A Proof of Blood
Jon
"Jon, look!"
Daenerys' excited shout pulled Jon from his sleepy brooding and he raised his head to see the island of Dragonstone in the distance, the impressive grey castle perched on a high cliff and clearly visible even from up here on Drogon's back.
However, despite having this new view to savour, Jon's mind refused to calm, quite unable to put Tyrion's questions to one side, no matter how hard he tried. Valyrian blood? He knew there was something about his interaction with the dragons that had felt unusual, from as far back as the Battle for the Dawn, and he knew about the blood bond, of course, even if he had somehow conveniently forgotten that information during his earlier encounters. However, now that Tyrion had suggested that his connection with the dragons guaranteed some Valyrian ancestry, that theory became very much harder to ignore.
The last two days had exhausted him in more ways than one, and so he had grabbed the chance of flying here with Dany enthusiastically, even if he would have probably preferred to spend time brooding with Ghost as was his custom. He shook his head, cross with himself for even thinking such a thing. He had responsibilities now. He was married with a child on the way and … Jon took a lungful of cool air to help push away the brief feeling of panic that thrummed through him at that thought, focusing instead on the scenery, as Daenerys urged Drogon to circle the island a couple of times before landing.
It was a beautiful place, there was no question about it, with waves crashing along a rugged coastline of towering cliffs and with colourful, awe-inspiring rock formations jutting out from the sand. A long, winding causeway lead up from the beach to the castle, although they would have no need to climb that today, Drogon setting them down near the edge of a grassy cliff and lowering his wing for them to dismount before calling up to the skies as Rhaegal descended to join them.
Dany looked up at her dragons and then at Jon curiously but he shook his head, aware of what she was suggesting.
"I think all four of us are exhausted and muddled enough right now and, as much as I want answers and as tempting as it is to explore this beautiful place, I need the sleep far more."
She nodded. "Sleep first, yes." She smiled cheekily at him. "Although I think the second item on our list should be the consummation of our marriage, don't you?"
"Really?" Jon laughed, nodding down at her. "You don't think there's proof enough of that already?"
She laughed, holding out her hand for him to take as they headed towards the castle. "Not since our marriage."
Despite their desire for sleep, Daenerys gave Jon a very brief tour, showing him the magnificent Throne Room and the Chamber of the Painted Table before heading towards the royal apartments, stopping a few servants on the way to request food to be brought up for them.
"We're not entirely alone here then?" Jon said.
"Of course not. Obviously I left a small contingent of soldiers and servants here, as this place is far too precious and strategic to leave vulnerable."
"It's where you were born, I remember you saying."
She nodded, smiling as they strode down a long corridor, hand in hand. "The last stronghold of the Targaryens and the dragon Riders, even though our numbers have dwindled over the last few centuries."
Jon sighed deeply, wishing he'd not brought it up. He really couldn't face such a conversation until after he had had another very long sleep.
The bed chamber Daenerys showed him to had Jon gaping in awe. He had always considered the state rooms in Winterfell to be luxurious but this place made his home look rustic in comparison. Although constructed of a similar grey stone, Dragonstone had a lighter, more open feel and this room was lavishly decorated in bright colours and containing the largest bed Jon had ever seen, with four posts and a canopy decorated in a rich, Targaryen red which he eyed curiously - half-greedy, half-wary.
"Not sure if I'll sleep in that or sink."
"You'll sleep," she told him, laughing. "And then, afterwards, you'll fuck your wife and queen until she begs for mercy."
"The first two parts of that are certain," he retorted with a smile, "although I'm not so sure how likely you are to beg."
She bit her lips, looking up at him coyly. "I do believe you are the only one who has ever managed it."
He took a step closer, licking his lips. "You're making it very hard for me to think about simply falling asleep. In fact, my body is already starting to get other ideas."
"Mine too," she replied, as she started to undress, offering him her back so he could help with a couple of the more inaccessible fastenings. "But I really do think sleep is more important for us right now."
