Hidden Spot, Close to Winterfell - The North - Almost Time for the Battle
After Visenya's speech, the two Targaryens rode their dragons away from the gathered armies and instead landed in a small opening surrounded by woods. They were on the opposite side from where the army would come and they would be ready for the first sign that the enemy was here.
They had not truly talked much even once their dragons landed but instead waited next to their loyal beasts. Daenerys was rather quiet, clearly debating a lot of things like the speech her aunt gave or how she riled up the men like it was nothing.
She also had more personal questions she wished to ask but considered whether now was the best time to do so or not. Instead, she chose to wait a little bit longer and just watch as her aunt gently caressed the side of Rhaegal's head with a small smile on her lips.
"You know, if you have any questions you wish to ask me; you can go ahead and ask them," she suddenly said, turning her body halfway but still focused on the green-scaled dragon.
Her words surprised Daenerys, who parted her lips in surprise as her back leaned against Drogon's hard dark scales.
"How did you know I wanted to ask you something?"
Visenya smiled and turned her head to look at her niece.
"I am a mother. Given birth to one child and raised almost five of them. You all pull similar faces when you have questions but hesitate to ask them," she explained.
Somehow, the situation made Daenerys blush faintly at being so easily read by her aunt but also smile at her words. She did give that motherly aura and she did seem to somehow know more than she let others know, like how a mother knew more about her children and simply chose to remain quiet.
She could not help but remember stories Ser Barristan had told her, where Visenya was more of a mother to Rhaegar than her sister; due to the abuse the Queen got from her husband and being bedridden from the miscarriages.
"I have a lot of questions, honestly," the Mother of Dragons admitted.
Her aunt turned to face her fully and leaned against the scaled neck of Rhaegal, as both dragons were lying on their fronts with their heads down.
"We do have time I believe. Ask me away and the rest, after the battle."
Her willingness to listen and so openly answer even more questions, not even thinking if they would be more personal this time; made Daenerys feel a little bit more at ease. She did not have a lot of people she could openly ask because they either did not know or she could not just open her heart to someone who might betray her later.
Very few would truly remain by her side but even they, could not really compare to what Visenya seemed to give so naturally.
She thought for a moment, choosing which question to address first.
Then, her mind flashed memories of her aunt and her good-uncle. From the first meeting where he seemed rather angry when she confessed about the Red Wedding, to all those moments he caught them walking side by side.
Everyone insisted that she was okay, although Tyrion seemed to be the most uncertain. Things did look okay but so many things had been told about the Old Lion that had only confused the young Targaryen in the end.
She recalled the scene from last night, seeing how the ruthless old Lion, that was Tywin Lannister, took off his furs and gently wore them on the shoulders of his wife; to keep her warm.
How today, he mannerly kissed the back of her hand and offered the faintest of smiles before retreating; in order to ensure there would be no disputes and unnecessary arguments between him and his good-niece.
"Your husband..." Daenerys started, making the smile disappear from her aunt's face. "They have told me you are close to the Lannisters and I simply wish to understand what is going on with my last relative and where she stands... because I know it was you behind those patrons in Essos, who ensured Viserys and I would be well-fed and sheltered."
Visenya let out a heavy audible sigh and leaned more on the dragon, thinking for a moment. She was afraid her niece would eventually come to ask her about it and she was not sure how prepared she was for it.
"You wish to know why I do not stand with you but rather against you, in the claims for the Throne," she concluded, looking into the purple eyes of her niece and for a moment saw her sister standing there.
The Dragoness took a moment to think of her words, on how to explain the truth behind her actions without giving the wrong conclusions. The last thing she needed was to argue and hurt the feelings of her niece before the big battle.
"It's not that I don't support you in general, Daeny," she started, using the nickname the Mother of Dragons had heard in her vision when she visited the Warlocks back then. "I have been supporting and checking up on you since you were a child... that is true. Back then, when Robert was on the Throne I truly dreamt that one day you and your brother would return to reclaim your birthright..."
She took a small pause, studying how her niece was reacting to her words. She was not surprised that she had eventually connected the dots and found out that Visenya had been the one keeping tabs on her; behind everyone's back, including Tywin's.
"However... Robert is dead now, by my hand," she confessed, earning a surprised reaction from her. "I took my revenge on him for what he did to us, to your brother... to our family... but I have also come to see what this... stupid chair has done, what it has caused... there hasn't been a single Targaryen that had an easy reign or any King or Queen for that matter... it only caused innocent blood to be spilt in the end and I do not want that for my niece, for the last member of my family."
"It is still my birthright!" Daenerys argued, taking a step forward as a subconscious reaction.
"As it is your right to have a good life!" Visenya snapped, trying to keep her voice stable and not shout. "You told me you had a man back in Essos, Daario. You have the chance to be with someone who loves you, have children and be truly happy. You can rule people that worship you, ensure slavery never returns to the Free Cities."
She took a deep breath, her lips pressing into a thin line.
