It wasn't that she couldn't sleep, it's that she didn't want to. She feared what she'd see. It hadn't been long, only hours since Arya was accused of desertion and brought before her father for punishment. A few hundred minutes wasn't nearly enough time to erase the horrors from her mind and make sleeping safe again.

Anyone with even a basic understanding of life under the rule of Aerys Targaryen II knew that to be accused was to be guilty more often than not. It was rare when the King sided with the alleged criminal and even rarer when all parties walked away. Her father wasn't the sort of man or King to let something as trivial as the truth interfere with a good time. How many innocent people had been put to the torch to quench his thirst for blood? Too many. While his version of justice never sat right with her, Daenerys wasn't brave or bold enough to object. If she couldn't convince her father to let her venture into the city on occasion, what hope did she have of changing his mind when he was certain the person before him committed treason?

Today felt different from all the other trials she'd been required to sit in on, and not only because it was Arya who almost lost her life. After leaving the throne room, Daenerys waited for the sick feeling in her gut to dull, she anxiously anticipated the moment she could look at Arya and not see her standing before the Iron Throne, staring defiantly at the tyrant sitting there. It hadn't happened yet. She spent the afternoon with Arya, Tyrion and Missandei and the evening with the Musgoods but a large part of her was still in her chair next to the throne, trying to find her voice so she could defend her friend. It was Missandei who saved Arya's life, not her, but that didn't mean Daenerys was powerless. She may not be as loud and insistent as Aerys, as confident and commanding as Rhaegar or as vindictive and demanding as Viserys, but she was a Targaryen. If acting calm and making polite requests wasn't going to get her the things she wanted, perhaps she needed a new approach.

Today ended with everyone she loved alive, but what about tomorrow? She knew as well as anyone how volatile the King could be. His opinion was the only one that mattered, and he was easily swayed. It would only take an instant to convert Arya from a loyal guard to a scheming betrayer in her father's eyes. She worried that next time, no defense of Arya would be enough to placate the King. She had to do something, to ensure Arya never had to face Aerys's wrath again.

Lying alone in her bed she was supposed to be resting after a long day. She should've been trying to relax, to drift to sleep and find a much needed peace but instead she was rigid, grinding her teeth as she relived Arya's near-death experience over and over again. Every breath, every memory made it worse. Eventually her anger boiled over and that got her moving.

She got up and dressed quickly, before slipping out into the darkened hall. Torches were lining the walls on both sides, providing plenty of light for her to find her way. Even in absolute blackness she knew where to go.

She knocked hard, hoping he wasn't already asleep. The door opened before she could return her hand to her side. Ser Barristan was as surprised to see her as she was to see him. Had she caught him on his way out, or was he standing guard at the door? She couldn't think of any other reason he'd be so close, Rhaegar hadn't known to expect her, Daenerys herself hadn't known she would be coming until moments ago. "Good evening Princess."

"Hello, Ser. I'm sorry to bother you so late, I was hoping my brother wasn't busy."

"He isn't," Selmy assured her, stepping aside and gesturing for her to enter. "I was just leaving, so I'm sure he'd appreciate the company."

Rhaegar was sitting next to the fire in his chair, with both of his battered legs up on a padded stool. Within arms reach, on a table was a crystal glass full of a dark liquid and a plate of food. She spotted a stuffed pastry from the kitchen and several pieces of fruit before her brother spoke. "Daenerys, come in, sit, make yourself comfortable."

She didn't want to sit, she had too much nervous energy for that, but she obliged him anyway. This conversation was going to be hard regardless, they didn't need to begin fighting about the seating arrangement.

"Listen Dany, I know today was difficult and I'm sorry it happened, but you have to know Father was only doing what he thought was best."

Mentioning the ordeal caused the memories to come faster and more intently. She closed her eyes tight to try and hold them back. "Something has to change," she said, knowing in her bones it was true, "this can't happen again."

"It won't," Rhaegar promised, missing her larger point. "It was a misunderstanding. When Father ordered her brought before him, he thought she left you unprotected and alone."

"Even if she had," Daenerys allowed, her anger building, "would that have warranted a death sentence?"

Rhaegar had been preparing to take a drink and his hand froze between the table and his mouth. "Nothing is more important than your safety Daenerys. We thought she left you vulnerable. Father was right to question her."

She disagreed, not only about the right and wrong of it all, but also about her value. Arya was more important than her, even if she was a Princess and Daenerys nearly lost her today because of this nonsense. "It can't happen again," she repeated, "he wasn't interested in discovering the truth, it didn't matter to him if Arya's reasons were valid, he wasn't going to listen."

"He did listen," Rhaegar reminded her. She bristled at his justification. As if the end result somehow undid all the trauma inflicted along the way. "I know you're upset, but…"

She didn't want to hear it. "She didn't do anything wrong. I asked you to help her and you refused."

Rhaegar's features hardened a bit. "I couldn't simply take you at your word Dany, the whole court was watching."

"So what?!"

"So how would it look if Arya was allowed to break the law just because she is your guard? What kind of example would that set? How long would it be before everybody thought they could bend the rules and get away with it?"

Daenerys loved her brother, but his arguments were unpersuasive, hypocritical, and they applied direct pressure to her freshest wounds. With every feeble excuse she got angrier. "That's not the same thing."

"Isn't it? You want your friend to get special treatment, you wanted me to ignore the fact that she went into the city when she was supposed to be guarding you."

