Jon's army rode out in the morning to siege Winterfell.
"Hey, Fafnir," Jon said as they rode, "I need you to promise me something."
"Sure," said Fafnir. "What is it?"
"If I die out here," Jon started.
"No," said Fafnir. "That won't happen."
"But if it happens," said Jon, "promise me you won't bring me back to life."
"Ugh," Fafnir groaned. "First of all, that wasn't me."
"Melisandre then," said Jon.
"Well, have you spoken with her?" asked Fafnir.
"I did," said Jon, "and all she said was 'the Lord of Light chooses who lives and dies.' I need you to promise to stop her if she goes to do whatever she did before."
"Okay," said Fafnir. "But I won't be happy about it."
"I know, Fafnir," said Jon. "Strangely, you are the best friend I have ever had."
Fafnir considered. "You're definitely in the top two," said Fafnir.
Jon laughed, but the moment of joy was cut short when they arrived at Winterfell. Ramsay and his men were gathered outside to meet them. And with Ramsey was a short, shaggy-haired boy. Rickon.
They saw Ramsay say something to Rickon. With a push, Rickon began running across the field towards Jon. Jon grabbed Fafnir's arm. "That's my brother. That's Rickon. Fafnir, if there's any funny business-" Ramsay notched an arrow, pulled it back and released it. "-OH HELL NO. Fafnir, dragon!"
"ZIGZAG YOU IDIOT!" Fafnir yelled. "Wait, Jon, what did you say?"
"I said," Jon repeated firmly, "turn into a dragon."
"Are you serious!?"
A second arrow flew beside Rickon.
"I'm not fucking around with this guy anymore," said Jon. "Let's show him who's boss."
Ramsay notched a third arrow, the one he intended to kill Rickon. Looking across the way at his challengers, he saw the knight beside Jon seemed to have grown to a monstrous size. Ramsay lowered his arrow, trying to figure out what the heck was going on over there. The rest of Jon's army was screaming and moving backwards. Even Rickon had stopped. Ramsay brought his bow back up to kill his easy target, but he dropped it when he saw Jon fly over the field riding a black dragon.
Fafnir swooped down over Rickon, who had in confusion turned around to run back to Ramsay. Jon picked the boy up, and he screamed and cried the whole way over. Fafnir hovered over Ramsay and opened his mouth, ready to blast the sadist into oblivion. But Jon ordered him to stop and land. Fafnir's voice filled his head: "Oh, come on! If anyone deserves it, it's this guy!"
"We'll wait for Sansa," said Jon. "Besides, I don't want to win that way. It's unfair."
"Psh," said Fafnir. "Fine."
Ramsay looked up at Jon. "What," he said.
"Do you surrender?" Jon asked.
Ramsay picked up his bow and arrow. "No," he said obstinately.
"Are you sure?" Jon asked. "Your army has all left you." It was true. Ramsay looked behind him, and every last one of his men had bailed back to the castle. "Surrender, Ramsay."
Ramsay released an arrow. It hit Fafnir's face and bounced off. The Bolton bastard gulped, dropped his weapon, and fell to his knees. Jon's army rode up to him, all of them chanting, "KING OF THE NORTH!" And then Ramsay's army, from the walls of the castle and the battlements, began chanting, "KING OF THE NORTH!"
On the hill, Sansa and Petyr stopped dead in their tracks, halting the entire Arryn army. "What," said Petyr.
"Holy shit," said Sansa.
Shireen heard the confusion from her tent and ran to try to get a look at the battle. She saw Fafnir fly over the walls of Winterfell. "I KNEW IT!" she exclaimed. She ran full speed towards Winterfell, completely blowing past the few men who had stayed behind to guard her.
Across the Narrow Sea, Dany sat on her throne, hearing supplicants. In the corner of her eye, Lucoa sat with Yazzan. Lucoa's husband bore the goofy grin and vacant eyes of one who had surely been enchanted. She shook her head in an attempt to erase the knowledge. She couldn't be bothered with any of that now. The Great Masters who had lost the contest for Lucoa's hand had been furious and were rising up once more. Their night of peace and happiness had been just that: a night.
