Finally!

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Chapter 96

Daenerys saw the cold resentment in the eyes of the Northerners as she followed Tyrion, Ser Barristan and Lord Reed behind the walls surrounding Winterfell. They made no effort to disguise how they felt about her.

Nearly every person she had encountered in Westeros looked at her with the same mixture of fear and dread in their eyes. She knew then that they thought her to be mad. They thought that she would burn them with wildfire and rip their tongues out for her entertainment. She had fought so hard to return home – to retake the throne – only to find that she was not wanted. She had always thought of Westeros as her home and now she realized that wasn't true. She was not welcomed. Rather, she was regarded as a foreigner.

Daenerys had heard the stories about her father – what he had been like during the Rebellion. Ser Jorah and Ser Barristan had never told her – never said a word against King Aerys. But Tyrion had told her the truth when she asked him to tell her what her father had really been like. She needed to know why the smallfolk seemed to fear her. She knew Tyrion had been but a boy when her father ruled, and that anything he knew of Aerys Targaryen would have come from his brother, the Kingslayer, but she still wished to hear it. And Tyrion had not held back any tale, no matter how horrifying. She still hated to think of her father's torture and burning of Rickard and Brandon Stark. Every man and woman in the Realm must have feared my father. The Mad King.

She looked at the men surrounding Winterfell again. There was no fear in the eyes of these Northerners. Only hatred. No one here was sewing dragon banners and praying for the health of myself and Viserys. No one in Westeros longed for our return. They were glad to be rid of the Targaryens. As she'd listened to Tyrion's stories, Daenerys had realized that everything she'd been told about Westeros and the legacy of House Targaryen was a lie.

Daenerys knew now that she had allowed her pride and vanity to lead her astray. She had forgotten that the Targaryens had conquered Westeros all those years ago. It had not occurred to her that there were many in Westeros who longed for a return to seven separate kingdoms. She had not realized that the people of Westeros had welcomed the death of the Mad King. Her reception in Westeros had frustrated her. And she'd allowed that disappointment to lead her astray. It led her to take the advice of Petyr Baelish in a desperate attempt to win her kingdom. And all that she had accomplished was to make the people fear her more.

She looked at her Hand, who was leading the way into the Great Hall of Winterfell. He may be Tywin Lannister's son but he has looked out for my interests. She recognized that Tyrion was politically astute – something that, for all their loyalty, Ser Jorah and Ser Barristan were not. She knew that she needed the little lion if she had any hope of being the Queen she wished to be.

Sometimes Daenerys hated listening to what Tyrion told her, he was so brutally honest. He had grown quite comfortable in her presence during their journey North and that newfound familiarity had only served to make him even more frank in their discussions. If nothing else, she appreciated that he was always in good humor and never failed to make her smile, even after telling her something horrible.

Daenerys had followed Tyrion's counsel when he suggested that she not allow the dragons to approach Winterfell. The dragons intimidated all who saw them – their very presence was a threat to burn her enemies with dragonfire. While that threat had served her in the past, her purpose in coming North was not to attack. She knew that she needed to make an alliance with Lady Stark and her daughter. Even if they did help the Kingslayer flee Casterly Rock with his wife and daughter. She knew that they had helped him, even if she could not prove it.

Though it angered her – it was treason - she understood why. Lady Sansa was Catelyn Stark's daughter. Of course they would help her. If she had any family, Daenerys would not hesitate to commit treason for them. She thought about how the girl had begged her to spare the Kingslayer's life. She had seen herself in the girl who called Jaime Lannister her husband.

Daenerys had also been married to a brutal warrior she did not know – a man she did not wish to marry. I fell in love with Khal Drogo, just as Lady Sansa fell in love with the Kingslayer. Her sympathy for the girl had guided her decision. She had made up her mind to banish the Kingslayer to the Free Cities with his wife and baby. He could not harm her from there. But, upon hearing her decision, Lord Baelish had convinced her that she could not show mercy on traitors. Especially the Kingslayer, who had killed her father. It was the Kingslayer who had made it possible for the Usurper to steal the iron throne.

She had expressed her desire to be kind to Lady Sansa, and Baelish had assured her that he would wed the girl himself and protect her. He had promised that the girl would never want for anything and she and her child would suffer no more. I should have known he was deceiving me by Lady Sansa's reaction. She acted as if I had sentenced her to death. A small part of her was relieved that they had escaped. She didn't think she could bear to see the girl's tears or hear her screams when he was executed. The death of King Tommen still tormented her. And Daenerys knew it would have taken all of her resolve to follow through and inflict that much pain on a girl who had done nothing wrong.

