Bab 164: Chapter 164 - Artican Trade in Essos 19 (The Truth 01).
[Chapter Size: 3100 Words.]
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Thrid Person POV
Essos, 296 AC.
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In Lys, a rather peculiar situation was unfolding at the moment as the ship from Myr finally arrived in Lys, docking at a mansion located at one of the far ends of the city.
This place belonged to Zahlan Maerys, the most powerful magister in Lys. As he approached the location, having learned about the ship's arrival after hearing what had happened in Myr through ravens, he felt a certain coldness settling in.
A woman stood by his side, his first wife, running toward the port with tears in her eyes as she saw the men disembarking from the ship, carrying a stretcher, with her son, Zafir Maerys—or part of him.
"My Zafir!!" the woman cried hysterically as soon as she saw the state of her son being laid on the ground. "How could they do this to my beloved Zafir!" Her despair was to be expected, Zahlan thought, watching his eldest son looking at them with trembling eyes while his shaking hand tried to reach for his weeping mother.
But Zahlan was not so emotional. After all, he was a powerful merchant, the greatest in Lys and one of the most influential in all of Westeros. Commanding calm, he approached and took one last look at his son, who was being consoled by his mother, and then walked toward the men who were supposed to take care of his son.
"What is Zafir's condition… and how did this happen?" Zahlan asked, while the man who was supposed to be his son's advisor trembled, kneeling before his lord.
"He suffered multiple fractures, with broken bones… the Arctic king threw him against the wall as if he were nothing. Then, a strange bird appeared out of nowhere and attacked the prince... his face is heavily scarred from that. And finally, the Arctic king himself seized our ships and went to Zafir before castrating him in cold blood..." the man responded.
"..." Zahlan remained silent... he was trying to make sense of all this chaos. He would be cursed after this day, his reputation and that of his Maerys family would become a joke among the other Magisters of Essos, and it would also create tension between them and Lys. The other Magisters would not be pleased with this.
"How could this happen... I was under the impression that you were supposed to advise my son," Zahlan said in a dark tone to the man.
"My lord... your son was advised, but he never heeded my counsel. I warned him of the consequences if he tried to challenge Jon Artica. Zafir attempted to seize the Arctic queen in front of an entire party." The man murmured, trying to explain himself, though it wasn't a lie.
"He's a monster! How could he do this to my Zafir!!" the woman exclaimed, fury in her voice.
"Watch your words, woman. We are in a great deal of trouble now, and we may be facing a battle in the middle of the city..." Zahlan said angrily.
"Wait, you're not going to do anything?! They hurt your heir!!" She raised her voice, seeing that her husband was not immediately planning to kill the Articans over this, but she was met with a slap to the face from her husband as soon as she finished speaking.
"Do not raise your voice to me again... and that is no longer my heir," Zahlan spoke in a somber tone as he turned back to his men.
"Take him inside and see what can still be saved of him." He spoke, as his men began to carry Zafir, their eyes tearful and full of fear after hearing their father, who had always spoiled him, speak to him in such a way. His mother followed with her face marked by the slap, crying even louder after her husband's decision, but no longer daring to raise her voice to him.
"Anything else I should know?" he asked.
"Yes... the Arctic king said that if Lys still wants a trade agreement, they should approach them... but if that happens and you seek revenge against any Arctic people... they will launch an attack on Lys..." the advisor said, repeating Jon Artica's exact words.
"Tsk..." Zahlan seemed to ponder this, clicking his tongue before turning back to the men. "You will remain at the mansion," he said to the guards and the advisor who had accompanied his son, and they knew they would be dead not long after.
"Yes, my lord..." the advisor responded in a submissive tone, clearly showing his fear.
"Guards, come with me. We need to meet with the other Magisters. After all, Lys is facing a huge diplomatic crisis that my son caused with Myr, as far as I know, and primarily because of a fleet of hundreds of ships. My son is far less intelligent than I had thought..." Zahlan muttered angrily, though he merely continued forward, needing to resolve the city's problems.
