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duckyhowls · 1 year

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Daenerys Targaryen x Fem!Baratheon(Lannister) OC - 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘦𝘯 (P2)

DuckPanda Original - PART 1 Daenerys Targaryen x Lannister!OC (Mercia Baratheon)

SUMMARY: The young queen, Mercia Baratheon, is the last living heir to King Robert after all three of her siblings die horrible deaths. As the Seven Kingdoms are on the brink of collapse, Mercia does all she can to hold it all together - though struggles arrive when the Long Night draws near, and The Dragon Queen comes for her throne. But perhaps there is a compromise they can arrange?

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Mercia stroked the soft neck of her loyal lioness, Potami, who sat committedly at her legs as the Queen rested upon the Iron Throne.

Once again, the young queen was holding court with at least a hundred guards rowed on either side of the room, something that Mercia did just to ease her mother's paranoia. For all of Mercia's siblings had been killed, two out of three were assassinated – so she didn't blame her mother for becoming desperate to have a ridiculous number of guards positioned to protect her last remaining child.

Near Mercia's lioness stood The Mountain, only two paces left of the throne with Maester Qyburn. On Mercia's right was her uncle and her mother, staring down stoically at all of the lords that Mercia had summoned to Kings Landing to speak with.

"If the last Targaryen takes the Iron Throne, she'll destroy the realm as we know it," Mercia spoke, not taking her eyes away from her lioness whose piercing, blue gaze scanned the lords below. "Some of you are bannermen of House Tyrell, but House Tyrell is in open rebellion against the crown. With their help, the Dragon Queen has ferried an army of Dothraki to our shores. Unsullied soldiers who will destroy your castles and your holdfasts for their queen without a second thought. Her armies will burn your villages to the ground, rape and enslave your women and butcher your children."

Mercia lifted her green gaze to the many lords standing before her, all of them listening intently, hanging on to every single word that came out of her lips. "This is how Olenna Tyrell rewards centuries of service and loyalty?"

Her mother then spoke up, stone-faced. "You all remember the Mad King," she called out. "Do you remember the horrors he inflicted upon his people? His daughter is nothing less."

Mercia glanced at her mother for a moment. She hated it whenever her mother sounded so sure. Mercia, despite being the Dragon Queen's enemy, knew from the accounts of spies that Daenerys was nothing like the Mad King. From all that Mercia has witnessed through reports, Daenerys Targaryen was an anti-slavery monarch whose only goals are to free the people of the world and take back her ancestral throne. That, in itself, was different, but not mad in the slightest. Nonetheless, they had to convince the lords to join their forces with the crown. For the sake of Mercia and her family’s lives at least.

"In Essos, her brutality is already legendary." The words tasted bitter in Mercia's mouth, as she forced herself to twist these stories to make the Targaryen Queen sound like a mad tyrant. "She has crucified hundreds of noblemen in Slaver's Bay. When she grew bored of that, she fed everyone that opposed her to her dragons. It is my sworn duty before the faith to protect the people, and I will, but I need your help, my Lords."

"We must stand together," Cersei interjected once again, sounding confident and determined to convince these men to side with them. "All of us. If we hope to stop her."

The lords whispered amongst themselves for a moment before Lord Tarly stepped forward, stoic and tall as he addressed the young queen. "Your Grace, forgive me but she has three full-grown dragons. The same as Aegon when he conquered the Seven Kingdoms. How do you propose to stop them? With your lions?" Some men in the room laughed.

Mercia's hand that was stroking Potami's fur went still, and her eyes met the old Lord's. Then, she turned her head to Maester Qyburn and nodded to him.

The thin, frail man looked over at the lord, blank-faced as usual. "We are currently at work on a solution, my Lord."

Mercia stood then, clasping her hands together and giving the lords a small smile. "Please, discuss this together. Take your time, we have all day. For now, I must insist that I get off this damned, uncomfortable chair. I will call for the court again in a few hours."

Turning to her lion, she lightly tapped her hand on her thigh once. "Come, Potami."

The lords all watched the young Queen leave the throne room with the huge tawny lioness loyally trotting at her heels.

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"I am Eddard Stark," said the man that had been forced to kneel before the enraged common people of Kings Landing. "Lord of Winterfell and Hand of the King."

The man glanced towards his right, where, nearby, his eldest daughter, the Lady Sansa Stark, nodded to him in encouragement. On her left was the newly titled queen regent, Cersei Lannister, her golden hair long and ever so beautiful. She was smiling proudly at her eldest son, the newly crowned King of Westeros, Joffrey Baratheon, who stood near Eddard Stark, smirking satisfyingly at the discord before him.

Mercia watched with a frown from Sansa Stark's right as the man, her late father’s closest friend, who had been in the dungeons for days, was now being publicly humiliated. Mercia had never felt this ashamed of her brother as she did now, watching Joffrey seem so pleased at this poor man's suffering. Despite being a traitor to the crown, Mercia only had heard such kind things about Eddard Stark, that he was the most honourable and one of the most prominent lords in the country. And with every spoken word they have exchanged, even if there wasn’t much to be said, he always treated her with kindness and the upmost respect. This lord did not deserve this shame.

Looking away, down to the ground now, Eddard Stark continued. "I come before you to confess my treason in the sight of the Gods and men. I betrayed the faith of my king and the trust of my friend Robert. I swore to protect and defend his children, but before his blood was cold, I plotted to murder his son... and seize the throne for myself."

What? Mercia whipped her head to look at her mother, Cersei, who turned to look at her with a small smile, though the young girl could see the harsh warning behind the older one's green gaze. ‘Do not say a word’.

Meanwhile, the crowd had erupted in an outroar, one peasant in the sea of people even throwing a small stone at Lord Stark's head, causing the man to gasp in pain as blood seeped through the wound and drip from his brow. Beside Mercia, Sansa gasped and grasped the princess’ hand. Mercia turned her head away from the sight, squeezing Sansa’s hand back.

"L-let the High Septon and Baelor the Blessed bear witness to what I say: Joffrey Baratheon is the one true heir to the Iron Throne, by the grace of all the Gods, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm." Through every word, Eddard Stark's face contorted, as if he were in pain of speaking falsehoods. Mercia knew of the letter and will her father had left behind, asking his friend to rule until Joffrey came of age.

The crowd murmured amongst themselves angrily, but Maester Pycelle stepped forward. "As in sin, this man has confessed to his crimes in sight of Gods and men. The Gods are just, but beloved Baelor taught us they can also be merciful." Maester Pycelle then turned to Joffrey and bowed his head. "What is to be done with this traitor, Your Grace?" he asked, spitting the words as if the man accused was some worthless demon.

The crowd jeered and called out angrily, but Joffrey raised his hand with a pleased smile, as if all this chaos excited him. Mercia knew that it did.

The crowd went silent, and Joffrey spoke, "My mother wishes me to let Lord Eddard join the Night's Watch. Stripped of all titles and powers, he would serve the realm in permanent exile," he continued, looking to his betrothed, the Lady Sansa. "And my Lady Sansa has begged mercy for her father."

The Lady Sansa smiled softly at the King and Mercia frowned. She knew her brother better than to be someone of mercy.

She was right when he announced his next words, and Eddard Stark's head was put to the sword and placed on a spike on the city walls for months.

Mercia never forgot the Lady Sansa's screams that dreadful day.

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Part 3 Coming Soon!

#daenerys x reader #part 2 #joffrey baratheon #sansa stark #cersei lannister #ned stark #game of thrones #dany x reader #fem x fem #queen #lannister #baratheon #targaryen #dragons #kings landing #maester pycelle #the mountain #khaleesi

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jossilyn-embereth · 1 year

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Hello! If requests are open, may I please request some headcanons on what being married to Ser Jorah Mormont would be like?

Being Married to Jorah Mormont Would Inclcule

Having met him in Westeros long before his original marriage. The two of you were quite taken with one another, but you were already promised.

Not seeing one another again until you ended up at his wedding. Where he learns your marriage was called off.

Finding out years later what happened with Jorah and his family, and the crimes he committed, wishing you knew where he had gone, and accepting that you may never see him again.

Being promised to another man, but you decide to leave instead of be married off, so you run away and find a ship to take you to Essos, where you know you’ll never be found.

Making a good living on your own, seeing as the small fortune you had brought with you was able to support you while you got your bearings. You start your own business and set of shop in Mareen.

Eventually Daenerys makes her way there and frees the city. You are called upon for your services and are escorted to the castle.

There you see Jorah in the throne room, at the right hand of the Queen. As soon as your business is done he comes to see you. You catch up and walk around the city for hours.

You admit that you’ve missed him, and that the stories you hear about him have changed your opinion of him somewhat. He agrees that he did something horrible, and explains to you why he follows his new Queen, and the ways he is trying to be better.

In the coming weeks he comes to visit you constantly. You fall for him all over again, and can’t help but be slightly jealous of his protectiveness and loyalty to his Queen.

Confessing feelings for one another after a long night of talking by the water.

Becoming close with the rest of his new friends, especially Dani, who was ecstatic to find out Jorah had a significant other.

You asking for his hand in marriage, and when he seems surprised you make a joke that neither one of you are good at being single at the same time, so you should take the chance while you have it.

Having a small wedding with just your friends (seeing as neither of you have any family)

Moving to the palace to spend more time with him.

Romantic nights

Missing him during the fay when you both have work.

Coming to the agreement that children should be off the table for the time being, seeing as Jorah would soon be off to war at Daenerys side

Being completely heartbroken when Jorah’s treachery is revealed, wondering now if any of what he said about being better was true.

Letting him leave Mareen alone, and going to Daenerys for comfort, knowing she would understand your heartbreak.

Staying with her all night, comforting one another.

Nearly breaking when Jorah returns and reveals he has contacted Greyscale

Learning from Tyrion that he talked about you non-stop on the journey. Of how much he loved and missed you, and how he would get better so that he may return to you

Joining Daenerys for the journey to Westeros, with the intention of seeing your family’s support for her claim

Feeling both overjoyed and conflicted when Jorah arrives on Dragonstone, because although the man you love is alive and well and back in your arms, he still betrayed you and your Queen.

Eventually being convinced by Daenerys to give him another chance, after she tells you she has all but forgotten his past misdeeds. You take her words as permission to no longer care about his mistake.

Going to him that night and saying nothing, just holding him in your arms until the sun rises.

Telling one another all that had transpired while you had been apart

Him expressing a desire for a family once the war is over. You being happy to hear it, and agreeing wholeheartedly

Learning just before the journey to Winterfell that you are pregnant.

Telling Jorah, feeling nervous because it was still a bit soon to have the baby. The war might not be finished by the time you must leave his side, but he is only full of joy, and so you try not to worry

Being sent away from Winterfell for the battle against the dead, because he refuses to put you and your child at risk

Knowing from the moment you lay eyes on Daenerys that the father of your child is dead, and that the son or daughter you carry is all you will have left of him

#ser jorah #jorah mormont #jorah x reader #game of thrones #GOT #jorah x daenerys #daenerys targaryen #preference #imagines #would include

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jackoshadows · 1 year

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Hi, so I watched GoT+ am on asoiaf 1 rn and I have a Q about Dany; why is her character so divisive? I read meta by pro Dany fans and its "Dany's compassionate, self critical, a good ruler, a political reformer, frees slaves she'll be a hero at the end" and the antis "shes entitled, vengeful, profiter of slavery, a coloniser and GRRM wont validate a foreign invasion with nuclear weapons; hes anti war!!" Like, wHAt? Surely her character cant be THAT ambigious?! These are popular opposites??

Alright, I'll try to explain this from my perspective as a Jon Snow fan. However, this will be spoilery if you have read only one book. I would suggest reading all the books before joining in on discussions about the character.

It's a combination of things.

One is most definitely sexism. I don't throw that word around lightly having been constantly attacked as a ‘sexist dudebro who hates women’ for simply critiquing a female character.

Sexism in fandom is when female characters are held to different standards compared to their male counterparts. When female characters are critiqued or disliked for doing the same thing that male characters are often praised for doing. Daenerys is subjected to a lot of this which is especially evident in the books because she has a parallel arc of leadership with Jon Snow over at the Wall - the two characters at the ends of the world.

An example is right there in your ask. GRRM is anti-war and hence why would he validate Dany's invasion - She is therefore in the wrong. Okay. In which case why not extend that argument to every other main character in the series? GRRM is anti-war and therefore Robb Stark was wrong to wage war for Northern independence. GRRM is anti-war and therefore Jon Snow is wrong to help Stannis in his battle against the Boltons. GRRM is anti-war and therefore Tyrion is wrong to use wildfire and defeat Stannis at the battle of the blackwater. GRRM is anti-war and therefore Jon Snow is the villain of the battle at Castle Black.

I think the main thesis of GRRM’s argument in regard to his protagonists has been that there is no good or bad and instead they are all morally gray? Yeah war is bad and most of our protagonists engage in war and they are therefore morally grey characters. I mean, Jon Snow is over there taking child hostages that he has promised to behead - does that make him a baddie? Ned Stark took Theon as a child hostage. Is he a baddie? Our main characters all belong to noble houses in a feudal monarchy - a system of governance that GRRM relentlessly critiques in the books. Are they all baddies?

This double standard is particularly glaring when Dany's battles in Essos is about helping the little guy - the slaves who are under the worst kind of oppression. The WOT5K (War of the 5 Kings) on the other hand was about personal power, ravaged the land and lead to much devastation and suffering. However, for some strange reason when fandom discusses the books and the author being anti-war they focus particularly on Daenerys - that strange reason is sexism.

