Disclaimer: I own nothing of GoT. I was merely curious to explore an AU and here is my version of it.
"I will show you a different lifeline. And if you are still unsure after that, yet another one." Queen Daenerys Stormborn and Warden Jon The White Wolf looked at the Red Priestess in front of them. Things had been...tense between them, at best, after Brandon Stark had revealed Jon's parentage to them.
While Dany had grown up thinking she would marry Viserys one day, Jon couldn't come to terms with the idea of an incestuous relationship, yet at the same time distancing himself from Daenerys was getting more difficult by the hour. Even Bran had told him to let go, that they were meant to be, but he couldn't. Not yet, at least. But the Red Priestess had made both of them curious. "Look at the flames...look deep...see the truth in flashes of another reality…"
A woman was dying in childbirth. "I am so sorry. We couldn't save her…" The Maester sounded grieved as he told the Crown Prince of the death of his wife, Elia Martell. "And our child?" The Maester looked down at his feet. "Stillborn. We tried everything, but it seems she strangled on the umbilical cord. Words can't express the sorrow I feel…"
The final joust in the Tourney of Harrenhal: Ser Barristan Selmy of the Kingsguard breaking his lance with the widowed Crown Prince Rhaegar Targaryen - it would be the joust of a lifetime. In the moments after the Kingsguard was unhorsed, Rhaegar picked up the crown he had ordered to be made for this event. Slowly, he rode down the viewers, before stopping in front of the woman who had intrigued him since the second he saw her. And with a crown of blue winter roses, Lady Lyanna Stark became his Queen of Love and Beauty.
"I don't care if they gossip! This engagement is off! Robert Baratheon has already dishonoured me by fathering three bastards anyway!" an angry Lyanna was arguing with her lord father Rickon Stark and her brother Brandon Stark. "And I will marry Rhaegar, and if that is the last I will ever do, so be it." Brandon raised his arms, trying to calm his sister down. "It's okay, Lya. We will find a solution. The Gods probably know you would run off with him if anyone forbids you to go with the Crown Prince."
The wedding was beautiful and the love that was so absent when Aerys married Rhaella and on the day of Rhaegar's first marriage was evident now between Crown Prince Rhaegar Targaryen and his fiancée Lyanna Stark. Some whispered that they were fulfilling the old pact of ice and fire, others made jests of the wolf finally joining the dragon, but nobody could care less than these two when the High Septon declared them wife and husband.
King Rhaegar's coronation came quicker than expected. Rumour had it that Aerys Targaryen had tripped over a cat in the middle of the night, falling down two stories, snapping his neck in the process. Ser Oswell Whent of the Kingsguard found him, and while he informed Rhaegar, the youngest member of the Kingsguard, Ser Jaime Lannister, ran to the Queen - now Queen Regent - Rhaella Targaryen, one of the few persons who had always been very kind to him. He couldn't hide his hatred when he told her the news. "King Aerys had an accident. He will never touch you again. I am so sorry I couldn't protect you from him...but he will never hurt you again."
It turned out that the late Aerys had actually impregnated his wife during their final, painful intercourse. And so Lyanna and Rhaella both waited for their children to be born. "I am scared", Lyanna admitted, when they stood in the godswood. "I have seen many of my children die, as you know." Lyanna looked at her mother-in-law in front of her. "It will all work out this time. Aerys is dead. And only death can pay for life." She whispered the last part, but involuntary, Lyanna shivered as she looked at the heart tree in front of her. "Yes. I feel it, too."
"Just a little more", Rhaegar encouraged his wife just as dawn was about to break. It was a taboo of course, for a noble man to be by his wife when she gave birth, but he looked at the midwife and told her that he was the King and could do as he pleased. His most trusted knight, Ser Arthur Dayne, had positioned himself before the door, in case something went wrong. "You are almost done", Rhaella told her daughter-in-law and indeed, a few more pushes and the midwife presented them with the youngest addition to the Targaryen family. The young Crown Prince looked all Stark, though, a bit of black hair on his head and grey eyes. Yet Rhaegar was there as well, in the shape of his nose and of his jaw. "His name is Aegon Targaryen", Rhaegar announced as he held him for a moment before giving him back to Lyanna, who would give their son the nickname he would live with. "Aegon...well, surely he looks more like a Jon."
Only a few days later it was Queen Regent Rhaella who was in labour. The night had fallen on them three hours ago and the night had brought with it a storm, a storm with rain so heavy they almost had to shout to understand each other. Lyanna had tucked Jon in before returning to her mother-in-law and her midwife. Lightning lit up the room, giving everything a stark black-and-white contrast. "The storm only gets worse with each passing hour," Lyanna mused. "This might be the worst storm in human memory", the midwife whispered in agreement before looking back at the Queen Regent. Twenty minutes later, when the storm had risen to its peak, her daughter finally entered the world. "She looks like you", Lyanna whispered as she saw the young princess. Rhaella smiled as she saw her daughter. She had Rhaegar and she also had Viserys, and loved both of her sons, but she had wished for a little girl. "Daenerys," she declared, before her smile spread, lighting up her face and made her look a lot younger than she actually was. "Daenerys Stormborn."
"…and then the knight won the tourney and his fair maiden's heart." Lyanna watched her son and his aunt, snuggled together, already asleep. It had become somewhat of a habit for them, to fall asleep in the same bed, as well as spending almost every waking hour together. The young Crown Prince and the Princess had only seen four namedays so far, so nobody was worried about that. "Are you alright?" Lyanna looked up and saw her mother-in-law, Rhaella standing behind her. "It's nothing. I am just trying to come to terms with their relationship." "You know that I never liked Aerys and he never liked me. But there were Targaryen couples in history – Aegon the Conqueror and his sisters, and also Jaehaerys and Alysanne – that did share loving relationships." Lyanna looked at the two children, sleeping so peacefully and wondered whether they dreamt of each other. "We won't force them. But we will wait and see, and I am sure they will always feel that way for each other."