As she followed Tyrion into the Great Hall, Daenerys looked at the destruction with distaste, seeing that the Boltons had done nearly as much damage to Winterfell as dragonfire had done to Harrenhal all those years ago. She'd heard tales of the Boltons and their preference for flaying. She couldn't say that she was disappointed in which side had prevailed in the Battle for Winterfell. Even if the Starks had spent the past years as nothing more than the Usurper's dogs, they were not torturers. The Usurper is dead. As is Eddard Stark. And from the looks of things, the North is in no position to challenge me for the throne.

As she entered the Great Hall, Daenerys saw that Catelyn Stark and her daughter, and the other hostages who had escaped Casterly Rock, were lined up to meet her. Their eyes were just as unwelcoming as the other Northerners she had passed. They did not bow down to her, as they should to their Queen. It did not surprise her. Their anger had been clear when she'd pronounced judgment on the Kingslayer. The little girl in particular looked at her with undisguised hatred. She is the heir to Winterfell. The North will look to her as their leader. She best learn to hide her true thoughts.

Tyrion cleared his throat. "Lady Catelyn Stark, may I present Daenerys Targaryen, Queen of the Seven Kingdoms and Protecter of the Realm."

"We met at Casterly Rock, or have you forgotten? I believe it was after a peace banner was flown, and she invaded anyway. We met just after the Unsullied took my daughter prisoner and held a blade to her baby's throat."

Tyrion had warned her that the manner in which she took Casterly Rock would be thrown in her face again and again. That she had materially harmed her reputation in Westeros by following the advice of Lord Baelish. No one will trust my word.

"I should like to put the past behind us," Daenerys began. "I congratulate you on retaking Winterfell. I take it this is Lady Arya?" Jon Snow had spoken to her about his siblings – most of whom were dead now – and she knew that this young girl was the one to whom he was the closest. Though as she looked at the child, Daenerys saw her glaring at her entire party and fingering the pommel of her sword as if she wished to do nothing more than cut them all down with it. She recalled Lord Commander Snow telling her that his youngest sister was precocious but there was more than that. There was a darkness – an anger - in her. If you can win the trust of this child…the others will follow. She is the heir.

"I'd like to speak to Lady Arya alone, if I might." She noticed that the mother did not favor her request. Tyrion looked at Lady Catelyn imploringly, silently urging her to leave them. "She is heir to Winterfell and, when she comes of age, will be Wardon of the North – "

"My sister is heir to Winterfell," the child interrupted.

"Your sister is not here. You are heir to Winterfell." Daenerys looked at the grave faces of Lady Stark and her Tully relatives. "I'll not harm her." She didn't voice it aloud, but the girl was plainly armed with two swords, while the Queen herself had no weapons. Daenerys wanted to order the others to leave, but she bided her time, looking at everyone expectantly, until they reluctantly left them.

"Remember, she's a child. A traumatized child. Don't let her anger you. She'll certainly try," Tyrion whispered before leaving them.

Daenerys sat opposite the girl and folded her hands in front of her on the table. "You don't like me, do you?"

"I don't know you."

"You must not, to act so sullen towards your Queen." She could see that the girl wanted to say that she was not her queen, but some common sense prevailed. "I see that you don't want me here."

The child remained standing, glaring at her. "Why would I want you here? The last time I saw you, you took me prisoner."

"You were never my prisoner."

"My sister was. And Jaim- Ser Jaime. You want to kill him. And you want to force my sister to marry that horrible man." She means Baelish. "You're no better than Joffrey or your father, the Mad King – hurting people for your own amusement."

Daenerys feels her temper rise at the child's insults. "Do you think that I sentenced the Kingslayer to death to amuse myself? He is an oathbreaker. He committed treason the moment he forgot his vows and murdered my father. The man he was sworn to protect."

"He had a reason for doing that," she shot back. "The king was mad. He burned people alive. He burned my grandfather alive. You think it would have been honorable for Jaime to allow your crazy father to burn everyone?"

She and Arya locked eyes, and she knew her own anger was mirrored in the child's eyes. "I see we'll not agree on this topic. We don't have to agree. But…you are heir to Winterfell – whether you wish it or not. And I cannot allow you to encourage others to rebel against the crown."

The girl was silent. Glaring at her for some time. "What do you want me to say? So long as you leave us alone and don't try to burn us with your dragons, what do we care who sits on your ugly iron throne? Do you plan to take Winterfell from us?"

"So long as you swear loyalty to me, I would see Winterfell remain under control of you and your lady mother."

"Why do you pretend that I have a choice? If I don't…your dragons will burn Winterfell the rest of the way to the ground. You'd burn us all alive."

