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Thank you all so much for your reviews and for the new followers/favorites as well - ya'll helped me write this chapter and get it out for you all. I'm sorry it's taken a little longer to update but I did say work and life in general is making it a little bit harder to write and America is having a fucking crises right now so this is my best way of getting out my pain *laughs in ruined democracy* so I hope you all enjoy! :)
Jon
They walk for another couple of weeks before the signs of Casterly Rock begin to show through their journey. He starts to feel the salty air of the Western Sea, where Arya had sailed for years on end before returning to them.
He could feel the anticipation build with each step they took. Daenerys had been constantly speaking to him about battle plans regarding their armies when they arrived, but he had been thinking about Bran, and what Sam could have meant when they were using someone against them.
Who hated them that much that he could use their hatred against their whole army? And what sort of…White Walker-esque powers was he going to use?
It was a question that had been evading him. But he knew that if he wanted to keep his wits ahead of him, he shouldn't focus on it too much. He knew what happened to leaders when they were so wrapped up in their own thoughts they think it's reality. He didn't want that to happen.
No. It was better to focus on what he had now – a beautiful and loving family, an army that would kill for them, and the future. He had to think of the future.
When they saw Casterly Rock in the distance the moment they reached it, he could see why it was Lannister's land. It was a beautiful castle, even in its abandoned state. It seemed the moss that grew on the side of it now only added to the glamour of the castle sitting on a hill. The white walls were cracked along the towers as the waves crashed underneath them.
He had commanded their army to stay put in the fields as to not overwhelm Jaime Lannister, while he, Daenerys, and the rest of their first men walked towards the castle together, hoping to have a sit-down conversation about the wars to come. As he looked around the town that surrounded the castle, he felt sadness overcome him.
At one point, this place had been filled with many people. Children, families, elderly, most likely all trying to live their lives. Now it was filled with ghosts and spirits of the dead, most likely all run out from Bran's leadership. He knew that was something he wanted to do at some point – bring back the old towns into something better so that the poor civilians who were in hiding had somewhere to go.
He felt Daenerys take his hand as they both watched Tyrion approach the broken-down gates of the castle. "I had never known the castle was so large," she admits quietly. "When I had Greyworm and the Unsullied capture it years ago, I believed it to be a matter of strategy…I never realized how many people could fit into it."
"All I know is that it gives Winterfell a run for its money," Jon mutters before looking back down at her. "Don't worry. I won't let him hurt you."
"I wouldn't let him hurt me either," she mutters, which causes him to smile. That was his wife, always fiery. "We'll take it slow."
He nods his head quietly as he turns to look back at Tyrion. The dwarf knocks on the door as hard as he could. It echoes in the deserted streets. They wait a moment before the gate swings open slowly. Jon watches with perplexed eyes before they land on a man that seemed to be a ghost of himself.
Jaime Lannister.
His hair was unkempt and his beard from before was longer, filled with grey hairs. He even seemed to be skinnier, most likely from not eating enough and being alone in this castle. And yet, Jon still sees him smile slightly when he notices his brother. "Good to see you still alive and kicking," Jaime comments lightly.
Tyrion smiles up at him before Jaime leans down, embracing the dwarf tightly. When he pulls away, his blue eyes land on Jon, almost analytically, looking him up and down as if trying to read him. But Jon knew better. He had experienced this type of reaction too many times in his life to let Jaime Lannister get to him.
"I assume you received our letter?" Tyrion asks.
Jaime hmms and walks over to where they stood. Jon sees his eyes turn to Daenerys, who stood tall and proud, unwavering under his gaze. "Last I heard of you, you were taken off by a dragon."
"Last I heard of you, you betrayed the army and went back to your sister," she quips back.
"You are letting the very man who let me go under your arms again."
"Family is family. I can see why he did it now years later. But not only that, Tyrion has proved himself to us. He's saved my life. I am allowing myself to put trust into him again, and that includes coming here. I hope it wasn't a poor choice."
Jon watches the face changes of Jaime, who lets his shoulders drop as he takes a step back. "It won't be." He glances over at Tyrion and then at the couple once more. "I want to speak to just them for a bit…then the rest of you can come in."
Greyworm, Taevar, and Rhaemon all look to Jon, asking for approval. He nods, letting them know he was perfectly alright with speaking to Jaime. They back away after that, letting them walk in. Jon follows behind Jaime cautiously with Daenerys by his side, while Tyrion walked in front with his brother.
As they walked, Jon listened to Tyrion talk to him about the comings and goings of the castle, and what Jaime had been up to. He was more entranced by the state of it inside. It was falling apart. Stone was at the bottom and the bottoms were completely soiled in what seemed to be gunk spilling from the ceiling. Cracks littered the walls. The banners were torn. And it seemed that was done by someone's hand.
He could see that Daenerys' eyes looked all over as well, examining the damage to the castle. They exchanged a glance, both knowing that it was something they would bring up with Jaime when they did finally sit down.
When they reached what seemed to be a torn down office, Jaime offered them two seats and one other for Tyrion, while sitting upon a desk that sat in the corner, overlooking the ocean behind him. It was one of the few spots in the castle that didn't seem completely destroyed.
"I want to…apologize for the way I acted when you first arrived," he begins quietly, glancing at Daenerys. "It has been many years since I have seen anyone remotely related to the war besides my brother."
"No need," Daenerys answers calmly. "We were nervous to meet you as well."
"You shouldn't be…I'm not the man I used to be," he admits quietly, glancing outside. He was solemn for a moment before his gaze turns back to Daenerys. "I don't blame you for what happened to Cersei."
Jon and Tyrion looked at Jaime in surprise. Even Daenerys' brow raised a bit at his admission. "You…don't?"
"I know, stare at my in surprise, all that you wish, but I don't," he admits quietly, looking from person to person in the room. "I was blind…for a long time. And at the very end, I was blinded again. I thought maybe she could change. And if you saw her that day…when you were attacking, I could see Cersi when she was younger. The fear in her eyes…all I wanted to do was help her. But her death…it was a long-time coming. Everyone knew it. I even knew it…I just thought I could prevent it."
He looks to the ground now, sighing.
"Even to this day, I miss her. She was an evil woman. She fought and killed her way to the top and I knew someday it would come back to get her. But she was still my family." He looks back up at her again. "But, you did what you did because it was the war. It was always meant to happen. She would have died regardless. It took me a long time to accept that."
"And…you have now?" Daenerys asks, her voice skeptical.
