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Cersei’s POV
I stand outside the door in hearing the sound of chains from within. I know it has happened already. My guards change the torches every few hours as I commanded them to do. They informed me about her screams a fortnight ago. It was described like the same screams she gave when her lover’s head, Oberyn was crushed by the Mountain. And ever since then, they say it has been silent as a crypt in the cell aside from the gagging noises when she is being forced fed.
I nod my head for the door to be unlocked and it is done by the sound of the key unlocking the door. The guards open the door slowly with caution; the creaking of the door echoes in the cold quietness of the dungeons of the Red Keep. I walk into the cell immediately covering my mouth and nose by the rotting smell. My eyes look down to see Ellaira on her stomach side with her hand extended out toward her daughter, Tyene.
Tyene is dead and the stench of her corpse fills the cell. Ellaira remains motionless on the ground as if she is already dead herself but she is alive. She is nothing more than a shell of the woman compared to the woman I met at Joffrey’s wedding. Her eyes look directly at her daughter’s body to see the result of it so far.
It shows her body is rotting, her once lively black hair is now a dull, dead black hair, thinning out and her once Dornish skin is now a grayish white. I can even tell that the weight of her body is different compared to before. Her body is turning into nothing but bones and skin. Tyene still has the gag in her mouth as does Ellaira. I stand above Ellaira when her eyes slowly move to look at me.
Ellaira does not say a word to me. She stares at me like I am going to die where I stand as I look at this snake that took my only daughter away from me because she was a Lannister. Ellaira took her away just because of that and nothing more. Ellaira took away my daughter and she made me suffer for it. And now she knows exactly what I suffered.
“You made me suffer in taking away my only daughter and now you know what that is like…” I whisper to her.
Ellaira has a few tears going down her face and back at the corpse of her daughter. I look to Tyene as well, wondering what she was like as a little girl. I let out a sigh knowing what must be filling her mind. I walk over to Tyene’s corpse that is still chained up to the wall as Ellaira is. I kneel closer and gently move some of her dull black hair out of her face so I can see it.
I see the dried blood stains coming out of her nose just as Myrcella had before her body was to be ready for burial in the Sept. Tyene has her mouth open like she gasped for air, reaching and begging for help from her mother that was so close but helpless to do anything. Her eyes have no light in them; they are empty just as much as her body is.
“There is no pain greater than to be helpless in the face of a loved one’s suffering. That is what you did to Myrcella when she died in her father’s arms and what I felt when Jaime returned home for her to be buried. You suffer as I suffer…” My eyes go to Ellaira and her wish to kill me changes into complete sorrow as she begins crying.
I slowly stand up watching her weep for her to finally know what my suffering is. I take a step forward when suddenly I hear her move. I turn around but Ellaira has not moved at all. Ellaira has a look on her face wondering where the movement came from when the movement came from Tyene’s body.
Qyburn stands in the doorway of the cell to see it for himself while the Mountain stands behind him. The body began to twitch when the eyes of Tyene’s corpse flies open! We all let out gasps in what is happening. But her eyes were not the brown Dornish beauty they once were; her eyes are now revealing bright blue irises.
Ellaira screams in horror of what is happening to her daughter then looks at me. She screams to me even though there is a gag in her mouth and I can understand what she says this time. “What did you to her?!”
The body of Tyene sits up almost like nothing but a shell when Qyburn says, “She is one of those dead creatures that was shown in the Dragonpit, your grace.”
Just before another word is said, the corpse of Tyene lets out an unsettling growl like she is death coming for me. I scream and fall to the ground when the corpse climbs on top of me. The body of the once girl starts hitting me over and over again that I feel my nose break. I cry out in being attacked when she bites me!
“Ahhhhh!” I struggle to hold it back as Ellaira begins to laugh like a mad woman in what is happening.
Suddenly the corpse grabs me and violently banging me over and over against the stone ground. My crown falls off and the back of my head impacts against the floor. I feel dazed with the feeling of blood coming out of the back of my head that I begin to lose consciousness. I hear nothing but screeching, laughing and massive footsteps surround me. Everything becomes a fog as I hear the Mountain standing above me.
I struggle to keep my eyes open when the Mountain rips the dead body away from me, picking it up. The dead girl screeches, wailing her body around as the Mountain holds it. The dead girl gaps open her mouth, displaying its teeth stained in blood while the blue eyes shine.
