DISASTROUS ( Jon Snow )

51

darling, you were never meant to be atlas; lay down the world for a moment. i promise you, it will not fall.

-heavy is the head that does not rest // p.s.

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"You know the truth about Jon."

Though the room was blanketed in silence, with no one around to hear, Amaris cast a nervous glance toward the door. She turned back to Bran and nodded.

"Yes... well, only bits and pieces but I think I've discovered the rest." She clenched her hands together and bit her lip. Bran sat in his chair, head held high. She couldn't see a single bit of emotion on his face. What had happened to the adventurous boy she met all those years ago? "What are we to do with this information?"

"We keep it a secret," Bran said. "Or, we tell everyone."

"That will only get him killed," Amaris hissed, hugging her arms to her waist. "Daenerys will not take kindly to that. Her entire claim rests on the idea that she's the last Targaryen."

"Well, it turns out that there are two more in this very castle," Bran said calmly.

Rolling her eyes, Amaris crossed the room to the window and peered outside. Snow fell gently over Winterfell's courtyard and if she squinted, she could see one of Daenerys's dragons flapping its wings in the distance. Her stomach twisted; she still didn't trust Daenerys or her judgement regarding the dragons. Tyrion had told her about the Lannister army and all the food and gold that had been burnt to a charred crisp. He told her how Daenerys had laid waste to the army, and depleted it with no regard to human life. 

Amaris didn't want to think about what Daenerys would do if she found out her claim was somehow threatened. She would kill herself before she allowed a drop of harm to come to her son.

"Daenerys thinks she owns Westeros because she's a Targaryen," Amaris said quietly, gripping the window ledge so tight that her knuckles strained against her skin. "Her family was rightfully overthrown, but none of that matters to her."

"Using her logic, Jon is their heir to the Iron Throne," Bran said.

"Do you think she'll just accept that?" Amaris turned back to Bran. "This is the only thing she's ever wanted, and she's gone blind and mad because of it." She linked her hands behind her neck and chewed on her lip, thinking. "We must tell Jon. He deserves to know the truth, but we cannot act on this information."

Bran stared at her; his eyes were pensive, cold, and calculating. After a moment, he nodded. "That seems to be for the best."

Amaris arched an eyebrow at him. "Seems?"

"The future is tricky," Bran said simply. He folded his hands in his lap. "You would know that better than anyone else."

[ ... ]

Daenerys hadn't taken kindly to Amaris directing her to the front table in the Great Hall. No doubt she had been expecting a seat at the High Table, despite those seats each being filled by a Stark. Tyrion had saved the day, reeling Daenerys's explosive temper back by reminding her that they were guests of Winterfell and that the front table was still an honor. Especially since Amaris and Jon had to, unfortunately, displace their most trusted allies for the time being.

Lady Lyanna had been the most accommodating of that, reminding Amaris of how much of a gift the young girl truly was.

Once everyone was seated in the Hall, Jon looked to Amaris. She squeezed his hand gently below the table and they both stood, creating a respectful hush over the room. It was clear that in her absence, Jon had been doing a wonderful job of working to further unite the North.

"My friends," Amaris spoke, projecting her voice so that even the furthest away servant would hear her as if she were speaking directly to them. She forced the most genuine smile she could manage onto her face. "We are honored this evening to be joined by Daenerys Targaryen and her allies. They wished to come to Winterfell to see the North for what it truly is. A strong, thriving country of its own, that never backs down in the face of troubles."

As the northern lords erupted into whoops and claps and cheers at her words, she shifted her gaze onto Daenerys's face, locking eyes with the other woman. From the corner of her vision, she could see Tyrion's face tighten. Amaris, however, stood tall and unflinching. This was her home now. Daenerys might have taken her childhood home, but she would not take this one.

Beside her, Jon said a few more practiced, unemotional words of welcome and then they sat. Servants brought out the food, serving the High Table first, as per custom, and then going to the front table. There was an overall cheerful atmosphere to the Great Hall, but Amaris was fully aware of Daenerys's sour attitude and eyes on her and Jon all night.

"She likes you," Amaris whispered, leaning in towards Jon.

"Who?" he asked, eyebrows laced together.

"Daenerys," Amaris said. "Her eyes have been following you since she arrived. She's either staring at you or glaring at me."

Jon chuckled quietly. His hand found hers beneath the table. "Pity for her, then."

Holding his gaze, Amaris smirked as she reached for her goblet and took a sip of her wine. In this moment, she wanted nothing more than to drag Jon to their shared chambers, so she broke the gaze and turned to converse with Sansa. A ways down the table, she could see Arya and Gendry locked in conversation with Rickon. It was a nice feeling, seeing a family mostly whole for the first time in years. But she also knew it couldn't last much longer.

[ ... ]

"I can see why you fight so hard for this land," Daenerys said, staring at Amaris and Jon from the other side of their council room.

The welcoming feast had ended and now Amaris, Jon, Sansa, Davos, Daenerys, Tyrion, and Jorah were gathered together in one room to discuss what needed to be done with the Army of the Dead. It would be a lie to say Daenerys's words didn't give Amaris a dangerous sense of hope.

"It is our home," Sansa said evenly, narrowing her eyes at the silver-haired queen. "Of course we fight for it."

Amaris moved away from Jon and towards the table-map of Westeros. She ran a finger over the line that was meant to be the Wall. How easily it could all come crashing down.

"The odds are stacked against us," Amaris said. "There is no doubt about that. For every man and woman the Night King slays, he will resurrect for his army." She looked up and met Daenerys's eyes. "This is no longer about the politics of who sits on that stupid chair. This is about every living person."

"This is bigger than all of us," Jon added. "We need to work together to defeat the Army of the Dead."

"And when we defeat the Army of the Dead and the Night King," Amaris took a deep breath and looked to Jon and Sansa, "we can squabble over who gets what piece of land, but only when the winter passes. This is bigger than that, and we have no way of knowing who will survive this."

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I'm just trying to get to the Dragon Pit tbh because I love Cersei

-peterparrker