Chapter 52: The Coming Storm

Though many died from wounds in the battle those among Jon's guard all found their wounds easily treated and wrapped. The pain was a reminder they were alive as much as the sun rising through the sky.

After returning to camp and spending a day mending themselves, the army began it's march south. It would be slower than it had going north, but they moved as fast as they could while the king and his queens flew overhead on the back of their dragons. Despite wanting to ride with the men, Jon rode Rhaegal so another could take the horse he would surely be given.

It felt like they woke to another world when they found azure skies that morning, but flying toward the mound of ice that was the Wall they found weeping clouds darkening the skies. Thankfully the lightning seemed to be far from them and the dragons could sense any strays that came near them, dodging the bolts before they started.

Even through the heavy rain he could see the mound of ice on the horizon, the gap the Night King's army had made to pass through it still in tact. With a glance back and below he could see the army heading toward it slowly. With a glance to the bay he saw the boats as the horn blasted.

Jon's eyes widened, his hands tightening around the grip of the saddle when all three dragons roared and started flying erratically, threatening to throw each rider off if not for the straps holding them in place. Rhaegal dived almost straight down before twisting and shooting up, spewing flames that they passed through for a moment, which might have burned Jon if they weren't moving so fast they barely touched him.

Below Arya and the others gripped the reins of their horses and gasped as they watched Rhaegal and Viserion screech in pain before they'd even slammed into each other. Both fell for a moment before Drogon shot past them and all three sped toward the ground south of the wall. Hearing the horn, Arya looked to the bay and saw a bolt of lightning back light a ship.

She and the rest of the army picked up their pace, speeding toward the gap in the broken Wall.

Drogon hit the ground first, throwing his head back and screeching as another horn blast sounded while Rhaegal landed and Viserion stumbled, cracking a tree that fell against another. The dragons cried in pain as Jon removed the straps and called to the others, "Get off!"

Daenerys and Sansa dismounted their dragons and they all backed away, coming together to watch the dragons writhe and cry in pained frustration as the horn blew again and again, louder and louder. It was almost enough to block out the sound of the horses approaching from the east.

Having forgone his armor in exchange for thicker clothing to keep warm during the flight, Jon had only Nighttaker and a dagger to defend them, though each woman quickly drew their own valyrian steel sword as the riders neared.

The first to come into view was a man with pale lips wearing a cuirass with a sigil not unlike the Greyjoy's kraken only with a large eye over the head and another larger eye across the abdomen. He quickly dismounted, staring at the dragons as he put the horn to his lips and blew with a grin.

Daenerys glared at him until she saw the man leading the gilded riders behind him, her eyes widening as she gasped. "Daario?"

The commander looked them over as he and his men dismounted, giving Jon a once over before snorting dismissively. "I've come for you, my queen."

"For me?" Daenerys shook her head. Seeing Euron walk toward Drogon she stepped forward, aiming her sword at him. "Touch him and I'll slit your throat!"

Euron turned to her and grinned. "Kill the king, take the queens. I'll claim my own prize."

At that Euron blew his horn again, only this time the sound seemed harsher, more directed as Drogon threw his head down, but then the glyphs across horn glowed crimson and Drogon stepped back, growling as he turned to his brothers.

Rhaegal and Viserion dug into the ground a moment before Drogon charged them, roaring as the three dragons tumbled, snapping trees before he slashed at Rhaegal and pushed off the ground, taking flight. Rhaegal roared with Viserion, taking flight and chasing their brother.

The gilded soldiers charged Jon, who dashed forward to meet them. He parried the first strike, slashing through the neck of the man on his right before turning the sword in his hand and stabbing back into the side of the one on his left. He then pulled the blade free and switched his grip, slashing through the gilded chain across another's chest.

Seeing the king so deftly kill three trained mercenaries, Euron arched his brow and pulled his axe from his belt, waiting for an opening.

Four men charged Jon and he killed one before deflecting strikes from the rest, but that allowed three more to head for each woman. Sansa swung Lady's Tear at one, but the man easily deflected the strike. He hadn't been expecting her to use the new angle to slash down through his leg, making him cry in pain while another man rushed forward to grab her hands and force the sword from her grip. Daenerys took two strikes at one soldier before he knocked the sword from her grip and another rushed forward to grab her hands and pull them behind her back, tying them with a rope.

"Don't fight this, my queen," Daario called out from near the horses.

Jon slashed through the arm of a soldier and turned as Sansa screamed. He rushed the man holding her over his shoulder with Lady's Tear in his left hand. Seeing the king charging, he tried to defend with the valyrian steel sword in his off hand, but Jon's slipped past it and into his neck.

Daario clicked his tongue, taking his myrish stiletto and flinging it at Jon, hitting him in the back when he reached for Sansa.

"Jon!" Daenerys screamed while her captor reached for her sword.

Turning to her he ignored the knife sticking into his back and charged the man, cutting through his hand and turning to slash through his neck.

"Dany-" Jon started, turning at the last second to block an overhead strike from Euron's axe.

The gilded soldiers grabbed the women and fled to their horses. They'd do their jobs, but even valyrian steel wasn't worth risking their lives as their comrades had.