I don’t know how I manage to get to my feet while placing my hand onto the back of my head with blood drenching my blonde hair. And there is blood coming from my broken nose as well. Qyburn grabs a hold of me when I feel my knees about to come out from under me. Ellaira watches on as what remains of her daughter is causing chaos and that is what she wants compared to before. Qyburn pulls me away from the cell.
“Burn her, Ser Gregor!” Qyburn yells to him.
The Mountain immediately grabs a torch hanging on the wall setting it on her. She screeches as her body is set ablaze and the Mountain drops her. The dead girl continues snarling but she does not stop in getting up. She wails her body around when the Mountain draws his sword then slices her in half. Ellaira cries in what is being done to her daughter’s body. Except that still does not hold back the upper body of her daughter.
It is like the dead creature we saw in the Dragonpit. It was not going to stop coming until there is nothing left of its body. The blue eyes shine through the bright orange red flames all over her body when viciously crawling toward me and Qyburn. Qyburn commands the Mountain to finish her off. The Mountain raises his sword, swinging it into her body as Ellaira sobs in what happening. I hear the body being hacked to pieces that I gag when the burning smell of a corpse increases.
Qyburn and I watch on to see the dead girl lets out an ice piercing noise then finally stops moving when the Mountain hacked her head clean off. The blue eyes of the corpse fade away as the flames burn the body to ash. Ellaira cries out when the gag on her mouth finally breaks to free her to unleash her rage and grief. She screams that will be in nightmares and haunt any that hear her. The screams echo through the cells of the Red Keep.
We leave the cell as Qyburn is in shock of what happened while I am still dazed and sickness. Qyburn helps me to my chambers to tend to my wounds when Ellaira starts screaming for me, “I will kill you!! I will kill you!! I will kill you, Cersei Lannister!! I will cut you up into little pieces and burn you!!”
We continue to hear her until we finally get up to the upper level. Qyburn helps me walk when several men from the Golden Company, Euron Greyjoy and the Queen’s Guard is running in terror. They have a look of terror on their faces like they have seen what we saw.
“Queen Cersei, something is happening all over King’s Landing!” Euron Greyjoy shouts, expecting something to be done as soon as possible.
“Her grace needs to be taken care of at the moment.” Qyburn says when we reach my chambers.
The Mountain picks me up and sets me on the bed. I feel the room become more foggy each passing moment like everything is about to go black on me. Qyburn says that I will be taken care of before my eyelids overpower me, closing to darkness.
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFhXcpegIHA
Qyburn’s POV
I take off her crown so I can tend to her head first and there is a lot more blood that expected when I clean it up. A few men of the Golden Company assist me as I stitch up her wound, cleaning up where she was bitten, then wrap her head to keep the stitches clean during the healing process. I see her table where the herbs and remedies to make the tea I suggested for her to take in her pregnancy condition.
I go over and begin making the tea. I shall have to help care of this matter while her grace is unable to do so. “What is happening in King’s Landing? Tell me everything.”
“Why should we tell you, old man?”
The Mountain takes one step forward to the men talking to me like I am nothing but dirt under their shoe. The men freeze at the sight of the Mountain standing before them, ready to crush them on my command. However I hold up my hand for Ser Gregor to stay where he is.
He glares down at them, ready to tear them apart piece by piece. I warm up the water for the tea over the fire going in her grace’s chamber. I look to the men ready for them to give me the report I asked for. The men look uneasy when they finally decide to use their tongues.
“There have been suddenly reports. It appears that those that died from starvation, freezing or fighting over food have risen from the dead…”
“Each have blue eyes with the sounds of snarling, screeching with the smell of death?”
“All of them.”
“And they have attacked, killed others?”
“They did and dozens if not hundreds are already dead. If they continue spreading, all of King’s Landing will be killed.”
“What else?”
“Others began walking, almost marching together toward the King’s Road.”
I recall the words from the King in the North in how they can be killed in the Dragonpit. It was unlike anything I have ever seen especially in holding the arm of the dead creature as the upper half of the dead creature was crawling around, wanting to kill anything it could.
‘We can destroy them by burning them and we can destroy them with Dragonglass. If we don’t win this fight then that is the fate of every person in the world. There is only one war that matters; the Great War. And it is here.’
The Dragon Queen confirmed that she saw them and that there were at least one hundred thousand of them. I can only imagine the numbers now with the dead going to join them here. There is one question though. If it is happening here in King’s Landing, is it happening all across Westeros?
“Start making bonfires, torches for everyone to uses against them. The only thing able to kill them is fire and Dragonglass. We have no Dragonglass so fire it is. Get as many fires going.”
