Jon
The pain of the burns continued to sting, but it felt more like rats or large bugs were constantly eating at his skin. From what the others could tell, it was only his skin than was burned. The flames were doused right before they reached his muscle. He wasn't allowed to move at all while they discussed any possible way to kill Euron and make it out alive, and to be honest, he wasn't upset about it where he was at all. While everyone spoke of what to do, he was resting on Daenerys's good leg. He had to turn his head so that he wasn't always looking up at her breasts though. Yet for all they discussed, they seemed to be getting nowhere as the hours passed by.
"We could take out the guards that come to get us," Jorah suggested. "I could kill one with the blade and swipe a proper dagger while the others are caught off guard and get their weapons and gear." Jorah was still wrapped around Yara seeing as she wouldn't let his warm body leave.
"The most you could get without more Ironborn arriving are their weapons." Yara said. "Clothes and armor would take too long to take off and put on. Even then, there would be too many to fight through."
"So, if we can't arm ourselves, then how do we get close with Theon's blade?"
"We might not have to," Theon said, "Euron's been making a spectacle of things all this time. He's a madman, but he might get close enough for us when he's about to kill us. I can try to end him there."
"And if the Ironborn don't turn to you when he's killed, you'll all die." Yara said, sounded concerned for the first time. "But if they do, you'll be the one to take the Salt Throne. Killing our uncle will pay the ironprice for the throne."
"I don't want the throne," Theon said with a shiver through his body and a shake of his head. "I'm not fit to rule."
"No, you're not." Yara spat. "But, it's the only chance we have."
"You're the one who was meant to take the Salt Throne-"
"And I failed! With what I am now, the Ironborn will never follow me, but they will still follow a Greyjoy. They'll follow you if you show them you can lead." Theon didn't say anything, he seemed lost for words.
"Let's plan on that if it happens," Jorah said. "What if we left the blade with you here and you escaped behind us?"
Their discussion was cut short by the footsteps of the Ironborn approaching. Everyone in the cell all looked at each other, wondering the same thing. "What do we do?" Theon whispered.
"You kill our uncle." Yara told him. The guards opened the rusted gate for what might've been the last time for them. Theon folded his arms across his chest, playing scared as he stood up to hide his wound. Jorah walked over to Jon and carefully pulled him off of Daenerys. Jon gave her one last look, as if to memorize her face so he wouldn't ever forget it, as he got to his feet. Walking wasn't a problem, but moving his arm was. Now he knew how Rickon must've felt with his injury. Luckily, it wasn't his sword arm that was injured.
Jorah walked with him, but turned back to the cell. "Goodbye, Khaleesi." He turned back and followed the others. Each step was like a step closer to the doors of the seven hells themselves. They might open, or they might remain closed, either way, they would meet them and the demons that awaited.
When they entered the Great Keep this time, dozens and dozens of Ironborn were gathered, Euron in the dead center of them all. "And now they arrive!" He shouted. All the Ironborn around him cheered and raised their weapons as high as they could into the air. Euron seemed to get drunk from the power around him. He never looked happier than Jon had ever seen him.
Jon, Jorah, and Theon all stood waiting for Euron to make his next move. Theon kept himself slightly hunched over, Jon noticing him fidgeting with his arm. The pain of it looked agonizing, seeing as Theon couldn't help but whimper as he did. No one else seemed to notice him trying to retrieve his blade.
Jon would never believe anyone to be able to bear through that kind of pain with just whimpers and tears. Even the mightiest man would shout or scream at least once. But then again, Theon wasn't the mightiest of men, he was a broken one.
"Tonight!" Euron shouted. "We will show all of Westeros the power of the Ironborn! My dumbcunt brother rebelled against the North twice, and failed! I have taken their King and after he burns I will send his people his crisp corpse. I will kill every Lord, every soldier, every child, and we will drown them all for the sharks!"
Jorah and Jon looked at each other. "He loves hearing himself talk," Jorah whispered through the noise.
Jon snorted and couldn't resist a tiny smile. "I've heard worse at Castle Black from another," Jon replied. Ser Alliser never went a single waking hour without barking some order or an insult.
As Euron neared finishing his speech, he approached the three naked men, still wearing his delish smile. "A direwolf, a bear, and a cockless kraken!" His men all laughed at Theon. He looked like he was on the verge of tears. "Tonight, we shall watch them burn in Wildfire, as will the fleet watch them! Bring them outside!" Euron's men grabbed the three of them and escorted them outside the Great Keep and all of the Ironborn followed.
