Saebyl was sure she must have slept sometime in the night but it didn't feel like it. She lay in bed listening to the soft sounds of her sons sleeping beside her. Her stomach growled, hungry for breakfast but she didn't dare venture out without an escort. She wasn't sure where this Davos was staying and she didn't want to wander about looking for him. A knock at her door shook her from her bizarre trance, she shook her head and pulled on her heavy cloak to keep warm.

"Who is it?" She asked from behind her locked door.

"Davos Seaworth, my lady-" The man replied, "I thought you might be hungry." She opened the door cautiously, looking for any additional men with him, "May I come in?" He asked very politely, his arms laden with a tray of food.

"I suppose so." She replied tentatively. "Sorry for my state, I just woke."

"I hope that wasn't my fault." He apologized, bringing his tray to the table and carefully laying out the bounty of food.

She smiled and shook her head, "It was my stomach that woke me, I was wondering how I was going to get food."

The man chuckled and sat at the table, "Then I have excellent timing. It seems to be my gift." He offered the seat across from himself for her to sit. She glanced back at her sons who were still happily laying in bed, enjoying the rare freedom of not being strapped to their mother in the freezing cold. "I could move the table closer to them, if you'd like?"

She shook her head, "No, that's fine. They'll let me know if they need anything." She sat down and looked at the food before her. It was nothing fancy but it smelled good. "Tell me, Ser Davos, why didn't you go beyond the wall?"

"I'm not a fighter. I'd just be a hindrance on the group." He explained.

"Then what are you? I know you weren't always Hand of the king." She smirked, pulling a chunk from the small loaf of bread on her plate.

"Before Jon, I was hand to Stannis Baratheon-" He started. "But before that, I was just a smuggler."

"Well, you've moved up in the world." She laughed.

Davos shrugged, "When you save a rich man's wife and child from starvation, they're inclined to reward you." He chuckled. "And you, my lady? What brings a young mother and her children to the Wall?"

"A string of bad luck." She replied, Davos waited for her to finish the story. She sighed and ruffled her hair that was desperate for a bath and brush, "It's a long story."

"I believe we have the time." He said with a smile. Sae didn't know why but she had an immediate like for the man, his calming presence reminded her of Ray, making her heart clench. They had been too busy to mourn their friends, the road had been too hard and her first priority had always been her sons.

"Fine, but only because you brought me breakfast." With that she dove in. Explaining where she came from her trysts with the Lannister family, the harrowing escape from King's Landing, going across the country trying to return Arya Stark and find refuge, then Sandor's fall and their life with the convent which finally brought them here.

"That is quite the tale, miss." He said when she finally finished, leaning back on his chair.

Sae finished her last bite of breakfast, "I told you." She said, rocking Volos in her arms as he began to fuss about half way through her tale.

"And your mother never told you who your father was?" He asked again.

She shook her head, "I have no idea if he was even a Targaryen- that could have been a fanciful tale my mother told me to scare me into not bringing him up. I have no idea if she had loved my father, or she had been raped, or just made a foolish choice with the wrong man. Doesn't really matter now."

"I suppose it doesn't," There was a heavy pause behind Davos' statement, like he had more to say. Sae slowly looked at him and arched a brow, "That is if the dragon queen doesn't take the throne."

"Dragon queen?" She asked.

"Daenerys Targaryen, the Queen from Essos and more titles than I ever care to remember." He explained.

"You mean the last of the Targaryen came back? The one Robert wanted killed so badly all those years ago? I thought I heard rumour about her when she was a child, her and her brother were swept across the Narrow Sea to be protected from the new king." Sae said, completely baffled. "And she has dragons? Surely that is a lie. The last dragons died hundreds of years ago and the last ones were no bigger than cats!"

"She's back and she certainly has dragons and they're much bigger than a cat." He smirked.

Her eyes widened, "You've seen them? Really?"

