Chapter 7: A dragon temper
Jon
Time had stopped.
Silence had overtaken the cavern, not even his breathes could be heard.
He'd stopped breathing.
He slowly released the breath he didn't know he was holding as his heart went ten to the dozen. Strong, thumping beats reverberating through his entire being. He could feel his pulse all throughout his body, even his eyes.
He blinked to try and clear his vision but there was nothing wrong with it in the first place. Standing there, right in front of him was the most incredible thing he will ever see between now and the day he leaves this world.
From its huge foot, which was easily bigger than Jon himself, to its neck and head, which was outstretched high and proud, it must have stood eighty feet off the ground. From head to tail it easily broke one hundred feet long. Protruding from its back were huge plains of crystal and flesh, spread wide in a clear act of intimidation...which had worked very successfully.
Either something very interesting was going to happen or Jon was dying very soon. He'd faced a bear and survived but this was just not even realistic when formulating a plan. He placed his bag, that had been with him for a month now, on the floor to at least give him a little less weight to carry if this turned into an escape.
'You won't be dying today child.'
That voice, that deep feminine voice was in his head again as he kept eye contact with the creature. He wasn't a hundred percent sure what it was but he could have a guess.
'Why don't you have a guess, tiny human.' The voice replied.
'Wait...can it hear me?' He wondered as the colossal creature huffed, 'It huffed!' and started to move around the cave, flicking water at him with its tail.
'Yes, I can hear you child. Don't reveal to me that you're simple...' The creature replied.
He was talking to this thing with his mind, it could hear his thoughts, it's probably hearing me think about this...how? How is any of this possible? Was he officially insane? Can you be self-aware of your own insanity?
'You're going to turn my mind to mush if you don't calm down.' The voice said, each word laced with annoyance.
"...You can actually hear me then? I'm not insane?" Jon replied, he was baffled but also very excited. Not only had he found, what he believed to be a dragon but he could converse with it as well, like he would with some bloke down at the docks.
'Yes, I can hear you...and I'm not some bloke, do not insult me!' Was its reply.
"Sorry...I didn't mean to insult you, it's just...all this is just overwhelming, you know." He answered.
The beast curled its wings? back into itself and laid down, not so different to a dog laying down in his opinion.
A deep growl emitted from the dragon's chest 'Do not compare me to a lowly mutt, you disrespectful man child.'
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I forgot you could hear my thoughts somehow. How are you even doing that anyway?" He asked as he carried on staring at the dragon in awe, this impossibly beautiful being.
A noise almost like a cat's purr echoed around the chamber as the dragon puffed out its chest 'You woke me. The blood in your veins released me from my slumber and now you and I are bonded through body, mind and soul.'
"Bonded? The blood in my veins?" He was confused until he remembered what had happened just recently. "Bonded...like skinchanging?" He did have the blood of the First Men...blood...his hand. He looked down at his cut hand, the bleeding had stopped but the blood that had seeped out into the water had vanished.
"I have the blood of the First Men, we are known for skinchanging...is this what you mean about my blood?"
The dragon looked at him with such intensity he felt in the depths of his soul, in the marrow of his bones, as if it was trying to work him out, its answer clouded in mystery.
'Perhaps'
Bonded with a dragon. Him. Jon Snow.
Mad.
"What..." He cleared his throat "What does me being bonded with you mean? Am I your pet now?" He asked, trying to make light of the heavy situation by genuinely fearing that he'd be staying here for the foreseeable future.
'It means that you are mine and I am yours.'
"So... we're like...married now? Is that what you're saying?" Jon asked befuddled.
'What is "Married"?' The dragon replied. He could sense its confusion, no, he could feel it.
What the fuck is happening?
"It's like err...like a union, a ritually recognised union between two people. Its normally between two people who love each other but the land I'm from have been using it wrong for a long time. For the most part it's a political tool, a sham marriage, one of the numerous reasons that place has gone to shit." Jon ended, feeling his ire rising towards the end of his explanation.
'I can feel it you know. I can feel your anger and power. What is the cause of this anger?'
"People." He answered simply, nine times out of ten they were the cause of his anger.
'And people are your enemy, and now mine too.'
His eyes widened "NO....no. It's not all people, just some people, select individuals, not everyone." He tried to defuse the situation before he unleashed death upon everybody.
'Okay, some people. I can help you with "Some people" if you want?'
