Ser Davos

Of all the journeys Davos has been in, this one was the most awkward of them all. He had planned on it just being a quick in and out of King's Landing. But instead, he was traveling with one of the men responsible for the death of his son. Then again, he was just as responsible for bringing Mathos into battle with him. Still, it didn't seem to stop the Imp from constantly pestering him about anything he could think of. When they began using the rowboat, Tyrion would be doing whatever he could to make conversation and Davos did whatever he could to push it aside.

As they rowed to the shores of a concealed beach just outside of the city, Tyrion couldn't seem to take things as they were much longer. "I must admit, when I was captured by Ser Jorah and gagged, I had a much more pleasant time. He at least ignored me completely rather than partially."

"It's not that I'm tyrin' to ignore yah, it's that I don't feel like talking." Davos replied as he continued to row.

"And what else am I supposed to do? I became Hand of the Queen because of usefulness with my words. It's the only thing I'm good at aside from drinking and whoring. We still have quite some ways to go and quite some time before we get to shore."

Davos sighed, giving up. "You're spymaster knows everything about everyone so you already know all there is about me. What's there to talk about?"

Tyrion shrugged. "It is true that Varys makes it his business to everyone else's. But when we fled to Essos, we lost focus on Stannis after he fell. As far as I know, his Hand was not there but at Castle Black. The next thing I learned is that you are serving the former Lord Commander not as a brother, but as an advisor. I'm a bit curious as to why you chose to follow Jon Snow."

"It's a long story."

Tyrion looked over Davos' shoulder to the beach. It was still quite a way's away."Then how about we start at the death of the man you previously served."

Davos remembered when Brienne of Tarth told him and Melissandre that she executed him after the attempted battle at Winterfell. "I thought about going home after that. I wanted to. I would've."

"Had it not been for what?"

Ser Davos wasn't sure whether or not to say. Jon didn't really want people know he died. But if told them, they'd understand the lengths he goes to. "Someone was betrayed and killed at Castle Black."

"I heard that Jon hung the First officers for treason, but I didn't know it was for murder. But that just raises more questions. For wasn't it the officers who mutinied against him?"

"Oh aye. They all had a shared hate for the Wildlings and the one who let them through the Wall. It was the betrayal that made Jon decide to leave. His men lost faith in him completely. How can a man command those who don't believe in him."

"I've commanded men like that. All it took were some words of encouragement and fear. When Stannis's men made for the mudgate my forces were cheering for me."

"Jon chose action instead of words. But even still, it wasn't enough to overcome the pride and stubbornness of the First officers."

"I'm surprised they didn't kill Jon instead."

"They did."

Tyrion looked like Davos just threw a rock at his head. "I beg your pardon? It that meant to be another figure of speech?"

"They stabbed their Lord Commander in the night and left him to freeze in the snow." He couldn't take it anymore. "He took a knife in the heart for his people. He died that night."

"I find that hard to believe seeing as he's still alive." Tyrion seemed to be frustrated, as if Davos had told a bad joke.

"He was brought back to us by a Red Priestess of Asshai." Davos tried to hold back his rage towards Melisandre. Despite all the murder she was repsonsible for, he couldn't deny that had she not brought Jon back then everything would be far worse than how things were now.

"Her name wouldn't happen to be Melissandre, would it?" Tyrion asked.

This caught Davos off guard. "You know her?"

"She met with the Queen and was the one who convinced her to meet with the King in the North. Though I must say, I like her more than the first priestess I met in Essos. She didn't come off as a very devout practitioner."

"She's made mistakes, some of them unforgivable." He didn't want to speak of the princess' murder. He still asked himself why whenever he thought about her. "Jon Snow banished her after the Battle of the Bastards"

"Yet she brought him back from the dead as it seems. I feel like that would make up for some mistakes."

"Some, not all." Davos meant to what he asked of Jon before he banished her, and he meant to be the one to execute her if she ever returned to the North.

"So, you follow Jon Snow because he died for what he believed in?"

"I'm done following men for what they believe in. I follow Jon because he did the right thing and gave his life for it. He didn't care about the pride of the men around him. As a man of the Watch vowed to guard the realms of men and at the time. There were men in the realms north of the Wall."

"I don't even think his fath... uncle would've even seen things that way."

"Jon spent time with the Wildlings, got to see things from their point of view."

"You told everyone he also saw the dead when you introduced him. Do you believe him?"

