Winterfell 305 AC.
Aegon.
He held her hand as she lay in the bed, the smoke and ash still covering his face and in his hair, and yet he refused to leave her side even to wash. She needed him here, begged for him to stay and so he'd sent for water and had the Maester clean her first and was now waiting on more to be brought. That she was worried was plain for any to see, both of them were, though both worried for different reasons.
Dany worried that despite what she'd seen in her dreams, despite Lyarhaex, that it was to happen again and the gods would show their cruelty to her once more. The thoughts of their babe being born and of her not seeing her and not holding her in her arms before she lost it, plagued his wife's mind. For Aegon, it was the thoughts of losing her, of losing Dany as he had his mother and as she had her own. He felt he wouldn't be able to go on if he did so, that he'd crumble and even with their daughter in the world, without her mother by his side, he'd turn into the same man his uncle had been. A father in only name who had cared not for the suffering of the child he'd named his own.
Despite resolving in his head to never be that way, he feared it, feared that the loss of her would break him and their child would suffer because of it. When the water was brought, he looked at her and waited until she nodded before he moved away. He washed no more than a few feet from her and removed his clothes before changing into clean ones. That he was now wearing his most regal of clothing almost made him laugh, and it did at least bring a smile to his wife's face when he rejoined her.
"For this, you dress up?" she asked with a pained smile.
"We're about to welcome a princess into this world my love, a dragonrider, I felt it apt." he said smiling and she chuckled before she cried out in pain.
"Dany." he said softly, grabbing her hand and rubbing his fingers over her brow.
"Promise me.." she said and he felt his chest tighten "Promise me should I…"
"No, you'll be well, our daughter will be well, we'll see her Dany, we'll see her and her brothers and sisters grow, I promise you that." he said and she looked at him, nodding as he kissed her lips softly.
Wolkan once again asked him to leave and he saw the panicked look on Dany's face and the smile that appeared when he shook his head. Hearing the door open behind him, he turned to see Maege Mormont walk into the room, Aegon looking at her confusedly as she did so and as the Maester told her to leave.
"Out? Of all of us in this room who has birthed before? Hmmm, good, now get out of my way you old fool." Maege said and Aegon looked to his wife who nodded and to the Maester who was nowhere near brave enough to raise another objection.
Whatever it was she did or said he paid no attention to though he could see that Dany was and between holding her hand, giving her water when she looked to him and speaking as assuredly as he could, Aegon was for lack of a better word, useless. His hand did however give his wife something to grip tightly and he was glad he'd not used his sword hand, as after some time he found even he was feeling pained. Thought compared to what it was his wife was going through it was not something he could or would ever complain about.
"Is she, Dany, Dany." he called out when her eyes closed, his voice panicked as he readied to shake her only for Maege to threaten him with facing her mace if he dared to do so.
"Don't you fucking dare, your grace. She's just passed out, she'll come around in a moment, let her do so herself or so help me I'll smack you upside your stupid fucking head with my mace."
He didn't see the shocked look on Wolkan's face and he was in no way going to call the woman out for threatening a king. Maege knew more than he did about what was going on and so he deferred to her and breathed a huge relieved sigh when Dany's eyes opened a moment later.
"Is it over, my babe, where is she?" Dany asked panickedly.
"It's not quite time, your grace, a few more moments." Maege said and he saw Dany relax.
How he kept his calm when the screaming started he didn't know, he barely even saw their babe being born. His eyes were focussed on Dany's all the time, his words were ones that he hoped offered some comfort though if she'd not even heard them then he'd understand completely. It was only when Maege called to him that he looked to see Rhaella was actually here.
"Dany, Dany, she's, Dany….our babe, our babe, Dany." he said over and over again.
He felt her gasp when Maege moved away with their babe, felt her try to rise and he could understand her fear but Maege went only as far as the water and the clean cloths to clean their daughter. Wolkan did the same to Dany, as both he and she looked at Maege and the babe she now brought their way.
"A healthy girl, your grace, a very healthy girl." Maege said her smile beaming.
Maege handed Dany the babe and Aegon watched her all the way, his wife's eyes were brighter than he'd ever seen them before, the tears unshed but there all the same. He said nothing, just allowed her to hold their daughter in her arms and to look down upon her. All her fears, all her doubts that perhaps she'd not see their daughter into this world were gone and the look on her face was one he'd take with him to the grave.
"Aegon, look at her, look how beautiful she is." Dany said willing him closer.
He moved to lay on the bed beside her, his hand reaching out to touch their daughter's small face and he smiled when he saw the violet eyes taking in the world around her for the first time. The hair on her head was dark and yet he could see only her mother in her and that made her only even more perfect in his mind. Aegon kissed her softly on the top of her head before kissing Dany on the cheek, his wife barely noticing him as he did so.
Her own eyes were focussed on the babe in her arms and even when he rose from the bed, she barely paid him any mind. Aegon though needed to know for certain that they were both well. So he moved to Wolkan and bid Maege join him. Standing facing the bed so he could see both his wife and his daughter, he began speaking softly.
"They are both well, we have nothing to fear?" he asked, his voice calmer than he truly felt.
"Both mother and babe are well, your grace. I'd recommend her grace stay abed for tonight and should she wish to move around then to do so on the morrow and not to move too far." Wolkan said as Aegon looked to Maege.
"My lady?" he asked.
"Make sure she eats something, your grace, and that she tries to feed the babe, it may be hard at first for her but stay with her and offer her comfort and encouragement. I'll see a wet nurse is found just in case but, Aye, mother and babe are well." Maege said with a large smile and Aegon felt all his pent-up worries leave him.
"I thank you both, Maester, Lady Maege." he said and he saw the Maester swell up a little "May I have a moment Lady Maege" he said and the Maester moved to the door.
As the Maester left the room, Aegon was torn between looking at Dany and Rhaella and at Lady Maege, and given the smile on the woman's face when he turned to her, he reckoned he'd done far more of the former, much to her agreement.
"Sansa, my lady." he began only for the woman to shake her head.
"Will be well guarded and looked after, think not of her this night, your grace. You have much better and more pleasant things to think about."
I thank you, my lady, truly." he said and she nodded before moving to the door, Aegon following with her.
Ser Jaime, Ser Brienne, and Ser Jorah all stood there and he bid them enter the room, the three knights looking past him to Dany and Rhaella as they walked in. He could see the smiles on each of their faces, Jorah's especially though Jaime's wasn't much lesser.
"My wife and daughter are well, good Sers." he said as Dany looked to see them there.
"Princess Rhaella Targaryen, our daughter." Dany said smiling beamingly at them as she turned their daughter to face them, Aegon seeing two sets of violet eyes where once there had only been one and knowing there wasn't a thing he'd not do for either of them.
