A/N: That season of giving already upon us? Man, does time fly fast.

Sansa forgot how wondrous Moat Cailin was, and had to remember that this was the fortress that the protected the North from the southerners for thousands of years. It was something that escaped her mind once she had passed through the Neck while accompanying her father, Robert Baratheon, and the dead brat Joffrey onto the mirage that was King's Landing. And it made her realize how much she truly did not appreciate about her northerner heritage. I chose to be in the south and listen to my mother on such silly tales, while I abandoned all of this, all of the glory that I could have enjoyed while remaining with family.

Moat Cailin was once a great stronghold, with twenty towers, a wooden keep, and a great basalt curtain wall as high as that of Winterfell's. But after a thousand years, only great blocks of black basalt lay scattered about, half sunk in the ground where the wall once stood, and the keep rotted away. The remaining three towers, which were covered with green moss and white ghostskin, command the causeway from all sides so that enemies must pass between them. Attackers would face constant fire from the other towers should they attempt to attack any one tower, wading through chest deep water and crossing a moat full of lizard-lions.

The Children's Tower was tall and slender. It had only half of the crenelations of its crown. Legend had it that the children of the forest called upon their gods here to send the hammer of the waters to smash the Neck. The Gatehouse Tower, the largest of the remaining towers, was squat and wide. It was the only tower which still stands straight, even retaining some of the walls around it, although a tree grows through its northern side. The tower's hall of dark stone was spotted with lichen and has a high, drafty ceiling. Within the hall was a massive carved table, also of stone. The Drunkard's Tower was so named due to its great lean. It stood where the south and west walls once met.

And yet despite the dilapidated state of Moat Cailin, it was more than capable of repelling all attacks from the South, provided that all of the towers were fully manned. The only reason why such a fortress was taken in the first place was because the ironborn approached from the north, and even that did not last long after Ramsay Bolton was able to clear out the ironborn and then leave the castle unoccupied again. That allowed the crannogmen to begin approaching the castle and start manning it again.

However, Moat Cailin had to be manned fully, because Sansa was made aware that a large force from the south, comprising not just rivermen sworn to House Frey but also at least twenty thousand bannermen serving House Lannister, were about to make a general attack on the North. This compounded her problems, as there was no progress made against Winterfell under the Boltons and against the wildlings.

"My lady, what are you thinking of doing?" Howland Reed asked her.

Sansa exhaled in thought. "What is the minimum number of men you would need to make Moat Cailin impregnable? That none of the southern forces will be able to penetrate?"

Howland clicked his tongue and rubbed his chin as he came up with the numbers. "I could hold this fortress and our enemies back with just one thousand men, but I would have to bring in my fellow crannogmen from the marshes, which would weaken our defenses because I need as much fighters that I can call upon to ensure that the enemies know pain before they can even dream of stepping out of the marsh with their lives."

Sansa nodded in acknowledgement. "Then, I would have to ask some of the Valemen to help you man Moat Cailin."

"I'm afraid that I have to say, that will not be a good option."

"Why not?" Sansa asked.

"For one, the Valemen are not used to fighting in the marshes. They are barely surviving in the land, which is getting colder by the minute once winter is upon us. Second, the Valemen are too heavily equipped to be fighting the type of battle that should be fought in the marshes. And thirdly, they will be fighting like those in the south, and they will lose eventually," Howland explained to her.

Sansa had to admit the merits in his argument. The Valemen were the largest and most potent force in the North at the moment, but they were constrained by the southern way of fighting and with winter coming ever closer by the day and moon, their armor would become more of a liability than a strength. Moreover, their horses were consuming more food than they could supply, which was increasingly becoming a problem since the Vale harvests were becoming rationed since the houses needed it as well for the coming winter. That would restrict the fighting abilities of the Vale knights, thus making them vulnerable in the northern landscape.

"So, who do you suggest should we use to help man Moat Cailin?"

Howland looked at her, and Sansa could see that she was not going to like the answer. "You have to make an accord with the wildlings."

Sansa shook her head. "I tried the best that I can, and many among my supporters, including Lord Manderly, will leave me if I were to work with wildlings. I cannot lose them, not while I have to take Winterfell back."

"Is it also not because Theon Greyjoy is with them?"

Sansa's blood boiled at the mere mention of his name. "He betrayed us and he is now working with the wildlings, probably using his intimate knowledge of the north to help them settle. Our family should have never shown him kindness, not after he burned Winterfell and left my brothers to flee to wherever the old gods made them go." She still thought of Rickon and Brandon every day, and it pained her heart to know that they were somewhere in the northern wilderness, having to fend for themselves. She refused to believe that they were dead. I can't think that they are dead. I lost too much already.

