King's Landing 298 AC.

Sansa.

She hadn't been able to stop smiling since she'd spoken with her father, even now as she dressed and readied for the closing feast she still wore that very same smile. He'd asked for her hand, that was the only thought that was clear in her mind, he'd asked for her hand. That her father had actually accepted was almost lost in the knowledge that Willas and his mother had gone to her father to arrange a betrothal, almost she thought as she let out a small laugh.

Her father had explained to her that it would be some time before they could be wed. That she'd need to reach her majority and that should she wish to pull out of the arrangement at any time then she was free to do so. Sansa shaking her head through each and every word he said as she had or would have no intention to pull out of this arrangement. Willas was who she wished to marry, she'd known that for quite some time and had hoped that it would be something that he wished for too. To find out it was and that he'd actually gone to her father to see it so, no, the last thing she'd be doing would be to say no to this.

After she finally finished making herself ready, her maid helped her into her dress and began to fix her hair. Sansa wanted to look at her very best tonight. She felt nervous too though and had thought of going to Willas's rooms to speak to him before the feast, only to decide it would be for the best if she waited until the feast itself to speak to him. As much as she wished to hear his voice and to talk to him about their future, another thought which quickly had her smiling once more, she felt it would be for the best if she wasn't seen rushing around to speak to him.

"My lady." the maid said when she finished and Sansa nodded when she looked into the looking glass, her hair having left down for the night rather than done up in an elaborate style and to Sansa's eyes, it looked far better this way.

"Thank you, Lara." she said as the girl left her alone and Sansa looked herself over one final time.

She was still staring at herself in the looking glass when she heard the knock on the door. She was not doing so out of vanity or anything such but simply that she was thinking about what she'd say once she did meet up with Willas later. Getting up from her chair Sansa walked to the door and opened it and found that she couldn't speak, the words getting stuck in her mouth as she saw Willas standing right there in front of her.

"Lady Sansa, it would be my honor to accompany you to the feast." Willas said and Sansa nodded, still unable to speak as she looked at him.

She took his arm when offered and walked with him down the corridor, soon joining up with Robb and the Manderly's and her father and Elle. Her father looked at her concernedly and she realized that not only had she not spoken since Willas knocked at her door, but she may also be wearing a more disturbed expression than she should. So she smiled as reassuringly as she could and turned to look at Willas offering him a far warmer smile. Something that she was happy to see him return.

A nod from her father soon had them walking into the Throne Room, Sansa quickly looking around to see where she and the others would be sitting. Arya she saw was placed with the Mormont's and Willas's family were sitting with some of the Reach lords. It appeared to her that it was to be her father, herself, Robb, Willas, and the Manderly's sitting together, and she soon found out she was right. Wynafred and Robb seated to her left and Willas to her right while her father and Elle were placed across from them both. They had no sooner taken their seats when they had to rise as the king and queen were announced. Sansa catching her brother looking at her and giving her a nod.

"You seem nervous, Sansa?" Wynafred whispered to her as they took their seats again.

"I'm just a little tired." she said back hoping that would be enough to stop further questions.

It wasn't that she didn't wish to tell Wynafred, a part of her actually would like nothing more than to just stand up in the hall and shout out loudly that she was to be wed to Lord Willas Tyrell. It was more she wanted to speak to her betrothed, to hear it from his own lips that he was as happy as she was. She needed to know this was what he wished for as much as she did and that it was her and her alone that he wanted to be his wife, Sansa, and not Sansa Stark who was sister to the king and the daughter of Ned Stark. Not that she thought Willas even thought that way, yes she knew matches were political too, but he had not wed or sought to wed before her and it made her hope that she was who he wished for.

"You did do very well, so aye, I'm glad I gave you my favor." she heard Wynafred say and she turned to her brother who was sitting looking at his betrothed with a proud look on his face.

"You must have been so very proud of your brother, Lord Willas." Elle said and she turned and realized that there had been conversations going on all around her while she'd been sitting there lost in her thoughts.

"Very much so, Lady Stark." Willas said with a smile and Sansa looked to see where Loras was, finding him sitting with his family.

"He did ever so well, to beat Ser Arthur, I don't think anyone expected it." Wylla said and Willas looked down past her to where the green-haired girl was sitting with her grandfather.

"Loras was always the best lance of the family, Garlan the better blade. I also know that he and his grace spent many years practicing their jousting against each other, Lady Wylla." Willas said.

"Knowing our brother I'm sure he hated sitting there watching it all, even if it was Loras who won." Robb said to her making her chuckle.

"I can only imagine, her grace told me he was almost jumping from his seat so eager was he to be fighting in the melee, so I'd say he was the same with the joust, knowing his grace." she said to a laugh from her father and from Willas.

She relaxed even more as the conversation began to flow, Willas looking to her more than once as they ate and Robb telling stories of his trips to Essos. Sansa listening in as he spoke about Braavos and surprised that Willas didn't ask her brother more questions about the city. When the time came for the dancing, she looked on as Robb and Wynafred took to the floor and then smiled when Martyn Lannister came over and asked Wylla to dance. A moment later she was frowning, as she remembered the girl had told her how much she had enjoyed dancing with Lancel when they'd met.

"Sansa?" Willas asked seeing the frown.

"Sorry, it's nothing." She said as she looked around at the couples dancing and saw Lancel dancing with a dark-haired girl.

"Sansa?" Willas said again and she leaned in closer to speak to him, the first time she really had tonight.

"I had thought Wylla and Lancel were to be matched." she said and swallowed when she did so, realizing she'd inadvertently brought up matches long before she'd spoken to him of their own.

"Perhaps their fathers looked at things differently. Lancel is to be Lord of Lannisport and Wylla will be the heir of White Harbor, perhaps they decided that a match between them was more difficult than they had at first thought." Willas said.

"I thought they liked each other." she said slightly sadly.

