rounds checking over defenses and seeing what the men were doing. He'd not properly taken over the drilling and assignments for the men yet, leaving it up to Wyman Manderly who was doing a fine job of keeping them busy. Aegon knew he'd need to begin doing it more himself and that he'd have to begin naming commanders soon too Tormund with his own people and he'd use Jaime Lannister also. The man was a battle commander after all and while Robb had beaten him at the Whispering Wood, Jaime knew about setting up for a siege probably even more so than he did.
Beric too he could use, as no doubt he had a lord's education and the Stormlords were well known for their martial prowess. They would need to get Winterfell and their men far more ready for the army that came their way, even though he had plans to deal with that army long before then. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Tyrion standing on the south wall with Jaime. The two brothers were happy to be together once more it seemed and he knew only one of them would ever turn his way. Tyrion would need to be dealt with but it had to be done so carefully, he only hoped he could hold his temper when he made a move to do so.
That was something that surprised him lately too, his temper. At times in the past, he'd found himself lose it, felt his anger overwhelm him. Usually, though he kept it on a tight rein, had he not then who knows what he'd have said to Lady Stark when he was growing up here. At the wall, though he'd let it out more than once, Thorne, Rast, to name but two who'd been on the end of his angry outbursts. Since he'd arrived north though he'd found it a harder line to maintain, though only with Tyrion had he not been able to walk that line so far.
"My lord, men march from the north." a guard called out and Aegon nodded before he ran up the stairs and along the battlements to look north.
Seeing the Mountain Clans brought a smile to his face and he hurried down to welcome them. They'd made excellent time and he found himself hoping that they'd met with Glover on the way. Reaching the yard he stood with Ser Jorah and Grey Worm and waited until they lords came inside, welcoming them personally and seeing the respectful looks the Wull, Liddle, and Norrey gave him. In the end, he was unsurprised that Glover wasn't with them, the man was a poor soldier as well as a craven it seemed. His letter had arrived before Aegon and Dany had even set out to speak to the Mountain Clans and yet these men had further to travel and beat him here still.
"Jon?" he heard Arya call and he turned to see her and Davos walk his way, his sister seeming different, more relaxed to him.
"I'll see your men settled The Wull and while it won't be a feast, winter is coming, after all, I hope you'll all break bread with the queen and me tonight?"
"Aye, we will, The Jon."
After calling for some men to see them settled Aegon walked over to his sister, surprised even more to see the smile on her face. Though him telling her that Drogon and Rhaegal were resting and so she'd not get a ride that night did not go down well. Davos asked him who the men were and then about the Umbers and Karstaks, and so he told him they'd more than likely arrive within the week. Arya asking him then if he had spoken to Sansa.
"Since we came back no, she's kept to herself and hasn't said a word to me or the queen." he said.
"And Bran?" Arya asked.
"Is Bran, I'll speak to them both when I have a chance, will you sit with us later, Dany and I?" he asked almost nervously.
"Aye, I will." she said with a smirk, Aegon once again feeling the need to muss her hair and this time giving in to it, enjoying the slap he got for it and the way she both leaned into it and moved away at the same time.
That night as they ate in the main hall, he sat quietly watching as Tormund sat with the Dothraki, and Dany and Arya chatted animatedly. That they were speaking at all something he was most grateful for, but he could see there was what looked like genuine interest on Arya's face at what Dany was saying. Wyman and Lyanna sat with the Mountain Clans, the Lord of White Harbor giving him a pleased nod when he saw them here. Bran sat just staring out at the room and Tyrion was again with his brother, Missandei speaking to Varys and almost everyone seemed pleased, happy to be there. Almost he thought as he looked to see Sam sitting there with a sullen look on his face and Sansa looking lost and alone.
When the meal ended and the drinking hadn't gotten too out of hand, he asked Dany to join him in the crypts, eager to show her the statue of his mother. They, her unsullied guards and Ghost walked from the hall, out into the cool night air and into the crypts themselves. The unsullied under orders to only let Sam inside as Aegon had noticed him following when they left. He held her hand as he walked past the statues of his uncle Brandon and Rickard, deciding there was no need to tell her about them here tonight. Nor about his other uncle who Aegon could barely look at, instead he stood in front of his mother and looked at the stone that he felt did little to capture her at all.
"Mother, this is Daenerys, Dany, we're to be wed." he said and felt Dany grab his hand "I wish you could have met her mother, to see how happy she makes me and how loved I feel."
