Daenerys

Being in the halls of Dragonstone gave life to something sleeping in Daenerys. Not only was she absorbing the feelings of where she was born, but also of her Valyrian ancestry. This castle was the only one of it's kind in all of Westeros, built by the Valyrians before the Doom.

Stannis Baratheon had left things in a rather fine condition when he emptied his armies and himself from it, leaving behind only a few things that were gathering dust. It wasn't long before it was cleaned of any memory of him ever being there. The Unsullied were preparing for their journey to take Casterly Rock and the other leaders of the armies had already made for their homes to rally their forces. Olenna would be assembling her troops at Highgarden and Eliara and her daughters were on their way to collect the Dornish.

The days that followed were plagued with storms. Tyrion had given an amusing little speech about Daenerys's birth and Daenerys had confronted Varys about how his loyalties have been rather malleable in the past few years. But it was their guest that night that was the most surprising thing.

Meeting the Red Priestess, Melisandre, was intriguing. She did not seem like any of the priests or priestess' Daenerys had heard about from Tyrion and Varys. She didn't impose anything about the Lord of Light to her. What she said early about prophecies being dangerous, it felt like she had a new view of the powers of her God. She was given accommodations for her stay at Dragonstone until she would return to Voltantis.

Daenerys was walking in the castle halls with Lord Varys. "Am I correct to assume that you did not know of the new King in the North, Lord Varys?" Hearing the news of House Bolton's defeat and the rise of a bastard King from the priestess was almost enlightening to how much she was not paying heed to the status of her country.

"You are, your Grace. In fact, with the Bolton rule, it seems my little birds have had difficulties singing their songs with all the savage acts being committed. There were roads and castles decorated with flayed corpses of any who were caught opposing Ramsay's claim. But, now that things have taken a turn for the better in the North, I will be able to hear them soon."

"Good. How long will that wait be?"

"Less than a fortnight."

"I would very much like to hear what your little birds sing about this Jon Snow. I find it strange that one of his brothers of the Watch would tell me that they faced the danger of an army of Wildlings only to now learn that they were let through the Wall. What kind of common enemy would unite Wildlings with anyone south of the Wall?"

"I will spread the word and await the whispers, your Grace. Is there anything else you would require of me?"

"Not tonight. Get some rest, Lord Varys. We have much to do in the days to come." Varys bowed his head at Daenerys before he turned around and walked back where they came from. Daenerys was going to retire for the night as well. She needed all the sleep she could get.

Missandei met Daenerys in her solar and helped her out of her robes and into her nightgown. She departed as soon as she was no longer needed and left her Queen to her sleep. The storm outside would not let up anytime soon, and the noise of the thunder was as loud as the charging of the horses of her Dothraki horde. The air was cold and Daenerys couldn't wait to be in the warmth of her fur blankets. She doused the candles in her room, save one, and rested her body onto the softness of her mattress. Her eyes fell closed as if they were weighed down by stones. The darkness was comforting as she felt herself become lost in the void of a blissful sleep.

One moment she was laying in her bed, but then the next moment she was on a hill that was covered in a thick sheet of snow, looking beyond at a castle. She could see smoke rising from inside and was drawn closer to it. When she reached the gates, they opened for her and revealed the interior of a courtyard. Everything inside was covered in a layer of snow, yet smoke was emanating from it. The stone foundations were collapsed into rubble all around her, yet the castle still stood strong. As she walked through the disaster, she could hear the sounds of battle coming from a doorway that led underground into darkness. She followed the noise and entered the passageway. In the shadows, she could see a light far away, but it grew larger as she approached it with haste. She exited out of a tunnel and was in the courtyard of a different castle. The materials that made it was all black and there was a lift leading up to The top of a Wall of Ice. She assumed that she was at Castle Black. The sounds of battle suddenly disappeared and were replaced by the sound of a man crying.

Daenerys looked over in the center of the courtyard and saw a man dressed in dark armor fallen on his knees, holding someone in his arms facing away from her. As she approached him, she took notice to his raven black hair and a sword next to him in the ground. It was Valyrian steel, but the blade was broken in the middle into two pieces. She was standing behind the man and saw the face of a woman he was cradling in his arms. She was dressed in animal furs and had fiery red hair and her skin was pale as snow. An arrow pierced her chest and blood was frozen down the shaft.

Daenerys couldn't help but put her hand on the man's left shoulder to try and give comfort to him. She felt his bare, right hand take hold of her gently. His skin felt warm. He didn't say anything or look at her, he just held her hand in his own. Holding onto to him felt comforting to her as she hoped it did to him.

