Chapter 20

Dany found herself more heated than ever after supper, as she felt her husband’s cock inside her luscious pussy, knowing that this appendage belonged to her nephew as well. There was simply something quite natural and comforting to her in this knowledge that, as a Targaryen, she came home to the old ways and traditions of her family, even without being aware prior to the marriage. It was little wonder, she thought, that she was in fact drawn to Jon Snow from the moment that he arrived, even as he defied her and she found herself naturally eager to convince him in ways that did not involve fear and coercion. Something about Jon Snow had made her reject that approach from the outset and not attempt to jail him. Even in her annoyance and irritation, what had hurt and bothered her most was that she cared what he thought of her and he didn’t seem to approve of her yet.

The truth was that, from the moment that Daenerys Targaryen laid eyes on Jon Snow, then King in the North, she had been not merely attracted to the man, but fascinated with him and hungry for his acceptance. This had been an uncharacteristically reversed position, given her apparent leverage at the moment, one that her faction had no doubt found bewildering, particularly Grey Worm and Missandei, yet she had never bothered to even put the man under house arrest. She was loathe to threaten him with death by fire, as she did with Lord Randyll Tarly and his son Dickon, as did she with Lord Varys, and so many others. It had just not been in her to do such a thing to Jon Snow. Now, of course, she knew why she treated him so differently, marrying instead of burning him, the King in the North: he was kith and kin, of the blood of Old Valyria, a fellow Targaryen, the son of her eldest brother, Rhaegar Targaryen.

Now, feeling Jon Snow on top of her and inside her body felt as if the world wrapped its bosom around her and cradled her close, soothing and healing her at last with its warmth. As Jon took her repeatedly from behind, she felt truly commanded in a way that made her feel safe, not vulnerable and weak. It was the perfect feeling and sensation that she was treasured, loved, desired, and caressed by this man, this hero, this king ... Her King! The fact that he was her nephew and she his aunt made all of the sense in the world to her Targaryen mind. Together, they were the last of their house, the only future that Aegon the Conqueror’s descendants had left now. For Dany, incest wasn’t some perversion or abomination. It was a comfort of knowing that she could trust this man, even if past Targaryens slaughtered each other. It didn’t hurt that Jon’s other ancestry was of House Stark, a family known for its brutal candor, keen sense of honor, and true courage.

This also meant that Jon and she forgave each other their past offenses against each other, nobly intended as they were, such as Jon screwing Bernadette and Dany making love to Missandei. This reminded her, also, of Jon’s assent to her plan to have him breed the interpreter from the Isle of Naath, as well as the fact that she had not yet been rewarded for her services. Well, the chief reward would be a child, courtesy of Jon’s seed, but she deserved something beyond that, something tangible and material, as well as proof of her high rank. Yet what would that reward be, and in what way could it serve the realm? Yes, Dany realized as she thought closely, I’m listening to Varys and Tyrion a lot more than I thought, thinking of the realm first at last, rather than simply myself or my dreams.

Dany felt the heat in her body increase, as she rose and pushed Jon onto his back for a moment. Then she mounted him, only this time easing her bottom onto his cock instead of her twat. He was surprised at first at the switch, as he realized which hole he entered on this occasion. He was inside her arse and he felt the most intense pleasure of his life. It felt as if the warmest hands in the world caressed and stroked his dick, rubbing and massaging it with their velvety touch. There was a deliciously sensual contact between the two now, as Dany rode Jon and he could see her breasts bounce from her torso, their firmness and softness his to handle as he pleased.

Jon reached for Dany’s tits, fondling them in ways that left no question of his lust and passion for her. He didn’t merely love her or care for her. He desired her, truly craved her, and she could sense it now. There was a force of nature at work here now, their two bodies seamlessly moving as one, connected by more than flesh. She continued riding her husband, moaning as he groaned, enjoying the mixture of pleasure and pain that came from having her nephew’s prick lodged now inside her bum. She had never felt so intimate with a man before, not even Khal Drogo. She truly was a part of Jon now and he a part of her, as he was deep inside her body and she could feel every throbbing second of his ecstasy as well as her own.

