Disclaimer – if you recognise it then it belongs to GRRM
Daenerys II
Daenerys awoke when the light crept through her curtains and brushed across her eyes. She rose softly so not to wake Irri who remained curled up in a ball as the base of the bed. She smiled at her loyal handmaiden, who still refused to sleep anywhere other than Daenery's side. She even bunked with her aboard Balerion despite being terrified and very seasick. Daenerys vowed to find Irri a good husband when she claimed the throne, the girl truly deserved it.
Daenerys moved to the window and basked in the morning sunlight. It reminded her of those wonderful days riding across the Dothraki Sea at the head of her husband's mighty Khalasar. Every morning she would wake in the arms of Drogo and watch the sunrise whilst leaning against his muscled shoulder and stroking the long braid of hair that ran down his back. Most considered Khal Drogo a violent brutal man, and Viserys called him nothing but a savage whenever he was out of earshot, but Daenerys truly understood that he was a kind loving intelligent man, capable of greatness and sadly dead before he could achieve it. She would always miss him and still felt guilt over his death. The only good thing to come out of his death was her dragons, the only children she would ever have.
She watched the flowing waters of the Torentine River from her high vantage point. It moved slowly, creating a calm cascading noise that gently lulled Daenerys to sleep every night. If she stuck her head slightly out the window and looked left then she could see where the river joined the vastness of the Summer Sea. Again she could see no sight of any ships in the area. The whole scene was quiet and still, as if she was looking at a painting on a canvas.
Prince Doran had suggested that Starfall was the perfect place for them to remain in the shadows whilst Dorne silently armed and the dragons grew. The ancestral home of Ser Arthur sat isolated in the South West of Dorne, far away from any large population and close to no major shipping routes. The dragons were able to fly and hunt over the seas and sparse deserts whilst her Khalasar were just happy to be off the poison water after so long.
The castle was all but empty when they arrived. The current Lord of Starfall Edric Dayne was in the Stormlands squiring for his aunt Allyria Dayne's new husband Lord Dondarrion and was not due back for some time. Daenerys noticed that Ser Arthur registered some brief glimpses of sadness that he was not able to see his sister and finally meet his nephew though he did not voice as such. The elderly Maester had been left as castellian but he had died days before Daenerys had landed in Westeros and his replacement had not yet been requested from the Citadel, allowing Prince Doran to send Maester Myles, one of Sunspear's own Maesters, as his successor. The remaining staff and house guards were all aware of what was at stake. They had been rounded up and addressed by Obara Sand, one of Prince Oberyn Martell's infamous daughters, before Daenery's party arrived. Judging by how fearfully they tread around the castle, she guessed that Obara had told them in no uncertain terms the penalty if any word left Starfall of its new occupants.
The time that they had been here had been great. For the first time since Drogo's death Daenerys felt safe. She believed that all her Khalasar felt the same. With food and water no longer in short supply the men and women could finally eat and drink their fill and rebuild the strength that had been lost whilst they wandered through Essos and across the seas. Indeed Daenerys could see that Irri was starting to look more like the comely curvy girl she was gifted all those moons ago in Pentos.
Daenerys silently robed herself in a light silk gown, one of the many gifted to her by Prince Doran, and crept out of her chambers. She smiled at the guards on her door, both dark skinned sandy Dornishmen who did not flinch, and made her way down the corridor. The cold of the stone floor against her bare feet made her increase the pace as she made her way towards Jon's chambers.
She made the same journey every morning. It started as a suggestion by Ser Arthur. He mentioned to her that her nephew shared her trait of rising early and it might be nice for her to use the time to spend time with Jon. The knight had noted she still remained cautious around Jon and he had wanted to end that. She had gone that first morning and spent the time with him with all the same enthusiasm she showed towards her numbers lessons as a girl in Braavos. Jon had sensed her hesitance and that had clearly made him uneasy as well. The time passed slowly. This pattern repeated itself day after day after day to the point where Daenerys was debating whether it was worth continuing as their relationship seemed to be deteriorating rather than improving. Until Jon answered the question she hadn't yet realised needed to be asked.
