The Worth of Ash

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Game of Thrones or any related titles, characters, plots, settings, etc. These rights are the sole property of George R.R. Martin, HBO, and their various publishers and distributors. I own only the original elements of this story, the writing and publishing of which earn me no money.

Chapter Thirty-Five

"The Lady Olenna agreed to drink the poison she was given and - just before death - admitted to causing the untimely demise of King Joffrey Baratheon."

Cersei's face tightened, both at the news and at the public setting in which it had been disclosed. Jaime would rather have told her in private, but he had been met in the stables and ordered to come to the throne room in order to make his report before the whole of the court.

"And the gold?" Euron Greyjoy asked from beside Cersei, his eyes glittering with greed.

She shot him a quelling look as a reprimand for speaking out of turn, but raised an inquisitive eyebrow at Jaime as if to ask the same question.

"Our caravan was attacked as we left the Reach," Jaime told her, unconsciously straightening at the flurry of whispers that started in the echoing hall. "Daenerys Targaryen used her dragons to burn our caravans, melting most of the gold into the ground. A great many men died in the flames. The survivors who were too injured to travel were left to be cared for at the Reach while those who could still march brought the gold that could be salvaged."

"And how much is that, precisely?" Cersei asked.

"Several thousand Dragons, my queen, but little more. A great deal of the treasures recovered from the Reach burned easily during the attack and the melted gold was lost beneath the wreckage of the wagons-"

"Enough," Cersei ordered harshly. "I sent you to take the riches of the Reach. You should never have returned without them. Perhaps if you still retained your sword hand, this would not have happened."

The onlookers tittered and Jaime squared his jaw to hide how it felt as though she had kicked him in the chest. He had been treated as a hired soldier by their father and Cersei had promised to never act that way - just as Jaime had taken pains to keep Cersei from feeling as though she were nothing more than a womb to be sold in exchange for an advantageous match. And now she had as good as told him that he was worth nothing without his abilities with a sword. Not that a sword would have proven to be a match for a dragon, he thought darkly.

"At least you have one successful man in your life," Euron boomed. Jaime's mood turned - if possible - even more sour. "I destroyed the Sand Snakes and took out the naval threat."

"The naval threat of your kin, if I am not mistaken," Jaime returned sharply.

Euron shrugged. "A half-victory is more impressive than cowering from a few beasts ridden by a pale-haired bitch."

The ladies of the court gasped at his course language, but Euron only grinned more widely. Before Jaime could return the insult in kind, Cersei had stood, bringing silence in the room.

"This session is now ended," she announced, sweeping away after a pointed look at Jaime - he was to follow her as soon as he had finished settling the minutiae of the ill-fated journey to the Reach.

As he marched from the room in an attempt to avoid the crowd, Bronn fell into step beside him. "Well, that was an uncomfortable fucking reunion."

"Shouldn't you be selling your services to some unscrupulous moron?" Jamie asked bitterly.

"I'm a sellsword, not a whore. Besides, I'm currently stuck following around an unscrupulous moron who doesn't pay me and in fact owes me a fucking castle."

"I should have had you beheaded months ago," Jaime told him, but Bronn only grinned and stayed silent. "Find somewhere else to be. I need to meet with Cersei and she won't find you as amusing as I do."

"You might want to delay that meeting," Bronn told him casually. "You have a more important one."

Jaime snorted. "Do not allow my sister to hear you calling her less important than anyone."

Instead of replying, Bronn held out a familiar-looking ring. Jaime took it curiously and realized with a start that it was the Lannister family ring, passed down from patriarch to patriarch - until it had been lost. Tywin's body had not been wearing the ring when it was found, and the prevailing opinion had been that it was stolen by… "Tyrion?"

"He waits under the Red Keep as we speak."

Abruptly, Jaime slipped the ring onto his own finger and nodded to Bronn. "Let's go."

