Lynesse Chapter 25: Queen of the Ashes

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.

Walking through the carnage in King's Landing was another horror I didn't need to experience. Now there were no explosions or the dying cries of the smallfolk. Corpses and the stench of burnt flesh had filled their places. It took all of my strength to continue walking and not fall down in a puddle of my own tears. Not only were such things not something kings did, Daenerys might kill me if she saw any doubt in me.

Before she had burned King's Landing, I felt safe in her company. But now...now everything had changed. That darkness inside of her had taken over. The basic concepts of good and evil might be far beyond her reach. I didn't come to such conclusions lightly or easily. For years she had been the one I loved and would die for. With the burning of King's Landing, she had made it impossible for me to believe an illusion anymore.

As I started to leave the ashes behind me, I began looking for the Dothraki and Unsullied. Though I couldn't give any order that would go against the queen, I could avoid an outright killing of survivors. At least for now. When Daenerys made her wishes known, I could say nothing that would imply disloyalty.

Ghost ran up to me and I saw Grey Worm standing with Unsullied and Dothraki. There had to have been more that survived, but I shouldn't take time looking for them. I petted Ghost as I looked at Grey Worm's stoic face. Before his had been full of emotions and now he didn't look alive. Missandei was gone from his life and the carnage of battle hadn't appeased him. I had to consider that he was too lost to save. I couldn't allow pity into my heart or Westeros could be lost.

"What are your orders?" Grey Worm asked.

"Though it is unlikely, there may be survivors." I answered.

I felt an emptiness in my stomach. What I would say next would make me a monster like Daenerys was. But unlike her there was a noble purpose to my actions. It just hurt that the smallfolk would again have to pay the price for royalty playing their games.

"I want them gathered up so that our queen may decide their fates." I continued. "It may be that she is feeling merciful today. If not, Drogon will have a great feast today."

"Should we not kill them ourselves, Jorah?" Grey Worm asked.

"Daenerys is our queen, it is her that gets to decide who lives and dies. It is her that gets the satisfaction of killing her enemies."

"Of course."

Grey Worm yelled at his fellow Unsullied and they followed him. I looked at the Dothraki and they followed him. They would make sure our queen remained happy. What else could I do? What other action would allow me to remain in this world? Though after the burning of King's Landing, I wanted death as it was easier to comprehend than the future.

A future that could see the thing I loved most torn away from me.

Ghost followed me as we walked towards the Red Keep. I wished I could ride him and leave this massacre behind me. But I couldn't. I couldn't allow myself to be called a coward once again. Having run away from execution, I couldn't stain my name the same way again. Could anyone blame me if I fled? Who, in my place, would not flee this place?

But there were more things for me to do before I could rest forever. There would be pain and then it would all be over.

I knew the Red Keep was close when all of the Unsullied and Dothraki, minus those with Grey Worm, were gathered. The Dothraki were cheering as the massacre had excited them. While it would be wrong of me to judge them, the fact they were excited over countless innocents dying sent a coldness down my spine. How could anyone find what happened here justice? What madness took over those that did?

The Unsullied looked as stoic as ever yet I could see excitement in subtle eye movements. The way they breathed slightly differently seemed to indicate they were as excited as the Dothraki. These men had been taken as young boys so why were they excited? Following orders was one thing, deriving joy from following orders was something completely different. Were they joyful now because those that defied Daenerys were dead?

I remained as stoic as I could while walking through them. They all bowed to me as I reached the stairs. My eyes looked upward and it looked like an impossible climb. But if I were to run I would be killed before I could get more than a few feet. Here we stand. I could do this. I would do this.

The sound of dragon wings started to fill the air as I reached the top of the stairs. Any horrors that were behind me would be seen soon enough. Daenerys would land and we would turn around to see her victory. A victory that cost countless innocents their lives. If she wanted to discuss her sins later, we would.

Drogon landed behind the opening and I bowed. Daenerys walked towards me and for a brief moment it seemed as if she had dragon wings. It was as if the gods had given me a sign that the woman I loved was a monster. The gods were cruel and took everything from us mortals. Yet I couldn't deny the insight they had given me, no matter how much I yearned otherwise.

Daenerys walked with an assurance that had never been there before. She didn't show weakness often, especially in public, yet there was something different in her gait now. Maybe burning King's Landing showed her a part of herself she had tried to fight against. She had lost that fight and was happier because of it.

I knelt in front of her.

