Dragonstone 299 AC.
Dany.
She had woken up and almost believed she was still dreaming only to find she was not. He was here, she was here and it had been all he had said it would be. Even now hours after they'd lain together she still tingled somewhat and she smiled as she looked down on his sleeping form before giggling at the face he made. When she knew he was awake she couldn't quite tell but she knew and it became a game to her to make him actually open his eyes. It was a game she soon won and the prize she got was one she very much deserved.
"I was afraid that if I opened my eyes my dream would be over, but you're more than a dream now." Rhaegar said smiling up at her.
"I still wish to be who you dream about, Rhaegar." she said pouting and then laughing loudly when he grabbed her and pulled her to him.
"You'll be the only one I ever dream about, Dany." he said as he kissed her.
He held her for a few movements and she wished they could just stay in the bed together for the rest of the day but it was not to be. Rhaegar rising before he held out his hand to help her to her feet. While he dressed quickly she did not and with a kiss to her cheek he was gone and Missandei was then by her side and helping her with her hair. When she was dressed she walked from the room to find Jorah and Grey Worm along with Belwas as her guards. After asking them and Missandei if they were settling in well and were the lands too cold for them, she made her way to a room to break her fast.
Entering the room she looked but couldn't see Rhaegar, she did, however, see her aunt and her uncle and one of the two young girls who Rhaegar had named as his sisters even though they were cousins by blood. The girl was perhaps a couple of years younger than herself and even though she was sitting it was clear she had more than a few inches on her in height. She had the most amazing red hair and the brightest blue eyes that were looking at her curiously.
"Your grace." the girl said her voice soft as she rose to her feet and gave the most perfect curtsy that Dany had ever seen.
"Please call me, Dany. Sansa is it?" she asked as he moved to the girl.
"It is your…Dany." the girl said nervously when Dany's eyebrow raised and she relaxed a moment later when Dany smiled at her.
"This is Missandei, Sansa, she's my closest friend." Dany said and she caught Missandei's little smirk at being named so.
"It's an honor to meet you Lady Missandei." Sansa said politely and overly formal and Dany wondered if that was a thing the ladies in Westeros did. her aunt had told her that things were much different here than they were in Essos, so perhaps it was, and if so then she would need to adapt to it.
"This one is just Missandei." Missandei said softly.
"Or Missy." Dany said and was rewarded with smiles from both the girls "Is your sister not joining us, Sansa?" she asked though it was Rhaegar's presence she wished for.
"Arya is sparring with Jo…with Rhaegar and Sers Arthur and Barristan, Dany." Sansa said and Dany was pleased that the girl was growing more comfortable with her name the more she said it.
"Your sister spars?" she asked curiously and Sansa nodded.
"As often as she can.".
Dany greeted her uncle and aunt more truly than the nod and look she'd given them when she had entered the room and soon enough she, Missandei, and Sansa were all speaking about their upbringings and laughing at funny stories the others told. Well, she and Sansa were as Missandei had few memories of her childhood and most of it had not been fun. Still, she joined in and asked questions to keep the conversation going and by the time, Rhaegar and his other sister arrived, Dany felt that she and Sansa could soon be good friends. Whether that was true with his other sister she wasn't sure as the way the girl looked at her took her aback for a moment.
"Don't worry, there's more bacon." she heard Rhaegar say and she giggled when the girl's expression changed, it had been hunger and not suspicion that she'd seen in the girl's eyes and it wasn't her that she'd been looking at but the empty plate on the table.
She was surprised when Rhaegar kissed her cheek before taking his seat and as he did so she looked to see Ser Arthur and Ser Barristan speaking to each other. Two of her father's seven and two of the most famed swordsman in the history of Westeros. Barristan had told her many tales of her brother's closest friend and Dany longed to speak to the man to learn as much as she could about him. Knowing that Arthur had been by her father, brother's, and now her nephew's side brought great comfort to her and she was happy that Rhaegar had someone to speak to him about his father.
"Do you really fly on a dragon?" Arya asked, her mouth was full of bacon and her spoon full of egg which she then ate as she continued to talk.
"Arya." Sansa said shaking her head and Dany giggled when Arya just looked at Rhaegar and shrugged her shoulders.
"I think our sister feels it's impolite for you to address a queen while stuffing your mouth, little sister." Rhaegar said and Arya looked to him, Sansa, and then to her before drinking some milk and wiping her face.
"Sorry, Dany." Arya said and Dany smiled as she looked at Rhaegar who was watching keenly, he must have told her that she preferred Dany and unlike her older sister, Arya it seemed was not someone who cared about the niceties.
"I do, Drogon, the black one. The others are Rhaegal and Viserion and they have no riders as of yet."
"Could I…" Arya began only for Rhaegar to interrupt.
"No you could not, gods you in control of a dragon, the world is not ready for such." Rhaegar said as he mussed her hair and she pushed his hand away.
The meal felt different from that point on. Rhaegar kept looking her way and spoke to everyone at the table, whispering every so often in Arya's ear and his eyes rarely left her own. Sansa and Missandei talked excitedly about something and she spoke to as many people as Rhaegar did. When they were finished eating, Rhaegar whispered something in Arya's ear once more before he got up from his seat and did the same to Sansa. She then felt his lips on her cheek once more and didn't hear what he said to their uncle and aunt, but she did hear him speak to Ser Arthur, Barristan and Jorah.
"Arthur perhaps you can guard her grace's back while I speak to Ser Barristan and Ser Jorah? We'll not be too long and once we're done then we can perhaps speak more on our course of action?" Rhaegar said.
"Of course, your grace." Arthur said and with that, Rhaegar, Barristan, and Jorah walked from the room and Arya looked at them forlornly.
"My brother wishes for me to take your measurements, Dany." Sansa said with a beaming smile on her face.
"For why?" she asked confused.
"For the dress for your wedding." Sansa said smiling still and Dany felt her heart still for a moment.
"Gods I hate sewing, don't make me sew, pleaseeeee." Arya said looking at her and while she may indeed hate it, her sister seemed far more enthused at the prospect.
"Very well, you'll not have to sew but you will have to tell me tales of your brother, Arya, tales that only a sister would know." she said and Arya nodded eagerly.
"I can do that, this one time we…." Arya began and soon Dany was wiping the tears from her eyes so hard had she laughed.
Both girls were very different, that much was clear, and yet both had one thing in common, and that one thing alone was enough to make her wish them to be her sisters too. They loved Rhaegar as did she and she had always wanted a sister. In Missandei she believed she'd found one and as the four of them, Ser Arthur and Grey Worm walked through the halls of Dragonstone, Dany was beginning to think she'd found two more.
