A/N: Apologies for the delay. Been busy with work and my other stories, especially with the former since high schoolers can be difficult to manage. Yes, my job is teaching in a high school, history. Fitting, huh?
Robb saw the freedmen who volunteered to join train with the spears, while some others were selected to shoot tanegashima. In total, twelve thousand freedmen from around the Slavers' Bay stepped forward to join the army, all wishing to repay the ones who liberated them from their chains. There was much celebration, much adulation, and much gratitude expressed from Meereen, Astapor, and Yunkai while Tollos and the other parts of the Bay were brought into line.
Robb discovered that overseeing the army in Jon's absence was quite the paramount task. They say that hardened men worry more about supplies than battle. How right they were. If it were not for the captured supplies from the slavers and the Volantene tigers, it would have been near impossible to keep the army fed. As for the prisoners from both the slaver and tiger armies, they were put to work as laborers, doing the same tasks that the formerly enslaved had to do. Freedmen alongside Jade Company officers oversaw their discipline, with each instance of indiscipline to be met with cane strikes. Just like the ones at Astapor, among the tasks that they did in order to make them less rebellious was to burn shit and refuse, the stench being very strong and foul. I cannot complain, however, since I never seen cleaner streets.
Most importantly, the chains that the formerly enslaved wore were taken off and melted into weapons, whether they be swords, spearheads, and even balls for the cannon and tanegashima. It was a sign for them all that no longer would they have be to reminded of the chains they wore, as they now made the weapons that would ensure their freedom forever.
Robb walked along the walls of Meereen, seeing the freedmen train hard to be good soldiers. The Jade Company officers and the leaders of the northern sellsword companies oversaw their training, with Captain Dustin and General Lim personally instructing the freedmen leaders on strategy and tactics. They were to be the future officers of the freedmen soldiers, but only battle will test their mettle.
Moving alongside him was the Onion Knight himself, Ser Davos Seaworth. He was granted freedom to move around the city and he would soon depart with ten boatloads of ceramic casings, to be used by the coming slave rebellion in Volantis. Robb had grown to like Davos' honesty and plain manner, which reminded him of his father in many ways. And he also admired Davos' devotion to Stannis, even if it meant being away from his family to protect Shireen.
"Magnificent," Ser Davos noted as he too looked upon the freedmen training hard. "Who knew that the freedmen merely needed to be given a chance to show their potential?"
"I learned many things, Ser Davos, and one of them is that we cannot make judgements so quickly." It was a lesson that hit a little too close to home for Robb, as he realized his many mistakes and had time to reflect on them. "I know that my father died trying to fight Joffrey and I heard that Stannis is trustworthy, but I wonder if the both of them made mistakes that got them to where they were."
Davos nodded. "I do admit that Stannis did make his own share of blunders that could have been avoided. He did refuse to join forces with Renly, yourself, and others who could have not only helped him, but also was attempting a rush on King's Landing that did not account for the wildfire. However, he is of a sound mind and I do owe my life and position to him, even though he did take my fingers."
Robb found that whole story amusing, tempered by the sight of Davos' hand. "I cannot speak for Stannis' rival claim on the Iron Throne, because I am not in a position to speak on that. And also because I tried to wear a crown by myself and that did not go well."
"You have my condolences on your mother's death as well as your wife and child. What the Boltons and Freys did was heinous and they will answer for their severe breach of trust."
"Thank you, Ser Davos," Robb responded gratefully. "I look forward to the day that the Boltons will be extinguished from the earth as well as the family in the Twins. Although I might have to transfer my rage towards the son, Ramsay if I remember his name."
Robb was very disappointed that Roose died in Winterfell, which he heard as he moved his way from Volantis, but he also found it ironic that he died in the same castle that was rewarded to him by the Lannisters. Not that it was theirs to give in the first place.
"What do you plan on doing once you return to Westeros?" Davos asked.
Robb practiced his answers many times in his head. "I plan to take back Winterfell, restore the Starks to the North, and help my brother Jon take vengeance for both of our sakes. After that, I plan to keep what I had to fight for and then enjoy the last years in peace."
"Is that it?" Davos inquired.
"I don't see anything else that I can live for."
Davos cleared his throat. "You might want to think about having a larger purpose. While your goals are understandable, perhaps think about having another life."
"Another life?"
"I thought that I was going to live the life of a crabber and smuggler, although that changed with Stannis and the siege of Storm's End. Then I met Marya and everything that I had done, was for my children. And here I am, a knight of standing. You, on the other hand, might want to think about what you will leave behind, because I know what I will leave behind."
Robb exhaled slowly. He had not thought about it that way, but Davos did make him think. However, he initially did not like where his thoughts were heading. On the other hand, he had to do it.