When Jaime finally stepped into Cersei's private chambers, several hours had passed and she refused to do so much as glance in his direction. He waited silently, feeling a bit like a misbehaving child as she continued to write in neat lines across a piece of parchment. When she finally set the finished missive aside, it was only to survey him with cool jade eyes.

"I sent you to retrieve Highgarden's gold. Do you know why I chose you? Because I believed you to be the one person I could trust, the one who would never fail me. And yet you have failed me. We have now lost the support of the Iron Bank. They will back the Targaryen girl as soon as she thinks to make them an offer." Jaime did not reply and Cersei gave a shallow nod. "It seems you have no answer to offer in your own defense. Fitting, as there is none to give. Without the support of the Iron Bank, we have only what few allies remain to us. We will be forced to make hefty promises to ensure their support."

Jaime sighed, bringing his left hand up to rub at his brow. "Cersei, I think it is past time that we were honest about this. We cannot win this war. We have no allies-"

"We have the Iron Isles," she interrupted.

"We have no strong allies," he clarified. "We have no money to purchase armies and most of the Seven Kingdoms have turned against us. We cannot depend upon them for support."

"And you believe we should - what? Admit defeat? Give ourselves over to our enemies and allow them to murder us, mutilate our bodies while the masses cheer?"

"No, but we could leave. Flee to Essos. There, we could be together, openly." Jaime made the offer, though he noted with more than a little discomfort that the idea held less appeal than it had in the past.

Still, Cersei shook her golden head. "We must remain here. There is more at stake than you know."

As Jaime watched her quizzically, Cersei rested a gentle hand on her stomach. His eyes flew back to hers as she gave an almost imperceptible nod. His first feeling was of foreboding, then came the sudden realization that they had not shared a bed for over a year, far too long for the child to belong to him.

"Who is the father?" he asked blandly.

"You are."

Jaime gave a harsh laugh. "I most certainly am not. You've ensured as much."

Cersei stood to approach him, gaze earnest and beseeching. "Jaime, even if it is not your child, it belongs to you. I would want no other to stand beside me. After we win the Seven Kingdoms and there are no other threats, I will make it so we can be together, without fear and without hesitation."

He clasped the hands that had been stretching toward his face and pulled them down to hover between their chests. "Cersei, there will always be another threat. All that has happened, all that is happening… perhaps it is the judgment of the gods for our relationship."

Her expression went flat, then turned to wry amusement. "How quaint. There are no gods, Jaime, don't you see? We are the closest thing to gods that Westeros has ever seen."

Jaime's stomach dropped at the casual dismissal of the gods. Even if he had not seen them with his own eyes, the twins had learned about the gods at their mother's knee. He could hear her sweet voice singing a lullaby about the Seven even now.

"Even if that were so," he said carefully, "there are other matters we must discuss."

"If you say a single word about Euron Greyjoy..." Cersei began with a longsuffering expression, but Jaime had run short on patience.

"The dead march on Westeros."

Cersei paled so abruptly that Jaime reached to steady her, but she stepped backward. "How did you see it? The raven arrived less than an hour ago."

"Raven?" he asked dumbly.

She nodded, handing him a raven scroll bound with simple twine. "I do not believe a word of it, of course, but you may decide for yourself if this is the judgment of the gods."

Jaime loosed the binding with and unrolled the scroll with difficulty, not only from his golden hand, but from the shaking in his flesh hand as well.

A raven flew through the window and dropped a scroll on the desk before fluttering back outside. Tyrion seized and opened it rapidly, scanning the contents so quickly that Kyren suspected he had not truly read the words.

"Well?" Daenerys asked, voice tight.

Tyrion dropped his hands and addressed her steadily. "Cersei will meet with us, though Jaime writes that she is skeptical of the Night King and his armies."

"We knew she would be," Ser Davos pointed out. "We've already planned for it."

Jon sighed, the warmth of his breath creating a hint of a cloud in the chilled room. "It would have been far easier if she had simply believed."