"Wait for me!" Jon was laughing his special laugh, reserved only for his aunt, Dany. They were running through the godswood together, enjoying the perceived freedom they had there. Of course the Kingsguard wouldn't be far - Ser Arthur Dayne was watching over them today - but he had scanned the surroundings and knew they were safe. "You are running so slowly, Jon!" Dany complained as she stopped and waited for him to catch up and they hugged. Despite actually being nephew and aunt, they were as close as if they were brother and sister, being so close in age. "Well, I have to make sure nobody follows us! And if they did, I would defend you!" Dany giggled and looked at Jon. "Like a knight?" Jon's face took a serious expression. "Like Prince Aemon the Dragonknight, if that is what is needed." Although she couldn't hear what her grandson and daughter were saying, Queen Regent Rhaella smiled warmly as she watched them from the entrance of the godswood when they returned. If their relationship would stay like this, the Targaryen dynasty would be safe for another generation.
"Rhaegar...I am worried about sending Jon away," Lyanna admitted and wrapped her arms around her husband. He was trying to hold the realm together as best as he could, and succeeded in doing so, but he found it straining sometimes. He wished he could simply return to Summerhall for a time, seeking inspiration there. Both of them knew how much he hated the everyday politics, and how much he loved singing for her instead. So each night, he sang her to sleep, with his low, slightly melancholic baritone that had won him her heart in the first place. "He will be safe with your brother Eddard," he tried to assure her. Brandon Stark had died shortly after her wedding, just after a duel for his intended, Catelyn Tully. Petyr Baelish had challenged Brandon and lost the duel, only to put a dagger straight to the Winterfell heir's heart after the duel was over. The Maester at Riverrun hadn't been able to save Brandon, no matter what he tried. So Petyr Baelish was executed on the spot and Catelyn was wed to Eddard Stark instead. And now the ten years old Jon would spend some time with his uncle at Winterfell. "And Dany? He will miss her," Lyanna whispered. It had become an open secret in the royal family how fond they were of each other. "If they still feel the same way when Jon had been gone for some time, I will speak to my mother about their marriage."
"I will miss you", Dany cried as she hugged Jon as tight as she could. "I will always think of you, Dany", he murmured as he held her. "And I'll write as often as I can! Take care of my dragon egg for me," he told her. At their joint nameday celebration two years ago they had both received a dragon egg, as per Targaryen custom. When they were younger, they would often look at Viserys' egg, a white one with golden parts on it and he would make fun of them in a good-natured way, telling them they should get used to seeing a dragon egg - after all, they were the blood of the dragon. Jon's egg was green and bronze and Dany's black and scarlet. When they had opened the box, it was clear who would take which egg - Dany had dreamt about black and scarlet scales in some nights throughout the last years and of course Jon knew that. "I will make sure it is alright, I promise you."
"I am Florian the Fool!" Robb Stark shouted as he lifted his training sword and circled his cousin Aegon - or Jon, as he was commonly referred to by his family. Thinking of Dany, Jon lifted his sword, replying "And I am Prince Aemon the Dragonknight!" Arya Stark, the younger of the two Stark sisters was watching the duel intensely. While Robb was her brother, Jon and her looked so much alike that they might as well have been twins, if not for the age difference. Robb and Jon had become very close, but she and Jon had become even closer in the past three years. He had even taught her how to use a bow - something she was already better with than her younger brother Bran. And Jon had promised her a real sword in a few years! She would make sure that she could repay him accordingly for such a gift. But as she watched the duel end in a draw, she remembered what she was here for. "Jon! I have two letters for you!" Her cousin looked at her, their equally grey eyes meeting. "One is from your parents. And the other one is from Daenerys." Jon's smile lit up his whole face when he heard Dany's name. "I am sorry, Robb, but I have to read these first before we continue." His cousin patted his shoulder. "No worries. Family is important, Jon."
In King's Landing, Dany listened to her brother Viserys who had just returned from Dorne. He had been engaged to Arianne Martell of Sunspear and therefore had spent some time in the south, getting to know her. Currently, he was telling Dany about Cyvasse, a famous board game that many Dornishmen enjoyed. "And…" he pulled a box from behind his back "...this is for you." He opened the box and presented Dany with a Cyvasse board and two figurine sets. "Thank you, Viserys!" she shouted and hugged her brother. He laughed and half-mocked her, "it seems to me you still miss the right decency for a princess, Dany." In fact, Dany had escaped the Septa so many times to listen to the Maester, Lord Varys and the Kingsguard instead that Rhaegar and Rhaella had simply given up one day and allowed her to attend the meetings of the small council if she stayed silent and behaved well, something Dany took very seriously. "Aren't you worried about the people getting the wrong impression about your sister?" Ser Lewyn Martell had once asked the King after Dany had persuaded him to tell her more about Dorne and Dornish customs. Rhaegar had graced him with a rare smile. "Why would I? She will be Jon's most trusted advisor one day, the way Lyanna is mine and Alysanne was Jaehaerys'. She should learn as much about politics and the customs of the Seven Kingdoms as she could possibly do."
