Chapter 44: Second Sons

Daenerys Targaryen was sat in her tent alone. Jon had gone to see to the defences of the camp with Grey Worm and Ser Jorah and she hated the realisation of how much she missed him when he wasn't in her presence. He had been slightly more distant since their coupling before they arrived in Yunkai, but that was to be expected from his nature.

She sighed and moved to a table, where a map with figures set out depicted the current state of Yunkai. She saw the small figures being used for the Second Sons and her thoughts turned to Daario Naharis. The last she had seen of him alive was in the apex of the pyramid in Meereen as she broke things off and bid him to hold Meereen for her. He had eventually gotten bored with that and abandoned his post in a move that had sown the seeds of the Ghiscari rebellion, but she didn't blame him for that.

She figured that she could change things here, that she could commit to a battle with the Second Sons and not have to deal with the sellswords affections this time around. She had found him fun before, but his jealousy over Torrhen Stark had proved too much, and she could only imagine what that would be like this time with her own affections focused purely on the brooding Northerner in her camp.

On the other hand, having Daario on her side proved valuable in taking Slaver's Bay. They snuck through Yunkai's walls with his help and took the city relatively bloodlessly, and he was instrumental in defeating Meereen. Sighing, Dany threw herself into a seat as she thought. Realising the benefits of having the Second Sons on her side far outweighed the prospect of battling them, Dany knew exactly what she had to do.

"Marselen." She called, and Missandei's brother who had been guarding the tent entered.

"My Queen." He said in strong Valyrian.

"Send an envoy to the enemy camp. I wish to speak with the captains of the Second Sons." She explained. Marselen bowed his head and departed, leaving Dany to plan vigorously to ensure the same outcome happened once again.

The sight of the Northern camp on the shores of the Bay of Ice was met with a wave of relief from those that had travelled into the Frostfangs. They had been pushing the ten day limit that they had set before setting off and were praying as much as they could that the camp was still there and hadn't set back off to report to Winterfell, so spotting the camp in the early morning had been a big morale boost for them all.

Torrhen entered the camp and quickly gave instructions out to his men to begin packing up. They wouldn't go back the way they had come, but instead he had decided that they would be taking the land route towards the Wall to make the Night's Watch aware of what was happening. Torrhen only hoped that Lord Commander Mormont was still alive as he would be at least accepting of the new alliance.

He was in his own tent writing out a letter for Winterfell when the tent flaps opened up and in stepped both Tormund, and the girl that had joined them for this leg of the trip. "You said you had a gift for us. Where is it?" The girl asked gruffly.

Torrhen rolled his eyes, before he signed the letter and stamped it with his seal. "It's in the wagons outside, I told you that."

"She didn't believe you." Tormund grinned, as Torrhen got to his feet and led the pair back outside. He stopped them by the wagon that held the sacks of Dragonglass and reached into one to pick out an arrowhead.

"Here, this is more your style." Torrhen said to the red headed woman Jon had once told him about briefly.

She took the arrowhead curiously, testing it. "And this kills White Walkers?" She asked, disbelieving.

Torrhen nodded. "And wights." He said for what must have been the hundredth time. "I swear it, we aren't lying to you."

Ygritte gave him a glare before snatching an entire sack of arrowheads and walking away, leaving Torrhen staring in bemusement. He could strangely both see why Jon had liked her so much, while also being a bit baffled as to why he fell for such a brash, uncouth woman. "She's a fine woman." Tormund grinned.

"She's nothing like I've ever known." Torrhen admitted.

"You didn't meet her in your magic past?" Tormund asked, blunt as always.

Torrhen shook his head. "No." He answered solemnly, and that was all Tormund needed to know to understand.

"Ah. A shame." Tormund told him.

Torrhen nodded, before he ran his hand through his brown hair, growing unkempt from his time in the wild. "You best be off if you want to catch Mance in the Frostfangs."

Tormund nodded. "Aye, we'll make good time if we leave now." He turned to Torrhen and the pair clasped arms, shaking in a mark of respect. "I'll see you again, kneeler."

Torrhen snorted a laugh. "Don't piss off any more giants by fucking their wives."

