33

The Lord of Winterfell

Ned Stark sat on the cold stone floor of his cell as he looked up at his captor. Roose Bolton stood opposite him, his face expressionless. He knew that his situation was dire, but he had to play for time. Time would help him to work something out.

"Where is my family?" Ned asked

"In custody," Bolton replied

"Are they hurt?"

"No," he replied and Ned felt slightly relieved. Still, he and his family were prisoners in their own home and such situations did not have pleasant outcomes.

"I don't know what your plan is, but it's not too late to undo it. Whatever grievances you may have with me, we can work it out and move past it," Roose just raised up his hand to stop his pleas.

"We both know it's too late for that," he said quietly and Ned nodded.

"What is your plan? We both know that it was you who ordered the attack on Prince Rhaegar at the banks of the Green fork,"

"Take a guess," Bolton said and Ned frowned. He stared at him before he answered.

"I think that your plan was to blame me for the death of Prince Rhaegar. That would cause the Starks and the Targaryens to fight one another and obviously House Targaryen would win on account of their dragons," Ned said and he paused for a moment before continuing.

"Then I presume. You would plan to offer to be the new Warden of the North. To persuade the King, you would capture me and my family and make it easier for him, showing that you can be trusted,"

Bolton gave a small nod of the head.

"Although your plan has not worked out quite as you hoped. Jon has not come north to wage war on my family," Ned said.

"I have invited him North, he should be here any day now," Bolton said immediately and Ned paused. If Jon came north, then he would have a chance to speak with him and convince him of the truth. He felt a small glimmer of hope grow inside of him, he still had a chance.

His eyes scanned the cell for a weapon, but there was none. He would have to think of something else.

"How did you get your men in the castle?" Ned asked as he continued to play for time. Bolton looked at him and Ned realised he was waiting for him. "The fire?"

"Yes. I presume they opened the gates to allow men to enter the courtyard to help put out the fire, and then once they were inside, they hid," Bolton said quietly and Ned nodded.

"The Greyjoy attack. Were you involved with that?"

"You overestimate me, Lord Stark. I can't force Lord Greyjoy to attack the North,"

"No, but you can conspire with him so none of your forces take the brunt of the hit," Ned quickly replied and Bolton just shrugged.

"What have you told the Northern Lords?" Ned asked and Bolton didn't say anything. "You haven't told them a thing have you?"

"I don't need to tell them anything. My men are inside the castle, their men are outside and I have your family hostage," he curtly replied and Ned bit back a reply. It seemed that Roose had been unable to subdue the other bannermen, whether that was intentional or not, it was a mistake on his part.

Perhaps, he had been hoping to turn more of his bannermen against him. Now he had no choice but to hide in the castle and wait for Jon's arrival to hopefully support his cause. That meant that Ned and his family would live until then.

"It's a very bold plan. You are risking the entire future of your house," Ned said quietly.

"All the risk has passed. The men who carried out the orders have been silenced, and there is nothing left linking me to the crime. I'm sure if there was some proof, you would have found it by now," he said with a smug smile and a twinkle in his eye.

"Furthermore, the risk to my house is minimal. I am sure House Bolton of Winterfell will thrive," he added and Ned felt his blood boil. He shifted on the floor and his chains rattled.

"Your house has no future even if you succeed. You have no trueborn children, no one to carry on your legacy," Ned hissed.

"True. Although, I do have a natural son. Ramsey Snow. He has proved very loyal and useful during this plot and I feel that he will be rewarded. With a name and a wife,"

"What?"

"A name, Lord Stark. I wish to have him legitimized as Ramsey Bolton, he will be my heir and the North will pass to him and his children by his wife,"

"The Northern Lords will never stand for this. No one will marry their daughter to your bastard son,"

Roose raised an eyebrow to that. "I hear you have a daughter," he said quietly and Ned froze. He would never.

"You leave Sansa out of it!" he yelled as he leapt forward, he got within a foot of Roose before the chains restrained him.

"I believe the King will see the logic in giving me a Stark bride to secure the line and stop any future rebellions," Roose said with an evil smile. "You also have a wife who I have heard that never cared for the King when he was a boy. I am sure that the King wouldn't mind if she was duly punished

"Don't you dare touch my wife or my children!" Ned seethed as he struggled against his chains.

Roose cocked his head to the side as he regarded him.

"And what are you going to do to stop me?" Bolton cockily asked. Ned just glared at him. Bolton smirked at him before turning to head to the door, then Ned heard a loud roar followed by a thud and he saw Bolton freeze. He had not been expecting this

"Looks like he's here," Ned said quietly "Earlier than expected,"

"That makes no difference," Bolton said coldly. "Especially to you,"

He then stood and knocked on the door and two of his guards entered. "I want him gagged and chained then brought out into the courtyard. Do the same for the rest of his family,"

The two Bolton brutes grunted and nodded before they roughly shoved an old cloth into his mouth for a gag and chained his arms in front of him. Then they dragged him to his feet, and out of his cell. The chains were cold and cut into his wrists and his knees banged and scraped along the floor as they dragged him out of the dungeons and into the courtyard.

A wooden podium had been erected in the middle of the courtyard, complete with gallows with rope hanging from them and Ned swallowed nervously. Then he looked up into the sky as a dark shadow passed overhead.

