Thank you all so much for the great response on the last chapter - it's one of my favorites I've written so far. Thank you to:
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Thank you all for your lovely reviews and go check out these awesome people. Thank you to the new follows and favorites for joining our adventure. One of my reviewers pointed out the whole 'Old Valyrian blood' aspect of the last chapter and I wanted to say - you're quite perceptive and I appreciate you a lot because you caught me in my story before I could write down this chapter XD. And that will be much explained here. There is a lot of fluff in this so be prepared, and a lot of things are revealed that we did not know before, so the info bank is real.
I hope you enjoy and let's go :)
Daenerys
Screams.
That was all she heard. She stumbled through the streets, people flying past her. Some would run into the decrepit homes that had far been forgotten by the kingdom. Others would attempt to escape into alleyways to find safe passages. But she stayed in the middle as one after another, people ran by, yelling, shouting, covered in blood.
She wanted to reach out, to help them, but her hands could not touch. A blast of fire echoed throughout the street and covered her. Once the fire cleared, the faces she had recognized running were now burned and charred onto the ground, dust settling from above as buildings toppled down onto the ground.
"No…" she whispers in shock, trying to reach out to the corpse on the ground, but it was gone. There were no remains left.
This time, however, she could touch the corpses, the irony of it all, and watched as a little corpse fell out from the arms of the larger one – a child. She steps back in horror, watching above as a dragon soared over and shot down more fire onto another section of the city.
She blinks, and suddenly she's at the brink of the castle, looking down at the thousands of people who were trying to run away and escape, but were trapped outside the city walls. She could see the dragon coming closer and closer to the castle with each blast of fire, but what she saw were the eyes on the person who rode them.
Driven by madness, corrupted by power.
She watches as civilians tried to escape into the house, and the girl runs down the steps, trying to get to them in time to help. But as soon as she reaches the bottom, fire belts out from the beast above, lighting them on fire.
"No…" she whispers again before staring up at the dragon. "No, stop!" she screams, trying to somehow get the attention of the rider who was burning down the city. "This isn't you! You know this isn't you! Stop this!"
But the words went unheard, and the fire continued to rain down on the innocent lives of the people in front of her. She watches as the beast finally lands at the top of the destroyed castle, and then stares down at her, eyes narrowed, angry, full of rage. She stares up at the rider, who looks down at her, a malicious expression in her eyes.
"Please," she whispers. "Stop…this isn't who we are. Something is wrong, I can feel it!"
The woman stares at her before shouting a single word. "Dracarys."
She was not expecting the fire to burn this much. It hurt. It hurt like a thousand knives. How was it before she was safe from the fire and now she was burning. It hurt. It hurt. It hurt so much. Screams, echoes, blood, following her into her ashes. It hurt.
And yet, when the fire cleared, she was still alive. And this time, she breathes it out again, and again, and again, the same word. "Dracarys."
Burns and burns followed her with each word and she kept shouting for release, for death, for anything, but nothing came. A stabbing sensation went through her whole body and she screamed in pain-
Daenerys screamed and gasped as she woke up, breathing heavily and looking around in shock before she realized she was in her bedroom, it was the night, and she was alone. Her eyes glaze over her body, which was not covered in soot and was not being burned or injured. She was okay.
But the innocents were not.
She places her head in her hands, letting out shaky breaths. That one had felt so real - like it had been happening directly to her. She could almost still feel the piercing pains that echoed throughout her body, the horror that went through her as people ran past her for safety. It all felt too real.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Daenerys looks up in shock, her brow furrowed, before composing herself. "Who is it?" she asks, her voice even.
"It's me."
She knew that voice, but what on earth was he doing awake this late? It had to be around the middle of the night.
"You may come in."
The door opens and out follows Jon, looking at her with a furrowed brow. He had on his regular nightclothes, but it didn't look like he had been asleep. Her brow furrows at him as he comes over to her.
"What are you doing awake?" she asks, her tone filled with suspicion.
"Don't worry," he states. "I couldn't fall asleep before, so I decided to wander the pyramid and look around. I've only ever really seen my floor and yours because the children are on those and so are you." He rubs the back of his neck. "I was walking around this floor to check on Dan and everyone, but I heard you scream. I ran as soon as I did. I thought something was wrong but when I came to your door I didn't hear a struggle."
Daenerys sighs and shakes her head. "No. I'm alright, you don't need to worry." She looks over at him. "Just…a terrible nightmare."
Jon nods quietly. "I get those too."
She was silent, looking back at the ground. Jon then coughs quietly and takes a step back.
"I'll, uh…head out then. See yo-"
"They feel real."
He stops in his tracks, looking at her. She had turned her face back to him, her lip quivering slightly, but she tried to keep her calm as much as she could before she lost her nerve. "What do you mean?" he asks gently.
"These nightmares," she says, this time her voice shaking. "I…I have them almost every night. I told you, I don't remember why I did what I did. There are so many things that just do not make sense to me. But when I see these nightmares that I have…it feels like I'm the person being burned. That I am the innocent lives that I ruined with my dragon. With me. And I don't…I don't understand why it happened. I don't understand it. I'm still so confused and I have no answers, and now my dreams are haunting me every single night."