“We have our weapons-“
“Your common swords, arrow heads or any kind of weapons will not work. Go and get the fires started.” I command them just as Cersei would. They all leave without another word especially with the Mountain glaring at them.
I take the pot away from the fire then pour the warm water into a cup, mixing it together. I give the tea a moment to cool down then help Cersei to drink it. The tea goes down smoothly and I place a blanket over her then place more wood onto the fire to keep the warmth going through her chambers. She should wake up after a while since her head got banged hard.
I command Ser Gregor to stay with her and to let no one else in until I return. I walk down to my chambers knowing I need to inform the Desert Fox what is happening here. I lock the door behind me then stop when I see the bird that carried the message from the Desert Fox. It is not a raven or pigeon that carries the messages for the Foxes of the Sunset.
It is a large black eagle with some mixed white, grey feathers above the beak to the head and neck. The eyes of the eagle are sharp yellow that made me hesitate to get the message when the eagle first arrived. I sit down with fresh parchment at the desk and take the quill then dip the tip into ink. I begin writing to the Desert Fox.
‘Desert Fox, there have been alarming reports of people who died from freezing, starvation and died fighting for food. And those who died rose up with blue eyes. Hundreds have turned into the dead are here in King’s Landing killing while the other half march for the King’s Road. They are heading to the North. Please correspond as soon as you are able to. Maester Qyburn.’
I blow on the letter to let the ink dry then roll it up and I put the Lannister seal on it. Then I put the letter into a leather bound letter carrier. I tie it down then extend it out to the large black eagle. The eagle grabs the letter carrier with its talons then turns toward the window, ready to take flight. I go over and open the window.
The black eagle flaps its wings then takes off out the window. I look out the window to see the eagle flew out then upward. The eagle flies above the storm instead of flying through like ravens or pigeons do when delivering messages. It possible explains how their messages remain undiscovered to others and an eagle like that can fight other birds easily if one was to attack on route.
I leave my chamber and head toward the balcony of King’s Landing to see many fires beings started as pillars of black smoke fill the cold air. And among the sound of the snow falling from the storm above, there is wailing and screaming in people being attacked by the men and women turned into those dead creatures. And live stock like horses and cows do everything to escape out of the city in fear of their lives knowing the dead are like predators hunting them.
My eyes go to see at all entrances that dozens of the dead are marching out of the city to the King’s Road as they said they were. I honestly do not know what this will do to the Rule of Queen Cersei but I imagine the smallfolk will turn against her quickly. Especially when they find out about the Dead marching past the Wall.
They will turn to the Dragon Queen and the King in the North in gathering armies to fight the Dead. There must be a way to get ahead of this before that happens. I will find one and ensure it is done before Queen Cersei wakes up from her injuries. I walk back to her grace’s chambers and stand before Ser Gregor.
“Guard her and let no one else enter her chamber except for me, Ser Gregor. If anyone tries to enter and passes you, kill them immediately. If Euron Greyjoy attempts to enter, break his arms or legs. He is the only one you do not kill for now.” I tell him as his red eyes stare at him, taking in my command.
He does not move an inch and I know he understands what he is to do. I head toward the throne room knowing members of the Queen’s Guard will be there, waiting on orders of what to do. I enter to find dozens of them in worry of what is happening.
“Any of the Queen’s Guard not here will go into the city, start bonfires everywhere then help burn the dead men and women. Only fire will kill them. The rest of you will go through the keep to ensure none of the Dead are here. If they are, burn them or hack them to pieces until they no longer move.” I command them.
“What do we tell the people? They will want to know what is causing this.” One of the Guards asks.
“Tell me that the truth that White Walkers are real and passed the Wall, killed most of the Night’s Watch and most of the North. The Dead are in Westeros and burn the bodies even if they just died. Burn them all or their numbers will build, killing the living.” I tell them knowing there is no way to cover this up.
The truth to the people is the only way to keep their favor to Queen Cersei. They begin to walk away when I tell them, “Also inform them that Queen Cersei was attacked by one herself and recovering from her wounds. Once she recovers, she will ensure that no more will spread beyond the city.”
They bow their heads in agreement and head out to do as they command. I do wonder that if this is happening here, has the North fallen and the Dead march for the rest of Westeros? And how can the Dead reach this far out from the North to turn those that died into them? How far does their power extend out beyond the Wall?
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Jorah’s POV
Daenerys walks away from Jaime Lannister and Bronn better than I imagined and she walks over to Drogon who puts his shoulder down to the ground like she is about to fly off. I follow her when Jon walks over. He has a worried look on his face for her.