The dark green dragon flew low overhead before it landed just outside the castle walls. Whilst that happened he was dragged up onto the podium where he met the rest of his family. Catelyn had tears falling down her face whilst Sansa was crying loudly. Robb was also in chains, Ned saw that his face was bruised and cut, it looked like he had been in a fight. He saw little Rickon, they even had Rickon in chains.

Ned's heart fell as guilt washed over him. He had failed. He had failed to protect his wife and his children. He was a failure.

"Ned," he heard Catelyn say quietly as he was dragged to the front. He didn't have anything to say to her, nothing that would make it better.

He was thrown to his knees and made to face the castle gates which quickly swung open for Jon to walk through. However, he was not alone. A small figure was with him, and Ned froze when he saw her.

Jon had Arya. In chains.

Ned remembered that he was closest with Arya. Did he really hate him that much that he would capture Arya? How did he even find her? It didn't make sense to him.

"Your grace," Lord Bolton said as Jon made his way onto the podium. Roose fell to his knees as did his son and the traitor, Theon. Jon was silent and he motioned for them to rise. He pushed Arya and she fell down next to her sister at the end of the line.

Then Ned looked up at Jon but he saw that he had his back to him. His armor was unbelievable, the metal seemed to smoke and shimmer in the light. Ned could not imagine how much it cost

"Lord Bolton," Jon said, his voice low and unusual. "Theon and?"

"Ramsey. Ramsey Snow, your grace" he said and Jon nodded.

"Welcome to Winterfell, my King," Roose said. "As you can see, I have taken the Starks into custody. Your grace, I would like to urge that Lord Stark acted independently and his actions do not reflect those of the other Lords of the North."

"I understand. Sometimes Lords like to act...independently...and often foolishly," Jon said evenly. "I will only punish the guilty party,"

"Thank you, your grace. That is a wise decision,"

"Where is Bran? I have found Arya. Where is the last Stark child?"

"We can't find him, your grace," Ramsey answered quickly.

"But we will. I can assure you that," Roose added. "Your grace, what are your plans for the North?"

"What do you mean Lord Bolton?"

"After Lord Stark's treachery, I can't imagine that you plan to allow the Starks to retain their position as Warden of the North. To do so may send the wrong message,"

"Queen Daenerys and I have discussed the North at great length. We plan to place it in capable hands. In hands of a man that we can trust," Jon said slowly. Ned was not sure, but it seemed that he was taking great care with his words. He tried to read his body language but it was difficult with his back turned.

"You have done good work here today, Lord Bolton," Jon said. "You took matters into your own hands and arrested Lord Stark to protect the North. Perhaps, you could be that person,"

"It was no trouble your grace. I was only doing what was right,"

"Very well. You shall be rewarded," Jon said and Ned's heart fell. He began to scream into his gag to try and get his attention but Jon did not turn around. "I plan to name you as my Warden of the North and raise House Bolton to the position of Lord Paramounts,"

"Your grace. You do me a great kindness," Bolton said as he fell to his knees in front of him.

"I believe in rewarding those who deserve to be rewarded, and punishing those who deserved to be punished. I strive to be a fair man, and a good King," Jon said to him

"I believe you will be that, your grace. You have made such a promising start already" Roose said. Jon motioned for him to rise and he did.

"Your grace, may I ask one more thing of you?" Lord Bolton asked

"I have a son. A natural born son. I would like for him to be legitimized so he can continue my line. He would also need a wife of noble birth,"

"Who did you have in mind?" Jon asked warily

"Sansa Stark, your grace. If Ramsey marries a Stark girl, it unites the lines and decreases any chances of future rebellion occuring in the North,"

Ned screamed into his gag and thrashed about as he tried to get Jon's attention. Jon turned to him and his cold eyes were grey and unforgiving and Ned stopped moving.

"I will legitimize your son, but he will not have Sansa for a bride," Jon said quietly, this at least, was some relief to Ned.

"Where are the rest of the Northern Lords?" Jon asked

"Their men are outside the gates. Whilst a few Lords are here, such as Lord Karstark and Manderley. It is only my men inside the castle itself," Roose said proudly and he saw Jon nod. The Bolton men stood at the bottom of the podium, Ned estimated that there were at least a thousand of them.

"What have you told them?" Jon asked

"I have told them that I have arrested the traitor and will hold Winterfell until you come to deliver the King's justice," Ned looked at Lord Karstark who was standing there uncertainty, as if he did not know what to do here. Ned gave him a pleading look and Karstark just shifted uncomfortably on his feet before looking away.

"Very well. It is nearly time," Jon said as he drew his sword. The jewels in the handle sparkled brightly and the Valyrian steel looked flawless. Ned stared at the magnificent blade.

The blade that he was sure would soon end his life. "But first, there is something that I want to clear up. Lord Stark. Hands in front of you, on the floor,"

Ned looked up and tried to plead for mercy with his eyes but Jon looked unforgiving.

"Please don't kill him Jon!" Sansa begged. "He didn't do it. Please,"

"Jon please. I am sorry. I am sorry for how I treated you. I was wrong and I was horrible. Please have mercy! Please don't kill my Ned!" Catelyn begged. When Jon did not answer her, Catelyn broke down into tears and sobs on the floor.

"Hands on the floor. Do not make this more difficult for me," Jon firmly repeated and Ned slowly pushed his trembling hands out in front of them.

Ned looked up into his eyes and he briefly saw something flash behind them. He did not have time to process what it was because Jon quickly brought his sword down, and sliced open his chains. Bolton opened his mouth to protest but he was silenced by Jon.