Daenerys suddenly heard the roar of a lion behind her and immediately let go of the man and spun around. She found herself outside the entrance of the Red Keep. She looked back behind her and didn't see the man or Castle Black. Instead, she saw flowers before her, wilting away on the ground. They littered the ground by the tens of thousands and continued into the streets of King's Landing. She heard the roar again from behind her and looked back at the Red Keep. The large doors parted and she was immediately transported to the throne room. Inside, the room had a light covering of snow and the roof above her was damaged. She had seen this before in the House of the Undying. When she looked at the Iron Throne, she noticed something was different than the first time she saw it. The throne had an additional sword in it, but it was stabbed into the backing of the throne rather than forged as a part of it. Around the sword's handle was a golden hand holding onto the handle below the guard of the hilt, and a silver hand wrapped below it ending at the pommel. She approached the Iron Throne and stretched out her hand to touch the sword. The moment her fingers felt the cold sword, it fell out of the throne and all the swords that were forged into it came loose and clashed as they collapsed into a pile before her.

Daenerys turned back around, hoping she would be taken somewhere away from where she was, but in front of her stood three people. On her left was her late husband Drogo. He was covered in scars along his chest and neck. On her right was someone she'd never seen before, but knew who he was. His silver hair and violet eyes gave him away. Rhaegar looked much stronger and older than Viserys had. Holding his hand was a woman Daenerys didn't recognize. She looked the same age as Daenerys and very beautiful with long black hair stretching down her back. She wore a crown of blue roses on her head and gazed at her calmingly.

The silence around all of them was broken by a rumbling coming from the floor. Daenerys heard the roaring of a lion once more, but it sounded as if the lion was rabid. The light outside the Red Keep began to turn green. The stone floor began to crack and before Daenerys could guess what was happening, she and those before her were surrounded by green flames.

Daenerys's body shot forwards as she woke up from her dream. Her breathing was heavy and she was sweating from her entire body. Her room was lit by the light of the morning entering from her windows. She began to calm down slowly and remember that it was only a dream. And yet it all seemed so real. She heard a knock on her door. "Come in," she said.

The door opened and Missandei walked in. She stopped when she saw the state Daenerys was in. "Are you alright my Queen?"

Daenerys nodded. "Just a bad dream."

"I'll have a bath drawn for you, your Grace." Missandei left her to go get what she needed.

It was later that Missandei was helping her bathe in the warm water, cleaning her body of the sweat. "What did you dream about?" She asked.

Daenerys wanted to tell her, but when she tried to recall what she saw, she couldn't remember all of it. The only thing she could remember was the feeling of the man's hand. It was warm and soft. "I can't remember."


Several days had passed since she had her dream and Daenerys had too many things on her mind at the time to focus on it. But it was becoming so much that she needed to take a break and collect herself. Being with her dragons was one of the few things that gave Daenerys a peace of mind. She sat in the fields outside Dragonstone watching Rhaegal and Viserion flying out over the horizon while Drogon was curled up behind her, resting. The winds were cold and came from the north. Even though she was thousands of miles away from the North, she accepted that the Starks were always right. Winter is coming.

Daenerys was thinking about her uncle Aemon's promise in his letter to her. 'You will not be alone, there is another who has the blood of the dragon in his veins.' That last part had her thinking. 'In his veins.' There was a man descended from the blood of Valyria like she was. If the Baratheons were still alive, she would have thought Aemon meant one of them. But she felt it wasn't so. The last three true Baratheon King's were the grandchildren of a Targaryen and descended from Orys Baratheon, rumored to be a bastard half brother to Aegon the Conqueror. But the Baratheons and the other House of Valyria that lived in Westeros were never considered to be the blood of the Dragon, only House Targaryen.

Daenerys couldn't imagine who or where this man was. Could it be a surviving descendant of the line of Blackfyre or one of the other Targaryen branches that were wiped out? Every day since she received the letter, there has been a burning desire within her to find her last remaining kin. But right now she had to focus on the wars to come and prepare herself to meet Jon Snow if he accepted her invitation. Today was the day Varys would be able to enlighten her on the situation in the North. She felt Drogon lift his head and look over to Missandei as she approached her. He snorted and rested his head back to the ground, not giving a care about her. Daenerys stood up as soon as Missandei reached her and brushed off some grass on her robes.

"Your Grace," she said, "Lord Varys requests your presence at the Painted Table. The first reports from the North have come."

'Finally,' Daenerys thought as she began walking with Missandei to the castle. It took quite a while, but when they reached the Painted Table, Varys and Tyrion were already seated. "What did your little birds sing to you?"

Varys didn't reply immediately, as if he was nervous about what he had to say. "They confirmed that Jon Snow is King in the North. He leads the Northern Lords, the Wildings, and the Knights of the Vale. He was named the new Lord of the Dreadfort and his sister Sansa Stark is the Lady of Winterfell and Wardeness of the North after their brother Rickon Stark gave up his titles to her."

Tyrion was the one who was more surprised than anyone else. "Bit ironic isn't it?" He quipped. Everyone turned their gaze to him as he explained, "Ramsay Bolton rose to be the Lord of Winterfell through fear, but Jon Snow rose to be the King in the North through the loyalty of the other lords. Just proves that there's more to bastards than we estimate. He's the greatest of them all."

