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)

45. Daenerys: The Letter from Qarth

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Your reviews helped me get this chapter out for you as quickly as I could, so I'm glad you all enjoyed the last one! A big welcome to the new follows and favorites as well - it's going to get a bit darker from here on out. This chapter starts out like others, lots of fluff and politics but uh wait till the ending haha I'm sorry (hides in corner).

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Daenerys

She wakes up like she normally does. With arms around her waist, a head buried in her neck, and her cunt aching.

It had been like this since their wedding night a month ago. Jon and she had talked about it the day prior that they were going to settle on affairs with Westeros the day after their wedding – but then they didn't. And didn't the next day. And didn't again. It wasn't her fault that he had practically kept her in bed the moment they arrived up there.

And gods was it fucking great.

She didn't know what had changed with their sex life, whether that be him and her experimenting her or that maybe it was the babe that was making her feel this way, but every time they coupled, it seemed even better than that last. And so what if they wanted to rest for a little bit? They deserved to after all of the trouble they had gone through.

Meereen, the Free Cities, Tyrion suddenly showing up…anyone would need a stress-free month after that. And once they did settle that they wanted to relax for a bit, Taevar and – surprisingly – Davos had agreed to take their lead and handle most of the responsibilities while they relaxed for the time being.

And they had done an excellent job at that. Any issue or qualm that the citizens had, Taevar knew how to deal with it well. Davos, on the other hand, handled a lot of the manpower behind Magar and Rhaemon, attending council meetings regarding new training tactics, and relaying the information back to Jon and Dany. He was very helpful and attentive, while Taevar was informative and powerful among the other lords. They made a good team.

And meanwhile, she and Jon had been having the time of their lives. They had been taking rides with the children to visit the Free Cities each week after agreeing to meet with the people they would be ruling over. They had met blacksmiths in the Free Cities, along with new Valyrian steel they had acquired from Valyria. They met the newly freed slaves of Volantis and Lys, some of which were taking up trades instead of what they used to do now for coin. They met the brave people of Braavosi, even meeting someone entitled a 'man with no name.' Arya had explained that it was something she knew.

Each city held something different for them. And while they were there, they would always talk with the dragonlords who were running it, trying to make sure that everything was running smoothly. Besides a few issues with a couple of the people who didn't support moving on, there were hardly any problems. It was great to see the cities thriving.

Of course in the cities, they would have fun as well. The children would buy toys and items from the markets, or go down to the beaches in Lys, or fly along with their dragons in the open fields. And Daenerys was just glad she got to witness it all happen. She and Jon were always so focused on trying to further their rule that they never took time off to please themselves. This was what they needed.

And obviously, the sex each night was fantastic.

When the children had fallen asleep, and the night was quiet, their chambers were filled with the sounds of moans and groans, of skin slapping against each other until the early dawn. She didn't know what it was that made her like this, but she didn't want it to stop anytime soon. She almost felt herself shivering with the very thought of it.

Daenerys smiles a bit and gently moves Jon's strong arms off of her, feeling how he shifted in his sleep. Gently she stands, resting a hand over her now four-moon baby bump, grabbing her robe and wrapping it around herself quickly in the chilly early morning air of Valyria. She walks over to her balcony, looking down at many of the vendors and merchants beginning to awaken at the sight of first light.

Today, however, would not be like how the last month had been, full of fun and freedom. No, they had promised they would return to their duties today. And honestly, Daenerys was ready.

She had kept Tyrion in that cell, barely allowing anyone to visit him, just giving him the bare minimum to survive. If she needed to keep him alive, she was going to make it as painful as possible. Some might look at her and think she was mad, or even Jon for agreeing, but after what he had done, he deserved it.

However, there was a part of her that wondered if she and Jon had gone a little far. In a way, Tyrion was manipulated as well. He believed the lies Bran and Sansa had told him, but at the end of the day, he still already felt mistrustful of her and went along with a plan that ended in her death. As much as a part of her remembered when he had been good, she couldn't get over that. And she didn't know if she ever could.

Daenerys sighs softly as she rests her head against the edge of the wall, watching the dragons fly in the distance. She could see the gigantic frame of Drogon flying with some of the older dragons, while Jonarys, Jorharion, and Visenya kept their wits around the castle, resting on the edges of rock that the structure was carved into.

Their little dragons – well, not so little anymore. They had grown a lot and were about the size of Jon's direwolves now – would fly around occasionally, but their usual resting place was the perch at the very top. When they got bigger, she didn't know where they would go.

At that moment, Lyanian flies down and comes onto the balcony, letting out a soft screech at dropping a piece of meat onto the ground. Daenerys chuckles and raises an eyebrow.

"What are you, a cat?" she asks the dragon, scratching it behind its ear. Lyanian lets out another screech before flying off back into the sky, causing her to smile at her gracefulness. There was something so stunning about dragons. They flew with such ease. Truly a sight to behold.

Dany picks up the piece of meat and throws it over to Ghost, who had just woken up. The direwolf catches the food in his mouth before whining at the door, wanting to be let out. Daenerys gently lets him go wander, probably going to share his meal with Ari, before she closes the door and walks back over to the bed, sitting at the edge. She turns to look at Jon and feels herself smile softly. It was amazing how he had this completely different expression on his face then from what his usual daily expression was. It was so peaceful and calm, tranquil, almost. And she was the person who got to experience it.

The furs sat right below his body, settling on his hips. Her fingers quietly trace little indentations on the scars of his chest, letting out a soft sigh. She didn't know how anyone could hurt him. All Jon had ever tried to do was help and protect people. And yet no one understood that.

She supposed she was in that same boat as well.

Daenerys bites her lip as her eyes stray to where his cock laid right beneath the furs. She glances up at him and sees him still sleeping, so she takes the opportunity to undo her robe, and lean down to press a soft kiss right over the scar on his heart. She started to move down more and more, laying a kiss to each scar as she descended down.

Her nimble fingers quickly pull away the furs, hovering over his manhood that had always been growing harder with each kiss she had placed upon him in her descent. Daenerys glances back up at him and sees his eyes were still closed and he was still sleeping, so she ever so gently starts to run the tips of her fingers up his cock. With each touch, it only seemed to harden more. She leans down and starts to place wet, open-mouthed kisses all up and down his length, while her other hand cups his stones.

Daenerys swirls her tongue over the tip of his cock, before she began to swallow his length. It was then that his eyes finally opened, his brow furrowed in sleepily confused pleasure before they land on her. He licks his lips, his hands moving forward to grip her hair from where she was.

"Fuck, Dany," he moans, his hips beginning to buck into her mouth. Daenerys took him as deep as she could, before pulling back to swirl her tongue around his head again, licking up his shaft slowly. His eyes were as dark as the night, staring her down, his hands holding firm on her tendrils of hair.

Her fingers reach down to touch herself, her mouth moving along his cock at the same time, before he suddenly grips her hand and pulls it to his mouth, licking her juices clean off of her fingers. She raises an eyebrow at him as he suddenly picks her up into his arms, causing her to squeal. He pushes her back onto the bed, pulling her legs up over his shoulders within seconds, and plunges himself deep inside of her, causing her to gasp, barely giving her any time to adjust.

"Gods, yes," she whispers, her head tilting back in pleasure as he fucked her senseless. This was how their mornings had been as well, full of passion and love so much that it had her eyes rolling to the back of her head. "Don't stop, Jon, right there, fuck."

He keeps going harder and harder, his hands gripping onto her hips so tightly that there would be marks as soon as they left. One of his hands snake up and grab her hair, pulling it to the side and burying his head into her neck. Within moments she feels him bite down on her skin, causing her to groan in pleasure while her nail dug into his back. His body pushes her legs even further upwards, causing him to go deeper.

She buries her head against his skin as screams of pleasure overtook her. It doesn't take long for her climax to reach, her walls tightening around him, clamping down to suck the living life out of his cock. A few thrusts later and he was shaking, sending his own seed deep within her in spurts, letting everything out. He growls against her neck, before placing a soft kiss to where he had just bitten.

A moment later, he pulls back and looks at her in surprise. "Good morning, my king," she giggles.

"Fuck, Dany," he whispers, shaking his head. "Don't ever stop doing that."

Daenerys chuckles and leans forward, pressing her lips to his own. "How did you sleep?"

"Well…had some strange dreams, though." She raises an eyebrow, gesturing for him to go on. "It was nothing serious or scary. It was really just a lot of…heat. Like we were back in that volcano. But it was all blue…I don't really know what to think of it."

Daenerys shrugs gently. "Well, that's the thing about dreams – they're just that, dreams. They don't mean anything unless we truly start to see it." His hands wrap around her and he pulls her against him, his lips kissing the top of her head. His hands rest on her stomach, looking down at her belly.

"Hmm, I think what we need to do today is this," he chuckles a little, before pressing her up against the headboard and then moving in front of her. "Hi, little one," he whispers, his hands pressed against her stomach. Daenerys laughs softly, watching him with a smile.

This had been something he had been doing a lot lately, speaking to her stomach as if the babe could hear her. He had said that because he wasn't around when Dan and Daemon had been in her, he sword that no matter what he would be talking to his child every single day. And he had made do of that promise.

"Jon, they can't hear you," she snickers.

"Oh, I'm sure they can," he reassures, shaking his head. "Don't listen to your mother – I know you can hear me." Daenerys rolls her eyes but still watches, her heart swelling at the care in his voice. "And when you come out, I'll teach you everything. How to hold a sword, how to fight, how to ride a dragon – or your mother can teach you that, she's probably better at that than I." She laughs, shaking her head. "Either way, you'll be so loved regardless of if you're a boy or a girl…let's just hope you don't have your mother's temper."

"Hey!" she exclaims, her eyes narrowing.

Jon smiles and leans up, kissing her on the lips again. "I'm joking," he says softly. "I can only hope our future child is as fiery as you are, my dragon."

Daenerys smiles against his lips and wraps her arms around his neck, pulling him close. Gods, she loved this man. No wonder ever since she was brought back, she had felt so alone. Life had been waiting for him to fill it. Daemon was her life, and so was Dan and her children, but without Jon, it didn't feel as complete as she would want it to be.

There was no one else she could rely on but the man who held her heart.

His hands start to trail down her hips to her thighs, slowly spreading them apart. Daenerys raises an eyebrow at his forward movements. "Are you already ready for a round two?" she asks him.

"I'm always ready to be with you," he growls against her lips. "But…that's not what I want to do right now."

She raises an eyebrow. "And what exactly is it that you want to do, Jon?"

He moves off of her and walks over to their dresser, before holding what seemed to be a leather strap from one of his outfits. He walks over to her and presses a soft kiss to her lips, and then pulls back a moment later. "Do you trust me?"

"You don't have to ask me that every single time," she chuckles a little. "Of course I trust you."

Jon nods at her answer and takes the leather strap, before holding her hands in his. He places them behind her and puts them together before tying the strap around her wrists, making it so tight that she bites her lip at the slight pain it induced. When he pulls back from the strap, he lays her down on the bed, watching her with lustful eyes, and then pushes her legs apart.

They had done a lot in their time together, but the way he looked at her now screamed that she was going to be moaning a lot in a matter of minutes.

"You're going to be a good girl for me?" he asks her, his voice low.

