[King's Landing - River]
Smoke and fire could be seen in the distance across the river.
Bronn broke the surface of the water and took a deep breath. He pulled Jaime up and Jaime gasped for breath. Bronn helped him to the shore and dropped him to the ground before collapsing next to him. Jaime coughed up water and continued struggling on the ground to breathe. Both men rolled onto their backs and gasp for air.
"You could have killed me." Jaime said.
"What the fuck were you doing back there?"
"Ending the war by killing her."
"You saw the dragon between you and her?" Bronn looked incredulously at Jaime. "
"And?"
Jaime sat up and said nothing to Bronn.
Bronn also sat up and faced Jaime. "Listen to me, cunt. Till I get what I'm owed, a dragon doesn't get to kill you. You don't get to kill you. Only I get to kill you."
"That was only one of them. She has two more. Not to mention her brothers. If she decides to use them, to really use them-"
"You're fucked."
"Don't you mean we're fucked?"
"No, I do not. Dragons are where our partnership ends. I'm not going to be around when those things start spitting fire on King's Landing."
"I have to tell Cersei."
Bronn paused and looked at Jaime. "Best well jump back in that river." He stood up and walked away.
Jaime continued sitting on the shore looking at the smoke and fire from the distant battle.
[King's Landing - Battleground]
Tyrion was walking over an ash covered ground. There were burned bodies and cargo strewn about. Dothraki were looting dead Lannister soldiers. A group of mounted Dothraki were escorting captured Lannister soldiers to where Daenerys and Drogon were awaiting the prisoners.
"I know what Cersei has told you, that I've come to destroy your cities-" She looked around at the prisoners. The men were covered in filth and blood from the battle. "-burn down your homes, murder you and orphan your children. That's Cersei Lannister, not me. I'm not here to murder. And all I want to destroy is the wheel that is rolled over rich and poor to the benefit of no one but the Cersei Lannisters of the world. I offer you a choice. Bend the knee and join me. Together we will leave the world a better place than we found it, or refuse and die."
A few Lannister men kneel to the ground, while most remained standing. Drogon roared and moves closer to the men. Almost all the Lannister men quickly kneeled, while a few remained standing, including Randyll and Dickon Tarly.
"Step forward, My Lord." Daenerys ordered.
Randyll took several steps towards Daenerys and stood in front of the kneeling Lannister men.
"You will not kneel?" She asked.
"I already have a queen."
"My sister, she wasn't your queen until recently though, was she, until she murdered your rightful queen and destroyed House Tyrell for all tine, and bypassed both her daughters. So it appears your allegiances are somewhat flexible." Tyrion told him.
"There are no easy choices in war. Say what you will about your sister, she was born in Westeros, has lived here all her lifr. You on the other hand, you murdered your own father and chose to support a foreign invader. One with no ties to this land, an army of savages at her back."
"Do you think I wished to grow up outside of this country? I was born here as well, on Dragonstone, my family's ancestral seat. My brothers and I were forced out because of the actions of our father and eldest brother. It was either that or be slaughtered like my good-sister, niece and nephew." Daenerys told him. "You will not trade your honor for your life. I respect that."
Tyrion turned to speak to her. "Perhaps he could take the black, Your Grace. Whatever else he is, he is a true soldier. He would be invaluable at the Wall."
"You cannot send me to the Wall. You are not my queen." Randyll argued.
Daenerys turned to look at her Dothraki escort. They walked forward to collect Randyll.
As the men were pulling Randyll away, Dickon stepped forward.
"You will have to kill me too." He said.
Randyll pulled away from the Dothraki and turned to face his son. "Step back and shut your mouth."
"Who are you?" Daenerys inquired.
"A stupid boy." Randyll answered.
"I'm Dickon Tarly, son of Randyll Tarly."
They had a Tarly back on Dragonstone. Certainly of relation to these men.
"You are the futire of your house. This war has already wiped one great house from the world. Don't let it happen again. Bend the knee." Tyrion pleaded.
Dickon looked to his father who nodded to him. "I will not."
Tyrion turned to speak to Daenerys. He spoke softly so no one but the queen could hear. "Your Grace, nothing strips bold notions from a man's head like a few weels in a dark cell."
