In Meereen…
With the Dragon Queen's flight from Meereen following the Sons of the Harpy attack, the task of governing fell to Jon Connington and Daenerys' trusted advisors Missandei and Grey Worm. Following Drogon's disappearance and the Golden Company's arrival, the sellsword company quietly patrolled the streets with the Unsullied. Tensions remained high once word reached Connington of the slave masters of Astapor, Yunkai and Volantis formed an alliance with the intention of laying siege to Meereen and reinstall slavery.
"Still at war, one in the shadows and the other set to lay siege at a moment's notice. The slave masters retook Astapor and Yunkai, returning the whole of Slaver's Baay outside of Meereen," the former Lord of Griffin's Roost realized. "With our fleets burned, we cannot engage them in naval warfare unless the other dragons are released from their confinements before the slaver alliance attacks us. Even the Golden Company's archers, elephants and trebuchets simply cannot reach them."
"We are searching for the men who burned the ships, but nobody saw anything," Grey Worm noted.
"And the dragons?"
Missandei raised her head slightly, yet slightly averted her eyes. "They are not eating," she answered. "They haven't touched any food since Queen Daenerys left."
"Dragons don't do well in captivity," Connington scoffed.
"How do you know this?" she asked.
"When Queen Daenerys' ancestor Aegon the Conqueror came to Westeros, he had a much smaller army yet three large dragons: Balerion, Vhagar and Meraxes. Each one ranged over hundreds of miles before finally invading and unified six of the Seven Kingdoms in the War of Conquest. Six out of seven; the world came to understand the full might the Targaryen dragons wielded. Aegon Targaryen changed the rules. That's why every man, woman and child alive in Westeros still knows his name 300 years after his death." He explained before taking a sip of wine from his goblet unconcerned. "But after the unification under Targaryen rule, they chained up their dragons and confined them in pens. As such, their power and size waned drastically until the last were no larger than cats a century and a half later… before the Dance of the Dragons civil war wiped them out until Daenerys came into possession of three petrified dragon eggs. If the dragons beneath the Great Pyramid remain in confinement, they'll end up wasting away like their ancient brethren."
"If a dragon does not want to eat, how do you force him to eat?" asked Grey Worm.
Jon hummed and looked at Missandei. "Tell me, child, how many times were you in the company of these dragons? Drogon, Rhaegal and Viserion?" he asked.
"Many times," she answered.
"And during such moments, did they ever harm you?"
"Never."
"Well, there lies your answer, Grey Worm," he remarked. "Dragons are more intelligent than people give them credit for according to some Maesters back home. They're loyal to friends who've earned their trust and dangerous to their enemies who threaten them. The more they eat, the larger they will grow. And the larger they grow, the more they'll eat. Once we've proven to be their friends, they will consume once more… after they're released fist."
During the middle of the conversations, one of the Golden Company mercenaries—Lysono Maar, the Lyseni company spymaster—approached donning inlaid gold armor.
"Lord Connington, our scouts report that the Masters are mobilizing their fleets," he reports.
Connington remained unfazed, even if Grey Worm and Missandei were taken aback. "This is an unexpected move for the Masters. It's too aggressive. How many ships did your men see?"
"Somewhere around 200, give or take."
"How long before we expect them to arrive?"
"A few days if we're lucky."
Connington scratched his red-grey beard, ignoring the fact two or three of his fingers were missing from his earlier amputation. "Inform Captain Strickland to mobilize the other commanders and prepare for an inevitable showdown. Should the Masters send their infantry on land, unleash the cavalry unit and perhaps some war elephants to assist the Unsullied," he ordered. "Keep your scouts at a distance and relay more should you discover more."
As soon as Lysono left, Connington turned towards the Great Pyramid of Meereen.
"Where are you going?" asked Missandei.
He turned to look at her. "To feed the dragons," he simply replied.
Descending the steps into the dragons' holding chamber, Connington lit a torch to light his way as he walked further downwards. Upon reaching the floor, the former Lord of Griffin's Roost stopped moving and stared into the darkness, where a faint growling can be heard. Connington cautiously stood his ground without fear or hesitation – watching as one of the dragons, Rhaegal, emerges from the shadows with his brother Viserion following close behind.
*"Hiisssssss!"*
*"Grrrrrr!"*
Viserion lights a fire in his mouth and roars loudly. Rhaegal approaches with a small roar. Despite the intimidation, Connington showed no signs of fear or concern for his safety.
