"It's freezing out there." Aegon began as he barged into the Great Hall.
"It is the North." Jaime began as he waved him over. "Come join us."
"I'm surprised your not with Connington." Visenya began with a small smile as she watched her nephew sit across from her, and next to Podrick. "Or with your brother at least."
Aegon shrugged. "He told me to go inside. He wants me safe and away from the fighting, but...I want to be near it...especially since my brother was riding Rhaegal earlier."
Her eyes widened. "You're not serious?"
He nodded. "I saw it with my own eyes...I was in just as much shock as you are."
Visenya shook her head in disbelief as she leaned back in her chair, getting a distant stare on the floor. "He's not prepared enough...he probably doesn't know Valyrian commands."
"Can I do it?" Aegon asked.
Visenya looked up from the floor to meet his eyes. "Can you do what?"
"Ride one of your dragons?" The boy asked. "If things go wrong?"
Visenya frowned. "You have never ridden one before and..."
"If things go horribly wrong?" He asked. "If we are not able to hold them off?"
Everyone looked to Visenya expectantly, awaiting how she would answer the boy, unsure of what her answer would be.
"I won't risk your life, Aegon." She sternly replied, and Aegon gave her a hesitant nod in response.
"Who are you?" Tormund asked with confusion looking to Aegon.
"Aegon Targaryen, Son of Rhaegar." Aegon sighed, making Davos look at him in shock, as did Tyrion.
"I thought all you Targaryen's had white hair?" Tormund frowned.
"My mother was Dornish." He replied. "My sister, Rhaenys, had hair like mine."
A small smile came onto Visenya's face. "I have such fond memories of your sister...and Balerion."
"The Black Dread?" Podrick frowned. "He's been dead for centuries."
"The Black Cat." Visenya smiled, remembering how much her niece loved that kitten. "Rhaenys had a cat...a kitten really, that was pure black. She received it after Aegon was born. She named it Balerion after the dragon of Aegon the Conqueror."
"Jon Connington told me that she believed I was the Conqueror reborn." Aegon sighed with a sad smile.
"It wasn't just your sister. It was also Rhaegar." Visenya explained. "He always said that if he and your mother ever had another child, they'd name it Visenya."
"After you?" Tyrion asked.
"I use to think so." She sighed. "But I think it was more so that my brother believed in this stupid prophecy of a dragon with three heads would rejoin and unite the Seven Kingdoms. I think he had secretly hoped that all his children were The Conquerors reincarnated."
"Perhaps." Aegon sighed, turning his head to look into the fire.
Silence fell over the entire group as they all stared into the fireplace, not knowing how to think.
"It's strange, isn't it? Almost everyone here's fought the Starks at one time or another. And here we are in their castle, ready to defend it. Together." Tyrion sighed in deep thought, breaking the silence.
"At least we'll die with honor." Brienne sighed in agreement
"I think we might live." Tyrion retorted.
That drew laughter from Podrick and Davos, with Tormund nodding in agreement with them.
"I-I do." Tyrion retorted as he looked around the room. "How many battles have we survived between us? Ser Davos Seaworth. Survivor of both the Blackwater and the Battle of the Bastards."
"All without a shred of combat ability." Davos interjected with a raise of his cup.
"Mm." Tyrion nodded in agreement before turning to Jaime. "Ser Jaime Lannister, fabled hero of the Siege of Pyke."
"Fabled loser of the Battle of Whispering Wood." Visenya interjected with the slightest smirk on her face.
"You had to mention that?" Jaime interjected as he stood up to get himself another drink.
"It was quite the surprise and the memory seeing you dragged through the mud by Robb." She explained also getting up from her seat to get herself more wine. "And seeing your face when I showed you my dragons."
"Quite the memory." He murmured as he began to fill her cup with wine.
"Hear, hear!" Tyrion chimed in agreement before turning to Brienne. "Ser Brienne of Tarth. Defeated the Hound in-Pardon me, Lady Brienne."