"I understand, my lady. I really do, because I too worry of my children, Jojen and Meera. They are somewhere in the wilderness, and I dread the day that comes when I hear that something awful happened to them. But if you want to keep the North, to win it from the Boltons and the southerners, we are going to have to work with those who share common foes. As of now, the wildlings are our best chance to winning, because their numbers alone will allow us a great advantage in winning," Howland had to state each point. "And the wildlings will be useful in manning Moat Cailin, since they can complement the crannongmen in not playing fair to the enemy."

Sansa certainly saw that the Lord of Greywater's Watch was sensible. And this was a man that her father relied upon when he was going to the tower of joy and fighting in the Rebellion, so she was scolding herself for taking too long to listen to his advice. "Do you think that the wildings, particularly Mance Rayder, will be amenable to a second attempt at a truce?"

"No reason he would not be," Howland answered. "He might have occupied much of the eastern parts of the North, but he stopped. If he really wanted to conquer the North, he would have gone further than he had. And it also does lend credibility to his claim that he and his people are running from something."

"The Night Walkers?" Sansa still had a hard time believing that. However, she was going through more inexplicable things lately, such as how Ser Harrold Hardyng was becoming so nice to her and how Littlefinger was encouraging that despite her sensing that he was stewing on the inside. And along with the wildlings not being the conquerors that the northmen once feared them to be, she was not ready to disbelieve it.

"His claims might not be as outrageous as before. And the both of you gain something from working together. We have to start doing that, if we want to survive what will be the longest winter in history."

Sansa nodded, accepting his advice after all of this time. "Very well. I shall approach the wildlings again, but I need to meet only Mance Rayder, not anyone else."

Lord Howland gave her a small smile. "I'll see what I can do, my lady."

A crannogmen came up to them. "My lord and Lady Stark, raven from Bear Island."

Sansa took the message and unrolled it. When she did, she could not believe it and she dropped to the ground while Howland caught the message before it got into the mud.

"By the old gods, they are good," Howland expressed what she was thinking as well.

"Bran… the old gods bless House Mormont." For the first time in a long time, she found herself on her knees and praying to the old gods, the deities of her ancestors, to thank them for delivering her brothers to safety.

"And my children as well." Howland also showed his thankfulness, causing Sansa to embrace him.

Bran… just wait. I'll be coming to get you. We'll be the family that we should've been. And Rickon, I will get you back, no matter what.


Kaijin saw the council meet in the pyramid, discussing the latest news that came from the plains. All of them, especially Daario, were pleased that all of the khals of the Dothraki had been wiped out, thus leaving Daenerys Targaryen as the sole ruler of the horselords besides Jon and Rhaenys.

"Besides the Dothraki adding to our numbers considerably, their experience in mobile campaigns and mounted tactics will be useful against our enemies in Volantis and when we finally get to Westeros," Ser Barristan said.

"And it would seem that our queen's mission in saving her Mormont companion was successful," Daario stated. "Jorah Mormont better show proper gratefulness, for she didn't have to waste herself on the horselords for his sake."

Kaijin did not like how presumptuous the sellsword leader was being, but it was not the worst case that he had come across.

"And now, the main issue at hand is who will be governing the Bay when we leave," Tyrion pointed out. "It's important that this place remain stable and free of the former slave masters, so as to at least prove that the freedmen can rule themselves. And we now have to also be able to empower the freedmen since that will defeat the whole purpose of freeing them in the first place."

"Any suggestions, Lord Tyrion?" Missandei was eager on what he had to offer.

"Perhaps they do what they do in Westeros. A council that will rule the Bay, with the members being selected from among the other freedmen. All of them will have to be guided by someone who knows how to administrate and delegate tasks."

"Any of the lower officers in the Jade Company can provide that, provided some of them volunteer to stay behind," Kaijin said.

"All right. Problem solved. When do we fucking fight?" Daario was impatient.

Kaijin gave him a cross look. "You will be able to fight soon, Naharis."

"Who asked you, princeling?"

Everyone was seeing how Daario was being unnecessarily confrontational with Kaijin. However, they were not going to step in, as they realized that they had to sort it out themselves.

"I'm not understanding this aggressiveness, Naharis."

"Oh, you think you can talk down to me because you are a prince and I am a sellsword?"

"Where did you get that idea?"

"By you calling me by my last name instead of by my title."