"I meant what I said. I'm not here to put men in chains. If that becomes an option many will take it. I gave them a choice. They made it.
"Your Grace, if you begin beheading entire families-"
"I'm not beheading anyone."
Tyrion paused and looked over at Drogon, who roared, shook his head and flexed his wings. "Your Grace-"
Daenerys looked to her Dothraki escort and gave them a signal. The men grab Randyll and Dickon and walked them over to Drogon. Randyl took his son by the arm.
"Lord Randyll Tarly, Dickon Tarly, I, Daenerys of House Targaryen, First of my name, Breaker of Chains and Mother of Dragons, sentence you to die." She paused a moment and looked at Randyll and Dickon. "Dracarys."
Drogon drew a deep breath and began spewing dragonfire at the two men, who were instantly engulfed in flames. They both collapsed into ash after a few seconds. Two craters were left where Randyll and Dickon stood.
The Lannister men recoiled in horror. Any of them that were still standing knelt to the ground. Daenerys silently turned and began to walk off the battlefield.
[King's Landing - Hallway]
Jaime was swiftly walking down the hall leading to Cersei's room.
As he approached, Qyburn exited the queen's chambers.
"My Lord."
Jaime passed by Qyburn without saying a word and barged into Cersei's quarters.
Cersei stood and walked over to him. "How many men did we lose?"
"We haven't done a full counting."
"It's armies that win wars. We have the Tyrell gold, we have the Iron Bank behind us. We can buy mercenaries."
Jaime shook his head.
"They're not the same as our men but they'll fight if they're well paid, which they will be."
"I just saw the Dothraki fight. They'll beat any mercenary army. They'll beat any army I've evr seen. Killing our men wasn't war for them, it was sport. Her dragon burned a thousand wagons. Qyburn's scorpion fired bolts bigger than you. They couldn't stop it. And she has three of them. Her brother has dragons too. This isn't a war we can win."
"So what do we do? Sue for peace? I sit on her father's throne, the father you betrayed and murdered. And in her mind, she's winning. What sort of offer do you think she'd make? She sent Tyrion to convince me to relinquish the throne and return to Casterly Rock. Her brother still has my daughter, and those two Dornish bitches escaped, to return to our daughter." Cersei turned and walks away from him. "Maybe we can count on Tyrion to intercede on our behalf by way of apology for murdering our father and our son."
"He didn't."
"You saw the crossbow, you saw his body."
Jaime walked across the room to where Cersei was standing. "I'm not talking about father. Tyrion didn't kill Joffrey. He had nothing to do with it."
"After all this timr, it still amazes me-"
"It was Olenna. She confessed before she died."
"And this was before or after she drank the poison you so kindly provided her?"
"After."
"And you believed her?"
"If you were Olenna would you rather have seen your granddaughter married to Joffrey or Tommen? Which one would Margerey been better able to control? Which one would have made Olenna the true ruler of the Seven Kingdoms? She was telling the truth."
Cersei looked away, then sat down. "I shouldn't have listened to you. She should have died screaming."
"She's dead like her son, her grandchildren, her whole house. Only Aegar remains. And if we don't find a way out of this war we'll follow them."
"So we fight and die or we submit and die. I know my choice. A soldier should know his."
[Dragonstone]
Jon was standing on the edge of a cliff, looking towards the ocean.
Drogon roared and flew over him with Daenerys on his back. He landed next to Jon and charged towards him. Opening his jaws, he roared in Jon's face, creeping closer until he was inches from Jon.
Jon removed his glove and slowly extended his hand toward Drogon who lowered his head, allowing Jon to touch him.
Daenerys looked surprised as she stepped down from her mount, prompting Drogon to turn and fly away.
"They're beautiful, aren't they?" She asked.
"That wasn't the word I was thinking of, but, yes, they are. Gorgeous beasts."
"They're not beasts to me. No matter how big they get, how terrifying to everyone else, they're my children."
Daenerys turns to look at her three dragons as they flew over Dragonstone in the distance.
Her brother, sister-by-law and nephews dragons preferred to keep to themselves, much like their riders did, and mostly resided in and around the Dragonmont. But, through their bond, they knew when their rider wished for their company. Freya was currently nesting, the fertile dragon she was. She could become the next Dreamfyre, the dragon of Princess Rhaena and Princess Helaena Targaryen, respectively, known for hatching many of the Targaryen dragons priot to their extinction.