“Daenerys, we need to discuss the next move.”
“I need a minute.” She says with a certain tone in her voice.
“Daenerys, what-“
“Jon, she needs a minute.” I interrupt Jon, knowing what she needs to do.
Jon sees the look on my face and steps away when Khalessi asks me to come with her. I step onto the dragon without a word spoken between us. I sit behind her, ready when Daenerys leans forward. Drogon lifts into the sky, flying just above the tree line. Rhaegal follows behind us without Jon on his back.
Daenerys flies over the tree line looking for any sign of him or what is left of him. I do the same when I see nothing of his body. It makes me wonder if he is still a slave for the Night King while there is still no sign of his body. Drogon flies over a section of the forest while Daenerys stares downward to see anything through the snowy fog.
I scan the landscape behind and above in case the dead dragon managed to fly after the battle. I feel my face draw tight that there is nothing but mixed of frozen and scorched earth. Drogon grumbles when he circles around and Rhaegal roars to us. We look in his direction to see Rhaegal is hovering above a section of the forest ahead.
Drogon flies his direction while we look down to see trees knocked down and blue flames that caught some trees on fire while the remaining forest is filled with smoke and ash dotted with small fires of the color blue. We get closer in the hopes that we find his dead body when there is a clearing covered in the snowy fog.
There are blue flames clinging to burnt trees surrounding the foggy clearing when Drogon lowers himself to the clearing. The clearing is large enough for the dragons to land and take to flight. Drogon lands within the fog as does Rhaegal. Daenerys and I get to the ground while the dragons grumble to one another knowing what we are looking for.
I draw my sword out if any of the dead are close by as we go forward. Daenerys and I get closer to the cleared forest where Dead Viserion crashed but there is nothing except smoke, black liquid covering parts of the ground and chucks of trees that were crushed in the landing. It was the size of Viserion but he is nowhere within sight. By the look of the area, he landed on his back side then stayed here before leaving.
My eyes follow his massive tracks in the snow and his path shows trees knocked down which means he can no longer fly. But Viserion still remains enslaved to the Night King. I hoped his body would be here so he can finally be put to rest. And not just for himself but for Daenerys, Drogon and Rhaegal who stare at the empty clearing.
I sheath my sword while Khalessi is silent in all of this. I slowly walk over to her but stop as she turns around to look at me. She has a few tears in her beautiful eyes. I do not know what to say that will bring her any kind of comfort. Her heart is breaking for her child and she is powerless to help him except to end what is left of her child, Viserion.
I do the only thing I can do for her. I do not hesitate taking a few steps forward and hug her. She wraps her arms around me without saying a word. She lets out a few sobs, crying as she buries her head into my shoulder. I let her cry for however long she needs to be held. I can feel her heart breaking for the death and slavery of her child.
“I know, Khalessi . I’m so sorry…” I whisper to her over and over again.
“Viserion, my child. He was my child. He is a slave, Jorah. My child is a slave…”
She lets out a few more sobs while her hands grip onto the back of my cloak. I rest my head on top of hers while she begins sobbing and crumbling to pieces in my arms. I stand here to be her foundation. I close my eyes in hearing her heart wrenching cries and shuddering breathes. Daenerys has lost enough in her life and now this truly breaks her down.
I continue to hold her when her dragons coil their heads around us, giving comfort to their mother while mourning their own dragon brother. Drogon has his head in front of me while Rhaegal’s head is behind me while they give small growls in sadness.
She is the Mother of Dragons, a mother losing another child. Viserion was killed beyond the Wall then turned into a weapon for the Night King. This has to be her worst nightmare while she mourns for her child. I begin to pray to whatever higher power there is for Cersei Lannister to take her offer so Khalessi can go back across the Narrow Sea and rule as Queen in Meeren.
She is respected, feared and most of all, loved. She does have the fear and respect with everyone here in Westeros but it is all fleeting. If she makes one wrong move, they will immediately turn their backs on her and do what Westeros does best. And I do not want Westeros to be the death of her. I want her to live a full life and a Queen because she has earned it more than anyone else.
I do not know how much times passes until Khalessi catches her breath, not crying as hard and slowly pulls away from me. Her beautiful face is a river of tears while she places her hands on her mouth then to her stomach. Her eyes close when I can see a heavy weight on her shoulders more than before she started mourning for Viserion. There is something else weighing her down and it terrifies her.
