A/N: Hi, guys! It's been a while. Been spending the past few weeks getting adjusted to a new job and also doing some soul searching. The coronavirus pandemic made me do a lot of that recently, as I'm sure for the rest of you.

I will try to get back into a regular writing schedule, for all of you have waited long enough.

Jon ran through the streets of Yin, taking with him a contingent of his personal guards, Ghost, and even managed to requisition a company of soldiers armed with firearms. Meleys flew above, providing cover from the sky. Fortunately for him, Lord Buko assigned Gendry, now a captain of the foot courtesy of Khiara pulling the strings, to personally escort Jon as they moved swiftly through the capital.

From what Jon learned, Khiara's spies in the Purple Palace, which he understood as the emperor's pleasure place, had informed her that the emperor was assassinated by Prince Yujin. And there were also reports that Captain Dao was involved, which Jon knew was very unlikely given that they belonged to opposing factions. As such, Khiara fortified her personal palace while warning Jon to do the same, as Yujin's men were not to be taken lightly.

"What's going to happen now?" Jon asked her, very much worried about the current situation.

"Yujin's first immediate priority is to massacre the imperial guard and go after Sumeng. With both of them eliminated, he'll turn to the both of us next. However, Sumeng will be able to borrow some time since his first instinct is to flee to the Prime Minister."

Despite his personal feelings towards Captain Dao, Jon's reaction was to run to the imperial guard barracks. "Then we should warn them!"

"No," Khiara shook her head. "The imperial guards have been officered by Captain Dao's closest friends and they are therefore a threat. They need to fend for themselves now."

Jon shouldn't have been shocked at how cold Khiara was, but he still was every time. "In case you haven't noticed, I am a lieutenant in the imperial guard. No matter my feelings towards them, I have a responsibility to keep them safe. And some of them are good men, able warriors and loyal."

"And if the gods are merciful, they will be allowed to survive," Khiara shrugged. "While the rotten bunch will be cut from the ranks."

Jon scoffed. "If you have this attitude, you might have people who will obey you, but you will not be guaranteed to have those with ability."

"And that's where you come in," Khiara answered, stunning Jon. "As the only high-ranking officer of the imperial guard that will be left, command will fall to your shoulders. Therefore, you will be appointed the new captain of the imperial guard."

Again, Jon was surprised at how quickly Khiara's mind worked. And again, he didn't like where her thoughts ended up. "You thought this all out already, haven't you?"

"I intend for Yujin to die, as he's been a thorn in everyone and I'll be doing all a favor," Khiara answered. "But we both know that Sumeng is not fit to rule the empire, while the Prime Minister will fight to get him coronated as the new emperor. He is the Crown Prince, but it's high time that men like the Prime Minister remember their place and learn to fear and respect the power of the phoenix throne once again."

Jon certainly could see himself supporting Khiara's goals, but his concern shifted to the other person important to him. "And Daenerys? What about her?"

"I told you. Her survival depends on my survival. If Sumeng and the Prime Minister lives, she will be in a very tricky set of circumstances. And that is something that you wish to avoid, yes?"

Jon slowly became disgusted with how Khiara was bargaining with his aunt's life. But Daenerys remaining alive was his top priority now. "Release her, and I will fight for you. You have my word."

"Oh, I am not going to release her," Khiara shook her head, perplexing Jon. "And yet, your determination to safeguard her person will work in my favor. Well, with two birds and one stone, that is."

Jon sighed, no longer being surprised at her ability to mix his goals with hers. "What is it you want?"

Jon first ventured over to the War Ministry, where he appeared before Minister Zong. That was when he became privy to an emergency measure that would take place in the event that the emperor was assassinated. While the capital garrison numbered twenty thousand full-time soldiers, all under the command of Lord Buko, the measure would call up thirty thousand more men in the reserves, bringing a total strength of fifty thousand soldiers. Their main task would be to secure the imperial palaces and all ministries to prevent subversion and to prevent ambitious officers and officials from taking advantage of the chaos. Or so it would appear.

"What's the true purpose for this measure?" Jon asked pointedly.

"We have to secure the capital from both Yujin's men and those of the Prime Minister," Minister Zong replied. "Lord Buko will send his best soldiers to surround the officials' quarters while the rest will move to set up checkpoints across the city alongside assuming all duties from the constables. If this is implemented quickly and correctly, the capital will be secured by morning."

"What else?" Jon knew there was more.

"As of right now, Her Highness has authorized Lord Buko to declare martial law in the capital and in the surrounding areas. A few facts about this: no one in groups of five besides those in uniform are to be assembled in public areas, all of the courts will now be headed by the provosts, and all functions previously conducted by the officials will be taken over by army and fleet officers," Minister Zong added.

Jon blinked, surprised. "I thought you were against Lord Buko, as this is exactly what he wants."

"Unlike him, I intend for this period of martial law to be temporary and Lord Buko will dealt with at the right time. As of now, he is the best person to carry this out and he will serve his purpose."

"What about you? Aren't you an official?" Jon pointed out.

But Minister Zong was prepared. "After you leave this ministry, I intend to don my uniform. I am, in fact, a lieutenant-general in the reserves and the declaration of martial law means that I have to recalled to active service."