If you have watched GOT, I am sure you would have noticed those obvious double standards yourself.

Tyrion standing there making sad faces makes it look like Daenerys is doing something wrong when she executes the Tarlys - two treasonous traitors. However every other House does the same! Jon Snow executed the mutineers at the wall - even a child. After the battle of bastards, he mentions the Karstarks and Umbers having been killed in battle or else they would have been executed. Sansa wants to punish even their children!! But for some strange reason [(i.e) sexism] a female leader executing traitors is evil. That she does so without crying (Something the show runner David Benioff points out in an BTS interview) means she is evil. Jon not crying when killing people = badass, Dany not crying when killing people = evil.

Daenerys in battle with Jaime Lannister to get the Iron Throne = evil. Starks fighting against the Boltons to get Winterfell = Yay! Awesome. Thousands die in both battles - in one battle they die, burned by dragonfire. In the other one they are hacked to death and die with their guts hanging out. In both cases, people die.

The show quickly moves past Jaime Lannister, the Tarlys and their men massacring everyone of Olenna's men and piling their bodies high and sacking and looting the place. However, the show takes time to linger on Tyrion's sad face with the sad music and the men dying when Daenerys is attacking those same men on the battlefield.

I am not even getting into season 8 because it was so, so bad and full of puke inducing sexism that will need 10 pages to outline. I think you have got the gist of why sexism is such a large factor in how Dany's character is otherized and analyzed by fandom at large and made worse by Benioff and Weiss' rampant misogyny shining through in the show's writing.

I mentioned this in another post and I will say again - removing show Tyrion from show Daenerys' narrative would reduce the sexism in her story arc ten fold. He was D&D's mouthpiece in the series after season 5 - there to tell us that Dany was evil for doing all the things the male characters did.

And yes, Nuclear weapons are bad. Nuclear weapons can also be a deterrent and prevent war. Nuclear weapons can also be useful in a fantasy, magical world dealing with an existential apocalyptic threat. This is why I find one to one comparisons like these to be ridiculous. The Starks also have some fiercesome beasts that the author has indicated will be used in battle. Are we calling them evil?

The rest. Colonizer? They should look up what that means and whether it applies to Dany's story in Essos. Profiting off slavery? If one reads the books one knows this is blatantly untrue. Entitled and vengeful? No more than any of the other main characters who belong to noble houses in Westeros.

Daenerys has her flaws, not saying that she doesn't. That's what makes her a three-dimensional and relatable character. It's easy to criticize the character because she does self-reflect and introspect, is sometimes crippled by self-doubt and wants to do things differently and try different options - something that makes her human and real and very well written. Leadership is not easy and she’s 15 in the last book.

The other aspect is a flaw in the writing with respect to the setting of Daenerys' story in the series. She's the only main POV character in Essos until Arya and Tyrion get there in ADwD. And there is a lot of orientalism in GRRM's writing for Essos - meant to represent the East while Westeros represents the West.

There's much to say about how he writes the Dothraki as savage barbarians. While he gives POV characters for the Ironborn with Theon and Asha and characters like Mance, Tormund and Ygritte for the Freefolk, where's the equivalent of all that for the Dothraki? Oh but look, they are eating honeyed locusts! How exotic! There's lots of cartoonishly evil slavers who kill puppies! GRRM keeps otherizing their customs and culture as being savage and cruel and different - highlighted by the fact that we don't have a single Essosi POV giving us their side of things.

I do find GRRM's orientalism distasteful and off putting, especially as Essos is just a prop, a stepping stone for the characters before they move onto Westeros where the real story is happening. That is however a critique of the writing, not of the character. People tend to conflate the two. A middle aged white man writing in the nineties about a fantasy eastern world does not make Daenerys a 'white savior' or a 'colonizer' and it's clear from various interviews the author has given that this was not his intention either.

Daenerys is also the only Targaryen POV in the books. Think about that. The Starks have 6 POVs in the first book. The Lannisters get 3 by AFfC. The Greyjoys have 4, the Martells have 2. The only major house worse off than the Targaryens are the Baratheons with no POV characters.

We see Jon Snow through Arya and Bran’s POV. We see Arya through Jon’s. We get none of this for Dany. The Starks have a home and a loving family. Dany meanwhile is starting off the story at her lowest point - an abusive brother and forcefully married off to a Dothraki. While the Starks then end up losing that security, family members die, one of them is a hostage and the other is on the run - they still have memories of each other. Danerys meanwhile, slowly and painfully works her way to the top.

Reminds me of a post I responded to the other day, where the OP said that Arya and Jon cannot be underdogs because they are winners (Whatever that means). That’s the attitude that a lot of fandom has towards Daenerys - now that she is queen and has power, she has it easy compared to the likes of Sansa and the rest of the Starks. Ignoring that when the books started Daenerys was in a way worse position than any of the Starks.

This is a fandom that thinks that Sansa Stark deserves to be Queen in the North because she’s beautiful, has good manners and is a Stark. And this is the same fandom who think that Daenerys, who worked her way to the top - with no family to help, no happy childhood, no teachers, no security of food and shelter, who were beggars and on the run at one point - the Daenerys who is currently spending an entire book ruling a city state, making trade deals, dealing with an insurgency and famine, engaging in marriage diplomacy to sue for peace for the slaves she freed, that Daenerys is entitled. Do you agree?

I am a Jon Snow fan and even I can see how utterly ridiculous the fan discourse around Daenerys is. When the show was on, I was only posting about Jon and there was so much anti Dany stuff on the Jon Snow tags I had to wade into discussion about the character. And the more I defended her, the more I ended up re-reading her chapters, the more I ended up loving the character. There’s so much hypocrisy and sexist double standards where the character is concerned.

And I have not even touched upon the obnoxiousness that is ‘Jonsa’ - group of morons who think Sansa is the main character in a book series called A Song of Sansa and Sansa and Jon is secretly in love with Sansa who is going to be Queen with executioner/personal spymaster Arya Stark and her consort Jon Snow who will sexually manipulate and murder Daenerys for his great love Sansa.

Sansa fans make up the vast majority of asoiaf fans on Tumblr and the majority of them dislike Daenerys and Arya or see Dany as Sansa’s antagonist - even though these two characters have no connection in the books and I doubt they would ever interact. If you look at most of the anti Dany posts on here, they will be made by someone with a Sansa pfp. There are posts about how Jon will kill Dany or how Arya will kill Dany, and if you look at their blogs they will be big Sansa fans.

These are the same people who write essays on how Arya is not a real girl or is ‘male-coded’ or who write essays on how Daenerys only uses ‘threats and force’ whereas Sansa is apparently a political genius who uses ‘Soft Power’ - a foreign policy concept - because she talked down 13 year old idiot Joffrey that one time. When in the actual books, it’s Daenerys who has used Soft Power in her marriage diplomacy with Hizdahr and Sansa has never engaged in any kind of politics with actual adults.

Notice that these kinds of ‘metas’ are popularized by fandom bnfs using blogs like asoiafuniversity. There’s this very popular idea that’s propagated in fandom that Sansa is kind and compassionate when in the actual books there are more instances of kindness and compassion from Arya and from Daenerys. This is once again an example of how sexism and misogyny in this fandom has worked to give the wrong impressions of these characters. Arya and Daenerys are seen as more violent compared to Sansa even though Daenerys’ entire arc for two books has been about helping an oppressed population. The mind boggles!

It’s the same when it comes to love and romance. Arya and Daenerys are not considered worthy of love, romance and marriage because they are the wrong kind of girls. And let’s not bring age into this considering Sansa is 11 at the start of the books and she is the fandom bicycle shipped with every Tom, Dick and Harry.

I am not even getting into the slut-shaming and victim blaming that Daenerys gets in the fandom. There was actual discourse in this fandom on how Dany was not a good rape victim like Sansa because she brought up her rape in conversation! Daenerys is somehow seen as less than because she can’t possibly have children - that apparently makes her less of a woman and a bad partner for Jon Snow unlike Sansa Stark who will surely have ten babies!

The worst part is that’s it women who engage in this kind of discourse and the same women who turn around and gaslight the fandom into thinking that Sansa is unfairly targeted because of sexism.

There’s also the usual dislike from the fans of other characters.

There are Jon Snow fans who see him as the prophesied hero and main protagonist, who don’t like Daenerys coming over and taking away main character status. I personally think there is no one main character. IMO, Jon, Dany, Arya, Bran and Tyrion are all tier one main characters, who will work together against the Army of the Dead. [Note: This works the other way as well. I have seen Dany fans who dislike Jon Snow as well and think he is unimportant in the grand scheme of things]

There are Stannis Baratheon stans over on the Asoiaf subreddit who will excuse everything Stannis does - including burning people alive for his God - and then nitpick every single policy decision of Dany’s in order to argue she is evil or a bad ruler.

There are house Stark fans who hate House Targaryen and see them as in opposition to each other. There are fans who believe in Northern exceptionalism i.e the North is special and Dany is a threat to that specialness because she wants the 7K etc. etc.

This turned out to be a long post. On the whole, the answer to your question on why Daenerys is such a polarizing character is mainly because of sexism. There are other factors like the setting and isolation of her story, the lack of other POVs etc. The main reason though is sexism and ship wars.

#asks #ask

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kyuremking · 7 months

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This is for @catofadifferentcolor inspired by its amazing fem! jon snow bunnies which is a guilty pleasure of mine.

And I promised a fem! Jon x Hightower, so here I go.

I have three ideas of how the thing might go:

1.-Soulmark

2.-fem!Jon disguises herself as a man to study at the Citadel.

3.-Princess fem!jon desires freedom from the oppressive life in the Red Keep, knowing that her father will never allow her to travel North she heads South.

Commonalities of all ideas:

fem!jon name is Jonna(this may change).

All ideas start before canon.

The name of fem!jon's couple is Hugor Hightower and Sam is his "squire" more like Hugor's right hand man.

Friendship between Jonna and Satin, Sam as well as Alleras.

Exploration of the faith of the Seven.

The Hightowers seeking information of magic and omens about the White Walkers.

The dragon eggs of Jonna and her future children are from Silverwind and the eggs come from the Red Lake where the dragon made her lair at the end of the Dance of the Dragons.(That is unless Cannibal makes an appearance).

I explain the three ideas here below:

1.- Soul Marks

The Old and New Gods decide to unite Jonna Snow the bastard of Lord Eddard Stark with Hugor Hightower, grandson of the current lord of House Hightower, Lord Leyton Hightower.

This one is very much inspired by Bequeathed from Pale Estates by Author376 which is possibly the best fem!jon fic ever written.

But I feel like anything I would write would be a bad copy and so I'm not too excited about this one.

From the beginning it's all about the Hightower's looking for hints of the others.

Jonna is forced to bear the heavy burden of how to manage a house like the Hightowers(luckily she has help) as she is the future mistress of this house as well as adapting to the south, its customs and religion one that she has always shunned as that was her stepmother's domain.(This however helps her prepare for when she is queen).

Bran travels with Jonna to the south as Hugor's squire, the rest of the Starks stay in the North at least at first.

(This one is undecided)Shireen joins the traveling party at Dragonstone because it is believed that a cure has been found at the Citadel or at least they are close to finding it. Patchface soon dies.

The traveling party goes by ship and accidentally attend Daenerys' wedding with Khal Drogo. Hugor murders Jorah at the wedding to cleanse the honor of the North and the Hightower (Shireen poses as a Florent if she goes with them on the voyage).

Brienne becomes Shireen's handmaiden. So that she has a protector in places where the men cannot go.

Lots of exploration of the Faith of the Seven.

Tyrell and Hightower being family and acting like it. Jonna realizing that the Starks and the Tyrells are more alike than she will ever admit.

Olenna thinks Jonna looks like the Targaryens and dismisses that thought immediately as absurd and that her eyesight is failing. It doesn't take well to realize that she figured it out before anyone else and can't rub it in the others' faces.

Prophecy of Azor Ahai reimagined using the old gods and the faith of the Seven as drivers and a bit of Valyrian sacrifices.

Good Aegon/young Griff. I'm not sure about Daenerys.

Jonna and Hugor have two children before the war against the Others the rest come after.

For now that's what I have for this idea.

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2.- fem!Jon disguises herself as a man to study at the Citadel.

Jonna calls herself Jon. She left Winterfell because she felt there would be no future for her if she always stayed under the protection of her father and Robb.

She studies medicine and languages mostly to be able to go to Essos someday and make money there.

Together with Sam and Alleras she discovers the cure for the greyscales.

She stays away from Hugor as she fears he will discover her secret and cast her out. However they are not able to stay away for long almost as if fate or a certain raven manipulated destiny to bring them together.

Many think that Jonna is Lord Dayne's bastard son whom he does not want around so that he does not threaten the status of his son Edric.

Exploration of the Citadel.

Road trip throughout Westeros in search of omens about the Others by mandate of Lord Leyton Hightower. A certain person may birth dragons during the course of this or encounter Cannibal.

Prophecy of Azor Ahai reimagined using the Old Gods and the faith of the Seven as drivers and a bit of Valyrian sacrifices.

Well Aegon/young Griff. Not sure about Daenerys.

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Princess fem!jon desires freedom from the oppressive life in the Red Keep, knowing that her father will never allow her to travel north she heads south.

Targaryen Drama

Nobody expects Cannibal

The moment Jonna leaves the capital things start to get crazy, thank goodness she got out of there.

It's basically Jonna and Hugor having their slow romance while King's Landing is in flames.

