Chapter 29 – Daenerys – Future
Dany awoke suddenly with a startling pain in her belly. She hissed and hunched with agony, pressing her hands on her stomach. She looked outside the window; it was still dark. Trying to fall back asleep wouldn't work, but she had no idea what else to do. Finally, she stood up to find help. She went to the room next to hers where she knew her best female friend slept.
The corridors were well lit with torch lights, but no one was outside.
She opened the door to the neighbouring room and whispered into the dark: "Missandei?"
The former slave was a light sleeper, always in fear of her master, Dany knew, so it was no surprise to see Missandei coming to her only a moment later. "Khaleesi, what is wrong?" she asked when she found Dany crunching in pain.
"Stomach ache," she panted.
"Shall I send for Maester Wolkan?"
"Yes, please," Dany replied relieved. Aid was on its way.
Missandei helped her back to bed before she hurried out of the room. The minutes it took her to get the maester felt like an eternity for Dany. She tried to distract herself by thinking about her adventures in Essos or in the North, but not even the White Walkers had the power to let her forget the pain.
She felt like crying in relief when an old woman with a friendly face entered the room. "I'm Septa Mondra," she smiled and approached the bed, while Missandei, who had entered quickly behind her, started to light the candles in the room. Soon the warm shine of the candles illuminated everything in a soothing light. "Maester Wolkan is currently with the soldiers in the tents outside, but I am quite able with healing if I may say so myself."
"I'm very glad you're here," Dany panted, gritting her teeth.
"May I?" the septa gestured towards the bed and Dany herself.
The normally so fierce dragon rider could only nod, glad now that it was a woman who would look after her.
The septa sat down on the side of the mattress and gently tried to lift the Queen's hands. "I need you to relax a bit so I can examine your belly."
Grudgingly, Dany put her hands on the mattress on each of her sides and straightened herself a bit.
"That's alright," the septa reassured calmly and put a hand on Dany's belly, pressing softly at different points. Then she started to ask questions: what Dany had eaten the day before, if she had had these aches before, and finally if she was pregnant.
"I can't have children anymore," Dany told her sadly and heard Missandei's soft gasp.
The septa merely examined her further, before she withdrew a small blue bottle from the bag she had brought with her. "Don't worry, it's only a normal stomach ache," she then soothed. "You probably ate something you aren't accustomed to; that tends to happen to foreigners with our northern food." She chuckled lightly and gave Daenerys the bottle. "Drink this and you will get better soon enough."
It probably was the pain's fault that Dany took the bottle and drank at once without even considering the possibility of poison. It would not have been the first time someone tried to kill her – or maybe it was the friendly, innocent face of the septa.
"Tell me, child," Septa Mondra went on, as she took the empty bottle back. "Do you still have your Red Flower?"
Dany frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Do you still bleed monthly?"
"Oh." She could feel her cheeks colouring. "Um, yes."
"Then I see no reason why you should not be able to have children," the septa smiled.
Dany gazed at her in surprise. "You mean… but the witch said…"
"A witch, you say? You know that especially witches are known for their ability to lie with ease."
"Yes, well, of course," Dany stammered in her shock moment to grasp what this northern septa was revealing. "But… but…" When the sun rises in the west and sets in the east. When the seas go dry and mountains blow in the wind like leaves. When your womb quickens again, and you bear a living child.
The old woman stroked her hair gently. "Everything is alright," she told her calmly. "Now sleep and in the morning light you will be happy again."
Slowly Dany relaxed and the combination of wary joy and the healing potion she had drunk made her sleepy, and before long she fell asleep deeply.
She awoke a few hours later when some rare sunshine fell through her window and onto the bed. Smiling, she bathed in the warm light and felt her energy being refilled.
"You're awake," someone said and sounded glad.
When Dany looked around the room, she saw Missandei who had been sitting in a chair but was now coming towards her, with a concerned face.
"How do you feel?" the former slave asked.
Dany remembered the previous night, but the pain was gone completely. "Wonderful," she grinned. "Oh Missandei! I can't believe it! The septa said I am able to have more children."
"That is splendid news indeed," her best friend smirked. "You should probably tell Jon Snow."
The Mother of Dragons blushed. She had told Missandei about what had happened between her and the King in the North on the ship to White Harbor. "Yes, I suppose you're right."
