Ashes of Winter: The Stark Revival and the Game of Thrones

Winterfell, 303 AC.

Ser Davos Seaworth.

"I have never seen something like this in my life, Ser. I've heard of it, but I… I don't know what to do…" the Maester's hopelessness echoed into the knight's heart.

Ever since they'd found the lads in the Godswood, Davos felt completely at a loss.

"What about his brother?" he asked.

"Still shaken up by the ordeal, at least that's what it looks like… But he seems well, at least physically. I have treated their wounds and we have to change his dressings to not let them fester. I… I will look into my books, to see if I can find something…"

"I thank you, Maester, for all you're doing."

Wolkan nodded numbly and after a last concerned look to the boy laying on his bed, turned and walked away from the room.

Davos got closer to the bed, where Arya stood watching over her brother.

"He finally fell asleep." she managed to say, her voice thick with emotion, and his heart broke as he saw him clinging onto Ghost's fur while he, ever the brave companion, licked Rickon's face at each of his hiccups.

"Has he said anything about what happened?" Davos asked and Arya shook her head.

"He just kept sobbing after… I don't understand…"

"Maester Wolkan said that Bran was doing better." he said reassuringly or as much as he could be given he knew not what had occurred.

"Good. Mayhap we can get something out of him," Arya said as she moved to stroke her brother's hair with a fondness he had never seen her exhibit before but one that was more than welcome given the circumstances. "I don't want to leave him alone…"

"Then don't. I'll go and speak to Bran." he volunteered and smiled softly when she nodded.

On the way to the other boy's room, Davos couldn't help but shiver while remembering what he had witnessed.

He had missed Jon's departure, as he had been working all day long with Lord Manderly and Lady Karstark as representatives of the Lords of the North. Jon had mentioned the numbers of Daenerys' forces and while they were not sure of how many she would bring back with her, they wanted to make sure they would be able to feed them, their men, and the smallfolk while keeping some reserves for the remainder of the winter. It was a near-impossible task, as they were already using all they could to make crops grow in all of the North's glass gardens and coin was scarce so they couldn't order more grain. The prospect of asking the Queen to bring her own resources was not acceptable. They were already asking her more than they should while offering literally nothing in return, and the Lords were fully conscious that should they be more indebted to her, they would have no choice but to give up their independence. They were not ready for it and had explicitly told Jon about it, to which the king's Regent replied that he knew of their concerns and had encouraged them to find solutions for Rickon's and their own sakes.

When he'd left Rickon's solar, the sun was about to set and he went directly to the sparring yard, knowing the king would be unleashing his pain and fury against his poor victims of the day. His surprise when he didn't find him there grew to concern when he spotted Arya training against a straw dummy.

" Where's the King?" he asked worriedly.

" He went to the Godswood. Said he needed to pray and be alone for a moment."

" And you left him alone?"

" You know how he gets when he's angry. Best leave him to vent to the gods." she shrugged.

He was about to argue when they heard an anguished wolf's howl. His heart skipped a beat as he quickly ran to the source of the howl, beaten in speed only by Arya, and both of them froze when they arrived in the Godswood.

What they witnessed when they got there could only be described as utter and complete chaos.

Rickon and Bran were on the ground, the former screaming in fear and the latter seemingly unconscious, as both were surrounded by a flock of ravens. The birds were attacking the boys, mainly Rickon, while Ghost was attempting to get to him, but to no avail. Several ravens were dead already, but Davos looked on helplessly as more came at the Direwolf when he managed to kill some more of them.

Arya's cry prompted him to move, but the flock looked to be reacting to their presence, pushing them away from the boys as they relentlessly attacked them. Rickon yelled Ghost's name and the Direwolf stopped fighting the ravens, and instead focussed on going to the crippled Stark.

Then, as suddenly as it happened, it stopped. The flock dispersed and Arya rushed to Rickon's side, leaving Davos to care for a screaming Bran, who was being dragged away by the white wolf.

" It hurts! Oh, By the Gods, it hurts! I beg of you, Let me go!" Bran cried out, trashing under Ghost who didn't seem to be ready to comply.

" Ghost, he's safe now." Davos tried to make the wolf understand, yet his words didn't seem to register.

" Please! You're hurting me! Stop now!" Bran pleaded.

Rickon's weak call was all it took to make Ghost release his hold on the king's brother and run to him. Immediately, Davos took Bran in his arms, making sure Arya was taking care of Rickon, and rushed to the keep calling out for help.

He shook his head and resumed his walk. He would never forget what he saw, but he needed to get a grip on his emotions. He was in charge of protecting Rickon and while he had failed him that day, he would make sure it would not happen again. For that to be so, he needed information.

He stood on the threshold, watching as Sansa fretted over her brother. The older girl asked him if he needed anything and if he was hurting. Hearing Bran's monotonous voice as he answered her questions, Davos asked himself whether he should be thankful or disturbed to see Bran was back to his former self.

"You should go see Rickon, he needs you more than me." Bran said.

"I know he needs me and I plan to see him later, but you need me too, Bran." Sansa's worried voice not seeming to change the younger boy's expression one bit.

"I am not a child."

"But you are my brother. Look at you! You have just been attacked!"

"And I have been tended to. There is no need to fret, Sansa. I will recover fully."

"Very Well." she sighed. "I will go speak to Rickon. Send for me if you need me, will you?" Sansa asked, her voice soft and almost motherly.

"I will. Thank you." Bran said, looking not at Sansa but straight at him with those disturbing eyes that unsettled him greatly.

Sansa kissed his forehead before leaving, the gesture warming Davos' heart. Sansa Stark's attitude was an enigma to him and to most, but he couldn't deny that she cared for her family. She did a poor job in showing it, but he could feel it was there, in some of her actions. Whether it was spending nights making cloaks for her brothers or britches for her sister, or clumsily worrying about their safety, she cared and so he resolved in talking to her to help her mend the rift between her and her siblings. It was high time someone other than Littlefinger sat with her to give her some advice. Why he felt it was his responsibility, he didn't know. He was perhaps just fond of the Starks, maybe not all of them, but the majority at least.

"I know why you're here, Ser Davos, and I am sad to tell you that I cannot help you." Bran said after his sister had left.

Are you, truly?

"I don't know why the birds attacked us."

"But I thought you knew everything…" Davos said in reply.

"That is what my brother hopes for. The truth is I cannot control what the Gods share with me. Hence the reason I did not know that Rickon was alive."

"Yet you said Jon was supposed to be King?" he retorted.

"That is what I saw. Why the Gods saw fit to show me the path that did not happen, I do not know. Why they do not want me to see the new one is another mystery for me."

"Maybe you did something that made you lose their favor?" Davos asked tentatively, and he could swear he saw Bran's mouth twitch slightly.

"Perhaps. In any case, I am sorry to not be of help. I find myself most tired." Bran said, making his dismissal clear, not that it would work for now at least.

"I'll let you get some rest. I am glad you're feeling better. You gave us quite a scare."

"I know. that was not my intent."

"Is there anything you need before I go see your brother?" he asked as he made as if he was ready to leave the room.

"No, thank you. But tell Rickon I am sorry."

"Sorry? What for?"

"He will know." Bran said cryptically and his words annoyed him as most conversations he'd had with the boy always seemed to do.

Davos frowned, thrown off by Bran's elusive answer.

"What were you doing with him in the Godswood?" he asked, trying one last tack before he left.

"It is not my story to tell."

"It is when it affects the King."

"Is he?"

"What?"

"Your king. Is he? Or are you simply waiting here to see if Jon will keep his promise of punishing the Red Woman?"

"How…" he asked, shocked.

"The Gods, Ser Davos. They may not tell me everything, but they show me enough. I know what happened to Shireen Baratheon. I know Rickon reminds you of her. That is why you are so protective of him and I thank you for that. You could have gone back to your keep, to your wife, and to your remaining sons. Instead, you chose to stay here to see justice done properly. It is very commendable."

"Why…" he stuttered.

"I never say anything to anyone that doesn't concern them. What I told Rickon was for him to know. What I will tell you now is only for your ears alone."

"What…"

"Melisandre will come back, Ser. She will come back and she will die, but not by Jon's or Rickon's hand. Her fate is sealed with the war to come and she knew it. Whether or not we win this fight, her path will end in Winterfell just as it was always meant to."

Davos's head spun with confusion. He didn't know if he should believe Bran, but his disturbing eyes never left the knight's ones, finally making Davos avert his gaze from sheer unsettlement. His words shook and touched him in ways he had never thought possible. The mention of his wife. Poor Marya, who he didn't feel worthy of, didn't feel he could see her again as he had been the reason why their sons had passed, and of his dearest Shireen, his daughter by choice had shaken him to the core.

"So you're saying that Jon never had the intention of killing her?" he insisted, feeling at a loss.

"Oh, he had. He still wants to fulfill his promise. But for now, he needs her, and afterward, he will not have the time, so you'll never get your revenge. I'm sorry." Bran said and it was these words that truly made him leave the room.

Davos nodded numbly and made his way outside the room with his heart clenched. He understood that Melisandre had made herself useful for the Starks and for Jon, but he couldn't help but feel betrayed. Especially if what Bran said was true. He should be content to know that Melisandre would truly die in the future, but the fact that she would never be faced with the consequences of her actions made her incredibly angry.

