Of Wolves and Northern Dragons
Chapter 10
Sansa Stark
Arriving at Casterly Rock was truly an experience for her. More than once, she found herself looking at the large castle at the top in wonder. Riding through the streets, people greeted Jaime happily. She looked back to her mother, noting her impassive face.
"So my lady what do you think?" She turned to look at Jaime. The man had a large smile on his face as he continued to look around the city.
"It is truly impressive my lord." She said back, smiling as well. "I look forward to seeing more." She said as she began to look around again.
"Perhaps once we are settled I could give you a proper tour." Jaime said beside her. "There is much to see, and as the lady of the rock it'd be good for you to be familiar." Sansa nodded her head in agreement. They finally arrived at the gates of the main castle. Riding through until they arrived in a large pavilion.
"Lord Tywin, Lord Jaime welcome home." An older man said, as he approached them.
"Uncle Kevan." Jaime replied jumping from his horse and walking to embrace his uncle. He then turned and walked towards her. Helping her from her horse and leading her towards his uncle. "Uncle might I introduce my betrothed, lady Sansa Stark." He said, Kevan bowed his head slightly at her.
"My lady I welcome you to the rock." Kevan said to her. She curtsied in response, before offering her hand. Kevan took it and kissed it lightly.
"My lord, this place is truly magnificent." She said earning a smile from the older man. It was then that Tywin approached, nodding coldly to Kevan.
"Brother it is good to have you back." Kevan said to Tywin, getting only another nod in response.
"Shall we go inside uncle?" Jaime said as he offered Sansa his arm again. She took it and they began to walk into the castle. She looked around the place as she listened to the conversations around her.
"She is quite a lovely thing isn't she?" Kevan asked Jaime as they walked. She simply smiled at the older man.
"Indeed uncle, Casterly Rock will be in very capable hands with Lady Sansa." Jaime replied, causing her to blush slightly. As they approached a set of joined rooms Jaime turned to her. "My lady, you and your mother will be staying here for now." He told her as he opened the door. The room was large and Sansa couldn't help but gasp at it. "Are they not to your liking?" Jaime asked as she walked into the room. Looking around it she was amazed.
"No my lord, it is so much." She replied. She approached the window and looked out at the sea. The view was truly spectacular. Jaime chuckled as he came to stand next to her.
"We will be wed in a week's time my lady." He said as she continued to stare at the sea. "I have arranged for ladies to come and care for you, as well as a seamstress to come and have new dresses made." She turned to look at him again.
"My lord this is too much." Again Jaime laughed at what she said.
"You are to be lady of Casterly Rock. Too much is a term that will need to be removed from your vocabulary." He joked with her.
"So it would seem." She replied as he turned to leave the room.
"I do hope you'll join my family for dinner this evening. Your mother is also welcome to join us." With that he bowed and left the room. Sansa continued to wander around the room. She looked at the large bed, and fell back on it. After the long trip it felt amazing. It was then that her mother came through the door joining their rooms.
"You look comfortable." She said, clearly displeased.
"Mother, how is your room?" Sansa asked only for her mother to huff angrily.
"How is my room? Sansa have you forgotten yourself?" She looked at her mother, as she paced the room. "These people are not our friends or our allies." Her mother continued as she sat up. "We are prisoners to the people who betrayed us, and here you sit enjoying the sights and comforts. How can you behave like this?" Catelyn stopped and glared at her. "I cannot believe you."
"You can't believe me?" Sansa said standing up to look at her mother. "I know all too well what our situation is mother." Catelyn rolled her eyes, causing Sansa's anger to grow. "You think I'm happy to be here?"
"You looked quite content with the kingslayer." Catelyn shouted at her.
"Well excuse me for being glad that he is better than Joffrey. Remember the boy you and father agreed to give me to." Sansa yelled back at her mother. "I am well aware of the fact that we are prisoners. I will however do my best to use this for our families advantage." Sansa declared angrily. "If I can use this position to help the north, then I will do what is necessary." Catelyn looked at her incredulously, however Sansa would not back down. "I will be joining lord Jaime for dinner tonight, but I would like my mother there as well." Catelyn still looked at her. "We need to be strong mother. But we need to be strong together. I swear I have not forgotten about our family, this will keep them safe for now. Perhaps in the future I can use this station to help them out more." Her mother finally sat down and began to cry. Sansa walked towards her and knelt down, embracing her mother.
"My children, your brothers I will never see them again." She cried into Sansa's shoulder.
