Chapter 18 – Arya
Arya was unsurprised at Jon's sudden exit. Her head hurt too. Of course Jon would still be her brother. He was still her brother, in everything but name. But the reality of it rendered her speechless. Jon was her cousin, but far more than that. A trueborn Targaryen. He was the real heir to the Iron Throne. Not that that mattered at the moment, with the Long Night looming.
She figured the others must have finally realised this too.
"This could cause problems," Sansa said. "What of the Iron Throne?"
"Who cares about that!" Arya shot back at once. She didn't want Sansa to pick a fight with Daenerys. Not over Jon. And not now, when they all needed each other. "We can all worry about politics and statuses and thrones and titles and all of that when the walking zombies north of the Wall have been defeated." This did not stop Sansa glaring at the dragon queen.
"I agree with Arya," Daenerys said after a minute. This surprised Arya: she had always seemed so driven. She looked at her. "I made you a promise when you came to Dragonstone, saying that I had no intention of harming your brother. I intend to uphold that promise."
"He's not our brother," Sansa said quietly. "He's our cousin."
"He's our brother," Arya said harshly. "He's been as good as brother to us as any!"
"Bran and Sam will need to tell Ser Davos everything," Sansa carried on, as though Arya had said nothing. "I will go and find him." She did not acknowledge Daenerys as she left.
"I'm going to find my documents," Sam said shyly. "I made a copy of the passage detailing Rhaegar and Lyanna's wedding." He bowed before dashing out towards the library.
"Are you sure you can't take us in a vision to prove it?" Arya said to Bran.
"Positive," her brother replied. He turned his head a fraction to stare at Daenerys. "You have had visions before, haven't you?"
"Yes," Daenerys confirmed. "In the House of the Undying."
"Really?" Arya asked, intrigued. "Like Bran's?"
"No," she answered. "It was difficult to say what I saw. It was more of a hallucination, really. Definitely not real. I saw my dead husband. I saw the Iron Throne. I saw the Wall, at least, I think I did. Amongst other things…"
"The past, the present and the future, maybe?" Arya suggested. "Your… husband was in the past. You're on the Iron Throne, now. And we're going north of the Wall soon, which is in the future."
Daenerys smiled at her. "Perhaps."
"I might go and find Jon," Arya said, standing up.
"He's in the Godswood," said Bran. "I don't think he wants to be disturbed."
"Maybe he does need time to process things," Daenerys told her gently. She looked at Bran. "Any other details?"
"Not on him," Bran said. "But Tyrion is looking for you."
"Unsurprising," Arya said, grinning at her. "He probably knows by now that we sparred. He'll probably be furious with me."
"With both of us," Daenerys smiled back. "I should go and find him before he gets too vexed and tries to talk me out of an alliance." She left too.
"Can you trust Queen Daenerys to not tell Lord Tyrion what has just been discussed?" Bran's voice made Arya turn back around.
"Obviously," she snapped. "Surely your little visions will tell you that she and Jon are friends. Besides, she's on the Iron Throne, and it's not something Jon would be willing to pursue. He didn't even want to be King in the North."
Bran just looked at her reflectively, making her feel even more irritated.
"That is true," he said eventually. "But Arya, I have seen everything. Your life. Jon, or Aegon's life. Daenerys life. Sansa's life. Even my own. But I cannot see the future."
"Well that's not particularly helpful, I suppose."
"Therefore I cannot tell how anyone is going to react to this news."
"It would have been better if you'd waited until after the Long Night to drop this bombshell on Jon," Arya grumbled.
"I do not know who, if anyone, will survive," Bran replied impassively. "He had to know about it." He then surprised her by pulling out a gilded dagger from the pocket of his cloak.
"Where did you get this?" Arya asked.
"Littlefinger gave it to me," he replied, the name making Arya's stomach curdle with disgust. "He thought I'd want it."
"Why?"
"Because it was meant to kill me," he said solemnly, drawing the blade and examining its point.
"That's Valyrian steel," Arya said admiringly. "I remember, in Kings Landing, somewhere I heard something about a cutthroat, after your fall…" She thought about it for a minute. "But why would a cutthroat have a Valyrian steel dagger?"