Winterfell 305 AC.
Dany.
She had felt no regrets when she and Drogon had brought the fire to the men from Essos, if anything she'd almost enjoyed it. Not the killing, not seeing them die but making them pay for what she feared they'd done to her people in Meereen. When she'd landed and she had seen Aegon and Rhaegal were unhurt she'd been relieved and then the pain had come. From the moment Aegon took her in his arms right up until she held Rhaella in her own had been a worry of a like she'd never known before.
Her dreams, the Maester, Lady Maege, and even Aegon himself hadn't been enough to make those worries go away. She had loved that he'd stayed with her, had needed him to and it did bring her comfort, yet when her eyes closed and she passed out she had feared the worst. It was only when she held their daughter. When she could touch her and look into eyes that matched her own and could hear the little noises she would make, that she finally relaxed.
Holding her, showing her to Aegon, to her Dragonguard, and feeding her when she was hungry, all of it was a joy she had never known before. A true happiness of a kind she had never dared to wish for and yet had always sought. It amazed her, she amazed her. Dany had come to Westeros for a crown to fill the empty space that not having a family had left in her heart. She'd not come looking for a family and had never imagined she would ever know one. Even when she met Aegon and thought him but a northern fool named Jon Snow she'd not considered that could lead to this. When the truth of him and of his feelings for her were clear to her, she'd thought that was what happiness felt like, she was wrong, this was. It wasn't the two of them together, it was the three, she, her husband, and their daughter, their family.
Hearing the excited sounds of her children outside the window made her move from the bed and disturbed Aegon who was laying beside her. Her husband wasn't asleep and hadn't even had his eyes closed, instead just like she had been, he was laying in bed looking at the most precious thing in both their worlds. She shook her head at him to show him there was nothing wrong, but Aegon rose anyway and walked with her to the window. While she held Rhaella, he opened the shutters and she looked out to see all three dragons flying almost close enough to touch. Drogon and Rhaegal turned to her and Lyarhaex flew even closer, Aegon moving in front of her and Rhaella just in case the red dragon's excitement was too much. It was then she heard it, from Drogon and Rhaegal it was deeper and further away but as Lyarhaex flew closer to the window, Dany could hear it clearly.
"They're singing." she said happily "They're singing to their sister." she said as she turned to see the awestruck look on Aegon's face.
"It's… It's beautiful Dany." Aegon said and she nodded as she looked to Rhaella.
"Can you hear them my sweetling, can you hear your brothers and sister sing for you?" she asked and was rewarded with a smile.
The song was indeed beautiful, all three dragons almost complementing each other as if they were a band of minstrels. Only the cold air of the North forced her away from the window and even as she moved back into the warmth of the room she could still hear the song just as clearly. She felt Rhaella move to her breast and knew she was hungry once more and so she took a seat by the fire as Aegon spoke to the dragons before he closed the window. Feeding her daughter was a joy in of itself, Aegon having told her that they'd arrange a wet nurse if she could not, and Dany both determined and delighted to find that she could.
It made her feel even closer to her somehow and it took her some time to realize why it was so important to her. Her own mother had never had this chance with her, life had been far too cruel to allow them to know this feeling. With Rhaego it had been the same, though it was his life that had been stolen from her which made it so. To hold Rhaella in her arms, to feed her and care for her as a mother should, she felt the tears fall as her daughter ate hungrily.
"Dany?" Aegon asked worriedly.
"I'm well, I'm well. I'm happy, Aegon, my tears are because I'm so very happy." she said and he nodded before he kissed her cheek.
She almost didn't notice him go to the door or hear what it was he said to Ser Jaime or Ser Brienne. Even when he came back in and took a seat across from her she barely paid him any mind. Her entire focus was on the babe in her arms as she hungrily ate at her breast, Dany smiling broadly as Rhaella ate her fill. Once she was done and she'd made sure there was no trapped wind, something Lady Maege had told her she must do after feeding, she saw her daughter's eyes close and so she carried her to their bed.
"Sleep my little dragon, sleep and dream of wonderful things for your father and I wish them for you and will make sure that each and every one of your dreams come true." she said kissing her daughter on the cheek.
"Dany, come you need to eat." Aegon said softly and she almost shook her head at him only to hear her stomach rumble.
The food arrived a few moments later and she realized that Aegon had sent out for it, Dany smiling as it was laid down on the table in front of her and then as Tormund walked in a moment later. She moved to tell him to be quiet, worried that his loud voice would wake Rhaella up only to hear him speak so softly that she was sure it was some sort of a jape.
"Where is the little dragon?" Tormund asked his voice a whisper.
"Come I'll show you her." Aegon said proudly and though she wished to join them, her hunger won out and so she ate as they moved to the bed.
She could hear them though, both of them speaking and the pride in Aegon's voice was only outshone by the joy she could hear in Tormund's. Dany listened as he told Aegon that he'd never seen such a beautiful babe and that he could already see that despite her being so small, she'd be mighty just like her mother. When Aegon told him that just like her mother, Rhaella too would fly on a dragon, Tormund laughed, and again she was amazed by just how quietly he did so. Even the slap he gave Aegon on the back was far quieter than it normally would be and though she didn't hear what exactly he and Aegon spoke about after that, they soon walked from the bed and joined her.
"She is a fine babe, Dragonqueen, her mother's child thank the gods, I'd hate to see anyone afflicted with the little crow's looks." Tormund said wiggling his eyebrows and she almost choked on her food as she laughed.
"Get out of here, you fool." Aegon said chuckling as Tormund slapped his back once more and then nodded to her before leaving the room.
She offered Aegon some of her food but he shook his head, pouring himself a mug of ale instead and then taking a seat across from her. While she had her back to the bed, he did not and though he was speaking to her, she was pleased to see him pay as much if not more attention to Rhaella behind her.
"What else did Tormund say?" she asked as she finished eating and took a large swallow of the cool milk which tasted incredible on her tongue.
"It's nothing, it's not important." Aegon said.
"Aegon?" she asked leaving no room for doubt that she wished for him not to keep it to himself.
"Malaquo, he lives still, he was burned and he will die, but he lives still." Aegon said and though she knew he was telling the truth, it was clear that wasn't all Tormund had said.
"The rest, Aegon." she said determinedly and she saw him sigh.
"Sansa he said she asked for me, perhaps she wishes to plead her case." Aegon said.
