Ser Alysanne, surprisingly, lends her swords to him and Daenerys. "If you are truly prophesied heroes", she explains, "you'll need these swords."
"Isn't Longclaw enough?", he asks.
She grins. "Should it not go back to its House?"
She makes an excellent point, so he passes Longclaw to Ser Jorah. As for herself, the white-cloaked knight grabs a Valyrian steel sword extricated from the Iron Throne before climbing up Rhaegal. "Have you ever rode a dragon?"
"Of course not", she replies. "Even if Drogon hadn't died long before I was grown up enough to ride, I don't have Targaryen blood for the job."
"I thought I had heard something about House Tarth having married into House Targaryen." He all but shouts as Rhaegal takes flight.
"A long time ago", she clarifies. "My Targaryen blood is little less than a drop, less than Gendry."
He hums, although he doubts she heard it, given how high they were. Familiar with the route to Winterfell, Jon doesn't need to follow anyone to get there. Rhaegal flies side by side with Drogon, and he's confident enough in his hold of the dragon that he even spares a glance at the other dragon rider.
His aunt looks peaceful, despite the situation they are in. Glancing a bit down, he can see a pair of arms around her—Mormont's obviously. I hope they can find happiness after this is all over. He overheard her talk to the Kingslayer the day before, and the quiet of the flight leaves room for his mind to ponder the subject. Is he going to stay King in the North if he survives this war? Should he bend the knee to either southern monarch?
Daenerys so far seems to be competent and just, but he's still wary of bowing to a foreigner. As much as he finds her and Ser Jorah a good match, the Mormont knight is still an outlaw in the eyes of the North—he's seen the way Lady Lyanna Mormont looks at her cousin. Even if the North accepts a Targaryen queen, he doubts they'd accept him as King Consort.
Then there is Jaime Lannister. His reputation for kingslaying and sisterfucking precedes him, making him hard to be accepted by the whole realm. Not to mention that his very last name is associated with many atrocities committed in the last war, even if he had no reported involvement in at least half of those. That aside, like Daenerys, he seems to be fair and effective. The truth of his kingslaying changed his views on the man, and so did the story of how he executed his former lover when she began to behave too much like the king he killed.
Besides, Jaime's wife is of good reputation—excellent, actually. Lady Brienne of Tarth is compared to great knights more often than not, and her loyalty to the Starks is unquestionable, even after she married a Lannister. The realm could easily accept her as Queen, and her husband's painfully obvious love for her could redeem him in people's eyes.
(However, there is also the fact that Lannister shows as much desire to keep his title as Jon.)
It is a tough decision, and yet he hopes to have to make it after this is all over. Like King Jaime said, better getting a headache trying to pick who will wear the crown than placing it on the head of the only claimant left.
All I know is that Bran will refuse it, he thinks with amusement. His cousin had been crowned in Ser Alysanne's world, and both believe it was a mistake on the part of everyone involved. The lady knight could not say which of the three monarchs would be the best choice, upon being asked.
He's shaken out of his thoughts by a roar. "That's two of them!", Ser Alysanne shouts. He raises his head.
Oh fuck. The second dragon was not burned along with Winterfell.
Since Rhaegal is not fully recovered, Jon guides him to the clearly weakened undead dragon—and thank the gods the injuries caused by its fall into flames were not magically healed. The two dragons collide against each other, roaring and biting and hitting.
The dragon rider—the Night Queen's court member, her horcrux—stares at Jon with eyes even more unsettling than the ones of the knight behind him. He still remembers how Gendry defeated its ally, by jumping into the undead dragon and slaying it with Arya's dagger—lost in Winterfell's burned ruins. Should I do the same?
If Ser Alysanne has the tiniest drop of Targaryen blood, she might be able to guide Rhaegal to catch him when the undead dragon falls. Regardless, she can at least grab him tightly; even if Rhaegal is not bound to her, he won't let her fall off.
Yes, I must do the same as Gendr—his decision is interrupted by a thud. Before Jon can move, Ser Alysanne stands behind him, covering him as she draws her unnamed sword and charges. Only when he hears the clash he raises his eyes to see the dragonrider is before him, meeting the knight blow by blow, enhanced ice against enhanced steel.
Rhaegal roars and shakes. Jon cannot see what is happening beyond the Night Court member attacking, but he figures its dragon is going wide without its rider. We'll all fall, he realizes, and while Ser Alysanne and I die, this creature won't. That's its plan!
He wants to shout for Ser Alysanne to stand down and hold on to Rhaegal's scales, but he cannot do that when the freaking ice demon can hear everything they say. It must be a surprise attack, he concludes.
He hears the lady knight slipping and grabs her ankle before she falls. She supports herself by crouching down and grabbing the scales, which pauses the fight. Perfect opportunity for the creature, but for Jon as well. He lunges forward with Blackfyre and aims for the chest—only for Rhaegal to screech in pain and lower his stance abruptly, leading to all of them losing their balance. The ice creature falls off.
"It won't die from the fall!", Ser Alysanne shouts. "We must follow it to the ground!"