Dragonstone 299 AC.
Rhaegar.
It had been incredibly hard for him to get out of bed and say goodbye to her, even if it was only for a few moments. He'd left the room and saw that Arthur was speaking to Barristan, the knight explaining some of it if not all of the truth of him. As he walked so did they both and Barristan looked to him but held his tongue. Something that Arya very much did not as his little sister glowered at him and practically dragged him to the sparring yard.
They'd only done so briefly and thankfully there was no crowd and Arya's stomach was rumbling, otherwise, gods knew when they'd get to eat. Despite his little sister telling him that she didn't need food and that she wished to spar for longer, Rhaegar ended it with the promise that they'd spar later and so they went to break their fast. He'd almost stood still at the doorway when he'd looked and seen her inside. Dany was sitting and speaking to Sansa as if they were already the best of friends. He had then tried to be attentive to everyone at the table but his eyes were always drawn to Dany's face and to the smile she wore upon it.
He'd whispered to Arya and asked her to spend some time with Dany and Sansa and told her how much he wished for them to get along. His little sister promising him that she'd try, even after he'd told her that it was to embroidery they were going. A promise of yet another spar and a dragon ride was a small price to pay as Rhaegar knew with just one day spent in Dany's company that Arya would be just as smitten as Sansa already seemed to be. It did his heart good to see them like that. To know that his sisters and the woman who was to be his wife, the woman he loved, would be firm friends. Though it made him a little sad as he thought of a brother that may very well never be that to him again.
Shaking those thoughts from his mind, he spoke to Arthur and asked him to guard Dany's back while he then asked Ser Jorah and Ser Barristan to come with him. His first stop was his room and he picked up the sword and wrapped it in a sheet before leaving and then they walked out of the keep and towards the cliffs. Ghost, and Nymeria soon joined them before they were halfway there.
"Direwolves, never in my life did I think I'd see or even hear of them being South of the Wall. How did you get them, your grace." Ser Jorah said.
"Rhaegar, Ser Jorah, there is only us three here and so I'd prefer to hear people use my name. Gods know it's hard enough for me to get used to that without people calling me a king, though I'll need to get used to that too I wager." he said and he saw the brief smirk on Barristan's face.
"Rhaegar." Ser Jorah said and Rhaegar nodded, glad to hear him say it.
"Before Jon Arryn died and Robert Baratheon came North to seek my uncle as his Hand, we got word of a deserter from the Wall, a man named Gared. My uncle took his head and my brother named him a craven, but I've since been to the Wall and I'll say only this. Gared was a ranger for forty years and served it well. Ser Barristan what makes a man like that desert his post?"
"I do not know, Rhaegar." Barristan said and Rhaegar shook his head.
"Neither do I but I saw fear in that man's eyes and it wasn't fear of a cold bed and lifetime at the Wall. But that's a story for another time, please forgive me for getting lost in it. Where was I, Aye. After my uncle took Gared's head and we were heading back to Winterfell we came across the body of a dead Direwolvf and her five living pups, six actually." he said looking to Ghost "My uncle had five trueborn children and Direwolves are the sigil of House Stark, so I convinced him they were a sign from the old gods." Rhaegar said.
"And he sixth?" Jorah asked.
"The white wolf, Ghost. Can you believe that he was the runt of the litter?" he asked as both men looked to Ghost and Nymeria who were rolling on the ground in front of them.
"A sign from the gods indeed." Jorah said.
Rhaegar looked at him wondering if he should speak of the other sign he was now sure they'd ignored that day, the antler that was buried deep in the wolf's heart, for now, he left it unsaid.
"I was sent to the Wall, not long after it, oh, it was made to seem mine own choice but is it a choice if you know no other? Ser Arthur and Howland Reed both told me that my uncle agreed with them to tell me the truth when I came of age and to allow me to go to Greywater Watch, but then he reneged on that agreement. Considering I was sent to the Wall and he took up the position as Robert Baratheon's Hand while betrothing my sister to the stag's cruel and vicious son. I now find myself certain that he wished for my father's line to end."
"I'd not have expected such from Ned Stark." Barristan said shocked and angered.
"It matters not, his actions cost him his head and almost cost me my sisters, and while I was at the Wall the truth of me was made clear. A truth that you and I must speak on Ser Barristan but it's another I've asked you here for. I have a gift for you Ser Jorah, one given to me by your father" he said and lifted up the sword that was covered by the sheet.
"My father, you spoke to him?" Jorah asked as he looked to what both men could see was clearly a sword in Rhaegar's hands.
"I did and promised him and the Wall aid when I take back my family's throne. It was upon the promise of this aid that my uncle was allowed to come with me and with an oath to do as he asked that I was sent on his way. Your father tasked me with giving this to you, your family sword, Longclaw." Rhaegar said as he took the sheet off of it and Jorah looked at it in his hands.
"I'm not worthy to wield it, I shamed my house."
"And have you not redeemed yourself by my aunt's side? Is not Astapor now a free city because of that? Do the Unsullied and Missandei not owe their freedom in part to yourself? I told your father that as king I'd grant you a pardon and see you forgiven publicly for your crimes. Your father bid me give you this sword and tell you that he forgives you as well. He wishes for you to wield it and wield it with honor, Ser Jorah, and I wish you to do so too as one of the Seven." he said as Jorah took the sword from his hands.
Rhaegar watched as Jorah moved away from them, the man looking both at the sword and at the sea and sky in the distance and he believed there were tears being shed. With a nod to Ser Barristan, he directed him to some nearby rocks and they both took a seat on them. Rhaegar offering the knight some water from his pouch which he took as they sat there.
"I am sure you have many questions, Ser Barristan, though I imagine that Arthur has answered some of them." he said looking to the older man.
"He has, Rhaegar. I find I have many and yet they all come back to just one." Barristan said.
"Which is?"
"Daenerys." Barristan said looking at him intently.
"Is to be my wife and queen, Ser Barristan. Not simply because it strengthens my claim, though I know it does, or that she's got three dragons and an army, though I do appreciate the help." he said with a small chuckle "From the moment I learned the truth about myself I've dreamt of her. We're bonded Ser Barristan, were perhaps always fated to be and in another life perhaps we'd have been betrothed to each other by my father. Yet it's not fate or destiny that calls to me, it's mine own heart and how it feels when I think of Dany. I love her, her and no other and she's the only woman that I'd seek by my side."