Somehow, thinking of how much she desired more of this caused Dany to think of Missandei and how much Jon could bring her interpreter pleasure as well as a child. Yes, if Dany had her way, as she hoped, Jon and Missandei would become one together as well. Nor would Greyworm be discarded or left out of the delights of their sharing. Dany would see to that, for both his pride and his cravings had to be sated as well. If the Unsullied enjoyed the taste of Missandei, he would also have the chance to sample his Queen, Daenerys Stormborn, the woman who set him free. If Dany could arrange it, Grey Worm would also experience Jon’s cock inside his arse, bringing him the delights that only men could give men at all.

It was only right and fair, wasn’t it, to include Grey Worm in the activity, to seduce him into the arms of not only his lady, Missandei, but his own King and Queen? Grey Worm would be a part of the conception, a real, physical partner in the act of mating between his lover, the man breeding her, and the woman who lent her husband to this sexual congress. He would receive the benefits of aiding his woman in her impregnation, and so he would be a father in a corporeal as well as a spiritual sense of said word. Grey Worm had to be intimately involved from the outset, and he would be, entirely so. The four of them, Dany, Jon, Grey Worm, and Missandei, would be a family and friends as well as lovers for the rest of their days.

Such were Dany’s thoughts as she felt the pulsations of both her heart and his, of the throbbing, aching cock taking her bottom from below. She was impaled, but in such a glorious, wonderful way, her body swallowing his prick with the silky caress of her arse. As Jon couldn’t withstand the intensity of the pleasure any longer and spurted continuous ropes of his cum inside her bum, Dany was so exhilarated that the climax which followed reached fever pitch in both noise and force, rocking both of them even as it awoke half of the Red Keep. Dany limped off Jon’s dick and gave it a very soft, gentle, loving kiss, as she recalled with pride that she had made a point of cleansing her bowels ahead of the act. It was no impulse, but a carefully planned ambush. No part of her was virginal anymore and she reveled in that fact.

“That was my last maidenhood, my King. I have given you all of my body at last. Khal Drogo died, sadly, before he could experience my bottom that way, so I have taken that loss and turned into a boon for you, my lord husband, my nephew. After all, I cannot bear you a child, so there is no seed wasted with this act that would not be wasted with any others. I wish that I could carry your spawn in my belly, but since I cannot, I will make good use of that fact. Even my arse is yours now, Jon. Oh, please do call me ‘Dany,’ as you are my flesh and blood, just as my brother Viserys was,” Dany told Jon as she leaned over him now to press her breasts onto his bell and kiss his left arm.

“It really doesn’t trouble you, does it, Dany? That you’re my aunt and I’m your nephew. This is a normal practice for you,” Jon recalled for yet the thousandth time.

“Well, if I hadn’t been given to Khal Drogo, I would have married my brother, Viserys. That was his intention until he realized that he would need the Dothraki to reclaim the Seven Kingdoms. I am a Targaryen, as are you, though, of course, you’re also a Stark by blood. For you, there might be guilt or shame or doubt or something like that, as well as rather obvious enjoyment, but for me, no, there is no disgrace at all. It doesn’t trouble me in the least to bed and wed my wonderful, brave, strong nephew and make him mine as I am his. And I am yours, Jon. No matter who else might grace our marriage bed, I am your wife now. I belong to you, as you belong to me, as my husband. Missandei will never get in the way of that. She will only enhance it, as will Grey Worm,” Dany assured him.

“Grey Worm?” Jon asked with surprise.

“Just trust me. Remember, my love, that he is a soldier who should be honored and treasured, and I believe that not only should we take his woman to bed, but we should take him as well. He has been denied too much pleasure, as have you, but the women in your lives shall deliver it to you ... both of you. Imagine how intimate the four of us can be, and trust me, when he understands the benefits of the act, he will come to welcome it. Just remember that I am always yours, first of all, and you are mine, my King.

“Have faith in me. I belong that we deserve as much happiness in our lives as we can, especially in the face of the Dead that imperil us all. Should we not prevail over the Night King, at least we will enjoy our last days, and if we should prevail, we can usher in a new dawn, one that will cast the silly scruples of such things aside like so much refuse,” Dany told Jon with soft, wet kisses that mingled with her soft breasts and soft hands to comfort and soothe him.

“You want me to bugger Grey Worm, and you think that he will enjoy it?” Jon asked curiously.

