Tony

A shrill wail ripped through the camp and Tony forced himself not to flinch. No matter how many times he'd heard the sound it still set his teeth on edge. Did for everyone. Even Magneto had jolted when the mournful wail had blasted through the caravan or the camp or whatever they were when their group was settled down for the day. He'd tried to hide it but had failed miserably and Tony had delighted in watching the Blackfyre leader try and appear dignified after starting like a frightened child. Not that anyone would have said a word, as it scared them all when it suddenly happened, but Magneto had it in his head that a King was "above such things" and thus hated it when he showed he was human.

"Oh its okay!" Toad said, reaching over and stroking Lockheed. "I know you miss them but we'll see them soon." The amethyst colored dragon though merely turned towards the West, staring out back across the waters. There was little doubt who he was crying out for as, after a moment, the dragon thumped his head down and began to chew on a large coil of rope that had been given to him by Arya. "Such a brave boy…" Toad whispered.

"Toad," Magneto said coolly, walking over to them, cape snapping in the breeze, "need I remind you that Lockheed is a dragon… not a dog."

"I know but… just look at him!" Toad gestured at the dragon who continued to sadly gnaw on the heavy rope, toying with one of the knots Gendry had put in it. "He misses his mommy."

"Shadowcat is not his mother," Magneto stated.

Sabertooth, seated on the ground and using a pair of knitting needles to work on a scarf (much to Tony's amazement though he wouldn't say a word because he wasn't foolish enough to die THAT way), let out a huff. "Daenerys Targaryen has taken to calling herself 'The Mother of Dragons'."

"Which is all the more reason why not to refer to Shadowcat at such," Magneto answered. "Targaryens tend to be… possessive… of what they believe is theirs and theirs alone. It will be difficult enough for my dear cousin to learn that her hold on the rebirth of the dragons has been loosened… no need to taunt her any more." He paused, looking down at Lockheed. "Besides… our dear dragon knows we care for him." He reached down to stroke Lockheed's head only for the dragon to turn away and slump down upon the ground with a sigh.

"He misses her so much," Toad purred, scratching the dragon on the side of his neck, causing Lockheed to untense slightly but otherwise remain melancholy. It didn't matter that his growth had spiked after the Manderian's attack on Braavos, so that where before he had been gaining an inch per week he now gained a foot and was thus the size of a small horse. No… Toad cuddled with him like he was a simple puppy that needed a few hugs.

"I will never get over watching someone coo at a dragon," Pepper said, walking over to Tony and joining him on the crate he was sitting on.

"Ugh, please don't."

"Please don't what?"

"Say he is 'cooing'." Tony shuddered. "Bad memories."

"I don't follow."

Tony closed his eyes. "A few years back Lord Robin Kristoff held that festival… you remember the one? Where the dancing bear got drunk on honey wine and became stuck in that hole?"

"It really didn't like people coming up and kicking its butt," Pepper commented, remembering how the bear's trainer had decided to still make some money off the incident by charging people a star to be able to drive their foot into the bear's hindquarters.

"Right, that one," Tony confirmed. "Well there was this writer, a pretentious sort who claimed they had no name, who did a reading of their latest work. A fictional account of Florian and Jonquil because that is SO original." He rolled his eyes and Pepper merely reached over and patted him on the arm. "Anyway, author is reading his work and literally EVERY time he has Jonquil talk to Florian she 'cooed'."

"You mean-"

"Every. Single. Time." Tony shuddered once more. "I was scarred for life."

"Poor baby," Pepper teased.

Tony merely huffed at that and looked about the camp. "Finally be able to see Daenerys soon," he commented as he watched the servants hurry to get everything ready. "Maybe tomorrow… at most a week."

"What are the chances we are allowed to actually stay in Meereen?" Pepper asked.

"Not good, from what I'm hearing."