"They are coming to Winterfell", Jon murmured, staring at the letter. Of course he knew that his time at Winterfell was coming to a close, but he hadn't expected his parents to come. And Dany...he would see Dany again! He smiled for a moment, before he got hit by the thought like a brick wall. Why would his parents bring Dany with them? Surely she was otherwise occupied at The Red Keep...unless…Jon's head snapped up and turned right while his stomach turned into a knot. Robb...they were planning to engage her to his cousin? Of course, Robb was the son of the Warden of the North and the heir of Winterfell, but Dany...Dany was his. "I feel unwell, excuse me, please." He placed fork and knife besides his plate and hastily left the room. Yet he left so hastily that he didn't notice Arya's eyes following him.
Ever since he had come to Winterfell, Arya had found another brother in Jon. They looked so much alike and shared the same sense of humour. It was Jon who had gifted her a sword, Needle, on her ninth nameday and practiced with her until Lord Ned Stark had brought a Master of the Water Dance to Winterfell, Syrio Forell, the former First Sword of Braavos. She could almost hold her own against Robb and Jon now and easily best Bran. Before, she had sometimes felt out of place at Winterfell, always overshadowed by the perfect Lady her sister Sansa aimed to be, but even Catelyn Stark had stopped protesting against her daughter's dancing lessons one day. Arya knew Jon wouldn't want to be repaid for what he did, but it seemed the Old Gods had finally given her an opportunity to. Jon had been too busy leaving, forgetting one of his letters in the Main Hall. Swift as a snake, shegrabbed it and made her way to her chambers where she could read it.
The letter surprised her for a moment. King Rhaegar Targaryen and her aunt, Queen Lyanna Stark, would come to Winterfell! Jon had always been so happy to hear from them before. And they would even bring Jon's aunt Princess Daenerys Targaryen - Dany - he could talk for hours to no end about. Why would he look so depressed all of a sudden? She closed her eyes and recalled the events. "See with your eyes", Syrio often told her and she tried that now: Jon reading the letter, his face turning from joy to disbelief to sadness. He then lifted his head and looked at Robb, before leaving. Robb… Suddenly, all of it made sense. Jon and Dany had been in love ever since they were small children, hence the lengthy letters they kept exchanging throughout all these years. And now, as she was coming to Winterfell, Jon feared she would be engaged to Robb? Perhaps he thought that his parents would not stand for the Targaryen tradition of marrying in the family. She stood up. There was something in the back of her mind, one lesson with Maester Luwin; one story of Old Nan. She had to get to the library, and quickly.
Jon was lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling of his chamber, letting his heartbreak consume him. All the times he had hugged Dany flashed before his eyes, and he allowed his memory to fill those images up with that unique scent of ember, fresh grass and smoke that was just so essentially Dany. He recalled the times they had slept in the same bed, falling asleep to a song his father sang, a tale told by his mother or his grandmother or Ser Willem Derry or even Viserys, if they pestered him enough. "It's not fair", he whispered. A knock at the door brought him out of his sorrow long enough to yell a "Go away!" before turning over. He didn't feel like talking to anyone right now, so he grabbed a pillow and put it over his ear, turning away from the door. Only to be shocked when his door opened and Arya entered the room. "Don't even try that. I know how to pick locks, Jon."
"Arya...I just want to be alone right now", he protested as she closed the doors and sat down next to him. "So you can sulk in peace? Forget it. We are going to get you your princess, that's what we will do." Jon looked at her, seeing the fierce determination in her eyes. "You don't know what you a…" he started, but Arya interrupted him. "I know it well enough. You are in love with Princess Daenerys Targaryen, probably since both of you were toddlers. And now you are afraid of your other family coming here, because you fear they would announce her engagement to Robb." "How did you find that out?" Arya smirked. "You left that letter from the King lying on the table. And you get that smile whenever you talk about her or someone says her name. You also never even kissed anyone, no matter how hard they tried." "She is my aunt, Arya. And I don't think my parents will stand for the Targaryen tradition, especially not with the Stark family. The Old Gods would never…" "Oh, Jon. But they already did." She lifted the huge tome she had brought to the room with her and opened a specific page. "There were two Starks that definitely married their nieces, Jon. Lord Jonnel Stark married his niece Sansa Stark, and Edric Stark married Serena Stark." Unbelievingly, he snagged the book and read it for himself. "I...Arya, you have no idea what this means to me." "I think I do, Jon. I really do."
"Stop fidgeting, Jon", Robb laughed and put a hand on his cousin's shoulder. "I haven't seen them in ages", Jon replied, while he thought "I haven't seen her in ages." They stood in the central plaza of Winterfell, waiting for the royal family to arrive. The sound of hooves approaching made all of them stand still, waiting. Two Kingsguard were the first to enter, Jon immediately identified them as Ser Barristan Selmy the Bold and Lord Commander Ser Gerold Hightower, the White Bull. Behind them rode the King himself, Rhaegar Targaryen, and next to him his wife Lyanna. Jon smiled inwardly, his mother was one of the best riders in the Seven Kingdoms, and of course she would prefer to ride on horseback instead of being locked in a carriage. Following them, between Ser Oswell Whent and Ser Jonothor Darry, was the one person Jon longed to see the most, though - Princess Daenerys Targaryen.
His memory didn't do her justice. Like him, she was approaching her eighteenth nameday and while Jon had always thought she was extremely beautiful, she might as well be the most beautiful woman in all of the Seven Kingdoms by now. Long blonde hair, the expressive blue eyes, delicate but determined features...and the smile she has always reserved for him. If he hadn't already loved her, he would have fallen for her in that second as he beamed back at her. Yet he had to wait for the protocol to unfold, wait for his uncle to welcome his family, and then greet his parents, before he could finally welcome Dany. It was the hardest thing for him, to stick to the protocol instead of pulling her in his arms, where she belonged. Still, her eyes spoke volumes - she, too, would have probably preferred another kind of greeting.