"Does Lady Wylla look displeased to you?" he said as he directed her attention to where Wylla was laughing at something Martyn had said to her.

"No." she said smiling as the girl in question seemed anything but displeased.

She turned around to look at him more fully and saw he was staring at her intently. The subject having now been brought up, she waited with bated breath for him to speak on it and was surprised when he reached out for her hand.

"If we move slowly, I could try to dance with you." he said his voice nervous and his expression worried.

"We don't have to, we could just go outside to speak." she said and she saw how he immediately relaxed, the smile on his face full as he nodded his agreement.

Her father looked to Willas and then she saw him look over to someone in the corner and nod, the woman following them both as they walked from the room and out through the double doors. Once they were outside, Willas took off his coat and laid it down on the wall, giving her a place to sit and making sure she didn't ruin her dress. Sansa looked back to the woman who watched them when he took a seat beside her. He sat close but not too close and she knew then why the woman was there with them.

"A chaperone?" she asked seeing him nod.

"A concession to your father." he said.

"I..father..and I..we spoke." she said shakily.

"I wished I could have gone to you first, it was how I wanted to do it. To speak to you, to tell you how I feel and to ask you to be my wife." Willas said and Sansa felt her breath catch "I would have done so but I worried that I'd mess things up, that in doing so I'd upset your father or Jae. That I'd upset them so much that I'd cost myself the one chance to be with the woman that I wish to spend my life with."

"Willas." she said feeling close to tears as he spoke.

"Should it not be what you wish, Sansa, now or at any point in the future, if it's not what you want then I swear it I'll not ask you nor expect you to keep to the betrothal." he said his nervousness and earnestness both clear.

"It's what I wish, it's what I wish for more than anything." she said throwing her arms around him and soon feeling his own around her holding her close, the loud cough the woman made ignored by both of them for now.

King's Landing 298 AC.

Daenerys.

Both Sandor and Belwas had done well she thought as she sat looking out on the two men who were enjoying the closing feast. Sandor having done so in both the melee and the joust and Belwas in the melee. They'd shown they were not to be trifled with and in turn, it meant that neither was she. Though given she was the Mother of Dragons perhaps that was a given. She'd enjoyed the tourney and even more than that had enjoyed the company she'd spent most of her time with. Aurane Waters proving himself to be fun and charming and that he was interested in her, something that he'd made clear from the very first moment she'd met him.

Aemon had told her all about House Velaryon, every piece of their history that she had desired to know her uncle had been more than willing to speak to her on. Dany finding that he knew even more than Shiera did when it came to the Great Houses and to House Velaryon in particular. Ser Bonifer too had spoken to her about Lord Lucerys and how he'd perished in the storm that had accompanied her birth, Dany listening on eagerly to the tales the knight had told.

Lord Lucerys had been a Leal man of her father's, he stuck by him despite everything that Aerys had done. While a part of her thought he should have said or done something to stop him, another felt that his loyalty was far more admirable. Bonifer also told her that while her mother didn't like Lucerys, she had never doubted that he was willing to fight or die for her family. The knight telling her that had things turned out differently then it would have been with a fleet of ships that she, Viserys, and her mother would have left Westeros under the protection of.

Each tale, each story she heard about those days made her feel sad and angry at what had befallen their house. Dany ever more eager to see Jae's plans to secure their future were brought to fruition. She'd spent some time with Bonifer and heard some tales of her mother, though not as many as she had wished as she'd found herself busy with other things too. Finding herself busy arranging a household for Dragonstone and speaking to the men who were soon to be her vassals, all of it combining to place her in Aurane's presence more and more. A presence she was now finding herself eager to be in once more and yet there was no sign of him here tonight as of yet.

"He's not arrived then?" Shiera asked as Dany finished her meal.

"Who?" she asked nonchalantly.

"Aurane." Shiera said with a smirk.

"Why are you tasking me?" she asked while trying her best not to look at her aunt's face.

"Because you've been playing with rather than eating your food while you search the room for him." Shiera said making her giggle.

It was true, she had been and she wondered how long she'd been doing so. Quickly glancing around the room once more and seeing that she still couldn't see him while also cursing herself for making him get rid of that more than distinctive hat. She looked over to the table where most of the Lords of the Narrow Sea sat, seeing Aurane's brother Monford and old Lord Celtigar but still no sign of Aurane at all. She tried to remember what he'd said to her earlier that day while they'd been watching the jousts. Aurane had told her that he had a gift for her and Dany found herself looking forward to whatever it was and to receiving it later that night. For him to then not show up made her feel a little strange and she'd already felt strange enough around the man at times.

As she looked around she caught Ser Bonifer's eye and gave the man a warm smile, one which though he returned made her feel a little sad as she always did when he looked at her. She knew he saw her mother in her and that at times it must have been incredibly hard for him, especially given how she now knew he had felt about her. Yet he'd also gone out of his way to be there for her to speak to whenever she wished, never once intruding but when she'd requested him to speak with her he would quickly drop everything to do so. It made her wonder what her life could have been like if things had turned out differently.

Would her mother and Ser Bonifer have ended up together had she lived? Would they have found each other once more after her father had fallen? The usual thoughts she had of growing up with her mother in her life had over time been replaced with others. Her mother, Tyrion, Jae, Aemon, Shiera, Ser Bonifer, and Viserys too, what would her life have been like if they'd all known of each other and been together longer? If her mother had survived and had she not killed her as Viserys had often said she had. The guilt that she sometimes felt for that was something that only Jae and Tyrion had understood, and both of them had set her right about it more than once.

"It's not your fault, Dany." Jae said holding her hand in his own while Tyrion looked on.

"I killed her, Jae." she said crying as the three of them sat with the dragons, Shiera and Aemon off exploring Dragonstone up ahead of them.

"Did I kill my mother, Dany? Did Tyrion?" Jae said and she looked to see the concerned look her brother was giving her as well as the one her nephew was.

