A/N: Thank you for all your enthusiasm and questions. It's been so helpful to get all your feedback on this one. More answers today? Yes. However, just as you think you're getting a handle on this story, I'm about to add another couple of layers to the mix. :P

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Dany IV (Aged 12)

Dragonstone

"Daenerys. Wake up!"

She jumped at the sound of a man's deep, urgent voice whispering close to her ear, opening her eyes to total darkness, her heart pounding.

"What? Who …?"

On the other side of her door she could hear some muffled sounds; the faint ring of metal followed by a crash and a small cry and her heart raced even faster as she sat up, suddenly fearful.

"You have to leave here now," the man urged. "It's no longer safe."

Understanding dawned. "The Usurper has finally come for us."

"Yes."

She blinked, willing her eyes to adjust to the darkness, but seeing little more than a shadow kneeling next to her bed along with the smell of leather, smoke and oil. It was one of their soldiers, she guessed, immediately following his instructions and wondering why she did not feel more concerned about being alone with a man in her bed-chambers whilst only wearing her thin nightdress.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"A friend." His voice was soft and deep and slightly familiar but, with no candle lit, she was quite unable to recognise him. She squinted again at the shadowy form next to her as her eyes partially adjusted to the gloom, but was only able to make out a few, basic details; dark hair, a beard, not especially old. "We need to go. Get yourself through the dark door and warn Jon."

"Jon?"

The soldier chuckled. "No time, Dany ..." A firm hand pressed against her back and she staggered towards her own door, still half asleep and very confused. "Wait ..." He was now close up against her back and she felt a strange shudder go through her at the proximity. On the other side of her door she could hear voices and faint, unpleasant, muffled sounds. "Shit ..." the man mumbled behind her and she heard the unmistakable sound of a sword being partially drawn from its scabbard.

She turned her head to see a flash of shimmering steel and a pale pommel visible through dark gloves, and then the door was yanked opened and the man pulled her even closer. Despite his strength and her vulnerability Dany strangely felt no fear at the move, somehow instinctively knowing he could be trusted. Then they entered the living room to the sight of three soldiers in black and yellow looking straight at them and a worryingly familiar shape lying unmoving on the floor.

"Shana!" she cried, but her rescuer held her firmly, preventing her from moving towards her handmaiden and instead pushing her behind him as he stepping forward, his sword now fully raised as he silently confronted the Baratheon men. Dany blinked as a hint of dawn light filtering in through the high windows allowed her to see her saviour a little more clearly, although his choice of dark clothing explained why he had appeared so shadowy before. She watched him dance forwards, sword reflecting the sunlight, as he deftly and quickly felled one of the attackers. Then he spun around and finished off another. The third came screaming towards him and he danced away yet again, before quickly glancing back at her.

"Now, Daenerys. Head quickly through the door to Jon. It's the only way out for you now."

As the man spun again, she realised that he had been subtly moving the remaining enemy soldier further into the living room, thus giving her a better chance to escape. Suddenly determined, she willed her shaking legs to move and headed out into the corridor.

"There! Another Targaryen."

Dany squeaked as she glanced left and saw more men running towards her, these ones wearing Lannister red and gold.

"Two more coming," she yelled over her shoulder at her rescuer. He had finished off those other two very easily and so she assumed - hoped - he would be able to fend this pair off as well.

"Run," was all he said in reply and so she did.

"Targaryen scum!" the men screamed as they charged down the corridor and Dany turned right towards the dark door, wondering how she would be any safer on the other side of it and suddenly concerned about leading the soldiers straight towards her best friend.

But she trusted the knight who had woken her, because she knew she would be dead by now if he hadn't, and he had told her to warn Jon and, anyway, there were no other options left to her now. So, hoping the door would actually let her through this time, Dany took a deep breath and pushed, heaving a sigh of relief as it opened easily, before slipping through and quickly shoving it closed, for all the good such a weak barrier would do her.

~o~0~o~

She closed the door on the early dawn sun only to be greeted by total darkness on the other side, the slippery flagstones cold underneath her bare feet. With a sob, she allowed her memory to guide her, feeling her way towards the right hand wall and from there to the door, fumbling blindly until she found the latch and entered her friend's chambers.

