The first one to notice anything different is Ghost. Daenerys has always gotten along well with Jon's direwolf. The first time she met him was shortly after arriving in White Harbor. Somehow the direwolf must have known that his master would be there and traveled south to meet him, for no sooner had they disembarked from the ship than she saw the enormous animal approaching the docks and making a beeline for Jon.
Later on, after a tense introduction to Lord Manderly and what felt like an endlessly long discussion of logistics with Tyrion, she found Jon and Ghost supervising the removal of dragonglass from the ships. She had approached cautiously. But Jon had knelt down next to the beast and introduced her to him, and after only a moment's hesitation Ghost had nuzzled her hand and encouraged her to pet him.
Since then, Ghost has always been friendly towards her. He sleeps in the same chamber as her and Jon most nights, when he isn't off prowling outside the keep. But lately he'd become more solicitous, following her around the courtyard and sleeping on her feet instead of Jon's in the evenings. Daenerys suspects that he's picking up on Jon's protective instincts, which have ratcheted up a notch ever since they've started planning their strategy to engage the Night King.
Jon knows that Daenerys plans to ride Drogon into battle, knows that having her and the dragons will be an incalculable advantage. But he doesn't like it, just like he doesn't like the idea that Arya will be there. For all he knows that they're capable, a battlefield is a dangerous place, and no-one will be a bigger target than the woman riding a dragon.
The plans have been coming along reasonably well. They've been talking about how to protect the dragons from spears, which armies will be most compatible fighting alongside each other, how to best fashion the dragonglass into different kinds of weapons.
Finally, over a month after the first ships have landed in White Harbor, they are ready to move on to Winterfell. It has taken far longer than Daenerys would have hoped. The decision was made to send ravens summoning the Northern lords from south of White Harbor to meet them there, so that they might more easily return to their keeps and begin gathering forces before heading North themselves.
It had been tense. The men of the North were not happy to hear that Jon had sworn for a southern Queen. So far, their trust in him had held, and they vowed to send what men and supplies they can to Winterfell as soon as possible. Still, Daenerys knows that none of them have warm feelings towards her or the idea of being one of the seven kingdoms again.
The only thing that had held the peace was the news of their betrothal. The decision had been made on the way to White Harbor. Tyrion had found them the morning after their coupling, insistent that the political ramifications of their tryst merited discussion.
The conversation had been an uncomfortable one. Daenerys was still a bit angry that Tyrion had chosen to confront them together, rather than first bringing up the matter with her alone. He probably thought it would be more easy to manipulate them that way, and he had been right.
Daenerys does not know what to call the things she feels for Jon Snow. She has known him only a few months, and much of that time has been spent with the two of them at odds or apart. He has impressed her, certainly, with his bravery and his swordsmanship. He is an attractive man, well formed and handsome.
But she has known many such men, and has never been drawn to them the way she is to Jon Snow. She envies him his conviction, his certainty that he knows his fight. She wants to see him look at her with that same certainty. Even with Tyrion, Daenerys cannot reveal how often she is plagued with indecision and uncertainty. She can look to her Hand for counsel, but she cannot unburden herself to him and seek solace in his reassurances.
When Jon talked of his sister Arya, Daenerys saw him light hearted for the first time, and she was caught off guard by how suddenly and how fiercely she wanted him to be that way around her. She wanted him around her, period. It was foolish and perhaps unqueenly of her, but in his presence Daenerys felt a renewed sense of purpose, a redoubled commitment to be not just a conqueror, but a Queen who served her people. The bitternesses and resentments that had been building up in her at the slowness of politics and the costs of that patience seemed to fade, and in their place she found herself desperately wanting to be the Queen that Jon saw in her when he finally bent the knee.
And so with Jon standing beside her, Daenerys found that she could not bring herself to voice any real opposition to the idea of their marriage. She did remind him that she could not bear him children, but Jon only shook his head and said, "I've long since accepted that I would never have sons of my own. If this marriage is agreeable to you and Tyrion thinks that the realm would accept you marrying a bastard from the North, I'll go into it gladly."
