Chapter 4 – Daenerys

It was late morning when Daenerys arrived back at Dragonstone. The whole Loot Train Attack had passed quicker and less painlessly than Daenerys could have imagined. A couple of hundred had bent the knee. The loss of Dothraki was minimal. The dragon queen considered herself victorious as she soared through the morning sky. Yet there was one thing dragging her down, well, two things to be precise.

Dickon Tarly. And strangely, what Jon Snow would think when he found out what she had done to him.

Daenerys didn't feel a shred of guilt over Lord Randyll's fate. He betrayed Olenna Tyrell when she needed the lords of the Reach. Even in the face of defeat, he refused to bend the knee or follow orders. But his son… probably no older than herself, perhaps as stubborn and definitely as loyal. Daenerys sighed. If it had been Ned Stark on that field, she assumed Jon Snow might have done the same thing. Dickon Tarly had survived the battle, which must have proved he had some potential. Dany frowned in guilty uncertainty as she circled around the top of Dragonstone a few times in an attempt to clear her thoughts. Perhaps Tyrion and the Dothraki would have made it back to the ships to come back by now. When her Hand returned, they could discuss the next move. Viserion and Rhaegal screeched around her and Drogon roared back a greeting to his brothers. All would be well. If I look back, I am lost she remembered, and gently urged Drogon to land on one of the clifftops.

It was then that Dany got a surprise. As Drogon hit the ground with an uncomfortable thud, she noticed a lone, heavily cloaked figure standing there, brooding, and looking out to sea. Jon. He turned around quickly upon hearing the approaching dragon, but was able to steady himself, not allowing the impact to send him falling. Daenerys' heart began to race as Drogon padded closer to the northerner. Don't hurt him she thought, hastily and strongly connecting with the animal. I can't make an enemy of the north, and besides, I don't want him to be hurt anyway! The dragon slowed down but did not stop moving, with the result that his giant snout was in Jon's face. A strange pressure worked its way into Dany's chest. He's a goner she thought numbly, before desperately trying to get Drogon to leave him be. The dragon didn't respond for a couple of minutes, but when he did, Daenerys looked down to find Jon relatively unharmed, only slightly shaken. She swung her leg over and slid down Drogon's wing to the floor. The red dragon gave her a long stare as she stepped away, before he took to the skies without another backward glance. Dany walked determinedly towards Jon, who was still watching Drogon and the now the other two with an expression of awe on his solemn, handsome face.

"They're beautiful, aren't they?" she smiled as she moved to stand beside him, all while feeling very curious.

"Wasn't the word I was thinking of," Jon said wryly as he pulled his glove back on. He noticed the look she gave him. "But yes, they are… Gorgeous beasts." He gave her a small smile.

"They're not beasts to me," she told him, turning to face him and giving him her full attention. "No matter how big they get, how terrifying to everyone else. They're my children." Jon nodded respectfully, but still smiled.

"I mean, I love Ghost, but I wouldn't call him my son."

"Ghost?"

"My direwolf."

Dany's eyes widened. "You have a direwolf?"

"You have three dragons," he replied levelly. "Not so insurmountable."

"But you didn't bring, ah – Ghost to Dragonstone. I wouldn't have minded, really!"

"I've had him since he was a pup," Jon reminisced. "Me and my brothers found him in the snow near Winterfell, with his brothers and sisters. We all had one. I called him Ghost because he's white, and because he barely makes a sound. And, as far as I know, he's the only one left alive."

"I'm sorry," Daenerys said softly. Jon shrugged casually, but his eyes were still sad.

"You weren't gone long," he commented, moments later in an attempt to change the subject.

"No." She decided to humour him.

"And?"

And I killed a young man and countless others.

Daenerys looked up to meet his gaze. "And I have fewer enemies today than I did yesterday." She sounded more confident than she felt. "You're not sure how you feel about that…"

"No, I'm not," he said honestly, but the look he gave her was soft.

They walked together a few paces. "How many men did your army kill taking Winterfell back from the Boltons?"

He scowled. "Thousands."

"We both want to help people," she replied. "But we can only help them from a position of strength. Sometimes strength is terrible."

"Aye," he responded, and looked at her, as though with a newfound level of respect. "I meant what I said, when we first met. You are better than Cersei."

She smiled at him and her heart soared. "Well, considering Cersei is currently imprisoned here in my castle, that's not really much of a compliment, Jon Snow," she laughed, and he grinned too. "And you still won't bend the knee!" She tutted.

