King's Landing 300 AC.
Margaery.
She wanted to argue with him, to be angry with him, and to let her anger and annoyance show and found she could not. As much as she wanted him to stay here and not leave her and Elia once again, she had known that this was always going to be something she needed to deal with. Margaery had just hoped to have more time with him and that he would have more time with their daughter. Looking at him as he held Elia in his arms and sat on the balcony looking out on the city, it was clear just how much he wished it to be the same.
It had been her that had received the raven, Jae spending his time with Elia while she dealt with the realm, just as they had agreed she would. A part of her had wished to burn it, to throw it away and ignore it and yet it had been but a fleeting thought. Instead, she'd brought it to him and had seen how his face fell and how his body had slumped as he read it. The words themselves weren't any true indication of just how serious the situation was and had they come from anyone other than who they'd come from then she'd perhaps have not thought too much about them. Margaery didn't understand what it was that her aunt had become, this Three-Eyed Raven that Jae spoke to her about was beyond her thinking. What she did know was that it wasn't the message that would make him take to Rhaenix's back or take him from both their sides, it was the messenger.
That it had taken him a few days to prepare at least gave her time with him and so once again it was left to Jaime to see to the realm and for the last two days they'd rarely left their rooms. Jae only doing so to spar or to speak to Sansa and Joy and to Arya and Robb before they'd left. Even Prince Garin and the Rhoynar had been given little of her husband's time and it showed her just how much Jae feared he'd be away for them for some time. Once again he was taking in as much of them as he could and they'd made love until they were both exhausted more than once over the last two days.
"Look at her, little dragon, Aye, she's to be yours one day. See how she's showing off for you?" she heard Jae say as she stood at the door looking at him holding Elia in his arms while the Indigo Dragon flew by the balcony.
"I know, she's very silly, but silly can be fun too, little dragon, and I wish for you to have all the fun you can. Of course, we'll ride together, we'll ride, we'll fly and perhaps even your mother will join us, rather than watch us from behind the door." Jae said and Margaery chuckled as she moved to him and Elia.
"I was not hiding behind the door." she said and Jae just looked at Elia who she swore had a lopsided grin on her face.
"It seems your protest falls on deaf ears, my love. Our daughter isn't buying it and neither am I." Jae said his own smirk clear on his face.
"You believe me, don't you Ghost?" she said as Ghost looked at her and tilted his head before shaking it from side to side.
The laugh that came from Jae was one of his fuller ones and she looked at him as he moved his finger over Elia's lips, their daughter laughing just as fully she believed. Moving closer to him, she put her arm around his waist and moved her free hand to Elia's cheeks, smiling when their daughter tried to bite her finger.
"She can't be hungry again." she said looking at Jae.
"No, I think she just likes to bite things, it's the Dragon in her, or maybe the Wolf, or maybe it's the Rose? My wife was a biter when she was but a babe after all." Jae said and she shook her head as she laughed.
"I was not, who told you such things?" she said laughing still.
"My goodmother and I speak quite often when she joins me in watching over this one. Quite a conversationalist your mother is when she wishes to be, especially when it comes to her children. I never knew that Loras used to crawl along through the maze and eat the leaves of the bushes." Jae said and Margaery burst out laughing, the image now clear in her mind and one she couldn't seem to make go away.
Had it not been for the Indigo Dragon landing on the balcony and Jae bringing Elia over to her she could rub her head, then she perhaps wouldn't have been able to compose herself so quickly. When he came back to her, they walked into the room and she'd only taken a few steps when she began laughing again. The image of Jae and her mother sitting and gossiping was one that she found incredibly amusing.
"Your mother is a giggler, just like you, little dragon, Aye." Jae said and she heard his own laugh when she punched him gently on the arm.
He handed her Elia before he moved to the door and she heard him asking for their meal to be brought so they could break their fast. By midday, he would be in the air and heading to the Isle of Faces and so they'd woken when Elia had and had gotten up and dressed far earlier than they normally would. When the meal came though she barely ate much of it and saw he was doing the same. Only the reproachful look on her face making him actually finish it.
Elia dozed off an hour or two later and after she had placed her in her crib, Margaery reached her hand out and led Jae back to their bed. The two of them laying down on their sides and looking at each other face to face.
"I don't want to go, Marge, gods forgive me but I don't want to go. I want to tell the world to go away, to leave me alone, and not ask of me more than I can give. I fear I don't have it in me, that my heart can't take it and each time I'm forced to leave I lose a piece of myself." he said as she brushed his hair from his face.
"I don't wish you to go any more than you want to, Jae. I feel we've only just been reunited and now you must leave again. Just watching you with her, seeing you as you speak to her as if you're both in your own little world, a world that only I get to see you both in, it's a boon to my soul and to my heart. One that I miss each time you're taken from me. We know though why you must, what it is you must do and so I forbear, Elia forbears and so must you." she said kissing his lips.
"When this is done, when it's all done I...you, I...Elia. I want us to travel the realm, to see the people and have them see her. A Royal Procession, to Highgarden and Winterfell, to Sunspear and the Eyrie, Riverrun, Harrenhal, and Storm's End. I want to take her to Summerhall, Marge, and show her the keep that is to be her own." Jae said determinedly.
"Then we shall, we'll introduce her to those she's to be the queen of one day and let them see the princess of our hearts." she said and she welcomed the smile that appeared on his face.
Who kissed who first she couldn't tell, nor who undressed who but she felt his lips almost explore every single inch of her. Nowhere did he not place a kiss upon and then she felt his lips and his tongue where she most wished them to be. She cried out his name and heard him speak her own and then he was inside her. It was different, both of them knowing that they'd not see each other for gods knew how long and she felt his need and matched it.
She cursed the gods that she'd slept afterward and when she woke he was already up and dressed and was saying his goodbyes to Elia who still slept in her crib. As she dressed she watched him walk to the balcony and heard his voice muffled though it was as he spoke to the Indigo Dragon and then she heard him come back into the room. When she walked out from their bed-chamber, he was kneeling down and speaking softly to Ghost, his armor already on and a sack resting on the desk.
"Is it time?" she asked her voice sadder than she meant it to be.
"Aye, it is." he said moving toward her.
The kiss they shared was one neither wished to break from and in the end, it was him and not her who did so. Jae looking at her and she could see there were tears in his eyes which she wiped away as best she could.
"I will come back as soon as I can, I've taken the Glass Candles and left your own. I..made this for you and I carry one with me here." he said touching his hand to his breastplate and over his heart, as he handed her the drawing." I love you both, more than anything in this world, I love you Margaery, though no longer is it Just Margaery who has my heart." he said and she laughed despite how sad she felt.
"And I no longer love Just Jon, come back to us, that's all I ask, come back to us as quickly as you can." she said and he nodded before he kissed her once more and then walked from the room.
She looked at the drawing in her hand and lost the battle with tears that she wasn't even aware she was fighting. It was the three of them, her, Jae, and Elia and they were standing in front of the Three Singers. Jae was holding their daughter in one arm and his other was wrapped around Margaery's shoulder as he showed Elia the place they'd been wed.
The Isle of Faces 300 AC.
Jaehaerys Targaryen.
