11

Chapter Text

The Dragon Reborn

His plan had worked perfectly. The commanders of the Second Sons were too drunk and with the addition of Daario and the Stormcrows they were easily able to root out the Titan's Bastard and his supporters. The next morning they had elected a new leader, an ex-Westerosi by the name of Brown Ben Plumm. He quickly came over to their side and this left Yunkai completely defenseless.

When confronted with this fact, the Wise Masters released all the slaves in their city. They had also agreed to stop the training of any future slaves and to start trading goods instead of slaves. To show that they weren't merciless conquerors they had decided to leave the city untouched. Both, he and Dany were aware that this could come back to bite them, but it was a chance they were willing to take. They knew that in order to build a better world, they could not rule solely through fear. They needed people to trust them.

After Yunkai, they started the long march to Meereen. He was sure that with a disciplined army, this march could have been completed in a few weeks at the most, but as their host included women, children and poorly trained freedmen, they had to take a slower pace. They had finally reached Meereen, but the journey had taken a month.

To make matters worse, the Great Masters of Meereen had known that they were coming. They harvested what they could from the fields and burned what they couldn't take. This meant that it was difficult to find food for their Unsullied, let alone their freedmen or even their horses. They were relying on the rations that they took from Astapor, which were running dangerously low. Jon estimated that they only had a week or so left before they would run out.

They had also poisoned all the wells which frustrated him even further. It was very hot, and a clean supply of water was essential to survival.

Then, there were the signposts that had marked each mile to Meereen. The masters had nailed a young child onto each post. Their entrails were hanging out and they were all pointing towards Meereen. This upset Dany greatly, Daario had offered to take them all down for her but she declined. She had that fierce determined look on her face and he knew this was fuelling her desire to take this city. He didn't mind, he felt the same way. Children were innocent of the crimes of their fathers and they should not be casualties of war.

He took a long sweeping look at Meereen. Astapor had been built with red brick, Yunkai had been built with yellow bricks but Meereen was built with multi colored bricks. He saw greens, blues, oranges and purples all mixed together to give this weird blend of colors. He found that the mix of colors had made the city look quite ugly. The city walls were well maintained and tall. Guard towers were frequent and covered the entire wall. One thing was for certain, this city would not be taken easily, many men would be lost if they tried to take this city by force. Towering above the city were the great pyramids and on top of the biggest pyramid was the harpy. A truly ugly thing, he thought to himself.

He looked up and saw the dragons circling overhead. Vedros called out to him and he answered back in his mind. The dragons were still growing quickly despite the lack of food. They must be flying far to hunt, he guessed.

Vedros flew lower and closer to him before landing in front of him. She gave a low growl towards Ghost before turning to face Jon. Jon laughed at this, he would never have thought he would ever see a dragon and a direwolf in the same place yet here he was. Jon remembered that when Vedros had been much smaller, Ghost used to carry the dragon around on his back, but as Vedros grew, they had quickly stopped. Since then, they've still maintained a close relationship and Jon felt like he had good control over both animals. 

" Dracarys" he whispered and Vedros released her signature yellow green flame. He was amazed at this change, her flame had now lost it's orange color in favor of more green. Perhaps as she grew older her flame would become completely green.

Previously, the dragons had all breathed the same color flame, but now they were all slightly different. Anogar's flame was a mix of red and orange with black streaks. Vedros had produced a flame that was a mix of orange and yellow with green streaks and Caraxes produced a pale gold flame.

He lightly stroked her warm scales before she took off again with a flap of her wings and a loud screech. He watched her fly for a few moments before turning back around and making his way back to their tent. As he turned, he encountered Daario and his good mood immediately soured. The sellsword was cocky and thought that he was a lot better than him. He also leered at Daenerys when he thought no one was looking and this angered Jon every time.

"Your grace," he said with the least amount of respect possible "we are ready to start our meeting and the Queen sent me to inform you," he frowned as he finished talking.

Jon laughed at this. Sending Daario to fetch him was one way to try knock down the sellsword's ego.

"Very well, lead the way Captain Naharis. I don't want to keep my Queen waiting," and Daario gave him another scowl. Ghost shot off in his own direction to do whatever he does when he wasn't with Jon.

They started to walk towards to the tent and Jon took this time to quickly observe the man. He knew he could easily defeat him in a fight if it came to it, but Jon had a feeling Daario was smarter than that. If he truly desired Dany, attacking Jon would not get him there. Still, he had to be cautious around him. He was a sellsword and he did not trust him. A man who fought only for coin would only be loyal to his purse.

"Is it true?" Daario asked and Jon gave him a confused look.

"Is it true that you both sailed the smoking sea of Valyria?"

Jon smirked.

"We didn't just sail it. We walked the lands. We visited temples and palaces. It is where we are from, it is our home," He pulled out his Valyrian steel sword and waved it in front of him, making sure the sunlight hit the metal at every possible angle. He had thought of naming it 'Darkfyre' as a way of paying tribute to the original two Valyrian Steel swords that had been wielded by his ancestors. 

Daario looked like he wanted to question him further but they had reached their destination.

They pushed open the flap to their pavilion and Jon saw that a pair of chairs had been set up side by side for them. He smiled and realised that this must have been Missandei's doing. He looked towards her and nodded towards the chairs and he was given a small smile in return, confirming his thoughts.

He looked around the other occupants of the room. He saw Grey Worm, the elected leader of the Unsullied, Brown Ben Plumm, Daario, a few leaders of the freedmen that had been elected but no Dany.

"Where is she?" He asked the room. He turned towards Missandei, they were good friends and she would know where her friend was.

"She stepped out briefly for some air, shortly before you arrived your grace," she said "she should be back soon,"

As if on cue, Dany pushed open the flap and entered the pavillion. Jon spun around to face her and was surprised to see Ghost with her. He must have gone to find her. Jon felt reassured that Ghost seemed to be protecting her. Her hair was in an elaborate braid and she wore a white dress that completely covered her breasts, but left her arms and shoulders exposed.

"Are you still feeling ill?" he asked. He had noticed that she had recently started to feel ill in the mornings. Jon put this down to the food, perhaps she was not reacting well to the rations they were eating.

Before answering, she gave a quick fleeting glance towards Missandei. "No Jon I'm fine, but thank you for your concern," she walked past him and took her seat. She took off her sandals and ran her feet through the thick Myrish carpet. Ghost decided to lay down by her feet.

He watched as she pushed herself up tall and Jon realised that regardless of how she felt, she was in her Queen mode. She arched her eyebrow at him, gave him a look and he quickly moved to take the seat next to her.

"Shall we begin?" she asked, starting this war council.

