Chapter 4 – Flight

"Not so long ago, the Starks and the Karstarks were slaughtering each other on the battlefield. Jon Snow brought peace to their houses," said Davos Seaworth as he watched the Karstark bannermen arriving through the gate.

"And our queen is grateful," said Tyrion who stood with Varys beside the Onion Knight.

"Her gratitude is lovely but that's not my point," he continued, "the northmen are loyal to Jon Snow. They don't know her. The Free Folk don't know her. I've been up here for a while and I'm telling ya, they're stubborn as goats. You want their loyalty? You have to earn it."

"I'm sensing you are leading to a proposal," said Tyrion as he stopped.

"A proposal is what I'm proposing. Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen don't just make for a handsome couple, they would make for a good king and queen."

"Well, the good thing is there won't be much need for convincing," said Tyrion as he looked at Jon and Daenerys, who were standing together outside the walls of Winterfell. "Although he's a bastard, further solidifying the alliance with the North will be worth the match."

"A marriage could alleviate some of the anxiety the northmen have for a Targaryen ruler, but given how honorable Jon Snow is, are we certain we can convince him to forsake his vows of the Night's Watch?" asked Varys.

"Jon Snow's watch has ended."

"It's true then…that he was resurrected by Melisandre, the Red Priestess that whispered in Stannis' ear."

"Aye, it's true," said Davos as he clenched his fist upon hearing the name of the woman that burned Shireen alive. "Still got the scars over his heart to prove it."

"Great, maybe she can resurrect us as we all die while fighting the dead," joked Tyrion.

"Magic is a corrupt power that not even those who practice it understand," said Varys with a tone that betrayed his usually calm demeanor. "The Night King raises the dead as well and you have seen what they've turned into. Who's to say those raised by R'hllor are any different?"

"It doesn't matter," said Davos as he cut into the conversation before Tyrion could respond. "The woman is gone and if she comes back…" He didn't finish as he felt the dark thoughts cross his mind. "Pardon me, My Lords."

"She was at Dragonstone and counselled Daenerys to set up a meeting with Jon Snow. I know you don't like magic, but perhaps it would be wise to bring her back for the battle to come," said Tyrion once Davos was out of earshot.

"It isn't just about my hatred for magic, it is about what I know. Stannis Baratheon was a serious and hard man, but no one would have described him as cruel or evil. That was all before the Lady Melisandre came into his service. Do you know what he did before marching on Winterfell against the Boltons who occupied this castle?"

"I assume something cruel or evil."

"He burned his daughter at the stake, listened as she screamed," said Varys as he did nothing to hide his disgust. "I say we keep her far away from our queen, after all, history has had enough of Targaryens burning people alive."

"Your sister doesn't like me," said Daenerys as she walked through the camps with Jon at her side.

"She doesn't know you," said Jon as he tried his best to think of a way for Daenerys and his family to get along. "If it makes you feel any better, she didn't like me either when we were growing up."

"She doesn't need to be my friend, but I'm her queen."

"I know, I've spoken to her about it. But these past few years have been hard on us Starks. We used to think honor made the world go round but then we were suddenly pulled into the game of thrones and our world collapsed around us. Not so long ago, all we had was family and it's going to take a little bit of time for her and Arya to trust you."

Daenerys smiled which made Jon's brows crease in confusion, "Did I say something funny?"

"No," she replied, "you've just never referred to yourself as a Stark."

"Oh, I meant-"

"What you said," she cut in by finishing his sentence. "And you're right, expecting her to welcome me like she welcomes you may be a little bit too much." She paused as she thought about what she was going to say next. "By the way, if you want, I could legitim-"

Before she could finish, three Dothraki men came riding up to her. "How many today?" she asked in their native tongue.

"Only eighteen goats and eleven sheep."

"What's the matter?" Jon asked.

"The dragons are barely eating."