Daenerys was slightly impressed at that, but not enough for her to be intimidated. "What I wish to know is how a man sworn into the Night's Watch still has his head after breaking his vows."

"The details are muddled, your grace," Varys informed. "The only information I have been able to acquire so far is that he was released. There was a mutiny that failed and after the execution of the officers who were responsible, Jon Snow had ended his watch."

"It sounds like he could not stand betrayal from within. How does that qualify as a just reason to be allowed to leave?"

"I will have my birds look further into the matter. The Wall has been one of the few places I have never had need of them due to their non-involvement in the matters of the realm." Varys paused, he was not finished and almost worried about what else he had to say. "There is something else, your Grace." Daenerys turned her gaze back Varys waiting for him to speak. He took a moment to take in a deep breath before saying something that shocked them all. "My spies informed me that Jon Snow is not only called King in the North, but a few other titles as well. The White Wolf for his red-eyed direwolf."

"Ghost," Tyrion commented, "his was the runt of a litter he found with his brothers. The last time I saw the beast, it was as big as a wolf could be. I imagine he's fully grown now."

"What else do they say about him?" Daenerys asked.

"They also call him the Winter Dragon."

Daenerys wanted to feel angry that someone who was not the blood of Old Valyria would dare let themselves have the titles of Dragon, but she was too curious. "What has earned him such as title as that?"

"I am still learning the details of how, your grace, but I have learned that Jon Snow is in possession of two dragons of his own." Tyrion spat his wine he was sipping back into his cup while Daenerys and Missandei were speechless. "When the Battle of the Bastards seemed lost, they flew in from the north and set fire to the Bolton soldiers. The only ones they approach are Jon Snow and his family, but only when he is with them."

The line of the letter repeated in her mind over and over. 'You will not be alone, there is another with the blood of the dragon in his veins.' Could Jon Snow be the one her uncle meant?

Daenerys started to fall backward from shock, but Missandei was able to catch her. "Your Grace!" She slowly sat Daenerys down on the floor and knelt down to her as Tyrion and Varys both rose from their seats. "Are you alright?"

She wasn't. Her head was spinning at the thought of what she had just heard. 'Jon Snow, a bastard of the North. The King in the North.' She felt light-headed before everything became dark. In the darkness, she could hear someone singing a song. It was a man. His voice was rough and deep, but the song was beautiful to hear.

'Though the winds of winter blow

They will never scare the crow

For when the king comes striking down

Our steel will break his crown

And then the skies will fill with light

Our brothers have won the fight

And then the one who was lost shall win

And the greatest of ages shall begin

The wolves will howl and the dragons cry

Through fire and ice, we will never die.'

Daenerys woke up in her bed. She was surrounded by Tyrion, Missandei, and Varys. "Your Grace," Missandei spoke quietly, "are you feeling any better?"

She was actually, but she was still concerned with this new revelation. She needed counsel, and none of them could give it to her since she was the only one who had the knowledge that she did. But that was about to change. "Lord Tyrion," she called.

"Yes, Daenerys?"

"In my trunk, over by the corner is a small box. Inside you will find a letter. Would you bring it to me?"

"Of course." Tyrion walked over to the trunk and opened it. He dug around inside until he finally pulled out a small wooden box. He opened the lid and removed the letter from inside and set it back in the trunk. He walked over to Daenerys, handing it to her.

She shook her head, "I want you to read it with Varys and Missandei."

Tyrion looked over at them and back to her, puzzled. He walked over to them and they hunched over to see what the letter said. Daenerys could tell when they read what was at the bottom. When they finished, Tyrion was the only one who wasn't speechless. "He never ceases to amaze me."

Daenerys couldn't help but slightly regret revealing what she knew to them. "What should I do?" She needed someone to answer her because she really didn't know what to do.

"Nothing" Tyrion replied. Varys and Missendei were surprised at that suggestion.

"Nothing? Why should I do nothing?"

"Forgive me, your Grace, I should clarify what I meant. Do not tell him about this until you think you should."

"And why would I think not to? He could be my only kin left in the world."

"I understand, but until we read this just now, we were not sure of Jon Snow's intentions for the North. We still aren't. revealing this to him might change those intentions and who he's aiming to be. I like him as a person. He's as honorable as his father. Let him show you who he is before you tell him who he is. Get a better perspective on him first, and in due time you tell him."

"What if he doesn't decide to come to meet with me?"

"He already has. While you were passed out, we received a raven from him. He's agreed to meet with you. But when he arrives, do not treat him as your blood. Treat him as Jon Snow, the King in the North who will bend the knee. Let him see who you are as well. Daenerys Targaryen, the rightful Queen."

Daenerys took a few deep breaths before responding. "How long until he arrives?"

Tyrion looked over to Varys who gave the answer. "He'll arrive in a fortnight, your Grace."

"Then we'd better prepare ourselves for him."