"Your Graces, I think it is important that you know as much as possible about this city," Qavo began slowly and softly. Qavo was an old man, possibly as old as Lord Stark. His hair was cut very short and his brown eyes had grown dull after years of slavery. He had served as a tutor to the masters children and as a result, he was very knowledgeable on matters concerning Slaver's Bay and Jon quickly grew to respect him.

"Very well. Continue," she answered.

"Meereen is the largest of the slaver cities. Larger than Astapor and Yunkai combined. The city has multiple fighting pits, where men and sometimes animals fight to the death for the entertainment of the masters,"

"A barbaric practice," Jon muttered. He realised that he had spoken louder than he had thought and so he quickly motioned for him to continue.

"The nobility of Meereen live in the great pyramids. The larger the pyramid, the more noble the family. They have numerous granary stores in the city. It is even said that they are able to grow lemon trees on the tops of the pyramid,"

"Lemon trees," Dany said softly.

"The walls of the city are taller and thicker than the other cities. They have numerous watch towers. Upon the walls sit Bronze Harpy heads which I believe are capable of squirting hot oil onto attackers,"

 "In short, the city is damn near impenetrable," Daario interrupted and for once Jon agreed with him.

"So, what do you propose we do? A siege?" Dany asked.

 "Wouldn't work," Jon replied quickly. "For starters, we have no wood to make siege weapons. So no rams or trebuchets,"

 "What about Euron's ship?" she inquired.

 Jon had nearly forgotten about that ship. It was sailing alongside them on the coast as they had no real need for it.

"It could work, but we would still need more wood. Most importantly. We don't have enough food to stage a siege of Meereen. We'd run out of food months before them,"

"Too many mouths to feed. You should cut them loose, let them fend for themselves," Daario said darkly. "Don't look at me like that, you are dragons. Dragons don't plant trees and feed people. Dragons sack cities and,"

 "Enough, Captain Naharis. We will not abandon our people," Dany said firmly. "The next time we want your input, we will ask for it,"

"You are also wrong. Aegon the Conqueror sacked cities but he also built a better Westeros when he was finished. We will do the same," Jon finished. Daario took a step back then and decided to sulk in the shadows.

 "We could take the dragons," she said as she turned to face him. "They are big enough to ride,"

 "Barely," Jon relied. "I am not confident about riding them into battle just yet. We still need to get used to flying on them and we don't have time for that now," she sat back in her chair. Jon could tell she wasn't happy but she had accepted his reasoning.

"Your grace, this one will lead the Unsullied in the name of King Aegon and Queen Daenerys. We will attack the gates and scale the walls." Grey worm said as he stepped forward.

"No. That is a suicide mission. I will not waste your lives," Jon said firmly.

 "We did not free you from the masters to die needlessly," Daenerys continued.

Faintly, Jon could hear a buzzing noise. Ghost also perked up from the carpet that he was lying on.

 "Jon, do you hear that?" Dany asked and he quickly nodded.

Brown Ben Plumm led them out of the pavilion and towards the source of the noise. They reached a rocky outcrop that overlooked the barren land leading up towards the walls of Meereen.

Jon watched as a brightly dressed man rode out on his horse and waved to the cheering crowd. He rode up and down the stretch several times before stopping, dismounting and turned to face them.

 "Who is he? What does he want?" Jon asked Qavo .

 "He is their champion," Qavo began but he was interrupted because the man had started to urinate in their direction, causing the crowd to cheer even louder.

 "A champion?" Jon asked as his hand went to his sword. "So, if I defeat him do we get the city?"

 "No, it is more of a show. A game to entertain the crowd,"

 "These people need to find a method of entertainment that does not involve violence," Dany muttered. "Jon, do not even think it. You will not go," she told him as she grabbed him by the arm so he was facing her.

 Jon gave a huff of frustration but he realised that this was an argument he would not win.

 "We still need a champion. We can't stand here like this and let the crowd enjoy this. It makes us look weak," he pointed out. Clearly, Vedros was thinking the same thing because she flew overhead and gave a loud screech which caused some of the cheers to die down.

 "I'll do it," he turned and saw that Daario had stepped forward and started his descent down the hill towards the Meereenese champion. As he approached, the Meereenese people on the city walls started to cheer loudly, clearly excited that they were getting some action.

 Daario reached the flat land in front of the city walls and stood in wait of the champion who lined up across from him. Jon watched carefully, this would be a good time to assess his fighting abilities.

The champion waved his arms high in the air and soaked up the applause of the crowd before he slowly pushed his horse into a trot. The trot turned into a gallop and then he charged at Daario, lowering his lance as he did so.

 Jon watched as the Tyroshi sellsword stayed rooted on his spot.

 "What is he doing, he will run right through him," he heard Dany whisper in his ear and she was right. Then at the last moment, he twisted his feet and hips and then stepped out of the way. The man was quick, but not as quick as Jon.

 "He is giving the people a show," he told her.

 The crowd booed at this cowardly display and Jon gave a small smirk. He turned to his left and saw that their freedmen and women had started to observe the display occurring below them.

 The champion had finally turned his horse around for another pass at Daario. This time he drew for his arakh. He held the blade limply by his side as he waited for the champion to get closer. The champion was smart, and at the last moment he twisted his lance, anticipating Daario to side step out of the way again.

 Unfortunately for him, Daario had decided to duck this time as the champion galloped past, his arakh cut along the side of his horse. Cutting it from the bottom of its throat and all along its side. The screech that the horse gave out as it died made his toes curl and the champion was thrown off his falling horse.

 The champion quickly rose to his feet and drew his weapon but Daario was on him in a flash. The sound of steel colliding with steel quickly filled the air as the blades blurred together. The fight continued for a few moments before Daario brought his weapon down in a quick slice. The champion fell to his knees, clutching the side of his face as blood poured out of the side. He appeared to be begging for mercy, but he did not beg for long before Daario slit his throat.

 His body hit the floor with a loud thud that echoed in the silence. The Meereenese people clearly could not believe that their chosen champion had lost. The silence was short lived because Anogar chose this moment to fly overhead and release a loud roar and a small burst of flame. He was soon joined by his siblings who were also jubilant in this small victory. Soon, the freedmen joined in and started to cheer loudly, mocking the Meereenese people.

 He felt Daenerys grip his hand and then she led them back to their tent. They took their seats again and resumed their war council. Daario staggered into the tent last and he looked a little disappointed, he probably had been expecting to be cheered for his victory. He looked back and forth between Jon and Daenerys, clearly waiting. Eventually Jon spoke up

"Nicely done Daario, but we will not be celebrating. We still have to take the city and we still have no good plan on how to do that,"

 "I agree, until we take the city, this victory is meaningless," Dany continued.