Daenerys nods her head. "Yes, I promise."

"Good…don't come until I say you can," he warns her. She nods, watching as he starts to place kisses all along her thighs, trailing down to her aching core, wanting nothing more than for him to get right to and bury his tongue in her. But she was tied up. There was nothing she could do except be patient and wait – even though it was killing her.

By the time his tongue had actually reached it, she was a dripping mess. There was something so primal about the way Jon looked at her while doing this. It was almost as if a different version of him took over his body whenever he made love to him, a rougher version, one that had her writhing with each coupling. It was almost like a mate claiming what was his. That was something that normally disgusted her in the past with some of the men she had been with, but with Jon, it was an entirely different feeling.

His tongue pokes and prods at her entrance, teasing her, and she knows it too because he can hear her whimpering, and can feel his fucking smirk against her skin. Her head tilts back against the pillow, eyes closing as her body arched off the bed, aching to get closer. But his rough hands suddenly push her back down, shaking his head.

"Stay still, my dragon," he commands quietly, but his voice left no room for argument. "Or else."

"Or else what?" she breathes, her heart picking up speed at his gaze. "You'll have to punish me?" She challenged his gaze, her eyes not leaving from his. Jon doesn't say a word to her statement. And then within seconds, he suddenly pulls her closer to him and sits her up, her hands still behind her back, while his own hands squeeze her ass harshly before landing a resounding slap against one of her cheeks.

She bites her lip as he does so, trying so hard not to scream as to wake everyone else in this bloody castle. Before she could even speak, he had his head buried in her cunt and lapping her up like a dog drinking water on a hot day, while his other hand spanked harder onto her other cheek. Her hands grip the back of the furs from where they were restrained.

"Fuck, Jon!" she exclaims, her hair falling into her eyes, staring down at him. Gods, all she wanted to do was pull at his hair, to kiss him blind, but this was clearly his domain right now.

"You like getting spanked, don't you?" he murmurs, the vibration of his voice sending waves of pleasure through her cunt. "You like getting punished, you dirty girl."

She was so close. So close she could feel it. The little ministrations of his tongue licking at her nub, his hands slapping her ass at the same time, the sting of pain and pleasure mixing within each other, all at once commanding its right over her body. That tiny coil of pleasure she loved so much was building.

But just as it was about to be released, he lets go of her, dropping her onto the bed altogether.

Daenerys stares up at him in shock. "Jon," she whimpers.

His hand comes over and cups her chin gently, looking down at her. "I told you what would happen if you went against what I said. Now, you don't get to come."

"Jon, please," she whispers to him, looking up at him. Her eyes were pleading. Her want for him was clearly there. She was biting her lip, her cunt still dripping onto the furs below them.

"Please what?" he asks her.

She could feel her cheeks turn a dark red. The old her would have been embarrassed at her begging for a man's cock like this. But this wasn't a normal man. And this wasn't a normal cock. "I need your cock in me, now. Please…you make me feel so good."

His thumb traces the edge of her lip, and she takes it within her mouth, staring up at him. Within seconds, she sees his demeanor change, and the smirk he had on leaves and is replaced with a loving smile. He reaches behind her and undoes the strap, and at her confused face, he brings her hands to his back.

"You're going to need them for what I'm about to do to you," he whispers to her.

Before she could question what he meant by that, he sinks his cock into her again, and instantly she knew. Her nails dug into his back once more as he fucked her senseless. She hadn't even realized honestly that his cock had gotten hard again. She had been so focused on her own pleasure that she got lost in it. And now she was lost in him again.

The second time around doesn't take too long for either of them to come, but she still doesn't let herself go until he says so, just like before. And when he leans up, his lips against her ears, whispering in his husky, Northern drawl of his, "Come for me, Dany," she feels herself let go over the edge, her climax overtaking her. And then within a few thrusts, he was coming once more, holding onto her in a vice grip.

It takes a moment for the two of them to calm down again and regain their breathing, but once they do, Jon shakes his head and looks at her, seeing the confused gaze in her eyes. "Why did you untie me? I liked that."

Jon shrugs a little and brings his hand up to caress her cheek. "I don't know…I wanted to feel your hands on my back when I fucked he," he admits honestly. "Also…I don't know. I like being rough but I also don't want to hurt you."

"Oh my gods," Daenerys chuckles, rolling her eyes.

"I'm serious!" he says to her, his own chuckle coming out. "I know that we've been doing a lot more…interesting things in our coupling lately. I want to make sure everything is okay. That is all. You're my wife, not some whore in a brothel. And even then I would make sure they were alright too." Daenerys looks up at him, smiling softly at his words.

"You're such an honorable man," she states, grabbing his hand. "Trust me…everything you do is completely and one hundred percent okay with me. And if it wasn't, I would tell you." She leans up and kisses him slowly, feeling his hands start to run through her hair. When she pulls back, his nose bumps against her own.

"I love you," he murmurs.

"I love you too," she whispers back.

After a moment he pulls back, finally going to grab his breeches and trousers, letting out a long sigh. "While I would love to stay in bed all day," he admits, smiling at her. "We do have a lot to do today…involving a certain dwarf in the dungeons."

Daenerys sighs, leaning upwards. She could still feel the sting from his smacks on her bottom, and it sent a wave of happiness through her. Who knew years later she would get turned on by pain instead of disgusted by it as she had been with Drogo? All it took was the right man. "I know. The meeting will be taking place around midday. However, I did schedule a sparring session with you and the children."

Jon raises an eyebrow. "The children? I thought it was only going to be Mae."

"It was, but then Dan wanted to join in and then Zaevar did and then everyone else as well…this is what we get for having children who are warriors." Jon chuckles at her words, nodding his head. "It shouldn't be that much of a surprise anymore."

Jon nods, coming over with her robe and helping her put it on. "Alright, so let's go over what we have to do. Sparring with the children," he starts, to which she nods. "Audience chamber for a couple of hours to address the public over some new training pits that are being built to help with the travelers from the slave cities-"

"How many fighting pits?" Daenerys asks.

"Just the one, I believe. Taevar said that some of the fighters came from Meereen and are in need of a new place to spar, and I believe that if we built a Valyrian version of the fighting pits it would bring in even more people to train. I've met a lot of young boys who want to become knights and such, and training there is a good opportunity to grow if they don't have a proper teacher. I can't teach everyone, sadly."

Daenerys could feel his frown but didn't blame him. Jon had always wanted to help as many children out of poverty as much as possible and give them a better life, one better than they were given at first. But he was right – they couldn't personally adopt every child as they had with the Galeron's. They needed the proper help outside of the castle.

"And if they wanted to…participate in those scary matches, that's completely of their whim?" Daenerys asks.

"Of course not," Jon chuckles. "There's an age limit, just like in Meereen. They can't compete in death matches until they are of sound mind and we are sure that it is what they want. They want their culture but there have to be limits on their lives." He squeezes her shoulders from behind her. "Don't worry – I took everything you've done there into account, and the council agrees."

Daenerys smiles thankfully. "Good…I was also thinking of establishing something else and talking it over in the audience chambers today as well." He turns at her, nodding to go on. "A real orphanage. Not the slum ones you would see in King's Landing…one where children would have real beds, real food…toys of all kinds."

Jon looks at her with a raised brow. "Where did this come from?"

"I don't know," she admits softly. "Honestly, I've been seeing a lot of children on the streets lately from the ones who have been traveling here from the slave cities. I have a feeling a few of them were former slaves in trading and they wanted to get away from their masters…so they came here but they have nowhere else to go. I don't want children to just be huddled up in some corner at the edge of the street…I know we can't bring them all into the castle, as we did with Mae, Zaevar, and Nesara, but we can at least try. Give them something good."

Jon wraps his arms around her, letting his head rest on her shoulder from behind him. "I think that sounds like a great idea, Dany." He lets out a soft sigh and glances up at the sky. "I remember when there was another girl as queen in Westeros – she was only there for a short time because of Cersei but she gave one of the orphanages in King's Landing new toys or food or something like that."

"Queen Margaery," Daenerys fills in, causing Jon to nod, recognition filling his eyes. "I've heard of her from her grandmother. Despite who she was married to, she didn't deserve what happened to her…if she was as smart and slick as her grandmother, I would have liked to meet her." She turns back to him. "And then after the audience chamber, we have the meeting…are you ready to see him again?"

The two of them hadn't even bothered to visit Tyrion since their wedding day for the need to be free of his lies for the time. But now they had to deal with him. They couldn't just stay silent anymore.

After a moment, Jon nods quietly. "I have to be. We need to talk with him and Davos. All of this has been on my mind." He reaches down and presses a gentle kiss to her lips, to which she smiles against it. When he pulls back, he stands and squeezes her hands. "Alright, let's get to it…have the children 'take me down.'"

Daenerys chuckles a little. "Dan and Daemon are getting very good, though."

"That I can admit," he states, grabbing his tunic. "I'm only pretending for Nesara's sake…the little girl is trying so hard. It's a blessing she can heal. I have a feeling she's going to end up taking a little longer to learn. But Mae and Zaevar are learning quicker…maybe you should join in on fighting today."

Dany's eyes widen. "Oh, no. Not me. I'm not as skilled as the chi-"

"Oh, cut the crap," he chuckles, causing her brow to raise. "You fought in a literal battle Daenerys. Something none of the children have done yet. You're already one step over them. Join us. You don't have to fight – just watch if you want. But whenever I've trained with them they've always asked if you were going to come to the area."

Daenerys feels herself sigh, rubbing her arm before slowly nodding. "Alright…I'll come, but I'm going to have to bring something to do with me. I can't sit there and just watch." Jon nods, a smile on his lips.

"Good."

---

When she arrived in the training pit with Eleana at her side, she had a deck of pieces of parchment to sign and read while watching Jon and the children train. Jon had told her that when he revealed to the children she would be there, all of them grew ecstatic and wanted to 'show off their moves.' To which she had laughed and gladly sat down.

Now, while her quill did move across pieces of parchment and looking at treaties from the Free Cities, her eyes did stray quite often to the children down below. And she noticed that there were different fighting patterns among them.

Dan and Zaevar were very aggressive with their attacks. She had seen through their training that neither seemed to breathe as much as they should and attacked whenever necessary instead of taking a break to breathe and allow a couple of hits to come at them while blocking. Jon would point that out as well, saying that, "if you're in a battle and you keep attacking, you're going to run out of stamina, and lose your focus."

Mae and Daemon, however, were a bit more passive in their fighting skills. They used a lot more blocking poses and took more time to find the right spot to pin them down. Jon had also critiqued this, saying, "if you spend too much time trying to pinpoint the exact location, someone else will sneak up and kill you." Which wasn't wrong. Using swords was a very delicate balance of multiple other parts of your body. And she knew it took time to learn. It had taken her a lot of time to learn as well.

However, while watching the children fight was entertaining, she felt herself swooning for a different reason, and that was seeing Jon interact with the children. Teaching them the best poses, the quickest movements. They interacted so well with him. In another life, he would have been a great teacher to nobles who would love to learn. Honestly, he could do it with lower born children as well.

Nesara was the sweetest to watch because she was so young and still beginning to learn, and seeing him kneel down and adjust her arms, speaking to her softly with a smile so she took it in better – gods, if she wasn't already with a child she knew she would have been after this training.