Despite that, they both undressed fully, needing the feel of skin against skin and knowing they would want more once they woke up. Jon sighed, as he pulled the covers over himself, his eyes already heavy, and then smiled as he felt his wife snuggle up against him, hugging her close against his chest and kissing her gently on the back of her neck.
His wife!
Jon fell asleep with a contented smile on his face.
~o~0~o~
He woke to find they'd changed position with Daenerys now lying against his back and with one of her hands wrapped firmly around his cock. Jon mumbled sleepily as she placed light kisses against his shoulder blades - wiggling back against her whilst she continuing to caress him - and felt his desire quickly spike through his exhaustion.
He remained still for a while though, savouring her touch, until he could no longer remain passive, turning over so quickly he made her jump. He laughed at her surprised squeak, pushing her onto her back and kissing her eagerly; her giggle quickly turning to a gasp as he took his turn in pleasuring her, his hand quickly trailing between her legs whilst their kissing turned hungry.
"How would you like me to take you, my queen?" he asked in mock seriousness.
"Like this," she replied. "I want to see you. I want you lying on top of me whilst the position is still possible. I want to be looking into your eyes when you finally, fully become my husband."
"As you command, your Grace," Jon said slyly, gently moving into position between her legs, "but you'll tell me if I'm hurting you?"
As keen as he was to consummate their marriage, he stayed on his knees between her legs for some time, continuing to pleasure her with his fingers whilst he gently kissed her breasts, neck and lips until she was unable to take it any more.
"Jon … please."
"Are you begging already?" he teased. "We've barely even started."
She attempted to glare at him, not especially convincingly seeing what his fingers were currently doing to her. "It's not too late to kick you out of here," she said. "Do you really want your child to be a Snow too?"
"Are you going back to being rude to me again, after everything you said earlier?" He latched onto her nipple then, suckling a little more firmly than he had been, just enough to have her gasp and throw her head back on the pillow.
"Next time I'm going to gag you so you can't talk," Dany complained.
"Ah, but think of all the other things I won't be able to do with my mouth."
"Or perhaps I'll tie you up completely?"
"That sounds … interesting," he countered, ducking back down to kiss her lips but she turned her head away from him, smirking.
"You'd hate it," she declared. "But I think I'd find it a great deal of fun."
He tried to catch her lips again and she allowed it briefly before suddenly nipping at his lower lip. "Ow, Dany!"
"Stop complaining, Jon. I know you like it rough."
She was goading him, he knew. He'd fallen for it far too many times already and yet, despite their history, something had changed, their insults now having far more of a teasing aspect to them than when they'd been back in the tower.
She had got what she wanted now though, teasing and riling Jon until he lost all patience, moving his hands up to her head to stop her from pulling away and thus allowing her to wrap her legs around his hips. All it took was one more gentle bite of his lower lip and he was hers, pushing inside her quickly, savouring the perfect snug heat of her, whilst being simultaneously annoyed that he hadn't been able to drag out their pleasure for just a little bit longer.
"I … told you to … look at me," she gasped out.
She knew he was close and Jon had no resistance left in him, lifting his head from where it was buried under her hair against her neck and moving it until they were nose to nose, just as she had ordered. This time her hands came up to hold his face, her eyes wide and pupils dark as she pushed her mind against his; caressing it as gently as her fingers were caressing his cheeks.
For a brief, wonderful moment, all their teasing, tiredness and frustrations disappeared and it was just the two of them joined in body and mind - melting into each other, fire and ice - and their climax, when it happened, was unusually silent - no screams or cries or gasps - simply the sound of their frantic breathing as they gazed into each other's eyes.
~o~0~o~
Most of that night and the following day passed in a delightful blur; deep sleeps, interrupted by bursts of passion with small breaks for food and other essentials. A bath tub in the adjoining room was a rare luxury for Jon but the couple's promise to allow the other time alone to soak became impossible to keep, each finding the other's wet nakedness far too tempting to resist. As the pair got over the worst of their exhaustion, they spent less time sleeping and more time loving and Jon managed to put all other thoughts to one side and focus only on his new wife and how many different ways he could make her happy.
