Chapter 21

“The intent of this is well enough, good priestess, but I am rather worried that entirely excluding the Faith of the Seven from power and a hand in the governance of the realm will invite envy, mistrust, and other troubled responses. Might I propose a slight adjustment?” Ser Jorah Mormont suggested.

“Of course, what would that be?” Kinvara inquired in response.

“I ... I had to atone for my past crimes, and rightly so, and the Faith of the Seven has been guilty of its crimes. I have no great fondness for it myself, being descended from the First Men of Bear Island in the North, so an adherent of the Old Gods of the Forest, thus impartial in this matter. Still, reverence for the Seven will not simply vanish in a day, and I fear that turning on them overnight will anger the very subjects who we need to rally to our banners against the Night King and the remnants of the Lannister bannermen. The Mountain is still loose, is he not? What’s to keep him from using the Faith has his cause and pretext for rebellion against the Crown?

“Let the Faith’s chair at the Small Council remain empty for now, while yourself as Red Priestess attend here, and Brandon Stark be named to the Small Council as Three-Eyed Raven and Master of Whispers as well as the voice of the Old Gods. In the future, let someone from each of these religions attend sessions of the Small Council. Let the Faith of the Seven atone first, though, by the following means. Every septon and septa must do a Walk of Atonement in their own town, city, village, and holdfast, naked and barefoot, enduring the taunts and complaints that have been raised against the Faith since it first seized a toehold in this land.

“After this, those who wish to give offerings toward the restoration of the Great Sept may do so, but with the same provision made for those who wish to create a true godswood in King’s Landing, and also a fire temple for the Lord of Light, with yourself empowered to invite more Red Priests and Priestesses to Westeros to preach your religion. Also, let a small number of devotees of the Faith of the Seven prove the loyalty of the Faith to the cause of defeating the Night King by sending sorties of men dressed in hair shirts and simple boots, perhaps threadbare, armed only with such weapons can be used against the Army of the Dead and sent North under the command the Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch. They would be, in essence, a donation of volunteers for the Night’s Watch, albeit for the short run or the duration of the War of the Long Night. We’re talking men armed only with dragonglass knives, spears, swords, etc. and trained carefully by the men of the Night’s Watch to fight the Night King and his army.

“Then, and only then, may the Most Devout elect a High Septon, though they must also be enlarged in number by adding several handpicked ordinary septons and septas. This way, they can no longer be so aloof and arrogant. They must be reminded of humility and their role of service to their realm. They have grown complacent, proud, cruel, and dismissive of all sects in Westeros. That is particularly true of their attitude toward the Old Gods of the Forest. As I said, I have no great love or reverence for the Faith or the Seven, but I seek only the peace and goodwill of the realm in the event that we actually prevail over the Night King.

“This will protect that peace and actually help our cause of defeating the dead, I believe. If the Faith wishes to prove that it means well for the good people of the Seven Kingdoms, including the smallfolk, this is a much better way to do so than knocking over idol stalls, breaking open casks of wine and ale, and raiding brothels. I know that this is outside of my purview as Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, but that is my honest thinking on this,” Ser Jorah Mormont proposed.

“I see the wisdom in this. I do not wish to invite hatred toward the Lord of Light before he has a chance to be welcomed in Westeros. Stannis Baratheon, his wife Selyse, and the Priestess Melisandre did our cause no good by burning idols of the Seven and actual worshipers who were otherwise loyal to Stannis and his cause. Persecuting the Faith is not the answer. You are quite wise, Ser Jorah Mormont. I wish to accept this proposition of his, if that is permissible, Your Graces, and recommend it as an improvement to my own,” Kinvara showed surprising agility and prudence in accepting the counsel of Ser Jorah in the spirit of good judgment and impartiality in which it was given.

“I would agree to this proposal, with the catch that once the War of the Long Night is finished, any members of this new branch of the Faith Militant who outlive the war shall be free to return to their homes, marry, father children, and so forth. Indeed, once the war is over, the Night’s Watch should all be granted lands, permitted to wed, and the brotherhood disbanded forever. Even Ser Jaime Lannister and the others can be released in time, should he survive, having earned it at that point. With the Army of the Dead vanquished, there will no longer be any need for a Night’s Watch, after all,” Jon Snow asserted as King, growing bolder in his kingship.