At a certain point, she felt a nudge in her side and looked over to see Eleana shaking her head. "Gods, you two are ridiculous."

"What?" Dany asks.

"You two staring at each other. First, it was him at you during audience chambers, then it's you staring at him during fighting training – I swear, you two act more like secret lovers than a king and a queen."

Daenerys shakes her head, smiling. "He stares at me when I address the audiences?"

"He's not very subtle about it either," Eleana states, causing Daenerys to laugh. "It's sweet, however…there have been so many marriages that have ended in ruin. I only pray that yours lasts for a long time." She squeezes her girl's hand and glances at the parchments underneath her before raising an eyebrow. "Hmm."

Daenerys turns to her. "What is it?"

"There's a letter from Qarth here."

Daenerys' brow raises as she takes the folded-up piece of parchment from the handmaiden's hands. "Qarth? What do they want with me?"

"I thought you told me you ended things with Qarth rather…abruptly."

Daenerys snorts and shakes her head. "I had no choice to. They manipulated me the whole time and then stole my dragons. You don't steal the dragons from a Targaryen unless you're looking to get hurt." She opens the piece of parchment, letting out a soft sigh. "However, it has been a long time since then. New leadership might have taken over."

She removes the seal from the letter and starts to read carefully, her brow furrowed.

'Queen Daenerys and King Jon of Valyria,

It has come to our attention that your reign has been spreading across the Free Cities, as it has been in the Slave Cities recently. While we have agreed with the changes you have been making across the lands, we would like our city to remain untouched.

While we are probably not in your sights to extend your reign considering our distance from Valyria, we can still understand why Queen Daenerys would wish to after what happened to her here previously. However, we are willing to offer a trade deal of peace so we can remain calm, and in turn, we will offer some of our ships.

We don't recall precisely when it was that Daenerys Targaryen took our ships, but if she recalls, they are quite fast and can be used alongside the ships you use right now.

Please take this into consideration. Qarth is still rebuilding from the past years, and we would rather stay independent of the claims you have, rather than join for now. But we are willing to negotiate.

In return, we invite both king and queen to come and visit Qarth with some of your men to discuss the matter further, along with some of your men. Please, if you can, do not bring the dragons. We don't want to risk someone growing power-hungry here again, as well as the risk of scaring the citizens as well.

Sincerely,

the Pureborn, the Thirteen, the Tourmaline Brotherhood, and the Ancient Guild of Spicers.'

"That's a lot of organizations in one line," Eleana points out.

Daenerys sighs and lowers the parchment to the ground, glancing down at the clashing of swords between her husband and children. "It's the number of people that rule over the city…Qarth has been in a never-ending political battle between those four councils. But the fact that they all came together to write this one letter…means that they're threatened by us."

"Isn't that a good thing?" Eleana asks.

Daenerys bites her lip. "In a way, yes, it is, but at the same time, Qarth has never been afraid of anything. They always call their city one of the greatest in the world, or whatever it was that they said…I can only wonder what would inspire them to send out a letter like this. We never showed any interest in taking over Qarth."

"Well – hear me out – some probably think you want revenge." Daenerys raises an eyebrow, and Eleana gestures to the outside. "I mean, think about it, Dany. You've told me what happened in Qarth. Many of them see that you have much more power now than you've ever had. Ever. They have seen what you, Jon, and all of us have done to the Slaver Cities and to the Free Cities. And some may think that you want to take over Qarth after what they did."

"But we don't-"

"And see, that's why you have the advantage. They don't know that. If you and Jon act right, you can probably get them to give you whatever they want."

Daenerys raises an eyebrow at the girl. "When did you start acting like a conqueror?"

Eleana shrugs. "I think I might just have been serving you for too long."

Daenerys chuckles before nudging the girl's side gently. "Or you've been spending some time with our local Greyjoy a lot whenever she visits."

She could see the girl's cheeks turn red, but she shrugs her shoulders. "And if I have? She has a lot of good ideas. She always thinks ahead about things and what to do. It's no wonder you had her as an ally besides her ships."

Daenerys chuckles a little. "I know. But you don't need to hide your feelings from me. I've seen what you two do." She looks down at Jon and smiles a little, but then feels it falter only slightly before her brow furrows. "If we do go to Qarth, how are they going to react to Jon? They've never met him before."

"I'm sure they'll treat him with the same amount of respect as they would you," Eleana says. "He is a king, as much as you are a queen. If anything – and don't take this the wrong way – they may treat him better because he's a man."

Daenerys sighs. "I know…that's the ugliness of the world. Full of pathetic men who value a cock over a woman's intellect sometimes." She shakes her head and smiles a little. "But I doubt Jon would even allow that for a second. He's always been adamant about those interactions and people treating us with equal respect."

"That is true," Eleana points out.

Daenerys turns her gaze over to where Jon was again, who had just been pinned down for the first time by Mae – who was jumping for joy in the corner – because she felt a soft pat on the back of her shoulder.

"I hate to interrupt, my queen," she hears Taevar state from above. "But the audience chamber is already filling up. You and the king should get going soon."

Daenerys sighs but nods. "Alright. We all knew it would end regardless." She stands and cups over her mouth. "Jon!" His head snaps up to see her, and she gestures for him to move up. "We have to get going now – the people await."

"But I wanted to fight you!" Dan exclaims, a pout on her face. "Please? Just one spar before you have to go be a king and queen again?"

Jon turns to Dany again with that knowing grin on his face. "It wouldn't hurt, Dany."

Daenerys rolls her eyes but nods. "Alright…one spar, and that's it." She had already brought down Dark Sister just in case the children had truly wanted to fight with her, and now was her time to shine. She watches as Dan takes her stance, her own sword in her hands. Daenerys glances over at Jon, who had taken the moment to step back, smiling a bit.

Before Daenerys could barely grasp her position down in the fighting pits, Dan was running at her, her sword edging delicately in her hand. Daenerys quickly dodges her hits and blocks each one, taking several steps back. Jon wasn't joking. Dan was an aggressive fighter.

Dany barely avoids one shot before side-stepping her daughter, holding her sword firm. Dan turns to her, the two circling around each other for a moment before she attacks again. It was sword on sword, hit after hit, steel catching against steel before Dan uses her size against her and crawls underneath a hit, almost getting Daenerys in the throat.

But she was quick as well, and she took a step back, sensing the girl would use her own skill of size against her. At that moment, she watches the girl's movements, analyzing each of them, before suddenly striking hard, four times in a row, all surprising the girl. Daenerys had been passive the whole fight, and now seeing her mother attack so aggressively had shocked her. Daenerys side-steps again her second hit and moves to the back, before planting the tip of her sword near the edge of her daughter's spine.

"Dead," Daenerys breathes.

"Oh, that's not fair," Dan mutters, turning to her. "You changed your fighting style like halfway through!"

"Lesson number one – always expect the unexpected." She could see Jon smirk from the corner of his eye, but she pays it no mind before putting her sword back into its holster, looking at her daughter. "Don't worry – you provided a challenge. You're a very aggressive fighter, but always expect someone to come up behind you. You have to keep an eye out."

"I know," Dan states, sighing. "I'm trying to improve on that."

"Doesn't look like it," Daemon points out.

"Shut it!" she exclaims at him, her eyes narrowed.

Daenerys shakes her head, chuckling. "You can continue training if you so like – your father and I have our duties to attend to. Is that alright?"

Dan bites her lip but sighs, nodding. "I guess. I can keep practicing with Mae." The older girl's eyes brighten and she steps down, her sword in hand, while Nesara stayed back with a glass of juice. She just seemed to be enjoying the show.

"Good. Love, come on, we have to go." Jon nods and gives each of the children a hug – and she spots a small kiss on the forehead for Nesara – before heading off to where Dany was leaving, going up the stairs. Eleana had already left to attend to the chamber's and get them ready, while Taevar was most likely with Davos, addressing the crowd.

When they reach the top, Jon grabs Dany's hand and pulls her close to him, wrapping her in a tight embrace that only the two of them could see behind the large marble pillars. Daenerys laughs as he spins her around before planting a soft kiss to her lips. When he pulls away, she smiles up at him, though her eyes were full of confusion.

"What was that for?"

"Thank you for doing that with them…we always want you there to train with us. They miss you," he says to her softly. She sighs, biting her lip.

"I want to be there as well, Jon, but there are always so many things that block me from going. Scripts and parchments – I mean, we just got a letter from Qarth, of all places. It was on my mind the whole time." She bites her lip and glances down at her sword, smiling. "I mean…I do miss training, a lot. Arya and I have done it a little and so have you and I, but we've been doing so much else I have barely given myself time to learn again. I'll try and attend the sessions more often…and beat you next time."

Jon's brow raises. "Oh, you think you're that good now?"

"Why, indeed, I do," she states, sticking her tongue out him.

"Don't do that – you know what will happen if you do that," he states, and she could hint the subtle change of lust in his voice.

Dany rolls her eyes and grabs his hand. "Come on, Jon. We can't do that all day."

---

When they arrived back to their chambers, they quickly changed and got on their crowns before coming down to the audience chambers, sitting in their thrones. One by one, the people of Valyria came in, addressing them, and then speaking of their problems – or, what a lot of the others stated, asking them to travel.

They had developed that if people wanted to travel from Valyria to other cities, they would have to run it through the monarchy first for safety reasons. Because they were still securing their claim to the North of them with their dragonlords, traveling right now to the other cities was strictly for merchants who wanted to expand their business. Other than that, they were to stay in the city, for the precaution that there might still be tiny uprisings against them.

But most of them were all merchants, some being silk, others being steel, all with valid reasons. So after that, they would allow them to travel on their boats to head off, with the contention that they could return within a month or so to show their profits, or proof of residency in the other cities where they could sell. They only wanted the best for the people, and being safe now was better than being safe later.

The other issues were of no matter. Some were about the Dothraki at the far edge of the city, where they had established a new settlement, Vaas Dajae, named after Daenerys and Jon. Some had said that the Dothraki were keeping them out of the fields for their farming work, so Jon and Daenerys would address them later on.

A couple of the issues were regarding housing claims, as well as property for new travelers to the city, which usually just meant they would build more homes for them. Jon had taken to getting many of the areas of the city expanded so more people could live there, but everything still took time. Eventually, they would be able to match up with the demand.

After a couple of hours within the chambers, Daenerys and Jon moved from the public into their own private council, where many of their more important discussions would be taking place. It was there that they brought up the resurrection of the fighting pits and how they were going to establish that, while also keeping the peace among the people. It was also that meeting where Daenerys wanted to bring up the idea of the orphanage for the children that would be coming here. To which the council had agreed that it would be in their best interest to make sure that the children were given a proper place to live and eat since they had enough space right now to expand and give them a place to stay. Jon had reached under the table and squeezed her hand, encouraging her with a smile.

She knew that it wouldn't take an arm and a leg for her council to agree with their decisions. They had been making the right ones so far – she was only hoping that it wasn't a matter of time before someone would go against it.

But truly, who would go against a person who was regularly trying to make the world a better place? At least if not from a distance, then in their own home.

'Some people are like that,' she thinks inwardly, her mind wandering back to Westeros before she pushes that down. She didn't want to be thinking like that right now.

