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Chapter Text

The Lord of Winterfell

Ned Stark stood alone in his cold room at Winterfell. After that disaster on the banks of the Green Fork, he had raced back North with his army, fearing the wrath of Rhaegar's dragon. He still did not understand what had happened that day, he had tried to find the men responsible for the attack in order to question them but they had completely vanished .

Ned knew that he had been framed for the attack on Rhaegar , but he had no idea who would do it and most importantly why . He had his suspicions, Lord Bolton for one, but he did not have a shred of proof. Without proof, accusing Lord Bolton, or any of his other bannermen could cause a schism to grow in his ranks and he could not afford that now , not when the possibility of Jon coming north seeking retribution, still loomed ominously over his head.

Then there was the letter. Rhaegar had insisted that Jon had sent a response North but Catelyn said that she had not received a raven. Ned doubted that Rhaegar would lie to him about the letter. The disappearance of the letter combined with the events at the Green Fork had only served to increase his suspicion that someone was plotting against him.

To make matters worse, once he returned to Winterfell, Catelyn had informed him that two of his children were missing. Arya and Bran had both vanished whilst he had been away. Catelyn had gone out to search for them but she had no luck finding either of them. Ned was very concerned, Bran could not walk, so if he had gone missing then that would mean that someone must have taken him. Perhaps, it was the same person who had set him up.

Ned shook his head, he was just being paranoid. The two events were unrelated. He would find his children, and he would prove his innocence.

Arya was a different case entirely, his daughter was very willful and trained in combat to a basic degree, and it was very unlikely that someone could have taken her without leaving any trace behind. The alternative was that she herself had run away but where could she be heading? Maybe, she was determined to see Jon after he had refused to take with him to the council. But how could a little girl evade search parties and move South without coming across him and his army?

Ned sighed. He had no idea on how to find his children or how he would prove to Jon that he had not tried to kill his father. Ned remembered their last meeting and the terrible terms they had left on, he needed proof. Irrefutable proof. He would have to search for those men again, offer a reward to anyone who had seen them. If he could find and question them, then he would be able to provide proof to Jon that he was not behind the attack.

"My Lord," he heard a low voice say. He turned and saw that Jory had entered the room, he had been so lost in his thoughts that he had failed to hear him knock.

"The Lords have assembled in the great hall as you requested," he said quietly and Ned nodded in thanks. He had called for a meeting between all of his bannermen as soon as he returned home, he needed to speak to them all and tell them his side of the story, the true side of the story.

He took a final sip of his ale, set down his cup and then left the room. He walked down the steps from his solar and then he crossed the cold courtyard towards the great hall. The ground crunched underneath his feet and he rubbed his gloved hands together.

The large oak and iron doors of the great hall loomed ahead of him and they were opened by two Stark guards when they saw him. Ned eyed them suspiciously as he headed past them inside. After he returned to Winterfell, he had tasked Jory with reviewing the Stark guards. He wanted every guard in his inner circle to be men that Jory knew personally and would vouch for, he would not take any chances again. He had also assigned personal guards for Sansa, Catelyn and Rickon, he would not leave his family unprotected in these troubled and difficult times. Robb was a man grown and he did not need as much protection.

The first thing that he noticed once he entered the great hall was the silence. It was as silent as the grave.

The sound of his shoes sounded impossibly loud in the silence of the hall, he saw every pair of eyes staring at him. Some looked at him angrily, others fearfully, some just stared at him with completely blank expressions on their faces. He saw fires blazing in the hearths but the room still felt impossibly cold.

He walked to the end of the hall to the high table where Robb sat waiting for him in the right hand seat. He took his position and look at his assembled Lords, wondering which one of them had betrayed him. Lord Bolton stood off to one side of the room, his pale face the usual cold blank mask. He saw Lord Manderly seated at a long table, Lord Glover opposite him. He saw Lord Karstark, Cerwyn and Umber. It could have been any of them.

"My Lords," he said in greeting, his voice carried in the large room. "I have called this meeting to inform you all of events that have occurred in the south. Somewhere near the Twins, home of House Frey, I met with P rince Rhaegar Targaryen. Father to King Aegon Targaryen. We had a peaceful discussion where we discussed old issues and made progress to forge a new alliance. However, after our peaceful discussion, we were betrayed and Rhaegar was shot and severely wounded,"

"Shot by who?" one lord asked and Ned took a deep breath.

"He was shot by men who were pretending to be a part of my household guard. I have been framed for the attack ," Ned said into the silence. He looked at all of the Lords, to see who was surprised by this information. He paid particularly close attention to Lords Bolton and Karstark. Bolton's face remained unchanged whilst Karstark looked shocked.

"You killed the King's father?" Lord Manderly asked in shock and Ned shook his head.

"No, I did not. I am being framed . The men that shot him were dressed up as my men, but they were not. We have not seen them since. The captain of my guard, Jory Cassel can attest to that fact,"

"Of course you haven't seen them since! They're your men, loyal to you. I bet you did not look very hard!" Lord Karstark shouted.

"Lord Karstark. You are being ridiculous. Why would I do such a foolish thing?"

"I don't know, but I don't think you have the North's best interests at heart!"

"Why do you think that Lord Karstark?" Ned asked in return as he could feel his anger beginning to rise.

"First you entertain his proposal to change the North and chop down our trees and mine our lands. Then you go South to treat with him and make peace. You are a traitor,"

"Lord Karstark, you are speaking nonsense," Robb said as he stood up. "If my father truly does not care about the North. Then why would he kill the King's father and expose us to his dragons!"

"Aye, Lord Robb has a point," he heard Lord Manderly grumble.

"Still. Where are these mystery men that attacked Rhaegar Targaryen?" Lord Karstark shouted. "Surely you would have made every effort to find them and prove your innocence?"