"Jon, Jon, wake up! We're under attack."

"W-what? Dany?"

"Soldiers … they're attacking."

She heard him fumble around in the darkness and, shortly afterwards, a candle flickered to life revealing his shadowy form and allowing her to see him sitting up and blinking sleepily, his curly hair even more of a mess than usual.

"We can't stay here, they're right behind the door," she told him. "They'll be in the corridor by now."

"It's all right," he said gently. "You just had a nightmare, is all."

"No it's real and … Shana … I think she's dead and … What about Rhaenys and Aegon and …?" She was by his side now, grabbing at his arm and then at his hand when she realised he wasn't wearing a shirt she could tug at. "And you'll need a sword …. do you have one here?"

"Why would I have one here? We're not in any danger."

"We are! There were soldiers and then this brave knight and ..." She sobbed. "Please, Jon."

He sighed, getting out of bed and scrabbling to put on a shirt before moving towards her and awkwardly offering his arm. It had been a while since she'd last seen him, Dany realised - she wasn't quite sure now how long - and her friend had grown a bit since, looking lean and lanky and ... She blinked, briefly experiencing a strange disorientation, before shaking her head and pulling him impatiently towards the door.

"You can't go out like that," Jon said then. "Here, you're shivering." A rough, grey shirt was pushed into her hands and she quickly put it over her head, not even sure if she was shaking from the fear or the cold. "And these boots," he continued. "I've just grown out of them. They still might be a bit big for you, but you can't go out there in bare feet."

"I-I'm not sure," Dany said. "Perhaps we should just stay here but then again … we do need to warn everyone."

"Ssh, it'll be all right, I promise." He put his arm around her pulling her close against his side; the gesture feeling oddly familiar. "I'll protect you."

"But you don't have a sword."

"It'll be fine." He creaked the door open slowly, leaning forwards and listening before pulling it a little wider. Only when he was satisfied the coast was clear did he allow her to step forwards. "There, you see. All quiet."

She clutched his arm all the tighter, fear still coiling through her. "I … I don't understand. He told me to come here. To warn you."

"Who did?"

"The dark knight."

"I'm sorry," Jon said with a sigh. "I have nightmares of my own and I know how real they can feel."

She didn't know what to say in reply. It had been real. That was her life, the constant fear of attack from Baratheons and of her brother and … it was this which often felt like a dream. A dream she'd conjured up as a means of escape, she had started to believe. As she walked with Jon down the cool, deserted corridor and to the base of the keep Dany slowly began to accept that she was actually safe here, even though she knew the horrors she had left behind would have to be faced eventually.

'It wasn't a nightmare. This is the dream,' she repeated to herself.

And yet, how could a dream look, feel and smell so real? How could she have made all of this up?

"This way," Jon whispered. "It's nearly dawn and people will be out and about soon but they won't question us, not if we stay quiet and stick to the shadows."

"Where are we going?"

"Up onto the wall walk," he replied. "I need you to see for yourself."

Jon moved them towards a set of stone steps hugging the castle wall and jumped agilely up onto the first one before holding his hand out to her and, as she placed hers on top, now feeling a little calmer, Dany noted with interest how much bigger his was than hers now. As she stepped up beside him and the sky lightened a little she was finally able to see her friend more clearly, aware of the subtle changes since the last time she had been here.

"All right?" he asked, his dark eyes kind and concerned.

She nodded. "You've grown."

He pulled a face. "Not much. Not enough."

"You're thirteen now?" she said as they headed upwards. "Still plenty of time and you're still taller than me."

He smiled then, standing to one side to help her up the last slightly higher step to the top of the wall. "Are you afraid of heights?" She shook her head. "Good. Come and see."

Their timing was perfect. As Dany stepped up on the low stone step against the wall and looked up over the battlements, the sun finally rose, bathing the scene before her in a glorious yellow light and she gasped as she took in the view: miles and miles of heathland and moorland, a patchwork of green, yellow and purple and, off on the horizon, forests and dramatic hills and white clouds scurrying across a pale summer sky.

Her gasp at the vast beauty of it turned to the shock of realisation as she finally understood that she couldn't be here. Couldn't possibly be seeing this. Where was the sea? Where were the sharp stone cliffs and the grey dragon gates? Where was she?