#asoiaf #a song of ice and fire #game of thrones #house stark #jon snow #fem!jon snow #female jon snow #house hightower #asoiaf fic #house targaryen #samwell tarly #leyton hightower

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threewaywithdelusion · 7 days

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GOT Fic

Feedback (and title suggestions!) welcome, as this is a work in progress! This is based off GOT, not ASOIAF, so we have Mad Queen Dany, sorry.

Jaime may have been reluctantly permitted into Winterfell by Daenerys Targaryen and Sansa Stark, with the help of Brienne’s shocking and unwavering faith in him. But that didn’t mean he had been welcomed.

Everywhere Jaime went, he was watched with wary, distrustful eyes. Whispers trailed in his wake, words like Kingslayer and sister-fucker and Lannister hissed with equal venom. The wildlings, including that savage redheaded fucker who stared at Brienne wherever she went, watched him with open curiosity. His presence here had apparently done a lot to mend the rift between the wildlings, the Northerners, and the armies from Essos, gossip uniting them against a common enemy.

It seemed the whole world hated a Lannister.

Jaime had never felt so far from Casterly Rock. Here, he wasn’t Jaime Lannister, Lord Tywin’s hair and future Warden of the West. He wasn’t Jaime Lannister of the King’s Guard. He wasn’t even Jaime Lannister the fearsome knight, now that his fighting skills were mediocre without his right hand. A few days ago, he had watched Brienne teaching men in the yard, where she was eventually joined by Arya Stark, and had been dismayed to learn that he would almost certainly lose to the Starks’ youngest daughter.

Jaime did his own training, sparring with Brienne in the yard and with Podrick Payne in a clearing in the woods, trying to strengthen his left arm. He ate meager rations of flavorless gruel, despairing at the thought of eating such terrible food for the next several years. He helped the blacksmiths distribute Dragonglass weapons, helped fortify Winterfell’s soot-stained walls for if (when) the army of the dead got past them, and tried desperately not to think of Cersei at every turn. Jaime was never allowed into the war room and he was never left alone. He felt a bit like a prisoner, constantly watched and never allowed near anyone of import.

That was why he was so surprised, after he’d been there a week, to walk into the bedroom he was sharing with Tyrion and Podrick and find Jon Snow waiting for him.

The last time Jaime had seen Jon Snow, he’d been a mere boy, sat away from the high table and sulking about it. Since then, he’d been Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch, King in the North, and was now Lord of Winterfell, despite his bastard origins.

Jaime had never felt his fall in the world more acutely.

“My Lord,” Jaime said stiffly. He had no idea what Snow wanted with him, but it couldn’t possibly be good.

“Ser Jaime,” Jon Snow said, sweeping an arm at Tyrion’s bed. “Take a seat.”

Jaime stepped over his and Pod’s bedrolls and took a seat on Tyrion’s bed. Jon Snow shut the door and gave Jaime a long, unreadable look.

He had brought no guards with him, but one of his hands was resting over the wolf’s-head pommel of his Valyrian steel sword.

Jaime did not think that could mean anything good. “Am I being banished?”

“No.”

“Punished?”

“No.”

“Has Daenerys Targaryen decided she can’t forgive the man who murdered her father?”

Something in Snow’s expression twitched. “No.”

Jaime spread his hands. “Then I can’t imagine what I’ve done to deserve the honor.”

Jon Snow frowned. He opened his mouth several times, but no sound came out.

Jaime sighed and began rooting around the furs on Tyrion’s bed. There was nothing under the pillow, or tucked between the bed and the wall, but a glance under the bed led Jaime to his prize: a skin of wine.

Snow frowned as Jaime took a swig of it – it was disgusting Northern swill, strong and flavorless.

“We’re on rations,” Snow said. “You’re not meant to have wine.”

“It’s not mine,” Jaime said. “Clearly your Queen has seen the wisdom in keeping my brother supplied with alcohol for as long as humanly possible. Here.” He held out the skin.

Snow hesitated for a moment and then took it, gulping down half the wineskin and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

“So?” Jaime asked.

Snow took a deep breath. “How did you do it?”

Jaime waited, but that appeared to be all. “I’m going to need more than that.”

“You and Cersei,” Snow said, making Jaime stiffen all over. “How could you…”

The word sister-fucker rang in Jaime’s ears.

“Fuck her?” Jaime asked angrily. “I assume you’re not asking me for instructions. I know the Night’s Watch requires you to take a vow of celibacy, but I don’t believe you’re an untouched maiden..”

Snow’s cheeks flushed red as he scowled. “That’s not what I’m asking. Of course I’m not! I meant, knowing that she was your sister, how could you feel… that way… towards her.”

Jaime forced himself to keep his hand off his sword. “I came here to fight the dead, not put up with Northern scorn. I know you’re the honorable Ned Stark’s son,” he said with venom and Snow flinched, “but that doesn’t give you the right to abuse me for my choices.”

“I’m not mocking you,” Snow growled. “I was just- forget it.”

Something about the look on his face, scared and ashamed, made Jaime sit up straight. He knew what men looked like when they were teasing him about Cersei. He knew intimately the disgust on their faces, the way they would look down on him, the way their mouths would twist like they had tasted something sour. He knew Euron Greyjoy’s leer as he said, “”. He even knew how his friends and family treated the subject — Tyrion mostly alluding slyly to Jaime and Cersei’s relationship, unless they were arguing in which case it was fair game, Tommen watching him with questions in his eyes, Bronn teasing lewdly but without making incest seem any worse than the other inclinations he frequently saw in brothels.

And Brienne. Incredible, honorable Brienne, who had been revolted with his reputation as the Kingslayer and Oathbreaker but had never questioned or begrudged him his love for Cersei. She had repeatedly asked him to be a better man, to keep his oaths to her and to Catelyn Stark, and to do what was right. But she’d never once implied that he should leave Cersei or told him that he was wrong for the way he loved her.

He wasn’t delusional enough to think that Brienne approved of his relationship. But she didn’t act like he was a monster for it, and that was much more than most people did.

It was the thought of her stalwart loyalty that made Jaime speak up.

“Snow,” he said, before the other man could leave the room.

Snow stopped at the door, shifting uncomfortably. He looked fearfully at Jaime and Jaime’s heart sped up as he recognized the mix of guilt-shame-longing on the other man’s face.

He really wasn’t being cruel. He was asking for himself.

Jaime thought of Arya Stark, laying grown men flat on their back in the yard with the skinny little sword she claimed her brother had given her. He thought of Sansa Stark, cold and beautiful, sitting at the high table beside Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen and ruling like she belonged.

Jaime supposed either of them could have appeal. But Arya Stark spent every moment she wasn’t training following Robert Baratheon’s bastard around the forge and Sansa Stark stiffened when men stepped too close.

That was the first important bit.

“We both wanted each other,” Jaime said. “People may judge my choices, but Cersei was no wilting flower who would have let me take advantage. I didn’t force her and I didn’t dishonor her with other women.”

Snow stared at him for a long moment, then said, “I didn’t think you had taken advantage. From what Sansa says, Cersei is formidable and I’m sure she would not have tolerated advances she didn’t welcome. What I want to know is how you were able to overlook your blood connection to love her that way.”

Jaime frowned. Was he trying to overlook a blood connection for marriage? If so, he could only be talking about Sansa Stark. Maybe he planned to marry her to become Lord of Winterfell in a way a bastard could never manage.

“I mean no insult, but Lady Sansa has had four betrothals and two husbands and I’m not certain she’s interested in another.”

Snow looked like he’d just been slapped. “I don’t want to marry Sansa,” he hissed.

Jaime raised an eyebrow. “Arya?”

She wasn’t nearly as beautiful, but Jaime couldn’t deny that he understood the appeal of a girl skilled with a blade. He would’ve already proposed marriage to Brienne if he wasn’t unworthy of her. He’d pried himself free from Cersei’s claws but she’d left only a tattered, bloody heart in his chest, struggling to beat without its other half. Brienne deserved a man with a whole heart, two hands, and enough honor to rival her own.

Snow made a face like he might be sick. Jaime tried not to take it personally, though Snow was the one who had started the conversation about fucking siblings and was now acting like the idea was disgusting.

“No,” Snow said emphatically. “Not Arya. No.”

The only other Stark Jaime had seen around Winterfell was the boy he’d paralyzed, who spoke eerie prophecies and acted too creepily composed for Jaime’s taste. But then again, the Starks followed the Old Gods. Maybe Snow didn’t mind that the boy acted possessed by forces beyond the Wall.

Jaime had never been able to understand the appeal in men, either, but he thought of Brienne’s devotion to Renly Baratheon and decided not to mention that part.

“Bran-”

“Stop talking,” Snow barked.

Jaime snatched the wineskin off the bed and took a long drink. “Either explain what you’re asking or go. I’m not here to watch you look revolted at me, and if this goes on much longer I’m going to take offense and we’re going to find out how much Brienne’s training has improved my left hand.”

Snow nodded jerkily. He held his hand out for the wineskin, took a long pull, then sank next to Jaime on the bed. “It doesn’t matter who this is about. Please don’t try to guess. Let’s just say… it’s a relation on my mother’s side.”

That caught Jaime’s attention. As far as he knew, no one had ever been able to discover the identity of Ned Stark’s secret lover. Robert Baratheon had asked Varys once, in the early days of his reign, but even the Master of Whisperers had been unable to discover the woman’s identity.

“Go on,” Jaime said.

“She- I met her before I knew my parentage,” Snow said. “She was beautiful and fierce. I gave her my heart and my body, and then found out that she’s my…”

He trailed off, looking uncomfortable, and Jaime filled in the word sister.

“It seems to me the damage has already been done,” Jaime said. “You already love her. You already fucked her. What could you hope to gain from staying away now?”

Snow looked miserable. “If I’d known, I wouldn't have let myself feel this way.”

Jaime snorted. “Knowing something is forbidden has very little effect on love. Letting yourself feel a certain way is a fantasy we tell ourselves to pretend we have any control over the matter.”

“I don’t believe that,” Snow said. “We’re not animals. My father always said that family and duty come first and we can choose who we love. He and Lady Catelyn weren’t a love match, but they did have true affection for each other.”

“Your father was an honorable man,” Jaime said. “Honorable to the point of madness, really. And yet, he fathered a bastard. If that isn’t evidence that we have no control over who we love, I don’t know what is.”

Snow flinched, but he didn’t contradict Jaime.

“Look, you said you’d given this woman your heart. Did you stop loving her because you found out she’s your sister?”

Snow shook his head.

“Did she stop loving you?”

“She doesn’t know.”

“She doesn’t know?” Jaime repeated incredulously.

“And I can’t tell her,” Snow continued.

“Then why are we even having this conversation? You can’t lie to her to take her to bed — that would be dishonorable. And once she knows, she may not even want you.”

“I wouldn’t lie to her,” Snow said hotly. “I haven’t touched her since I found out. But she grew up… I don’t think she’ll be deterred by knowing we’re family. So I might have to be the one to walk away.”

“Why?” Jaime demanded angrily. “Society’s scorn? If you’d walk away over that, you don’t truly love her. Do you know what I put up with to be with Cersei? Even before the world knew, I had to watch her marry that pig Robert Baratheon. I had to guard his chamber door while he took her to bed and hear what they did together. I had to pretend that disgusting man was the father of my children and keep my distance from them so no one would ever realize he wasn’t. And ever since your father saw fit to announce our love to the world, I’ve been sneered at and disrespected and called every foul name in the book. I endured it all — everything — because I love Cersei. She was worth it.”

“It’s not that,” Snow said quietly. “The world doesn’t even know we’re related, so I’m not worried about people’s reactions. At least not yet. It’s just… the possibility of children.”

“Children?” Jaime echoed, pulled up short.

Snow glanced at him, then looked away. “There’s a reason we’ve had so many mad Targaryen kings. Every time a new Targaryen is born, the gods toss the coin in the air and the world holds its breath to see how it will land. They intermarried, they all went mad, and the realm suffered for it. And — I’m sorry, I know he was your son — but you can’t deny there was something truly wrong with Joffrey. I’ve heard what he did to Sansa. I don’t want to have a child like that.”

Jaime’s heart ached dully. His children, his wonderful, beautiful children, were all dead. Tommen had jumped from a window as a result of Cersei’s machinations. Myrcella had died in his arms, right as he’d begun to hope he could be a real father to her. He missed them both so, so much.

He missed Joffrey too, but differently. The boy had always had an appetite for cruelty and Jaime had feared what he would become. He’d loved Joffrey because he was his son, but he’d never managed the unadulterated love for him that Cersei had.

Say what you would about Cersei, she had loved her children more fiercely than any mother in the world.

“I don’t think intermarriage is the problem,” Jaime said quietly. “The Targaryens already had madness in their bloodline — of course it was going to be passed down. And Joffrey… I loved him, yes, but I realize he was flawed. He could be cruel and selfish and vindictive. And… I know where he got those traits from.”

Cersei had known as well. When Myrcella had died, she’d said I don’t know where she came from. She was nothing like me. No meanness, no jealousy, just good.

There had been no similar words said for Joffrey.

“As long as your lover isn’t mad, you don’t have to worry,” Jaime said. “Besides, I’m assuming she’s baseborn if she’s a relation on your mother’s side? The Targaryens and Joffrey were only problems for the realm because they sat on the Iron Throne. Your children won’t be a danger to anyone else.”

If possible, Snow looked even more miserable at that. He flinched violently, as if Jaime had slapped him, and Jaime’s blood ran cold.

