Harlaw, The Iron Islands.
Bran Stark
The hunger was immense, he hunt down some goats that day, he felt the smell of grass and death trees, Harlaw was one of the wealthiest ironborn islands, Lord Rodrik Harlaw was a kind man, he offered himself to take custody of him and Rickon, the Lord of Harlaw was always reading, they started to search information about Bran's dreams not so long ago, a three eyed raven appeared every night in every dream, calling for him, but he felt fear, Old Nan always said that Ravens are treasonous creatures, how could he trust one?
Rickon started to act like a savage with time, they discovered that it was because of their warging abilities, being inside their wolves heads was risky, but Lord Rodrik helped him to save Rickon's mind, now he started to act like a normal child, but his hatred towards the family increased with each passing day, they were left behind to be kidnapped by Theon, a man that used to be part of their family, Brann felt his anger raise at the mere thought of Theon's smug face, they way he talked and moved, so cocky, so proud. He couldn't understand why searching for a Mad man's approval was necessary, Balon Greyjoy was just that, a mad man, a mad dog a horse that is about to kick him and kill him.
His thoughts were interrupted when someone knocked the door, "Come in " he said trying to be calm.
"Pardon me, little Lord, but I have been reading with your little brother and we found something." Lord Harlaw said respectfully, the man didn't look or act like an Ironborn. "Among my books we found that there was an old entity named the three eyed raven, a powerful being capable of many things." The Lord of Ten towers said a little excited. "The children of the forest talked about them, at leas that's what Maester Hoggarth wrote."
"But the children of the forest are gone, and this raven has been calling me for so long..." he said but a soldier interrupted them.
"My Lord, your niece is here" the guard said.
"Asha?" Lord Rodrik asked surprised as the woman walked in.
"There's no time for this, uncle, we need to find Robb Stark." She said with fear in his voice.
"Robb Stark? Have you lost your mind? You destroyed his ancestral home, your stupid brother betrayed him and he's a prisoner, did you forget that?!" he said, the memory of Winterfell and Robb always were painful for Bran, everything he ever had taken away by Theon Greyjoy and then by Roose Bolton.
"The crow's eyes and his mutes are here. He killed our father and claimed the salt Throne in the kingsmoot." Asha informed.
Crow's eye? Was that something related to his dreams and the three eyed raven? He didn't know, but Lord Rodrik's expression filled him with fear.
"Even if you find Robb Stark, even if you save him, how will you stop Roose Bolton, or Tywin Lannister or your uncle?" Lord Rodrik asked.
"I don't know, but anything is better than staying here." Asha Greyjoy replied "Boys, we ned to leave, now." She said addressing Bran and Rickon.
"Why? Lord Rodrik took care of us all this time, while you were ravaging my home!" Bran accused her, his words were like poison.
"Because, if you stay here, my good uncle will hang you, or use you as a sacrifice, or tight you to his ship naked and exposed to the sea water." She said with something he recognised as fear, a very subtle fear. "Now, please, come with us, lets get away and find your brother." She pleaded.
The news of Robb gave him hope, even if he was a prisoner, in fact, both of them were prisoners, Sansa too, Arya and Jon were missing and nothing made sense now, just Robb and the plan to fin him.
Meeren
Jon Snow
Each day that the Harpy remained captive, her sons attacked Daenerys' soldiers, but now they looked unorganized, that week he killed five of them in an ambush between the city alleys, they became more reckless and recklessly made people act like fools, he used to be a fool like them, but the life in Meereen made him grow, he wasn't alone any more, Arthur was alive and he succeeded taking Aemon out of the wall, they weren't alone though, their companions were a fat noble man named Samwell Tarly, a ginger wildling named Tormund Giantsbane who came in representation of the new king in the wall, Mance Rayder.
"Ser Jon, your grace, your presence has been requested in the throne room." The old Ser Gerold said bowing.
"You don't need to address me like a king, Lord Commander." He said with a little touch of annoyance, "what's happening?"
"The deserters of the windblown want to speak with the Queen, they look like Dornish men if you ask me..." the old knight said.
"That makes two of us then, Lord Commander." He chuckled.
"Indeed Your... Ser Jon." The old Knight replied, "It's good to see that I will leave this world with people like you or Arthur as my legacy." The old knight said with sadness in his voice.
"Let's go Ser Gerold" Jon said smiling.
He stiffened Longclaw in his belt, a little bell hanged from his shoulder plate, a gift from the Dothraki after capturing the traitors. His armour didn't look like the one he used to wear back in Westeros, he replaced the brigandine with plates and boiled leather with scales, like the ones he once saw in the Tully armour, his body had many scars, just like his mind, he kept his hair short and his beard grew thicker with each passing day.