Ned bit the inside of his mouth and opened and closed his fist in frustration.

"As I have told you. I cannot find these men," Ned said through gritted teeth

"Lord Stark, I have been loyal to you for all of my life," Lord Manderly began. "But even I find these sequence events difficult to believe. Do you have any proof of what you claim?"

"No," he admitted.

"Your actions are reprehensible and not fitting of a man of your status!" Karstark shouted. "You are a coward and you put the North in danger!"

"Lord Karstark that is enough. You will not speak to me like that!" Ned shouted as he finally lost his temper. "You can either stand by me and trust my word or you can leave and declare yourself an enemy of House Stark,"

Ned's chest heaved after his outburst. He knew that splitting up his bannermen like this was a mistake, but he could not go back on his word right now.

"Aye, I don't agree with his words but Lord Karstark raises a valid point. Your actions have put the North, the people you have sworn to protect, in grave danger," Lady Mormont said and Ned frowned. He saw several of the Lords nodding in agreement. Ned felt his stomach drop, he could not lose the support of his bannermen not now.

"My Lords, if I may," he heard a thin voice say and he saw Roose Bolton step forward from the shadows. "Lord Stark has been our overlord for many years and he has guided the North well during that time. We know him as an honorable man, a man who would suffer the shame of fathering a bastard to hide his sister's son from certain death . If he says that he did not do this, then we should give him the benefit of the doubt,"

Ned stared into his pale eyes, Out of all the people to come to his aid, Roose Bolton was the last one that he had expected, or wanted. Yet Ned could not turn him down, doing so would make him look guilty.

"Thank you for having faith in me Lord Bolton," he said evenly and the Lord of the Dreadfort gave him a small curt nod.

"Aye. Lord Bolton is right," he heard Lord Glover say. "We should stand behind the Starks, just like we have for hundreds of years!"

Ned heard more of the Lords voice their agreement. Lord Hornwood, Manderly and Cerwyn all seemed to be willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. Only Lord Karstark remained angry.

"Furthermore Lord Stark, it seems that the North is in danger of coming under attack from the South. To counter that, I propose that your bannermen bring more of their men to Winterfell to help fortify the castle," Lord Bolton added

Ned froze. The last thing he wanted right now was more men who he did not know in his castle. However, he could not think of a good reason to turn him down.

"Lord Bolton. You have your own castles to defend. It will be better to spread out around the entire North if it comes to war," Ned said evenly.

"That is a good point, my Lord. Although there is a saying that I have heard somewhere around this castle. I believe it goes something like this. 'When the snow falls and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies, but the pack survives'" Bolton said with a hint of a smile. "We should stick together,"

Ned felt his insides boil with anger, Bolton was using his own words against him and worse still, they seemed to have worked on his bannermen.

"Aye I agree with Lord Bolton," Lord Glover said. "We will stand behind Lord Stark and fight together!"

"Aye!" he heard more of the Lords shout and Ned sighed in frustration.

"My Lords. There is no need for this," Ned tried for the final time. "I know King Aegon and I can convince him of my innocence. It will not come to war,"

"Forgive me my Lord, at the Great Council, I saw the two of you locked in a heated argument. What has changed between the two of you since then?" Bolton asked

"Aye, I remember the argument," one Lady Mormont said and several others nodded in agreement. Ned closed his eyes. He would have to concede, there was no way around this.

"Very well. You may bring your men to Winterfell to help hold the castle," Ned said and he saw Bolton nod. "However, your men will camp outside the castle and in the surrounding fields. No additional men will be allowed in the castle itself. I hope you understand, but after what happened on the Green Fork, I have to be extra careful regarding these matters,"

He said those words to both Lord Bolton and to Lord Karstark. Bolton didn't react but Karstark scowled at him.

"That will all my Lords," Ned said as he dismissed the meeting. He watched them all as they left, paying attention to who spoke to who. He knew that he was not out of danger just yet, his bannermen were angry and unsettled and he still had no idea what Jon would do about the whole situation.

However, he pushed that to one side as he turned to Robb.

"Come son. We have a few hours, let's head out to search for Bran and Arya," he said in a determined voice. He may not be able to control his bannermen, but he would do everything in his power to find his children.

The Dragon's Hand

Tyrion Lannister stood out on the balcony of the Lords chambers. It was his father's room, now his, now that he had taken the castle. It was a large lavish room with a huge four poster bed with red curtains in the middle. There were several rich and expensive myrish carpets along the floor with intricately woven tapestries along the walls of the room. The room had a balcony attached to it which opened up to a lovely view of the sunset sea.

He felt a strange feeling of happiness now that he had taken the castle. It was something that his father had denied him purely due to his birth and taking it from him felt good. Very good.

As they expected, the remainder of the Lannister men had come up from Lannisport and sieged the castle, trapping them inside for the past few days. Unfortunately for them, his father had evidently been preparing for a siege himself and the castle had enough food to last several long and cold winters. Those men would go hungry long before they did.

Tyrion had treated with the leader of that garrison, Ser Cedrick Payne a few days prior. He had vowed to take back the castle in the name of House Lannister. In response, Tyrion had sent a raven to his King and Queen, letting them know that the support of their dragons would greatly help this situation. However, he was not too worried.

They had also received a raven bringing good news, Robert Baratheon was dead, slain by King Aegon himself. That meant that the war was won and those Lannister men would have nothing to fight for.

The world would be a better place without Robert Baratheon and with King Aegon and Queen Daenerys leading it. He would help them, but to do that, he would need to get rid of the surrounding Lannister army and leave Casterly Rock.

Tyrion quickly dressed, dismissed the blond whore that was in the bed and made his way down through the castle and out onto the battlements that overlooked the surrounding army. Their sellswords stood on guard along the battlements, lazily standing on duty. Tyrion did not have time to reprimand them, not when he himself had been spending his days whoring in his father's bed.

