The chamber had been fashioned in the style of Elia's old room at Dorne, from the décor to the temperature. It was the place she was most comfortable at, a place she had begun to forget, to her sadness.

Daenerys fit in just right, having lived her entire life in Essos.

Jon on the other hand was struggling with the heat. He was a Stark, raised in the cold of The North. Even if he was born in Dorne.

Both young people sat on the foot of the bed at Elia's request, while Elia dragged a chair over and sat opposite to them.

"What did you wish to speak about?" Daenerys asked. She was the more comfortable of the two with Elia.

Elia's eyes ran over the two of them, calculating and kind.

"You look like your mother," Elia said with a small smile. "she was a woman mindful of her duties, as is said about her. But she had a fire in her that pushed her to challenge things that she disliked. And when such dislikes came to your father…" Elia sighed. "She was kind, gentle, fair and beautiful."

Her eyes shifted to Jon next, who was looking at her warily.

"If you say I have similarities to Aerys-"

Elia snorted.

"Gods nobody can be Aerys. Except perhaps Joffrey if he ever begins to burn people. No, you're far too different from him. No, you're taller and more handsome than he was or used to be before Duskendale. And you brood a lot more. You're a lot like Rhaegar."

Jon stood in outrage.

"I am nothing like that man!"

Even Daenerys seemed to be thrown off and slightly offended by her comment.

Elia chuckled.

"You focus on the wrong details, my dear" the woman spoke. "Yes, Rhaegar can be obsessive, narrow-minded and tunnel-visioned if anything relating to his goals comes up before him. But he is also kind, and gentle. The reputation he has built with the people is no charade, nor is his gentleness a mask to hide his imperfections. He is a flawed man, but he isn't like his father was, nor is he like Viserys."

The last part Elia had said to Daenerys specifically.

Jon sat back down and frowned.

"You two are the last of the Targaryens. Had things been different, you'd have grown up with Aegon and Rhaenys. Probably ended up marrying them too" There was a sadness in the way she spoke. "But we can't dwell on the what ifs, not now at least. Why I am telling this though, is so you both don't shun Rhaegar. He has a hard time expressing himself entirely, always too focused on the wrong things. But he can teach you both many things about House Targaryen, things I'm sure you'd love to know."

The duo were silent for a bit, eyes on a smiling Elia.

"Mother said something similar when we were talking in the chambers" Jon murmured. "But all I could about was how he'd used her to have his prophecy child. The Prince that was promised. When he already had Aegon and Rhaenys."

"The Dragon must have three heads is what he always says" Elia smiled sadly. "But never doubt that Rhaegar did not care about your mother. Yes, he went about it in all the wrong ways but he cares for her. He is not the kind of person to use someone and throw them aside. He planned on taking her as a second wife, Like Aegon the Conqueror had, and he did so without another thought. As I said, tunnel visioned" the femme smiled.

"Were you okay with that?" Daenerys asked.

"I was not" the smile fell and was replaced by a frown. "Rhaegar and I had our arguments, and eventually I just gave in because I got tired. But he promised that our children will have precedence since I am his first wife and my children were born before you. At that point, I was happy to have my children's futures settled. Knowing Lyanna now, I think I would have liked her, as a friend and as a wife. And I know I would have adored you, Jon."

Jon blushed.

"But that is all… well that is all wishful thinking now."

"You can still get to know Mother. I think she'd love to get to know you too. And know that you're not angry at her for stealing her husband."

"She thinks that?"

"I don't know. It's a feeling."

Jon and Elia shared a smile.

"And it would be nice to know more about the Targaryens… I used to look up to King Daaeron II, and have always marvelled at the stories of Prince Aemon the Dragonknight. Robb and I used to play pretend when we were younger. Robb was always some Lord of Winterfell, while I was the Dragon Knight or Ser Ryam Redwyne or Florian the Fool. Sansa loved it when I pretended to be Florian."

"What changed?" Daenerys asked.

"She took on her mother's attitude towards me. Not to the same degree mind you, but more so started to ignore me and was more aware of how different we were in status. But she was never cruel to me."

