So it's been a while, hope you all remember me. Here's chapter 27 for you all. I hope you like it
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
The She-Wolf of Winterfell
Arya Stark was tired, cold and frustrated. They were somewhere south of M oat Cailin and she was still with the same group of boys. Her hair had started to grow long again so she was forced to cut it herself using the reflection of a pool of water to guide her. The march had been slow and it seemed that her father was in no particular rush to get south. Arya didn't mind this, as she still had not figured out what Lord Bolton was up to .
She had been watching him from afar and she took nearly every opportunity that she had to get close to him. She brought him his horse in the mornings before the march and she did the same again in the evenings. However despite her best efforts, she could not discover what he was hiding, he made no reference to that piece of paper and he acted as if he never received it in the first place itself.
Arya did not even know what information was on the stupid letter that he had burned. It just not make sense. She sat around the fire with the other squires as they ate their meagre supper. Arya did not know what she was eating as it was bland and tasteless. She was just happy that it was warm.
She heard a wolf howl somewhere in the forests near their camp, and for some reason the noise made her feel more hopeful. Hullen and Karlon were telling each other vulgar tales that Arya was sure that she or any other girl for that matter was not supposed to hear. Sansa would have turned bright red with embarrassment if she was here.
Arya missed her older sister, more than she expected. She missed the little arguments that they used to get into that were over things so silly that would soon forget what they were even about. She had even began to notice the little things that Sansa would notice if she were here. Despite everyone here being part of the same army, she could tell the difference among the men that came from different regions of the North. All the men had different shields representing the houses where they came from. Stark men wore softer shades of blue and grey whereas the Bolton men would wear darker colors , this was one of the things she had observed during her otherwise fruitless spying sessions.
She missed all of her siblings that were back home in Winterfell. She missed Bran with his soft voice and she missed playing games with Rickon. She saw Robb today as he made his way through the camp. He had allowed his beard to grow and he looked older than he was. Arya was sure that he would recognize her so she quickly hid from him. She hardly ever saw her father though, he was always leading from the front of the march.
Now that they were further south, Arya had considered revealing herself to him, but she needed to find out what Lord Bolton was doing first. Her father would not believe her if she told him that she caught Lord Bolton burning a letter, especially when she didn't even know what was on it!
Arya beat the ground with her stick in frustration and she heard another howl from a wolf. Arya looked in the direction of the noise but she did not see the animal. She had heard stories about a pack of wolves somewhere in the forests near to them and this pack of wolves had stopped them venturing too far for their food.
Arya pushed the thoughts of the wolves from her mind and instead tried to focus on her mission. She had considered of trying to impress Lord Bolton with her fighting skills in the hope that he would allow her to act as his cupbearer or his squire, but she had not thought of a good way to go about it without it looking suspicious.
She watched as Hullen picked up his spear and began to use it to help him narrate his story. It was clearly very funny because Olyvar and Karlon were holding onto the sides and howling with laughter. She decided that she was wasting her time sitting here and listening to their stupid story, her time was better spent trying to find what Lord Bolton was up to.
She stood up and slowly slipped away from the boys and their stories. The sun still had not set so she knew she would not be able to get too close to Lord Bolton but she had to try. Arya walked carefully through her camp until she found her familiar spot behind Roose Bolton's tent. She sat on her haunches behind a bush as she peered at his tent. Arya had learned that after his tent had been set up, Lord Bolton would only leave once for the night. He would usually go for a walk through the camp to check on his men, before retiring for the rest of the night.
Arya waited for a few minutes before she saw Lord Bolton leave his tent and begin his evening walk. She kept a safe distance behind him. She was constantly on her toes, ready to throw herself into the shadows if necessary. However, Roose Bolton did not turn around, he walked at a leisurely pace until he reached a group of men seated on logs around a fire. Arya took a quick look at them and she saw the badge of the flayed man on their chests. She also took a look at their weapons, she saw a few swords, but she saw mostly crossbows and bows.
One man in particular rose to his feet. He had a long narrow face and thick coarse black hair on his head and face. He had dark brown eyes, the color of mud. He stood up when he saw Lord Bolton approach and Arya saw that he was very tall, probably over 6 and a half foot. They spoke briefly before the man led Lord Bolton away, further into the trees.
Arya waiting a few beats, before she took off after them. They walked in between the lines of tents and out into the surrounding woods. Once they slipped past the tree line the sounds of the camp immediately faded away and it was replaced by the foreboding silence of the forest.
Arya had to move as quietly as she could, taking care not to step onto any twigs or broken branches that would crack and alert them of her presence. This meant that she was moving slowly, and Lord Bolton nearly got away. They had stopped underneath a huge oak tree and Arya saw the man get down on his knees. He began to dig through the mud for a few moments before he pulled out a large heavy parcel. He unwrapped it and showed it to Lord Bolton. Arya was not sure what it was, but it looked like a large heavy cloak. Arya was not sure what color it was, maybe it was blue like a Stark cloak, maybe it was black like a Bolton one. She took a step closer but she stepped on a stray branch that she had not seen.
The sound of the wood splintering was as loud as a crack of thunder.
Arya watched as both Lord Bolton and the man stopped before they immediately turned around to look in her direction. She immediately sunk down low and hoped that she would not be seen. The seconds seemed to stretch into hours as Arya waited with baited breath. The muscles in her legs started to burn with pain but she knew that she could not move.
"Probably just an animal," she heard the man say loudly but nervously. Lord Bolton however did not look convinced, several times his pale grey eyes passed over the exact spot that Arya was hiding in. After what felt like several years, Lord Bolton finally turned back to the tree. Arya let out a quiet sigh of relief and moved to stand up.
Then suddenly, Arya was yanked up by the scruff of her neck.
"What the fuck are you doing out here," she heard a rough voice ask. Her captor spun her around so she was able to see his face. He was a bald man with a long ugly scar running along the side of his face. He had a thick ginger beard and Arya looked down to see he had the flayed man of House Bolton displayed on his chest
"I asked you a question, boy. The fuck are you doing here?" he spat but Arya was too afraid to answer. The man carried her forward.
"My Lord, I have found a spy," he said as he easily flung her into the dirt in the middle of the clearing. She scraped her knee against a stone and she knew that she would be bleeding. She turned to look up at Lord Bolton who was staring down at her with his cold unforgiving eyes. Did he recognize her?
"What were you doing out here boy?" he asked softly.
"I went to take a piss," she said nervously as her heart hammered within her chest.
"That is a lie," he replied as he stepped towards her. "Tell me the truth and I will let you live," and Arya saw the first man reach for his dagger, it was a long and ugly blade.
