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Post by Ray on Oct 6, 2017 23:28:23 GMT -7
Tyrion's face pales and his shoulders slump, a long beat of silence following those hollow words. Jon didn't like saying them any more than they liked hearing it, that single sentence solidifying something he did not expect to hurt him so deeply. He'd only known Daenerys for a few weeks, only known their connection for a few days, and yet... It's as if he's lost something so...vital, so important, and never had a chance to understand why it was those things. He feels like a child who's been handed a toy, only to watch it smashed against the wall a moment later.
"Where?" Tyrion asks, pulling in a deep breath through his nostrils.
Jon rolls his tongue against his lips and turns back towards Drogon. The dragon watches his approach and flattens down a wing for him to use as a step-stool. Jon pulls himself up with ease, and unties the bundle strapped to the beast's back. Missandei lifts her hand to cover her mouth as Jon steps down and carries it back towards them, lying it along the marble.
He's wrapped her in a black sheet, carefully. When he peels it back from her face, she still looks beautiful, even in death, her lips parted just slightly around words she never got to speak.
Missandei has to turn away, her shoulders shuddering with a sob. Tyrion closes his eyes slowly. Jon covers Daenerys' face once more.
"She fell." He explains, but it seems so mundane. So simple. He rises back to his feet, trying his best to ignore the shake in his hand.
Katherine speaks up, filling the thick silence with a request easier said than done. Jon glances back to her, somehow not surprised she'd be so eager to be rid of the damn thing. After all of this, it'd be no surprise if they all were. The Iron Throne has brought nothing but misery and death ever since Aegon had it forged. Kings have died upon it, Queens have died for it, and the whole continent has wept blood.
"Burn it?" Tyrion says, his voice sounding exhausted, his eyes slipping open once more. "You can't be serious."
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Post by Snowglobe18 on Oct 6, 2017 23:41:59 GMT -7
Katherine watched as Jon laid Daenerys down and then pulled the cloth back and felt sad, she had thought that if any of them would survive it would be her. Targaryen's had a way of surviving she had known they for years especially with the way her father went on about Daenerys Targaryen and the dragons that had come before her.
But looking at her face she felt a hot tear run down her cheek and then lifted a hand to wipe it away. She didn't know Dany that well but it did make her sad. It made her feel sad that in the end a Petrova survived but a Targaryen didn't. It seemed like a cruel repeat of the past but she never asked for this; as far as Katherine was concerned she was dead and was happy to stay that way. At least then she wouldn't have to see moments like this. Moments that hurt her heart.
Tyrion spoke and she looked over at him "Actually I am" she admitted and sighed "people have died a thousand times for that thing and for what? So they can rule Seven Kingdoms? It isn't a pretty job" she watched him but she wasn't sure if he really understood. She had watched as the chair destroyed people. It had destroyed Ned and he had only sat in it when her useless father had gone hunting. It destroyed her sister. "But do with it what you must"
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Post by Ray on Oct 6, 2017 23:55:10 GMT -7
"People have died because they've been ruled by fucking idiots," Tyrion replies, his words laced with frustration. "Look at the Kings of the past seven centuries. We remember them as tyrants and war mongers, because that's what they were. It's not the chair that's evil. It's the men who've sat upon it." He huffs, setting his hands at his waist and looking to the rolled bundle on the floor beside another dead Queen. In the silence that follows his words, Jon can almost hear what Tyrion could have added, would have added, if Daenerys had survived. But Tyrion just closes his eyes once more and exhales a sharp sigh. "The simple truth is, we cannot let the Kingdom just go on without a ruler. It'll turn into even more chaos. And a ruler cannot sit in this castle without a throne."
"What do you suggest then?" Davos interrupts, his voice startling Jon slightly. He turns his dark eyes towards the man who approaches from the door, looking just as haggard as the rest of them. Asher follows behind, hand still resting upon the hilt of his sheathed sword, a slice across his cheek coated in dried blood. "There's no heir. No Lords left who are brave enough to sit upon the damned thing. And it'd take years to have some sort of democratic appointing." Davos says aloud to the room, but mostly to Tyrion, who looks towards him as well.
"There is an heir." The half-man argues, matter-of-factly. He turns his blue eyes away from Davos.
And settles them straight upon Jon.