Part of him felt he shouldn't trust the lad, not after the way he had treated Rickon, but he had to admit that his words had gotten to him in a way that confused him. Why did he choose that exact moment to talk about these things? Why did Davos want to cry and rant so much when nothing had happened yet? Was that what the King had warned them all about? Thinking back to Rickon's words he felt it was.

" The more people talk to Bran, the more upset they get. That's why I don't want to talk to him anymore."

His feet had led him to the King's chambers and he was glad to see Tormund and Nessa stood guard at the door.

"How is he?" he asked Tormund.

"Not well. He keeps sobbing and calling for Jon in his sleep. Maybe…" Tormund replied, his own concerns clear.

"Aye, I will send a raven to inform him."

"Did the cripple say something useful, for once?" Tormund asked, only to snort after Davos shook his head. "I'm telling you, Onion Knight. Dark magic is at play here and I wouldn't be surprised if they've been targeted because of their gifts."

"Their gift? What…" Davos frowned, but Nessa interrupted him.

"You think it has something to do with the army of the Dead?" she asked.

"No. Ravens don't work for the dead. They are just as bad, though." Tormund said.

"Our wargs always said that they would never choose a crow nor a raven as their companions, for they already belonged to someone else, a man with a thousand eyes and one," Nessa added, making Davos shiver.

"Whatever this was… Is… we need to reinforce the protection around the king and his family." he finally declared.

"Aye. At least some good came out of it," Tormund said, pointing at Arya and Sansa who were both sitting at their brother's bedside.

"Indeed," Davos smiled. "I hope she opens her eyes now that she almost lost him again."

"You know, I never got the thing King Pup and King Crow both said about the pack until today. When I see them now… When they're not at each other's throats, they do fiercely care about each other. Most of them, at least." Tormund sighed and Davos understood his meaning. "Jon should be here, too. The army of the dead be damned, he should be with his pack."

"Why are you getting mushy all of a sudden? Wait, are you crying?" Nessa teased.

"I"m not. The Crow made me care about his fucking family and I'd rather get drunk than be doing what he should be doing. That's all."

Davos shook his head, slightly amused by Tormund's antics, and decided to go back to his room. On his way, he reassured all the Lords who heard about the incident, smiling as he saw their genuine concern for their king. Rickon had no idea how much people cared about him and how his hard work had made his pack extend to far more than his family. Offering even more reassurance to Lady Lyanna to soothe her worries, Davos kept his grin from his face. For it was clear that just like the boy himself, she knew nothing.

The Riverlands 303 AC

Daenerys.

Why Drogon had seen fit to land here, she didn't know, but she was grateful for it as it allowed Jon to speak with her. He had been quiet ever since they had left Winterfell and the unsettling silence was almost killing her.

She looked more at the eerie place, at the imposing keep in the distance whose towers seemed to have been molded and bent by something unnatural.

"What is this place?" she wondered aloud as they dismounted from Drogon's back.

"I believe we are close to Harrenhal, Your Grace," Jon replied gruffly.

"Harrenhal?"

"Aye. I've never been there myself, but I heard of it from my lessons and the stories at the Wall. It is said to be the biggest keep in Westeros, but also a cursed one." he added.

"A cursed one?"

"What do you know of Aegon's conquest, Your Grace?"

"Not much. I remember some stories Viserys used to tell me, but not all of them. Is it… Did my ancestor…"

"He gave Harren the Black a choice, to kneel or to face his dragon. Harren thought he was protected by his walls. When Aegon rained fire on him, he found out he was not. Since then, people say that the ghosts of those who perished that night still haunt the keep, and every House that has been given the keep as a seat went extinct." Jon said and though he spoke as if he was repeating something he'd heard, something about how he said it made it seem different, or perhaps it was simply that she missed the sound of his voice.

"Who owns it now?" she asked curiously and wishing to extend the conversation.

"I do not know, Your Grace."

"Dany."

"Pardon?"

"Please, call me Dany. I know you're still angry with me for keeping you away from your family, but…" she said almost pleadingly.

"Daenerys, Dany, I understand, truly. I'm not angry at you, I don't want to be angry at you. What you asked was a small price for the North to pay for your help with the Army of the Dead. I see that now. You could have asked my brother to kneel, and I appreciate that you didn't…" he said and smiled a little as he did so.

Daenerys shivered as she thought of Rickon's offer. Judging by Jon's reaction, she was glad to have refused it. She had been right when she told his brother that Jon wouldn't forgive himself if he'd known about it.

"Yet, you resent me."

"I am torn, Dany," he admitted and her heart fluttered at the way he said her name this time. "I know it had to be done, I just wish I had left them under better circumstances. Rickon hates me now."

"I don't think so. In fact, I believe he's hurt because he loves you, Jon."

"He said I chose you over him, and I am ashamed to say it, but… I feel like I did."

"I left you no choice, Jon. How would you -" she interrupted only for her own words to be interrupted too.

"That's the thing, Dany. Had you but asked it of me… Had you not made it a price for your help, I… I think were it not for leaving my brother once more I may even have suggested it."

Her heart skipped a bit as he looked at her with sadness. He seemed so heartbroken that she wanted to hold him in her arms, but she was rooted to the ground. She couldn't move to him, she couldn't for her mind struggled to understand his turmoil. Why was he angry at her when he admitted he would have come anyway?

"I… I'm sorry. I will fetch some branches for the campfire." he said, taking her from her thoughts.

Once again, their moment was broken and she let him leave, not knowing how to react. She didn't like how conflicted she felt about the whole ordeal. About the North, Jon Snow and his family. She knew she had made the right choice in asking him for his counsel. The North wasn't ready to kneel and she would give them time to see her as she wanted to be seen before ever thinking of using brute force and forcing them to kneel. The history between her family and the Starks complicated things and she understood the need to prove her valor. Being seen as Daenerys and not as Aerys' daughter or Rhaegar's sister was what was required, but she was tired. Tired of politics, tired of compromising, while nothing moved forward and people suffered under Cersei's tyranny.

Was Westeros like Essos then she would have tried to rally the smallfolk against their Lords, but while it felt to her like that system was another form of slavery, she depended on the Nobles' support for the moment, as she had in the first days of Mereen's conquest.

She was tired of listening to others and taking their feelings into account when hers wasn't. Her journey North had been a prime example of that. She had gone there wanting to help them because of her fondness for Jon before realizing that it would bring her nothing but scorn when she would leave to go back South. Of course, they needed to deal with the Army of the Dead, but she couldn't stop thinking about what Olenna Tyrell would have done in her place. She knew that her allies, the Tyrells and the Martells, would not move North without Cersei being taken care of, and Jon had been the only one so far who managed to help her do so efficiently.

She was a Khaleesi, not a politician. People followed her because she was the strongest and not because of her cunning. Oh, she could very well rival Cersei Lannister if she wanted, but she was certain what she did to Astapor wouldn't be perceived as well if it was executed here in Westeros.

Most of all, she was tired of not knowing where she stood with Jon Snow. He was even more distant when he came back, barely looking at her and seemingly lost in his thoughts. The way he'd talked before had made her believe that he felt conflicted between his allegiance to his family and his attraction to her, for there was clearly something there. Whether it was physical or emotional, she could feel it by the way he looked at her, the way his smiles directed to her were as true as the ones reserved for Arya or Rickon, and also by the way she reacted to him. When she had thought of going back to Dragonstone, of finishing the war in the South without him by her side, more than the political aspect of it, it was the emptiness she felt at that prospect that prompted her to act. She had acted like a Dragon, she had followed her instincts and her instincts told her that she couldn't leave without Jon Snow. She dreaded the moment he would have to leave once more and berated herself for thinking that way.

"Will you tell me more about Harrenhal, Jon?" she asked him nervously, hoping he would not push her away.

"Of course Dany." he said and she smiled as he began to tell her of a tourney and even though some of it clearly caused him pain, he told her all about it and about her brother.

When he was done, he spoke to her more and more, and even after the guards had gone to bed, they had not. At one point in the night, he'd offered her his cloak and she'd felt his fingers brush against her as he placed it on her shoulders. Eventually, they had gone to sleep and as he bid her goodnight, she felt they at least moved past the distance that had threatened to come between them. She felt it even more when she woke to find him sitting there and looking at her, a small smile on his face as her eyes caught his.

"Morning." he said, his voice was lighter and she answered in kind, almost sorry when they broke their fast and took flight again, though she felt his arms held her just a little more tightly when they did so.

Dragonstone 303 AC.

Jon.

His plan had been to come here and show them the Wight immediately and yet like most plans, it had needed to be changed quickly. The flight back from Winterfell had been far more strained than the flight to it. Even Rhaegal seemed to have noticed the difference and he swore that at times the green dragon glared at him. At other times he gave him a look that was so reminiscent of Ghost that it almost made him chuckle. A look that told him that he was being a fool and he needed to stop acting one. Yet he found it was not until they arrived back on Dragonstone that he could not completely let go of how he'd felt.

