247AN: Thanks anybody who reviewed I figured I would respond to some of them here
lolitathegoddessorca860: Glad you liked it. You were my first ever reviewer so you're awesome, thank you.
SemiraEris: I am glad you enjoyed it and appreciate your opinion on the question I posed last chapter. I wanted to develop an AU that had similar qualities to cannon with minor differences that made big impact. I agree Nela is cute. I'll let you see how I handled that in this chapter. You get both Aerion and Arya POV in this chapter.
naleight: I only took two years of French in high school so I understood very little of what you wrote but you took the time to review so I took the time to make sure I could respond. Thank you for letting me know what you think. I'm glad you liked Aerion and you get a little bit more insight into how he became the way he is in this chapter. I want Aerion and Arya to be a team of sorts, not have one be reliant on the other and I'm glad that's the way it came across.
Darksnider05: I would gladly read a story of that nature too. That being said, Arya's main goal in returning to the Seven Kingdoms is to finish her list. As far as she knows Stannis already retook the North and returned lordship of Winterfell to Rickon and the Starks. Aerion isn't going to be helping her retake the North nor is he going to help her complete her list, at least not intentionally. Instead I want Aerion to be the sort of man who she wants to be with not the sort that she needs to complete her goals.
Adamaris Black: Thank you for saying it is well-written. I do my best to edit as I write and then do a read through to find any mistakes but I know there are still going to be things I miss. Arya is the person I am most concerned with getting a proper portrayal of, I hope I manage to continue doing so in this chapter. Arya will be the most common POV by far but I want to get Aerion's perspective on things and it is easier to tell certain aspects of his past from his point of view. I will never write a chapter shorter than 10,000 words so no worries there.
Khrystaline: Glad you loved it, Arya is my favorite character is well. I'm not a fan of Arya/Gendry pairings either which is part of the reason I decided to write this. Hope this continues to be interesting for you.
To the guest who said it was the best Arya/OC they've ever read, I'm pleased you think so.
To the guest who said it was an amazing start and update soon, I hope this as just as amazing a continuation and hope five days would be considered soon.
To the guest who believes Aerion to be a Gary Stu. Thank you for the criticism; I can understand where your opinion came from. Perhaps it is just me but I have friends who on the surface seem nothing but perfect seemingly good in all of their endeavors whether they be academic or sports or whatever else it happens to be but once you get past the surface you find their flaws. I think one chapter may be too soon to judge a character in that matter but I can't blame you for it, based on what you were told of him it was reasonable.
NOTE: I made one change to the first chapter. Arya has no longer killed 322 men in five years. That seemed a bit absurd when I reread it so it has been reduced nearly in half.
Italics are thoughts
Warning: Arya describes one of her assassination assignments in this chapter; the one in which she learned the depths of depravity to which man could fall to. There is nothing explicit in the description but I was uncomfortable writing about it so I thought I should let everybody know.
Disclaimer: A song of ice and fire is the property of George R. R. Martin no copyright infringement is in intended and no profit is being made from this story
Arya awoke to stare at the white ceiling of her borrowed room. She had just finished hunting… well Nymeria had just finished hunting. Sometimes it's hard to tell the difference.
A hundred wolves now made up Nymeria's pack; strong wolves that hunted and played together, that killed and fought together, working tirelessly for the pack's betterment. I have that now too. It was an intensely powerful thought for her. Years now I have been a lone wolf after what was done to my family, but now I walk with an army who will fight and kill with me. She hadn't known that feeling in so long.
The Faceless Men, while giving her purpose and skills she valued now more than ever, lacked any sense of family. I was a weapon controlled by hands in the shadows, who meant as little to my purpose as the person I was used to kill. It felt good to have purpose again, she relished the opportunity that waited across the Narrow Sea. Another day and I will finally be on my way back to the Seven Kingdom. A wide smile broke across her face at the thought. In the past five years the thought of actually returning to her home had become little more than a dream, a whisper in the back of her mind, that spoke of things she had tried to forget but never could.
Leaping from her bed, Arya began her day with far more enthusiasm than she had in many years. She bathed quickly and dressed making her way down to the dining hall. It didn't occur to her until she reached her destination that she was up early even for her. It was only just dawn and looking out a window she could see the sun cresting along the horizon.
Suddenly Daenerys's dragons swept across the beautiful scene probably going for an early morning hunt in the country. It's hard to consider a scenario in which we fail with those three creatures on our side.
Of course the Seven Kingdoms were far different than the time of Aegon's Conquest. More importantly the men and women commanding our adversaries are unlikely to bend the knee like Torrhen Stark. They will fight and both sides will suffer for it. Arya was curious to find out exactly what Daenerys's plans were for her invasion, clearly landing so far south she intended to make contact with her supposed nephew but beyond that Arya could only guess. A light coughing pulled Arya from her musings and she turned to see Rhea standing there.
"Arya you are up early, even for you," Rhea pointed out with a smile before gesturing for her to follow , "come breakfast shall be ready shortly and while you and I have talked we have yet to do so just the two of us." Arya nodded and followed her to the table.
One of the two cook's employed at their home brought the pair tea. Each poured a cup in silence and took a drink before Rhea spoke once again, "I take it you are quite excited about leaving tomorrow. You have been extremely exact in your early morning practices and to see you break it was quite surprising to say the least."
"Yes well, I didn't know what to expect when I came here," Arya started to explain with a faint smile, "Daenerys was as likely to have me fed to her dragons for some perceived slight against her family name than to accept my help." The thought, even if ill-conceived was still quite frightening, "I am ecstatic that things turned out the way they have, and to know that in under a month I will be closer to my home than I have been in five years is… well I really don't have words for it."
"I would say I understand but I don't." Rhea started with a sympathetic look, "Pentos has been my home my whole life so while I have come home from far off lands I have nothing near your experience.
"Listening to your story last night," Rhea shook her head as she thought on everything that was told, "it was hard to reconcile the lovely young lady I have come to know over the past two weeks with the girl who watched helplessly as her family was torn apart to the point where she sought refuge with assassins, though it did a much better job of experiencing your skills than a few months training from a First Sword of Braavos."
"The fewer people who have those experiences the better," Arya said sagely before her expression hardened, "There are only a few people who I would wish such a life on and if I have any say they will soon be nothing more than names given to the Many-Faced God."
"And with determination like yours I have no doubt it shall be the case," Rhea responded with certainty. "I have met few people in my life with your conviction." There was obvious respect in her tone.
"Oh I don't know," Arya began lightly before taking another sip of tea, "your son certainly has the same type of determination I do. I sincerely doubt he would be half as skilled as he is otherwise."
"Of that we are agreed," Her smile faltered then, "but you do not yet understand him though I think someday you shall. That he has let you in the way he has speaks volumes of his trust in you."
"I can't help but agree," She still couldn't believe how much trust he'd been willing to show in her, "that he chose to keep my secrets astounded me."
Silence reigned for a long moment as Arya cocked her head and couldn't help but ask, "It occurs to me Aerion is more skilled than most men could ever hope to be." Rhea nodded her agreement as she continued, "He has pushed himself to be the best in everything he has taken an interest in, most men would have been happy simply having the skill to make money with music. What is it that could possibly drive him to such things?"
Rhea was silent for a long moment and Arya thought she would not answer but then, "His father would probably tell you honor, Rhona would probably tell you family, Daessa would tell you glory, his former teachers would tell you the desire to be the best. All of that is true to some extent and each of them thinks that of him because it is what he told them."
Arya couldn't help but be stunned, and slightly irritate, by Rhea's response. While she knew she was beginning to develop a genuine attraction to the young man there was something off putting about the whole thing. No man is that perfect. I don't think the Seven Kingdoms could handle such a rarity as a perfect knight.
Rhea hadn't finished though, "But the truth, as far as I can tell, is that what drives him comes from something more primal and far less noble though no less worthwhile," she paused for a moment, "Fear. Fear drives everything he has ever done from his successes as a child to his successes as an adult. Fear of disappointing his family when first he started playing music, fear of the perceived stain the Blackfyre line left on the world, fear of being unable to protect those he cares about, fear that his name would mean nothing in history despite his talents, fear that he could not protect others. In the end it comes down to a singular fear that whispers to him whatever he does and wherever he goes, failure."
"My father always said that a man can only be brave when he is afraid," She almost whispered, "I never knew him to be wrong about such things."
"And I agree," Rhea said hastily, "My son has done amazing things with fear as his drive if not the actual reason for his success." She frowned as she continued, "But now that he has found a cause he truly believes in that fear will only grip him tighter. That is why I wish he would not go because I fear what will become of him should he fail in his endeavors now more than ever."
"From what you're saying it seems almost as if he has never failed before. How is that possible for a man of eight and ten?" Arya questioned incredulously.
"Arya you are far too experienced to show such naivety." Rhea told her with teasingly, "Of course he has failed, though admittedly less than most men. Those failures bite at him tearing at his mind constantly; they can drive him to such incredible levels of distraction that he seems lost to the world. It took months to pull him from his stupor in the past and knowing his family will not be there to support him should it happen again is disconcerting."
Arya didn't know what words of comfort she could offer, so instead decided to voice her earlier thoughts, "When first you started speaking of him, his supposed drives made him sound perfect."
Rhea laughed rather uproariously at that and Arya couldn't help but join in, "I'm sorry Arya but I think you are well aware that there has never nor will there ever be a perfect man. Some men just hide their faults better than others. Aerion is a good person and a great son but he is flawed just like any other man."
A good thing too, I doubt I could ever love a perfect man. Arya smiled at the older woman, "I look forward to finding the cracks in his armor that is half the fun in knowing a person after all."
"And I would agree with you," Rhea stared at Arya, clearly contemplating her next words, before she spoke, "I have a request of you."
Arya lifted one eyebrow in curiosity, "Really, what would that be?"
"During your campaign to retake the Iron Throne in the name of Daenerys Targaryen there is no doubt in my mind that Aerion shall experience failure either great or small. I simply ask that you be there for him."
There was a hint of pleading in her tone that seemed entirely out place for the regal woman, "Whatever else may come of you two," there was a hint of smile on her lips at that, "he trusts you and despite his many talents, or more like because of them, he has had few friends in life that he truly trusted."