"I followed you,"
"Why?"
"Marching is boring so I went out here to explore in the woods and then I saw you walking somewhere. I was curious,"
"What did you see?" he asked but Arya did not answer. Lord Bolton looked at her before he slowly held out his palm and the man put his blade in it. "Tell me, what did you see?"
"You are hiding something in it. I think it was a cloak," she said and she saw something flicker in his eyes for a moment. Was it anger?
"It is a cloak. Do you know whose cloak it is?" he asked but Arya shook her head. He cocked his head slightly to the side as he looked at her before he returned the knife.
"You might be telling the truth, but I cannot take that chance. You have seen too much," he said quietly. "Kill him and dump the body far in the woods for the wolves,"
Arya's heart hammered in her chest as Lord Bolton walked away back to the camp. She had Needle with her but she knew that she would not be able to defeat these two huge men. They were too big and too strong. She slowly squirmed backwards along the ground until her back hit the tree.
The two Bolton men seemed to be getting some sort of sadistic satisfaction as they slowly made their way towards her, reveling in this act.
"Please, don't kill me," Arya pleaded as she slowly stood up. "Take me to my father, he'll make you rich, he'll make both of you rich. He'll give you anything you want, please,"
"Your father will give us nothing," the first man said with a dark laugh. "He's probably back in the camp, drunk off ale and looking to bed a camp whore,"
"My father is Eddard Stark of Winterfell," she said quickly as the men got closer and closer. "I'm Arya Stark," and this caused the first man to laugh loudly.
"If you're Arya Stark then I'm Aegon fucking Targaryen,"
"Wait. I think she is a girl," the second man said and Arya looked at him hopefully. Then that hope vanished as she saw the evil glint in his eyes.
"I like little girls," he said quietly. Arya swallowed nervously as the ugly man dropped his knife and slowly step towards her. She heard a lone wolf howl loudly somewhere in the distance. The wolf sounded closer now, and her captor seemed to realize that as well.
He hesitated for a second and then Arya turned on her heels and ran.
She sprinted as fast as she could through the bushes and trees. She felt her skin getting cut by branches but she did not stop. She heard her pursuers loudly trample through the trees and the undergrowth. Arya was quicker than them but she knew that she would tire first. She would have to conserve her energy. They were behind her and to her left so Arya quickly ran to the right.
This was a mistake because the ground quickly started to slope upwards and Arya felt herself beginning to tire. She slowed down and then she hid behind a tree to try and catch her breath. Her breathing was loud and heavy but Arya didn't care, she needed to get her breath back so she could run again.
After a few moments, her breathing began to quieten down and the sounds of the forest returned to her. It was quiet, which hopefully meant that she had lost the men who were chasing her. She peered around the right hand side of the tree back in the direction that she came from and thankfully, she could not see them. Perhaps, they had lost her trail in the fading light. However, Arya realised that by running this quickly, she had left a trail of broken branches and bushes for the men to follow. She would have to move quickly and more carefully this time.
Just as she was about to move, she heard the men again. She froze in place and listened to them loudly break branches as they searched for her.
"Come here pretty girl," she heard the man say "I like it when they run. I like the chase, it makes it better for me. It gets the blood flowing."
Arya was silent, she knew where the men were but as long as she did not move, they would not be able to hear or find her. The men continued to move and now they were starting to be quieter, less branches broke and Arya began to feel incredibly nervous again. She considered moving from this spot, but she did not want to risk it.
Then she heard another branch crack, and then another one, and then another and each one sounded louder than the last.
"There you are!" and Arya turned and saw the ugly bald man bearing down on her. Her hand reached for N eedle but then the man froze. His eyes settled on something behind her and Arya saw the color drain from his face.
"Wolves!" he cried and then he turned and ran. Arya turned to look behind her and then she saw them. An entire pack of wolves had surrounded them . Some had thick black fur, some had silver fur as pale as the moonlight. They all slowly walked towards her and bared their long, sharp fangs.
Arya's throat went dry as the wolves surrounded her. She knew that she could not out run them, not in this terrain. Somewhere in the distance, she heard a loud anguished cry followed by several howls. She wondered if the man chasing her had been caught by the pack, she hoped he had.
The wolves advanced and they started to growl, the low rumbling noise resonated all the way through to her bones. She closed her eyes as they got closer, so close she could feel the heat from their breath.
Then she heard another howl, this one was the loudest of them all and somehow it felt familiar to her. She heard loud heavy breathing in front of her and she slowly opened her eyes
In front of her was the largest wolf of the pack, she had thick grey fur and unmistakable dark golden eyes. Arya let out a choked sob as she reached her hand out for the wolf to smell.
"Nymeria," she whispered softly and her direwolf gave her a long loving lick.
The Old Lion
Tywin Lannister sat atop his white destrier on the top of a hill. It was a chilly but cloudless day and his army was waking up and getting ready to march in the valley below him. His brother Kevan, was alongside him. He was in the Reach, somewhere to the west of the Mander and a comfortable distance North of the Roseroad. He had split his army into several smaller parts. One part followed Gregor Clegane and Armory Lorch, he had sent them ahead to do whatever they wanted in the Reach, as long as they did so without flying any banners.
As far as he knew, they had already raided Longtable and Bitterbridge and they should be heading North to Tumbletown. This was part of his plan. Mace Tyrell would not ride North leaving the Reach whilst his lands were under attack, he would have to try and deal with Clegane first.
Mace had done everything that he had hoped for. His scouts had reported that he had separated his host and his Vanguard was racing forward along the R oseroad to try and chase Clegane. He was already two days ride away from the main Tyrell host and this meant that Tywin would be able to get between them and quickly smash his army. That was the plan for today.
Tywin sighed in frustration, if he had it his way, he would have stayed in Casterly Rock and prepared himself for a long drawn out siege where the dragons would not be a factor . He would have defeated the Targaryens in his own way, just like he had all those years ago. He had been building scorpions of his own and the fact that his castle was carved in the side of a mountain meant that it was naturally protected from Dragonflame.
But he couldn't do that because of Cersei, his only remaining loyal child, had made a mistake due to her stupidity.
She had left the capital without her son, Joffrey. As long as Robert had him, he had leverage on him. Tywin hated that. He hated the feeling of being forced to do something that he did not want to. Had Cersei done the sensible thing and left the capital with all of her children, then he would have been able to conduct this war in his own manner, instead of listening and trying to work with Robert Baratheon.