"Then all my other questions matter little, my king." Barristan said rising to his feet before kneeling in front of him with his sword out.
"Swear to us both after we're wed, Ser Barristan. You, Jorah, and Arthur will be the first, and more will follow but swear your oaths to us both and know them to be true." he said and Barristan nodded as he rose to his feet.
Jorah joined them a few moments later and as they made their way back to the keep he saw Ser Richard Lonmouth running his way along with some guards. Barristan looked on worriedly as did he but it was clear that it was good news and not bad that the man was seeking them out with.
"Beric and Ned Dayne's ship has docked your grace, they bring you word from House Martell." Richard said and Rhaegar looked at him eagerly.
"Dorne fights against the Lannister's, your grace." Ser Richard said and Rhaegar carried the smile on his face all the way to the keep.
King's Landing 299 AC (takes place before Dany arrives on Dragonstone)
Olenna.
Normally she'd have welcomed the rush but for some reason, she wasn't happy about this one. Perhaps because she wasn't the instigator behind it and it made her certain that something had occurred that she wasn't privy to. Mace, the useless oaf that he was had found out nothing and Loras even less. Margaery she knew would have told her the reasons if the idiot of a prince she was to wed had any idea about them, but the boy was as clueless as he was cruel.
She couldn't even send ravens, as anything she did would be read by that fool Pycelle and her concerns known by Tywin Lannister before she'd even finished thinking them through. So it was with a horse to Tumbleton and a raven then sent from House Footly to Willas in Highgarden that she sought her answers. The wait for them was incredibly frustrating. It had made her terse and irritable and even when Margaery had stood in front of her looking resplendent and a true queen, Olenna had barely been able to raise a smile.
The constant visits from the Imp didn't help her mood either, though she did at least enjoy sparring with the dwarf. Were that man fully grown then there would be few better matches in the Seven Kingdoms and even given his misshapen head and ugly features he'd still be a happier match than Joffrey Baratheon would. The boy's name was as false as the act of a charming prince he put on, for there was no stag in him whatsoever. Joffrey was a Lannister through and through and he could never be allowed to lay his hands on her granddaughter. Olenna already had sworn to herself that he never would. It was the alliance she needed and given how keen Tyrion was on seeing it done quickly, it was one the Lannister's needed even more than they were letting on.
"Lord Tyrion, my lady." the servant said and Olenna nodded to Left, and then smirked when he walked to the door to escort the stunted dwarf to her table.
It was a silly and petty thing to do but she was feeling petty and annoyed and the image of Tyrion walking next to her giant guard did at least offer her amusement. That the dwarf was well aware of it being deliberate on her part only adding to her enjoyment.
"Lady Olenna." Tyrion said as he took a seat.
"Lord Tyrion." she replied curtly, trying not to look too closely at the hole that had one been a nose.
"I wished to meet with you to ensure you're happy with the arrangements, my lady? "Tyrion said looking at her.
"Other than the rushed nature of them which none of you will explain to me, I am, yes." she said as she glared at him and he earned her respect a little with how he didn't wither under her gaze.
"The realm needs stability, Lady Olenna. The marriage between my nephew and your granddaughter offers that. Once the rest of the realm has seen them wed and news of Stannis Baratheon's defeat has traveled far and wide then this war will soon be done." Tyron said and she laughed.
"You think the Young Wolf cares that Margaery is to be a queen or that Stannis Baratheon's fur has been burned? You're no fool, Tyrion, so don't play one in my presence." she said annoyedly.
"Robb Stark has already retreated from his doomed attack on the West. Soon he'll retreat even further North when our armies march towards him." Tyrion said.
"Or he'll send your father small pieces of his golden heir and threaten to send him his head if we dare to march." she said and Tyrion gulped.
"Were he to harm my brother then my father would end his house." Tyrion said and this time Olenna's laugh was even louder.
"As if your father doesn't intend to do so now as it is. As I said you're no fool Tyrion, so don't act as one for your mummery is not welcomed. Robb Stark holds a hostage, we do not, and while I care not for the Kingslayer, your father won't risk his son and so we're at an impasse of sorts. Which is why the need to rush this wedding makes no sense." she said.
"Wed them, bed them, and bring about an heir, my lady. My father wishes stability and this is the path to that." Tyrion said and she nodded, though she knew there was much more to it than simply that.
"I take it you have more bills for me to approve?" she asked irritably.
"The last of them, I believe." Tyrion said reaching into his coat and pulling out some papers.
She dismissed him after he'd given her them and sighed when she looked at them. A small fortune they were spending on this wedding and she wagered that at least a quarter and perhaps maybe even half of it had gone directly into the Lannister purse. Were it to be the only wedding that Margaery was to have then she'd care not but she'd not be long married to Joffrey Lannister and the man who'd take the fall for what was to come had just left her room.
Olenna actually liked the Imp for all the things about him most did not. Clever men were far more appealing to her than stupid ones and she'd met far too few of the former in her life. Still needs must and for her house to grow strong it would require for others to be weakened. Rising to her feet she made her way through the Red Keep and soon found herself looking out on the yard below as Loras sparred against a young man. The Kingsguard was not the order it had once been and her grandson would gain little glory serving in this one. Though her granddaughter would have no truer knight than he. She cursed Cersei Lannister for her stupidity and pettiness and the loss of the Bold, that man had epitomized what a Kingsguard should be and Loras's reputation would have been greatly enhanced by serving alongside him.
"Grandmamma." She heard the voice of her granddaughter call out and turned to see Margaery walking her way.
"Sweetling, where have you been?" she asked as she kissed both her cheeks and looked at the dirt on her dress.
"We visited the orphanage, grandmamma, and handed out some food, the poor things were starved and one little girl hugged me tightly as she cried." Margaery said her voice a little sad.
"Well at least she won't go to bed hungry tonight, will she, Sweetling?" she asked and Margaery smiled as she nodded "Walk with me."
They walked through the Red Keep and she asked Margaery about Joffrey and saw the look of distaste on her granddaughter's face as she spoke about him. Olenna then reassured her that things would change once she was wed, though not telling her just how they would change. They spoke about Loras and on the queen, Olenna not needing any further incentive to see Cersei gone from this place and wondering if she too should suffer an accident. She didn't get the chance to think more about it as she saw Garlan waking her way purposefully.
"Gar." Margaery said excitedly as she kissed her brother's cheek.
"Marge." Garlan said cheerfully before he hugged her and whispered in her ear "Grandmother we must speak."
