The Darkness of Day

by WalkingPotterGirl14

He put a dagger in her heart. She died. End of story. Or was it? The Gods decide that there's more to tell, more to save, and more heartbreak to follow in the story of Daenerys and Jon's lives, starting with new revelations right outside their doors. (Rated T until chapter 26, Fix-it Fic, obvious spoilers for the show)

34. Jon: The Barrier

Thank you guys so much for the great response on the last chapter! Thank you to:

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Your reviews always inspire me to keep writing and pushing out these chapters, and a big welcome to the new follows and favorites! I was originally going to cut this in half but I thought against it because then the chapter would have been too short. This has a lot of info-dumps really, and a lot more fluff than I planned so just stay tuned lol hope you enjoy! This chapter is going out earlier than usual because I have some family commitments but I'm so excited to share it with you!

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Jon

Gods he loved her.

It was mornings like this where Jon took his time to really appreciate the beauty that was Daenerys. He said it all the time and knew it each moment he looked at her, but there was something so innocent about mornings alone.

He had carried Nesara back to her chambers once the first light of morning began to break through their curtains. She had been completely unconscious and he knew that it wouldn't be hard to put her back to bed. But when he did eventually place her under her furs, he still made sure she was warm, tucked in, and comfortable before leaving so she could finish out the rest of the morning in peace.

When he came back to their chambers he had almost instantly gone back to sleep due to his mind being completely active the night prior with what Daenerys had spoken to him about. He hadn't gotten a peaceful night's rest, that was for sure. All he wanted to do was go back to sleep now, honestly.

But there was something about her that just sat so well with him. Looking at her peaceful expression, completely oblivious to the world outside. It was moments like this where he saw the real Dany, the woman he fell in love with all that time ago, the sweet beauty who wanted everything good for this world.

It was strange how at first when he found out their relation how much he had tried to avoid her. To not love her. What would he have done? Even if he did somehow let go of his needs, his desire to be with her, he would have spent the rest of his life pinning after her if she had lived. And in all honesty, what they did wasn't bad – people just like to assume it was half the time.

Dan had mentioned it to him when he first told her that it wasn't like Jaime and Cersei – something he fully agreed with shouldn't have happened just because they grew up together and were birthed together – but there was more that he didn't know before. He had read he didn't know how many books at this point, and it turns out, what they did was quite common.

From scrolls and visions Dan had given to him, he had found out that even the Starks had relations within each other years ago to preserve the family line. Tyrion's mother, Joanna, was the cousin of Tywin, not some other maiden from another family. It was amazing how people loved to poke at what he and Daenerys were when they were no better.

No, they were never disgusted by what they were. They were never afraid of that. What they were afraid of was their power. What the two of them could accomplish. He hadn't seen it at first because of his fucking honor, but now, the vision was clear. Everything made so much more sense now. He and Daenerys were made for each other. The last two Targaryen's.

And he would make sure that they accomplished everything they wanted to do, regardless of if the Night King was back or not.

He sighs quietly as he brings a hand up to her cheek, stroking away her hair from her face. The movement causes her to rumple her nose in her sleep, but she keeps her eyes closed, continuously unconscious. He chuckles a bit, letting his hand rest on her skin.

He hated thinking that she felt unsafe. Daenerys had been through so much. She had lost so much. Now, she had gained so much in the span of time they had been together, and now there was this possible threat over her head where she didn't feel protected anymore. He had sworn to her countless times over that he would never let anyone cross him.

But what if it was the Night King again? Or something worse? How would they even go about explaining that to the people that they lead? Did they even know about the Night King besides their prophecy that they had here?

And if it was a threat again, how would they go about facing him? They didn't know where he was, or whom he was with, or what he was doing. They didn't know if Westeros would even consider helping them, and trying to convince the people of Essos would be near impossible…it would be the biggest challenge of his life.

But then again, his life was full of big challenges.

Even so, the rest of the realm and the world wasn't what worried him though. It was his children. It was his lover right in front of him. It was his family. When he first found Dan, he had promised her to give her a normal life. When that seemed a little unreachable, he had promised to keep her safe from the harms that would come their way. And when he finally found happiness again with his daughter, his son, and Daenerys, he had sworn he would lay down his own life for theirs to give them their own joy.

But what if that was just a dream? What if they could never truly have happiness or joy without someone threatening their lives? And now, it wasn't just some random person. It was the possibility of their greatest enemy yet, appearing again.

Suddenly, the covers move next to him and his eyes travel to where Daenerys was waking up. She still had on her robe from last night due to Nesara sleeping with them, but it was becoming undone. As soon as her beautiful eyes opened, he feels his heart stop. Gods, she was always so stunning.

"Where…where's Nesy?" she asks, her voice still filled with sleep, looking around the room groggily.

"I brought her back to her room a couple of hours ago," he says to her gently, resting his hands against her side. She lets her head fall back down to the pillow, letting out a soft sigh.

"Is she alright?" she asks softly, her eyes starting to become more awake.

Jon nods. "When I carried her, she was out cold. I think sleeping with us did the trick." He pulls Daenerys closer to him and she rests her hand against his chest. His fingers start to run through her tendrils, her body curling up against his. It was moments like these he savored as a ruler.

Throughout the day, everything moved so quickly. From one person to the next, and then to another. He barely had time to really let himself relax. But the mornings and the nights were dedicated to the woman he loved.

"Do you think…" Daenerys' voice broke the silence. "Do you think her nightmares might have been…like mine?"

"I think if that little girl had the nightmare you had, she would have done more than just come to our bed – probably be traumatized." He looks down at her as she moves her head up to look at him, her eyes searching his own. "It was probably just the dreams of children. They could have nightmares about an animal they saw."

"True," she states quietly, her hand resting on his chest. When she moves his time however to look down at him, he could see one of her breasts slip out from behind her robe that was beginning to fall down her shoulders. He raises an eyebrow as he pulls her closer to him, but she only laughs. "Jon, no," she chuckles.

"What?" he murmurs, before leaning up and kissing her gently. "We can't have a little fun?"

"You want to have fun every morning!" she states incredulously.

"Well, if you weren't so gorgeous, I wouldn't have to," he responds back. Daenerys rolls her eyes, and he sees her cheeks turn a light red, but she moves her body off of his. He misses the warmth but doesn't fight it.

"Jon, you know just as well as I do that we have other things to do." She walks over to the edge of the bed, but Jon suddenly pulls her back onto his lap without warning, causing her to squeal. "Jon!" she exclaims, but her laugh was evident in her voice.

"Stop, come here," he states softly, pulling her gently to him. Daenerys turns her head to look at him and he lets her sit on his lap, her body fitting together perfectly with his own. He rests his hands against her hips, before moving one up to her face.

It was so rare for people to see Daenerys like this. The care-free version, with no braids in her hair and a smile on her face. He understood the royal and leader aspect of who they were, but he would never deny that he loved these moments the most.

"What are you doing?" she asks him, her voice quiet.

"Memorizing you," he answers, his eyes looking all over her. And he was. Every inch of her body.

She raises an eyebrow. "After all this time you don't think you've memorized me?"

"Oh, Dany, I could never get enough of you," he replies, his hands moving to where her hips were now. "The world could be ending outside our window and I would still want you sitting right here." Daenerys chuckles, looking down at the furs.

"You know…I'm quite sure this is the most love I've ever been given," she states softly.

He raises an eyebrow. "Why do you say that?"

"Well…you know Khal Drogo. He was never a man of words or anything like that. He tried his hardest to show he cared later in our marriage but I don't think I ever truly loved him…I cared for him a lot, was heartbroken by his death, but no one ever really filled that void afterward. I tried to with Daario, and although he was kind with his words, that was about it. He was a skilled swordsman with an 'eh' cock."

He feels his hands tighten on her hips at the mention of Daario, jealousy, and anger souring through him, but Daenerys reaches down and grabs them from where they were, moving them to her waist.

"Stop, Jon. You know you're much better than any of them, and if I had met you years ago, they wouldn't have even been options," she states to him, leaning down and pressing a kiss against his lips. He hmms against hers, his arms wrapping tightly around her to keep her close.

"And what of my cock?" he asks her huskily when she pulls back, and she snorts, a rather un-queenly like sound, but it was so much he felt himself begin to chuckle at her smile. When she calms down, she turns to him.

"What do you mean?" she laughs.

"I mean is it 'eh?' like Daario's?" he asks her with a raised brow.

Daenerys shakes her head. "What is it when men and their cocks? I swear all of them are the same," she chuckles before leaning down into his ear. "Your cock is the best and only cock I will ever have for the rest of my life. Better than anyone else's. And it belongs to me."

Daenerys settles that with a tiny nibble of his ear before pulling back, a small movement that sent a shot of arousal through his body, but he shoves it down. He didn't want to get all worked up again when he knew they needed to go soon.

"It better be," he states as she giggles at his protectiveness. But it was true. Jon had never really cared for women for a long time due to what he was planning on doing with his life. He had never thought about having a woman as his own, to love and nurture and take care of.

But ever since meeting Daenerys, there was some sort of primal instinct that had taken over him whenever her life was threatened. He would truly do anything to protect her or their children. And anyone who stepped in his way would be a fool.

Daenerys moves again to stand, and this time he lets her go, watching quietly as she went to undo her robe to get ready. "Did you have any nightmares last night?" he asks her from where he laid.

"No, actually," she says quietly. "I think I was blessed last night…maybe if I had nightmares, I would have scared Nesara off." Jon watches with hungry eyes as she removes her robe, letting it fall to the ground so she could start dressing. He knew it was normal for her to be getting ready, obviously, but he couldn't help but want to touch her. It was a bloody addiction.

Eh, fuck getting worked up. He wanted her.

He gets up out of bed and walks over to her, resting his hands against her hips from behind. He could see her smile in the reflection of her mirror while she brushed her hair.

"Jon," she warns.

"I'm just touching," he murmurs.

"Touching always leads to something more with you," she states, turning around to face him. His hands stay put on her hips while she wraps her own around his neck. "What will it take to get you to get ready and not touch me?"

"A sword to kill me."

Daenerys chuckles at his response, shaking her head. "Seven hells, Jon," she snickers. "You're insatiable."

She turns back around and goes to grab her robe again, but he stops her midway. Daenerys raises an eyebrow at him, but he doesn't move from his spot.

"Jon-"

"Dany, I know you want to just as much as I do," he states bluntly, while his hand traveled down her thighs to within them, ghosting around the area where her sensitive nub was. He saw her swallow once he did that, her resolve breaking only slightly.

A moment later she gets her composure back. "And…what if I don't?" she asks.

Jon shrugs and moves his hand away from where it was. Instantly he could see a bit of a frown appear on her lips at his sudden escape. "If you don't want it, then I won't do it. I'm not going to go against your will…but judging by how your body is shaking right now and the lumps that rise on your skin when I touch you…kind of hard not to assume."