"Yet she apologised for it?"

"Sansa is a sensitive girl. If she finds fault in herself or others, be it there or not, she overthinks about it. So I accepted her apology before she could spiral."

"I see" Daenerys nodded. "But I meant why did you stop looking up to the Targaryens you looked up to?"

"Was it Rhaegar perhaps? And his attitude here?" Elia suggested.

Jon nodded.

"Seeing Rhaegar act the way he did, after hearing songs of him at Winterfell from the few passing minstrels, it made me think how accurate the songs about the other Targaryen men were. Or how accurate the books about them were."

"Perhaps Rhaegar could shed some light on that matter?"

"Perhaps."

Elia stood and with her stood Jon and Daenerys. Their talk hand ended.

The trio approached the door and Elia hung back, telling them to let the others know that she would join them soon and that they should start without her.

Jon and Daenerys nodded before walking away.

Elia shut the door and leaned her forehead against the door with a sigh. She wasn't sure why she did that. She was dead, her children were dead, and these two were no concern of hers.

Yet she couldn't help it, couldn't help but rectify some of the conceptions that no doubt took root in them about Rhaegar. Jon's choice to be naturalised as a Stark was proof of that. She had to do something to rectify that. She didn't know why but she had to.

She felt a tug on the skirt of her dress. She pushed her forehead away from the door and looked down.

A shattered sob left her lips.

"I thought you would like to see them. And they wanted to see their mother" the serpent-eyed woman said with a small smile, a babe in her arms.

Elia bent down and picked up the girl, hugging her so tight that she began wiggling in her arms. The serpent-eyed woman approached her and handed the babe to her as well.

Elia slid down against the door, holding her children close to her as she wailed and sobbed.

-X- Viewing Hall -X-

Jon held the door open for Daenerys to pass before he went through it too. All eyes were on them, some disgruntled and some just passive. The two took their seats again and Jon informed them that they could continue if they wished.

"Princess Elia said she'd be out in a moment" Daenerys whispered to Oberyn when he asked about his sister.

The Prince of Dorne frowned but said not much more.

[TYRION'S CHAMBERS, EVENING]

[CERSEI enters from the garden. PODRICK stands and exits at CERSEI's orders. CERSEI pours herself some wine.]

"Enjoying married life? An unhappy wife is a wine merchant's best friend."

"She doesn't deserve this."

"At least he's decent enough to admit it" Arya muttered.

"He's different from the rest, we know that much" Sansa pointed out.

"And? Are you going to marry him then?"

Sansa made a face and Arya snorted. Answer received.

"Deserve? Be careful with that. Start trying to work out who deserves what and before long you'll spend the rest of your days weeping for each and every person in the world."

"There's nothing worse than a late-blooming philosopher. Will you be facing your marriage to Ser Loras with the same philosophical spirit?"

"I won't be marrying Ser Loras."

"Good luck telling father that" Tyrion snorted. There was no way to change Tywin Lannister's mind once he had a decision.

"I seem to remember saying something similar about my own marriage."

"You're not me."

Tyrion and Jaime rolled their eyes, one out of annoyance and the other out of fondness. One despised this attitude of Cersei's, the other absolutely adored it.

"You want to make things better for Sansa? Give her a child.

"I don't want a child from him" Sansa muttered softly. She wanted children, just… not from that man.

"So you can tell Father it was you who finally talked me into it?"

"So she can have some happiness in her life."

"You have children. How happy would you say you are?"

"Not very. But if it weren't for my children, I'd have thrown myself from the highest window in the Red Keep. They're the reason I'm alive."

Sansa sobered up and sighed. She understood what Cersei was saying and why she was saying it… but not from Tyrion Lannister. No, she would not have it.

"Even Joffrey. He was all I had once. Before Myrcella was born. I used to spend hours looking at him. His wisps of hair. His tiny little hands and feet."

The mothers in the chambers could relate to this, even some of the fathers who spent a lot of their time with their children. Babies were… something else. Able to change moods and change lives.