How he managed to walk from the room and through the keep without looking back or running back to them both was beyond him. Behind him, Arthur followed and said nothing and when he saw Jaime standing ahead of him it almost made him want to run and have him tell him not to go. Instead, his father by choice spoke to him only briefly. His words offering him comfort where before he had felt none.
"I'll look after them both, go and do what it is you must, and don't worry about anything here, we have this, I have this." Jaime said as Jae looked at him and nodded.
They rode to the Dragonpit, he, Arthur, Ser Richard Lonmouth, and some guards. Jae barely listening as Richard told him that the orders he'd sent to the lords had been followed and preparations were being made as per his instructions. He listened a little more as he was told that Prince Garin had made a friend in Oberyn and that both princes enjoyed each other's company. There was something about Loras that he didn't hear properly because as Richard spoke, Jae saw Rhaenix flying over their heads.
When they reached the Dragonpit he spoke to his Master of Whisperers about what else he needed to be done while he was away. They were words that he knew he'd spoken to him before and Richard just nodded and didn't seek to tell him that he'd already been aware of them. Then almost in a daze, he climbed onto Rhaenix's back and once Arthur was settled in behind him, they took to the sky. He hoped to be on the Isle of Faces while daylight still remained and found to his dismay that he would not be. Night was falling as the God's Eye came into view and so once he'd made sure there was no one around for miles, they landed near a copse and made camp for the night. He'd no desire to spend the night on the Isle of Faces for some reason. The magic of that place feeling unwelcoming to both him and Rhaenix and so he sat with Arthur by the fire and after some time he finally spoke more than a few words.
"Did you truly knight, Cregan?" he asked as they sat by the fire.
"I did, he earned it and I know he wished it to be by my hand." Arthur said and Jae nodded.
"Aye, he earned it, I wish I could have seen the melee."
"He was unlucky, were it anyone other than Arryk he faced he may have won." Arthur said as he took a bite of the dried meat they'd brought with them.
"I fear this won't be the end of our journey, Arthur, that from here we'll be sent on further." he said after a few moments of silence.
"Did the message suggest so?"
"No, it's just a feeling I have. Since I read it and while preparing to leave, I've felt as if I'll not see Margaery or Elia for some time and that things are changing. The war is almost upon us Arthur and though I wish it here and done with, there is a part of me that wishes it would not come." he said as he looked into the fire.
"Your father, in some ways he felt the same when he spoke of your grandfather and discussed what needed to be done. While he and your mother spent most of their time together when we stayed in the Tower, some nights he'd come and speak to Oswell and me and he'd speak as you are now." Arthur said and Jae looked at him almost eager for more.
"At the end, when the time came and he knew he had to leave and fight. When he knew there was no other choice, was he reluctant?" he asked, his voice soft and barely carrying in the wind.
"He had no wish to go, Aye, that's the truth of it. Like you're saying now he wished the day not to come, but come it had and so he went." Arthur said as he looked off into the distance.
"Do you think he knew?" he asked his voice shaky.
"Knew?"
"That he'd not see my mother again? Do you think he knew that then or that when he left the Red Keep and when he left Elia, Rhaenys, and Aegon? Do you think he knew it was for the last time?" he asked, not noticing the tear that fell from his eye.
"No, he believed he was coming back, Jae, in his heart he believed it and that he'd see you born, see Rhaenys and Aegon grow, he believed it. Though it was not to be."
He said no more and drank some of his water, his food left untouched as he got up and walked to where Rhaenix was laying down. She was asleep and so he lay down beside her, his arm touching against her scales and the armor that covered her. There were no dreams that night and he woke up refreshed and in a far better mood the next morning. Arthur was still asleep and after Jae had spent an hour or so doing some shadow sparring to loosen his muscles, he then woke the knight and they broke their fast.
They landed on the Isle of Faces moments after they'd taken off. Malora and Leaf were already waiting for him and he saw some of the other children as they seemed to be at play. It relaxed him a little more and yet the expression on Malora's face worried him as he followed her into the cave they now called their home.
"There is much you must see, my prince." Malora said and he nodded to her as she led him to the back of the cave.
The roots of a Weirwood were everywhere he could see, the sheer size of them and the amount they covered staggering him. Malora brought him over to one of them and they were soon joined by Leaf who carried something red that smelt awful on a plate in her hands. He looked at them both and it was clear that he was meant to eat it and he shuddered at the idea of it.
"What is it?" he asked as he took the plate from Leaf.
"Weirwood paste, my prince, to help you see." Malora said.
"The Night King?" he asked and Malora nodded.
He ate and almost gagged at the taste and then once he was done, Malora led him to one of the exposed roots.
"You have your own gifts and have seen more than most, my prince, but it's time for your eye to be opened fully." Malora said.
"My eye?" he asked.
"Your Third Eye, my prince, the one in here." Leaf said as she touched her hand to his forehead.
"Take a hold of the root and close your eyes and then seek him out. Find him, my prince, find him and see that which he wishes to hide from you." Malora said as he did as she asked.
For a long time, he saw nothing, there was no sign of the Night King or anything else. It was just darkness, blackness and he could hear Rhaenix telling him that they should leave this place. When it came to him it almost forced his eyes to open such was its brightness and he realized he was now flying in the sky. It wasn't warging and yet it felt almost the same as he moved through white skies and flew over white lands.
They marched beneath him, an army that stretched for miles all around, larger, far larger than what he'd faced at Hardhome. Men, Giants, beasts, and those that were none of these things. Creatures of ice who rode on horses that were dead, on elks, deer, stags, and even on Direwolves. Leading them riding an elk of a size he'd never imagined they could grow to, rode the Night King and he felt his eyes look up at him.
Yet he could not see and Jae could see the confusion on his face as he turned his head back from the sky and faced forward once more. He saw the water, the sea, the Wall looming in the distance and he watched as the Night King climbed down off his mount. Jae looking on as he knelt down and as he began to sing, the ground began to shake.
Spears flew through the air and a dragon fell, Its golden scales soon turning white as the Night King laid his hands upon it, and then he too was a Dragonrider. Jae looked on as flames were replaced by ice and men froze rather than burned. He watched as the sun fell from the sky and darkness replaced light, as men fell only to rise again and as he cut through dead things and White Walkers alike only to find no sign of his quarry. Where he was the Night King was not, where he looked the Night King was hidden from him and though he cut down the army that faced him, it soon grew ever more strong.
The light on his sword dimmed as more and more of them came his way and he looked on in horror as one dragon became two, two became three, and as finally all five dragons now belonged to him and not to those who'd brought them into the world. He saw it then, what he'd not seen before, he saw it and he knew it to be true and as he opened his eyes he smiled.
"My prince?" Malora asked.
"The future is unwritten. I've seen what tale he'd like to write, but the future is unwritten and this is my song and not his." he said as he rose to his feet.
He told them not to look beyond the Wall anymore, to not seek him out or let him find them. Their task was to keep him blinded for as long as they could. As he climbed onto Rhaenix's back and they headed North, he felt far different than he had upon leaving King's Landing. In the Land's of Always Winter the man with one eye had once sought to be a king but Jae had a Thousand Eyes and One and he was born to be king.