"You are but a man that has an inflated sense of self-importance. It would seems that you would hide behind your title."

"And you think that your blood gives you the right to talk to me how you want to me?"

Kaijin crossed his arms. "You haven't proven differently, since you have not shown yourself worthy of being treated with courtesy?"

"That's it." Daario walked over to him and pushed against his shoulder. However, Kaijin responded quickly and grabbed his arm, twisting and pinning his face against the table. The slam was so hard that it shook all of the cups and everyone was startled.

Daario grunted out in pain, while Kaijin moved to put his arm a little more upright, so as to effectively immobilize him.

"Enough," Kaijin told him. "We have more important things to talk about."

Just as Kaijin pushed him onto the ground, right where Grey Wolf was growling at him.

"Easy," Robb approached him and scratched his ear. "You heard the prince. No more."

Daarion sighed, obviously not used to being humbled. However, he also knew when to stop and got back up. He turned to look at Kaijin.

"The next time, we better have a proper fight. That was not fair."

Kaijin scoffed. "As you wish, Naharis."

Once the council made their final decision and they would begin to set up another council to be filled with freedmen, Kaijin moved to take a stroll outside of the pyramid. Discussing matters of importance such as the issue of the freedmen ruling the Bay and having not resolved his conflicts with Daario both called for him to clear his head.

"Prince Kaijin." He turned his head and saw Robb coming after him. "I would not mind what Daario was doing just now. He sees you as a rival for favor, since before we came, it was only him that could utilize favor with Daenerys. And now there are more of us."

"I understand that. It's something that I have grown used to," Kaijin answered him. "But he is a lowborn and is doing it in a manner of a lowborn, so he will be attempting to get what he wants in whatever manner possible."

"Did the court officials in Yi-Ti behave any differently?" Robb asked.

Kaijin had to concede that. "Still, a better way would be to address it without being overly offended. Naharis did not do that."

"I might not have the best opinion of Daario as well, but respect goes both ways, something that I wish I learned while as a king. Now, I have been humbled by thinking myself as merely the heir of Winterfell, if the northmen will even allow me to rule them again."

"Given what I hear of the Boltons, that should not be hard for them to accept."

"Still, respect goes both ways, as I have said. I would have imagined you, given your imperial background, would have understood that."

Kaijin gave him a look straight into his eyes. "I am not really a prince, being the son of a concubine."

"Then what do you see yourself as, if people still call you 'Prince?'" Robb posed. "They wouldn't have addressed you as such if they didn't respect you, but I think you are not really returning the favor."

Kaijin found his mind stopped, for this was something that he had never considered. For all of his life, people gave him respect and he showed that he was worthy, but he didn't give that same respect to all but a few. I'm not in the empire anymore. Is this what I have to become accustomed to?

Eventually, they walked through the streets of Meereen. There, the recently freed greeted them warmly, their lives coming together once the slave masters were no more.

"What do you think we should do about Varys?" Robb asked him.

Kaijin saw what happened with Varys, particularly him seeing his nephew die and almost trying to fight the dragonlords. "He's outlived his purpose, so I doubt that anyone would care if he dies tomorrow. However, we did not get any instructions on his fate, so he should remain alive."

"But I'm asking your opinion, Prince Kaijin," Robb made clear. "You, after all, well-versed in what justice is."

Kaijin chuckled darkly. "My lord Robb, if you really believe justice is something that really exists in the world, you truly don't know what the world is. Everyone's fate is determined on a whim and not even laws can protect you from that."

Robb shook his head. "I disagree with that, Prince Kaijin. No matter how long it takes or how it happens, justice prevails. We only need to rely on the news of the death of Joffrey to believe in that."

Kaijin did get news of his death, which was quite ignoble given his status but also fitting given what he had heard of him. "Perhaps. But from Yi-Ti, I learned that people rarely believed in justice. Whoever was the strongest was able to determine the story of a certain crime, even though the perpetrators were able to escape punishment, and judges rarely dealt fairly, especially if they were lining their pockets."

"That doesn't mean that justice doesn't exist," Robb countered. "In the North, the man who passes the sentence should swing the sword, which shows how we northmen are committed to carrying our just sentences."

"And that didn't work out very well for you, did it?" Kaijin had also heard of what Robb did to one of his nobles, which alienated a large portion of his army.

Robb sighed, remembering that clearly. "That sentence was just, but I did fail to listen to sound advice regarding Lord Karstark. And how could I have failed to see, that the loss of sons would cloud one's mind from rational choices? But my point stands. There is justice still, and we northmen cherish that very much."