His children had all failed him. Tyrion had always been a drunken fool, but it appeared that he had sobered up enough to land in the lap of someone who wielded power . Tywin knew that he had some intelligence, but he would never amount to anything. He knew that from the day that Tyrion was born. Tywin had been shocked to find out that Tyrion had defected and joined his enemies but that was not entirely surprising. He was a dwarf, sent from the gods to punish him.
The child that he did not understand was Jaime.
Jaime was his son and heir. He had killed the Mad King and yet he had gone over to the side of the Targaryens . It did not make sense. What had gotten into him? Tywin blamed Robert, years of serving that fat drunken oaf must have caused Jaime to grow disillusioned with the crown, but even still, he was his son and he was a Lannister. He of all people should understand the meaning of family . Tywin should have worked harder to take him back to Casterly Rock so he could take his place as his heir. He should have found a way to free of him of that white cloak and get him dressed in crimson once again.
"Sound the horns and get the men up. I want them marching within the hour," Tywin barked and Stafford hurried off to complete his order. Tywin sat atop the hill tightly gripping his reigns and watched as his men quickly and efficiently took apart their camp and got ready to march. Every so often, he would glance up at the sky but he saw nothing that would concern him.
He had 20,000 men in his army, half of which were mounted and another 5,000 were archers. He had left half of his host back in Lannisport and another small amount back at Casterly Rock to hold the castle in his absence, he would not suffer the embarrassment of losing his own castle.
He continued to anxiously look up at the sky as he waited for the men to get ready, it was taking too long and he was feeling nervous. He took his left hand of his reigns and it went to his sword. He hadn't had gotten his hands bloody in years, hopefully today would not be that day.
"Sound the warhorns again. We need to get going," Tywin urged Kevan but his brother didn't move.
"Do you hear that?" Kevan asked quietly as he turned his head to the side
"What?" Tywin snapped and Kevan held up his hand to silence him. Tywin would not normally take this level of disrespect but then he heard it.
He heard a faint rumbling noise that was gradually getting louder, like a band of musicians warming up their instruments. Again, his horse began to shift and whine beneath him. The noise came from the North, this confused him and it was very unsettling.
"Sound the horn. We need to leave," Tywin urged.
"It's too late," Kevan said as he raised one trembling bony finger to point over towards the North. "They're here,"
Tywin looked out in the direction that his brother was pointing in and then he saw them. A line of black dots slowly cresting a hill and making their way towards them. How on earth had they gotten past his scouts? Tywin did not know the answer but he could not worry about that now. He had to plan their defense . They still had time, no more than a handful of minutes but it would have to be enough.
"Dothraki!" Kevan shouted and Tywin nodded as he watched the horde gallop towards them. Tywin shook his head and got himself focused, he could handle the Dothraki, he was Tywin Lannister, Lord of Casterly Rock and Warden of the West.
"Archers on me!" he shouted. He would have to use the terrain to his advantage. "Spears and shields!"
Tywin watched as his men quickly spread out and followed his orders. He knew that they could not outrun the Dothraki, they were too fast and they were a pure calvary force whilst his force was split between mounted knights and foot soldiers. It was now impossible to retreat.
Instead, he had to stand and fight. He would have to use the natural landscape to his advantage. He was currently on the crest of a hill with the Dothraki charging into the valley below him. He would put his line of spears and shields at the front in a defensive crescent, with spearmen and axemen behind. His archers would remain at the top of the hill to maintain the high ground and hopefully they would have free reign to release volleys of arrows onto their enemies.
"Kevan!" Tywin shouted, he had to shout. The sound of the Dothraki calvary was growing louder and louder. The ground was beginning to shake as they approached "You will lead the heavy horse!"
"Where?" his brother asked.
"We need them to counter attack. Once the first wave hits ours. Lead our knights into their flank!" Tywin ordered. This was the best plan, he knew that they could not sit in this defensive formation forever, the Tyrell host was in the area. He did not want to be in a long drawn out battle today, they would need to defeat the Dothraki today so that they could escape.
"If I lead the horse out then we will be exposed to our own arrows!" Kevan shouted in return but Tywin did not care. His men had sworn to serve House Lannister and if they had to die to do it then they had to die.
He looked back at the Dothraki. They were closer now, he could begin see the sunlight bouncing off their steel weapons. The loud rhythmic drumming sound of the horse hooves was beginning to fill his ears.
They were getting closer. Much closer.
"Do it!" he shouted and Kevan galloped away to complete his orders. Tywin knew that he might have just sent his brother to his death but he had no choice. Tywin then turned to look at his men beneath him, they were all in the defensive crescent that he had ordered. This was good. Then he heard a faint whistling sound in the air which could only be arrows.
Were they firing arrows from horseback? Tywin quickly realised that they were. How was that even possible? No Westerosi archer could do that and certainly not from this distance. He saw two of his men fall to the floor in front of him, clutching arrows in their thighs.
He swallowed nervously, shook his head and then rode further up the hill to get a better view of the battle. The hill was not too steep, but it was steep enough to at least slow down the Dothraki calvary.
He took another look at the Dothraki. They would be upon them in a few minutes and the noise they brought with them was nearly at a crescendo.
"Spears out!" he heard someone call. Perhaps it was Stafford, it didn't matter. A strange wave of satisfaction passed over him as he saw them lower their spears in unison, like the well drilled unit that they were. He could imagine them poking out like thorns from a bush. He swallowed nervously as he watched the Dothraki get ever closer.
"Archers knock!" Tywin screamed and he saw his archers all reach for their arrows and draw for their bows. He looked at the Dothraki, soon they would be in the range of his archers. He opened his mouth to issue the call to let loose their arrows but his words were lost on his lips as he was suddenly plunged into shade.
Tywin quickly looked up into the sky and he saw that the sun had been blocked by the black dragon. Its large monstrous form had cast the entire hillside into shade. Tywin felt his throat go dry as a desert. Then, he heard the roar.
There were two roars , too loud bloodcurdling roars that caused his horse to buck uncontrollably, he was thrown off the horse into the air and he landed flat on his back in the soft earth . He looked up in the sky again and he saw the other two dragons. The green one was flying low and fast above the Dothraki horde and heading straight for his line of spears.
He had seen the dragons at Harrenhal, but they were not like this. Seeing them as they flew was one thing, but seeing them in complete anger was another. It was the first time in Tywin Lannister's life that he had felt truly afraid.
Then, he heard the screaming.
Urged on by the sight of the dragons, the Dothraki had started to scream and the shrill noise was loud enough to cause a cold sweat to break out on his forehead.
The green dragon surged upwards and then Tywin saw its great wide jaws open and a barrage of bright green flame came tumbling out onto his men. Tywin lifted his hands to shield his eyes from the light and heat and then he heard the thunderous thumping of the dragon's wings as it flew overhead.
