[Chapter Size: 3600 Words.]
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Third Person POV
Artic, 298 AC.
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"Did you see who caused the green flames...?" Lord Stark asked in his solar to the man before him.
It had been five days since he heard those roars in the sky like thunder on a clear day.
All of it was surrounded by a mysticism that Lord Stark couldn't understand, just like everyone else—except Arya.
But his daughter had refused to say a word about it, even though he had already noticed a certain restlessness in her and asked what it meant, especially when news came from the west about an entire forest in flames with green fire. All he heard from Arya were excuses, saying she didn't know what was happening there.
Now, some men had come from that region and arrived at Winterfell, reporting the flames while they were still active with no one truly able to extinguish them. But they were shrinking each day, according to the letters.
"I saw it, my lord! I swear I did!" The man, who looked like a simple farmer, said with a nervous tone.
"Why are you begging me to believe you before even telling me what happened?" Lord Stark asked with a furrowed brow.
"I'm saying this... my lord... because no one has believed me since I traveled here. They think I'm crazy, but I can say for sure I saw what I saw. I'll never forget it." He affirmed.
"And what exactly did you see?" Lord Stark was growing frustrated with the man dragging things out.
"I saw two giant creatures fighting each other!" He declared, and if Lord Stark couldn't furrow his brow any more than he already had, he did so now.
"You mean... creatures? I don't understand..." Lord Stark was confused.
"I'm telling you, my lord, they were giant creatures fighting one another! They had wings and were battling in the skies!" The man declared.
For a moment, Lord Stark didn't know what to say, feeling as if the ground had disappeared beneath him. That description was far too specific of a certain creature that had once flown over Westeros' skies.
"Tell me..." He drew the man's attention once again. "Tell me what you saw. Was there a white creature?"
He had to confirm if it was really Jon's dragon—the same one that had created a storm over Winterfell when he came to visit his mother's tomb after learning the truth, with Lord Stark nearly having his head crushed by a punch from Jon capable of cracking the wall in his fury.
"White? I saw some white parts on it, but it looked more silver, my lord. I remember a silver one that shone like a sword reflecting the sun. And the other was pitch black, like the darkness of night—only much larger than the silver one. So big that it even blocked out the sun. They came near my village, roaring like lions and started fighting each other. I swear by the gods that what I saw was real!"
He kept insisting, while Lord Stark thought about the dragons. But the smaller dragon was silver, not white like the one he saw during that storm. That was strange, but there was no doubt—Jon was involved. After all, Arctic was full of dragons, while neither he nor Arya had ever mentioned such a massive black dragon like that.
"Well... what more can you tell me?" Lord Stark spoke, giving him permission to continue.
The man went on reporting. The creatures simply appeared from the sky, as if falling like a star, exploding into emerald flames, while there were also white flames, he swore. The two fires clashed with one another as the creatures fought, biting at each other.
"The silver dragon was much smaller than the black dragon. I saw the silver one on top of the black one, biting its neck from a distance while they knocked down trees as they slammed into them. Then, they flew off into the sky, their silhouettes retreating until they vanished from sight, but their thunderous screams kept echoing through the sky a little longer..." the man said.
"Well... that's a bit of useful information. Anyway, thank you for your report. I'll take this and investigate." Was all Lord Stark could say in the end, lost in thought.
"Just give him some reward for his report." Lord Stark motioned to dismiss the man. After he left, escorted by the guards, he could feel Maester Luwin beside him, visibly disturbed.
"My lord... do you believe what he was saying? We're talking about dragons? That should be impossible!" The maester couldn't help but speak with some fear.
Hearing reports of fire-loving winged creatures was disturbing for anyone... After all, the last recorded living creature of that kind in the world had died over a century ago, and it had only been the size of a dog.
No one would believe that dragons would suddenly start appearing so mysteriously, even more so, two of them, one trying to kill the other. It was very strange. But one thing he knew: he wouldn't find answers here. The only one who could answer those questions was his sister's son, far to the north.
But would Jon answer that? Why was he fighting an unknown dragon? Or were they two of his own dragons, raised in Arctic, that had gone wild? Or perhaps Jon didn't even know about these dragons? There were too many questions. In the end, Stark didn't understand.
"Can you call Arya, Lord Luwin? She's with the children, isn't she?" He asked as the maester seemed to return to his senses.
"Of course." Maester Luwin replied as he had left Arya watching over the other children under her care while he came here to hear the man's report. "I'll be right back, Lord Stark." The maester responded as he began to leave the room.