They cared nothing about Jon's injury and the pain of their grip into his burnt flesh was enough to force Jon to yell out. He looked over to Theon, they seized him by his wrists, and the tip of the grip of the blade was barely out of his skin.
The night was cold and the ground was colder as they all walked out to the bridge that led to the gates. The mud was dry and frosted, cracking under the steps of those who walked on it. The sky was perfectly clear and the moon was full. The light of it illuminated all the land of the island and the ships in the ocean. They passed under the portcullis and on the narrow part of the hills of Pyke were hundreds of Ironborn were chanting Euron's name. They were all surrounding an area where three Ironborn stood next to large open barrels full of Wildfire.
Jon, Jorah, and Theon were each placed a few paces away from the barrels. Euron stood in front of all his men and addressed them, yet again. "Who wants to watch them burn!?" The entire army of men cheered for Euron. "Then what are we waiting for!?"
Theon started to cry, louder than a child would. Euron turned around and laughed with his men at him. He trembled and shivered as Euron approached him. The only reason Theon was still standing was because he was held up by the Ironborn. "Little Theon!" Theon looked up at Euron, like a lost dog to its master. "Why do cry? Are afraid to die?"
"I am!" Theon screamed. "I don't want to die, please don't kill me!" The Ironborn continued to laugh as Theon pleaded.
"Release him," Euron ordered. Theon dropped to the ground as his captors let go of his wrists. He continued to cry into the ground as Euron knelt down to him. "Little Theon," he spoke softly, "my nephew, you're a Greyjoy, an Ironborn, you would be drowned in the ocean and returned to our God in his halls. But, what kind of god would want a cockless man?" He gave Theon a soft hug, as if to bid him goodbye. Theon returned the hug, his hands reaching around to his wrists. Euron let go of him looking into his nephew's eyes, smiling mockingly. "What is dead may never die."
"What is dead may never die." Theon's hand shot up beneath Euron's head and planted his blade into Euron's jaw. The blade pierced the bone and went into his skull, nailing his jaw shut. As Euron began to scream, Theon pushed the blade the rest of the way up. The tip came out above Euron's upper jaw, and one side of it cut deep into his right eye, the metal exposed out of his skull. Euron jerked back and fell to the ground, screaming and grabbing his face but still unable to open his mouth.
From behind him, the three Ironborn who stood next to the barrels of Wildfire, kicked them over. As the green liquid splashed out onto many behind them, one the men who kicked the barrels ignited the Wildfire with flint and set many ablaze. Screams of pain began to fill the air and replace the many cheers and chants.
The Ironborn responsible drew their swords and killed those around them, getting closer to Jon, Jorah, and Theon, all of whom were confused, and on guard.
Jorah freed one hand and elbowed a fat man who held him and then punch the other in the face, grabbing his sword and he stumbled backwards. Jorah cut down the men around Jon before they drew their weapons and made his way to Theon, who jumped onto one of the men behind him, and bit down on his nose, ripping it off.
Jon had picked up a sword, and immediately parried a strike and slashed the attacker across his face and following it up with a slash across the neck of another would be attacker. The Wildfire began to spread lightly and it created a wall for them to keep the other Ironborn away from them as they fought those around them. The skill of the Ironborn wasn't up to par against Jon and Jorah, even with their whole bodies exposed and Jon's injury. One of the Ironborn who kicked a barrel over approached them, removing his helmet and revealing himself.
"Howland?" Jon said, completely shocked but also relieved to see that he was still alive. "They said they killed you!"
"They killed three of their own after we switched places and put the first arrows in them." He told them as he parried an axe and killed the owner who swung it. The Ironborn on their side of the Wildfire all lay dead, except for Euron who managed to on his feet and dive of the cliffs, into the ocean. Even with the light of the moon, he disappeared into the shadows of the water. They looked back at the green flames and the bodies they burned. "Those fires won't last for long, and I'm afraid even with our skills, we don't have any way to slip off this island safely." The crannogmen disguised as Ironborn stripped some of the dead soldiers of their coats, handing them to the naked fighters.
Jon slipped his coat on, ignoring the stinging in his shoulder. They heard the sound of the gates behind them as they closed, trapping them. Jon looked back at the Wildfire, the flames nearly low enough for the Ironborn to cross over them. He looked over to the other men beside him, they all looked back at him, realizing that this was their last stand.
Jon raised his sword up, preparing for the oncoming horde of soldiers. "Winter is coming with fire and blood." He was know part of two houses that had importance to him, it's about time he embraced them both.
