Ok, where to begin. Now, I'd be lying if I said Season 8 of Game of Thrones didn't have something to do with the massive delay for this chapter. To put it simply, Season 8 sort of just killed my motivation to keep writing this.
I'm not about to go into specifics because I know there are people who still liked it, and there are people who didn't like it. The best way I can sum it up, is that there are quite a good many things Season 8 did that I really didn't like, directions I didn't agree with. There are things I did like though, things I did agree with, not as much as the negatives in my opinion but whatever. Long story short, Season 8 went downhill in my opinion, there were still some good things, but it was still downhill, that's the best way I can put it without sounding like one of those negative people up in arms about it. I feel Season 8 was just rushed, completely rushed, as if they were in a hurry to just get it finished and done with, and, well, we've seen the results of that.
Honestly, I feel they should've stuck fully to the books. Because I believe that if they had, they'd probably still only be on A Feast for Crows or A Dance with Dragons with the amount of things they could have used sticking to the books down to every word. In turn, this meant that there would have been more Seasons for the show, and more time for GRRM to finish The Winds of Winter which, if what the guy said recently is true, could be out next year, which then would have provided the show the next book to work off of. Again, assuming that what he said is true, given his track record.
Which also means, they wouldn't have had to divert from the books as much. Anyway, can't afford to waste word space so I'll finish up these notes by pointing out that this doesn't mean I'm going to stop writing this story. I'm going to keep writing this story, at least until I finish Season 1, after which I'm going to take a break from it so I can finish up other stories I've left on hiatus.
Disclaimer: I don't own Game of Thrones, if I did then I'd be focusing on doing a Robert's Rebellion TV Series after the show is over. I only own my OC's. Jocelyn Stark belongs to Hear My Fury, Alexis Dayne belongs to Jason Kreuger Myers, Lewyn Sand belongs to MineyMo.
The Song of Life
Chapter 13:
'The Quiet Wolf'
King's Landing
When they had heard about the incident in the streets of King's Landing, Jocelyn, Derek and Alexis wasted little time making their way to where Ned was currently recovering.
The eldest Stark daughter had done a good job at masking her worry, but it was still clear enough that the other two could notice.
Derek wanted to assure her that everything would be fine, but he was too busy trying to assure himself first, and he knew that he'd be lying if he said so. There was no telling what kind of mess was going to follow after the incident in the streets, all he did know though, was that people were going to get hurt soon.
By the time they arrived at the chambers where Ned was recovering, they had arrived just in time to see King Robert himself leaving the room.
"Is Lord Stark okay, father?" Derek asked.
Robert looked his son in the eye and nodded, "He's fine..." He turned to Jocelyn, trying to muster up half a smile as he added, "He's a tough old bastard, he'll be fine lass, don't worry."
For a moment, the King stared at Jocelyn for a few long seconds, before gesturing towards the door, "Go on in."
Jocelyn bowed her head, "T-Thank you, your grace." She said before making her way into the room.
When the Stark daughter closed the door behind her, Robert turned back to his son, and said, "I'm going out on a hunt Derek, keep an eye on your mother for me."
"Mother?" Derek asked, looking a little confused now.
A subtle look of guilt could be made out on Robert's face as he slowly replied, "I...I hit her. I want you by her side, make sure she's okay. Ok?"
Derek recoiled, surprised that his father would have hit his mother.
It was true that they never really seemed to love each other as much as a husband and wife should, and their marriage was always a troubled one, but never once did father strike his mother.
This was the very first time.
It wouldn't surprise him if it was due to an argument that involved his mother trying to defend his Uncle Jaime, whom he had heard was the one who led the assault on Ned and his men.
Even so, Derek wasn't going to refuse such a simple request from the King, and nodded, "S-Sure. I'll do my best."
Robert managed a more genuine smile this time, ruffling his sons hair as he replied, "I know you will." He said before casting a glance over at the Sword of the Morning before taking his leave.
Once he was gone, Derek exchanged looks with Alexis before making his way into the room, followed by the latter.
Seeing Ned Stark on the bed with his leg bandaged up and his teary-eyed eldest daughter by his side was a little difficult for Derek to take in.
More so for Alexis, as she was used to seeing the man on his own two feet, standing tall and strong, never showing any signs of weakness.
