King's Landing 300 AC.
Oberyn Martell.
Elia, he had named her Elia, named her for the woman who had named him her son and if that wasn't just the clearest example of his sister being right to do so, then naming her as his heir only proved him to be a true son of not only Elia Martell but of Dorne itself. At first, he'd not thought he'd heard it right, or that Jae was simply stating a fact. His daughter was his only child and so as of now was the heir to the throne, he should have known better, they all should.
"What do you mean even if you have a son, your grace?" Gormon asked as they sat in the Small Council meeting.
"I mean my daughter is my heir, Grandmaester, my firstborn child and the future Queen of the Seven Kingdoms. Her seat will be Summerhall, the seat of the Crown Princess, and should my wife and I be blessed with a son and brother for my daughter then he will be second in line and sit his own seat in Harrenhal." Jae said.
"The laws.." Gormon began.
"Were written by my family were they not? And while my family has known its share of good and great men and women, it's known its share of those who were not. Allowing Aegon to usurp Rhaenyra was a mistake, a stain on my family that almost brought about its demise. I know far better than most the reason for that mistake and unlike those who took their counsel from men they should not, I'll hold my own counsel on this. Send word to the Citadel and have it proclaimed thorough the realm and let any who takes issue do so with me." Jae said and Oberyn smirked.
Gormon had hurried from the room and the questions had been posed. Was Jae changing the laws on primogeniture and was Dornish law now be the law of the land? His nephew more than ready for the questions and Oberyn and the others had been more than happy with his answers.
"I've been lucky in my life to know some of the strongest, smartest, and most capable women from each and every part of the seven kingdoms. Lady Genna, Lady Ashara and Lady Dacey in the West, my Aunt Ellaria and cousins from Dorne, My wife, her mother and grandmother from the Reach." Jae said nodding to Olenna "Lady Jonelle, Lady Maege, and Lady Dustin in the North. Though I've only had some dealing with her, Lady Anya Waynwood from the Vale seems yet another as of course are mine own aunts and that's not even counting the younger ones such as Lady Shireen, or my sisters and some of their friends."
"You haven't answered the question, your grace." Olenna said to a chuckle from Jae.
"I thought that was how politics worked, Lady Olenna, you speak many words but say nothing?" Jae said to some laughs "I'll not be making Dornish law the law of the land, I will however give the people a choice." Jae said.
"A choice, your grace?" Jaime asked.
"A choice, Lord Hand. Any whom wish to do so can petition the crown to name their firstborn child their heir, be they a boy or a girl, without such a petition then primogeniture remains for now." Jae said.
"For now, nephew?" he asked curiously.
"I have no idea what my daughter will wish to do when she is queen, uncle, perhaps she'll be influenced even more by my aunt and cousins than even I've been." Jae said and Oberyn chuckled, knowing he'd see it so.
He hadn't needed to ask if the queen was on board and nor had anyone else. Oberyn knowing far better than most that Jae wouldn't have made this choice without discussing it and agreeing on it with Margaery. That he had taken the Small Council meeting at all was a clear sign of that and it was something that Jae himself told him later on. Oberyn listening as his nephew said that once he and Margaery had agreed on it, she'd then suggested he let the realm know their decision at the same time they announced Elia's birth.
It was the one and only Small Council meeting that Jae had attended also, the next one having Margaery there making the announcement of the princess's wedding to Aurane Waters. Oberyn listening on as Margaery explained that he'd not be legitimized as a Velaryon but as a Targaryen and that the wedding would be held within the moon. When he'd asked where his nephew was he'd found himself almost wanting the meeting to end even more quickly. So much so that he'd actually asked for and was given leave to make his way to the King's Chambers, arriving to find Jae doing exactly what he should have expected.
"Yes little dragon, she will be your rider. No, she's sleeping, only if you promise to be very careful." he heard Jae say as he walked into the room.
Ellaria, Alerie, and Jae's aunt Shiera all sat in the room along with the wet nurse, each of them looking on as his nephew stood over the crib that Oberyn had gifted him. Elia was asleep given what Jae was saying and he watched as he carefully put the indigo dragon into the crib beside her. Oberyn quickly moving over to take a look at the two dragons who now slept side by side.
"Is that safe, nephew?" he heard Ellaria ask.
"I believe so, she's incredibly gentle with her, just as Ghost is. Even when Elia reaches out to grab or pull on either of them they react far less than I or Margaery do when she does so to us." Jae said, his eyes never leaving the babe and the dragon that rested in the crib.
Jae nodded to him once he felt him near and Oberyn barely nodded back, his eyes like his nephews on Elia as she slept. Her hair looked even more silver and almost shined in the morning light, her eyes though were closed and he found he almost wished her to wake, just to see her eyes look upon him and watch as they took everything in. His grandniece was a curious babe, reminding him so much of Obella and Dorea when they were the same age. She grabbed at things, stared at things, and watched each and every moment that was made around her. A dragon, a wolf, a lion, and a snake too, she was even more of what Jae himself was.
"How did they take the news?" Jae asked, turning to look away from the crib for the first time.
"Very well, naming him a Targaryen is a good move, nephew." he said.
"I wish each of the Houses to be called Targaryen uncle, should Tyrion and Arianne have more than two children then I'd wish the third to be named Targaryen rather than Martell." he said catching him by surprise.
"For the Tower of Joy?" he asked a moment later when he realized what it was his nephew was seeking.
"Aye, though perhaps Margaery and I need to have as many children as you and my aunt?" Jae said to a chuckle from Ellaria and a gasp from Alerie, which Jae relieved with a shake of his head when he turned to look at her.
"I hope you are as blessed as I have been, nephew." Oberyn said with a smile.
"As do I, uncle, in more ways than one." Jae said looking at Ellaria.
He'd seen him do that, with Jaime and Dacey, and with Mace and Alerie, but mainly with himself and Ellaria. Jae held them up as something even he and his wife had never thought of themselves as. True they loved each other completely and were devoted but Oberyn had never thought them some bright example of what a couple should be. Be it how they still thought of or acted with each other or their longevity, Jae he felt did and it made him proud that his nephew saw him and especially Ellaria that way.
For far too many years his love had to face the scorn of people, not in Dorne, never there, but when they traveled or when she was spoken of, it was always as lesser than she was. From the moment he had met Jae it had never been that way for her again, nor would it ever be so. They stood there looking at the babe and the dragon as they slept, both of them lost in the silence of the moment when Margaery walked into the room.
