Mercy... It's a word that can change the course of a war. One move, one decision, and everything will change.
Daenerys's eyes landed on the Tarlys. The fire in her eyes is still there, burning and they can feel it. They can feel the power in her but they refused to bend the knee.
One word from her and Drogon will burn them alive for the soldiers to witness what she is capable of.
Tyrion's hands are shaking while waiting for her answer, just like everybody else. Every man around her smells of fear. Rightfully so. Had it been her men in this situation, the enemies won't hesitate to kill all of them, showing them no mercy.
So why should she?
"Your Grace... We can still take them as prisoners." Even now, Tyrion has not given up.
Daenerys looks down at the dwarf, reading the expression in his eyes. He mirrors what the soldiers have right now - fear. As much as fear adds a tinge of satisfaction in her, she dreads what will become of her should she be drowned in them.
"Take them away..." She said. Tyrion heaves a sigh of relief. "Except Randyll Tarly. Take the young man away as our prisoner. Perhaps he will be of use in the future."
Tyrion's mouth is gaping but Daenerys did not stop.
"Your Grace, you can't be thinking of beheading - "
"I am not beheading anymore." Her words leave no room for discussion. She offered a choice to them, and they refused it. This is a war she put her life on the line, a war that made her suffer all along when she could have been happy in Essos.
The crown of Westeros, the Iron Throne had been the trigger to her life-long suffering. It made her brother obsessed with it, going as far as selling her like a mare. It was a nightmare for her.
Many times Dany experienced her life being in danger, constantly worrying if she will be murdered in her sleep all because of her heritage. Many of the great houses have done nothing but constantly threaten her, an innocent girl.
Now, that innocent girl is gone. What stands before them is a woman, a Queen.
Dany looks at Randyll Tarly while sideglancing the son who was struggling to break free from the hold of her soldiers. She pities him for what he's about to witness will leave a scar in his heart. He will hate her like many others.
Still, Daenerys will choose this path. Randyll Tarly will be her example should soldiers decide to rebel against her. And his son will serve as her example of mercy she can give.
"Dracarys."
He chose to follow a different Queen, the pretending one. There is only one room for a true Queen.
===XXX===XXX===XXX===
"Vaera..." Jon's voice is soft while calling his Blue dragon. They are currently camped in the woods instead of staying in an inn for their fear of the risks of being seen and relatively, discovering the dragons.
Before leaving Winterfell, he asked the Lords to keep the truth a secret, at least for now, until he arrives at Dragonstone. He would like to introduce himself properly. It would be better for Daenerys to be informed personally rather than discovering it through the word of mouth.
They are only a few days away from Dragonstone. A few more days before meeting one of the last Targaryens alive.
A small sound comes from Vaera as she slowly moved away from stealing Ser Davos' meat. Vaera, the blue dragon is fond of stealing meat from others' plates. Jon often finds her stealing Arya's meat from her plate during supper, startling Sansa whenever she hops and flies around.
Had she not been called, she would have snatched the meat off Ser Davos' hand who is busy conversing with one of Jon's men.
The other dragons made sounds as if mocking Vaera for being scolded by their father, a bit of an entertaining sight to see. Vaera shies away, probably in shame, and looks at Jon with a sorry expression. It immediately warms his heart.
"Come here, girl." He calls and offers his meat which she happily took. As days go by, Jon noticed a lot of things about his dragons. Like children, they have different personalities.
Vaera is the more approachable dragon, at least to those she is used to seeing, namely Arya and Ser Davos. She likes stealing meat from the two which was mostly the reason why Jon scolds her. Other than that, she does not like strangers. She might not be aggressive to them, but if provoked, she will not hesitate to breathe fire on them.
Daena, the red dragon is the most aggressive of the three. Her temper easily rises whenever she sees something she does not like. Jon is quite thankful that she is not burning anyone she sees as suspicious. Often, she roars at them threateningly.
Rhaea, the gold dragon is silent most of the time. She is the proudest of the three, glares at anyone who dares to disrespect her father or her siblings. Of the three of them, she usually stays at Ghost's back. And one false move, you will be burned. No roars will serve as a warning, and anyone will get a breath of fire coming their way.
One time, a servant passed by Ghost and Rhaea opened her mouth. It almost cost the servant's life. Had it not been for Jon acting quickly, Rhaea might have attacked flew to chase after the poor servant.
Since then, Jon made it clear not to approach the gold dragon. Even his men will stay far away for they knew they will be killed the moment she opens her mouth.
Once, a crow approached Ghost and it just so happens that Rhaea was on his back. As soon as the crow was in proximity, she immediately released a fire so hot that it burnt the crow to nothingness.
The three of them have grown twice the size since they were born. They often stand on Ghost's back, but Jon knows it is a matter of time before they will grow larger than Ghost.