Just seeing the man who defeated her Uncle, Ser Arthur Dayne, years ago, so weak and helpless right now due to a cowardly attack, made her blood boil.
What made it all the more infuriating, was that Jaime Lannister was said to be the one who led the attack on Ned and his men. Alexis held the Kingslayer in very high regard, so hearing that he was the one who launched the cowardly attack, it just didn't seem like something he would do.
Rather than dwell on it however, she decided to get answers straight from Ned himself. Being an honest man, she doubted that he would lie to her.
The Sword of the Morning then proceeded to ask, "Lord Stark, forgive me but I must know, was Jaime Lannister really the one who attacked and killed your men?"
Ned simply nodded his head, before replying, "He was the one who killed Jory."
Despite doing her best to keep calm, a mixed look of anger and sorrow could be made out on Jocelyn's face.
It was pretty clear that the tears she was shedding weren't just for her father, but for Jory too.
He had often practiced swordplay with her from time to time, and had personally escorted her during visits to Last Hearth, Karhold, White Harbor and various other Northern holds whenever she wanted to get out of Winterfell.
To find out that someone whom she considered a dear friend, to the family and to herself, was now dead, murdered at the hands of someone whom she considered a good man, it just broke Jocelyn's heart.
It made her just as angry, however she did her best to suppress that anger, knowing that she couldn't dwell on it right now, not with her father hurt.
While the eldest Stark daughter continued to mask her emotions, Alexis was the one who looked more visibly upset.
Mostly because she couldn't believe that Jaime Lannister would act so cowardly.
Also dwelling on his Uncle's actions for a moment, Derek's thought's then shifted to something else when he noticed that Ned had the Hand's brooch on him, and very quickly realised that his father must have made him his Hand again.
Probably the only good thing that happened today, he figured.
Feeling a hand on his shoulder, Derek looked up and saw Alexis staring down at him, gesturing towards the Starks.
He looked over at the two, Jocelyn still trying to comfort her father, while the man himself was simply still trying to wake up, clear signs of exhaustion on his face.
Eventually though, Derek realised what Alexis meant, and the Prince turned to the Starks once more and said, "I'll let you have some privacy. Please recover soon, Lord Stark."
Once the reappointed Hand of the King had given him a nod in response, Derek took his leave, Alexis following right behind, but not before casting one last glance at the Quiet Wolf before closing the door behind her.
When the two were gone, Jocelyn waited for a moment, before asking her father, "What are you going to do?"
Ned wasn't sure.
One thing was certain though.
If he didn't do something, and soon, there would be a war.
Essos
It took all of Lewyn's willpower to not look away and cringe as he watched Daenerys slowly eat the raw heart of a stallion.
While the Dosh khaleen continued to chant during the ritual, Viserys, who stood between both Lewyn and Ser Jorah, quietly spoke up, "She has to eat the whole heart?" He asked, before adding with a disturbed look, "I hope that wasn't my horse."
"She's doing well." Ser Jorah said with half a smile.
The elder Targaryen sibling didn't seem to share his confidence however. "She'll never keep it down."
When Daenerys took another bite of the raw heart, Lewyn could no longer continue to watch and turned away, starting to feel a little sick. "I can't look anymore."
"Feel free to step outside, Sand." Viserys said with a smirk.
Lewyn ignored the suggestion and simply remained where he was, but continued to look away while listening to the chants.
During the ritual, one of the Dosh khaleen started to read the omens out loud, prompting Viserys to ask, "Tell me what she's saying."
Ser Jorah translated for the elder Targaryen, replying, "The Prince is riding. I have heard the thunder of his hooves. Swift as the wind he rides. His enemies will cower before him. And their wives will weep tears of blood."
The Knight went silent for a moment as the chanting continued, before finally adding, "She's going to have a boy."
While Lewyn seemed glad to hear that, Viserys wasn't as happy, and said, "He won't be a real Targaryen. He won't be a true dragon."
Finally, Daenerys had eaten the remaining piece of the raw heart, prompting Ser Jorah to let Lewyn know he could look again.
As the young bastard looked back, everyone went silent when they saw Daenerys nearly fall over and vomit, forcing Lewyn to swiftly look away again. "You said it was over Ser Jorah!"