"No, it was different for Tyrion, Jae, for you, but I...my mother, she should have." she said as she felt another set of arms come around her and her head soon rested on her brother's chest.

"The world is a cruel place, Dany, all of us here know that better than most. My mother, Tyrion's, yours, Rhaenys's, all of them should be here with us. There should be so many people here with us and yet they are not, it's not your fault, not Tyrion's, and not mine. Blame Robert Baratheon or Jon Arryn. Blame the Maesters and those who sought to bring our family down or Blame the gods for creating a world that is cruel and unforgiving. But never Blame yourself, Dany, never, you aren't the reason she's not here, and trust me she'd never wish you to think that you were."

She looked to her nephew, seeing him laugh and jape as he danced with the girl he thought of as a sister, Joy giggling along as he said something to her. He'd come to her the night before and told her that he was almost ready to show her the Glass Candles, that once the tourney was done with he'd show her as much as she wished to see of her mother. That he'd prove it to her that she'd have never have blamed her for her death and that she loved her with all that she was. Dany smiled when he caught her eye and then even more so when she finally saw Aurane walking into the Throne Room.

"And there it is." Shiera said looking at her smile before she stood up and walked away from her seat, leaving Dany alone as she tried to school her features when Aurane walked her way.

He was dressed in his finest clothes and he looked even more handsome to her eye, Dany feeling a little tingle in her stomach when he finally stood in front of her.

"Forgive my late arrival, Princess, I was needed on my ship." Aurane said.

"You were late, my lord?" she said raising her eyebrow and Aurane to his credit looked abashed.

"Unbearably so Princess, though perhaps this may gain me forgiveness for daring to be so rude." he said while handing her a small box.

She opened it and found a small bejeweled brooch inside, a red dragon with small delicate green gems for its eyes. It was simple and beautiful and she felt her heart still at the thought that he'd gotten her such a present. The smile she now wore the only acknowledgment of just how happy it made her that he had.

"It belonged to Queen Rhaella" Aurane said and Dany looked at him and saw him nod, her eyes and fingers now fully exploring the brooch she held in her hand.

"It was my mother's?" she asked and he nodded once more, Dany turning her head away from him to wipe away the tears from her eyes.

She accepted the handkerchief he offered when she turned back and was relieved to see that he'd moved to block her from anyone but those who sat at the high table's, view. Dany giving the queen a warm smile to show her upset was nothing to be concerned with when she looked her way. Handing him back the brooch she nodded when he went to put it on her, looking down at his fingers when he placed it over her breast.

"Thank you." she said softly and then she leaned forward and placed her lips on his own.

He looked surprised and shocked that she'd done so, the kiss was brief but she'd felt a spark, and when she leaned forward once more he seemed more ready to reciprocate. This time she felt his tongue touch her own and she leaned in closer to him as her arms went around her neck, the slightly too loud cough causing her to quickly move away.

"May I speak to my sister, Lord Waters." she heard Tyrion say and Aurane looked to her and then to her brother before nodding and moving away, Dany looking on amusedly as Tyrion glared at him all the way.

King's Landing 298 AC.

Aemon.

He'd left King's Landing all those years earlier to become a maester and upon his return, it was to Dragonstone he'd gone rather than to serve the Red Keep as his father wished. When the Great Council had been called he'd turned down the offer of the Throne and had gone to the Wall rather than allow them to use him and plot against Egg. There were many reasons for his actions, many little things that had led him to make the choices he had. Egg would be a better king than he and he had never desired to sit the throne, Aemon had also always preferred books to swords and these were reasons enough. There was one other reason though which he'd almost forgotten about, one more thing which had made him wish to be far away from here.

He tried not to step on Lady Alerie's toes once more and he cursed his nephew for making him have to dance once again. That his annoyance actually amused Jae was something that made him long, if but briefly, to be blind once more. His nephew's smirk one which was ever-present when he looked his way. Aemon had agreed, reluctantly, and after much cajoling that he could not just sit and ignore it when he was asked to dance. Turning down lady after lady no matter how politely was not good politics he knew and feelings would quickly turn sour when the handsome prince continually refused a lady's request.

That he was now considered a handsome prince was a jape in of itself, as young ladies who'd not yet reached their twentieth year all clamored for the favor of a man who'd reached his hundredth. So he'd did his best to compromise, he'd dance, but only with married women or those not seeking to make a match. It wasn't perfect and far from fixed any potential problems but this was the last feast for a while and so far tonight it had worked. When the music finally stopped Aemon made his way back to the table and saw to his despair two young ladies heading his way. He looked around and saw he had no choice and so he moved to the only lady that was free at the table.

"Your grace, would you do me the honor of a dance." Aemon said and had no need to turn to see the broad smirk on his nephew's face.

"My wife and I were just about to dance, uncle." Jae said as the ladies moved closer and Aemon turned and glared at his nephew.

"I'd be most delighted to dance with you, uncle." Margaery said and Aemon tried not to laugh at the put-out look that appeared on his nephew's face.

He took the queen's hand and was soon dancing with her, Margaery showing she was much quicker on her feet than her mother as Aemon's feet never touched her own once.

"I take it you're still not enjoying yourself, uncle?" Margaery asked, Aemon glad she'd settled on calling him that, rather than Aemon or Prince Aemon, like so many others now did.

"No I'm not and I'm beginning to believe that your husband relishes torturing me so, your grace." he said with a smile.

"It does amuse him I will admit, though I doubt he understands your reluctance." Margaery said with a small laugh.

"Do you, your grace?" he asked hopefully.

"I believe so, uncle. You do not wish to lead anyone on?" she said and he nodded.

"I, what I appear to be, it's an illusion, your grace. Were any to see what I truly look like then I think their interest in me would soon be gone but as it is they see a Targaryen prince and picture me as Rhaegar or Egg come again, I'm anything but." he said.

