-Chapter 187-

-Chapter 187-

-15th day of the 12th moon of the year 300 AC-

-POV MC-

Watching my children sleep was one of the most beautiful moments of my day. Sometimes, I even had trouble realizing that all of this was truly real.

From my first life to that of a bastard, then a king, to finally my current position as Emperor of Westeros, I had never experienced such peace as when watching my little ones sleep peacefully.

I felt arms encircle me from behind, then a voice said:

“They are so fragile but so precious.”

I nodded, passing my hand over Visenya’s belly. She had opened her eyes upon hearing Cersei’s voice but closed them again, feeling my presence and my hand soothing her.

“I was surprised that you took care of the little ones,” I said.

“Are you surprised that I have a maternal instinct?” she asked, her breath tickling my ear.

“No, I actually think it’s one of your greatest qualities. But what pleasantly surprised me was seeing you take care of another woman’s children,” I said, explaining to Cersei what had really surprised me about her changing behavior.

“They are Maegor’s siblings. It is only right that I take care of them despite what their mother did,” she said calmly.

I nodded without saying anything because I didn’t want to upset her needlessly, but I wasn’t born yesterday and I suspected she was trying to make Aemon and Visenya future followers of Maegor.

‘Like Ned wanted me to be for Robb initially, but a dragon is no one’s slave.’

“I heard you were planning to appoint governors,” Cersei said behind me.

“Hmm, the information coming from the bloody moon is truly worrying because half the nobility is on the verge of armed conflict with their neighbors, but they are restrained only by the fear of seeing their House annihilated by me for disturbing my peace,” I said, dissatisfied with such a situation.

“Then why appoint governors if you still have control over them?” said Cersei, annoyed that I was ceding some of the power I had over the Imperial Domain.

“Because maintaining fear implies showing strength and cruelty,” I said.

“You don’t want war anymore?” Cersei asked me.

I shrugged and said:

“Why make war if I can achieve the same result with peace?”

“You’re afraid of losing,” she said in a slightly accusatory tone.

“I’m not afraid of losing,” I said, a bit defensively.

“Since the assassination attempt, I find you much more cautious than before. Before, you would have decapitated the head of House Buckler, you would have set Braavos on fire and all those who try to oppose us, but now you’re waiting,” she said.

“I’m not waiting for anything, I’m consolidating our positions in case of war with our neighbors. We must not forget our real enemy either,” I said.

“What enemy?” asked Cersei, confused, who had unconsciously dismissed my warnings about the White Walkers to the back of her mind as legends from the barbaric lands of the North.

“The only one who has a chance of defeating me… Death,” I said enigmatically.

---

-POV Eddard Stark-

“Your Excellency, here is a letter that Grand Maester Aemon asked me to deliver to you personally,” said a soldier from the Dragon Guard, handing me a letter.

I nodded and then opened the letter, closing the door with my foot:

---

Father,

The news I bring will certainly be hard to believe, but I ask you to trust me because I would never lie to you about such a serious matter.

Bran and I have found the last children of the forest in Wolfswood and according to the leader of these children of the forest, she comes from north of the Wall.

I still don’t know how she crossed it given that the Emperor ordered all paths to the… dead sealed.

But she has requested the presence of the Emperor as soon as possible. Bran left with her a few days ago.

Mother is furious because I didn’t consult her before letting him leave with Leaf, but nothing could have happened to him. If you had seen what I saw, father, dozens of children of the forest, all riding on the backs of dozens of adult direwolves.

Convince our cousin to go to the forest near Harrenhal, that’s where they’ll be waiting for him.

Robb.

---

“Is it a letter from Robb?” asked Arya, preparing to go to her daily dancing lesson.

I nodded and then she said: “How are they?”

“Perfectly well,” I lied to avoid scaring her.

Arya nodded and left while I stared into space, wondering how I would convince Aegon to go to a forest without an escort.

‘He will have his dragon,’ I told myself before going in search of my… nephew.

---

-POV Daenerys Targaryen-

“What do you think of this place?” I asked, looking at the island where we had arrived a few days ago.

“It’s… different,” Missandei finally said.

I raised an eyebrow to tease her, pretending to be unsatisfied with her words, and she quickly added: “It’s very different from Meereen.”

I smiled and Missandei pouted, turning her eyes away, seeing that I was just having fun at her expense. Then I said:

“It’s true that it’s different, but I’m happy to be here, it’s my home, I was born here and I will soon take the place that is rightfully mine.”

Missandei lowered her eyes and I said: “What’s wrong?”

“I heard gossip among the servants that the Emperor had visited the Du…”

“The Duchess,” I said, a bit surprised that Missandei stumbled over a word since her elocution was usually perfect.