When their ship had gotten near Meereen they had been informed by the dockmaster and his assistance that they would not be allowed to use the bay. With so many representatives coming to Meereen to see Daenerys and claim the Juggernaut (something Tony was still trying to wrap his head around; a man that literally couldn't be stopped) they simply couldn't use the harbor for all the arrivals as the city would become overrun. Instead they were being asked to use the new docks that had been built outside of the city, half a day's ride from the new capital of Dragon's Bay. There they were asked to set up camp and wait till they were summoned by Daenerys to meet with her, where she would hear out their requests before giving them further instructions concerning later meetings. Of course the distance made sense when it seemed like Meereen had doubled in size thanks to the encampments that had sprung up.

"All we can do is be patient then," Pepper stated. They had at least come somewhat prepared, with tents and the like for the Brotherhood and their servants, though those mostly were cooks. Charlus had insisted on it and Tony wondered if the man could do more than read minds and actually predict the future. Most likely not… he was just paranoid. Which was a good thing, considering what they were dealing with now.

Tony suddenly chuckled. "The Firestar has proven that she won't be pushed around or bullied. She does thing on her time."

"What makes you say that?" Toad asked, looking up at Tony even as he continued to comfort Lockheed.

"The owner of several powerful brothels in Volantis, who claims to be connected to Daenerys through the line of Saera Targaryen, tried to use that connection to skip the line. Thought he could just march in and tell her that as 'the only male of the line of Aegor the Conqueror' he was ordering her to turn over the Juggernaut."

"…Aegor?"

"Yeah," Tony said with a shake of his head. "Apparently Daenerys let him out of the pyramid… the fast way."

Pepper at once grimaced at that before she truly thought about what Tony had said. "Wait… why would a Volanti brothel owner want the Juggernaut?"

Toad chuckled. "Big muscles, big dick?"

"Please," Pepper complained. But Tony looked away from her and he heard her suck in a mouthful of air. "Please no…"

"He argued, apparently, that they could chisel away enough of the gold to expose his cock. There are supposed to be herbs one can eat that leaves them erect and he said that with milk of the poppy-"

"WHY?!" Pepper screamed. "Why would ANYONE think that was a good idea? At all?"

Tony grimaced, throwing his hands up to ward off Pepper in case she decided to attack him.

It was Sabertooth who answered. "In Pentos there is a brothel where they don't have whores. Just different holes and shafts for whatever you want. Supposed to be warmed with sun-boiled water and special lotions."

"And you just happen to know this?" Toad teased.

Sabertooth merely narrowed his eyes at that. "When I fuck something I want to feel it move."

"It," Tony whispered to Pepper only to gulp when Sabertooth shot him a dark look.

"This is all… well, I was going to say interesting but that would be a lie," Magneto declared as he began to walk away, calling out over his shoulder, "I want everyone ready to meet with Daenerys tomorrow, should she agreed to see us. It is important that we make a good impression."

'Need to lure her into a false sense of security, right?' Tony thought to himself. It was clear to him that Magneto wasn't interested in making friendly with his distant cousin. No… he wanted to weigh her up, see how powerful she was, and what he could do in order to destroy her. 'We know that she can control fire. That's about the worst kept secret in all of Essos. And its said she has at least two people that can heal from any wound.'

He paused.

'And then there are the claims about the Hulk.'

Those had been the most concerning bits of gossip. The claims that Daenerys had under her command a giant green man that could shatter towers simply by clapping his hands together, the shockwave being powerful enough to crack the stone. He had thought that the group Magneto had assembled was powerful but if the Hulk were as powerful as everyone was claiming…

'I need to get back to work on my suit,' he thought to himself, getting up.

"And where are you going?" Sabertooth asked.

"For a walk. I need to get a few things."

"Out of the camp?" Sabertooth asked.

"You know Magneto wants us to stay put!" Toad shouted even as he got up. Sabertooth too, setting aside the yarn he'd been working on, carefully placing it in his bag along with his knitting needles before he followed after Tony. He heard boards creek and glanced back to see Pepper joining him. Rhodey was off… somewhere… Tony wasn't for sure where. He debating going to find him but in the end decided against it, reasoning that it would be too big of a risk. He was only given so much of a leash, after all, and even this little rebellion wasn't much when he knew that with a word Magneto would have him wearing metal bracelets again, only without Arya around to remove them.