Well, Talisa… I don't know if you can hear me, but I have to start letting you go now. I can't bring you back, but I can never forget you.
He was not expressing his thoughts out loud for sure, for that was a burden that his alone.
"You want me to accompany me to the meeting?"
"Lead the way, Lord Robb."
Robb knew that being king was not his destiny, because the three dragonriders he served included his brother and he would gladly serve and even die for him if that was necessary. And when he returned home and after retaking Winterfell, he was going to have to perform his duties as the Warden of the North. With the long winter coming, he had to find some way to feed the northerners, especially after such a destructive campaign that ended at the Twins. And there was only one way for that to happen. I need to marry someone, who can provide the entire North with food. But whom?
Counting the eight thousand men from the Company of the Rose and the Wolf Pack, which added to the numbers brought by the Jade Company and the freedmen who volunteered for service, their army was about the size of the slavers' armies who stood against them. Combined with the defection of the Golden Company, with Harry Strickland allowed a chance to be hired and thus his entire men, their army now stood at over eighty thousand. Along with the ships of the Jade Company and the captured ones that managed to survive the burning in the waters outside of Meereen, their fleet was large enough to set sail with everyone on board.
Robb had to work closely with his uncle Benjen, Arya's lover Gendry, Minoru Lim, Prince Kaijin, Barristan Selmy, Grey Worm, Harry Strickland, Daario Naharis, and even Yezzan zo Qaggaz in organizing the army and preparing them to move once they got the word. Besides being the undisputed commander of the Unsullied, Grey Worm was appointed as general of the freedmen. It was an army that was truly diverse, all of them united in the single purpose of helping the dragonlords take back the Iron Throne and make a new world from the ashes.
Ser Davos was allowed to attend the meeting, which also had Tyrion Lannister, and Missandei.
While the rest of the Slaver's Bay was under their combined control, Robb felt that he had to speak for them all in order to get any matters moving.
"All right, if nothing else is on the table, let us begin the meeting." They were seated at a large circle, to indicate that no one among them was in charge until the dragonriders came back, but the voices made clear was the most influential. "First order of business. We should start to move troops and begin the move towards Westeros."
"I agree, but who would be in control of the Slaver's Bay in our absence? We should not leave behind a power vacuum," Barristan Selmy stated.
"I concur," Yezzan spoke. "You might have won against the slavers, but you cannot just leave without ensuring that good government remains behind. There will still be remnants of the harpies and those who had too much to lose with the end of slavery."
"So essentially, you are proposing that we leave behind someone we can trust, someone who is able to keep this region in peace while we move towards Westeros. But who will that be?"
"May I suggest something?" Missandei asked, which Robb allowed. "It would behoove all of you to give the formerly enslaved all of the chances that they deserve to govern and rule themselves. You have given them the tools to fight, the hope after you took away their chains, and the courage needed after they wielded the tools that were made from their melted chains. However, the mark of any good change is being able to define their own destiny and allowing the freedmen to show that they can rule as well as their former masters will also be the best form of vengeance against them. Of course, the freedmen will remain loyal to the dragons and this area will forever be known as the place where the dragons became powerful again, besides Yi-Ti."
Robb, as well as everyone else, except for Daario, found themselves moved by her speech. "Lady Missandei, you speak from the heart and it would not be the mark of a good man if I did not heed such sound advice. But if we are to allow the freedmen a chance to show that they can rule, they would also need to be backed up by a garrison. That will cause complications, since we need every able-bodied man once we get to Westeros."
"Maybe that problem can be alleviated once you arrive at Volantis," Davos suggested. "There will be more slaves to recruit from there, especially among those who rebel."
Robb was struck that Davos was giving them all advice considering his loyalties, but he was not stupid to reject good advice even from someone who claimed loyalty to a rival claimant to the Iron Throne.
"That just might work," Prince Kaijin stated. "We need the extra men and we also have to leave behind those we can rely on to keep the peace here."
"And as much as I want to believe that the slavers can no longer fight, I know for certain that they can come out like insects and ruin the whole thing," Daario added while eyeing Yezzan.
"Then it is settled. We will choose the most able freedmen to run this territory while the rest of the army and fleet move. Once we get word from Vaes Dothrak, we will move out."
The plan was that the four dragons, along with Mingyu, Arya, and her Jade Order companions who would help infiltrate the holy city of the Dothraki, would come to Volantis with the entirety of the Dothraki at their back. It would be unrealistic to transport all of them in the boats. They would combine their forces at Volantis, with the Dothraki coming in from the north of the city and the fleet attacking the sea. With the rebellion to coincide with the pincer movement, it would not be too difficult to take the city. It would be more easy since the tigers were greatly weakened and the elephants only needed the slave rebellion to take Volantis for themselves, since there was no better time for them to strike.
