PRISONER

Daenerys sat confined below the deck in the storage unit of Arya's ship. Her hands and legs had been tied together and she had been gagged with a piece of fabric tied around her lips. They had been sailing for hours now and the storage unit was dark and secluded… empty with only the sound of light scratching and squeaking of rats scurrying by every now and then.

Being alone gave Dany plenty of time to think about her children. She worried for them… as any mother would. She knew that Drogon would protect them if any enemies were to try to capture or harm them but she had sent them off to Jon Snow… their father… and although she knew she could trust him to protect them… she still worried about what he would do if it came down to choosing their children or his sister Sansa… The Queen in the North.

Dany shut her eyes and leaned her head back against the wall questioning whether or not she had made the right decision. If he was anything like the man she fell in love with all those years ago then she knew that he would accept and protect their babies… but he was also the most honourable man she had ever known. He was loyal to his family and if he had to choose between his children whom he had never met before or his sister… She had no idea what he would decide. At the thought of Jon Snow, her scar began to hurt. She slightly gritted her teeth in pain.

The scar had healed over time… but occasionally it would burn… when she would be in a trance or when she would think of Jon is when it most often happened.

Jon had betrayed her for his sister… believing that she would go as far as to kill his family because they all thought she was mad with a lust for power. Dany didn't blame them for having those opinions but in truth… she would never. The mere thought of everyone thinking she was this evil, murderous person made her heart ache with misery and guilt. She had made mistakes in the past that was for sure, but that was because she was just so exhausted and broken… everyone who she loved was gone and they had left this world in the worst way… murdered by enemies… and it seemed like the only person who cared… was her. She felt that they had died for nothing… So many people had died for nothing…

Dany began to hear voices coming nearby followed by footsteps. She recognised Arya's voice along with one of her swordsmen.

"Guard the door. Make sure no one enters." Dany heard Arya say before the sound of a door shutting came and Arya rounded a corner to meet with Dany.

Arya frowned at her. She dragged over a water barrel to sit directly across from Daenerys, suggesting that they would be together for a while. Arya pulled out a small flask of ale that she kept in her pocket and drank it as she watched Daenerys closely.

Dany raised a brow at Arya… she didn't recall her to be much of a drinker. She wasn't worried or scared of Arya… but she was a little concerned about how violent and aggressive she had been lately… Arya must have had to seen and been through a lot for her to be so cold, cruel and vile. There was a short moment of silence before anyone said a word.

"How does it feel to be my prisoner?" Arya asked.

Was she expecting Dany to reply? Because she couldn't speak while being gagged. Dany looked down into space… of course Arya did not know a bit of her past… in truth, Dany had been somewhat of a prisoner her whole life… on the run since she was a babe… dragged all over the world just to stay alive… forced into marriage and sold like a broodmare by her own brother.

Arya stood up and walked over to Daenerys. She roughly ripped the fabric from her mouth then went back to her barrel to sit.

"I asked you a question."

Dany didn't want to look up at Arya. Instead she kept her eyes to the floor and breathed ever so quietly.

"I'm happy to pay this price… my children are safe and that is all I care about." Dany replied.

Arya snarked at her comment.

"Yes. I almost forgot… You sent them off on your giant beast… where to?" Arya questioned as if demanding to know.

Dany glared at the ground.. She wasn't going to tell her anything. She trusted Jon but no one else.

"Fine. Don't tell me. I'll have my brother find out as soon as we get to King's Landing." Arya took another sip of ale as she referred to Bran's abnormal abilities to see things.

There was a moment of airy silence as Dany slowly lifted her eyes and she and Arya just exchanged looks of hatred.

"What is the point of you being down here and interrogating me if you can just find out everything you want to know through your brother?" Dany bluntly asked in an almost fed up tone.

This seemed to make Arya angry. She fisted her hands and grasped her flask so tightly that Dany was sure it would crack in her palms at any minute. Arya glared a death stare at Dany as she looked as if she were holding back from pouncing on her, like a cat does to its prey.

"You bitch. This goes beyond seeing into the past…" Arya spat. " I want to understand it."

Dany looked at Arya oddly. What was she talking about? Arya noticed her expression and hated seeing how oblivious she was being. Right now she was furious and would go to great and brutal lengths to demand answers from the Mad Queen.

"I want to know… how you manipulated my brother into lying to us all…" Arya spat. "He would never lie to us… especially not to me."

