Standing there, watching the scenes unfold has Petyr's mind running. Many things come at once at the revelation of Jon's lineage.
Slowly, his eyes wander to where Sansa is. She is focused on watching her brother bask in glory at the North's proclamation. Not as King in the North but as King of the Seven Kingdoms. Judging eyes measure Sansa's reactions.
'She knew,' he muses to himself before taking his eyes off her before anyone can notice. He feigns a smile on his face, clapping, and cheering like the crowd. But his mind is somewhere else.
He thinks of the possible scenarios that can happen in the chessboard now that Jon's lineage had come to light. He curses him in his mind. With the North's loyalty to him, it will be quite hard to sow conflicts amongst them.
What he was hoping for is to see Sansa against his brother - cousin - and have the North to herself. After all, she's the eldest capable Stark at the moment.
Jon was nothing more than a bastard who rose to power and prominence. Had he been the legitimate child of Ned Stark, it would have been so difficult to oust him. That's what he thought. Keeping Sansa at arm's length is what he needs to do. She can be a weapon for him to use, a spear that he can use to reach the heights that he never thought possible in this lifetime.
She proved her usefulness several times, revealing her weaknesses for him to exploit. She's getting drunk in the power that she can get that it will be easy for him to turn her against her family.
And everything might be in vain due to a variable that no one expected. The heir and rightful King of the Seven Kingdoms is here in the North. Looking at how things unfold, Sansa is supporting him. Disposing of such a man capable of moving North's heart will be too difficult.
'But this can be of advantage' he thinks. 'Patience is all I need. Should he fall to the Dragon Queen, then the North will be for ours to take.'
He secretly prays to the deities for Jon's death at the hands of Daenerys Targaryen.
'The Dragon Queen won't be merciful of you if you are to claim what she is fighting for.' A smirk appears on his face. Should Daenerys kill Jon for his birthright, Sansa will be taking the North under her banner.
Should that happen, they can move things slowly to get the neighboring Kingdoms till they can get the Iron Throne.
Pawns.
He needs more pawns for this game to move to his advantage.
And Jon will be one of them. Knowing his personality, he won't bend the knee so easily, but it is not possible. If Daenerys won't kill him for his lineage and claims, he might as well bend the knee to her. His desperation to have more allies will force him to make that decision.
Should he bring a Queen to these lands, turning the North against him is as easy as slicing a piece of bread. Whether he lives or dies, Petyr Baelish is confident in making his moves accordingly.
'Perhaps if he lives and comes back, he might bring me another pawn to use.' Having the Dragon Queen as his pawn can bring the whole game to a new level.
While Petyr is drowning in his thoughts, a pair of dark eyes survey him. The owner of the eyes gritted her teeth, cursing in her mind, but keeps her calm intact. Acting against him will not do them service.
'Enjoy your days, for now, Littlefinger.' The person is none other than Arya Stark.
===XXX===XXX===XX===
Dragonstone
"Your Grace, I received a word from Winterfell." Tyrion hands her the scroll from the North. Dany takes it and immediately opens the scroll. It unveils the letter from the King in the North.
Tyrion,
I am honored by the invitation. I will be traveling South, to Dragonstone to meet Queen Daenerys Targaryen.
Jon.
"Meet with me? He sounds as if he does not intend to bend the knee and swear fealty to the rightful queen." Daenerys looks at her Lord Hand, questioning the words she read. She specified that she wants Jon Snow to bend the knee to the rightful Queen of the Seven Kingdoms whereas the words were meant as if he is visiting her for an audience.
Tyrion looks uncomfortable for a second before meeting the Queen's eyes. It is unnerving and uncomfortable whenever she looks at him with the eyes of Dragon. The purple irises constrict and sometimes Tyrion vaguely sees the fire in them.
She is indeed a dragon.
"Jon is a smart man. He will view it as intended. We will listen to what he has to say and so would you." He tries to sound convincing, calmly pointing a word game that had her staring at him with scrutiny.
"And tell me, my Lord Hand, what exactly did you intend to tell him in the letter you sent?" Daenerys knows Tyrion trusts this Jon Snow, and even though she trusts her Hand, it does not mean that she will eagerly trust another stranger. She has her judgment, and she intends to use it wisely.
"I told him we are inviting him. Northerners are stubborn people. When you approach them aggressively, they will respond wildly. And it would do us no good if we are to demand their King to submit. The invitation is likely to be turned down because they do not trust a Targaryen who burned two Starks. We must rejoice since he chose to accept it."
"They will bend the knee to the rightful Queen, and we can speak with terms." Daenerys will not let another rebellion arise. If possible, she wants to focus on destroying the reign of Cersei, the current Queen. A false Queen, if she might add.
"They will only do so if you prove yourself to be different from your father."
"I am different from him!" She insists. How many times had she heard this phrase by now since her arrival in Dragonstone? So many times that she lost count. It's tiring to hear people say that she might be like her father.
"Yes, you are, but they have not seen it. They will only bend the knee and follow you if they have the chance to get to know you better. What better way to tell the Northerners that you are better than to have the word of approval from a Stark?"