Daenerys looked down at her hands. She preferred to avoid thinking about her dragons and the destruction they could cause. They were growing older and more willful. They didn't obey her commands all the time. And many smallfolk in Kings Landing – those who weren't afraid to complain – had come before the throne and spoke of the dragons burning houses and of a few people being killed. It was the one area where she and Tyrion disagreed. The truth was she didn't know what she was going to do about her dragons. She knew they could not continue to roam King's Landing freely, but the thought of caging them broke her heart.

There were moments when she wondered if it had been a mistake to ever leave Essos. She had been happy there, in the house she grew up in with the red door. She had always thought of that as her home. She made the mistake of voicing that thought aloud and Viserys had so terrified her that Daenerys had never again allowed herself to think of the house with the red door as home.

"You are Lady of Winterfell-"

"Sansa is Lady of Winterfell."

"Your sister is not here to be Lady of Winterfell," Daenerys said tightly. "She chose to leave her – to give up her birthright – to flee Westeros with her husband."

"You gave her no choice," the girl burst out. "She couldn't stay here! You would have killed Jaime. You took my sister away from me."

"I'm not going to argue the matter with you. I'm going to trust that you will do what is best for your family. And best for the North." Arya nodded reluctantly and Daenerys raised her voice, asking the others to join them. "Lady Stark…I need your assurance that there will be no attempt to crown her Queen in the North. I won't allow portions of my kingdom to splinter off."

"That's stupid. I'm no Queen." Daenerys fought back a smile as Lady Catelyn shushed her daughter.

"I have intention of allowing anyone to name her as a Queen. And I need your assurance that Riverrun will be returned to my brother. It belongs to House Tully."

Daenerys looked at Tyrion who nodded. They had spoken of this already. Tyrion had anticipated that Lady Catelyn would want her childhood home returned to her family. "When the Spring comes, I will see to it that the Freys are removed from Riverrun and your brother reinstated as it's Lord. Provided, of course…"

"That we all swear fealty."

Daenerys nodded. "Yes."

"Very well," she said quietly, and Daenerys looked at the others who nodded in agreement.

Daenerys was relieved, though she did not show it. She had not known what she would have done if they had fought her. She knew if she had fought them with dragonfire, the Realm would never have forgiven her. "Now that we have settled that, there is another matter we need to take up with my Hand. Lord Tyrion…is now the proper time?"

Tyrion had refused to explain to her why Howland Reed was accompanying them to Winterfell. Yet Tyrion had insisted upon it. Told her it was a matter of the utmost importance to herself and to the Starks. All Lord Reed would say was that he needed to speak with her and Lady Catelyn. Now that they were together, Tyrion looked at Lord Reed and the older man nodded.

"I had hoped the boy would be here," he said, looking at Tyrion.

"He's Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, as you know. I expect he's at the Wall."

"We'll need to travel there."

Daenerys sighed impatiently. "This is trying my patience. I went along with your wishes, when you insisted on telling me whatever it is you have to say in Lady Stark's presence, but we are not traveling to the Wall without an explanation. I will hear what you have to say. Now."

He turned towards Catelyn Stark. "My lady…do you recall the day that Lord Eddard brought the babe – Jon Snow - to Winterfell?" he began.

Daenerys saw Lady Stark stiffen when he asked the question and she immediately knew that the answer was yes. Lord Commander Snow had never spoken ill of Lady Stark or anyone in his family, but she had sensed a distance between the two of them, when he spoke of her. She supposed that few women would welcome their husband's bastard into their family. She wondered why Howland Reed was bringing this topic up to Lady Stark – it clearly caused her pain and he was supposed to have been a close friend to her husband.

Nothing could have prepared Daenerys for what Lord Reed told them. And once he finished his tale, and she realized he spoke the truth, she agreed that they should travel to the Wall immediately.

…

Jaime carefully held Julianna afloat as she kicked her feet in the clear blue water, a look of determination on her face. She was not yet two, but she wanted to swim like Tommen did. He had turned out to be a strong swimmer once Jaime taught him the basics and Julianna desperately wanted to go wherever he went. She struggled to swim into deeper water, and Jaime smiled at her little pout when he held her back in his arms. She'll be a fearsome little thing when she grows up. She's a true lion. And a wolf.

He turned his head toward Sansa who was sitting under a canopy with her feet up, sewing something for the new baby. She felt his gaze and looked up, smiling. He saw that Pia was carrying in platters of food from the kitchen.

"Pia is bringing some lunch, you should come in from the water," she called out. "You, too, Tommen."

"That's all for today, little lioness."