Daenerys bites her lip and then reaches out, pulling his hand closer to her. "Well…there has been one thing on my mind."

"And what is that, my love?" he murmurs to her once he was comfortably settled in-between her naked thighs again.

"I was thinking about last night," she states, looking up at him through wistful lashes and a small smirk on her lips. "How we fell asleep together with Nesara…and it had me thinking of you with the children…how you've read stories to them, played with them…how you've so easily taken care of Nesy when you could have written her off…"

"Why would I do that?" he asks her, his brow furrowed. "She's a child. They're all children. They need to be taken care of."

She hmms and rests her hands against his chest, before leaning up into his ear. "You have no idea how wet that gets me."

He pulls back from her with his brow now raised, staring in shock. "Taking care of a child gets you off?"

"No," she chuckles, shaking her head. "No, Jon. What makes me feel the way I do is seeing the man that you are. You don't understand – many men aren't like you. They wouldn't give two shits about some other person's child. Or sometimes even their own. As long as their lives aren't affected half the time by it, then why bother? But you? You're not just a great father to our children, you've been a great father to the Galeron's too. You fully accepted them into your lives, and it only shows the amazing heart that you have."

Jon smiles softly at her statement. He hadn't thought about that really. They hadn't even brought up the conversation to the Galeron's about being taken under their wing – it just sort of happened. But hearing Daenerys say that made him feel like he was doing something right.

"We still need to talk with them about that," he mumbles.

"I know," she states with a smile, resting her hand against his cheek. "But after everything you've done for them, I don't think they'll be much of a difference in opinion. I mean, you even taught Zaevar and Mae how to fight. That's something most men wouldn't do unless with their own children. Much less a girl."

"I've told you I don't care if they're a boy or a girl," he states quietly. "Just if they can protect themselves."

"Either way," Daenerys continues. "You still chose to teach them. You chose to guide them when it isn't your responsibility. You have this…goodness in you that I don't see in many men. Maybe it's the reason I fell for you." She brings a hand up to his cheek, stroking it softly. "Maybe it's these devilishly handsome good looks," she states, causing him to snicker. "For whatever reason, it's you that I love…what you've done and what you're continuing to do…you're the sweetest and kindest man I've ever met. And I hope the last one I ever meet as well."

"You're giving me too much praise, Dany," he says softly as he lifts her up onto the dresser they had. She doesn't fight it. Her arms were still wrapped around his neck.

"Why do you say that?"

"I've done some horrible things," he states quietly.

His eyes instantly travel to where the scar was above her heart, but before he could even mention it, she tilts his head up, looking at him with the most loving expression he had ever seen.

"All of that is in the past," she says to him firmly.

"It doesn't change the fact that I still did it," he answers, his voice low, grief escaping him. "I still hate myself for what I did, for how easily I was manipulated."

"And none of that matters now," she reassures him softly. "What happened in the past stays in the past. We aren't what we used to be. We're different. Better. I know we are. You can't keep letting what happened define who we are."

Jon glances at the ground. He hadn't been letting his own feelings get ahead of him lately because he had been so focused on the benefit of the city around them, but he wouldn't deny that what he did wasn't on his mind. He kept wondering how he had gotten so lucky to have her back in his life, to have her as his companion. How they had somehow gotten past what happened between both of them. He still couldn't believe it.

"So am I forgiven?" he asks her quietly, forcing his eyes back into her own.

Daenerys' brow furrows before she slowly shakes her head. "Jon, there's nothing to forgive."

"I know, but I…I just need to hear it." His eyes search hers, trying to show the feelings that were going through him. "I feel like we've changed but…neither of us have said those words and-"

"I forgive you, Jon," she interrupts, causing him to stumble in his words.

"I…what?"

"I forgive you." She rests her hands against his cheeks again, smiling softly. "I feel like we've already been far past this stage since I've let you into my bed and took a throne with me, but if you really need to hear it, there it is. I forgive you for what you did. And anything else involved. It was a different world. A different time. And we're different people now. There's nothing stopping us."

Jon looks at her with a smile before settling his hands back on her hips. "I love you," he murmurs, staring at her with adoration. Daenerys chuckles and leans in, pressing a gentle kiss to the tip of his nose.

"I love you, too." When she pulls back, she bites her lip and glances at the door. After a moment, she moves her gaze back to his own. "You know if you want…we might have some ti-"

She doesn't even finish the sentence. His lips were on hers quicker than any of her dragons, pushing against her body like he was aching for it. Her legs wrap around his torso and pull him close, while her hands tangle into his hair. Her naked body against his clothed one was causing him way too much stress.

He quickly pulls back and takes off the shirt he was wearing before pushing himself right back into the kiss, touching every part of her. She sighs happily against him before pulling away after a moment, letting her hands rest against his chest. "You know…we can't do this every morning."

"And why is that?" he asks, his hands moving up to her shoulders to cup her face.

"We have duties, Jon…as much as it pleases – ohhh," she moans, her eyes closing when one of his hands snake down to where her cunt was, his hand starting to move slow, torturous circles around her nub. He smirks at her reaction.

"What was that, love?" he murmurs.

"Just keep doing that," she breathes, her head tilting back.

"With pleasure," he responds before slamming his lips back onto hers, a fury mix of love and passion.

She welcomes him completely, exploring and tasting her mouth until she was squirming against his fingertips. His cock had hardened and was throbbing, desperate for some sort of release, but he didn't want to push himself yet. He wanted to please her, to watch her come undone in his arms.

"I have to taste you, Dany," he murmurs against her lips. Before she could even respond, he had started moving his touches down her body, from her neck to her stomach, nuzzling his way at her thighs, placing sweet, kisses towards her wet and glistening core.

As soon as his tongue started to make contact with her cunt, she cries out. "Oh qogralbar, ȳdra daor keligon!" she exclaims, her legs wrapping tightly around his head.

He savored the taste of her nectar, the sweetness overwhelming him. Her hands curled into his dark curls, whimper after whimper following as Jon stabbed his tongue deep into her depths, mercilessly. He could feel every muscle of her body tensing, her body trembling beneath him as he kissed her sensitive little bundle of nerves.

One of his hands reach up and cup over her breasts, squeezing them gently in his attempt to bring her over the edge quicker. He could feel herself coming closer and closer, her head hitting the wall behind her as her back arched, until there was a sudden knock at the door.

Daenerys looked up in surprise while Jon glared at the door. "Who is it?" he barks out.

"It's me, your grace," he hears Taevar's voice say from the other side. "The small council wishes to meet and we've been waiting for some time. We have to discuss the downing of the wall."

"It can wait!" he exclaims, anger taking over him.

Daenerys reaches over to him and grabs his hand that was against her clit. Jon turns his gaze over to her, not believing what she was doing, until she suddenly slips the wet digits into her mouth, her eyes never leaving his, her tongue swirling around them until they come out with a 'pop.'

A primal instinct took over and he instantly fumbles with his trousers, wanting to pull them down as fast as possible. Daenerys turns her gaze towards the door. "We'll be out a couple of minutes, Taevar – we just awoke!"

He slams a hand over her mouth and barely gives her any time to comprehend what he was doing, before he slams his cock into her tight wet cunt. She gasps into his palm, her hands digging into his skin, but tries to stay quiet. Jon hears Taevar sigh before he speaks.

"Alright. Hurry it up, you two."

As he walked away, Jon could see Daenerys' cheeks redden at the idea of Taevar knowing what they were doing, but he doesn't give it much thought. He instantly starts to slam into her as hard as he could, the weight of the dresser hitting the wall behind them with each thrust. Her legs wrap around him tightly, trying to take him even deeper.

"Fuck, yes!" Daenerys moans into his neck. They both knew they needed to be as quick and quiet as possible, but it was so hard to do that with this woman in front of him. "Gods, deeper, Jon."

He looks down at her before suddenly lifting her lips up and onto his shoulders. Her brow furrows at the new position before he pushes himself more into her, and he watches in ecstasy as her mouth dropped open into a small 'o,' her eyes rolling to the back of her head. Jon smirks at her reaction and begins the same movements as before, only this time at her request – deeper.

"Oh, kessa, kessa!" she whimpers, her body shaking. He takes the opportunity to stabilize her with his hands, both resting on top of her breasts palming and squeezing them to bring her over the edge like he had wanted to do before. He rests his head in the crook of her neck, his own release fast approaching him, but he holds off for her sake.

"Fuck," he growls, his teeth biting down onto her neck. The little moment makes her nails dig into his skin, sure to leave marks. "Māzigon syt nyke, ñuha zaldrīzes," he murmurs into her ear.

She opens her eyes to look at him, and that one look was enough to send himself towards the end. Her eyes were hooded and directed fully at him, with every ounce of feelings she had, desire, and lust ridden across her orbs. And it was all directed at him.

Her cunt clenches down onto his cock, her tight velvety walls sinking around him, until her climax reached her, breathless moans of his name escaping her mouth, her body wrapped around his own. He rides it out with her, only taking a few more thrusts until he feels himself come undone, holding her close while spilling himself into her.

After a few breathless moments, he leans in and rests his forehead against her own, feeling her chest rise and fall with each soft breath. "We…need to control…urges," she states with a smile.

He scoffs but doesn't move from her arms. "If it's a way to avoid you, I don't want it." Daenerys chuckles a bit and looks up at him, arms wrapped around his body, nose touching his own. She was happy, and he was the one who made her that way. "I'll get you that second orgasm later," he murmurs.

"I'll be looking forward to it," she chuckles, before leaning up and pressing a soft kiss against his lips. When she pulls back, she bites her lower lip a little, glancing at the ground. "Is…the wall really going to come down today?"

"It's not going to come down if we don't agree on it," he reassures her softly, taking her hands in his, causing her to look up. "We do this together. No taking down of walls without the other. No nothing."

Daenerys smiles at his words and nods. "Good…because I think I'm ready."

Jon's brow raises in surprise. "What…what about last night? With Nesara and your nightmares and…everything else?"

She goes to jump off the dresser but Jon has none of that and instead lifts her off of it into his arms. She laughs at his excessiveness but doesn't protest, and smiles as he lays her back down on the bed, before joining her there. "It's all because of that, though."

His brow furrows. "You're confusing me, my dragon."

She laughs at his statement before she rests a hand against his own. "Long after you and Nesara fell asleep, I did wake up at one point, and I kept thinking…what is a life worth living if you're in a bubble?" She looks back up at him. "For years, I was under the influence of people that I thought cared about me, especially my brother, but then I started to experience what true power is like. What being free is like. And yet, here I am, afraid that something bad might happen to my family and me? I'm letting fear run my life again…and I can't allow that to happen."