When she had finished hearing supplicants and made about a hundred decisions, her hardest task was ahead of her: breaking up with Daario. Tyrion had convinced her that bringing her consort to Westeros would not bode well, and so the council had conspired together to decide the best way to quietly be rid of him. With the resurgence of the Sons of the Harpies, it became clear that leaving Slaver's Bay unattended was not possible. Daario could remain there and keep the peace while they embarked to conquer Westeros.
While Dany broke the news to Daario, Tohru saw to it that everything was ready for their departure. She took inventory of their men and their arms, then went to Yara's chamber to cross-check her numbers with the Iron Fleet.
Yara smiled warmly when she saw Tohru at her door. While Tohru was still in her leather armor, Yara had changed into her cotton tunic and pants for the night. "Sorry to disturb you," said Tohru. "I just want to check my numbers against yours." She handed Yara her parchment, and Yara nodded.
"Sure," said Yara. "Come in. Make yourself comfortable. Do you like port wine?"
"Oh, I really shouldn't when I'm conducting business," said Tohru.
"I don't mind mixing business and pleasure," said Yara. She set down the parchment on her nightstand and poured two goblets of port. Tohru sat on the bed and accepted. Yara sat beside her and gulped down her portion, then placed the goblet on top of the parchment. She had no intention of looking at it any time soon.
Tohru sipped her port slowly. She became aware of Yara's fingers undoing the knotted strings on her back that kept her armor together. She jumped up.
"Oh, god," said Yara. "I'm so sorry." She blushed and put aside the goblet, then picked up the parchment.
Tohru took another swig of the port. "No, I'm sorry," she said, and she sat down again on the bed. "Yara, you are incredible. It's just been a while for me."
Yara reached for the bottle of port and filled her goblet again. "You want to talk about it?" she asked.
"Hm," said Tohru. "Dany's the only one of you who knows everything about my past. There was a woman, in another world, that I met and lived with for some time. A really long time."
"Dang, how old are you?" Yara asked.
Tohru took a bigger swallow of port. "Over three hundred."
Yara busted out laughing, and then, seeing Tohru's face, saw that her companion was serious. "How?" Yara asked.
Tohru stood up and removed her leather armor, and she allowed her wings to unfurl behind her back. Her horns materialized from the sides of her head. Yara's jaw dropped.
"That is," Yara started.
"I know," Tohru said bashfully.
"...hot as fuck!" Yara finished.
Then it was Tohru's turn to burst out laughing. She fell onto Yara's bed face-first and laughed until her stomach hurt. Then, she felt Yara's lips and teeth along her ear, her neck, and her wings. Tohru slowly turned herself over to draw her new friend's lips to hers. As Yara began traveling further down Tohru's body, Tohru noticed a glimmer on the wall above the headboard. She growled and pushed Yara away, then fired an energy ball at the glimmer. "SHOUTA! YOU PERVE!" she exclaimed, shaking her first. The mage materialized, perched on the headboard.
"DAMMIT!" Shouta exclaimed, jumping off the bed. "So I haven't completely mastered that one, huh?"
"What the fuck?" Yara said. "How long were you there?"
"Since I realized Tohru was coming here. Thought I might see something. And I did!" Shouta taunted.
And it was at that moment he realized he had fucked up. Tohru turned red and literally started steaming. Yara stood up and reached under the bed, procuring her sword. "You're dead, kid," Yara snapped.
"Nice chat! Bye!" Shouta cried, running for the door. Yara slammed it shut and pushed the sword to his throat. Shouta screamed like a girl. Tohru grabbed Shouta's wrists and held them behind his back.
"You know we can't actually kill him, right?" Tohru growled.
"I know," said Yara. "But he knows we can. That's enough."
"I am so turned on right now," Shouta whispered.
"OUT!" they cried. Yara hoisted him over her shoulder as he continued screaming, and she tossed him mercilessly into the hallway, nearly knocking over Dany.
"Oh my god," said Yara. She threw down her sword and bowed. "I am so sorry, Dany."
Dany picked up Shouta. "I'm sure he deserved it," she said bitterly. "Tohru. I need you."
"Right, of course," said Tohru. She smiled sympathetically to Yara.
"I'll just get those numbers to you tomorrow," said Yara.
"Yeah," said Tohru. "Goodnight."
Dany lead Tohru back to the Great Hall where Tyrion, Varys, Lucoa, and Yazzan were waiting. "I'm really sorry I had to do that to you," said Dany to Tohru, "but we need your expertise."
