The wolf and the lioness - Dangerous games. (Patreon)

Cirilla Targaryen, Blue Palace – Solitude.

"I will not mobilize all my people from Solitude in an attack against Windhelm, especially not now with Jon's absence, your legionaries will have to suffice to attack Ulfric's last strongholds," said Queen Elisif with an icy tone of voice, looking at Tullius with her cerulean eyes filled with defiance, daring him to challenge her.

The General frowned and took a step forward while opening his mouth to respond, causing the guards to react instantly.

A pair of soldiers stepped in front of Elisif, crossing their spears protectively and looking at the General in silence, the message more than clear.

The tension in the hall was high, ever since the news of Jon's exile things had been tense between the General and the Queen.

On one side was Tullius, who wanted to mobilize the Imperial Legionaries and the soldiers of Solitude in a frontal attack against Ulfric, taking advantage of the large number of casualties both in Whiterun and Falkreath. In the General's opinion, the traitor did not have enough troops to defend Windhelm and Riften, and he wanted to launch a lightning assault before that situation changed.

And on the other side was Elisif, full of concern over the disappearance of her man, but completely focused on the defense of Skyrim as a whole and, in Ciri's humble opinion, being the more sensible of the two.

"I have been clear, the soldiers of Haafingar and the allied provinces will remain on defensive duties, at least until we deal with those responsible for the massacre at Falkreath. I will not prioritize the needs of Titus Mede over those of my own people, General," exclaimed the Queen with determination, to the evident pleasure of the court of Solitude.

Ciri looked toward Elisif with approval and pride, much had changed since that timid woman who would never have dared to speak to Tullius in the manner she was doing now.

And to the Silver Lioness' disbelief, the General, instead of remaining silent and reaching some sort of agreement, simply frowned and did the stupidest thing he could possibly have done.

Threaten her.

"That sounds suspiciously like treason, Queen Elisif," said the General with a frown, the hidden message more than clear to all the members of the court, who frowned and looked at the General with veiled judgment.

But what surprised the Lioness was the Queen's reaction.

Elisif simply raised an eyebrow, and her face lit up with a challenging smile.

"Treason, you say? Then perhaps the Emperor should be worried. After all, the Dragonborn has the unconditional loyalty of the Princess of High Rock, my unconditional loyalty, and considerable influence in Alinor. The sons and daughters of Skyrim respect him, you know? A man who leads by example, who in only a few months managed to change the landscape of two provinces. They look at the Winter Lord and do not see a General, but... a King."

Elisif's words were soft and completely calm, but her veiled threat had a far greater effect on Tullius than the General let show.

The man's face filled with caution.

After all, Elisif was right.

The people of Skyrim and High Rock would rise in support of the Winter Lord before Titus Mede, and everyone present knew it.

Elisif's words had just brushed against treason, but nobody in her court cared, and Cyrodiil was far too far away to do anything about it.

If Elisif gave the order, Tullius' legionaries would be left without supplies, without barracks, and without real support in the hostile environment of Skyrim.

It would be a death sentence.

And everyone present knew it.

"It seems our Jon taught the Queen quite well," whispered Serana, impressed, causing Ciri to laugh softly, enjoying the show.

After the threat, Tullius changed both his tone and his speech, but Ciri knew perfectly well that this would not be the last time he caused problems.

She would speak with Elisif in private about the matter.

Some time later, the meeting ended, Tullius departed the Palace and the court of Solitude dispersed, leaving Elisif alone.

Ciri simply walked toward the now empty hall, drawing the Queen's attention.

"Please, dear, tell me you have good news," said Elisif with a heavy sigh, evidently exhausted from having to deal with the court.

Alas, Ciri would have to disappoint her.

"I have news, neither good nor bad, my husband is alive, of that I have no doubt, but he is lost," said the Lioness simply, to Elisif's disbelief and Serana's resignation.

The vampire stepped forward and spoke.

"What Ciri means is that Alduin, the leader of the dragons, with his final breath cast a powerful ritual that sent Jarl Jon to another world."

Elisif seemed even more confused by the vampire's words, therefore shaking her head quickly, she focused her determined gaze upon Ciri and spoke.

"Ciri dear, please use simple words, Solitude wishes to know when its Jarl will return," said the Queen with determination.

"That is something I would also like to know, Cirilla," said a new voice, this time belonging to Elewen, who entered the throne room with elegance and determination.

Quite different from the positions her beloved husband regularly forces the Thalmor sorceress into, thought Ciri with amusement.

The Silver Lioness rolled her eyes and spoke again.

"Alduin used an ancient and forbidden Thu'um to exile Jon outside Mundus, beyond the influence of Oblivion and Aetherius, to what Jon and I call... the Multiversal Spiral."