The surrounding army was in the same position. Their camp was neat and organized and they were still watching the castle. However, they did not seem to be in any particular hurry. They weren't building any catapults or rams or any other siege weapons. They did not seem like they had any intentions of trying to storm the castle. It looked like they were really trying to starve them out. He began to walk away from the battlement when he saw a man slowly trudge towards the castle gates. Tyrion squinted his eyes to look closely and then he laughed at what he saw.

He quickly summoned a few of his men and then walked down to the main gates of the castle. He saw Jaime walking into the courtyard, from the direction of Cersei's rooms.

"Jaime, you will want to see this," he eagerly said to him. Jaime looked at him curiously for a moment before following him to the main gates, around 10 of their sellswords followed them. They walked through the gate, through the outer wall and out into the field surrounding the courtyard. Ser Payne was there once again, along with a very familiar face

Standing in front of him, looking dirty, dishevelled and utterly humiliated was Tywin Lannister.

Tyrion looked at him, he had soot in his hair. His once pristine Lannister army was damaged and dirty and Tyrion gave him his widest smile

"Hello father," he said cheerfully. "How have you been?"

His father only scowled at him which added to his glee.

"Who are these men?" Tyrion asked

"My army," his father replied through gritted teeth and Tyrion could hear the anger in his voice

"Your army? I take it these are the poor souls that somehow managed to survive the wrath of three grown dragons?" Tyrion said lightly. "It must have been very humiliating. Seeing your entire army crushed like that,"

"Careful dwarf," Ser Payne said but Tyrion ignored him and focused on his father who did nothing but continue to stare at him in anger

"I've taken your castle in case you didn't notice," Tyrion continued and his green eyes grew narrower and narrower in rage. "Tyrion Lannister, the Lord of Casterly Rock. It has a very nice ring to it,"

"Enough Tyrion," his father snapped. "You've had your fun. Now, let me inside so we can talk about this properly,"

Tyrion shook his head. "First you will tell all of these men to stand down and go back to their homes," His father just glared at him and Tyrion continued. "If you don't then I will send a raven to the King and Queen who will come with their dragons to break this siege using force. Do you really want to take your chances against the dragons again?"

His father continued to glare at him and Tyrion sighed.

"You might want to keep fighting but what about your men? Those that have come back from the battle have seen the power of the dragons first hand. They'll talk, tell stories to the others and soon they'll all flee,"

"Fine. I will issue the order," his father growled through gritted teeth.

"Good. Now hand over your weapons and you will be permitted inside, but only you,"

Tywin looked at him for a few moments before he nodded. "Ser Payne, see that these men stand down and go back to their homes. This war is over," his father instructed through gritted teeth.

Tyrion eyed him suspiciously for a few moments before turning and walking back inside the castle. He noticed that Tywin did not say a word to Jaime.

"Guards. Take away his armor and weapons, search him properly and then take him up to my chambers. My father and I need to have a conversation," Tyrion said and they quickly grabbed him by his shoulders and marched him away. Tyrion then turned to Jaime who was standing quietly off to one side.

"He hates me," Jaime said quietly.

"He's hated me for years, Jaime. You'll get used to the hate eventually," Tyrion said lightly as he turned away from Jaime.

"Did you?" Jaime asked softly and Tyrion froze. Truthfully, he had not gotten past the hate that his father had for him. He had always wanted to feel like he was part of the family, like he truly belonged. That hate was what drove him, it was the reason he was here today

"Jaime come with me. I am going to speak to father, but I want you to let me do the talking at first and just go along with what I say. I'm giving you the chance to make up for your part in Tysha's fate ," Tyrion said. His brother looked at him cautiously before he slowly nodded.

They walked back through the castle through the candle lit hallways to the Lords chambers where they should have taken his father. He pushed open the door to the room and saw that he was not yet here.

So, he crossed over to the desk and pulled out the diary that he would need. He also placed a bottle of wine and three cups on the table . Then, he sat down at the desk to wait. Jaime stood alone off to one side.

It did not take long for his father to arrive, he was roughly pushed through the doors by the sellswords and he looked around the room with disgust.

"What's that smell?" he asked and Tyrion just smiled.

"You know exactly what it is,"

"I told you the last whore I find you with, I would hang,"

"I'm not sure if you're aware of this father, but you are my prisoner. You don't get to make threats. I do. So, take a seat and we can talk," Tyrion said as he looked at him and pointed to the seat opposite him. Tywin took his time sitting down.

Tyrion took a deep breath before he spoke,

"You are an evil and cruel man, you know. All through your life you have ordered vicious acts and you have gotten away with it, until now"

"I did what was necessary to secure the future of my house,"

"Your actions put our house in danger. It is only because of me that our house will survive," Tyrion pointed out and Tywin laughed.

"Your actions? You are nothing but a treacherous dwarf. You are not fit to wear the Lannister name or fly my colors . You are no son of mine," Tywin snapped and Tyrion grew angry.

"I am your son. I have always been your son. Despite all the shame and ridicule I've suffered, and as much as you have tried to deny it. You can't take that fact away from me. I am your son," Tyrion said to him.

"All you have ever done is bring shame upon me and our family's legacy from the day you were born. Your brother is a distinguished swordsman and commander. A worthy heir. Your sister became Queen and allowed Lannister blood to come to the throne. A great legacy. What have you ever done to bring pride to this house?" Tywin said with comtempt filling his voice.

"What a glorious legacy indeed? A knight who sullied his white cloak and is despised by the realm in general. An heir who spent his youth guarding a mad man and a drunken lecher. As for our dear sister, a Queen who is hated her own people and whose firstborn could give tough competition to Aerys in terms of cruelty and insanity. You must be so proud of them."

