A/N: We're soarin', we're flying- wait no, that's the wrong setting again.
-x-X-x-
Dipping down below the clouds once more, Daenerys finally sees the Wall in the distant horizon. Rather than feel relieved, however, her heart only races all the harder in her chest, pounding away like it wants to rip itself straight out of her ribcage.
At the same time, exhaustion is causing her to start to droop a bit yet again. Feeding more power into Drogon and cycling it back through herself to keep her eyes from drifting shut, Daenerys urges the massive black dragon forward, even as she grinds her teeth together.
She had never really understood how big Westeros truly was, but having been flying the length of it for a day straight now, Daenerys had a new appreciation for the continent's size. Still, she couldn't stop. They couldn't stop. Not until she was at Axel's side and healing him. Not until she'd confirmed that he was even still alive after the… premonition that she'd received.
-x-X-x-
"Axel!"
Daenerys had come awake with a shout, the King's name on her lips as she bolted up in the bed she'd been sharing with Missandei. It was the middle of the night, but of course her handmaiden and lover was just as much of a light sleeper as she was.
"Wha- Daenerys? What's the matter? What's wrong?"
She'd already been throwing the blankets off of herself and rising to her feet by the time the question hit her ears. Grabbing the closest thing to toss over her head and make herself halfway decent, she'd looked back at Missandei with wide, horrified eyes.
"It… it's Axel. He's wounded. Dying, maybe. I have to go to him. I have to help him."
Missandei might have tried to say something in response if Daenerys hadn't already been out the door a moment later. All thought of Axel's last instructions to her had gone out the window the moment that she'd had her dream. In it, she'd seen Axel get hurt… she'd felt his pain and agony as though it were her own. And… she'd heard voices telling her that Axel needed her. That she was the only one who could help him.
Needless to say, the Kingsguard were not been amused by Daenerys' demands to be allowed to see the Queens at such a late hour. Especially when Sansa and Arianne were both so far into their pregnancies. Fortunately the two had taken to sleeping in the same bed in Axel's absence and Daenerys had… not been quiet in her panic and frustration.
Valyrian Steel was almost drawn on her, but before things could escalate to that point, the door to the Royal Bedchambers had opened and Queen Sansa had poked her head out to ask what was going on. From there, she'd had the Kingsguard stand down so that she and Queen Arianne could hear Daenerys out.
She'd feared they wouldn't believe her, even as she told them what she'd dreamt. She'd feared they might forbid her from going, and then Daenerys would be trapped, forced to choose between listening to the voices and helping Axel… or obeying the highest authority in his absence.
Luckily, that had not come to pass. Once she'd explained herself and even confessed that she suspected the message to have come from the Seven themselves, Axel's Queens had conferred among themselves for a moment before coming to a decision, one that Sansa had executed on.
"Lord Commander."
"My Queen!"
"Have two of your fellows gather some supplies for Lady Daenerys here. Have two more go ahead to the Dragonpit to let them know that the Lady will be going on a late night flight."
"… As you say, Your Grace."
Sansa had then turned to Daenerys, her eyes ice cold as she stared at her intensely.
"Go and get properly attired. You'll do Axel no good if you're half-dead from exposure when you finally make it up there."
Daenerys swallowed down the instinctive protest, feeling like there was no time. But no… Queen Sansa was right. Just before she could scurry away however, Queen Arianne had stepped out into the hall and taken hold of Daenerys' shoulders.
"Go and help him, Daenerys. Make sure he comes back to us, okay?"
The trust behind that order had hit Daenerys like a hammer to the chest, but she'd managed to nod in agreement until the Dornish Queen had let her go. From there, everything was a blur. Missandei had helped her dress in proper attire for riding on dragon back and two of the Kingsguard had shown up at her chamber door with a supply pack.
From there, they'd escorted her to the Dragonpit, where Drogon was already unchained and saddled for the excursion. Daenerys had mounted up and been off in fifteen minutes, flying out of King's Landing hours before the first rays of sun hit the morning light. She'd turned herself northward and pushed every ounce of power she could into Drogon's wings and furnace of a chest. And then they'd flown.
-x-X-x-
But would they be fast enough? Daenerys had received no further communication from the Seven since her dream, though to be fair, she also hadn't slept in over a day either. She couldn't afford to stop, so she'd handled her and Drogon's need for food and water by simply cycling the energy between them, keeping them both topped off for a while longer.
