Notes:
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The next part will be up very shortly.
Several months later, Casterly Rock
Tyrion sighed. Another tense and arduous council meeting had come to an end. Daenerys had been in a bad mood. It wasn't unusual though. She had been in a bad mood ever since her victory over Cersei and the destruction of the Red Keep. Since Jon had left. Since Jorah had left. There was no way of telling what had upset her the most.
Today, she had hardly said anything at all. But that didn't make people any less uncomfortable around her. Daenerys could easily silence anybody with just a look. The other council members were very careful in voicing their opinions. They tried to guess what would please their Queen. Therefore, the meetings were very slow-going and seldom productive. A good day was when she seemed distracted and wasn't paying much attention.
At times, Tyrion thought she didn't really care what her council did. Other times, he had the feeling that Daenerys was unsure of herself. It was hard to tell. He didn't really know what she thought. She didn't trust him anymore. Tyrion couldn't really blame her for that after what he had done. Their conversations were limited to official matters. He had long given up on small talk or jokes. Any attempts at casual talk or funny anecdotes from his side were met with silence.
However, Daenerys never missed a council meeting. She also diligently attended audiences. But it was the same every day. People were endlessly complaining and asking for things and support. And she didn't look like she was enjoying it. But she never missed an audience either. And if there were still people waiting, Daenerys stayed longer than official audience times. Afterwards she would retire directly to her quarters, dining alone. But judging from the food that came back, it was obvious that she didn't eat much.
At first Tyrion had put everything down to her new position as Queen of the Six Kingdoms. Daenerys had never had to rule over so many people before, never had to deal with so many lords and ladies before. And those lords and ladies had quickly realized that she wasn't as terrifying as Cersei had made them believe. Everyone was trying to get the best out of the transformation. Initially, they sweet-talked Daenerys. When that didn't work, they pushed her, gently at first, and if she still didn't agree to their requests, suggestions or demands, with more persistence. Days became weeks and weeks became months. And Daenerys' bad mood lingered. She tried to be courteous, but Tyrion could tell she was struggling. There was no enthusiasm in what she did. And she was visibly tired.
Today, Tyrion hadn't been interested in the council meeting at all. His mind was occupied with something else. A letter had arrived earlier. And he couldn't wait to confront his Queen with it.
When everyone else left the council chamber, Daenerys lingered. She seemed lost in thought, staring ahead, not saying a word.
"Guess from whom I received a message today," Tyrion asked Daenerys.
"I am not in the mood to play games."
"Very well. I will tell you. I received a message from Lord Mormont."
That made her turn her head in Tyrion's direction. But she quickly looked away again.
"Would you care to explain to me why I would receive a message from Ser Jorah, inquiring how you are?"
"How would I know?" Daenerys asked. "He wrote to you."
"That's exactly the point. He never writes to me. It's the only correspondence I am not privy to."
"How do you know what you are not privy to?" Daenerys asked.
Tyrion rolled his eyes. Now he wasn't in the mood to play this game. "Ser Jorah says he hasn't heard from you in a while and is getting worried."
"I'm fine."
"Tell that to him, not to me."
"He wrote to you. You may tell him I am fine."
Tyrion sighed. "He's worried because apparently you didn't reply to his last message."
"Maybe my last message got lost on its way," Daenerys said.
"Sure, with all the snow and wind. Dangerous times for ravens," Tyrion said with sarcasm. "Maybe next time you should have Drogon deliver it instead."
Daenerys just gave him a scathing look.
"I know you don't want to talk about him," Tyrion went on. And then he finally dared ask what he had wanted to know for months. "What happened? Why did he leave?" Back when Daenerys had first told them that Jorah had gone back to Bear Island to save his House, Tyrion had been somewhat surprised, but didn't have much time to give it any thought. They'd all been too busy with other things, like forming a new council and moving to Casterly Rock.
"You are right. I don't want to talk about him."
"Why did he leave?" Tyrion asked again. Had Jorah had enough of her? Unlikely. Jorah had been prepared to give his own life for his Queen's. Had he had enough of the fighting? But the fighting was over. Had he asked for more after Jon had left and she had rejected him? Also unlikely. Jorah would have given her the space that she needed after Jon had left her, comforting her, but never asking for more than she could give. To everyone else, Jorah's departure made sense. But not to Tyrion. He knew the man too well for that. Jorah would have never left her.
"To save his House."
Tyrion rolled his eyes. "Ser Jorah would have never left you. He would have never left unless something happened."
"Nothing happened. He went back home to save his House."
Tyrion held her gaze. "For you, he would have damned his House."
"I didn't want him to."
Tyrion gave her a quizzical look. Jorah would have never left her on his own account. The only person that had any influence over him was Daenerys. "He didn't leave. You set him away," he concluded. But why would she do that? Besides Grey Worm, Jorah had been the only one she still fully trusted. She had spent days – and nights – at his bedside when Jorah had been fighting for his life. Tyrion couldn't come up with an answer. Only two people knew the truth. And one of them was standing right in front of him. "Why did you send him away? What happened?"
Her eyes became moist and she quickly turned away from Tyrion, staring out a window.
Tyrion was at a loss. None of this made sense. And Daenerys clearly wasn't in the mood to share what had happened between her and Jorah. Tyrion considered backing off. But this was more emotion than he had seen from her over the last months combined. Sometimes you had to break something to rebuild it, right? "I'm curious. How did you do it? How did you convince our stubborn Ser Jorah to leave you? Even banishment didn't work last-"
Daenerys turned around. "Stop it! Enough!"
