Chapter Text
In the Smaller Dining Hall of the Red Keep
“I hope the Pigeon Pie is to your liking Prince Snow” Daenerys said before putting a fork with said Pigeon Pie in her mouth
“It is. Back home we normally have Meat Stew. This is a nice change, Your Grace thank you.”
Before anymore chit-chat could occur Tyrion intervened and said:
“Well, it is nice to know that the dinner is enjoyable, but why don’t we skip the chit-chat and the awkward silence and get down to the real reason we are all here. I think it best to first address the largest elephant in the room. First however, would the guards mind escorting everyone except for the Queen, myself, Jon Snow, and his advisor out for the evening. Please and thank you.”
“Missandei stays” Daenerys said with a daring look in her eyes as if challenging Tyrion to not obey.
With a tip of his head towards his Queen, “Missandei stays”
After all non-essential personnel had been escorted out of the Dining Hall, Tyrion decides to get down the business.
“Prince Snow, or is it Prince Targaryen?” Tyrion said with questioning laced in his tone.
“I see what you did there, and its Snow. Snow is the name I have always had, it is the name I have endured my entire existence on this Earth. The only potential name change I would consider is taking the Stark name, if not to thank the man who saved my life then, to honor my mother who with her dying breath begged my uncle to protect me from his best friend. So in short to answer you question Tyrion, your real question I will not try to usurp your Queen. Let me make it even simpler than that, I do not want to be King. What I want is to fulfill my end of this arrangement, which we have yet to apply any set of rules for, peacefully. I understand that an heir is required-” Jon was going to continue on his rant until Tyrion interrupted him
“That’s just the thing Jon, we want you to be the Queen’s heir.” Tyrion said just before Daenerys spoke
“I can not bear children. Based on the look on your face that was going to be your question. Why you are to be my heir and not my child. A child of ours .” Daenerys said looking off into the distance not seeing the look of sadness in her nephew’s eyes.
“Announcing me as your Heir, would mean telling people the truth about my parentage. Some might try to say that it should be the other way around because of who my father is. Your older brother. You don’t think that-”
“It won’t matter because we will marry and hold equal power. There will be no consort, or second-in-command, there will only be you and me serving the public as equals. This now seems like a good segway into the terms of that aforementioned agreement.” Daenerys spoke truthfully and plainly
“Why don’t we move this into the Queen’s sitting room so the staff can clean up in here. If we let this food sit out any longer we’ll attract gnats. Why don’t we also take a ten minute break before going to the Queen’s sitting room.” Tyrion said and not a minute later everyone was up and out of the spacious dining room.
Queen Daenerys’ Sitting Room
Daenerys, Jon, Tyrion, Missandei, and a few Unsullied, to protect their Queen, along with Jon’s Northern representative all piled in Daenerys’ sitting room.
“No whores. I am immovable on that, I don’t feel like having to handle a scandal while ruling the Six Kingdoms.” said the Queen in all of the Queenliness
“I would never break a vow, certainly not a marriage vow. And before someone brings up my desertion of the Wall. Let me just explain that Jon Snow made a vow but it turns out that Jon Snow didn’t exist. That is the only reason I left, and I would appreciate it if it wasn’t brought up again.” Jon said with the full force of his inner aristocrat, because everyone has one.
“Ok, no whores and no mention of the Wall. The King would like me to add something in, if it pleases her Grace.” Jon’s tentative Northern representative spoke finally
“Of course..” Daenerys said waiting for a response
“Aden Forrester, Your Grace. The King requests that due to Jon’s upbringing and the fact that he was raised in Winterfell, the King would request that Jon be allowed to go home in the event of…” Forrester drawled off while looking for a paper his King had given him
“Ah! Here it is, the King requests that Jon be allowed home in the event of any relevant family: births, deaths, weddings-”
“Do you think me so cruel that I would prevent you from seeing your family? Growing up with just my brother made me yearn for the love of a family, I would never ever deny you yours. I swear it on my life. I will even allow your family to come here if they so wish.”
Jon was overcome with surprise at how kind the Queen was proving to be given the situation. She held all of the power, she could forbid him from every seeing his family ever again or prevent him from ever leaving King’s Landing. Yet, here she was telling him that he could, and even going so far as to extend an invitation to his family. Jon had expected someone cold and ruthless and yet the woman sat before was none of those things. As he looked into her eyes, all he saw was what he saw in the mirror when he looked into his own eyes: sadness, and a yearning to be understood and loved.
Smirking at the sight of Daenerys holding Jon’s gaze Tyrion got back to business, “Since that is out of the way, why don’t we get back to the main issue at hand: Jon’s heritage. The plan is to have you marry Daenerys and make sure the public as well as the Lords and Ladies of Westeros know that there is no superior power, that you are equals, period. To avoid any other frustrations with the Lords and Ladies about Westerosi rulership there will be an attempt to make an heir the right way. If a year goes by then and only then will Jon be named as the Queen’s heir”
“I can agree to that, if it is alright with the Queen” Jon said timidly
“No whores, frequent visits to the North-” Daenerys stopped abruptly at the sound off scratching in the corner. She sighed with annoyance at seeing were the noise
Feeling eyes on him, Lord Forrester looked up from his notes he stuttered: “The King is going to want a list of all of the things agreed upon today.”
After sighing with annoyance Daenerys continued: “And a pointless year of trying Jon will be named my heir. Is that correct?”
“Exactly right, my Queen. Now I am sure that everyone is tired and that Lord Forrester has a raven to send North. Come, I will escort you to our Maester so he can help you send that list off to the King in the North.” Tyrion said to the Northern Lord
“Oh, why thank you my Lord” Forrester said before gathering up his belongings, writing utensils and the letter to his King, to leave.
Just as he was about to walk out of the door Tyrion said to Jon and his Queen, the only people left in the room, “I will draft a public announcement to alert the Six Kingdoms and the North to a fast approaching royal wedding” and with that he was off
Before Jon got up to retire to his room he spoke to the Dragon Queen: “I wanted to thank you for being so kind to me thus far. I came here thinking I would never see my family ever again, save for my little sister whose training to be a sworn sword but you already know that-”
Stopping Jon before he could continue his adorable rant Daenerys spoke with a soft smile on her lips. “It’s okay. One doesn’t take back Six Kingdoms after their family being overthrown without developing a reputation. I meant what I said Jon you will be able to see your family, no one would ever stop you. I would never stop you.”
“If you don’t mind me asking, what makes you think you’re barren, that it would be impossible to have a natural born heir?”
“A witch cursed me, she said I would have a child again when the sun rises in the west and sets in the east. When the seas go dry and mountains blow in the wind like leaves, then and only then will I conceive ever again.”
“Again?”
“The brother I mentioned before, sold me to a Dothraki Khal. I was pregnant with his child when he became ill. The witch who cursed me, told me to save would require a sacrifice. If only I’d known that the sacrifice would be my son.”
Not wanting Jon to see the tears in her eyes, Daenerys got up to get a goblet of wine to wash away her sorrows.
Sensing that the Queen was done sharing and wanted to be alone Jon got up from the table to leave and with his hand on the doorknob he uttered his final words to Daenerys for the night
“I think she was lying, the witch who cursed you. I think she just said it to hurt you”
Jon waited a few moments and after not getting a response from her, he thought a joke might leave things on a lighter note
“Well, we have a year after our marriage to prove her wrong”
Jon left the Queen to her own thoughts after that not hearing the slight chuckle from the Queen and his future wife before he left