"I shall do my best Rhea," Arya stated firmly, "I can promise nothing more."
"I understand," She smiled widely, "but something tells me your best shall be enough, thank you Arya."
Silence reigned until twenty minutes later Nela came down for breakfast Aerion in tow. Nela sat down next to Arya and Aerion took up her other side. Nela began chattering away about the various things she wanted to do that day. It seemed she wanted to do as much as possible today likely in lieu of parting tomorrow. That is going to be far more difficult than anything else about tomorrow. Aerion turned to her, "I plan to return to the Magister's manse today, at least for a time, are you going to come along?"
"No, I think not." Arya told him with a meaningful look toward the little girl at their side, "With only one day left here I think I'll spend it with Nela and the other kids. Should I decide to visit the Queen it will be later, once the children have tired."
Aerion nodded in understanding and got up to leave. Arya was surprised that Aerion chose not to spend his day with his family, Rhea seeing her confusion answered the unasked question, "He would gladly spend the day with us but he does not like the parting even if he desires to leave. Do not worry he will spend time with us later."
By this time everyone had come to breakfast and the kids were deciding what they wanted to do with the day. Listening Idly Arya distinctly heard the words hide-and-seek. I should be sure not to listen in on any private conversations this time.
Aerion made his way to Illyrio's home. The past month had been… interesting to say the least. The world had a way of intervening in one's plans, he was just glad that this time he enjoyed the results. Coming south from Lorath he did not expect to meet people he actually cared about.
While he loved his family much of his life had been spent friendless. He knew this was a problem of his own making, at least in part.
His time with the traveling minstrels in his early youth was incredible in many ways but served to alienate him from those his own age in others. He was the youngest by fifteen years when he was asked to join. He didn't know it at the time but his inclusion was as much a gimmick due to his age as it was about his talent. While the other performers enjoyed him and were more than willing to protect him during their travels they were never his friends.
When one spends his time practicing all hours of the day other children are extremely unlikely to relate. Some, the ones who lived harder lives than he did, the ones he met in the streets and didn't understand why they wore rags, saw him as a pampered child and given their own lives, he couldn't blame them. Others, the ones whose parents paid so generously to have the group perform in private shows, would see a boring child who thought of nothing but his craft. By the time he was eight years old, Aerion was self-aware enough to know that they were right on both accounts. At such a young age he couldn't relate to the children on the streets as he had no idea what it was like to have nothing. The others, while quite often pompous and spoilt, were right that he became lost in practicing music. It only became worse after he embarrassed himself for the first time.
He would always remember that day. They were in Myr performing for one of the rich families that paid them great sums for their services. Apparently a merchant's wife had heard tell of us and greatly desired to have us perform at one of her parties. The event began like any other. They started by playing group pieces things that would incite and draw attention whether slow or fast the volume of the multitude of instruments gathered most people's attention. An hour of this and solos became intermittently dispersed in their playing. A good solo always tends to garner more praise than a group performance. That's because it takes courage to stand there, all eyes affixed on you, and play with everything you have. But should you make a mistake the blame lies squarely on you and you alone. He had been working for a month on a new solo piece to perform; unfortunately, practice does not always translate to the actual act.
It began well, a single drummer accompanying him that just made his mistakes all the worse in the end. Half way through the piece came the part that had given him so much trouble when learning it. And then it happened. A single wrong note that turned into strings of mistakes until finally relenting to the inevitable he stopped, looking to all the world the embarrassed six year old that he was. He remembered the faces best of all, a sea of them with varying expressions. Some looked on with pity clearly feeling sorry for a boy's plight, in others he saw contempt as though they thought the failure was some personal affront to their sense, the ones that shocked him most were the eyes that held malicious glee at seeing another person's, even a young boy's, failure. He didn't recognize the look at the time, too consumed in his own embarrassment, but years later he saw it for what it was. That was the first time I tasted failure. So as children are wont to do he ran, crying for all he was worth at his utter embarrassment.
For three days he moped as though someone had killed his favorite pet, nothing his fellow musicians could do brought him out of the mood. On the third day he came to a decision. I will never fail again. Those five words sang in the back of his mind, a mantra, that drove him nearly mad. He threw himself into practice with a fervor that alarmed his colleagues.
For months he became lost to the world, he ate only as much as needed and from waking to resting he spent all his time ensuring he would never make the same mistake again. Apparently his condition alarmed others far more than he initially realized.
When they arrived in their next major city, Qohor, he was met with three familiar faces. The others had sent a raven to his mother telling what and happened and how he had reacted .She being incredibly concerned brought Rhona and Daessa under the guise of seeing him perform. The truth was she wanted to talk him out of his near obsession. Rhea succeeded as only a mother can with their little boys, convincing him that it was okay and that he would do better the next time. He believed her but only because he knew that he would never allow it to happen again.
He returned to a state of normalcy after that, the others stopped looking at him in concern every time they saw him and he appreciated it. It was true what Rhea had told the Queen, they really did come to see him every few months after that. The truth was that they didn't come to ensure Aerion was safe from others, they knew that he was well taken care of, but to make sure he was safe from himself. He loved his family all the more for that, but despite their best efforts that song at the back of his mind stayed, an invisible reminder. Not a single incident occurred after that, at least not in his musical career. Aerion ceased his musings as he reached his destination.
The guards allowed him entry and he made his way to the courtyard hoping to find who he came here for. Instead about halfway there he was met by Lord Tyrion. "Ah one of Daenerys's new champions, I take it you are here to see our lovely Queen then," a challenging smirk graced the half-man's face, "know this you will not be the first to attempt winning her affections,"
"So I have heard Lord Tyrion," Aerion answered unperturbed, "but I am not here to see the Queen. I was hoping to speak to Ser Barristan… well fight is more like."
"Already you plan to maim one of the Queen's most trusted advisors," Tyrion mock-chided, before stroking at his chin, "I wonder how she will feel about that?"
"I doubt very much, even being fifty years his junior, that I will maim Ser Barristan." Aerion responded seriously, "It is more likely I will learn a lesson in how exactly one truly uses the Westerosi style of fighting should he be willing. I have had little use for it in Essos," Aerion was befuddled by the man's attitude.
"Well one could have been fooled based on your demonstration yesterday." Tyrion commented with well masked respect, "I have to agree with Ser Barristan, you are quite like my brother. I just hope you are able to keep your honor, your hand, and actually protect those you are sworn too. Hopefully you are not fool enough to fuck your own sister as well," spite laced his tone for a moment.
Aerion kept from rising to the jibe for the time being, "I did not realize you held such animosity for your brother, I was to believe that it was your sister you hated?"
"I loved my brother and he was the only member of my family not to look upon me in contempt." Tyrion told him with a sad smile before frowning, the scar across his face stretching taught, "But when it came between love for me and our father's orders he chose the latter. I will never forgive him that, but he did help save my life from the executioner's block. Should I be able I will do the same for him, though I doubt Daenerys will be amenable to the idea."
"I don't know," Aerion attempted to console the shorter man, "she seemed willing to spare mine and Arya's lives and our families did great wrongs to the Targaryen family."
"Yes but you have the good fortune of being long removed from a time where the Blackfyre name posed a true threat." Tyrion pointed out, "As for Arya, she had the good fortune of Ser Barristan singing of her lord father's virtues whenever Daenerys asked of the Stark's."
Tyrion looked up, straight into Aerion's eyes, "Whether the tale of her father's motivations during the war was true or not is irrelevant. The simple fact is that Daenerys was willing to believe, from everything that she had heard of the man, that he sought only justice. Jaime will have no such excuse and while I do my best to convince her that what was done to her father was necessary, I fear that it shall be entirely in vain."
"The Queen seems reasonable at least. I would be more afraid of Arya in truth. As Hand, Daenerys has reason to listen to your council; Arya will see only another man responsible for her family's destruction when finally she comes upon Jaime Lannister." It was not a strong argument, but reasonable at least.
"Yes well I am a Hand kept from the Queen's meetings of late," Tyrion said with a hint of bitterness, "so there is little I can do in way of persuasion."
"Why have you been kept from the Queen's meetings?" Aerion asked immediately.
Tyrion took a moment to decide whether he should answer the rather impertinent question or not, "Lord Varys and Magister Illyrio have private business to discuss with her." He drawled.
"What business could the Spider and a Pentoshi nobleman have with the Queen that would be unimportant to her highest advisor?" Aerion couldn't hide the confusion from his tone.
Tyrion laughed at him and Aerion snorted in undisguised irritation, "For all of your various skills, politics clearly are not amongst them," There was no derision in his voice, in fact he almost seemed relieved, "The eunuch and his old friend are responsible for much of what has happened in the Seven Kingdoms over these past six years, though if Varys is to be believed Petyr Baelish has had nearly as big a hand in the game. Tell me where do we sail to tomorrow?"
"The Stormlands." Aerion bit out, not appreciating being patronized.
Tyrion smiled clearly enjoying his little games, "Correct and of the other claimants to the throne that puts us closest to which one?"
"The person who calls himself Aegon Targaryen," He answered evenly, "though nothing has proven he is who he claims to be."
"Again correct, now Varys and Illyrio have worked for years from the shadows to see the Targaryens in power again." Tyrion explained slowly, "Unfortunately for them, they did not anticipate Daenerys' success and now instead of having a single strong claim, they have two rival claims. Now how would they seek to remedy this situation?" His tone outright taunting Aerion now.
Aerion reigned in his ire and gave the obvious answer, "I imagine they would seek to bind them together in some way, likely marriage."
"Finally the boy understands. Yes, since our arrival here Varys and Illyrio have spent many hours trying to convince Daenerys that marrying her supposed nephew is the best course of action." Tyrion chuckled and shook his head, "What they did not anticipate was that Daenerys tires of others telling her who she ought to marry. She loved Khal Drogo and feels responsible for his death but that does not change the fact that their marriage was only a means to providing Viserys an army. In Meereen, before she crushed their rebellion, she was going to marry Hizdahr zo Loraq to appease the traditionalists in the city and try to stop rioting in the streets without bloodshed."