Winterfell 300 AC.
Ned Stark.
He sat at his desk in his solar with the raven's scroll in his hands that had come from Robb to let him know that he, Wynafred, Arya, and Cregan were on their way back to the North. He'd missed having his son here as Robb had been taking on more and more duties. While Ned was Warden and Lord of Winterfell, he'd found he'd much appreciated having someone to help lighten the load. Robb had skills and talents that he did not and he had taken over the books and finances which allowed him to do things that he was far more comfortable with.
Not that Elle didn't help him just as much, his wife's skills complemented his own and Wintertown especially had benefited from some of her suggestions. Having Robb here though allowed for him to travel if need be, to go and visit some of his bannermen and it had allowed for him to see the Free Folk settled far more easily than may otherwise have been. He'd been relieved at that and at how well the Greatjon had gotten on with them when they'd traveled to Queenscrown. The Umber lord telling Ned when they'd left that he saw them as people just the same as he did his own and that with Benjen there he felt they'd live up to their agreements.
Ned had much enjoyed seeing his brother and seeing that he was a far happier man than he'd been in many a year. The thoughts of him married and perhaps one day having a family of his own were ones that made him feel even more certain that it had been a mistake to allow him to go to the Wall. As for Queenscrown itself, hearing what his nephew had done left him amazed. It made him wonder would he have ever have learned to do such a thing if his life had been the one he'd once wished for him and he was almost certain that he would not.
"Ned, Ned." he heard Elle say as she came almost bursting into his solar.
"Elle, Rickon, is something wrong?" he asked rising to his feet.
"No Ned, the King, the King is here." she said and he looked at her and saw her nod.
He moved quickly from the room, Elle behind him and as they hurried through the keep he saw Rodrik and Vayon coming his way to confirm that the Dragon had been seen flying overhead and had landed just outside the gates. By the time he reached the courtyard, Jae and Arthur were walking towards him and as he went to take a knee he heard his nephew's voice.
"There's no need for that uncle, I'll not hold protocol against you and my visit is not one that was announced."
"Winterfell is yours, your grace." he said, kneeling anyway.
"Lady Jonelle it's good to see you again." Jae said as Ned rose to his feet.
"Your grace." his wife said with a curtsy.
"Ser Rodrik, Vayon."
"Your grace."
"Perhaps we can speak inside, uncle?" Jae asked and he nodded as he bid him follow.
They walked to his solar and as they did so he sent Vayon to organize refreshments. Jae told him that it wasn't necessary but Ned knew that something warm would be welcome, especially since they'd both just been on the dragon. When they entered the solar he saw how grateful Ser Arthur was for the fire and no sooner had they sat down and made themselves comfortable than the servant arrived carrying warm bowls of stew. Ned almost chuckled to himself as he watched both his nephew and Ser Arthur almost devour it and so he sent for more. After they'd eaten another bowl each, he could see that especially in Ser Arthur's case they looked to be far more comfortable.
"It's almost time, uncle, have your men been practicing as I requested?" Jae asked taking a sip from the mug of water in front of him.
"Aye they have your grace, we rotate them in using the Dragonglass, and I have lists here of how many of each weapon we need. For those in Winterfell and for most of the houses in the North." Ned said opening his drawer and taking out the lists to hand them to Jae.
He watched as his nephew read over them and asked for some ink and parchment which he himself got for him. A few moments later, Jae had done the sums and written them out on a raven's scroll. Ned reading it now wrote down in all its simplicity when his nephew handed it to him.
Winterfell 500 spears. 1000 knives. 200 axes. 300 pikes.
Dreadfort 700 spears. 100 knives. 100 axes. 300 pikes.
Karhold 300 spears. 300 knives. 50 axes. 150 pikes.
Last Hearth 400 spears. 100 knives. 300 axes. 200 pikes.
White Harbor. 500 spears. 50 knives. 50 axes. 200 pikes.
Deepwood Motte. 200 spears. 200 knives. 150 axes. 150 pikes.
Jae.
"You've left off half the keeps, your grace, and far more than half the men from each of the great houses." Ned said surprised at the numbers.
"With the Free Folk, the Company of the Rose, the men I send from around the Realm, and other allies I believe we have the men uncle. I don't want to use every man in the North and before this fight comes there are many preparations to be made, including those should the worst happen. I need men of the North to ready the North to be evacuated and to guard its people should they need to leave." Jae said and Ned looked at him worriedly.
"You think we'll lose?" he asked nervously, thoughts of Elle, Rickon, Robb, Bran, Arya, and Sansa in his mind.
"We will win uncle, but what that victory looks like I do not know. I know in the end we'll prevail but I'll take no chances. If the entire North needs to be evacuated and only fighting men and women left then that's what I intend to do. Land doesn't need to be held, keeps don't need to be held, people, uncle, the living against the dead. The only thing that matters is there must be more of us than them at the end of this." Jae said and Ned nodded.
"We can set up places for our people to gather, your grace, for those who can march south and those who cannot…"
"Will have ships to take them to safety, mine own, the Pinnacle's and Asha Greyjoy's." Jae said interrupting him and catching him by surprise.
"The Iron Born, you'd use them?" he asked.
"Asha swore her oath of fealty just like everyone else, uncle. She's not her father or her brother and her men are of no use to me in the fight that comes. Should they be needed her longships will help evacuate the North." Jae said and Ned looked at him before nodding.
"I'll stay the night and pay my respects, uncle, can you see that this is sent to King's Landing." Jae said rising to his feet.
"Of course, your grace." he said as he took the paper from the desk.
"I wish I was here for a more pleasant reason." Jae said as he reached the door.
"I'm glad you're here whatever the reason, nephew." he said gaining a smile from his nephew before he left the room.
Jae made his way to the crypts while Ned sent for Luwin and had him send the raven. They feasted him that night though it was clear his nephew's heart wasn't in it. He did however play the harp and sing to some of the ladies' delight. Later as Ned passed his room he heard him speaking in soft tones to what sounded to be his wife and the next morning no sooner had they broken their fast than Jae was off once again.
King's Landing 300 AC.
Prince Garin.
He had never been one for brothels and it surprised him to find himself in one. Usually, he took his pleasure with a willing partner of which there were always many. That Prince Oberyn and his wife both partook in the delights offered was something he found amusing. The prince having told him that among the more proper Lords and Ladies of Westeros what he did had always been a source of great gossip and was frowned upon. Ellaria and Oberyn both left him in no doubt that should he be interested they would be happy to have him in their beds and tempting though it was, he declined. Instead, he found his entertainment between a dark-skinned lovely's thighs, and yet enjoyable though it was, something was missing.
What that was he found out clearly the next day as he sparred with Prince Oberyn, his spear against the prince's own. Oberyn was incredibly fast and his use of spins and turns was a complete contrast to his own far more practical way of fighting. Whether it was that or the fact that for all his experience Oberyn had never been in a true war, it was hard to tell. Only that in the end practicality won over showmanship.
"You wield that spear as if it's an extension of your arm, I doubt any other than the Bold, Jaime Lannister, Arthur, or mine own nephew could give you a true match." Oberyn said as they drank some water.
