"And when they get older, we can play with them, right Dany?"
Dany laughed. "Yes, of course!"
It was midday and Dany was sitting surrounded by the village children, Ghost at her feet, a little ways away from the central fire pit. Having finished building the last house, the free folk villagers were celebrating with a gathering of all those who had worked together. They had named the village Shadowedge for its location outside the Haunted Forest, where the long tree shadows could not reach and sunlight shone down on clear days.
The fifty or so people, from the wrinkled with age Dryn the Elder to the tiny three year-old Myl, who had been born South of the Wall, had become an eclectic clan. They were the few remnants of dozens of clans and tribes destroyed by the Night King, bound together by a will to take what had been lost and form it into something found. Home, Dany thought, These people are home.
Cooked stag was being sliced and handed out to everyone; some of the villagers, including Jon, had been hunting for the celebration. Smelling it, Ghost had been licking his lips since the stag began roasting over the fire.
A little hand reached out from the kids and pressed against Dany's swollen stomach, now very visible even under the layers of clothing to protect from the cold. "I won't be smallest no more!" Myl announced imperiously to the other children.
"Any baby could outgrow you," another child teased him.
Myl looked down, flushing red and balling his miniature fists at the slight.
"Nonsense," Dany told them, touching Myl's shoulder, "I'm sure that Myl will be much taller even before the baby is born." The little boy puffed his chest out smugly at Dany's words before turning to her again.
"Why can't you come back here again before the baby's born, Dany?" he asked her sadly.
There was a chorus of agreement from the children, who had grown very fond of Dany sitting with them for Dryn's stories, telling them her own tales about far off places of sand and grass, and making them wooden toys to play with (now distinctly animal-like instead of potatoes, though a few of them had interesting facial expressions and leg positions).
"Because," Jon said, coming over from carving the stags to sit next to Dany with a plate of food, "How would you like to walk all the way to and from our house carrying each other around your waists?"
"I would if it was Myl!" one of the girls said giggling.
"I would even if it was Enda!" Myl said competitively, naming the biggest child: girl of ten with straw-colored hair.
"You couldn't carry Enda all the way to Dany's house!"
"Could so!" Myl argued.
"Go ahead then - show us!" Nerell, Enda's younger brother, told Myl, playfully shoving him forward.
Jon shook his head, putting a hand on Myl's shoulder to keep him from trying to pick up Enda. "Point is, it's a long way to carry another person every day. Dany'll be back soon enough," he explained - Dany nodded along, though didn't speak as her mouth was full of stag - "Now go get something to eat."
The rag tag group of kids turned and ran towards the adults by the stag, shouting about who could have the legs and who could keep the antlers.
"I will miss them," Dany said wistfully after she and Jon had finished the plate of stag together. She leaned against him, watching as one of the boys tapped Myl on the back so he turned around and Nerell took the opportunity to take some of Myl's stag.
Jon chuckled as Myl got up to chase both boys around. "Aye," he agreed, "Though one of them will wander over soon enough to visit and beg for stories and ask when the baby is coming for the millionth time." At that, Dany chuckled as well. Somehow, Myl was the one being chased now.
"Come on," Jon said, "We'd better start walking back while it's still light."
"That's nice," Dany murmured. She was laid on the bed, eyes closed, while Jon rubbed her feet. As much as she would miss spending time in the village, Dany would not miss making the walk.
"Did you have a good time today?" he asked her, pressing his thumbs into her arches.
"Mm, yes, did you?"
"Dryn was going on about that shadow monster. Insisted he saw it while fishing again, flying over the river like last time. So that was entertaining."
"He didn't happen to look up, did he?" she asked teasingly. They both chuckled.
In comfortable silence, he continued to work on her feet and ankles and Dany let her thoughts range. She had gotten to know Dryn very well over the past months and while did indeed tell tall tales, it was unlike him to be so insistent around even the adults that it was so real. In fact, Dany could not remember him ever repeating a story without specific request. Her thoughts turned to more pressing issues, however, before she could dwell on Dryn for longer.
