The Worth Of Love

It Crumbles

(Ser Barristan)

Tonight was supposed to be a peaceful night. He was meant to stand on duty by the Queens tent alongside Grey Worm.

The deal with Renly was done, they had another kingdom on their side, and another great house. A good ally. Renly was a smart man and he wouldn't rebel against Daenerys. He would also help rebuild the seven Kingdoms.

Everyone was supposed to relax tonight and enjoy the fact that they now had even more allies. But the evening was ruined for him and Grey Worm, when he saw Ned Stark enter their Queen's tent.

He wanted to laugh at how stupid this was.

The most honorable man in Westeros was bedding a Targaryen Queen, when just 20 years ago he would have gladly killed a few Targaryens.

Barristan didn't really care who Daenerys chose as her lover. If Kings could have lovers, then surely a Queen without a husband could enjoy a man's company.

The only problem was that out of all the men she could have chosen, she chose Ned Stark.

The Warden of the North, the furthest kingdom from King's Landing. If Ned Stark was lord of Casterly Rock or the Reach then he could stay with the queen. But the North was too far away.

And Starks were known to not do well in the South.

At first he wanted to smack the man on the head for his stupidity.

But that changed when he realized that the Queen actually loved Ned Stark, and he loved her. And as reckless as their actions were, he wanted to see his Queen happy. And Ned Stark made her quite happy.

Love.

Such a powerful thing. It could start wars, bring power, and destroy families.

But as strong as love was. It made people blind and reckless.

It complicated everything. They were amidst a war. The Starks were strong allies, and if they found out about Ned Stark's relationship with Daenerys, they would most likely withdraw their support.

Northmen were loyal to a fault. Which only worsened this situation.

So when he saw Ned Stark enter the Queen's tent, out in the open, in front of many Northmen, he knew that there would be consequences later. Ned Stark acted like a fool, and he and Daenerys would both pay dearly for this.

Grey Worm stood by his side quietly. They both knew what the Warden of the North came there for. They have stood outside her tent enough times. And even though Grey Worm never spoke of it, Barristan knew that the man shared his opinion on the danger of this relationship. Grey Worm didn't know much about politics, but he observed and learned quickly.

Soon Daenerys entered the tent, giving him and Grey Worm a quick nod.

He let out a heavy breath readying himself for what was to come. He would stand there looking uncomfortable as always and pretend he couldn't hear what was going on inside the tent. And he would pretend that those that walked by couldn't hear it all either.

Surprisingly, unlike every other day, he could only hear silence.

For a second he worried that something was wrong, until Queen Daenerys finally spoke.

He took a deep breath and looked away, trying to turn his mind off from the conversation. He had no business listening in.

But no matter how much he tried to focus on everything else, he could still hear what was said inside the tent.