With a shrug, Tyrion told him, "That would go against all of human nature, to believe something so fantastical without a shred of proof."

"More importantly," Kyren pointed out, "if she had not been skeptical, it probably would have meant that she had a trap of some kind planned."

Daenerys turned to frown at Kyren. "You believe that she does not have something planned?"

"No, but she will not have us executed the moment we arrive, which was a concern," Kyren admitted with a shrug. "She may still have a trap in mind, but we've eliminated one possibility."

"Has she truly slipped so far?" Varys asked. "Cersei was never one for subtlety, but she was certainly a better strategist than dear dead Robert Baratheon."

"Power has not been good to her," Gendry told him. Kyren wondered absently if it rankled to hear his father so disparaged, but he seemed unconcerned. "If she is not fully mad already, the battle for King's Landing will likely do it."

"All the more reason for her to be removed from power," Daenerys said firmly, looking to Jon. "How soon do you intend to leave?"

Jon thought for a moment. "It is early yet. I will have my men prepare the ship today and we will sail with the tide at dawn tomorrow morning."

"My Dothraki and Unsullied will assist you," she told him, nodding to Mhorgo and the ever-silent Grey Worm. Both left the chamber immediately to set the men to their appointed tasks.

"Perhaps a smaller group of my men can go to mine more dragonglass," Jon ventured. "We will need a great deal if we are to face the Night King's army."

A speculative light lit in Daenerys's eyes and Kyren fought not to roll her own. Daenerys's free gift of dragonglass had been a major reason Jon had warmed up to her, but since Jon had accepted the peace offering, she had been not-so-subtly attempting to parlay the gift into Jon bending the knee. Even as Kyren braced to keep her expression blank through yet another overture, Tyrion cut his queen off.

"A marvelous idea. Perhaps Gendry can assist. I'm certain he has quite the eye for weaponry after such a length of time apprenticed to a forge. In the interim, Theon, will you remain with us? The queen wishes to learn if you have any further information about your uncle's new fleet."

Daenerys looked murderous at the interruption, but everyone else quickly rose, bowed to the queen, and retreated from the chamber. It was difficult to decide who looked more uncomfortable as they departed: Tyrion or Theon.

As she stepped into the relative warmth of the corridor, Kyren's thoughts turned to the Ironborn man. Theon had glanced at her only a handful of times and spoken far fewer, but she had made little effort to speak to him in turn. Jon had confided what little he knew had happened to Sansa at the hands of her husband Ramsay Bolton - how Kyren had relished the story of his death! - and the scraps he knew of Theon's story. The details made Kyren a touch more sympathetic to Theon, but did little in the way of introducing potential conversational topics.

After the door to the queen's strategy chamber had closed, Gendry turned to Jon expectantly. "Shall we go to the mines? We should be able to get quite a bit of dragonglass over the day if we start now. You're welcome to come along, Kyren."

Kyren smiled at Gendry, who had been shockingly accepting of her strange and unladylike behavior, but Jon shook his head before she could accept. "I must speak with Kyren before I join you in the mines. For now, I will send any of our men who can be spared without undue notice."

Gendry nodded and walked purposefully toward the mines while Jon softly ordered a handful of northern soldiers nearby to accompany Gendry and follow his instructions exactly. With that done, he turned to Kyren, who regarded him curiously.

"It would be best if we found a place with some privacy," he said, not quite meeting her eyes before he strode away.

With a frown, Kyren followed him into a small chamber, likely intended to be the sleeping chamber for a visiting noble that the master of Dragonstone did not particularly care for.

Jon did not speak for several long moments and Kyren broke the silence with an uncomfortable laugh. "Come, Jon, surely it cannot be so difficult to speak with me? Just say what you need and we can go begin loading the ship or mining for dragonglass. There is no shortage of tasks to complete if we are to leave tomorrow morning-"

"I must ask you to remain behind."

Kyren blinked at the blunt statement. "Why?"

