It is unclear to Jon what his aunt intends to do with him. They have had several meetings since she placed him under arrest. He has not been ill-treated, simply confined to his chambers at Dragonstone, under guard. Does she intend to execute him? Forgive him? Imprison him? It is very hard to tell. There is one thing, though. He suspects that she enjoys keeping him in suspense. She has revealed a side to her character that was not entirely clear to him previously.
Prior to their first interview, she had led him, under guard, into the Undercroft beneath the fortress. She had pointed out the various instruments that were used for interrogation. She had explained in some detail, their individual uses, and the effects they had upon those who were unfortunate enough to be subject to them. She had made it clear that she had both witnessed and participated in their use. She had in fact, been quite explicit.
" In the East, I discovered my true nature. I know what people call me; my admirers call me the Breaker of Chains, the Rescuer. My enemies call me the Queen of Ashes. Admirers or enemies, both groups misunderstand me fundamentally. People will argue until the cows come home whether I was justified in locking Doreah in a vault to starve, or crucifying Meereenese noblemen, or feeding one of them to Drogon, or burning the Tarlys. They will debate whether these acts were morally right, or cruel, or politic. But, it will never occur to them that I did these things, in large part, because they gave me pleasure. Yes, I think they were all necessary, too, but the pleasure was a big part of this. That is what it means to be a Targaryen, Jon. That is the shame, and the glory of our House, of being the blood of the dragon. A dragon is cruel, and enjoys cruelty. That is my nature.
"In parts of the East, they have made the infliction of pain almost a work of art. I am at best, a moderately gifted amateur, by comparison. I do try to restrain myself. I do impose limits. Usually. But, sometimes, the urge to go just that bit farther becomes irresistible. To draw the life of a man who has wronged you from him step, by careful step, to raise his hopes and then dash them, to let one's imagination run free. That is what it means to be a Queen, a Khaleesi. But, it can be impolitic. So, I hold my inclinations in check. Mostly."
"You told me you took no pleasure from the deaths at Kings Landing?" he'd dared to say.
"Nor do I. That was an act of war."
It is hard to fathom his aunt's state of mind.
Had she just been trying to frighten him? If so, she had succeeded. He was shit-scared of her, now. Or was she in fact, being entirely honest?
And yet, she had not laid a finger on him. Her interrogation of him had been quite civilised, far more civilised in fact, than the questioning of wildlings who had been captured by the Nights Watch. She had asked him searching, intelligent, questions, in detail. About his motivations for wishing to take her life; the events that had led up to it; whether Lady Sansa had been a part of it; whether he still wished her dead; his plans for the future; and then finally "What would you do in my position? Would you execute an heir who tried to kill you?" . He had not begged for a second chance, simply pointed out that the future of House Targaryen would be extinguished with his death. He hoped the answer would satisfy her.
And now, Ser Davos Seaworth is in his chambers, very agitated. "The Queen wants to see you, now. She's going to decide your fate. For the Gods' sake Jon, show some fucking sense for once in your life. Whatever she demands, you tell her "Yes ma'am, no ma'am, three bags full ma'am. If she tells you to tongue her arse in public, you do it right away, and you thank her for the privilege. Is that clear, Jon? It's not just your life on the line, it's your sister's too. Yes Jon, she's got Arya. " Jon's mind reels in horror. He nods to Davos. "Good. Now get ready."
Grey Worm comes for him, a short while later. He knows that the Master of War hates him, would cut him down in a moment if given the order. Grey Worm and his guards lead him through the living rock of Dragonstone, into the throne room. It is quite the spectacle.
His aunt is seated on the throne, motionless. She wears a robe of porphyry silk, a pearl headdress, and purple boots, her upper works ablaze with jewels. A shaft of sunlight falls on her through a skylight, giving the appearance of a halo. Her hair sparkles with gold dust, artfully sprinkled. The effect is most striking. He remembers a similar picture in a book he once read, about a ruler of Old Valyria; Irene, that was her name. There was picture of her, looking as the Queen does now. He remembers also that she blinded her own son, when he displeased her. So brutally in fact, that the young man died of his injuries. That is not a happy thought.
