authorsnotes: got a bit stuck on this chapter, but am very very happy with how it turned out
my bby boy jon is now show!jon, you'll see that here...
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songrecs: center of attention - jackson waters
The meeting, like the other before it and no doubt the next scheduled for that evening was frustratingly unproductive.
Jon sat opposite the Dragon Queen, Sansa next to them and though neither betrayed their annoyance (Sansa was near impossible to read and everyone was used to his default stoicism), they could both feel it bubbling. He wasn't sure if that was intention from Daenerys Targaryen or just a by-product of her decision making.
She was still mulling over whether to allow them access to the Dragon Glass depositories on Dragonstone, but Jon saw it as more of a power play than any real consideration on her part. To her the material was worthless but to the North incredibly valuable; she knew that and was thus using it as a bargaining chip.
Jon didn't appreciate that, putting a price or conditions on a vital resource for human life. He hated all of this, the politicking, the scheming, and cursed the Gods for never allowing humanity to simply work together.
Wouldn't it all be easier that way?
It would but it seemed near impossible, as that night, after another day of him and Sansa walking the island and talking quietly, of a morning war meeting absent of any progress, he resounded himself for more of the same as he and Sansa arrived for the evening war council.
And yet…
"I have decided to grant your request" The Queen spoke, her advisors did not flinch, neither did he or Sansa, though he felt an incredible internal relief, like a weight lifted from his shoulders, or at least some of it … until he schooled himself, what did she want in return?
He knew enough of the South to know they never gave anything for free.
But first, as King, he knew it was for him to speak, "Thank you your Grace" He said with a nod of his head but there was no smile, "The North appreciates your generosity"
"Yes" Sansa said with a smile, though it was polite, not her genuine smile, "We will send for miners immediately, we have a contingent waiting in White Harbour and can have them here within the fortnight on fast winds"
"Aye" Jon said, and caught the Dragon Queens eye for the first time, there was a hardness to them, but a spark of something kind, he couldn't judge her ruling yet, would even be her ally were she not trying to take away his crown. "We'll get to work immediately"
For it was his, he'd accepted that, and in truth he liked it, greatly, not just for the North but for himself, for Sansa by his side.
He was the King, and he intended to stay that way.
"Good" Daenerys said with a smile, sharp but again there was a hint of softness, she was beautiful, there was no denying that, but beside from the fact she was technically his Aunt, he had no interest in her in that regard.
"But I want something in return" He had braced himself for this, nodded for her to continue, but not in agreement, he'd need to hear it first, though he was very aware how badly they needed the Dragon Glass he wasn't about to sell his soul or the North for it.
"I will eventually see you bend the knee" She said, as though matter of fact, no hint of threat in her tone but it was implicit, "But for now, in exchange for the dragon glass you must swear to stay out of my war with the false Queen Cersei, you will take no part, unless to aid me of course"
"Yes" Tyrion stepped in with a nod, "We will welcome your aid, but at the least you will not fight for Cersei"
"You think we ever would?" Sansa said, and it was a credit to her ability to lie that she didn't look furious, only mildly indignant, and so he stepped in.
"We will never side with the Lannisters" He said, "They murdered our family, we would see vengeance on them, never assistance"
"We thought as much" Tyrion even seemed a hint apologetic, "But we have to make sure of these things, we have little measure of you, Your Grace" Tyrion said to him, acknowledging his title, clearly there had been a shift.
One he'd need to keep an eye on. Threats, and deference's, fuck he hated politics, hated playing it but shared a quick glance with Sansa, as much as he hated it he knew it was a necessary evil.
"Jon is a good and fair King" Sansa interjected, and he was glad the room was dark, thanks to the hour, for he hoped his cheeks weren't red, as they often were when Sansa complimented him, "We would go to war before submitting to the Lannisters"
"Good" Daenerys said, simply, flat but to the point, "Then we have an agreement"
"But not your aid" Tyrion interrupted with a sardonic smirk, clever indeed, "You do not want Cersei defeated?"
"I'm not sure what aid we could give" Jon said, "Our men are needed in the North"
"Perhaps your knowledge then?" Daenerys asked, she swept a careless hand across the air in front of the lit table, Aegons map table, it was truly a sight to behold, Jon fancied one for the North and decided to enquire about it when he returned (and perhaps after the war).
He took note of the positions of the figurines designed to emulate the army positions. Numbers amassing in Dorne, with the Tyrell's joining them in massing near the border, numbers on Dragonstone too. And then the location of the Lannister troops, Kings Landing, holding Riverrun, numbers at Casterly Rock.
"You have three dragons" Sansa pointed out, "Why not burn her armies to the ground?"
"They are all amassing in civilian areas of Kings Landing, the Riverlands and Casterly Rock" Tyrion said with caution in his tone, "We would then end up killing millions of innocents"
"And a single dragon with a rider is not enough, especially if Queen Daenerys is hit with an arrow or one of the dragons harmed" Daenerys advisor spoke, the girl Missandei.
