Hello. It seems that in the last chapter I may have got my Howland Reed slightly wrong. I was trying to show Howland trying to protect Ned by pointing out the dangers and Ned's thought process. I hope you still enjoyed it though.

I hope you enjoy the next chapter. :)

Chapter 11

Jon woke with Daenerys asleep in his arms. It was still dark but the nights were becoming longer so it was difficult to judge the time. The lack of noise coming from the surrounding area suggested to Jon that it was still early morning and most people were still asleep. Jon carefully extracted himself from Daenerys who mumbled slightly as he moved. He found his clothes and quickly dressed before adding some wood to the brazier which was still burning lowly. He blew on the flames and soon they were majestically flickering again. Daenerys wrapped herself up in the furs as she continued to sleep which made Jon give a soft smile.

He took a last glance at Daenerys before he left the tent. He had been right, it was early. Some Dothraki and Unsullied stood guard but very few people had stirred. He made his way towards his tent and for the first time truly appreciated how far away he was from Daenerys. Lord Manderly had stationed some guards as well but none seemed interested that the King in the North was returning to his tent at such an hour. Jon was beginning to realise that his relationship with Daenerys was well known amongst the travellers as the dragons had seen to that, especially Rhaegal. Jon reached his tent and was surprised to find the brazier lit. He quickly changed his clothes so that he would be warm but not restricted and drank some fresh water that had been placed on the table. When they had returned to Dragonstone someone, probably Missandel on Daenerys' orders, had cleaned his furs after he had fallen into the frozen lake. Instead of a wet damp smell, they smelled of flowers.

He quickly dressed and decided that he would leave Longclaw behind. He made sure he had two small daggers, one of steel and the other of dragonglass. Maybe not the best protection but at least he had something.

Jon was about to leave when Davos walked into his tent with no hint of embarrassment at not making his presence known before he walked in.

'And where do you think you're going at this time in the morning?' the older man said with a rather exasperated fatherly tone.

'I have something to do,' Jon replied vaguely, knowing that wouldn't be enough for his Hand.

'So you just came back and now you're leaving again,' Davos raised an eyebrow indicating that he knew exactly where Jon had been.

'I made a promise that I really have to keep,' Jon sighed. He decided to hand Longclaw to Davos who looked rather startled before Jon walked out of his tent.

'To who?' Davos asked as he followed Jon, Longclaw in hand.

'Rhaegal,' Jon said as he looked to the sky. Dawn was a still maybe an hour or so away but the sky was starting to lighten.

'You made the dragon a promise?' Davos asked carefully.

'I told him we would go for a ride this morning,' Jon confessed as he started walking through the tents.

'Are you mad?' Davos clearly thought Jon was. 'Does Daenerys know?'

'No and no,' Jon continued to stride towards the clearing where the dragons had settled.

'Surely she would want to know!' Davos tried again as Jon stopped and turned to him.

'I can't explain it...but I feel that I need to do this alone,' Jon looked reflectful. 'It feels personal between me and Rhaegal. Like we need to be alone together with no-one watching. It feels like my bond with Ghost.'

Davos sighed and shook his head. He knew that Jon's bond with his direwolf was something that he could only wonder at. The wolf responded to not only Jon's commands but often the man's feelings. It was a magic that very few would ever know. The story Varys had told him was truly starting to make sense with Jon's bond with his direwolf coming from his mother Lyanna and his bond with the dragon, who just happened to be named after his father, coming from Rhaegar. Jon, of course, knew nothing about it.

'Ser Davos?' Jon asked as the older man had been quiet for some time.

'Nothing,' Davos shook his thoughts away as Jon looked at him enquiringly. He couldn't tell Jon. Varys had no proof but it did seem more likely as time went on. 'At least take your sword,' he offered Longclaw back.

'Too bulky. Besides I have a dagger and a dragonglass dagger,' Jon reasoned but he knew Davos wasn't convinced.

Jon gave Davos a curt smile and continued to walk towards the area where the dragons had chosen to sleep with Davos in tow. Jon's eyes had adjusted well to the gloom and he strode purposefully towards his target. Both dragons appeared to be asleep but as Jon walked closer Rhaegal shifted to stare at him. Jon heard Davos take in a sharp breath making Jon smile again as he left Davos behind.

Rhaegal stood quickly when he spotted Jon and Jon could sense something akin to joy coming from the dragon as he approached. Drogon hadn't moved but Jon was sure the black dragon was aware of everything that was going on but Rhaegal only had eyes for Jon.