"It is. Look again." The Knight quietly replied.
Lewyn slowly, and reluctantly, looked back, and was relieved when he saw the younger Targaryen hadn't vomited the heart back out.
For a moment, Daenerys struggled to chew and finish the last piece of the heart.
A part of her wanted to give up and spit it out, but she managed to convince that part of her otherwise.
She knew all eyes were on her, as well as the eyes of Khal Drogo, and she had already come too far to just stop and give up now.
Slowly, she got back up, and looked her husband in the eye as she proceeded to swallow, and finally finish the heart, followed by a sigh of relief.
Her relief was shared by Khal Drogo, who smiled softly and nodded a little at her efforts.
One of the Dosh khaleen chanted once again, prompting Ser Jorah to translate for Viserys and Lewyn.
"The stallion who mounts the world. The stallion is the Khal of Khals. He shall unite the people into a single khalasar. All the people of the world will be his herd."
The chanting ceased when Daenerys rose to her feet. She then proceeded to speak in their language, and declared, "A Prince rides inside me! And he shall be named Rhaego!"
The Dothraki all chanted the name of Daenerys' unborn son, much to her joy and relief, she couldn't have picked a better name.
Khal Drogo looked the happiest and the proudest he could be, before rising to his feet to approach his wife.
Viserys didn't look too happy however. In fact, he looked more surprised at just how well loved his sister was by the Dothraki. "They love her." He said, sounding almost, jealous.
The chanting only grew louder as Khal Drogo gently wrapped his arms around his wife and lifted her up, seemingly happy to give her all the attention she could want.
"I'm happy for her." Lewyn said with a genuine smile. "Really I am."
Ser Jorah nodded, adding, "She truly is a queen today."
As they continued to watch, it took a moment for them to realise that Viserys was no longer next to them. He was gone.
Jorah and Lewyn looked around for the elder Targaryen, but he was simply nowhere to be seen.
Nervous that he was going to do something rash, they quickly set out to find him.
The two were right to track down the older Targaryen sibling.
When they found him, they caught him apparently trying to leave with the Dragon Eggs.
Viserys almost drew his sword upon hearing them enter the tent behind him, but stopped once he identified them.
"Don't let them see you carrying a sword in Vaes Dothrak." Ser Jorah told him. "You know the law."
The elder Targaryen resheathed his sword. "It's not my law." He said without a care, before proceeding to take the remaining eggs, stuffing them into a sack.
"They don't belong to you." Jorah said.
Again, Viserys replied without a care. "Whatever is hers is also mine."
"Once, perhaps." Jorah commented.
Behind him, Lewyn remained silent. Concerned that the knight was going to say something he might regret. After all, Viserys was the one with the sword right now, and the young bastard didn't doubt for a second that the elder Targaryen sibling would use it against those who spoke down to him.
Viserys finally looked at them, and said, "If I sell one egg, I'll have enough to buy a ship. Two eggs, a ship and an army."
"And you have all three." The knight pointed out.
The Targaryen quickly replied, "I need a large army."
Jorah nodded a little, understanding where he was coming from.
"I'm the last hope of a dynasty, Mormont." Viserys said, stepping forward as he reminded the knight of the family he belonged to. "The greatest dynasty this world has ever seen on my shoulders since I was five years old, and no one has ever given me what they gave to her in that tent. Never. Not a piece of it."
And so it finally came out.
If the elder Targaryen sibling's jealousy wasn't clear to them before, it certainly was now.
Again, Jorah nodded a little in understanding, yet remained where he stood.
"How can I carry what I need to carry without it? Hm? Who can rule without wealth or fear or love?" The Targaryen added, trying to make his point very clear.
The knight didn't respond, and merely continued to stare at the elder Targaryen sibling.
"Oh, you stand there, all nobility and honour." Viserys said, approaching the older man, stopping just a few mere inches away as he whispered, "You don't think I see you looking at my little sister, hm? Don't think I know what you want?"
Lewyn tensed up a little, starting to worry that a fight was going to break out any second now, and braced himself for the worst.
"I don't care. You can have her." Viserys quietly stated, making it very clear how he truly felt about his sister. "She can be Queen of the savages and dine on the finest bloody horse parts, and you can dine on whichever parts of her you like. But let me go."
