Capítulo 2217: 12
Summary:
Jon and Daenerys become the first dragonriders in over a century and a half.
Ned gets some news from across the sea
Tyrion discovers more about the secret conspiracy.
Notes:
For reference, at the end of season 5/ADWD, Drogon's wingspan is said to be 20 foot wide when he rescues Dany from the fighting pit....
Regarding the whole marriage thing. Jon and Dany are clearly together and they will get married at some point. Do they need to get married to call each other King and Queen? I don't really think so. Similarly, Jon has an issue with fathering a bastard, but I think issue comes from his own experiences growing up. He grew up a snow, without a mother and was treated poorly accordingly. Their child won't really have any of those issues. Their child will be a prince or princess, and they will have parents who love each other and the child could be legitamised if anyone kicks up a fuss. Not that they will, you don't argue with dragons.
This isn't me saying they won't get married...it's more me explaining my reasoning about why they're both not panicking about it.
Rhaegar will show up again....eventually... I haven't forgotten him
In the meantime 15k words here...buckle up and enjoy
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
The Mother of Dragons
She dreamed a familiar dream again that night. A dream that she had long ago. Before it would come infrequently, perhaps once or twice a month. Now, it was at least once a week. She dreamt of the same black walled palaces again. She dreamt that she was flying high above the palace on her dragon, before diving down and setting the palace aflame. Her dragon breathed flames so dark that it appeared as black as night. Each time she dived down to set the castle a flame, her dragon would roar in excitement and approval. She knew that this was a dragon dream but she wasn't sure what exactly it meant.
She slowly opened her eyes and looked around their dark room. It was still before dawn, she quickly realised. Jon usually awoke before her, well he did until she started getting up earlier due to her morning sickness. She felt his hand lying on top of her stomach, protectively guarding the little life growing inside it.
Her stomach had started to swell slightly but her daily attire was still able to hide their secret. They hadn't told anyone, save for Missandei and a few of the other women who had confirmed it for her. They wanted to keep it a secret for as long as possible. This child was for them alone.
She realised that sleep was not going to return and so she slowly extracted herself from Jon's strong arms and rolled out of bed. As soon as her feet hit the hard cold tiles, Ghost looked up towards her with his ruby red eyes. The wolf was huge now, even larger than some of the horses in the stables. She wondered if when he stood up, if he would be bigger than her.
She slowly pushed her feet into her soft slippers and made a shushing gesture to Ghost. The wolf seemed to understand her because he rest his head down again. Daenerys, then got off the bed and stepped through the doors and out onto their terrace.
Daenerys looked out over the newly renamed 'Bay of Dragons'. They had been in Meereen for several weeks but this was the first sunrise she had gotten up to see. The sky color was a mix of dark blue and purple and she could faintly see streaks of orange fighting to break through the horizon. A cold breeze passed by and she shuddered, pulling her soft silk robe tightly around her. She moved away from the balcony and sat on the edge of the pool. She put her feet in the cool water and relaxed as she felt the small little fish nibble at her toes.
Their rule in Meereen had not gotten off to the best start. In retaliation for the 163 children who had been killed and nailed to those signposts, she had 163 great masters executed in the same manner. Daario had argued for more but Jon stopped him. Jon had also made orders for the children to be taken down and to be given proper burials. The city was recovering well after the sack. The Unsullied patrolled the streets regularly and the city was able to return to some form of normalcy. They had plans to build two new schools for the children. It wasn't much, but it was a start.
She rubbed a hand over her small bump and pushed thoughts of Meereen and her dragon dream out of her mind. She closed her eyes and she made a prayer for a little girl. She would love any child that they had, but she would love a girl. A little girl with Jon's dark hair and grey eyes. She would play with her and sing with her, doing all the things that little princesses in the stories would do with their mothers.
Daenerys heard a loud flutter of wings and she opened her eyes to see Anogar flying lazily in front of her. He was big now, more than big enough to ride. They had brought back several books from Valyria that taught them about their dragons. The Valyrian freehold had ruled for over 5,000 years and in that time, they had learned nearly everything to know about dragons. The books contained detailed diagrams on their anatomy. The Valyrian freehold had many enemies and over time they had learned the weaknesses of their dragons. Grown dragons were vulnerable only in their eyes, and to certain poisons. The scales of grown dragon were hard as steel plates which meant that normal weapons such as spears and arrows could not inflict much damage upon them. Over time, the Valyrians discovered the antidotes to the poisons which could harm their dragons and had detailed instructions on how to make them committed to these books. So, the only vulnerability left was their eyes. Daenerys took note of this and she would make sure to tell Jon. Whenever they went into battle, they would have to target archers first. Perhaps, they could even design some kind of helm to protect the eyes of their dragons.
Daenerys usually spent time each day trying to talk to Anogar with her mind. Their connection was growing stronger by the day. Daenerys wasn't certain, but she thought that Anogar could feel and understand her emotions. When anger coursed through her body on seeing those children nailed to the signposts, Anogar seemed to share the feeling. Dany looked up at Anogar who was continuing his languid flight around the top of the Pyramid. She was tempted to call him closer but she knew he wouldn't come. A dragon was not a slave and he would do as he pleased.
As if to prove her point, he gave her a snort, pushed some smoke out of his mouth and took off towards the bay. She watched him for a short time before he seemingly disappeared from sight. The early morning light was not bright enough to make him visible.
Suddenly, she saw a flash of orange and red flames erupt over the bay. She watched as he continued to release several short blasts of flame over the water, creating a pretty mix of colors. She was impressed by Anogar and the fact that as he grew bigger, his flame had started to change color. His flame was starting to become a very dark red and she realised that as he continued to grow, it would become black.
She chuckled to herself slightly as she heard him fly back towards her and this time, he landed on the bronze harpy above her. He was so heavy that he caused the ground to shake and the bronze harpy gave out a groan of pain in her mind. She got out of the pool and slowly walked towards him, watching him carefully as she did. His scales were midnight black but his horns and spinal plates were streaked with red. His teeth and his claws were black but his eyes were like smoldering red pits of lava. He lazily stretched his wings as she approached him, she guessed that they were at least thirty foot wide. Brown Ben Plumm had called him 'Balerion the Black Dread' come again and she was inclined to agree with him.
That special water had worked wonders, she realised. Anogar was only a few weeks old, perhaps just over two months and yet he was big enough to ride. Balerion took decades to reach his fearsome size. She shuddered to think what size Anogar would reach within a year, let alone a hundred.
He slowly stretched his long neck downwards and allowed her to rub his warm snout. This continued for a few moments before she quickly realised what he was doing
"You sense the little dragon baby, don't you?" she whispered as she lovingly stroked his snout. "A little dragon wolf baby, perhaps a rider for your brother Caraxes,"
Anogar released a small puff of smoke before seemingly losing interest and taking off again, the sounds of his wings sounded like a loud clap of thunder. She turned and watched as he flew high away, probably off to hunt somewhere.
"Amazing sight to see," she heard a familiar voice say to her. She looked to the door and saw Jon leaning against it, his chest bare for her to see. He had gotten much stronger since she met him and even more so after he fell into that pool. As she looked at him, she could see the definition in his arms and shoulders. His skin had even gotten a slight tan.
"Good morning my love," she purred as she crossed over to kiss him. The merest brush of his lips against hers caused a wave of happiness to flood through her.
"Are you alright?" he asked after their kiss. "I was surprised to see the bed empty, usually I wake up before you,"
"I'm fine. I had a dream that's all,"
"The same dream?"
"The very same," she said quietly as he gently held her in his embrace.
"Come, let's head back inside, it's still early," and together they walked back inside and got into bed. He poured them both a cup of water which she took gladly. She took a few sips before resting it on her nightstand and settling in bed with him. She rested her head on his chest, curled into his side and breathed in his scent. She felt him slowly move his free hand and rest it on her stomach. She closed her eyes and listened to his gentle heartbeat. She loved these moments, when it was just the two of them, free from their crowns and the needs of the people they were leading. These moments were rare, usually happening only in the mornings after they woke up or as they were settling down to go to sleep at nights.
"We need to think of names," he said after a few moments
"Names?" she said with a chuckle. "We have plenty of time still. They said another six or seven months,"
"I know we have plenty of time, but we will need that time for when we inevitably argue over what we should name him,"
"Him? So you think it'll be a boy?" she asked playfully as she began to lazily trace her fingers along his chest.
"Yes, he'll be a boy and his name will be Aemon," he replied confidently.