Meanwhile, Lord Stark continued reviewing the letters he had received today. Due to the king's visit, the messages by scroll had tripled, most of them being useful, offering greetings or even requesting favors. It was irritating that even men from the North were doing that.
He put down the scroll when the door opened with Jory Cassel informing him that Cassandra was there. She entered shortly after with permission, to deliver some documents.
"Lord Stark, here is the rota of maids I prepared for the coming days. We're also awaiting Lord Willas Tyrell to arrive in Winterfell. Everything indicates he should arrive today, as he sent a letter saying he was in White Harbor." She informed, looking at him with a serious glint.
"I see, Cassandra. Thank you for the report." He nodded, looking at the papers.
"You're welcome, Lord Stark. Now, if you'll excuse me..." She said, when Ned Stark stopped her by raising his hand.
"One moment, if you allow me, Lady Cassandra."
"I already told you that you don't need to..." She was about to protest him calling her "lady."
"I still intend to keep calling you that, even if you've been trying to ask me not to these past few days, ever since the king's arrival." He said to her.
"It's not appropriate, Lord Stark." She replied with an irritated glint.
"Perhaps not. But we already talked about this, remember?" He replied, as they had had a small conversation — though not for long, as their duties demanded their attention.
"A conversation that still hasn't ended..." Cassandra responded.
"How about we continue it tonight?" He said, and she looked at him with a suspicious gaze before finally nodding.
"Alright, I'll honor your request. But I'd prefer no one saw our conversation, even here in your solar. People gossip around the castle about everything that happens. I'd say your wife might try to poison me, the way she's been picking fights with me these last few days." Cassandra said.
"I've already told you, if she causes any trouble for you, I won't think twice before throwing her out of the castle." Lord Stark assured, though Cassandra's look was somewhat skeptical.
After all, Catelyn was a noblewoman, while Cassandra was only a servant, of common birth. Lord Stark couldn't do that so easily.
"Anyway, you're dismissed. I'll require your presence in the godswood after dinner, is that alright? Just make sure to have your responsibilities in order so they won't distract you from our little conversation." He said, and Cassandra nodded and left.
Arya was in the room where Maester Luwin usually taught Lord Stark's children. She stood before Bran, Rickon, Tommen, and some other young nobles in the castle, who were receiving lessons from the maester of Winterfell — a role she had taken over that day, starting to explain some of Westeros' history to the children.
"So... now for the fun part..." She continued, winking at the children, who listened closely. "Let's talk about dragons..." She went on as she brought up the topic of the Dance of the Dragons, while the children's eyes lit up with excitement at the mention.
"On Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen's side, we have:
Syrax, ridden by Rhaenyra. A proud golden female, but less experienced in combat.
Caraxes, the 'Blood Wyrm,' ridden by Daemon Targaryen, Rhaenyra's brother and husband. Lean, long, and fierce. One of the deadliest.
Vermax, ridden by Jacaerys Velaryon, Rhaenyra's eldest son.
Arrax, ridden by Lucerys Velaryon, her second son. Young and still inexperienced.
Tyraxes, ridden by Joffrey Velaryon, her youngest son.
Meleys, 'The Red Queen,' ridden by Rhaenys Targaryen, Rhaenyra's cousin. One of the most powerful.
Moondancer, ridden by Baela Targaryen. Small, fast, but still young.
On the side of King Aegon II Targaryen, we have:
Sunfyre, the golden one. Aegon II's dragon. As beautiful as the sun... but don't be fooled, he was deadly.
Vhagar, ridden by Aemond Targaryen, Aegon's brother. The largest of all. Had fought in old wars, ancient, cruel, and vast like a storm." — Here Arya paused longer. — "She had once belonged to Visenya Targaryen, one of the conquerors.
Tessarion, the blue female, ridden by Daeron Targaryen, Aegon's youngest brother.
Dreamfyre, ridden by Helaena Targaryen. Delicate, but powerful.
Stormcloud, who was meant to be ridden by one of Aegon's sons — but died too soon."
At that moment, Maester Luwin entered the room after passing the Arctic guards, smiling slightly at the sight of Arya teaching all the boys, who were eager to ask more about the dragons — something Maester Luwin wasn't too fond of teaching, but the children loved it.
"Maester Luwin, you're back... Just let me finish this explanation." Arya said, ignoring the looks full of questions aimed at her about the dragons.
"I'd very much like to hear as well, Princess. It's always so interesting to listen to you explain things. You seem quite enthusiastic with the children, I like what I'm seeing." Maester Luwin said, and Arya nodded.
