Queen of Fire, King of Ice

[moffnat]

Queen Daenerys of House Targaryen, red

Lord Stannis was much...less than she expected, after growing up hearing tales of his beastly brother, a menace on the field with a great axe that cleaved Rhaegar in two. Stannis looked less than a shadow of those rumors. Whether it was the cold, the lack of food, the weights of war or age Daenerys could not tell, but somehow he did not look as she anticipated him to be. He had hollow cheeks and a form that was too slender to suggest any relation to King Robert.

In the end, she supposed, it mattered not. He would take her offer or die by defiance. Appearances made no change-of-heart to her decision.

"Lord Stannis," she said in greeting, and not without the slightest hint of bitterness. What else was there to say? Spending her years on myths of the Baratheon strength, how they and the Lannisters had butchered her family, how the blood of the man before her sat upon a stolen throne for nearly two decades and other nameless horrors, she had thought them only distant monstrosities and never dreamed of meeting them personally. Now that she was here, facing the last living memory of King Robert Baratheon, all she could do was stand her ground.

The Red Woman broke the silence.

"This is a part of the Night's Watch, my lady," she said with a hint of uncertainty in her confidence. "There is no need to soil it with the presence of a beast."

"Grey Wind goes nowhere." Daenerys stood firm on that. "That last time King Robb was granted safety and he left his wolf to the cages, his family was murdered. I would not have the king of half my kingdom without the part that makes him strong. Our negotiations can proceed with the wolf at our side."

"Negotiations?" The priestess chuckled. "Do not tell me you come here with dragons and expect to take us under their wings."

"Quiet, woman." Stannis looked over to Melisandre with a gaze of disdain. "I'm the king, damn you. I'll do the talking."

His voice was harsher than he appeared. Dany stood with a straight back and a calm expression, waiting for the "king" to make any friendly gesture, wholly prepared to tell Grey Wind to lunge should Stannis and the woman prove dishonest to their promise of peaceful reception.

Lord Stannis of House Baratheon, yellow

"Sit," came the gruff voice of a past king. "I'll have some ale brought. We'll discuss these negotiations before laying down some of our own."

"Your own, you mean." Daenerys flashed Melisandre a knowing glare. "I would appreciate it if your contracts for peace were wholly your own."

"Who they come from should not concern you. Only that they are fact." Stannis pulled a chair from the table and sat at the head, watching as Robb and Daenerys did the same, and he studied them pensively from across the oak surface. A fire crackled in the hearth and a soldier busied himself with pouring ale for the three of them, while Melisandre walked about the room lighting the hundred candles lining the walls. "Would you like bread and salt, to symbolize the guest rights?"

"No, thank you." The white queen shook her head. "I think the both of us have had our fill of lies."

Stannis couldn't help but chuckle. "You mistake me. I am glad of your arrival."

"You do not appear glad of it."

"I am simply in awe, my lady. A Targaryen has not walked Westeros since you were stolen away to Essos, far from your father's seat, and now you return as a legend in the making. I'm curious as to how you got here."

"King Robb sent me a letter in his darkest hour," she stated calmly. "I marched two months from Meereen to reach Braavos and sail to White Harbor. He did not abandon me, nor I him. Unlike others."

"Had I known you were alive, I would have sent word."

"Had you cared to pay attention, you would have known."

"I suppose you are right," Stannis admitted, "but I was too busy fighting Lannisters instead of barbarians across the world."

"For a throne that isn't yours."

"For a throne that is mine by right."

"Right?" The girl scoffed, and it irritated him greatly to see her amused at his words. "How funny. I'm moved to tears."

"If you think this is a time for jokes, my lady, you are sorely--"

"We have fifteen thousand men and you have four," she stated. "I have three dragons. The King in the North has a direwolf."

"Twenty-four," Stannis corrected with a neutral nod. "Twenty-four thousand. We received reinforcements, and the Lord of Light stands at my side. We cannot lose."

