Short chapter, but one that has been long awaited, two months overdue technically. Hope you all had a happy Halloween


Daenerys

Ser Jaime stood watch at the doorway to the room, keeping an eye out for any other men that meant to kill Daenerys. He fought the two in the room, but there were echoes of fighting emanating from the halls. The floor was stained with the blood of Varys and the Faceless Man where they once lay. Their bodies and those of the men who attacked were laid aside and covered with a sheet covered in spots of blood.

But while Ser Jaime stood watch, Daenerys lay in Sansa's bed, breathing steadily as the pains of her contractions would come and go. They began hours before the attack, only minor tugs within her, but she paid no heed to them. She was unconscious the first time she gave birth and never experienced these sensations before, not knowing that these were signs of labor.

"Bit ironic, isn't it?" Ser Jaime mentioned.

"What is?" Daenerys breathed.

"I was alone with Aerys when I killed him, and now I'm alone with his daughter, trying to keep her alive."

In truth, the thought had occurred to her.

"Though if I was with the King instead of you, then history would have repeated itself."

"What?"

"Your mother asked for me to go with her to Dragonstone before you were born. Believe me, I wanted to go. Anywhere was better than King's Landing. But Aerys wouldn't allow it."

"You must have a soft spot for pregnant Targaryen women."

Ser Jaime laughed a little. "Rhaella was my friend, one of the few I had besides Rhaegar in the capitol. I promised to die for her if things ever came to that."

Daenerys was never aware of the devotion Ser Jaime had for her mother. "And yet you tried to kill her daughter with a spear."

"What's the phrase you like to use? I am not my father? How should I have known that when you led a horde of Dothraki with a dragon and burned my men alive? I thought you were Aerys returned from the grave, but when you saw me, for that brief moment, I hesitated."

"Why?" Her breath left her as another shot of pain rolled over her body.

"Because I thought I was looking at Rhaella again. And I thought perhaps, what if you weren't your father, but your mother? She sometimes did have a fiery side that Aerys never saw. And then, of course, there was the dragon about to breathe fire at me."

Daenerys was more than surprised to hear these things from Ser Jaime. Ser Barristan hardly mentioned anything about her mother as did Viserys. The memory of her made both of them sad. She couldn't help but be amused that the one who spoke most of her mother was the man who killed her father. "Life is strange that way. Yesterday's enemies are today's allies...and friends."

"Yes… but how long until today's friends are tomorrow's enemies?"

Daenerys tensed as the felt her body tightened again, this one hurting the most. "Ah! That was a big one." She noticed Ser Jaime backing into the room slowly, holding his sword aside as a low growl was heard and the large white direwolf that was Ghost entered, baring his teeth at Ser Jaime.

"Easy," Ser Jaime said, "I'm not your enemy."

"Ghost!" Daenerys called, "Don't hurt him! He's a friend, he's protecting me." Immediately, Ghost calmed down and trotted over to her, whining half the time. "I'm alright, Ghost." She reached out and nuzzled his snout. "Where is everyone? Why isn't anyone else here to help?" Daenerys asked.

"I don't know," Ser Jaime replied, "maybe the wildfire cut off the way here or the enemy is doing that."

Ser Jaime was proven wrong when two people and a child appear in the doorway.

"You see Gilly?" Sam asked. "I knew Ghost wouldn't let us down." He was reassuring her, but he looked just as terrified as Gilly.

"But he's wearing the lions on his armor!" Gilly pointed out to Ser Jaime. Her child, Little Sam, was looking around the room curiously.

"You can trust him," Daenerys told them. "Ser Jaime has been protecting me."

Sam and Gilly were hesitant to enter, but once they saw that Ghost was being tame they were relieved. Behind them were two of the Winterfell guard. They entered after Sam and Gilly.

"Your grace," one of them said, "we were sent by Lord Brandon to help how we can."

Finally, a bit of luck. But Daenerys was still surprised to hear who sent them. "Bran's woken up?"