She arranged for them to have lunch in the gardens as the Red Keep had far too many spies and the Spider was every watchful. Garlan wasn't supposed to arrive for another few days and for him to ride hard and be here early did not bode well. Once they were in place and she was sure that no one could overhear, Margaery moved to another table and held court with the little hens and Garlan handed her the letter.
"Where did you get this?" Olenna asked looking at the broken seal.
"From Lord Ronald, he had one of his own but this is from Willas and bears a copy of one that was sent throughout the realm." Garlan said and Olenna forgave him for breaking the seal as she read the first letter.
To the Lords and Ladies of Westeros.
My name is Rhaegar Targaryen, Trueborn son of Prince Rhaegar and Princess Lyanna Targaryen. I call upon all Leal Houses to renew the oaths you once swore to mine own. The time has come for my father's heir to take back what was stolen from our family, to put right the wrongs of the past, and to speak the truth on the lies once spoken. My mother was never kidnapped, my father never raped her, they were married in front of the gods of both my parents, they were married and I am their trueborn son. To those who name themselves Kings I have but one thing to say, the crowns you wear are rightly mine and I will take them from you. I give you but one chance, you can kneel, renew your oaths and we can put aside our animosities. To the usurper who sits my throne, I say but this, I am coming and I bring with me Fire and Blood. The dragons did not die, we did not go quietly into the night and you will cower when you hear our roar.
Rhaegar Targaryen, The First of his Name,
King of the Andals, The Rhoynar and the First Men,
Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, Protector of the Realm.
The letter explained why they were now being rushed to a wedding and yet it also brought up many questions at the same time. Olenna then quickly read the message from Willas and hoped it answered some if not all of them.
Grandmother,
We received this from Dragonstone and from what I can gather so has every House in the Reach and the Realm. As far as I've been able to find out, the truth of things is this. Jon Snow is not the bastard son of Ned Stark but claims to be the trueborn son of Prince Rhaegar and Lyanna Stark. He's currently on Dragonstone and his brother/cousin or whatever Robb Stark is to him now has not declared for him. No one has other than perhaps the Lords of the Narrow Sea. The last we'd heard about him, he'd been sent to the Wall and so perhaps he swore his oaths there but I've not been able to find out for certain. There is a tale that he rescued his sister Lady Sansa from King's Landing and his other sister Lady Arya from wherever she was being held and that he then sailed North with them both. What connection if any he has to his aunt, what allies he can bring to bear, and what evidence he has to back up his claims are unknown to me.
I await your raven eagerly for I am at a loss on what to do.
Willas.
Her grandson wasn't the only one at a loss and it took her some time to decide what it was she intended. Was this earlier in things then she'd have sought Jon Snow out, but they were so very close to the throne and she wasn't sure she wished to take two steps backward on something that was far from a sure thing. Without his brother's support, what army could Jon Snow call upon? The Lords of the Narrow Sea would be crushed and so it was to her own bannermen they would need to look. It wouldn't be enough, a victory was far from guaranteed and then there were the questions about whether he could even prove himself true or had he sworn the Night Watch oath.
"Grandmother, this changes everything." Garlan said after she'd been silent for far too long.
"No, it changes nothing at all." she said as she crumbled up the raven's scroll and fed it to the fire.
A dragon he may be but a dragon without an army was a dragon without flames and the lions still had their teeth. The marriage would go ahead and should this dragon prove to be true then there would still be time to either reach out and wrap him in their vines or strangle him with them.
Riverrun 299 AC (takes place before Dany arrives)
Cat.
Jon Snow, Rhaegar Targaryen, ever since learning the truth of him things had been hard for her to understand. Feelings that she'd held for years had been challenged, things she'd believed had been taken from her and even the memories of Ned had been tarnished by the truth of Jon Snow. If she was being truthful with herself, she hadn't given the boy much thought once he'd left Winterfell, he was out of sight and out of mind as some may say. She'd assumed he'd spend his life at the Wall and perhaps just perhaps she'd have to suffer his presence once every few years.
When she'd seen him in Riverrun walking in her family home, her first instinct had been what every instinct she'd ever had concerning him had been, she wanted him gone. She knew his presence would offer comfort to her son that she could not and yet she wanted him gone. Not once did she even think that the boy would mourn Ned's murder, or even how he may feel about it, she just wanted him gone. When he'd argued with Robb, she'd wanted him gone, and then when he was gone she was happy about it, though not for the reason she would have expected to be.
Her girls, he had gone to find her girls. While Robb planned battles and acted a king and others offered her words of comfort that brought her none, Jon Snow had gone to rescue her girls. Hope replaced the hate and fear she'd always had in her heart when it came to him and prayers were offered up to see him safe, where once they'd been offered to see him dead. Then the news had come that Arya was safe and away from the monsters that held her. One of her girls was free and with a brother who loved her, or so she had thought. For soon she found out that Jon Snow was not her children's brother as she had always told them he was not, or at least he was not so in blood.
"Why didn't you tell me, Ned?"
"I'd have loved the boy had you told me."
"Together we'd have seen he had a good life."
"Why?"
Each of the questions had been asked by her as she prayed in Riverrun's Sept and not one of them had been answered. Ned wasn't here to do so and the gods remained silent, leaving Cat to search for the answers deep within herself. She hadn't liked the answers that she found there. Ned hadn't told her because he didn't trust her with the secret. Cat may have wished to believe that she'd have loved the boy but she wasn't sure that was true and she like Ned before her, may very well have thought the Wall the best place for him also. There he was safe from those who'd seek his harm and his claim wouldn't matter, wouldn't cause any problems, or force any hard choices. It was almost ironic she thought with a bitter laugh.
Ned had sent his nephew to the Wall to protect him and to protect Robert's claim and the claim of his children and grandchildren. Grandchildren that would be his as well as his friend's and Robb had been right about that, her husband had usurped his nephew. As had Robb, and the damnable thing was she knew not what to do about it. Jon Snow had rescued Arya, he'd then gone and rescued Sansa too. He'd shown that he was far more capable and determined than any of the men of the North and than even her son.
Family, Duty, Honor, those were the words of her house and Jon Snow lived them better than she and better than Robb. For was not family first? Was not your duty to your house? Was it not dishonorable to ignore them both? By the Seven what was she to do? The Northern Lords would soon be told the truth of things and Robb wished for them to decide and nothing she could or had said to him would make him change his mind on that. Edmure whispered in her son's ear and Cat had argued with them both to no avail just as she'd argued with them about her uncle's stupid plans.