Tormund grinned as he backed away, holding his arms out in a sort of shrug. "They can't help themselves around me." The ginger Wildling then turned to face his own men. "Someone drag this fucking wagon!"

Moments later the Wildlings were retreating into the distance, leaving only the Northmen in the camp. Harwin was the first to reach Torrhen. "What is the plan now, My Lord?"

Torrhen sniffed and brought himself back into the present. "Have the raven send this to Winterfell." He said, handing the finished letter for his Father to the raven keeper. "We move for the Shadow Tower tomorrow morning."

"Aye." Came the calls from the rest of the men, and Torrhen nodded, before excusing himself to his tent to get some well-deserved rest.

Outside of Yunkai, Jon was sat in the bed section of Dany's tent sharpening his sword. Missandei was bathing Dany, although for some reason the Targaryen woman had insisted that he wait in the tent for herself to finish. It gave Jon a chance to go over the meeting from earlier in the day.

Mero was a cunt, he was more than happy to admit that out loud to anybody who asked. Jon hated his scar, he hated his face, he hated his lewd tongue that spoke such obscenities to Dany. As Jon brought the wet stone across his blade he imagined the sharp edge opening the throat of the Titans Bastard, and he grinned.

He didn't like the young one either, but he knew that the only reason was because he knew of Dany's affection for Daario Naharis in the other time. Still, the smug grin on the young man's face had irked Jon, and he hoped for his own sake that he could meet Daario on the battlefield as well.

His ears picked up the sound of a blade in the next section of the tent and Jon immediately stood up. He walked towards the partition and noticed a man kneeling before Dany through the translucent material. He pushed his way through his fingers flexing on his sword hilt as Daario began to speak. "The Second Sons are yours and so is Daario Naharis. My sword is yours my life is yours, my heart is yours."

Jon grimaced at that, but a look he got from Dany stopped him from doing anything. "Rise." Dany commanded, and Daario did exactly that. "Go back to your camp and prepare your men to assault the city. We will speak again in the morning." Daario nodded as he got to his feet and went to pick two heads back up off the floor. "Leave them." Dany commanded. "They will send a message to the Wise Masters of Yunkai."

Daario accepted that and went to depart from the tent, giving Jon a knowing smirk as he left. When he had gone Jon turned to Dany. "What was that?" He demanded.

"We now have 10,000 men." Dany shrugged. "His heart can belong to whomever he likes, I will not touch him. You have nothing to worry about."

Jon scoffed. "As long as he lives he will think to woo you."

"Do you think me weak enough to fall for that?" Dany asked firmly. "My heart belongs to one person and one person only. "Daario Naharis brings me 2,000 men. He can think what he likes so long as he brings me those 2,000 men." She walked up to Jon, still slightly wet from her bath, and leant up to kiss him. "Your jealousy is unnecessary." She whispered, leaving the room. Jon looked bewilderedly at Missandei, who just smirked and followed Daenerys out of the bath area to help her finish getting ready.

It was before dawn, and Ned was down in the training yard with Ser Rodrik before the rest of the castle arose. The reality of Torrhen going North and the imminent danger that would follow him had made the Lord of Winterfell think about the reliance that would soon be placed upon those who wielded Valyrian Steel, something that no Stark had truly done in battle with their own great sword Ice as far as Ned could remember. The blade was a cumbersome one, usually too big and bulky to wield effectively, although Ned knew that he would have no choice. That led to his decision to have Ser Rodrik aide him in becoming proficient in two handed weapons. The pair had been going for a couple of hours before the first signs of life around the castle began to stir, and so Ned placed the training blade away in the armoury and went to wash himself to prepare for the day to come.

Cat was busy with the girls that morning, so Ned broke his fast with the rest of the growing Stark family. Rickon and Robin Arryn of course wolfed down their meals and ran off to start their own sessions with Ser Rodrik, with Willem Lannister following behind them at a bit of a distance. Ned sighed as he thought of the Lannister boy. He was a quiet lad, understandably so after the death of his father and then being taken away to a new place surrounded by former enemies. Ned remembered Theon after the first Greyjoy Rebellion being the same, and he promised himself that he would help the young blonde haired Westerman to settle in better.