Dany stood there saying nothing and when Aegon turned to her, he found that she was crying, the tears slowly falling down her cheeks. He reached over and wiped them and took her in his arms, kissing them away as best he could. How long they stood there in silence he didn't know, only that he heard the sound of the fall and knew that Sam had entered. His former friend not even having the courtesy to wait until Dany left his side.
"Dany can you give me a moment with Sam." he said as they walked towards him, Dany nodding and accepting his soft kiss before walking away.
He looked to the ground to see Sam lying there and despite the urge to just leave him, he bent down and picked him up, looking into his face and seeing it there clearly now. This man was not his friend, he may very well have never been his friend, and what he had come to do now only proved that to be true.
"Were you hiding from me?" he asked.
"Of course not." Sam said his voice strained and in the back of his head the words of a conversation he never had played out once more.
He asked him what he was doing here in Winterfell and if he'd read all the books in the Citadel and Sam looked at him with puppy dog eyes and a trembling lip. Sam looked like a fat cowardly boy and Aegon had come to realize that is what he was and what he always would be. Nothing he had gone through had changed Sam, not with him, not with his training, Aemon, Gilly, little Sam, even killing a White Walker hadn't been able to change him, to change his nature. For the briefest moment, he thought he heard a woman's voice speak softly, barely able to be heard though he could make out the words.
" Love is sweet, dearest Ned, but it cannot change a man's nature."
Before he had a chance to turn and see who had spoken though Sam was speaking, his voice trembling as he looked to him.
"Haven't you heard… Daenerys… she executed my father and brother, they were her prisoners." Sam said gulping.
He said nothing just looking, seeing clearly just how manipulative Sam was being, he'd waited and watched and knew how he felt and he'd come to drive a wedge between them. His need for vengeance trumping everything else, but then Sam's needs always did. Sam wanted a friend and a protector and so he'd become his friend. Sam wished to be free from Thorne's bullying and so he'd proposed him to be lord commander, Sam wanted to be with Gilly and so he'd suggested becoming a Maester. Sam's needs, Sam's wants, never his, aye, he'd welcomed being named Lord Commander but he'd not wanted it.
"Would you have done it?" Sam asked.
"I've executed men who've disobeyed me." he said.
"You've also spared men, thousands of wildings when they refused to kneel." Sam said and Aegon shook his head, the depths the man he'd once thought his closest friend would go to knowing bounds it would seem.
"Aye, I did, but then those were men who'd never knelt. I took Janos Slynt's head for refusing an order. You want to know what I'd have done, truly?" he said.
"Aye." Sam said.
"Your father was a traitor Sam, no better than a damn Bolton." he said to a shocked look "What this shocks you? Surprises you? What else do you call a man who marches on his liege's home?".
"He…"
"He what? How many times did you sup wit House Tyrell? Accept guest right under their roof? How many Sam?"
"I…"
"Your father was sworn to House Targaryen and to House Tyrell for hundreds of years Sam and faced with a Targaryen Queen he refused to kneel. This after marching and seeing the end of House Tyrell, spare him, you're father got off lucky Sam. Had I been there I'd have dragged him to the nearest Heart Tree and given his entrails to the Old Gods, for that's what traitors deserve." he said angrily.
"Jon… I… my brother….."
"Was given the same chance, the same option as your father, they were told to kneel to the rightful queen and refused, offered the chance to keep their lands and their heads and refused. Even after what they'd done, Daenerys was far more merciful to them than I would have been Sam, far more merciful."
"She's not the rightful ruler, you are, you're the King of the Seven Kingdoms Jon."
He moved quickly, his hand grabbing Sam by the neck, the sound of him hitting the wall, and the pained groan that came from Sam almost pleasing him. Though it was the fear in his eyes that he enjoyed the most, fear was good and cowards were always afraid.
"Finish your fucking words." he said relaxing his hand so Sam could breathe and then waiting for him to catch a breath.
He listened as Sam told him who his mother and father were and how he was the rightful King, even going so far as to say that he'd given up his crown to save his people and asking would Dany do the same. The fucking nerve of him, this coward who'd come down here to tell him something that would change his life so drastically. Something he knew he'd always wished to know and couldn't even do that without first looking to gain from it.
"I used to think you a friend, my closest friend."
"I am your friend, Jon."