Jaime chuckles at her response. "I can hear how you speak to me. I don't blame you after what I did. But truthfully, I have nothing left to lose. Casterly Rock is a shadow of what it used to be. The people are gone. My life will never be the same. The least I can do is help the people who want to take the king down. He's the person who ruined this town."
"Right, we wanted to ask you that," Jon mutters. "Where did everyone go?"
"Bran killed them."
The king and queen look at him in shock. Tyrion nods solemnly from where he sat. "When?" Daenerys asks the imp.
"A long time ago. When they were looking for Jaime. He commanded every single army men to sweep the city and kill every single last person until they found Jaime, but they never did. The bodies were then thrown off into the sea…that's why the town is desolate."
"Seven hells," Jon grunts, standing up. "He massacred a whole town?"
"And he's going to massacre the rest of this country if no one has a say," Jaime comments before looking at him. "I don't know what the hell your brother has become, but he is no king of mine."
"He isn't my brother," Jon responds darkly, his eyes narrowed before turning to look at Jaime. "If you truly want to help us, you're perfectly alright with us setting up residence in the small town? We need to make sure we are hidden from the king's eyes. We have spells and incantations on us with the red priests we have acquired but that's it. If you sell us out, I will make sure I cut your head off personally and then feed you to our dragons."
Jaime chuckles – albeit a little uncomfortably – but doesn't move his gaze from Jon's. "I will not sell you out. I will swear the rest of my life, and whatever there is left of it after this, to secrecy. This I can promise you." He holds out his hand. "I swore my life to fight for your war. I did. We failed, clearly. I plan to keep that promise this time – no betrayals."
Jon eyes it for a moment, staring him down. He wanted to trust Jaime. Of course, the man had been a bane of the Stark's existence for a long time. He had betrayed them once. But the man was right. What did he have to lose? He wasn't fighting to stay alive for anyone. He wasn't trying to get back at them for what they did. He even openly accepted his sister's death.
But, he cautiously shook his hand, knowing that at any point he could change. Jon would make sure to keep constant eyes on him to watch his every move. They had made it this far in the war. They weren't about to get it stolen away from them by a disgraced lord.
"We can arrange that," Jon comments quietly before looking to Daenerys. "Do you agree, my dragon?"
Daenerys stands and nods, walking over and shaking Jaime's hand. "We can agree on the agreement that our leaders and most valued guests take up space in your…home. We would like to maybe clean it up a bit."
"Ah, yes. It really has gone to the dogs, hasn't it?" Jaime muses, looking around. "With no handmaidens or builders, it's quite hard to keep a castle in good shape. But, if that is what you wish, we can do that."
Daenerys nods once and shakes his hand before letting it fall. Jaime eyes the two of them before pointing between them, moving his hand back and forth after their bodies.
"I always knew you two would find a way."
Jon stares at him in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"Ruling together. Building this…whatever it is you two have. You always seemed to work well together. Might as well continue you it if both of you are somehow alive. Despite what's happened in the past between our families…I look forward to what the future might bring."
Jon had never heard him speak a more real sentence than that. He seemed genuinely positive about his words, and that had spread to Jon, who offered a sincere smile. "I hope so as well."
The meeting with their generals had gone over quickly.
They had discussed what their plans would be regarding if the army was coming to them or not. They also started to talk about how they would bring the other houses and lands to Casterly Rock, and they settled on just making sure they were here safely. They had already sent out the letters, so it was better that they just remained calm and let the people come to them.
When Jon had gone outside, he could see everyone beginning to set up where they would stay. The Dothraki were of course staying in a nearby field, constantly speaking to each other. Jon had made it a point along the way to keep speaking Dothraki – a part of him wished the Lord of Light had given him that power as well, but he was always given Valyrian, better to just live with that and learn the others.
The dragons had settled along the far edge of the castle near the water. That, he wasn't surprised about. They probably missed their home. They could sense that the ocean could take them back. And he promised the moment they were done, they would go back. Somehow, someway.
Their army was stationing themselves in tents and in the abandoned homes, while the Targaryen family, as well as the army generals, were taking up space in the castle. The Unsullied were stationed all around them, making sure each group got what they needed.
For a moment, Jon stood back and admired what they had built. When he was younger, he never could have imagined himself leading an army this large, and this impactful. Maybe some men at the Wall, but nothing ever compared to this. And now, here they were. All with what he and his wife had built.
It was stupendously amazing to even fathom it in his mind.
"Are you alright?" he hears a soft voice ask him, and he turns around to see Daenerys coming over with what seemed to be some food. "You seem like you're lost in your mind again."
Jon responds with a shake of his head and wraps an arm around her from behind. "I'm just admiring what we've done…I don't think this sort of army has ever been seen by the world. We have factions from all over, different cultures combining together. And if we get the rest of Westeros behind us, we'll have a whole entire country serving our cause." He looks down at her. "I'm not one for power but that feels pretty damn powerful."
Daenerys chuckles lightly before nodding her head. "It is, isn't it?" She steps back and hands him a sandwich, one that she got from some of the women in the Dothraki. "Have it. It's good."
He takes a bit, savoring in the taste of the bread and the meat combining as one. "Needed it after today," he mutters before looking down at her. "Is everything alright? You look a bit…lost."
Daenerys turns up to look at him again and she shakes her head, but he could see the difference in her eyes. There was something that she was hiding. "I'm alright," she insists, looking away. "Just have a lot to do. We have to get everyone settled and then figure out exactly what we're doing…I just wanted to make sure you were doing okay." She leans up and presses a soft kiss to his lips before stepping away. "I'll see you later."
She turns after that, heading back towards the Dothraki. He watches her silently, wondering what it was that was haunting her mind. He knew it would be something that he would bring up later, one way or another. He wasn't about to let her get lost in her fears again.
But now, she was right. They had much to do and plenty of people to settle in, so he takes a quick bite of his sandwich, turns around, and heads back towards the town, keeping in mind what he saw before.
The Children
"This place is disgusting!"
Dan raises an eyebrow as she turns to look at Mae, who's face was turned up as she picked up a dead rat off of the stone floor of Casterly Rock, before tossing it out the window onto the ground. She chuckles lightly as she brings over her bag, lowering it onto the floor. "Why are you surprised? He's been hiding out in the castle, not keeping track of it."
"Doesn't change the fact that he should at least care about the state he's living in," Mae mutters, shaking her head. A little gurgle alerts her from her thoughts and she turns around to pick up Robb, who had been sleeping in his little bundle. "Shh, little one. I know this place is disgusting. We'll be out of here soon."