"Is it, does it feel strange to you?" she asked and he shook his head.

"It does and does not. I won't deny I much prefer not feeling the aches and pains that I'd grown so accustomed to and to see once more, to be able to read and to fly on a dragon's back, what man could not be happy with his lot in life being able to do that." he said.

"I'll speak to Jae." she said and he chuckled.

"Let him have his fun, a king can't be serious all the time, your grace." Aemon said as the music stopped and he saw Shiera walk his way.

He escorted Margaery back to her seat, his nephew giving him a nod as he turned and took Shera's offered hand. During their talks on what it means to be how they were, Aemon had found out that she felt just like he did. Though she did suggest he find someone to share his bed, something he had no intention of doing. He'd been a maid when he went to the Wall, a man who had believed in his oaths and unlike some of his brothers there, he'd lived up to them. The idea of laying with a woman one which had never entered his head and not something he had ever expected to do. That hadn't changed just because he now wore a magical artifact which made him look and feel like a younger man.

"Having fun?" Shiera asked as they danced and he laughed loudly.

"I'm really not." he said as he waited for the night to end.

King's Landing 298 AC.

Jaehaerys Targaryen.

He woke up to find his wife still asleep, Jae removing her arm from his chest and then moving quietly from the bed. After listening to her mumble something about it being too early, he grabbed his clothes and dressed outside their bed-chamber. The feast had gone incredibly well he felt and for once he'd actually enjoyed himself, even if it was at other's expenses. His uncle's discomfort, both of them as Aemon wished to be anywhere else and Ned had spent most of his night watching Willas and Sansa and ensuring their behavior hadn't changed.

Jae had enjoyed seeing Dany having to deal with an overprotective Tyrion, knowing that he himself had just gone through the same emotions with Sansa. Not that he didn't feel protective towards his aunt too but given the life she'd lived, Dany was more than able to protect herself should she need to. He'd spent time with Oberyn and Ellaria and had danced with his aunt and all of his cousins, Obara even agreeing to dance with him at one point during the night. Between them all, Joy, Arya, and even Elle who'd he'd sat with and spoken to rather than danced with, he'd felt he was ignoring his wife a little, though Margaery had made it clear he was not.

For the first time though he'd felt the feasting to be bearable and he knew it was because he'd gotten to be with family instead of having to act like a king. He'd been allowed to turn a feast into a family occasion instead of a lesson in politics and a means to an end. Today though he'd not be so lucky, as politics and family were about to collide and he found he needed to spar and ease his troubled mind. After dressing and going back inside his bed-chamber to make sure Margaery still slept comfortably, he walked from the room and made his way down to the sparring yard with Ser Barristan by his side.

"Ready for a spar, Ser?" he asked and Barristan chuckled as he nodded that he was.

In the end, he sparred with Barristan and then Loras who arrived not long after he did, Cregan and Brienne both accompanying him and all four had more than a match or two before he called it a day when Ghost arrived. He reached down to rub the wolf's head, feeling him lean into his touch, both of them knowing that it would be soon time for the rest of the pack to depart.

After heading back to his room and breaking his fast with his wife, Jae and Ser Barristan made their way to his uncle's rooms ready to tell him about the ship and the passenger it carried. He'd spoken to Jaime about her after his wife had made her own feelings clear, he then spoke to Lady Genna and was unsurprised by what they both suggested. His mind was made up though and as much as it may seem like he was letting her off easy, he knew he'd be shaming her publicly before he did so. He also knew that just doing that alone would be enough for his siblings to look upon him differently and perhaps for them not to understand why it needed to be done.

Whatever his uncle's feeling on the matter would be, Jae knew compared to his brothers and sisters they'd be much easier for him to overcome. Sansa, Arya, Robb, and Bran even though he wasn't here would perhaps never see this in the proper light. As much as they would know she'd gotten off easy, she was their mother still and to them, he'd be the cause of her fall as much as she herself ever would be. He sighed when he reached the door to his uncle's rooms, stopping to take a deep breath before he nodded to the guards who announced his arrival.

"Your grace." his uncle said when he came to the door and welcomed him inside.

"Uncle. Lady Stark." he said looking to Elle.

"Your grace." she said smiling at him as he took a seat.

He had thought long and hard how to do this, how to explain about Lady Catelyn, and whether to do it with them all present or to speak to them all one on one. Deciding the latter was the better truer way to do so. But as he looked at his uncle and at Elle, he began to think it may have been for the best if he had them all present. So turned to his uncle and decided to speak on that before he actually spoke of his plans for the lady herself.

"I have some news regarding Lady Catelyn and my plans for her uncle, I had intended to speak to you and then to Robb, Sansa, and Arya alone, but I wonder now if it's not for the best if I spoke them to all of you together?"

"I think you should let me know what they are first, your grace." his uncle said.

"And then what?" he asked.

"Then I'll decide what my children need to know, your grace." his uncle said his voice growing a little irritated.

"I'll not keep it from them uncle, I can't, they need to know too, so either I tell you all as one or I'll speak to you and then go from here to them. That's all I'm asking you to decide, that's the full limits of my movement on this." he said trying not to sound annoyed.

He saw his uncle's jaw begin to work and knew he was on the verge of saying something that he should not, only for Elle to reach out and touch his hand.

"I'll send for the children, your grace." Elle said and he nodded.

When Elle got up to speak to the guard, Jae was left alone looking across at his uncle, both of them sitting silently and he knew that either he or Ned had to change the mood and so he decided to be the less stubborn of the two.

"I hear congratulations are in order, Sansa and Willas." he said smiling at his uncle who at least offered a smile back.

"Aye, I've got a need to speak to you on that, your grace. Sansa's fostering is to come to an end and being that she's to serve as the queen's lady in waiting, I was hoping that you and her grace would agree to serve as her guardians?"