This time, tears were starting to escape, and she couldn't stop them.
"Do you know how many times I've had these?" she asks him, her vision foggy. "Every single night since I've been awoken. Even when I had dreams of Dan, sometimes they would follow with these nightmares. Sometimes before. But they always happen, no matter what. I can't escape what I did and I don't even know why it happened, and it scares me. I don't know what to do. I don't know what to do."
Her voice breaks, and she places her head in her hands. She felt so stupid for letting Jon see her like this. She was supposed to be the queen of this city. The ruler who did not break. The woman who didn't bend to what society wanted her to do. The stone-cold ruler who would be ruthless to her enemies. But here she was, crying about her nightmares. She felt like a child – and he probably thought of her as one.
But instead of him ridiculing her, she instead felt a dip in the bed. She looks up at him in shock and he wraps his arms around her. On another day, she would wonder why he's doing this so freely, but right now, it was the release she needed. As soon as his arms linked behind her, she broke down and started to cry against him. All of the pain she had felt. All of the anger at herself, at the world, at him, at her life – everything was just let out. She didn't even remember the last time she had sobbed like this – maybe when she was a child.
It felt good. And he was there, rubbing her back, making sure to let her know that she was not alone. And maybe that was what she needed all this time – just someone to let her feelings out to. Daenerys had always been alone in this pyramid. Daemon had only been a child and she didn't want to plague his mind of the things that had happened to her years ago. Elaena was young, and she had never experienced it. And the closest person she could tell before this was maybe Daario, but he wasn't in King's Landing. He wouldn't have understood the pain she went through.
But Jon did. He understood it more than anyone. And that's why this embrace felt like the world was finally crashing down around her.
When she pulls back a moment later, her hair was practically sticking to her cheeks due to the tears, but she tries to wipe them away to save herself the embarrassment. She looks up at Jon, who was quiet. "You must think of me as a child," she mutters.
"Not at all," he says to her gently, tilting her head up to look at him. "I don't know why you would think that. I've had nightmares, too."
Her brow furrowed gently. "You have?"
He nods quietly before letting his hand fall to the bed. "Of that same day. I told you, of what I did to you…it changed me. Truth be told, that's the reason I'm here right now. I couldn't sleep because of nightmares so I just began to walk around."
"Why do you still have nightmares of what you did?" she asks quietly. "You're here now."
"The same reason you have nightmares of what you did in King's Landing," he responds. "We can get through something, but it doesn't mean we ever forget what happened…I still have nightmares about the Battle at Winterfell, how I almost lost some of the people that I care about the most." He looks down at the floor. "But then you wake up, and you realize that it's in the past, and we need to just try and move on."
She looks at him quietly before taking his hand. "It's hard to move on when you don't understand what happened."
Jon sighs and nods softly. "I know…but you aren't alone." He brings a hand over to her and squeezes her own. "You have to know that by now. I mean, you must have thousands of Dothraki out there who are staying on the outside of the city to serve you. Guards in here who would die for you."
"I know that," she responds, sighing. "I do. But they are the people who serve me…it's not like I can reveal what I say and what I think about the past to just my guards…they don't understand. You do." She bites her lip and shakes her head. "I guess you're always in the right place at the right time."
Jon chuckles a bit. "I don't know about that, but maybe." She looks up at him before glancing towards the door.
"I'm surprised my scream didn't wake the children," she states quietly.
Jon shakes his head. "Well, from experience, Dan sleeps like a log," he says to her. "Daemon I'm not sure about, but I'm sure he's far enough where he's alright right now. Why aren't guards on this floor?" he asks her.
She sighs. "I don't want to be guarded twenty-four hours of the day," she admits gently. "I know I'm a queen, but if something were to happen, I at least believe I could handle it myself for the time being until someone heard the struggle – I have been taught by someone who's pretty much a master."
Jon chuckles at her statement. "I'm not a master – but I'll thank you for the compliment. You have been getting better." Daenerys smiles a little and looks up at him, as he glances outside. "I've actually been trying to learn something new myself in my free time."
Her brow furrows. "Like what?"
She saw his cheeks turn a bit red for some reason, but after a moment he clears his throat and looks down at her. "Well, uh – with the Dothraki outside, you've been having them come into the pyramid periodically for orders. I've had one of the women helping me learn the language."
Her brow raises in complete shock. "You? A Northern man from Westeros learn the Dothraki tongue? Who's been teaching you?" she asks, almost making herself laugh.
"A girl named Asi. She's around Eleana's age but knows the language well."
Daenerys' mind begins to think back. Now that she thought about it, she had spotted the girl roaming around the pyramid with Eleana, but she hadn't thought that Jon had been the one who had been calling for her. "Why didn't you use one of the older women? Or the men? They know the language the best."