 "We could use the sewers," Brown Ben Plumm said after a pause.

 "The city sewers?" Jon asked after a pause he looked at Qavo and hoped he had knowledge of this.

 "To my knowledge, the sewers of Meereen empty out into the river and this is why people are told not to drink from it," he said after a moment.

 "Very true. Great brick sewers that lead all the way out into the river. I know them well. It's how I escaped," Brown Ben added.

 "Is that why they call you Brown Ben?" Daario jokes

 "They can call me whatever they like," he responded stiffly.

 "Escaped? Surely the sewers would have been barred to stop the slaves from escaping?" Daenerys asked ignoring their foolish discussion.

 "They are, but a few of them have rusted away. I went down one sewer in the dead of night. It was dark, you are wading in shit and piss that comes up to your waste. It smelled horrible and there are vermin in there that are bigger than me, but I escaped. If you want to enter the city, this might be your way,"

 "Would you lead the forces?" Jon asked quickly and Brown Ben scoffed loudly.

 "Not a chance. I still remember the stink of that place. I would not go back up there for all the gold in the world. The most I will do is show you the entrance,"

 Jon paused and considered this, if what he said was true, then this would be a great way to sneak into the city. He wouldn't even bother suggesting that he go, Dany wouldn't have it. More importantly, he needed to spend time with her, she had been feeling ill recently and he needed to make sure that she was ok.

 "We will need a distraction," Jon said. "Perhaps we should use Euron's ship and ram it into the other side of the city walls. We could send a small part of our army there as well. This will distract them and lead them away from the sewers which I presume will be on the river side of the city?"

Qavo and Brown Ben quickly nodded. "Good, Ben I want ten of your best men. Daario, I want the same from you. Daario and Grey Worm will lead the men up through the sewers. From there, I want you to head to the fighting pits and free the slaves there. That should give you enough men to start a riot inside the city and then you will open the gates for us,"

 This was a risky plan but it was necessary. Jon knew that the city would be sacked brutally but unless the Great Masters of Meereen decided to open their gates, then they had no other choice. With the instructions for the battle set, he sent them all away to prepare for the assault which would begin at night.

 When they were alone, he turned to Daenerys and led her to their bed.

 "How are you feeling? Have you been to a healer?" he asked as he touched her face. She smiled warmly.

 "I am fine Jon, but thanks for your concern," she said softly. "It's nothing to worry about," and she gave him a warm smile that helped to ease his concern. He leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead before leaning back.

 "Jon," she began tentatively, as if she was waiting to tell him something "Could you give me a massage, like you used to?" and he smiled at this request.

 "Of course, I'll get some of the oils," and he quickly crossed over to a chest that contained the oils that he knew Missandei used to massage her. When he turned around he saw that she had just finished stripping off her clothes, she was on her knees on the bed and Jon couldn't help but stare at her naked body. As his eyes reached hers she gave him an innocent smile.

 "I don't want to get oil on my dress," she said sweetly. "I think you should take your clothes off, we don't want to ruin them," and he smiled despite himself. He had learned that she was quite the demanding lover and lately, she had been more demanding and adventurous than usual. Sometimes she didn't even take off her clothes, she would just hike up her dress and demanded that he fuck her then and there. He wondered what had brought on this change

He quickly stripped and settled in behind her with the massage oils to his right hand side. He dipped his fingers in the oil and then started to go to work. He started from the top of her shoulders and then gently worked his way down her body, planting soft kisses on her neck every now and again. He rubbed softly in all the right spots, causing her to release little sighs of pleasure. She held her hands around her belly as he worked. He gently massaged her breasts, feeling their weight in his hands. He thought that they were bigger but he wasn't sure. As he worked, he felt her relax more and more into his body and soon he realised that she was starting to fall asleep.

 He smiled to himself and planted a kiss on her neck. "Sleep well my Queen," he whispered softly. He debated getting up but he could not bring himself to move this beautiful woman out of his arms.

 He let out a content sigh and closed his eyes. The men had their instructions. They would come get them when the battle was over.

The Imp of Casterly Rock

Tyrion was floating. He was floating high in the sky above Lannisport. He floated over the streets he used to play in when he was a child. He spotted the alleyways he used to duck into whenever he needed to hide after getting into mischief. He smiled at the memory. Then, he flew out over the sunset sea. The water was a beautiful teal color and the sea breeze felt cool on his skin. As he floated over the water, he could see his reflection. His hair was neat and he was wearing his best clothes. He continued to float until he reached a cottage by the sea. This cottage immediately felt familiar to him.

 He floated until he touched down on the soft grass leading up to the cottage. He gently dusted himself off and then he walked along the stone path leading to the front door of the college. He looked up and saw smoke coming out from the chimney. To his right, he saw a small pen filled with pigs. He smiled to himself and then slowly pushed open the wooden door. The inside of cottage was simply furnished. There was a small fireplace and a wooden table with only enough space for two people.

 He smiled to himself at the memory. This was the cottage he had lived with his beloved Tysha after their wedding. He heard noises from the bedroom, she was probably in there, he realised. He walked towards the bedroom door and pushed the door open.

 He was horrified by what he saw.

 On the bed was his beautiful wife Tysha. She was naked with tears streaming down her face. Behind her, was his father, naked as his nameday.

 Tyrion felt his blood boil with anger. On the floor, he saw a silver dagger. He picked it up and ran at his father who had stumbled off the bed in surprise when he saw Tyrion. With surprising strength, Tyrion knocked him to the floor and straddled him.

 He plunged the dagger into his father's face repeatedly and each stab caused blood to splash onto his face. He counted the stabs and each one caused him to smile wickedly in pleasure. You took my wife from me you evil bastard. As he stabbed at his father's face it became a ruin.

Suddenly, Tyrion noticed that he was no longer stabbing his father's face, he was stabbing Jaime's. He sat back with horror, conflicted emotions pouring through him.

"You should never have done it!" he screamed at Jaime. Anger pouring through him again.

 "I had no choice, father made me," Jaime cried and then Tyrion stabbed him. Laughing wildly as he struck each blow. It was only when he was finished that he realised his anger was gone and he was weeping uncontrollably.

Tyrion then awoke with a start. His fingers scratching at the soft sheets underneath him. He opened his eyes and blinked repeatedly, trying to remove the tears from his eyes. When he could see clearly, he slowly rolled over and then sat up in the bed. He ran his fingers through the sheets, before gripping tightly as he tried to shake the memory of his dream from his mind. Realising that this was pointless, he decided to get up and to explore his new surroundings. He was also very hungry. He hadn't eaten much on the voyage on account of being in that box.