"He has, your grace." One of the men said. Unlike his partner who was dressed in the boiled leather armor that the majority of Northern bannermen wore, this man wore a simple chainmail under his heavy jerkin and murky colored clothes. His cloak was tied with a darkened pin of three water lilies.

"What are your names?"

The one in leather spoke first. "Michael, your grace."

"Lonnel. Lonnel Fenn, your grace."

"Michael, Lonnel," Daenerys spoke, "I thank you for your valor and efforts today, but the fighting is not over. Defend this room with your lives."

They both bowed their heads and took to different directions in the halls to keep watch.

"Ghost," the direwolf perked his head up at the sound of his name. "I need Jon, go get Jon for me, please."

Ghost rushed out of the room as fast as he could and down the hallway out of sight.

"Are you sure sending the wolf off was a good idea?"

"Ah!" This time the pain wasn't from a contraction, but something else that hurt far more.

Ser Jaime rushed to her side and helped adjust her position on the bed. "Breathe, keep breathing."

"He brought Sam here, and how else were we going to get help? Ghost is a smart wolf."

Ser Jaime chuckled. "I'll take a vicious wolf over smart in this situation."

"She's about to birth her children," Gilly noted.

"Really? What gave it away?" Ser Jaime remarked snidely.

"Shut up, Jaime," Daenerys hissed. She wasn't in any mood for any sass. If Tyrion were giving a lecture about something right now, she might have strangled him for it. But at least she would know that he was here. Last she knew, he went to the godswood to speak with Jon and Ser Davos, but who knows what could have happened. She worried about him, she worried about Jon and Missandei and everyone else she cared for.

"I can help. I helped all my sisters give birth since I was nine." Daenerys remembered what Jon told her about Gilly being a daughter and wife to her own father, Craster the wildling. The damned man sacrificed his own sons to the White Walkers. But like herself, Gilly was nothing like her father.

Daenerys nodded. "Help me take my leggings off." Gilly set down Little Sam with his father to assist her.

"More red cloaks are coming!" Lonnel Fenn called out from the hallway.

Ser Jaime set his sword aside for a moment to hand one of the swords of the first intruders to Sam. "Do what you can if we die." He told Sam before rushing into the hallway with the Northmen. "Stay away!" The sounds of steel were very close as Ser Jaime engaged the enemy.

Daenerys moaned in pain as she felt the beginnings of another contraction. "How is it looking?" She had to push the words out of her mouth before she screamed. She was holding in as much as she could.

"You need to start pushing," Gilly told her. "It looks like you've been ready for a while now." She folding Daenerys's leggings and set them aside. After that, she helped Daenerys sit more upright for the birth.

"No, I can't not yet." She ground her teeth together as the pain worsened.

"My lady, you're more than ready. You need to start pushing."

"I can't do this without Jon! He needs to be here-" she screamed out again as her insides were shot with pain. "He needs to be here." She whimpered. Jon was the one who proved her wrong about her curse. Until the knowledge of his legitimate birth, he never planned to father children, a curse of his own making. He was the one who gave both himself and her a future. He needed to be here to see their family brought into the world.

"If you don't do it now, then your children may die," Gilly informed. "They're ready and so are you, delaying it will only make it worse." She took Daenerys's hand in her own. "Jon will be more happy to see his family alive than seeing you birth your children and dying. It's going to be alright."

Daenerys couldn't help but still feel some doubt within her. This may be the only chance they have for a future and she didn't want Jon to miss it. But she wanted that future to be alive more than that. She shut her eyes closed, pushed with every ounce of strength she had and screamed out. This moment was excruciating and seemed to be the longest minute of her life. Her waist was burning like she never felt before and her head throbbing with pain.

But all of it disappeared when a baby's cry broke through her screams.

Daenerys gasped for breath and did everything she could to look up. Cradled in Gilly's arms was a newborn babe, red skinned and crying loud for all the world to hear.

"A boy," Gilly said with a smile.

"He's so beautiful." Daenerys never saw anything as precious as her dragons until now. She wanted to reach out and touch her son, but the sight of one clamoring armor interrupted her thoughts. She hoped that it was someone coming to help, anyone.

