A/N: Daenerys gets Axel's letter~
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"I'm surprised he hasn't come after me yet. He can fly, can't he? I'm just a stone's toss away from King's Landing…"
Daenerys' words hang in the air as she stares down at the Painted Table. Three hundred years ago, this was where her ancestor had planned his invasion of Westeros. Aegon the Conqueror had had the more than fifty foot long table carved out into the shape of the continent perfectly, depicting not just the coastline of Westeros, but also the mountains and hills and valleys.
Of course, it was more of an art piece these days, rather than a proper map, because it had been made to show the Seven Kingdoms as they'd been in Aegon's day. Before the Conquest, before the unification, before three centuries more of history and living… and death.
Daenerys' fingers trace over the city of Lannisport on the Painted Table, well aware that the settlement no longer exists as it once did due to far more recent events. Perhaps it will again one day… or perhaps not. Only time will tell.
"He fears you, my Queen. He fears your power… and your dragons."
Flicking her gaze up from the Painted Table, Daenerys eyes Melisandre carefully. It's so strange how much their relationship has changed of late. But then, to be fair, the Red Priestess has never looked more… frayed. Still, she hasn't forgotten everything the other woman has done for her. Daenerys would not be here without Melisandre's guidance and tutelage.
"They say he was powerful enough to kill Euron Greyjoy's Kraken singlehandedly before sinking most of the Greyjoy Fleet right afterwards. That does not sound like the work of a man who fears much of anything."
Melisandre smiles at that and while it's still a very beautiful smile, there's an edge to it that Daenerys can't help but notice. It's not perfect anymore. She's not perfect anymore. The cracks in the Red Priestess' beautiful mask have begun to show. But Daenerys reminds herself that the only reason Melisandre is so harried and tired is because of Daenerys herself. Everything she's done has been in service to her Queen, after all.
"He does not fear fighting you, darling. Rather, he fears the numbers that you and your dragons represent. What if he comes to Dragonstone and finds that you are no longer here? What if you slip around him and burn King's Landing to the ground while he's gone? What if you spread all three of your dragons in different directions, letting them burn half of Westeros before he can stop you?"
Melisandre's smile has become more and more… macabre as she speaks. Daenerys, meanwhile, finds herself unsettled by the thought. In fact, it makes her sick to her stomach.
"I wouldn't do that. I would never do that."
The Red Priestess pauses, smile faltering for a moment before it comes back with a vengeance as she circles the table to take Daenerys' hands in her own.
"Of course not, Daenerys. But the demon doesn't know that. And he fears what he does not know, leaving him sat in King's Landing, waiting for you to make the first move. This gives us… options. So many options."
Daenerys frowns, questions bubbling to the surface of her mind. Like for instance, why would a demon tyrant like Axel Baratheon even care if she burned parts of Westeros? Simply because it belonged to him? Was it a possession thing rather than actual compassion?
But before she can ask Melisandre anything else, the door to the Chamber of the Painted Table suddenly opens up, admitting Missandei who strides into the room and offers Daenerys a deep bow.
"My Queen, a message has arrived."
Melisandre perks up, looking excited.
"Oh? More Lords looking to swear loyalty to our Queen?"
Missandei's eyes drift over to Melisandre and Daenerys can immediately tell that her handmaiden (and lover) is quietly judging the Red Priestess' cracking façade far, far harsher than Daenerys has allowed herself to.
"No."
Then, she looks back to Daenerys, grave as can be.
"The message is from King's Landing, Your Grace."
Daenerys' eyes widen, while Melisandre hisses and begins to circle the table again.
"What? Give it here, let me see-!"
But before she can reach Missandei's side, the former slave has already stepped up to the table and slid the sealed letter across the Painted Table, finding a smooth enough path through the rolling hills, dipping valleys, and tall mountains of Westeros in just those few seconds. Her handmaiden truly is so very brilliant.
The letter arrives in front of Daenerys a moment later, making Melisandre freeze in her tracks as she and Missandei both watch the Dragon Queen pick it up and pop open the seal. Unfolding the parchment, Daenerys reads to herself quietly for a long moment, her brow rising higher and higher as she does so.
"… Axel Baratheon is offering me a Trial by Combat. Him against me… winner takes all."
Melisandre looks shocked.
"He… he aims to separate you from your dragons!"
But Daenerys shakes her head.
"No, they're part of it. The duel would take place over Blackwater Bay. Me and my dragons against him and him alone. Over such waters, there would be no way for land based siege weaponry to interfere, and no way for ships to sneak up to help either side without us seeing them."
For a long moment, Melisandre just stares. Finally, she shakes her head.
"I… I cannot promise you would be victorious, my Queen. You would be better off rejecting this offer and leveraging your Unsullied Fleet and your extremely mobile dragons to bring war to Westeros. Force the demon to split his focus, allowing you to be where he is not… and grow more powerful off of the sacrifices of his vassals and their armies."