While Lys was preparing for war, the ship Jon was using to return to the fleet with Rhaenys was finally approaching the fleet in front of them.
"You look very beautiful," Jon, who had provided suitable clothing for Rhaenys as soon as he planned her rescue, said as he saw her approach, wearing a proper Arctic dress for a woman nearly nine months pregnant.
"Thank you... I'm a bit nervous about meeting another Targaryen..." she murmured, while Jon avoided grimacing and instead offered her a smile.
"Well, let's go then, we're already approaching the main ship," Jon said, leading Rhaenys outside as she clung to his arm.
The ship had already stopped next to the main one, where everyone was waiting for the king to board the next ship with his guest and the royal guards, while the other Arcticans continued to steer this ship.
Rhaenys saw the whole group organized on the main ship, leaving a path for them to board, after they placed a ramp with steps on both sides for them to cross.
Jon led the way, ensuring Rhaenys descended safely, while the Targaryen woman paid closer attention to everyone present. The Arctic queen, with her blood-red hair, was staring at her with narrowed eyes, as if judging her. Arya seemed to offer her a small smile, and another woman she noticed was the girl near Arya and Ygritte, with an appearance that was unmistakably Valyrian. She hadn't even noticed the child of the forest near them, while both their violet eyes locked onto each other, as if they finally understood that they were no longer alone—there was someone else like them.
"I see you've succeeded in your rescue, my husband and king," Ygritte was the first to speak as Jon approached.
"You could say that, my wife and queen," Jon replied with a smile, and Ygritte smiled back.
Jon then turned back to Rhaenys, "Let me introduce you all to Rhaenys Targaryen," Jon said as he addressed the other women on behalf of Rhaenys.
"You already know my wife, and Arya Stark," Jon said, as Rhaenys noticed Jon did not refer to Arya as his sister, and he continued, "Now, let me introduce your aunt. Daenerys Targaryen."
Daenerys offered a sincere smile, feeling the same emotions she had seen in Jon. "It's a pleasure to meet my brother's daughter... and I'm glad you're happy. After all, we're not the only Targaryens left..." she said as she approached, though she had some doubts about the pregnancy... not expecting to find her niece pregnant, and having no idea that the father was Jon himself, Daenerys refrained from asking questions about it, after all, she had just met Rhaenys.
"Daenerys... Jon told me about you, and I'm happy to finally meet you. After all, it's so good to see that we Targaryens are still alive." Rhaenys remarked as she turned to the other two women she had yet to greet.
"Queen Ygritte, Lady Stark..." she greeted them while holding her belly.
"Hello, Rhaenys," Ygritte responded in a calm tone.
"Welcome," Arya said, still smiling.
"You did a good job, nephew." Daenerys looked at Jon with a glimmer of admiration.
"Nephew?" Rhaenys looked at Jon, bewildered, not understanding why Daenerys had called him that, while Jon sighed and glanced at his sister.
"Let's go inside first. It's time we had a serious conversation," Jon said in a serious tone, causing Rhaenys to raise an eyebrow at the statement but not ask too many questions.
"I'll talk to her, so I need some privacy... Please, come with me, Rhaenys..." Jon requested, and though Rhaenys didn't quite understand, she obediently followed Jon, leaving the group behind and walking inside the ship to Jon's main quarters.
"What was that, she ignored me too..." Wind commented from the side, noting that Rhaenys hadn't even glanced her way.
"..." Daenerys also didn't quite understand what had just happened.
Ygritte sighed and decided to explain. "Rhaenys doesn't know that Jon is her brother..."
"What? He didn't tell her?" Daenerys looked surprised.
"It's because Rhaenys' child... is Jon's," Arya responded.
"Are you serious...? So they..." Daenerys murmured.
"Yes... they ended up sleeping together..." Arya said.
