19 Chapter 16(b)

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As they walked down the Walk of Punishment, Caspian took in the ships they had managed to procure and was somewhat disappointed. Right now, all they would need was ships to carry them across the Narrow Sea but none of the ships in the harbor were ships of war. They would need to wait for perhaps two years or more to procure the ships they would need.

Unless of course, they waited a few months for the dragons to grow to an appropriate size before journeying to Yunkai and Mereen and take their ships.

There was also the task of finding and teaching people who knew how to pilot ships.

And then there was the matter of finding people in Westeros to support them and forming alliances.

Now that both of his uncles were gone and the Storm lords had essentially been wiped out, the only allies Caspian now had were in the north.

And he had no idea about the fate of the Starks.

He would need to speak with the queen about perhaps procuring ships from the north and their bannermen. Lord Stark owed him a favor after all and if the man was still alive,

Caspian had a feeling that he wouldn't forget his promises.

Still, their biggest enemy at this point was time. And it could prove to be the most defeating opponent of all.

Daenerys turned to him then as they stood overlooking the harbor. "Seeing as how you told me a few days ago that the Braavosi might retaliate and come for the ships that they had seized, do you think it more likely that I fight will be waged?"

Caspian shook his head. "Unfortunately your grace, only time will tell and I know that that is an irritating concept but at the moment it's all we have."

She sighed. "I suppose that is all we can do. It is hard not knowing something sometimes. The world would certainly be a much easier place to live in if we knew what was going to happen so we could prepare for it."

"I disagree," Caspian said. "If we knew what was going to happen before it happened and the choices of other people meant that we could not do anything about it, we would be haunted for the rest of our lives about what it is that happened is happening and is going to happen. In this way, we only have to deal with the aftermath and then deal with the future as best as we can."

He said the words almost tiredly as he was thinking of Edric.

Caspian certainly knew now that he would have wanted to save Edric but at the same time, he wouldn't have been able to influence his mother's hatred for the personifications of his father's insults towards her.

If he had known, he might have thought it a good idea to send Edric north to Winterfell where he would be safe with the Starks.

As it was, he was certain all of the bastards his father had sired were dead and he was now the only one to carry on the Baratheon looks.

And that was an overwhelming thought.

"I just don't wish for there to be any more fighting than necessary," the queen said at his side, jerking Caspian from his thoughts.

And then suddenly he had an idea.

It was a little crazy and perhaps it was still a little too early, but at the same time, these few weeks with Daenerys had taught him that with her, he was better to be forthright than to wait out anything.

So he did.

"Perhaps it will not have to come to a fight," Caspian murmured and Daenerys frowned at him. "What do you mean?"

Caspian had been wondering how on earth he was going to reveal the fact that he had dragons to Daenerys and now that they were alone for the time being…now seemed to be a perfect time.

"I've been working on a plan," he said slowly. "A plan that I have been hesitant to share because I was not certain of how you would react. On the one hand, this may be regarded as the greatest protectionism of all time and on the other hand, it could be regarded as dangerous."

"Many would regard my making the son of Robert Baratheon a dangerous move," Daenerys countered. "I don't think there are any safe paths anymore my lord Hand. We're playing a deadly game that no matter where we go it will lead to war. I don't like the concept of war but I am prepared for it. Now tell me just what this plan is. After we took Astapor I don't think that I have ever seen a takeover as…insane like that. Your plan for taking the city worked, what's to say that this new one won't either."

Caspian took a deep breath. "Very well your grace. If you would follow me, I will be happy to explain this plan to you."

He took her arm and led her down to the docks where they boarded the merchant ship he himself had come to Astapor in and made their way to the side of the ship.

Caspian found himself a little tense at this part and as they leaned against the side of the ship and he wondered how she might take this information.

Naelarion, Veneys, Zergyx, and Edrion had grown too large to be kept in the belly of the ship anymore so, at night, he had moved them to the cave where they had hatched the first time. They seemed to have an affinity for that place and so slept there in the evenings and did their hunting then as well.

Caspian had no other way of communicating with them than to simply ask them to be as silent as possible. He felt ridiculous doing it but he didn't know what else to do. He knew if anyone in the city heard dragons screeching at night they might think they were the ones that belonged to the queen.

But at the same time, he didn't want to take any chances.