"What of him?" he asked as he looked over the top of it, the young Kingsguard was sparring with one of the older ones and he realized he was smiling as he watched the boy move.
"Ser Loras, a good blade but not of the quality of the men I mentioned. Though perhaps it's another sword that interests you?" Oberyn said smirking at him.
"He's very young." he said with a chuckle to hide his interest.
"Aren't we all compared to you?" Oberyn said and he laughed fully, the sound of his and Oberyn's laughter ringing around the yard and forcing the object of his affection to look his way.
The boy was on the cusp of manhood, far too young for him, and yet so too was the king and he was married and already had a babe. He was incredibly handsome and were he to let his hair grow a little longer and put some powder on his face then it would be hard to tell him from his sister. There was litheness about him, a grace in how he moved and were it not for Oberyn's eyes watching him as he looked at Loras, then he'd not have been able to take his eyes from him as he got back to his sparring.
He had lunch that day with the queen and as he walked to the rooms she and the king shared with their babe, he saw Loras once again, this time on duty. Seeing him in the white cloak and looking at him as he stood fully alert and ready to strike down any who dared threaten those he was charged to protect did something for him. As did the smile he received from the boy when he told him he was here to see the queen.
"Of course, my prince, I'll let her grace know you've arrived." Loras said his smile beaming as he knocked at the door and as Garin entered the room he felt his eyes on him and caught them with his own.
There was clear interest there and he knew his own expression showed that he too held an interest. Garin felt the loss of the view Loras presented once the door closed and only that the view in the room was just as pleasant, was he able to shake it from his head, for now. The queen sat on the floor, her daughter laying in front of her on her back and the giant white wolf resting its head no more than a few inches from the babe's. She was tickling the babes stomach and which of them was laughing the most was something he couldn't tell.
"Forgive me, Prince Garin. I had thought Elia would be sleeping by now." the queen said as she turned to see him and then went to rise.
"There is nothing to forgive, your grace. If this is an inconvenient time then we can do this later?" he asked.
"It's not if you don't mind sharing me with my daughter, Prince Garin, we can eat and speak if you wish?"
He found the idea most appealing and they ate and spoke and he spent as much time playing with the babe as he did telling the queen what it was she wished to know about how settled his people were and if they required anything. Most of those who'd come with him had already left for the Wall, eager to get settled and used to the conditions. The Water Wizards wished to test out their powers and to see what tactical advantages they could find, long before the battles themselves commenced.
There were only two ships still here, some of the highest-ranking members of his court and his and their own protection. They'd all been housed in a small estate that offered some respite from the sounds and smells of the city. Anything he'd asked for had been provided for him and those with him had explored the city to their heart's content. Though most seemed far keener to travel to Dorne and to see more of the Dornish themselves.
"His grace will be gone for long?" he asked as the plates were taken away, the young princess finally drifting off to sleep.
"My husband's duties are far different to mine own or any king before him, unfortunately, the cost of such is absences where neither he nor I know in advance their duration." the queen said and he could sense in her tone just how much she missed her husband.
"Then I wish him a journey with no problems and a quick return." he said and she smiled at him.
Just after he bid her his goodbyes and readied to leave the room, she almost floored him when she began to speak of her brother. Garin feeling almost ready to make a break for the door when she brought Loras up.
"My brother is most precious to me, Prince Garin. In a way, it was through Loras that I met my husband and he and his grace are brothers by choice." she said her tone far different to the pleasant young woman he'd had lunch with, this was a queen and not a girl who now spoke to him.
"Ser Loras is a brother and son that anyone would be proud of, your grace." he said almost uncomfortably.
"The heart is a very delicate thing, Prince Garin. My brother's has been damaged and has taken time to recover. I'd not see it damaged once more." the Queen said and it was not her own gaze alone that he felt was promising retribution should he hurt her brother, as the white wolf had now stood up and was staring at him with those blood red eyes of his.
"Indeed, your grace." he said not knowing what else to say.
"But I would see him happy, Prince Garin and anyone who made him such is someone who would earn mine and Ghosts." she said rubbing the wolf's head and Garin watched as it leaned into her touch as if it was a pup and not something that could end him in a heartbeat "Goodwill." the queen added.
"A worthy thing to earn, your grace."
"I wish you good fortune, Prince Garin." the queen said, her eyes no longer on him and he watched as she and the wolf moved over to the crib.
As he left the room he knew he'd been warned and while such a thing would never have bothered him in the past or changed his mind whatsoever, it now gave him pause. Hearing the door close behind him, he found himself looking at a pair of golden brown eyes that were looking at him with concern and he wondered if he was just seeking a bed partner for some fun or was it more. Were it to be just that then it was clear the queen and the white wolf would not be best pleased.
"Are you well, my prince?" Loras asked concernedly.
"I am, thank you, Ser." he said as he smiled as reassuringly as he could.
"Do you spar each morning, my prince?" Loras asked.
"I do, Ser." he said, his eyes now locked on the young man's.
"Perhaps I can test your spear?" Loras asked and Garin almost chuckled, as a flirtatious opening line it wasn't a bad one and the look on Loras's face said he meant it as such.
"I think I'd find that most agreeable, Ser, on the morrow?"
"On the Morrow." Loras said that smile now back on his face.
He walked down the corridor, turning back to look and see that Loras was watching him and he knew then it wasn't a simple encounter or a distraction he was seeking. What he was feeling was more than that and where it would lead to, he didn't know. That alone made his heart race just a little, it had been more than a few lifetimes since he'd found someone, anyone, that he'd thought of in this way.
Queenscrown 300 AC.
Benjen.
Life had developed its own routines and he found that while he enjoyed them, he welcomed the changes to them eagerly. There was only so much a man could stand when it came to preparing food stores, fur stocks, seeing that men and women were trained and that peace was kept. For lack of any other way to describe it, he was a lord. Even if Mance was still the King Beyond the Wall, more often than not it was to him that people came with issues.
Not only was he the liaison between his nephew and the Free Folk but between the Northern Lords, the Night's Watch, and them too. There had been no trouble other than one incident where one of the men at the camp near Eastwatch had tried to steal a woman from Rickard Karstark's lands. Benjen had to take the man's head himself in front of the clan who lived there and Rickard and his sons. That it was him that did it had kept the peace on both sides. The Free Folk accepted his word that this would be the end of it and Rickard who was soon to be tied to him through Cregan, was happy to have his kin see the deed done.
The only other true bone of contention was between him and Val and had been a silly argument after he'd found out she'd been taking moon tea. He'd assumed they had been trying for a babe and had found himself almost eager for one. He'd never sought a wife and family for himself but now that he had one, he found he wished for the other. So when he'd found out that she was taking tansy each morning after they'd coupled, he'd been irate. At first, he'd not been able to listen to her reasoning and for a few days, she'd slept alone in their room while he'd gotten drunk with Tormund. The Tall Talker only too happy to take the piss out of him for his stupidity. Eventually, he'd agreed with him and had gone to speak to her, Val making it clear why she was doing as she was.
"There is an army of dead men coming our way, Benjen, a fight that is for our very lives. They won't care if I'm with child or if I have a babe to protect. They come to kill and kill all who stand in their way and I'll not put a babe of ours at such risk." she said softly looking at him.