The protocol dragged them through the afternoon, and Jon was getting more nervous by the minute. He was sitting between his father and Robb, while Dany was sitting next to his mother and Arya. His favourite cousin had somehow managed to snag the seat from Sansa - and judging from Sansa's look, she found their conversation probably somewhat weird. Indeed, Arya and Dany were talking about one of Arya's favourite heroines, Nymeria, the legendary conqueror of Dorne. It was the end of their lunch when Jon finally gathered the courage he needed. "My lord father? I have a dire matter to discuss with you, and I would like to do so as soon as your schedule allows." Rhaegar studied his son. Of course, Jon was older now, and he saw a lot of himself in his son's quiet demeanour, but he had rarely seen his son that unsure or even sad. And whatever troubled him, it was obviously important enough that he would rather approach him than spend the late afternoon with Daenerys. "I am having a bit of free time immediately after the feast. Does that sound acceptable?" "Yes, my lord father."
Ser Jonothor Darry walked them to the godswood but they entered alone. "Jon, what is wrong with you?" Rhaegar asked when they reached the giant old Weirwood Tree. "I...I beg you to reconsider, father. You can't possibly do that to me." Rhaegar looked at Jon, who was struggling with his words. "I can't do what? Say something." "I...King Rhaegar Targaryen, I ask you for the hand of Princess Daenerys Targaryen." There was a sudden silence for a moment, and then it all made sense as Rhaegar put the pieces together. "Oh, Jon." He reached out and pulled his son in his arms. "She was always yours, Jon, just like you were always hers. We didn't want to make you feel as if your choices didn't matter, but Rhaella, Lyanna and me always knew it would come to this." "Mother is not angry with me?" Jon wanted to know. He had suspected that after trying to talk his father into accepting the proposal, his mother would be some hard work as well. "There have been Lords of Winterfell who married their nieces, Jon. And Lyanna would never deny you your happiness." "I...I thought you brought Dany with you because you wanted to set up an engagement with Robb Stark", Jon finally admitted and to his shock, his father laughed at him. "Dany said she would come here on her own if we didn't take her with us. She's got a lot more of the dragon than both of us, Jon, or Viserys. If I had told her she were to marry Robb Stark, she would have probably sailed to White Harbour, travelled here, grabbing you and sailing off to Oldtown, to talk some Maester or Septon into marrying the two of you." Jon blushed, but at the same time, he felt elated. She was still feeling the same way for him and she would be his wife! "Can I ask her? Today?" Rhaegar smiled at the nervous young man in front of him. "Of course, my son."
"Dany?" Jon had knocked and opened the door of the room she was staying in and smiled as she saw her. "Jon!" Dany beamed and a moment later, they were hugging each other. Breathing in that familiar scent of ember, fresh grass and smoke, Jon finally felt at home. Dany had pestered her older brother to allow her to ride with them and had been nervous the entire journey on the Kingsroad. It was years since she had seen Jon the last time, and albeit their very frequent letters, she was missing him; his warm smile, his humour, his hugs. She had been worried when she first saw him again. He looked older and incredibly handsome, with wavy black hair, toned muscles and his grey eyes, but he also looked troubled and had a worried look in his eyes. She had wished that there had been an opportunity for them to talk, but instead the strictly assigned seats had separated them. Dany had spent the day talking to Arya instead, who was Jon's favourite cousin, judging from his letters. Arya was a lot like her aunt, Queen Lyanna Stark, so Dany understood quickly why they got along so well. Yet she kept stealing glances at Jon, who seemed more troubled by the minute and finally left the lunch with his father, the king.
"You look so beautiful", he whispered in her ear and she blushed slightly. "You look extremely handsome yourself - all grown up." He looked into her blue eyes and contemplated to kiss her right there, but decided to ask her first. "We have time until the dinner. Would you like to take a walk with me?" Dany smiled and nodded, before she interlaced her fingers with his and he slowly led them to the godswood. "It's a lot bigger than then one in the Red Keep", she said and studied the weirwood trees. "Dany, I…" "Jon, what is wrong?" They had always been really good at reading each other, and all she wanted was to ease his trouble. A hundred different scenarios came to her mind, including the worst of all - Jon telling her how he had fallen for a Northern noblewoman and was planning to marry her. Her heart started breaking at that sheer thought, before Jon finally spoke up. "You know I have never been good with words. You were always better at that, with more charisma as well. But all the time here at Winterfell, something was missing, the one thing I need to call a place home. Your arrival has changed that. You came here, the most beautiful woman in the whole world, and for the first time in Winterfell, I was at home. I want to feel like that everywhere and every day. I love you, Dany, more than anything. Do you want to become my wife?" Dany didn't say anything, she just studied his familiar grey eyes, eyes so familiar and so, so hopeful - before moving her fingers through his hair, and then she pressed her lips to his. She had dreamt about that for a long time, kissing Jon, smelling that soothing, earthy scent of his skin, feeling his arms around her. She gave him the other answer when they stopped kissing for a moment, desperately needing air. "Of course; I love you. I've always been yours, Jon."
