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"Are all the White Walkers just human children?!"
Nobody had an answer for that, even Jon who had the most knowledge about the White Walkers amongst the people watching remained silent as there was no need to say much about this.
"My worry is who that White Walker was. The one that turned the child" Robb muttered. The look in its eyes was chilling, sending shivers down his spine.
That one Jon decided to talk about.
"He's called the Night King. He is the leader of the White Walkers, their King" Jon explained.
"The Night's King?" Bran asked, recognizing the name from one of the tales Old Nan had told him.
"Night King" Brynden corrected. "The Night's King was a different entity altogether.
The Night King is older, a force of nature in his own right and a bigger threat than what the Night's King and his Corpse Queen were."
The Northerners shifted in discomfort. They'd heard about the Night's King, who had to be taken down by an alliance between A King of Winter and A King Beyond The Wall.
And this Night King was even more powerful than him...
"How do we stop him?" Robb asked as fear crept into him.
"The same way we stop the White Walkers, I suppose" Jon answered
"I think we are here to learn just that" Tyrion spoke, clearing his throat to get everyone's attention. "I'm sure we're either going to be shown it or told how to do it after we're done watching."
"I suppose" Robb muttered, but he was not as confident as he was feeling moments ago.
[KING'S LANDING, THE THRONE ROOM]
[TOMMEN sits on the Iron Throne, with TYWIN LANNISTER beside him.]
"Oh, he's been coronated" Joanna muttered.
"With how things are, time is of the essence" Jaime muttered his reasoning.
"I'm King" Tommen whispered with a grin.
Myrcella, who heard her brother, took his hand and gave him a comforting squeeze and a smile.
Tommen returned it with a grin and his hand holding hers tightly.
[CERSEI approaches MARGAERY in the crowd.]
"There he is."
"Do you think Mother is happy I'm King?" Tommen asked his sister.
Myrcella wanted to say she was, but that would be a lie. In all honesty, Myrcella had no idea what their mother was feeling. Joffrey was her favourite, nobody could doubt that. The other two she did not give the most attention to, especially Tommen. Would she be happy that the son she loved more was dead and the son she didn't love nearly as much was now the King?
"I think" Myrcella smiled, "that you're going to be the best King Westeros has ever seen and mother will be happy with that."
Tommen nodded with a smile.
"He sits the throne like he was born to it."
"He does look at ease on the thing" Jaime nodded.
"The innocence of youth, I suppose. He has no idea of the things he'll need to do" Tyrion reasoned.
"Neither did Joffrey, and he looked as ill fit on that thing as water to fire" Jaime countered.
"Mayhaps we're going to get a good King after many years."
"You still mourn for Joffrey?"
"He was my husband. My king."
"He would have been your nightmare."
"At least she admits it" Sansa muttered. But then again, she admitted it multiple times that Joffrey was a monster.
"Your Grace, I feel..."
"You knew exactly what he was. I did, too. You never love anything in the world the way you love your first child. Doesn't matter what they do. And what he did, it shocked me. The things he did shocked me. He's only a boy. A good boy. A decent boy. He always has been. Who was the last decent king, I wonder? He could be the first man who sits on that throne in fifty years to actually deserve it."
Tommen smiled. His mother thought he could be a good King, someone who deserved the throne.
"It would be some consolation, wouldn't it? For all the horror that put him there."
"He will need help... if he's going to rule well."
"He has you."
"A mother is not enough. You're still interested in being queen, I take it?"
"Oh. After all that's happened... It sounds strange, I know, but I am... I haven't even given any thought to it, what comes next. It would be a great honour, of course. But I will have to speak to my father about it."
"Yes, speak to your father. I'll speak to mine."
"It's odd to see Cersei approaching someone for help like this. Especially someone who she does not approve of" Jaime frowned.
"She could be looking out for Tommen here" Tyrion reasoned, "or she could be keeping her enemies close so she could strike when they least expect it."