"But first, there is something I need everyone to hear. Arya please," Jon said softly and Ned looked over at his youngest daughter who rose to her feet again. "You may be wondering how I found Arya, and now we will hear her story. However, before we begin, I want you to take a look at her Lord Bolton. Take a good look,"

Ned looked on as Roose stared at her face. At first his face was expressionless, then suddenly his eyes widened.

"You…" he whispered. "You're that boy. That boy from the forest,"

"I am not a boy. I'm a girl. I am Arya Stark of Winterfell and you tried to kill me!"

Ned paused. Arya met Roose in a forest? In disguise? Was she really with him the whole time?

"I didn't know it was you," Roose stammered. "If I had known, then I would have…"

"Done what? Captured me? Used me as a hostage in your scheme against my father?"

"Scheme? What scheme?" Roose stammered and Ned started to nod, perhaps Arya had seen it.

"I saw you in the forest burying those cloaks. You stole Stark cloaks from our camp and used them to disguise your men," Arya stated and Ned nodded vigorously. She knew the truth, but did Jon believe her?

"No. That is not true," Roose said firmly as he shook his head. "You can't believe the word of a traitor's daughter over me, a respected Lord,"

"Arya is not the daughter of a traitor Lord. Arya Stark is my sister, and I trust her, far more than I trust you," Jon said threateningly as he stepped forward with his sword drawn.

"Your grace," Roose said desperately.

"No. Enough lies, Lord Bolton. Admit to what you did, and then I will allow you an honorable death,"

Ned looked on and he saw Roose's eye look from left to right. Ned could see that he was panicking. Jon stepped forward and Arya moved behind Robb to try and open his chains. Jon lifted the tip of his sword so that it was just in front of his face. The slightest touch caused a stream of blood to flow down his cheek.

"Kill him!" Roose shrieked in panic and Ned watched his son fly forward with his knife already drawn. Ned screamed into his gag and he watched as Jon quickly pivoted onto his backfoot to bring his sword around and up into Ramsey's stomach. Ned's face was splattered with warm blood as Ramsey fell to the floor howling in pain.

He removed his gag from his mouth and gulped in air.

"The gate. We need to open the gate for my men!" Ned said desperately.

"Already on it," Jon huffed as he spun around to deal with Theon. Ned was confused as to what he meant until he saw the Dragon swoop down from the sky until it was hovering above the gate. Ned looked on as the Dragon released a torrent of bright green flame before quickly taking off into the sky again.

The gate of Winterfell had been completely destroyed and his men came streaming in.

Ned looked up at Jon who was dueling with Theon. He watched as he moved with incredible speed, throwing a feint one way before slamming Theon to the ground, seemingly knocking him out.

"Protect your family!" Jon roared as he moved to the stairs of the podium. He kicked a dagger towards him and Ned quickly picked it up. He moved behind Catelyn and his children and sliced through the ropes that bound their ha+nds behind their backs. Once they were free he stepped back and looked down below the podium.

Several Bolton men were rushing towards the podium to attack them. He turned around and saw that Robb had been unchained and he had taken Theon's sword. Arya held a dagger in her small hands. Then he looked back out and he realised that they were screwed. There were too many Bolton men.

They would be dead long before his own men could save them.

"There's too many!" Ned yelled towards Jon.

"I know," Jon returned.

"What do we do?" Ned asked desperately as the first man started to climb the steps of the podium

"Get down!" Jon yelled as he barreled into them and knocked them to the floor. Ned was confused and he heard another loud roar from the dragon followed by an intense burst of heat. His ears were filled with the anguished screams of thousands of men dying and burning before they were quickly drowned out by the rhythmic thumping of the dragon's wings.

After a few moments, the heat suddenly stopped and then Ned looked up to inspect the damage.

The first keep was burning wildly and uncontrollably. The top of the tower had been melted away by the intense dragonflame and the earth below had been scorched black. The dragon had eviscerated all of the Bolton men that stood in its way, leaving behind nothing but charred bones and ash.

He heard a loud crumbling noise as the rest of the first keep collapsed to the ground and a plume of smoke rose up into the air.

"Wow," was all Ned said as he looked at the wreckage. The first keep was one of the oldest parts of Winterfell but thankfully, it was no longer in use. He turned behind him to look at his family who were all surveying the wreckage with wide eyes

"I'm sorry but I had to do that," Jon said defensively as he rose to his feet. "We would have been overwhelmed long before the men from outside could come to save us. Using Vedros was my only choice,"

"It's fine Jon," Ned said quietly. "You saved us,"

"You're family. Even though we have our differences, I will always protect my family,"

Family.

"Jon, I'm sorry. I truly am. I've been a fool. This entire mess was all my fault. You are Lyanna's son and I should have supported you from the start and cut ties with Robert Baratheon but I didn't. I acted shamefully and I can only apologize and hope that you forgive me. My oath to my family comes first, and I forgot that,"

"It was not my place to judge you for what happened in Essos. Especially, since I did not have all the facts. You would not have acted dishonorably, your reasons are sound and just. I am sorry Jon. I am so so sorry," Ned said as he fell to his knees. His guilt washed over him as he shook his head repeatedly, he couldn't bring himself to look up.