"You may yet see them mother, but we will both need to play our parts in this." Sansa told her, causing her to look up. Her eyes were rimmed with tears, and Sansa's heart broke for her. "We will see our family again mother."
Daenerys Targaryen
Standing in front of her gathered unsullied, Daenerys still wondered why Arya had told her to assemble them. However given the number of men they had apprehended she was willing to give the girl her support. The Sons of the Harpy had been incredibly quiet as of late, and she was glad for it. Ser Jorah and Ser Barristan walked beside her looking at her soldiers. She turned to look at the young Stark girl who walked with Grey Worm and Missandei. They stopped at the top of the steps leading down to the courtyard where the unsullied stood.
"Your grace if you could tell them to remove their helmets." Arya said from behind her. Daenerys merely nodded her head before looking at her soldiers again.
"Dovaogēdy (Unsullied)." She called out watching as they all snapped to attention. "Nādīnagon aōha gelti (Remove your helmets)." She commanded them. All of the soldiers quickly unclasped their helmets and took them off. She turned to look at Arya, who was looking back at her. She waved her hand allowing the girl permission to walk down past them. She looked on as Arya made her way down and began walking in between the unsullied.
"Your grace, tell them to step to the front if I point at them." Arya called up to her as she continued to walk through the men.
"Perhaps you should give them a reason, your grace." Barristan said from beside her. She turned to look at him in confusion. "If we are weeding out potential traitors and begin calling them forward they may grow defensive. Tell them you are putting together a personal honor guard." She nodded her head before looking to Ser Jorah.
"It is a good idea your grace. It will make them think they are closer to their goals." She nodded again before turning to look down at the soldiers. She smirked as she saw Arya already pointing at one of them.
"Skori ziry aselecatas ao dekuragon naejot. Kesā sagon ñuha rigle guardra lēda ser barristan se ser Jorah. (When she selects you step forward. You will be my honor guard with Ser Barristan and Ser Jorah.)" Daenerys commanded, causing the first one to step forward. By the time Arya returned to her side there were twelve false unsullied before her at the bottom of the steps. "Ao lanta ampā obūljagon. Tolvys elsea dīnagon aōha gelti arlī va. (You twelve kneel. Everyone else put your helmets back on.)" They all did as they were told. As they did A loud roar was heard on the horizon. They all looked up to see a black dragon descending towards them. "Drogon." She said happily as he landed in front of her. She turned to see the shocked expression on Arya's face.
"They're real." The younger girl said breathlessly. "You truly have dragons." Arya turned to look at her, She simply smiled at the smaller girl.
"Perzys Ānogār. (Fire and blood.)" She said causing Arya to smirk maliciously. She turned to look at the twelve again. Unlike the rest of her true unsullied, they squirmed uncomfortably before her child. "Aōha kȳvanon ēza qringaomatan. Kesā mirre morghūljagon sir. (Your plan has failed. You will all perish now." She declared, watching as they rose. One of them reached for the sword on his hip. "Dracarys." She commanded Drogon. He reared his head back, before unleashing black flames on the twelve men before her. They screamed in agony as they burned. Eventually their movements stopped, and she turned towards Arya. "It would seem I am again in your debt Lady Stark." Arya looked on as Drogon turned towards her. The girl took a step back as Daenerys walked towards the dragon. She placed her hand on his snout, and he instantly calmed beside her. "You've come back to me." She said as Drogon leaned into her touch. "Perhaps it's time to set your siblings free." She said as she turned to the others. "Would you like to join me lady Stark?" She asked getting a small nod from the girl. Together they turned and made their way to the great pyramid. Drogon flew off above them, landing on top of the pyramid and letting out a loud roar.
"Are there truly more, your grace?" Arya asked from beside her. She merely smiled at the girl as they entered the pyramid itself. Walking through the corridors, they could hear the cries of Rhaegal and Viserion growing louder. Finally arriving at where they were chained the two stopped, and turned to her. Arya gasped beside her before she walked down the steps.
"Ñuha riñar. (My children.)" She whispered, watching as they both bowed their heads to her. She reached Viserion first rubbing her hand over his head, before doing the same with Rhaegal. "Iā zaldrīzes iksis daor buzdari. (A dragon is no slave.)" She said as she undid the collar on Rhaegal. She continued and freed Viserion. Once she was done they both let out loud cries before rushing for the entrance. She looked as Arya, Barristan, and Jorah jumped to the side allowing her children passage. Once they walked outside she looked up to see all three of them flying freely. Once they noticed her, they all came and landed before her. It was then that she heard the horns in the distance. Everyone turned and looked towards the gates of the city.