He heard the anguished screams and cries of his men and Tywin knew they were being burned alive. He sat up and looked down the hill. His once uniformed defensive crescent was starting to become fragmented. There were gaps forming in the shield line as men dropped to the floor and succumbed to their burns.
Worse still, the Dothraki horde was just about to make contact with the rest of his men.
Tywin heard a sickening crunching of bones breaking and the sad high pitched wines of the horses dying as the two lines met each other. Tywin felt a brief wave of relief pass over him as his line held firm as it withstood they first wave of attack. Then, that relief was drowned out by a loud screech.
He turned towards the noise and then his blood ran cold. He had spread his line too thin. The Dothraki had charged at his center whilst they had ignored his flanks. His men on the left hand side had remained untouched whilst those on the right were about to come under attack from the third dragon.
The cream and gold dragon darted down from the sky in a steep spiraling dive and it released a long golden tongue of flame that lapped away at his men, burning them alive in front of his eyes.
Long plumes of smoke trailed high into the sky as the dragons set fire to the dry fields. This battle would not last much longer at this rate, those dragons were too big and too powerful and they were reigning freely in the skies. They had to do something, they needed their scorpions.
Tywin pulled himself to his feet and he staggered blindly through the smoke up the hill towards the scorpions. He started to cough and his eyes began to burn due to the acrid smelling smoke. The smoke was so thick, that even if he stretched out his hand he was unable to see the tips of his fingers. His eyes were useless, so he had to rely on his other senses.
His ears heard another roar from the dragons followed by more screaming and Tywin could not tell who was killing who anymore. He heard the sound of hooves somewhere close to his left in the smoke. Tywin did not know if it was a friend or foe so he quickly fell to his knees. He felt the loose dirt beneath his fingers and he began to crawl through the dirt like a dog.
The battle raged around him, he heard the dragons roaring and men dying . The pained screams of men as they were burned alive was a noise that would haunt him until his final days. Some men cried for their mothers, some cried for loved ones, others just screamed.
At that moment, he thought of Aerys, his former friend and the King who he had betrayed. The Mad King loved to burn his enemies with wildfire, the sight of this battle would surely bring a sadistic smile upon the dead king's face.
Tywin knew that he had to get to the scorpion, if he did not then all would be lost. He coughed and sputtered as he blindly made his way through the smoke, each breath was more difficult than the last. His hands landed on something warm and bloody, he raised it up close to his face and then quickly threw it away. It was a hacked off body part and Tywin had no idea who it belonged to.
He knew that the scorpion was near the top of the hill, he just had to reach it. A dragon screeched and roared as it flew overhead and the draft from its wings briefly blew some of the smoke away. Tywin saw the scorpion ahead of him, sitting unused primed and ready for action. He felt hopeful and began to quickly scurry towards it.
Then, he heard a loud roar and saw the scorpion bathed in a torrent of jet black flame. Tywin was forced to watch helplessly from his knees as it burned right in front of his eyes. The heat from the dragon 's flame was so intense that Tywin was sure that he was going to melt inside of his plate armor . The Dragon took off and roared victoriously as Tywin's head fell to the dirt in defeat.
For a moment, he considered lying there and letting the toxic smoke fill his lungs and wait for the sweet release of death, but then he remembered who he was. He was Tywin Lannister of Casterly Rock, the Warden of the West. He would not die in a field amongst these pigs and savages, he would not die today. He would live, and he would remind them all why they did not cross Tywin Lannister. He would have his revenge.
He coughed twice and started to crawl faster through the smoke, he shoved the dirt and bodies out of his way as he fought to live. He crawled for what felt like an eternity until he thankfully saw the smoke beginning to thin. Once he was on the other side, he greedily gulped down the clean air, coughed and then slowly stood up and turned around to look at the battle.
The hill that he had set up on was somewhere in the middle of that thick swirling black smoke. Thankfully, he had emerged upwind from the smoke, but that was all he had to be thankful for.
The dragons were circling overhead, screeching and roaring to each other and providing an encore after their victory. Tywin knew that the battle would have been over in minutes. The Targaryens had used shock tactics to overwhelm his forces, they would not have stood a chance. Not one of his men had gotten to the scorpions in time, he did not know what happened to his heavy horse, nor did he know what happened to his archers. His Lannister army had been completely overwhelmed.
As he looked around he could see the fields burning around him, and he felt ash floating down and landing on his skin. He saw carts burning and horses were galloping away from the smoke and smell of battle. The dragons flew lower and Tywin realised they were looking for survivors. He would not be taken alive. Not a chance. He would live and he would have his revenge. The Targaryens had thought they had humiliated him once before when they refused his daughter and called him a servant but he had settled that debt long ago . Elia Martell had paid for that insult and Daenerys Targaryen would pay for this humiliation.
He quickly ran for a stray horse and jumped on its back, not caring if it was saddled. The Lion of Casterly Rock slinked away from battle with his tail between his legs, he may have lost the battle, but he would not lose the war.
The Dragon King
Jon flew low on the back of Vedros as they flew low over the battlefield, the wind was cool and felt refreshing on his face. Ghost was in his saddle in front of him, curled up and keeping warm. The battle was over now and he could see the Dothraki beginning to herd the survivors out of the smoke and towards Daenerys and Anogar who had already landed in a field nearby. Jon had planned this attack with Dany's help, they decided to fly and ride through the night to slip past the Lannister scouts which they had positioned along the Goldroad. Then they had flown out to the west whilst the Dothraki descended from the North.
Once they had located the Lannisters, they had launched their attack. Initially Dany would stay above to look any archers or scorpions, whilst Jon and his father swooped down on the army. Then when they flew up in the air, Dany would swoop down for her attack, then they would continue to alternate their attacks. Vedros had reveled in the destruction that she caused and Jon could feel the happiness coursing through her.
Vedros took a gentle slow banking turn before she landed on the ground next to Anogar. Ghost quickly jumped out of the saddle and made his way to the floor and Jon followed him. He landed gently and gave Vedros and affectionate pat on her snout and thanked her for her help today. His dragon gave him a happy purr before she slowly took off to fly with Caraxes.
"Aggo," Jon called as he saw him ambling towards him. He carried his bow over his shoulder and his quiver of arrows was empty. He was their best archer and his accuracy on horseback was astounding. "You rode well today,"
"Thank you," he said with a wide smile. "We thought it would be more of a challenge,"
"Aye, we caught them by surprise," Jon said but Aggo just shrugged.