Now Dany seriously didn't know what she was talking about. At the sight of another dumbfounded expression on Daenerys' face, Arya stood up and again, slapped her hard across her cheek causing her lip to bleed.

"ANSWER ME!" Arya shouted.

Dany glared up at Arya still confused as to what she wanted her to say. She could taste the blood on her lip and feel the stinging cut Arya had just given to her. Dany quietly sighed.

"You're going to have to be more specific…" she softly replied, though in pain and bleeding, she kept control of her temper.

Arya smirked and began to laugh as if Daenerys had really pushed her buttons with that last sentence. Dany crossed her eyes at her.

"I'm being serious I truly have no idea what you mean-"

Arya unsheathed catspaw and as quick as a shadow, brought the extremely sharp steel up to Dany's left eye. Dany leaned back as the edge of the blade rested just below her cheek bone, causing a thin but painful cut against a bruise that was already there. Dany gulped, her chin now quivering and finally Arya could see a hint of fear in the Mad Queen's eyes.

"You want specifics?" Arya questioned. "Keep playing stupid and I'll carve out your eye. So… I'll ask only once more. How did you get my brother to lie to us all?"

Dany's breathing became shaky and she now subtly desperately searched and searched through her mind trying to put the pieces together of what Arya was talking about. Then… she finally clicked… they all thought that she was dead and that Jon had killed her only for Arya to discover that she was still alive.. Arya must have thought that Jon had betrayed her… had lied to the world… to his family…

Right then and there… a dark vengeful shadow loomed over her. Dany now had the capability to ruin Jon Snow's life… the man who had killed her… she had the option whether or not to take away his honour completely and lie saying that Jon Snow had indeed betrayed his family… had lied to them all and was not the hero and saviour they all thought him to be. All she needed to do was to tell Arya that he had spared her life and had allowed her to live …

"Your brother…" Dany whispered… "He did not lie to you."

She immediately shut the idea of getting revenge out of her mind. It wasn't worth it and… when she thought of Jon… a feeling took over her… she didn't want to call it love… because… after all he had done she may never love him again like she once used to… but the feeling was strong. It was more powerful than the thought of getting revenge against the man who single handedly ruined everything she had worked so hard for.

Arya put more pressure on the blade. "Don't dare to think me a fool. I can see you alive right in front of my eyes!"

"I'm serious!" Dany stated in a loud tone. "Jon did kill me! I was dead! I only saw darkness for a long time! The red priestess brought me back… the same magic that once brought Jon back."

Arya was shocked at her words as she searched into the Mad Queen's eyes for a hint of a lie. Arya could always tell when someone was lying and she knew that Daenerys was telling the truth. She stepped back away from her to turn around and look into space as she pinched the bridge of her nose in deep thought.

It wasn't unheard of… resurrection… but still… an extremely rare occurrence. The Lord of Light only ever brought a person back if they had a purpose that they were yet to fulfil… this meant that Daenerys had a purpose… but what was that? Arya turned back to her.

"Don't think that this is going to end well for you… because it most certainly isn't." Arya stated.

Arya harshly re-tied the piece of fabric around Dany's mouth and just for good measure, struck her hard enough to make her unconscious for the rest of the journey.

Arya stretched her bruised knuckles as she stared at the sleeping Mad Queen curiously. Just what was this woman's purpose and why had the Lord of Light brought her back? Perhaps Bran might know…

Warmth and gratitude rushed through her bones as the reassurance of Jon not being a traitor assured her that he was still her loyal and honourable brother that she loved. She never wanted to feel that feeling of maybe being betrayed by him ever again.

"Jon." Arya whispered.

She took another swig of ale and then joined her crew on deck. They would be arriving at Kings Landing soon.

THE SHADOW OVER WHITE HARBOUR

Lyanna held on tight to her brother's waist… her face still buried into his back and remaining that way since they had left. Eddard held tight to Drogon's spikes. His grasp was hard and his hands were now raw and bloody for it. He was angry.

None of the children had spoken a word since they had made their departure. It was a silent journey. They had seen the moon fade and the sun rise overnight and although it was the most magnificent sight to see all while on the back of a dragon at heights that no man could ever reach… they couldn't help but feel empty. In a single night their lives had changed forever and they had been forced to be separated from their mother.

They had been flying for hours and had no idea of where they were going. Eddard looked to his brother and sister… Both had been crying for the entire journey and he had just about heard enough of their sobs and whimpers… not because they were annoying… but because he felt helpless as to do something about it. It hurt him to see them so upset.