Oberyn chuckled as he heard her walk straight to the crib and as she turned and looked to Jae, her words leaving him in no doubt that while Jae may wish for certain things, it would be his wife he deferred to on them always.
"Really, Jae, we've spoken of this." Margaery said and Oberyn looked to see his nephew smirk.
"Come little dragon, let's go and see your sister. I'm sure she'll welcome your presence even if my grumpy wife does not." Jae said as he reached in to take the indigo dragon out, Oberyn hearing it chirp excitedly and being a little surprised as he had thought it was sleeping.
"I am not grumpy, Jaehaerys Targaryen." Margaery said though it was clear it was playful and even Oberyn laughed when the dragon chirped and he heard his nephew speak before he kissed Margaery's cheek and left the room with the dragon on his shoulder.
"You're right little dragon, Aye, I wish I could chirp sometimes too." Jae said as he walked out the door.
Oberyn looked to Margaery and saw her laugh before she turned to the crib and touched Elia's cheek softly.
"Yes little dragon, you're right your father is a fool." Margaery said to Elia and Oberyn couldn't agree more and nor would he change it for anything in the world.
King's Landing 300 AC.
Sansa.
A wedding, a babe, and a dragon, she didn't know which of them excited her the most. No, that wasn't exactly true it was all of them, all of them equally. Elia was just the most precious thing in the whole world, she was beautiful, tiny, delicate, and the times that Jae and Margaery would let her hold her were almost magical. The little dragon too was almost exactly the same. Looking at it and knowing that one day it would be as large as Ellagon or Rhaenix was something that at times was almost impossible for her to comprehend.
Seeing it on her brother's shoulder, on or in Elia's crib, or even as it flew around the room was like something she couldn't have ever imagined. She lived in a world of dragons, she'd known that for a long time and had even flown with Jae once. Never though had she imagined there would be more or that there was such a thing as a baby dragon, even though there of course had to be. The dragon was very much like Fang had been as a pup too, eager to explore, fierce-looking and yet gentle to those it cared about. Sansa was more than happy to find out that she was one of those the dragon saw as pack.
If she really had to choose or if she was forced to choose, then it would be the wedding that was what her mind spent most of its time on. That she was a part of the arrangements for it could have been the reason, or that it was Princess Daenerys who was getting married and Sansa thought her a friend. It could even have been that it was because of who she was marrying. The princess showing she was marrying for love and not position being something that stirred Sansa's, romantic heart. Or perhaps it was the thought that one day it would be her that would be getting wed. In two years time, she'd reach her majority and then she and Willas would be wed, perhaps that was it.
"Sansa, you're doing it again." Joy said and she rose her head from the dress she was sewing, relieved to see she'd not pierced her fingers and gotten blood on it.
"Sorry, I was." she began only for Joy to smirk as she interrupted her.
"Dreaming of your own wedding day." Joy said to some giggles for Elinor and Joanna.
"Joy Lannister." Ashara said reproachfully and Sansa tried not to laugh when Joy did her, oh no I'm in trouble face.
"Sorry Ashara." Joy said and even if she didn't know the girl so well, she'd have known that wasn't exactly true.
Joy wasn't teasing her, not truly, and it had happened more than once as she was working on the princess's wedding dress that she'd gotten lost in thoughts of her own wedding. Sansa finding that helping with the preparations allowed for her to accept or dismiss certain things about the upcoming ceremony and to place them in a small locked box in her mind so that they could be taken out for her own. Her dress would be different, and while the princess both wanted and didn't want a large ceremony, Sansa wished for the largest it could possibly be. Not for some prideful or selfish reason, more that she wanted the entire realm to know how happy she was when she finally married Willas.
"Sansa." Joy said her eyebrow raised and Sansa found herself blushing as she got back to her work.
The dress was almost finished, Sansa had incorporated as much about the princess as she could into it and was just finishing the green seahorse that would represent Aurane's House. She'd embroidered dragons, small spears, the princess's sigil, which was the three-headed dragon with each of the heads the colors of Ellagon, Rhaegal, and Sandorix, resting on the Dragonmont. When she put the last bead in it was done and would only now need to be fitted and Sansa smiled as she stood up and held the dress proudly in her hands.
"Is that for me?" Daenerys said walking into the room, Sansa looking worriedly to the door and happy to see that Aurane wasn't with her and hadn't seen it.
"It is, it's done, apart from the fitting." Sansa said as Joy stood up to look at it.
"Will you both help me with it. While I wear dresses I'd worry I'd damage this and it's far too beautiful to be allowed to be damaged." Daenerys said as she held it in her hands with a look on her face that Sansa was delighted to see.
"Of course, princess." she said.
"Dany, Sansa, how many times."
"Come Dany, let's get your dressed." Joy said and Sansa giggled at how she always seemed to be able to do this to her, make her look awkward and proper when she wasn't trying to be.
The dress was a remarkably good fit and Sansa wasn't the only one who teared up a little when they saw Dany wear it. Even Joy was silent and almost awestruck by just how beautiful it looked on her and she in it. There were some small alterations needed but Sansa felt relieved they were minor, as it had been her that had taken Dany's measurements. Dany herself was very quiet as she stared at her reflection in the looking glass and other than her and Joy it was Missandei who was showing the most emotion. The little girl wiping her eyes openly as she looked at her princess.
With her work done for the day and with Joy soon rushing off to Jae's rooms with Ser Brienne at her back, the younger girl was as always eager to spend time with Elia, Sansa felt at a loss for what to do. She could join Joy and spend time with Elia and Margaery and yet she instead found herself walking around in an almost daze. That she ended up out in the gardens wasn't a great surprise although finding herself at the Weirwood tree was.
It wasn't even of a height with her as of yet, but the whitebark and the blood-red leaves made it seem almost bigger somehow. Sansa found herself taking a seat on one of the large rocks that Jae had laid around it and then looking into the small pool that he'd had dug. It always amazed her how he'd tried so hard to replicate Winterfell's Godswood but in miniature. Though work had begun to expand the Goswood further than it had ever been and in time she'd imagine it would look far different. She found it peaceful here, just as she knew Jae did and even Lord Wyman who though he followed the Seven, still came here from time to time.
"Sansa." she heard the voice and turned to see Willas walk her way, his cane hitting the ground softly as he moved towards her.
"Willas." she said before he silenced her with a kiss, one of the deeper truer ones they'd been sharing a lot lately.
"I'd thought to find you with the princess or with their graces and my niece?" Willas said.
"I went for a walk and ended up here." she said as he took her hand and both of them sat down close together on the largest of the rocks.