"But I thought you were scared of what's to come?"

"I am," she honestly replies. "There's no denying that…but I can't let my own insecurities about the world stop us from helping the ones who need it the most – the people outside these castle walls. The ones who have been here for years, aching to be free, just like I wanted to be when I was in my brother's grasp. I want to be able to watch the children and their parents fly on their dragons far away from here. I want to be able to see Nesara, Mae, and Zaevar find friends that aren't ones that are within this little world…I want to marry you and get out of this city we're so trapped in."

Jon looks at her softly, his hands enveloping her own. "We're going to, I just wanted a good time to do it."

"Even then, I don't want to get married in here," she states, gesturing around. "This may be where we live right now, but it's not our home. It's not our life. And as soon as we let the wall down, we can return to that." She lets out a deep breath and sits up straight. "And if for some reason the Night King has returned, we will do what we originally planned: face him, together."

He leans up so he could look her in the eye. "Are you sure about this, Dany?"

Daenerys nods her head. "I'm positive. It needs to happen. And I'm willing to do it if you are."

Jon smiles and leans in, pressing his lips once more against hers. When he pulls back, he strokes her cheek. "I love you."

"I love you too," she murmurs, but then pulls back. "We still need to do research, however…I'm still perplexed about the sigil and we have to find some sort of information on it regardless."

"Of course we will." He pulls her into his arms and kisses the side of her head, feeling her smile against his skin. "I'm just happy you're feeling better about this."

"All because of you," she whispers. He leans in and kisses her again, pulling her back onto his lap. As her arms begin to wrap back around his body, however, a much louder knocking appeared on the door, causing the two to split.

"Your morning excursions need to end, your graces," come Taevar's tired voice. "I've given you enough time!"

Jon rolls his eyes as Daenerys giggles. "We'll be out in a minute, Taevar!"

He hears the man grunt and he stomps off again, before Jon shakes his head, watching Daenerys stand. "Moments like this I wish we weren't ruling anymore."

"Oh, stop. Get on up. It's not like we can't continue it later." She presses a soft kiss against his lips and pulls back, finally going to get dressed, but all he could was smile. She had a point. They did have all the time in the world.

---

The council meeting hadn't lasted long – probably due to most of them cracking jokes about how long it had taken the king and queen to come down to the room.

It had been all fun and games until Jon himself had told the rest of the council to, and he quotes, "can it about him and his wife before he fed them to the dragons."

And due to them wanting to keep their limbs intact, the jokes had ended there.

Once they had collected themselves, they started their weekly council of how the city was going. They would talk of economics, construction, and overall structure of how the kingdom was running, and as of right now it seemed that what they had wanted to do was going to plan. The only thing they had needed to discuss was the takedown of the wall.

After some long-winded discussion, all had agreed to bring down the wall at sundown, so people could enjoy the day. Meanwhile, Jon and Daenerys could do the research on the sigil that he had promised her the night prior. And when they did leave, he could see the doubt in her eyes.

He knew she was nervous about what they would find, what Kinvara might speak to them about, but it's what needed to be done. So, he reaches over and takes her hand in his before they left the castle. She looks over at him, and he feels himself smile a bit.

She tilts her head. "What are you smiling at?"

"You look so regal," he states, chuckling a bit. And it wasn't a lie. During the day, when they would meet with their council and address the commoner's issues of Valyria, they would dress like they were supposed to. While Jon couldn't care less what he wore – they were nice pieces of clothing – he always enjoyed seeing the new dresses the seamstresses would make for Daenerys to wear.

She looked great in every one of them but the different colors were maddening.

And of course, the crown that sat on her head made the look all the better. When he looked at her like this, it really sat with him that this was what she was meant to do – to rule. And he was so fucking proud of her for coming so far.

Daenerys instead raises an eyebrow to him. "You should talk. I've never seen you so often with a crown."

"It's just for looks," he mutters, shaking his head. "Honestly, it makes my head itch."

Daenerys laughs at that, squeezing his hand. "A minor issue in the grand scheme of life, really," she chuckles, walking towards the doors to the castle. "I suppose we should change though…maybe going out in these clothes isn't exactly…smart in the streets."

Jon glances over at the skies as he sees their dragons fly over. Drogon had taken up to flying above the castle pretty regularly to keep an eye on his mother – which Jon understood why – but he had seen Jonarys appear at the perch over and over as if wanting to be ridden. It was amazing how often he came.

And now Jon wanted to grant his request.

"I think there's a quicker way," he states, walking over to the edge and scratching Jonarys on the side of his head. The dragon lets out almost a purr, happy to be at his bidding.

Daenerys raises an eyebrow as she walks over to his side. "You want to willingly ride a dragon?"

He looks at her like she had a third head. "Why are you saying that like I've never ridden a dragon willingly before? The volcano? Sothoryos? The Battle of Winterfell?"

"Oh, you know what I mean," she states, chuckling a bit. "Each time most of those were out of circumstance. I don't think you've ever wanted to just go for some 'leisurely stroll' with a dragon."

Jon looks over at Jonarys, who lets out a small screech, his wings flapping, wanting to take off. And then he looks back over at Daenerys with a small smile. "Well, if I'm going to be embracing who I am more, might as well start from the top."

Daenerys smiles at his statement and nods, walking over to his side. "I suppose so," she murmurs, watching as Jonarys lowered his body for them to climb on. "Get on, then."

Jon does so, climbing onto Jonarys' side, before securing himself. He turns to help Daenerys but realizes that she had a lot more experience than he did, and watched as she climbs on almost gracefully. He hoped that that skill would come with time.

But then again, Dany made everything she did look gracefully nine times out of ten.

"Ready?" he asks her. She responds by wrapping her arms around his waist from behind, resting her head on his shoulder. He then turns his head towards Jonarys and speaks, "Sōvegon," and within seconds, Jonarys was off the ground, into the air with a screech.

Jon watches from below as they soar into the clouds, seeing many of the commoners wave at them as they flew. It was amazing how they could still recognize them just from the type of dragon they flew – they really paid attention to who was ruling.

It was strange, how his mind was working these days. He found himself liking the people of Valyria so much more than the people back home. Don't get him wrong – he loved many people who still lived in Westeros. Sam had been his best friend, and many men who were part of well-known families had fought with him until their dying breath, while some celebrated with him afterward. He would never do anything to harm them or place them in jeopardy.

But the more he spoke with the commonfolk here, the more he realized that were so much smarter than the ones back in Westeros.

He really shouldn't judge. He had grown up in a castle his whole life despite being a bastard, but he had met plenty of common people from his time as King in the North, as well as working with Daenerys when she was trying to take over. And none of them seemed to understand courtship, or royalty, or simple economics. It was almost tiring. It was no wonder that most rulers had other people do the dirty work.

But here in Valyria, he felt that most understood what they did and why they were doing it. Most understood the value of their money, the value of their time, and the value of their lives. If something bad was going to happen, they bloody listened and got out – which is something he noticed many stubborn Westerosi didn't do.

He didn't know really. Maybe it was that the people of Westeros had gone through many battles and hardships and Valyria hadn't as much, but even then, they had been trapped here for years and yet they never rebelled or anything like that until he and Daenerys came along.

It took the two people that actually wanted to make a change to spark the rest to ignite the flame. And everything else followed afterward.

He looks behind him and sees Daenerys smiling, waving down at many of the commoners, and he swore he fell in love all over again. This was the Dany he had fallen for years ago, the one that he knew had good in her heart, the woman that felt for the innocents and the ones beyond that – it was amazing how one person – namely, his fucking family – had managed to take that all away.

He didn't know if he could ever truly forgive them for what they had done. Maybe in another life, but right now? There was nothing but the anger he felt. He didn't know what he would do if he ever saw them again.

It doesn't take them long to arrive outside the temple, and when they do, Jon gets off first, followed by Daenerys. A couple of the commoners who were there wave to them, some shouting in Valyrian, while others were joyful. Daenerys turns to Jon, taking his hand. "I have to go on more rides with you," she whispers to him as they walked towards the temple, Jonarys flying off back into the sky.

He feels himself smirk before glancing down at her. "I'd be alright with that."

At realizing what it sounded like, she smacks his arm playfully. "Jon!" she chastises, her voice low.

"I'm just saying," he chuckles before stepping towards the door. He then turns to her and squeezes her hand. "Dany, listen to me." Her smile vanishes at his tone, and she nods, watching him. "I don't know what's going to await us in there. I don't know exactly what Kinvara may or may not know about these dreams or any of it. But know that no matter what, you have me, you have your family and thousands of people who love you."

Daenerys smiles softly at him before nodding. "I understand, Jon…don't worry."

Jon lets out a deep breath at her acceptance before nodding. Together, they walk into the Temple of the Lord of Light, looking around quietly. The last time he had stepped foot in here, it had been finding out what happened to Daemon. Ever since then, he had a sour taste in his mouth regarding the red priests, but Kinvara had never been that way.

Vamon comes forward once he spots them and bows his head. "My king and queen. It's an honor."

"Pleasure is ours," Daenerys answers quietly as Vamon turns his head upright again. "But we've come here on official business. We'd like to speak with Kinvara."

"Of course, follow me."

---

Jon had forgotten how nice the head priestess' chambers had become since he and Daenerys had taken the throne.

While Daenerys had given her an area in the castle that she was allowed to stay in, Kinvara had insisted on staying in the temple, as the castle had 'too many bad memories.' Jon didn't blame her. If he had gone through what she had, he wouldn't want to be staying in that place either.

So once they were crowned, he and Dany had worked on getting Vamon into a smaller area of the church, while Kinvara would have the head chambers for her own practices and needs. While Vamon seemed like a nice man – or at the very least, okay – Kinvara deserved far more in their eyes.

Her room was dark, which was what was expected, but her furniture was large and supplied plenty of rest and relaxation after what she had gone through. And towards the entrance behind two giant red curtains bathed in sunlight was a large desk that was spread out with thousands of papers and scribblings – thoughts and prayers of the people.

And she sat there at her desk, writing down something. When they walked into the room, she turns her head up and smiles at them. "Daenerys, Jon – Vamon, why are they here?"

"The king and queen said it was official business," he answers, stepping out of the room. Kinvara stands and moves to the front of her desk.

"Well if it's official it must be important. Come, have a seat." Jon closes the door behind them while Daenerys walks over to the two chairs that sat in front of the desk before he follows after a moment. As soon as they sit down, Kinvara turns back to them. "Now what is it that is troubling our king and queen of Valyria?"

"It's…personal issues," Daenerys starts quietly.

Kinvara raises an eyebrow and looks between the two of them. "I beg your pardon?" But they only continue their silence. "If this has something to do with intimacy, there's not much I-"

"No!" Jon instantly states, his cheeks turning red. Daenerys was holding back laughter, looking at him. "No, that's not what we're here to talk about. We're…perfectly alright on that matter."