Ed grasped onto the spikes even tighter when he thought about killing Arya Stark. He gritted his teeth and narrowed his eyes. Their mother may very well be dead right now… and the person to blame was her… Arya. Her face appeared clear as day in his mind. He could see her brown hair and green eyes… the face of a killer. He would kill her. He promised himself he would. For his mother and for Tai. For Jai and for Lya. Even if it took him a lifetime, he would give his own life if it meant he could end hers.

"Where do you think he's taking us?" Jai suddenly asked from the front of the dragon as he sat up a bit and wiped away his tears.

"To our father…" Ed quietly yet sternly replied.

Jai went tense as did Lya. Eddard and Lyanna didn't know who their father was. They didn't know what to expect. He had to be a Lord but when Ed imagined what a Lord of Westeros would look like, he imagined a fat, grey bearded old man who whored around and drank wine all day making slaves do all the work while the Lord sat on a big chair barking out orders. In Essos, The Lord's of Westeros were deemed very different and foreign. Ed narrowed his eyes thinking about the man who supposedly was his father… he already was disappointed by the thought. He had always wanted to meet his real father but now… he felt differently knowing that he was a highborn Lord from Westeros. Why was he never there? Why hadn't he ever wanted to meet him and Lyanna? Why had he just abandoned his mother? He had so many questions that he could not wait to ask and confront him about.

"Do…" Jai hesitantly said. "Do you think he will protect me too?"

Ed narrowed his eyes looking at Jai's back as his younger brother brought the back of his palm up to rub at his tears.

"I know mama said that he would protect you two… but… I'm not his son…" Jai cried. "I have no one now that papa and mama are both gone… who's going to look after me?"

Lya lifted her head now to gently rest her chin on her brother's shoulder as she two was looking at Jai feeling sad for him. Ed raised his hand and rested it on Jai's back.. He was still very upset about everything… they all were.

"Don't cry Jaehaerys. We will all stay together no matter what." Ed reassured him. "And we don't know if mama is gone… when we meet the Lord we will make him help us to save mama… or else…"

Ed looked down at Drogon… he wondered if he could command the dragon to spit fire if need be.

Jai looked back at his siblings with tears in his violet eyes. The small boy then screamed as the dragon suddenly beat downwards through the clouds so that they could now see the landmass.

They were soaring quickly through giant mountains and were holding on tightly for dear life. The trio screamed out as Drogon flew. The dragon rose and they could now see far away in the distance… tall giant stone walls circling the biggest castle they had ever seen.

"Is that a castle?" Lyanna frightfully asked as she looked on nervously.

The children had never seen such grand structures before. It was so very odd yet magnificent. They were almost convinced that such buildings did not exist… their mother had told them otherwise though saying they would be fools to believe that.

Ed closed his eyes feeling the fresh cool air whip against his face. For some reason he felt like the castle was calling to him… welcoming him… like this was where he was from. He immediately shut that idea out of his mind when he viewed dozens of mean looking soldiers on the walls all wielding bow and arrows.

"AHHH!" Jai shouted as one giant steel arrow nearly knocked them dead. Drogon only just got out of the way. The dragon roared and began to fly wildly as another giant arrow soared their way, then another and another!

"Hold on!" Ed shouted as the dragon dove towards the ground and then soared upwards again, narrowly dodging each shot.

Lyanna closed her eyes as the thought of dying on the back of the flying beast erupted in her mind. This was how it was going to end for them. She held tightly onto her brother as she would decide to be brave and accept her fate.

Ed tried scanning the walls for someone who looked like a Lord. He could barely see from where they were but he thought that he noticed a woman at the forefront of the lines of soldiers, giving commands.

"They can't see us!" Ed shouted out to his siblings.

They were tiny on the back of Drogon and all the soldiers could see was a giant terrifying dragon that looked as though it were coming to destroy their home.

AIM TO KILL

Sansa watched all while scrunching her fists anxiously as the dragon dodged the arrows. Drogon was huge, twice the size of when she had last seen him and she worried that their scorpions would not be enough to take him down.

"Keep firing!" Sansa shouted to the soldiers.

Although the giant steel arrows were coming fast at Drogon from every direction, he wasn't showing any signs of retreating. The dragon was hanging around the grounds and seemed to be determined to make it to Winterfell. Sansa now was certain that it was definitely here for someone.

"If the dragon won't leave then so be it. Continue." Sansa said to the commander. "Aim to kill."

