Internet and Interviews
Dany woke up the next morning to Jon's quiet curse. "Damn!"
"What is it?" she asked sleepily.
"My phone's gone mad. I never get this many messages!"
She sat up with a start, suddenly remembering last night's charity event, grabbing her own phone and groaning at the large number of alerts on there. "I'd better check Missi's messages first and see what the damage is," she decided.
"Damage?" Jon was going to be in for a shock. "Now, why would Arya be trying to call me at this time of day?"
"You going to phone her back?"
He nodded, already holding the phone to his ear. "What's up, Coz?"
Dany shifted a little closer to him, hoping to eavesdrop, but quickly realised she wouldn't have to worry as the voice on the other was exceptionally loud and very easy to hear.
"Jon! What the hell have you been up to? Why didn't you tell me? How could you?"
"Arya ... slow down, I've only just woken up. What's the matter?"
"What's the matter? The matter is that I go onto the forum this morning and there's all this stuff about Daenerys Targaryen coming out of hiding and then … and then I see this picture of her with … YOU!"
"Forum?" he asked sleepily.
Despite everything Dany couldn't help but giggle. Jon really had no idea what the fandom surrounding Magical Menagerie was like and it appeared that his cousin was right in the thick of it.
"You were at a charity event last night with the Daenerys Targaryen!"
"Yes,? You know I volunteer for them, and so I was assigned as her bodyguard for the event."
"Yeah, right," Arya scoffed.
"And what does that mean?"
"You have seen the photo, yeah?"
"Photo? What photo?"
Jon glanced over at Dany but she just shrugged in reply, still hunting through Missandei's messages and trying to work out what was going on. Then she pressed the link her friend had sent and gasped as the image finally loaded.
The photo had obviously been taken shortly after Jon had intimidated that tall guy when he was persuading her to step away. His hand was resting on her waist as she started to move past and she was looking up at him with what Dany had thought was a grateful smile but, in this one split second, looked totally adoring instead, as did the returning gaze from Jon. It honestly looked like they were just about to kiss and she shuddered at the sight. It was as sexy as hell and was now, apparently, all over the internet.
"If you were on Twitter I'd tag you," Arya was saying to Jon. "Do you even have Facebook?"
"Ah, yes, but I never really use it."
"You are impossible, you know that, right?"
Dany had got over her shock now and nudged Jon, showing him the photo on her phone and he gaped at it. "Oh … found it now."
"Yeah, so you see why I don't believe you when you say you were her bodyguard."
"Well, I was and I was just … escorting her away when this was taken and ..." Jon stopped, still staring at the picture and belatedly realising how useless it was to try to dismiss what was in front of him.
"You need to tell me everything," Arya crowed.
"Certainly not."
Dany tried very hard not to giggle but didn't quite manage to keep quiet.
"Wait … what was that? Are you telling me …? God, Jon, you said you'd just woken up. Are you actually with her now?"
"I'm not saying another word without a lawyer present," he replied promptly, and then yanked the phone away from his ear as a deafening squeal emerged from it.
"Oh, my God … You're actually going out with Daenerys Targaryen?"
"Arya," he hissed. "You can't ask me that and I can't answer, do you understand? Do you not know what she's been through?"
"Jon," Dany said. "It's all right."
There was a sudden silence on the other side and she realised then that Arya must have heard her. "I … of course. I … didn't think. I forgot." There was another long pause. "I was just being selfish for a moment, sorry."
"You've nothing to be sorry about," Jon said. "And I doubt it'll remain a secret for long anyway - not now that photo is out there - but, if you could just wait a little longer before you say anything to our family and please don't mention anything about this online."
"Yes, of course, I understand." Another short pause. "You two do look incredibly good together, you know?"
Jon turned to look at her with a soft smile. "Thanks, Coz," he replied.
"And, Daenerys, if you can hear me ... I can't wait to meet you."
She leant towards the phone. "I look forward to it, Arya."
There was a slight strangled sound from the other end of the line and even Jon pulling the phone away did little to dampen the sound of the girl's shriek. "Oh ... My ... God!"
~o~0~o~
Dany came out of the bathroom to find Jon at her computer, a frown on his face.
"What are you doing?"
He jumped up guilty, his cheeks pink. "I just thought I'd see what … I mean, I just looked and … God, Dany, you won't believe what's up there."
"Step away from the Tumblr, Jon," she commanded, in a mock stern tone. "First lesson of the fame game."
"But they're … writing stories about us!"
She nodded. "And drawing fanart."
"What?" He turned his head back towards the screen and she laughed, darting quickly in front of him to close the window. "Explicit art probably. Trust me, you do not want to be looking at those sites right now. Leave all of that to Missandei."
His eyes went even wider. "What?"