They just stared at each other for a moment. Daenerys was shocked at her own outburst. And Tyrion wondered if he had gone too far. Currently, he wasn't too happy with his job as her Hand, but he was still very fond of life in general. But with sudden clarity, Tyrion realized that there was not much left to be broken. "I'm sorry," he whispered.
Pulling herself together, Daenerys said as calmly as she could, "Ser Jorah has a duty to his House and his people."
"He once told me his duty was to you," Tyrion said carefully. Jorah would have never left her. Tyrion was convinced of it now.
"It doesn't matter anymore," Daenerys replied. "He has a wife and very soon he will have a family too."
"His wife is pregnant?" Tyrion asked. Jorah hadn't mentioned anything like that in his letter. Was that the reason why Daenerys had stopped writing?
"Yes." At least House Mormont had a future now. That was what she had wanted, wasn't it?
"Then hopefully House Mormont will have an heir soon," Tyrion said. It would be a tragedy if the proud House of Mormont would end. He had been very fond of all the Lords and Ladies he had come to know, even if their characters were all somewhat curt and unwelcoming at first. Tyrion would never admit that about the current Lord of Bear Island though.
Daenerys had exchanged letters with Jorah since his return to the North. He had mostly talked about the day-to-day events on Bear Island, hardly ever mentioning his wife. Daenerys had done the same, keeping her letters mostly official, avoiding personal notes. She yearned and dreaded every letter that came. And after the last letter, in which he had told her that his wife was expecting their first child, she didn't know how to respond. She put it off again and again. She had wanted him to have a family. But reading that his wife was pregnant had hurt much more than she had expected. It made her feel so much lonelier than she already was. They hadn't been married that long and his wife was already pregnant. Admittedly, she had gotten pregnant rather soon after her marriage with Khal Drogo, but Drogo had lain with her almost every night. Had Jorah…? Daenerys couldn't finish the thought. And she had no right to be jealous. She had sent him away.
"Tell him I am fine," she said to Tyrion. "Tell him I have been busy."
Tyrion nodded and left.
Daenerys moved towards the fireplace, staring into the flames. The heat made her feel somewhat better. It made her remember the warmth she had felt during her one night with Jorah. Daenerys remembered how he had caressed her skin, how he had gently stroked her breasts, how he had savored her lips as if they were the finest wine he had ever tasted. She remembered how he had kissed the insides of her thighs, how he had grazed her delicate skin with his beard, how he had brought her to her first peak. Jorah's ministrations had been an expression of his love for her. No wonder some people called it making love. That's what he had done to her body. It had felt so right and so incredibly good. Daenerys would never forget that one night with him. Thinking about it made her sad, but she also drew strength from the memory. When she closed her eyes, she could almost feel his arms around her. Why had she sent him away? In moments like these, when she needed him the most, she couldn't really remember.
A few weeks later, Casterly Rock
"Lord Tyrion?"
"Yes?"
"Lord Mormont is here to see you."
"I'll receive him here in my quarters."
It didn't take long until Jorah was shown in.
"So you got my letter," Tyrion greeted him.
"I did."
Tyrion tapped his fingers against one another, pretending to count. "You probably set a new record on the Kingsroad." Tyrion had had no doubt that Jorah would make his way to Casterly Rock, but he hadn't expected him that quickly. He must have dropped everything and set out immediately after receiving Tyrion's letter.
"You asked me to come," Jorah said, ignoring Tyrion's remark.
"I don't recall writing anything of that sort."
Jorah rolled his eyes.
Tyrion shrugged his shoulders. "I admit, I knew it wasn't necessary."
"Where is she?"
"It's nice to see you too," Tyrion said.
Jorah looked at him with annoyance and irritation, clearly showing that he didn't have any patience for this.
"Alright, small talk later then." Tyrion got up. "Follow me. She's in her quarters."
They walked through the long corridors of the castle.
"Whose idea was Casterly Rock?" Jorah asked.
"Hers."
Jorah raised an eyebrow.
"I know what you are thinking. But it didn't even occur to me. I was just as surprised as everybody else. But she couldn't stay on Dragonstone forever."
Jorah had indeed believed that Tyrion had had at least some influence on Daenerys choosing Casterly Rock, of all places. It was the seat of the Lannisters. It overlooked Lannisport. But the Red Keep was destroyed. Rebuilding even a fraction of it would have taken years as well as resources and manpower they didn't have. And tactically, Casterly Rock was an ingenious solution to many problems.
They reached Daenerys' quarters. Tyrion knocked. There was no answer.
"Just go in," Tyrion said. "If she really doesn't want to be disturbed she locks the door." He pushed down the handle and opened the door slightly. Then he left without another word. Tyrion was very tempted to stay, wanting to see Daenerys' reaction. But they deserved for this to be a private moment.
Tyrion had no idea if it had been a wise decision to have Jorah come to Casterly Rock. He hated setting things in motion when he didn't really know what the outcome might be. Tyrion still didn't know under what circumstances they had parted ways. It might blow up in his face. It could end in a huge argument and leave Daenerys in a worse mood than before. But Tyrion counted on Jorah that he would never hurt Daenerys willingly. Tyrion had decided it was worth the risk. His relationship with Daenerys hadn't been the best lately. But he hated to see her so unhappy.
