Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to the Ice and Fire Novels, Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon TV shows. However, I decided to have a little play around with the characters. I do not earn any money from writing these stories, it is for my entertainment and is something I like to share.
Warning, contains violence, threats of rape and depicts death. Typical ASOIAF stuff.
Jon IX
Over the next two days, preparations took place for the siege and then battle. Arrows were their main defence from inside the castle, along with tar. Jon had taken part in many battles in his life, a fair few had been at night too. Mostly the battles had been when he was defending his home or the wall whilst at a disadvantage. Jon knew the odds would be against them if they engaged in a fight with the Unsullied, but that didn't mean they didn't stand a chance.
Men were coming, but Arya and Tyrion's words echoed in his ears, if he burned the Unsullied, no northerner or freefolk needed to suffer. That would make him a just King as it would be saving his people from being killed in a war that had nothing to do with them. It was all so simple, all he had to do was sit on the back of Drogon and utter one single word, and it would be over. The simplicity of it was what Jon hated. He'd never liked taking life, only for self defence or the greater good. The death of Olly still haunted him more than that of Daenerys. But in every death he had participated in, he had been hands on, he couldn't forget the faces of those who died. He could never be immune to the uncomfortable feeling of taking a life. Jon didn't feel sorry for those who died, he knew what lie after death and it wasn't unpleasant. It was the people left behind to grieve and hate him for taking that life of their loved one. "The man who passes the sentence, must swing the sword." his father used to say. A dragon wasn't a sword, neither was the word dracarys, but they were still able to take the life of a man in a simple gesture.
Every day, Jon had taken to the skies with Drogon to see how far away the Unsullied were, and also the men who were supposed to be helping them. Tormund and Strygga were now only a day away from their meeting spot, where Arya would tell them to wait. The northern houses who had pledged earlier were already at Crofters' Village, but Houses Dustin and Flint were nowhere to be seen, something which had been worrying Jon. He wanted to fly south west to see if there was any reason why there would be a delay. He also wanted to talk to Tyrion, who had clearly taken their side in the matter. The imp clearly knew something which had made him distrust Bran, and he wanted to know what it was. That was why he decided it was time for Tyrion to take to the skies with him.
They first of all flew west, as if heading to Deepwood Motte, although the men from House Glover were already in place. Jon lowered Drogon and they slowed a little to allow them to talk, because Jon knew it was the only way to get the truth out Tyrion if fear was involved.
"Why are you helping us?" Jon asked.
"I've already told you. I don't trust Bran." Tyrion replied.
"Why? Other than not trusting you with all of his information, which I don't blame him, why don't you trust him?" Jon tipped Drogon ever so slightly to the left.
"Laws have been passed which seemed odd." Tyrion admitted, swallowing hard.
"What kind of laws?" Jon righted the dragon.
"All children born in brothels now belong to the King." Tyrion explained. "They are taken from their mother's breast and put into an orphanage as property of the King."
"Like slaves?" Jon asked.
Tyrion shook his head. "They're being treat very well. Better than if they'd grown up in the whorehouse. Their mothers can even visit them daily if the brothel keeper lets them."
"So what's the problem?" Jon was confused. "It sounds like they are being kept off the streets and not being subjected to extreme poverty. What does he intend to do with the children?" he asked.
"The problem is this, I don't know what he plans to do with them. The boys seem to disappear. After I left, five had simply vanished." Tyrion shrugged.
"Maybe they died." Jon offered.
"There was no mention of it." Tyrion shook his head. "But there is more. The Iron Bank is why I truly decided that Bran isn't Bran. He is a Stark, the lone wolf dies but the pack survives, which is why I know he wouldn't attack his sister."
"How do you know Bran is behind it?" Jon asked.
"I was given some papers, some that belonged to Bronn not me. I looked and saw something interesting. Money is being paid to the Iron Bank to fund the Unsullied. I thought nothing of it at the time. I assumed it was either to stop them invading Westeros or to have them as a backup army in case we had a civil war." Tyrion explained.
