Daenaerys
Sometimes Dany dreamed of King's Landing and the Iron Throne, the seat of her family's power for centuries before the war of the Usurper. She often wondered what the place looked like, if it truly was as grand as Viserys had told her it had been, she never knew whether to believe Viserys nowadays, convinced as she was that he had been quite mad towards the end of his life, and yet she often found herself doubting Ser Barristan's description of the Red Keep as well, her old white knight had been loyal to a fault and that might have often led to him embellishing the truth a little bit. One thing she was not unsure about though was that it was her and not the pretender Aegon Targaryen or even the bastard Lord Stark who should be seated on the Iron Throne. She was her brother Rhaegar, and her father's true heir, not some bastard from the northern whore who had taken Rhaegar from his wife and family, nor the boy pretending to be her nephew. And she would have her throne, through fire and blood.
There had been times as she had waited for both Ser Jorah and Lord Nestor to return from their respective missions that she had simply wished to mount Drogon and fly off for King's Landing and challenge the pretender there and then, and see whom would come up on top and whether or not the fool boy actually had a dragon. Lord Baelish had of course persuaded her against doing such a thing, arguing that the time was not prudent especially with her being so heavily pregnant, and that it would be better if she waited until Lord Royce and Ser Jorah had returned before making a move. That had been some time ago though, and now a year had passed and she had given birth to a little boy who looked exactly like her, she had named him Aenar after her ancestor who had brought her family to Dragonstone, and her husband Victarion had been very proud of the boy, stating that he would be warrior when he grew up.
Her son, the actual thought that she had a son now still caught her by surprise sometimes. After everything that had happened with Drogo and Rhaego and the maegi's prophecy Daenaerys had soon given up hope of ever truly being able to have children again, but then she had discovered she was with child soon after her and Victarion's wedding and that had given her cause for hope, perhaps this time one of the prophecies she had heard would be proven incorrect and she could live her life fully and happily. Things between her husband and herself had improved dramatically since the birth of their son, she had come to feel more than just fondness for Victarion, and she liked to believe that her husband felt the same for her as well. It was still hard for her to decipher his emotions sometimes, as he often wore a mask whenever he was with her in public and still sometimes wore that mask when they were alone together, and she knew he preferred being out on the sea than cooped up in the Gates of the Moon and the waiting was getting to him. He was very happy to have a son, that much she knew, and if his niece Asha Greyjoy was dead then their son or anymore children they had would become the Lord or Lady of the Iron Islands as well, should they be triumphant.
Her thoughts then turned to the news and the council meeting that they had held earlier that day. It had not been a good meeting, there had been much disappointment and shouting, as the envoys had returned tired and broken, the snow in Westeros clearly showing that winter was still firmly present. Nestor Royce had been the first one to speak, and Daenaerys had been most disappointed with what the man had said. "Lord Edmure will not bending the knee Your Grace. He refuses to acknowledge you as anything more than a princess, and refused outright to have his niece brought back to the Riverlands." Nestor Royce had said.
Daenaerys had remained silent for a long time before saying. "Then he shall burn." She had seen the fear in Nestor Royce's eyes at her words, but she had long stopped caring about what others thought of her or any potential madness she might have, she was blood of the dragon, she was the dragon and she would act like it. She had then turned to Lord Baelish and said "Your position as Lord Paramount of the Trident and Lord of Harrenhal remains, as does your protectorship of the Vale. You still have people in Winterfell?"
Baelish had replied in the affirmative. "Aye Your Grace I do. Do you wish for me to get in contact with them?"
Daenaerys had nodded and said "Tell them the time has come. Lady Sansa shall come to the Vale whether she wishes it or not."
Ser Jorah had spoken then and his voice had sounded old and weary. "I do not think that would be such a wise idea Your Grace."
Dany had looked at her bear then a questioning look on her face, and Ser Jorah had gone onto say. "Lord Jon Targaryen married Lady Sansa whilst I was in Winterfell, and as such their marriage has been consummated, and she is with child, more than likely she will have given birth to the child by now. Taking the Lady Sansa will only serve to antagonize Stark further against you as well as the north rather than work to bring him onside."
"What do you suggest I do then Ser Jorah? Allow the man and his wives live? That will only make me look weak and feeble." Dany had replied.
It had been Lord Baelish who had replied then. "My sources in Winterfell report that Stark's wife Lady Alys and his son by her Rickard, are often found to be by themselves much of the time, since dealing with the Boltons Lord Stark has become complacent in the safety of his family, believing that there are no more threats to them. If you were to deal a hefty blow to either the Lady Alys or the brat, and make it look like the fault lay with Lord Stark or maybe even the Lady Sansa, then it is possible that Lord Karstark and others with him would side with Your Grace, thus keeping Stark occupied when the war breaks out in the south."