"Aemon? I don't like it," she said after a pause. "I much prefer Daemon,"
"Daemon," Jon scoffed at that like she knew he would. "Daeron," he said firmly. Just as she knew he would. She loved that she knew him well enough to be able to predict him.
"How about, Rhaella, after my mother," she said softly.
"If she has your hair, then yes. If she has dark hair then it should be Lyanna after mine, how does that sound my love," he asked in a soft sweet voice. She turned to look up at him. She slowly reached out a hand to brush a lock of hair out of the way so she could see his lovely face.
"It sounds perfect my love," she whispered as she gently kissed him. His lips were soft and sweet and she naturally found herself opening her mouth and allowing his tongue to enter. She battled his tongue for a moment, before she slowly moved over and straddled him. She needed him in her. She needed to feel his length stretching her and to feel his seed coating her womb. She reluctantly tore her lips from his and slowly shrugged off her silk robe.
She heard him breathe in sharply as he saw her naked form. She smiled slightly to herself and he moved one hand to finger her soaked cunt. Dany took her hand and reached behind her to find his already hard cock. She stroked it a few times and she used her fingers to tease the head causing him to release a low hoarse moan. Then she lifted her hips, sheathing him inside of her. She gave out a loud involuntary gasp of pleasure as she slowly adjusted to this familiar feeling.
She looked down at Jon and saw that he was looking at her, patiently waiting for her. He did not want to be too rough and harm the baby, so he would let her control the pace. She smiled lovingly at him before slowly starting to move up and down, resting her hands on his chest for support. She closed her eyes and let the feeling wash over her.
She gave another loud moan of pleasure when she felt his finger starting to play with her nub. She felt his fingers go round and round in a circle and it pushed her closer to her release. She moved one hand from his chest and moved it to his head, she ran her fingers through his soft hair before cupping the back of his head and bringing it up to her breast. As soon as his tongue made contact with her hard nipple she gave let out a small whimper and sank lower onto his cock, causing him to moan into her breast. She felt his hands gripping her hips tightly. Perhaps he would mark her skin
Dany couldn't stop the moans from escaping her throat as she moved closer and closer to her release, each movement bringing her closer and closer to that elusive pleasure that would wash over her entire body. Jon dropped one breast and quickly moved to the other, gently nibbling and kissing her nipple. She wanted more, she needed more. "Jon," she moaned softly, hoping that he understood her
He knew her body well because he knew what she wanted. He began to thrust upwards, giving her more and more. She slammed her hips down and she screamed out his name as she finally reached her pleasure. Wave after wave of hot pleasure coursed through her body, drowning her senses. She saw stars dancing on the back of her eyelids.
She heard him grunt and she forced her eyes open to look at him. His face was scrunched and he was biting his lip before he let out a long moan. She felt his cock twitch and jerk and spurt after spurt of his seed shot up deep into her womb. She lazily leaned down and kissed him softly, before rolling off him.
Dany placed her head in a familiar position, on his sweaty, sticky chest and listening to his racing heart beat slowly return to normal. She could feel his seed slowly starting to leak out onto her thighs but she didn't mind. She looked outside and saw that the sun had finally come up.
"We shouldn't do this in the morning, it makes me sleepy," she said softly which made him laugh.
"You started it, as always," he whispered into her hair. She closed her eyes and just listened to his soft gentle breathing. "Daenerys, don't go to sleep on me again, we have to listen to petitions this morning,"
Instead of answering she just pulled the covers up and snuggled deeper into Jon. He laughed at this and gently rubbed her small bump. "Daenerys," he said in a warning tone but again she didn't move. Hoping he would lose interest.
She felt him get out of bed and throw the covers off her and she was forced to open his eyes. He stood naked at the foot of their bed and he was staring at her expectantly.
"Come on, get up. Let's bathe and then we can break our fast. The sooner we hear these petitions, the sooner we can do something fun," he said with a wink
"Let's ride the dragons today," she said quickly as she sat up in bed. He looked surprised but then he slowly nodded.
"Why not, they're big enough and truthfully I've been dying to ride Vedros, I can almost feel her begging me," he said with a wide smile. She leapt out of bed and started to walk outside, now eager to begin the day. She headed for the pool and quickly stepped into the water. The cool water felt refreshing on her sweaty skin. Jon got into the water with her and she heard him give out a loud sigh of content.
"Where should we fly to?" she asked excitedly.
"Wherever we feel like, although we shouldn't go too far. Not on our first flight," and she nodded in agreement. After they were clean, they dried themselves off and had breakfast outside on the terrace. They ate from a bowl of fresh fruits. They had peaches, apples and plums. Daenerys really loved the peaches, they were sweet and each bite filled her mouth with juice that would spill out the side and onto her chin. She ate greedily and when Jon asked if she was ok, she simply told him that she was now eating for two.
After they ate, they went back inside to dress. Missandei had selected a beautiful essosi dress for her. This one was dark red and had no straps. She braided her hair into her usual elaborate braid and then fixed it all in place with a pin which had a three headed dragon for the head. They had decided to not wear crowns, preferring to have their crowning closer to Westeros and in a proper ceremony. Jon was dressed in a matching outfit. She gave him a quick kiss before they left their apartments together and headed for the audience chamber located on the floor below them.
They spent the entire morning listening to the petitions from the common folk. They were both beginning to pick up the language, but they still needed Missandei to translate. After a while, they decided to end the session and take their lunch back in their private apartments. As they left the audience chamber, they saw that Qavo and Daario were waiting for them.
"Your graces," Qavo greeted with a warm smile as he bowed before both of them
"Your grace," Daario said stiffly. He didn't bow and his eyes were locked on her. They had discussed Daario at length. She had been eager to get rid of him once they took Meereen but Jon pointed out that they still needed his men. Their forces were made up of 10,000 Unsullied, 2,000 Stormcrows and 2,000 Second Sons. Aegon the Conqueror took Westeros with less men, but Westeros was not united and waiting for him. He also had two other dragon riders with him, whilst Caraxes remained riderless.
"What is it?" Jon asked tiredly. "We are about to have our lunch,"
"Your graces, we have heard disturbing reports coming from the north," Qavo began in a grave voice. "A large Dothraki khalasaar has gathered and they seemed to be heading south towards us in Meereen,"
"Why would they do that?" she asked
"Centuries ago, the Dothraki, like nearly everyone in Essos, bent to the power of the Dragonlords. Perhaps this Khal, who they are calling the 'Khal of Khals', has decided to strike preemptively at you, before your dragons grow big enough to be used against them,"
"That Khal is a fool," Daario said quickly. "Those Dragons are ferocious beasts already, if I were him I'd head in the opposite direction, and fast,"
"Who is this Khal and why do they call him the 'Khal of Khals'?" Jon asked.
"Drogo," Qavo replied calmly. "He is called the 'Khal of Khals' because he has never lost a battle. He also has one of the largest Khalasaar to ever exist in history."
"How many?" Jon asked
"At least 50,000, and that's only the fighting force. The total Khalasaar could be over 100,000."
Daenerys shuddered. She remembered many years ago how Viserys had threatened to sell her to a Dothraki Khal for an army in one of his darker, drunken moods. Thankfully that plan never materialized. She had also read about the Dothraki. They were skilled warriors, but a savage bunch of people. They frequently attacked villages and settlements. They raped the women and sold the men they captured into slavery and that thought filled her with rage.
"Where are they now?" she asked
"Somewhere around Vaes Dothrak we have heard, it will take several weeks, perhaps months of travel for them to reach Meereen. That is of course, if they do decide to head to Meereen,"
Several weeks, but only by horse she realised. Suddenly, she had an idea.
"Jon, why don't we fly out to meet them," she said as she turned towards him. "We fly out and then we take his Khalasaar for our own. The Dothraki are considered as one of the greatest cavalry forces in the world, they would be a valuable addition to our armies."
"How will we do that?" he asked with a disbelieving look on his face. "I hardly think they will just swear allegiance to us even if we fly out on the back of dragons to meet them. At best, the khalassar will break up into smaller groups after we defeat them. From what I know about the Dothraki, they only follow one of their own."
"The Dothraki respect strength above all, if you beat Drogo in combat, which you will," she heard Daario scoff, "Then they will follow you," Jon pondered this for a few moments before answering.
"Perhaps it could work, but why don't we just use our dragons. The Dothraki feared the dragons before, they could be intimidated into service."
"My King, if you would excuse my interruption," Qavo began. "The Queen is right, you need to defeat the Khal to take his Khalasaar. Once the Khal is defeated, then the rest should follow you. However, you will also need to defeat his bloodriders, who are sworn to avenge him,"
"This sounds bloody crazy," he muttered but she could tell that he was considering it. "I don't even speak Dothraki, how will I communicate with them?"
