Dark Wings (Sandor Clegane)

Chapter Forty-eight

As Jaslin and the group arrive on the sandy shores of Dragonstone they are greeted by Tyrion. Three dragons suddenly shore through the air as Jaslin goes to reunite with Tyrion. 

"You'll never get use to them" Tyrion smiled as he watched the breath-taken Jaslin stare wide eyed at the sky. 

Tyrion lead them up the hundred steps to the castle on Dragon Stone and into the great hall. The hall was a dark and bleak room, the walls damp and cold as they were lead up to the throne where a silver haired woman sat on the giant stone throne. 

"You are in the presense of Daenerys of the House Targaryen, the First of Her Name, The Unburnt, Queen of the Andals, the Rhoynar and the First Men, Queen of Meereen, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, Protector of the Realm, Lady Regent of the Seven Kingdoms, Breaker of Chains and Mother of Dragons".

"This is Jon Snow... he's King in the North" Davos announced back. 

"Thank you for traveling for far my lord, I hope the sea's were not too rough" Daenarys spoke first.

"Forgive me your grace, perhaps you did not fully understand Ser Davos, but Jon Snow is King in the North, he is not a Lord" Jaslin announced and took a step closer to Jon and Davos.

"And you are?" Daenarys questioned with narrowed eyes which seemed to examine her from foot to head.

"My name is Lady Jaslin of House Clegane and daughter of the Northern House Frost".

"Well I may not be from the north, but I could have sworn that I read that the last king in the north was Torrhen Stark who bent the knee to my ancestor Aegon Targaryen. Or do I have my facts wrong?"

"Couldn't say, I wasn't there... your grace" Jaslin smirked back.

"No of course not, but yet an oath was made. So I assume my lord you are here to bend the knee".

Jaslin looked over at Jon and studied his face, he stood tall and bold in his own way, but Jaslin could see the awkwardness that rested on his shoulders, the weight of his mission and goals to come. 

"I am not. I am here because I need your help and you need mine" Jon finally spoke up.

Daenarys almost looked amused as she cocked her head to the side and continued to examine her new guests. "Did you not see three dragons outside? Did you see the Dothraki? Yet still I need your help?"

"Not in defeating Cersi, you could storm Kings Landing tomorrow and the city would be yours before nightfall. Yet you have not, the only reason I can see is that you don't want to kill thousands of innocent people. Sure it is the fastest way to win the war, but you won't do it. That means at the very least you are better than Cersi" Jaslin announced. 

"So why would I need your help?"

"Because right now, you and I and everyone else are children playing at a game and screaming that the rules aren't fair. If we don't defeat the true enemy to the north we will all be dead before winter is over. I am not your enemy here, the dead are your enemy" Jon spoke up in response.

"The army of the dead?" Tyrion questioned them now with a frowned brow. 

"Aye, the army of the dead is real, the white walkers are real and the night king is real. If they get past the wall and we are all arguing amongst ourselves... we are all finished". 

"If we don't put our differences aside it won't matter whose skeleton sits on the iron throne" Jaslin added in.

"Then if it does not matter why not just bend the knee. Bend the knee and allow us to join forces in your fight to protect the north. Just pledge your sword to her cause" Tyrion insisted. 

Jon let out a angered breath now as he turned to the dwarf. "And why would I do that? I mean no offence your grace, but I don't know you. As far as I can tell you entire claim to the throne lasts on your fathers name, and my own father fought to overthrow the mad king. The Lords of the North have placed their trust in me to lead them and I will continue to do as long as I can".

"That's fair. It's also fair to point out that I am the rightful heir to the Seven Kingdoms and by declaring yourself the King of the northern lands places you in direct rebellion against me".

Daenarys invited them to sup and stay the night within the walls of her castle. Although all the pleasantries had been spoken with faked smiles, Jaslin knew they had just open an entirely new jar of trouble and uncertainty with this dragon queen. Later that day as the sun began to sink into the ocean, Jaslin had come over with another hot flush from her pregnancy. Sandor was busy brooding over their circumstances with Davos and Jon when she excused herself. 

Outside in the cooler evening air, Jaslin watched as the dragons soared through the ocean sky. 

"Amazing thing to see" Jaslin announced without turning around when she sensed another walking down the steps towards her.

"I named them after my brothers, their both gone now. I know you have lost family as well" Daenarys explained as she went to stand at her side and look out of the view of the sea.

"People once thought that dragons had gone forever, never again would we see their kind again, yet here they are. Perhaps we need to see the truth to believe in it" Daenarys continued on.

"It definitely helps" Jaslin shrugged without turning to look at her.

"I was pregnant once. Unfortunately, I lost my child and was told that I would never carry another. Then the world brought me three other children, children that belonged to me and me only. My dragons. It must be hard to be carrying at such a time, between wars of the undead and politics".

"Having the unconditional love of those close around me makes it easier and at the same time more heart breaking. You are right, these are uncertain times which we find ourselves in, but it is not who sits on the Iron Thrones that keeps me up at night. It is the thought of the undead coming across the wall, charging our home like a wave of death, no remorse or mercy, no care if you are a child or elder, man or woman, pregnant or not. That is what keeps me up at night, the thought of my loved ones going into battle against them".

"That Throne-"

"Will be pointless if the dead win. You would be ruling over a graveyard" Jaslin interrupted her. 

Finally both women turned to look at each other. "I shall allow your men to mime for dragonglass to make your weapons. Any additional men or resources you require are yours".

A smile creeped across Jaslins face as she let out a breath of relief. With a gentle smile in return Daenarys walked back up the steps from where she came as Jaslin returned to watching the dragons fly gracefully through the sky.