Davos watched from a distance, wondering whether he should wake Daenerys and tell her about the truly stupid thing Jon was doing. He disregarded the thought as he watched the King and the dragon.

Jon reached out for Rhaegal and the dragon quickly lowered his head to push against Jon's hand, nuzzling as though it was the best thing in the world. Jon smiled at Rhaegal's reaction and briefly wondered how Ghost would act when he saw him next.

Rhaegal moved back and dropped his wing in a clear sign that he wanted to get going. Jon walked around and ran his hand over Rhaegal's scales. The dragon appeared to be purring at the touch. Jon looked across at Drogon and saw the dragon's eye open before being shut quickly. Yes, Drogon was keeping an eye out.

Jon started to feel his stomach turn as he started to climb on Rhaegal's back. He had purposefully not eaten anything as he wondered whether he would be able to keep anything down. The dragon for his part seemed to be willing to be patient.

Jon finally managed to get himself settled. The sky was cloudless but the air was chilling. Jon swallowed down an urge to vomit and tried to calm himself. When he first rode Rhaegal he had been so consumed by trying to stop Daenerys from getting hurt that he had barely thought about what he was doing. The height he was off the ground suddenly seemed higher than before and Rhaegal hadn't taken off yet!

Rhaegal let out an impatient snap as the dragon's patience finally wore out.

'Just be kind, alright?' Jon stroked Rhaegal's scales, feeling the warmth through his gloves. 'I have no idea what I'm doing.' Jon was now sure that dragons could laugh. 'Fine. Let's go.'

Jon gripped Rhaegal's spines as tightly as he could while his thighs squeezed Rhaegal's sides. The dragon extended his wings and rose up, forcing Jon to flatten himself to the dragon's back as closely as he could without being impaled by the spines. Jon closed his eyes as he felt the rush of air coming towards him, strangely the first time hadn't felt anywhere near as scary, as he felt Rhaegal lift into the sky vertically. Jon wondered at why his reaction was so different than last time and the only thing he could come up with was that last time he felt he had to do it. This time it was a choice and a choice that scared him.

Rhaegal levelled out and Jon opened his eyes and sucked in the cold air as if he had been drowning. He looked down and saw the snow covered fields and houses at a distance and his stomach started to protest. He took deep breaths through his nose to stem the feeling and the coldness of the air stung.

Rhaegal let out a small clicking sound and Jon instantly understood him. 'I'm fine,' he answered as he finally loosened his grip slightly. 'Just...taking it all in.' Rhaegal hummed in response.

Jon looked down again and could see that they were moving at quite a pace. He had no idea which direction they were going in but he turned and saw the sunlight behind him, suggesting that they were heading west. Jon felt a sense of warmth and happiness emitting from Rhaegal. It was difficult to describe but he was sure Rhaegal was happy. Maybe Rhaegal was always happy when he flew?

Rhaegal started to swerve from side to side and Jon hurriedly re-grasped the spines he had released slightly. Jon felt the laugh again as Rhaegal was teasing him. 'You like laughing at me, don't you?' Jon asked with a hint of amusement. 'Yes' came the answer.

As the flight went on Jon felt himself start to relax. He remembered how tense he had been when he had first ridden a horse and how now he could do it without thinking. Was this the same? Rhaegal changed course and started to head north. Cloud cover started to envelop them and Rhaegal dipped down underneath the clouds, much to Jon's relief. The small amount of time they had been in the clouds and already got him damp but the water didn't seem to bother Rhaegal at all. It seemed that they were flying in a comfortable silence as they both enjoyed what they were doing.

It was then that Jon saw it in the distance. Its unmistakable towers and shape. Winterfell.

'No,' Jon whispered. 'I don't want to fly over Winterfell,' he said.

'Why?' came the call from Rhaegal.

'I'm afraid they will attack you as we're still days' ride away. They won't be ready. I don't want you to get hurt,' Jon replied quickly, hoping that Rhaegal would understand.

Rhaegal moved off-course and Jon hoped that nobody had seen the dragon. He was also afraid that if Rhaegal had flown over Winterfell and he had been spotted that it might send the Northern lord's into uproar. He still didn't know how he was going to tell Sansa, Arya and Bran about this. About what he suspected about his mother.