"But I shouldn't really blame them, the coin toss didn't land well for them. Targaryens and coin tosses after all." Tyrion coolly countered.

"What do the Dragons have to do with this?" Tywin asked with a confused look on his face.

Tyrion pulled out the diary and waved it in front of Tywin's face who still did not follow.

"I am sure you of all people heard the rumors about the Mad King and my mother,"

"What rumors ?" Tywin said and Tyrion cocked his head to look at him but his father continued to look confused.

"You really don't know," Tyrion said quietly.

"Know what?" his father repeated but Tyrion only nodded. It made perfect sense that his father did not know. His father was painfully ignorant when he wanted to be, especially when it comes to matters concerning his own family. He probably had no idea all of Cersei's children were Jaime's.

"My mother, was a lady in waiting to Queen Rhaella Targaryen and as a result, she spent a lot of time at court in Kings Landing. There was a rumor, that my mother and your wife had an affair with the King, Aerys. Now of course if this rumor was true, then that would mean that the great Tywin Lannister, Lord of Casterly Rock and Warden of the West, was married to the Mad King's leavings,"

"That is a lie," his father said quietly. So quietly that Tyrion almost missed it.

"Is it father? You know as well as I do that she was in fact a lady in waiting to the Queen. I am sure someone could confirm this if you like,"

"This is a lie," his father repeated, his voice still very quiet. Tyrion looked at his hands and saw that he had clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles were white with rage.

"Of course, if they did have an affair during their time together in Kings Landing, then it's possible that they would have a child together,"

"Enough Tyrion. Enough of your lies. There was no child. My wife did not have an affair with that bastard Aerys," Tywin spat as he stood up.

"You're right. There was no child. They had twins," Tyrion lied as he stared at his father. He watched as confusion passed over his face, then that confusion was replaced with a face of horror an anger,"

"No," he said as he started to pace, he began to throw his hands back and forth. "No,"

"It's true. Your favorite children, your golden children aren't yours. They belong to Aerys. It makes perfect sense really, after all, Cersei and Jaime have been fucking for years, but you never noticed. It must be their Targaryen instincts,"

"That is a lie," Tywin said as she shook his head and Tyrion laughed mercilessly.

"You talk about the importance of 'family' but you have been oblivious to your own for years," His father looked at him in horror and continued to shake his head at him but Tyrion continued laughing.

"You are lying, Tyrion. Cersei and Jaime did not. No. You are lying," he muttered and Tyrion sighed.

"Go and ask Jaime yourself, he's right there behind you," Tyrion said and his father quickly turned around. Tywin looked pleadingly at his son who only nodded his head, confirming Tyrion's words. His father released a sob but Tyrion continued onwards.

" I, Tyrion Lannister, your dwarf of a son who you have shunned and mocked your entire life, am your only child ," Tyrion said venomously but his father just shook his head and put his hand over his ears.

"No," he repeated. "Tyrion, you are a liar,"

"You don't believe me? Would you like to read her own words?" Tyrion said as he held up the diary. Tywin looked at him and Tyrion quickly opened it at the page he marked out. He nervously watched as his father read it.

His green eyes quickly flicked their way down the page and Tyrion was pleased to see that they widened in horror before they became filled with tears. He began to shake his head and tear at the pages out of the diary.

"She loved him and she wanted to have his children. You were nothing to her, nothing but a second choice. How does that make you feel father? To know Aerys Targaryen has always been better than you. He held your wife's love. He is the father of your precious twins. He embarrassed you in front of the entire realm when he refused Cersei and called you a servant. He said that she was unworthy. Of course, she was, Aerys wouldn't wed his heir to his bastard spawn . How does it feel father ? To be utterly ridiculed and mocked? You may sacked his city and murdered his family but he still got the last laugh. How does it feel?" Tyrion spat at his rage flowed through his veins.

His father seemed to not hear him. He was angrily pacing back and forth, pulling at his hair and scratching at his face. Tyrion smile with glee. He stood up on his chair.

"Look at me!" he shouted as he held his hands out. "Look at me! I am the only thing that is true about your life. Your marriage was a lie. Your children are not yours. I am all you have. I Tyrion Lannister, your dwarf of a son. Is your heir. I am your legacy. I am all that you will leave behind,"

"No!" Tywin shouted, his voice pained and Tyrion felt satisfied.

"I am all that you have left. I am all that your life produced. Your men have already started to abandon you, choosing to kneel to the Dragons rather than fight for your house. Soon the whole realm will know the truth and then they will all laugh at Tywin Lannister. They will laugh from Dorne all the way to the Wall and your name and reputation will go to shit,"

Tyrion watched with a strange fascination as his father fell apart in front of him. It was like he was starting to go mad. He pulled and ripped at his clothes and face. He shrieked and sobbed and cried. He began to throw things across the room in anger and rage then he turned towards the balcony and Tyrion smiled.

"Go ahead and do it. End your own misery. Kill yourself you spiteful coward," Tyrion whispered. His father slowly stepped forward and out onto the balcony. Each step seeming to take an eternity. When he was on the edge, he turned back to look at him.

Tyrion just cocked his head to the side and looked at him patiently. Tywin eyed him up and down, almost as if he was debating whether he had it in him to come inside and acknowledge all the truths that he had learned.

Clearly the answer was no, because Tywin gave him one last look, before he threw himself off the balcony and onto the rocks below.

The Mother of Dragons

They had finally returned to Dragonstone late the previous night with Rhaegar and unfortunately he still had not awoken . They had sent a raven ahead to the Maesters on the island to prepare them for the situation so they would be ready for their arrival. However, they too had come to the same conclusion as the Maester at the Twins. There was no more they could do for him, it was up to him whether he woke up or not.

Dany had been just as distraught as Jon when she had seen him in that state. It broke her heart to see that her brother, one of the few family that they had left, was fighting for his life and there was no more they could do to help him.