"So it's not that you don't wish a babe with me?" he asked and she laughed.
"Well you are an ugly fucker and so I'd hope our babe took after its mother and not you." she said and he laughed a little at that.
"Aye, as would I."
"When this is done, when it's won, I want babes, Benjen Stark. I want lots of babes but only then." she said as she kissed him.
"Only then." he said as he looked at her.
It had been a silly fight, though it had at least broken the routine and so in its own way he'd been grateful for it. He rose and dressed and expected the day to be like any other and for the first part of it, it really was. They broke their fast with Tormund who at times spent more time in the tower than either of them did. He and Mance then spent the early morning training the Free Folk according to Jae's instructions. His nephew had told them that this would make fighting the dead easier and would conserve their energy. The lessons of Hardhome had been ones that Jae was keen to learn from.
He was heading back to the Tower with Mance and Tormund when they saw her in the sky. Rhaenix was flying over their heads and for the briefest moment, all three of them panicked until they saw she was doing so slowly.
"Did you know he was coming?" Mance asked and Benjen shook his head.
"What are you two waiting for, the Dragonrider is here." Tormund said smiling as he ran ahead of them.
"Silly fucker." he said to a chuckle from Mance.
Though they hurried they didn't run and they arrived just as Jae and Arthur were climbing down from the dragon's back. Benjen saw his nephew look around for him and then Jae was being grabbed by Tormund who was still speaking excitedly to him when they reached them. He was embraced by his nephew and he noticed the smile on Arthur's face when he embraced him back.
"If he had his way, that's how all greetings would go." Arthur said with a chuckle to Mance as Jae finally let him go.
"Gods it's good to see you, uncle. You too Mance." Jae said and Mance nodded.
"What brings you here, Jae?" Mance said and Benjen swore he saw his nephew's smile grow a little.
"Other than it's here and in my chambers with my wife that are the only places in the world I'm certain to hear my name, you mean." Jae said his smile still present.
"Aye other than that." he said and Jae slapped him on the back.
"Let's speak inside, uncle, Mance. Aye, you too Tormund." Jae said as Tormund wiggled his eyebrows at them.
Rhaenix had already flown off perhaps to eat and Benjen could see some of the youngest of the village looking to the sky. All had seen the dragon but it had been some time since they'd done so and he knew some had while not forgotten, had begun to believe they'd dreamed it. He saw Val hurrying his way, his wife had been fishing and had caught a decent catch which would make a good supper for them all later that night. Dalla stood at the door with her babe in her arms and of it was that which stopped their progress, Jae playing with the little lad before they entered the keep and Benjen could hear the words he spoke.
"Gods he got big, look at him, it's hard to believe he's the same little babe he was when last I saw him." Jae said.
"Most of the children are the same, Jae, it's good land here and food is plentiful. They can run about and not worry and so most of them seem to be growing up that much quicker." Dalla said.
"I'm happy to hear it and you've had no trouble here, the other clans?" Jae asked looking at Mance.
"Are as settled as we are." Mance said and Jae nodded.
They made their way to the common room, it wasn't so much a Great Hall but it was where they all ate and had the most seats. Since none of those who walked with them wished to left out of whatever it was Jae had come here for, it was also the only place they could all fit. Dalla sat beside Mance with their babe in her arms, the young lad fidgeting as he wished to run around the room which she allowed him to do only once the door was closed. He and Val sat with Tormund and he was surprised to see Arthur take a seat next to his nephew.
"I hear I have a grandniece now?" he said once they were all settled.
"Aye, Elia." Jae said smiling beamingly.
"She is well, her and Margaery?" he asked.
"They are, both are healthy. You heard of Cregan?" Jae asked.
"Aye, him and Alys Karstark good match."
"He's a knight now, he, Robb, and Arya came south for my aunt's wedding and for the tourney to celebrate it and Elia's birth. He finished second in the melee, only lost to one of the Kingsguard and Arthur knighted him after." Jae said his pride in his cousin and in his knight clear for all to see.
"Is this why you came, to speak on family, don't you have those crows for that?" Tormund asked confused and received more than one glare from Dalla and Val.
"We do and I wish this is why I came, but no, this isn't the reason." Jae said his tone now much changed "It's almost time, the Night King moves our way and we must be ready for him. I've come to speak on my plans for those who are to fight and for those who are not." Jae said and the jovial mood they'd all been in was soon a thing of the past.
Benjen listened as Jae spoke of how many of the Free Folk that he'd seek to use in the fight. Then of the need to have others hold back to protect those who could not and of a plan to evacuate them all should things turn out to be dire. Listening to his nephew speak of loss and defeat was hard and he could see the worried looks on each of their faces. Though they were soon relieved somewhat when Jae explained that he was making plans just as he had in Hardhome, the difference being that with these they had more time to see they were right.
When they were done speaking, Jae asked him to show him around the village. His nephew was keen to see for himself just how happy the people were in Queenscrown. It was no surprise to him that as soon as he saw a group of children playing he stopped to watch them or that when some asked him about his dragon, Jae ended up sitting with them and telling them tales. As night began to fall they made their way back to the keep and he found he was right, they were all to eat fish that night and the meal and the company was something he enjoyed greatly. Jae asked him to join him at the top of the tower before he went to his bed and Benjen soon found himself looking out on the village and up at the night's sky.
"I'm going to the Wall to speak to the Lord Commander and the Night's Watch to get them ready. I doubt we'll see more than a moon without a fight of some sort, uncle. One more moon of peace and I long to spend it with my wife and babe." his nephew said as he looked over the edge of the tower's walls.
"Can you not?" he asked.
"I'll get some more time with them, just not as much as I wish. When the fight comes though I would hope to end it soon I fear just how long it will take and how many we'll lose." Jae said his voice sounding far older than a boy's of his age had a right to sound.
"Is it doubt you have, Jae? Truly? Do you doubt you can win or is it simply that you're a father now and don't wish to fight?" he asked slightly worriedly.
"I don't doubt I'll win, uncle. I fear losses, gods I fear for those who'll fall and I know people will fall. Since I left the Isle of Faces I find myself seeing those I care for in my dreams, friends, family, people I know. I see them and see some fall and I know nothing I do will protect them all. I still dream of those who fell at Hardhome, Quentyn, Ygritte, Styr,…Walder. I dream of them and though I know it was not my fault, I feel it here." Jae said touching his chest "Here I know the truth of things." he said touching his head "But here, here I…." Je said shaking his head.
He moved to him and hugged him tightly and held him against his chest. As he did so he was struck by how young he truly was. Benjen had been his age when he went to the Wall. A lost scared boy who didn't know his arse from his elbow. Not truly a man yet and one who spent the first year of his time there almost hiding and not understanding anything he was doing. Over time he'd grown and found a place in the world but those first few years he'd been but a lost boy among men.
"Concentrate on those who live, Jae, mourn the dead when it's time and make your peace with that but for now Concentrate on those who live. Look at the light yonder, that's Dwyn's house, he, his four children, and Muna his wife. Over there that's where Marl lives, he and Rana have three children, one was born in this very village. They were at Hardhome, Jae, and they are here because so were you. Mourn the dead when it's time but until then take comfort in the lives you save. The people who live because you do what is needed to be done."