Robb could almost taste the victory. All he needed was to actually experience it. Hurry up, Jon. We cannot wait forever.
"Dany, you can't do this," Jon told her. "Even if you owe Ser Jorah, you can't give in."
"I agree with him, dear aunt," Rhaenys nodded. "And you're willing to risk yourself so far from this place, after everything that has happened and how hard we fought?"
Daenerys bobbed her head in understanding. "Look. I know how you feel and I am also afraid. But this is not just because I want the Dothraki on my side. I have to do this, for me."
"For you?" Rhaenys couldn't understand.
Daenerys took a moment to gather her thoughts. "I was but a little girl when I was married off to Drogo. I thought it was love, before I saw Jon and I found out that you were alive. I kept telling myself that if I look back, I am lost. However, I was wrong because my past will always follow me." Her eyes hardened. "I am no coward and I will not allow my pain to control me. And the best way for me to do that is go into the horselords' den and take them head on."
Jon and Rhaenys slumped, but they loved her enough to understand that she had to do this. "You have scars, Dany. If this is what you want… who am I stop you getting healed?"
Daenerys smiled and jumped in his arms to kiss him while Rhaenys hugged them both tightly.
Jon flew above the vast emptiness of the Dothraki Sea, anxious about the strategy working. It involved considerable risk, but he understood that Daenerys had to do this for personal reasons more than practical ones. Being able to conquer the obstacles of her mind that were mostly rooted in her time with the khalasars, Jon knew that she had to overcome whatever was awaiting her there. And if all goes well, we will have over a hundred thousand cavalrymen to march on Volantis.
Everything had to be coordinated well. If one of the pincers came too early or too late, it would throw the entire plan in jeopardy. But if they could pull off a well-executed plan, Volantis would be under their control and the slaves and elephants would be the new rulers of the city. With such a city at their side, the path would now lay open for the return to Westeros.
They decided to spare the blood rider who dared to suggest that Daenerys come to Vaes Dothrak and live out the rest of her days as a widow, but they also had to cut out his tongue and bind him while they got his horse riding all the way back to the great Dothraki encampment there. Meanwhile, Mingyu, Arya, her Jade Order companions, and some of the Jade Company marksmen would accompany them on dragonback, with Viserion needing much convincing in letting strangers on her back.
Two, three, I can handle. But six? I'm not a pack mule, she grumbled.
Jon chuckled. After we do what needs to be done, I and Daenerys will work on a rider. Don't you worry.
You better, Viserion told him in an almost annoying tone.
They could only fly at night, to avoid any Dothraki blood rider detecting their dragons in daylight. If one caught them, then Jorah Mormont would be killed.
Instead, Hoon Ti did his magic and was able to break the blood rider into being compliant. But Daenerys would willing enter the Dothraki camp, not to join the widows, but to find some way to get them to go with her. It was a long shot, admittedly, but it had to be done.
From what they were able to read about the Dothraki city, they were able to plan their way in well. A few miles out and under the cover of darkness, all of the party was able to get into position.
Daenerys, Mingyu, and the blood rider would come to bait the Dothraki to fall into complacency, since the Dothraki were not known to be especially threatened if they saw Mingyu in her traditional Yi-Tish dress. For Arya, the Jade Order companions, and the other marksmen, they would wait until they saw the signal, which was when Daenerys was able to get all of the Dothraki on her side.
For Jon and Rhaenys, they would accompany her, if only to ensure that nothing bad happened.
But he immediately regretted his decision, as he saw the Dothraki eye them very closely. And part of the ruse was that Jon and Rhaenys were Daenerys' companions, not their families.
"From what I have read, the road running through the Horse Gate, they call that the godsway."
"Eastern Market, Western Market," the blood rider pointed in a daze.
"When Khal Drogo died, I was supposed to come here and join the Dosh Khaleen, the widows of the dead khals. The Temple of the Dosh Khaleen is the exact place, although as you know, I had bigger plans," Daenerys whispered while speaking in guanhua.
They all remembered to not bring their weapons directly on their person, but Jon had a feeling that when everything happened, they wouldn't need them. And they didn't have to wait long, for some Dothraki khals came up to Daenerys and they conversed in that harsh tongue of theirs. Jon never learned Dothraki, but he wished he did as Daenerys was led towards a bigger tent.
A few of the khals pointed at Jon, Rhaenys, and Mingyu. "Your Andal companion stays outside," he spoke in the common tongue harshly. "But your brown woman and Yi-Tish woman… they look tight enough."