"Aye, they were as real as you are. Bigger than buildings! One could easily peer into a third storey window and pluck you out of it." He elaborated and Sae gasped.

"You're lying." She snapped, though her eyes were alight and her mouth still played a smile.

"Well, I'm sure you'll see them soon enough, as soon as the King of the North returns. He'll surely want to reward the brave men that accompanied him." The elder man said, plucking the empty plates and stacking them neatly.

She smiled like she was a small child that had been given a sweet, "I hope so. I've only read about them, I saw their skulls in King's Landing… Unless you think I should be worried about this Queen?" She asked, smile fading. "I know I'm not a true Targaryen- or even if I'm one at all-"

"If I may be so bold, you and the Queen share a striking similarity."

"And is that a bad thing?" She asked very pointedly.

Davos knew immediately that she wasn't searching for compliments on her beauty, he paused considering the woman in front of him and the Queen, "I don't rightly know but I'm inclined to think that you'll be alright."

Saebyl sighed and crossed the room to lay Volos down with his brother again, "Years ago I would have risked it all to have a name like Targaryen… it's not worth it anymore." She said, peering at her son's faces and smiling down at them. "I just want them to be safe. With a roof over their heads, food in their bellies and a fire to keep them warm. That's not so much to ask, is it?" She peered over to Davos, concern knitting her brow.

He smiled in a warm, fatherly fashion, "No, I don't suppose it is." One of the babies let out a tentative cry, prompting the other one to let out a bigger wail until they both dissolved into tears. "I suppose I should let you feed them. I'll take these dishes back."

"If you're not too busy, I would like it if you returned." She said, expertly scooping the boys back up and trying to soothe them, "I would like to go for a walk and I don't trust anyone on the other side of that door."

Davos smiled and nodded his head, "As you wish, my lady." He made quick work of their breakfast plates and hurried out of the room.

"Alright you two-" She said softly, sitting back in the bed to feed them. "It's alright- I'm here." She hummed, "I'll always be here."

"Incredible." Sae breathed out, her breath forming in front of her.

"Never seen anything like it." Davos agreed. The pair stood at the top of the wall looking out onto the expanse of land beyond. Both could barely form the words to voice their absolute astonishment at the view.

For once the cold didn't bother her, she barely even noticed it once they were at the top of the wall. The agonizing trip to the top had been a different story, she wondered why she had agreed to go up ten minutes into the rickety elevator crawling up the side of the wall, but upon seeing the sheer vast expanse of the North made her utterly forget the frozen trip up.

"I rekin your sons may be the youngest to ever look down from the top of the wall." Davos commented, but didn't take his gaze off the horizon.

Sae peeked at the faces warmly nestled against her, "I don't know if they're actually looking but it will be a story I tell them until the day I die." She chuckled.

More silence passed, looking into the great white north, minds whirring with unanswered questions. She hoped Sandor was safe, and that he hadn't thrown anyone into a snowy ravine. She didn't know what lurked on that side of the wall, there had only been fairy tales about the creatures from beyond that would come for little boys and girls who weren't well behaved. Now Sandor could really scare their son's straight with those tales, telling them exactly what the Night's Watch truly guarded them against.

"You think they're okay?" She voiced, more to herself than anything.

Davos looked over to her, "They've got Jon and they have that wildling fellow-" When she frowned, "I don't know what's out there but Jon's been there and I've seen him do incredible things with my own two eyes. Things you wouldn't believe even if I told you."

She looked to Davos, arching a brow, "Like what?"

He hesitated, "I've seen him come back from the dead."

Sae chuckled, "I've seen my man do that too."

The older man shook his head, "Not near dead- I mean dead-dead. He was stabbed brutally multiple times, he was cold dead for days, he drew no breath laying on a table and he came back."

"Well, that is amazing. How did he do that?" She asked, not entirely believing his story.

"That Lord of Light Beric worships- a red woman, a priestess, she brought him back." Saebyl studied his face and could not find a trace of a lie. She had seen Beric come back, seen him cleaved nearly in two and he walked around like nothing had happened. Something about this lord of light- or at least the priest had some serious magical power.

