randomosity | [For Jorah/Hannibal] Homecoming

[For Jorah/Hannibal] Homecoming

In Essos, Daenerys had given birth to a healthy and lively baby girl. She had her father's dark eyes but the light hair and full face of her mother. It was shortly after her birth that a letter arrived from across the Shivering Sea - too far for a raven to fly. It came from King's Landing and bared the Bolton seal. The letter invited Daenerys back to Westeros, but not to reclaim the Iron Throne. Apparently, Hannibal Bolton had taken control of King'sLanding, and the Starks had all but been demolished. The Lannisters, in turn, had also been eradicated.

Daenerys was shocked. But more than that, she suspected treason. As did Tyrion Lannister. With her newborn daughter to her breast, Daenerys took council with Jorah, Grey Worm, Missandei and Tyrion.

"Who does this Bolton think he is?" She snapped. "Inviting me back without promising to relinquish the throne to me? It is mine by birthright, I will not allow some savage northman to take what is mine."

Lannister, Baratheon, Bolton - the name didn't matter. A thief was a thief.

"If he took King's Landing and defeated the Lannister army, my queen, then we can conclude that he indeed has a powerful army of his own," Tyrion pointed out.

****

A few weeks had gone by, and Margaery's belly had begun to swell only slightly with their fourth child. Of course Olenna could spot this a mile away and was already declaring name options. Aenar was with the pair of them while they took tea in the gardens overlooking the ocean. The boy was now sitting up on his own in his mother's lap, but still feed from her breast. The twins were studying with their tutors.

"So tell me child," Olenna sipped her tea. "What is your husband's intention by inviting the Targaryen girl back here?"

Aenar cooed when Roose came close and he patted his hands over the dragon's nose. Margaery glanced up to her grandmother, who added more to her question.

"Don't tell me he means to surrender his throne to her, now that they have a confirmed common lineage?" Olenna scoffed.

"Certainly not, grandmother," Margaery replied sharply. "Do you honestly think my husband is the type of man to relinquish power? No. But if you're so curious, all him yourself, he should be joining us shortly."

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Margaery smiled as she kissed him back. She knew he would keep that promise. When the door was opened, she stepped out with Hannibal.

"Lady Daenerys, I'm glad to see you have not frozen solid," Margaery paid her the sincere compliment.

"Glad you could join us," Daenerys countered. "Shall we go inside and discuss the details of battle?" She was not interested in their recently-born child. In fact, she was a bit jealous that Margaery already seemed to have lost the baby weight.

Jorah have a nod to the Bolton's as they arrived. He did note that Margaery seemed to have returned to her natural figure already. He then focused upon Hannibal's face. "The Lord Commander should return from his inspection of the wall shortly to join us in our deliberations." He said before turning to lead them all to the Lord Commander's office.

Hannibal nodded as he led Margaery inside of Castle Black. He took his seat with Margaery next to him. He then turned to look at Danaerys directly. "Now is not the time for us to disagree over titles. We are simply the living versus the dead. I will command my men, you will command yours, and the Lord Commander will command his." He said as Jon Snow walked into the room.

He had a white dire wolf at his side. He nodded at what he heard. "That is true, it will either be us or them with the final victory." He said as he took his seat.

Daenerys sat beside Jorah as they entered the Lord Commander's office. She pursed her lips at Hannibal's words, but nodded slowly. "The Dothraki have adjusted well enough to the cold, and the tunnel is nearly complete."

She turned her attention to Jon Snow. "How long do you think it will be before the White Walkers attack?"

Margaery looked to the white direwolf as it walked in with Jon Snow. She silently cursed herself for not bringing Moanna. The pups that the two wolves could have bred would likely have been very strong.

But now was not the time to focus on such issues.

"Let us be frank, shall we?" Margaery looked to Jon Snow. "You're the only one of the five of us who has encountered the White Walkers. Do you truly think we are prepared to face them in battle?"

Jorah found himself nodding in agreement with Hannibal. That was a valid point and would make their combined effort much stronger.

Jon Snow thoughtfully considered the question. "We know fire will kill them. Dragonfire should make the job quicker. We have made good sets of thick padding that protect from getting scratched or bitten, but are flexible enough to still fight. This padding does not do much against steel, but a quick hand and strong shield can be enough for a strong warrior."