"I too have made mistakes," Jon said quietly. "I am sorry for the things I said to you at the council. You protected me throughout my life and sheltered me from Robert and then I threw it back in your face. I lost my temper at the council and Roose must have seen it. That is what gave him the confidence for this scheme. I am sorry, I lost my temper and that should not have happened. I am have blame to share here,"

Ned opened his mouth to let him know that this was not his fault, but he was interrupted by his oldest daughter.

Sansa quickly ran over to him and embraced him in a hug which Jon slowly returned. Then he opened his arms and gave Robb a big hug before reaching down to rustle Rickon's hair. Then he looked up as if he heard something before he made his way off the podium with his sword drawn. Ned cautiously followed him down the stairs.

They found Roose Bolton lying on the floor dying. He had been burned by the dragonflame, however unlike the rest of the men, he had not received the full force of the flame. Parts of his skin was blackened and charred whilst others remained untouched. The flame only found one part of his face, completely burning off all his hair and eyebrows on his left hand side. Ned saw the shallow rise and fall of his chest, he was still alive. Albeit barely.

Sansa gasped before quickly looking away from the gruesome sight whilst Jon drew his sword.

"Roose Bolton. Lord of the Dreadfort. For your conspiracy to murder my father, Prince Rhaegar Targaryen and impose yourself as Warden of the North, I sentence you to die," Jon said in a clear voice.

He heard a wheezing noise coming from Roose. His lips didn't move, but he was sure that he was trying to say something. Was it please?

Ned looked down at the Lord of the Dreadfort and shook his head, death would be a mercy for him. A mercy that he did not deserve. Jon looked down at him for a few moments before sheathing his sword again.

"Leave him to die. For what he did today, he can die suffering," he said coldly and then he turned away. The rest of his bannermen had entered the devastated courtyard and they stood standing around looking for direction

"Lords of the North," Jon said in a loud clear voice. "I am Aegon Targaryen, although many of you know of me as Jon Snow. I am sure that you have heard about what happened to my father, Rhaegar, but I am here to set the record straight,"

"My father was attacked, by Lord Bolton, not Lord Stark. Lord Bolton intended to frame Lord Stark for his crime and trick me into giving him the North. That will not happen. The North will stay in the hands of House Stark," and to reiterate his point, the dragon flew overhead once more and released an ground shaking roar.

"The war in the south is over. Robert Baratheon has been defeated and House Targaryen once again sits the throne. The time for war is over, it is now time for an era of peace and kindness," Jon spoke to all of the Northern Lords but Ned felt as if he was speaking to him.

He knew what he had to do. Ned quickly fell to his knee, ready to swear fealty to the rightful King. He looked up at Jon who regarded for a few moments, before he nodded and motioned for him to rise.

"I Lord Eddard Stark of Winterfell swear fealty to you Aegon Targaryen and house Targaryen for all of eternity. The North is yours, your grace," Ned said in a loud clear voice in the middle of the courtyard. He looked around and saw that several of his bannermen had also fallen to their knees. Lord Manderly and Umber had been were already on the ground whilst Lord Karstark looked slightly hesitant. At that moment, his dragon swooped low overhead, menacingly. The rest of the Lords quickly fell to their knees in front of him

"Thank you for your faith in me," Jon said. "Rise,"

Ned rose to his feet and looked around the courtyard.

"I think I have some time before I have to head back south," Jon said after a few moments. "Shall we head inside? Talk some more?"

Ned nodded. "Follow me, we'll talk in my solar,"

The Dragon King

He remembered the last time he was here in this solar, it was the start of a wonderful journey that spanned several years. He had gained a wife, a child and a dragon. He looked at Lord Stark. He had several more grey hairs and he had aged a lot over the past few for years. Then he turned to Lady Catelyn, whose eyes were puffy and red.

"Jon," he heard a voice say and he turned to look at Lady Catelyn. Her eyes and face were puffy and red and Jon knew what she was going to say

"I am sorry Jon. I am sorry for how I treated you. If only I had known, it would have been different,"

"That doesn't matter. I was a child without a mother, and you still treated me horribly," Jon said to her and he saw her eyes fall and Jon took a deep breath. "However, I don't wish to hold a grudge against you for what happened. The past is the past and I'd like to move forward. We may not grow to be the best of friends, but I do wish for us to move past this,"

He looked at her as he said this and he saw her nod in acceptance. Then he turned to Sansa

"Thank you for saving us Jon," Sansa said. "I'm sorry for how I treated you. I was horrible to you,"

"You were just a child," Jon said to her. He wanted to add that she had only been copying her mother, but he realised that would not be constructive. It was time to let go and move on, holding this grudge would be pointless.

He smiled at Sansa and gave her a quick hug

Then he turned to Robb. He looked worse for wear, with a bruise along his cheek and several cuts.

"You look like shit," he said with a straight face.

"You don't look much better," Jon replied, and then Robb broke into a smile which he quickly returned.

"I've missed you brother," Robb said as he hugged him. "I see you've learned a few tricks whilst you were away,"

"Aye. I've picked some things up. I'll tell you about them in a little bit,"

"How did you find Arya? And Arya where did you go?" Ned asked as he walked up to his daughter and gave her a hug.

"Actually, she found me," Jon said and then Arya launched into her story. They all listened attentively as Arya rattled off the tale and Jon felt himself growing angrier and angrier with Roose by the second. Arya had been very lucky to escape his men, Nymeria had saved her life.

When she was finished, Catelyn wrapped her in a hug so tight that Jon couldn't even see her.

"Don't you ever run away again," she sobbed as she held onto her daughter.

