The Dragon and the Hawke 35
It did not take long for the would be assassins of Jon Snow to be rounded up and placed in cells. There was a certain irony to the fact that less than half a year ago those same cells had been where the Wildlings were confined in. This was actually intentional on the part of the Black Brothers who did not count amongst the twenty or so traitors.
An hour after everything was settled Jon Snow, Sansa, Tyrion, Marian, and some of the more prominent Black Brothers were gathered within his office, along with the aged Knight Davos Seaworth. They did not speak for a long time, everyone having to process the events that had led up to this, and the fact that there was a spacial rift torn through the world on one of the walls that showed a much more well lit room than the one they were in.
"So, what are we to do?" Eddison Tollett, the last of Jon's friends in Castle Black asks
"They tried to kill the commander," One of the more burly and aged men tells him, "I may not agree with Lord Snow, but his word is law when it comes to the Watch. Thorne and his ilk should all get the sword."
"Can we afford the loss?" Another brother asks, "I know you were not there, but what I saw at Hardhome tells me that we can not afford to lose any man."
"Hardhome?" Tyrion asks
"A ruin," The brother tells him, and his eyes seem to glaze as he recalls the massacre, "And now a graveyard. We went with Tormund Giantsbane, a few of the freed wildlings, and twenty brothers. We got there, and then the Wights came. They slaughtered more than I could ever count in a lifetime. They killed everything that couldn't get away, women, children, old, young. And then, when we got to the boats, one of the Walkers showed himself."
"Walkers?" Tyrion tilts his head, "Surely you don't mean the White Walkers?"
"Aye, and not just any," Jon picks up the story from behind his desk, "The Night's King himself. All he did was walk across the docks, and raise his hands."
The Lord Commander snaps his fingers, a muffled sound through his gloves, "And like that, he had a hundred thousand new wights. I fear that Ser Endrew is correct, we cannot afford to lose any more brothers."
Edd spits on the ground, shaking his head, "Be honest with yourself, Jon. You don't want to have to give the order to kill them cause it'll kill Olly, too."
Jon closes his eyes, and rubs his fingers together as he tries to think on what Edd is telling him. He knows that his friend is right, but not if that changed anything. He hated the men who tried to kill him, he even hated Olly, but he also sympathized with them, and he also needed them alive and able for the coming battle against the Long Night. He wished he had time to think of a solution, but time was not a luxury anymore.
"Hang on, sorry, I'm new to this part of the world. What are White Walkers?"
Eyes turn to Marian, who just tilts her head as she waits for some form of answer.
Jon tells her, "They are the ancient enemy. Necromancers who control ice, dwell in the land of always winter, and hate the living. Thousands of years ago, they sought to conquer the realm of men, but failed. Now they are trying again, with a thousand years worth of dead men as their army."
Marian frowns, "Blood magics and Necromancers, I feel like I'm back home."
The men of the Night's Watch all exchange glances, wondering just who the fuck this woman is. Before any can ask her directly, she hops off of the table she had been using as a seat and tells them, "Alright, I'm gonna go tell Dany that I need to borrow the boys for a bit, if we're going up against Necromancers, we may as well have some Dragons on our side."
And then she turns and walks through the rip in the wall that apparently leads to Meereen. Men stare blankly at the wall, trying to formulate a response, before Jon asks, "Did she just say… Dragons?"
"She did," Tyrion confirms, "Three of them."
"Who in the seven hells is that woman?" Edd asks, looking down at the dwarf
"That, my friend, is Marian Hawke, the Storm God," Tyrion tells her, long having given in to the hype that surrounded the oblivious mage.
"You're fucking with us," Edd narrows his eyes
"She just walked through a wall," Jon notes.
"And on the other side of it is Meereen," Sansa adds, quietly. Though the Lannister, nee Stark, was still terrified of the power that Marian displayed for the most part, she had long come to accept it. What also helped was that Marian sort of reminded her of a more blunt form of Margaery Tyrell, whom she had been fond of during her time in King's Landing, mixed with her husband, who she had come to enjoy the company of now that there was no threat of execution for saying the wrong thing in front of the other Lannisters.
"Bull shit," Edd grunts
"I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss it, lad," Davos Seaworth speaks up for the first time since they had entered the office, "I've seen King Stannis's Red Priestess do impossible things with her god's power. I can only speculate how much more powerful the actual thing would be."
"Aye, we saw the magic of your witch," Ser Endrew Tarth grunts, thinking of the burning of Mance, The King Beyond the Wall. The dead where the ones that needed to be burned, not the living.
Jon Snow may not be aware, but putting an arrow into the Wildling's heart had gained him the favor of a lot of his men, and especially all who were within the office as of this moment. The Commander had mercy and resolve in equal measure, had been fair to the men, and was honest about his motivations. More than anything, it was clear that the threat to Jon Snow was the White Walkers, and fuck a thousand years of hatred between the Night's Watch and the Wildlings.
"Could she and the Dragons turn the tide against the Walkers?" He asks, clearly representing the most of what his men see in him.