"Surprise or not, they were easy," he said as his brown eyes sparkled.
"How many did we lose?"
"I am not sure, No more than a thousand," he said and Jon nodded. "Rakharo has been injured. A slice to his arm. He will live," Aggo added solemnly.
"Is he with a healer?" Jon asked and Aggo nodded.
"Good. Now go and help the others to round up the survivors, take away their weapons. I want to make this quick. I think that we will have to ride North again soon," Jon said and Aggo bowed before he left. Jon and Ghost made their way over to Dany, who was standing on top of a rock waiting for the survivors to finally be rounded up. She was wearing her battle armor , and she had her long silver braid tucked away. Ghost quickly went over to her and Dany gave him an affectionate scratch behind his ears.
"Are you okay?" he asked as he gave her a quick kiss.
"I'm fine. They only had one scorpion that we quickly destroyed, I don't think they expected us,"
"I didn't see Tywin Lannister,"
"Neither did I," Dany said. "We will have to ask their men if he was here today at the battle,"
"I spoke to Aggo, we only lost a thousand or so men today,"
"How many do you think they lost?"
"We'll find out now," Jon said as he pointed out in front of them. The remaining Lannister men were slowly entering the field, shepherded by their Dothraki with Caraxes bringing up the rear. Their shoulders were slumped and many had ash and mud on their faces and in their hair as they entered the field below them. There were thousands of them, much more than Jon had expected.
Caraxes flew low overhead and landed behind them and both Jon and Dany immediately walked over to him. Rhaegar stayed mounted in his saddle as they spoke.
"Are you all right ?" he asked and Jon nodded.
"We're both fine. You?" Dany asked.
"I'm fine, Caraxes flew well today," he said proudly.
"Brother, we need your help. Whilst we deal with the survivors here, can you find the main Tyrell host? We will have to change our plans slightly. The Dothraki will need to ride North again to assist us in the Riverlands. Part of the Tyrell army will have to escort these Westermen back home," Dany said and Rhaegar nodded.
"I will search for them now. After I will head North to meet with the Unsullied again as planned," Rhaegar said.
"Thank you father," Jon said as he smiled at him.
"Be safe and look out for each other," Rhaegar said as Caraxes began to unfold his large pale wings.
"We will. Fly safe," Dany said to him and Rhaegar nodded before he gracefully took off with Caraxes. They watched him fly away until he was no more than a speck on the horizon. Then, they turned around and faced the defeated Lannister army. They had Anogar at their backs whilst Vedros flew low overhead. Daenerys took her position on top of the rock whilst Jon stood beside her.
"My name is Daenerys Targaryen and this is my husband Aegon Targaryen. I am sure your ears have been filled with vile lies from Robert Baratheon and Tywin Lannister. We are not here to burn down your homes and enslave your people, that is not true,"
"We want to help you. We are going to build schools and other beneficial projects for you and your children, we will teach them how to read and write. They will have more opportunities to build a better life for themselves. We have already improved the lives of thousands in Essos and we want to do the same in Westeros," Jon said.
"The battle here today is over. There is no need for more blood to be spilled, bend the knee and you will all live," Dany said to the crowd of men. Jon watched as some men slowly fell to their knees, it was only one or two while the rest remained on their feet. Anogar gave a loud, intimidating roar and this caused the majority of the men to quickly fall to their knees. However, a few remained standing. Jon took a look at them, they had golden hair and green eyes. They wore expensive plate armor and Jon could see Lions engraved onto the metal, these were the Lannister generals.
He raised one gloved hand towards them "Step forward,"
"What are your names?" Daenerys asked.
"I am Ser Kevan Lannister,"
"Ser Stafford Lannister,"
"You are Lord Tywin's brother and good-brother ?" Jon asked and they both nodded. He shared a quick glance with Dany before continuing.
"Do you not wish to bend the knee?"
"I would rather die than betray my brother," Kevan said. "My brother is a good man and he served under the Mad King. It was because of him that the realm was as prosperous for as long as it was. The Mad King would have been nothing if it was not for my brother and he was too stupid to realise that,"
"Do you see Lord Tywin here?" Dany asked and they both shook their heads. "Your brother is likely already dead. Burned alive or crushed by our Dothraki,"
"Tywin Lannister was a failure of a man who only succeeded due to his cruelty and his barbaric methods. He built his reputation on the savage murders of innocent women and children. He has nothing to be proud of and he is not one to be loyal too" Jon said as he remembered the gruesome deaths of Elia Martell and her children.
" That is ironic considering the horde of beasts and savages that you have at your disposal ," Stafford said and Anogar gave him a fierce growl that caused him to flinch.
"Careful, Ser Stafford," Daenerys warned then she turned to Jon and walked over to her
"What should we do with them? They do not want to bend the knee," she asked.
"Perhaps, we should imprison them? They're Tyrion's family after all," Jon suggested and Dany nodded.
"That sounds good. We should hear Tyrion's opinion before passing judgment on his relatives ,"
"Ser Stafford. Ser Kevan. It seems that the smoke from the battle is affecting your judgment since you refuse to submit to us despite witnessing our power first hand. We will respect your position and give you some time to think about our offer. We will take you both as our prisoners. If you fail to bend the knee again, our Hand, Lord Tyrion Lannister, will decide your fate," Dany said
"Aggo. Take them away, make sure that they have enough to eat and drink, but no more," Jon said firmly and he nodded before leaving to carry out his orders. Then Jon turned to Daenerys.
"We need to find Lord Tyrell and those men that were burning and raiding in the Reach ," he said and she nodded.
"We will have to wait for the Tyrell army to arrive. Once they've arrived , we can head back North with our Dothraki to the Riverlands,"
"Father should have found them by now, it's easy to spot an army from the sky," Jon said as they began to walk away.
"True, although it could be a while until their army arrives," Dany said as she looked up at the sky. The smoke from the battle was slowly drifting away as the fires stopped.
"We haven't talked about Illyrio's boy," Dany said as they sat down on a rocky outcrop that overlooked a plain of lush green fields.
"There's not much to talk about. He's just one boy with a handful of sellswords at best. He holds no lands or castles that we need,"
"That's true, although I hate not knowing where he is,"
"Father thinks if he's in Westeros, he'll be with the Dornish,"
"Perhaps, we'll have to head to Sunspear after the war is won," she suggested.
"The Dornish probably aren't going to be willing allies. They would have reached out to us already like the Tyrells did if they were interested ,"
"We will need to bring them into the fold eventually,"
"True, but that is something we will have to deal with later . Today, we defeated Tywin Lannister, next we have to defeat Robert Baratheon," Jon said simply and she nodded slowly.
