Prologue: Points of Divergence
Groaning with pain, Lyanna got to her feet, and with a crazed scream she charged, a dragonglass axe in her hand. Seeing her coming, the dead giant grabbed her lifting her into the air, making her drop the axe she held. Lyanna felt her breastplate begin to buckle. In a few moments her chest would be crushed, and she would die. But if the giant brought her close enough to its head first, then perhaps…
When it came the dragonglass spear came as a total surprise to her. It flew right past her and impaled itself in the giant's one remaining eye. With a final crackling scream the enormous wight disintegrated and she fell to the ground with it. As she lay there injured, she felt strong arms pick her up and carry her away as the dead began to swarm through the broken gate in their hundreds. Her savior, an unsullied soldier that had somehow lost his helmet, handed her over to men of her house.
"Get her to safety." The Unsullied soldier told the others in the common tongue.
"I can still fight." Lyanna protested.
"Don't be foolish my lady, you are hurt." One of her soldiers said.
"The northman is right. Listen to him. Survive this day and live well little lady. Do so for me." The Unsullied soldier said. He gave a final nod and an encouraging smile to her before picking up a weapon lying on the ground and charging at the wights. He managed to get two of them before he was set upon by several dozen of the creatures.
"No…no." Lyanna whimpered quietly as the Unsullied soldier was pressed to the ground and torn apart. She felt miserable that another had to sacrifice himself for her sake, unable to do anything to help the one who had saved her as she was hauled away by Mormont soldiers.
"She's hateful. And so am I." Jaime said in a voice that was meant to put an end to the argument, no matter the cost.
"You know that isn't true." Brienne countered, much to Jaime's surprise. "You've changed. You may deny it, but you know it. You can't throw all that away for Cersei. She doesn't deserve it. She never did."
"And what do I deserve? I've just told you what I have done and who for." He said angrily. Then he sighed tiredly. "People like me don't deserve happy endings. We don't deserve redemption." He tried to reason with her.
"Redemption isn't about deserving it. If it were none of us would ever get it. It's a choice. It's never too late to come back." She said.
"And why should I try to repent? Why shouldn't I die as I lived, by sacrificing for a horrible woman I happen to love? Isn't that exactly what I have earned? Give me one good reason to remain!" He demanded.
"Because I love you!" Brienne blurted out, leaving both of them stunned by her admission.
After he recovered from his surprise he smiled sadly. "I don't deserve that either."
"It doesn't change the way I feel. And I think it doesn't change the way you feel about me." She said, gently taking his face into her hands.
Jaime knew at that moment he wasn't going. He had lingered too long, allowed Brienne to get to her. He would hate himself for leaving his sister to die. Then again, he was going to hate himself whatever he did wasn't he? With a final defeated sight he embraced Brienne. She returned his embrace, and there in the yard of Winterfell the two of them remained, holding each other close.
"You cannot do this!" Jon exclaimed, having decided to confront Daenerys about her plan to attack King's Landing.
"You don't understand!" She said. "They killed Missandei! They killed Rhaegal! You can't expect me to just let them get away with that."
"And how will destroying an entire city help make up for that? Why must you hurt everyone else to get at the ones responsible?"
"It will help me take the Iron Throne. Missandei, Rhaegal and all the rest I have lost, they all died for nothing if I don't succeed. But once the throne is mine everything will be better. The world will finally be free of tyrants, and everything will be as it should be." She said. "Will you help me do this, or are you betraying me as well?"
"Betraying you?" Jon repeated in disbelief. "Don't you hear yourself? Don't you know who you are starting to sound like?"
"Who?" She asked uncertainly.
"Your father." Jon said gravely.
"It won't be better. I told you before, if you use dragons to burn cities and melt castles, you're no better than all the shit rulers that came before you. You're just more of the same. I did not come all this way to replace one monster with another." He said then, not leaving her a chance to respond.
Daenerys seemed taken aback by Jon's words, as if she could not believe he had just said that. "I'm not a… monster. I'm not my father." She said with a shaky voice.