"Hello, Maester Luwin, would you like to take over?" She gave a small smile, seeing that he wanted to and didn't seem to be letting her continue. There seemed to be a reason for it — after all, he wouldn't act like this with her without one.
"As much as I'd love to watch you teach — even learn, have you teach me a few things — I'll have to resume the lesson. Your father demands your presence in his solar. So, is it alright if I take over?" He asked.
Arya nodded without issue, smiling. "Of course. I'm heading there. How about we continue talking about it this afternoon?" She said, smiling at the children.
Despite the disappointed groans, Arya smiled as she left.
"Bye, sister!" Rickon exclaimed as Arya passed by Luwin, exiting with her royal guards following behind.
When she arrived at the solar, she passed Jory with Bari and Jill, who returned to standing with the Stark guards.
Upon entering, her father finished writing something and looked at her with a slightly tired expression.
"Arya, I need to know exactly what happened in the West, because I just received a man who claimed he saw what happened — and saw two dragons fighting each other." He said, as Arya raised her eyes, slightly surprised, before nodding.
"I understand, Father. And, to be honest, I have no idea what happened. But I knew Jon was in the sky fighting some unknown dragon... though I'm not sure who it was." She said, while he sighed.
"I see... so we'll have to wait for an answer from your brother."
"Cousin." Arya corrected, and he simply nodded.
"Can you send a letter to your... cousin?" He asked.
"Father, I didn't say anything these past days because I wasn't sure. And now that the letter about the strange sounds we heard should be arriving in Arctic, I just need Jon to send his reply." Arya said.
"Besides..." She continued. "Jon's response letters about the king's arrival should be arriving today. But I doubt he'll mention anything about what happened down here in the South. We'll have to wait for his answer to my last letter." Arya said.
"I understand. We'll wait then." Lord Stark simply said.
"Alright. I'm going out for a bit of hunting in the wolf forest. Nymeria needs to stretch her legs." Arya mentioned, and Ned Stark nodded without protest, as it had become a common activity of Arya's during her recent moons in the North.
Even though his daughter going out hunting alone wasn't something he liked, he had grown used to Arya and knew she was beyond his reach when it came to control.
"Then, thank you, Father." She said, starting to walk through the halls of Winterfell.
At one point, Cassandra was storming down the corridors almost running, and her eyes widened when she saw Arya, immediately rushing toward her.
"Arya! We need your help!" Cassandra exclaimed, breathless, about to dash into her father's solar.
"What happened?" Arya asked.
"Come with me!" Cassandra replied quickly, grabbing her by the arm.
They crossed a few more halls before reaching a small commotion. Arya could see a royal guard from Westeros pinning a man to the wall, and she also saw a red-haired girl standing in front of a woman. That woman was none other than the queen.
The girl staring down the queen was Mearin. And the man was one of the men from Arctic who had been assisting her during her stay in Winterfell, sent by Jon.
"What is going on here?!" Her voice burst out, quickly grabbing everyone's attention as they turned toward Arya, their eyes stunned.
The royal guards Bari and Jill were right behind her, alert, their hands on their weapons.
The sight left the royal guard and the queen visibly unsettled, both stepping back, surprised by their sudden appearance.
"Clear the way immediately!" Arya shouted to the servants, who began to scatter, though not completely — still wanting to see what was going on.
She moved toward the queen with a furious expression, catching sight of the venom on Cersei's lips as she seemed to be spewing some atrocity at Mearin, whose eyes burned with rage.
"What do you think you're doing? You'd better let that man go!" Arya said with a dangerous tone.
"He disrespected the Queen of Westeros," said the royal guard, known as Ser Meryn Trant.
"You should keep these savages on a leash and show respect to the Queen of Westeros, little wolf." Cersei spat, making no effort to hide her disdain, clearly disregarding the king's command to treat Arya with respect when he wasn't present.
She refused to use Arya's name or title, but didn't call her a savage either. Still, "little wolf" was her chosen insult in front of the servants.
Arya wanted to laugh at the woman's stupidity, but her gaze turned cold and sharp.
"Listen, as far as I know, he is an arctican. And no arctican owes submission to the crown of Westeros, Queen Cersei. Or shall I remind you of that? Or maybe just that you lack the manners you accuse this man of, demanding his submission to you — hypocritical of you, wouldn't you say?" Arya said calmly, while the queen's face darkened.
"You don't get to—" Cersei couldn't even finish before Arya cut her off, her voice more ferocious.
