Stannis Baratheon
Castle Black
'She was alive,' Was the one thing he thought as he looked at his daughter, the one he had burned alive. For what? A prophecy, he burned her alive so he could sit on a throne. His knees bulked, and he fell. He couldn't do anything less when he saw his daughter walking out of flames with four moons dead Jon Snow. His wife was not much further beside him, who had been crying out to stop what was happening to their daughter. She now looked with hope at their daughter. 'You were just as convinced it would work.' He thought as he looked at his kneeling wife.
"I," He couldn't say anything. "For fuck sake, bring them some clothes, and make sure to shut up that woman." Maege Mormont commanded. She walked over to the pair, and the dragons and wolf let her through. He still looked in despair at his daughter. 'What did I do?'
"Your Grace, you have to rise. A King can't kneel." Lord Estermont said, one of the few lords of the Stormslands that were still around. The lord stood where he had been bent, and seeing his daughter alive had truly broken him.
"The man is a kneeler, burns his own daughter, and then still fucking kneels for King crow. Like we all will, conqueror of death, she kissed by fire." One of the wildings mocked him. He noticed it now. All the wildings had knelt. Wildings did not kneel; they had now, not for him but for his daughter and Jon Snow.
He then remembered what Mellisandra had told him when asked about his purpose as Azor Hai. She always said, I only see "snow". He thought it meant he would fight in the snow, but seeing his daughter walk out of the burning pyre with him. Azor hai, it was Jon Snow, not him. He was just a man who killed his brother with blood magic and had tried to burn his daughter alive to wake dragons from stone.
He was awoken out of his stupper by a harsh voice full of anger. "Lord Stannis Baratheon," He looked up and saw Jon Snow standing before him. His daughter stood at the man's side, now cloaked in a black cloak. Her face was that of someone heartbroken, but what shocked him was the disappearance of her greyscale scar. Only a red spot remained.
"I have come to understand you burned your daughter alive." It wasn't a question. It was a statement. He just stared at his daughter as Jon Snow spoke. "For this monstrous and unforgivable act of tried kin slaying. As the true heir to the Iron Throne," 'True heir, of the Iron Throne?' he thought, confused.
"I sentenced you, Stannis, to live at the wall. A way to make up for the worst mistake you ever made, and the world of men might still need your command skill when they come." Jon Snow, a voice of authority that reminded him of his brother when Robert led men into war. Those were the times his brother was at his best, leading men into war.
"Please kill me. I deserve it." He pleaded. He didn't see the hit coming. But his head rang with pain as he felt the cold, comforting snow on his. "Get up," He felt himself being pulled by the collar of his vest. "You tried to burn your own daughter. Alive, you don't deserve a quick end. You deserve to live with that choice." Jon Snow snarled at him.
"Put him into the ice cells, and put the red witch into the one as well. The same applies to anyone who puts Princess Shireen on the pyre. They will be retained as well. Their faiths will be decided tomorrow. Now, after Princess Shireen and I are clothed, I want to know what fuck happened in the time since those cunts killed me." Jon Snow commanded. Jon walked away from him with a look of disgust, and his daughter was flowing, not looking at him once.
Not much later, the man who followed him was rounded up and half-frozen in the ice cells.
Howland Reed
Castle Black
He traveled all this way to finally tell the son of one of his best friends the truth. Yet when he arrived, he learned Lyanna's son was dead. He brought everything from the proof of his King's legitimacy, even King Robb's will, even if he had never sworn a vow to him as King. Orys was always his King. Yet he fought for the North and sent men with Robb Stark, his liege lord's son, to fight for his home and his friend.
Now he still looked dazed as Orys walked alive and well, with two dragons being carried by his direwolf and walking toward King Tower, beside him the Princess Shireen, Tormund Giantbane, and Eddison Tolled. The other two giant dragons had curdled up around the pyre, just sleeping, having quieted down since. Where they had come from, he did not know, only that it seemed they came for Orys.
"Howland? What do you make of all this?" It was Maege who had spoken. Breaking him of his thoughts. "I have hope again. However, I do not know where those two came from. Essos, although they look far too large to be hatched by Daenerys Targaryen." He said as he looked at the dragons.
"Yes, but why do four dragons now surround our King? He no longer needs King Robb's will to free him from the Watch. He served until his death, and he has risen from that. Even the Princess Shireen was spared the damn flames. Still, what is work here, Howland?" Maege questioned.
"Well, winter is here, and you heard why those wildings came over from the lands beyond the wall." He replied. He paused for a moment before continuing. "They knelt. Maege the Wildlings knelt to an outsider and their protector. As far as I know, they do not kneel." He still thought of it. "Even the giants, ten of those, also knelt to him." He said his voice still shaky from the day's events.
"Come, let's speak with our King. With all this behind us, the Freys and the Boltons will get the justice they deserve." Maege, receiving a nod from him.
"Let's see our King." He said.
They walked towards the King's Tower, the air thick with anticipation. His mind raced. 'He knew the truth about Jon Snow or Orys Targaryen as the trueborn son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark. He had carried this secret for years, waiting for the right moment. That moment was now, as the man that held never to speak was gone, and the oath that Orys swore to join the watch was gone.' He thought with heavy steps.