"All is well?" he asked seeing something in her expression that she wasn't aware was there.
"What? Of course, all is well." she said almost hurriedly.
"Sansa?" he asked more worriedly now.
She leaned into him and kissed his cheek, feeling his arm go around her, and just sat silently for a moment. Her feelings were confused, she wasn't upset and yet she was acting as if she was and it took her a moment to realize it was the thoughts of waiting two years that made her so distracted.
"I wish we could be wed soon, that it was you and I marrying and not the princess and Aurane, does that make me a bad person? That I wish it wasn't them and was us instead?" she asked softly.
"If it does then so am I, Sansa." he said and she moved her head to look at him seeing him nod "I wish them both all the happiness and joy in the world. I have no jealousy in my heart for either of them and yet I too wish it was mine own, our own wedding that was taking place. It's not bad to wish so, only were you to wish they could not so that we could." Willas said.
"I do not, I would not." she said shaking her head.
"Which is why, my sweet Sansa, that you can never be a bad person." he said kissing her softly.
They sat in silence for a long time after that, both of them just enjoying being with each other. Every so often Willas would turn to her and kiss her, a soft kiss on the cheek or forehead, a brushing against her lips, and at times the deeper truer kisses she was learning to love. It was he that broke the silence, letting her know of the ravens that had arrived and Sansa feeling both excited and a little upset that her father wouldn't be coming.
"It's to be Robb and Wynafred, Cregan and Lady Alys Karstark and Arya and some of Lady Dacey's sisters along with Lord Jorah and my aunt Lynesse." Willas said.
"I had hoped father…"
"Perhaps we could go visit him?" Willas said and she turned and looked at him wondering if he was japing at her expense.
"For true?" she asked eagerly.
"Aye, why not. We could head back North with your brother, sister, and your cousin, I've nothing pressing on at the moment and I'm sure I can arrange it so we can both be unmissed for a moon or two."
"I'd like that, I'd like that very much." she said and he smiled at her before she kissed him this time, one of the truer ones that allowed her to get lost in her daydream for a little while longer.
"Do you take this man?"
"I take this man"
The voices distant but only in time, in time they'd grow louder, and then she'd get to speak and hear them for true.
King's Landing 300 AC.
Robb.
When his father had told him that it was he to go to King's Landing to represent the Starks and the North, he'd not known what to think of it. He wished to go, to see Jae's aunt wed, and to meet his niece but he'd expected his father would have been the one to do so. His father though had said he was to be the future Warden of the North, that in time he'd need to forge those relationships with the men and women who would rule the other lands. He'd need to know the Lords of the West or the Reach, the Lords of the Riverlands and the Vale. Dorne. The Stormlands, the Crownlands, and even the Iron Islands would be represented, Robb not sure how he felt about the last one.
"Lady Asha is a different sort according to your brother and the Iron Born wish for different things, Robb, speak, be friendly, and though you may stay on you guard, don't be the one who provokes a confrontation." his father said and they sat in the Godswood.
"Of course father, I'll not let you down."
"I know that son, I have no fear for it and I wish you to enjoy yourself too. You're far better at this so-called game than I am, Robb, you understand it far better than I and are more willing to play it. Go, look after your sister and your wife as well as your cousin, and give Sansa, Jae, and Elia the biggest hugs you can for me"
They'd set off for Sea Dragon Point and had met up with the Great and Smalljon's along the way, both men looking forward to going to the South. Both to see his brother again and to welcome his niece into the world. Though Robb quickly found that both men wished to take part in the tourney too and were looking forward to that just as much. It was a sign of just how things had changed in the realm, Northmen now actually wished to go South, and it made him chuckle to think on it.
When they reached Sea Dragon Point, all of them had been stunned by just how much it had come on. The main keep was habitable and they were feasted in it and even given rooms there for the night. Though the rooms themselves were still far from furnished or done, they were warm and welcoming. Finding out that Lady Alys was staying there was a bit of a surprise, his cousin's wedding was set but not for some time and yet the lady stayed at the keep. She did so under chaperone of course but he knew just looking at his cousin how much it pleased him to have her there with him.
The docks had been built also and the first of his cousin's ships had been placed there. Though they were ostensibly to protect the trading itself, they also delivered some of the wood that the Umbers and others brought here to Bear Island and so earned a little coin in the process. Something his cousin could use to run the new keep and to further provide an income for him and Lady Alys. That it had been his idea and not his father's was something he was most proud of.
"The She-Bear." Wynafred said from beside him and he looked to see the Pinnacle Ship sail towards them, quickly finding himself eager to see his little sister one more and to be on their way to King's Landing.
While traveling to White Harbor and sailing from there would have been quicker, Robb both wished to take the time to speak to his father's bannermen who'd make this trip and to be with his family when they did so. Cregan was a regular visitor to Winterfell and to Barrowtown much to his father's surprise, Arya though he'd not seen in what felt like an age. Something that was even clearer to him when he saw her and Lyanna Mormont walking down to greet them with Alysanne and Lyra with them both.
"That cannot be my little sister, surely its an impostor, look at you, the wild she-wolf who's now half a bear." he said smiling at his sister as she and Lyanna Mormont looked at him with matching frowns on their faces.
"I told you he was stupid." Arya said with a smirk as she looked at Lyanna Mormont before running to him.
"Aye, I missed you too." he said as she hugged him and he, her.
She'd grown, she was still small but she'd grown and it was hard to think she was only one and ten, especially as she looked almost a woman to him in how she now held and presented herself. Bear Island had been good to her, to Nymeria too as Robb looked to the wolves who were having their own reunion a little way off.
"Does Jae really have a babe?" Arya asked him as they moved their things onto the ship.
"A girl, he named her Elia." he said and saw his sister smile.
"And a new dragon?" Arya asked and Robb laughed at that, the tale of the new dragon was one that he was sure had done the rounds of the realm.
"And a new dragon."
They set sail by mid-afternoon and were passing the Stony Shore and already in Blazewater Bay by nightfall. Robb quickly finding himself enjoying the tales his sister spun of the adventures she and Lyanna got up to on Bear Island. Before too long she just like the Umbers was soon speaking of tourneys and of how this time she was going to win the Squire's Duel. Words that soon had her and Lyanna Mormont almost wagering each other the world as they both claimed it would them that won it.
"Does that not get old?" he asked Lady Alysanne who sat smiling.