They announced their engagement after dinner on the same day, when only the Kingsguard, the Starks and the Royal family were left seated. And while most of the people were happy, Catelyn Tully protested. "Are you alright with that? This is wrong, she is his aunt. The Seven don't look kindly on that." As a king, Rhaegar Targaryen had been famous for his diplomacy, people were already calling him Jaehaerys the Concilator come again - but he was more commonly known as The Composed Dragon. Yet even a composed dragon could spit fire if woken, as Catelyn Tully would find out soon. "First and foremost, they are Targaryens; the blood of Old Valyria, the blood of the dragon. And like the dragons, the Targaryens answer to neither god nor man. Who are you to question them?" Lyanna had seen her husband never that angry before, not even when people mocked him for choosing her. "And...have you forgotten already what happened to Brandon Stark?" Catelyn paled as she remembered the duel. "If I were to engage Princess Daenerys to a highborn lord...say, your son, Robb Stark, do you think Crown Prince Aegon would take kindly to that? He would probably challenge any suitor to a duel until the death. And Daenerys...she would never have anyone else. She would probably run off with Aegon, to marry him in secret. It was inevitability ever since they were children, perhaps even since the day Daenerys Stormborn came to this world. I don't care if they are related. They would never be happy with anyone else. Theirs is the song of ice and fire and I want them to live it to the fullest." There was silence for a moment. "I apologize, Your Grace. I spoke out of place." Rhaegar looked at Catelyn. "There is no need to apologize to me. You should rather apologize to Aegon and Daenerys."
Their journey back to King's Landing took time, but nobody really minded that. Rhaegar was soaking up the impressions of the landscape, musing about new songs he could sing later. Behind him and Lyanna, Jon and Dany rode side by side, still catching up. "And one day, mother and brother simply gave up trying to force me to the lessons with the Septa and I attended the Council meetings ever since, learning about a lot of things. Your mother nearly choked with laughter when she found out my stubbornness actually led to success." Jon laughed with her, still coming to terms about the fact that she was his fiancée now. He then launched into describing how Arya and he had pranked Sansa one day and that she actually forgot the highborn-lady act and got her revenge by setting them up and tripping a basin filled with water over to drench her sister and her cousin.
Their engagement was publically announced on the huge plaza before the Sept of Baelor. Unlike the announcement for his father and mother, there wasn't uproar this time, no broken promises or anything. These two were just one more Targaryen couple in history. But everyone who saw the royal family on that day could account to the fact that this wasn't a pure marriage of state, that these two were as much in love with each other than Rhaegar and Lyanna before them. "I am so happy for the two of you", Rhaella whispered when they had returned to the Red Keep. Time - and mostly a life without Aerys - had been kind to her, yet she had grown old and now needed a cane to support her. Her spirit remained unbroken, though. "I wish you two all the best. I do know that you will always be Jon and Dany when it's only the two of you...but you have to know that in public, one day, you will have to be the Aegon and the Daenerys this country needs. You know the words of your mother's family, Aegon. Winter Is Coming. I received a raven from...a relative who chose to serve the realm at The Wall. He predicts dark times and I trust his judgement. Winter is coming for us, but we will fight and we will prevail. No matter how dark or cold it will be, the two of you should also never forget the ancient words of our house, the words that are both a promise and a warning to everyone who wakes the dragon - Fire And Blood."
"You murdered him!" Lyanna lifted her hand at the man the Kingsguard had brought before her and Rhaegar. "He has never done anything to you!" So this was the man her father Lord Rickon Stark had intended for her almost a lifetime ago. Ser Jaime Lannister had been the first to arrive in the library, too late to save the unfortunate Viserys Targaryen, but on time to duel his assassinator, Lord Robert Baratheon. The Stag had fought like a madman though, and wounded Jaime before Sers Oswell Whent and Barristan Selmy had arrived and together, they fought the attacker down, and had now brought him before the royal family. Old Queen Regent Rhaella had made sure that Jaime Lannister would see a Maester as soon as possible, before staring the eldest Baratheon down. "I didn't mean to kill him. I thought it was him." He looked at King Rhaegar Targaryen and everyone in the room fell silent. "You were meant to be mine! Your son was meant to be mine son!" Under the table, Dany grabbed Jon's hand, squeezing it slightly, trying to calm him down. Viserys death was a shock to all of them, but this was the King's justice and she suspected that it would be a death sentence, as becoming for someone who murdered a member of the royal family. "It doesn't matter what you say or want. You killed Prince Viserys Targaryen and just declared that you wanted to kill me, the King of the Seven Kingdoms. There is only one sentence for that. You will repay his death with your death."
Surprising everyone, Dany had insisted that Robert Baratheon were to die on the same pyre that would serve to bury Viserys. "I...I don't know why. I dreamt about it", she simply said and after a long moment of silence, Rhaegar agreed with his sister. The wood was already there, Viserys' body prepared for his last journey and the murderer was bound a few feet away, in the enclosed garden next to the Tower of the Hand. Only the royal family and the Kingsguard were present, both Stannis and Renly Baratheon had immediately declared that their faith in house Targaryen had never wavered and that their brother had brought shame over all of them - and he didn't deserve their presence at his execution. Dany was notably absent, though, and Jon had started to worry about her. He had asked her whether he should come and walk with her, but she had replied that she had an important thing to do before she would join them. And indeed, a few minutes later she arrived, carrying a huge basket. She stepped up to the pyre, and the assembled people saw what she had brought with her - dragon eggs. Her own, Jon's and the late Viserys' egg were placed on the pyre. It was Lyanna who understood first, or perhaps it was Rhaella, as they both remembered a conversation in the godswood. Only death can pay for life. And finally, Rhaegar lifted the torch, setting his dead brother, his murderer and three dragon eggs ablaze.