He didn't know if they were in the cave at the moment, but he had discovered something rather interesting when he had come down at night.

When Caspian needed to call them, all he had to do was whistle as long and as loud as he could and they would come.

Sound traveled very well across the water and the acoustics in the bay area was very good and so their ears picked up when he called.

"Caspian?" Daenerys asked looking a little confused. "Is this part of your plan? Why are we on the ship?"

"You'll see in a moment your grace," he said and then took a deep breath before putting his fingers to his lips and giving such a long loud, piercing whistle that it caused the young queen to put her hands over her ears. "What in the seven hells?"

She didn't have time to say more for all of a sudden, there came from over the water a piercing screech and Caspian looked up to see all four dragons emerging from the cave.

They shook out their wings before taking to the air and flying straight for the ship towards him.

He heard Daenerys gasp beside him and grimaced slightly, suddenly afraid to look at her for fear of what he would see on her face.

Edrion and Naelarion were the first to land along the railing and accomplished it rather gracefully while Veneys and Zergyx trailed slightly behind.

Caspian was conscious of the fact that Daenerys had stepped back slightly but calmly reached out a hand to Naelarion who had stuck her neck forward. He gently ran a hand down the length of her scaly neck, feeling a sense of warmth and calmness come over him as he looked into the dragon's sapphire blue eyes.

After a moment, Edrion seemed to understand that he wasn't getting as much attention and pushed closer to the blue dragon to get his fair share.

Caspian chuckled and turned his attention towards the white dragon before steeling himself and looking back towards Daenerys.

The last time he had seen her look as shocked was when the warlock had nearly killed her a little over a week earlier in the city.

She was staring at the dragons as if she had never seen such creatures before even though she had three of her own and stepped hesitantly forward towards Veneys who was looking at her curiously.

"Where…Where did you find them?" she stammered. "I…I thought they had all gone extinct besides the ones I had."

"When I was shipwrecked in a cave off the coast of the Gulf of Grief, I did some exploring as there seemed to be nothing further to do and learned that the cave I was currently occupying had a secret," Caspian explained. "There was the skeleton of an enormous dragon inside of it and after taking a careful look around, I discovered their eggs hiding beneath its figure as if the dragon had died protecting them."

"You must have been shipwrecked near old Valyria," Daenerys said quietly. "Many people are afraid to go near that place as they fear it is demon-haunted. Who's to say they are wrong…but it appears that my ancestors still have old secrets that they kept even now."

She turned to him. "Have you named them?"

He nodded. She seemed to be taking it well so far. "The blue one is Naelarion. Naela for short."

Daenerys smiled faintly as if in remembrance of something. "The Blue Queen."

"Aye, I thought it fitting," Caspian went on. "Her namesake was ridden by Prince Daeron Targaryen."

"And the others?"

Caspian gestured to the white-winged creature sitting next to Naela. "This one is Edrion. The red queen further down is Veneys and next to her is Zergyx."

"Very fitting names," Daenerys murmured as she turned her attention back to Veneys.

Caspian watched her face for a moment before he decided it would be safe enough to say something. "I can imagine that this is a bit of a shock."

She was silent for a long moment. "It is. Why did you choose to keep them a secret until now?"

Caspian shrugged. "Truthfully, I didn't know how you would react. You have had Drogon, Viserion, and Rhaegal for so long you might have thought they were the last three dragons in existence that discovering four more and two she dragons among them might have been a bit of a shock."

She nodded again. "That wasn't all though was it?"

She was far more astute than he gave her credit for.

"No," he said. "I didn't want to face the possibility that you might have tried to take them from me. I am only one man and you have an army. Plus I did not know you, it would have been foolish to trust you at first."

"Are they part of the reason that you wished to take the week so we could both…figure each other out?" she asked.

He nodded. "I wanted to discern your personality at first, to see if you were the sort of woman that would take them from me. Towards the end of the week, you began to defy my expectations and so I decided it was time to tell you. I gauged your reaction on whether or not I would still be free to remain as your Hand."

Daenerys frowned at him. "Did you think I would have done something that treacherous?"

He decided to be brutally honest. "I was not sure and after all, I have been through, it would be the height of stupidity to trust someone on their word alone unless you have some other way of deciding their character for yourself."

She nodded and Caspian was a little relieved. "If I had been angry though and decided that you were not trustworthy enough to remain my hand…what would you have done?"

