THE KING'S JUSTICE
Arya looked up as she saw Drogon flying overhead with her niece and nephew. She groaned as she watched the dragon disappear into the clouds heading Northward. Where was he going? Where was he taking them!?
Arya marched up to Daenerys followed by a large crowd of angsty villagers and her own swordsmen who she had brought with her from King's Landing. Dany perched with relief. Her babies would be safe and well out of harm's way. She suddenly locked eyes with Arya once again who quickly came to be within inches of her. Arya gave a sly smirk before she struck Dany hard across the face.
Dany made sure not to whimper or show any sign of pain, but she brought her hand to her now stinging red cheek regardless. The villagers gasped seeing what had just happened. They started mumbling amongst themselves and Arya turned around to face them.
"I've gathered you all here tonight… to answer for treason!" Arya shouted out.
The villagers looked at her confused as to what she was talking about. Arya nodded to her swordsmen of thirty strong and they all unsheathed their swords and pointed them at the villagers who screamed, terrified. Among the villagers were men, women and children.
"How long have you all been harbouring The Mad Queen for?" Arya ferociously asked.
Why anyone would want to help Daenerys after all the horrible things she had done was beyond her. Anyone who would aid the Mad Queen was instantly an enemy in her mind.
The villagers all gasped at her words and murmured amongst themselves in shock and fear. When no one spoke up to answer, Arya grew fed up and tired of waiting. She nodded to her men who stalked closer to the villagers, the points of their blades threatening to pierce them.
"Arya, they're innocent…" Dany began but was quickly silenced by another hard slap to the face. This time, Dany couldn't help but wince as she fell to the ground feeling helpless.
"We had no idea that the Mad Queen lived here!" spoke one frantic man from the crowd. "Had I known I would have informed the King straight away!"
Arya turned back to listen to the man's words. He had a strong Southerner accent and was not from here. The man who spoke was Torbin, the Blacksmith whom she had met when she had requested that needle be done work on.
"It's true Lady Stark! This woman has been hiding herself away from the village!"
This time it was a woman who spoke, The Septa Teresa.
The words they spoke were obviously true and they clearly had not known that there was a world renowned murderer living among them… posing as a commoner. Arya turned around back to Daenerys.
"Kill her!" Torbin shouted. "The bitch killed my entire family! They burned all while still alive!" The man was now crying and gritting his teeth. "My son… he was only six! Just a little boy!"
Dany's heart sank at hearing this. She clutched at her dress, digging her nails into her palms through the fabric as tears threatened to fall from her eyes again. She felt awful and guilty… the most she had ever felt in years… Arya narrowed her eyes at seeing Dany's odd reaction. The villagers all began to shout and support Torbin.
"Foreign whore!"
"Bitch!"
"Murderer!"
"Dragon slut!"
"Kill her Lady Stark, kill her!"
Arya took their words into consideration and even found some of the slurs amusing as each and every one of them was a stab in the gut to Dany who suddenly felt like a child again… She wrapped her arms around her knees and buried her face into her arms as the voices of all the villagers who absolutely hated her became fuzzy and blurred her vision as she began to feel another trance coming on.
"Do you hear them all?" Arya whispered to Dany as she leaned over so that her lips were near her ear. "They want you to die."
Dany glanced up at Arya with empty eyes now flowing with tears. Arya scowled at seeing the Mad Queen look so damn sad and broken… and she extra hated how even when she looked sad she still looked so exoticlly beautiful! She had hoped to see her stupidly try to explain herself or have prepared a speech that tried to justify her past actions… This Mad Queen was boring and looked almost pitiful… Arya could almost, almost feel sorry for her.
"Just do it…" Dany quietly spoke back as memories of that haunting day in King's Landing unwelcomely invaded her mind.
Arya bit her lip and was extremely disappointed that Daenerys wasn't going to put up a fight. She unsheathed catspaw and slowly lifted the dagger to the Mad Queen's throat.
"KILL HER!" the villagers again shouted in unison.
Arya glared into Dany's eyes right into her soul. Dany only grimly looked at her having accepted death a long time ago… Arya, in that moment, very much so, wanted to slide the cold steel deeply across Daenerys' throat… but instead… She was forced to retract the dagger and step away much to the villager's dismay. Dany looked at her in question. She turned around to face the disappointed villagers.
"Unfortunately… I don't have the authority to kill her at this moment…" Arya announced. "However… I will be taking her back to King's Landing! There she will meet the King's Justice and peace of mind will finally come to all those who are left that lost their families in the fire storms!"
The villagers all cheered loudly and erupted into an applause. Arya nodded to two of her swordsmen. They walked over to roughly seize Dany and capture her, restraining her arms extra tight behind her back.
"It's a long journey back to King's Landing… but don't worry… it's going to be an interesting one. I'll make sure of that…" Arya spiterfully whispered to Dany as the swordsmen took her away.
LOYALTIES
Jon was standing in the crypt at the foot of his father's statue. The late Eddard Stark. A man who had sacrificed his honour to keep him safe from harm and to uphold his sister's wishes… his true mother… Lyanna Stark. Jon sighed, deeply thinking of them both.
He had always wanted to know who his true mother was… and to find out the truth of his lineage had changed his whole concept of reality. His father wasn't his father and his mother wasn't at all who he had expected her to be… neither his true father… especially his true father… that was probably the hardest part to come to terms with. He was the son of Rhaegar Targaryen.
"I ensure that the candles are lit every day… I visit them frequently as well…" said Sansa as she came to join Jon. "It's been almost twenty years since he's been gone… but it still only feels like yesterday…"
Jon looked at his sister with sadness in his eyes… Sansa had been there to watch their father's unlawful execution. It would have been extremely traumatising and he could tell that even still to this day… it affected her tremendously.