"You weren't gone long."
Daenerys turned back to Jon. "No."
"And?"
"And I have fewer enemies today than I did yesterday."
Jon paused and didn't say anything.
"You're not sure how you feel about that?"
"No, I'm not."
Daenerys turned and began walking towards the castle, Jon following behind her. "How many men did your army kill taking Winterfell back from the Boltons?"
"Thousands."
"We both want to help people. We can only help them from a position of strength. Sometimes strength is terrible. When you first came here Ser Davos said you took a knife in the heart for your people. You showed me your scars."
"I did."
"We are more similar than you realize. We are both fighting for what we believe in. Unfortunately, what we believe in, causes a conflict between us."
"Aye, it does."
Hopefully that would change.
[Dragonstone - Daemon & Aelinor's Chambers]
Aelinor and Daemon sat in their bed, propped up by pillows, watching as Aegar played with Dyanna.
"It's official." Aelinor said. "My mother has sacked my son's seat. She took all the gold and food."
"Which my sister burnt. At least whatever she could find."
"A decision she will come to regret, even if she does not now."
"Was this part of your vision?"
"No, I didn't forsee this battle. If I had, I would have cautioned her against burning the carriages. She could have dealt with the Lannister army and looted the food and gold for herself. It would make more sense. The smallfolk are the ones who suffer the most during war. They already don't have much. Nothing really, but breath in their lungs. She doesn't want my mother to have food or resources necessary to defeat her, but in the process she is also harming the people she hopes to rule. I understand that war is ugly, and it spares no one, but..."
"You don't find it worth it, simply to sit an uncomfortable chair?"
"Exactly." She concurred, noticing him staring at her. "What?"
"Nothing," he chuckled. "It's just, I can see why the smallfolk care about you. You don't care about them because you wish to rule them. You care about them because you seem them as people, no lesser than you, despite the circumstances of their birth."
"It is true," Dyanna spoke, looking up from where she played with Aegar. "You raised me into a handmaiden. I had no family, no friends, nothing. You brought me to the Red Keep and fought to provide me with a job. You nevr looked down on me like the others. The people long for a ruler like you."
"My sister, I love her, but she nevr lived under our father's rule. She dealt with the aftermath. I could have grown bitter and resentful, like my brother. But, where would that lead me? Nowhere. The people will need to see she is not like him if they are to accept her as their Queen. Even if she does find a way to rule, you will alwys be my Queen."
[Dragonstone - Throne Room]
Varys and Tyrion were sitting on the stairs of the Throne Room alone. Varys had a sealed raven scroll in his hand, tapping it on the stone. Tyrion was drinking a glass of wine.
"All rulers demand that people bend the knee. It's why they're rulers. She gave Tarly a choice. A man who had taken up arms against her. What else could she do?" Tyrion said.
"Not burn him alive alongside his son."
"I am her hand, not her head. I can't make her decisions for her."
"That's what I used to tell myself about her father. I found the traitors but I wasn't the one burning them alive. I was only a purveyor of information." He reached over to Tyrion's cup of wine, picks it up and begins to drink from it. He grimaces as he drank. "It's what I told myself when I watched them beg for mercy, "I'm not the one doing it." As the pitch of their screams rose higher, "I'm not the one doing it." When their hair caught fire and the smell of the burning flesh filled the Thone Room, "I'm not the one doing it."
Varys drank again and sets the cup down next to Tyrion, who picked it up.
"Daenerys is not her father." Tyrion told him.
"And she nevr will be... with the right counsel. You need to find a way to make her listen."
Tyrion looked down at the note in Varys' hand. "Who is that for?"
"Jon Snow."
"Did you read it?"
"It's a sealed scroll for the Warden of the North."
Tyrion paused and drank from his cup of wine. "What's it say?"
"Nothing good."
[Dragonstone - Chamber Of The Painted Table]
Daenerys and Varys were seated at the painted table. Tyrion and Jorah stood near the queen. Davos, Samwell Tarly and Jon Snow were standing on the other end of the table. Jon was holding a raven scroll and reading it.
"I thought Arya was dead."