Jae didn't break his fast with them the next morning, instead, he flew to the Wall after telling him that he'd speak to the Company of the Rose before he headed back to King's Landing. Benjen had told him to go and spend as much time as he could with his family, with those he cared about and they'd said their own goodbyes just in case the worst came to pass. They'd spoken on Lyanna and he'd told him that should he fall then he'd tell her how proud he was of her boy, but that he had no intention to fall which brought a smile to Jae's face. Benjen offered up a prayer to the old gods when the dragon left. He asked them to give his nephew the strength to see what was done and if they could, to not take more from him than he had to give.
Beyond the Wall 300 AC.
The Night King.
He felt his power, even all this way away from him he felt his power and he desired it so. With it all would fall, the lands further than here and the people he sensed at the very outer limits of his reach. There had been an expulsion of magic somewhere distant. One larger even than the one he'd felt at Hardhome and it both worried and annoyed him. Hardhome he'd thought was the limit of the boy's power, or to be more precise the limit of what he could do with that power. This use of magic though was far more than that and he found himself sure that it could only have been the boy who'd done so.
It made him keener to see him fall, to bring him down, and to take it from him. So the march had increased in pace and along the way he found himself practicing things that he'd use to gain him his victory. They drained him and yet he had barely scratched the surface of his own power. The worrying thought that he'd not rested long enough coming and being dismissed from his mind. It wasn't that he hadn't rested, it was disuse and inactivity that caused his tiredness. Magic needed to be honed and it had been far too long since he'd used his powers truly.
When he'd struck down his brothers, his sisters, his father, mother, and his people, each day had seen him grow stronger. Not just by absorbing their magic into himself but because of his familiarity with using his own. It had been why when they'd banded together to try and stop him they'd failed. By then he had wielded magic like the most comfortable of blades while they fumbled in the darkness. For too long he'd not wielded it in anger and so now he too had fumbled at first.
The chasm lay up ahead and though he could go around, he would not. He was been driven forward only forward, the light of the boy shining like a beacon at the edge of his mind. To turn away would make that beacon become more distant and so forward he would go. When he reached the chasm those with him stopped, their eyes looking forward but their movements his to control. Walking to the edge of the chasm he looked at the other side in the distance, its distance too far for even he to jump and so he knelt down and he began to sing.
Around him, the snow began to fall and the winds picked up, the storm building as his song was sung. When he was finished it dissipated and he felt himself stumble as his body tired. Sleep, he needed sleep and so he slept for he knew not how long and when he woke he saw it clear. The ice stretched for as far as his eyes could see, the chasm no longer there as ahead of him lay a path of ice that bridged the gap. He climbed up onto the dead elk and they rode across it first, there was no fear, no doubt in his mind that it would hold, and hold it did. It held for him and for those who followed and he led his army further south and felt his destination grow ever closer. He closed his eyes and the birds flew and he now sought answers through their dead eyes.
The Wall 300 AC.
Arthur.
All the journeys they'd taken together had both given him insight and strengthened his feelings for the king. He'd been able to quell any doubts he may have had, had seen things that he couldn't explain or understand, and had watched Jae's struggles and helped where he could. Unlike Rhaegar, his son would speak about things that truly bothered him. True at times you'd have to wait until he was ready to, but he would speak and listen to the counsel that Arthur offered.
Other than with his wife or with Jaime, he had felt that it was with himself that Jae had truly spoken of all that was on his mind. They'd talked about his family, those living, and those who were dead. Jae had asked him questions about things he'd not wished to think about and yet he'd found once spoken aloud they held no power over him anymore. His own doubts and questions about his part in things and what he could have done differently were now questions and doubts he had no more.
This journey was different, it felt different and over the course of it, he'd watched as Jae went through very different emotions. He had been reluctant to leave King's Landing and even Winterfell and in their time at Queenscrown he had at times been despondent. Now as they landed outside the gates and walked into Castle Black, he was only determined. The words that his uncle had spoken to him were not ones that Arthur had heard but the morning after they'd spoken he'd noticed it. As they flew to the Wall and watching him now walk toward the Lord Commander, Arthur found he welcomed it.
"Your grace." Jeor said, Stannis and some others standing by his side.
"Lord Commander, I trust the supplies arrived and all men have practiced in their use?" Jae asked as Arthur looked at the Dragonglass daggers each man wore.
"They have, your grace, we'd not expected you to visit?" Jeor said.
"Time draws ever closer Lord Commander, our enemy marches our way and we must be ready." Jae said his voice firm.
"When, your grace?" Stannis asked.
"A moon, my lord, a little more but a moon or so, and it'll be time. I need access to your ravens Lord Commander." Jae said.
"Of course, your grace." Jeor said and Stannis lead the way up the stairs and into the Maester's rooms.
They didn't stay there too long, a simple message wrote out by Jae and sent to King's Landing and Arthur knew that he'd spoken to the queen already. Once it was done they made their way to the Lord Commander's rooms, Arthur stiffening when he saw Ser Symon Santagar among the group who were waiting for them. The Dornish knight walked over to speak to him and held his hands up as he did so.
"Ser Arthur, is it true about Prince Quentyn?" Ser Symon asked.
"It is, Ser."
"A stupid loss and one that should have been avoidable. I asked to be here, Ser Arthur, to let you know that his grace has nothing to fear from those of Dorne. We know what's coming from us, the tales that Stannis tells are ones we've heard from others now too and I've had more than enough time to make peace with the foolishness of my actions. Despite what his grace or yourself may think I'm glad to be here." Ser Symon said.
"You are?" he asked not convinced.
"What comes for us should it not be stopped here will eventually find its way to Dorne, to Spottswood, and to my daughter. Far better I will be here to help see it stopped long afore then and I'm not fool enough to know that without his grace, I and others won't be able to stand." Ser Symon said with a small nod to him before he walked away and took his place with the others.
It relaxed him some as the last time he'd come here he'd worried about the Dornishmen most of all. His countrymen were a prideful and arrogant bunch and far better they were on your side completely than not. Especially given what was to come their way.
"Lord Commander, I suggest you put watchers on the Wall, here, Eastwatch and the Shadow Tower. The Night King intends to hit in multiple attacks, to stretch our forces thin right at the Wall and to breach at our weakest point. The North, the Free Folk, the rest of the realm, and allies from beyond it will make their way here and here we must try and stop them. If they breach, if they pass us, then he has the advantage and so here is where he must fall." Jae said.
"You heard the king, The Night's Watch was formed to face this threat and face it we will." Jeor said to nods.
"I'll see more supplies are sent and I'd suggest that you begin to move some of your food stocks further south, just in case." Jae said and Jeor nodded "Those of you with families still living should take the time to write to them. I'll see the letters are gathered and delivered when the ships depart after leaving the supplies and reinforcements. I will return by moon's end and mine won't be the only dragon that stands to guard your back." Jae said and Arthur could see the relieved looks on the men's faces.
After the others apart from Stannis and Jeor had left, Jae asked them if they wished to write their own letters and that he'd see personally they were given to their kin. While they did that he and Jae went down to the yard and sparred. Blackfyre against Dawn soon bringing out a crowd and he knew that in time it would be his other sword that Jae would wield.
