All of Pieces

Chapter - 7

  Jon found Daenerys leaning against Drogon just inside the gates of the Red Keep. She looked smaller than usual, her body completely flush against her dragon. He approached slowly, not wanting to interrupt the quiet moment between them. As he got closer he noticed the silent tears flowing down her face, mixing with the soot and ash. Fear enveloped him, imagining all the different things that could be wrong with her. It was then he ran to her, pulling her to face him. She said nothing, the tears still flowing freely without any sound at all. He desperately began to feel over her body for any signs of a wound, tearing at her leather coat to get a better look. The garment was no match for his adrenaline or strength, the claps easily separating under his hands as he shoved it off of her and to the ground. He was relieved when he found no sign of a physical wound, and a bit embarrassed at the ruin he'd made of her leathers. He tried to reason with his mind, telling it that he couldn't help himself, the thought of her being injured or in pain made him feel ill.

He brought his fingers up tenderly to her face, wiping away the tears with a gentle touch. "Are you alright?" He kept his voice soft and just audible for her, knowing that the courtyard was filling up with their soldiers and smallfolk alike.

Dany sighed deeply, not knowing exactly what to say. She had almost lost control, and lost her mind in the process. How could she ever tell him that she was so close to incinerating an entire city. Not even the thought of him pulled her back from the brink, only feeling their child did that. She grabbed his hands, pulling them down from her face. She held them for a few moments, squeezing them in reassurance. "I'm not hurt."

He took a steadying breath as he looked into her eyes. She looked back up at him, trying so hard to remain strong. She looked so tired, the dark circles visible again under her eyes now that the tears had swept away the powder she had applied to her face. She was still so pale, and felt so fragile against his body. He saw her resolve falter for barely a moment, and squeezed her hands softly back in support. "We've won, and with no innocent bloodshed. Ser Jaime was a man of his word. Cersei deceived him, as she had deceived Tyrion. She is no more, my Queen."

The words should have made her happy, but she felt nothing. Everything she had done had been for this moment. Every betrayal, every sacrifice, every loss, all of the pain, and she felt nothing. No satisfaction, no relief, no joy. Distant screams could still be heard near Blackwater Bay, as more of Euron's burned navy washed up on shore. A few of the walls remained on fire, though their combined forces had seen to most of them. She knew that the damage was minimal to the city as a whole, but the guilt was overwhelming as she felt the bile rise up in her throat at the thought of what she almost did. She pressed herself against Jon's body, pulling him into a hug. Dany felt his arms wrap around her and drawing her as close as possible, a kiss placed at the crown of her braids. She felt more emotion being wrapped up in his arms than she did in learning of their victory for the Iron Throne.

Daenerys broke their embrace when she heard footsteps approaching them, and felt Drogon growing restless behind them. Both Jon and Dany turned towards the sound, and watched as Tyrion made his way over to them. Jaime Lannister stood a few feet back, Grey Worm at his side. The two men were speaking with one another, the Kingslayer looked rough for wear and his own cheeks were stained with dried tears and dust.

"I hate to interrupt the moment your Grace but we..." Her hand's words trailed off in mid-sentence as he got up close and took a long look at the Queen. She was in a most unpresentable state. Her elaborate braids were starting unravel, with soot and ash mixed in with her silver strands. Her face was much the same, tear streaked soot marred her delicate features. The leather coat lay torn at her feet. Her black underdress was stuck with sweat to her skin, highlighting every womanly curve of her body. He saw the swell of her belly, and was speechless. His mouth hung open in shock, as he looked to Jon and then back to Daenerys. She had been so convinced of her barrenness, and had him convinced of it as well. Tyrion felt some relief wash over him, despite the information having been hidden from him. His Queen had an heir now, she would be harder to defeat. "You're with child." He kept his voice to a whisper as he got as close to them as Drogon would allow.

"I am." Dany kept her voice soft, still holding hands with Jon. She could see the wheels turning in Tyrion's brain, and wondered if steam would be coming out of his ears at any moment he appeared to be in such deep thought.

"And not newly with child either. I may not have much experience in this matter, but I suspect you're five moons gone already." He looked up at her, his eyes soft and kind but a hardened expression on his face.

"My healer believes four, when I last saw her on Dragonstone." She honestly didn't know exactly when this child had been conceived, but she believed it to be on their journey to White Harbor. Her moon blood had never been regular; her last bleed had been right around the time Viserion was brought down beyond the wall. That had been six moons prior, and it was not long after that when Jon came to her bed and she had not bled since.

Tyrion nodded slowly, his mind still turning into overdrive. "I will find a Septon this evening, one we can pay discreetly to decree the marriage took place on Dragonstone before you marched North. We can state that it was a condition of the Northern alliance, that will erase any shadow of legitimacy on your heir. We can crown you both and..."

Jon cleared his throat in interruption, having heard enough of the clever man's rumblings. "I will not live another lie, I will not have my child born into a lie, nor will I have the start her reign built on a lie. She has already agreed to be my wife."

"She may have agreed to be your wife, but any educated man can count. When a normal sized babe is born in 4 or 5 moons time after your marriage, the Lords will talk and that shadow will follow your heir the rest of their life." He knew Jon was an honorable man, but not a political one, and was trying hard to make him see the reasoning behind his suggestion.

"I care not what some pompous lord in a keep I've never seen has to say. That will not change the fact that she will be my wife, and our child will be trueborn." Jon could feel his anger start to bristle.

Daenerys anger was already to the surface, as the two men bantered back and forth like children in front of her and as if she wasn't there and had a say so in the matter. "Enough! I care not for Septons or their words. I know Jon has followed the Old Gods, but I've never followed a religion at all. What was the saying of old, my dear hand? That Targaryen's, like their Dragons, answered to neither Gods nor men. As far as I am concerned, Jon has pledged himself to me and I to him. The words may not have been uttered in a Sept or a Godswood, but the words have been said just the same. He is my husband, and I his wife. I want a representative from every Noble house summoned to King's Landing to swear fealty to us both."

Both men looked at her, seeing the passion in her violet eyes that matched the intensity of her words. Neither dared to question her statement. While Jon had long imagined marrying her in a Godswood, he would not go against her at this moment. There would be time for them to repeat their pledge to one another with a real heart tree, not the faceless trees of the south. He felt her lean into him again, her shoulders relax slightly from her Queenly demeanor. She looked up at him, her eyes betraying both her physical and mental exhaustion. If she claimed him as her husband, then that is what he would be. "If you could direct us to our chambers, Lord Tyrion, I'd be grateful. Her grace is tired, and I will ensure that she rests."