Images of Theon Greyjoy fucking launched across a field with the flick of a tail ran through his mind and he couldn't help but look away and suppress a laugh.
'Yes, I can do that. That IS funny, make the enemy fly.'
'Oh right, I forgot you could hear my thoughts, didn't know you could see them as well.' He mentally said. "It's okay, sometimes my enemies just need a punch or a speaking to. Killing them is a last resort." He answered back.
The dragon huffed and stood up, water cascading down its flank and bouncing off the crystals that adorned its flesh creating a rainbow effect.
'You have woken me from my hibernation and we've bonded via your blood offering, tell me why it is you have come here.'
"Because of you...you asked me to come, you told me to look for you in my dreams." Jon answered, slightly miffed if he was being honest.
'Yes, I did, but something triggered our shared dreams, an event or a reason for us two to meet. What is that reason? What is the purpose you seek me out...Jon?'
It...She? The dragon's voice sounded feminine. She called him Jon, she knew his name.
What Purpose...What reason...
'OH SHIT!...The whole reason he was here in the first place...'
"The people! The people from my town need help, they need saving from the enemy!" He exclaimed. All coming back to him now, the reason he's here for. Gerion and Master M counting on him to make the difference.
'What is this enemy you speak?'
"A group of people, a large group of people have been ravaging the four islands. They've raped and killed many innocents and the town that I'm from is next. I have friends down there that I regard as family and I've made this trip, a trip that I was sure was going to be unsuccessful and result in me dying on a mountainside. But I've found you. The answer to all our prayers, the great salvation to end the suffering." He got down on his knees "I'm begging you, please help me, I can't go back empty handed...they need me...they need us."
'I will help you Jon.' Was the dragon's calm response.
His eyes went wide "Really!?"
'Of course. We are bonded now, we are as good as family, and family helps each other, no matter what.' The she-dragon said. Determination flashing through her and subsequently his own mind.
"Thank you...thank you so much. You have no idea how much I love you right now." He preached. He'd done it, Master M had been right, and that belief will be well rewarded.
'On one condition...'
...of course. Nothing in life is free.
'I stay with you. I am your dragon as you are my human. Only death will break our bond.'
"Okay!" He replied, almost instantly, actually startling the great beast. That wasn't a condition, that's was a blessing. Who the fuck wouldn't want to be best buds with a dragon?
'Alright then. Shall we go and save your family?' She asked. Actually, she looked like she couldn't wait...and neither could Jon.
"Yes, let's do this." He said as he bounced on the spot and rubbed his hands together. The excitement between the pair was making them both restless, Jon bouncing on his heels...
"I never asked, what's your name?" Jon asked her.
'I don't have one. I was born alone and assumed I would die alone. I had no need of a name.' She replied, a deep-rooted sadness churned through his and her mind.
"You need a name...what if I named you since you aren't alone anymore." He suggested.
'Thank you, Jon.' He could feel the joy in her response. He did that, he'd brought joy to this stunning creature.
'What shall I be called?' She asked as her tail slid from side to side in the shallow water.
Now THAT'S a question. What do you name a dragon? A dragon you've just met but feel such a deep connection to already that they feel like family. Like a sister or a...mother.
"I've never known who my mother was but I've dreamt about her countless times over the years. In those dreams she's always been beautiful, the first time a clapped eyes on you I thought the same. Beautiful." He said as he stared into her eyes.
Her returning gaze was intense.
"I would name you the nihongo word for 'Beautiful', Kireina." He finished, hoping she approved.
Silence filled the air but was broken after a few moments.
'Thank you' Was Kireina's sincere reply.
Her whole demeanour changed with in an instant with her next words 'Now, let's go save your friends.'
"Right, lets." Jon agreed but was unsure of the next steps "What...how do we do this then?" He asked.
Kireina lowered her body till she was lying flat in the water 'Climb on and we'll fly out of here. We'll be saving your friends in no time.'
Jon just went with it, trying not to show how excited and terrified he was about doing this. Him, flying a dragon, the world had gone mad. What he'd give to see Lady Catelyn's face if he ever turned up back at Winterfell with Kireina.
He slowly made his may forward as he spoke "Oookay. Not sure how to do this but I'll give it a shot." He grabbed hold of one of the crystals that protruded from her scales and used it to hoist his way up to her back. As soon as he'd touched her, he felt a bolt of energy through his body and mind, and by the jolt in movement of Kireina's scales, so did she.