"It sounds like you need more dragon riders" Sansa said, and he went stiff, took her hand under the desk and squeezed, she did so back, he trusted her, knew she wouldn't reveal him, but he felt some concern, there could be no talk like that.
And knew he had to be careful, Varys, the spymaster was observing everything. Had raised an eyebrow as Jon went stiff, though he settled back, and Jon forced himself to relax.
"Sadly I am the last Targaryen" Daenerys said, Jon was thankful he could keep his face blank, "And so that is not possible, and none can ride a dragon without the blood of the dragon"
"And so traditional warfare it is" Tyrion continued, "We have the means and idea to take Casterly Rock, but we are hesitant to commit all of our resources"
"Especially as I have little doubt Cersei knows you will attempt to take it" Sansa said, evidently on the same page as Tyrion, she knew that family dynamic better than most.
"Exactly" Tyrion said, he was too clever to call for any trap of his sister, "As much as I'd like to horrify my father in whichever of the seven hells he's in by taking the Rock, it is not the most strategic move" Sansa shared a smile with the Lannister at that, which he could hardly begrudge her.
"And Kings Landing cannot be breached for now" Daenerys carried on, "So we are trying to determine a best new target"
"Riverrun is not a good enough target" Sansa said regretfully, and Jon nodded.
"Aye, it is too ravaged, though it has strategic and symbolic value" He said with a shrug, he knew it also held family value to Sansa but they could not make wartime decisions based on sentimentality.
"Not enough to commit my men" Daenerys said and he nodded, and then an idea came to him.
Probably foolish, she'd definitely say no, and yet … what had she said?
Only one of dragons blood can ride a dragon.
And what had the Gods said?
What beats ice?
And then Sansa's look as he'd greeted Drogon, the glint in her eye he'd never underestimate…
He knew what he had to do. He'd never convince Daenerys to join him in the war for the North, not unless he bent the knee, but perhaps there was another way.
Perhaps he didn't need her.
It was ruthless, it was difficult, and he'd likely die if it backfired but with a sigh, he knew he had to ask before trying an alternative method. Forgiveness or permission?
For now, the latter. The former could come later if needed. Perhaps it was neither, and subterfuge instead. It felt wrong, but he had to put the North first, the North and Sansa, always.
"You focus on the further South" Jon said, "Perhaps take Casterly Rock, or defend Highgarden"
"We have Reach forces their which Lady Olena has returned to, her son Garlan commands them, her eldest Willas is holding back the Iron Islanders, Loras and Margarey were lost in Kings Landing" Tyrion said.
"Or captives" Sansa mulled.
"Regardless" Jon interrupted, "Sure up the Reach, Cersei will need food and supplies, hitting Highgarden is her best chance" He insisted.
"Highgarden itself has no strategic value, it is a castle easily taken" Tyrion said.
"Exactly, but it controls the region and thus the food" Southerners who'd never had a hungry belly couldn't understand, "Send your forces to defend it"
"And what of taking land?" Daenerys interrupted, "We can't just defend what we already have, we must make ground"
"I will take Riverrun" He proclaimed and then Sansa was squeezing his hand, hard, especially as the room hushed, but he didn't flinch, only continued, "I can order the southern part of my Kingdom to invade and take it"
"It was in unbreachable" Tyrion said, "My brother was only able because Edmure Tully surrendered" He insisted.
"There are other ways in" Sansa said, but she continued to grip him, "We will take it" She glanced back at Brienne, who had escaped herself, but Jon knew that was not who she meant, no, they had other ways of getting Riverrun back with minimal bloodshed, not that the Queen and her advisors needed to know that.
Sansa nodded at him, gripped his hand but nodded, always on his side, even as she didn't know his plan, even as he might bleed from her nails digging into his hand, he held onto her.
"We will take it for you" Jon clarified, "You can then have your men reorganise Tully land, start farming it, restoring it, you'll win the Riverlanders in a sweep"
"And in return?" The Queen asked, for she knew this was no gift, there were no gifts in politics.
Nothing was free.
"One of your dragons" He said; and Sansa did flinch then, though none noticed, all eyes on him, only him; "Not forever, not to take away from you, but first to take Riverrun; and then to hold back the dead" He said with a nod, "One dragon"
"How dare…" She began but he cut her off, her outrage was fine, he could see in her eye he had her, felt even some odd kinship there, or perhaps he imagined it, but he knew.
"The green one" He said with a nod, "Give me the green dragon for a time and we'll deliver you Riverrun and protect Westeros"
"His name is Rhaegal" She sneered, but again he knew, he had her, could see it, Targaryen kinship? He didn't know, he just knew he would betray it.
For the North, for Sansa, a necessity he hated, but knew he must do.
"Rhaegal " He almost laughed at how fitting it was but he didn't. He didn't tremble nor flinch, he just held strong, he had to, "Give me Rhaegal, just for a time, and the Riverlands will be yours and the Kingdom you want to rule, minus mine, will be safe"
His hand bled, but he knew he had them all.
