Would have posted this earlier but we were out of town. Thanks for the reviews, follows, and faves! Another Sansa chapter. No Sandor this chapter but it'll get good next chapter. Again, just a warning, Dany is not depicted well here or in this fanfic at all. Hope you enjoy!
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Sansa
To Sansa and Arya's surprise, it was some time before the Dragon Queen requested to meet with the Starks again.
Arya had been watching and she knew that Varys had been told. What they didn't know was why it took so long for the Spider to inform his queen. Inevitably, he did inform her.
They waited in the solar: Sansa, Jon, Arya, and Bran. The Dragon Queen had demanded a private meeting so Ser Davos, Brienne, and Samwell were not in attendance.
When the Dragon Queen arrived she had only Tyrion, looking uncharacteristically serious, the translator they called Missandei, her Unsullied commander, and Lord Varys.
Jon got up to greet her but she only looked at him coldly. He sat back down looking concerned.
She took a seat at the head of table then turned to Tyrion and nodded.
Tyrion cleared his throat, "We've received word of a disturbing rumor. That you," he gestured to Jon, "Jon Snow, bastard of Ned Stark, are actually the legitimate heir of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark."
Jon froze in his seat and said nothing.
Tyrion continued, "Such a farfetched rumor required investigation, of course. Such a rumor could have been planted by my sister, designed to break alliances by fighting amongst ourselves. Unfortunately, we discovered the existence of a maester's scroll, detailing the marriage between Rhaegar and Lyanna, and we received word that Bran Stark is the source of these rumors. After all, just because the two got married, that doesn't mean Jon Snow is their child."
At his pause, the Dragon Queen broke her silence. "A ploy to put a Stark on the throne after I've saved it with my armies and my dragons."
"No," Bran answered. "Not a ploy. I'm the Three Eyed Raven, I don't care who sits on the Iron Throne. I only care that the dead are defeated. But Jon Snow is Aegon Targaryen. Rhaegar's marriage to Elia Martell was annulled and he married my aunt, Lyanna, because he loved her and she loved him. My father, Ned Stark, came upon her at the Tower of Joy, while Robert Baratheon was leaving Rhaegar dead in the Trident. She died in childbirth and made my father promise to never tell. A promise he kept to his death. If you require more proof, Samwell Tarly has the maester's scroll and send word to Howland Reed. He was there when my father brought the newborn Aegon down from the Tower of Joy. He knows of Jon Snow's true parentage."
She scoffed, "The Tarly boy despises me for killing his traitor father and brother. He could easily have fabricated such a scroll. As for Lord Reed, I hear he was Ned Stark's best friend and staunchest supporter. His word means nothing."
Bran replied, "You fear the truth for what it would mean. Since you wed Khal Drogo and killed your brother you have believed you were born to rule the Seven Kingdoms as the last Targaryen. But you are not the last Targaryen, nor are you the rightful heir to the Iron Throne. Rhaegar Targaryen was the Mad King's first born and would have inherited the throne. At his death, his living first born would then inherit the throne. That is Aegon." He gestured to Jon. "Aegon was born to rule the Seven Kingdoms and he will. Should you refuse to bend the knee to the rightful King of the Seven Kingdoms, should you continue to declare yourself queen, would be to deny the true lineage of heirs, which would make you a usurper and in open rebellion. Is this not what you told Jon when you believed yourself to be the rightful heir?"
The Dragon Queen's eyes blazed. Her already pale complexion went white, except for two spots of red, high on her cheeks.
Before she could speak, Sansa commented. "You believe we lie to place a Stark on the throne. That's understandable. All the proof we have comes from Stark supporters. But there have always been rumors of the truth. Littlefinger, for example, knew that my aunt Lyanna had not been kidnapped but had willingly gone with your brother. There were rumors of Jon's true parentage as well. I'm sure Lord Varys has heard these rumors. Tell us Lord Varys, what do you know of this?"
Varys looked from Sansa to Bran to his Queen.
"Speak freely, Lord Varys, please." Sansa said.
