Chapter 217: A Surprise
The moment she finished speaking, Daenerys suddenly remembered something.
Her head snapped toward Drogon, who had already flown back onto her shoulder.
"Big nephew... big nephew..."
Her eyes widened.
"Drogon, did you already know Jon's true identity back then?"
A memory surfaced from the first time Jon had arrived at Dragonstone.
Drogon had casually remarked:
[The big nephew is here.]
At the time, she'd been completely baffled by the comment.
Now everything made sense.
He had known all along.
And never bothered to tell her.
Grinding her teeth, Daenerys shot Drogon a murderous glare.
[Wouldn't this be a much better surprise?]
Drogon wasn't the least bit intimidated.
If anything, he looked delighted to be watching the drama unfold.
Furious, Daenerys quietly reached up and pinched one of his claws.
Hard.
Unfortunately, dragon scales proved far tougher than human fingers.
Drogon barely felt a thing.
Daenerys, meanwhile, nearly broke a fingernail.
Unable to get her revenge, she could only add another mark to Drogon's ever-growing list of offenses.
Watching the exchange, Bran finally realized something.
Drogon truly hadn't told Daenerys about Jon's heritage.
He quickly explained,
"I heard it with my own ears."
"Aunt Lyanna said it herself."
"At first, I didn't believe it either."
"So I kept searching... and eventually witnessed their wedding."
After hearing that, Daenerys found herself believing him.
More importantly, she hadn't heard a single skeptical remark from Drogon.
That alone was enough to convince her the story was true.
The revelation left her with complicated feelings.
Her brother Rhaegar had secretly annulled his marriage to Elia Martell.
Even Daenerys found that difficult to accept.
Elia—and her two children—had likely gone to their graves without ever knowing they had already been abandoned.
Their husband.
Their father.
Had chosen someone else.
As a woman, Daenerys couldn't help feeling sympathy for Elia.
What Rhaegar had done was deeply unfair.
Still, none of that had anything to do with Jon.
He had only been a child.
An innocent infant caught in the consequences of choices made by others.
And Daenerys had never imagined that another member of her family had survived all these years.
She turned toward Jon once more.
Suddenly, she understood the strange sense of familiarity she'd felt when they first met.
The inexplicable warmth.
The immediate trust.
The feeling that she already knew him.
Yet she still found herself staring at his appearance.
Black hair.
Dark eyes.
Not a trace of the classic Targaryen features.
If Drogon hadn't independently confirmed the truth, Daenerys might have suspected Jon and Bran of concocting an elaborate lie.
Slowly, she walked over to him.
Jon stood taller than her.
He was also a year older.
Daenerys wanted to hug him.
She really did.
But it was strangely difficult.
Moments ago, he had simply been the Lord Commander she'd fought beside against the dead.
Now he was her nephew.
Her only living blood relative.
She wasn't entirely sure how she was supposed to act.
Jon wasn't doing any better.
In fact, he felt even more awkward.
Technically, he was from the younger generation.
Yet he was older than Daenerys.
If someone expected him to call her "Aunt," he was absolutely certain he couldn't do it.
[Hahahaha!]
Watching the two of them stand there in mutual embarrassment, Drogon finally burst out laughing.
The absurdity of the situation broke the tension immediately.
Daenerys rolled her eyes.
Then, before she could overthink it, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Jon.
The embrace was warm and sincere.
Not political.
Not ceremonial.
Simply family.
Feeling that openness, Jon's nervousness melted away.
He returned the hug, gently patting her back.
For the first time since learning the truth, neither of them felt awkward anymore.
After releasing Jon from the embrace, Daenerys looked him over.
Dressed head to toe in the black garb of the Night's Watch, he still carried the appearance of a sworn brother.
A slight frown crossed her face.
After a moment's thought, she declared:
"I'll issue an order tomorrow removing your black cloak."
The king—or queen—had the authority to restore a member of the Night's Watch to their former status.
