Here's another chapter. Jon won't meet the dragons in this chapter but in the next one. There was some stuff Jon and Dany needed to talk about first. Next chapter they will keep talking about things. They have still so much to talk about. Jon will ride Rhaegal next chapter, I can promise you that. And they will talk about Daario, and Jon will start to reveal some stuff about himself. Anyway, hope you like this one.

Chapter 20

Jon walked at the side of the Queen, some of her Unsullied soldiers following behind them, while they traversed the streets of Flea Bottom headed towards the Dragon Pit. Every once in a while, she would stop to talk to the people, often children, a dazzling smile always present on her face. A kind word, a gentle caress, while distributing the gifts she had the Unsullied bring: blankets, clothes, toys for the children, more food, casks of wine. Jon merely looked and sometimes waved at them when the people called out his name as well. But most of their attention was on their Queen, the adoration on their faces plain to see and not a hint of fear. The people were all smiling, they looked happy, carefree, even as poor and dirty as they looked.

Daenerys turned to look at him, her purple eyes shining with happiness, her cheeks rosy for the exertion and the warm weather, her braided hair like a crown on her head, shining like molten silver under the afternoon sun and dressed in a red and black outfit that accentuated all her curves. She was a vision and Jon struggled not to stare at her like a lovestruck fool. Instead, he smiled back at her, happy that she was clearly happy.

"Tomorrow, I plan on coming back here in Flea Bottom and visit the orphanages. And also survey in more detail the state of this district, though I saw enough already to know that Gendry was right, their living conditions are appalling." Daenerys explained to him while they kept walking. "Would you and Ser Davos like to accompany me? If I'm not much mistaken Ser Davos is from Flea Bottom as well, is he not? His input on the matter would be invaluable to me."

"I would be honoured to, your Grace. And I'm sure so would Ser Davos."

Daenerys smiled at his answer. "Perfect. And, of course, if you have suggestions as well, don't hesitate to tell me. You have a unique perspective on things that I'm sure would be helpful to me."

"I'm not sure how useful my advice would be in this matter. I grew up in a castle after all." Jon laughed uncomfortably.

Daenerys frowned at him, displeased with his answer. "You grew up as the natural son of a lord, that's not the same as growing up as a noble, is it? Unless you're saying that you were treated the same as your siblings."

"I had it better than most." Better than you. His mind whispered.

Daenerys actually rolled her eyes at his answer. "You really need to stop putting yourself down and downplay your own sufferings. And with that I'm not saying that you should wallow in self-pity, bemoaning how bad you had it. But doing the opposite and think that everyone had it worse than you, that's not okay either. You suffered, Jon Snow, that's okay to admit it. And what you've been through made you the person that you are today, just like what I've been through made me who I am. Or are you saying that you would be the same person if you had actually grown up as you really are?"

Jon understood immediately what she was saying. And no, he wouldn't probably be the same person if he had grown up as a Prince of the Seven Kingdoms. Like she wouldn't be the same if she had grown up as a Princess. Neither of them was born in luxury, they had grown up as outsiders, having nothing to their name, entitled to nothing, and yet, they had both risen to power. In different ways and with different goals in mind, certainly, but, in a way, they had both regained the power that had been stolen from them at birth.

It was still hard to understand, that he was actually born a prince, a Targaryen prince at that. That in another life, if Rhaegar had won, he would have grown up here, in this city, that he and Daenerys would probably have been childhood companions, they would have been family, like his Stark siblings were his family. And maybe, Rhaegar would have even betrothed them to each other. Wasn't that the Targaryen way after all?

"Do you ever think about it?" Jon couldn't help but ask while they finally entered the Dragon Pit. They were alone now, the Unsullied remaining outside and guarding the entrances. The place wasn't much better than a ruin, though it was still majestic in its own way. "What our lives would have been like if Rhaegar had won at the Trident?"

Daenerys shrugged. "Sometimes. Though I don't like to linger on the past, thinking of things that will never be. That way leads to madness. If I look back I'm lost. It's a sentence I often repeat to myself, because I can't afford the luxury of regretting my decisions once I make them or second-guess myself or dreaming of a past that doesn't exist."

Jon nodded, seeing the wisdom in such a thing. And yet… "Do you think we would have been married by now? If Rhaegar had won and we had grown up together?"

Daenerys widened her eyes at that, looking completely taken aback by the question. "What?"

Jon shrugged, trying desperately to appear nonchalant and yet, he could feel his neck getting warm. Was he blushing? He hoped it wasn't visible on his skin. "Well, wasn't it the way of our family? To marry our own? And we would have been the same age, give or take a year. It would have made sense, right?"

