Love is the Death of Duty
Chapter 3
Jon Snow was smaller than she had imagined. Daenerys was looking down at a rather comely man that couldn't have been more than two inches taller than her, who stood in the place of the towering, hairy beast that she had expected. While she presently surprised about his physical appearance, she could see the defiance etched into the lines of his face from across the room, something that she knew would not bode well in the moments that were to follow.
"Welcome, my lords," she said, smiling down at them, making no move to greet them up close. Jon Snow returned her smile with a sort of grimace, his disposition clearly unchanged. "I hope the seas weren't too rough?", she continued, hoping to elicit a vocal response from the man across the room. "The winds were kind, your grace," Jon Snow stated with an air of finality. Awkward silence filled the room, hanging in the air like dust. Daenerys stared at Jon, and he met her gaze, and held it unwaveringly.
"I assume, my lord," she began, decidedly tired of waiting for him to speak, "that you're here to bend the knee?" The king in the north shifted his balance from one leg to the other, dropping his head briefly, his steely conviction renewed. "I am not," he stated, the authority in his voice clear. Infuriated, the Dragon Queen turned to her hand, who in kind, turned to Jon Snow. "Bend the knee, lord snow," Tyrion began, "You'll be much better off for it. When we have dealt with Cersei and the Euron Greyjoy, the last thing I want is to march north and take up arms against you." Jon was unmoved, and shook his head. "The people of the North, placed their trust in me. I cannot violate that trust for the sake of some southern queen." Daenerys's nostrils flared, and her eyes narrowed with mounting dislike. "None of this matters anyways," Jon continued, the edge in his voice growing more prominent with every word, "it won't matter who sits on the iron throne when the dead march south." Eyes widening in mockery, Daenerys looked at her hand. "The dead," she stated, her voice laced with disbelief. Perhaps Melisandre was trying to make her look a fool by suggesting that she treat with a madman. Tyrion also looked befuddled, but managed to hide any cynicism from his features. "The dead, marching south," her hand stated, his voice trailing off, his eyes meeting Jon's in a silent request for elaboration.
"Aye, I know it sounds mad." The man that accompanied Snow stepped forward and continued, "it sounds completely insane. But he tells the truth." Daenerys looked at him with the same cold stare that she had held Jon with. "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I don't know you Sir," She began before he cut in, answering the question that was forming on her lips. "Davos Seaworth, your grace. And don't bother yourself with my house, its relatively new. What he's saying, your grace, it's all true. I wish it was as nonsensical as it sounds, but we can't ignore this; I've seen 'em, and he's been fighting 'em for years. The hard truth is the one he's been saying this whole time; if we don't put aside our differences and come together then we're finished. We're all finished."
Silence swept across throne room when Ser Davos stopped talking, the gravity of what he was implying matched only by the sheer impossibility of what he was saying. It was Jon who spoke next.
"Tyrion, do you take me for a liar?" Her hand, lost in his own head, looked up at his northern friend, his expression softening. "No," he began to say before Jon interjected. "Do you take me for a fool? A Madman?", he demanded. Tyrion, slightly taken aback by the harshness of Jon's tone, shifted uncomfortably and dropped his gaze. "No, and no," he replied, his voice somewhat subdued. Jon looked up at Daenerys, his grey eyes burning with purpose. "Your grace, I have seen what the white walkers are capable of. You can deny their existence now, but it will be the end of us all. I came here, against the advice of my countrymen, against the advice of my closest advisors, because I knew that you, and your resources might be what we all need to survive. If you would not heed my warning, then I see no reason to linger on this island. I need to return to my people."
Daenerys could not believe what she was hearing. This man had traveled miles to come a treat with her, and based off of first impressions alone, he was willing to depart without a second thought. He did not strike her as a man to waste time. "Why was it that you came here, Lord Snow?", she asked, making no attempt to conceal her distaste for this northern upstart. "Clearly it wasn't to attempt to create an alliance, and clearly it wasn't to bend the knee."
"I did come here hoping that you would listen to what I had to say," Snow's voice hid nothing about how he felt for her either, the malice beginning to curl around his words, "an alliance between our houses, between the north and the south, is necessary for our survival, but I have tried to convince many others before you. Very few of them believed me, and as a result, we will all suffer when winter comes. And winter is very, very close." Daenerys stood from her seat and strode towards him, footsteps echoing off the stone stairs. "You question me for not believing you, Lord Snow," she said, "yet you abstain from answering mine. So I shall ask again, why are you here?".
She was less than a foot away from him now. She could see scars that she hadn't been able to from afar; one that curled its way down his right eyebrow, and the one that ran from above his left eyebrow, down onto his cheek. She could feel his presence even more now; he radiated conviction, drive, purpose, desperation. Violet eyes met grey.
"Dragonglass. I came here for Dragonglass."
Thank you guys for the follows and the favorites. I am working on making sure I have chapters done in advance, so the time that I list on my profile for the publishing of these chapters should be consistent. If I say that chapter 4 wont come out until the 15th, then expect it on the 15th at the latest; it depends on my work rate. Follow, review and let me know what I'm doing right and wrong!