I'm baaaaaack!

Phew, it's been awhile! I needed a break, though, so I didn't burn out and give up to writer's block. But here is the long awaited next chapter. It takes place during 4x07 with a few extra moments, and will be entirely in Jae's POV. I hope you all enjoy, and thank you for your patience!

As always I only own Davvi, Jae, and Robb's new character development and plot. Oh, and the cute new addition. Bold in a dialogue is Dothraki, italics in a dialogue is Valyrian.

Since our walk two days ago, I've noticed a change in Robb Stark. More specifically, how he's begun to approach me. Still very much like a wounded animal, he seems less… terrified of me. More trusting. He's still not fond of being touched unless it's Vimor, but he's less tense when it's just him and me. His blue eyes are lighter, shine brighter. He's started eating more. He even managed to take a bath last night. His guards stayed in the room with him in case anything happened, but Black Lice was quick to tell me he took his time.

"You and the Stark boy have gotten closer, young Princess." Jorah tells me as I wipe the sweat off my brow with my forearm, arms sore but not in pain. My sword finally feels like it truly belongs in my hand, like I've come into what my ancestors wanted for me.

"And?" I ask, twirling my sword in my right hand and getting into position.

He shrugs, getting into his own fighting stance. "It was just an observation. I knew his father, you know. The honorable Eddard Stark." There's no contempt in his tone, though. "Lord of Winterfell. Warden of the North. He helped Robert Baratheon in the rebellion. I fought for him during the Greyjoy Rebellion, earning my knighthood." He lunges towards me but I step out of the way and block him. "He wanted me executed for my crime. Instead, he settled on exile. That was his mercy."

"You were selling people into slavery, Jorah." I tell him, blocking another attack before kicking him in the knee. He drops a bit and I swing my sword down on top of him, but he blocks me this time.

"I know. And I do not blame Lord Snow for what should have been my punishment."

"Why are you telling me this?" I ask, spinning out of the way from his attack.

"Because you should know the type of man Robb Stark was raised by."

I raise an eyebrow and bend back to avoid his swing before straightening up, going on the offensive and twisting my sword around his, knocking it out of his hand so it skids across the floor. With my sword at his throat, I say, "Robb Stark is a good man. Broken, but good. I already know what kind of man raised him."

"Aye. But I just wanted you to see you are right to trust him." He gives me a proud look as I lower my weapon. "You could do worse than Robb Stark."

"His father wanted to have you killed. His father helped overthrow my own. Shouldn't you be siding with Daenerys? I know she still doesn't trust him." I don't say it with malice. It's a relaxed reminder of the facts, without the judgment.

Jorah sighs. "Your sister loves you, little dragon. Very much. She doesn't want you to be in danger. I care for you as well, very much. Even the smallest cut you may receive makes my heart clench in fear. But I've known the Starks my whole life. You could find no more honorable family than theres. Sometimes, though, honor can be blinding. An honorable person may not understand that there is more to just 'good' and 'bad', 'right' and 'wrong'. You must help Robb Stark learn this."

"Ser Jorah is right." Barristan announces, walking in from where he's surely been listening in. "I knew Eddard Stark when he was Robert Baratheon's Hand. His need to do the right thing was his downfall."

"Why do you both care about Robb Stark's fate?" I ask, more than curious.

Barristan smiles and places a hand on my shoulder. "We have seen the way you look at him. Your sister, too. When you return to Westeros with the firstborn Stark, you will have united the North and the South."

"Then you two should be advising Daenerys to marry him. Join the houses." I mutter, ignoring how my stomach twists at the thought.

Jorah lets out a snort, something he rarely does. "Your sister would never do that, young Princess. She is not keen on breaking your heart."

I narrow my eyes. "I have no idea what you mean."

"We are not blind, Jaenarys." The Mormont gently tells me. "We saw how you reacted when you met him. We see the truth about your feelings."

I shake my head and step away. "There are no feelings. Not in the way you're suggesting. And certainly not from him. If you two will excuse me, I'd like to have a bath." Before they can say anything I'm walking away, sword in my newly callused hands, their words playing in my mind over and over.

The bath is in a room connected to my main room. Private and with yet another balcony, it's much like the bath houses all around Essos, with clean water being run up through interwoven and brilliant designed aqueducts.