"I do, I've been having lessons with Missandei and she says I have a good grasp of the language," she said confidently. Jon furrowed his brow in concentration before letting out a sigh
"Fine, we'll go. Qavo you will be in charge until we return. We should be gone for only a few weeks," the man nodded and bowed before walking away. Daenerys was happy with this appointment, the man was wise and would rule the city well in their absence.
"Daario, what do you know of the Dothraki?" Jon asked.
"Bunch of savages that I usually stay clear off," he muttered darkly. "The ones with the bells in their hair are the more experienced ones. I guess they'll be protecting their Khal. Apart from that I got nothing," he finished with a shrug. Jon nodded before dismissing him
"We will need food, probably enough food for a few days travel," he said.
"I'm sure we can find something to eat out there, the dragons do just fine," she replied.
"Perhaps, but you're also carrying our child. You need to eat properly, I don't want to risk anything," he replied calmly. Dany nodded, he was right of course. She rubbed her hand slowly over her belly and he gave her a warm smile.
They quickly prepared themselves for their excursion. They took plenty of food and water and Jon also wore his armour. Daenerys didn't wear any armour as she promised Jon that she would not step off her dragon, no matter what happened to him. Still, he had insisted that she take a small Valyrian steel dagger with her. Missandei had replaced her elaborate braid in favour for a simpler one. One that she could tuck inside of her clothes as they flew.
She walked out of her dressing area and headed out to the terrace where she saw Jon waiting for her. He was clad from the neck down in Valyrian steel armor. The armor shimmered and smoked in the sunlight, sometimes it was black, other times it was dark blood red. In the center of his breastplate, the sigil of their house had been engraved. Each dragon had different gemstone for its eyes and claws. One had blood red rubies, another had sky blue sapphires and the final had deep green emeralds. On his side was the Valyrian steel sword that he had named 'Darkfyre', safely tucked away in its sheath. She could see the newly crafted dragon pommel sticking out. Finally, she looked up to his face, he had turned his hair silver and his eyes purple and his silver hair was blowing lightly in the wind.
Dany involuntarily licked her lips as she looked at the man she loved. She felt a twinge in her loins and she wondered how quickly she could take his armor off for a quick fuck. She quickly pushed that thought from her mind and settled for a kiss, a long kiss. His lips were hot and she had to fight hard to pull herself away from him.
"Are you ready," he asked breathlessly and she nodded. She had been waiting weeks for this moment and she was excited, and a little nervous.
They both then walked away to opposite ends of their balcony, to give the dragons as much room as they could to land. She closed her eyes and silently called for Anogar. She heard several loud claps like thunder and then she opened her eyes. Anogar was in front of her, ready and waiting, trails of smoke escaping from the corners of his mouth. He somewhat awkwardly landed half on the roof of the pyramid and settled himself, ready for her to climb on. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves
'I am the last daughter of Valyria. I am Daenerys Targaryen. Seed of Aegon the Conqueror and my words are Fire and Blood'
And then she climbed onto her dragon. His scales felt molten hot underneath her fingers but she did not fear the heat.
Climbing onto Anogar felt natural to her, like she had done it thousands of times before. She got into position and looked towards Jon, who was waiting for her. She gave a smile then she heard Anogar snort loudly and puff out smoke. Then with a loud screech he fell off the pyramid.
They fell for a few heart stopping moments before he lazily flapped his wings once and then they were flying.
The feeling was indescribable and she couldn't help but laugh with excitement. She could see out over the entire city and beyond. Anogar and Vedros took them out over the bay for a while. Going up and down and even playing with each other. She was grateful for this time as it allowed her to get used to the motion of riding a dragon. Anogar gave a long left hand turn and she could see her reflection in the teal blue of the ocean looking back at her.
" Dracarys" she whispered and he released a large torrent of dark flame over the water.
She could faintly hear Jon's laughter on the wind. Once, she was satisfied that she had some form of control over Anogar, she turned him North. North would take them out past Meereen. North would take them to Khal Drogo
She laughed to herself. Khal Drogo would not know what hit him.
The Imp of Casterly Rock
Tyrion had spent the last few weeks travelling east with their party. They spent the majority of the day on horseback, sweating in the hot Essosi sun along the old Valyrian roads. Tyrion was amazed at these roads, the freehold had been destroyed hundreds of years ago and yet there roads were still intact. They were much better than the old dirt paths that passed for roads in Westeros. After a while, Tyrion realised that they were heading towards Norvos, one of the nine free cities. It was famous for its tapestries and according to Griff, they should be arriving today.
During the weeks spent travelling he had spoken to all the members of their travelling party. There was Griff and his son. He had begun to form a profile of the man. He was definitely ex Westerosi, possibly a southerner of some sort. He had most likely headed east after the rebellion to join a sellsword company. His relationship to his son was a strange one. Judging from the boy's age, Tyrion concluded that the boy would likely have been born after the rebellion, which meant that Griff not only got some woman pregnant, but he had actually stayed and taken the child so that he could raise him.
This was very unusual considering he was a sellsword. He had nothing to give the boy, no home, no money and the battlefield was hardly the place to raise a child. For some reason, Griff was transporting his son all the way across Essos. He turned around in his saddle to look at the rest of the party. He saw Septa Lemore and Haldon, or Halfmaester Haldon as their party called him since the man had not finished his training at the Citadel. When they weren't riding, the boy would always seem to be speaking to either one of them. When they were riding, the boy would be talking to his friend, Duck as he called him. Duck was his favorite riding companion, and the two would often race off together, much to the annoyance of the boy's father. Apparently, Duck had trained the boy at arms as well.
Tyrion chuckled to himself. It all came back to the boy it seemed. He was clearly the secret to whatever Varys has been planning.
He was interrupted from his thoughts because their procession had stopped. They had reached the city of Norvos. During his evenings, he had spent time reading about the free city of Norvos but what he read still had not prepared him for what he saw.
Norvos sat amongst the hills of Norvos, and on the eastern bank of the river Noyne. Surrounding the city were leagues upon leagues of limestone hills which were covered in forests. Tyrion had read that there were oak, birch, pine and beech trees all surrounding the city. The city was below them and it seemed to be in two parts.
He saw the high city, where the nobility of Norvos lived. This city was on the highest hill in the region and it would have been visible from very far away. The city itself was ringed by mighty stone walls. Connecting the high city to the low city was a huge stone staircase, known as the sinner's steps. The low city sat on the muddy banks of the river and this is where Griff started to lead them.
He led them down the hill and over a bridge that crossed over the muddy water of the rushing river and then into the low city. Griff stopped a passer-by and spoke. He seemed to be asking for directions. Once, he had received the directions he led them through the city quickly. Tyrion noticed the various brothels and beer halls that they passed along the riverfront.
He led them through the city until he reached the stone steps. Tyrion took a deep breath as he stared up to the top, he estimated it must have been at least 300 ft tall. Griff stopped the party and dismounted.
"Come, we have to continue the rest of the way on foot," he said as he started the long ascent up the stairs. Tyrion groaned with frustration, stairs had never agreed with him on the best of days. He had half a mind to stay at the bottom and wait for their return but his natural curiosity got the better of him and he started the ascent to the top.
When he reached the top, he was out of breath, his legs were tired and he was desperate for a drink such was the heat. Still, he dutifully followed their group as they walked through the high city. They walked for a few minutes until they reached a big stone house. Griff walked up the steps and knocked twice on the huge wooden doors. He waited for a few moments until the doors swung open and they were allowed to enter.
Once he was inside, Tyrion was amazed by the interior of this house. The floor was tiled and painted and the walls were made out of a polished dark oak. Across many of the walls hung various tapestries. They walked through the vast house until they reached another set of doors where it seemed the meeting would be taking place. He began to enter but Griff held out his arm to bar him from entering.
"Sorry, I don't trust you enough to be in this meeting," he said "Wait here," and then he closed the door behind him.
Tyrion scowled at the closed door for a few moments before turning around and heading back. He walked around the house sulking before he decided that he didn't care what Griff said, he would listen in on this meeting. He spotted some stairs and decided to climb them. Once he reached the top, he looked around and then headed into all the rooms, hoping one of them had a balcony. He was lucky and the third door he tried opened into a bedroom that led onto a balcony. In the bedroom, there was a double bed with a large spear propped up next to it. Tyrion didn't think much on it as he quickly crossed onto the balcony.