She looked at him and could see the anger threatening to overwhelm him as he spoke his cousin's name. If their daughter wasn't asleep feet away from them she felt he'd have given in to that anger already. Only that he was in no mood to leave either of them alone she felt he'd have gone to the training yard and taken it out on someone. Or perhaps he'd have sought the comfort of the skies as she did from time to time. For now, he just let it simmer and kept it ready to boil below the surface and she admired his restraint. It had always been something she'd not been able to do, to restrain the anger she felt at times and she'd heard from his own lips that Aegon too had found moments where he could not. Or to be more precise, Jon Snow found moments like that, Aegon Targaryen channeled that anger and as she looked at him, she could see he was doing so now.
"Go do what you must, Aegon." she said and he looked at her shaking his head "Go, you'll be the better for it and you're not just a husband and a father, you're a king too. Go be a king and then come back to us as a father and husband, my love."
"Dany.."
"Go Aegon, I'd go with you if I could, but go and see to what needs to be done, we'll be here waiting for you to return." she said and finally he nodded.
He got up from his seat and walked over to her, kissing her deeply before he moved to the bed and she watched him kiss Rhaella's forehead. Then he was tying on his armor and his sword and she smiled to see it was Blackfyre and not Longclaw that he wore when he left the room. She finished drinking the milk and called for a servant to take the plates away while she then moved to lay down beside their daughter.
"Your father is gone to show them a dragon, my sweetling, to show them a king. Sleep and dream and when you wake your father and I will both be here for you, we'll always be here for you my love, always." she said as she snuggled up beside Rhaella and watched her daughter as she slept.
Winterfell 305 AC.
Jorah.
When he'd heard they'd intended to attack the North he'd wished to be gone from Dorne as quickly as possible. Their fight wasn't in the sands it was in the snows and he was happy to find that his king and queen agreed with him. It was why he took no issue with what Aegon had done. Not only was the Martell boy seeking to break parley himself but they had bigger things to worry about and he had family who'd be at risk. So it had meant nothing to him to see parley broken, though he had enjoyed seeing his king and queen cowed the Dornish afterward.
Both of them worked well together, they complimented each other. Aegon was ice to the queen's fire, though Aegon had fire to spare too he thought with a chuckle. They'd left immediately after Dorne was secured and though he feared each mile they flew, he also knew they'd make it in time. Still, he'd been relieved when they did and when he'd seen his aunt and cousin were both safe and well. The battle itself, if you could call it that, was over in the blink of an eye. Men were no match for dragons and his king and queen used Drogon and Rhaegal to devastating effect. Once more Jorah felt their actions were more than justified and he knew that Aegon wished a message sent, as did his queen.
The fear and worry only truly came to him after they'd landed and when he'd heard the pained scream from his queen. He'd thought at first she'd been struck, that an arrow had somehow landed only to find it was pain of a different sort that his queen was suffering. That brought a different kind of fear to the surface, Jorah remembering all too well how she'd been after Rhaego and feeling that were it to happen again it could very well break her in two. So he'd paced outside the room as if it was his child being born and when he'd finally been called into the room and saw her holding the babe in her arms, he thanked the gods for their mercy.
" Princess Rhaella, our daughter."
He smiled at how she'd held her up and how she'd said her name. The look on her face one that he wished his queen would wear constantly. Rhaella looked healthy, her hair would be as dark as her father's by the looks of things, her eyes, gods her eyes were her mother's through and through. When they'd left the room he was surprised at what the king asked him to do, more so because it was him and not Jaime Lannister that he had spoken to.
" I need to know what happened, Jorah, the enemy forces, my cousin, how the North feels about what they saw. Speak to your aunt and cousin, to Edd and to Tormund, take a walk among the northern lords and look over the battlefield. I'd do so myself but…" Aegon said looking back over his shoulder at the bed.
" I understand, your grace, I'll see it done. Ser Jaime and Ser Brienne though, they stay on guard here, both of them, your grace." he said and Aegon nodded.
" Thank you, Ser Jorah."
So he'd done as he'd been bid and had sought out his aunt and cousin, finding both in the Great Hall where celebrations were already in progress. If Aegon worried that his or the queen's actions had caused any doubt amongst the Northern Lords then he was soon to be very much relieved. Far from doubting his king or queen, they were lauding them both for coming directly here and seeing the threat ended before it ever truly began.
Jorah walked into the Great Hall to chants of "The Jon" and "The Nerys" from the Mountain Clans, to "Dragoonqueen, and Dragonking" from Tormund Giantsbane and to "The Dragons" from almost everyone else. Seeing his aunt speaking to his cousin and the broad smile on Lyanna's face as she was evidently told of the babe's birth, he was stunned. Though even more so when his cousin climbed up onto a chair and bid the room to quiet and it did so almost immediately.
"My lords, my ladies, men, and women of the North, I have some wonderful news to share with you. Her Grace has just given birth to a daughter, a Princess of House Targaryen born here in the heart of the North. The Princess of the North." Lyanna said holding up a mug of something he was sure was ale.
"The Princess of the North."
"The Princess of the North."
"The Princess of the North."
He found himself with a mug in his hand that he had no idea who'd put there and he too was cheering just as loudly. Jorah hadn't considered it but now as he drank and moved to where his aunt and cousin were, as people slapped his back when they saw the colors he wore, he did. Though the North had come around to his queen and even to Aegon not being who they thought he was, this would only solidify the loyalty for years to come. A princess of the blood born in the North, a dragon rider who one day would be queen having been birthed amongst smoke and ash in the fires of battle in Winterfell, legends were written about far less.
"Come nephew, drink." his aunt said and he took a seat beside her, though he sipped rather than swallowed his ale.
"They seem happy." he said and his aunt nodded.
"Aye, the battle and the babe, a good title for a song don't you think?" his aunt said chuckling as Tormund came over and began to speak to Lyanna, Jorah watching as his cousin laughed at something the man he now knew was her father said.
"The king asked me to see how they were taking it, the battle?" he asked as his aunt smiled at her daughter and Tormund.
"I think he'd like what he'd see, he did good here, Jorah, there's not a man or woman here who doubts that." his aunt said.
"He'll be pleased by that, and by the babe's reception." he said.
"Lyanna named it true, a Princess of the North, she belongs to us all, Jorah, not just the king and queen, she's our princess too."
"Rhaella." he said as Lyanna looked at him.
"After the queen's mother?" his cousin asked.
"Aye." he said seeing the smiles on both his aunt and cousin's faces.
He spoke briefly to some of the other lords who made their way to his table, Galbart, The Wulll, and some more of the Northern Lords before he then spotted Edd speaking to a woman a little way off. As he got up from his seat Tormund asked him how Aegon and the Dragonqueen were doing and about the babe and he told him all were well and no doubt they'd wish to see him. Then he made his way to Edd and to the woman who he found out was called Jocey and was Edd's future wife.
"I need to walk the battlefield, Edd, join me?" he asked and he could see that while the man was reluctant, he wouldn't say no.