He's got it all covered, Jon thought.

"For you, Your Highness, I have also been ordered by Her Highness to have Daenerys Targaryen released from prison. Here is the command for her release," Minister Zong handed Jon a slip with his seal. "But before you head to the prison, I have a task for you."

Nothing else mattered to Jon, and Minister Zong's words were but a haze in his mind.

With his guards and Gendry and his company following him, Jon was able to secure all of the armories in the capital, resulting in thousands of troops following Lord Buko's commands to be heavily armed ahead of their adversaries. The next step for them would be to set up the checkpoints and to take control of all government ministries, by force if necessary.

For Jon, he made a dash to the prison. But before he could enter, he found another company there, as if waiting for someone to break Daenerys out. They all aimed their firearms and drew their swords, with Gendry's company doing the same and Ghost to bare his teeth.

"All of you," Jon stepped forward. "I have orders from Minister Zong to release an important prisoner here. Stand aside!"

"You have no authority over us!" one of them barked. "Go back!"

"Whatever you think your orders are, they're outdated!" Jon countered. "The emperor's dead, and martial law has been declared. Therefore, all of you have duties elsewhere instead of here."

"We do not follow the orders of a white devil!" another hissed while aiming his firearm at Jon's head.

But Jon remained still as Gendry readied his pistol. "If you think that standing guard here like the good soldiers you are will grant you security, you are mistaken. I carry the power of Princess Khiara behind me and she will see that all of you will die."

"The princess is a traitor and a usurper!" another spat. "She is no ruler over us."

"And you follow the prime minister?"

"We follow no one but the lawful authority vested in the emperor," the leader called out. "Unless the emperor has been confirmed dead or if Prince Sumeng comes here, we will not follow your orders."

Jon sighed while he shook his head and drew Longclaw from his back. "Just know this. You caused this upon yourself. I gave you a choice and you didn't choose right."

The officer and his soldiers were about to fire, as were Gendry and the rest and Ghost was about to jump on his target. But before either side opened fire, Meleys landed on the roof with a heavy thud.

Then, another and a more distinct roar was heard. Jon, as did the rest, looked up and saw a black shape descend from the sky. Having seen him before, Jon immediately recognized Drogon when he saw him and was surprised that Daenerys' mount had chosen this moment to reveal himself.

Both the red and black dragons roared at the officer and his soldiers, all of them now very afraid of the two dragons who had opened their mouths and threatened to release fire on them.

"I'll give you all one last chance. Stand aside, or be burned," Jon promised to make good on that.

Their confidence shattered, they all dropped their weapons and Gendry and the others moved to tie them up and secure their weapons. As Jon and Ghost went inside the prison with more of his men, Jon nodded at Meleys and exchanged a look at Drogon, thanking him for his help. Drogon grunted as if saying, Don't mention it. Anything for my mother.

Snatching the keys from another guard, Jon went to where Daenerys' cell was and opened it. Immediately, she stood up from the floor, ran up to him, and hugged him tightly.

"Oh, Daeron," she gasped aloud. "You're here."

"As I promised you," Jon nodded. "I'm here to get you out of here."

"What's going on out there?" Daenerys evidently heard the commotion outside.

"Nothing good," which was all he could say at the moment. "I have to get you safe."

"No, no. Tell me," she insisted.

"The emperor is dead," Jon told her. "Killed by his own son."

"What?" Daenerys was stunned, for she didn't expect to be thrown into turmoil again.

"I'll explain it more at my palace. It's not safe for us here."

Daenerys nodded. After scratching Ghost's head, they both walked out of the palace. Daenerys was also surprised that Drogon revealed himself, but she was also relieved that her child had was not harmed and that both the Black Dread Reborn and the Red Queen Reborn would finally get to know each other.

Drogon jumped down and nudged at Daenerys, who scratched his snout. Jon, taking a chance, stepped forward at Drogon and felt the same power that he felt from Meleys as he also laid his hand on him. Like with Meleys, he purred at the rider with the same blood as Daenerys and would now protect Jon as he did with his current rider. The same happened to Meleys, who allowed Daenerys to touch her.

As the both of them went back through the capital to Jon's palace, surrounded by their armed escort, Jon and Daenerys held their hands tightly. Although they would get used to each other's presence, they decided to let their feelings be in the open. Jon exchanged a smile with Daenerys. "Together at last."

"Indeed," she grinned before kissing his cheek. And that was how they intended to be from now on.


Joon reached the road that led to Asabhad, the empire's easternmost port and the one needed to secure the road to Yin. But unlike the last time he came south to the capital with his captain of his guards, Prince Daeron Targaryen, General Benjen Stark, and Lord Samwell Tarly, he was coming with an army behind him. To be more exact, the core forces of the Northwest and Northeast Imperial Armies, alongside their generals and captains, were now following his orders as they marched into the Southwest Province. A total of one hundred and fifty thousand soldiers were at his fingertips, all of them of good quality in terms of experience and combat ability and led by officers who would not dissent.