Dany held true to her threat halfway through their first full day on the island, returning to their chambers with her hands full of chords and long ribbons, informing Jon that he was to be punished for his rudeness earlier, and the glint in her eyes had her husband happily playing along, getting out of bed whilst still naked and kneeling down in front of her, begging for her mercy.
They started with serious intent but, as Dany's initial attempts to get Jon's wrists and ankles tied to the bedposts failed, the session dissolved into giggles and it was quite some time before she had him sufficiently restrained so she could begin her game in earnest.
"So?" he asked, genuinely curious as to what she had in mind. "How do you expect to enjoy this with me tied up like this?"
Her smile then was worryingly sly. "Have you no imagination, Jon Snow?" She frowned. "Is that even your name now?"
"I …?"
"Jon Targaryen I think you should be, because you're mine and I now intent to fully claim you."
She began the torture by kissing him chastely on the lips before placing a few more in various, random places. One on his chest, another on his outer thigh, then his stomach, up to his cheek and down to an arm and yet, whilst her lips touched fairly innocuous parts of his body, her eyes were considerably more daring, constantly checking to see how turned on he was becoming, whilst she licked her lips suggestively. Jon started to squirm and gasp, belatedly understanding something of the nature of her game, and soon she was kissing at his waist, his lower stomach and then high up on his thighs, just so … so close but not close enough and it wasn't long before he was the one begging, much to her obvious delight.
He hadn't expected this teasing to last for long, quite certain Dany would want him to touch her soon, but he quickly realised he'd under-estimated her as she knelt up next to his hips, her knees wide, and again licked her lips.
"You are a cruel, cruel man," she declared.
"Me?" Jon gasped. "What did I do? I'm the one tied up here."
"You are driving me wild, just lying there all helpless and gorgeous," she said. "How am I supposed to resist you?"
"You're not," he growled. "Untie me and I'll show you just how wild I can be."
"Oh, not so fast," she said, leaning slightly forwards and sliding her knees even further apart. " I'm getting desperate here and need to do something about it." And she slid her own hand in-between her legs and started to pleasure herself and Jon looked up at her aghast to see her smirking at him.
"Now who's cruel?" he said, his gaze falling back down to watch her fingers as they circled and pressed and he licked his lips, wishing desperately that he could either take his turn or taste her there instead. She continued for a while - although it probably wasn't as long as it seemed to him - before leaning down to place more teasing kisses on various parts of his body.
"Where would you like me to kiss you next, Jon?" she asked, her voice breathy as she continued to pleasure herself in full view of him whilst her lips teased his lower stomach."
"You know where," he gasped. "Please, Dany."
The first feather-light touch of her lips on his cock had him gasping, sucking in a breath and closing his eyes as he worried he'd finish then and there. When she took him in her mouth soon after, he was shocked at just how close he was, even without being able to touch her, but she soon withdrew, giving him a chance to recover and smirking as Jon begged her to untie him.
She asked him for other promises then - he wasn't even sure what it was he was saying. All he knew was that he would say anything, agree to anything if only she would let him take back control. Instead she straddled him, her eyes gleaming mischievously as she rode him for several short sharp bursts, using her Warg skills to sense when he was close, then stopping, before dropping down on him hard again until he was shouting her name loud enough for the whole castle to hear.
"I hate you," he gasped afterwards, her intense attentions having made him finish far earlier than he would have liked.
"I don't believe you," she replied, lying down next to him and laughing. "Now … about all those things you promised me."
"Those were made under duress," he grumbled. "Now untie me, woman and let me take my turn because, as much as you enjoyed torturing me, I know you're not fully satisfied."
"Oh, do you now?" she retorted, but she was already untying his wrists and Jon pulled away just as soon as he could, quickly releasing his own ankles and reaching out to grab at her before she got a chance to run away.
"My turn," he repeated, as he pushed her back onto the bed and leant down to kiss her.
~o~0~o~
Jon felt as if he could stay in bed with his new wife forever, but it wouldn't be long before Daenerys' army arrived on the island and the royal couple had other things they needed to do before that. So, finally, after a number of failed attempts, the two of them managed to drag themselves out of bed, get dressed and leave their bed-chambers, heading outside to check on the dozing dragons whilst Jon cast his mind out to connect with Ghost.
