The Daily Bear
A AU mixing Jorah and Richard from Downton Abbey.
Dany wants to scream and rage, overturn chairs and try to set fire to the curtains, like she remembers father trying to, before they took him away. But she doesn't, because she is not father, and because her brother would make her pay for it if she dared to express even a mild kind of displeasure. No, she keeps her face blank and smile empty, as if she had not just been told she won't have a debut ball, or that she is going to marry a man twice her age she has never meet before. No matter that she has been planning for said debut for years, even going as far as to beg her Martell cousins to lend her a old dress, out of fashion but still better than any of hers. She managed to convince them to, even if they hate them now, after Rhaegar got himself killed in a duel over a woman's honor. A woman that was most certainly not his wife, driving said wife to enough despair to burn their house down with their children and herself inside. Viserys keeps prattling away about all the money the man has and how King's Landing will return to his former glory, worthy of the Earl of Dragonstone, him now that brother and father are dead, little Aegon to. No matter that the title was already a joke before the duel, now no respectable family with money or without it would join houses with them, which is all the reason why she is being sold to a newspaperman.
"Are you listening to me sister?" Viserys hand settles on her neck in that threatening manner of his, his eyes feverish and deranged, just like father's.
"Yes brother, Sir Jorah Mormont will call tomorrow, I am to be sure he leaves satisfied with his choice. "
"Good girl" Her parroting seems to have pleased him because she gets a kiss on the forehead instead of something nastier "I know you will be perfect tomorrow. After all you don't want to wake the dragon, do you?"
She makes a show of her submission, with lowered fearful eyes; again it's more than enough for her brother, for she knows him well.
He is old and slightly balding, but his eyes are the most piercing blue she has ever seen and he apparently insists on carrying a beard that even she knows is very out of fashion. Scotsmen's, her brother snorted when telling her this, it's quite obvious Viserys derides the man, Sir Jorah on the other hand gives Viserys as much of his attention as he would a fly. He has a temper, she can already see it, like the bear they call him, you don't want to see him on a rampage says llyrio Mopatis, who hosts both them and the small party they are currently in. And yes it makes sense, he speaks little for all that he owns a fetching voice, and spends most of the reunion either listening to her or stalking through the other guests, eyes like a hawk in search of prey. She only grows nervous as her brother goes choleric because of his apparent indifference, it ends being all for nothing when they say their goodbyes.
"It was a lovely evening Lady Daenerys" His tone is gruff and his posture rigid but the look he gives her is almost uncertain. "I hope I am not being to forward but I told your brother it would be ready for today"
The ring it's way to ostentatious, with a big ruby on the middle, a jewel bought by a man with something to prove. She gives him her thanks anyway, if not for the ring but because at the sight of it her brother calm has returned, it even turns into a smile when he mentions taking her to Hyde Park after the banners appear on the newspaper. Viserys practically dances with her after he bows and leaves.
"I knew there was no way that beast would take the Hightower girl over you; the old man will be seething when he reads about it.
It turns out, she finds out after, that the Old man of the Hightower had been pushing his youngest daughter to the recently knighted Jorah Mormont.
"Of course he would pick you" Vierys would tell her "You are more beautiful and the sister of a Earl, they say he has a good nose for business so there is now way he would pass such a lifetime opportunity to belong to such a noble family like ours"
She can't avoid thinking it's more likely that the Hightower's don't reek as much of desperation as they do. She still feels vindicated, for all that Lynesse Hightower always had the best dresses, jewels and entertainment, that even against what her brother wanted to believe was always regarded as prettier that the sullen dragon princess; yet she won't have this over Dany and the feeling is exhilarating.
He is more talkative on their next meeting, maybe it's the lack of other people beyond their chaperone who stays always respectfully apart, or maybe it's that she is more receptive now that she knows he choose her over others society would find more worthy. He mostly wants to hear about her, what books she likes, what play's would she like him to take her to or what she usually does with her time. But she manages to pull some things out of him as well, like from where he is from and the fact his family won't be coming to the wedding.
"They don't approve of my work, or more like their lords don't approve of my work. Honorless says my father, as if honor mean's working for the same family for generations with your head more on the ground that on the sky." She watches him throw a rock with more force than necessary at the river, as always his demeanor fierce and aggressive against soulful sad blue eyes. "I wish I could take you there, it's beautiful, the trees are old and the forests thick, nothing like the ones down her, all in neat rows like tin soldiers. You would look glorious, in a fur pelt among the trees, like an ancient queen"
It finally hits her, suddenly, he has no home, for all his newspapers, money or knighthood, he has no home. When he dared to go against tradition and class he lost it, most likely forever. But she has no home either, because home means way more than a house, and King's Landing never was her home. All the lingering fears she still had disappears, because all she can see now is a grumpy old bear tumbling around, lost, always searching for home yet forbidden to find it., a bear, Her bear. Daringly she reaches and touches his face, those sad eyes of his wary; she can see them and the ruby ring at the same time, not even that looks as garish as before so she kisses him. Maybe it's not true that they don't have a home, maybe they just found one.