After giving him time to speak to Jocey, the two of them left the Great Hall and made their way to the courtyard, Edd calling for horses to be made ready and Jorah spoke to him while they waited.
"Lady Sansa?" he asked.
"She broke her arm and has asked to speak to the king. I had one of the men set it for now and I've sent word to the Maester to go to her once he was done with the king and queen." Edd said.
"He's done."
"The babe, she's well, her and the queen?" Edd asked.
"Aye, both are well. She's a fierce little thing, a dragon if I ever saw one." he said fondly and saw the smile on Edd's face.
"The lucky sod has it all now." Edd said, smirking still.
The horses were brought to them and they wasted no time, both of them eager to ride and see what they needed and then to ride back. More so once he actually saw the devastation up close. No man could survive this he thought and yet he found out that some had, one in particular that was sure to arouse the king's interest.
"Malaquo lives?" he asked and Edd nodded.
"If you can call it living. Man's burnt down one side and screamed constantly, even after what he'd done no man would have begrudged him some Milk of the Poppy, so he's resting now I'd imagine."
"The rest?" he asked and Edd shook his head.
"Barring a couple of dozen lucky to be found after the North had its fill of blood, the rest are as you see." Edd said.
"How many did the North kill?"
"A few hundred, perhaps close to a thousand, though at least half of that was ending men who'd been burned rather than men who fought."
"There was supposed to be 15,000 here, close to 20,000." Jorah said his voice soft as the reality of what had been done finally sank in.
"Then they are with their gods whomever they are and good riddance to them." Edd said.
"You take no fault with the king and queen?" he asked.
"Why would I? Do you think Malaquo intended me to live? Jocey? Your aunt or cousin? That man was burned half to death when they carried him through Winterfell's gates and still he was saying he'd see us all dead. What was done here wasn't cruel or unjust, far from it, it was righteous." Edd said and Jorah nodded.
They arrived back at Winterfell just as Lord Wyman and his men arrived, the lord both happy and yet disappointed that he'd missed the battle and the birth of the babe.
"Their grace's used the dragons?" he asked him and Edd.
"They did." Jorah said "And destroyed the army completely." he added looking to the man to judge his reaction.
"Thank the gods, and the babe, she's well?" Wyman asked.
"Aye, Princess Rhaella Targaryen, The Princess of the North." he said and saw Wyman's smile.
"The gods have spoken indeed, a healthy babe and a victory, the gods have shown their favor and I feel in the need for ale." Wyman said laughing as they walked into the keep.
King's Landing 305 AC.
Missandei.
As much as she liked being involved in things she was bored too. She missed Grey Worm and the King but mainly she missed being by her queen's side. Ghost was a fine companion and she spent some of her time with Arya too. Ser Davos wished for her counsel which she gave him and she tried to get a read and the others in her king and queen's Small Council.
Jon Connington was as much Aegon's man as Jorah would always be Dany's. The man spoke of the king as if he'd known him all his life and though he had not, she understood why that was. His history with the king and queen's house, with Prince Rhaegar, was a complicated one but it made him Leal to Aegon and to Dany by default and so she had no fears regarding him. Varys she at first hadn't trusted, there was something about the way he would look at Dany that gave her pause. It was Aegon who had explained it to her queen though and her queen had then explained it to her.
" Varys has served bad rulers before, he is wary and so I did not have his full support." Dany said as Missandei fixed her hair.
" Then perhaps it's for the best if he is gone, my queen?"
" Perhaps, though it's no crime to ask questions or have concerns. I am not always right and other than you, who do I have who questions me without doubting my decisions. Varys's doubts though were in not knowing who I was and what my reign would bring."
" He doesn't doubt it now?"
" He is with me and Aegon, Missy, he may question but only for the right reasons, just as you do." Dany said and she nodded.
She hadn't had a chance to speak much to the Master of Ships and since he'd left with the king and queen, she'd have to wait to do so. Lady Kinvara was completely on the king and queen's side, just as the other strange lady who'd traveled to Dorne with them was, which left Lady Anya Waynwood. The woman was someone she'd tried to get to know and though she'd been friendly enough, it was hard for her to do so. Missandei had thought that perhaps the woman disliked her as some of the Northmen had because she was not from Westeros. Soon though she'd found it that it was a far simpler reason why they didn't truly spend time together. Lady Anya thought her too young and inexperienced.
Over the course of the few meetings of the Small Council though this soon changed and while she'd never claim the woman to be fully behind the king and queen, few other than those who truly knew them were, she was sure the woman was not a threat. It relaxed her and made going to the meetings more enjoyable, if still as boring as ever. This one though was anything but and she looked at Davos with a million questions in her head at the news he'd just given them.
"Princess Rhaella Targaryen, she's healthy, as is her mother and though it'll mean their graces need to stay a little longer in the North, they'll all return soon enough." Davos said, a beaming smile on the man's face as he spoke of the babe and her queen.
"Rhaella." Jon Connington said wistfully.
"A princess." Varys said smiling.
Missandei was barely able to keep her own smile from her face as she sat and listened to them speak. She heard them talk of the battle and how it was done, the forces that had been sent to the North were defeated completely. Yet her mind was only truly on the fact that her queen had a babe and that both the babe and her queen were well. Many nights they'd spoken since the queen had found out she was with child and the one thing abundantly clear was just how much she wished for it. Just as she'd needed Aegon and the love he brought to her, the support and reassurance he'd given her from the moment they'd sailed North, her queen needed a babe. She needed this babe to be born and to be healthy and Missandei felt her joy and her relief in equal measures.
"We must inform the Realm, let them know that their graces have an heir, that the princess has been born and they are both well. I'll speak to Lady Kinvara, to the Septons and the Septas. Lord Varys your little birds should spread their whispers and I'll leave to go and speak to Arya now." Missandei said rising to her feet.
She gave Davos a nod and a smile and was gone from the room without awaiting an answer. Ghost was waiting for her outside and she knelt down to tell the wolf that he had a new little dragon to protect. Missandei laughing when he licked her face and then she told him to lead her to Arya. Surprisingly she was taken to the girl's rooms rather than the sparring yard or elsewhere and when she entered it was to find her ill in bed.
"Has anyone been to see her?" she asked Gendry and he told her that he'd brought someone and that Arya was with child.
"I am happy for you both, you are happy?" she asked and he and then Arya both nodded, Missandei looking on as Ghost moved his head to Arya's stomach and Arya rubbed her hands through his fur.
"Is something wrong, Jon, Dany?" Arya asked worriedly.
"No, they're both unhurt. They've dealt with the army in the North, but that's not why I've come to speak to you." she said smiling "You're an aunt, Arya, an aunt to a nice, Rhaella." she said.