"Steady now," he said reassuringly yet cautiously. "I'm a friend of your mother, and I'm here to help you. You do not eat the help."
Rhaegal continued growling as Connington approached.
"Such fascinating creatures you two are. You know… back in Westeros 172 years ago, after a bloody civil war between Rhaenyra Targaryen and her half-brother Aegon II for control of the Seven Kingdoms, everyone throughout the world believed dragons to be extinct… But here you are. Your mother hatched you. She loved you, she raised you." he touches Rhaegal on the neck. "All three of you."
Gripping one of the pistons keeping Rhaegal's collar close in one hand, Connington pulled back to release the locking pin and felt the chains and shackles loosen before falling to the ground—freeing the dragon from its confinements. Despite Rhaegal's initial hostility towards Connington, the dragon merely shrugged and walked away. Connington glanced behind him and noticed Viserion quickly closed in on him—but much to his surprise, the youngest dragon gingerly turned its head sideways to expose its neck, beckoning the stranger to free him as well.
"You're free now," Connington whispered to Viserion.
Like how he handled Rhaegal, Connington released the locking pin on Viserion's collar and watched both dragons growling in appreciation before disappearing into the darkness. With a loud roar, Rhaegal and Viserion shot flames from their mouths to blast open a homemade exit for the two of them to fly out of.
Connington watched Rhaegal and Viserion taking flight. "Yes, take a moment to exercise your muscles now," he remarked with a cold, triumphant smile. "When the time for battle comes, the whole world will tremble in the shadows of your wings. The slave masters are only appetizers… but the Usurper's boy Daveth Baratheon is the main course, along with all who follow him."
Beyond the Wall…
Bran continued his training with the Three-Eyed Raven beneath a Great Weirwood Tree. Experiencing yet another vision of the past, Bran and his mentor again find themselves in Dorne—but standing next to a tower along the northern edge of the Red Mountains.
"The Tower of Joy," he examined.
The Three-Eyed Raven nodded. "The final engagement of the civil war—one that the histories remember as Robert's Rebellion—took place at this exact location 22 years ago."
"I remember the lessons from Maester Luwin when I was a boy. King Robert overthrew the Targaryen dynasty and established Baratheon rule. It's still around today."
"Where the lands you grew up on continue to thrive under the leadership of King Robert's son and your brother-in-law Daveth Baratheon, according to the maesters; but every scholar must learn the importance of how the wheels were set in motion to begin with."
"How did you…?"
The Three-Eyed Raven did not answer, but instead pointed in a certain direction to get Bran's attention. The younger Stark narrowed his eyes to catch a glance at what his mentor was pointing at before he noticed seven knights riding into view on horseback. Bran turned behind him and looked over his shoulder to see two Kingsguard knights sitting at the front of the tower; one of which is Ser Arthur Dayne, the Sword of the Morning. The other beside him was Ser Gerold Hightower, the White Bull and Lord Commander of the Kingsguard under the Mad King. Both men donned special silver armor adorned with the three-headed dragon of House Targaryen on their breastplate.
"Ser Arthur Dayne," he noticed.
"The Sword of the Morning," the Three-Eyed Raven pointed out.
"Father said he was the best swordsman he ever saw."
Bran and the Three-Eyed Raven moved to an outcropping to watch the events unfold as the men dismounted their horses until Bran recognized one of them.
"That's my father," he noticed.
"And the man beside him is Howland Reed, Meera's father," the Three-Eyed Raven pointed out.
Eddard Stark in his youth barely had a few hairs on his chin, thin enough to be mistaken for a clean shaven face and lighter brown hair reaching his shoulders. Eddard at that time was at the peak of his youthful prime, a year and a half into his role as the new Lord of Winterfell following the deaths of his father and brother Rickard and Brandon. By then, the Mad King Aerys II Targaryen was assassinated by Ser Jaime and Lord Robert had already killed Prince Rhaegar at the Battle of the Trident.
Eddard was leading his armies to sweep aside any remaining Targaryen loyalists as he moved south with his men until he arrived in Dorne. His mission was a personal one: locate and rescue his younger sister, Lyanna Stark—who was allegedly abducted by the Crown Prince, a controversial scandal that caused one of the bloodiest civil wars to begin.
Ser Arthur and Ser Gerold walk past Bran to approach Eddard and his six Northmen companions. Swinging Dawn in his hand, Arthur stabs his blade into the dirt.
"Lord Stark," the Sword of the Morning greeted.
Young Eddard ignored him. "I looked for you on the Trident," he said to them.
