Hi everyone! This is it. The moment we have been waiting for (almost) two years! I'm so excited to share this chapter with you all. Thank you all for your views and reviews. And please have a look in the Author's Notes for music for a specific scene that was composed especially for my story by the incredibly talented Maurice Santa Cruz. It moved me to tears so please have a listen and support a great composer if you can.
Enjoy this chapter!
Chapter 55
Selene soared high above the clouds, her black armor glinting in the sun.
Though she knew the ground was far below, on dragonback she could almost imagine the entire world was made of cloud. There is nothing but soft whiteness up here. No blood or death or ground. Just peace and light and sky.
But she couldn't stay there forever.
Each beat of Rhaegal's wings brought her closer. Closer to Winterfell. To Lady Catelyn, to Sansa...and to Jon. Her moonstone was warm underneath her armor. Selene had ripped it off in grief once she woke from her long sleep, but she couldn't bring herself to get rid of it. Instead, she had put it away, but donned it once more before leaving the fleet behind for Winterfell. She knew Jon was alive the moment the moonstone was around her neck. Impossible. And yet she couldn't deny the heat that came from the stone. Sometimes she swore she could feel a tiny heartbeat, but still she tried to keep her expectations low. It hurts too much to hope and wonder.
She wouldn't have to wonder for much longer.
Rhaegal screeched.
Selene smirked, knowing the men on the ground would hear. Knowing they would squint up at the grey, steely sky and wonder what could have possibly made such a sound.
Selene leaned forward, and Rhaegal dipped below the clouds.
Suddenly, Winterfell was before her, and two great cavalries were clashing in the immense field beside it.
Rhaegal roared, and she could see the people below freeze and turn toward the dragon.
Selene could just make out banners in the center, where horses and men screamed together on the battlefield. She saw direwolf and flayed man, sunburst and falcon…in the center they were all confused. I can't hurt them without hurting us. So she fixed her gaze on the enemy line of infantry, all facing the battle with swords in hand. The flayed man banner was prominent among them. They were waiting for the order to advance.
That order would never come.
Selene's grip tightened as she neared them. She thought of Roose Bolton as he gave Selene and Robb a curt nod and his best wishes on their wedding day, of Roose Bolton beside her in victory as they marched through the fields of Oxcross, of Roose Bolton's pale, indifferent eyes as he thrust his longsword through her husband's heart, and twisted.
"DRACARYS!"
A deep, gurgling sound came from Rhaegal's throat, and a stream of flames cut through the Bolton infantry. She heard the screams below her as Rhaegal flew, leaving a trail of fire in his wake, black scorch upon the earth. Once they passed the foot soldiers, she threw her weight to the right, turning back to finish the line of archers
Rhaegal unleashed fire on the men below, turning them to dust. She cast a quick glance to the right, seeing a few high-ranking Bolton men gape in shock from where they were safely watching the battle on horseback. Roose.
She looked to the left. The tide of the battle between the cavalries had shifted. The Stark forces were still, watching as a miracle descended from the sky to obliterate their enemy. The Bolton men were desperately trying to reassemble while many of their own broke rank and fled to the woods.
Selene turned Rhaegal toward the center of the field and landed with a boom that shook the earth, facing the men. She could feel the heat from the field of fire behind her, hot on her back. The men who were screaming behind her moments ago were quiet. And dead.
Rhaegal's roar sent horses reeling, most throwing off their riders. The faces looking up at her were covered in mud and blood. Selene could not tell who was who. She saw them gaze up at her in terror, eyes scanning her armor for any sign of allegiance. Her breastplate bore golden antlers that began at the bottom of her sternum and grew out to her shoulders, while her black circlet gleamed on her brow.
Selene lifted her chin, "My name is Selene of House Baratheon," her voice rang with authority over the blood-soaked field, "You once crowned me your queen. Will you fight beside me once more? For the north! For the Starks!"