Once again the island seemed to envelop him with warmth and brought a sense of calmness to him that he hadn't felt even in Winterfell itself. It was almost a sense of coming home as strange as that may sound, a sense of belonging that he'd felt in few places in this world. The Wall briefly, beyond it more so and a cave he'd visited only once. Here he felt it far more keenly and it allowed him to put aside his anger and to begin to bridge the gap that was forming between Dany and him. That Dany herself sought to bridge that gap helped as well and so it was a few days later that they brought them to see the Wight for the first time.

"By the Seven?" Olenna gasped.

"That….That can't be real." Yara said moving back from the cell where the Wight, though chained up, had some freedom to move away from the wall.

"What is that thing?" Ellaria asked with a loud gasp as Jon moved to it and took out his knife.

"This is what comes for us all, the Wall will not hold them back and once they're done with the North it will be to each of your homes that they will find their way to eventually. Knives can't kill them" he said as he drove the knife deep in the wight's skull.

The screeches it made had perhaps drowned out the gasps made by Ellaria and her daughter, Theon and Yara, Missandei, Olenna, and even Tyrion. Only he, Dany, Grey Worm, and Qhono made no sound or showed no fear. Both warriors were clearly shocked by what they saw and yet were experienced men and instead simply wished to know how this thing could be killed. Tyrion and Varys were too far back for him to see or hear them clearly, though both men were speaking animatedly to each other.

"Fire, Dragonglass, and Dragonsteel." he said holding up Longclaw." All three kill the wights and the latter two can kill their masters, the White Walkers. As for the Night King himself, we can only hope he's as easy as the others."

"Easy?" Olenna asked.

"Relatively speaking, my lady," he said with a small smile on his face which seemed to relax her some.

They left the cell and made their way back to the rooms upstairs. Soon finding themselves in the Chamber of the Painted Table and once there the questions came thick and fast.

How many of them were there?

Was he certain that fire killed them?

Would the Wall not keep them protected as it had for thousands of years?

It was the last of these he answered first.

"The Wall is not what it once was. As Lord Commander, I had less than a thousand men to call upon. Of the nineteen castles along the Wall, only three are manned. Eastwatch, Castle Black, and The Shadow Tower. For years the rest of the realm cared not about the men of the Night's Watch. Our calls for aid and for supplies were rarely if ever answered and when they were it was prisoners and the dregs that were sent to us. On the Great Ranging, we lost more than half our number and over the years we've lost the best of our men. Lord Commander Mormont, Qhorin the Halfhand, and my uncle Benjen Stark amongst others." he said, the last name sounding sad to even his ears.

"What can be done to bring the Wall back up to what it needs to be?" Olenna asked, looking at him and he looked at her and shook his head, offering her a sad smile in return.

"I do not know if it can be. Not in time. My brother King Rickon has sent the Free Folk to help man the Wall but I fear they'll not be able to hold the dead back and instead it will take her grace's armies and your own men as well as others to do so." he said with a nod to Dany.

"To that end, Lord Snow has agreed to offer his counsel and his sword so that we can end the war in the South and allow us to do what's needed in the North. I shall leave Lord Snow to explain his plan of attack for King's Landing." Dany said and she smiled at him when he moved to the Painted Table and looked down on Blackwater Bay.

"Your Grace, if I may," Tyrion said, moving forward.

"Lord Hand?"

"Before the prisoner exchange, your grace. I spoke briefly to my brother about the war in the North and the things that we all would soon have to face. I bid him speak to my sister and arrange a parley, one where we could show them the evidence of what comes for us all." Tyrion said looking at the queen.

"To what end?" he asked.

"Only a fool or a madwoman would risk having to face an army of the dead, Jon. Especially was said army to have added the queen's own to its number. Like you, I believe we need every man we can gather to fight this fight, even more so now that I've seen just what it is we fight against. My brother and even my sister can be reasoned with and perhaps we can bring the men of the West to our side. If not we could at least gain time to deal with the other army we face." Tyrion said and it was Olenna and not he who answered.

"You seek a truce? With Cersei?" Olenna asked angrily.

"I seek us not to waste resources we will need elsewhere, Lady Olenna," Tyrion replied angrily.

"Your whore of a sister would never agree to such a thing," Ellaria stated, her own anger even more vitriolic than Olenna's was.

"Lord Snow?" Dany asked, looking to him to counsel her on what to do.

"I wish us to be in the North dealing with the threat that comes our way, your grace. I also wish you to be crowned and to sit the Iron Throne. Though I like it not, I say we follow Lord Tyrion's plans and try at least to bring more men to our side." he said with a small bow of his head.

He could see the incredulous looks that were shot his way by Yara and Theon, more so by Ellaria and Tyene. Tyrion almost seemed like a cat who'd gotten the cream, so pleased was he by this turn of events while Olenna looked at him both in disbelief and what seemed to be hurt at the same time. So when she said her goodbyes and walked from the room, Jon said his own and told Dany that he'd speak to her later. He left the queen, Tyrion, and Missandei in the Chamber of the Painted Table while he hurried off after Olenna and her two giant guards.

If he wasn't sure that she was annoyed by what had just been agreed upon, then having to almost run to catch up with her and then being refused entry to her room at first, would have shown him for true. It took some time for her to agree to see him and he had waited outside the room pacing while the decision was made. When he was given leave to enter the room it was a completely different welcome he was given than he had been in the past. During his time on Dragonstone, he'd become somewhat friendly with Lady Olenna. They'd bonded over the loss of their family, shared things that he'd not done with any but those closest to him and he'd welcomed her support and her own counsel. How she looked at him now would have made all of that seem a mummery or that any good favor he had gained with her was now lost, it was not something he welcomed.

"I understand how you feel, my lady. However, I feel this is for the best," he said to an angered glare.

"You do, do you," she said snippily.

"We must be seen to be doing all we can to bring the realm together, even though that may not be our intent, or at least not in the way I may have made it seem in that room." he said and she looked at him then with intrigue "Cersei Lannister cannot be trusted, my lady. Do you remember what I said at the first meeting you bid me attend?" he asked and she smirked as she perhaps didn't realize that he knew it was her who'd sought his presence.

"You said many things, Jon Snow," she said and he chuckled as he was finally asked to take a seat.

"I did. But only one of them is relevant here and now. This war ends with Cersei Lannister dead, Lady Olenna. Nothing has changed in that regard. So perhaps between us, we can find a way that best sees that happen?"

The laugh she gave was full and true and went on for some time. When she poured him the wine he drank it though he far preferred ale and she looked at him curiously.

"I would have thought you far more honorable, Lord Eddard was known for such after all."

"I hold to my honor as well as I can, my lady."

"Olenna," she said softly and he nodded as he then said her name.

"I hold to my honor as well as I can, Olenna." he said, earning another smile from the older woman "As did my brother and my father. The world we live in however is not filled with honorable men and women. My family has learned that to its cost far too often and so and I beg your forgiveness for what I'm about to say, but Fuck Honor. What price it against another day's breath."

"And how far are you willing to go, Jon Snow?" she asked curiously.

"We're playing the Game of Thrones, Olenna. There is but one rule in this game."

"You win or you die," she said and he nodded, as they then began to lay out plans that he believed were necessary, and yet he wasn't completely sure he could go ahead with.

When he left her room he walked back to his own and readied for the evening meal that night. Opening the drawer of the table, he looked at the raven scroll he'd placed there and once again he sat down and read its words.

Jon,

I hope all is well with you and that what it is you need to do up there is almost done. There have been some strange events while you were gone, lad. Events involving both your brothers and which have given me more worries than I know what to do with. Rickon's not been the same since you left nor since an accident in the Godswood. Your brother is well, Jon, physically at least, the wounds he had have now healed and yet it's not his body that ails him so. It's his heart, lad, I fear your departure has almost broken it and I say this not to shame you or force your return, but to plead for it.

Come back soon, Jon, as soon as you're able for not me nor Tormund, nor Ghost or your sisters are who he needs right now. It's his brother that is the only one who can soothe his pain, so hurry back, I beg of you.

Davos.

There was but one way he could get back to his brother sooner rather than later. As much as he'd like to break his word, he would and could not. So the war in the South needed to be won and won quickly and what price honor against the love he had for his brother and what oath was more important than the one he'd sworn to Rickon. He would do whatever was needed to be done to win this war and go home, he had to, didn't he?

King's Landing 303 AC.

Cersei.

They had escaped, somehow they'd managed to escape the carefully laid out trap that Euron had been readying for them and she couldn't understand how they'd done so. Was she not so sure of the loyalty of those who knew of her plans, then she'd have ordered them to be beaten and tortured until they revealed what they'd done. As it was, she and Euron had simply put it down to luck and she cursed that theirs had held while hers had not.

Looking at Jaime she felt that it had been worth it still. Even if she'd not managed to see the Imp brought back to her in chains, she had gotten back the brother she actually cared about. Knowing that the two Dornish Whores would be dead soon enough, were they not so already, made the loss of Tyrion even more bearable. As did the things she and Jaime had done together since he'd come back. Her brother made her feel things that only he could ever truly make her feel and proved to her that it was him and not Euron Greyjoy that she wished in her bed.

They'd spent more days in bed than not since he'd come back. Cersei found herself overwhelmed with the thoughts that she could have lost him again and keen to check each and every inch of him to make sure he was whole. It had taken her moons to wish to lay with him again when he'd returned to King's Landing after being freed from the Starks. The unsightly stump that had once been his sword hand had repulsed her and only the need of him inside her had allowed her to get past it. Even now she could barely look at it and so she had scoured his body to make sure he was still her Jaime and was relieved to find out that he was.

