New Future

"It was you, was it not?"

Naruto allowed Ashara's quiet question to hang in the air for a few moments, fingers running up and down the soft skin on her back as he looked at the ceiling of their dark bedchamber. He knew perfectly well what she meant.

Letting the comfortable quiet linger a bit longer, which he knew was answer in enough in some ways, he met his wife's beautiful eyes. His wife, it felt good just thinking that, even if it had been near three months already.

"Yes."

Her finger stopped for a short moment before continuing to slowly run along his collarbone. He had expected questions or even a gentle scolding, but Ashara offered nothing of the sort. He might not care much for kings and princes and lords, but pretty much everyone else did.

"No admonishment?"

"Do you regret your actions?" she asked instead of answering his question.

Naruto did not need to think long. Twisted as that sounded even to himself, he would do it all over again if he had the chance. "No, I do not."

"Then it is as simple as that," Ashara said quietly, her eyes shining with her small smile. She scooted forward on top of him, leaning over him so that her hair hid them from the night. "Aerys deserved his name, and I will not mourn him any more than is required of me. What trouble it made is Rhaegar's to deal with now, and that he deserves entirely for disappearing as he did."

One of his hands wandered upwards from where it had settled on her waist until he was cradling her neck, allowing him to draw her down to him. Naruto liked kissing his wife very much.

Separating, she laid on his chest again, her head tucked under his chin. His right hand sought her own, fingers entwining, while his scarred left drew slow circles on her lower back, now and again trailing further down for a teasing touch.

His mind wandered to what the next days and weeks would bring. He had brought the Prince and soon King back to the city, but that alone did not solve matters. Unlike the Zetsus of his own former experience with war, these were ordinary people that could be swayed and reasoned with or even bought, so long as the price was right. How exactly, was the question, and who would not be convinced.

"What do you think he is planning to do?" he asked eventually, giving voice to his thoughts.

Ashara shifted slightly against him, her dark hair tickling his neck. "Rhaegar?"

Naruto nodded, right thumb stroking the back of her hand.

"He will wait until those loyal to him are gathered before making significant moves. The lords to the north might keep the peace for a bit longer, even without reaching any agreement, but platitudes will only work for so long. The question is how Robert Baratheon will act. He might be Rhaegar's cousin, but I do not imagine that shared blood will keep them from clashing. Until then there is enough trouble to handle in this rotten city."

He could not help but snort in amusement, for the small hint of longing in Ashara's voice as much as the disparaging words themselves. Calling this city rotten was fitting enough. King's Landing stank, which was to say nothing of court in the Red Keep.

Having to watch every word, whether for the chance of insulting some lordling's pride or because there were listening ears hidden in every nook and around every corner, it all grew tiring rather quickly.

The secret passage in their chambers he had found quickly, which made talking around Lord Varys' informants easier, but that awareness was also slowly straining his patience.

"We could go somewhere else. Leave all of this behind," Naruto said into the moonlit night.

Ashara gave his hand a gentle squeeze, lips pressing a small kiss against his skin. "Where would we go?"

He remained silent, thinking. The thought had come to him only now, without any true plan to make it feasible. There had been talk of a knighthood and lands, for his actions on Dragonstone and in service to the Princess, but until anything was made official those were only words, not even promises. All of it liable to change.

"I did not mean to disparage the thought." The words drew his attention back to the room. "Rhaegar would be a fool not to grant you valuable holdings and depending on their location we would have little to do with all of this, if we did not wish it."

Holdings and seats and lands. He had seen plenty of them while scouring the Stormlands in his search, even if he had been forced to evade quite a few armies.

Naruto had no idea what might be granted to him, or what it would truly end up entailing. He knew next to nothing of managing a household or ruling lands and its people. He could only judge by the thin veneer covering it all from the outside.

Summerhall's ruinous shell, the impressive forests around the Wendwater, the mountain ranges sheltering Blackhaven. Squat Skullpoint, high Griffin's Roost, and sprawling Nightsong.

Storm's End, now that was an impressive seat, but not one that would be gained through words and degrees and promises.

