Jon Targaryen

Riverrun was certainly much warmer than Winterfell that much Jon knew. In some respects he was grateful for the warmer climate; it certainly made it easier for him to think and for him and his men to survive for now. Victory at the Red Fork had come at a cost though, Ser Garth Greenfield one of Lord Martyn Lannister's bannermen had turned traitor and had gone raiding around the Riverlands, Lord Edmure had decided to take the challenge himself and had led a score of men out to deal with Ser Greenfield, Edmure was now a prisoner in Harrenhal, and Jon felt continued anger everytime that fact was brought up by one the man's bannermen. Jon had argued that he would go and deal with Ser Greenfield; let them see how confident the man felt when he was faced with a dragon, but alas all of them had argued against him going out to the front, saying it was too dangerous.

Even Arya, his little spitfire of a cousin who against his orders had come south, sneaking in with the baggage train had argued against him going out to face Ser Garth. Jon knew her reasons though, she had only just recovered from being a faceless man and though he was angry with her for leaving the safety of Winterfell, in some regards he could understand why she had done it. The need to gain revenge over those who had wronged their family greater than the desire for her own safety. That did not mean that Jon approved though, and on more than one occasion he had been desperate to send her home. The only thing that had swayed him was that Arya had said she knew how to break in and free Edmure. "I served there for a time during the war of the kings Jon." Arya had said her tone pleading. "I know ways in and out of the castle that Ser Garth will not. Ways of serving girls and boys, whom no one looks at."

Jon had looked at her then and had simply said. "Go but in disguise, kill Ser Garth and the guards who guard Edmure's cell no more than that. They are not our enemy Arya." She had nodded and then donned a face, the face of a serving girl, and Jon had been left stunned by the transformation though he knew that she was still Arya, he had made a mental note to speak with her once this was all done, and ask her what exactly had happened to her since King's Landing all those years ago, though now was not the time. She disappeared and seemingly proved her worth, for soon enough Lord Edmure was riding through the gates of Riverrun and back into the castle, reporting Ser Garth dead as well as some of the garrison there. Jon had not seen Arya and had begun to panic, it was only then that amongst Edmure's escort he had seen a begging girl with dark grey eyes and he had known whom she was. "I told you not to kill anyone but Ser Garth and Edmure's guards little wolf." Jon had chastised her then.

She had grimaced at the nickname he had given her and said. "It was not me who did it. It was Nymeria." Jon had looked at her then. "She's been with me since I arrived in the Riverlands Jon. She found me and I found her, and now we're working together again." She had sounded as if she might cry then, Jon had forgotten that Arya had been separated from her wolf all those years ago because the king was too much of a coward to stand up to the Lannisters.

"Bring her in then Arya. She won't leave your side again." Jon had said then. And the two of them had walked into the castle, though Jon was still slightly uncomfortable with how unremorseful his cousin seemed with the deaths she had dealt, he had to admit she was very clever when it came to tactics. She gave them what she could remember of Daenaerys' troops and allies, the Unsullied would be her greatest weapon and would be used sparingly, those soldiers who did not feel as men felt, could withstand almost anything thrown at them. The Vale Lords did not like Daenaerys, viewed her as mad as her father, but would fight for her, for the safety of their boy lord Robert Arryn. And lastly Daenaerys husband was as strong a warrior as any Arya told them, though not very smart, he would stay with Daenaerys through thick and thin.

It was in Riverrun that they learnt of the troops under Nestor Royce leaving White Harbour, and soon enough they learnt why. The Battle of King's Landing, where Jon's brother Aegon had died, had been a bloody battle, Arya and Sansa's great uncle Ser Brynden Tully of the Kingsguard had been slain as had many thousands of soldiers. But with Aegon's death, Jon had become king. Suddenly all their plans changed, more importance was placed on making sure that he was protected when they rode for battle, Jon argued against wasting resources stating. "I will be on dragonback my lords; I need no more protection than that. Daenaerys will not want anyone else to engage in combat with me."

"But that is what she will be counting on Your Grace." Lord Rickard Karstark had argued. Oh how Jon hated the title though. "She will be counting on your noble intentions and she will use them against you. Already we know she has sent men off to deal with Lords Connington, Lannister and Martell. It will not be long before she marches from the capital and when she does, she will bring her Unsullied and her two dragons with her."

"And what would you suggest I do Lord Karstark? Hide behind my men like a little child? No I will go out and fight Daenaerys and her two dragons, and I will keep fighting till one of us is dead." Jon had said heatedly.