When he entered into the throne room he saw Daenerys sitting on a bench made of ebony, she didn't want to sit in the throne of a slaver, her only true desire was sitting on the Iron Throne. Her silver mane grew longer and beautiful, her soft skin looked like porcelain and her sweet voice made his heart rush . The Queensguard was standing behind her and in the room's entrance, the Dornish men were standing in front of his aunt, Sansa and his grandmother. Arthur joined him as he walked upstairs to join his family.
"Now that we are all present, you can speak your mind freely, my lords." Daenerys said with her regal tone.
Jon saw Frog walk forward unwrapping the dirty rag with the Martell sigil, his face showed a cocky smirk that annoyed Jon.
"Your Grace, I came here in the name of my father, Doran Martell, My name is Quentyn Martell and I have come here to ask for your hand in order to make an alliance to retake your ancestral throne, our ancestral throne." He solemnly said.
Dany made a displeased face, but immediately tried to remain as regal as always, she cleared her throat and spoke with her queenly voice. "It's good to see that Dorne hasn't forgotten where its loyalties remain." She walked down the steps bridging the distance between her and this Quentyn Martell.
Quentyn tried to look bigger and stronger in front of her, a true prince of Dorne, Jon just chuckled, but deep inside him he felt anger, Why this fool would think that he was worthy of Daenerys Targaryen? Just because he was a Dornish prince? A man who couldn't defend his own life wasn't worthy of that privilege... Privilege, that was Dany for him? He served her like he never served anyone, he made foolish decisions and almost died protecting her honour, Deanerys was more than that, a woman bold enough to ride into battle with her armour and her bow was like a dream for him, the most beautiful dream.
The throne room was silent like the crypts of Winterfell, where his mother rested with the of his family. Only Dany broke the silence once she stood face to face with Prince Quentyn. "I feel truly flattered by your proposal" she said and Jon's world started to crumble. "But I must refuse it, but be sure that I'm planning to cooperate with you and your father to make this world better than how we found it." She calmly said.
Quentyn seemed extremely offended, no, he wasn't offended Jon recognized that face everywhere, he was ashamed of himself, he understood then that he was just following orders, his father's orders, Jon even felt pity for the Dornish prince.
"Bu—but your grace, I have valyrian blood, just like you... We could ride your dragons and conquer Westeros together, there isn't a better match for you." Quentyn pleaded.
"My dragons, my children aren't just stupid war beasts that you can use to destroy what you think that must be destroyed." She replied bitterly. "Besides, you're not the only man with Valyrian blood." She added giving Jon a knowing look.
"But your brother disappeared, and my little brother is too young..." Quentyn said but Dany cut him off.
"There's still another one... My brother's son." She said "Ser Aemon, please walk forward." She commanded confusing Jon, he wasn't used to be called Aemon, Jon was the name that he knew his whole life. He walked forward and saw how everyone in the room were looking at him, Quentyn looked bewildered.
"He doesn't even look like a Targaryen!" the prince said.
"And neither you, prince Quentyn, though you are still making your valyrian blood a reason to marry our queen." Ser Arthur said as he walked forward.
"Even if that's true, he shares no blood with me." The prince said bitterly. "He's just a bastard in the eyes of the faith." The word made Jon's blood boil, he clenched his fist as hard as he could to avoid a fight that probably would end with someone dead.
"A Bastard that saved your life, prince Quentyn." Ser Archibald Yronwood said respectfully, Jon just managed himself to thank him with a subtle nod.
"My father is not going to be happy with this" Quentyn said and walked out if the room with an expression filled with anxiety and displeasure.
After that Daenerys decided that she wanted to visit the city market, she needed to make the people know that she was there to support them now that they were struggling to reactivate the economy without slaves. He needed to talk with her, he needed an explanation.
Jon walked next to Dany, Ser Barristan and Ser Jorah, Missandei was behind them with Grey Worm, Sansa, Rhaella and Ser Gerold. A group of Unsullied marched in front of them and a group of sellswords behind, they were at least fifty, Prince Quentyn and his companions refused the invitation to visit the great market located in a big plaza.
Everything looked normal for Jon, children walking next to them screaming and laughing, they imitated the Unsullied and tried to touch the dragon Queen, the adults on the other hand remained distant, pleading for Daenerys attention.
"Why did you say that?" he asked her once Ser Barristan and Ser Jorah advanced to stablish a perimeter.
"Say what?" she asked confused.
"My real name..." he said.
"I was once sold like a brood mare, my brother and Illyrio Mopatis thought that it would help my brother's cause, I felt like the situation was repeating, that this Prince came here just to take me as a trophy, but then I remembered that I wasn't a scary little girl anymore, I am a Queen, a Khaleesi, and you were there to stop that nonsense with your mere presence, I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable." She said, when she talked with him she never used her Queenly voice, instead, she used her real voice, so soft and sweet.