Jon frowned, even though he could tell she was teasing him. "Not yet, Your Grace."

She raised her eyebrows. "Not yet?"

He sighed. "I never wanted to be King. I never wanted to be Lord Commander of the Nights Watch. But both positions were forced on me. The North named me their King, so I am working with that position as well as I can, with winter upon us. If I bend the knee to you now, not only will many of the northern lords desert me – which would be disastrous in the war to come – but it might be for nothing if I get killed fighting the Night King. Then the North would choose themselves a new King or Queen – probably my sister, actually – and you would be right back at square one."

Daenerys was quiet for a few minutes as she thought about what Jon had just said. She didn't not want to think about the possibility of him dying – she didn't want to consider it. She knew she needed to say something meaningful, but she couldn't find the words.

"I don't want you to die," she blurted out after a while.

He smiled at her again. "I don't want to die either, trust me."

"I will help you," she told him softly. "The Iron Throne may be closer to me now, if we do the right thing with Cersei. Then I can march my forces north to help you."

He looked at her again, and they stopped walking. "We?"

Dany blushed and said nothing for a few minutes. How could he make her feel this way?

"When you first came here," she began again, sort of changing the subject again, "Ser Davos said you took a knife in the heart for your people."

"Ser Davos gets carried away," he said, giving her a half-smile.

She raised her eyebrows at him. "So it was a figure of speech?"

He shuffled uncomfortably, breaking eye contact. "Well…"

After hearing nothing else, Daenerys turned around to see what Jon was looking at. A group of Dothraki were approaching with another man. The first two moved aside to reveal… Ser Jorah – smiling at her in the morning sun, his cloak blowing uncontrollably in the wind.

"This man says he is your friend, Khaleesi," one of the Dothraki said in his native language.

"He is my friend," she replied happily, stepping forward to get a better look at the knight.

"You look strong!" she said enthusiastically, as the Dothraki began to move away. "You found a cure?"

"I wouldn't be here if I hadn't," he replied. "I return to your service, my queen. If you'll have me."

"It would be my honour," she said. She was so overwhelmed and happy that she stepped forward and embraced him. She grinned. Who else would go to the ends of the earth to cure greyscale for me?

"Ser Jorah, this is Jon Snow. Jon Snow, this is Ser Jorah Mormont. Might I suggest that we go inside to talk? It is very windy out here." Jorah nodded and they began to walk. "Jon Snow, you will join us?" It was a question, but he was right behind her already. Daenerys smiled.

The three of them went to Daenerys' solar, thinking the space smaller and less daunting than either the throne room or the council chamber. Dany sat at one end, meaning Jon and Jorah would sit opposite each other.

"Jon Snow," the older knight broke the silence first. "Ned Stark's son?"

"Aye," Jon replied calmly. "Jorah Mormont. I served with your father at Castle Black. He was a good man."

"He deserved a better son," Jorah said sadly.

"Don't be so hard on yourself!" Daenerys interjected indignantly, all while curious to hear about the old Lord Commander who was always spoken so highly of.

"It's true," Jorah shrugged, then looked straight at Jon. "Were you with him at the end?"

"I was a prisoner of the wildlings," Jon said quietly. Daenerys frowned – another interesting story for Jon to tell her one day. Right after what his Hand had really meant when he said he took a knife in the heart.

"I couldn't imagine a worse way for him to go. The Nights Watch was his life. He would have died to protect any one of those men…"

"My father was the most honourable man I ever met," Jon mused. Dany frowned again: Eddard Stark had been one of the Usurper's dogs – there was no honour in that, but Jon had that sad, dreamy look in his eyes again. "Yet he died on the executioner's block. I hate that he died that way, and the same goes for Lord Commander Mormont." He broke off for long enough to look at Jorah. "But we avenged him. I want you to know – that every mutineer found justice."

"That's good to hear," the old knight replied sincerely, then turned his undivided attention over to Daenerys. "How are you, Khaleesi? I see you made it to Dragonstone safely…"

"Yes, thank you Ser Jorah, I am very well," Dany replied, smiling, so delighted to see the friend who she had long thought dead. "But tell me about you. You say you found the cure. When? How? Where? What happened to you?"

Jorah smiled.

"A cure for what?" Jon asked.

"Greyscale," the knight responded.

Jon Snow raised his eyebrows, impressed. "I've only met one person to survive that."