"We'd be delighted to uncle. I can assure you that I'd not allow anything untoward, though in truth I have no fear of Lord Willas to be anything else but honorable." he said and saw that his uncle seemed to agree.

"Aye, he seems a good sort, thank you, your grace."

They spoke then about when his uncle, Robb, and Arya would be departing, Jae a little upset to realize it would be so soon. He'd expected it and deep down he'd known it, but he was perhaps allowing himself being blind to it too.

"I had hoped you'd all still be here when Uncle Benjen arrived."

"We need to get back to Winterfell and see to the North and I'd wish for the babe born there if possible." his uncle said.

"Aye, I can understand that."

"Would you like something to eat your grace, something to drink?" Elle said when she arrived back into the room.

"No, my lady, I thank you for the offer." He said and gave her his warmest smile.

It wasn't too long before they arrived, Arya first and then Robb and finally Sansa, Jae hoping he'd not taken any of them away from anything too important and that when he was done they'd not hate him too much. He waited until they sat and then looked to his uncle, seeing that Ned looked just as nervous as he felt.

"His grace has asked for you all to join us so we can speak on your mother." his uncle said and Jae saw both Sansa and Robb stiffen while Arya turned to look at him.

"I take it you've all heard the song by now, the Fall of the Trouts?" Jae asked and saw all three of them nod "You know what it refers to?" he asked and they nodded once more.

"Why are you telling us about a song?" Arya asked.

"What your mother did, what she tried to do is known Arya, to the Lords, the Ladies, the realm at large, people know what she tried to do to me and now that I'm the king there has to be a reckoning for that." He said and looked to Robb and Sansa who seemed to understand it better than Arya did.

"What do you intend to do, Jon?" Sansa asked his little sister biting her lip and seeming a little agitated.

"If it was anyone else, then I'd have no choice Sansa what to do, but whatever my own views or what others may wish me to do, she's your mother still and so I'd not see her harmed." he said seeing his brother's relief and Sansa looking to Arya and then him, his little sister still not completely relaxed.

"Do you know where she is, Jae?" Robb asked.

"She fled to the Vale with Lord Baelish, her husband." he said catching them by surprise, his uncle looking to him with a look which showed he was not "They planned to run to Braavos, so I sent men to capture them both, Lord Baelish escaped but your mother is at present on a ship on her way here."

"And once she gets here your grace?" his uncle asked while Robb, Sansa, and Arya all looked to him.

"She'll be tried and convicted and then sent to either serve out her days in the Sept or with the Silent Sisters." he said.

"There has to be a trial?" Sansa asked clearly upset and though he wished to move to her, he knew for now at least that he had to keep to himself.

"Aye, there does. As I said people know what she's done, if I don't hold her to account then it'll be used against me, now and in the years to come. Even being as lenient as I am may cause me issues and I've already been warned against it. I can promise not to harm her Sansa, I can't promise not to see her tried and have her admit what she did, I'm sorry." he said as he rose to his feet.

He looked to see that Arya had moved closer to Sansa, the two girls holding each other's hands as Robb sat protectively by their side. His uncle looked a little angry and upset, at him, at Cat, maybe even at himself, Jae knew not who he felt it most about. Elle looked at the children and surprisingly him sympathetically and Jae nodded at her and his uncle as he moved to the door, stopping before he left the room.

"You can spend some time with her when she arrives." he said as he left the room, not turning back as he couldn't bear to see how they may be looking at him.

He knew that what he was doing with their mother could be considered weak and would certainly be considered as favorable to the Starks. People would look at him and see him allowing those that were connected to his family to receive favorable treatment. None of them would know what he was doing with Catelyn Tully, they'd just see a woman who tried to kill a king was being given leniency. They'd see a king who didn't wish to upset his family showing that he held some people to a different standard than others. Jaime and Genna had made that clear, while Margaery had spoken more emotionally about what he needed to do with Cat.

Walking through the corridors he thought once again about what he was doing and the sentence he'd decided for her. The dreams he'd sent her, and how each day he knew they chipped away at her sense of self, just as she had done to him when he was a boy. Catelyn had wished for him to know his place, to remember that he only had what he had by her grace. She'd then tried to kill him and had taken a father and husband from his wife and children. So Jae would take it all from her before he took her life too. He'd shame her, expose her for what she was, he'd strip away her sense of self and show that she lived only by his grace, and then and only then would he see to her end.

King's Landing 298 AC.

A Man.

A man had arrived only to find his path to the king to be far more difficult than he had expected, especially since it was not his life he'd come to take. Had it been then it would have actually been far easier, a face that he could have taken would have given him all the access to do what was needed. As it was that was another issue that a man had, the Many-Faced God not allowing him to take a face that didn't deserve the gift. It had left him in a quandary as he instead of just arriving and immediately going to seek out the king, he'd been forced to look and wait for longer than he wished.

He'd considered just seeking an audience, presenting what he had and then disappearing just as quickly as he had arrived, but he knew he could not. The import of the papers he carried and the words he was to speak didn't allow for him not to be who he should be. It was imperative the king took the papers and accepted his words. If there was any doubt, any less importance placed on them than there should be then all was lost. The Many-Faced God had his part to play and so he had his own, and waiting would be in the end a small price to play.

Using one of his faces he gained entry to the Red Keep itself but not close enough to the king to do what was needed. He was close enough though to figure out a route and to narrow it down to three or four faces that he may be allowed to take. None were too close to the king any of them would get him access to the king's chambers and once he managed to get there, the rest would be easy enough. Dangerous still but he had faith that his time in service to the Many-Faced God was not yet done and that he still had a part to play in the events to come.

"You, help me with these." a voice called and he looked to see one of the other servants asking him to help carry the food.

"Where to?" he asked his voice deeper than it usually was and more attuned to the Westerosi face he wore than the Lorathi he had been once.

