Notes:

A few days ago I wrote the ending to this story. So from now on it's "only" filling in some gaps, fine-tuning and editing, the latter two being the tedious and more time-consuming parts.

The upcoming Chapter 4 (titled "The End") will be my take on 8x05.

And again, many thanks for the reviews!


Daenerys gasped when she saw Jorah. He looked pale and was obviously in pain. He was limping and holding his side. Missandei was supporting him as best as she could.

Grey worm quickly came to their aid. Everybody else made room so that Jorah could sit down.

Jorah was exhausted from the short walk. At one point he had feared he would pass out. He was glad to be sitting down. He could feel the blood seeping through the bandage at his side. He pulled away his hand and it was indeed bloody.

Daenerys went to Jorah's side, bending down to inspect the wound. "You stubborn fool. Why did you get up?"

"To serve and protect you, to die for you if necessary."

"By reopening your wounds and bleeding to death at my feet for nothing?"

Jorah searched for her eyes, waiting until hers met his and then said in a low voice, "You said you needed me more than ever." Addressing the whole room, he went on, "I won't lie in bed while they criticize you when you just saved their lives a few days ago." He looked at Jon. "I remember the oath I swore."

"So do I," replied Jon.

"Let's hear what Lord Mormont has to say," someone said.

Jorah's eyes became wide. Nobody had called him Lord Mormont for many, many years. He looked at Daenerys with a pained expression that had nothing to do with his wounds.

"I'm so sorry," she said in a whisper, wishing she would have been able to tell him about Lyanna's death in private.

If Jorah hadn't been sitting down, this piece of information would have brought him to the floor. He closed his eyes, trying to picture the last time he had seen Lyanna. Despite her age and size she had seemed invincible. He had been convinced that she would survive by pure will alone. Why? Why her? Jorah felt a small hand rest on his shoulder. He knew it was Daenerys, trying to comfort him. He reached for her hand, squeezing it, trying to convey how much the gesture meant to him. He let go of her hand and opened his eyes. There was no time now to mourn Lyanna.

"There wouldn't be a North without Daenerys," Jorah said. "And Cersei will crush the North for having proclaimed their own king. Cersei was rather willing to risk the destruction of all of Westeros than to risk losing her throne."

"He is right," Jon said. "We would have never been able to defeat the Night King without Daenerys' help. I bent the knee and I won't go back on my word."

"You made that decision because you thought it was the best for us. I get that," Sansa said. "But sending our weakened forces south now is not the best for us."

"Is nobody's word worth anything anymore?" Jon asked. "Is it just lying and trying to get the best out of a deal and then turn our back on everybody else? Have we become like Cersei already? Cersei will never stop until House Stark is defeated."

"Cersei hired the Golden Company," Sansa countered. "Even if we hadn't lost so many men against the wights, they are better trained and better equipped. We don't stand a chance."

"I have two dragons," Daenerys reminded them. "You won't have to sacrifice your men. I proved that I am willing to fight beside them on Drogon. And I will do so again against the Golden Company and Cersei's own army."

Sansa locked eyes with Daenerys. Sansa's main goal was to protect the North. But she also wanted Cersei gone. She wanted her punished for her father's death, for her mother's death, for her brother's death and for all the cruelties she herself had endured in King's Landing. The Lannisters had supported the Boltons in their seizing of Winterfell, which had led to Sansa's abuse by Ramsey and Rickon's death. Cersei would never rest until the Starks were destroyed. Cersei had to be stopped or Sansa and her family would never be safe. And with Daenerys and her dragons on their side they had very good chances of eliminating Cersei once and for all. The Dragon Queen was a very powerful ally. And they couldn't afford to call two queens their enemy. "If we don't stop Cersei, the Seven Kingdoms will suffer," Sansa finally said. "And the North will suffer the most."

Jon sighed relieved and gave Sansa a thankful look.

Tyrion didn't want to destroy the progress they had just made. And he had voiced his concern over using Daenerys' dragons several times already, but she seemed determined to use them. "Maybe," Tyrion added somewhat hesitantly, "we could discuss battle tactics some more on the way to King's Landing?"


"Thank you for supporting me," Daenerys said to Jon when the others had left. She knew she had ignored him since the battle and had thus risked losing his loyalty.

"It won't be easy. But it is the right thing to do. As long as Cersei is alive, she will be a threat to all the people I love. She has never trusted the Starks and she won't rest until we are no threat to her anymore."

Daenerys came closer, but Jon retreated backwards when she tried to touch him. "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" Jon asked her incredulously. "The last few days you've hidden in Jorah's room, hardly talking to me at all, pushing me away. And suddenly – now that you have what you want – it's all forgotten?"

"When you found out about your parents you didn't talk to me either. You just ran away from me."

"I found out that my whole life has been a lie," Jon said, almost yelling at her.

"And I almost lost my best friend."

Jon waited for her to say more, but she didn't. "Do you have nothing else to say to me?"

"Marry me and we can share the Iron Throne. It would solve all our problems."