“Yes, because there is a part of a man which is easily aroused and it is within his body, inside of his arse. When he feels you tickle that, as long as you are gentle at first and don’t hurt him too much, he’ll treasure the only real way that he can have full masculine bliss, by taking a prick inside his bum. Grey Worm will come to appreciate it, with my aid and Missandei’s as well, as will you. Claiming another man’s bottom, isn’t this another way to assert your lordly rights as King? Simply trust me on this much, please,” Dany encouraged Jon to accept her proposal that they take Missandei and Grey Worm as lovers for the rest of their lives.

“This reminds me ... Yara Greyjoy, she ... indicated that she would enjoy bedding me. Would you counsel that, too, my wife, my aunt, my Queen?” Jon asked Dany, who simply smiled.

“I think that, my lord, you should stop denying your body what it desires, what it craves. You might be a Stark by blood, but you are also a Targaryen. It’s time to act like one, at least in this matter. If our vassal wishes to share her body with her lord and lady, what else is that but a tangible, physical proof of her true fealty and fidelity to us? It is an act of good faith, my King. You should put a child in her belly and let her proudly proclaim it your daughter or son. I imagine that she is quite delicious, too, this Yara the Bottomless as she wishes to be known. I certainly wouldn’t object to a sample of her flavors myself. Now, if you don’t mind, my lord, I wish to let you taste my arse and see how sweet and salty it is with your cum inside it,” Dany urged Jon as she planted her bum on his face.

Far from being finished with her husband and lover, Dany wished for another round of delights, as she proved by leaning over while he rimmed her and putting his cock inside her mouth. This sensation caused Jon to stiffen a bit more, as he felt such intense, exquisite pleasure from his wife’s lips and tongue lathering his prick with her spit. She knew that some of this was older, some of it newer to her nephew, but she wanted him to relax completely and surrender his foolish taboos entirely to the new way of life she hoped to make theirs as well. She had yielded the preeminence and seniority of their mutual sovereignty to her lover, but she wanted him in turn to renounce any inhibitions which might hurt their cause and weaken their marriage.

Jon gasped as he felt every last lick of Dany’s tongue across the head and base of his dick, even as he tasted her bottom and realized how delicious her flesh really was. Even his own cum merely added a saltiness to an otherwise sweet arse. He grabbed her buttocks and fondled them repeatedly, adding to his aunt’s arousal as she felt his tongue slide across her crack. This was the woman that he had married out of duty, but also out of love. For once, love and duty came together for a better purpose after all. Now, Jon could add pleasure to this list, as he found that his old moral code had deprived him of what were truly wonderful new experiences after all.

“Your bum ... it is quite sweet, you know, just as you said. Missandei ... is hers this tasty?” Jon inquired, even as Dany brought him fully back to hardness.

“Every bit, my lord. Every bit. And her sweetness can be yours to taste, just as it is Grey Worm’s. Mine can be his, just as it is yours. And if you like fucking my arse, I believe that you will enjoy buggering them equally as much. You should take Yara’s bottom, too. Make her live up to her name in that sense as well. Yara the Bottomless. Has a nice ring to it. I bet that her flesh tastes of sea salt and rain. I would revel in the chance to devour her skin and kiss it with my lips and tongue,” Dany asserted.

“Some would say that you’re corrupting me with loose Targaryen morals. But, as you say, I am Targaryen as well as Stark. I have the blood of both inside, warring within me. And if this is corruption, I must say, it is a lot better than it’s cracked up to be,” Jon teased Dany as he licked her cheeks for a moment, and then returned to rimming her delectable bum.

Dany screamed a release that this time caused Ser Jorah to break into the bedchamber, and he wasn’t alone. Rendal and Raina accompanied him, in fact, being his regular bedfellows now. Both were half-naked, and Dany rose to greet them, even as Jon prepared to do. Instead, Dany rushed to push Jon back onto the bed and invite the couple to join him. Then she closed the distance to Ser Jorah, still naked, kissed his mouth, and pushed him onto the floor to his astonishment.

This was partly guided by the wine, a fine Dornish red that had poured down Dany’s mouth and Jon’s, among others. Even so, Dany was inspired to do what she once felt certain that she would never do. She climbed upon Ser Jorah, tore his nightshirt open, and mounted him to take his cock into her snatch. She listened with delight as the man and wife now took turns servicing and pleasuring Jon, even as she sampled her loyal Lord Commander at last. He could not believe it, not at first, not after so many years of painful and ardent longing for his Khaleesi, that she would take him as a lover at last. After she had banished him twice for betraying her, Jorah was now in the arms of the woman that he loved most of all.