"Aye, but I'd not have them any other way, Lord Robb." the woman said proudly
It took them close to a moon to sail past Massey's Hook and into Blackwater Bay. Robb worried at one point that they'd arrive too late for the wedding while Arya worried she'd miss the tourney. He had though enjoyed traveling on the ship, even if it was dull at times too. It was certainly far more comfortable than traveling by road and the cabins allowed for him and Wynafred to not have a need to withhold their affections. The sound of their coupling not traveling from the room as much as it may have done from a tent. Robb knew that his wife worried that she'd not fallen with child yet and did his best to reassure her. Constantly telling her that his brother had been married far longer than they had and it had taken him and Margaery some time to bring a babe into the world.
"Your father." she said and he knew that she was speaking of his own birth.
"Was heading off to war, perhaps it was the gods will in case something happened to him, perhaps it was fate or perhaps it was just the way things are, my love. We will be blessed with children, besides, I find I most enjoy the practice." he said making her laugh.
"As do I, my love." she said kissing him and he found as always he thanked the gods and his brother that he'd been sent to White Harbor all those years before.
They arrived at night and so the She-Bear dropped anchor and didn't head into the docks until the next morning. Robb was eager to finally be there and spent the entire time they sailed to the docks on the deck with Arya, Cregan, and the wolves. He could see the sheer amount of ships that had come to the docks as they did so, ships from Dorne and the West flying House Martell's Sun and Spear and the Three-Headed Dragon of House Targaryen, along with the Lion of House Lannister.
"Look it's Jae." Arya said excitedly and he looked to see his brother standing on the dock, Robb shaking his head as they saw that while he was greeting them himself it was not as the king, his brother had found a way around the protocol after all.
Eastwatch/Queenscrown 300 AC.
Benjen Stark.
He stood on the docks at Eastwatch, Tormund, and Val with him and Benjen looked out at the large number of ships that headed their way. The letter had come to him in Queenscrown, telling him that his nephew was now a father and he was granduncle to the next Queen of the Seven Kingdoms. The Princess Elia of the House Targaryen and Benjen had wished for nothing more than to head to King's Landing to see her for himself. That Jae had named him for the mother of his brother and sister, a woman who he'd told him had named him her son even though she had no need to do so, was something that he felt apt. Naming her as his heir, while some may take issue with it, to Benjen it only proved that Lyanna lived still in her son, her spirit lived on and would never die.
So he had wished to make his way to King's Landing and he knew that Val would have joined him, Tormund probably would have joined him had he asked it of him. Yet the news of the birth of Jae's daughter wasn't the only news the letter contained, the other part of it was the reason he stood here now and waited for the ships to dock. The Company of the Rose was coming home, coming back to the North for the first time in more than three centuries. How his nephew had managed it was beyond him, as were most things that Jae did.
"Can we trust these fuckers?" Tormund asked as the first ship docked.
"Do you trust, Jae?" he asked seeing the smile that appeared on Tormund's face.
"Aye, I do."
"Then you can trust these men. They are warriors Tormund and we need warriors." he said as Val looked at him.
"To fight with or against us, Benjen?" Val said worriedly.
"Jae would never send us men he feared would fight against us, Val." he said to a nod.
When the men walked down the gangplank Frost ran to one of them. Benjen looking on as the man and his companions stared in awe at his Direwolf and then he held his breath as the man rubbed Frost's head. That the wolf didn't react or take the man's hand was as good a sign as any and he saw the relieved breaths that both Val and Tormund took. Both of them had put even more faith in Frost's acceptance than he did.
"Benjen Stark, acting Lord of Queenscrown." he said stepping forward, ignoring the chuckles that came for his companions.
"Torrhen Snow, Commander of the Company of the Rose." the man said and Benjen looked past him to the others with him, seeing them almost take in the lands they were in as if it was a place they'd not believed in.
One of them knelt and touched the ground, another was taking in deep breaths and the last of them was turning around slowly, looking at the Wall, the small village, and the trees in the distance. He swore he could see some glistening in their eyes though he put that down to the cold and the wind more than anything else.
"Forgive my men, Lord Stark, long have we waited for the White Wolf to call and for the time to come when we would walk in the North once more." Torrhen said.
"There is nothing to forgive, Torrhen, and call me Benjen." he said and Torrhen nodded "My wife, Val and Tormund Giantsbane, Torrhen, both like myself of the Free Folk." he said looking at the man to see if there was any anger or annoyance at the presence of Wildings.
"The White Wolf let them pass?" one of the other men said, curiously though not angrily.
"Aye, the threat we face is one that all are needed for." he said before Val or Tormund could take offense where none was meant.
"Then it seems that we are not the only ones who are where they should be." Torrhen said and Benjen looked at him curiously "My other commanders, Brandon, Artos, and Hugo Snow."
"Well met." he said and saw the men nod.
It took some time for each of the ships to dock, Benjen stunned not only by the number of men but by the supplies they had. Each of them was armed with Dragonglass, but they also had cartloads of supplies, something that he was most grateful about. Jae had seen his people were well provisioned and over time the hunting and fishing had added to their stores. They didn't have much to spare though and certainly not enough to feed the Company's men. So he was glad that it seemed they'd brought their own or that Jae had seen it done. Benjen finding out later it was a little of both.
They set up a temporary camp while the ships were being unloaded and then set off after less than a week. He was awed by how the Company moved, simply awed by the difference between a professional soldier, a man called to arms, and the Free Folk themselves. This difference was clearly apparent in everything the men did. When they'd set up camp, they'd so far quicker than he and Val would their own tent. They'd rise early and march even when he wished to stop, covering the ground in much less time than he'd expected. He was sitting with Torrhen and the others around the fire, less than two weeks into their travel when they first truly spoke on things.
"Why did your men stay in Essos, Torrhen?" he asked as Val and Tormund looked on with interest.
"We had to wait for the call, Benjen, for the White Wolf to rise and call us to arms. The Company was not set up to take part in the fight for thrones, not even to see the North fight off against its enemies, though we played our part in that often enough." Torrhen said to laughs "We were set up for the true fight, the true war, the only war that matters."
"The Great War." Tormund said softly.
"Which is soon to be heading our way. We'll fight because the White Wolf called us, we'll fight because Brandon Snow formed us to do so, we'll fight and we'll win or we'll die. Be it to the last man or should we all be lucky to come through this alive, we'll fight with any who'll fight by our side." Torrhen said looking to Val and Tormund and nodding.