"I know. The whole entire kingdom can hear," Kinvara jives. And that caused Daenerys to blush. "Oh, calm yourself. I'm joking. What is it now?"

After she composes herself, Daenerys turns her head back to her. "I've been having nightmares lately…and we think it might have some connection with the drawings Daemon has done, as well as the mark Dan saw when she had her seizure."

Kinvara's brow furrows as she moves to sit at her desk. "What was the content of these nightmares?"

"The full context doesn't matter," Jon states to her quietly, knowing how Daenerys felt about sharing the nightmare. "There was a lot of death and despair but…things started to line up that we wanted to ask you."

"Bran was in it," Daenerys says. "He had…blue eyes, of some sort. And everyone else who was dead was brought back to life with blue eyes."

"Like the White Walkers?" Kinvara answers for her. Daenerys nods.

"Exactly like that. But this time it seemed…worse. There was more death, destruction…everything seemed completely ruined. And it wasn't just ice and cold. There was a woman, who was of pure…fire. Ice fire. Like…like how my dragon was when the Night King killed him."

"Blue fire," Kinvara whispers.

Jon's brow furrows. "Why do you say it like that?"

"Blue fire is the hottest possible fire imaginable," Kinvara responds to him. "The only dragon that's ever been able to produce blue fire is Viserion, presently, and maybe a couple thousands of years ago. It's quite possible that blue fire could even burn you two – however, it probably won't be tested. Even so, you said that the woman was…pure ice fire? Did you recognize who it was?"

"No," Daenerys answers. "I only saw the outline of a woman stepping out of blue flames – like she came out of nowhere."

"And there was a spiral," Jon continues.

Kinvara instantly holds up a hand, stopping him before he could keep talking. "A spiral?" Jon nods, and Kinvara instantly stands and runs over to the edge of the room, grabbing some sort of parchment and quill. She rushes back over to the couple before handing the contents to the couple. "Draw what you saw, Daenerys."

She takes the quill from the red priestess as well as the paper, before beginning to draw. Jon watches as she moves pieces after piece until the picture was right in front of her, before handing it back to Kinvara. Once the red priestess takes it into her hands, a grave look comes over her face.

Daenerys instantly squeezes the side of her chair, clear stress showing on her face, but Jon reaches over and grabs her shoulder. "Breathe," he mouths to her.

After a moment, she does, letting out a slow breath and looking up at Kinvara. "What is it?"

"Alright…I'm going to tell you two a story," she starts, slowly placing the drawing of the spiral onto the table. "You, of course, know of the Long Night, correct?" Both nod. "And I've told you the prophecy of the prince – or princess - who was promised to save the dawn from the darkness?"

"Multiple times," Jon mutters.

"Well…this spiral means deadly things. Many deadly things. And it seems those prophecies are going to be coming true."

Daenerys' brow furrows. "What does that even mean?"

"Let me tell you the story of our religion," Kinvara starts, now moving in front of them. "I promise you, it means something to this. We have the god that we worship, R'hllor, the Lord of Light, the Heart of Fire, and a God of Flame and Shadow – he bestowed onto you your powers, your children's powers, and has kept the Valyrian's safe for hundreds of years now. We are but the servants and children of fire, who are trying to keep the peace in this realm. But there is another god…the Great Other."

Jon's brow furrows. "The Great Other? He doesn't have a name?"

"His true name is never spoken," Kinvara answers, her voice low. "He is the Lord of Darkness, the Soul of Ice, and the God of Night and Terror. All he brings is darkness, cold, and death…he is what brings the horrors of this world."

"That sounds awfully familiar," Jon states.

"The Night King does sound like him, doesn't it?" Kinvara asks him. "If we killed the Night King, then all of this would mean nothing, right? These nightmares are just nightmares. But it's not. Because the Night King was never the Great Other. He was his champion. One of them."

Daenerys' brow furrows. "His…champion?"

"You've heard of the Children of the Forest, correct?" Jon and Daenerys share a glance before shaking their heads. "You fought a whole entire army of dead creatures and you didn't know where they came from? At all?"

"We…just thought that they were mythical creatures," Jon states. "I mean…I used to hear about them in fairytales and knew that they were real, but I didn't think that they ever related to the Night King."

"They created the Night King, Jon."

His brow raises in surprise while Daenerys continues to ask questions. "How did they create him?"

"The Children of the Forest lived on Westeros for years, long before the First Men thousands of years ago. They've been destroyed and killed by multiple generations of Andals and First Men for centuries, that barely any have survived. But long ago, when they were still fruitful, they captured the First Man from a tribe. There, they pressed a dragonglass dagger into his chest, right through his heart, and it caused his eyes to turn blue, and made him into the first of what you now know as the White Walkers. Because he was the first, he became The Night King because of the Great Other."

"But…what does the spiral have to do with this?" Daenerys asks.

"The Children of the Forest turned him into a White Walker in the middle of a circle of stones – like this." Kinvara begins to draw a pattern of stones on parchment, before showing it to them. "Do you see a difference?"

"It's the same pattern…but forwards."

"Exactly," Kinvara states. "The Children of the Forest used this spiral as a symbol of life. How everything in our world continues to move forwards despite the obstacles. The trees continue to grow. The flowers still bloom. Animals are still made. And humans thrive. But the Great Other took this symbol, and reversed it to the spiral that you see now…it instead turns backward, signaling the end of days, the end of life, a want to return to the beginning, where there was nothing but cold, and darkness. No life. Barren."

Jon glances at the ground, digesting everything she said. He had always thought the Night King was the be-all, end-all when it came to the evilness of the world…but hearing this, it only worried him more.

"You said that the Great Other took the symbol, but only the Night King showed it," Daenerys states, and at that moment, he was quite thankful for her being here. If he was by himself, he didn't know if he would jump out a window or not. "How did he learn it? And how is he a champion? What does that even mean?"

"I told you, R'hllor and the Great Other have been enemies for thousands of years. One wants light and goodness in the world where the other wants the opposite. The Great Other took the White Walkers into his hands to serve his purpose on earth, because he knew that it would be hard for man to defeat them, especially the Night King – as you both know. He turned them into champions of his cause, to push forward the darkness. From there, he would instill the spiral into their minds to mock the Children of the Forest and to show that horrible things are on their way. That's what the spiral means. You say the Stark's house words are 'Winter is Coming?' The spiral means 'Death is Coming.' It's the mark of the Great Other."

It was silent between the two, both trying to figure out what exactly to say regarding something like this. Jon finally starts to process his brain and turns to Kinvara again. "How does the Great Other choose his champions?" he asks.

"Through pain." His brow furrows and she continues. "The Night King, as well as the White Walkers, are full of pain. They were created out of hate, out of pure loathing, and they wanted revenge. When someone gives into the darkness within them, where they're so far there's no way of them coming out, the Great Other calls upon them to serve his cause, to bring darkness across the world. And at that point, they don't want to do anything else but turn people into the darkness."

Jon swallows and continues, his mind spinning. "So…would my brother be an appropriate champion?"

He didn't want to think that. He didn't want to think that his brother was the Night King reincarnated, but he knew he had to ask it. He already had a hatred for him, but if Bran was truly gone…he didn't know what to think anymore.

"It's…a possibility," Kinvara answers softly. "You said that you saw him in front of the spiral, correct?" Daenerys quietly nods. "Your brother is a special situation. He already had immense power before anyone could possibly take over him, but he didn't feel that he was himself. He became someone different."

"And the Night King did always have it out for Bran," Jon answers, letting out a quiet sigh.

"Didn't Arya say she killed the Night King right in front of him?"

"That's very essential. Did she?" Kinvara asks. Jon nods, confirming what Daenerys said. "There's a strong possibility that when your sister killed the Night King, the essence of the Great Other could have entered into Bran. There was already a connection, a mark that Bran had that kept the Night King and him attached at the hip. It would make sense if the Great Other chose him as his next champion – his last. Bran is the most powerful person he probably would have on his side…he's trying to end this battle once and for all, if it's true."

"And…and what of the second person? The w-woman?" Daenerys stutters, biting her lip.

"The woman could also be another possible champion," Kinvara states. "Another person who has fallen so far into darkness or madness that they don't feel the need to protect the world anymore. They could have lost everything and want to get revenge. We don't know anything for sure right now."

"But how could there be a champion of fire?" Daenerys asks, her brow furrowed. "You said that the Great Other brings cold and darkness…what would fire have to do with that?"

"If this woman exists, she has the power of blue fire. It would bring on pain and destruction – exactly what the Great Other would want. The rest of the death would bring the coldness that he desires so much."

Jon stands suddenly, his head starting to feel dizzy. This was too much. All too much. He had wanted to be strong for this but this sounded even worse than what he had faced. And if Bran was what he thought he was…that only meant horrible things.

"Jon," Daenerys says to him softly, standing.

"I-I can't sit," he states, swallowing. "If I sit down for any longer than I'm going to lose my mind." He turns back to Kinvara. "You said the Great Other has champions his picks to serve his deeds. What about the R'hllor?"

Kinvara smiles at his statement. "I've told you this multiple times, Jon…but yes, there are. Azor Ahai reborn. The Last Hero. There were the former champions – and these are what you and your family will be if this comes to fruition."

"How do we know that this is even true?" Jon suddenly asks, standing. "In all due respects, Kinvara, we've seen a red priestess before and many of her predictions have been wrong. How are we so sure that this isn't all just fake?"

"Is that what you said to the lords when you were trying to gain support to fight the dead?" Kinvara asks him, stepping close. Jon was silent. "Besides, isn't their survival more important than your pride?"

Daenerys stills from where she sat and he does as well. It was the same response Dany had said to him in the cave on Dragonstone. And the same one he had said to Mance when bringing the wildlings south of the Wall. If he refused to believe this, then he was no better than the lords that didn't believe him.

He glances at the ground before finally moving to sit back in the chair. "Tell me the stories."

Kinvara's brow furrows. "Stories of whom?"

"Azor Ahai. And the Last Hero. I know very little. I mean...I've read them but I...I need to hear them again."

"We can start with the Last Hero – one that reminds me very much of you, Jon," Kinvara begins, sitting back down. "During the Long Night, thousands of years ago, people went in search of the children of the forest, the last hero among them. Almost all were killed by giants, wights, and the Others – the White Walkers, that you call them – but the last hero reached the children, and gained their assistance. From there, the Night's Watch formed and won the Battle for the Dawn, ending the generation-long winter, and sending the White Walkers to the Lands of Always Winter. The last hero brought together people that would have never worked together on normal conditions and saved the world – much like you did with the wildings and the Westerosi. As well as you, Daenerys, with the Dothraki and Unsullied."