Would such a tactic last forever? No, of course not. But they had to move. They had to keep going. And of course… they had to at least try and avoid being seen. Technically, neither Queen had told Daenerys to avoid causing a panic, but she wasn't an idiot.
She understood full well that if anyone saw a dragon as massive as Drogon flying overhead, they would be terrified out of their minds, whether they be lords or smallfolk. It probably hadn't even been long enough for every corner of Westeros to hear about her defeat and subsequent 'taming', after all.
That's why most of the trip, Daenerys had kept Drogon above the clouds, using them as cover from the ground below and only diving down every once in a while to make sure that they were still going in the right direction. As the sun had risen, it had been a rather beautiful sight, making her feel like she was flying over a veritable ocean of white. Slowly, the sun had moved across the sky, until ultimately setting again.
Now it was nighttime once more and Daenerys found herself closing in on the Wall. Would she have preferred to come in during the day to not appear as threatening? Perhaps. Was she going to wait for the sun to rise again and risk Axel's life? Fuck no.
Passing over the top of the Wall, Daenerys immediately sends Drogon into a dive down the outward facing portion of the seven hundred foot tall structure. Fortunately, it's not too hard to spot what must be the wildling encampment pressed up against the side of the Wall. Too many torches to be anything else.
She's not sure how exactly she knows that Axel is with the wildlings instead of the Night's Watch. But she can feel it in her soul that she's almost to him if she just keeps going on her current path. Any detour, any distraction could cost them everything. She cannot stop, she cannot hesitate, and she definitely can't second guess herself.
Of course, as Drogon comes in for a landing, there are shouts of anger and fear and plenty of scurrying and retreating. Daenerys is careful to keep Drogon from squishing anyone, but beyond that she can't bring herself to care about propriety right now.
"AXEL BARATHEON! I AM HERE FOR AXEL BARATHEON! WHERE IS THE KING?!"
Drogon lets out a roar to back her up, clearly feeling her frantic energy and panic through their bond. Wildlings surround them in a loose, very wide circle, weapons held at the ready but nobody foolish enough to strike the first-
Daenerys' hand comes up, claws manifesting as she catches an arrow out of thin air with a snarl. Scratch that, somebody was foolish enough. Though when she looks to where it came from, the archer in question looks pale faced and stupefied, clearly not having meant to loose the projectile.
As such, rather than throw it back into their throat, Daenerys scoffs and snaps the arrow one handed before leaping down from Drogon's back and standing tall. Claws and horns manifest as her eyes blaze with orange power.
"I AM NOT HERE TO FIGHT YOU! I AM NOT HERE TO KILL ANY OF YOU! I ASK AGAIN! WHERE IS THE KING OF WESTEROS?!"
There's a heavy pause… and then eyes start sliding over to one tent in particular. At the same time, a blonde wildling slips out of the tent. Clad in all white, her jaw is clenched and there's a pale white bone knife in her hand. Her eyes widen at the sight of Daenerys and her dragon… before hardening as her nostrils flare upon Daenerys moving in her direction.
"Who are you? What do you want?"
She looks ready to defend her tent even against certain death. If Axel is in there, Daenerys will cut her down to get to him. But… at the same time, Daenerys tries to restrain herself. She tries to hold back her initial monstrous instincts. Axel would caution temperance. He would ask her to try talking first.
"… I am Daenerys Targaryen, Mother of Dragons, Breaker of Chains, and Loyal Servant to King Axel Baratheon, Ruler of the Seven Kingdoms. I am here to help my King and if you stand in the way of that, I will not hesitate to cut you down."
There's a long, pregnant pause as the wildling woman stares at her for a moment. Before finally, she nods sharply and steps aside.
"He's inside. It's not good."
Daenerys just grunts and moves past her, purpose in every step.
"That's why I'm here."
Of course, when she finally gets a good look at Axel, some of her confidence does desert her. She'd known he was going to be injured. She'd felt his pain and agony through the vision the Seven had sent her, somehow. But all of that was nothing compared to seeing him in the flesh like this.
Pale and clammy, looking like death warmed over, weaker than she's ever seen him before, Axel Baratheon seems like a step away from breathing his last breath. And all because of the wound in his chest. Hurrying forward, Daenerys drops to her knees at Axel's side, staring in horror at the… savage 'medicine' used to try to heal him. They'd packed the fucking wound with what looked like DIRT of all things!
Her claws quickly rip away blood-soaked bandages and scoop out the wildling 'medicine', only for the blonde from before to appear at her side and start screeching.
"What are you doing?! The Wisewomen say that's the only thing keeping him alive!"