Snow wasn’t in love with Sansa or Arya Stark. Everyone knew Snow had been conceived while Ned Stark was fighting in the South, which ruled out any Northern ladies or wildlings as his relations. No love for a lowborn girl would put that look of fear on his face, and the only southern Lady present was Brienne of Tarth, who Jaime was certain hadn’t had a madly passionate affair with Jon Snow sometime in the last few months.

The only highborn girl left as a viable option was Daenerys Targaryen.

Jaime thought back and suddenly it seemed stupidly obvious. He’d heard the men whispering about Jon Snow riding one of Daenerys’s dragons. He’d heard the dirty jokes about how Daenerys had gotten the King in the North to bend the knee and give her his crown by spreading her legs. He’d seen her looking at him in the Great Hall as he walked away from her, trying to hide her hurt.

“Who was your mother?” Jaime growled.

Snow shook his head.

“Rhaella Targaryen?” Jaime asked.

Snow’s head shot up so he could look fearfully at the door, as if afraid of being overheard.

Well he would be afraid if he was a Targaryen bastard, wouldn’t he?

“Rhaella Targaryen was your mother?” Jaime repeated incredulously.

“No!” Snow snapped. He glanced at the door, lowered his voice, then said, “Lyanna Stark was.”

Jaime blinked. Ned Stark had fucked his sister? But no, Snow hadn’t been asking about being the mad child of an incestuous union. He’d been asking about producing such a child. About being in love with a woman.

That meant Ned Stark wasn’t his father at all. And given the boy’s age and the fact that his mother was Lyanna Stark…

“Your father was Rhaegar Targaryen,” Jaime breathed, horrified.

Snow looked like a hunted thing. Only he wasn’t a Snow, was he? Was he a Waters? A Sand?

“No one can know,” Jon said.

It made sense now why he hadn’t told his lover. Daenerys Targaryen had never truly been in the line of succession for the throne, as Aerys’s third child and a girl. But Rhaegar’s son, even a bastard one, would have a fairly legitimate claim.

He didn’t want to steal her crown.

“Neither of you is entirely in the line of succession,” Jaime said, stretching the truth to ease the look of misery on Jon’s face. “She’s a woman and you’re a bastard. I’d say you have about equal claim.”

“No,” Jon said hoarsely. “We don’t.”

“I know you want her to sit on the throne, but speaking from a historical perspective, a bastard-“

“I’m not a bastard,” Jon said.

Jaime stared at him. “What?”

“Rhaegar had a Maester annul his marriage to Elia Martell. He married Lyanna Stark under a weirwood tree.”

Jaime seized the wineskin and drank until it was empty. He was sitting beside a trueborn Targaryen son, a man who could possibly have ended the War of the Five Kings had he known his real identity at the time. A man who could cause a new war if he joined Cersei and Daenerys in vying for the throne.

“You’re fucked,” Jaime said eloquently.

Jon Targaryen laughed humorlessly. “Yeah.”

They lapsed into silence. Jaime didn’t know what Jon was thinking of, but he was remembering the honorable, lovable prince that had been Rhaegar Targaryen. He remembered the Mad King screaming, “burn them all!” Remembered the smoke of the burning Sept of Baelor and the cold look on Cersei’s face as she sat on the Iron Throne. Remembered Daenerys and her dragon setting fire to his army in the field, terrible and unstoppable, the smell of burning flesh permeating the air.

“You asked the wrong question,” Jaime said finally. “You asked me how I could still love Cersei, knowing she was my sister. I don’t think that’s what you’re wondering. You still love Daenerys, even though she’s your aunt. You’re wondering if loving her is going to doom you and everyone you love.”

Joffrey, eyes bulging as he died in his mother’s arms. Myrcella’s sweet smile before she was murdered for Ellaria’s revenge. Tommen, jumping from the window when he saw what his mother had done.

Brienne’s Renly, killed before her eyes. Alton Lannister, Jaime’s cousin who he’d beat to death with chained hands in Robb Stark’s war camp. The army Tyrion had burned to death with wildfire. Catelyn Stark and her son, murdered at a wedding. Oberyn Martell’s failed vengeance for his sister. Jaime’s father, shot to death on the privy by his own son. Tyrion’s dead whore. All the innocents who died in the sept.

How many had died because of his and Cersei’s sins? Because of Cersei’s thirst for power and his undying loyalty.

“She’ll ruin you,” Jaime said hoarsely. “She’ll kiss you, and you’ll love her. She’ll bear you children, and you’ll love her. She’ll frighten you, and you’ll love her. You’ll give her all you have — your heart, your honor, your dignity, your life — and it won’t ever be enough. As long as she sits on that throne, there will always be enemies and there will always be sycophants and if you aren’t the one, you’re the other.”

He looked at Jon’s eyes, dark and frightened and pained. Stark eyes. Nothing like his father’s.

Daenerys? She reminded Jaime all too much of the Targaryens of old.

“Daenerys isn’t Cersei,” Jon protested.

“No? Jaime asked wryly. “Because she’s beautiful, strong, and kind? Cersei was all those things once.”

“It’s not the same!”

Jaime pitied the boy. But he was what, four and twenty? Older than Jaime had been when he’d been thrust into the game of thrones by Cersei’s ambition and Aerys’s madness.

“Aerys burns them in their homes, Cersei burns them in their septs, Daenerys burns them in their fields. Kings and Queens — they’re all the same. They want power and they’ll do anything to keep it. And when she’s destroyed all you care for, killed your children and wasted your honor and done the one thing you can’t forgive — you’ll love her still.”

Jaime still loved Cersei. He hated her too, perhaps in equal measure. But Cersei was part of him — not in the way she’d always said, we came into this world together and we’ll die together, but someone who had shaped who he was for so long that he didn’t truly exist apart from her.

Jon’s face was a blaze of fury. “I think you should leave.”

Jaime stood and walked towards the door, ready to ask Tyrion to hunt down more wine for him to drink.

“I’m not you,” Jon tried, when Jaime was almost to the door.

“No,” Jaime agreed. “You aren’t.”

Jon slumped with relief and that was how Jaime knew, as an absolute certainty, that Jon was on the path to loving Daenerys the way he had loved Cersei — irrationally, unconditionally, and irrevocably.

“You’re not me,” Jaime repeated sadly, looking at Jon Snow’s somber, despairing face. “Not yet. But you will be.”

And Jaime walked out the door.

#game of thrones #game of thrones fanfiction #jaime lannister #Jon snow #daenerys targaryen #got season 8

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gulnarsultan · 10 months

Note

I know that Modern Reader and Aerys II don’t get along for obvious reasons. But I think, Modern Reader would save the Aerys II during his capture at Duskendale. Like I imagined that Modern Reader is wearing camouflage clothes and watching through binoculars what is going on inside, or to find out how many people are there. And of course Ser Barristan Selmy goes to save the King, but he isn’t going alone. Modern Reader joins Ser Barristan Selmy to save Aerys II.

Ser Barristan is inside the keep, meanwhile Modern Reader kills the guards and dissolve alarms, then she’s inside the keep. Once she gets to the prison cell, she sees how Barristan Selmy breaks chains and helping Aerys to get up.

Modern Reader gives water to Aerys: Here, Your Grace. Drink some water.

Ser Barristan Selmy: You dealt with guards?

Modern Reader: Yes, but we need to hurry.

Then Modern Reader and Ser Barristan Selmy hold Aerys and leave the castle, because Aerys is weak, they get into the horse, and Modern Reader notices a guard, who saw them.

Modern Reader: Shit, come on, run.

And they flee as fast as they could. One of archers shot at King, but Barristan covered the King and got the arrow in his back, Modern Reader shoot the archers killing him instantly. Finally they escaped. After that Aerys II thanks Ser Barristan and Modern Reader for saving him.

Also Modern Reader explains Aerys: My father tried to save you, he really did. But your life was in danger, Your Grace. He couldn’t risk.

What do you think about that? I’d like to hear your thoughts. What do you think what would happen afterwards? I think Aerys would keep Modern Reader by his side, not only as a hostage, but also to have someone who could protect him and his family. I won’t be surprised if Aerys commanded Modern Reader to join Rhaella and Viserys to Dragonstone. Then Modern Reader with Rhaella, Viserys and unborn Daenerys leave with other loyalists to Essos. I think Modern Reader wouldn’t leave Viserys and Daenerys all alone and would accompany them. Soon Daenerys and Viserys became yandere platonic towards Modern Reader. But that would mean that Modern Reader has to leave Yandere platonic Lannisters.

Aerys will now be a true friend to the reader. It will most likely appoint your reader as a guard or shield. I think the reader will not be Aerysin hostage. No matter how friendly they are, Aersy still fears the reader. Most likely the reader cannot leave Daenaerys and Viserys. So she has to leave the Lannisters. Moreover, the reader will hate she if Tywin kills Elia and her children and Tywin betrays Aerys. It is difficult to predict what will happen when they meet again years later.

#yandere game of thrones #yandere lannister #yandere tywin lannister #yandere cersei lannister #yandere jaime lannister x reader #aerys ii x reader

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filhadoboto · 6 months

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Falling for You - Chapter 2

SUMMARY: Jon sees the dragons and the direwolves playing and ends up having a big surprise when he joins them. (rating: T)

Written for "Jonerys Falling for You 2023" - Day 1 - Warmth

@iceandfirejonerysdiscord

AO3

Chapter 1

Chapter 2 - The three heads of the dragon

Standing on the outer wall of the fortress, Jon Snow stared in disbelief at the scene before him for several minutes.

Next to the sea of tents, a growing number of people watched what, at first glance, appeared to be a fight between the three dragons and the four direwolves. But a longer examination was enough to see the truth: the dragons and the direwolves were playing as if they were puppies. Through his bond with Ghost, he could feel his direwolf's mirth and enthusiasm as if they were his own.

Jon hurried over to them, and as soon as he got past the curious crowd, he saw that the direwolves were nibbling at the dragons' tails or wings and they were using their long necks to chase the direwolves. He was afraid that the spikes on their tails would hurt the direwolves, but the animals themselves seemed unconcerned about the danger. Every time the dragons flapped their huge wings, a curtain of snow rose up and sometimes the dragons blew smoke from their nostrils and the direwolves licked their snouts. Sometimes the dragons would wrap their long tails around the direwolves, as if they were trying to trap them, and the direwolves would easily jump and run around their huge bodies.

As soon as he got closer to the animals, he noticed that Dany and Arya were already there and went to them. Jon's heart beat faster when he saw Dany wearing his cape once again and a little voice in his mind whispered in a fierce and possessive tone: Mine. Their eyes met and he felt his cheeks heating up and saw hers getting even redder. Jon loved seeing her blush and was looking forward to having a moment alone with her again, and from the look on her face, he could bet she was thinking the same thing.

He couldn't help but remember everything that had happened between them in the last few days and he was sure that she had remembered it too. The first night they spent together was etched in his memory and he remembered the smell of her hair, the warmth and softness of her skin and the taste of her cunt on his tongue. He didn't know what the future held for him, why the red god had brought him back, but he was grateful to have had the chance to meet her, fall in love with her and have her in his arms. The feeling of having her body joined to his would be the last thing he would think about at the time of his death.

“My Queen.” he said in a possessive tone and giving her a slight bow.

“My Lord.” she greeted him with a smile. The same smile she had used to greet him since their first night together.

When he went to Dragonstone with Arya as the King in the North, Jon was ready to negotiate with Daenerys Targaryen if seeing one of the creatures he had taken with them with her own eyes wasn't enough for her to agree to help them. Not to mention that he needed her permission to mine the obsidian in Dragonstone that they needed to manufacture the weapons necessary for the war that was getting closer every day.

He had heard of her stunning beauty, but he was more interested in her deeds in Essos, the three dragons and the enormous army she had brought with her. He knew he shouldn't make the mistake of underestimating her intelligence, her leadership, negotiation and strategic abilities as many others did. He knew he would have to negotiate and bargain with her, make sacrifices and promises to get something from her. But even though he knew what kind of woman he would meet, Jon hadn't expected that he would fall in love the moment he saw her.

Of course, like two monarchs who wanted the other to give in, they had a little friction at first, but soon he understood that Daenerys Targaryen was much more than he had imagined, soon he understood how she had gotten all those people to follow her across the narrow sea to help her retake the throne that Robert Baratheon had usurped. After getting to know her better, Jon realized that he himself would follow her anywhere and would place his sword and his life at her disposal if he had the freedom to do so.

Every moment he had spent with her since then, every time she smiled, every conversation, every look, every touch made a flame burn hotter and hotter in his being, made him feel alive in a way he never had, not even before he was murdered. Daenerys Targaryen's entry into his life had filled his gray existence with color and added flavor to his life. Before meeting her, his only goal was to unify the North to fight the Others and their army of creatures, but now he wanted more. Much more. He wanted the chance to see the arrival of spring. He wanted to plant trees and watch them grow and bear fruit. He wanted to live in times of peace and prosperity. He wanted to have a family. He wanted to have more time, a whole life to live with her.

Arya, who was the only person Jon had spoken to about his feelings for the queen and what had happened between them, went to him and Jon put his arm around her shoulders and placed a kiss on her hair. He had to stop himself from messing up her hair like he used to do when they were younger. Arya would always be his little sister, but she was no longer a child and some things that had been natural in the past in their relationship needed to be left behind.

“I still can't believe what I'm seeing.” he commented.

“We were going to fly them a little and when we got here we came across this.” commented Arya “It looks like something out of a dream, doesn't it?”