"Here we stand." Jorah said, raising his sword.
"We do not sow." Theon said with a spear in his hands.
"The songs never end." Lord Reed said and his men repeated after him.
Ironborn began to jump over the green flames as they had nearly died out. Dozens of men running at them screaming. They all held up their weapons, ready to meet them, but it was all cut short at the sound of deafening screeches, echoing all throughout the island and ocean to hear. The sound came from behind the towers of Pyke, and the source was approaching quickly.
From behind Jon, massive streams of fire shot down from the sky and burned all the men approaching them. Jon looked up as did everyone else and saw Ygris and Lyarras flying down, burning anyone who got close to their father. They both banked around and unleashed another fury of the flames upon many who weren't even close. They burned dozens, maybe more than a hundred of Ironborn that rushed towards their father. There was a new wall of fire that protected the King of the North and his men from those on the lands, but there were still some from behind.
The Ironborn still inside Pyke's walls were foolish and afraid, taking bows and firing arrows at the dragons instead of the men. A few arrows bounced off the scales of Ygris as she swooped down with her sister and set the battlements of pyke on fire. Many caught in the streams of flame screamed out and leapt off the walls down into the cliffs and the ocean. With no one on the walls to kill, the dragons flew towards the ships in the ocean. The sea ignited in flames as many ships were catching fire.
As Jon watched his daughters begin to destroy the Ironborn ships, three more roars erupted and three more dragons far larger than Ygris and Lyarras flew in from the east and joined them in burning ships, all except for one of them. The large green one, Rhaegal, flew down to Jon and his men, landing in front of the flames. He unleashed a burststream of fire at the Ironborn stupid enough to be so close. Rhaegal alone must have killed fifty men in one breath.
The dragon screeched at all of them, before lowering his neck down to the ground, looking directly at Jon.
He didn't even think, he just reacted as he did when he shielded Daenerys from the wildfire. He tossed the sword he had aside and let his feet carried him to the dragon. When he got close enough, he reached out to Rhaegal's scales and climbed atop of him. As soon as he gripped onto Rhaegal's spikes, said one of the only other words he knew of High Valyrian. "Vlahd!" The dragon spread its wings and ran for the edge of the cliff and dove off. As he gained speed, Rhaegal spread his wings and caught the air, swooping over the ocean before going up to the skies.
The sensation Jon felt was unlike anything he ever did. The wind that brushed his face was freezing, but Rhaegal's body kept him warm. It was exhilarating and amazing at the same time. Jon had only ever seen the lands beyond the Wall and south behind it at heights like this, and he was getting even higher. Rhaegal finally turned and dove down to the sea, the ships growing closer and closer. The speed was so intense that Jon had no idea how the dragon would be able to keep from crashing. Once the dragon finally pulled up, Jon could barely breathe.
The Ironborn who were still on the hills before Pyke were still armed and wouldn't surrender until they received the right message. Luckily, Jon thought of one, although he felt he wouldn't be able to command Rhaegal yet. The dragon let him on top of him, but Jon felt like that was the extent of all he could do for now. This was only the beginning of their connection, but he needed it to be stronger now. He had to warg into the dragon again.
He focused on how he felt the night before the Battle of the Bastards, he focused on what he felt last night, but he couldn't recapture that feeling. He tried speaking to Rhaegal in his thoughts and aloud, but the dragon refused to listen. It was then that he remembered what Lord Reed told him. 'You let it happen.'
'I am a direwolf of House Stark, and I am a dragon of House Targaryen, the blood of a dragon.' Jon let instinct take over and focused on the one thing that he knew both he and Rhaegal wanted to protect. 'Daenerys.' He could feel himself become a part of the dragon he rode and could see through the eyes of Rhaegal, feeling the dragon's intentions, his desires, his needs. He turned Rhaegal's gaze over to Pyke and saw they Ironborn, still frozen in place watching their ships burn. 'Trap them,' Jon commanded through thought, 'surround them with fire. Protect the castle, protect your mother.'
Rhaegal seemed to be more obedient now that he knew his mother was in the castle. Rhaegal swooped over to the land and Jon felt the heat growing within the dragon. 'Dracarys!' Rhaegal shot streams of fire down near the Ironborn creating another wall of fire that trapped them on the hills. The flames didn't touch any of the men, but the blast was so powerful that some of the Ironborn were pushed back by the force when the fire first hit the ground.
They looped around the towers of Pyke and Rhaegal roared out both to instill fear and declare triumphantly of his grandeur.
