Dany had to leave, otherwise she was afraid she was going to let her walls crumble down. In that cabin, she allowed Jon Snow to see her like few people did, and he let her saw what he had been denying since he had met her, the numerous ugly scars that were scattered across his chest like moon crescents that could be seen in a dark and bleeding sky.

It seemed that they had both understood who the other was. Beyond the wall, Jon witnessed who Daenerys truly was, a brave and selfless queen that cared for her people. As for Dany, she could not deny that Jon was the same as she in many ways, and she was now seeking his approval of her because she had come to value it more than anything else. The Targaryen and the Snow had both acknowledged the other as not only an equal, but also as an alter ego.

Dany acting so recklessly for a queen also meant that she had grown more than used to Jon - she had feelings for him. Feelings that she didn't know she was capable of having anymore. In her chambers, while Jon was resting in his, Daenerys allowed herself to contemplate the fact that she had truly believed that she was not capable of feeling this way for a man, because leaving Daario behind had seemed so easy to her, and it had scared her.

And now, she had had to run from his chambers like the teenager that she never got to be and not a powerful queen, because Jon Snow's deep, smoldering look had made her feel weak. She was not accustomed to the feeling, and the blows that were Viserion's death and the thought of losing the King in the North, getting him back, and then realizing that they had both fallen for the other, made her feel weaker than ever - even weaker than she felt during her first encounter with Khal Drogo, Viserys's hateful gaze on her.

Dany couldn't let herself dwell on such thoughts and neither could Jon, so she decided to stay away from his chambers for a few days. After all, they had to get ready for the forthcoming meeting with Cersei in King's Landing.

"Well, I guess it could've gone worse", Tyrion mused as they were on their way back from King's Landing to Dragonstone. "My sister is showing incredible cooperation."

"And you believe that she lied", Dany merely stated.

"Of course I do. Cersei would gladly see all of us die if it meant she could hold onto her crown for a while longer", the dwarf morosely said as he stared at his glass of fine Dornish wine.

As they both contemplated this likely possibility, Jon Snow entered the room. Dany couldn't help but notice that he still looked a bit pale, even days after his return from beyond the wall.

"We need to prepare for the worst, then. The dead are still coming" Jon stated. He was looking at Tyrion the whole time, but he finally dared looking Daenerys in the eyes. They were both struck by the same intensity, the spark between them still very much alive.

As they kept staring at each other, Tyrion smirked and cleared his throat. "Your Grace, if you excuse me, I think Tormund has some fermented milk that he offered to share, and this night might be one of my last opportunities to try to educate him on what is a proper drink.", the dwarf said as he got up from his chair. Dany nodded her permission to leave, and Tyrion walked out of the room.

After a few moments of silence, Jon started "Your Grace, I came to apologize. I didn't get a chance to do it sooner."

Dany poured herself some wine and raised an eyebrow. "And what exactly are you apologizing for, Jon ?"

The King in the North let out a sigh and took a few step towards Daenerys. "I am sorry for how I behaved the other day. I didn't want to make you uncomfortable and I overstepped my boundaries, Your Grace."

Dany shortened the distance between them with a few regal steps of her own. "I thought about what you said. Although the last person to call me "Dany" was my brother, I don't mind you calling me that. I realised that I need to let go of the past in order to move forward and to create something. You calling me that would be a small step."

Jon nodded his understanding, and a small and shy grateful smile grazed his lips as he looked away from the gorgeous queen, who took one more step. They were now both within arm's reach, and Dany couldn't help herself. She gently grabbed his hand, and their fingers intertwined as they both stared at their joined hands as they mused over how right this felt.

Jon raised his head and they gazed into each other's burning purple and hazelnut eyes. Without a word, Dany took a few steps away from Jon, but never let go of his hand. Instead, she led him out of the room and into her chambers. After closing the door behind them, she turned to Jon, whose eyes were burning holes into her own.

Quickly, purposefully, he took long strides and trapped her against the door, her body hitting the wood with a soft thud. He seemed to be looking into Dany's eyes, searching for something - and finding it, because he finally kissed her, not questioning what the other was feeling anymore.

His kiss was soft but insistent, and it consumed her. She responded in earnest and melted against his mouth. They both knew that they definitely weren't each other's first, but they also realized that in some ways, they were. Never in such a short amount of time they had grown attached to someone so deeply, and never had their fate been so interwoven with someone else's.

Jon remembered what Dany had told him about her not being able to have other children, but for once he decided to live for the moment. Since he had joined the Night's Watch, and even growing up in Winterfell, when he was only driven by the wish to take the black, Jon had always been doing what was necessary for what was to come. Here, in Dany's chambers, none of that mattered and he could be selfish for a moment.

As their kiss picked up in intensity, Daenerys led him to her bed.

That night on the Targaryen boat burnt a fire so bright that it left no room for the threatening shadows that were the Night King and Cersei Lannister.