A fish, a lion, a wolf and a sleeping dragon getting to know the family.

Jon

Trying to slip into the mind of a dragon was hard. Doing it whilst being a King and trying to stay visible was even harder. He started off spending half an hour with Rhaegal, not necessarily flying but getting to know and understand the dragon. He then spent a small amount of time getting to know Viserion, who turned out to be slightly less accommodating than Rhaegal although after a few days he settled. He knew Drogon was going to be more difficult to acquaint himself with. The dragon was enormous and was clearly the leader. All of this had to be done whilst the dragons were away from their mother, lest they begin to act differently. His threat to Tyrion had been stupid, giving away plans which Tyrion might actually consider plausible. Davos had been recruited to watch over him whilst he was with the dragon. He was to watch his behaviour and to wake him should Jon suddenly appear to be in distress or if he was urgently needed, which so far hadn't happened as Sansa had been able to manage any crisis.

Jon didn't know how he'd have managed without her, both as a Queen and now as a wife. He now knew his feelings for Ygritte hadn't been real love, which is probably why she wasn't enough to turn him as Mance Rayder had put it. The Sansa the world saw and the one he knew were two totally different people. To the lords she was steel and strong and could sometimes appear cold and aloof. Yet they trusted her because she was organised and fair. Behind closed doors and with their closest friends she was warm and soft. In the bedchamber she was everything he could've ever dreamed of; sexy, elegant, adventurous and loving. His favourite part of the day was waking up with her, making love and cuddling up before they donned their regal masks.

One of the few things Jon had found out in his mind trips with the dragons, was he was able to deduce some of what Daenerys was up to. Of course the dragons knew very little of her plans, but she'd sometimes talk to them, offloading her burden whilst alone with her children. Of course, Jon had only seen her once, when she was with Drogon, but she had been more interested in complaining about Tyrion being useless than to glean anything of importance. Just over a sennight after the arrival of Jaime Lannister, who had been busy organising the rebuild of Moat Cailin with Sansa, something happened in one of his visits with Rhaegal. The dragon was still the most open to him, and actually liked to complain about Daenerys. He and Viserion were still unhappy at her for locking them up in Meereen for something which Drogon had done.

"Mother wants big journey, must eat lots." which explained the big pile of bones surrounding the dragon.

"Why?"

"Because long flight. Burn big garden. See a hill far away with Unsullied, take food on ships."

"When?" the dragon rolled his body, something he did when he didn't know the answer. "Why?"

"Mother wants food and spiky Queen. Must feed more." Rhaegal stood and ran to the edge of the cliff and began to soar into the air. Jon didn't like being inside the dragon when it fed, so he woke to a start in the room.

"Quickly, I need Sansa." he got up and quickly made his way to his desk.

"What's wrong?" Davos asked.

"I think she's going to attack Highgarden, maybe Oldtown too. I need to get Sam and Gilly out of there." he said. "I need to know who attacked the Unsullied, so they can get Sam out of Oldtown. We need him here." Jon's voice was panicking.

"Yes, your grace." Davos bowed his head, Jon rolled his eyes. He hated being deferred to when in private. However this was a King's command, which was why Davos was acting deferential.

Minutes later, Davos had brought Sansa to his solar, where he'd already written the letter out to Sam. He was already preparing a letter for the House which needed to help him get out of the city.

"Sansa." Jon nodded as she walked in.

"Jon." Sansa frowned. "What's wrong?"

"Daenerys is going to attack Highgarden. I want to get Sam and Gilly back here. Which house has the naval fleet? They need to sail as far north as possible, except send their closest ship to Oldtown for Sam." Jon said.

"Ahem." Davos coughed. "I think you might want to contact House Redwyne. They have the biggest fleet outside of Dorne. I'd be willing to bet they were the ones who destroyed the Unsullied fleet at Casterly Rock."

Jon nodded. "A council meeting in one hour. Us three, Brienne, Margaery and Jaime Lannister. It's about time they learned of what I can do."

An hour later the six of them met in the map room. Jon knew this would be difficult for southerners to understand despite Brienne and Davos being understanding of the situation.

Jon started with Margaery. "Lady Margaery. I am aware you are in touch with your grandmother. Here we don't spy on our council members as ravens can include personal and private matters. However we need to know exactly who has been helping Lady Olenna and to know where her bannermen are." He turned to Jaime. "I need you to be open minded about what I'm about to tell you. This information goes no further than this room." He turned to Margaery. "Do I have your word that none of this conversation will be spoken of outside this room? It could kill hundreds of thousands of innocents should the wrong people know." He warned.

