Chapter 3: The Letter

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Thank you all for reading! Enjoy!

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"I can tell you what I know if you want…he isn't much of a talker. At least not with me anyway," Tyrion sighed and pushed his plate away from him before turning back to Daenerys. He hadn't eaten much. She supposed he prioritized wine above all.

She feigned mild interest, but inside she was suddenly desperate for more information about the man who would from henceforth be scheduling out her every day, accompanying her on every trip, and being her constant companion. "I wonder if he talked much with Rhaegar…"

"I know for a fact he did. From what I've surmised his love for Rhaegar is second only to yours. And your mother's love of course, God rest that lovely woman's soul," Tyrion continued. It made sense to Daenerys – Captain Mormont seemed broken since the night they all found out. "They were extremely close. Rhaegar helped him through his horrible divorce about five years ago."

"Oh…" Daenerys put her fork down. The chatter around them increased as people finished their meals and turned their attention to their drinks.

"Terribly messy the whole thing was. She came away with mostly everything – and let me tell you that M16 agents and Prince's secretaries make a salary no one could scoff at. He's a bit unlucky in love, poor bloke," Tyrion picked up his ever-filled wine glass and took a large gulp. She could see his eyes were starting to become glassy.

"How sad," Dany ventured a quick glance down the table to see Captain Mormont now conversing with the Duke of York. Mace Tyrell's mustache twitched at something amusing he must have said. "What did he do for MI6?"

"That I do not know. He started with them when he was thirty, after seven years in the military – only stayed about five years and was knighted by your father for his services there. Staying too long in that line of work isn't easy for any man. I know it was an easy choice when he was offered the position with Rhaegar. I'll tell you one thing, your Grace, I always feel a bit safer when his is in the room. You are lucky to have him."

"So it seems…" Daenerys lost her train of thought when the entrée dishes were cleared and plates of Banoffee pie were set in front of all of them. Entirely informal for the occasion, but clearly Chef's nod to Rhaegar's favorite guilty pleasure of a dessert. The gesture made her throat tighten with emotion.

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After dinner, Daenerys stood next to her father and brother and thanked everyone, one by one, for attending the services. They said farewell to some and simply goodnight to others. Those who had travelled from anywhere outside London were given rooms in Buckingham and all the amenities they could possibly need. No one could ever say King Aerys wasn't a good host.

Rheagar's body would lay in state in Westminster for the next three days and the news coverage would continue, day and night, for weeks to come. There would be more guests arriving – foreign dignitaries and Presidents, and gifts and condolences sent from around the world. Daenerys knew she would be reminded of her beloved brother's death every second of every day for the foreseeable future and that thought nagged at her as she shook hand after hand, nodding with a fixed smile.

"Princess, I am so, so sorry," Captain Jamie Lannister's measured voice snapped her back to reality as he bowed in front of her, one of the last in line. She could see the regret and sadness etched into every line on his face. He looked easily ten years older than she knew he was.

"Captain Lannister, I know you never would have let harm befall my brother. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time. You both were. And you paid dearly for it. There's nothing you could have done." Daenerys promised him. She wanted to hug the man. To sit with him and ask him so many questions about her brother, but now was not the time. She wondered if there ever would be a good time for that.

"It should have been me instead. He was a great man and would have been a great King one day. Goodnight." He gave her a nod and stepped to the side. Within a few more minutes, her duties as a Princess were relieved and she could finally shed the royal façade. She found Lyanna and gave her a long, tearful hug before returning to her room on the opposite side of the castle from their guests and falling into a fitful sleep with Grey standing watch outside of her door.

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"Princess! Breakfast!" Gillian, Daenerys' ladies' maid's voice came muffled from outside her door, followed by her customary two knocks. It wasn't enough to fully rouse Dany and she sighed groggily when the girl entered.

"Morning, Gilly," Daenerys spoke softly, using the girls' preferred nickname, her voice a bit raspy from crying so much the day before. The sweet brunette proceeded to set down the silver tray with her breakfast and draw open her curtains to let in the filtered light of the grey London morning. Gilly was a welcome sight every morning – always positive and kind, even in the worst of circumstances. After her talk with Tyrion the night before, Daenerys was starting to regret not getting to know those who worked directly for her more and silently vowed to work on that. Rhaegar had formed such a close bond with so many of those who worked directly around him and Daenerys knew he was all the better for it.

"Will you be staying in your pyjamas or would you prefer to get dressed before your meeting with Captain Mormont?" Gilly turned towards Daenerys, hands clasped in front of her expectantly.

"What meeting?"

Gilly's eyes shifted to the door, "Mr. Baelish informed me that you are to have morning check-ins with Captain Mormont at nine each day. You can hold them here or in the sitting room."

"What time is it?"

"Um…eight fifty-five, your Grace…I'm sorry – Grey said I should let you sleep…" Gilly saw the panic on Daenerys' face and instantly began to apologize.

"I'm not angry Gilly, just getting used to all of this… you can send him in here. And my robe, please?" Gilly handed her the robe before giving her a few moments of privacy. Dany shrugged the robe over her shoulders and did her best to smooth down her hair before starting in on her breakfast. She was halfway through a rasher of bacon when a more confident knock on her door signaled his arrival.

Captain Mormont stepped into her bedroom, wearing an impeccably tailored grey suit, crisp white shirt, and perfectly done tie. He wore his KBE ribbon pinned above his heart, next to two military medals of valor. It was his usual uniform – one Daenerys had seen him in hundreds of times by now alongside her brother, but she felt as if she was really noticing the details for the first time.