However, it seems that she was going to have to, as Tyrion was then brought up from the cells to them after the month had he been in imprisonment. She could see that it hadn't been helping him at all. His hair had overgrown, while some of it was turning grey, managing, and curling all over the place. The cuts that Jon had inflicted on the dwarf had healed, but a few of which had scars, adding to his already disgruntled face. But what Daenerys noticed the most was how even though he knew he was in the worst place of his life, he still held his head high.

Fucking Lannisters.

"Tyrion Lannister," Daenerys starts, glancing at the dwarf as he's brought over to a chair with the guards next to him. "I trust that your time in the dungeons had been rather…reflective."

"Very, your grace," Tyrion states, letting out a deep breath. "It's been quite a long time."

"Has it? Time has just seemed to fly by since I've been married," she states, looking over at her husband with a smile, but a part of her knew she was only saying that to further instate the point in the imp's mind that said, 'we went against everything you thought and look at where we are now.' It felt good, in her own way of justice. "Though I suppose for you that might have been a bit slower than usual."

"Forgive me, your grace, but what I have done in the past isn't what we are here to discuss," Tyrion states bluntly, causing her to raise an eyebrow at his behavior.

"It is a matter of discussion, because what if I can't ever trust you again? How would we be willing to help a country that has tried to kill us?" Jon asks him, speaking Daenerys' own thoughts. "I mean, fuck – I did have men kill me years ago. You manipulated me into killing her. We have to start somewhere with what you've done because if we don't, we can never proceed in helping anyone in that country of yours."

She could see the change of look in his eyes, the sigh that left his lips. He knew that he was wrong, but he only wanted to further the conversation. At that moment, he turns to look at Daenerys, who had been quiet for the most part.

"I know you can never forgive me for what I have done," he begins, his voice low. "Me coming here wasn't even of my own will – it was of Davos' – because I knew you would treat me like this, and I was fully prepared for it. And in all honesty, I deserve it."

Daenerys raises an eyebrow at his words, but he continues.

"I deserve to get beaten, and hurt, and possibly even killed, because yes, I did conspire against you. I conspired against Jon. I admit to treason because I was terrified of what the future might bring if two Targaryen's were to rule the throne again. I was stupid and immature, and selfish to not see a possible new world where you two could have run. But you have to understand that I was manipulated too."

She hears Jon snort at that, but Daenerys raises a hand to him gently. "Let him speak. I'd like to hear this." Jon waves his hand dismissively but shrugs either way. "Tell me, Lannister, how you feel you were manipulated."

"By Sansa and Bran. They are the real villains here," Tyrion implores. "Yes, I can take accountability for the horrible things I have done. I can take accountability for what I have done. But if not for the words that they instilled in my brain, I would not have done anything. I would have let you rule. I would have let you do what you had to do because I didn't know any better. I thought 'I only have fears because this is something that's never been done before.' But then Bran told me he saw visions. Things only the Three-Eyed-Raven could see. When they tell you those things, you don't just not believe it. And I always thought of Lord Stark to be a fine boy – or whatever it was that he had turned into. But I was wrong."

He bows his head and lets out a deep breath, swallowing.

"I know that what I did was wrong. I will forever be sorry for using your sisters against you, Jo-Jaehaerys," he stutters. Daenerys raises an eyebrow at Jon, not knowing that he had stated his Valyrian name to Tyrion prior. "I will forever be sorry for using your love for her against you. It was a horrible tactic, something that I have regretted from the moment we entrusted Bran with that forsaken throne. And I will forever be sorry to you, Daenerys." He turns his head to look at her, a look of guilt in his eyes. "You can kill me. You can exile me. You can burn me to a crisp. But know that I regret that every day more and more. I know you and he are good. If we had never done that to you, given you that poison, none of this would have happened. But that's in the past and there is nothing we can do to change it. We can only move forward…even if I am not included in that."

Daenerys watches his movements carefully, her lips in a pierced line, her brow furrowed. "And you expect us to accept this apology?"

"No. I don't," he admits. "But I thought I'd give it a try…because it's the best bet that Westeros has right now. I know you hate the nobles. You hate many people there. But the innocent people are needy."

"The people of Westeros aren't exactly our problem," Taevar states from where he stood, the rest of the council finally budging in. Davos looks at him from where he sat next to Daenerys. The seaman had taken a seat at the table many times this past month to aid in the acceptance of new passengers while they were conversing on how to properly go about this meeting.

"The people of the slave cities weren't your problem either," Tyrion responds.

"The innocent lives of the people in the slave cities were being beaten, raped, and brutally murdered daily," Daenerys states. "By the people they called the leader. And what's better is that they were on our continent. Not somewhere across the sea."

"Then why are you aiding the North?" Tyrion asks, looking to her. "If the people of Westeros aren't your concern, then why are you helping the woman who actively plotted against you?"

"We are aiding the North because Arya is here," Daenerys states with a soft shrug. "She is my good sister, and a close ally who has friends and loved ones in the North, people who deserve the help despite the atrocities their 'queen' is committing and has committed. If she was not here, I don't know if I would help. When has the North ever been kind to me? The nobles sure as shit weren't."

Tyrion sighs. "I understand that. And they should have treated you with more dignity – there is absolutely no doubt about that. But at the end of the day, they were starving innocents that, even though you have a personal connection, you still helped. Because those are the kinds of people you and Jaehaerys are. You help the less fortunate – no matter what the issue is that they are going through, whether it be horrible or minute. Didn't I just hear before that you wanted to open a fully furnished and operating orphanage from outside? That's helping children find a home, not from rapists or murderers or anything else – that's just from your pure heart. And that's why I know you would be best to aid Westeros. Because the South is doing far worse than the North."

The fact that he had heard what she had proposed earlier irked her slightly, but she shouldn't be surprised. Ever the listener, Tyrion was. Daenerys turns to Davos. "You've told me of some of the issues of the south. Is there more that we should know?"

Davos sighs. "I've told you about the hunger," he admits. "That is the worst of everything, that even children, young ones, are starving due to the famines that are spreading through the country. But there have been slight revolutions that have sprung up, fighting that has ended in bloodshed. There have been many more rapes and murders because of the lack of leadership and guardsman. It's been anarchy."

Suddenly, there was a dark chuckle that came from next to her. Daenerys turns to her husband, who was shaking his head. "Have something to say, Jon?"

"I can't help but think this is a sick sense of karma." He looks over to Tyrion, his arms crossed. "You, Sansa, and Bran – along with Varys – all planned that Daenerys would be the worst thing for Westeros because of Bran's 'visions.' And yet here you are, with the leader you chose, tearing the country into pieces. And yet the ones you thought would end it, are thriving and prospering across the sea. I almost don't want to help Westeros because honestly, most of you noble fucks deserve what's happening to you."

Tyrion lets out a deep sigh. "I know you feel that way, but I know who you are and-"

"You have no idea who I am!" Jon snaps, his voice increasing with each word, venom dripping out of his mouth. "I am not the same person I was all those years ago, so easily manipulated by everyone's words. We have built cities together, castles, and communities, and all you have done is bring chaos among yourselves. And yet you think you can stand there and think that you know me?!"

Tyrion was quiet, looking down at the chains below him. Daenerys reaches over and grabs her husband's hand, holding it close to her. She feels him let out a deep sigh, and a soft squeeze follows. "Tyrion…speak your mind. Say what you want."

He looks at her, realizing her rare chance she was giving him. He looks to the guards, who allow him to step forward. "I know…I have said the same thing to Jon before, and I know it was wrong, and in the wrong state of mind, but this…this comes from my heart. This comes from what I have seen in King's Landing, and the horrible people with that…think of your children."

Daenerys' brow furrows. "What do you mean?"

"Think as if your children were the ones who were starving," Tyrion pleads. "I have seen young ones, younger than your youngest, who have gone out into the streets to sell whatever it is they can, even family heirlooms, just to get a piece of bread…it's horrible. It's no way for someone to live. Our king has been…extremely negligent. I don't know what it is. I really don't. Bran isn't the same man that I first met all those years ago. I think it might be whatever power it is taking over him…whatever it is, it's ruining our country. And at this point, Davos was right – we needed outside help. We needed peace, but not just that, we need aid. We need you. And know we don't deserve it, but it's what the people need."

Daenerys watches him with intent, trying to see if there was any source of a lie in his eyes, but he seemed to be completely and admittingly truthful with his words. At the same time, however, this wasn't her decision to make alone.

"I feel we should hear what the rest of the council has to say about this," she proposes, turning her eyes to Kinvara at the other end. "You have been with me for a long time, my friend, and have supported us through everything. Do you believe that if we helped Westeros, we could avoid another war?"

Kinvara looks at Tyrion, who almost seemed like he was afraid for what the red priestess would answer. She turns back to Daenerys. "I can only predict the dreams that I've had. As far as I know, the innocent people of Westeros have no anger towards you, my queen. Many of them are sick and tired of the world they live in. Perhaps sending aid will swing them over in their favor. And it would show that you would care despite what the nobles had planned against you."

Daenerys nods before turning to Rhaemon next. "You are the head of our army, and most likely, you and Magar's men would be the ones transporting these supplies if we proceed to do something like this. Would you be willing to?"

"I would be willing to do anything for you," Rhaemon states.

"If I wasn't the queen," she starts. "And Jon wasn't the king. Would you still think this is a good idea?"

Rhaemon was silent, pondering his words before his mouth opens once more. "I think it would be. You aided us when we needed you most. When most of us believed we would die. And have done a damn good job of it. I believe whoever these people are in Westeros would probably need the most out of everyone right now."

Daenerys nods, now turning to Taevar. "You have your own son. And your own family. How do you feel about this? Do you think a possible alliance could be formed with this?"

Taevar snorts. "An alliance? That's funny." That was one thing she admired about her hand. He had a way with words that wasn't condescending. He was straight-forward and said what he thought without putting a million riddles into his sentences. "Westeros can only be won over with violence if you wanted to rule over it. However, if what Davos is saying is true, and that there are people rebelling here, sending over food might swing their favor in our direction, which has been said before. Maybe you won't even need to do most of the fighting. The people will do it for you, and you can just sit back and watch the world burn."

Jon raises an eyebrow. "I don't think any of the villagers there have dragons."

"Oh, it's a bloody figure of speech, let it go," Taevar snickers before looking over at Daenerys. "Truly, my queen, if you want me to think of morals, yes, I believe you should help. We have the money. We have the resources. And clearly, there is no one else there who is truly trying because people are rebelling…it would show you and Jon care despite the horrors they committed to you."

Daenerys nods before turning her head now to Arya, who had remained silent for the majority of the conversation. "Arya, we have already sent aid over to the North," Daenerys says softly, causing the girl to look up. "However, they do not know it was us…for your sister's own safety, despite our anger at her. Do you think exposing who we are to Westeros would be good? Or we should keep it anonymous as we have in the North?"

She could see the girl was conflicted. Arya looks over at Tyrion, who was now looking at the ground. "Imp, look at me." The command left no room for argument. He turns his head back to her own. "I haven't seen you since that wedding day for good reason, but I want you to know firstly that you're an idiot for standing by my sister. I used to think she was the smartest woman in the room…until I got to understand Daenerys and then saw how much my sister truly didn't know. It took many tries and patience, but now that I've seen her true colors…I don't know how I could ever be so blind. If you even think about going back to Westeros and standing by her side…I don't know what we would do to you."