There were plentiful castles and keeps elsewhere in the realm, in any case, most of which he had never even laid eyes on.

Though in the end, these deliberations were not what he focused on. It would not affect what happened, not directly at least, no matter the time and energy he spent on it. And there was something more important anyways.

"But you enjoy it, don't you?"

"I do," Ashara admitted, snuggling closer. "But I don't want to inflict it on a child, not when, unlike Elia, I have a choice."

For a moment, Naruto thought he had misheard her, or that he might have misunderstood. He raised his head, allowing him to see the smile on her lips, barely lit by the moon shining through the window. Her eyes were big and shining like two purple stars and held no hint of deception. "You… You mean it?"

She disentangled their joined hands before bringing them further down and laying his own on her stomach palm first. By touch alone he could feel nothing obviously different, though the gesture itself was answer enough, but a moment of concentration expanded his awareness and allowed him to feel the new life growing below the surface. Similar, yet different than both of them.

"Yes. I mean it," she answered. "I have not bled since we shared a bed."

Thoughts whirled, tangling up in a wild, confusing cluster that had any words he could summon remain stuck in his throat. The chaos in his mind was loud and yet entirely silent, leaving him only staring wide-eyed at where their hands were placed.

"Dear?" Ashara's voice brought a moment of calm and focus.

A child. A son or daughter of his own.

The word felt alien somehow. He had not spent a lot of concrete thought on children, even if he knew perfectly well that there had been nothing hindering this result after their vigorous activities upon being wed.

It spawned worry and doubts. Was he, were they ready for that? He was going to turn twenty this year and he knew precious little of raising a child.

Soft fingers were a light pressure on his cheek, breaking him from his momentary stupor.

"A child," Naruto whispered, repeating, and met the spark of worry in her eyes. It didn't quite seem real yet, but every second made it more so. He squashed the doubtful whispers ruthlessly, welcoming other, more positive feelings to take their place instead. "Our child."

Naruto could not keep his lips from stretching into a smile so wide he could feel the strain it put on his cheeks and then he laughed, uncaring about anyone else hearing. Grasping her hand, he pressed a quick kiss to the back before abandoning it to embrace her tightly.

Warmth and restless energy spread throughout his body, barely allowing him to keep still. And he did not, leaning back only long enough to see her answering smile, before meeting her lips for a bruising kiss that tried to tell her all the things he could not find the right words for at the moment.

They separated only when air became an adamant necessity, their panting breaths mingling in what little space there was between them. Touching their foreheads together, Naruto pressed another short kiss to her full lips.

"I should tell you similar things every time," Ashara whispered, smiling.

"As often as you want."

Sleep eluded them for some time afterwards, though they found plenty of different activities to fill the hours.

When the coronation followed the next day, neither of them felt particularly rested, though Ashara suffered more for it than he did.

The Sept of Baelor was filled near to bursting, all the nobles and everyone who was anyone in the city finding their way into the great seven-sided marble building.

Before long, Rhaegar and Elia found their way before the High Septon, and Naruto had to gently shake Ashara to wake her up from where she was covertly dozing against him now that the important part was beginning.

There were oils and blessings, and then, to cheers and hollers, a Prince and Princess became King and Queen officially.

A sudden twist of his wrist had blunted steel spinning through the air and land in the sand of the training yard, disarming the other knight and sharply reducing the threat he presented. A kick to the breastplate pushed the man away without his balance.

Backplate met floor, but before Naruto could move to subdue, he had to deal with one of the others on the field with him. Ducking under the horizontal blow, he swept out with one leg and brought the Caron man to the ground in a crash of limbs and armour.

He glanced behind him, saw the blunted axe coming for his head, and turned on a dime, one hand coming up to deflect the head to the side with his vambrace. The knight tried to pedal backwards, returning his weapon to his control by bringing his arm in as quickly as he could, but Naruto was faster even while holding back.

Two quick steps brought him halfway around the man. He reached for right shoulder guard, fingers hooking over the rim, and threw. The Stokeworth knight in green went tumbling away, right into the fourth and final opponent for this round of sparring.