Before Lord Joon gathered his northwest command, he made a visit to his wife and daughters at Kushiro. All of them had heard about what happened and were relieved that Seong was still alive, but they were unsure of why Joon himself was home. He explained to them all of the deal he made with Princess Khiara to save both Seong and Hoon, and that Khiara was their only chance of the both of them surviving.

"She's telling you to commit treason," Myung told Joon, as she was fully aware of the consequences of what Khiara was making Joon do and what would happen if they met failure.

"I have no choice," Joon reasoned. "The emperor will not budge on this issue, the Minister of Justice is in the hands of the Prime Minister, and everyone wants to see Daenerys Targaryen executed for burning those merchanters. But if she dies, our son and our captain will also perish."

Myung shook her head. "We should've never allowed those dragons under our roof."

"But it'll do us all no good to dwell on that," Joon stated. "I already made up my mind and I came here because I wanted to prepare you all. And also, I believe it's time you and the girls sought safety."

"What do you mean, father?" Komo inquired.

"It's not safe for you here, and I can't think about all of you while I march south. All of you need to go somewhere safe."

"And where can we go?" Karasa asked.

"I am good friends with the Guardian of the Five Forts and once you're there, no one can touch you without incurring the wrath of those stationed there and of the empire. I will give you a letter explaining everything," Joon answered.

"You want us to run?" Myung was incredulous.

"I want you all to stay alive," Joon raised his voice slightly. "Our son is in chains and I can't bear the thought of all of you also in a cell. Please, do this. Once everything has calmed down, I will send for you all and we can be together again."

Throughout her marriage to Joon, Myung learned to trust her husband's words and instincts and immediately acted, although with some hesitation. "But promise me this. Get our son out and keep him safe," Myung demanded.

"If I fail that, I will cut open my belly with my knife," Joon was serious. "You have my word on that."

Myung rubbed his cheek, not liking that but also knowing that honor demanded avoiding failure and if necessary, punishing oneself. But resolution filled the both of them.

Afterwards, Joon sent a secret dispatch to his provost-general at headquarters and to Quartermaster Shin, both of whom he could trust to purge the Northwest Imperial Army of the problematic officers in the ranks. Among them was Adjutant Dae, whose family was connected to the Prime Minister's faction. After arresting them all and assembling those remaining, Joon offered them a choice. "We are facing an enemy unlike those on the steppes. We will be fighting those we trained with, those we fought with, our own brethren. However, the entire fate of our glorious empire hangs by a thread, and all of you have the chance to take part in saving it. I ask you all to trust me on this, as you have before."

"What do you intend for us to do?" Quartermaster Shin asked. He might have supported Lord Joon, but he still didn't know what will happen.

"We're going to Yin to support Princess Khiara, daughter of His Augustness, against Prince Yujin and Captain Dao, the latter of whom acting under orders of the Prime Minister. I've just received word that the Emperor has been assassinated."

Whispers broke out among the officers, all of them shocked and afraid of such an event. "Who's responsible?" one of the brigade captains was desperate for answers, as were the rest of them.

"It's possible that although they were both separate, Prince Yujin and Captain Dao both took part in His Augustness' death. We can handle Prince Yujin, but Captain Dao's men might be more difficult to apprehend, since they are protected by the Prime Minister."

"And by marching against Captain Dao and the imperial guard, we'll in effect be fighting the Prime Minister?" Quartermaster Shin questioned.

"Yes."

More murmurs spread in the hall. "Then this is a civil war," another brigade captain called out.

"Not unless we have a say in it," Joon countered. "The southern provinces will burn, but only through our intervention can we save our empire. And I don't have to tell you how we can't trust the fate of our empire in the hands of those southern officers, not after how they lost one hundred thousand men in the plains."

"What about the fleet? What say them?" the commander of the foot asked.

"Admiral Okamoto, alongside the captains in the fleet, have sided with the Princess. We don't have to worry about any threats from either their ships or their marines while we march on the capital."

The northern army officers held great respect for the fleet captains. Although they had different training and practiced divergent tactical and strategic focuses, both of them shared a strong appreciation for husbanding resources in austere conditions and both of them understood what it was like to survive in harsh environments.

"One more question. How will we safeguard the frontier?" the commander of the cavalry inquired.

Joon expected the officers to erupt in uproar upon revealing Khiara's suggestions to work with the Jogos Nhai, especially their leader Sela the Hyrkoon. That was when he asked them, "Is this really a radical departure from our previous policy towards them? We made deals to safeguard the frontier and minimize casualties and this is only a natural progression. Also, we cannot trust the Goi, not after their involvement in that debacle near Trader Town. We need replacements and the Chogo and Jogos Nhai are the options we need. Most importantly, we must bring all of our elite and core forces with us to the capital, since we need our best against the might of the southern armies."

"Would all of the southern generals be arrayed against us?" Quartermaster Shin inquired one last time.

"No. Lord Buko, commander of the capital garrison, will cooperate with us."