The Princess of Cintra spoke the words in Elder Speech that Avallac'h had taught her so long ago, the same ones she had taught Jon in the past, and showed both powerful women a representation of the infamous Multiversal Spiral, leaving them stunned.

"What the fuck is this, Cirilla?" asked Elewen, well versed in arcane matters, observing the projection with determination and calculating eyes.

"This... is the Multiversal Spiral, millions of universes that have existed, exist, and will exist. Alduin's Thu'um exiled my husband to one of these worlds, beyond the influence of the Aedra and the Daedra," said the Lioness solemnly, filling both women with absolute terror, therefore quickly hurrying to calm them.

"Jon and I are fully aware of the existence of this place, and we have developed... contingencies, in order to find one another. I am completely certain that as we speak, my beloved husband is searching for a way to contact us," said Ciri with a reassuring voice, calming both women in the process.

Now came the difficult part, thought Ciri with a sigh.

"However... making a... jump through the Spiral is a chaotic and extremely complicated process, and requires something called Multiversal Navigation," said the warrior, causing the Queen and the Ambassador to sigh.

"By Auriel, Ciri... just tell us what we need to do to reach Jon," said Elewen sternly, causing Elisif at her side to nod silently, showing her support for the Altmer sorceress.

The Lioness looked toward Serana, who simply shrugged, showing her support, therefore inhaling deeply before responding.

"We need to defeat a clan of ancient vampires, besiege an ancestral magical castle, exterminate its Lord, remodel the castle into a functional base of operations, and finally, build this," said the Lioness triumphantly, while slipping her hand into her enchanted pocket and pulling out the blueprints of her husband's grand creation.

That which, if completed, would allow Jon and Ciri to navigate through the multiverse at will, capable of reaching any reality without difficulty.

"The Multiversal Beacon?" asked Elisif, looking at Ciri with evident curiosity, but the Lioness' attention remained firmly on Elewen, who, possessing arcane studies, could understand the ambitious intention of her husband.

And judging by the way the Altmer's eyes opened wider and wider, she had the Ambassador's complete attention.

The plans depicted an immense magical structure, colossal and ambitious.

An inter-dimensional fortress, a Save Haven for Jon and her, outside from the spiral itself, capable of moving between realities at will.

And an arcane observatory, a way of travel and a Home, all at once.

The Multiverse Spiral contained countless realities, worlds beyond number, dimensions separated by laws both familiar and alien, with the Beacon...they could travel without any issue.

She could even goes back home to visit Geralt and the rest, though Ciri with longing.

"Is... is this possible, Ciri?" asked Elewen, stunned, looking at the parchment in her hands with disbelief and excitement.

I got you, thought Ciri with a mysterious smile and, shrugging her shoulders, responded.

"There is only one way to find out, isn't there?" she said.

Elewen looked at the parchment once more, before raising her gaze toward the Lioness and saying.

"What do we have to do?" asked the Ambassador with determination.

"Prepare your troops. I will take care of the preparations for the invasion. I will call our contacts in Daggerfall and Winterhold. I will mobilize arcane enchanters for the creation of specialized equipment against the vampire clan" said the Lioness, causing both women to nod softly.

"Not long ago, a distant visitor arrived. He claimed to belong to a group called the Dawnguard. According to his words, they are a group dedicated to fighting vampires. Perhaps they could be of assistance," said Queen Elisif.

Ciri nodded calmly before inhaling deeply and continuing.

"Perfect, ladies, we have our plan of action. We will find our man, whatever the cost," said the Princess of Cintra with determination, causing the three women present to nod firmly.

They had a plan.

And there was no time to lose.

It was hunting season.

Aegon Targaryen, Grimmauld Place – England.

"Is this really necessary, Aegon?" asked Lily cautiously, while looking distrustfully toward one side, where Bellatrix was preparing for the fight.

Much had changed during this month of intense training. Lily had taught Aegon five years of magical education in four weeks and, to the complete lack of surprise of the redhead.

Her new lover had mastered everything with alarming ease, understanding the theory, analyzing it, making it his own and adapting it to his style of magic.

Aegon had taken his OWLs a few days ago, necessary for his cover at Hogwarts, and to the surprise of all the evaluators, he had obtained Outstanding in every core subject of the school.

The Prophet had caused an uproar about it, spending days proclaiming how the new Black heir was a magical prodigy and that the Black bloodline was safe and secure.

Lily still snorted with amusement whenever she thought about it, to be honest.

During this time, the redhead had also observed how the relationship between Sirius and Aegon had unconsciously become closer and closer, she had even seen Sirius watching young Aegon train with a smile in his eyes.