With all four in the sand and struggling to get to their feet, Naruto relaxed, releasing a deep breath. Even he was beginning to work up a sweat after a few rounds of this.

Groans reached his ears from his defeated training partners and steel rustled as the men in plate walked or were helped from the field.

Rolling his shoulders under the weight of his armour, though he had chosen to forego much of the outer layer of steel, he turned to those knights and men-at-arms waiting in the wings and challenged them with a cocky smile. "Who's next?"

Shifting glances were exchanged, pride warring with the caution learned by watching the last three rounds end the same way this one had.

When he had been approached for the first time, it had been men intending to test or humiliate the man from the stories told by Dragonstone men. After Naruto had humiliated them instead, others came forward as well, and soon, as word spread through the castle and city, the numbers grew more and more.

His recent knighting had brought even more challengers, proud and convinced that they would be the ones to finally best him. Challengers who learned the folly of those thoughts and of underestimating him, just as much as everyone that came before them.

Just as it seemed that a group of five had decided on being next, a newcomer broke in, the red and white steel of his armour gleaming in the late morning sun and the griffins painted on his breastplate as proud as they could be. "I'll be your next opponent."

Lord Jon Connington, who Ashara had told him might soon be named Hand of the King, hefted a long shaft of ash, the axe blade and spike at the top quickly drawing Naruto's eye. He met the other man's pale blue eyes and twirled the blunted sword in his hand.

"Gladly, my lord, but if you fight with a sharpened blade, I will as well."

Jon Connington's lip curled in distaste, his fiery beard contorting to fit the expression. Sense and pride warred visibly on his face and his fingers played restlessly with the wood in his gauntleted hands. Seconds passed in silence, the other knights and men-at-arms in the courtyard waiting anxiously for something to change.

Seeing no intention to exchange weapons in the other man, Naruto walked to a nearby weapons rack and deposited the blunt one-handed sword he had been using. Uncorking his water skin, he took a few small, unhurried sips of the cool liquid, before taking up his own blade instead of the practice weapon he had been using before, all the while aware that his stalling was only aggravating the other man even more.

Just like most of the other lords he had met, Jon Connington had pride aplenty.

Naruto could not help himself. Nodding his head at the four men he had just beaten, he smiled widely in provocation. "Pick your fellow fighters, or do you think yourself braver than all those gathered here?"

"You will come to regret your words, Ser," the other man ground out. Glaring, the Lord of Griffin's Roost raised a hand to the opened visor of his bascinet and closed his helmet with a crash of steel.

"Suit yourself." Naruto shrugged, rolled his wrists, and stepped to the edge of the ring. Turning his blade, he trapped it between his arm and torso, before moving to quickly undo the buckles closing his right vambrace.

The closed helmet of the other man allowed no view of his features, but he could feel the indignation emanating from the lord, nonetheless. It turned out that wearing armour allowed an entirely different way of taunting your opponents.

Putting the piece of rounded steel to the side, Naruto took up his sword again, casually slashed the air two times, and entered the ring properly.

Jon Connington made to take his first angry step immediately, uncaring of any impoliteness, but before he could, horns sounded in the yard from outside the walls, alerting the entire castle.

Heads turned quickly, Naruto's opponent first among them, his anger seemingly entirely forgotten for the party soon passing through the gates of the Red Keep.

Escorted by cloaks of gold and white, King Rhaegar rode under the raised iron portcullis, a heavy silk mantle of scarlet and black studded with gemstones thrown over the back of his night-black steed.

Men and women bowed, and Naruto followed along with some remaining reluctance. He had never given these kinds of displays a lot of thought or value, but he could understand well enough that, genuine respect or not, it was a matter of keeping up appearances.

The King dismounted, Ser Gerold Hightower and Ser Barristan Selmy by his side, and ascended the steps to the keep proper while sparing the many gathered men no more than a cursory glance.

He had been making numerous visits to the Sept of Baelor since his return to the city, and they had only grown more noticeable after his coronation. Impressive as the building was, even Naruto could admit as much, it was not the architecture drawing the king's attention and taking up much of his time.

