I smiled back at Dany, hoping it didn't look like a grimace. She clasped her hands together, squeezing mine between them. "Then I shall try and come up the final decision soon," I told her, voice far too light for even myself. "Good, good. That's all I came to say. I guess I'm leave you two…" she said, hesitantly letting go of me.

"Shall we have dinner in your rooms today?" I suggested. She brightened, "That would be lovely. I'll have the kitchen make those lemon cakes," she grinned. "I'll see you later, then," she nodded, leaving the room.

I slumped in my chair as soon as the door shut, blinking away tears.

"You love her," Jon observed quietly. I nodded, not knowing how to respond to that.

"How can you lie so well to someone you love like that?" He demanded. I blinked at him, surprised at his anger, "It's not as if it doesn't fucking hurt to do so, Jon. I just… I had to make a choice. It doesn't mean I don't love Daenerys any less, it just means that I choose you," I said carefully, knowing he wouldn't find that any better.

"She calls you her sister, and you call her cousin. I think you do love her less," he said in a confused tone.

"Dany is my sister in all but blood, Jon. I never said the choice was fucking easy, did I?" I snapped. I took a deep breath, trying to keep my emotions in check.

Jon watched me, then closed his eyes for a moment. "I just mean that she's the only family you've had since your papa, and you wouldn't ever betray him like you are her." He said slowly.

"You are family, Jon. You are the love of my life. I had to make a choice, and I did. I made that choice before I had even met Daenerys, when we stood in front of the Heart Tree." I explained, trying to keep my voice calm.

"So," I told him, deciding to change the subject. "The Dreadfort." I pointed to its general whereabouts on the map. "Let's get you caught up on the attack plan Barristan and I came up with."

I pulled out the smaller map of the North exclusively, and diagrams of the siege weapons we were bringing with us. "So, we're going straight to the Dreadfort from White Harbour, right? So, while we have men attack on land, we'll also have men on the Weeping Waters ready to take the Dreadfort." I began.

Jon stared at me with interest as I went on. I showed him the diagrams and explained where everyone would be and when the weapons would be employed.

"And if the Bolton's expect the water attack?" He asked suddenly.

I looked up at him and smirked, "We also have Viserion and myself. I'll be flying towards what will appear to be the Dreadfort itself ahead of the vanguard." I told him vaguely, pointing from where the men on foot would be attacking from, to the Dreadfort itself, and then the river.

"You'll be attacking whoever goes for the ships," Jon caught on. I grinned, "Exactly." He looked up at me, looking as if unsure how to feel about it. "But, that puts you front and centre before the vanguard. What if they decide to go after your dragon?" He asked slowly. I shrugged, "We dealt with something like that with the Yunkai'i. Viserion and I can handle being shot at." I said casually, leaning back.

"And if this doesn't work?" Jon asked warily. I frowned and took a deep breath, knowing he would hate what I had planned.

"It will work," I said confidently. I looked at the papers all over my desk. We sat in silence as Jon looked over the diagrams and thought some more, than shook his head. "This is an alright plan but… do we really need you and Viserion there? With the numbers alone we could have them," Jon said in a worried tone. I nodded, "Viserion and I need to be there."

Then I stood and walked around the desk. He looked up at me with a confused stare, and I held my hand out. "Come on, I want to show you something," I told him. He stood and took my hand, following me out quietly. I led him through the pyramid and found Red Beetle on the third floor, training the new boys. He immediately stopped when he saw me. "Lady Princess, is there something I can do for you?" He asked, looking between me and Jon.

"Yes, can you prepare a litter please? I wish to go out to the docks," I informed him with a smile. He nodded, "Of course, my Lady. This one will do so immediately," Red Beetle bowed.

I thanked him and looked around, noting that my guard stood out among the rest of the Unsullied clearly now. Daenerys has changed their uniforms recently, from their regular attire to a more light armour, and they donned black cloaks with the Targaryen crest proudly. I ignored the pang in my heart and walked the rest of the way down to the front entrance.