“Naturally. If he should survive. However, any disloyalty shown and ... this is the price of my own assent to this, if he should show any treachery, all clemency must be revoked and he must be burnt alive. Do you consent to this, my King?” Dany offered her own amendment, wishing not to let Jaime entirely off ... this should be his last amnesty.

“Indeed. This is his second and final pardon or retrieve. There will be no third. The Lord Commander will have instructions to treat these men as any who prove cowardly, deserters, or mutinous should they fail or shirk in their duties. That is especially true of Ser Jaime, with the added provision that he is to be turned over to you, my Queen, for your own brand of justice if he should fail us. I did not hesitate to behead Lord Janos Slynt for his insolence and I was right to do so. If I had not done so, none would have respected me. The same was true of the conspirators who murdered me and who I had hanged for mutiny,” Jon continued, pleased that Dany both spoke her honest mind and was open to compromise for once.

“I would have given much wine and coin to have seen Lord Janos Slynt forfeit his head,” Tyrion grinned, not one usually for wrongful joy, but holding particular malice toward the late Lord of Harrenhal.

“It wasn’t a pretty sight, but I executed him myself, with Longclaw, in the Northern way. The man who gives the order swings the sword. I didn’t do that with the mutineers, but this was because I intended to leave the Night’s Watch, my watch having ended with my betrayal and temporary death. But that is the Northern way, in any case. Lord Slynt was a poor fit for the Night’s Watch, my good Hand, but you could not know that. You didn’t know what a coward he was. In the end, he got what he deserved for having betrayed Ned Stark, my uncle and adoptive father. There was some justice for that at least,” Jon replied, even as he shifted uncomfortably at the sight of a very naked Dany and Missandei, both of them staggeringly beautiful.

“So, tell me, what is the plan for the wildfire?” Dany turned to Varys now, letting her husband and nephew rest his voice for a moment.

“We must devise weapons for delivery, my Queen, ready at the moment that we are able to engage the Army of the Dead, and we must collect every cache in time, not only to defeat the Night King, but also to keep it from being used to destroy King’s Landing from beneath us. I trust that Queen Yara the Bottomless and Lord Davos here can work well together on that issue. I have behaved as instructed by Kinvara here, and quite well at that first beginning. The Dragonpit remains an excellent place to store it while collected, after which it must be shipped carefully and in special ships manned mostly by prisoners and other scum. This way, if the ships should burn or sink at sea, no great loss is had in numbers. The prisoners should then be added to the Night’s Watch for the present and for the duration of the war, swelling its ranks further,” the Spider offered his thoughts, all of which made sense to the Dragon Queen and co-sovereign of Westeros.

“Excellent counsel, I dare say. What of Lord Edmure Tully and the Tully bannermen, incidentally? What of Dorne, for that matter? We need to find out what is happening in Dorne and soon, and name a member to this Small Council specifically for Dorne, so as to preserve the unity of the Seven Kingdoms in the face of recent disasters, some of them my own fault,” the Imp responded for his part.

“At last word from the ravens, Lord Tully is mustering an army of bannermen from Houses Tully, Frey, and other such houses, including as many hedge knights as can be ordered, using Roslin Frey as his agent in this, due to his need for recovery from malnourishment, sickness, and injuries endured during his imprisonment in the dungeon at the Twins. I was pleased to hear of this effort, even if perhaps worried at his condition,” a familiar voice added itself to this collection.

“Samwell Tarly!” Jon rose to greet his old friend, very pleased to hear that he had arrived for his first session of the Small Council as Grand Maester of the Seven Kingdoms.

“My ... King. I must confess that I was most surprised to be picked up by a dragon and taken here with such haste. Gilly will take a much longer journey, of course. She was with little Sam and our second child is growing inside her womb, so she was in no fit shape to make the trip. She is traveling by ship with all due haste, of course, not wishing to be too far behind,” Sam said as he knelt to his good friend the new King.

“I believe that it was the least that I could go, given everything that happened,” Dany confessed to sending Rhaegal to pick up the new Grand Maester.