"We weren't there."
"Your friend the Usurper would've laid beneath the ground if we had been," said Ser Gerold.
"King's Landing has fallen. The Mad King is dead. Rhaegar lies beneath the ground," the Quiet Wolf countered. "Why weren't either of you there to protect your Prince?"
"Our Prince ordered us here," Ser Arthur answered. "But rest assured, our false brother will one day burn in the darkest corner of the Seven hells for breaking his oath."
"I came down on Storm's End to lift the siege, and the Lords Tyrell and Redwyne dipped their banners and all their knights bent the knee to pledge us fealty. I was certain you would be among them. Think of your sister and her little girl, Ser Arthur."
The Sword of the Morning remained calm and composed. "Our knees do not bend easily."
Ser Gerold took one step forward. "Ser Willem Darry fled to Dragonstone with Queen Rhaella and Prince Viserys. He is a good man and true. We of the Kingsguard, on the other hand, do not flee."
"Not now, not ever."
"We swore a solemn vow, and take our oaths seriously."
Young Eddard shook his head with resignation, but looked up the Tower of Joy when he heard a painfully loud bloodcurdling scream emanating from behind Ser Gerold and Ser Arthur. Judging by the volume, the Quiet Wolf recognized who that voice belonged to and felt his inner rage boil.
"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"
"Where is my sister? Give Lyanna back," he demanded.
Ser Arthur Dayne, the Sword of the Morning, shook his head and donned his helm with his comrade. "I wish you good fortune in the wars to come," he said. "And now it begins." He raised Dawn with one hand from the ground and unsheathed a longsword in the other. Wielding two swords with both hands, the Sword of the Morning was ready for battle. Dawn was pale as milkglass, alive with light.
"No," Eddard replied with pity in his voice. "Now it ends."
*CLASH!*
*SWING!*
*CLANG!*
*SLASH!*
Young Eddard and his men draw their blades and charge forward to attack. Howland was the first to lunge, but Ser Arthur blocks his attack and slices him along his midsection. As Howland fell to the ground and rolled off to the side in agony, Ser Gerold runs one of Eddard's men through with his sword before Eddard engages him in single combat and stabs him through the throat.
By then, the second round was beginning. Young Eddard and his companions surrounded and easily outnumbered Ser Arthur Dayne. It was four against one, but the Sword of the Morning was frighteningly calm and full of confidence. Swinging both swords in his hands, Ser Arthur flashed his weapons to his enemies as they formed a circle around him. Eddard, Willam Dustin, Ethan Glover and Martyn Cassel clashed swords with Ser Arthur simultaneously, but were taken by surprise at the Sword of the Morning's superior speed, strength, and grace—easily outshining them all.
*CLASH!*
*SWING!*
*CLANG!*
*SLASH!*
Despite being outnumbered, Ser Arthur easily maneuvered himself out of the circle and kicked Martyn in the chest away from him—once he stumbled, the Sword of the Morning danced and spun around and cut down Martyn before returning his focus to the other combatants. Ser Arthur blocked Eddard's and Willam's swords and kicked away a charging Ethan before disarming Willam's shield. He crossed both swords against Ethan's and pressed forward until he felt the cold steel press against the Northmen's throat. With one, swift fluid motion, the Sword of the Morning sliced open Ethan's throat before impaling Willam through the chest with Dawn.
Now the tense duel was reduced to an even fight: one-on-one combat. Young Eddard knew Ser Arthur Dayne, the Sword of the Morning, was already a formidable opponent—regarded by many as one of the deadliest knights who ever lived. Even though the Quiet Wolf was a formidable fighter, even he knew he was no match for the Sword of the Morning. To Ser Arthur, this fight was merely child's play. He could easily cut down the entire Kingswood Brotherhood with one hand while using the other to take a piss without breaking a sweat.
Both men assumed an offensive fighting style before clashing once more.
*CLASH!*
*SWING!*
*CLANG!*
*SLASH!*
Eddard and Ser Arthur engage in a vicious duel, blocking each other's strikes and maneuvering around one another to gain a vantage point as Bran and the Three-Eyed Raven both continued watching from the sidelines.
"He's better than my father," Bran remarked.
"Far better," the Three-Eyed Raven nodded.
"But father beat him."
"Did he?"
"I know he did! I heard the story a thousand times."
As the duel intensified, Ser Arthur easily gains the upper hand and traps Eddard's blade and wrenches it from his hands, kicking it away from him. Now left without a nearby weapon and completely at his mercy, Eddard froze. Before he could deliver the final blow, Ser Arthur heard footsteps from behind him.