"No, you're nothing to me, Sam, just as I've always been to you. Ygritte used to tell me I know nothing and people like you Sam, you used that against me, not to help me, but so you could get what you want and now you come and speak to me of my mother. Here in this place, you speak to me about the one thing I've wanted to know all my life, and even that you try and manipulate me with."
"Jon I…"
"You what? That wasn't your intent? You didn't mean it? You're not here to ask me to go against Dany because you're pissed that she killed your worthless father and useless brother?".
He looked as Sam gasped and even his pained look he could see now was a manipulation, a tool used to gain sympathy from him and one which had worked on him for far too long.
"You forget the stories you told me of what your father did, Sam? I don't, I remember them all, your father was a horrible man, an Oathbreaker and a traitor and he died a traitor's death as did your brother."
Sam went to speak but Aegon raised his hand so fast that he flinched and shut up, not that he had any intent to hit him.
"So you listen and listen well. Breathe one word of this to anyone else Sam and I'll give you a traitor's death, you, Gilly, little Sam, all of you. I'll make you watch as I take them from you, I'll have you tied down as I fly Rhaegal to Horn Hill and turn it into Harrenhal. Then and only then will I take your head, leave Sam, take Gilly and ride south and do so quickly as next time I see you I'll not look upon you as kindly as I am right now."
"Jon, please."
"Run Sam, Run for your fucking life and remember what I said, one word, and I'll end my days killing everyone you fucking care about."
He smelt rather than heard the piss as Sam soiled himself, looking on as he ran from the crypts and as Aegon turned she came out of the darkness, her silver hair shining in the dim light.
"Aegon." she said softly.
"Dany." he said taking her in his arms.
Winterfell 305 AC.
Arya.
He promised to take her on a ride and she was happy to see he was doing just that. The early morning breeze was chilly and yet she felt no cold as they walked to the dragons. That it was just the two of them was something she welcomed, though she was starting to feel ashamed at how wrong she'd been about Daenerys. On the journey back with her people she'd done as he had asked her, she'd spoken to them and listened as they told tales of the lives they'd had before and after being freed.
Arya had seen little of slavery in Essos, Braavos being a place where it was outlawed but she'd heard enough to know it was one of the few cities where that was the case. Missandei had proved to be the source of most of her information, the woman only too keen to praise her queen. At first, Arya had thought her to be just like one of the red priests or even those at the House of Black and White, devoted and looking past any faults their devotion didn't accept. But the more time she'd spent with her, the more she began to realize that wasn't the case.
It was though seeing Ghost with the woman that had perhaps truly won her over. Davos telling her that Missandei was the Queen's closest friend and knowing then her brother's wolf had chosen to protect her. She remembered Nymeria and something Jon had said to her years before, how the wolves knew more than they. Ghost had known how Jon felt about Daenerys that was true but he also had decided to help. He had done so because he felt these people worthy and if he did then surely she could too.
"And I thought I was the silent broody one." Jon said and she glared at him before smiling.
"You've been less broody lately, I thought I'd give it a go." she said to a chuckle.
"Come, Rhaegal is keen to fly." Jon said and she looked up to see the green dragon looking at her brother eagerly, almost happily.
Jon helped her up and soon they were in the air, Arya finding herself laughing as she looked down on the ground far below them. They flew north and over the Kingsroad and then east, looking down to see people heading to Winterfell. Jon pointing out the Karstakrks and then the Umbers. The further north they flew made it seem as if her brother was looking for something and when he didn't find it, the flight seemed to become much different.
Were at first Jon looked to be scouting and making sure their people were safe, now the flight seemed to be more for her enjoyment. Rhaegal flying over keeps and forests, flying so close to the trees that she felt she could reach down and grab a leaf should she wish to. They flew over the White Knife and then she was laughing once more as they dipped so low that Rhaegal's wing touched the water splashing both her and Jon with the spray. They flew west and Jon took Rhaegal up so high that the ground beneath them was almost hard to see. The men or at least she thought they were men, from this high up they looked no bigger than ants, seemed close to Winterfell and then Jon turned once they passed them and they flew low once more.
Seeing Winterfell as they flew towards it was like nothing she could ever imagine, the walls and the keep itself looking so very different from up here. When they landed Jon helped her down from Rhaegal's back and she looked to see him speaking to the dragon, whispering and looking into its eyes as the dragon made a contented sound. After speaking to the dragon he moved to her and without warning she grabbed him in a deep embrace, holding him tightly and thanking him for sharing this with her.