Tyrion looks at him, furrows his brow, and rubs his chin. After a moment, he tells Jon, "She conquered Meereen in ten minutes, did you know? From what I have been told, she walked up to the gates, stopped a hundred feet from them, and with a wave of her hand she destroyed gates that had stood for centuries as a symbol of the might of Meereen. She called down lightning of such force that it shattered them. I do not think anything could stop her, not even the White Walkers."
"Will she stay?" Jon then asks
"I do not think so," Tyrion tells him with a shake of his head, "She has a wife in Meereen, and I do not think Missandei would appreciate the cold."
"Wife?" One of the more quiet brothers asks
Tyrion nods, "It seems that whatever faith Marian has started, it does not shy away from couples of the same sex."
"That's blasphemy!" The Brother grunts, angrily
"To the Seven? Certainly, but as a god, Marian can make her own decries, and she has made quite a few that she calls 'Andrastian.' Who or what that is, I haven't a clue, but I try not to disagree with the goddess who could melt my face off."
"I saw her do it once," Sansa tells Jon, shuddering, "It's horrible."
"Why would she do something like that?" The Lord Comander asks the room at large
"The guy whose face I melted liked to do bad things with little boys," Marian's voice drifts out of the wall.
On the other side of the wall stands Marian, Missandei, and Daenerys Targaryen. The black brothers are shocked to see the room on the other side of the wall, and even more shocked that they did not notice the crack widening while they were talking.
Marian waves at everyone and smiles, "Hello everyone! Let me introduce Queen Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen, and my lovely wife Missandei."
"Your Grace," Jon stands and offers a bow, which he is relieved to see the Queen does not hesitate in returning.
"Lord Commander," Dany greets, "I appologize for not coming through to speak with you, but unfortunately I do not have any clothes fit for the cold, and I have an Empire that may need my attention."
"I understand, your Grace," Jon tells her, then sits down, "Shall we move on to business, your Grace?"
"Please," Dany nods, and sits in an uncovered chair on her side of the wall, "Marian tells me that you are facing a cult of necromancers? I have had dealings with necromancers in the past, and I will say that I embrace any opporotunity to rid the world of more of their ilk."
"You have encountered White Walkers?" Jon jumps to his feet in horror, "They slipped past the wall?"
Dany raises a hand and says, "Rest easy, Lord Commander, I speak of the warlocks of Qarth. I feel that they are an entirely different beast than the ones you are facing, but I am eager to lend my assisstance."
Jon sighs in relief and lowers himself down into his chair, "I am glad to hear that you are not talking about the Walkers. What we need, your Grace, is a way to take the fight to the White Walkers and roust them before they can even reach the Wall."
"And for that you need my Dragons?" Dany asks
"Aye, your grace, and your god," Jon nods
"God?" Marian asks Missandei while Dany nods in understanding.
Missandei gives her an indulgent smile as Dany tells Jon, "You may have both, temporarly of course, when the time comes. Would you be alright with Marian leaving the crack in your wall so that we may communicate?"
"I see no problems with it, your grace," Jon tells her
"Then it seems we are in agreement," Dany smiles at him and nods.
Jon as well, gives a nod in agreement and turns to look at his brothers as the Queen starts to leave the room in Meereen.
Both are stopped from returning to their regularly scheduled programming when Davos Seaworth stands, "Your Grace."
Dany stops and turns back around as all eyes turn to the smuggler turned knight, "Yes?"
"My name is Davos Seaworth, your grace," He tells her, "I am second in command of the armies of King Stannis Baratheon."
Dany's eyes narrow, old hatred coming to the surface, but her hatred of the Baratheons had long diminished through time and replacement by the Slave Masters she had all but exterminated. She takes a breath, and nods, "Continue."
"Your grace, I feel that I would be remiss in my duties if I did not offer the opporotunity to Parlay between yourself and King Stannis."
"You wish for us to talk?" She asks
"Yes, your grace," He nods, "I can see that you are powerful, and he is as well. I also can guess that you will, one day, return to Westeros. In force if necessary. The realm has suffered enough dueling monarchs."
"And you believe that if there were peace between myself and your King, we could avoid bloodshed?"
"I do."
"Then I accept, and will meet with your King at the earliest convenience."
"Thank you, your grace," Davos bows, "How might we contact you?"
He looks up in time to see a candalabre flying at his head. He catches it and looks through the wall, and at Marian.
"When you want to talk, put a candle in that and light it," The goddess tells him, "I'll make a crack so we can talk."
Davos nods, and then he departs to begin prepping for departure. The Black Brothers all leave the room after him, happy to know that they will have Dragons on their side for the coming battle against the White Walkers. Dany and Missandei leave the antichamber in Meereen.
And like that it is just Marian, Jon, Tyrion, and Sansa left in either room. Marian is the first to speak, "I'm gonna leave the wall open, so whenever you two are ready to come back, just let me know!"
She then leaves as well, and the trio remaining all sit in chairs around Jon's desk to talk.
None would realize that they forgot to finish the discussion involving Jon's would be assassins for several hours and one of the imprisoned men demanded they either kill him or feed him.