If it had been up to her, she would have gone North immediately to speak with Lord Stark, but Jon did not want to do that. He wanted to stay in the South and to collect more information before coming to a decision. They had spoken to all of the Unsullied men who were there on that fateful day and they had all said the same thing. Rhaegar had been shot by a group of Stark men.

Following that, they had decided to continue with their plan to return with Rhaegar to Dragonstone where he would be safer. She agreed with Jon, the situation didn't make a lot of sense. It seemed unlikely for Lord Stark to want to kill Rhaegar, especially after sending a raven asking for more peaceful terms.

Jon had been holding on well, she could tell that he was trying to keep himself busy and focused on other things. She turned over slightly in bed and watched him as he slept. He looked peaceful. She brushed a stray raven lock out of the way and gave him a quick kiss between his eyes before slipping out of bed.

She headed across the room and towards the nursery. On a side table, she saw that some fresh food had been sent up for them, she would have to thank her handmaidens for that later.

"Mama!" she heard a soft voice cry. She immediately turned to see Daeron was standing up and holding onto the bars of his crib. She smiled and immediately went over to him.

"Good morning little one," she said as she picked him up

"Mama," he said again and Dany smiled.

"Yes, I'm here," she said as she gave him a kiss.

"Mama," Daeron repeated and Dany shook her head and smiled.

"You need to learn some more words little one," she said as she poked him in the stomach. "What were you doing this morning? Were you making some music? I know you like to make music with your rattles,"

She looked at Daeron and he gave her a smile.

"Were you making music? Is that a yes? Can you say yes for mama?" she asked

"Mama," he repeated and Dany couldn't help but laugh.

"I love you little Daeron," she said as she gave him another kiss. "Now, let's get you fed and over to Daddy, how about that?"

She carried Daeron over to the table and put some food into a bowl. She took bananas and some soft warm bread.

"Mama!" Daeron said and she saw him look towards the crib.

"Do you want your egg? I can't carry everything sweetling," she said softly. She gently set Daeron on the floor and moved to pick up his golden egg to carry with her other hand. She wondered if one day the golden egg would hatch for her little one. Hopefully, not until he was older.

"Come on little one," she said softly and thankfully Daeron followed her into their bedroom.

He walked all the way to the bed and then he pulled on the sheets to try to climb up but he wasn't strong enough. Dany smiled, put the things she was carrying on the bed and then helped him up. He immediately crawled over to Jon and woke him up

"Dada," he said happily and Dany smiled and climbed onto the bed herself. She quickly peeled the banana and cut it into small pieces and she did the same with the bread. Then she handed the bowl to Daeron.

"Breakfast little one," she said as she placed the bowl in front of him. Daeron looked up at her and she took a piece of banana from the bowl and put it in her mouth.

"Is he going to be able to handle that?" Jon asked as he sat up in bed and rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

"Yes, he's growing up and we'll be watching him," Dany said confidently as she watched Daeron reach for the bowl. He picked up a small piece of banana, and slowly put it into his mouth. "See Jon. He's fine," she added with a victorious smile.

"Fair enough," he said quietly.

"How are you feeling this morning?" she asked and he gave her a small smile.

"I'm doing well . Better now that I've seen this one again," he said as he gently rubbed Daeron's back. Daeron was now trying a piece of bread and he was repeating his same cautious approach.

"What are you planning to do today?" Jon asked.

"I think we should continue our preparations for our arrival into Kings Landing. So organize shipments of food and so on," Dany said calmly and Jon nodded in agreement.

"Ser Davos is still on the island, he will have to be part of our council now," he said. Ser Barristan had gone south to Kings Landing along with their Unsullied where they would meet with the Tyrell army and the Dothraki. "Have you received any word from Tyrion?"

"I actually have now that I remember," Dany said as she kept a watchful eye on Daeron who seemed to be favoring the messy bananas. "That night he sent a raven saying that he had taken the castle although they were being sieged by a garrison that Tywin left behind in Lannisport,"

"Shouldn't we go and help him? Why didn't you tell me?"

"It was the same night we got the news about Rhaegar. It slipped my mind," Dany said quietly and Jon nodded. "Those Lannister men have nothing to fight for anyway. Tywin Lannister has been defeated and those men will surrender,"

"Still we should send a raven to him to see if he needs our help," Jon pointed out. "I can fly over there today, it won't take me very long," he said as he began to get out of bed.

"Jon relax. Tyrion sent his raven over a week ago, if the situation had worsened, he would have sent another one. The soldiers that are being escorted back to the Westerlands will help spread the message of the power of our dragons. If he sends another raven asking for help then I will come with you," she said firmly. She looked into his grey eyes and he slowly nodded in acceptance.

"There was another raven," Dany said as she remembered that night. Three ravens had come , and she had only opened two. "We will read it later before the war council,"

"I agree. First, we have to clean this one up. He's made a mess," Jon said with a smile as he pointed at Daeron. He had bits of banana all over his hands and cheeks and he had thrown some of the bread out onto the bed.

"Come on then," Dany said with a smile as she quickly scooped up Daeron. "Let's get ready for the day,"

After a short trip to the bathhouse where Daeron made it his mission to splash them as much as possible, they dressed and headed off to have their breakfast in the small hall. They ate with Lady Shireen and Lady Margaery who had remained on the island in their absence along with her handmaidens.

"How was the war, your grace?" Shireen asked as they sat down to eat.

"It went well. We fought two battles. One in the Reach and one in the Riverlands," Dany told them. "The battle in the Reach was against Lannister men and it was over rather quickly,"

"The Reach? Did you see my brother?" Margaery asked and Dany nodded

"We saw Loras after the battle in the Reach. He looks well Margaery, he took no injuries. We also saw your father and your other brother, Garlan,"

"Tywin Lannister had released his dogs in the Reach and so your father rode forward to fight them,"

"It was the Mountain and his men," Jon added quietly and Margaery looked shocked.