 He swung his legs off the bed and then slid onto the floor. The floor was surprisingly cold beneath his feet and his legs nearly collapsed underneath him. He cursed to himself, and then he cursed Varys. He had been stuck in that box for weeks on end, it was no wonder his legs seemed to be weak now.

 So, he stood by the side of the bed, swinging his legs back and forth, stretching them and giving soft grunts of pain as the muscles in them cried after not being used for so long. As he stretched, he looked around at his new surroundings. The room was large, perhaps more spacious than some of better rooms in the Red Keep or Casterly Rock. The bed was huge, big enough for several people. The floor was tiled and painted, which would have been expensive. On the other side of the room was a balcony and he could hear the sounds of a city in the background. From the sounds of the voices, he quickly ruled out Westeros. He was in one of the free cities. Being in that box meant that he had lost track of time, but if he were to guess, he would guess either Pentos or Lys. Perhaps even Tyrosh. He thought that it was unlikely he was in Braavos, it felt much too hot for Braavos and the journey surely would have been longer.

 Once, he was satisfied that his legs were once again his own and that they would obey his commands, he set off in the opposite direction towards the door. Before he pushed open the door, he stopped to think this through. The owner of this house was Varys's friend. What that meant he did not know, Lord Varys did not strike him as the type of man to keep friends, he would have his pawns, but not friends. Tyrion knew Varys was using him, although he had no idea what he was being used for.

This meant that Tyrion would have to be cautious. Whoever this man was, he was keeping him here and alive because Varys had told him too. He would have to work out the relationship between the two and then he would work from there. Perhaps, he would play nice and go along with Varys's plan. He had offered him a chance at revenge over his family and Tyrion had wanted that unquestionably. Despite his dream, he was sure that he wanted nothing more than to see his father die.

 He took a deep breath and pushed open the polished wooden door. The handle was made out of solid gold and the metal felt cool in his hand. The door moved easily and Tyrion headed out into the empty hallway beyond it. He looked left and right, trying to decide on a direction to take. He faintly heard voices from his left so that was the direction he went. As he walked, his stomach rumbled loudly and he instinctively rubbed it. The walls were adorned with expensive and lavish tapestries. He saw dragons, shadow cats, giants and bears.

 He reached the end of the corridor and took a right hand turn, again following the sound of voices. He made a conscious effort to move a silently as possible. Perhaps, he would be able to spy on the owner of the house. He took care to stick to the shadows as he hugged the wall tightly. The sound of voices grew louder and louder. Tyrion could understand Valyrian, he had spent several years studying the ancient language of the dragonlords. However, the people were speaking too quickly and their accents were too thick. However, he was able to pick out a few words. He heard the word dragon several times but he wasn't able to hear the rest of the sentence

As he moved to the end of the corridor, he nearly bumped into a maid. She gave out a loud startled yell and the tray she was carrying fell to the floor. The plates shattered loudly and the maid looked up at him fearfully. Tyrion was struck by her face. She had long dark hair and a slender face. Was she Tysha? He felt hopeful.

 Then, he looked closely. No, Tysha had lovely blue eyes, this girl had brown eyes. Brown eyes that were looking at him fearfully. He quickly pushed a finger to his lips to try and silence the girl but it was too late. He heard light footsteps rapidly approaching and he realised that his attempt at spying had come to an end.

 A fat man pounded round the corner quickly. He was very fat. Tyrion wondered if his robe could serve as a tent such was his size. He had fat cheeks and pigs eyes. He wore a very heavy perfume, likely to cover the stench of his own sweat. He had an oiled forked yellow beard and each fat finger was adorned with rings. He saw a jade, emerald, diamond, gold, ruby and even sapphire rings on his fingers. Tyrion looked at his size, and at his wealth and quickly deduced that this man was the owner of the house.

The man looked at him and smiled, giving Tyrion a view of his crooked yellow teeth.

 "Ah, my friend is awake!" he said with a wide smile. Tyrion gave a small reluctant smile in return.

 "I am Illyrio Mopatis, one of the richest magisters of this city and welcome to my home!" he said as he gestured around him. He then looked at him patiently, as if waiting for him to introduce himself. Tyrion just smiled at him, the magister knew full well who he was.

 "You are Tyrion Lannister, son of Tywin no?"

 "I am his son, although he is loath to admit it," he muttered darkly. His mind flashing back to images of Tysha and of his dream.

 "Come, you must be very hungry after your journey. Let us eat," and then he led him away through the manse. He led him down to a garden with a statue in the middle. The statue was of a young boy standing in the water of a marble pool. It was painted, and his blond hair was almost white and it ran down to the boys shoulders. The statue was lithe and handsome.

 Tyrion's attention was drawn away from the statue when he saw the feast that had been laid out for them at the table. He saw exotic meats that had been well cooked and were practically dripping in spices. He saw plenty of fruits, apples, peaches and dates. He saw cheeses and breads. It was some of the richest food he had seen in weeks and he could not stop a small amount of drool from forming at his mouth.

 Illyrio was watching him carefully and gestured for him to take a seat which he quickly did. He was about to rip off a leg of chicken before he paused. This man was Varys's friend and he was not entirely sure if he could trust him. He ignored another loud rumble of his stomach and watched the magister warily. He would only eat from plates that he touched. The magister saw this and gave a loud laugh that seemed to come from deep within his belly.

 "You don't trust me?" he said as he continued to laugh. "You are a friend of Varys, therefore you a friend of mine. If you trust Varys, then you can trust me," he said with a smile.

 Tyrion was unsure of this. Any friend of Varys's should immediately be treated with caution. He would only trust this man as far as he could throw him. Judging by his size, that wouldn't be very far.

Illyrio's smile turned into a frown at Tyrion's continued lack of trust.

 "My friend, if we wanted you dead. We would have thrown you overboard into the sea. You are here because Varys says we need you," and then he gestured to a plate in front of Tyrion. Tyrion could see his reasoning, and he also saw the threat behind his words. This man would have no problem killing him if he did not prove useful.

 Eventually his stomach won out. He pulled the plate towards him and then ripped off a leg of chicken. He bit into it greedily and his mouth was immediately flooded with a sweet juice. He gave a loud moan of satisfaction before taking another bite. He quickly finished the chicken leg and then moved onto the next dish. Tyrion ate greedily but he didn't care. He had spent weeks on that boat and he had missed a lot of meals.