Daenerys took a deep breath before she began to push a second this. This one was harder to do. She felt so weak after birthing Matthias, she wasn't sure if she had the strength left. She mustered what she could and let out a roar as loud as her dragons. She would not fail today, she would not fail her children.

The pain dispersed and was replaced by another cry of a baby. Gilly had given Matthias to Sam to take care while she took the next into her arms. "Another boy. This one has your hair."

But her hopes were killed when more men in Lannister armor appeared. "Why aren't you fucking dead yet!?" One of them shouted, , shoving his way past Ser Jaime while beating Lonnel Fenn with the pommel of his sword. This man was absolutely determined to get to her. He slipped past the two in his way and was nearly free to run straight inside.

"Please, don't kill my children," Daenerys begged, "please!"

"Fuck you and your chi-" the one talking was interrupted when a dagger was driven in his neck by Lonnel.

One of the other loyalists with him in the back was tackled by Ghost and another killed with a single swing of Jon's sword. He switched to fighting the last of the men, but this one was an experienced fighter.

"Stay away from my family!" Kicking the man square in the chest, Jon made him fall to the ground. Before the loyalist had any chance to get up, Ghost barked out and leaped on top of him, ripping through his throat.

Jon sighed out and looked exhausted. His black sword nearly slipped from his fingers as he relaxed. "Is that the last of them?"

"I think so, your grace." Brienne's voice said. She was just out of sight. "Are you alright, Ser Jaime?"

Daenerys could hear Ser Jaime's voice. "It's nothing too serious. Luckily the wound is on my handless arm."

"Ser Jaime, I will never forget what you've done today."

"I appreciate the gesture, but I think there's someone more important than me you should be seeing to right now."

Jon turned his head and peered into the room, shocked at what he saw.

"Daenerys!" Jon rushed into the room and beheld her lying comfortably in the bed but covered in sweat. He leaned his blood covered sword against the end of the bed before he knelt down to the bedside to see her. "I'm so sorry I wasn't here sooner."

"Jon," Daenerys cocked her head to Gilly and enjoyed the look that came upon his face when he saw their firstborn being cared for. "Say hello to our sons."

"They… I…" He was at a loss for words and on the verge of tears. "Thank you, Dany."

Gilly gently handed Matthias into Daenerys's arms after wrapping him in a blanket. The moment she took him, Matthias's cries softened into tiny little noises. His eyes would blink open and closed periodically, but every time they did she caught sight of a beautiful blue color. No doubt it would change as he grew as most eye colors did for babies.

Daenerys couldn't stop smiling as she ran her thumb over her son's cheek, feeling the softness of his skin. This was when she knew that this was truly not a dream. Her son was with her now, in her arms. "Hello Matthias," she whispered, "I've been waiting to meet you for a long time."

"Don't forget about his brother," Gilly said after she finished wiping Aemon clean of Daenerys's fluids and wrapped him in his own blanket. Daenerys took him in her other arm and held both of her children. His silver hair was barely noticeable. "Aemon, he's so handsome." Daenerys giggled as she gave Matthias to his father. "Jon, you're a father."

Jon merely looked at Matthias as much as he could, taking in every little detail. "I'm a father." He broke into a smile and gently kissed his son on his brow.

"You should try to feed them now," Gilly informed. "Boys are usually hungrier than girls."

"First, let's get a clean blanket for the bed." It wasn't until Jon said that that Daenerys realized how stained her blanket was with the waters from within her. Sam was kind enough to assist Gilly by helping her.

Now lying comfortably in the bread with a warm fur blanket, Daenerys, with Gilly's help, managed to latch her babies onto her breasts. She started to calm down as they suckled on her. Jon pulled the covers over her so that she wasn't exposing herself to all attending to her.

"Do you need anything?" Jon asked. "An extra blanket, water, anything?"

While relaxing would be nice right now, Daenerys couldn't forget that there may be hundreds of the dead within and without the castle. "I'll be alright for now. The best thing to do right now is to gather the dead."