“Yes, the Duchess Cersei Lannister at night and that he hadn’t left her room all night,” Missandei finally said.

I frowned but Missandei added:

“A servant belonging to House Drox even boasted that her Duchess’s son, Maegor, was already a dragon rider and was the Emperor’s heir.”

‘If he already has an heir, what’s stopping him from retracting now that I’m at his mercy and especially what’s stopping him from not curing me so that his heir has no competition to prevent a second dance of the dragons?’

“Khalee…”

I interrupted Missandei abruptly, looking around, slightly panicked, and said:

“Never call me that again.”

“I’m sorry,” she said, immediately understanding her mistake.

“It’s nothing, don’t do it again,” I said in a calmer tone.

Missandei nodded and then I smiled, having an idea, and said:

“Follow me, we’re going to go wish a good day to my dear fiancé.”

---

-POV MC-

“Say Daddy,” I asked my eldest son.

“Da… GA.”

“No, say Daddy,” I ordered Aemon this time.

“Da,” he began, renewing my hopes that he would call me daddy.

“Yes,” I said, hoping that for the first time he would call me daddy but it was too much to ask.

“Ga,” Aemon shouted before bursting into laughter.

Furious, I began tickling him frenetically, making him laugh more and more, forcing me to stop after a few seconds so as not to have to change his diaper.

“You won’t succeed that way,” said Cersei calmly, busy breastfeeding Maegor.

I raised an eyebrow and then she said: “They will say it one day when you least expect it.”

“Yes but I want him to say it right now,” I said, a little sulky.

Cersei rolled her eyes and ignored our antics until someone knocked on the door.

‘Who could it be? I asked not to be disturbed,’ I thought, annoyed.

“Yes,” I called softly so as not to wake my children but loud enough to be heard on the other side of the door.

I immediately heard Loras Tyrell’s voice from outside say: “Your Majesty, Duke Eddard Stark requests an urgent audience, he is at the door and insists that…”

“Let him in,” I said.

‘She really has a high EQ, she knew I was going to let him in before I even opened my mouth, I must be careful,’ I noticed, looking at Cersei who had already wrapped a sheet around her.

“My uncle,” I said, seeing my adoptive father enter the room.

His eyes went straight to Aemon, whom I was holding in my arms, and he said: “It’s amazing how much he looks like you, whether it’s the eyes, the hair, the shape of the face. He has everything of you as a baby. Once he grows up, those who knew you before your hair and eye color changed will think he is your reincarnation.”

I smiled and then said: “It’s true, he has everything of a true Stark.”

I don’t know if what I said hurt him or brought back a flashback, but he immediately changed his expression and said:

“I have something important to discuss with you, can we go somewhere else?”

“And why is that, Duke Stark?”

“You can speak in front of her, if the Lannisters betray us, she knows what she’s risking,” I said, not caring about the tension between them due to her having cheated on Robert and being a Lannister.

My adoptive father said nothing at first but finally said:

“The children of the forest have crossed the Wall.”

A second of silence passed before Cersei burst into uncontrollable laughter:

“Hahahahahahaha hahahahahahaha.”

I rolled my eyes at this spectacle, while reflecting on the true reasons for the arrival of the children of the forest.

I didn’t doubt my uncle’s words because I knew him better than

 anyone and he wasn’t a liar, he cared too much about his so-called honor to do that.

Observing me seriously considering my uncle’s words, Cersei said, displeased:

“You don’t believe this nonsense, do you?”

“It’s not nonsense,” I said, stopping the debate immediately before adding: “You must open your mind to the real world and not remain cloistered in your narrow vision of it. Giants exist, White Walkers exist, and magic too.”

Cersei frowned and I added:

“Look me in the eyes because what I’m going to tell you haunts all my nights. The army of the dead is coming and I still don’t know what I’m facing except the simple fact that I can’t afford to make any mistakes, otherwise we will all be turned into walking corpses.”

“Bran is with them,” he said before handing me a letter, which I quickly skimmed through before saying:

“I’ll go in a few days.”

“You should go as soon as possible.”

“The Emperor has spoken,” Cersei said to Ned in a cold tone.

Ned nodded before heading to the door and I said before he left:

“Don’t worry, Bran will be fine, I’ll make sure of it personally.”

My uncle nodded before leaving and then I said to Cersei: “He’s my uncle and my adoptive father, it’s the last time in your life that you address him like that in my presence, is that clear?”

Cersei nodded distractedly, her gaze focused on our child, and I turned my attention back to Aemon, equally distracted.

Visenya babbled and as I was about to take her in my arms, there was another knock at the door.

‘Can’t we have a single peaceful morning in this damned castle?’ I thought, discouraged and annoyed by the sudden and incessant interruptions.