"You will be if you do this. If you do this then Cersei wins. Because she will have remade you in her image. And you will have failed in your quest." He said.
"Then what would you have me do? Stand down and let her win? That would be better?" She said in challenge.
Jon took gentle hold of her shoulders. "Fight her without becoming her. Show restraint. That's the best revenge you can have on her, by proving hers isn't the only way. Don't betray your principles for this. Don't betray yourself. Don't betray those who believe in you. Don't. Please."
For a brief instant she seemed about to burst into tears. Then her face turned stone cold, she slowly removed his hands from her and turned her back on him, not wanting to look at his face.
"You spoke to me about making a better world. Of breaking the wheel. If you burn innocents it will never happen. So the time has come to choose. Did you mean anything you said, or was it all a lie? Did the ones you lost follow you for a reason, or were they all fooled? Did I love a lie?" He said.
"Leave me. Get out." She said sharply.
With a final frown of disappointment, Jon turned and strode from the room. Daenerys closed her eyes, a single tear rolling down her face…
One by one Lannister swords clattered to the ground, the soldiers giving up on fighting for a hopeless cause. Tense moments of waiting followed, shouts of *ring the bells* echoing throughout the city.
Then the bells rang. First one, then another, then more and more, filling the air with their clamor.
In that moment Daenerys felt hollow, empty. This had been too easy. It was not enough. The need for vengeance was still clawing at her insides like some creature. Her eyes were locked at the Red Keep, a symbol of all she had lost, all that had been taken from her family, all that she had endured to get this far.
Uncontrollable rage began to build up inside her, a bubbling, searing madness that thundered inside her skull like drumbeat. Just when she was about to lose herself in her own fury voices of earlier conversations echoed in her mind.
The first one belonged to Varys: "Do not become what you have always sworn to destroy."
The second one was that of Jon: "Did I love a lie?"
"No! No." She said, louder than she had intended, blinking and breathing quickly, as if she had just woken from a nightmare.
"I won't do it. I'm not that. I'm not him." She told herself. With significant urgency she flew Drogon beyond the walls and out of the city.
On the ground a Lannister soldier pointed in the air: "The dragon! It's leaving!" Cheers arose from the Lannister ranks, relieved smiles on every face. They only quieted down when they remembered they were still face to face with enemy soldiers. Grey Worm snarled at them, brandishing his spear, intending to attack them until Jon took a firm hold of his arm.
"No. They've surrendered. It's over." Jon said firmly. The two men eyed each other for an uncomfortably long while until Grey Worm pulled his arm free from Jon's grasp, marching toward the gate, seething all the while.
Back at where the wall had been breached Tyrion gave a sigh of relief. Perhaps thigs would work out after all.
Many hours passed until Tyrion, still waiting at the breach, noticed Daenerys, walking alone past the corpses of the Golden Company.
"Your Grace. Drogon…?" Tyrion asked as he moved to follow in her steps.
"Sent away for now. The state of mind I'm in, I might do something very inconsiderate if I were still riding him." She said, her voice colorless.
"Well, I at least am pleased that…" Tyrion began to say.
"Don't…say… anything." Daenerys interrupted. "I can't think about what happened. I'm not ready to talk about it. Right now I can't think of any of it."
"What is the situation in the city?" She asked after a pause.
"The Lannister garrison has surrendered. Jon Snow has led the troops to capture the Red Keep. The city is ours now."
"They surrendered to Jon?" She asked, clearly uncomfortable with the idea.
"To Grey Worm, at Jon's insistence. It was felt that as the commander of your Unsullied it was more… appropriate.
"I see…" She said, uncertain how she felt about that.
"Where is Cersei Lannister? I want her brought before me." She said.
"She's… dead. Along with Euron Greyjoy." Tyrion said.
"Dead? How? By whom?" She asked, astonished.
"We do not know. All we know that their deaths were violent. Someone killed them." Tyrion answered.
"Pity." She said, resentful. "Show me their bodies at least. I need to see them. I need to know they are dead." She said then.