Dan rolls her eyes. "I highly doubt our brother cares about how dirty this place is," she comments as the door to the room opens. Zaevar and Daemon walk in with Nesara, who hoists herself up onto the bed that Mae was trying to clean once placing Robb back down.
"Is it just me, or is that Jaime Lannister sort of…sad?" Daemon asks quietly.
"Well, he's been living in a castle all by himself for years, I can only assume the place wouldn't be super happy."
"No, it's not like that," Zaevar states, coming over to the window. He glances out at the people cleaning up the town before turning to look back at them. "Daemon and I saw him just…sitting by the sea. It was like he was…I don't know, contemplating something."
"What? You think he's going to jump off the edge?" Dan laughs.
"I wouldn't put it past him," Daemon mutters.
Dan sighs and shakes her head. "Guys, I truly doubt that Jaime fucking Lannister is going to be jumping off the edge of a cliff only because an army is here. He's the one who's allowing us to stay. Clearly, he sees value."
"But he did lose his sister," Mae points out.
"Yes – years ago. If he truly wanted to end his life, don't you think he would have done it by now?" she asks her.
Mae doesn't respond, only sits on the bed with Robb now again in her arms. "Maybe the war is giving him a reason."
The children's heads all turn to where Nesara was, who had her hands crossed together across her legs, looking at all of them. Dan steps forward with a furrowed brow. "What do you mean, Nesy?"
"Well…maybe he sees the war as a way to end his life." She shrugs her shoulders and glances up at them again. "What is it that mother and father always say? That it's better to die fighting for something you believe in? Maybe he believes in this and that is the best way for him to…end it."
Mae looks at her in surprise. "How is it that you know about all that?"
"I may be quiet but I listen a lot."
Dan shares a glance at Daemon, who was leaning against the wall, looking at the little girl in surprise. "I mean…it could be something like that. Sometimes that's why men sign up for wars. They have nothing else better to do with their lives except fight for their country, so they let go of everything they've known and go off to fight."
"But this is Jaime Lannister, we're talking about!" Dan comments, shaking her head. "I mean, he's one of the most known men in Westeros."
"He used to be," Daemon responds. "I don't know if you saw him when we came in here, but he's pretty much a sack of what he used to be. I wouldn't be surprised if he did do this just to die…sometimes that's what life gives you. A big smack in the face – so he's trying to make the best of it and end it all."
Dan stares at her brother in shock. "That's a bit dark."
He shrugs. "I've literally died, Dan. You can't get darker than that."
She was quiet, glancing at the ground. "Do you guys really think mother or father is going to have to…die to save us?"
They were all silent. Daemon looks away. Mae was rocking Robb while Nesara rested her head on her shoulder. Zaevar was the first one to speak. "Well…the prophecy that was in Valyria was always really clear about the two heroes part, at least from my lessons from my mother." He walks over to Dan and nods outside. "They said that two heroes, whether a woman or a man, both or not, would save the day, but through great loss…but people always say to never put all your hope into prophecies."
"That's what father said too," Dan comments before looking over at him. "I want to believe that they aren't going to have to go through something like that but I…I can't help but wonder, you know?" She swallows and glances at the ground. "If they died…I can't imagine what would happen to us. Or to the fabric of the new Valyria we're building. Cities would riot, they would fall apart…it would just end in…anarchy."
Daemon bites his lip and looks between them all. "Well, then it would be up to us."
Dan snorts and looks over at him. "Us? A bunch of children?"
"We are the heirs to the thrones," he states. "Technically, Mae is the eldest."
Mae rolls her eyes. "Not by blood. You and Dan will always have more claim to the Valyrian thrones than we will."
"Even so, you'll still be in a position of high authority. That's always what happens with children. If mother and father were to die…I assume you or I would take the throne." He points between him and Dan, walking closer. "We'd be constantly advised by Taevar or some of their men, trying to keep the life we have built running…it's just something that would fall onto our shoulders."
Dan doesn't say anything for a moment, but once she crosses her arms against her chest, she feels her fears spill out. "I'm not ready for anything like that." It felt like the words were vomited from her, eyes closed, expecting judgment.
But when she opens them, all she sees are the concerned looks from her siblings. She continues.
"I may act all…tough and ready to lead. All of us do. Even Nesara does as some points, the little bugger that you are." Nesara smiles up at her from where she sat. "But at the end of the day, we're still just…their children, following in their lead. We've never lead before. We want to help fight but if we don't have our parents…I don't know what will happen." She sniffles and glances at the ground. "I don't know if I could make it through this. I'm terrified of losing them."
"Don't you think we all are?" Daemon comments to her, causing her to look back up. "They're our parents too. Hell, for Zaevar, Mae, and Nesy, they're the only good parents they've ever known."
"Rather not see Saeresa again," Zaevar mutters.
"I don't think any of us do," Daemon chuckles a bit before turning to look at her. "None of us want them to die. They're our family. But if they do, it's something we're going to have to deal with, together. This is war, and Bran is waging it on us. And I think we can make it. I mean, look at us! We have dragons, sorcerers – you guys can make fire come out of your hands! We are a beautiful invention ready to snap!"
"Bran's forces also knocked out a fourth of our army before they retreated."
"It's a technicality!" Daemon exclaims again, causing Dan to roll her eyes. "I know we're going to be alright. I just…have a feeling." He looks over at her and takes her hands. "The Targaryen's will not be taken down easily, whether by blood or not. We are all in this together."
Dan smiles at her brother lightly before hugging him. She glances over at the other three and rolls her eyes once more, gesturing to them. "Get over here and hug me!"
They all run towards her, embracing her tightly as they laughed. She felt warmness spread through her heart. Her fears were still there, and they were no doubt going to stay within her for a while, but for the first time since beginning this trip, Dan felt that they had hope. And with her little put-together family, they could do anything.
Dan
When night came around, Dan decided to go outside to talk with some of the other sorcerer children that had come, practicing her powers around them. Daemon and Nesara were practicing their own in the castle, so she thought maybe walking around would do her some good.
Eventually, however, she did fall upon the Dothraki camp after practicing for a bit and saw that within their ranks, there were people around her age, sharpening weapons. She raises her brow in surprise. Her mother had been teaching her Dothraki a bit so maybe talking to them would be a little easier than usual.
She walks over to a boy that looked to be about her age, dressed in furs to keep himself warm from the chilly winds, and sharpening a khopesh, the Dothraki's signature sword. She was so used to fighting with her Valyrian steel one that it was always surprising to see others fighting with a different version of a weapon.
'…hi,' she speaks in Dothraki, which causes the boy to look up. He realizes who she was and then kneels down, bowing his head. Her cheeks quickly turn red and she shakes her head. 'Please, no.' The boy looks up in surprise. 'My mother and father are the king and queen. I'm just their daughter.'
