DAENERYS
The rest of the trip towards White Harbor was torturous.
Tyrion had had words with the two of them. It was not something either of them had wanted to hear.
Nevertheless, they both agreed to keep their distance from each other for the rest of the trip...as Tyrion had explained, all would be lost if they could not sway the Northern Lords...and their relationship would not help sway them.
But it didn't make it any easier.
Jon still came to her at night, but in secret, in the dead of night, when the rest of the ship slept. He would hold her for a few hours and then painfully leave. Sometimes they made love, sometimes not...but they were always secret and quiet. He had sworn an oath, and he would not break it, not for anything in the world, and she loved that about him, infuriating as it may be sometimes. But not this time. She was grateful to him. They just had to be more careful.
They did not ride the Dragons again.
They would pass in the hall, and only nod briefly after making short eye contact. At meals they would sit as far away from each other as possible. The cramped galley barely allowed for it, but they did try. At meetings they were forced to sit at either heads of the table facing each other, but they would avoid eye contact unless they needed ot talk to each other. During their free time, they would not sit together and read or play games or watch the dragons as they had done before.
It was torment for her.
She missed him.
He was right in front of her, but she missed the intimacy she had grown accustomed to. She missed his warmth next to her. She missed his presence, their intimate conversations. They had grown to know each other very well, and to have their bond ripped apart like this was some fresh new hell for Dany.
By the time the ship pulled into White Harbor, it was a relief.
They only would be stopped for a day, to resupply the ship and to trade some of the crew, before they continued up the White Knife river and onto the King's Road and Winterfell.
She and Jon were also to meet with the Manderlys, who would greet them at the castle first thing after they had docked. She was anxious about that.
It was not Lord Wyman, nor his son Wylis, who both had taken up lodgings at Winterfell, but the family...the Lady Leona Woolfield, who was married to Wylis, and their two young daughters, Wynafryd and Wylla. The wife managed the city in the Lords' stead, as all the men had left for North, and taken a large part of the Manderly's army, leaving only enough guards to protect the city.
It would be her first proper introduction to Northerners, and Jon had been coaching her most of the day. He taught her the history of house Manderly, which she had known some of which but had never heard in full...and he had told her the brother had died at the Red Wedding alongside Robb Stark (which Jon had quickly glossed over, though Dany could sense his discomfort in speeaking of his lost brother,) and she was not to mention it. The Manderly's were amongst the most loyal of houses to the Starks, but Jon had told her that Northerners were a testy bunch, and, though not offended easily, they would be watching her...and word of her actions and the Lady's assesment of her character would be sent along to the Manderly Lords at Winterfell. What happened here could determine what the Lord's opinions of her was when they arrived, and it was important she come from a postion of strength, but also from a postion of compassion. It was important for her to also be warm and welcoming.
So it was difficult for her, when, after they had parted from Davos at the docks, and they had travelled up the winding streets of the city, through the gates guarded by men with tridents instead of spears, only to enter the castle and approached the Ladies in the courtyard, and they curtsied politely to Jon after he greeted them, and not her. Her temper flared.
"Lady Leona, might I introduce..." Jon hesitated. He had heard all her titles before, but she knew that for the life of him he could not remember them all. She realized that someday she would have to have Missandei teach him the thing in full, and how she had earned each title with fire and blood, and sweat and tears, and hunger and pain, and all of the terrible things she had been through.
"Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen, First of her Name, Rightful Queen of the Andals and the Rhoynar and the First Men, Protector of the Realm, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, the Unburnt, Mother of Dragons, Breaker of Chains, Queen of Meeren and Lady of Dragonstone," finished Missandei. Jon gave her a greatful nod, and she gave him an amused look in return.
There was a moment, where Daenerys thought they would dare not bow, and her heart skipped a beat-fire sprang to her eyes-but then-
"Your Grace," said Lady Leona, and smoothly curtised. Her daughters followed suit swiftly. "It is a pleasure to meet you."
"Likewise, Lady Manderly," said Daenerys politely. "Thank you for welcoming us into the city and your beautiful home."
Leona nodded politely.
"My husband and his father, the Lord of this Castle, apologize for not being here to greet you-they are away North in Winterfell."
"Yes, I have been informed. I'm sure I will have the pleasure of meeting them soon."
The Lady bowed her head.
The woman was unreadable.
"I'm sorry we won't be able to stay longer," said Jon, "but as I'm sure you understand we are in a great hurry to be North as quickly as possible."