Daenerys calms down for a moment. Tyrion speaks with reason and logic. A sigh leaves her, but her eyes remain cold and stern. The anxiety she's been feeling ever since her arrival never ceased to exist. It's always there.
Perhaps it's the feeling of wanting this war to end. The goal, the throne is within arm's reach. The nearer she is to her goal, the more she grows anxious. Daenerys wants this to be over with, and no one can prevent her from reaching what she came here for. No variables shall hinder her path.
"Tell me about this man you trust so much."
"He is a bastard of Winterfell and clearheaded. If the stories were to be believed from the words of the people, he is the best swordsman the North has ever seen since Ser Arthur Dayne." Daenerys nods nonchalantly, drinking in the flowery words from Tyrion. She thinks he's describing this Jon to be a force to be reckoned with.
"The comparison is already of high standards." Tyrion can still remember the time when he met Jon. He was nothing but a boy on his way to adulthood, thrust into the world of the crows, defending the wall.
"Then why did he claim the title King in the North when he is Lord Commander of the night's Watch? From what I read, Night's Watch isn't supposed to claim lands, titles, and a wife." Her voice is mocking the King in the North, disdaining the prospect of the man going back from his oath because of the glory of titles.
Men and their ego, she almost rolls her eyes at that thought.
"That, I am not too sure, Your Grace. Maybe we can ask him once he comes here?"
A nod comes from Daenerys, dismissing the topic regarding the King in the North. That matter will have to wait till he arrives in Dragonstone.
"What about the sieges to Casterly Rock?"
"The Unsullied will be handling it."
Daenerys feels satisfied with their plans for now. She is tempted to ransack King's Landing with her armies and three dragons, but Tyrion is against it since it will cause the lives of innocents who will be caught in the crossfire. Dany does not want that either. She does not want to be seen as a madwoman. Being compared to her father is more than enough.
Days pass by in a blink of an eye. She sits in Dragonstone when news arrives. Highgarden was ransacked. The Greyjoy fleets were attacked by Euron Greyjoy. The Sands and Greyjoys are captured and possibly dead. Olenna Tyrell is also dead.
Her blood boils, clenching her teeth and hand in the process. She immediately summons her council in the war room.
"My allies have been attacked while here I am, sitting here doing nothing!"
"We will find a way, try to - "
"Enough of clever plans! I am losing! My allies are gone." Daenerys feels useless. Here she is, sitting on her throne, doing nothing while her allies are dead. The allies that she thought can help her regain the Kingdom that had once been taken from them.
"We cannot risk being questioned of your sanity in using your dragons to win the war." Tyrion's way of speaking had Daenerys frowning. An idea crossed her mind.
Her stares made Tyrion shiver.
"Or maybe, you just don't want to hurt your family." Tyrion is silent for a moment before looking directly into her eyes and said:
"If you start burning cities to the ground, the people will see you as nothing but a madwoman. That is the last thing we need right now. Given the situation that you will take back the throne, the people's hearts will waver if they will saw you burn people alive."
It is true. With the power at her disposal, taking King's Landing will be easy. But at what cost? It will cost her the people that she wants to save from Cersei's reign.
Daenerys looks down, meeting the eyes of her Hand, and said: "Do you see me like a madwoman? As a Mad Queen? Tell me, Lord Tyrion, when you look at me, do you see a woman with a muddled mind that wants to burn innocent people alive?"
"Of course not, Your Grace. I see a woman with a heart that wants to see his people prosper."
"Do you think I am insane?" She asks, looking directly at his eyes, waiting for an answer. For all the years that Tyrion spent conversing and dealing with nobles, this is the first time that he felt lost when he tried to read what's on her mind.
One wrong answer from him can make things worse. He fears that.
"No, you are not, Your Grace." He mustered the courage to keep his voice as calm as it can be.
"If you think I am not insane, why are you preventing me from making a move in this losing war? I am losing. Your plans cost me the Dorne, the Reach, and the Greyjoys." Each word weighs more than Tyrion can shoulder.
"Your Grace, I beg of you to consider - "
"I will not burn the innocents" She made this clear. Cersei must think that Daenerys is not making a move against King's Landing using her dragons because she's afraid to be seen as a Mad Queen. Cersei is taking advantage of this to slowly decapitate her army. The fear of being compared to her father is what prevents her from drastic measures.
Yes, Daenerys does not want to burn the innocent, but it does not mean she will not use the power she has to win this war.
"Then - "
"- But I will burn my enemies." Daenerys and Tyrion are stuck in a staring contest that he lost so badly. "If you are worried that I will storm to King's Landing, then worry not, Lord Hand. Not yet. The enemies are everywhere, not only in King's Landing."
Her eyes wander to the map on the table of the council room. "I have to show Cersei what I am capable of."
She looks back at Tyrion whose hands are shaking from the raw power he can feel radiating from Daenerys' eyes.
"One dragon is enough."
True to her words, Daenerys ordered her Dothraki army to prepare for battle. She will not let Cersei win this, not now, not ever. They ambushed the Lannister and Tarly armies on their way back to King's Landing. She heard that Tyrells have tremendous gold. She will not let Cersei have it. Losing the Highgarden will result in losing provisions, and she cannot lose it.