"I suppose that would make sense." Jon agreed.
"But if Bran is paying the Unsullied, why are they attacking Winterfell?" Tyrion raised an eyebrow.
"Bran is paying them to attack him home." Jon shook his head. "Bran wouldn't do that." he said sadly.
"I think you need to accept the man sitting on the throne of Westeros is someone in Bran's body pretending to be your brother." Tyrion sighed.
"Who?" Jon asked. "Bloodraven. I know he was the previous Three Eyed Raven."
"Quite possibly." Tyrion nodded.
"How much do you know about him?" Jon asked.
"Not enough. The stuff we have isn't recent enough." he replied.
Jon cast his eye to the ground and noticed something. "Ships." he pointed towards the river just south of Torrhen's Square.
"Why would they be coming by ship?" Tyrion squinted.
"Seven ells, its the fuckin Ironborn." Jon cried, pulling Drogon up as fast as he could. "Hold on, I don't want them to see us."
Drogon climbed almost vertically far faster than usual. When he straightened up, he flew north and east, back to Winterfell as fast as they could, which still took two hours. They flew straight into the cavern and quickly dismounted, Jon helping Tyrion down to speed things up. They opened the door, where Pod was at the other side guarding it.
"Follow me!" Jon commanded, confident the eggs were in safe hands with Drogon, the dragon knew not to let Maester Wolkan near, but Jon needed the Maester anyway so there was no need to be concerned about the eggs. "Gather Arya, Davos, Sansa and Maester Wolkan, we need them in the small council room immediately. You can join us too." he added, ripping his gloves off as he stormed back inside the castle.
"Yes, of course." Pod nodded and rushed off.
Jon and Tyrion arrived at the small council room, where a table in the shape of Westeros like the one on Dragonstone now stood proud in the centre of the room. Jon lit the coals underneath and the map lit up, showing the rivers, keeps, castles, roads, lakes, towns and villages. It wasn't as big as the one on Dragonstone, but it was just as detailed and more up to date.
The door opened and Sansa rushed in, followed by Arya. "What's going on?" Sansa asked.
Jon places the palms of his hands on the table and stared down at Torrhen's Square, the site of where the Ironborn had once caused mayhem before, now it was practically desolate. "We don't have to just worry about the Unsullied. It seems the Ironborn are wanting to join in."
"How do you know?" Sansa asked as Davos, Pod and Maester Wolkan joined them.
"We saw them at Torrhen's Square." Tyrion explained.
"What about Houses Flint and Dustin?" Sansa asked, Jon simply shook his head.
"Nowhere to be seen." Tyrion replied.
"Probably dead, killed by the Ironborn." Jon surmised, the rage inside him building up. Yara Greyjoy hated him for killing Dany and he wasn't particularly fond over her.
"She's Theon's sister." Sansa whispered, clearly knowing what was going around in Jon's head.
"I don't think we have a choice." Tyrion said sadly. "She isn't the type for holding a siege and we don't have the numbers to beat both the Ironborn and the Unsullied. Bran is paying the Unsullied, should you attack them first, then it would be no different to declaring war on the Six Kingdoms. If you attack the Ironborn then it would be in response for their attack on the other northern houses, you are in your right to defend Torrhen's Square."
"Arya, what is your opinion?" Jon asked.
"Burn them. We don't have the men to take on the Unsullied, let alone the Ironborn." Arya replied.
"Davos?" Jon asked.
"I have to concur." Davos nodded. "As much as I hate the idea of burning them, it goes against my every principle, but more people will die if you don't."
"We could always try talking to them?" Sansa suggested.
"Yara hates Jon. I think she had a thing for Dany." Arya shook her head. "She won't talk."
"Pod?" Jon asked.
"Whatever you think is right." Pod replied.
"Maester Wolkan?" Jon raised an eyebrow.