"Yes, I have been informed of the situation," said Leona. She took a sharp breath. "I am glad we are farther south...but I do worry of my husband and father by marriage so close to danger."
There was a beat. The mood in the room darkened considerably.
"I will be sure to watch over them, My Lady," he said, "and they are strong, brave men, capable of handling themselves, though I cannot guarantee their safety. The threat is great and if we fail we are all doomed."
"Then I will pray you do not fail," she said, in a whisper.
Daenerys felt a sense of sadness at the woman's fear, a fear she shared, but must not show.
"I appreciate your prayers, my Lady," she said, "but we will not fail. That I assure you. We will defeat the White Walkers, we must defeat them, and your Lord Husband and his father will return to you, this I swear.
Lady Leonna gave her a sharp look. Daenerys could tell she didn't believe her.
"Still, I will pray," she said sharply. Daenerys glanced quickly at Jon out of the corner of her eye.
Jon coughed.
Leonna turned to him.
"I have prepared a company of ships to accompany you on your journey north along the river, along with armed men and supplies."
"I pray it will be enough to keep you safe on your journey to Winterfell."
"Thank you, my Lady," said Daenerys. "You are most gracious."
"And," she said, a sour look on her face, "as a gesture of good will, I have gifted you one of the finest silversmiths in the city. May he serve you well."
Daenerys' lips parted. She was touched, though she knew that this was not the Lady's idea.
She knew it would be rude to refuse.
The North is not like Slaver's Bay. The man is joining of his own free will, Daenerys reminded herself.
"Thank you, my Lady," she said, truly grateful. The woman's eyes shifted, and her expression softened.
"I have also taken the liberty of arranging a tour of the castle and city at your leisure, if it please your Grace," she said.
"Thank you, my Lady, that sounds pleasant. We have not had much of an opportunity to stretch our legs on our journey."
She nodded in response.
"I don't wish to keep you, your Graces," she said to Daenerys and Jon in turn. "I am sure you are tired after your long journey."
"Of course, I am sure you have a great many matters to attend to," said Daenerys.
The Lady curtsied deeply and left.
Daenerys and Jon shared a look. He seemed to let out a breath he'd been holding.
He smiled at her. She smiled softly in return.
Their eyes lingered on each other's for half a moment.
Dany's heart began to race.
Then he looked away.
They had a light lunch and planned to go on the tour, but they left the others at the gates, Tyrion saying he'd rather explore the city on his own, and Missandei said she'd wanted to go to the shopping district for a bit, taking some guards with her, and Varys mysteriously snuck away, until there was just the two of them, Dany and Jon, and the 15 Unsullied who guarded Daenerys at all times, but did not count much for company, as they travelled at a distance behind, giving the Queen her privacy.
They met the oldest of the Lady's daughters on the tour, a girl of 14. She smiled at them. She was very sweet and pretty. She seemed a bit in awe, especially of Daenerys, but remained composed. Dany smiled warmly at her and she gushed.
"I'm to give you your tour, your Grace," she said, politely and voice sweet as honey.
"I look forward to it, my dear," said Daenerys gently.
There was a second, then the girl said, in a voice that suggested that she was not supposed to ask such a thing, "Is it true you have dragons? And that you ride them into battle? Like Aegon and Visenya and Rhaenys Targareyn?"
Her eyes were alight with excitement.
Daenerys smiled.
"Yes child, I do...they fly high above the city right now, so as not to scare your people."
The girl's face lifted in excitement.
"Wow," she breathed.
"My ancestors were idols of yours?"
The girl gushed in excitement.
"They're my sister and I's favorite story. Everyone talks about Aegon, but his sister-wives are the true heroes. Where would he have been without them?"
Daenerys grinned. They locked eyes, child to hero, and Daenerys felt her heart warm.
"I hope I get to be as great a hero as you some day," said the child.
"I look forward to hearing of all of your great accomplishments," said Dany, beaming.
The girl grinned broadly, and Dany knew she'd made a friend.
She looked up, and Jon was smiling at her.
She first took them to the great hall, then the courtyard, then the battlements. The castle was marvelous-all white stone and high windows with views of the sea. Daenerys could still smell the salty sea air and heard the cry of gulls. She showed them the small sept, and then the godswood...where stood White Harbor's Weirwood Tree.
Dany had heard of them and they had been described to her before-but she had never actually seen one. She was not prepared for how they looked in reality-scraggy white twisting branches and glowing red leaves. But what made her feel uneasy was the face carved in the wood-hollow and empty, this one's mouth was especially stretched, like it was screaming. But it's eyes were strangely alive, and it gave her the shivers.
