Chapter 8: Truth

Jon Pov

Jon woke up the next morning, a little sore from sleeping on the floor. But he couldn't sleep next to her, because he didn't know what could happen at night, and she was frightened by him yesterday. She cried most of the night. Though, in silence, Jon heard her anyway.

When Jon got up, he tried to be quiet, so she wouldn't wake up. After changing his clothes, because the night before he had gone to sleep in the one he wore at the wedding, he went to the bed to look at her. She was so beautiful and innocent, at that moment. She didn't deserve the horrible fate her father had imposed on her. Marrying a man with whom she wasn't in love.

If she had come to him before the wedding and confessed the truth to him, he would have made sure that she marries the man she was in love with, but now it was late.

They were married before the Old Gods, and he had made a promise to them, and he didn't intend to break it. They are stuck in an unhappy marriage for the rest of their lives. And that will mean, no children. He will never become a father, and she will never become a mother. The throne will pass to Brandon and through him, Catelyn Tully will be able to fulfill his dream, rule in the shadows.

Looking at her face, Jon saw that some hair was out of place, so he leaned and put them behind her ear.

"So beautiful, and with such a big heart. A heart that will never be mine. Even if, you already have my heart. A broken heart and that will never heal because you've fucked both our lives. "Jon said, leaning toward her.

"Old Gods. What have you done to me! You had tied me to a woman who doesn't love me and who is a real temptation."

Before he left, he covered her with the fur and sighed.

Outside the door, Jon saw Arthur waiting for him, and smiled, " Do you ever sleep, Uncle?"

"Not when my favorite nephew is the King."

"Be careful that Arya doesn't hear you, Uncle, or she'll make you pay for it during training. "

Arthur chuckled, and adding, "How was your wedding night, Your Grace?"

At that point Jon became serious, and approaching his ear, he whispered, "I didn't consume the marriage."

"What?" Arthur asked in disbelief.

"I could not lie with a woman who did not want me. I'm not a monster."

" That gives you honor. But Jon..."

"She was forced into all of this. It wasn't her choice. She was already in love with another man. How can I have sex with her knowing that in that instant she would imagine that she is with that man she is doing it. "Sighing Jon said, "Arthur, you remember my promise to the Old Gods, don't you?"

Arthur nodded.

"Then you have my answer."

As they were heading toward the throne room Arthur said, "May I ask you a simple question, your grace?"

"Go ahead and ask."

"Do you love her?"

Jon stopped petrified. His heart began to beat quickly, his throat was dry and the words didn't come out but Arthur answered for him.

"I take your silence for a yes. And that is why I advise you not to give up on your future, even if you think it is impossible and full of challenges. "

Jon nodded. And resumed walking. He was very impressed by Arthur's words, and he knew they came from his heart. He was one of his favorite uncles, and it was him and Lord Aerys that Jon tried to follow as a role model, even if he didn't always succeed. He also loved Benjen, but he was too similar to his father. But he was very loyal and would give his life for him.

When he arrived in the throne room, Jon sat on the throne and said to Viserys, "Go and find your father, Viserys."

He bowed and left.

"Your Grace, what do you want to do?" asked Arthur.

"Ask for explanations."

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"He lied to the king, Arthur."

After a while, he saw Lord Aerys enter with a smile.

"Your grace. You wanted to see me?"

"Yes, Lord Aerys," Jon replied and saw his mother come in.

But his attention was drawn back to Lord Aerys, who said with a smile, "I hope my daughter treated you well last night."

"Actually, that's exactly what we need to talk about."

"Your grace. I think I don't understand. "

"I will ask you questions, and you need to tell me the truth. I made myself clear. "

"Yes, your grace," Lord Aerys replied.

Jon took a deep breath, and looking him straight in the eye, he said, "Daenerys didn't approve, did she?"

"I don't understand your grace."

"She didn't want to marry me. "

He laughed and Jon looked at him with furrowed eyebrows "That's ridiculous your grace."

"No, my lord. It's true. She admitted it."

"What are you talking about ?"

"Daenerys was in love with someone else. And you forced her to marry me."

"No..." he heard her mother gasp. She looked at Lord Aerys "My lord. You assured that it was her choice. Did you-"

"My daughter wasn't in love with no one."

"Yes she was and she is. Do you know Daario of House Naharis?"

"Yes, I do" Lord Aerys responded in a tone of disgust, as he was disgusted just hearing the name. He looked suddenly angrier than he already was, by hearing the name "Are you telling me that my daughter was in love with that Monster?"