"She was born? She's well isn't she, they, her, Dany?" Arya asked and Missandei nodded.
"They'll need to stay a little longer until she's ready to fly, but they're well, all of them."
Over the next few days she spoke to Lady Kinvara, to Septons and Septas, they even had an announcement made on the site of the burned down Great Sept and one at the gates of the Red Keep. They rang the bells of the city to announce the princess's birth and she was happy to see people rejoice and cheer for her king, queen, and princess.
A week later when she saw the ships arrive she felt her excitement rise and so she hurried to the docks to welcome the men back. She looked to see Qhono, Grey Worm, the strange lady, and Daario all making their way down the gangplank and she both smiled and frowned at the same time. More so when she shared the news and she saw how Daario looked when he heard.
"Queen, king, princess, safe?" Grey Worm asked.
"Very safe, they're all well and shall return soon."
"The Khaleesi and Khal have their Khalaka, we shall give thanks to the great stallion tonight." Qhono said smiling.
Missandei wished she could enjoy the happiness of the others, but her eyes were on Daario's all the while. She would need to speak to him, but for now she wished to be alone with Grey Worm and they had many things to discuss, she thought with a wicked smile. It was the next day that she got her chance to speak to Daario, finding him sparring in the yard against some men he easily beat. She heard him make mention of the queen, though unusually for him, he kept his bragging to a minimum. Waiting until he was done, she stood by and noticed that he had seen her arrival and he was delaying speaking to her for some reason. Eventually, though he moved to her, the same cocky grin on his face that he usually wore was there once more
"It stops now, Daario." she said and he glared at her until he saw the white wolf rise to his feet.
"I know not what you mean, Missandei of Naath." Daario said with a chuckle.
"It stops now. Our queen is not who she once was and has and will have no interest in you. Not only is her heart fully Aegon's but he's given her what no man could, a babe. Try and come between them and it will end in blood and believe me on this, it'll be your that comes out the worst for it." she said firmly.
"I fail to see what she sees in him." he said and though his usual cockiness was in his reply, she found she didn't believe it fully this time.
"No, you don't? He could end you in the blink of an eye, Jorah and Grey Worm aren't just no match for him, they're not even close. His wolf." she said rubbing Ghost "His dragon, either would end you if they thought you a threat, you should be grateful they do not." she said moving away from the man.
"I could make her happy, I did make her happy." Daario said softly.
"I've known my queen longer than you have, trust me on this, this is the first time I've ever seen her happy. I'll speak no more on it, our queen liked you, Daario, despite losing her city, she'd not see you harmed. Try and come between her and the man she loves, the father of her child, then you had better hope it's Aegon who ends you. For believe me, our queen would make you suffer unimaginably." she said as she finally walked away.
She hoped he got the message, it would pain her queen for the man to die, pain her, but only briefly.
Essos 305 AC.
Belicho.
Qarth the greatest city there was or ever would be, he laughed at their audacity. If he so wished he could see this city crumble into the sands that surrounded it. As the ship docked he bid his guards make ready and soon enough they came to him, the representatives from the Thirteen at first and then the Pureborn behind them. They were arrogant, dismissive at first, and then finally they realized who exactly it was they were dealing with.
It was neither of these groups that he was here to see and so put out and annoyed their representatives left insulted. He cared not and simply made his way to who he had come to speak to. The Tourmaline Brotherhood weren't as powerful as the Thirteen, the Pureborn, or the Ancient Guild of Spicers, at least not in terms of Qartheen importance. For his own, they were the only group in this city that mattered, and when he arrived at the palace owned by Lazaphos Aenorihn it was to find the man already waiting for him.
There was no pretense with the welcome, no false courtesy or dismissive attitude, Lazaphos stood with a large smile on his thin face as he welcomed him into his home. His guards, his men, and he were given rooms and a place to bathe and they were feasted that night. They were offered their pick of the men, women, and children to do with what they wished and yet neither he nor they partook in anything other than food and drink, much to Lazaphos's delight.
"Your men are remarkable, Belicho, few turn down the delights of the flesh." Lazaphos said as they drank.
"My men know why they are here, Lazaphos, they know what it is I require of them and how things will be shall they earn my favor or not. They'd not risk my displeasure for a night in a bed with a warm body beside them, not when they know it'll result in a lifetime elsewhere beside a cold one." Belicho said.
"When do you intend to take the city?" Lazaphos asked.
"You are sure he has it?" he asked and the man nodded "Then the city is already mine."
After the feast was over and done with, Lazaphos asked to see the piece he'd taken from Meereen, the man dropping to his knees once he did so. As High Priest of the Church of Starry Wisdom, Belicho was owed his fealty by right. Being in possession of a piece of the black stone, knowing what it truly was and that he was actively looking to bring all the pieces together, Belicho had the man's unyielding loyalty. When he went to his bed that night, it was to dreams of the carnage that the city would know before the night was done.
He'd seen it, seen them fall, and so he slept and dreamed and when he woke up in the morning it was to flames, death and destruction. With his guards he moved through the city, listening to screams and knowing he was the cause for most of them. It took them some time to arrive at the Palace that belonged to Stallaro Vynolis, his guards dead and the man's family soon to follow. Entering in through the gates he smiled to think he'd taken this city, this palace with less than a thousand men. He smiled to think that he'd soon have yet another piece of the black stone in his hands.
Winterfell 305 AC.
Sansa.
Her arm throbbed, the pain was terrible and yet it was the knowledge that she'd been played which hurt the most. Theon had been right, he'd told her she couldn't trust Malaquo, and yet she had, why? Why trust another man when she knew they were all fools?
'Were they though?' The voice in her head called out.
'Were they or are you?' It said as she tried to shake it away.
She'd been certain that he'd believed her words, that she'd gotten him to think how she wished him to. Sansa had been so very certain that she'd finally found the tool to bring her vengeance and justice against Jon and his Dragonwhore. Not only had Malaquo not been on her side but he'd also been actively against her, she thought bitterly as she felt another shooting pain in her arm. When he'd pushed her from the horse she'd not known what to think, no, that wasn't true, she'd not been able to think.
It made no sense to her, confused her, and by the time she realized what it was she'd gotten herself into, it was too late.
" Run'"
" Run"
The words stung as she saw what it was that he planned to do, the knowledge that she'd put the idea into his head only making her annoyance at herself grow. She'd seen the archer, the horse, the distance to safety and had found herself in her brother's shoes. It was not the brother's shoes that she had wished to be in. Falling, stumbling, and barely able to understand how she'd ended up in the position she was in, she'd tried to run.
Whoosh.
Twang
Whoosh.