When he then brought up the offer the Imp made she'd shut him down completely. She would not parley with the Dragon Bitch and she cared not what they had to show her or what offer they had to make. She was Queen of the Seven Kingdoms and once she had dealt with the Dragon Bitch, it would be to the North and the wolves that she looked next. The boy-king and his whore of a sister would not keep their crowns for long, she swore it on her sons, her daughter, and her father. In time she'd see them on their knees in front of her and her wrath would be righteous.

For now, it was to a meeting to decide her next steps that she went to and she arrived at it to see Euron, Jaime, and Qyburn already there. The looks her brother and Euron were sharing with each other thrilled her somewhat. To be the object of two men's affections was something she relished and knowing that with just a nod from her, one would kill the other, even more so. The time for Jaime to kill Euron had not yet arrived though and so for now she played up her interest in one and played it down in the other.

"What moves are we to make, your grace?" Jaime asked and for some reason, she found she enjoyed hearing those last two words come from her other half's lips.

"How many men can we call upon?"

"Less than 20,000," Jaime said.

"The Iron Fleet?" she asked Euron.

"In terms of men, 5,000, ships more than a thousand."

Good, she controlled the sea still, even if the Dragon Bitch controlled the air. What to do with them and how to best use them though, was the issue.

"Your grace, from Dragonstone," Qyburn said, handing her the raven's scroll.

She opened it up and almost wished to throw it away, the words written there were the same ones that Jaime had spoken to her about mere days earlier. An offer to a parley, a request to bring something to her attention that may change the very nature of the war they both found themselves embroiled in. that the words were written in her monster of a brother's hand made her furious, and yet for some reason these words more so than Jaime's made her consider the offer more truly.

"What could they possibly wish to show me that makes them seek a parley?" she asked all of them and yet none of them at the same time.

"Strange tales from the North, my queen. Apparently, Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen flew there on one of the dragons and brought back something in a coffer with them, though what that was…" Qyburn said.

"You believe this to be what they wish me to see?" she asked to a nod from her Hand.

"Perhaps we can use this to our advantage. Lord Greyjoy, the Iron Fleet, we must make ready." she said and Euron smirked, his one eye showing a malice that she'd come to welcome seeing there "Send our acceptance Lord Hand."

Over the next few days, she discounted many different plans. Jaime talked her out of simply allowing them to enter King's Landing and then seeing them all dead. Her brother was too squeamish over the idea of breaking parley and while Euron was more willing to do so, in the end, she knew that Jaime was right. While winning was all that truly mattered, to be seen so clearly doing so in such a dishonorable way would lead to problems of its own. Besides, the dragons created issues of their own.

No, it needed to be far more clever than a simple frontal attack. They needed to be smarter than their enemies and so it wouldn't be at the parley, but after it, she'd see the Dragon Bitch and the rest of them fall. That she was curious too about whatever it was they had to show her had only strengthened her resolve in this regard. It was perhaps why when the day itself came she was more excited than anything else. While around her people were nervous, Cersei found herself keen for the meeting to begin and as Bernadette helped her dress so that she looked the true queen she was, she felt her heart begin to beat that little bit more quickly.

"How many?" she asked incredulously as she and Jaime rode to the Dragonpit, the carriage and her honor guard moving far more slowly than she wished.

"More than I could count. No army can stop them, your grace. We simply don't have the men and while armored and with lances, we could cut down many, eventually the Dothraki would overwhelm us." Jaime said and she shivered a little at his words.

"The Unsullied?" she asked and he nodded.

He told her of the ships that had sailed into Blackwater Bay and that he'd send Bronn to see them to the Dragonpit. Cersei wanted to make sure that they had already arrived and that she'd not be left waiting for them, something she had refused to do when Jaime had suggested it. She was queen after all, not this Daenerys Targaryen, she'd wait for no one, not even someone with a damn dragon. Arriving at the Dragonpit, she ensured once again that they were inside waiting, and then with a nod to Jaime and Euron, she made her way inside.

Seeing Olenna Tyrell quickly brought a grimace to her face, seeing Ellaria and Tyene Sand, shocked her. The look she gave Qyburn caused the man to turn from her as her anger was something he'd now provoked and once this parley was done with, something she'd certainly unleash. As she moved to her seat she caught sight of the young man. His dark hair was hanging loose and his dark eyes stared at her intently. Something about him stirred a memory in her and she wished to pull at that thread to find out what it was. Only for the sight of the wolf's head pommel on his sword and the wolves on his cloak to name him for who he was.

"Jon Snow?" she asked Jaime and saw him nod.

Turning her attention reluctantly from Eddard Stark's bastard son, she glared at Tyrion before taking her seat and then noticed who was not there. With a look to Qyburn, she bid him ask where Daenerys Targaryen was and then she and the rest of those assembled heard the sounds of the dragons in the air. Looking at them she felt her breath catch in her throat and then watching as one landed and a tiny figure in white climbed down off her back, she felt her eyes begin to narrow and focus fully on the Dragon Bitch.

Younger and More Beautiful, the voice called out in her head and Cersei gulped as she swallowed deeply.

The Dragonpit 303 AC.

Olenna.

How she kept her composure when Cersei Lannister walked into the Dragonpit she knew not. Just seeing the woman in the flesh, being so close to her that she could almost reach out and touch her, almost swayed her from what she must do. The image of her hands around the pale throat of the woman who'd taken her family from her was so vivid that she felt her hands open and close of their own accord. Thoughts of seeing those green eyes of the crazed lioness full of panic and then being closed for good, were nearly too sweet for her not to just take her chance and go for it.

It was the dark grey eyes of Jon Snow that looked to her with concern and with sympathy that pulled her back from the brink of messing everything up. The way he looked at her and seemed upset not for the threat of her losing her control, but for the emotional turmoil, she was in, was heart-warming. It reminded her so much of Margaery that she found herself taking a deep breath and with that she was ready again, ready for the plans they had so painstakingly discussed and it was to them that she sought to see her vengeance given to her.

" You wished to see me, Olenna?" Jon Snow asked as he walked into her room.

" I did, Jon," she replied as she bid him take a seat, glad to see he'd dispensed with the formality once they were alone.

" I take it this is about our plans?"

" It is, have you given them more thought?"

" Cersei would never live up to any agreement we made with her, we both know this." Jon said and she nodded "Yet parley is a sacred thing, and while I understand the place for honor is only when dealing with honorable people, I'd seek her grace to be considered honorable still."

" As would I."

" Mine own, however, I care not about. For what price honor next to another breath? What price is it compared to seeing a brother's smile or watching the sun as it sets while sitting with a sister?" Jon said almost wistfully and she was about to speak when he instead spoke some more "My family found to their cost that the world is full of people with no honor, Olenna. My father, my brother and his mother, me and my king, all of us found to our cost what value some place on their own honor. The tales I could tell you about my sister and what was done to her….I….But then you know as well as any, what truth there is in honorable words."

" To my cost, yes I do," she said sadly.

" Then if we can manage to keep her grace's honor intact, I'd be more than happy to see mine own besmirched," he said and she smiled.

" We have much to talk on, Jon, many plans we need to agree on. I hope you've no other plans for the evening."

" For this, I believe I can forgo my other plans, Olenna," he said determinedly.

They'd spoken through the night, she'd made suggestions which he had turned down and so she had listened to his own, finding them to be more thought out than hers had been. It made her wonder if he had already decided long before he came to her, or was it simply that he was a man who made plans for each and every outcome. She hoped it was the latter as a man such as that was a good one to have on your side. When he'd readied to leave she'd surprised him with her request, but they'd been speaking of honor so long that it seemed like a natural one to her.

" You wish me to take Lord Tarly's head?" he asked surprised.

" What is that saying of yours, he who passes the sentence swings the sword," she said and he nodded.

" Aye, but it's not me who's passing the sentence, Olenna."

" You would have me swing the sword?" she japed, getting a laugh out of him.

" Perhaps not, but surely one of you guards. Both look like capable men."

" They are indeed, and yet I'd seek if to be you. For Randyll it being you would be far more fitting and I know you have your own issues with him in regards to his son." her eyebrow raised as she spoke and she wondered if she'd pushed too far.

" Sam." Jon said softly before rising to his feet "You have my sword, Olenna."

" I thank you, Jon," she said, relieved.

" For you, not for Sam," he said as he walked from the room and she felt a lump in her throat at how he spoke and the words he uttered.

She heard the sound of the dragons and the gasps that came from Cersei and those with her. Jaime Lannister had paled at the sound and sight of them and then Olenna concentrated on Cersei and Cersei alone as Daenerys climbed down off the dragon's back. Would that she had understood the mad queen's true depths long before now. If only she'd understood just what kind of a woman Cersei truly was, then how different would things be?

They'd not have gotten a queen, that much was clear now. Not even the combined forces of the Reach could stand against the dragons, so it wouldn't be a crown that Margaery wore. Though with a glance at Jon Snow, she wondered if perhaps that too would have been a possibility and tried not to think of what she and her granddaughter could have done with such a man to marry and name as king. Had she but known just how truly vile Cersei Lannister was, then Margaery would live still and it would have been the green-eyed lioness who breathed no more. Looking into her eyes as Daenerys moved to her seat, she could see the very same looks she'd once aimed her granddaughter's way and she cursed herself for not knowing then what she did now.