The news paused Daenerys only a moment, and he thought he heard the ghost of a laugh on her lips. "One of my dragons is worth fifty-thousand men and your god. The odds are still in our favor and you have nothing but the Wildlings and ice at your back. But I don't come here for battle, my lord. I come for a truce."

"A truce?"

"Lay down your arms and surrender them to me, cast the Red Priestess from your service and swear fealty to myself as your rightful Queen. I also require Dragonstone. Do these things, and I will give you Storm's End, and perhaps even a spot on my council should you prove useful in bringing down the Lannisters. Your House will not be torn to shreds." She glanced briefly over to her companion, wondering if he had anything he would like to add. "Do not do these things, and you will die. Storm's End will pass to another House."

 

[domino]

King Robb of House Stark, grey

As the three sat at the oak table, Grey Wind sat at his master's side - as tall as the man himself in that position. After a moment, the great beast laid down, but was ever observant. He watched the Red Woman warily as she moved about the room. Robb was all too aware of his grey-furred companion's dislike of Melisandre, and knew that it was something to take into account. The direwolf was an excellent judge of someone's character, and if he didn't like someone, they were usually up to not good.

The king listened to Daenerys and Stannis' discourse, nearly having to stop himself from laughing when the older man mentioned being too busy fighting Lannister forces. It was an amusing claim, since he hadn't seen a single flaming heart banner, as Stannis made it sound like had happened. As Daenerys gave her terms, he leaned forward to offer some weight to them.

"My lord, it does not matter if you have four or twenty-four thousand men at your command," he stated calmly. "The outcome will remain the same, should you choose the unwise option of standing against us. We both know that, despite your claim to have been too busy fighting the Lannisters, you were not."

"Excuse me?" Stannis questioned, his attention turning from the silver queen to boy who called himself a king.

"Not once did I see a flaming heart upon the battlefield, while I was the one fighting against Tywin Lannister and his army," Robb explained himself. "In fact, you only fought one battle against them... and lost."

It was now Stannis who leaned forward against the table in a manner meant to be intimidating. His irritation was plain for all to see. "I got closer to King's Landing than you ever could have, and you dare to sit there and mock me?"

"You mistake me, my intention is not to mock... I'm merely stating the facts of your situation, and ours. Your situation is that you took thirty thousand men to King's Landing - which was more than you have now - and you lost twenty-six thousand of them. One battle, twenty-six thousand men. How do you expect to find success with less men than that?" Robb paused long enough to shake his head. "I, on the other hand, stood against Tywin Lannister's sixty thousand men in open battle with twenty thousand men and didn't lose a single fight. Tywin had to pay my own bannermen to turn against me, just so he could try and eliminate me as a threat. Yet here I stand with Daenerys; we have freed the North of Bolton and Greyjoy forces, and can do the same with you and your men should the need to arise."

Stannis sat stone faced after the King in the North's little speech. It was hard to say if he was offended by the words, or if he was taking them into consideration. Either way, he was obviously unhappy with the situation. "You could not win against twenty-four thousand men bolstered by the defenses of Castle Black," he finally said.

"The Night's Watch is not here for your defense, my lord," the king pointed out with a faint grin. "They are more likely to throw you out, than to let you try and win a battle against us within these walls." Robb swore he could see doubt in the older man's eyes, and hoped that without interference from the damned Red Woman, Stannis would come to his senses and agree to terms.

 

[moffnat]

Queen Daenerys of House Targaryen, red

Robb's words were sound, and Daenerys smirked as she delivered the final blow. The queen folded her hands pleasantly in her lap and straightened her shoulders.

"The Night's Watch has always been a commune of strong and honorable men. Any true monarch of Westeros would not exploit it and hide behind neutral battlements instead of facing his threats with integrity."

"You speak of integrity," Stannis scoffed. "She who brought fire-breathing dragons to a wall of ice."