"She'll keep an eye on what's going on and pass on only what we need to know. You won't miss what you've never had." She frowned. "Although, you said you had Facebook? Better get Missi to check your privacy settings." She sighed. "I'd better start writing all of this down. Come Jon let's have breakfast and talk things through. Just like everything else in this relationship, this is all going way faster than I'd originally hoped."
He grabbed her hands then, moving closer. "I'm sorry that I didn't do better at keeping my distance last night," he said. "I'm sorry this has all ... made things more complicated-"
"-It's fine, Jon you don't need to-"
"-No, let me finish. I love you, Dany and I can't say this isn't all a bit of a shock but … I need you to know that it won't change a thing. If being with you means being in the public eye with you then, that's fine. It's worth it. You're worth it. Do you understand?"
"Not really," she replied. "I actually think you're quite mad."
He laughed, giving her an exceptionally gentle kiss which, nevertheless had her whole body shuddering with desire. "Madly in love with you, it's true but, you're right, let's talk this through and work out what you want to do next."
She nodded. "It was scary last night," she said then, "but also … thrilling and I realised, in a strange way, that I missed it."
He frowned. "You want to do more events?"
She nodded. "I think so but only if you're willing to remain as my bodyguard and my boyfriend. If that's too much for you then I think I'll forget about it and happily go back into hiding."
He shook his head. "You will always have that choice, of course, but I'd hate for you to not to take this opportunity when it's presented itself."
"I'm still not sure you know what you're offering, Jon. I'm not sure you understand what it means. It means cameras following us when we run with the dogs or even when we go to the shops. It means people saying nasty things and making up stories. It means-"
Jon interrupted her with a long, passionate kiss, shocking her into silence.
"I love you," he repeated when he eventually pulled away. "Nothing will ever change that. I will be your bodyguard and your boyfriend and I will follow you into the limelight, do you hear me? I will follow you absolutely anywhere."
~o~0~o~
Epilogue
29th January 2019
An Interview with Daenerys Targaryen
By Shireen Baratheon
When I discover I am to interview Daenerys Targaryen it is clear that my professional detachment is about to be severely tested. As a child I was a huge fan of Magical Menagerie and re-watching some of the episodes in preparation for this meeting has reminded me what it was about the show that made it such a global phenomenon.
I am to meet the actress who shot to fame as Khaleesi, the young Warg Rider, in a large, opulent hotel lobby and, despite knowing how diminutive she is, it is still a shock to have to look down at her as she approaches to shake my hand. She is flanked by her two, now very familiar, dark haired shadows; her pretty female aide and handsome - some might say equally pretty - male bodyguard. The latter caused quite a stir in the media and on fan sites last summer after a candid photo of him and Daenerys at her first charity outing went viral. Since then rumours of a romance between the pair has been regularly speculated on, to the point where many feared the young actress would go scurrying back into hiding. Despite all this, the mysterious Jon Snow has remained in his position, with no official comment having ever been made about his sudden appearance on her staff and all questions about him politely rebuffed or ignored.
I have been told before this interview that there may be subjects Daenerys does not wish to discuss and am assuming this is one of them. All the same, I cannot help but be curious about her bodyguard as we move to a secluded lounge. His expression remains mostly stern throughout, whilst his eyes rarely stray from his charge and it would be surprisingly easy to read more then professional concern in such glances if one were so inclined.
Daenerys herself is dressed surprisingly casually this afternoon, well wrapped up against the cold weather and wearing a large rimmed hat, dark glasses, thick winter coat and gloves which she only removes after several minutes of conversation. She greets me exceptionally warmly and, when I thank her for rewarding me with this rare interview, her face breaks into a wide, almost cheeky, smile showing nothing of either her bad-girl child character or the wild-girl teenage actress who so struggled with the media attention five years ago.
"Oh, you're most welcome. I've been building up gradually, as you know, and the charity work has been a good way to get started. It was high time to start back with the official interviews and your own work with my favourite shelter made it a easy choice really."
Daenerys has focused exclusively on animal charities, starting with the shelter in her home town, and so I suggest that this choice might have been a deliberate and personal one.
"Oh, absolutely. I've always loved animals and all my pets have been adopted not bought for as long as I can remember. So, in the end, it was an easy choice for me to promote my local shelter and support the wonderful work they do nationally too."
The conversation then quickly turns to her own pets as she happily shows me a few photos on her Tablet. The sight of the diminutive Daenerys in running gear with her three large dogs by her side has me gaping and she laughs at my surprise, happily sharing a few wild stories about their various antics.
"They're Newfoundlands," she says, acting like a proud mum showing off her children's school photos, "and I got them as pups about four years ago from the Ipswich shelter and they have been a huge part of my life ever since. The largest one is Drogon, of course," and she giggles at the joke; the name of her dragon Familiar on Magical Menagerie. "And he plays the part very well. The other two are Rhaegal and Viserion who are also named after the show's dragons. Not that I'd recommend the breed for everyone and I imagine few would have the time or resources to look after them.