 When he had eaten his fill, he sat back and sipped at a cup of sweet wine, it was unlike anything he had ever tasted before and he guessed that it was a native Essosi mix. He licked the grease from his fingers and he observed his surroundings. The sun was lower in the sky and it was late afternoon, despite that, it was still very hot. He looked at the magister and he saw him dabbing at his forehead repeatedly, wiping away the sweat.

"So, I presume that I am in Pentos?"

 Illyrio cocked his head to the side and gave him a small smile. "Yes," and then he was quiet again. He was waiting, perhaps eagerly. Tyrion quickly realised that he needed to get this man to talk.

 "Varys is from Lys, not Pentos, so how did you become friends?" and Illyrio gave a small chuckle

 "We met in Pentos but we are not from here. You are correct. He is from Lys but I am from Braavos. We met when we both young, and very poor. We met in this very city. He had been chased out of Myr and I was a poor sellsword with nothing to my name. We made a pact and we started to work together," he began and then he reached for a drink of his wine. Tyrion was intrigued, he had not heard this part of Varys's life before.

 "Varys was chased out of Myr for being a thief, but he did not let that deter him. We formed a partnership. He would steal items from lesser thieves in the city, and then I would return the items for a small fee. It started small, but soon everyone in this city knew to turn to me to get their valuables returned. Eventually I grew rich enough to start associating with the rich upper class and we were able to put that venture behind us,"

 "Varys is smart and he quickly realised the value of information. I assume you have heard stories of his little birds?" and Tyrion quickly nodded.

 "He started his first spy network in this very city. Using them to collect the ledgers, charts and letters from the rich. This information was very useful and it helped me to elevate myself even further in the city. Eventually, his talents became so infamous that he was soon recruited by the last Targaryen King to become his spymaster, and I believe you know the rest of the story," and Tyrion nodded. He now understood the bond these two shared. They were two young boys who had grown rich together, but this did not help him understand why they needed him now.

"Enough about me, tell me about yourself," he said. Tyrion eyed him carefully, Varys had likely told him everything he knew about him.

 "Although I am a small man, I have quite the long story. We do not have time to hear it all," and Illyrio gave a loud laugh.

 "Very well, tell me the most recent events. What happened between you and your family?" he asked as he leaned in ever so slightly. Tyrion took a deep breath and contemplated how much to tell him.

 "My family plotted to kill me," he settled on.

 "Oh," Illyrio said, poorly feigning his surprise. "Why would they do that?"

 "Plenty of reasons. My father despises me, probably because I am a dwarf, although he is smart enough to hide it. My sister has always hated me and does not even bother to hide it. She blames me for killing my mother when I was born. A hideous crime although I can scarcely claim to have intentionally done it,"

 "Oh, what about your brother, the Kingslayer?" Tyrion flinched at Jaime's name and he recalled his dream. Did Jaime hate him? Did he hate Jaime?

 "Jaime is a sheep. Perhaps he does not hate me, but I am fairly certain that he does not love me either," he said thinking of Tysha. Jaime had kept that secret from him his entire life and he would never have told him. He hated him for that, for not sticking up for him. He hated him for letting him believe his beloved Tysha was nothing but a whore. He clenched his fist in anger and tried to take deep calming breaths.

He looked up at Illyrio and he saw that the fat man was watching him carefully.

 "What else did they do to you?" he finally asked. Tyrion cursed himself, he had let his anger show.

 "They took away the woman I loved," he said angrily as he repeatedly clenched and then unclenched his fist. Illyrio looked at him with a sad look on his face

 "I am sorry," he said sincerely. Tyrion was surprised by this. He watched as the man reached into his robes and pulled out a locket.

 "I too have lost a love," he said sadly as he opened the locket to show him. Inside there was the portrait of a beautiful woman. She had pale big blue eyes and pale golden hair that was streaked with silver. "Serra," he whispered sadly.

 Tyrion looked at the portrait and then back at the statue of the boy playing in the pool.

 "She was my second wife. I met her in a pillow house in Lys. I brought her home with me, then I eventually married her," The magister had closed his eyes as he recalled his sad tale. Tyrion stole another glance at the portrait and then back at the statue. "She died of the grey plague that had spread throughout the city. It came from a merchant ship and we killed every sailor that tried to enter but the plague still spread. It must have been the rats,"

 Tyrion nodded slowly. "That statue, is it?" he began but then his eyes flew open and he snapped the locket shut.

 "No no, that is a statue of me, I have no children," he said quickly. "That statue is of me, of when I was a young boy. It was carved when I was only 16 by Pytho Malanon," Tyrion nodded slowly looking at the statue.

 It did bear a certain resemblance to Illyrio, and it was definitely possible that this was him when he was younger. However the statue was in very good condition and Illyrio had told him earlier that he had been poor when he was young. So where did he get the money to have a statue carved of him? Where did he store it?

 Perhaps he had the statue recently made and he simply misspoke. Still, Tyrion couldn't shake the curious feeling he had that there was more to this statue.

 As if Illyrio could sense his disbelief, he loudly cleared his throat.

"Come my friend, as much as I would love to stay and chat. You must be going,"

 "Going? I only got here today," Tyrion said quickly.

 "Yes, but we do not have time to waste. Our friends are waiting for you to move onto the next stage of their journey."

 Tyrion was confused. He still had not been informed of what exactly Varys was planning.

 "When you awoke, I sent for a carriage to be prepared. The carriage will take you to the outskirts of the city where you will meet Griff and his son. They are heading to meet some people that share the same goals as you,"

 "What goals are they?" Tyrion asked suspiciously

 "Revenge against the Lannisters," he whispered and Tyrion couldn't help but give a small smile. He was also very curious, who were these people and what enemies did his family have in Essos?

 "I also need you to deliver a chest or two for the son. One chest contains gold, the other contains an item that I procured years ago. Tell him that it is a gift for him and that I am sorry I will not be able to attend his wedding," he said and once again Tyrion was struck by how sincere he sounded. He clearly had a special affection to the boy. 

 Tyrion nodded quickly and allowed himself to be led away and into the carriage. The carriage took him outside the city and continued onwards all evening until they reached a camp at nightfall. The man in charge was clearly Griff, a tall man with blue hair.

 "So, you're the reason we've spent the past few days camped outside this city?" he asked in a gruff voice as he looked him up and down. Tyrion quickly noticed that he spoke with an accent that was not his own.

 "I am indeed, although you could at least try and hide your disappointment,"

 The man gave a low grunt. "Very well, they claim that you are smart and useful. Although, I am not sure of what use the son of Tywin Lannister will be to our cause,"

 Tyrion smiled sweetly. This man was definitely an exiled Westerosi, although he was not sure of his identity. He would work that out in time.

 "I am not sure what use I will be either, considering I don't even know what our joint cause is," he said raising a questioning eyebrow.