A cruel smile formed on Tyrion's face, "Fortunately for her, a plot was uncovered that would have seen her murdered by her husband to be, her dragons bound or killed whichever was easier, and all those who she freed were to be killed or enslaved once more. That is what turned the kindly Queen into a vicious dragon worthy of rule. Then Quentyn Martell comes speaking of an alliance with Dorne arrived, she denied him as kindly as she could… the fool found himself burned to death in his attempts to convince her he was a suitable paramour.
"Now she refuses to bow to the whims of others, she will not agree to marry Aegon before ever she even meets him. Also, she is incredibly wary of continuing a practice that saw as many mad men as it did brilliant leaders." He added the last as an afterthought.
"She would risk even more bloodshed for the sake of deciding who to marry?" Aerion didn't mean for it to sound like an accusation, but he cringed as he played those words back in his head.
"Do not let her here you say that," Tyrion warned happily, clearly enjoying Aerion's discomfort, "the Queen is far from foolish, she will willingly name Aegon her successor should she have no children of her own. Should he be willing to accept, the Dornish will not experience a real dragon's fire."
Aerion was silent for a long moment thinking over what they had discussed, until they reached a fork in the hall where Tyrion turned to walk in another direction. Aerion called to him as he walked away, "Thank you Lord Tyrion, this conversation was most enlightening."
There was a calculating look in his eye when he responded, "Yes of that we are agreed. Stick to the blade my young friend, while you may not be a fool, you have little mind for politics."
Aerion smiled, unable to argue with the assessment, "As you say my Lord, I take it I can find Ser Barristan in the yard?"
"Yes, he is as unwelcome in the Queen's current discussion as I am." With that they parted ways a single thought on Aerion's mind. That is the Tyrion Lannister I was expecting from everything Arya had told me, sharp mind and sharper tongue.
A short walk later and Aerion found himself looking at all of the Queensguard save for one in the courtyard sparring. Ser Barristan was fighting with one of the former Dothraki bloodriders made knight. The man in question fought hard but Ser Barristan was clearly teaching more than actually attempting to beat the man. After ten minutes of watching, it became clear that Ser Barristan had seen enough and with a quick move had Aggo on his back staring at the point of the old knight's sword.
Barristan helped Aggo up and after a short conversation where he likely explained where he went wrong turned to see Aerion standing there, "I hoped you would come today. While it was impressive watching your demonstration yesterday, I would like to see how you handle someone fighting in a different style."
Aerion responded, "That was my hope Ser Barristan."
The old knight smiled, "Excellent, let us begin then." Aerion expected a little more conversation before starting but decided not to comment.
The two men took up position across from each other blades in hand. It quickly became apparent that Ser Barristan had earned his vaunted reputation; every strike was fast and precise. The fight with Arya was amazing, she had been extremely skilled and the single best Braavosi sword fighter he had ever fought. She had been quick and fluid and just watching her as she attacked him had sent his blood racing. The more he came to know her, the more amazed he was by her. Shake it off moron, you're in the middle of fighting one of the greatest knights in generations.
This fight with Barristan was an entirely different matter. Aerion quickly realized that despite his years of training and three years of actual experience, he was outmatched. He was forced to defend from the start, waiting patiently for any opening. If I can hold him off long enough I may be able to win by virtue of my greater stamina. And so that is what Aerion endeavored to do; he parried, dodged, and tried to draw on as much of Ser Barristan's strength as he possibly could.
Twenty minutes later Aerion was beginning to realize that his initial plan while good was paying off far less than he would have liked. While the older man was beginning to tire, he clearly understood how best to conserve his energy. Aerion was fortunate enough to have pushed him on the defensive for a time, raining down as many strong blows to the man's blade as he could but he never managed to strike a decisive blow.
After another ten minutes of fighting Aerion thought he had found an opportunity, should he bring enough force onto the man he would push him to his back and win the fight. Aerion gripped his sword in both hands and went to bring a strong slash down upon Ser Barristan. When Ser Barristan made to counter, he knew it was over. With speed that belied his greater age, he shifted and struck at Aerion's ribs just grazing him. The two men stared at each other for a moment as they both panted hard.
Ser Barristan broke the silence, "Yield?"
Aerion dropped his sword and nodded, "Yield"
"That was impressive. You have a great deal of talent in the style but you still have room to improve. Quite a bit of room, you missed no less than five opportunities to strike a finishing blow and when finally you found your opportunity you over reached giving me the chance to counter."
Aerion nodded disappointed in himself. But this isn't failure this is learning, we learn to avoid future failures. He wasn't as tired as when he fought Arya. Probably because I was interested in that fight in more than one way.
"We will fight as often as possible until you are the very best you can possibly be in this style of fighting, I will not call you my squire as that would be insulting to your skill, but you will be my student in this.
"Very well Ser Barristan." With that he picked up his sword and sheathed the weapon. They then began discussing where he could improve and what he missed over the course of their fight. Two hours and another spar later in which Aerion lasted even longer but eventually met the same end result they were pulled from their training by the arrival of the Queen. "Aerion, Ser Barristan why does it not surprise me to find you two in the yard?"
Barristan replied, "Because your Grace is far too observant to expect anything less. Aerion and I have been working to improve his skill in the style he will soon be experiencing the most."
"Such dedication gives me all the more confidence we shall retake the Seven Kingdoms." Daenerys genuinely seemed to believe those words. The pair nodded their thanks.
But there were clearly things of more import on Ser Barristan's mind, "How went the meeting your Grace?"
Daenerys lips thinned before answering, "Slowly, it was entirely too repetitive. As many times as they wish to make their arguments they will not sway me. I have made my decision. I refuse to make promises that I may never wish to keep.
"A wise decision your Grace." Ser Barristan replied
"Wise yes but not necessarily pragmatic," Daenerys told him tiredly as she rubbed at her temples, "but it makes little difference. I shall do as I like in this and should the pair not like it they may do as they please. Should they seek to subvert me in some way they will find that I am more dangerous than I seem."
Aerion interrupted, "Excuse me your Grace, but you seem as dangerous as the dragons you command."
Daenerys seemed pleased by these words, "To some perhaps but others still look at me and see a malleable woman."
"Then they are fools whose stupidity will be their undoing." Aerion stated firmly.
There was a tug at the corner of the Queen's lips as she responded, "That does tend to be the way of such things," turning to Ser Barristan, "come we shall have a meeting of my small council."
"Of course your Grace," addressing Aerion, "we shall continue this at a later date." Aerion nodded and took his leave. Unfortunately before he left the premises he was waylaid by Varys.
"Ah Aerion Ormthair, one of the Queen's new favorite people, I was surprised to see you before the Queen the other day." His tone so sweet it made Aerion want to vomit.
"I can't see why," Aerion continued walking but the Spider fell into step beside him, "I doubt very much that you knew who I was before I stood before the Queen two days ago."
Varys gave him a look that spoke volumes of how laughable he found that idea, "You truly believe my little birds had not told me of you before yesterday. The musician turned warrior who was the last living descendant of a family that made it their only goal to supplant the Targaryen's. No sir, I have known who you were for a very long time."
Aerion scoffed at that, "You have wasted your resources then. Perhaps you should have employed more of your 'little birds' in the Seven Kingdoms instead of wasting your time on me." Perhaps I should be grateful you didn't, otherwise you may have found Arya.
"I hardly see it as time wasted. Should your reaction to your family's legacy have been different you could have been a major threat to the kingdoms." Varys looked him up and down briefly before he continued, "Unlike your forebears, you had a level of talent and charisma that would have inspired men had you desired to lead."
"Well you may rest easy knowing I have no aspirations further than what I have already professed." Aerion grew tired of this particular conversation as he felt in no way accountable to the spymaster. "As Lord Tyrion said, I don't have the mind for politics, and after discussing things with him I am almost glad of it."
"Tyrion said that did he," Varys thought that over before nodding to himself, "well that puts my mind further at ease about you. The man has a mind like few others it is a shame he was born deformed. That is a man who could have done great things given the opportunity."
"Truly," Aerion begrudgingly agreed with the overly pleasant man, "though I think his influence shall be felt by the time this is all over." Varys merely smiled and nodded, allowing Aerion to leave the manse without further interruption.
After a short walk, Aerion arrived back home to the sound of laughter… following the noise to its source he reached one of the larger bedrooms. When he opened the door all the way he was met with the scene of Arya being attacked by the kids in the house… with pillows. Feathers had flown everywhere and everybody participating looked like newborn birds with the tufts of feathers that littered their clothing and hair. He couldn't help but chuckle at the sight, though immediately regretted it as six pairs of eyes immediately found him in the doorway. He gulped rather loudly and then seeing the look in their eyes, he bolted down the hall.
Footsteps followed him until finally they cornered him in his own room. They began pummeling him mercilessly Arya included. Not going down so easily, he grabbed a pillow and began his counter attack. They responded by increasing the intensity of their assault and Arya seeing an opportunity knocked him onto his bed, for a brief moment he reveled at the contact of her firm body against his but she pulled back quickly lingering only a brief moment before smacking him right in the head with a pillow. He responded in kind and the feathery onslaught began anew, laughter ringing throughout the house.
A half an hour later the fight finally ceased when Marik came to inform the younger children their parents wanted them. Aerion and Arya quickly helped them smarten themselves up before sending them on their way. Alone now, the two sat in a comfortable silence for a few short minutes before Arya finally spoke, "You know it's strange for me doing something like that after the past five years. I was always getting into trouble at Winterfell; it would drive my mother and Septa absolutely mad. They were so used to my sister being prim and proper they didn't seem to know how to handle me." She smiled sadly, "Wolf blooded my father called it, he said his brother and sister had the same tendency."
"Well it is certainly some of the most fun I've ever had" Aerion admitted, "and it is a good way to prevent thinking about the war we're going to fight."
She smirked at him, "You know, in order to not think about something one usually avoids talking about it."
"Very true," Aerion chuckled, "though it doesn't really matter anyway we'll be there soon enough."
She looked thoughtful for a moment, "You're right, I'm glad we did this though. One more moment of relaxation with people I've come to care about was nice," a frown marred her face for a moment, "I'm going to miss them, Nela in particular." Her shoulders slumped slightly as she continued, "The Faceless men were never more than trainers so leaving them didn't hurt it was just another path that I decided to walk where they would not go. This though this will hurt, chances are I will never see any of these people again and that will be the worst part of any of this."