He placed himself between two crystals on her back and made himself comfortable. The first thing he noticed was the heat she was emitting, it wasn't overwhelming but more like the heat of a freshly made bath. It was nice. The second thing however was a little more jarring as she rose up to her full height. The distance from her back to the ground was huge and he had to hold on tight to make sure the light dizziness didn't make him fall, that would be embarrassing.
'I can hear you thinking you know. Everything will be alright, just hold on tight.' Kireina mentally reassured.
"Sorry, just can't believe any of this is happening that's all." Jon replied.
'We'll be heading out through there so hold on tight.' She told him as she gazed at the huge hole in the ceiling of the cavern.
Jon took a deep breath "Oh, okay. I think I'm reeAAAAHHHH!" He screamed as they took off through the opening. He hugged the crystal in front of him for dear life and closed his eyes tight shut to help calm his heart that felt like it was jumping up his throat.
'Open your eyes, you're missing it.' Kireina whispered in his mind.
He slowly opened his eyes. He could feel the cold air hitting his body before opening them but when his eyes grew wide at the sight, he knew he was flying. Flying through the clouds as the vapour attacked his face.
No words. No words could describe what he felt, even the air in his lungs had stopped working temporarily. They coasted lower and emerged from the clouds, Kireina's muscles and scales working together underneath him felt surreal, the sheer power he felt was unrivalled. This was probably the closest any man could get to feeling like a god.
He could see the coast from where they were, even this high up, in the gods domain, he could make out his town, Kōchi, and it was getting more and more detailed the longer they flew.
"This is amazing! Thank you, thank you so much for sharing this with me!" He shouted over the wind.
'No need to shout, I can hear your thoughts remember, I know how thankful you are. You're welcome.' Came Kireina's response, she sounded so amused and happy.
It took Jon around a month to reach the summit of the colossal mountain he was looking at behind him and at Kireina's Pace, they'd make it home within in the hour.
He wasn't sure what he was going to be met with, how people would react, how Kireina would react, but one thing was certain.
Nothing would ever be the same again.
Gerion
An arrow flew past his head as he peered over the top of the wall. The walls and gates had been barricaded a few weeks ago, just before the Imperial Clan's splinter team arrived the very next day.
It had been like this for nearly a month now, hold up behind their walls and in their homes. The clan itself were camped outside the walls, the first few days they'd fought one another, their men versus the clan but it was obvious to everyone that Gerion and the rest of their people had planned perfectly for the defence of the town.
The clan were losing too many men trying to enter the town and seemingly decided to wait it out and besiege them instead. They weren't expecting this much resistance and the main group had been over confident to send a group beforehand, it had backfired and the splinter group was now at a stalemate with them. It didn't stop them however from trying every siege trick in the book, horns being blown at night to stop the residents of Kōchi from sleeping and various other methods.
Thankfully, they hadn't brought siege weaponry with them so the gates we fairly secure, that however didn't stop them from trying to scale the walls from time to time, often resulting with a failed entry and a corpse.
They'd also not brought ships, so fish was still being caught by the Kōchi residents in preparation for the main group arriving. Unfortunately, scouts had reported seeing a huge naval fleet sailing down the east coast of the island and predicted they'd arrive at the docks in a matter of days. So fishing had stopped and all of their boats were preparing a barricade in defence.
The walls were closing in around Kōchi and there wasn't an escape in sight, an inevitability he'd told Master M before the Imperial Clan had even arrived. The man in question had refused defeat, told Gerion he would not run, not abandon their town, they would defend her for as long as they could and that his plan will work.
His plan.
His death sentence more like. Not only his but everybody else's...including Jon's.
Jon, thinking of Jon was hard. He'd left the town to journey up that sodding mountain about a month ago now, the youthful enthusiasm and belief in his eyes when he'd told Gerion that he'd be back and not to worry was easily digested on the day of his departure, but four weeks in, it made the pit of his stomach feel weird and an anger towards Master Miyamoto reared its ugly head. The man had essentially sent his friend to go die alone, in the cold, to never be discovered. His body wouldn't even be buried for god's sake, probably torn to bits by some unknown predator that lurks up there.
All because he believed in his bat shit crazy plan.