Arya was awake early. She didn't sleep much anymore if she was honest. The kitchens were busy as they prepared breakfast and Arya decided not to disturb them as she would break her fast with everyone else. She let her feet lead her and they led her up on to the battlements which were still covered with snow that wouldn't melt in the cold temperatures. She shrugged her warm, fur cloak around her. It had been a gift from Sansa and Arya was happy to receive it. Sansa was very good at sewing with her needles and in this weather it was a welcome skill. The day would dawn overcast but for now the snow was staying away which was a relief.

'Hello, Ghost,' she said quietly before looking towards the doorway back into the keep. The giant direwolf barely fit anymore, but who would dare stand in the way of a direwolf? His red eyes were gleaming and he looked cleaner than he had for the past few days. His white fur striking against his red eyes and how he blended in with the snow. 'You can't sneak up on me you know,' Arya smiled to him and extended her now ungloved hand.

The direwolf had been trying to sneak up on her since she had returned but she always caught him. He smelt like a wolf after all. He dipped his head to nudge her hand before licking it. She scratched his ears and he close his eyes in enjoyment.

Then he turned to the sky. Eyes searching, nose twitching. In the distance Arya thought she heard a faint roar as something large bobbed in the distant sky. Could it be?

Ghost scrambled and rose up his hind legs, placing his paws on the battlements. He sniffed the air back and forth. The shape disappeared from view but Ghost's ears kept twitching for some time after. After a few minutes Ghost sat back down and dropped his head.

'What's wrong?' Arya asked him as she approached but Ghost seemed to be lost in his own thoughts, if direwolves had thoughts. Arya couldn't explain why but she felt it had something to do with Jon.

Ghost missed Jon that was obvious. He spent a lot of time in Robb's old room, which Sansa had told her Jon had taken when they returned. Had Ghost thought Jon was close?

'I miss him too,' Arya told Ghost who lightly licked her hand. She was looking forward to seeing Jon again but she was also feeling slightly apprehensive of how he would feel when she told him what she was, what she had done.

Ghost seemed to sense her feelings and licked her face in reassurance. Jon was still Jon.

Daenerys woke to find her bed empty. She was slightly disturbed by Jon's absence but reasoned that he had snuck back to his own tent to in an effort to keep their relationship a secret. She smiled to herself as she thought how stupid he could be. She was sure everyone knew about them but he still tried to keep it a secret. No doubt he didn't want to dishonour her but in truth she didn't care about her honour in that regard.

Missandei peered through the tent flap and Daenerys smiled at her. 'I have brought some water to wash, your Grace,' Missandei said as she placed a bowl of steaming water on the table.

'Thank you, my friend. I need it,' Daenerys answered making Missandei blush slightly. Missandei had indeed been aware of Jon's presence overnight.

Daenerys washed and Missandei helped her to dress in warm clothes. They chatted quietly about the trip, the weather and Jon with Daenerys also wanting to know about Grey Worm.

Dawn broke and Daenerys was about to visit Jon when Tyrion appeared with Varys, Jorah and Grey Worm in tow.

Daenerys sighed as she asked, 'What do you need to talk to me about?'

'The arrival at Winterfell, Your Grace,' Tyrion stated as he found the chair nearest to the brazier.

'It is important, Your Grace,' Varys added and Jorah nodded.

'Take a seat,' she said as Varys sat down but Jorah and Missandei remained standing while Grey Worm positioned himself near the tent's entrance. Daenerys sank into her chair and noticed Tyrion's nervousness.

'Out with it,' she said with impatience. Varys and Tyrion exchanged worried looks.

'It's about your introduction at Winterfell, Your Grace,' Jorah decided to speak rather than continue the awkwardness.

'What about it?' Daenerys asked.

'It's complicated,' Tyrion said looking down.

'Your list of titles to be precise,' Varys clarified.

'But Her Grace has earned all of them!' Missandei spoke up defiantly as Daenerys glared at her advisors.

'Queen Daenerys deserves them all and these people should respect that,' Grey Worm snapped.

'No-one is denying that,' Tyrion quickly moved to soothe the situation. 'But we must be careful not to overshadow their King.'

'The North will see it as a slight if you appear to present yourself as better than their King,' Varys agreed.