Kaijin was not convinced, so he had to continue to test the limits of Robb's reasoning. "Then enlighten me on this. Would you say that your father was just in participating in the rebellion without knowing all of the facts surrounding your aunt and Daeron Targaryen?"

"That was a matter of survival, Prince Kaijin. It was either he help his friend Robert Baratheon, or they both die. And the Mad King was on the throne at the time."

"But it is also true that if your father knew everything that was going on, things would have been different. In a way, was it just for him to fight in the rebellion when he had to spend all of his energies trying to find the truth?"

"Don't talk as if you were there and you knew everything at the time," Robb corrected him. "It was a bad situation and it never should have happened, but my father had to respond as best as he could given what he knew."

"However, it is true that he made the unjust decision of allowing your cousin to be raised as a bastard and be subjected to cruel treatment. You want to explain that?"

Robb had to take a moment to gather his thoughts. Kaijin had to see if he was going to rebound with something stronger regarding justice, for in truth and deep down, he wanted to believe in it.

"Then, you would not mind if I ask what happened to Yujin?"

Kaijin was taken aback. "How do you know that name?"

"Arya told me. Wasn't it ten thousand cuts on his body?"

Kaijin was still impressed that she did it herself, but that was the northern way of doing things. "Yes, the maximum sentence for high treason."

"Is that not proof then, that justice still exists?" Robb asked him. "If there really was no justice in this world, your father, the one you loved dearly, would have died for nothing and Yujin remaining free. But that was not the case. Everyone who had anything to do with the chaos in Yin, from what Arya told me, got their dues. Yujin was executed, the crown prince of Yi-Ti was quietly disappeared, and all of the incompetence of the old court swept away."

Now that Kaijin was remembering, he did have to give it to Khiara that she was able to put the court under control and all of the officials were loyal to her, while the vices of the previous court were simply swept out of view.

"That is what I believe will happen once I get home," Robb promised him. "I will ensure that everyone who had anything to do with my family's sufferings will get their just sentences. Those who betrayed us, those who made us run, and those who took away the time I could have had with my family, they will pay."

Kaijin absorbed Robb's words and that got him thinking. Maybe the Lord of House Stark is onto something there. He didn't consider himself a good believer in justice, since occurrences in his life shattered that, but perhaps, he could start believing in it again.


Daenerys woke up next to Daeron, rubbing his face while she felt his arms and legs on her bare body. With the thick furs covering them, all she wanted to do was to spend all day with him, the two of them enjoying each other's presence and making love the entire time. These furs are drenched in our sweat. What's a little more to add to it?

Daeron, or Jon as she was now calling him more often, shifted around and then opened his eyes.

"Good morning, love," she whispered to him.

"Good morning, Your Majesty," he replied playfully.

"For some reason, I can't remember what happened last night." That was a lie, for Daenerys remembered everything about their lovemaking before they were spent. His touch, the feel of his length inside of her, his hands running all over her sweaty body, all of it.

"Should I help you get your memory back?" he asked, as if knowing what she was jesting about.

Daenerys saw the outside of their tent, the horses and thus part of their peoples going about their business. She gave him frustrated eyes. "Perhaps you can help me, but we have to go back to work."

It was his turn to cling to her, pulling her close to him while they could feel each other's breaths on their face. "And what could be more important than this?"

Daenerys very much liked the change in her husband. Prior to their marrying, he was brooding all of the time and was so serious, with only their coupling being the time that he allowed himself to be loose. But now, he was starting to really take in the pleasure, and he was occupying himself with the simpler stuff such as this. However, both of them were not only dragonriders, but also pursuing their family's birthright.

"The Dothraki must see their khaleesis, both of them, and the khal they chose. And we still have a long way to go until we arrive at Volantis. We should continue to fuck like this, show the others of what we can do, but we have to lead them now."

Jon sighed sadly, but he kissed her deeply and hugged her. "As you wish, Dany. If only we met so many years earlier, we did not have to be so occupied with survival and things like this."

Daenerys very much wished that as well. "If only things remained as they were, yes."

Daenerys dressed her in Dothraki attire, after which she helped Jon dress in his hunting leathers. She could sense her husband stealing glances at her, the exposed parts of her body at least, and it made her so much happier than when Drogo did that. While Viserys sung praises on her body and Drogo was content in being rough with her, it was Jon showing appreciative glances that made her feel whole. And she noticed that she was walking with a more confident stride ever since she took down the khals, which represented the demons she had while with the Dothraki. No more, she told herself.