"Good morning, Princess…" he began.

"Daenerys, please." She looked up at him, a teacup full of strong black tea in her hand.

"Your Grace, I'm afraid I shouldn't."

"Did Rhaegar make you call him by any of his titles?" she countered, raising an eyebrow.

"No, your Grace, he did not."

"If you used his given name, you will use mine, just as you have asked me to use yours" she finished with a small smile that he returned.

"You already remind me of him. He used to take his meetings in his pyjamas too," Jorah told her, and the comparison warmed her more deeply than the tea in her hands ever could.

"How do these meetings usually go? You'll have to forgive me, I've only ever had Grey and there weren't official morning check-ins at Uni – much to my father's chagrin," Daenerys told him. She noticed he was carrying a rather hefty folder under his left arm.

"I'll do my best to make them as painless as possible," he told her, stepping forward and handing her the unmarked folder. "Inside you'll find your daily schedule, a list of upcoming special events, and a copy of any correspondence that has gone out from the palace for you to be aware of. Most days I'll include a summary of current events in the news, but that's hardly necessary right now."

Daenerys flipped through the papers, landing on a thick, clipped stack at the back, "What are these?"

"Petyr, myself, and Melisandre have taken the liberty of splitting up the charities and causes Rhaegar supported between you and Viserys. I know you already have some of your own, but those are the ones you'll be working with now."

"Thank you, I'm happy to…" she paused for a moment to sniff back the rush of emotion she felt. Cleary Jorah had taken care to choose ones that fit her interests. He already seemed to know more about her than she did about him.

"Daenerys," it was the first time he said her name and the weight he placed upon each syllable and the way it sounded coming out of his mouth made her look up at him and commanded all of her attention, "If I may just say that I loved your brother very dearly. I always will. I'm not his blood as you are, but in my own way I know the pain you are feeling from his lost and I am very, sincerely sorry."

The gentle smile that followed his condolences made Daenerys want to weep. She knew that he understood her in a way no one else did. It made her trust him instantly.

"Thank you, Jorah. Your words are very kind. I'm sorry for your loss too. I know Rhaegar valued your friendship." She took a deep breath to stop herself from breaking down and cleared her throat, flipping back to her day's schedule. Her eyes widened as she read it. "Is…is this serious?"

"I'm afraid it is. Viserys couldn't wait to start his move. He was up quite early this morning." Daenerys detected more than a hint of annoyance in Jorah's tone. "The King is insistent that the two of you complete your respective moves as soon as possible. Staff has been working overnight at Kensington to prepare it for you. As soon as we are on our way over there, they'll pack up this room and move your things for you."

Daenerys looked up at Jorah and shook her head. "I'm sorry – I'm not fussed about the move. I'd rather it be over with quickly and I'm eager to get out of here, if I'm being honest. I mean…am I seriously hosting Sansa Stark for tea this afternoon?"

"And then dinner back here with your brother, father, and the rest of the Starks, yes." Jorah looked a bit sheepish. "Don't shoot the messenger. This particular itinerary came directly from Petyr. The social obligations will settle down when everyone leaves in a few days, I promise."

Daenerys nodded and closed the folder. She had gone from being exempt from most social obligations to hosting her own at her new residence. It made her miss her time at university that much more.

"I'll be waiting for you downstairs whenever you are ready." Jorah sensed that she was overwhelmed and took his leave. He said a brief 'Hello' to Grey and walked back to his office. It was near Rhaegar's old rooms and Jorah had spent most of the morning packing it up to transport to his new office at Kensington. The only things not packed were the framed photograph of Rhaegar and him after a polo match, tired, sweaty, and cheering that they had won – both with big smiles on their faces and the sealed envelope delivered to Jorah that morning.

The envelope had been found in Rhaegar's belongings in his units' military lodgings in Jalalabad. He was nervous to open it – he wanted in some ways to preserve it how it was, with Rhaegar's messy scrawl of 'Mormont' on the front.

Jorah sat down into the leather chair behind his desk and gently broke the seal to pull out the folded piece of paper inside.

J –

I've been meaning to write this down since stationed here. The violence is unbelievable, and I want to be prepared. Just in case.

There are a few things you should know –

First – make sure Lyanna gets the ring. It's with my things. Make sure she knows how much I love her. And that I always will. Check on her if you can.

Viserys will be fine. He's been waiting all his life to be the star of the show. Someone else will need to keep him in check, but it won't be you. Father will deal with it in his own way, in his own time.

It is you and Dany I am worried about. Which is why I've already told my father that if I die out in this desert, you are going to be Dany's new right hand. Don't try and get out of it either – I'll know – somehow.

She is going to need someone. I love my little sister more than anything and the only person I could trust her with is you. I know you haven't spent much time around her but she's incredible. You'll see. You are going to need someone too.

Yes – you are reading this right. This is your mate trying to set you up with my little sister in a letter that you'll only receive if I'm no longer on this earth. It sounds insane. Hell - it may not even work out, but I know she's the right type of girl for you and you better stop any wanker from making a move on her – unless it's you.

I hope I get to rip this letter up when I return home next month. I hope it will be me and you down at the pub celebrating my engagement.

If that's not the case – you've been an incredible friend. Just take care of Dany, please.

R