"It isn't my place to decide whether war is the right course of action, but it appears it cannot be avoided. Protecting the castle and those inside should be the priority." he shrugged, a reply which surprised Jon as he currently had no time for maesters.
Jon turned to Sansa. "I won't do this without your support." he said.
Sansa closed her eyes and sighed. "Have they got scorpions?" she asked.
"Probably." Jon nodded. "But Drogon is a lot bigger than the last time he faced one, it would do a lot less damage. Plus we'll go tonight, they won't see us in the dark. The weather doesn't look too good, nice and cloudy, they won't see us coming. I'm not going to say I'll get them all tonight, but hopefully enough to stop them."
Sansa looked around the room. "Could my husband an I have a moment alone?" she asked, everyone cleared out, leaving them alone, although Arya stopped and handed the dagger to Jon.
"This is yours." she said, closing the door behind her.
Sansa waited for a moment before taking Jon's hands. "Promise me you won't leave me."
"I won't be gone long, only a couple of hours." Jon promised.
"I don't mean that. Just make sure you come back to me in one piece." her blue eyes pleaded, a look so desperate, Jon suspected there was something more behind the plea. This wasn't his cousin wanting him to return, it was his wife desperate for her husband to return to her. Jon's heart softened.
He put his hand to her cheek and cupped it. "Of course I will." he smiled and kissed her on the lips tenderly. "I'll try and be quick about it too. Will I get a warm welcome?" he raised an eyebrow.
"The furs will be warm." Sansa smiled back and kissed him.
Jon donned his leathers. Riding with armour was nigh on impossible, but good leathers should help with some protection. He fastened his gambeson and tightened his belt which not only contained Longclaw, but Ser Davos had let him use his own telescope when out riding Drogon until Jon's own was finished. He looked her in the eyes and smiled. "I don't like doing this, you know that don't you?"
Sansa smiled. "And that is why you aren't like the rest of them."
Sansa followed Jon into the crypt as he mounted Drogon, his mouth dry, a combination of fear, disgust and excitement for what he was about to do. Drogon ran down the passage and jumped out of the end, soaring into the air and lifting them into the skies. It wasn't quite dark, but Jon wanted to attack from the south west and it would take another couple of hours to get there, which would be after dark. At first he flew slightly north and then west, this was to prevent him being seen at all as the Ironborn had telescopes, which allowed them to see great distances. Because Jon was having to fly so high, he wanted to follow the shoreline along the stony shore and across the Rills. By the time he saw the lights of the fishing village, the sun was setting in the eastern sky and it was time for Jon to fly lower towards Torrhen's Square.
The cloud was fairly thick, therefore Jon had to keep flying lower and lower, although he had enough cover to prevent him being seen from the ground. A mist had moved in upstream, probably from Blazewater Bay, as often happened. This was definitely to his advantage. The Ironborn knew he was close as he expected them to have seen Drogon earlier, but they wouldn't know which angle he was coming at them from. Finally, through the mist and fog, he was able to make out the lights of the ships, all fourteen of them, shining brightly in the mist.
Jon's initial idea had been to attack from above, but he knew that would be the most obvious tactic and there was a chance the Ironborn might be waiting for him. Therefore he and Drogon landed on a hill to the south-west where he took out his telescope to decide on his course of action. Firstly he wanted to see the sigils on the ships to see how many different houses were involved. As he counted, eight of them were Greyjoy ships, the rest were made up of House Saltcliffe, House Kenning, House Blacktyde, House Merlyn, House Orkwood and House Goodbrother. Jon checked the lay of the land surrounding the ships as he had decided that the first attack would be to come from below. Then he would take to the air and intermittently attack from the ground and at different angles. His priority would have been the Greyjoy ships, but they were surrounded by the other six, making it more difficult to attack from the land. This meant his plan was to ensure the scorpions were taken out first.