“I was even more surprised to hear that you intend to abolish the vows of celibacy for maesters. That will be most helpful to Gilly and me, of course. I doubt that most in the Citadel will approve. Many will think that it’s the end of the Citadel. If I might speak frankly, Your Grace, while I still ... struggle to forgive you for Dickon’s death, I am pleased that you chose to atone for it as you did. I am also pleased that you made Lady Lynesse Hightower do the Walk of Atonement. House Hightower has long been far too arrogant for its own good. It’s about time to see it humbled a bit.

“I won’t shed a tear for Father, of course. He was a pig, if a brave one. He was never that kind to any of us. I am pleased that, with me now Grand Maester, an honor that I don’t deserve as a disgraced maester rightfully expelled from the Citadel for desertion, my sister Talla is now Lady of Hornhill. She was never treated that well by Father and she deserves some kind of rank after all of what she endured. She, and Mother, stood up for me and for Gilly when Father treated us so poorly.

“While I liked Dickon, he never said anything in my defense, so maybe the brotherly love wasn’t as mutual as I thought. Or maybe he feared losing Father’s favor, of course. We are all of us cowards about something, except for maybe the Night King and his army,” Sam knelt to Dany as well.

“I am told that I have you to thank for healing Ser Jorah Mormont here, and thus for aiding the victory against Cersei and for telling everyone of my King’s true parentage. The realm is in your debt, as am I. If you had not healed Ser Jorah, he wouldn’t have led the attack on the White Sword Tower and the victory would have taken a little longer at least. If you had not deserted the Citadel when you did, the realm would have been worse off for it. I think that we can pardon you, given that, and reward you with this chain of high office as Grand Maester of the realm, Samwell. Now that I have atoned and given that you are my husband’s best friend, surely I can call you such,” Dany embraced Sam, some tears streaming down her face from guilt mixed with gratitude.

“All is ... going to be forgiven, my Queen. Please just give me some time. And yes, Your Grace may call me Samwell or simply Sam. Your husband the King has been there for me at times when no others were. He showed me friendship, protected me when I needed, trusted me, enabled me to go to the Citadel, and generally was the best of fellows and friends to me. I wish to name my next son ... Jon, in his honor. Gilly even agreed to it. You can ask her yourself once she makes landfall,” Sam blushed a little at the show of affection from a woman known better for burning and crucifying people.

“I am simply thrilled that Lynesse was humbled that way. If any woman deserved a Walk of Atonement, it’s my former wife. She was always too proud for her own good, I think. I am very grateful to you, Khaleesi for doing this for me, and to you, Sam, yet again, for saving my life,” Ser Jorah smiled.

“Yes, I did that for you. You deserved better than her, Ser Jorah, and you know it. In any case, I’m lifting the celibacy vows for the Kingsguard, with my husband’s full assent, I believe. Only the Night’s Watch officially requires celibacy now, and perhaps the septons and septas, but that latter is a priesthood no longer favored by the crown, as we have agreed here. You cannot marry, nor can Sam here, but you can take lovers, concubines, and whores to bed. Marriage is a matter of land, property, and inheritance, which is only it is banned now, rather than simple coupling,” Dany told Jorah as she embraced him.

“If that is all, perhaps we can conclude this day’s business of the Small Council,” Tyrion proposed.

“Well, we still need to send someone to confer Lord Tully and bring him North, as well as someone to confer with the Dornish,” Jon reminded the Imp.

“Yes, I think that I can deal with that latter business myself. I’ve a mind to see Dorne,” Bronn suggested.

“Sorry, not yet. We need you in King’s Landing, Bronn. You’re Lord Commander of the City Watch now. I propose that our two priestesses represent us in this matter. Kinvara in Dorne, Melisandre in the Riverlands. They can birth their ... shadow demons there, methinks,” Tyrion countered.

“As you wish, my old friend. I am your bannerman now, after all, as Lord of Castamere. Bernadette wishes to convey her thanks to you for that and to Kinvara here for officiating the wedding,” Bronn smiled, not that perturbed as he enjoyed Bernadette’s favors and he could easily swap out some Dornish lady for a King’s Landing whore.

“She is very welcome, as you are. Incidentally, I look forward to having each of you try the Imp’s Delight whenever I am able to get around to that. Missandei, you’ve been rather quiet here. What are your thoughts? Priestesses to speak for us in Dorne and the Riverlands?” Tyrion asked the very naked interpreter, who hadn’t been able to tear her eyes away from her King and Queen, let alone speak right then.