Once he was on the balcony, he stood on the railing and then slowly lowered himself onto the lower roof. He used one hand to balance himself as he carefully walked along the stone roof. The wind was strong at this height on the hill and several times he had to force his fingers into tiny nooks and crevices in the wall to desperately hold on.
Eventually, he made his way back around the house until he could hear the voices from the meeting. He kept low and moved on his hands on knees to try and keep as quiet as possible. He managed to get close enough so that he could hear their conversation.
"The girl and the boy are alive somewhere in Slaver's Bay last time I heard," Griff said. "I heard they put Astapor to the torch,"
"Impressive. How did they manage that, they have no army," he heard a strange voice say. Tyrion had not heard this accent before, but the man spoke the common tongue flawlessly.
"Dragons," Griff replied grimly and there was a loud audible gasp. Tyrion nearly fell off the roof in shock. They must be talking about the Targaryen children, Viserys and Daenerys. If they had dragons, they immediately became a major player in the game and a true force to be reckoned with.
"So, my future husband will be a dragonrider," he heard a sultry voice comment.
"Aren't you a lucky girl," the foreign voice said again. "Still, we need a plan. They are all the way in Slaver's Bay. We need them in Westeros,"
"We will sail south for Volantis. They will eventually turn back west after they have finished sacking Slaver's Bay. Sailing is much safer than taking the demon road. If they sail, they will have to stop in Volantis for fresh water at least. So, we will wait for them there and bring them to Westeros,"
"Good, now the other plan," the foreign voice began but he was interrupted by Griff.
"Boy, head inside. This is not for you," he said, clearly dismissing his son. He waited for a few moments until the boy left and Tyrion edged closer. This was clearly important.
"Whilst we head for Volantis, you need to strike first and create a distraction so we can invade," Griff said quickly.
"We have a plan, a plan that my brother and I have constructed carefully for years. We will have our revenge," the foreign voice said and Tyrion could begin to place his accent. It was definitely southern.
"They killed my sister and her daughter. Brutally murdered them. They were only children, innocent of any crimes, yet the Lannisters gave them gruesome deaths. We will never forget that," the voice said and Tyrion put it together. The spear, the accent. He was a Dornishman, probably a Martell. They had plenty of reason to hate his family.
"The Lannisters will know what it feels like to lose children to war. The royal children will die,"
"A bold & brutal plan," Griff muttered. Tyrion had to hold on tightly to the roof in shock. They were plotting to kill Myrcella and Tommen. They were children, completely innocent. How could Griff do this? Who exactly was he working with?
"Necessary. Everyone in Dorne has heard the stories of what happened to my sister. The King allowed Lord Tywin to parade the bodies around like meat. He allowed the monster Clegane to go unpunished. What we are doing is getting even. Nothing more,"
"I have no love for the usurper but this is ruthless. Perhaps if I had been this ruthless I would have killed him years ago, it is my greatest regret,"
"Do not worry. Soon, we will be able to avenge those we lost in the rebellion all those years ago. Dorne will have its revenge," the foreign voice said again. Tyrion was certain that the man could only be Oberyn Martell. Doran was too ill to travel.
"The boy is handsome. Perhaps I should be marrying him instead," the sultry voice said again. Back to the boy again it seemed
"No," Griff said firmly "We have already agreed on this. Dorne will fill the majority of the council and its influence in court will increase accordingly,"
"He is right Ari. This agreement has been made years ago. We keep our word,"
Arianne Martell. The pieces were starting to fit together. So, she is supposed to marry Viserys which would give the Targaryens the support of Dorne, a very valuable ally and one with plenty of reasons to hate the current regime.
But why would she now want to marry the boy? He was a sellsword's son with no lands or titles. Perhaps, he was Illyrio's son. That would certainly explain the resemblance in the statue and why Illyrio is so concerned about the boy.
But even then why would Arianne want to marry him? Viserys would be King and would offer her far more.
Tyrion was confused. He was beginning to put the pieces of this mystery together but he could not work out the final part.
He knew that the boy was the secret to this mystery but he couldn't quite figure out what was so special about him.
"Now that we have the business out of the way. How about we have some fun," Oberyn said in a husky voice.
"No thank you, we have to get going. Volantis is far and we need to be ready. We nearly lost them before, we can't lose them again," Griff said.
Tyrion quickly realised that this was his time to leave. He quickly got up and made the return journey. The boy was the key to whatever Varys had planned.
All he had to do was figure it out.
The Hand of the King
The Lord of Winterfell sat in his tent. The past few weeks had been a whirlwind of activity. That very same day he had sent the girls back North aboard the Mermaid's daughter. It was a merchant ship to White Harbor and he had sent 20 men to escort them along this journey with instructions for more men to join them in White Harbor. Once they were in the North, they should be safe but he could not be too careful. He had received a raven from White Harbor confirming their arrival and he reckoned they should soon be back at Winterfell where they would be safe.
Whilst his girls were heading North, the rest of the capital mobilized for war. A raven had been sent to the Eyrie instructing Littlefinger to return to court peacefully. Undoubtedly, it was merely a gesture. No one expected him to be that foolish.
Renly had ridden south to Storm's End to rally the storm lords. Ned knew from experience that the Storm Lords had strong martial traditions, even if there numbers were fewer than other Kingdoms, they were still more than capable. Renly had managed to rally 12,000 men in just two weeks. He would have been able to rally more, but Robert had insisted that he only had two weeks before he had to return to the capital. He did not want to delay their hunt for Littlefinger.
Whilst Renly had been out riding to the Stormlands, things in King's Landing had been just as busy. He had sent a letter to Robb telling him to rally the Northern Lords and to ride south to meet him at the Crossroads inn. The North was vast and rallying all those Lords and marching south in such a short space of time would have been a difficult feat. Robb would be lucky to rally 15,000 at such short notice. Ned estimated that this would be around a third of their total fighting strength. Still, every man counted and they would all be necessary to bring Littlefinger to justice.
The Crownlands were also able to send men to support their cause. They had been able to raise 10,000 men, mostly from the Lords of Duskendale, Rosby and Stokeworth. Stannis Baratheon had also sent 1,000 men from Dragonstone, with only around 100 mounted knights. The majority of his men stayed with the royal fleet, which had quickly moved to blockade Gulltown. Their plan was to blockade the entire bay of crabs. No ship would be allowed to enter or leave until Littlefinger was gone. Of course this meant that ships would not be able to get to Maidenpool which sat along the southern bank of the bay of crabs, but there was nothing they could do about that. By now, Stannis should have established the blockade. The bay of crabs was only around a week from Dragonstone where the majority of the royal fleet had been docked.
The remainder of their forces were composed of men from the Westerlands. Tywin Lannister had instructed his brother Kevan with rallying troops at Lannisport. Lord Tywin and Ser Jaime had left to meet up with the Lannister forces which were somewhere on the river road between Riverrun and the crossroads inn. They had left a few days past and Ned reckoned that they should return soon.
The royal forces were currently camped in the lands surrounding the Crossroads inn, just a little bit north of the trident. The journey north had been tough for Ned. A few days past, they had passed Castle Darry and this is where that nasty business concerning Arya, Joffrey and the butcher's boy had occurred. The thought still left a bitter taste in his mouth. He had also killed Sansa's direwolf Lady, that same day and truthfully, he had wondered if the gods would ever forgive him for that act.
Worse still, a few days prior to that they had passed just to the east of Harrenhal. Even from the distant Kingsroad the ruined castle still loomed tall in the skyline. They had spent the night in the cursed castle and Ned could not shake the nightmares and bad memories associated with the place. He remembered the day of the tourney as if was just yesterday. He remembered when Rhaegar placed those blue winter roses in Lyanna's lap.
Damn you Rhaegar he thought to himself. He already had a wife, why did he need his sister? He was the Crown Prince, he should have known better. He should have done better. Ned remembered all that he could about the man who was Rhaegar Targaryen. He had only seen him at the tourney other than that, all he knew about him was from stories.
From the stories that he had heard, Rhaegar had seemed like a quiet good natured man and what he had seen at the tourney had matched those stories. Nothing about him or his demeanor would have suggested that he would just run off and abandon his duties to his wife and to his realm. Perhaps, he had just been blinded by love.
A love for his sister that he had shared. A love that had torn the realm apart and left thousands dead and caused a three hundred year old dynasty to crumble into nothing but dust. A love that had borne fruit, Jon. The same Jon that had he had taken in when he was just a babe. The little boy that he had raised as if he was his own. He had watched that little boy grow alongside Robb. He had grown from a boy into a man right before his eyes. A strong young man who protected the weak and looked out for those who could not defend themselves. A young man that Lyanna would have been proud off.