At first her eyes focused only on the destruction she had caused. A haunting grin was on her face for a split second. She was more pleased than the Dothraki whose cheers became louder than before. I put my plan out of mind so there was nothing but love for her on my face.

"Stand up, King Jorah." Daenerys said and held out her hands towards me.

For a brief moment the monster was replaced by the woman I had fallen with. For a brief moment it was as if nothing had changed between us. It was as if I would help her rule Westeros for as long as I lived. But then the moment passed and I saw the horrifying truth.

"My Queen Daenerys," I replied and slowly got up. "I am honored to be your king."

When I took her hands in my mine they didn't feel different. Her skin didn't betray the dark soul beneath. If only I could continue to believe a lie. If only I could commit terrible deeds without knowing better.

"Are you worried?" Daenerys asked worriedly.

"This day has taken much out of me." I replied gently. "I may not always show it, but I am old."

"Don't leave me to rule alone."

"I won't, khaleesi."

No matter what she became, she was still human. She had the same needs and wants as everyone else. It's just that her perception of the world was all wrong. No sane person would slaughter countless innocents after the battle had been won. Someone with such a kind heart would do their best to save everyone. Daenerys wouldn't have been able to save everyone in King's Landing, but she could have tried.

My love's eyes grew cold and I followed her gaze. Tyrion Lannister was walking up the steps with an angry and hurt look on his face. Unlike me he was not playing the long game. I couldn't blame him as he probably thought I would never leave Daenerys' side. If the king didn't seek to overthrow his queen, there was no chance anyone else could. It hurt me that he didn't trust me, which was confirmed when he glared at me, but there was no possibility of telling him the truth without getting killed myself. If I even tried to defend him, Daenerys could read that as a sign of betrayal.

"You're not the queen I swore to serve anymore, Daenerys." Tyrion said as he threw the Hand of the Queen brooch to the ground.

Everyone grew silent as the brooch hit the ground. It sounded as loud as Drogon's roar. The dragon had jumped onto a part of the Red Keep that hadn't been completely destroyed. He roared loudly as he looked at Tyrion, but the Imp didn't move. At least he wouldn't face death as a coward.

"At least you're honest now, Lannister." Daenerys said as coldly as it was beyond the Wall. "At least we don't have to hide anything anymore."

"At least I'm not the one who burned down an entire city." Tyrion replied in the same tone. "Whatever else I have done in my life, I've never done that."

"The smallfolk weren't innocent. They knew full well that Cersei was using them as bait."

"They were stuck between two mad queens that cared nothing for them. You act as if they aren't fighting to survive. You act as if they have the time to spare to properly think about who sits on the throne."

"They could have left King's Landing."

"Could they? How do you know they weren't too poor to travel? Too sick? No where else to go? And you slaughtered them all!"

"Your Grace," Grey Worm said with the survivors walking nervously behind him. "What do you want done?"

"This is your chance. Prove that you aren't a monster." Tyrion begged.

"On Jorah's orders I brought these prisoners to you. He said it should be up to you to decide their fates."

"What do you suggest, my love?" Daenerys asked and turned to me.

Out of the corner of my eyes I saw Tyrion silently begging me. I wanted to advise her that they should be allowed to live or at least there should be a trial held. But that path led to my untimely death. Even if Daenerys became the woman I loved once more, that possibility seemed impossible at the moment. The woman I loved above all others had died. How could she ever breathe once more?

"I trust your judgement on this and all other matters." I replied with a polite nod of my head.

"Kill them, Grey Worm." Daenerys said coldly. "Kill them all. Help him, Jorah."

I unsheathed Heartsbane and helped the Unsullied kill the helpless victims. Their faces were burned into my memories and I felt like a monster. Couldn't I have tried to save them? Wouldn't it have been more honorable to die than commit such crimes? Once the slaughter was finished I took my place beside Daenerys and she was pleased with the horror that had been committed.

"Since that is dealt with..." Daenerys said. "Tyrion Lannister, you helped your brother come here. You knew what he was doing yet told me nothing. You betrayed me."

"Jaime told me nothing of his plans." Tyrion replied angrily. "Not that you'll believe me now. You just killed those who survived when there were other options. If you showed them mercy they might have sided with you."

"Don't distract me, traitor. Why would your brother hide what he was going to do?"

"He might have thought that you would kill me if he did. But he didn't think of how far into madness you would go."

"I don't need to hear anymore of this. Grey Worm, kill him."

There was a grin on the Unsullied's face that seemed utterly out of place. It was cruel and more full of emotion than he usually showed. First he stabbed the Imp through the chest and into the heart. Tyrion gritted his teeth but showed no other emotion as he breathed his last breath and fell to the ground.