As Jon approached the two mythical beasts, he looked at the charred bones that were scattered around them. 'I thought they were barely eating…There must be a couple dozens of goats at the very least.' His thoughts were interrupted as Drogon rose onto his hind legs and looked down on him menacingly while Rhaegal watched him curiously.

"What's wrong with them?" he asked their mother.

"Maybe they don't like the North," said Daenerys as she rubbed Drogon's snout. As she focused her attention on Drogon, Rhaegal approached Jon and he thought perhaps his bones would end up around them next. But instead, the green dragon simply looked at his mother and brother and then back at him. It reminded him of when Ghost wanted some affection when Robb was giving some to Grey Wind. But are dragons the same as direwolves?

He carefully removed his glove and slowly extended his hand to the dragon's snout. When his hand made contact with its scales, Rhaegal closed its eyes as if satisfied. It inhaled a little as if sniffing him and he could feel the warm air coming from its nostril as if he was sitting beside his hearth in his chambers.

"Go on," said Daenerys as she called out from atop Drogon.

Jon was confused before he realized what she was asking him to do. It's hard for a man to admit he's scared, especially to the woman he loved, but he was definitely scared. He looked around trying to come up with an excuse, "I don't know how to ride a dragon."

"Nobody does," said Daenerys with a shrug, "until they ride a dragon."

"What if he doesn't want me to?" asked Jon as he shifted nervously from one foot to another.

"Then I've enjoyed your company Jon Snow." Jon looked at her to see if she was being serious, and her poker face remained.

"Will you allow me to ride you?" asked Jon as he looked at Rhaegal. The dragon showed no signs of being able to understand him, but it did show a toothy grin to which Jon interpreted as, 'If you try to ride me, I will eat you.' Finally, when the dragon lowered its wing for him to climb on, he plucked up enough courage to get on before he had the chance to think.

Daenerys smiled to herself as she watched Jon awkwardly haul himself up onto of Rhaegal's back. For Jon who thought maybe this would be similar to riding a horse, found out instantly that this was definitely nothing like riding a horse. He was already twice as high up and he never quite felt securely seated. "What do I hold onto?" he asked as he looked to Daenerys who seemed to be sitting comfortably.

"Whatever you can," she said simply. She kept her serious demeanor but deep down she was getting a little worried. She meant it as a joke, thinking Rhaegal would just shake him off if he tried to ride it, but her dragon has been unbelievably cooperative and that only served to fuel her anxiety. From the stories, only those who have a bond with the dragon may ride it, no matter how familiar said person might be. That was why she never attempted to ride Viserion or Rhaegal, she didn't want to end up like Joffrey Velaryon who was shrugged off mid-flight by his mother's dragon, Syrax. She thought that the joke has gone on far enough and watching Jon Snow fall from the sky would not be funny at all. But before she could tell him to get off, Rhaegal took flight without waiting for another beat.

The moment the dragon took flight might have been in Jon's top five most terrifying moment of his life. The powerful wings did not produce a turbulence-free ascent and the further he got away from the ground the more he began to question whether Daenerys actually liked him or not. At one point, the dragon had twisted its body so that he was no longer riding it but in fact holding onto it. He felt his heart drop to his stomach whenever the dragon dropped altitude and it was a more frequent occurrence than he would have thought.

But the moment he flew past Winterfell at a speed that he had never thought possible, he felt a wave of adrenaline flow through his veins. He felt like a child again, playing at being one of the dragonknights from the stories he read. The rush of wind that pushed against him made him physically feel how fast the dragon was going and it was exhilarating. As he looked down on his home from above and the beautiful vast expanse of the North, he felt like he could accomplish anything. The view on the Wall was amazing but it was fixed, and on some days, he felt like he was in a prison. Always looking at a beautiful scenery, never being able to reach it. But on top of Rhaegal, he could reach anything he wished for. This was the freedom of the skies.