He looked down at the courtyard and saw the man in question, he was instructing a group of young soldiers the formations they needed to use when the true fight inevitably started.
'How can he be so calm and confident after what he's done?' He thought.
Several horns blaring in the distance broke him from his musings, he turned in their direction and his heart sank.
Stood at the peak of a hill in the distance was The Imperial Clan, the rest of The Imperial Clan if his eyes weren't deceiving him. All of them were geared up to the teeth for war, banners waving in the breeze and an aura of sheer confidence radiating from them as they stood stoically on the crest of a green grass hill.
'This is it, the beginning of the end.'
A few of the men on the walls were yelling instructions, telling the men to get into position for the inevitable. A small part of Gerion wondered why they were even bothering, looking over to the hill again he saw the sheer numbers the clan had. Rows and rows of men broken into groups of roughly 200, all marching down the hill to claim their prize.
Battering rams and trebuchets crested the hill behind them, completely surrounded by the majority of their mounted soldiers. In total, Gerion guessed roughly fifty thousand men as he stared at the mass of steel and flesh marching towards them.
'They were more successful with their previous battle than we'd expected.'
And with the fact that a large naval fleet was seen days away, it would seem his assumption was correct.
'How many men have they fucking got?' He thought bitterly as he made his way down to Master M to organise the troops. He might not be his biggest fan at the moment but they still had a job to do.
Their soldiers were armed with a pole like weapon with a blade at the end called a Naginata and wore lacquered hardened leather armour pieces that covered their vitals.
Master Miyamoto himself had armour on but less pieces, apparently to aid in his movement. Gerion himself had gone for the full set, he was a decent swordsman but nowhere near the level of Master M to have the confidence of wearing less protection, mad fucker.
Before he made it to the bottom of the stairs, he heard another horn go off. The ground started to shake and he was positive they'd begin their charge. He bolted up the stairs, closely followed by Master M, and checked to confirm his thoughts. The wave of soldiers running down the hill had done just that.
Master M was yelling instructions as soon as he realised what was happening, telling men to prepare the wall for defence. Gerion just stood and watched as the clan got closer and closer, watched as their men released arrows into the group. He grabbed a bow himself and joined in.
He released his first arrow, and his second, and then a third. This was all they could do now, they'll die but they'd sure as hell be taking some of the bastards with them.
He was nocking his fourth arrow when he heard the mutterings and mumbles from his men. He looked up at them to see what the cause of their chattering could have been and then looked out on to the field.
'What?'
They're retreating...or a better way to describe it would be fleeing if the screams from men and horses a like were anything to go by. Stampedes were occurring, men crushing men, horses bolting straight through their ranks, not caring what or who they ran into. Wheeled battering rams and trebuchets left abandoned to steamroll down the hill into their own troops.
Madness had overtaken The Imperial Clan. Madness or fear based on their actions.
He looked across to Master M to see his take on all of it, the man wasn't even facing them, he had his back to the whole scene.
'What in the fuck is going on?!' He wondered.
A second look at Master M made something else obvious that he'd not seen the first time, the old man was smiling. He looked at the other men, half of them were still looking out on to the field just like he was, but the other half were looking behind them with wide eyes and mouths gaped.
He turned around to look at whatever they were so bothered about instead of the fleeing enemy "What in seven hells are you cu...."
That's a big bird...
No...
That's a fucking dragon!
'When had breathing become so hard?'
That's a huge fucking dragon...
A dragon...
And it was coming right towards them.
The courtyard underneath them was silent, everybody was staring into the sky with mixed looks of awe and fear. Some were even on their knees, bowing and praying.
Gerion, and by the sounds of it everybody else, held their breath as the impossible beast flew over them. This thing was huge! Easily the size of a few houses. Its wingspan blocked out the sun but he could still see the light bouncing off its scales and what looked to be gems that were embedded in its body.
The draft it caused with its beating wings made a few men fall on their arses, Gerion would have laughed at them if he wasn't too busy gasping. Something Master M was doing as well as a few men pointed at the back of the creature.
A man was on its back, legs and arms gripped on to one of the protruding spikes on the dragon's spine. But what made his heart skip a beat was the very noticeable raven curls flowing in the wind atop the man's head.
"Jon..." He breathlessly whispered.
He didn't get chance to think any more about his friend being alive because the dragon had decided to attack the clan, and it was the most powerful and devastating thing he had ever seen.