Daenerys leans back in her chair, glancing out at the city. Jon was still silent, taking in what she said. He had heard of a possible Last Hero that formed the Night's Watch, but he had never known the full story.

"What of Azor Ahai?" he asks her.

"Azor Ahai is the hero who saved us all, years ago," Kinvara says. "He was chosen by R'hllor to fight against the darkness that had laid over the world. He needed to forge a hero's sword. He tried three times, once for thirty days and nights, the second for fifty days and nights, but both times, the steel shattered. The first was in the water, the second through the heart of a lion. None of it worked. The third time, however…made the sword the saved the world. Lightbringer."

"Wasn't that the sword that…Beric Dondarion had?" he asks quietly.

"Beric Dondarion was a rare mortal combination of fire and blood magic," Kinvara states. "He had been brought back from the dead so many times that it was embedded into his body. He was a true believer in the Lord of Light. But even though his blood lit his sword on flames, it would never be enough to take on the darkness. That's why the forging of Lightbringer is so important."

Jon swallows and nods, listening. "Alright…then what did he do with the third attempt?"

Kinvara's face turns sour and then sad. "He slaved away for one hundred days and nights and knew what he had to do next to truly make the sword immortal. He called upon his wife, Nissa Nissa, and…drove it through her breast."

Jon completely stills, staring at her. He couldn't even see the rest of the world around them. Just Kinvara, and her repeating the same words over and over again. 'He drove it through her breast.'

"Her blood, soul, strength, and courage combined with the steel of the sword and created Lightbringer. With that sword, he took back the light and killed any ounce of darkness that was in this world that the Great Other bestowed onto us. And now with the possibility of the darkness being reborn through another champion, Bran, and this other possible firewoman…your family must be the new champions of R'hllor."

"No."

Kinvara's brow furrows as she turns her head back to Jon. "What?"

"I'm not believing this. I'm not killing my family. I refuse." He stands and shakes his head. "I've done enough fucking fighting already. How could he not be dead?!"

"Jon, no one said-"

"If you're saying what you're saying, then I'd have to-" He stops himself and swallows, looking over at Daenerys, who was quiet. She knew exactly what he was thinking, but he didn't want to say it out loud. Didn't want to admit it. "I'm not killing Daenerys. Not again. Not ever again."

Kinvara stands. "No one said that this is what needs to happen again, Jon. Many things could change that could switch around the prophecy. But the truth is, no matter what, it's time you accept your and your family's faith. You are the champions that R'hllor chose. Keep in mind that Azor Ahai, nor the Last Hero fought alone. They had armies, they had people who followed them – but they were the leaders." She rests a hand on the king's shoulder. "I know that this is a lot to take in, but you've seen the dead already. You know that it's a strong possibility. It's better to think of that now, then to be surprised by it later on."

"The prophecy," Daenerys whispers, her brow furrowed. "When we first came here, there were drawings and paintings on the walls of the castle that the Valyrian's follow…that the heroes would be unburnt and take on swords to defeat the darkness…was that part of these past stories?"

"As I said, they never fought alone. There could be multiple heroes. It all depends on what happens."

Jon looks to the ground, his mind reeling. He felt that he was lost. Every ounce of blood and man within him froze at the very idea that his family could die. His love could die at his own hand – again. His whole world that he had tried to keep alive, could fall apart.

But then he feels a soft hand reach over and grab his own, and he looks up to see Daenerys looking at him, concerned. And just like that, he could feel himself let go of his worries for a moment. She was truly his own light in the darkness.

"I'm sorry if this wasn't the information you wanted to hear," Kinvara states from where she stood.

"No, no it's not," Jon sighs, glancing at the ground. "But it's what we needed to hear." He stands and looks over at Daenerys. "We should head back to the castle…have unfinished business to work on before we take down the wall tonight. I expect to see you there, Kinvara," Jon states, turning his gaze to her.

She nods her head. "Of course I'll be there. Can't take down the wall without me."

Jon nods and stands, taking Daenerys' hand and holding it tightly within his own. "Then we'll see you tonight…thank you." Kinvara nods, and after a moment, the two of them leave.

Once they were out of the room and down the hall, Jon let go of her hand and leans against the nearest wall. Daenerys turns to him and he looks at her. Instantly, she comes over to him and rests her hands against his own once more.

"Jon…"

Just that one word was enough to make him crack. He felt tears that he hadn't felt in how long, streaming down his cheeks before sobs started to take over his body. He had thought he had gotten rid of the threat. Of the possibility of their world being destroyed.

Turns out, he had only made it stronger.

He feels arms come around him and knows it's her, and at that moment, he wasn't a king, and she wasn't a queen. He was simply a man that needed comfort from the woman he loved because he didn't know what this would mean for the future.

Everything had seemed so bright not that long ago…but now he could feel a familiar pain begin to creep in.

---

By the time they had gotten back to the castle, Jon didn't think he had cried that much in years.

Possibly when he had killed Daenerys back in the Red Keep. Maybe when his brother had died at the hand of the Frey's. But nothing compared to what he felt right now. The utter worry and shock and almost anger.

How could this still be happening to him? He finally had a life, something he cherished more than his own and now, of course, the world suddenly decides to throw him a bloody knife in the back.

He was exhausted. A part of him didn't want to go through with what they were planning tonight, but he knew that if he started going back on his promises now, no one would respect him or Dany.

"Are you alright?" she asks him softly once they climb off of Jonarys. The dragon gives him a small screech as if sensing his anguish. Jon scratches the dragon on the side of his head, sighing, before turning to Daenerys.

"I'm alright, Dany…just need some time to process." He turns to Jonarys. "Kostā sōvegon sir." The dragon seemed reluctant to leave, but after Jon nods towards the air, he takes off. He then turns back to Daenerys and rubs the back of his neck. "I'm sorry for crying before."

"Don't be. It's what I'm here for."

Jon sighs. "We're supposed to be regal and all that and there I was breaking down in the middle of the hallway."

"Jon." She rests her hands against his cheeks. "At the end of the day, you just found out news that could completely change life as we know it. You have the right to feel afraid. Terrified, even. I am, too. Right now, it's okay to feel whatever you're feeling."

Jon looks at her and feels himself smile slightly. "I'm so glad I have you…If what she says is true-"

"Then we will figure it out as a family. Just as we've always had to." She leans up and presses her lips against his, feeling him let out a soft sigh against them. When she pulls back, she strokes his cheek. "How about you go up to your chambers and rest for a bit? I can handle the rest of the arrangements for tonight."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"No, I mean…are you still sure in opening the wall? After what we just heard?"

Daenerys bites her lips and shakes her head. "Honestly? No. But if we're being realistic, whatever darkness this Great Other has planned for us will affect us whether we are inside this bubble or not…he's after people like us, that worship the Lord of Light, and even though we never believed in that…many others here do now after being saved from the Doom. If anything, it's these people we would need to protect the most, regardless of a wall or not. It's better if we just…proceed with what we were going to do, and if something happens, we prepare."

"I want to warn them," he states, looking down at her. "I want to warn them that this could happen. That what they've heard about for years is a possibility. I don't want this to be dropped on them as Westeros had it."

"And they will. We will tell them as soon as we can. But for now, you need to rest. You're stressed and aggravated. Which can only lead to bad things. Please, go and sleep. For me."

Jon stares down at her, trying to see if there was an ounce of concern in her eyes, any worry, but instead, all he saw was a strong resolve. He was amazed at this woman. How she could break down in front of him the night prior, but now that he was in need of comfort, she could put up a wall and help him through it, just as he could.

"How am I so lucky to have you?" he murmurs.

"By the grace of the Gods above," she answers, before squeezing his hand. "I'll see you later tonight." When she steps away, he watched as she headed down the hallway towards the council room where they would be conducting final preparations for bringing down the wall, until she disappeared out of sight.

Once she was away, he feels himself let out another sigh. She was right. He needed to properly think this through before his anger got to him. Maybe resting would help. He only hoped that she was okay handling this by herself.

'Of course, she is, you fool,' his mind talks to him. 'She's born to be a queen. You were a bastard. Let her do what she's meant to do.'

He sighs and stands, heading towards the hallway that would lead to their chambers. For now, resting seemed like a good option.

---

He was around the corner when he overheard a conversation between Dan and Daemon, talking over what looked like food. He was happy that Daemon had been getting out of his room more and more. His son healing was the only thing that was really bringing him any sort of joy right now.

He peaks around the corner and sees that Nesara was settled next to Daemon, seemingly reading what looked like a storybook. Zaevar was settled next to Dan and showing her what seemed to be a map of Valyria, and Mae was reading along with Nesara.

It was sweet to see all the children getting along so well. He still hadn't proposed the idea of them living with him and Daenerys, but he had a feeling he didn't need to. A part of him thought about how Theon had been brought into their family out of battle, and a part of him thought the Galeron's were as well, but there was something different about these children compared to his family. They just seemed…grateful. Like they understood the greater good.

"Why do you have to go so far?" he hears Daemon ask Dan.

"I mean, if the wall is going to be down, that means flying around this area will practically be unlimited. Within the confines of father, of course."

Wait, what?

He listens closely, his brow furrowed. "Where do you plan to fly?" Daemon asks.

"Well, it's up to Zaevar. It's his dragon. You should have seen it, Daemon. Being up there in the clouds – there was nothing like it!"

"Nothing like what?"

Jon steps out from where he stood, and he could see all four children freeze – besides Nesara, who was still happily reading her book. Dan stands once she sees him, the color leaving from her face.

"Father," she croaks, clearing her throat. "H-how much did you hear?"

"Enough." His voice was firm. Low. Angry. He didn't want to have to deal with this now, but if Dan had done what he was thinking, he needed to get this out before it sat with him the same way what Kinvara told him was with him now. "Do you have something to tell me, daughter?"

"Okay, we're leaving," Mae instantly states, grabbing Nesara. The little girl instantly protests at being taken from her book but Mae takes her away anyway. Jon watches as they leave, knowing they had nothing to do with this. He turns his gaze back on Dan.

"I think I'm going to go to-"

"Zaevar." His tone was commanding. "Stay."

"Father, before you yell at either of them," Daemon starts. "They're perfectly safe."

"I can't yell at them if I don't know what they did. So tell me. What did you do?" He didn't mean for it to sound so angry, but at the same time, he didn't want to think that his daughter had gone against his wishes.

But after a moment, he watches as she nods her head, glancing at the ground. "Z-Zaevar took me flying."

"Daemon, go to your chambers now." He was fuming. This was the last thing he needed – a rebellious daughter.

"Fa-"

"I said now!" he snaps, turning his eyes to his son. Daemon seemed shocked at his reaction but does as he asks, scurrying along, trying to offer a look of apology towards Dan and Zaevar, before he vanished around the corner. Once he was gone, Jon looks back to Dan. "How could you disobey me like that? You know I don't want you or your brother flying yet, Dan!"

