A tale of wolves and dragons

A Storm in the Springtime

The icy air hit his face like a dagger. The beasts were roaring through the air with such might, Jon's stomach turned and tumbled as they swerved about the sky. In the distance he could make out Winterfell's shape. Home. Daenerys.

Rhaegal gingerly landed in the field adjacent the tower garden, it was close to the room where Daenerys slept. Sensing their mother was nearby, both dragons shrilled into the dawn, the sounds ringing through the morning sky. Their cries sent a flurry of activity about the Castle as the Northern people gathered outside the walls to see their Northern King atop a dragon. Hundreds of commoners and a dozen Lords all looked to Jon in eerie disbelief as he dismounted the great beast. Drogon took flight again, but Rhaegal stayed where he landed, curling itself up to rest in the field. Jon gently touched the great Dragons snout as he removed his glove, "Thank you" he whispered to Rhaegal. "Your mother will be glad to see you..."

Across the field, guarded by the high walls of the castle, Daenerys lay.  As the sun crept through the window, her eyes slowly flickered opened.

~~~~~

Jon heard the sound of cheers from afar in the field. What had the people so happy this morning? What had pulled them from the melancholy of the past few days? He dared not think it - it would be too perfect....but.....had she woken? Had she really returned? The nervous energy boiled in his stomach and he could wait no longer, racing as fast as he could back in the direction of the castle. Nearly the same path he had trod not four days earlier when carrying Daenerys from the field. This time, he hoped, he would return to a happy scene.

Through the gates, up the galley stairs. The fourth door on the left. He burst into the room to the great surprise of its occupants. Missandei, her aids, a few nurses....and then....he saw her. Daenerys.

His eyes met hers. Her eyes met his. And that was all the needed to happen that day. He stood there for a moment. In complete disbelief. In completely silence.

She was indeed unworldly, he thought. With such a magic and beauty about her, at times it was hard to believe she was flesh and blood. And this mystic energy she carried within her seemed to bewitch even the Gods - she had returned, called from her sleep by her children - just as he hoped she would. Against the odds that always seemed so stacked against her.  Somewhere in the pit of his being he had known this would happen.  A force he couldn't quite explain had given him faith that she would return, though many times he'd ignored it and instead forced himself to face the reality of her health. He wasn't yet ready to believe that he, too, shared the blood of old Valyria - it was still all too raw to face up to.

The ladies in the room shifted as he strode nearer. Gentle thuds of his boots beaming through the room, all the while his eyes were fixated on her.
"Pardon, my ladies....." Jon said abruptly. "Please, grant us some privacy..."
The nurses and aids, even Missandei, obliged him without question respectfully exiting the room with but a sound. Leaving their King and Queen alone.

The room was void except for them. The only sounds that could be heard were the pounding of his heart and the gentle whimpers of her breath.  Jon moved forward again, mindful to approach her with great care, not wanting to overwhelm or scare her. He sat next to her, perched on her bed. His eyes having never left her hers. So many questions ran through his mind.....why? How? He was shocked and happy to see her, seeing her blue eyes reminded him of springtime. Like the blue winter roses, so famed in Winterfell, for they were ancient and rare and obscure - just like Daenerys.  His heart was pounding so hard he thought his chest might crack from the force.

Sam hovered in the doorway behind him and was the first to break him from his trance, asking Jon for a quiet word. Jon, mouth still open and doe-eyed, simply asked Sam politely to wait outside for him.  "Leave us, please, Sam" Jon gently asked his friend. Sam complied without fuss - he knew his matter could wait.