An intense beam of white light erupted from the dragon's mouth as it flew over the retreating men, ripping the ground apart and instantly turning the clan's men into dust. In fact, the light was that intense, it was already causing him a headache. He appreciated it when the beast closed its mouth.
The dragon rose in the air and banked off to the left to come back round for another run. It gave Gerion just enough time to see the utter destruction that had been left. The main thing he noticed was the huge trench that had been left behind from the dragon's breath, still simmering and smoking. It must have been 20 feet deep, 30 feet wide and went on for at least 200 feet. Inside this trench was nothing but ash, soil and what looked to have been numerous shards of polished rock left in its wake.
All that damage in less than ten seconds, it must have disintegrated a few hundred people into dust in one run.
And it was coming back for another hit.
"Fuck me!" Was all he could say as he watched the destruction of the dragon's breath from a side view. The light from its breath was so bright, it would be easier looking directly at the sun. Again, it ripped the ground to bits and made people disappear, he could feel the ground rumble from the impact. Gerion would have felt bad for them but they'd brought this on themselves, raiding towns and villages, raping and slaughtering women and children. This quick death they were currently receiving was punishing them lightly in his opinion.
The devastation was evident and The Imperial Clan had been given a bloody nose, in the most brutal way.
The dragon finished its run and landing on the crest of the hill with a massive thump. It raised its head and looked over the other side of the hill, the side none of them could see. It spread its wings and roared its head off at the fleeing soldiers, the noise was insanely loud and he had to cover his ears to avoid pissing himself. It had really shaken his bladder something rotten.
Cheers could be heard all around the town as Master M started yelling in his native tongue. He ran up to Gerion and started bouncing around as he hugged him. He had a big goofy smile on his face as he laughed, to which everybody else on the wall and ultimately the courtyard joined in on as well. Gerion couldn't help laughing along with him, mad fucker.
The town quietened down as they heard the thumps getting louder and louder, Gerion disengaged from the old man and looked over the battlements. The image of a dragon lowering its body to the ground and seeing Jon Snow leaping off the back of it will be something that would be hard to forget. Even more so when Jon walks up to the beast's head and strokes it like a common housecat.
Hushed whispers were heard when Gerion ordered the main gate to be opened, whilst he was calling out his order the dragon had decided to go for a flight. People were still amazed as it flew over the town and up towards the clouds.
Everyone turned their attention back to the main gate as the man of the hour walked in, longer hair (That looked awfully wild after his little flight), bushy beard that was in dire need of a trim and the biggest shit eating grin Gerion had ever seen on a person. A grin that completely disappeared when men started bowing and kneeling to him.
He looked so uncomfortable as he was motioning them to rise. Him and Master M raced down the stairs to the courtyard, almost knocking each other over in the process.
The old man was first to Jon as he seemed to squeeze the young man to death with his crushing hug. Gerion was too far away to hear what was being said but by Jon's laughing reaction, it must have been something mad, it normally is with Master M.
He reached Jon himself and caught him in a bruising hug of his own "You mad fucker, I can't believe what I have just seen."
Jon laughed "Did you miss me?" He asked as they broke from their embrace.
"Pretty fucking hard to miss you on the back of that thing!" He jested as Jon laughed again.
He calmed down as his tone changed "I'll tell you all about it later, but first, I need food and a bath. Then we'll talk about how to deal with the rest of The Imperial Clan. We spooked them into fleeing but they'll be back eventually."
Gerion nodded as him, Jon and Master M made their way up to his house to regroup and plan their next course of action.
"A fucking dragon." He muttered to himself as he shook his head. Jon and Master M chuckled at him as they headed home.
Rhaenys
The morning after the feast was rough, she'd over indulged on wine throughout the night and the banging headache she had when she woke up was her punishment. That coupled with the chill in the fresh northern air that seeped through the cracks of her chamber window made it a rough awakening that morning.
Stretching her arms above her head and cracking her knuckles was always the first thing she did when she woke up, the loud accompanying yawn would always alert anybody outside that she was awake.
What wasn't normal was the phlegmy build up in her throat and the sticky remnants of her sleep in the corners of her eyes.
"Urggh, that's all I need." She said to no one in particular as she dragged her sorry ass to the bowl of water that was on the vanity and rinsed her face off. She looked up into the looking glass at her reflection.