*PLORKK!*
"Blurgh!" the Sword of the Morning gasped and falls to his knees, spewing blood from his mouth.
Eddard looked over to see Howland back on his feet only to find the Crannogmen had viciously stabbed Ser Arthur through the back of the neck. The Quiet Wolf appears visibly uncomfortable at winning this way, but hesitatingly picks up Dawn and wields it high up in the air. Although in agony and unprepared for the dishonorable attack from behind, Ser Arthur weakly lifts his head to look up at Eddard, blood pouring out of his throat—by the look in his eyes, the Sword of the Morning seems resigned to his fate; he had done his duty to the last.
"He stabbed him in the back," Bran says in shock.
*SLASH!*
Swinging Dawn in his hand, Eddard delivers the killing blow to the incapacitated Ser Arthur Dayne, killing the legendary Sword of the Morning and sparing him from suffering a slower, crueler death. Bran watches on in confusion as he had heard tales of this duel and never expected his father to stand up for such things.
"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!" a woman screams once more.
Eddard looks up at the Tower of Joy and storms towards it.
"What's in the tower?" asks Bran.
"That's enough for one day," the Three-Eyed Raven says dismissively. "We'll visit again another time."
"I want to see where he's going."
"Time to go."
Bran disregards his mentor's advice and gives chase. "Father!" he yells.
Young Eddard stops on the stairs and turns around in the direction of Bran's yelling but sees nothing and proceeds up the stairs. He hears his sister's screaming and rushes as fast as he possibly could—unaware of Bran following close behind him, still disregarding the Three-Eyed Raven's warnings. Bran watches as Eddard bursts through a door into a bedroom. The scene that greeted him was one that shook him to his very core.
His younger sister, Lyanna Stark, was lying in bed with sheets soaked in blood. She looked frighteningly pale and weak, her pants quiet and face covered in sweat with strands of her long black hair sticking to her.
"N… Ned?" she asks weakly, unaware of the new visitor.
"Lyanna!" Eddard rushes to her side.
"*huff* Ned? Is… *huff* is that you? *huff* Is that really you? *huff*" she shakenly raises a hand up. When Lyanna feels Eddard taking it in his own, she gives a weak smile. "You're… *huff* you're not a dream."
Eddard shakes his head, trying to put on a warm smile. "No, I'm not a dream. I'm here. Right here."
"*huff* I've missed you, big brother… *huff*"
Eddard begins to cry. "I've missed you too," his voice cracked.
Lyanna begins to cry too. "I… I'm so sorry… for what I did. About father… and Brandon, I— I want to be brave," she weeps.
"Shh! You are."
"No, I'm not!"
Eddard lifts his hand from Lyanna's stomach to see his palm covered in blood. His eyes widen with fear and panic.
"I don't want to die," Lyanna begs.
"You're not going to die!" Eddard shakes his head and turns to a handmaiden. "Someone get her some water! Is there a maester?! By the Old Gods, someone help her!—"
Lyanna weakly grabs her brother's arm. "No, no water. Please. Listen to me, Ned," she pulls him close when she sees a newborn baby being delivered to her; feeling her life's energy slipping away, Lyanna whispers into Eddard's ear. "My son… His name is Aegon Targaryen. If Robert finds out, he'll kill him. You know he will. You have to protect him. Promise me, Ned. Promise me," she begs.
As the handmaiden hands Eddard the child, he takes a moment to look at his newborn nephew. The baby slowly opened his eyes to look up at his uncle, his dark-hair and brown eyes indicated he was spared the Targaryen traits of silver hair and violet eyes; the child looked more like a Stark and would sadly not know his mother or father at all.
Eddard closed his eyes tight to prevent tears from spilling. "I… I promise, Lyanna. I'll take good care of him. I promise."
Lyanna smiled weakly. "Thank… thank you, Ned," her breathing grew weaker and weaker. "Give him… a name… Keep… him… safe… Promise me…"
Eddard felt his sister's hand grow limp and plop onto the blood-soaked bed. His throat tightened and body shook with grief, knowing that Lyanna had let go of life. She passed away, yet Eddard felt more alone in this world with the exception of his newborn nephew fussing about before letting out a piercing cry.
"Wha… what are you going to call him, my lord?" asked one of the worried handmaidens.
The Quiet Wolf did not look at them. "Lyanna was right about one thing. I do know Robert, and I know he'll stop at nothing to kill every Targaryen in the world… including this one. No, even if he is my friend I won't let him touch him."