“Khalessi, what is it?”
“I am with child…”
Those words echo in me like the dawn her dragon first sang their song into the world and she stood from the smoke and ash unharmed. My mouth lightly drops when I see she has her hands on her stomach. I know that she would know this for certain if it was possible. But how is this possible?
“How is this possible, Khalessi?” I use whatever power I have over my tongue to whisper the words out loud to make it truly real.
She does not know how it is possible but it is. “I am not sure however Jon said something to me in the Dragonpit. I told him that I cannot have children and the Witch told me herself. Jon told me that she may not have been a reliable source of information.”
“That witch lost everything that she would do anything to avenge what she lost even though you tried to save what life she had left. It would make sense if she said it out of spite.” I say to Khalessi.
“But she also warned me that only death can pay for life, Jorah; a life for a life. A price but what price was paid for this to happen?” Khalessi asks with her hands still on her stomach.
Then her eyes widen when she realizes something. Her eyes go to the land evidence of Dead Viserion crash. I put it together in what Daenerys was thinking. I recall the words of that vile woman after she described what her unborn son looked like after being pulled from her. She did say that only death can pay for life. My mind flashes to Viserion being shot down and fallen into a watery grave then to see how Jon looked at Daenerys in the Dragonpit.
“Viserion died. You and Jon lay together leading to you with a child now.”
“My child, Viserion death bought me the life of the child inside me...” She gasps in horror of the price paid to be with a child now.
Khalessi is about to cry again. I immediately take her in my arms knowing she cannot risk losing this child. I know any small or large amount of stress and heartbreak could lead her to have a miscarriage and she cannot lose this child to such distress.
“Khalessi, please stop. You cannot risk losing another child. Please stop…” I beg her.
She realizes I speak the truth and manages to stop crying the way she was then she embraces her stomach. I lower my arms from her while Drogon and Rhaegal grumble between one another in worry for their mother. Khalessi is with child, an heir on the way now. However there is something that needs to be done before the child is born.
“Who else knows?”
“You and Missandei know; I have told no one else. I found out just before getting this armor on and leaving Winterfell. Missandei asked when I bleed last and I bleed shortly after arriving to Westeros; it has been over two fortnights now. Missandei noticed the other signs as well.” Khalessi tells me.
“Is that why you made that offer to Cersei Lannister?” I ask her.
“Yes. The Winter Fox counseled me to weaken what power Cersei did have. But the offer was all my idea. I thought about it the entire flight to King’s Landing; if Cersei truly takes the offer, keeping her word, I will keep mine. I will go back to Meeren and rule there. I already lost two children in reaching for the Iron Throne. I will not lose anymore.”
I never expected her to give up her claim for anything until now. She has a chance to have a daughter or son now. This child is far more important than the Iron Throne to her now. And Meeren is far safer for her children than here in Westeros. Her child will have a target forever on them which is why Daenerys has only told me. If Tyrion and Lord Varys knew, they would push her further to the Iron Throne. And she does not want that anymore. However there is one thing that remains unanswered about the child.
“What about Jon?” I ask her in worry of what her answer will be about Jon.
“I want to tell him but I know what he will do if I do.”
“What will he do?”
“He will want to marry me for the sake of the child. He grew up a bastard; publicly shamed in his life, Ned Stark’s wife wishing him dead and everything else that goes with having a bastard name. He never wanted to bring a child into the world like that. He will want the child to have a name that is not a bastard. And that is one of the things that make him a good man. But I do not want…”
She freezes her words as if she is afraid to utter them out load and it will become true if she speaks it. But she needs to speak them out all the same. “What do you want?”
Khalessi moves her left hand to her neck thinking about what she wants but still does not want to say it out load. “What do you want, Khalessi? What do you want Jon to do?”
“I want Jon to marry me because he loves me no matter the blood relation between us. I want things to be the way it was between me and him, Ser Jorah. But I know the truth; it is not going to happen. He grew up in the North. Jon is a Stark, a direwolf down to his blood and bones than he is a Targaryen, a dragon which is a good thing in some ways.”
“But marriages between aunt and nephew are not common in the North. It was common for my house. I always expected to marry my own brother, Viserys. But his need of an army was greater. I am numb to the idea of marriage with my own blood; I always have been. Jon never will be. I love him and he does not love me.”
I recall the look on his face to her before I approached to ask about the survivors. There is no doubt in my mind that he loves her but the blood relation between them is holding him back. “Khalessi, he loves you. I can still see it on his face. It is there. Maybe he could get past the blood relation over time.”