Two cracks had filled the night when Dany turned to Jon, giving him a quick kiss. "Don't worry. I will come back to you." He didn't understand for a moment until she walked to the pyre. "No! Don't do it! I can't lose you! Stop her!" Jon yelled at the nearest Kingsguard - Ser Jonothor Darry. But next to him, his father shook his head and placed a hand on Jon's shoulder. "Don't worry. I have the feeling that she will be alright. Remember - fire can't kill a dragon." Suddenly, Jon remembered a day that he and Dany had played in front of a fireplace and how she stretched her hand out, touching the burning driftwood, fascinated by the beautiful colours. He hadn't been able to go that close, let alone touch the flames - they were far too hot for him. Yet Dany hadn't even had a tiny blister...and he also recalled that she never minded bathing in scalding hot water, water nobody else dared to touch. And so he waited for his fiancée while a third crack could be heard. "Look…" Ser Jaime Lannister whispered and lifted his hand. A blood red comet had appeared over King's Landing. And when Dany stepped down from the pyre when dawn broke, she was naked - her clothes having been burned off her – but other than that, she looked unharmed, and she carried with her three small creatures. When the first one - the black one, wrapped around her shoulders - lifted his head to roar, the sound of a dragon filled the air...as it did over a century ago.
"I can't believe you did it…" Jon whispered as he wrapped his arms around Dany. How she had escaped the inferno without even a hair out of place, nobody knew, but the dragons were there for the world to see. It didn't take long to find out that they all followed Dany around, but the black one seemed to stick the closest to her, the same way the green dragon followed Jon. Only the white one seemed a bit unsure, but stuck with Dany for the time being. "I don't know why I did it. I almost felt compelled to place the eggs on that pyre. And the flames called to me…" Jon remembered how his father told him that Dany was more of a dragon than either of them and while he then had suspected that it was true, he now knew it. "Have you decided on a name yet?" he asked. They had already named the white dragon after his dead owner, calling him Viserion. But neither Dany nor Jon had named their personal dragons so far. "I am not sure. Part of me wants to call him Balerion, but that would probably not be a smart move." Both of them laughed at that; no, not likely a good move. "I think I will name mine Jaehaerion, after King Jaehaerys the Conciliator", Jon told her and Dany gave him a warm smile. "I like it. And I think, I found my name as well. Remember all the times when you told me that you would protect me like Prince Aemon The Dragonknight? I think Aemol would try the same."
They had decided to wed twice: Once for the people, in the Sept of Baelor, as Crown Prince Aegon Targaryen and Princess Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen; and on the eve of that day, as Jon and Dany secretly in the godswood. With the Starks from Winterfell came another Targaryen, old Maester Aemon of the Night's Watch, who wanted to visit King's Landing once more before facing his death. He also wanted to touch the dragons for once. "Aren't you chaining them up? Are you not afraid of their destruction power?" Dany was thoughtful as she replied. "Zaldrīzes buzdari iksos daor. A dragon is not a slave. Our dragons grew smaller and smaller until they died because we chained them up. I will not repeat our ancestors' mistake." They had approached him in private after that, asking him to wed them in the godswood, in front of the weirwood tree.
Together, they spoke the ancient wedding promise of the Seven, in front of the sign of an even older religion, the religion Jon had inherited from his mother. "...from this day, until the end of my days," both Jon and Dany announced before they were pronounced wife and husband by Maester Aemon. Jon's eyes searched Dany's and he prolonged the moment, knowing that no kiss in all of their lifespans would ever feel like this, no other kiss would ever be as symbolic as this one. And with that thought in mind, he tilted his head down a bit, and bound their lives together with the touch of their lips. It was every bit as beautiful as Dany had imagined it. While other highborn girls talked about different boys and young men and who looked good, she never participated in their gossip. There had always only been one for her, her nephew Jon. The same Jon who held her in his arms now, so close she could feel his heart beating - racing - against her chest. Said Jon held her close even as they gasped for air. Nothing mattered for him but her. She was his now and nothing could or would ever change that. Aemon couldn't see them, of course, but he could hear them, the way they whispered words of affection to each other. And when they had guided him back to his chamber, he thought about them, and what he had told them before he started the ceremony. "Let your love for each other guide your ways in all the battles to come." But deep inside, he heard a younger Aemon talking to his brother: "Kill the boy. Kill the boy and let the man be born." Turning his head to the window, he started praying for the two young people that would bear the weight of the realm and the danger of whatever lurked beyond The Wall on their shoulders. "Please. Let them finish their duty before their love for each other becomes the death of it."
Jon had led them to his chambers, the ones he would leave on the morrow. He and Dany would be relocating to a bigger chamber than any of them currently had after their "official" wedding. "I love you", Dany murmured in his ear when Jon shut the door behind them. He had talked to Arya earlier and asked her to wake him as soon as she was awake, hoping this would allow Dany to return to her chambers before her absence there would be noted. "You have no idea how much I love you", Jon replied as he pulled her in his arms again. She had pulled his hair loose and kept kissing him. "Dany...I have no idea what to do", he finally admitted as he unlaced her dress. To his surprise, she laughed at him. "Do you think I have more experience than you? I haven't even kissed anyone other than you." Nothing she could have said would have made him happier. While she had been naked at the pyre, he had only been able to glimpse at her before Ser Gerold Hightower handed her his cloak to cover herself with. But knowing that he would be the first - and last - to ever kiss her...he had been vocal in turning any girl down that approached him; yet hearing she did the same was elating. She had unfastened his belt and tunic and was just opening her trousers when he finally caught up with her statement. "And nobody ever will. You are mine now, Dany, the way I am yours." They finally fell down on the bed and came together in a chaotic heap of arms and legs and touches and kisses. There was a bit of pain, but not much and it soon got washed away by pleasure. Tomorrow, they would be Aegon and Daenerys, but tonight they were Jon and Dany and they would enjoy every second of it until they would finally fall asleep in each other's arms.