"Daenerys, they worship you," he states quietly. "Many of them won't even speak to me because they follow you as their Khaleesi. To them, I am just some man who is by your side. I'm not the person who has dragons and can't be burned by fire. So I need to learn from someone who will speak to me. Asi came in one day with Eleana and wanted to serve as a handmaiden, but I decided I needed to be taught the language, so I said she could come in here as long as she taught me the language."
Daenerys' brow furrows. "So that's why she's been in here often? You've been learning?"
He nods quietly. "I thought that if you wanted to learn something I did, I might as well teach myself how to use the language you use."
To say she was humbled and surprised would be an understatement. It was quite sweet that he was purposefully trying to learn the language so he could understand the khalasar and give orders as well, and wouldn't just sit behind her and let her do all the work. She didn't mind if he did – they were her people in the first place – but it was the thought and that he even decided to do it in the first place that counted.
"Well…you don't need to use a Dothraki girl to teach you," she states, shaking her head. "If she wants to be a handmaiden, I'll speak with her and see if she can possibly be Dan's. Dothraki women aren't allowed to fight – it's always been their custom, so it's quite hard to change. If she can find a better purpose here, she can help. That's what I did with Missendai…and she was one of the best," Daenerys continues, her voice trailing off as she thought about her friend. Those were in her nightmares too occasionally, but she tried very hard not to think about that day.
"But what about-"
"I will teach you," she responds. "It's not hard to learn once you're in tune with the Dothraki around you. And I know the language quite well."
"Daenerys, I can't ask that of you. You have other things to be working on."
The queen throws him a look and rolls her eyes. "Jon, I don't know how long we spend practicing swords. It's the least of me to teach you Dothraki – I'm sure you're probably already halfway there." At his look of shock, she chuckles. "Don't worry…I'll gladly teach you."
Jon's gaze locks on hers before he smiles quietly. "Alright…if you really want to." He looks back at the floor before nodding. "Suppose I should go so you can try to sleep again. I'll leave you."
As he goes to stand, however, she grabs his hand. It wasn't the same grip as in the tent when they lost the children. It was different, kinder, more pleading. He looks down at her and she was biting her lip before she looks back up at him, her eyes developed with some sort of – need? Desperateness? Something she hadn't felt in a long time.
"Jon, um.." She clears her throat before sighing. "Can you stay? Please?"
His brow furrows. "If you want I can be on the flo-"
"No. In the bed."
He was shocked to hear her say that, but she only nods her head, looking at the ground. She was almost too embarrassed to move her eyes back to him but there had been a push inside of her ever since Dan woke up about this, ever since they had seen the dragons. She didn't know what in the seven hells it was, but she knew it involved him. Maybe this was it.
"I…I don't want to have nightmares again, and I always feel so alone whenever they happen." She looks up at him, finally forcing herself to. "I know it's strange to ask but I just…I need something right now. Something to hold or – I don't know if any of this makes sense."
Jon looks down at her gently before slowly descending back onto the bed. She looks at him as he does before he takes her hand in his. "Of course I'll stay," he responds.
Daenerys doesn't smile but nods, happy he didn't think of her as strange before she lays down on the bed. He follows, laying on the opposite side away from her, but this didn't feel right either. This didn't feel like it fulfilled what the push was.
She looks over at him, barely visible through the darkness of the room before she suddenly pushes herself over to him and wraps an arm around his middle, laying her head on his shoulder. He tenses up as soon as she does, something he clearly was not expecting, but then all she felt was peace. It was warm and sweet and made her feel so much less alone than she did in years.
This was the push. This was the need.
Quietly, she felt an arm wrap around her after a moment. It doesn't pull her closer, but it makes sure she was secure, safe. As much as Daenerys portrayed herself as independent, as the Queen who didn't mess around with what people said, she couldn't deny the fact that she hadn't felt this peaceful in her room for a very long time.
"Is this too much?" she whispers, almost questioning herself. Here she was, in Meereen, practically cuddling the man who had killed her years ago, but it didn't feel different. It didn't feel awful. It just felt…right. And she didn't know whether to accept that or be afraid of it.
But instead, he turns to her and shakes his head. "No, it's not."
She nods in the darkness, letting her head rest again against his shoulder. Within a couple of minutes, she was falling asleep, quicker than she had in ages. As the fine caress of rest started to trickle in, and darkness started to overcome her, she felt something soft touch her forehead, before she completely subsided to her exhaustion.
When morning came, Daenerys opened her eyes and yawned, the sun peeking in from the curtains of her room. She could hear the birds chirping on her garden outside, and the wind rushes through the small bushes and trees she had. As she turned her head to look to the side, however, she saw the other end of the bed completely empty.
Had…had last night been a dream too? Had she imagined that whole encounter?
She leans up and looks around, moving out of the bed, before her eyes land on a note in the corner. She gently takes it into her hands, her eyes moving over the words.
'Daenerys,
I'm sorry for leaving you this morning, but I promised Daemon and Dan yesterday that I would train them together before Daario awoke so Daemon would be more prepared for his lesson with him – and Dan just wanted to use her sword again.
