All of Pieces

Chapter - 3

     "I am so sorry..." Jon's voice was hoarse as he responded to her.

Daenerys said nothing to him in return, knowing that all of the words she had swirling in her brain would be consumed with the same fire she had already spat at him. Her heart was still beating in tune with the anger seething throughout her body. She glared at him, the rage evident in her face. When her eyes met his though, she knew that she never could be able to. His eyes were so filled with hurt, and dare she thought she saw regret in them too. She watched as silent tears fell down his cheeks, new lines of concern visible on his face. If she had not been so angry, so hurt, and so betrayed she feared that she would have reached out to him, swept him up in her arms the way he had done to her in the chamber of the painted table.

"I know my apologies and words can't change what has happened. I can't bring Jorah back. I can't bring Rhaegal back. I can't bring Missandei back. I wish to the Gods I had that power. The power to erase these past months and start anew with you. I should never have shut you out..." He took a deep and unsteady breath, feeling more utterly vulnerable than he had ever felt with her before. He ran his hands over his hair, freeing it from the tie he normally kept it in. Dark curls sprung forth towards his face, making him look closer to the young man he was, than the battles that had aged him.

"I honestly didn't know what to do, Dany. My whole life, everything I had ever believed, gone in mere moments. Ever since I was a small boy I had wondered about my mother. All the while she was right under my feet. My father, or the man I called father, had lied to me my whole life. The man I knew who was completely above reproach, lied to besmirch his own name to keep me safe. His lady wife hated me for that lie. I was treated as less than, constantly faced with the fact that I was the one stain in an otherwise flawless life. And to learn that I was not a bastard born, and that my mother loved me. She wanted me. She died for me. She had chosen a name for me, one that I would have never known without Sam or Bran. And then I felt the guilt of these feelings. The guilt that I had lived, knowing the horror of what happened to my true born siblings. The guilt of feeling so hateful towards Ned, the man who became my father and the man who kept me safe. The guilt of knowing that my father had loved my mother so much that they felt they had no choice but to run away to be together, and that thousands of people died for it. That the man who sired me died for that love. And then I thought of you...and the way I love you, like the love that led this nation to war. Of how your hair always smells like lavender. Or the curve of your neck that sends goosebumps down your whole body when I kiss it. Of the girlish giggle I've only ever heard from you privately. And then I thought of how our bodies fit so perfectly together, as if you were made for me and I for you, and then I felt shame. Shame that my very existence would threaten everything you had worked for and bled for your entire life. Shame that you were my aunt by blood, and that I wanted nothing more than to bend you over my bed at Winterfell and ravage you."

Jon had slowly closed the distance between them as he spoke, until he was finally right beside Daenerys. His breath was warm on her skin, and sent a shiver down her entire body. She wanted so badly to hate him in that moment, her grief and anger fully threatening to consume every single part of her. But when she looked deep into his eyes, and saw the truth of all of his words, she knew she'd never be able to hate him as she wanted.

"You should have told me; I would have done anything to help you." Her delicate voice betrayed the tenderness she still felt for him. She reached up and pushed a curl behind his ear. A touch so intimate and familiar.

The realization hit Jon like a ton of bricks. Despite everything she had suffered, she still cared for his well-being and the turmoil he had silently carried. This is how true family is supposed to act between one another, he thought sadly back to the way his cousins had cornered him in the Godswood at Winterfell. Trying so hard to make him choose a side. He then thought back to the words he had shared with Theon, in this very keep. You didn't have to choose a side, and family would never ask that of you. He reached out tenderly for belly, cupping the swell in his hand. You are my family now. You and your mother.

"Dany, I swear to you on my very life, on my honor as a Stark and a Targaryen, that I will be by your side and support you to the end of my days." Jon's voice was strong, every word a sincere promise. "You are mine, and I am yours. And this miracle we've created together beyond all hope, will never suffer as we did."

She relaxed into his touch, letting her heart override her brain for the first time in days to actual feel some semblance of hope. They had made the impossible, possible. The words of a prophecy she could scarcely remembered echoed in her mind. Only Kings blood can wake dragons from stone, she thought of her womb as stone and the child – their child – their tiny dragon and the future of their house. Daenerys drifted her hand downwards, coming to lay right on top of his.

Jon felt the dread that had griped him earlier slowly disappear, only for anger to start slipping in its place. "Varys. You said he was trying to poison you. He came to me on the beach when I arrived, urging me to put you aside and press my claim."

Daenerys should have been surprised, but she found none of the feeling. Varys had become increasingly bold in his treason, and it made sense that he would have sought Jon out immediately upon his arrival. "I knew he was conspiring against me since Tyrion went to him with the truth about you. Then the young girl, who has brought me food since I first arrived here to Dragonstone, would not even look at me. She would normally smile and babble excitedly to me. That is when I knew I could not trust a single bite that came from the kitchens."

"I will send for Davos; we have some rations he thought to pack for the journey here because of the storms. It isn't much, but I at least know it's safe. Some hard cheese, crusty bread, and a few pieces of smoked fish. You have to eat something, Dany. You look so frail." Concern for her was barely keeping his anger at bay. "Davos will stay with you this evening until I can return. I know he isn't a fighter, but he is the only man I trust to never betray either of us. I also want Grey Worm to personally oversee the men chosen to guard you, and men placed in the kitchens. I will deal with Varys."

She saw the darkness enter his eyes, and shuddered. Daenerys knew how he felt about traitors, and what Jon had done to those who had betrayed him. She knew what had happened to the men and the boy at the Wall who had killed him, knew what happened to the Bolton's. "Do what you must, but I do not want the little girl harmed. The villagers who remained on Dragonstone are a poor people. I have tried hard to improve their lives during my time here, but this land yields little harvest. There is no telling what promises or riches he gave to her or her family in exchange for this treason."

Always a believer in mercy when warranted, Jon bristled at this idea. "This child tried to kill you, Daenerys. And not just you, but our babe. She knew what she was doing and needs to be punished for her actions."

"I will not have the blood of a little girl on our hands, all because she made the wrong decision in trying to rise her family from poverty and starvation."

The look in Dany's violet eyes, and the resolve in her expression, made Jon realize that this was not an argument he would win. She was so fiercely protective of the small people. While he had been raised as a boy with a bastard's name, he had least had the stability of Winterfell. He never had to worry about where his next meal would come from or if he'd even eat at all, if he would have clothes to cover his body, or a bed to sleep in. Daenerys had never had that certainty until she had carved it out for herself.

"I will ensure that no harm befalls her, Dany, but I will not permit her to serve in this keep." He made sure that his tone was insistent. "With your leave, I will need some of the Unsullied. I intend to arrest Varys and bring him to justice tonight, before he even knows that we're fully aware of his schemes, and before he can weave anymore webs. I will make sure that Davos comes to you immediately. Only take food from his hands, and his hands only. I need you to eat, and then ready yourself. Meet me on the beach before the obsidian cave in two hours, and make sure Drogon is close by."

"You may have whatever resources you need; you've always known that." She reached a hand up to play in his curls, trying to assure him that he needed no such permission from her. After all, he was a King.

"Aye, I do. But I told you before that I am not here to take things from you, and I won't start now. Your people are yours. I hope, in time, they will accept me but I will not question your authority with them. I meant what I said, Dany. I am yours, and you are mine. We will do this, together." He swept her from being beside him, to right in front of him. He brought his hands up to her face before wrapping them up in her hair. He bent her head back slowly, and placed his lips upon hers.