Winterfell 305 AC
Dolorous Edd.
Running a keep was not the same as being Lord Commander of the Night's Watch and all he could do was hope it didn't end the same way. He'd been stunned when Jon asked him to take the responsibility, even more so when he told them what he wished to do for him if the time came for him to leave Winterfell. If, not when, not certainly, if, that alone was a strange enough thought, as he'd listened to Jon explain it to him.
" I need someone I can trust here, Edd, there are few of those in this world, there are some who I'd counted on completely who I've since found out were never on my side." Jon said his voice sounding tired.
" I'm on your side, Jon." he said, more cheerily than he usually did as he had decided to be not so dour just so Jon knew he was being true "Of course being on your side usually leads to the world turning to shit, and me doing things I don't want to." he added.
" And it will again, my friend." Jon said laughing, as he reached out to pat his back "I need you to be the Castellan here, Edd."
" Your sisters?" he said shaking his head.
" Sansa is one of those I can no longer trust, and Arya, one day this may be her path but for now at least it's not what she wants."
" One of the lords or ladies, Jon, the Merman or the She Bear." he said trying to talk himself out of the position.
" Weren't with me at Hardhome, they didn't stand guard over my body or bring the Free Folk to arms against Thorne and the traitors. You're my brother Edd, a true as one as Grenn or Pyp was, as Robb was…" Jon said his voice trailing off.
" A poor brother you were left with, Jon." he said softly as Jon shook his head.
"One I'm most grateful for, Edd. You, Tormund, Davos, Dany, There are others too or will be I hope, but you're the only ones I trust completely, you've no idea how much it means to me that I can, Edd. I've been betrayed by so many people, you've no idea how much it means to me… I thank you for that." Jon said.
Jon had then explained that he was to run Winterfell as if it was his own, he'd get help from Lord Wyman, Lady Maege, and others but he was the acting Lord of it, of Wintertown and of its lands. If the time came when there was another to take the responsibility from him, then he could or would be given his own keep and lands or there would always be a place and a role for him by Jon's side.
" Get married, Edd, find a woman to share your bed and life with, life is too fucking short and we've both known far too much of its worst parts. Find some of the good, and Edd… don't knock it down when I'm gone." Jon said, the two of them laughing before embracing, a different feeling within him than when last they'd done so.
Despite, his unsuitability and nervousness about running something as large as Winterfell, he'd found that he was far better at it than he'd feared. He'd at first fell into the same routine he had at Castle Black, he'd set people to tasks, rebuilding, seeing the stores were full and making lists. Gods he fucking hated lists, his life had been full of lists when he was a steward, but at least then it had only been his own lists. Now it was everyone else's and he would spend hours going over them.
The smithy needed more iron, more wood, and a fucking new smith, the stables needed a master of horse, cooks he had plenty of and the one thing he couldn't grumble about was that the food was good. Not as good as the ale though, Winterfell had its own ale master, and unlike that fucking piss they'd brewed at Castle Black, that each and every single black brother had said the same thing about it at one time or another, this was done right.
For thousands of years the Night's Watch had existed for and in all that time they still made the worst fucking ale in Westeros. After a brief settling-in period, his days became a routine, Edd finding he had a knack for organizing things, especially when he wasn't worried about an army of dead men marching towards him. He appointed the last few black brothers to positions that suited them, Darnis and Evin took over Winterfell's guard and Cayle basically served as his own steward and thereby the keeps.
Stocks wise they were well set, with at least a year maybe even two of supplies for them and Wintertown, though some of those would also be needed to be sent out to some of the other towns, villages, and keeps of the North. He'd even found a woman as Jon had suggested, Jocey was a bastard from Wintertown who'd come looking for work and who he'd hit it off with. They'd not done much, but they'd spent time together and when he looked at her, he could see the beginnings of a future. Something he'd not ever expected to have, he found himself almost chuckling when he was alone and he thought about how he'd ended up in the Night's Watch.
" You're an ugly fucker lad, but women love men in uniform, even a dour cunt like you." Yoren said.
" And free food and ale, you say?"
" Aye, all you can drink, you'll need to put in some work too lad, but you'll not go to be hungry or thirsty, on that you have my word." Yoren said.
He had to give it to the man, other than his fucking lie about women, he'd never been hungry or thirsty in his time at the Night's Watch and so what if he'd been a fool who didn't understand what celibacy meant. A vow was a vow and he was more than willing to swear one about a word he didn't understand. It was only after he'd done so that he realized that the gods loved to fuck with Eddison Tollet and would do so regularly.
As the weeks passed and Winterfell began to look like a keep that hadn't been attacked by an army of dead men, things with him and Jocey developed and he'd asked her to be his wife. He was surprised when she agreed to it, though he really shouldn't have been as Cayle had told him he was a catch now. He'd have thought he was set for a boring life and perhaps he was until the damned raven came that showed he was still the same unlucky bastard he'd always been.
"My lord, a raven bearing the king's seal." Wolkan said as he handed him the raven, the three-headed dragon standing proud, Edd broke the seal and read it quickly, his shocked look worrying the Maester "My Lord?"
"An army marches our way, Maester, we must make Winterfell ready to meet them." he said and the Maester hurried from the room.
As the days stretched into a week and then two, Edd readied the keep to withstand a siege. He sent out scouts to look for any sign of an army marching their way and sent word to Wintertown for the people to move into the keep. Then he waited and he waited, his nights spent not in his bed with Jocey but instead standing on the battlements and looking out on the night's sky, waiting. What he was waiting for was something that he'd spent many of the past years waiting for, a sense of peace and calm that only came when he knew his friend was to fight by his side.
When Jon had ridden out from the gates of Castle Black to head to Winterfell there had been a small part of Edd that believed he'd never see him again. Despite the fact, he'd come back from being taken prisoner by the Free Folk all those years earlier, from Hardhome and even from death itself, when he'd watched him leave he'd thought him gone forever. Later when the Wall fell and the dead marched and he'd run for his life, he believed it even more so. At Last Hearth when he'd joined up with Tormund and Beric and they'd ridden to Winterfell, a part of him was certain he'd not be there when he got there.
Yet each time he'd found that he did return, that he didn't abandon them and so he believed it would be the same now. Jon would come and together they'd fight and throw back these fools who dared to threaten his home. For it was his now as much as it was any of the men, women, and children who'd named it such. These were his people, under his protection and he would see them and Jocey, safe. He had readied it for what was to come, now he just waited for the man to lead them through the battles as he always had.
"A rider, a rider approaches." he hard a guard shout out and for a moment he looked to the sky, thinking that would be where Jon rode now.
Instead, it was at the gates and so he made his way down the steps, he walked out into the courtyard to look on as his guards led Theon Greyjoy to where he stood.
"I need to speak to, Jon." Theon said his voice almost breathless and Edd thought he looked almost dead on his feet.