"It's my fault, Jon," Zaevar says from where he stood, his hands behind his back. Jon's brow raises in surprise at him taking control. "I offered to give her a ride when she said she wanted to ride a dragon. She even told me you didn't want her. I shouldn't have asked her."

Jon lets out a deep sigh before looking at him. "Zaevar, while I appreciate the fact that you're owning up, she still had the final say, and she knew she would be going against my wishes. At the risk of saying something I'll regret, I'm asking you to respectfully leave so I can deal with my daughter. Alone."

Zaevar gulps before nodding, and quietly leaves, leaving him and Dan alone in the room. Once the boy was gone, he turns back to his daughter, who now looked angry.

"You didn't have to speak to him like that!" Dan exclaims.

"Dan, you can't be disobeying me all of a sudden!" Jon hisses at her. "What has gone on with you? Flying on a dragon without my bloody permission? What is up with that?!"

"I don't want to be treated like a child!" she snaps at him suddenly, her hands turning into fists. "You always say that Daemon and I are a part of the family and yet it doesn't feel like it when you won't let us do what you and mother do!"

"Dan, believe it or not, you are still a child," Jon states to her, his patience thinning. "You may want to believe it or not, but you are."

"I've saved you! I saved this whole city from lava with other children! Daemon brought you back from the dead! And now suddenly, we can't ride dragons? That's not fair!"

"What's not fair is fucking life, Dan!" he snaps angrily, causing her to take a step back. "Why can't you understand that what I'm trying to do is to protect you? Your brother seems to understand – why can't you?!"

"Fa-"

"No, I don't want to hear a single word out of you!" he yells. "All I want is to keep my fucking family alive, and you going off like that deliberately goes against that. You're putting your life at risk! You could have fallen off that dragon or worse – but you didn't care. And that's your problem – you don't care about the consequences! You think just because you have fire sorcery that all of a sudden, life is so much easier, but now there's even more of a reason for people to want to kill you, and now you jeopardize that by flying a dragon?! Are you mad?"

She doesn't say anything, but he could see her lip begin to tremble. Jon instantly feels guilt come over him. He didn't think he had ever made his daughter cry…and now he had. Gods, he felt like shit.

"Dan-"

She doesn't give him the time to respond because she turns on her heel and runs down the hall, away from him. Jon tries to call after her, but he gets no response. As soon as her footsteps echo away and he yells and slams his fist into the stone wall, anger coursing through his veins, followed by grief and sadness.

And then, he sinks to his knees, his head in his hands. He felt like shit. He knew a part of his anger had been because he was so overwhelmed at what Kinvara told him, but he never should have taken it out on his daughter. And now she was upset because of it.

Well, so much for resting.

---

"I'm a horrible father."

The statement he had made caused Daenerys to look up in surprise. He had stumbled into her chambers, where she was looking over the list of red priests and priestesses, but no matter what he had done, he couldn't get the fact he had yelled at his daughter out of his mind.

"And where in the world did this statement come from?" she asks him, raising an eyebrow.

"I made Dan cry," he mutters, sitting across from her. Daenerys' brow furrowed as she stands and walks over to him, moving to where he sat and stood across from him.

"How did that happen?"

Jon sighs as he runs his hands through his hair, before looking back up at Daenerys. "Dan went on a dragon ride with Zaevar."

Daenerys doesn't react. She blinks once, twice, and then tilts her head. "And…that's a bad thing?"

Jon stares at her in shock. "She's twelve!" he exclaims.

Daenerys chuckles before descending down to where he sat, settling herself right on top of his lap, her arms wrapping around his neck. "My love…you do know that she is a Targaryen, right? She's going to want to learn to do the things we do. It's only natural for people like her to want to ride a dragon. If I had the chance to at her age, I would have."

Jon bites his lip, glancing at the window before sighing. "I…I don't know, Dany. I mean, I was terrified the first time I did it and-"

"And you quickly caught on," Daenerys states, chuckling a bit. "Every Targaryen in the past – and in the future – is going to be an excellent dragon rider. It's in our blood, Jon."

His brow raises at her words. "And in the future?"

She sighs and shakes her head. "Don't get your hopes up – I'm talking about our children we already have." She brings a hand to his cheek and strokes the skin softly. "I know that you're playing the part of a concerned father, but you and I both know that our children aren't normal children. They're going to want to participate in the fighting, just like the other sorcerers and fighters here. We've raised them that way. You can't be upset that they want to be responsible."

"That wasn't what I was upset about," he says quietly. "I was more upset that she disobeyed me. I've told her and Daemon I wanted to be there when they first rode a dragon by themselves, just to make sure they were safe."

"Well…technically she's never ridden one by herself, so she didn't disobey you." Jon gives her a pointed look and Daenerys chuckles. "Alright, I understand, but you need to know that she only did it because she wants to be an explorer like her father."

"An explorer? Me?"

"Yes, you. The man who's ridden dragons to take down the Night King, back from a volcano, and to a completely uninhabited country – as far as we know. She probably sees you as a god in her eyes. She only wants to be like her father."

"And not like you?"

"I didn't say that," Daenerys states, squeezing his arm. "But she grew up more with you. She's going to want to be like you. And when you suddenly snap at her for doing something like that, of course she's going to be upset. She only wants to emulate you."

Jon glances up at her and sighs. "What if I don't want her to be like me? I've always put so many people in danger."

"And saved many more," Daenerys reassures him. "You have to stop self-doubting yourself because you're a Targaryen king. The sooner you act like it, the better. And I know you can."

Jon looks back to Daenerys, his one fear coming up. "I just want her to be safe," he whispers. "That's all I want. Especially after what we just found out. I can't stand the thought of losing her or him or you…it's been tearing me up inside. I know I shouldn't have gotten so angry but the truth is I was only taking out my fear on her…I'm terrified that as soon as she learns how to fly, she's going to fly away from us and bring even more danger to herself than she already has."

Daenerys grabs his hand in hers. "Jon…you've heard this a hundred times at this point, but a Targaryen alone in the world is a terrible thing." Jon rolls his eyes at the overused statement, but he had to admit it was true. "Dan isn't going to run off on adventures. Even if she rides a dragon, it's as you said – she's twelve. She isn't going to travel anywhere. We're stronger together, and she knows that too."

Jon sighs and glances at the ground. "I have to apologize to her."

"Yes, you do." She presses a gentle kiss against his forehead. "And you aren't a horrible father."

Jon raises an eyebrow at her. "How do you know?"

"Because I know horrible fathers. And horrible brothers. Really horrible family. And you are nowhere even close to near that. You're the best father – and 'husband' – I've ever known," she reassures, resting her hands against his cheeks again.

Jon sighs at her words, resting his hands against her hips. "I promise you one day I'll make it true."

"What true?"

"That we get married," he states softly. "That I actually can look at the people of Westeros and Essos and say 'Daenerys fucking Targaryen is my wife and there's not a thing you can do to change that.'" Daenerys laughs at his statement but doesn't move yet. "And there will be a grand ceremony, and a giant festival and everyone from east to west will be drinking and toasting."

Daenerys smiles, her arms wrapping tighter around his neck. "Well, there's also the small fact that you have to somehow find a way to tell the rest of Valyria that we aren't really married."

"Yeah, and then there's that."

She laughs at his response, and he watches her with a smile. It was amazing how when she laughed, her eyes lit up and shone brighter than the stars. Her laugh sounded like chimes in the breeze. And from just this look, he could almost feel himself at the edge of tears.

He didn't want to lose her.

"I love you so much," he suddenly says, taking her face in his hands. Her brow furrows at his change in demeanor, but she doesn't say anything. "You're my entire fucking world, Daenerys…and if what Kinvara said is true, I'm going to use every part of me to make sure no harm ever comes to you or the children. I…I can't lose you. Not again."

Daenerys brings a hand on top of his own, before leaning in and pressing a soft kiss against his lips, to which he responds with eagerness. After a moment, she pulls back and rests her forehead against his own. "And you think I can lose you?" she asks him softly. "We fight together. Always."

Jon leans in and kisses her again, his time with heat and need. He didn't know how for so long he could have been in denial of his feelings for her, of the need to be with her. It was true, what Aemon had said – there was nothing better than the love he felt for Dany.

But before his hands could travel to between her legs, she pulls back, breathing heavily. "No," she instantly states, shaking her head. "We've already done it once today. Go to your child and apologize to her before we end up in a compromising position."

"Right…that's probably the smart thing to do," he murmurs before looking up at her. "...are you sure?"

"Jon, go."

He rolls his eyes and stands, guiding her off of him as she laughs. "Alright, alright, I'm going."

---

For the first time in his life, Jon was nervous to speak with his daughter.

It wasn't that he hadn't spoken to her before, but even after what Daenerys had said to him, he still felt awful for upsetting her. He hated seeing her cry in general and knowing that he made her cry made it twice as awful.

But he knew he needed to man-up, and talk with his daughter because if he didn't, it would only eat him up inside. So, he brings his hand up, and knocks on the door, before asking gently, "Dan, are you there?"

He hears a sniffle before a mumbled "come in," follows. He slowly opens the door and he looks at the bed surprised to see Daemon in there.

"I came in to comfort her – I can go-"

"No, it's better if both of you are here," he states softly to them, before moving over to where they sat, moving in-between them. Dan looks up at him.

"I'm sorry, father…I shouldn't have disobeyed you," she says quietly.

Jon sighs before taking his daughter's hand. "No. You shouldn't have. You must understand that after all these years of living together, seeing you do that shocked me…but I overreacted."

Dan's brow raises. "You're admitting you did?"

"Stop," he states, chuckling at her jest, before looking back to her. "I'm admitting it because I've…had a rough day." He reaches over and grabs Daemon's hand, surprising the boy. "You want to be included in what happens in the lives of your mother and father…we found out news that something worse than the Night King…could be coming."

Daemon's brow furrows. "I thought Aunt Arya killed him?"

"She did…but there's something…worse. I can't explain it well to you, but it's something that can threaten our whole lives. The family we've built. You two…have no idea how much you and your mother mean to me." He swallows himself when he starts to feel grief come up his body, but he shoves that back down. "And hearing that news…it made me angry, because you're right, Daemon. I thought the threat was gone. But something always comes back to bite us…so I let out my anger on you two, as well as the Galeron's…and I'm sorry about that. Truly."

Daemon looks over at Dan before shrugging. "We forgive you."

"I was just upset you yelled at me," Dan states quietly. "You never yell at me…but it makes sense now."

