A/N: Hey guys! I won't keep you, I'm sure you want to get reading. Just a quick note that the next two chapters are set all in Winterfell but it's over the course of one night so we won't be missing anything any where else!

ImptheTarg: Glad you're happy about that, most people were to be honest! No, the fire is nothing to do with Melisandre, Joffrey sent the arsonist, he and Cersei discussed it a few chapters back :)

Right, on with the chapter! Hope you enjoy!

:)

The Dragons Awakening

Winterfell

Robb was sprinting out the door before Catelyn had even half opened her mouth to call him back. She hurriedly told the guard to fetch Ned before she went tearing after him, terrified that her son was about to do something stupid that could lead to him getting killed. The sight of the flames swirling around the library almost made her stop dead on the steps but she pushed on, screaming out for her son. The guards were milling around, desperately filling buckets of water and passing them down the line. The townsfolk were gathered in the courtyard, many trying to help, others just transfixed by the blaze. She tried not to think of Dany in there as she pushed through people, trying desperately to catch a glimpse of Robb, on the verge of tears now as she called out for him again. As a mother picked her crying child up and moved them away she caught sight of him desperately pushing against the guards who were restraining him from entering the library. She felt immense relief and gratitude as she hurried towards him, Jon coming from the other direction and grabbing onto Robb as she reached him.

"Robb what are you doing?! Stop it!" Jon shook him, pulling him away from the guards who returned to help put out the blaze.

"She's in there Jon! She's in there do you expect me to stand out here and watch her burn?!" Robb roared at him and Jon let go of him in sheer shock.

"Who's in there?" he asked him, already knowing what his answer would be.

"Dany," Robb choked out, devastation taking over his anger now.

Jon looked from him to the tower then and before Catelyn could grab his wrist he had darted away and passed the guards.

"Jon!" she screamed, grabbing hold of Robb as he made to follow him.

"Let me go mother!" he demanded, wrenching his arm from her grasp.

"No!" she snatched him back, "Don't you even dare! You are my son Robb, I won't lose you!"

"Cat," Ned's voice sounded behind her then, slightly out of breath.

"Talk sense to him Ned," she said, emotion rising up in her as Robb looked between her and the burning library.

"She's in there father!" Robb implored him.

"You going in after her will do no good," Ned said, stepping forward and grasping his shoulders tightly, "if you really want to help you can help extinguish the flames"

"But …" Robb started.

"No buts Robb! You either help the guards or I will lock you inside do you understand me?!" he shook him slightly.

"I understand," Robb finally said, meeting his father's eyes.

"Good," Ned said, sounding relieved, "now go and make yourself useful and don't even think of putting yourself in any danger"

"I won't," Robb managed and Ned released him, watching him hurrying to help the guards and the men who were filling bucket after bucket with water.

"Ned," Catelyn whispered then, slipping her hand into his, "Ned … Jon has gone in there."

Dany coughed heavily as more smoke began making its way under the door. She hadn't noticed at first as she had sat poring over a book about the time of dragons, reading the descriptions of the eggs that were so like her own. In the end she had smelled the smoke and got herself up and to the door, only the handle was burning hot under her touch and she had snatched it away, knowing that there were flames on the other side. She had beat her fists against the door then and screamed for help but she just knew that it was no good, even if anyone could hear her they wouldn't get passed the fire. She thought of Robb then as she backed towards the window, covering her mouth with the sleeve of her dress as she choked again. He had been going to finally speak to his father, promising her that this time he would actually knock on the door. She would never get to hear the answer now and tears stung her eyes as she thought of never seeing him again. Never holding him in her arms and inhaling that wonderful scent of his nor feeling the touch of his lips against hers, tasting him and revelling in every part of him. Gods she wished they had given in to the longing, that she could die knowing he had possessed her completely.

The tears fell faster down her cheeks then as she slid down the wall and onto the floor, seeing the lick of the flames under the gap in the door. She was going to die. Gods she was going to burn alive. She prayed then that the smoke would choke her before the flames could reach her skin. She prayed and prayed that she wouldn't feel the blistering heat and the excruciating agony. Wildly she thought of what had happened to Lord Stark's father and it made her curse her own. How could he have done such a thing? It was only now when she was facing a similar fate that she truly understood how Brandon Stark could have strangled himself in his desperation to save his father. If it were Robb here now she would face death to reach him. She wondered if he would do the same, if he was out there now screaming for her, trying to fight passed flames to get to her. He couldn't succeed. He would burn before he got anywhere near her and she prayed to the Gods that they would stop him, that they would hold him back and forbid him. Sobs were taking over her now and she buried her head in her hands, rocking slightly as she prayed with every fibre of her being.