"She's pregnant, and Jon fears for the baby, but he won't marry her without telling her the truth first... Now we'll wait. Jon will handle it, as he always does," Ygritte said.
Meanwhile, in Jon's quarters, Ghost lifted his head as the door opened, and Jon entered with Rhaenys by his side. "Ghost..." Rhaenys murmured as soon as she saw him, approaching before gently touching his head. The direwolf didn't recoil; instead, he licked her hand and looked at her belly with a gleam in his red eyes.
"You're so handsome now, Ghost," Rhaenys murmured, noticing the clear differences in him. "You've grown even taller, or is it just me?" she remarked, looking to Jon for confirmation.
Jon nodded, a small smile appearing on his face. "Yes, he's grown quite a bit. He's now three meters tall. Some call him Fenrir, a mythical wolf, as he's the largest wolf in this world..." Jon commented, as Ghost had indeed grown enormous.
They were fortunate the doors of this ship were large enough for him to pass through, and this was the only ship that could house him inside.
Rhaenys ran her hand over Ghost one last time before her gaze shifted to the paintings done by Ygritte, which were scattered around the room, either leaning against the walls or framed.
"These are very good... These are the paintings you mentioned Ygritte made. They're so beautiful..." she murmured, and Jon couldn't disagree.
"Yes, my queen has a talent even I didn't know about," he said with a smile.
Rhaenys nodded and looked at him. "What did you want to talk to me about? Why did Daenerys suddenly call you nephew?" she asked, noticing Jon's mood shift the moment those words were spoken, a tension rising in the air.
"Come, sit down." Jon immediately asked, guiding her to the bed as he helped her by the waist. Rhaenys looked at him, curious about everything, while Jon regarded her with an even more serious expression.
"Listen, Rhaenys, there's something about me that you didn't know. Something I didn't even know myself. It was only after I arrived in Artica that I finally learned," Jon began.
"Jon, what do you mean by that?" Rhaenys was lost. She didn't understand where he was going with this.
Jon got straight to the point. "I found out that I'm your brother, Rhaenys. I am the son of Rhaegar and Lyanna Stark," he said.
Jon could see her eyes slowly widening as she began to grasp the meaning of his words, before they started trembling.
"You mean that..." she murmured weakly.
"Yes, we are half-siblings." He spoke firmly, his voice steady. The reality might be harsh, but it wouldn't change with pretty words.
"..." Rhaenys froze, staring at Jon.
"This means that Jon Artica is the father of your child... Your Brother..." Jon continued, as Rhaenys began to struggle to breathe, looking at Jon with a mix of fear and shock. She didn't even notice when he touched her.
"Rhaenys!" He placed a hand on her shoulder as he saw her on the verge of collapsing from the news. She couldn't hear him. "Rhaenys!" Jon called her again, but her eyes remained blank, staring into nothingness.
He tried giving her gentle taps on the face as she gasped for air, but she was still in a trance, only beginning to react.
Jon quickly realized that the shock had triggered something, something that could affect the child as well. He would never let that happen... Without wasting any time, he tore her dress, placing one hand on her belly and the other on her forehead, while his powers began to glow.
He focused on stabilizing her and the child, ensuring that the shock wouldn't be so severe as to cause a miscarriage... their son's life was on the line.
Jon stayed there for minutes, with Rhaenys still in her trance, breathing only with Jon's help, and slowly calming down thanks to his healing. He remained until she finally drifted into a deep sleep, her fragile state easing as her breathing steadied.
Jon sighed, carefully settling her into the bed, checking to make sure everything was alright. He sighed in relief when he saw that both his sister and the baby were stabilized.
"I knew this could happen... but I didn't want to continue without telling the truth." He murmured, deciding to wait for her to wake up so they could talk. He sat by the bed for hours. Ygritte came by to check on them, and Jon explained the situation.