'That makes you a princess,' the boy responds before standing. 'You deserve the same respect as them.'
Dan shakes her head. 'I'm just walking around to visit people…are there a lot of you fighting?' At her question, he looks at her with a furrowed brow. She realizes she wasn't specific enough and tries to think of the right word. 'I mean…younger…bloodriders, I presume is the right word.'
'Ah.' The boy lowers his sword and nods, standing. Seven hells, he was already taller than her. Bloody men. 'Yes. The Dothraki care for the Khaleesi and her Khal, so they are using every available fighter in their army to fight.'
'Even the younger ones?' she asks him. 'You can't have much training.'
'I was trained from the moment I was born.' He gestures out to the crowd behind him, filled with Dothraki people. 'The Dothraki are a fighting culture. We live to hurt. It's better if we are hurting for a cause. If I have to die in this war for our Khaleesi and Khal, we will do it. I am training to be the next great leader of them – I must train.'
Dan raises an eyebrow. 'The next great leader? I suppose I should ask your name, then.'
The boy smiles at her before reaching out his hand. 'Kravo.'
Dan smiles back and shakes his hand. 'It's nice to meet you, Kravo. I'm Daenesa.'
'Everyone knows who you are,' he responds, lowering his hand. 'The beautiful daughter of the king and queen.'
Her cheeks turn even redder. 'I'm n-'
'Don't unflatter yourself. You are. We all think about it. The Dothraki younger boys. Even the younger soldiers in the Unsullied. They've talked about it.'
Her brow raises. 'They…really think that of me?' She had never felt any interest in boys, not for a long time. She had always been so focused on either training or something else, that the very idea of being 'in love' with someone never came to her mind. She still felt like she was a true child at times - usually when fighting Nesy over a cake, but still.
But then she remembered what her mother had gone through and that sometimes, children didn't get to have normal lives. She was one of the lucky ones – until all of this had happened.
'They do, indeed…as do I.' Kravo smiles at her and she instantly felt herself grow flustered. She rubs the back of her neck and goes to speak, but then a voice calls out to her.
"Dan!"
She turns her head and sees Zaevar walking towards her. She notices that he held annoyances in his eyes, directed right at her. Before she could even ask what was going on, he turns his head to look at Kravo, who backed away as he approached.
"Sorry to ruin your little session, but the parents are requesting we go to sleep to train early in the morning. Say your goodbyes."
Dan turns to Kravos and says goodbye quickly to him in Dothraki, to which he returns with a bow of his head. She wasn't even given a second chance to see if he looked at her after because Zaevar nudges her away. Her eyes narrow at him once they were clear out of sight from the Dothraki, and she pushes him away from her.
"What in the name of the seven hells is wrong with you?!" she snaps at him.
"Me? Why are you…acting like that with the Dothraki?! They'll get the wrong image of you and then want to do stuff to you like they did to Daenerys!"
"My gods, I was speaking to a warrior!" she hisses. "A young one that doesn't deserve to be fighting at such a young age – mother and father do the same thing!"
"Mother and father are married, they aren't going to suddenly grab her away and marry her off to some bloodrider when they can easily do that to you – they're savages!"
Dan stares at him in shock before grabbing him, pulling him into an alley, and workers and fighters passed. "Are you kidding me right now? They have done nothing to us to show that they are. Sure, they've done horrible things in the past, but they are loyal to us. They fight for our family. They are good people who want to save this forsaken world as much as the next. What is making you say this?"
Zaevar doesn't speak for a moment. He glances away. "I've just…heard rumors."
Dan's eyes narrow once more, trying to read him when suddenly, it clicks. Her arms come up to her chest, and she smirks lightly at him. "You just didn't like me talking to Kravos, did you?"
"I d-didn-"
"And you decided to come up with the best lie you could – which wasn't really good, by the way – so I wouldn't go towards them. You were jealous."
"I was not!"
"Zaevar, you don't need to hide that from me." She nudges his side. "If you were jealous of me spending time with someone other than my favorite boy, you don't need to be." He glances up at her as she smiles. "I'm trying to be more like mother. If we're going to be ruling one day, we need to make sure we have connections with everyone. It's better to be friendly and have your followers have that vision of you rather than them never meeting you."
"I thought you said you weren't a leader today in the bedroom," he mutters.
"I'm not, but it doesn't mean I can't prepare for the future as best I can. And talking to others is what I do best." The two of them walk out of the alley, heading back towards the castle. "Do they actually want us to go to sleep?"
At Zaevar's turned-away face, she could tell that was a lie too.
"Seven hells," she chuckles, shaking her head. "Zaevar, you don't need to do that stuff with me. I'm always going to care about my family more." He looks over at her and she reaches over, grabbing his hands. "That's what you are – you may not be by blood but I'll always care about you far more than anyone else out there. Of course we should keep our people safe, but you're a Targaryen. We are meant to keep each other together."
Zaevar smiles lightly at her and nods before the two of them walk back together. Although this time, she notices that he doesn't let go of her hand. "Didn't Targaryen's…marry each other?"
Dan sticks out her tongue. "Yeah…but it's different with mother and father. They may be related but they had never met each other before until they were long into their adulthood. They felt a pull and they went with it. And besides, people have married between families for years – it's really not as rare as some people would believe. Even Starks have done it."
"Do…do you think they would ever…have us marry each other?"
Dan looks over at him in surprise. "What has gotten into your mind?"
"I don't know, I've just…been thinking of the future as you have. If we survive this…what might happen. I like to think about that instead of the deaths that are bound to be raining down on us soon." He glances back at the ground. "Do you think they will?"
Dan bites her lip, trying to think of the best way to say it. "Well…Targaryen's have always felt a certain…attraction to each other, but I've never felt that way with Daemon. Like, ever. The very idea – gods, I can't even think about it. I don't know how Jaime and Cersei did it." She shakes her head, shivering at the thought. "But if you're talking about...you and I, or maybe Daemon and Mae, or something like that, I don't think they'd push that on us. Mother and father have never been the type to arrange marriages. I think with them, they don't care who we marry as long as we are happy and one of us carries on the line. That's it."
"But…what if we did?" He looks back up at her, and she sees a new emotion she was sure she had never seen in Zaevar's eyes. Shyness. "What if that did happen between us?"
At his gaze, she feels herself blush. This was not the time for her to be growing up, for god's sake. "Then…I'm sure they would support that as well." She leans over and punches his side, causing him to let out a curse. "Why? You wanna marry me, firehead?"