Once they got their affairs in order at Vaes Dothrak, Daenerys, Jon, and Rhaenys began to guide the entirety of the Dothraki southwards, onto Volantis. They sent one of their fastest riders to Meereen to send the message to their forces in Meereen to begin sailing towards Volantis, the last obstacle before they would begin sailing towards Westeros. With nearly one hundred thousand Dothraki at their disposal in the plains and their forces in the Bay, they had more than enough to take on Volantis and overwhelm the city. It was all a matter of making their triumph over Volantis, the most powerful of the slave cities in Essos, complete. And it would send a message to the rest of the Free Cities that slavery was now dying in the world, meaning that it would not be wise for them to practice it while the dragons and their armies were on the march and liberating many along the way.

The overall plan in coordinating the attack on Volantis, which was to approach with the Dothraki from the north and the Jade Company and the others approaching by sea, also depended on the slave rebellion in Volantis happening. The slave rebellion was to last for at least one week, which would be enough to sap the remainder of the tigers' strength in the city and leave them vulnerable to an attack from the outside. As all of their ships were either captured or burned, approaching by the sea would be very easy for them.

As for their northern approach, they had options to choose from. The most likely one that would also be the quickest was to move all the way until they reached the River Volaena, which fed into the Rhoyne River. There was a tradeoff, however, as they would have to maneuver through the marshlands that fed into the both Rivers Selhoru and the Volaena, and the marshlands was notorious for being pirate territory. Once they got towards the marshlands, Daenerys, Jon, and Rhaenys would fly on dragonback and burn a path through the marshlands towards the Rhoyne, both to dissuade the river pirates from harassing them and to also quicken the pace on to the Rhoyne. Once they were able to get on the Rhoyne, it was only a matter of following the river south towards Volantis.

In spite of the large force of the Dothraki and the distance they had to travel from Vaes Dothrak all the way to the River Volaena, they were making good progress. Courtesy of the Dothraki being used to travel long distances on horseback for as long as there were any Dothraki on the plains, they were able to travel hundreds of miles within a span of a few days. Of course, they had to take breaks here and there to allow the Dothraki rest, as riding that hard and fast, along with dealing with the women and children that were accompanying them, was exhausting. It made Daenerys more thankful that she had Drogon to depend on, as riding a horse was exhausting for her and she was able to ride her dragon more naturally than riding a horse. Perhaps the benefits of having dragonblood in my veins.

As Daenerys and Jon made their way out of the tent, they were greeted by the Dothraki who gave them the respect due to them. While Jon went to find the Hound, Arya, Mingyu, and the others, Daenerys moved to find Rhaenys. She had something to discuss with her, particularly after she noticed that look between her and Jon. I have to make sure that there are no misunderstandings.

She found Rhaenys running her fingers along Rhaegel's snout. Seeing her happy and comforting the dragon named after her father was always warming to Daenerys' heart, for it showed that Rhaenys was truly a dragon.

"Ah, aunt," she finally noticed her. "Looking stunning as always."

"As are you." While Rhaenys wore her Dornish-style dresses, she was also wearing a hunting cloak over her shoulders, as she was not riding a horse. "Dear niece, we need to talk."

"About what?" Rhaenys noticed her look. "About Daeron?"

Daenerys nodded. "I know that look that you two shared. And I know that you have some feelings for him."

Rhaenys could not say anything to refute that and she was quickly on the defensive. "Look, aunt. If you think that I am going to steal him away from you, I will never do that."

"I know. But I also know that there is no one else for you but him," Daenerys stated. "And it is not like that what is happening now has never happened before in our family's history. Aegon the Conqueror had two wives and they made the world different. Daeron has me and I do believe that we need to make the three-headed dragon complete."

Rhaenys turned her full body towards her, surprised. "What are you saying, dear aunt?"

Daenerys exhaled. "I'm saying that if you do have feelings for Jon, or Daeron if you want to continue calling him, do not wait too long. It will be better for you to make the first move, which I can attest to because I was the one who responded first. But if you are not ready, just be the sister that he needs, and let him be the brother that you should have had before."

Rhaenys just stood there, still. For a moment, Daenerys worried that she said the wrong thing. "Are you going to be all right, with me and him—"

"I know that he loves me and that will never change. But you also need someone to love, and who better than him?" Daenerys put her hand on Rhaenys' shoulder. "I was healed by love, dear niece. It is time for you to have that same feeling as well. But I say again, be the sister that he needs, because I know that he will be the brother that you deserve."