The scorpions continued to fire their arrows towards the giant creature circling the skies soaring only upwards or down to get out of range. Sansa glared at the hideous beast… a freak of nature. It would not come near her home, she would make sure of it.

She eyed one of the scorpions being manoeuvred by their best archer… he had a determined look on his face and worked slowly yet precisely to get the dragon's exact position. He slowly handled the trigger. This was it. This was the one that was going to bring the beast down.

As Sansa awaited the satisfying kill… All of a sudden the dragon relaxed and the arrows had stopped firing.

"What is it?" Sansa furiously asked, marching over to the commander. "Why have you ordered them to stop?"

The commander nervously pointed towards the field and when Sansa saw him… she all but sighed and shook her head.

"What is he doing?" Sansa questioned.

THE CHILDREN AND THE DRAGON

Jon entered the field alone, a determined look to his face. He was ready to stand, fight and die for his family. He was wearing the Stark colours cloak and tunic with longclaw sheathed proudly at his side. He was walking towards Drogon. He knew that they all were questioning his actions… but Jon didn't care. Jon had decided that if the dragon was here for him, then it wasn't worth a massive attack on Winterfell. He would never risk his sister's life or put the North in danger solely because of him. If he could stop it from happening he would… even if it meant death.

Drogon roared, having noticed Jon and quickly began to fly towards him. Jon stopped and eyed him down.

"I'm the one you want!" Jon shouted to Drogon from afar.

The image of Daenerys Targaryen's face ran clear in his mind and he felt his eyes suddenly stinging with tears. His heart was hurting at the thought of her. The guilt and pain had never subsided from the moment it had dawned on him ever since he had murdered her with that dagger.

"Go ahead. Kill me." Jon said quietly. "I deserve to die."

Jon unsheathed longclaw, tossing his sword to the side. He was surrendering to Drogon much to Sansa's dismay and worry.

"Come on." Sansa said as she hurried with a dozen soldiers out the gate.

The dragon slowly beat downwards and crept up to Jon and roared a terrible roar at his face baring all his fangs and even shedding a bit of heat from his fiery throat. Drogon wanted to kill Jon. He had never forgotten or forgiven him for what he did to his mother.

Jon breathed heavily, staring into the Dragon's mouth awaiting death. Would he be eaten? Would he be burned? The question loomed but was never to be answered. Drogon suddenly eased up on him, staring at him and was almost purring.

"Drogon?" Jon quietly said, confused.

The dragon blinked and relaxed as it brought its shoulder down revealing three very terrified younglings… Jon's heart stopped beating… the blood rushed from his veins. Drogon was not alone. He was accompanied by children…

HOW HAD THEY NOT SEEN THEM! HOW HAD THEY NOT KNOWN!

He quickly stepped his way around the dragon until he came to stand by Drogon's wing, facing the children. A young boy hopped down from Drogon without fear and landed swiftly on his feet. He turned around and stared at Jon, giving him a stern look. Jon had to step back when their eyes locked. He looked like the most beautiful child he had ever seen.

Ed felt a weird feeling when he saw Jon.

For what felt like a long moment the two just stared at each other… It felt entrancing as their eyes connected. The boy gulped looking Jon suspiciously up and down and then turned around to help the second child climb down from the dragon, a girl, while the littlest one slid his way down Drogon on his own.

The three children stood together, exhausted and terrified as they looked around curiously. Their eyes stopped on the man before them. Ed looked over to where Jon had tossed his sword…

'A knight…' Ed thought.

Jon felt himself drawn to take a step forward. These children felt familiar though they had never met. Jon felt himself naturally going towards them. His hand slowly drifted out to the pair as if drawn to them.

Ed saw that Jon was getting closer and he immediately tensed, stepping protectively in front of his siblings and now was giving Jon an unwelcomingly look so he instantly stopped.

Sansa along with a dozen armed men neared from behind. Drogon roared a protective roar baring his fangs and growling at them, warning them all off. Sansa stopped a few metres behind Jon who held his hand up to signal to them not to come any closer.

At the sound of the dragon angrily growling the children jumped and to Jon's great surprise, the girl ran over to him for protection. She grabbed his arm tightly and Jon looked down at her scared little face and was at a loss for words at how beautiful she was.

Lyal quickly let go as they made eye contact and shyly looked away from him.

"Sorry…" she softly whispered to him.