"With me!" a man's voice bellowed. Selene turned her head. A few brave Bolton men stood together, shields facing Rhaegal, spears out. They advanced.
"Dracarys."
Rhaegal planted his claws in the dirt and extended his neck as fire burst from his jaws. The men were bathed in flame, and they crumbled like sand.
Selene's eyes found someone she recognized. Someone she hadn't seen in years. Karstark.
It was Harrion, the last surviving son of Rickard Karstark. He was fighting for the Boltons. He once fought for us.
Rage lanced in Selene's chest, and she leapt off Rhaegal's back. "Karstark!"
Harrion's eyes widened in his blood smeared face, his eyes fixed on the dragon. Selene drew Stormsbane and leapt forward, bringing it down with all her strength. He was just able to block her blow. She whirled, slicing up. Harrion stumbled backwards, off balanced and shocked. He could do nothing but feebly block her blows. He's weak from battle, Selene knew, but I'm not.
Selene plunged her sword into his chest. Blood spurted from his mouth. This is for Tion and Willem, my innocent cousins who were butchered on your father's orders. Selene's eyes were blank as Harrion sunk to his knees. She pulled Stormsbane out of the dead man.
She heard the sound of charging horses, and turned to see men desperately trying to kill her. Rhaegal was at her side in an instant, spitting flames on those who came too close.
Selene mounted. She looked over her shoulder at the Stark army. In the distance, she could see the Stark foot soldiers, the archers, and even farther away on a hill overlooking the battle, she could just make out the auburn heads of who could only be Catelyn and Sansa.
She looked back to the soldiers, "To Winterfell!"
Rhaegal roared, spinal plates shaking as he leaned back on his hind legs and took off.
Selene looked over her shoulder. The Stark men began to rush after her. For a mad second, she could have sworn a giant ran amongst them. She turned back toward the castle, shaking her head. The Bolton men who had been watching on horseback were gone. They have fled to safety behind Winterfell walls.
Selene didn't have much time to think. Rhaegal was quick, and with a few beat of his wings they were above Winterfell. The dragon swirled around the castle, Selene looking for a place to land when it hit her. Someone needs to open the gates.
She landed Rhaegal on the stone wall above the main gate. The dragon roared down at the scattering of men who were fleeing. Some were drawing their bows.
Arrows flew toward her. Some ricocheted off of Rhaegal's scales, some off of her armor. One narrowly missed her face.
Rhaegal lowered his neck close to the ground. Selene leapt off and made for the gate. A large block of wood kept it barred. She leaned her shoulder into the wood and pushed.
It budged, but not enough. Selene couldn't get much purchase, and her hands were slick with blood and sweat. From the other side, she could hear the Stark forces getting closer. Her mind was whirling. Rhaegal's fire would destroy the gate, but it would take most of the castle with it.
Selene shot a glance over her shoulder. Men were starting to aim at her again.
Rhaegal dropped to the ground, blocking her from the arrows. Lurching forward, he closed his jaws around a man, flinging him to the side with a gush of blood. Arrows bounced off his scales harmlessly, but if one found his eye….or if some brave man grabbed a spear….
Selene turned back to the bolt and heaved with all her strength. She heard the wood crack, felt the splinters dig into her skin, and yelled. The heavy wooden bar slid upwards and she cast it aside. Selene placed her hands on the gate, grit her teeth, and pushed. The gate was heavy, and the muscles in her arm spasmed with the effort. She made a small gap in the gate, and men on the other side rushed forward and yanked the heavy wooden doors apart.
Selene came face to face with Jon.
Her breath hitched in her throat. The men behind him rushed passed her, weapons high, screaming, battle-hungry and blood thirsty, more than ready to take the castle and secure their victory. To her, it felt like the men were moving in slow motion.