I undress and step into the still steaming bath, lathering sweet smelling oil all over my body and hair. Grabbing a small jug I fill it with water and pour it over my head, letting the liquid wash away the oil. I sit there, soaking, staring out the balcony and smiling when I see Davvi flying over the city, spinning in the air.

When the water cools down I get out, wrapping myself in a silk robe and pinning up my wet curls. I walk away from the bath and into my bedroom, padding barefoot out to the balcony and staring up at the darkening sky, watching the stars twinkle and the moonlight begin to paint the city. Davvi flutters over me, circling before landing in her usual spot, curled up as small as she can manage. I smile and sit next to her, leaning against her thick scales and rubbing under her jaw. "Tired? I am, too." I mutter, closing my eyes as my body moves up and down with her breathing. "I think I'll just lay here, for a bit." Davvi snuffles and I feel her lower her head, wrapping her body around me as I drift off.

Davvi's growls wake me. I blink, the world around me darker than before. How long had I been sleeping?

"Shh, shh. What is wrong?" I ask, but Davvi keeps snarling for a few more moments before she abruptly stops and moves away from mer, her snarls becoming whimpers. I blink, then hear a light knocking coming from outside my room. I quickly stand and tighten my robe, leaving my balcony.

"Jaenarys, you have visitor." I hear Ant say from outside my chambers, speaking in the common tongue.

I rush over to my door and pull it open, coming face-to-face with a heavily breathing Robb and two wary guards. "Thank you, Ant. Tick." I bow my head to them, and they do the same. "Come in, Robb." My voice is softer, now, and he nods, passing me as I close the door, the Unsullied guards having returned to their post in sync.

Noticing Robb looking anywhere but at me, I blush down at my silk robe, realizing how tight it is. The cold air has made my nipples point out in the think material, the wet spots still drying. I cross my arms over my body, having not been nervous in front of another man since… well, since my first time with one. I've always been confident in what I do and don't show. But with Robb, it's different.

And that terrifies me.

"I can change, if you -"

"No! No." His cheeks turn pink as he manages to look down into my eyes, blue meeting violet. "This is your room. I am intruding. I'm sorry, I'm sure you were sleeping, I -"

"What do you need?" I ask, voice still soft as my head tilts. "What is wrong?"

He lets out a laugh that lacks any semblance of humor. "Where should I begin?"

I gestured to the table Vimor and I usually share our meals, and he waits for me to sit before joining me. Smiling to myself at his chivalrous behavior I lean one elbow on the table and rest my chin on top of a closed fist. "Wherever you'd like. I'm your friend, Robb. I hope you know that."

He gives me a small smile. "I do. Now. I should have, when you attacked Captain Loraq on my behalf."

I bite my lip. "I do not blame you for not trusting me. You know that, right?"

"I can still regret my judgment of you though." I nod.

"Again, I do not blame you. I promise. Now, what is troubling you?" I look into his eyes. "Was it… was it a bad dream?"

He lets out a shaky laugh. "My life the past few months has been a bad dream."

"Has the news of King Joffrey's death not helped?" He looks at me, confused, and my mouth makes an o. "Did no one tell you?"

"He is dead?"

"Poisoned at his wedding."

"He got what he deserved, then." I nod, obviously not knowing the late king, but the pain and glee in Robb's eyes tells me he was at the very least a monster.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier. I thought perhaps someone else would have."

"You're the only person I'm around. And Vimor. Missandei - Missandei, right?" I nod. "She comes by occasionally, but only ever on behalf of your sister."

"And me." I correct him, gently, and he tilts his head. I blush a bit. "I send her to check on you as well. I thought it'd be easier for you to be around other freed slaves. But I didn't want you to think I was spying on you."

"You care." He mutters. "You truly care. I saw you with the people. How they clamored around you. At first, I thought it was for show. But listening to Vimor's story about how he came to you, it made me realize how wrong I was. You're not like any royalty I've ever met."

I blink. "Is that a bad thing?"

"No. It's a good thing. And I… sometimes, when I'm around you, I forget that you're the Targaryen Princess."

"I never liked being a princess." I sigh, looking out towards the balcony. "I never wanted to return to Westeros. I wanted to explore Essos. I wanted to fight and go on adventures like Jaenara of House Belaerys. She explored Sothoryos on the back of her dragon, Terrax. But even before I got Davvi, I just wanted to get on a horse and ride, and never look back."

