Game of Thrones: Frozen Fire

Where Loyalties Lay

She was dry heaving while hugging a bowl to her chest. Lyanna held her hair for her and a wide eyed Iagan stared up at her, feeling helpless as he wrung his tiny hands together. Needless to say, Daenerys had not imagined she would be in this position again. It had only been a few times she had shared the bed with Robb after the incident that left a scar on her body, but that had been enough to place a new child inside her.

It was not the time to announce it, though. She would keep this one her secret for as long as she could.

"It must have been the cheese," she muttered while wiping her forehead with a wet towel. "I've never managed to make my stomach accept it very well."

Lyanna hummed while nodding her head. "I'll take Iagan with me and let you rest. We could sure make ourselves useful somewhere else." The girl grinned as she tickled Iagan's side, making the boy giggle and squirm.

"Mama?" he asked as he held to her skirts to keep his balance.

"I'm fine, my sweet boy. Go play." Dany brushed a hand over the platinum curls covering her son's head. His cheeks were tinted of a healthy rosy tone and his blue eyes looked bright. He was growing so fast, she could see the day he would start wandering around freely. She just hoped by then they would not be fighting this war. More than anything, she didn't wish her fate for her children.

By then, Robb's victory over Stannis had traveled all over the Seven Kingdoms. Many versions with the same outcome, but only Robb had written to her the truth. It was only one sentence carried by a raven. Jaime murdered Stannis, but the witch escaped. It was a warning too. She had to be careful, even if she was living in friendly territory.

Stannis's troops had mostly disbanded, but some of his allies decided to join Robb's side. Now the only possible step for Robb to take was to travel South and join Randyll Tarly and Oberyn Martell against the Lannisters. It would be the last leg of a very long journey.

Winter was approaching quickly. She felt it in her bones when the wind hit hard on Bear Island, when snowflakes seemed heavier as the fell. Sometimes it spooked her, mostly because Iagan didn't seem affected by it.

Dany wanted to go back to the fight, to not depend on Robb and let him be the only one in the middle of the action. She had not fought this hard to only become a wife, bearing children and being locked away so she never had to face danger. She had decided she would ride back to Westeros and join their army. She would go and fight the murderers of her family.

A new wave of nausea washed over her and she had to hold onto the bowl.

If she could only get over the awful feeling this new child was bringing.

She snorted a laugh and rubbed her belly lovingly.

"You will be trouble, little one. More so than your brother, if you keep doing this to me."

-o-

"He will not come," Dacey said with certainty as Berit happily sucked from her mother's breast. She was a strong girl and loud whenever she demanded things. A true daughter of the Bear, Dacey's sisters said. She brushed a knuckle along Berit's chubby cheek and smiled. "At least not until he has finally made up his mind."

Dany sat near a window, looking at the cloudy sky and imagining how hard it would be to ride on the back of Drogon back to Westeros, to follow Robb. He knew quite well he would never be able to stop her. He had known that from day one, when they were strangers and held no love for the other – that had been very long ago.

"Do you think he could still go back to his father and fight with him?" Dany's violet eyes fell on her friend and she smiled at the sight. She wished every mother in the Seven Kingdoms to have this, their children safe in their arms with no worries of what could happen tomorrow. Robb had said it well once, the poor fought wars and the nobility only played a game for honor and power. Every one of their enemies thought they were fools for worrying for their subjects.