Selene almost didn't recognize him. His face was caked with mud and blood, his dark hair pulled back, his clothes dripping with filth, his sword running red with blood…but his eyes were the same. The same steely grey. Ghost stood by his side, his muzzle crimson. The direwolf had grown much since Selene had seen him last, his head as high as Jon's chest. She should have been afraid, but she wasn't. The giant wolf padded forward, gave Selene a sniff, and brushed up against her in recognition.
Jon looked at her as if he had dreamed her up. His mouth was slightly ajar, his eyes taking her in. Her armor, her black sword, the insignia on her breastplate, the circlet on her head…his grip loosened on his sword. The moonstone under her armor was white-hot.
Only Rhaegal's roar of pain brought her back to her senses.
Selene whirled as Rhaegal stood back on his hind legs, his wings beating. She could see a few goose-feathered arrows sticking out from his back and sides. Rhaegal left the courtyard for the safety on top of Winterfell's walls. A few stones crumbled under his weight, and Rhaegal threw his head back and gave a roar that made even the bravest man tremble.
The courtyard fell silent.
Jon moved to stand beside her. They exchanged a look. Selene's heart was hammering in her chest, but she forced herself to go into the courtyard.
All the bowmen had their arrows pointed at a young man. He was ugly, even though he was dressed finely. Big boned and slope shouldered, his skin was pink and blotchy, his nose broad, his hair long and dark and dry. Although his mouth was small, his lips were wide and meaty, wormy looking. His eyes were exactly like Roose Bolton's – small, close-set, and oddly pale. Selene didn't understand why all the men were poised and ready to kill him.
The man cocked his head to the side at Selene, "Well…this was unexpected."
Selene stared at him hard, "Where is Roose Bolton?"
He laughed, giving her a wet-lipped smile, "My father was poisoned by our enemies. I'm Ramsay Bolton, Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North."
Poisoned? "That's a shame." His death should have been worse. Selene remembered that Roose Bolton's only living child was his bastard. The last she heard he had sent strips of Theon's skin to his father. Roose had offered them to Catelyn as vengeance for her slain sons. Selene shivered. He was legitimized?
"Do you know who I am?"
Ramsay looked from the antlers on her amour, to the black sword in her hand, to the dragon on the walls of Winterfell behind her. "I couldn't say-"
Rhaegal screamed.
Ramsay shrunk back, eyes on the dragon.
"Guess."
Ramsay smiled, "I never sent my condolences for the loss of your husband," he said apologetically, "My one regret is that I was not there to see my father in his finest hour. Though my beloved sire is gone, I now have the opportunity to finish his good work. He killed the Young Wolf, and now the gods have delivered Winter's Fury to me."
Quicker than Selene could believe, Ramsay notched an arrow in a bow and fired.
She flinched, hearing the thud of an arrow sinking into a shield. When she opened her eyes, she saw Jon had protected her.
Selene took a step forward, but Jon placed a firm hand on her shoulder. She turned back, and saw more rage in his eyes than she ever had before. Roose may have been the one I came for, but Ramsay has done something just as terrible to Jon. She could see it on his face. Well, I still have the Dreadfort to look forward to. Selene stepped aside.
Ramsay spoke to Jon, "You suggested one on one combat, didn't you?" He glanced at the bowmen around him, seeing he had no chance of survival. "I've reconsidered," Ramsay said cheerfully, "That sounds like a wonderful idea." He notched another arrow.
Jon began to walk forward.
Thud. An arrow sunk into his shield.
Ramsay looked unbothered, notching again.
Thud. The Stark archers lowered their bows.
Ramsay grit his teeth, notching again, but before he could set the arrow loose, Jon knocked his bow aside and started pummeling Ramsay with his fists.
Selene watched, a ghost of a smile on her lips. The end of House Bolton.
In moments, Ramsay's face was covered in his own blood, his nose smashed, his teeth splintered…and yet Jon did not stop. Only when his eyes met Sansa's, did he hesitate.