Robb, Wylla and Beron were sat together at a separate table enjoying their mornings together, leaving Ned alone with Torrhen's wife and Asher. Mira, ever the observant girl, noticed the look in his eyes. "What are you thinking of, My Lord?" She asked, feeding Asher a spoon of something.

"Family." Ned said softly. "As well as the future."

Mira smiled. "You have all been so welcoming to all of us outsiders to House Stark." She commented, looking over at Wylla. "I know Wylla thinks so too."

"You're no outsiders." Ned chuckled. "You are both women of House Stark now, if not in blood, in name. You have Stark sons the pair of you."

Mira smiled, using a cloth to wipe some mess off of Asher's chin. "You know what I mean, My Lord." She told him. "Given the circumstances I would understand if you wanted to close ranks, to protect only your own…"

"You are included in that now, both of you." Ned said quickly. "Your sons share my blood, and that makes you family just as much."

Mira smiled. "I appreciate that My Lord." She said honestly, before she pre-empted a tantrum from her own son as Asher didn't want to finish his meal. "No Asher, if you don't eat this now then you will cry about being hungry later. Come on, finish it."

Ned chuckled and held his hand out for the spoon. "Torrhen was the same, although that was mainly as he was copying Sansa. Here, let me." He took the spoon in one hand and picked Asher up in the other, before he gently moved the spoon from side to side going towards Asher's mouth making a clip clopping hoof like sound. Asher giggled and opened his mouth just enough to fit the tip of the spoon in, and he gulped the almost liquid like substance down. "Good boy." Ned praised.

"Thank you." Mira said. "I think he misses Torrhen."

"As do we all." Ned told her. "You especially, I sense."

Mira nodded. "I understand why he went, but we had a lifetime apart. Now we can be together again, he's running all over the world once more. I know it's important and I'm proud of him for going up there, I just can't help feeling a little lost."

Ned smiled and laid a hand on her shoulder. "He will be back, and when this is all over you will have a full lifetime together, I am sure of it."

Mira looked thankful at that. "Thank you, My Lord." She said, standing up. "Come on Asher, time for your bath."

Asher pulled a face, but Ned handed him to his Mother with a chuckle nonetheless. As she walked away, Robb came up to join him at his table with a letter. "Maester Luwin just brought this through, but he didn't want to disturb you with Asher." He explained, handing the letter to Ned.

Ned looked at the seal and was both elated and surprised to see the black direwolf wax seal on it. He tore it open and read Torrhen's words, grinning as he did so. "He did it." Ned whispered.

"He did?"

"Aye." Ned confirmed. "We must move quickly now. Send word to White Harbour to have the fleet moved to Hardhome and begin ferrying the Wildlings… Free Folk, to the Gift. We must warn Jon and Rickard as well."

"I will see to that." Robb nodded.

Ned then sighed. "And I best tell your Mother that I will be leaving too. You will once again be the Stark in Winterfell."

Robb's face twisted into a solemn one as he nodded. "Very well, Father."

Ned still looked pleased. "This is one of the final pieces. Now hopefully we can simply focus on mining the Dragonglass and seeing that all defences are as strong as they possibly can be. Moat Cailin must be completed as quickly as we can."

"I'll make that my priority." Robb nodded firmly.

Ned smiled, clasping his son on the back. "Good lad. Now… I should speak with your Mother."

Robb grinned at the sudden discomfort that appeared on Ned's face. "Good luck." He chuckled, leaving Ned alone to work out exactly how he was going to phrase this to lessen his wife's annoyance.

Ned didn't manage to get his wife alone until that night when they had retired to their bedchamber. As usual he was ready and under the covers first as Catelyn was untying her hair at the dresser. Realising that he couldn't put it off any longer, Ned cleared his throat and said. "I got a letter from Torrhen today."

Cat's neck swivelled around instantly. "And you waited until before bed to tell me?" She asked him. "How is he? Is he safe? Is he coming home?"

Ned chuckled at her questioning. "He's fine, he made contact with the King Beyond the Wall and they struck a deal, and yes he'll be home after he has been to Castle Black to instruct the Night's Watch on what is happening."

Cat had a wide grin on her face. "Good, he's been missed."