Jon turned his gaze to the covered bodies in the corner, then saw Ser Jaime leaning on the doorframe next to Lady Brienne. "Aye, but get your wound taken care of first. Brienne, see to it that Ser Jaime is taken care of. When he is, I wish to speak with the two of you and Podrick."

"At once, Your Grace." Brienne took her leave with Ser Jaime as Ser Jorah and Ser Cole arrived.

"Khaleesi, we came as fast as we-" Ser Jorah fumbled in his words when he saw her in the bed with two tiny heads poking up into sight. "Are those…"

"Ser Jorah, Ser Cole, allow me to introduce you to the princes Matthias and Aemon of House Targaryen." They were still feeding, so she couldn't reveal them yet. "Where is Ser Lorimuss?"

"He fell in the courtyard protecting the King." Ser Jorah approached her side and knelt before her. "Are you feeling well?"

"Just tired is all," Daenerys replied. "But besides that, never better."

Jorah looked relieved to hear that. "On my life, I will do everything in my power to protect your sons, the princes. I swear to it as a Mormont of Bear Island."

Daenerys felt her heart warmed when Jorah said that. He always such a devotion to her. Even after his confession of his love for her in Vaes Dothrak, even though he knew she would never be his, he continued to love her knowing it could not be returned in such.

The sensation of her babes' suckling at her left her and Daenerys noticed that both of them had finished their meal. She managed to conceal herself and then revealed her babes to those who had come to the room.

"Would you like to hold one of them?" she asked.

Jorah looked surprised by the offer. "Are you sure, Khaleesi?"

She smiled at him. "I would be glad if you would."

Jorah removed his blood-stained gloves and took Aemon into his arms. "Silver hair of his mother, face like his father." He smiled down at the babe. "He'll be a strong lad." He glanced over at Matthias, continuing, "They both will be, the little dragonwolves." Then he returned Aemon to Daenerys and stood up. "With your permission and the King's, Ser Cole and I are going to the camps to assist how we can. Many of tents were set afire and there may be more loyalists concealing themselves."

"You will not go by yourselves I should hope. Find Ash Pile and organize the Unsullied to secure the castle and take who you need with you into the camps."

"By your command, my queen." Ser Jorah and Ser Cole swiftly left the room to go take care of business.

"We should organize gathering the dead as well," Jon reminded as he looked down at the covered corpses in the room.

"First, I need to be sure that Lord Tyrion and those in our service are alright." The thought especially of Missandei possibly being dead scared her. She was one of the few left alive she could call friend. "And what about your family, Jon?"

"Arya was with me in the courtyard, Bran is with Meera Reed, but Sansa and Rickon… I'm not sure where they are." He turned to some of the men in the hallway. "Find the Lord of Winterfell and Lady Sansa and bring them here. As of now, this is probably the safest part of the castle."

"At once, your grace." Lonnel Fenn replied, taking some of the men with him while a few remained to guard the room.

"The babies should be bathed now," Gilly told her. "I can do it while you rest."

One of the men in the room stepped forward. "I'll fetch some water for the babes, your grace." He left immediately.

Daenerys could feel her body was exhausted after performing the task of birth. She felt the desires of sleep, but at the same time, she felt afraid to let herself.

Jon somehow sensed this from her and came to her side. "What's wrong?"

"I'm afraid that if I fall asleep, this will all have been just a dream, and our children will be taken from me. I don't want to lose my children again."

Jon removed one of the gloves he was wearing and took her hand in his. "This isn't a dream, and I won't let anyone or any damned curse or gods take our sons from us. We're right here with you."

Daenerys looked down to her sons and saw they were both sound asleep, tuckered out from their meal. She kissed both of them on their warm cheeks and gave Aemon to Gilly and Matthias to Jon.

"Promise me, Jon. Promise me you'll still be here when I wake up."

"I promise, Dany."

Daenerys lay her head on the soft pillow and let her eyes fall over her, drifting away into a blissful sleep, hoping that it wouldn't be too long. She didn't want to wait to hold her children in her arms again.