It was a reasonable question and Caspian decided that he owed her that much. "I wouldn't have harmed you. I would have set you back ashore and sailed away with Orin and the dragons."

"And conquering the Seven Kingdoms with these dragons was not something you were considering?" she asked.

"I was," Caspian said. "However in my own opinion, it would be far easier to take the Free Cities and unite them into one empire as opposed to Westeros."

Her frown deepened. "What do you mean?"

"Pardon the irony, your grace," he said. "But there is no monarchy to overthrow here. You rise and fall on your own merit and whether or not you thrive depends on how hard you are willing to work. It would be far easier to be a queen here than it would be to be a queen in Westeros. Here there are no nobles to please and no families to make alliances with. The freedom to reign how you want is more accessible and far easier here."

She turned ran a hand absently down the neck and wings of Zergyx who preened under her hand like a cat who was being petted just the right way.

"What if I don't want easy?" she asked quietly. "What if I just want a home?"

Caspian was surprised by her words, though he schooled his features to remain expressionless. "And what to you is home your grace?"

"I'm not sure yet," she replied. "But I know I don't want to spend the rest of my life in exile as my brother did. It made him bitter and insane and the last thing I wish is to be like that."

"A fair point," Caspian said, his hand resting absently upon the head of Naelarion. "But he wished to be a king as he felt his legacy had been stolen from him. Why do you wish to be a queen?"

She stilled for a long moment and Caspian had a feeling that this was something she had thought about for a while.

"Because I wish to be better than my legacy," she said quietly. "I wish for there to actually be a Targaryen that people will not fear or hate like they did my father. When Ser Jorah told me what my father was actually as he had lived when he was king…I was hesitant to believe him as my brother was someone who would hear no word against our father. But then it was only when he threatened to cut my unborn child from me in front of my husband that I realized that he had to have gotten his monstrous tendencies from someone and my husband killed him for it."

Caspian blinked. He had had a feeling that her past with her brother had been a difficult one but at the same time, he didn't think it would have been that brutal.

A strange protective feeling arose in him then at the sad look on her beautiful face. He didn't know where it came from or even really what it was, but he knew he didn't like to see her sad.

I must be suffering from the effects of the sun.

But he had finally gotten a straight answer from her. She didn't think she could be better anymore or that the seven kingdoms were hers by right but that she wanted to be better than those who had come before.

And that was something he could admire.

"Very well then," he said. "That is something I can work with. And that is something that can be built upon."

She turned then and looked at him carefully. "And now it seems that we have seven dragons to help us."

He chuckled. "It would seem so. It is going to be a while though before these are of a fighting size. But since they are already flying on their own and breathing fire, they are developing well."

"They certainly are beautiful," Daenerys said as she turned back to Veneys and ran one of her fingers across the top of the red dragon's head. Veneys uttered a small croaking sound that made Daenerys chuckle.

"They are," Caspian said, stroking one of the wings of Edrion fondly. "I find they have been rather…comforting to have around despite everything that has happened."

"From great tragedy comes the most unexpected things," Daenerys murmured. "The gods take and the gods give. And you never know what it is that they will take or give."

"Which is why I simply prefer to think that they do not exist," Caspian said somewhat coldly. "The Father does not exist because there is no justice in this world. The only god that exists is the Stranger and that is because we have actually seen him work. Any other belief in those reincarnations is based upon that of fools who are too weak to believe in reality."

He wanted to cringe at how much like Tywin Lannister he sounded like but it seemed Daenerys had already done that.

"Are you always this coldly pragmatic?" she asked.

He smirked. "The other half of the time, I'm far too sarcastic and arrogant to be around."

She grimaced and he could tell she wanted to roll her eyes. "You seem to be the perfect blend of a Baratheon and a Lannister. And I don't know which I find more frightening."

Caspian chuckled. "Then it is a lucky thing that I am on your side."

"Hmm."

Apparently, a bit tired of being fawned over, the four dragons, Edrion, Veneys, Naelarion, and Zergyx took to the air and flew back to the cave.

Before Naelarion took off, however, she stuck her neck out and nibbled on a piece of the former prince's hair before taking to the skies and flying back to the cave for the night.

It was only after the dragons were gone that Caspian blinked and found Daenerys watching him with a small smile on her face. "What?"

