a dragon among wolves | robb&dany
youngwolfkingrobb:
Several times, Robb opened his mouth to respond. However, he was careful not to interrupt. He may not be particularly experienced in diplomacy, but he was very aware that this was a delicate situation. She had listened politely to his demands, and he would listen politely to her counters. It took every ounce of his self-control when she essentially insulted his father to his face by bringing up Elia and the Lannisters. Compared to that, the direct question and then refusal to let him respond were barely even irritating. When their eyes met, his expression was set in stone, an icy anger sitting just below the surface. What did this girl who might as well be Essosi know about the politics that had occurred over their lifetimes? Except for a vague threat, she had not experienced them at all. But the threat of the dragon sitting right outside his keep was in the back of his mind, as was how helpful that dragon would be in helping Jon at the Wall.
Still, he could not help but be sharper when he was finally allowed to speak again. “Firstly, you can tell Prince Doran that my father condemned the slaughter of Elia and her children. He never forgave Robert for allowing Tywin to give those orders. Had he not been in Dorne at the time attempting to rescue his sister, he would have done everything in his power to prevent it. I’m sure that he did do everything to stop the attempts on your brother’s and your lives. My father was above all a moral man, and he made it very clear to me that the killing of mothers and children was among the greatest sins a man could commit.” He watched her quietly for a moment, considering her other points.
“From one ruler to another? I recognize that my requests are great. I recognize that you will not give up the economic assets of the Riverlands nor the security that the vastness of the North provides you. I knew that before you came. Honestly, most of the Riverlands lords will be satisfied no matter who is ruling them. They simply want stability. My uncle and Lord Mallister will follow my lead on the matter, and the Freys are no longer an issue. The North is a different matter.” He could concede the Riverlands. He was grateful to them for their sacrifices and help, but he was ultimately not from there. He was sure that Edmure would make the right choice.
“Beyond that, I cannot give you a direct answer as to what I would do if I were you because I am not. I do not have the same perspective as you, as a hunted woman coming to reclaim a home that she never really knew. But as a Northman, and as someone who had to deal with those lords in councils for several years, I can tell you that you are overestimating their loyalty to me.” He quirked a slight self-deprecating smile. “They still see me as a boy. A boy who won them a great many battles, yes. But they surely all remember that I had to fight them first to get them on the field. Many of them were disgusted when I went to Stannis, but they accepted it because it was an effort to take back their homes from the Greyjoys and Boltons.” He briefly grimaced just at the names. “Moreover, it’s a matter of morality for them. Both wars were based on vengeance. Vengence something that is held as dear as Guest Right for most Northerners. If I walk out of this room with nothing for the North, they will see it as a betrayal of my grandfather, uncle, and aunt; likely my father and sisters; and certainly as a lack of respect for all the men who put down their lives on the dream of an independent North. They will turn on me before they even think of you.”
He paused then and pushed himself shakily to his feet. Instantly, Grey Wind was at his side, and he used the wolf as a support as he limped over to his desk. “Daenerys, I can tell you with absolute certainty that they do not respect more than they do me. They fear your dragon, yes. Any reasonable man would. But respect?” He glanced over at her before starting to shuffle through the letters and picking out a few. “In the North, the Targaryens have always been regarded as suspicious foreigners, even those that lived in Westeros all their lives. And you do not have even that advantage.” He came back over to the chair and sat down, Grey Wind now curling around the back of the chair instead of on his dais.
He put the stack of letters on the table between them for her to read if she wished. All of them were recent letters from panicked northern lords asking what Robb intended to do about the Dragon Queen. “We’ve all heard of the changes you brought to Slaver’s Bay. There are those who are afraid that you might try to make similar severe cultural changes here.” Knowing she would protest, he held up a finger. “I know that it was a different situation. I commend you for trying to abolish slavery there. But many Southern lords see us as just as backward. For keeping our gods rather than the Seven; for our rougher manners; for our adherence to tradition. We are not blind to how they see us. We’re not blind to how every person who has sat on the Iron Throne saw us. That is why my men pushed for independence once we started winning. They want to be ruled by someone who will not look down upon them.”
He relaxed back, leaning on a hand. “I thank you for being so willing to grant my personal requests, Daenerys. I want peace as much as you do. But I know my lords and I cannot promise peace unless we can reach some form of compromise.”
She took note of his little outburst, it was quite controlled, but she could still sense the anger in his tone. Daenerys fought the need to roll her eyes, she didn’t show a single emotion. “As I said, I understand your father’s reasons, I do not hold him personally responsible for the deaths of my niece and nephew. I make no excuses for what my brother and father did to your house, but that doesn’t change the outcome of what happened to my family. Your father took part in the downfall of House Targaryen, let us not pretend anything else. He still supported the Usurper even after the deaths of my sister-in-law and her children, I heard that he even became Hand to Robert Baratheon.” She did not care for Ned Stark, her brother’s stories had poisoned his name in her mind, however, she disliked the Lannisters a great deal more and had disapproved of his execution. As she took in the features of the Young Wolf’s face, all the small creases, and lines, she wondered if he resembled his father. She also wondered if she would have been willing to try and form an alliance with Ned Stark had he still been head of House Stark, she most certainly would have been willing to take the entire region by force, just as she was now. She listened patiently as Robb spoke without letting a single emotion form into place and show off a readable expression on her face, she had to try and stay calm and diplomatic. She wanted to be fair, but that steely determination to not let her thoughts or feelings be known soon vanished. Her eyes blazed with fire at his words. “Nothing?” she repeated quickly, this time her voice clearly affected by the flame of anger that had been ignited inside. What kind of insult was that? “You say I offer the North nothing?” Despite how she was still hurting from all the time spent on Drogon’s back, she leaned forward and rested her elbows on the table. Her violet eyes aflame with the rush of harsh passion coursing through her veins. “I chose to come here without an army, Robb Stark. I left King’s Landing in a weakened state to come North and resolve this matter peacefully, not solely for my benefit, but also for yours. You say the lords will turn on you if you can show nothing, but this whole conversation is a gift to the North, a token of my mercy and forgiveness.”