Euron laughed as Jon deflected his strike, dodging his valyrian steel sword, sliding back and slashing at the king. Euron turned and went for an overhead slash Jon dodged, avoiding Jon's back swing. When Jon went for his own overhead strike Euron brought his axe back up, knocking the sword aside and shifting it to bring it down toward Jon's collar, but Nighttaker slid up to block it.

Wincing at the dagger in his side, Jon's strength faltered and Euron pressed the axe through Jon's jerkin, cutting into him as Jon fell to a knee. That shifted the axe enough Jon to let it slide past his shoulder, using Euron's brief unbalance as an opening to slash clear through the eye on the abdomen of his armor, opening his stomach.

The Greyjoy grunted, backing away as he saw blood pouring through his armor. Seeing the Golden Company mounting their horses with the bound women, Euron hurried back to his own. Grabbing his reins he blew his horn and lead the riders away from the clearing.

Jon hissed as he tore the dagger from his back and started to run, wincing in pain before throwing it at the riders. The stiletto spun before burying itself in the back of a rider who fell forward, his horse keeping to the charge with the others.

Though he tried to chase them, Jon knew before he reached the first tree he would catch them. That didn't stop him trying, following them to the shore where he saw them being lifted onto the ship already drifting out of the bay. He watched as Drogon landed on the deck of the massive ship while Rhaegal and Viserion flew to either side of Jon, each covered in relatively small scratches.

Both dragons cried out as Drogon glared at them from the departing ship before looking to Jon. His eyes stung as much as his wounds as he took a breath and turned. "Come, we'll get them back."

He mounted Rhaegal and the dragons flew back to the clearing they'd created, allowing Jon to land again. Arya and the others arrived to find Jon wincing as he gathered Lady's Tear and Dragon's Song.

"Jon!" Arya called, leaping from her horse as the others looked around in confusion.

"He took them," Jon said with a shaky breath as they rushed to his side to check his wounds. "Greyjoy took them both."

"Euron?" Theon gasped.

"He took Drogon. Used some horn to make him obey," Jon winced when Arya touched the wound on his back. "Dany even knew the leader of the Golden Company men he brought. I think it was her old lover."

"Daario?" Jorah asked with a sneer.

Jon nodded, his jaw shifting as he struggled to keep a level head. He turned from those who came for him, letting out a shaky breath and closing his eyes, gnashing his teeth and choking down the knot in his throat.

"We'll get them back," Arya told him quietly, shaken at the sight of her brother so unwrought.

With a breath he nodded, looking to them. "We'll continue to Winterfell and send ravens to every house." His emotions gave way to fury and ice, fire and blood. "Then we march on King's Landing and any house that ignores the call will regret it when I rip that cunt off the throne and hang that prick by his entrails."

The others exchanged shocked looks, having never heard Jon speak in such a way nor show such anger. If he'd slain the Night King with a cold calm heart, what could stand in the way of his fury?

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

While the queens were taken to cabins guarded by Golden Company men, Euron hurried to his own quarters, his skin paled. "Fuck off! I'll rape the corpse of whichever fuck bothers me!"

Three young boys followed behind him, closing the door to his cabin where their glamour fell away, leaving three warlocks. They helped him out of his armor, dumping the pooled blood as they saw entrails coming through the wound.

"Fuck," Euron laughed. "Bastard killed me."

"You're not dead," said the noseless warlock.

"I've seen men die from lesser wounds. I left a trail of blood for the cunt to follow. Fucker killed me."

The warlocks exchanged looks before the ashen haired one said simply, "What is dead may never die."

Euron's gaze narrowed before shifting toward the dragonglass shards wrapped on his desk. Looking back to the warlocks he licked his lips and nodded. "Give me a drink and let me die, then do it."

They looked hesitant, as if wanting to ask if he was sure they should let him die, but knew better than to question his orders. He watched them pour shade of the evening into a glass, but when they stopped he called out, "More!" When they glanced back he laughed. "Fill it to the rim. If I'm going to die, let me die knowing."

They exchanged looks before relenting, filling as much as they could from the cask before bringing it to him. Euron quickly downed the entire glass, holding it vertical to take every drop he could before throwing it aside and laying back on his bed.

He took a breath and looked to the warlocks, who watched his eyes suddenly widen as his head rolled back and he stared at the ceiling, gaping slightly. His breath quickened before it slowed, his hand resting just above the wound in his stomach flooding the mattress with his blood.

What blood remained in him seemed to stretch toward his eyes or sink to his extremities, leaving his face and body pale as his breathing stopped and the light left his eyes. The mutilated men looked to one another before the earless one handed the ashen haired man a shard of dragonglass. All three took hold of it as they closed their eyes and took a breath, focusing on it before pressing it into Euron's chest.

There was no screaming, not even more than a tiny trickle of blood from the center of his chest. His eyes didn't go blue, they stayed black, flooded with blood like his hands as his pupils shifted without a breath and Euron sat up.

His pale blue lips curved into a grin. "What is dead may never die."


Notes:

Originally I had it as Dany is the one who gets taken to play on her ending up like Rhaenys while previously thinking she'd be Visenya, but decided to go with both for a few little moments going forward.

I went with Euron's show sigil since it's show verse, and decided screw it go nuts and what's dead may never die.