Quartermaster Shin, like many of the other officers, were visibly nervous at the thought of working with Lord Buko. Word spread fast among the relatively small population of army officers and the northern officers had grown distrustful of those who were politically opinionated, with Lord Buko being the most prime example. They might have had their own grievances against the avarice of the southern officers and maybe even sympathized with their disgruntled compatriots, but they wholeheartedly rejected the notion of an empire led by the generals since they believed in the old saying: "the land must rule the sword, and the sword should never rule the land." Also, they all understood that generals involved in politics would degrade the professional and combat quality of the army as a whole.

"I sincerely hope that Her Highness has a plan to dispose of Lord Buko when the time comes," a cavalry brigade captain expressed.

"When the time comes, he will be eliminated. That, I shall make sure of," Joon promised.

Like with his wife Myung, the northern officers trusted Joon's judgement. After sending word to Governor Po, who then sent the provosts to arrest the captain-general of the Northeast Imperial Army, Joon effectively had the northern armies in their entirety under his command. Meanwhile, he directed Quartermaster Shin and Governor Po to run the northern provinces in his absence, as he needed to devote all of his attention to the march south, and that included cooperating with the Chogo and then the Jogos Nhai. Hopefully, they don't mess it up.

Once everything was arranged, Joon finally had his troops begin the march. He had to stay alert and also keep his men in combat condition, as moving one hundred and fifty thousand men through the main roads south will alert the Southwest Imperial Army. But Joon intended the give the Captain-General and any of his officers under him a chance to join him, as he did not want to fight his brethren. Open conflict will be seen by the population, and Joon feared the consequences. We have to keep the divisions under control, or the people will know what's going on. If they know what's going on, panic and chaos will follow. The last thing anyone needs is a general breakdown of order.

As he went through his maps one more time, determining once more that he was about to cross the boundary into the Southwest Province, Joon's scouts met with a cavalry patrol sent by Lieutenant-General Henxiang Roh, the commander of the horse in the Southwest Imperial Army. General Roh wanted to avoid bloodshed and thus sought a meeting with Lord Joon, which he accepted.

Setting up his command tent just near the boundary, General Roh and a few of his subordinates entered and sat across him.

"Lord Joon," General Roh addressed him.

"General," Joon nodded to him.

"My lord, may I ask what you are doing? You're about to cross the boundary with the whole northern armies behind you," General Roh stated.

"Yes, I know," Joon replied.

"I don't have to remind you that this is a violation of your duties. If you cross with such a force under your command, you will be charged with insurrection and high treason by the emperor."

"Have you not heard, General?" Joon was genuinely surprised.

"Heard what?"

Joon sighed. "The emperor has been killed in Yin."

Roh bobbed his head. "Yes, I have heard. And there's a new emperor on the throne, His Augustness Emperor Sumeng."

Joon blinked. "I've heard differently, General Roh. The Crown Prince has not been coronated and therefore, he is not the emperor."

"Be careful with your words, Lord Joon. That is sedition and treason," Roh warned.

"You already accused me of the latter, but that is beside the point," Joon rolled his eyes. "I heard that there is open warfare in the capital between those sided with Prince Yujin and those associated with the Prime Minister. I have been invited by Princess Khiara to restore order."

"Princess Khiara has no authority to give such commands and that is an illegal one even if true," General Roh answered. "And this whole business with Prince Yujin will be sorted out."

"Really? Then why is that I've received reports that your superior officer has surrounded the capital with sixty-thousand soldiers alongside his counterpart in the southeast army?" Joon revealed. "Moreover, my quartermaster told me that you have orders to arrest both Princess Khiara and Prince Daeron Targaryen should you gain entry into Yin."

General Roh narrowed his eyes. "It's because of the dragons that we've got into this mess. Daeron Targaryen shouldn't have made a stir of things at court."

"Oh, now I see. You've sided with the Prime Minister," Joon realized.

"The Prime Minister has legal authority vested onto him by the new Emperor Sumeng. I'm only following my lawful duties."

"And how willing are you to carry them out?" Joon asked, confusing General Roh.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm guessing you haven't got a strong bead on current affairs and that you lack some intimate knowledge on what's going on. We both know that the capital is in chaos, but my taels are riding on Her Highness. You want to know why?" Roh kept listening. "Not only does she have the fleet on her side, she has a partnership with the last dragonlords in the world, one of them free and one of them in jail. But I assure you that both are very angry and that they will have no compunction in unleashing their dragons onto those that they deem a threat."

Roh was unconvinced, as he didn't witness the power of the dragons himself.

"Right," Joon noticed. "Let me explain to you, in case you've forgotten. The dragons are very real. Unlike our interpretation of such creatures, these dragons are very prone to violence and can be controlled by only a select few, if you have the proper blood running in your veins. I know for a fact that one of those dragonriders will not harm me and I know that he will not allow the other to burn me, not after what I've done for him. However, the same cannot be said about you, since he'll see you as one of the Prime Minister's subordinates. In that case, I hope your journey to the afterlife is quite painless."

Roh was slowly getting perturbed, causing Joon to push forward.

"And if that is not enough, I have some more information. My quartermaster did an investigation on your strengths and it turns out, your army is short in reality instead of what's written on paper. Initially, you had one hundred and thirty-five thousand under the command of your general in Asabhad. But because of Prince Sumeng's disastrous campaigns and the fact that your captains engaged in corruption and making up nonexistent brigades, you only have… eighty thousand soldiers to actually call upon."