Lyanna was bitter that she had missed out on this with Jon.

"He was such a jolly little fellow. You always hear the terrible ones were terrible babies. 'We should have known. Even then we should have known.' It's nonsense. Whenever he was with me, he was happy. And no one can take that away from me, not even Joffrey- how it feels to have someone. Someone of your own."

"We don't usually see Cersei this… emotional" Renly muttered softly.

Robert hummed, internally feeling the slightest bit of guilt that he made this woman's life as it was, that without her children she would have killed herself.

But that bit was quickly buried away by the fact that she had done what she'd done. She could have had those children with him, yet she did not do so. There would be no guilt for what he would do to her.

Joanna listened to her daughter with sadness. Who could she blame for this? Robert Baratheon, who was a lousy abusive husband? Or Tywin for throwing her at Robert? Or would she blame Cersei for she was in no way a helpless maiden either? So many people to blame, yet all she could do was feel sad for her daughter.

[RIVERLANDS, WOODS]

[THE HOUND and ARYA ride past four laughing Frey soldiers.]

"I'm telling you, that's what she did. Sounded like a cow in heat."

The mood in the hall shifted once more, especially from a specific section of the place. None of them had to guess who the men in the vision were talking about.

"I'll tell you what, though. The hardest thing was getting that wolf's head to stay on the body."

Robb stiffened, hand clenched into a fist. How dare they disrespect Grey Wind like that?!

"You sewed it on?"

"I did."

"I bet there were a thousand men claiming they were the one."

"It was me. And Malcolm and Talbott. Well, the thing was so heavy, it fell off the first time. Took the skin right with it. What we ended up having to do was hook the needle right under the collarbone. Give it a nice firm mooring and-"

Catelyn gripped her husband's hand tightly. Even imagining that, Robb's skin slid off his head… gods she couldn't even finish the thought! She felt sick even thinking about it.

[ARYA comes up behind the men. They notice her.]

"Run away child" Rickard hissed. If they recognised her, as unlikely as it was, she would be next.

"Mind if I keep warm?"

"Fuck off."

"But I'm hungry."

"Don't antagonize them" Jon hissed in fear.

"Does fuck off mean something different where you're from?"

"I've got money. It's worth a lot."

[ARYA produces the silver Braavosi coin from her belt. She drops the coin in front of the FREY SOLDIER. The FREY SOLDIER reaches down for the coin. ARYA pushes him down by the neck and stabs the FREY SOLDIER repeatedly.]

The Starks hissed in shock and some anger.

"Are you out of your mind?!" Ned roared in anger, making Arya shrink into herself. "What if you stumbled?! You'd have died!"

"Actually," Oberyn spoke, loud and clear for all to hear. "She distracted the man nicely, diverted his attention and pushed him down from a place where he would be stunned long enough for your daughter to finish him. She's a natural, if you were to categorize her you should encourage it rather than push it back with fear and anger" the Prince of Dorne said with a smirk.

Ned bristled.

"Things are different in the North compared to Dorne" Ned said harshly. "I do not need advice on how to raise my children. I have been doing it fine for years/"

"Oh yes, you have done such a good job" Oberyn drawled sarcastically. The jab was not hidden nor was it missed.

Ned glared at Oberyn but Oberyn smirked at Ned.

"Enough" Doran hissed to his brother, fixing him with a withering look. "Behave, Oberyn."

"I said nothing wrong" The younger Prince shrugged and looked away.

Ned looked away as well, stiff and angry. Catelyn rubbed his back to comfort him.

[The other three soldiers rise to attack, but THE HOUND appears to shield her. The Frey soldiers attack THE HOUND. He punches one in the face and slices another across the gut. He dodges a blow and disarms the third. He then dispatches the two soldiers who remain standing. ARYA watches, awestruck. She stands up as THE HOUND deals a final blow.]

"Where did you get the knife?"

"From you."

Oberyn snorted. The girl was a natural. A shame she was born a Stark.