"Where is Bran?" Jon asked and he saw everyone's eyes fall.

"He disappeared shortly after Arya left," Catelyn said quietly. "He, his wolf and the Reed children all vanished at once,"

"So they're together?" Jon said quickly and Catelyn nodded

"I guess, but we can't find them. We have searched everywhere for him but we have found no signs of him,"

"Could we use your dragon to help find him?" Robb asked

"I don't know," Jon said as he scratched his head. "He's been gone for months, right? He could be anywhere, as far as Essos really. I've used her to find a Dothraki horde before, but that was a group of over 100,000. I guess there's no harm in trying,"

"Jon, you still haven't told us what you were doing in the South? I thought the war was won after you killed Robert?" Ned asked and then Jon launched into his tale. He started with the defeat of the Mountain and then he told them all about Illyrio's boy and the secret conspiracy to seat him on the throne. He told them of the battle they had outside Kings Landing, and of Aegon's demise.

"Wow," was Robb's reaction when he was finished.

"I can't believe you killed the Mountain and Robert Baratheon," Sansa said quietly. "I saw the Mountain when he was in Kings Landing and he is a huge monstrous man,"

"Where did you learn to fight like that?" Robb asked

"Valyria," Jon replied "It's another long story, that I'll share another time," he added, forestalling the follow up question

"I can't believe the Spider would do this," Ned said quietly as he shook his head"I could never figure out what he truly wanted, but this. This is something on a level that I could not imagine. And to think he operated it all without being discovered,"

"Aye. It was a devious secret that no one would uncover until its too late. You would have had to be told," Jon said and then the room fell silent.

"I should speak to the maids, prepare a room for you," Catelyn said as she looked out of the window as it was starting to get dark

"No there is no need. I need to be on my way soon," Jon said and he saw everyone frown

"Leave? You only just got back here!" Arya protested as she crossed over to him

"I agree, you've been away for so long," Sansa added and he saw everyone in the room nod in agreement

"I can't stay. Dany needs me,"

"Ah he can't stay out too late otherwise he'll upset the wife," Robb said cheekily and Jon rolled his eyes

"Two things. My wife happens to have a very large dragon and if I don't head back soon, you'll have a second dragon overhead by morning. And second, what do you know about having a wife?" he teased as he pushed him in the shoulder

"Can I come?" Arya asked pleadingly, "Please, I want to see your son,"

"Not this time," Jon said sadly. "Look I promise you can come South to visit me, but you ran away and you scared your parents. I think you should spend some time with them now,"

Arya opened her mouth to protest but Jon quickly spoke again.

"Once the city is secure I will send an invitation for you all to come south. I am sure there will be a coronation and other processional events that we need to hold. When that happens you all can meet Dany and Daeron properly. Robb, I think you should stay North and help your father clean up this mess. The Bolton's did not appear to have much support, but you should take extra caution,"

"We should march on the Dreadfort," Robb said and Jon nodded.

"Aye. I spoke to Roose, and he was planning to do some horrible things. Are there any more Boltons running around the North? He mentioned he had a son, Ramsey but I don't know of any others,"

"No. There are no other Boltons," Ned confirmed

"Good. Take the Dreadfort in my name and that will be the end of house Bolton," Jon said firmly and both Ned and Robb nodded. "You should have no trouble. Plenty of Lords saw what happened today, they will know that you have my support against the Boltons,"

"What do you plan for Theon?" Ned asked. Jon had not killed him, he only disarmed him.

"Throw him in the cells for a few weeks. Then send him up to the Wall where he will live out the rest of his days," Jon said coldly. He had never gotten along with Theon, he had always found his arrogance annoying and now that he had betrayed the Starks, he had little reason to show him mercy

"Jon. Is your father going to be fine?" Ned asked and Jon could see the concern on his face.

"After he was hit, he fell into a deep sleep. He has not awoken, but he will. I am sure of it," Jon firmly said. He took another look out of the window and he saw that it was starting to get dark

"I really need to get going, but I will see you all again soon," he said as he made his preparations to leave. He gave hugs to Robb and Ned.

"Please can I come?" Arya begged as he gave her a hug. He bit his lip as he looked at her and then he looked at her father

"Fine, she can go," Ned said after a moment. "She's missed you a lot. I can't force her to stay here,"

Arya beamed at those words and quickly ran off to her room to pack a small bag. Then he turned to Sansa who gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek and he rustled Rickon's hair.

Then he stood before Catelyn, who stood in front of him with tears in his eyes

"Thank you, Jon, thank you for saving us," she said quietly and Jon nodded once again. He looked into her blue eyes and for the first time in his life, he didn't see contempt and anger, he saw gratitude and guilt and in that moment, Jon knew that she truly was sorry for her actions.

He was not ready to forgive her, but a small part of him knew that there was hope for their relationship to get better.

The Mother of Dragons

Dany could see the fortress of Dragonstone growing bigger as they approached. She had left shortly after Jon to return to Dragonstone to look for a cure for Caraxes. She had been very surprised to see Arya Stark arrive on the back of her direwolf. The wolf was even bigger than Ghost, and Dany did not think that was possible. Jon had been very happy to see her, and she hoped that they would reach Winterfell in time.

Anogar flew lower over the castle and then he hovered near their balcony. He lowered his wing and Dany quickly slid off and headed inside.