 "If you don't know why you are here, then how do you know we share the same cause?"

 "Oh, I am sure we all want the same things," Tyrion said quickly and Griff raised a questioning eyebrow. "Oh, don't play dumb Griff. We are all here for revenge. It does not take a man of my intelligence to know that,"

Griff was about to reply but the boy stepped forward.

 "Just let him in, we will learn more about him on our journey," he said. After a pause, Griff nodded and then let him past.

 Tyrion took a good look at the boy. He was a lithe and a handsome youth. He had a lanky build and a shock of blue hair.

 He smiled to himself as he walked past and into their camp. There was a mystery here and it was a mystery that he would figure out.

The Dragon Reborn

The plan to use the sewers had worked flawlessly. Grey worm, Daario and their men were able to crawl through the sewers and get in behind the city's defenses. Then, whilst the Meereenese forces were distracted by Euron's ship being driven onto land and into a wall by the River, Grey worm opened the gates for the rest of the Unsullied to enter the city. By dawn, all the city's forces had surrendered and had opened up the remaining gates to them.

 Jon watched as thousands upon thousands of slaves flooded out the gates of Meereen towards them. Daenerys was wearing a long white dress that matched her silver hair. The dress showed little cleavage, but it had several cuts in the side. She wore sandals that pushed her closer to his height and to finish her outfit. She had a red and black Tokar to reflect the colors of their house.

 The slaver cities were once their own independent Ghiscari empire, but Valyria had conquered it some 5000 years ago. Many of their old customs, and even their language had died out since then. Old Ghiscari died out and was replaced by the High Valyrian spoken by their new Valyrian masters.

 Ever since the freehold died out, the high Valyrian spoken was mutated into a bastard form known as low Valyrian and this is what the people of Meereen spoke. Jon could understand this language, and as he walked hand in hand with Daenerys up the city walls, he could hear what they were saying,

 "Mhysa!" and "Kepah!"

Was shouted repeatedly towards them. When he first heard it, he instinctively reached towards his sword, wary of any danger that might approach.

 "Jon relax," Dany said to him as she grabbed his arm. "They're not going to hurt us. I think they're cheering for us,"

 "They are, your Graces," Missandei confirmed with a smile. "They are cheering because you have freed them from their masters. They are cheering for King Aegon and Queen Daenerys,"

 As the understanding washed over him, he allowed a nervous smile to creep up onto his face and he even waved back at some of the people. They saw this and cheered even louder. Dany grabbed his other hand and held it high in hers and the crowd erupted at this sight. He looked towards her and saw that she was smiling happily greeting the people. Jon allowed himself to relax and he quickly started to smile from ear to ear, it felt good to do right in the world. They may have sacked cities, but it was worth it. Seeing the people they had saved made it all worth it.

 He looked upwards to see all three dragons soaring above in unison. They flew up and landed on the tallest pyramid in the city, the one with the great bronze Harpy on it.

 "They want us to go to that Pyramid," Dany told him and he nodded.

 They continued their slow procession through the brick streets of Meereen. Jon noticed that as expected, the city had been sacked brutally. Plenty of the shops had been damaged and the he could see faints streaks of blood on the brick streets. The small slave revolt that he had told them to start had quickly spread and there had been plenty of looting and killing as the slaves chased their freedom. He felt a pang of guilt course through him at this, this had been his plan. As if she could read his mind, Daenerys looked at him and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and a reassuring squeeze of his hand.

 Their procession continued until they reached the central plaza, where the Great Pyramid was located. Jon looked up at it and estimated that it was at least 800 foot tall. He looked down at the base and saw that the giant brass doors had been opened for them.

Once they stepped inside, Jon immediately noticed how thick the walls were. They must have been thicker than the walls surrounding Winterfell. They were greeted by a former slave woman. She was old, with grey hair.

 "Welcome to the Great pyramid of Meereen, your graces," she said. She could speak low Valyrian, but with a very strong accent.

 "The great pyramid has 33 levels as 33 is a sacred number in our culture. The most spacious apartments are on the top floor above the audience chamber. Would you like me to escort you?"

 He looked towards Daenerys and she nodded. As they walked up the many stairs in the pyramid, Jon paid attention to the layout. The bottom floor was wear the stables and storerooms were. The stables were huge, able to hold hundreds of horses and even elephants they were told. Around the 16th or 17th levels there were massive windowless chambers.

 Below their apartment on the 32nd floor was an audience chamber. It was a chilly room with a brightly painted tiled ceiling. The ceiling was so tall that the room even had an echo. There were purple marble pillars along each wall with tall candles burning providing the room with light. In the center of the room there was a white marble staircase leading up to the throne. The throne itself was a bronze harpy

 "Get rid of it," He said as soon as he saw it. "Take it outside and the dragons will melt it down. The bronze can be reused. I will not have the harpy in our throne room," Jon stood and watched as a few unsullied moved to carry out his instructions.

 "Your grace, what will you replace it with?" Missandei asked.

 "Send for a long wooden bench. One long enough for the pair of us to sit on," Dany answered. Jon heard a small cough and turned to the source of the noise.

 "Your grace. A wooden bench is not worthy of a King or Queen," a man quickly said.

 "If the Queen deems a wooden bench worthy, it is worthy," Jon answered firmly, ending the discussion.

 He walked into a side room and found a door that led to a terrace. There were several trees and flowers growing here. He took a quick look around before heading back inside and up to the final floor.

He pushed open the doors to the private apartments and he was amazed by what he saw. Firstly, it was huge. Jon guessed that this room was twice as big as the Lords chambers in Winterfell. The floor was tiled and there were several white pillars around the room that led up the ceiling. In the center of the room was a huge four poster bed with white curtains tied around it. The wood seemed to be a polished dark brown oak. He walked over to it and ran his hands along the soft sheets. Surrounding the bed was a soft Myrish carpet.

"Impressive bed. It seems comfortable, much more comfortable than the bed in our tent," Dany said to him. He turned to her and saw that she was coming from another hallway.

 "Aye. It's bigger as well. Much better for sleeping," he said with a wry smile. "What is down there?" He asked, gesturing to the direction she just came from.

 "Oh, just a few smaller bed chambers. One will go to Missandei. She is my handmaiden, she should be close by,"

Jon nodded and then stepped outside with her onto their private terrace garden. This garden was much bigger than the garden on the lower floor, it had more trees and flowers and even a little pool.

 "They even have lemon trees!" Dany exclaimed happily as she walked over to one.

 He heard a screech and then he turned to look up. He saw the dragons were flying above. Anogar was perched on the harpy itself.