“Ser Jorah, I want to believe he will but I’m starting to feel like loving him is a losing game. And that is all I need to know with him. And I do not have time for him to get past it with the war against the Dead.” She has a broken heart when she speaks the words about losing and more tears in her eyes.
Khalessi did not love Khal Drogo when they first married and Khalessi being the woman she is, their marriage turned into fondness and a form of love. Then she lost him, a man she started to love. She cannot risk losing anymore of her heart than she already has. I will not allow her heart to break anymore.
“What do you want to do now, Khalessi?”
“I will help defeat the Night King and if Cersei takes the offer, we will go back to Meeren. The North will be its own independent Kingdom. Tyrion and Davos can join me in Meeren if they want to, the choice is theirs. And then I will rule in Meeren with my children by my side, safe. If Cersei does not take the offer, I will crush her then name another to take the Iron Throne. Then go back to Meeren has I intend to.”
She starts circling like she often does when she is thinking. She and I wonder who can take the Iron Throne if Jon will not take the Iron Throne himself. I have not known Jon for a long time but I imagine he does not want it. He only wants to protect the North and help them flourish into a new kingdom they were before the Targaryens ever came to Westeros. If not Jon to be the next ruler, who could be chosen?
“If not Jon, who would you choose to take the throne? One that could be trusted to rule well, wise while being respected to the other Kingdoms?”
“Sansa Stark is not one to be trusted and never will be especially after what was done to her. Arya Stark could be trusted and she is smart but I feel that she and Jon are alike. Arya will not want to. I am not sure who else there is that could rule well in Westeros unless-” She stops when someone comes to mind and it must be a good one for her to stop circle thinking.
“Gendry Baratheon. He is a good man from what we know. I legitimized him to Gendry Baratheon, Lord of Storm’s End. His father was a drunk man but Gendry is a fighter, risen a bastard among the people of King’s Landing, hard working blacksmith with a good head on him. Jon, Arya and Ser Davos trust him. He would be a clean slate for all of Westeros. Tyrion and Davos can advise him along with Jon. I can name Gendry to take the Iron Throne.” Khalessi has some wight lifted off her shoulders when the idea of Gendry being ruler came to mind.
I imagine Khalessi placing a crown on his head and sitting the Iron Throne. That would be good for Westeros. A chance to start clean and help heal with all of the battles and wars that have left the world scarred and divided. There is something that needs to be known before Daenerys names him.
“Now there is only one question, will Gendry take or deny it the Iron Throne?”
“There is only one way to find out and the Winter Fox should be at the encampment soon.” Khalessi has a certain look on her face and I know that look. I give a small smile knowing we are heading back to the encampment and to make the next moves for this.
Drogon lowers his shoulder to the ground, allowing for her and I to climb up to his back where the saddle is. I honestly feel like this saddle truly helps in flying on a dragon given I nearly fell off his back beyond the Wall. Khalessi makes sure I am ready before we take to flight. Drogon lifts into the air with ease and carries us high above the tree line with Rhaegal flying right next to us.
Drogon and Rhaegal take caution in looking above and below while flying since Dead Viserion is still out there under the slavery of the Night King. We know he walks the earth but unsure if he can fly anymore or not. Sadly we will have to wait to find out when facing against the Dead again.
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Desert Fox’s POV
We remain here in silence until it is safe to talk without the chance of anyone hearing us. Our leader, the Winter Fox reveals gashing open wounds from where the Night King impaled her twice. He ensured she was stabbed through and through. I see there is no blood of any kind coming from her like usual but this is something we never expected especially with the Night King.
“How is this possible? You should have-“
“I believed the same until I got up with my head twisted around. I pushed him away after the second time.” She starts pacing back and forth almost like she is afraid. And I have never seen her afraid of anything in all the time I have known her.
I freeze when I see her neck armor is missing to reveal her necklace pendant of the wolf howling to the moon. I fear that someone beyond being one of us or a pawn of the Dead saw it. It could mean that someone knows who she truly is and that can never happen. If someone has discovered who she is, I will kill them before it can even be whispered to another; dead or living.
“Tell me what to do and it will be done.” I tell her so there is not a moment to lose.
“I think he is still in there under all of it…” She says to me words I never imagined to hear.
“He cannot be after all this time.” My fellow brother says in response.
“He froze and recognized it. And most of all, Luna did the same with me. It’s impossible however it happened all the same.” She tells us while rubbing her gloved hands over the pendant pacing.