"Don't make the mistake I did, Daeny... don't waste your life for the throne, serving the realm that will easily turn against you with every little displeasure."
Her words sounded deep and personal, and Daenerys could even see the regret and hurt that existed in her unique red-flecked golden eyes. It was clear what she spoke was coming from personal experience, one that she took no joy in.
"A Queen doesn't serve the Realm. It is the Realm that serves and obeys her," the younger of the two said, a clear indication that she had not truly lived nor experienced how monarchy truly worked.
Visenya offered a sad smile.
"No, Daeny. You think they serve you but when you sit on that chair or when you represent its power, you are not different from the dragons our ancestors rode," she argued. "Dragons never needed riders, you know. There was no benefit for them to allow humans to climb and ride them, which was why so few wild ones were ever tamed... those that made the mistake though... they bowed their heads and allowed the chains and the collars to be placed around their necks, forever giving away their freedom for a life of servitude."
She gave her niece a sad smile.
She could see it on her face that she was deeply thinking about what she was told. It was evident that she had not been truly educated nor informed of what it truly meant to rule and what sacrifices you had to make to ensure peace.
She was not surprised because none of her advisors truly knew the burden carried by one's shoulders, not how she did.
"If you become Queen, you will have to marry a Lord you do not like and bear him children; to strengthen your line and form alliances. You will have to marry your children early to random strangers, again for the sake of peace and alliance while always risking that they can be harmed by those that are against you... you will have to obey the laws and faith existing there, to give in to some... ridiculous demands of other Lords and the common folk to ensure there would be no riots," she continued, trying hard not to scoff but failing.
"You will constantly live your life looking behind your back, for there will be many wishing to harm you and even more wishing to trick and take advantage of you... you will have to bear gossip from others and not react to them the wrong way, or risk causing a rebellion like your father did..."
She licked her lips faintly, feeling them rather dry from the cold as the wind had picked up and the temperature seemed to have fallen even lower.
"There are a lot of things you will have to sacrifice, Daeny and honestly, I do not even think that crown is truly worth ruining your chance for a happy life."
Daenerys was silent for a moment, mentally debating her original plans.
She thought back to when she had settled in Meereen when she had to wear traditional clothes just to ease the people but they still did not like her.
She thought of the Sons of the Harpy that almost killed her if it were not for Drogon and even her dragon got injured because of them. She thought of all those slave masters and rich nobles she heard complaining, wishing for her to change things to better suit their needs.
She had suffered through it because she wished to know how to rule.
She had used her Unsullied and her dragons and somehow managed to maintain peace but never for too long.
What her aunt was describing, was sounding even worse than what she dealt with in Meereen. One might even think Visenya was lying to change her mind but the Mother of Dragons did not agree with that idea.
Something about her words was familiar; something about her confessing tone made her truly believe it... and that put her into deep thought.
"...Like how you sacrificed your birthright and married that Lion?" she eventually asked, after almost a full minute of pure silence.
"Barristan told you, didn't he?" she asked rhetorically, already having the answer. "You know, the way you said it you made me sound like my Uncle Duncan; your great-grandfather's brother."
Duncan had been the firstborn in the family but in order to marry Jenny of Oldstones, he had to stop being the heir to the throne. So he willingly and openly stepped down as Crown Prince to marry for love.
Ironically, this did sound in a way very close to her case; although with some key differences.
She focused on her niece once again.
"But to answer your question, I did. Your father needed strong allies, he needed a good hand to help him rule because he was not good at handling all the responsibilities on his own... no King or Queen ever is. I gave up my chances to ever sit on the throne to ensure we had allies, that the realm would remain at peace and our family would thrive... I carried an heir as it was expected of me... alas, not everything went according to plan but it is an example of what one is expected to do when born into royalty; whether they like it or not."
Daenerys eyed her aunt carefully. The topic of discussion was slowly changing and ironically, resulted in a topic she had long wished to discuss with her but never found the proper way to bring it up in the first place.
"Did he ever make you happy? Did he... ever develop any feelings for you?" she finally asked.
She had heard so much about their marriage, so many different views of it and yet none matched what she had personally seen from afar. She had seen the possessiveness and the controlling nature of the Old Lion but she had also seen moments that she could swear were passive tenderness or care from his side.
They were minimal, barely noticeable but Daenerys knew them because Khal Drogo had similar patterns; sometimes. Eventually, he stopped hiding them and openly showed his affection for her without a single care in the world.
Visenya smiled weakly and decided to come clean.
"He has made me happy, very much," she smiled faintly. "And yes, after time he did and still does... as I do have for him," she confessed, surprising her niece; who just stared. "He is just not allowed to show it and neither am I, for both of our sakes."
Her niece frowned.
"Why?"
"One of the sacrifices you have to make for the Realm," she answered, connecting it with their previous topic. "In court and Westeros generally, men are supposed to be superior and live up to a certain image. A man that shows feelings of love or cares for his children, let alone his wife; is considered a weak man, one that cannot and will not be taken seriously.