"Why? What was so bad about being a princess?" He asks me, and I smile internally. Robb wanting to learn more about me… it's a welcome change from him not talking to me. Even during our walk around the streets of Meereen he wasn't as curious about my past as he is now.

"My brother." I simply say, then look at Robb and the confusion in his eyes. "I have no doubt that he is my father's son. I know I like to say that children are not their parents, but he was always cruel. Always unhinged."

"What happened to him?"

"He died. Was killed." Is all I say. I blink back a few unshed tears. "And in the moment it happened, I was glad. Truly. But now all I feel is this regret, that things weren't different. I still hate him, and I know the world and my sister are safer now that he's gone, and that he was a monster, but… I've always wondered if he was different, before the Rebellion. But I'll never know." I look at Robb. "I'm sorry. My troubles are not yours to bear."

"Mine are not, either, but that hasn't stopped you from taking care of me, even though I've pushed you away." He points out. "I'm ready, now. To accept that someone still cares."

"Vimor loves you, you know." I tell him, and he blinks. "Truly. He considers you a friend. Someone to look up to. So it's not only me who cares."

Robb looks down. "I'm not sure what I've done to be worthy of his admiration. He is much stronger than me."

I shake my head, despite the Stark man not looking at me. "I believe you are stronger than you think. I do not know your story, but I know pain and heartbreak when I see it."

He gives me a look, as though he's truly seeing me. "Yes. I suppose you do."

"Do you want to tell me? About your nightmare?"

"It's always the same thing." He shifts in the chair, then looks up at me through his lashes. "I'm sitting at the table with my wife. We're talking about our child. And then… then that damned song starts, and my men fall all around me. My wife is killed with arrows, her blood and my unborn child's blood on my hands." He shoots up and turns from me, looking out at the balcony. "My mother's throat is slit, and right when I feel like I'm about to be stabbed by a man I considered my friend, I wake up. Alone." My eyes well with tears.

His wife was murdered. His baby was murdered. His mother was murdered. And he was betrayed. My heart breaks into millions of pieces. What I had imagined happened to him… it doesn't compare to reality. "That's what happened, you know. Because I broke a vow, and with the Lannisters' help by slight was repaid. Two innocent women were killed because I couldn't honor an agreement. Because I couldn't keep one damn promise." He picks up a goblet and throws it across the room, and I wince when it hits the wall. "Damn it all. Damn the Seven Kingdoms. Fuck Westeros! Fuck everything that happened since fucking King Robert marched to my home and helped rip my family apart!" He collapses onto the ground on his knees, hands in his eyes as his shoulders shake.

For once, I don't hesitate. I don't wait for permission.

I get up and fall down next to him, wrapping the broken man in my small arms, being his strength. He doesn't tense up, doesn't push me away. So I bring his head to my chest and let his forehead rest against my heart.

The door opens and the guards step in, but I shake my head and wave them away. They nod, wary, but give us privacy once more.

"Robb, you listen to me. What happened to you, what I know happened to you," I correct myself, "is absolutely heartbreaking. What you've been through… most men would not have survived. But you are not most men. I knew you weren't when we first met, even without having known you. I am so sorry for what you lost. I only hope that in time, you start to see that you only have more to gain."

He nods his head, still crying, and I rest mine on top of his. I can see Davvi approaching, curious, and Robb sits up when he hears the clicking of talons. He looks to my dragon, who lowers her head to the ground. Then he looks at me. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have -"

"Shut up." I interrupt, then smile and wipe the tears from his cheeks. "You are my friend. I am here for you."

He nods. "I should go."

"Stay." I whisper. He blinks at me, unsure. "I don't think you'll be able to sleep. Not after… I just know you won't be able to. And I'm much too invested in your wellbeing to rest. So stay, and we'll talk."

Robb stares at me, lost, searching my eyes. Finally he nods, and I stand, offering my hand to help him up. "Thank you, Princess."

I smile up at him, wide and with all the warmth in my heart. "My friends call me Jae."

He smiles, small but finally trusting. "Alright. Thank you, Jae."

"You are kidding!" I laugh, shaking my head. The sun pours light into my room, having risen what seems like eons ago.