"I can talk to him."
"What do you mean Jon?"
"Rhaegal. I can talk to him. Without saying the words out loud."
"What?!"
"It's why he is less wild than Drogon."
Daenerys did acknowledge that Drogon was becoming uncontrollable and Viserion was going the same way. It was only Rhaegal that seemed to follow any form of instruction and primarily if that instruction came from Jon. He would respond to Daenerys but it seemed much more forced and it would take multiple commands as opposed to the single one required by Jon.
"How do you do it?" She asked Jon.
He then told her about how it started with his dreams. He dreamt himself as Rhaegal, seeing the world through his eyes as he flew through the skies and hunted. He didn't understand it at first, passing it off as vivid dreams, until he realised he could control Rhaegal's actions. He even managed to bring the dragon to his chambers and he watched himself sleep through Rhaegal's eyes. After this he found that Rhaegal was far more obedient and would follow Jon's commands, sometimes without the needs for spoken words. "It is as if Rhaegal is inside me like when I have been inside him" He speculated.
The whole notion seemed crazy and with these words coming from someone who shares the same blood as her, the same blood tainted by centuries of incest and madness, it gave her cause for concern. But Jon was adamant that this was real and he had another thought. "Also Aunt Dany, I think you will be able to control Drogon in the same way. I think I can show you."
Every morning after that Daenerys had gone to him and he had tried to show her how she could connect in this way with Drogon. It mainly involved them both sitting by Jon's window, eyes closed, imagining themselves as their respective dragons. Jon called it "making a connection of the soul", Daenerys thought it was futile at best, a ridiculous waste of time at worst.
But she persevered, returning every morning to sit with Jon who remained confident that it would work as "it was in her blood, the same blood as me." Again she was close to ending her visits until something happened. As she sat there, eyes closed supposedly focusing on her thoughts of Drogon as instructed by Jon but in actuality slowly drifting back asleep, she suddenly saw through Drogon's eyes. He was flying across the sea, stalking a small bird. He kept his distance from his prey but mirrored its movements. Daenerys had never felt so alive and so much like a true dragon. She could feel the wind brushing across green scales, the hot fire building in her throat and the desire for the kill rampaging through her blood. She never took her focus off the bird and crept closer and closer to the prey.
She snapped out of it as suddenly as she had entered it. Jon was as delighted as Daenerys that she had managed to do this and she had returned to his chamber every morning in order to continue to learn and practice this unusual connection. She was now able to enter Drogon everyday but she still could not seem to control him like Jon could control Rhaegal. She could do it sporadically but she was unable to hold control for a prolonged period of time. However Drogon had become far tamer, just as Jon predicted, and now he would respond to Daenerys commands in the same way Rhaegal did with Jon. The Dothraki often looked amazed that the same wild black dragon, that many of them would not approach through fear, would now follow her instructions like a dog without Daenerys using a whip or any weapon.
Daenerys and Jon had also grown closer with her regular visits. They shared this bond now and she felt more at ease with her nephew, less concerned about betrayal. He now felt like family, not just in heritage. Although it was certainly not what he had in mind when he suggested it, Ser Arthur's plan to bring them closer together had worked.
She arrived at Jon's chambers, knocked and entered. He was already awake and dressed.
"Good morning Aunt Dany, I hope you slept well."
"I did thanks Jon. I did not dream as Drogon though."
He smiled "I am sure you will in time. Whatever "this" is, I am certain we will both be able to do exactly the same eventually."
They sat by the window in their usual places facing each other and closed their eyes. It did not take Daenerys long to slip into Drogon and she spent an hour flying around the towers of Starfall and the deserts surrounding. She attempted a few times to control the dragon but was unsuccessful. She left Drogon as he sat beside a small brook lapping at the water and returned to her own body. The experience was not particularly tiring but both her and Jon found it made them hungry so they made their way down towards the main hall. The servants were used to their early appetites so would no doubt have some food prepared ready for their arrival.