Rhaenys then hugged her, quicker than she expected. "Thank you, Daenerys."

She returned the hug eagerly. "We're a family. We should have been that and now, this is our chance to be so."


Benjen oversaw the majority of the Jade Company, the Company of the Rose, the Wolf Pack, and the remainder of the Golden Company along with some of the freedman trained and selected to accompany them be loaded onto the boats. A few thousand of the troops from all, along with the majority of the freedmen who were trained and armed, were to be kept in the Bay, to garrison Meereen, Yunkai, Astapor, Tollos, and the other cities while also to keep any rebellious men from acting out against them, especially since they were not able to capture all of the harpies that have gone underground.

It was a long process, for there was much to take into account regarding supplies, how many of the ships from their enemies that they needed to take with them in order to transport all of their men that they would need to fight at Volantis. And it was more complex, given that they have to coordinate with the Dothraki under Daenerys, Jon, and Rhaenys who were planning on overtaking the city from the north. And it would also have to be coordinated as well with the coming rebellion among the slaves that were being organized by Jaenyra Vhassar, so that was why he had to talk with Ser Davos Seaworth.

"I was sorry to hear about your brother, Lord Benjen," Ser Davos told him. "I heard that he was an honorable man and the Seven Kingdoms is the lesser for it without him."

"Thank you, Ser Davos. And I hear that you were what allowed Storm's End to survive the siege from the Reach banners. Although I can see that Stannis Baratheon still made you pay for the supposed crimes that you committed."

"I guess in his mind, there was no way for me to avoid punishment even though what I did allowed them to weather the siege and then reap the benefits of when Robert became king. Although I do hear news from Westeros these days. They tell me that Joffrey is dead."

Benjen also heard the same news, although he could not be sure of the veracity of it. But he did it find it fitting for the gods to punish Joffrey in the manner that he was hearing, in that the small council deposed him and that the same man who took Eddard's head also took Joffrey's off of his body. And there was the matter of Myrcella becoming queen. Benjen didn't know enough about the youngest daughter of the Baratheon brood besides what he had seen from when the Baratheon party arrived at Winterfell. She will never be able to rule independently, for I saw that she was not strong enough. And if Tywin Lannister is still on the small council, she will always be under his thumb.

Still, Benjen saw this as good news. The war among the five kings in Westeros might have been over, but there was no end in sight regarding the unrest and the cracks that were formed during the conflict were too large, meaning that the Lannisters were beyond weak and there was no way for them to be able to fix the problems of the realm anytime soon. That would make it easier for their own troops to land on the shores and begin the campaign to take their vengeance on those who made their family suffer and put the dragons back where they belonged, on the Iron Throne.

"So, do you think that you will have the supplies that you need to equip the slaves and then keep the remainder of the tigers occupied until we are able to arrive, both from the sea and from the land?"

"It should be enough, Lord Benjen. You have been most generous."

"And you are sure that Shireen Baratheon is safe with the Vhassar lady?" While Benjen never met her, it would have been unfortunate if she was in danger.

"The one thing that I can understand about Jaenyra Vhassar is that one underestimates her at their own peril. She is formidable and she is able to make things happen, no matter what. That is the type of woman that I left Shireen in the care of, so I know she is safe."

"And the elephants, including the Vhassar lady, will have evacuated out of Volantis by now?"

"Aye, to their holiday estates outside the city along the banks of the Rhoyne. They will be shielded from the rebellion of the slaves, since the slaves will not be able to tell the difference between tigers and elephants when the bloodletting starts."

"Of course," Lord Benjen agreed. "And I do apologize for how you and your men were treated when you first arrived here. While I cannot blame them for being cautious, starving you and then beating you cannot be excused."

"I don't blame you, Lord Benjen, because you were not there. However, if I were to see that man and that ship again, and I will know which one it is among the hundreds that will set sail, I will have more than a few words to say to them. As I told them, I will have business to settle and I will get satisfaction."

Benjen could see that the Onion Knight was determined. "But this business of yours, I would not mind if you beat him as well. However, do not kill him. That will cause misunderstandings that even I will not be able to control."

"You have my word, Lord Benjen, that my satisfaction will not go beyond a few broken bones and many bruises. They didn't kill me, so I have no need to cause deaths that can be avoided."

Benjen shook his hand. "If that is the case, I shall see you at Volantis."

After the Onion Knight and his crew began the journey back to Volantis, with their supply of ceramic casings and other provisions, Benjen worked with Kaijin and the other commanders on the voyage to Volantis.