They soon reached Castle Black and only he and Torrhen, as well as Frost, rode into it. Benjen looking at the wary looks that were on his former brother's face as they looked to Torrhen, him too though for now, it was Torrhen that took their attention. Benjen was not surprised at that as he imagined tale had spread of the army of men that marched through the Gift. Jeor stood on the balcony looking down at them when they dismounted, Benjen, Torrhen, and Frost all walking up the stairs to speak to him once he sent Stannis Baratheon to fetch them.
"I'd not thought to see you, Benjen." Jeor said the moment they entered his rooms.
"I felt it was for the best that you heard it from me, Jeor, lest tale spread and worries take hold."
"Hear what?" Jeor asked.
"The man with me is Torrhen Snow, Lord Commander of the Company of the Rose" Benjen said to gasps from both Stannis and Jeor.
"Essos, I had thought you and your men refused to leave Essos?" Jeor said and Torrhen nodded.
"We did, but the White Wolf has called Lord Commander, and the Company has answered. My men and I will find ground to set up, we'll begin to make our preparations for the war to come. I fear we may not have long to wait for it." Torrhen said forebodingly.
"You fight against the dead?" Stannis asked.
"We fight for the living and to protect the North, we fight for the White Wolf." Torrhen asked and he saw Jeor nod, a small smile on the man's face.
"Then I welcome you on behalf of the Night's Watch, send word to us when you're settled and let us know where, so should our paths cross we'll know they do so as allies and not enemies." Jeor said and Torrhen nodded.
Days later they came across an old abandoned fort, the ground was even and there were good trees nearby. A short distance away was a stream that provided fresh water and Benjen wondered why the Free Folk hadn't taken it for themselves. The strange thought came to his mind that perhaps they were never supposed to, that this ground was always supposed to be for the Company of the Rose. It was a feeling that was only further given credence when Frost began to dig through the ground, Torrhen, he, and Tormund running to see what it was that had gotten the wolf so excited.
"That can't be?" he said when he saw Torrhen reach in and take it out, the crown looking as if it had just been put there the day before and not buried for gods knew how long.
"The crown of Torrhen Stark, the crown of the White Wolf." Torrhen said almost reverently.
The crown was wrought from Iron and Bronze and had nine spikes in the shapes of longswords. There were what looked to be runes engraved upon it and the only piece of decoration was the large black stone at its center. Benjen reached out and took it in his hands when Torrhen nodded to him, feeling it almost calling to him in a whisper and then realizing it wasn't calling to him. What he'd heard was Frost and the wolf almost spoke to him in words.
"For the quiet son, for the white wolf."
King's Landing 300 AC.
Margaery.
She knew if she'd asked that he'd do this instead of her, just as she knew that by rights of propriety and protocol he should be here with her. Though to try and get her husband to conform to protocol and propriety was a hard thing to do at the best of times. When he had an excuse such as Elia to keep him from either, there was simply no way he'd not take it. The day earlier he'd snuck away from the Red Keep to welcome his family to King's Landing, he'd actually snuck and did so not as a king but as a brother, she thought with a smirk. It was one that wasn't on her face for long as she looked to see the falcon lord move her way.
"Lord Harrold Arryn, your grace." the herald said.
"Your grace, Princess, Lord Aurane, I am most honored to have been invited to your wedding, princess and I wish you and Lord Aurane nothing but good fortune. You too, your grace, and I offer my sincerest congratulations on the birth of Princess Elia." Harrold said and though his words were polite and friendly, his expression or his true reason for being here was anything but.
"I thank you Lord Arryn for your warm wishes to my goodaunt and to myself and my daughter." she said with a forced smile and was glad when he stepped away.
Though she understood the game and how it was played, a part of her had hoped that she and Jae wouldn't need to play it as other kings and queens had. She'd hoped that given they carried such a large swathe of the realm with them even before they'd taken the throne, and that her husband had dragons, it would stop these silly and pointless little plots. Perhaps it had and perhaps it was just that Harrold Arryn was a fool, but it annoyed her greatly that despite the chances he'd been given, he still sought more than he deserved and plotted against Jae and their family.
She looked to Ser Richard Lonmouth and saw him nod, Margaery then looking to the others who'd arrived today. Lady Shireen was good and true and her own greeting had been a most welcome one, and while she wasn't completely certain of Lord Renly, he was a very much changed man than the one she'd known before. His time in the black cells, and the loss of his love, had left him weaker both in body and in spirit and he seemed relieved that his House had kept as much as it had. Watching as the Falcon looked at them both, Margaery hid her smile and schooled her face, the man was soon to learn that falcons may fly but dragons ruled the skies.
When the time came for luncheon she was happy for the break as were the others. Dany headed off with Aurane and her aunt, while Sansa and Mira followed after her as she hurried back to her rooms. She sent a servant to bring her meal to her and almost rushed in through the door once she got there, so eager was she to see Jae and their daughter. The sight that welcomed her was one that soon had her swallowing the lump that came to her throat and she moved to lay down beside her husband and their daughter almost without knowing she'd done so.
Jae was laying on his back, the indigo dragon rested its head on his shoulder as he held Elia in his arms with their daughter's head resting on his other shoulder. The words he sang were so soft, so quiet that she could barely hear them.
I see trees of green
Red roses too
I see them bloom
For me and you
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world
I see skies of blue
And clouds of white
The bright blessed day
The dark sacred night
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world
The colors of the rainbow
So pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces
Of people going by
I see friends shaking hands
Saying how do you do
They're really saying
I love you
I hear babes cry
I watch them grow
They'll learn much more
Than I'll ever know
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world
Yes, I think to myself
What a wonderful world
Margaery reached out to touch them both, her hand stroking Elia's back and then her husband's cheek. She kissed them softly, first her daughter and then Jae, seeing his eyes close and feeling his breathing as calm as she'd ever heard him before. He was happy, content, she'd felt it with him more than once and he'd told her that he'd only ever truly felt it with her, Joy, or with Rhaenix. It made her so very happy that he felt it with their daughter too. Moving to him so he didn't fall asleep she helped him lay Elia down on the bed, and then watched as Ghost climbed up on the other side of them. The white wolf forming a protective barrier so that their daughter didn't fall from the bed.
"Sleep my loves, both of you." she said softly and felt him nod. Margaery rising from the bed to take her lunch which she did at the table in their bed chamber so that she could watch them both before she had to leave.
The good cheer and humor she brought back with her when she went to the Throne Room were all too soon a thing of the past. Margaery barely heard the gasp from Sansa before the woman was standing in front of them. Her clothes marked her out as a Septa and yet her words were anything but words of a faithful and pious woman.