"The Night King is dangerous. I've seen his armies butcher entire cities of wildlings only to raise the dead to join his armies. I cannot ask you to join us."

"You do not have to ask," Kyren said, frowning once more. "I served no king for a long time, but now I've pledged myself into your service."

"Then serve me by remaining here," he said, still turned from her. "You are my peace offering to Daenerys Targaryen. I have offered your services as a personal guard and she has accepted."

Kyren's head reeled so suddenly that it felt strange not to stagger, but she forced a carefree laugh. "Surely you jest! The Dragon Queen has an army of Unsullied and an entire Dothraki horde to protect her."

"There are benefits by forging a closer relationship with this queen. Cersei faces certain deposition from the throne, if not death. If we can earn the favor of the new queen so early, we stand to gain much."

"And what need is there for the King in the North to curry favor with a southern queen?" Kyren asked.

"King in the North has been a rather unlucky title so far," Jon pointed out, stooped to examine the engravings on the chamber's hearth. "This effort is far more important. The North will always be hard to rule, independent to a fault and fond of its own, but Daenerys has a real chance at ruling Westeros. We can do nothing without her favor, and you could perhaps gain that for the benefit of the North as a whole."

"Jon, I- I cannot. I have obligations in Westeros..."

"What, to find and protect Sansa and Ayra? Sansa is safe at Winterfell, guarded by a much stronger knight than you have hope of becoming." Something in the silence must have betrayed how stricken Kyren felt, as Jon hastened to add, "That is not to say that your efforts have been in vain these many years, but your quest to protect the Stark family has ended."

"And what of Arya?" Kyren asked stubbornly, kicking her chin up. "Do you truly wish to abandon her to the chill of the coming winter?"

Jon sighed heavily. "Kyren, I have held hope for so long, but I can do so no longer. It is likely that Arya died many years ago and we shall never know anything more of her. Do not mistake me: I would sacrifice much were it not so, but you cannot continue to give all of your potential in searching a path which has every chance of ending without resolution."

Kyren shook her head. The feeling of responsibility she had carried for the past years of her life dissolved, as did any sense of usefulness. It was rather like taking a step on a boat in a storm, only to find that the deck had dropped from under one's foot. She was left stumbling.

"Daenerys needs a personal guard who can pose as a lady-in-waiting or advisor. You seem unthreatening to those who do not know you, but you are also the last swordsman trained by Jaime Lannister, which makes you a valuable asset."

"You- You've offered me as a sellsword," Kyren said, the hurt evident in her voice despite how much she tried to fight it.

Jon finally turned to her at that, dark eyes filled with sadness and regret. "I've offered you as a trusted ally to a foreign ruler whose assistance we need. It is only temporary: you are to accompany Dany to meet Cersei and will journey north with us afterward."

His use of a shortened name for the Dragon Queen did not escape Kyren's notice and she bowed her head stiffly. "As you command, my king."

"I know you do not trust her, Kyren. This allows for you to watch over her for evidence of treachery. I trust you to do what is right." Kyren only nodded and Jon gave a sad sort of smile. "When we were children, you forever went on about being a knight. I am still King in the North until Daenerys takes King's Landing. I could knight you now for services to the crown."

Kyren returned his smile, but gently shook her head. "I thank you for the offer, but I must decline."

Her refusal ended their conversation and they left the empty chambers in silence. Kyren was filled with regret and dissatisfaction, but she still assisted with mining dragonglass for weapons. It was mind-numbing work, which had the unfortunate effect of allowing Kyren plenty of time to think about the respect she had lost for Jon.

It was a truly strange thing, how much perspective a single experience could give. Even a touch of knowledge was enough to set a person fully apart from the standard novice.

Such were the thoughts of Jaime Lannister as the other attendees of the royal conference oohed and tittered over their first encounter with a dragon. It was a pity, Jaime reflected, that Bronn had retreated before the Dragon Queen had arrived. Jaime was attempting to remain stoic, but he could feel the exasperation building in his face. These people would not find themselves nearly so entertained should the beast have been flying toward them spouting flame from its maw.