"He's still a little way west," he told Dany. "Just approaching the Blackwater Rush, but close enough now that I can contact him more easily.
"Good." She looked at the dragons and then to Jon. "Ready for this?"
"Not really," he replied with a loud sigh, "but there's no point in putting it off any longer."
He wrapped one arm around Daenerys' shoulder as she snuggled in against the fur of his cloak, both gently leaning on each other physically and mentally as she cast her mind out to her Familiar and Jon connected both to Ghost and to her. Then he tentatively reached out to Drogon, pausing for a moment as he felt the dragon shift uncomfortably, waiting.
"Will you let Jon in?" Dany asked. "Not to Ride you but … just to listen?"
'Yes.'
Jon breathed out and made the final connection.
"Why do you let him in?" Dany continued.
'Is not a choice.'
"He keeps saying that," she said to Jon, "but I never really understand what he means by it."
"Ghost, would you let Daenerys hear you?"
'No.'
"Why not?"
'No choice.'
Jon nodded. "They mean that they're not the ones deciding whether or not they can do something. It's just the way it is. Like Drogon asking us why we walk rather than fly."
"So I can't Ride Ghost because I have the wrong blood?" Dany asked.
'Yes,' Drogon replied.
But Jon could Ride you?
'No. I have Rider.'
"Or Rhaegal?"
'Brother has Rider.'
Dany gaped turning to look at Jon who shrugged, also surprised by the comment. "What? Who?" she asked.
There was no response to that, Drogon apparently confused by the question as they were by his answer.
"But if there were another dragon alive I might be able to?" Jon asked.
'Yes. Dragon blood.'
He gasped. "I have dragon blood?"
'Yes. Half wolf, half dragon.'
"Well, that seems clear enough," Dany commented calmly, whilst Jon's mind reeled at the apparent confirmation.
"My mother was a dragon Rider then?" he asked.
'No. Wolf sired by dragon.'
"What?" Jon was so shocked by the implication of that, that he pulled away from Daenerys and lost his connection to both Familiars in the process. His wife was still talking with Drogon but all Jon could do now was to see if Ghost could add anything further.
"I never asked you before," he said to his Familar. "I never thought to. But what do you know of my parents?"
'You have wolf blood. You were born wolf. That was all.'
"But did you know I was half dragon?"
'Wrong blood. Strange blood. Not known to wolves.'
"So why bond with me when there was a full wolf standing next to me?"
'Strong blood. Bonding is not a choice.'
And there it was again.
"Jon?" Dany asked.
"As far as I can tell, Ghost connected to me because I'm a Warg and somehow that was a better option for him than my brother Robb. He knew that I wasn't entirely Stark but could never explain it to me because he didn't recognise the Valyrian blood. That was the other reason why he sought out Drogon that night back in Winterfell, trying to discover the part of me that he never understood."
"Does he confirm it was your father who was the dragon?"
"I-I don't know. Perhaps I'll try again when he's closer." He shook his head. "I don't understand though, Dany. I'm Ned Stark's bastard, that's always been both my curse and my blessing. It's always been my mother's identity that's been the unknown and so none of this is making any sense to me."
"Where there any female Riders in your family of the right age?" she asked.
He frowned, thinking. "I seem to remember that my aunt Lyanna attended the Citadel. She was the only one of that generation that I'm aware of."
"And?"
"And she went missing. Disappeared. No-one ever discovered what had happened to her until her bones were returned to the crypt." He gaped, as he turned to Dany who was raising an eyebrow at him. "Lyanna?"
"So, perhaps Lord Stark did know what happened to her. Perhaps she fell pregnant whilst in Oldtown and turned to her brother for help?"
"Gods, Dany. I can't ..." Jon put his head in his hands. "How can I find out the truth of this when everyone involved is dead? All I have are the instincts and cryptic comments of Familiars and what proof is that of anything?"