"I don't know if I'm a suitable match for you, Your Grace." Jon teased her.
"Who knows? Maybe I've been feeling comfortable with you around brooding and contemplating the eternity." She said teasingly making Jon stop walking leaving him behind to think about what he just heard. Was truly offensive being in love of his aunt? He didn't know yet.
When everyone were in position Daenerys climbed on one of the fountains and addressed the people surrounding them, he didn't understand valyrian, but Missandei translated everything for him and the Westerosi.
"People of Meereen, I have been discussing with my council a way to reactivate our market and after many days of planning I can tell you now that Daario Naharis and a group of merchants, nobles and freed men have departed to negotiate a trading route with the Lhazareen, they also have been sent to trade with the city of Norvos." Daenerys said and Missandei translated, Jon knew all of this, they planned many things together. "Unfortunately, the enemy arises and as many of you know Astapor and Yunkai have been attacked and sacked, New Ghis and Volantis are responsible of that, I ask those who want to protect this city of tyranny to join to the Mother's men, this is the time for you to protect those who you love, to stand beside me in the wars to come." She said with her regal tone, after that many men started to speak with Marselen, Missandei's brother, and his Unsullied to join to their newly formed company.
With more enlisted men came more work, Ser Barristan was training young knights with Ser Oswell, leaving the training lf the common infantry for him and Ser Arthur they needed to learn the Westerosi battle style, after all, they would never become Unsullied, it was impossible to be a volunteer to become one.
"It seems like our Queen is well loved." Arthur said contemplating how the people praised Daenerys.
"Indeed, but we still have to deal with these Sons of the Harpy, they have been attacking our men after we took their leaders as prisoners, but they have been very inefficient now that they don't know too much details" Jon said a little worried.
"Then we must stay alert, boy." Arthur replied smiling at him, the smile he always gave when Jon did things right.
Everything went as planned and they started to leave the plaza, Jon walked with Sansa and Rhaella, Daenerys walked ahead with Ser Gerold and the rest of the Queensguard. But then something started to feel wrong, the Sellswords started to get closer, he knew some of those men, but they were sell swords after all. He grabbed Longclaw's hilt tight something was wrong, the streets were empty, they were just there ready to be ambushed and betrayed he knew it clearly.
A few minutes later he proved all his suspicions right when a group of masked men flanked them and the sellswords unsheathed their swords, not to defend the Queen but to kill her. They took them by surprise and three masked men pushed Ser Gerold away as they took Dany away through the alleys. Jon cut his way through meat and bone to protect Sansa and his grandmother and commanded Ser Oswell and Arthur to take them to the great Pyramid while the Unsullied started to form waiting for reinforcements.
The Sellswords weren't match for the Unsullied but joined to the Sons of the Harpy they outnumbered them and started to overrun them. Jon just slashed his way to find Dany with a group of Unsullied, Ser Jorah and Ser Barristan. He was desperate, a fool mistake, overconfidence and now Dany was in danger.
Daenerys Targaryen
They dragged her through the alleys into a dark place where some of them started to scream at her calling her Whore or Dragon bitch. She was afraid, she feared for her life, but she feared that she could never see her family again, after so much pain, she finally had what she wanted, but now all that meant nothing, a man walked forward with a knife in his hand ready to cut her throat, until a voice stopped him.
"The Queen will live until they set free the Green Grace" the masked man said.
"Just the Green Grace? What about Hizdahr?" a man asked.
"Hizdhar isn't the only noble man that wants to see this bitch dead, brother that's why we bought those sellswords." The man in charge replied, she felt confused and relieved knowing that they wouldn't kill her.
"We mustn't kill her, but you can still use her to entertain yourselves, brothers." The man said walking away.
Dany's voice disappeared then as a group of men surrounded her, she felt so numb, paralyzed because of the fear she felt in that moment, one of the masked men grabbed her violently by the arm and lift her while another was untying his breeches.
'I'm blood of the dragon' she thought 'I can't be afraid' but she didn't carried her dagger, she just had her fists and legs, but those men were bigger and stronger than her.
A man started to rip off her dress as she kicked him in the face, but then he heard it, the sound of meat being cut and a scream of pain, when the man fell she saw it a polished armour and an old man wearing it. 'The white bull.'
The white bull
He cut his way through the alleys to find his queen, each swing of his sword made the old knight feel younger and younger, until he found her because of the screams of those men, 'Beasts, not men, they act like beasts' he thought as he slashed another one on the chest, soon the Longsword became useless in the alleys, but he had his dagger and a knife, he was ready to face them all in the name of his Queen.
His blades were stained with blood after he killed those who were trying to rape his Queen, the young girl asked for a knife that he granted, after catching his breath they started to walk back to the main street where Jon and their companions where fighting hoping they were fine.
