Hello my lovelies, a few words from me to you at the bottom, but first, the next chapter for your enjoyment!

"Sam! We are waiting for you! What is taking you so long?" Margaery's voice was playful and taunting. Samaya looked for the source and saw her sister's head peeking out from a corner of the Briar labyrinth. Loras raced past her, and the young girl giggled and followed, both of them disappearing around the next bend.

Samaya was confused. Slowly, she looked down at herself, at her hands, which were unscathed, and at her simple green dress, with no sign or feel of any weapon. The hair that fell into her face was as black and long as it had been most of her life. Lifting her gaze, the castle of Highgarden towered over her, as beautiful and majestic as it had ever been.

"This is a dream," she whispered to herself, still not quite understanding what was happening to her.

"Samaya," she heard a soft voice and looked up to see her other sister. Daenerys was clad in a foreign dress, a whisp of white silk, with a buckle at her chest and ornate hoops on her arms. Her eyes widened, she had only ever seen her half-sister in black or muted colours.

"I am dreaming," Sam muttered to herself once again. Daenerys laid a hand on her arm.

"Come, let us join the others," she said calmly and started leading her towards the laughter of her other siblings. They found them in a small clearing, Garlan chasing Margaery around, Loras lounging in the soft grass, eating fireplums.

"Finally!" Margaery cheered as she saw the two other girls. She bounced over and took Sam's hand. Still confused, she furrowed her brows.

"Where's Willas?" she asked, looking around, as if her other brother would appear out of thin air.

"Oh, you know him, he's late – as always!" Margaery laughed and dragged her off. As she started twirling them around in a circle, and Sam felt the soft grass between her toes, a little of the worry left her heart. It was beautiful, just like it had been in her childhood, and almost all her siblings were here.

After some time, she did not care if it was a dream or not. She danced around, sat in the soft grass, and ate delicious fruit. She was never cold, nor warm, never hungry, nor thirsty. Sam felt alive, but also dazed. As if it were all just a big dream. But if it was, why did it feel so safe? Why did she not want to leave?

It had been his fifth night since arriving in Winterfell, and Jaime Lannister was growing frustrated. With a lot of effort, he had dragged the lifeless body of Samaya Tyrell into the castle, and found a small steward's chamber off the main hall. He had barricaded himself inside it, lit a fire in the small hearth and positioned the one small bed in front of it. On it lay the girl, not moving, not stirring, cold as ice, but still alive.

When daylight shone through the small window, Jaime dared to venture outside. He would find scraps of food here and there, but no living soul except for his horse, which he had put in another small chamber for fear of wolves getting to it. However, the birds were returning; he had noticed with a small glimmer of hope. Whatever had happened, he convinced himself that it was a good sign.

On this morning, he once again undid the barricade in front of the small door and prepared to roam the deserted castle like he had done before.

As he opened the door, his heart almost sank into his stomach at the sight that greeted him. Giving a small grunt, he stumbled back into the room, falling as he tried to shield his face. His golden hand detached and rolled away on the floor in a thunder of noise.

A massive wolf stood there, flashing its teeth at him, but not uttering a single sound. Its white fur stood on alert, and its blood-red eyes were transfixed on Jaime. Slowly, the animal crept closer, and the man fumbled for his dagger. Before he could grasp it, though, a voice interrupted the silence.

"Leave him be, Ghost, we don't threaten cripples," a roughly accented voice said and Jaime looked past the animal to see a man clad in a big, black cloak. He eyed him with mild interest.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"Somebody who means you no harm," Jaime answered quickly. He did not know whether it would help or hurt to tell the man his name. Once again, he received a scrutinising look, but then the other man's attention wandered to the fireplace, where he spied the body of Samaya.

"Seven hells," he cursed and dashed towards the body, bowing over her.

"What happened? Did you do this to her? The Gods help me, I'll rip your throat out if you did," he said and drew his sword. Jaime threw up his hands in surrender, hoping the man would listen to his story.

"No, I found her like that, six days I arrived in Winterfell, her body was in the godswood, next to the dead dragon. Do you know her?" he answered quickly. The man lowered his sword.

"Aye, I know the Lady Samaya. How did she get here?" he asked quietly.

"Who are you?" Jaime finally asked, getting off the floor after having retrieved his hand. The wolf had shifted its attention to the girl now, so he deemed it safe.

"Edd Tollett, acting commander of the Night's Watch, or what's left of it" he gave him a short nod.

"Jaime Lannister," he decided to share his identity. Tollett's brows rose up.

"Is that so? And what are you doing so far from King's Landing and the rest of your family?" he questioned him.

"My sister did not believe the threat in the North, so I… I decided to come and help," Jaime explained. His actions were still a mystery to him.

"Alone? And I thought we had a few idiots up at the wall…" the man in black said and walked out in the hallway. He turned around when he realised Jaime wasn't following.

"You gonna stand there all day long or do you want to meet the others?" he quipped and walked off. Jaime was confused. Others? Looking back at the girl once more, he slowly followed. The wolf had sat down in front of the small bed, as if it were guarding her, and he decided it was probably worth finding out who else this Edd Tollett had brought with him.