Aerion didn't agree with her, "You can't know that and a short time of happiness should be worth the parting, especially knowing they will be here where they are much safer. I know I am glad my family will be staying here."
"You're right," He was glad to see he'd convinced her, "but I wish there was some way I could stay in contact with them."
He bumped her with his shoulder lightly, "Well, you're a smart girl. I'm sure with the time you have left you can think of something that would allow you to stay in contact somehow." He teased her slightly. Of course he wasn't expecting her eyes to suddenly light up. She hugged him quickly before promptly leaving. Aerion could only stare after her departing form for a moment before shaking himself. He thought of pursuing her but knew she didn't need his protection so left her to it.
Two hours later, Aerion found out exactly what it was that had caused Arya's sudden reaction. In her hand was a rather large cage carrying three carrier Ravens. I've been traveling how long now and I never thought to get a Raven so my family could contact me whenever they felt the need. Gods I can be stupid sometimes. She had figured out a way to keep in contact with the people she cared about. Granted it would take some time sending letters across the Narrow Sea but it was better than nothing. Aerion watched as she gave a Raven to his mother and father, Micah and Doreah, and Farrago and Eroeh. Nela promptly squealed startling the bird and pet it gently.
Arya explained what had led to this small bout of gift giving, "Aerion and I had a discussion earlier and he made a comment about being able to contact each of you. I suddenly realized that with the numerous merchant's around the city there was bound to be selling something of use. So, I spent the last couple of hours of the afternoon searching vendors until I was able to purchase these three. They cost me little when weighed against the knowledge that I would be able to keep contact with all of you." She fed a piece of meat to one of the birds, "These Ravens are not fixed to single locations as most are, they are fixed to people, two people to be exact, by allowing them to peck a small amount of blood from you. "
Everyone was astounded by such a concept but Marik asked the question, "Where did you find such birds?"
"One of the merchant's, he was a shadow priest from Asshai, through some magic that I don't understand nor do I want to, he bred a few dozen Ravens to have this ability, it cost me a good chunk of what money I have but I could think of no better use for it."
Everybody seemed genuinely touched by her thoughtfulness as the adults each hugged the young woman before Rhea informed them, "Well you're just in time dear, dinner is ready now. With this being the last night we'll all be together we thought it would be good to have something slightly more extravagant." And it was. They had a lovely meal in which much laughter was shared and it was a contented group that made their way to an early rest. They would need to be up before dawn tomorrow and as reasonable as Daenerys seemed to be, no one wanted to keep a Queen waiting.
As a pre-dawn glow began to light the sky people gathered along the docks of Pentos to watch the departure of the Dragon Queen. Meanwhile the now tight knit group of friends and family that neither Aerion nor Arya had anticipated when first they left the port village north of here was quietly saying their goodbyes. Nela, Ashlyn and Masha all cried openly as they were comforted by their mothers. Jaggo and Mero put on brave faces as boys so commonly do, but everyone could see their eyes were rather more wet than usual. The adults all hugged and said their goodbyes. Rhea spent a long time whispering in Aerion's ear before letting him go. When Arya hugged the older woman, she had far less to say but it was just as poignant, "Stay as safe as possible, and remember what I said about Aerion." Arya simply pulled away from her and nodded.
Arya said goodbye to Nela last, "Goodbye sweet girl, I'm going to miss you so very much."
Nela was sobbing and could only stutter out a plea, "Please…don't…go!"
Arya smiled sadly down at the child, "I have to Nela." She ran the pads of her thumbs along Nela's cheeks, " Just remember I will write to you as often as possible and should the gods be kind I will see you again one day." Nela just hugged her tighter. When Arya noticed the Queen's men making the way down the street she disentangled herself from Nela and pushed her towards her mother.
Five minutes later the Queen arrived, guards in tow, and immediately saw them waiting for her. She broke off with Ser Barristan and Aggo and approached them. "I'm glad you are all here, I wanted to tell you that I greatly enjoyed the time I spent with you. It was a welcomed reprieve from the annoyance that is Magisters who think themselves far more important than they actually are and meetings in which I seemed to be endlessly repeating myself."
They all smiled kindly. With that she turned to Arya and Aerion gave them a nod and boarded her warship. With a final goodbye the pair did the same. As Arya turned to walk away she let a single tear fall for the first time in years. If Aerion noticed he had the good grace not to comment.
The trip to the Stormlands would take as long as the trip from Braavos to Pentos. Daenerys' ship was truly massive and what could easily house five hundred men, carried only two hundred to allow for greater comfort for the Queen and her court. Well I suppose some things are common amongst all nobility.
Two weeks into the journey Arya had learned something very important about Aerion. He should never take part in any occupation at sea if he could avoid it. For all of his talents, sailing clearly eluded him. When she persisted in giving him a hard time about his plight he admitted that despite all of his traveling he had only actually traveled by ship three times. The first experience had been the worst and left him wanting for firm ground and a horse.
Apparently he had been sick the whole time and when he thought the dreadful experience couldn't get any worse, the ship was assailed by terrible weather. He was fortunate that his merry band of musicians chose to travel by foot whenever they could. It gave them more opportunity to make money in the odd town over staying overnight. Arya found the whole thing rather humorous as she doubted there were very many ships more comfortable for travel than Daenerys's flagship and yet still he seemed terribly uncomfortable. He took to his cabin most often, playing music to keep his mind off of the sea sickness. Arya would sit with him for a time and just listen to him play tune after tune effortlessly. Occasionally, he would take meals with the members of crew or the Queen and her council should they request their presence.
Today though, the waves were choppier than they had been and he remained in his cabin. As a result, Arya and Daenerys alone for dinner. Tyrion and Daario were busy at a drinking game and Ser Barristan refused to abandon his post to join them. Missandei chose to take dinner with Grey Worm, why Arya didn't understand as a blanker slate she had never met. They ate quietly for a time, this was after all the first time the pair was alone together and neither seemed to know where to start. It appeared Daenerys had something on her mind and Arya was simply waiting till she decided to give it voice. Finally, after taking a sip of wine, Daenerys broke the silence, "There is something I have been meaning to ask you since the day we met."
"What would that be your Grace?" Arya questioned.
"Daenerys or Dany please," The Queen waved her off, "you are to be a champion and advisor on matters of northern significance. When in public you will address me by whichever title you choose but here, when we are simply two women sharing a meal, you will call me by name."
"Very well Daenerys," Arya started earning a small nod of approval, "what would you like to ask me?"
"You claimed to know your father's motivations for going to war against my family." Daenerys decided to get straight to the point, "From what you said it was not out of loyalty to Robert Baratheon nor was it to rescue his sister, a sister from all of the stories I've heard whom he loved dearly." She tilted her head slightly, "Instead you claim that he helped bring war to the Seven Kingdoms only because of what my father did to his father and brother. So I find myself wondering, how you could possibly know such things?"
Arya put down her eating utensils giving Daenerys her undivided attention, "My father was a devote man of the North, which means that when he felt the need to speak to his gods, relieve his grief, or speak to the people he had lost he went to the godswood." Arya was speaking as much to herself as the Queen as she continued fondly, "My mother always worshipped the Seven but me... I had more of the North in me than any of my other siblings. I still believe in the Old gods, Death may be the god all men must meet but the Old gods have faces unlike the Seven or the Red God, they see you and you see them. They are the ever watchful guardians of the North. The Andals destroyed them when they conquered the South. Their godswoods are gone and their Heart trees torn up root and all. I believe that was as much responsible for my family's death as anything else, we were far too far from our gods."
She shook herself from her ramblings and looked Daenerys in the eye, "You ask me how I know what drove my father during the Rebellion, the answer is simple. He told me though he did not know he was doing it. When I could take no more of my Septa's pointless lessons in sewing, my mother's hounding me to be a proper Lady, or my sisters reprimands and insistence that I should be more like her, I took refuge where I felt most at home. I'd run to the godswood and I was often left alone even if they knew where I was. The Septa hated the place, she thought it an blasphemous and my mother never felt as though she belonged there. Almost as though the heart tree looked into her and found her wanting in some way, and my sister was far too busy gossiping or hanging on my mother's every word to bother me there. So I would sit and I would talk to the gods and they would listen. You could almost feel their presence there in the odd rustle of the wind or the ripples in the pond."
"My father would come there some days; sometimes he would only look at the tree with a faraway look in his eyes as though he was lost in his own past, other days he would talk," She smiled wistfully as she thought of her father, "Often times he would talk of the Rebellion, his regrets and his triumphs. He would tell his brother and father that he had seen justice done upon the one who had so wronged them, though he lamented that he could not be the one to strike the blow. He truly hated your father and I do not blame him, I know I hate the people responsible for destroying my family." She felt she needed to defend him, but she saw only understanding reflected in Daenerys' eyes.
She continued, her voice softer than usual, "He apologized to his sister because she died so young and that her love was taken from her. He knew that Lyanna never loved Robert." And Arya didn't much care for the man either. Had he left my father alone, none of this ever would have happened. "My aunt understood Robert for what he was long before he became a whore-mongering drunkard of a king." Arya thought it best to say something of Daenerys' brother, "She loved Rhaegar and the Seven Kingdoms bled for their love but he could not hate her for it. He would always say that he kept his promise but he would never say what that promise was." To this day she still wondered at that.
"He told Ashara Dayne his lost love, the woman he would have married had duty and need not forced him to do otherwise, of his remorse at killing her brother and marrying another woman." She shook her head slightly at the implications of those words, "Do not misunderstand me though, he loved my mother and his children but Ashara Dayne always held a part of him."
Arya paused then, thinking if there was anything else she had heard and remembering nothing more, "So I know what my father's motivations were in the Rebellion because I heard him confess everything when he was at his most vulnerable, when he was no more the Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North than a beggar in the streets of King's Landing. I saw him when he was nothing more than a man before his gods who wanted only forgiveness and understanding. I did not comprehend the significance of what I heard and what I saw when I was younger but now I see it for what it was… my father, just a man, cleansing his soul the only way he knew how."
The Queen was silent through Arya's entire rant, merely listening as she confessed something she had told no one in her life. A minute passed in which the Queen allowed Arya to calm herself before she finally spoke, "I imagine you know better than any exactly what it was that drove him during the Rebellion."