"His grace is not here, what brings you here, Greyjoy, you were exiled were you not?" he said, his own voice far more lordly than he'd known it to be.
"An army, an army marches our way, more than 20,000 men I believe." Theon said before collapsing.
"Get him inside, feed him and place him in a room, put some guards on the door, we'll speak on the morrow."
The men did as he said and Edd made his way to his own room, opening the door quietly once he got there. His intent was to sneak into his bed and not wake her, as in most things in his life though luck was not on his side.
"Edd." Jocey said sleepily.
"Go back to sleep, my love." he said kissing her softly and then watching as she did so.
He undressed and climbed into the bed beside her, his arms going around her as he held her close and tried to find some sleep.
"Jon will return, he always does." he said in almost a whisper as his eyes finally closed and he drifted off to sleep.
Summerhall 305 AC.
Jaime Lannister.
It had looked like an abandoned broken-down keep when they'd landed the night before. Just another remnant of a war long since past and so he'd not given it any mind. Not even when he and Brienne had been sent inside to make sure there was no one nearby or hiding within its walls had he given it much thought. True it had been strange when the king, queen, and the red dragon had bid them all stay by the fire and eat their meal while they walked through the abandoned keep. Then again things they both did at times were strange to him.
The king was so different to the boy he'd met all those years ago, confident, collected, and calculating, these were not things he'd have said about Jon Snow. About Aegon Targaryen, he'd say those and many others, the king was a dragon far more than a wolf, and was ruthless too when he needed to be. Yet it was an honest ruthlessness and not anything like how his grandfather's was tinged with madness or how Jaime's own father's was tinged with a desire to be feared. Aegon's was a necessary ruthlessness and a protective one, it was one that was most welcomed by Ser Jorah in particular as it focussed on making sure the queen was safe above anything else.
He'd been amazed when the king had told them all what he intended to do with the Dornish, he and Brienne both bringing up how the breaking of parley may be seen. Yet they'd not dissuaded him and instead, he'd simply explained to them the tale of the Young Dragon and what was done to him in the Dornish sands. He'd said they had other battles to fight, other wars to win and better it cost him his reputation than men their lives. That almost alone would have been enough to convince him that he was very different from how his father had been. Tywin Lannister was not afraid to throw men at a problem and he cared not if he lost them.
" Won't we lose our men?" Jaime asked.
" We have reserves, do we not?" his father said.
No, in that respect and so many others Aegon was a different sort, the queen too as Jorah wasn't shy to mention. The Bear Knight telling him tales of what they'd done in Essos and of how the people had felt about their queen there, their Mhysa, their mother. It had helped him deal with his own losses too, for he feared Tyrion had fallen. As smart and clever as his brother was, he was a dwarf alone in the world and Jaime feared he'd met his end just as Cersei had, as his children had. He was the last of Tywin Lannister's Lions of the Rock and he would die the last of them it seemed.
This was who he was supposed to be, Dragonguard to a good king and queen, to rulers he respected and wished to serve. Dragonguard with true knights beside him, ones he was more than happy to serve beside and who he'd found in Brienne and Jorah. That it would be them to rebuild and remake the order gave him a sense of comfort he'd not known in many a year. Good and true, they'd find them and cloak them as members of the Dragonguard.
They spoke, ate and when the king, queen, and red dragon came back and took their seats, Jaime relaxed as he watched them both. Aegon and Daenerys sat and laughed and japed, the king sitting behind the queen with his arms around her protectively as she shared some words with Brienne and Jorah and the king spoke softly to the red dragon and to Tormund. He caught his eye and saw the small nod and smile the king gave him, Jaime returning it and then taking to his bed. Brienne and the dragons would take the first shift, though he himself wouldn't truly sleep tonight or so he thought only for sleep to come and the dreams to follow.
He sat by the tree, his eyes closed and he heard the footsteps as they approached, there was more than one coming his way and his hand moved to his sword.
" It's your sword I want, Jaime." the voice said and he opened his eyes to see them standing there.
Prince Lewyn looked as tanned and fierce as he remembered him, Jonathor looked resolute, Oswell had a smirk on his face while The Bold and The White Bull looked like they'd been carved in stone, their features implacable and unmoving. Arthur though, Arthur wore a full smile and Jaime looked to see Dawn's blade resting on his shoulder.
" It's your sword I want, Jaime." Arthur said with a chuckle.
" Then you shall have it, Ser." he said smiling back.
He watched as they parted, as they formed an honor guard, Lewyn, Jonathor, and Oswell and one side and Barristan, Gerold, and Arthur on the other. Jaime rubbed his eyes and swore he saw them in the distance, the young girl chasing after the black cat, the babe held in his mother's arms, the young woman riding on a horse as she laughed and then he saw him walking towards him, his silver prince, the man he so wished to serve and see crowned as his king.
" I told you things would change when I returned, Ser Jaime, little did even I know just how much." Rhaegar said.
" My prince." he said softly.
" You are a good man and true, Jaime, I deem your oath to be followed and on behalf of your brothers and myself, I thank you. Look after them Jaime, look after my family, as you are and have been doing, and know that you have my and your brother's gratitude for doing so." Rhaegar said as he began to fade away.
Rhaegar, Elia, Rhaenys and Aegon, Lyanna and then Lewyn, Jonathor, Oswell and Gerold, Barristan, and finally Arthur.
" Arthur, don't please…" he cried out.
" I named you a knight, Jaime, it was the truest thing I have ever done, you have become me, and the Smiling Knight is finally dead where he belongs." Arthur said as he faded away.
Jaime woke up in tears and moved away from the fire which had long since burned out. He shook his head at Jorah who was on watch and soon found himself on a hill overlooking the broken down keep. His tear-filled eyes made it look as if it stood once more and Jaime found himself shaking his head and wiping his eyes as he finally realized where he was. Summerhall, they'd come to Summerhall and he dropped down to his knees, almost striking out when he felt the hand on his shoulder.
"You dreamt of them too?" Aegon asked and Jaime looked at him to see if he was jesting before he then nodded his head "The dragons wished to come here once they felt it, Rhaegal, Drogon, Lyarhaex they all wished to come here, and once I told Dany where here was, she wished it too." Aegon said sitting down beside him.
"I… I saw my brothers, your… I saw your father, your family." he said his voice shaky.
"I saw my father, Jaime, my mother, and my brother and sister, I saw their mother and spoke to them as I'm speaking to you now. Dany spoke to her mother, for the first time in her life she spoke to her mother and though I wish to be with my wife, it's not my comfort she seeks right now." Aegon said.
"I don't understand, how? How could we?" he asked.
"The world is a strange place and one I've long since given up trying to understand, I died, and yet I live and am soon to be a father. My heart stopped beating and yet it beats for the first time for true now. We could sit here and try and make sense of things or we could accept the gift we were given. What was said to me, it comforted me, Jaime, did the words you hear comfort you too?" Aegon asked and Jaime took a while to answer.