She brought some fresh food for Rhaenys to eat when she woke up and left after setting up a guard for them. Jon remained there until Ghost lifted his head, signaling that Rhaenys was finally waking up. Jon looked at the girl, not having taken his eyes off her for the last few hours, carefully watching over her.
Rhaenys opened her eyes and found herself back in the ship, staring at Jon's ceiling. She clearly remembered what had happened before her episode. While in her trance, she had thought about everything she had heard. Jon was her father's son, born to the woman from the North, the one she used to blame for her family's downfall.
"It's really true, Jon?" she simply murmured, still staring at the ceiling, avoiding his gaze, knowing he was right beside her the whole time.
"Yes, Rhaenys, we are siblings," Jon confirmed in a calm tone.
"And what do you plan to do?" she murmured, looking at Jon as tears began to fall from her eyes. After all, this was the man she loved. She was in total conflict at the moment; there was love, sadness, fear, and even passion for him.
Jon looked at her seriously. "I want to know one thing first, Rhaenys. Do you hate me?" he asked.
She looked at him, her eyes wide, and quickly shook her head. "No, I don't hate you. But I'm so confused..." she said.
"But you hate my mother, right?" he asked again.
"I don't know," she murmured, unsure of what to say, but deep down, she knew the truth.
"Actually, Rhaenys, I'm not a bastard. Rhaegar married my mother before I was born," he said, being completely honest with her.
"That's not possible!" she exclaimed.
"I have the documents from the High Septon... He annulled the marriage with Elia so that Rhaegar could marry Lyanna Stark. Although it didn't remove the Iron Throne from your family, the High Septon at the time annulled their marriage and united Rhaegar with Lyanna..." Jon said.
Rhaenys couldn't stop the tears from streaming down her face as she looked at Jon, hoping he was lying. After all, had her father discarded her mother? And beyond that, her entire family had been destroyed because of this.
"Rhaenys, I'm going to be straightforward with you, and I'll completely understand if you don't want to listen to or consider my words." Jon began, still with a serious tone. "I don't want to lose this baby, and I won't let him be born a bastard... I still want to marry you, and the Targaryens have never had an issue with that, after all." Jon said.
"..." Rhaenys remained silent, tears streaming down her face... her world had just been turned upside down.
Jon sighed before continuing, his tone serious as he addressed his sister. "If you want to hate me, I'll understand. If you hate my mother, I'll understand that too. But, if after all of this, you still want to be with me, I won't accept you hating my mother because of it. I want you to think about our future and this baby." He stood up from the bed before continuing.
"Rhaenys, I'll be direct... I'm not interested in the Iron Throne, but you carry something important to me. And you are important to me as well." Jon said, maintaining his serious tone. "I'm going to leave you here to rest and think about everything. There's food and water, so eat, because I know this is a lot to digest... The only thing I ask is that you think about this child before thinking about us and our complicated relationship." He finished.
Jon turned to leave, seeing that Rhaenys didn't respond, only looking at him, lost in thought at that moment.
He was about to leave the room when...
"Jon..." Rhaenys's voice suddenly came weakly.
"Yes..." Jon turned his face toward the girl lying in bed, looking at him with tears in her eyes.
"You... you really love me... you know... everything we went through in Dorne... almost a year ago...?" she murmured, struggling to raise her voice enough for Jon to hear.
"Yes... part of me tells me that this is wrong... but if I said I regret everything, I'd be lying... And now you're my family, even if you hate me, and I feel something more than just our blood relation. So I will protect you for the rest of my life, even if you don't want to see me again." Jon said in the end.
"..." Rhaenys said nothing more, only looking at him with tears.
He then began to leave to give her time to think, leaving Ghost there to watch over her and alert him of any complications she might have. Jon went to a second room, where Ygritte had prepared everything for them, and she was waiting for him at that moment.
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*Raccoon Here:*
I'm going to ask what you think. I found Rhaenys's reaction quite logical... but do you think I could build this better?
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