Robb only nods, laughing as well. It's still sad and heavy, but there's life in him now. "No. I speak with great honesty. Arya showed-up Bran. She would've been a fine warrior, if it were allowed."

"Why isn't it?" I ask, leaning forward. "Plenty of Targaryen women were warriors, you know. Aegon wouldn't have conquered Westeros without Rhaenys and Visenya."

"Not all families are like you Targaryens."

"Incestuous?" I ask, and he pales a bit. "What, it's true. My mother was my father's sister. If I weren't a kinslayer, I'm sure Viserys would have attempted to marry me." I wrinkle my nose. "I never wanted to marry family, though. I don't think I ever wanted to marry at all."

"Kinslayer?" Robb asks. "How?"

I sigh. "My mother died giving birth to me. I took her last breath for mine. Viserys had always hated me for it."

"You're no kinslayer, Jae. That was not your fault."

"I had no say in it, that's true. But I still killed her." I shrug, accepting it. Robb looks like he wants to say more, but someone knocks on the door.

"Who is it?" I call.

"Missandei. Your sister sends word that she wishes to speak to you."

"Come in." I tell her.

Missandei enters, but pauses when she sees Robb is with me, wearing rumpled sleep clothes. She also notes my robe, and I pinken at her tiny smirk. "I'm sorry, am I interrupting?"

"No!" I say, a little too quickly. "We were just talking."

"Aye." Robb nods, then stands. I stand with him, and watch as he bows to me. "I will see you later, Jae. If that's alright?"

I nod. "Yes. Have a good day, Robb Stark." He smiles his little half-smile then bows to Missandei before leaving my chambers, closing the door behind him.

Missandei clears her throat and I look up at her, biting my lip. "Are you going to tell Dany, Deia?" I whisper.

She shakes her head, but grins at my blush. "I've never seen you enamored with a man before. I must say, it's strange to see you acting so…"

"Like a princess?" I ask, finishing her sentence. I like how honest Missandei can be with me. How she doesn't feel like she has to please me or be respectful, as she does with Daenerys. After Davvi's death at the hands of Qotho, I never expected to have another person to consider my best friend. Dany is the other half of my soul, but Missandei? She shares a piece of my heart, just like Grey Worm and Vimor.

"Yes. Do you trust him, though. Truly?"

I nod, and stare at the door as though Robb is still standing there. "I do. I've seen him before, you know. In my dreams."

"What do you mean?"

I look at her. "Visions, Deia. I have visions, or maybe they're just dreams. Not as often as when I was in the Red Waste and Qarth, but… my ancestors show me things. Things like Robb Stark and Blackfyre."

"What makes you think they are dreams, if you were shown this man? If you were shown your weapon?"

"Because if I accept that they are visions, I feel as though I'd be losing my mind." I admit. "I need to hold onto my sanity, Missandei. If I don't… I fear I could become like my father and Viserys."

"I have faith in you and your sanity, my friend." She whispers, taking my hand. I smile and squeeze back. You should get dressed, though."

"As I always, you're right." I tell her, making my best friend laugh.

Going behind the changing panels I pull a dress out of a drawer. It's red as always, with a plunging neckline and a long, flowing skirt. The straps cross behind my back, loosely falling off my shoulders.

I let my hair down, foregoing the usual braids and letting the curls fall down my back. Missandei is still standing in the same spot, waiting for me. "Are you going to be teaching Grey Worm the common tongue today, or will I be running the lesson?" I ask, and she blushes this time.

"If you don't mind, Jae, I like teaching him."

I smile at her innocent look and nod. "Of course. I shall teach the others, though. Allow you focus more on Grey Worm's lessons."

She looks away from me as we leave my chambers. "I'm sure I don't know what you mean."

"Of course you don't." I wink at her, and she sighs.

"Your sister asked me to send some fruit and cheese to her room. Would you like some?"

I smile. "Only because you are offering. Thank you, Deia. I shall see you later." With that we are parting ways, and I walk up towards my sister's chambers at the top of the pyramid.

On my way, I run directly into Jorah, who helps straighten me. "Apologies, young Princess."

"The fault is mine. I had a late night and am not as coordinated as usual."

"And what kept you up?"