'Daenerys.' he immediately thought. 'She looks just like Daenerys…'

Jon was about to raise a comforting palm to the sweet girl's cheek but the boy quickly pulled her away and they stood to the side, away from Drogon, away from Jon, away from Sansa and her men. They stood as three little ones, as their own small party.

Jon was impressed by the boy's bravery and admired his leadership skills while being so young as well… It reminded him of someone…

"Who are you?" Jon asked in a gentle and very curious tone.

There was a long moment of silence as none of the children knew whether or not they could trust the man.

"Don't answer any of his questions." Ed said to his siblings in high valyrian. He stepped towards Jon.

"You first." he asked him in the common tongue. "Who are you?"

When the boy spoke the common tongue, Jon hinted that he almost sounded like he were from Westeros though they also spoke high valyrian meaning they had spent some time in Essos or someone had taught them the language.

"Don't answer!" Sansa called out sternly yet still remaining a safe distance back.

"My name is Jon Snow." Jon replied not taking his eyes off of the boy and completely disregarding Sansa's orders.

"Jon Snow?" the boy repeated. He looked down at his feet and bit his lip nervously. His heart was racing with nerves. "Are you the Lord here?"

"There's no Lord here…" Jon said softly.

Ed looked at his siblings with a worried expression. He turned back to Jon almost looking disappointed.

"There has to be…" he said desperately. "Our mother… she said that… she said that our father was here… she said that he would protect us…"

Jon's heart was racing and his breaths were heavy. He took a step closer to them now desperate to find out just who these children were… though in his heart… he already knew.

"Who's your mother…" Jon asked ever so quietly. His eyes were sad and desperate. They were truthful and honest. Lya could see that he and Ed had the same eyes… the same expressions… the same everything…

Jon looked at the youngest boy who had silver hair and violet eyes. He then looked at the girl who also had violet eyes as well… Targaryen's…

"Is…" Jon's voice broke. He treaded lightly as he spoke. "Is your mother… Daenerys Targaryen?"

The trio went silent. Lya couldn't stop the tears as her chin began to quiver and she began to cry at hearing her mother's true name. Jai also began to cry and Ed was left once again, fed up with their sadness. He crossed his arms and glared at Jon Snow.

"How do I know I can trust you?" Ed asked.

"I loved her…" Jon said lightly. "I loved her so much…"

Ed dropped his frown as he slightly gaped at the man who just now confessed his love for his mother.

"Is… is she alive?" Jon asked.

Ed felt his own chin start to quiver. He could not answer that question.

"Our mother said that we can find our father here… she said that he would protect us…" Lyanna's little voice spoke through sobs.

At that Jon stepped forward and dropped to kneel in front of her. He had tears in his sad grey eyes yet looked at his daughter with every bit of sincerity.

"I'll protect you. Always."

He knew it with all his heart. These children were his children. His blood. They were the most beautiful children he had ever seen and they were his and Dany's creations.

"I am your father." Jon said.

Lyanna looked at Eddard and they both could hardly comprehend anything that had just happened. Lya couldn't help herself but fall into Jon's arms. After all that had happened she needed a cuddle from someone who would protect them… someone who would be there for them. Jon hugged her tightly back running a gentle hand through her hair that fell in waves to her waist and was the same colour as his.

Eddard, overwhelmed, ran into Jon's arms wrapping his arms tight around him and his sister. He was crying now as well although he wished that he wasn't. Jon reached one free arm around him to hold them both and tried to stop himself from crying too as they both sobbed into him for comfort.

After years and years of wanting to meet their father and now for it to truly be happening just all felt too surreal.

Jon had always felt like there was a piece of him that was missing. An emptiness that could not be filled. Now in this moment… he felt pure bliss and happiness… a feeling he hadn't felt in such a long time.

Jon noticed the little one hovering around them nervously and he could tell that he was feeling a bit left out. Jon waved his hand for Jai to join the hug and he did. Jon knew that this child was not his own son but he didn't care at all. He felt love for all of them regardless. He was still his blood and he would protect them all no matter what. Jon could all of a sudden hear Maester Aemon's voice ring true in his ears.

"What is duty compared to the feel of a newborn son in your arms."

He truly now felt and understood what it meant to be a father.

"What are your names?" Jon asked them.

They one by one replied...

"Lyanna…"

"Jaehaerys…"

"Eddard."

Jon gaped for a second at hearing those names. Lyanna and Eddard… named after his mother and father… He hugged the children even tighter.