They walked arm in arm down the stone halls of Starfall. As Jon talked about Rhaegal with obvious fondness, Daenerys stared at her nephew. He did not look like an heir to the throne. His hair was a mess of dark curls and was in need of a cut. He was growing whiskers around his upper lip and chin, as black as the hair atop his head. She smiled to herself. "He has not really changed from that boy growing up in Qarth" she thought to herself. It only made her grasp his arm tighter.
She did not want him to change. He was straightforward, honest and compassionate, not just to her but to everyone he encountered. It was very hard not to like him. The only thing she wished to change was his continued coldness towards Ser Arthur. Jon still did his very best to avoid the man he once knew as his father and he would not discuss or consider changing his position. Daenerys heard that Arthur and Jon used to practice swords every single day but she had never seen them do this together for as long as they had been in her company.
Daenerys caught sight of something out the corner of her eye as they walked. She stopped Jon and pulled him back to the open doorway they had just passed. They both peered in silently and could see a white knight stood at the far end of the room. The large white greatsword Dawn could be seen slung across the back of the figure, meaning it was clearly Ser Arthur. He was stood within the room, at the furthest end away from Daenerys, facing a large open window that appeared to lead to a small balcony. Daenerys looked to Jon, who shrugged and gestured that they should leave him, but chose to ignore him and entered the room softly.
"Ser Arthur, does something trouble you?"
The knight clearly did not hear her enter as he jumped slightly in surprise at her voice. He did not turn to face her but answered "Apologies Your Grace, I did not hear you enter. There is nothing wrong at all. Please continue onwards to the Great Hall to break your fast, I will follow you shortly."
Again Jon made to leave but Daenerys released her grip on her nephew and continued onwards into the room. She made her way to Ser Arthur and found tears slowly falling down his cheeks.
"Ser Arthur, you are crying. Whatever is the matter?" She asked, placing a hand on his arm.
"Your Grace...it is nothing. Please do not trouble yourself."
"Ser Arthur. I command you my knight, tell me what has brought you this sadness."
He sighed and eventually replied "This room was Ashara's, my sister. Out there was where she jumped to her death."
Daenerys had never heard any such tale "Ser Arthur...I am so sorry."
The tears flowed more freely now "I wasn't here for her when she needed me the most. My own sister."
"What happened?" She asked softly.
Ser Arthur wiped his eyes with his hand then spoke "My sister was beautiful and wilful, a dangerous mixture. She fell with child. The father...was not interested and betrothed to another. His ambivalence did upset my sister but the thought of a child, her very own to love, filled her heart with enough love to mean it did not matter."
"Who was the father?" Daenerys asked.
"It does not matter now," Ser Arthur answered, "he is long dead, another victim of the Usurper's Rebellion. The child was stillborn and this destroyed Ashara. Heartbroken and alone, she walked out of this window and from this balcony she jumped to her death. If only I was here with her, she never would have jumped."
Daenerys tried to sooth the knight. "You don't know that Ser Arthur. The loss of a child is a terrible thing for any woman to bear."
It did not work. "I know I could have Your Grace. I could have held her in my arms, like I did when we were children growing up. I used to protect her from everything when she was scared and upset. When the Others visited her in nightmares, when she was being bullied by other children, whenever she needed me. Except the one time she truly did."
"Where were you?" Jon asked from behind them. Daenerys had forgotten Jon was still here.
Arthur did not turn to face Jon but he answered him. "I was with you. I had promised your mother I would protect you and keep you safe. I knew I could not return to Starfall with you, it was the first place they would look for me. As it happens it was, but all they found was her body. I heard the tale from an oarsman as I crossed the Narrow Sea as Lothar Morning with his bastard son. Thank the Seven for the wild sea that night, the oarsman mistook my tears for sea spray splashing my face."
Jon walked slowly into the room and moved to face Ser Arthur. The knight raised his head to meet Jon's eyeline. Jon smiled softly and simply said "Thank you."
The next morning Daenerys was awoken by the sound of steel clashing and Ser Arthur giving instruction. She smiled and went back to sleep. Learning to bond with the dragons could wait.