At this time, Rhaegal and the other dragons had landed outside the wall of flames, screeching at all of the Ironborn trapped within them. The men all quivered and most of them even dropped their weapons and fell to their knees, surrendering.
Jon ceased warging and returned to his own senses. He dismounted Rhaegal approached the fires. These ones didn't look threatening to him at all, they looked welcoming. Without hesitation, he walked through the fire, unharmed. The coat turned to ash as the flames danced all around. When Jon emerged on the other side, he felt like he had just woken up from a long sleep.
The rest of the Ironborn parted ways for him, dropping to their knees. he walked past them and heard many of them whimpering, and even smelled a stench in the air of men who shit themselves. He reached the top of the hill and walked through the other flames and approached his company feeling completely exhausted. He fell to his knees and almost passed out, but he just needed to rest. He felt all of his energy drained and his body felt like it weighed tenfold. Jorah and Lord Reed both knelt down with him, trying to hold him up, but Jon waved them off and stood up. "Let's free the others."
Jon and the others approached the gates but were not granted entry until after the dragons let out another chorus of roars. The dragons then took to the skies, circling around Pyke as Jon and the others entered through the rising gates and returned inside the Great Keep, everyone who they passed was on their knees, as if begging for forgiveness.
Inside, Lord Reed and his men obtained proper clothes for Jon and the others. Jon however rejected a shirt until his burns would be properly tended to. The coat didn't only sting, the threads felt like splinters and fish hooks.
It wasn't moments later that Daenerys and Yara both appeared fully clothed with the other prisoners and the two crannogmen. Daenerys was helped by Yara to walk. The crannogmen took her to a stool and began to examine and treat her injury far better than before.
"Theon!" Yara shouted. Theon turned and faced her, but kept looking down at the ground, as if ashamed. Yara let go of Daenerys and approached him. Surprisingly, she embraced him with a tight hug. "You did it, little brother. Pyke is ours again." She let go and made sure he looked at her. "Is Euron dead?"
"I don't think so," Theon said. "I shoved the blade up into his skull, but he jumped into the ocean and disappeared."
"He ran from you?" Theon nodded, still looking as if he did something wrong. "That's even better. Any Ironborn who can't face death doesn't deserve to be called an Ironborn. You'll have won over many of his supporters. They'll look to you to be their lord and king."
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to." Theon muttered.
"Mean to what? Stay alive and take back what's ours? Theon, I failed our men when Euron attacked us, but this is your chance to show them all that you are still a Greyjoy, an Ironborn."
He still didn't seem to approve of any of it. "I don't know if I can, I've never been one for leading."
"Then I'll help you."
Theon didn't say anything, he just nodded and returned a hug to her.
Meanwhile, Jon sitting down on another stool as he while some of the servants were ordered to get medicinal ointments and supplies to treat his burns. As he waited, he was discussing things with Lord Reed. "Can you get a raven to Winterfell and the Finger? We need to inform Sansa that the Iron Island are now under control and ships to bring us back to the North."
"It shall be done, your grace." Lord Reed said before he joined his men.
Jon turned to Daenerys who was sitting close by with Ser Jorah standing next to her. He finally had the chance to pay attention to how she looked out of the darkness. The way Euron cut her hair seemed to be uneven. The longest she would be able to have it if she got it trimmed would be just longer than shoulder length. She looked over to him, eyeing his scars again. "You did it." She said pleasantly.
"We all did. But you're right. By the gods, we did it." Jon breathed. He still couldn't believe it. They were this close to death, had Theon not stalled and wounded Euron, they might have all been burned to death before the dragons could save them.
But something else was lingering on his mind now. With Daenerys rescued and the Iron Islands conquered (again), what were they going to do now that Jon's truth was revealed to them. "When we get the chance," he said to her, "I'd like to speak in private."
She looked over to Jorah and nodded at him. He looked at Jon once before he walked over to the others. "This is as private as it will get right now," she told him.
"I don't mean to dampen the mood of the victory, but I think we should talk about what to do now that we both know who I really am. I don't mean to say that I have a claim to the Iron Throne, I don't. I'm still a bastard. But I'm a Targaryen bastard now."
"I don't see how that changes things." Daenerys said. "You're still Jon Snow,or are you planning to become someone else now? Maybe a campaign of rebellion against Houses Stark and Targaryen?" She was clearly jesting, mostly to lighten the mood.
He shook his head with a smile that quickly disappeared. "I'm planning on telling the Northern lords about my parentage when I return."
"Are you sure that's a good idea?"