According to Ashara, while Rhaegar prayed and sang as well as any other, it was the High Septon he was seeking out, often spending the majority of his visits in conversation with the nameless man known only by his title and position.

Apparently, there was talk of a new position in the king's court. Just as the ruler of the Seven Kingdoms had a personified Hand and Justice, there might soon be someone to embody his Faith as well.

What the larger point of it all was, for Rhaegar, Naruto had no idea at all. Though since Ashara didn't either, and even the man's wife had professed to no knowledge, he had largely put the matter out of his mind for now, curious though it was. Perhaps it was truly as simple as pacifying some of those justifiably affronted at Aerys' actions.

As the gates closed behind the small party and the gold cloaks rode into the city again, Naruto focused back on the match that was about to take place. The Griffin Lord's gaze lingered on where the king had just disappeared for a few moments, before he seemed to recall his former involvement and turned to begin their bout.

Naruto waited, not even bothering with a proper guard of any kind, which finally seemed to be one final step too far for his opponent.

Hiding none of his aggression, Jon Connington advanced, armoured from head to toe in solid steel and handling his poleaxe with comfort and control. His first strike came down with all the weight of the long weapon, the axe blade at the front swinging down to cleave whatever found its way below the edge.

Instead of confronting the weapon directly, where a low block might have exposed him to the mean spike protruding from the head of the pole, Naruto simply danced to the side, his own blade coming out to push the steel head further away from him and open an exploitable hole in the other man's defence.

It was his first time fighting against a weapon of this kind and without more than one opponent to worry about there was no need to go on the offensive immediately.

Jon Connington did allow a hole in his defence to open, but Naruto's sword, sharp though it was, had little hope piercing the steel beneath without the assistance of his wind. He had not expected it to.

Quick as he had stabbed, he retreated again, only a small mark in the steel showing where his attack had found his target, but the message of the retaliation had been made clear.

The Griffin Lord tried to catch him with a returning strike using the back of the head, where a slightly thicker spike opposed the axe blade on the other side, but he was already out of range, stepping behind the man's back and out of sight.

A mailed elbow to the back of the helmet rattled the man, and Naruto knew to expect the wild, wide swing that followed in an attempt to cover the lack of vision. He stepped lightly around the lord, in the same direction of the man's attack, sticking to his back and shadow.

Twisted around and unbalanced as Jon Connington was in that position, it was easy to hook a foot around his greave and pull one leg out from under him, sending him crashing to the ground with a grunt.

"Tired already, my lord?"

His only answer was more, now decidedly angry grunts of exertion.

Sighing heavily, Naruto stepped away, giving the other man his space as he tried to untangle his limbs, weapon, and armour from each other.

There was simply no changing it.

At least some of the veterans had begun to expect his methods, but there was no getting around the sheer gap in experience and physical ability. Training against just one man was genuinely getting boring outside of the small bit of satisfaction he gained from pushing on their pride, and that worked just fine if not even better against more than one opponent.

Jon Connington was beginning to struggle to his feet when Naruto's attention was drawn to something else.

"Ser Naruto," a new, though familiar voice called from outside the ring, the man's tone tinged with displeasure. "The King has asked for you to attend him in his solar."

Glancing over his shoulder, he spotted Barristan Selmy standing in a breach in the increasingly large crowd of onlookers. Him thrashing Lord Connington seemed to have attracted even more attention than his usual exploits in the training yard. It was, admittedly, the first important lord he had fought like this. His usual opponents were landed knights at most, usually not even that.

Before he could answer, his opponent found his feet again.

Sand crusted in some of the exposed bits of mail and the affront at the humiliation seemed to almost radiate off Connington in waves. "I have not been defeated."

Turning to face the lord fully again, Naruto calmly waited for him to advance.

A powerful step forward and the Griffin lanced out his poleaxe for a probing stab, more careful than he had been the last time.

Naruto stepped back, too far out of reach for the tip to even come into contact with his brigandine and struck out with his own blade, the leaf-shaped blade seeking Jon's forward hand. The steel tip found mail-clad fingers with force, even if any cut was prevented by the layer of armour.