Ned nodded. "He has. But there's something else…"

Cat looked at him curiously, before she sighed. "Do you have to go?"

Ned smiled at how well she knew him. "I do. I am the Lord of Winterfell and there is still unease between the Wild… Free Folk, and ourselves. For me to be there accepting them would send more of a message than Torrhen himself can."

Cat sighed as she put the hairbrush down and she moved over to sit on Ned's side of the bed. "Send Robb, send Lord Umber… send anyone. But I need you here, Ned." She looked unusually vulnerable, and so Ned sat up and held her in his arms, kissing the top of her head.

"I must go." He said softly. "But this shouldn't be for long, I am just sailing to Hardhome and helping them to the Gift. I can't see myself being gone for longer than a month, possibly two at worst."

Cat shook her head, melting further into her husband's embrace. "What if there was a reason for you to stay?"

"What could be more important than this?" Ned asked, lightly teasing his wife.

Cat looked up at him with her deep blue eyes, eyes that Ned had fallen in love with long ago and would continue to fall in love with every time he stared into them. "I'm not certain… but I think I am with child."

Ned pulled back, looking at her entire face to look for any hint of untruth. He couldn't find any. "You are?" He asked, a grin unwillingly appearing on his own face.

"I need to go to Maester Luwin, but I feel the same as I did with Robb, with Torrhen and Sansa, with Arya, Bran, Rickon and Sara." She smiled weakly. "I'm sorry, I know the timing is awful…"

"Stop." Ned said quickly, holding her head in his hands. "This is wonderful news."

"Really?" Cat asked.

Ned nodded. "Truly. Yes the timing could be better, but the future is always uncertain. I love you, and to share more children with you will always be a delight to me, Catelyn."

Cat smiled and leaned in to kiss him, an action which Ned reciprocated eagerly. "I had worried that you wouldn't want another babe."

Ned shook his head. "After Father and Brandon… after Lyanna… I always had the thought of a large family in my mind. This babe is a blessing from the Gods, Cat. Nothing else."

Cat grinned and went closer to him, and the pair lay down in the bed together, their noses millimetres away from one another. "But you're still going to go, aren't you?" Cat whispered.

Ned nodded. "I have to, Cat. This is more important than just us. You will have our family around you while I'm gone, and it won't be for long. I should be back by the time you are showing."

Cat looked like tears were forming in her eyes, but she wiped them away and nodded. "You just be sure to hurry back, Eddard Stark." She whispered, kissing him softly.

"I swear it." Ned smiled. "I will be back quickly, I swear."

The Jade Rose was a hearty vessel. Built in Oldtown as part of the celebrations of the birth of Lady Margaery Tyrell, it was a ship that had travelled between Westeros and Yi Ti dozens of times. Lemondrinker, not his real name of course but he couldn't remember his real name by this point, had made the journey ten times and was one of the oldest on the crew. He was on the oars as the ship sailed into Blackwater Bay, and his arms were grateful when they came to a halt. He took a sip of lemon water from his skin, the only type of water he would drink on the seas thanks to his old dad's warnings, before he went below deck in order to carry the crates of fabrics off of the boat so that the Captain could trade in King's Landing before they made their way to Oldtown in a couple of weeks.

"Come on, get your arse in line!" The first mate bellowed as the crewmen began filtering off the ship. Lemondrinker grabbed one of the lighter boxes, thanks to his age, and went to move off of the ship. The crew formed a line to the warehouse the captain had hired for their stay and it was a monotonous task. Lemondrinker placed one box down and then went back to the ship for the other.

On the way back to the warehouse though as he was on land, he felt a sharp pain in his hand. Yelping, he accidentally dropped the crate he was holding, seeing it smash on the ground. "Fuck!" He cried, stretching his cramping hand out. He looked down to see the silks he was carrying strewn across the floor and swore.

"That's coming out of your pay, you useless old cunt!" The first mate roared. "Pick those silks up and take them to the warehouse!"

Lemondrinker did as he was asked, noticing a rat scurrying away from him. He shook his head at the entire situation, swearing that when he got back to the Reach that this would be his last voyage. He didn't know how right he was.