[DRAGONSTONE, WAR ROOM]

[MELISANDRE picks up some pieces from the war map. KING STANNIS BARATHEON is hunched over the table, holding a single scroll. MELISANDRE starts to drop the pieces in the fire, one by one. DAVOS enters.]

"The usurper Robb Stark is dead. Betrayed by his bannerman."

Robb grunted in displeasure. Stannis Baratheon was not the worst man he knew… or at least the one sitting in the Hall with him wasn't. The one in the visions… Robb would like to put a sword through his face.

"Your Grace, the world has got so far bent. I've seen things crawl out of nightmares, but my eyes were open. I don't know if Robb Stark died because of the Red Woman's sorcery or because at war men die all the time, but I do know that uniting the Seven Kingdoms with blood magic is wrong. It is evil. And you are not an evil man."

"Do you know who had this table carved and painted, Ser Davos?"

"Aegon Targaryen."

"And do you know how Aegon Targaryen conquered Westeros?"

"On the back of his dragon, Balerion the Dread."

"Not by blood magic I can assure you" Rhaegar said coldly.

"Dragons are creatures of magic" reasoned Stannis.

"As are the Children of The Forest. Are you going to call them evil too?" Rhaegar snapped back. "Do not sully my family name and history to justify your shameful actions."

"Coming from the man that got his children killed" Stannis scoffed to himself.

"My enemies have made my kingdom bleed. I will not forget that. I will not forgive that. I will punish them with any arms at my disposal."

"You do not need to burn the boy. If what you say is true, a drop of his blood killed Robb Stark-"

"And our king is still no closer to the Iron Throne. A great gift requires a great sacrifice."

"Someone needs to shut this whore up" Jon snarled in anger.

Nobody corrected him, since they all agreed with his words.

However, he did earn reproachful looks because of his language.

"His name is Gendry. He's a good lad. A poor lad from Flea Bottom who happens to be your nephew."

"I'm a bastard. No highborn will ever accept me as a nephew" Gendry scoffed. He felt heartened at Ser Davos trying to save him, but he knew a lost cause when he saw it.

[DRAGONSTONE, DUNGEON, NIGHT]

[DAVOS enters, bearing a torch. He unlocks GENDRY's cell. DAVOS throws a cloak to GENDRY.]

[DRAGONSTONE, SHORE]

[DAVOS and GENDRY walk to a rowboat. DAVOS tosses a bag into the boat and pushes it into the water.]

"Aim for that star. Don't stop. There's bread and water. Go slow with it. If you finish it off, no matter how thirsty you get, don't drink seawater."

"I know not to drink seawater" Gendry muttered with a small smile.

"Row for a full day and night and you'll reach Rook's Rest. You'll want to stop there. Don't. She'll find you. You must keep the coast on your left side until you reach King's Landing."

"The gold cloaks are looking for me" Gendry muttered, his smile falling.

"They were looking for me for twenty years. Do they know your face?"

"No."

"I'd worry more about the Red Woman."

[GENDRY boards the rowboat and sits. GENDRY turns around in the boat and sits at the oarlocks when DAVOS tells him to sit the other way.]

"You ever been in a boat before?"

"No."

"You know how to swim?"

"No."

"Don't fall out. Go on."

"He's a good man, Ser Davos" Robert commented with a hum.

"Aye… he is" Stannis muttered. He was well aware of how fond his brother had become of this bastard of his. He was just glad that Robert had not exploded at him for wanting to kill Gendry, well into the future it may be.

[DRAGONSTONE, WAR ROOM]

[DAVOS stands before some guards. STANNIS and MELISANDRE interrogate him.]

"You don't deny it?"

"No. I let him go."

"Your mercy saved the boy's life. You feel good about that?"

"Aye, I do."

"You saved one innocent. How many tens of thousands have you doomed?"

"There has got to be another way."

"What other way?! Tell us about this other way."

"I don't know, Your Grace. I can't see the future in the fire."

"Very well, Ser Davos Seaworth. I, Stannis of the House Baratheon, First of My Name, Rightful King of the Andals and the First Men, sentence you to die."