Margaery nodded. "Yes, your grace."

Jon looked at Jaime, who nodded. "Very well, your grace."

"I'm sure, when you were children, like us, you were all taught about Targaryen's and dragons. We can have a connection with them, which is how we become dragon riders. I didn't understand it before, but I do now." Margaery and Jaime looked sceptical. "Some of us who descend from the first men can see through the eyes of animals, they're called skinchangers. Its a rare gift. The most useful creatures to inhabit are birds." He glanced over towards Sansa. "I have this ability, and because I am a Targaryen, I've been trying to get into the minds of Daenerys' dragons with some success." Margaery and Jaime looked uncomfortable. "I can't control them but I can share their body as if I were another rider who can communicate with them."

"That to me sounds just as good." Davos nodded. Jon had told his hand what he was doing but he didn't tell him much more, other than that he had flown with the dragon.

"I can only ask them to do things. I can't command them, I'm not their mother." Jon explained. "If they were in battle and burning down a field of men or a city, I couldn't stop them... not yet."

"Is that what you meant when you threatened Tyrion after the bedding?" Margaery asked, Jon nodded.

"You threatened Tyrion?" Jaime asked.

"He was the one who insisted on the bedding, he knew what happened to Sansa. I wasn't happy. So I told him to fuck off." Jon said unapologetically. "My goal is to stop her from using they to burn people."

"Or steal them." Margaery smirked.

"That as well." Jon nodded. "But if we can at least make them useless, she becomes an easier enemy to deal with."

"Could you control all three at the same time?" Jaime asked.

"No." Jon shook his head. "I need some control over Drogon for that. He's the leader. I could control Rhaegal, but that's because I think I'm his rider. If I asked him, he might fly north. But then Daenerys would follow with the other two."

"I don't think we want a dance of dragons above Winterfell." Sansa shook her head.

"But that's not why I gathered you all here. Daenerys is planning to attack Highgarden. They are going to a hill and will transport the food on ships." Jon frowned. "That was what Rhaegal told me."

"The dragons talk to you?" Margaery's eyes widened.

"Aye, well Rhaegal does. Viserion doesn't say much, I don't think he trusts me. Within a sennight, I suspect Highgarden will be burnt to the ground." he said sadly. "Daenerys wants the food."

"There is no use using soldiers to try and beat her. There are weapons which would take down the dragons..." she looked at Jon, his heart sunk, his connection with Rhaegal wasn't overly different to the one with Ghost. He didn't want his dragon to die, but neither did he want hundreds of thousands of innocents to die either. "But only Cersei has the plans. Even if we knew how it worked, by the time we've sent a raven to the south and built it, she'll have already attacked." Margaery held her hand to her mouth, looking as if she were going to cry. "Lady Margaery, I need you to write to Highgarden and have them evacuate as soon as possible. Soldiers are to dress as smallfolk." he turned to Jaime. "You know more about the south than me and what Tyrion is likely to suggest."

Jaime nodded and walked around the table. "The Unsullied have lost their fleet, so I suspect Daenerys will send more ships to transport the Unsullied back, unless she is going to take Kings Landing. She has two options, return to Dragonstone or a siege on Kings Landing. The latter requires her to be able to feed her army and starve Kings Landing. If she cannot find the grain which Lady Olenna has hidden, then she will take her Unsullied back to Dragonstone." he placed the figurine of the Unsullied on Dragonstone. "Her two options will be march as far as the Torentine and sail down the river, although that depends upon House Dayne and whether they allied with Dorne."

"They are part of Dorne." Sansa frowned.

"True." Jaime agreed and looked to Jon. "Ser Arthur Dayne gave his life to save you. They are loyal to House Targaryen, but they were especially close with Prince Rhaegar. House Dayne might be persuaded to join you. I would recommend you send them a raven. They may even be aware of your existence."

Jon was stunned by Jaime's useful insight. He remembered the story of his uncle Ned killing Ser Arthur, yet there had been no animosity between house Stark and house Dayne. "Thank you Lord Jaime. That is indeed very useful."

"One option would be to sail down the Mander, but she does not have enough ships. Her other and most likely option would be to leave via Oldtown, which is the most obvious route. And the most worrisome. The Hightowers have the men to beat the Unsullied, but if she takes all three dragons with her..." he shook his head.