"I'm hoping one of two things I think will happen. When they find out I'm a Targaryen bastard, hopefully they'll have a change of heart about you. I'm not like your father and neither are you."
Daenerys showed gladness on her face that he believed in her. "What's the other thing that might happen?" She inquired.
"They'll hate me for what I am and renounce me as King in the North." He replied bluntly. "The North is equally stubborn as they are proud. They might not take kindly to it but also might be too embarrassed to go back on their word. But if that does happen, I'm not sure what to do. I can't fight for the North when I'm not in the North."
Daenerys thought about what he said before giving her response. "Let's continue this tomorrow, I need some proper rest after all that's happened."
"Aye, that sounds best." He gave her a curt nod before returning to Lord Reed. In truth, he wanted to speak more with her but he could also feel that she needed as time just as he did to sort things out.
When Jon was given a proper room, he was swarmed by the crannogmen and a few midwives who began to rub what felt like thick mud and oils on his burns. There was some arguing going back and forth between the Ironborn women and the men of the Neck before they finally finished and let Jon sleep.
At least, he tried to. His thoughts were lingering on what was going to happen now. He was the son of Rhaegar Targaryen, a spawn of rape against his mother. He felt himself being torn up inside but he also felt calm. It didn't matter what his birth was, he was a good and honorable man. That enough was worth more than crown he was given.
There was one thing he was certain about. The next time he set foot in Winterfell, he wouldn't leave until he paid his respects to his mother in the crypts. He had seen her statue before, but this time he truly see her.
Morning came quickly and the aftermath of the battle was a sight to see. Jon, Theon, Jorah, Daenerys, and Lord Reed all gathered in the Great Keep, surrounding a roaring fire in the hearth. Daenerys sat in the large chair, her cane leaning up against it, wearing what managed to suit her for clothes befitting her position. "The Iron fleet is ours?" she asked.
"Most of it," Yara told her. "The dragons destroyed eighty-nine ships last night and some of the Ironborn fled before the destruction could reach them. We sent out every fucking raven we have to every ship we can to let them know the ironprice has been paid and Euron is no longer King. As of right now, we have just over a hundred ships docked at Pyke."
"What of Euron? Is he dead?" Daenerys asked.
"After he jumped into the ocean," Theon said, "he disappeared. Some of the men say he stole a ship escape south with the other traitors."
"That raises another question," Yara stated. "There are still several hundred ships from here to Dragonstone that have yet to know about Euron's defeat and choose who to follow, but there are two hundred ships unaccounted for and no one knows where they went."
"No one?" Jon asked. "Surely someone knows."
Yara shook her head. "No one's come forward, but one of the captains who was held prisoner overheard that Euron had a task for all of the captains of those ships, but he doesn't know where they went."
"I'm sure Euron wouldn't run away more than he has," Jon said, "he might be going to King's Landing to regroup with Cersei. Even with his defeat, she can't afford to lose anymore allies than she already has."
"I'll send a raven to Dragonstone," Daenerys said, "Varys's spies might know where he'll be."
"Until then, we need to focus on what to do next." Yara said. "Now that we have a fleet again, we can commit to the blockade of King's Landing."
"I'm not so sure about that," Daenerys said. "Until we know what has become of the ships that are missing, I won't risk the fleet as I have already. The Iron fleet will remain here and rebuild what it's lost."
"As you command. I'll organize the captains and lords with Theon."
"Actually," Theon told her, "I'm leaving that to you."
"What do you mean?" Yara asked.
"I have something I have to do in the North."
"You're not coming with me to Winterfell." Jon told him. "The Northern lords will want you dead if they know you're there."
"I know, but I betrayed your family, and I need to answer for it."
"You did answer for it when Ramsay broke you." Yara told him. "You answered for it when the Ironborn you were forced to turn over were defeated. You answered for it when you rescued Sansa Stark from Ramsay Bolton."
"I'm sorry, but I have to go. Bran and Rickon are the ones to decide that."
Yara didn't respond immediately, she just shook her head at him. "If you die, I'll never forgive you."
"I'll make sure that doesn't happen then. It won't matter anyway."
"Dammit Theon stop saying things like that!" Yara shouted.
"I can't have any heirs, you still can. You're the future of the Greyjoys." Jon noticed Daenerys seemed affected by this. She looked discouraged and sympathizing.
"Fuck the future, I care about you right now, about my brother."
"If I don't do this, I don't think I'll ever be able to keep being Theon. There'll always be Reek somewhere inside me."