"No, dada. More!" she protested as Jaime scooped her out of the water and held her against his chest.

"Maybe later, all right? Your mother has food for us."

"Not hungry. Play."

He smiled and kissed the top of her head. "Be a good girl," he whispered, carrying her from the water and setting her on her feet. Despite her protests, she ran to Sansa, taking the seat next to her mother. The two of them looked more and more alike every day. Julianna had even begun to show some of Sansa's mannerisms – her little smile, the way she tilted her head when he told her a story. Though he also saw flashes of himself in her personality and in her eyes. And of Cersei, as well.

Jaime walked over and rested his hands on Sansa's shoulders. She tilted her head back and smiled at him as he leaned down to kiss her. "How are you feeling?" This pregnancy had been much more difficult for Sansa than when she carried Julianna. The mother's sickness had finally gone away, but Sansa was far more tired that was normal for her.

She reached up and cupped his cheek with her small hand. "I'm well, Jaime. Don't worry for me."

"And the babe?" he asked, resting his hand on her belly and rubbing the firm roundness of his child. The babe had just started moving, and it still amazed him to feel the life that he and Sansa had created, even if it wasn't his first child. He never tired of it.

"We're both well, Jaime."

"Why are you always touching Sansa's belly, Uncle Jaime? Is it because it's gotten so big? We do eat a lot of lemon cakes."

Jaime choked back his laughter at Tommen's assumption that Sansa had grown so large because of lemon cakes. Sansa huffed and raised her eyebrows in question. They had meant to sit the children down to tell them that she was pregnant, but neither of them had known how to explain it to them. While it was clear to any adult that Sansa was with child, Jaime could not recall Tommen ever being around a pregnant woman, and, of course, Julianna would not know the implications of her mother's rapidly expanding middle.

"I…" Sansa looked up at Jaime hesitantly, before holding her arms out to Julianna and lifting her onto her lap. "I'm going to have a baby," she said slowly, so Julianna would understand. Jaime saw Tommen's eyes widen in surprise.

"Baby?" Julianna asked.

Sansa nodded, and put Julianna's hand on her stomach. "There's a baby in there. You are going to be a big sister."

"Baby," Julianna repeated. She looked up at Jaime. "Baby, dada."

He smiled and sat next to Sansa, pulling Julianna onto his lap and kissed the top of her head, inhaling the smell of the salty sea water in her hair. She'll always be my baby girl. The first child I was permitted to love. "I know. There's a baby in there. You'll have a little brother or sister to play with, in a few moons time."

"Brudder?" she repeated slowly and Sansa tried to help her pronounce the word without much success.

"Is that why you're touching her belly, Uncle Jaime? Can you feel the baby inside?" Tommen looked at Sansa curiously, as if he expected her stomach to start moving on its own.

"There's nothing to be frightened of," Sansa said with a soft smile. "Do you want to feel the baby move?"

Tommen nodded, his eyes lit with curiosity. She took his hand and held it against her. Jaime knew the moment Tommen felt the babe move because he smiled excitedly and looked at Sansa. It made Jaime remember when Lady Joanna was carrying Tyrion and would hold his hand against her so that he could feel his little brother move. He had been just as excited as Tommen appeared to be.

"Will it be a boy or a girl?"

"I don't know," Sansa said, looking back at Jaime. "We'll find out when the baby's born."

Tommen nodded again, considering Sansa's words. "Did Uncle Jaime put the baby inside you?"

"Yes," she whispered quietly. Sansa shifted uncomfortably in her chair, her eyes latching on to Jaime's in a panic. He had little doubt she was silently praying to the Seven that Tommen would not ask any more questions about the origins of her condition.

"How did he put the baby inside you?"

Sansa turned white as snow and scooped up Julianna from Jaime's arms. He never saw her move so fast as she fled the terrace with the babe, leaving Jaime to answer Tommen's question. He felt the urge to follow her, but then he looked at Tommen who was watching Sansa flee in astonishment.

"Did…did I make her mad, Uncle Jaime?"

He sighed and poured himself a cup of wine, which he drank down quickly. He had briefly considered distracting the boy from his question, but Jaime did not wish to be a coward. He's my son. I need to act like it. "Sansa's not angry with you, Tommen. She just…thought you and I should speak alone."

Jaime sighed, and wondered why fighting a melee seemed a simpler task than what was ahead of him.

…

Jon shivered and pulled his black fur cloak tighter around his body. He knew his men thought him foolish for continuing to hunt for White Walkers. They never ceased to remind him that the Lannister army had killed nearly all of the Walkers that had made it south. They had not seen a single White Walker since before they had arrived at Casterly Rock – only a few wights. Jon knew that he was likely on a fool's errand - but he had to be sure.

