Rivers of Fire and Blood

Arya IV

Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to the Ice and Fire Novels, Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon TV shows. However, I decided to have a little play around with the characters. I do not earn any money from writing these stories, it is for my entertainment and is something I like to share.

Arya hated lying to her sister, she rarely did it because Sansa could usually see right through her. But if a lie has some element of truth, it is easier to cover up. She was concerned about Jon and Sansa, the possibilities of dragon babes and whether Jon might turn into a mad Targaryen, but that wasn't what was truly worrying her. Her moon blood was late by a few days. Normally this wouldn't concern her as she was never particularly regular, but this time there were two things which were different. Firstly she'd had sex with Gendry, secondly she was feeling tired a lot. For a person who was usually on the go, the reading with Tyrion had almost been a blessing, although it was taking her a lot of effort not to fall asleep during their meetings. She knew Tyrion suspected something was wrong, he just hadn't said it. All Arya could do was hope she was wrong, as the idea of having a child was more terrifying than facing the Night King.

The Winterfell crypts were dark, damp and dingy, but fortunately she and Sansa knew their way around them well. They followed the long passage passing the previous Lords of Winterfell, and as they got further underground, the old kings of winter. They found Jon, Tyrion and Davos waiting for them at the entrance, not going in as Sansa was the Queen and had to give her permission for them to enter. They each took a torch and opened the door for the first time in almost two hundred years to search for the valuable contents the legends said were laying underneath the castle.

They tread carefully as it was clear the area was damp, yet warm, incredibly warm. Arya was starting to sweat within moments of entering the room, hoping this wasn't some funny pregnancy illness.

"Is it me or is it hot in here?" she asked.

"I'm sweatin' like a pig." Ser Davos replied.

"Find the torches on the walls, hopefully they'll still light. If not there's a barrel of tar just outside the door. We need as much light in here as possible." Jon told them.

They lit as many torches as they could see, eventually revealing a huge cavernous room. Large hot springs were throwing off steam in one corner and a long winding passage led away from the castle. The smell of dragon seemed to still waft in the air, turning Arya's stomach.

"Are you sure this is the right place?" Sansa frowned.

Jon smiled and nodded. "It is perfect."

"Isn't it a bit...wet?" Davos asked.

"It's warm." Jon explained. "Dragons like to be warm."

"Well what happened to you?" Arya asked. "The colder you are the better."

"I'm still a wolf." Jon reassured her with a huge grin before looking around him. "This is just like the one on Dragonstone, except for the hot springs."

"I never saw a place like this on Dragonstone." Tyrion frowned.

"Drogon took me there." Jon explained. "He must've found it when he went back. He left the Queen on a dais and waited for me to give the command."

"Even after all that time?" Arya asked.

Jon nodded. "He was grieving the loss of his mother. When he was finished he found me, took me to see her and I gave the command for him to burn her body." he said coldly. "I was the only one who could give the command, it's not a word I particularly enjoy using." he added.

"So Drogon will be happy here for the time being?" Sansa asked, trying to lighten the mood. "It's better than him being stuck outside in the cold, especially if he doesn't like it."