"I'm just asking!" he exclaims before rolling his eyes and letting go of her. "With that attitude, you'll never find someone."
"Oh, you wish," she jokes, before walking in after him. Although this time, she felt herself smile a bit lightly. She was still young. They had a war. But Zaevar was right.
It was nice to think about the future.
Jon
It took them hours to properly clean up a chamber for him and Daenerys. But when he did, he laid down on that bed and practically nearly passed out. He was exhausted after today. They had gone back and forth for hours, up hundreds of flights of stairs, all to make sure everyone was settled.
And now, here they were, finally able to rest for the next days, when the rest of the kingdoms would arrive.
The door opens, and he turns his head to see Daenerys coming in, letting out a soft sigh. "I just checked in with the children. Mae has Robb down for the count. Apparently, she's been trying to give Eleana a break…she's been a bit off lately."
"Off? What do you mean?" he asks.
"I think with Yara missing she's been worried about the future. Yara was one of the few people that we've met that seemed…I don't know, unkillable. She always had this sort of attitude about life and she was a fighter. But the idea of her dying…it probably got to Eleana." She stands at the edge of the window, looking out into the sea of people below, all ready to go to bed. "It's getting to me."
Jon sees her bite her lip, and at that, he decides to stand, walking over to his wife. His hands rest at the edges of her dress, and they slowly start to undo it. She relaxes against him. "What is going on inside that head of yours?" he asks honestly.
Her dress was taken off in a matter of seconds, piling into a pool on the floor. She steps out of it and looks up at him, as he guides her towards the bed again. "You're just asking so you can have me for my body," she muses lightly.
"Dany, I don't think I need to ask about your mental health to get to your body," he responds, shaking his head. "I've been worried all day."
She sighs as he sits down, and he guides her right on top of his lap, where she wraps her arms around his neck. "I've just been…thinking. Of everything that's going to happen. We've made it to Casterly Rock. The people are coming here. Bran's doing…gods know what in King's Landing…who knows what's going to happen next?" She glances away. "I fear for our lives. I fear for our children's lives. I fear for everything that might transgress the moment we decide to push in on King's Landing…but it won't stop until he is dealt with."
Jon nods quietly, seeing the confliction in her eyes, the combination of terror and bravery, of kindness and ruthlessness. He knew her so well at this point. She had been through the seven hells and back to get to this point. She wasn't about to let Bran fucking Stark stop them from achieving what they wanted.
"I've told you," he says softly, guiding her chin back to him so he could look her in her eyes. "What we are doing is unpredictable, but we take it as it comes. One day at a time. We can't let our fears overtake us…not over prophecies or anything else. You and I are unstoppable – and you have to keep that mindset. I know that you're scared. I am, too. But we can do this as long as we keep our wits ahead of us and our eyes set on the goal."
"But what if he brings those bloody dragons? The ice ones?" she whispers to him.
"Then we deal with it then, too. We have always dealt with everything together. Escaping White Harbor, taking on those thieves that stole our children, Saeresa and Aenar, the revolting slave masters, the cities – every single one of those outcomes, we have won. Not without scars or memories, but we came out alive and standing. We need to look at this as the same, and I know it's hard, but we can."
Daenerys stares down at him before she brings a hand up to his cheek, cupping softly. "I love you."
"I love you, too," he murmurs before leaning up and kissing her. When she pulls away, she glances at the window again.
"Do we know where they brought Sansa?"
"Yes. They locked her up down below."
Her brow furrows. "Those locks still work?"
"The castle might have become a wreck but cells always seem to work," he comments. "She's been quiet lately. I think she's finally accepted her fate."
Daenerys hmms before she turns back to look at him. "Do we know exactly what we're going to be doing with her yet?"
"Honestly, I have no idea. I know I don't want her to rot in a cell for the rest of her life." Daenerys raises an eyebrow and he interjects. "I'm not saying I want her to run around free at all. Not by any means. She deserves to be punished for what she did and will be. I just despise cells. I was in one for a time. It's not a fun place. I think she should either be killed or be useful for something else. We might as well make use of her."
Daenerys bites her lip. "Do you think…she would have any say about the inside of King's Landing?"
"She could, but we have both Tyrion and Jaime Lannister on our sides. I think they might know the castle better than she would considering she was only there for a couple of years."
"Yes, but she knows the people who are there now. She had a personal relationship with the king. Tyrion may know how to get in and out, but she has talked with the people there. She might be able to tell us exactly what to say if we wanted to sneak in for some reason."
Jon waves his head back and forth, chewing on the idea for a second. "We could…but at the same time, that doesn't feel like the correct way to end this." He glances outside and sighs. "I don't know what happened to her. She did seem like she knew what she was doing years ago and then…then she started to side with a literal monster."
"I know what happened," Daenerys states softly. "She was blinded by her hatred for me and her love for you that she couldn't see anything else but wanting to make sure you stayed there in the North, and she stayed in power. She never thought of the greater good. She never thought of what her people might need – only what she needed. And that was her downfall. A ruler can never do that. Not like what you and I do."
Jon raises his brow at her. "Trying to stroke my ego a bit, aren't you?"
Daenerys smiles a bit and leans down, kissing him gently. "Maybe. Is it working?"
"A bit…what else do you have to say?"
He sees her smirk, the devilish one that she knew drove him mad, and she leans down, pressing tender kisses along his neck. "How sweet you are to myself and our family." She lays another kiss along his skin. "How ruthless you've been to our enemies." Another peck at the base of his neck. "How we've built something the world has never seen before." One more to his lips before she rests her forehead against his own. "How your cock has been the only one that has made me scream."
Jon suddenly flips her over, causing her to gasp as she stares up at him in shock. "Don't say those things or else you're going to get yourself in a world of trouble, Dany."
She flutters her eyelashes up at him and leans up, kissing his lips. But when she pulls away, she slips his bottom lip in-between her teeth, softly biting and pulling before she moves away, causing him to hiss. He stares at her in shock while she leans forward. "Maybe I want to be in a world of trouble."
He takes that moment and pounces, causing her to laugh, before he silences her with a kiss, significantly shutting her up. Moans and groans were the only things that followed.
Daenerys
By the time Jon was done with her, Daenerys knew that her hair was a) ruined and b) she needed to make sure she had a nice long bath tomorrow with Eleana. But honestly, it was something that both of them had needed. They had been so caught up in everything that had been happening with their families and their army that they hadn't taken out enough time for themselves.