“What are you saying?” I ask her wondering where she is going with this.
“I am not sure what I am saying. For now, this needs to be counciled later however Luna will be back. There is something else going on. I do not understand why he was in the ruins of Winterfell. He had no reason to be there. He should’ve been recovering his numbers for his army while going after Arya and Bran since they are his targets. At least that is what I would do.” She says to us still pacing.
“I am not sure. I immediately went there when I saw the Night King heading to Winterfell of all places in the war against the Living and the Dead. He always has a reason. What reason would he be in Winterfell of all places? There was nothing and no one worth going after in Winterfell aside from me and him.” I tell her in my arrival of Winterfell.
She stops pacing when I say this and she approaches me while asking, “Who else was in Winterfell when he was there?”
“Men of the Night’s Watch, Podrick, Brienne and the bitch, Sansa before we ran into Jorah, Jaime, Bronn, The Hound, William and Theo. When he got out of Winterfell, he came face to face with Daenerys on Drogon.” I tell her wondering where she is going with her thoughts.
“What part of Winterfell were you in before he got into the pathway of Daenerys?”
“We were hallways away from the Broken Tower when we saw him in Winterfell.”
Suddenly she gives a small chuckle like she figured out why he was in Winterfell instead of going after the others he left a mark on. I look to the Obsidian and Monsoon Fox wondering what it could be. They shrug their shoulders to me in confusion.
“What is it? What’s so funny?”
“He chose! Hahaha!” She says like a mad woman finally free.
My mouth drops in realizing what she means. I shake my head in horror of this and yet she continues to laugh in joy. She spins around with the snow erupting from the ground as she does. I am beginning to panic in what should be done next but the fact that our leader is still laughing about all of this is throwing me off.
“This is not funny.” Obsidian Fox says to her in horror of this being discovered.
“Is it not?! I truly believe this the grandest thing to happen in all my time! The best part is that he chose the one I least suspected out of all people! And I know exactly how to handle this!” She says while her joyful laughing echoes throughout the woods.
We remain in silence that the Night King chose his next Night Queen and who better than the Dragon Queen herself to be his next Queen. It does explain why he did not immediately attack all at once when Daenerys left. And who better to pick to become the Night Queen? If the Night King turns her, her dragons could possibly turned in the process.
My mind fills with the thought of three dead dragons in the world, unleashing blue flames to tear about castles, families and long history blood lines wiped away from the world with mountains of snow to cover over the existence of the living. I am rushed with panic at the thought of the Night King climbing the steps to the Iron Throne, ruling over a dead world.
“We cannot let him get to Daenerys.” I utter out loud in fear.
She recollects herself and place one hand on my shoulder. “And he won’t; I know exactly how to handle this. Where is Daenerys now?”
“She went to get the survivors. Jon went with her on Rhaegal.” Our fellow Fox answers.
“That is good. They will be back soon if they haven’t yet. Now here are the next steps we are taking.” She tells us when she stops pacing.
My sister looks to me wondering what caught her attention when our leader slightly moves her head to the left like someone could be here in the woods. We listen to the sound of the howling winds, the sounds of the camp in the distance and some falling snow off trees to the ground. It is too quiet for us to be out here alone.
We grip our hands on our weapons, ready to use them but our leader holds her gloved hand out for us to hold off. However there appears to be nothing out there but we have to take caution in what we say and do next. So we start moving our hands in the silent language to finish what steps need to be taken next. I smile knowing I am going to enjoy what occurs in the following days.
19Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡni09Km4Hfz
Brienne’s POV
I remain silent in hiding. I followed Jaime and Bronn out here however I felt the need to stay in order to hear what the Foxes speak of. I wonder why the Winter Fox is laughing like she is until I hear Daenerys Targaryen mentioned. But I accidently move my feet in the snow. I freeze completely as I no longer hear them speaking.
I barely peak around the tree to see they are using hand motions to talk to one another. I have not seen this kind of communication so I do not know what they are saying. I continue to watch wondering if I can learn what any of it is however still nothing as I watch them.
They stop doing hand motions to one another then mount up on their horses. The Winter Fox rides in front with the other three foxes behind her. They have their weapons in hand in case that monstrous dead wolf returns. I wait until they leave on their horses to do what they have planned. I stay here longer to ensure they did not suspect anyone to be listening to them.
I need to inform Lady Sansa what I did manage to hear and inform her. Then she can tell her brothers and sister before the Foxes get any closer than they already are to Jon and Daenerys. I walk back to my horse and mount up but stop when I hear another horse approaching.