"Your grace, a word." Stannis said after they were done, the man holding the two letters in his hand.
"Of course, Lord Stannis." Jae said and the man didn't correct his use of his title, even though here he was simply First Ranger.
"My daughter, Your grace, should the worst…"
"Arrangements will be made to evacuate all the realm, Lady Shireen included. I've done so with the North and preparations are being made to do so with every region should we fall. Your daughter is a fine young lady, my lord, one who is kin to me and one that's shown her loyalty is true. She will be treated like the rest of my kin will be, on that you have my oath. Though I say we beat them here and not have to worry, what say you?" Jae said with a smile on his face.
"I say, Aye, your grace. Thank you. For my daughter." Stannis said handing Jae the letters.
They said their goodbyes and flew south, soon seeing the barracks that the Company of the Rose had made out of the old abandoned fort. It was decent but not quite right and he smiled when he saw the look in Jae's eye and when he reached into the sack for the jar with the blood inside of it.
The North 300 AC.
Torrhen Snow.
He loved it, despite its cold and how the wind would chill you right to the bone. Or how no matter what work they'd done to the old fort it still was as draughty as ever, he loved it. As for those with him, not a man didn't wake in the morning and step out into the crisp air and breathe deeply. They were home after three hundred years and even if they were here to face an enemy that none of them could truly comprehend, it mattered not.
Torrhen had woken up early and was pissing against a rock when the dragon flew over his head, he'd almost covered himself in his own piss when he'd seen it. It was huge, its wingspan alone enough to take the fight from most men. Watching it glide through the air as if it was a far smaller thing was only slightly less impressive than seeing the two men on its back and when he saw the armor of the lead one and the white cloak of the second, he smiled. Finally, he would get to meet the White Wolf, the Winter Dragon and he almost ran to where the dragon had landed so he could do so.
He saw Brandon and Artos were both already there and as he arrived so did Hugo. The man in the white cloak he knew as soon as he saw the sword on his back. Ser Arthur Dayne, The Sword of the Morning and a man even he wouldn't test his blade against. As for the king, he was as young as he'd expected given all he'd heard about him and though he was a dragon, Torrhen was as pleased as the rest of them to see the North in him too. While very much prettier than Benjen Stark, it was clear the boy took after his uncle in some of his looks. His hair was dark and hung down lower than his shoulders and his eyes were of a grey that he knew were a Stark trait.
"Your grace." he said stepping forward.
"Torrhen Snow?" the king said, his voice firmer than a young man's would normally be, a king's voice Torrhen thought as he looked at him.
"Aye, your grace, this is Brandon and Artos Snow and the quiet one is Hugo Snow." Torrhen said pointing out each of the others.
"It's true then, you all take the name Snow, an interesting thing considering how it's thought of by some." The king said and Torrhen knew he was speaking of his own experiences when he had been thought to be a Snow and not a Targaryen.
"A good name, your grace, despite what lesser people may think of it." he said and was rewarded with a smile.
"I've been meaning to come sooner, however, my responsibilities have taken me elsewhere and my daughter has only been born which had made me desire to stay by her side rather than be somewhere else. I believed we had more time, but I find we do not. Our enemy marches and will soon be here and I need to know if your men are ready and if you need anything that you don't already have?" the king said and Torrhen chuckled when Brandon spoke.
"Can you fix the wind, your grace, my room has the most terrible of draughts." Brandon said to laughs from his brother and from Hugo.
"Well since you asked so nicely." the king said and Torrhen looked at him curiously "Can you ask your men to leave the barracks, Torrhen, I don't know how this works with people inside and I'd not take the chance that it goes badly."
"Of course your grace." he said shaking his head as he called for the men to do as the king bid.
It took less than an hour for the entire garrison to leave the keep and once they had he, Brandon, Artos, and Hugo looked on as the king moved forward and knelt down on one knee.
"I'd ask you not to look directly into the light." the king said and Torrhen nodded.
The sword was thin and he recognized it immediately as it was just as famous as Ser Arthur's own. Dark Sister had a hunger for blood he'd heard it said and he watched the king feed that hunger as he poured blood from a jar over the blade. Then he and the others listened as the king began to sing a song unlike any they'd ever heard and as a light began to emanate from the blade. He heard more of the song and the sounds of stone moving and then the light begin to dim. When it was fully gone and the blade was sheathed once more, Torrhen looked beyond the king who was rising to his feet and at the old fort.
It was no longer old, its walls looked sturdier, and the old stone wall that was broken and surrounded it was whole once more. He looked to Brandon and to Artos both of who were looking at the king while Hugo had walked over to the wall itself and others had gone towards the buildings they'd taken for their own. Torrhen was torn between joining them and going to the king and for now, it was the latter that won out.
"Your grace?" he asked when he reached him.
"Stonesinging, Torrhen a useful skill I've found. I believe you've something that belongs to me?" the king said and he nodded.
They walked into the largest of the buildings, the keep, for that was what it was now in all but name and he felt it as soon as they'd entered through the doors. There were no more draughts or unplugged gaps in the stone and instead, it looked and felt as if it had just been freshly built and not an old ruin that they'd done some work too. Hugo joined them by the time they reached his solar and he heard him speak to Brandon and Artos about how smooth and firm the stone felt. The brothers touching it for themselves while he walked to his desk and opened up the drawer.
"The crown of Torrhen Stark, your grace, the Winter Crown, A Crown for a King." he said as he handed it to the king who looked at him before he placed it on his head.
A/N: Thanks to all who've read and reviewed: I've done the reviews for chapters 171 and 173, I'll do 172 and 174 next. Up Next as the realm readies to march to face the Night King we take a look around the World of Westeros.
Chapter 173 reviews.
The Spynx: Top work my friend, love it as always.
Dary Dixons: So glad you liked it.
Hkt29: I can see the Smalljon being very similar to how Edmure was in the show. Glad you thought so with the funeral. We'll see some of that with Loras in the next couple of chapters as well as more reaction to the eighth kingdom.
Flame: So glad you enjoyed it.
Vfnsake: They deserve justice after the crap we were given in the show.
Celexys: I hope to answer those questions over the next few chapters before the war is upon us.
Emeralduke: I look forward to seeing people's reactions to Loras/Garin.
Mhaleowen: I like the contrast, it's such an odd pairing and yep once he meets her things will be more to his liking.
Biohazard: So very glad you liked it.
Guest: I with Oberyn/Ellaria I think they'd look and see if there was interest even being married to each other so I kept that in, but nope Loras/Garin is more the thing I'm aiming for. Glad you liked the ceremony with Rhaegar and Roslin's reward. On the Jon/Rhaenys, I'm aiming to update it every Friday until the world is established, so for the next month or so it'll be weekly, then I'll decide from then.
Lady Octarina: I thought it would be so left field that it'll be fun. Garin was 29 when cursed.
Remi: The actual number isn't as big as you think, it's more how it looked, bridges as far as the eye can see was meant to be a figure of speech, so yes there are only about five or six. We'll get a better look at them in a little bit. It would have to be the other way round with Loras/Garin, he can't move to KL no.