She was trying to control her temper, as quickly as wrath had filled her lilac hues, as quickly it was replaced by an expression of stone. She could practically hear how Tyrion would have scolded her for losing control, well not scolded her, but he would have been displeased. “We both know if I gather all my armies and my dragons and march on the North, there is nothing you could do to stop me. To resolve this peacefully is not the easiest course of action for me, but it is the one I prefer, and it’s your only option to keep your seat as Warden of the North, and for the rest of your supporters not to fall victims to my wrath. I did not become Queen by freely giving power away to those who have the nerve to ask for it. If I did that, I would have no land to rule, and all the great houses in Westeros would still try and kill each other at the first chance they got.” Her tone was cold but also collected, the words strong enough on their own without a bite in her voice. “Lannister. Stark. Baratheon. Tyrell. Martell. You are all so eager to tear out each other’s throats. All of that ends now.” She wanted to see no more fighting between kingdoms who should be united under one crown. If she had the choice she did not want to see any more fighting for the rest of her life, but even Dany knew such a dream would be impossible. Meereen had taught her a harsh but necessary lesson: Unity was not simply a question of will or wish, it was a constant battle, a battle of politics and strength of the monarch. She would have to know by instinct when to show off her power, and when to negotiate and listen to the anger or woes of the different houses. Her eyes traveled to the huge direwolf close by Robb’s side as she briefly thought of her own beasts, they were her true power, and she found herself growing softer again. “I respect your courage to speak up for the North. This is what a brave ruler must do, and I commend you for it. However, I will not compromise on this matter any further. I have already shown you mercy for the part House Stark and House Tully played in the Usurper’s Rebellion, and I have promised to send all possessions and remains belonging to the North and Riverlands back to you, and back to where they belong. I will do what is in my power to show you justice, Lord Stark, but I will not be swayed on this particular matter.”
Daenerys leaned back into her chair again, her body heavy with the strain of her journey and her mind numb from all the relentless thoughts running through it. She tried picking her words carefully, but she also needed to show conviction and determination, it was a hard act to string together. She regretted not bringing her voice of reason with her, but she had been determined to negotiate on her own, all the different scenarios had already been discussed with her council of advisers. Despite her thoughts flying around frantically like a bird finally free of its cage, her gaze was still firmly locked on the man sitting opposite of her. “You will rejoin the rest of the kingdoms under my rule, you will follow the same laws as everyone else. I do not care which gods you pray to and I have no wish to alter your way of life - as long as you respect the common law that will bring peace and unity back to the realm.” She paid great attention to his explanation of the North, she knew better than to ignore his concerns altogether. This was not the first time she had heard such a warning, she had been a foreigner everywhere she went, a consequence of never having a real home. The Dothraki had seen her as a foreigner, her hair too light, her skin too fair and her eyes too strange to truly be a part of them. She had met opposition in the Free Cities, the masters had claimed she held no respect for their traditions, but all of their traditions had been vile and unfairly brutal. She had followed their code of dress, she had played their game, no matter how much she had hated every aspect of it. She had even married despite not being in love in order to try and form a bond with the powerful families of Meereen. She might be a foreigner, but she was willing to learn, she was willing to adapt, in some ways. “I am a foreigner everywhere, Robb, an unfortunate consequence of growing up in exile. All the rulers before me have been born and bred in Westeros, except for Aegon the Conquerer, they have been fixed in their way of life and their own culture and customs. You think me being a foreigner is a disadvantage, but on this matter, it is not. I have been a leader of the Dothraki, a people described as savages, I have ruled over former slaves but also their rich and powerful masters, who longed to see me destroyed for freeing their slaves and pull apart their gruesome business. I speak three different languages and a number of dialects because I have bothered to understand the people around me. I’ve seen a number of religions practiced firsthand and I have respected them all.” She sighed softly as she thought about her past experiences, most of them were painful. Dany moved a piece of stray silver hair away from her shoulder. She was still fuming inside about his comment on slavery, she wanted to educate him on the vital differences between the two scenarios, but she let her lecture die as words started to form on her tongue. This was neither the time or place. “I think you will find me very tolerable of different cultures and customs if the circumstances are fair and just. I abolished slavery in the cities I could, I did it because I had the power to and because, no woman, man or child deserves to be treated like they are less than human, and sold off to cruel men like animals. I will offer the same respect of basic rights to any man, including all northerners and the people of the Riverlands. I have no reason to look at you differently than the other kingdoms.”
She let silence fall over them for a moment, she needed time to think of her words, but this time she wanted to make sure he understood her clearly. Once again she ignored her aching bones, who wanted nothing more than to relax in the chair. She sat upright and finally broke the silence. “You will remind your lords of what is at stake if they deny my rule, feel free to remind them of the history of the Iron Throne and how it was forged, remind them their last king bent the knee too. If they still do not wish to respect your decision to kneel, I will gladly speak with them myself and listen to their worries while I’m here. If they do rebel against the crown and my claim to the Iron Throne and the regions belonging to it, I will be forced to do what I must.” They were dangerous words to utter, Daenerys knew that perfectly well, but she needed to prevent any seeds of doubt to be sown about her strength, and how far she was willing to go to achieve her goals.