"I wasn't asking you to cover up for someone who was actually guilty. Arya didn't do anything wrong. All I wanted was for you to step in and safe her the humiliation of the trial, but you refused. It's not special treatment to declare an innocent woman innocent and release her."

"Just admit it, you wanted special treatment for your friend."

"She was innocent. Forgive me for not wanting my friend to be endure the indignity of a trial in front of half of King's Landing?"

Rhaegar smiled as his younger sister. "You're a good person and a good friend, but no one is above the law."

"You don't mean that," she said before Rhaegar had finished speaking.

"I do. If we want to have order, no one can be allowed to break the law," the Prince preached. Nearby Daenerys seethed in silent rage as she waited for her turn.

When he was done, she needed twelve additional seconds to calm herself before she dared open her mouth. "Unless their name is Targaryen, right?" she specified. "I'm a Targaryen, just like you, so why am I the only one who has to follow the rules?"

The question made Rhaegar uncomfortable and for once she felt no sympathy for him. Any uncertainty she had about her methods evaporated when he replied. "Don't be absurd Dany, we don't break laws."

There was a time when anything her eldest brother told her she accepted as fact, without exception, but that was long ago. She noticed his unsteady delivery and was struck by how pathetic his claim was. Did it bother him to lie like that or was it second nature? "Really," she fired back, making no effort to hide her contempt, "we don't break the law?" She paused to see if he'd backtrack, but he didn't so she went ahead with proving him wrong. In her mind she saw Arya standing before the King, in her ears she heard Rhaegar refusing to intervene, it was all too much. "Our father took more lives last month than he did baths!" It might have been a slight exaggeration, but if it helped Rhaegar see the truth it'd be worth it. "No one says anything about that because he just happens to be the son of the last King, but they're still crimes! Viserys picks servants at random to beat or bed depending on his mood and he's never been held accountable, are abuse and rape no longer crimes in the Realm?" she asked rhetorically. "And then there is you," she said, moving on to Rhaegar.

"Me? Tell me sister, what have I done to offend you?"

"It didn't offend me, but I doubt Johan Keath feels the same way."

"Some man I never heard of is your evidence that I've broken the law?" he barked impatiently, visibly unhappy with their conversation thus far.

"Johan Keath is the man Father intended to hire to repair that patch of the city wall last year," Daenerys explained, "until you went to him and requested he give the job to a friend of yours instead."

With his face red from embarrassment and no small amount of anger he tried to defend his actions. "I didn't break the law. Rennick is a good man who had fallen on hard times. He needed that job to feed his children."

"I'm sure," Daenerys replied dismissively.

"I don't know who told you about that, or what point you're trying to make but what Father has done wrong, what I've done, none of that will change what happened today."

She knew that. If there was a way to change what had happened, she would have found it and made use of it already. "My point, is that we're all guilty, and I'm tired of pretending that we're not."

"We?" he repeated almost playfully, trying to lighten the mood. "What crimes have you committed?"

Daenerys wasn't laughing. "I'm just as guilty as the rest of you for letting Father act as he does, and no one told me anything, I was in the room when you convinced Father to give your friend the job. I may not say much, but that doesn't make me blind, deaf or stupid. I hear a lot of interesting things." It was a thinly veiled threat and Rhaegar tensed when he heard it.

Instead of asking what other information she'd acquired when everyone else forgot she was there, he tried to remind her of the reason she'd come. "I already told you that I'm sorry about today."

"Sorry doesn't fix it!"

"It ended well," he said, falling back on what he felt was the strongest fact.

"It might not have," she noted, "it could have turned bad." She shuddered at the thought. She loved Arya's voice, but it was too easy to imagine that voice screaming as wildfire razed her to ash. "It didn't have to happen."

"I couldn't just wave my hand and declare her innocent. Father had questions and the court needed to hear her answer them."

"That's why you didn't help her, help me, because the court was watching?" She didn't let him respond. "Why is what the they think more important than what I think?"

He smiled indulgently, and it infuriated her. "Dany, you're not the most objective person when it comes to her. You spend all day together. You care about her and that clouds your judgement."

She would acknowledge that he was at least partially right. She did know Arya better than anyone else in the capital and that was precisely why she should have been consulted. Who else could hope to speak to her character? Who else could weigh the good and the bad and decide her true worth?

"My judgment is fine," she countered. "You're right, I do care about her and I do spend time with her, a lot more than you, and a lot more than Father, so maybe you should have asked what I thought, before you dragged her in there."

"Why are you still so upset?" he wondered. "The girl is fine, Father made the right decision, he spared her."

She scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Oh yes, because our father has never gotten it wrong," she spat with venom coating every word, "I was a fool to worry at all, he wouldn't let irrational fear and paranoia condemn an innocent woman to a horrible death."

Rhaegar who had seemed willing to tolerate her outbursts was suddenly a lot less accommodating. "Be careful," he warned coldly, "I know you're unhappy, but he is our father and our King."

At any other time in her life that stark reminder would have served its purpose and caused her to retreat but not tonight. It may not be befitting of a Lady or a Princess to say so, but sometimes proper and polite didn't amount to shit. Her whole life she'd tried to earn her father's approval and respect by behaving as people expected her to. She held her tongue, minded her manners and stayed out of the way. She tried to live up to the Targaryen name and do her small part to help her father rule, but what had she really accomplished?