“This changes nothing, Jorah. I am his Queen, your Queen. You must share me with our King. He is, after all, our King, not just mine, not simply yours, but ours. I am barren, in any case. I cannot be your wife or bear you a child, but I can spread my legs for you, just as I do for our King and your lovers are doing now for him. I had him inside my arse. Do you want to do that someday as well?” Dany coaxed Ser Jorah, making Mormont pant as well as gasp in pain from his wounds received at the White Sword Tower as she rode him aggressively.

As for Jon, he heard these loving words, directed at him as much as Ser Jorah, and while he felt some jealousy, he enjoyed the sight of Dany’s hips and buttocks from behind as his wife used the knight for her pleasure. He also delighted in the eager way that Rendal and Raina sucked his cock while he witnessed his wife’s adulterous tryst with Mormont. When Raina climbed on top of Jon, he turned her over onto her back so that he could continue watching Dany bounce repeatedly on Jorah’s prick while he himself fucked this lovely commoner and her husband sucked his balls.

When Jon was bored with that idea, he flipped Raina onto her belly and took her from behind, still watching Jorah and Dany couple together with fascination and awe. Rendal began rimming his wife as his King entered her repeatedly, the man not apparently upset in the least that his spouse was Jon’s lover any more than her similar role for Jorah. If this was the model for marriage that Dany proposed, while shocking to one raised up as a Stark, even of bastard stock, it was nonetheless rather charming in its own way. Instead of jealous rage, everyone drew pleasure and joy from that of others, much as empathy made one share the sorrows and pain of other folk.

It was nonetheless a great shock to Jon how much he enjoyed humping Raina so soon after coupling with his wife, who also happened to be his aunt. When he heard Rendal call her “cousin,” Jon realized that they were married kindred as well. The more that Jon thrust inside Raina, the more that Rendal licked her bottom, and the more that they watched Dany ride Jorah, the more that the King and she rocked their hips to push their private parts together. For Dany, it was that much more exhilarating to mate with her old champion and mentor, even as she heard her husband having his way with another man’s wife.

This was a sort of wild fantasy for Ser Jorah that truly made him think that he still dreamed of this, but it was quite real. His Khaleesi was still astride him, her succulent snatch engulfing his throbbing prick in its wet and juicy depths. She still kissed his face and his scars, still let her tears of joy and pain drop onto his flesh as she served him. She would always be his, even though she would ultimately be Jon’s. Mormont knew very well his place in this scheme of things, and it wasn’t as Dany’s equal. He was her counselor, her protector, a sort of uncle and second father to her, but Viserys had been that, too. Unlike her elder brother, though, Ser Jorah was a man of real substance and strength, in spite of his vices and flaws.

Jon, in any case, felt Raina tightening up on his cock as she felt shivers on her flesh, chills descending upon her spine, especially from the combination of dick and tongue on her most sensitive parts. She also reveled in the sight of her Queen riding her paramour, Ser Jorah, sensing how blissful that was for both of them at last. Jon certainly had the most difficult time not spending himself yet again, as he experienced the softness, wetness, and warmth of Raina’s cunt receive him continually. The sight of the man eating his own wife’s arse as well as the vision of Dany’s delectable bottom as she rode Ser Jorah intensified the encounter for Jon and threatened to make him cum too soon.

At the end, though, Jorah was too far gone and he spilled his seed inside Dany, making her laugh lovingly as she quivered and creamed herself at last. She collapsed on top of her new lover, who was so much older and less attractive than most men that she loved, other than Magister Illyrio and Ser Barristan Selmy, neither of which she could imagine seducing or being seduced by her. In a way, however, this was her atonement to all of them for whatever weaknesses and failures she had. It was best to admit that she was, at bottom, a woman, not a Goddess, with all that entailed. She had been wrong about her birthright all this time, after all.

“Khaleesi, I... , “ Ser Jorah tried to say, but Dany hushed him with a finger to his lips.

“I’m barren, Ser Jorah. I can get away with this sort of thing in ways that other Queens might not. Just remember some basic understandings between us, shall we? This happens, or happens not, on my terms, and whenever I shall choose or not. I am the Queen. You serve me, as you serve my husband, the King.