However, with the dragons arrived and their mother in attendance, the conference could at last begin.

Daenerys Targaryen approached the dais set for her at leisure. While the majority of the conference watched her progress raptly, Jaime fixed his attention to the others she had brought. To the left of the Lannister dais was one occupied by the northerners. It was small, only seating Jon Snow, Brienne of Tarth, and an older gentleman - Ser Davos Seaworth, if Jaime did not miss his guess. On the right side of the main dais was the one belonging to the Dragon Queen and her people. Surrounding her empty chair were an Essosi female, an Unsullied soldier, Varys the Spider, and Theon Greyjoy. To the right of the empty chair was Tyrion, and Jaime's throat tightened to see his brother bedecked in black and wearing the symbol of the Hand pinned to his small chest. He distracted himself by attempting to recognize the man who would sit to Daenerys's left. He was an old knight, to be sure, but one Jaime had never known. He looked grim as a Northman and something about the resolve in his eyes spoke for House Mormont, but there was no way to be certain.

As Daenerys finally settled into her chair, she raised a slim hand and a final figure came to stand just behind her. The person was small and dressed in armor built of dark leather. A cowl-like hood - practical in the winter chill - kept most of the face hidden, but Jaime realized with foreboding that he recognized the set of that jaw with ease. It would seem that Kyren Asheworth was not in Essos as he had hoped, but had somehow managed to find her way into the service of the Dragon Queen.

"We've been here for some time," Cersei began icily, piqued that their spread of royalty - made more impressive through virtue of wealth - had been upstaged by a beautiful young woman on the back of a creature from ancient legend.

"My apologies," the Dragon Queen replied, a certain stiffness in her voice removing all the grace of her courteous response.

An ill-timed winter wind swept through, ruffling the scarlet hangings above their heads and pushing Kyren's hood further from her face. Her parchment eyes moved to their dais, settling first on Cersei, then resting on Jaime.

Cersei's lip curled. "I wonder if you have a truly accurate idea of me, Daenerys Targaryen. Your collection of advisors seems mostly made up of unhappy citizens who have been dismissed from my service."

"I believe I have quite an accurate idea. All that my advisors have told me is proven by your actions," Daenerys said firmly.

"Perhaps if I were to accept those who have displeased you, I would learn much about the way your mind works," Cersei returned.

Daenerys Targaryen's mouth curled into an incongruously gentle smile. "Most of those who have displeased me are dead."

Cersei tsked. "That hardly sounds like the merciful queen I have heard so much of." The mocking smile fell from her face as she became serious. "But it does sound like the Targaryen way: fire and blood and a bend toward madness. You wonder why I refuse to give my kingdom over to the daughter of a man who did his best to burn it only a score of years ago?"

Tyrion stepped forward, drawing the attention of the rival queens. "We are a group of people who do not like one another," he started.

However, Tyrion had spoken for only a moment before he was interrupted by Euron Greyjoy, the bloody fool. Jaime watched with derision as the Greyjoy moron threatened his nephew, then insulted Tyrion. Even if he had not been brother to two people there, he was the Hand of a rival ruler and causing offence was a grave error. At last, Jaime was free to speak.

"Perhaps you ought to sit down," he said sharply, rolling his eyes as Tyrion met his gaze.

"Sit down or leave," Cersei confirmed, and her colossal guard lumbered forward to reinforce the command. Euron only laughed and returned to his seat. As Tyrion began once again, Jaime wished he had altered his order to force Euron from the conference altogether.

When Tyrion and Cersei began descending into arguments about the purpose of the meeting, Jon Snow stepped forward. The boy Jaime remembered had grown into an imposing man, cutting a figure that was made all the more impressive by his traditional Northern wolf-fur cloak. He warned about the Night King, a being who could raise the dead and force them to fight in his army, an army that could not be killed. Though his story was incredible and Jaime could feel the disbelief radiating from those in his party, there was something in the man's eyes… It was reflected on the faces of the Dragon Queen's party as well. They believed this, thought it to be utter truth.