Now that she'd discovered she had a nephew, the only blood relative left in the world, there was no way Daenerys intended to let him remain bound by vows that forbade marriage and children for the rest of his life.
Jon blinked.
"This... perhaps we can discuss that later."
The idea of reclaiming his old identity was still difficult for him to process.
"And as for your true identity, I..."
Daenerys suddenly stopped mid-sentence.
Bran immediately tensed.
He had been listening carefully, waiting to hear her decision regarding Jon's claim.
When she abruptly fell silent, he feared she had finally realized the threat Jon's lineage posed to her throne.
Jon felt the same anxiety.
The hope that had begun to grow inside him instantly faltered.
Then he remembered the concerns he'd voiced before coming here.
Quickly, he said:
"It doesn't need to be restored."
"As long as I know the truth, that's enough."
Daenerys looked up in surprise.
Seeing the nervous expression on Jon's face and the thoughtful look in Bran's eyes, she immediately understood the misunderstanding.
She hadn't stopped because she felt threatened.
In truth, the moment Bran revealed Jon was a Targaryen, she had already considered what that meant politically.
But she simply didn't care.
From childhood, she'd lived as a fugitive.
From Pentos to the Dothraki Sea.
From Qarth to Slaver's Bay.
Then across the Narrow Sea back to Westeros.
She had fought too hard and endured too much to believe that a name alone could determine a ruler.
She didn't think Tyrion, Missandei, Jorah, Grey Worm, or any of her closest allies would suddenly betray her because Jon happened to possess a stronger legal claim.
And behind her stood Drogon.
No.
Jon's lineage wasn't what troubled her.
Not in the slightest.
The reason she'd hesitated was Dorne.
Since her return to Westeros, Prince Oberyn had fought beside her without hesitation.
His sister, Elia Martell, and her two children had been slaughtered because they were Rhaegar's wife and heirs.
If Daenerys publicly legitimized Jon now, it would mean admitting that Elia and her children had died stripped even of their rightful status.
That the marriage itself had already been dissolved.
That the sacrifices of Elia and her children had become meaningless.
How could Doran Martell accept that?
How could Oberyn?
How could she face the man who had shed blood for her cause?
How could she face Doran, who endured constant pain yet still knelt before her during her coronation?
Dorne might not rebel.
Daenerys wasn't afraid if they did.
But morally...
Emotionally...
She couldn't make such a decision lightly.
Realizing the misunderstanding, she smiled faintly.
"I was thinking about how Dorne would feel about this."
Both Bran and Jon froze.
Only now did they understand her dilemma.
The image of Elia and her murdered children surfaced in their minds.
Neither could deny the cruelty of what the truth might mean for their memory.
After a long silence, Jon spoke quietly.
"Then perhaps I should remain as I am."
Daenerys didn't respond immediately.
She was still searching for an answer.
A solution that would honor everyone involved.
[Remove him from the Night's Watch first.]
[After that, let him settle on Dragonstone.]
Drogon had already decided Jon's future.
"Dragonstone?"
Daenerys glanced at him in surprise.
Dragonstone held immense significance for House Targaryen.
Since the construction of the Red Keep during the reign of Aegon the Conqueror, Dragonstone had traditionally been the seat of the heir to the Iron Throne.
Was Drogon suggesting Jon become her heir?
A thought suddenly crossed her mind.
Did Drogon know she would never bear children?
And even if Jon were her heir, how could he inherit without publicly acknowledging his true identity?
Questions piled up in her mind one after another.
Unfortunately, now wasn't the time to interrogate Drogon.
After considering the matter for a while, Daenerys finally said:
"When I return from the Free Cities, I'll formally release you from your Night's Watch vows."
The Seven Kingdoms had only just been unified.
A campaign against the Free Cities was about to begin.
This was not the moment to stir up new political turmoil.
For now, Jon would remain as he was.
But when Daenerys returned to King's Landing, she intended to grant him complete freedom at last.