"There is magic here. My children know better than to attack it. Besides, I never let my greatest weapons out of my control." It was a small lie. Dragons were far from controllable and Drogon had been guilty of feasting on human flesh, but she wasn't about to bring that to his attention. "My point still stands. Hiding behind the Night's Watch is cowardly. I would have expected more from a battle commander such as yourself."

"And you are very brave." Melisandre finally spoke, her eyes flickering with the flame of the candles, the flame that rested in her soul. "I can see it in your eyes. Violet, like your ancestors. Piercing. Admirable."

Daenerys did not know how to reply to that. "It was a compliment, my lady."

"Thank you."

"Melisandre--"

"Your dragons are quite impressive," she continued, despite Stannis's warning. "I have seen them in dreams, when I read the fire. I am so glad you have come here, Daenerys. To lead my king to his victory in the final step."

"You mean to fight, then?"

"I do," the priestess replied. "The holiest of fights."

It all happened too quickly. Melisandre's hands burst into fire that shot at the queen's feet, manipulated by the candles, and Daenerys's instinct was to rush back and clutch to the strength of Robb's upper arm. "Grey Wind!" she shouted. Stannis rose, voices cried out, and a great grey shadow leapt with a fierce growl from under the table.

 

[domino]

King Robb of House Stark, grey

Everything happened so quickly, Robb was moving before his mind registered what exactly was happening. He rose to Daenerys' defense, but Grey Wind beat him to it. The direwolf immediately lunged out from beneath the table, having been ready to spring into action. Massive jaws clamped down on the Red Woman's arm and gave a violent tug, which not only nearly pulled the woman's arm from her body, but also threw her to the ground. With a vicious growl, those same jaws found Melisandre's throat and tore flesh away. He repeated the action, making sure that the priestess didn't draw another breath.

While Grey Wind dispatched the threat to Daenerys' life, Robb was also doing what he could to keep her from harm. On his feet, he pulled her away from the fire that was meant to be her demise. Honestly, they should have expected something like this, but it surprised him that Stannis had not ordered it done. The Red Woman seemed to have acted on her own, even in opposition of the wishes of the man she considered to be king.

It was then, with the silver queen away from the fire, that Robb noticed something amiss. Certainly it should have been a good thing, but the lack was wholly disconcerting. "You... you're not burned," he observed with wonder, eyes widening with the realization. He looked her over just to make sure his first observation was true, and found that it was.

It shouldn't have been possible. Enough fire had touched the queen that she should have been badly burned. Instead of burns, her skin was still as perfect as it had been prior to the underhanded, traitorous move by the now dead priestess.

"How are you not burned?" he questioned. Not that he wasn't grateful for the queen's safety - he'd been hit with a wave of panic when the possibility of losing someone he'd come to care for arose. He simply did not understand how she could come away from such an attack unscathed.

 

[moffnat]

Queen Daenerys of House Targaryen, red

"Not--not burned?" Daenerys asked, still reeling from the shock of the events that had just transpired. She clung to Robb's arm a moment longer while the sight of Melisandre's twitching body finally registered in her mind. Grey Wind protected me. He owes me no loyalty, yet he risked his life to save me from the fire. She was overwhelmed with gratitude and confusion all tied together, but there was no time to question. She gently let go of her counterpart king and met his eyes only briefly.

"I am not burned," she told him. "Fire cannot kill a dragon."

"Mercy," Stannis ground out, staring at the blood-smothered corpse of his most loyal servant. Or was he hers? "Mercy, Your Grace. I...I do not know what came over me--"

"Power came over you."

"Birthright did. I thought tales of you were only legend and mystery intended to scare me from my throne. Forgive me. I fighting for what I thought was mine."

"It is not yours."

"I know." The words seemed hard for him to say. "...I know. Do with me as you wish. I have failed."