"What of Alys and Sansa and your children Your Grace? What of them? You are no good to them dead." Arya had said softly.

Jon looked at her then and said. "What would you have me do Arya?"

His cousin had looked at him then and in a cold voice she had said. "You know what I can do Jon, why not use that power for once? I can infiltrate enemy lines and remove those commanders who would pose a threat to you and make it easier for you and our troops to win."

Jon had hesitated then not sure whether to accept or not. Lord Umber had said. "It makes sense Your Grace. Send Lady Arya out to kill Lords Royce, Greyjoy and Harlaw and we have as good as won the battle. They won't even suspect a thing, at least not the mad Queen."

Jon had wavered and Lord Rickard had spoken then. "It would lessen the blood on your hands Your Grace."

Finally Jon had sighed and said. "Very well but only Lord Greyjoy and Corbray are to be killed. The Royces can and will be brought round to our cause." And so later that night he had sent Arya off dressed as a serving girl to where the enemy host was being camped near Harrenhal, but before she had left he had given her strict instructions. "No revenge killings Arya. Just Lord Greyjoy and Corbray and then wait for us."

"Of course stupid. I'm not stupid." Arya had said before she had hugged him tightly and then disappeared into the night.

They spent the next two weeks planning for the battle to come, and Jon often found himself gazing off during the council meetings, there was so much to do, to plan, even if they lost and his body was left to rot in the Trident there would be much for his men to do. One such issue, the most important issue as far as Jon was concerned was the safety of his wives and children. The night before they were due to march for the Trident he summoned Lord Karstark and Ser Arthur to his room and said to them. "If I should die during the battle, I want you both to lead the men to a retreat, get to Moat Cailin and seal it off. Howland Reed will assist you. Protect Alys, Sansa and the children with your lives my lords. There are enough supplies for the north to hold out until Spring comes. When it does, call a meeting of the bannermen, the north shall be independent should I die on the Trident. The Mad Queen will never have the north. Make sure my sons grow up to be wise and honourable men. Do this for me, and I shall forever be in you gratitude."

"We will Your Grace." Both men said in unison. Though Ser Arthur said. "You will not die Your Grace. You are much like your father, but this time the cause is just and true."

Jon merely nodded at the man whom he had grown up thinking of as his uncle and dismissed them, leaving himself to his thoughts. Then the morning had come, and now he was mounted on Rhaegal getting ready to jet off for the final battle of this war. He was dressed in dark blue armour, Winter's Fury strapped to his back, and he had one last message to give his troops before he marched off for the trident. "We have fought in many battles you and I. We have fought against Wildlings and traitors, and we have looked death in the eye and we have fought it and won. Today we fight, not for survival, but to make sure that the madness that has so often cost Westeros and her people does not return to haunt us. Today we fight to liberate ourselves from the darkness that a mad Queen and her mockingbird of a councillor would put upon us. Today we fight for the chance, to look our wives and children, our mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters in the eye and tell them, we may not be the greatest of men to have ever walked this earth, we may be flawed and we may be damned. But we fight for our freedom, and Daenaerys Targaryen will never, never, be able to take that away from us!" With that he raised his sword into the air and roared as one with Rhaegal, his men cheered and roared and beat their drums, and soon enough they were on the march.

The battle itself was chaotic. 15,000 men fought for Jon, 30,000 fought for Daenaerys Targaryen by rights Jon's men should have been slaughtered, but as he flew high in the air looking for either Daenaerys and her dragon or the wild untamed dragon she had named for her mad brother, Jon noted that his men seemed to be fighting harder and winning more often than not. It seemed Daenaerys Targaryen did not inspire confidence in her men. He heard a roar from somewhere in the distance and soon enough saw a black ball hurtling toward him, bracing himself and Rhaegal for the impact he drew Winter's Fury.

Drogon, the black dragon his aunt rode, crashed straight into Rhaegal and soon enough the two dragons bronze and black were fighting tooth and claw. Scratches and screeching at each other, tooth and claw, they fought, breaking up only to smash back into one another once more. The fighting went on and on, for so long that Jon felt the blood begin to flood to his face, still they fought and at one point Rhaegal seemed to have the upper hand, the she dragon managed to rip off some of Drogon's scales, causing the black dragon to roar in fury. Rhaegal flew away from Drogon then leading him on a goose chase. Jon kept an eye for Viserion trying to make sure the white dragon was not lurking somewhere.