When she dressed herself and went towards the Great Hall for breakfast, her heart pounded quickly, and she thought over and over again how she could address such a delicate topic in the best fashion since everything between her and Jon had become so complicated since the night they had spent together. And for some reason unknown, he seemed to avoid her ever since they had arrived in Winterfell. Except for this one time they had laughed together in a snowball fight, but even then he had suddenly glanced at her and his face had fallen quickly and he had excused himself and had almost run away from her. She could not understand him at all, although she tried to figure it out day and night.
In the end, the decision was taken from her, when she saw Jon leaving his room and met him on the corridor.
Missandei gave her a pointed look and then left quickly for breakfast, greeting the King in the North respectfully.
"Jon," Dany then stated determined and stepped in front of him.
"Your Grace," he nodded politely and wanted to leave already, but Dany held his arm.
"There is something important I have to tell you. Can we talk somewhere in private?"
He looked uncomfortable. "Can't this wait until later? I believe we have much to do today."
She tried to hide how much she was hurt at his rejection and instead demanded even firmer: "No, I want to discuss this right now!"
Jon sighed, then opened his door again and let her pass into his room. It was as spartan as the rest of the rooms in Winterfell but a crackling fire and a bear fur on the floor warmed it up a bit.
"What is it?" he wanted to know when he had closed the door behind him.
He hadn't offered her a chair, but Dany didn't mind. She stood in front of him and smiled broadly. "You were right," she announced with tears in her eyes. "The witch lied. I can have children."
He blinked at her in shock. "What?" he finally croaked.
"Isn't that wonderful?" Dany smiled and out of pure joy which gave her the necessary courage, she flung her arms around his neck. She had hoped that he would embrace her back, but he merely stood there tensely, so finally she loosened herself from him again and looked at him disappointed.
"Um, that's good for you," he simply mumbled, without looking into her eyes and with one hand already on the door knob behind him as if he wanted to flee at any moment.
Dany frowned. "What's wrong?" she wanted to know, slightly annoyed at his evasiveness.
"Nothing's wrong," he replied quickly but she could hear the lie.
"You've been avoiding me ever since we reached Winterfell," she started to get angry. "I'm sorry for my behaviour on the ship but I was just overwhelmed with everything."
"It's not that," he murmured but still refused any eye-contact.
"Jon," she demanded sternly. "Please, look at me."
After a moment he obliged, and she was shocked to see confusion and pain in his eyes. "I do have feelings for you," she finally admitted. "I'm not sure how strong they are or how prudent a relationship between us would be, but I want you to be by my side when I destroy the White Walkers and afterwards Cersei. I want you with me when I sit on the Iron Throne. I love-"
"Please, stop," he interrupted her strongly and went further into the room, so that he didn't have to be so near to her anymore.
She turned around in confusion and followed him, took his arms and demanded urgently: "Jon, tell me what is wrong!"
This time he didn't flee from her, instead, he sighed and as if he had no strength in his legs anymore, he fell onto the bed and sat there looking absolutely miserable. "I suppose I have to tell you sooner or later." He patted on the spot of the mattress next to him and Dany sat down with sudden anxiety at the coming.
"As you know, my brother can see what has happened in the past, anywhere in the world," he began.
She nodded although she still found the idea of the Three-Eyed Raven strange – but if there were dragons and dead winter zombies in this world, why not also a boy who was the Master of Time?
"He has found out something," Jon continued slowly, and it was obvious that it was hard for him to tell her. "Something about my heritage."
"Do you know who your mother is?" Dany asked at once. She knew how much this question had haunted him, and maybe his mother was someone evil and that was why he was ashamed to tell her.
"Yes," he whispered. He cleared his throat before announcing: "My mother was Lyanna Stark."
Dany gasped in shock. "So, Ned and his sister…?" She shouldn't be so appalled by the love between siblings, given that she had thought she would marry her brother one day, but after everything she had heard of Eddard Stark, this was so out of character that she would have never guessed. To her surprise, however, Jon laughed at her conclusion.
"No. That's what I thought at first, too," he chuckled, but then his face turned bitter again. "But the incest lies somewhere else. You see, my father was not Ned Stark but… Rhaegar Targaryen."
"But that would mean," she said at once, quickly producing a picture of the Targaryen family tree in her mind, "that you're my… nephew?!"