I smile fondly, remembering the past few hours with Robb. "A talk with a friend."

He nods, not quite believing me but also not commenting. When we enter Dany's chambers, though, any brightness in his steps dims when we come across a hastily exiting Daario, who is attempting to lace up his tunic before giving up, allowing his rather impressive chest and stomach to be on display.

I'm no blushing maid. I know what he was doing in there, with my sister. And as fond of him as I've grown, their actions are not worth the pain in Jorah's eyes.

"Oh, Jae. Jorah the Andal." He greets, hands behind his back. "You're here to see our Queen?" The question is rhetorical, of course. "She's in a good mood." He pats Jorah's shoulder and leaves. I stand with my Westerosi friend for only a moment before racing after the tall sellsword, leaving him and my waiting sister behind.

"Daario!" I shout, and he stops. Turning to me with a small smile, it falls when he sees the anger surely burning in my violet eyes. "I know you have been with my sister. And we both know of Jorah's love for her. I cannot tell you what to do, not really. Evidently that's reserved for my sister. But if you ever taunt him like that again, ever cause Jorah further heartbreak, Davvi won't be the one you should fear. It will be me."

He nods. "Of course, Princess Jaenarys." He bows, leaving me.

With a sigh I turn and walk back to my sister's chambers, entering right as I hear the Queen of Meereen announce,

"I trust you."

"Daario Naharis killed his captains and dumped their heads at your and your sister's feet when he grew tired of their commands." I watch Jorah venomously remind Dany as she circles her round table. "How could you ever have faith in a man like that?"

"I could never have faith in man like Daario." She stops walking and gives me a small, welcoming smile before refocusing on Jorah. "That's why I've sent him and the Second Sons to reclaim Yunkai."

"Why not send me as well?" I ask, approaching the council area. Both stare at me. "As the sister of the Queen, perhaps -"

"I do not want you far from me." Dany admits. "It is not because I don't trust you. But you're life is being threatened by the Wise Masters. I do not trust the others to keep you safe."

I nod in understanding, and Jorah speaks. "Without you there to rule, Khaleesi, I fear the masters will simply bide their time and wait for the invaders to leave and reassert control."

"That is why I've ordered Daario to execute every master in Yunkai." Her viciousness, though coming from a place of love for people, makes me wince. Thankfully it goes unnoticed. There's just something about the emptiness in her tone when she announces her order that makes me a touch afraid, despite the fact I know it's nothing less than those monsters deserve. "The masters tear babies from their mother's arms." She grows more passionate. "They mutilate little boys by the thousands, they train little girls in the art of pleasuring old men." The mention of the latter almost has me falling into the memory of Viserys threatening to do the same to me. "They treat men like beasts. As you said yourself." She reminds Jorah.

"Herding the masters into pens and slaughtering them by the thousands is also treating men like beasts."

And despite my hatred for the masters, I listen to our advisor, remembering what Ser Barristan had said when we took Meereen; "Sometimes it is better to answer injustice with mercy."

Jorah is not finished. He rests his hands on the table as my sister crosses her arms. "For slaves you freed, brutality is all they've ever known. If you want them to know something else, you'll have to show it to them."

"And repay the slavers with what? Kindness?" She argues. "A fine? A stern warning?"

"It's tempting to see your enemies as evil. All of them. But there's good and evil on both sides in every war ever fought."

"Let the priests argue over good and evil. Slavery is real. I can end it - we can end it," she nods at me, "we will end it and we will end those behind it."

Jorah walks over to her. "I sold men into slavery, Khaleesi."

She joins him half-way. "And now you are helping us show them to freedom."

"I wouldn't be here to help you if Ned Stark had done to me what you want to do to the masters of Yunkai."

Dany sighs, then looks up at Jorah. "The man who came to me the other day about burying his father."

"Hizdahr zo Loraq. The man who bought Robb Stark." I remind her, and she looks at me.

"Yes."

"He will accompany the Second Sons and serve as my Ambassador to Yunkai."

"Why him?" I ask, frowning, keeping my temper in check. This is my sister, my older twin sister who loves me. I trust her.

"Because he will tell the masters what has happened in Meereen. He will explain the choice they have before them: they can live in our new world, or they can die in their old one."

I nod, mulling over her words. "It's smart. And it keeps him away from Robb."