He followed into the main hall, where a small group of people were bustling about. Jaime looked around in surprise. It had been so long since he was in other company, he felt dazed by the voices and movement. Tollett steered towards the head of the hall, where a group of men was stood in a circle, talking amongst them. They turned around as they approached and Jaime spotted a familiar face amongst the grizzly-looking crew.

"Are my eyes playing me tricks, or is this really Jaime Lannister?" he stepped toward him with a crooked smile. Jaime stopped and looked him up and down.

"Beric Dondarrion. You've looked better," he commented dryly. Dondarrion gestured to his missing hand.

"So have you," he replied and Jaime gave him a small smile.

"How did you get here?" he asked, looking at the other men around them.

"Came down from the wall. We were waiting for them to strike us at Castle Black, but only a handful showed up. They must have made straight for Winterfell," Dondarrion answered, worry clouding his face.

"And all these people?" Jaime asked, gesturing around the hall "I've been here for near seven days, without any sign of life," he explained.

"Some we picked up along the way, but most of the women and children were hiding in the crypts below the keep. Two little boys climbed out of a gutter as they saw us approach the castle. The passage was too narrow for the rest to get through, so we had to free up the door. Whoever was in command here was clever enough to barricade it with fallen stone. Any longer, though, and they would have starved to death," Tollett spoke up.

"Any word from down South?" their faces darkened.

"Not one. But the darkness has lifted, and it's getting warmer. I think they might have won," Tollett said with a shrug.

"How did you escape them?" Dondarrion suddenly asked Jaime. He swallowed deep, not liking to think back to that night.

"I was looking for shelter one night, and I found a cave. It was wet, but warm, and there were strange drawings on the wall. Middle of the night, I woke up to this strange sound. It was as if an army was marching, but it seemed… muted. The earth was shaking a little, and my horse turned half-mad. I drew my sword and just stared at the entrance. A man finally appeared, but he… he was not a man anymore, half-rotten, bits of his face and torso missing. He tried to attack me, but as soon as he entered the cave, he just… fell apart. Another one tried after him, but the same happened. I did not hear or see anything else, and when I left the cave the next morning, it was as if nothing had happened," Jaime said quietly, still shaken by the eerie events.

"The magic of the Children protected you," a man spoke up. His hair was red as fire, and a big, bushy beard in the same colour covered his face. Jaime gave him a quizzical look.

"How?" he asked.

"Used to be they lived here too. Bits of them remained. Bits that saved yours," he said in a deep and sinister voice. Jaime felt choked up. He still found it hard to accept what had happened.

"There's a girl back there. Girl I know, girl who used to ride a dragon. Was there a maester amongst the women and children?" Tollett spoke up, talking to the small group.

"Aye, I do believe so, but don't tell me that it is Daenerys Targaryen?" Dondarrion answered him.

"No, the other one, the Tyrell girl. She's been like this for how many days, Lannister?" they asked him. Jaime snapped back to reality.

"Near Seven days. I found her in the Godswood upon my arrival. Once or twice, she may have coughed, but she hasn't moved or opened her eyes. It was her that slew the dragon, I found this sword stuck in its eye," he said and showed them Dark Sister.

"Magnificent," was the only thing Dondarrion said as his remaining eye was transfixed on the weapon.

"Aye, that's the one she found up at Castle Black. Glad to see it served some purpose at least", Tollett said in that stoic tone of his.

"She did not have to die," Jaime said quietly.

"She's not dead until that southern healer says she is," the Wildling man told him while putting a hand on his shoulder in a forceful pat that almost made Jaime's legs give out.

"I'll see if I can find him. Lannister, there's food through there if you are hungry," Tollett said and gestured to the other side of the hall. A moment later, he turned around and left. While the rest of the group dispersed as well, Dondarrion stayed with him.

"He gives and he takes, Ser Jaime. If she's still alive, he might give her a longer life," he commented.

"The Lord of Light? I fear we're too far up North for your god to rule here," came the reply. Dondarrion smiled gently.

"No dominion is out of his reach. You'll see," he said calmly and walked away as well, leaving Jaime alone with his thoughts. He pondered whether to soothe his growling stomach or to return to her. He felt like all of this was his fault. If he could have convinced Cersei… with a sigh, he turned back towards the way he came, feeling the sting of failure deep within him.

It seemed to take forever until they burst through the clouds to the sight of Winterfell at last. The smoke rising from various fires made Jon Snow breathe a sigh of relief. There was still life here, they had stood their ground.

As they soared over Winter Town, people peeked up at them, but Jon noticed how few they were, mostly children or women. As Rhaegal landed in front of the main gate once more, he shifted his attention to the small party coming out to greet him. To his surprise, Edd Tollett was leading them, with Tormund following closely. A grin spread across his face at the sight of his old friends.

"Seven Hells, could you not have sent a raven instead?" Edd said dryly, but hugged Jon with a smile on his face. He did the same to Sam and nodded at Ser Davos in greeting. Jon was engulfed in a bone-crushing embrace by Tormund, knocking the wind out of his lungs.