"It would seem our enemies have finally arrived, your grace." Ser Barristan said beside her. She turned to him, before looking back to her children.
"Ser Barristan, Grey Worm marshall the troops. We shall defend this city." She ordered, receiving nods from both men. She then turned to Arya, the girl looked at her determinedly. "Lady Stark, I have a new task for you." She said, noting the smile that appeared on Arya's face. "I need you to give your gift to as many important people in their ranks as you can." She said, Arya nodding in response.
"As you command, your grace." The girl replied before turning away from her.
"Do take care of yourself lady Stark. I have grown quite fond of your company." Daenerys said causing Arya to turn around. Daenerys gasped when she did, seeing the face of a Mereeneze man looking back at her.
Jon Snow
The ride to the wall continued to be a dull affair. He was constantly remembering his first trip, when he had planned to say the vows and become a brother of the Night's Watch. Now he found himself riding under entirely different circumstances. It had been odd to talk to Robb in such a manner, when for so long Jon also truly thought of him as the king in the north. Now however he was acting upon his own birthright. It was still a struggle for him to reconcile his upbringing with his actual status. He found it hard at times to figure if he was a wolf or a dragon. However, looking at Ghost beside him he knew he was a wolf. Thinking of the dragon eggs he carried, he knew he was a dragon. His true father, Rhaegar Targaryen had chosen his mother for a reason. Perhaps the two sides were meant to balance each other out. He knew all too well of the Targaryen madness. No doubt attributed to his father's family constantly marrying siblings to each other. He had also heard some tales of his mother's stubbornness, and how spirited she was. Once they had made camp for the night, he again opened his chest. He reached inside and found the letters bearing his name. Jaehaerys, his true given name. One was a strong rounded script which he assumed was his fathers, while the other was smaller and more feminine surely his mothers. He hadn't yet brought himself to read the letters, fearing what he may find inside of them. Now however he knew he must do so. He had decided that he must try for the throne, seeing the state of the realm. Robert Baratheon had done nothing to improve the lives of his people. Joffrey now sitting on the throne was surely no better. They had heard stories of the boy being the mad king reborn. So it was he broke the seal on the letter from his father.
My son, if you are reading this I fear that the worst has happened. I hope this letter will never find you, but if it does you must be strong. I've heard the tale Robert spins of myself and your mother. Know that these are falsehoods. I loved your mother Lyanna from the moment I found her in the forest stripping off mismatched armor pieces. Though she was defensive at first, I know she grew to love me as well. My marriage to Elia was never a match of love, although we did care greatly for each other. She bore me two beautiful children, your sister Rhaenys and your brother Aegon. I loved our children and wanted nothing more than to leave a better world for them.
Elia and myself agreed to end our marriage. She was too kind hearted for the court, and simply wished to return to Dorne. Your brother Aegon would remain first in line for the throne, as my eldest son and heir. You Jaehaerys shall be second in line behind him, and the prince of Dragonstone. Perhaps when you come of age I would have Summerhall rebuilt and given to you. I fear however that I make plans that will never come to fruition. I can only hope that Elia and your siblings remain safe in the capitol.
If you have the chance to visit the wall seek out my great uncle Aemon. He serves as maester there, and he may be able to answer some of the questions you have. There are things you must know, my son. I fear some in the realm were plotting against our family long before my father's madness set in. I had hoped to circumvent this by gathering all the lords at Harrenhal to gather support needed, and remove my father. While the realm prospered for a time under his care, it was truly the work of his hand Tywin Lannister. My father by that time was far too lost in his own mind, and he grew more dangerous by the day.
I still know not how things went so wrong with your mother. We sent several letters to your grandfather Rickard, as well as Robert Baratheon. Yet somehow these letters were lost. I fear to the hands of those who plotted against our family. As it is now I ride out to face the rebels on the field. I hope to parlay with them. I know your uncle Eddard is a man of honor, and perhaps if we can make him understand then this needless violence might be ended.
My son I hope for the safety of your siblings, and that when this is over I might return to your mother and hold you in my arms. You are the union of ice and fire my son. The bold untempered vision of wolves, and the might and fury of the dragon. Like your siblings I see great things in all of your futures. The greatness born by both of your mother's families joined with the might of mine. The realms will truly prosper under your care. So I urge you my son, do not be afraid. You are my dragonwolf, and I will always be proud of you.