Once again it was dark grey eyes that looked her way and offered her the sympathy and empathy she needed. The comfort of knowing that the time was almost upon her to see her son, grandson, and granddaughter avenged. When she saw the small nod of Jon Snow's head she somehow managed not to smile or stand up and cheer. All doubts were now gone, all plans now put aside but this one and she readied to play her part and to see a lioness fall.

"We've been here for some time." Cersei pointed out bitterly.

"My apologies," Daenerys replied placidly.

"We are all facing a unique…" the imp started, only to be interrupted by Euron Greyjoy.

"How the fuck did you manage to get past my boats, Theon? You aren't even a real reaver. You shouldn't -"

"I think we ought, to begin with, larger concerns, Lord Greyjoy." Tyrion replied.

"Then why are you talking? You're the smallest concern here."

"Do you remember when we discussed dwarf jokes? His wasn't even good." Tyrion said no one in particular and she wondered if he just liked the sound of his own voice that much.

"We don't even let your kind live in the Iron Islands, you know. We kill you at birth. An act of mercy for the parents." Euron said, smirking and it annoyed her so much she brought it to an end.

"Oh, for fuck's sake, would you just shut up? We don't care about your empty threats. Why should we, when you're not even capable of stopping a single boat? And you, Lannister, get to the point of this meeting!" Olenna sighed loudly, more and more irritated.

"You fucking old -" Euron began only for Cersei to seem to have had enough of his words too.

"As much as it irks me, Lord Greyjoy, Lady Tyrell is right. Perhaps you ought to sit down." Cersei said briskly.

"Why?"

"Sit down or leave," she ordered and the reaver complied begrudgingly.

"We are a group of people who do not like one another. As this recent demonstration has shown." Tyrion started again. "We have suffered at each other's hands. We have lost people we love at each other's hands. If all we wanted was more of the same, there would be no need for this gathering. We are entirely capable of waging war against each other without meeting face-to-face."

"The point, monster. The point." Cersei growled.

"Here's your point!" Jon spat as he finally tugged on the chain that was holding the coffer closed.

Why the creature didn't manifest itself before was a mystery to Olenna, but she was glad it hadn't, for the effect, the Wight had when it got out and rushed toward Cersei made their presentation all the more impactful.

The Kingslayer sprung into action, yet perhaps it was the shock of what it was he faced or that it moved so very quickly, but she and others watched as the sword he unsheathed fell to the ground leaving him unarmed. Moving quickly as the wight neared where he stood, he grabbed a sword from one of the guards and plunged it into the wight's body. He obviously hoped to end the threat to his sister, which, to his utter horror, didn't work. The screeching creature clawed at the knight, making him lose his hold on the sword enough for it to escape and resume its course toward its prey.

"Jon! Do something!" Tyrion yelled, and Olenna saw Daenerys frown while hearing her hand's panicked voice.

Had she finally realized just how much he was still attached to his family? That he was scared for his sister? He made everyone think he hated her but family was family, whether we liked it or not.

She could see Daenerys' trepidation as the thing got closer to Cersei, and Olenna had to admit that she felt some too. They should just let the Wight do their work for them, end Cersei and solve their problem once and for all. Part of her wished for it, she rejoiced at seeing the Lioness cower in fear behind her seat, but that moment soon came to an end because of Euron Greyjoy. The so-called king of the Iron Island took his sword and cleaved the Wight in two, smirking when he found little resistance in front of him.

"See? There's nothing to be scared o-"

She couldn't help herself and so she laughed at his yelp when the creature he'd thought dead grabbed one of his ankles. He hacked at its arm, determined to make it release its hold, but it didn't let go even after having some of its limbs detached from its body.

She understood Wights could be dangerous, but as she looked back at Jon who was somberly surveying the scene unfolding, she understood why he'd been desperate for their help. He had lived this situation more than once, with hundreds and thousands of them to defeat. Jon had talked to her about Hardhome and seeing the Wight's resilience, she realized now how difficult it might have been for him and the Free Folk to get out of there alive.

These things would not tire and were immune to most weapons. It was a nightmare to think of an army filled with them.

"We can destroy them by burning them. And we can destroy them with Dragonglass. If we don't win this fight, then that is the fate that awaits every person in the world." Jon said as he finally used a knife made of Dragonglass to end the Wight and to prove his point.

"There is only one war that matters. The Great War. And it is here. I didn't believe it until I saw it." Daenerys said soberly.

"And there are more like him beyond the Wall. So many more than you could imagine," Jon added.

"How many?" the Kingslayer asked, picking up his fallen sword and looking visibly shaken.

"A Hundred thousand at least." Jon replied.

"Can they swim?" Euron questioned.

"No."

"Good. I'm taking the Iron Fleet back to the Iron Islands."

"You are not going anywhere, Euron Greyjoy," Danaerys said as he started to walk away.

"Excuse me? Have you seen this thing?" he retorted.

"I have, and this is why we have to settle things, now."

"If my brother, Jaime, has informed me correctly, you're asking me for a truce," Cersei said as she sat back on her chair, still shaking.

"I believe you were misinformed," the True Queen said, to Olenna's delight, and Tyrion stared at her in disbelief. "We're asking for your surrender. We have no time left to play your games, Cersei Lannister. We have another battle, the most important one of them all, to prepare for, and we need to rally under one and only one banner. Mine."

"Your Grace, that is not what we have discussed." Tyrion said shakily.

"I know what we discussed and yet I've changed my terms, Lord Hand. Is there a problem?"

"Is this a jest? You seriously came here to ask me to surrender?" Cersei scoffed.

"I showed you and your council this Wight to appeal to your good senses, even if most of my council, with the exception of the brother you hate so much but seems to want to protect you at all costs, told me you don't have any. It was my way to ask you nicely to surrender."

"Your Grace, I've only…" Tyrion's tirade once again was ignored by his sister.

"And what would I become if I did just that?" Cersei snapped.

"You and your brother will be tried for your crimes against the realm. There is no redemption for either of you."

"You must be as mad as your father if you think I would give my life away so easily. And hypocritical at that. What about those who surround you? Oathbreakers, murderers, kinslayers… Are you willing to try them too?" Cersei asked angrily.

"What do you mean?"

"Ellaria Sand poisoned my daughter. The abomination you keep as your Hand murdered my son and my father. Your so-called honorable Northman deserted the Wall, did he tell you how his father used to take the heads of all those who deserted before him? Will they be tried also? And do you truly believe anyone will follow you when you are allied with such despicable people?"

"They followed you when you became a kinslayer, when you blew up my son, my grandson and my granddaughter, your queen, as well as your uncle and some of your own family.

Why should they not follow her when she is not you?" Olenna intervened.

"You cannot prove what you accuse me of, you Old hag." Cersei spat. "It was Tyrion acting Tyrion on behalf of his queen who blew up the Great Sept. After all, we all know about the Targaryen's obsessive love for wildfire!"

She looked to Jon Snow who gave her another nod. Her time had come and she was ready to play what could very well be the last game of her life.

"I knew that you were delusional from the moment I met you. I had planned on using that for many years, I must say. You only managed to surprise me once and it cost me, my family. I guess we should call it a just penance. Even if I'm not sure the gods would have punished me that much for getting rid of a mad piece of shit who thought of the Seven Kingdom as his playground and his people as things for him to mistreat." she said, looking straight at Cersei as she glared back at her.

"What in the seven hells are you talking about?" the Kingslayer asked as she moved to stand in front of them both while her other allies watched her with bated breath.

"I'm talking about your son. Your Golden Lion. the pride of your pride. That was Joffrey's sword, wasn't it?" she asked, pointing to the sword on the Kingslayer's hip and seeing him nod she continued "What did he call it?. she asked and Jaime Lannister answered.

"Widow's Wail."

He really was a cunt, wasn't he?"

"How dare you speak about my son that way?" Cersei yelled, only to be restrained by her brother, her lover, at that moment.

"You see, Queen Daenerys… It's true I did unspeakable things to protect my family." Olenna said, deliberately turning away from Cersei to look now at Daenerys. "Or more I watched them being done on my orders. I never lost a night's sleep over any of them. For they were necessary. And whatever I imagined was necessary for the safety of House Tyrell, I did. But Cersei over there has done things… I was incapable of imagining. That was my prize mistake… a failure of imagination. She's a monster, you do know that?" she asked.

"I know, my Lady." Daenerys answered softly and again Olenna found herself looking to Jon now and letting his resolve fuel her own.

"Yet you were willing to marry your wretched granddaughter to my son!" Cersei retorted.