"I imagine I do," Arya agreed easily, "my mother probably knew some, if not most, of what made him fight. But those moments where I heard him speaking in the godswood meant more to me than anything. I knew my father better than any of my siblings and nearly as well as his gods." Her face darkened, "It made it all the harder when I saw him on the executioner's block knowing what he had done to help save the Kingdoms from a mad man, only to have his life taken by cowards who only committed to a side when the outcome was all but guaranteed. His actions in the Rebellion meant nothing as they traded one mad king for a drunk who couldn't get the memory of a woman who never really loved him from his head, and when that fool died we were left a cruel incestuous monster and the mother who allowed his actions to continue."
"You are incredibly blithe with your insults as they pertain to my father." Daenerys wasn't accusing her of anything but there was a note of displeasure in her tone.
"Can you honestly tell me between what Jorah Mormont told you before he was banished and what Ser Barristan has told you since that your father was a good man?" Arya challenged the Queen
Daenerys sighed and averted her eyes, "No I suppose I cannot, from everything I have heard he was the mad man his critics claimed him to be. I had the misfortune of watching that same madness grip my brother Viserys. It is the same reason I refuse to marry my supposed nephew before ever I meet him. I will not subject the Seven Kingdoms to more of the Targaryen madness."
"A good decision," Arya could see the wisdom in the decision," it would be sad to give the people the sort of ruler they deserve only to leave them with the same kind of men they have been cursed with for years now."
"And that is exactly why I refused." Daenerys said emphatically," Lord Varys and Magister Illyrio could not seem to understand my reluctance. I wonder sometimes if it is not just a game they like to play."
"Oh it is," Arya said with a laugh before turning pensive, "though why they take such interest in the game of thrones is beyond me."
"I have wondered the same." Daenerys agreed readily, "I have decided that they only truly wish to see me with Aegon because it would be the most suitable end to this game for them. One in which both of their supposed pawns comes to power. I find the entire thing irritating and found myself on various occasions desiring to simply feed them to Drogon and be done with it."
Arya laughed rather hard at that, "I would likely pay money to see such a thing. I have no love of Varys and any man he holds in high esteem, such as Magister Illyrio, cannot be much better."
The queen grabbed her goblet from where it rested on the table, "I shall most definitely drink to that." Both downed what remained of their glass of wine. "It is good to know that we are of a similar mind on the mummer and the magister. It is also nice to know that my intuition regarding you was correct."
"And what exactly did your intuition tell you Daenerys?" Arya was truly curious.
"I would think that obvious," She smirked at Arya, "I felt that I could trust you and while your father's motivations would have had little bearing on my decision to accept your service, it is good to know you were not simply lying to my face."
"I had no reason to lie." Arya told the Queen plainly, "I made a life of being a successful liar but something I learned while serving the House was that when the moment calls for it, tell the truth. The trust a truth can garner becomes a deadly weapon when you truly need it."
They fell into a comfortable silence for a time, until the Queen had yet another question, "I wonder whose life you desire to give to your god once we reach our destination." Daenerys asked while sitting forward in interest.
"You wish to know who I plan to kill?" Arya's eyes widened slightly in surprise.
"Very much so," Daenerys nodded emphatically and Arya wondered if she might have had one cup of wine too many. "I have my guesses but I would like to hear from you exactly which lives you plan to take. That is what I imagine you meant by justice anyway. Then again you could see justice as Winterfell being back in Stark hands I suppose?"
"As far as I am to understand it Winterfell is in Stark hands." There was a hint of happiness in her voice, "My younger brother Rickon was found by Stannis Baratheon and used to rally the North in his favor. I understand you will likely have to destroy Stannis and his army before this is over but I can only hope that loyal Northern men can be spared."
"I can understand that desire and should I be able to grant you that desire I shall. Torrhen Stark was the only King during Aegon's Conquest who knelt without a fight." She rested back in her chair and folded her hands in her lap, "Should I destroy the Bolton's and all others who harmed your family, I believe they shall do the same." I certainly hope that proves to be true.
"Well," Daenerys said patiently, "you have yet to give me the names I asked for."
"Of course, I have been repeating them before I rest for so long now: Ser Ilyn Payne, Ser Meryn Trant, Cersei Lannister, Roose Bolton and Walder Frey." It was almost strange for Arya to say the words to someone else.
"I guessed a few but others I would not have." She tapped her fingers lightly on the table, "Why Ser Ilyn and Ser Meryn?"
"Clearly no one has told you the exact story of what happened to my father." Daenerys shook her head slightly, "I am unsurprised. The only person amongst your advisors who was there at the time was Lord Varys and I doubt he would find it important enough to discuss."
Daenerys scoffed, "Please do not do that man the honor of being called my advisor. Master of Whispers he may be, but he keeps far too much to himself for me to even slightly trust him."
"Very well Daenerys but the point stands that he is the only man who could tell you the whole story besides me." Arya paused before telling her of the unhappy memory, "Ser Ilyn is the executioner for the royal family, when my father was taken captive for treason Ser Ilyn took the Valyrian Steel sword of my House, Ice, and then when Joffrey bid him cut off my father's head he used that blade."
Arya poured herself more wine before continuing, "Ser Meryn is a member of the Kingsguard, when they took my father prisoner they killed every member of the House guard at Joffrey's order and attempted to take my sister and me hostage; I was in a dancing lesson with Syrio Forel at the time. He fought off Lannister men led by Ser Meryn with only the wooden practice sword he had. He killed five Lannister men before Ser Meryn broke his sword. I finally ran then," She only whispered out the last, "I heard him scream before he died."
"Well I wish you well in your endeavor to kill such vile men; however, I believe you have some competition for Cersei's life." Arya was mildly surprised at the Queen's nonchalance regarding death but could, "Lord Tyrion wants her dead as much as you do and while her crimes against you were great, he has spent his whole life experiencing her evils."
"And I understand his hatred of her," Arya knew Cersei's injuries against the dwarf were far greater in the counting, "should he take her life before I have the chance I will simply rejoice that such a vile woman has finally left this world."
"Good I doubt he will want your wrath to come down upon him should he kill her without your consent," she paused for a moment, "Now the other names on your list, I will be surprised if Lord Walder survives to meet your blade, he is ninety and four after all."
"No the man is far too unpleasant to simply die like any decent person would." Arya spat out venomously, "No he shall not go quietly from this world, well he will but it shall be with a blade in his back."
"Either way if everything I've heard of him is true, I hope he finds a grave as soon as possible." Daenerys sipped a bit of wine before continuing, "Now Roose Bolton shall be yours, his betrayal was particularly vile, the man betrayed his king for want of power and nothing else. I look forward to the day you take his life."
A surprisingly wicked smile crossed Arya face for a moment, "As do I."
Daenerys returned the smile with one of her own, "So that explains how the people on your list earned their place, but what of those not on the list, why not Jaime Lannister or Tommen Baratheon?"
"I do not know the extent of Jaime Lannister's crimes." Arya shrugged, "As far as I know he killed a King he was sworn to protect to save the people he was sworn to protect. He loved his sister far more than he should have and was led around by his cock for years. He attacked my father in the streets of King's Landing but that was in defense of Tyrion, even I know what my mother chose to do at that time was foolish and incredibly rash. I can think of no other crime he has committed. Should I meet him on the battlefield I will not hesitate to try taking his life, but should he be captured I would hear all he has to say before passing judgment." Tyrion will have to thank me for these words someday, should they make any difference.
"You do not think betraying his King demands punishment?" Her was tone harsher than before.
"I would say spending the prime of his life serving a man who had no business being King was punishment enough for that." Arya retorted blithely.
A slight edge to her voice Daenerys commented "I find it hard to believe you would beg clemency for such a man."
A bit of heat entered Arya's as she responded, "I beg nothing Daenerys, should you command me to kill him where he stands before ever he speaks a word in his defense I will do it. He is not some innocent for which I would plead mercy. You asked me why he was not on my list. I don't see anything he has done to truly harm my family. Should I find out otherwise I will gladly add another name."
The Queen scowled for a moment before taking a deep breath. Calm once again, she continued, "And what of Tommen?"
"Sins of the father, or in this case mother, are not the sins of the child." Arya reasoned, "I do not judge you based on the actions of the Mad King, just as I do not judge Tyrion based on the actions of Tywin, or Aerion based on the action of Maelys." Arya waived her hand dismissively, "Tommen is little more than a puppet being pulled in two different directions whose only fault was being born a prince, even if he does not have any Baratheon blood in him."
Daenerys nodded at that, "I can understand that, gods no that I do not want people blaming me for the crimes of my father." She smiled at Arya, "I am glad more now than ever that you have joined me. My oldest friends Irri and Jhiqi, two Dothraki handmaidens who have been with me since I started down this path, decided they would not cross the sea instead remaining behind to help maintain control in the Bay."
Daenerys diverged for a moment then, "There will be no trouble there though, I eradicated all those who opposed me years ago and with many former slaves now educated and elevated to positions of power there is no hope of collapse. In truth they didn't come because of the Dothraki fear of the sea.
She shook herself, "But I digress, in their absence, I find myself in need of a confidant, or more plainly, a friend. And fortunately I shall not have to break of censoring what you say in my presence. Instead you speak your mind regardless of whether I may take offense to it or not." She chuckled slightly, "I appreciate that, only Tyrion tends to be so bold. Others try to ply me with sweet words, never saying what they really mean."
"Well no one has ever accused me of being timid when it comes to speaking my mind. I was more than willing to call Joffrey a liar to his face despite his mother's ire when I was younger." Arya couldn't help but grin at the memory. I'll always remember the cowardly bastard sniveling from little more than a scratch. Nymeria could have ripped his arm off should she have tried to.
"Yes well in my opinion that is a very good thing."
"Oh you say that now Daenerys." They both chuckled, neither paying mind to the long forgotten dinner.
Two weeks into their journey Aerion found himself walking from the cabin out to the deck in order to get some fresh air. Looking around as he emerged, he breathed in the open air before being met with an amazing sight at the stern. Drogon hovered with his neck extended toward the ship, somehow the massive dragon managed to avoid destroying the ship's sails. Standing arm outstretched so as to pet the great beast's snout was Daenerys. As Aerion approached the dragon's eyes shifted and narrowed, Daenerys noticing Drogon's distraction turned and smiled at Aerion's expression. Turning back to Drogon she gave him a final pat on the nose before he flew off.
