The Dragon & The Wolf (Daenarya)

chapter 5

After sending Arya's letter to Pyke Daenerys's mood soured with every day that passed without a reply. By the time the raven did come, she was snapping rudely at servants, ignoring her advisors and pacing like a wild animal around her chambers when she should have been sleeping.

She was sitting at Jon's side, doing what she could to listen to the status of her kingdoms when a servant entered quietly and hurried to Tyrion's side. Whispered words were exchanged before he patted the young man on the arm in thanks and took what he offered. Daenerys paid them only the briefest amount of attention as it happened.

"Jon," Tyrion said during a lull in the conversation.

"What's the matter?"

"Word from your sister," he answered, not looking up from the page he was reading.

"How is Sansa?" Daenerys asked, purposefully trying to illicit a reaction from her smitten Hand.

"Not her, Arya."

Daenerys and Jon shared a heavy, serious look. "Can you give us a moment please," Jon asked the room politely.

Murmurs started as everyone looked at one another, each of them expecting Daenerys to intercede. She wasn't in the mood for this. "Go!" she commanded roughly.

Only Tyrion and Missandei remained with the couple after the others had gone. "What does my sister say?" Jon wondered for the both of them.

"Seems there is a measure of peace in the Iron Islands."

"That's good," Jon inserted.

"What of Arya?" Daenerys barked, causing a speculative expression from the Lannister.

"She's left Pyke, your Grace," Tyrion explained, countering her bite with formality. "The letter doesn't say where she's going next, but the private one might."

"There was a second letter?" Jon clarified quickly, before Daenerys could snap at him again.

He held it up as proof of its existence. Reading from the scroll he'd opened now he quoted. "She says, 'if the dwarf opens the private scroll enclosed he'll die a painful, slow death.'"

Daenerys had to chew the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. Somehow Arya could make even threats of horrible pain amusing to her. Tyrion got up from his seat and walked to a spot between Daenerys and Jon's chairs. He set the scroll on the table, doing his duty. "Thank you, Tyrion." Jon looked over his shoulder at Missandei, unaware that she knew all the details of Daenerys's past with Arya. "Missandei can you give my wife and I a moment alone please?"

"Of course," she said, ducking her head and chasing after Tyrion.

They weren't out the door before Daenerys was reaching for the scroll. "It's not their fault!" Jon complained in a low voice from her side.

His words kept her from breaking the seal and seeing whether Arya was in fact coming back to her. "What now?"

He gave her a stern, knowing look, one that made it clear she should understand exactly what he meant. "It's not their fault you're upset," he clarified. "We decided to do this, and we decided to keep our secrets. It's not fair to take it out on everyone else."

She knew he was right, but she wasn't ready to admit that aloud. He let his words sink in and then gave her a light, easy smile, one that reminded her of a time before Arya, when he'd been enough for her. "I'll give you a few minutes alone."

He was on his feet by the time she managed to get her tongue working again, her eyes dancing between the pain written on his face and the scroll tempting her on the table. "Stay," she allowed gently. "It might be for you."