"I can't," Jon said. "You are my aunt." He had to keep repeating it to himself. He still couldn't believe it. And he felt he needed to remind himself as often as possible for fear that he might forget in a moment of weakness.

Again, Daenerys took a step closer towards him. "We are Targaryen."

And again, Jon took a step backwards. "It's forbidden in Westeros."

Daenerys stayed where she was. "To prevent madness, yes. I can't have children, Jon. It's not an issue."

Jon looked at her speechless.

"Unless you want children."

"I haven't even given that a thought. And that's not what this is about."

"We don't have to tell anyone who you really are. Nobody would need to know. Nobody would think anything of it."

"I would know."

Daenerys sat down and sighed. "What is it that you want then?"

"I don't want the Iron Throne."

"And you don't want me."

"I love you," Jon insisted, "even though I shouldn't."

"What do you want, Jon?"

"I… I don't know." He wished he had never found out about his true heritage. It was such a burden. "I want to tell my sisters." He wanted to tell someone who had no ulterior motives.

That brought Daenerys to her feet again "What?" Had she heard correctly? "You say you don't want the Iron Throne. Why would you want to tell anyone that you are the rightful heir?"

"This has nothing to do with the damn throne. It's about my family."

"If you tell them, they will want you on the Iron Throne."

"They'll respect my wishes."

Daenerys raised her eyebrows. "If Sansa finds out that you are Rhaegar's son, she will do anything in her power to make sure I don't sit on the Iron Throne."

"All you care about is the damn throne."

"What would you have me do? Abandon the Iron Throne and stay here with you?"

Jon looked at the floor.

Daenerys paced around the room, at wits' end. "You don't want the Iron Throne. But you want to tell your family about your true heritage. You say you love me. But you don't want to marry me. You can't even stand to be with me." She stopped pacing and looked at Jon. "How is that going to work?"

"I don't know." He needed time to think.

"Could you please figure out what you want before you make any decisions?"

"Why can't you understand how difficult this is for me?" Jon asked, frustration written all over his face.

"I'm trying. I've told you what I would do. Please, Jon, don't make any hasty decisions." Daenerys decided to give him some space to think everything through and turned to leave. "Come and find me when you have made up your mind."

"Sure, everybody knows where to find you these days," Jon said with more spite than he had intended.

Daenerys stopped short and turned around again. She took a deep breath, forcing herself to stay calm. "I sat watch at your bedside after you almost died north of the Wall."

"I'm sorry." Jon walked towards her and took her hand. "I know Jorah has been with you from the beginning. I am more than grateful that he was there to protect you." He pulled her into his arms. "He'll be fine."

Daenerys relaxed into his embrace for a moment. Then she raised her head and tried to kiss him. Jon took her face between his hands and placed a kiss on her forehead instead. She looked at him with sadness and let go of him.

"I do love you," Jon said with a pained expression.

"So you keep saying. But you don't act like it."


After her fight with Jon, Daenerys stopped by Jorah's room.

Jorah was back in bed. Sam was replacing the bloody bandages with fresh ones. Jorah groaned when Sam tightened the strip of cloth around his torso. But when he saw Daenerys he managed a small smile, trying to reassure her.

Looking at Jorah with unconcealed disapproval, she asked Sam, "Will he live?"

"Despite his best efforts to the contrary," Sam said.

"If I die it's because I can't breathe," Jorah said to Sam.

"If greyscale and White Walkers can't kill you, a lack of breathing is probably not going to do it either," Sam replied. He tied the bandages together and stood up. "Please do us all a favor and stay in bed for the next few days. I don't know how there's any blood left in you at all. And I don't recommend trying to find out how much is left."

Daenerys stepped closer, keeping her eyes fixed on Jorah. "He will stay in bed. Or I will send him back to Meereen, where he can serve under Daario."

Sam looked at her confused, then shrugged his shoulders and left.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, sitting down on his bed.

"Better."

Daenerys regarded him doubtfully, carefully pulling up the furs over his bandaged body. "I should have a stern word with Missandei for helping you with your folly."

"I didn't give her much of a choice," Jorah said with a smirk.

She smiled at him, glad that he seemed to be on the mend. She had been so afraid to lose him. Absentmindedly she played with the fur, running her fingers over the same spot again and again.

"What's wrong?"

Daenerys stopped and gripped the fur tightly. "I had an argument with Jon."

"About?"

"Lots of things."

"Tell me."

"I don't want to talk." She was so tired. Tired of fighting with Jon, tired of standing up to Sansa, tired of arguing with Tyrion about her dragons. Daenerys made herself more comfortable on his bed, lying down on her side, pulling her legs up against her body. She picked a new spot on the fur and started running her fingers over it again.

Jorah had a feeling of déjà vu. "Did you… when I was… did you sleep here?" He thought he had dreamed that.

Daenerys didn't look at him. Her eyes were still focused on the fur. "Yes."

Jorah regarded her with worry. Her thoughts seemed to be somewhere else. "What was your argument with Jon about?"