Since her arrival in the North, Dany had flown at least once a day with her dragons, both to reconnoitre the surroundings and to familiarize themselves with the region. She had told them that it would be easier to command them during battle if everyone was familiar with the region.

He nodded and asked “How long has this been going on?”

“My men informed me that they have been sharing the food.” replied Dany “They saw the four direwolves taking parts of their kill to the dragons and saw the dragons share their kill with them before burning the meat.”

That information surprised him even more. Predators were not in the habit of sharing the hunt. And he thought that the dragons would be more likely to devour the direwolves than to share their meal with them.

“And that's not all.” she continued “The direwolves slept with the dragons on the nights it snowed. It seems they wanted to make sure the dragons didn’t get cold.”

Jon remembered how Ghost hadn't slept in his quarters, but he had deduced that the direwolf was with Dany in her quarters, since he followed her practically everywhere she went in or out of the fortress. Before he could make any comments, Nymeria began to howl and the other three direwolves responded to her call. And, to everyone's surprise, the three dragons raised their huge heads and roared.

The crowd around them screamed in fear and backed away, but Arya laughed in wonder and he looked at Daenerys. His beloved watched her children emotionally, a happy smile and her cheeks wet with her tears. Jon wished he could take her in his arms, wipe away her tears with his lips, but he couldn't. At least not with so many people around watching them. He knew Dany loved him and wouldn't mind the public display of affection, but he preferred to keep their relationship secret for now. Although he knew she would always do what she thought was right, he did not want her advisors to focus their energy on advising her to give him up when they needed to focus their efforts on the war.

“They’re acting like a pack!” commented Arya in a surprised tone the three humans looked at each other before continuing to observe the animals.

After they stopped howling, Summer and Shaggydog ran towards the fortress, scaring some of the people watching the scene while Ghost and Nymeria sat next to Dany, as if they were her sentries and the Targaryen girl smiled and petted them. His queen looked like a child next to the direwolves and Jon felt his chest fill with warmth at seeing that scene, at seeing how the two direwolves mirrored the feelings he and Arya had for Daenerys.

As if in sync, Rhaegal and Viserion rested their huge heads next to him and Arya. During the time they stayed in Dragonstone, he and his sister had the chance to touch the dragons and even flew Drogon together with Dany several times between Dragonstone and King's Landing, but this was the first time the dragons took the initiative to get closer to them.

His sister laughed in pure delight and stroked the dragon's cream scales.

“Hello boy!” she said in a caring tone.

Jon placed his gloved hand on Rhaegal's dark green scales which, even though they were exposed to the cold Northern air, were warm and Jon loved the feeling of the heat on his skin.

As he petted the dragon, Dany's words came to his mind: Made of the green of summer and the bronze of autumn. She had told him this while the two of them watched the dragons sunbathing on Dragonstone and she told him about her children's personalities. That day, his queen had told him that Rhaegal was the most protective and the most dangerous of her dragons and that when he was smaller, he used to hiss at anyone who threatened her or was rude to her.

He looked nervously at Daenerys. She looked at her dragons with a mixture of surprise, tenderness and pride. Their eyes met and she smiled. Jon looked back at the dragon and his intelligent bronze eyes watched him.

“They like you.” Dany said with a tender smile, like a mother watching her children make new friends. The dragons pressed their heads against them and she explained “Rhaegal and Viserion want you two to fly with them.”

Both siblings looked at their queen as if she had just told them that she was the queen of the Others .

Dany just laughed when she saw their expressions and explained “It's what they want, but it's up to you to decide whether you go or not. But I must warn you that my children will not stop insisting until you do what they want.”

Jon and Arya looked at each other and he could see that his sister was feeling as surprised and honored by this as he was. Both dragons moved their heads, encouraging them to do what their mother said they wanted. Arya, like the fearless girl she always was, was the first to move. She placed a kiss on Viserion's snout and said something in a language he didn't know.

“What did you say to him?” he asked, curious.

“I thanked him and asked him to be careful and patient with me.” she replied, walking to the dragon's flank. Viserion lowered his wing and flank to make it easier for her to climb. Jon watched with his mouth open as his sister climbed onto the dragon's back with ease and grace, a huge smile on her face, and sat down. She stroked his scales and said something in High Valyrian.

“Your turn, my Lord.” Dany said and he looked at her, alarmed.

He remembered that, during his time at the Wall, he had thought a few times how nice it would be to have another thousand men, and maybe a dragon or three to help in the fight against the Others, but he hadn't imagined that not only would his wish be granted, but one of those dragons would practically demand that he ride him.

“But I don’t know how to ride a dragon, Your Grace.” he argued and there was a bit of panic in his voice.

It wasn't because he admired those magnificent giant beasts that he thought it safe to ride one alone.

Dany gave him an amused smile. “I didn’t know either.” she offered. Dany stroked the scales of Drogon, who had approached his mother, and added “I had to learn it while a panicked mob tried to kill Drogon with spears in an arena in Meereen.”

Of course, his beloved Dany was a warrior queen as were several of her ancestors. He had no doubt every one of her ancestors were proud of the woman she was.

“You must tell me this story, Your Grace!” Arya commented.

“Whenever you wish, Lady Arya.” Dany said with a smile.

Sensing his hesitation, Rhaegal moved his head and gently pushed him toward his side.

“Are you scared, brother?” asked Arya with a mocking air. “You can come with me if you don't have the courage to go alone. I promise I will hold your hand the whole time.”

His sister was having fun with the situation and Jon gave her a fake reprimanding look.

“As father used to say, there’s no shame in fear, what matters is how we face it.” he replied, feeling a little less tense as he remembered Lord Eddard's words and his sister laughed.

Jon didn't yet know High Valyrian, but he knew that dragons were intelligent, so he looked once more at the dragon who seemed impatient for him to move and took a deep breath before touching him and saying in an assured and gentle tone “Alright boy, you win.”

Rhaegal lowered his right wing and flank to make his climb easier. Jon felt his heart beat as if he were climbing the Wall once again, and when he finally managed to sit on the dragon's back, Daenerys was already riding Drogon and watching him with a mix of pride and amusement.

“What should I do now?” he asked in a nervous tone and holding on as best he could to Rhaegal's spines.

“They will follow me and we will make a quick flight. Sometimes they make unexpected maneuvers to adjust to wind currents, so stay alert and hold on tight.” she replied with a smile and held tight to Drogon's spines “The ancient dragon riders had saddles made that made flying safer, but we are not like them. We are braver than them.” added her with a wink and asked “Ready for your first solo flight on a dragon?”

“Yes!” replied Arya enthusiastically and caressed Viserion's scales, who reacted by slightly shaking his wings and tail.

He looked at Rhaegal's immense body and smiled nervously before replying “I don't think I'll ever be more ready than I am right now.”

Dany smiled, said something in High Valyrian and in the next instant Drogon took flight and Viserion and Rhaegal followed. The dragon's immense wings carried him higher and higher, and for a few seconds, as Rhaegal gained height, Jon thought he would plummet to his death at any moment. But soon the ascent ended and Rhaegal and Viserion took their places at Drogon's side and glided.

Jon had already looked down on the North when he first climbed to the top of the Wall, but the sensation of seeing his home riding a dragon was like no other. It was an experience Jon would never forget and he couldn't help but feel in awe of the scenery before them, the North was even more beautiful from above.

Far below, Winterfell, the winter town, and the sea of tents grew smaller and smaller and disappeared as Rhaegal broke through the thick layer of clouds that blocked the sunlight from reaching the land. For a few minutes, the dragons flew side by side above the clouds and Jon could feel the warmth of the sun on his face. The warmth of Rhaegal's body was comforting and kept him comfortably warm and he realized he was no longer afraid. In fact, he was feeling free, invincible, unstoppable. For a few moments, he allowed himself to close his eyes and a feeling of freedom filled him and he even forgot that, down there, there was a war waiting for them.

He felt something touching his mind, something like Ghost's presence in his mind, but faint and warm, like the heat of the morning sun. He knew it wasn't his direwolf because he could feel his connection to him in another part of his mind and he knew that if he touched that connection he would be able to feel what his direwolf was feeling.

Noticing that he had noticed it, that presence became stronger and he could feel it demanding his attention with a slight nudge in his consciousness and, intrigued, he focused on that warm sensation and realized that it was Rhaegal's presence in his mind. The moment he recognized that presence as that of the dragon, his entire body was filled with flames, as if he had been engulfed in dragonfire, but the feeling was different from when he had burned his hand.

As the flames receded, Jon realized that there was something different about him and that the warm feeling in his mind was still there. In the back of his mind, he heard an alien thought, a thought that consisted of a mixture of excitement and happiness and anticipation. With absolute surprise he realized that all he had just experienced was the formation of a bond between himself and the dragon. Without knowing what he was doing, Jon had connected and become Rhaegal's rider just as Dany was Drogon's.

Could this have been Rhaegal's intention in insisting that Jon fly with him?

Yes .

Jon only realized he had closed his eyes when he opened them and it took him a few seconds to understand that that thought was coming from the dragon. Rhaegal was showing him how he was feeling and had just answered the question he had thought of!

Unlike Ghost, Rhaegal had a more chaotic and wild mind and he caressed the dragon's scales and focused on that connection and let his emotions be transmitted to the dragon. Rhaegal roared and seemed quite pleased with their interaction.

Drogon broke through the clouds and the other two followed. They flew below the clouds for a while and then the huge black dragon guided them lower and lower until its wings almost touched the canopy of the snow-covered wolfswood. He could feel Rhaegal's excitement as he smelled bears, boars, foxes and treecats, smells that had become familiar to Jon because of Ghost.

After a few minutes, Dany guided them back and they flew over Winterfell, the winter town and the godswood. Far below, Jon could see both the banners of House Stark and House Targaryen fluttering together in the wind and, for a few minutes, the dragons flew in wide circles above the fortress, attracting attention and probably scaring many people below.

He could see that several of the fortress's inhabitants had come out to see what was happening. He recognized Rickon, Meera, Missandei, Irri, Jhiqui, Rakharo, and Ser Barristan. The Lord Commander of Dany's Queensguard sometimes looked at him as if he were seeing some ghost from his past. A ghost that at the same time scared him and brought back memories of a time he missed. Sometimes Jon had the impression that Selmy saw in him someone he had known intimately, someone he had lost and hadn't had time to say goodbye to.

The three dragons landed in the same place they were previously. Admiring and curious looks greeted them as they dismounted the dragons. The three dragons lay down next to each other and the two direwolves joined them naturally.

“This was much better than I imagined! The feeling of freedom is incredible.” said Arya as she joined them and hugged Daenerys who didn't hesitate to return the hug.

Jon watched them tenderly. The two women he loved most in his life had become great friends and were very attached to each other.

“Weren’t you afraid?” asked Dany when they separated.

“Only at the beginning, when we started to climb.” she replied in an enthusiastic tone.

“My sister was always the bravest among my siblings.” he commented and Arya gave him a wide smile.

“Tell me, what did you two feel?” asked Dany in a curious and anxious tone.

“Warmth.” replied Arya as he said “A warm feeling.”

The two brothers looked at each other and Arya continued “And then I felt Viserion's presence in my mind just like I feel Nymeria's.”

Jon nodded. “I felt the same way with Rhaegal and then it was like I was being showered with dragonfire.”

Arya nodded. “Me too. It was scary and freeing at the same time.”

Dany gave them a blindingly proud smile before saying “Now their behavior makes sense. They both chose and bonded with you as their riders.”

Jon and Arya exchanged surprised looks and Arya said “But you're their mother!”

“How is this possible?” Jon asked.

“I will always be their mother and this bond I have with them will never be broken, but I already created a bond as Drogon's rider and the other two needed to find their own riders. And they finally found. It’s the two of you. I suspected this might happen when I saw them playing with Ghost and Nymeria for the first time.” she explained “And you will need to fly with them more to strengthen the newly created bonds between them and the two of you.” she added.

They both nodded and then Arya asked in an emotional tone “But why did they choose us?”

Dany gave her a sincere smile before responding, “I believe it's because I trust you two.” and she offered a hand to Arya and another to Jon, and they didn't hesitate to take them. “Since the birth of my dragons, I've thought about what it would be like to meet the other two people who would ride Rhaegal and Viserion.” she continued “I was afraid they would fly away from me and form bonds with people I didn't know or trust, but they couldn't have made better choices.”

Dany had told him and Arya how she had made her dragons' petrified eggs come to life and he couldn't help but remember everything his Dany had lost, everything she had sacrificed to bring the dragons back to the world. Jon felt his heart fill with warmth and pride. He couldn't deny that he felt honored to have been chosen by the dragon.

He kissed his queen's hand before saying “I feel honored to have been chosen by Rhaegal and I promise to do my best to be worthy of the trust of both of you.”

Beside him, Arya nodded before saying “I feel the same way.”

Tears ran down Dany's cheeks and, unable to resist, he took off one of his gloves and gently wiped them away. She gave him a grateful smile before saying “When I lost my entire family and was left alone in a land that wasn't mine, all I could do was regain the kingdom of my ancestors and seek to improve everyone's lives. I have come to wish that the Targaryen house name was associated with prosperity and new, better times. I wanted to give a better, new world to the people of Westeros and I imagined that to do so I would have to marry someone to strengthen alliances, but I didn't expect that I would find a new family with my allies.”

Jon and Arya hugged her. They were separated by the arrival of one of the Unsullied. He approached Dany and handed her a message and then one to Jon and said something he didn't understand.

Arya whispered “He said the crows just arrived and Sam asked him to deliver them.”