"As you wish." Tyrion said. "Jon Snow is waiting for you in the throne room."
"Then let's get this over with." She said.
After she had seen the bodies of Cersei Lannister and Euron Greyjoy, after she had confirmed with her own eyes that they were dead, slain by some unknown assailant, after feeling the pangs of disappointment that she was denied the chance to kill them herself, she instructed Tyrion to see that her troops were settled and that the city was secure. In truth she wanted him gone, so she could be alone with her thoughts. She eventually found her way into the throne room, where she found Jon, just standing there. Aside from him the hall was empty. When he noticed her, he gave him a small smile, stepped aside and raised his hand toward the throne. "Welcome home Your Grace."
With a cautious, uncertain nod of acknowledgement she slowly approached the throne. At the base of the steps she halted, suddenly apprehensive about climbing the rest of the way and seating herself on that throne.
"Oh, what's the point?" She abruptly exclaimed, her voice breaking. "In months I'll lose this to you anyway. These people love you not me. They have no use for me. None at all."
"It's over. I lost, even now." She said, bowing her head, sobbing. "That thing was my focus for as long as I can remember." She said, pointing at the throne. "Everything I did, good or bad, my quest always lingered in my thoughts. Now it is gone, and now I have nothing. I have no other prospects, no other dreams to pursue. I don't even have place I could belong. No home, no family… no people. All those that followed me, living or dead, my friends, my children, all for nothing. All lost, for a throne I will never hold."
For a while there was silence, her weeping the only sound to be heard.
"These people can learn to love you. It will just take time, and work, as it did for me. As it did for you in Essos. You took the first steps today. The people of King's Landing will remember your mercy. They will remember you killed no more than you had to. Such a thing has never happened in living memory, and it will not be forgotten. And as for me? They will have great difficulty installing a king that refuses to press his claim." Jon said finally.
"But Sansa…" Daenerys began to say.
"Sansa wants to protect the North. As do I. If we can give her that I believe she will relent on her efforts to put me on the throne. The North and the Vale follow her direction. The southern lords do not know me well enough to care about my claim. If we can mollify her then the threat against your rule will be no more."
"What are you saying?" She asked.
"I'm saying we can still fix this, if we are willing to work at it. It won't be easy, and we must both be willing to compromise. You may not hold all the kingdoms at the end of this, but at least you will have something. You can still get what you wanted."
Daenerys considered. "It would be better than where we are now. At least then there would be hope. It is worth the try."
"We will need a good place for it, somewhere where we can talk and keep talking until we have figured this out." Jon said.
"I have an idea on that. We can discuss it later." She said.
Jon nodded and was about to leave when Daenerys turned back to him. "Jon… thank you. I was alone, despairing, in pain. You saved me. I almost became my brother. I almost became my father. Without you I'd have been lost and would have done terrible things and called them justice. And now you have given me hope for my future."
Jon smiled. "And I thank you. Thank you for remaining true to yourself. Thank you remembering who you are. Thank you for earning the throne you wanted."
Daenerys hesitated before asking her next question: "And what of us Jon? Can we still be fixed?"
"I don't know. I still love you. But knowing everything that we know… it will be a lot to get used to. I don't know if I can." He said.
"Go wherever your heart leads you. I will accept the outcome, whatever comes. And I will always remember the time we had together, however brief it was." She said.
"You would like me to do what?" Jaime Lannister said, having been brought to King's Landing some time ago.
"We would like you to seize Riverrun, using our armies." Jon said. "Currently the castle is held by remnants of house Frey. We have tried to convince them to surrender but they will not. Now we need you to take the Castle from them. We intend to negotiate for the future of Westeros and we need that castle to do so."
"But why me?" Jaime asked.
"Your sister is gone. None of us can change that. I will not lie to you, I'm glad she's dead, but that said I sympathize with your loss. I have an inkling of how much she meant to you. I thank you for remaining in Winterfell when we confronted her. It cannot have been easy." Daenerys said.
"You should not thank me. I did not do it for you. Either of you." Jaime said, a slight anger in his voice.