I draw out Oathkeeper and aim it at whoever rides up behind me. The tip of my blade is just an inch away from a red jewel pendant necklace. I recognize that red necklace anywhere when I see it is the very same Red Priestess that served Stannis Baratheon and helped kill Renly Baratheon with blood magic.
“You are the last person in the world I expected to find here, Melisandra.” I angrily say to her as her red hair and cloak seem like red blood or crimson even death around all of the pure white snow.
“That makes two of us. I know I will die here, Ser Brienne of Tarth. But there is something I must do before I die. It involves the safety and life of the Starks once the Long Night is over. When I am done, you or anyone will be able to kill me as I welcome my death with open arms.” Melisandra tells me with no fear of me cutting her down right here with no one around.
I can see that she truly is ready to die whenever she accomplishes her final task by the look in her eyes. She does not look it in her body but her eyes look tired, worn down and full of suffering. I slowly lower my sword when I remember that King Jon banished her from the North. And if she ever returned, she would be hanged as a murderer. She will be easily spotted in the encampment by her red hair and cloak alone.
“You will need to stay out of sight otherwise you will be hanged before you do whatever your final goal is.”
“I am well aware. I just need to speak to one of the Starks and not just any or all of them. I need to speak to Sansa Stark which is why I came to you first. You have an oath to Sansa Stark from her mother, Catelyn Stark.” Melisandra tells me when taking the hood off her hair to show her dark red hair in a braid hanging past her shoulder.
“You can tell me and I will tell her. You are going nowhere near her.”
“You will want me to be at her side with what the Night King has planned next and Sansa Stark is perhaps the only one that can prevent what is to come…” Melisandra says with a certain tone in her voice that this is far more serious than I imagine it to be.
Melisandra cannot go to Sansa so I will have to bring Sansa Stark to her instead. But I will need to take precaution if I bring Sansa Stark out here with this red witch. Sansa Stark has some manner of royal blood in her from her ancestors, the Kings of the North which would benefit Melisandra just as Stannis used her blood magic to kill her brother.
“I will tell Lady Sansa and the choice will be up to my Lady. You will have to wait here.”
Melisandra agrees with me and says, “I will wait for as long as I need to in order to speak to Lady Sansa.”
I turn my horse around and ride away as Melisandra stays on her horse in these parts of the woods. I ride through the snow, following the tracks leading back to camp. However I do not ride through the camp like the others did. I ride through the area filled with tents and get to the tent where Podrick is resting from his injury.
I ground tie my horse then go to find Lady Sansa. I walk through several groups of people that are tending to the wounded and survivors of people and animals alike. I spot Bran Stark with Benjen Stark and next to them, Sansa Stark and Theon Greyjoy. I immediately go to Sansa in relief that she is safe especially with Theon Greyjoy at her side.
“Lady Sansa, we need to speak alone now.”
Lady Sansa sees the look on my face knowing it needs to be private and not for others to hear. She nods her head yes to me and we are about to walk away when we hear the sound of something massive landing at the forest line. We look to see Daenerys Targaryen has returned on her dragon when King Jon along with many other lords and ladies of Westeros. They want to council the next war move against the Night King.
“It will have to wait until after this war meeting, my lady. Theon can be a part of it since I know your life is trusted in his hands.”
Sansa looks to Theon in gratitude saying, “Yes, I will always trust him with my life like I trust you with my life.”
I feel honored that she has such trust in me and in Theon Greyjoy. Her mother would be glad to know this if she was still alive. We walk forward to see Queen Daenerys stand before all of us, ready for what needs to be done against the Dead.
When suddenly three cloaked men directly approach Queen Daenerys and Ser Jorah immediately draw his sword to stop them from getting any closer. I see any surrounding Dothraki and Unsullied aim their weapons at the three hooded figures when Queen Daenerys commands them, “Tell me why you are here.”
“I swore you my sword and my sword is yours until the day I die. My sword is yours, my life is yours and my heart is yours. I live to serve you.” The middle hooded figure says when taking a step closer to her and takes off his hood to reveal his face.
The man is tall, built like he fights for a living and he has brown hair and eyes. He is pleasing to the eye of some of the women that already see him here. The man stands face to face with Queen Daenerys as the Dothraki, Unsullied and Ser Jorah lower their weapons. They know this man as does Queen Daenerys with a certain look on her face toward this man.
“Daario…”
“My Queen.” He kneels before her with a pleasing smile on his face to be in front of Daenerys again.
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