"You see," Jon said, his voice calm. "It's all clear. No-one can sneak up on us here, I promise you. We'd have days of warning and, anyway, it's all been peaceful since King Robert's been on the throne."

She turned to him and snatched her hand away with a sharp breath through her teeth which came out as a hiss. "No!"

"What? What is it?"

She shook her head, not knowing how to answer. Not understanding … anything.

"I'm not teasing you, Dany, I told you. I know how real nightmares can feel. I'll tell you about mine if you like? I've not told anyone but … if it makes you feel better."

She glared at him. "How will hearing about what scares you make me feel better?"

She wasn't entirely certain she wanted his kindness right now. She wasn't exactly sure how to handle it. Had she made him up to be like that? Had she invented a male who was kind and thoughtful and … perfect, in response to her brother and all his meanness and spitefulness.

But, Viserys had met Jon and so had Rhaenys and Aegon and … they had seen him and talked about him and so had that soldier earlier. How could he be a dream if the people she knew had actually met him?

"Dany?"

She dared to look up to find Jon's face surprisingly close - those dark eyes now looking exceptionally concerned - and he raised a hand to her cheek to wipe away a tear which only made even more start to flow. Before Dany had even realised what she was doing she was sobbing against his chest and he was holding her close, one hand stroking her hair, another gently rubbing her back.

"I missed you," she managed.

"I missed you too. I really should have visited more often but ..." He sighed. "I know you hit me before when I suggested it but still, at times, I'm quite sure you're not real and … none of this makes any sense."

She didn't have to ask what he was talking about. "I know."

Jon's chest heaved as he took a deep breath. "You're Targaryen, aren't you?"

"Yes."

He exhaled heavily. "You shouldn't be here. You can't be here."

She nodded. "If this is the dream then I don't want to wake up, Jon. I want to stay here with you forever."

He pulled away then and looked at her, wide-eyed, and Dany saw him suddenly swallow hard. "You're even prettier than I remember," he whispered.

"With my hair all tangled and my eyes red?"

He nodded. "You are usually so neat … it makes a nice change."

She smiled and he licked his lips before ducking his head and then shaking it. "What?" she asked.

He looked up at her through, long dark eyelashes. "I … may I kiss you?"

Dany gasped, looking at him in shock. Her hands were held in his, the sun was rising over the distant hills and, for a moment, she had to fight the urge to giggle at just how ridiculously perfect it all was - she must have been reading too many of Rhaenys' stories about brave knights and princesses lately - but this was just a dream, after all, and so she nodded her consent and Jon bent down and lightly touched his lips to hers - so soft, so gentle - and she felt a delightful flutter in her tummy as he pulled away, his cheeks now bright pink.

"Some cheeky girl asked me to kiss her a few weeks ago," he mumbled.

"Oh?"

He nodded. "I refused though. I wanted you to be my first."

She smiled brightly. "I'm glad."

He looked around then, frowning. "We'd better get back. You forgot your head-scarf and your hair is a bit too obvious." She nodded and accepted his hand again as they headed down the narrow steps. "You're Targaryen and you were attacked by … Baratheons?" he asked nervously.

"Yes and Lannisters. How did you know?"

He shrugged. "Something my father said recently."

And finally she pieced it together; all those names and clues and now the view from the top of this wall, draped with grey and white wolf banners. "Your father, Eddard Stark?"

"Yes."

Her heart dropped. Jon was her enemy then but … was this a dream? There was still so much that didn't make sense. "I don't want to go back yet," she mumbled.

"We need to return to my chambers, at least. It's still early and everyone was up late feasting last night so … we've got a couple of hours before I need to be anywhere."

She nodded, trailing behind him back down the corridor towards his room. She eyed the dark door nervously but Jon simply took her hand, pulling her back into his chambers and then leading her towards his bed, patting the edge of it and inviting her to sit down. He then perched next to her, putting an arm slightly awkwardly around her as she leant against his shoulder with a deep sigh.

"I'm so tired now," she said.

"Me to but … You can take my bed and I'll ..." He looked around a bit nervously.

She shook her head. "No, Jon. Stay with me. Please."