They had brought several books from Valyria and they were all in various places. She and Jon had a few in their room, Rhaegar had the majority in his room and Marywn had a few with him. She decided to start with the books in their room, she had not read them all, and neither had Jon.

She sat down at the desk and flicked through the titles, eventually finding an old tomme called 'Dragons and their Anatomy's' that seemed like a good enough place to start. She opened the book and she began to read.

The Valyrians had studied their dragons in great detail and Dany found they had pages upon pages of diagrams showing nearly every part of their body. There were sections covering their skulls, wings, claws and body. She began to move to the section covering the body of a dragon and she began to read.

She was halfway through the first paragraph when she heard a loud high pitched scream that filled her with worry.

"Daeron," she said quickly as she began to stand up. Her son quickly burst into the room but to her surprise and relief, he was laughing and smiling. He saw her and ran over to her and buried his face in her dress

"Are you playing a game, sweetling?" she asked as she rubbed his head and picked him up. She gave him a kiss but it seemed that he was distracted as he constantly moved in her arms

"Okay, I think you're playing a game with someone," she said as she set him back on the ground.

As she expected, Daeron slowly walked out of the room and back the way he came. Dany was not too worried about him, he was probably playing a hiding game. He did not seem to be in any danger.

She began to read again and she managed to finish the first page. The book told her all about the strength of the dragon's scales. When the dragons were fully grown, their scales were tougher than plate and virtually impenetrable. However, their dragons weren't fully grown, at least not yet. The book told her that it took several years for a dragon to reach maturity. Their dragons were only a few years old, less than a year older than Daeron.

As she thought of her son, she heard him scream again as he ran breathlessly into her room on his little legs. This time, he did not approach her, he just stood by the door, giggled and waited. Dany watched him as he hid by the door before he slowly crept out into the hallway again. Dany just shook her head and went back to her reading

The page she was reading provided more information about the dragons, but no information about what type of injuries or ailments could affect them and she closed it in frustration. She reached for another book in the pile and she opened another one. She began to read before Daeron ran into the room, screaming and giggling

"Ok little one," she said as she scooped him up. "Let's see what's gotten you so excited,"

"Mama!" he said as she carried him out of the room and into the hallway. Then Daeron started to babble to her in his little language and then he started to point down the hallway. She walked down the hallway and poked her head into the nursery but surprisingly, there was no one in there

"Ok Daeron. Who were you with? Were you with Margaery? Or Shireen?" she asked

"Magey!" Daeron exclaimed and Dany laughed at his pronunciation as she walked down the hall.

"It's Margery, little one. "Mar Ger Rey. Like that,"

"Magey," Daeron said again and Dany just shook her head. He would get it soon

There weren't a lot of rooms in this part of the castle and so she was confused. She decided to put Daeron down so he could direct her

Dany was amused to see that as soon as his little legs hit the floor, he shot off behind her and headed for a door, Rhaegar's door. She frowned before she moved to follow him.

She entered the room and what she saw nearly caused her heart to stop.

Rhaegar was sitting up in the middle of the bed talking to Maester Cressen and Pylos. Pylos examined him whilst Cressen spoke to him. They changed his bandages and Daenerys caught a glimpse of the gruesome wound and scars left along his stomach 

"Rhaegar," she said quietly and that caught his attention. He looked at her and he smiled. "I've missed you," she croaked as she ran over to him and hugged him

"Careful not too tightly," Cressen warned but Dany didn't care. Her brother was alive.

"Dany," he whispered as he hugged her back.

"I can't believe it," she sobbed. "You were asleep for so long and now you're back,"

"I am, Sister," he said as he broke the hug. "Where is Jon?"

"Oh Rhaegar. You've missed so much," Dany said as she shook her head. She sat down on the edge of the bed and picked up Daeron and held him in her lap. Then she quickly told him the story right up until the events in Kings Landing.

"Poison?" Rhaegar asked as he shook his head "They've poisoned Caraxes?"

"I don't know where they would have gained that knowledge," Dany said as she shook her head.

"Perhaps the Citadel," Rhaegar said quietly. "I remember Marwyn mentioning something about a dragon killing book that they had locked away,"

"I need to find an antidote," Dany said and Rhaegar nodded.

"There should be a book somewhere. It's an old one, it's thick and heavy and it has no title," Rhaegar said as he closed his eyes in concentration. "I remember flicking through it once, I didn't want to transcribe it yet as it contained secrets that could hurt our dragons,"

"Do you know where it is?" Dany asked as she stood up

"It should be over there somewhere on the table," Rhaegar said as he held out his arms for Daeron. She quickly passed him over before walking over to the table.

"Rhaegar there are so many books here!" Dany exclaimed as she reached the table

"It's a heavy book sweet sister. The pages are old and slightly yellow. You'll find it,"

Dany quickly started to sort through the books on the table. She put the ones she checked onto the floor until there were only a few remaining.