"I cannot give up my crown, mother, not unless the North allows me to do so." Robb said.
"So you would usurp your own blood? Was that not what you were so horrified by when you received that letter? The mere idea of it causing you to speak out about your father and yourself, but now you what? You've come to terms with it and are willing to accept it?"
"It's not usurping. I never asked for the damn thing, it was given to me and if I just give it away then things won't just go back to how they were, not without them given me leave to do so. The Lords of the North named me their king, they've bled for me and our family on the battlefields and they hold no love for the dragons. They may know Jon, they may respect what it is that he'd done, but I do not know if they'll follow him and someone must lead." Robb said loudly.
"The Riverlords will not follow a bastard boy, Cat." Edmure said and Cat slammed her hands on the table.
"Did you not read the letter, Edmure? The boy's claim is true, ask your nephew if Jon Snow is a liar, ask him and take his word if you'll not take mine or the words you yourself have read? No, you'll not for you already know the truth of him." she said angrily.
"Cat, he has no army and no true support. The Lords of the Narrow Sea may support him but who else after that?" Edmure said.
"By the Seven you must have driven our father mad with your foolishness. Do you think that's all he'll have by the end of this, or that we're the only one that raven was sent to? What of the Reach, Edmure? Are they not as Leal to the dragons as the North is to the wolves? Do you think they'll not seek him out and offer him their swords? The Tyrell's have a daughter who wishes to be queen do they not?" she said.
"Robb cannot give up his crown, Cat, not without something in return. We can kneel, all of us can kneel but not without a price, your father would accept no less." her uncle said and Cat glared at him.
"He is my nephew by blood and you tell me I should charge him for my fealty? Family, Duty, Honor. uncle, those are our words and selling ourselves to a boy who's proved he lives them better than any of us in this room, no, I'll not be a part of it." she said angrily as she stormed from the solar.
She had prayed and had even gone to visit Jaime Lannister, asking him questions that brought her surprising answers. It took a few days for the meeting to be held and she had hoped it was because Robb had been thinking things over but it turned out it was so more of the Lords of the North and the Riverlands could make their way to Riverrun. Cat was stunned to see Howland Reed amongst those who came from the North and she swore she'd speak to the man and find out even more of the truth of things. The meeting was to be held first though and it was there she'd need to go before any other meeting could be held.
"You must be with me on this, mother, no matter your feelings you must be with me on this." Robb said to her and she bit her tongue rather than say what it was she truly wished to.
"I'll not speak against you publicly. I know my place but I am not with you on this Robb, I cannot be." she said.
She took her seat to Robb's left with her uncle beside her, Edmure sat on his right and they looked out on the Lords of the North. Cat barely looked at those beside her as she sat there. Her brother was a fool and her uncle's plans were ridiculous. There was no way that two of the seven kingdoms would be allowed to remain under Robb's rule and to predicate their support on such a thing was worse than even trying to keep the crown in the first place. It was clear that Brynden was trying to think what it was the Northmen and the Riverlanders would accept but he was making a big mistake if he thought that a Targaryen would do so.
"My lords, my ladies, I've called you here for two reasons. The first is to decide our course of action from here on and the second, well, that affects the first." Robb said and though he'd grown into his role, she found no comfort in him being kingly.
"Our course of actions is simple enough, my king. I say we take our swords and shove them up Tywin Lannister's golden arse." the Greatjon said loudly to cheers and laughter.
"Aye, to the West, your grace, let's see how the lions like it when their lands burn." Jonos Bracken said to even louder cheers.
"My lords. I have in my hand a message from Dragonstone." Robb said and Cat felt her breathing quicken as her hands gripped her seat.
"Who cares what Stannis says?" A voice called out.
"Aye, he's a beaten man." shouted out another.
"It's not from Stannis, Lord Blackwood." Robb said "It's from my cousin, my brother in truth" Robb said nervously "Jon Snow is not my father's son, my lords. He's not my brother by blood though he remains so by choice."
"Brandon's boy, by the gods I fucking knew it." Maege shouted out.
"Aye, no way that Ned could father a bastard, we all knew it though none would dare name your father a liar" Rickard Karstark shouted out.
"Jon is not my uncle's son, my Lords. He's my aunt's." Robb said almost softly.
The shouts were loud and Cat cringed to hear Rapespawn been shouted and to see the looks of disgust on the faces of men who had named Jon Snow a true wolf only mere days before. It wasn't Robb that quietened them either and she glared at her son as he let both his cousin's and aunt's name be spoken of in such a manner.
"ENOUGH, or by the gods, the next man who names him as such will find that my height is no guarantee they'll win the fight." Howland Reed shouted out and that it was him that did so was shocking enough to quieten the room "None of you know the damn truth so listen to one who was there and then to what your king says." Howland said and Cat noticed immediately that he'd not named Robb as his own king.
"What the fuck are you talking about Howland?" Robett Glover shouted out as he rose.
"Sit the fuck down, Robett, and let him speak." his brother Galabart shouted at him as he pulled him back to his seat.
"I was there with Ned at the Tower of Joy, were any of you?" Howland asked to silence "No, were you then you'd be dead like the good men who were. We went to rescue Lyanna from those who held her against her will and found the truth to be very much different. In her arms, she held a babe and with her last breath she willed a promise, a promise that Ned Stark failed to live up to." Howland said and Cat gasped and then looked angrily at Edmure when he rose and shouted out.
"Lies, how dare you impugn the name of my goodbrother." Edmure said.
"Sit the fuck down and let the man finish his fucking tale, nephew." Brynden said loudly.
"Lyanna and Rhaegar were married and letters were sent but life is cruel and theirs most of all. Knowing what happened to his brother and sister, a plan was made to raise Jon as his bastard and then when he came of age to tell him the truth of things. That was the promise made to a dying sister and since none of you fuckers were there, you'll have to take my fucking word for it. It wasn't however to Greywater Watch that Ned sent him though but to the fucking Wall." Howland said and Cat and others in the room were shocked by the bitterness in his voice while Robb looked on and tried to remain stoic and emotionless.
She watched as Howland composed himself and breathed deeply and her eyes took in who was looking to him and the expressions on their faces, most of those in the room were rapt in their attention.
"Many things I brought back with me from the Tower of Joy, including letters that prove the truth. Letters written to a son by a father and mother that would never see him grow to be a man and a man who sought to serve the son as he did the father. Ser Arthur Dayne lives and is by his king's side, so think on that before you speak such things about him. For while you may not fear my wrath for saying them, you should most certainly fear his." Howland said as he took his seat and Robb stood up.