Jon wanted nothing more than to fight the khal and beat him to death, but that would jeopardize their plan of attack.
Daenerys gave him a look of reassurance, her eyes saying to him that everything will be over soon.
Jon waited outside the tent, while Rhaenys and Mingyu looked on edge as they saw more than a few blood riders give them nasty and lewd looks at them.
He leaned as close as he could next to the tent, where he could hear some of the khals in their talking.
"Who cares about her? She's a midget."
"I like her. She's paler than milk. I'd like to know what a khaleesi tastes like.
"Good. You can suck my dick."
"And I wonder what a queen tastes like, especially one who survived the East."
"Or maybe the khaleesi like to show Rhalko here what you taste like?"
Everyone chuckled, but Jon kept still.
"No. I don't want either of those things." She finally showed defiance, which made Jon breathe out in relief. "Where is Jorah Mormont?"
"We don't care what you want. This is the Temple of the Dosh Khaleen. You have no voice here, unless you are Dosh Khaleen. Which you are not, until we decide you are," one of the khals spat out.
"And you were foolish to come here. Do you really believe that we would allow someone like him to move around freely? And to give him up willingly?"
Daenerys hesitated, as all of them had expected the khals to refuse his release. "I know where I am. I have been here before. This is where the Dosh Khaleen pronounced my child the Stallion Who Mounts the World." Jon could only imagine the pain she felt.
"And what happened? You trusted a sorceress, like a fool. Your baby is dead because of you. And so is Khal Drogo."
Jon could only guess what they were saying, since Daenerys did saw a few words of the horselords in her sleep, and then imagined them in their worst forms.
"This is where my former husband promised to take his khalasar west to where the world ends. To ride wooden horses across the Black Salt Sea as no khal has done before. He promised to kill the men in their iron suits and tear down their stone houses. He swore to me before the Mother of Mountains," Daenerys told them all.
"And you were dumb enough to believe him," a khal spat at her. "As well as to think that we would allow you to leave with your Andal companions."
"Khal Drogo was a weak men taken by the words of a girl and he was not sound enough to resist the honey-combed words of a sorceress promising something she couldn't give," another khal cracked. "We horselords, real ones, know better than to trust the words of women."
The khals hooted in agreement.
"And that proves to me what I have known for long," Daenerys shot back. "What great matters do the Great Khals discuss? Which little villages you'll raid, how many girls you'll get to fuck, how many horses you'll demand in tribute. You are small men. None of you are fit to lead the Dothraki. But I am. So I will."
As expected, they all laughed.
"All right. No Dosh Khaleen for you. Instead we'll take turns fucking you. And then we'll let our bloodriders fuck you. And if there's anything left of you, we'll give our horses a turn."
Something in Jon snapped, as he had heard enough. Feeling Rhaenys and Mingyu come after him, he burst into the tent, put his arm around the neck of the first khal he could get his hands on, and squeezed as tightly as he could. Meanwhile, Rhaenys got to the closest khal to her, kicked his groin, put her arms around his jawbone, and twisted so hard that a sickening crack could be heard. Mingyu threw sand at another and tripped him before crushing his windpipe with her heel.
Jon then got close to Daenerys after the khal he squeezed no longer breathed, protecting her from the khals that were about to force themselves on her.
"I'm sorry, Dany. But I couldn't hear it anymore."
Daenerys nodded, and she was already in her fighting stance. The khals were stunned, as the image of the weak khaleesi of Drogo had been replaced with one who knew how to fight and came with support.
"What is this?" a khal finally switched to the common tongue.
"This is my husband, my real one, Daeron of House Targaryen, son of my brother Rhaegar, king of the lands beyond the Salty Sea. And she is my niece, Rhaenys of House Targaryen, and Daeron's sister. Before you is the deadliest killer you will ever meet. Be thankful she has no weapons, for she won't need it."
"You dare use dishonorable moves to strike at us?" a khal bellowed.
"You promised to rape her. Who do you think is the more threatening in that instance?" Rhaenys stunned them all by speaking Dothraki. "And she will take what you have from you."
"You crazy bitch!" a khal shouted. "Did you really think we would serve her? Serve your dragon lady?"
They saw the brazier in the middle of the tent. They all eyed each other, with Daenerys, Jon, and Rhaenys getting the same idea.
"Mingyu, get outside right now," Jon told her.
"What?"
"Right now!" Daenerys urged her. She followed without question. She turned her attention back to the khals. "You're not going to serve. You're going to die." With that, they all kicked the brazier to the ground, quickly consuming the khals in flames and hearing their screams.