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Post by Snowglobe18 on Oct 7, 2017 0:19:01 GMT -7
Katherine put her hand up and pinched the bridge of her nose; this wasn't getting them anywhere especially when Tyrion started arguing. "Well then maybe you would like to sit on there" she said and dropped her hand and then indicated to the throne. There was one person who would've rather had a quiet life if it wasn't for her father and that was Ned, he never wanted to come down here. She was going to speak again but then Davos interrupted and she turned to see him walking in with Asher.
Now that she knew about Edric and Sansa she was looking at Asher a little differently now and she tilted her head to the side for a moment when Davos' words rang true. It would take a long time for the matter to be settled as to who ran the Kingdoms and of course the North would still want to run themselves and all she wanted to do was get Amelia back home but at this moment she didn't have the heart to go and get her especially when she knew how Jon cared about her. He had hurt too much right now to add that onto him.
This was politics at its finest and now she was wondering why she had said anything but then Tyrion spoke about an heir and she looked over in time to see his eyes settle on someone and she followed his line of sight and her eyes fell on Jon. Her mouth fell open and for a moment she couldn't actually think of anything in which to say. Jon was heir to the throne? The throne?
Katherine watched him for a moment and then swallowed. She had known that Daenerys and Jon had warm skin but she thought that maybe she had over imagined it but clearly not. She continued to watch him her dark eyes taking him in. It seemed as if she was rather speechless and she wasn't sure what she should really say or if he even expected her to say anything at all because right now she couldn't think of a single word.
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Post by Ray on Oct 7, 2017 0:42:04 GMT -7
Jon stares back at Tyrion, his mouth pressing tightly closed, a muscle jumping in his jaw. He should have known that Daenerys had told the man. Of course she had. Tyrion is, was, her Hand, and any decisions upon lineage for a Queen who could not bear children would have gone straight through him. But knowing that it had been real, not just some false hope that Daenerys had planted in his mind to get him to march for her, to get him to vouch for her, leaves him with no reassured feelings.
Not with all eyes turning upon him. Not with the fire burning a hole in his heart.
"Oh for fucks sake," Tormund mutters in exasperation as he puts the pieces of the puzzle together.
"I don't understand," Asher comments, looking round the room cautiously until his eyes settle upon Jon, his hand falling away from the hilt of his sword, "You're Ned Stark's bastard. How does that make you heir?"
"He's Rhaegar Targaryen's last living son," Tyrion corrects, tired, keeping his eyes upon Jon even as he drops his own away, looking to the ground at his feet, biting his teeth harder together. "I didn't much believe it myself when Daenerys first suspected, but I saw you riding Drogon," Tyrion continues, "Could have sworn I was seeing the Last Dragon himself."
"I'm not him." Jon bites back, lifting his eyes, his hands balling into fists. "And I do not want to be King."
"And I didn't want to be a dwarf," Tyrion retorts quickly, splaying his hands out at his sides, "But look where we are."
"Son," Davos says, and Jon glances towards him, seeing the concern and surprise upon the man's face, "Is this true?"
Jon falters, wanting to say no, wanting to call it all the fantasies of a woman who'd already lost everything, but he knows better than that. Knows better than to lie. He shifts his eyes momentarily towards Fenris, remembering how sure the wolf had been, how adamant. The wolf looks back at him, red eyes glowing in the shadow of the smoky skies outside. And then he looks to Katherine. She stares at him, lips parted, shock etched on her face like stone. His heart aches.
"It's true." He says, voice low, eyes remaining upon her.
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Post by Snowglobe18 on Oct 7, 2017 1:02:23 GMT -7
It feels like the room is spinning either that or it's her that is but either way she hears the voices pounding her brain as if someone was yelling them in her ear. But then again it was probably just her new hearing that was making everything seem loud. Katherine had never really given thought of there being another Targaryen out there and she knew that if her father even suspected that Jon was a Targaryen and then he would've had him murdered before even getting confirmation from Ned. It would've put the two families at war.
Everyone speaks but Katherine, it seems as if the words are stuck in her throat. It felt like someone was tightening their grip on her throat and cutting off the words that she wanted to say. So he was the son of Rhaegar Targaryen which would make him Lyanna's son. Her father would've hated him from the get go, he would've made sure that he was out of sight, killed so that he wouldn't have to look at the face of a boy who's mother he really wanted but had lost her to a Targaryen.
Robert would've made sure that Katherine and Cersei wouldn't have come in contact with the Starks if he had known. That was why she was so glad that Robert didn't know, that to anyone else Jon was Ned's bastard son.
His eyes settled on hers and then he said the words that it was true.