"Thank you, Jon, thank you so much." she said as he held her as tightly as she did him.
"Anytime, little sister." Jon said and where it not for the sound of horses then she'd have never let him go.
"Something's wrong." Jon said and she looked at him and turned, seeing Davos and Ser Jorah ride their way.
That they'd done so at all worried her a little and Jon seemed far more troubled than she, Arya wondering if Sansa had done something and then dismissing it from her mind, what was it she could do?.
"Jon." Davos said as they reached them.
"You need to come quick, Jon, visitors from the Neck." Jorah said though he was smiling which put her at ease, her brother not so much.
"Who?" Jon asked.
"My aunt Maege, Galbart Glover, and Howland Reed." Jorah said.
They doubled up on the horses and rode back quickly, Arya making her brother laugh when she said this was a poor substitute for dragons. Once they got back she saw Lyanna Mormont talking to an older stocky woman, a gruff looking man speaking to the merman lord, and a small man with green eyes staring at them both as if he was seeing ghosts brought to life. It was Daenerys that Jon went to first though and then the others, speaking to them and then bidding them inside.
The next few days were hectic, Sansa she barely saw, and Jon not at all, her brother not leaving his room unless it was to welcome the lords who'd arrived. Lord Glover from Deepwood Motte who was stunned to see his brother, Alys Karstark, and then finally Ned Umber. It was only when the latter arrived that Jon was seen once more around the yard. Sansa too showing her face finally and yet apart from Lord Royce no one it seemed wished her sister's company, she herself included in that as she was still trying to decide how she felt about Sansa. The line between wishing her dead over Rickon and recognizing that she was her sister still, was one she'd not yet figured out which side she fell down on.
Tonight something was going on and she'd been asked to join Jon and the others at the High Table, even Sansa sitting with them and Bran too. The Great Hall was full and as she looked around she could feel the anticipation build, something was to happen and she knew not what it was. She looked to Jon who seemed relaxed and was holding Daenerys's hand, Sansa wearing her usual expression which would crack only when one of the lords looked to Jon.
"My lords, my ladies, the North has gathered and soon we'll make ready to fight an army that seeks our end. Jon Snow has done what we bid him do as king, what he said he would do, and has brought us an alliance with Her Grace Daenerys Targaryen, but alliances are built on more than words and so too shall this one be. Firstly though Lord Reed has something to tell us all, words from long ago thought lost but not." Wyman Manderly said and Arya looked on as the small Crannogman stood up.
"Many years ago, Lord Galbart Glover and Lady Maege Mormont came to my halls carrying words written by King Robb, words written in his own hand and words which finally need to be read."
She watched as Howland took out a piece of paper, finding herself both sad and excited to hear her brother's words.
"I, Robb Stark, King in the North and King of the Trident, do hereby legitimize my brother Jon Snow and name him a Stark. I name him my heir to all I hold, above any and all, and remove my sister Sansa Lannister from any and all lines of succession. The North must be held by someone of Stark blood and their claim must be true and good and I say my brother is the only one who carries our blood and is worthy of the crown. I ask you the Lord of the North to accept this as my will and my actions. Should I fall then I release Jon Stark from any vows sworn to the Night's Watch, and to my brother I say this.
You were my brother from the day you were born and no man had a better one than I. Leave the North in your hand's brother, there is no one better or more suited to be its king than you.
Signed Robb Stark.
Witnessed.
Maege Mormont,
Galbart Glover,
Jon Umber.
Jason Mallister,
Edmure Tully,
Catelyn Stark."
She heard the gasp around the room, none louder than Sansa's who looked to be on the verge of tears, she looked to Jon who seemed to be sitting there with a sad expression on his face, Robb's words clearly affecting him.
"My lords, you've all heard the words." Howland Reed said as he drew his sword. "I name Jon Stark the King in the North." he said kneeling.
"The King in the North." Maege Mormont said as she and her daughter drew swords and knelt.
"The King in the North." Galbart Glover said and Arya looked on as more lords knelt.
"The Jon, the King in the North." Hugo Wull said.
"The King in the North" Ned Umber said louder than a boy should.
"The King in the North, The King in the North" Arya felt rather than heard herself shout it out, turning to her brother as she took Needle out and knelt.