Daenerys looked to the northerner curiously. "Who?"

"Stannis Baratheon's daughter, Shireen. Had it as an infant, I believe. Cured, but disfigured, poor child."

"You met her too?" Jorah countered. "So did the man who had cured me. Said he met her at Castle Black."

"Where did you go?" Daenerys asked him, but watched as Jon frowned as though puzzled.

"To the Citadel, in Oldtown," he replied. "I thought that if anyone knew the cure, it would be the Maesters."

Dany was about to ask, delicately, what it was like – but Jon Snow gasped and distracted her.

"At the Citadel," he started in a rush, looking, for the first time since he had been at Dragonstone, genuinely excited, "the man who told you about Shireen Baratheon's affliction, who saw her at Castle Black – was it –"

"Samwell Tarly!" the two men said together.

Daenerys looked stricken. Another Tarly! But… He must be different she thought, feeling desperately guilty again. He helped Jorah, and the Gods know Jon wouldn't look so excited if he wasn't a close friend…

"You know him?" all three of them said together. Jon laughed at the at their synchronisation, but Dany began to feel sick.

"He cured my greyscale, after being expressly forbidden to," Jorah said admiringly. "Risked his position to save my life with a banned procedure. He's a good man."

"I know!" Jon replied excitedly. "He's a sworn brother of the Nights Watch. He's been my best friend ever since he arrived at the Wall. I sent him to Oldtown to train up as our new Maester while I was still Lord Commander. He's the smartest man I know, and the most genuine."

Daenerys felt like she had been punched in the stomach. If I look back, I am lost. If I look back, I am lost. If I look back… but her own thoughts were interrupted by tears springing to her eyes and a strong urge to scream and run away. Jon and Jorah continued to talk about this man, Sam: Jorah laughed over how he had nervously warned him not to scream before he took off the layer of stony disease, while Jon reminisced over some of the funny things he used to say while on duty.

Before Dany could wish for the floor to open up and swallow her, one of the Dothraki entered the solar. The dragon queen stood up and listened to him.

"A chamber has been prepared for you, Ser Jorah," Daenerys told him.

"That sounds great," the knight said, rising as well. "If you wouldn't mind, Khaleesi… it has been a long journey."

"Of course, my friend," the queen replied, smiling through her tears. "I'll speak with you later."

Jorah left with the Dothraki, leaving her alone with the northern king. Again. Not that she minded, of course.

Jon Snow stood up too, and for a moment Daenerys was afraid he was going to give an excuse to leave as well. But instead he approached her, slowly.

"Your Grace," he said softly. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing," she replied, trying to make herself sound as confident and casual as possible. If I look back, I am lost. Jon took another two steps towards her; they now stood just a couple of feet apart.

"It's not nothing," he said, so quietly she almost didn't hear him, but there was no mistaking the gruff northern accent. "I know it's not. Something's upset you…" He reached out almost hesitantly and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Just know that you can tell me, Your Grace – and I would gladly listen."

She looked up at him as a tear dropped down her cheek. He put out a thumb and gently wiped it away.

"You don't want to know," she whispered. "You don't." She shut her eyes in the hope that the tears would go away. Jon stayed close, and Daenerys could feel his eyes on her. She wanted to trust him. She wanted to. But what would he do when he found out I killed his best friend's father and brother? She opened her eyes to see him nod, as though he respected her wishes.

They stared at each other for a full minute.

"Maybe if you tell me why Ser Davos claims you took a knife in the heart for your people, I'll tell you why I'm so upset."

"Fine," Jon said levelly, though he looked a little uncomfortable again. Dany took another small step forward; they were nearly touching now. She didn't want to cry now. She was curious.

But before Jon could start to speak, they were interrupted – yet again. This time, it was Missandei who ran into the solar as if her life depended on it. Daenerys broke eye contact with Jon and stepped back three paces.

"Missan –"

"Cersei Lannister has escaped from her chamber, Your Grace."

A/N: Boom! Had to end it there – it was just asking for it! Sorry!

Thanks again so, so, so much for reading! Thank you for all of your lovely reviews, and to all of you who have stuck with this story and favourited and followed. It means the absolute world :-)

I know this chapter didn't have any Arya or Gendry in it but I really wanted to do some more Jonerys and also reintroduce Jorah to the story. As you might guess, Arya/Cersei will be a prominent character next chapter!

I don't know when I will be able to update again but I will do my best as always.

Thanks again! See you all next time!