Jon had gone to sleep not long after, but she had stayed up, wanting to check on each of her children. The girls were asleep and so were the boys. Her generals were asleep and waiting for the new day. It seemed even Jaime Lannister, who had made himself helpful with the settling of their army, was asleep somewhere deep within the walls of Casterly Rock.
However, Daenerys did see a fireplace lit not too far away from where she was walking. And her curiosity got the better of her. She walks over, her brow furrowed until she sees the familiar dark hair, the glooming eyes. It was Kinvara.
"What are you doing awake?" she asks her, smiling softly. Kinvara looks back up at her, but there is no change in her expression when she sees that it is Daenerys. Instead, she turns back to the fire.
"I have seen a vision, Daenerys."
Good gods, not this again. "Kinvara…we're trying really hard not to focus on what might happen due to prophecies."
"This isn't a prophecy, Daenerys. It's a vision that feels…familiar. Like you've seen it. It's within the flames…a horrible one."
Her face had gone pale. Her eyes glazed over. Daenerys feels concern lace her body. She kneels down to Kinvara, tightening the robe she had on around her. "What is it, Kinvara?"
"Give me your hand." Daenerys hesitantly hands it over to her, and she brings it towards the flames, engulfing it in the fire. Surprisingly, it doesn't harm Kinvara, but to Daenerys, she wasn't extremely shocked. Kinvara was a servant of the Lord of Light – and a sorceress. Fire shouldn't be able to harm them – at least regular fire.
She doesn't see anything for a moment, and then suddenly, everything turns red. She closes her eyes and opens them again, and then the whole world begins to shake. Her eyes look around the area quickly, realizing that she was in a field. Suddenly, the whole entire ground cracks open beneath her, and lava begins to spew out. She sees thousands of people start to drop in as the sky glows red around her. Everything begins to feel cold.
Daenerys jerks herself out of the memory, feeling her arms wrap around herself as she stares at Kinvara. The woman had her eyes closed, muttering what seemed to be a prayer underneath her. "What…how did you…"
"You saw that vision once before…didn't you?" Kinvara asks her calmly after a moment. "Answer me. Honestly."
"I…I did." She glances back at Kinvara. "It was when we first found out Dan had…some sort of power. From Bennero in Volantis. I shook his hand and everything…everything turned red. Just like now. It was the same vision except this one felt… more real."
Kinvara lets out a slow sigh before turning to her, grabbing her hands. No vision, this time. "My queen, what you have seen is something that is bound to happen. Visions are a common occurrence among our people, but we only see them repeat themselves once in a blue moon. For this to repeat itself to you…I can only picture the worst might come."
Daenerys swallows and looks to the ground. "Then…then what do we do?"
Kinvara bites her lip and stands, helping Daenerys stand with her. "For now…spend time with your family. Pray that the other sides see how serious this war is and that they will join. Whatever Bran is planning, it is bigger than any of us are ready for. And I feel that we need to make sure we come together so that vision doesn't take out as much horror as we expect it to."
Daenerys nods quietly as Kinvara walks her back through the castle. But she couldn't keep what had happened off her mind. What if? What if? She knew that she shouldn't put all of her expectations into that but…she didn't want to think of what might happen if it was true.
Kinvara was right. Jon was right. All they had was time, and they needed to take it a day at a time…but that didn't mean she couldn't keep this in the back of her mind.
Jon and Daenerys
The next few days passed, and soon, the houses from the different lands would arrive.
They would come in rolls after roll. Since the Vale and the North were already on their side, it was only a matter of time of trying to convince the other rebelling houses to join their cause. The Westerlands – according to Jaime – were entirely abandoned due to the unrest from Bran and the killings that had happened. So they were out of the picture.
But that didn't mean that there weren't thousands of others who were willing to fight.
The first lands to arrive were the Stormlands, who had been under Gendry's rule for some time until he traveled to where Arya was. Now, it was lead by one of Gendry's advisors, Selmy Errol of House Errol, who had answered the call as soon as Gendry had sent it to them. They had greeted each other with a tight hug before they went into the castle, the men behind them.
The next region to come were the rest of the Iron Islands followers. Many were confused as to why Yara was not there. Jon had done the hard part and told them that she had gone missing some time ago, and they were constantly keeping an eye out for her. Some had been upset. Some confused. Others didn't care much and went to join the other Iron Island folks who were waiting for them.
The third to arrive was The Reach, and in front of them was Bronn. The fucking sellsword he had seen a couple of times. And it seemed the moment he saw Jon, he recognized him instantly.
"Hah," the man chuckles, coming towards him. "Didn't think the Queenslayer would emerge from the ashes."
"Hold your tongue or else I will cut it out. I am not like Tyrion," Jon warns.
Bronn laughs and shakes his head. "Don't worry. I won't be testing your patience too much." He glances behind him. "I wasn't the hugest fan of this, but I suppose for my people I have to be."
"That doesn't necessarily sound like the right attitude," Jon mutters.
"Well, I've been on the King's Council. I was his Master of Coin." At Jon's look, Bronn rolls his eyes. "Yes, I know, I don't seem like I could be 'Master of Coin' but I did my duty. And when I found out he hurt your wife while she was pregnant, I left."
Jon's brow raises. "That's what made you left? Not the thousands of lives he had killed before?! Not that your own people were rebelling?"
"Hey. I wanted to do something but it's hard to do so when you were constantly under the eye of him for years, at this point. It was only after that I decided to say 'fuck it' and leave. He's had soldiers on the hunt for me for weeks. Been on the road with my fighters so we can show up here." He shakes his head and glances around Jon before a slick smile comes onto his face. "Fucking hell, look at you two sorry sacks of shit."
Jon glances behind him to see both Tyrion and Jaime standing at the entrance, both looking indifferent to the arrival of Bronn. Jon turns back to Bronn, who bows his head to him.
"Excuse me, your grace, but I have old acquaintances to greet." He steps away a moment later after that, and Jon watched as he greeted both of them. No hugs, but he could tell that there were memories and moments that they shared as they talked. He didn't need to know about all of that.
And then finally, Dorne arrived with their leader, Ryon Allyrion. He greeted him with a bow and a kiss to his hands – something Jon was most definitely not used to – but it was regal and respectful so who was he to complain? But while meeting the new ruler of Dorne was interesting, there was someone else that he was far more excited to see.
Soon, the man made his presence known, and Jon felt a smile come across his face when Davos appeared from behind the soldiers of the Dorne men. The older man smiled wide as well and embraced him tightly, the two of them laughing.
"Good to see you alive and standing, Davos," Jon comments as he pulls away, leaving a hand on the man's shoulder. "We were worried about you for a little bit!"