The morning came in the form of two quick knocks at Jon's door. Outside, the sun hadn't risen yet and Jon found it hard to open his eyes. Waking up to the very familiar smell of ember, fresh grass and smoke and the unfamiliar sight of a naked Dany pressed against him was enough to shake off sleep really fast, though. "Dany...you have to wake up." He shook her shoulder slightly and a moment later, she, too, was awake. "Is it time to leave already?" she wanted to know and Jon nodded. "Arya just knocked. It is still very early though, so nobody will notice anything amiss." Dany sighed, pressing a quick kiss on his lips before dressing as fast as she could. "A few more hours", he mused as he watched her move. "How will I survive that?" Dany smirked at him as she placed one hand on the door handle. "Think about all the things we will do tonight."
A smiling Arya waited on the other side of the corridor. "You're lucky I decided to get up very early. You have enough time for a bath and to visit your dragons before most of the castle will even be awake." "Arya, I…" The young woman shook her head as they walked to Dany's chambers together. "It doesn't matter. You don't need to explain yourself. Jon is like a brother to me and you know that. I don't think Jon will like this big wedding you will be having today and from the little time we spend together, I doubt you would want that, either. Also, the two of you were in the godswood with the Night's Watch Maester last night." Dany watched her incredulously. "How did you find that out? Not even the Kingsguard has been near." Arya pointed to the sword at her right hip. "I am a water dancer: Swift as a snake. Quiet as a shadow. And if I were in your position, I would have done exactly the same." Her handmaiden found Princess Daenerys outside by the three dragons, at her side Lady Arya Stark, when she was sent to wake the Princess two hours later.
Jon had lain awake for some time after Dany had left him. All of a sudden, his bed felt way too cold for him and way too empty. Thinking of his wife, he drifted back to sleep though, only to be woken by a sharp knock. "Prince Aegon? Jon?" Apparently his father had sent Ser Lewyn Martell to wake him and he answered the door for the Kingsguard. "Your lord father wanted you to be woken early, so that you could get dressed without any hurry." Jon inwardly laughed at "early". Obviously none of the Kingsguard defined early the Arya Stark way. "What am I supposed to do when I am done dressing?" Lewyn gave him a crocked smile. "Why, the same thing every man does on his wedding day. You will wait for your bride."
While they had decided against a huge tourney and too much extravagance, the whole Sept of Baelor was crowded. He could hear the thousands of people on the plaza and in the streets and Jon closed his eyes to shut them out. Instead, he recalled Dany standing in the godswood, the only sound being the wind gently shaking the leaves overhead and their breaths. "Are you nervous?" his father had wanted to know, checking on him before going outside so he could lead Dany in. "Just too many people around", Jon replied and his father smiled. "I can relate to that. As you know I prefer the ruins of Summerhall to the Red Keep. I also prefer Dragonstone. It is just for today. This wedding and nine courses afterwards and then some dancing and the two of you did your duty for the day."
Jon waited impatiently through to the first part of the ceremony, waiting for Dany to be led in. When the doors of the Sept opened he couldn't help it - he turned around and felt his heart skipping a beat as his father made his way to the High Septon with Dany. She was wearing a flowing white dress and an embroidered Targaryen cloak that matched his own - as per Targaryen custom; they would skip the part of him draping a cloak around her shoulders. Dany studied her - already - husband, his black and red double, the matching Targaryen cloak, and when he turned around and his eyes searched hers, it took all her self-control not to run to him or even smile at him, because for today, they were the Crown Prince and Princess and not Jon and Dany, like last night. But even that was partly forgotten when Rhaegar laid her hand in Jon's. They may have kept their faces smooth, but their eyes spoke volumes. The feel of the other's hand in their hand brought them through the ceremony. Their supposedly first kiss as a married couple was almost chaste, nothing like the kiss they shared in the godswood, but it was the kind of kiss the audience liked to see.
The wedding feast dragged on throughout the midday and afternoon, one course after another, yet the biggest surprise of the wedding was King Rhaegar Targaryen pulling out his harp and singing a beautiful song for his son and sister. And just like all the other times he sang, the audience listened raptly, and few eyes were dry when he had finished his song. A few more courses and the dancing had started. "You know I can't dance", Jon whispered in Dany's ears. He was right; of course, he lacked the elegant swiftness he possessed with a sword whenever he had to step on a dance floor. "I will take the lead, no worries. Just look in my eyes and hold tight." They weren't the most elegant couple on the floor, but they weren't the worst either, so Jon even asked both Sansa and Arya for a dance afterwards. Sansa was an even better dancer than Dany, but like him, Arya preferred the dance of swords and they did little more than swaying to the music. Sansa took turns dancing with the knights most skilled at dancing; Jon saw his parents on the floor as well, whispering to each other while they danced, and he spotted his grandmother in a deep conversation with Lady Olenna Tyrell of The Reach, they were very close in age so that didn't surprise him much. He finally sat down and waited for Dany to join him after she would have finished dancing with the members of the Kingsguard. Together, they watched the celebrations unfold, before he leaned down, whispering in her ear. "How about we leave now? Nobody will notice if we are gone." Dany smiled at him, grabbing his hand and both of them stood up. Only few people took note of that, and all of them smiled - Arya, the Kingsguard and the royal family.