He thanked his sister for her kindness and read the message. It came from the Wall with news about the movements of the creatures.

Jon saw Dany smile as she finished reading hers. “Lady Asha reports that all boats have left for Dragonstone.”

One of the Queen's biggest concerns was evacuating people who were unable to fight to the islands around Westeros. The Lords and Ladies of the North had organized everything while he and Arya were in Dragonstone mining obsidian and helping Dany retake the Iron Throne and unify Westeros. The fact that they had a creature to show and prove what was happening in the North had made their job easier.

Initially they would evacuate the northmen to Dragonstone. Fortunately Lady Asha had offered to also welcome people to the Iron Islands and, with Lady Brienne's intermediation, Lord Selwyn Tarth would also welcome refugees to Tarth. With more places available, they decided to evacuate the regions below the Neck as well. If necessary, they would also send refugees to Driftmark, and Claw Isle, and even to Essos.

“And Lord Manderly reports that the first ships with wildfire arrived at White Harbor and half of them continued on to the Wall.” she continued “He will prepare the rest of the cargo for transport in the next few days. The boats will return to King’s Landing taking more refugees to Dragonstone.”

They had found an enormous amount of wildfire stored underground in King's Landing. Ser Jaime had told them how the Queen's father had planned to use it to burn King's Landing during the usurper's rebellion and, years earlier, some of it had been used by Lord Tyrion against Stannis's fleet.

Their plan was to use some of the wildfire to burn the section of forest closest to the Wall when the creatures began to attack. The other part would be used in traps spread between the Wall and Winterfell and, if possible, even Moat Cailin and would be triggered by the dragons. Now that he and Arya had formed bonds with Rhaegal and Viserion, it would be easier to do so and they could spread more traps over greater distances.

“This one came from the Wall.” he said and looked at two before continuing “Lord Commander Satin says the Rangers have spotted hordes of creatures in several locations throughout the Wall.”

That news made Jon remember the dream he had had when he was still Lord Commander in which the creatures climbed the Wall and he, dressed in black ice armor and a red flaming sword in his hand, sent them back down.

“They must be looking for some weak point to get through.” Arya commented.

He nodded “The Watch builders inspected the entire length of the Wall and repaired the most critical points with the help of the free folk. Giants and mammoths have been a great help in this work.”

“We’d better discuss this with the others.” commented Dany “Perhaps Lord Bran can give us more details about the movements of the creatures.”

The three headed back to the fortress and met with the others to share and discuss the new information. Daenerys suggested that they fly to the Wall to see the situation up close and decide what to do from there and everyone agreed.

The studio emptied out soon after, and as soon as the two were alone, Jon pulled her to him and kissed her until they were both breathless.

When their lips parted, he said “Hi.”

“Hi.” she replied with a smile.

Jon hugged her and she snuggled into his chest to stay warm. He captured her lips with his in a fiery kiss and felt her melt in his arms.

“I missed you.” he whispered against her lips.

He felt her smile and her arms tightened around his torso. “You have no idea how much I wanted to kiss you when I saw you riding Rhaegal.”

“Hmmm… and you have no idea how much I want to kiss you every time I see you. Especially when you’re using something that was mine.”

She moved a few inches away from him and looked him in the eyes.

“The cape isn’t the only thing of yours I’m wearing.” she commented in a suggestive tone.

An involuntary groan escaped him as she showed him the mark he had left on her neck. She had also left several marks on him. His back showed her scratches and there was a bite on his shoulder. The memory of their bodies entwined made him wish he could have her there and now.

His Dany laughed softly and his heart skipped a beat. Maybe he wasn't brought back from the dead just to fight the Others. The more time he spent next to the woman in his arms, the more he thought he was brought back so he could love her.

“Will you see me tonight?” she asked and there was a mixture of anxiety and desire in her beautiful violet eyes.

“If that is what my queen wishes.”

“Yes, that is what I wish.” she stated “Is that what you want?”

He nodded “I want to spend this and every night and every day that I have left by your side.”

She gave him a warm smile before saying, “Then we both want the same thing, my love.”

He had no idea what good he had done in life to deserve the privilege of having the love of a woman like Daenerys Targaryen.

“Say it again.” he asked.

Dany smiled and repeated “My love.”

“Again.”

She laughed and repeated “My love.”

Jon caressed her cheek and she closed her eyes. “Do you have any idea how much I love you?”

Dany opened her eyes and looked at him “I know how much I love you.” she replied “I would gladly sacrifice my life for yours, Jon.”

That was exactly how Jon felt. He would also sacrifice his own life for her and, he felt, he would sacrifice even Westeros for her, but he knew his Dany well enough to know that she would sacrifice her own life for their people and would never accept their sacrifice for her. As she herself had told him, a monarch belonged to the people and the gods put them in the world to protect those who could not protect themselves.

“And my life is yours, Dany.” he informed “Yours to do with it, with me, whatever you want.”

She gave him a tender smile and asked “Whatever I want?” he nodded and she added “How about a kiss?”

He fulfilled her request enthusiastically and, after one last kiss, they separated. He would get his things ready for the trip to the Wall the next morning so he could spend the night with his Dany without worrying about it.

Ghost caught up to him before he reached his quarters and his chest filled with warmth as he thought of how their pack had grown with the arrival of Daenerys and her dragons in their lives.

As Old Nan had once told him, when the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies, but the pack survives, and if it were up to Jon, his entire pack would see the arrival of spring.

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catofadifferentcolor · 11 months

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Terrible Fic Idea #52: Targaryen Restoration, but make it magical

I have approximately a thousand and one thoughts about Brynden Rivers. This is less to do with his position as The Three-Eyed Raven and more to do with all he accomplished before becoming part of a tree - becoming Hand of the King, playing a key role in defeating three Blackfyre Rebellions; becoming Lord Commander of the Night's Watch. In addition to being a master of realpolitik, he is an example of everything Jon Snow could have become in a world where Rhaegar won.

So, naturally, my mind took all the things I love about Bloodraven, mixed in a little TH White, and came up with: What if Brynden Rivers got to be House Targaryen's Merlin - and its King Arthur?

Aka: The Shiera Snowbird Fic

Just imagine it:

Everything in Robert's Rebellion happens as per canon - save Rhaegar gets his Visenya. Or, more accurately, his Shiera, as Lyanna's daughter is born with all of her mother's beauty and a pair of mismatched eyes: one lilac, one dove grey.

Shiera Snow, as she is called, is raised as Ned Stark's bastard in Winterfell. Like her namesake, she becomes a great reader, found more often in the company of the Maester than any of her half-siblings, and by the time of Jon Arryn's death there are rumors she has become a sorceress of the blackest arts.

These rumors are fueled in part by Lady Catelyn, who sees Shiera's great beauty and fears she will use it to seduce her way into Robb's inheritance, and in part because of Shiera herself, who seeks out the Witches of the Wolfswood and keeps no gods.

The truth is rather different - Shiera is a budding greenseer, haunted by dreams she can't explain - dreams of the Long Night and an albino man with a red birthmark crying out to her for help. In her search for explanations, she's dived further into the esoteric than any in the North have in years but found none of the answers she seeks.

When Ned goes south, Shiera heads north, eventually crossing the Wall and reaching the cave of the three-eyed raven. She rescues a surprisingly youthful Brynden Rivers from the roots of weirwood trees and destroys the Children of the Forest who were keeping him hostage, using the magic of his Blackwood and Targaryen blood to hasten the return of the Others and the destruction of mankind.

While canon proceeds elsewhere - Ned is executed, the War of Five Kings rages, Daenerys becomes the Mother of Dragons - Brynden teaches Shiera the secrets of sorcery and reveals her Targaryen ancestry. Together they work to ensure the success of Dany and Young Griff's actions in Essos - and the downfall of their enemies in Westeros.

Dany and Young Griff - who truly is Aegon VI - join forces, wed, and reconquer most of Westeros, which is too divided to stand against them.

Eventually Dany and Aegon make their way North to determine why no word has been heard from the Kingdom since a single bloodied missive was sent to King's Landing by the Boltons some years before - and why no messengers who pass The Neck return alive. They and their armies learn that the Wall has fallen and the Others have overrun most The North.

They're almost equally surprised to find Bloodraven and Shiera - by this point called Snowbird for the snow buntings she wargs into - leading a group of survivors in the ruins of Winterfell.

An extended War for the Dawn sequence follows, with Aegon VI proving to be Azor Ahai reborn, Dany agreeing to die so that Lightbringer can be reforged, and Aegon dying in battle with the Night's King.

Brynden and Shiera, whose magic was instrumental in defeating the Others, are now the last of Targaryen blood left alive. Only they can control the dragons Dany brought into the world. They are crowned King and Queen of the Seven Kingdoms somewhat against their own desires, but well aware that the civil war that would follow if they refused would decimate an already destroyed realm.

What follows shouldn't quite be a golden age, but should be an age of great renewal and rebirth - a Renaissance, if the Renaissance included the return of magic.

Bonuses include: 1) Everything about Shiera Snowbird echoing Shiera Seastar, intentionally or unintentionally, with at least half the accusations of sorcery against her in her youth coming more from male fear of an educated woman and female jealousy of her beauty; 2) Unlike everyone else, Bloodraven should find only surface similarities between his half-sister and great-niece, and be repeatedly heard to say they are very different people; 3) Brynden and Shiera's relationship starting very much on mentor-mentee footing, which slowly evolves into friendship and true respect. The romance between them should be very late to the game and only come after Brynden realizes that the relationship he had with Shiera Seastar was deeply unhealthy; 4) As much magic as can be shoehorned into the world, with more magic being capable the more people believe - and the stronger Dany's dragons become; and 5) The triumph of practical, pragmatic politics over all else.

And that's all I have for this plot bunny. As always, feel free to adopt this bun, just link back if you ever do anything with it.

More Terrible Fic Ideas

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asongofstarkandtargaryen · 11 months

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Say Robert and Cersei by some miracle had a successful marriage, viserys and daenerys live happy live in essos and the others just mind their business who do you think the starklings would've been betrothed to

Robb - Alys Karstark I don't think the starks can get away with having two Southern ladies of winterfell in a row during peace time at this point so a northern lady is likely and alys is the same age, karstarks are quite powerful

Sansa- If this timeline Joffrey is nicer then him otherwise maybe Willas

Arya - It sounds but maybe jojen, ned and howland are friends and jojen would be accepting of arya being "unladylike" since her and meera are quite similar

Bran - I think ned would've convinced bran out of joining the KG to further expand the house through possibly giving him moat cailin to rebuid but he still would've allowed him to be a knight and given the manderlys follow the seven, i think wylla manderly is a good option, maybe shireen if stannis was convinced to have bran as a squire and bran proved himself worthy of her

Rickon - I think he still would've had a wild side even without his circumstances so maybe a girl from the northern mountain clans or skagos

Hello! It's an interesting topic and I'm glad you also shared your view so we can have a conversation speculating about it :)

Robb: Alys Karstark is on the same age with him, Karstarks are loyal to Starks ( and kin!) and it seems that her own father would like to see his daughter being engaged to the future Walden of the North. Actually, every noble Northerner would like their daughter to become future Lady of Winterfell and it's understandable. With that being said, I think the best choice for Robb would be to marry a Manderly girl as they control North's biggest harbour and they are a very rich House.

Sansa: Ned never showed interest for an alliance alliance with the South and neither did the former Stark generations ( with the exception of the previous generation but considering how Ned's siblings ended up, I doubt he's eager to send any of his children to the South). The Tyrells also never showed interest in allying themselves with the North before Robb was declared KITN and was involved in the war of 5 kings. So, I don't see a wedding between Sansa and a southern lord.

I guess marrying Joffrey Baratheon would be an exception Ned would have to make because you can't simply decline a royal offer (as it happened in canon). The only other southern exception would be Robert Arryn. The boy not only is kin but also the son of Ned's beloved mentor. I think he would trust Jon and Lysa Arryn to keep his daughter safe than he would trust Robert and Cersei (understandable). The more I think about it, the ideal scenario for Sansa who wanted to live the southern fairy tale would be to go to Vale ( which coincidentally is the place she currently is in canon)

Bran: I'm moving to Bran instead of Arya because I can see him being connected to Sansa's future. First of all, I don't think that Ned would deny Bran to become a knight. He might not be fond of the idea but he would allow him to do it as he planned to do in canon. Again, he wouldn't like for his son to go to Kings Landing. The only exception would be if Sansa was betrothed to Joffrey. In that case, maybe he could consider to let his son go to the capital so his sister won't be all alone and visa versa ( the lone wolf dies but the pack survives). Now, in my favoured scenario where Sansa goes to Vale, Bran could also go with her and be Brynden Tully's squire. I think Ned would trust the Blackfish the most to train his son and his friend Jon Arryn to keep an eye on the boy.

As for marriage, any northern lady could potentially become Bran's wife. Maybe even Alys Karstark, as I see it more likely Ned to choose her for the wife of his second son. But I want to say Meera Reed ( because of Bran's canon crush).

Arya: Any northern noble could potentially become Arya's husband and ofc someone who could inherit a castle would be preferred. Just to name a few candidates: Harrion Karstark, Daryn Hornwood ( if he wasn't already engaged to Alys Karstark like in canon), Smalljon Umber, Benfred Tallhart and Cley Cerwyn.

Rickon: I doubt that Rickon would be half as wild if he was raised with his whole family by his side. Once again, he could marry any noble girl. Maybe a girl who is the sole heir to her family so they can live on her castle. Otherwise, Ned would have to provide a place to live for his youngest son.