"I was worried about myself," Davos chuckles lightly. "It was a trip to get here but I'm alive, somehow. Told you I would make it back somehow."
"And your family, they are safe in Valyria?"
Davos nods. "I was able to get them all settled before I headed out. They were stunned to see what it was and that it was still around, but they settled into a life there pretty quickly. And the other people were welcoming of them. And they're safe, and that's all that matters."
Jon nods as he feels a hand touch his back, and he turns to see Daenerys arrive at his side with Robb in her arms. Davos' face lights up as he looks at the boy.
"The little one is born!" Davos whispers excitedly. "It's good to see you as well, Daenerys. I've missed you both dearly."
The woman smiles at him as she embraces him with one of her arms, the other still holding Robb. "We're so happy you're here."
"I am as well." Davos turns back to the boy. "And who is this little man? What'd ya name him?"
"Robb," Jon answers as Davos brings a finger up, tickling the little boy on the stomach. He giggles as he does so, and Jon sees the biggest smile spread across the elder man's face. He probably hadn't seen a baby in years. In all of this wartime tragedy, it was nice to see something like that occasionally.
"Robb," Davos muses as he pulls away before looking at Jon. "He looks just like the two of us. You've made something beautiful." He looks over at Daenerys. "Was the…birth hard?"
"It was horrible," Daenerys says honestly. "Bran somehow got into my head…made it a lot more painful than any of us expected. But I was saved by my son and Kinvara. Somehow still standing now and ready to finish this so this little boy can have a home, finally."
Davos sighs and shakes his head. "I wish I could have been there for you all."
Jon rests his hand on the man's shoulder once more. "You don't need to apologize for wanting to get your family to safety. That was the main goal of you coming on later, wasn't it?" To which Davos nods. "Then don't be sorry about that. We want to make sure that everything went well before we brought you on once more. And now, we're happy to see you here."
Davos smiles a bit before glancing behind him. "The Dornish people have been speaking about this. You're not going to have to do much to convince them. They want to fight and end this war as quickly as possible. Bran has apparently been sending out troops to hunt down the Dornish due to their independence. They want their men."
"Well, good thing you're all here, then," Daenerys comments lightly.
Davos turns back to her and then sighs. "There's…one other thing I have to tell you. Well, show you. May you come with me?"
Jon and Daenerys share a look but nod, following after Davos as the Dornish men brought in their supplies to the castle. They file their way through crowds of people moving from one place to the next, with the two monarchs stopping occasionally to say hello to people as they passed until they seemed to reach where the carriages were for the Dorne men and women.
Davos guides them to the very back, where there was one carriage that was completely alone. The horses were resting where they sat. Davos lets out a soft sigh once more and guides them to the back, before opening it up with a heave of his arm and pushing it up. There, he drags out what seemed to be…a body.
Jon and Daenerys take a step back as Davos places it on the ground. "Brace yourself for what you're about to see." And, within a couple of seconds, he removes the cloth that had been tightly covering the body and shows it, and Jon feels his heart drop.
It was Yara.
Jon saw Daenerys bring a hand up to her mouth in shock, turning Robb's curious eyes away. He was shocked silent. "What…how?"
"I heard from Tyrion at one point that you were attacked in the North and that Yara went missing?" Davos asks him, to which Jon nods. "Right before we left, her body washed up on the shores of Dorne. It seemed the waves had carried her all the way down to there."
Gods, looking at her, she had been dead for a long time. Her face was decomposing and there were pieces of flesh that were starting to come off of her body. But he knew that face. Her eyes were glazed over. And there seemed to be a stab wound right in her heart, one that was…blue.
"What is this?" Jon mutters, leaning down and looking at the wound.
"We suspect that's what killed her, not the drowning," Davos explains quietly. "But if it was a typical stab wound, I think it would have had normal puncturing but as you can see there's this…blue mark around the edge. We think it might have been one of those new creatures Tyrion told us about. The Skincrawlers that did this."
Jon bites his lip and looks over at Daenerys, who was still staring in shock at Yara. "Davos…if you could excuse me for a second." Davos nods as Jon stands, and walks over to where Daenerys stood. He wraps his arms around her as he notices tears start to stream down her cheeks, looking at the ground. "Dany, look at me."
"I'm sorry, I…I just didn't think she'd die," she breathes out, clear aching in her voice. "I…I wanted her so badly…to be alive but I…gods, this is horrible."
Robb starts to snuffle from where he was, his head buried in his mom's neck. Jon rubs his hands gently over her arms, trying to calm her down.
"I know. I know this is horrible. But…but I think we can turn this into an upside."
Daenerys stares at him in shock, the clear distaste in her eyes. "How can you turn Yara's death into an upside? Now the Iron Islands are going to want to know why their leader is dead. We might lose their support!"
"The people from the Iron Islands will understand that there are losses in every war. They knew that Yara was missing, at least some of them. But I believe the ones who have stuck with us for this long – the ones Yara trusted to us – will stay by our side." He glances over at Yara's body, which Davos was wrapping up once more. "But…we can use her body."
"H…what are you talking about?"
"That stab wound. We have red priests, maesters, and even Sam here to dissect exactly what could have caused that stab wound. For all we know, that could be what changes people into…Skincrawlers. Yara might have gotten the better deal out of this out of not turning…but if we examine this, maybe we can figure out exactly what they use, and they can find a counterpart to it. We've heard about the blue fire before but…maybe there's something else. Something we don't know."
Daenerys bites her lip, shaking her head. "I…I don't know, Jon."
"I know you're grieving. Everyone will be. I'm just as shocked as the next person. I never expected her to die. But we need to stay one step ahead of the enemy. We knew he was going to take hard hits at us, and this is the hardest he has hit so far in regards to our allies. But we need to find something good out of this…and I believe we can. So can we do this? Together?"
Daenerys swallows, looking over at the body before looking back at him. And, with a shaky sigh, she nods. "It's a good idea…I just don't know how we're going to tell everyone."
"We'll do that together as well." He leans in and presses a gentle kiss to her forehead. "If you can, gather the allies leaders in the great hall. We're going to talk with them about what we plan to do, reveal the news of Yara, and everything else…make sure they're prepared. And settle Robb down….I think he's had enough excitement for the day."
Daenerys sighs but nods. "I do believe you're right." She reaches over and squeezes his hand, pecking his lips once more before looking over at Davos. "Thank you for getting her here, Davos…this answers a lot of questions."
"As you say, my queen." He bows his head to her and she heads off after that. Jon watches until she was gone behind the crowds of people once more before he approaches Davos. "Your family been good, boy?"