The dragons smashed into one another once again, tooth and claw, fire and flame being unleashed. All the while Jon strained in his saddle to get closer to his aunt, to end this fight once and for all and yet Rhaegal continued to move away from Drogon leading to Jon often times having to hold on for dear life. Rhaegal then dived under Drogon, the she dragon breathing flame on her brother's belly, causing Drogon to bellow in anger. A bellow that was answered by a screech that came not from Rhaegal but from a white dragon, a sound that cause Jon's heart to begin to plummet. And yet Viserion did not come hurtling toward Rhaegal instead, from the heat Jon felt, it seemed as if Viserion was breathing flames onto Drogon and Daenaerys.

Drogon roared then and swatted Viserion away with his tail before moving away from where Rhaegal had continued to breathe flames upon him. Jon drew his sword then as Drogon's tail came above him, and leaning upward slashed his sword upward managing to cut it a bit, drawing a furious roar from Drogon, and causing the massive black dragon to turn around and come hurtling toward Rhaegal once more. This time though when Drogon smashed into Rhaegal, Viserion attacked Drogon from the top, and the three dragons continued to fight tooth and claw hurtling towards the banks of the Trident at an alarming speed. So much so that when the actual water became more visible, Jon became more and more worried that he was going to be crushed by the weight of his dragon, and so hurriedly undid his stirrups, no mean feat at the speed the dragons were going, and throwing Winter's Fury toward Drogon, he shook his legs free and jumped down toward the ground, rolling up in a ball to lessen the painful impact of landing, just short of the water. A few seconds later there was a large splash and a terrifying roar as the dragons crashed into the water. Later Jon will learn that Rhaegal and Viserion managed to avoid crashing into the water, rearing up at the last possible moment, whilst Drogon due to his greater size and bulk crashed straight in and drowned due to the momentum he had picked up.

Jon stayed in his ball for a moment more, waiting for some enemy to come up and capture him, when none did; he unrolled and felt the pain and sting of the impact and the battle. He briefly looked at the burns and wounds on his armour before he passed out from exhaustion. When he came to, he was in a dark tent, his tent the realisation slowly came to him, and there were four men looking at him, one he recognised as his goodfather by his long beard, the others were harder to recognise in the darkness. "W-what happened?" he stammered.

All four men made their way to stand around the bed. Lord Rickard spoke then, his voice gruff. "We won Your Grace. The rebels lost heart when they saw the dragons crash into the water."

"Daenaerys..." he manages to mumble weakly.

"Dead Your Grace. She was not quick enough to remove herself from her black monstrosity. She was sunk by the weight of the dragon when he crashed into the water and began to sink." Lord Rickard went on.

Jon managed to nod slightly. Before he asked one last important question. "What happened at Tumbleton?"

It was Ser Arthur who spoke then. " A victory Your Grace. Lord Nestor was slain, as was Lord Greyjoy. Lord Connington and Lannister have marched on King's Landing to secure it for you."

Jon nods and then weakly says. "Go my lords, go to King's Landing and make sure nothing l-l-l-like the sack happens."

The lords nod in the affirmative and leave the tent. Jon is left alone in his tent then, to sleep and dream of Alys and Sansa and their children, a peaceful dream for now. It is only when he arrives in King's Landing riding on the back of Rhaegal who managed to survive the Trident if only, her brother Viserion left in camp on the Trident some six weeks after the battle and finds the city cheering him as he enters, that he feels the true weight of grieve hitting him. The loss of a brother he barely knew as well as the aunt that he killed, hit him hard, and though he hardly knew them, it still stings to know that he has lost so much family once again because of war.

He is greeted by Lord Karstark, Ser Arthur and Lord Connington, on the steps of the Red Keep. Lord Lannister having been injured during the taking of the city. He greets them all and thanks them for their efforts in "Seeing the rightful King restored to power." And looks at the Red Keep, the place that will become his home for the next however many years the gods see fit to give him. It is only after a feast has been held, or three during the first week he is here that he begins to ask questions of how the city was taken. It is Lord Martyn Lannister now fully recovered from his injury who tells him. "They fought hard those unsullied did. They gave us not a quarter even though they knew Daenaerys was dead, it seems their commander wished to install Vickon Greyjoy as king. We managed to defeat them though, and we have hold of the Greyjoy boy."

Jon nodded, wincing slightly at the pain in his neck at the gesture. "Vickon Greyjoy is the rightful Lord of the Iron Islands, in time he will have that title, but for now he shall remain as a ward to make sure none think to rebel in his name."

Lord Varys speaks then. "That is good Your Grace, but whom will you name to your small council?"

