Chapter 7: Doubt

"I mean, Dragons in the north. I knew this claim needed to be investigated, and Slynt is no fool; he would never make an enemy of the most important Lannister of us all. The air reeked of shit as snow ripped through the air, and the winds howled against the shutters. The cold seeped deep into my bones and wouldn't leave. The cool wooden floors didn't make it better; the moisture seemed sealed into the wood.

I pulled my cloak closer to my body as I attempted and failed to keep the warmth in my body. My teeth slammed together constantly as I struggled to get my chattering teeth under control; more than a few times, the taste of warm copperish-tasting fluid filled my mouth as the burning pain of my teeth slammed down on my tongue. Only the soft crackle of the golden flames licking against the black logs provided a sense of warmth.

My thoughts turned back to the bastard; even if he had dragons, there was a chance that they would grow weak, just like the ones before him. Not to mention that in this act of mad desperation, we created a plan that most likely wouldn't work. Three dragons or a sister that you barely know. I know what my choice would be.

I glared at the man huddled next to me by the flames, clutching tightly to their red leather as they shivered in a shake as a wild storm raged just outside. It was as if the tree gods of the north were trying to force us out.

"All my life, even at the Rock, it was always warm. The blue ocean waves crashed against the rock, and the golden-colored sand squished beneath my feet, moist and cool. Last winter, I was a child, and can't remember much since then; all my life, I have been in a warm place. Just thinking about the Rock made me think of Jaime, and that only caused sorrow to fill my heart.

Just thinking about my golden idiot of a brother forced my heart to ache for the capital. I can smell the pig shit and unwashed masses. I prefer that over the bone-deep cold and ever-present wind that seeped into me. It has been three months since we started our journey. Winds were whipping cold, roads were barren and numerous outlaws were eyeing us.

The only good thing is that we are on the Gift, the land given to the Watch centuries ago by a Targaryen queen. The same queen that supposedly left dragon eggs in the castle. If those foolish rumors are to be believed, then there are more eggs hidden beneath Winterfell. I'd say we head there, take them from the Boltons if they are there, and call it a day.

Coughs racked my body as the frozen air froze my lungs, and the wind continued to howl. All I could do was inch closer to the fading ember in the hearth. We were lucky to find this abandoned shack, and we will be even luckier if we can get to the Wall within the week. The only good thing about this storm is that it pinned down Stannis's army just outside of Winterfell."

"My mind filled with the slim possibility that these three dragons are real, and if we do get there in time, they have to be around what, four months old? They would have grown in size, and the Wall would protect them.

The fact that only one brother sent us a letter just proves they have no intention of telling us. Then there are the rumors going on that a girl just a year younger than Jon has three of her dragons in the desert. All these claims of dragons and kings, make you wonder if any of it is real.

The sullen boy I knew didn't believe in dragons or magic, and he hated the dragon lords and the lion alike for what we had done to his uncles and grandfathers. So even if he were to believe in dragons and even if he were able to get three eggs centuries forgotten and turned to stone, the chances of him giving them over to me just because we have his sister are slim to none. Everyone in his family that went south is dead or a captive.

He is in no way a stupid boy, but his honor might command it. But dragons corrupt people; he might not even care for his sister then, what? With a heavy breath and a few more tedious thoughts, I fell asleep. Dreams of Jon standing over me, hate burning in his gray gaze as three dragons cloaked in black shadows stood behind him, and black flames shot from their mouths.

The morning came early, and the cold chills still clung to my body as the scent of freshly fallen snow began to mingle with the scent of dirt, and I noticed the large wooden gates. Even from here, I could see the brothers of the Night's Watch, their faces hidden beneath hoods hiding their looks of utter disgust. But the harsh weather delayed us a week, and I'm far too tired to deal with snide remarks or hate-filled comments.

"We are here on the decree of the king, looking for Janos Slynt or Jon Snow!" My voice didn't boom; to be honest, it rarely carried to their ears. My body ached, my legs were cramping, and pain beyond my belief filled me. I was too tired to move, let alone yell up to the fool dressed in black."

"Slowly, the gates began to open, and at first, all I saw were gray and brown snow littering the ground. But as the gate opened more, I could see a group of men, and the scent of smoke from the forges filled my nose, giving me hope for some warmth. I half-expected to see Stannis waiting for me with a sword in hand, but instead, I saw Jon dressed in all black.

His usual cold gray eyes were lit up with a fire that I never knew he had as he spoke with a man with a thick red beard and wild red locks. He had a mad grin on his face as he slapped Jon roughly on his arm. I thought he might tip over, but Jon didn't seem to mind; he had his own warm and loving smile.

While the men in red had two steel razor-sharp dual axes, dressed in all white with furred white boots. White isn't the color of the Night's Watch; could these be some of the wildlings that they have mentioned in their pleas for help? A warmth seemed to radiate off of him as he placed a hand on what had to be a new sword.