Daenerys finally overtook him with Drogon and glanced back to check up on how he was doing, and to her surprise, she saw a smile on his face. The always brooding Jon Snow had a childlike wonder that brought a smile on her own. Never in her life had she imagined a day where she would have someone riding in the skies beside her. She had been asked many times what it felt like to ride a dragon and she tried to her best to explain it, but never did she think she could share this feeling with anyone. Riding on Drogon made her feel free and powerful but she has never felt more alone than being up here by herself. Yet here was Jon Snow and it felt like they were in a world of their own. Separate from the world below them that was full of worries, problems, and responsibilities.

The more he rode Rhaegal, the more comfortable he got. It felt like the dragon knew exactly where he wanted to go. Emboldened by his success so far, he pushed his luck as he sought out the limit of what a dragon could do, and Rhaegal responded. The green dragon took large dives in altitude, flying so close to the ground that Jon could reach out and touch the trees, before expanding its wings and rising back up again. He finally took a chance to look ahead of him at Daenerys and his eyes nearly popped out when he saw Drogon fold his wings and nose dive straight down a cliff.

Rather than shy away from it this time, he willed Rhaegal to follow suit and the dragon dove after its brother. The sinking feeling in his stomach intensified as they plunged down at a speed so fast he thought the air pressure would for sure blow him off of Rhaegal's back. Right before they hit the ground, Rhaegal expanded his wings and they took to the skies once more. As they flew through the cliffs, Jon spotted a breathtaking waterfall and thought it would make for a nice break.

Daenerys, noticing that Jon had made a turn for the ground, followed with Drogon. "You have completely ruined horses for me," said Jon once they were on the ground. She chuckled and looked at the stunning scenery in front of her. Jon grabbed her hand and led her toward the waterfall. Inside the cavern, were little pools of water that had steam coming off the surface. There were holes in the ceiling and walls that allowed sunshine to filter through so that the inside was naturally lit. The sunlight also hit the surface of the water, making it sparkle enticingly. He gave a nod towards it to Daenerys before she reached out and touched the pool. "It's warm!"

"Aye, the townsfolk say that they are heated by the breath of a great dragon."

"We could stay here a thousand years." When the words left her mouth, she was surprised that she had meant it. Forget the Long Night, forget the Iron Throne, if it could be just him and her here then she would be happy. She shook her head of that thought, it scared her how much she cared for this man. More than any that came before him, more than Drogo that she came to love. "How did you know of this place?" she asked, trying to move on to another subject.

"A wilding showed me that these existed in caverns like this one. I thought maybe there would be some here too," he said as he remembered Ygritte and the bittersweet memories that came with her name.

"A wilding…man or woman?" asked Daenerys as she took a step closer.

"A…woman," said Jon, not knowing whether he should have lied or not.

"And she was just…showing you a place like this?" Daenerys questioned further as she took another step towards him.

"We…We, uh…"

Daenerys smiled at his stammering; that time on the boat definitely didn't seem like his first time so now she seemed to have an answer to one of the questions she had at the back of her mind. She took the last step that separated the two of them and slowly began unbuttoning her winter dress.

"It's cold up here for a southern girl," said Jon as his eyes got drawn into hers.

"So keep me warm, and get in." The two embraced each other in a deep kiss as they stripped each other of their coats and got into the hot spring. The water kept the cold at bay as they lost themselves in each and let time flow by them. The problems of this afternoon can be dealt with by their advisors.

*Author's Note: Apologies for the hiatus, hope you guys enjoyed the chapter and let me know what you guys think!

patrickthenobleman: Thanks again for the review, hope you are still reading as I enjoy seeing your feedback every chapter!

Zeffairan: I totally agree that the plot points of the ending weren't horrible, but the execution definitely was, as you said it was too rushed. I think while Bronn is a very pragmatic person, he has also built up a good relationship with both of the Lannister brothers and wouldn't threaten their lives just to get a larger paycheck. I think his goodbye with Tyrion when he was on trial perfectly encapsulates their relationship. Bronn wouldn't risk his life for either of them for nothing, but he does wish the best for them both.