Chapter Text
Ch 1 First Bet
Shrugging his cloak further over his shoulders, Jon tightened his grip on the reins, his eyes catching the first glimpse of Winterfell along the horizon.
“Do you think they’ll like me?” Dany asked as she rode up next to him.
“Of course they will, how could they not,” Jon replied, turning to face her, they locked eyes and stared at each other as their mounts continued forward.
A few feet behind them Tyrion scoffed and took another swig from his wineskin, anxiety setting in due to the thought of seeing his former wife.Davos chuckled next to him, seemingly ignorant of the Lord of Lannister’s fears.
“How long do you think it will take for the Starks to figure it out,” he asked, gesturing over to Jon and Dany.
“If they’re half as observant as they were when I last saw them, within minutes,” Tyrion replied.
“Care to make a wager?” Davos smirked as Tyrion raised an eyebrow at him and saluted him with his wineskin.
“Thirty gold dragons.”
“Fifteen, and it’ll take them a week, the Lady Stark isn’t that close to her half-brother.”
“No, but Sansa is smart, a lot smarter than any of the fools in Kings Landing could see.”
“Ah, that is true,” the conversation stalled as they continued to watch the lovestruck couple make mooneyes at each other. The rough pounding of hoofbeats interrupted their vigil as Gendry Waters rode up to the head of the column.
“I couldn’t take riding in the back with Mormont anymore, he keeps making comments about the King--I mean Jon,” Gendry sighed, shivering under his borrowed cloak.
“Well lad, he does seem to have an unnatural fixation on the Dragon Queen,” Davos replied.
“If you think that’s bad, try being stuck on a boat with just him for a companion. For weeks it was Khaleesi this and Khaleesi that.” Tyrion snapped, then pitching his voice deeper he grunted, “Oh her hair is so beautiful like diamonds in the moonlight and she’s so brave and wise, she’s a wonderful queen.”
The other two men laughed, Jorah Mormont’s obsession with Daenerys Targaryen well known after joining up with the bulk of her army at White Harbor. His very loud and very rude protestations about her riding at the front of the column with the ‘Ned Stark’s Bastard’ putting him at the back of the army with only the Dothraki for company.
“Yeah Mormont’s a lost cause, but then I suppose we all are for those we love,” Davos said, his voice drawing to a whisper as he thought of his beloved wife.
“Ah for the love of women,” Tyrion drank again, “Say, Waters you ever love a woman?”
“Uh… Well, no. I mean yes, I mean… it’s complicated,” Gendry stuttered, sweat peeking at his brow despite the freezing temperatures.
“Well there’s a story there, who is she?” Tyrion prompted.
“Ah..” Gendry flailed about in his seat, the horse underneath him snorting at his movements. Just ahead the column a fast paced blur saved him from answering Tyrion’s question by distracting the other men, as the gates of Winterfell came into view and with them, the quickly approaching and now recognizable Arya Stark.