A sane person would have stopped then, but Grey Worm didn't. Instead he pulled his spear out of the man's chest and shoved it into his skull, bits of brain fell out when the Unsullied removed the weapon. He then turned and bowed to Daenerys as I barely stopped myself from vomiting.

"Daenerys, do you want me to move the traitor's corpse?" I asked. "There is no one here that you need to intimidate. All of us would die for you."

"No, leave it." Daenerys replied. "For those that can see him, they'll be reassured that I am a strong leader."

Strong leader? That didn't make sense. Did she think slaughtering countless people made her strong? True strength was much more than physical. It was the ability to hold your emotions back so that justice could be served. Anyone had the ability to kill another. So killing didn't make you strong.

Daenerys might be finding perverse joy in seeing her enemies dead. It could be that even though she had forgiven Tyrion for his family's actions in the past, now she couldn't. Every bit of rage was making her take extreme actions to quell it.

She walked to the edge of the steps and those below cheered loudly once more. Drogon joined in by letting out a roar and breathing fire into the sky. He had always been an intimidating presence but now he was almost godly in the fear he inspired in me.

"Blood of my blood," Daenerys shouted. "You have fulfilled your promises to me. You have torn apart my enemies and their stone buildings. You have given me the Seven Kingdoms!"

The Dothraki roared out in renewed glee. The woman I loved seemed to be empowered by their bloodlust. It did, after all, fuel her own need to burn. House Targaryen had cruel men and women in that bloodline. I had hoped that Daenerys wouldn't go down that path.

"Grey Worm," Daenerys said and turned to the Unsullied. "You have been loyal to me for a very long time. Even after I freed you, you stayed by my side. When Westeros turned against me you were there. The only reward I can think to give you is to make you my Master of War!"

This time the Unsullied cheered loudly. I should have been ecstatic about what Daenerys had achieved. In her early life she was the plaything of Viserys and sold to Khal Drogo for an army. It was only after Drogo died that she truly took up the mantle of queen. For so long she had fought to sit on the Iron Throne, at some points in her journey I could hardly believe she would ever achieve that goal.

She had and now I worried what would happen next. She wasn't the same person with a kind heart. Now she was a monster with the body of the woman I would never stop loving. Instead of being the ruler Westeros desperately needed, she would burn the land until only ashes remained.

"Unsullied," Daenerys said proudly and they quieted. "You were torn from the arms of your mothers. You were forced to become soldiers against your will. You fought only those that your masters told you to. And now you have become liberators! We will liberate the rest of Westeros as we did King's Landing! We will free them from their shackles! We will break the wheel!"

The Unsullied cheered loudly again. I could hear every spear that hit the ground. It was as if I could hear each individual shouting to the sky. At least Jon wasn't here to see this. At least he didn't have to experience the horrors I had endured.

Daenerys saw the damage she had inflicted and thought it was justice. She thought that it was liberation. It would be only a short time until she liberated Winterfell in the same way. Would she leave Bear Island untouched because it was my House's home? Or did she not consider where I grew up to be important? Would asking to have her not burn Winterfell make her not burn it down or would it fill her with suspicion?

She turned to me with an expression of joy on her face. Beneath the monster she was still there. She was capable of feeling as many emotions as she had before. It was just that they had become more twisted and less concerned with morality. She had crossed a line and it had broken her.

I leaned my head down as she threw up her arms around my shoulders and kissed me hard. She had become sexually around with killing countless innocents who had never asked for their place in the world. I kissed her harder to do my best to shake the image out of my head.

As the kiss continued it became easier to believe the lie that she was a noble queen that would do the best for Westeros. She would bring the Seven Kingdoms into a new golden age. There would be peace for generations to come. There would be no more pointless wars to claim the Iron Throne.

"I'm proud of you, khaleesi." I whispered into her ear. "Your ancestors are proud of you."

Her father and Viserys were proud of her. Her brother would be proud of what she had achieved. He would understand why he didn't deserve such acclaim as her. The Mad King would see the utter destruction of King's Landing and rejoice that his blood had finished his job. He might even beg to join her on her mission to liberate all of Westeros.

"All I care is that you are proud of me." Daenerys replied and gently kissed me on the cheek. "There is no one in the world that matters to me as much as you. No one that has been more loyal than you."

"There is no more pleasure to me than serving you." I said. "I will serve you above and beyond what anyone is capable of."