Lizziebug: Thanks so very much, really glad you liked it.
Creativo: Los malinterpretas, no son malas noticias que traen sino buenas. Lo veremos más claramente un poco después, pero es la preparation para la Guerra del Amanecer de la que hablan.
Xand 007: Thank you my friend: It's very unstable though although if they could use it right then they would. That's one of the things Jae fears too, those who are about to fall because it's simple, people are about to die. Stay safe and well my friend.
Chapter 171 Reviews.
Tfranco: With Martyn, he just has the edge in age, he's got a couple of years on Ned and so along with his skill it's too much. When both are of age, it'll be hard to tell who's better. Glad you liked the look into the Twins, it's such a horrible place and I really wanted to show that in a way. As for Roslin, I really like her and feel she deserves a decent fate whenever possible. In regard to the Freehold/Rhoynar/Valyria thing, that will be addressed. Garin's thing here wasn't supposed to be him suggesting the Valyrian way of life was right, more that he was wrong to go against them given what it caused him. Jae would never wish to see it replicated and in a way you're right about New Valyria. One of the things I've tried to show with Marge/Jae is that their personalities/sensibilities are what defines them and their reign and so Valyria would be more akin to them than to how it once was.
Daryl Dixons: His temper in a way is always there, he controls it unless it's family-related most of the time.
Flame: So very glad you liked it.
HKt29: Yeah, one of the things that gets me when people change things is that we don't see how those ripples can affect far more than just one person. The changes to Tywin and what it did to Jae pretty much reverberate and so Bran/Kevan end up in far better positions. I think given Tommen's proximity to those around him, it's almost a given that he and one of the younger sand snakes may have a thing. With Martyn again it's like the thing with Bran/Kevan, he ends up watching Jae who's being trained by Jaime and so he seeks to emulate him, is trained by him and he ends up becoming one of the very best there is because of it.
It's a small little mirror to Jae's own progression, where he has this natural talent but circumstances only allow for it to be honed so much, Jae was changed by Jaime and in turn, this leads to Martyn. I didn't want to go too far with Arya/Lyanna just yet, they're small girls and so in time they may be like Dacey and be able to compensate, for now, they can be proud of what they are. In a way, yes, but this is the same with anyone who expands a kingdom, Aegon is pretty much considered a god of sorts.
I wanted to do something different with Rhaegar's body, Walder's problem is his name, the late Walder Frey. He went too late to Robert and feared he'd not be believed so he held back, then didn't reach out to Jae as soon he word came, had he then, he would have been rewarded perhaps.
Vfsnake: He's pissed alright.
Jman: Yep, I wanted that to be the thing with Roslin, to show a reason why she had to get out of the Twins. As for bringing Rhaegar back to life, in a way yes but he doesn't need the body for that.
Emerald Duke: Happy belated birthday. Glad you liked the chapter and a look at some characters we don't see much of.
Biohazard: So glad you enjoyed it.
Celexys: We're getting all the pieces in line for the War for the Dawn, I have some interesting scenes lined up with some of the Faceless men and others.
VdWade: Walder would never have come out directly and gone, give me a match here's the body, he's more subtle than that, but yes he was being a fool.
Remi: One of the things with the magic is that IMO GRRM is leading it this way, the makes a point that magic has been gone until the Dragons return. That their return makes magic more alive in the world. Within the canon and history, most of what I do is there, Valyria, Asshai, Essos, all of it is full of these incredible magical tales. Like just think of the Wall, Brandon supposedly built it with the help of Children of the Forest, Giants, and Stonesingers, it was supposed to be a huge expanse of magic. We have people able to bring the dead back to life, be it in Zombie dead forms like the NK or more human-like Mel/Thoros. It's kind of like there is an age of magic, then none, and then it's starting again. So if you go with that line of thought, it may start off as low fantasy, but by the end, it may very well be just like LOTR which is how I see it.
Guest: Glad you liked it, I really wanted to do something with the Twins and Roslin specifically.
Kyrain: Dany won't be too bothered by Drogo's loss on the faith, for now, they're good. The reason why Jae's kids are more powerful is that he's got pretty much the entirety of the magic of the 40 in his blood, while Dany, Tyrion contain only the blood that House Targaryen always contained. Now Jae's own magic makes theirs more powerful but House Targaryen only had 1/40th of the blood of Valyria and the child dilutes that down even further. Jae had the entire 39/40 and so the magic in his is so much stronger, the reason is that without it the NK is unstoppable and he too has the equivalent magical blood.
Creativo: Será. No es realista que Arya gane, Dacey no puede ganar y, por lo tanto, Arya entrenó de la misma manera, todavía no debería poder hacerlo.
The Spynx: Lovely work as always my friend.
Guest: He has no plans to go to Volantis, but the thing with having the eighth kingdom in Essos it both gives him a foothold, and should it be in danger he'd be forced to act so who knows.
Xand007: Thank you, my friend. Hah, I'd not thought of it that way in terms of the lands beyond the wall, you could be right. The NK has no idea that such a thing is possible, so it may be fun to see, a confused look on his face as the spear falls to the ground lol. I think it'll stick as Covid, but you're right it's funny when you think about it, how is one racist while the other s not?. Stay safe and well my friend.
Silverglow: I hadn't fully committed to the Edmure/Hoster journal thing and I did consider it when Cat was still alive but I think this works better. On Roslin, she would have in time still made the same choice, but Black Walder forced her hand. I think one of the things about burning the body, there are so many different ways you can play it out logically to make it work. Someone on Rhaegar's side stole it and so to gain Robert's favor they told him that it was done when it was not. I mean I doubt Robert actually looked at it burning.
And to quote Red in Shawshank "Seriously how often do you look at a man's shoes" so who really cared as long as a body burned.
As for Chroyane, yes you're spot-on steps will need to be taken.
Lady Octarina: Very much so with Utherydes, glad you liked the meeting we'll see Bran again in a bit.
There are a few different theories, I like to think that they burned a body and said it was his because like you, I don't see any way Robert and even Jon A would allow it. Robert would want the head on a spike and Jon A I don't think would care enough to stop it. So I like to think someone said it was burned and where it is, we'll never know. As for Roslin, she's one of those characters who deserves a far better fate than being Walder's daughter, I do agree, I feel sorry for anyone born at the twins.
Olenna does as Olenna does lol.
I think it would be fun and one of the things I like is that there are a few ways to make it happen. My own idea is that Oberyn meets Arthur in Essos and brings Jon back claiming him to be his son, raises him in Dorne in plain sight so to speak. I do think though your idea of him arriving a little before or just at the same time as Ned is very interesting, you could even have Lyanna have Oberyn make the promise which would be fun, and if it's both together you're already starting a conspiracy.
Irish Hermit: The faith, for now, is more in tune with things, they're playing a craftier game thanks to the New High Septon, so the Eighth kingdom will be seen as an opportunity after all Dorne follows the Seven. Oh don't worry the little bit about Edmure's friends will be brought back up, The BF and Bran are an interesting pairing to me, Bran I think would be fun to see in a few years. I remember you asking about the body and I don't know if I responded to it, I hope I didn't lol But yes Walder is in trouble.