"It is good to see you Aerion, with how little you seem to come out from your cabin I think sometimes you may have fallen over when nobody was around to see, but then again it could just be that your absence is because you are up to indecent things we need not talk about." Aerion was entirely taken off guard by the Queen's cheek before he realized it was likely Arya who had laid that little seed in Daenerys' mind.
"It sounds to me like Arya has been giving you advice on how to tease me." His accusation was light-hearted.
Eyebrow quirked far too innocently, "Oh you think your Queen needs help in how best to tease you?"
Aerion chuckled, "No your Grace, but Arya said something very similar the other day when she came to sit with me. I have no doubt she told you at some point."
"Something I told Arya that I must tell you as well," She started seriously, "when we are talking privately you will address me as Daenerys or Dany, understood?"
"Yes your Grace." Aerion responded jokingly.
She chuckled slightly, "As to your point, there is no fooling you I suppose. Arya thought it would be amusing to see your reaction should I imply such a thing about you." Daenerys sighed dramatically, "She will be so disappointed when she finds out you were able to see right through me."
"Yes well she teases to distract me from my discomfort," Aerion said slowly, " it seemed slightly misplaced coming from you."
"Understandable," There was a glint of mischief in her violet eyes, " if I were to tease you it would be about the inordinate amount of time Arya spends in your room. One would think something unseemly was going."
Aerion did blush at this bit of teasing, "As I said she is simply helping distract me from my discomfort, or keeping me company when I play music in the same effort."
"You are surprisingly easy to tease you know," Daenerys prodded, "though so is she in regards to you. It is amazing that two people with so much experience in the world can become so flustered at the mere mention of their developing feelings or the insinuation that those feeling have already transitioned into the physical."
"Hmmm I think I may like you better when you are being Queenly," Aerion quipped, "I don't have to have such personal conversations then."
"Don't be so sure," Daenerys said imperiously, "I could be 'Queenly' if you like and merely command you to go and make your intentions known as it pertains to our young lady friend but I don't think you would want that."
"No let's not do that thank you. At this point, I would say both Arya and I are well aware of our burgeoning feelings. If we decided to act on them, we will do it in our own time." Of course at this point I'm hoping it's more a matter of when than if.
"It is good that the two of you have the opportunity to develop your feelings before you choose to enter into something beyond friendship." Daenerys smiled sadly, "While I came to love Khal Drogo, we did not marry for love and it was certainly not my choice. We married so my brother could have an army he had no hope of leading."
Her voice was stiff, hiding old anger, "I was little more than chattel. Should she have remained in the Seven Kingdoms she would have been forced to do much the same. She would have married some noble who likely wanted her for nothing more than her name and her beauty and whatever man she married would likely have destroyed everything that made her Arya."
"I can't imagine her allowing such a thing." Aerion rested his elbows against the side of the ship and looked out across the sea as he continued, "The skills and the experience that made her a successful assassin are important but those certainly do not seem to define who she is."
"I have spent hours upon hours with her over the past month and from what I can tell it is her will, that fire that burns hot in her very soul that makes Arya who she is, and that is the reason I am attracted to her." He was a little bit surprised by the conviction of his words, though not the fondness with which they were said, "Should she have been taken captive and then bartered to some noble lord by Cersei Lannister, she would have killed the man in his sleep or died in the attempt."
"How much has she told you exactly?" He knew that the Queen didn't mean to pry but he wasn't entirely comfortable discussing such things without Arya present.
"More than most I would guess though far from everything. Mostly she tells me the details of what happened before she arrived in the Free Cities, the story she told at dinner before was watered down to say the least." His eyes lost themselves in the distance for a moment, "I cannot blame her for avoiding what has happened since, while her experiences in the Kingdoms were terrible I imagine the tales of her time with the Faceless men are extremely personal. I know I have yet to tell her my more personal stories, though I plan to in time."
"Well I wish you the best of luck," She rested a hand on his forearm briefly, "I have come to consider you both my friends and you seem good for one another."
"How did you notice anyway?" While he knew neither of them were particularly subtle in their growing affections, he did not think them blatant.
"It was obvious." Daenerys grinned knowingly, "Do not forget I was married once, I know how my interactions with Drogo changed when I first came to care for him."
Aerion nodded and Daenerys turned to leave, suddenly Aerion realized he had meant to ask the Queen a question before the matter of him and Arya came up, "Wait your Grace! There was something I meant to ask you."
Daenerys turned now a few feet further away, "Yes?"
"Your dragons, I heard tell that there was a time when they would kill whatever they liked whenever they felt the need to feed." She waited patiently for him to continue, "In Pentos, they sat still as statues in guard of you never once making an attempt to harm or burn any building or person and just now I watched as Drogon merely hovered here looking for your touch. What caused the change in them?"
"While I was in Qarth a soothsayer told me I needed to go south to go north and east to conquer the west, and I must pass beneath the shadow to see the light." She had said those words to herself many times over the years, "I didn't listen I chose instead to go to Slaver's Bay and buy an army. When finally I had brought peace to the cities in the Bay, I told my newest advisors of this."
She drew closer again as she continued, "Ser Barristan and Lord Tyrion had not been with me when in Qarth, Ser Barristan urged caution but Tyrion convinced me to go to Asshai in hopes that I may find some way to properly control my dragons. I'm sure you have heard the things Drogon was capable of when hungry at that time. While the things he did served to increase the fear that held the peace it is not what I wanted and I knew should I ever hope to retake the Iron Throne I needed my dragons to be like the old dragons of my family's history, powerful and bound to a rider."
She paused and glance briefly down at her hands, "In Asshai I was able to learn things lost to history with my family's dragons, a practice of the Freehold that allowed them to conquer further than any others."
"What did you learn?" Aerion asked quickly. He was thoroughly intrigued.
"You know you are the first one to actually ask me that," She laughed lightly, "everyone else seemed too scared I would feed them to Drogon for merely broaching the subject. As far as most are concerned they are under control and that is good enough."
"Perhaps I simply don't know what's good for my health." Aerion smirked.
"Perhaps" Daenerys agreed with a slight smile, "but in this case it makes little difference as you will not die for knowing the information. The shadow priests had a horn crafted in Old Valyria branded with old runes designed to call any dragons in the vicinity to the one who blew the horn. My family dynasty did not need one of the horns because the binding would be done before ever the dragon could truly pose a threat." She seemed to enjoy having him so thoroughly gripped by her story, "You see it is not the horn that binds a dragon it simply brings them to where they need to be, they are wild creatures with all the unpredictability of fire after all."
"So how exactly did you bind them then?"
"Not them," She corrected, " everybody seems to think it is all three that I have true control over but this is not the case. Only Drogon is bound, Rhaegal and Viserion are subject to his will; should Drogon fall in battle before the others have riders dragon fire shall rain quite liberally upon the world."
Aerion paled slightly at that, "Good to know."
She gave a commiserating look at his obvious concern before continuing, "After learning what was necessary in Asshai I returned to Slaver's Bay, the horn stored aboard my ship. I went outside the city and blew the thing, it burned hot upon my lips and even into my lungs." Her voice seemed a little strained at the memory, "I imagine a weaker person would have died of the heat. Shortly after, my children arrived larger than last I had seen them."
"Then you bound Drogon I take it." Aerion provided for her.
"Yes," Daenerys started, "they do not call the Targaryen's blood of the dragon simply because of our connection to the Freehold. The Dragon Lords of Old Valyria literally became dragon blooded, at least partially. There is power in blood according to the shadow priests and after seeing the change it has caused in Drogon I am inclined to believe it."
She showed him a thin scar along the inside of her right palm, "I cut my hand and presented him with the blood, for a moment I feared he would simply bite my arm off but despite everything they would still not harm me. Instead his forked tongue exited his giant maw and he licked the blood from my hand. Even his tongue is hot and it helped to heal the wound. Then came the most terrifying part, I took the same dagger and cut him along his leg. He growled at me but otherwise allowed me to collect the blood in a goblet and walk away. I allowed the blood to cool briefly but it did little. It was like liquid fire when it went down my throat but I bore the pain."
He couldn't help but note a bit of pride in her voice at that, "When finally I became aware of my surroundings again I realized I had a greater awareness of Drogon, he obeys me now. That is not to say he isn't vicious when I give him a command but he will not kill unless I command it and he in turn being the greatest of the three keeps his brothers in line."
"Why not bind all of your dragons?" There must be some reason or she wouldn't risk the safety of all the others.
"A dragon may be bound to more than one rider, they live to long not to, but a rider may ride only one dragon." Daenerys explained, "The blood from the different dragons would kill the person who consumed them. That fire never leaves the blood, which is why Targaryen's were known for their resiliency to flames. The ability waned after over 150 years without a single reintroduction of the blood, I was lucky enough to have the tendency; otherwise, I never would have been able to withstand the great inferno that brought dragons back to the world."
"Your name will be sung and cursed for that feat," Aerion predicted slowly, "sung by those who love you and cursed by the enemies who now face the fire."
"I shall be happy of those who sing my name and even happier for those who curse it, for if they are cursing my name they likely won't be doing a very good job of fighting me." Daenerys turned to return to her cabin and this time Aerion didn't stop her.
It was before dawn five days from the Stormlands when a storm hit them hard. It had been going on twelve hours, they had received word from further in the fleet that two ships had been dragged into the sea, half of the men from those two ships were rescued but it was still a loss. Aerion and Arya sat in his room playing cyvasse both had learned the game during their individual training. Despite having more experience, Aerion tended to lose to Arya as often as he won, of course neither was as good at the game as Tyrion. They talked as the storm raged on outside, it was Arya's way of helping Aerion and he appreciated it. Aerion had just finished telling her of his first experience with failure and Arya now understood where Rhea concerns came from slightly better.
"So one embarrassing moment and you go nearly mad trying to fix something that wasn't truly broken?" Arya asked slightly confused.