"I'm happy for you. You don't look happy." Daenerys noted.
"Bran saw the Night King and his army mqrching towards Eastwatch. If they make it past the wall-"
"The Wall has kept them out for thousands of years. Presumably-"
Jon interrupted Varys. "I need to go home."
"You said you don't have enough men."
"We'll fight with the men we have. You've made it very clear you have no interest in aiding us. Unless you've changed your mind."
"And give the country to Cersei? As soon as I mqrch away she mqrches in."
"Very well then. I suppose we are at an impasse."
"All you need to do if you wish to return home, is bend the knee to the Rightful Queen." Tyrion told him.
Jon looked to Sam and Davos.
He sighed. "Fine. If it matters so much to you, I will bend the knee."
Sam and Davos looked at one another beside him.
"If you are so absorbed by the notion of ruling, that you would blatantly ignore the larger threat, unless I bend the knee, then I will do so." He bent down to one knee. "Your Grace."
Tyrion looked to Daenerys who nodded. "Very well. That wasn't so hard, was it?"
Jon glared at him, still frustrated. "I need to get home and prepare my people for what is coming.
"Cersei thinks the Army of the Dead is nothing but a story made up by wet nurses to frighten children. What if we prove her wrong?" Tyrion said. "
"I don't think she'll come see the dead at my invitation." Jon noted.
Tyrion began walking around the table closer to Jon. "So bring the dead to her."
"I thought that was what we are trying to avoid." Daenerys said.
"We don't have to bring the whole army. Only one soldier."
"Is that possible?" Davos asked Jon.
"The first wight I evr saw was brought into Castle Black from beyond the Wall."
"Bring one of these things down to King's Landing and show her the truth." Tyrion suggested.
"Anything you bring back will be useless unless Cersei grants us an audience and is somehow convinced not to murder us the moment we set foot in the capital." Varys commented.
"The only person she listens to is Jaime. He may listen to me."
"And how would you get into King's Landing." Daenerys asked.
Everyone in the room stopped and looked at Davos.
"I can have one of my men smuggle you in. They are already in route on an assignment I gave them. But if the Goldcloaks were to recognize you, I cannot guarantee your safety." He told Tyrion, who nodded his head.
"Well, it will all be for nothing if we don't have one of these dead men." Daenerys remarked.
"Fair point. How do you propose to find one?" Varys asked.
Jon paused, staring at the ground.
"With the queen's permission I'll go north and take one." Jorah said, causing Daenerys to turn and look at him."You asked me to find a cure so I could serve you. Allow me to serve you."
"The free folk will help us. They know the real north better than anyone." Jon said
"They won't follow Ser Jorah." Davos replied.
"They won't have to."
"You can't lead a raid beyond the wall. You're not in the Night's Watch anymore. You're Warden of the North."
"I'm the only one here who's fought them. I'm the only one here who knows them."
"I haven't given you permission to leave." Daenerys told him.
"With respect, Your Grace, while I would like your permission, I do not need it. My people do not appreciate Southern rulers. And I came here knowing that you could have your men behead me or your dragons burn me alive. I put my trust in you, a stranger, because I knew it was the best chance for my people, for all our people. Now I'm asking you to trust in a stranger because it's our best chance."
Daenerys paused for a moment then nodded her head in agreement.
"Then we are agreed. I will return home to prepare my people of our arrangement, and progress with plans on how to defeat the Undead. When that is done, I shall send a raven, requesting Ser Jorah's presence."
"Should Ser Jorah not leave with you? It would speed things up." Daenerys asked.
"Aye, it would. But, there are people in the North who remember that my father wished to have him executed for slavery. It would be best if I gave them advanced warning, to ensure no harm would befall him."
She looked at Jorah who nodded. "Fine."
Jon, Davos and Sam returned to their chambers and gathered their belongings.
They met with the Stark guards who had accompanied Jon and Davos.
Their rowboat had been returned and sat waiting for them on the shore.
Jon took one last look at Dragonstone before boarding the boat, the others following suit.
As they paddled away, Davos asked, "Why did you bend the knee?"
"We aren't." Jon responded.
"What do you mean?"
Jon looked at Sam. "I will inform you along with the other Northern Lords when the time is right."