Her father would've... Katherine had to stop thinking about that because she wasn't her father. She didn't care whose mother was who or what a person's father done. If she did then she would've ended up like Cersei, a heartless bitch that wanted to destroy anything that didn't want her in control or even sat on the Iron Throne. Just because Jon was a Targaryen it didn't mean that she didn't love him. It didn't mean that everything she had said over the last few months was gone. But it did explain why his skin was always so hot to the touch and why he was so beautiful to look at.
She let that sink in through her and let the shocked look fall from her face before she gave him a soft smile. There was only one person who could really decide what they wanted done with the throne. "The throne is yours Your Grace, what do you want done with it?" she watched him.
It didn't matter what Katherine said, what even Tyrion said. Jon was heir to the throne, he was King. Whatever he done with the throne was up to him, no one could force him to sit on it if he didn't want too.
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Post by Ray on Oct 7, 2017 12:03:27 GMT -7
Katherine's shocked expression turns soft, a smile filling her lips, those words falling from her tongue. As she says Your Grace, an overwhelming feeling of disquiet fills him.
He did not ask for this. He did not want this. He'd known from the time he was a child that there were doors closed to him no matter who his father was. And he'd accepted it. Bitterly, at first. Longingly. He'd dreamt of being a knight, dreamt of being a hero. But King was never on his mind. He read far too many books, heard far too many stories, of Kings dying as young heroes or living old enough to be the villains to let his heart wander elsewhere. Robb had been the one who deserved to be King. Robb would have ruled the Seven Kingdoms as they should be ruled -- with justice and honor. But not him.
Never him.
Yet they look at him expectantly. Tyrion wanting him to take the throne, Davos looking unsure, and Katherine...
He looks back towards the towering chair, built from a thousand swords, still sharp and ugly and a reminder that a King should never sit comfortably. He looks at it, and he wonders what it would be like if he ruled.
"The Gods flipped a coin..." he mutters under his breath, quiet enough that only he knows he's spoken. He presses his lips flat once more, knowing his answer as if his own mother had whispered in in his ear. "Drogon," Jon calls out. The dragon lifts his head a little, a quiet chatter sounding in its throat. Jon flicks his dark eyes towards it and, taking a deep, accepting breath, says a single word, "Dracarys."
"No--" Tyrion blurts out, but Drogon is already pulling back on its haunches. It opens its mouth wide and lets loose a stream of fire upon the throne. The flames burn hotter than any made by man, and within moments the iron swords begin to melt and deform, drooping down to the marble floor as it burns. When Drogon halts, the chair looks nothing as it once did -- now just a contorted heap of metal. The stench of hot smoke fills the throne room, and Jon feels nothing but relief.
"What have you done?" Tyrion sighs out, shoulders sagging even further, eyes remaining upon the charred remains of the Iron Throne.
"Ended it." Jon replies, his voice steady and sure.
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Post by Snowglobe18 on Oct 7, 2017 12:31:12 GMT -7
Katherine watches as the throne deforms and she doesn't actually feel sad, the throne should've burned a long time ago and not let a person like her father sit on there. Maybe she would feel different if it had been her that had come to sit on it but she never wanted the job. One minute the queens sit on the throne and the next they would turn on you and then your head was being chopped off. It was unreal just how it all turned to dust. Cersei found that out the hard way.
Tyrion yells and she looks over at him and honestly she wondered just why he wanted Jon to take the throne. She had always liked Tyrion he had been the only likeable Lannister with his stories and the drinking but the want for Jon to take the throne was probably so that someone would rule the south and he could live here again.
Katherine let out a breath, even if she was finding that she didn't need too, and felt the overwhelming relief running through her veins. It had been a long journey but finally they could say that it was the end. The end actually made her feel a little bit sad but either way there was no Cersei and the North could finally be safe even if there wasn't much of a place with no throne.
She turned once more to look at Jon and was interrupted by one of the Northern men coming in.
"Excuse me your grace but there is someone here that says they know you and is requesting an audience"
Katherine pushed her eyebrows together and then shrugged up a shoulder. If she was honest she was expecting to see Emilia again. "Let them in" she said after a moment and then watched as Emilia didn't come in but a young male. If her heart was working then it would've been pounding hard in her chest at that very moment. He was still alive and for that she was thankful.
She watched as Leith walked down towards her and she found herself moving towards him, her feet unable to do anything else. A smile broke out on her face and while it was probably the worst moment to be doing this, especially with Daenerys, Katherine was glad that he had survived. When they came face to face he was about to bow but she stopped him and instead put her arms around her old friend. She felt his arms go around her and for a moment she wanted to cry.