As if quickly getting the signal, they heard all of their dragons come down and land in a circle around the tent, causing panic among the camp.
Jon waited for the flames to touch them all. And as he had hoped, while their clothes might have burned, he didn't feel anything. Daenerys certainly kept still, unaffected. But Jon turned to Rhaenys and not only was she also calm, she was smiling.
Jon stole glances at Daenerys, glad that he had intervened before the horselords laid a finger on her milky form. However, he also looked at Rhaenys, who was well-muscled, slightly tanned, and very voluptuous. He could only wonder how he got her, but he was not going to exchange it any other way.
He remembered Elia's words and to see her like this… he started to feel the same things that he felt for Daenerys when they first met in the fires. And the fact that they had the same father did not bother him, for Targaryens of old had the same thing. The fires only made her best features visible, with her black hair flowing against the flames having the same effect Daenerys' hair did. What spurred him on was that Rhaenys stole a glance at him and Jon could make out a blush when he saw one before she looked away.
Step by step, Jon told himself. He was relieved that he was not alone in feeling that, but he had to be careful, for rushing it would cause problems.
The tent came down on them and they were now exposed to the whole of the Dothraki assembled. Around them were their four dragons, as well as Arya, the Jade Order companions, and the Jade Company marksmen who were in their fighting stances. Arya looked back at Jon and turned around quickly, being it the first time she saw him in the nude.
Jon was no longer bothered, for he was truly of the fire and he was standing with his wife and his sister, all of them protected by their dragons and the Dothraki in rapture.
"Dothraki." She thundered in her good frasp of the language. Voice carrying out over the entire sacred city. Soot-matted silver hair blowing in the wind and illuminated by the crackling fires, while she kept her hands tight on Jon's. "We have killed your Khals through the strength of our flesh and the steel of our resolve, and by your customs we have secured your loyalty and obedience. But today we hereby unshackle you from your chains. You may go about your way, seek out your own destiny. If you choose to follow us by your own free will, I promise never to let you down. To consider you not as our servants, but as our family. Anyone that wishes to hurt you will be immolated in pure dragonfire.
"Previous Khals, brave and noble as they were, measured your worth in middling amounts. They looked at the villages they could pillage, how many women they fucked, or how many horses the great cities of the coast could bribe them with. But I think differently, vowing that my children will be the Stallions that Mount the world! I will carry the legacy of my ancestor the great Aegon the Conqueror, take you across the Narrow Sea in the wooden horses that float. To leave the great knights and cities that think you mere barbarians cowering at your feet. And I am not alone."
She moved to the middle of Jon and Rhaenys, both still bare, and raised their arms in the air. "Next to me is my husband, Daeron Targaryen, and my niece, Rhaenys. For years, we were separated, but we are back together and stronger than ever. The three heads of the dragon, rising from the Jade East, to mount the world."
Jon was solemn, but kept his head up. Rhaenys was like her aunt in that she put both her arms up.
"I ask you today, will you follow us?!"
An entire horde followed the lead of Arya and Mingyu, who was busy fighting off those who tried to enter the burning tent before the deed was done, began kneeling to their sworn rulers. One by one until every last man, woman, and child in Vaes Dothrak pledged fealty to Daeron, Daenerys, and Rhaenys Targaryen, the three heads of the dragon. Standing tall, standing proud, Jon allowed a small smile upon his face as Drogon, Meleys, Rhaegel, and Viserion spread their wings about them and gave a collective shriek for the entire world to hear.
Jon could also notice a man worn out and weakened, but still kneeling. Judging by his appearances, he was a northerner. And given what had just happened, someone must've released him.
At last, Ser Jorah Mormont. We see each other.
Jaime watched as the dressers fit Myrcella in ceremonial robes, while both his father Tywin and Cersei watched closely. His uncle Kevan was also there, to give his advice.
As the Hand of the new Queen, his father was there to give Queen Myrcella reports on what was going on regarding the cleaning up of the stormlords who chose to continue rebelling and the three-way conflict of the North.
"Are you comfortable, Your Grace?" Cersei knew very well that the bonds between them were very distant, as she was still reeling from her dear Joffrey's execution, and she was obviously not taking the new situation well.
Myrcella adjusted her garments, and it was clear that she was not comfortable, especially with everyone staring at her. "It is a big day, mother. I still have to get used to being queen."
Kevan stepped in, attempting to be the warmer between him and his brother Tywin and especially for Cersei. "You need only follow the septa's lead. A coronation is one such event at which the Queen need be little more than present. And awake, I suppose, Your Grace."
Cersei stared at Kevan, as if taking her uncle's words personally. "Awake, uncle Kevan? Do you mean to say that my daughter, your queen, will fall asleep on a very important day for her?"