A young man that he had sent to die.
No, he reminded himself firmly. It was not his fault. It was the Targaryen's who had caused Jon's death. They had been going to Astapor to purchase Unsullied, soldiers for an army that they must have been planning to use to invade. Their invasion would be violent and bloody, and more suffering and destruction would come to the realm.
No, it was not his fault.
The Targaryens may have been great once, but they had grown rotten in their last few years. They were a disease, a disease the world was thankfully rid of. He only wished that Jon had not perished along with them. He did not deserve that. He deserved to grow old in the North, he would have been Robb's bannerman, leading forces and holding a keep for him. Instead he had died out at sea, his body never to be found.
He gave a sigh in frustration and stood up in his tent. He decided to head outside and to get some fresh air. As Hand of the King, his tent was one of the bigger ones in the camp. The King himself had decided to take up a room inside the inn itself. Ned didn't mind this, after being in the capital for so long, being back in the outdoors reminded him of home.
He sent for his horse and then he rode through the lines upon lines of neatly organized tents until he reached the edge of the camp. Smoke from fires billowed into the grey afternoon sky. He turned his head towards the North, where Robb should be bringing the Northern host from in just any day. A few of his out riders had been spotted a few leagues from here and Ned knew it would only be a matter of time before he was reunited with his son again. This brought a small smile to his face. He had missed his eldest child and he had wondered how he would be handling ruling in his absence.
He also needed to speak with him, he had been putting off the idea of arranging a betrothal for a long time but the reality of war reminded him that he needed to make this issue a priority. Robb was heir to the North, and an heir needed a wife and heirs of his own. He thought back to the list of matches in his mind. He was still leaning towards a match with one of his vassals, joining his house with either the Karstarks or the Manderleys. On the ride North, he had been entertaining the possibility of a match with Margaery Tyrell, but he did not see many benefits of that union. The reach would be a powerful ally, they had a large population and plenty of food to spare for harsh winters, but the distance was a major concern. It would take weeks, if not months to travel between the two regions which would make sending aid very difficult.
As if on cue, he saw a pair of banners approaching over the northern horizon. His chest swelled with pride as he saw his sigil blowing proudly in the wind. He sat up straighter in his saddle as he waited for his son to approach. To Robb's side was his direwolf. The animal was huge, almost as big as Robb's horse. Ned felt a pang of guilt hit him as he remembered Sansa and her wolf.
As Robb got closer, he could begin to pick out features on his face. He had allowed his hair to grow longer and he had even started to grow a beard. His boy was well and truly a man he realised.
"Robb, my son. You look well," he greeted with a warm smile.
"As do you father. How is the capital? We heard about what happened to the girls. They have arrived safely back in Winterfell. Mother sent a raven to the twins and then a rider rode out to meet us to deliver the message,"
Ned felt a rush of relief pass through him at this. His girls were safe.
"The capital is fine, but I have missed the North, truly. I long to go back," he replied truthfully "How many men did you bring?"
"15,000 I could have waited for more but you stressed that this was urgent and there was no time to waste. We had a long march and this was the best I could do," he said with an apologetic smile.
"Do not worry about it, 15,000 is plenty enough," he replied "How did your mother take the news?" In his raven he had also briefly mentioned that Baelish had a secret affair with Lysa and that Robin was likely a bastard.
"She was shocked. She had always maintained that the games they had been played when they were younger had been innocent. She had been completely unaware that there were deeper feelings between them," he said after a pause. Ned nodded quickly, there was one more thing he had to tell him.
"Robb, I have some news to tell you. News about Jon,"
They were interrupted from their conversation by the sound of a loud trumpet blowing, but it did not come from the north, it came from the west. Lord Tywin must have returned, he thought grimly.
He was quickly proven right as he saw the banners of House Lannister blowing in the wind as they approached from the west. Someone must have sent for the King and the Prince because they quickly arrived next to Ned with their own royal banners fluttering proudly in the wind. Ned was a little surprised that the King had brought his son. The boy was not young, but he had been sure that his mother would have protested this decision. Still, the boy was here now and perhaps a few months away from his mother would cause him to mature into a decent young man.
Lord Tywin was now nearly upon them and he had ordered his Lion banners to be dipped out of his respect to his King. He sat astride a massive midnight black warhorse, his red and golden armor was glistening in the sunlight. To his left rode his eldest, Ser Jaime, who was wearing the pristine white armor of the Kingsguard. Ser Jaime had broken his vows and killed his King, he did not deserve to wear a white cloak.
"Your grace," he greeted Robert,
"Lord Tywin. Tell me, how many have you brought?" Robert asked immediately,
"20,000 men," he said with a small proud smile. Ned was stunned at how he had managed to raise such a large host so quickly. "Nearly half of those are mounted knights," he added smugly.
The King nodded in acceptance and Lord Tywin turned towards Ned
"How many men did your son rally?" he asked
"15,000" Robb replied confidently.
"Only 15,000? How many are mounted? I assume less than a third?" he asked with a sneer and he saw Robb grip his reigns tightly.
"Mounted knights may not be so helpful here Lord Tywin," Ned said quickly. "We are attacking the Vale and the Eyrie. There will not be a lot of room for your mounted forces to maneuver,"
"Ned is right," Robert quickly added. "The high road travels through the Mountain of the Moon, you need to be sure footed going up there. There will hardly be space for a cavalry charge,"
Ned smiled when he saw Tywin purse his lips tightly.
"Did the River Lords give you any trouble during your march?" Robert asked after a pause.
"No, Kevan reported no trouble. They were not helpful, but they provided no resistance,"
The King nodded and fell silent. Ned could tell he was controlling his temper at this moment. They had told Hoster Tully of their intentions. They had not expected him to join them, but at the very least they had expected some sort of response.
Ned knew that they had likely made an enemy of Hoster Tully. The reputation of his family was one of the most important things to him and they had embarrassed not only his daughter, but their house in front of the entire realm. Ned remembered the way that Hoster had insisted that Jon marry Lysa to secure his support for the rebellion. Hoster was an ambitious man, and he would not let this slight pass.
"Perhaps, we should pay him a visit when we return," Ned said after a few moments. Robert only grunted, perhaps in agreement. Ned took a good look at the King then. He had lost a bit of weight since leaving the capital. Perhaps his rage had fuelled him to get back into shape.
They heard the sound of hooves and everyone turned to see a rider approaching.
"I have an urgent message for the King. A raven was sent from King's Landing to the rookery at Castle Darry," he said as he approached. Ned took a good look at the man, he was a man grown and he was old enough to be fighting.
He got off his horse and then passed the sealed scroll to the King who roughly snatched the piece of paper out of his hand. He quickly broke the seal and then began to read.
As he read, Ned could see his face grow red and a vein started to bulge in his forehead, as he read he grey angrier and angrier. When he finished reading, he angrily crumpled the paper and looked to throw it away. However at the last second, he turned towards Ned and angrily thrust it into his hands
"Read," was all he said. As Ned read, he grew angrier and angrier.
"Are we allowed to know what it says?" Lord Tywin asked in his dull voice. Ned looked at the King who gave him a quick brief nod of his head.
"It says the Targaryen children are still alive and that they are currently in a place called Slavery's Bay. It says they have brutally sacked the city of Astapor. Murdering the entire ruling class and then burning the entire city down to its foundation stones,"
"They sacked and burned an entire city? With what army?" Tywin asked. Ned swallowed nervously before continuing,
"The raven said nothing about an army, they said they did it with dragons,"
The silence that followed was thick and heavy in the air, weighing heavily on each man. Ned looked at each man in turn and they all had varying looks of shock and disbelief on his face. Jaime Lannister was running his fingers through his hair nervously. Robb was gripping the reins of his horse tightly. Ser Barristan was looking pale. No one it seemed, knew what to say. Surprisingly, it was Joffrey who spoke up first.
"Dr-dr-dragons?" he said with a nervous tremble in his voice and Ned nodded, not trusting his voice as he fought to control his anger. Then, the silence continued until he spoke again
"What are we all standing here for? Don't you think we should do something?" he asked nervously as panic started to creep into his voice.
"We are doing something," Robert replied, barely able to keep the anger out of his voice. Ned was unsure of what he was the most angry about. The fact that the Targaryens were alive, or the fact that they had apparently acquired dragons.
"We're chasing some worthless man into an impenetrable fortress. It's a fool's errand, mother said so. We should go home and organize our defenses against the dragons," Joffrey replied quickly.