Once the final arrangements were close to their resolution, Benjen conferred with Minoru Lim and then with Gendry. The three of them would be on the same ship, at the head of the seaborne part of the clash at Volantis.

"We will have to use the freedmen as reserves. While they have done well against the slave masters, it will be best to slowly break them in when it comes to real battles," Lim told him. "They are disciplined and some of the freedmen are good shots, but we cannot take any chances."

Benjen nodded. "That's sensible. The freedmen cannot be used as vanguard, since they do not have the experience yet. And they also have to gain confidence when it comes to the hardier enemies that they will face, particularly against the Lannisters. Build up their confidence and they will be able to achieve much."

"I should also point out that we should refrain from firing our cannon beyond scaring the remaining tigers," Gendry added. "We do not want to accidentally kill any of the slaves who are involved in the uprising as well as any women and children caught in the middle of the fight."

"Very good," Benjen said with approval. "That is partially why we gave the Onion Knight those ceramic casings, since we have to get the tigers disoriented and not able to mount an effective defense. And if they are able to keep them occupied for more than a week, our chances of success will be maximized. With the Dothraki approaching from the north and us from the sea, they will be unable to keep us at bay."

Once they got their final plans at hand, all three of them got onto their ship. Seeing that the fleet was in order, they gave the signal. The herald sounded the horn, and they let down their sails. As if the old gods were watching them, a westerly wind allowed the ships to make good speed towards Volantis. By the estimations of the ship's captain, if the wind continued for the next two weeks, they would be able to cut their voyage to Volantis by half. By any standards of the sea, that was a fast journey and Benjen could only pray that the Dothraki would be there at the time same time. If one of the pincers arrived too early or too late, it would complicate their overall plans since the whole point was to take the tigers and thus Volantis through the element of surprise.

Wherever you are, Jon, I hope you are going as fast as possible, but we much riding on this.


Arianne watched as her father trembled in terror at their most recent letter received. While her father was usually cool and collected most of the time, she never saw him pale in fear and his hands beginning to tremble. He gulped upon reading the letter and passing it onto Trystane, who was also very afraid at the letter's contents. Arianne then decided that she had waited long enough and snatched the letter from her brother's hands.

She read the contents carefully, and as she did, she understood what made her father and brother so afraid.

"To Doran Martell, Prince of Dorne,

This is Rhaenys Targaryen, Princess of House Targaryen. While we do have similar blood running in our veins, we are not family. You left me to suffer in the pleasure houses of Lys while Varys, now known as an imposter descended from House Blackfyre, attempted to groom me as a wife for his Blackfyre nephew, who he tried to pass off as my brother Aegon. Both my aunt Daenerys and my brother Daeron have been excused from blame, for they truly did not know that I was alive and I know for certain that they would have burned the entire world to find me. However, the same cannot be applied to you, as you gave material support to Varys and you knew of his plan. I highly doubt that you knew of his true ancestry and what he really intended to do, but you are just as culpable in my sufferings as he was.

In our possession is your son, Prince Quentyn. You sent him here to do your dirty work, and he told me that his father was a cripple. That shows to me that you are not capable of doing what needs to be done by yourself, which is fitting since you also allowed my mother, Elia, to die through your inactions. I also know that Quentyn is not smart enough to know what he was really involved in, so I cannot truly blame him. However, as a consequence of your support of Varys and the imposter he supported, as well as you having the knowledge that I was alive all these years, he will be a hostage. As the main line of House Martell is hanging by a thread, I would advise you to not do anything rash against me and my family. If you do, then House Martell will be down to Trystane and Arianne. While I am aware that the Dornish are not so limited in their beliefs on who can rule, do you honestly believe that Oberyn Martell and his children are capable of ruling, if what I hear of them are true?

Sooner or later, we shall return to Westeros. And you, Prince Doran, will have to pay for what you have done. Unlike the other times that Dorne and the dragons clashed, there will be no Hellholts for you to hide behind, and there will be nothing that you can do to escape the fire, because there will be no place in this world that can protect you from my rage.

But you shall have a chance, in ensuring the survival of House Martell. You must kill yourself, the manner of your death being determined by you. Perhaps the gods, if they are real, punished you for the dishonorable act of leaving your sister to die by not committing your banners to protect my father, by taking away your only means of behaving like a man. From what Daeron Targaryen told me, the Yi-Tish kill themselves rather than live with dishonor. How they kill themselves, they got on their knees, open up their shirts and robes, take a dagger and plunge it into their bellies until their insides come out. If you are unable to do so completely, someone will cut your head off to end the pain.