"Probably the latter" Jaime snorted.
[MEEREEN COUNCIL ROOM, DAY]
[DAENERYS TARGARYEN, BARRISTAN SELMY, DAARIO NAHARIS, SER JORAH MORMONT, MISSANDEI, and GREY WORM are meeting.]
"The Second Sons took the Meereenese Navy."
"Who told you to take the Navy?
"I heard you liked ships."
"He's an excitable one" Oberyn mused, "so very excited to get Daenerys whatever she desires."
"He's made it known that he desires Daenerys. Perhaps he's showing just how much by getting her what she desires and needs" Elia pointed out.
Doran hums in thought but does not add to this conversation.
Daenerys on the other hand was all smiles and blush.
"How many ships?"
"Ninety-three, Your Grace."
"How many men can they carry?"
"Ninety-three hundred, not counting sailors."
"Would that be enough to take King's Landing?"
"The Lannisters have more."
"They've been fighting Joffrey's wars for years. They're tired, dispersed. And now their king is dead. Eight thousand Unsullied, two thousand Second Sons sailing into Blackwater Bay and storming the gates without warning."
"They may yet succeed in taking it" Tyrion said thoughtfully.
"But we're not fighting to make you Queen of King's Landing. Ten thousand men can't conquer Westeros."
"The old houses will flock to our queen when she crosses the Narrow Sea."
"The Valyrian houses, perhaps. Their loyalties run deep, it's a blood loyalty. The other houses?" Elia muttered with a frown.
"I will not make false promises. Dorne will back Daenerys should she come to claim the throne" Oberyn declared. "For Elia and her children."
"Other than that the rest of the houses are not a certainty. They would back whoever is more favourable to them" Doran added.
The Dornish conversation had most of the rest shift in discomfort. Especially those who knew House Targaryen still had their supporters. And any more would flock to her because she has dragons.
The sooner they got Daenerys on their side the better, that was the prevalent thoughts of Robert, Ned and Jon Arryn.
"There's other news. From Yunkai. Without the Unsullied to enforce your rule, the Wise Masters have retaken control of the city. They've re-enslaved the freedmen who stayed behind and sworn to take revenge against you.'
"It was a mistake, not leaving anyone to enforce your rules there. When you conquer lands, you must always leave behind people you trust and men to defend your rule. Otherwise, the old order would rise and reclaim what you took from them" Doran explained to Daenerys. "As Queen, you must keep that in mind. It's easier to conquer than to hold on to those conquered lands."
Daenerys nods at his words.
But she was not the only one learning.
Tommen listened to the Prince of Dorne intently. If he was to be King in the future, he must learn this.
Little did the boy remember that he would not have such an opportunity this time.
"And in Astapor, the council you installed to rule over the city has been overthrown by a butcher named Cleon who's declared himself 'His Imperial Majesty'."
Oberyn snorted at the nickname but was overall displeased by the turn of events.
All that Daenerys had worked on, gone.
Daenerys herself was cursing herself for being so stupid and making such mistakes. She did not pay heed to the voice in her head that reasoned that she did not learn these things to be mindful of them.
"Please leave me. Not you, Jorah."
[GREY WORM, MISSANDEI, DAARIO, and BARRISTAN exit.]
"It appears my liberation of Slaver's Bay isn't going quite as planned."
"You could sail for Westeros and leave it all behind. A boy sits on the Iron Throne. A boy many believe to be a bastard with no right to it. They've never been more vulnerable."
"You counselled me against rashness once in Qarth. I didn't listen. That all worked out well. How can I rule seven kingdoms if I can't control Slaver's Bay? Why should anyone trust me? Why should anyone follow me?"
"There's more power in your name in Westeros than in Essos. Those that flock to you will keep your rule, if not to gain your favour than to avoid being burned to ash. You will have an easier time conquering Westeros than Essos" Elia reasoned.
Daenerys frowned at that. If she focused on Westeros only... who would free the slaves?