"Thank the gods" she muttered. "I thought you were dead" she said against his shoulder.
"I got by on my good looks" he jokes softly.
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Post by Ray on Oct 7, 2017 13:03:20 GMT -7
"You've ended nothing." Tyrion shakes his head, "Just made sitting much more difficult."
"There are more important fights to be fought than squabbling over a fucking chair," Jon says, aggravated, feeling the exhaustion of the day, of the losses, of this weighing hard upon his shoulders like cold steel. "I have not forgotten what lies to the north," he adds on, looking to Tormund, knowing he understands best of all what other obstacles lie in their path. "I have not forgotten that most of the continent starves while we stand here, acting as if it matters who is King and who is not. We rebuild the country first. Extinguish any remaining fires. And then worry about who sits on the damn throne." He says, his voice echoing through the hall as his anger and frustration flair. He wants to be done with this, needs to be, so they can burn their dead, wipe the blood clean, and finally find some semblance of peace.
A moment passes before Tyrion arches up a brow at him, "Spoken like a true King."
Jon parts his lips to reply, but he's interrupted by a soldier, coming in to announce a newcomer. Jon lets his mouth close with an audible click, his eyes shifting towards the door. A man he does not recognize walks in, and almost immediately Katherine's face breaks out into happiness as she grabs the man into a hug. Jon sighs slowly and looks away. His eyes change upon the black wrapped body lying on the ground, and swallows the hard lump remaining in his throat.
"We need to burn her body," Missandei speaks, her voice quiet and broken as she steps quickly forward, eyes red-rimmed and soft face streaked with tears.
"Aye," Jon replies with a nod. "We'll hold a ceremony tonight. Uphold the Targaryen rites." He tells her, giving her a faint reassuring smile. But she does not look any happier. She lowers herself slowly to the ground beside Daenerys, and lays a hand upon her still body. Jon glances towards Cersei, lying in a congealed pool of her own blood. He rolls his jaw before stepping away, ripping a Lannister banner from the wall just to cover her body with it. "Her as well." He says, closing the woman's eyes before pulling the cloth over her face.
"She killed your family," Tormund comments. "Let the bitch rot."
"That's not the way." Jon shakes his head, rising back to his feet. "She was still a Queen."
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Post by Snowglobe18 on Oct 7, 2017 13:29:00 GMT -7
Katherine pulls back from the hug and actually feels so much lighter knowing that none of the Northern men or even the Dothraki had got hold of him, she had actually meant to go and look for him afterwards but was glad that he came to find her. She then turned and watched as Jon closed Cersei's eyes and then put the cloth over her face. She stepped away from Leith and over to where Jon was by Cersei.
"She might have been a Queen but in the end she ruined everything she touched but saying that," she said and then looked over at Jon. "i will take full responsibility for burning her in the end she was my sister" she said and dropped her eyes down to look at Cersei. Cersei had wanted to be the one burning Katherine but it was the other way around. Katherine looked over at Leith and gave him a soft smile before looking back down at her sister on the ground.
Katherine knew that in the end she was going to have to tell him, she was going to have to get Amelia. She moved her hand to brush against his arm and found herself not believing that not only was Gwin dead but so was Sarah, two people that she had trusted with Amelia's safety and Cersei had use that against the two women and right now Katherine was feeling a bit of guilt knowing that that was why they got killed but was thankful that either women didn't give up their plans but that might be down to the fact that Katherine didn't tell them much other than making sure that if anything happened to her then they got Mia to Winterfell and to Sansa. She knew that Cersei would've used the small girl as bait to lure Katherine down South so that she could kill her sister.
She looked up at him and then said softly "Jon.." and then watched his face and knew that she couldn't tell him. Couldn't bring herself to say the words that she knew would hurt him. Jon loved Amelia. Katherine knew she had started to say something and would look stupid if she didn't finish speaking even if it wasn't what she was going to say. "I'm sorry about Daenerys" she said and nodded before looking back towards Cersei.
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Post by Ray on Oct 7, 2017 14:03:16 GMT -7
Jon has no love for Cersei. He knows he can never forgive her for what she did to Ned, to Robb, to Sansa, the evil tantrums of a cruel woman. But they are no better than her if they leave her to rot upon a spike around the castle towers. He doesn't have to forgive her, doesn't have to even respect her in death. He just needs to remember what's right. Katherine offers to take responsibility for her burning, and Jon nods a little, allowing her the right to handle her sister herself. No one more than Katherine suffered at this woman's hands.