'Agreed,' Jorah nodded as Daenerys looked to him in hope that Tyrion and Varys were wrong. 'No-one here denies that your titles have been well earned. I'm sure even Jon wouldn't deny it...but the North has their own King. The North is a stubborn place and they are still full of hatred for Targaryens. Jon is your shield and even then you must expect many to be unhappy about your arrival. You will have to win them over but announcing yourself in a manner that makes Jon look weak and, forgive me, instil that you are their rightful Queen will only cause more problems.'

'I'm coming to help,' Daenerys snapped.

'And that is what we must emphasise,' Tyrion gave her a knowing look. 'Returning the North to Jon was a good move. We all know that he is devoted to you but he is also a man who wants to protect his people. We need to show the North that you are not there to rule them but to help them.'

'But once our Queen takes the Iron Throne then she will rule the North anyway,' Missandei stated.

'No,' Daenerys looked to her friend. 'I won't. Jon made it clear that when I gave him back the North I could not just take it back when I wanted. He will have to publically kneel to surrender the North.'

'Surely we won't even need that,' Tyrion said smugly as everyone turned to him. 'Help save the North and they will be truly grateful and will have a different opinion of you. Then marry Jon, uniting the North back with the rest of the Seven Kingdoms.'

Daenerys stood and began to pace causing those present to exchange curious glances. 'I don't know if I can marry Jon,' she said finally.

'Why?' Tyrion asked looking rather surprised but amused. 'You seem to enjoy...his company.' Smirks were barely contained but Daenerys didn't see any of them.

'He's a good man,' Jorah stated though it hurt him to admit she had found a man as good as Jon Snow. He knew she would never be his and he had accepted that a long time ago. Jon Snow would never hurt her that much was obvious and she clearly liked him. Maybe even loved him.

'Exactly,' she turned to her advisors. 'He is the first man in power who I have respect for. At first I thought he just wanted to be called King though he had no right. That he was an enemy that I might have to side with and then crush.'

'Now you know he is neither of those things,' Varys supplied and Daenerys nodded.

'You clearly like him and he likes you. This even makes sense politically. So where is the problem?' Tyrion asked clearly confused.

'You all know I cannot have children,' she turned to them all in turn, even Grey Worm. All looked downcast. 'I can't do that to him. He doesn't deserve to be saddled with a barren wife!' The true extent of Daenerys feelings had been uncovered to her advisors and she felt free having shared them.

'You are taking the word of a witch who hated you as fact,' Tyrion said gently. 'You should at least allow a Maester to examine you before you make a decision you may regret.'

'I was with Daario enough to know it is unlikely I will be able to have children,' Daenerys said sadly. The looks exchanged by her council showed that they did think she may have a point.

'Does Jon know?' Jorah asked quietly.

'Yes,' Daenerys replied as she regained her composure. 'But he doesn't believe me.'

'You need to discuss this with him,' Tyrion said gently. 'Listen to him. It may not be an issue for him.'

'He will need heirs and do any of you think it is right that he should not?' Daenerys asked and saw grim faces in reply.

Silence reverberated around the tent as everyone tried to digest the conversation.

'Back to the main point,' Varys broke the silence and steered the conversation back to the arrival. 'We believe it would be best for you to be announced as Queen Daenerys Targaryen. No other titles.'

'Yes,' Tyrion agreed. 'It makes it clear your position but does not belittle Jon or imply that you are their rightful Queen.'

'I agree,' Jorah nodded. 'It leaves no doubt who you are but it shouldn't make the Northern lords bristle too much. It will not be a warm welcome but hopefully they will see it more of an alliance than a conquering with their own choice of King as your equal.'

'Agreed. The last thing I need is for there to be more hostility,' Daenerys said after a moment's thought. 'I need to charm the North before I could ever rule them. If, I ever rule them.'

Rhaegal had landed near a copse of trees and left Jon behind, leaning against a tree, for about ten minutes. Jon's legs had gone to sleep after riding the dragon but he felt a sense of joy from the action. He knew now why Daenerys enjoyed riding on Drogon. Rhaegal promptly returned with a burnt deer in his jaws which made Jon's stomach rumble. He no longer felt queasy and was now feeling hungry.

A foreleg was sent towards him and Jon looked up to see Rhaegal's expectant eyes. Jon took his steel dagger and quickly removed the burnt skin as Rhaegal's eyes narrowed, watching him closely. Jon found the meat underneath to be well cooked and his mouth started to water. He took a bite and found the meat to be slightly overcooked for his taste but he wasn't going to complain.