"I apologize if I meant any offense, Your Grace. I was merely stating that this day might consume many hours but, like any other, it will end. Her Grace Queen Myrcella must be more than a paragon, but she will not be alone in her endeavors. I can assure both of Your Graces of this. She shall have me beside you at every turn and I will not be the only one."
"Enough, Kevan." Tywin cut off his words of encouragement. "But you're right. And we must ensure that stability is what will define the reign of Queen Myrcella. That is why she has made the wise decision in retaining the current council as well as following my recommendations on who should take the vacant posts."
Tywin was retained as Hand of the King, Pycelle as Grandmaester, Mace Tyrell as Master of Ships, and confirmed Ellaria Sand as Dorne's representative in place of Oberyn.
However, Tywin took the position of master of whisperers for himself, Lord Damon Marbrand was appointed Master of Laws, Ser Harys Swyft as Master of Coin, and Ser Balon Swann was made the new Lord Commander of the Kingsguard. But despite the Ser Balon's position, it was Bronn who was outside Myrcella's chambers to escort her to her coronation, as Lord Commander of the City Watch.
Bronn was moving up in the world, as Tywin promised him the castle and incomes associated with the extinguished House Tarbeck, and he had now had a new name: Daggett. Bronn Daggett… certainly has a good ring to it, Jaime thought.
As for Jaime himself, he was there as the heir to House Lannister, and this would be his last day before he would have to ride north to lead the twenty thousand reinforcements towards the Neck to fight both the rebellious Valemen following Sansa and the wildlings. And if that wasn't the worst of it, his father was already making inquiries on who he would marry. For the love of the Seven.
"What say you, Lord Jaime?" Myrcella turned to him. "Are you ready to fight in my stead? Against our enemies?" She was not confident in those words.
"I could only look forward to being of service, my queen." He had to do all that he could to reassure her.
Someone knocked on their door, with the now Ser Bronn Daggett entering. "Your Graces, my lords, they are ready."
Myrcella took one more breath before he walked towards the door with the dignified posture expected of a queen, with Cersei, Jaime, Tywin, and Kevan following close behind.
Jaime spared a glare towards Bronn. The two former comrades were now distant, especially after he punched Joffrey in the face. And seeing his lack of emotion over Joffrey's death, Jaime could not blame him because he got what he wanted after all. But at the same time, he looked forward to leaving King's Landing since he could not go another day without thinking of killing Bronn whenever he saw him. We are friends no longer, Ser Bronn.
Ever since Joffrey died, Jaime wanted nothing more than to comfort Cersei. However, she was drinking herself to an afternoon haze every day and she was inconsolable. And besides, Jaime could not be around her as regularly as he used to because people would ask questions on why they were so close around each other, and that would certainly raise more issues that they would rather keep buried.
But more importantly, Jaime began to see Cersei for what she really was. And he was a fool for not seeing it sooner.
Before they were outside the holdfast, Jaime was able to move next to Cersei. He could smell the wine and the other spirits she was drinking.
"Cersei—"
"Your… Grace," she said with a slur.
Jaime fought back a sigh. "Your Grace, it's a miracle that you are a great actress, because otherwise, I would have more than a few words to say about your drinking?"
"Who the fuck are you to tell me anything?" Cersei shot back with a hiss.
Jaime was surprised at her response. "I'm sorry?"
"You stood by and watched him die. I truly am alone, for even you betrayed me."
Jaime wanted nothing more than to shout in her face. But he couldn't cause a scene, not in front of Myrcella. "There was nothing that I could have done."
"That's rich, coming from the Kingslayer himself."
Jaime was about to lose his temper. "You're drunk. Perhaps you should rest."
"Piss off." With that, she had her kingsguard escort put him away from her. It made Jaime all the more angry and all the more willing to be away from her presence.
Why did I ever decide to be with her, especially if this is her genuine response to Joffrey's death?
It was daytime in the Red Keep. Myrcella walked barefoot in ceremonial procession through a crowd of noble onlookers. Cersei, Jaime, Bronn, Tywin, and Kevan moved behind to accompany her. Grandmaester Pycelle and the septa lead the way. Jaime could see that Myrcella was vulnerable, which she tried to hide to the best of her abilities. The crowd watched the body of royals and close confidants with quiet reserve. Myrcella may have inherited the Seven Kingdoms, but everyone knew that the Seven Kingdoms was in ashes, and it would take more than her youth to sew it back together, especially since a war was still going on.