"I have heard stories about him. Horrible, horrible stories," Margaery said quietly.

"Aye. He's a beast of a man, nearly killed me," Jon said as he put Daeron on the floor so he could walk around.

"What happened?" Shireen asked

"We chased him to a town somewhere in the Reach and that is where we met up with Lord Tyrell. We went from door to door searching the village until we found him hiding in a tavern. I eventually killed him, thanks to the dragons and Ghost,"

"You killed the Mountain?" Margaery asked. "The singers will sing that song for years to come. That is an incredible accomplishment. I saw him in Kings Landing once, he is a beast of a man, "

Dany saw Jon blush and give her an apologetic look.

"After that, we rode North into the Riverlands. A terrible storm passed over us and so we were forced to make camp and that is when the Usurper attacked. We were up all night as we held off his army before finally defeating him in the morning once the rains faded," Dany said and they both nodded.

"Well done, your grace. You both should be proud. Now is it on to Kings Landing?" Margaery asked and she nodded.

"Yes. We should depart for Kings Landing within the fortnight and once the city is ours the war will be at an end. Then you can finally leave this gloomy island," she said with a smile.

"Actually your grace, Dragonstone isn't so bad once you get used to it. And I will miss Prince Daeron," Margaery said as she scooped him up and tickled him. Daeron giggled and laughed a little before Margaery put him back on the ground. Dany was happy with how comfortable Daeron was around them, it meant that their time together went well.

"Thank you for taking care of him whilst we were away," Dany said and Jon nodded in agreement.

"It was our pleasure your grace," Shireen answered. "He is a lovely little boy,"

"I agree, once he became accustomed to us, he was no trouble at all," Margaery chimed in.

"Forgive me your grace, but what happened to Prince Rhaegar?" Shireen asked after a moment and Dany quickly looked at Jon. He finished his bite before he answered,

"He was shot in the leg and stomach. Ser Barristan said that it was by Stark men," he said quietly. "However I am not convinced that it was,"

"Why do you think that your grace?" Margaery asked

"It doesn't make sense. Lord Stark sent a raven asking for more merciful terms with the Tullys. Him attacking and trying to kill my father contradicts that goal completely," Jon said and Margaery nodded.

"So, what do you plan on doing?"

"When my father wakes, I will speak to him and he will tell us what happened," Jon said firmly. "Until then, we will continue our plan in the South. We will take Kings Landing and then we will reassess the situation afterwards ,"

Margaery nodded and they continued to finish the rest of their meal. Once they were finished, Jon and Dany got up to head to the chamber of the painted table to make their plans.

As there was hardly anyone still on the island, Dany took Daeron with her rather than give him to the ladies. The meeting was not going to be too long, not with so many of their advisors out in the field.

They entered the chamber of the painted table and they found Ser Davos already waiting for them.

"Your graces," he said in greeting as he bowed.

"Ser Davos, thank you for joining us," Jon said. Dany smiled in greeting before moving to take her seat at the table. She held Daeron in her lap whilst Jon took the raven scrolls from Ser Davos

"The Maesters have kept all the raven messages for you whilst you were away. We have received several from Kings Landing your grace," he said and this confused Daenerys.

Jon opened it, raised his eyebrow in surprise before releasing a loud drawn out sigh.

"What is it?" Daenerys asked as Daeron fidgeted out of her arms and onto the ground

"Illyrio's boy. He has taken Kings Landing and is inviting us for a parley to settle this 'brotherly issue' peacefully,"

Dany shook her head. "How could he take the city? He only has the Golden Company,"

"I don't know. Robert Baratheon would have taken all of his men with him to war so maybe there was only a paltry force holding the city, easy enough for the Golden Company to take," Jon said as he shrugged. "Either way, this war is not over,"

"We should send a raven back and agree to this parley. Our Dothraki, Unsullied and Reachmen are already marching to Kings Landing. We will have over 150,000 men. He can't beat us,"

"I agree. I will send a raven back to him today and we will ready ourselves for departure sooner,"

" Your grace. You forget the scorpions mounted on the city walls. Your dragons may be in danger," Ser Davos pointed out and Dany sighed.

"He won't attack us at the parley," Jon said evenly.

"How do you know that Jon? We don't know anything about him," Dany asked.

"He says that he wants to resolve this peaceful issue between brothers. Perhaps, he honestly believes that we will step aside for him because he is my 'brother'"

"That might be true, but we should be cautious. Have him meet us outside the city walls, far away from his scorpions. I don't want to take the chance," Dany said and Jon nodded slowly. She quickly looked around the room for Daeron. He was standing next to Jon and holding onto his leg.

"Your graces, the city is likely to be starving. A long battle might not be good for the common people," Ser Davos pointed out and Dany nodded.

"The quickest way to end this would be to use our dragons to beat his army, but we can't. Perhaps, we could fly them over the city to intimidate them?" Dany suggested

"We could do that . I like the idea. Before the parley we will fly the dragons over the city. At the very least, it'll cause their soldiers to doubt their leader," Jon said in agreement. He crouched down to pick up Daeron.

"We should stay relatively high outside of scorpion range, just to be safe," Jon said and she agreed. That would be for the best. "I think that we should tell him the truth and then offer him a peaceful way out. He can head back to Essos, perhaps we can offer him Pentos?"

"I don't think so. I don't think we should give him an entire city to do with as he pleases. We can give him Illyrio's manse. Illyrio was his father after all,"

"Your graces. If he believes that he is true King of Westeros, then he will never accept those terms," Ser Davos pointed out.

"We have to offer him a peaceful way out. Lives are at stake here," Jon stated.