"This cannot be allowed to stand, it's bad enough we have a heathen bastard for a king, we're now to see a bastard marry a princess of the realm, no, brothers, sisters, no I say. In the name of the Warrior, I charge you to take arms and to form the Warrior's Sons once more. Just as those wretches who've been bought and paid for by this heathen king, should now re-form the Poor Fellows. We must rise, we must rise and see that bastards learn their true places and that the realm knows the truth of them. They are lustful and spiteful creatures, none more so than a king who'd see his own aunt married to a bastard just like him." the woman said loudly as the guards moved to her.
"Remove this woman and have the High Septon summoned to answer for her, she has disparaged our great and noble king and has dared to pour scorn on my goodaunt's betrothed. You Septa have brought shame upon the Seven this day, shame." Margaery said angrily.
The rest of the greetings were called off and Margaery moved to Dany upon seeing her upset only for Tyrion and Princess Arianne to do so before she could. She looked to Sansa who looked aghast and yet there was recognition there too, Margaery asking her to speak to her while she tried to compose herself.
"You know this woman, Sansa? She asked.
"I do, your grace, to my great shame I do. Her name is Mordane and she was my mother's and mine own Septa." Sansa said almost tearfully, Margaery moving to her and embracing her to show her that she had no reason to be shamed by what someone else had done.
"She and Jae?" she asked and felt Sansa's shaking of the head, her upset not allowing her to speak true words "She'll be dealt with, this is nothing to do with you, Sansa. It's the last remnants of your mother's hatred for Jae, something that none of us can be blamed for, only herself."
Margaery had calmed somewhat by the time she reached her rooms, though she was glad to see that Jae was still asleep as she took her seat at her desk and thought about what she was going to do to such a hateful woman.
King's Landing 300 AC.
The Wedding.
Dany.
She had worried that Tyrion wouldn't make it, or that something would happen which would cause her to delay, postpone or even call off her wedding day. The closer she got to it the more certain she was that something would occur which would stop her and Aurane from being together. But Tyrion had arrived, others that she and her nephew wished to be here to see her day had arrived. Her dress had been ready on time and the people of the city had cheered her each time she'd been seen by any of them.
It had made her think that there wasn't anyone who didn't wish to see her wed. Lord Monford and Laena his lady wife had both welcomed her as if she was already a member of their family. Aurane's nephew Monterys looked at her as if she was from another world, due in no part to Ellagon. The boy was excited with the thoughts of her joining their family as it meant he could squire for his uncle and foster at Draognstone, something she'd agreed to without hesitation. So she'd not expected it when the Septa had said such words, not even her brother's words that it was more about the woman's feelings towards Jae had made her feel any better.
She didn't believe the words, she knew Jae wouldn't also but she feared that the woman was speaking for the Faith and that it was the Faith who would put a stop to her wedding. That they would do as the woman said and rise up, just so they could ruin her day and her dreams. Jae had been furious, the High Septon had been summoned, and only that it was Margaery who'd dealt with the man and not her nephew, or she'd have had no one to officiate her wedding in the Great Sept. It had relaxed her though, knowing that no matter what, Jae would have seen her married on the day she wished, with or without the Faith. It was to be with as the High Septon had come to speak to her and Aurane and made his and the Faith's position clear.
"Septa Mordane does not and did not speak for the Faith, my princess. While there are some amongst our Septas and Septons who may look down on someone because of their birth, I do not, and most of us hold to the teachings of the Mother. All children are innocent in the eyes of the Mother, my princess, no matter which side of the sheets they are born on. His grace and your future husband are both among the many examples of that." The High Septon said.
"So you're not just marrying us because you fear my nephew's wrath or the dragons?" she asked curiously.
"Only a fool would not fear both, my princess." the High Septon said with a laugh "But you can rest assured that it is not the reason, it is my honor to officiate at a wedding of a princess of the realm, and of your own even more so."
"Mine why?" she asked.
"I was lucky enough to have met your mother once, Princess, a true queen and you are the very image of her, both in looks and in spirit."
It had calmed her nerves and allowed her to concentrate on the fact that she was to be wed, to be married to a man she loved, and that it was almost time to do so. She stood by the looking glass, her reflection one that she barely recognized. Though she wore dresses and was comfortable in them, her usual attire was more a combination of things. Her time with Sandor had been filled with the wearing of britches and of more comfortable rather than pretty clothes, but both Shiera and Missandei had come up with a way for her to wear something that worked as a little of both. An open dress that allowed her to wear britches and yet look a princess too and it was something she most enjoyed dressing in. What she had on now though was perhaps the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen, let alone worn.
"His grace." she heard her Missandei say and she turned from the looking glass and saw Jae standing there, his own outfit similar to the one he wore his own wedding and at Tyrion's.
"You are a vision, aunt, a true vision, trust me I know I've had more than one." Jae japed making her laugh as he sought to put her at ease.
"I…"
"Dany, truly the realm has not seen the likes of you in many a year. A princess of the blood who is a Dragonrider and who is marrying for love. Were your dress not so incredibly beautiful and were you wearing rags, then event that wouldn't stop you being a vision this day. Your smile, your happiness, you glow, Dany, you shine like the brightest sun." Jae said and she felt her smile win out over her tears for now at least.
"Take me to my husband." she said determinedly and Jae nodded before moving to take her arm.
She smiled at Sandor and Belwas, at Grey Worm, and at Ser Bonifer as they made up her honor guard. The knight looked at her and Dany found herself having to turn away as the tears she saw in his eyes made her own threaten to fall. It was to be in a carriage that she rode and Jae was to ride with her. Her nephew had suggested that Aemon or even Ser Bonifer be the one to lead her to Aurane, even though as king and head of their House it was him that should do so. He'd asked her if she'd wished for someone else, Sandor even being suggested and she'd told him no, it had to be him, not just because of protocol, but because she wished it so.
When they reached the Great Sept, Jae helped her out of the carriage and then led her up the steps, Dany hearing the cheers of the smallfolk as he did so. They cheered for her, for Aurane, for Jae and Margaery too, and even for Elia, the newest princess was already a firm favorite of those who lived in King's Landing. Yet today it was mainly her name and that of her mother that was being cheered. Dany feeling a lump in her throat at that and at what Jae said to her when they reached the doors of the Great Sept.
"She's with you, Dany, she's with you in your heart and one day she'll be with you for true. One day you'll bring your husband to meet her, your own babes. One day she'll hold you in her arms and tell you how much she loves you and how very proud she is of you. For today, I'll have to suffice." Jae said as he hugged her and spoke the words and Dany found herself both wishing for that day to come and happy that this one was here.