"Enough of your blasted mother! Your mother knows nothing about war. Nothing!" Robert bellowed, finally snapping. "You are the Crown Prince, not some maiden who needs to hide behind his mother's skirts. Start thinking on your own instead of letting some woman think for you!" Ned stole a glance at Tywin who looked angrier at this outburst than the news of the dragons.
"Still your grace, my nephew has a point. The dragons are a concern," Jaime Lannister quickly pointed out.
"Thank you Uncle Jaime," Joffrey said as he offered him a weak smile.
"The dragons are thousands of miles away in this Slaver's Bay, it will take months for them to reach us," Robert said loudly and angrily. Ned was not surprised by this. He had Littlefinger in his sights and he was not about to let him go. This was personal to him.
"Dragons have not won a war in over a hundred years. Armies win them all the time. It will be years until the dragons grow until they reached a size where they would be considered a threat," Tywin pointed out. His voice hard and determined. Ned felt slightly reassured at these words. "That is if, of course, if they are real. Which I very much doubt,"
"But still," Joffrey whined before he was interrupted by his father,
"Enough boy. The dragons are not real. This information is wrong. Right now we have around 60,000 men. That is easily double whatever Baelish has in the Vale. We will kill that bastard. Do not worry about the dragons because they are not real!" he shouted. "Go get your men in order, we start our march at first light. I want any stragglers whipped. Baelish will not escape,"
With that dismal, Ned quickly rode away back to his tent. He sent out his steward to ready the men and only then did he let his anger consume him.
Not only had the Targaryens survived but Jon had died. He had likely died protecting these monsters as they went about collecting their army to bring more pain and suffering to the realm. Damn them. Damn to hell.
He lay down on his bed and ran his hands through his hair. These dragons were not real. Dragons had not been seen for over a hundred years, they were gone. Dead like the Targaryens.
And If they were real?
Ned thought long and hard on this. He remembered the stories he heard about what happened to his father and his brother. The mad king had burned his father alive in his armor whilst Brandon had strangled himself to death trying to save him.
He remembered Lyanna's face, and then Jon's face. Lyanna had died because of her love for Rhaegar. Her death was on his hands, if he had done his duty, she still would have been here. He still would have had a sister. Jon had gone to Essos where he had met them, he was sure of that. Then somewhere in Essos, Jon had died whilst the Targaryens had survived. He had died for their cause. His death was on their hands.
All the pain and suffering that had been caused by that family in recent memory played through his mind. Ned felt his resolve strengthen. He would not allow the Targaryens to return to Westeros to harm any more of his family.
He would kill them all himself if he had to.
The Dragon Reborn
Jon loved flying. He quickly realised that. He felt like a true Valyrian dragonlord, flying high above the land, high above the people, like a true King. They had been flying for the majority of the day and they seemed to be making good progress. They were now in the Dothraki sea, and the grasslands extended for miles.
He realised that tracking Drogo in these lands could take weeks. Vedros gave a loud screech as they flew, as if she was reassuring him that she would find him. The decision to strike first had produced the side benefit of them gaining more time & experience flying with their dragons. He noted that the longer he spent flying on Vedros, the stronger his bond with her got. It was almost like warging into Ghost.
Almost. Whilst when he slipped into Ghost it felt like slipping into a second skin. His connection with Vedros was different. It was almost like a battle. Daenerys had told him that a dragon was not a slave and he quickly realised the truth behind that statement. He could only ask her things, if she listened remained to be seen. Anogar gave a loud roar and then he dove straight down through the clouds and Vedros gave an answering screech and followed her brother.
She flew straight down, almost in a nosedive, her wings tucked in to speed up their descent. Jon could see the ground rushing up to approach them, he could almost see the jagged rocks along the ground. Then with a lazy flap of her wings, she quickly stopped their descent and flew low over the ground. He turned to find Daenerys and saw that she was laughing happily, she must have said some words of encouragement because Anogar gave a loud roar which echoed across the land.
Then, they flew lazily towards a rocky outcrop on top of a small hill. Anogar landed first and Vedros followed him, landing gracefully. He looked up and saw Caraxes flying low above, as if he was waiting for further instructions. Vedros gave an impatient huff and Jon realised that she wanted him to get off. He carefully climbed off and as soon as his feet hit the ground she was off again with a loud clap of her wings. He turned towards Dany and saw that she was doing the same. Once she was on the ground, Anogar too took off and seemingly led them away.
"Where do you think they're going?" he asked
"Probably to hunt, we have been flying for a while. They'll be back when they're ready," she replied quickly "How did you find it?"
"Exhilarating, refreshing. We're going to have to go flying everyday because I can't get enough of this feeling," he gushed
"I agree, it's quite the feeling. How was your connection with Vedros? Anogar seems to understand that we are looking for someone and that we need to go roughly in this direction to find him,"
"Aye, it's the same with Vedros. I can talk to her in my mind. I tried telling her left and right but she either didn't hear me, or she didn't listen. Dragons are smart, perhaps she just knew better,"
"Oh, did you try speaking in Valyrian?"
"Yes,"
"Oh, must be your northern accent. You should practice more," she said with a cheeky smile. He laughed at her joke before pulling her in for a quick kiss.
"Come, let's eat," he said and he led her over to the edge of the outcrop. He reached into the pack that he had brought with him and started to divide up the food. He took his dagger and cut the bread into several smaller pieces. Then he started on the meat, they had brought some cooked boar with them. He cut it into several smaller pieces and then placed it on the bread. Then he pulled out two skins of water for them.
"It's not much but I think it'll do for tonight," he said once he was finished. She smiled warmly at him
"It's perfect Jon, thank you," They ate on top of the pile of rocks, looking out over the grasslands that made up the Dothraki sea. The sun was setting and it bathed the land in a beautiful, soft orange glow.
"This is beautiful," she said quietly. They were leaned up against a rock and she was resting her head on his shoulder.
"Aye it is," as the sun set, it started to grow colder and suddenly he wished he had brought a tent with them. The night would be very cold. A freezing wind cut across them and he felt her shiver.
"Come, let's head down lower, perhaps the wind will not be as cold down there," he said quickly. He used the fading light of the sunset to guide them down. He quickly looked around for a cave to shield them from the wind but he found nothing. This frustrated him and he was about to suggest heading back to the rocks on the hilltop. He would have to use his strength to move some of the rocks around to form sort of shield from the wind. It wouldn't be much, but it was better than nothing.
He heard a loud screech and he looked up to see that the dragons had returned from their hunt. The flapping of their wings was deafening. Anogar and Vedros were difficult to see in the fading light. Caraxes was the easiest to see, the weak light still made his cream and gold scales visible.
They landed around them and he nearly fell over due to their combined weight hitting the ground at the same time. He watched as they circled them in a protective ring.
"They're protecting us from the wind," she said to him quickly. He was amazed, he knew that dragons were very smart, but it was still surreal seeing them in action. They gradually moved closer, tightening the ring until they could no longer feel the wind around them. He also realised that their scales and internal heat would protect them from the cold.
"Come on Dany, their heat will keep us warm during the night," and then they walked towards Caraxes. The cream and gold dragon watched them carefully as they approached. They gently stroked his scales. They were hard, but not as rock hard as Anogar and Vedros. They would not be comfortable, but they would survive the night. She helped strip him off his armour and then they took their seats on the grass, leaning up against Caraxes side. As expected, he was warm and they would not freeze that night.
"He needs a rider," she said quietly and he gave a sound of agreement. "We can only control our mounts. We have to hope that Caraxes will follow us,"
"Our child will be a dragonrider," he said confidently.
"Perhaps, but not all Targaryens were able to ride dragons. It's a special relationship, we can't say for certain," she said sadly. He ran his hands over her belly, feeling the small bump
"Our child will have parents that are dragon riders and wargs, if any child can ride a dragon, it will be ours," he said after a moment. She didn't reply. Instead she just turned her body to face him slightly. She gave him a quick kiss before settling down against him to sleep. He listened to her breathing gradually slow and before long, he could hear her snore softly. It took him a bit longer to fall asleep, as it usually did. He saw Vedros lazily open one of her eyes. Her eyes were copper bronze and shone brightly with heat. He looked into her eyes and felt reassured. No one would trouble them tonight. He let out a relaxed sigh and then closed his eyes, waiting for sleep to take him.
When he woke the next morning, he still felt Daenerys pressed up against him. The sun was up and high in the sky and judging by its position he could tell that they had slept longer than usual. He gently shook Daenerys awake and she woke quickly. They stood up and stretched before setting out their breakfast. It was more of the same but they wolfed it down quickly, both eager to begin the day. Whilst they ate, the dragons got up and started to stretch.