 "The dragon conquered the harpy," he said to her.

 "Again. Just like our ancestors did," she replied with a smile.

 They walked around the terrace and looked at the view. From their height, they could see the entire city and beyond. They could see the river and the sea of Slavers Bay. There were plenty of ships in the harbour. Whenever they decided to leave, then they would have ships ready to take them.

 "I don't like the name Slavers Bay," she said. "It doesn't fit. There are no more slavers or slaves. So why should it be called Slaver's Bay?"

 "That's a good point," he said nodding his head "What should we name it instead?"

 She thought for a few minutes. Suddenly, he heard a loud flutter of wings and saw the dragons all take off towards the bay.

 "The Bay of Dragons," she said confidently. "Conquerors have the right to rename the cities they conquered. We will rename it the Bay of Dragons. That will be the first act as rulers,"

 "The Bay of Dragons does have a very nice ring to it," he replied. "We do have a lot of work to do as well. It is one thing to conquer but ruling is quite different, the city is in a bad state after the sack. We need to speak to the people, find out their needs and concerns. Only then can we improve their lives,"

 Daenerys turned to him and nodded. "That sounds wise," she started to wring her hands. Jon looked at her, she looked nervous.

 "I would like to start immediately," Jon said. "If you don't want to, you don't have to be with me today. Stay here and rest, I know you have been feeling unwell lately. It must have been the rations we were eating on our march," he reached for her hand and ran his fingers gently over her knuckles, trying to comfort her.

"I have been unwell but it's not because of the food, Jon. It's something else," she said quietly. Jon was about to question her further but they were interrupted by a knock on the terrace doors. They turned to see Missandei and Qavo standing in front of them.

"Apologies for interrupting your graces, but there is news from Westeros. News Jon, sorry, King Aegon will be interested in," Missandei said.

 He took a quick look towards Dany and she nodded quickly "Very well," Jon said.

 "Lord Eddard Stark of Winterfell has been appointed as the new hand to King Robert Baratheon after the sudden death of Lord Jon Arryn. Lord Stark and both his daughters have travelled to the capital. His daughter Lady Sansa will also wed the Crown Prince Joffrey. His son Brandon was supposed to go with them but he had a fall in Winterfell and is currently bedridden. The maesters say that he has lost the use of his legs."

 "We have even heard a tale of how Lord Stark killed Lady Sansa's direwolf as recompense for an injury that Crown Prince Joffrey suffered due to Lady Arya's direwolf. But her direwolf managed to escape into the woods and so the Queen demanded that the other wolf be killed as punishment" she said in a loud clear voice.

 Jon just stared at her, into her dark eyes. His gaze must have been intense because she started to cower away in fear. He was woken from his trance when he heard Ghost release a long loud and sad howl. He felt a sudden wind pass by and he shuddered in the cold.

 He turned away from her and looked out at the ocean. Faintly, he heard Dany say something, probably sending them away.

All thoughts and emotions ran through Jon at that moment. Confusion, anger, guilt, hatred. His mind was consumed with thoughts of Lord Stark. The man he used to call father.

 "Jon, how do you feel?" she asked softly.

 "I'm fine," he lied. He didn't want to face her so he turned and walked away but she quickly walked up to him.

 "Do not lie to me, I know you. Just tell me how you feel,"

Jon opened and closed his mouth repeatedly. At a loss of what to say.

"How could he do this?" he finally said. "How could he work with the usurper? He is a child killer. Robert Baratheon condoned the murder of my half brother and sister and now Lord Stark is working with him. Helping to keep his illegitimate crown,"

 "I thought I knew him. I really did. I thought he was a good and honorable man. It was all a lie,"

 "Jon, don't say that," she began but he cut her off.

 "Yes, it was Dany. How could he be a good man? My mother came to him with her concerns and fears about marrying Robert but he did nothing to help her. He could have convinced his father to stop the betrothal but he didn't even try. He didn't even try to help his sister, he was content to see her sold like livestock to his best friend. What kind of man is that? My father asked to meet with him before the battle of the Trident to explain the situation but he refused. He didn't even want to hear both sides of the story. He killed a direwolf, a rare and sacred animal of the north to please the Lannisters and it wasn't even the same animal that had attacked the prince. He remained friends with Robert after what happened to Aegon and Rhaenys. What kind of man is he?"

"Jon," she began but again he cut her off. Unable to stop himself

 "He lied to me my entire life. Not once did he tell me about my mother. Who she was, if she was dead or alive. He let me live with all kinds of horrible rumors and lies. I thought she was a tavern whore and that he couldn't even remember her face and name. He kept the truth from me my entire life. He let his wife treat me like shit because he wanted to keep his lie. How could he do that?"

"Jon, he lied to protect you. You know that. All my life I have been running from assassins and hired knives. Ever since I was a little girl all I have known is a life on the run," she said quickly, her hands going to her stomach.

"Exactly. And now he is Hand to the King who condoned these attacks on innocent children. A king who allows the murder of children and sends assassins after a girl innocent of the crimes of her father or her family. That is the type of man he calls friend. That says a lot about his character," Jon spat angrily.

 "Jon, let me finish. He lied to protect you from the same things I had to deal with. You are his sister's only son. The usurper would have killed you. Especially, if he learned that your mother loved your father and not him. He did it to protect you. He lied out of love,"

 "Love? Most likely guilt. He probably realised that if he had listened to his sister and tried to end the betrothal then the entire rebellion would not have happened. Guilt not love is what I say,"

"Jon, he is a good man. He has made mistakes but do not doubt that he loves you. Think about the risk he took upon himself to protect you,"

Jon thought about it and then answered,

 "Yes, he protected me and raised me with his own children. But what about the things that he took from me? He denied me my name, my birthright and my crown. He didn't even let me decide if I wanted it or not. For years, I endured the scorn and the ridicule of his wife and others at Winterfell but he never once spoke out to ease my suffering. People used to taunt me about my mother, saying that she was some lowborn whore and other vile lies. When I asked him about her, he refused to answer me and he acted like he was ashamed of my mother. I thought that the lies must have been true. Now, I know he was ashamed of his own lies"

 "You talk about him sacrificing his honor for me, but what hardship did he truly endure? None of his bannermen ever disrespected him or refused to obey him. Even his wife who he supposedly dishonoured, is kind and loving towards him. I was the one who endured the insults, shame and humiliation. People looked at me like I was the one who forced him to have a bastard. He was the good and kind lord who did more than was expected for his bastard and I was the spawn of lust feeding of my father's kindness"

 "For years, people in Westeros have spread lies about both my parents. My father was seen as either a mad rapist or a foolish prince driven by lust while my mother, the fierce she-wolf of Winterfell is painted as a helpless damsel or a scheming woman who seduced a prince and plunged the realm into war. Lord Stark always taught me about the value of honor, truth and justice but his actions say the opposite."