"Still, he will refuse,"

"We know that," Dany said as she stood up. "When he does, then he will learn that we are true Targaryens and he is not. Then he will learn our house words. Fire and Blood,"

The Dragon's Hand

Tyrion walked through the hallways away from the Lords chambers and he contemplated what had happened. His father had killed himself there was no doubt about it. It would be over 100 feet to the rocks below and there was no way he could have survived.

The idea to fake the diary entry had come to him the day they took the castle. He had wanted to inflict as much pain onto his father as he could, in return for what he did to Tysha, and for what he did to him. Tywin had mocked and ridiculed him every day of his life but he had the final laugh.

He had gone to his grave thinking everything about his life was a lie, Tyrion could live with that victory.

He was walking towards Cersei's room, a maid had come to him in the morning saying that she wanted to speak to him. Tyrion had accepted her request, but decided to make her wait the entire day. They had let her return to her room but she was still under constant guard and making her way was something small that would annoy her.

He had seen the children. Both Tommen and Myrcella had been overwhelmed to see him, they had thought he died after all. However, explaining the current situation had proven difficult. He was not sure how much he could tell them. He had decided to tell them that he had an argument with their mother and grandfather, he would leave the details to Jaime, since they were his children after all.

Cersei's room was on the opposite side of the castle to their father's, and it took Tyrion quite a while to get there. He walked past the guards who were on duty outside her door and into her room.

In all of his years living here, he had never visited her room. The two of them had never gotten along and Tyrion had no reason to enter her chambers, so this was the first time.

Her room was much larger than his and like their father, she too had a view of the Sunset Sea. Another large King sized bed was along one wall whilst she had a wardrobe and a dressing table along the other. There was a mirror on the table and Tyrion saw a door that led to what could only be a dressing area. Thick myrish carpets covered the floor and there was several tapestries that hung along the walls, including one lavish one of a roaring lion.

A flash of anger rushed through him as he looked around Cersei's room. It reminded him once again the contrast in treatment they had all received. His room only had the bare essentials. A small bed, no carpets or tapestries. Tyrion was sure that his father would have put him in the dungeons if he could have .

His eyes landed on Cersei who was sat at the dressing table, arms folded across her chest.

"I've been waiting all day," she said angrily.

"I know. You're my prisoner, all you can do is wait," Tyrion casually replied and he was pleased to see she was annoyed by that comment. "Why did you want to see me?" he asked as he took a seat opposite her.

"I heard father is here,"

"Who told you that?"

"Jaime," she replied with a small smile. Tyrion frowned slightly, he knew Jaime had visited her earlier, but he did not know how often he went.

"Did he tell you that your husband Robert Baratheon is dead?" Tyrion asked and she just shrugged. Tyrion was not surprised by this, she had no love for Robert. None at all

"Your precious Joffrey is also dead," Tyrion added casually as he reached for the cup of wine. Cersei's eyes locked onto him.

"How?" she asked quietly and Tyrion shrugged. The letter did not specify how.

"Run down by some Dothraki and his arakh , or burnt alive by a dragon. Either way that spoilt little brat is finally gone and the world is a better place because of it ," Tyrion answered as he drank. He watched as Cersei looked at him before her hand quickly snaked out and she slapped him right across the face.

Tyrion's hand immediately went to his cheek and he sighed.

"You get one of those,"

"I don't care. My son is dead because of you and your foreign whore of a Queen and her bastard husband. Where are my children? Where are Tommen and Myrcella? I want to see them!"

"Tommen and Myrcella are in their rooms, they are fine. I would not harm them," Tyrion said sincerely but Cersei just glared at him, her green eyes unforgiving.

"Fine. I want to speak to father," she said and Tyrion sighed. He looked at her and debated telling her the truth. Cersei picked up on his hesitation because her eyes narrowed. "What happened?"

"Our father is dead," Tyrion said calmly. "Which makes me, the Lord of Casterly Rock,"

"Father is dead?" Cersei whispered as she shook her head. "No. You are lying, Jaime said that he was here today,"

"He was. For a time. Then we had a conversation in the Lords chambers. Father was led to believe that you and Jaime were in fact Aerys's children, not his,"

"Why would he ever believe such a ridiculous thing?"

"I showed him mother's diary and he read about their little affair,"

Cersei looked at him for a few moments before she started to slowly shake her head. "No. You're lying,"

"I am lying. Unfortunately, we are in fact siblings but father truly is dead. He threw himself of the balcony in the Lords chambers,"

Cersei's mouth opened and closed in shock as she processed the words. Then her face twisted and her nostrils flared.

"You mean to tell me, that my father is dead because you told him a silly lie?" she asked and Tyrion nodded slowly. Cersei stared daggers into him and Tyrion began to feel uncomfortable. He was about to get up to leave when Cersei lunged at him.

She moved so quickly that she knocked him to the floor in seconds.

"You vile, hateful, evil little creature!" she shrieked as she scratched and clawed at his face. Tyrion rolled and squirmed underneath her as he tried to avoid her hands and sharp nails . She was bigger than him and he knew that he could not let her pin her down.

He reached out with his right hand and grabbed a fistful of hair and he pulled it with all of his strength. He was rewarded with a scream so loud Tyrion was sure they heard it all across Westeros.

Cersei continued to struggle. She pulled her head backwards to try and take advantage of his small arms and pull her head out of his reach. Whilst she did this, she put one hand on his face to try and push him further away.

They struggled for what felt like an eternity. Tyrion twisted and pulled at her hair with all his strength. He twisted and pulled and twisted some more and he listened to Cersei's screams. He felt her fingers dig and scratch sharply at his skin until suddenly they were gone and he felt Cersei's weight lift.