Cersei, as Jaime had expected, did not believe a word of it. Instead, she flatly accused the Targaryen girl of seeking to expand and solidify her position without the interference of the Lannister armies. It would be a clever plan, Jaime freely admitted in the privacy of his thoughts, but there was something about the expressions of the other parties. They were not sneaking or attempting to wheedle an advantage. Perhaps there was something to this…

"There is no conversation which will erase the last fifty years," Tyrion told them, stepping up to fix Jaime and Cersei with an earnest stare. "We have something to show you."

The Hound came struggling up toward them, bearing a large crate on his back. He undid the locks with a cautious nature that would look more at home in a maid opening a trap containing a rat than the fearless Clegane. Cersei glanced at Jaime once, and he lifted his eyebrows to silently tell her had no idea what to expect, either. The top of the crate finally slid open and the Hound stepped back, kicking it from behind so that the contents tumbled toward the main dais.

At first, Jaime's eyes could not understand what it was. A collection of bones and hair and scraps of clothing and blue, blue eyes. It came running toward Cersei directly, screeching and gnashing the teeth of its exposed jaw. She started back and Jaime lurched to his feet, grasping at his sword hilt with his false right hand for the first time since just after its removal.

Just as it reached them and Jaime fumbled to unsheathe his sword with his functional left hand, the creature reached the end of a chain that had been placed around its neck. The Hound, standing on the other end, was the only thing preventing it from reaching them as it was so desperately trying to do. With a mighty pull, the Hound levered the thing from its feet and it fell to its back, screeching loudly all the while and struggling to stand while also snatching at any who surrounded it too closely. Abruptly, it rose to its feet and caught sight of the Hound. In a flash of human understanding that Jaime would not have ascribed to it, the thing recognized that the Hound was preventing it from further hunting and ran full-out to attack him. The Hound drew his sword and sliced the thing in half and Jaime relaxed, believing the threat to have ended.

He was wrong.

The creature, now in two pieces, continued struggling back toward the Hound. Not the muscle contractions of a man who had been cut in twain and was now fighting to escape his death, but actual movement. Clegane chopped off an arm next and the creature seemed not to notice. It continued moving - and so did the hand. Qyburn retrieved the severed limb and watched as its rotting fingers twitched, his face a mask of fascination and awe.

He passed the arm over to Jon Snow, who had appeared in the thick of the action, holding an unlit torch. Ser Davos lit the torch as Jon said, "We can destroy them with fire." He illustrated the claim by holding the torch against the arm until it caught fire and the thing squirming on the ground cried out still more horribly.

Jon dropped the still-burning arm and passed the torch to Ser Davos. "And we can destroy them with dragonglass," he told them, drawing a large dragonglass dagger from a sheath bound to his breast. "If we don't win this fight, then that is the fate of every person in the world."

He strode quickly to the creature and lifted it by its remaining arm to deliver a quick slice to its chest. The creature gave a last shriek and collapsed slowly to dangle from Jon's grip. He dropped it to the ground unceremoniously and approached the main dais to speak to Cersei directly.

With the solemn expression that sat so naturally on his face, he told her, "There is only one war that matters: The Great War. And it is here."

"I didn't believe it until I saw them," Daenerys Targaryen admitted, sounding human for the first time. "I saw them all."

"How many?" Jaime asked numbly, trying to figure if they had any chance of surviving this storm.

"One hundred thousand, at least," she said, her estimate flooring him. They had no hope.

Euron stepped down from the dais to study the finally-still creature more closely. "Can they swim?"

"No," Jon told him.

"Good," Euron replied, his ever-present smirk at last absent. "I'm taking the Iron Fleet back to the Iron Islands."