Sandor.
There had been few times in his life when he'd let tears fall from his eyes. Despite at times feeling a sense of overwhelming sadness, or being in pain, or simply feeling that the world was a pointless place, there had been few times he'd actually let the tears flow. Today he found himself wiping his eyes more than once, seeing her, watching her as she walked towards the man who'd soon be her husband. Seeing the sheer happiness on her face Sandor felt them flow and for once he didn't wipe them or turn away so he couldn't be seen.
She had been an annoying little brat at times and yet the happiest days of his life had been spent with Dany, with his sister. A heart that he'd thought broken and incapable of love and caring had been opened by her, opened completely and fully, and then filled with something he'd never thought he'd know. Dany had wormed her way deep inside of that heart and had made herself right at home and Sandor found he couldn't imagine what it would feel like without her there. They'd laughed, fought, swore, eaten, and annoyed her aunt together. Over miles and miles in a land that he'd never had a wish to set foot in they'd traveled, rested, and ridden together. They'd even sailed together and each moment they'd shared was one he'd not give up for anything in this world.
He'd made friends with people because of her, been given a purpose in a life without one because of her. To see her so happy and so full of joy, almost felt to him as if he'd done the one thing in this world he was meant to do, that he'd been the one thing he was always meant to be. Sandor was born to be a big brother, it was he'd come to find out, his calling. Gregor had stolen that chance from him, stolen her from him and the gods or fate had found it within themselves to give him another chance, another sister and this one he'd not failed.
"She is happy, my friend." Belwas said from beside him.
"Aye, she is."
"We will feast tonight?" Belwas said excitedly.
"No fucking cockroaches." he said not looking at the man.
"Very well, my friend, for tonight Strong will not eat the honeyed locusts that do not fly."
He smiled despite himself, were it not for her then the annoying fucker beside him would not be someone he'd have wished to spend time with. His little sister knowing him far better than he had ever known himself though had ensured he did and he'd found a friend along the way.
Aemon.
To see it in front of him was something he'd never dared wish for until his nephew had come to him all those years ago. His House was not what it once was, but it was well on the way to being so. His nephew was married, the throne firmly in his possession, and their line secured with an heir. Looking to his other nephew he could see that he too would soon be welcoming a little dragon to the world and as for his niece.
Dany was the clearest representation of their house other than Princess Elia. He and Shiera bore the looks of their family, the silver hair and the eyes, but neither of them was true in how they looked. Without his ruby Aemon was an old man, blind and not long for this world, Shiera, he dreaded to think how she truly looked since she was even older than he. Tyrion for all his wit and intelligence was a dwarf and though his nephew was an impressive man who cast a large shadow as Jae would say, he was what he was too. Jae may have been an incredibly handsome young man and he bore the looks of his father and of their house, just not the coloring. No, it was his niece and his nephew's daughter that people would look to and see House Targaryen first and foremost.
So to see Dany wed, to see her marrying a man who bore his own Valyrian traits was something that he welcomed greatly. How they looked defined them as much as the dragons did, it made them stand out, be seen as part but not apart of the realm. That would stand them in good stead in the future. As would the fact that just like both his nephews, his niece too was marrying the person she loved. How long had it been since his House had that luxury he wondered? Their power and looks had always made them desirable and politics had demanded they more often than not had married for that and not for what was in their hearts.
"We are gathered here today, to see Princess Daenerys Stormborn of the House Targaryen marry Lord Aurane Waters of the House Velaryon" the High Septon said and Aemon smiled beamingly as he looked at them both, happy, they were happy, everything else mattered little compared to that.
Aurane.
This day was a dream, one that at any moment he felt he'd be woken from. He was to marry the woman he loved more than he had ever known it possible to love someone. That she was a princess was a secondary thing to that, other than it had made him doubt his worthiness for her hand. No, he doubted it still, not because she was a princess but because she was Dany, simply Dany and she was so far beyond him that he could barely see that high.
She was beautiful., smart, funny, and fierce, as their times in the yard had shown him more than once. Her heart was larger than any he'd ever known, Aurane finding himself wondering if that was something this generation of dragons all shared or was it simply Dany herself. Would she have been this way were her name, not Targaryen, he liked to think she would and that no matter what she'd have been called, Dany would have simply been who she was. He watched as the king led her to where he stood, as Dany was bid to kneel by the High Septon and as the king took off her maiden cloak and allowed him to cloak her in the one bearing his wife's new sigil.
He was not a Velaryon, nor would he ever be one in more than his heart. From today forward he was Aurane Targaryen and the cloak was of their new House. In years to come, it would be worn perhaps by their own daughters, the thoughts of which making his hands shake just a little as he tied it around Dany's shoulders. Aurane felt her shiver under his touch, felt her rise when the High Septon bid her do so and then he was lost a he looked into her violet eyes, just as he had been since the first moment he did so.
When she smiled at him, he returned it eagerly, seeing how her own smile became even fuller when he did so. He took the ribbon from his pocket and wrapped it around their hands.
"Father, Smith, Warrior, Mother, Maiden, Crone, Stranger, I am hers and she is mine. From this day until the end of my days." he said his voice firmer than he'd ever known it to be.
"What the gods have brought together, let no man dare come between. Princess Daenerys, Lord Aurane, you are one heart, one soul, one love, from this day to the end of your days." the High Septon said.
Who moved first he didn't know, but he felt her lips on his own and he cared not, they were married, she was his and he was hers for the rest of their lives and if it was but a dream then he hoped he'd never wake from it.
King's Landing 300 AC.
Jaehaerys Targaryen.
Once again he was being made to leave, made to travel and he hated it so, he knew it was necessary, needed and yet he hated it so. It was hard enough to leave Margaery as it was, to leave his daughter, to leave Elia for even moments during the day was almost too much for him to bear. He knew he'd taken advantage of the fact that Margaery and Jaime were seeing to the realm while he was seeing to the war to come.
His wife had spent as much time ruling as she had with their daughter, simply for that reason. While he felt guilty over it, he also found he couldn't or didn't want to rule. To sit in the Iron Throne and welcome the lords that arrived for Dany's wedding, or to go to Small Council meetings, seemed such a waste of time to him. Time that could be better spent just sitting and holding his daughter in his arms, looking at those indigo eyes that marked her out as a true dragon as much as the indigo dragon itself did. He knew he was meant to use this time to prepare for the war to come and yet it was hard to do that too.
