Barbrey was a clever and pragmatic old widow.
Well, at least smarter than Catelyn.
In her view, Stannis was now in an excellent position. The most advantageous choice for him was to hold the Bloody Gate, guard the only land route into the Vale, and bring the wealthy and well-armed Vale lords under his control. By doing so, he could sit securely and calmly watch the tides of the world shift.
Even if he took the broader situation into account and acknowledged that the Others were a threat to all mankind, there was still no need for him to let his "rival," the Dragon Queen, stand by and watch while he charged alone to challenge the Night King.
That was why Barbrey openly voiced her doubts.
"Why would Stannis be willing to step forward and take such a risk?"
"That's a strange thing for you to say," Dany replied, her expression equally strange.
"What's strange about it?" Barbrey asked in confusion.
In fact, Dany understood Barbrey's doubts.
Stannis's immediate appearance at the Wall, his carrying wildfire charges along the Wall in search of the Night King, his active determination and even pursuit in ending the Long Night, and his initiative in seeking her help for a decisive battle against the Night King. All of his actions at the Wall struck her as odd.
Like Barbrey, Dany felt that, judging from Stannis's long-standing obsession with the Iron Throne and the series of actions in which he had pushed past moral boundaries, he should not be so selfless or willing to sacrifice himself for others.
As for seizing credit, striking down the Night King first, and fulfilling the agreement with the Dragon Queen that "the one who ends the Long Night shall be king," if he truly thought that way, it would be foolish and reckless.
No one had ever seen the Night King, and no one understood it. Know your enemy and know yourself, and you will never be defeated. He had spent his life at war. Could he really not understand that?
But no matter what Stannis was thinking, Dany did not care. As long as he took Melisandre with him, and preferably the Lord of Light as well, and went head-on against the Night King, that would be enough.
If he succeeded, she could save herself the effort, withdraw, return home, let the music play and the dances continue, and leave Westeros for him to deal with. If he failed, the combination of the God of War, the God of Magic, and the God King would at least force the Night King to reveal some of its hidden cards. If the Prince That Was Promised failed to fulfill the prophecy, the Lord of Light would suffer a severe blow, whether to reputation or to power.
Therefore, she could not allow him to lose his nerve. A promise once spoken had to be fulfilled.
Now that Stannis had gone silent, Dany felt a little uneasy. She needed to give him a push, stir up momentum, and shape public opinion.
"Slaver's Bay is tens of thousands of miles away from Westeros. Why did I not simply sit back and watch the winds of change? Why did I rush here on dragonback the moment the Wall fell?" the Dragon Queen asked in return.
"Uh…" Barbrey froze, left with nothing to say.
Deep in her subconscious, though she did not realize it herself, a voice answered: Westeros is the center of the world. Even if you become the greatest empress on the continent of Essos, you still have to hurry back to win the support of the people of the Seven Kingdoms.
She had that subconscious thought, but her reason would not allow her to truly accept it, and so she felt a twinge of shame.
"The Long Night is not just the Long Night of the North, nor merely the Long Night of Westeros. The entire world is plunging into darkness.
"At a time like this, any ruler who upholds justice and honor should step forward, abandon past filth, unite together, and fight our common enemy, the Others!"
The Dragon Queen spoke with righteous conviction, her words filled with solemn grandeur, and everyone present was struck with reverence.
Because she was precisely such a ruler, one who upheld justice and honor.
Because she, who could have idly watched events unfold in Slaver's Bay, had instead rushed to the front lines of the war against the Others at the very first moment.
Barbrey felt even more ashamed.
"I believe that no matter how many mistakes Stannis has made in the past, no matter how grave they were, this time he will keep his word and bravely shoulder the responsibility that belongs to him, the responsibility of the Prince That Was Promised.
"I believe he will use his actions to prove to me and to everyone that there is still a longing for justice and honor in his heart."
"At the same time, I ask all of you, I ask you to trust him. Not just you. We must let all of Winterfell, the entire North, and all of Westeros know of Stannis's great deed."
As she spoke, the Dragon Queen raised her right hand. "I swear that I will honor the agreement we made earlier, 'the one who ends the Long Night shall be king.' As long as Stannis slays the Night King, I will immediately withdraw from Westeros and acknowledge him as the King of the Seven Kingdoms!"
At that moment, it seemed as though a sacred radiance filled the hall from the Dragon Queen's face.
Even Barbrey, who believed she had seen through the ways of the world, was moved.
"Long live the Queen! Long live the God of War! Long live Her Majesty Daenerys! Long live His Majesty Stannis!"
"God of War, God of Magic, God King, eternal victory!"
Before long, the entire garrison of Winterfell knew that the Lord of Light was about to fulfill His prophecy. His chosen one, Stannis, would join forces with the God of Magic, Melisandre, to challenge the Night King beneath Winterfell.
The power of the three-god combination, the God of War, the God of Magic, and the God King, was so overwhelming that even the Dragon Queen had been convinced.
They saw hope of victory and shouted at the top of their lungs.
The King in the North even summoned the maesters in front of the assembled lords at the banquet and ordered ravens to be sent to every castle in the North, informing them of the imminent "Battle of Winterfell." He called on them to give full support to Winterfell, to support the God of War's decisive battle, and to support this war that would determine the fate of mankind.
"Your Majesty, why not also send letters in your name to the dukes of the Seven Kingdoms and to King's Landing, calling on them to provide as much aid as possible to Winterfell, and to help His Majesty Stannis complete this most sacred and greatest of final battles?"