"She's not a ser?" Tormund questioned as he turned to look at Brienne. "You're not a knight?"
Brienne sighed sadly. "Women can't be knights."
"Why not?"
"Tradition." She explained.
Tormund groaned. "Fuck tradition."
"I don't even want to be a knight." Brienne lied, making Visenya, Jaime, and Podrick all frown at her in confusion.
"I'm no king. But if I were, I'd knight you ten times over." Tormund interjected.
"You don't need a king." Jaime explained placing his and Visenya's cups on the table. "We have a Queen in our presence..."
Visenya let out a sigh as she unsheathed Dark Sister, and walked to the center of the room.
"Kneel, Lady Brienne." Visenya explained with a small smile.
Brienne scoffed. "No."
"Do you want to be a knight or not?" Visenya asked in confusion.
"Just kneel before her...it's not that bad." Jaime murmured with an eye-roll.
"I'm sure she's made you do that many times." Tyrion smirked to his brother, making Visenya turn her head with a glare, immediately making him back down.
"Kneel Brienne." Visenya smiled, watching how Brienne looked to Podrick, who in response, gave her a nod of encouragement.
Brienne sighed before she got up from her seat, walked to the middle of the room, before kneeling in front of Visenya. Podrick, Davos, and Aegon all turned their seats to see what was going on, while Tyrion and Tormund stood.
"In all honesty I've never knighted anyone before, so...it'll be a first for the both of us." Visenya murmured.
"In the name of the Warrior, I charge you to be brave." Visenya explained as she raised Dark Sister over her head and placed it onto Brienne's left shoulder, before raising it again and placing it onto her right shoulder. "In the name of the Father, I charge you to be just. In the name of the Mother, I charge you to defend the innocent."
Visenya sheathed Dark Sister, as she turned back to Brienne.
"Arise, Brienne of Tarth, a knight of the Seven Kingdoms." She spoke calmly as Brienne arose, making the room burst into applause, and from where VIsenya was standing, she could see the tears of joy in her eyes.
"Ser Brienne of Tarth! Knight of the Seven Kingdoms!" Tyrion exclaimed in joy raising his cup in honor of her.
Eventually, after some celebration of Brienne's new knighthood, they all found themselves around the fire again, all in deep thought.
"I worry Helaena." Visenya murmured quietly to Jaime.
He placed a soft kiss to her temple. "I know, but we better get some rest."
"No, let's stay a bit longer." Tyrion sighed, not wanting to leave the group.
Davos let out a frustrated sigh as he walked back to his seat. "We're out of wine."
"How about a song?" Tyrion suggested, as he turned to Davos. "One of you must know one. Ser Davos?"
"You'll pray for a quick death." Davos immediately replied.
Tyrion let out a chuckle as he turned to Brienne. "Ser Brienne?"
Brienne shook her head, completely denying his request.
"Prince Aegon?" He asked warmly.
"I'm fine, thank you." Aegon responded with a nod.
"Your Grace?" Tyrion asked, looking Visenya in the eyes.
"I only know ones in Valyrian." She explained. "And besides...I'm no Rhaegar Targaryen when it comes to vocal ability."
Tyrion let out a sigh before turning towards Tormund who shook his head immediately.
"Mmm." Tyrion mused.
"High in the halls of the kings who are gone, Jenny would dance with her ghosts, the ones she had lost and the ones she had found and the ones who had loved her the most." Podrick began, shocking most of them, not knowing he could sing so well. "The ones who'd been gone for so very long. She couldn't remember their names. They spun her around on the damp old stones. Spun away all her sorrow and pain. And she never wanted to leave. Never wanted to leave. Never wanted to leave. Never wanted to leave."