He looked around and saw that Jaime had burst into the room and he was standing in between the pair of them. His green eyes were flicking between them both. Tyrion's chest heaved and he looked at Cersei who was doing the same. Her long golden hair was a mess and as he saw several long strands in his fist and on the floor.

"What the hell are you two doing?" Jaime demanded.

"He killed father," Cersei blurted out. "He lied to him and told him that our mother had an affair with the Mad King,"

"I know," Jaime said quietly as he looked away from him, pain still in his eyes. Tyrion did not consider how the death of his father would impact Jaime, he only hoped that Jaime could forgive him.

"See Jaime! I told you what he was. He is an evil little man. First he killed our mother, then he killed our father. You need to stop him before he tries to kill our children next," Cersei seethed as she stood up to tug on his sleeve. "We can't trust him. We need to get rid of him,"

"Cersei he didn't kill our mother," Jaime said in a tired voice. "Our mother died giving birth to him, how is that his fault?"

"He killed our father," Cersei carried on, ignoring Jaime's objections

"Cersei…," Jaime said with a sigh

"Don't you dare defend him," Cersei snapped as she stood in front of him. "He even admitted it. If it wasn't for him then father would be alive,"

"Father has done some horrible things to Tyrion and so have I. I don't think Tyrion should have did what he did, but I can't imagine what I would have done if I was in his situation. I've killed a King for far less personal reasons," Jaime said quietly.

"I can't believe you," Cersei hissed after a few tense moments. "You're taking his side,"

"I'm not taking sides. I'm trying to get us all on the same side, so we can put this issue behind us and function like an actual family. All of us. Tyrion, the kids, you and me," Jaime said to her but she stepped away from him.

"No," she said coldly. "I will not have my children anywhere near that monster. It's him or me,"

Tyrion took a deep breath and gave a pleading look towards his brother. He was standing in between them both, arms by his side looking back and forth helplessly. Tyrion was nervous, he did not want to lose his brother.

Jaime stood in the middle and Tyrion felt as if he was holding his breath.

The seconds seemed to stretch into minutes which seemed to stretch into hours until finally Jaime took a step.

He took a small step towards Tyrion and he finally let out a long breath.

Cersei however was not happy and she started to hurl insults at his back.

"I knew it. I knew you would choose your traitor brother over me. You are weak and stupid," she shouted as she walked behind him. "All you have is your sword, you are nothing without it,"

Then Cersei spun Jaime around so he faced her. "My children would be ashamed to have you as their father. A man so cowardly he wouldn't even claim them as his own,"

"You know I couldn't claim them. We would both die!" Jaime shouted as he began to clench his fist.

"The Jaime that I knew would have fought enemies off. The Jaime that I loved would have fought for me. Instead, you've betrayed me for our drunken dwarf of a brother,"

"Shut up Cersei," Jaime said as he tried to push her away.

"You betrayed me and my children,"

"Our children,"

"No. Mine." Cersei repeated. "You have never cared for them. None of them will ever call you father, how does that feel Jaime?" she taunted. "They believe that Robert Baratheon is their father, not you. Think about that Jaime, you know Robert and what he was like. They think that he is their father,"

Tyrion shook his head as he saw Jaime open and close his fist in anger.

"I don't want to talk about Robert," he muttered darkly as he turned away from her.

"Why not Jaime? He's bigger than you by the way. Much bigger and he's not the only one,"

"What did you say?" Jaime said as he snapped back around. Tyrion felt nervous then and he took a few steps to the side

"You heard what I said Jaime. I've had other men," she sneered and Jaime started to shake his head.

"When?"

"When you left me to join the dragon Queen. I fucked Lancel right here in this bed. When you went away to the Vale I had him again in Kings Landing. I had others too," she sneered but Tyrion shook his head quickly. She was lying, he knew it.

However Jaime didn't.

"How could you do that to me," he croaked. "This was before anything happened. Why did you do this?"

"Have you ever wondered why Joff was so different to Tommen and Myrcella?" Cersei asked and Jaime shook his head. "He's not yours. That's why. When he was born I wasn't sure, but as time went by and he grew, I became more and more certain. You were away from the keep doing some nonsense or the other. I begged you to stay but you rejected me, saying you had no choice . So I took a hedge knight to my bed one night and " then Jaime snapped.

Tyrion stood rooted to the spot as his brother barreled into Cersei and pushed her to the floor.

"You lied to me for years," he hissed as he slapped her. "You lied to me and you cheated on me. I loved you," he croaked as he began to shake

"I thought I loved you but I was wrong. I could never love someone like you, someone who is willing to betray me," Cersei spat. She opened her mouth to speak again but only a strange gargling noise came out.

Then he noticed his hands.

Jaime's hands were wrapped around Cersei's pale throat. They were shaking but his actions were unmistakable.

Tyrion stood rooted to the spot as his hands slowly contracted, tightening their grip.

Cersei started to gargle and choke more and more as the air was cut off from her lungs. The sounds she made were horrifying, and they would haunt Tyrion until his final days. She started to trash about on the floor but Jaime was too heavy and too strong for her to move. Tyrion watched helplessly as her face turned blue and then purple as she choked, then her movements started to slow.

"Jaime," he called out but his brother did not seem to hear him, he was too consumed in his rage.

"Jaime!" he shouted but again nothing happened. Tyrion's legs moved forward until he was next to his brother, pulling and yanking at his shoulder and finally Jaime turned towards him.

"Jaime!" Tyrion shouted and that got Jaime to stop. His green eyes were filled with tears as he looked at him and then down to Cersei.

It took him a few moments because he suddenly sprung back off her still, lifeless body.

"Tyrion," he whispered as he looked at his hands . "Oh gods, Tyrion. What have I done?"

Notes:

We're nearly there now, only a few chapters left

The next chapter should be up in 10 days. So the 27th.

Let me know what you think of this one, thank you all for the comments. I really appreciate them