"Why are we going down to the docks?" Jon asked quietly. I shrugged, "I want to show you something," I repeated.

The litter appeared and I realized Jon was still holding my hand. He helped me up into it, and got in himself. "I'm not sure I should be here," he admitted once we were alone. I cocked my head, and he took a deep breath. "I don't think I should have come to Meereen, at least not with Sansa. She's only just escaped Ramsay and now I've … Well I've put her in the same position she was in in Kings Landing, that Robb put her in. Except Daenerys has dragons, and I'm knowingly abandoning her to go off and start this rebellion."

I took his hand and nodded, "Don't worry, Jon. This is… Its going to be hard. But I wouldn't endanger her the way you think. If you decide to take the Throne, I've already planned out how to get Sansa and Nathyn home safely. Barristan is probably speaking to Sansa and that woman right now. You forget, Barristan was one of Rhaegar's most trusted men. He's been to Dragonstone plenty of times, whereas Daenerys won't be seeing it until she gets there."

I hesitated, letting go of his hand and turning to look out the window. "As much as you don't want to believe me, the only thing I don't have a plan for is White Walkers." I told him.

"It's not that I don't believe that, Rae," Jon frowned. "And there's really no plan for the White Walkers to begin with. We just have to figure out how to keep them behind the Wall, and how to get enough Dragonglass to fight them," he told me. I bit my lip and looked around, "So we find Dragonglass first, and figure it out from there," I said slowly.

"Sam told me Stannis mentioned they had some on Dragonstone," Jon offered. I blinked at him, "So I'll talk to Barristan about it." I told him, smiling a little bit.

"What do you think about Dany's request? Is it possible to bring a Wight to Dragonstone?" I asked quietly. Jon hesitated a moment, thinking, so I continued. "If we do it, we can request that they begin looking for Dragonglass, and mining any they find. Then, once we've secured them a Wight for proof, we already have some to go back North with," I thought aloud.

"And what if it's only a small amount? We'll be unnecessarily risking men to get this Wight, and then what? What if there's only enough for a few arrowheads?" Jon countered. I frowned, biting my cheek.

"Then we'll still get Drogon and Rhaegal to come help the fight," I said slowly, still thinking. "As I said in the Council Room, Dany doesn't want to be Queen of the Ashes. It's why we've shut down any plans to attack Kings Landing straight away. If we can prove that White Walkers are real, and heading for Westeros, Dany will have no choice but to help us. I imagine dragons would be helpful in fighting them," I pointed out.

"Dragons would be a tremendous help, Rae. But we can't fight the entirety of the Army of the Dead with three dragons not yet fully grown. If they were all as large as Balerion the Dread, Maybe, but they're not and it would be incredibly foolish to think they could grow that much in the time we have," Jon shook his head.

"No, but it's better than nothing, right?" I asked, hope filling my tone. He nodded, "Of course it is," he said.

I hugged myself and gave a hopeful smile. I felt the litter slow and looked out the window. "We're here," I told him just as we stopped.

Jon got our first, and helped me down. I grinned at him and clasped his hand tightly. "Come on, I really want to show you this," I told him excitedly. He hesitated, but allowed me to pull him along.

We stood on the edge of a cliff, overlooking Meereen's docks. I heard a sharp intake of breath beside me, and I counted our ships in my head. I pointed to a score of ships separate from the rest, and looked up at Jon. "Those ones are the ones we're taking North." I told him.

I watched his eyes widen and smirked. I leaned my head on his shoulder and felt his arm slide around my shoulders. "Of course, we also have roughly 46 more ships waiting at White Harbour. You see that right there?" I pointed to a corner of the docks that had a cluster of men in it. "Yes," he said quietly.

"That's where they're keeping the siege weapons we're bringing. It won't be many, less than a dozen, but still." I told him. He hummed and I looked at him and raised a brow.