"I don't stay by her side – I have stood by the King's as I'm supposed to do as his hand."

"A king who has left people to die," Arya responds bitterly, causing Tyrion's mouth to close. "Either way…I'm conflicted about what to do with you two." She looks over at Daenerys again. "I mean, think about it, we were nervous about the North finding out, but I don't know what would happen if the South did. Truly. Taevar is right – rebellions could spring forward and cause even more chaos than we already have seen. But those rebellions can also turn into wars, and then the food that we have given would end up hurting them more than healing."

Daenerys nods. "That is a good point. People do tend to get riled up."

"However," Arya continues. "I do think the people of Westeros need help. I've been all over the country since Bran has taken control after I traveled West. It's been falling to pieces. I believe that if you were to help with their issues, it would have to be a secret – at least for now – so that no wars begin because of it. It's only the humanity of people for them to do something like that."

Daenerys nods once more before her head finally turns to Jon, who had been sitting in quiet perplexion for a good ten minutes. "What do you think, my love? You grew up in Westeros…do you think the people deserve our help?"

Jon looks over at her and then at Tyrion, who had remained mostly quiet during their council talks. After a moment, he lets out a deep breath and looks over at Daenerys. "Westeros…is a complicated matter. I still have a love-hate relationship with it after what some of those nobles have done, especially after that threat we received from King's Landing a month ago."

Davos' brow furrows. "Wait, a threat? How did this happen? Was it by my ship?"

"No, we believe it was by crow," Daenerys explains gently. "We don't think it had anything to do with you traveling. The letter was almost signed as a warning that if we did go to war, they had their own ways of hurting us, signed 'the nobles of King's Landing.'"

Davos shakes his head and sighs. "I don't even know who that would be. There are so many people who are close in relation to King's Landing, but at the same time that could also just be from the king under a disguise...but if we were to establish a peaceful trade agreement, these letters would possibly stop."

"Possibly is the keyword," Jon states quietly. "We don't know if doing this will be the solution that everyone is looking for. If the people in Westeros are so ready to accept help from foreign rulers. They might be stuck in their pride as Sansa has been."

"Many nobles of Westeros want to change," Arya responds. "A lot of them have been staging some of the rebellions that Davos has mentioned to somehow go against the King, but most of the time that hasn't gone anywhere. He has guards that stop that kind of stuff, but nothing to help the people."

"The real question is are the people needing, or are they rioting?" Taevar asks. "Most of the time when people find a way to riot, they do have supplies."

"Not these people," Davos says. "I've seen what they have – it's shit compared to everything else in the world, even the poorest man. Some aren't even left with a pot to piss in. It's that bad. That's why we came here to find some sort of help, in any way to stop these fighting's and bring about any kind of peace."

Jon bites his lip and looks over at Daenerys. "I think helping the people would be nice. And it would qualm some of the rebellions that have been taking place. We could do it under the guise of the kingdom so that they may think it was Bran giving them the resources, just as we have done to Sansa. The nobles may know…not Sansa, she still can't know. I don't trust her with secrets anymore. But I really don't think the people should know about anything we do. Because Arya is right – if the people of Westeros find out that the aid they have been receiving was from the very person they exiled in the first place, they are not going to be happy. They are going to end up killing the king himself. If you want to avoid another war, that is what we have to do."

Daenerys nods, before turning her head over to look at Tyrion, who seemed to be slightly shaking at their words. "Tyrion Lannister, we will provide aid to Westeros, but it will not be known that it was us. As my husband suggested, we can stay under the disguise of your soldiers. It will be better this way."

Taevar sighs from where he sat, which causes Daenerys to turn her head to him. "I still think sending over resources and having them known it was us would be an excellent way to make allies. If Arya is right, many of the nobles who want what is best for their people will side with you."

"We don't need people to side with us," Daenerys points out. "We have dragons. We have men. We have an army larger probably than anyone in the world. We aren't trying to expand much more right now. This is the perfect opportunity to help people but leave politics out of it. Why can't people like us, in power, just send aid? That is what we are going to do." She nibbles on her lips and looks over at Tyrion. "I only pray that it won't come to bite our asses."

"It won't," Tyrion breathes out, seemingly letting out each worry he had with that one breath. "Once the people of Westeros receive aid, they will relax in their revolutions and everything else. It will be what is best for them."

Daenerys looks to Jon, who nods. "Very well. Do you believe this, Davos?"

The older man nods. "With my whole heart. They aren't just needing, as Taevar said. They are way past the point of need. They need serious help, and I know you can give it to them."

"We will state a draft of neutrality," Daenerys states. "A will to end wars and threats once and for all, and with that, we will begin to send over resources as 'King's Landing men,' and aid in the rebuilding."

She could see the breath of relief leave Tyrion so quickly that it almost made her chuckle. Almost.

"Now…onto you, Lord Lannister." Tyrion's head snaps up to look at her, that look of relief changing quite quickly to one of worry. "We have discussed the matters that needed to be talked about. How should we approach keeping you alive? Or should we send you to your death? That sounds like a good idea."

Tyrion swallows and looks at the ground. "I can't defend myself in any way after what I've done to you. If you so wish to kill me, then do it. I deserve it. But know that if I don't return to Westeros, many of the few small things that have been good for the city will fall."

Jon raises an eyebrow and looks over at Davos. "Is this true? There are good things he has done?"

"Occasionally, yes," Davos admits. "He's improved on the economic system of King's Landing, as well as helped expand the city to a great extent for the new people who have come to inhabit some of the older houses. He's also made sure that many of the children who have lost their families due to the previous war have found homes."

Daenerys looks over to Tyrion, who was silent. "So you have found ways to help people without outside help?"

"There's only so much one person can do," Tyrion quietly admits. "Especially someone of my stature. The other people who have been a part of the King's Council have completely gone with him and not done much to help anyone. They're afraid that if they do go against him, he'll have his head. Bran usually sees all…but in Valyria, it's a bit harder for him to see. It's why he hasn't sent men here because he doesn't know completely where it is. Only ravens could find it with their senses that they have."

Daenerys watches him quietly before letting her hands rest on the table in front of him. "Tyrion, you and I, as well as my husband, know there is very little you could ever do to make up for the atrocities that you committed." Tyrion nods, his head low. "However…my husband and I have talked about this to an extent during our month-long break – a true topic for newlyweds, honestly." Most of the members in the council room chuckle. "Either way, we believe that you haven't been doing us much help since you've been down in that dungeon. So we've come to a conclusion."

She nods at Jon to speak, and he leans forward to look at the dwarf.

"We aren't going to kill you," were his first words, and instantly Daenerys could see a burden lift off the imp's shoulders. "Right now, as you are, you are far too valuable to Westeros to be killed, especially if we are aiming to avoid a war. Some people there will start a fight over anything. But, while you are here, you are going to serve us." Tyrion looks up in confusion. "Oh, don't think it's going to be anywhere close to what Davos is doing. You are far too gone for our complex political affairs. But you will aid in keeping the castle clean, speaking to the handmaidens. Acting as a true servant, because even though you might have insight into the world outside our walls, we still can't let you do that completely. And you must understand that considering what has happened between us."

Tyrion nods. "I do."

"Good…we don't want you to die. Not yet. But if you give us any reason to kill you before Davos goes back to King's Landing with this first shipment…we will."

Tyrion nods again, this time multiple times. "Of course…thank you…for sparing my life."

"It isn't spared yet," Daenerys murmurs, causing Tyrion to close his mouth. "Guards, you can let go of his chains. Undo them." She hears the clanking of the metal before they drop to the ground. "You are to be watched under supervision, but you will not be residing in the cells anymore. Rather, you will have a room in the maid's corners, while a guard will be near you. Anytime we need you, you report to us instantly."

Tyrion nods. "Yes, your grace."

Daenerys finally turns her gaze away from Tyrion before letting out a low breath, shaking her shoulders. "Alright…now that that is out of the way, let's move on to another topic of interest – this letter I have received this morning." She picks up the piece of parchment and throws it to the middle of the table, letting everyone have a look at it. "Qarth apparently wants to form a trade alliance to avoid any possible attempts of invasion from a distance."

"Why would Qarth think we would invade?" Arya asks.

"I have some…history with Qarth," Daenerys states, looking over at Jon. She could see the slight smirk on his face. He knew the whole story. "We didn't quite get along last time. One of their men stole my dragons and intended to use them for his own profit. Not only that, but they killed my men. It didn't end well…Eleana brought up an important point, however." She stands and walks over to the edge of the window, glancing outside. "They are afraid that because I have the power that I have now – an equally powerful husband and king, a large army, and many more dragons – I will attack based on revenge."

Taevar shrugs his shoulders. "It does sound like something someone would think of."

"Would you like us to stage an attack?" Rhaemon asks.

"No, nothing of the sort," Jon insists. "We want to make sure we are at peace as much as we can be. We don't need a repeat of Meereen."

"But then how will we arrange a peace between Qarth and Valyria?"

"Well, they proposed a trade agreement," Daenerys continues. "They have many fine pieces of retail over there, ones that are very rare and could sell for quite the amount of money. We have different plants in this region, along with animals and clothing material. If we were to give Qarth these items, and they give us theirs, we would propose a trade deal, help each other out. It was what we originally wanted to do with the Free Cities before they went along with staying under our reign."

From the sides, she could see Arya shake her head. "I don't understand though why they would think you would spread your rule there. They're all the way out there!"

"It's not that far of a reach, honestly," Davos says quietly. "Where we are right now, you have a strong grip on Northern Essos, as well as most cities to the east of you. You have a strong Dothraki army, which lays a claim over the Dothraki sea. Truly there are only a couple of cities that separate them from Qarth. You could, theoretically, take them over. But I have a feeling you do not want that."

Daenerys sighs and shakes her head. "Honestly, I want as less to do with Qarth as the next person, but as long as they stay opposed to what we are doing, they do remain a threat."

"A trade agreement would help," Jon agrees from where he sat. "It's been working out well for us in other cities, offering our help in exchange for goods. Qarthan people seem to be keen on their words – except for what happened to you, my dragon, I know." He could almost feel her glare at those words. "But you were younger then, less powerful than you are now. They would be fools to go against you. They don't have a large army. They have nothing. A trade agreement is the best way for them to come to terms with what we are."

"How did they say we do this?" Taevar asks.

"In the letter they said they wanted Jon and I, as well as a few of our men, to attend to us traveling there so we can come to an agreement, and we can bring back a shipment of their supplies to get everything rolling."

Arya raises an eyebrow. "Only Jon and your men?"

"Of course you can come, Arya," Daenerys states.

Arya smiles but then shakes her head. "No, I don't mean that. Of course I'll come – and I'll even bring Gendry along as well. But they don't want to welcome more than that? Any of the dragons? Anything at all?"

"They said that the introduction of such creatures might be of fear to the people of Qarth and make them less inclined to offer their services."

After a moment, Arya nods her head back and forth. "Yeah, that makes sense. If Westeros was shocked about the dragons, I can only imagine what a small city like Qarth would think."

