This chapter has been edited due to content. I made minor edits in this chapter. If you want to see the unedited version GO HERE.
The air was warmer than in Winterfell, but not by much. Winter had come to all of Westeros and there was no hiding from it. I didn't fear the cold as what came with it was far worse. It had been speculated that the warmer it was, the less likely it was that the dead were near. My own memory of beyond the Wall confirmed this. The White Walkers brought with them a cold that was beyond anything else I knew.
I pulled back on the reigns as my horse grew nervous. It was as if it could sense the upcoming battle that was a distraction from the true threat. Jon was right to be frustrated when people decided to focus on their own feuds instead of what was actually important. Once my steed was under control I looked up at the sky. My eyes searched for a green dragon and a smile graced my face when I saw him.
It had taken some encouragement to make Jon even touch Rhaegal. When my husband did ride it took no effort for him to command the creature. They had been of one mind while practicing. Though there was always the fear that something would happen in battle and Jon would lose control. If he fell there would be nothing I could do to save my love.
That wouldn't happen. It couldn't happen. Jon had an extremely good grip and I'd have to believe in that. If I didn't I'd imagine him falling with a soundless scream before he hit the ground. It didn't matter that he wasn't Azor Ahai, what mattered was my love for him. If I couldn't concentrate then how could I save Westeros?
I turned my sights back to the battlefield around me. We had found out that the Golden Company was trying to sneak into Westeros. Jon had decided that keeping White Harbor to the east and the Dreadfort to the North was the best strategy. I didn't disagree and had guessed where the Golden Company would make landfall. The ocean was able to be seen in the distance and the Dothraki were growing anxious. Jon and the dragons would attack first and then we would come in after.
The Dothraki were silent and didn't voice their thoughts out loud. The few Stark soldiers, though, were the opposite. From time to time they started to talk. But once a Dothraki looked at them, they stopped. I preferred silence so I could calm myself. Silence before a battle allowed one to focus on the upcoming bloodshed. While there was a plan I knew that could change at a moment's notice. If something went wrong I would have to make the right call or risk everything.
"You are sure about this?" Jaime asked. "Why not land in White Harbor? They have the support of my sister."
"The Golden Company have the ability to not draw attention." I explained again. "Euron Greyjoy takes delight in inspiring fear."
"Which means Cersei hasn't gotten the news about Daenerys' death. Or fears we can find some way to control the dragons."
Before the conversation could continue, there was a loud roar from Drogon. We started to run towards the shore. I went over the timing in my head. We had to be going the right speed to meet up with the Golden Company. They had to land or else a few might escape. This threat needed to be dealt with now.
Rhaegal and Drogon dove down to attack the ships. Once I was close enough I could see that half of the Golden Company wasn't able to fight. A destroyed ship was never a sign that all on had perished, though. Hopefully any survivors wouldn't be able to fight in this battle.
Jaime, myself, and the Northerners held back as the Dothraki attacked. It always amazed me how primal and skilled the nomads were. It was a slaughter and I doubted there would be any excitement for me. The Lannister's expression seemed to echo my own thoughts.
I lead my men as I saw a few of the sellswords make their way through the Dothraki line. It was strange fighting on horseback and yet there was no other option for me. There were not enough people to guard every horse during this battle. Even though the fighting style didn't feel natural to me, I managed to hold my own.
The man quickly decided to stop trading blows with me. His new target was my horse. This strategy was harder to defend myself against. While the Dothraki seemed to be one with their mounts, my horse was a separate entity from me. Every now and again the sellsword would land a blow. After a few minutes I decided to give up using my sword and used my steed. I carefully calculated my intended move and then made my horse stand up on its hind legs. The man wasn't able to move in time and one of my horse's hooves landed the killing blow.
Once I regained enough control of my horse, I saw that the sellswords that had broken through were all dead. My attention then went to the ones still fighting the Dothraki. Memories of my time in the Golden Company came back to me. If I had never left it could have been me fighting Jon's men. It could have been me that was fighting on the side of Cersei Lannister. If that were the case I wouldn't care about any sides. All I would care about was the money. Those thoughts sickened me. Focus, Jorah. Focus.
"Doesn't look like we'll be seeing much action." One of my men complained. "The Dothraki and the dragons will leave nothing for us."
I understood their bloodlust. While part of me was glad the plan was going so smoothly, another part loathed having nothing to do. My senses were on alert for anything to do. More could break through and there was nothing wrong with eating scraps at such a small meal.
"House Greyjoy." I said under my breath.