"The Royal Guard's rooms." the man called and he nodded, grabbing the tray.

He'd narrowed it down to two members of the Royal Guard both of whom seemed to guard the queen. There was also a servant who worked with the queen's family and a man who guarded the older prince. The prince's glamour may fool these others but a man saw him clearly for what he was, his god's magic showing him the truth of Aemon Targaryen. It looked as if it was to be one of the Royal Guards who was to receive the gift today he thought as he walked with the other man.

When they reached the rooms, he carried the tray inside and found the man he was looking for. He'd already told the other man that he'd wait and carry the trays back and soon enough he was left alone with the older knight. The gift was given quickly and he made no true effort to hide the man's body once he was done, just placing him in his bed and covering him up simply. He knew that it gave him a short window but he believed it would be enough time and soon enough he was following the king as he walked back from his uncle's rooms.

Jaqen could see that the king was deep in thought and that the old guard who walked behind him was more concerned with how the king was feeling than his protection at that particular moment. Where he here to give the king the gift, then now would be the perfect time to strike. But he was not and so once he was sure the king was heading back to his rooms he moved quickly. He arrived at them before the king did and was relieved to see there was no guard on the door, though he knew then that he'd have another thing to speak to the king on when they talked.

"No, I'll be staying here Ser Barristan, I'll not be leaving for a while." the king's voice said from outside the room and Jaqen hid and waited.

He heard the king come in and take a seat and so he moved from where he hid and walked into the room, the king rising to his feet and staring at him with his hand on the sword at his hip before he recognized him.

"Ser Marq?" the king said looking at him suspiciously, his hand still close to but not quite on his sword.

"A man is not Ser Marq but is also not here to harm a king or anyone a king cares for." Jaqen said as he removed the face and stood in front of the king now showing him another.

"What do you want?" the king asked his hand back on the sword's hilt now.

"My god wishes to help a king, may I?" he said pointing to the chair and seeing the king nod.

He took his seat and reached into his shirt to take out the papers, holding them in his hand as he looked to the king who was looking at them with intrigue.

"The Men of Oldtown kept these hidden well, few knew of them and though you've given the gift to those who were most against you and your dragons, there are others out there who may know of these." he said handing the king the papers and watching as he read them.

"Dragons, Wyrms and Wyverns, I'd heard it was destroyed?" the king said looking at the pages.

" A man knows it was, mostly, these and a few other pages are all that remains but they mean nothing, these however…"

"In the wrong hands could be devastating." the king said.

"A gift from the Many-Faced God." Jaqen said and the king looked to him curiously.

"Why does your god care that the dragons are protected?" the king asked.

"Without them, without you, the world falls to him, and those who deserve the gift cease to be." Jaqen said.

"That's it?" the king asked suspiciously.

"The Many-Faced God keeps the world balanced and stops it from tilting one way or another. The lives we offer to him, those we bring the gift to, each of them must be worthy of receiving his favor. The Great Other seeks to bring the gift to all, to those worthy and those who are not. This is an affront to my god, a blasphemy, and cannot be allowed to take place." Jaqen said.

"So you only kill the worthy, only wear their faces?" the king asked.

"A man only takes that which is owed to the Many-Faced God."

"Ser Marq?"

"May have been a good man now but once he was not, once he took lives that were not worthy and so the Many-Faced God has now taken his own." Jaqen said.

"But you accept contracts?" The king asked.

"Only for those who are worthy." he replied.

"I and my family?" the king asked staring at him and Jaqen began to wonder if he knew how to play the game of faces.

"Are unworthy of the gift and though you may not know it, you too serve the Many-Faced God."

"Because I seek to stop the Great Other?" the king said and Jaqen smiled as he nodded slightly.

"A king has nothing to fear from the Many-Faced God or his chosen. When the time comes a man will return and fight by a king's side and together we will bring the true gift to those who follow the Great Other's chosen. We will see them fall and the see Great Other brought to his knees." Jaqen said as he stood up.

"Then we will meet again?" the king asked and Jaqen nodded.

"A man will see a king once more. Until then a man has some advice for a king."

"Advice?"

"Never enter a room that's unguarded and never do so alone, had a man been here to give a king the gift.." he left the rest unsaid as he turned to walk to the door.

"Valar Morghulis." the king said and Jaqen turned and looked at him with a smirk on his face, giving him another small nod in return.

"Valar Dohaeris." he replied as he put the face on and walked from the room.

The Lady Alys 298 AC.

Cat.

She was confused, Petyr was nowhere to be seen and she was on a ship once more, her mind remembering something about Essos but she couldn't remember what. The men with her refused to tell her anything other than she was being brought to people who wished to see her most urgently and she felt fearful about that. For some reason, she was sure that these people didn't wish to see her for anything that she'd be pleased about. Cat was relieved too though, she was away from Petyr or she at least believed she was and that was something she was most grateful for.

The dreams had stopped coming as well, she'd not had them for more than a few days which had brought her some comfort and respite. She'd finally been able to get some sleep and had felt some life come back to her and an appetite too. Cat finding that she ate ravenously each time she had woken up. She was also allowed to move around while on the ship, the guards watching her but allowing her some privacy too which was a new feeling for her. Ever since she'd wed Petyr she'd felt her every move was being watched, by him, the servants, the guards, even by some unseen presence, and to not have that feeling of oppression hanging over her was comforting.

As she finished her meal and got ready to turn in for the night she felt better than she had in moons maybe even years. Even the worry over where she was going and who she may be being brought to wasn't enough to make her feel as bad as she had only days before. He'd drugged her, more than once she'd overheard the guards say and the thoughts of what he had done or may have done to her while she was unable to stop him, made her feel stick to her stomach. That the man who seemed to be in charge not only gave her moon tea but seemed to already have it ready for her to drink, should have given her pause and yet it did not.