Daenerys narrows her eyes at that, pursing her lips together. She very carefully doesn't glance at Missandei. Instead, she only has eyes for Melisandre at the moment.
"… I thought that was what the sacrifices in Slaver's Bay were for. Astapor, Yunkai, Meereen. Good Masters, Wise Masters, Great Masters. I slaughtered and burned them all for the power that I hold now. Are you telling me... it wasn't enough? Are you telling me it was never going to be enough?"
Melisandre looks surprised, caught off guard by Daenerys' challenging tone. She tries to smile a placating smile, but Daenerys isn't sure she realizes just how much her lips are quivering.
"O-Of course not. But… the demon has not sat idle all this time, my dear. He's grown stronger too. What was enough a month ago has changed now. If the ruler of this place had been of royal blood then he and his family might have been useful to you, but Davos Seaworth turned out to be utterly worthless in that regard."
Daenerys frowns harder but Melisandre doesn't notice. Instead, the Red Priestess has started pacing along her edge of the Painted Table.
"… You need more power. And with the strength you already have, all you have to do is reach out and take it! You could go south to the Stormlands to take from the Usurper's former lords, or west to the Westerlands to make House Lannister pay for what they did to your family! There's also surely to be royal blood aplenty in either the Vale or the Riverlands, to be claimed at your leisure!"
Tilting her head to the side, Daenerys snarls.
"My leisure. How could that possibly work? The moment I make my move; the Baratheon King will come after me!"
"Ah, but that's just it! He's too afraid to leave King's Landing undefended. All you have to do is leave one of your dragons here on Dragonstone. If he chases you to wherever you go, he will know the dragon will go to King's Landing and burn it to the ground. If he goes to Dragonstone to kill the dragon you leave there, then he will know you can circle back to King's Landing and burn it yourself while he's away!"
Melisandre comes back to her then, smiling an unsettlingly wide smile.
"He's trapped, Your Grace. He cannot risk his pregnant Queens, and so he will let you burn half of Westeros to cinder and take their power for yourself. I have seen it in the flames, oh yes! THIS is the path forward!"
Daenerys had been under the impression that Axel Baratheon was a monster who cared little about the women that he'd taken into his harem. So little, in fact, that he'd forced two of them to share the title of Queen instead of naming just one. A grave insult to both women, or so she'd been led to believe.
And yet, she's beginning to have her doubts. Especially since the overtures from Dorne had turned out to be a trap. And now, from Melisandre's own lips, Axel Baratheon was apparently capable of feeling love. Supposedly it was enough love to let half of the realm burn just to keep his women safe.
… Enough love to offer her this duel to keep anyone else from having to die.
Daenerys finds herself thinking back once more to that conversation she'd had with Missandei back in Meereen. What did Melisandre want… and what did Daenerys want? Melisandre wanted her to burn parts of Westeros to the ground.
Sure, she might dress it up as the Dragon Queen getting revenge against those who turned on her family, but Daenerys knew better. It would rapidly turn into anyone they came across who had a drop of royal blood if Melisandre got her way.
Just like it would have been Davos Seaworth and his family if they hadn't turned out to be lowborn. Daenerys… Daenerys didn't want any of that. She wanted to rule Westeros, as her forefathers did before her. She didn't want to turn it to ash.
"… No."
Melisandre looks even more shocked than when Daenerys rejected her advice regarding Lord Seaworth and his family. But then, that was nothing. This was…
"But you need more power, Daenerys! You aren't strong enough to-!"
"Then find a way!"
Snarling, Daenerys advances on the Red Priestess, causing Melisandre to go wide eyed and take a step back until she bumps against an outer part of the Painted Table.
"Look again. Peer into the flames and look to see how I will win this Trial by Combat. Because this is the path I choose to take. I will not burn the very people I have come to save. I will not sacrifice my future subjects just to deliver them from tyranny. My dragons and I will destroy Axel Baratheon together, and THAT will be how I win the Iron Throne. I refuse to consider any other way, so go and find out how I will win the day. Go and ask the Lord of Light what I need to be victorious! NOW!"
Blinking rapidly, Melisandre nods her head up and down.
"Yes… yes, of course! I will… I-I will go look. I will find a way, my Queen."
And with that, the Red Priestess flees the room, looking far less poised and composed than normal. Once she's gone, Daenerys turns her eyes back to Missandei and smiles a trembling smile.
"Help me draft my response?"
Smiling softly, looking so proud of her that it makes Daenerys blush, Missandei simply nods her head.
"It would be my utmost pleasure, my Queen."
-x-X-x-
"She's agreed. The duel will happen in two days."