He watched Vedros. Her scales were green and they gleamed like jade in the sunlight. Her claws and teeth were midnight black. She gave a small huff and showed him her teeth. Row upon of row of razor sharp black teeth lined her mouth, he could some blackened and broken bones in between some of her teeth. She gave a low growl and then he could see some of her molten green flame building deep down her throat.
"Good morning girl," he said softly as he approached her. "Will we find Drogo today?" and she gave a loud snort, as if catching Drogo was nothing more than child's play.
With Dany's help, he donned his armor and then they were ready to go again. She dipped her wing and allowed him to climb onto her back. Once he was seated, he looked to Dany and gave her a quick thumbs up and then they were off.
Whilst Anogar preferred to take long slow gentle spirals to gain height. Vedros took quicker tighter spirals. Quickly flapping her wings as she rushed to gain height. Higher and higher they climbed until they were just beneath the clouds. She waited for Anogar to catch up and then they took off, flying in a northeasterly direction. He ducked his head to shield his face from the wind and settled in for the flight.
They flew for hours, passing over mostly grassland. Occasionally, he could see a small village or two, but they were far too high for him to see if they were occupied. They approached a valley when suddenly they made a sharp left hand turn. He held on tight and looked over his left edge and then he saw what Vedros wanted him to see.
A group of Dothraki outriders, they were scouts sent ahead of the main host to alert them of any danger.
Anogar also spotted the outriders but he continued his downward descent, tucking his wings in to gain speed. The horses of the riders seemed to sense his presence because they got startled and started to gallop away but they were not quick enough. Jon watched as the black dragon released a quick blast of flame, effortlessly removing the outriders from this world. Jon understood why she did this, now the scouts would not be able to return to the main host and warn them of their presence. He also realised that this meant that they were close to the main host.
His thoughts were confirmed because this time, the dragons took them higher and this time through the clouds. Jon closed his eyes as they passed through and then opened them when they reached the other side.
He was amazed at what he saw. From this side, the clouds looked like a soft, fluffy carpet. Soft enough to sleep on. He turned towards Dany and saw that she was adjusting in her seat, clearing getting comfortable and ready for battle. He quickly did the same. His sword was safely in place at his side. The wind had quietened down and all he could hear was the rhythmic thumping of the Dragons wings. He looked towards Daenerys and gave her a quick thumbs up which she returned. He felt his heartbeat quicken in preparation for battle. He took a deep calming breath and then Vedros dove again.
The wind whipped and bit at his face and he could hear it whistling loudly in his ears. He squinted his eyes but kept them open slightly. He needed to be ready to locate the enemy.
Suddenly, they burst through the clouds and he could see the main Dothraki host below them, trapped in between the steep walls of the valley. All three dragons gave out their loudest roars, announcing their presence.
Jon could see their frenzied panic as some raised their hands to point at them. Some scrambled for their bows whilst others went for their horses. A group of around ten or so were directly below him. As he got closer he could see the look of horror on their copper tanned faces.
"Dracarys!"
And then they were engulfed in Vedros's beautiful yellow green flame. The heat from the flame was so intense that he quickly had to duck his head behind her body in order to shield himself from it. Their screams ended quickly as they burned and then Vedros quickly flew upwards again, gaining height for another attack. He turned and saw Caraxes complete a similar pass, engulfing his victims in a brilliant golden flame.
He looked towards Daenerys and Anogar, who had flown further down the valley. He watched as Anogar released a torrent of flame so dark red that he could have sworn it was black in color. He quickly realised what she was doing. She was sealing the valley off, so that no one could escape. They wanted to take as many of the Dothraki as possible.
Vedros reached the top of her ascent and then she quickly dove again, aiming for a group of archers. Jon had heard stories about the Dothraki archers and he knew their accuracy was great, even on horseback. She was smart to head for this danger. He heard the whistle of arrows as some flew harmlessly past them. Through their connection, Jon could feel others bounce of the underside of her hardened and scaled belly. The archers threw their now useless bows to the ground and started to run, they didn't get far before her flame caught up with them.
As they flew up she gave a loud screech of happiness and he could tell that she was reveling in the chaos that they were causing. Jon could tell that she wanted to do nothing more than dive back in for another pass at the horse lords but he had to fight hard to reign her in. He needed to find the Khal. They had come here to kill the Khal and to take his horde, after all they needed the numbers of the host to add to their own forces & burning most of them would be detrimental to that goal.
He used their mental bond and she reluctantly kept at a level height, safe out of the range of the arrows. He watched as Anogar and Daenerys performed a tight spiralling dive that ended up with them roasting a small group of mounted archers. Caraxes was using his golden flame to seal the other end of the valley. He watched as large plumes of smoke trailed up into the blue sky as the grasslands were set ablaze.
They flew above the battle for a few moments like hunters stalking their prey. Jon could feel her give a low rumble of happiness. He craned his neck from left to right, trying to peer over her body and through the smoke to find the Khal. Vedros banked gently to the right and Jon looked in that direction.
Then, he found the man he was looking for, the Khal was sat astride a huge black stallion overlooking the carnage below him. He seemed to be unfazed by it as he was barking out instructions to his men, whipping them into shape. His braid was blowing in the wind. Jon was amazed by its length, he must have never cut his hair.
Vedros gave a loud deafening roar of anger, answered by those of her siblings and then she took off towards the Khal. She flew low along the ground gave another ear splitting screech. Several of the Khal's bloodriders were fighting hard to control their horses, they were holding the line in face of the dragon. Brave, but foolish.
Vedros suddenly changed direction and Jon had to hold on tightly. The khal had organised a group of mounted archers who were charging towards their right hand side. Vedros turned towards them and emitted another loud intimidating roar. Several riders fell off their horses who had pulled up fearfully after hearing the dragon's roar. Some men rose to their feet and ran, others drew for their bows and desperately tried to release their arrows. The horses were now scattering, fearful of the magical beast that was about to be upon them.
Vedros released her beautiful flame once again and the remaining archers were quickly burned to dust, the smell of burning flesh and grass wafted up into his nose. Jon then told her to turn back towards the Khal, he was determined to end this battle before this entire field was burned. He spotted the Khal riding, yelling more instructions loudly. His blood riders were still forming a protective ring around him, several were yelling and pointing towards him, completely focused on him and Vedros.
Suddenly, Anogar was upon them from above. Releasing a torrent of his dark flame, Jon watched as this surprise attack scattered the Khal from his bloodriders and Jon knew it was his time to strike. Vedros took off with a hurry, flapping her wings quickly to close the distance towards the Khal. She landed close to him, in between him and half of his bloodriders. She turned to her right and released a torrent of flame, deterring anyone from approaching. Jon slid off her left side, drawing Darkfyre from his scabbard.
The metal had a dark red, smokey gleam to it. He had spent many evenings polishing it with oil to give it this glow. It was double edged and razor sharp. He tightened his hands around the handle of the sword. It was a bastard sword, slightly longer than a normal long sword and able to be wielded with two hands as well as one. The dragonbone handle was strong and sturdy and he flexed his fingers happily.
He looked around for the Khal, he saw him slightly ahead of him on a small incline. Jon began to charge towards him. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a dothraki warrior approach him, his braid jingling lightly in the wind. He must have abandoned his horse, which would have wisely fled from the dragon.
Jon turned towards him and then quickly brought his sword up to meet his steel arakh. Jon was much, much stronger than this man and the force Jon's parry caused the man's blade to fly out of his hand. The dothraki man looked at him in shock as Jon continued his movement, bringing the sword down and slamming it into the shoulder.
The Valyrian steel quickly cut through his clothes and the soft muscle of his shoulder. Jon continued to drive his sword down until he felt it connect with the bone. The man gave a loud scream of pain. Jon roughly yanked his sword out of the man and then watched as he crumpled to the floor. Blood pouring out his ruined shoulder. Jon looked at the mangled and ruined bone and left him there, he was no longer a threat.
He continued his ascent towards the Khal and saw his next two opponents quickly approach. They were at least half a foot taller than him and one was wielding two arakhs. They had the advantage of size and reach, but they were not prepared for his speed.
He quickly stepped between them, using his superior footwork and speed to dodge their strikes. He didn't throw a strike, instead he was defensive, waiting for them to make a mistake.
He did not have to wait long as the shorter man threw a wild undisciplined strike towards his head which Jon easily ducked. As he ducked, he moved under his arms and behind the man who was now off balance. Jon pushed the man and he fell forward into the soft mud, getting himself tangled in the feet of his larger friend.