It had been a while since they had shared his narrow bed, but they were still both fairly small and skinny, despite the added years, and soon Dany was lying on her side, her head resting on Jon's shoulder as she felt her eyes grow heavy. "I don't want to go back there," she repeated.

"And I don't want you to leave," he said, hugging her close. "I want you safe. I want you here so that I can protect you."

"You are so kind, Jon. So perfect," she sighed deeply. "Far too perfect."

This had to be a dream but Dany knew that if she fell asleep here she would wake up back … there, and she didn't think she was ready to face all that that quite yet. All she wanted to do was stay here with Jon forever. So she would try her best to stay awake for as long as she could except … she really was just so very tired and ...

~o~0~o~

Jon IV (Aged 13)

Winterfell

"Wake up, you lazy arse!"

"What?" Jon jolted awake, confused, sitting up to find his chambers bathed in daylight and Theon standing over him with a smirk on his face.

"It's halfway through the morning and Rodrik's close to spitting feathers. We had no idea where you were."

"I ..." Jon blinked, trying to get his head together after that intense dream. It had been a dream, right? "I didn't sleep well and went for a walk at dawn to clear my head."

He scrambled out of bed and looked around trying to make sense of everything. He was wearing a shirt despite having gone to bed without - as was his custom during the warmest nights - and there, next to the bed, were his old boots. The ones that were now too small for him and he'd planned on handing down to his young friend at the kennels. He put on his own larger ones, also now lying untidily on the floor, before following Theon out, ignoring the boy's gleeful comments about how much trouble he was going to be in, as his mind raced.

He had dreamt about Dany. He had dreamt that she'd come into his room, scared and talking about an attack. They had walked down this corridor together and then up onto the wall walk where … He gasped.

"What?" Theon asked.

"N-nothing."

… where he had kissed her, and it had felt amazing but … It couldn't have really happened, could it? Then, afterwards, Dany had come back to his chambers and … Well thank goodness it had been a dream. What if Theon had come in this morning to find her asleep in his bed with him? He tried hard not to laugh at the thought, quickly schooling his expression as he walked into the training area.

"There you are, Jon. Where were you?"

"You have my sincere apologies, Ser Rodrik," he replied with a slight bow of his head. "I slept very badly last night."

The man looked at him for the longest time before responding. "Well, seeing you are usually so prompt and willing I shall overlook it just this once. Assuming you do not slacken today during training."

"Yes, Ser. Thank you."

He kept his expression neutral until after the man had turned away before smirking at Theon who was looking highly disappointed. Jon had quickly discovered that the advantage of being generally quiet, polite and hard working meant that the very occasional misdemeanour tended to get over-looked. Theon was especially slow in learning this lesson, Jon noticed, with his general cockiness and openly disrespectful attitude meaning he could even get blamed for things he hadn't done. Jon was thinking it might be interesting to test out that theory soon, and see if he could pull a prank and get Theon in trouble for it, although he'd have to keep a low profile for a while before attempting such a thing.

For a start he tried to put aside all thoughts of his 'dream' and focus on his training as he really did enjoy sword fighting and was getting plenty of praise for it nowadays. The three boys were now growing taller and stronger, which helped, but the current downside was their lack of co-ordination and errant mood swings. Fortunately, Jon didn't seem to suffer as much from either, probably because he wasn't growing as fast as the other two and had always been a moody child anyway, meaning he had long since learnt to either put his emotions to one side or use them to his advantage as Ser Rodrik had often suggested.

During a break Jon stalked away from the area to find a quiet place to think through what had happened this morning, assuming for now that it had been real and that he really had had a conversation with his best friend who had finally confirmed she was a Targaryen and was scared about an attack by Baratheons. He had then taken her up on the wall to show her it was safe and had seen her expression whilst they were up there - her total disbelief at where she found herself. Well, he knew exactly how that felt, having experienced the same shock himself when he'd gone exploring over on her side.

The two friends had grown up thinking they lived next door to each other but now both knew that wasn't true. Jon's chambers were right next to the curtain wall with nothing on the other side, despite the fact that he had so often opened that dark, ancient door and just kept on walking. It had been three years since he'd last attempted it and had vowed never to return, but perhaps now it required further exploration except … Would it be safe? What had really happened there last night?