When she turned her focus onto her brother, Daenerys's fury didn't fade. As far back as she could remember she'd made a conscious effort to make things easier for Rhaegar. She felt empathy for him, seeing him pulled in so many different directions. He was the Crown Prince with many obligations to Westeros, but he was also the one people turned to when they needed to calm Aerys or subdue Viserys. He did all of this while raising Aemon alone and somehow found time to serve as a confidante for Daenerys. Her brother was a good man and she loved him, but not enough to ignore the obvious anymore. "Maybe he shouldn't be."

That got Rhaegar's attention. "What? Daenerys, you can't be serious. What you're suggesting is tre…"

She didn't let him get the word out. "What I'm suggesting is, it's time for things to change."

"Because of this Arya girl? You're willing to betray your own family for her?"

"I… "

All at once he made a unilateral decision and proclaimed it with all the authority of a firstborn son, as if her reasons were no longer worth discussing. "No," he said shaking his head, "I won't let you do this, not for one woman."

"It's not about Arya."

"Isn't it?" he challenged, disbelief coloring his tone. "You're only here because you think your friend is in danger?"

"I'm here, because there will always be another Arya." She looked him directly in the eye hoping he could see how serious she was. "Not too long ago I came to you because it was Missandei Father was endangering," she reminded him. "Yes," she acknowledged, "today I'm upset because Arya was nearly executed, but can you blame me? Would you have sat by silent if it were Barristan up there?"

"Barristan would never abandon me to go…"

"Horseshit!" she declared bluntly. "Your guard leaves you alone all the time, I know it and you know it."

"That's different."

"Why, because you're a man? If assassins came for both of us, I'd wager I'd have a better chance of staying alive." To emphasize her point she looked to his scarred legs. She wanted the words back immediately. Aware she'd gone too far she offered a pre-emptive apology. "I'm sorry, that was uncalled for, but you know that if it was your friend, you would feel exactly as I do."

The tension hung between them while Daenerys waited to see if Rhaegar would accept her apology and move on, or if they would be bogged down by her insensitive comment. "I wouldn't consider replacing the King."

"He's sick. How many people has he burned this year? How many was it last year? How many will it be next year?"

"You can be upset with him," the elder allowed, "but he is your father."

"And when was the last time he acted like it?" She actively tried to think back, to remember the last time she and Aerys had a conversation that wasn't tainted by his illness. It had been a while.

"It was different when you were younger," he recalled. "I know you don't remember it, but he was different, and he loved you very much."

Rhaegar was stuck in the middle between Aerys and everybody else, so she tried to contain her frustrations. "I don't blame him anymore," she confessed, "it's not his fault, he can't help it."

"He would if he could, you have to know that."

"I do," she assured him, "but it's beyond him now and we're the ones left cleaning up the mess."

"It won't be forever."

Four words brought her anger back to the surface. That was his big strategy, to wait and do nothing? That wasn't a plan, it was cowardice. "No, it won't but he could still rule for another five years, or ten. How many people will die needlessly before he steps down?"

"So, your solution is to overthrow your own father? What you're suggesting is treason!"

She avoided the word for fear of the feelings it might invoke but she wasn't struck by guilt or shame when Rhaegar hurled the label at her like a hatchet. She didn't view replacing her father with Rhaegar as treasonous. It was the right thing to do and long overdue. "It's not treason to replace a father with his son."

"No," he resisted, "Dany, I don't want to be King, not like this. I'll rule when Father can't, not before."

"He can't rule," she stated simply, "not properly."

"No!" he said in continued defiance.

"You remember him the way he used to be, so think about that man, what would he want you to do, for the Realm, for our family, for our people?" She gave him a moment to ponder that before she went on. "Would that father, that King want millions to suffer under one man's delusions, one man's illness?"

"I can't usurp my own father." She got the sense he was talking to himself more than her, so she didn't interrupt. "I won't. When he steps down, I'll take his place, that's how it'll be, how it's always been."

The resolve she saw in his eyes bothered her. Why was he fighting this? He better than anyone knew how lost to madness their father was. Why wouldn't he just do it, get it over with and take control? Why wait and allow things to get worse? "What about Aemon?"

"What about him?" her brother inquired. She detected a tremor in his voice that hadn't been there before.

"Father gave Dragonstone to Viserys. Aemon will have nothing until you're King. He tires of waiting. He wants to go to the Wall and join the Night's Watch."

"I know."

"Are you going to permit him to go, because I don't think you can convince him to stay unless you tell him things will change." Although she knew he understood what that meant, she made it perfectly clear. "Nothing will change until you replace Father."

"I know," he said again.

"Our people don't love their King, they don't respect him, or admire him, they fear him. They dread the day they cross paths with him and they end up kneeling before the Iron Throne while his pyromancer carts in a barrel of wildfire."

"I know," he said for a third time, sounding tired. "I know. Everything you said is true, but it doesn't matter. He is the King and that's the way it is."

She could only imagine how conflicted Rhaegar felt. He loved their father, or at least who he used to be, and yet he wasn't blind, he had to see what the King had become. Making matters worse was the knowledge that it would be him and no one else who would need to replace Aerys and restore faith in the Crown.

"Think about it," she encouraged, "is it really better to wait another ten years to begin fixing things? Will there even be anything left to salvage by the time he's done?"

"Not even Father can destroy the Realm."