Jorah spoke up then, "The Dothraki have trained well with the shield. They will fight fiercely."

Jon nodded, "That is a fine enough thing, but any man who has been scratched or bitten must throw himself into the fire." His face grew grave. "We have lost many brothers who were toched or scratched by white walkers. They changed in their sleep and we had to kill them. I have not seen a single man to not turn after being scratched or bitten."

Hannibal listened carefully and his face was like stone. He had not heard of this before and was frustrated that the Lord Commander had not passed this information along. "I will set up an inspection unit to check the men. I will assign a special team to take care of any infected troops within my ranks." He turned to look at Danaerys. "I know your Unsullied have the discipline necessary to sacrifice themselves should they pose a danger to you. However, do your Dothraki have the same restraint?" He asked.

Daenerys listened carefully and understood as Jon Snow explained the abilities of the White Walkers. She pursed her lips at Hannibal's question.

"...understand that the Dothraki are a strong, stubborn people," she began. "Yielding to bite or scratch will be nearly impossible for them." She didn't want to admit it, but she had to.

That would be a problem. She looked to Jorah, silently asking his help in suggesting a solution before the others could. She didn't want her men being undermined and controlled by someone else.

Margaery considered the facts, and all the resources they had available to them.

"Perhaps the Dothraki should not be on the front lines, then," she suggested. "This will also keep them far from the dragon fire."

"If you put them anywhere where they cannot fight, it's a waste of their abilities," Daenerys pointed out. "And they will be insulted, restless in camp - they will likely pick a fight with their comrades."

"That is your problem to handle," Margaery replied sharply. "If we cannot count on them to do what is right and yield to the sword when they are scratched or bitten, then they cannot be trusted in close-quarters combat. It's a risk we cannot take. Andal men as White Walkers are strong enough, a Dothraki White Walker would likely be even more powerful."

Jorah frowned when his wife was spoken to so harshly. "Our men fight for us out of respect, not fear." He then looked to Danaerys. "We could tell them that being scratched or bitten means they must cut their braids." He offered as a suggestion.

Jon shifted in his seat, "The wildlings are experts in identifying those marks versus battle wounds. I think they should be the ones to check the soldiers. I also think that we should quarantine them overnight before choosing their final fate." He hesitated a moment before continuing. "I have been scratched by a blade of theirs, but never turned. I think the danger is their teeth and claws." He said.

Hannibal listened carefully, but had no opinion one way or the other on how they kept control of their forces. He did focus in on Jon Snow and considered the warning. "That is true enough. Your wildlings don't take commands from you. They would be impartial in identifying those who could be dangerous and those who aren't. We should have two areas. They can send allnwith scratches to one area and the rest to the other. We can monitor and have the dragons surrounding them to keep them in place." He suggested.

Daenerys smiled when Jorah defended her. Her hand rested over his when he made his suggestion, and despite her smile, she shook her head. "They would never believe such a thing, you know this."

When the Wildlings were suggested to oversee those who had been bitten or scratched, Daenerys nodded slowly. "Fair enough. They are objective enough, I could accept that."

She didn't want an envoy of Hannibal's claiming that her men had been bit or scratched when they hadn't been just to leave her with minimal troops when this was all over.

Margaery nodded before glancing up to Jon Snow with fear in her eyes. "Lord Commander. This Night King, the leader of the White Walkers...do you think we have much to fear from him? Will he charge in with the others and be caught in our trap, or will we have to pursue him?"

She suspected it would be the latter, and she did not like the idea, not one bit.

Jorah smiled and gave her hand a tender squeeze back. He then nodded in agreement and also frowned when he heard Margaery's question. The answer would determine quite a few things that could potentially happen and possible opportunities.

Jon hesitated at the last question. He frowned before looking up to answer. "He will not run, nor will his officers. They are mounted on horseback. I don't know how he commands 'em, but they know his orders. My men have killed one of his officers...it took far more effort than with the main group of white walkers." He explained.

Hannibal listened carefully. "The main soldiers just move and use no structure of any sort? The officers have tactics and fighting technique. Is that the difference between the two?" He asked. Jon nodded. "We will need to lure these officers into smaller traps or have the dragons target them." He said.

Daenerys looked between the men with wide eyes. "These officers...they are significantly stronger than the masses, perhaps we should target them first. I mean...the legion is strong enough to keep us away from the officers, as is their purpose, I'm sure."