"Lord Stark?"
"By the Old Gods, Catelyn will never forgive me for this… but I will take this child back to Winterfell with me, give him a new name and raise him as my own son – no matter how much dishonor falls on me."
"My lord—"
"Jon Snow," he snapped. "From here on out, his name is Jon Snow… my bastard son."
Bran's eyes widened with surprise. Did his father literally just say that? His mind raced as the Three-Eyed Raven touches his shoulder and brought him back to the cave. The white leaves Bran's eyes as the vision fades. The Three-Eyed Raven is tangled in his roots with a Child of the Forest looks on. Once Bran realized where he was again, he crawled towards his mentor.
"My half-brother… he was my cousin this whole time?!" he said in disbelief. "Why? I want to go back! I need to know more!"
"No," the Three-Eyed Raven refused. "The past is already written. The ink is dry. I've told you many times, stay too long where you don't belong and you will never return."
Bran looked upset. "Why do I want to return? So I can be a cripple again? So I can talk to an old man in a tree?!"
"You think I wanted to sit here for 1,000 years watching the world from a distance as the roots grew through me?"
"So why did you?"
"The answer was obvious. I was waiting for you."
"I don't want to be you."
The Three-Eyed Raven sighed. "I don't blame you. You won't be here forever. You won't be an old man in a tree. But before you leave the cave, you must learn."
"Learn what?" asked Bran.
"Everything," he replies.
Chapter End
Author's Note: While Jon Connington readies Meereen for battle against the Slavers Alliance, we get a different rendition of what happens at the Tower of Joy. So here's my take on the R+L=J fan theory and Bran's reaction on learning that his bastard half-brother Jon Snow is actually his paternal cousin Aegon Targaryen. As he continues training to become the new Three-Eyed Raven, how will this knowledge affect the Seven Kingdoms especially since Daveth Baratheon rules the realm? Thoughts? Let me know.
C.E.W: So now Brandon knows the truth about Jon Snow being Aegon Targaryen the legitimate heir to House Targaryen. Matters little at the moment considering Brandon is busy to become the next Three-Eyed-Raven.
The Slaver Alliance will move on Meereen, but Daenerys will return and defeat them. Before long she will be preparing to invade Westeros. Daveth now has the entire realm at his back, the Red Keep, King's landing and Royal navy are building and arming scorpions. Daveth and Daenerys will face each other for the Iron Throne. Unless of course, the White Walker situation intervenes, and they unite against them.
DarkFireCat5241999: People blame children for those parents legacies look at daveth son of a drunk who enjoyed the death of babies and the son of cersei as well his mother was an insane power hungry women and his father started a war that in all senses could have been avoided
RHatch89: Awesome update :)
Moshi: I don't remember it being Daenerys and Jon pairing which actually makes me not to read anymore, sorry, not sorry but the show has made that pairing full of toxicity that cannot be unseen. Having two Targaryens together is been shown NOT to be a good thing. In the end, that love story never was, Jon was just playing a part. Now, I'm not sure how much I will enjoy catching up or if I even will.
Bio RL: I hope daveth does not die at the end, in the fanfictions of principes baratheons they always die, they end up going crazy or lose an eye: w
Hear My Fury: Well I hope Connington roasts first. Dany really needs to stay in Meereen. Like Tyrion told her in the show. "How many thousands of lives have you changed for the better?" Daveth has the love of the nobles and the people, winning rebellion after rebellion and bringing peace to the kingdoms, unlike in canon where Cersei is hated by the people. Plus Daveth has Varys loyal to him. I hope he can kill Connington the same way he kills Kevan Lannister in the books. Connington is a dangerous man to advise Dany with him being hellbent on destroying everything Daveth has built the day he was crowned because he had a hard on for Rhaegar. The best thing Daveth can do right now is get every scorpion ready, plus a little propaganda couldn't hurt either, with Dany coming with sellswords like the Golden Company, who invaded the kingdoms before in the War of Ninepenny kings, a war which was sought out by a Targaryen bastard, the Dothraki who would raid, rape and murder women and children and the mindless Unsullied soldiers. Also you probably won't do it, but I want the Golden Company's ass handed to them like the show albeit without dragons.
Guest #1: Gaddayum i love this fanfic
Rezan: Love the building of this fugure conflict. Cannot wait for more.
ABEBOABDU: mic update man waiting for the confrontation between dany and daveth. I hope you do the night king justice