"It was more than an argument."

"Talk to me," he prodded.

She sighed and turned her head so that she would be able to see Jorah's reaction. She knew beyond a doubt that he would keep the secret. "Jon is Rhaegar's son. Jon is a Targaryen."

"What?" Jorah tried to move, but winced in pain.

Daenerys quickly put her hand on his chest to keep him down. "Stay still."

He took a couple of deep breaths, or at least as much as was possible with the restricting bandage around his chest, until the pain started to lessen. "How is that possible?" Then it dawned on him. "Lyanna Stark. And Ned Stark took him in."

"Yes. But there is more. My brother and Lyanna were married. After his marriage with Elia Martell was annulled."

Jorah let that sink in for a moment before he asked, "How long have you known?"

"He told me just before the battle started."

"And Jon?"

"Some time after we came to Winterfell. He's been avoiding me ever since."

"I'm sorry. It must have been a shock to him."

"Yes."

"What are you going to do?"

"I don't know. It depends on Jon. He doesn't want to marry me. He doesn't want the Iron Throne. But he wants to tell his sisters."

"And you fear they won't keep it secret because they want Jon on the throne."

"Sansa hates me and Arya adores Jon. Family is everything to them."

"It seems they are your family too now."

Daenerys hadn't even thought about that. "Tell that to Sansa. And Jon wishes I wasn't part of the family, or rather that he wasn't part of mine."

"Give him time."

"I don't think he will change his mind."

They just lay there for quite some time, neither saying a word, each of them lost in their own thoughts.

When Daenerys looked at Jorah his eyes were focused on the ceiling. Were there tears in his eyes?

Jorah finally broke the silence. "How did my cousin die?"

"I'm not quite sure. But they say she took out a giant." Since Daenerys had hardly left this room lately, she hadn't heard much of what had happened on the battlefield or inside Winterfell. "I'm so sorry, Jorah."

"Lyanna was so young and so courageous."

"She was," Daenerys agreed.

"She didn't deserve to die. It should have been me."

"Don't say something like that," Daenerys whispered close to tears. "I know it's selfish. But don't ever say something like that again. I don't know what I would do without you."

Jorah took her hand, which was still lying on his chest. "I am not going anywhere."

"I haven't even thanked you for saving my life."

"There's no need. I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if something had happened to you out there."

Again, they were silent.

"Do you still love me?" Daenerys asked suddenly.

Jorah turned his head as much as possible, frustrated that he couldn't turn onto his side to look at her properly. Lying on his back caused the least amount of pain and any movement hurt terribly. "Why would you ask me that?"

"Please, just tell me."

"I told you outside Vaes Dothrak. Always. I meant it."

Daenerys exhaled audibly and closed her eyes.

Jorah gently brushed his thumb over her fingers. After a while, he asked again, "Why would you ask me that?" But she didn't answer. He realized that she had fallen asleep. She must have been utterly exhausted. How much had she slept the last few days? Probably not much between finding out about Jon's true heritage, the battle and spending most of her time here at his bedside. Jorah watched her with concern. Eventually he fell asleep too, not letting go of her hand.

That's how Jon found them. Yet again the woman he loved was sleeping next to someone else. Admittedly, Jon couldn't even bring himself to kiss her properly. As quietly as he could he went over to the bed and covered Daenerys with some furs.


They were about to leave for King's Landing. Daenerys entered Jorah's room. There was no question that Jorah had to stay behind in Winterfell. Daenerys was actually relieved that he couldn't come with them. She had come too close to losing him. She didn't want him anywhere near the fighting this time.

Jorah was glad to see her look like her normal self again, like a queen. "I will follow as soon as I can," he said.

"You will do no such thing. You will stay here until you have completely healed. I am ordering you."

"My place is by your side."

"You have done your duty. You saved my life."

"You said you wanted me by your side when you take the Seven Kingdoms."

"I need you alive. I need to know you are alright. I don't need your sword. I need your guidance and your counsel. Nobody will be able to replace you as my advisor. Never."

"Then let me advise you now."

Daenerys nodded.

"Don't become impatient. You've come so far. You are so close. Don't become impatient now. Don't let yourself get provoked by Cersei. She seems to be very good at it. You saw how she manipulated Jon in the Dragon Pit."

"I am not Jon."

"I know. But don't underestimate her. Cersei didn't get two of her bastard children and then herself on the Iron Throne by being stupid."

"Are you done with your lecture?"

"No." He tried to sit up, but Daenerys quickly went to his side and gently pushed him back down on the bed. Jorah grabbed her hand, fiercely. "Remember what makes you better than her."

"My dragons."

"No."

She looked at him confused.

"You have a gentle heart. Remember that." He released her hand.

After all these years he still believed in her unconditionally. Daenerys leaned down and placed a soft kiss on his cheek. When she got up, Jorah grabbed her hand again.

"Please be careful."

She nodded and then left quickly, not looking back once.

Jorah hated that he couldn't go with her. Why did he have a feeling as if she was walking right into a fire again?