"Are you sure? He's killing a lot of people of late, small folk and nobles alike. How long before they band together and revolt?"

"That won't happen."

"It happened before," she reminded him. "Robert Baratheon rallied support from all across Westeros and he nearly won."

"You don't need to tell me about Robert Baratheon," he responded bitterly. "I was there, you were a child, you know nothing about Robert or his rebellion."

She knew the war was a sore subject for her brother, and she didn't bring it up lightly. She was only trying to make him see that they were balancing on the edge of a knife. How long before it happened again? Maybe next time they wouldn't be quite so lucky. "You're right," she agreed, "I know little about the war, but what I do know terrifies me."

His hard exterior cracked. "You have nothing to fear."

"We all do. Our father rules by keeping his boot on the throats of men. Whether it's a commoner or a noble from an influential house, sooner or later someone will rise up."

"You want us to rise first?" he guessed.

"No, what I want is to be able to say the Targaryen name proudly. I want to be able to show the people that things are getting better, that we won't profit off their misery any longer."

"I don't know, Daenerys, what you're talking about is a massive undertaking."

"I know that," she promised, "and I know it's a lot to ask, but the people of the Seven Kingdoms deserve better than this." Arya's opinion echoed in her mind. No King is better than a bad one. "I don't think the people are going to patiently wait until father is too old to lead."

"Perhaps not," Rhaegar allowed, "but that doesn't mean now is the right time either."

"Now is the only time. It won't happen overnight, you'll need to prepare, to gather support and discuss strategy. If we don't begin now, we may not have the opportunity later."

She hadn't realized she included herself in the plot until Rhaegar drew her attention to it. "We?"

Her cheeks heated and she looked down into her lap. "I'll help in any way I can. You can't do this alone, and you shouldn't have to. I'm your sister and you'll have my support."

Rhaegar appeared touched by the sentiment. "I'll speak to some people tomorrow," he proposed, "and I'll see what they think." He paused and then finished, "If I don't have the support of the majority of the small council, I won't do it."

"That's fair."

He emptied his drink in a single long gulp and then set it down. "Are you sure you want to do this? If he finds out…"

"It's the right thing to do," she told him. Things would get better. It wasn't an immediate solution and it wouldn't come easy, but they were on the path now. She wished there was a way that didn't place an incredible burden on the brother who already carried so much, but there wasn't. It wouldn't work without a replacement King, and Rhaegar was the logical choice. He had the respect of the nobles and the love of the people. He had been groomed to be King since the day he was born, it'd just happen a little sooner is all. "You can do this. It's what's best, for our family and everyone else's." Though it wasn't important to him, their plot had the added benefit of decreasing the likelihood that Arya would die and that definitely mattered to Daenerys.

R-C

The three days immediately following her trial were a challenge. She couldn't go anywhere without hearing the whispers. Everyone had heard the story of how she defied the Mad King in Dorne and survived, though some chose not to believe it. Now even the most skeptical were awed. She'd gone before the King and his pyromancer and lived. Even after confessing that she did leave her post, Aerys spared her. That was better than gold for the smug gossips who had nothing else to do or talk about.

It was unsettling, being stared at by everyone in every room, but she was persevering as best she could. The day she defied death, was also the day she and Daenerys began their relationship. So far, things remained tentative. They kissed only when they were alone, behind a locked door, not wanting to risk getting caught. Ashara's visit kept everyone busy, including Daenerys and when the Princess was busy, so was Arya. It left them little time for their personal activities.

That would have been plenty, but the Gods felt she needed more, so she was stricken with a cold as well. Her trip out in the rain may have ensured Daenerys would have a nameday present to open but the price was more than just a majority of her accumulated gold coins. She had a body-rattling cough, nostrils so clogged she couldn't smell anything, a weight on her chest, near constant pain in her head and a heaviness in each of her limbs that seemed to grow every hour. Each day was harder to endure than the one that preceded it. Daenerys tried to insist she remain in bed and recover, but Arya refused. She'd survived far worse than a cold, she didn't need to hide away in the barracks, she was a trained soldier of Dorne, she could defeat a little cough and the occasional sneeze.

Stubborn as she was, she took help where she could. When Daenerys asked Missandei for tea, the handmaiden came back with two cups instead of one. She passed the second to the guard and ordered her to drink it, claiming she brewed it with special ingredients meant to speed healing. Arya didn't know what magic Missandei mixed in nor did she care, if it worked, she'd be grateful.

During their visit Daenerys had lunch with Ashara and her children, discussing a wide range of topics from life in Storm's End to the children's favorite hobbies. It was unusual for Daenerys to be so involved, but in this situation she was. While Jon was off discussing matters of the upmost importance with the other men, someone had to entertain Ashara and the kids. Normally Daenerys's interactions with noble women were brief and rehearsed but Daenerys seemed to like Ashara and all of the children took to her as well, especially the eldest girl who clearly looked up to the Dragon Princess.

The mutual interest gave Daenerys the courage to spend additional time with the Musgoods. She spoke with each child individually and left them feeling appreciated and important. It was nice to see Daenerys happy and engaged, even if it limited their chances to sneak away.

On their fifth day in the capital, Daenerys, Arya and Missandei took the Musgood children on a ride through the city. They were shadowed by Musgood guards, but Arya fell into her role as protector all the same. She stayed behind Daenerys and Missandei which was ideal for intercepting threats but had the drawback of making it impossible to keep up with or contribute to the ongoing conversation.