I believe by the time you wake up I'll be in town doing something with Daemon, and Dan should be here. Don't ask what it is because it's a surprise – you'll find out the day of the festival. But I hope you slept better after last night.
I'll see you soon.
-Jon.
P.S. – don't forget about the Dothraki lessons. I'm still going to hold you to that.'
She couldn't stop the smile that came onto her cheeks at reading that but quickly tried to wipe it off. Gods, what was wrong with her? She knew it was wrong of her to be thinking like this but a part of her didn't care. She should be happy that he was spending time with Daemon and Dan – like a father should – right?
Except that wasn't what she was happy about.
"What is wrong with me?" she mutters, shaking her head. At that moment a soft knock was heard at the door. "Come in!" she responds.
The door opens and in pops Eleana with a dress, a brush, and a box of beauty items, smiling at Daenerys. "Good morning, my queen," she says, walking over to her armoire that was at the opposite end of the room. "How did you sleep?"
"Um…well," she answers quietly, walking over to where she sat. As soon as she sits down, Eleana starts working on her hair, using a brush to tangle out the knots. "Better than I have in a long time."
"That's good," she states softly. "After this morning I noticed Dan and Daemon practicing without you so I didn't know if you were feeling alright."
Daenerys nods gently. "I'm feeling fine." She looks up at him. "But, uh…did Jon and Daemon leave?"
"Yes, they did. They said they would be going out to the city to bring back something for the festival. What it might be, I have no idea, but I'm sure they will be back soon. Dan is currently in her room fussing over a dress."
Daenerys' brow furrows. "What do you mean?"
"Oh, she's not accustomed to this life," she states for her, moving Daenerys' braids into two sections. "She's not used to wearing dresses and acting all fancy, so she's been struggling to figure out how to put things on. I tried to help her but the little girl is stubborn."
Daenerys chuckles a bit. It sounded like her when she was a child. "I'll speak with her after…I have to give something to her any way that's been long needed."
Eleana's brow raises. "Are you speaking about the library?"
"Yes. I think she'll have much more use out of it than I will."
Eleana nods in satisfaction. "Me too. She loves to read so much. If she wasn't your daughter I would almost paint her as a master of knowledge in the future."
Daenerys sighs softly. She didn't want to push the royal life on her daughter. She knew it was very hard for her accept who they were but she was trying slowly. Being around her father and her brother were helping, but when she was by herself, it was up to Daenerys to help her understand their way of life. And considering it was only going to be the two of them until Jon and Daemon returned, she was going to have to talk to her.
"Eleana," she starts. "Can I ask you something?"
Eleana nods as she walks over to grab some hairpins. "Yes, my queen."
"Have you been letting in a Dothraki girl?"
Eleana freezes at her words but then trips and drops all her hairpins, cursing quietly before turning to Daenerys. "I promise it was Jon's idea."
Daenerys chuckles and shakes her head. "It's alright. He told me."
"…he did?"
"Yes. You know you don't need to keep those secrets from me." She looks back into the mirror as Eleana returns to her hair. "Let Asi know that she can stay in the pyramid as long as you train her on how to be a handmaiden for Dan. I could see her fitting in well. She doesn't need to teach Jon Dothraki anymore."
Eleana's brow furrows. "Then who will teach him?"
"I will."
"Oh. Are you sure you have the time for it?" she asks the queen. Daenerys' brow furrows.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, things are starting to heat up here – no joke intended." Daenerys rolls her eyes but nods for her to continue. "With the festival happening soon to honor Dan's awakening and your arrival back, there's going to be a lot of planning and securing. And the people have been talking recently about a possible marriage-"
"Marriage?!" Daenerys sputters. "I thought we all agreed that it wouldn't be for the best if we did that at all."
"That was years ago, my queen," the girl says meekly before speaking up. "Things are getting worrisome in a couple of the cities close-by, in Astapor and Yunkai. People are possibly suggesting a union between you and a nobleman from there so we can calm possible interactions in the future."
Daenerys shakes her head. "This is something that needs to be talked about later…I don't want another marriage unless it's for…I don't know, just not that. We know what happened to the first political marriage that I had here. I don't want that to happen again. Things are in peace right now. If anything begins to escalate, I'll think of it then."
"Yes, my queen."
Daenerys nods softly before standing up and grabbing the dress from Eleana. "Let Dan know I'm going to be visiting her in a few minutes." Eleana nods, but before she could leave Daenerys grabs her hand gently. "And please give Asi a room. It's not right for her to be sneaking in and out of the pyramid."
The young girl nods and smiles a bit before heading out of the room. As soon as she closes the door, Daenerys feels herself sigh. Marriage? Were they mad? The last time there was a marriage here in Meereen between her and someone else, she had to fly away on Drogon because there were so many people who rose up against her.
Now it's not as bad – not even close. The fighting pits still happened but on the outskirts of the city, and everything had changed, whether it was for monitorial purposes or something else. But if something were to happen to her city from the outside…would marriage be the correct way to go?