"With all the weird shit that's been going on in the world, I'm honestly not surprised at things like that anymore. Stannis sometimes spoke of them before we even reached the Wall. He spoke of the great darkness that lies beyond. I figured he was just repeating what his priestess said but then Jon Snow spoke of the same thing. And if someone brings a legion of Wildlings for the first time ever, there better be a fuckin good reason."

"We can agree on that." The boat had reached the sands finally, and the two men disembarked. Davos pulled the boat further up the shore and planted the sand spike deep into the sand. "The last time I was here, I killed my father with a crossbow." Tyrion said as he looked up to the Tower of the Hand

"Last time I was here, you killed my son with Wildfire." Davos moved past him, gesturing Tyrion to follow. "There's a path to the left that the guards hardly ever patrol. Too many steps."

"Are you sure about leaving the boat alone? What if someone sees it and takes it?"

"Then were fucked. We'd best hurry."

"We could've fit a third person in the boat instead of all that fermented crab." Regardless, Tyrion would be sure to save some aside for when he got the chance to visit a brothel again. "They could've watched over it until we returned."

"Yes, they could've, but then we'd have to fit four people." Davos hurried up some stone steps at the beach leading to the city as Tyrion followed behind him hastily. They didn't have much time. If Tyrion wasn't back quick enough by the time he returned from the Streets of Steel, then he might have to leave him behind.

Tyrion

The darkness of the cells beneath the Red Keep were terrifying enough without the skulls of dragons scattered about everywhere. He felt like one of them might open its mouth and devour

him. He used to come here often in his younger years. He would imagine the bones coming together into a great colossal sized dragon bigger than Balerion the Dread.

When he came across Balerion's skull he saw that there was a great spear lodged in between the eyes of the dragon. The spear must have been shot into the skull by the scorpion contraption that was used against Drogon at the Blackwater Rush.

Before he could observe anymore, he heard the sound of familiar voices approaching. He stepped away from the skulls and through the shadows the torches around him couldn't light. He saw Bronn and Jaime getting closer, but Jaime hadn't noticed him yet. "Today might be the day I kill you by accident." Jaime said. Bronn must've told him something clever or insulting. Knowing him it was probably both.

"Oh, you won't be swinging it at me." Bronn's torch unveiled the darkness that covered Tyrion, revealing him to Jaime. The anger on his brother's face looked immense. "I'll leave you to it." Bronn said as he left them to it.

Jaime's gaze fell onto his brother, looking ready to kill him. "I needed to see you," Tyrion said, "and I knew you'd never agree to meet." Jaime just kept staring at him, looking all the more angry. Tyrion couldn't help but feel nervous. At this point all he could do was small talk to try and warm up to him. "You made me look like a complete fool. I'd thought I'd surprise you by hitting Casterly Rock, but you were three steps ahead of me. Abandoning the family home, completely unsentimental. Father would've been proud."

"Don't talk about father," Jaime spat.

"Listen to me-"

"I once told Bronn that if I ever saw you again I'd cut you in half." Jaime sounded like he meant.

"It would take you a while with a sparring sword." Tyrion poked. Jaime just shook his head, denying any humor at all. "He was going to execute me, he knew I was innocent. He didn't hate me because of anything I did, he hated me because of what I am. A little monster sent to punish him." Jaime appeared to have a small bit of understanding, but it still didn't excuse him for what he did. "Do you think I wanted to be born this way? Do think I-"

"What do you want?" Jaime exclaimed, getting to the point.

Tyrion could see there would be no pleasantries between them, so he couldn't help but oblige. "Daenerys will win this war. You're a military man, you must know that. She already has two armies and three dragons. If things in the North go as planned, the number will increase to five armies and five dragons."

"You expect a Northerner to bend the knee to Southern ruler?"

"No, we expect him to sit beside her on the Iron Throne." Jaime only nodded as if saying 'of course.' "Daenerys is not her father, she's even willing to suspend hostilities if Cersei agrees to certain terms." Tyrion never went over his plan with his queen, but time was growing short and he had to act fast.

Jaime's brow arched, disbelieving what Tyrion said. "You want Cersei to bend the knee, you can ask her yourself."

"No, no I don't, Daenerys doesn't. Not right now anyway. She has a more important request."

Jaime looked at him as if he was expecting it to be obvious. "And that is?"