"They did, more than any I've ever heard." he said.
"Then we accept it for the gift it was and we move on, for there is much work left for us to do." Aegon said rising to his feet and offering his hand.
They walked to where the queen was standing talking to the dragons, Jaime noticing how both Brienne and Jorah looked nervously at both him and Aegon. With a nod of his head and one from the king, that nervousness soon changed its focus and it was how they looked at the queen now that he concentrated on. Jaime watching along with Brienne and Jorah as Aegon walked over to speak to the queen and the two of them and the red dragon moved their way a few moments later.
"It's time we leave, there are still many miles to travel." Aegon said and he nodded, walking with the king and Tormund to climb up onto the green dragon, and soon enough they were leaving Summerhall and its ghosts behind.
The North 305 AC.
Malaquo.
Losing the Iron Born had been an annoyance, one that the silly girl played off as if it was nothing even though Malaquo could see her own bitterness in her expression at the fact he'd left her alone. She'd played it off as nothing, as if she'd not cared for the man and that he was just a simple traveling companion. Yet it was clear she didn't believe the words she said and even were they true, the stupid girl couldn't see why this would be a problem for him.
Talisa had no mind for military matters, she'd not cared to spend any time around him when he spoke of such and had never truly known war until she'd come to these godforsaken lands. Yet even she'd have grasped the problem a man who'd traveled with their army and who ridden off, no doubt right to Winterfell or the nearest keep he could to speak what he knew about them, even Talisa would have understood why he was so wroth. This silly girl had known war, had seen war and according to her, she'd even won a battle due to her own tactical brilliance, something he very much doubted. Sansa Stark claimed to be a smart and clever woman and yet each time he'd given her leave to show him something, he'd been left unimpressed.
"You're not eating, Malaquo?" the insipid girl asked and he shook his head as he looked at the spread in front of him.
"I find I've no appetite, Lady Sansa. It's always the way when I get closer to battle." he said and she looked at him and nodded before she frowned.
"There won't be need of a battle, Malaquo, when the garrison at Winterfell sees the force you've assembled and hears my words, they'll open their gates and allow us entry." Sansa said as she lifted up her glass of wine.
"And the rest of the North, Lady Sansa?" he asked humoring her.
"They'll understand they cannot stand against you and once we explain the truth about Jon Snow, they'll see they've been duped and do what it is they've truly wished to do." she said determinedly.
"Crown their queen." he said raising his own glass though he barely took a sip and found the beaming smile she gave him to be one he very much disliked.
"Indeed." she said smiling still as she emptied her glass and had another poured.
"The Freys and The Lannisters, Lady Sansa, tell me more of them?" he asked.
He listened as she told him of the events at the Twins, tales he'd heard already though he felt she held something back. What he was certain of was that it was a Faceless Man who'd saw to the end of House Frey, though they'd stopped where he would not. They'd left some alive still, women and children mainly but Freys all the same and once he was done seeing to the end of the wolves, it would be the weasels he'd see to next. None would survive his wrath, none, any that he'd find that shared blood with Walder Frey would pay, he'd put them all into the ground.
"Does House Frey have many matches, my lady?" he asked curiously.
"Indeed they do, despite their appearance." Sansa said her face a picture of disgust "Lord Walder was most astute in making matches, there were just so many of them you see." she said with a chuckle.
Malaquo would root them all out, find them wherever they were and see them dead, the wolves, the weasels, and the lions too.
"Lord Tywin, you knew him, Lady Sansa?" he asked and saw her nod his head.
"I only met him briefly, Malaquo. It was the Queen, Joffrey, and Tyrion that I spent most of my time with." Sansa said and he nodded.
"And this Tyrion and Jaime, they are the last of his children?" he asked and she nodded again.
Jaime Lannister served the dragons once more and he'd deal with him in time, as for his brother, Sansa said he'd lost favor and that he'd spoken of making a move to join his sister's side. Something that he'd not be doing now of course, but still, where would the man go once he had nowhere in Westeros that was safe? Would it be to Essos he'd look? If he did then Malaquo would seek him out there once his work was done here. He'd kill every single lion he could find too, no matter how long it took him to do so and when he fell and met his gods once more, he'd do it with a smile upon his face and his daughter avenged.
"Jon Snow, Lady Sansa, how capable a man is he? Militarily?" he asked.
This was both what he wished to know the most and what he hated asking her about just as much. Malaquo knowing he'd have to listen to a diatribe of how he stole her inheritance and how it was her and not him that had won the so-called Battle of the Bastards. He would though forebear as he needed to know as much about what sort of man this Jon Snow was and how he could be used or manipulated and so he choose his questions well. The girl had such a high sense of opinion about herself that he concentrated on her tales about marching through the North and of rallying them to their cause before they faced off against Ramsay Snow.
It was there he could truly discern the lies from the truth and at least those stories were grounded in some sense of reality. While he of course knew of the dragons and had scorpions to deal with them, the tales of an army of dead men and of Jon Snow jumping from one dragon to another while wielding a sword of light, were ones that only a fool would believe. Instead, it was as he listened to Sansa Stark say that Jon Snow risked it all and threw away his carefully constructed plan. While she would at the same time tell of how her own plan worked and the Knights of the Vale, who'd ridden for her, she was at pains to say over and over again, that gave him his idea.
"I look very much forward to facing Jon Snow across a battlefield, Lady Sansa, very much look forward to seeing him fall." he said seeing her smile at him as she drank even more of his wine.
They marched early the next morning and were soon only a few days from Winterfell. He sent his scouts on ahead and was awaiting their return as he formulated his plans in his head. Beside him, she wished to ride and so he let her, even if she constantly moaned about the weather as she did so. This girl was supposed to be of these lands, and yet she found them even more to her distaste than he or his men did and he once more found himself almost trying to ignore the words she spoke while giving her platitudes at the same time.
She would bring him Winterfell and in time she'd bring him Jon Snow and once she'd served her purpose he'd see she suffered greatly before she left this world. The gods were cruel indeed in taking his daughter away and letting someone like this survive. Talisa was a bright spot in the world, a force that did good, even if Malaquo didn't agree with her, Sansa Stark was anything but. It made him think that he'd been wrong in trying to change his daughter, that knowing at one point he'd have wished her to be like the girl who rode by his side, he'd had been wrong. The last thing he'd have ever truly wished for was his daughter to be anything like Sansa Stark.
King's Landing 305 AC.
Varys.
He read the first of the notes his little birds had brought to him and was pleased to see the realm doing so well. The king and queen had the support of almost everyone within it and while there would be one or two who'd perhaps always question having a Targaryen back in charge, few would question these Targaryens he was glad to see. When he heard the scratching at the wall, he looked at it eagerly, watching as yet another of his little birds made his way to him. The whisper he carried far more urgent than these others giving how quickly he moved.