I could just threaten them with my dragons, her voice mutters internally before she shakes that off. As much as she loved Drogon, she knew after facing Westeros that if you wanted to make peace, you didn't bring a dragon into the pit at first. If they didn't accept the peace, then the dragon would come forward, but it was something that was far down the line for her to even think about.
Maybe she could marry-
"No," she instantly tells herself, shaking her head. That was a bad idea waiting to happen.
She took her dress and started to place it over her body, tying it where it needed to be done, but as she did her mind kept going back and forth. They already had children – there would be the heirs. But their history in the past – it wasn't something they could just ignore, could it? No. And even so, she didn't have feelings for him. Not anymore.
…right?
"Seven hells," she mutters before stepping out of her changing area. No. She wasn't going to go down this hole. She had a job to do and she was going to do it, but first, she was going to stop by her daughter. That was her mission right now – not thinking about marriage or families or war or anything like that.
The first sign she knew her daughter was struggling was the little voices of aggravation coming from behind Dan's door.
She quietly knocks on the girl's door and hears the struggles stop before a little voice asks "who is it?"
"It's me," Daenerys responds, trying not to chuckle.
She hears little pitter pats come over to the door before it slowly opens. As soon as she saw Dan, she felt herself begin to laugh. Her dress was barely fitting her and in her struggles, she had ruined her hair. Dan stares up at her in embarrassment.
"I'm not used to these dresses," she mutters. Daenerys shakes her head and walks in, closing the door behind her.
"Go to the mirror. I'll fix you," she chuckles. Dan walks over to the mirror as Daenerys comes behind her, fixing her hair back to her two braids so she could let the rest of her hair flow, tucking in all of the baby hairs back into her tendrils of beauty. Once she was done, she moves her hands to the back of her dress, looking at her in the mirror. "How would you like a handmaiden?"
Her brow furrows. "Like Eleana?"
"Like Eleana. She's a Dothraki girl who wants to break away from them and help."
Dan looks up at her. "That girl that I've seen with father? I thought she was teaching him Dothraki."
"You knew about this too and you didn't tell me?" she asks, looking at her straight in the eyes. Dan shrinks down from where she stood.
"He wanted it to be a surprise," she mutters. "I didn't know he told you."
"Well, he did," she chuckles, before shaking her head. "You Starks and your surprises," she states before leaning down in front of her. "But, either way, I think that's a good start to you embracing your Targaryen side…she can even teach you Dothraki if you would like to learn."
"There aren't books about it?"
Daenerys snorts and shakes her head. "There are very few known translations of the Dothraki language that people have never felt the need to translate it. You learn it from it being passed down and she could help you, teach you how to properly put on a dress so you don't need your mother to come in and help you each time," she states, pulling at the strands in the back.
Dan was quiet for a moment as Daenerys finished up her dress, before stepping in front of her. After a moment, she rests her hands on her daughters shoulders.
"How does that sound?"
Dan swallows and bites her lip. "It sounds…good. It's just…a lot. All at once."
Daenerys nods quietly, nodding. "I understand." She lets her hands drop down to Dan's own hands and squeezes them. "Being a princess has never been an easy task. Being a queen isn't any easier. But you learn about it step by step. And if you ever need any help with it, I'm right here. And I'll always be here."
Dan smiles slightly and nods. "Thank you."
Daenerys squeezes her hand before bringing her towards the door. "Now, I have something to show you."
Dan's brow furrows. "What?"
"I can't tell you. It's a surprise," she mocks, but takes her out of the room, heading down the pathway to the next couple of floors of the pyramid. Dan follows next to her diligently, looking around the area occasionally while moving her head back to the front to pay attention to where they were going. When they were arriving around the corner, Daenerys stops her. "Now cover your eyes."
Dan does as she's told, taking her two hands and covering them. Daenerys pushes her forward gently before they were right outside the doors of the library, opening up both doors. She lit up one of the candles in there so Dan could see, before taking a step back.
"Alright, open your eyes."
Dan moves her hands and moves them to her mouth as her eyes went over the rows and rows of books in front of her. So many that it reached the ceiling, of years and years of history. There was a giant couch where stories could be read, as well as a table where notes could be written, or books could be piled. There in the center was a map of Westeros, and a window that looked out into the city of Meereen, a perfect view.
"This is amazing!" she whispers excitedly, running inside. "You have this in this big building and no one uses it? That's awful."
Daenerys chuckles as Dan instantly runs over to one of the bookcases, grabbing a novel that was covered in red and green foiled leather, before running over to the couch and opening it up. "Many people do not because it's normally only meant for nobles and masters, and because we don't have many of those around here, I'm giving it to you."
Dan looks up in shock and her brow was furrowed so low that it almost looked like a unibrow. "You're what?!" she questions, standing up. "This…this whole library? For me?"
Daenerys smiles and walks over to her, taking the girl's hands in hers. "I always knew from the moment I met you, you were a curious little girl. You'd constantly read books just so you could know more about the world around you, be better informed. If you're going to be ruling somewhere someday, you need to learn about as much as you can. And what better way than to gift you a library with most of the information of the world." She walks over to the edge. "I even have books on the histories of Westeros I had taken over here through spies – but we don't need to tell anyone that."