"That's true," she said moving closer again, "but perhaps we can piece together the rest. Perhaps there's some evidence that was not destroyed during the Cull or perhaps there are survivors from her time there who can remember something of importance. I'm sure that now we know this much we can fill in the missing pieces." She frowned. "I also know the names of most of the recent dragon Riders. We have been a small enough group over the last hundred years that it should be easy enough to find a student or tutor who was at the Citadel at the same time as your aunt."
He finally managed to look at her. "We're cousins then?"
"Probably." She shrugged. "Closer than that possibly, considering the history of the Targaryens. Some say that all our intermarrying was what caused our family to die out but then ..." She reached out to pull his hand onto her belly. "Any blood that you and I might share certainly didn't seem to be a problem in this case."
Jon pulled her back towards him then, resting his chin on the top of her head. "All that was needed was to mix in a bit of wolf blood. That obviously made all the difference."
She chuckled. "And now, after the shock of it all, I realise that I am very pleased that it happened."
"As am I," Jon replied, kissing the top of her head. "I have one more question for Drogon before we go. We need to ask how and why Rhaegal came for me."
"Well, we know now that they accept you because of your dragon blood."
"Yes, but Drogon just implied I don't have a Rider bond and you said that you didn't send him to Oldtown?"
"No, I didn't." She pulled away to turn back to her dragon and Jon focused again, pushing his mind out towards his wife and the Familiars so he could hear the conversation too.
"Why did Rhaegal fly to Jon?" Dany asked.
'Not known.'
"You don't know? Or Rhaegal doesn't?"
'No choice.'
"It was instinct then? He knew Jon was in danger and that he had to be helped?"
'No. Dragon Rider in danger.'
"Me? So he only rescued Jon so that he could help me?"
There was a very long pause before Drogon replied and his answer seemed uncertain, as if he didn't fully understand Rheagal's reasoning either.
'Mate not in danger. Dragons in danger. Only mate could help.'
Jon nodded. "I got that much from Rhaegal at the time. The fact that I was needed in order to help you."
"And I got some vague communication from Bran before Rheagal left so perhaps he might have more insights for us."
"Yes." Jon frowned. "How long will you need to stay here on Dragonstone, Dany? How much needs discussing when Tyrion and the others arrive? I'm thinking now that it's even more important for us to return to Winterfell as soon as possible. In fact I've just told Ghost to start heading that way."
"That's a good idea. You're right that there is a lot to discuss when the army gets here but, yes, as soon as we can, we'll fly north on Drogon, talk with your brother and then have our northern wedding there."
"Brother …?" Jon swallowed hard, his mind reeling.
"Your cousin then," she replied calmly. He winced and she turned to him, running her fingers against his cheek. "They're just words, Jon. What matters is that they always have been and always will be your family and nothing we learn about your blood parents will ever change that."
He nodded, smiling weakly at her as he held out a hand for her to take. "Not worth worrying about until we have more information anyway."
"It isn't," Dany agreed. "And, what's more, you have another family to think about now ..." She pulled the hand she was holding towards her, placing it gently on her stomach. "Your Targaryen family."
He smiled shyly at her, leaning forwards to kiss her on the lips. "Yes, and we really should take full advantage of what little time we have left here. Let's continue to discuss all of this in our chambers."
She raised an eyebrow. "Is that what you want to do in there, Jon? Talk?"
He smirked. "Talk, yell, scream, gasp ... Yes, all of those things."
~o~0~o~
A/N: Here ends Act Two. Hold on tight for Act Three.
So this is what most of my lovely commentators said they were looking forward to after the last chapter; a 'honeymoon' for Jon and Dany and a conversation with Drogon. But, as Jon says here, they don't have all the answers yet and Bran is not the 3 Eyed Raven in this AU so he may not have all the answers either.
I originally guessed this fic would come in at 16 chapters but my profile page has had 'Chapter 17?' on it for quite some time. However, now that I've actually written the climax, it's become obvious that the extra chapter will be needed and so .. 17 chapters it is!. I have to say though that this is the most accurate I've ever been in predicting the length of a multi-chapter so I'm pretty pleased with that.
Hmm, another whole six chapters left to go. What are you all expecting to see during that?