Varys took it from the boy eagerly and handed him the candied fruit and the few coppers, smiling at the little boy as he left back through the hidden door that he had come through. He opened the note and what he read both pleased and worried him equally. Sunspear had been retaken, Dorne was once again back in the hands of Princess Arianne and it had managed to be done with the cost of few lives. Was that all the note said then Varys would have been a very happy man. Unfortunately, there was more, and what that more was concerned him greatly.
The king had broken parley, he'd sent men to sneak into the city and take it while Quentyn Martell had come to listen to terms. While the negotiations were going on he'd used archers and others to attack the prince and his party killing most and wounding and capturing the prince in the process. Varys read on and saw that Quentyn had no wish to parley and had actually brought hostages who he'd intended to use against the king and queen, ladies that were related to some of the Dornish lords and knights.
"What am I to do?" he said softly as he finished reading the note.
He had no issue with what the king had done, he knew that Aegon would have had his reasons and that he'd have had the queen's agreement on this also. Dorne had broken parley with House Targaryen before, had even killed a king and so on that there was something he could work with, though many may not remember what they did to The Young Dragon. That Quentyn had brought prisoners and had intended to make an example of one of them if he'd been denied, was also something he could work with.
No, it wasn't that he had any doubts about the action itself, especially reading of the large army that now headed North. More it was how the realm would react to this news that gave him pause. He sat at his desk for a few moments before rising and making his way through the halls and up the stairs. Soon enough he found himself outside the Master of Laws rooms, Varys nodding to the two guards and then waiting for Jon Connington to bid him enter. Inside he found the Griffin sitting at his desk, papers were strewn over it as the man looked to be hard at work.
"Lord Jon." he said taking a seat.
"Lord Varys." Jon said "No offense my lord but I'd not expected a visit from you?"
"Word from Dorne, Lord Jon." Varys said and he saw how quickly the man's expression changed.
"The king, the queen, they are well?" Jon asked worriedly.
"They are, safe and well and Dorne is back in the fold once more." he said to a smile from the older man.
He proceeded to tell the Master of Laws the full story, of how parley was broken, Quentyn's intent, and that while they'd taken Dorne with few lives lost it was only because of both the king's quick thinking and the absence of the army they'd gone to face. Jon looked at him and shook his head when he told them that the army had gone North which would mean the king, queen, and their dragons would soon be doing likewise.
"I'm pleased they are unharmed and the battle ended so quickly, Lord Varys, but the breaking of parley." Jon said concernedly.
"That it was in Dorne gives us some room, Lord Jon, The Young Dragon" he said and Jon nodded "But I think we need to focus on the fact that Prince Quentyn brought Lady Yronwood, Lady Dayne, and Ser Daemon's mother to the parley with the intent of both using the threat to harm them to keep his position and to force the king and queens hand. That and the willingness to see at least one of them dead to make his point." Varys said.
"You mean to lie?" Jon asked him.
"I mean to sell a different version of the truth, Lord Jon. You and I both see nothing wrong with the king's actions. That it was Dorne, what Quentyn planned, what has happened in Westeros over the course of the War of the Five Kings and since. Not to mention our king's own family history and his own life and death." Varys said and he saw how Jon Connington shuddered when he said death.
"It's not me you need to sell this too, Lord Varys, even were I to find fault in what the king did, I'd find it for the right reasons, given all both sides of his family and he and the queen have gone through. It's the realm, we have them now, more so than we've had them in a long time. The North, The West, The Reach and Iron Islands, Crownlands, Vale, Dorne, and even the Stormlands. We have them, all I care about is keeping them. So do what you must and paint the tale in any light you like as long as the dragons look good at the end of it."
"I will, you too should do so, Jon, it's time to declare Quentyn Martell and the army he brought to Dorne as what they were, as foreign invaders, my birds will see it done, your own men should speak of it often too." Varys said as he got up from the seat and moved to the door.
He made his way to the Tower of the Hand once he'd left Connington's room, finding himself stopped along the way by yet another of his little birds, this one bringing him yet another message from Dorne. Varys smiled when he read it, the words showing the king and queen playing the game and Dorne cowed before it had a chance to even consider being less than completely loyal to the dragons. As he walked up the stairs he saw the white wolf and knew the girl wouldn't be far behind. Missandei appearing almost as soon as he had the thought and looking a little flustered as she chased after Ghost.
"My lady?" he asked amusedly.
"Ghost wishes to play, Lord Varys, and I find it takes my mind off where it may go." Missandei said.
"In relation to that, I have good news, my lady." Varys said as he told her that the king and queen had taken Sunspear and both they and Grey Worm were unharmed.
"This is very good news, Lord Varys." Missandei said with a beaming smile "They are on their way back?" she asked and he shook his head.
"I'm afraid not my lady. The army they went to face has headed North and the king, queen, the Dragonguard and their dragons have gone to deal with them. Grey Worm, Qhono, and the fleet have set off and now head our way though." he said.
"Then I look forward to their return, I'll inform Lady Arya." Missandei said her happiness at hearing the battle in Dorne was over and everyone was safe tinged with some sadness over the fact she'd not see the king and especially the queen for some time, though he did detect a little bit more joy in her about Grey Worm's own return.
"They'll return very soon, my lady, once they've dealt with the issue in the North, both our king and queen will return, I've no fear on that." he said and she nodded at him as she smiled before he then saw her run down the stairs, her guards following her as she chased after the white wolf once more.
Varys continued up the stairs and soon made his way to the Hand's Solar, the guards allowing him in as soon as he got there. Inside he found Davos hard at work as always.
The King shits and the Hand wipes, that was how it had been under Robert, under Aerys too he supposed now that he thought on it. It was to be different under Aegon and Daenerys, they were different, a king and queen who both ruled, who took an interest in the realm, and while they deferred, they didn't ignore. Davos was their Hand not just because he was someone both of them trusted implicitly but because in him they had a man who sought to do the same things they did, make people's lives better.
Tywin had cared only for his own position and those who followed were best not thought about. Owen Merryweather was ill-equipped and Jon Connington had been too young, too inexperienced, and too eager to please Rhaegar. Qarlton Chelsted had been a good man and true and had paid the cost for it and the less said about Rossart the better. Both Jon Arryn and Eddard Stark suffered from loving their king far too much and while it was clear that Davos loved Aegon and Daenerys too, it was a fatherly love and it was not unconditional.
"Lord Varys?" Davos said and Varys realized he'd been standing there quietly for some time.
"Forgive me, Lord Hand, I find at times in this room more than most my mind wanders." he said and Davos gave him a soft smile and nodded, the man able to put most at ease when he did so as to whether or not he truly understood you or just made you feel he did, the effect was the same.
"I can imagine. I think of the many Hands who served her and find myself a poor enough replacement for any of them." Davos said and Varys almost smiled at just how close to his own thoughts Davos's had been.
