Chapter 170 — The Nephew Arrives!
Daenerys led the applause for the sparring match, then informed Tyrion and the others of Robb Stark's arrival.
Almost instinctively, everyone glanced toward Oberyn, who had just finished drinking water after the match.
They could already guess why Robb had come.
...
Robb had not come alone.
Besides two guards, his mother, Catelyn Stark, had insisted on accompanying him—to personally thank Daenerys.
Ever since escaping the Red Wedding, she had silently thanked the Seven—and the unknown person who had warned them—countless times.
Without that warning, neither she, nor Robb, nor the dozen nobles with them would have escaped that carefully orchestrated massacre.
Without Robb and the Northern army…
She didn't dare imagine what fate would have awaited her children—or Winterfell.
Now that she knew the truth—
That it had been Daenerys—
She had to come in person.
Only then could she truly feel at peace.
...
Entering the hall, Catelyn's eyes first fell upon Tyrion.
Gone was the resentment she once held when she had taken him to The Eyrie for trial.
Though Tyrion had married Sansa under Tywin's orders—
He had never touched her.
And she had heard from Sansa how Tyrion had protected her more than once in King's Landing—
Even preventing Joffrey from publicly humiliating her.
Catelyn gave Tyrion a small nod.
She would thank him properly later.
...
Robb then turned his gaze toward the throne.
Seeing Daenerys—
He was momentarily surprised.
She was younger than he had imagined.
Then his eyes shifted—
To Drogon perched beside her.
From his sisters, he already knew—
This small creature was likely the same colossal black dragon he had seen during the pursuit of the Lannister army.
...
Stopping before the throne, Robb bowed slightly.
"Your Grace, I am Robb Stark of Winterfell in the North. This is my mother, Catelyn Tully."
After he spoke, Catelyn performed a respectful curtsey.
Seeing her gesture—
Tyrion already understood.
This was not just a visit.
It was submission.
...
Daenerys, too, was slightly surprised by Catelyn's sincerity, but she responded with a solemn nod.
In another life, after the Red Wedding, Catelyn would have been resurrected as Lady Stoneheart—
A being consumed entirely by vengeance.
Seeing her here now—
Alive, composed—
Even bringing her son to pledge loyalty—
Drogon felt, for once, that saving them had truly been worth it.
...
After the introductions, Robb dropped to one knee.
"Your Grace, on behalf of the Northern lords, I pledge our loyalty to you from this day forward. We will give everything to help you claim the Iron Throne."
Daenerys rose from her seat and descended the steps.
Standing before him, she spoke clearly:
"I, Daenerys Targaryen, accept your allegiance."
...
After hosting Robb and his party, Daenerys led both Robb and Oberyn to the map room to discuss strategy.
With the siege of Riverrun lifted, House Frey had retreated to The Twins.
Tyrion proposed launching an attack on the Twins in the near future.
At the same time—
Preparations would begin to strike Storm's End, the ancestral seat of House Baratheon north of Dragonstone.
It was from there that Euron Greyjoy had entered Shipbreaker Bay—
Commanding the fleet that ambushed Yara Greyjoy.
Now—
It was time to settle that account.
The Kingsroad that ran from King's Landing also ended at Storm's End. Taking that fortress would cut off one of the capital's supply routes and remove a key stronghold capable of reinforcing it from the outer regions.
When he heard that Daenerys intended to attack The Twins, Robb immediately volunteered to lead his army in the assault—seeking vengeance for the Northern and Riverlands nobles and soldiers slaughtered at the Red Wedding.
Daenerys agreed to his request and assigned Rhaegal to support the siege.
Robb had initially worried about the heavy losses that storming a castle might bring. But the moment he heard a dragon would aid them, his confidence surged. He even declared that with the Northern army alone, The Twins could be taken.
With the Dothraki stationed at Harrenhal looming like predators, King's Landing would never dare attempt to seize Riverrun. Their focus was now firmly on defending the capital; they simply didn't have the manpower to spare elsewhere.
Though the Northern army had been reduced to around ten thousand men, Robb only needed to leave five hundred behind to hold Riverrun. The rest could march on the Twins. After the previous battle, the Frey forces that had retreated there were barely half the size they had been during the siege. With a dragon's support, victory seemed inevitable—and swift.
Meanwhile, the assault on Storm's End would be led by Daario Naharis with a fleet, joined by the Dornish forces. Viserion would provide aerial support.
The next day, just as Daenerys' commanders were making their preparations, an Unsullied soldier brought unexpected news—
The Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, Jon Snow, had arrived and requested an audience.
The name sounded faintly familiar to Daenerys. Only when she heard his title did she recall who he was. She hadn't expected that, with the threat of the White Walkers looming over the Wall, the Lord Commander himself would come all the way to Dragonstone.
Seated upon the throne in the great hall, she ordered the guards to admit him.
Jon entered alongside the Onion Knight, Davos Seaworth.
[So the big nephew finally shows up, Drogon mused with amusement.]
"Nephew?" Daenerys arched a brow slightly at the strange label.
Yet as she looked at Jon, she felt something… odd.
Not attraction.
But familiarity.
A quiet sense of closeness she couldn't quite explain.
It made no sense—this was their first meeting.
Standing below the throne, Jon studied her as well.
He recognized her immediately—the Targaryen girl Maester Aemon had spoken of even on his deathbed.
What he hadn't expected… was this.
A queen younger than himself—
Yet commanding three dragons and an army of a hundred thousand.
Compared to that, his own status felt insignificant.
Behind Jon, Davos scanned the hall—and his eyes quickly found Shireen Baratheon standing not far from Daenerys.
Relief and surprise flooded him at once.
Why is she here? he wondered.
Did the queen summon her because she knew I was coming?
A hopeful, if slightly foolish, thought crossed his mind.
Shireen had seen him too.
Her eyes lit up with excitement, but she restrained herself. This was not the moment to speak.
Nearby, Tyrion and Jon exchanged a brief nod of acknowledgment.
Then Missandei stepped forward and announced:
"Before you stands the Mother of Dragons, the Breaker of Chains, Queen of Meereen… and rightful ruler of the Seven Kingdoms—Daenerys Targaryen."
The long string of titles left both Jon and Davos momentarily stunned. They had never encountered such formal grandeur before.
The two glanced at each other.
After a brief pause, Davos cleared his throat and said,
"This is Jon Snow, Lord Commander of the Night's Watch. And I… am Davos Seaworth, Hand to King Stannis Baratheon, the rightful protector of the realm."
Daenerys barely acknowledged Davos' introduction of Stannis Baratheon and instead fixed her gaze on Jon.
"Lord Commander Jon Snow—what brings you here?"
Jon hesitated briefly, then spoke:
"Your Grace… my brother, Bran Stark, has returned from beyond the Wall. He brings word… that the army of the White Walkers is marching—and will soon reach the Wall."