Daenerys shoots her a simple glare and scoffs. The only reason she doesn't tear out the bitch's throat on the spot for distracting her is that it seems she's been caring for Axel all this time.
"I'm here now. The King no longer has need for your… primitive methods."
Before the wildling woman can respond to that, Daenerys is already lifting up a hand and calling upon her power. Immediately, a golden glow emits from her hand and onto Axel's flesh as her other hand continues to clean out the wound.
The hole goes all the way through him, much to Daenerys' horror. Whatever had managed to pierce his impervious flesh had gone through his chest, through a lung, and all the way out his back. Fuck, they were lucky that whatever weapon did this hadn't pierced his heart. Just a couple inches further center and…
Slowly, the flesh begins to heal. Slowly, the wound begins to fill in with actual blood and organs and other things that are supposed to be there instead of dirt and whatever the fuck else they'd packed his injury with.
From the side, the wildling who had apparently been watching over him watches in shocked silence. Daenerys can't help but feel a little smug, even as she pumps as much energy as she possibly can into Axel. Maybe this was her destiny. Maybe this was what she was truly given this power for. Daenerys had to admit, she liked that a lot better than what Melisandre and the Lord of Light had wanted from her…
Finally, Daenerys pulls her hands back. Axel is completely healed and she finds herself swaying a bit from exhaustion. That… had taken almost everything she and Drogon had left to pull off.
"Who… who ARE you?"
Daenerys snorts derisively as she shoots the wildling woman a distinctly unimpressed look. Hadn't she already said? Though… there was one thing she'd left out, wasn't there? Smiling softly down at Axel, Daenerys chuckles to herself.
"I'm his woman. And that's all I need to be."
There's a pause as she basks in the moment, even slipping her hand into one of Axel's own and intertwining her fingers with his. And then…
"W-Well so am I!"
The wildling bitch just has to go and ruin it. Shooting the blonde an angry glare, Daenerys growls.
"Excuse me?"
"I am Val of the Free Folk and your King asked me to be his woman while I was tending to him these past days! He asked me and I said yes. All he has to do now is claim me!"
Daenerys' mouth opens and closes before ultimately she just works her jaw for a little while. She wants to call the woman a liar… but frankly, that sounds so much like Axel that she can easily believe he would do something like that. Especially seeing how it was eerily similar to her own… recruitment.
"Fuuuuck… I did say that didn't I?"
Axel's voice suddenly cuts through Daenerys' anger like a hot knife, causing her to whip back around even as his fingers close over hers and he squeezes her hand in his.
"My King! You're awake!"
Daenerys ignores how the wildling woman, this 'Val' character, moves to Axel's other side. She only has eyes for the King right now, even as he groans and shifts a bit on the furs he's laid out on.
"Yeah… yeah, I'm awake. And that's thanks to you, Daenerys. You saved me. Thank you."
Pride swells in her chest as Daenerys blushes hard in the face of such praise.
"O-Of course, Your Grace. The Seven sent me to you… I apologize for not being able to stay at my post in King's Landing though… I will take any punishment you see fit for that."
Axel just rolls his eyes at her and grins, making it clear that Daenerys is going to have to figure out her own method of self-flagellation to make up for leaving his Queens undefended. Then, he looks over to Val, who tenses up as his gaze falls upon her.
"And you, Val… I have you to thank for helping to keep me alive until Daenerys could reach me. So thank you, truly."
Val just grunts, averting her gaze and fighting a blush of her own as Daenerys glares at her.
"And you are right… I did ask you to be my woman in a moment of embarrassing delirium. Still, you are very beautiful… and I will extend the offer to you again now with the caveat that you understand what you are getting into. You see I already have two Queens who would come before you and multiple other concubines alongside you. You would be one woman among many, I'm afraid."
Not to mention wildlings loved their freedom. A satisfied smirk begins to spread across Daenerys' face as she waits for the wildling woman to stomp away in a huff, angry at being 'tricked' or something like that. As though she was not the one who had clearly taken advantage of Axel in his addled state! Now she was finding out that it wasn't as perfect as she thought and so she would-
"I will still accept. Claim me as your woman and I am yours."
Daenerys can't help but gape for a moment before seething even as Axel looks flabbergasted. But finally, he just nods wordlessly, offering Val his other hand. As she takes it, the wildling bitch gives Daenerys a victorious smirk from across his healed body. This bitch…
-x-X-x-
A/N: Poor Daenerys. Her greatest moment, overshadowed by stupid sexy Val~
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