"Someone very wealthy wanted me dead," he said impassively. "I told Sansa about it, after he gave it to me. She told me – unnecessarily, due to my visions – that he wouldn't have given it to me unless he thought he was getting something back."
"That sounds about right," Arya sighed. "It's Littlefinger. I still can't believe he's here."
"But it doesn't matter, because I don't want it," Bran continued, sheathing the dagger, and holding it out to her. "Take it, you'll do better with it. I've seen you fight, and this thing's wasted on a cripple."
"Are you sure?" Arya asked quietly, surprised at the sudden gift. "It's Valyrian steel. Besides, you might need to protect yourself at some point during the Long Night."
He shook his head, and Arya gently took the dagger from him.
"Thank you," she said. "Perhaps we should ask Maester Wolkan to make you another chair, this time made of sharp-edged Valyrian steel." It was a bad jest, but to Arya's delight and astonishment, Bran smiled.
"I'm going now," she said after a minute. "Do you want me to wheel you anywhere?"
"No," Bran replied. "I will stay here a little longer." Arya nodded, and then departed, clipping the new dagger into her belt as she did so.
By this time, there was only about half an hour left before the big meeting was due to start, and Arya worried for Jon. Would he even attend? Would he feel the need to be truthful with the other lords, and tell them about his newfound knowledge? How would they react? Arya did not know. She wanted to find Jon, comfort him, reassure him that she and Sansa and Bran would still be there for him. She also worried a little about Daenerys and hoped her fears were unfounded. Bran had said that Jon was in the Godswood, and Arya had every intention of finding him before Sansa or any of the others could.
She didn't get far before she found her sister hurrying the other way.
"I've just told Ser Davos," she said quietly, pulling Arya to one side so that no one would hear them.
"How did he take it?"
"Well, rightly surprised, of course. But I think we can still count on his support."
"Good."
Then Sansa's mouth twisted. "What was that dragon girl doing there though? Surely Sam made it clear that this was a personal matter?"
Arya stared at her for a minute incredulously. "Careful, now. That dragon girl is the Queen of Westeros, minus the North." She sighed. "C'mon, Sansa. You've got to admit that she's better than Cersei. The only reason she was there was because Jon said it was alright for her to be there. Daenerys even acknowledged that it was personal. She and Jon are friends, Sansa – why can't you see that?"
She sniffed. "Will they remain friends, though, given what has happened? Jon is the trueborn son of Rhaegar and Lyanna, meaning his claim on the Iron Throne is far stronger than hers."
"It doesn't take half a brain to work out that Jon wouldn't do anything towards taking the throne from Daenerys," Arya sighed, using every ounce of effort not to raise her voice in frustration. "And even if he did, they're family. Daenerys wanted to restore the Iron Throne to House Targaryen, and she's done it. It's not going to be a problem, and anyway, we have bigger things to worry about with the oncoming threat from beyond the Wall."
"Do you really think she's trustworthy?" Sansa pressed.
"Yes," Arya said. "Why don't you just give her a chance?"
Sansa changed the subject. "Are you going to find Jon?"
Arya nodded. "It's nearly time for the meeting. He's had some alone time; he needs to get to the Great Hall before any of the others start to suspect anything." Her sister moved away to let her through without another word.
She found Jon fairly easily, slumped against the huge weirwood tree next to the pool. The thought of the depth of his existential crisis made her heart break. She made her way over to him as quickly as possible. But as she drew level with him, and was about to speak, she saw something move in the trees. Frowning, she watched, as a beast the size of a small horse rambled up to Jon. Its fur was thick and white, its eyes as red as rubies. Ghost.
The direwolf continued to pad closer, and slowed to a creep as it got to Arya. Ghost tentatively sniffed her hand, before sitting back on his haunches, teeth bared in a dog-like grin.
"Jon," she said simply, and luckily it was enough to break him out of his reverie.
"Arya," he replied. "Ghost." He extended one arm to the direwolf and one arm to her. She hugged him fiercely.
"I can't even imagine what must be running through your head right now," she started. "But we're here for you, okay? Whatever you decide." She decided to change back to her more general attitude. "Listen, brother, it's nearly time for the meeting."
He sighed softly. "I thought that might be the case."