Daenerys appeared embarrassed, the first time he had ever seen her as such. Sure, he had seen her being vulnerable, sad, but never embarrassed, uncomfortable. "Huh…maybe. Or maybe I would have married your brother Aegon and you, your sister Rhaenys." At that, Jon couldn't help but grimace. He knew that Targaryens had married among siblings for centuries if not millennia, when they were still in Valyria, but he couldn't imagine marrying one of his sisters, though he had never met Rhaenys.

Daenerys regained her composure soon though and continued, "Or Rhaegar could have decided to break tradition and marrying us off to someone outside the family, to create alliances, which would have been the smartest thing to do after the Rebellion, to consolidate his power and the power of our House."

"Right. Of course." Jon said, feeling disappointed and not knowing why. Or maybe he knew why but he didn't want to admit it. Time to change the subject. "So, your dragons…" Jon said with a smile, looking around himself. "Where are they?"

Daenerys shrugged. "They're hunting right now. In the Kingswood but they will join us soon. They often do that. Or they go to Dragonstone. They like it there. Then, at night, they return here to sleep. I guess this place is comforting for them in a way. And they know I will never chain them down."

Jon nodded but he was a little confused. "How do you know where they go when they're not here?"

Daenerys smirked at him. "Tell me Jon," she said, coming closer to him, "don't you have a direwolf?"

"Huh, yes. I do. His name is Ghost." Jon replied, still confused.

"And don't you know right now, where he is, what he's doing. Can't you feel it?" Her eyes were so intense now, studying him.

"Yes. Yes, I do." Jon said, starting to understand now.

"I imagine my bond with the dragons is a little like your bond with Ghost. They're my children, I told you that. But nobody understands what it really means. I held them since the moment they were born. I fed them from my breasts, I taught them to cook their food, I protected them when they were too small to protect themselves. I punished them when they misbehaved and hurt someone. I'm a mother to them and they love me like one. When people ask me how do I control them, I tell them that I don't because it's the truth. A dragon is not a slave. They can't be controlled. But they listen to me because they love me. Do you understand? Do you understand what I'm saying?"

She was standing so close to him now, her eyes boring into his. Jon nodded, completely mesmerized by her and what she was saying. She was like no one he had ever met, extraordinary in a way he had never thought possible for someone to be. No wonder she had so many people loyal to her. How could they not be? "I do." He finally said, finding his voice again.

"Then you understand what would I feel if something will ever happen to them. I lost a child already, I won't lose another!"

Jon gulped the sudden lump in his throat. He understood, for the first time, what he was asking of her by joining the fight against the army of the dead. And yet, what other choice did he have? They couldn't win without her. "Daenerys…" He tried hesitantly. "If there was another way, any other way, I wouldn't ask this of you. I wouldn't ask you to risk your children. But we can't win without you or your dragons. And there's no guarantee that they will survive this. That we will survive this."

Daenerys sighed, looking a little defeated. "I know. But that's not why I asked you here. You have Targaryen blood, just like me. That means, that like me, you have the potential to become a dragonrider."

"What?" That was not the direction he was expecting their conversation to go.

"You heard me." Daenerys answered, now looking fierce like usual. "I ride Drogon. But I think you could ride Rhaegal, the dragon I named after my brother…your father."

"I…I don't…I wasn't expecting this. Are you sure? Are you sure I would be able to ride a dragon? And would you really entrust one of your children to me?"

"Yes. A dragon is vulnerable without a rider. It's why I'll be leaving Viserion here. But you and I will ride Drogon and Rhaegal into battle against the Night King and the army of the dead. You're right, we can't win without my dragons. But if I have to put them in danger I, at least, want to make sure I'll do everything I can to protect them. That's why I will let you ride Rhaegal, one of my children. Because you're the only one who can. And because…because I trust you, Jon Snow. You're a good man, always ready to do the right thing. And I know that you will do anything in your power to make sure nothing happens to Rhaegal."

Jon couldn't express how…touched…he was by Daenerys' words. The trust and belief she was showing him was something that nobody had ever shown him before. Hell, not even Sansa, his own sister, trusted him this much. In fact, he wasn't even sure she trusted him or believed in him at all. "I…thank you, Daenerys. I promise, I'll protect your child as best as I can. Nothing will happen to him, not if I have anything to say about it."

Daenerys smiled at his answer, a smile so filled with joy and gratitude that he felt warmed all over. Jon swore to himself that he will do everything in his power to have Daenerys keep smiling like this for as long as he would live. She wasn't made for sadness. She was filled with so much warmth and kindness and strength and goodness. She had been through so much already. He will not allow anyone or anything to hurt her more. That was a vow he made silently to himself. And like every other vow he had ever made, he intended to stay true to it, no matter what.