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Daenerys Targaryen
The Room of the Painted Table seemed
emptier than before. It had been a long time since Yara had last
reported to me and I was worried. No one knew where she was which could
mean Euron killed her and Theon. There was a slight bit of comfort in
knowing that she was never important to the plan, she was only there to
make sure that Ellaria returned safely to Dorne.
But Yara was
much more than a mere chess piece on a grand board. She was a person
with her own hopes and dreams. And it was me who had ordered her demise.
If she died it was my fault for putting her in that position.
"All three?" Jon asked and I focused back on the present.
Highgarden
was about to be attacked or had been. In any case I needed to retaliate
against the Lannisters. They had to be shown that if they attacked an
ally, I would avenge them with fervor. Though not too much fervor as I
would quickly lose myself in the fire and the flames.
The point
of discussion had turned to using Drogon, Rhaegal, and Viserion in
attacking the Lannister army. To my mind it would be wrong to deprive my
children of such excitement. Besides that, Drogon couldn't be the only
one with battle experience. They should all learn what was expected of
them.
Though my children might not learn the lessons I wanted
them to. While they had more intelligence than a mere beast, they were
still controlled by their instincts. They would still burn something for
reasons that eluded any man. It could be that they were hungry of they
felt irritated and so decided to attack friends. I was under no illusion
about what my children were.
"Why would I use only one dragon?" I asked. "Doing so would be a waste."
"The Lannister forces won't be able to defend against one." Jon argued.
"Are you suggesting that I'm only sending all three as a show of force with no tactical benefits?"
"Yes."
I
could understand the bastard's reluctance to use more than one dragon.
He had been raised in the North and so was biased against my House and
its dragons. I also agreed with him that one dragon was necessary but I
didn't think things would get out of control with three. At least I
hoped so.
"I do want to make the Lannisters feel terrified but
not at the cost of killing all of them." I said. "I want to do just
enough damage to make them know that defying me will have consequences."
"They will be intimidated once they see you on Drogon." Jon countered.
"It
won't be enough. They know I have dragons yet Cersei doesn't hand me
the Iron Throne. Her subjects continue to defy me because they don't yet
comprehend who I am. If they see three dragons they may stop supporting
the pretender."
"Or maybe they already know and would rather burn."
"Daenerys
is right on this matter." Tyrion interrupted as if Jon and I were mere
children. "Just because they are there doesn't mean she will use them."
He
sounded utterly confident that I wouldn't lose control over them. If
only I could feel that way. Then again, if I wasn't certain enough they
would be remaining on Dragonstone. Or maybe the truth was that I
couldn't stand the longing they had to truly spread their wings. They
needed to not feel trapped during my retaking the Iron Throne and
freeing Westeros from Cersei's rule.
"And what if she loses control of them?" Jon asked.
"Then Lannisters would die." Nymeria replied with a scoff. "No great loss there."
"I will not serve a queen who slaughters for the thrill of it. There are too many rulers like that in the world already."
"I
have a good hold on my children." I reassured Jon. "If they get
consumed by their instincts, they won't burn down the countryside."
"And how many will die by their flames?" Jon asked.
"Only
soldiers that have willingly thrown themselves into war against me. I
do not condone the killing of innocents and will not change that now."
Jon
sat back in his seat and I looked at the Sand Snake. With Ellaria in
Dorne, she was now left to her own devices. She talked in meetings and
let her feelings and concerns be heard by all. If she thought a decision
wrong, she would say so. She had no love of the Lannisters and I didn't
know if that was because they were on the opposite side. In any case,
she was not silent about her feelings on that House.
I looked
back at Jon and felt a great weight on my shoulders. It wasn't just one
battle I would have to win, it would be his heart. I had to prove to him
that I wasn't a bloodthirsty monster. I had to show him that I truly
wanted to change Westeros for the better. To do that I had to fight the
battle by a compromise of my way and his.
"Burning seems cruel." Jon said.
"Every form of killing is." I agreed. "As long as I don't kill innocents I haven't gone too far."
Nymeria
looked at me as if I should been more dismissive of Jon. I agreed with
her distaste of how he was holding up my conquest irritated me to no
end, but I couldn't voice those opinions. Not only was I trying to make
him my second husband, I also wanted his approval. If I were to go too
far, he would be the first to know and care.
"You are right." Jon
finally agreed. "I'm just nervous because I have never fought with
dragons. All the stories I have heard have painted them as unthinking
beasts."
"Dragons are dangerous." I said. "But if you respect them then they will respect you in turn."