Going to get Rhodey and leaving the camp? Magneto would see that as him trying to flee. Or running the risk of it. Either way Tony had noticed that whenever he tried to go off on his own (which wasn't that often and even now he had brotherhood members tailing after him) something would come up that would keep Pepper or Rhodey from leaving.

He never did that with Tony though, holding him back. Probably because he realized that Tony would want nothing more than his wife and best friend to escape the Brotherhood, even if it meant leaving him behind.

"Sure he does!" Tony said with a laugh that almost sounded real even to him. "That's why he let Sabertooth over there go get his colorful string. Seriously, is that like a cat thing? I mean you have the claws and the teeth and the eyes but is it? Its hard to tell with you. Should work on that so I can read you better, you know?"

Sabertooth didn't answer and Tony merely smiled as he continued on out of their camp and towards the massive sprawling tent city that had sprung up around Meereen. Magneto had managed to buy them a bit of space and Charlus' presence had also aided in that; few wanted to worry about the full might of Braavos coming down upon them and thus kept away so there was no chance of insult. But the rest of the camps, while starting out with some clear divides, had slowly ended up merging together to create a great tent city. The coloring and the flags were the only way to tell where one ended and the other began but even then it was less like camps and more like city districts.

And all of them were taking advantage of the vast array of people all there to plead their case for the Juggernaut.

They passed first the Myrish district where great kilns had been constructed so that the glassblowers could work their craft. He spotted oil lamps and large mugs that had been shaped to look like dragon heads or great ale casks or even the Juggernaut's head, oddly enough. Not just clear glass either but green and blue and red. Yellow and purple and orange. Black glass in the shape of a great dragon and pink that looked like two lovers embracing.

Then there were the Lorathi who proclaimed that they brought exotic fish and mammal wares. Not just meat, which was kept in great ice chests, wrapped in canvas and then caked in sawdust, but things of bone and flesh. Walrus tusk bone blades. Narwal spears. Necklaces made of shark's teeth and white bear calls. Leathers made up 'supple seal skin, softer than anything you have ever felt' and boots crafted from whale flesh. They were also peddling whale oil but, much to Tony's amusement, many ignored that with comments they had sunstone lamps. He couldn't wait to see what his coffers were like when he got home.

The Lysini had, of course, erected an entire stretch of tents where one could wander about and find any sort of partner they desired. Women who were tall and fair had their tents next to plump stout women with great big tits that bounced even as they breathed. Midgets who were pleased to declare they had no gag reflex so they could deep throat any cock and women who twisted themselves into pretzels. Men too. Those that flexed their muscles and flashed winning smiles. Others who offered, to man or woman, to simply sit with them and listen. Giant brutes who roared that any woman that wished to feel the fantasy of rape with none of the danger should come to them; much to Tony's shock he had seen them get glances from some of the women that walked by and they wasn't painted with scorn.

Of course they were quick to claim that every one of them was free and willing; none bought and none forced. A wise move, Tony thought, considering how enraged the Dragon Queen was said to have become when Slavers from a small town two days ride from Meereen had shown up with their slaves, thinking that Daenerys, now that she sat the throne, would suddenly change her mind and allow the selling of men and women and children. They had even tried to barter with them, it was said, suggesting that instead of capturing people they merely make slaves of babies, so that all they knew was the life of chains.

Tony had seen the heads of those Slavers on the docks their boat had come to rest on, Magneto giving a quiet murmur of respect that his cousin was willing to show such brutality in the name of justice.

'Despite how Essosi they have become they have not forgotten their Westerosi roots… they will never take slaves.'

"Hmmm..." Sabertooth murmured, looking over at the entrance to the Norvoshi camp. They were weaving great tapestries depicting the Battle of Meereen, where it was said that Daenerys had discovered how to become pure flames and had fought alongside her dragons against the Juggernaut. Clearly the Norvoshi were trying to win favor with the Dragon Queen but Tony wasn't for sure how well that was going to work; he had a feeling Daenerys Targaryen was one used to dealing with false friends.