"Your forces are mine, Lord Stannis. You are no longer a king and your loyalties will belong to me. Prove yourself worthy of my trust, and I will allow you to join my battle against the Lannisters. Our hatred of them is still our common denominator, my lord." Daenerys left Robb's side to stride before the kneeling figure of Stannis Baratheon.

"Do you agree to these terms?"

"I do," he stated, "though I know I do not deserve them."

"Perhaps. Perhaps not. Either way, you will prove your worth in time or suffer the sentence you deserve."

 

[domino]

King Robb of House Stark, grey

Robb waited for Daenerys to finish speaking with Stannis before fussing over her again. He was still greatly concerned about her well-being, but wouldn't overstep while she was still dealing with the other man. While she finished her dealings with Stannis, he stepped over to the door and called for someone to come clean up Grey Wind's mess. The king was quite happy that the world was rid of the damned Red Woman, and proud of Grey Wind for acting as he had.

That was when it struck him that the direwolf went to the queen's aid without instruction to. It was a curious thing that he should have noticed beforehand. The way the great beast acted around Daenerys was the same way it acted with him. To defend someone against danger like he would for a Stark meant that the wolf regarded that person as just that: a Stark.

It certainly was a curious thing.

Once the queen was done speaking with Stannis and a couple men of the Night's Watch had come and collected the priestess' mauled body, Robb stepped forward and gently took hold of the woman's arm. "Come, sit," he bid her. He guided the queen over to the chair that he'd been sitting in, and had her seat herself.

The king knelt in front of Daenerys, eyebrows deeply knit together as he studied her legs. It shouldn't have been possible. While he'd pulled her from the fire as quickly as he could, damage still would have been done - a great deal of it. Yet, his eyes were met with flawless skin. Without thought to whether it was proper or polite, he reached out and touched her shin - fingertips running across it and back to her calf, just to make sure his eyes weren't deceiving him. Still, there was no sign of injury that he could see or feel.

Quite suddenly he realized that what he was doing could be considered inappropriate, especially by Daenerys herself. Despite that, he could only slowly retract his hand as he looked up to meet her gaze. "You're certain that you are unhurt?" he questioned.

 

[moffnat]

Queen Daenerys of House Targaryen, red

Daenerys allowed Robb to lead her to a more comfortable place to sit, completely ignoring the rush of people that entered the great audience room and left once again. She overheard something about having to burn the body of the red woman, but she chose not to focus on the death she'd just witnessed and instead on the immediate concern of her royal counterpart.

He's so concerned about me, Dany thought with a little smile, and much to her own surprise she felt heat rising in a part of her heart that had been untouched for over a year. He is as gentle as his wolf is ferocious.

I appreciate it more than he knows.

The little touches along her leg were gentle and soft, made with rough hands hardened by the realities of war and the practices of dangerous swordplay. Her skin tingled under the sensation, the drastic difference in friction and texture, and Daenerys found that she didn't want him to stop despite the current environment. The cool massage on her heated flesh felt everything but inappropriate, but Daenerys could reluctantly understand when he slowly pulled his hand away.

She found herself wishing he hadn't.

"I'm alright," Daenerys assured him in response to his direct question. "I suppose you didn't think "The Unburnt" was meant literally, did you?" She offered a chuckle, folding her hands in her lap. "It is. I told you that when I went onto Drogo's pyre with the dragon eggs, I returned without a single wound. Had you forgotten? Of course, I don't entirely expect you to keep up with my problems due to the environment we've been subjected to..."

After a moment, she shook her head. "I assure you, I'm quite alright. Come, we should address the forces shortly before any of them think to run off. I would much like to evaluate the soldiers I've gained today."

It was clear to the both of them that the Night's Watch had plenty of cleaning up to do.