And then the apology follows, and Jon glances briefly towards her. His lips pull down in a deeper frown. "So am I." He mutters, eyes drifting towards the weeping Missandei.
Fenris wanders away, his large claws clacking against the marble floors as he leaves the hall behind.
"You weren't lying about the wolf," Tyrion comments, lifting both brows.
A few moments pass. The Unsullied soldiers join the Northern men in clearing out the rest of the castle, imprisoning what Lannister soldiers remain, putting out fires where they have started. Jon sends the dragon back out to join its brother, leaving him able to look out the great hole blasted in the side of the Red Keep, down below. The city smokes, but the destruction is much less than it could have been. The Dothraki have gathered in the courtyard, laughing uproariously and taking it upon themselves to fight among their own ranks. He guesses they didn't have enough bloodshed for one day.
Jon certainly has. He kneads a fist against his chest, pressing at the still-uncomfortable wounds plaguing him. His stomach, however, feels fine.
He only turns when he hears more footsteps joining them, expecting more messengers, more soldiers, but his eyes catch upon a great tall figure in black armor. He recognizes them before they even take their helm off, a splatter of red across their chest, a short wave of blonde hair falling free. His heart seizes in his throat. Brienne heaves out a panting breath, and Tormund rises swiftly to his feet. Jon, on the other hand, moves towards her for another reason.
"Why are you here?" He asks, panic surging through his veins, hands balling into fists. "Where's Sansa?"
He cannot lose another sister. Not today. Please, not today.
"I'm here," a familiar voice calls out, and Jon comes to a sudden halt when the red-haired girl steps out from behind Brienne's shadow. She looks roughened by a ride, her long hair spilling out from her hood as she pulls it back, but virtually unharmed. Jon surges forward again, his hands finding her shoulders, looking over her just to make sure, and then pulling her into a hug. Sansa returns it, tightly.
"I told you to go back to Winterfell," Jon breathes out when he draws back, his hands remaining upon her shoulders.
"And I didn't. I had to be here. I had to know..." She says, and Jon can't find the anger to scold her. "Where..." she says after a moment, her blue eyes searching past him, looking around the room. She swallows visibly, "Where's Edric?"
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Post by Snowglobe18 on Oct 7, 2017 14:33:36 GMT -7
Katherine knew what it felt like to lose a sister but she had lost hers a long time ago, she had lost her the day that Cersei turned her back on her and thought that she was the enemy. Not today, today there was one less monster in the world and for that she was glad. She watched him and then licked her lip.
Leith stood chatting with Katherine and it had felt like a long time since they had really had a conversation but it was mostly over what she had done in the last six years. He had told her that his father had died and that he had taken over being the baker and she was surprised that he hadn't tried to get in touch with her but then again she guessed that coming back to King's Landing would've been a stupid idea on her part but then Katherine looked up when Jon spoke about Sansa and swallowed hard when she saw Brienne.
Katherine hoped that Sansa was alright because the last thing Jon needed was to lose someone else right now, he had lost enough today. But when Sansa spoke and came out from behind Brienne it was as if she hadn't seen sunshine for days and now she was. She was happy to know that Sansa was fine. But then the girl started asking about Edric and then remembered the conversation she had had with the man in the dungeon. A frown pulled at her especially when she knew about the relationship and Jon didn't. She knew that Edric had survived because Fenris had growled at her when the bloody thing came into the Great Hall.
While Jon was occupied it gave her a chance to slip away, giving Leith an 'excuse me' smile and then she headed towards the back of the room and pushed the door open to go into the back passageways. Katherine moved through the passageway and found that Amelia was still in the small crook that she had left her in but also there was a necklace with a scroll saying that it was best for her to use it and then signed with a capital E. Katherine sighed and quickly put it on before picking Amelia up of the ground, the small child thankfully was still asleep. Although once she was close to Katherine she did move and she was glad that Cersei never hurt her. Katherine was sure she couldn't take it if Cersei had hurt her daughter.
She took Robb away and that was hard enough but if she had touched a hair on Amelia's head... then even in death Katherine would make sure she paid for everything.
Katherine moved back through the passageway and slipped back into the room, making sure the door didn't make a noise as it shut.