She huffed "You look as rough as I feel." She said to herself.
"Charming." Was the reply from her mother who'd just let herself in, quiet as a mouse she was.
She rolled her eyes, a dull ache bolted through them since she was still half asleep "You can knock you know mother."
"Mothers don't knock, would have thought you'd have learnt that by now sweetheart." Was her mother's reply
She rubbed her face again to truly wake herself and searched around her chambers for a handkerchief to blow the death out of her nose.
"Are you alright? You do look a bit...under the weather." Came her mother's concerned inquiry.
"I'll be fine, just a bit congested that's all." Came her distracted reply as she blew her nose on her newly found handkerchief.
"I'll send the handmaidens up to run you a hot bath after I've had a talk with you." Elia replied.
Rhaenys strolled back to her bed and wrapped herself up in the furs, her mother joined her and sat at the end of the bed facing her.
"Did you enjoy the feast last night? I saw Dany, she seemed to be having a right old laugh with the two Stark girls." Her mother asked.
She shrugged her shoulders "Eh, it was alright. I was seated with the three Stark boys so we didn't have much in common to talk about. Lord Robb was more interested in getting merry with his friend Theon and the two younger ones wanted to talk about the Kingsguard all night."
She shook her head "And don't even get me started on Lady Stark. I didn't appreciate her subtle lecture about the faith and my wine consumption. That wine was my only companion last night and I'm paying for it this morning."
"Oh Rhae" Elia shook her head "It can't have been that bad. I saw you and Robb chatting earlier in the night and again when you were dancing. He wasn't ignoring you, just enjoying himself with his friends that's all. Don't look too much into it." Her mother finished.
"I wasn't planning on it." She side eyed her mother, trying to catch her reaction.
Elia spotted this "Don't look at me like that. Just don't judge the boy after one night." She suggested.
Her eyes sharpened at that "I know what you're doing." She accused.
"I'm not doing anything." Her mother replied as she got up and started touching up her hair in the looking glass.
"Don't lie to me, I know what this is." Came her heated reply.
Elia sighed "Listen Rhae, we aren't forcing you into anything but Rhaegar and I are getting worried. We're getting worried for both you AND Dany. You can't be alone forever Rhae, you'll eventually marry at some point but by the time you realise that, all the good ones your age will have families of their own. You'll be left with older codgers like Walder Frey to choose from." They both shuddered.
"Why does he have to be trueborn? Why can't I marry a man who's made himself instead of getting it given to him? Someone who understands the actual world we live in and not the imaginary one Lords and Ladies live in? Someone who values me because of me and not the title, lands or dowry?" Rhae explained passionately.
Elia came and sat back down on the bed and shook her head in exasperation "It's not that simple Rhae. You're a royal, a Princess of the realm, the King's daughter. Nothing but trueborn would be acceptable for you and anything less would be viewed as an insult to the trueborn Lords you've previously refused."
She carried on before Rhae could retort "Just give Robb a chance. Look at your brother, he wasn't too pleased about his arranged marriage at first but look at him now, madly in love with his Lady wife with a babe on the way." She patted her on the shoulder "Me and your father were an arranged marriage and we love each other very much, I don't see why it can't happen for you either." She finished.
Her blood was up and she didn't think when she replied "Yeah, it only took you kidnapping somebody and sending the seven kingdoms into war for you to get to that point."
Her mother's sharp eyes and scowl were on her in an instant, she'd never seen her so angry before.
"I'm sorry mother, I didn't mea..." She tried to apologise.
Elia put her hand up to cease her apology. She stood up, straightened her dress and left the room with a slam.
"Fuck." She muttered as she put her face in her hands.
Her head hurt, her throat hurt, she couldn't breathe through her nose properly and she'd just royally pissed her mother off. The day hadn't even started yet.
A knock on the door disturbed her inner turmoil as she rose from her bed. She called out to ask who it was and the handmaidens her mother promised responded through the wood of the door.
She replied to them to come in and three young women entered her chambers, one of them carrying a pail of hot water and the other two carrying a copper tub for her bath.
'A hot bath sounds like heaven right about now. Then I need to find mother and apologise.' She mused to herself.
Half an hour had passed by since she'd been cleaned by the handmaidens, they'd left shortly after they'd finished and let Rhae relax in the warm water, eyes closed and warmth surrounding her. It gave her a chance to take her mother's words into account and actually think about Robb for once.