"Rhaegar, I've narrowed it down to these three books," Dany said as she turned around. "They're all old, thick heavy and without a title,"

Rhaegar hummed as he scratched his chin

"Perhaps I remembered I don't remember it well. It might be in any of those books. Hand me one and I'll start flicking through it,"

Dany handed him a heavy book and opened one of her own. She sat down by the table whilst Rhaegar sat up in the bed

"Ok Daeron. We are going to do some reading. It's very important and I need you to be quiet. After we read we can play some more. Is that ok?" Rhaegar asked

"You have to nod you head. If you do that he'll copy," Dany said with a smile. Rhaegar took her advice and nodded his head and Daeron quickly copied

"Good boy," he said as he gave him a kiss that made her heart melt. She quickly opened the book and then began to read. The pages were old and fragile so she had to take care when turning them. From the first few pages, she guessed that this book was about architecture and it seemed to be providing instructions on how the Valyrians integrated magic into their structure. It was fascinating, but rather useless information. She continued to quickly look through the book

"Dany. What did the wound look like?" Rhaegar asked

"It wasn't too deep but he bled thick, black pungent blood," Dany said as she looked up at him. Rhaegar nodded

"I think I might have an idea," Rhaegar said slowly. "I think that it's unlikely that we find the exact poison that they used, however, if we can find the symptoms then we work backwards to find the poison and therefore the antidote,"

Dany nodded, that made sense

"What have you found?" She asked

"There is something here on this page. It's not a lot really, it seems like a little anecdote but it does mention something about foul smelling blood. It also mentions possible causes and points me to another page. I followed up, and I think I have found the poison that they used, or a poison," Rhaegar said

"How do we know which one is the right one?" Daenerys asked

"The symptoms are slightly different. Black pungent blood is a common effect of two of the poisons they've listed here," he said as he pointed to a spot on a page. "Do any of these other side effects look familiar?"

Dany quickly looked down the page. "This one," she said as she pointed at a poison called laesdaor laes. She quickly looked down the symptoms, it was a particularly nasty poison that lead to blindness, loss of flight and eventually death.

"Rhaegar, this stuff is horrible,"

"I know and it appears to be fast acting. It can kill a fully grown dragon in less than 4 days" he said grimly. "However the antidote looks fairly simple. I don't see any ingredients here that are too difficult to find. Maester Cressen. We will need your stores," Rhaegar announced

"Of course, although I do confess that I have no experience in mixing antidotes for a dragon," he stuttered

"They had no experience in making poison for a dragon yet they managed," Dany said cooly. "You will provide this service for us,"

"Of course your grace. What do I need?"

"It says here you need. Ground willow bark, crushed mushroom, dragonbone, which we should have from Valyria?" Rhaegar asked and Dany nodded, they should have a few dragonbone handles that they could break off if necessary. "Along with summerwine. The mixture needs to be heated until it turns a lavender colour and then you need to soak a cloth in the mixture and use that to swab the wound. It says that once the mixture makes contact with the wound, it should hiss and steam and start to harden as the healing process begins,"

Dany nodded. "Maester Cressen do you have those ingredients?"

"Yes, I have crushed mushroom and willow bark. You have the dragonbone and wine should be easy enough to come across. Although I have a question. The dragon is not here on Dragonstone, so how will we apply the antidote?"

"You will accompany me," Dany said plainly as she looked at him

"Accompany you?" he stammered. "It will take at least half a day by boat, perhaps more if the tide is not in our favour,"

"On the back of Anogar," Dany said and she saw his eyes widen

"Your grace. I have never flown on a Dragon before,"

"Its fine, Maester Cressen. Perhaps, it's not the best idea for you to go. I am sure Maester Pylos can accompany me," Dany said as she looked towards the younger maester who quickly nodded.

"Maester Pylos collect what you need from your stores. Bring plenty of cloth to soak the mixture in as well. Then I need you to meet me outside of the main entrance to the castle, we will depart from there,"

"I will come too," Rhaegar said as he began to move out of the bed but Dany shook her head

"You need to rest. No travel," Maester Cressen said firmly and Dany nodded in agreement

"I agree, brother. You should rest. You have been hurt for so long,"

"There are also more examinations that I wish to carry out," Cressen said. "You have been on a diet of water and small amounts of honey. You will need to work on getting back your strength,"

She saw Rhaegar frown before he slumped back in the bed.

"You're probably right," he said unhappily. "At least I'll have this little one to keep me company,"

"What were you doing earlier? Why was he screaming? Dany asked

"Oh. We were playing a game. Like this," Rhaegar said. Dany watched as he got Daeron's attention, then hid his face behind his hands. He hid for a few moments before popping out and saying "Boo!" and sure enough Daeron screamed and giggled.

"Alright, I guess I'll leave you too it," Dany said with a little laugh

The flight back to Kings Landing was quick, Anogar flew low over the Blackwater as he raced towards his fallen brother The afternoon air was cold and bit into her skin and so she hunched low in the saddle. Maester Pylos was behind her, tightly gripping onto Anogar's scales

He had approached Anogar with much trepidation and her dragon had done little to ease his fears. The man was as white as a sheet, but thankfully, he had not vomited over the side. That would really have annoyed Anogar.

Anogar screeched loudly as they neared the area where Caraxes was grounded. Dany saw that their men had surrounded the area and protected Caraxes from any more assailants. Dany doubted anyone would dare go near him but it was good to see that their men had left nothing to chance.

Anogar landed as gently as he could and as soon he hit the crown, Maester Pylos was off his back and onto the floor. Dany watched as he quickly threw up his lunch onto the grass.

