Hello, been quite a bit and I hope this chapter makes up for it.
Chapter 52: The Wolf and the Kraken
Winterfell
Arthur splashed his face with water, his growing beard getting like Greatjon's so he'll need to shave it soon.
Looking back to his bed, he sighed and was slightly frustrated that Val was angry with him over the fact his former spouse was here in the castle.
A jealous and fiery heart, it might've been the woman he fell for but he'd rather have something warm in his bed than nothing and got ready and walked out of his chambers and began the day, Dusk, Grey Wind, and Nymeria following behind him down the hall and along the courtyard.
He got a good look at the surrounding around the castle walls, most, if not all of the construction and preparations were complete, the trenches finished just yesterday and now was the time to wait- In fact, he thought about sending men to the Wall as a primary defense but cast it aside... They needed every man and woman here and ready.
He did, however, send a raven to each of the garrisons at the Wall, to the commanders of the leading towers that are organized with all the other keeps that were brought back up to working order.
The order was clear, fight. If the dead arrives, do all that you can to beat them or dent their numbers for the rest of them that stand at Winterfell.
Now, all that remains is to wait for Jon to return with Arya, and with Euron Greyjoy's head on a spear. Mya had told him how she spotted the last of Stannis's forces, probably heading for Dragonstone and he asked her to send a raven to her cousin and ask her for assistance in blocking the Gullet.
It should keep Euron busy while Jon and the rest come at their rear, hopefully sinking the raider's ships and saving Arya.
The snow continued to fall, he heard the sounds of feet coming toward him and looked to see Sansa and Mya side by side, he subconsciously looked both ways in case Val was near and didn't see him interacting with Mya.
His heart clenched slightly though seeing his former wife, especially her smile from whatever she and Sansa were talking about.
"What are you two smiling about?" He asked them and Sansa blushed a little.
"I was telling Mya a story about Arya, that time when she slid sheep dung in my pillow. I was so angry with her for so many weeks for that." He remembers well, especially that it took half a month to find the dung because Lady Catelyn was so irritated.
"She's sure to make more memories when she returns." Mya told them with a hopeful expression, "I remember when we were camped in the Riverlands, she and my brother cut Arthur's horse free when he and I rode off to bathe." He recounts having all the men laughing, him chasing his steed so far and with nothing but his shirt covering his private areas.
"I'm still getting her back for that, and I made Gendry tend to my horse for a week and brush her down, too." He said and he made his sister and Mya laugh aloud.
Not a day goes by that he doesn't miss Gendry, he was everything that the boy's father would've been proud of if he knew. He was someone he trusted that could love his little sister and never hurt her, then he gave his life to save Arya and then him.
Gods, give Jon and the others speed and bring Arya home.
"Sansa." He called, and the red-haired lady answered him. "How goes those lessons with my mother?" He asked, attempting to not frown all day and night again.
Sansa held her right arm. "I really wish I didn't have to learn how to fight, or at least let Brienne teach me than Lady Dayne." He shook his head to the request.
"Brienne is sworn to you, my mother isn't which means she won't hold back on training you to fight." Sansa seemed unsure, he smiled and put a hand on her redhead. "When the dead finally come, every citizen and soldier needs to fight... Even Stark Princesses." Mya agreed, wrapping an arm around Sansa's shoulder and their fingers lightly touched.
He needs to go. "I bid you both farewell, I still have tasks to do." He said and quickly walked away and brushed the thoughts of how Mya felt out of his mind and focussed on fighting and nothing else.
The Reach
Thousand laid to waste, the Golden Company and their war elephants destroying the Reach cavalry.
Jaime saw their effectiveness in a battle, especially as many of the men born in Westeros rarely see such an animal or see them used in the field against an armored force.
He saw why his sister had bought them and in such a short time, they proved to dig deep into the territory of House Tyrell and their loyalists. He turned around and gave Addam Marbrand and Bronn the signal to lead their forces right to Highgarden to capitulate the traitorous House.
Harry Strickland and Jon Connington rode up to them, the leader of the mercenaries smiling from ear to ear. "Is your Lordship impressed with the men and elephants? They swept like a mighty current, stomping the Reachmen and their horses like a tame field of fire." Indeed they are but how well will they do when fighting the Northmen who haven't lost a battle since Ned's death, he shook his head and noticed Jon staring at him.
"Lord Jaime, we haven't spoken since I arrived." He heard Connington point out, softly as Harry started talking to Lord Tarly and his son about some matter he is uninterested in.
"I know, I assumed you were still mourning Rhaegar by not speaking to me or Cersei like friends." He shot towards the red-haired Lord and former Hand of the King.