"I was young and I had never experienced anything remotely similar to that before. My reaction was childish yes but I was a child," He defended himself, "were something of that nature to happen to me now I would not react the same way. In all honesty I don't regret that experience, the reaction it engendered in me helped me become a better person." He shrugged his shoulders, "With the things I accomplished at a young age it would have been very easy for me to become complacent. I like to think that I took that experience and used it to shape myself into something more."
"Of course you are only a well-read musician, swordsman, blacksmith who happened to create a new kind of metal that works nearly as well as Valyrian steel." She teased him good-naturedly.
Aerion laughed shaking his head which slightly perplexed Arya, "I'm sorry it's just I have no claim to the invention of that metal and apologize if I gave you that had that impression."
Arya's brow furrowed, "But from the way you talked about it I was sure it was of your own invention."
"No I may work the metal well but it was the man who taught me blacksmithing that is responsible for the black steel." Arya was silent as she waited for further explanation, "His name was Talo of Tyrosh; he is one of the few smiths in the world capable of reworking Valyrian steel. He spent years trying to come up with an alternative."
Aerion moved his elephant forward as he continued, "He encountered dragonglass while in Asshai and having heard it was a common metal in the Freehold bought it in hopes of recreating a marvel of Old Valyria. He was partially successful as you know, he taught me how to recreate the metal though I am oath bound to never teach another the process. He knew that while I have some talent for the craft I would never be the type to produce large quantities of arms and weapons, I only endeavored to make pieces for myself… and the people I care about and that was acceptable to him."
"Well I suppose that makes more sense," Arya really wasn't all that surprised, "I didn't take you as some sort of maester learned in the ways of metal crafting as well as your other qualities."
He chuckled, "No I am definitely not a maester, bit too much sitting around in towers for my taste and while I love a good book I certainly have my preferences. I doubt I would be able to get the first link of my chain."
"I don't see any problem with that, I doubt I would get the first of mine either should they actually accept women as maesters." Arya moved her dragon hoping to end the game in the next few moves, "So was that experience after your embarrassing moment playing music the only such occurrence?"
He blanched slightly, "No and I would rather not talk about the other instances at the moment. I have no doubt I shall tell you someday but I would rather keep them to myself for now."
"Of course I do not mean to pry." I can't expect him to tell me everything at once. I know better than most that people don't work that way.
"Thank you, I don't suppose there are any stories you would like to tell me?"
He just told me something deeply personal the least I can do is return the favor. "If you would like l could tell you of one of my assassinations? Many were boring, some were quick, others dragged out, but all of them taught me something at the time."
He smiled the same way he had when leaving Illyrio's manse after dinner and it caused the same shiver down her spine. She sat a little straighter as she began her story, "It was my fifth assignment, the main was a Myrish merchant responsible for the impoverishment and starvation of various families. He refused to sell goods to the public at reasonable rates instead jumping them up and making it so that only the wealthy could afford his product. Of course he did this after removing almost all competition he had in the market."
"Sounds like a vile man who deserved 'the gift'," clearly Aerion did not appreciate the man's approach to business and building wealth.
"He was and I am glad I killed him." Arya felt no remorse for taking this man's life, "Anyway, the man enjoyed the whore houses more than the average. So I took the face of a middle aged man and spent my nights watching him waiting until I knew his tendencies."
She moved her catapult back on the board, "He was a truly sick individual, part of the reason he required the extra money from the sale of his goods was because it cost far more than average to cater to his proclivities." Arya's face soured at the memory, "He preferred little boys no older than ten and unlike most men he did not get drunk, I imagine he wanted to see the look of pain on the young boys' faces. Fortunately a week after beginning the assignment I noticed a pattern to his activities, whichever little boy he took with him came out a good fifteen minutes before the bastard. I should have acted sooner, the pattern was obvious but I did not want to be wrong only to have one of the boy's blamed for his death." She had long gotten over any guilt but she still would have done it differently if she'd done it today, "I felt they suffered enough and didn't want to see them pay for my actions."
"A small kindness in their otherwise bleak worlds but at least you did that much for them." Aerion told her kindly.
"Thank you," She appreciated his thoughtfulness, "though I doubt whore-sons who had been abused had much to look forward to in life. I should have ended it sooner." She paused a moment before continuing, "On the seventh day I slipped into the room he used every night after I knew the owner of the brothel had checked on him. The reason he took so long returning was that he exhausted himself so thoroughly when violating the little boys he would pass out. It was easy from there I took a needle dipped it in poison and stuck him with it. He was dead in moments. With the man dead competition returned to the market place." She informed him of last with a small hint of pride.
Arya tapped the table in front of her, "I learned two things from that assignment. The first was that the depravity of man knows no bounds. The second was that a task should be completed as soon as you are able, whatever small gain you get from delaying is likely causing greater harm elsewhere."
Aerion seemed to understand her meaning, "Both were tough lessons to learn I'm sure."
"The first was just an extension of the things I'd already understood, watching what the Myrish merchant did simply brought the point home." She shrugged her shoulders slightly, "I was rarely ever shocked by what people were capable of ever again. The second was harder to learn, understanding the far reaching effects of a decision was far easier said than done."
"I believe everybody has issues of that nature," he looked down at her most recent move on the cyvasse board, "Oh damn it." Always helps to have somebody enthralled in a story when playing cyvasse. After that they talked of more mundane things until a couple of hours later they were both yawning often enough that Arya decided to leave him for her own cabin. As she shut his cabin door behind her Tyrion came into view.
She knew before he even spoke that she was in for some teasing. The glint in his mismatched eyes was indication enough of that, "Ah Arya, sneaking from the young Aerion's room I see, I thought for sure it would take longer for you to bed him."
"I would think you off all people would know the look of a properly bedded woman just after the event." Arya quipped back, "Of course I could be wrong."
Tyrion chuckled at that, "You have a far sharper tongue than your sister ever did."
"Yes well that may be true, but had Sansa the type of tongue I do I doubt you ever would have found out. She was far too much a proper lady to insult her beloved husband." On the other hand, Arya never failed to speak her mind.
Tyrion smirked, "It is almost as though you are trying to hurt me. Still you must admit you spend an inordinate amount of time with the young man." He hoped to rile her up at least a little bit.
"I have no problem admitting such a thing." He seemed disappointed that he didn't even get a blush from her, "You would have to be blind not to notice we are close, of course even a blind man would probably be able to tell," She smiled widely, "I should know I was once."
Tyrion cocked his head, "What a man or blind?"
"Yes," Arya answered shortly, "at least in face for the former."
Tyrion looked her over critically, "It is very hard to aggravate you isn't it?"
It was Arya's turn to smirk, "I wouldn't have been a very good assassin if I was quick to anger."
Tyrion could obviously see the sense in those words, "Yes you would likely be dead in a ditch by now if that were the case."
"Of that we are agreed." Arya thought the conversation was over but she suddenly felt Tyrion grasp her wrist.
"I hear tell you have plans to kill my sister?" he had become incredibly serious now.
"This should not surprise you." Arya responded patiently, "Her actions saw my father dead, my dancing master dead, and dozens of good men I grew up with. Not to mention she allowed my sister's torment at Joffrey's hands."
His ears reddened and his scar drew taught across his face as he scowled, "You think that gives you right to her life?" His voice was quiet but heated, "I spent years suffering her slights and her insults. She attempted to have me killed on more than one occasion; both she and my father took people I cared about from me." His mismatched eyes hardened, "I think you should stay away from her little wolf and leave her fate to a lion."
Suddenly Arya's demeanor changed drastically and for the first time Tyrion understood how terrifying a woman like Arya could be, eyes narrowed and face mere inches from his own, Arya whispered low but clearly, "I think, little lion, that you should mind your own business. Should I happen to kill her before you have the opportunity, simply thank me and be on your way. I may like you but you are still a Lannister and I trust you about as far as I can throw you."
Tyrion shook the cold chill that entered his blood and tried to back track, "I think you could throw me quite far."
"Probably true," Arya turned away with a wolfish grin, "something to remember in future my Lord."
The storm passed without any further incident. In the early morning a month from when they left Pentos, they arrived in the Stormlands south of Summerhall. It was decided that the former seat of House Targaryen would make a good staging point from which to assess the situation and make plans, it was only two days travel for the army should they push hard. Few people paid the old fortress mind since the tragedy befell it.
It was colder here than in Essos, one could see their breath on the air and there was a small amount of ice upon the coast. Daenerys's army had come prepared though; every man in the army had the furs necessary to keep warm. Fortunately they were not yet in the North, there winter was like a living thing that ate away at the world made all the more apparent by the ever present threat just beyond the Wall.
It took hours for every man to disembark the ships. The sailors who remained on the ships for when they took Pyke were commanded to travel south and await message from the Queen. In total 50,000 total soldiers with 8,000 thousand being mounted gathered on the shores. An unexpected thing happened before they moved out a messenger who must have been awaiting their arrival begged audience with Daenerys.
The Queen, her council and champions stood awaiting their guest when a Dornishman based on appearances approached. "I come in the name of Aegon Targaryen, Sixth of his Name, Rightful King of the Andals, Rhoynar and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of Realm. He bids the Queen Daenerys welcome to his Seven Kingdoms and request she meet him in the fortress of Blackhaven a day's ride from here."
Tyrion spoke, "Apparently the Spider failed to inform us of this development."
"Yes apparently," Daenerys responded clearly irritated, she then quickly came to a decision, "tell my supposed nephew we shall meet him two days hence in Blackhaven." The messenger bowed and left rather quickly particularly once he caught site of Drogon roaming in the clouds above.
Daenerys addressed her various advisors and generals, "We shall take two days to march to Blackhaven in order to conserve the army's energy; should discussions turn sour I want the men as fresh as possible. I doubt he was fool enough to bring a particularly large portion of his army as it would mean significant losses on the warfronts to the north and east. Tommen's armies would be able to retake what small gains he has made in the past two years." Everyone listened as she reasoned through the situation, "What say you?"
Ser Barristan responded promptly, "The plan is wise your Grace though it may be best to send a force of 20,000 thousand men further east so as to avoid Blackhaven and then North to Summerhall. That way it can be made ready before we arrive."
Daario laughed, "Shocking, the old knight and I are actually in complete agreement about something."