Removing her clothes, she lay down in the bed and closed her eyes, quickly falling to sleep and soon finding out that her dreams hadn't left her at all, they'd instead just retreated until now.

She was dragged into the Throne Room, her clothes barely sticking to her body as she was thrown unceremoniously to the floor. Around her all the lords and ladies of Westeros stood, Cat recognizing the sigils of the Great Houses and feeling her shame rise when she saw men and women that she knew. The looks on their faces were ones of disgust and, disdain, Cat feeling them sneer and seeing the judgment in their eyes. All of that fading away when she heard the herald announce his arrival and she looked up to see him walk into the room.

"All rise for his grace, King Jaehaerys Targaryen." the herald called out and Cat looked as the bastard walked in and took his place on the Iron Throne.

Beside him walked the Rose of Highgarden, the woman looking even more beautiful than Cat had remembered and she immediately felt her anger rise as she knew she was yet another thing the bastard had stolen from her son. Then she looked as Ned walked in holding a woman's hand, the woman's belly swollen and she felt her tears begin to fall. Robb came in next and how her son looked at her almost broke her heart, though it was her daughter's looks which managed to do that.

Arya looked at her with such a look of disgust that Cat grabbed at her torn dress thinking it had managed to fall and show more of her body than any woman should. Sansa though glared at her with such anger, such hate in her eyes that Cat actually felt fearful as she looked at her daughter. That they all stood so close to the bastard, that both Sansa and Arya reached out their hands to offer him comfort while she knelt alone in shame and fear on the floor soon had her tears falling even more freely.

"Save your false tears for those who care for them Lady Baelish." the bastard said and she tried to shout back at him only to find that she had no voice.

She looked around the room, seeking any who looked at her with anything other than the cold glares she faced and was dismayed to find that there was no one. Riverlords, Stormlords, Knight's of the Vale, Northmen, none of them looked at her with an urge to help or with even the slightest look of sympathy and when she looked back to the bastard and her family she found they too showed no empathy in their eyes.

"Admit your crimes, Lady Baelish, here in front of the Lords and Ladies of Westeros, admit what you did and beg for mercy that will not come. Kneel in front of me and beg that I let you see another dawn or that the death I bring to you will be clean. Kneel in front of your children and admit to them what you tried to do to their brother, what you sought to do to the trueborn king." The bas..boy…the king said.

She tried to speak, to let her words come out but no sound left her lips and she saw her children shake their heads in disgust before each of them turned away from her. Cat left looking at their backs and still no sound coming though she cried out each of their names. She crawled to Ned and watched in horror as he pushed her hands away and she fell once again to the floor. Then she looked on as around the room men and women began to laugh and as the King moved closer and began to speak once more.

"I name you for what you are, for what you tried to be, a woman who sought the death of a boy, a woman who claimed to be pious and yet prayed to the gods for the death of a child. A woman who married a man she never loved and who she never truly held in her heart. A woman who only loved her children when they reflected her values and her desires. I name you a traitor to the crown and like all traitors I sentence you to die." the king said and she cried out, finally hearing the sounds she made for the first time.

She found herself in a large open space and looked up to see there were hundreds, no, there were thousands of people looking down on her, Cat finally recognizing the Dragonpit and wondering where all these seats came from. Looking down she saw she was dressed in a grey sack dress, its coarse wool chafing against her skin and feeling far poorer than anything she'd ever worn. She was barefoot and felt something was wrong with her head and so she reached up only to find out what it was to her horror and despair. They were gone, her red locks had been shorn away, her hair which had made her stand out and was her most striking feature next to her blue eyes was now little more than stubble on her head and she cried out as loudly as she could.

"Behold a woman who wished a child dead." she heard a voice call out and she turned to see Septa Mordane and a group of other Septa's looking her way.

"Shame." she heard the crowd chant.

"Behold a woman who sent assassins after a king." Septa Mordane shouted out and she heard the crown chant again.

"Shame."

"Behold a mother who played favorites with her children"

"A wife who never loved her husband."

"A pious woman who incurred the wrath of the true gods."

"Shame" "Shame" Shame".

Each time she heard the crowd was like an arrow to her heart and when all went silent she felt some short-lived relief until she heard another voice speaking even louder than the crowds.

"Catelyn Baelish, My sister would like a word with you." the King said and she felt the shadow as it flew over her head and she began to run even though she knew that it was no use.

She woke up in a cold sweat, crying out loud enough so that the men who'd been guarding her cabin came running inside. Cat feeling them shake her as she screamed out over and over again, begging them to leave her alone, to let her go, to please not take her to the dragon. The large man who led them she barely saw as he stood at the door looking at her, her screams having stopped as her voice grew hoarse. His appearance was blurred as she looked at him through tear-filled eyes and then she heard the words he spoke and she cried out loudly once more.

"What are we to do with her?" a voice asked.

"Take her to the king, we're here." the man answered and before she knew it she was being lifted up from the bed and as she reached the deck and saw King's Landing all around her, she felt the world go dark as she the dragons fly over her head.

King's Landing 298 AC.

Shiera.

Her niece lay in her bed crying, Shiera knowing the reason and knowing she had little comfort she could offer. She didn't even know where to start and so she just stayed with her and let her know that she was there for her. It was hard to imagine what it had been like, what Dany had felt when she'd seen her mother in the Glass Candles, and what emotions it had stirred up within her. Shiera barely remembered her own mother and their relationship had at least had time to develop. Dany had lost hers without ever knowing her and the stories, tales, remembrances of people who knew her were not the same as seeing her for herself.

She'd warned Jae about this and had spoken to Dany to try and convince her that she perhaps shouldn't avail herself of this particular type of magic. Both her nephew and niece being too stubborn by far and while she understood and knew nothing would stop Dany from seeing or Jae from showing it to her, she had been certain of the pain it would cause. Being proved right was not something she enjoyed in this matter at least and it had left her trying to offer her niece something, anything, to make her feel better and finding that she could not.