The Targaryen's attempt to leave was stopped almost instantly by the knight, who refused to budge from his spot.
"You can go. You can't have the eggs." Ser Jorah said.
It was clear to both Jorah and Lewyn that the Targaryen was reaching his breaking point. And the whole time, Ser Jorah remained calm and composed, something the nervous Lewyn couldn't help but be jealous of, wishing he too could be as level-headed as the older man. Nonetheless, he prayed mentally that the elder Targaryen sibling didn't resort to looking to him for assistance.
"You swore an oath to me." Viserys reminded the knight. "Does loyalty mean nothing to you?"
Ser Jorah was quick to answer. "It means everything to me."
"And yet here you stand." The Targaryen added, his frustration visible all over his face.
As expected of him though, the knight responded calmly, as he had been the whole time. "And yet here I stand."
The Targaryen nodded, almost as if realising now where Jorah's loyalty lay.
And so, he turned his attention away from the knight, and glared in Lewyn's direction. "Sand!"
Lewyn tensed up, and slowly, only slightly, looked back at the elder Targaryen sibling.
"Remove Ser Jorah from my sight. Immediately." Viserys demanded.
Even if he wanted to follow through with such an order, the young bastard from Dorne knew full well that he would never be able to physically restrain the older man and remove him from the tent. The knight was bigger, stronger, and would simply kick his ass if Lewyn even so much as tried to go through with it.
No. He was already on friendly terms with the man from Bear Island, and he already declared his support and loyalty to Daenerys herself. As far as he was concerned, Viserys had no command over him anymore.
He just hoped his decision to stand by and do nothing wouldn't come back to bite him.
Seeing the young bastard from Dorne refusing to move and carry out his order had Viserys almost seething.
The Targaryen then glanced back at Jorah one last time, before dropping the sack containing the eggs.
In response, Ser Jorah slowly stepped aside, allowing Viserys to leave.
And he did.
He left the tent, giving Lewyn a quick and murderous glance as he walked past him.
Once Viserys was gone and out of earshot, Lewyn took in a deep breath, and made his worries known. "I fear he is going to do something reckless, Ser Jorah. Perhaps we should go after him."
The knight slowly shook his head, picking up the sack containing the eggs and returning them to the chest they were taken from. "It'll be fine."
"How do you know that? How do you know he won't-" Lewyn tried to debate the issue, but his response was stopped short when the older man turned and looked at him.
Despite the high possibility that Viserys may end up causing trouble, the knight maintained a calm and collected manner. After placing the eggs back in the chest, he closed it and turned to leave.
"What happens to Viserys, if he chooses to act out of anger, is not our concern anymore. Stay by the Khaleesi's side." The knight calmly told him as he walked past him, leaving the tent.
Deep in thought, Lewyn processed the response for a moment, seemingly confused, and asked, "What do you mean by that?"
When he got no response, he turned and saw the knight was already a short distance away from the tent.
Lewyn quickly left the tent and ran to catch up with the older man and repeated his question.
"Ser Jorah! What do you mean by that?"
He never got an answer.
King's Landing
"Denounced and attainted. Stripped of all ranks and titles, of all lands and holdings...and sentenced to death."
Alexis Dayne repeated the Hand of the King's statements to herself as she slowly paced back and forth with concern, all while Lord Beric Dondarrion and his men were busy saddling up their horses.
Once he was back on his feet, with the addition of a cane to support him, the reappointed Hand of the King quickly found himself back on duty, when he received word that a number of men had begun burning farms and homes in the Riverlands. The farmer then proceeded to inform the Hand, the Grand Maester and the Master of Coin present beside him, that the men had stolen nothing, but instead left behind a sack, that contained a large pile of fish.
The sigil of House Tully, Littlefinger pointed out.
When questioned about the identity of the men, the farmer described their leader as large, and capable of taking the head off of a horse with a single swing of his sword.
Ned Stark quickly deduced that the leader of these men was Gregor Clegane, which was backed up by Littlefinger, and it didn't take long for them to piece together the reason for these attacks. Likely retaliation for the abduction of Tyrion Lannister, by Catelyn Stark herself.
Given House Tully was her House, it only made sense.