"Well, that is a fantastic tale." She looked back beyond the wall. "Let's hope he knows how to deal with the dead."

"If anyone does, it'll be him."

The days passed slowly as they waited for any sort of sign from the King in the North that their mission was complete. Very often it was spent with Saebyl and Davos chatting the days away. Usually they made it to the top of the wall, unless it was very cold but it gave them something to occupy their time. She helped Davos with some of the correspondence for the King, he'd help rock the boys to sleep, and a fast friendship was formed between them.

They discussed it all, between their favourite meals to the political climate of Westeros. Saebyl was most interested in that Sansa was finally back in the north where she belonged, even after suffering at the hands of Ramsay Bolton. It sounded as though she was growing into the woman Sae knew she would be, a leader and role model amongst her people.

"I had never met Lady Catelynn but I heard enough about her from Sansa." Sae said, smiling into her cup of tea, "It sounds like she's following in her footsteps."

Davos chuckled, "And what of your mother, my lady? You've mentioned her but you never speak of her."

She bit her lip, "It's a painful subject, I'm afraid. I didn't want to bore you with the dramatics of it all."

"I can assure you, none of the tales you have told have been boring." He smirked.

She shook her head with a smile, "I don't even know if she's alive- and she probably thinks I'm dead." Sae sighed and looked at her sons napping in her bed. "I used to write to her nearly every week before I left King's Landing. She doesn't even know she's a grandmother."

"Why don't you write her?" Davos suggested.

"I-" She paused, "I don't know. I was never in a place long enough to write, or that had Ravens."

"The Night's Watch has plenty of Ravens." He replied.

Her brow furrowed, "I should write her.- I should write her!" She said again with more vigour. She set down her mug and reached for the centre of the table where Davos had pushed away his work and plucked a scroll and quill. Her pen hovered over the blank parchment and she stopped, "How do you even start something like this?"

"Dear mother, I'm not dead?" He offered, only to receive a less than amused stare. "Maybe I should give you some time alone, let you think." He stood from the table and plucked his finished letters to be sent from the pile. "I'll join you and the little lords for dinner?"

"Certainly, and perhaps you can tell me if my letter is appropriate." she said, smiling up at him, he nodded his head and quietly left the room.

Saebyl glanced back at her sons, trying to draw inspiration from them but her quill still hovered over the 'Dearest Mother' she had jotted down. She didn't know what to say, too much had happened, much of which could not be divulged in a letter being sent to Casterly Rock. Tywin may be dead but Cersei was sure as the seven hells not. She couldn't risk anything, especially not her children's lives. When Cersei is dead and she can breathe easy, then she'll let her know about her grandsons, maybe she'd get back to her childhood home and confront the demons that lurk there.

It was hard to form words to someone whom she's shared such an unstable relationship with. Of course she loved her mother but at the same time, much of Sae's heartaches could be attributed to her mother's actions. They squabbled and fought more akin to sisters than mother daughter but were very close as such. She wanted to write everything that happened since King's Landing but realized that could take an entire tome's worth of paper, she'd have to keep it simple.

When Davos returned, Sae was still at the table, head in hands, sons on a blanket at her feet babbling away to one another. A small pile of crumpled parchments were heaped in front of her and her hair looked more wild than when he had left her. He chuckled softly to himself, she hadn't even noticed the heavy creaking door opening.

"Any luck?" He asked.

Her head shot up, "Oh! I didn't even hear you."

He came over and put the tray of food on the table and scooped up the crumpled parchment and added them to the fire, "You seemed very deep in concentration, thought you could use a bite to eat."

She shoved the quill back in the ink pot with some force, "I'm done. I can't think of the proper words so this will just have to do." She forfeited, dramatically dropping her head back onto the table and pushing the piece of paper away from herself.

"May I?" He asked, peering down at the tiny script.