As they walked they fought, but his feelings of youth disappeared when a knife found its way through his shiny plates, the pain of a recent wound made him understand then that he was old, an old knight ready to die, he punched another son of the Harpy with his mailed fist almost destroying his mask, he saw Jon coming closer with his companions, Ser Barristan what a wonderful knight, it had been an honour to fight beside him.
He stumbled as the blood left his body through his wound, another stab came after that this one in his abdomen, but the White Bull was unstoppable then, with his strength he slammed the man's head against the wall and kept advancing, Daenerys did the same burying a knife in the throat of a man who was interfering.
His vision clouded then, he stumbled again and fell ln the ground, Jon was already there and dragged him out of the alley, and then laying on Jon's legs with his Queen safe and his duty accomplished he smiled.
"Now is up to you... To take care of them." He said looking at Barristan, the man who proved himself as a worthy successor as Lord Commander.
"Always... Lord Commander." Barristan the bold replied, but he didn't look like a fearsome warrior then, he looked like little child saying goodbye to an old friend.
He looked at Jon one last time, his clouded vision only let him see a silhouette, the same silhouette he saw almost a decade ago, 'Prince Rhaegar' he thought and then... Nothing, peace after a life of war and misery.
Jon Snow
Dany was crushed with Ser Gerold's death, she spent most of her days with Balerion and Rhaegal, feeding and caressing them, Jon tried to calm her after she ordered the execution of the prisoners to send a message, Dragon fire was the solution that she wanted and Jon noticed how determined she was to carry out that sentence.
Caraxes grew larger and independent, like Ghost, but they always remained silent and distant with the people, except for Jon, he walked out of the city many times to be with Caraxes, to feed him, each day he spent time with Caraxes their connection grew stronger, like the connection he had with Ghost, he never called for them, they just appeared next to him every time he thought about them.
And that day Caraxes sensed his anxiety, the big white and red dragon tried to comfort him, but his mind was struggling to find a way to help Dany, he couldn't accept looking at her like that, sleepless and angry, blaming herself for something that she couldn't control. Who decides who lives and who dies in this World?
He found Dany alone in the pit where Balerion and Rhaegal slept, the dragons noticed his presence immediately after he crossed the gates guarded by a pair od Unsullied. He looked at Dany and noticed the tears rolling down her cheeks.
"I came to take you out of here." He said trying to sound serious.
"Only my children can feel the pain I'm feeling, the guilt that I'm feeling." She said coldly "Soon they will burn those who are responsible of Ser Gerold's death, I will burn them all in front of the people, the message will be clear then."
He couldn't believe what he just heard, he needed to stop her, to make her see that there were more ways to fix the problem. "If you use them to burn people and castles then your not any better than them, your not any better than your father." He said.
"The Green Grace will burn tomorrow, Jon, I'll put an end to the Harpy once and for all." She said with determination.
He needed to avoid the execution with fire at least, so he thought in the only thing he could, he thought about Yunkai, the executions and what Lord Eddard Stark taught him. "My uncle used to say that the man who passes the sentence should swing the sword, you want the Green Grace dead? Good, so be it, let me be your sword, but don't use your children." He suggested with determination, it was something that had to be done, 'cut the head and the body will die' he thought.
A lonely tear rolled down her cheek then, her amethyst eyes looked tired of everything, "Ser Gerold saved us when I was a child, now he saved me as a grown woman." She said, her voice was almost breaking. "Why are you here?" she asked him.
"This is where my family lives... I have nowhere else to go." He replied confused.
"You could sail now and take the Iron Throne, but you don't want to do that." She said walking forward bridging the distance between them.
"Maybe I find a place where I feel safe." He said walking forward too.
"I just want to go home... I want to plant trees, I don't care about a throne I want my home." She said and started to cry.
Jon just managed himself to hug her tight, her tiny arms where wrapped around him too and her face was buried in his scaled armour, he just wanted to stop her pain, to make her see how important she was, he softly pushed her away to see her directly in the eyes, then he wiped the tears on her face with his thumbs and caressed her silver mane that grew larger everyday.
"You don't need to face this alone, I will show you your home one day, that's a promise." He sais gently and slowly placed a soft kiss in her lips, she didn't move at first, but then she returned the kiss her lips where soft like the petals of a Winter Rose and sweet at the same time, her tongue slipped inside his and his heart rushed like when he was riding a horse. For a long time they kissed, Jon was filled with astonishment as she showed him how sweet she was, how she ruled him now , each kiss was different from the other.
Breathing deeply he pulled away, to control himself, he loved every kiss and his heart proved him right, he looked at Dany directly in the eyes and placed a gentle kiss in her forehead. He made her smile, the sweet smile that he liked so much.
"You're not alone." He said and gently moved a strain of hair from her face placing it behind her ear. "And you look prettier smiling." He jested making her giggle.