"You do yourself a disservice Lord Hand, I believe the Realm hasn't seen as lucky since the Unlikely's time." Varys said meaning every single word "I bring news from Dorne."
By the time he left the Hand's solar he'd seen Davos go through many different emotions, the relief that they were both safe, worry that they were flying off to yet another battle, frustration at what the king did and what it would mean, and pride that they'd taken yet another city without needing to use dragons and risking a large loss of life. He'd been able to reassure him on his frustration and what it would mean and just as with both him and Jon, Davos saw no wrong in what the king had done, and instead, it was the worry that others may that caused him concern.
He made his way back to his own rooms and began to write out the notes, the word would be spread quickly through his little birds. That tale spun of a king and queen faced with a foreign army and a prince who threatened the life of ladies of the realm, acted swiftly and decisively, and removed that threat. How Dorne had cheered and welcomed them and how Princess Arianne was now back in her rightful place and her usurping brother in his. The matter of breaking parley would soon be a distant memory and though some would speak of it, the truth of things was that the story was written by the winners and not the losers.
Rhaegar Targaryen had been a kidnapper and a rapist because Robert Baratheon named him so, now Robert was a usurper who couldn't accept that a woman didn't wish to marry him. The story was written by the winners and he would help to frame that story. Varys would do everything he could do to ensure that whatever they faced, it would be the dragons that won time and time again.
The North 305 AC.
Dany.
He'd given her time alone with the dragons and Dany was most grateful for it. She knew he'd seen something too and it was clear that so had Jaime Lannister and so he'd left her to speak to Drogon and Rhaegal and to walk with Lyarhaex. She'd seen her mother, dreamed of her in a dream even more real than the ones she'd had so many years before. Dany had felt her mother's arms around her as if she was holding her for true and had listened to her mother's voice for the first time ever. When she closed her eyes she could still see her standing there on the cliffs of Dragonstone.
" Who are you?" she asked the woman in the distance, her silver hair blowing in the wind as she stood with her back to her.
" Who do you think I am, Dany?" the woman said before she turned.
Dany looked at her, her hair so much like her own, her eyes the same color, she was slightly taller than her but not by much and there was a familiarity about her that took her a moment to recognize. When she did she found herself in a battle between her heart and her mind, it couldn't be, could it? Could she truly be who she wished she was? Were the gods that good?
" Mother?" she asked her voice soft and doubtful.
" My sweet little dragon." the woman, her mother said and before she could stop herself she was running to her, her arms going around her and squeezing her tight as she felt her do the same to her.
" Mother?" she said and felt her hand on her cheek as her face was turned up to look at her, her eyes, their eyes, meeting and she knew it for true then, her mother's words not needing to be said.
" My sweet Dany, long have I wished for this moment." her mother said her voice full of emotion and tears falling down her cheeks.
" Don't cry, mother." she said softly as she moved her hand to wipe them away, not even feeling her own as they fell too.
" These are happy tears, my love, truly happy and the first ones I've known since you were born." her mother said.
" I'm sorry, mother….I'm sorry I killed you…" she said softly.
" Oh my sweet sweet child, you did not, it was not you, never you… it was just my time, and I went to my gods happy." her mother said confusing her which she was glad she took notice of "Oh don't get me wrong, I'd have wished for nothing more than to be with you, to be with your brother. But that wasn't to be my fate. My joy, my happiness was in knowing you lived, Dany, that I had brought you into this world. My sweet little dragon." her mother said as she kissed her cheek.
They stayed like that for some time, words spoken that she barely heard and their arms wrapped around each other. Eventually, her mother moved away from her and Dany went to grab her so as she'd not leave only to feel her hand being taken and then they were walking along the cliffs. She smiled as her mother pointed out to the sea and then felt a lump in her throat when she saw him flying in the sky. Her sweet gentle son was making noises she'd not heard him make since he was Lyarhaex's size and seeing him as he was, as he was meant to be, Dany felt her heart expand when Viserion flew over her head.
" He came to me, when he fell he came to me and he kept me company as I did him." her mother said.
" What is this place?" Can I come here? Can I find you?" she asked and her mother shook her head.
" Your time is far from over, Daenerys Stormborn, your life still to be lived. One day we'll see each other again, we'll walk these cliffs, fly these skies but not for some time. There are those you wish to spend your time with even more than I are there not?" her mother said.
" Aegon, Rhaella." she said touching her stomach when she said the name that she and Aegon would give their daughter.
" You honor me so, as you have each day you've been in this world, my little dragon. It brings me joy to see you find what I could not, to see you happy." her mother said smiling at her.
" I wish we could have been together, mother, I wish you were in my life." she said sadly.
" I've always been in your life, Dany." her mother said "I am here with you, always." she said touching her chest and Dany felt her heart beat against her mother's hand "It's time for me to go, my love."
" Mother, please." she said as she felt her hand move from her own "I love you always, my beautiful daughter." her mother said and Dany looked around to find she was alone on the cliff, her sadness threatening to overwhelm her until she saw her again.
Her mother was on Viserion's back, the two of them heading out to sea and she could not only hear her son's happiness but feel both it and her mother's too. They'd found each other, in death they'd found each other and when her own time came she'd find her too, but her mother was right, she had a life to live and those she wished to spend it with.
She felt Aegon's arms go around her when she opened her eyes, he'd been standing behind her the entire time and had allowed her the moment to herself that she'd wished for. Just as he had with the dragons, he'd allowed her to deal with this the way she had wanted and then had been there for her just when she needed him most. Leaning back against him she felt his lips on her cheek and then heard his words in her ear.
"Look at them, look at how happy they are, our children Dany, look at them." he said and she looked to the sky, Drogon and Rhaegal were playing with their sister. Lyarhaex was flying from one to another as they just simply had fun.
"Children." she said with a small laugh as she watched them play and touched her stomach, thinking of their daughter doing the same when she was growing up, her life to be much different than hers or Aegon's had been.
"Are we ready to fly?" she asked and felt him hold her more tightly.
"Soon." he said and she nodded, looking to the dragons and watching as the skies darkened.
They'd stopped at Cape Kraken, Aegon not sure where the army was and not willing to fly over them in the daylight. It had given him time to explain his plan to her, the two dragons would both be used while Lyarhaex would wait safely in the Godswood in Winterfell. Dany could feel the red dragon's annoyance but unlike her older brothers, arrows could hurt her, and a scorpion bolt, should they have one, would kill her and so she'd reluctantly agreed to do what they both told her to do.
So they waited for night to fall and to then fly to Winterfell, Aegon worrying that they'd be too late and yet not willing to risk her or the red dragon by flying into a battle that was already taking place. It gave her time to think also, of her mother, of the things she said and how she'd made her feel. She'd not spoken much of it to Aegon, only to tell him she'd seen her and to hear how he'd seen his father, mother, brother, sister and Elia too.