"I'm more interested in keeping him away from you." She tells me, a soft and amused look on her face. I'm absentmindedly reminded of how owners look at their pets the same way, before I chase that cruel thought away.

I must be tired.

Jorah nods, a smile on his face. Dany smiles back. "Go and catch Daario before he leaves. Tell him I changed my mind." She orders the Ser, who nods.

"Yes, Khaleesi." He begins to walk away, only for my sister to stop him.

"No." Jorah turns, confused. "Tell him you changed my mind."

We watch as Jorah leaves, and my sister twists to look at me. "Come, hāedar." She holds out her hand and I take it, walking up the steps to the table and sitting next to her. "How are you?"

"Fine, Dany. Just tired. It was a late night."

"Oh?" She asks, pouring me a goblet of water, and then one for herself. I sip it delicately, and nod. "Did Vimor have a nightmare?"

"Not Vimor." I murmur, and she pauses.

"Tell me you did not welcome Robb Stark into your chambers. Into your bed."

I give her an unimpressed look. "As you did for Daario?" She looks away. "You forget, I lost my maidenhood first. I know what happens between a man and a woman."

"Daario is not the same as Robb."

I nod. "You're right. Daario is confident. Robb has been broken in the worst ways. So no, I did not welcome him into my bed. But we spoke into the morning, before Missandei came to get me. He is a friend, Dany. I trust him."

"And how will that turn out, I wonder. When he gets his strength back, do you think he won't attempt to finish what his father and Robert Baratheon started. He must have been named for the late King, you know."

I glower down at my lap. "Robb isn't like that." I look up at her. "Robb is a good man who has experienced terrible loss. He is my friend, and he trusts me. Me, the daughter of the man who burned her grandfather and uncle alive. Don't forget, Aerys Targaryen was the Mad King. Viserys may have told us such with pride and respect in his voice, but Viserys was mad too."

"Men like Robb Stark should not be trusted. You don't know him."

"I do." I argue, taking her hands in mine. "I really do. And don't you think Aegor wouldn't have shown me him if it wasn't true?" She yanks her hands out of mine and stands, looking down at me before walking towards the balcony and crossing her arms.

"You are relying too heavily on the idea that what you saw in the House of the Undying was real. It was not."

"But it wasn't just there!" I shout, standing as well. "I saw Aegor when we were in the Red Waste, and in Qarth before we were tricked by Pyat Pree and Xaro. I've seen things here."

"Dreams, hāedar. They are dreams. Please, I need your head here, with me. Not in what happens when you close your eyes and rest." She orders, looking at me.

I glance away, pained by the fact she doesn't believe me. "Why can't you see that perhaps I'm right?"

"Because I do not want to lose you to wishful thinking." I hear her walk towards me, and sigh when she wraps her paler arms around my darker body. "You are my twin. The other half of my soul. The one who inspires me to be strong, the one who taught me to be good and to love. If I lose you, I lose everything."

I sigh and hug her back, our heads resting on each other's shoulders. "Just talk to him, Dany. That's all I ask. Davvi likes him, you know? Isn't that enough of a sign?"

"Perhaps." She mutters, then kisses my temple. "Fine, I will speak to him. Now, I know you've been visiting the city. Tell me, what do you think Meereen needs?" She sits back down and I join her.

"The people have already taken up control of the markets. They've started exchange currency. The freed are getting money from the masters for compensation, just as you ordered be done. But there are children who live without parents. They need a home. And everyone deserves education. The enslaved who were not taught to be interpreters like Missandei can not read or write. We should set up schools. Those who know how to read and write should and teach, and be paid. These people deserve nothing less than that."

She nods, and smiles. "Then we shall figure it out. We will make things right for the Meereenese. I promise." She cups my left cheek. "I am so proud of you, hāedar. As long as you visit with some form of protection, I will not keep you locked away in this pyramid."

I smile at her granted - although unnecessary - permission to continue going into the streets. "Thank you, Dany. And I will. Now, tell me. How was Daario?"

As we laugh and giggle about lying with men, I find myself nearly floating with happiness. This is what I've missed most these past few years. Just sitting with my sister and talking as we used to, without the stress of ruling or keeping the peace or freeing those in chains.

Just me and Daenerys, the last of the dragons.