"She would like to arrange a meeting to discuss an armistice while we deal with a far greater threat in the North."

Jaime just scoffed at him. "The Wildlings were let through by Jon Snow, they're his problem."

"I'm not talking about the Wildlings, I'm talking about an army of the dead."

"The dead? And I suppose you'll be fighting the White Walkers as well." Jaime said, sarcastically.

"Yes." Tyrion was as serious as he could be.

Jaime continued to frown at his brother. "You expect me to believe that? You expect Cersei, or anyone to believe that?"

"No, there's nothing I could say that would prove it to you. But there is something I can show you. All I ask of you is to please, trust me." He had yet to bring his idea to Daenerys. It was madness, but the only chance they would have. In order to convince Cersei, they were going to need proof.

"I did trust you. I trusted you when I let you out if your cell and I learn not an hour later that you killed our father. Whatever trust you thought I had after that is gone."

"You think I don't know that?" Tyrion said, angry with his brother. "You think I don't know how ridiculous this sounds right now? The only reason I am here is because I want us all to live through this. I want you to live through this."

Jaime looked disgusted at him. "I hate you, little brother, so if you don't leave now, I really will kill you, even if it has to be with a sparring sword." His grip on the hilt visabley tightened.

"Jaime, please-"

"I'll talk to Cersei." Jaime interrupted, surprising Tyrion, "but consider this the last thing I ever do for you, now leave."

Tyrion felt right in the middle of glad and sad. "I'll send a raven when we're ready." Jaime just turned around and walked away from him. Before he disappeared, Bronn walked up to Tyrion and watched with him.

"Even I can tell he has no love for you anymore." Bronn told him.

"Hopefully when he sees the bigger problem he'll start to feel it again." Tyrion looked up to his friend, recognizing the same person he saw when he left. "My offer still stands. Whatever they're paying you, I'll double."

"I'm promised a lordship, a castle, and a highborn beauty. I don't see how you can double that. Running two castles would be too much trouble, and two wives would be nice, but then they'd fight over who gets what when I'm old and dead, ripping what House I make apart."

"True, you will be a lord, and you'll have to pledge your banners to a liege lord." Tyrion let that sink in for a moment. "Unless of course, you were a liege lord." Bronn turned to look at him, laughing.

"You'd turned a sellsword into one of the most powerful men in all of Westeros?"

Tyrion arched his brow at him, "after all we've been through together, you think I wouldn't? And I would be fair and give you a true beauty for a wife, not a fair maiden like Lollys Stokeworth, or is it Lollys Bracken now?" Bronn's eyes narrowed a bit as he looked out into the distance, thinking about the offer.

"Piss on liege lords. Too much work. Give a castle that brings me more gold than a liege. And I have a beauty in mind but I'll need help to get her."

"Who?" Tyrion asked, curious as to what woman would Bronn need help with. He was quite adept at wooing women as he was robbing them.

"The most beautiful woman in the world." He replied.

Ser Davos

The Streets of Steel were loud with business. War was approaching Kings Landing soon, and many were in need of armor and weapons. The constant clanging of hammers against anvils was like a choir, but very out of rhythm.

Ser Davos found one forge in particular that caught his attention at last with only one occupant polishing a fresh forged blade. "Wasn't sure I'd find ya." The smith stopped his work and looked up at him. He cut hair shorter than last Davos saw him and his face was even more filthy. "Thought ya might still be rowin'." Gendry simply chuckled at him. "I looked in shops, taverns, brothels, even thought you'd go back to your teacher. Should've known to come straight to the Street of Steel."

"I did go back to Tobho's for a while, then I came here once he taught me everything he could. Heard he's dead now. Queen had him killed for something about a job in the North."

That was curious. He didn't know if Jon sent a call of aide for smiths. Maybe to help make the dragonglass weapons they needed. "Just shows how much she loves her subjects."

"Aren't you worried about the gold cloaks?"

"I haven't been here in years, why should they recognize me? Sometimes I hardly do." Davos walked over to a rack of swords, inspecting the fine quality. They could easily pass as castle forge steel, maybe even better. "Nothing fucks you harder than time." Davos turned back to Gendry, getting another look at him. He'd grown a little in height, but he had the makings of a man. "Anybody give you any trouble?"

"Well here I am, arming Lannisters and I never get a second look. But you were right, safest place for me was right under the Queen's nose."