"Might I suggest you don't make any big decisions at this meeting? Only, I think your thoughts are a little preoccupied."
"It's a good idea," he replied, ruffling Ghost's fur and slowly getting up. "To be honest, this meeting is just about introducing Daenerys to the other northern lords, and answering their questions. When we got to White Harbour, I sent a raven to Eastwatch to Tormund – he's the leader of the wildlings, and yes, he's my friend – and I'm waiting for him to get back here before we start planning anything with troops and battles. It could take him a while, given the snow."
"This could potentially be a disaster then," Arya pointed out honestly, as they left the Godswood and headed towards the Great Hall. "You already said everyone will be suspicious of Daenerys, given the history of her family." She mentally kicked herself, remembering that it was his family as well, now. But if Jon had re-forged this connection, he didn't say so.
"Aye, things could go badly wrong," Jon admitted. "They won't like her, save for the fact that she's helping us. And if I defend her too much, I'll be deemed a lovesick fool."
Arya laughed. "You are a lovesick fool. So is she." She laughed again as his face turned red. "Don't worry, you won't be the only one defending Daenerys. Ser Davos will. I will. Even Sansa will, probably, for your sake. And I'm pretty sure Tyrion Lannister can talk his way around anything."
"Thanks, Arya," he said, seeming genuine.
They arrived at the Great Hall just as everyone else was starting to file in, and Jon and Arya both took their seats at the high table. Daenerys sat to his right, and Arya dashed to sit at his left before Sansa, who was busy greeting people, could. Also on their table were Ser Davos, Tyrion and Bran. Brienne stood to one side, one hand on the pommel of her sword, ever watchful. Arya noticed Lord Varys and Littlefinger standing in diagonal corners of the hall, as far away from each other as it was possible to get. She frowned, trying to remember when she had last seen them at Kings Landing. She had thought they were friends. She sent Littlefinger a chilling glare for good measure as she sat down.
In the middle of the room, the other lords and ladies of the North were taking their seats, as were Daenerys' supporters. Missandei and Grey Worm in particular looked out of place, since neither of them spoke and they were clearly still not dressed for the climate. Arya also noticed that beside her, Jon and Daenerys had acknowledged each other's presence, but said nothing. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes, and thought for the millionth time how badly timed this meeting was.
The Great Hall had gone silent, yet Arya still watched. Ser Jorah Mormont entered the Hall, flanked by a couple of the Dothraki, who, Arya assumed, had been chosen to represent the army during the talks. The Dothraki both moved to sit near Missandei, presumably so that she could translate for them, but Jorah was frozen in the centre. Arya then realised why, as a slight figure stood up. Lyanna.
The cousins: the Lady of Bear Island and the disgraced knight. They simply regarded one another tensely for a moment, before Jorah made a stiff bow to her, with a hesitant "m'lady". Lyanna Mormont simply gave a curt nod before sitting back down in between Lord Glover and little Ned Umber.
By this time everyone else had sat down and there was only the odd murmur to break the silence. Jon stood and the few people still talking hushed at once.
"To begin this meeting on a happy note," he started. "I am glad to announce that another Stark has returned to Winterfell, having survived exile, capture, and other hardships. Arya!" He looked at her.
Arya did not feel like making a speech or looking the hero, but she got up nonetheless and smiled as some people in the hall cheered. She sat down again as soon as they stopped, decidedly preferring to be a witness rather than a participant.
"I think we can all agree that this is a nice touch of joy in this time of danger. As most of you know, I asked Tormund Giantsbane and the rest of the wildling forces to man the Wall at Eastwatch. Before we begin making other decisions about the locations of troops and finalising battle plans, I think it would be a better idea to have him with us, since the wildlings know the terrain better than anyone." This was met with murmurs of assent. Arya watched Missandei whisper a translation to the Dothraki, who also nodded their heads.
"Of course, the main purpose of this meeting is to introduce our new guests and allies in the war to come," Jon said, glancing to his right. "May I introduce you all to Queen Daenerys Stormborn, the Mother of Dragons." Arya realised he had skipped over most of her other titles, but also knew that the more that were highlighted, the more the lords had to be sceptical about. Daenerys then stood.