There were still Targaryen's alive in Westeros, Maester Luwin had confirmed that a group had fled King's Landing at the end of the rebellion and had effectively been under siege for the last twelve years. Did Dany actually exist then? Had there really been an attack last night? Or had he simply invented a Targaryen friend - a beautiful princess out of Old Nan's stories - and his brain had somehow muddled up various things he'd heard recently into that incredibly vivid dream. The blood of the First Men ran through his veins, after all. Magical blood. Perhaps that helped to explain why so many of his dreams and nightmares felt so real.

'I kissed her.' For some reason Jon was having a great deal of trouble putting that part to one side, his mind wandering off from his serious thoughts every time he recalled the feel of her soft lips pressed against his.

He continued to feel uneasy and nervous, taking an especially close interest in the next few ravens to arrive, and following Maester Luwin as the old man ambled back and forth with scrolls. Jon hardly needed his keen observations skills to know when the anticipated news had arrived, the old man almost slamming the door behind him and walking at a surprisingly fast pace for one of his age, far too preoccupied to notice the dark haired boy standing in the shadows or realise he was being followed up the keep steps towards his Lord's chambers.

Once the maester had moved inside his father's study, Jon pressed his ear to the door, glancing over his shoulder occasionally to ensure no-one could see him eavesdropping. At first he was unable to make out anything other than the low mutterings of Luwin and his father's slightly impatient response but any concern he had about not being able to hear the news was soon banished at Lord Stark's loud bellow.

"What the seven hells was he thinking? That pig-headed, stubborn boar!"

"My lord ..." Luwin's voice was quieter but still audible. "It's not as if he hasn't been threatening it for years now."

"And I have told him repeatedly that it was madness. The whole idea of it. The Targaryens are no threat to him now. Not with the support of the whole realm behind him. Hostage them out as we did with young Greyjoy, that's what I told him but, would he listen? No! Too blinded by his hatred of Rhaegar to do the right thing."

"The Targaryen children would always be a threat to his rule though, once they were grown."

"As I'm sure quite Tywin has been reminding him on a regular basis. Madness! Marry them off to his own children or those of his allies, that's what I said. Quieten the grumbles about the Iron throne only belonging to those of pure Targaryen blood. Strengthen the bond between Dorne too and now … now if Elia's children are dead? What will the Martells do when they hear this news, eh?"

"It certainly won't help to keep the peace, that's true," Luwin replied.

"And they're all dead? Is that certain?"

Jon held his breath, shaking his head. 'She's not real … and if she's not real then she can't be dead.' He felt tears prick his eyes but stubbornly blinked them away.

"They killed anyone they found alive there, apparently, but there's no way of knowing if any escaped before or after. There are rumours that Rhaegar's brother was seen recently in Essos and some say Aegon is over there too."

"Aegon!" Ned scoffed. "Ridiculous. The whole thing is madness."

"Will you reply, My Lord?" Luwin asked.

"I would not dare put pen to parchment right now. You scribe it, Luwin. Write my polite disapproval and then bring it for me to look over."

"Polite, My Lord?"

"Aye, as tempted as I am to tell Robert exactly what I think, I doubt our friendship would save me from his ire … nor that of his father by law if he got wind of it. No, I'll trust in your diplomatic skills better than mine own at the moment."

"As you say, My Lord." Luwin's voice got suddenly louder and Jon stood slowly and quietly backing away, walking lightly around the corner and taking a different route back down to the courtyard, his head spinning even more now after everything he had just heard.

~o~0~o~

A/N: Everyone seems to latch onto different things during each chapter so I won't steer you here. Just feel free to make any observations or ask questions and I will do my best to respond without spoilers.

Those of you who follow my iamthewatcheronthewall Tumblr may have noticed my mid-week promo where I updated my chapter estimate and promised regular, Sunday updates for the whole of Act 1 and Act 2 at least! That's 12 chapters (6 per Act) most of which are roughly done already. With luck, Act 3 and 4 should also continue without a pause but there are still a good number of knots to untangle before I can promise that with any certainty. So yes, a guesstimate of 24 chapters for this story. Will be interesting to see if I can stick with that. I have updated my profile with this info if you want to take a closer look at the plan.