Sansa suddenly smiled. "She won't burn down Oldtown unless she is attacked. One of her closest advisors is being treat in the Citadel for greyscale. She wouldn't put his life at risk. And even if the treatment is over, I think her gratitude would be too great for her to hurt anyone, of course, that is unless the Hightower soldiers become an issue for her. In that case..." she looked at Jon. "You are going to need to get closer to those dragons." Jon nodded. He knew he had no choice, the dragons needed to be convinced not to destroy Oldtown.

"We'll need to take it in turns to mind the King as he tries to encourage them not to destroy the city." Brienne started. "Of course, Lady Sansa must continue with the running of the Castle and there must always be someone else to help her."

"What excuse are we going to use for me to be incapable of helping run the castle? I don't think a common cold will look good, and if it is suspected I am seriously ill, it will make Sansa's life difficult." Jon sighed.

"You and I will go on a hunting trip." Jaime suggested. "Just the two of us. I can be your guard." he smiled.

"And where do you plan to sleep while guarding?" Sansa asked.

"I can sleep on the floor." Jaime smirked.

"My chambers are next to the King and Queen's chambers." Brienne started, before an argument could arise. "I will guard them at night and sneak Ser Jaime into my room, he can sleep there. But I will need to tell Podrick."

"Now that sounds good to me." Jaime grinned. Jon glanced over to Sansa who was trying to hide a smile. She had told him of the budding romance between Jaime and Brienne, and although she hadn't known for certain if they had taken their relationship as far as the bedroom in the last lifetime, she had suspected they did. Even Jon was hopeful Brienne would stop Jaime from going back to Cersei.

"We'll take ten of my soldiers who will hunt." Jaime suggested. "They will say nothing, then after a week we will meet them with whatever they have managed to catch. It would look incredibly strange if we were to go on a hunt for a week and come back empty handed."

"Others will want to join you." Davos warned.

"Aye, but this is more than a hunting trip. There are military matters which involve the Westerlands which cannot be discussed in front of anyone else." Jon smirked.

"The Lords won't like it." Sansa shook her head.

"What choice do we have?" Jon asked. "I can try to convince Rhaegal to leave in the dead of night, to come north. He won't need me to direct him all of the time which gives me time with the other two dragons. See if they also... misbehave."

"Evening meetings will take place in our solar, where we can find out what Jon has been up to for the day." Sansa told them.

"Before we go any further." Jaime started. "Cersei thinks I'm in the north preventing you from making your way south and to prevent an alliance with the Dragon Queen. Although I doubt I can keep up the lie for much longer. She's demanding Olenna's head."

"Do you have anything for me to read?" Jaime asked. "A week of staring at him while he's asleep is going to be the dullest week of my life, and believe me, I've had some pretty boring weeks."

"We have a new selection from Dragonstone." Sansa smiled. "I'm sure they will keep you busy. They are all about the Targaryen's and many are about the dragons. You might even be able to provide some insight." Sansa suggested.

"I doubt it. I was left at the back of the Lannister family queue when it came to handing out the intelligence." he laughed. He turned to Jon. "If you'd excuse me your grace, I believe I should go and muster ten soldiers and some horses to help out with our hunt."

"You are excused." Jon nodded.

"Your graces." Jaime bowed his head and made his way out of the room to go and organise the trip, but just as he opened the door, he was stopped in his tracks, for there was Pod on the other side looking flustered.

"What is it Pod?" Brienne asked.

Before Pod could answer, a fist came from behind the door and landed straight on Jaime's jaw. Jaime held his face where the fist had landed and looked at the owner of the fist. "Blackfish!" he said, wiggling his jaw.

A grizzly looking older man wearing black scaled armour barged into the room.

"I tried to stop him." Pod cried.

"It's alright." Sansa grinned as she approached Brynden Tully. "Uncle. You finally made it."

"Your grace." the Blackfish bowed his head, looking around the room, clearly trying to identify Jon. He screwed his eyes up and looked at him in shock for a moment. "Your grace." he said through gritted teeth.

"This is my husband, King..." she flashed her eyes to Jon, who nodded. It was time to acknowledge who he was as being known as Jon Snow would cause a number of problems with the Tully's. "King Aegon Targaryen. Although I do believe you know him as Jon Snow."

The Blackfish examined Jon. "Yer Rhaegar's lad alright." his voice was as gravelly as his face was grizzly. "At least you had the decency to wed my niece with plenty of witnesses. Pity I wasn't here to see it." he turned to Sansa. "Is he treating you well?"

"I couldn't wish for a kinder or more loving husband." Sansa smiled.