"You won," he growled in his ear and then looked at his face long and hard. Jon thought he saw pity in his eyes, but he did not know why.

"Aye. The Night King is dead and King's Landing fell to us," he said curtly. Davos stepped forth and began to speak.

"You stand in the presence of Aegon Targaryen, sixth of his name, King of the Andals and the First Men," he started to announce but Jon held up a hand to stop him.

"They know who I am, Ser Davos," he told him quietly. His friends looked at him with curious expressions.

"It's a long story. We'll talk about it later. Where is Samaya?" he changed the topic. Silence spread amongst them until Edd spoke up.

"Come with me, I'll show you," he said and turned to walk back into the castle. Jon and his two companions followed while Rhaegal gave a loud screech and took to the skies again. They walked into the castle, and people bowed before him left and right. Their faces were sad and grim. What was going on?

His friends led him into the Great Hall, where more people were busily running about, carrying broken furniture or supplies. Edd took a sharp left and made for the old steward's chamber. When Jon entered, his eyes widened and after a second, he made straight for the small bed in front of the hearth.

There was Samaya, still and cold, and Ghost was by her side. The wolf immediately jumped up and down at Jon, but he knelt next to the lifeless body of the woman who meant so much to him. Finally, he scratched his wolf behind his ears and gave him a small, weary smile. Turning around, he looked at Edd.

"Explain," he ordered in a harsh voice.

"I found her like this in the Godswood. She killed his dragon," another voice answered him. Jon noticed a figure sitting in a chair to his right. The man looked up, and he recognised it was Jaime Lannister. Immediately, Jon drew Longclaw and had it at his throat in an instant. To his surprise though, Ghost trotted up and laid his head on the man's lap. The Kingslayer slowly stroked over his white fur. Hesitantly, Jon lowered his sword. If his wolf liked the man, there must be a reason.

"Have you killed Cersei?" Jaime asked quietly. Jon studied his face for a moment before he answered.

"No. We threw her in the deepest dungeon we could find. There is to be a trial," he said. The man snorted lightly.

"I'm not certain if I should be relieved or disappointed," he told him.

"Why are you here?" Jon asked coldly. He had no love for any Lannisters besides Tyrion.

"We were both there when my sister swore to unite our armies in the fight against the Night King. By now, you might have figured out that she was lying. When she told me, I left her and King's Landing," he explained as he slowly raised himself from the chair. He looked thin and haggard, his unshaven face wan and his eyes without any sparkle.

"So you came to Winterfell alone?" Jon asked him with a sour tone in his voice "You should have come to meet us at the Trident. That's where the fight was."

"If I would have joined you, I would not have come upon her," Jaime said, gesturing at the lifeless figure of Samaya. "The rest of the people arrived seven days after I found her in the snow."

Snow sighed and turned back to the woman. Slowly, he knelt down next to her and stroked gently down her face. Her skin was cold as ice, but her chest was moving slightly.

"Did a maester see her?" he asked no one in particular.

"Yes, your Grace. But this is beyond my powers… her sleep is deep and unnatural, and I do not know how to wake her," another voice spoke up, one Jon faintly recognised as Maester Wolkan.

Outside, Rhaegal roared loudly, making Jon's ears twitch. While he studied the face of the woman he loved, a thousand scenarios ran through his head. There must be some potion, or some herb… but no, this was old magic. She had his blood, the blood of Old Valyria. The only way to bring her back would be magic. Jon closed his eyes for a few moments and let out a deep breath. He saw a way, but only one.

Carefully, he started putting his hands under her thin frame and lifted her up. The others called to him, but he paid them no attention as he carried her out of the small chamber, Ghost at his heels. The people in the hall stopped what they were doing and stared at him. All through the castle he carried her and into the Godswood. They were following him as if it was her funeral. Gently, he sat her down by the small pond, and with a loud thud, Rhaegal landed in front of him. He roared out in pain and the people behind him took a step back in fear.

Jon sat down behind her and held her in his arms. He felt as if his heart was bleeding just looking at her like this. Her skin pale, her flesh cold, her beautiful green eyes closed. Tenderly, he brushed some hair out of her face and then looked at the dragon.

"Dracarys", he whispered before Rhaegal bathed them both in flames.

DUN DUN DUUUUUUN... your guess what happens next? Please leave a review if you enjoyed it or have any other questions or remarks :)

Also at this point, I have to thank you guys for your continuous support, and words of encouragement! It is not always easy to write a story that is so long and plays in such a complex world, but every review is like an instant shot of motivation!

My original plan was to finish this story before the final season would start, but that did not happen, and now I only hope to finish it in the near future. I switched jobs in November, and the new one leaves me less spare time to work on it unfortunately.

Additionally, I wanted to say to all the reviewers who bring up inconsistencies with GRRM universe: it is still a fiction, I am not trying to write directly into his 'world', so please forgive me if I take a few liberties with how many riders a dragon can have or that there always has to be a Stark in Winterfell. It made sense for me story, so I took the chance to change it a little bit towards the easier route.

However, I am honestly forever greatful for every single review, so please leave one if you enjoyed this chapter or the story so far! Thank you and much love, Bella x