The larger man quickly looked down to shout at his friend for getting in his way. His shouts quickly turned into a blood curdling scream as Jon drove his sword up into his stomach. He continued to drive it upwards, connecting with all his organs and then he yanked the sword out, causing all his organs and entrails to spill out of him and onto his friend on the floor. Jon could feel his warm wet slippery blood coating his fingers.
The man sunk to his knees, desperately trying to hold his organs in but his hands could not stop the blood flowing uncontrollably out of his stomach. The man on the floor quickly rolled out of the pooling blood and tried to move to his feet. Jon didn't give him the chance because he drove his sword into the ligaments and bone in the back of his knee before withdrawing it and driving it through his back and out through his chest.
Jon withdrew his sword with a grunt and then walked up the hill towards the Khal. His sword was dripping with blood and he held it firmly in his right hand, his fingers flexing around the handle. He heard men approach him but they were quickly destroyed by Vedros. He watched as she knocked three away with a quick flick of her tail before trapping the last between her jaws. The man screamed as he was impaled upon the rows of her razor sharp teeth. Vedros spat his blackened and ruined bones out of her mouth with a disgusted snort. Jon smiled to himself, his dragon was working with him instinctively, as they practiced and learned more about each other, they would become a formidable partnership.
He looked up at the Khal. The Khal stood tall. He was easily a head taller than Jon and his arms were thicker than Jon's thighs, his skin was copper and shined with sweat. Jon could see faint scars along his arm and across his painted chest. His braid went all the way down his back and it had several small silver bells in it.
"Andal," he said in a low deep voice.
"Drogo," Jon replied and the man gave another grunt. He slow drew his blade and got into a fighting stance. Jon did the same and once his feet were set, Drogo moved with a speed impossible for a man of his size. Jon immediately conceded ground and moved onto his back foot. Parrying and blocking and quickly trying to work out how to defeat this man. The sound of steel on steel quickly filled the air and Jon could feel the blood rushing to his ears.
Jon saw an opening and quickly moved to take it. However at the last moment, he realised that it was a feint designed to bait him. Jon moved and raised his left arm to block the strike with an impossible speed. The sound of steel on Valyrian steel rang loudly across the battlefield. The force of the attack ran up his arm and then out around his body. He felt his feet slipping in the mud but he held firm. He thanked the gods for Euron's armour, had this been regular steel, Drogo would have sliced right through his arm.
The Khal however was stunned. His eyes flicked between his arakh and Jon several times before he roughly withdrew his blade. He took a few steps backwards and Jon could see the fear and bewilderment in his brown eyes. Jon smiled to himself. The Khal had hit him with his best strike and he had blocked it.
Now, it was Jon's turn to go onto the front foot. He started to move forwards, throwing strike after strike. Some meant to distract, others meant to kill. He was trying to tire the Khal, who he knew would not be able to keep up with his speed and strength.
He was quickly proven right and he saw Drogo's guard beginning to get lower and weaker. Before, the Khal would parry each of Jon's strikes with ferocity but now he was only deflecting. He could tell Drogo's arms were tired from blocking his powerful attacks and his blade was chipped and weak. More and more of his strikes were getting through and he could see blood starting to pour from the cuts in his chest.
He grunted loudly and threw one last desperate strike which Jon blocked emphatically. His block was so powerful that he broke the arakh in two pieces which landed in the grass with a soft, pathetic thud. Now empty handed, the Khal looked at him, for a moment he looked defeated, but then that look was replaced with fury and anger.
With his last reserves of strength, the Khal charged at Jon like a bull. Jon was not having this and he quickly stepped backwards and sideways, out of his reach. As the Khal stumbled past Jon left his sword dangling in place, he then pulled it upwards. Cutting him along his side and up to below his armpit. Drogo fell to his knees and moved his hands to the wound.
Jon had enough. He rose his sword to strike the killing blow but then he remembered something Lord Stark had told him years ago. If you are going to kill a man, look him in the eye and hear his last words.
So, he walked in front of Drogo and used the tip of his sword to tilt his chin upwards. His blade was so sharp that even this light touch caused a fresh stream of blood to start flowing. He stared into his dark brown eyes. He was breathing heavily as his life slipped away from him and onto his muddy fingers. His eyes began to close but Jon could see his lips moving, muttering his last words. His body was streaked with blood and mud and his breeches were torn.
He was finished. Jon removed his sword which caused his head to drop. He stared at the man that used to be called the 'Khal of Khals' and then he cut his head clean off in one swing. He fell to the floor with a loud thud. Vedros gave off a loud roar that was returned by the other dragons. He picked up Drogo's head by the back of his braid and then held it aloft. Vedros moved up next to him and he quickly climbed onto her back, holding Drogo's head high for all to see. He felt Anogar and Daenerys land next to him.
He looked out onto the carnage that had ravaged the valley. Long plumes of smoke trailed up into the sky. He could see horses scattered and running wildly from the Dragonflame and the grasslands were burning wildly. From their vantage point they could see the rest of the Dothraki horde. Vedros gave a loud roar and everyone turned towards the source of the noise. As he held Drogo's head higher, he could see the understanding dawn on their faces.
Their Khal had been defeated and now they had a new Khal. Several of the men laid down their weapons and then he heard Daenerys scream in Dothraki to the people. He heard her say Aegon and Daenerys a few times but the rest was mostly nonsense to him.
It seemed she got the message across because one by one, the remaining Dothraki bowed before them. Jon looked towards Daenerys and she gave him a nod. He slowly got off Vedros and she got off Anogar.
"You did it. You killed Drogo" she said as she crossed over to him. Jon was still too fueled by adrenaline to answer. Instead, he pulled her in for a deep kiss. Her lips were burning hot as he greedily kissed her.
"We did it," he said after he broke apart. He looked out over their new Khalasaar. They would have to lead them back to Meereen which would take a few weeks. He did not fear that the Dothraki would disobey him, they had all witnessed the powers of the dragons here today. No one would dare risk a fight against the dragons again he was sure of that.
Still, he wanted to travel with them, he needed them to see that they weren't just bloodless conquerors. Daenerys shouted a few more words and then he watched as a group of men walked up to them. His sword was still dripping with Drogo's blood and he was ready to fight in case these men tried anything.
Instead, they stopped several feet in front of her. She spoke to them for a moment before she looked towards him and motioned for him to come over to her. When he arrived, she spoke to the men again and this time they dropped to their knees and placed their arakhs on the ground in front of them.
"Jon, these three will be our blood riders. Repeat these words after me to ask for their oaths. They are bound to obey us, and they will ensure that our commands are carried out throughout the horde,"
He nodded and then listened to the words. He repeated them, taking care to get the pronunciation right. When he was finished, they all rose to their feet. Daenerys gave them yet more instructions before they bowed and headed back towards the rest of the horde.
"What did you tell them?" he asked when they were gone.
"I told them our names and that we were their new Khal and Khaleesi. I told them that they are to head south to Meereen. They are not allowed to loot or to rape. Any man that does so will be burned alive,"
"Good," and he smiled warmly at her. "I saw you flying, you looked great, like you had been doing it for years. Sealing one end of the valley to stop them from escaping was a great idea,"
"Thank you," she said with a smile. "Jon we need to get back on our dragons. We are their Khal and Khaleesi, they need to see us riding. It shows our strength,"
He nodded and then climbed back onto Vedros. They took off again and flew low over the Dothraki. They had started to ride towards Meereen, taking whatever belongings they could find that had not been burned.
Anogar gave out a loud roar which was returned by Vedros and Caraxes. They were reminding the Dothraki of their dominance and of their power.
Today, the Dothraki had learned that the dragons ruled and soon, so will the rest of the world.
Notes:
Thanks to GOT88 for the help provided with this story.
If you liked this Dragon battle, HouseBlackfyre does an excellent job in his fic http://archiveofourown.org/works/12819756/chapters/29266953
Special chapter right here, I don't usually give you 4 POV's but here you go. I think this is the longest chapter I'll give you guys. In the future, if I write a chapter any longer than this (which is looking likely) would you prefer if I split it? Into two 8-9k parts? Sometimes I won't be able to, but I'm curious about what format you'd prefer
Chapter 13 will be out either Friday/Saturday/Sunday. My writing pace has slowed down a bit, turns out writing this many words every 3 days is not sustainable. So I'll only upload 13 when I have 15 finished and 16 started, I'm trying to stay 3 chapters ahead.
13 - The Dragon Prince
14- The Dragon's Mercy
As always, let me know what you think about this chapter. Comments are always appreciated. Thanks for reading
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