Tohru took a seat. "What's going on?" she asked.
"I heard a rumor," said Varys, "that there is another dragon in Westeros."
Tohru's eyes widened. "You mean, Kanna, right? Kanna and Jorah are already there. Someone probably saw her."
"No," said Varys. "It's not Kanna. This dragon is residing currently in Winterfell alongside the newly crowned King of the North, Jon Snow, bastard son of Ned Stark."
"Wait, what?" Tohru asked. "How do you know this?"
"I have my ways," said Varys. "I assure you, my sources are sound."
"Tohru, Lucoa," said Dany, "please be honest. Did any other dragon come to our world from yours?"
"No," they answered together.
"It's just the three of us," Tohru said firmly. "Me, Lucoa, and Kanna. That's all." She looked at Lucoa. "Right?"
"How did you three get here?" Tyrion asked.
"Portal," said Tohru. "We can make portals to other realms. That's how we all got to Japan."
"So, theoretically, another dragon could come here without your knowledge," said Tyrion. Tohru and Lucoa nodded. "So why did you come here?"
"I was lonely," said Tohru. "I've had a human companion before, and I wanted another."
"And Kanna?" Tyrion asked. "Same story?"
"Kanna is my best friend," said Tohru. "She missed me, and so she followed me here."
"Okay," said Tyrion. "So dragons can follow other dragons."
"Yeah," said Tohru, getting nervous. "A dragon can go to where another dragon is if they have a bond with them."
"Is that how Lucoa got here too?" asked Tyrion.
"Not exactly," said Tohru. "She came for Shouta."
"Wait, Shouta isn't from here?" Tyrion asked. "Is Shouta a dragon too?"
"Psh, no!" Lucoa laughed. "He's my Shouta-baby." Tyrion raised an eyebrow. "When he was a young mage, he accidentally summoned me, and now we're magically bound to each other. Basically, he can't go anywhere without me knowing."
"Ah," said Tyrion. "Of course. So you can't think of any other dragons that might come looking for you?"
"Nobody has any other reason to come look for us," said Lucoa. "Right, Tohru?"
But Tohru had turned pale. "Gold," she whispered.
"Gold?" the council table repeated.
"Ohhhh nooooo!" Tohru whined. "Dany, do you remember when we made your brother a crown?"
Dany smiled devilishly. "Yes," said Dany.
"I got the gold from another dragon," said Tohru.
"WHAT?!" the table cried.
"His name is Fafnir," said Tohru. "He's a hoarding dragon of the chaos faction."
"Well, he sounds lovely," said Tyrion.
"He's a friend," said Tohru. "Actually, if it is him, then this is probably a good thing. Fafnir can be an ally when we get to Westeros."
"You're sure," Tyrion pressed.
"To be fair," said Lucoa, "Fafnir is much more of a loose cannon than we are. You know, like, we pretend to be human pretty well." Yazzan drooled a little, and she pushed his jaw up to close his gaping mouth.
"Well, if people in Westeros know about him, then he's certainly not being subtle," said Tohru.
"And what is he doing with the Starks?" Tyrion asked. "I mean, I expect a Targaryen here to have dragons. The Starks are as far from dragons as they get."
"Yes," said Varys. "It is quite a mystery."
Elma sat beside a fire in an abandoned cabin in Westeros. She read her book, then threw it down in disgust. "No no no no NO!" she cried. "All wrong, all wrong!" Keeping Shireen alive was bad enough, but now Rickon? And once her friends met in Westeros, things could only get worse. She picked up the book again, sighed, and stared at the pages.
"Stay strong, my child," her father's deep voice said. "Everything will be alright in the end."
"How?" Elma whined. "How can this possibly be right?"
"Because we shall make it so," he said.
"I'm not as strong as them, father," said Elma.
"But I am stronger by far," he said. "Trust in me, my sweet, sweet, Elma."
"I've read the whole thing now," said Elma. "Are you sure this is how it has to end?"
"DO YOU DEFY ME, CHILD?"
"No, father!"
"THIS ENDING SHALL BE PRESERVED AT ALL COSTS!"
"Yes, father!" she squeaked. She closed the book again. She had labored over it too long today. What was done was already done. She retired to the bed, but she could not sleep.
At all costs.