Jon Snow/Orys Targaryen
Castle Black King's Towers solar.
He clothed himself, all wearing the black of the Watch. He sat in the chair of Mormont and Stannis. 'Stannis, what happened to that man? Did he become mad, or was the zealotry inside him so high that he was willing to burn his own daughter? But by some act of the gods or protective magic, Shireen was spared, and even her face was healed. As did his own scare, except those scars, of his murder.' He thought as he looked up at Torrmund and Edd.
"So, what happened after I was killed." He asked. Tormund and Edd, after he was cloth. "Wait before saying anything else. What happened with Mance and my sister." He asked.
Edd and Tormund gave each other a look, "Mance is dead, Stannis told us. The Boltons flayed him and hung his body in front of the main gate Winterfell." Tormund snarled out.
He closed his eyes. "Arya? She is still in the hands of the Boltons. I take it?" He said with a low growl. "No, Jon didn't have Arya. She was a fake, a ploy to fool the Nothern Lords and legitimize the rule of the Boltons. The girl is here. Her name was Jeyne Pool, if I recall correctly. The man who helped her escape is gone. However, Stannis executed him on an old weirdwood near Winterfell." Edd explained. "Fuck, I thought they had my sister, the fuckers. It seems they can fall even lower after kingslaying, flaying, and the atrocities those Bolton fuckers cause." He hissed, and he felt his rage seething under his kin.
"Who did Stannis excute?" He asked, after taking a deep breath. "Theon Greyjoy," Tormund answered. "What? I thought the treacherous fucker died in the sack of Winterfell. After killing my little brothers, although he didn't, as I learned later from Sam." He replied, confused.
"Apparently not, the bastard of Bolton flayed until he was so far gone, he called himself Reek. He also looked fifty, by the accounts I hear, and that he wanted to die." Edd added.
"He deserved to die for his treachery, but, flaying, I do not wish on anybody. I'm surprised Stannis didn't burn him like he tried to do with Shireen. He probably wishes to ingratiate himself with North by killing him the old way." He replied. 'Theon was dead. The one that caused his old home to fall, slaughtered its people and betrayed his brother. What was part of the downfall of Robb, and yet he had known Theon most of his life and was now gone.' He thought, feeling a strange mix of satisfaction and weariness.
"What happened in the battle? I know it ended badly. Otherwise, Stannis the tried Kinslayer wouldn't be here." He questioned the pair. "Mmm, from what I know, Stannis lured them onto a lake of ice, and many of the enemy fell when it broke, but Stannis, his forces, was already weakened by cold and starvation, was partly broken, on the side where treachours Karstarks attacked. The battle would be a total loss if not for Manderlys killed part of the Frey forces that were sent to attack Stannis." Edd explained.
"Good, a death, Frey, is good, Frey. What happened after the battle?" He asked. "Stannis, his force spilt after too many casualties. The Northmen forces fell back Deepwood Moot, which Stannis liberated, taking Asha Greyjoy with them. So she could be traded for Lord Robbet's children and wife. Stannis fell back here, but with losses and dead horses from the battle, the army had better supplies for the return journey to Castle Black, following the Kingsroad's help."
"Well, that explains his desperation, yet still murdering your own daughter. Was the man so convinced he was Azor Hai, and I suppose finding those dragon eggs didn't help." He replied. "Who found those?" He asked. "The Red Witch saw it in her flames." Tomurmed mutterd.
"Alright, I suppose the eggs are either from Aemon and Beryen Rivers, or the eggs were a clutch of Sliverwing from when Queen Alysanne was here." He mused and saw looks of confusion on Tormund and Edd. He sometimes forgot he had a lord's education, and people like Edd and Tormund didn't. "Targaryen who were at the Wall could have left the eggs here." He explained.
"Now, speaking of other traitors, what happened to the men that killed me?" He asked, his voice a low growl. "Two of the killers were killed by Ghost, and their corpses were thrown into the ice cells. The ones who lived did the same. There was a sturcel do with does loyal to you, and does against your policy. Soon, the freevlok took charge as they had the numbers. Not much later, I was voted in as lord commander." Edd explained, and his own eyes went up. "Hmm, congratulations, Edd. You deserve to lead before you are on the Wall." He said joyfully.
"Thank you, but you can have it back, Jon. It's a shit job." Edd exclaims miserably. "Sorry, my watch has ended, and my days at the wall are done. I have North to set right and realm to warn you about what is to come. I doubt Castle Black can maintain two full-grown dragons." He said.
A knock on the door. "Jon, a Lord Commander, it's the princess Shireen. She wishes to see Jon." It was Satin's voice that came from outside. "Let her in." He ordered, and the door opened, showing a now-cloth Shireen. When he saw her, that weird feeling inside came up again.
"Princess, welcome. You wished to see me." He asked kindly, and she nodded timidly. "Can both leave? We will discuss our plans for what to do tomorrow." He asked. Tormund and Edd who both nodded. Then they left, leaving him and Shireen alone, with the two hatchlings still sleeping on Ghost's back.