The room was plunged into thick silence as the wall darkened. Daenerys stared, disbelieving and mystified. She'd only ever heard stories of Dragons from Viserys when she was young, heard just how formidable and powerful the dragons were, heard how formidable it made a Targaryen to be able to ride a dragon.
And here she was with three hatchlings.
How many of her ancestors had tried to hatch dragons and failed? How many had died as a result of it?
And here she had hatched not one but three!
Her mind was racing, hands shaking and legs numbing. Dragons had returned to the world. She brought dragons back to the world!
Or she would.
Or would she?
She didn't marry that savage Drogo, she wouldn't get those eggs as a gift from Illyrio. Would she need to marry Drogo for those dragons?
The thought made her stomach sink and made her hands feel clammy.
Someone shook her gently and she was drawn out of her thoughts. Rhaegar was staring at her, curious and excited.
"You brought Dragons back," he said with almost reverence in his tone.
Daenerys found herself not liking the tone in which her eldest brother spoke.
"Rhaegar" Elia called gently, a hand on her husband's shoulder. "Give Daenerys some room to breathe."
A little reluctantly Rhaegar stepped away.
"How are you feeling?" Elia asked Daenerys.
"Absolutely thrilled!" Rhaegar answered instead, "She brought back dragons, Elia. Dragons! How can she not feel anything else?"
But Elia did not even look at her husband, her dark eyes on Daenerys instead. "How are you feeling?" she repeated her question with a smile.
"I- I don't know" Daenerys answered honestly. "Somehow I was able to bring back dragons and not die in the process. How or why did that happen? I doubt even a Targaryen can walk away from being burned alive."
"You are correct in your assessment, Daenerys."
All eyes turned in unison and found Brynden walking towards them, his sole eye trained on Daenerys. From so close Daenerys could swear that the mark on his cheek resembled a wine-red raven.
"I am going to guess you have an explanation, stranger from beyond the wall?" Oberyn asked.
"I do" Brynded nodded. "Mirri Maaz Dur was speaking a spell to protect herself from the flames, but she could not focus on herself as the flames began to burn her. The spell instead hit Daenerys and protected her. And I'm certain that the effects of the spell would not fade away any time soon."
"So the witch did something good before dying" Rhaegar chuckled.
Brynden's sharp eyes cut to the Prince.
"She did a lot of good things before dying" the man spoke softly.
"And what good thing would that be?" Rhaegar questioned.
"Made sure her people were avenged, made sure the man who ruined her life and those of her people was never a threat again."
"You mean practically killing Drogo" Daenerys said calmly. "What fault was there for the child that was growing in me? What did an unborn child do to her or her people?"
"It is not what your would child did that made her kill him, it was what he could and would have done" Brynden answered simply. "The Stallion Who Mounts The World, how wonderful it sounds to those who have bestowed the title or those who are on the title holder's side. But imagine the fear that those whom the child rules over feel. The Dothraki are not known to be kind or just, and no matter what you may teach the child, the environment he will grow up in will surely influence him. He would be a Dothraki as well, a source of fear and dread for all of Essos."
The man paused a beat.
"And I don't think Mirri Maaz Durr had anything to do with how your child turned out. All Targaryen stillborns come out like your child is said to have come out. What she did was most likely not help you in saving your child, who was put in danger when you fell on your belly."
Daenerys stared in silence and thought over what the man said. It still hurt her to think that a future child of hers had to die in such a way, but what the man said made sense to her. Maybe she did not agree with it, but she understood. She understood that a person, regardless of being a man or a woman, could do extreme things out of fear.
After all, she didn't stop Drogo from killing Viserys when he threatened her child.
At least she thought that was why she hadn't stopped Drogo. That and he deserved it.
"And now about the dragons that you hatched."
Daenerys stared at the man, who was looking at her with more interest than a moment ago.
"What about them?"
"They would come in handy when the White Walkers march to destroy you all."
"Do you not mean us?" Elia raised a brow.
"I am already a dead man. Perhaps this viewing is not to save myself but to make sure the pieces I leave behind after my demise are the right ones."
"Dead already? When did you die?" Oberyn asked.
"A long time ago. When the Targaryens still ruled over the Seven Kingdoms."
They all frowned.
But Daenerys moved forward.
"I don't want to marry Drogo, even if I get dragons out of it" Daenerys stated.
"You don't have to marry Drogo" Brynden explained, "but you might need his assistance in procuring the eggs."
It was not Drogo that Brynden meant, not judging from how he was looking at Varys meaningfully.
"Perhaps your spider can find a way to help you get your eggs."
"And how will I hatch them? Drogo isn't dying and I am not burning Mirri alive either" Daenerys argued. The dread in her was telling her that she'd have to go through the things that she was seeing herself go through right now. And she did not like that for a moment.
"No, all you need is someone with King's Blood for the ritual. Drogo was your sacrificial lamb before, you simply have to choose another this time."
Daenerys stared at him dumbly.
-x-
"The Targaryen girl has become a threat we must deal with the moment we return" Robert grunted, still in shock at seeing dragons come back into the world. The Targaryen girl brought fucking dragons back!
"I would like to disagree, brother" Renly spoke. "Instead of making her an enemy, it might be best if we aim to turn her into an ally."
"You would have me ally with dragons?!" Robert asked in outrage.
"I would ask you to consider an alliance that would benefit you" Renly defended his suggestion.
