Lynesse Chapter 15: R'hllor's Blessing

This is a Game of Thrones fic. All rights belong to the copyright holders.

This chapter has been edited due to content. If you want to see the unedited version GO HERE. 

Heartsbane crashed against the Dothraki's arakh. The sound echoed across Winterfell and the other mock battles where Northern men faced Dothraki. It was a beautiful sound that gave me the strength to continue fighting even though my muscles were crying out for rest.

In this simple fight I could forget the fact that I was King of the Seven Kingdoms. I could forget about my unease concerning my marriage to Daenerys. I could forget everything except for the sweat sounds of battle.

I quickly dodged the Dothraki's attack and blocked his weapon with my own. It was only by instinct that I blocked both the Dothraki and Grey Worm's attacks. The Dothraki was the only one of us to let out a loud laugh as he continued to attack. Unlike Grey Worm or myself, the nomad was ruled by his love of war.

There was no doubt I enjoyed a good fight, but I lived for more than bloodshed. I lived for the love of my wife. I lived for the good of Westeros. So I was able to keep my expression stoic, though not to the extent as Grey Worm was. Most might see my normal expression as frightening, but Grey Worm had trouble expressing even the most basic emotions.

Sweat started rolling down my back as I attempted to hold my own against two fierce opponents. Each of them masters of their own fighting styles. The Dothraki was not only strong but unpredictable. While I could guess what Grey Worm would do next, that information was barely enough to keep me standing.

My body twisted and turned to avoid my opponents. I also moved to gather momentum so that Heartsbane would be a force to be reckoned with. As a Valyrian sword it was more than deadly, but it needed speed to cause any damage. A war cry came unbidden from my lips as the Dothraki finally fell down.

He looked pleased to have fought such a foe as me. As he walked to fight another sparring pair, I knew he would insist on battling me again. He would want the pride of defeating me to help him rise among his own people.

Before I could reflect anymore about the Dothraki, Grey Worm's sword came mere inches from drawing blood. I both dove to my right and held up my sword to stop his weapon from piercing my skin. The time for reflection was over so I allowed my body to guide me. When it told me to go left or right, I did so without question.

Yet even with my best fighting techniques, I was no match for Grey Worm. He had been trained endlessly while my childhood teachings had been more diverse. I knew a lot more about the world than he did but that didn't help me in our fight. There was no chance I would best him now, but I wouldn't let him know how much he had broken me.

Grey Worm swung his blade and I knew this would be the end for me. No matter what I did, Heartsbane would not be able to protect me any longer. But swung my blade I did. As it cut through the air I felt despair and a yearning for the impossible to happen. My friend did not show any sign he cared, hopefully that same expression was on my face.

Just as Grey Worm's blade was mere inches from mine, Heartsbane became consumed by flames. Only fear kept me holding the blade. After a moment I noticed that there was no heat coming from it. By how quickly the Unsullied went away from my blade I could tell that he could feel the heat. Was this blade truly Lightbringer?

The flames were enticing. At some moments they appeared just to be like any other flames. Yet at other moments there was an otherworldly appearance to them. They could be the same flames as countless others from a fire. They could be the flames that only the gods themselves could produce. I was excited. I was afraid.

"Ser Jorah, is there a way to get rid of the flames?" Grey Worm asked in a fearful tone.

I looked from him to the others in the courtyard. Northerners and Dothraki alike were so still they could have been frozen. All of them held the same expression of fear on their faces. Were they afraid that I would go mad with power? Did they think that having such power that I would forget myself?

"I am unsure." I replied.

I was unaware of how my sword had burst into flames and so how was I to tell the secret to returning the blade to normal? If only there was someone to turn to. Someone that could tell me how to control this new power. The only person with such knowledge was Melisandre and she was dead. A martyr who had sacrificed her life so that the dead should not rule the land. So it was up to me to solve this mystery.

The flames had consumed my blade when Grey Worm had been about to best me. Could the magic of my blade ensure my victory? No, there had to be more to it than that. If the blade really wanted to ensure my victory, it would've burst into flames once the Unsullied had begun his attack. Then there was the fact that the fight was over so the flames should've died by now.

The flames had consumed my blade when I felt despair. That strong emotion had lit the flames and other strong emotions had kept them burning. I closed my eyes and slowed my breathing. The outside world faded away and only my breathing remained. A few minutes passed until this technique was impossible for me to continue.

Now at peace, I opened my eyes and found my blade returned to normal. After doing a few basic defensive maneuvers, I was reassured that I had control of Heartsbane once more. Though all those gathered pretended to be calm, I heard a few sighs echoing in the near silence.