"Still think we don't stand a chance?" I asked. He shook his head, and I held back a laugh.

"You helped Barristan with all of this?" He asked curiously. I nodded, "We sat in the War Room for countless nights working everything out." I told him, thinking back to to the long nights we spent discussing it and arguing back and forth.

"How did you come to learn about war tactics?" Jon asked, and I bit the inside of my cheek. I didn't answer for a moment, thinking back to everything that's happened since I stepped into my cousins city.

"I didn't have a choice, really." I finally spoke, then another idea formed in my head. "Come on," I said suddenly, straightening and tugging on his arm gently. He followed me back to the litter, seeming to accept I wasn't going to tell him what I was dragging him into now.

I spoke with my guard quietly, and he hesitated. After a few more moments, they relented and I joined Jon in the litter.

"You don't seem as excited about this trip," Jon commented. I shook my head, "This ones more,,, I'm sorry, this ones for me. I hope you don't mind," I told him quietly. He shook his head, "No. If we're leaving soon, you should get things you need here done," he told me, and I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding.

I didn't say anything else for the rest of the ride, and Jon didn't push me to.

I thought about what happened the last I traveled to this place, and what happened after. I hugged myself and forced myself to breathe, reminding myself it would t do any good to break down right then.

But then we stopped, and I looked out the window.

The Gates of Fate stared at me from outside, and I blinked to push back tears. Jon grabbed my hand, and I let him help me down.

I stood for a moment, staring at Daznak's Pit with horror. Jon held tightly onto my hand, and I began walking in.

"This is where they held the Great Games," I began explaining. "Where slaves fought one another for the Masters. Dany decided to reopen the pits, hoping it would appease the Former Masters."

We entered, and I hesitated as I looked around. I could still hear the cheers, and then the screams, as I looked around and remembered the massacre I witnessed here.

"It didn't end well, and the Sons of the Harpy has used the Great Games to slaughter not only our men, but everyone they could reach." I told Jon.

I looked up at the dais, and pointed to my seat. "I sat there, during the event. Jorah was fighting, and he had won. He was standing right… here," I dragged Jon through the pit to stand where Jorah had, and looked at where we had all been sitting.

"After he won, there was outrage, no one was happy. They were booing and suddenly…" I eyed to the seats Daenerys and Hizdahr were in, "He threw a spear, aiming right… there," I adjusted so I could point exactly where the Harpy had been.

"That could have hit Daenerys," Jon pointed out. I shook my head, "There was a Son of the Harpy, right behind them and Daario, and it landed square in his chest," I remembered, seeing the sight before me.

"And then the Harpies attacked from everywhere. They were in the stands, in those little walkways," I pointed to one of the entrances I was talking about.

"Why are we here, Rae?" Jon asked in a hesitant tone. I frowned, "This place is the reason I had no choice learning about war. After the attack, Dany left, and I had to keep going without her. And… Because … I just need to figure something out," I said absently as I looked around.

"I was in there, too, Princess. How could I have been a part of it?"

I sighed and pulled the loose part of my hair over my shoulder, wondering just what the fuck happened.

Jon didn't respond, and whether it was because he didn't know what to say, or because he realized I needed a moment, I couldn't say.

I walked over to where Oberyn put me down and I realized he was expecting to die, and looked around. Jon stood where Jorah had all that time ago, and I squinted across the Pit.

"Where did you go after that?" Jon called it, and I pointed to where the giant pot laid on the ground. "I went over there, where one of the green boys training to be an Unsullied was standing with the pot. We told every one of our guards that day if there was any sign of trouble, they were to light their pots so I could…" I trailed off, walking over.

Jon followed me this time and I leaned down to look at the pot. Wood still sat in a pile an arms reach away, and looking around, I realized they all wood near them.

"I didn't get the order-" I remembered.