"We can check out what they have, if you want," Tony offered. "I actually don't need anything pressing. I'm just trying to stretch my legs and keep away from Hank… I think he's shedding more than normal." He reached down and pulled a strand of blue fur from his overcoat, holding it up for Sabertooth to see. The large man stared at him for a long moment and just when Tony was beginning to worry that he might have actually offended the brute enough to find himself in trouble Sabertooth threw back his head and laughed.

"The bastard does shed a ton! I swear we could make pillows out of his fur without him even ending up with a bald spot!" He flashed a smile that was far too sharp to put Tony at ease. "But sure… if you don't want to tell me what you are really playing at I might as well get something out of this."

"I-"

But Sabertooth huffed, striding towards the Norvoshi camp. "Do you know why I'm one of the deadliest fighters in all the world?"

"Big, strong, claws that can cut through walls?" Tony suggested.

"Its because people look at me and think I'm just a big dumb brute. That I just go around getting drunk and punching things and that I only see a few inches in front of my face. Never seeing the big picture. And hey… I have no problem with people thinking that. Everyone thinks Toad here is just a scrawny little ugly thing that is only good at putting bits and pieces together and can't do much else. Magneto is just an old man… all courtly and kind. Like the grandfather you might have had but wished was better. But Toad cleans up real good… and I don't know why he bothers but he can charm women. We've had more people offer us help after speaking with him than being threatened by me. Magneto has killed… you ever see the little Kitty Cat again you ask her about Harrenhal and what he did there. And me?"

He slowly looked over his shoulder at Tony.

"I'm smart. Smart enough to know how to hide how smart I am. So don't EVER try and act like I am some idiot… not because it will offend me but because it makes my opinion of you drop down into nothing."

"…right," Tony said.

Sabertooth nodded. "You want to escape us… I can see that plain as day. Might like a few of us but you won't ever be one of us." He paused. "Pepper might be… Magneto certainly is considering it. Plenty of people here that we could use for the ritual… wonder what your powers might be, Red."

Pepper raised an eyebrow at that but, to Tony's eternal concern, didn't leap to proclaim she wasn't interested. Another reminder that for all he loved his wife… she was a Blackfyre supporter. Her family had always been.

"So I don't know what you are up to or what you are trying to snag as we walk about but I know its to help you escape. But honestly I don't care. Go ahead and try." Sabertooth turned back and began to walk. "I've been itching to try myself against that armor you and Magneto made for a while, Stark."

'And if I have my way you won't,' Tony thought.

The armor was amazing. Magneto was a master of magnetism, yes, but he was also a master of metals and he understood it in ways that Tony did not. It was rather like comparing a man that had read every book that had ever been written on love making with one who had actually slept with a dozen different women. The former might have all sorts of knowledge but there were simply things that one couldn't learn from a book. It had to be felt. Experienced. Understood the goods and the pleasurable and the horrible all at once. Plenty of tantalizing tales had been written of men bringing women to screaming pleasure but only one who had done the deed knew what a mess it created afterwards or how it left one aching all over.

The same was true of metal. Tony understood metal and understood the secrets of the sunstones but Magneto… well, he felt it. The first time Tony had shown him how the sunstones reacted with the metal Magneto had been utterly startled… and then delighted. He'd looked like a child being given a new toy and had fiddled with the gauntlet for hours.

And then he'd shown Tony how to make it BETTER.

The armor that had been created had been wondrous. Flexible. Light weight. Strong.

He never wanted to wear it again.

It would have been like Robert or Ned accepting the finest sword from Aerys. It would not matter how nice it was or how easily it could cut through anything. It would be tainted. Same with the armor.

Tony needed to craft his own set in secret. Quietly remove piece by piece the one Magneto had made for him.

'I have little doubt he's memorized every line and curve in that armor so that he knows exactly what it feels like even miles away,' he thought as they moved through the stalls, looking at the different tapestries and embroidery and, yes, knitted pieces. 'If I tried to fly off he would feel it at once and that would be that. If he did let me go he'd know wherever I was going. There would be no escaping him. No… I need to make my own armor.'