She poked her head up just slightly, "Please, tell me if it's appropriate."

Davos picked up the scroll and sat down, adjusting the page so he could make out Saebyl's small scrawling script. It read:

Dearest Mother, I know this message may come as a shock to you as you have not heard from me in quite some time. I just needed to let you know that I am alive, well and being taken care of. I've had too many adventures to recount in a letter in times like these but know I have been thinking of you often.

When things settle and I have a more permanent residence, we must get together. I have stories to tell and people I want you to meet.

I hope you are in good health

Love always,

Your daughter.

"That seems good." Davos said, nodding his head, "Doesn't give away any dangerous information but lets her know you are safe."

Sae sat up, "So it's good enough to send?" She asked, hopefully.

"Definitely. Though, I'm certain you could just have signed a piece of paper and she would have been happy just to know you are alive." He smiled at her, a hint of sadness behind his eyes.

"After dinner, will you accompany me so I can send it?" She asked, reaching over and putting a hand on his arm. He had told her about the loss of his son at Blackwater and knew how he would have loved to receive a letter such as this to know his boy was okay.

"Of course, my dear." He replied, giving her a warm fatherly smile.

"Look, look! He's doing it!" Saebyl exclaimed, her hands hovering close to Valor who was sitting up on his own for the first time.

"Come on, lad. You can't have your brother beat you like this." Davos encouraged Volos who continued to lean back in his hands, showing no interest in holding himself up.

Sae laughed, "You can do it, my love." looking over to her blond son but not moving her hands off Valor's teetering frame.

"Come on, there we go-" The man gently moved his supportive hands away, "There we go!" He exclaimed brightly, making the boy burst into laughter and immediately fall backwards. Davos's hands were there to catch him before he toppled completely over. "Well we did have it."

Valor followed suit in a fit of giggles, "It was a good attempt." Sae beamed, planting several quick kisses on both their cheeks making them laugh more. "I don't think I could ever tire of this."

"Believe it or not, they only get better as they get older."

"But they're so perfect now." She couldn't take her eyes of her sons that now lay flat on the hard wooden table babbling to one another grabbing at anything's in arm's reach.

"Just trust me on this one." He grinned. Their conversation was cut short by a furious knocking at the door. The man leapt into action, rushing to answer it, throwing it open to be met by a night's watchman.

"The boy- Gendry- he's back-" The man said, out of breath from running to find Davos.

"And the King?" He asked, glancing back to Sae who looked on with fear in her eyes.

"Needs help." The man gasped.

Davos nodded, "I'll be back, my lady." And without another word he followed to go and meet with Gendry.

The babies started to fuss with all the noise and the gust of cold air that had rolled in. Sae scooped them into her arms and placed them back onto her bed; she sat next to them, rolling her locket nervously in her hands. Mind racing and fear of worst case scenario settling in, Sae stood and paced to the window, hoping to see anything. She asked whatever gods were out there to bring Sandor back to her, that Gendry was not too late coming back and getting help, that no one had died for this mission.

It wasn't long before Davos burst back in the door, racing to the desk and frantically started scribbling on a piece of parchment with a quill.

"What's going on?" She asked, trying to read what he was writing over his hunched shoulders.

"They need the Dragon Queen's help." He said, feveredly rolling up the piece of parchment.

"What's happened?" She asked following him to the door.

"Trouble, I'll tell you when I get back." And Davos was gone as quickly as he came.

Saebyl quickly gathered all her things back into her pack, unsure if they'd have to leave quickly. She bundled her sons up, despite their protests, preparing to head out into the cold. Davos was back shortly after with Gendry in tow. She looked up with them with large eyes filled with fear, fear that she was losing it all again.

"We will be returning to Dragonstone soon, my lady. " Davos explained, "I see you've already started packing." he nodded at her bags on the bed.