Sansa Stark was a woman grown. The girl Selene knew in King's Landing was taller, her eyes even more haunted than before. She was glaring at Ramsay with utter contempt and disgust. Something unspoken passed between the siblings, and Jon stood.
The attention of everyone in the courtyard turned upward at an odd rattling noise, and Selene saw the flayed-man banner of House Bolton fall from Winterfell's' Great Keep. She held her breath until a banner as pure as snow unfurled in its stead.
A slow smile spread over Selene's face. For the first time in years, the grey direwolf of House Stark flew above Winterfell once more. Drifting snowflakes brushed her face as light as lover's kisses, melting on her cheeks, and she could almost hear Robb's voice in the cold, winter wind.
Thank you.
###
Selene knelt in front of the great heart tree in Winterfell's godswood. The trees were tall sentinels armored in their grey-green needles, the great oaks, the hawthorn and ash and soldier pines, and at the center the heart tree stood like a pale giant frozen in time. It smelled of earth, of centuries, of Winterfell. The Boltons may have held this castle for a season, but the godswood was never theirs.
Selene was praying, or trying too, but her mind was far from quiet.
Here I am again in Winterfell. This place was once supposed to be her home. She was supposed to be its lady, and by now her and her lord husband would have had several children playing about these stone halls. But nothing was as it should have been.
Selene knelt, eyes closed, praying to the old gods. They had always felt more real than her seven. Thank you for getting me here on time. For letting me witness the end of House Bolton. For restoring House Stark.
Selene's prayers stopped short when she felt him approach.
She could feel his eyes on her back. She swallowed, keeping her eyes closed, but every muscle was as taught as a bowstring. Slowly, she stood, keeping her back to him.
Selene summoned all her courage and turned around inch by inch.
There he stood. She had seen him in the moonstone visions, but it was different in person, sharper somehow. Gone was the boy she had left at the Wall. He was a man grown, and war had melted the boyish look from his face. There were lines there, and scars as well. His jaw was sharper, his curls tied back, and the wisps of hair that once covered his cheeks had become a man's beard. He wore her silver chain around his throat.
Selene wondered how she looked to him. Whether she was as changed as he was. Her skin was browned by the Meereenese sun, she was marked with scars, and all her girlish innocence had left her. Jon's eyes found hers and locked. Her knees felt like water.
She took a shaky step forward. Jon did, too. A couple of steps, quicker and quicker until Selene found herself rushing forward. She leapt into his arms, which opened for her, and she melted into him. He spun her around, and tears silently fell down her cheeks. He smells the same, like firewood. Jon was shaking, but he held her tight and close. The cold winds blew around them, but Selene had never felt warmer.
Selene turned her face in his arms. His wet grey eyes were as bright as the steel sky above them, and she looked between them, marveling. I thought I would never see him again. He brushed her tears aside with his thumb, gently holding her face. "Jon-" she began, when he drew her face to his and kissed her.
Something shifted into place in her mind. Selene kissed him back, tightening her arms around his neck. Jon kissed her as if he was a man dying of thirst, and all the water in the world was between her lips.
Finally, he lowered her on the ground, and Selene pressed her forehead to his, eyes closed. She was afraid to open them. When I open them, reality will come crashing back. She kept them closed and wished to the gods they could stay like that forever.
But they couldn't. Selene tilted her face up, and gone was the blissful illusion they had just enjoyed. Their ghosts came flooding back. Their doubts, their duties, their time apart….from careless children to wartime leaders. She could see in his eyes that he felt it, too.
Selene stepped back.
"They'll be expecting me." she said weakly.
He nodded.
Numbly, Selene turned, straightening her borrowed black dress and the dark fur around her shoulders as she walked toward the Great Hall, feeling Jon's eyes on her as she left him in the shadow of the weirwood tree.
Author's Note
Ah! The moment we've been waiting for! It took a while, but we got there! But if you think it's going to be all smooth sailing, think again. This is, after all, Game of Thrones. I know this chapter was a bit short, but the next one will be up within the week and it's a long one so strap in!