"Jon."
"Hm?"
"That's not my feet," she breathed.
"I know," he murmured, sliding his hands up over her already bare legs and pushing her shirt up. Dany relieved herself of it quickly, desire governing her actions. Jon followed along, kissing up the inside of her thigh. She bit her lip as he moved closer and closer, only to skate over her center to kiss her stomach.
"Mm," Dany whined impatiently, hands coming to try and push him back down.
"Be patient, my love," Jon said, smiling against her as he kissed over the swell and back down again. He came up level with her and smiled again, twirling one hand through the silver hair splayed all around Dany. They locked gazes, and Dany bit her lip again, watching Jon's eyes darken with hunger.
She moved closer and kissed him, draping one leg over him as she did. Her arms came around him, pulling them close together to encircle where she carried their child. Jon's hands slid down her back, giving Dany tingles as they made delicate patterns against her skin. Heat pooled low inside her and she felt urgency take over.
"Why are your clothes still on?" she breathed into their kiss, moving to pull his shirt over his head.
Wordlessly, Jon rid himself of shirt and trousers before pulling Dany close again. She drew a sharp intake of breath, feeling him hard already. Placing one arm back around him, Dany moved them so that she straddled a laying Jon.
Both gasped in this new position as Jon pressed up against Dany's wet center deliriously. His hands came to rest at her hips and Dany felt his length twitch underneath her, nearly sending her anticipating body over the edge already.
She raised up to grasp him before settling down over top, taking him inside her with a pleasurable shiver. Jon's eyes closed and she heard a soft moan escape his mouth. Her walls fluttered excitedly around him and she began to move slowly, savoring every stroke in and out and in again.
"Don't stop, Dany," Jon breathed, his hands gripping her hips more tightly, urging her to quicken her pace.
She obliged, feeling herself get wetter as she glided along faster. One of Jon's hands moved inward from her hips towards where they were joined.
"Oh," Dany cried as he slipped over her center, lightly caressing her clit in small circles so that she began to tremble as she moved. Her walls began to flex more, eliciting moans from Jon until she felt him shudder, hand stuttering over her clit, and spill himself into her, calling her name.
Slowing, Dany went to dismount, allowing Jon to slip out of her.
"Wait," Jon said breathlessly, his hand starting back up over her core. Trembling again, Dany fell forward, unable to hold herself up as Jon's ministrations continued. He caught her, laying her down so they faced each other and sliding one finger down from her clit and slipping it inside.
His thumb continued the circles as he slid the finger in and out before adding another. Beckoning her from the inside, he coaxed whimpers from her and she held him close, hips rolling and begging for release.
"Come for me, Dany," he whispered, kissing her as he slipped a third finger inside. Dany felt herself collapse around him, shaking as she cried out in ecstasy and stars danced in her head. He kept going, bringing her down once and then up again, beckoning her forward to the second edge. He held her as she unraveled again, forgetting even her own name as she clung to the man she loved.
Time seemed to slow as they lay there wrapped around each other. Jon lazily rubbed his hand along Dany's belly, pausing every once in a while to feel the baby kicking. She smiled at each time his eyes widened with wonder.
"This will never not be amazing," he said after what may have been eons or mere minutes, "Should've been born kissed by fire, I'm the luckiest man in the world."
"Kissed by fire?" Dany asked, thinking sickeningly of Sandor Clegane, whom she did not consider lucky at all.
"It means red-haired. It's rare among the free folk. They consider it lucky and the people born with are held as truly beautiful. But," Jon told her, moving so that his lips brushed Dany's with every word, "I think I prefer those kissed by ice."
Illustrating his point, he threaded a hand through Dany's silver hair and pulled her in for a searing kiss as they wound around each other and became one again.
Happy Father's Day to all the fathers out there, including our dear friend Jon Snow...according to this story. Until next time.