"Azor Ahai?" A Northerner whispered fearfully.

Azor Ahai? How could he think so just because my sword had burst into flames? Wouldn't a legendary hero know how to control his powers? If I were him why would I even struggle? Wouldn't the knowledge come to me as easy as breathing? And the most frightening question of all: what if I couldn't avoid the fact that I was Azor Ahai ?

"I am King of the Seven Kingdoms." I replied as I turned to look at him. "I hardly need another title."

The Northerner looked like he had entered manhood just a few short months ago. His eyes were still eager with the wonder only given to the young. The only things that made him appear old were the fresh scars on his neck. Those must have been earned during the Battle of Winterfell.

"But why should you fear the title of Azor Ahai?" He asked.

Everyone was now silent as he had crossed a line. He did not have the rank to ask for my personal feelings on the matter of Azor Ahai. He could not be allowed to see the fear that entered my mind when thinking about my destiny. If this was not a trick by Melisandre, that was. He could not know how I feared facing a more fearsome enemy than the Night King. He could not know my fear as that wasn't something a king showed others.

"You fought at the Battle of Winterfell which is the only reason I'll hold back punishment." I said coldly. "If you don't hold your tongue, I will teach you respect for your superiors."

With a nod of my head everyone but Grey Worm went back to sparring. We needed our strength for when we took Cersei Lannister from the Iron Throne. The others needed to practice with their weapons and I needed to do the same with mine. No matter how much this cared me, I needed to face my own insecurities. Whatever the gods had blessed me to fight would require all of my strength.

"How did you create the flames before?" Grey Worm asked.

"My emotions." I whispered. "Certain emotions create the flames and other emotions destroy them. Before we leave Winterfell I must become a quick student of meditation."

Lessons on meditation would come later. For now I would practicing on controlling the flames as well as I could. The emotions that had first lit the flames had been raw and not hidden. My emotions now were not pleasant, but they were hidden under layers. There was fear but it was complicated. Maybe I could only create the flames by feeling my emotions at their rawest and most shameful forms.

With a deep breath I traced my fear from being Azor Ahai to Daenerys Targaryen. I felt responsible to both. I feared what I would have to face while being Azor Ahai. I feared that my duties as the legendary hero would interfere with my duties as Daenerys' husband. What if my duties as Azor Ahai set us at odds? And there was something darker that I was too scared to look at.

I allowed myself to feel my fear without any justification. My fear existed and it was a part of me. It was just like another limb that I must grow accustomed to. A limb like the one that had earned me the place of an outcast. Yet I must learn to accept it. Not because the feeling was good but since there was a protector. Lightbringer would rise to protect me. I could feel things because some deity was now making sure I lived.

The flames again engulfed Heartsbane. This time I could sense the comforting embrace of a deity or a spirit sent on one's behalf. Not since I was a child had I felt such a sense of peace. I closed my eyes and suddenly the embrace was gone. I opened my eyes and the flames had gone.

"I felt a presence and then was calmed." I replied to Grey Worm's questioning gaze.

I didn't tell him that I felt weak now. I should've been strong as a hero. I should've resisted being taken in by such strong emotions. My life was not one of a commoner but of a king. Just as despair gripped me I allowed myself to feel my emotions in the rawest sense. And, like before, feeling my despair without restraint made the flames consume Heartsbane once again.

Unlike before, I was not taken in by the comforting presence. I was aware it was there and that I could use it once I decided it was time to return my blade back to normal. In this state of mind I was better able to observe it. It was an otherworldly being that I, as a mortal, could only sense by emotion. It was like a scabbard for the blade that would make sure it didn't harm when I didn't want it to. It was a being capable of emotions and I suddenly yearned to be able to communicate with it.

Struggling, I was able to turn my attention back to my raw emotions so that Heartsbane would continue to be covered in flames. Feeling more like a boy than a man, I tried to make the flames extend even further. Sadly, they had a limit. A laugh nearly came out of my mouth and I only barely made sure not to show such emotion in front of my men.

I went back to the comforting presence and accepted it just like I had my raw emotions. The flames died down and suddenly everything felt normal. Everything felt like they had before Heartsbane had revealed itself to be Lightbringer in front of everyone. Was that a good thing? Or did it now feel like something was missing from my soul?

"That's an interesting trick." A voice said and I turned to see Davos. "Lord Beric Dondarrion used to perform such a feat."