I suggest you follow their example, for if you don't, I will take pleasure in not only killing you but also punishing the rest of House Martell as well.

You should make the right decision, for the survival of Sunspear and of the Martells are in your hands. Do not test me, and do not doubt the depths of my resolve and anger. Unless you want to see your family and thousands of Dornishmen truly understand what being scorched feels like.

Signed,

Rhaenys of House Targaryen, dragonrider of Rhaegel.

Arianne gulped as well, for this was all new information. While she knew that Rhaenys was alive courtesy of her father telling her, she didn't know how much he was involved. And she didn't realize how badly he messed it up until today.

"Is this… true? Every word?" Arianne could only ask. Trystane held up something in his hand. Taking it, she recognized instantly. "This is Quentyn's ring, the one you gave him on his name-day, father."

Doran blinked rapidly. "Varys was a Blackfyre… out of all of the things that I tried to foresee, this was not one of them."

"Father, what do we do?" Trystane was just as fearful as everyone else, since he knew what the letter meant and what awaited them. "We all know that cousin Rhaenys will come back to Westeros sooner or later. Is there anything that can do to show that we are her family and that she should not doing what she threatened to do to us?"

Doran said nothing. Arianne clearly saw that for the first time, her father could not answer the most important questions and had no solution. His fear had overwhelmed his mind and he could not give them all the answers that they needed to hear.

That was when she stepped in. "Trystane, did you not read the letter carefully? She does not consider us family, despite our Aunt Elia giving birth to her. She is angry and she has rage, and she will not stop until both are sated. She wants our father dead, and we have to come up with solutions that do not involve our father becoming a corpse."

Doran kept staring into the space. After the shock of her father so speechless slowly dissipated, Arianne had to step in and make the decisions for the family that her father was unable to make.

"Was this true, father? Did you know that Rhaenys was alive all this time, and you left her in those pleasure house?" Arianne had to know the answers.

Doran swallowed. "It was the one place that the agents of the Baratheon usurpers would have never bothered to look. Why waste their time looking for a princess in a brothel, of all places?"

Arianne could feel her shock manifest on her face. "You left our cousin there, to be violated by those men?"

Doran's head suddenly snapped in her direction. "No, never! I would not have allowed Varys to do that."

"And how do you know she wasn't violated?" Arianne shot back at him. Doran couldn't answer, making her more angry. "Father, what have you done? Even if she wasn't violated, even if you paid her captors enough coin to keep her maidenhood intact, she was all alone! She had no one in Lys besides Varys, and now we know that he was a Blackfyre all along. Any trust that she might have formed with us has been effectively broken, all because we sent Quentyn to the Bay without knowing all of the facts!"

Trystane stepped in to defend their father. "Sister, do not talk as if you know all of the solutions yourself. You didn't know that she was alive all this time as well, and you didn't know that Varys was a Blackfyre, same as the both of us."

"Don't you understand?!" Arianne raised her voice suddenly. "Rhaenys has no reason to trust us, because we weren't there. She feels nothing for us, so she won't have any qualms wiping us all out. And if what the last thing on her letter said was true, she has a dragon of her own. Combining fire and anger, we will suffer worse than during the Dragon's Wroth and Daeron's Conquest. The only way to stop that from happening is if our father kills himself, but you and I both know that we cannot allow that to happen."

Trystane gulped, seeing the sense in her words and was more immobilized at their father going back to being silent in shock. "What do you suggest we do?"

Arianne exhaled, and that was when she remembered where her uncle Oberyn was. "How many Dornish banners do we have now?"

Trystane took a moment to search his mind to recall. "Thirty-thousand in total."

Arianne quickly formed a strategy. "We need to recall Ellaria and our cousins back from King's Landing right this moment. They are going to be in danger."

"Why?" Trystane asked .

Arianne took a breath. "Because now, it is time that we have Dornishmen fight against the Lannisters."

"Are you insane?" Trystane could not believe it.

"It's not as insane as you think, brother. They are weak and the Seven Kingdoms are in turmoil. And also, do you have another way to protect our family besides fighting for the dragons?" Trystane could not answer, which Arianne acknowledged with a nod. "Then let us send some ravens. We have work to do."

A/N: Sansa finds out that Bran is alive, so imagine her joy when everyone is reunited.

Kaijin and Robb are becoming good friends.

Daenerys encourages Rhaenys and easing her along.

Benjen finally sets sail to Volantis, just one more step before Westeros.

And Arianne taking charge once everything is unraveling.

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