He sighed, "My Lady, rumors abound where high lords are concerned." Everyone was silent, waiting for him to continue. He slouched, defeated. "Yes, there were always rumors. Rumors that Rhaegar and Lyanna were in love and ran away together. Rumors that Elia Martell had been cast aside. Rumors of a babe. No one who knew Ned Stark believed that he had forsaken his marriage vows or his new wife and taken a mistress. Or that he would bring a bastard home to his new wife. But people love a scandal where high lords are concerned and Ned Stark himself perpetuated these rumors." He shrugged, "I myself never believed them."
The Dragon Queen was seething. "Are you telling me, Lord Varys, that you believe that Jon Snow is the rightful King of the Seven Kingdoms?"
He opened his mouth worriedly, "My Queen-"
Bran cut him off before he could continue. "There is another way."
Varys closed his eyes in relief as everyone turned to Bran.
"The dragons." He said. "Only a true Targaryen can commune with the dragons. Missandei," he turned to the pretty translator, "the dragons trust you. You can feed them and even ride them in your Queen's presence but what if you say 'dracarys'?"
The girl's eyebrows furrowed, "Nothing, my Lord. They only obey that command when give by the Queen."
Bran inclined his head. "Yes, only a true Targaryen can command a dragon. Summon Drogon. Jon, you will command him to breathe dragonfire. If the dragon obeys, you are truly a Targaryen."
Up to this point, Jon had only sat in silence. At this, he finally spoke up. "No." He spoke with finality, looking stern. "I asked that we keep this between us," he said, looking at his cousins. "I told you I don't want the throne. I don't want to play these games of thrones. I only want to save my people and live among the living. Why does it matter who sits on the throne? This Targaryen or that one? Ned Stark was my father. I am a Stark."
The room was silent. Tyrion and Varys looked at Jon with admiration. Their queen looked both pleased and perturbed. Sansa thought it was likely because she recognized that Jon would make a better ruler than her.
Sansa spoke up. "Jon, you are Ned Stark's son but you're also Rhaegar Targaryen's son and the rightful ruler of the Seven Kingdoms." She could see the Dragon Queen fuming in the corner of her eye, but she continued. "Jon, you don't serve yourself. You serve the people and that's what this realm needs after rulers like the Mad King, Joffrey Baratheon, and Cersei Lannister. It matters because the realm needs a King like you. I mean you no offense," she said, looking at the Dragon Queen. "But if Jon is the son of Rhaegar Targaryen and my aunt Lyanna then he IS the rightful ruler of Westeros. The Iron Throne belongs to him."
Tyrion gave her a meaningful look. "If?" he questioned.
She replied, "Jon has always been my brother. He has always been Ned Stark's son. It's difficult to see him as anything else. Are you asking if I believe whether the rumors are true? I do. All the evidence, whether you believe it or not, points to his true lineage."
Arya spoke up. "Daenerys Targaryen, if you truly serve the realm and not yourself, summon the dragon and let my brother prove who he is. But you already know the truth. The question you must ask yourself now is, do you serve the realm? Or do you serve yourself? If you serve the realm, you will gladly accede the throne to Jon if he is who we claim. If you serve yourself, you will demand the Iron Throne, which you know is no longer yours by right, which is what your claim has rested on for all this time."
At this the Dragon Queen leapt out of her seat, enraged. "I will not have my authority questioned. I will not have my rule questioned. Jon Snow, I will summon Drogon. If you can command my dragon, I will consider what that may mean. If you can't, I will have no more of these rumors. And if he eats you in the attempt, then you know you were only a Stark all along."
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Daenerys Targaryen demanded that the Stark siblings remain in the solar. Sansa could see that it was Bran she didn't trust.
Sansa wasn't worried for Jon. He could take care of himself well enough. He would not still be alive if he couldn't. Besides, they had Bran to watch all. He told them when Jon had successfully commanded the dragon.
It wasn't long before Jon returned. At their questioning looks he said that the Dragon Queen and her counsel were speaking amongst themselves and would rejoin them momentarily. He looked utterly defeated.