"Does he know how to fight?" Blackfish asked.

"Aye, I've some experience." Jon kept his cool, he knew he was going to have to prove himself to the Blackfish. After all, the man was Lady Stark's uncle and probably hated Jon as much as she did. If he proved himself, it would at least gain some respect from the old man, and although it seemed a frivolous thing to do, Jon needed his loyalty to him as well as to Sansa. "Although, I'm probably a bit rusty, haven't had a good sparring session in a week."

"Blunt or live steel?" the Blackfish smirked.

"Jon..." Sansa warned.

"Probably blunt. My swords are both Valyrian steel." Jon ignored his wife.

"Two Valyrian steel swords. A bit greedy." Blackfish raised an eyebrow.

"One was a gift, the other is a family heirloom." Jon smirked. "Your choice."

"You might need the Valyrian steel." the Blackfish said arrogantly.

"Uncle." Sansa warned.

"Your grace, they need to do this." Jon heard Brienne tell Sansa.

"Live steel." the Blackfish agreed. "I'd go and get armoured up if I were you, bastard."

Jon grinned. "Been a long time since anyone called me that. The last person..."

"Jon!" Sansa was getting angry.

However Jon and the Blackfish were oblivious to her protestations, instead they made their way down to the training yard. As the council followed, it was becoming clear that something was going on and people began to gather to watch the fight between the legend known as the Blackfish and the King in the North, who never truly showed his colours while sparring. It was clear this was going to be very different.

Once in the yard, Jon unsheathed Longclaw and removed his sword belt before turning to Sansa, he wrapped his arm around her waist, and in an unusual display of affection, he kissed her passionately, completely throwing her off guard and surprising the onlookers. "Just in case." he smirked.

"Idiot!" Sansa took his sword belt and pushed him away, while he laughed and jumped over the wooden fence into the training yard, where Brynden Tully was already stood. He turned to the old legend and Jon became serious. Although they wouldn't be fighting to injure, accidents happened.

They stood in the middle of the yard facing each other, the onlookers silent with anticipation, although Jon didn't take much notice. His focus was on the man in front of him. Jon assessed the stance of the Blackfish. The most obvious was that he was possibly flat-footed. Jon couldn't be certain, but his movements as they circled one another, suggested as much. Jon could use that to his advantage, if it proved correct. He just needed to make his opponent move, so Jon feigned an undercut, the Blackfish moved back and easily parried off, which was precisely what Jon wanted to see. The man was large and agile for a man of his age, but he was definitely slightly flat-footed, which would slow him slightly, although his physical strength would more than make up for it. The Blackfish also had a longer reach than Jon, but that was not an issue, he'd fought Thenn's with a greater reach than Brynden Tully. Jon knew his own greatest strength against the man would be agility, stamina and a much lighter sword.

Jon lifted his sword once more and they started, the Blackfish made the first move, which Jon parried away, the Blackfish was strong and the force of his strike was hard and true. His fighting skills were some of the best Jon had ever fought, but Jon was better, he was faster and more agile. Despite being small, most assumed Jon wasn't strong, which was a mistake as Jon might not have the brute strength of someone like the Hound, but he was still stronger than he looked. Thus, it didn't take long before Jon's swordsmanship and agility began to show. The ageing Blackfish began to tire more easily, his moves became sloppy. The fight lasted only a few minutes before their blades were in a bind, neither men ready to show their opponent their next move while their swords were crossed. Jon suddenly moved, releasing the pressure and brutally hitting his opponents sword aside so hard that it was halfway across the yard and the Blackfish was on his back. Jon had his sword against the old man's neck. Jon held out his hand and the Blackfish's blue eyes twinkled and he smiled, allowing Jon to help him up.

"Well boy, sorry your grace, I haven't been bested that quick since..." he scratched his beard and frowned. "Since never. Either I'm getting too old for this shit or you're too fucking good." he grinned. "Whichever way, I believe you are quite capable of taking care of my niece." he added as a young lad rushed over and handed the Blackfish his sword.

"Thanks for that, it is a great compliment." Jon smiled. "And coming from you, it means a lot to me." they turned to the crowd of onlookers, especially those who had never seen Jon fight before, or at least with as much zeal, although in truth, he hadn't tried too hard. Had he been fighting for his life, the Blackfish would've been dead in less than a minute.

"I see you've finally swung a sword." Jaime smiled, reminding Jon of a conversation from long ago.

"Aye Lord Jaime, that I have."