Yara seemed as if she was about to break down, but Ironborn weren't easily broken. "Damn you, I can't lose my last brother, so you better come back."
"I will, one way or another." He promised.
"You won't be going alone." Daenerys said. Everyone's attention turned to her, very surprised. "I'll be joining you and Jon at Winterfell. I wish to meet the Northern lords, and them me."
"Your grace," Jorah said, "I must object to this. There is great hate towards you in the North and all it would take is one man with a crossbow. If his bolt found its mark, he'd be considered a hero."
"That's why I'll be flying there. I'll be returning to Dragonstone first to speak with Tyrion and Varys, and then I'll meet all of you at the castle."
"If I may," Jon interjected, "I think if we rode together, it would send a better message. If you want to show the North that you're here to help it, not conquer it, then you'll let them see you as an ally rather than the Dragon Queen."
Daenerys glared at him. "I promised you I will fight for you if you bend the knee, but considering what you said last night, you might not be the one who will have to." She paused before nodding. "We'll meet at Castle Cerwyn and ride together."
Jon nodded and smiled a little, approving of her idea. "We'll sail for Flint's Finger when Lord Flint's men and ships arrive tomorrow. Ser Jorah, we'll have you join us and when we regroup at Castle Cerwyn, you'll act as the Queen's escort." Jorah nodded, but still seemed uncertain.
They all concluded their meeting and Jon was approached by Daenerys. "I think tonight, it will be about time we had that chat you wanted." She told him.
Daenerys dismissed Jorah from her side in the Great Keep and with Jon's help they both walked together to Daenerys's room she was given. Inside was small, but it had enough room for a few luxuries like a water basin and a nightstand with some wine. They sat down at a table that was at the foot of the bed.
Daenerys began. "Now that we have some time, I want to tell you something. Something I meant to on Dragonstone before all this happened."
That hadn't been on Jon's mind until. He never actually thought about what it was she wanted that night. "What is it?"
Daenerys took a deep breath, as if preparing herself. "Do you remember the letter I was given by… Grenn, yes. Long before we met, the one our uncle wrote me?"
There was another thing that hadn't sunk in yet. Jon had been with his family at the Night's Watch. He was blessed to know and live with his uncle, with their uncle. "Aye, I remember."
"He told me he would be dead by the time I got, but that I also wouldn't be alone. That there was one more with the blood of the dragon in his veins."
Jon lost his breath for a moment. "He knew?"
"I don't know how, but he did. Whether he knew you were my brother's son or not, I do not know. But he knew. And so did I in a sense." She paused to let the words sink in. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I wanted to but-"
"It's alright," Jon interrupted, "You knew as much as I suspected. We didn't know anymore until a few nights ago. He reached out to take her hand in his. "I'm coming to terms with who my parents are. Ned Stark will always be my father. He raised me as his son all the same. However, I will not deny that Rhaegar is my father by blood, and I think it's time I begin to embrace more of what I am."
Daenerys seemed speechless as her jaw dropped slightly. He could tell she wasn't expecting that, but she was showing a hint of joy. "I was going to talk to you about the same thing. Theon chose an odd time of all times to speak about heirs. We are the last Targaryens, Jon, but you are the future of our family."
"Why do you say that? We're both still alive, and I don't think either of us is planning on dying in the wars to come." He said confidently.
A sorrowful look came upon her. "I can't have children, Jon."
He lightly shook his head at her. "Who told you that?"
"The witch who murdered my husband."
"Has it occurred to you that she might not have been a reliable source of information?"
That seemed to amuse Daenerys, but before she could answer, there was a knock on the door. They both looked at each other, realizing their time together was probably over. "Come in," Daenerys said. The door opened and Ser Jorah stepped inside.
"Your grace, there was a raven from Winterfell for Jon Snow." He handed the raven scroll to Jon, the wax seal unbroken.
This was peculiar. They had only taken Pyke for a day, and it took longer for a raven to get from here to Winterfell. Jon took the scroll and broke the seal. As he unrolled it, he read through its contents, but he suddenly became distraught.
"What's wrong?" Daenerys asked.
"It looks like I won't be the one who needs to bend the knee now." He handed the scroll to Daenerys and she read it aloud.
Jon
The Lords of the North have renounced your title as King in the North and have chosen a trueborn Stark to lead them. You are summoned to appear before them and answer for your lack of duty to the North and the actions of collaboration with a foreign queen. If they deem it necessary, you will be renounced of all titles and returned to the Night's Watch to serve as Lord Commander.
Brandon Stark