Dany saw the merit in what her hand had said but her husband had voiced his opinion then. "And how would you propose we get to the woman or the boy Baelish? Surely Stark will be suspecting such a thing, such a ploy?"
Baelish had smiled enigmatically. "Not if the person to do the deed was someone his wife had come to trust with dealing with herself or her son. Someone who they had known before but had changed her identity to remain hidden. A certain Cat of the Canals."
Dany had smiled then at the man's suggestion. Cat, the girl was younger than her but much trained in the arts of assassination, she had come with Dany when they had been docked in Lys, seeking a passage and a way to bring revenge for those who had betrayed her family, and as a person sent to assist Dany in taking what was rightfully hers by the Faceless Men of Bravos. Cat had proved her skills in Lys when she had killed three grown men who had been sent to kill her, her skill with a blade being better than even Ser Jorah's, her footwork quick and her action lethal. Yes Dany thought, Cat would be the perfect person to do the deed. "Send word to your man in Barrowtown, tell him to tell her that the time has come. Revenge shall be hers." Lord Baelish nodded and so that was that.
Dany found her thoughts drifting once more, this time to Quaithe the mysterious woman who had found her at the strangest of moments over the past seven years. She had not seen the woman since Meeren, and even then her messages had been cryptic and confusing, "Trust not the lion and beware the Pale Griffin." She had not met a Lannister yet, Martyn Lannister was said to be staunchly loyal to the pretender Aegon, and as such there had been no point trying to send an envoy to him, besides it had been the Lannisters who had ordered the deaths of her niece, nephew and goodsister in the first place, she would rather see them burn than treat with them, an ideal that Lord Baelish and her husband both seemed to share. She had been surprised that both men had deemed sending someone to the Reach was not a worthwhile consideration, seeing as the Reach had stayed loyal to her father throughout the War of the Usurper, Ser Jorah had snorted at that and told her "It was the Queen of Thorns who made sure that the Reach did nothing more than lay siege to Storm's End not Mace Tyrell, and the woman will not wish to see you on the throne Your Grace, not with her whore of a granddaughter wed to Martyn Lannister." Quaithe warnings had never mentioned a flower, the symbol of House Tyrell; still Lord Baelish insisted he had friends in the Reach who would come to her aid once war finally did break out.
Quaithe, the woman was still a strange idea to Dany; she knew not where the woman came from or where she disappeared of to when she was done giving her cryptic messages. And she often wondered if she was not just imagining the woman's presence, perhaps a sign that she was finally going mad, just like her father the mad King? Except she still believed her father, had some sort of justification for being paranoid, the Lannister dog he had as his hand had kept him holed up in Duskendale for close to a year instead of instantly breaking him free like any good man would. Perhaps Tywin Lannister truly had always wanted her father dead, as well as her brother and goodsister. She knew not, all she knew was that it was surprising that Quaithe had warned her of false dragons and red priests, only for her to find Melisandre as well the red woman whom was locked away somewhere, waiting to be fed to Drogon. Quaithe, she needs to know who the woman was and where she came from.
A knock on the door disturbs her thoughts calling for whoever it is to come in she finds herself looking at Lord Baelish, he looks triumphant but also slightly worried as he sits down. "What is the matter Lord Baelish?" she asks.
"News from the Riverlands, the Riverlords led by House Goodbrook have written to inform me that they will stand by you and fight for you when the war starts and Lord Edmure is visiting Lord Goodbrook soon enough. The man has walked right into a trap." Baelish replied.
Dany smiled. "Still it is not enough, we must draw the pretender away from King's Landing in order for my husband to take the city. Any news from Winterfell?"
Baelish shook his head. "Not yet, but Cat will get the job done, she has never failed you so far Your Grace."
"That is true, the question is how do we get the pretender away from King's Landing, or to actually start the conflict himself?" Dany asked.
At this Lord Baelish smiled, the same smile that sometimes gave Dany the creeps, but also intrigued her, Lord Baelish was an intriguing character, smart as well. "Well I still have many friends in King's Landing. With the right words, I could sow discord in King's Landing between the pretender and his council, or perhaps between the King and his hand."
Dany was intrigued. "How so?"
"Have you never found it passing odd that Lord Varys forever sought to work for you, and yet whilst you and your brother wandered around Essos, he kept this boy so conveniently called Aegon hidden away on some boat with a man who had as good as loved his father? My sources have told me that Aegon wishes to meet you and that he has constantly questioned Connington and Varys about his time growing up. If we can plant the seed of doubt in his mind, he will act rashly and his wife and daughter will be in danger, and then it will be he who starts the war, not you."
Dany pondered this for a long moment and was about to reply when the door opened and her husband walked in clutching a letter. A grim look on his face. "Word from Winterfell, the attempt failed. Lord Stark has called his banners, war has started."