"That's another important part of the work we do," she continues. "Education. People so often get small, cute puppies without fully appreciating the work and care needed. The same with any pets, of course, and it's vitally important that you choose the right animal for you lifestyle. For instance, I run with my dogs six days a week and additionally take them for slower walks - that's at least thirteen sessions a week with them. Not many people would be able to dedicate the time."
I wonder then how she is coping now that she is returning to the public eye and working more away from home.
"Well yes, that certainly makes it more challenging, although I'm fortunate to have a good support network in place." She smiles softly. "That was something I didn't really have the last time, you see and, although I don't have any family left, my close friends are now as good as … better to be honest. Now I have them and my animals and it makes everything very much easier."
It is a subject I expected to have to skirt around but her answer gives me the courage to prod a little, sympathising with the problems she had in her youth and her decision to keep a low profile for a few years. I then ask about the rumours that she has spent much of this time as a shop keeper and she laughs brightly.
"A fantasy shop called Here Be Dragons! Isn't that ridiculous? After all those years on Magical Menagerie and with me saying I wanted nothing more to do with such things, I then open a shop selling ornamental dragons and fairies. I loved it though. A nice little slice of 'ordinary' and, in many ways, it was a huge wrench to let it go but life moves on and my charity work has helped me to find a new direction in my life." Her smile grows brighter, her gaze soft and distant for a moment.
"And we have now moved into a lovely little rural cottage with plenty of space for the dogs and have also recently adopted a cat from the shelter too." She gives another one of those broad, satisfied smiles. "A huge, white cat called Ghost. Honestly, he's bigger than most dogs and my boys are terrified of him."
Her use of the word 'we' has not gone unnoticed but I keep my curiosity under wraps for now, wondering if it was a slip, a deliberate tease or whether Daenerys is simply referring to herself and her pets.
"So you're planning on creating your own magical menagerie?" I suggest.
She laughs loudly. "Oh, what a delightful thought! I suppose that will depend on how much more of this work I end up doing and which direction I decide to take my life from now on but, yes, now I have the space it would be good to adopt more animals."
I ask her then if she has any plans to return to acting. The rumours about the Magical Menagerie sequel now seem to have been confirmed and I wonder if she would be tempted to return to the franchise if she were asked.
"Oh, I've heard about that too, it's so exciting," she replies before smiling slyly. "I wonder what Khaleesi would be up to now after all those years in self-imposed exile? It's something I often think about, I admit."
"Much like yourself?" I suggest.
"Exile? In Ipswich?" She laughs brightly. "I suppose there may be some small similarity there, although I was hardly running from death threats, no matter how challenging that time of my life was. Anyway, I'm happy enough to be working with my charities for the time being, but I'll certainly be following any developments on Warg Riders with great interest."
I then ask her what else she is doing and she talks about her plans to write. She is working on one book now, she says, focused very much on her animal charities, but more details than that she will not divulge. She admits that she is trying to pluck up the courage to write an autobiography too but currently doubts if it will ever be published.
"I think perhaps writing down my experiences will be therapeutic more than anything else. The dream of sitting quietly in my pretty cottage, writing, running and looking after my family for a few years is certainly very appealing."
When I ask her about her upcoming charity events she becomes even more animated, happily talking about her planned appearances over the next few months.
"But what I'm currently most excited about is The London Marathon in April," she enthuses. "I wasn't sure about the distance at first, I've only really raced over 10K before, and then there's the competition to get a place but, of course, when you're running for a charity ... well, that makes it all the easier."
"So, the dogs are getting a lots of extra runs?" I guess.
She laughs brightly and then pulls a face. "Not really but I certainly am. I need to get the miles up, of course, and undertake plenty of training sessions without their dubious help." She turns to glance at her bodyguard. "And Jon will be running the marathon with me, as I'd definitely be nervous about being in such a large crowd otherwise." She shrugs. "Seeing he has to come out with me and the dogs now I've got attention back on me anyway, it makes sense he joins in and helps out."
To my knowledge this is the first time Daenerys has ever acknowledged her bodyguard in public so I take the opportunity to press a little more.
"He's your trainer too?"
She nods. "And personal slave driver … you have no idea!" Behind her, the man in question rolls his eyes. "He's ex-military, you see, so you can imagine the sort of training he inflicts on me? One step below torture, let me tell you. Of course, at first I thought he'd want to run it on his own, without me slowing him down, but he wouldn't hear of it."
Jon shakes his head at this, giving me the courage to ask his thoughts on her comment.
"She does herself an injustice," he replies quietly, a hint of northern accent showing. "The distance will be as much of a challenge for me, perhaps more so, as I won't just be running for myself but will have to keep focused on her all the time."