"Doubtless not. But we benefitted, and so I am grateful even so. Nevertheless, with everything that has happened we are left with the question of what to do with you. If you are to remain in Westeros we need proof of your allegiances." She said.
"So you would like me to go to this castle and wipe out its defenders? A little more blood spilled to prove my loyalties?"
"If you can convince them to stand down then by all means do so. But if not… then you know what must be done. The choice will be their own." Jon said.
"What more proof do you need of my loyalty? I fought the dead for you." Jaime asked.
"You did. But that was enlightened self-interest. We need you to do this for us personally. If you do this for us then you will be reappointed lord of Casterly Rock and Warden of the West. Any misdeed you have committed in your past will be forgiven, and your good acts will be remembered, as is only appropriate." Daenerys said.
"You imagine I want to have that castle?" Jaime said.
"It's a better option than anything else you have on offer, a chance for you to begin again. Your future will be what you make of it." Jon said. "With whomever you choose to build it with." He added, giving Jaime a knowing smile.
"All right." Jaime said after a moment of consideration. "How soon do you wish me to do this?"
"As soon as possible. This needs to be done promptly. The longer we wait the more difficult this will be for all of us." Jon said.
Daenerys took the quill into her hands, dipped it in ink, briefly regarded the paper in front of her and with a slow, measured hand wrote her full name on it. Next to her name she poured red wax, waited briefly for it to cool, then affixed the Targaryen sigil on it. Then she laid it atop a stack of other papers. To her right Jon had finished doing the same. They glanced at each other and then rose together to address the hall full of Lords and Ladies of Westeros.
"My Lords and Ladies. It is accomplished, and you have witnessed what has been done. Our wars are done, and a new age beckons. The age of the Twin Kingdoms" She said.
"This day promises a new beginning for all of us. Let us together rebuild these lands, that we may share in the days of peace." He said next.
"My Lords and Ladies, I give you King in the North, Jon Snow, Aegon the Sixth." Said Davos Seaworth.
"My Lords and Ladies, I give you Queen in the South, Daenerys Targaryen." Said Tyrion Lannister.
"Long may they reign! Long live the Twin Kingdoms!" Tyrion said.
"Long may they reign! Long live the Twin Kingdoms!" Echoed the nobles in the hall before erupting in cheers and applause.
"It's done. We did it. I can scarcely believe it." She said as people were slowly beginning to file out.
"Yes, we did." Jon said.
"Has there been any news from Arya?" She asked.
"No. She just vanished. I worry about her." He said.
"If I hear anything I will send word." She said.
"Thank you." Jon said. "Will you hold your coronation soon?" He asked.
"Yes. I think it better not to wait, lest there be even more trouble. And you?" She said.
"I don't know if Northerners actually hold coronations. We do things more simply. It seems to me that when enough Lords begin shouting *King in the North* at you, then suddenly you are a king, que countless headaches." He said, making Daenerys chuckle.
"I guess I should prepare for my return to Winterfell. There is still much to be done, many wounds to heal. I have this nagging feeling our troubles are just beginning. We will speak before I leave." He said.
As Jon left Daenerys spotted Sansa among the crowds and went to talk to her. "Lady Stark, please stay, I would speak with you alone."
Sansa seemed visibly alarmed that she was about to be left alone with the Queen. She looked for Jon but could not find him anywhere. When only the two of them were left, Daenerys returned to the table, with Sansa following close behind.
"Please, sit." The Queen said.
"I'd rather stand." Sansa said.
"Suit yourself." Daenerys said, sitting down herself.
"Your Grace I…" Sansa tried to say.
"Don't call me that." Daenerys interrupted. "I'm not your Queen any longer. I don't think I ever was for you. You may have called me such but your heart wasn't with you when you did. You didn't mean it."