Something inside her refused then. Something inside her screamed at her to stop her crying and pick herself up. She had to fight for this. She had to try everything to get out of this and back to Robb because she couldn't leave him without her. Not without a fight. If those flames wanted her they would have to come and find her because she would not willingly sit and let them come for her. She stood up then, a new determination in her as she glanced wildly about the room. Paper. Damned paper everywhere. But if the fire was burning through paper and wood it would take it longer to get to her. She moved then between the rows of shelves and pushed with all her might against one of the great cases. It took a huge amount of effort but eventually she felt it start to tilt and she kept on pushing with everything she had until it teetered over, crashing into the one it was leaning against and sending that tumbling through the next row and the next. Maester Luwin would be devastated she thought irrationally then as the moved to the one still standing next to it and did the same thing. Again they finally tumbled down with an almighty crash and she continued on down the line until she had pushed all of them down.

Now there was a blockade of fallen shelves filled with countless books and heavy tomes between the door and her. Perhaps that would buy her some time. Her eyes caught her eggs then that were sat there on one of the desks. Cursing herself she began to clamber over the fallen shelves to reach them, pulling the box down and almost dropping it. She cursed loudly then and pulled the eggs out of the box, cradling them as best she could with one arm as she used the other to help her clamber towards the wall opposite the door. The wall with the window. The window. Gods why had she not thought that before? She gently placed the eggs down onto the floor then and went to try and swing the window open. It wouldn't budge though and she screamed out in sheer frustration, beating her fists against the glass in anger before she looked about the room for something to break it with. There were two old swords mounted above the fireplace, one of which she believed had belonged to Brandon Stark. She tugged on the hilt of one of them then and prayed that Lord Stark wouldn't be angry with her as it came free.

It was far too heavy for her, especially now she had weakened herself by pushing all those shelves over but she dragged it towards the window before a coughing fit took over her. She leaned against the sill then, pressing her sweaty forehead against the cool stone as she tried to get her breathing back under control. When she found the strength to lift her head again she caught her reflection in the mirror and told herself in no uncertain terms that she had to live. She had to fight. She had to get out and back to Robb because she loved him and he loved her and she wouldn't let him suffer her death. She gripped the sword tightly in both hands then and backed slightly from the window before raising it above her head, closing her eyes and bringing it swinging into the window. The shattering sound had her opening her eyes then and she dropped the sword, feeling the strangest desire to laugh. She approached the window, pulling out some of the larger, sharper shards of glass and dropping them to the floor.

It felt so good to stick her head out into the cool night, hearing the urgent shouts of the men and the cries of women and children and she sucked in the clean air gratefully. When she felt she had the strength she called out for help, forcing herself to keep screaming it over and over even though her throat was raw and desperate for her to stop. One of the guards looked up then and in the next second she heard him shouting out to others and pointing up at her. She saw Robb then, even from this height and in the darkness she could see him and she could see the relief in his eyes when he saw her there in the window. He was shouting something up at her but she couldn't hear him over the noise of everything else so she just contented herself with clambering up onto the windowsill and keeping her head firmly out of the window. Some of the guards were bringing out grappling hooks now and she prayed to the Gods that they would swing them up onto the neighbouring roofs before the flames charred through the door. They were licking under the door now and she knew it wouldn't be long before they touched something in the room that would make the fire take hold in there. She closed her eyes then and prayed again, even harder than before.

Getting up the steps had been easy for Jon, the fire seemed to have started up in the actual library and he prayed to the Gods that Dany had had the sense to get to the window and get herself onto the roof. There was a possibility she was hurt and unable to though and the thought of her laying there unknowing had spurned Jon up passed the guards who were pounding up and down the steps with bucket after bucket. Several of them had called out to caution him, telling him to go back down and that they would soon have it under control. He ignored them though, desperate to find Dany. When he came face to face with the wall of flames though he faltered, wanting nothing more than to run back down the steps and let Lady Stark scold him over and over before she pulled him into her motherly embrace. Then he remembered the look on Robb's face and he imagined the sheer pain his brother would be in if Dany didn't come out alive. He steeled himself then, pulling up the hood of his cloak and taking a deep breath before he darted through the flames, ramming his shoulder against the smouldering door of the library.

It crumbled away far to easily and he staggered slightly, hearing a scream as he lost his balance, his hand snatching for something to grab hold of but only finding flames. He could feel them hot on his skin and he expected to feel it burning, to feel agony take him over but he only felt heat. No pain reached him and he couldn't understand why as he finally managed to grip hold of the doorframe and steady himself. Now wasn't the time to dwell on that though as he stepped into the smoke filled room.

"Jon?!" Dany gasped out in disbelief from where she was seated on the windowsill.