It was quite some time before the Dragon Queen and her entourage returned.
She refused to meet Jon's eyes. Instead she glanced around the room and spoke almost as soon as Varys closed the door behind him.
"I have considered what was discussed and I think it wise to make arrangements." Sansa thought it odd that Tyrion was not doing the talking. When it came to plans, Tyrion was usually the one to propose them. The Dragon Queen continued, "Once the dead and the Lannister's have been defeated, I will allow Jon Snow to remain here in Winterfell as King in the North, nothing will be revealed of his lineage, and I will rule the rest of Westeros as it's Queen. If anyone questions why the North was allowed to remain an independent kingdom after yielding, we shall say it's because he helped gain victory in the great war."
No one spoke, it was clear she was not finished.
"To ensure lasting peace between the North and Westeros, the marriage between Tyrion and the Lady of Winterfell shall be renewed."
Sansa looked sharply at Tyrion but he refused to meet her gaze.
"As Hand, Tyrion will be needed in King's Landing, but the Lady shall be allowed to remain on Casterly Ro-"
"No." Sansa spoke calmly and clearly. "I mean no offense, my Lord," she said to Tyrion and he inclined his head in acknowledgment. "You have only ever been kind, but I will not leave my home to become a hostage again."
The Dragon Queen's face was unreadable. "You will not be a hostage. You will be my Lord Hand's wife. A position of honor."
"Then honor someone else. You would have me there to keep the North in line. To ensure the truth doesn't get out. A hostage." Sansa replied steadily.
There was complete silence while the two women openly glared at one another.
Finally, the Dragon Queen said in an authoritative voice, "Tyrion will do as his Queen commands. Am I to understand that you refuse to do as your Queen commands?"
Sansa stood slowly, "But you're not my Queen. Nor are you the rightful ruler of Westeros. I was already forced into two marriages. I will not be forced into a third."
The Dragon's Queen's eyes blazed. "It's my understanding that you willingly wed the Bastard of Bolton. Or am I mistaken?"
Sansa wanted to lash out but the reasonable part of her knew that would be unwise. With only a few words she could break their tentative alliance and doom them all to the dead. Instead she replied, "I did what I had to do to get home. Not all of us are here because we had dragons at our sides and armies at our backs."
This time it was Varys that spoke up. "Your Grace, perhaps a different bride is in order. There are many Northern houses and many suitable ladies among them. Alys Karstark, perhaps? She now rules House Karstark. A suitable bride, I think."
As Lord Varys spoke, Sansa finally noticed the tension in the room. The Unsullied commander was standing erect, behind his queen with his hand on the hilt of his sword. Arya was sitting casually next to Sansa, with her dagger drawn underneath the table. Jon was staring at the Dragon Queen, while she was refusing to meet his gaze. Tyrion was still sitting in grim silence and Bran was staring into the fire.
The Dragon Queen replied, "House Karstark fought with House Bolton. Their Lady does not inspire any loyalty among the Northerners."
Varys tried again, "Lady Mormont perhaps?" Sansa knew that would never happen and caught Arya's look of barely concealed disbelief. Neither said as much and Varys continued. "Yes, she's still a child but she'll be of acceptable marrying age soon enough. And she's greatly esteemed and respected among the Northern lords."
Finally Tyrion spoke up. "Perhaps we could discuss my future bride another time. A pitcher of the finest Arbor Gold is awaiting me in my chambers and I don't want to disappoint."
The irritation was obvious in his voice. The silver haired queen gave him a disapproving glance but nodded. Arya quickly sheathed her dagger beneath the table so no one would notice but Jon didn't move. As the group made to exit, Jon called, "Your Grace, a word?"
At that, the Dragon Queen had no choice but to meet his eyes.
Sansa had no desire to witness their exchange so she pushed Bran out with Arya following close behind.
"Shall I kill her now?" Arya asked.
Sansa replied, "Yes. Yes, I think we should consider it."