That started with getting an idea where he could get metal from. He was sure there were plenty of sellers who were trying to pawn off swords and shields to those that were gathered, convincing them that they absolutely needed something shiny to win over Daenerys Targaryen. Even from a distance he could tell that while most were of shit quality there were some sellers that were offering the genuine article. And those would be what he went after.

'I don't have any money of my own… but it will be easy enough to make some. Even in Essos I'm known for my craft and skill… Magneto will be dealing with his negotiations along with Charlus… and plotting how to kill the Dragon Queen. The others will grow lax, thinking that I am no threat at all. And when they do it will be a simple matter to begin offering my services to blacksmiths. Perhaps not the swordsmiths or the shieldmakers but those looking to craft horseshoes and the like. Odd jobs to build up some coin while I also squirrel away some of the extra metal…'

"Tony, come look at this!" Pepper called out and he frowned, broken from his thoughts to see Pepper looking over a robe that had been stitched to show off a great sky battle between eagles and hideous demon creatures. There were a few other people near that stall, looking over what the seller had to offer; mostly men who either were looking for a gift for themselves or something for their lovers to keep them from being upset about their other purchases. Sabertooth took one glance and huffed, moving off to look at some knitting supplies while Toad, yawning, began to amble about with his hands in his pockets, glancing in the direction of the ringing of anvils; he had clearly assumed that they would be checking out the blacksmiths but with Sabertooth around couldn't suggest that. Not with the larger man clearly assuming that was where Tony wanted to go.

"Looks lovely, Pepper," Tony said with a smile. "Really brings out your eyes. Should let Magneto know about it, maybe he'll buy it for you as a gift."

"Come over here and look at this stitching. Its pure art!"

"Uh… yeah," Tony said, brow furrowed. "I'm sure-"

"Tony." She jabbed her finger to a spot next to her and Tony, with a sigh and a shrug to Toad who glanced over and chuckled, made his way over to his wife. "Finally."

"I know and I'm sorry but I see it now!" Tony gushed, figuring the only way to get himself out of the doghouse was to play up how wonderful the robe was. "So beautiful… look at how they did the feathers! Oh, it is the most impressive-"

"I don't give two shits about the robe," Pepper snapped, her words whisper soft.

"…huh?"

"Tony," she nodded to her right, towards another man looking over the robes. "This man just came from King's Landing."

He raised an eyebrow at that. "Clever girl," he murmured before turning to the man in question. He was wearing rather non-descript clothing… except for his cloak, which was made of red feathers that fell down to his ankles. Dark skinned with a neatly trimmed beard and a head of hair that was just as short he at once appeared to be the stereotypical Summer Islander. "Well, you aren't dressed like a trader so you have to have been part of the Prince's entourage."

"I'm…you know what, I can already tell you won't be able to say my full name so just call me Sam."

"I could say it," Tony complained even as Pepper held up another robe, this one showing off a horse race and a cheering crowd.

"You really couldn't."

"Aw, come on, give me a try Sammy."

"I will not."

"I'm gonna have to try and figure out what it is then," Tony said with a smile. "Let's see… Samawhamadingdong?"

Sam shot him a level stare. "Somehow, without even trying, you have managed to insult my entire culture and heritage."

"…did I get it right though?"

"Yes."

"Really?" Tony asked, excited.

"No." Sam glanced at Pepper. "So, when does your servant here go get your husband?"

"This is my husband, sadly."

"My condolences."

Tony let out a huff. "Yeah yeah Samadam." He paused, wondering if he'd gotten it right that time, but when Sam didn't react he found himself needing to continue. "So, what's the news out of King's Landing. We heard that Joffrey is dead."

"Yeah. Tragic that." Sam kept his voice JUST respectfully enough that one couldn't get too upset, most likely assuming that the reason he wasn't showing proper grieving for the King of the Seven Kingdoms was because he was an evil dirty foreigner who didn't understand their ways.