"They seem very fond of you," she noted rather softly.

He watched them fly into the cave and a fond smiled came to his face. "I suppose so. It will make it that much easier to be able to defend ourselves when they become older."

"And you will use them to aid in our campaign and not for your own gain?" she asked, her eyes narrowing a little suspiciously.

Caspian smirked. "I don't know about you your grace, but I have absolutely no desire to see the Second Dance of Dragons. It would be foolish, not to mention redundant to go against you as I am certain that with the age they are at now, Drogon, Viserion, and Rhaegal would be able to kill and eat Naelarion Zergyx, Edrion and Veneys before I could do anything about it."

"I would never harm another dragon," Daenerys said softly. "You possess the only two female dragons in existence and if we ever wish to see the race of them continue, the mothers must be preserved. And they are obviously very fond of you, I do not think they will take it nicely if I were to harm you. All dragons are rare things, they must be protected."

That was the cause for the rise of an eyebrow. "Do you wish to breed more dragons, your grace? Are you sure that's wise?"

Daenerys cocked her head to one side. "Within reason, of course, I will want to have people come after me that will know how to care for them and not abuse them."

Caspian was slightly more concerned with the notion of what damage the dragons themselves could do to both themselves and others and property. He remembered the stories he had read about the Field of Fire and how Balerion the Black Dread along with Meraxes and Vhagar had sent ablaze four thousand souls.

Because he was Aegon's half-brother Orys Baratheon had been raised in the station and had had his own conquests in ending the male line of Durrandon storm kings.

Aegon had conquered Westeros with three dragons and now between himself and Daenerys, they had a total of seven.

That was a frightening amount of firepower to have at one's disposal. If they waited a few months, perhaps a year until the dragons had reached their full size, they would be unstoppable.

They could conquer the seven kingdoms and perhaps even Essos and unite it into one enormous empire.

Having that amount of power at his fingertips was something that made the hair on the back of Caspian's neck stand up.

He had long ago learned from his grandfather that being a king didn't necessarily mean that you ruled a country. Tywin Lannister had essentially ruled Westeros for the better part of twenty years. All Aerys Targaryen had done was wear a crown.

He glanced at Daenerys standing beside him. Part of him wondered if that would be his role if he would rule while she wore a crown.

One thing he had picked up from his somewhat useful mother was the knowledge that power was power in whatever form and if he had an opportunity to seize it then he should.

Power had come to him in the form of four dragons and he and Daenerys now had an opportunity to rule the known world. Seven dragons flying across the seas and over the lands would be unlike anything the world had ever seen. Not since the Dance had there been so many dragons at one time.

He blinked, realizing he was going off on a tangent, and took a moment to reel his thoughts back in.

If our cards are played right, he thought to himself, this could be the biggest and most powerful empire the world has ever seen. My grandfather would have died to rule an empire like that.

He blinked again, realizing Daenerys was frowning at him. "Is something wrong your grace?"

She shook her head. "I was about to ask you the same question. You had a slightly glazed look on your face as if you were a million miles away."

He chuckled and ran a hand through his dark curls. "I am well. Merely…contemplating the possibilities."

She nodded. "I must admit, the game has changed with seven dragons in the mix now…but if we act carefully, seven dragons would be able to take Westeros without any armies."

"Aye, that they would," Caspian said. He was now certain that Daenerys wished him to remain serving her as her Hand and it was a notion that pleased him. "Than our plans may go ahead."

"They can," the queen replied. She turned to him then. "I suppose it is rather fitting that there are seven gods and now seven dragons…the irony is almost tangible."

"I suppose it is," Caspian replied.

Daenerys looked back at the city and that the sun was beginning to sink lower. "I suppose we should be returning. We still have much work to do."

"Indeed."

He offered her his arm and they walked off the ship, down the gangplank, and back up to the Walk of Punishment.

"You certainly are an anomaly Caspian Baratheon," Daenerys commented as they walked.

He looked down at her and raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that your grace?"

She seemed amused. "I mean that I never would have thought that a Baratheon would be in possession dragons in my entire life."

He chuckled. "You must admit your grace that our families have been oddly linked since Aegon came to Westeros. Again if I believed in the gods I would say that it is an ironic twist of fate that it is happening again."

She snorted delicately. "Perhaps the Stranger is not the only god that is real then. Perhaps the Crone is as well."