“I ... defer to your wisdom, my sweet Imp,” Missandei tried to think of her new duties as Mistress of Laws, and not of Greyworm, of the King and Queen, and to how Tyrion’s cock might feel inside her ... she would need some relief soon.

Something had awakened inside Missandei, a very deep burning lust and desire that she had scarcely felt in the past. Half of her thoughts were about mating with this man or woman or that one. She even imagined riding the Spider’s face and parting Yara Greyjoy’s bare cheeks to lick her arse. She hungered to feel Grey Worm’s tongue back there again and even let Gendry slip into bed with them, Davos and Bronn, too, even Jorah. She wanted to pin Kinvara and Melisandre to the floor by the wrists and rub her cunt against theirs repeatedly.

How to carry out her duties when she was constantly libidinous? She needed to speak to the Red Priestesses and soon. She even found herself wanting to drag Samwell Tarly to bed and she never met the man before. She had still never met this Gilly girl and she ached to spread her Wildling thighs and sample her lower delights. Missandei felt her cheeks flush with her desire, hoping that Grey Worm truly would understand the extent of her lust. She needed to compose herself and focus on her duties, but how to do that in the midst of such intense yearnings.

“You have to scratch that itch, my sweet Lady, not ignore them. It will only grow worse if you do that. Satisfy your urges, and then discipline yourself to tend to your labors,” Kinvara declared openly, “I gave you a special potion that will last for several days. Until then, you will have endless cravings for men and women alike. Even eunuchs. Apologies for not telling you, but it was best to simply do it and resolve any issues afterward. I am teaching you how to be what Grey Worm needs. Once you are reunited, he shall see that you have lusts that must be sated, and he will have less fear that it is his fault for being cut. In fact, I gave each of you such a potion, but that’s our little secret. The reason is simple. Guilt and shame must be conquered, whatever the cost, or else the power of the Faith of the Seven will never be fully broken. I trust that I will need no such potion in Dorne.”

Tyrion indeed felt a strong rash and swelling of desire in his loins, as did Sam, Dany, Jon, Jorah, Davos, Bronn, and everyone else in the Small Council chamber soon afterward. They all adjusted as they did their best to focus with the session nearly over. How to even think with such powerful rushes of potent need in their breast? Gendry, also present now, looked at Missandei and had to struggle not to ravish her right then and there.

Kinvara hadn’t counted on Ser Jorah blocking her initial plan, though his revision made sense. It had required her to think quickly, and so she had. One way or the other, she would crush the Faith of the Seven and help bring the septons to heel. If she had to stir up stronger lusts inside the new Small Council to achieve it, so much the better. Of course, there was some personal benefit to making them all so lecherous, too.

Kinvara still wanted to seduce the eunuch and make him taste her sweet juices from her gash. He would never fear the powers of the Red God again. In the meantime, she still craved a chance to shove Melisandre’s face into her arse and ride her for the glorious ecstasy of humiliating her ... Melony indeed. Burning Shireen was still unforgivable, but the ginger had her uses for now. Let the witch atone with her tongue along her crack!

“There remains the matters of the Mountain and his potential followers, as well as of Volantis launching an attack on Meereen. Strictly speaking, the latter is not part of the Seven Kingdoms, so less of an issue, certainly not as pressing as the Night King, but it must be dealt with in time. Kinvara, you are from Volantis, what do you think?” Missandei reminded them now, trying to keep her mind off the heat and slickness between her thighs.

“Yes, our Mistress of Laws raises an excellent point. Apologies again, for the growing intensity of your desires. Clearly, though, you are still lucid and capable of great statecraft, my lovely Lady of Dragonstone. Volantis ... well, at the risk of betraying my own city, the Free City of Volantis, it must ... the Triarchs, they must be put down, as I’ve told my King and Queen before. They are now enemies of the Lord of Light, whether they know it or not, and Azor Ahai must bring them low. Not alone. With the aid of his Queen and her dragons, once the Night King is bested,” Kinvara let that new revelation take root.

“So ... the legends are true. My Jon is Azor Ahai, The Prince That Was Promised?” Dany spoke with the possessive pride of a lover and wife more than an aunt.