"The words that Lord Reed speak are true, my lords. It was Jon with Ser Arthur that came to Riverrun though we knew it not. It was them and men who joined with them that rescued my sisters and who've now taken Dragonstone. This letter I hold in my hand is from him and I'll read it to you now and after it, we can decide what steps to take." Robb said and she closed her eyes and shook her head at the wrongness of it all.
Later that night.
She stood on the battlements and looked out on the army below her and took no comfort in their presence. There was a certainty in her now that it wasn't fate that had decided their actions this night. It was her son's choosing and she hated him a little for it. He'd presented it as a challenge and not as a call to arms, he'd spoken the words of the letter as a threat and not as an offer of an alliance. Her words to him that as a king, his cousin had to speak like one and that sending him word in any other way would or could come back at him.
They may be different to Jon but they couldn't be seen to be, at least not in a public declaration. In private when they spoke then things could be more how Robb wished but in public his cousin was a king and like him, he could act no longer as a boy. She knew he was hurt and perhaps a little jealous too and so she'd tried to reason with him to no avail. Their course was now set and she could truly laugh at the irony of it all and how the gods loved their little japes.
All her life she'd feared that Jon Snow would seek to take Robb's birthright and that one day they'd come to blows as he tried to steal what was rightfully her son's. Little did she realize that she'd gotten the fact of the fight right if not the instigator or the nature of it. It was not as comforting as she'd thought it would be to be proved right. She heard the footsteps behind her and she didn't need to turn to know who it was. Her son had sought her out after the meeting and she'd ignored him.
"Speak to me, mother, please." Robb said softly as he moved beside her.
"I've spoken and not been heard so why would I bother to do so again." she said shaking her head.
"I've no choice, they'll not kneel." he said almost pleadingly.
"They would if their king had wished it so. You've made an enemy of your brother this night and while mine own feelings for him are still confused I now know for true that is what he is. Was he any other man then I'd fear for your sisters, for you never even gave them thought did you?" she asked angrily.
"Jon would never…."
"Jon Snow does not fucking exist, it's not him you'll be dealing with, it's Rhaegar Targaryen and you're wearing his crown. I know he'd not harm your sisters, unlike some he cares more for them than he does for a crown." she said bitterly and she felt him wince as she spoke.
"Lord Reed has gone back to the North after naming us all as traitors and usurpers." Robb said and Cat almost smiled at that.
"He won't be the last one, or do you believe that Lord Wyman doesn't already know the truth and hasn't been waiting for you to make your own feelings clear? Or that Roose Bolton won't now seek to take some advantage due to the choice you made?"
"I.."
"My brother is a fool who thinks the Riverlands is behind him and you all the way. Not even my father brought them all to bear and should Rhaegar prove himself more than he already has, then it'll be Riverlords that will desert you next."
"Why didn't you speak to me of this?" he asked and she turned and glared at him.
"Because you stopped taking my counsel. A man you may be Robb but at heart you're still a boy and this is not the place to play out boyish games. I shall leave on the morrow for Dragonstone. I wish to see your sisters and to speak to Rhaegar myself." she said as she went to move away from him.
"You can't, we've to go to he Twins. Lord Frey wishes the wedding to take place and I can't hold it off for any longer." Robb said.
"Very well, I'll leave after you've been wed, You were wrong tonight Robb, and for once I feel shamed by my family and by my son." she said as she walked away.
They were harsh words but true and she felt it deep within her. All her life she'd feared Jon Snow, feared what he may do to take what wasn't his. No longer did she fear a bastard boy and she hoped she'd never have to fear the dragon he truly was. She would go to him, speak to him and fix this, she had to fix this.
Dragonstone 299 AC.
Rhaegar.
Beric and Ned Dayne were brought not to the Throne Room but to the Chamber of the Painted Table and this time he sat in the seat that overlooked it. Dany sat with the young girl Missandei, who despite her age was as clever as any man in the room. His uncle sat with his aunt, Aemon sitting on the opposite side to Dany and Rhaegar noticing how he kept blinking. He'd told him that Shiera had given him something which had made him feel almost young again and that his eyesight was returning, something that Rhaegar didn't understand but welcomed.
Lord Monford and his brother Aurane represented the Lords of the Narrow Sea and Ser Jorah, Barristan and Arthur stood to offer both protection and counsel. Rhaegar smiled at Ser Richard as he brought the two men in and even more so at the look on Ned's face when he looked to see his uncle was standing there.
"Your grace." Beric said as he looked from him to Dany.
"Lord Beric, Lord Dayne, I'm glad to see you both so well. May I present my aunt Daenerys, my uncle Aemon and my aunt Shiera."
"Your grace." Beric said with a small bow to Dany.
"As well as Lord Monford Velaryon and his brother Aurane and Sers Jorah and Barristan." he said and he saw Ned's eyes widen at the mention of the Bold.
"My lords, good Sers."
"Please take a seat, have you eaten, drank?" he asked and Beric nodded that they had "How fared you in Dorne?" he asked almost eagerly once Beric was comfortable.
"As well as you hoped, your grace. Prince Oberyn was making ready to set sail as we left. He planned to march with 15,000 Dornish spears and he requests a meeting, your grace." Beric said to some gasps, some looks to each other and Rhaegar looked to Aemon who sat there with a smile on his face.
"Dorne is truly marching? Lord Monford asked almost in disbelief.
"I believe so. He gave me this for you, your grace." Beric said handing him a letter which he almost ripped open in his eagerness to read the words contained inside.
"What does it say, your grace?" Arthur asked.
"To the Prince of Dragonstone,
I should hate you for living while they do not and perhaps I do. But my hate has more deserving targets than you and has been alleviated somewhat by the justice you brought them where I could not. I wish to look you in the eye, to see what of you I can, and to decide if you are his son or their brother. Regardless, my spear is yours as are Dorne's as long as you promise me it'll soon be stained red with the blood of lions.
Dorne marches and marches not for you but for my sister, my niece, and nephew. We march for justice and we march for blood and we'll await you where more of your family's was spilled than even in the Red Keep. Tell Arthur that I hope Dawn's blade is as sharp as ever and that he or you have nothing to fear from me. We await you at Summerhall, Prince of Dragonstone, we await, and once we've met and I know the truth of you then I'll perhaps name you as my king and as their kin.
Oberyn Martell,
Brother and Uncle to those who were stolen from us both." Rhaegar said and she saw how Dany looked at him worriedly and yet it was to Arthur he himself looked.