One Dragon is enough.
She takes Drogon and burns the enemy soldiers. She let the Dothraki army ride their way to the Lannisters and Tarlys. One particular man was able to injure Drogon, but her dragon took revenge by breathing fire at whoever did it.
So, the enemies have prepared themselves against her dragons. She curses in her mind while looking at her son's wound. Drogon hums, almost lulling her for comfort that he's okay. A smile graces her lips knowing that her son is alright.
The battle is short, she was able to gather the gold and the remaining armies to surrender. Jaime Lannister is nowhere to be found, but Dany could care less. She offered these soldiers to bend the knee to her, join her cause. This is the mercy she can show to them, a choice to
She does not want to kill his people. She does not want to see them dead, but rather, she wants to see them join her.
While Drogon is sitting on top of the rock behind her, the surviving enemy soldiers are ushered in front of Daenerys.
"I know what Cersei told you. That I am like my father. But I am not. She must have told you that I came here to conquer the lands, to burn cities, murder you and your children. No. I did not come here to do that. I came here to claim what is rightfully mine and to break the wheel that's rolled over the rich and poor."
No one speaks. Her eyes dart from one man to another.
"I freed slaves, killed masters who have done nothing but take away the freedom of people. I watched many people die in hunger because the people with power have done nothing but enjoy the hardships of those who are beneath them. It is unfair that you've worked so hard only to have barely enough to feed your family."
Westeros may not have slaves but she knows that somewhere out there, many people are dying because of hunger. Taxes were never lowered, and only the nobles benefit from the hands of the poor.
"I've come here to offer you a choice. Bend the knee and join my cause." She steels herself before speaking the last words. "Or refuse and die."
She will not start murdering people just because she feels like it. She will offer mercy and pardon to those who will follow her. Half of the soldiers bend the knee to her not because they believed in her but because they fear her.
Dissatisfaction creeps into her heart. These soldiers bending the knee will never treat her like the Unsullied and the Dothraki. They will serve a Queen they fear, but it is alright. Fear can slowly diminish. And if fear is what she needs to get what is rightfully hers, then so be it.
In times of war, decisiveness is what she must have.
Some of the soldiers look around. Hesitation is still within their eyes, unsure if they should or not. Pride or life. This is their choice and Drogon's roar helped some of them make a choice - bend the knee.
The roar serves as a warning to them. This is a power of a Targaryen, the mother of dragons. The coldness in Daenerys' eyes left many soldiers' hearts cold, striking them with fear that made their bodies shiver.
'Good.' She muses to herself. She can slowly prove to them that she will not treat them unfairly.
When Randyll Tarly and Dickon Tarly did not bend, she showed no mercy. She offered the son a pardon, but he followed his father. Dany would have pardoned them had it not been for Randyll Tarly's words. 'You are not my Queen'
Tyrion's panic is evident, counseling Dany to not behead the Tarlys. He saw the destruction the dragon did in the field. This is just one dragon and it scared him. True to her words, she burned these enemy soldiers to their deaths.
He walked in the field of bones and ashes, watching the remains of people on the ground. Of all the bloodshed that Tyrion saw, this is the saddest one and the most brutal. It leaves no room for an escape and what awaits the enemies are their deaths.
What he wants to happen is to prevent people from thinking that Daenerys is a madwoman. By killing one of the great houses, she's making things more difficult for the common people to trust her.
"Your Grace. I beg of you. Please, do not do this." Daenerys sees fear in his eyes.
Once again, she looks at the Tarlys. There's a hint of fear in their eyes but more than the fear, it's the determination that stands out.
They are determined to choose death over serving the rightful Queen of the Seven Kingdoms.
'What did you do to gain these loyal subjects, Cersei Lannister, when you are nothing but a madwoman?'
"Your Grace... Prove to them that you are merciful."
To be merciful or to be decisive. To burn or to pardon. These are the choices she must make. And a choice can impact the way of war whether she likes it or not.
===XXX===XXX===XXX===
AN: So, a cliffhanger. I have to edit this to add Littlefinger's thoughts as many were curious about it. So, just a bit. His scenes will come one way or another. At a later time.
Also, I changed this compared to the show. In the show, Jon advised her then she stormed off with Drogon and half of her army, which I think is not necessary. Despite her anxiousness of her goals being within her reach, I don't think that's enough to make her storm King's Landing. In my perspective, I see her as a woman with a heart, but strong and powerful. Decisive, even. So, the scenes in the show does not fit my story, and I took it out. Tyrion's mistake in his plans that cost them their allies is needed, so yeah. Besides, time wise, during her army's deployment, Jon should still be traveling. North is too far from Dragonstone for him to arrive there in a few weeks' time.
The one I am debating here is that if I should allow Dany to burn the Tarlys. In the original story (the first one I posted before), she burned them alive, but looking at the next several chapters, hmm, was debating if I should change that or not. I am still not sure, so I will think about it. It won't affect the whole outcome of the story, but the flow might be affected a little.
Let me know what you think about that scene though!
PS. Don't expect an update for the next 2 weeks. I will be busy with work that time, but I will edit the next chapter with your comments in mind.