Only the thoughts of what would happen should he fall were enough to make him do what was needed. That it mainly meant seeing the supplies were sent and that his words to the lords and his orders were being listened to and followed, helped somewhat. As did going to Gendry and Tohho Mott to see the armor as it was being made. It had allowed him to bring the indigo dragon to see her larger sister, Rhaenix more than keen to see both it and her niece. Something he'd done with Elia at the very first chance he'd gotten.
"She's beautiful Jae, so beautiful." Rhaenix said as he held his daughter close to her head, Jae smiling when Elia reached out her tiny little hand and it brushed against Rhaenix's snout.
"Elia, Rhae, after your mother." he said and felt her sadness and her joy.
"Thank you, little brother." his sister said softly.
It had almost been the same with the indigo dragon, Rhaenix brushing against it softly while the smaller dragon chirped and asked them both if she'd grow as big as her sister one day. Jae allowing Rhaenix to tell her that she would and that she and Elia would have the skies as their playground. Margaery and others had asked him to name the dragon, that calling her it, or she or little dragon was confusing and that she needed a name. Jae though had refused, she was not his to name and that she allowed him in and spoke to him was more because she was eager to learn as much as she could. It was because she wished to be ready for when Elia would sit on her back rather than a true opening of the door. He hadn't needed to ask her or to explain it to her, the indigo dragon would be named by Elia when it was time, and not before then.
When news had come that the armor was ready, he'd hurried to Dragonstone, both Rhaenix and he eager to see it in action. It turned out to be both a blessing and curse though. As while the armor itself was magnificent, it had then set the course of action that Jae now needed to take.
"It's lighter than I imagined, Gendry." he said as he lifted up a piece of the large expanse of mail.
"Aye, it is your grace. Stronger too." Gendry said and Jae looked on as he took a large war hammer and began to bash it against the mail and yet doing no damage at all.
"What about piercing?" he asked curiously.
"Over here, your grace." Tobho Mott called out and he moved to where the man was standing with some of the mail placed over a straw dummy.
"Try it, your grace." Gendry said handing him a spear.
He did as he was bid and was soon smiling when he saw the armor was unable to be pierced. Jae then took an ax and a sword and even they couldn't breakthrough. Only Blackfyre could do so and he knew then that it was exactly what he needed. It took four men to place the armor on his sister, and Jae had to stay with her looking into her eyes while they did so. When they were done she was covered from head to tail almost, even her wings had mail affixed to them. He worried about how it would affect her flying as did she and so at first she took to the air alone, and then she did so again with him on her back.
"There is no issue?" he asked as he felt no difference.
"It takes some getting used to. I can feel it on me but not any weight." Rhaenix said.
"I think this will keep you safe, for those spears, I think it will." he said and felt she believed him and thought it too.
The bad news came when he landed, Gendry and Tobho telling him the time it took to forge the Valyrian Steel and the amount of blood they'd used, all of it Jae had found to his shock. It would take them moons, perhaps even years to armor all the dragons.
"How much steel did you actually use?" he asked and they told him, Jae doing the sums in his head "Had we used the steel I gave you, had we melted it down, would it have been enough?" he asked
"I believe so your grace." Tobho replied.
"Were you to melt it down and to forge it from that, how long would each dragon take?" he asked.
"Rhaenix is the size of almost two of the smaller dragons your grace, Lygaron is smaller than Rhaenix but large enough still. We'd forge enough for the three smaller dragons in less than a moon, closer to two to armor all four." Gendry said.
"Very well, continue to work on forging the Valyrian Steel, just make it into ingots for now." he said and both men nodded "I'll return with more for you to melt down, lots more."
So he'd prepared, the Pinnacle ship had been set to Volantis and would await him there and the time was drawing ever closer for him to take his leave. That it came when it came, could only be an intervention from the gods. He'd been asleep, Dany was due to marry on the morrow and he and Margaery had spent the first part of the night with Elia and her dragon and the second with each other. Both of them happy that the time had come when they could be together once more. Over the previous few days he'd welcomed Robb and his family to King's Landing had introduced them to Elia and had hoped that he'd have more time with them than he did, then the vision came as he slept.
It was simple, direct and to the point, he had to go and go now. The wedding he could attend, the feast only briefly and when he'd told Margaery of it and of the fact that no one could go with him, he'd been worried they'd fight. While it had upset her and had taken the shine off Dany's day somewhat, she'd understood and he'd promised her that he'd not delay and would return as quickly as he could. He'd then put it out of his head and spent the morning with his daughter and the indigo dragon before going to escort Dany to the Great Sept.
The wedding had gone off without a hitch, the crowds had cheered Dany and Aurane as they stood outside the Great Sept and all five of the dragons had flown over their heads. When they'd returned to the Red Keep, he'd welcomed them all to the feast, and Dany and Aurane had been given pride of place. He'd not stayed for more than one dance with his wife and one with his aunt. Jae then making his way to his rooms to say his goodbyes to his daughter having done so to Margaery earlier that day.
"I'll return soon my little dragon, I swear it on the old gods and the new" he said leaning down to kiss Elia's forehead "No, you can't come with me. It's too dangerous." he said to the indigo dragon as he heard Rhaenix outside and ready to land in the courtyard below "Very well, but you do everything I and your brother and sister say." he said to loud happy chirps.
He picked up the little dragon, took another look at his daughter as she lay there before writing a note to his wife. Arthur followed him to where Rhaenix was and he knew the knight wished to come with him, yet on this journey, he or no one else could. The magic of Valyria didn't allow for it, not yet, one day perhaps but not today.
"I'll return as soon as I can, Arthur, we all will and I give you my word, I'll not take any chances."
"Valyria is a chance, your grace." Arthur said.
"Not for me it isn't."
He climbed up onto Rhaenix's back, the indigo dragon buried deep under his shirt, only its head sticking out from the top of it as they took to the skies. Beside him Lygaron, Ellagon, Rhaegal, and Sandorix all flew, the dragons were going home.
A/N: Thanks to all who've read and reviewed, I haven't had a chance to get to the reviews this chapter, will double up for the next. I had to cut a couple of things from this chapter, mainly because they threw off the tone, so Jae's time in Essos and the NK are to come a little later. Up next, we take a look at the wedding night feast before the Tourney readies to begin and Jae's absence is noticed by those who weren't aware of his departure. A Septa is made to pay for past and present indiscretions and a falcon is caught in a trap while we take a look at some of the tourney and Jae flies to Valyria.