"I miss him," she said quietly as she rested her head on his shoulder.
"I know, I miss him too. I haven't seen him in over a week,"
"I hope he's doing well . We've never been away from him for this long. We were only at the council for a day,"
"I am sure Daeron is fine . Your handmaidens will take good care of him and I'm sure that if something happened to him, the dragons would know," Jon said reassuringly as he gave her a gentle kiss. He also missed his son dearly but he knew that he could not return to Dragonstone until this war was won, certainly not until they had defeated Robert Baratheon.
"You can fly home today," Jon suggested "After we meet the Tyrell army and we find those men who were raiding and burning, then I'll lead the Dothraki back North whilst you visit Daeron,"
"Jon, you don't have to do that. I can stay and you can fly back to see him this time," she said but Jon shook his head.
"After we defeat Robert Baratheon, I will fly back to Dragonstone for a few days before we march towards Kings Landing,"
"Jon that might not be for another few weeks" she said quietly as she turned to look at him. Jon could see the concern etched across her face.
"I know Dany but I'll manage. I'll have years and years to watch him grow, losing a few weeks here is nothing in comparison,"
Dany nodded slowly before she rested her head on his shoulder and settled into his side. Daeron was growing quickly. Quicker than he remembered Bran or Rickon growing. He had a full head of silver hair and he had already managed to take his first few steps.
Then he thought about the North, he had not heard anything from Lord Stark. This was not a surprise, it would be very difficult for a raven to find them currently. He hoped that when Dany returned to Dragonstone there would be a raven waiting for them. He still regretted his actions at the council, he knew he had a lot to thank Lord Stark for, he had kept him safe and protected him. The next time they met, Jon would have to thank him for that.
He had spent some time with Dany discussing what they would do with the North later . They had decided that the best course of action, would be to fly there themselves to speak to all of the Northern Lords in person. They would try to answer all of their concerns and questions and get them to embrace their new vision.
It would also allow him to see Arya again which brought a smile to his face.
"Caraxes," Dany said quietly as she pointed up to the sky. Sure enough, the cream and gold dragon was flying overhead, heading north.
"That means he's found the main Tyrell host," Jon said and he felt her nod. "They should be here soon,"
"Let's head towards them, it'll save time," Dany suggested as she stood up. Together they walked across the fields in the direction the Tyrell army would be coming from and after only an hour or so, they saw the Tyrell army arrive. Jon was impressed with their numbers, he estimated that they had at least 50,000 and many of them were mounted knights in shiny steel armor.
"I see Ser Loras," Dany said as she pointed towards a man galloping towards them on a white horse. Sure enough, it was Ser Loras. His Kingsguard armor had not been made yet so he wore his old armor. It was silver with black twirling vines and blue sapphires in it.
"My King, my Queen," he said as he dismounted his horse in front of them.
"Ser Loras. Are you in charge of this army?" Jon asked
"No, your grace. Lord Tarly is in charge of half and my older brother, Ser Garlan the other half. Father has rode off ahead in search of those cowards who are terrorizing our lands,"
"We have heard and are going to help, but we will need your help here," Dany said to him. "We have defeated Tywin Lannister and his army. Their men have surrendered and we will need you to escort them back to the Westerlands. We also have two of his relations as prisoners, Kevan Lannister and Stafford Lannister,"
"I can do that. We saw the smoke from the battle miles away from here, did they have any scorpions?" he asked.
"They had one, but we quickly destroyed it," Dany told him.
"Very well, that's good. Have you heard anything from the U surper?"
"We know that he is somewhere in the Riverlands. After we help your father, we plan to head North with our Dothraki again to find him once and for all,"
"Do you need our help? It will not take our entire army to escort these men home," Ser Loras asked.
"We will be riding north with our Dothraki, so only your fastest riders and their horses," Jon said and Ser Loras nodded.
"I will see that it is done, your grace. I will lead that force, whilst Garlan leads the defeated Lannister men back into the Riverlands. I will ask each Lord to give me their 5 best riders, we should have around 200 or so,"
"Thank you, Ser Loras," Dany said with a smile. "When you're ready, speak with Aggo as you will ride north together,"
"As you command, your grace," Loras said with a bow before he leapt back onto his horse and bounded away to complete their orders.
"Are you ready?" Jon asked as he turned to her and she nodded.
"Let's go and find these men so we can move on with this war,"
They both looked up into the sky and soon enough their dragons landed next to them. Ghost quickly climbed up Vedros's wing and settled in the front of his saddle. Jon followed him and then they took off quickly into the afternoon sky.
Vedros and Anogar gave one last loud roar towards the Dothraki before they turned North. Jon closed his eyes and spoke to his dragon in his mind.
"We need to find Lord Tyrell," he said and Vedros made a low rumbling noise of agreement.
Then she banked gently to the right and she flew lower to the ground. To his surprise, Vedros and Anogar were leading them in a northeasterly direction and they were seemingly following the river Mander. They passed over miles upon miles of green fields as the Dragons flew lower and lower over the ground. Jon pushed himself up to look out over Vedros's body and then he saw a small town up ahead.
"What is happening here ? " Jon said to himself as they flew closer and closer. Jon saw the Tyrell army camps outside of the city, but he did not see the men.
"Vedros, let's fly lower to take a look," he said and his dragon complied. She flew low over the town and Jon saw that a fierce battle had taken place here. There were bodies lying in the streets and several of the houses and stores had been badly damaged.
Jon was very concerned, it seemed as if the Tyrell vanguard had fought a battle in this town, but he was not sure if they were victorious.
"Let's land outside the city walls, tell Anogar not to land just yet, Dany should stay in the air," he said. He was unsure if Anogar or Dany would listen to him but he did not want to take the chance.
Vedros landed outside the city walls and he was immediately greeted by some Reach Lords.
"King Aegon," he heard a man call and he turned to see Lord Tyrell approaching. He too was in his extravagant Tyrell armor.
"Lord Tyrell. What is happening here ? " Jon asked and he felt Anogar land next to him.
"We have tracked the raiders into this village. We believe its Tywin Lannister 's dog, the Mountain," he spat. Jon tensed, his father had told him stories about the M ountain and he remembered what he did in the sack of Kings Landing.
"How many men does he have?" Daenerys asked.
"We don't know, 100 or so would be my best guess,"
"How many men do you have?"
"1,000," Lord Tyrell proudly said. Jon was quiet for a few moments, he knew what type of man, the Mountain was, and he could not leave him with these people for any longer than necessary.