Aemon and she had spoken of her concerns, her nephew telling her that while they were valid they were misplaced too. That while it was true Dany would no doubt feel some pain and distress by what she may see, in the long term she'd be the better for it. The questions that no one else was able to answer would be answered by the Glass Candles and the things their niece had always wished to know would soon be known to her. She looked to the bed and to the girl who cried there and prayed that Aemon was right before she moved from Dany and walked to answer the knock on the door.

"How is she?" he asked concernedly.

"The same." she said and though it had only been a day and a night, she could see how his worry increased.

"Has she spoken of it?" he asked and she shook her head.

"No, Jae told me what she saw, but she's not mentioned it."

"I'll stay with her for a bit if you wish to rest?" Tyrion said.

"I'm not tired, but I could do with a change of clothing and a bath." she said and he nodded while she went and told Dany that she'd be back later on that day.

She made her way to her rooms and ordered a bath to be readied once she'd gotten there. Later on, enjoying the feeling of the warm water and letting it relieve her weary body as she soaked in it. After her bath and then dressing, she sat down at her desk and opened the secret compartment. Reaching in and taking out the book and the gems, placing them on its top before walking to the jar of leeches. The enchantments she'd decided upon were for Jae and Margaery and for Tyrion and Dany. She may not be able to protect any of them from emotional harm but she could protect them somewhat from the physical at least.

Her ruby and Aemon's Pendant allowed them to never need fear sickness or poison and while the magic that she possessed may not be quite that strong, she believed it would certainly be enough to ensure the latter for these gems. It had taken time to gather the blood that was needed, Jae was using most of his own for the Glass Candles, and Dany and Tyrion both reluctant to use leeches at all, but she had finally managed to get what she needed. Even though now was perhaps not the time for this and her attention could be better served elsewhere, it was something she could do and unlike offering Dany comfort, it was something that she could be successful in.

After laying out the gems and opening the jar, she took the leeches out and readied to remove the blood. The process took far longer than she wished but once she'd done it and covered the gems, she reached for the book and said the words before taking out the final leech and dripping its blood over each of the gems. It took her some time to affix them to their chains but when she did and held them up she could see that it had worked, somewhat at least. Just how much protection they offered was something she didn't know but some protection was much better than none.

"This will work?" she asked looking at Brynden as he held the glass in his hand.

"It will work." he said drinking it down, the strangler quickly swallowed in one go.

"How long?" she asked.

"If it did not work, I'd already be dying." he said and for the next hour, she looked at him and saw no effect whatsoever, her mind blown by something she'd seen him do once more.

Shiera opened her eyes and removed the leech from her neck, cursing that she'd fallen asleep next to the jar of them and glad it was just the one that she'd found. Placing it back into the jar, she closed it up and then gathered the gems and their chains. It was time for her to make her way and to give them to those she'd enchanted them for. She found Dany asleep and Tyrion told her that she'd spoken some after she'd left, her upset seeming to have lessened somewhat. After explaining what the gems did she was happy to see him put his one on immediately and she told him that she'd relieve his watch with Dany and let him get back to his betrothed once she'd spoken to Jae.

It didn't take her long to reach the king's chambers, Jae's wish to have his family close by making the walk far lesser than it had ever been for her when she'd lived here previously. Then she'd been housed in the Maidenvault while Brynden had stayed in the Tower of the Hand. Shiera remembering how they'd used the secret tunnels to sneak in to see each other and what it had been like being with him before their paths had diverged. As she nodded to the two Kingsguard and was bid entry into the room, she did her best to clear her mind of days long past.

"Aunt, is everything all right?" Jae asked and Shiera offered him a warm smile as she looked around to see that he was alone.

"Everything is well, Jae, is Margaery not here?"

"She is with her mother and Lady Leonette." Jae said "Dany?"

"Is feeling better according to Tyrion." she said seeing him relax and motion to the seat "I'll not stay long, I brought you something." she said taking out the two chains, Jae looking at them both as she held them in her hand.

"Aunt?"

"For protection, for your and Margaery. I don't know how strong they are, but mine own." she said showing him the ruby "And Aemon's, protect us from time, sickness and poison."

"You're saying if we wear these we'll not age? Jae said and she chuckled.

"No, my magic and the gems themselves aren't that powerful, if they were then I'd have used Dragonblood. These will, I'm almost sure protect from poison and perhaps even illness to a degree." she said as she handed them to her nephew.

"Thank you, aunt." he said as he took them and she smiled again when just like Tyrion he put his one on right away.

"I don't know which of them is worse, Jae." she heard the light and happy voice behind her and turned to see the door open and Margaery walk in, and then she saw it, the pin was resting on her breast and she moved as quick as she could.

It was gone, she'd given it away, how? How did it end up here and oh, gods, no, she felt the piecing of the pin and saw the droplets of the blood as she pulled it from Margaery's dress. The scream from the queen and the crash behind her as the Kingsguard ran into the room and the queen pushed past her to get to her fallen husband.

"Jae, Jae, get the Grandmaester, get Aemon, now, hurry. Jae, Jae, please, Jae, please…" she heard Margaery's agonized voice call out.

Shiera looking down at the pin in her hand, the blood pooling on her thumb as she threw it to the ground. It had been almost a hundred years ago that she'd given it to him, a token of her love even as she left him never to see him again. What had he done? What had she done? Shiera looking to see that only her concern for her husband had stopped Margaery from screaming out at her and as she threw the pin to the ground she could swear she heard Brynden's laugh ring out across the realm.

A/N: Thanks to all who've read and reviewed, Still in the process of getting to the reviews but finally work has calmed and I at least have time again. Up Next as the extent of Jae's condition becomes clear, questions are asked and answers sought. Meanwhile, Kinvara and Val arrive at the Wall and we take a look at the Vale and the Iron Islands.