If there was someone that would be skeptical of my title of Azor Ahai, it would be Davos. Though some might consider that an annoyance, I was grateful that there would always be someone to keep my ego in check. Even though at the present my ego wasn't going to drive me mad, things changed in the future. That was the blessing and curse of life.

"I'm Azor Ahai." I replied and sheathed Heartsbane. "The flames prove that."

"Didn't the flames prove Stannis was Azor Ahai?" Davos scoffed. "Although if Melisandre were still alive, she would use that as proof that you are the legendary hero reborn."

"You must admit, though, that the likelihood of me being Azor Ahai is more plausible than Stannis Baratheon. He could use being Azor Ahai as a way to secure the Iron Throne. I am nothing more than an exiled knight who is only given power because our queen wills it."

"If not for you now being king, I would agree."

Davos was right. People could say I was pretending to be Azor Ahai all so that Khaleesi could claim the Iron Throne. So that her enemies would become more than a mere mortal threat. They would become a threat to the very soul of Westeros. As the Night King was now dead, the enemy I could have been sent to destroy could be anyone. It could be Davos or Grey Worm or Sansa Stark.

"I can see why Jon chose you as his advisor." I said after a moment. "You aren't afraid to speak your mind."

"Sometimes that isn't a good thing." Davos replied with a small smile.

"Stannis locked you up because you said something he didn't like?"

"Yes."

I turned to Grey Worm to try and read his expression. But, as always, it seemed as if he held no thoughts of his own. It was only because I had known him for some time that I was aware there was a man behind those eyes. A man that craved the things any man craved. If he hadn't been trained as an Unsullied, he would've appeared like anyone else I had met in my vast travels.

What did he think about a man who had questioned his queen even in an indirect manner? Would this cause Grey Worm to see Davos as a potential enemy? Or did the Unsullied also harbor those doubts? Did he think I would stand up to the challenge or be used as a pawn? Who did he think would try and control my actions?

"What did you think of Melisandre, Grey Worm?" I asked. "Do you think her declaring me Azor Ahai holds any weight?"

"I didn't know her well." Grey Worm said. "But I believe you are Azor Ahai. The flaming sword proves it."

"Melisandre was not as knowledgeable as you seem to think." Davos interjected. "Jorah could indeed be Azor Ahai or he could just be a man with a flaming sword."

"You hate the Red Woman so much?" I asked.

"Not as much as I used to. She gave her life so that evil could be defeated that night. She did many despicable things and manipulated Stannis for her own ends, but there was a good woman buried inside of all that evil."

I could understand Davos' continued hatred of Melisandre. It was her that had convinced Stannis to sacrifice his only daughter in the hopes that he could claim Winterfell. Not only had Stannis died after being defeated, an innocent girl had been burned alive. By all accounts she had wanted nothing but to please her father and be a good daughter. If I had been close to such innocence I would hate the person that had caused her death.

"Do you think Jon will have mastered Rhaegal by the time we head south?" I asked Davos.

Jon had been training with Khaleesi so that both would be forces to reckon with. He had done well in the fight against the dead but fighting mortals would require a very different kind of skills. Unlike the dead, the living could experience fear. Where the dead would keep charging straight into danger, the living cared for their own lives and did not want to experience eternal darkness.

"It seems that riding dragons is about being able to control a dragon." Davos mused. "And it also seems that no one can control a dragon."

"Daenerys can control Drogon." Grey Worm argued.

"That's because it's less about control for her. She is a pure Targaryen and the same fire that burns in Drogon burns in her. I'm more worried if she'll be able to control her rage when she sees Cersei."

"Daenerys will be a just queen."

The deadly look in Grey Worm's face wouldn't accept anything to the contrary. For just a moment I was worried that he would tell our queen that Davos couldn't be trusted. Then that feeling was gone and I could understand the insult. He had dedicated his life to Khaleesi. Why wouldn't he be insulted?

We turned our heads as what sounded like thunder could be heard in the distance. By this time, though, I knew the sound of dragons. Jon and Khaleesi must be pushing their dragons before they headed south. Drogon and Rhaegal would be excited to finally be going to warmer weather. Would Rhaegal also be worried about having to leave his brother in the near future? Would Jon let him go free to be happy?

"My duties to Daenerys call." I said.

Grey Worm and Davos nodded as I went to where the dragons would land. As my feet took me closer to the gates of Winterfell, I thought of how Khaleesi would take the news of my sword. I would become a soldier for her the likes Westeros had not seen in generations. Bards would sing songs of her conquests and they would sing songs of how I fulfilled a prophecy. Both king and queen of the Seven Kingdoms would bring the Seven Kingdoms into a new golden age.