Jon was still caught up in the moment as he turned his gaze once more toward the Dragon Queen.
No matter what goals the Dragon Queen and Stannis each had, the event known as "the three gods battling the Night King beneath Winterfell" was ultimately the most beneficial outcome for House Stark, for Winterfell, and for the precarious North. As King in the North, it was only natural that he would spare no effort to bring about this "Heroes' Assembly of Winterfell."
"Let it be in your name," Dany said modestly. "My name can come second. After all, you are the lord of Winterfell. I should not steal the spotlight."
Near the end of a lavish banquet, Dany suddenly noticed something: Sansa was not at the table.
At a banquet held to welcome a queen, even the legitimate daughter of House Stark would certainly be present. Even "Snow" would at least be given a seat at the far end.
When the plot of Game of Thrones began, Robert traveled thousands of miles from King's Landing to Winterfell with Cersei. The king and queen sat at the head table with the Stark couple, while the first table below them was occupied by Robb, Bran, Sansa, Arya, Rickon, and Joffrey, Myrcella, and Tommen.
And at the seats closest to the entrance, even Jon could share a table with singers like Mance Rayder.
Yes, Mance Rayder had once climbed over the Wall, disguised himself as a minstrel, and attended that banquet, even sitting at the same table as Jon. It was just that Jon was too busy wallowing in self-pity to notice him.
At tonight's banquet, the vast great hall of Winterfell's main keep was filled with tables and chairs, crowded with counts, lords, and knights.
Even squires were allowed inside.
Dany sat in the position Robert once occupied. Jon took the seat that had belonged to Eddard. Even little Rickon sat together with the various lords. Yet throughout the entire banquet, Sansa never appeared.
"Where is Sansa?"
Dany and Jon were seated next to each other and had a table to themselves, so when she spoke softly, the knights below who were drinking and shouting games could not hear her.
"Sansa…" Jon froze for a moment, then stammered awkwardly, "She's not feeling well."
Not feeling well?
Dany was startled. Could it be that she had terminated her eldest nephew's unborn child?
"Aegon's child should be about five months along by now, right?" she asked cautiously.
Jon's expression changed. He glanced carefully at the Dragon Queen and asked in a low voice, "What do you mean, Your Grace?"
"That's a strange thing to say. What could I mean?" Dany shot him a glare. "Is the child still healthy?"
"Your Grace, that is just a child," Jon said solemnly as he set down his drinking horn. "I will not allow my sister or my nephew to be harmed."
Dany pointed at her own nose. "You mean me?"
Seeing that the Dragon Queen did not look like someone intent on wiping out all roots of trouble, Jon let out a breath and said cautiously, "I thought you still bore resentment toward Aegon and Illyrio."
At that point, Dany finally understood what Jon meant.
In the end, it all came down to a lack of communication between the two sides. After Aegon's identity was exposed, the Dragon Queen felt she had to maintain the dignity of a wronged party. Dragonstone acted very coldly and did not participate in any of the subsequent events. This led Stannis, Jon, Sansa, and even Aegon himself to believe that the Dragon Queen was extremely angry, even filled with hatred.
As a result, Sansa never contacted Dragonstone again.
As a result, Stannis burned Aegon with a clear conscience, until heaven descended and he realized that he had probably been mistaken.
As a result, when Dany arrived at Winterfell, the heavily pregnant Sansa was filled with fear. She worried that the Dragon Queen would demand that the child pay for the father's sins, and so she avoided her the entire time.
As a result, when Dany took the initiative to ask about her niece-in-law's condition, Jon became extremely vigilant, to the point that the Dragon Queen even suspected that Sansa had been ruthless enough to abort the child.
Well, Jon and Sansa had misunderstood the Dragon Queen as having turned love into hatred toward King Aegon, while the Dragon Queen, because her eldest nephew had been burned to death, mistakenly believed that Sansa had abandoned the false prince for wealth and status.
"I will convene a Great Council. At that council, Illyrio and Varys will receive a fair and public trial. As for Aegon…"
Dany sighed, her expression complicated. "He was a good child, and an innocent, pitiful one. I was busy with the war in Meereen and never imagined that Stannis would be so ruthless. Sigh."
"We never expected Stannis to burn him either," Jon said more gently now, shaking his head with a bitter smile. "We never abandoned Aegon. No matter how his identity changed, one thing never did: he was Sansa's husband.
"It was just that Sansa couldn't accept the change in his identity for a while. She flew to the Eyrie to clear her mind and planned to wait for him there. We thought Stannis would soon take the Eyrie.
"Then another accident happened. Sansa and I were injured a bit and spent two days recovering, and then…"
"Injured?"
Jon lowered his gaze and lied, "Backlash from a failed magical experiment."
Dany gave him a calm, unreadable look.
Jon then smiled in relief. "Fortunately, Aegon was devout in serving the Seven and received the Mother's blessing, escaping the tragic fate of being sacrificed."
"Heh heh heh," Dany laughed meaningfully.
"Sansa, we were overthinking it. Daenerys really is a benevolent queen. She will give Illyrio and Varys a fair trial, but she will declare Aegon innocent. You and the child are safe. She even allows the child to use the Targaryen surname."
After the banquet ended, Jon eagerly went to find his sister and told her this tremendous good news.
(End of Chapter)
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