Artos Stark

The Mountain and the Viper

Artos walked back into the room after taking Beast on a walk to see Missandei sitting in front of Dany.
"You think he was spying on you?" Dany asked her making Artos crease his brows in confusion.
"No, not spying." She answered back.
"The Dothraki think outsiders are ridiculous taking shame in the naked body. They make love under the stars for the whole khalasar to see." Dany told her while she braided her hair.
"Yes, Your Grace." Missandei said a little unsure.
"But you are not Dothraki." Dany told her.
"No." She agreed
"Well. I don't see why it matters. Grey Worm isn't interested. None of the Unsullied care what's under our clothes." Dany tried to reassure her.
"He was interested." Missandei said watching Artos who was waking up behind Dany.
"What?" Dany asked smiling slightly when Artos wrapped his arms around her.
"I believe he was interested." She told her.
"When the slavers castrate the boys, do they take all of it?" Dany asked her making Artos laugh.
"All of it?" Missandei questioned her.
"The- the pillar and the stones." She asked again.
"I don't know, Your Grace." Missandei answered. Artos kissed the side of Dany's head and fell back into the couch not far from the girl and picked up a book.
"Haven't you ever wondered?" Dany asked her. Missandei was silent for a moment before answering.
"Yes, Your Grace." She told her. Missandei excused her later shortly after leaving the couple alone.
"I have great news." Dany told Artos.
"And what's that?" Artos asked her as she pulled the book from his hands and sat down on his lap.
"It's been a month now since our wedding day." She told him.
"It has." He said back intertwining their fingers.
"I haven't bled. I believe I'm with child." She told him smiling. It fell soon after though when Artos let his hand fall to her belly without smiling back.
"What is it? I thought you wanted this too." She asked him tears welling in her eyes.
"I do. It's just, I have a son that I left. Now we are having a baby and I'm starting to realize that when I get back to him... he won't even know who I am." Artos told her looking down at her still flat tummy.
"Then we will both get to know him. We will raise him as a Stark alongside his brother or sister that grows inside of me." She told him with a smile. Artos smiled back and kissed her on the lips.
"I don't deserve you." He told her teasingly.
"No, you earned me." She said back in a similar tone.

Artos was once again standing behind Dany with his hands resting on her shoulders. He was growing quickly tired of the routine that had fallen into. Jorah walked into the room and stopped at the steps below them. Artos was tense and angry. He no longer trusted Jorah after they had discovered the pardon Robert had granted him.
"Why did the usurper pardon you?" Dany asked him.
"If we could speak alone." He said glancing uneasily at Artos.
"No, speak to me here. Explain it to me." She told him sternly.
"Who do you think sent this to Meereen? Who profits? This is the work of Tywin Lannister. He wants to divide us. If we're fighting each other, we're not fighting him." Jorah protested.
"The pardon was signed the year we met. Why were you pardoned? Unless you're saying this document was forged." She said.
"It is not forged." He confirmed.
"Why, then?" she asked him again.
"I sent letters to Varys, the spymaster of King's Landing." He told her. Artos removed his hands from her and clenched his fists.
"What was the content of these letters?" She asked him.
"Information." Artos told her roughly watching Jorah closely.
"What information?" Dany asked him looking between them.
"When you and Viserys arrived in Pentos. His plan to marry you to Khal Drogo. When you were married. When your brother died." Jorah told her.
"You told them I was carrying Drogo's child?" She asked him fighting against herself from placing a hand on her belly. She didn't want him to know do the new baby yet if ever.
"I-" Jorah started.
"Yes or no?" Artos all but shouted at him.
"Khaleesi." Jorah started to plead.
"Don't call me that. Did you tell him I was carrying Drogo's child?" She asked him. Artos took a deep breath and placed a hand on her arm for comfort when her body started to shake slightly.
"Yes." Jorah answered her. Dany stood and patted Artos's hand lightly before walking down the steps to stand face to face with him.
"That wine merchant tried to poison me because of your information." Dany told him.
"I stopped you from drinking his wine." He tried to protest.
"Because you knew it was poisoned." She accused.
"I suspected." He corrected her.
"You betrayed me from the first." She said her voice cracking slightly.
"Forgive me." He begged falling to his knees.
"I never meant- please, Khaleesi, forgive me." He continued.
"You sold my secrets to the man who killed my father and stole my brother's throne... and you want me to forgive you." Dany asked why Jorah talked in time with her.
"I have protected you, fought for you, killed for you." He said.
"I have loved you." He confessed once she stopped talking.
"Love? Love? How can you say that to me? Any other man, and I would have you executed. But you, I do not want you in my city dead or alive. Go back to your masters in King's Landing. Collect your pardon if you can." She said staring at the wall behind him.
"Daenerys, please." Jorah begged as he stood and began walking towards her but Artos was quick to walk up behind her and stop his outstretched hand.
"Don't ever presume to touch me again or speak my name. You have until dusk to collect your things and leave this city. If you're found in Meereen past break of day, I will leave you to my husband, then have your head thrown into Slaver's Bay. Go. Now." She told him pulling Artos's hand from his wrist. Once he left the room she turned and buried her head in Artos's chest. Artos held her close as she cried into him.

[Jorah is gone and Dany is pregnant. Thank you so much for reading!]