Jon sighs before squeezing his children's hands. "So when I say I want to protect you, I mean it with my whole heart. I want to make sure that you have a life worth living, a better one than I had at your age…and while I feel that Daenerys and I have done a decent job so far, with this possibility, it could get stressful and scary, and if I act out for any reason, just know I'm doing my best to somehow try and keep you safe."

"We're good though, father," Dan says softly. "We can protect ourselves."

"I know you have your sorcery, and Daemon has his." Jon knew Daemon hadn't brought up his news power to Dan yet – that was his story to tell, not his. "But that doesn't change the fact that you're my children, and all I want is to keep you healthy and safe. You have to remember that."

Daemon nods quietly. "We understand."

Dan sighs. "We do…I just wish you'd let us help more. We can."

"And you will," Jon reassures, letting out a slow breath. "Which is why…while talking with your mother, we've decided that after the wall is down, you two can learn to fly for real on Visenya and Jorharion."

Both sets of eyes widen in joy and Dan starts to cheer, clapping. Jon rolls his eyes and stands.

"But," he starts, calming them down. "You are to remain under our eyes for your first few flights. I know flying gets picked up rather quickly, but I still want to make sure you understand what you're doing. Which means no flights with Zaevar."

Dan nods. "That's alright…I only flew with him because it was a quicker way to the castle, but I won't do it again. Not until you say so."

"Good," Jon says to her.

"But please don't hurt him. He didn't do anything wrong."

Jon's brow furrows. "What makes you think I would hurt him?"

"You…you just seemed angry at him in the room," Dan states softly. "When you told him to leave, I thought you were going to explode."

Jon sighs. "I was overreacting, I told you. I was also upset that my little wolf went flying off with some boy on a dragon."

"Oh stop, I don't think of Zaevar that way. And he's not just some boy."

"I know, but it still concerned me," Jon chuckles. "That's all. If anything, I care for the Galeron's as much as you. I don't want harm to come to them." He bites his lip and grabs their hands again. "I actually have something to ask of you two."

The twins share a look before turning back to their father. "What is it?" both ask.

"Your mother and I have been discussing this for some time…but we've been thinking of taking in the Galeron children as our own, so we could take care of them."

Dan's brow furrows. "So…would they be Targaryen's then?"

"They would be as much a Targaryen as you are besides blood. It's up to them if they would want to be legitimized or not. But we would feed them, clothe them, bathe them, teach them…just as we would any other child. We would take them under our wing."

Dan looks over at Daemon, who looked to be thinking. "I'd be alright with that," Daemon says softly. "Mae and Nesara are nice to train and teach to fight with. And they think my powers are cool. Zaevar drives me crazy though."

"Oh, does he?" Jon chuckles.

"He's just mad that he hasn't beaten Zaevar in sparring since before the volcano – it'll come, Daemon!" Dan reassures at her brother's look of annoyance, and then she turns back to Jon. "I'm alright with it. I pretty much think of them as chamber mates already."

Jon raises an eyebrow at her. "'Chamber-mates?'"

"Yeah, they come to my chambers all the time to talk about things, like sparring and dragons and fire sorcery – and dolls, when it comes to Nesy," she snickers. "But I'd be alright with that…they deserve to be treated well after what they went through."

Jon squeezes both of their hands. "I'm glad you two are okay with this."

"Why wouldn't we be?" Daemon asks.

"Well, some children are selfish and only want their parents to themselves."

"We're already sharing you with a whole nation," Dan answers. "What's the difference with a few extra people?"

Jon chuckles. "Touché."

---

When Jon finally left Dan's chambers and headed back towards his own, he was surprised to run into Daenerys while she was talking through the halls. She had a piece of parchment in her hands with writing on it.

"Jon, ho-" He takes her into his arms and kisses her so passionately that she drops the piece of parchment, wrapping her arms around his neck in surprise. When he pulls back, she had a look of amusement mixed with confusion on her face. "And what, might I ask, was that for?"

"Everything with Dan went great," he says to her as she steps back, picking up the parchment. "And I finally talked with them about letting the Galeron's in…they said yes."

"About time," she chuckles, folding the parchment up. "Should we go speak with them than before the wall?"

"I think so," he says, taking her hand in his. "What was the parchment?"

She shrugs as they walk down the hall together to where the Galeron's had gathered – in Nesy's chambers. "Just some words I wrote down for the wall collapse. Usually, I'm not worried about things like this but…it's such a big deal. Even if the rest of Valyria doesn't know what we know…stakes are high in general…but I know we're making the right choice."

Jon squeezes her hand as they walk, not having to say anything. He was just as worried, but he knew it's what needed to happen. And the sooner they did it, the better.

By the time they arrived outside the Galeron's door, he gives Dany's hand one more squeeze, letting her know that he was there with her again. She smiles at him before raising her hand and knocking on the door. A quick "come in!" was followed that sounded like Mae's voice.

Dany opens up the door and steps in, followed by Jon. Zaevar was sitting on Nesara's bed, all dressed up and ready to go for the ceremony, while Mae was steadily running a brush through her little sister's hair, who had on a beautiful dress. Mae looks up at them through the reflection.

"We're going to have Nesy ready as soon as possible – she spilled juice onto her blouse-"

"I didn't!"

"Yes, you did," Mae chastises before turning to Jon and Daenerys. "We'll be quick, we promise!"

"It's no rush," Daenerys chuckles, before moving over to sit on the bed. "We actually wanted to speak with you about something."

Zaevar instantly sits up straight. "If this is about Dan, I already said I'm so sorry and-"

"Calm down," Jon says to him gently, sitting on the bed next to the boy. He looks at him concerned, but Jon places a hand on the boy's shoulder. "It's alright, Zaevar. I've already spoken to Dan. As long as you two don't do it again until she's properly trained, you're off the hook."

"Thank the gods," Zaevar breathes out. "I thought you were going to murder me."

"He would never," Daenerys states, shaking her head. "But come on – come here," she chuckles, gesturing to Mae and Nesara. The little girl rushes forward and jumps onto the bed, practically into Jon's lap, while Mae sits gently next to Daenerys, in-between Zaevar and her.

"Nesy, you shouldn't do that," Mae scolds.

"It's alright, don't worry," Jon says softly to her, letting Nesy rest on his lap with her little arms wrapped around him. Mae was looking at him confused at his reaction, while Jon nods to Daenerys. "Talk with them, love."

"Jon and I have been talking about this for a long time," she says to them, looking at all three children. "While we love Dan and Daemon with all our hearts, we've noticed that a certain amount of children are in need of a family…one that cares for them."

Mae's brow furrows as she looks at Zaevar, who seemed just as surprised. "You…you want to take us in?" Mae asks.

"Yes, we do," Daenerys says with a small smile.

Nesy looks up at Jon with a furrowed brow. "…does that mean I can call you papa?"

He almost felt his heart burst. Gods, every time Nesara said something like this it only fueled his hatred for their true parents more. How could they have treated her so terribly? This bloody saint of a child?

"You can call me whatever you want, little dragon," he says to her softly, pushing back her hair from her face. He turns back to the other two. "Same as you two. We're whatever you want us to be. Parents, guardians, trainers," he points, giving a look to Zaevar for his swordsmanship. "We want to take care of you."

The two eldest children exchange a look, both quiet. Mae is the first one to speak after a moment. "I'd be happy to have Daenerys as my mother," Mae says softly. Daenerys smiles brightly at the girl's admission. "…my real mother never cared about me…but you showed me that even if you're not related by blood…you can still have that same relationship with someone. You made me happy…it's more than I can say for Saeresa."

"And I'll continue to make you happy," Daenerys promises, grabbing the girl for a soft hug. "As long as you are under my care."

"What about you, Zaevar?" Jon asks the boy gently. "How are you feeling?"

Zaevar bites his lip, glancing at the ground. Jon knew out of all three children, Zaevar would be the hardest to convince because of what he went through with his father. The constant beatings.

But after a moment of tense silence, he begins to slowly nod. "It's…going to take some time," he admits quietly, looking between them. "I'm…I don't really know how a proper relationship is supposed to go with…family besides my sisters…but you make them safe…and you've kept me safe. As someone who's spent years trying to protect his family…I'd be happy to let someone else do it for a change."

Jon reaches over and grabs the boy's hand, squeezing it. "You don't need to say anything yet. All we ask is that you continue to be you. Stand by us, and Dan and Daemon. They care for you deeply. And as long as you stay, we will continue to protect you."

Zaevar nods softly. "Then…then I'm okay with this. More than that."

And he wraps his arms around Jon, letting out a soft sigh. Jon returns the hug with one arm while keeping Nesy settled in the other, smiling a bit. He knew it would be tough for Zaevar to talk about, but he was glad he was open to it.

After a moment, Zaevar pulls back and wipes at tears Jon didn't even know the boy had. "Thank you."

"You don't need to thank us," Jon says to him softly, before turning his gaze now to Nesara. "And what about you, my little dragon?"

His answer was a grin and a mumbled but excited "Yes!" into his shirt. Jon chuckles and squeezes the little girl tightly. He didn't know what it was about Nesara. She had been through so much already and he wanted to make sure she never went through that again. A part of her reminded him of Dan when she was younger – when she was growing quicker than normal. But her personality was almost the same.

"Now," Daenerys states, turning to the two girls. "I think you two need some help. Jon – how about you bring Zaevar and Daemon to the ceremony? Tell Dan to come in here so she can get ready with the girls."

"Of course," Jon states, helping Zaevar stand. "I'll leave you three to it and let Dan know to come here. Come on, Zaevar." Jon places Nesara into the arms of Daenerys, and then leaves with Zaevar, hearing the girls start to talk about dresses and spillings of juices.

Once they were outside and the door was closed, Zaevar reaches up and grabs Jon's arm. He looks down at the boy, who swallows.

"Really, Jon…thank you for doing this…we didn't know what would happen with our family after our parents were…"

His voice trails off. Jon leans down to the boy's height, looking him in the eyes. "I understand why you would be nervous, Zaevar. But know that no matter what, your parents will never harm you, or your sisters again. You are under our protection."

Zaevar glances at the ground before swallowing. "Is…is it bad that I…I want them to…to…"

He couldn't say the word, but Jon shakes his head. "No. It's not, Zaevar. Not at all." He sighs and takes the boy's hands in his. "How about we focus on your parent's tomorrow? The trial will start then – we've been finalizing it for months now. But tonight…how about we go and bring a wall down?"

Zaevar smiles at that, a small one, but a smile all the same, and nods. With that, Jon leads the boy towards where Daemon was, hearing the chit chatting of the girls and the woman he loved behind him.

---

The streets of Valyria were filled with laughter, joy, and food that night, while the sun was just beginning to set. The workers had set up a large stage for them to do the ceremony from, so everyone would see the wall being taken down. And while he waited from the sideline to go on for Daenerys and the girls, he watched Daemon and Zaevar talk excitedly ahead of him.