"We must go to him, your grace. Not only will Dornish spears be most helpful in the war to come but if Oberyn kneels then so does Dorne and that's a powerful message for you to send." Arthur said.
"Your knight is right, nephew. I believe the words to be true and that you've nothing to fear from Prince Oberyn but he wishes to test you and it's a test you must accept." Aemon said a moment later.
"Prince of Dragonstone, why name Rhaegar as that?" Dany asked confused.
"I've no crown on my head." he said and smiled when she looked to it "Until I sit the Iron Throne I can name myself king all I want but I've no crown on my head and so until I do, it's just words. I am the Prince of Dragonstone though as not only is our home back in our hands." he said and she smiled and took his breath away when she did so "But it's the title I'd have until I was crowned. Oberyn is testing me but not insulting me at the same time." he said and he saw Aemon's pleased nod.
He arranged to leave on the morrow and he could see how disappointed that Dany was by that and so he resolved to speak to her later.
"Lord Monford, it's time our other allies were brought to us. I'd have you set sail for Skagos to collect the men of the island. Thoros and some men of the Brotherhood will be your guides and speak to the Magnar and his men on my behalf. They're rough men, my lord, and don't hold to many courtesies but they have their own ways and are respectful in them." he said and Monford nodded.
"We'll set sail at once, your grace." Monford said.
"Ser Barristan, Ser Richard, both of you are more experienced in war than I so I'd ask you along with Grey Worm and her grace to come up with a series of battle plans and objectives. Take into account Prince Oberyn and the Dornish spears and her grace's numbers along with the Lords of the Narrow Sea and the men from Skagos. Don't worry about the dragons, for now, her grace and I will no doubt change some plans to suit their use." he said and Barristan nodded.
"What of other allies, your grace, the North?" Jorah asked.
"My brother has not yet replied, Ser Jorah, let's see what that reply is before we decide what it is we wish to do about it or them. As for the others, my uncle will let you know who has declared and who has not." he said looking to Aemon who nodded.
"Lord Beric, Lord Dayne, I'd ask you to offer up what help you can after you get settled. I'd see you both stay here until I return but should you wish to join with the Brotherhood and travel to Skagos, I'd understand. He said.
"We'd prefer to stay, your grace, another voyage by sea doesn't appeal." Beric said and Rhaegar laughed at the relieved nod that Ned made at Berics words.
After they were all dismissed, only Barristan, Arthur, Dany, and his aunt and uncle remained in the room.
"Dany and I are to be married as you know and I'd see it done before we leave this island. I should be gone and back within a week and so we should make preparations for the wedding to be held upon my return. I already consider Dany to be my queen and so it's her I leave in charge. Uncle, should any replies to our letter arrive then I leave it to you and to Dany to see what response if any is required." he said and Aemon nodded.
They talked for more than an hour, arrangements made and things put in place and finally he was alone with her and the time for speaking was over. She kissed him and he kissed her, he held her in his arms and they sat in the raised seat together. Rhaegar holding her hand as he whispered in her ear. Their meal that night was a far fuller affair than he would have wished and he spoke first to Sansa to tell her that he'd need to leave on the morrow and that Ghost would be by her side. Then to Arya to let her know that she would be coming with him before she argued about him leaving her behind.
When the time came for bed he welcomed it and their lovemaking was much different as it was less frenzied and in some ways far more enjoyable. Holding her in his arms he slept more comfortably and truly than he had in many a year and woke early to find her already up and about. They didn't say goodbye, he simply told her that he would return within the week and that he wished he didn't have to go and listened as she told him the same.
Then, he, Arthur, and Arya climbed up onto Oñosmaghare's back, and then with one more look to Dany they were gone and high in the air in but a moment. He felt his dragon's joy at seeing the lands beneath him and that he was happier now than he had once been. There was something else there within him too and it took him a while to realize what it was. Ōñosmaghare was eager, the dragon was excited for what was to come and for the light he was about to bring to those who stood in their way.
Dragonstone 299 AC.
Ōñosmaghare.
His brothers shared with him their lives before they'd reached Dragonstone and the joy that being on the island had brought to them. He'd seen lands that he'd passed over many years before and had seen them now through new eyes. Ōñosmaghare had watched as they'd been hatched, as they'd grown and he'd been so very proud of them when they'd torn into that corrupted heart. He had shared their fear when the magic had almost overwhelmed them and they'd not known what it was that it had done to them and their amazement at how big they'd grown because of it. When he'd felt their need and desire for more, he'd told them that wasn't a path they wished to follow.
"Darkness lies that way, Darkness, and loneliness and it's not a path I'll allow any of you to travel."
"You would stop us from growing stronger?" Drogon asked angrily.
"Only in that way, take it from one wiser than you, that's not the path you wish." he said and after some time and with help from the green and gold dragons, Drogon listened.
The black dragon was fierce and wished to be fiercer and Ōñosmaghare knowing that he was partly the reason for that. He felt threatened by him and he'd done his best to let him know that he should not. They were kin, bonded to those who were bonded to each other and they would never be on opposite sides. He knew that part of the reason Drogon felt that way was this place too, and the things it would show you even when you didn't wish to see. Memories of those who came before and of dragons, riders, and of their ends.
"Why would they do that?"
"They were blood, they were kin?"
"How can we trust any who are not us?"
He tried to explain that they were not truly blood and they had no bond but it was hard to get the dragons to realize that it was the man and not the dragon that had done such a terrible thing. All they'd seen was Aegon feeding Rhaenyra to Sunfyre and so he'd shown them it all. The Dance, the Storming of the Dragonpit, and the Dragonbane, and he'd felt their fear, anger, and worry and he had done his best to relieve them of it all.
"He is not them and neither is she, they are your father and your mother, bonded as you are and as am I. Would you harm your bonded, Drogon?" he asked.
"I would kill every last one who dared to harm my mother, even one who ever dared to think it so." Drogon said angrily.
"As would he, as would I." he said as he looked to the other two dragons and saw their own acceptance of his words.
Over time they had learned and when it came time to fly they didn't wish him to go but understood he had to. For once he also found he didn't wish to leave the island though it was more the dragons he named as kin that were the reason for his reluctance. Yet as he took to the air it was with a sense of excitement and eagerness that he did so, he was with his rider and this was where he was always supposed to be.