#house Stark #valyrianscrolls #robb stark #sansa stark #arya stark #bran stark #rickon stark #asoiaf ask

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arielchelby · 8 months

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First and Last Lines

Rules: Go to your last 5 completed fics and share the first and last line with no context :)

Thanks for the tag @girlwithakiwi !

As the World Falls Down (A Song of Ice and Fire, Jon Snow/Daenerys Targaryen)

First: Jon was panting when he reached the open gate of the Dragon Castle.

Last: But he picked it up and turned it in his palm.

Burn and Consume (A Song of Ice and Fire, Jon Snow/Daenerys Targaryen)

First: The hateful black sails of the pretender could be seen from her balcony, gentle waves lapping against the bows of at least a hundred ships surrounding their island.

Last: “Get on the bed, little dragon. There’s much to be done.”

In Another Life: The Lord and Lady of Dragonstone (A Song of Ice and Fire, Jon Snow/Daenerys Targaryen)

First: Night had fallen on Dragonstone and white caps stood out in the darkness as they lapped gently against shore.

Last: She cradled his head in her hands and kissed him sweetly. “I’ve many more blessings in store for you.”

Summer of Love (A Song of Ice and Fire, Jon Snow/Daenerys Targaryen)

First: It was the first day of their annual trip to Essos, and the smell of fish and chlorine filled the humid air as children rushed past him under the blue lights of the aquarium. Last: Dany closed her eyes and focused on the warmth of his embrace. “Feels like home.”

In Another Life (A Song of Ice and Fire, Jon Snow/Daenerys Targaryen)

First: Everything was dark.

Last: "Good thing we have the rest of our lives."

I'm tagging @alwaysdaenerys @littledancer9 @moon-ruled-rising and whoever else wants to join!

#ariel writes #jonerys fanfic #tag games

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vdragoncatgirl · 1 year

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Winter’s Dragonfire

chapter 1 - king’s landing

the hound/sandor clegane x targaryen female oc

roughly follows canon timeline (tv)

From a dinasty once defeated, a child with unmistakable silver hair was born in the frosted lands of the North. Her journey east awaits with a kiss of fire.

words: 3083

notes: short chapter! introductory! hope you all like it. also posted in AO3 (link below)

Tywin Lannister looked across the strategy table, and surrounded by his guards stood a scrawny looking young woman with a distraught look on her face. She wore simple riding clothes and was looking around frantically, perhaps trying to find a way to escape. The girl seemed to be in her late teens or early twenties and her skin was white as a ghost’s. She looked ahead with big pale green eyes, and an expressive face with strong features. What stood out most, though, was her hair: it was all the way long to her hips with uneven wavy ends, but above all, it was of silver colour, and it made her look exactly like a Targaryen.

— What’s your name, girl?

She jumped at the sound of his voice and locked eyes with Tywin.

— Rhaenys Snow. — she muttered, trying to stop her voice from shaking.

— So, Rhaenys Snow, what brings a young peasant woman riding alone straight into a war camp? — he looked intently at the girl with piercing clear eyes she couldn’t bear for long. Though there were guards and other men in the tent, it felt as if it was just the two of them.

— I was trying to get to the next port to the Narrow Sea when these men captured me. I have nothing to do with this war, I just happened to ride past this camp by accident. If I can get back on my horse I will be on my way immediately. — she said hastily, barely making one word from the other.

The Lannister men all scoffed. Rhaenys was starting to panic and could barely stand still.

— Do you believe yourself to be a Targaryen, girl?

She froze, that being the worst question the man could have asked at that moment. The simplest answer was: yes. But that was no simple situation, and she had no idea of what answer she could give that would decide between a bad and a horrible fate.

— If you really believe you are one, — Tywin did not wait for a response. — you must know what that means. You are certainly aware of what, or who, lies beyond the Narrow Sea in Essos where you were headed: a silver-haired girl just like yourself. Except she has true blood and will likely join in in the war for the iron throne. Think for a time and answer: do you still think you have nothing to do with this war?

Rhaenys stood silent. He had, somehow, seen into her mind in an admirable display of deduction. Though why else would someone so similar to a Targaryen be risking their lives to ride across Westeros in the middle of a war if not to get to Essos, where lived the only known Targaryen in the world? There was no point denying her intentions now. She just wanted that moment to end.

— Are you going to kill me now? — she whispered. That seemed like the only reasonable fate after such an awful interrogation.

Tywin scoffed.

— No, girl, I will not. Now that you’ve been seen here, the dragon woman will end up hearing all about you soon. Word travels, even I can’t stop that. There is no way of knowing if you truly are a Targaryen bastard, except from your silver hair, but when this reaches Daenerys’ ears, it will be as a fact. If she finds out you’re dead, gods know what she would try to do. Targaryens have a tendency for madness after all. — he put his hands on the table and stood. — Take this girl to the next messenger riding to King's Landing. — Rhaenys’ eyes met his. — You will be kept there until you can be of use, then we’ll see about this death of yours.

Within the small circle of people who knew her, Rhaenys had been dubbed the curse of the Mad King. Unknowingly to all, she had been a product of Aemon Targaryen’s last escapade from the Night’s Watch into Mole’s Town, before old age took his sight and disposition. All the whores in the pleasure house were horrified when a baby with silver hair was delivered by one of them, and that’s when the curse took place.

The mother, being ostracised in town after the birth, asked her sisters for guidance and some agreed she should have the baby killed. A child with such resemblance to a Targaryen during the Mad King’s reign could not have been a worse omen. The mother, whose name has already been forgotten, despised the infant girl, but couldn’t find it in herself to kill such a young thing. She then begged for a cousin, who was on his way to Winterfell, to take the baby away. And so he did.

From that moment on, all over the neighbouring towns, there was a rumor among the poor folk about a Targaryen child who had been born in Mole’s Town. The lords in the area made an unknown pact to not believe or entice such nonsense but Maester Ciaran, on the other hand, was entirely sure about that baby’s existence. That is because it had made its way from Mole’s Town right into his village near Winterfell, and when the townsfolk started whispering about the child who appeared with a traveler, the maester ran to his encounter and saw the baby for himself. She was identical to a textbook Targaryen with her silver hair, and Ciaran could see most people around were afraid or despised her.

News about the horrifying conclusion of the War of the Usurper had recently reached Ciaran’s ears. As a man with strong beliefs in the Targaryen royal line and right to reign, a Targaryen loyalist as they would say, he then decided to take matters into his own hands, and told the traveler he would keep that child and care for her. The mother’s cousin didn’t hesitate in giving her away and the maester returned home with the baby. He was overjoyed. He did not believe her to be a curse, but rather a blessing of the must unlikely nature.

He named her Rhaenys, a reference to prince Rhaegar’s only daughter who had been recently killed by the Mountain in the War of the Usurper. Maester Ciaran looked after Rhaenys in a loving and caring manner, and there was no doubt he played a fatherly role to her, but that was never spoken of explicitly due to his vows. He taught her how to read and do quite a few simple treatments a maester was required to know, so she was fairly educated considering the context of their small town.

Rhaenys was commonly frowned upon by the people who lived there, but the maester constantly emphasised how she should be proud of her hair and strong features. Even though she would constantly help the villagers as the maester had taught her, they mocked her and called her a cursed child. However, that only made her interest in the Targaryens grow, and she was always eager to learn more about them from Ciaran and his books. He was also always eager to teach her more about the family’s history, as he had no doubt in his heart that his adoptive daughter, or housemaid to the public eye, was in fact born to the House of the Dragon.

Rhaenys was, although considered weird due to her appearance, a fairly normal person, though she did act a little strangely sometimes. Rejection made her take medical duties as merely that, duties, and desensitised to the most gruesome parts of life and death. Although a little self-centred, the girl was overall polite and typically friendly and talkative towards those who didn’t treat her with disdain. The people who did, though, would often see outbursts of anger and cursing as Rhaenys was above all, very short tempered. That didn’t really help her social status, but also made some grow closer to her, since she could be quite amusing with her blabbering about the things that made her laugh and the things that made her mad. Sometimes it was hard to tell if they were laughing with or at her, but she had friends of some sort nonetheless, as well as a suitor or two with whom she could have a little fun.

By the time she was 18, an ever growing tension regarding the heir to the iron throne was erupting. King Robert Baratheon had recently died, much to Rhaenys’ excitement. Robert was the person she hated the most in all seven kingdoms for having treasonously overthrown the Targaryens with such brutality. Now that he was dead, there were multiple lords everywhere wanting to claim their right to reign. At that time, when Robert’s firstborn Joffrey had just been crowned, a rumor reached the girl and the maester’s ears about a Targaryen woman living across the narrow sea who was the mother of three dragons. Rhaenys had always been mocked and called a knock-off Targaryen bastard, a curse of the Mad King that had no family. Due to that, the news about Daenerys filled her with newfound hope to finally own that and make something out of it. Upon hearing this, maester Ciaran started making plans as to how she could go about that. There was no hard proof the girl was, in fact, a Targaryen by blood except for her appearance. But if the Mother of Dragons were to see her and believe her, Rhaenys could be destined to a greatness fit for one of the few remaining Targaryens in the world. That was what her father had always dreamt and wanted for her.

For some time Ciaran and the girl schemed a journey that would take her to meet Daenerys. She would have to lay low and attract as little attention as possible. They decided she would ride south to the Vale and cross to its port, one that should be easy to access relatively unnoticed. Then, she would get in a boat that would take her to Essos, and from there she would find her way to the Khaleesi.

It was a very dangerous plan, so Rhaenys spent a couple of months preparing. Maester Ciaran gave her every instruction and provision she might need, and the girl worked hard in a neighbour’s livestock farm for a few weeks to get a feeble and old horse they had in return. Every bit of time that wasn’t spent working, it was spent preparing for the journey east. The townsfolk all ended up hearing about their plans, and some were thankful to see the cursed woman leaving the town for once. Others were cautious and concerned, so would try to dissuade Rhaenys at every chance they got to speak to her, saying things about murder, rape and war. The girl could only pretend that it didn't scare her, but maester Ciaran could see right through it. One evening in their home, he sat her down and said, with his hand on her shoulder.

— My girl. — he sighed and smiled. His dark hair, the reason behind his name, had already turned gray, and his tired face was illuminated by the fireplace. — As you know, you and I have been working hard lately on getting you to our true queen. You should be with her when she comes to conquer the seven kingdoms, I believe that with all my heart. However, we both have to have faith that she can do it alone as well. I see how afraid you are. You are right to be, and I want you to know that if you change your mind at any point, it will be just fine. I will never stop cherishing you.

— I don’t want to leave you, father. — she sobbed and held the maester tightly, tears dripping down his chains. Being alone without him around was much more frightening than any raper and war that she may expect to find. — I need you with me, I can’t do it on my own.

— Of course you do, my dear Rhaenys. You’re stronger and brighter than anyone I’ve ever met. You are strong enough to conquer the seven kingdoms if you wish. — that was a thing he always said to her when she was feeling down. She laughed through the tears and looked at his aging face. — Don’t worry about me, my sweet girl. I need to be here to care for our people. They trust us and they need us. I will do my duty as I always have, and you will do yours.

Rhaenys looked down at her apron, which was wet with a few tear droplets. She was terribly afraid of leaving, but was even more afraid of disappointing her father and herself.

— I will do it. — she wiped the tears from her cheeks. — I will meet our queen and I will return to Westeros alongside her. Then we will meet again. Right, father?

The maester kissed her at the top of her head with a sad smile.

— Of course we will, my girl.

The day of Rhaenys’ departure came shortly after. Dozens of people in town came to see her off, both those who liked her and those who didn’t. Either way, that silver haired girl was pretty popular with the townsfolk. Those who came right before she got on her horse saw her bawling her eyes out in maester Ciaran’s arms as they said goodbye. She was known to be very emotional, so no one was surprised to see her cry like that. They saw the maester grab her by the shoulders and encourage her sternly, to which she responded by wiping her face and giving him one last hug. Rhaenys got up on her old little brown horse, packed with loads of bags, and looked back at everyone watching her. Her cheeks became red to see so many people there saying goodbye to her, even if some were glad to see her leave. She felt she meant something to all of them somehow. She waved at them, finding her friends in the crowd and smiling. The girl only faced away when she could barely see any person at all in the distance.

It had been two weeks from the day she left when Rhaenys found herself being almost raped and then captured in a Lannister war camp in the Riverlands. She lost everything she had taken with her; every useful item and every last piece of coin the maester had given her from his modest hidden stash, the little amount of money that saved her from getting brutalised. She was taken to Tywin Lannister and now, she had her hands tied while she rode in the opposite direction from her journey on the way to King’s Landing. In the meantime, lord Eddard Stark was beheaded for treason, and after another fortnight of uncomfortable days riding with unknown men and sleepless nights frightened by their presence, Rhaenys finally arrived at King’s Landing. She was baffled by the scale of the city and the grandiosity of its buildings, the biggest a village girl had ever seen. It smelled foul, but she was very interested in seeing the sept of Baelor in the sky and thinking about the Targaryens who ruled in that place for so many years. Even though she was excited about the sightseeing, the Lannister soldiers put a cloak over her head and told her to lay low. She was not allowed to have a single strand of silver hair visible until they entered the Red Keep.

There, she was lifted from the horse and put on the ground, hands tied still. Rhaenys looked around the patio to see rows of knights from the Kingsguard standing there, and felt a chill crawl down her spine as she realised what had really happened to her. Before arriving, she didn’t have a clear notion of where she was going, but now she saw it for herself. The girl watched with widened eyes the knights getting into a different formation as steps approached from the hall. She lowered her head as a blonde woman with very long hair in an exquisite dress walked up to her. They removed her cloak abruptly, and she saw the woman had a weird and uncomfortable grin on her face.