Scorpions were large, heavy weapons which took time to load and were less stable on a ship, meaning they could easily miss, especially in the dark. Only the larger ships would have the space and could bear the weight of one, along with the spears which went with it. Jon estimated Drogon's flames could reach around seventy feet, which meant he would need to get within forty foot to ensure there was plenty of heat and width. The further away Drogon was from his target, the lower the temperature of the fire, Jon wanted the fire to burn as hot as possible. This plan would allow Drogon to back away before flying vertical into the skies. If he placed Drogon perfectly, he might be able to burn two ships with one blast. He found two ships on the western side, which were perfectly lined up to achieve his plan. They bore the sigils of House Merlyn and House Blacktyde. There were no lights shining on that side of the shore and a small embankment would hide them until Jon could get into place before he gave the command. Fortunately for him, Drogon was black, which gave them an extra layer of invisibility. He just had to hope nobody had come ashore, otherwise he would have far more work to do where innocents might end up getting killed alongside the Ironborn.
Jon and Drogon flew to the small hill and hid behind it for a moment. He wanted to burn the hull of the ships before rising up and burning the deck and masts. The wind would push the smoke towards the other ships, enveloping them and causing even more visibility issues, hiding him and Drogon from view. This was the way it could cause maximum damage with the smallest amount of effort. But the first thing that needed to go was the scorpion which was located on the ship belonging to House Merlyn.
"See that scorpion? I want you to get rid of that first." he whispered to Drogon, but then he heard a scuffle nearby. "Don't move or make a sound, I'll deal with it." he warned the dragon, as he slid down and unsheathed the dagger. Jon lay on the ground as he watched the two men, wearing House Blacktyde capes from the ship, both taking a piss and talking. He listened to the conversation to see if he could hear anything interesting.
"She don't care what the King says, she wants the bastard dead." the first man spoke.
"I 'erd he's really a Targ. Filthy inbreedin' scum." the second one replied.
"He married his sister, so that makes sense. Who the fuck does he think he is? Aegon the fuckin Conqueror?" the first man laughed.
"Maybe he wants to take both sisters as his wives and fuck em both." the second one joined in the laughter.
"His wife has been married twice already, I bet she's a right goer. She probably fucks like a she-wolf." the first one said.
"When we get into the castle I reckon we ought to take turns an find out." the second one agreed. Which was the comment when Jon saw red. He'd never felt so angry in his life. He was going to wait until the men had finished pissing, at least to give them some decency, but leaving them dead with their cocks hanging loose felt like poetic justice.
Quickly and silently, Jon unsheathed the dagger and tiptoed up behind them, his wolflike instincts serving him well. He slit the neck of the first man, and by the time the second one had time to react, the dagger was plunged into his neck with no effort at all, such was the sharpness of the Valyrian steel blade. Both men sunk to the ground, gurgling as the blood spouted from their throats. He turned their bodies over so they could see the face of their killer.
"Don't speak of my wife like that." Jon whispered as he stabbed each of them in the heart, finishing them off instantly. He ran back to Drogon and climbed on his back.
"Egros naejot, paez, quiet." (Edge forward, slow, quiet) Jon whispered to Drogon who took one silent step at a time, until they were in the perfect spot, invisible yet poised to strike with precision. "Dracarys." Jon cried as flames erupted from Drogon. The fire burned from left to right and then right to left, ensuring the hull of each ship was in flames. "Sīmonagon" (rise) Jon commanded as Drogon rose into the air, flapping his wings and hovering just above the ship. "Dracarys." Jon cried once more as Drogon breathed fire upon the decks of both ships, setting not only the wood alight, but everyone on board, including the scorpion, which was no longer of any use to the Ironborn. "Sōvegon eglie, adere!" (fly high, fast), was the next command. Drogon understood and flew almost vertically into the skies at breakneck speed, to which Jon was glad he had his seat as this was not something which could have been done without it.