Tyrion looked more pensive, "Obviously we must go to this meeting but when we get there regardless of what direction the talks seem to be going, attempt to gain more knowledge of the current state of the war." Daenerys gestured for her to elaborate, "Clearly Varys was less than forthcoming with all of his available information after you refused his request." Arya couldn't help but be impressed with Tyrion. It should not surprise me that when others think of the army he thinks of how best to exploit the situation to our advantage. Arya was startled to realize they wanted her and Aerion's opinion as well.
"Establishing Summerhall while we are otherwise engaged would be the best course of action. Obviously Tyrion understands the game slightly better than I do so it would be foolish not to heed his advice. I believe we have a sound plan and from what I can tell this is a ploy by Aegon to catch you unawares. Our quick response will allow us to turn the table as it were." Aerion merely nodded, Arya having said everything he would have.
"Good we are in agreement then. Daario you and Grey Worm shall take 20,000 thousand infantry and all of the cavalry and prepare Summerhall for our arrival." He bowed and with a muttered 'your Grace' took his leave. "We march by midday."
The journey from the coast to Blackhaven was easy if not comfortable for those were more accustomed to the warmth common in Essos. Aerion began sparring with Ser Barristan again something that was impossible during their journey considering his distaste of ships. Arya and Aerion had decided they would have another fight once they established a more permanent camp. The army had arrived outside Blackhaven and the Queen and those going with her to the negotiations were currently preparing to enter the town.
Their assumption when arriving had been correct, Aegon had only brought a novel force, not wishing to abandon his warfront for the sake of putting on a show. He probably assumes this will be an easy negotiation in which the Queen sees him and cedes to all of his… well let's call them requests. The Queen's retinue which included her council, Queensguard, and fifty other soldiers made their way into the town and were escorted to the largest building in which Aegon had taken up residence awaiting their arrival. The town outside of Blackhaven was left largely untouched as their lord, Beric Dondarrion, had died when Ned Stark had sent him to bring the Mountain to justice. Eventually at least. As such the townspeople had no reason to defend against Aegon's small host as he meant them no harm.
Aegon sat surrounded by his councilors, Jon Connington his Hand, Harry Strickland leader of the Golden Company, Obara Sand, and Edric Dayne. Arya was surprised to see a familiar face here. It would appear after Beric's final death Edric returned to Starfall and had become Sword of the Morning. At least that is what the great-sword on his back indicated.
The would-be-king smiled at their entrance, "My dear aunt, how good of you to join us! We have much to discuss."
Obara spat from down the table, "Yes like why it is our cousin was burned alive by one of your dragons."
Aegon waved his hand dismissively, "Now Obara enough of that these are our guests, please sit drink." The Queen, Tyrion, Ser Barristan and Missandei did so, while Aerion, Arya and the other members of the Queensguard chose to stand.
Ser Barristan turned to Jon, "I had heard you drank yourself to death in the Free Cities after Aerys dismissed you as Hand."
Connington snorted, "A ruse, nothing more, Varys contacted me and spread the rumor of my supposed death so I could raise Aegon in safety."
Ser Barristan frowned, "Yes the Spider's hand seems to be in every story these days."
It was then that Edric recognized Arya, "Arya Stark is that you?"
Arya maintained a blank face as she replied, "Yes Edric, it is good to see that you were able to take up your uncle's mantle." Edric was absolutely speechless. I can't really blame him. Everybody thought I was dead, even Varys. However Aegon was not speechless, with venom not present in his initial greeting, "I confess myself distressed aunt… you take council from not only the child of Tywin Lannister but the child of Ned Stark as well. Does the betrayal our family faced mean nothing to you?"
"My father did not deserve to be king," Daenerys told him without remorse, "from everything I have heard his reputation was well earned. I should not judge them based upon the actions of their father's as I would have no one judge me on the actions of the Mad King. Besides which, the council I keep is no business of yours."
Aegon visibly restrained his anger, "Of course it is not my place to tell you who should hold your ear, besides which this is not why we are here. This should be a merry reunion between family members."
"I am not so sure we are family," Daenerys said unemotionally, "you may have the Targaryen look but there were enough bastards over the years that some babe was bound to look the part."
Jon took offense to this, "How dare you! He is Rhaegar's son there is no doubt of that."
"In your mind maybe," The Queen stared at him impassively, her gaze disconcerting, "but you were my brother's friend and I'm sure you were willing to accept anything that made it seem like something of him still remained in this world. If it is only the Spider's word I am to trust then I find his legitimacy wanting."
Jon made to stand but Aegon stopped him, "Calm yourself Lord Connington," he paused for a moment, "if you will not trust Lord Varys's word, how am I to convince you I am who I claim?"
"Nothing reasonable comes to mind," Daenerys told him much to Aegon's chagrin, "I would say that you should take a walk through fire but my brother proved that not all Targaryens have blood of the dragon. So first we shall discuss what has happened with your war effort... then you shall hear my proposal."
Harry Strickland spoke up for the first time then, "It has gone well my Lady, we have conquered much of this Stormlands and progressed as far as Bitterbridge to the west and as far north as Tumbleton."
Daenerys laughed at the man's claim, "Am I to be impressed that you have control over a Kingdom that is a mere shell of what it was after Stannis's defeat at the Blackwater?"
Strickland looked mildly offended, not that Daenerys cared, "There was still resistance and we managed to enlist some men to serve."
"Very well," Daenerys pressed forward, "why once you took Storm's End did you not march immediately for the capital?"
"We could not take the capital with only 10,000 men and all of the Reach to our backs." Aegon continued where Stickland left off, "Instead we allied with Dorne. Initially after joining forces we planned to attack the capital but the Reach still had the superior numbers and would have bolstered the cities defenses before ever we reached the Red Keep. Not to mention the Lannister men would have done the same, we posed a far greater threat than Stannis's forces at the time. Instead we decided to attack the forces of the Reach as they make up a large part of Tommen's manpower."
"What are your numbers and the numbers of your enemies?" Daario interjected.
"We have 40,000 infantry and 300 hundred elephants, the forces of the Reach have 60,000 men and 500 being cavalry, the Lannisters have 27,000 with 500 cavalry, Bolton and Frey have roughly 12,000 men between them and Stannis has 21,000 between what remains of the Storm Lords, the Northern Lords loyal to the Starks and the Northern mountain clans. 7,000 Lannister men bolster Bolton's forces while the other 20,000 are being used to help the Reach with both our forces and the raiding Ironborn. The Ironborn's exact numbers are unknown."
"You claim things go well but you are outnumbered nearly two to one and have taken no place of any real consequence since your campaign began." Daario sounded less than impressed
Aegon's nostrils flared and he spoke stiffly, "Yes but we have fought superior forces to a standstill and while we have lost only 3,000 men since this began they have lost 7,000."
"True," Daenerys conceded, "but you have no hope of victory as things are now though."
"I must disagree," Aegon said with a wide smile, "our chances of victory have drastically improved. You have just brought 50,000 thousand men and more importantly three dragons with which we can decimate our enemies."
Daenerys laughed outright at the thought, "You are under the impression I shall help to see you sit upon the Iron Throne."
Aegon became indignant, "I have been raised from childhood for rule. History, politics, economics, and the sword everything a good king needs to provide for his people."
Tyrion snorted, drawing Aegon's glare, "Yet you have no actual experience in ruling. Knowledge is a wonderful thing, but you seem to think you are the first would be king who has been trained for the throne. I guarantee you Aenys Targaryen had the same education but he nearly lost everything his father built when he took the throne." Aegon merely continued to glare.
Tyrion gestured to the Queen, "Your aunt on the other hand has been forged in fire both literally and figuratively. She has proven she understands what is necessary to rule. Your knowledge will only make you arrogant and unaccepting of your own mistakes, Daenerys has no such issues." Arya had to stop herself from chuckling at the look on the Princelings face. Now I understand exactly why Tyrion was allowed to live when he reached Daenerys. Glancing to her left she realized Aerion was in much the same predicament.
Aegon and his people were stunned into silence, Daenerys merely smiled. Finally after sometime Edric Dayne spoke up, "What would you have his Grace do then?"
Tyrion chuckled, "Finally a man who asks the right questions."
Daenerys silenced him with a sideways glance, "Since there is no foolproof way of assessing the validity of your claim I propose a simple solution."
"What would that be?" Aegon bit out.
"You renounce your supposedly superior claim to the throne," Aegon made a rather violent sound in the back of his throat , "in return our armies shall ally and once I am Queen in King's Landing I shall name you my heir; however, should I marry and have a child, that child shall retain the Targaryen name and succeed me."
"Why would I do such a thing?" Aegon looked less than pleased.
"Because unlike Highgarden or King's Landing or any of the major market cities where I cannot simply burn them to the ground for fear of destroying the winter food supplies, your army is currently in a less than stable position where I can create a second Field of Flames." Daenerys' voice had turned dangerous, "Should I do that you will be nothing more than a footnote in history but should you cede to my request you will be given the opportunity to sit the Iron Throne someday, have a family, rule a castle and most importantly keep your life." In that moment everybody in the room understood Daenerys Targaryen was very much Aegon the Conqueror's descendant. Jon Connington appeared as though he would be sick, Harry Strickland looked terrified, Edric Dayne and Obara Sand looked impressed. Aegon had paled, clearly the threat had hit home. Not quite so arrogant now.
Aegon slumped back into his chair, "When would you like my response by?"
"You have until sundown tomorrow to give me your answer." Threat hanging in the air, Daenerys rose and her companions followed her out and back to the army's encampment.
AN: Another chapter up.
I hope people who liked Aerion before like him better now and I hope those who thought him too "perfect" can see he is flawed in his own way.
As to my explanation of Daenerys's new found control of her dragons, I never liked the idea that Euron Greyjoy might be able to simply blow a horn and Dany's dragon would be at his command, especially when there was no record of the Targaryen family having such an item. I did everything I could to check and I am quite sure each Targaryen only ever had one dragon while some dragons had more than one rider. Let me know if I am mistaken.
Thought I ought to let everyone know I don't have a beta… so if you happen to find a glaring mistake or inconsistency shoot me a PM and I'll try to figure out a way to fix it.
Other than that hope you enjoyed and leave me a review. Thanks for reading