"So, the Sons of the Harpy were attacking, and the men were supposed to light these pots? You told them all this?" Jon asked, looking around with furrowed brows. I shook my head, "Not men, boys. We … I told Dany to have all the boys in training so they could learn how to make judgement calls. We told them that they were to light their pots, and use their own judgement for it," I explained absently.

"So why is this the only one that was lit?" Jon asked in confusion.

"I didn't get the order-"

"Because someone told them they were to wait for an order," I murmured, heaving a sigh.

"Rae, you need to tell me exactly what you're thinking if I'm going to help you understand anything," Jon said in a firm tone. I looked at him, and bit my lip.

"I ruled in Dany's stead for a month while she was away and… I imprisoned the man she was supposed to marry. Really, I forgot about him. Because he answered my questions, so I decided to let him rot…" I shook my head.

Hizdahr Zo Loraq was underneath the pyramid at that very moment, and I forgot about him. Which was stupid, because I was the only one who knew he was there besides the guards from my own men I set to watch over him.

"I just got distracted, from the Masters, from the fleet burning, and …" I shook my head. From finding out I was losing the North.

"So nobody else knows he's in the cells? How?" Jon squinted at me. "Well, it was simple. He was stabbed in the attack, and I put him in the cells as soon as the Healer said he would live. My personal guards watch over him, my handmaidens feed him, just as they all do with Ria. I had the Healer tell Tyrion, and everyone, that Hizdahr died from his wound. Even though, really, it was a wound that took no more than two weeks to heal over. I just… Didn't find him important enough after getting my answer from him," I frowned, looking around again.

"And what answer was that?" Jon asked, and I hugged myself.

"Who was funding the Harpies. It was why I charged the Masters with treason, why I went to war with them, even if it was only the one battle, I just…" I shook my head.

"I do believe there are more things for us to work out," I grinned at the men of my council. We went back into the Council chambers.

I sat at the table, in my customary spot at the first seat on the left of the head, and Tyrion sat across from me. I looked around, "What are we going to do about Hizdahr?" I asked him. He hesitated, "Well we have to see if he survives first," Tyrion began. "And if I does?" I asked, holding the edge of my seat. Oberyn looked at me curiously, and I subtly shook my head.

"And then I believe it would be best for him to take over, in the Queens place until she returns."

"I couldn't let him destroy what w-Daenerys worked for," I whispered. Jon blinked at me, moving right in front of me.

"What do you mean?" He asked, eyes burning into me. I looked away from him, biting my cheek.

"He would have ruined everything, but the Council thought he was the best option. The son of a Former Master in charge, it was their idea as the best way to calm everyone down. I couldn't let that happen, because he would have began to tear apart the entire structure we were building, he would have set back all the progress we made with the smallfolk. I didn't have a choice, Jon," I said, my voice sounding desperate.

"How did you get your answers?" Jon asked firmly, and I looked up at him. His eyes were wide, and I blinked at him.

"Rae, what did you do?" He demanded.

Realization hit me like a boulder, and I swallowed. "Do you think I… tortured him?" I asked, the words sticking to my throat and almost gagging me. Jon hesitated, and I stepped back from him.

"Of course I didn't, Jon. I'm not a fucking monster," I snapped. "Okay, you didn't torture him, but you did throw him in a cell and forget about him," Jon pointed out. "I did the same with Ria, do you think that's a horrible thing, as well?" I asked sharply.

"Compared to what I'm hearing you did to this man, I think you're treating Ria like a guest," Jon frowned. I bit my cheek again, blood pooling in my mouth.

"So what should I do?" I asked slowly. Jon thought a moment, then grabbed me by my shoulders. "You do the right thing, and tell Daenerys what happened to the man she was supposed to marry."

A/N; So, the Hizdahr thing isn't a last minute add on, it's just something I couldn't figure out how to put in without completely giving it away and/or having it seem out of place. Except... Now I've completely thrown it in there without any context. Sorry about that. I'm working on that, promise.