"You didn't tell me what's happened. I assumed the worst." She said, slinging the fabric that helped her carry her sons around herself, and looking to Gendry. He was clearly exhausted, having ran the entire way back to the wall, she didn't know how he was still on his feet.

"The dead-" He started, "There were so many of them. They sent me to get help."

"We have to wait for the Queen to arrive and get our men back. Though I imagine she won't be waiting around for long. Those dragons can get her from Dragonstone to here in mere hours. We'll have to sit tight before then." Davos explained.

"Gendry-" Sae said to the exhausted looking man, "Is my man alright?" She asked timidly, afraid of the answer.

"The Hound?" He verified, to which she nodded, "He's still alive with the rest of them but unless those dragons come quickly, I don't think they will make it very long."

Sae's jaw clenched, she felt so useless. She had never felt so useless in her life. She had always been able to have some control or feelings of control, dictated what happened in her life. Here, she could only sit back and watch, she had nobody's ear, or a say in what happened. She could only follow, hoping that Sandor came back and that Davos was the good man she thought he was and would help her find safety.

"What happens if they don't come back?" She couldn't shake the fear and desperation from her voice completely. Davos moved to rest a hand on her shoulder.

"My lady, we will be safer at Dragonstone, your sons will be safer there." He explained softly, "They will return. Jon Snow does not die easily and neither does your man- they'll be back." He smiled, trying to give her confidence that there was truth in his words, "There's nothing we can do right now, so let us sit, eat, and wait for the Queen."

Sae frowned, "I suppose your right." She slipped off the carrier and lay it on her bags, "I hate this. I should have never let him go." She wanted to cry or hit something but she didn't know which would make her feel better.

"He's helping with something bigger than you and me, he'll be back. I've seen those dragons, whatever is giving them issues up there won't be as soon as Daenerys gets there." When she still looked at him with a disbelieving look, he shrugged, "Regardless, we'll all be warmer at Dragonstone soon enough."

"Gendry should rest, he looks like he may collapse at any moment." She replied monotonously, suppressing all the things she was feeling at that moment.

Davos nodded, "Right you are. C'mon, lad. Let's find you a bed." He said, wrapping an arm around the exhausted looking youth's shoulders and leading him outside.

Saebyl lay on her bed, pulling both her boys beside her and staring at their little cherubic faces. Their little cheeks pulled into smiles for her, to which she could not help but return. Tears collected in the corners of her eyes but never spilled. She lay her head on the pillow, wrapping her arm around the babies, and closed her eyes, just listening to their babbles and praying to whatever god that would look out for them.

When Davos said that the Dragon Queen had actual dragons, she didn't really believe him. Minimally, she hadn't expected them to be so huge. Their roars as they swooped over and around the wall shook the building and woke her and her sons from their sleep. Not knowing what caused the noise, she nearly leapt out of her skin, scooping the boys to her chest.

"What in seven hells-?" She peered out the window only to catch a glimpse of one of the fabled creatures' tails. There was a loud crashing noise and the ground shook, men's voices called out to open the gates to the keep.

Saebyl stayed in her room watching as the fabled dragon queen walked through the door. She was too far to see her face but it was obvious that they share the same colour hair. She was petite, but her presence was large. Even standing between Gendry and Davos, she held herself as tall as any man she had met. She didn't stay long, only getting the information from Gendry and leaving. Sae watched as she left the castle gates and another tremendous noise followed as she watched in awe as a dragon lifted up above the gates. Running out of her room so she could get a better view of the monstrous beast flying up, over the Wall and out of sight.

"You weren't lying." She said breathlessly as Davos approached her.

He chuckled, "No I wasn't." He put a hand on her back and guided her back inside.

"They are real! Dragons! Bloody dragons!" She exclaimed, practically bouncing on the spot.

"You should get ready, no doubt Queen Daenerys with the lads before we know it and we'll be off to Dragonstone." He said, giving her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. She tried to smile but she wasn't going to delude herself that Sandor would be with them when they returned. She would brace herself for the worst and figure out a plan from there.