"Dany are you alright?" he asked her, clambering over the shelves that he imagined she had pushed over to create some kind of barricade.

"They're trying to throw up grappling hooks … I'm alright Jon, what were you thinking?!" she demanded of him, sliding down from the sill as he staggered towards her.

"I could hardly do nothing," he said.

"You fool," she whispered, "how in the name of the Gods did you get through those flames without injury?"

"I think I may have burnt my hand," he said, remembering the flames that had licked around it.

She took his hand in his then and turned it over gently so she could inspect his palm. There was not a mark on him and they both stared. Jon had expected blisters or some redness at least. Rickon had burnt his hand on a hot plate once and he had screamed and screamed. The blisters had lasted days and he had to be kept bandaged up so he didn't aggravate them. That had only been a hot plate and only for a second. Jon's hand had been in the flames for longer than that and the fire was bound to be a thousand times hotter. So why wasn't he burnt? He looked up and met Dany's eyes then and she frowned at him.

"Was it your other hand?" she asked and he shook his head.

"No," he whispered, "it was this one"

"Well it looks like you didn't burn it after all," she said, a slight shake in her voice.

"No," he agreed.

Before he could think any more on it though Dany's eyes were going for the door and he could see that the fire had already pushed into the room, already eating its way through the shelves that Dany had thrown down. He could hear the guards on the other side trying desperately to fight it and he could hear the shouts from outside. Dany moved back to the window then to see if they were making any progress. It looked as though one of the hooks had been secured and she saw the guards testing their weight on it. One began to climb after another moment and she tried to calm her pounding heart. He would still have to manage to hook a rope through the window of the library for them to be able to get down and she tried not to think about how difficult that would be, instead taking a few deep breaths of fresh air before turning back to Jon, alarmed to see him clambering back towards the flames.

"Jon what are you doing?!" she screamed at him as he plunged his arm into the fire; "Jon stop it!" she cried out and he pulled his arm back.

He turned to look at her then, peeling away the burned leather of his doublet and his singed shirt to show her that there was no mark on him. She stared at him then, her mind racing with all the reasons she could think of that fire wouldn't touch him but she could only think of one and it made her head hurt so much she thought it would explode. It was impossible. There would be another explanation and she would think herself foolish for even considering that Jon could be her kin. It was wishful thinking. There was only her left and it was stupid to think that there was anyone else no matter how desperate she was to believe it. They locked eyes and she swallowed hard. Jon was a Stark. Unmistakably so and she was a fool for questioning it.

"How?" he asked her quietly.

"I don't know," she replied in a whisper.

"I can get you out," he said then.

"No Jon, just wait for the rope to be thrown up," she said, shaking her head.

"Who knows how long that will take, the flames are spreading fast!" he implored her.

"But …" she started.

"Dany the fire can't touch me! Just trust me, I can get you out of here!" he promised.

"Alright," she whispered, stepping up onto the fallen shelves before she remembered something and darted back.

"Dany! What are you doing?!" Jon demanded.

"My eggs," she said breathlessly, gathering them up, "I can't leave them here!"

If he thought her foolish for wanting to save stones then he said nothing about it, merely watching her as she clambered her way towards him, holding his hand out for her to take when she reached him. He steadied her as close to the flames as he dared then and pulled off his cloak. It was thick and he prayed it would be enough to keep her from the flames as he wrapped it around her.

"Ready?" he asked her and she tightened her grip on her eggs.

"Ready," she nodded.

"We'll have to be quick," he said and she nodded again.

Jon wound his arm about her then and pressed her as close to him as he could before pulling her towards the flames. Gods it was hot, he could feel his skin sweltering and the ends of his hair singeing but it was not burning him. He moved as quickly as he could, pulling Dany with him, relieved that he could not hear any cries of pain leaving her. He could see the other side then but he could no longer see any of the guards. Had they given up trying to fight the flames?

Dany could see the other side too and she breathed out in relief, her throat feeling the heat when she took in another breath. The heat was sweltering, sweat dripping from her forehead and drenching her palms. Jon tugged her firmly through the last of the fire then and her grip on her eggs loosened, one of them falling from her slick hands. She cried out then as the other two followed it into the flames, reaching out to try and grab them before she had thought about what she was doing. Jon called out to caution her, seeing her hands reaching into the fire, expecting her to recoil and scream out in pain but she didn't. Too bewildered to try and work anything out he grabbed her around the waist and dragged her out of the flames. She coughed and spluttered as he pulled her a short way down the steps, the fire still raging above them. They moved their eyes from the flames to one another then and saw the relief mirrored in one another's expressions.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"I don't think you needed my help after all," he said weakly, pulling her hands up to examine them, seeing no mark on them.

"It didn't touch me either," she said wonderingly.