"But we can both be sponsored though the charity website," Daenerys says with a sly smile, the comment making it clearer why she has brought him to our attention now. "And it seems Jon has acquired his own fan base which will hopefully mean even more money can be raised." The next look she turns on him appears teasing and this time his eye roll is even more dramatic. Daenerys giggles and turns back to me. "There, I know you've all been dying of curiosity so I thought it was high time to share the limelight and give all his new fans some information about him."
"And how are you finding this new found fame?" I ask Jon.
His smile is small but charming. "Fame for one photo and standing next to Daenerys for a few events?" he replies modestly. "But I'm grateful that most of the attention has been positive."
"It was a very good photo," I say.
Daenerys rolls her eyes. "Very much taken out of context but, what can you do? It perhaps helped me realise that I hadn't been as happy in hiding as I'd thought. Gave me the courage to put myself back out there." She sighs. "It's still a work in progress, but we'll see how I feel after the marathon."
"Out of context?" I ask. "Whilst there are many who believe that the two of you have a romantic relationship, others are suggesting that all the mystery surrounding it was deliberately set up in order to garner extra publicity."
This time her gaze falls on her aide and the young lady on her right seems to be trying hard not to laugh.
"Ah, you caught us out," Daenerys admits. "How very clever of you, and so perhaps that means that I haven't entirely lost my acting ability after all. Perhaps I should consider getting in touch with the Warg Riders show runners?"
My enthusiastic reaction to that makes her laugh as I admit that, as a fan of Magical Menagerie, I would love to see her back on the screen again.
"So sweet of you to say," she says. "Fame is such an odd thing, you know. It all seems so overwhelming when you're in the midst of it but, oh, how you miss it when it's gone."
I am about to bring the conversation back around to the photo when her aide politely ends the interview and, after a few publicity shots, Daenerys shakes my hand and we all start to part company. As her aide comes over to discuss a few final details, I see Jon holding Daenerys' coat for her and cannot help but notice the obvious chemistry between the pair, suddenly wondering at the double bluff that has probably been pulled during the last part of this interview.
Actress, shop keeper, charity worker, writer, runner and mother of drag ...dogs. Daenerys Targaryen leaves all in her path awed and it will be fascinating to follow her re-emergence into public life over the upcoming months and years.
~o~0~o~
Newspaper articles
Monday 29th April 2019
Khaleesi set to Return in 'Magical Menagerie' Sequel
Daenerys Targaryen finally confirmed the rumours about her return to acting this weekend. Talking briefly after completing the London Marathon - her first ever attempt at the distance - the 'Magical Menagerie' star said she was delighted to be able to reprise her role as Khaleesi in the highly anticipated sequel 'Warg Riders'.
Eagerly clutching her finishing medal, a tired but happy Danerys admitted that she has missed acting, despite the problems it brought her, and is keen to return now that she is "in a much better place emotionally."
Many have speculated that Jon Snow has had something to do with this newly found happiness, although she remains tight-lipped about any romantic relationship the two may or may not share. He is hovering close by as usual, having run the course with her as both her bodyguard and a competitor in his own right.
"We want to thank everyone who sponsored us and helped raise so much money," Daenerys said. "It makes our current soreness worthwhile."
~o~0~o~
Tuesday 7th May 2019
Daenerys Announces Engagement
Ever since a candid photo of Daenerys Targaryen and her bodyguard Jon Snow appeared on social media, speculation has been rife about a possible romantic relationship between the pair.
Now all doubts have been erased by the recent, dramatic announcement of their engagement, just two weeks after they ran the London Marathon together. Daenerys held an impromptu press conference afterwards and finally answered some of the questions that journalists and fans have been asking since last summer.
"It was a challenging time for me, back during the filming of 'Magical Menagerie'," she admits, "although I was very young, of course. It made sense to leave all off that behind me at the time but it should be easier now I have finally found a happy balance between my personal and work life."
And she credits much of this happiness to Jon Snow, finally sharing the story of how they met through their local animal charity. "He didn't even know who I was," she says, laughing. "Can you believe that?"
~o~0~o~
THE END
A/N: A bit of a unique ending. I hope you like it. (The last two newspaper articles are shown as 'real' clippings on the AO3 version of this chapter)
So, yeah, the rumours about 'Warg Riders' are true! My next fic is a cross-over between GOT and this 'sequel'. Something you'll recognise as 'Game of Thrones' with Daenerys and Jon Snow as (almost) their usual characters rather than the modern actor/bodyguard. Or perhaps this is a fanfiction inserting the real life couple into 'Warg Riders'. (Keep Bodyguard!Jon Snow away from the internet) Haha! Trippy, as I said. I will get the first chapter of this out just as soon as I can guarantee my usual regular, weekly updates. Keep an eye on my profile page for further details.
Thank you so much for all the love for this fic. It was a blast to write from start to finish.
Jaq xxx