If she closed her eyes she could still hear the sound of the bowstring, the sound of the arrow as it was let loose and flew through the air. Even knowing they had missed her brought her no great comfort as she knew that just like Ramsay with Rickon, Malaquo was playing a game, this time she the prey and not her brother. She remembered words she'd spoken moons ago, of what Ramsay would do and of how her brother was already gone.
Was he?
Could he have been saved?
Did she wish him to be?
Sansa wanted to believe she did, that she hadn't wished him dead but then she thought of Jon and knew she'd wished it for him and so she wasn't sure anymore. It was a scab she didn't wish to pick at too much and yet, pick at it she did. Rickon was a male heir, she a female one, a trueborn son of Ned Stark while Jon was a bastard, both were threats to her, to her crown, and yet she'd been convinced that one was lesser.
" They would never pick a bastard over a trueborn daughter of Ned Stark, Sansa my love." Littlefinger said as they rode to the hill.
" What about a trueborn son?" she asked worriedly.
" The knights of the Vale rode for you, Sansa, you order them into battle, not I."
So they had, so she did, but she'd waited until the time was right until she knew that Ramsay was certain to be beaten and couldn't escape.
Until Rickon fell,
Until you'd thought Jon had too.
Finally, the Maester came and as he fixed her arm he spoke of the babe that had been born, telling her she was an aunt as if she cared about such a thing. She smiled at him, batted her eyes and Wolkan left the room and her to her thoughts as she closed and remembered.
She was dead, the next arrow would be the one, she was dead and then he came, just as he did with Rickon, even after all she'd done he came for her. For the briefest moment, she felt such joy, such relief, and then she had felt the worry.
What if he didn't make it in time?
What if it was but a mummery, a show?
There had been light, she was lifted and she had thought the arrow had hit home and it was to the gods she was to go. Only to find that she'd been saved and that it was soon Winterfell's gates she was been taking through, behind its walls and far from danger.
When she woke the next morning, she felt a new resolve as a new realization had dawned on her during the night. He cared, he still cared, despite all she'd done, he cared and that gave her a way to him, a way to what it was she wished for more than anything in this world. When the meal came she ate it hungrily and over the course of the morning though her arm hurt her, she felt far lighter than she had the day before, it was not to last long.
"You've to come with us, my lady." Edd said standing at the door with Tormund and some guards.
"Are you taking me to my brother?" she asked with a smile, she'd asked to see him and been denied the day before.
"To your trial." Tormund said and the lightness went from her in an instant.
Winterfell 305 AC.
Aegon.
He didn't wish to be here, he wanted to stay in their room with them both, to just look at them both. His wife was happier than he'd ever seen her before and he wanted to share in that happiness. Rhaella, gods, his daughter, never did he think he could feel how he did when he looked upon her. Dany was his heart, he had known that far better this time around. Rhaella though was already his soul, she'd cleansed it, removed the darkness that lay within it and that he had carried with him through two deaths.
Looking at her, holding her, watching her being held, if he could spend his whole life just doing that then when next the gods called them to their side, he'd go happily. Unfortunately, he knew that was not to be his life, that while there would be moments such as those, there were other moments that needed to come first. So he set about to make those moments pass as quickly as possible so that he could get back to the ones he wished. He'd had a night with them where the world was only that room, he now intended to spend but a day before he could get back to it.
Jorah had told him that his and Dany's actions had been received well by the North, that no one thought them monsters or mentioned his grandfather, and instead it was his namesake and the Field of Fire that was spoken off. As for how they had welcomed his daughter, Jorah said they had feasted more her than they had the victory the night before. He told the man to get some sleep and yet knew he'd not and so he and Jaime set out on the day's work. Their first stop a burned fool who'd tried to take on dragons.
"Is he inside?" he asked the Maester.
"He is, your grace, he's not long for this world."
"Good." he said before moving into the room, Jaime following behind him.
Malaquo lay on the bed, his body burned almost completely down one side and he was a horrible sight to see. Turning to Jaime he gave him leave to look away, though the knight refused and Aegon then moved to sit at the bed beside the burned man.
"You will die soon." he said simply.
"I will see my daughter again." Malaquo coughed out.
"She'll not welcome you how you think." he said to another cough "My goodsister by all accounts was a good woman, she made my brother happy, and trust me I know better than most how shit this life can truly be. That she was able to make Robb feel joy even if only for the briefest moment in time, is something that I'm grateful to her for."
"It cost her, her life." Malaquo spat.
"Yet she died with the man she loved. Believe me Malaquo, that is something all people in love wish for. In another world she'd have lived, she'd have given birth to the child that grew in her belly." he said and saw the way the man turned to him, realizing that he wasn't aware she was with child "But this is the only world we have, and it'll be a far better one when you are gone from it."
He rose to his feet and looked down at the man, he could ask him questions about Belicho and his plans but he'd get no answers, the man was dying and knew it and though he could make it more painful for him, it would do no use.
"You've shamed her memory. I'll do my best to make the North know that their last true queen was a good woman and one I'd have been proud to name my kin, you, however, are soon to find out that death is not the peace you think it is, it's not the bliss you think that awaits you. Trust me Malaquo, I've seen what is on the other side, and were I in your position then I'd cling to every moment I could."
Nodding to Jaime, they walked from the room and to the Maester who was waiting outside, Aegon looking at him and the Maester looking back nervously.
"He's to be given nothing to dull the pain, no more treatments, that door is to remain open and I want the keep to hear his screams before he dies." he said and the Maester nodded "Find me with some paper and ink, I have a raven I need you to send."
Jaime looked at him as they walked, the knight seeming on the verge of saying something and so Aegon decided to speak to him first.
"You think that too harsh?" he asked and Jaime shook his head.
"No your grace, you aren't torturing the man, you're letting him die and using it to your advantage, I think it clever." Jaime said.
"I spent far too long being a Northern Fool, Ser Jaime, far too long."
He met Edd, Tormund, Lady Maege, and Lord Wyman as he moved through the keep, stopping and speaking to them and telling him what he had planned while accepting their good wishes for Dany and congratulations or Rhaella. Soon enough he came to where Theon was being held and nodded to the guards to open the door. Theon, a man who'd been at one time the bane of his existence, a traitor, a turn cloak, and who had also saved Sansa's life twice before coming to warn the North about her, seemed surprised to see him.
"Am I to lose my head?" Theon asked.
"I exiled you, warned you what would happen if you came back, yet you came back, why?" he asked.
"She was lost, Jon, I tried, gods I tried, but she was lost and what she wanted to do… I couldn't, if I'm to die then so be it, but I couldn't do it again." Theon said his voice as broken as the expression on his face.
"There is to be a trial, Theon, you'll need to speak on what you know about her, can you?" he asked.