"Bari, kill this man." Arya said simply, as the sword began to unsheathe with a whisper that echoed among the gathered servants.
Even Cassandra, who had followed Arya, was startled.
The royal guard and the queen were no different. As Bari stepped forward, the queen took a step back, visibly shaken. She hadn't expected Arya to give such a command in her presence.
This caused the royal guard to quickly release the man and draw his sword, positioning himself in front of the queen, ready for combat.
"Well, well... if it isn't the brave white cloaks. The ones who can't even beat us on the battlefield. Do you really think you can stop me from killing him?" Bari said arrogantly.
"What are you doing?! Are you threatening me? Do you believe a dog can raise a sword to me and walk away unscathed? I am the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms!" Cersei shouted, full of frustration and rage at such defiance.
"You brought this on yourself when you messed with my companions. Now I'll warn you one more time, before Bari charges at you. And I'm sure he can get through your guard — as we've already seen in training. So I advise caution when dealing with us, Cersei Lannister. I don't care if you're Tywin's daughter, that means nothing in Arctic. Jon was clear. He won't allow any arctican to suffer at anyone's hands without consequences."
"And trust me: killing your white cloak would be the least of your problems — and the fastest solution — for the consequences of harming an arctican unjustly." Arya said.
The queen seemed speechless at the scene, clenching her fists tightly, seemingly unable to believe what she was hearing. Arya expected Cersei to explode into a fit of madness — but she didn't. She merely calmed herself and locked eyes with Arya.
"I'll remember this very well, princess of Arctic." She said in a different tone, and there was even a glint of madness in her eyes.
In the next moment, Queen Cersei turned and walked away, her guard following after sheathed his sword. She still kept a wary eye on the Arctic royal guard, watching to see if he would advance.
Arya watched the queen's back with an indifferent glint in her gray eyes, sharp and alert. 'That woman is vindictive and irrational.' She had concluded. And something needed to be done about it.
Soon after, she approached her two companions.
"How are you?" was Arya's first question to Mearin, checking if she was unharmed, if the queen hadn't hurt her. Then she saw the mark on her face.
"She hit you, Mearin?" Arya growled.
"Yes, Lady. But don't worry about it." Mearin said.
"What do you mean, don't worry? How dare she hit you?" Arya's frustration rose instantly.
"Arya, I don't have much status to protect me from the queen. But even so, I stood up to her, demanding she release a man who refused to kneel to her in the hallway — just because of her vanity... I fought as expected of an Arctican. I just... don't want to bring more trouble to you." Mearin said, and Arya shook her head.
"You're not just an Arctican — you're my best friend! You don't have to be so hard on yourself. No matter where we are... you do have status. You're my lady-in-waiting and my friend. I won't allow this to happen." Arya said.
"Wait, Arya. Don't act irrationally. Listen." Mearin insisted, trying to calm her.
Arya stared at her in silence for a few seconds and then sighed. "Alright. I won't do anything now." She murmured, touching her friend's face before pulling her into a tight embrace.
"I'm sorry for this. That woman seems to have no limits." Arya murmured.
"Arya, be careful what you say in front of the servants. There are many ears here as you insult the queen." Mearin whispered in her ear. Arya was holding back, but still visibly fierce. Not that anyone blamed her. The girl was a wolf in human form.
"Arya, is everything alright?" Cassandra approached soon after, looking at her. Arya nodded as she stepped away from the hug.
"Yes, everything's fine now. But this... won't be forgotten." She promised.
"Arya..." Cassandra tried to argue, but Arya only shook her head.
"I won't forget this, Cassandra. I'm heading out to hunt beyond Winterfell. Can you take her to my room, along with my friend here? Mearin knows I have a salve to help with that bruise." Arya said.
Then she turned to Bari. "You're to stay with Mearin. I'll go with Jill only." She requested.
The man nodded. "Of course."
"Let's go, Jill. Time to get some fresh air." She said, as the woman stepped forward at the princess's side.
Arya headed out, her horse already being prepared — she had planned this since shortly before midday. She made her way there with Grey Worm, the Unsullied, waiting for her as usual. She liked to go hunting every couple of days.
And so, she rode toward the edge of Winterfell.
Meanwhile, from one of the high towers, the queen watched Arya with growing frustration.
"That little she-wolf will learn a lesson before this morning is over..." she muttered, a dangerous smile curling her lips as she watched Arya riding toward the forest, flanked by her royal guard and her dreadful gray direwolf.
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