“You should not let jealousy or envy tempt you to try to harm my husband, who is also my nephew, as you know. He’s of House Targaryen, just as I am, and while I adore you, if you ever harm Jon, I will burn you alive. Jon is first in my affections and always shall be. This happens when I wish it and if I have to choose between bedding Jon and coupling with you, Jon shall benefit at your expense. Am I quite clear to you, my sweet knight?” Dany warned Jorah, who nodded, thoroughly overcome by her charms as ever.

“Also, whenever I take you to bed, you shall encourage this couple here, your other paramours, to service and satisfy my husband, our King. It is only fair and just that you share from your bounty of lovers as Jon and I do with you. As you and I are lovers, so our lovers should also be lovers to each other, do you not agree? In the unlikely event that I do fall pregnant, you will not mention a word of this to anyone, or in any way imply that my progeny is from any man’s loins save Jon’s. Also, if you hear any rumors of other lovers, you will ignore them and wait to learn of them directly from King Jon’s lips or mine. Do we understand each other?” Dany waxed fierce in both love and loyalty there.

“Of course, Khaleesi. I am yours to command, as ever,” Ser Jorah reassured her, still in disbelief about his good luck and unwilling to risk any of this by reckless ambition.

Somehow, hearing Dany threaten Ser Jorah on his behalf, Jon shuddered and spent his load far inside Raina’s twat. This in turn caused her to cream herself, moaning loudly as she curled her toes and splattered his dick with her cunny juice. There was no doubt of what took place in Raina’s mind as Jon withdrew from her. The knowledge that she could well conceive a royal bastard was far too much to ignore and it excited her so thoroughly that she could never give this up now. Raina adored Ser Jorah, absolutely loved her husband Rendal, but she worshiped Jon Snow ... her King. He had captured King’s Landing, had he not, and now he could have conquered her womb as well.

“Your turn, boy. Take my wife as I just took yours. Fuck your Queen, my aunt, much as I humped your cousin just now,” Jon really got into the spirit of things, feeling far more secure than before, much as that might surprise many.

“You wish me to take this youth to bed? I serve at your command, nephew,” Dany winked at Jon, very pleased that he had let any jealousy fade for the present, much as she did of late.

“I trust you now more than ever, my Queen. You have proven that much, auntie,” Jon teased Dany in turn, smacking her bum to reiterate his point.

“In that case, I will ... take my leave of you both, if you so wish. Your Graces should know that I would already have risked my life and blood for you, though admittedly my bond and affection lies with the Queen. I have nothing but the greatest of respect to you, my King, given the way that you have evidently won my niece’s admiration by all reports and the way that you took King’s Landing for the two of you so effectively with so little loss of life.

“I was once confronted by a shadowbinder of Asshai, named Quaithe, for my past treachery. She asked me if I would ever betray my Khaleesi again, and I assured her that I never would. I have kept my word to that, and always will, even if refusal to betray you both costs me my head or any other part of me. Also, I owe your friend, Samwell Tarly, a great debt, my King, for curing me of greyscale. If you had not sent him to the Citadel in Oldtown, I would be dead right now. I had set my mind to taking my own life to spare myself and others the horrors of my becoming a Stone Man.

“I would never betray you, or Samwell Tarly, or anyone in either of your families. I have been pardoned once of my crimes, and I will be loyal henceforth to the very bitter end. Also, if I ever hear a whiff of treason from these two, or anyone else, I’ll drag their sorry arses before the Iron Throne myself and let Your Graces decide their fates. They have been spies for Qyburn in the past, as mummers and actors, so I will always keep an eye on them.

“I will depart now, but I assure you that I will never forgive myself fully for the past treasons, nor forget what you have done for me. I am your man until the end, even without my Kingsguard vows,” Ser Jorah assured Jon and Dany, even as the latter mounted and rode Rendal already.

“Yes, about those vows. Let’s just forget to include the part about celibacy, shall we?” Jon offered Jorah, who grinned in response.

“Indeed. You may leave us, or perhaps stay and watch me enjoy your bum boy here. Perhaps, if you’re capable of reviving in that manner, the sight will aid that cause for you. Maybe you’ll demonstrate what you do to him in front of us,” Dany encouraged Jorah to tarry a bit, rather than remove himself from the royal apartments just yet.