Euron Greyjoy's fleet was now approaching the shore. He had let the Golden Company thin down our ranks before coming himself. It wasn't an act of cowardice as he'd want to focus mainly on the dragons. Let other people contend with the lesser of two problems. A heat went through my body as I realized a large part of the fight might come my way. Unless Jon was able to take care of the fleet. House Greyjoy might be formidable at sea, but they would have to bow beneath the strength of dragons.
There was murmurings of excitement as other quickly figured out that they could satiate their bloodlust. When the first Greyjoy ship slammed onto shore, a feat as it was mostly on fire, the Dothraki rushed towards it. Yet they soon needed help from the North. The Greyjoys jumping off the flaming ship were fierce creatures. It was as if they were demons.
A Greyjoy shot my horse the moment one of the Golden Company managed a deadly blow to my horse. I jumped off and rolled. The sounds of my horse's leg being broken and falling over dead were softened by the chaotic sounds around me. The moment I stood up a sellsword attacked me.
He favored strong offensive maneuvers without too much care about defensive ones. This would've been a problem if he were older. But his youth made him extremely formidable. It was a tense fight until an arrow went through his neck. There was no point fighting him now and so I went for my next target.
The battle became more fierce and yet I could sense its end. I was covered with blood and a few cuts of my own. Nicks from swords where I had barely gotten away. It was exciting and I yelled out when Drogon cried out. Jaime was close by and he shook his head. He had also lost his horse and was looking for a way to go further back. I had fought and won against him before, yet he no longer could fight like he used to.
I made my way towards him. My course was slowed down due to having to fight off Greyjoys. Longclaw blocked a blow that would've killed Jaime. He looked up at me and we ran together. It was impossible to make it to where the Lannister would be safe. The best place I could take him was to where he could hide behind some corpses.
"Thank you, Jorah." Jaime said.
I didn't reply as his thanks wasn't important. For now I needed to focus on the battle. While it was certain Jon would win, I didn't want to risk more losses than I had to. We would need many men to even hope to defeat the Night King.
My eyes quickly found a Greyjoy vessel that wasn't in flames and had landed. Unlike the burning ships, this one would have more men that could focus better. Just when I was going to attack the Greyjoy that was closest to me, I noticed something was wrong. In between attacks, I looked up at the sky. Drogon and Rhaegal were attacking the wrong side!
Instead of attacking Euron Greyjoy's fleet, they were attacking Jon's army. Somehow the dragons were being manipulated as they wouldn't harm me or my men. While they were fierce creatures, they were also extremely intelligent. Drogon and Rhaegal respected me due to their mother loving me.
"Jon!" I yelled out as I shoved my sword through a Greyjoy's chest. "Jon!"
If Daenerys' children were being manipulated then Jon was in danger. Even if he was able to hold on, there would be Euron to contend with after the battle. My husband was a good fighter but the Greyjoy was more bloodthirsty. Jon at least had an understanding of fear while Euron craved nothing but spreading that emotion. There had to be a way to save the dragons and Jon.
"The dragons have gone mad!" One of the Stark soldiers shouted.
"Euron must have found a way to control them." I said as I fought beside him.
"Or maybe you've finally lost control of them."
"I have known them since they hatched. This isn't like them."
I could see that the man wasn't convinced. We were soon separated as Drogon started breathing fire around us. The only thing that mattered now was our survival. Even for me it was enough fear to make me forget everything. Once my feet took me away from the flames did the truth come back to me. Even those that had survived Drogon's attack could be quickly taken out because of our confusion.
A sellsword's blade nearly pierced my neck because I had been distracted. Then my anger helped me disarm him and I was able to find a brief moment of peace. Whatever was controlling the dragons would be on the ships. They were far enough from the battle that they could hide an item.
I couldn't focus on the mysterious item as there was a more immediate threat. My fear and despair changed themselves into anger. If Jon and I were to die today, then I would make Euron and Cersei pay dearly for their victory. They would look at their losses and wonder if power had been worth it. Then the Night King would kill them as they realized their foolishness.
My anger gave me such strength that I cut off a man's head with one swipe. One of the Greyjoys looked up at me and ran. Should I go after him? No, no. There were enough lives to claim without him. A smile came over my face and I laughed.
"Ser Jaime!" I heard a voice cry.
My feet nearly pulled me over to him but I stopped. The focus had to be on finding the item. It had to be Dragonbinder. As I had a moment to focus on the sounds around me, I finally heard the faint sound of a horn.