I felt my own feet drifting through the snow; the soft crunch filled the air as my legs began to ache, My bones begged me to stop, but I did no such thing. I kept going no matter how much I didn't want to. With each step I took, I could see Jon turning cold and rigid as he slowly turned to glare at me. His gaze turned cold and piercing in an instant.

"Lannister." His lips curled in disgust as he spoke my family name, and his jaw locked out of rage as he nodded his head. "As you can see, we are about to be off on an expedition, so whatever you want, make it quick. Your men will be given warm stew, and once we are done, you are to leave Castle Black. The storm should be done by tomorrow; if you must, you can stay till then. I can only assume that all of your horses died on the journey."

Rigid, cold, and expressing his disdain for me and my family, he truly is a Stark. All I could do was nod as I looked at the hate that flared in his eyes as he peered past me. He seemed to be staring coldly at my mind before speaking. "Come, we can talk in my office." He spoke and acted as if he was in command here.

As we walked up the stairs to the quarters of the old Lord Commander, it clicked. He is in command here. Instantly, guilt filled me as I recalled the old bear, rough and hard as any other northerner. But that didn't change the fact that he was a good man and didn't deserve to die the way that he did. "I'm sorry to hear about Mormont; the old bear was a good man." Even as I spoke in a cool tone, I could tell that it only further annoyed him.

"Aye, a great man." With a sad shake of his head, we entered his quarters, and the warmth of his fire warmed me as well as filled me with joy. I moved to a wooden chair in front of the fire, and my legs dangled above the ground. I gently rubbed them mindlessly until the pain disappeared."

"After a few minutes of soaking up the warmth of the room, I looked to see maps forgotten on Snow's desk. Other than that, there wasn't much to see in his office, but as I looked through an ajar door, I could see a contraption that had three rungs on it. "You are here because of Stannis. I kicked him out; I only allowed him to stay for a few weeks because he saved the lives of the entire men of the Night's Watch."

Defensive and cool, his tone lashed at me as he took his seat in the chair, leaning back as he gave me a once-over, not sure what to make of me for a second time. I simply shook my head no as the snow melting in my golden hair began to trickle down my skin.

My lips trembled as I licked them; they were dry and peeling from the harsh winds that melted my face on the way here. "I'm not here for Stannis; I'm here because we received a letter at King's Landing that you might have dragons in your possession.In exchange for them, we are willing to set your sister free, though her marriage to me will still stand."

I didn't even finish my sentence when booming laughter echoed through the air and boomed against the walls as Jon rubbed joyful tears from the corner of his eye. "Lannister, are you out of your mind? I don't have a dragon. If I did, do you think that your family would still be breathing? Janos Slynt sent you, didn't he?"

A dark chuckle left his lips; the darkness swirled around him for a moment as he stared off into the fire. His face turned mournful as he spoke in a chilling tone. "After he sent some kind of letter to your sister, I thought that it was about Stannis. I don't have any love for the man, but he outnumbered us and could have taken all of us down. Anyway, I gave orders that he refused to follow. I gave him more than a few chances, but he refused. The old bear died beside his men, stabbed in the back. I wasn't going to be the next Lord Commander to die in a mutiny, so I had him executed. Though if it would put you and your men at ease, you're more than welcome to stay the night and see for yourself. Though we can't spare much. I will give you horses; how many are you, about ten?"

With a sad shudder, I stared numbly at my lap for a moment. There were twenty to start with, and now more than half are gone, and for a fool's errand, Father is going to be cross when he finds out.

"Yes, that is right," I spoke in a thankful tone as I turned to look at Jon; he nodded his head numbly, but an air of sincerity swirled around him as he gave me a sad smile. "I'm sorry to receive you so rudely, but truly you caught me at a bad time, and with all that your family has done, can you blame me?" With a sad smile, he began to rise. "That being said, I will give you five horses; you will have to double up, but they can take it. On horseback, you may get there in three months. If you take the road, you can go to White Harbor or Eastwatch and sail from there, but between the Ironborn and the storm, you might not make it home. Though that is your choice; just know if you need anything, Thorne is in charge until I'm gone."

Doubt plagued my mind as I watched him leave. Slynt is no fool, but Jon doesn't seem to be hiding anything unless he is lying. But Jon is just as noble as his father, if not more; he might be lying to protect the dragons. Even still, I called out to him once, and I swear as he turned around, he looked like someone I knew from a long time ago but just couldn't place.

"Are you sure that there are no dragons or dragon eggs here?" With a sad chuckle, he smiled gently at me. "No, though you could always check Winterfell. I hear they are in the crypts. Good luck with your hunt. I hear that there are a lot of hatches down there."