"Well, I wouldn't put it past them to have seen dragons before," Kinvara states gently, causing Daenerys to turn her head in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"Qarth is quite close to the Shadowlands. It's only a boat ride away, maybe a couple of weeks or so. The Shadowlands are rumored to have dragon eggs, but many people don't venture there for fear of their lives."

"I was told my dragon eggs were from there," Daenerys says quietly. "Drogon, Rhaegal, and Viserion."

"They had to have come from somewhere," Kinvara states. "But, at the end of the day, seeing the dragons in such large…capacity, really, might cause them to panic. Drogon is as large as Balerion the Black Dread was – or at least getting quite close." To which, Daenerys smiled softly. She was proud of her eldest child. "And the other dragons are growing as well. Even your smallest ones are beginning to take form."

Daenerys nods. "Bringing the dragons as well as a large army would be foolish. It would be hard to establish a proper deal. We don't want to be overpowering to them – this isn't the Slave Cities. We want to remain neutral and equal. Simple as that." She looks over at Jon. "What do you think? Travel with a small pack?"

Jon nods quietly. "I think that's the best option. It can be you and I, as well as some of our men. Arya and Gendry can come along as well. Taevar, Davos, and Rhaemon, you can remain here and run the kingdom in our place while we are gone. You've done a good job so far. You think you can keep it going?"

"Of course, my king," Taevar states.

Daenerys glances over at where Tyrion had stood, having stayed silent on this topic. Not that it was his place to say anything, but she had expected at least a peep from the small man. "I have an idea for our new servant," Daenerys states, looking over at Tyrion, who looks up at the mention of him. "You are to accompany us to Qarth and serve our every whim. If we need our cups refilled, you will do so. If we need our feet washed, you will do so. If we need the very food picked out of our teeth, you will do it. Is that understood?"

Tyrion bows his head. "Yes, your grace."

"And," she hears Jon pipe in from the side. "You will address Daenerys as 'my queen,' or I as 'my king.' It's customary here in Valyria. While you are here, you follow as we say."

Tyrion looks up at him and then nods his head. "Yes…my king."

She had to admit, she felt a sick sense of satisfaction at hearing Tyrion say that to Jon. The one man that he had told to kill her, all those years ago, is the person he bowed his head to now. And she knew while Jon wasn't a power-hungry man, he felt good about that too.

"Good." Daenerys smiles and then looks back down at the parchment. "Let's move on to the next topic."

---

When the council meeting was over, Jon had finally separated from her to go and train some of the new recruits to the army with Rhaemon. He had commanded Tyrion to follow him and carry his sword – while she knew Jon was very capable of handling that himself, she understood why. He was going to have fun with this man after what had happened.

A part of her thought about killing him. Having him burned. But it was just like Daario. She knew that the man was useful for other things besides death. Dying is easy, but living is harder. If you make your enemies suffer while they are living, death will almost seem like an escape for them. And that wasn't what she wanted. She didn't want Tyrion to escape his punishment.

If he died, it would be on their watch. But for now, he would serve, and be the very epitome of someone that he never thought he would amount to – a servant. And she would enjoy it. At least while she could until she knew he had to be sent back to Westeros. They couldn't keep him here forever.

However…if Davos did stay, he could keep an eye on Tyrion here so that he didn't squeal to the king there, as much as he promised he wouldn't. It would make watching him much easier. And they could come up with some ruse, saying they're the personal negotiators between the two countries. Bran, that bloody king, could always find a new hand. Either way, there was some other way to accomplish this.

Speaking of hands, Taevar had left with Davos to settle on some of the more internal affairs. Arya had gone off to start training some of the younger girls in their training group with Gendry, saying 'the girl's paid attention because they liked to stare at his arms.'

To which Daenerys laughed, but she couldn't deny that was a reason she enjoyed training with Jon.

Kinvara had said she was going to attend to some of the new people who had arrived in Valyria in switching them over to the Lord of Light religion, something apparently many wanted to participate in. Whether it was through Jon and Daenerys' lore or something else, more and more were beginning to flock towards it. But it didn't surprise her. It seemed that there was a comfort in religion that many found relaxing. She had never been one to believe in any gods or something like that. She believed in faith and destiny. Was that part of the reason why she had her downfall? Yes. But was it part of the reason she was where she was now with Jon? Also yes.

As she was packing up her parchments to attend back to her solar for the day to send out a letter to Qarth, Davos' voice had called out to her from behind where she stood.

"Queen Daenerys?"

She turns around to see him standing there, a piece of his own parchment in his hands. "Davos, please. Call me Daenerys. We don't need such formalities around each other." She sees him smile at her words, before nodding.

"Alright…Daenerys."

"I thought you went to go with Taevar?"

"I was, but I wanted to talk with you about something." He steps into the door and closes it gently before turning to her. "Over the last month, while you and Jon have been having your break and Taevar and I have been ruling, I've also been…communicating with people in Westeros."

Daenerys' brow furrows. "With whom?"

"Well, first of all, my family," Davos says, smiling lightly. "I sent a raven to my wife regarding the procedures we would do to bring them here, and how everything would be safe. She got back to me last night with her own raven…and they are going to come here."

Daenerys' lips stretch into a smile and she hugs the man tightly. "That's great news to hear, Davos. I can't wait to meet her and your children. You talk about them so much."

Davos chuckles a bit and nods. "They're excited to come. I think the first ship we send over with supplies, I'm going to join them and bring them back here, whenever that may be…I wanted to tell you first because technically this is your home country more so than Jon's, but still."

Daenerys waves her hand dismissively. "I wouldn't have cared regardless of who you told first. I'm only happy that they are going to be okay." Her brow furrows again as she thinks of his words. "But…you did say it was more than one person. Who else have you spoken to?"

The old man sighs quietly before looking back at Daenerys. "Yara's spies. They sent me correspondence and apparently…they are planning something. If we want to somehow keep the peace, we have to do it sooner rather than later."

Daenerys leans against the table, her arms crossed. "What could they possibly be planning against us? We have the upper hand."

"I'm not sure, but the spies said that it was something big…involving monsters or something of some sort." Daenerys' brow raises. "I don't know, that's only what I've heard from the letter and what I read. They overheard the words and I'm not entirely sure what it means, but it counts as something. I would really suggest sending out that raven as soon as possible before they send out people to find this place from Westeros, or follow some of the other ships from the Free Cities."

Daenerys sighs but nods. "Alright…I'll make sure I have it sent out today. Thank you for telling me, Davos. I look forward to welcoming your family here…when you can, speak to Jon and tell him yourself. I think you'll be able to explain it better than I can."

Davos nods and goes to leave but stops after a moment. He turns to face her. "Daenerys?" The queen moves to look at him again. "When my family is here…I'm switching."

Her brow furrows again. "What do you mean, Davos?"

"The only reason I've still aligned with Westeros for so long was to protect my family," he admits. "But now…that I've found a true outing for them, how to get them safely across the sea, I don't want to be aligned with that country anymore. I don't want to be aligned with that king while he is still there."

He looks to the ground and sighs.

"I know no one in my family is of Valyrian blood or anything of Essosian descent, but I want you to know that no matter what, you and Jon will have my support for as long as you want it. I truly regret not having you rule over the country, and while I do want to still help them, I can not sit and stay there and pretend that I want to serve them. I wish to serve you. I wish to join the Valyrian Union."

Her brow raises in surprise as he kneels down below her.

"I know that Jon is not here, but I want to swear my fealty to you and him before the both of you go off to Qarth. And trust me – there is no one else I would rather serve right now," he swears. "So, before the Old Gods and the New, as well as whatever they have here that they worship, I, Ser Davos of the House Seawroth, pledge my allegiance to the House Targaryen. From this day, till the end of my days."

Daenerys smiles brightly at his words and shakes her head. "Davos…get up, please." She holds out her hand and helps the older man stand. "I appreciate you swearing yourself to us, truly. It's a great honor…but Jon and I wanted you for something a little…different. If you did want to swear your allegiance, we want you as part of our council, not as someone who only lives in Valyria."

Davos' brow furrows. "As what?"

"Well…if what you say is true about Westeros, then we are going to need someone who knows the country very well in order to properly approach this alliance we are attempting to make. And I believe that you know them very well." She walks over to a desk in the council room, reaching into a drawer before pulling out a pin. "Taevar, as you know, has been a helpful friend to us for a long time now, and has been our hand due to his vast knowledge of Valyria and how the city works. However, we need someone on the outside." She walks back over to him, holding out the pin. "That is why, Ser Davos Seaworth, Jon and I would like you to become our second hand – the bridge between Westeros and Essos."

Davos stares at the pin in shock before looking back at Daenerys. "Are you sure you want me to be a hand again?"

"If Jon and I weren't sure, I most certainly would not be offering this to you," she chuckles a little. "Please. It is what we want. You are what we need."

Davos looks back at the pin one more time before slowly taking it into his hands, and then nodding. "It would be my honor, Daenerys." The queen smiles and then takes it into her hands, before pinning it gently to the top of chest, near his heart. When she pulls away, she nods.

"There…that pin belongs on you." She reaches forward and grabs his hand, shaking it strongly. "And because of this…I feel that Valyria will be even stronger now."

"With you and Jon at the helm, there is nothing stronger."

---

Once Daenerys was finished with Davos, she made her way to her solar to send out the letter to Qarth. But as she did, she couldn't help but smile more. She had a feeling for a long time that Davos would switch to their side. He had been forming relationships with many common folk in Valyria, and she had heard what they said when he wasn't there, how nice of a man he was, and how much he cared.

And she hadn't been lying when she pronounced, he would be what was best for Valyria. There needed to be more people like him in the world – which is why he was the perfect choice for a hand. He had met and seen and talked with so many people that hearing what he had to say was something that was quite needed.

She knew he had gone off after that to most likely tell Jon, who was still training. She and Jon had wanted to do this together with him, but Davos had given her no choice when he suddenly decided to pledge himself to her and him. But she supposed that no matter when it was said, it had to be done.

When she had arrived at her solar, she had quickly written out the letter to Qarth and sent it off, hoping against all odds that it did get to them in time. And after that, she wrote another letter, sending it off to Westeros, the one place where she could feel her heart rate speed up at the very thought. She knew that if they wanted to avoid any heavy interaction for the sake of the public, it had to be sent as soon as possible. While a part of her wanted to just forgo peaceful relations and set those bloody nobles on fire, she knew that this was the proper move.

After she sent those letters, she lets out a long sigh and then heads towards her chambers, but stops quietly once she hears a soft sharpening noise coming from Dan's room. Daenerys raises an eyebrow and then walks towards it, softly knocking on the door. "Come in!" a voice exclaims through the stone.

She quietly walks in, looking around. There sat Dan on the edge of her bed with a small whetstone in her hands, sharpening her sword. Ghost and Ari lay at her feet. Daenerys had noticed that since the two direwolves had arrived in Valyria they had been spending more time with the young ones than Jon, most likely because they felt a need to protect them.

However as she walked inside, she felt Ghost get up and nudge his nose against her growing bump, letting out a soft whimper. Daenerys smiles and scratches the wolf behind his ear. "That's right, that's another one of your pack," she says softly. "Another one to protect."

Ghost licks at her hand and then goes to see by Ari again. "He's been very protective lately," Dan says, looking back to her sword. "I think he's been sensing that you're going to be having the baby."