Jon kept his composure, not betraying his emotions as he evoked the late Crown Prince who has been dead for some twenty-odd years now. "All who were a part of that time are dead, now." All? He was still alive, and so were Randyll and several others he can speak on, enemy or otherwise.
"I recall being a part of that, or do you mean the Sacking?" He asked plainly of Jon who finally tensed. "The Mountain is dead, my father was killed by Tyrion, and Amory Lorch is rotting in some pit somewhere." He said while listing off the lost.
But, Jon Connington smirked and glared daggers at him. "But the one who allowed that senseless death stands before me... The true killer of Rhaegar's children, the only children he ever had." He narrowed his green eyes, his hand reaching towards his sword but Jon didn't make such a movement.
"If it is revenge you want, I daresay you'll live long enough to relish it." He warned and Jon shook his head.
"I've waited for revenge for twenty years, I can wait a while longer and pick my opportunity," Jon told him then told Harry he was rejoining the men down the hill to which the man waved.
A potential assassin or traitor, already he is starting to be wary of the Golden Company. Jaime made it a point to keep ten men to guard him at all hours of the day, just in case Jon Connington chooses he wants to try and take his life.
The Narrow Sea
The day was clear and windy when Euron spotted they were close to King's Landing, just in time to deliver his prize to the Queen and get his reward.
Mya's raven did little effect, Shireen still had her ships close to home as she watched the Greyjoy sails come close.
The Old Gods gave fortune as Jon and the Northern ships arrived, passing Dragonstone and coming out past Driftmark. Jon and Theon smiled, they stood between the enemy and the Gullet and today Jon brings Arya home.
"Full sails, we'll take them!" Asha shouted and her man blew the horn for full sails, "Ready for battle!" All sailors and soldiers got atop the deck and readied for a fight.
Euron didn't shy away, ordering for full sails as well and archers prepared and shot a volley once they got close enough in range. Edric raised his shield, protecting himself and Jon from the volley, a moment later the volley was returned in kind.
Shireen watched the battle between those who killed her father and those who rebelled against her uncle fight, she turned and asked what she should do and those who she chose as advisers struggled to find an answer but one... Devan.
"My Queen, they killed my father- Your father, even. But they did so out of retaliation, Cersei wants us dead... Perhaps we have better chances fighting with the Starks." It was Baratheon and Stark that brought down the Targaryen dynasty, she paused for a long moment before giving the command for the remaining fleet of her father to get ready for battle.
Back with the naval battle, the Stark and Greyjoy ships were close enough to board. Asha and another ship steered clear and got to both sides of the Silence. Boarding ramps were thrown down but Euron's men swung over on ropes and jumped from the ship itself.
Jon slashed and impaled two men while running up a ramp, diving and rolling past a crossbow bolt that might've connected with his heel. "Euron! Come out and die!" He shouted, parrying a Greyjoy ax then cleaving the bastard's head right off.
Theon and Edric followed suit, killing the Silence defenders but back on their own ship the numbers started to drain as Asha began losing her grip while defending the deck.
Asher grunted, getting stabbed in the abdomen but still kicked an enemy overboard, he gripped his family sword and continued fighting. "For the North! The North Remembers!" A war cry erupted and was followed by others.
Asha was finishing up, gutting a bastard when she was turned around and nearly met death if not for a whip wrapping itself around the man's neck then a spear resembling a serpent burst from his chest. Nymeria nodded at her, understanding.
The situation was dire, all three Stark ships were being surrounded and boarded by Greyjoy soldiers- Euron's silenced warriors who believe in nothing. "We can't keep it up like this, hurry and get your sister, White Wolf," Asha muttered and grunted while ducking an ax swing before driving it into the man's chest and sending him over the ship.
Back on the Silence, Jon busted down the main cabin door and stopped upon seeing Euron with a handful of others and a dagger at his sister's neck. Theon and Edric joined him after finishing off some of the raider's men, both were stunned.
"You know, White Wolf, even if you free her... You'll still die." Euron said with a sickening grin, "I outnumber you! Even now, your men are being overrun and killed- Sent to the Drowned God."
Euron would be right if not for the Baratheon ships coming to his fleet's rear, the back ships blew a horn alerting Euron who gritted his teeth and then turned his eye back on Jon and his nephew, digging his dagger deeper and breaking the skin on Arya's slender neck.
"I should have taken her, should I have her here before I die?" He said and put a hand on Arya's breast and saw the rage in Jon's eyes. "... Kill them."
The six Greyjoy men charged and fought against Jon, Theon, and Edric. Jon punched one man, slicing the neck of the other and slashing at the chains that held Arya up, the valyrian steel cut it like a knife through butter. Euron drove forward and stabbed the White Wolf.
"Time to die, White Wolf." Jon groaned from pain, but headbutted the one-eyed man and pushed him back as Theon took over, finishing the two men he was fighting from before.