"My lords and ladies, it is a great pleasure to meet you all," she spoke, her voice devoid of any fear. Arya smiled at her. "I know how many of you feel. I know from common sense, as well as from speaking to your king, that many of you are suspicious of me and question my motives here. I am not here to conquer or belittle. I have come to help and save. I know who my father was, and what he did. I know the Mad King earned his name. But I am not my father, and on behalf of House Targaryen, I ask for forgiveness for all of the crimes he committed against the northern houses."
Arya was awed by her bold speech, but knew it would have done little to shift the attitudes of the stubborn northerners.
Lord Manderly stood and peered at Daenerys, mouth twisted. "And how about after the dead are defeated? What then? How do we know you won't use your remaining forces against us?"
Jon stood and Arya resisted a smile. "My lord, I appreciate your concerns but I really think we need to face one thing at a time. Without Queen Daenerys and her forces, we don't stand a chance against the Night King. But with the Dothraki, the Unsullied, the other southern forces that are preparing to travel north, and especially with three dragons, we might just be able to win. And if we do win, if, then we can cross that bridge." Manderly glared at Daenerys again but sat down.
Lord Glover then stood. "Your Grace, I must say I agree with Lord Manderly. How can we trust Queen Daenerys? How can we be sure that she will stick to her word?" As the question sunk in, Arya decided she had had enough of people asking this question. Frustration made her stand, and Jon and Daenerys both looked at her in surprise. Littlefinger wore a stupid little smirk, and Sansa looked agitated.
Arya stared right at the older lord, then looked around the hall. "Whatever you think of Daenerys is up to you," she started, her voice as cold as steel. "But here's the truth. She could be sat in the sun in Kings Landing right now, comfortably holding court without giving us a second thought. But instead she has travelled thousands of miles to join us in this fight beyond the Wall. Isn't that good enough for any of you?" She surveyed the hall again, to dead silence and the odd frown. She noticed Lyanna Mormont hanging on to her every word.
She continued. "Shall we consider the alternative? What do any of you think would have happened if it was Cersei on the Iron Throne? Do you think she would have sent anyone to help us? Because I don't. Even if we did get into the situation where Cersei came to Winterfell, her armies wouldn't be peacefully setting up tents outside and helping us. They would be inside our halls, killing us all. I know as well as any of you the history between the Starks and the Targaryens, but if we are to be successful in the months and years to come, we need to put that aside and start afresh." She sat down and glared at everyone, almost daring anyone to contradict her.
It was Lyanna Mormont that stood. "I must say that I agree with Arya," she said, her voice a lot smoother, yet harder than Arya's. "Queen Daenerys is the best chance we have in fighting this war. King Jon went to Dragonstone with the knowledge that he could be refused help, or even imprisoned. Yet he went all the same and came back with a lot of allies. None of us should be complaining." Now, some of the other lords were murmuring in assent.
"My lords and ladies, our next step is to start pulling together resources: food, drink, clothing. Any materials. Thanks to Queen Daenerys we have a tremendous amount of dragonglass, which our smiths are beginning to forge weapons from. More shiploads are on their way." More people muttered in agreement.
Arya zoned out on the rest of the meeting, wishing it was over so that she could continue speaking to Jon. No one else questioned Daenerys' motives, so Arya was quite bored listening to people talking about wagons of grain, and the transportation of fabrics for clothing. Therefore it was a relief when Jon deemed the meeting over, and the other lords and ladies began to file out. Arya noticed Lyanna eyeing Jorah curiously, though she said nothing as she left. Arya was keen to get out and talk to Jon.
However, Jon walked straight out of the hall as soon as everyone else had gone.
A/N: Things are really moving forward now!
I have made the decision not to include the Long Night in this fic, mostly because I cannot write battle scenes to save my life and also because I don't think I could portray it in a way that would do it justice.
That said, I have also decided that this fic will be 23 chapters long, meaning only five more are to follow. This is due to the fact that I have a new idea for the next fic I want to write (spoiler alert, it's a Jonerys one set in season 7/8 (again)), but I want to finish this one first.
Anyway, thank you all so much for reading; your continued support on this work means the world. The comments I got on the last chapter were so lovely, I'm so glad that you liked it.
The next chapter will be in Dany's POV.
Thanks for reading again, let me know what you think. Until next time.