"Tighten your grip on Rhaegal and help him fight the dragon", he instructs. "We're low enough that the fall won't hurt me." And then he jumps.
It is actually painful when he hits the ground, but not terribly so; he's used to greater pains. In front of him, the ice demon stands unscathed. In the blink of an eye, it's his turn to face it blow by blow, steel against steel, in a clash that almost reminds him of a song.
A song of ice and fire! That's it, that's my prophecy!
Smirking, he lowers his sword, feigning tiredness. Just as the creature raises its own sword, he cuts its arm off, then goes to its neck.
It shatters.
Soon after, Ser Alysanne falls face flat on the ground on his left side. He rushes to her aid, and she vomits as he holds her hair up. Glancing up, he sees Rhaegal falling in circles, seemingly unconscious.
The moment he falls, Jon cannot help but scream. The pain invades him like he's burning from the inside, stronger than even the one he felt upon being stabbed. He only doesn't fall on his knee because there is someone needing his assistance, and for that he is grateful.
In his mind, there is no doubt: Rhaegal is dead, just like his brother Viserion.
He recovers around the same time Ser Alysanne finishes emptying her stomach, and together they watch the fight between Drogon and the last undead dragon, between Daenerys and the last dragonrider.
The black living dragon is larger and stronger than Rhaegal ever was, and his rider is way more skilled than Jon ever had the chance to be. As such, their duel is almost like a dance.
From down here, Jon sees the moment Drogon opens his mouth and engulfs the other dragon's head. Its remains fall, in a similar fashion to Rhaegal, and Daenerys seemingly guides Drogon to the ground. "We should help them", Jon tells Ser Alysanne, who nods and stands up.
However, as they approach Daenerys and Ser Jorah, they are already fighting—or rather, Mormont fights while Daenerys runs away, only to run back, jump on the creature and behead it with Dark Sister. "The stallion that mounts the world, y'all!", she shouts, almost a roar.
When it shatters, its fragments hit Jon right on his face. He closes his eyes instinctively, and he hears a groan behind him. He runs a hand through his face, to get rid of the shreds, and opens his eyes. At his side, Ser Alysanne pants heavily. "Can't we just… sit down on the snow for a bit? Getting some rest before we go back?"
As if in full agreement, Mormont lets himself fall flat on the ground, sighing. The lady knight follows him immediately. "I guess the request is already answered", Daenerys says, sitting next to Ser Jorah. Without another option, Jon sits between the two women.
"I'm sorry for Rhaegal", he blurts out. "You should not have to face this grief."
Daenerys turns her gaze for Mormont and gives him a sad smile. "I doubt it was the same as when I lost them in Ser Alysanne's world", she replies. "Viserion and Rhaegal fell valiantly in combat, defending humanity against its doom. If I recall correctly, it did not happen that way the first time around, right, Ser?"
The woman shakes her head. "Viserion was taken out by the Night King and used against the living in the battle, while Rhaegal was lost to negligence and gross miscalculations in the fight against Euron and Cersei."
"See? I mourn them, of course, but not in a… devastating way." The Dragon Queen looks up. "Besides, neither of them were my children any longer. In a way, I lost them when you and Gendry bonded with them. You cried in anguish when Rhaegal fell; I didn't feel such an impulse. Your grief must be stronger than mine, if I'm being honest with myself."
He gulps. The memory of feeling as if his soul was ripping off is still fresh in his mind. Is this how it will feel if Ghost dies? He shudders at the thought. Have I felt this way when Rhaegal died the first time? Ser Alysanne's story implies he wasn't riding him when Euron Greyjoy struck him with a scorpion, so perhaps they didn't truly bond.
His reverie is interrupted when he catches sight of Daenerys handing Dark Sister back to the lady knight. "I think it's rather clear I fulfill my part of the prophecies", she says gently. "As I won't jump into dragonriders anymore, this sword will be more useful in your hands."
"It is your House's ancestral sword", she argues.
"But this one isn't mine, is it? This world's Dark Sister lies around in a cave beyond the ruined Wall. When this is all over, I can send searching parties to retrieve it, but for now it should rest in more capable hands."
Ser Alysanne mumbles something under her breath, but accepts the sword back all the same. It compels Jon to give Blackfyre back to her. "I've seen you wielding it", he explains. "These two swords are almost extensions of your arms. In a battle like the one we'll soon face, this kind of skill must not be overlooked. Give me your unnamed sword."
"Oh, no", Ser Jorah interrupts. "Give me the unnamed sword for now." He grabs Longclaw and hands it to Jon. "As you said, better to find with weapons we are acquainted with. You've wielded my House's sword for years; you should wield it in this fight. You can give it back to me afterwards."
And this is how everyone ends up with roughly the same swords they carried before coming to this wasteland. After an hour of rest, Daenerys goes to Drogon and assesses the damages on him. "He can fly to Dragonstone carrying us", she announces, "but will need a great amount of rest after landing."
That being said, the four of them climb up the dragon and make their way back to Dragonstone.