"I'll light a candle for him," Tony muttered and Sam's mouth twitched slightly at that. "So Tommen is ruling then? Or rather Tywin Lannister is ruling and the boy is just confused." He hadn't thought much of Tommen Baratheon, the few times he'd seen him.

At Winterfell he'd basically just remained in the castle playing with the cats they kept there to deal with any rodents; he'd been scared to pieces of the direwolves. The one time he'd gone out into the yard he'd looked more like a pillow than a boy, bundled up in protective gear that made him shuffle. At the Red Keep Tony hadn't spotted him but no one had a good word to say about the boy. And not a bad word either, which was concerning. He could understand people feeling negative about him. He was the Spare after all and the history of Westeros, not just the Targaryen Line, was filled with the dangers of the Spare. They were needed just in case something happened to a Lord's heir, taught like their older brother how to rule… and then informed after their first nephew was born "You are no longer needed". Joffrey would have naturally tried to sow the belief in others that Tommen was worthless to protect himself from facing another situation like the Blackfyres. Blacklyon did have a nice ring to it, after all.

But… there had been nothing. No claims that Tommen was wicked or cruel. No claims he was kind and good and just. Just… Tommen existed. Which showed that no one cared about the boy and he himself had done little to make people care.

To Tony's surprise though there was a sudden hardness in Sam's features and a fire in his eyes.

"Tommen is a good boy who is going to be a good king. He's smart… smarter than people realize because they were too focused on that little shit Joffrey. That brat learned a few sword swings and that was that and no one said a word because they figured that was good enough for the King of Westeros due to who his father was. But Tommen listens. He learns. He wanted to be a knight because he didn't want to be a burden on his family and because he wanted to protect the innocent. Not a member of the Kingsguard he said, because 'they only protect the king and everyone will do that anyway. A Knight protects the people'." He took a step towards Tony. "And that is going to make him a good king… a great one."

"Okay… okay…" Tony held up his hands in surrender. "So you… have a connection to him, I guess."

"You guess right," Sam said, not backing down.

"Right, good to know, will keep that in mind." He swallowed and flashed a smile. He was used to people getting angry at him but usually he had an idea it was coming and could brace for it. Sam's anger though had been so sudden that it had left him utterly surprised and thus on the back foot. Something he hated. "But even if the boy is the most amazing kid in the world… he isn't the one actually ruling Westeros, is he?" He stared at Sam, challengingly, waiting for him to try and argue against that.

"No," Sam finally said, posture relaxing slightly which made Tony inwardly sigh in relief. "Except it isn't Lord Tywin who rules."

"And why is that?" Tony asked, playing dumb. Mystique had claimed that Tywin was dead and Tony still held that it was a lie… some scheme the man had created in order to get… something. He didn't know what the game was but he could see Tywin letting the world think he was dead in order to achieve something for his family. Perhaps a bet that he would die and he would now claim it? Or-

"Because he is dead," Sam said. "They claim he threw himself from the Tower of the Hand… more likely he was thrown from it."

Pepper's eyes widened at that. "I… hadn't heard that."

"You sure?" Tony pressed.

Sam glowered at him. "I was in the yard training when he fell. I was one of the first to find him."

"…ah," Tony said. He… wasn't quite sure how to feel about that.

Tywin Lannister wasn't a good man. Tony knew that. But he had also given him Iron Pointe and allowed Tony to prove to the world just how skilled and cunning he was. He had been a good liege lord to him…

"Tony," Pepper said suddenly grabbing onto his arm. "We have to go. We have to go now."

"Pep, we'll-"

"We have to go. NOW." She began to tug on him, more insistently and with a fiercer drive.

"In a moment," he assured her before looking at Sam. "I swear, people call me rude but-"

"Jon!" Pepper half shrieked, causing Tony to start and, despite the absurdity of it all, look around to see if his heir was actually there. Which was ridiculous because Jon…

…was in King's Landing.