When they returned, they were just feet outside the stable when Daenerys said, "Missandei will you escort everyone to the kitchen for a snack, I'm sure Little Davin there is hungry."

The young boy grinned at the Targaryen, basking in Daenerys's attention. "Always Princess."

"Go on then," she instructed, "I bet you've worked up quite the appetite."

That was all the boy needed to hear, he took off running but his sisters weren't as easy. "Aren't you coming Daenerys?" the youngest girl asked.

"I'll be right behind you," she promised, "I just need to make a quick stop first."

Satisfied the girl nodded, "Oh, of course. Don't delay on our account."

"I'll be right back," she said to the girls, before she turned to Arya. "We're going to be late, if we don't hurry."

Daenerys didn't have any appointments, but Arya played along anyway. Maybe she'd been wrong to assume she was enjoying her guests, maybe she'd reached her limit and needed a break. If so, Arya could provide assistance. "You're right, we best get going."

After a quick goodbye Arya and Daenerys took their leave. "Finally," Daenerys sighed as she ducked through an unlocked door, trusting Arya to follow.

"Where are we going?" she inquired idly.

She wasn't running exactly, but she was walking faster than normal, like she was truly late for another engagement. "As I told the girls, there is something I need to do."

Rather than ask again, she chose to just wait. They were on the stairs now, going up and were probably close to their destination, wherever it was.

When they arrived at her chambers, Daenerys all but pushed Arya in and then stepped in after her. While Arya worked to keep from falling, Daenerys closed the door. When she regained her balance Daenerys was there, looking proud of herself, just a step inside the door. "Care to tell me what I did to deserve that?"

In a blink Daenerys was the picture of remorse. "I'm sorry," she said, claiming Arya's hand to hold, "are you hurt? Do you want me to make you feel better?"

She didn't wait for a reply, she just threw herself at Arya with purpose. Their lips collided and once the initial shock wore off, Arya was incapable of thinking of anything else. Daenerys's kiss was desperate and frantic, as if she feared she'd never get another chance.

When they stopped for air, she felt obligated to try and catch up. "That is what we came up here for?"

"Uh-huh," Daenerys confirmed with a nod, before stealing another kiss.

"And this is what you needed me for?"

The devious smile she wore became more pronounced as she nodded a second time. "It'd be no fun without you here," she justified.

She bit her lip to keep from smiling, not wanting Daenerys to see how amused she was by her antics. "And this couldn't wait?"

"I think we waited long enough."

"It wasn't that long," Arya contended, not because she believed that, but because she was enjoying this game of theirs and she didn't want it to end quite yet.

"Arya," she whined, "it has been hours since you kissed me good morning!"

"This could have waited until after dinner."

"Speak for yourself," Daenerys quipped, before sticking out her bottom lip in the most kissable pout Arya had ever seen. Her resolve to resist wavered.

"It's only a few more hours and then you can retire early and bring me with you."

"Way too long," she disagreed. "You wouldn't even ride next to me. The girls were telling me about a visit they took to Starfall, and I had little to add since I'd only ever been to Sunspear. I could have used your help."

The game suddenly over, Arya hugged her lover fiercely. "I'm sorry. I was just trying to keep you all safe."

"I know, and I know we said nothing would change out there, it's just harder than I thought.".

She was dropping a kiss onto the crown of Daenerys's head when those words froze her in place. "Do you want to stop?" she heard herself ask. What would she do if Daenerys said yes? Could they go back to just being friends now? Did she have a choice?

The speed with which Daenerys moved out of her embrace was alarming, but she didn't wander far. She only took a step back before stopping. "What? No, no, of course not, that's not what I'm saying at all. I love this," she said, punctuating her point with a kiss to Arya's lips.

"What did you mean then?"

Daenerys's smirk gave advanced warning that Arya was going to like the answer. "I meant that we are going to need to schedule more meetings like this one."

With relief coursing through her she leaned in and gave Daenerys a passionate kiss. "I'll make sure they're added to your calendar," she vowed. "Anything else?"

"Stay with me tonight," she said without preamble. "We don't get enough time together and we don't know how much we'll have, so I don't want to waste a minute more."

It would have been easy to agree. Not only because Daenerys was right, but also because it was exactly what Arya wanted, unfortunately she couldn't. It was bad enough that she allowed them to get this far without revealing her identity. She couldn't take Daenerys to bed until she knew the whole truth. "I'd love to, but I can't."

"Why not?" Daenerys questioned hotly, clearly not expecting a refusal.

"There are still some things you don't know about me, important things, things I want you to know before we do," she looked suggestively toward the Princess's bed, "that."

In Daenerys's mind it was an easy fix. "Okay, so tell me."

If only it were that simple. "I want to," she began, leading with the good news, "and I'm going to, but now is not the time. Your guests are waiting and it's a long story."

Daenerys took her hand. "Then come back tonight and tell me. Whatever it is, it won't matter. Nothing could change how I feel about you."

Arya had wished and prayed for a lot of things in her life, but she couldn't recall wanting something to be true as badly as she did Daenerys's last statement. She took a deep breath and considered her options. She could do what Daenerys was requesting, but then what? Her nameday was nearly there and the truth might upset her relationships, with Arya, with her father and her brother. Arya may hate Rhaegar and Aerys, but she didn't want to do that to Daenerys on her day. "It's going to take some time to tell you everything," she explained, "and it might change things."