The throne room was full of the courtiers and other lords from around the crownlander houses as well as those from some parts of the stormlands who made their peace with the crown, a few parts of the Vale, the westerlands, and the Reach. A diverse audience that they could gather on such short notice and while the preparations of the next stage of the war against the North were undergoing. All of them were watching the new queen of the Seven Kingdoms assume her new position.
Guided by the Grandmaester and septa, Myrcella got on all fours on the chancel, wearing only a modest dress to demonstrate her obedience and submission to the gods.
The High Septon stood over her, massaging holy oils into his arms, the back of her neck, and shoulders. Jaime could see that the family was uncomfortable seeing Myrcella submitting to the arcane and unsettling ceremony that made her almost bare. Everyone was bearing witness, while the crowd watches on in silence. The High Septon was whispering his blessings so quietly that Jaime had a hard time hearing. Jaime, personally, started to lose faith after witnessing so much carnage and so much death, which he had to see consume Joffrey. And he did not know when it will be over.
Later, Myrcella was clothed in full regal attire and was guided up onto the Iron Throne. The High Septon turned around and addressed the crowd in the throne room.
"Will you, my lords and ladies, at this time give your wills and assents to this consecration whereunto the people shall say with a great voice, yea, yea, yea, so be it, Queen Myrcella, King Myrcella, Queen Myrcella!"
The crowd followed suit. "Queen Myrcella! Queen Myrcella! Queen Myrcella!" Meanwhile, the crown of Robert Baratheon, also worn by Joffrey, was placed upon Myrcella's head, the crown of her choice since she did not know any other way to pay homage to her family. Walking up the steps to the Iron Throne, the High Septon started the ending of the ceremony by kissing her on his hand. Cersei, Kevan, Bronn, Tywin, and Jaime did the same thing, followed by his relatives from Lannisport and all others.
Jaime noticed that Myrcella was growing uncomfortable, the weight of the events starting to bear down on her. Jaime wanted very much to comfort her, but he could not since he had to prepare to leave tomorrow.
During the feast and the subsequent dancing that followed in the night, Myrcella was granted the chance to dance with her betrothed, Ser Myles Hightower, son of Ser Baelor and eldest grandson of Lord Leyton Hightower. It was a match concocted by Tywin in order to secure the loyalty of the Reach's second most powerful house. With the amicable end of Myrcella's betrothal to Trystane Martell and a need to keep the Tyrells in check after the whole affair with Joffrey, Tywin also did it to secure more favor with the Starry Sept, particularly considering the troubling High Sparrow, who was getting more active after finding a base in the kingswood and the smallfolk were getting more and more persuaded by his words.
And there was the necessity to utilize the Hightowers' merchant connections, which were necessary to stave off a total disaster brought on by the kingdom's massive debt. Essentially, Tywin asked the Hightowers for a down payment of a dower before the betrothal was announced. It was to make Tywin start to become independent of the Tyrells' gold, which Jaime could understand. My gods… it is getting too bad.
Not that Ser Myles was a loss. He was quite handsome and youthful, although Jaime could sense his overconfidence common in young knights. And Myrcella was doing her best to being polite.
Myrcella then gestured for Jaime to come dance with her, which he accepted eagerly.
"Worried, my queen?" Jaime could sense her anxiousness about marrying Ser Myles Hightower.
"I have to do it, because it is what this realm needs, what it is expected of me as a queen."
"But what do you feel, my queen? Are you fond of him?"
Myrcella hesitated as the music progressed and they continued with the dancing. "I don't know if I can love him. He is courteous and brave, but so have all of the men I have met."
Jaime could very much empathize with her position. "Perhaps you will grow to love him, but I can't say for sure."
"What about you, Uncle Jaime? Have you loved anyone?"
Jaime couldn't answer that question, not even with a whisper. But he couldn't deny his daughter what she truly needed to hear. "We don't choose who we love. It just... well... it's beyond our control. I sound like an idiot."
Indeed, he felt himself faltering, something that had rarely happened.
"No, you don't," Myrcella offered with a smile.
"What I'm trying to say, what I'm trying and failing to say..." He tried to find more words to elaborate himself, which was proving more difficult.
"I know what you're trying to say." She then came close to him and whispered in his ear.
"No, I'm afraid you don't." Jaime was taken aback by her gesture.
"I do," she spoke softly in his ear, while grabbing his hand. "I know. About you and mother. I think a part of me always knew. And I'm glad. I'm glad that you're my father."
Jaime was stunned. He was trying to say something different, but this was something that he had not expected for her to know. And he was afraid, afraid for them both.
"When…"
"Is that important?" Myrcella asked. "And we can talk about this later, because I know that you have to go tomorrow. But I know. I only wish I knew sooner, because that makes it all the better knowing that I am not from my stag father."