Tyrion had waved away concerns about Jon's legitimacy and any potential opposition from the Northerners, insisting that he could be legitimized by the Queen and that the lords would come to see this as an opportunity. And so it was decided that the alliance between the King in the North and the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms would be sealed with marriage.
So far, it seemed Tyrion had been correct. From their faces, it was clear that the lords were initially quite displeased to hear that another King in the North was planning to marry a woman they considered a foreigner. But after the formal announcement, when they had recused themselves, many such lords found themselves drinking with the Queen's Hand and setting aside their objections.
"This is not like the previous situation," Tyrion would point out. "Robb broke an alliance, Jon is brokering one. The Others are coming, and the North cannot not stand against them alone."
The lords still bristled at the idea, and Tyrion would continue, "You know what happened the last time a Targaryen came to Westeros with dragons. Torrhen Stark was one of the only rulers of the 7 kingdoms to kneel and save his men. Some called him craven for that decision, but where are the Gardeners, the Hoares, and the Durrandons now? The dragons have returned, my lords. Is it not better to see the grandsons of Ned Stark on the Iron Throne someday and your own sons safe in your keeps?"
Jon had wanted to marry in the Godswood of Winterfell, where his sisters and brother could attend. But drinking with Tyrion could only reassure the lords so far, and their minds were clearly never much removed from the fate of their last King in the North. And so Jon and Daenerys found themselves in the Godswood of White Harbor, saying their vows in a Northern ceremony.
The ceremony had to be modified somewhat. Finding a way to do it without unnecessarily riling the Northern lords had been tricky. Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen had no intention of forsaking her sigil, and that would need to be made clear. But to have Jon wear a maiden cloak seemed inappropriate. So it had been decided that Daenerys would wear a simple cloak with her own colors on it, and Jon would wear none. When the ceremony was ended, Jon would cover them both in finer cloaks with Targaryen heraldry.
The Northern lords would still not like it overmuch, but Tyrion had chortled gleefully as he agreed that "bastardizing the ceremony this way is best we can do".
When they finally set out for Winterfell, the roads are not kind. Traveling with so many troops and supplies over unfamiliar terrain, it is slow going, and the snows and winds are particularly hard on the Dothraki especially. Still, Daenerys finds herself cherishing the weeks on the road.
It feels good to be traveling again, to enjoy a respite from what had seemed like endlessly wasted time on politics at a time when action was paramount. And she enjoys the time with her new husband. Daenerys has been married twice before, but it has never felt like this. She never knew Drogo before marrying him, and even after he took her as his wife it was a long time before she felt a connection with him. Hizdar had been an annoyance to her both before and after their wedding, and she had laid with him only twice before he was killed. Neither time had been remarkable.
It is different, with Jon. She had found their bedsport to be passionate even before their vows, but after they are wed he seems even more intense. He spends long minutes at her nipples, alternating between sucking at them and rubbing them roughly with his tongue, until Daenerys can no longer control her own body and finds herself pressing frantically upwards, only to have him hold her down so he can explore at his leisure. She will find bruises on her hips the next day and flush at the memory of how strongly he had to grip to keep her still.
When he finally enters her, he seems determined to keep eye contact as he drives into her, and Daenerys thinks fleetingly back to her lessons with Doreah, wondering if he means anything by it. With Drogo, she had felt empowered, looking into his eyes and taking her own pleasure as she rode him. With Jon, she feels incredibly vulnerable, wondering what he is looking for, if allowing him to see her this way will let him see into the rest of her. She does not ask him about it, but merely answers with her own urgent exploration of his body, determine to map and mark every part of him for her own.
After their coupling each night, he lies close to her and tells her more stories about Winterfell and his youth there. Most nights the tales are happy or funny, but occasionally he tells her of more difficult times. She returns the favor, and most nights they drift off to silly tales of inconsequential childhood adventures.
The entire journey north feels like a strange interlude, a fragile moment of peace that will no doubt end when they reach their destination. And then they arrive in Winterfell.
Author's Note: Not the most original concept, I know. I guess probably will be two more parts. Anyways, positive or negative, I'd love to know what you think.