"It won't," she insisted vehemently.

"It might," Arya supplied sadly. "I hope it doesn't, but it might. Who my father is, where I come from, it might matter to you and I don't want you to regret sleeping with me if it does."

"This is about your father?" she asked, perking up at the new piece of information.

"Yes, about him, and me, and the rest of my family." And yours, she added privately in her head.

"You told me they're gone," Daenerys noted.

"They are."

She came forward and hugged Arya, not unlike how the guard had hugged her earlier. "It's going to be okay. You can tell me when you're ready."

"After your nameday," she decided rashly. "After the celebration, we'll have plenty of time and I'll tell you everything, I'll tell you anything you want to know."

They stood there for a few moments, and Arya did her best to memorize every detail. She was going to tell Daenerys the whole sordid history between their families and when she did, it was possible if not probable that she'd never get to be with Daenerys like this again. "We should probably go find Missandei."

"Yeah," Daenerys agreed.

Arya broke the hug but was halted abruptly by Daenerys grabbing her arm and pulling her back. She went willingly and was met with a hungry kiss. The sensation of Daenerys's teeth gnawing on her bottom lip remained after they unlocked the door and descended the stairs. "You were right," Arya confirmed in a whisper before they rejoined the rest of the castle, "it definitely would have been a shame to miss that meeting."

R-C

Arya found Missandei preparing Daenerys's bath. She had been trying to find her alone for days but there was always someone there to keep Arya from voicing her thoughts. "Do you have a moment?"

Missandei pulled her fingers from the water, satisfied with the temperature and turned to face her friend. "For you, always." Arya picked up a small hand towel off the pile and passed it to Missandei. "Thank you."

"An offer was shared with me, that I don't intend to accept, but it's one I would gladly give to you, if you wanted it."

Missandei's open smile dimmed a bit and she proceeded cautiously. "Okay, what sort of offer was it?"

"Lady Dayne," she caught her misstep and fixed it, "Lady Musgood from Storm's End, she's acquainted with my friend Prince Oberyn. He knew I worried about coming here and she agreed to help me leave, if I didn't want to stay until Viserys's return."

She corrected her features quickly, but for an instant she saw the shock on the slave's face. "And you don't wish to leave?"

"No," she said, aware she was probably smiling like a fool. "I didn't want to come here, but I'm glad I did. I'll be sad to go when the time comes, but the offer remains. If you wanted to leave, I could arrange for Lady Musgood to take you to the Stormlands. Oberyn would collect you there and escort you anywhere you wanted to go."

"It was kind of you to think of me," she said, "but for the same reason you stay, I will too."

She didn't think Missandei would accept, she just knew she would feel horrible if she didn't inform her of the option. "Daenerys appreciates your loyalty Missandei, but she doesn't want you to spend your whole life here."

"Daenerys isn't the only reason I stay," she admitted with a smile.

She was confused. Hadn't Missandei said their reasons were the same? If not Daenerys, what was it?

"You won't go because the person you care about, the person you love more than any other is here. It is the same for me."

She felt stupid for not seeing it sooner, Grey Worm. If Missandei escaped, Grey Worm would be left behind, and they'd never see each other again. "Perhaps Lady Musgood could take you both."

With a shake of her head Missandei shared her lover's opinion. "He won't go, he won't even consider it. He's too proud. Being a slave is all he knows, being Unsullied is all he knows. The Masters took everything else from him. They taught him that failure is worse than death and he believed them, so he won't leave his men and he won't abandon his mission until the day he is granted his freedom."

"And if the King never releases you?"

Missandei smiled sadly through unshed tears. "We shall remain here."

"I understand, I think I'd do the same thing in your place." The admission surprised Arya more than Missandei.

"Thank you for asking. It means much more to me than you think."

"I'll leave you to finish,"

"She'll be here soon," Missandei remarked before Arya could get to the door. "If you wanted to see her. I'm sure she wouldn't mind a visit."

The way Missandei spoke cleared up any doubts about whether Daenerys told her handmaiden about the change in their relationship. She assumed she had but wasn't certain until right then. The wink that accompanied the word 'visit' was overt and teasing.

"I'm sure you two have a lot to talk about, I'd hate to deprive either of you of that."

Missandei caught on and played along without hesitation. "We do have a lot to talk about, but even if you're there, we can speak in High Valyrian and you'd never know we were talking about you."

She chuckled, amused by both Missandei's calm, composed speech and the actual words.

"Missandei who are you talking to?" Daenerys asked on her way into the room. Her curiosity bloomed into happiness when she saw the answer to her question. "Arya there you are! You should have told me you'd be here, it would have saved me the trouble of looking for you."

"Did you need something?" She spoke without thinking, an instinctive response to Daenerys seeking her out.

"Yes," Daenerys confirmed, "this." Before she could wonder what she meant they were kissing, soft and innocent when compared to some of their others but no less intense. "Did you come to join me for my bath?"

Her mind was suddenly flooded with images of Daenerys and her in the same tub. If Daenerys's nameday wasn't the next day, Arya probably would have given in to temptation and broken the rule she set for herself. "Not this time," she replied, hating how the words tasted going out.

Daenerys was undeterred. "Next time then?" she proposed.

Missandei giggled, and Arya took a long step away from the bath. If she didn't get some distance it would be much harder to maintain her resolve. "If you're lucky," she quipped on her way out the door.