Ghost had been acting strangely for days – as if there was someone or something was wandering in the woods just beyond the Wall. Jon feared that there were more walkers and he knew they would prove difficult to kill without the benefit of the Queen's dragons. They would have to rely on their dragonglass blades alone, should Jon's suspicions prove correct.

He heard a sigh beside him and turned, slowing down slightly as Sam trudged along beside him. Ghost paid them no mind and trotted ahead into the forest.

"I can't believe you even came back to the Wall. Let alone that you insist upon hunting Walkers every day. When you could have stayed in the Capitol…with the Queen."

Jon ignored the insinuations in Sam's tone. His friend had been disappointed when Jon requested that he stay behind at the Wall while Jon and most of the men of the Night's Watch traveled South with the Queen. Though, Sam's disappointment had faded a bit when Jon explained that he needed to leave someone that he trusted in charge of the men who would remain behind at the Wall. Sam had seen Queen Daenerys, though, and was immediately smitten.

"I'm Lord Commander of the Night's Watch. I belong here, not in the capitol. And not with the Queen. I took vows. Remember?"

Sam blushed and nodded, clutching his dragonglass blade tightly. "You agree that she's beautiful, though?"

"Aye, she's beautiful. That's not the point."

"The men who went South with you tell me that you joined her for dinner most nights. In her tent."

Jon didn't know how to explain to Sam his tenuous friendship with the Targaryen Queen. He had felt comfortable with her rather quickly, once she moved past the fact that Eddard Stark was his father. They had shared stories of their childhoods and spoke about their siblings. Jon knew that the time he spent with the Queen had benefitted Arya and Sansa. For whatever it was worth.

"The only thing I gained from my time with the Queen was my sisters' lives," Jon said abruptly, not wishing to be teased about Daenerys any longer.

As he and Sam walked along in silence, Jon's mind traveled to Sansa. The last time he saw her – likely the last time he would ever see her – she was sailing off into the distance with the Kingslayer and her babe. He had wanted to simply gather his sister in his arms and protect her himself. He'd have taken her with him to the Wall if he could have. He'd have protected her and her babe. But it was not his protection that she wanted. Whatever she had been through in the three years since he bid her farewell on the Kingsroad had changed her. She'd grown up – from a little girl into a woman. A woman who loved her husband and would never leave his side for anything.

There was a part of him that envied the Kingslayer. He didn't deserve Sansa and yet he had her and a little daughter, while Jon was destined to spend the rest of his life at the Wall. Alone. He told himself every night that this was honorable – that he was guarding the Realm. Sometimes he believed it. More often than not, he missed living in Winterfell. He missed his family.

Ghost veered off into the trees quickly, as if he were in pursuit of something. Sam raised his dragonglass dagger, his hand shaking.

"Jon…we should have brought more men with us."

Jon heard barking and tilted his head. Ghost never barks. He never makes a sound.Jon began to run towards the barking, calling Ghost's name. He heard Sam following, though he knew his friend was not happy about running into the darkness of the forest after the direwolf. It was his loyalty to Jon that would carry him into danger.

Jon found Ghost, who began to circle him, along with two other direwolves. Sam clutched his arm and whimpered in fear. "They're going to eat us."

"They're not going to eat us," Jon said in exasperation.

It can't be. Summer and Shaggydog? He watched as Ghost and the other two wolves continued to run in joyous circles. Jon began to look around, into the trees. "Who's there? Who is with these wolves?" Jon studied the markings on the direwolves and he felt certain that they were Bran and Rickon's wolves. "Don't make me kill you!" Jon drew his sword and listened.

"Jon?"

He froze at the sound of the voice behind him and slowly turned around and felt his eyes heat with the tears that threatened to fall. They're so much older. My brothers…Bran and Rickon…they really are alive.

Arya had written to him once they reclaimed Winterfell. She told him about Theon's claims – that Bran and Rickon were alive – but Jon had not allowed himself to believe it. After so much death – losing Robb and his father – Jon found himself unable to think optimistically. His outlook had become as dark as the clothes he wore. Jon had accepted that his sisters were all the family he had left. But now…as he stared at his little brothers, he couldn't seem to find the words.

"Hodor!"

…

I know it's been a while since the last update. Sorry. Life got in the way of writing. So this was a longer chapter than normal and I expect to have the next chapter up Tuesday morning to make up for the delay.

Thanks for sticking with me and thanks to the new readers who have discovered this story and read and reviewed the whole thing from the beginning. I appreciate all of you.

Next chapter: The Royal Party Arrives at the Wall