Just as Podrick was about to sing the next verse of Jenny of Oldstones, a loud horn was blown, making almost all of them jump up from their seats. Within a matter of moments, they all went off their separate ways, as they all had separate jobs in order to prepare for the incoming forces. Visenya had exited the castle with Aegon and stood on one of the ramparts, trying to see what was going on...but it was pitch black outside.
Until it wasn't.
Within a matter of moments, the various weapons of the Dothraki that were present outside the walls of Winterfell, erupted in fire, widening both their eyes in disbelief. That's when Visenya saw a lone rider riding toward the gates.
"Open the gates!" She shouted from her position, and the guards who were manning the gates did as she was asked.
"Your Grace?" Davos asked in confusion. "Why?"
"She deserves to be here as well." Visenya sighed as she watched the rider dismount from their horse and remove the hood on her cloak.
It was Melisandre.
"I was wondering when you'd come." Visenya smiled from her position with Aegon on the ramparts.
Melisandre nodded. "Of course Your Grace, apologies for being late."
She then turned to Davos. "There's no need to execute me, Ser Davos. I'll be dead before the dawn."
Melisandre then walked into the castle, and Davos frowned in confusion. Visenya watched in hesitance as she watched the Dothraki charge towards a pool of black, but she knew they had made contact, as she watched them wield their swords with ease, taking down the Wights and White Walkers. No sooner the Dothraki made contact with the Army of the Dead, Northern forces began to use catapults that were set a flame, along with the trebuchets, each firing within seconds of the other. Both Aegon's and Visenya's eyes were wide with horror.
This was nothing either of them could ever prepare for.
No one could've ever predicted that with the amount of men they'd have...everything would begin to go south.
Both armies were massive in size, but in skill level, it was difficult to see which surpassed the other.
"Are you two alright?" Jaime asked as he and Brienne walked out to join Aegon and Visenya.
Aegon shrugged. "Right now, it's difficult to tell."
That's when everything fell silent, and in the distance, hoofbeats could be heard. From their position, a single riderless horse started to gallop toward Winterfell, making Visenya's eyes widen, as she tried to look for any more signs of the Dothraki. A few more horses then began to whinny, and within a matter of moments, multiple riderless horses galloped back to Winterfell, with several Dothraki retreating on foot.
Visenya's eyes widened in disbelief.
She was in complete and utter shock.
They needed dragonfire.
Visenya took a deep breath as she turned to Aegon.
"Want to ride a dragon?"
Aegon snapped his head towards her in shock. "I thought you said I wasn't allowed to?"
"Things have changed." She replied.
"Your going to let him fly with you?" Jaime asked.
She shook her head glancing to her nephew. "He's riding Aegonar, I'm riding Sunspear."
Aegon's eyes widened.
"You have to be careful." Visenya explained. "Aegonar is fast...very fast."
"Listen to your Aunt, and follow her direction." Jaime explained giving the boy a hug.
"I will." Aegon nodded.
Jaime then kissed Visenya...as if the other were saying goodbye.
"Don't die on me." She murmured. "On us."
"Don't die on me, or on us." He murmured back and she nodded. "I love you."
"I love you too." She murmured before gesturing for Aegon to follow her.
They almost broke out into a run, as they headed towards where Aegonar and Sunspear were.
"Will he let me ride him?" Aegon asked.
"He always would've." She explained with a small smile. "He was just waiting for you to build up the courage to do so...you can ride him until your egg hatches...then you must bond with your own dragon."
Aegon nodded as they reached the two dragons.The Sapphire Fury and The Gold Queen immediately sensing the distress within the two individuals before them.
"Anything I need to know?" Aegon asked as he looked to his Aunt.
Visenya sighed turning to her nephew. "Don't die."
"That goes for you as well." He countered before he gave her a hug.
Once the two pulled away from each other, Visenya mounted Sunspear and Aegon mounted Aegonar, and within a matter of moments, the two dragons and their riders took to the skies, eager to win the Longest Night.
A/N:
We're finally at the Long Night.
As always, let me know if you have any questions, comments, or concerns.