Caspian chuckled again. "Well then if that is so then I will pray for good fortune for us both."

She gave him an odd look as they walked back into the city. "I think those prayers have already been answered."

Ω

Tyrion felt as if he hadn't slept in months.

Of course, when one lived under the sadistic reign of Joffrey and had been almost assassinated in battle, such feelings were normal if not likely.

Stannis Baratheon had been defeated several weeks ago which had been a cause of great celebration and rejoicing in the capital. And since Mace Tyrell had provided his entire host to defeat the-would be stag king, it was only fitting that such an alliance is rewarded.

So Margaery Tyrell was to be the next queen of Westeros.

Tyrion had no thoughts on the Tyrell at all as after the battle was over and due to his plans the city had been saved, Joffrey had stripped him of his title of Hand and given it to his father who had ridden into the capital on a horse like he was a conquering hero.

His sister had of course denied her or Joffrey's involvement in trying to have him killed, but Tyrion wasn't foolish enough to believe her.

He had nearly died and it would have been ruled a tragic accident…a casualty in the war with Stannis Baratheon.

The north ironically had not played a role in the taking of the city either. Surprisingly once word of Prince Caspian's death in a terrible shipwreck had reached the ears of all of the nobles of Westeros, the bannermen under Eddard Stark had turned their horses about and rode back to the north.

They hadn't even reached the capital and if Tyrion were being completely honest it was the northerners that he was more afraid of than he was Stannis Baratheon.

Ned Stark's entire northern host he was certain could call on over thirty thousand men, perhaps twice the size of the Lannister army and a monstrous host. Given that it was the largest territory in Westeros, it made sense that the number of men it could summon was enormous.

But it seemed that Ned Stark owed no allegiance to Stannis Baratheon for as soon as word came of Prince Caspian's death, the warden of the north had taken his entire army back to Winterfell and not a peep had been heard from them since.

It was beyond confusing to the small man, but he hadn't taken much time to consider it for he was still dealing with his own grief.

Though reactions to Caspian's death were decidedly mixed throughout the realm, the reactions in the keep were a kaleidoscope of differences.

Joffrey was the only one who seemed to be in a good mood about it, or at the very least hadn't been bothered.

Cersei however had locked herself in her chambers and hadn't emerged for three days. Tommen had cried himself to sleep every night for a week and had refused to eat for three days.

Tyrion had dealt with his own grief privately, mainly through excessive drinking.

He hadn't believed it when the news had come in and for two days, he had insisted that it wasn't true.

When it had finally sunk in that his favorite nephew was indeed gone, Tyrion had destroyed the solar in his chambers, thrown books and crystal goblets across the room, upended chairs, and scattered papers everywhere.

He would have upended the desk if he was strong enough and as it was, with the anger he was feeling, he nearly succeeded.

When he had finally succeeded in wrecking the entire room, he had sunk to the ground and released such tears as he had not done in years.

After what seemed like hours had gone past, he had gotten to his feet, dried his face and washed it, changed his clothes, and left the room to begin the defense of the city.

He had not wept again. Instead, he had done his best to ensure the safety of the city and that he curbed his sister's and his nephew's violent and insane tendencies.

And what had he gotten for it?

Nearly an eye had been taken out during the battle from one of their own soldiers either on the orders of his pathetic nephew or insane sister.

But now the gloves were off.

One of the few people he had loved in the capital was dead now Tyrion didn't have much to lose anymore.

Jaime had managed to escape his captivity in Riverrun and was slowly making his way back to the capital which had been the only good news Tyrion had received in months.

He was hesitant to write to Myrcella in Dorne as she was likely to take the death of her brother harder than Tommen had.

The two youngest of the royal children had worshipped their older brother and would likely take his death worse than Cersei.

His insane sister had refused to even hear his name uttered in the keep and had flown into a rage whenever she had heard it.

Despite her flaws, Tyrion could admit that she had loved him in her own twisted way and was grieving in her own twisted way.

His own mood had deteriorated exponentially in the past few weeks and now as Tywin ignored Joffrey's attempts to go to war with the north, Tyrion felt as if he were going to explode.

But still, he would carry on…he would continue beneath his family until such a time came when he could have his own revenge.

And he would have it.

He would have it no matter what he had to do.

Ω