"Oh… fuck," he whispered softly as it all came crashing down on him. "Okay… okay… Rhodey is still at the camp. We'll have to grab him and run. There must be a boat that is leaving that we can stow away on. No metal… nothing metal." He began to remove his overcoat, looking to see if there was anything metal sewn into it. Though as he thought about it that was still too risky… what if Magneto had gotten metallic thread to be sewn into the lining? Better to be rid of it all. Steal some clothing and shed what they had. 'Probably should purge too… he might have been feeding us food rich in iron or the like and he could sense that… maybe we wait a few days, purposely starve ourselves until its out of our system? Then we run. We run hard and-'

"I'm sorry but I think I'm missing something here," Sam stated.

"Our ward, Jon… he was… is…" Tony grimaced and felt Pepper grab onto his arm harder. "He is at the Red Keep. An honored guest of Tywin Lannister."

"…who are you?"

"Lord Antony Stark of-"

"Iron Pointe," Sam whispered, eyes going wide. "Jon… Jon Stark!"

And he grinned.

"It is an honor to meet you both!" He held out his hand and Tony, thanks to etiquette that had been drilled into him by his father, forced himself to reach out his hand and accept Sam's in his own, allowing the Summer Islander to pump it several times. "Jon speaks well of you both. You're Pepper, aren't you?" Pepper couldn't even nod and Sam's smile fell. "I'm sorry I… I was just startled to see you. Jon is fine… you don't know, do you?"

"Know what?" Pepper got out.

"King Tommen named Jon Hand of the King and Regent."

Tony stared at the man, feeling as if everything had suddenly rotated 180 degrees.

"…what?" he got out.

"After Lord Tywin's death-" Sam paused, taking a breath. "Let me start again. When Jon came to the Red Keep he worked hard to make many friends amongst all of us. He very much succeeded. Lord Tywin often spoke fondly of him after we discuss King Tommen's training… I was one of his swordmasters in the yard, you see." Tony nodded dumbly at that and Sam continued on. "Tommen especially loves Jon… I don't think I would have been able to leave the Red Keep if Jon wasn't still there. Tommen has grown attached to me… I suspect he will name me Master of Arms when I return." He shook his head. "That isn't the point. Jon was there for Tommen many times and when Lord Tywin died Tommen called all to the Throne Room and declared that Jon was to be made Hand of the King and Regent until he came of age."

"Jon," Pepper said slowly. "Jon is Hand of the King."

"Yes."

"Jon Stark."

"Yes."

"Our Jon is effectively the Ruler of the Seven Kingdoms."

Sam nodded.

Pepper began to laugh.

Not giggle. Not chuckle. She fell against Tony and began to laugh so hard that they got startled looks. Tony didn't blame her though for that reaction as he was about to begin breaking down himself.

'But… you need to know more. You have to know more. Hold it together, damn you,' he thought to himself before looking at Sam once more. "And the Tyrells and the Lannisters have no problem with this?"

"None at all," Sam said, sounding a touch surprised himself despite having lived through it. "The Tyrells I think assumed that if it wasn't Kevan Lannister who became Hand it would be one of them. So selecting Jon was a shock but they've adapted rather quickly. And the Lannisters have also seen that Jon is… fair in how he rules things. He doesn't show favorites. He is willing to listen to all sides. But I think most important is how much Jon hates the position he's in."

"What… what do you mean?" Tony got out only to shake his head. "Of course. If he took on the role with an eagerness people would think it was a plot by Ned Stark. But Jon hating it-"

"Shows he is ready to give up power," Sam finished. "Yes. I didn't get to see much of his rule, as I left shortly afterwards, but those that I talked to have heard that many on the Small Council were impressed by how he was willing to do the job while at the same time was eager for Tommen to take over. There will be no Peake situation, as it were."

Tony found himself nodding at that.

"Sam!" someone called out and the Summer Islander turned in the direction of the speaker. "Sam! This place is madness… you shouldn't go off alone-"

The man emerged from the ground and Tony stared in shock.

The figure stared right back.

As odd as it was to say… the fact the man had blue skin wasn't the thing that held Tony's attention. No… it was the shape of the face. The way the chin was sculpted. The brow and the nose.