"Our new chambers", Jon unnecessarily told Dany as he stopped in front of a door and opened it. It was easily twice the size of their former chambers and had a joint bathroom as well. "The bed surely looks comfortable. Just think about it; my cousin isn't going to wake us tomorrow morning and neither is the Kingsguard." And with that, he pulled her in his arms, kissing her passionately, tangling one hand in her soft blonde hair and holding her close to him with the other arm. "I will never let you go, Dany", he murmured. "I will never stop loving you, Jon", she replied and they slowly undressed. It was different from the last night. They had all the time they wanted tonight, didn't have to be afraid of someone walking in on them. "What have I done to deserve you?" Jon muttered, breathing in her smell, when he held her tight after their first round of sex. "You were always there for me, Jon, always protecting me. I love my mother and both of my brothers and your mother and the Kingsguard...but you were my home. I missed you so much when you were at Winterfell. You will probably laugh when I tell you that - whenever I found some highborn girls or even some servants talking about which knight was handsome...I never joint in, because there had nobody ever been more handsome than you. And they were all intelligent enough to not talk about you when I was nearby. I hated to think of you being at Winterfell, with all those Northern girls around." She laughed a bit and tried to snuggle even closer to him. "There has never been anyone for me, Dany. Robb and me used to call out names of famous knights whenever we sparred, and mostly I called "Prince Aemon the Dragonknight", thinking about you. And...that day when your letters arrived, the ones telling me you were coming to Winterfell, I was so afraid. I thought that father was bringing you with them so he could set up an engagement with Robb. All I could think about was that father couldn't do that to us, that you were mine, but at the same time I thought that my parents might not stand for another inter-Targaryen marriage. I locked myself up in my room, until Arya found a tome about the Stark family history - even they had married uncle to niece twice. That was my angle to persuade my father."
Suddenly, the memory of her arrival at Winterfell made sense. "That's why you were so nervous. Why you couldn't eat anything and wanted to talk to Rhaegar before talking to me." Jon nodded, breathing in the scent of her hair to calm down before he continued. "It turned out there was no need to persuade him. He had always known that we would be married one day. Father even said that you would have probably run off with me rather than taking any other as your husband." Dany blushed slightly and nodded. "Lord Varys once brought up the fact that the two of us were both unmarried in a Council meeting. He then proceeded with a list of eligible men. Well...he kind of woke the dragon in me. I raised my voice, telling him that there is only one man in the Seven Kingdoms I would wed and that he should stop this folly at once, as I wouldn't stand for a betrothal with any of these men." Jon grinned broadly at that. "My Dany. My dragon", he replied and pressed his lips on hers again.
The last image in the flames was a blurry one - a huge blizzard was covering anything in snow. "Please, be careful. The storm keeps getting worse", an unknown female voice said, perhaps it was the voice to the tall human figure in the back. "My name is Daenerys Stormborn. If they bring the storm with them, so do I." Two men chuckled at that, Jon and a figure that might have been Ser Jaime Lannister, before Dany and Jon mounted a grown Aemol and Jaehaerion, respectively, before soaring in the air. "I love you, Dany. No matter what happens, I will always love you." "I love you, too, Jon. Promise me that you will return to me…"
"It always ends like this." Jon and Dany looked up from the flames when the Red Priestess spoke. "I have seen another world as well, a world in which Lyanna died slightly earlier and the three Kingsguard Ser Gerold Hightower, Ser Oswell Whent and Ser Arthur Dayne brought you to Essos and raised the two of you. Even that ends with the two of you riding off to battle for the dawn on dragonback. You will always feel the same way for each other, no matter the circumstances." The Red Priestess stood up. "I have done my duty and will retire for the night now." Neither Jon nor Dany said anything for a long time, as they tried to come to terms with the images in the flames. Jon thought about the fact that the other version of him had no qualms about marrying his aunt, that there had been two members of the Stark family who married their nieces. And he recalled their nights on the ship that carried them to White Harbour...as well as their wedding night in the other lifeline. How could anything that felt so right could possibly be wrong? It was Dany who broke the silence, finally, a Dany that would never forget a world with a kind Viserys...and a world in which a young boy with grey eyes and black hair swore to be Aemon the Dragonknight for her. "We will rule the Seven Kingdoms together, as King and Queen, like we were always meant to." Jon looked at her, shocked. "Dany...I mean, My Qu…" but she placed a finger on his lips. "Dany. Please. Whenever we are alone, let us be like them. Let us be Jon and Dany." And that was all Jon needed to cross the space between them, pull her close and kiss her.
It was Samwell Tarly who officiated their wedding that night, a wedding in the godswood, in front of the heart tree. Nobody else was there with them, but Jon was pretty sure that the Red Priestess, Arya and Bran would probably know what he and Dany were up to. "...from this day, until the end of my days." both of them said in unison, before Sam declared them wife and husband. Jon looked at her for a moment, drinking in her image, before their lips touched. A small part of him wondered whether their mutual attraction actually came from the fact that they were both Targaryens...but in the end, he didn't care anymore. He, who always felt like an outsider at Winterfell, felt at home for the first time. He was holding the most beautiful woman in the world in his arms, kissing her, and with that kiss, he made her his. Dany smirked at him when they caught air. "How quick can we get to your chamber? And how long do you think we can stay there before someone bothers us?" Jon laughed a breathy laugh at that. "I don't know, Dany. But you could probably threaten them with Drogon and Rhaegal if anyone dares to disturb us." When they finally reached his chambers and fell on his bed, Jon allowed himself to relax, to let his guard down, for the first time ever in this room. He would protect his Queen until his dying breath, but at the same time, her warmth and her soothing smell - ember, fresh grass and smoke, perhaps? - and everything else about her calmed him down, made him feel at home.
They were the protectors of the Realm; the Prince and Princess That Were Promised; the ones who would win the Great War: King Aegon The White Wolf of House Targaryen and House Stark and Queen Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen. But tonight - for this night, they would simply be two people deeply in love with each other. For this night, they would be Jon and Dany.