Game of Thrones: The Dragonborn - Chapter 115 - Westeros hears about Braavos.

[Chapter Size: 2300 Words.]

Third Person POV.
Westeros.

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The dragon flew over the sea and soon reached the north of the Wall a few hours later, while the turmoil had become even more chaotic after the two declared Targaryens left Braavos.

After all, everyone wanted to know if the rumors that began to spread from Braavos were true, after the news spread through the city like fire—how Jon arrived silently in the city and forced his way to the Sea Lord, then secured an audience with the Iron Bank, which led the institution to declare it would remain neutral in the war happening in Westeros, with many claimants vying for a crown.

However, that didn't stop people from questioning whether they were truly supporting the Targaryens after their visit.

The two Targaryens were described as a couple at the party the Sea Lord hosted the same day they arrived, never leaving each other's side while speaking to other influential people, all the while dancing together.

Daenerys Targaryen's beauty was described as that of one of the most beautiful women in the world, and her Valyrian appearance made everyone understand why that lineage had always been described as a beauty above all others.

Daemon Targaryen, as Jon Snow called himself, did indeed match the rumors—he had a Stark appearance mixed with Targaryen features, and while his traits favored his beauty and he had violet eyes as an inheritance from his father, he was robust, tall, and had black hair, indicating he was also a Stark. His beauty charmed many women, but at the same time, it was described that he didn’t care about any woman at the banquet except for Daenerys Targaryen, who also had eyes only for him.

It was obvious to everyone that they intended to take the Iron Throne, or as rumors suggested by some, that Jon had already stolen the Iron Throne with magic and only needed to place it in the right spot. Either way, it was clear to all that Daemon Targaryen and Daenerys Targaryen would assume the roles of king and queen of Westeros.

But the question remained—how would the two Targaryens win the war that was unfolding across the Seven Kingdoms, while everything was in chaos, with Joffrey Baratheon on the throne supported by Tywin Lannister, preparing to face any other force while being pressured by Robb Stark’s continued victories.

Renly Baratheon was self-proclaimed king while marrying Margaery Tyrell, and had a good portion of the Stormlands’ nobility on his side, along with the Reach nobles, commanding the largest army among the four kings.

At the same time, a third Baratheon, Stannis, declared that since Joffrey was a bastard, the kingdom was rightfully his. He had a small number of Stormlands’ nobles, while the greater part of his force was being built from pirates and other nobles from the coastal regions of both the Stormlands and the Crownlands.

In any case, these last two were about to clash at that moment.

And the last self-proclaimed king was Balon Greyjoy, who sent his forces along the coast of Westeros, taking advantage of the absence of the realms’ armies to plunder and steal women, as they always did. He launched a strong attack on the North, with Robb Stark being betrayed by Theon Greyjoy.

The Starks were the strangest force, even without declaring a king—mainly because Ned Stark was alive, but not leading his son’s forces—they simply kept fighting, helping the Riverlands free themselves from the Lannisters, while the people of the South wished a king might rise from the North, the Trident, and the Riverlands.

Robb had achieved immense victories over his enemies, and the Lannisters were shrinking more and more in those lands. His morale, however, was not in the best shape after the recent events—after all, many bizarre things had happened, and that disheartened them, with Tywin racking his brain trying to find a way to turn things around. He was becoming a joke in Westeros, and one thing Tywin hated most in his life was seeing the family name decline.

In any case, when Eddard Stark was publicly mentioned as alive, everyone was shocked—but then Robb's moment of relief turned into a massive headache, as his father was captured by men from the Vale of Arryn under the command of Lady Lysa Arryn.

This certainly left many stunned, but none more so than the Tullys themselves, with Catelyn unable to believe that her sister had simply captured her husband and kept him prisoner in the Vale.

Even Hoster couldn’t understand his daughter’s actions—declaring Ned Stark a traitor while keeping him and his daughter as hostages worsened his health, and he passed away shortly after.

Now Robb Stark was married and expecting a daughter, while trying to take his forces back north in search of his father, ending his campaign in the South. All he and the Northerners wanted now was to rescue Lord Stark and decide what to do about the war, as well as return to the North and drive the Ironborn from their homes and lands.

Catelyn Stark was in the South when all this was happening, seeking alliances, though she hoped to rescue Eddard Stark before deciding which king to support—or whether to become an independent kingdom.

It was at this moment that news from Braavos finally began to reach everyone, publicly confirming what had already been discussed among the more insightful people—rumors about Jon Snow’s actions and his true goals. It was a cold shower for them, while for those unfamiliar with him, it was certainly even more shocking than the war among the four self-proclaimed kings.

To say that the Iron Bank would support no one, while even recognizing Jon Snow as Daemon Targaryen, the legitimate son of Rhaegar, left everyone speechless. Most people truly did not expect that Jon Snow was a hidden son of Rhaegar, and at the same time realized how Eddard Stark had deceived all of the Seven Kingdoms, sheltering the heir to the realm under his wing as his bastard—even fooling his own friend, Robert Baratheon.

“...” Robb remained silent as he looked at the letter in his hands, unable to utter a single word.

“Is it really true? He’s a Targaryen?” the woman’s voice asked, looking beside Robb with her hand on the scroll.

“The Iron Bank declares his true parentage,” Robb said in a dry tone.

“But he’s not a sorcerer—couldn’t he have bewitched the people from the Iron Bank?” The woman—none other than Talisa Maegyr, Robb’s wife after he broke the deal he made with the Freys to marry one of their daughters—asked.

“It’s not that simple...” Robb replied. “If he were a threat, I might begin to suspect... but he had said that after sparing me—that his name was Daemon...”