“I am convinced of it, yes. Just as Ser Jaime was prophesied to slay both the Mad King and his own sister, Cersei, the Mad Queen, Your Grace, Jon Snow, is more than a King. He is the anointed and chosen emissary of the Lord of Light himself, the Son of Fire. This was why your brother cast aside his first wife, Elia Martell, to sire a child with Lyanna Stark, knowing that a war that would imperil his own family and his reputation would follow. He did what had to be done, as both Lyanna and he became convinced of the necessity of an heir born of both ice and fire, of direwolf and dragon, of Stark and Targaryen blood.

“Prince Rhaegar Targaryen sacrificed himself on the Trident, knowing what was at stake for Westeros, giving up his birthright as well as his life and letting Robert take the Iron Throne in payment for the loss of his betrothed. It was necessary, you see, but he still had to atone for doing it to a man like Robert Baratheon, who had done him no harm prior to this. He allowed Robert to prevail, though he couldn’t and didn’t know that the Mountain would rape and kill his first wife, and then slaughter his children on the orders of Tywin Lannister, Lord Paramount of the Westerlands and Warden of the West.

“None of this is ever inevitable. The future is not written in cast bronze or iron or stone. It is malleable. But some destinies are necessary, if painful, and this was so with your brother and father, Your Graces. Lyanna Stark knew this as well. She knew that some, especially in Dorne, would never forgive her for what happened to Elia Martell, even though that was the fault of the Mountain and his puppet master, Lord Tywin of House Lannister. In any case, I shall not speak of this in Dorne, for rather obvious reasons. I must find out what is taking place in Dorne for my own eyes and make a report of it, too. In any case, let me assure you that all that I have done, I have done for the greater good of this world.

“When I return, and when Melisandre does, when we have bested the Night King and restored unity to Westeros, we must make plans for Essos, and not just the Bay of Dragons. The scourge of slavery must end, in Volantis no less than in Lys or Myr. I must also see to it that the right sort rule in Dorne as well. In time, Your Graces will need to handpick a ruler for Meereen as well as the others, as they are too far away to rule effectively yourselves.

“For now, though, I take my leave of you and convey your commands to Melisandre, who must obey as I do,” Kinvara declared, making her departure.

She had a shadow demon to birth, after all.

“Well, if you will excuse me, as Mistress of Laws, I must speak to the Kingslayer and inform him of his fate. Your Graces, if the Small Council is dismissed for the present,” Missandei took her leave of them.

“And as Master of Ships, I really must be off. I’ve been delayed far too long already,” Ser Davos said in his gruff manner, adding only, “we really do need to contact Salladhor Saan. With your permission, Your Graces. His aid will be vital to our common cause. And naturally, I will take Gendry with me for his journey to Storm’s End as planned.”

“Of course, Ser Davos. The realm really is in your debt, my friend,” Jon embraced Davos briefly before he left, and Gendry with him.

“I must confess, my King, that I am in love with your sister, Arya Stark, and if I ever... , “ Gendry started to say.

“If she chooses to be your lady, you could do no better, nor could she. I can see that, my friend and brother,” Jon hugged Gendry as well, “if you are like a brother to my sister Arya and to Davos here, you’re like one to me, too.”

“And I have much work to do, defending King’s Landing and ... keeping the brothels and taverns in good coin, with my wife’s aid, of course,” Bronn smiled as he took his leave now.

Ser Bronn of the Blackwater, Lord of Castamere, and Lord Commander of the City Watch, knew that in his rare case, with Bernadette’s comely and clever ways to aid him, wenching and drinking helped recruit Gold Cloaks and spy on possible traitors or troublemakers. A lord or not, he was always able to blend in well with the smallfolk, speaking like them as he did.

“And I am fairly certain that I have a treasury to administer these days, loans to secure from the Iron Bank if possible for our common cause, especially if we’re hiring the likes of Salladhor Saan and Harry Strickland with his Golden Company. Not to mention ensuring the safe shipment of wildfire. Once it is all gone, though, I recommend that it be changed into a great outside judgment seat, where trials can be held for the accused. I am sure that the Lady Missandei can make good use of it already, in her capacity as Mistress of Laws,” Varys departed as well now.