"What are you talking about?" Cersei asked, eyes narrowed.

Euron shook his head. "I've been around the world, seen things you couldn't imagine. This is the first thing I've ever seen that scares me." He approached the Dragon Queen. "I'm going back to my island. You should go back to yours. When winter's over, we'll be the only ones left alive."

With that advice delivered, he left. Cersei spoke slowly, "He is right to be afraid, but a coward to run. If those things come for us, there will be no kingdoms left to rule and all this will have been for nothing." She looked directly at Daenerys. "The crown accepts your truce."

Jaime relaxed slightly into his chair and watched cautious smiles light on the faces of those at the conference. It was clear that none had expected for Cersei to see reason. However, Jaime's tension returned abruptly when Cersei began to outline terms for the truce. She was using the voice she used when she believed she had won, and it plucked at every one of Jaime's nerves. Her terms were simple: the North and Jon Snow would remain neutral, neither assisting nor fighting the army of either queen as they assisted with the Night King. She asked it of him as Ned Stark's son, one who would honor his vows.

Jon Snow - the simple, honest man - refused. "I cannot serve two queens. And I have already pledged myself to Queen Daenerys of House Targaryen."

Cersei clenched her jaw. "Then there is nothing left to discuss. The dead will come north first, enjoy dealing with them. We will deal with whatever is left of you."

With that, she swept from the conference, followed closely by Qyburn and her personal guards. Tyrion spoke lowly to Daenerys Targaryen, assuring that he would follow Cersei and attempt to reason with her. As he left, the Dragon Queen stood, fury on her fair face. "This is a clear breach in diplomacy. The meeting is now ended."

Giving a shrill whistle, her large dragon appeared once more and allowed her to climb onto its back. She was gone in only minutes, leaving the rest of the gathered assembly to stare uncomfortably at one another.

At last, Jon Snow stepped forward once more. "I believe that marks the end of the official negotiations. I only wish they had been more productive."

Jaime agreed with all his being. If they were to face an army of creatures like the one that had been in the foul-smelling crate still sitting discarded on the dais, Westeros was in a great deal of trouble indeed. And despite what his sister seemed to believe, Jaime did not favor their chances of victory when the Army of the Dead was swelled by resurrected wildlings and Northmen.

While he studied the empty crate, Jaime's eyes fell on Kyren. She looked a mixture of concern, exasperation, and wry amusement as she spoke lowly to Jon.

Jaime stood abruptly, drawing the eyes of those who still remained assembled. "Allow me to escort you to your ship. I expect you'll want to wait for my brother, but I wouldn't want for some overzealous citizen to attempt to earn favor with the queen."

"I'll stay to bring the little Lannister back," the Hound rumbled.

"I will as well," Brienne announced. "My squire is drinking with Bronn anyway. I expect they will not return for some time yet."

Jaime nodded and the remainder of the Northern and Targaryen parties rose obligingly. The Mormont knight led the way, followed closely by Jon Snow and Ser Davos. Varys trailed behind them with the Essosi woman, the Unsullied soldier keeping close watch on both. Jaime and Kyren brought up the rear of the group. A ring of Dothraki warriors surrounded the entirety of the party, including one young man who stuck close to Kyren for the beginning of the trek to the docks.

"I had hoped not to find you here, Kyren," Jaime began.

She shot him a sharp look, one eyebrow raised. "I had not realized that I was under any obligation toward your hopes, Ser Jaime."

He could not fight back a grin at her sharp reply. "I had hoped you would have the sense to flee to Essos after escaping my sister."

"I have had enough of Essos, I believe," Kyren said, touching the faded scar on her neck. The distance in her eyes disappeared abruptly as she turned to him. "You knew what your sister intended for me and you meant to do nothing?"

"No, I did not know her intentions until after you had left." She looked disbelieving and Jaime pulled them to a stop, grasping both of her hands in his own. Kyren did not flinch at the touch of his false hand as he peered beseechingly at her. "Kyren, I vow it to the Seven: I did not know her intentions for you. When I discovered what she had meant to do, I was more frightened than I have ever been."