I love you my son,
Your father
Rhaegar Targaryen
Jon wiped tears from his eyes as he looked down at the page. He knew now that he must reclaim his birthright. Ghost jumped onto the bed beside him, and he reached over lazily stroking his fur. He wondered about his uncle Aemon at the wall. He remembered seeing the man on his first visit to the wall. So old and frail, Jon wished for nothing more than to take the man away from there. Allow him to live out his days in comfort, instead of freezing alone at the edge of the world. He put the letter from his father down, and reached for his mothers. Releasing a shuddering breath, he broke the wax and began to read it as well.
My dear Jaehaerys.
How I wish now that things could be different. I wish for nothing more than to watch you grow old. I wish I could teach you how to ride a horse, or shoot a bow. Alas I fear my time on this world draws near. I hope with all my heart that you will know the truth of things with me and your father. I sent letters to my father, Brandon, and Robert telling them that Rhaegar loved me and that I loved him as well. I know not why they weren't received, for that is the only explanation I can think of which makes sense. Your father and I loved each other dearly, just as we love you even now when we've yet to see you into this world. Your father would often lay with me, his hand over you and sing. I do hope that you will have his gift for songs.
I am sorry my sweet son that things went so wrong but I believe your father is right. There are lords who wished to see your family removed from the throne long before I left with him. I cannot help but wonder how things would be different if our letters had been received. Father always wanted to bring the north closer to the rest of the kingdoms. Surely his daughter marrying the future king of the realms would have been well received by him. It however obviously was not to be. I could only hope that your father and my brother can talk to each other. That hopefully Ned would see the truth of things. This obviously did not happen as I now know of your father's death at Robert's hands.
My son you are the greatest thing I've ever done in this world. I am sorry that I will not be with you to see you become who you should be, my sweet Jaehaerys. I know that I will soon be with your father, my love again and for that I am glad. I am sorry for the mess we have left you, but I know that if anyone can put these things to right it is you. I hope that it will be long before you join your father and I. But know that we love you Jaehaerys. Your father would have been proud of you, and I know that you are destined for greatness. You will be the one to unite the realms and return them to a time of prosperity.
Be wary, my son for the path we have set you will be hard. Keep close to family, and forge bonds. Help those less fortunate, and always be honest. There will be those who hope to use you for your name. Keep yourself above their schemes. If ever you come across any of your fathers friends keep them close, for they will serve you well my son. I love you with all my heart, and I know your father felt the same.
I love you my dear Jaehaerys,
Lyanna Targaryen.
Jon sighed as he put the letter down. He stood from his seat on his bed and began to look through the chest again. Finding Blackfyre he pulled the sword from its sheath again admiring the blade. He stood for a long moment looking at the sword before returning it to its sheath. He looked down to the sword at his hip. He had received it from Robb upon his return, the blade was of excellent work. Crafted by Mikken in Winterfell's forges, Jon had used the sword in a fair many battles. Slowly he undid the straps holding it to his side, taking the blade sword and placing it on his bed. He then lifted Blackfyre, and secured it to his hip. He was amazed at how light the blade felt, even though it was slightly larger than the blade Robb had given him. He then folded the letters from his parents, replacing them in the chest. He strode from his tent, Ghost at his side and approached one of the Stark guards who had been with him through the war.
"M'lord what can I help you with?" The man said. He was roughly the same age as Jon.
"Marrion I have a gift for you." Jon said, smiling at the surprised look on the man's face. He started to object before Jon raised his hand. "You have fought beside me faithfully throughout the war. No doubt you have saved my life on more than one occasion." He said, causing Marrion to look at the ground.
"Tis my job to serve m'lord." Marrion finally responded, earning a smile.
"Aye, and your service deserves a reward." With that Jon held out the sword for Marrion to take. After another nod, Marrion reached out and unsheathed the blade, marvelling at the castle forged steel. It was of a much higher quality than the plain steel carried by a soldier like him.
"M'lord I cannot accept this. Tis too much." Marrion said looking back to Jon.
"You're wrong my friend. It's not nearly enough to repay you." Jon said, smiling at the man. "I insist you keep it. May it serve you well Marrion." Jon said, putting his hand on the hilt of Blackfyre.
"M'lord thank you. I won't forget this, I swear it. I'll tell my children of how I received my sword from the brother of the king." Marrion said bowing down to Jon before sheathing the sword. Jon stayed and talked with Marrion for a few more minutes, before departing for his tent. As he lay down, he felt drained. He turned so that he could open the chest by his bed. He looked down at the eggs nestled inside, wondering if there was a way he could hatch them. He thought again of his great uncle. Perhaps the man would have some knowledge on the matter. Closing the chest, he laid back down. Ghost quickly came to lay beside him, and before he knew it he was asleep.