"Arya!" He picked his sister up, then heard a cry and Arya watched with horrified eyes as Edric was stabbed in the back after using Dawn to slay a soldier.
Hate and rage fueled Arya's heart as she, as weakened as she was able to throw a knife at the man trying to kill Edric. "Are you alright?" Jon asked and Edric weakly nodded but their troubles weren't over yet, they were in the middle of the Silence's deck when they heard a scream.
Theon was putting up a good fight, but Euron, a veteran of a hundred naval battles, had killed thousands of equally strong warriors. He was fast and disarmed his nephew, then drove a dagger into Theon's eye causing him to yelp in pain.
Jon wanted to also scream, he looked at his sister then Edric. "Take her." He said and ignored Arya's pleas for him to flee with them and not face Euron. "I love you, sister." He said then readied to face Euron who found himself a sword.
Smoke from nearby ships was blinding slightly as Euron pounced on him, the clash was vicious for both him and Euron, it was a fight between two men who loathed one another and Jon swore to end the bastard who stole his sister and killed many good men at Moat Cailin.
As Jon and Euron fought to the death, Edric collapsed the moment they got back to their ship which was still in combat. A raider saw the felled Dayne and the prisoner and charged with his spear but Nymeria swung her whip to rip it out of his hand and strike him with her short spear.
Arya clutched her friend, "You'll be alright, Edric?" the heir to House Dayne was unconscious and Arya cried then turned and asked for help. "Jon, he needs help!" Nymeria filled with worry and looked up towards the Silence before going up and throwing an enemy who tried to stop her.
Euron was tired of this game, clutching Jon's leathers and throwing him against a wall before swinging his weapon for the kill, Jon responded by kicking Euron's stomach and raising Longclaw, and slashing the one-eyed pirate's chest. It served only to anger Euron who backhanded him in the face and tried to kill him again only for a whip to ring around his hand.
The Silence at this point was on fire, some were fleeing to another ship and some were jumping into the waters below.
Euron tugged hard on the whip and slashed at Nymeria and nearly cut her face, the Sand Snake then kicked him back and Jon ran Longclaw across Euron's back causing him to shout out.
"Go and help Theon in the cabin, get him back to the ship." He commanded of the woman, forcing Euron to his knees violently and stepping in front of him. "Don't move." he threatened the man but Euron still tried to grab something to fight with and Jon brought Longclaw down to cut his right hand off.
"You think killing me stops anything, boy... She has the men, now, soon she will have the Reach." The Reach? Jon gripped his sword close to Euron's head. "I could help you, I call off my men and their ships becomes the Dread Wolfs." Now he wants to bargain, Jon smirked and shook his head slightly.
"You killed your brother, took his men. Swore to Cersei and now wants to betray her for my brother? You stole our sister, to make her a prize for the Lannisters... You threatened to rape her, and you want me to spare your life?!" He was done talking and raised his sword high, both hands on it, and brought it down with force and cut Euron from shoulder to guts.
The Crows Eye was dead, killed by the White Wolf of the North.
Having gathered their dead, Jon returned to the ship with Euron's head in a sack to give to Arthur when he returns. He was nursing his wounds as the last of Euron's ships were sunk or taken by his men, to replace the one they lost to fire.
As for their surprise allies, he spoke with the head of the Dragonstone fleet and was told that Queen Shireen wished to speak and let his people rest so long as they left their weapons on their ships. He was tired, grieving for Theon who succumbed to his wounds and Edric needs a healer's hands, Asher too who was sore and wounded.
He agreed and the combined ships turned sail, going towards the port at Dragonstone while the smoke from Euron's fleet climbed the heights of the Blackwater sending a message to King's Landing.
"Are you alright?" He looked up, Nymeria watching him with worry, Asha and Arya were behind him.
He thinks he is, but the dizziness got to him and he fell down collapsing and worrying his sister and Nymeria. He came back from the dead before, perhaps he should have brought the Red Priestess with him when he left for White Harbor instead of telling her to remain.
He, Edric, and Asher were put on a wagon to take up the path to the main keep but just as he started to close his eyes... He heard a loud screeching in the air then the shadow of wings falling over him.
Then and only then did darkness take him, only to wake hours later inside of a chamber with a warm hearth and a woman standing over him surrounded by guards in black armor.
The woman was beautiful, with long flowing silver hair and the brightest purple eyes he's ever seen besides Arthur's own. "You are Jon Snow?... My name is Daenerys Targaryen."
AN: A shocking cliffhanger, we shall find out the interactions in the next update. I am preparing an update for Long May They Reign, Our Tears will Fall like Rain, and Within the Blood is the Fire, and many other updates.