Dan looks at the books and then back at her, before suddenly running forward and hugging the lower half of her body so tightly Daenerys thought she might fall. Her arms wrap around her as well, rubbing her back.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she exclaims before stepping back. "This is one of the best presents I've ever gotten. Thank you, mother."
Daenerys watches as she runs over to the books, her little eyes surfing through the words of the first novel she began to read. "You're welcome," she chuckles, standing up. "I'll leave you to read – I'm going to go to my audience chambers for the day, but if you need anything, you let me know."
Dan nods, barely looking up from the book. Daenerys shakes her head but leaves with a smile. Was it a mistake to give Dan all this knowledge? No, but there was a possibility she wasn't going to see her daughter as much anymore now, with her head buried in books.
The day flew by without much issue. Commoners from the outside would come into the audience chamber to address Daenerys about their issues with something happening outside the walls of the pyramid, and she would come up with some sort of solution that would help. One talked on how the summer wolves in the outskirts were beginning to eat their meat, so she said she'd make sure a Dothraki post was on the outside so they could take care of them.
As soon as the person said that, she was reminded of the first time she had been here when her dragons had been eating the meat and hurting people. Her making a dragon pit outside of the city was probably one of her best ideas, and she was proud to say that no one had been hurt by them since then.
Jon and Daemon still had yet to return, and she had to admit she was a bit worried. People from the pyramid normally did not stay out in the city for too long, but she had faith in Jon that no matter what, they would return fine. He – and Daemon as well – could handle themselves.
"My queen," she hears from the side, and looks over to Kinvara approaching her. "How has the little one been feeling?"
Even since Dan had awoken, Kinvara had given her time to adjust to the world around her before starting to teach her how to control this power that she had – both powers, really. Dan hadn't reported on anything of the 'visions of the past' since White Harbor, but she was more concerned about the fire.
"She's doing well," Daenerys answers. "I just gifted her the library down below us today. I'm almost positive she's been in there the whole day just reading."
Kinvara hmms in satisfaction and stands next to Daenerys. "It should be soon we should start her training."
Daenerys brow furrows before she looks over at the red priestess again. "What is it that you're going to train her in? Firebending?"
Kinvara smiles and shakes her head. "No. While that is the informal tone for it, it's called pyrokinesis, or more 'magically' called firemages. We are able to summon and manipulate fire." She takes a step back and takes a deep breath, before waving her hands. Suddenly, a small burst of fire appears within her fingers, before flying out.
Daenerys brow raises. "That is a true power?"
"Yes, bestowed onto us from the god above. Many red priests and priestess are able to conjure it after years of training. If you remember, Melisandre conjured fire to light the Dothraki swords in the Battle of Winterfell."
Daenerys looks at her confused. "How did you know that?"
Kinvara only smiles and looks ahead. Daenerys shakes her head. Kinvara was scary, sometimes. It was like she could always see into the minds of the people around her, no matter what. She didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing, but as long as she never used it on her and it didn't cause pain, she would be okay with whatever she did.
"Either way, your daughter is especially gifted," she states gently. "Magic was long forgotten in this world once the dragons died out after the Doom of Valyria, as all magic was rooted in blood and fire for the longest of times. But once your dragon eggs began to hatch, our powers began to grow. Now, that Drogon gifted your children dragons as well, magic has only gotten stronger. If I train Dan right, she could be one of the best firemages out there."
Daenerys bites her lip, her mind thinking back to what she said. "But…if she does become a master at what you say, then will she have to go away? Like more red priests do? Give up her family?"
"My queen, what your daughter has is very different." She gestures to the outside. "Many people who practice these types of magic are already worshippers of gods above or below. Your daughter was neither. She was a normal girl before she discovered this power. The Lord of Light has gifted her with this for a reason. Whether he might take it away later or let her keep it, I do not know, but what I do know is that she is meant for something greater than a worshipper – your son as well as soon as he discovers his own."
Daenerys sighs. "Why is it that no matter what the people in my family are destined for something?" she genuinely asks, her hand on her cheek. "It seems that whenever I want them to have a normal life, the rest of the world comes knocking and says 'you can't.'"
"That's just the story the Targaryen's have written," she states softly. She looks over at her. "I will admit I did lie about something,"
Daenerys brow raises. "About what?"
"How I was able to ride your dragon."
Daenerys crosses her arms across her chest. "It has been three months and know you're telling me you lied about how you rode him?"
"I lied because you didn't understand magic as well. Now with your daughter possessing it, you've come attuned." She walks over in front of her, her hands clasped together. "If all you needed to ride a dragon was the blood of Old Valyria, many people would be able to ride dragons. It's not normal for a dragon to ride without its rider, which is why it would standardly be impossible for me to ride it."
"I told that to Dan," Daenerys states, her voice filled with annoyance. "You're telling me that isn't true?"