It wasn’t a pleasant memory for Robb. He had tried everything to forget his failure that day, even as he defeated Lannister after Lannister, trying to humiliate Tywin in return for his failure.

A failure he would never forget—how he had been subdued by his own... now cousin. His cousin had destroyed all fifty of his men in a single instant as the world trembled, and he was merely spared, which was humiliating, as now Daemon Targaryen said he wanted him whole so that their war could happen in the future.

At times, he wished he had been one of those men who got hurt—maybe the rage he felt toward himself for feeling so powerless wouldn’t be so strong. Grey Wind had been subdued as if he were nothing as well, and the Umbers had been limping ever since—they never recovered, and perhaps never would, after having their bones shattered by that... inexplicable thing.

“...” Talisa remained silent as she saw her husband visibly frustrated.

“In any case, everything points to him being the son of Rhaegar Targaryen and my aunt Lyanna Stark... the baby my father brought as his bastard at the same time he brought his sister’s body back to Winterfell. Nothing indicates Daemon isn’t who he says he is...” Robb said.

“What do you plan to do? Will you still head north, my love?” she asked with concern.

“We have no choice. We must rescue my father and hear the truth from his own mouth... Besides that, I’m trying to bring the Freys back to our side,” Robb said.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“I spoke with Uncle Edmure. We’re negotiating a marriage between him and one of Lord Frey’s daughters, promising to make her the Lady of Riverrun... I’m just waiting for my mother to return so we can begin to move. We still have Jaime Lannister, so we’re at an advantage—but if I rescue my father, I don’t know if I’ll be able to trade him for my sister Sansa, who’s imprisoned in King’s Landing... My men won’t accept that,” he said as his wife silently touched his shoulder, waiting for her husband to calm down.

In King’s Landing, Joffrey was having rage spasms as he read the news while everyone was gathered in the council, with the Hand being none other than Tyrion Lannister, acting as his father’s representative.

“How can this be true? How can they believe this—that a spawn of the dragon is this bastard?!” Joffrey screamed in fury. He hated Jon Snow more than anyone else. All he wanted was to see him suffer, after everything that bastard had done to him.

The arrow still stuck in his body—shot by the bastard during Eddard Stark’s trial—plus the theft of the Crown’s treasury, not to mention all the rumors of him being called the Bastard... it all pointed back to Jon Snow.

“Surely they’re not fools... We must be careful with this,” came the voice now in a calmer tone, though there was caution in it—it was Tyrion Lannister, who was staring at the scroll, lost in thought. This was dangerous. The Iron Bank would no longer support the Crown, which left them in a difficult position.

It wasn’t enough to have a Targaryen already stirring chaos on his own—now he could have the backing of the Iron Bank to fund his own army. That was far too concerning, especially with Tyrion’s suspicions that he might already have a dragon... and since he seemed to hate the Lannisters, everyone there was screwed.

“They’re not fools! I declare the Iron Bank the enemy of the Crown!” Joffrey shouted at Tyrion as if he were looking at Jon Snow himself.

“You want to make the Iron Bank your enemy? Are you thinking clearly, Your Majesty?” Tyrion looked at his nephew seriously. If that leaked out, they’d certainly be in even deeper trouble.

“I’m sure His Majesty is tired, and said that by mistake...” said the feminine voice of the Queen Mother, trying to sound calm—but Tyrion could see the anger and frustration, with a hint of venom behind it.

‘She hates Jon Snow too...’ Tyrion didn’t know why, but every time Jon Snow was mentioned, the queen seemed to darken—rage overtaking her expression.

And Tyrion knew it wasn’t just because he had injured her son and shattered his reputation in the past moons. It felt like something far deeper—but the dwarf had no idea what it was, and it remained a total mystery to him.

But knowing Jon’s strange abilities, perhaps he had done something to her that no one else knew, and she kept it hidden.

“You’re with the dwarf too, mother! He’s our enemy, and anyone who supports him must die! As enemies of the Iron Throne!” Joffrey snarled in fury, storming out of the room moments later.

“But the Iron Throne already belongs to the Targaryen...” Tyrion couldn’t help but mutter, unable to resist the joke amidst all that doom.

“You must stop making those senseless comments!” the queen growled at him, leaving the room a moment later.

“...” Tyrion said nothing, only raising his eyebrow as he watched her leave. At the same time, his gaze turned to the others still in the chamber, but none said a word as they began to leave.

“Great... not even a meeting to decide how we’ll handle this threat...” he muttered, remaining there alone, picking up a goblet of wine and taking a sip.

Everyone there hated Jon Snow—Pycelle, Varys, Littlefinger... Rhaegar’s son had earned the dislike of them all for countless reasons, and Tyrion was wondering whether they would survive when Jon Snow—or rather, Daemon Targaryen—flew his dragon to King’s Landing.

In the South, Margaery approached a tent as Catelyn looked at her in surprise as she entered.

“Sorry for barging in like this...” she said as Catelyn looked at her with suspicion, but still greeted her.

“Your Majesty,” she said—after all, Margaery Baratheon was now queen beside Renly, the self-declared king.

“So this just reached us.” Margaery stepped closer with a scroll.

“Can you tell us what he was like? I know you hated each other, but the queen demands to know...” she said, while Catelyn looked confused.

“Who?” Catelyn asked.

“Daemon Targaryen. Read this... He was recognized as a Targaryen by the Iron Throne.” she said, handing the paper to Catelyn, who began to read—and it wasn’t a pleasant experience for the red-haired woman as she saw what had happened in Braavos.