"We will have to go in and go door to door to flush them out," Jon said slowly.
"What if they use hostages?" Dany asked.
"We don't have a choice. If we don't do anything then they'll stay in the village and torture them anyway," Jon replied and she nodded.
"We will move in groups of 10, starting at this end of the town and we make our way to the other. Dany, I'd like you and Anogar to fly overhead to see if they try and escape or change their hiding spots whilst we're searching for them,"
"I don't think it's a good idea for you to head in their Jon, you are the King," she said to him but he shook his head.
"It's dangerous, but I will have Ghost," he said as he ran a gloved hand through Ghost's fur.
"Will you at least have a personal guard?" she asked and Jon nodded, having an extra layer of protection will set her at ease.
"Please be careful," she said.
"I promise I will," Jon answered and Dany turned to climb onto Anogar's long scaly wing. Anogar took off with a huff and a roar and then Jon turned to Lord Tyrell and his men.
"Your grace, Ser Myles Rowan, Ser Desmond Redwyne, Ser Horas Redwyne will be your personal guard," Lord Tyrell said as he gestured towards three knights. They were all older than Jon but not by much. Jon thought that it was unlikely that they had been in any actual battles before, he hoped that their inexperience would not cost them.
"Very well. Lord Tyrell are the rest of the men ready?"
"Yes, your grace,"
"Then let's clear the scum out of this town," Jon said firmly as he led the way into the market town of Tumbleton. They were slowly but carefully going from house to house searching for the mountain and his men. Ghost led the way and Jon felt reassured by his presence. His direwolf had his nose to the ground as they went from door to door.
Many of the small folk had heard their dragons as they roared and flew overhead and they were reassured by their presence. Jon worked quickly as they tried to evacuate the town. In only around an hour, they had cleared half of the town. Then they came to a large tavern in the middle of the town and he felt Ghost slow down and begin to grow unsettled.
"Ghost is unsettled. I think they're in here," Jon said to his group of men. They all gave him grim faced nods of agreement.
"Your grace, I will lead the way," Ser Myles said as he stepped forward. Jon nodded and fell in behind. He drew Darkfyre from his scabbard and he followed them into the Tavern.
The inside of the tavern had been vandalized . The long tables had been turned over and the chairs had been scattered across the room. Cups and plates lay cracked and broken on the floor. Tiny streams of sunlight filtered through cracks in the drawn shutters and the wooden floorboards creaked loudly under his feet.
Jon crouched down and he saw some dried blood on the floor.
"They were definitely in here at some point," Jon said quietly as they stepped further into the Tavern, then he turned to his men. "I want two of you to go back and find another two groups of men and then bring them here quickly," he commanded.
As the two men left to complete his instructions, Jon edged further into the room, with Darkfyre held out in front of him. Ghost nosed in front and Jon slowly followed his wolf. He crouched down, closed his eyes and for a brief moment, he saw through Ghost's eyes. He smelt what he smelt and he saw what he saw.
"They're surrounding us!" Jon shouted as he stood up. The first man quickly vaulted over an overturn table and ran screaming at Jon. He was wielding a morning star and he swung the weapon wildly in the air. One of Jon's guard quickly stepped forward and raised his shield to block the blow and Jon took the opportunity to drive Darkfyre through the man's stomach. His eyes widened in horror but Jon did not focus on him for long.
He quickly yanked his sword out and turned to look around the tavern. All around him the Mountain's men were springing out of their hiding places and running towards them.
"Protect the King!" he heard his men shout as they all stepped around him to form a protective triangle. The Mountain's men were ferocious but the Reach Knights were good and well-disciplined . They maintained their defensive shape and Jon was able to quickly poke his sword through the gaps to weaken their assailants.
One man charged forward but he was quickly pounced on by Ghost who knocked him to the floor and ripped out his throat. Jon saw an ugly man lunge at Ghost and he quickly leapt forward between his guards to save his wolf.
The man had lifted his sword high in the air as he tried to hack away at Ghost's back. Jon quickly blocked the strike with Darkfyre and the sound of their swords clashing rang loudly in his ears. Their swords were locked and Jon used his superior strength to push the man back backwards.
The man quickly pulled his sword away and swung it wildly in the direction of Jon's head. Jon quickly stepped underneath his outstretched arm. He stepped behind him and drove Darkfyre through the back of his knee and Jon heard the man howl in pain. He didn't howl for long before someone slit his throat and silenced him.
Jon quickly looked around and saw that the battle was raging inside the tavern, but his men were sticking together and they were slowly picking off the Mountain's men. Jon moved further into the Tavern with Ghost by his side. He spied two men running towards him from a door behind the bar stall and Jon quickly raised his sword, ready to do battle.
He knew that he had to be careful here. He lowered his sword and then he crouched low in his stance, tensing his calves. The two men came at him from opposite sides. He felt Ghost behind him and he knew that his wolf would take care of one so Jon focused on the other.
He threw a quick feint to his right before he sprung quickly to the left. The man fell for it and lunged into the empty space. Jon brought his sword up and cut through the light leather armor that he was wearing and he screamed loudly as the contents of his stomach spilled out of his stomach and out onto the wooden floor.
Jon heard a loud thud followed by a yell and he knew that Ghost had killed the other.
"We need to find the M ountain!" Jon yelled to whoever was listening. He turned around and he saw that Ser Myles and Ser Desmond were with him, their swords dripping red with blood.
Jon turned and began to walk towards the door behind the bar stall but a humongous man stomped through the door. Jon was blown away by his size, he was over 8 foot tall and he was clad from head to toe in steel armor . To make matters worse, he wielded a large greatsword, the sword was so big that Jon thought it was bigger than his entire body. On his other hand was a thick oak shield that held the sigil of his house.
Jon did not see his face as he wore a thick steel helmet with only a narrow slit for the eyes. Jon immediately took a few steps backwards as more men spilled out from behind the Mountain, he must have been hiding in the basement.
Jon had never faced an opponent like this before and he could not find a weakness in his armor.
"Your grace, get back," he heard one man say and Jon immediately followed his instructions. The M ountain however had other ideas, he leapt forward and his large stride meant that he covered the distance in nearly one step. As he moved forward, he swung his greatsword with ease and Jon quickly dropped to duck underneath the blade.
Jon continued to step backwards as he dodged the Mountain's attacks, he knew that he absolutely could not step into his range, if he did he would be crushed.
"Outside!" Jon yelled as he continued to blindly step backwards. Jon's foot caught on something and he stumbled and fell to the floor. The M ountain saw this and he quickly swung his sword downwards, trying to crush Jon's skull on the floor. With speed he did not know he had, he rolled out of the way and he heard the loud clanging sound as the sword made contact with the floor.