Daenerys lets out a deep breath and goes to sit next to her daughter. "I wouldn't be surprised. That's always how these wolves have been for a long time – very protective." She looks over at Dan and raises an eyebrow. "Why are you sharpening your blade? You know Valyrian steel keeps its edge."

"Well…father has done it." She looks up at him. "Hasn't he?"

"Occasionally, but he really only does it out of practice from years before. You don't have to." Dan lets out a soft sigh and looks at the ground. "Is there something wrong?"

"I…I've just been feeling…I don't even know, different." She glances back up at Daenerys. "You and father have been taking over and doing such amazing things…a part of him misses when it was only us in Meereen, those days of training and eating really good food…don't get me wrong, I love my other siblings and wouldn't trade them for the world, but…we never get to see you as much. And I know that comes with ruling, but…this past month had been great but I can only assume now that it's over…you and father are going to be even more thrown into your duties. I already heard that you were going to Qarth."

Daenerys' brow raises. "You heard that quickly?"

"You'd be surprised how quickly word spreads in this castle," Dan points out.

Daenerys shakes her head and glances at the ground, trying to find the right words. "Well…yes, we are going to Qarth to form an alliance. And yes, we are working a lot more now, trying to reunite this kingdom. It's a lot of time away, and a lot of madness we are going through to make sure that everything is running as planned. And, as it would be like that, it does take time away from the children that we love." She brings a hand over to her chin and tilts her up. "But if you want to be included more in what we do, all you need to do is ask. And I would do the same for any of your siblings."

Dan's brow furrows. "I thought you didn't want us to fight yet?"

"I don't, and neither does your father." She sees her face fall at her words. "But that doesn't mean you can't help out in other ways. You and Daemon have had constant relations with many of the children here. We could use your insights into what they say and see so we can better make their lives easier here. Or, you can begin to train them more. We've been staring up a way to properly train children in any case of an attack again. We could even see if there are more people like Daemon and Nesy…ones who will share their ability instead of hiding it. There are plenty of ways in which you can help."

"I suppose…I just feel that you and father and even Aunt Arya was doing so much at my age, and yet all we seem to be doing is training and sitting in a castle. I feel like Joffrey Baratheon."

Daenerys snorts and then moves to kneel down in front of her daughter. "First of all, you are most certainly not Joffrey Baratheon," she chuckles a little. "From what I have heard, he was an evil little shit who had a hankering for getting pleasure out of pain. And not the good kind of pain."

"…ew."

"Either way," Daenerys snickers, seeing the look of disgust on her daughter's face. "You're so much more than that, my daughter. You are a bright, beautiful girl that is going to grow into a strong warrior. You have powers people can only dream of. You are a shining light on our legacy, as is your brother, and your other siblings. Even if you don't fight now, you still make an everlasting impact on everyone you meet. And, I'd also like to point out that the battles and things we were thrown into as young adults were things many of us did not choose."

She gestures outside.

"For example, when I was seven and ten – five years older than you are right now – I was forced to marry a brute man, a leader of the Dothraki, against my will, all because my brother wanted an army to take back Westeros. Of course that didn't work out for him, but I had no choice but to go along with it. It's because of that choice that I had no control over that I ended up doing the things that I did – I had to. It was the same with Aunt Arya. She was younger than you when she began to train with sword work, but her father was killed and she was sent off into the world, forced to fight because the Starks were seen as horrible people. She was again forced to do these things."

Daenerys rests her hands gently against her daughter's cheeks.

"I know you dream of your days of glory and fighting. You have the heart of your father, a hunger. But if we can prevent you from getting hurt as long as we can, then we will do so because we love you so much. And I'd really rather not lose you. I love you."

Dan smiles brightly at her words and nods, sniffling a little. "I love you too, mother."

Daenerys moves to sit next to her again, wrapping an arm gently around the girl's shoulder. "Here…I have an idea for you. How often have you been using that other power of yours? How you're able to see into the past?"

Dan sighs. "I…haven't. Not since Meereen. I've been scared to," she admits. "Ever since…I don't even know what entered into my mind and did that, I've been nervous to look into the past more."

"Understandable," Daenerys states. "But…if you ever did want to embrace that power again, Kinvara could help you build up, say, a wall in your head. One that can keep that pesky king out. He's already having trouble finding Valyria because of the magic walls we have surrounding the border. We may have taken down the physical ones, but we've kept up that one to try and keep the Three-Eyed-Raven out. And, once you did, you could start to read books on the history of Valyria, or the other cities, so we can have a better understanding of them."

"I would like to do that again," Dan admits, rubbing the back of her neck. "I miss it. I got to see so many amazing things."

"Then that's your official assignment," Daenerys says, grabbing her daughter's hand. "You will learn how to properly use this power with Kinvara, and then enjoy it. Because you deserve to."

Dan sighs but nods. "Alright…that's something I can do."

"Good." Daenerys leans down and presses a soft kiss to her daughter's head, rubbing her back. "Where are the rest of your siblings?"

"Daemon and Nesara were practicing their healing. Mae and Zaevar were training. I wanted to just take a break for a little bit…enjoy the silence before you two leave."

Daenerys squeezes her daughter's hand. "You're going to be safe here with them, though. I trust you."

"I know." She looks back up at her. "I'm just going to miss you and father again."

Daenerys hugs her daughter tightly, her arms embracing her as well. "I'll miss you too, my little dragon."

---

Time passes in her chamber as she got ready for the night later on. She had been going back and forth all day, telling the children what they needed to do, and most of which accept the fact. Except for Nesara, who had gotten upset at missing her family. Daenerys had reassured her they would return to her and give her all the love and kisses in the world once they did.

After that, she had talked to many people to somehow get everything ready to go, from the boats to the food to the men, while Jon had done the same from where he had been. And at the end of the day, she was exhausted and wanted to see him badly. She had done so much in one time span that it was starting to get to her.

This boat trip would hopefully reignite her energy. Her worries were starting to edge away at her.

She sighs as she glances out into the sunset, thinking of what to do. Should she bring Eleana? No, she was probably better off here. While she was good at speaking and moving along conversations, she needed to stay to look after the children. While of course Daenerys trusted them, they were still children – especially Nesy.

With only a couple of men, it will show that they want to be like them, equal, but a part of her still wanted to bring her dragons. The powerful side of her. A need to establish dominance, she supposed. Maybe something different. She didn't know. All she understood was that if this didn't go well…she could only hope the men they brought were enough.

Her fingers easily take out her braids, letting her mind wander before the door to her room opens, a soft sigh coming in after. "Good gods," she hears Jon mutter. She glances at him from the reflection of the mirror, seeing him take off his garments rather quickly. "Today…was certainly a day to come back to ruling."

"Tell me about it," she chuckles a little as she looks up at him. He approaches her from behind, wrapping his arms around her. "How is our little…servant?"

"He did fine," Jon mutters. "Did as he said, went where he had to go. Wasn't expecting anything less." Jon looks at her again, his head resting on her shoulder. "It doesn't change the fact that a part of me still wants him dead."

"I know," she says softly. "But we have to keep him alive, at least until this trade agreement goes through."

"Can I…hurt him at all?"

"Jon," she whispers, her voice filled with shock.

"Oh, come on," he murmurs, turning her around. "You and I both know that we would like nothing more than to do what I did to him. After what you said to me, I know he deserves it. I can't playfully 'train' with him or something like that?"

Daenerys was biting the urge to smile at his words. While a part of her thought his resolve to get revenge on their enemies was…alluring, even more than she would like to believe, she knew it wasn't what they had to do. "Jon…we can't hurt him more than we already have. Please." She sighs and glances at the ground. "You gave him his beating. If he does anything to provoke us again, you have full reign…but right now, we can't."

Jon sighs but nods. "Alright…but I don't expect me to treat him nicely."

"Oh, don't worry. I don't. I won't be either." She wraps her arms around his neck, looking up at him. "How was your day otherwise, my love?"

"Lonely without you," he admits, causing her to smile. "But, I got a lot done after the council meeting. I trained some of the new recruits, talked with some of the children that just arrived and told them of our plans to build them a new home, figured out some of the best people to bring on our journey, and got to do it all while making Tyrion carry a sword that was heavier than him. Pretty nice."

Daenerys chuckles, shaking her head. "You're taking a little too much pleasure in this whole servant ideal."

"It's better than just letting him live," Jon mutters before stepping back. She moves to sit on the edge of the bed, her hands removing the strings from her dress. "I look at him and I just…I don't even know, Dany."

She nods her head gently, the tips of her dress coming undone to expose her shoulders. "I understand, Jon. It's a hefty price we have to pay but it's what needs to be done."

"I was also told that a certain sailor was promoted today from the man himself."

Daenerys sighs. "I wanted to do it together, Jon, but he gave me no choice."

Jon chuckles. "Don't worry, I don't mind. I had a feeling he was going to switch anyway…it's good. I'm excited to see him here. I think he'll do far better here than he ever would in that country."

"Agreed," Daenerys responds. She stands to remove her dress and let it fall to the ground, going to grab her small clothes for the night, but when she moves her feet to leave, she feels arms wrap around her, pulling her back to the bed. "Jon," she snickers.

"Don't put on clothes," he murmurs against her ear from behind, his hands starting to move up and down her curves, tracing the indent of where her belly started. "I quite like this version of you better."

"You can not tell me after this morning you want to couple again."

"Dany, at this point, you really shouldn't be surprised."

"You're right, I shouldn't." She turns to face him and he moves her body quickly her dress falls onto the ground, completely showing off her nude body. He pulls her into his arms, his lips pressed against hers. She could feel his excitement growing in his trousers. When she pulls back, the queen nibbles on her lip before her fingers begin to run slowly through his hair. "Jon…do you think traveling to Qarth will be good?"

His brow furrows. "Why do you think it won't be?"

"Well…I'm just concerned as to what they might think of us now…I don't want a repeat of what happened then to happen again."

"And it's the reason exactly why we're only bringing a couple of our men instead of a whole army like you did," he says to her gently. At seeing her glare, he chuckles. "I know you didn't even have much of an army back then, but it still counted as something."

"I had no choice," she mutters. "If I kept them out in the Red Waste for any longer, they would have died…quicker, I suppose." She sighs and smiles lightly, looking down at him. "I don't know…I only have bad memories. But those people aren't even around anymore in Qarth. I'm quite sure most of them have died…it's better if we just focus on now."

Jon runs a hand through her hair, the subtle movements sending shivers down her spine. She looks down at him and sees a soft smile appear on his lips, one that gave her comfort for the times to come. "My dragon," he says gently to her. "Qarth would be in the wrong to mess with us even if we have no dragons. They know exactly whom they are dealing with."

"I know." Daenerys feels his hand come to her cheek and pull her in for a soft kiss, one that spoke volumes of words. One that turned heavy within seconds, his hands fisting into her hair. A moment later, he bites gently on her lower lip, causing her to moan. When he pulls away, he presses another kiss to her lips, and then one to the tip of her nose.

"How about I take your mind off of it?" he asks her gently.

She raises an eyebrow. "What is your version of that?"

He smirks at her words, his hands moving right above where her ass sat on his lap, squeezing suggestively. "You know exactly my version of that."