 "I felt so guilty for the way I left. I didn't even say goodbye. Then, I met my true father and I learned the truth and I was so shocked. I had this picture of Lord Stark in my mind and everything I learned just shattered it into a million pieces. I wanted to see him, to try and see if I could put the pieces back together but now I won't. I had hoped that we would not have to meet on the battlefield. I do not want to fight against Robb but now it seems we have no choice,"

 "Jon you don't know that. He might not choose to fight you," she said trying to ease his thoughts.

 "Dany, he's Hand of the King. Sansa will marry the Crown Prince. His grandson will be King one day. He will fight us. He has committed himself to Robert Baratheon. He is not a good man, and neither is Lord Stark if he chooses to join his house with the Baratheons and Lannisters,"

 Dany looked at him sadly for a few moments before she spoke again.

 "Jon, you are a clever man. You are smart enough to figure out a plan to avoid fighting him. Perhaps if we attack from the south and offer favorable terms, he will stay in the North?"

 "Perhaps," he said with a sigh. "I really don't want to fight him," suddenly he remembered his dream. His dream of him flying over Winterfell on his dragon. "I don't want to fight against Robb, Bran or anyone from Winterfell. Regardless of how I feel about Lord Stark. I don't want to fight them," he said sadly.

Again, she was silent for a few more moments. She leaned against the railing of the terrace and put her other hand on her stomach.

 "Jon, I can't begin to understand what you're feeling right now but Lord Stark is a good man. He loved you and I don't think you should forget that,"

 "Dany, you don't know him," he said in a tired voice as he ran his hands through his hair. He pulled out a lock, it was raven black.

 "You are right I don't know him but I know you. You are my brother's seed but he was the man that shaped you into who you are today. He raised a good man," He looked up at her. She had stood up straight now and was looking at him intensely and Jon could not drop her gaze.

"The man that I am here with right now. The man that I will conquer the world with. The man that I love and the father of my child,"

He stood up straight in shock. Their child? Surely not. All thoughts of Lord Stark were pushed from his mind as he imagined him holding a small child with pale hair and purple eyes. A child with her lovely porcelain skin. She started to look nervous and he realised that he hadn't answered.

"Our child?" He asked quietly and she nodded nervously. He immediately remembered his vision in the pool. He started to smile and he quickly pulled her into his arms and picked her up. He started to spin around in happiness.

 "Jon, stop you're going to make me dizzy," she laughed and he didn't stop spinning her. "Think about the baby!" and only then did he stop. He finally put her down but held her close.

"I love you," he said before he kissed her, she threw her arms around his neck and he lifted her up by her ass. He began to carry her inside but she broke away stopping him.

"Why did you take so long to answer? It made me think you didn't want to have a baby with me," she said once he put her down.

 "I was a little shocked that's all. I never thought I would have a child of my own. I was a bastard, and I refused to bring another bastard into this world to live the life I had to live. Children were for trueborns, for Robb, Sansa and the others. Not for me," he said sadly. "I actually had a vision about this, back in Valyria,"

 "A vision of our children? You didn't tell me," she quickly said.

 "I had other visions and then we hadn't really spoken about children so I didn't mention it,"

 "You didn't mention a vision about our children? Jon, this is important. Did we have boys or girls? What color was their hair? Their eyes? Tell me please," she said excitedly, practically bouncing on her feet.

 He opened his mouth to begin to answer.

 "No no no don't tell me, I want to be surprised," she said giggling

 "What would you like our first child to be? A boy or a girl?" He asked

 "Our first child?" She paused and thought "A girl with your hair and your eyes," she said firmly.

 "My boring dark hair and eyes?" he groaned "The world needs more children with your lovely silver hair and striking purple eyes," he said passionately. She was about to answer him but he quickly kissed her.

 "How long have you known?" he asked,

 "A few days ago. Well, I was unsure for a few weeks but it was only confirmed a few days ago. I was sick one morning and Missandei came to me. I thought it was something I ate but then she asked about us and if I was taking any moon tea and then we both realised what it could be. Then, my moon blood didn't arrive and it was confirmed,"

 He nodded his head.

 "I'm surprised you didn't notice, you're usually quick to notice things," she teased.

 "Well I have noticed your breasts have gotten bigger but I thought I was imagining things," he said to her which caused her to smile. He reached out a hand to touch one but she playfully slapped him away.

 "How long until the baby is here?"

 "I don't know, six maybe seven months. The earliest we could have conceived would be the night we left Valyria. Which was nearly two months ago,"

Jon smiled at the memory of that night, it was the happiest night of his life. "Our child will be the first child conceived on the smoking sea of Valyria. The child of dragon riders and wargs. The singers will be able to write plenty of songs,"

 She laughed before continuing "What should we do then? I think we should stay here in Meereen until the baby arrives. Then we plan our next move. It would give the dragons time to grow even more," she said

 Jon thought about it. She raised a good point but then he remembered what had started this conversation

 "No. Robert Baratheon is still King and the longer we stay here the easier it is for him send his assassins to attack us,"

 "Jon, he would be a fool to attack us here. He will hear of our dragons and our armies and he will stay clear,"

 "I don't think so. I think he will hear of our dragons and that will cause him to increase his efforts to kill us. He will want to kill us before our dragons grow big enough to threaten his crown," he said quickly

 "Also, I don't want my child to be raised like you, constantly running from his assassins. I will not have it. I will do whatever it takes to make sure my child is safe and that you are safe. We need to defeat the usurper as soon as possible," he paused before continuing.

 "When I was drifting on the ocean. I made a promise that I would give you the life that you deserve. You, Daenerys Targaryen, will live in the world's most beautiful castle and you will not want for anything. I will do that for you and our child. No matter what it takes, No matter who stands in our way," he said firmly. "I swear it," 

She nodded slowly and he could hear her take slightly deeper breaths.

"Even Lord Stark?" she asked tentatively.

He closed his eyes as he remembered the vision of the little boy with dark hair and the purple eyes and the little girl with silver hair. He remembered their smiles as they played and chased each other. He would do anything for those children and for Daenerys. He would do anything to keep them safe, to give them a life that princes and princesses deserved.

He opened his eyes and looked at Daenerys, she was looking at him nervously. She reached one hand out to touch his face, he felt her fingers trace his jaw and along the stubble that had started to grow. He slowly reached out to grab her hand,

"Even Lord Stark," and he heard Vedros roar loudly in approval.