The hand, and weapon, jerked in response and Jon Connington made to pull away to bring his weapon around for a swing. Naruto's hand closed around the shaft just above his opponent's fingers, the short contest of strength quickly ending in his favour.

He stepped in, pulling the weapon past his left side, sword like a stinger as it sought the mail guarding his opponent's armpit. A moment before the tip could punch through a link and penetrate the cloth and vulnerable flesh beneath, he stopped, retreating, the message delivered.

It was not well-received, however. Uncaring of the deadly blow it could have been, Jon Connington seemed to only see further disgrace.

Changing angles, he struck with the small bottom spike of his weapon, using Naruto's own grasp on the top half of the wooden shaft as a pivot.

Ducking, he released the weapon and let it sail harmlessly over his head, his sword immediately rising again on a path for the visored helmet of his opponent.

Both of them stopped.

Seeing the stiff hesitation in the other man's body, Naruto reached forward with his free hand and flipped open the steel visor, exposing his blade in full, the tip nearly poking the unprotected nose of the lord from below.

"You have now," Naruto said simply, before retracting his sword and stepping away.

Without any remaining room for argument, he turned to collect his vambrace and sheath, before passing the ring on his way to Ser Barristan and the keep. "The King asked for me?"

"Yes. Come as you are. His Grace expects you and there is no time to waste."

"Lead the way."

They entered the keep to rising conversation in the yard, though any meaning soon faded from the words as they grew more distant in their path through the hallways.

The walk was long but silent, any attempts at conversation on his part being quickly rebuffed by a stony countenance and hard frown. Passing the drawbridge into Maegor's Holdfast and the white cloak standing guard there, Naruto wondered why this meeting was taking place in the King's private apartments, instead of any other place in the large castle.

When they reached the correct door, Ser Gerold Hightower was standing guard outside. The two Kingsguard knights greeted each other with a simple nod, before Ser Barristan knocked on the door and pulled it open.

The chamber was airy and pleasant, a large desk covered by a map of the realm dominating the middle of the space. Portraits and tapestries covered the high walls and two large windows allowed a view of the castle and beyond that the entire city.

That was where King Rhaegar stood, hands clasped behind his back and gaze fixed on some point in the distance. His crown rested on a cushion of crimson velvet, not far out of reach.

"Ser Naruto, your Grace," Ser Barristan said, bowing, his tone clipped.

"Thank you, Ser Barristan. You may leave us," the king answered, his gaze never straying from his examination of the city.

As the knight in white left the room, Naruto waited where he was, not quite sure what the purpose of this meeting was.

"Is there some disagreement between you and Ser Barristan?"

Crossing his arms, he debated how to answer for a moment. Their interactions since he had come to the city where sparse, but the older knight clearly did not hold him in high regard. "He is not particularly fond of me, but any enmity is largely one-sided."

Rhaegar nodded, still looking out the window and then changed the topic. "How did Jon perform? The honest truth, if you would."

He dismissed the words 'valiant effort', dishonest as they would have been, in light of the second part. "As well as I expected him to," he said instead, trying to sound at least somewhat diplomatic. "What Lord Connington lacks in patience he makes up for in spirit and vigour."

"He does indeed," the king agreed, a fond smile audible in the words. He tightened his hands behind his back and glanced at him meaningfully from over his shoulder. "I would ask you to forgive them their manner. They do not understand, not truly."

Naruto did not either, it seemed to him, but he did not voice that confusion and simply agreed instead. "Of course."

"Good." Rhaegar nodded and turned his eyes back to the window. "I called on you for another matter entirely, however."

Instead of any explanations, silence held the room for a few moments. Naruto felt his eye move to the large map, armies and important positions marked with ink and small ivory figurines.

"Do you treasure your wife, Ser? I understand you have been wed less than half a year and spent much of that time apart, but nonetheless, do you? Lady Ashara is a beautiful woman and her brother speaks well of her mind as well."

Naruto did not have to consider long. "Yes, I do."