Axel's words go down like a heavy stone among his women. Nobody is happy to hear them, though neither Tyene nor Margaery actually speak up. They're too busy beating themselves up over their failures. His Queens on the other hand…
"What if she's powerful enough to hurt you? What if she's powerful enough to kill you?"
Axel clenches his jaw at Arianne's worried tone. The very thought makes him want to say some unwise things, but he bites back on the urge. After all, it's a fair question given everything that's known now.
All three of Daenerys' dragons are said to be bigger than the Black Dread was at his peak. And Daenerys herself is said to be a sorceress of no small amount of power. Every drop of royal blood that they could find in Slaver's Bay had been sacrificed to make Daenerys Targaryen stronger… and all for one purpose. To defeat him.
Rather belatedly, Axel had realized that Thoros of Myr had pulled one over on him, all those months ago when he'd questioned the drunken Red Priest. He'd gone looking for the man, only to find that Thoros had actually departed King's Landing shortly after their talk, within a week of it in fact, and nobody really knew exactly where he'd gone. He'd vanished without a trace… probably because he knew sticking around would eventually invite Axel's wrath down upon his head.
It all made far too much sense now. Euron had been telling the truth… it wasn't just the Drowned God who wanted Axel dead. Other foreign gods were aiming for him as well. Perhaps even the talk of wights past the Wall and Others returning was even about him. Perhaps the Great Other wanted his head at all costs.
Axel had gone to the Great Sept and prayed to the Seven for guidance. He'd prayed more vehemently than he had in a long time, in fact. If foreign gods were trying to kill him, then one would assume that his own gods would have his back… right?
But he'd received no response as far as he could tell. He was their 'Blessed Champion', and the Most Devout had even spread word that he was an Avatar of the Warrior thanks to his feats in battle. Yet… not a whisper.
As he fails to answer Arianne's question in a timely manner, Sansa scowls angrily, his red haired Queen growling as she stomps forward and grabs him by the front of his top.
"You would leave us widowed. You would leave your children fatherless. And for what? Your own pride?"
Axel's jaw clenches at that and though he knows Sansa is speaking from a place of hurt and emotion rather than sense, he still can't let her words pass without a proper response.
"No. I'm not doing this for pride or out of arrogance. I'm doing this so nobody else has to burn like I did."
That gets to her. Sansa's eyes widen and she lets go of him. When she goes to take a step back however, he catches her, his hands sliding into her hands near effortlessly. He holds them for a second before letting one go and holding out his free hand to Arianne.
His other Queen joins them and Axel rubs his thumbs over the backs of their hands as he smiles apologetically.
"I'm trapped. There's three dragons and only one of me. If I allow this to become a real war for Westeros, then someone somewhere burns because of my foolishness. Maybe it'll be the Eyrie. Maybe Storm's End. Or Winterfell. Or Sunspear."
They stiffen at those last two, even if both are far enough away to be unlikely first targets. Then again, the Dragon Queen is unlikely to be very happy about House Martell's attempted subterfuge. And House Stark sided with Axel's father against her family during Robert's Rebellion.
Neither option is entirely out of the question, truth be told. Especially since the further Daenerys went afield, the less likely it would be that Axel could go after her and leave the rest of Westeros defenseless.
"This is the only way I can see to keep the bloodshed to a minimum. I have to go and fight her and her dragons alone. I have to beat them with my own strength, my own power. If I can't… then we never stood a chance in the first place. And if I fall… the Kingsguard will get you all to safety."
Whether anywhere in the Seven Kingdoms would still be safe from Daenerys Targaryen and her three dragons if Axel died, he did not know. But that was fine. He just wouldn't die. He would win. He had to.
Pulling Sansa and Arianne into a hug, he holds his Queens close for a long moment before letting them go and turning to the other two women in the room. Neither Margaery Tyrell nor Tyene Sand have seemed to know what to say to him since Daenerys took Dragonstone. They've continued to inform him of anything their respective spies can tell them, such as the survival of Lord Davos and his family and the true size of Daenerys' dragons, but outside of that, they've been… quiet.
Letting out a sigh, Axel steps up to the two women. They might not be his Queens, but that doesn't mean he doesn't love them all the same. Catching them both by surprise, he pulls them into a hug as well, whispering into their ears as he does so.
"If the worst comes to pass and I fall in battle, I will expect the two of you to protect my Queens and unborn children to the best of your abilities as well. By any means necessary."
They each stiffen at his words for a brief moment before relaxing again and nodding their wordless agreement.
There really was nowhere on Westeros for anyone to run if Axel died. The Kingsguard getting his Queens to safety would always be a temporary measure at best. But then, temporary might be all that was needed in the end.
He could only hope, if the worst came to pass, that Daenerys Targaryen and her monstrous dragons weren't quite so immune to poison as he was…
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A/N: You know shit is serious when Axel of all people considers poisoning the enemy a viable backup plan.
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