Jon was taken aback by his last word. "Monster". What did he mean by that?

"I know it's true because she admitted yesterday when I asked her."

"That's impossible."

Now Jon wanted to know what he means by Monster "Lord Aerys-"

"She wasn't in love, your grace. If she felt something it was only infatuation.

But you still forced her in this. And you lied to your king. That is treason. Do you know?

"I know your grace," he responded bowing his head. "If you want, I will relinquish my position as Hand of the King..."

"Of course not, Lord Aerys. You are my most trusted advisors. But I hope that this will never happen. Never again lied to me. Or you will suffer the consequence."

"Yes, your grace. I ask your permission to leave. I need to talk to my daughter."

"Yes, you need to talk with her, but calmly. She had already suffered from this situation. But first tell me, what do you mean by Monster. Is he doing bad action across my kingdom?"

"First, I need to talk with my daughter than you will know."

Jon sighed and nodded. He really didn't like this one of his Bannermen is working to destroy his Kingdom he needs to intervene.

"You may leave."

When Lord Aerys left, he turned to Arthur and said, "I have a bad feeling about this?"

Arthur patted his shoulder, "I felt the same. "

"Jon" his mother called. "You didn't have to do that."

"Mother. The situation wasn't looking good..."

"You should have come to me, and together we would have found a solution."

"Mother. You aren't the one trapped in this marriage. Is she. So I needed to talk with the man who gives his daughter to me. After all, he should be the one to know her better."

"I'm disappointed in you, Jon."

"What? What did I do wrong?"

"You told him about that. Do you think that after this embarrassing situation he is going to talk to her in a calm way?"

"He is her father. He is not gonna hurt her?"

"Are you sure?"

"He then turned to Viserys "What do you think Viserys?"

"She will feel his wrath, your grace."

Gods, what a situation. But he then remembers the word monster that he had heard come out from Lord Aerys mouth, so he turned toward Grey Worm, and said "Ready the Unsullied for precaution. In five days I'm leaving for the wall, and Lord Aerys ward made me worried about the internal enemies of the Kingdom."

Grey nodded and left.

Daenerys Pov

Daenerys woke up as soon as the king left the room. She was shocked by his confession and above all by how he behaved. She was exposed, and he didn't even force himself on her. And when he put her hair behind her ear, and then he covered her up? That gave her, a smile on her lips, and she puts her hand where he had touched her. That small gesture...

She was brought back from her thoughts when she saw Missandei enter with a worrying expression.

"Thanks to the old gods, you're fine," Missandei said with a sigh.

Daenerys chuckled "Why shouldn't I be?"

"Because the king found out that you were forced into all this, and because yesterday he was furious when he left the room."

"No. We had an argument and I... Wait a minute, how do you know that the king has discovered the truth?"

Missandei sat down on the bed next to her and took her hand and said, "Last night Daario came to the feast. He was very drunk and started talking badly about you with others. He attacked me when I went out to face him, but..."

"What? He attacked you?" Daenerys couldn't believe it.

"Yes. But luckily Grey Worm intervened. He told him to leave, but then Daario told him everything. That you didn't agree with the marriage and that he was your lover."

Daenerys remained open-mouthed and her eyes widened. Now it was all clear why the king had a change of mood after Grey Worm.

"But what's worse Daenerys, is that he's talking to your father right now."

"What? She turned immediately to Missandei. He can't do that. I have to go stop the conversation."

"It's too late, Daenerys. "

She felt tears at her eyes, and she quickly cleaned them. Now was truly over.

After a while, they saw the door open and her father came in with such an angry air that she had never seen before.

Closing the door, he looked at her and said in a cold voice "Is it true?"

She hesitates to respond, knowing to what he was referred "Is what true?"

"Did you tell the King that didn't approve this wedding?"

Daenerys took a deep breath "He asked me…so I told him the truth."

"And what was the truth?"

"That I did not approve."

She saw rage on her father face, and he shouted in the air. She gasped, stepping as far away from him as possible, fearing his wrath, and she begins to cry.

"How could you?" Her father asked as he walked toward her "I give you a life that every girl in the North dreams of living."

"I'm not like the other girls, father."

"Why?" Her father asked, still shouting. She glanced over to Missandei and saw that she too was afraid. "What is your relationship with Daario Naharis?"

"I love him, father. But he doesn't love me." She responded in tears.

Her father's eyes widened and watched toward Missandei who nodded "Old gods help us. You are in love with that monster!?"