Now that caused Roh to shake, allowing Joon to smirk.

"That's the problem with you lot. You make as much money as you want, but when you actually need the soldiers, you will face big problems. And considering your superior officer took most of your available men, you can only rely on a mere twenty thousand at this moment." The northern officers scoffed at the stupidity of their southern counterparts while Joon leaned forward on the table. "I hope you now realize just how dire your situation is, but be very thankful that I am not eager for battle. That's why I agreed to this meeting, because I want to give you a choice."

"What choice?" Roh stuttered.

"March with us to the capital," Joon demanded. "I can argue to Her Highness that you were only following orders and you didn't know who exactly you were following. She can be very forgiving, and not only might she absolve you, you could also be rewarded for choosing the right side. Who knows? A promotion might be in order, something that has evaded you."

Roh shared a glance with his other officers, all of them also having some doubts. And knowing that Joon knew more about their situation than they thought, they understood that to fight now was to be futile.

"Should I accept your offer, what would you have us do?" Roh inquired.

"First off, hand over your weapons. Then, order the garrison commander at Asabhad to open the gates and allow us in. From there, you will contact the fleet commander and inform of the developments. We'll take over after that."

Roh exhaled before he and the other officers stood up. Taking his sword and sheath from his waist, he held it in front of his body while bowing his head. "Please accept this, my lord. I rather have it be taken by someone of your rank rather than those beneath you."

Joon sighed in disapproval, but he obliged by approaching him and taking the sword. "All right. I told you what you need to do. Go do it."

But even with General Roh and the other officers defecting, Joon knew that there were still over sixty thousand men to confront and the results would not be pretty. Fortunately, we can move fast once Asabhad is in our hands, he thought. Either they move fast and control the situation, or they lose control and a general civil war will break out.


Benjen remained standing as he looked down at Mingyu, who sat down in the chair across him. He did not intend to remain calm or allow her to feel secure, not after what he had seen.

"You lied to me when you first came here. You lied to me when I saw you bare, and you lied to me back then," Benjen spared her no punches.

"Benjen, if I can explain—" Mingyu tried to say, but Benjen shushed her.

"No, I cannot trust what you say at this moment!" he shouted, knowing for sure that a few of his guards at the headquarters at Si Qo could hear him. "You were going to kill me. You've been intending to do so ever since you came into my life, but instead of taking the merciful way, you chose the cruelest path available. It's like a butcher comforting a pig, turning it into his pet, and allowing him to be safe and run free in the field. And then, just when the pig is about to think that he will be spared the knife, the butcher leads him to the slaughterhouse and kills it."

"Benjen, please—"

"Shut up!" Benjen was seething at the moment. "I'll let you know when you can talk!" He breathed in and out to calm himself. "I thought you were a musician. You have a great voice, and I told you things that I never told anyone else outside of family. And yet, that didn't stop you from having those men trying to kill me. And don't deny it, because the leader of that ilk knew your name and you knew his. You both knew each other, which means that you were hiding your true nature from me. After all we talked about and shared, you still hid yourself."

Mingyu opened her mouth, but she quickly closed it when she saw that Benjen was not finished.

"However, you saved my life and that is something that I cannot forget. And you then helped me fight them off, which means that you betrayed your companions and they'll be after you too. The difference between myself and most people is that I feel obligated to protect those that I am debt to, no matter what they've done in the past. As long as you are here, you will be safe from those that seek your death. At the same time, do not expect for things to remain the same between us. Trust is something that should be treasured, and you broke that," Benjen finished with. Crossing his arms, he finally allowed Mingyu to speak.

"I know that I broke your trust and it is true that my first intention was to kill you, as that was what I was paid to do," Mingyu answered. "But curiosity has been one of my flaws, and the more I learned about you, the more curious I became." Benjen rolled his eyes, but Mingyu was unfazed. "Here was a white devil who had managed to become appointed to a high-ranking position in the empire. I could not allow you to die without understanding how you were able to do so."

"I did nothing in comparison to my nephew, Prince Daeron Targaryen," Benjen shrugged. "I just happened to be one of the beneficiaries of his merits."

"Still, anyone with white skin who managed to be rewarded by the emperor himself is something to take notice. I let my curiosity get the better of me, and that's why I hesitated to follow through before finally deciding not to go through with it."

"And that is supposed to be reassuring?" Benjen was incredulous.

"One of my other major flaws is treating others like the enemy, which is why I didn't open myself completely to you," Mingyu confessed. "And considering the last time I put my trust in someone else, I didn't want you to know too much in the event that you turned on me."

Benjen narrowed his eyes. "And what made you hold many things back from me? Am I the type to hurt you because you looked dangerous?"

"I didn't know you when we first met, so you can't really blame me for being cautious." Benjen scoffed, but Mingyu pressed on. "But as we spent more time together, my past experiences were holding me back from revealing myself to you because I almost died when I did the last time."

"Explain to me about this 'last time,'" Benjen was going to hear her out. "What happened?"