A/N: Thanks to all who've read and reviewed: Up next Rhaegar, Arthur, and Arya meet with a Viper and some Sand Snakes. In King's Landing, a wedding changes things dramatically while on Dragonstone Sansa finds a friend and an admirer. Dany deals with replies that she knows will hurt her husband to be and upon Rhaegar's return a wedding is held and a wedding night is cut short in the most violent of ways.
Daryl Dixon: So glad you liked it.
Nagiten: A mistake on my part, it was meant to be nephew. We're just one more chapter away from the beginning of the war.
Suppes: so glad you enjoyed it.
Emeraldduke: It's the biggest bane of Tyrion's life, Tywin just wanted him gone. Hope you like what Robb decided, or don't I'm not sure lol.
Bigwilly: And yet he could have given it up to get his sister's back but did not? I agree and disagree with you at the same time about the crown thing. He never wanted it or sought it but he did accept it and he wouldn't just willingly give it up. There is a responsibility that comes with it once he took it and it almost paralyzed him because he couldn't just swap Jaime, get his sister back and go back to the North and not simply because he sought revenge/justice, but because he was responsible for the Riverlands now too. Also in relation to Jon, how he may feel about him taking the crown from him is a matter of human nature. On one hand, he may think it his, on the other he was always higher than Jon, and to just accept that Jon was higher than him is not an easy thing to do. The argument they had as children when Jon said he was Lord of WF and Robb said he couldn't be because bastards can't be lords, it may be childish but it's also telling.
Celexys. So happy to hear you say that. Tyrion's biggest strength is that he reads people IMO, he read Robb right and here he reads Jon just the same but no one listens. I feel that way completely about the dragons, you've nailed it so perfectly. We even have people like Tyrion and others suggest that they're at least as if not more clever than people, so we need to have some insight into that I feel.
Jaimol: Thanks so much, hope you like where it goes from here.
Akrom: I don't know if that will be possible, we'll see but if it is then I'll try.
Jaimerey: Los veremos en los próximos capítulos, el Valle llegará muy pronto.
Guest; We're still seeing the reactions pre-Dany, so they're reacting only to what they know about Jon, Dany will change things also in that they're so not expecting her lol. I'm trying to make this a 3 chapter every two months thing, so a chapter almost every 3 weeks which is why it was a bit quicker.
Vwchick: Olenna is dealing with old info and bad info and so she's not fully aware of the game being played it's not a good thing for her.
Abaddon, the first Bloodraven pov is the chapter after next if I remember right, he and Shiera we'll be getting insight into then.
Lady Octarina: One of the things with Jon is that not knowing what he brings to the table, pretty much messes up how he's being perceived. This is deliberate by Jon at Aemon's behest, they want to test who is true and who is just seeking gain. So while normally you'd be right, they're not thinking it through and some are making mistakes, such as Olenna here. Glad you thought the first time worked and I always feel that it was never a true curse.
Not sure if you know the theory about Mel, which is that she saw in the flames, Joff, Robb, and Balon's deaths and used that knowledge to make Stannis believe she had powers. So him burning the leeches did nothing, but since they were going to die anyway, when they did, it proved Mel true, even though she was not. Well, I think the same is true with the cursed womb, I think she knew that Dany wouldn't have a baby for a long time and used that knowledge to make it seems as if she cursed her.
I felt that if he didn't believe him with Robb he'd believe it even less with Jon, simply because it's who Tywin is. I know right about the Tywin face, it would be priceless to see it lol. I have plans for Stannis which we'll see in a chapter or two, lest just say he's going in a direction I don't think I've seen before.
It just screams it out and at times with GRRM I wonder if he's actually doing that or if he simply forgets certain things. Like there are these things I like to call Georgisms which are plot points being set up way in advance that if you actually think about don't really make sense in retrospect. The Iron Islands and Theon is one example. One that Ned takes an IB hostage and that he's treated how he is and becomes Robb's bestie and not one person takes issue with this when it's clear the only reason for it is sot that Theon can betray Robb later. The other Greyjoy's are another, the first act of the rebellion is to burn Tywin's fleet at Lannisport, a fleet he's incredibly proud of. Yet Tywin doesn't seek their heads? Tywin…
So at times, I wonder if it's a Georgism or simply a forgetful error and if Barristan meets Jon later on in the story and recognizes him, it'll be clear that's what it is.
Xand007: Thank you, my friend, I like book Tyrion's appearance it just feels more true given how he's perceived. One of the things about the attack by Dany and with Dragons, as you say it's a game-changer, so it's really only their own reluctance and other little things that can mess it up. Robb almost beat Tywin as it was without them and so there's only so far you can go against them to make it believable. Stay safe and well my friend.
Zenry: Then you may enjoy what comes here in this. The letter Jon sent to everyone was the same and with the same intent, he isn't looking for people who'll go the way the wind blows, he's trying to root out the true supporters by showing them himself with little or nothing other than his name before revealing what he actually has to call upon.
Vdwade: That's exactly it, Rhaegar, funnily enough, wants them to think that way too, Tywin is in serious trouble here so we'll see how he reacts to the truth of that. With LF, again you're spot on, he's also another that goes which way the wind turns, what I'll say without spoiling much is the Vale will be involved here much earlier. As for the Tyrells and others, the whole point of sending the letter before Dany arrived is to root out who can be trusted and who cannot.
Outcome: Nope he'll not accept that, it's what the BF thinks is an option but nope, Why would he? I mean it would be the equivalent of Robb giving Jon the Gift and new Gift and letting him run it as his own in some ways. Jon wouldn't seek to take WF or a part of the North from Robb, so for Robb to seek to take any part of the 7 kingdoms from Jon is a betrayal in his mind.
Hartley Skarsgard: So glad you liked it. I was thinking about Aemon and Jon going for the throne and actually having the ability to move quickly with a dragon and there's just no way I don't see him seeking Aemon's counsel and having him by his side. Now if he was leading an army and out in the field, then he'd perhaps not but with a dragon and being able to take a base, most definitely. Shiera has a bigger role to play and we'll see some of that in a couple of chapters. The Dany/Jon thing was also one of my hooks that interested me, having her not only be a part of the WOTFK but that she and Jon were connected early, there is a reason for it which we'll see explained.
I like Fear: Really glad you liked this.
OO night eyes: So very happy you enjoyed it.
Xan Merrick; Thank you, my friend. Stannis I can honestly say won't do that here, he has a different path than normal though. Hope you liked the Jorah part. Oh, the name thing will be a fun little moment for Mel lol. Tyrion is clever but Tywin's bitterness towards him runs far too deep. Had he listened then he'd have ended Robb far more quickly.