Standing before the throne is his sister, Arya. She wears a simple white robe, her hair dishevelled, and covered with ashes. She is flanked by two young women, also dressed in white. On either side of the throne are ranks of guards, and a number of courtiers, in dress robes. He spots a handsome man in a striking gold robe, whom he does not recognise, standing next to Yara Greyjoy, in scarlet doublet and hose, in place of her usual black leathers. Yara gives him a quick grin and a wink. Grey Worm prods him forward.
A steward emerges from the crowd, and addresses Arya "Speak before the Queen."
Arya steps forward and begins. "Great Queen, the Mother of Us All, God Made Manifest to Mankind, I crave your Divine clemency for my brother, Jon. He is a hero, honourable and well-intentioned to a fault, but ignorant of man's depravity. He was led astray by an evil man, a man whose sins and crimes are beyond counting. A twisted monkey demon, so abandoned to decency that he slew his own father. A man who betrayed your Grace at every turn and sought to slay you . I beg your Grace, turn your merited wrath upon this man, and not upon my brother. My family has suffered, as yours has, at the hands of that man's family. I beseech your Grace, do not let that man strike us down from the grave."
There is a catch in Arya's voice, and then she pauses to weep. The young women beside her weep as well.
She continues. "My brother loves your Grace with all his heart. Grant him his life and you shall have no more devoted servant. Your Grace is famed for mercy and clemency. We mortals can claim no right to clemency from such as you, yet you dispense it as an act of grace. Will you not spare his life."
She kneels before the throne, bowing her head to the ground.
"Your Grace, will you not spare him" the two young women echo, falling to the ground in turn. "Your Grace, will you not spare him" Ser Davos says gruffly.
"Your Grace, will you not spare him for Westeros" cry out the crowd in unison, also falling to their knees. Jon catches Yara's eye, and realises that she is struggling not to laugh at the spectacle.
There is a long pause, before the Queen replies "Alas, we cannot."
The courtiers cry out in despair. Arya rises to her feet and pleads anew. Again, the Queen refuses. For the third time, Arya pleads her brother's case.
The Queen gives an exaggerated sigh. And then she says "Oh very well. Clemency becomes us well. Your brother's life is not forfeit." A round of applause follows from the courtiers. Arya weeps again, this time, tears of gratitude.
"Come hither, errant nephew" she commands. She then steps down from the Throne to embrace him, as the crowd applauds again. But, she still whispers to him "I've given you a second chance. There won't be a third."
"And now dear friends" commands the Queen "let us retire to the Great Hall to feast and rejoice. A family quarrel has been ended. And I for one, am planning to get extremely drunk."
It is indeed, a wild party . The Queen is as good as her word. The food and drink are excellent, and abundant, and everyone apart from the guards drinks deep. She thanks Arya for her performance, presenting her with one of her own diamond rings, probably worth a fair-sized village on its own. "What an actor you are. Our gain is Braavos' loss". "You, on the other hand" she says to Ser Davos "need to practice harder. There was no pathos in your performance."
The banquet is in fact, only marred by two things. The first is that the Queen has told him exactly what she wants him to do to Tyrion Lannister. The thought of it makes his blood run cold. The second is the obvious affection that the Queen displays towards Yara Greyjoy and the man in the gold robe, who it turns out is the Dornish envoy. Towards the end the three of them retire to the Queen's solar together, and Jon feels an irrational stab of jealousy. He's alive, the Queen's heir, and his sister is safe. What does he have to complain of?
Notes:
1. Irene of Athens was ruler of the Eastern Empire, towards the end of the Eighth Century, either as Empress Regent or Empress Regnant. She was troubled by the behaviour of her son, who was seeking to remove her from power, and had him blinded so brutally that he died shortly afterwards. She could be said to be lacking in maternal sentiment.
2. Daenerys' nasty sense of humour resembles that of Peter the Great and the early Romanovs. If anything, she is restrained by comparison.