He nodded sadly, added: "My true name is Aegon Targaryen," and waited for her reaction.
There was shock, of course, and she felt a bit sick at having slept with her own nephew, but the wave of horror that washed over her was faster gone than she had expected. She breathed deeply in, before looking at him calmly and asking: "And what do we do now?"
"What do you mean 'what do we do now'?!" he countered incredulously. "I thought you would storm out of here and never speak a word with me again after I've told you."
She raised an eye-brow. "And why on earth would I do that?"
"Because it's disgusting!" he shouted in frustration, stood up and paced in front of her.
"You know," she tried to mitigate him, "there have been marriages between Targaryen siblings for centuries."
"Yes, and that made them mad," Jon replied. "Well, except for you, of course."
"So, you see, it doesn't have to end badly. And you bring another blood into the family, so chances should be good."
He stopped suddenly and looked at her stunned. "You're not actually considering being together with me, are you?!"
She stood up and went to him. "We have met as strangers, not as aunt and nephew. So, yes, I agree, that this is strange, but I'm willing to simply ignore it."
"I'm not sure I can do that," he admitted quietly.
She sighed and thought of other arguments to convince him when suddenly she realised something. "You're not trying to steal the Throne from me, are you?!"
"What?" he asked astonished. "Why would I do that?"
"You're another Targaryen!" she shouted furiously as the full realisation hit her. "And since Rhaegar was my older brother, you even have the claim to the title! I can't believe this! You have the fucking claim!" It wasn't often that she swore but sometimes even she couldn't restrain her anger. She turned to him, raised a finger to his chest and hissed dangerously: "I've worked too hard to let you destroy everything! I am the true Queen, no matter what you say!"
"Calm down!" he retorted loudly and grabbed her shoulders. "I don't want that stupid Throne!"
"You don't?" she asked confused. She had thought that everyone was after the Iron Throne if they got the chance.
"Of course not!" he replied annoyed. "I've never wanted to lead anything. Not as the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch then, not as the King in the North now."
"Then why did you take these high positions in the first place?" she wanted to know angrily. She didn't believe him. All men were after power.
"Because they help me to reach my goal!" he answered in the same angry tone.
"Which is?"
"To defeat the White Walkers and survive the Long Night, of course!" He panted after his rage outburst, then he looked at her ashamed. "I'm sorry," he mumbled calmly. "It's not your fault this is such a mess." He sat down on a chair and put his face in his hands. "I don't know if I should tell anyone."
All of her fury was gone as well, and she believed him that he didn't care for the Iron Thorne. "Well," she tried to be helpful instead and sat down on another chair next to him, "then let's think about the advantages and disadvantages that telling would bring us."
He nodded and started listing. "An advantage would be, that I am no bastard anymore, but a rightful child from the Stark family. And the North adored my aunt, um, mother; not only Lyanna Mormont has been named after her."
Dany smiled at him encouragingly to go on. She still wanted to be a team with the King in the North, so she tried to be supportive.
"Then on the other hand, my father was a Targaryen, and this information could bring chaos. I'm not a trueborn Northman anymore and therefore don't deserve the title 'King in the North'. Some bannermen are already cross with me because I bent the knee to you – a Targaryen, the foreign invader. If they find out I'm one of them, too, I might lose them completely, and we need all our strength for the war against the Others."
"Then you already have your answer, don't you?" Dany comforted and took his hand. "We all want to survive the Long Night and we need everyone we can mobilise for that."
Jon stared at her hand and the thumb that caressed it gently. "I can't do this," he blurted, sounding almost panicked and stood up, leaving her hand as if it was poisonous. He went to the door, and Dany thought, he would simply leave her, but he turned around in the end. "You're right, we shouldn't tell anyone who I truly am. At least not until after the war."
She nodded in agreement. "And what about… us?" she finally dared to ask and feared his answer like not many things could frighten her.
He peered at her for a moment, then shook his head. "I don't know," he whispered desperately and left her in his room alone.
Daenerys thought about what she had found out in the last hour and agreed with him, though grudgingly. First, they needed to win against the White Walkers, before they could even think about their future – together or not. She sighed a long sigh, then she stood up, straightened her shoulders and left the room with determination, closing the door forcefully behind her.