Mingyu swallowed. "I was part of the Jade Order, back when Princess Khiara was still a child but already becoming a formidable power in the capital." That stunned Benjen. "Oh, I don't look like the type? That's because it's been over nine years since I wore their robes and I've been running ever since."

"Why did you run?" Benjen knew that it was an understatement when one stated that deserting the Jade Order was not to be taken lightly.

"Like now, I let my curiosity get the better of me. Only that time… I put my nose in where it didn't belong and I was foolish to trust in the very structures that I had sworn to protect," Mingyu was hesitant to divulge that.

"What did you find out?" Benjen inquired.

"The emperor and the Prime Minister had already been in a power rivalry before Prince Sumeng married Hudam Shu's daughter. But the Prime Minister held influence at every level of the government. He also had resources that rivalled the ones under the emperor, meaning that the emperor couldn't hope to run the empire without satisfying the Prime Minister's interests. He understood that one day, he will have to fight the Prime Minister and the resources that he had at his disposal would be insufficient."

That confused Benjen. "Isn't the emperor all powerful? Why would his resources be 'insufficient' as you say?"

"The azure line might be powerful, but even they have their limits and their power is at the mercy of the laws of this world," Mingyu pointed out. "And one of the things that make this world run is money, lots of it."

"But why would money be a concern for the emperor?" Benjen was getting very confused.

"Because the Prime Minister can keep track of all of the imperial finances thanks to having people loyal to him working in the imperial household. The emperor needed a stash of silver taels and golden yunbaos, one that cannot be detected and one that needed to remain off the books. And there's only one place where he could do that."

"Where?" Benjen wanted Mingyu to say it.

"The yapian trade."

Benjen laughed at the ridiculousness of that. "The emperor being another opium merchant? You've got to be jesting with me."

"The emperor could steal from the customs offices, the treasury, and even the army and fleet budgets, but all of that could be traced through records. And the amounts he could steal is nothing compared to the profits made from illegal enterprises. And there is nothing more profitable than substances."

Benjen had a hard time wrapping his head around the emperor being another criminal. "And how much are we talking about?" For some reason, he had to know even though it seemed ludicrous.

"Over the course of twenty years, he made over thirty million silver taels in illegal profits, of course under an assumed name and through intermediaries."

Benjen was shocked at the amount. That number could easily rival half of the total annual revenue of the empire and certainly above the total revenue back home, although he never considered himself an expert in financial matters.

"How did you manage to discover that?" Benjen returned to point.

"It was actually quite stupid in hindsight," Mingyu shook her head. "There was an error in the paperwork, and I had to the Grand Secretary to correct him in the monthly wages I was receiving. But while I was waiting for him to fix it, I saw some men going into and from the storage room, which was supposed to contain silks. The issue was that they were bringing in chests full of coins from what I could hear, and I asked them what was going on. They simply told me to piss off and that was when I reported it to the Grand Secretary."

"But the Grand Secretary not only knew about it, he arranged the entire scheme for the emperor?" Benjen caught on.

Mingyu was impressed. "And the next thing I knew, there were guards trying to arrest me and I had to flee the palace after one of my friends in the Jade Order told me that I was being charged with forgery and sedition."

Benjen sighed, but there was something else he needed to ask. "Didn't anyone question those charges?"

"I might have been part of the Jade Order, but whose word would you weigh the most?

That of a simple bodyguard or the emperor himself?" Mingyu asked rhetorically.

Benjen clicked his tongue while nodding. "And so, that's why you were on the run?"

"And in order to survive and stay hidden because I knew that I would not last on my own for long, considering the amount of resources I was facing, I called up a favor and got sheltered by a shinobi clan. And while I trained as an assassin, my once bright view of people… dimmed." Mingyu was talking more slowly after that. "I thought that there was a justness in people, but my time in that clan exposed to me the worst in man. Many are selfish, know no loyalty, and are given to greed. And moreover, I liked killing people because that was my way of trying to come to terms of when I was betrayed. There was something powerful to be taken from killing those who were worse than you, and I took out my frustrations on them. Eventually… that was the only thing that I became good at, and I figured to prolong my pleasure by prolonging the suffering of my prey."

Benjen could appreciate honesty in most situations, but this was the one time where the truth was unsettling. He did sympathize with Mingyu's situation and how she became what she was, but he had dealt with similar types at the Wall, those who relished the hunt more than the kill. And those were the ones that were among the most frightening, as it takes a certain detachment from reality to be able to relish the process of tracking down and then killing a target, and they were very aware and in control of their surroundings. Out of all of the women I could've been with, why did it have to be her?

Benjen, at the same time, still had some feelings for Mingyu no matter what she said, and that caused much turmoil in him. He never thought that he would fall for a woman who possessed such thinking and behavior that he had now seen, and that caused him to fall into the chair.

Seeing his conflict, Mingyu stood up and placed her hand on his cheek after walking towards him. "I can tell what your thoughts are, and you are right to think them. But understand that if I wanted to kill you, I would have done so already. Also, I think that you are the one that I'm looking for, as other men would have tried to hurt me after hearing what I have said, but not you. That means that I should not let you go."