There was nothing but desperation left. The only thing I could think of doing was to board one of the Greyjoy ships. Luckily a good majority of the men were off to fight the battle on land. I grunted as a man was able to knock me against the railing. He had a smug look on his face. If Dragonbinder wasn't found then he would have earned that arrogance.
"Ser Jorah Mormont," The Greyjoy sneered. "I wanted to kill Daenerys but I'll take you."
"Someone already killed her." I said and judged how best to kill him.
"She's de-"
Before he could finish his sentence he was distracted. The Greyjoy fleet looked divided now. Was there a mutiny against Euron? Rhaegal attacked the ship and I jumped off. The Greyjoy, though, was burned before he could react. My armor kept pulling me down but I kept swimming. There was no reason for me to continue living as Jon would be dead soon and Daenerys was waiting for me. The gods would have to find another Azor Ahai if they truly wanted the living to win.
My hands grabbed at one of the ships. I didn't care if it was one of Euron's or not. My hands and legs slowly pulled me up the ship. The moment I sprawled on deck it was clear I was on one of the rebel ships. Air forced its way into my lungs and the question of why continued to haunt me.
"Ser Jorah?" A familiar voice asked.
That voice...I had heard it on Dragonstone. When my eyes were able to focus again I saw Euron. He wasn't alive, though, as it looked like he had been brutally mutilated before dying. I looked up and saw Theon Greyjoy with his sister behind him. He held out a hand to help me up.
"Dragonbinder." I said.
"We know." Yara replied. "Unfortunately Euron wasn't kind enough to have it on this ship. He decided to leave it with someone else."
"That was a wise decision. It gives anyone who dares to attack three things to contend with: dragons, Euron himself, and his men."
I had never met Yara before. When I had been able to reunite with Daenerys, Yara had already been captured by Euron. Khaleesi had always spoke of the Greyjoy with respect and I could understand why. The woman was cold and strong as any man. She had the strength of a ruler in her. She would put fear into any enemy of House Greyjoy.
"We need to find it quickly." Theon said. "We can explain later."
Yara nodded and soon we were passing by every ship. It had quickly been determined that Dragonbinder would be in clear view so the blower would know which commands to give. Every time we had to attack a ship gave the blower more time to cause even more chaos. It was hopeless.
Suddenly it was as if the horn was calling out to me. A foul fragrance was coming into my nose. Instead of being repelled, there was a great need in me to follow it. It was more clarity than my poor soul deserved.
"There!" I pointed to one of the ships on the outskirts of the fleet.
"How do you know?" Yara asked.
"I smell it."
"We don't have another options." Theon pointed out. "We can't keep going from ship to ship."
Yara nodded and directed the ship to where I pointed. It was hard to get to the ship as we had to avoid fights. This was demoralizing to the Greyjoys, at least that was my assumption, as they were a House of fighters. They were supposed to seek out fights, not run from them.
"I'll be ******." Yara said once we came in clear view of the ship.
On the bow a woman was blowing a horn. It was a beautiful thing and had most likely been used by the Dragonlords in Old Valyria. Yet now it was a cursed object and the enemy. The crew of the ship had noticed us and the deadly wingbeats of dragons came ever closer to us. A few men shot arrows at the people around me but kept on missing. I heard the dragons come closer and knew our time was nearly up.
There was a warmth on my chest where my necklace lay as I imagined Dragonbinder being destroyed. Theon and Yara let out gasps as a ray of light came out of my chest. It went straight towards Dragonbinder and the cursed object was destroyed. It didn't burn or break, it just evaporated. The ship rocked as the dragons pulled up.
"How did you do that?" Yara asked.
"I...I don't know." I answered. "I wanted Dragonbinder to be destroyed and it was."
The battle was over soon after that. House Greyjoy quickly realized Yara was their new leader as Euron was dead and Dragonbinder destroyed by magical means. Word quickly spread that I was a great magic user which made the Greyjoys even more eager to side with Yara. The Golden Company kept refusing to surrender so they had to be killed. A waste of life and a misuse of honor. Yet there was nothing I could do about it.
"How is Jon, Jaime?" I asked.
"Once you finish up with your duties you can see." The Lannister replied. "He is alive, though I think he's greatly shaken. They're saying you can use magic now."
"I'm Azor Ahai. I guess I used my gifts."
"Well start using them on purpose and we'll be unstoppable."
Yes, if I could only use my abilities on purpose then I'd be a force of legends. But I didn't know how I had destroyed Dragonbinder. Merely willing something to happen didn't seem to work. After the battle I had tried willing things to happen with no success.
"And if that doesn't work?" I asked feigning nonchalance.
"Well, I guess we'll try luck." Jaime answered.
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