 

[domino]

King Robb of House Stark, grey

"I did not think it to be literal. Just as I hardly believed the stories of a silver-haired woman with dragons across the sea, until I laid eyes upon you in White Harbor," Robb admitted. Indeed, he remembered the story Daenerys spoke of, but he hadn't thought she meant it literally. It had not seemed possible for such a thing to be true, but now he knew it was. He'd seen it with his own eyes.

He called for a new pair of shoes to be brought to the silver queen, since hers had been burned away. When she was ready, he went out with her, to lend his support - not that he really thought she needed it. The silver queen had a commanding presence about her and Lord Stannis was there to clear up any confusion in the matter. There was a bit of resistance, as was to be expected, but all fell in line rather quickly.

It seemed that Stannis truly had gotten the reinforcements he claimed to have in their meeting - before the Red Woman's betrayal. Their army was quickly growing in size, turning into a mighty force to be reckoned with. At this rate, they'd have an army that numbered more than enough to march on King's Landing - a force that could easily help Daenerys keep the throne when she got it, too.

After dealing with the troops, Robb was informed that a ranging party was returning and his half-brother was among them. He was led to a private council chamber to wait for the man.

Jon Snow of the Night's Watch, white

Upon arriving back at Castle Black, Jon and the others of his ranging party found yet another monarch amongst them - rather, more than one this time. It was becoming rather hard, to keep all things kings - and apparently a queen, too - straight. However, he was very pleased to learn that the King in the North was waiting to speak with him. After discovering the king's location, Jon quickly made his way to the private council chamber.

As he opened the chamber door, Ghost all but barreled past him and entered first. White direwolf met grey, and each greeted their brother. In that same moment, the two men met and embraced each other heartily.

As they pulled back, Robb grinned and grabbed a lock of Jon's hair. "Have you forgotten how to cut your hair, brother?" he teased.

"In the same way you have forgotten how to shave," Jon answered with a laugh. He motioned for the other man to sit, and he did the same at the small table within the chamber. "I hear you travel with Daenerys Targaryen."

"I do," Robb confirmed. "I sent word to her after the disaster at the Twins, and she met me in White Harbor. Our alliance will see her to the Iron Throne, and I will retain the title of King in the North."

Jon nodded as he listened to the other man speak. He glanced over to watch their massive direwolves play with one another before speaking again. "What has brought you so far North?"

"We came to see if Lord Stannis Baratheon would join the queen's cause, which he has," Robb said as he reached into his cloak. He produced a rolled piece of parchment, stamped with the Stark seal, and slid it across the table. "And for this: a declaration of legitimacy. You have always been my brother, Jon, and I would see you carry my name. You are henceforth Jon of House Stark."

"Legitimacy?" Jon repeated, hardly believing it. Honestly, it seemed a bit late for that. Still, though, he broke the seal and read the words contained. True to his brother's word, it was a document declaring him a Stark - and Robb's heir to Winterfell. "I am part of the Night's Watch now, Robb. What good does this do? I cannot hold land nor title."

Robb was silent for a moment, leaning forward against the table. He felt the weight of his coming words like his father's heavy gaze when he did not fully approve of something he had done. The words of the oath were not something to cast aside lightly. Much had changed since Jon left for the Wall, and he could only hope the gods would understand. "I am asking you to leave the Watch, Jon. I know you have said the words, but much has happened since then. Our family lies scattered and our enemies only gain strength."

Jon's reaction did not come immediately. The request weighed heavily on his shoulders, as he was sure it weighed on the man across from him to voice. It was no easy decision to make. He knew of the plight that his half-brother and half-sisters faced, of his father's death, and the fact that the Lannisters now held the Iron Throne. Such crimes against his family could not go unanswered. He'd abandoned the Wall once in the name of his family, but his brothers here had convinced him to turn back.

In his heart, he knew there was only once answer he could give Robb. "I will go with you," he said with a nod.

The king was quite relieved to hear the answer. He'd hoped for Jon to join the cause, but he knew the other man held to his word. "Come," he told Jon as he stood. "I will introduce you to the queen."