Benjen gulped, still unsure what to feel. "What?"

"You have been alone in the cold for so long, and you told me why you did so. Still, devotion to your sister takes a certain determination and a little craziness because no one logically wants to spend their life in the snow on their accord," Mingyu stated. "We might be different, but there is such thing as a man and a woman complementing each other, and you are the piece to the puzzle that I am looking for."

In an instant, Benjen found himself holding his ground to once again being silent to her words. And the worst part for him was that she was being honest, as she had no motivation to hide things from him now that he knew about her. It made him question how he had lived his life, for he knew so little about situations such as these and had only knew a certain range of people.

But before Benjen could reflect further, someone knocked on the screen doors. Quickly, Mingyu sat back down and put back her submissive face on. "Come in," he commanded.

In came Minoru Lim, now a lieutenant-general since Benjen was promoted to captain-general. And he was the only officer in the army that he could trust. "General Stark, we have a message from Yin. We've been ordered to march the army down to the capital to restore order after the emperor's passing."

By then, word had spread amongst the ranks about the emperor's assassination, although there were conflicting reports that either Prince Yujin or Captain Dao were responsible or even both. Unsurprisingly, Captain Dao being involved was very disturbing, as that would implicate the Prime Minister and thus turn this conflict into a factional war.

"We have sixty-thousand men under us?" Benjen asked.

"Yes," Lim nodded. "And we have additional orders from Prince Kaijin, the Commandant of Firearms, to link up with his troops outside of the jungle and march on the capital together."

Although cosmetically conflicting, both Kaijin's and Lord Joon's orders, who Benjen received from, complemented each other's since they were both concerned with restoring order. However, Benjen also feared that Kaijin might suffer from the chaos, as he was not aligned with Khiara and the Prime Minister and therefore could end up as an obstacle to whoever won. But just as quickly, Benjen shook his head, as his first concern was to keep Arya and Jon safe. Family comes first.

"Tell the captains and the other generals to prepare to move out," Benjen commanded. "We must make haste to the capital."

Lim nodded. "Do you think this is a coup?"

Benjen had a clearer picture on what was going on, but he had to control the information since a lack of it could lead to unexpected consequences. "I just hope that whatever this is, we all end up on the right side."

"And the dragons?" Lim was not blind to how they can determine the results.

"I will promise you that whatever happens, we will not be burned."

Lim was satisfied and left to carry out his orders while Benjen moved to dress up in his armor. He gave one more look to Mingyu.

"Thank you for your honesty, but also know that you broke my trust. It will take much time and effort on your part to fix it," Benjen told her.

Mingyu bobbed her head. "I don't want to lose you, and both are things that I shall invest."

"We'll see." And those were his final words to Mingyu before he moved to assume his soldierly duties.


Sandor flew through the air, slamming into a rock face and landing on the ground face-first. He got up onto his hands and knees and spat out some of his blood. The ringing in his head certainly didn't help, but considering that the Clegane brothers of the current generation were known for durability, he shrugged it off. Right now, the Hound had far bigger worries.

Sandor got up as the beast lumbered towards him. It was a large creature that resembled an eagle with a horn on his head. On either side of its face and body were thick feathers that looked to be about four feet long. It roared at Sandor as it flew back up and proceeded to charge at him with its talons.

Sandor prepared himself. He heard about the gudiao, a man-eating beast that could mimic a human baby's crying sound, by talking with other demon hunters venturing to Mossovy and the Grey Waste. These creatures were supposed to be big, powerful, and quickly develop a mean streak if one was stupid enough to provoke it. But Sandor needed the coin, and the head of the gudiao went for ten thousand silver taels on the market. So as soon as Sandor heard that the gudiao made its home in the Grey Waste, he naturally had to hunt one down. As soon as he showed his slip to the Guardian of the Five Forts, Sandor wasted no time in getting all of the necessary equipment, which included a firearm with grapeshot, and thick fur garments since the Grey Waste was arid and paradoxically as cold as any of the lands in the North. He then ventured to the region of the Grey Waste where these fearsome beasts are said to call home, which was not far from the Five Forts themselves. And he could consider himself fortunate, for he found one feeding on an unfortunate demon hunter only a few hours in the Grey Waste. It only took him a few moments for him to provoke the rutting beast by throwing a ceramic bomb at it.

Sandor charged over to a rocky outcropping in the cold desert once the gudiao was close enough. The beast slammed into the boulder face head first while trying to catch Sandor with its beak. The Hound let out a loud grunt at the monster's expense as he fired off a grapeshot, which only made the gudiao more pissed. Sandor didn't consider himself the best hunter, but he certainly liked a good struggle and imagined his brother the Mountain's face on the gudiao's head. His love of fighting was rooted in his desire to avenge himself and to finally show his brother that it was a big mistake to make his life a living hell. But knowing that he needed to refine his fighting skill since he could never match the Mountain with brawns, the Hound needed to get creative and hunting down never-before-seen creatures was one way to learn.

His equipment, besides his sword, consisted of his firearm, some ceramic casings filled with black powder, and two pistols along with sixty iron balls and forty loadings of grapeshot. The trouble was that after shooting, he needed to reload fast, as the gudiao wanted to snap his head off of his body. Fucking bird!