Daenerys smiles at his words, a wicked one that she knew got her into trouble. "Then distract away, Jon."

With that, he pins her to the bed, causing her to squeal and laugh in delight before his lips started their slow torture on her body, her mind going blank, if just for a little bit.

---

The next couple of days pass by without issue before they were set to take off on their trip to Qarth. The king and queen said goodbye to their children, each giving them a tight hug before letting them go off with Eleana, who also gave Daenerys a warm embrace, speaking 'be safe' into her ear.

They bid goodbye to Taevar and Davos, who both swore to keep the city safe in their absence. Rhaemon, Arya and Gendry joined them on the boat, along with their men, while Tyrion was watched by some guards, not moving from where he was told to go.

When the boat finally began to sail off, and the last bit of rays of Valyria were gone off into the distance, that was the only time Daenerys allowed herself to turn to where Tyrion stood. "Lannister," she bites out, causing Tyrion to come to her side, his head bent. "Tell me, how have these last couple of days been for you?"

"Great, my queen," he states, his voice even. "I haven't died yet, so that's good."

"I'm sure being able to walk is a privilege for you," she mutters before looking down at him. "I don't know how you have continued to keep on living these years. After everything you've done…I lived with guilt after what I did in King's Landing…and to find out it was because of your friends…your own concoction…"

"They aren't my friends…my queen," Tyrion stutters out, causing her to raise an eyebrow at him once again. "Yes, I know what I did was horrible and wrong…but they have never been anything remotely close to me…Sansa may have been my wife at some point, but not of my own accord. I've faced my own issues ever since then…they are nothing compared to yours, but don't think I don't live with guilt every day…and it's not even just about you. It's about everything…my brother, my nieces, and nephews, all their deaths...choosing Bran…I live with it constantly. But there is nothing I can do about it now."

"That…is what cowards say." She looks down at him, her eyes narrowed. "There is always something that can be done, Tyrion. You only chose the wrong path. You lost your way…maybe one day, you can find it again. But it surely will never be by my side again."

She looks up and nods at one of the guards to come closer.

"Take Tyrion to his chambers – and don't let him out again until I say so."

The guard moves Tyrion away, who doesn't say anything after her speech. She lets out a deep breath, waiting until the footsteps were gone before letting her shoulders drop. Sometimes…she really did wonder how she had lived for so long with that man as her hand. Now, she was truly starting to see into his mind.

And in a way, she did understand how he felt he was manipulated by Bran and Sansa as well. They all were. But he still agreed to the plan. He still agreed that her death would be their best interest. And that was something she didn't think she could get over.

At that moment, she feels a soft hand touch her side and she looks up to see Jon there, looking concerned. She had been so lost in her thoughts she hadn't realized he had come out. "Are you alright?"

Daenerys places a smile onto her lips before nodding. "I'm great, Jon. Don't worry." She leans in and kisses him gently. "Just thinking. That is all."

"Never a surprising feat for you," he chuckles a bit, taking her hand. "Come. Arya and Gendry are waiting to eat. They're starving."

"What do they have?"

"Some roast chicken – something Arya requested. Not my favorite but says it reminds her of someone."

Daenerys chuckles a little. "If it'll quell their hunger, it'll be worth it."

---

Two more days pass until they were truly out in the middle of the sea. There was nothing in the distance, and everything was calm. The only issue in their path was a rocky way, filled with what seemed to be sea mountains, sticking out of the water, sharp points that if not avoided, would cause harm. But they had some good sailors, ones who knew the waters well.

It was around noon now, and the light was shining. Not a single cloud in the sky. Jon was at the helm of the ship with Daenerys, speaking about their next approach and how they should talk when they arrive in Qarth.

But sooner or later the topic started to spread to her current condition, and she could see the switch in his eyes change from excitement to concern.

"Are we sure it's okay for us to be traveling with a babe in you?" he asks her softly. "I don't want you or them to get hurt."

"It's not like we are riding into battle," she reassures him gently. "Don't worry. I am completely alright. You don't have to worry about me." She glances over where Arya and Gendry were training together and smiles lightly. "They remind me of us when we first started to train."

She feels Jon vibrate with a laugh. "Yes, but Arya will always probably be better than Gendry. The girl's a killer." He looks back at her and grabs her hand. "Even when I first started training you I wanted to kiss you again."

Daenerys' brow raises. "You did?"

"I did. Badly. You looked so beautiful in your training gear. It was something I had never seen before. You still do to this day." She feels her cheeks turn a dark red at his words. No matter how long they had been together he still found ways to make her blush. "But it was better that we didn't…I don't think I would have been able to properly train you if that had happened."

Daenerys laughs. "True…I think now would be an excellent opportunity to train, though. No children, no interruptions. Just you and me, one on one."

His brow raises at her encouragement. "You think you can beat me still?"

"Oh, I don't think I can – I know I can."

Her confidence radiated off of her body and Jon laughs before his hand rests at the hinge of his sword. "You're on, then."

Just as he was about to pull out Blackfyre from his holster – he had taken to wearing it as much as Longclaw lately – his brow furrows as he turns his head towards the sky. She follows his gaze and feels confusion start to invade her as well. There above them were extremely dark clouds, almost as dark as night, bearing down. They appeared as if out of nowhere.

As they sailed further, they seemed to start to appear even more around them, covering their ship almost in entirety. Daenerys feels herself swallow the lump that was building in her throat. What was this?

"How is this happening? It was just bright out!" she hears a sailor exclaim.

Daenerys takes a step back, staring up at the clouds. They seemed to be swirling in a circular motion, and moving along with the wind…as if someone – or something – was up there. The queen looks over at Jon, who hadn't moved his gaze from the clouds. "Jon," she says, her voice laced with concern.

Before he could respond, there was a screech so loud and resounding that it bursts her eardrums, causing her to cover her ears and lean down in pain. It was vibrating, heavy, hurtful, so much so that it caused her head to burst in pillars of agony.

"What is that?!" she yells. At that moment she sees many of the guards, as well as Tyrion, appear from down below, staring at the sky. Before anyone could question what that was, it made itself known.

With a giant blast of dark blue fire from the sky.

The heat hit the boat and practically broke it in half, causing many of the men to fall into the water, screaming. Jon instantly springs forward and grabs Daenerys as the beast makes it way through the clouds and shows itself. Instantly, she felt herself grow with flashbacks, staring in shock as the waves rocked the broken boat beneath them.

It was the same dragon that Viserion had been, except it was much larger. This…this was…

"An ice dragon," she whispers, her voice filled with shock. Another creature she thought didn't exist. But here it was.

"Jon!" she hears Arya yell from across the boat holding onto the edge of the wood while Gendry was trying to keep her at bay.

"Keep hol-" Suddenly, a cry of pain comes from her husband and she breaks free from his grasp to see that an arrow had somehow implemented its way into his shoulder, causing him to fall to the ground. Her eyes follow where it could have possibly come from, and then she sees several ships appear from the clouds as if they had been shielding them, stopping from being seen. The sigil…was familiar.

More arrows – this time filled with the blue fire from the ice dragon above them – are sent towards their ships. Daenerys leans down and tries to hold onto Jon, who yanks the arrow from his shoulder, cursing a storm. "Who the fuck is doing this?!" he exclaims, anger overtaking him.

"Those…those sails I saw." The picture stays deep in her mind. "I don't know, Jon, they seemed familiar."

He looks above in the sky as the ice dragon circles around them, letting out another one of its bloodcurdling screams. More arrows were fired and killed more of their men, their screams of pain cut off with gurgles of blood, before falling into the water. This was wrong. So wrong. They needed more men. They needed their dragons.

"Is this Qarth?!" he yells.

"No, it's not their ships!" she exclaims back, holding onto him tightly. Before she could speak again, another blast of fire was sent off towards ship, this time breaking down the part Arya and Gendry – as well as Tyrion – had been standing on, sending them flying into the rushing water below them. "No!" she screams, tears starting to come down her cheeks.

Jon pulls her back when she begins to get close to the broken pieces of the ship. He holds her close, looking at her in the eye. She knew that look. They had nothing to defend themselves against. Whatever this was, it was magic. It was sorcery. It was something they couldn't do. All they could do was pray that the gods didn't take them again.

So, he holds her close and stands, trying to find her somewhere safe. They run through the only remaining part of the ship to get themselves to high ground so they didn't sink with it, praying that one of the smaller boats were still okay. But, it seemed they were too late, as the dragon above them begins to circle where they stood. More arrows rained down, one of them spiking Daenerys' leg as they ran.

She curses but remains holding onto Jon, trying to see what the sigil was on the ships. And it was then, through her tears and her anger and her blurry vision, that she realized exactly who it was.

It was three sigils of the Free Cities. Tyrosh, Norvos, and Qohor. Except, their sigils were tied into another one. One that was very familiar to her. One that hid behind their sigils, as black as their sails, sending rage to her very core.

The Stark sigil.

"Jon," she whispers, her voice barely heard above the screeching of the dragon above them. "Look."

His gaze follows her, and finally, he sees the sigil. Instantly, he feels his hands tighten, turning into fists, his chest breathing heavily, his eyes piercing at the ships. But, before either could say anything else, another blast of fire causes the last remaining piece of the ship to break, and she starts to slip from his hands at the quakes from below her.

"Dany, hold on!" he shouts, trying to keep her in his hands.

But it was no use. The clouds above them had begun to rain, and her grip was slippery, now covered in blood from where an arrow had cut her hand as well. She could feel her feet slipping. Her eyes turn to him, fear finally leaking through her exterior.

"I love you," she says shakily to him, maybe for the last time. She could see the change in his eyes, the fear showing.

"Don't you fucking let go!" he curses, trying to hold onto her tightly, but the boat rocks and everything began to feel wobbly. And suddenly, her hand feels so might lighter.

Her grip and strength give up on her as another round of arrows are fired towards the ship, and the beast above them screeches. She tumbles down into the waves, hearing Jon scream from above, his shouts almost evading her ears over the loud rush of the waves and the lighting above them.

And as soon as she hits the water, her head slams against a stray rock that had been sticking out of the path from the mountains. The world turns black. Unconsciousness takes over.

---

Welp. It can't all be rainbows and sunshine.

Before I get questions 1) Ice dragons are real and terrifying (look them up in GOT lore) and you'll see how they got it there in the next chapter 2) ya'll reallllly though their rule was going to be everyone instantly following them? We gotta have some anarchy - and trust me, oh it's going to change a lottttt. People are still going to think they can go up against the new king and queen of Valyria - and who knows, maybe they can *laughs eviliy but also hides.*

I also wanted to make sure that this was a Daenerys centric chapter because I feel like we haven't had one of those in a long time. And I felt that it was needed for something as big as this chapter. Next chapter we'll be seeing a lot of different POV's, so stay tuned!

As always, love it? Hate it? Want to probably cut my head off as Joffrey did to Ned because it was horrible? Let me know in the reviews, as they always keep me writing and pushing out these chapters for you all. You have all been so amazingly responsive and it's helped me keep writing this for you, so thank you all so much - you're all freaking awesome! Don't forget to follow or favorite if you would like to join us on our adventure, and I will see you all in the next chapter. Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you have a great day! Wash your hands and stay healthy!