"When you died, Aegon, what did you see?" she asked feeling him stiffen.
"Nothing, I saw nothing, Dany, only the dark." he said and she turned to look at him.
"My mother, she said Viserion went to her after he died, she told me that when my time came I would see her again." she said, slightly worried that if Aegon had truly seen nothing that she too would see only that.
"Perhaps it's different for dragons." he said and she looked at him confusedly "When I died I thought I was a wolf, it was all I knew myself as, perhaps for dragons it's different." he said.
"Do you believe so?" she asked curiously.
"I hope so, Dany, I hope so." he said determinedly and she kissed him softly "It's time." he said once they were done and they made their way back to the others, Tormund, Ser Brienne, and Jorah sitting by the fire while Ser Jaime had stood watch, the knight refusing to let them go anywhere without a guard.
"About fucking time, were you too fucking again?" Tormund said with a smirk as Brienne looked at him annoyedly.
"We'd not have been back so soon if we were." she said to a loud laugh from the man and a smirk from Aegon.
"It's time, we'll reach Winterfell in a few hours." Aegon said and Tormund rose to his feet, Brienne and Jorah having done so as soon as they'd arrived.
The dragons landed, eager to take them to Winterfell and to ready for the fight to come, though Lyarhaex was pouting almost. As they flew over a large open expanse, she felt Aegon slow on Rhaegal and she looked over to him, though was unable to see him in the dark moonless night. Soon enough they were flying quickly once more and she felt rather than saw Winterfell. The dragons landed and they climbed down off them. Then Drogon and Rhaegal took to the sky and flew a little further north to eat and rest while Lyarhaex stayed with them as they made their way to the gate.
"There doesn't seem to be much of an army." Jorah said worriedly.
"Edd would have brought them inside." Aegon said and she saw Jaime and Tormund nod.
"Or they've not arrived yet, your grace." Brienne said her own worry clear.
"It matters not, it'll not be men that wins this battle, it'll be the dragons these men face." Aegon said and she smiled at that, these men were part of the same force that had taken Meereen from her, now they came to take the north, what they'd face was just a portent of what was to come.
The gates opened and she smiled to see Edd walk their way, the She-Bear and some of the Mountain Clansmen by their side and she was happy to see Big Bucket Wull and him, her by the looks of things.
"I fucking knew you'd come." Edd said as he embraced Aegon and then moved back quickly "Your grace." he said before Aegon this time embraced him.
"We've not much time, Edd." Aegon said and then he turned to her and she moved forward to speak to Lady Maege, Lady Lyanna, and to Big Bucket Wull.
The Battle of Winterfell 305 AC.
Maege Mormont.
The dragons were hidden and the king now wore a very different look. Aegon Targaryen the sixth of his name, it was strange bedfellows she was keeping these days, though there was nothing new in that she thought with a smirk. When they'd received the letter on Bear Island she'd laughed at its contents. She'd always known there was no way that the She-Wolf had been kidnapped and forced against her will and Jon Snow wasn't her king simply because she'd thought him Ned Stark's son or because Robb Stark's will had named him so.
He'd led them through a battle they should have lost, he'd seen her littlest she-bear lived still, aye, the reasons they'd named him king may not have been the right ones, but naming him so was. She'd worried that Lyanna may think differently, but then her daughter had told her the words she'd said when she'd named him the King in the North. She'd thought him a bastard but there was Stark blood in his veins and so she'd named him. Was there not still Stark blood in his veins, now? she had said and Maege had never been prouder.
Had she known he was Lyanna's son then she'd have named him for that alone, even though it meant he was Rhaegar's too. Had it been a different world and Robert a different man then he'd have been their son and they'd have gladly named him their king, as would the realm because of that. Robert was not a different man and he was no Rhaegar Targaryen and so she welcomed the truth and told him so much to his relief.
" You are my king, from this day to my last, you and her grace are who I've knelt to, Jon Snow, Jon Stark, Aegon Targaryen, I care not. You're her son and you've proved yourself a true son of the north once more, you're here are you not? When we need you most, you came once again."
She'd said the words and now they rode out to meet the man and his army, an army that dwarfed their own and would take the keep were it not for the dragons they were ready to unleash. Winterfell had a little over a thousand men and at least half of those were greybeards or green boys, Wyman's men hadn't arrived yet but were on their way and numbered a little over a thousand more. She'd gathered almost three thousand, her men, the Mountain Clans, and Galbart's own. As Warden of the North, her job was to protect the North and so she'd sent the ravens, gathered the men, and then marched hard.
Facing them was between five and ten thousand or perhaps closer to twenty. A true army, a standing army, very few of whom had not bloodied themselves in one way or another. They had more horses, were better equipped and though they may not know the weather or lands as well as her men, there were more than enough for that not to be a problem.
She, Edd, Tormund, Lyanna, Galbart, and Hugo Wull all rode out looking like what they were while Aegon rode with them dressed as a simple guard. The party that rode towards them soon had them stunned, not for the Essosi that led it or for the fierce-looking nature of the men but because of the redhead that rode with them. Theon Greyjoy had told them that Sansa Stark rode with this army that marched to their doors, but he was a fucking Iron Born Squid and so why would she ever believe his words. As she looked at the smug look on Sansa Stark's face and finding it reminded her far too much of her mother's own expressions when she'd met the woman, Maege thought she should have.
Sansa.
Malaquo's scouts had come back and said the North had rallied a little over four thousand men, it had surprised her a little as she'd thought they had much less since both the Battle of the Bastards and the Battle for the Dawn, but it wasn't anything to worry about. That Wintertown was empty was a little more concerning as it meant they'd taken them into the keep. Sansa finding herself worried about the stores and what shape they'd be in when she took her seat back.
It took no time at all for the army to form up and when the rider arrived requesting parley, she felt herself smile. It was time for her to shine, to show Malaquo what words could do, and to take back her home. She took out the small looking glass and made sure she looked how she should, a returning queen coming back to take back her crown. Then they rode out when the Northmen came towards them, Sansa looking at them eagerly to see who was there. She saw Lady Maege Mormont and Lord Galbart Glover and told Malaquo who they were. The large Big Bucket Wull had come and she frowned at him and at Lyanna Mormont, both of whom were no friends of hers.
It surprised her seeing Tormund with them as she'd thought he'd gone back to the lands Beyond the Wall and then she remembered that he and Lady Maege had seemed close. Edd being there could prove difficult, the man would know better than most there was no truth in her words, but it would be him against her and who'd believe a common man over the word of a lady such as she. There was no one else of any note other than a few guards and she smiled at that, Lord Wyman another who was no friend of hers.
"House Manderly is not here, Malaquo, they've not seen fit to offer their men to protect the North." she said happily.
"Or they lie in wait, Lady Sansa, no matter my scouts will find them out." Malaquo said.
When they reached the middle of the field Malaquo looked at her and she began to speak, noticing how one of the guards looked her way and feeling annoyed at the audacity of him to do so.