Then he heard a loud yell and he saw Ghost leap up and land on the Mountain's shoulders. Ghost was a huge animal, even as big as some of the horses in the stables but even he was not big enough to knock over the Mountain.
However, Jon thought this was his opportunity, Ghost let go off the mountain and slipped away from him and then Jon swung his Valyrian steel sword with all his strength into the mans exposed ribs. The sound of the Valyrian steel colliding with the metal plate was loud and high pitched and Jon was sure he would have cut through his strong armor and into his soft flesh but the plate was too thick and he was not strong enough. He quickly pulled his sword away to inspect a damage.
His sword had made a cut in the armor , but it was not big enough and the Mountain barely noticed it . Then Jon realised his mistake, in order to deliver this strike, he had stepped well inside of his range and now he was in trouble.
He quickly began to step backwards but he was not quick enough, the Mountain's Greatsword smacked into his chest plate and the force of the blow combined with Jon's own momentum meant that he was sent flying across the room into an overturned table.
The force of the blow rattled Jon's head and his sword slid harmlessly across the floor. Jon felt groggy, his ears were ringing loudly and the room was swimming in front of him. The chairs and tables were completely out of focus and he felt much disoriented. He saw a white blur flash somewhere across his vision but he did not know who Ghost hit. He took long deep breaths and tried to stop the dizziness from affecting his vision.
He barely saw the Mountain making his way towards him and Jon flexed his empty hand as his fingers automatically searched for his sword. He saw the jeweled blade lying harmlessly along the floor too far away from him. Then he looked nervously up at the Mountain who seemed to be reveling in this moment.
The Mountain stepped closer and launched a kick into his stomach. The force of the blow winded him and he felt himself coughing up blood. Jon's hand went to his stomach as he coughed and spluttered in pain.
Then, he heard a loud noise and then bright light flooded into the Tavern from above. Several large beams fell down from the wooden roof and the Mountain was forced to step back to dodge the falling wood. This gave Jon a chance.
He crawled on his hands on knees towards his sword but these movements caused a wave of nausea to pass over him, it was so strong that he put his head to the floor and took long deep breaths again. He heard more pieces of wood fall as the roof slowly fell apart.
This time he moved slowly across the floor until he felt the dragonbone handle of his sword beneath his fingers. He closed his eyes and summoned all of his strength and then he slowly rose to his feet, using his sword to help him. He stumbled for a few steps before the room slowly righted itself.
Then, he saw the Mountain lying underneath a pile of rubble. Two large wooden beams were crushing him and for the briefest of moments Jon wondered if this beast of a man was finally dead.
Those hopes were quickly dashed as the giant began to wake from his slumber. He pushed the long wooden beams off him and he slowly, drunkenly rose to his feet but Jon was pleased with what he saw.
The Mountain was moving slowly and he had lost his shield. His metal armor was dented and damaged and Jon knew that it would be weaker than before. As the Mountain rose, Jon saw gaps within his armor , gaps where if he was quick enough, he could pierce Darkfyre through. Most surprising of all was the fact that the Mountain rose clutching his head, as if he was in severe pain.
Jon slowly walked forward, determined to kill this man and avenge Princess Elia and her children. The adrenaline was pumping in his veins and the pain from his injuries faded into the background. The Mountain saw him coming and he shrieked before he swung his greatsword wildly in Jon's direction.
The strike was lacking the same speed and ferocity as before and Jon was able to duck under his attack. Now, he was behind him and quickly swung Darkfyre downwards to slice at his knees. His sword easily sliced through the weakened and damaged metal and Jon saw a fountain of blood spring forth and the Mountain staggered to the floor on one knee as he released a high pitched cry.
Jon did not stop, he raised Darkfyre and he brought it down onto the top of the Mountain's helmet. Jon had hoped to crack the metal, but instead all he could do was rattle it but that seemed to be enough, because the Mountain screamed again and dropped his sword to hold his head in his monstrous hands
Then Ghost sprung forward and knocked him onto his back on the floor and then Jon saw his opportunity . He twisted his wrists and then stabbed Darkfyre downwards, right into slit in his helm. Dark red blood spilled out as the Mountain screamed and howled but Jon did not stop. He kept pushing with all his strength until the screams stopped and the Mountain laid still.
He twisted his sword and yanked it up and out of the Mountain before he collapsed to the floor in exhaustion. Darkfyre fell out of his hand as he surveyed the remains of the Tavern.
Lord Tyrell and the other men had finally arrived and they had quickly defeated the rest of the Mountain's men. Some surrendered whilst others fought like idiots to their deaths. Ghost slowly padded over to him and gently licked his face.
"Thank you for today, my friend," he whispered as he used a broken piece of wood to prop himself up. As the adrenaline from the fight slowly faded from his veins, he noticed the throbbing pain in his left hand side and his headache was starting to return along with a faint ringing noise. He took a look at his chest plate and saw that it was dented slightly, but not punctured. Hopefully, he only had a few sore ribs and nothing more.
"Your grace," he heard Lord Tyrell say as he walked over to him. "Are you alright?"
"Aye, I've been better," Jon said groggily as he tried to stand up but this was a mistake and he started to feel dizzy again.
"I'll send for my personal maester," he said as he remained crouched by his side .
"Jon!" he heard an anguished voice say. He saw Daenerys quickly walk into the tavern and then she ran over to his side.
"Are you alright? I knew I should not have let you go in there. I knew it, please be fine Jon," she said desperately as she cupped his face. Her beautiful face was etched with concern and Jon needed to reassure her.
"I'm fine. My ribs are a little sore and I have a little headache. That's all," he said slowly and he realised that he was not as convincing as he had hoped for.
"Jon," she whispered as she started to look at him. Thankfully, he was not bleeding from any wounds and this seemed to reassure her.
" There is a maester coming ," he said gently as he reached out to reassuringly squeeze her hand. "Thank you for saving me,"
"It was all Anogar and Vedros. She knew you were in danger and they worked together to break through the roof,"
"They did it just in time. He hit me pretty hard," Jon said and he saw her frown at those words.
"Please don't do this again, Jon. I know how good you are with a sword and I know I can't tell you to stay away from danger, but please be as careful as you can. If you have to beat Robert with Vedros, use Vedros please. I need you, Daeron needs you and your father needs you, just please be careful," she pleaded and Jon nodded slowly.
"I will be careful,"
"Promise me?" she whispered as she pressed her forehead to his.
"I promise," Jon whispered as he sealed it with a soft, gentle kiss.