R-C

She was walking past Varys's office when he called to her through the partially opened door. She'd done a good job of avoiding him, but it couldn't last forever. She entered and obliged when he asked her to shut the door behind her.

"Did the former Lady Dayne remember you?"

The question stopped her in her tracks and froze the blood in her veins. Had she heard him wrong? She desperately hoped so.

When their eyes met Varys was filled with regret. "Oh, forgive me," he said kindly, "I didn't mean to startle you, I imagine you haven't gotten much sleep in recent days obsessing over that very question."

She has the lie on the tip of her tongue before she pulled it back. Varys had spies everywhere. If he was asking, it was likely because he already knew. She amended her strategy accordingly. "She did remember me," she admitted. "I served her when I was working in the Water Gardens."

Varys rewarded her attempt to sidestep the real question with a sincere smile. "Since I haven't been summoned to the throne room, I suspect she's agreed to keep your secret."

Was he testing her, checking to see what she'd reveal about herself? Was he just pretending that he already knew, or did he know she was Arya Stark once? She decided she wasn't going to admit it. If Varys wanted to discuss her past, he was going to need to go first. "I'm just a simple soldier, I don't have secrets."

He laughed, fully and deeply. "Oh, my dear, everyone has secrets and in my experience soldiers keep more than most."

"So, you've come to learn my secrets then?" As she presented a composed front, inside she was reeling. She'd been found out, soon everyone would know, if they didn't already. She was going to die, and all she could think was - she wished she could be the one to tell Daenerys. She wanted to explain to the Princess why she hadn't told her and ask for forgiveness before she met her fate. It didn't look like she was going to get that chance.

"If you want to tell me, I'll gladly listen," he offered, "but I already know the biggest secret you're keeping."

Again, he led her right to the edge without actually saying it. It was like he wanted her to do it, but she remained determined not to. Her past wasn't his, it wasn't gossip or currency, she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of confessing to him. "Of course you do, what's my biggest secret, then?"

His smile didn't falter in the slightest as he shook Arya's entire world. "That you're Arya Stark."

He said it so simply, so naturally, that it made her wonder what his game was. He was too smart to not comprehend the importance of the information, so why was he coming to her with this and not Aerys or Rhaegar? Was he giving her an opportunity to run or did he just want to see her squirm?

"You knew, all along?"

"I suspected," he corrected, "I didn't know, not at first."

How he discovered her identity was almost secondary now. She couldn't waste time on that when so many urgent issues needed to be addressed. "The Prince?" she asked. She needed to know if Rhaegar was aware. Had he figured it out like Varys?

"Prince Rhaegar doesn't know," the Spider explained. "When he brought me to the throne room to meet you, he believed you were a spy sent by Oberyn Martell to punish him. He thought you meant the Princess harm."

"I know. That day when I spoke to him, he said as much," she remembered.

"He also believed Oberyn selected you because of your resemblance to your Aunt Lyanna."

"I know."

For the first time she was able to knock Varys off balance with her words. "He told you that?"

"Not exactly. He was talking to himself more than me, and he stopped, but I heard enough to understand what he was thinking."

Satisfied the Spymaster moved on. "The Prince asked me my opinion and I told him I didn't think you intended to hurt his sister." He paused and then asked, "Was I correct in that?"

She nodded. "You are, whatever I feel for her brother or father, it has nothing to do with Daenerys."

Varys smiled, as if the answer pleased him somehow. She guessed he liked confirming he was right. "Once he was confident Oberyn didn't send you here, he thought you were a form of punishment from the Gods, sent to torment him."

While she wasn't opposed to Rhaegar Targaryen suffering, she had to clear a few things up. Why would he assume it was the Gods when a more plausible explanation was that she was a surviving Stark? "He was willing to believe the Gods were punishing him, but refused to consider that I might actually be a Stark?"

As they changed direction, Varys looked visibly pained. "I'm not sure how much you remember of that day," he began, "but…"

"I remember every fucking thing," Arya insisted. "I remember you and many like you standing by and watching, saying nothing when the King started punishing members of my family, my mother, my brothers…"

"I regret my inaction deeply," he told her, though she didn't care to hear it. So what if he regretted it now? That didn't bring the dead back to life and it didn't undo all the wrong that was done. "For many of us, what happened to your family was when we realized how far gone the King truly was."

"Great," she retorted sarcastically, "you've done nothing in all the years since to change things, he's still King and he's worse now than before."

"Yes," Varys acknowledged, "but now a small group of us work to temper his impulses, to limit the executions, especially those that are unjust."

She rolled her eyes. "None of this matters, and none of it explains why Rhaegar thinks it more likely that I'm a ghost."

"Yes, well if you do remember everything, then you will recall that the Prince was not there the day your family was summoned."

Arya knew there was some meaningful realization she was supposed to come to, but she just couldn't be bothered. "So?"

"So, the King ordered those of us who were there silent. When the Prince returned Aerys told him that he summoned Ned Stark and his family, and that none survived."

Arya had been staring off to the side, but her head whipped around to check Varys face for lies. "He didn't know?"

"He believed his father had you all killed in a fit of rage and madness."

"Not all of us," Arya responded bitterly.

That did make a certain amount of sense. She wasn't convinced that the glorious Prince Rhaegar would have opposed his father if he had been present, but him being told they were all dead explained why he couldn't see what was right in front of him.