— Is this the bastard my father sent? — she asked one of the soldiers who had brought Rhaenys.

— Yes, Your Grace. That’s the one claiming to be a Targaryen.

The woman standing before her was none other than Cersei Lannister, the Queen mother. Rhaenys was terrified now, and couldn’t bear to look anywhere else than her feet and raggedy boots. Her heart was racing, but she tried her best to conceal her heavy breathing by clutching her hands on her shirt.

— Look at me. — Cersei took the girl’s face in her hands and pushed her head up by her chin. She examined her hair, grabbed her face by the cheeks and looked at the girl’s eyes and every feature with the same odd expression. Then she let go harshly and Rhaenys looked straight ahead, avoiding eye contact. She hated being touched by strangers.

— Take her down to the basement room. Give her the bare minimum care, nothing else. Go. — The queen said quickly, turned her back and walked away. As she did, the knights went back to their previous formation.

A septa appeared from the hallway and grabbed the girl’s arm roughly. Walking fast, she dragged Rhaenys around the castle, court members looking at her and whispering as she passed, so she turned her face away every time. But even through the pain and humiliation, she was mesmerised by the scale of the riches of that place. After a long walk and a few flights of stairs, the septa opened the door to reveal a small room with a bed, a little fire place and a bunch of old objects laying around the floor as rubbish. It was just as the queen had described: the bare minimum, nothing else.

Rhaenys gave the septa a death stare, but she seemed unfazed. She limited herself to leaving and locking the door behind her. The girl screamed with frustration upon realising she was now completely trapped inside that awful place. Tears formed in her eyes, she picked a piece of wood from the floor, the broken leg of a chair, and tossed it out the tiny window of the chamber. For hours, the girl alternated between fits of crying and bouts of depression. At night, some maid brought her a stale soup, probably leftover of the servant’s supper, and she ate it unwillingly. Rhaenys fell asleep purely out of exhaustion.

#sandor clegane #sandor clegane fic #sandor clegane x oc #game of thrones #the hound #game of thrones the hound #game of thrones fic #game of thrones oc #romance #mywriting #angst #winter’s dragonfire

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thevelaryons · 4 days

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sooooo I think Aurane will join Aegon first and later join Daenerys. I don’t think he will sit and wait for her while Aegon and company take over. thoughts?

Yeah possibly. Daenerys still has her whole arc in Essos to finish (Dothraki/Slaver’s Bay/Volantis/maybe Pentos/maybe Braavos). That’ll take at least half or one-third of TWOW. I don’t see her getting to Westeros until end of TWOW or beginning of ADOS. Meanwhile, Aegon has already begun his war campaign in Westeros. He’s a likelier candidate for Aurane to support (though his talk of dragons does suggest he was hoping that Daenerys would be the Targaryen claimant taking over Westeros). But the dragonless Targaryen will have to do in the meantime.

#asoiaf #aurane waters #aegon vi targaryen #daenerys targaryen #ask

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isefyres · 3 months

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𝐀 𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐆 𝐎𝐅 𝐈𝐂𝐄 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐄 𝐌𝐔𝐒𝐄𝐒

Meredyth Crane known as Merry Crane, is a noblewoman of House Crane. Merry is one of Margaery Tyrell's lady attendants in King's Landing. Merry is part of Lady Margaery's retinue. She often goes hawking with Janna Fossoway and Lady Margaery. Merry is shameless and openly flirtacious with the knights and kingsguard, which leads to Queen Cersei plotting to have the Tyrells fall for false accusations. Canon.

Elmor Tully. Youngest brother to Catelyn, Lysa and Edmure. Elmor was thought to have died in childbirth but had his first breath minutes before being declared. They say because of this, Elmor has a connection with the dead and can feel the aura of things. He was fostered at Raventree before being returned to his brother Edmure. He was taken prisoner after the Red Wedding. Semi-OC.

Artemysia Hotah of Norvos. A Lady informant of Princess Mellario of Norvos, Artemysia's brother is part of the kingsguard in Dorne while her mission there is to inform the Princess of her children and what they are up to. She is also a healer and was the one who saved Princess Myrcella's life. OC.

Ser Terrick Tarbeck. The last of the Tarbecks after the Reyne's Rebellion. Terrick was raised as a "ward" of Casterly Rock and tutored by Tywin Lannister to keep the boy close and manipulate him at ever step. After the death of Ser Arys Oakhart, Terrick is made Princess Myrcella's sworn sword as he travels to Dorne. OC.

Kojja Mo is the daughter of Quhuru Mo, the captain of the Cinnamon Wind. Kojja serves as the translator for the crew of the Cinnamon Wind while Samwell Tarly and Maester Aemon and Gilly travel aboard the ship. Her ship has connections to the Night's Watch. Canon.

Barsena Blackhair is a pit fighter famed in Meereen. Her origin is unknown, but she supports the pit fighting culture of the city. It is said that Barsena has slain every woman she has faced in the fighting pits of Meereen in the last eight years. After being injured by Drogon, Barsena joins the Dothraki as Daenerys' guard and travels to Westeros. Canon.

Haera Banefort. Heir of Banefort, a title in dispute as her father is held captive by the Lannisters. Haera considers her father a traitor and has taken the castle to herself. In retribution, Haera plans to allow the rivermen to take the castle to make their way to Casterly Rock if they ever make they way across the continent. OC.

Ser Brandon Cassel. Nephew of Rodrick Cassel, he was in Essos during business when he found out of the war. Learning his niece, a child, has been named the heir and was taken captive and threatened, Brandon travels back to Westeros and declares for Jon Snow as King in the North when he hears Robb Stark declared him the heir. OC.

#artwork╲ houses › mutuals can interact.

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goodqueenaly · 2 years

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@nobodysuspectsthebutterfly wrote about this a few years ago, but I love the idea so much that I just wanted to write my own take on it - that is, the idea of Daenerys freeing the women and children of Hardhome forcibly captured by Lyseni slavers.

For context, here’s Arya’s description of the situation from AFFC:

"I know where the slaves came from. They were wildlings from Westeros, from a place called Hardhome. An old ruined place, accursed." Old Nan had told her tales of Hardhome, back at Winterfell when she had still been Arya Stark. "After the big battle where the King-Beyond-the-Wall was killed, the wildlings ran away, and this woods witch said that if they went to Hardhome, ships would come and carry them away to someplace warm. But no ships came, except these two Lyseni pirates, Goodheart and Elephant, that had been driven north by a storm. They dropped anchor off Hardhome to make repairs, and saw the wildlings, but there were thousands and they didn't have room for all of them, so they said they'd just take the women and the children. The wildlings had nothing to eat, so the men sent out their wives and daughters, but as soon as the ships were out to sea, the Lyseni drove them below and roped them up. They meant to sell them all in Lys. Only then they ran into another storm and the ships were parted. The Goodheart was so damaged her captain had no choice but to put in here, but the Elephant may have made it back to Lys.[”]

Now, while Arya says it is possible the Elephant returned to Lys with its enslaved cargo, I have my doubts. Any ship sailing from Hardhome (or, indeed, virtually any Westerosi port on its east coast) to Lys has to pass through the Stepstones - a chancy prospect in normal times, given the islands’ usual designation as the favorite hideout of pirates and corsairs, preying on that same trade route, but made even more dangerous in late AFFC/ADWD. One new player has joined the game in the Stepstones - Aurane Waters, formerly grand admiral under Cersei, now the self-styled “Lord of the Waters” in command of the dromonds Cersei had ordered built. With 10 professionally built warships under his command, Aurane could very easily establish himself as the dominant local power in the Stepstones, one which would not think twice about swallowing such a prize as a Lyesene slaver galley. (It’s also worth noting, of course, that Salladhor Saan may be in the area practicing piracy as well, although we’ve heard basically nothing of him since he dropped off Davos at Sweetsister, which makes speculating on his possible Stepstones activity far more difficult.)

In any event, Aurane’s fleet is dwarfed by a far larger navy currently to the east - that is, the Iron Fleet. Even battered by its long journey from the Shields to Meereen, the Iron Fleet remains a formidable naval presence. If Daenerys takes over this fleet to have her forces brought west as she begins the journey back to Westeros (and I don’t think that’s a far-fetched idea), then she and this fleet will have to go through those same Stepstones to get north to King’s Landing. Maybe Aurane voluntarily turns over the Elephant and its enslaved people to Daenerys, to curry favor in return for being named the new Lord of Driftmark (since he’s had quite a bit of practice trying to advance via well-placed women), or maybe Daenerys demands these women and children be freed; either way, I certainly don’t think Daenerys is simply going to ignore enslaved Westerosi women and children and not instead free them (again, presuming she comes across them).

I love this idea for the way that it combines Daenerys’ identities, both present and future. Daenerys has long been the Breaker of Chains, the liberator of enslaved people and stalwart enemy of slavery. I’ve believed for a long time, and continue to believe, that Daenerys’ fight against the chattel slavery of Slavers’ Bay and Essos more generally is not only important on its own (although it is) but also key as a prefigurement of her ultimate destiny - that is, to save Westeros from the Others, eldritch slavers bent on destroying and/or enslaving anything and everything we call life. Indeed, I very much believe that Daenerys will have to realize (I think in the aftermath of the jade holocaust of King’s Landing) that her fight is not only in the North, but one where she has to be both Breaker of Chains and Mother of Dragons, wielding her dragons to stop the Others.

So how fitting for Daenerys if the first Westerosi (beyond her small and largely individual advisers) she encounters would be northern women and children with intimate, harrowing experience of the Others, trying to escape this supernatural slavery only to be forced into chattel slavery. These people, politically and culturally exiled for millennia on the far side of the Wall, present Daenerys with her ultimate mission; as she already has united formerly enslaved people and advisers of many backgrounds under her banner (and will have probably united Dothraki under her leadership as the prophesied stallion who mounts the world), so her final role, I think, is to defend all Westerosi against the Others, recognizing the free folk as equally worth of rescue as the subjects of the Iron Throne. Even if Daenerys doesn’t quite accept this mission immediately - and I do think she’ll be more focused on her political goal for the moment, until that jade holocaust - she would have now before her the very embodiment of her destiny, not only continuing her fight against chattel slavery but now understanding (or at least beginning to understand) the supernatural slavery she must eventually defeat.

Too, such a plot point might also help Daenerys find even more common ground with the Starks, and particularly Jon. After all, Jon himself actively sought to save the people of Hardhome from the Others; if his first mission ended in failure and his second mission was doomed to an even greater failure (had it been carried out, of course), his desire to do so was no less admirable and rooted in both empathy and practical understanding of the Others. What better way for Daenerys to present herself to Jon than to point to her own role in saving people from Hardhome, and her own knowledge gained from them of the Others. If both Jon and Daenerys are fated to fight and destroy the Others - and I very much think they are - then having this meeting of the minds before the final showdown might help set up their intertwined destinies as major heroes of the apocalyptic crisis; both independently understand (or at least have reason to understand) that the war is one between all the living against the Others, with all other socio-politico-cultural distinctions set aside.

What makes this idea particularly intriguing now is a possible - emphasis on “possible”, that is far from guaranteed - hint in Fire and Blood Volume 1. Toward the end of F&B, Gyldayn details the Daughters’ War, a large-scale conflict in the Narrow Sea following the collapse of the Triarchy. As part of that conflict, Alyn Velaryon led an attack (against the orders of the Iron Throne) with his Velaryon fleet against the Braavosi naval forces in the Stepstones. Alyn achieved a major victory in the subsequent attack, losing only three ships to sink more than 30 and capture 17 more. More to the point, as part of his spoilers, Alyn captured “an elephant meant for the Sealord’s menagerie”, and this elephant becomes a particular point of pride for the now-styled Oakenfist: while Unwin Peake (justifiably, in Gyldayn’s opinion) complained that “’[y]ou have given us a war’” with the “richest and most powerful of the Nine Free Cities”, Alyn “insolently” replied, “‘And an elephant ... do not forget the elephant, my lord’”.

I’m not saying it’s guaranteed that GRRM had Alyn Velaryon underline the “elephant” he captured as a reference to the ship of the same name in the main novels. However ... we have now not just another member of the Velaryon family, but another bastard Velaryon angling for glory and power for himself (indeed, given that Alyn was Lord Velaryon and presumably an ancestor of the modern House Velaryon, it’s very possible if not probable that Aurane is his direct descendant). Here again is a bastard Velaryon with an eagerness to command his own navy, even against the will of the Iron Throne: Lord Alyn deliberately disobeyed the Hand of the King and his chosen naval commander, Gedmund Peake, in order to attack the Braavosi forces in the Stepstones with his own ships, while Aurane of course took the ships he as lord admiral specifically recommended Cersei had the government commission to create a pirate kingdom for himself in the same area. Now with the focus given to the “elephant” captured by the historical Velaryon bastard in the Stepstones ... well, it just seems too coincidental to have our current Velaryon bastard in the Stepstones and the Elephant sailing through those same islands without some sort of parallel explored. If the historical, living elephant was eventually returned to the Sealord, perhaps this Elephant, with its Westerosi, will instead be returned to a Braavosi-raised queen claiming the right to rule Westeros and with as implacable a hatred of slavery as Braavos.

#asoiaf meta #speculation #daenerys targaryen #the stepstones #hardhome #twow #aurane waters

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