“I think that I must accompany Missandei to see my brother one last time before we head North, as well as convey what good news I can give him, such as hope of eventual pardon. After that, I do need to oversee some reconstruction near the site of the Great Sept, for those buildings that were not part of the temple compound itself. There are a myriad of other matters for a Hand to oversee, of course,” Tyrion bowed as he left, not far behind his very good friend, Lord Varys.

“And I have my own duties, as Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, including two prospective knights who wish to be considered for such an honor. I must examine them and their fitness for the sacred trust that is membership in our elite order. The Kingsguard at present has only one member, after all, namely myself,” Ser Jorah Mormont reminded them now.

“Samwell, before you go as well, write this down, will you, to the heads of each house, to the constables, lords of small holdfast, landed knights, hedge knights, and so forth. Let it be known to all and sundry that Ser Gregor Clegane is in taint of high treason against his King, Jon Snow, and his Queen, Daenerys Targaryen, and must be brought to judgment and punishment posthaste, and that a thousand gold dragons shall be paid for his head to the man or woman who takes it, or three thousand for his capture while alive.

“A further thousand gold dragons shall be paid to any lord or lady or landed knight who holds trial for the offenses of Ser Gregor Clegane and sees to it that he is punished for his many crimes at last. Anyone caught with him shall suffer the wrath of the King and Queen as well. The man slew my brother and sister, the Queen’s nephew and niece, as well as their mother, Elia Martell. I cannot be a true Targaryen, whatever my surname, and fail to avenge them at the hands of their murderer. They are blood and their deaths must be avenged,” Jon Snow told Sam to write and then handed off the note for the ravens.

“Well, maybe that will bring him out into the open, Your Grace. I can only hope. Now, if you will please excuse me, I’m famished. Nothing like riding a dragon to wear you out and make you hungry,” Sam blushed a bit as he departed, not mentioning his other plan, namely to find a whore and satisfy his carnal needs at last, what with Gilly not around and a bit tired of late.

“He has no idea just how much it can tax a man’s strength,” Jon Snow allowed himself a rare grin and joke these days.

“What can, my love?” Dany asked her husband, nephew, and King.

“Riding a dragon,” Jon winked at her and his meaning had nothing to do with Drogon, Rhaegal, or Viserion.

“Just for that, you can ride one right now and prove to me that I am still your Queen, what with all of these new lovers, though I mind them not,” Dany laughed as she lay across the Small Council chamber table and lifted her legs to his shoulders.

“It will be my pleasure, auntie,” Jon decided to use that incest shame and guilt to heighten his pleasure for a change.

“You know, I think that being called Dany doesn’t sound bad at all from you. It’s different than from Viserys. It was brotherly, condescending, even paternal from him, but here, now, it’s comforting,” Dany confessed as Jon slid in and out of her wonderfully wet snatch.

“As you wish, Dany,” Jon teased her, becoming more playful these days, thanks in part to their newfound love for each other.

“I think that you should carry me to every part of the Red Keep and fuck me there. Not just Maegor’s Holdfast, but the Great Hall, the Maidenvault, the White Sword Tower, even the Black Cells. My King should reclaim his Queen and every part of his castle at once. I am yours, Aegon Targaryen, better known as Jon Snow. I am your aunt, yes, your wife, your lover, and your Queen. And I’m your personal plaything, I assure you of that. Others, even if they bed me, need to show me some kind of submission and respect, but you ... you command me at all times, especially in the bedchamber. My White Wolf. My hero. My King,” Dany encouraged Jon, unaware that he just had an image of her being fucked by Ghost, his direwolf still with Tormund.

“What are your thoughts, my lord?” she asked him now.

“What it would be like to see you fucked by my direwolf, Ghost. Would it trouble you to let him, given the chance?” Jon, who had never even contemplated bestiality before, asked her.

“OH ... Seven Hells!” Dany moaned her first orgasm as she thought of her husband sharing her with his white direwolf.

“Here, let me take you like my Ghost would!” Jon turned Dany over and entered her from behind, taking her much harder and slapping her smooth, pale buttocks, “in many ways, a direwolf and his owner are one. Certainly said to be true of my brother, Robb Stark and his direwolf. House Stark has always been a house of wolves, after all.”

“Just as House Targaryen is a house of dragons. Here, take this dragon ass, you wild white wolf!” Dany told him, “have all of the dragon tail that you could ever wish!”