"Which was why I had to take matters in hand to protect Margaery. Yes, I wanted us to grow strong, but not at my beloved granddaughter's expanse. The last thing I wanted was for her to be tied to a monster like Joffrey. Tommen, yes, Tommen was a good boy. A boy who loved his wife enough to kill himself after she had been killed by his own mother. We wanted Tommen to be king, not because he deserved it, but because my Margaery deserved better. I remember it clearly. the day of their wedding. The Purple Wedding, they'd named it, after the color of your son's face when he died," she continued as Jaime narrowed his eyes on her. "Joffrey clawing at his neck, foam, and bile spilling from his mouth, eyes blood red, skin purple. Must have been horrible for you, as a Kingsguard, as a father, to witness the death of your eldest son. Even you, as a mother, to see him drown in his own pool of blood without being unable to help him. It was horrible enough for me. A shocking scene. Not at all what I intended."

She could feel all three of the Lannisters siblings stare at her as realization began to dawn on them. Silence fell onto the Dragon Pit while each person present listened as Olenna confessed her crime.

"Yes. It was me, not Tyrion. I wanted to protect my Sweet Rose from the abomination you'd birthed, and you foolishly thought it was your brother, which then led to the death of Oberyn Martell and the revenge both Tyrion and Ellaria took on your family. First, your father, then your daughter. I wanted to look you in the eye Cersei, to let you know that it was me and while you thought you were a step ahead of me by killing my family, I was always one step ahead by ending yours."

She chanced another glance at Jon Snow, who seemed to understand what she was doing, the plan they had settled on had involved her goading Cersei into making a mistake. By admitting she killed Joffrey, she not only got Cersei's full attention but also garnered her complete hatred, and there was no doubt that it was enough.

" We will need something, anything to make sure Cersei will break parley. She has to move first, before witnesses. Then and only then will we be able to end this war once and for all." the young man had said to her, as they sat in her chambers at Dragonstone.

" Then I might be the one you need for that task, young man…" she chuckled.

" Are you sure, my Lady?"

" I know exactly what to say and it is high time I say it. Trust me, once I'm done with Cersei Lannister, you'll have your war served to you on a silver platter."

And as she saw the Kingslayer walking toward her with his sword drawn, while his sister ordered him to kill the old bitch, she smiled, knowing that she had truly played her part and that the game was afoot.

The Battle of King's Landing 303 AC.

Dany.

She had made her entrance as had been suggested. Even though she had wished to travel with the others. Dany had wanted to be with them as they entered the city, but both Jon and Olenna had suggested that she made a much more impressive entrance and so it was with the dragons that she had arrived. Seeing the Dragonpit as she climbed down unaided off Drogon's back had made her feel a little sad that this is what it had become. A place that once housed the mightiest of her family's dragons was now little more than a ruin and she both wished for it to be rebuilt when she sat the throne and felt that perhaps it was better if it was not.

Cersei was everything that Olenna had described her as. She was beautiful, but her beauty was only skin deep and how she looked at her, how she spoke to her, showed her for the crazed lioness she truly was. When the Wight was released and she saw it run towards her, a part of her wished it to be just let go, for its chains to be released and for this to be over and done with. Dany would not wish anyone to meet their end that way and so upon seeing it finally be killed for true, she was not the only one breathing relievedly.

Dany had then laid out her terms and glared at Tyrion when he questioned them. He'd wished for her to offer a truce and had sworn that his sister would live up to the terms of one. Even after she'd broken them already in trying to kill both Ellaria and Tyene by poisoning them, Tyrion had still defended her and long before Jon and Olenna had told her that she should not agree to such a thing, she'd already decided she wouldn't. When Jon had come to her and spoken of the plan he had to take the city, she'd agreed immediately. Now as she watched it unfold in front of her eyes, she wasn't sure she should have. Hearing her fiercest ally talk about how she had killed their enemy's son, however mad he was, was unsettling, and she truly hoped in her heart that Olenna was lying to rile Cersei up and not openly admitting to a crime she committed.

"Kill the Old Hag and the Dragon Bitch too! Kill the Demon Monkey, Kill them All!." Cersei shouted and then there was chaos.

For a moment she was paralyzed, she was almost lost and unable to move and then she heard Jon's voice as he took command.

"Grey Worm, protect the queen. Erryk, Arryk, your lady. Dany… Dany, go to Drogon, you need to be in the sky now." Jon shouted as around her people moved to do as he had commanded.

"Jon." she said as the giant of a man moved towards them and then Rhaegal roared.

"GO NOW!" Jon shouted and with that, she was running as men fell and as Jaime Lannister moved her way.

By the time she reached Drogon, Jaime Lannister was on the ground and Jon was facing off against the Giant. Olenna, Ellaria, and Tyene all stood behind Olenna's giant guards and some of the Unsullied, while Tyrion moved her way. In the distance, she could see Cersei, Euron, and others race away from the Dragonpit and her first instinct was to go after them, only for Grey Worm's words to send her off in a different direction so she could carry out her part in Jon's plan.

"The gates, my queen." Grey Worm said.

"Jon, the others." she said and Grey Worm nodded though he didn't move until she and Drogon were in the sky, then and only then did he head back to where the fighting was at its fiercest.

Drogon flew to the gates as she bid him to, both Rhaegal and Viserion flying with her, and then she looked to see that Rhaegal was no longer there. Fearing for her son, she almost turned back, only to then see him flying over the Dragonpit and she knew why and who he was there for. It comforted her greatly and allowed her to focus on what she needed to. The gates loomed in front of her and as she was about to give the order for Drogon to burn them and allow her army into the city when she saw them open of their own accord.

Directing Drogon to the ballistae and scorpions on the walls nearest the gates, she was stunned to see that the Lannister men who manned them were no more. Instead, it was her Unsullied who owned the walls and who had opened the gates and she looked on as Qhono led his men into the city. The Khalasar was riding hard and fast and through the few Lannister men that tried to stop them. She had no fear of them sacking the city or doing things they should not, as they were not mindless savages as some may think them to be, not anymore. They were her men, her true army, and seeing them ride as they did, she knew that the city would be hers before very long.

Now she needed to end the threat that still remained and so she headed for the Dragonpit only for Drogon and Viserion to instead head out to the sea and soon enough she was leaving the city behind. She spoke angrily to her dragon, ordered him to take her back, and cursed him when he did not. Her son could be wilful at times and as he flew further out to the sea, it seemed this was to be yet another example of such. It was only when she saw the ships beneath her and saw where they were going that she forgave him. Parley it seemed was only a word to Cersei Lannister and Euron Greyjoy and while they were in King's Landing, they'd sent ships to take Dragonstone.

"Dracarys." she said as she flew closer to the ships, the arrows and scorpion bolts that were fired at them didn't even come close and the wave of fire those on board the ships were hit with for daring to do so seemed righteous to her.

These people were trying to hurt her children, they intended to take her island and make those she cared for suffer. Missandei, Melisandre, and so many others were there and she'd not see them harmed, not when she could stop it from happening.

"Dracarys." she said again and another ship was soon ablaze and then another and another, Viserion doing as Drogon was and beneath them, the Iron Fleet burned.

Varys.

He led the men through the tunnels and to the exit nearest the walls. Dothraki archers and Unsullied to take the walls and open the gates and then the Khalasar would be free to enter the city itself. To say he'd not been in favor of this plan was an understatement. While unlike Tyrion he knew a truce with Cersei would never be upheld, he had no wish for the act of taking King's Landing to be clouded in doubt or questions of his queen breaking parley.

Jon Snow had convinced him that he'd never allow that to happen, that he too understood how that could be used against Daenerys, and while he'd promised he'd help win this war and wished to be back with his brother, he'd not sully the queen's honor to see that come to pass. Cersei would break parley clearly enough to leave no doubt, once she had, then and only then would they attack. So he'd done as he was bid, he'd snuck the men in through the tunnels and now he led them to await the signal and to see to the start of this city's fall.

There were few times he prayed or even sought the gods' help in anything he did. Long had it been since he'd truly believed in them and yet now, at this time, he offered up a prayer to them and begged them that this sack would not be like the last one. When he heard the roar, he nodded to the archers and the Unsullied, and then he watched as they moved to the walls. Arrows flew, men fell, the Unsullied hurried up the steps and cut through Lannister men as if they were green boys. Whether it was the suddenness of the attack, the sound of the dragon's roar, or that the Unsullied had done this before, he couldn't quite tell. All he knew was that it was over in the blink of an eye and the sounds of the Dothraki riding through the city drowned out even the sounds of Drogon and Viserion as they flew overhead.

"We go to the Dragonpit, to Torgho Nudho." he said to the Unsullied who remained with him and they turned to hurry through the tunnels and back the way they came.

He smelt the blood before they saw the bodies, Unsullied and Ironborn dead were blocking the way and he knew then that he'd been right and Euron and Cersei, one or both had come this way to escape. Looking at the bodies he couldn't see either of them amongst them and though his count may have been off, he feared that the men he'd left here had all been killed. It left him in a quandary and had he not seen the broken links on the ground, it would have been to Jon Snow and the others he'd have gone.

"Qyburn." he said and then looked around to see another link on the ground, there was blood, a few drops, and it led down one of the other tunnels and so it was there that he headed.

Jon.

He'd been on edge all through the parley, thoughts of what could go wrong and the risks he was having people take here were all that was running through his mind. Yet when Olenna spoke and he saw the change come over Cersei, he knew he'd been right and that this was the only way this day could go. Even the best-laid plans don't necessarily come to fruition though and he'd perhaps not truly accounted for the giant guard that stood at Cersei's back. Was he not so worried now about those with him, he'd perhaps have laughed for not doing so.