"No," he said, his heart thumping irrationally hard.

"I can't believe I dropped the eggs," she scolded herself.

"I'm sorry Dany," he said meaningfully.

"They were all I had of my brother," she said sadly.

"Perhaps they will be salvaged when the flames are put out?" he suggested hopefully.

"Perhaps," she agreed but he could tell by her voice that she wasn't convinced.

"Come on, let's get out of here before Robb's heart gives out," he said and she nodded, making to follow him down the steps.

A noise behind her made her steps falter then as she turned back, Jon looking at her curiously as she strained her ears for it. She was certain she had heard something. A sort of faint chirruping unlike anything she had ever heard before. Perhaps she had imagined it. She couldn't hear it anymore and she shook her head and made to move further down the steps. As she moved she heard it again and she snapped her head back. This time it had been louder and she was certain that she hadn't imagined it.

"Did you hear that?" she asked Jon.

"Hear what?" he asked her with a frown.

"That," she said as it sounded again and he moved back up a few steps despite himself.

"Yes," he said, "wait there …"

She followed him despite him telling her to stay where she was but he hadn't got far and she almost collided with him as she hurried to catch him up. The reason for his sudden halt became clear as she peered around him, her eyes widening to such an extent that she thought they might just fall out of her head. Surely she was seeing things?

"By the Gods," Jon breathed then.

"How is this possible?" she whispered and he shook his head slowly.

"I have no idea," he whispered back as one of the little creatures staggered towards them.

Jon bent forward instinctively as it threatened to topple down the steps and Dany stared at him as it clambered its way up his arm and perched happily on his shoulder. Dragons. Dragons. Her head spun. Three of them, hatched from her eggs. By the Gods how was it even possible? They were stones, stones. But then they had always felt warm under her touch, a warmth that no one else could feel but that she had sworn was there. Was it connected somehow? The flames not touching her and now three dragons emerging from the fire. She looked at Jon again then as the other two dragons came tentatively closer, Jon holding out a hand so another of them could clamber up onto his other shoulder. She had no idea how he could be so calm about this but she mentally shook herself and stepped forward, tentatively holding out one of her own hands to the last dragon. It chirruped at her before clambering up her arm, its little talons pinching slightly as it made its way up to her shoulder where it settled quite happily.

They had filled all the buckets and containers they had and were preparing to haul them all up to the top in a bid to extinguish the flames. Throwing individual loads of water one at a time had barely helped and this was a new tactic that they were all praying would work. Robb was exhausted with the effort of running to and from the well, sometimes hauling up water, sometimes just taking a container from someone who had already filled some. He couldn't stop though. He wouldn't stop until he had Dany back in his arms. She had disappeared from the window and that had terrified him but still he made his body move to collect more and more water.

A cry of surprise went up then and he could hear his mother burst into tears and somehow he just knew she was back. He dropped the bucket he had been carrying and tore around the corner. The presence of three baby dragons should probably have made him falter, especially as one was draped around the neck of the woman he loved, but he barely saw them as he ran right up to her and pulled her into his arms. The creature around her neck hissed slightly but he ignored it, she could explain it all to him later but right now he couldn't care less as he bent his head and pressed his lips firmly to hers. He didn't care that the whole of Winterfell could see them, he didn't care about anyone but her in that moment. When he pulled back he raked his eyes over her, looking for any sign of injury.

"Are you hurt?" he asked her, seeing no sign that she was.

"No … no I'm not hurt at all, the fire … it couldn't touch me Robb," she said shakily.

"Thank the Gods for you," he almost moaned out in relief, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

He glanced to Jon then and saw him being simultaneously scolded and embraced tightly by his mother. He would thank him when he had the chance. Part of him still couldn't believe that his brother had rushed into a burning building and come out alive. There didn't look to be a mark on him either and Robb closed his eyes and silently thanked the Gods for the woman in his arms and his brother.

Ned stepped forward then, suggesting gently that perhaps they go inside. The people were staring and he couldn't blame them, they had just witnessed two people walk unscathed from a blazing building with three dragons. Dragons. His head swam. There hadn't been dragons for hundreds of years and now there were three of them. Here. At Winterfell. Gods this was all too much for him to take in but he needed to sort himself out. He watched Robb leading Dany back towards the keep before he turned his eyes back to Jon who Catelyn had finally released from his clutches. Not a mark on him. Thank the Gods. He would have questions though and Ned would have to give him answers. Dread filled him as he wondered how Jon would take it. The news would change his world but Ned knew he could hide it no longer. It was time for Jon to know the truth. The whole truth.

A/N: You may have guessed that Jon finds out the truth next chapter ;) hope you enjoyed this one, please let me know!

:)