"The men are scared of them." Ser Davos said. He fears them too. He does not doubt their capabilities to burn him alive. The only thing that keeps him safe from them is the fact that their father does not see him as an enemy. Should he be an enemy, one of them is enough to burn his body to ashes.
"They should be," Jon said. They are his children and he knows that they love him, but it does not mean that he can take away the primal instincts of the dragons. Through their bonds, he can sense the killing aura they emanate. That is inevitable.
"They stared at them often enough, especially when they are together with Ghost."
Jon laughed at that, proud that Ghost and his daughters are getting along well. They see Ghost as their brother, often ask Ghost for food that he hunts. They are not strong enough to hunt in the forest. They can burn their prey, but it will risk discovery and Jon forbids them from doing it.
"I can imagine how they think that there is no escape if they are to risk your wrath. If they run on land, they will be hunted down by a wolf, and if they look up the sky, they will see dragons burning them alive."
Jon frowned at the thought. He will sound like an inescapable monster bringing doom to people. A thought that stirs fear in his heart.
"I do not want to burn people alive."
"You might not want to, but your children definitely will. I could remember the stories of your wolf, Your Grace. Back when I was serving Stannis. They said your wolf killed a lot of Wildlings whenever the Night's Watch and the Wildlings clash. He will do anything to protect his master. Don't you think your children will be any different?"
Jon looked at his children, currently sitting with Ghost. For years, Ghost had saved his life countless times. He did not hesitate to kill anyone who dares to harm Jon, and true to Ser Davos' words, his children will not be any different. On contrary, they might be more protective of him than Ghost ever was.
"Your Grace, you will not be burning innocent people alive. I knew you do not want to see that, but rather, your enemies will."
"My enemies are beyond the wall. My enemies are the dead."
A smile appeared on Ser Davos' lips as he said: "And they will burn."
===XXX===XXX===XXX===
Arya's eyes shine with deep curiosity from the dark corners of the corridor, overlooking the people on the ground. Specifically towards Littlefinger who's walking past the servants.
It's been several days since Jon left. The moment he left with his men, Arya's been tailing Littlefinger, watching him like a predator.
As soon as she saw Littlefinger disappear from her sight, she immediately followed him, dressed in a servant's clothes. This is not the first time this happened. Now that Jon's heritage is announced to the North, she knows that it is only a matter of time before Littlefinger will make his move.
She is right.
Hiding behind a barrel, she peeks at the tiny hole not too far from where Littlefinger is. Her eyes landed on the servant that's talking to Littlefinger. The man took the rolled parchment from Littlefinger's hands.
It was a brief conversation. Littlefinger left the area, going back to the castle while the man decided to also leave the opposite way. Until Arya blocked his way.
This is an area far away from the castle where most of the castle's supplies are stored. There are chopped woods on the side with coals on the other. No one goes here except for the servants of their castle.
"What are you doing here, girl?" The man's husky voice penetrates Arya's ears. His eyes shake a little before throwing another question. "H-Have you been here for long?"
"No. I just arrived here. To meet with my man." She pretends to be the shy girl she never will be.
The man was easily fooled, brushing Arya to the side before bidding his farewell. Only he didn't know that was his last farewell in this world. The knife pierces the man's heart. Choking sounds came from his mouth along with the pool of blood gushing out of his throat. He looks back at the person who did this only to find a fierce gaze of Arya Stark.
Looking at him dying never fazed Arya. Her nonchalance left the man's heart cold. Who would have thought that this will be his dying moment? No one does.
Arya's hand is quick to search for the man's belongings. She finds the folded parchment in his pocket. With a single stretch, she reads the letter.
Jon Snow sailed to Dragonstone with three small dragons. A wolf has now become a dragon to join hands with a fellow dragon. They shall storm King's Landing to the ground and claim what the Targaryens wanted - the throne.
The letter does not contain who it is addressed to nor does it have Littlefinger's name on it. Clever. He wants to spread the news as far as it can till it reaches King's Landing.
With the knowledge of the King in the North gone, the Lannisters might send someone here in the North either to kill the remaining Starks or sow a seed of rebellion.
What a clever plan. Even if someone gets this letter, they won't know who it came from unless the person who brought the letter tells them that it came from Baelish.
Sadly, that man is dead. These actions are enough for Arya to kill Littlefinger. She could do this, but not yet. She reminds herself that justice will be served to Littlefinger sooner or later. Killing him is too easy. He must have a taste of his own medicine.
And it will be the sweetest thing he will get.
===XXX===XXX===XXX===
AN: I asked for suggestions previously and I went with the suggestion of burning Randyll and have Dickon as prisoner. Well, he's really not valuable as prisoner, but I have plans for this guy in the future.