"It's been…alright. Everyone's been on edge," he admits honestly. "Prophecies and fantasies and everything else, it's just been…a lot to handle. But I think we'll make it through this…somehow. Someway." He looks over at Davos and a soft smile comes to his lips. "I'm really glad you're here…we've received a lot of allies since we've last seen you."
"I know. I see the Unsullied are here. Greyworm treating you well?"
Jon snorts and shakes his head. "As well as he can…it's understandable why he would act that way but we're getting there. We also gained the Northmen and the Vale. Now, all we need to do is convince all of these lands."
Davos clears his throat and Jon turns to look at him once more. "What happened to Sansa?"
"Locked away in the cells here. We've been keeping her as a prisoner for what she did."
"You had her confess?"
"In front of all the Northern lords."
"Good gods," Davos mutters before turning to look at the crowds above them. "Seems like we've missed a lot."
Jon chuckles a bit and pats him on the back. "I'll catch you up to speed." He looks down at the body and sighs. "Alright…let's bring this in. Try to be as quiet as possible. We don't need people constantly asking us about this." He glances around. "I think we can get in through the back, possibly."
Davos nods, and the two of them kneel down and lift up the body, moving as quickly as possible towards the castle, trying to avoid the wandering eyes that followed.
But Jon knew that sooner or later, they would know. Yara Greyjoy was dead. And that meant that Bran was coming for the other leaders as soon as possible. Jon could only put hope in his and Daenerys' leadership that the Iron Islands didn't leave, as confident as he had sounded before.
But this was the war for the living. Anything could change.
The Red Keep
"Where am I?!"
The woman was breathing heavily, looking all around, eyes wide and crystal blue as the sea outside the window. A blizzard was roaring within Bran's man at looking at this woman. The possibilities that could come. But all he could do was walk over and try to calm her down.
"Breathe," he commands. Her wild eyes look to him and he brings a hand up, letting it rest on her cold shoulder. "Breathe." He says it once more, same tone and command. She lets out a slow breath and does as he says before he guides her off onto the floor.
She stands on two wobbly legs, her brow furrowed in shock as she looked around. Her hands go up to where her head was, feeling the blue flames that cascaded down her back to the middle. Her body covered in what seemed to be a sheet, cold to the touch, but her hands warmer than the darkest fire in the world.
"Where…am I?" she repeats, this time looking over at Bran. "I…I was dead."
He smiles and walks forward, guiding her to a mirror. "You are brought forward by the Great Other to bring darkness onto the world." He shows her the mirror, and she looks at herself with curious eyes, almost like a newborn. "You were given a shit turn. They outcasted you. Burnt you. Made sure that you would never live again when all you wanted was to start anew. And yet, here you are…alive. You have that second chance."
His hands wrap around her own, lifting them up. She looks over at him.
"Whisper this. Flamirsa igneta."
The woman still seemed confused at his words, but he only steps away, nodding at her to say it. She stares at her hand and then whispers as he said, "Flamirsa, igneta."
Dark blue flames suddenly protrude themselves from her fingertips. She nearly jumps back in shock at the appearance of them, breathing heavily, staring at her skin. It doesn't burn. It doesn't shake. All she could see were the tiny sparks of heat that emerged with each gust of fire.
"This…is your power. The ones that were stolen from you so long ago. From your life, so long ago. From your husband, so long ago…now, you hold all of it. We have an army of people like you, but we need a ruler. Someone to stand by my side. A Queen of the Night." He comes to her side and takes her hand, before moving it quickly in the direction of a banner in the room.
A ball of evil, burning hot flames goes soaring towards it and burns it all up in a manner of seconds. The woman was stilled, staring at her hands.
"The power you hold…the ability you have…it can be used to bring upon an age of darkness. To snuff out the living and the Targaryens once and for all. You can put the light out, and enter into a new world, where you can be the Empress of the Night. And I can be the Emperor."
There was a hint of recognition in her eyes at that. "E…empress?"
"Yes…you can rule over our people, make sure that these people never live to see the light again. You can get rid of these red priests and priestesses, this Lord of Light, and make sure that we never experience another shred of their life. The ones who betrayed us. The ones who killed us. We are the ones who can bring the world to a standstill, and I believe, with the power who have been given, and with the flames of these hands, we can do it."
The woman stares at her hands, the fire lighting up the dark chamber, bouncing shadows off of the wall. Then, in a moment, she lowers her hands, the fire going out, before turning towards Bran. "I don't know how I am here, but I'll do it...for my chance at beating them. Once and for all."
Bran smiles widely, a smile so sinister it would most likely make Cersei Lannister fear him with all her stone-cold heart. "Good…then I have my first mission for you, my queen." He pulls a map out he had taken from the room and lands it on the table she had just risen from, not taking his eyes off of her.
She looks at it in surprise, not understanding.
"Where…where is this?"
"Westeros," he responds, before pointing towards the middle of the continent. "And you must find them. They have blocked me from finding them, but with you here, you can somehow trace them. They don't know you are alive. You are our key."
The woman shakes her head. "How…how am I going to find them? I don't know this country."
"Well, there's a simple answer to this." He leans in close to her ear. "They have your daughter."
A sudden look of pain and then anger shows across her face, all combining into one. That brought back memories. He could see it instantly as her eyes almost flashed dark blue, a wave of murderous intent showing within them.
"Are you going to let them take her away?" he whispers again, his grip hard on her arm.
And with a hard shake of her head, she grabs the map with rage, nearly burning it in her grasp. "I'll kill every single last one of them."
To that, Bran smiles again, proud of his creation once more. With a solid nod and a look to the future of what they would do, he responds, "Good."
I swear the reveal is coming next chapter lol
I originally wanted to make this one really long chapter but I really wanted to get something out for you all so now it's going to be two parts. Again, I'm sorry it took so long to do so but it's been a hard couple of weeks, and with writing other stories, work searching, life in general, it's just been unforgiving lol but I wanted to make sure I got this out for all of you because without you I wouldn't be able to write this story, so thank you all so much 3
Also, on my Archive of my Own page, I do have another story up there if you guys wanted to check that out called 'From Fire, We Shall Rise.' It's in the early stages but it's another Jonerys retelling so if you want to check it out that's up to you! Just thought I should let ya'll know haha
As always, love it? Hate it? Want to send me off to the fighting pits to somehow defend this piece of crap? Let me know in the reviews, as they always inspire me to keep pushing out these chapters for all of you. Your response on the last chapter was great and you all have been so generous with your responses that I'm so happy - you are all amazingly 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!