Jon looks around the table, at the lords who have gathered in what is the small council chamber, and thinks for a long moment. He looks at Jon Connington who was his brother's hand of the king, but did not wish for him to be named heir. "I will name Lord Rickard Karstark as hand of the king." A good man, and someone who would make a good hand Jon thinks, he sees Ser Arthur nod in approval as well as Lords Umber, Ryswell and Lord Edmure. "Lord Connington has fought honourably and bravely for our cause. I would have him named as master of laws for this service. Lord Martyn Lannister I would see named as Master of Coin." The man's cousin Daven died during the battle for King's Landing, killed by dragon fire. "I would name Ser Arthur Dayne the Lord Commander of my Kingsguard." An obvious choice and one that he feels dignified in making. "As Master of ships I would name Lord Redwyne." Though the man is somewhere dealing with the burning of the Iron Fleet right now, he will make a good master of ships. "Master of Whispers, of course Lord Varys you shall retain that position, and Maester Gormon shall remain as Grand Maester."

Those appointments are confirmed and then three moons later once the dust has settled and Jon has had a chance to meet all the various Lord Paramounts apart from Lord Robert Arryn who resides in the Gates of the Moon dying according to Lord Varys, Jon is coronated as King Jon Targaryen, the first of his name King of Westeros. When the council brought up perhaps naming himself after a Targaryen Jon looked at them all and said. "I was named for a man who valued honour as highly as duty and family. I was named by Lord Eddard Stark, and this is the only name I have or will ever have." That silenced the council and it seems that the High Septon had no problems with this, when he placed a newly formed crown which contained the seven blades of the seven kingdoms done in a bronze crown with the bronze dragon figure head on the top upon his head, and the crowd cheered and Rhaegal roared. It is then that Jon begins to think of rebuilding the Dragonpit in King's Landing and as such he summons the small council to discuss the merits of such a thing.

"It would be costly Your Grace," Lord Martyn said. "The Dragonpit has not been used for over 150 years now, and has fallen into a state of disrepair."

"Aye, but where else will his grace house those dragons of his." Lord Karstark as good a hand as any man could ask for.

"Perhaps on Dragonstone. In the days of old, the Targaryen dragons would reside on the Dragonmont and make their lair there. It would certainly be a much more friendly place for them to live and it would lessen the chance of another even such as the Storming of the Dragonpit from happening." Lord Varys says.

Jon nods at that and says. "Lord Martyn I want enough coin set aside for a building of a structure on the Dragonmont that can house the dragons and make them comfortable but not a hindrance or a threat to the people of the island. I also want the Dragonpit restored to a state that it can be habitable for Rhaegal and Viserion whilst they wait for Dragonstone to be restored."

Lord Martyn nodded and then Lord Rickard brought up the other pressing issue. "What should be done of Lord Baelish Your Grace?" Lord Petyr Baelish, the reason the war between the Starks and Lannisters had started, the reason why the Vale had fought and died for Daenaerys Targaryen, the reason little Robert Arryn was dying, the man had been caught trying to flee King's Landing a few days after the city had been taken, he had been rotting in a black cell ever since.

Jon sighed. "We have gotten all the information we are likely to get from him. He has confessed to every single crime laid at his feet with a non biased witness there to hear the confession. We do not need his head profaning the spikes of Traitors Walk, he shall be fed to Rhaegal."

The deed is done the next morn, Rhaegal and Viserion reside now in the Kingswood, and they fight over Littlefinger's body, tearing it apart as the man dies screaming for mercy, for Cat. Jon rides away as he listens to the sounds of the two dragons feasting. Rhaegal and Viserion were severly injured during the battle of the Trident, though they survived due to being smaller than Drogon and therefore less likely to sink, plus it seems as if their will to survive was greater. Regardless it took them a good three moons to fully recover, three moons.

As Jon enters the Red Keep he summons Maester Gormon and tells him. "Write to Winterfell tell my wives and mother that I wish for them to come to the capital. The time is right, Spring is on the horizon." Maester Gormon nods and the raven is sent that night, a moon later Alys, Sansa, Jon's mother, and the children, Rickard, Torrhen and Aemon arrive along with Ghost, and Jon smiles and embraces them all kissing both Alys and Sansa square on the lips. That night once the children have been put to sleep and the three of them are sitting in Jon's room, his wives on his laps, Jon whispers into their hair. "We shall bring peace to Westeros, I know we can. We no longer need to dream for spring, for it is here. Now that you are here with me." He truly believes that, he needs to believe that otherwise the grief and guilt will want him to the end of his days.