"Oh, I'm sure she'll read it in one of those books in there. There are thousands. If you want to know how I did, it was rooted in fire and blood magic." She glances outside. "If someone is a master of it, it's quite easy for them to be able to take control of something. I didn't want to – I rarely ever use it – but I could sense that the dragon children were in danger and if I didn't, there was a strong possibility she would have died." She turns to Daenerys again. "I know you must be angry at me for lying to you, so I will take my punishment as needed. But know that it was the only way I would have been able to save you and your daughter in time from such a far distance from Meereen."
Daenerys stares at her, a mix of emotions flurrying through her body. Yes, she was angry at Kinvara for lying – especially about using blood magic to control her dragon, one of her children, when Kinvara knew how she felt about it after she lost her former husband and Rhaego to it years ago. But at the same time, she was still grateful that she arrived in time for them to save Dan and keep her alive. She didn't know what she would have done if her daughter died because of someone hunting down her.
"I am upset," Daenerys starts, looking at the woman. "I know you have been alive for many, many years, as most red priests and priestesses are, correct?" Kinvara nods. "How long have you had mastery in these types of magic?"
"As long as I can remember," Kinvara says quietly. "I was sent to Asshai at a young age, despite the fact that children could barely survive based on the food. Nothing ever grew within the walls, so everything was shipped to us from overseas. They taught me there and I was shown sorcery that would scare even men now to witness it, but when I found the Lord of Light - my calling. Ever since then, I've been serving him through whatever he said, whether it be by magic or something else."
"You've been to Asshai as well?" Daenerys asks.
Kinvara smiles gently. "My queen, anyone who has been involved with sorcery has visited Asshai."
"Is it as bad as people say it is?" she asks quietly. She had always wondered if her dragon eggs had truly come from the Shadow Lands that were on the outside of Asshai, but had never dared wander there. The stories she had heard told from her brother as a child scared her into submission about ever going, but even as an adult now, she was quite wary.
"It's a land without sun," Kinvara states. "It's large and could contain many cities that are some of the biggest ports in the world, but Asshai is sparse and lonely. Everything is made out of black stone that makes the streets darker, filled with sorcery that many men do not wish to witness. But I can assure you that no matter what, your daughter will never be near the city. She will stay with us."
Daenerys watches her quietly before letting out a deep breath. "I'm more upset about the use of blood magic," she admits, looking up at the red priestess. "You know how I feel about that. I'm sure even if I didn't tell you, you would know. Did you bend him to your will or something like that?"
"It was more of control of the mind," Kinvara answers. "A way of steering him."
"…did it hurt?"
"No." Kinvara walks to the other side this time. "Any sort of control of the mind doesn't hurt. If anyone goes through it, it feels more like they took a long nap than someone controlling them. For Drogon, his body probably thought that he was asleep."
Daenerys bites her lip, trying to figure out how to approach this. She stands and looks at Kinvara, sighing. "While I am upset about the use of magic, I'm not going to berate you for saving my daughter's life. I am extremely thankful for it, and I always will be. However, if I ever hear you use blood magic or any type of magic again on my dragons without my permission then I will have you banned from my city. They are my children, part of my family, and I don't want them getting hurt more than they already have."
Kinvara bows her head. "Of course, your grace. I am forever in your debt for allowing me to stay."
Daenerys nods quietly. "And don't lie." Kinvara looks up at her with a raised brow. "Please. I've been lied to a lot in my life. The last person I need lying to me is you."
Kinvara stands and nods as well. "I did not want to lie, but for the time being, it was needed until the dragon princess awoke and I could properly explain what magic is happening right now." Daenerys takes a seat back down on her bench, sighing quietly. "It's a shame you and the other Targaryen are not together."
Daenerys quickly shakes her head in surprise and looks up at Kinvara with an incredulous look. "What?"
"I overheard you and Eleana talking of possible marriage suitors in the future. As much as you despise the idea, it would be good for political strategy," she states quietly. "But if you and Jon were together, you two could do whatever you wanted. Power runs easily between you two. And the people here are starting to grow used to him."
Daenerys sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose. Why is it that with every queen, marriage always had to be a topic? Why couldn't she just rule? Yes, she cared for Jon and her family, and she cared for the political alliances outside of the walls of Meereen, but she didn't want it consistently told to her.
"This is the last thing I want to have on my mind," she mutters before leaning up. "Right now, we need to focus on my daughter and the state of the city. Marriage can happen much later on if it needs to come up." Kinvara bows, acknowledging the statement. At that moment, she hears a door close and prepares herself for another commoner, but was surprised to see it was in fact Jon and Daemon. Daemon runs up to the side and hugs his mother, before pulling back.
"I'm sorry we were gone so long," Daemon states. "Father took his time."
Daenerys raises an eyebrow. "His time? Doing what?"
"I told you it was a surprise," Jon states, shrugging. "It'll only ruin it."
Daenerys shakes her head and glances over at Kinvara, and she could see a slight smirk at the edge of the red priestess' lips. Daenerys rolls her eyes and stands, turning to her. "I don't want to hear it. Make sure that if anyone else comes in, let them know I'm taking a break for a bit."