"My lords, my ladies, I've returned to take back what is mine by right." she said firmly.
"By what right?" Edd said and she was surprised it was him who did so.
"By right of blood and law. Jon Snow is not my father's son, and so Robb's will no longer stands since he named him as his brother which he is not. Furthermore, it's become clear to me that Jon was just as my mother had always feared him to be, a bastard who tried to take that which was not his. The Man with me is Malaquo Maegyr, father to my brother's wife Lady Talisa. He comes to bring vengeance to those who took her life and the life of her husband, and to Jon Snow for his part in their deaths." she said to loud shouts.
"What's this you say?" Tormund said angrily looking not to her but to a guard.
"You dare to say such things about our king?" Lyanna Mormont said.
"Lies." Edd said.
"My lords, my ladies, during my time away from the North, during an exile I was forced into by Jon Snow, myself and Lord Tyrion began to look into things and found certain things which did not add up. It was Jon Snow who set in motion the Red Wedding, Jon Snow who sought to take Winterfell and the North and he cared not who he harmed to do so." she said to loud shouts once more.
"You would dare?"
"Have you no shame?"
"Your father would be ashamed to name you his daughter."
She ignored the insults and then it was Edd who spoke up, the look he gave her one of disgust and she resolved he'd pay for that when she took Winterfell back.
"You came to Castle Black and sought refuge and it was Jon who gave you it, he who took you in and offered you protection and this is how you repay that act, I am ashamed that I opened the gates that day, shamed I let you in and could I go back I'd send you on your way, Lady Stark." Edd said almost spitting and Sansa noticed the guard looking her way once more.
"I thought him a brother who'd seek my safety and guarantee my birthright. I came seeking his help and found myself used and lied to by him, then I was thrown aside when I served no more use." she said, her voice sounding as sad and broken as she could make it "I wish I'd not come to the gates now too, for the man I found was not and had never been my brother, or even a Stark and had I known the extent of his betrayal, I'd have driven a knife deep into his black heart."
"How could he betray your brother, he was beyond the wall with my people, and we have no fucking Maesters or ravens?" Tormund said and she almost smiled as he'd given her the opening she'd dared to hope for.
"Who was the Maester at Castle Black, Edd? Who was Maester Aemon?" she asked to no answer from the man "My lords, my ladies, Maester Aemon was Aemon Targaryen."
She felt her heart race when she saw them looking at each other, as the realization dawned, and once it did she prepared the final part of the tale.
"Jon learned the truth of who he was not long after he swore his vows. I believe the Maester knew of him and together they sought to bring down my House. They sought to see my family pay for their part in bringing about their own House's fall and in doing so they cost me, my father, my mother, my brothers and I fear for my sister too." she said worriedly though she felt no worry "They planned and plotted and it was Aemon Targaryen acting on his bastard nephew's orders that saw the Red Wedding carried out. Their plans almost succeeded too, but events conspired against them and so we end up where we are today." she said, she was proud of herself, her moment of triumph was almost complete.
"A fine story, Lady Sansa, truly, you missed your calling and should have been a bard. You truly think so little of us that we'd believe it though? Was your education that remiss? Or was it simply that unlike the true woman of the North, yours was at the hands of southern Septa, while mine own was left to far wiser men?" Lyanna Mormont said.
"How Dare You?" she said loudly and she wished to wipe the smirk of the She Bear's face, though she knew she could not.
"I dare because I can, I dare because I'm a true daughter of the North. I dare because I wield a mace like my mother before me and I dare because I named a good man my king and I'll not listen to the nonsense spewed by a silly girl who looked to the South and cared not for the North. I know no king but the King from the North, Aegon Targaryen." Lyanna Mormont said, "That's why I dare Lady Sansa, no would you and this foreign army you've brought to our lands, kindly fuck off."
"You'll not kneel?" Malaquo asked as Sansa looked from the She-Bear to a guard who was laughing, a guard who was looking somewhat familiar though she couldn't place him.
"We do not kneel." Tormund said with a smile.
"Then we shall bring you to your knees." Malaquo said as he nodded to her and the horses turned to ride away.
Sansa found herself looking at the guard as she turned her horse, seeing how Edd and Tormund looked to him too, how Hugo Wull looked to him, and how the guard nodded to Lyanna Mormont and the girl almost swelled up in pride, more so from that nod than she did from her mother's pat on her back. It confused her and she looked even more closely, despite the fact they were now further apart. She looked and she saw and once she did the words were out of her mouth before she knew it.
"Jon?"
"Jon?"
"JON" she shouted out the last one and she saw how he turned to look at her and she knew then he was here, that he had been here all the time and had heard all she'd just said about him.
Malaquo.
The parley had been a waste of time, just as he'd known it would be. Her words had fallen on deaf ears and while she would no doubt blame the lords and ladies, the only one truly to blame was herself. She'd added new details to the ridiculous story she'd told him and in doing so she'd further shown it to be a complete fabrication and lie. It hadn't been brought up to him that Jon Snow had been Beyond the Wall when Talisa had lost her life, nor had it been about Aemon Targaryen being the Maester at Castle Black and he felt it was only done now because of the presence of the wilding and the former black brother.
He'd almost laughed loudly when the young She-Bear had spoken and put Sansa Stark in her place. Gods if the girl beside him had half the wit and fierceness of the much younger girl then he'd perhaps not wish to see her dead. The time for which was coming soon enough. In a way he was happier that a battle would take place, the Walls of Winterfell would be hard to take but take them they would and he'd put every single man, woman, and child to the sword, even the She-Bear who'd spoken so well.
They were riding back when he heard it, Sansa Stark shouting the name out and Malaquo turning to see the man stopping on his horse and looking her way. He stopped his own and moved it to Sansa's, seeing the fearful look on her face and hearing her say the name over and over again.
"Jon"
"Jon."
"My lady, what's wrong?" he asked though he was sure he knew what it was, and as he spoke his eyes looked past her to the man and to the skies, relieved when he saw no dragons and yet he had to know for sure.
"It's Jon, it's Jon." she said over and over, her words coming through little strangled gasps.
"Jon Snow?" he asked and she nodded as Malaquo looked to the man who was stopped a fair distance away from them both.
"Aye." she said.
Malaquo smiled as he turned to his man and motioned to what he carried and then he looked to Jon Snow who was staring his way before he shoved her as hard as he could and then watched as he hit the ground hard. The look of shock on her face was soon replaced by one of pain and he wondered if she'd broken the arm that she now held tightly against her as she screamed out. Her eyes were full of confusion as she looked up at him, soon he'd see the panic in them as he turned to his man and bid him to ready the bow.
"I have your sister, Snow. I have your sister, prepare to watch her die. Or perhaps this time you'll be faster than you were before." he shouted loudly as he watched Jon Snow turn his horse and ready to ride his way.
