The Dragon & The Wolf (Daenarya)

chapter 10

She'd not only come to trust Tyrion but also rely on him. The fact that he was a Lannister hadn't been an issue for quite some time. He wasn't defined by his family anymore than she was hers. She'd given him the chance to prove he was different and he made the most of it. She would likely have remained in Essos if not for him. Still, she questioned his sanity when he told her his brother had arrived alone, willingly given up his weapons and asked for an audience. Daenerys had assumed the next time she'd seen Jaime Lannister would be across a battlefield or perhaps from atop Drogon's back.

He looked perfectly at ease when they entered. He sat in a lone chair, facing the throne, surrounded by killers. The Dothraki with their arakhs and the Unsullied with their spears didn't seem to bother him in the slightest. His golden hand rested in his lap, covered by his real one. "He's not wearing a Lannister sigil," Jon noticed as he walked beside her. They went to stand in front of him but didn't sit. This wasn't going to be a friendly conversation. She checked his clothes and confirmed it to be true, even the breastplate he wore was unmarked steel and nothing more.

Seeing him, in her family home, it took all of her limited restraint to resist ordering him killed instantly. Her father may have been a brutal man, deserving of everything that happened to him, but it didn't mean she wanted to make nice with the man who not only stabbed him in the back, but also took his head afterward.

"Jaime 'the King Slayer' Lannister, to what do I owe the pleasure."

His handsome face showed a tiny flicker of recognition at the sound of his famous moniker. From the corner of her eye she watched Tyrion nod, urging him to speak. He did. "I came to offer my assistance against whatever that..." he paused, "thing was you brought to King's Landing."

"We haven't even begun to march North yet," Jon informed him. "You're early."

He gave Jon a smile as fake as his golden hand. "We? Oh yes, I heard congratulations were in order. I'm sorry I missed it. I'm sure you just misplaced my invitation."

With the smell of Jon still on her skin, Daenerys wasn't in the mood for this. She should be upstairs checking on Arya not jousting verbally with the man pledged to her greatest enemy. "Perhaps the raven dropped dead," she proposed, "or I had it killed."

He held up both of his hands. "Easy now, I am only here to help."

Since she entered, many others had too. Protectors, friends, and even a few curious observers all watched in silence. Word had obviously spread throughout the castle about their guest. Missandei was next to Grey Worm, Jorah stood less than a foot behind Jaime's chair, and even the Greyjoys were in attendance. Off to the left Varys stood next to Melisandre, while Davos lingered behind the married couple, as always ready to protect Jon.

"If you truly wanted to help, you wouldn't be here alone. Where are your armies?" Daenerys demanded to know. "Where are the soldiers your sister promised?"

He looked to Tyrion again and this time his eyes didn't shift back. "They aren't coming."

Daenerys wasn't surprised. In her mind it had always been a toss of a coin, whether or not Cersei would honor her word. Jon expected more. "What do you mean they aren't coming? I thought we'd made an arrangement."

He was aware of the crowd and clearly playing to impress them. "She changed her mind," he stated simply as though that were all there was to tell. He looked to Jon. "You know how women can be."

His cocky smirk renewed Daenerys's interest for his severed head. Well if that's how it was going to be, two could play this game. "Then why are you here?" Daenerys asked in the same tone. "I was told you never strayed too far from your sister or her bed."