Book 3: Dragonfire

Chapter 15 - Hope

Twilight had fallen on the day and Lyon's restless thoughts had roused her from bed. The thought occurred to her that she may never get a restful night's sleep again. It was a dreary thought and it only succeeded in making her morose. So, throwing her blanket over her shoulders, Lyon stepped out into the hall. Her feet eventually brought her to one of the grand balconies that overlooked Meereen. From there Lyon could see the city stretch below, ending where it met the vast open sea. When she looked at the ocean now she didn't imagine dark shadows lying in wait beneath the waves. Instead, she only thought of her companions across the waves that sailed toward her. They would be there soon. Weeks had passed since Tyrion had sent for them. Any day now Lyon would be reunited with her companions. She yearned for that day the more time passed.

With the hundred or so ships from the Iron Fleet, Daenerys was ready to sail across the narrow sea. Westeros awaited the Dragon Queen now. They would be leaving soon, sailing to Daenerys' ancestral home, Dragonstone. Lyon supposed it was also her ancestral home, too. She didn't quite know what to the think about that, or what to think about returning to Westeros. Months had passed since Lyon had last set foot in the west. She had luxuriated in the eastern sun, but her heart yearned for the north. Lyon loved the heat, but Winterfell would always be her home. She hoped her journey would take her back there- it had been years since she'd set eyes on her childhood home. Her fingers twitched in anticipation at the mere thought. Lyon wanted to show Daenerys every corner of Winterfell and tell her stories of the family that had once resided there.

Still, it was because of Lyon they still lingered in the newly renamed Bay of Dragons. The Iron Fleet had given them enough ships to sail west, but Daenerys was adamant on waiting for Lyon's ships. She said she wanted the ships for when they sailed, but more than that Daenerys wanted Lyon reunited with her companions. And to meet them herself. Lyon had spoken highly of her companions whenever she could, if just to pique the queen's interest and her opinion of them.

Leaning over the balcony's railing, Lyon imagined that if she squinted at the horizon hard enough, she could imagine she saw her ships forming on the horizon. But once she rubbed her eyes and her vision cleared, the shapes were gone. Sighing, Lyon ran a hand through her shorn silver hair, feeling all too strange when her fingers stopped at her chin. There the longest strands of her hair ended. In the pits she had been forced to keep it short. Now she could let it grow. That reminder sparked hope within Lyon. She basked in that feeling, but the sound of wary footsteps behind her cut the experience short. Whoever it was, they stopped at the balcony's opening and lingered there.

Lyon looked over her shoulder, catching Theon standing silently in her periphery as though regretting the intrusion. Lyon turned and leaned her back against the balcony railing.

"You and I should have a conversation. I believe it's long overdue." Lyon said and patted the spot next to her on the railing, shuffling aside when Theon finally moved to join her. She let him stand in silence for some time, allowing him the time for him to collect his thoughts. Her own were a horrible mess anyways, and Theon owed her an explanation.

"I didn't kill them. I didn't." He finally said.

"So you said before. What did you do then, Theon?"

"I killed two boys, but they weren't Rickon and Bran. I-I couldn't do that. They escaped Winterfell, I don't know where to, but the last I saw them they were alive." His eyes pleaded with her. She had made love to this man, but when she looked into Theon's eyes they weren't the same eyes she remembered in Winterfell.

Lyon breathed shakily, leaning over the railing to rake her eyes over the expansive city below. Finally, her eyes settled on the sky above and she collected her thoughts. "I was in Kings Landing when I heard you had taken Winterfell and had executed Bran and Rickon. It knocked the wind out of me. I couldn't breathe. I had watched my father beheaded. I didn't know where Arya was- I still don't, for that matter. Then suddenly my two youngest brothers were dead. Then Robb and my mother were murdered and I had no one but Sansa in a strange place I had never been before. Now I don't even know where Sansa is, or if she's alive. All I can do is hope they're all safe and fight like hell to find them again. So I hope you can understand how difficult it is going to be to forgive you. I've been through hell, Theon."