"…Jaime?" Tony asked, though he knew at once there was no way this could be Jaime Lannister.

"Bran?" the man said. "Bran Stark?"

"Antony," Tony found himself saying.

"I… sorry, you just… reminded me of a friend. A very dear friend." The figure held out their hand. "Steve. Steve Rogers."

Tony opened his mouth to say more… only for everyone to begin screaming.

At once he pushed Pepper behind him, looking about wildly for threats. People were crying out and rushing about but there was no direction to their terror. They didn't run in the same direction or flee from a singular point. Sabertooth was easy to spot due to his size, tensing as he curled up his lip, ready to take on any foe. There was movement out of the corner of his eye and Tony turned to see Toad having leapt onto a high pole, scanning the camp. Sam drew a sword, doing none of the fancy spins or twirls one might have expected from a man dressed as he was. No… Sam merely brought his blade up, careful not to harm any of the panicking people but still ready to attack. As for the newly arrived and introduced Steve…

"Tony…" Pepper said, teeth chattering. He barely nodded; he felt the air around them drop in temperature as well as a chill suddenly radiated from Steve.

"I don't see anything," Sam said.

"Too low," Steve said and Tony snapped his gaze up. He understood at once why no one was running in the same direction: the threat wasn't coming from the right or the left… but from the sky.

"Is that a dragon?" Pepper called out over the din.

"Was wondering when I'd get to fight a fucking dragon!" Sabertooth declared with a toothy leer at the rapidly approaching fireball.

"I don't think so…" Steve said with a shake of his head, pulling a large red, white, and blue shield off his back and, in one swift motion, raising it over his head and twisting it so it flashed in the sunlight. Once… twice…

The fireball suddenly jerked to the left, away from the camp, and came screaming down so hard that it produced a great plume of sand while causing the harder packed ground the camp had been built on to tremble. Several stalls collapsed and Tony found himself dimly wondering how much coin the Myrish had lost from that little rumble destroying their fine glass wares.

"Come on," Steve said, motioning for them to follow him. Or maybe he was only motioning for Sam. Tony didn't care as he wanted to see just what the fireball was.

'Could it have been Daenerys herself?' he thought. 'She is supposed to be able to control fire… but why divebomb the camp? It would only spread terror and make her enemies. And she responded to Steve flashing his shield… does she know him? He-'

"Huh, blue man; who is he?" Sabertooth snarled as he pulled up next to Tony, Toad moving to run along with Pepper and for that Tony was grateful; if something happened he would get her out of there quick.

"Steve Rogers," Tony said. "Or at least that's what he told me. I can't be sure if that is true or not."

"What is a fucking Crow doing here?" Sabertooth asked.

"Huh?"

"I can smell it on him… he stinks of the Night's Watch."

Tony blinked even as they moved through the panicked crowd, Sabertooth's bulk easily clearing a path. "That… is a good question."

They broke through the final line of tents, the screams fading into a distant sound behind them, and ran across the lower sands of the area around Meereen until they came to the impact point. What they found was utterly spellbinding. The fireball had come in so hot that it had turned the impact spot into glass, with plumes of sand having crystallized into pillars that twisted and rose up in strange and otherworldly shapes. The ground itself was etched with strange symbols… or perhaps nothing at all and it was merely Tony's imagination. He couldn't be sure.

What he did know was that rising from the crash site… was a man.

A large man. In a tattered red cloak, silver-blue armor, matted blonde hair, and a rather big hammer-

"STEVE!" the blonde man roared, a massive grin blossoming upon his lips.

"Einridi?" Steve said, startled.

"Aye!" the blond declared as he hurried over, giving Steve a hug that pulled the man off his feet. "Though I go by Thor now! Or once more, I should say!" He set Steve back on his feet. "I am not dead, am I? Because I am pretty sure I am not and I'd rather it be that you found your way back to us rather than-"

He stopped and stared right at Tony.

"Bran?"

"…why does everyone keep calling me that?" Tony complained before he found himself also in a massive hug.