It was a mix of 'swords,' 'magic,' and 'brothers,' but Jon was glad they were getting along so quickly. He knew that Daemon wanted to improve his sword work now that he was healed, and Jon knew that having Zaevar as an equal partner would help.

He was excited and nervous about what the future would bring, but for now, he would be content knowing that these children got along. Did that mean he had five children now?

Well, at least under his care. Good gods.

He overheard giggling from behind him, but before he could turn around, he was suddenly attacked from behind by two sets of arms, one small and one large. Jon laughs as he turns around, seeing the faces of Mae and Nesara – both of which were dressed in two dresses that were a dark red on Mae and a deep shade of purple on Nesara

But what made Jon do a quiet doubletake was that their hair was done exactly like Dan's would be. Like Daenerys'. And that made him smile. When Dany cared for someone – at least from what he had seen – she shared her braids among them.

"You two look beautiful," he says with a smile, before ushering them outside. "Hurry – your brother is waiting for you. No more scaring!"

The two girls laugh while Mae lifts Nesara up into her arms, heading over to where Zaevar and Daemon were. Jon lets out a soft sigh of contentment before overhearing soft voices speak. He quietly steps back into the castle, peeking around the corner. Daenerys was kneeling down in front of Dan, speaking softly to her. He trained his hearing to drown out the crowd outside, trying to listen in quietly.

"I know you're scared," he hears Daenerys say softly. "I am too, but we're going to get through this together."

"But father said…he said-"

"I know what your father said," Daenerys says softly. "But we're going to be alright. I trust him."

"How?" Dan asks softly. "I mean…I trust him too but…this is terrifying. I've heard the stories."

Jon feels his heart drop. He felt bad that Dan was scared of what he said earlier, but he knew it was what had to be done.

He watches as Daenerys bites her lip before her fingers begin to move towards where her cloak was that covered the top of the dress she was wearing. She undoes it gently and then moves around the part of her dress that covered the top of her chest.

"Do you see this?" Daenerys asks her gently, pointing to the scar that sat atop her left breast, right before it could hit below it. Dan nods quietly. "I want you to feel it." She grabs Dan's hand and gently places it on top of the scar. Jon's brow furrows. What was she trying to do?

But Dan stares at the scar, seemingly transfixed by it, until her eyes connect back to her mother's.

"Do you feel how it's beating?" Dan slowly nods. "Your father is the reason for that scar. As much as we have moved on from the past, he did inflict it. If I can trust him after what happened years ago to keep me safe, you can trust him now to keep us safe. I know this is scary, but as long as we face this as a family…we are going to be okay."

Dan stares at the wound quietly for a few seconds more before turning her gaze back to her mother's, letting her hand drop. "It's amazing…how you're still alive. How we're still alive."

"And we will continue to be that. To thrive. Remember – you are a dragon. Not a sheep. We will survive."

Dan nods, a small smile spreading across her cheek. She looks down at her hand before looking back at her. "...I'm really happy you're my mother, Daenerys."

He sees Dany's lips tremble but she pulls the girl in for a hug before she could see her cry. "And I'm so happy you're my daughter, Dan," she responds, swallowing her tears before pulling back. "Now. Go and be with your…siblings, I suppose."

"That's so strange to hear."

"Just go," Daenerys chuckles before standing. Jon steps out of the path and hides as Dan rushes out, heading to be with Daemon and the others. Jon watches as Daenerys composes herself, before stepping forward, redoing her dress and her cloak.

As soon as she steps around the corner, Jon surprises her with a hug, pressing a soft kiss to the back of her neck. He feels her sigh and she turns to face him. "Are you alright?" he asks her gently. "What was that about?"

"Dan told me you told her and Daemon about the Night King," she answers. "Don't worry – I'm not upset or anything like that. But she was understandably scared. She didn't know whether to trust if we could make it through this…but I showed her my scar as proof we could trust you after everything we've been through."

Jon sighs. "Understandably. I'm worried as well…but I can see she was happy to have you as a mother," Jon says softly, and Dany all but cries.

"Gods, Jon, I was melting," she whispers, shaking her head. "I was so terrified when I met Dan we wouldn't get along because she was just like you. And now…she's one of the lights of my life. It's amazing…what we've accomplished so far."

He leans down and presses a kiss to her forehead. "And we'll only continue to accomplish more." He hears the crowd start to cheer loudly as Kinvara and the rest of the red priests begin to come onto the stage they had set up. "Are you ready to do this?"

Daenerys smiles, nodding. "Let's go."

Their hands intertwine and step out together, and as soon as they appear, the crowd cheers louder. He sees hid children standing at the edge of the stage with the Galeron's, all clapping as well, while he and Daenerys waved to the rest of the people in the crowd.

After some time, the crowd began to die down, while Taevar took to the stage, nodding at Jon from where he stood. He seemed just as excited as the commoners below him.

"People of Valyria!" Daenerys starts from where she stood, her hands settled at her side. "You have been locked away for years from the world, treated almost as slaves trapped within the walls of this society. While Valyria has thrived off the people here, don't you believe it's time for us to spread our wings and fly?"

The people began to cheer again, and Jon watches as a smile spreads across Daenerys' face. After a moment, the cheer begins to fade, and Daenerys continues to talk.

"The blood of the dragon has run cold in the worlds beyond here, but are you ready to ignite the fire and bring Valyria back?!"

The crowd starts to cheer again. Daenerys turns to Jon, reaching out her hand to him. He takes it steps forward, knowing she wanted him to say a few words. He didn't feel he was good at speeches, but for her, he'd do anything.

Once the crowd turns their attention on him, he speaks. "It will not be easy," he starts. "We will have to grow gradually, be wary of any instances or threats that may come to us…whether it's darkness or otherwise." Right now wasn't the best time to tell his people – he would wait when their celebrations were done. "But that won't stop us. Through fire and blood, we will bring the reign of dragons to the light again, show the world what the true power of Valyria is, as long as you will have us. So tell me, Valyria, are you with us?!"

The cheer was even louder now, and within moments, a chant started to break out – of their house words, fire and blood, in Valyrian. "Perzys Ānogār! Perzys Ānogār! Perzys Ānogār!"

Daenerys shares a grin with Jon, who squeezes her hand. He turns to the red priests, the moment he and everyone else had been waiting for, for months. Kinvara was at the front.

"Kinvara," he starts. "Bring down this wall."

She smiles at him. "As you wish." And then she turns around, gesturing to the other red priests to come to her side. They all raise their hands, and collectively begin to chant in Ancient Valyrian, their focus solely on the invisible wall in front of them.

Jon watches as bits and pieces begin to fall to the ground, much like his first time arriving in Valyria, except this would be for the last time. To any normal person, they would think they were mad. But to the Valyrian's, this was liberation. This was freedom.

It was beautiful, watching each piece of their fake sky begin to fall as the real one started to show. The beauty of the moss and the grass began to appear, and with each new piece that fell, Jon could see more smiles appear on people's faces, more looks of joy. The dark sky began to turn a little lighter, showing the collection of time, and dragons in the sky began to screech.

Then, after a few moments, the last piece falls straight into the water, showing the full landscape in front of them. The mountains, the sea, the grass, the dirt – just like they'd dreamed it would be. Jon looks over at Daenerys, who was waiting with bated breath what the Valyrians would think.

And then, one after another, all began to shout in jubilation. Jon watches as multiple dragonlords begin to climb atop their dragons, before taking off into the sky.

And now, they soar directly towards the broken barrier, free of any chains. They all cheer as multiple dragonlords begin to join each other one after another, forming one flying circle above them, chanting for the new king and king, for their newfound freedom.

Drinks began to pour and fire began to spread in the sky out of the pure happiness the riders felt. Jon watched with a smile as everyone took off. They all knew of the policies they had set first, just so no one would discover them yet, but he was joyous to see everyone in such high spirits about the idea of being free.

Taevar walks over to them, distracting Jon from watching the riders and their flying, handing him and the queen a goblet of wine, to which he thanks. Then, with a smile, he raises his own cup. "To the king and queen!" he exclaims.

"To the king and queen!" the rest of Valyria shout back, raising their cups of wine, water, or anything to toast, before cheering. Jon and Daenerys share an expression of combined happiness, resilience, and hope.

Whatever this new world would bring to them, good or bad, they would get through it with each other. And with Valyria at their side, anything was possible. They just needed to have what Daenerys implored him to accept: faith in himself. He had said the same thing to her – and now he needed to say the same thing to his own mind.

The Night King, or Bran, or whatever was out there, could attack. Other nations could attack. Heck, even the next city over could. But he knew that he and Daenerys were making the right choice. It was time to end the Valyrian's age of darkness and replace it with freedom and hope, if not just for a short amount of time before someone finds out about them. But, as he looked up at the flying dragons, and at the copious amounts of people all cheering and elated, he didn't feel fear.

All he felt was love. Happiness and love. And a newfound urge to help them. Let whatever the rest of the world had thrown at them – he knew he and Daenerys would do anything to protect them.

And looking over at her, seeing the look of admiration on her face at the love the commoners had for her, he knew he was right. He raises her hand high, raising his cup with her own. He watches as his children do the same, as well as the Galeron's.

"To Valyria!" he exclaims.

"To Valyria!" they chant back.

A new age had begun. And tomorrow, they would deal with the old. The trial of the forsaken king and queen would take place – and finally, after a long wait of anger, Jon would finally get his revenge on them for hurting his family.

But for tonight, they would stuff their bellies with food and wine, and sing songs of joy, for their time of captivity has ended. The new world could use a couple of dragons.

Or maybe fifty.

---

The wall's down - and that can only mean scary things for Valyria haha

Here's some Valyrian translations for you all:

Oh qogralbar, ȳdra daor keligon- oh fuck, don't stop.

Oh, kessa, kessa - oh yes, yes.

Māzigon syt nyke, ñuha zaldrīzes - come for me, my dragon.

Kostā sōvegon sir - you can fly now.

Perzys Ānogār - fire and blood.

This chapter ended up being so much fluff and I kind of love it and I hope you did too haha. Just to keep you updated on ages with the children - Dan, Daemon, and Zaevar are all 12. Mae is 13. Nesara is 7. It's been about two years since the start of the story, technically, in Valyrian time, but now that the wall is down, it'll be about a year and a half. It's confusing but timelines have never been my forte lol

As always, love it? Hate it? Want to send direwolves after me to chew off my arm like Arya did to Joffrey? Let me know in the reviews, as they always keep me writing and pushing out these chapters for you awesome readers! All of you are amazing! Don't forget to follow or favorite if you want to join us on the adventure, and I will see you all in the next chapter. Thank you so much for reading and I hope you have an awesome day! Wash your hands and stay healthy!