The more power a man as Lord Paramount has, the more tough and challenging he must portray himself in order to maintain the respect, the fear and the power he has or risk being ridiculed and undermined... perhaps even get overthrown by a smaller house under his liege."
"This is stupid," the young Dragon commented.
"I know but it is how things are... Tywin..." She took a moment to think. "He has a lot of power as Warden of the West and as Hand. He cannot allow himself to show weakness or any other feelings if he wishes to remain respected and feared. However, it is also meant to protect me," she explained, seeing her niece fully focused on her and practically hanging from her every word.
"If people were to see that he cared for me or that there was something between us, then I would be a target. His enemies would wish to harm me, to eventually harm him through me. If he was not as feared as he was, perhaps they would have done that already... on the other side, Lords and Ladies will try to approach and take advantage of me to eventually get to him."
Not once did she break eye contact with her niece.
"We have stopped some plans that way, saving his life and the lives of our family."
The Dragoness did not remember the last time she sat down and explained the complicated rules she and Tywin had to follow. She was not sure if ever such time existed and it felt odd hearing herself saying it out loud since she had only told herself in her mind, when sometimes it was simply becoming too much; the whole acting and faking.
She let out a heavy sigh.
"It is not something we enjoy but we know it is the only way that things will work... this is how the court works," she finished, her voice and her gaze softer; hiding the pain behind it. "We have no choice and we have long agreed to it, before we even joined our houses through marriage... but you... you still have time and chances to live your life. Live your life happy in a way I know your mother and brother would want that for you."
Daenerys glanced at her feet, now feeling rather bad for her aunt. How she explained her life, full of lies for the sake of peace and their safety. How she never had the chance to be herself or even enjoy a proper relationship, truly be happy in it because she had no choice.
"Your mother lost the chance to be a happy wife and the chance to be healthy because of her duties. She gave endless births to produce heirs that were needed since she was a mere child..." Visenya's gaze dropped, her voice threatening to crack. "Your father was kidnapped because of who he was and more than once was he almost killed by those that did not want him to rule, even before madness took over his mind..."
Another sigh.
"Your brother... he married for the sake of alliances but he still tried to truly be happy with the Stark girl... evidently leading to a rebellion, all because he acted on what his heart truly wanted and not what he had to do as the next King..."
The young Dragon bit her bottom lip as she heard of her family, of the people she would never have the chance to meet. She had heard one side of their story but now she heard the other one... and she was not sure what to feel about it.
After all the words and all the explanations she had... she could now see clearly what she meant and see that her family did not have the best life or at least not the life she thought they had.
A part of her truly thought back to Daario and the good times she had with him, the freedom she had in Meereen; at least to some extent.
Now, she was not sure if she wished to continue her conquest and reclaim the throne. So many things would have to be sacrificed and a part of her even feared, her children would be one of them.
She was surprised when Visenya walked her way and then pulled the shorter and younger woman into a tight motherly embrace. Her body was warm like hers; her arms somehow knew exactly how to hug and she gave an aura that Daenerys could not resist.
Her arms wrapped around her back and pulled her even closer, burying her face into the crook of her aunt's neck. Her violet eyes had closed and she took a moment to enjoy this foreign but welcoming feeling.
Is this how being hugged by a Mother truly feels like?
She could not help but wonder, a part of her wishing never to let go or at least have gotten more of those all those years.
She had passed through some tough times and she could have really used such hugs, to help ease the pain and offer temporary shelter; a chance for her to breathe and feel safe despite the chaos happening all around her.
Visenya kissed the top of her head, eyes looking ahead as Drogon was watching them in silence.
"No matter what happens in this Battle, do not stay in Westeros. Return to Essos, live your life and be what no one from our family truly ever was... happy."
The Mother of Dragons did not say anything but she heard her aunt speaking loud and clear. Her words sounded so sincere and Daenerys truly believed them. For a moment, as she rested in the warm embrace of her aunt; she thought of such a future.
A future where Daenerys would be happily married to Daario and have his children. A scenario where her dragons would roam free and she would take her kids for riding across the skies. Perhaps, Visenya would be able to visit them and they could all spend time as family.
Suddenly, the dragons stirred and clicking noises were heard from both of them.
This made the two Targaryens pull back and look at them, only to see the animals staring at the dark sky above them as they started to get uneasy.
"It is time," Visenya said, realizing that they were sensing the undead Viserion.
"It is," Daenerys agreed, trying to play it brave and calm like her.
Her aunt cupped her cheek gently and offered her a smile.
"We stick together, okay? No matter what, do not land on the battlefield. In the worst case, retreat and stay out of danger if Drogon or you get injured."
The shorter woman nodded her head, locking her violet eyes with the amber ones of her aunt.
"You do the same. I am not becoming the Last Dragon tonight."
Her aunt did not say anything but instead pulled her hand back and started to walk towards Rhaegal, who started to slowly get up and stretch; getting ready to fly.