When they left the room, he had some thinking to do, some thinking indeed.
For his value, his worth, and his duty first and foremost had always, always been based on information, on what he knew, what he didn't, what others knew and how much they knew.
He had his spiders crawling up the walls, little birds fluttering back to him, but his time away from Westeros had weakened his influence, particularly in the North.
He knew little of the new King, but was learning more everyday.
Today was one of those days.
The new King was a puzzle, hard to read and yet he held all of the traditional Northern and Stark qualities without a doubt; honour, justice, honesty, righteousness, so morally ensured that he could be counted on under oath and vow.
And yet, there was also something else to this King, something that said he wouldn't sacrifice himself nor family to honour, that unlike his Father, or his half-brother he would not go down under the guise of honour.
No, something different indeed, which both worried and intrigued him.
As his Queen had raged at the King in the Norths impertinence, as Tyrion had tried to placate her, as Greywind had asked how important Riverrun was, as Missandei had puzzled what use Jon Snow would have without a dragon he couldn't ride.
He had considered.
Considered just that, why did Jon Snow want a dragon he could not ride? He would no doubt say he just needed it to rain fire, but he didn't seem the type to just kill or destroy, and so what was his aim?
To weaken the Queen? The dragon was her child, and without another rider would be loyal to her always. No, he couldn't hope to sway the beasts loyalty.
But there has been Lady Sansa's words. And what a Lady she had become.
A player in the game yes but still a novice in spymastering, in lying and cunning compared to him, to her mentor Littlefinger (who had fled the North for unknown reasons, his birds truly did suffer in the snow), but growing better and better.
Not so better though that she hadn't flinched upon King Jon's proclamation, that she hadn't known his plan.
There seemed to be no enmity among them, which meant King Jon was planning as he went, which meant he knew something, something in his use of the dragon, something he didn't.
Information was key, and he did not have all of it. It frustrated him beyond belief, but he had to work within confines before, he would again, before he got the measure of the new King and his pla, as hard as that would be.
As the Northerners were careful; their hatred of the South made them paranoid. They spoke in code or spoke under the safety of the wind whistled hills on long walks, he would struggle to find out from them there. Bribing their guards was also out of the question, Northerners were too loyal to their own, far too loyal.
No, he had to find another way.
"What do you think Lord Varys?" Tyrion asked, he turned and re-entered the conversation as though he had never left it "Of Jon Snows request?"
"I think…" He paused, as though measuring his words, really, he was measuring what he should share, "He cannot control your child your Grace, perhaps he just hopes to have it to intimidate the Frey's and Lannister's at Riverrun into surrendering"
"And there may be no harm in that" Tyrion said, clearly his side was decided, he wanted Riverrun secured, and tactically it was the right idea, but their Queen could only worry for her child, though she'd seemed swayed when the King had been in the room, interesting.
"How do I know Rhaegal will be safe?" The Queen asked to Tyrion, for when it came to battle, to their campaign here she trusted him more than anyone, "What if he gets hurt?
"Riverrun won't have the capabilities in harming him" Tyrion said, "He will be fine"
"He then wants to take my child North" Daenerys said, "And who knows what danger he'll face there"
And that was the stalemate. They all knew what King Jon wanted, he perhaps had some hope to liberate Riverrun for Lady Sansa (though their Queen would never allow her to hold it), but really he wanted the dragon for whatever battle he would face in the North.
"I give them dragon glass and they repay me by trying to harm my child" She seethed.
"Then put further conditions" Tyrion said, "Demand Riverrun and the Vale"
"They already hold the Vale, in their alliance with Littlefinger" Varys interjected, no need for anyone else to know Littlefinger had ran, not for now.
"Then they hand that over, take Riverrun, that is two kingdoms secured" Tyrion insisted, but the Queen shook her head.
"I won't sacrifice my child for the Kingdoms" She said, shaking her head furiously, "No"
"The dragons are your advantage" Tyrion insisted, "You must use them!"
"And yet you council me against taking them to Kings Landing!" She turned on him, for Tyrion had done just that, had been the only one to advocate and almost demand that their Queen not turn the Capitol to crisp on her way to becoming Queen. He held a sway with her there.
"I council you on destroying the people you hope to rule" He insisted, "This would be allowing Jon Snow to tout Rhaegal to scare people into submission before taking him to melt some snow!" He threw back, but Varys knew Tyrion didn't believe that, he knew as did Varys there was more out there.
The question was what. But that was for another time.
"I need to think" The Queen said, before in a whirl of skirts and fire she was gone, always dragon fire that one.
But she would be the best for the realm … and that was he stood for, the realm, always.
But then he thought of Jon Snow stiffening, the look shared with his sister as dragon riders had been mentioned, and the plan that couldn't hope to work for him unless he could command Rhaegal.
Perhaps there was another choice.
He just had to find out about Jon Snow, and why he too seemed to have a fire about him.
and there we go, jon knows what he needs to do
more scheming next chapter, we won't revisit the north again just yet as more and more develops south...
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