"He is not a monster. He is…" but she couldn't even finish, that her father slapped her knocking her to the ground. She began to sob. Her father put his hand over his face and then helped her up to sit on the bed. Taking the chair that was next to the fire, he sits down before her.

She didn't have the courage to look him in the eye and then looked down.

"Missandei come here!" Then, taking her face, he said to her, looking her in the eyes. "If you don't want to see Daario for what he is, and if you don't believe our words, maybe it's time for me to open your eyes."

Daenerys looked at him, not knowing what he meant. And not knowing if she would believe him or not, because Daario has always been kind to her.

She saw her father take a breath and try to calm down, then he starts "As you know Daario is the son of Mero of House Naharis. His father was in Sellsword and Mero thought that this gave him the right to have everything he wants. You know, he wanted your mother! But she didn't want him, because she loved me..."

"You married for love, father. With your sister, as did the previous Targaryen, but you denied me that joy. To marry for love." But she shouted her mouth quickly when she saw that her father gave her a bad look.

"Let me! Finish it!" Taking a breath, he said, "yes, we got married because we loved each other, but not without consequences. However, Mero never forgets the rejection, and one day he tried to rape your mother while she was at the lake near the Dragon keep. Fortunately, I was able to intervene when I heard her screams. Yes, I hated him, but that wasn't the only reason why I did it. Mero Naharis and his men attacked the villages of the other lords, under the guise of the Wildlings. I found proof, witnesses, and I was ready to show them to the King. But our beloved king, my friend, died, killed by someone near him and the proofs were destroyed and the witnesses were dead."

"That doesn't justify your hatred for Daario, Father. He is a good man, he respects me and above all, he has never been with a woman. He was waiting for our moment and now it will never happen."

Her father started laughing so loudly that she didn't recognize him anymore, "Stupid girl! You believed all his little stories. Your dear Daario has been in every brothel of the North. He and his so-called friend, Ramsey Snow, have left behind a flood of dead women. Of course, they are paid to fuck, but they are not paid to die. And about five days ago we found two other dead women in the brothel near the Dreadfort."

It was impossible. That morning, she and Daario met. She shook her head.

"But that morning Daario and I..."

"Open your eyes girl! Her father yelled "He's a liar! He just used you to have our title, and through him, his father wanted to get his revenge over me."

She couldn't believe it. She didn't want to believe that the man she was in love with was like that.

"But that's not all." Her father said, drawing her attention, and she thought what else there could be worse than this. "Do you remember Irri, Daenerys?" and she heard Missandei burst into tears and put her hand over her mouth to silence the sobs.

She nodded to her father, and takes Missandei hand, waiting with dreads the news. Irri was a young girl who fled from the castle of House Naharis. She escaped and comes to their castle. They became good friends when she came to serve in their Castel. She knows that Irri died, but she didn't know the circumstance.

"Missandei. Why don't you tell us about that cursed day."

"He raped her Daenerys," she said between sobs.

"No. That's impossible..."

"I was there. I tried to stop him, but he stuck his knife in my thigh. You remember the wound. The one I told you that I cut myself by accident. Well, that wasn't true. It was him. I yelled Daenerys, I yelled with all my strength, but luckily Lord Aerys and Viserys were coming back from the capital..."

"We try to attack him, but he immediately ran away, but Irri killed herself with Daario's knife, that he forgot. Have you ever seen that knife, Daenerys? I took it, but then disappeared the day the king died."

Daenerys remembered a knife with a naked woman that Daario had on his hips the day they learned the news of the king's death. But now she realized that he had only come to destroy the proofs. Daenerys began to feel the anger grow inside her. Irri was a young girl and was two years younger than her. She was a nice girl, and she was her friend, and Daario, that damned son of a whore, raped her and caused her suicide. She wanted his head.

As her father stood up, he said, " Now I ask you to give the king a chance before throwing your future out the window. He is a good and kind man. He will treat you well. Trust me. He's a better man than Daario and I've known him since he was a child."

Then pointing his finger at her, he added in a harder voice, "But if even after what you've discovered, you decide to run away with him, shaming the king and our family, you'll be dead to me. And you won't be able to set foot in the North anymore! Or I'll have your head."

With that last sentence her father left, and Daenerys burst into tears, embracing Missandei. She cried not because she could no longer be with Daario but because she believed everything he told her. A silly girl. And now because of that bad relationship with Daario, her future was ruined, because Jon will never trust her after this.

"My life is ruined forever," she said sobbing. Then she said to Missandei, "take me to another room."

She nodded and they left.