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Post by Ray on Oct 7, 2017 15:13:17 GMT -7
Jon furrows his brows slightly at her question, a little surprised that Edric would be the first person Sansa asks for. The first person on her mind. Though, perhaps he shouldn't be. He'd have to be blind not to notice how easy she and the wolf get along. Ever since the battle for Winterfell, her fear had gradually diminished from her face each and every time her path crossed his, until Jon started noticing the smiles, the moments alone, the looks.
For the most part, Jon had ignored it. He had wars to worry about, three queens and a potential noose around his throat. And Sansa...she's old enough to make decisions for herself. Clearly. Considering she stands before him now rather than waiting behind the safe walls of Winterfell.
Jon wets his lips, trying to push those thoughts from his mind, his own eyes shifting round the room for Fenris. But he spots the man rather than the wolf, stepping back through the doorway of the throne room, fixing his shirt. He has a few cuts at his neck and face, thin, already nearly healed, that Jon had not noticed upon the wolf. But he looks otherwise unharmed. Otherwise, untouched. And when Sansa turns to look back, following Jon's line of sight, she suddenly pulls in a breath of relief and breaks away.
Edric's own face slips from its usual mask of indifference at the sight of her, turning instead towards content solace. And Sansa throws herself upon him, grabbing his face with eager hands, crashing her mouth to his. Jon's lips twitch down in a frown, but he looks away.
"Do I get a kiss too?" Tormund winks at Brienne after a moment, a hopeful grin tugging at his mouth. The woman just stares at him, unimpressed.
"No."
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Post by Snowglobe18 on Oct 7, 2017 15:35:56 GMT -7
Katherine watches as Sansa throws herself upon Edric and then raises her eyebrows. Leith watches too and he doesn't even know where to look especially when the only other tall person he has seen was the mountain. That guy used to scare her when she first saw him but in the end she stayed out of his way and it was even better when she left only then to be confronted by Edric but he wasn't as tall as the mountain but he seemed so much scarier than him especially when she was pretty sure he could kill her with his little finger.
Then Tormund asked Brienne if he got a kiss and then grinned but Brienne didn't look amused at all and told him no. She snorted softly and then looked down but as she passed him she put a kiss on his cheek, his beard tickling her cheeks. She gave him a grin before she moved over to where Jon was standing. She leaned up then and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek, he could do with one and honestly she didn't care if anyone knew about them. It would probably become knowledge at one point or another in the next few years.
It was weird to think that even though not everyone made it through this battle, it was another one that they had won. It was also the last one they would have because Katherine was tired of battles, tired of people dying and now a part of her wished that they hadn't come into this but she was sure they didn't have enough power to take on Daenerys if she had come calling on them. Katherine would take the blame for all of this if they wanted her too, she would even appoint a new King or Queen of the North if that was asked of her too but the one thing she wouldn't regret was having a family in the middle of all this hell. Having Amelia had been one of the best things she had done, she was going to be the one thing that she looked after with everything she had in her body.
The little girl woke up and looked up into the eyes of her mother and Katherine had to admit that she loved Mia's blue eyes. They were Stark eyes, they were Robb's eyes and she would always be grateful for everything he had given her.
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Post by Ray on Oct 7, 2017 20:14:43 GMT -7
Two weeks pass before they see the walls of Winterfell again. The castle is covered in a thick layer of snow, turning the entire Northern countryside into a white, blank slate as far as the eye can see. It's beautiful, even if the cold is relenting. A bitter promise that things are different now, will be different. A fresh, haunting start.
"Now it's starting to look like the North," Tormund comments, nodding appreciatively. Jon just smiles faintly, and they ride their horses in.
Returning home feels different this time. It's been nearly a month since he last saw these castle walls, but there's no smoke rising from the stones, no blood staining the snow, no brutal battlefield just a breath away. It's quiet. Untouched. Welcoming. Finally a home. A stableman takes their horses with nods and smiles, and Jon walks through the courtyard as he peels the leather gloves from his hands, soaking it in. He pauses in the heart of it, lifting his eyes to the grey sky, watching birds float overhead among the slowly drifting petals of snow. His eyes slip closed, and his shoulders relax.
"Welcome home," Sansa's voice speaks through his reverie, and he opens his eyes just in time to feel the girl pressing to his side in a half hug, head coming to rest upon his shoulder as she loops her arm through his. He smiles softly at her.
"Go get a fire started," he tells her after a moment, patting her arm gently, "Get warm." She pulls from him, fingers lingering at his hand for a moment as she smiles back at him, before her feet carry her towards the Great Hall. Jon exhales a slow breath that clouds in the air in front of him, and looks back towards the Southern gate, watching the horses shuffle in.
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