"Thank you… for keeping their memory alive…" Jon said as he looked across to his mother's statue that also had a lit candle.
Sansa smiled at Jon and nodded. She had missed her family so much… She was sad to admit that here in the crypt is where she felt the least lonely. Here she could be close to her father and deceased relatives… the living ones rarely bothered to keep in contact or visit.
"When will you be off?" Sansa asked her brother who already had his gloves on and his riding cloak strapped around his shoulders.
Jon looked at her… he didn't like the idea of leaving her all alone in Winterfell especially since he didn't know when or even if he would be able to come back and visit.
"Soon… although Ghost doesn't seem to want to leave…" Jon said with a smile. "I'm thinking it might be best to leave him here with you."
Sansa looked curiously at Jon. Ghost was his ever so loyal companion. They had always been together… to leave him here with her would surely break his heart.
"He'll be much happier in the North, his natural element rather than the South where it's too warm for a direwolf." Jon assured her.
In truth, Jon just really felt sorry for Sansa and could feel and see how lonely she was. Ghost would do well to keep her company and Jon knew he would be happier in Winterfell too so it worked out perfectly. Sansa smiled and again, nodded a thank you to her brother.
"Sometimes… even though… you know… he is not your biological father…" Sansa hesitantly began while looking at her father's statue. Jon looked at her curiously, wondering where she was going with this. "Sometimes… I truly think that you inherited the pureness and goodness directly from his heart. You're more like father than any of us. Good, kind… and incredibly honourable…" Sansa said.
Jon smirked at her kind words. He really did try to be like his father who had always been his greatest role model in his life… but, he then snickered, shaking his head.
"I wish that were true…" Jon said.
"It is." Sansa firmly stated turning to him.
Jon looked at her as if she knew she was wrong. Sansa didn't need him to explain why he was against what she was saying… she could already tell what was on his mind.
"You had to do it… you had no choice but to kill her… she would've killed us all had you not." Sansa spoke. "You saved us, Jon."
Jon had always been conflicted and haunted by the thought of him killing Daenerys. Everyone told him that he had done the right thing but… he didn't know why he could not agree with them or come to peace with what he had done… it just didn't feel right…
Sansa eyed him oddly recognising the slightest hint of guilt and doubt in his expression. She hoped that he didn't have regrets about it… because if he did that would change her entire perspective of him. Had he not killed the Mad Queen… House Stark would not be in its most powerful and prominent position today… House Stark would have perished and potentially have ceased to exist. She hoped that Jon knew that…
"YOU'RE GRACE!" a squire shouted loud enough to wake the dead.
Both Jon and Sansa immediately turned around at the disruption as the squire came running towards them.
"What is it?" Sansa questioned.
"A DRAGON HAS BEEN SIGHTED OFF THE COAST OF WHITE HARBOUR! RUMOUR HAS IT THAT IT IS COMING TO WINTERFELL AND FAST!"
Jon looked sternly at the squire as Sansa fisted her hands and immediately took action like the Queen and leader she now was. She hastily began to make her exit and Jon followed closely behind her.
"Ready the soldiers we have and prepare for an attack from above. Have as many barrels of water at the ready and have the wranglers assemble Qyburn's Scorpion."
Jon's heart was racing behind his chest and he stopped along his track at the sound of Sansa's last words.
"Qyburn's Scorpion?" he questioned.
Sansa stopped, looking back at Jon as if to say, 'did I stutter?'.
"We've had this plan ready ever since the death of the Mad Queen… in case the dragon ever retaliated against us…"
Jon licked his lips and nervously sighed as he thought about the idea of it. Again, Sansa gave him an odd look… Jon looked as though he was about to protest against them using Qyburn's Scorpion to take down the beast. She was seriously beginning to question his loyalties… Why was Jon acting this way? If the dragon was going to pose a threat then they have no choice but to kill it… or else it would burn Winterfell and their home would turn into one giant graveyard.
"Whatever could the dragon want your grace?" the squire asked.
After a short moment of silence whilst Sansa just observed him… "Jon." The Queen in the North replied without hesitation. Jon and Sansa locked eyes. "It's coming because it knows that Jon is here. He killed its mother and it wants revenge. It's coming to kill Jon."
"We don't know that." Jon said in a soft reasoning tone, taking a step forward.
"Are you suggesting we do nothing and allow the beast to rain fire on Winterfell?" Sansa asked, now feeling a little heated. "It's a dragon, Jon! The dragon that destroyed King's Landing!. It will always be a threat so long as it is alive."
Jon gave Sansa a stern look. He knew she was becoming angry with him and anything that he would say would just make her temper worse… but Drogon… he was the last dragon left… the only one.
"Drogon is the last of its kind… Do you really think it, the best choice to kill it?" said Jon.
Sansa looked at Jon as if she could see right through him. Jon didn't like her sudden change in demeanour. He meant no offence or harm to his sister.
"Is the reason why you are suggesting we not kill it because it is the last of its kind… or… because it is the last piece left that of the Mad Queen?" Sansa stated.
Sansa could have slapped Jon in the face with her words. To say that would mean he was committing treachery against his family... He couldn't believe that she would think so low of him. Sansa slowly walked up to him.
"You need to select a side, Jon. You're either with us or you're not. Either way… The North will prepare for an attack and if that dragon so much as comes within sight of Winterfell… we will kill it." Sansa declared. "It was once your duty to protect and lead the North… and now it is mine."
With that Sansa left him. Jon considered her words deeply and he felt a certain way that he could not explain. He would always protect and fight for his family even if it resulted in death… always.