"You will not catch me saying this often" Stannis cleared his throat, "but I agree with Renly. We are better off making her an ally than an enemy. There are too many who would support her because she's a Targaryen. Imagine how many more would flock to her the moment they hear she had three dragons?"
"Your brothers are right, Robert. Daenerys is better an ally than an enemy" Jon Arryn approached, and with him came Ned Stark.
Robert's outrage turned to guilt at the sight of his friend.
"Ned" Robert stood, but Ned stopped him with a raised hand.
"Joffrey is not your fault" Ned knew his friend well enough to know what the man was about to say.
"I may not have fathered him, but I was his father" Robert pushed on, "I should have seen the signs that the boy was not stable. He once gutted a pregnant cat for fuck's sake!"
"I remember you giving him a few hits for that" Stannis stood as well.
"And backed off when his mother threatened me with suicide if I did it again" Robert growled. "I should have taken the boy away from her right then and there and sent him to somewhere like the Vale or the North!"
"He was your heir, a Prince who stood to inherit the Throne. You can't do something like that so easily" Ned pointed out with a small smile.
"He was. The moment we return, I'm putting his head on a spike! Him and his whore of a mother and oathbreaker of a father! You were right Ned, I should have sent Jaime Lannister to the Wall all those years ago."
"A lot of things could have been done differently" Ned stated calmly, "but now we must make sure we do things right and not repeat the mistakes we are watching."
"Aye… Starting with taking the Lannisters down a few pegs" Robert grunted.
"Do what you must with Cersei and Jaime" Ned said blankly, "but I am not comfortable nor would it be right to punish the children for things they have not done."
"Lady Joanna has begged us to spare Myrcella and Tommen" Jon Arryn reminded them.
"And they will be spared" Ned gave Robert a meaningful look. "They will be spared and naturalised as Lannisters."
"Lord Tywin will not like that," Renly said softly.
"Well, it's a good thing we don't give two shits about what my father thinks" Tyrion's words made them all jump slightly, turning sharply around to see both Tyrion and Joanna waiting for him.
"Lord Tyrion," Ned said cautiously. Dislike as he might the Lannisters, he has found Tyrion Lannister to be not so terrible compared to his siblings.
"Just Tyrion, Lord Stark. I am Lord of nothing till my father breathes" Tyrion's smile had them all narrow their eyes. "I was here to possibly make some correct decisions on behalf of House Lannister. Well, my mother wishes for me to make these decisions, and I find them not too bad a thing to do."
"And what would these decisions be?" Stannis questioned.
"Well… how do I put this… Father will not be in the right state of mind once word gets out about the things that my siblings have been up to. And who knows what he would do to himself once the shame of it catches up to him, especially with his prized heir sent to the Watch."
"You want us to send Jaime Lannister to The Wall?" Robert swole up in outrage.
"You are focusing on the wrong thing here… But we were hoping you would be lenient in dealing with Jaime specifically. He is a simple man, my brother, arrogant but simple. It is my sister who should be blamed and punished for everything. I would beg you to show clemency in matters of my brother and allow him to spend the rest of his living days in the Watch. I would gladly accept Myrcella and Tommen as Lannisters and name Tommen my heir."
"And your father would allow it? He who won't even name you heir?" Renly raised a brow.
"He wouldn't. But with Jaime at the Wall, he won't have any choice. Besides, Father's made enemies. Maybe one of them took the opportunity of the chaos that would surely ensue and end him before he can name anyone else heir."
"Are you suggesting—"
"I suggest nothing, only point out the things that could easily happen" Tyrion cut Jon Arryn off with a smile. "Show clemency in dealing with Jaime and the Crown's debt to House Lannister will be forgotten."
-x—
"I did not fancy seeing you before my days on the living plane ended."
"Lady Olenna, always a pleasure to meet you."
"A pleasure!" the old woman barked, "spare me the false courtesies, Lord Stark."
"Just Rickard now. My son Eddard is Lord of Winterfell now."
"And he has done well from what I hear."
"That is all a father can hope for" Rickard nodded his gratitude. "Was there something you wished to speak to me about? It isn't common for you to approach someone without a motive. I believe the last time you did so—"
"I tried to set my daughter with your heir. Yes yes, we both know how that went" Olenna chuckled. "Call me a fool but I would like to do something similar."
"My Lady, the only son that can take a wife already has one."
"And all my daughters have husbands of their own. But it is not my daughter I offer, it is my granddaughter."
Rickard's eyes went to the Tyrell maiden, who was sitting on her own and looked a little lost in her own thoughts.
"She is a pretty thing. Her match with Robb would work nicely."
"Not Robb Stark, the other one."
"I do not understand."
"Don't play dumb with me Lord Stark" Olenna's look was a chastizing one, "you know who I speak of."
Rickard's face became cold as ice at those words.
"I do not think a bastard would suit your granddaughter at all."
"Lucky for us he isn't one" Olenna smiled. "A war is coming Lord Stark, one that should be quickly dealt with before those frozen bastards cross the wall. The might of the South will be at Jon Snow's back, and all your son has to do is convince his friend to name him heir and naturalise him for who he is."
"Lady Olenna—"
"You are a smart man Lord Stark, I'm certain you can help your son see reason and the benefit of having his nephew on the throne. The North would get the support it desperately needs for when the time comes."
With a smile Olenna walked away, Rickard left observing the old woman keenly.
She hadn't changed one bit.