Malaquo felt it then, the smile on his face as true as it had been in years, one of them would die in the next few moments, both of them if he got lucky. Sansa though she'd fall just as she'd said her brother had and he laughed as he thought of the irony of it. There would be no Knights of the Vale coming to her aid today, no one to save her and unlike at the Battle of the Bastards, she'd not be sitting on a hill watching safely from her horse.
"Run." he said to her as she looked up at him "Run for your fucking life or my archer will kill you where you lay."
Watching her struggle to her feet gave him more joy than he'd known in many a year. Her family, her House, her brother had cost him his most precious daughter and they'd pay for it with their blood.
"RUN, RUN." he shouted in glee as she got up and then stumbled back to the ground before she got up once more, her arm was broken he was sure and as she looked from him to Jon Snow, she began to run.
He gave the archer the nod to miss the first shots as he wished her peril to draw Jon Snow closer and while he watched her run, he rode back to his men, his head turned over his shoulder so he could see her as she fell for what would be the last time.
Aegon.
He'd sent Dany behind them, Jorah with her on Drogon and she would come when he gave the signal. Jaime and Brienne stood with their men, ready to march if needed though they would not be this day. Many years ago namesake had faced men and brought the dragons to bear, Dany too had done so on the Goldroad. By the end of this day those would be distant memories and what he and Dany would do today would be spoken of here and In Esssos for years to come.
They wished to send a message, one that would be heard loud and clear not only by those here today or even by those in Essos but by those in Westeros too. The dragons were benevolent and forgiving but only to those who were loyal, to those who were not there was but one response, Fire and Blood. Lyarhaex rested in the Godswood, Rhaegal was behind Winterfell's walls and he'd come as soon as he called for him. So he'd ridden out and he'd listened while the girl he'd named a sister had called him a traitor and a murderer. He'd listened while she'd lied about him, his granduncle, and how he'd felt about Robb, he'd listened and done so quietly.
Others had not and when Lyanna Mormont had said her words, he'd laughed, he couldn't help it, he laughed. She put Sansa in her place so firmly and so truly that he'd felt as proud as no doubt her mother did about her or her father he thought as he looked to Tormund. Perhaps he shouldn't have, perhaps it gave him away but it mattered not, there was to be no peaceful resolution here today and so he'd thought no more about it. Until she'd called out his name and he realized he'd messed up. Even more so when he saw what Malaquo planned to do as he pushed Sansa from her horse and bid an archer come to him. For a moment he was lost, paralyzed, not that he cared for her or would mourn her death, but because he was no longer here, it was no longer now and she was no longer her.
" Run brother."
" Run like the wind"
" I'm coming."
" I'm coming."
He felt the tears fall from his eyes and he shouted out, feeling the dragons fly, Drogon had set off, Rhaegal had set off, even Lyarhaex had and Aegon shouted at her to stay, begged for her to stay and felt relieved when she did so. The horse rode fast, the men with him turning to follow and he raised his hand and bid them not to. Drogon was too far away, Rhaegal was too far away and as he rode he watched the arrow as it barely missed her. She was stumbling, holding her arm and falling and then trying to rise as the second arrow just missed her. Aegon looked past her, he looked to the man with the bow, saw him reach for the arrow, and felt that this time it would not miss.
Drawing out Longclaw he felt the light begin to shine, he willed it to shine ever more brightly and for the horse to ride even faster still. Then he was on the ground, Sansa was in his arms a look on her face he'd not seen before, gratitude, hope, relief, he knew not only he had her and he turned her so she was behind him and Longclaw and then he watched as the arrow fell harmlessly to the ground. The horse soon bolted and he looked to see Rhaegal land and Tormund ride to him, his friend shielding his eyes as Aegon held Longclaw in front of him still.
"Take her, bring her back to the keep." he said as Tormund grabbed her and he heard Sansa's pained yell.
Once he saw they were out of range, he climbed up on Rhaegal's back and they took to the sky, Longclaw shined even more brightly and as he reached where the archer knelt with his hand covering his eyes, he smiled.
"Dracarys." he said as Rhaegal let loose his flames.
Dany.
The waiting had been hard and when she'd felt Drogon's agitation she knew it was time. She climbed up onto his back and bid Jorah join her and then within moments they were in the sky. Dany saw the light in the distance and knew that Aegon had unsheathed his sword which worried her some. They were to use the dragons and only use men and swords once the battle was won. So she urged Drogon to fly faster and her son was only too happy to comply.
"Se raedes, gūrogon hen mirre ao ūndegon ñuha tresy." (The scorpions take out any you see, my son.) she said and felt Drogon's anger, her son would burn them all.
"Dracarys." she said a moment later when she reached the edge of Malaquo's forces.
The flames were even more fierce than they had been when they'd fought the Night King or Euron Greyjoy's Iron Fleet. Whether this was because of her own feelings for the men they faced, or Aegon's for where they faced them, she knew not nor did she care. Instead, she just thanked her son, and together she and he brought the fire to the men below them. It was Jorah who pointed out the carriages with the scorpions on them and Drogon was soon setting them alight.
Dany found her own eyes to be looking ahead to the bright light that shined in front of them and soon she was smiling as she saw Aegon on Rhaegal's back and her other son laying down his own flames as he flew her way. They passed each other, Dany looking to make sure her husband was unharmed and he doing the same to her. Both of them nodding to each other as the dragons cut a fiery swathe through the army below them.
How many passes they made she didn't know, but the flames burned high and beneath them, an army burned. Neither Rhaegal nor Drogon were tired and had they wished it of them they could have continued for hours to come. But she heard Rhaegal's roar and then saw Aegon put his sword back in its sheathe. He flew to her and pointed back to Winterfell and since he was laying down no more flames, she and Drogon laid down none either. As they flew back to the keep, she saw the Northern army cut down men and accept few surrenders from those who came through the fire. They too wished to send their own message to those who had dared to invade the North.
They landed outside the gates and Aegon practically jumped off Rhaegal's back to come to her, Dany being helped down far more carefully from Drogon's back by Jorah. She saw Ser Jaime and Ser Brienne come their way and looked to see Tormund nod to Aegon and then she felt herself being almost lifted from the ground and held in her husband's arms.
"You are well, you are unhurt?" he asked and she nodded, smiling as she asked him the same.
"Aye, I am." he said and she heard the red dragon's chirps as it landed beside them.
The pain came then, she felt it in her stomach and for a moment she thought that something was wrong, that she'd been hurt in some way. She felt it again and this time Aegon saw the distressed look on her face and as she looked at him worriedly she suddenly felt weightless before she realized she was being carried in his arms and he was running into the keep. Above her she could see the red dragon flying, the sounds she made were even more excited and Dany looked to Aegon she knew why she'd felt the pain.
"The Maester, get the Maester, the queen is about to have our babe." Aegon shouted and Dany smiled, their babe, their babe was coming.