In response, the Hand of the King stripped Gregor of all ranks, titles, lands and holdings, before commanding Beric Dondarrion to assemble one hundred men and ride out to Gregor's keep to execute the Mad Dog and his men for the crimes they had committed.
To the surprise of many, Ned then proceeded to issue an order to Tywin Lannister himself, demanding that the Lord of Casterly Rock and Warden of the West present himself in the capital to answer for the crimes of his bannermen, or be branded an enemy of the crown and a traitor to the realm.
The Lady of Starfall remembered every word of it.
And while she had no objections, that wasn't what concerned her at the moment.
"What's the matter? Concerned for my well-being?" The Lord of Blackhaven smirked, teasing her.
Alexis didn't share his humour however, and replied, "You're heading deep into dangerous territory against arguably the most dangerous man in Westeros."
"So you are concerned for my well-being." Lord Beric teased again with that famous smirk he always gave her.
The Sword of the Morning frowned softly at him. "I'm concerned that you're taking my little brother with you. He's just a boy Lord Beric. He shouldn't be anywhere near that...that monster."
His smirk was gone in an instant, and the Lightning Lord placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, calmly replying, "I understand your concern. And I assure you, I have no intention of putting Edric in harms way. I promise."
In the end, that was all she could really hope for, and nodded. "I'll hold you to that."
When the squire himself arrived, ready to leave with the rest, Alexis leaned down to look him in the eye, and told him, "You be careful, understand?"
Edric nodded.
"Stay close to Lord Beric." She added, to which he nodded again. "And if he tells you to run at the first sight of danger, you run. Ok?"
The younger Dayne rolled his eyes at her concern. "I know, sister. I know."
"Good." She pulled him into a hug, and kissed his head, a hug that he gladly returned.
When they pulled away, albeit reluctantly, the younger Dayne turned and ran to fetch his horse.
She exchanged one last look with Lord Beric, who was already on his horse about to leave.
The Lord of Blackhaven offered her a little smile.
"Be careful." She said.
A single nod of his head was the Lightning Lord's response, before he turned and rode off with his men, Edric riding up at his side.
Alexis watched them leave, and almost failed to hold back a few tears.
Once the last of Beric's men were out of sight, she turned to leave.
She was thankful that she was able to hold back those tears though, because when she turned around, she found herself bumping into a large man.
"Oh! My apologies..." Her apology was cut short when she found herself staring into the man's chest. Slowly, she moved her gaze up from the man's chest to look him in the eye, and were it not for the fact that she was already familiar with the large man, she would have recoiled in fright. Maybe.
"Seein' off my brother's executioners are you?"
The Hound towered over the Sword of the Morning as he asked her his question with a neutral frown.
Alexis maintained a calm look, her eyes staying locked with his, never once flinching under his glare.
"I am." She answered calmly.
He continued to glare at her, almost as if he was half expecting her to at least show some semblance of fear.
She didn't however.
In fact, the more he continued to glare at her, the more a smile started to form on her lips.
His glare hardened in response, and he asked, "What are you smiling at?"
"Nothing...Ser." She smiled.
The Hound was almost caught off guard by that one.
He continued to maintain his glare, and then replied, "I'm no Ser."
The Sword of the Morning just nodded, and proceeded to walk around him.
"Of course, my mistake...Ser." She said, brushing a hand across his arm as she walked past him.
The younger Clegane brother almost flinched at her touch, uncomfortable with the unexpected contact.
He turned, looking over his shoulder slightly as he watched her walk away.
She looked back, briefly. Offering him another smile as she ran her hand through her long dark hair.
The ray of sunlight shining down on her, gave her violet eyes a beautiful glow, one that kept The Hound's eyes locked onto her.
It was only after she turned and walked on, that the Clegane was able to finally look away from her.
He just shook his head, and muttered to himself.
"Fuckin' women."
Authors Notes: Ok so I kinda rushed the last part of this chapter and I just wanted to get it finished and done with so I could post it and show that the story is not dead. I'm gonna try and make an effort to start making quicker progress and post chapters more often, I can't make any promises though.
Anyway, I'm gonna keep this one brief. First off, Merry Christmas, even though it's super late now, and Happy New Year, even though it's probably not new year yet for some people. And if you're still keeping up to date with this story even after all of this time, well then I really appreciate it, and I'll try to make sure your patience is rewarded.