"Jon, please…"
"Can you speak of it?" he asked more firmly and saw Theon nod "I thank you for coming back, Theon, it doesn't erase all the bad, perhaps nothing can but I told you on Dragonstone I can forgive you for what I can forgive you for. After the trial you'll be taken to Seagard and placed on a ship to the Iron Islands, should you set foot in the North again, there won't be a third chance." he said turning to move to the door.
"I hear you have a daughter now." Theon said and Aegon smiled.
"I do, Rhaella." he said.
"What you're to do with Sansa, Jon, think of your daughter." Theon said softly.
"She and her mother and all I think about." he said as he reached the door before he turned back to look at Theon once more "Should you find yourself in the Red Keep, you'll be welcomed, as you will in any of the other kingdoms, Theon" he said and saw him nod before Aegon then left the room.
He spent the next hour writing out the message to King's Landing and then speaking to the dragons, talking to them of their sister. Rhaegal told him that he'd protect her and make sure she grew to be the mighty dragon that she would one day be, Drogon giving him a look that pretty much mirrored his brothers. Lyarhaex wished to see her more closely and despite arguing with him, accepted that it would be on the morrow. Once he was sure they were all well, he made his way to the Great Hall and took the seat, and waited for Sansa to be brought in.
The Trial of Sansa Stark 305 AC.
Lyanna Mormont.
He'd asked her to be one of the judges, her and not her mother and she knew it had not been meant as a snub. By rights, her mother was the Lady of Bear Island and the Warden of the North, yet she and Aegon went further back than her mother and he did. Aegon, that had come as a surprise to her when the letter had arrived, that Jon Snow was not Ned Stark's son but her namesake's instead had at first worried her.
She could understand why he'd kept it to himself, his letter explaining that it was only when he'd come back to Winterfell that he'd known the truth and that he had feared for his wife's safety. Given how Sansa Stark had acted when she thought him her brother, she could only imagine what she'd have done if she'd known he was actually her cousin. So she understood and after speaking to her mother, she found it made no difference. He was her king, he remained her king and she was proud to name him so.
Lord Wyman and Eddison Tollet were the other judges, Sansa would speak for herself and Aegon would speak against her and she looked to see the still arrogant look on Sansa Stark's face. That the queen wasn't here was understandable and no one here would fault her for it. Lyanna finding she was looking forward to seeing the babe for herself once she could. She listened as Aegon laid out the charges, charges that with her own words Sansa Stark had already proved herself guilty of, and yet even after the ones she expected, the charges kept coming.
"You are charged with Treason by allying yourself with a foreign army and then trying to take the North by force. You are charged with Treason by traveling to the Vale and trying to convince its noble lords to rise up and join you in an attempt to replace the rightful king and queen. You are charged with Treason for traveling to the Riverlands in an attempt to do the same and by sending messages even before you traveled there, seeking their aid in usurping the throne.
You are charged with dereliction of your duty as Lady of Winterfell for not sending word to Leal men of the North informing them of the threat they faced and the call to arms to face that threat." Aegon said and she and everyone else looked at Sansa Stark and at the king.
"Is there more?" Sansa said dismissively.
"You are charged with dereliction of your duty as Lady of Winterfell and acting Warden of the North for sending word to call men to arms while telling them to leave their families unprotected." Aegon said to gasps "You are charged with Treason for conspiring to usurp the king you swore to, while he was actively seeking allies and finally you are charged with wilfully withholding the knowledge of the Knights of the Vale's march and keeping it to yourself before the Battle of the Bastards, resulting in the deaths of many men of the North and of Lord Rickon Stark, your own brother.
How do you plead?" Aegon said and she and the other judges looked on,
Sansa Stark said nothing, and so Aegon began to lay out the case, Lyanna and the others listening on as he called Theon to confirm what was said in the Vale. Sansa now was suddenly willing to speak and pointed out that the man knew only some of what was said. Aegon had Theon speak of what had happened at Riverrun and again Sansa was able to twist some of what was said. When he spoke of Malaquo, there was far less said from her in dispute, Sansa's own words and actions were easily enough to confirm Theon's version of events.
Then it came to speaking on the conspiring against the king and though they all knew it was true, Sansa painted it in such a way that it wasn't exactly treason, or close enough so that there could be some doubt. Lyanna watched as Aegon almost seemed to struggle to make his case at times. True enough the events with Malaquo spoke for themselves, but she was surprised that he had charged Sansa with so much with so little proof. It was only when Lyanna saw him smirk and then wink when he looked at her that she realized it was all but a game and her king had come to play.
Sansa.
Her first instinct had been to call for a trial by combat, but then who could she call? Brienne may stand for her, Theon may, perhaps even Arya would, but none against Jon, and even if they did they'd lose. She wasn't a fool, she doubted there was a warrior left in the world and certainly not one in the realm that could beat Jon with a sword in hand. He could even if he wished to, be just like his mad grandfather and name fire as his champion. Though in Jon's case it would come in the form of the dragons rather than wildfire.
No, a trial by combat couldn't work for her, so she needed to be smarter than he was, she needed to beat him with her mind, not with someone else's strength and so she readied to do just that. Listening to the charges he laid out almost made her crumble, it was all of her greatest hits and worst failures. The Vale, Riverrun, Malaquo, and the Battle of the Bastards, there were other things too which made no sense. What Leal men? What did he mean men and not their families? There was room to work though even if she was shocked that Theon would testify against her. Yet another man who she'd placed her faith in and who in the end had let her down.
She countered most of the claims, The Vale, The Riverlands, Theon hadn't seen it all and so his version could not be counted on. Malaquo was a problem but the man had helped her there too, his actions made her own understandable and explainable. Fear for her life would be her reasoning and given what Malaquo had tried to do to her, that fear could be considered far more genuine than it truly was. There was hope and given how Jon was floundering in laying out his case against her, even more than hope that she could win this and then perhaps use it as proof of what she'd said all along. He was against her, against the North, and had used them both to get what he truly wanted. A Dragonwhore for a wife and a bastard Dragonspawn for a child.
"I call Sansa Stark to testify." Jon said and she looked at him almost in glee, a fool, he was and had always been a fool.
Aegon Targaryen.
He let her sweep away his arguments so that when he called her she'd be as cocky and assured as he knew she still was. Despite all she'd done and how often her pathetic attempts to undermine him and Dany had failed, she was as arrogant as ever. Some people would be humbled, they'd seek forgiveness or recognize their own mistakes, Aegon found himself wondering was her mother the same way. Did she argue right to the end that she was right in all she'd done, or when death came for her did she realize that had she but just done things differently then her life would not have gone how it did. In the end, perhaps it mattered not.
