CHAPTER 58 | BUSY JOBS
"AMAZING thing to see," Jon exclaimed.
Maia stood idly at the top of the entrance stairs of Dragonstone. Daenerys was down below, watching her dragons fly over the seas above. Jon walked down the stairs toward her after Missandei said she requested to see him, and both Maia and Davos accompanied the Northern king. Daenerys had turned at Jon's presence.
"I named them for my brothers, Viserys and Rhaegar," she said, eyes lifting to Maia and Davos watching. "They're both gone now. You lost two brothers as well? People thought dragons were gone forever, but here they are. Perhaps we should all be examining what we think we know."
Maia huffed, wishing she could hear more of the conversation they were having, but she didn't want to eavesdrop and make the dragon queen have a wrong impression of her. Maia watched the dragons again, their large wings flapping in the air as they played with each other. One dragon was significantly bigger than the other two. "What do you think she wants?" Davos asked from her left.
"Couldn't tell you," Maia shook her head. "She completely dismissed us the first meeting, and now she requests to see Jon. Sounds like a woman who doesn't know what she wants."
Davos nodded slowly. "Jon seems taken by her."
Maia whipped her head over to Davos, lofting a brow. "And by that, do you mean smitten?"
"Uh –" Davos shrugged. "I meant ... interested?"
"You're making this conversation worse."
Maia didn't understand the hostility behind her words. She didn't mean to, but she couldn't help it. Maybe it was her hormones going crazy; she didn't particularly know. Maia half expected a kick in her stomach then, but she felt nothing. "I'm sorry," she replied, "I took it the wrong way."
Davos' eyes met her own, and he nodded curtly.
"As much as Jon denies it, I know this is my fault." She rubbed her forehead. "I've seen this woman in my world, but she was not real, nor did I pay attention that much. She is – like you, Ser Davos – a character to everyone where I come from. When I would see her life replay in the series you're apart of, she was a caring woman, one who freed slaves and gave new meanings to people. My former betrothed said she was an inspiration." Maia looked at the dragons again. "But this woman here, right now, seems far from that."
Davos opened his mouth to speak, but then closed it to think over his words. "Speaking of that," he finally said, "do I ... do I look the same in your world?"
Maia blinked at him. "Uh ... yes, Davos."
When she looked back at the duo at the end of the stairs, she realized Jon was climbing them. He reached Maia and Davos at the top and grinned big. "She's allowing us to mine the dragonglass and form weapons from it," he explained.
Maia had a smile plastered on her face. "That's amazing, my love," she said, placing a kiss on his cheek.
Jon turned to Davos. "We must discuss gathering men and how to forge the weapons."
"As you wish," Davos replied, following Jon up the stairs.
Maia watched the two discuss with a smile, but that expression soon faded as they walked away. Jon was so happy, and Daenerys had given them a gracious offer. Maia looked back at Daenerys staring at her dragons. Taking a sharp breath in, Maia began to descend the stairs. She suddenly halted in her place when she heard Daenerys say outloud, "I was wondering when you'd want to speak with me alone. Can't say I was never interested in what you have to say."
Maia swallowed hard, meeting with Daenerys at the end of the stairs. She rested her hands on the stone wall that cornered the ocean. "Where I come from, these things don't exist, except in fantasy novels." Maia said, watching one of the dragons sweep itself over the water. "I had shelves upon shelves of books on dragons as a child. Never would I have thought that they would be real before me."
"They're not supposed to exist in this world either," Daenerys replied, glancing to the blonde beside her. "Where you come from ... seems interesting. I don't quite understand it."
Maia quickly turned to face the dragon queen. "You said someone informed you of my title. Who?" She already had an inkling of who it was, but she needed to know exactly.
"A red priestess from Asshai, named –"
"Melisandre," Maia finished. "Of course."
"You know her well?"
Maia smiled falsely. "Too well," she said. "She gave me the title; taught me the responsibility of it. Being the Traveler was never something I wanted, but Melisandre trusted me with it. She has made many mistakes, but I believe that was not one of them. That title really explained everything for me. Although, it is not something I can tell everyone."
"And you're ... not from Westeros? You traveled here?"
"Where I'm from, you don't exist." Maia replied, causing Daenerys to look down at herself. "You are a character in a fantasy series. In my world, Westeros and Essos are fictional lands. Melisandre told me it was always my destiny – to be frank – to come here, because that is always the fate of the Traveler. I can travel to different worlds, universes – wherever I think of."
Daenerys nodded, refusing to meet her eyes. "Fascinating," she muttered before releasing a sigh. "I'm sorry for skimming your letter. It was not a slight towards you."
"It's okay," Maia nodded. "Conquering the Seven Kingdoms can be a busy job."
Daenerys laughed softly, turning to Maia with a grin. "The main focus of your letter that intrigued me was your last name. I know the history of my family, and their allies. Melisandre made sure to remind me that those with your title are born with a Westerosi last name, an indication of your destiny. Regardless of this, it's reassuring to know that your last name was one of my family's allies in War of the Usurper."
"I hope that it's reassuring enough that you believe Jon Snow's claim one day," Maia said quickly. "It was unfair to propose the idea on you so suddenly, but you must realize his claims are true. You do not want to be ruling over a graveyard, Your Grace."
Daenerys nodded. She kept her lips in a thin line. She wanted to believe them; she really did, but Daenerys needed time. "Show me the evidence, Lady Maia," the dragon queen answered, "and then I will believe."
•••
A/N: Sorry for the short chapter! But this scene really sums up the plot of Book III and where the story is heading. Also just wanted to pop in and say thank you to everyone for getting this story in the top 10 rankings of fanfiction last week!!!!!! It means a bunch to me ❤
Leave all your theories down below, because I love reading what you guys think is gonna happen!!! Especially, Maia/Jon/Daenerys ones; my fave is the parallel theory to Aegon the Conquerer and his two wives *wink wonk*