Please leave a review and let me know what you think!
For those interested in music, please see below. And everyone should listen to Selene and Jon's theme, created by the incredible composer, Maurice Santa Cruz.
Music - as always, Fanfiction won't let me hyperlink, so please follow the instructions below. Thanks!
Selene and Jon Reunite
(Please search [nunatureinc DOT com]. The theme is near the top of the page, under 'Downloads' and named Selene and Jon Reunion. The piece is the intellectual copyright of Maurice Santa Cruz and should not be repurposed or reused for any reason without express permission from Mr. Santa Cruz.)
00:00 - 00:10 : Selene kneels in front of the heart tree.
00:10 - 00:20 : Jon walks up to her.
00:21 - 00:26 : Selene stands, her back to him.
00:27 - 00:32 : Selene slowly turns around. They stare at each other for a long moment.
00:33 - 00:46 : Selene and Jon rush forward into each other's arms and they embrace.
00:47 - 01:08 : Selene turns her face to Jon and he kisses her.
01:09 - 01:23 : They press their foreheads together, trying to prolong the moment.
01:23 - : In the silence, they pull away.
Selene and Rhaegal in the Battle of the Bastards
(think Spoils of War episode fused with Battle of the Bastards. Please put this [watch?v=9d7IDfeZOSI] into youtube!)
00:00 - 00:04 : Rhaegal screeches.
00:04 - 00:49 : Each character looks up at the sky, focusing on a different character at every drum. Jon, Sansa, Catelyn, Ramsay, Davos, Littlefinger, Tormund.
00:49 - 01:05 : Selene and Rhaegal dip below the clouds, to an awestruck field.
01:06 - 01:26 : Dracarys. Rhaegal unleashes his first attack on the Bolton infantry. Men scream and burn. Jon is looking with shock and horror. Rhaegal turns back.
01:27 - 01:46 : Rhaegal unleashes his second attack on the Bolton archers. Selene turns toward the field.
01:47 - 02:00 : Rhaegal lands on the ground. The army takes in the dragon, slow panning from his feet up to his head, finally seeing Selene on his back
02:01 - 02:21 : Selene gives her short speeh to the Stark men. At around 2:17, some Bolton men try to attack.
02:22 - 02:40 : Dracarys. Rhaegal burns the men trying to attack.
02:41 - 03:05 : Selene sees Harrion Karstark. She leaps off Rhaegal and begins to fight.
03:06 - 03:11 : Selene plunges her sword into Harrion's heart. He falls to the ground.
03:12 - 03:16 : Bolton men try to kill Selene.
03:17 - 03:27 : Rhaegal burns the men getting too close to Selene.
03:28 - 03:53 : Selene mounts Rhaegal. She looks back at the army and calls on them to follow her to Winterfell.
Reviews
Thanks for those who have viewed and reviewed!
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krasni: Because Dany is barren! So if they marry, they wouldn't be able to pass on the Targaryen name and have children. Whereas if Aegon and Selene married, Dany could be queen while they are her heirs. Their children would be Targaryens, and would rule after Dany died. Hope that helps!
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WashedUpInNewYork: Thank you so much. I can't tell you how much it means to me when people say they understand where Selene is coming from, as that means it all makes sense outside my own head, haha. Thank you for your kind review!
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Tara: Thanks for your review! I love the idea of conflict and that you see Selene with Aegon. I see it, too!
Guest: So disappointing in so many ways. But I'll always love the show and the books. And hopefully fanfiction can ease the pain somewhat.
lancepm: Thank you so much for all your incredible suggestions. Not sure if I'll be able to bring your vision to life. Maybe you should try writing the story!
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Ultimate Reader Fanatic: Haha, thank you! And don't worry, I'll finish it. No way will I drop this story it has been such a fun part of my life for a long time. Thanks for your review!
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