Rhae had a type. Dark, handsome and dangerous, a bonus if they could make her laugh. It wasn't really fair to compare Robb to her perfect man but she couldn't help it. He had short auburn curls that were nice enough but they weren't the long dark curls that she could see in her mind's eye. His eyes were nice. Deep blue eyes the colour of the ocean, still, it wasn't the deep browns or the ash grey that her mystery man had. A bit of a shame he'd not inherited his father's colouring.
He was handsome, she couldn't deny that but she'd established a few years ago she was a girl who liked a nice beard on a man and there wasn't an ounce of facial hair on Robb's face, some ladies would love that but not her. She'd not seen much of his body, he's probably in shape if the dance they had last night was anything to go by so he had that going for him at least.
At the end of the day, any woman would not be disappointed with being married to Robb, he was handsome, respectful and the heir to a great house. But Rhae could not see herself living up here with him in the future. The cold of the North was already annoying her, she's half dornish, the heat of the sun was in her veins. She was already looking forward to being south of the neck.
'I suppose nothing is gonna get done sat in here.' She thought to herself.
She climbed out of the warm tub and into the cold air of her chambers, darting straight for her robe to keep the heat in. She knew she'd forgotten something when the maids were here.
She padded bare foot to the door and ushered in the handmaidens who had been waiting for her to finish, she asked the last girl to help get the hearth up and running.
The girl's eyes went wide, it seems she'd forgot as well "O...of course your grace." She said as she passed the rest of the maids and rushed straight to the hearth.
The rest of the girls clothed her in the thickest wool dress that she owned and placed a light grey fur cloak on her shoulders to finish the look. She was cleaned, changed and warm, now she could function properly and the first thing on the agenda was finding her mother and apologising. Her rumbling stomach would have to wait.
Ser Jonothor was waiting outside for her when she opened the door to let the handmaidens out. She said her good mornings to the man and they both chatted away as they made their way towards her parent's bedchambers in search of her mother. As they both turned the corner, they saw Ser Oswell waiting outside of the Royal chambers so it was evident her mother was inside.
She nodded to Ser Oswell as he knocked on the chamber doors and announced her "Princess Rhaenys is here to see you, your grace."
"Send her in please." Was the muffled reply from her mother.
'Here goes nothing.' She thought to herself. It's not the first time her dornish temper has gotten her into trouble.
She slowly opened the chamber door and crept inside, Ser Jonothor waiting outside alongside his brother in arms.
She looked across the room and saw her mother sat at her vanity brushing her hair "Mother?" She asked in a soft voice.
Elia turned from her looking glass whilst still brushing her hair. It was obvious in an instant to Rhaenys that she'd been crying "Yes darling?" Was her reply.
Rhae walked with purpose to her mother and instantly embraced her in a tight hug "I'm so sorry mother, I didn't mean any of what I said to you. I was just angry that's all, you know what I'm like when an argument doesn't go my way, I go on the defensive and spew nasty comments. I'm truly sorry mother, please forgive me." She pleaded as her own tears decided to make an appearance.
"Shush sweetheart, I know you didn't mean it, it just shocked me that's all." Her mother cooed as she stroked her hair.
They held each other for a few minutes, letting each other collect themselves into the royals they were and disengaged from their hug. Rhae still wasn't convinced her mother knew how sincerely sorry she was "I am truly sorry mother, you know that don't you? I hate falling out with you."
Elia shook her head "Shush, no more of that now. Yes, I know you're sorry but I'm sorry too. I'm sorry for pressuring you so much with the whole marriage talk. Me and your father are just trying to look out for you and trying to make the best possible future for you because we love you, always."
She managed to hold back from crying again as she hugged her mother a second time. Maybe she'd been dramatic about the whole situation. Maybe if she spent some time with Robb then her mother would at least appreciate the effort, even if nothing came out of it.
"I'll see what Lord Robb is up to today, see if he'd like to show me around Winterfell...for you." She told her mother whose eyes went bright and smile grew on her face.
"That's all I ask sweetheart, thank you." Elia replied as they hugged again.
"I'm not promising anything." She mumbled into her mother's shoulder.
"That's fine. The fact you're trying is enough for me." Came her reply.
"Love you." She said, face still in her mother's shoulder.
"Love you too my Rhae of sunshine." Came Elia's reply, childhood nickname and all.