"I understand. But since you haven't yet unnamed me Hand of the King, it is my duty to advise you against it. You're gonna need me."

"The man has balls, I'll give him that. Telling the man who just sentenced him to die something as plainly as he did that" Yara snorted. That was a man of the seas, unashamed of his actions and unapologetically honest. She could do with men like him in her crew.

A shame he was so loyal to Stannis Baratheon.

"Why am I gonna need you?"

"Davos produces a scroll and holds it out for STANNIS."

[STANNIS takes the scroll and reads it.]

"It's from Maester Aemon of the Night's Watch. Their Lord Commander is dead. Took a ranging party north and never made it back. One lad did, though. What he saw beyond the Wall- it's coming for all of us."

"Smart man" Robert grinned. He used the Red Witch's game against her perfectly.

[STANNIS hands scroll to MELISANDRE. She reads it and burns the scroll.]

"This War of Five Kings means nothing. The true war lies to the north, my king. Death marches on the Wall. Only you can stop him."

"You can't stop him alone. You need someone to rebuild your army for you, someone to convince this lord and that lord to fight for you, to bring sellswords and pirates to your side."

"I've made my decision."

"He's right. You need him. He has a part to play in the war to come."

"You see, Ser Davos? You've been saved by that fire god you like to mock. You're in his army now."

"More like he played both of you and used you two to save himself" Renly snorted

Stannis smiled. He knew his Onion Knight would find some way to return to his side.

[OUTSIDE YUNKAI]

[DAENERYS TARGARYEN, MISSANDEI, SER JORAH MORMONT, SER BARRISTAN SELMY, and DAARIO NAHARIS stand on the rocks, surrounded by the Unsullied and the Dothraki. The dragons chitter as they wait outside Yunkai.]

"They will come, Your Grace. When they're ready."

"Perhaps they didn't want to be conquered."

"You didn't conquer them. You liberated them."

"People learn to love their chains."

"Chains and Thrones" Robert muttered softly. He had no love for ruling, but he would be lying if he said he did not grow a fondness for the power he had as King.

[The door opens and a crowd pours out. Each wears a collar around their neck. As they get close to DAENERYS, the Unsullied, as one, take a defensive position, spears pointed at the crowd. A dragon screeches.]

[MISSANDEI speaking Valyrian]

"This is Daenerys Targaryen, the Stormborn, the Unburnt, the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, Mother of Dragons. It is to her you owe your freedom"

[DAENERYS speaking Valyrian]

"No. You do not owe me your freedom. I cannot give it to you. Your freedom is not mine to give. It belongs to you and you alone. If you want it back, you must take it for yourselves. Each and every one of you."

[The crowd is silent until one man, holding his daughter, calls out.]

"Mhysa!"

"What does that mean?" Daenerys asked out loud.

"It's old Ghiscari for Mother" Oberyn answered her with a smile. "You have given them a new life, like a mother gives life to her babe. Hence them calling you mother."

Daenerys was too much in awe to reply to that.

[The crowd steps closer and they continue to call to DAENERYS. The Unsullied take a more threatening stance to hold them back. Panic and fear begin to ripple through the confused crowd. They regain their voice and renew their cries.]

"It's all right. These people won't hurt me."

[DAENERYS steps forward kneels next to her three dragons and tells them to fly in High Valyrian. The dragons screech and launch into the sky. DAENERYS steps down among the Unsullied. DAENERYS walks into the crowd. They touch her gently as she passes through them. They are elated, and they continue to chant to her. DAENERYS walks deep into the crowd. They lift her up above them, and she sits on their shoulders as the crowd reaches towards her. They spin slowly and the crowd forms rings around her. She smiles and the crowd tightens into a spiral of adulation. The Unsullied remain in formation. The dragons soar overhead.]

"That is why she chose to free them" Varys spoke to Rhaegar gently. "Your sister is empathetic to the pain of others. She knew what it would mean for those people if she freed them. And now, we know it too."

Rhaegar's face did not change much as Varys spoke, but his eyes softened at seeing his sister in the visions, so happy and proud of what she did.