JON

Longclaw felt heavy in his arms, slashing his way through gold cloaks, ironborn and dornish alike. His feet were leading him forward, but his mind kept forgetting his intention. Yes, the Red Keep, I need to find Tyrion. Blood mixed with the water dripping from his hair and clothes, leaving a bad taste in his mouth. When Hodor  entered through the burning gates of the wildfire, sailing inside this mess, the docks were all but destroyed, so Jon Snow swam ashore to join the war of the three armies. The scorpions powerful enough to drop a dragon from the sky, filled the holes in the walls of King’s Landing, slashing through everything that stood in their way. He has seen war before and this was not it. There was no telling friend from foe, sides seemed to matter no more, it was a fight for survival and no longer a victory. His rapid heartbeats muted the pain of his fresh cuts, his arms felt sore, but his legs guided him forward. The ground was painted in red, blood was the theme of the night, he could even taste the metal in the air. Fire rained from the sky as green and orange collided, composing an illusion of celebration. As he finally cleared his way to the stairs of the Red Keep, he faced the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard. 

“I want to see my brother!” he yelled desperately, not looking forward to face Brienne of Tarth in a fight. 

“The King is gone and I am not to let anyone pass through, stand beside me and defend the Keep.” the huge woman pointed Oathkeeper towards the man in front of her. 

The two valyrian steel swords clashed. He did not travel all this way, passing through this deadly crowd, to give up now. “I have to talk to Tyrion, I have news of great importance for him. You must know I have no reason to harm him.” 

When she finally moved out of his way, Jon climbed those stairs again. The higher he got, the clearer the illusion of Drogon’s wings unfolding behind his mother. He could swear she was standing there again, could hear the roars of the beast as clear as that day. Wait. He turned around only to see Drogon descend slowly from the sky, roaring his scorching hot jet of fire in the air, his monstrous size terrifying the crowd at his feet. On his back, the mother of dragons landed her child in the middle of the battlefield. The pale faces of the fighters around her gave out the beginning of the end. Her last visit to this city seemed to have left its mark in their memories, striking fear that inspired obedience. The foolish ones who thought themselves brave enough, were met by Drogon’s sharp black teeth. The Dragon Queen waited patiently. Soon, the clashing of the swords dampened, perfect silence ruled over, allowing all other senses to prevail. The smell of death filled the air, Jon could hear the tired rapid breaths of the warriors, the buzzing of the flies around the corpses, could feel the jolts of pain traveling through his body again. Dany seemed to have brought reality along with her, snapping them out of the haze of war. 

What is she doing? He was close enough to see that she was talking to them, but not close enough to hear what. A shadow moved in the corner of his eye and he turned to find Tyrion standing next to him. “So it is true then, our beautiful Queen is back.” the imp folded his hands behind his back. 

“Perhaps you should take me to my brother and be on your way. I am not sure she would like the sight of you on that throne.” 

Tyrion chuckled lifting his shoulders “Well, there is only one place to hide from a dragon and that is underground. And all things considered, I’d wager our Queen plans on putting me there anyway.” 

Few men and women stepped out of the crowd and headed towards them, towards the Red Keep. In one swift leap the blood-red winged beast overcame the distance effortlessly, shuddering the ground as he landed at the bottom of the stairs. The dress of the silver-haired beauty matched the color of his wings over her chest, patiently darkening to black towards the edges of her sleeves. She looked as elegant as intimidating. Her silver three-headed dragon chain circled her shoulder, dropping a blood-red cloth behind her back that imitated the scales of a dragon. Her silvery, thick braid was falling over the other shoulder, reaching her waistline. Her expression as mysterious as ever. With one graceful movement, her feet touched the ground while her hand rested on the beast’s snout. “Sōvēs” she ordered and Drogon complied, spreading his wings into the air.

“Follow me” she said before turning towards the stairs and meeting Tyrion’s gaze as she walked passed him. If a look could kill, this was it. “You as well.”

When the heavy doors of the throne room opened, Dany entered first, followed by a crowd including Yara, Gendry, Davos, Brienne, Bronn, the leader of the Dornish rebellions, Tyrion, Jon... The dragon queen stood in front of the new throne, absorbing its details with her wondering eyes. She turned around and sat down in front of the confused faces, tracing her hands over the throne of the Six Kingdoms. 

“Mmm… I liked the old one better.” Its modesty did not go unnoticed by Jon either. The swords of the old one were replaced by obscure details, representing each of the six kingdoms. 

As soon as she was done examining the throne, she gazed upon Tyrion and gestured “Step forward, my Lord.” The imp took a few unsure steps forward, breaking the tense silence of the room.

“Why?... Why did you conspire behind my back? Why after years of believing in me, you suddenly decided I was not worth the crown? You and Varys both. Why was suddenly another more deserving of it?” Her voice might have concealed the pain and anger, but the frown of her eyebrows gave it out. “Answer me!”

Jon put his trust into the woman he loved, hoping she would prevail, not letting the dragon inside her take over. He took one step closer to Tyrion just in case though. She wouldn’t do it, would she? He could see that same fear in the imp’s eyes, fear only she could spark. 

“We did what we thought was right. Me and Varys both.”

“How was betraying your Queen right? Tell me what it is I did to make you stop believing in me. Risking my life to fight for the North? Losing my dragons? Watching my best friend’s beheading because of your guidance? Losing Ser Jorah? Tell me which was the exact moment that made you decide I was no longer your Queen, the moment that made you give up on me? You were there to make sure I act in the people’s best interest, to check my worst impulses, you killed those people as much as I did!” This time she failed concealing the pain in her voice as well, her anger was taking over, her hands gripping the arms of the throne nervously. This man’s betrayal had broken her heart.

“Forgive me, my Queen, I made a mistake.” But the apology only seemed to worsen  her anger. - “Dany!” Jon stood closer to Tyrion, searching the dragon queen’s gaze, but she ignored him, focusing on the half-man in front of her. 

A deafening sound filled the room and pieces of the dome came raining down behind the throne. Black wings emerged from the dust, protecting their mother. His huge head settled next to the throne, shining its vibrant red eyes through the dust. He must have sensed her pain and anger. After nearly losing him, their bond was stronger than ever. 

Her voice lowered but became that much more frightening with a dragon next to her shoulder. “Yes… a mistake I got murdered for… Tell me, had I accepted the food Varys so kindly sent to my chambers at Dragonstone, would I have been alive long enough to execute him?” Shocked, Jon turned to Tyrion. They meant to poison her? Before King’s Landing? The imp lowered his head and his gaze fell on the floor as he shook his head almost unnoticeably. Drogon roared as loud as thunder evoking fear in the eyes of every person in the room. 

“Tyrion Lannister… you have failed as my Hand, you have failed as my successor’s Hand, you conspired to have me murdered, you betrayed me more than once…” As Dany named all the crimes Tyrion has committed, each one sounded louder and more painful. Suddenly, her voice broke, a deadly look replaced the agony in her eyes, a flaming vibrant red shade colored her amethysts, hinting of the fury within, fighting its way to the surface. No, Jon thought. “NO!” he yelled loud this time, but in vain. 

“Dracarys” emotionlessly and cold as ice, Dany spoke the most feared word among all the kingdoms and beyond. 

>> Chapter 31: DAENERYS