This part of the world was filled with things that made no sense to Sandor. However, he was exposed to a number of ways to live and how to kill, meaning that Sandor could increase his chances of surviving the next day. And then he thought about the physician. You promised to write to her. Just make it to the next letter.

He jumped off the outcropping and landed on the ground with a thud. He unfurled his firearm, his main weapon, along with one of his pistols and opened fire on the gudiao again. The beast was still stunned from running straight into a rock wall, but the feeling of grapeshot and iron balls striking its feathers and head aroused it back into its rage. The gudiao was so far proving to be a good challenge. It was a little on the slow side, but it had an extremely thick hide and had a power behind its wings.

The beast snarled as it turned towards Sandor and roared. It roared with such force that it felt like a mighty wind was blowing past the Hound. The sound of the roar itself was so loud and deep that it shook him to his very bones. Breath smelled oddly refreshing though. Sure, there was the usual scent of rotten flesh, but there was the sweet smell of fruit mixed in as well. Apparently, gudiaos ate both man-flesh and whatever vegetation it could find in the Grey Waste, as it was impossible to live on meat alone. That, Sandor didn't mind at all

After the gudiao roared at him, it flew over to Sandor, raising its talons to pierce the Hound with trying another jab with its beak. Sandor aimed his firearm and fired at the gudiao's beak before it raised it again. It pulled its wings back as its head howled in pain. It then raised its foot to stomp the Hound into the dirt. Sandor smiled as he found a dried branch and used to push its raised foot up, throwing the gudiao off-balance. The large bird beast fell on his back. The Hound jogged up its legs and hopped onto the creature's pot belly and aimed his firearm downwards.

The gudiao wasn't going down that easily. With its huge wings, it pushed the Hound off and he found himself being carried by the wind across several feet. Sandor hit the ground hard, rolling across the dirt and gravel until he stopped just short of being buried by a dune. As he got up and wiped the sand off of his beard, he felt that even the sand felt like snow and that his hands and face were getting awfully bruised. This is weird.

That's when Sandor got an idea.

He turned back toward the gudiao and noticed that it was flying at him again. Sandor's hid two ceramic casings behind his back after lighting them while he stood his ground, his firearm aimed and at the ready. Judging from the slavering drool that had accumulated around the gudiao's mouth, Sandor had gotten the animal good and pissed. He patiently waited for the gudiao to enter just the right range before finally firing his pistol, the iron ball striking its beak. Once the gudiao was just a few feet away from the dune, Sandor threw both the ceramic casings at one of the gudiao's feet as it charged, tripping the massive creature. It tripped and buried itself in the dune, which Sandor took advantage of. It lied on its belly, chirping in pain as it tried to get up. Sandor seized his chance. He jogged up the animal's back and arrived at its head. He aimed his firearm at the top of the animal's skull and fired.

While blood splattered out of the wound and Sandor could see bone, the shot failed to travel further than that. Apparently, the gudiao's skull was much thicker than Sandor realized. It shot up and shook its head around, trying to shake the Hound off, but the Hound had grabbed hold of one of the gudiao's horns with one hand, the other still drawing his sword. As the creature violently shook its head, Sandor realized he had a clear line on its head. He waited for the gudiao to shake its head in such a way that it brought Sandor the mark he was looking for. Finally, he stabbed into its exposed spine, and through its brain.

Blood gushed out of the fresh sword wound in the gudiao's neck. Sandor let go of the horn and landed on his feet, then turned to the gudiao with a look of satisfaction. The gudiao's wings stopped flapping, and then it turned onto its belly as it quickly bled out. Sandor walked up to the beast and fired his last pistol shot into the gudiao's neck to finish it off. After a few blasts, Sandor looked toward its face and noted the faded color of the gudiao's eyes. It was dead.

He smiled. Now that it was dead, he needed to gather up any wood he could find and start a fire. He didn't what gudiao tasted like, but he didn't see himself returning to the Five Forts anytime soon and he needed to eat. He hoped that it tasted like chicken, both it and an eagle were birds, though he wasn't looking forward to disemboweling and dismembering the corpse. Those feathers would be quite difficult to pull off and he didn't always relish field-dressing his prey.

At the same time, Sandor used his sword to finally decapitate the gudiao. He looked forward to what he could spend with ten thousand taels, which he could call his own money as he didn't have to get it from anyone else.

I wonder what's going on back south, Sandor thought. He intended to ask the Guardian what was happening, as he had a feeling that things were about to take a turn for the worse.

A/N: Jon and Dany finally holding hands and walking together was really the favorite part of the chapter for me. And this whole event was inspired when I thought, "What if Operation Valkyrie ran differently?"

Joon being worried about the future of the empire while he's going through his own Rubicon moment.

Benjen and Mingyu have serious issues to work through. But will they have enough time to work them out, especially with all that is going on?

And Sandor is having a blast as a hunter. Couldn't stop imagining Sandor with guns and grenades, which weirdly fit him in my mind. And the gudiao is a real Chinese mythical creature, although I took a twist in this instance.