"You said that Theon wasn't aware of everything that was going on in the Vale, Lady Sansa, so while there you did not try to sway the Vale to your side, to fight for you against my wife and me?" he asked.
"I did not, your grace. True enough I tried to bring Lord Robert to my side, but that was not to go against your or her grace, that was simply because my own position was so perilous. I also over time developed feelings for my cousin, we were to be wed and I'd have been more than happy to be the Lady of the Vale and to swear its allegiance along with my husband, your grace."
"Indeed. Yet you were charged with Lord Robert's murder were you not?" he asked and she glared at Theon as those in the room hushed.
"A false charge your grace, and one that was proven so in the light of the gods." Sansa said.
"Yet a charge all the same. My lords, my ladies, I have a sworn letter here from the Lords of the Vale who say that while Lady Sansa indeed won a trial by combat, it is without question that in their minds she killed Lord Robert. I also have more sworn letters confirming that despite denying it in this very room, Lady Sansa did indeed try to bring the Lords of the Vale to her side and have them rise up against myself and Queen Daenerys. Even going so far as to blame us both for an attempt on her life, one where the true culprit was Cersei Lannister." Aegon said and he heard the gasps and saw the crack appear on Sansa's façade.
"Lies, they hate me, I was the one conspired against, these are lies." Sansa shouted.
"Which brings me to Riverrun, Lady Sansa, you said that there too you didn't conspire against my wife and me, However, this raven written in your own hand seems to suggest otherwise. My lords this was given to me by Lord Edmure Tully himself." Aegon said to more shouts from Sansa.
"My uncle is a fool, he worried that I had a claim to Riverrun and the Riverlands and so he sought to damn me with…"
"Lies, yes, most regrettable." Aegon said to some laughs "The Dreadfort, Lady Sansa, do you remember the message you sent to them?"
"I…"
"Perhaps I should read it out for the judges and the lords and ladies?" he said and she shook her head "Suffice to say, my lords, my ladies, that it too is written in Lady Sansa's hand and it requests that only able-bodied men come to Winterfell, no wives, no children, no old or ill, only men who can fight. As for what was to come of those left behind, well..all of us here saw the dead." Aegon said looking down to the ground.
He heard the shouts and saw the worried look on Sansa's face, Aegon finding that he had quite enjoyed putting that look there. Turning to the Mountain Clans he nodded and The Wull moved forward, Aegon raising his hand to quieten down the room.
"The Wull, when her grace and I arrived to speak to you, we made mention of the raven Lady Sansa said, can you tell this court what you said to us?"
"The Sansa sent no raven, The Jon." The Wull said and Aegon let it slide that he didn't use his true name, that would take time.
"Is this true, Lady Sansa?" he asked with no reply "The Knights of the Vale, my lady, why didn't they ride with us into the Battle of the Bastards?" he asked and saw her gulp.
"I..I.."
"Is it not true that you knew of them even as we marched? That you and the late Lord Baelish were in contact and you had known of their presence at Moat Cailin even while we sought men to take Winterfell back from the Boltons?"
"I..we….I…"
"That on the very eve of battle when we spoke and I told you that we hadn't the men, that the fight we were going into was one that we may very lose and that my brother may very well lose his life. Is it not true you not only kept the truth about the Knights of the Vale to yourself but told me that my brother's life was forfeit?" Aegon said, he didn't wish to name Rickon as their brother because the woman he spoke to was not his kin.
"I… Ramsay, he'd have never… Rickon… We had to win, I had to… he had to pay." she said shaking, and for once it was with genuine emotion and not the mummery he'd come to expect.
"Yet you kept the knowledge of them to yourself even as we lined up to face the far larger force, even as good men and women of the North and True North marched and fell. You kept it to yourself and the Knights of the Vale only rode when Rickon fell and when it looked as if I too had fallen." he said to gasps as those who were there and who'd seen the battle remembered that day.
"I sent them… I… they saved,..were it not for…" the words were jumbled as she tried to explain.
"What was it you said to my sister, Lady Sansa? Should I speak the words or will you?"
"I…" her tears fell and though he believed them to be true, he couldn't be certain.
"You should be on your knees thanking me, we're standing in Winterfell because of me. You didn't win it back, Jon didn't win it back, he lost the Battle of the Bastards. The Knights of the Vale won the battle and they rode North for me." Aegon said and men rose, women shouted, even Lyanna Mormont jumped up from her seat.
He waited for them to quieten down and he looked at Sansa whose eyes were moving from side to side looking for a way out.
"Do you remember what else was discussed between you and my sister, my true sister, and not whatever it is you claim to be?" Aegon said bitterly.
"Jon please…"
"My name is Aegon Targaryen, Jon Snow is dead, remember that Lady Stark." Jon said as he held up the raven scroll that Arya had given him, Sansa's words written out clearly
"Robb, I write to you today with a heavy heart. Our good king Robert is dead, killed from wounds he took in a boar hunt. Father has been charged with treason, he conspired with Robert's brothers against my beloved Joffrey and tried to steal his throne. The Lannister's are treating me well and providing me with every comfort. I beg you, come to King's Landing and swear fealty to King Joffrey and prevent any strife between the great houses of Lannister and Stark, Your faithful sister Sansa"
She shrank down in her seat as the shouts rang around the Great Hall, Aegon looking to the back of it to see Brienne, Jorah, and Dany holding Rhaella and standing in between them. With a nod, his wife turned and walked back to their room and Aegon once again quietened down those who were baying for Sansa's blood.
"My Lords, My ladies, I'll not speak more about Malaquo and Lady Sansa's alliance with him, you were there, you heard the words she spoke which proved her as true as these words written in her own hand do. I'll say no more for there is little I can say, other than to ask of you, what say you?"
"Guilty." Edd said loudly.
"Guilty." Wyman said with a look of disgust on his face.
"Guilty." Lyanna Mormont said her lips in a snarl.
"Lady Sansa you have been found guilty by this court, do you have anything to say?" he asked and she said nothing, instead she was almost curled into a ball, her body shrinking in on itself "Then in the name of her Grace Queen Daenerys and in my own name, King Aegon Targaryen, you are hereby sentenced to death. May the gods grant you mercy."
He said no more and nodded to the guards to take her away, Aegon quickly moving through the large doors and making his way down to his room. Jaime walked behind him and Aegon was glad of the silence as he was when he entered the door and saw Dany and Rhaella on the bed. Taking off his sword and his gambeson he was soon standing there in just a shirt and his britches and then he moved to the bed. He kissed Dany and looked down on his sleeping daughter.
"Guilty?" Dany asked.
"Aye."
"What now?"
"Now she'll pay." he said simply as he rubbed his finger over Rhaella's cheek.