" No plan survives first contact with the enemy, Jon Snow." Maester Aemon said.

Truer words have never been spoken and he was now finding that out first hand. Around him, it was still chaotic and yet the worst of it was over. Dany had flown on Drogon when he'd bid her to, Grey Worm had taken down Jaime Lannister who was either dead or unconscious and Jon found he cared not which. Erryk and Arryk had done the job of ten men and Olenna, Ellaria, and Tyene were safe behind them and were now being joined by more and more of the Unsullied. Even Tyrion was no longer in any danger and Jon wondered if he should have arranged for the Imp to have had himself a little accident or not.

It mattered little now, their fights may be done, his own was not, and as he dodged out of the way of the Greatsword and drove home Longclaw once again, he was beginning to wonder if the giant in front of him could actually be hurt, let alone killed. He'd cut through two Unsullied as if they were nothing, the Greatsword slicing them in two as he moved towards Olenna. Jon's shouts to Erryk and Arryk to stay with their lady and to not fight the giant had thankfully been listened to. Even now he held his hand to hold the two men back, fearing more so for them than he was for himself.

Again and again, he'd cut through the heavy steel plate, Longclaw doing what castle forged steel could not. Yet no matter how deep he thrust or how cleanly his strike, it slowed the giant down not a jot. What was frustrating was that other than for his incredible strength, the giant was an inferior swordsman by any measure. Jon had him beat in skill, speed and was dancing around him easily. Were his opponent an ordinary man then he'd be dead right now and yet despite his wounds and how many times Jon's sword had struck home, it was he and not the giant who was tiring.

"No stay back." he said when some Unsullied moved to help him, shaking his head when Lady Olenna bid Erryk and Arryk do the same "Protect the others, Erryk, Arryk, your lady above all else."

Dodging out of the way of yet another strike he saw his opening and drove Longclaw deep into the exposed neck and through the giant's chin before pulling it back out and then finding himself winded as he flew through the air. He coughed and spat up some blood as he staggered to his feet and was relieved and yet not to see the giant move his way. Erryk, Arryk, the Unsullied, all began to move towards them both and he shouted as he coughed and spat a little more blood.

"Get them out of here, now. Go Now, do not dally." he shouted and with a nod to Olenna, he saw her begin to move with Ellaria, Tyene, and Tyrion.

He swore he could see a smile on the Imp's face, but perhaps that was his mind playing tricks on him as he spat out yet another mouthful of blood. The chuckle he made may well have made him look as if he'd lost his mind, but in truth, he had finally found something amusing. The thoughts that he'd bitten the inside of his cheek and that the blood came from that and not from the blow he'd taken from the giant Kingsguard were ones that he knew later would cause him much merriment. So since it was looking as if he may not have a later, he may as well enjoy them now.

"Come on you big ugly fucker." he said as the giant moved towards him and as they fought once more, Jon felt himself slowing down as his tiredness finally began to take effect.

The roar came out of nowhere and he looked on in awe as he watched the giant be lifted in the air and then dropped from a great height. Rhaegal's fire only melted the plate and did nothing to the men underneath, it was his claws and teeth tearing into him that ended the fight that Jon was having and he'd not begrudge the green dragon his victory or the plaudits he deserved.

"Go to your mother, make sure she's safe." he said to Rhaegal and then he moved to where Olenna and the others stood.

"You are well?" Olenna asked worriedly.

"Aye." he said, spitting out another mouthful of blood "I need to see to the rest of it. Stay with your guards and I'll send more men your way."

"Be careful, Jon." Olenna said and he was surprised to see that both Ellaria and Tyene seemed just as worried as she was.

"You too, Olenna." he said, and then he was running from the Dragonpit, with Grey Worm by his side.

Cersei.

It had all gone wrong, from the moment she'd seen that thing she'd lost any thought and planning she'd done. Seeing it come towards her, hearing the noise it made, and watching as even after it had been cut in half it still moved, had absolutely terrified her. That would have been the only feeling she'd have been able to have was it not for the Dragon Bitch telling her she'd lose her head no matter what decision she made. That this wasn't a parley, it was a surrender.

Then it had been anger which had been her prevailing emotion and even that wasn't to be the one she walked, no ran from the Dragonpit feeling the most. Hatred, pure unadulterated hatred was what she felt and not for her little monster of a brother or a northern bastard, not even for the Dragon Bitch. The hatred she felt was righteous, true, and directed at one person and one person only, Olenna Tyrell. Never before or she believed ever would she again hate someone as much as she hated that withered old cunt.

So much did she hate her that she wished to stay and watch her be killed, or to look upon her as she and the rest of them burned. Yet she could not, she knew it, Euron knew it, and her guards knew it. So she ran, she left the woman who murdered her precious baby boy behind, and she prayed to whatever god would listen to her to give her vengeance, give her justice. When they were in the tunnels and the men with spears came for them, she watched as her guards fell, as some of the Ironborn fell and she feared for the first time that it was to be her that would meet her fate here today.

Euron though was as magnificent as Jaime had ever been, different and more bloodthirsty, but magnificent all the same. He cut down any who faced them and saved Qyburn's life when she bid him to. The Maester had work to do here that she needed him alive for, a final act in her service perhaps but one that would earn him her gratitude. They left the bodies behind and moved to the tunnel that Qyburn directed them to and it was as they reached it and readied to use it that she gave him the order.

"Burn them, Qyburn. Burn them all." she said before she, Euron, and the remaining Ironborn left him and the guards alone and moved into the tunnel.

When they came out the other side it was to find her worst fears had come through. The city, her city, was no longer hers, and no longer was it safe for her to be here. She didn't even hear Euron when he told her where they were going and barely felt his hand in hers as he grabbed her and they began to run once more. Down side streets, through alleys, past the savage Horselords that rode through the streets and killed Lannister guards and Gold Cloaks alike.

The city was or would soon be lost and she hoped that it wasn't just the wildfire under the Dragonpit that Qyburn would set off, but the entire cache that was hidden under every single part of the city. If the city was not to be hers, then no one would have it and the Dragon Bitch's father's last command would finally come to pass. To the realm, it would look like another mad dragon had used wildfire and would prove the Dragon Bitch was as mad as her father had been, and Cersei would revel in that and in the knowledge that once again all her enemies would burn.

It took them more than an hour to get to the ship and no explosion came, not even the merest spark could be seen light up the sky, and as they made their way from the small cove that Euron had hidden The Silence in, she cursed Qyburn for failing her. Men always seemed to do so, no matter how true their intent or their promises were. Jaime, her father, Mandon Moore, even Euron himself had failed her, and yet she was at the mercy of a man once more. This one was a man who knew little mercy and so later as they lay together and she whispered in his ear, she told him of the babe that grew in her belly, more out of worry that he'd abandon her than anything else.

"What care…."

The sound of pounding on the door stopped Euron from whatever he was about to say, and she watched as he dressed hurriedly. She too did likewise and followed after him as he raced up the stairs and out onto the deck. There had been few times in her life when she felt truly terrified. When Stannis was at the gates of the city or when Ned Stark confronted her about her children, when she had realized how much danger Myrcella was truly in, seeing that thing in the Dragonpit and now. This time she felt it even more so than any of the others. Looking at the dragons in the distance and knowing they were heading right to them, she felt scared and her first instinct was that she should not be here. Was it not for the maniacal smile on Euron's face, she'd perhaps have jumped overboard to try and get away from the inevitable flames that were soon to come their way.

"Bring me the Horn." Euron shouted to one of the silent sailors under his command.

"The Horn?" she asked confusedly.

"Dragonbinder." he said, his smile growing ever larger.

The race between which would arrive first, the dragons or the Dragonbinder was won thankfully by the latter and she watched as Euron bid one of the men to blow the horn. She had never heard a sound like it before and prayed she'd never heard it again. It sent shivers right down her spine and she shuddered as the sound rang out loudly. Looking to the sky she saw it and couldn't believe it, the golden dragon began to fly erratically and its pained roars could perhaps be heard for miles around.

"Blow it again." Euron said eagerly to no reply and when she looked to the Dragonbinder she saw the man who'd blown it laying unmoving on the ground "You blow." Euron said, grabbing another silent sailor, and once again the horn rang out.

This time the golden dragon began letting out its flames as if it was attacking an unseen enemy and yet Euron looked almost disappointed. She herself was relieved when the two dragons flew away from them rather than towards them and yet for days afterward she looked to the skies with worry only to find no sight of them to be seen. What they were to do now she knew not. The remnants of a half-burned fleet had joined them as they sailed in the Narrow Sea and towards Essos and Euron looked at her more and more with looks that were less than loving. Looks that in truth scared her and was it not for what she'd said to him as they lay together each night, she feared what he may do. The idea she'd come up with was so good, so true, and so appealing to him that she in the end had won his favor for true, she believed.

After all, the Dragon Bitch had taken her city, why should she not take the one she'd named as her own from her in return.

Qyburn.

He was lucky to be alive, it was only that the queen had wished for him to undertake this final task in her service or she'd have let him fall as she did so many of her guards. Cersei cared not for his life or his safety, she cared only for herself and the things she wished and so he'd been lucky that she wished something from him. It had made him consider whether he would do it though. Made him think of abandoning her completely and just disappearing once again. He'd done so before after all.