Once they were up above the clouds, Drogon slowed down and righted himself. Jon realised Drogon understood what he was up to, and what he wanted to do. He had no idea how he knew this, but he could feel a connection with the dragon, one like the time he'd first ridden him and felt like a King, when he'd known who he truly was, even if it was only for a fleeting moment. Now, that sense was coming back to him, and he felt good, he felt invincible, he was a dragon himself.
"You know what you have to do boy." Jon whispered to Drogon. "Kill them all, fire and blood." he said. As soon as he issued the command, Drogon entered a high speed vertical dive, which would normally have scared Jon, but it didn't scare Aegon. Instead it was having the strangest effect, it was turning him on. He was mid-air, about to burn everyone alive and it was giving him a hard-on.
"Dracarys." Jon called out as the ships came into sight.
The flames bellowed out from Drogon once more, this time the scorpions were the first targets, then the decks. Arrows littered the sky as the Ironborn tried frantically to shoot them down, but unable to see them for the for and smoke, everyone one of them missed. Drogon kept breathing out flames, targeting each ship until they were all aflame. Jon spotted Black Wind, the ship which belonged to Yara Greyjoy, who was stood at the helm watching in anger. Unlike Sansa, he didn't care if she lived or died, but now they were threatening his wife, she had to die. Drogon knew what Jon wanted as he swooped down and grabbed her with one of his giant claws and they flew off to the remains of the castle at Torrhen's Square. The few men left inside the castle were Ironborn. Bodies of what had remained of the original inhabitants of Torrhen's Square littered the ground, men women and children.
"You are an abhorrent piece of shit." Jon spat as the men knocked their arrows, but not fast enough as they were soon burning bodies. "You can eat them if there is any meat left." Jon told Drogon, who clearly approved of this offer as he devoured two of them instantly.
"Using a dragon to do your dirty work. It doesn't make you any better than the Queen. At least she was a Targaryen who should have been ruling, she had an excuse. Although I have heard rumours about your sister-fucking. Are you one too?" she laughed.
"I never met my sister, let alone fucked her." Jon snarled. "The mountain made sure of that when he murdered her. I married and regularly make love to my cousin, however I did fuck my aunt a few times. I bet you wish you'd have been the one, not me. That's why you hate me. Not because I'm a Stark, but because you wanted her for yourself." he laughed. "So, do you want to fight or burn" he asked. "Neither are a fair option as I've got Valyrian steel and I'm a better swordsman than you. But at least I'm giving you the choice. If we fight it will be slow and painful, fire will be quick. Fire or blood?"
"Ironborn don't die without a fight." Yara grinned as she unsheathed her sword.
"Whatever you say." Jon took Longclaw in his hands.
The ringing sound of steel clashing, filled the air. Although it didn't last long. Standard steel was no match the might of Valyrian steel and Yara's sword was cut clean in half. She reached behind for her bow and an arrow, but Jon didn't give her time, he sliced her right hand off. Yara stumbled backwards, holding the stump which was currently spurting blood.
"You can't fight now can you?" Jon asked. "I warned you it would be painful, however I'm feeling merciful. I'll end it quickly." he said as Drogon walked up behind him. "Any last words?" he asked.
Yara snarled. "What is dead, may never die...you Stark bastard."
"I'm not a Stark." Jon said calmly. "I am Aegon Targaryen, the trueborn son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark."
"That still makes you a Stark in my eyes...bastard." Yara laughed wildly.
"Yara Greyjoy, you are charged with reeving, rape and murder. I Aegon of the House Targaryen, sixth of his name, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, King of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men, and King of the Freefolk, sentence you to die. Dracarys!" he commanded. Drogon opened his mouth, the flames poured out, ending the life of the last living Greyjoy, and the future of the Ironborn.
Jon turned to Drogon. "Let's finish off the rest of the ships and any men who might have survived. Then we can go home. I need my wife." he said as Drogon gobbled up the remains of Yara Greyjoy before they flew off to destroy the rest of the Ironborn fleet.
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