And
once they truly trusted you, you could ride on their backs. That
feeling of utter freedom was impossible to explain. It should scare me
that they flew so high, but I trusted Drogon so completely that I didn't
mind. His flight merely added to the thrill.
I looked around the
table and saw no fight in anyone's eyes. They would stand behind me in
retaliating against House Lannister. Some would remain on Dragonstone
while others would fight on the battlefield. There would be blood and
screams. The thought of those sounds made me extremely happy and it took
all of my effort to reign myself in.
"Does anyone have any objections to my battle plan?" I asked.
"I will join you." Jon said and put a hand on Ghost. "For my people I need to make sure you aren't just another tyrant."
"It might not be wise for the King of the North to risk his life." Varys said.
"What about mining, Jon?" I asked.
I
hoped that he wouldn't join the fight. It would be hard enough
controlling three dragons without his judgment. But to refuse him his
request would show I had something to hide. Something that could spell
the end of Westeros. I couldn't let Jon believe I was a monster. I also
couldn't afford new vicious rumors to start. A large part of ruling was
to give everyone the right image.
"I can leave the burden of
mining to Davos." Jon said and his Hand nodded. "There isn't much I do
on a daily basis. Mining won't suffer in the time needed to retaliate
against the Lannisters."
"And you will obey me during the battle?" I asked. "Can you follow a Targaryen?"
"I will follow your orders without question. Unless you prove yourself as just another tyrant."
For
a brief second I wanted to tease him with the possibility of being
burned alive. But since he was a Stark and I a Targaryen, the joke would
be taken as a threat no matter the intention. Besides that I didn't
know if I would be joking or not. The cold that went down my spine
alerted me to the fact I wasn't lost. I would only be lost if I didn't
get the taste of bile in my mouth at the thought.
"I am not a tyrant." I said. "I am not my father. You have nothing to fear from me nor me from you."
Jon
bowed his head slightly and I had to resist from smiling back. We were
slowly learning about each other. And understanding was leading very
quickly to friendship. He could become one of the few friends I had in
this world. Friendship and loyalty was much more important to me than
finding another lover.
"This meeting is over." I said. "I expect everyone that is going to be ready within a day."
Everyone
slowly made their way out of the room. It was soothing to hear nothing
but my own breathing. The only two to linger were Missandei and Nymeria.
But eventually they realized I needed my peace for I wouldn't have much
to spare over the next few weeks. It would take time to get to the
Lannister army, time to fight, and then time getting back to
Dragonstone.
* * *
In all of time there had been no words more
horrifying than 'two hours'. I had hardly slept last night and it must
have been pure willpower that let me fall asleep at all. To all those
watching it appeared as if nothing was wrong. But it felt like my own
mind was in danger of falling apart.
In two hours I would leave
Dragonstone and make my way towards Highgarden. It would be in the
surrounding area I would take my revenge against the Lannisters. Lady
Olenna had been strong when women were told to remain quiet and
complacent. Cersei would grow to learn that you didn't attack one of my
allies without expecting retribution. Besides being a good political
move, I wouldn't remain silent when those in my care were harmed. Doing
otherwise went against my very nature.
"You're finally doing it." Missandei said as she stood beside me. "After all the talk you are finally going to Westeros."
I
stood on the beach to watch the frantic pace of people going on small
boats to supply the ships and then coming right back to get more
supplies. They were efficient and we would be ready to go in two hours
time. At least I would be on Drogon's back soon enough.
"This is Westeros." I argued.
"Not really." Missandei replied. "It's too far to be Essos but not close enough to be considered Westeros."
"I
guess from a certain point of view that's correct. But it was my
House's seat and later it was claimed by House Baratheon. If you asked a
commoner they would say it was part of Westeros."
"I doubt a commoner would care."
"They also won't care who sits on the Iron Throne. All they care about is surviving from day to day."
"Does it ever bother you that they won't care about your struggle?"
"Not enough that it matters. As long as I sit on the Iron Throne I will do my best to improve their lives."
"You'll break the wheel."
"Yes, I will break the wheel."
I
would take the system that oppressed and destroy it. In its place would
be something better. In all my time thinking of how to accomplish that
lofty goal, I hadn't figured out how it could be done. Defeating Cersei
and reclaiming the Iron Throne would be easy but ruling would be much
harder. Maybe Daario had been right in saying I was a conqueror through
and through.
No, I could be a queen. I had learned from my time
in Meereen. My past mistakes would make me a stronger ruler. Wasn't it
only through mistakes that a person learned anything? If only I had
learned without mistakes then Jorah would be here with me now. I should
never have exiled him.