She paused, considering how to continue her proposal. "...but if we kill the officers first, the White Walkers will have no one to lead them. They could be trapped easier that way."

"Or it could make them wild and uncontrollable." Margaery pointed out. "I am not tying to poke holes in your argument, Lady Daenerys. But we need to consider every possibility. There are no rules here. We're treading in shadow here."

Margaery considered the situation for a long while. "We should proceed with the plan. Trap the masses and kill them with dragonfire." She looked to Jon Snow then. "How many officers are there that we know of? Are there few enough that we could send a single dragon to cut them off if they try to escape?"

Jorah looked at his wife with slight worry at her suggestion. He shook his head, "No, these are mindless monsters that can only be controlled by them. Without them the main army won't move in a pack that will be easier to kill. We need to attack their leaders after the foot soldiers are in the trap." He said.

Jon Snow nodded in agreement, "I think the original plan is best. I have never seen more than four officers other than the leader." He said.

Hannibal listened carefully as he considered the problem. "Is there a way for us to make a trench to fill with oil and leave a 20 foot gap from the base of the wall? We can have the dragons light those and establish a ring of fire surrounding the battlefield." He suggested. It could be camouflaged with snow to prevent being seen.

Daenerys' eyes lit at Hannibal's suggestion. "That could work - but would the White Walkers be able to smell or sense the oil?" Daenerys looked to Jon Snow. He was evidently the designated expert on White Walkers.

"We need to make certain they're contained - we can't let them get away or this will all have been for nothing," Daenerys looked between them all.

"Agreed," Margaery nodded slowly. "If they escape, they'll make more Walkers. Possibly more powerful ones. If we kill the foot soldiers and the leaders, perhaps we will be able to keep those who are bitten or scratched from turning."

Jorah nodded his agreement. Any escape of the officers would end in their ruin.

Jon Snow nodded his head solemnly. "We will begin digging the additional trench immediately. We need to do it at the height of the sun. That is when it will be safest to move. The white walkers attack in the night or near dusk and dawn." He said before standing.

Hannibal nodded his agreement and they all parted ways for final preparations.

The next three days flew by. The trap was solid and ready. The main army would be too stupid to notice unstable ground. His only hope was that the sheer weight would not collapse the ceiling of the trap prematurely. He was finishing arming himself for the battle they anticipated at any moment. There were small bands of white walkers which were sent on suicide missions to the wall at various points to check for weaknesses. With all of the additional men, all were eliminated immediately.

They allowed a few to survive attacks on the main gate near castle black. They wanted the main commander to believe they were understaffed at castle black. They had sent wildlings north to dig the additional trench. They drew the least amount of suspicion digging north of the wall. They had all returned unharmed.

Hannibal suspected that today would be the final battle. He had a looming feeling and could practically smell the dead growing closer. They did stink quite badly. He turned to Margaery as he began to fasten the metal armor over the links of chain mail he was wearing that would protect him from bites and scratches. "Are you warm enough?" He asked her. He had ordered that she would stay atop the wall to watch, even that was uncomfortably close for him. However, he knew she would be sick with worry otherwise.

Edited 2016-10-14 18:08 (UTC)

Daenerys helped Jorah don his own armor. Her fingers were red and cold, trying to recover from the dreadful ice and snow and wind. She closed the clasps of his chain mail and reached for a padded tunic.

"...today's going to be the day isn't it? I feel dread looming over us." She looked at him with violet eyes full of fear.

She didn't want to let him go into battle without her. Daenerys could ride Drogon and control the dragons better than the others. At least that's what her pride told her.

"I want to go with you," she said sternly.

Margaery was angry. She stood across the bedroom from Hannibal with her arms crossed and glanced darkly for him when he addressed her.

"My anger keeps me warm enough," she replied sharply. "I do not take kindly to being told where I can and cannot go. I should be out there with you, Rhys is big enough now, he will not let harm come to me!"

The dragon was protective of her even after Aenar had been born. Even if a White Walker could get close, he would stop them. Margaery looked to Hannibal with pain in her eyes.

"You would make me stand at the Wall and watch while you fight? Watch you get hurt?" She shook her head. Margaery glanced to his crown on the bedside table, thought of giving it to him, but then thought it better if he didn't stand out amongst the soldiers. "My place is by your side."

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