With those lighthearted words, he was gone, but something about how he said the word 'hatches' like that is the proper term for what you would call a clutch of dragon eggs. Doubt filled me as I waited until the door had closed before rushing into his room. On his desk by the fireplace, I could see texts written in High Valyrian, but what would a northerner read that for?

Then there was the golden-brown post that had three rungs on just a few feet above the ground. One rung was placed perfectly in the middle, and the last rung was at the very top of the pole. The first two rungs had claw marks that didn't belong to any bird, while the third rung didn't have any claw marks but instead had teeth marks bitten deep into the wood.

They had to be here somewhere; there was no way that a normal animal made these marks. But as I searched every part of the castle, I found nothing. Finally, I gave up and sipped spiced wine and stared at a deep brown broth with cubes of sliced meat and thick slices of potatoes. I ate suddenly as my men drank by the fire.

"Well, Sir?" I turned back to see a young boy with faded pale blue eyes, dirty blonde hair, a gaunt face, and pale white skin. "Nothing. The Lord Commander denied it all, but I found some signs in his room, so it wasn't a dead-end. But there are no dragons here." Even as I spoke the words, they tasted bitter in my mouth, and another man sneered angrily.

"Where is Slynt?! Ten good men died for him; I shall kill him myself." I shook my head sadly as I looked at a man with deep amber eyes staring back at me, chestnut-colored curls spilling down his back. I could see veins bulging from his neck in rage as I spoke in a somber tone. "Dead. He attempted mutiny, disobeyed orders, and Snow cut his head off. They have let us stay the night and will supply us with five northern mounts better suited for the cold. It is all that they can spare. They are going to give us beds to sleep in and a hearth to stay warm in; the storm should break by the morrow."

Even as I said the word, bile-filled my mouth as I noticed the rage among my men, and the same amber-eyed man about my age spoke with hate in his voice. "They let Stannis stay for weeks; we can't stay a few days to gain back some warmth." His angry jeers filled my ears as I watched the shadows on the wall dance while the flames flickered against the logs.

"If we stay any longer, we will be trapped in the North. They always get the worst of it before we do. Would you rather be here in the cold for three more months or make it back to a warm city? Would you like to stay in the dusty castle and take the black?" I looked over at the men, each of them shivering at the thought of swearing off women.

After a few more drinks, I made my way out into the cold, only to see Thorne talking about. The heavy steps of his boots slapping against the wooden walkways caught my attention as they creaked and groaned thanks to the rusting bolts. He kept glancing at the sky, fear and worry burning in his eyes as he checked the horizon before looking back down.

For a moment, I dared to hope the sound of northern dragons flapping their wings or the screeches as they danced in the sky. But nothing but the cold chill of the winter air filled my ears as I moved back to my quarters for the night.

Three Months Later

My heart thudded in my chest, rattling against my ribs like a bird desperately trying to escape its cage. A sad sigh left my lips as I struggled up the stairs, still weary from my journey. Nonetheless, I walked up the stairs until I made it to the chamber room of the Hand.

Father sat seething in silent rage at the head of the table, as Joffrey glared coldly, his emerald eyes studying me as I waddled over to my chair. The rest of the table seemed impassive, almost bored. Mace Tyrell, Cersei, Jaime, and even Varys looked at me with wide eyes, like they half-expected me to be carrying the dragons.

"The storm delayed us by an extra week. By the time we got there, Lord Snow, the Commander of the Night's Watch, was about to leave for a mission, but he took the time to speak with me and give us mounts and food that managed to get us through the journey. We discussed how he kicked out Stannis and how he assumed that was what I was here for. He claimed that he had no dragon; he even went as far as to say that if he did have a dragon, the Lannister family wouldn't exist.

But once he left, I found strange claws and teeth marks that didn't come from a normal beast. Then there was the way that all of his men acted; every one of them watched me and my men without ever speaking to us. They also studied the sky in fear, like they thought that the dragon might come back before I left. Jon claims that there might very well be hatches of dragon eggs in Winterfell, but there were none there. However, I also found ancient books printed about dragons in High Valyrian, so while there might not have been dragons there at the moment, that doesn't mean that they weren't there before we arrived; he might have ordered them away until we were gone."

Even as I finished my report, panic gripped me as I thought of the three dragons, and possible losses in Westeros right now. "Alright, well, for now, we should assume they don't exist, just like the supposed dragons across the Narrow Sea. But keep a close eye on the girl; there might still be a chance that these dragons are real, and she is your key to obtaining them. I have spent enough time with the Mad King and his family to know that it's better to have the Dragon Rider with the dragon if you wish to utilize them properly. For now, go on and get ready for the wedding." As the others rose from the table, Father spoke in a cool tone. "Tyrion, stay." I gulped heavily, wondering what I could have done now.