Jorah watched in true fascination, as did Jon, as Dany pinned Rendal to the bed and really began thrusting against him with a vengeance. The Mother of Dragons certainly knew how to press her advantages, from her long, flowing white-blonde hair that fell down and landed on Rendal’s face to the soft breasts that rubbed his skin with their gentle caress, to the freshly shaved cunt that tickled his prick. The lad was already quite eager from having licked his young bride’s arse earlier, so he had to struggle to keep any self-restraint, especially while being taken and used for the pleasure of the Queen.

As if this weren’t difficult enough for Rendal, Raina began sucking both Jon and Jorah in turns, kneeling to service both men so that she could taste their cocks and whatever they had fucked. She loved how Jon tasted of herself, though with just a hint or trace of Dany’s bum on his dick. She enjoyed how much Ser Jorah’s prick had the savory slickness of Dany’s twat on it as well. Raina revered these men, even her husband who was also her cousin to an extent, so the opportunity to please them was an honor and she reminded herself of that fact, making her juices flow more freely than ever. She also looked forward to tasting Dany’s juices on Rendal’s cock, too, once he finished.

As if thinking this much could make the deed happen, Rendal jerked, and then flinched for a moment as he erupted inside Dany’s snatch. Some private fantasy of his had her conceiving by all three men that night, as he would love to watch the Mother of Dragons swell up with one child for each dragon that she possessed. He envisioned one son and two daughters, all grown up as a man and his sister-wives, much like Aegon the Conqueror, each mounted upon a dragon as they blew kisses at each other. Unknown to him and the others, Dany had much the same fantasy herself, much to her own shock and embarrassment, causing her squirt all over his groin as she pulled off him.

“Remember, the same thing goes for the two of you as with Ser Jorah. You betray us, you pay with your lives. You serve us well and you will be rewarded in many ways, not merely this. You must also consent, if this is to continue, to claim any issue as yours. I do not wish to see my offspring treated as I was, as a bastard of any sort. Trust me on that. Now, Ser Jorah, if you’re ready, feel free to use whichever one of them you want. I’ve borrowed your lovers and now I’ve returned them to your custody. Just let us watch it as you do what you please with them,” Jon urged the three who had swapped that night with their King and Queen.

“Suck me, both of you,” Jorah instructed the couple, who enthusiastically put his prick in each of their mouths in turn, sharing it and passing it back and forth between them.

Jon and Dany watched the ruthless way that Jorah dominated both man and wife, becoming rather aroused by the sight. What they didn’t prepare for was the angry, powerful manner in which Jorah then pushed Rendal over onto his belly and simply rammed his cock up the lad’s arse. The Lord Commander had warned his companions that he would bugger Rendal and ruthlessly at that, so here at least he kept his word on that matter. Neither of them objected to the rough treatment, at least in part because they knew of the actors’ history of serving Qyburn, after all.

“Lick your wife while I bugger you, lad. I want to see you clean up the King’s mess. Oh, and when I take you two back to my room and we sleep, I will make a point of screwing your wife before breakfast, after which you can bury your tongue and dick in my cum and her cunt,” Jorah hammered viciously at the young man’s rump, taking him as he pleased, which simply aroused Jon and Dany even more.

Jon did not expect to rise to the occasion again, but when Dany put herself in a prone position as they watched the buggery from their bed, he noticed his loins thickening and stiffening in response. He entered her sloppy snatch from behind, rubbing her ass with his hands and making her squirm more than a little. She felt her husband’s cock thrust in and out of her slippery cunt, Jorah’s cum mixing with Rendal’s to coat his prick as he pounded her with a new ardor. Dany’s eyes widened as she wondered just how her husband could have hardened yet again, a third time that night.

As Rendal ate his wife’s twat to a series of wild, enthusiastic climaxes, he relished the taste of the King’s seed inside her quim in the process. The mummer slurped with eagerness at the cream that Jon Snow left inside her slit, enjoying the act without any embarrassment or humiliation, either, even as Jorah came at last due to the heat and tightness of the lad’s bum. The Lord Commander then slapped both of them on the arse and ordered them to walk naked back to his apartment within Maegor’s Holdfast, leaving their clothes for the staff to pick up now. He blew a kiss at the Queen and bowed to the King as he departed, taking his playthings with him.