In an instant, Jaime regretted that he had to leave the next day. He was going to tolerate Bronn's presence and he wanted to be the father that Myrcella needed, but he couldn't.
"I'm so sorry," Jaime could only say before he and Myrcella broke apart and he was left to the sides of the dance, unsure of how he was to process his feelings now.
But he had to hide them, lest his father or Cersei, gods forbid, knew what he was thinking.
I must come back alive. I must. Otherwise… this night would be for nothing.
The Night King moved to the shores near the Wall. He was told by the entity of death that he would find the one who would connect him to the Sea Dragon, the creature that once numbered in the dozens in the older ages of time and the one remaining was the greatest and most terrible of them all.
But first, the Night King had to go through a gateway. Through it was a path that would take him deep into the ocean, where the Sea Dragon was in its deep sleep. No ship could reach it and no man could ever hope to go so far as to the caverns that lay at the bottom of the ocean. And only a supernatural force could ever hope to awaken it.
As soon as the Night King arrived at the shores, a whirlpool formed. It burst through the surface of the water and out came a man that he had not expected to see, or rather the spirit of a man that was now in the service of death itself.
The one that was formerly Lord Stark almost felt sorry for the man. Long ago, during the Long Night, this man set out into the dead lands with a sword, a horse, a dog, and a dozen companions. For years he searched until he despaired of ever finding the children of the forest in their secret cities. One by one his friends died, and his horse, and finally even his dog, and his sword froze so hard the blade snapped when he tried to use it. And his people in the White Walkers smelled the hot blood in him and came silent on his trail, stalking him with packs of pale white spiders big as hounds. And he didn't even know his name, which would be lost forever.
"You," the dead man growled.
"Me," the Night King said back.
"After all this time, you decided to grace me with your presence. How touching."
"I am not going to dwell on times long past. You had your time, but I have mine still."
"I agree. They don't matter now, but I also know that I have no reason to help you gain what you seek, for I know why you have come."
"Are you willing to defy Death itself?"
The man known to the rest as "the lost hero" rolled his eyes. "Yes, I am Death's inferior, for it was because of that which I came to be here. As I walked towards hell, Death offered me a deal: stave off a permanent death by watching the last sea dragon, or see how I will be judged."
The Night King was not going to waste time. "Will you take me to the Sea Dragon or not?"
"As I said, I have no reason to help you. And Death did tell me you were coming, so allow me to repay the satisfaction that you gave me when you set your wights to eat me alive and your spiders to torment me."
The Night King was blank, until he remembered something. "Perhaps I can offer you a deal?"
"What deal?"
"I can show you a way to return to your life."
The man laughed once. "You must be very desperate for the sea dragon to do that."
"I have no other recourse," the Night King stated. "The wildlings have crossed the Wall, depriving me of a fresh source of wights. And I have to dig up the graves of those long dead, which also includes animals that have not seen daylight for centuries. Even with everything that I have managed to scrounge up, it is still not enough. And I don't have the power to break down the Wall by myself."
"That is your problem, then. You might control the White Walkers, but all of us are inferior to Death. And the both of us don't really have a stake in your quest."
"You do. I am offering a chance to get your life back."
"You can't help me there. It was my time anyway and what is there to go back to? It's been thousands of years and everyone I know is dead, with the world different from the one I left. So you have nothing to offer me."
"Then perhaps you can take revenge on those who abandoned you."That caught his attention. "What?"
"Is it not true that only twelve men followed you while the rest of man did not? Were you not repaid fairly for your bravery?" The Night King had one more trick to use, and he had to appeal to whatever was left of the last hero's bitterness, which was working. "You did what anyone else was afraid to do, and yet they don't know your name. You are nothing compared to the one that brought the Dawn, and you will always be that way. Why not help me and you will show to them that you are not to be forgotten?"
What remained of the lost hero narrowed his eyes, but he was silent. Winds blew as the silence extended.
"If you want the Sea Dragon, it cannot come up to the surface until the right moment. But I can lead you there and give you an introduction. But be warned. You will have to sacrifice a part of your power and yourself, for the Sea Dragon needs both to fight with you."
What remained of Lord Stark nodded. "That is a price that I am willing to pay." After seeing his wife die, and his life destroyed, he had nothing left either.
One more step, and the world will only know darkness and ice.
A/N: Robb and Davos get a good bond going, while Robb is now about to make an important step.
Jon joins in on that epic moment with Dany before the Dothraki, but his feelings for Rhaenys have started to stir. That look from her, though ;)
Jaime is starting to see Cersei for what she is, and he now has a strong reason to stay alive.
Ooooh... the Night King is now about to meet a very horrible creature.