Kinvara nods as Daenerys walks off with her son and Jon, leaving the room behind for a few moments. Her mind was still ablaze with all the information Kinvara had revealed to her, and she didn't know how to properly respond to it, but she knew that hopefully within time, her daughter would come into terms with her power as Kinvara had ages ago.
"Is everything alright?" Jon asks her as they walk.
She nods gently. "Yes. Kinvara was just revealing certain things. She lied to me about the blood of Old Valyria with dragons," she states. Jon's brow raises in surprise. "Mhm. It was because I didn't understand magic before. Now that Dan has awoken, she felt the need to tell me that it was a mix of fire and blood magic she used to control him."
"Did you talk with her about how you feel with that type of magic?"
"Yes. I already told her she can't ever use it again on my dragons without permission, but I couldn't just banish her. She saved our daughter's life…it's hard to want to hate someone after that."
Jon nods quietly. "I understand that." He glances around as Daemon walks into one of the many giant meeting chambers they had. This would be where they would host the festival, and it led outside to a sprawling garden. While Daemon headed back to where his chambers would be, Jon and Daenerys took a walk on the outside of the gardens. "Where is Dan?"
Daenerys smiles. "I gifted her my library that is deeper in the pyramid, so you might not see her for a few days."
"Good gods," Jon chuckles, shaking his head. "How many books are there?"
"Thousands."
"Oh no." He looks over at her. "That's only going to end in her staying up until ungodly hours of the night." Daenerys shrugs.
"Better to have knowledge than none at all."
Jon nudges her shoulder before nodding back towards the pyramid. "It's a sweet thing you did, giving that to her. She loves to read. I think she'll make good use out of it."
Daenerys smiles and nods. "I'd hope so. She deserves it more than me. I've never made much time to visit it as much as I'd want to." She looks out into the city and sighs. "I hope this festival goes over well with everyone."
"People in the square seemed to think of it as fun today," Jon answers. "Many were talking about it."
"I hope so," she responds. "I want it to be fun. Something normal for the children and for the people. There have been so many instances of horrible things happening and all I want is for them to be happy and have a break from everything. Hopefully, this will provide that." She glances back at him and clears her throat. "And, uh…thank you for staying with me last night. I know it was strange but-"
"It wasn't strange," Jon interrupts, his eyes moving back to her own. "At least not to me." He glances back out into the city. "If you ever need someone to sleep with again, let me know." And as soon as he said that, he felt his cheeks turn red and his head hit the back of the wall. "I did not mean it like that I meant-"
"I know," Daenerys snickers before calming herself down. "I know," she repeats, looking back up at him with a kind smile. "Really. Thank you. It means a lot…I slept well last night."
"Me too," he admits softly, smiling a bit. It was silent between them before Jon suddenly sprang forward. "Well, I have to make sure this surprise is in order for the festival tomorrow, so I'll leave you to your queenly duties."
Daenerys brow raises. "What is this surprise?!" she calls out after him as he leaves.
"If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise anymore, now would it?!" he exclaims back before disappearing out of sight back into the pyramid. Daenerys shakes her head and chuckles, looking back out into the city.
Maybe everything would work out for the better. Maybe they would be safe. Maybe…they could all be a family.
But for now, she would just have to wait and see.
She sighs once more, shaking her head of miscellaneous thoughts before walking back inside. Enough of Jon Snow and her state of mind – she had a city she needed to rule and people that needed help, and she was going to help them one step at a time.
The Hills of Meereen
From beyond the peak, a small figure looked into a glass shard, peeking into the gardens of the Great Pyramid. They spot a person heading back inside without seeing their face, but the figures eyes land on the person they were looking for. The Dragon Queen, standing outside, her blond hair flowing in the wind while her dress did the same.
The queen took a deep breath before going back into the pyramid, and the small figure smiles from where they sat, lowering the piece of glass before grabbing their pack. "Found you," they whisper before standing and walking down back into the city, their hood atop their head.
The festival would be their mark. And tomorrow, the Dragon Queen would fall, once and for all.
I gotta stop with these long ass chapters lol
So know we have a bit of an explanation with fire, and the old Valyrian blood lie, and we have more fluffiness with Jon and Dany because I really wanted to make it cute for once, and now...who is this at the bottom? Hmmm. You all are gonna freak next chapter it's gonna be so good haha
I've also been thinking of changing the title of this story to "Fire and Blood" because it has much more to do with the Targaryen's than the Darkness of Day, even though the current title has something to do with the story later on, but what do you guys think? Should I keep the current title or change it to "Fire and Blood"? Or maybe "Blood of the Dragon" or something like that? It's up to you, though!
As always, love it? Hate it? Want to cut off all my hair and proclaim me un-honorable as a Dothraki would? Let me know in the reviews, as they always keep me going and writing for you all - you guys are awesome! Don't forget to follow and favorite to join us on our adventure, and I will see you all in the next chapter. Thank you so much for reading and I hope you guys have an awesome day! :)