'Thank you,' he said with genuine gratitude to Rhaegal and Jon noticed the dragon's pupils dilate. Rhaegal was happy. The dragon turned and attacked the rest of the carcass with vigour. Many would feel sick seeing an animal attack its food but Jon had been around Ghost's successful hunting trips enough to not feel queasy at the sight.

The dragon and man ate in silence as they both relished their meals. Jon hadn't realised how hungry he was until the bone was showing and he started to feel full. Rhaegal for his part happily ate the rest of his meal and was soon eager to fly again. Jon wanted to stay put for longer but the cloud was thickening and he reasoned that his absence would definitely have been noticed by now.

Jon carefully clambered onto Rhaegal's back and settled himself again. Rhaegal, sensing Jon was ready, took off and surprised Jon slightly. Once they were back up in the air Jon properly looked around at the sparse settlements they were flying over. Jon then decided to try something. He knew how stubborn the dragon could be and Daenerys had told him that the dragons could never truly be tamed. Neither could direwolves as Ghost wasn't truly tame either.

Jon leant to his right slightly to see if Rhaegal would follow his lead and was happy to feel the dragon change direction. Jon then leant to his left slightly and Rhaegal responded. Jon made sure that his grip was strong as he leant hard to the right and Rhaegal responded by banking right with his left wing above Jon and the right wing below Jon. Jon felt his anxiety peak as he knew he could have easily have fallen but the excitement of the situation also ran through him. Jon shifted his weight back to the middle of Rhaegal's back and felt the dragon right himself. Rhaegal emitted a powerful roar that felt to Jon as it was full of joy at flying through the air. Rhaegal continued to fly and turned his head slightly to see Jon. Jon then leant strongly to the left and Rhaegal again responded as his left wing lowered and his right lifted further into the sky.

Once Rhaegal had righted himself he let out another roar that made Jon smile. Jon then leant forwards to see if Rhaegal would dive and dive Rhaegal did. Jon saw the ground fast approaching and leant back to get Rhaegal to pull up but the dragon kept going. Jon was frantically trying to lean back as much as he dared but Rhaegal wasn't taking the hint. Jon worried that he had pushed it too far and they were going to crash into the ground. They were feet from the ground when Rhaegal spread his wings out to catch the air and he skimmed the ground at a terrifying pace. Jon released the breath he had been holding and Rhaegal seemed to laugh once more.

'You really enjoy teasing me, don't you?' Jon said to the dragon once his fear of crashing a dragon had calmed as Rhaegal flew back up to a usual height. 'Yes' came the reply.

'Let's get back,' Jon said feeling as though he'd had enough for one day. 'I guessing you know where the camp is because I don't.' 'Yes' was the answer. 'Besides your mother probably wants to murder me by now.' Rhaegal clicked an answer that Jon didn't quite understand but Rhaegal had changed course slightly and Jon trusted that the dragon knew his way back to his brother and his mother.

Cersei woke from her sleep with a terrible pain in her abdomen. She wasn't yet fully awake but she could feel wetness beneath her and between her legs. As she started to wake up fully she felt the pain again and it was horrific. She held her stomach and her eyes widened as she saw the blood. Her blood. She flung the blankets aside as her heart started to race. Tears began spill from her eyes and she felt the pain again. Blood covered her, her bedsheets and her nightdress.

'NOOOOOOO!' she screamed as she felt her womb cramp again. 'NOOOO!' she sobbed as she grasped at her stomach as if she could make it stop.

'Your Majesty?' her servant appeared and the girl's eye's widened at the sight before her. The Queen sat in her own blood with tears cascading down her face and her hands clutching her stomach. 'I'll fetch Qyburn,' the girl said and ran.

Cersei knew there was nothing Qyburn would be able to do. The child was lost. Possibly her last hope of another child. Where was Jamie? He had left her like this. Why? Why? The child was her only hope and now that child had been taken from her.

She cursed Jamie and Tyrion. Her useless brothers who had abandoned her. She cursed the dragon bitch and the wolf bastard. They would take everything they could from her, even Jamie. She would make them pay. The dragon and the wolf would soon hear how the lion roars!

A/N: I hope you enjoyed Jon's ride with Rhaegal! As for the Daenerys scene about her (well-earned) titles, I felt as she gave Jon back the North (unlikely in the show) telling everyone you are the rightful Queen of the Seven Kingdoms might annoy the Northerners when their King is stood next to you.