Rhaegar nodded, clearly expecting that to be his answer. "Yet you have no lands or seat of your own, no household she might manage, and no incomes to buy silks, gems, or fine wines. No inheritance you might pass on to your future children."

Narrowing his eyes, he wondered what other man wanted to achieve by this except annoy him somewhat. "Early days. Respectfully, Your Grace."

The king released a quiet chuckle. "Yes, early days indeed." He shook his head, long silver hair tumbling in a slight breeze. "When I knighted you, it was not meant as a slight that no lands accompanied the honour. You have served me and my family well, even in this short time. No honest man would dispute that."

Then he turned around with distant eyes. Three steps and he stood before his realm, one hand trailing across the painted lines and names for a moment.

"I have a mind to make you a lord, Ser, though the lands remain undecided yet. In the Riverlands, perhaps, or even in the Vale. Undecided, as I said. My lords and advisors might argue and profess their concerns, but noble blood or not, there are matters that simply must be. Even if they cannot see why, as I do."

Gratitude and suspicion warred inside Naruto. He cared little for another title, but lands and a keep, with the means to afford the life Ashara deserved, that was another matter. Yet something was strange about all of this, some underlying motive or problem he could not quite grasp.

"Before I do, however, I would give you another task." Rhaegar's finger moved south, over the capital, before coming to rest just north of Nightsong, where Naruto had found him and his company the last time. A sun and spear figurine stood right next to his finger. "Dornish spears are marching north at the moment, somewhere in this area. They have some reluctant help from Lord Caron, but I would not leave things to chance. I am sending Prince Lewyn to take command of the force and would have you accompany him to ensure they are not harassed while marching here."

"After my cousin's defeat at Ashford his army was scattered. Lord Tarly is pursuing their main strength north, but he has encountered delays in his attempt to cross Merryweather lands, while Robert found some other way to cross the Mander and has set a tremendous pace. What parts he could not rally for his flight might choose to return to their lands or may simply make themselves a nuisance for any that oppose their liege. What their exact numbers are or where they will go, I cannot say, but I would not expose the Dornish to them in unfamiliar territory."

"I understand," Naruto said. It suited him well enough, especially if it got him what Rhaegar had promised. After that… well, he would see then.

"You ride at first light tomorrow," the king said, dismissal clear in his voice, and turned away to look out of the window again.

Before Naruto could pull open the door, Rhaegar addressed him one more time.

"You might wish to know that Lord Dayne is part of the force."

I hope you enjoyed chapter 40. A bit delayed, on account of the holidays, but here nonetheless. Next chapter won't be until next week's friday, unfortunately, but the amount of writing I got done while visiting family was rather limited.

I mentioned it before but I have not watched Boruto and do not care for its existence or its characters. Boruto and Himawari have no bearing on this writing except for annoying me with their character designs slightly.

The Faith as an institution is rather powerless in AsoIaF, until Cersei allows them to rearm themselves in AFFC. That there is no direct representative on the Small Council or even in the king's court for the Faith of the Seven is kind of unbelievable. Sure, the High Septon sits in King's Landing, but that is not the same as having the king's ear and being there while he actively rules.

Now, why is Rhaegar kissing up to the faith? That would be telling. You'll figure it out. Eventually.

Jon Connington is a changed man when we meet him in ADWD, after losing the battle of the bells and being kicked from the continent, and then raising Young Griff. In his youth he was proud, full of life, and hungry for glory, not too disimilar from a young Theon pre-trip-to-Pyke.

The real confrontation between Rhaegar and Naruto will happen next chapter, if nothing changes on my end, but some of the ground work for it is laid here. Rhaegar is far from his father's emotional ravings and changeable nature. He is rational and working for a clear goal, one that only he can really see.

Meeting Ashara's big brother will also be an... event for Naruto. Politeness would dictate that, as lord of House Dayne, he be asked before his sister is married off, especially to such a contentious candidate, even if Elia has the final say.

We are moving into the final stretch of this part of the story. There is still a few very important events to come, but in terms of length there should not be too much more. But we'll see.

As always, thanks for reading and reviewing. Until next time.