Kyren's eyes and mouth softened. "Jaime…"

Rough speech interrupted her and a Dothraki warrior appeared by their side. He scowled at their joined hands, speaking to Kyren in a language Jaime could not understand. From the vague confusion on Kyren's face, he wagered that she could not, either. "We are fine, Mhorgo."

He frowned still more fiercely, but moved away. Jaime turned to Kyren and asked drolly, "Another lover?"

"Not that he is a concern of yours, but no. He wishes to be, but the Dothraki mount their women the way stallions mount mares and with little more regard."

Jaime stared at her, uncertain whether to be more horrified by the blunt description or by the practiced way she had delivered it. "I beg your pardon?" he settled for asking.

"Queen Daenerys was very descriptive about relations with the Dothraki. She has told me more than once what Mhorgo wishes to do with me and in no uncertain terms," Kyren's tone with light, but her eyes had tightened.

Jaime had no response to that, so settled for giving her hand a squeeze before allowing them to catch up with the rest of the party. "Do you truly intend to serve her?"

"Better her than Cersei," Kyren replied, though there was still a tone that said she was repeating what she had been told.

"Are you frightened of those creatures?"

She shot him another look. "I know I lack a royal education, Ser Jaime Lannister, but I am no fool. Naturally I fear those creatures, as should any person with enough sense to breathe."

Jaime laughed despite himself. "Ah, Kyren, I have missed you."

"Have you?" she asked skeptically. "I should think you would have been glad to be rid of me."

"I find myself constantly surrounded by those who stroke my ego in hope that I will start shedding gold. Your honesty is refreshing and your wit is keen. I have found myself missing you far more often than is wise in the past years."

She remained silent for quite some time, long enough for Jaime to accept that he had either insulted or embarrassed the poor woman, but when Kyren finally spoke, it was to admit softly, "I have missed you as well."

"Have you?" he asked, unwitting repeating her earlier question - though with more shock than skepticism.

"Yes. Now will you start shedding gold?" He laughed, but the impish smile fell from her face. "I honestly have missed you. You are a good man, despite what you tell people and the mask you wear when you try to hide your feelings. You are one of the truest knights I have ever had the honor to have met."

Jaime slowed to a halt, staring openly at her as she stopped as well. Without preamble, he grasped her hand to tug her close and lowered his mouth to meet hers. To his pleased surprise, she met his passion with her own and they were lost to their surroundings until a pointed cough reached them.

When he raised his head, it was to find Varys watching them with a small smile. "I hate to interrupt, but we are about to cross into King's Landing proper. I very much doubt if certain benefactors would be pleased to discover this... entanglement."

The Spider was right, damn him, but to be parted from Kyren now seemed the worst of punishments. She seemed to feel the same and, when they walked, it was so closely that her hand brushed his thigh nearly as often as his did hers.

In this manner, they crossed the city to the docks and Jaime could not remember the last time he had been so happy and at ease.

Author's Note - Sorry for the cheese, I just needed a little bit of a happy ending for this one because real life is super stressful right now. I tried to straddle the line between explaining what was going on during the meeting between Dany and Cersei, and writing word-for-word. I ended up having to condense some of the lines because this chapter is already the longest one of the story and it still didn't cover everything I wanted to. Please, please remember that this is where the AU starts! Don't yell at me for changing events because that's going to continue happening more and more throughout the rest of the story. (In thanks for your patience, the end is going to be in about five more chapters, incidentally.) As an additional head's up, the next chapter will cover the Battle of Winterfell and will potentially be told from various perspectives rather than only through Kyren and Jaime. Just roll with it and I'll do my best to make it as non-jarring as possible.

A big thank you to my guest reviewer on the last chapter! I appreciate you!

Thanks for reading, have a wonderful day, and I'll see you in about a month for the next chapter!