"How long do I have?" Her mind had been racing since Varys summoned her and requested the door be closed. She accepted that death was unavoidable, but if the Master of Whispers was generous enough to give her a brief reprieve then she could confess to Daenerys before they were all summoned to the throne room.

"Until?"

She scoffed, unimpressed. "Until you tell the King and the Prince who I am."

"I've known who you are for weeks, ever since I received word that my little birds in Dorne were unable to locate the Northern foster meant to be serving Prince Doran. I haven't shared this with anyone yet, and I may not in the future."

Arya didn't understand, why tell her he knew, if he wasn't going to expose her? Why not run to the King and claim the reward? "What are you saying?"

"I watched you," Varys noted, ignoring her question all together, "for the past several weeks I've observed you, with the Princess, with the young Missandei, with the Unsullied and even with Prince Aemon."

The longer this went on the more annoyed Arya became. Was he taunting her? It was her life and possibly her death they were talking about, yet he took his time and danced around whatever point he planned to make. "Yeah and what did you and your little birds see?"

Unoffended by her sarcasm, Varys replied. "You care for them, all of them. You spend hours training with Aemon after a long day protecting Daenerys. It's similar with the Unsullied, although you seemed to have taken a liking to the young Prince, you and he spend as much time talking as you do swinging your swords."

Her life was in Varys's pale hands, there was nothing she could do or say to change that. What he would or wouldn't do after she left was out of her control. It was freeing in a way, once she worked through the accompanying terror. She could be honest with Varys, that was something she couldn't say about anyone else in the capital. "Whatever else he is, he's my family and I have very little of that left."

"Yes," Varys conceded sombrely. "You care for Missandei as well. I heard how you risked your life in the city to protect her, offering yourself up to the armed man, for a slave."

There was an accusation in there that Arya didn't appreciate. As if Missandei was unworthy of rescue because she was stolen from her home and forced into slavery. "Slave or not, I wasn't going to let that prick hurt her."

"Exactly, because you care for her, and the feeling is mutual from what I hear. Missandei spoke in your defense when you were accused of desertion."

"What's your point?"

"Just that in a very short time you've managed to ingratiate yourself to all of them, the stoic, battle-hardened Unsullied, the cautious Aemon, the loyal Missandei, and of course Princess Daenerys. It's quite an accomplishment and it speaks to your character." He must have seen the next question she intended to ask, so he provided the answer. "If you weren't a remarkable woman, you wouldn't be able to amass such a varied group of supporters."

"Why does it matter who my friends are?" she spat, running low on patience for his riddles and half-truths.

"It may matter a great deal, but first I must ask, reports suggest you and the Princess have grown quite close, are they accurate or is it wishful thinking?"

"Daenerys and I are friends," she said as she worked to keep her temper reigned in. "If that's what your spies say, then they're right."

"They speculate that the bond is strong enough that you would kill or die for her," he clarified.

"I am her guard," she reminded him pointedly, "that is literally my job."

"Yes, but even if it weren't, would you still be willing to risk your life for Daenerys, to kill those intent on doing her harm?"

She knew the answer, but she didn't feel like she owed it to Varys. She'd defend Daenerys, she'd protect her, fight for her, kill for her, even if it wasn't her duty. Yes, she'd die for Daenerys if necessary but that was none of the Spider's business.

"Is there anything else?"

"No, I've taken enough of your time, please accept my apology for bringing up so many unpleasant memories."

"And my secret?" she prompted, hoping to gain some insight into what Varys intended to do next.

"You're loyal to Daenerys, and while you wouldn't admit it, I believe you would kill or die for her even if you weren't her guard. That's good, she needs someone committed to her, as you are, someone who will put her first. As long as you continue to do that, my suspicions will remain mine. I see no reason to spread unsubstantiated rumors at this time."

She hated the cryptic way Varys spoke, but was able to read between the lines. He called what he knew 'his suspicions' because that gave him cover in case he was ever caught. If asked, he could simply say he hadn't yet confirmed the validity of the rumor he heard and was waiting until he had to pass along what he learned. He was protecting himself. It was the same with the final three words, 'at this time.' Varys was leaving open the possibility of exposing her at a later time. It didn't benefit him to tell the truth now, but if that changed, Arya knew he wouldn't hesitate to betray her.

Getting mercy from the Spider, no matter how fragile or temporary, seemed like the best she could hope for. She'd need to think about everything Varys said, but this wasn't the time or place for that, not when Daenerys was waiting for her upstairs.

R-C

Author's Note: The next few chapters will be devoted to Daenerys's nameday. Thank you for sticking with me this far.

A little clearer picture is starting to form about what happened that day, and who knows about it. Rhaegar thinks she's dead and Varys knows. I didn't initially plan to have Varys figure it out, but he's just too smart not to, so I had to adjust.

Writing Rhaegar has been the most challenging part of this because he really is so many different things to different people. Figuring out who I wanted him to really be was harder than I should probably admit. Hopefully, it comes across when you read, but I interpreted Rhaegar to be conflicted. He wants to do right but is bound by the loyalty he has to his father. He does care about Daenerys and Aemon but is unprepared for his sister's newfound strength. I apologize if people found their conversation repetitive after the one they had when Missandei was threatened, I just felt like Rhaegar wouldn't agree to take the throne the first time Daenerys suggested it, so it had to happen twice.

Enough rambling from me,

Thanks for reading

RC