END
Woohoo another chapter done. Sorry it's not out on Friday, but we just started a new bid at work. (Railroad) With my new days off being Saturday-Monday, I will probably be updating on Sunday/Monday from here on out. I hope you guys liked this chapter, even if it was a lot more set up. Next chapter things will kick off a bit more. We'll see the battle of Mereen, as well as Sansa and Jaime's wedding for sure. Perhaps we might check in with our favorite sociopath, and maybe another Margaery or Olenna entry as well. As always let me know your thoughts on how I'm putting in the Valyrian translations. I kind of like this method. I always hated stories where you had to scroll through the whole chapter to see the translations at the bottom. I felt like for me at least, it took you out of the story. The ripples of change are truly starting to grow. This is such a fun story to write, and I hope that you guys continue to enjoy it. I hope you'll continue to review, I love hearing from you guys. Until next week, thanks again for reading.
Kmhappybunny240: I'm still debating who to pair Robb with. One of the Manderly granddaughters makes a lot of sense given his position with the northern lords still being tense. But then again when has Robb ever listened to the reason of those around him. (That was a low blow, I'm sorry). As for Jon's time at the Night's Watch, it'll definitely be interesting. I hope you'll like how things go.
Freakdogsflare: While I understand where you're coming from Robb and Jon both grew up with the honorable Eddard Stark as their father/father figure. He was always of the mind that the sins of the parent should not be passed to the child, and I think that is something that they both learned. We see it clearly in Robb's trust of Theon, despite his mother's protests. Robb has learned, and he will be dealing more carefully with Ramsay, but again I think a lot of Ramsay's issues lie in a lack of love. Yes I'm saying the dude has major daddy issues. By the time he came to power in the series Roose had given him too much freedom, and from there he became a monster. Here Robb has already begun to reign that in by acknowledging him. We'll see how it plays out as the story progresses though. Thanks for commenting, I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Guest: Glad you like it. I really like writing Arya in a way where she can use her skills, but with people around her to keep her human. In terms of the Starks being so split up well I can't go into too much detail because well spoilers. But their being in several different areas will have a large impact on the story. The wildlings are going to make things interesting when Jon arrives at the wall. But that is still a few chapters out. We can see though that he is beginning to embrace who he is. There is still one or two major pushes that he'll need before he goes all in. I do hope you'll continue to enjoy the story.
Jean d'arc: Glad to hear from you again, and I'm glad you liked the chapter. Like I said Jon is slowly coming to grips with his birthright. There will still need to be a few gentle or not so gentle pushes before he is full in on Jaehaerys, but he is getting there. In terms of Cersei, I feel like she was always the type to see plots where none exist. We see it at times in the story, combined with her own elevated opinion of her cleverness. It just seems like it'd make sense given her over protectiveness of her children. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I look forward to hearing from you again.
Guest: We'll see who Jon ends up with.
Guest: I agree with you. I'm not one who holds Catelyn in a very high regard, however as a dude with no children I cannot begin to fathom what a mother would do for her children. I have gotten in several physical altercations to help out friends though, so I can only imagine that feeling would be magnified exponentially for someone who you literally gave life to. I want to portray her as stubborn, but not irredeemable. She is a woman who values her family words, Family, Duty, Honor. I think that is something that will help her in the long run, but it doesn't mean she has to like the process. I hope you like the story though, thanks for the comment.
Guest: I'm still unsure on who Jon will end up with. I really want to write him meeting some of the eligible ladies, and see how I feel about them.
Guest: It was quite intentional what I did with the piss water prince. It was more a way to start introducing other characters that will make themselves known in future chapters.
Guest: We'll just have to see. Using Jaime and Sansa as an example, I always planned on them being wed. Much like Sansa to Tyrion in the books/show. I wasn't sure however if this would be a set pairing until I started writing them together. I liked the dynamic I was able to create, and also the number of avenues it opened up for the future. So with Jon we will see how he interacts with Marge and Dany. The dragons will be coming sooner than later. I'm excited about it, and I hope people like how the northern dragon is born.
Guest: The major northern lords were there. It helped that most of them were already of a mind to place Jon on the Iron throne, so his endorsement of the wildlings carried more weight.
Daspeedforce: Hopefully you continued reading. But no he did not get Dark Sister, Howland was merely stating it was the blade Robb held.
