ULF
The crowds gathered at the Dragon Gate.
Word had traveled faster than Silverwing—riders, ravens, shouting chains of gossip that spread through the city like fire through dry grass.
The White Demon. The bastard who walked on air. The man who broke the Red Queen.
I landed Silverwing in the Dragonpit to handlers who wouldn't meet my eyes. Fear now, where there had been contempt before. I wasn't sure which was worse.
The walk to the Red Keep took three times longer than it should have. People pressed against the gold cloaks' lines, reaching for me, shouting names I didn't recognize.
"White Demon!"
"Dragonbreaker!"
"Blessed by the Warrior himself!"
A child threw flowers. An old woman wept. A drunk tried to touch my cloak and got knocked down by guardsmen.
I killed a grandmother. These people are celebrating.
The gates of the Red Keep opened. More crowds inside—servants, minor lords, soldiers. All watching. All waiting.
Aemond met me in the outer yard.
He'd changed since Rook's Rest. Something in his posture—straighter, more certain. A prince no longer waiting for power. A regent who'd tasted it.
"The hero returns." His voice carried across the yard. Deliberate. Performative. "The man who brought down Meleys herself."
"Prince Aemond." I inclined my head. Carefully neutral.
"You saved my brother's life. The realm owes you a debt." He stepped closer, lowered his voice. "I'm prepared to grant you a lordship. Lands. A proper name. Say the word."
A lordship. From the man who watched his brother fall and waited three seconds too long to help.
"I appreciate the offer, my prince. But I serve Queen Helaena. That's enough for me."
Something flickered in his eye—the real one. Calculation.
"As you wish. The offer remains open."
He walked away. I watched him go.
Dangerous. More dangerous than Aegon ever was.
ALICENT
She found him in the corridor outside Aegon's chambers.
The bastard—Ulf—stood alone, staring at the closed door. Blood still crusted under his fingernails. Burns visible on his neck and hands, already healing to pink scars.
"My son lives because of you."
He turned. His expression: carefully blank. Controlled.
"He lives because Vhagar arrived in time. I just kept him breathing until then."
"That's not what Lord Cole told me." She stepped closer. Studied this strange man who'd become so important so quickly. "He said you jumped from your dragon. Landed on Meleys. Held her down while she burned you."
"Lord Cole exaggerates."
"Lord Cole doesn't exaggerate. He barely speaks."
Silence stretched between them.
"My daughter," Alicent said carefully. "She relies on you."
"I know."
"More than she should, perhaps."
His jaw tightened. Barely visible, but she caught it.
"I protect her. Nothing more."
Liar. But a useful one.
"See that you continue. These are dangerous times. She needs someone she can trust." She paused. "Someone who will do what's necessary."
"I always do what's necessary."
She believed him. That was the frightening part.
ULF
Helaena's chambers. Evening light through the windows.
She sat by the fire, hands clasped in her lap, staring at nothing. The children were in the nursery—I'd checked on them first, made sure they were safe.
"You're back."
Her voice was flat. Empty.
"I told you I would be."
"I know." She still didn't look at me. "I saw it. The battle. All of it."
Dreams. Prophecy. Whatever she calls it.
"What did you see?"
"Fire. Blood. Dragons falling." Her hands twisted together. "You. Standing on the red dragon's back. Breaking it."
I crossed the room. Knelt before her.
"Helaena—"
"I knew you were dangerous." She finally met my eyes. Tears tracked down her cheeks. "I knew from the first day you walked into the godswood. But I didn't know you were... that."
"I did what I had to do."
"You broke a dragon. With your hands. While she burned you." Her voice cracked. "What are you?"
A man from another world. A transmigrator with stolen powers. A monster pretending to be human.
"I'm yours."
"That's not an answer."
"It's the only one I have."
She pulled her hands from mine. Stood. Walked to the window.
"Rhaenys was a grandmother. Did you know that? Luke and Jace—Rhaenyra's boys—they were her grandchildren. She fought for them. Died for them."
"I know."
"And you killed her."
"I helped kill her. Yes."
"How?" She spun around. "How do you just... accept that? How do you not—" She gestured helplessly. "She was someone's mother. Someone's grandmother. And you ended her."
"Because if I didn't, Aegon would be dead. And Rhaenyra would have won. And eventually, that victory would reach this Keep. Reach your children." I stood. "I'm not going to apologize for protecting them."
"I'm not asking you to apologize. I'm asking you to... feel something."
I feel plenty. I just can't afford to show it.
"I feel everything," I said quietly. "Her face when she knew she was going to die. The way Meleys screamed. The weight of her body hitting the ground." I stepped toward her. "I dream about it. I'll dream about it for years. But when I had to choose between her life and your children's safety, there was no choice. There never is."
Helaena's lips trembled.
"You're becoming what this war wants you to be. A killer."
"I was always a killer. You just hadn't seen it yet."
HELAENA
He was right.
She'd known. From those first conversations in the godswood, from the scars on his hands, from the way he moved—always ready, always watching.
She'd just pretended not to see.
"I'm afraid of you," she whispered.
He flinched. Barely visible, but there.
"I know."
"I'm also afraid for you. What happens when the war ends? What happens to the man who does these things, when there's nothing left to fight?"
"I don't know."
He was being honest. She could always tell when he was being honest.
"Kneel."
He obeyed. No hesitation.
"Tell me why you do this. All of it. The training. The dragon. The killing. Tell me why."
"For you." His voice was steady. "For Jaehaerys and Jaehaera. For the chance that when this war ends, you're still alive. Still here. That's all I want."
"And if I asked you to stop? To let someone else fight?"
"I can't."
"Why?"
"Because no one else can do what I can. And if I don't do it, someone breaks into that nursery. Someone burns this Keep. Someone kills the people I—" He stopped. Swallowed.
"The people you what?"
"The people I love."
The word hung between them.
She reached out. Touched his face.
"Then I accept what you are. Monster and man. Killer and protector." She traced his jaw. "But promise me something."
"Anything."
"Don't let this war take all of you. Leave something for me. For when it's over."
He covered her hand with his.
"As long as you're here, there's something worth staying human for."
She bent down. Kissed him.
Outside, victory celebrations echoed through the Keep. Drunk soldiers. Cheering servants. A realm pretending the battle meant something.
She ignored it all.
For now, in this moment, she had him back.
That would have to be enough.
Note:
Please give good reviews and power stones itrings more people and more people means more chapters?
My Patreon is all about exploring 'What If' timelines, and you can get instant access to chapters far ahead of the public release.
Choose your journey:
Timeline Viewer ($6): Get 10 chapters of early access + 5 new chapters weekly.
Timeline Explorer ($9): Jump 15-20 chapters ahead of everyone.
Timeline Keeper ($15): Get Instant Access to chapters the moment I finish writing them. No more waiting.
Read the raw, unfiltered story as it unfolds. Your support makes this possible!
👉 Find it all at patreon.com/Whatif0