"You'll get used to flying soon enough," Dany said reassuringly but she quickly saw that her words failed to work. "Perhaps, you should take a boat back to Dragonstone?" she suggested and he nodded eagerly

"That would be best, your grace," he said as he wiped his mouth. "Shall we get to work? I will need a pot and a fire,"

"We can get a pot, one of the camp kitchens will have one. I will send for one," Dany said and the man nodded. She found a Dothraki rider named Colo and relayed her instructions. Whilst the pot was being fetched, the Maester set out his equipment. Colo returned with the pot and quickly helped to start a fire for them and then they got to work

Dany read out the Valyrian instructions for Pylos. First the wine was added, then the Willow bark was crushed to a very fine powder before it could be added. The mushrooms were to be crushed before they were added and finally there was the dragonbone. Once the dragonbone was added, the mixture turned from red to black. The Maester stirred the mixture and Dany was waiting for it to turn lavender but surprisingly it didn't

"Does that book say how long I have to keep stirring for?" Maester Pylos asked and Dany shook her head

"All it says is that the mixture is ready when it turns lavender, it doesn't say how long that will take," Dany replied as she flicked through the pages. The next page provided no further instructions. "Just keep stirring,"

The Maester nodded and continued to stir under her watchful eye. He stirred and stirred and stirred but there was still no change in the mixture.

"We must be missing something," Dany said in frustration

"Do you know what it could be?"

"I know that the Valyrians used a lot of fire and blood magic and so far, this mixture hasn't included any of those things,"

"I do not believe in blood magic," Maester Pylos said quietly. "I will continue to stir,"

Dany felt the ground shift behind her and she turned to see that Anogar was slowly edging towards them. She stared into his magma red eyes and she understood that he wanted to help.

"Step away, Maester Pylos," Dany said quietly as Anogar approached. Pylos quickly scrambled away from the pot as Anogar stopped a few feet away. Dany too stepped back and she watched as he slowly lowered his snout to the pot. She heard him release a low rumbling sound and she saw steam quickly rise up from the pot and into the evening sky. She heard several loud cracks as the pot started to vigorously bubble before Anogar moved away.

Dany quickly moved forward and saw that the mixture had now turned lavender.

"I don't understand," Maester Pylos said as he crept up to the pot. "What did he do?"

"Dragons are smart, magical creatures. Anogar realised that we needed help and he helped us," Dany simply said. "Thank you my friend,"

Anogar blinked slowly before seemingly moving away to wait. Dany took the pieces of cloth that they had set aside along with a spear. The tip of the spear had been removed and in its place, Dany attached the piece of cloth.

"I think we should make several of these," Dany said to Pylos who quickly copied her. They made four and Dany was first to dip hers into the pot.

She swirled it around in the mixture for a few moments before pulling it out, and heading down the hill towards Caraxes.

"Pylos. Drive your spear into the ground and leave it there, I don't want you to get too close to him," Dany warned

The cream and gold dragon lay flat along the ground with his eyes closed. Dany cautiously approached and once she was a few steps away, Caraxes slowly opened one eye to look at her.

"Please Caraxes, I'm here to help you. We have an antidote," she said gently. Caraxes looked at her before blinking slowly before slowly pushing himself up with a loud sad groan.

The wound looked worse. The black blood was still flowing had caked his creamy white scales and the smell had gotten even worse. She noticed streaks of black starting to flow from the wound towards his wings, she hoped that the poison wasn't spreading too quickly. She took a deep breath and slowly approached the wound with the spear held in front of her.

She moved step by step until she gently pressed the tip of the cloth onto the wound and made a downwards swiping motion. The wound started to hiss and smoke and Caraxes cried out in pain. However, Dany continued to swab the wound before she reached behind her for the second spear.

She repeated the process and more smoke poured from the wound and the rotten egg smell almost became overpowering. Once the second swab was used, she decided to take a step forward to take a closer look.

To her relief, she saw that the wound was indeed starting to harden. This gave her the confidence to redouble her efforts. She noticed that the rotten egg smell had only appeared after she had applied the swabs, perhaps this was a sign that the antidote was working.

She quickly applied the third and finally the fourth swap, covering the entire wound with antidote like the book said. Once she was finished, she stepped back from Caraxes who had both of his golden eyes opened now. The black streaks that were creeping up his golden wings had stopped and they had slowly started to retreat.

He opened his mouth to roar and this time a flame came out, it was not as big as it was before, but that signature pale gold had returned.

"Did it work?" She heard Maester Pylos ask and she nodded.

"Yes. I think it worked. I think Caraxes is on the road to recovery,"

"What next your grace?" Maester Pylos asked

"Until my husband returns, we will continue here in the south. The city should be ours by now. I have sent Ser Barristan ahead with others to oversee the transition. I want you to help the wounded and sick using your skills as a Maester,"

"As you command your grace,"

After Maester Pylos walked away, Dany walked over to Anogar and climbed onto his back and sat in his saddle. Once she was safe and secure, her dragon took off.

Anogar flew low over Kings Landing, the city that her ancestors had founded and created. A city that showed the world Targaryen strength and power. She saw ruined Dragonpit that once housed her famiy's dragons, she saw the magnificent great sept of Baelor and finally she saw the red keep, their new home.

She allowed a small victorious smile to cross her face before Anogar turned and headed back for Dragonstone. She would have to tell Rhaegar the good news and begin preparations for their arrival. He and Daeron would have to sail from the Island to the mainland and that would take a few days.

Then once Jon came back from the North, they could take the city together and this war would finally be over.

Notes:

Chapter 34 is called 'A Time for Dragons' and it should be out sometime this weekend. More of the loose ends around Kings Landing will be tied up

Let me know what you think of this one, comments are always appreciated and as always

Thanks for reading

Sleepy