Yet she had raised him up, given him position and the freedom to do the things he truly desired. The experiments he'd waited for so very long to prove true had been accomplished only because of her patronage and so while she cared not for him, he, in turn, cared greatly for her. So he moved through the tunnels and finally, he saw the right one in front of him. Soon enough the Dragonpit would be covered in fire and he found himself wondering if dragons burned and what they would look like if they did.

It took him far too long to set it up. Qyburn had not intended to meet his end here and so it would be a delayed fire that was needed. One that gave him more than enough time to get far from here and yet not so much that those above him would leave too. So concentrated was he on this that he didn't hear the sounds of the fighting behind him. Nor did he see as his guards were dispatched far too easily. He didn't even hear the footsteps of the man behind him as he moved towards him and were it not for the smell of his perfume, then he'd not have known that Varys was there.

"Have you come to kill me?" he asked as he felt the knife against his throat.

"I have no desire to see you die, Qyburn, but your service to Cersei Lannister is at an end." Varys said and Qyburn nodded.

He was tied up and led from the tunnels once he'd removed the immediate danger of the Wildfire. Then he was taken through the city and he looked on as Dothraki behaved as anything but the savages he and others had named them as. Looking to Varys he could see that the Eunuch was pleased by what he was seeing and he had every right to be. The city had been taken, the people were unharmed and though they were wary of the Horselords and the Unsullied, it seemed they welcomed them too.

"The queen?" he heard Varys ask an Unsullied when they reached the Red Keep.

"Is on Drogon. Lord Snow is inside."

"The City and Keep belong to the Queen?" Varys asked and the Unsullied nodded.

Entering the Red Keep proper he could see the Unsullied were everywhere and as they reached the Throne Room he could see the Imp, Lady Olenna, and her giant guards, Ellaria and Tyene Sand, and Jon Snow who seemed to be involved in a glaring contest with Tyrion Lannister. Expecting to be brought before the Imp who he knew served as Hand of the Queen, it was instead Jon Snow who decided his fate.

"Lord Snow, may I present Qyburn the former Hand of the Queen." Varys said and given how Jon Snow glanced at Tyrion, he may not be the only one named as such soon.

"This s the man responsible for that monstrosity?" Jon Snow asked and Varys looked at him before giving him leave to speak.

"On my queen's orders, Lord Snow. The monstrosity you refer to was once Ser Gregor Clegane." he said to gasps from the two Dornish Women.

"Then it's good he moves no more." Jon Snow said looking to both women and to Lady Olenna most of all "Put him with the other prisoners, Lord Varys, her grace will see to him once she's returned."

"We expect her to return soon, Lord Snow?" Varys asked, sounding worried.

"Presently, my lord."

He wasn't brought before the queen that day or the next or even the next. In fact, he found out that she and Jon Snow had left the city and flown to Dragonstone for some reason. The cell he was placed in was pleasant enough and he was treated well, at least until he was not. The end when it came was not as quick as he'd have wished it to be, nor as painless. How she'd found out all he'd done he knew not, but the moment her lips touched his own, he knew his fate was sealed.

"You cost me my sisters and almost cost me my mother. You allowed the monster who killed my father to walk this world far longer than he deserved to." Tyene said and when she moved forward and stuck the knife in him he looked at her surprised

"You thought it was the kiss, perhaps." he heard the other voice say and he looked to see Ellaria Sand standing at the cell door.

"I…" he said as he felt the poison flow through his veins and make its way to his heart and his last thought was that using the same poison that Oberyn had coated his spear with was perhaps fair justice in their minds.

Dragonstone 303 AC.

Jon.

They had gotten away and Dany was upset and angered by it and yet he found he was not bothered as much as she or others were. In time they'd find Cersei and Euron and deal with them and so for now he wished to concentrate and to have Dany concentrate on the fact that the war was won. King's Landing was theirs, the Lannister army was broken and soon Dany could be crowned and he could go back North to see his brother. Something he wished to do as quickly as possible and which had perhaps been why he'd so readily agreed to the plan to take the city.

For now, it was to the dragons he was to go, the raven's scroll in his hand was something he wished to share with her, and should she wish to fly straight to Dragonstone then he'd be joining her. Olenna and Varys could see to the city and Tyrion when he stopped sulking and drinking. could help or not. Preparations for kneeling and oaths of fealty and a coronation didn't require Dany's presence and the news he carried in the scroll would perhaps take precedence. Just as Viserion's welfare had for her for the past day and night.

He'd wished to spend that time with her, to be by her side and would have, was there not so much to do. The city had to be secured, all pockets of potential resistance needed to be snuffed out, and then and only then could he do as she was and offer a dragon comfort. That he knew Rhaegal wished him to do so and that the green dragon wished to be thanked and praised for what he'd done in the Dragonpit was perhaps something he'd question more were it not for Ghost. The white wolf was much the same at times and as he finally saw the Dragonpit and the guards come into view, he promised himself he'd soothe both the green dragon's and Dany's own concerns as best he could.

"Has there been any trouble?" he asked the large Dothraki guards, men he'd sparred with more than once.

"No, Queen has been undisturbed, Ver." the guard replied and Jon tried to remember his name, taking a moment before it came to him. "Good work, Ayollo."

He walked into the Dragonpit and saw her standing beside the golden dragon while Drogon and Rhaegal looked on. It was the green dragon who noticed him first and so he moved to him before then moving to Dany.

"I owe you much, Rhaegal. I'd not be here was it not for you. Thank you, my friend. Thank you." he said as he stroked the green dragon's snout and heard him trill "Your brother will be well, as you saved me I swear it I'll not allow anyone or anything to harm you or him, or even your grumpier older brother too." he said and he swore the dragon snorted at him "I need to speak to your mother, I'll not leave for some time." he said to another trill from Rhaegal.

Moving to her, he felt the need to touch her and offer her some comfort and so without thinking he reached out and took her hand in his, Dany looked at him surprised at first and then seemed pleased he'd done so.

"How is he?" he asked softly.

"He's better. I… that horn…"

"Will be destroyed as will the man who dared wield it." he said firmly and she nodded relieved "A raven from Missandei." he said handing her the scroll and he welcomed the smile that appeared on her face as she read it.

"I had not dared to hope." she said softly "I must, I must go to him."

"I'll join you. The scroll says Sam is with him and like you I've not spoken to my true friend for far too long."

"His father?" she asked and he nodded.

"Best it comes from me too." he said and then she looked at him worriedly.

"The city, I can't….I'm needed here."

"Aye. But not today. Olenna and Varys can see that the city runs in your absence and Grey Worm can see that the men follow their orders. Ellaria is here too should she be needed…."

"Tyrion?"

"Sulks still. Come, you'll not rest until you hear it from his lips yourself." he said and she smiled at him as they walked over to Drogon and climbed up on his back.

They took no guards, where they were going they didn't need them and they arrived on the island less than a few hours after setting off. Night hadn't even begun to fall yet and with a fly over the keep to show they were here, they then landed on the cliffs and were soon joined by both Ser Jorah Mormont and Sam. Jon offered the latter a warm smile while not really looking at the former too much other than to see how much he resembled his father.

He both did and didn't and so it was to Dany he then looked and was relieved to see her so joyful as she and Ser Jorah got reacquainted. Grey Worm had told him all about the Knight of Bear Island and how close he was to Dany. He'd explained how much he meant to her and of his betrayal and later reacceptance into her inner circle. Turning to Sam he again offered his friend a warm smile and when Dany bid them head back to the keep, he asked to stay so he and Sam could speak privately. Truth be told he felt comforted on these cliffs and seeing Rhaegal flying not too far away was an added bonus.

"Gilly?" he asked once he and Sam were alone.

"Is still in Oldtown, Jon." Sam said, surprising him.

"Little Sam?"

"They don't like to travel by ship and so I felt the need to come alone. I'll head back once we've spoken and then we'll make our way North from there." Sam said and Jon nodded, though were he to wager it would be Sam he'd have said didn't like sailing and not Gilly, maybe it was Little Sam who was the bad traveler.

"You've seen your father and brother?" he asked to a shake of Sam's head.

"I've no wish to see either."

"I thought you and your brother?"

"I came for you, Jon." Sam said, and something about how he said it forced Jon to look at Sam more closely, to see his eyes and notice the look in them and then to take a step back as Rhaegal roared loudly in warning.

Had he not then the knife may have ended up in his neck and it would have been the end of him. Instead, it allowed him to strike out and catch Sam or whoever this was in front of him, hard across the face. Jon reached for his own knife rather than Longclaw and was just about to pull it from his belt when he felt himself begin to fall. Above him he could see the edge of the cliffs and a wave of flames being unleashed on them and though he knew that whoever that was who had worn Sam's face was dead, it did little to help his own situation any.

The impact as he hit the water was almost enough to knock him out instantly, only the need to try and stay above the waves allowed him to not simply drift off. Yet it was useless, pointless, and beyond him. and he felt his eyes close as he began to sink. His thoughts were jumbled, Dany, Rickon, Ghost, Rhaegal, Arya, Winterfell, Dragonstone, Tormund, Olenna, Melisandre, Davos, images that flashed before his eyes, and then there was darkness.