Something... dangerous in the redhead's opinion.

Sirius was becoming attached to the young dragon, of that she had no doubt.

But that did not matter at this moment, only the orders of the young wizard, who had ordered Bellatrix and her to do the unthinkable.

Work together.

Aegon had, somehow and using his mysterious family magic, transmitted the knowledge of two of his spells to them.

According to his own words, they were extremely basic and designed for magical novices.

The names?

Sparks and Lesser Ward.

The bloody problem?

That they were absolutely demanding and left both Lily and Bellatrix completely exhausted and drained.

"The only way to increase the size of your magical reserves is through practice. Bellatrix defends and Lily attacks," ordered Aegon once again.

Both witches sighed with exhaustion, but obeyed their man instantly.

The Black warrior took her position and, inhaling deeply.

Lily began channeling the sparks into her hand once again, overwhelmed by the immense magical power running through her hands.

It was...

Intoxicating.

Performing magic without a wand made her feel powerful and unstoppable.

Without hesitation, Lily launched the "sparks" toward Bellatrix, impacting the shield and stopping the attack.

The redhead expected to last the damned ten seconds before the spell ended, but...

Unlike the previous attempts, this time the fatigue came more slowly, allowing her to sustain the spell for twice as long before exhaustion overtook her.

But the smile on her face was more than evident.

As was the pride in Aegon's gaze.

"Well done, both of you did very well," said the young sorcerer, causing both Bellatrix and Lily to smile proudly.

The redhead was about to respond, when the door to the training room opened, revealing a smiling Sirius.

"Aegon, son, Druella and Daphne are here. Apparently, both of them had the magnificent idea that you should escort them to Diagon Alley, at the same time, and at the same hour," said Lord Black, the amusement on his face more than evident.

Lily watched with amusement as Aegon sighed with a smile before shaking his head and looking toward them once more.

"We're finished for today. If you wish to practice, the automatons are capable of taking the hits without issue. It will help with your magical vigor. It seems I shall have to visit Diagon Alley once again."

After those words, Aegon left the place heading toward the entrance hall of Grimmauld Place.

Bellatrix departed toward Aegon's study.

Leaving Sirius and Lily alone.

The redhead sighed when she saw Sirius looking with a paternal smile toward where Aegon had disappeared.

And as much as it hurt her, she had to intervene.

"You need to stop, Siri," said the redhead with extreme caution and tact, causing Sirius to look at her curiously.

"What do you mean, Lils?" he asked.

The redhead bit her lip nervously and responded.

"You're becoming too attached to Aegon. I can see it," she said cautiously, causing Sirius to become defensive.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Lils. I just..."

However, Lily interrupted him.

"The other day I saw you chatting with him in the kitchen, both of you with a drink in hand. You were telling him about your glory days, about James and Remus. You even promised to take him to a Quidditch match and show him how to become an Animagus," said the redhead calmly, causing Sirius to frown and look away.

"I don't see why that would be a bad thing. Aegon is a great lad. Polite, intelligent, and with a good heart. Anyone would be proud to call him their son," said Lord Black with firmness and fierceness.

"I know, Siri. But Aegon is not your son, and sooner or later he will leave. He will return home. I don't want... when that happens... for the separation to destroy you," said the redhead with extreme softness, feeling terrible as she looked at the face of her old friend.

"Aegon said he needs years to contact his wife Ciri. Perhaps during that time... we can convince him to stay. I would welcome both of them with open arms. Perhaps... perhaps he would be willing to undergo a magical blood adoption..." said the man desperately, clinging to the happiness and purpose he was feeling with Aegon's presence in his life.

And Lily felt her heart break for her old and lonely friend.

"It's... it's possible, Siri, but it's a subject you'll have to discuss with him. The last thing I want is for sadness to destroy you. Promise me you'll be careful, please," pleaded Lily, taking Sirius by the shoulder firmly, causing Lord Black to nod distractedly.

"I know, don't worry. I'm sure I'll be able to convince him, you'll see. I have faith," said Sirius, completely changing his expression and putting on the fakest smile Lily had ever seen.

"But now, we need to prepare for dinner. Aurora arrives tonight, right? To speak with Aegon about his project. I also invited Remus, who scolded me for not informing him about my mysterious son," said Lord Black with amusement, evidently trying desperately to change the subject.

And Lily did not have the heart to tell him no.

Therefore, she nodded with a smile and both of them left the room.

The return to Hogwarts was imminent.

And with Aurora here, Aegon would finally be able to finish calibrating the Megascope in order to contact his wife...

And Harry, thought Lily with determination.

There was no time to lose.