"Do you follow the old gods?" asked the girl. Dany hesitated.
"No," she said.
"Oh," she looked disappointed. "The Seven?"
Dany shook her head. The girl seemed curious.
"Then what?"
Dany hesitated. No answer came to mind.
There were the Dothraki's Great Stallion...the light of eternal fire...the drowned god...the many-faced god...the Valyian Gods of her ancestors...but none of them fit. None of them were something she wanted nor could force herself to believe in. Dany did not trust nor believe in any Gods anymore...she only believed in herself.
"Nothing," she said.
The girl seemed confused.
"Nothing?"
Dany nodded.
The girl thought for a moment, her face wound up in confusion.
"Oh," she said.
The girl wandered off to sit on a bench near a small trickling stream, and Dany could tell she was thinking very hard.
It was only the two of them , finally having a moment alone. The Unsullied stood near the entrance, where they could still hear and see her, but they would never talk of what she and Jon did, of that she knew.
Daenerys turned hesitantly to Jon, and he was looking at her with a very soft look on his face.
"What?" she asked.
He smiled gently, stretched out his hand to her. She took it bravely. They were, after all, alone now, and neither thought the girl would care or notice, deep in thought as she was.
He led the to beneath the Weirwood tree, and the face stared at her eerily, like it saw every part of her. She wanted to hide.
"It's alright, it may have a mouth but it won't bite," said Jon with a chuckle.
Daenerys composed herself, and looked away from the eyes.
The trunk was pure white, and the red canopy of leaves basked the two of them in a warm glow.
She looked back at his face.
"What?" she said softly again.
"Will you...just sit with me here for a bit?"
And he sait down at the roots of the old tree. When she hesitated, he patted the ground next to him, and she joined him.
Jon did not say anything, and Dany did not dare break the silence. It was...very peaceful under the tree. After a while she leaned on him, laying her head on his shoulder, which was covered in soft furs. He leaned his cheek against her head.
They sat like that for a long while.
"It's peaceful here," said Dany, finally breaking the silence.
"Yeah," said Jon. "I don't know that I follow any gods anymore but...it just reminds me of home."
Daenerys understood that.
She thought back to the red door and her lemon tree.
Would she ever find such a place again? A place she could call home?
She snuggled closer to him.
I am home, said a voice in her head.
She inhaled deeply and smiled.
"I never had a home," she said quietly. "Not really. We were always on the run...from one place to the next. Robert's assassin's were always hunting us."
Jon was silent for a long moment.
"I'm sorry for what my family did to yours," he said gently after a long moment.
Dany was silent.
"It's not your fault," she said. "And I wouldn't ask you to. Your family was in the right. My father was mad. He had to be stopped. But..."
"But it should never have harmed you," Jon finished. There was a moment of silence.
"...yes," she said softly. "But it brought me here...it brought me to you."
He wrapped an arm around her, and she cuddled in close.
"Yes," he said.
As long as she was with him, she was home.
They snuggled deeper together, and somewhere in the distance, a raven cawed.
A/N: thanks so much for reading! please REVIEW and let me know what you think! I LOVE hearing from you...you don't know how many times I refresh my legacy story stats hoping to see my review count go up so I can hear more from you! I love you all so much! ^.^
Also, my brain is burnt from all the time I've spent on the Wikia trying to learn everything I can about the Targareyns, maps, house's histories...trying to surmise enough about the Manderlys and figuring out where each one was...was quite the headache. They're actually considered the most loyal house to the Starks, and I believe Wyman Manderly has been featured in the show several times...and his second son was slain at the Red Wedding next to Rob, although his first son and heir is still alive, and (I assumed) would not want to wait at White Harbor to be in charge of the city while his father went off to war against the White Walkers, so I put him in Winterfell, (where his father was last seen in the show)
Mandarly's sigil is a merman with a trident, and also the guards and armies fight with tridents, not spears, which is cool AF. White Harbor is also home to the best silversmiths in Westeros, so I thought it would be cool to add that in and give Dany one, considering the whole Jon/Dany #silverwedding seems to be a growing thing, and I really like the aesthetic idea of it, lol...so obvs. they're gonna need a silversmith for...reasons...
Plus how great would it be for Daenerys to have a silver crown? In every season, she's had a major piece of jewelry, (my favorite being the dragon necklace from s6), and if she doesn't have a crown in s8 then...
:(