Catelyn
She couldn't be more pleased with herself if she tried, watching her eldest escort the King's daughter around their home. Both of them chatting and smiling as her son was no doubt charming the Princess with stories of his childhood as he pointed out different aspects of Winterfell.
They made a rather handsome couple in her opinion, strolling around arm in arm in what would one day be their keep to rule.
She herself was strolling around arm in arm with her beloved. She'd told him she wanted to survey the keep to make sure everything was running smoothly while they had guests under their roof but she'd told a little white lie there, completely innocent she thought. She just wanted to see how her son and future bride got on.
She turned to Ned who himself seemed to be lost in his mind, something she'd noticed quite a lot since the Royal family had arrived "Look at them Ned, don't they make a lovely couple." She cooed, pride swelling in her chest when thinking of her eldest son.
It would seem she'd broken Ned out of his thoughts when he replied "Sorry love, you were saying?"
She nodded over towards the young couple, both of them were currently walking towards the glass gardens "I was just saying they make a lovely couple my love." She finished with a soft smile.
"They do aye, but I wouldn't be getting too carried away Cat, nothing has been made official yet." Ned answered.
She tutted and softly slapped his shoulder "It's good as, my dear. Just look at them both, it's an ideal match, not only do they look good together but the marriage would unite four great houses. It's a no brainer." She smiled as she looked off into the distance "It would also help explain why the King came all this way with his unwed daughter, I for one don't believe he came here just for a visit."
Ned shook his head at her "The King came here to visit his wife's resting place and get the North's situation in order. His Master of whispers, Lord Varys has heard some disturbing reports that I've neglected to hear myself."
This was the first she'd heard of The King and her husband's little one on one meeting yesterday "Disturbing reports? What have they heard?" She asked as the pair of them walked under an archway towards the glass gardens.
Ned sighed "Lord Varys has apparently heard several reports of murders being carried out between Hornwood and the Dreadfort. Reports also indicate that one Ramsey Snow, Lord Bolton's natural son is behind the killings."
She shook her head "How dreadful. Have you heard anything from Lord Bolton yourself? The fact that it's his bastard and not his heir Lord Domeric is not the surprise but what is, is that we've not heard anything ourselves."
Ned dropped her arm. 'Here we go, defending the bastard again.' She thought.
"It's not good enough for you is it? It's not good enough that he's gone, been gone for over a year now. You still have to pull him down, constantly belittling him. I'm starting to grow tired of it now." Ned harshly whispered to her.
She wasn't having it though, his devil born whelp was gone and not soon enough in her eyes. "You know this could have all been avoided if you hadn't spread some cheap tavern wench's legs and bestowed the poisoned fruit of that act on our family. But no, you had to bring him into our home, the constant reminder that my husband preferred the bed of a whore to his own wife's. You Lord Stark are more to blame in this situation than I ever was." She heatedly replied as a few workers around the courtyard started sneaking looks at them.
With a huff, her husband turned around and headed back towards the great keep, people moving out of his way to avoid his cold anger. She was in the right she knew. Bastards were the spawn of lust, greed and treachery, the fact that a bastard had been running around murdering people is evidence of that. She was well within her right to reinforce her beliefs to Ned but the fact that he'd tried to pin blame on her had really hurt.
With a huff she picked up her skirts and headed towards the glass gardens to see how her son was getting on. If she was honest with herself, she wouldn't be too angry if she caught the pair in an embrace of sorts. This would just help the whole situation out if they were already amiable with each other, it took nearly a year for her and Ned to get to that stage. No thanks to the bastard like.
Approaching the glass gardens, she noticed a Kingsguard waiting at the open door to the inside, obviously keeping an eye on the lovebirds. She didn't want to disturb them but she still sneaked a look through the glass before leaving.
Robb and Princess Rhaenys were both sat on a box near the entrance to the gardens themselves. Robb had a piece of parchment and charcoal and was scribbling something down that she couldn't see herself, Princess Rhaenys was talking to him but that was inaudible. But from the smiles they were sending to each other and at one point, laughter, she was quite confident her son would be getting the Princess he deserved.
'Just a matter of convincing the King now.'
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Pantless_Ninja
Pantless_Ninja Hope you enjoyed that chapter :)
Next chapter will be a bumper chapter and be the last in Act 1, Jon's making moves...
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