Sansa nervously licked her lips before trying to speak again. "If-if this is about what I told Tyrion…"
"You did what you did for reasons you doubtless considered very good. I'm not here to judge you for it. Its Jon's trust you betrayed, and if he wishes to punish you for it then that's his business. Even so you should know that that decision was part of a chain of events that very nearly made me into something terrible and almost made me commit an atrocity beyond description. It was only through the courage of others that I contained myself and that outcome was avoided. That is something you should remember the next time you hatch schemes against someone. But as I said I'm not here to judge you, and it is not what I want to talk to you about." Daenerys interrupted again.
"Then what is?" Sansa asked, frowning.
Daenerys took a deep breath. "We have been at each other's throats since we met. I now wish for that rivalry to come to an end. If not friendship, then at least we should establish an understanding. I'm going to need you. As of today you are the second most powerful woman in Westeros. You have significant influence in the North and the Vale. The Vale happens to be on my side of the kingdoms."
"I do not rule there." Sansa pointed out.
"Not officially. But Robin Arryn is a sickly boy that doesn't rule much of anything. It's you the people of the Vale listen to, and so it's you I need with me. It doesn't have to be perfect between us, but it has to work. Otherwise this whole thing will come crashing down." Daenerys said.
"I love Jon, even if it comes to pass that he will never be able to love me back. He is my family. You can be too, all of you Starks, if you'll let me. And maybe one day I can convince you that I'm not a monster." Daenerys added softly.
A smile tugged the corner of Sansa's mouth. She nodded toward the stack of signed papers. "Today was a good start."
"I guess I just have to hope I survive whatever Jon has in store for me." She added with some apprehension.
"I suspect that you will be fine. He is not a vindictive man, which is sadly more than can sometimes be said for me. He will likely scold to the point of exhaustion, and after that you can likely look forward to being appointed Wardeness of the North." Daenerys said.
"A Wardeness?" Sansa said.
"He will need people that can govern in his stead when he cannot, someone he can delegate tasks to. For all our differences I can think of no better choice." Daenerys said.
"We shall see. For the future, Your Grace." Sansa said, giving a curtsy before leaving. For the first time Daenerys felt that Sansa had meant what she said.
So… this felt like something I had to do. About episode 5 of season 8, for my part I was hoping for a more traditional ending for Game of Thrones. I knew it was never going to be bunnies and sunshine, but still I was hoping for a relatively happy ending. I think a lot of us wanted the same, which I believe is a big chunk of the controversy despite what people say. Alas, it was not to be, or at least I think it won't.
Some have said that what happened with Daenerys's character was character assassination. Ultimately I cannot agree with that assessment. Yes, she could be kind and gentle and compassionate, and in many ways her character was a good person, at least by GoT standards. Yet there was always another side to her that sometimes was shown, a darkness lingering just under the skin. I can think of at least three occasions in previous seasons where she had to be talked out of burning major cities to the ground. Those times she listened. This time it was not enough. What she became in the end was always a risk, just one I thought would never actualize. I thought it would be something that she would confront and overcome. There were always warning signs. We ignored them because a lot of messed up things happen in GoT and we wanted to believe in her. I know I did. I guess we are all feeling like Tyrion Lannister right now, putting faith in someone only to have that faith smashed. I know it hurts. It does for me. Maybe once we have had a chance to calm down and can look at things objectively we can all see it. And before anyone says that it was the show writers who ruined her I think this has Martin's handwriting all over it. Standard writers would not have the guts to pull a stunt like this, and unexpected reversals like this are just his style. It's like the character arcs of Jaime and Theon, only in reverse. I'd be stunned if this was entirely the show writer's idea. We already know they have discussed with Martin how this story is going to go.
Anyway, I felt like the story I was going to write could not be done from the foundations of where the show is now, so I made… revisions, which is what this prologue chapter is all about. My original thought was that you could play the games and watch the show as is and then read this story and see the stories intersect. Clearly this is no longer entirely possible in the context that exists now, not in the setup that I made. But we can get close, and this story can be considered an alternate history of what could have happened had some moments turned out differently. I will post the first proper chapter soon, after the final episode. The War of the Winds is about to begin.
A final thought for all of us: Stay strong. Whatever happens to the characters we care for, they will always live on in us, and they will be exactly as we imagined them.