"Don't be so sure. Safety is never a permanent state of affairs. Bad things are coming."

"And you came to get me? You want me to come with you." Gendry sounded as if he was upset, like he didn't want to leave his forge.

"The thing you need to understand is-"

"I'm ready, let's go." Gendry turned away from Davos and approached a table.

"You should know what you're heading into." The North was going to be attacked by dead men soon after all.

"Do you think I haven't been thinking about it every swing of my hammer? Do you know how happy I am, making weapons for the family that killed my father? The family that tried to kill me?" Gendry tossed his apron he was wearing onto the table and slipped a satchel over his shoulder. "I've been getting ready. I never knew what for, but I always knew I'd know it when it comes."

Davos could tell he was firm on leaving. "You might want to bring one of those swords." He was going to need one.

Gendry only smiled at him as he walked over to a wooden beam. "I don't know much about swinging swords," he pulled out a massive Warhammer that was hanging on the beam, "but this, this I know." Gendry walked out of his forge, Davos following close behind him.

"I heard Tobho knew how to rework Valyrian steel, he teach you that as well?" Davos asked.

"He told me how it's done. Couldn't really show me since he hardly ever got the chance. The only times he really did it were for chains of the maesters at the Citadel. It's not that difficult as long as you have the patience and the skill."

"And do you?"

Gendry laughed again as the left the Street of Steel. "If I didn't I wouldn't have left Tobho until I did."

"You say he got a request from the North. Any ideas as to why?"

"To forge something, obviously. I joined him at a tavern every now and then and when he got the message, he told me he was going to make history. Then the gold cloaks appeared and executed him for conspiring with the Queen's enemies."

"Well if you know all he has to offer, looks like you'll be the one to make history."

"Do you know why he would've gone North?"

"Probably to help forge weapons out of a rock called dragonglass."

Gendry almost laughed. "Rock weapons? What kind of person would want those? I heard there's Wildlings in the north but woulda thought they'd switch to steel."

"Like I said before, you might want to know what you're getting into."

Tyrion

Things were going better than Tyrion had originally planned. All he had to do now was convince someone stupid enough to go north of the Wall to bring back a dead soldier. As turned the corner and the beach came into sight, he stopped when he saw two gold cloaks, a short one and a ginger, walking away from Davos, the boat, and a young man. He continued walking, keep his face looking down but also trying not to look suspicious. As he passed them, they seemed to notice his scar but he kept on walking.

"Oy, dwarf!" The short one called.

'Fuck!' Tyrion grimaced as he tried to signal Davos for help.

Davos darted from the side of the boat and approached the guards. "I really wouldn't try any more until the first bite hits ya." His attempt to get them away failed as they seemed to ignore him.

"That dwarf," the short one said.

"Where'd you get that scar?" The ginger asked.

Tyrion stopped and turned around to face them. "You caught me," he said. "I am Tyrion Lannister, the Imp who poisoned the king and killed his own father!" The gold cloaks looked at each other in surprise and Davos looked like he couldn't breathe. Tyrion suddenly burst into laughter, causing the guards to confused. "At least, that's what the cunts who found me passed out in a tavern thought when they kidnapped me and gave me this!" He pointed to his scar and went from laughing to slightly angry. "Probably would've worked as well, if not for one mistake. Care to take a guess?" The guards looked at each other again, still confused. "The scar they gave me is in the wrong direction!"

They kept their hands on their swords, still acting cautious. "If that's true," the ginger said, "then you won't mind going to the Red Keep so the Queen can say so herself."

"Actually," Davos interrupted, "we are on a bit of a tight schedule. Can we come to a better arrangement?" He shook his money bag at them, getting their attention. Next to the boat, Tyrion watched as the young man grabbed a massive warhammer hidden underneath a cloth in the boat as the gold cloaks turned to face Davos.

"A better arrangement?" The short one asked. "You're gonna arrange to pay us more than Queen Cersei-" He was cut off by the young man swinging his hammer into his head. Tyrion flinched as more blood than he thought appeared as the short guard fell to the sand. Before the ginger could even draw his sword, the young man landed his hammer in the dead center of his face, crushing it.

As the ginger fell to the sand, his face now covered in blood, the young man put his hammer back in the boat. "It was a boring conversation anyway."

Davos walked back to the boat, pointing at the young man. "This is Gendry."

"He'll do," Tyrion said as they heaved the boat back into the water.