Chapter 12: Firebird

…

"All Stark's firstborns are boys," a voice marvelled from the bed causing Andrea to turn her head towards Robb who lay on his side, his eyes attached to Andrea's bare belly - there their babe was resting inside. Smiling, Andrea nodded her head; "I do not care if it is a boy of a girl - as long he or she is healthy, that is all I wish for." Andrea admitted quietly caressing her bare belly where a small swell had begun to grow.

"Let the Gods grant us such then," Robb responded, moving closer to Andrea's side where he placed his huge hand atop of her smaller one- both of them caressing their baby that lay within the womb.

…

Yells of utter fear awoke Andrea and Robb, Robb springing up in bed his eyes searching the chamber for danger. The pair quickly dressed before rushing out of the chambers to see what the commotion was beyond the castle walls. Once Andrea and Robb stepped out of the keep they were greeted by the bannermen sworn to Winterfell and the King in the North, circling the keep in a protective manner. The lords of the Norths faces strewn with concern, brows furrowed as the cold wind blew.

A screech sounded from above and Andrea's eyes landed on the black body of a dragon - a dragon that had eaten from the palm of Andreas's hand when it was smaller than a newborn babe.

Andrea suppressed a gasp.

She turned to face Robb who had an unreadable look on his face once again and marching off in the direction of the gates of Winterfell. Andrea hurriedly picked up her skirts and followed behind, the men moving out of the way of the king whose face had grown colder than the ice that surrounded Winterfell and the rest of the North.

When Andrea and Robb reached the gates, hundreds of dark-skinned warriors in black leather stood stiffly, eyes forward, long spears at the ready. In front of the men, a petite girl with silver hair and violet eyes stood, a red coloured cloak flowing off her shoulders. She looked as Andrea had remembered; so small yet so fierce. So strong…

The girls bright eyes wandered to Robb and Andrea, a smile gracing her pink lips when she saw her old friend; "You are the perfect image of a Queen, Andrea." She spoke, her voice as soft as velvet.

Robb looked sharply at his wife; a silent question shining in his eyes; 'Have you met before?'

"Daenerys Targaryen, why do you come to the North?" King Robb questioned.

"We do not seek war in your lands King Robb Stark. We only seek allies, people who know Westeros; men who can help me win back my throne."

…

"You know her?" Robb concluded, his teeth clenched together, his fists clenching at his side. Andrea nodded her head looking at the cold stone of the ground; "Yes, from my travels may years ago."

"This is treason against the Iron Throne, Andrea. This could get us killed," he walked towards his wife, eyes blazing with fury; "Margery is the Q-"

Andrea held up her palm silencing the words from her husband's mouth, "She is only Queen because you couldn't find anyone better," Andrea spat, "Stannis was nowhere to be found so you could not give him the throne, Daenerys was missing and I bet one hundred gold pieces that you and yours didn't even think of her. You didn't want it, no one wanted it. So you and the small council decided, Margery was your best option."

"Daenerys Targaryen is a beautiful strong person who has every right to that stupid iron chair; she deserves it more than anyone in the seven kingdoms." Andrea vowed, "I beg of you to hear her, please Robb?"

…

"You wish to wage war on King's Landing with the help of the northern forces, correct?"

Daenerys nodded; "Yes, King Robb," she started, "I need allies. Three dragons and my few troops will not win me back my throne - I need help," she pleaded. At least she was honest, Robb thought.

Andrea looked over at her husband who was staring at the dragon Queen with a look of confusion. "Your wife once told me when I was a weak girl struggling to keep my head held high that the North was a force to be reckoned with. You are an honourable man who knew cause, she told me about her father who had told her of Eddard Stark and of how he was a strong man, a man who deserved the best." Robb's chest ached at the mention of his late father. He still missed him, even after so many years.

Daenerys looked over to Andrea, a smile gracing her pink lips; "I need the northerners on my side because you are what you are, you are strong. So King Robb, please consider."

And with that Daenerys left the chambers. Andrea turned to Robb who stood by the blazing hearth, his hand braced against the stone wall; "She has eight thousand trained unsullied, three dragons and Dorne has rallied to join the fight," he sighed, "she says the northerners fight for a cause, but what is ours in this war? What are we fighting for?" he asked Andrea, his eyes never once leaving the blazing fire.

Andrea sighed running her palm over her slightly rounded stomach. "Fight because you know deep down that Daenerys would make a better Queen than Margery. She would love her subjects unlike Margery who does not care what happens to the people who reside in her court, she only cares about the power that comes with being queen. She sits on the throne, playing queen when she cannot even rule appropriately. Fight because Margery will eventually want the North to bend the knee, she will want the Seven Kingdoms as they once were. Please Robb, just please… just think about it."

…

Andrea knocked three times before the door opened to show a weary old man with grey hair, he wore a leather jerkin with classic westerosi chain mail over it. "My lady?"

"I am here to see your Queen," Andrea told him and he opened the door wide enough for her to enter the chambers. As she entered, Dany standing was by the fire much like Robb had been doing earlier. She turned towards Andrea, a smile gracing her lips, and walked quickly towards Andrea with her arms open. When she reached her old friend, she wrapped her arms around Andreas's waist; "I have missed you dearly, Andrea," she confessed.

"And I, you."

...

"They have grown," Andrea acknowledged, looking at the three dragons lying in the field closest to Winterfell. "That's what's expected," Dany laughed.

At the sound of Andreas's light voice Viserion's head snapped towards them, his black eyes landing on the northern queen before he raised his body quickly and pranced towards Andrea.

Voices started to yell as the hulking dragon came closer, his head looming. Andrea merely smiled. She threw her arms around the large beast's neck, the dragon raising its head and lifting her from the solid earth. Viserion squawked in happiness; "I've missed you too."

###

Fear bubbled in Robb's stomach as the dragon barrelled towards his wife – he yelled to her, trying to get her to move away from the beast but she only beams at the thing as it approached her. When the dragon got closer to his wife launched herself at the beast, her arms wrapping around its neck, her mouth moving as she says something, but he was too far away to hear.

Robb watched along with the rest of the people standing around him as all the dragons looked to be greeting his wife. The white dragon stayed close to Andrea as if protecting her from his brothers.

Robb pushed through the people before coming to stand next to Queen Daenerys; "They always used to have such a close bond, her and my dragons," she said, "she always said she would ride into battle on the back of Viseiron," she smiled as Andrea was nudged around by the white dragon. "When I was travelling the red waste she stood behind me, protecting me. She was my first queensguard; when travelling the vast wasteland she told me it would be a dream for her to be a dragon rider," the Queen smiled, "so when my dragons became larger I named her my first dragon rider," she told Robb, both of them surveying the dragons and Andrea. A small smile came to his lips as the image of Andrea riding the white dragon flashed through Robb's mind.

"The dragon rider Queen," Daenerys asserted.