"Khaleesi, we're ready." One of the Dothraki said.
"Make sure everyone is on the ships and then I'll give the order to leave." I replied and he went off to check.
I
turned slightly to see Jon stand beside me. The man did not look
comfortable in the heat. When I went North he would be more comfortable
and it would be my turn to feel uncomfortable. I followed his eyes to
see a small boat racing to the shore. It wasn't one of mine.
Jon
usually remained calm but I felt him tense up. I suddenly understood why
as now Theon's form was clear and left no doubt about who he was. If
things had gone as planned, Jon would have met the Greyjoy much sooner.
Though I wanted to stop any violence between the two, Jon deserved to
confront the traitor who had given Winterfell to the Boltons.
"What is he doing here?" Jon asked. "Is he allowed here?"
"Theon
and Yara Greyjoy risked their lives to be a distraction to Euron while
Ellaria and two of her daughters returned to Dorne." I explained. "Yara
should be with him. Even close to death that woman wouldn't go easily."
The
moment Theon's small boat touched shore he got out and Jon raced
towards him. Soon enough the bastard was beating the **** out of the
Greyjoy while the eunuch allowed it to happen. I started to move towards
the pair when Missandei lightly touched my hand.
"I have to stop this." I whispered.
"You'll only get yourself hurt." Missandei replied and I hated that she was right.
I
watched helplessly as things got worse and then, just as suddenly as
the fight began, it stopped. Theon looked bruised but not broken. It was
as if even in his rage Jon couldn't bring himself to kill the man. If I
had been in a similar situation I would have killed Theon for his
crimes and felt no guilt.
"There's only one reason I won't kill
you." Jon said angrily. "You saved my sister. That's the only reason I
can't bring myself to end your miserable life."
Missandei
followed me as I stood beside Jon. Theon's men tried to help him up but
the man waved them away. He took a few minutes but he finally stood up.
There was guilt on his face and it became evident that Yara's fate was
not a pleasant one. If the gods were kind then she would be dead and not
used as a plaything by Euron.
"What happened to Yara?" I asked in a calmer tone than I actually felt.
"Euron
came and Yara attacked." Theon said in a shaky voice. "I knew the
attack was doomed the moment I saw him. We didn't have a chance to
survive but Yara refused to see reason. I decided to flee and a few of
our men followed me. I watched from a distance and saw him take my
sister."
"You fled before the battle?"
"You don't understand, attacking Euron's fleet would have ended in death for everyone. No, I was a coward."
"Ramsay didn't leave much of you left." Jon said with guilt in his voice. "It...it wasn't your fault."
"It is my fault."
I
didn't like the thought of Euron doing...the dark things he did to
people. Yara might be as broken as Theon after he was done with her. The
thought of such a strong woman being reduced to a childlike state was
painful. More for Theon than me as he would shoulder the guilt until his
dying days.
"I promise I will make sure that Yara is freed from
Euron." I told Theon. "I promise I will do everything in my power to
return her to you. You have my word. But avenging Olenna Tyrell is more
urgent at this moment. I need to get to the Lannister army before they
return to King's Landing. Afterwards I will work on freeing her."
"I
thought of asking you for help but it is my fault Yara was captured."
Theon said and I was surprised at the strength in his voice. "So it
falls to me to rescue her."
"That doesn't fall to you." Jon reassured the Greyjoy, shock thick in his voice.
"I rescued Sansa but that doesn't erase what I have done. I need to remind myself about who I am."
"Missandei, make sure that Theon Greyjoy and his men are well rested before they leave." I said.
"Yes, Your Grace." Missandei said and the Greyjoys followed her.
I
wanted her to see me off but knew that Theon needed rest more. Besides,
what could happen while I was gone? While I had lost the Yara's ships, I
still had enough men to defend the island. Only Euron would pose a
sizable threat.
"You don't have to follow me." I said. "You should make your way to your ship."
"They can wait for me." Jon insisted.
"If you are on Dragonstone when I take flight, I will leave you behind."
Jon
bowed and started walking away from me. In truth I wanted him to walk
with me. He might not look at me so kindly after the battle as I was
uncertain how it would go. I could lose myself or my children could
cause damage I hadn't intended. You could ride a dragon, but you
couldn't fully control them.
My mind didn't clear until I was on
Drogon's back and he in the sky with the other two following close
behind. Viserion and Rhaegal flew far past the fleet before returning
back close to me. Then they raced each other the same way again and
again.
The fleet, as with all other dangers on the land, seemed
so small and insignificant. How could something so small have any
impact?
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